School can be, at times, a drag. For all its claims as an institution built to educate the masses, the fact remains that it is ultimately hours of sitting at a desk, being forced to listen to whatever was being said, until you simply gave up and allowed your mind to wander. Of course, this did not apply to everyone. If you genuinely had a reason to strive, one that motivated you to study, you'd pay attention. Take notes. Even ask questions. In this day and age, there were plenty of students who did so, drawn by the allure of a singular goal.

To become a hero.

Indeed. In a world where 90 percent of the population possessed unique traits called Quirks, which gave them abilities that could only be called superpowers, it was no surprise that there was no shortage of those looking to use their gifts to dominate others, and take what they wanted. However, if there were those who looked to exploit and trample on their fellow human beings, there were also those who wished to help them. Thus came an age of heroes. Individuals who used their powers with government approval, for the purposes of rescue, protection of civilians, and capture of criminals. The existence of such people not only ensured the peace, but also became a symbol of glamour, or a goal to strive towards, giving countless young teens a reason to study hard, and seek admission to a Pro Hero Course at a good school.

It seems so simple, doesn't it? A world where life itself is larger than ordinary. A world of heroes and villains. Dark and light. And all one had to do was pick one or the other.

However, even in such a world, not everyone cared to become a hero. A figure who would be admired and respected.

No, some were just looking to get by, happy if they could simply live in peace. Satisfied simply to go through a day without being attacked by their own demons.

It is fate that this story follows one such young boy. Yet, despite having no ambitions of grandeur, a power had been bestowed upon him. One he was born with, and which would, in time, shake the world. This is his journey.

Our tale begins in Japan, in a city called Musutafu. Here, there was a certain middle school, no different from the many others in the country. It had a decent, if slightly high, standard of education, and most of the students who attended were from the middle classes of society. It was the time of year when final term exams were approaching. For the third years, that meant they would soon be passing out. Most had already made plans and even applied to the high schools of their choice, having at least some idea of what their goals were. For the benefit of those who hadn't decided yet, the school had career counselors. And less formally, many of the teachers also asked what their students had thought of.

It was in one of these final year classrooms that there was an air of excitement. The course had been covered in full, and they would be given two weeks leave from the next day to prepare for their exams. In other words, this was the last class they would be having together, assuming everyone graduated.

"Well," said the teacher, a middle aged man in a suit and glasses, "There you have it. Three years have passed by, and you are all set to embark on the next stage of your life. Hopefully, you've all chosen a path to follow. How many of you want to become Pro Heroes?"

Instantly, almost every student's hand shot up, as excited cries burst forth from them.

"Me! I want to be a hero."

"Me too! I want to be the best hero I can."

"Yeah, I want to be awesome and cool, like All Might!"

"Like All Might, yeah!"

As more and more of them spoke the name of the number one ranked hero in the world, a single voice, louder than them all, overpowered them. Its owner spoke with a confident tone, casually dismissing everyone around him.

"None of you have what it takes. The one who's going to become number one is ME! I'll be the number one pro hero, even better than All Might!"

The boy who had made this declaration had stood up on his desk. He was slightly taller than the average middle schooler, and possessed a rather athletic build. His blond hair could be summed up best in a single word: explosion. Fittingly, that same word was also appropriate for his personality. Loud, in-your-face, cocky: this was a boy who couldn't see himself as anything less than the best thing to ever happen to the world.

"Waah, if it's Kacchan, it's possible," said an admiring voice.

"Yeah, Bakugo's Quirk is powerful. With something like that, he can make it to the top!"

"His grades are high too," said yet another boy.

One by one, more and more voices joined in, exclaiming their support, as well as their own wish to be heroes.

It was loud enough that no one would have heard a much softer voice timidly stating its owner's wish.

"I want to.. I want to be a hero."

The slight, shy youth who had uttered those words seemed like he didn't even want to be heard. Or perhaps, he desperately wanted to, but did not think he would be acknowledged.

However, as loud as Bakugo was, the words of the other boy had not escaped his noticed. He frowned and glared at him.

"You?" he snarled, pointing at him, drawing the entire class' attention to him. "You want to be a hero? Deku, you little shit. You don't even have a Quirk!"

A storm of laughter and jeers greeted his words, and the target of it all lowered his head, looking like he wished he could disappear.

He did not notice, but there was one person in class (and it wasn't the teacher), who had not laughed at his statement.

Right at the back, chair tilted back so that he was leaning against the wall, was a boy. If no one had mentioned it, you may very well have mistaken him for a high school senior. His frame was large, six feet when he was standing, and powerful as well, with wide shoulders. A muscular chest and arms strained his uniform. He looked like he had a pro wrestler's protein intake, and benched four hundred pounds for reps. The upper half of his uniform was open, revealing a red vest he wore underneath, while the collar was pierced with a heavy gold chain. On his head was a dark hat the same colour as his uniform, and stylized with gold symbols. One was forced to wonder how exactly he got away with breaking the dress code to this extent. Then again, given his physique, the answer to that question was obvious. His hat was pulled down low, obscuring part of his face, though it was still possible to see his lips curl slightly in disgust. Despite his sour expression, one would be hard pressed to say he was not handsome.

"Good grief," he muttered. Having been in the same class as Bakugo for a year, he was used to the blond making such scenes often. It was one of the reasons he found him so irritating.

As ever, even the slightest hint of disdain towards himself did not pass under Bakugo's radar. He immediately wheeled around to face the hulking youth.

"You got something to say, Kujo?"

The class went deathly silent. The cheers and shouts stopped almost instantly, as if someone had cut the power.

The dark haired boy lifted his hat slightly, turning his gaze upon Bakugo.

The teacher was sweating profusely now. Since Quirk-specific training did not happen until high school, there was not much concrete information the staff possessed about the abilities of students, beyond what the students themselves chose to reveal. As such, not much was known about Kujo Jotaro's quirk. All anyone could tell was that it was some kind of psychic power.

Unlike almost every other child his age, Kujo had no interest in showing off his Quirk, and never used it to gain any advantages during sports classes, or even to casually assist himself otherwise.

There was one exception to this self-imposed rule. Only one incident of him having displayed his power at school, which is how everyone had drawn the conclusion that it was psychic in nature. It had involved the school bus being incorrectly parked, blocking the exit-way from the grounds. Instead of walking around it, Kujo had effortlessly corrected its position, briefly lifting it off the ground and moving it onto the designated spot, parallel to the curb. The whole action had taken maybe five seconds at most, and the teenager had shown no signs of even the slightest strain. It had not been an effort to show off at all... but it had alerted a ground full of students that his ability was not to be taken lightly.

That wasn't the only reason he was intimidating, however.

The fact was, Kujo Jotaro drew trouble to himself like a magnet. He simply happened to be able to deal with it without using his quirk. His massive physique was not for show; in his first year alone, he had put no fewer than ten students in hospital after they had attempted the usual procedures of imposing authority upon a junior.

More delinquents came, and they were all dealt with brutally, with Kujo never receiving any penalty, since all of them had used their Quirks, and he had never used his own. The law making public use of Quirks by unlicensed individuals illegal had, in this case, made him immune to any repercussions. Of course, that meant that by the time he was halfway through his second year, there was not a bully in the middle school circuit of the area that had not had an arm, leg, ribs or nose broken by the teen. And those were the ones who got off easy, comparatively.

By that time, most people had realized it was in their best interests to give the teen a wide berth. Kujo was a stone cold loner, and seemed to have zero interest in changing that.

Even Bakugo, who never thought twice before using his Quirk on anyone who annoyed him, had decided that this might be one person best left alone.

Until now.

The blond glared aggressively at him, daring him to do anything that might be taken as provocation.

The larger youth did not seem remotely impressed by his demeanour. Rolling his eyes, he lowered his hat over his face again, in a clear gesture of dismissal.

Bakugo could feel himself trembling. His very body shook with sheer anger at the absolute gall of this boy. How dare he ignore him like a piece of trash? He would need to put him in his place, and remind him exactly how far above him he stood. He'd left him alone so far, but now that it had come to this, it was kind of fitting. He'd prove that the big bad kid was all show, a hollow legend.

Ignoring the teacher, he raised his right hand, about to cause a trademark explosion, when Kujo spoke.

"That's an absolutely shit idea. You'll regret it."

Bakugo's eyes widened. He stared, unable to understand. Kujo had clearly covered his eyes. There should be no way for him to see his movements, unless his Quirk gave him the ability to peer through solid objects. Or had some kind of other sensory ability.

Wasn't he a pyschic? Was this yet another power he possessed along with the rumoured telekinesis?

"Why, you..."

Kujo sighed.

"Don't you have better things to do? Heroes are supposed to help people. Or do you think the job involves going around picking fights? Are you stupid?"

This time, it was the child rudely called Deku who stared in awe.

No one ever stood up to Kacchan. No one, as far as he could remember, had ever gone against him, had ever spoken anything other than words of praise and submission to him.

Until now.

Midoriya Izuku admired Katsugi Bakugo. He admired him for his powerful Quirk, something he wished he possessed. He admired him for his strong personality. For his drive. For his ability to excel at whatever he did. He admired the fact that he was able to set his sights on a goal, and advance towards it, unstoppable.

Once upon a time, the two of them had been friends.

Midoriya would still say they were.

But deep inside, he knew Bakugo did not consider him as such. And deep inside, he was aware of the explosive Quirk-wielder's faults. Of his arrogance. His insensitivity. He knew, somewhere inside, that the boy he admired was a bully.

And that same part of him felt a deep satisfaction at seeing him casually and utterly dismissed, called out on his faults.

The class was watching and listening with bated breath now, and Bakugo knew it.

Having been called out, if he tried to use force to settle things now, he'd only be proving what Kujo said. Clenching his teeth, and hating every moment of it, he spat out his next words.

"I know what a hero does, asshole."

Kujo did not even consider that worth a verbal reply. He got up and picked up his bag.

"The course is done, right?" he asked the teacher, who could only nod, dumbfounded. "Then I'm out of here."

With that, he walked out, signalling the end of classes before the bell could do so.

With his exit, everyone else also started gradually making their way out. There was no point staying behind any longer: there was only a minute or so till the official end. The confrontation at the end had halted eveyone's buzz somewhat, but it had also given them something to talk about. Most people walked in groups, planning to hang out once before starting cramming in earnest during the break.

Midoriya, who was largely an outcast due to being Quirkless, walked alone, lost in thought.

I... want to be a hero. Without a Quirk though... there's no way that can happen. It's useless. I'm useless. I guess my dream was just that... just a dream.

He was used to disappointment, but all these years, he had told himself he would keep trying. That thought had given him the strength to go on. Without it, his relentless spirit was at the breaking point.

A tear threatened to leave his eye, gathering at its corner. Just as he was about to stop holding it back, he caught sight of a figure up ahead.

From his height and build, his distinctive customized uniform, his hat... it was clear that this was Kujo Jotaro.

Midoriya stared at him.

That's right. He's strong too, isn't he? He was able to stand up to Kachhan like it was nothing. And... doesn't he have an incredible Quirk too?

He too was another individual with power. One who had both the spirit and the power to be a hero. In Midoriya's eyes, he was far more qualified for the position than he himself would ever be. The irony was that Kujo had no interest in being a hero at all. The stories of his fights were a legend of sorts at school, and while most feared the boy as a violent delinquent, it was generally accepted that it had always been his opponents who had ganged up on him and started the incidents.

Midoriya nearly laughed at the irony. Kujo cared nothing for being a hero. Yet, he was able to stand up to any number of thugs and bullies without fear. Not only was he more powerful, his spirit and mind surpassed his own as well. Midoriya was timid, barely able to look anyone in the eye, and could not even think of fighting back any of the numerous times he had been pushed around.

Lost in thought, the young boy continued to walk, in the same direction as Kujo.

He was broken out of his reverie by the sound of an explosion, followed by screams.

"A villain? But that means..."

Before he could complete the train of thought, a massive something turned the corner down the street, coming into view.

"Sludge monster," muttered Midoriya.

It was indeed exactly such a monster. A massive blob, indistinct in shape and constantly shifting, moving quickly. People screamed and moved out of the way.

It was at this moment that Midoriya noticed something. Or rather, someone.

Attached to the monster was Bakugo Katsuki.

The boy was unconscious, half his body sunk inside the moving mass of sludge, with tendrils of the substance inside his mouth and around his throat.

A jeering laugh burst forth from the creature, which still possessed a mouth and eyes, forming a kind of face.

"Hahaha... hell yes! This kid's Quirk is amazing! With this, I'm unstoppable! Out of the way, you little shits!"

Several blasts went off at once, sending cars flying, shattering windows and destroying chunks of the buildings he passed by.

Midoriya looked around desperately. There was no sign of a pro hero anywhere in sight. What was taking them so long? Was it possible they were stuck battling some other threat? Should he pull out his phone and dial emergency?

These thoughts flashed through the mind of the young boy. But ultimately, he wasn't really paying attention to any of them.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he began to run towards the villain.

Kujo Jotaro stood calmly. In a churning ocean of panic, he was the lone point of calm. People around him screamed, running, trying to get far and away as the villain indiscriminately blasted whatever struck his fancy.

Tch. Typical piece of shit. But no one seems to be coming...

While he was not worried about his own safety, there was no denying that the villain could easily cause a large death toll if he continued unchecked. He already had Bakugo trapped. It was impossible to tell if he was still alive simply from looking, but Jotaro concluded that he was. The villain was using his Quirk. If he was capable of taking the Quirk from him without needing to keep his body around, he would have discarded him instead of carrying him around. If it was possible to access his Quirk from his dead body, it would make more sense for the Sludge Villain to absorb him completely instead of leaving him jutting out on the surface. Evidently, it was to prevent suffocation. Meaning, he needed the person to be alive in order to draw on their Quirk.

This entire line of reasoning took less than a second for Kujo Jotaro.

Logically, it made sense to wait for a hero. He did not know what the consequences might be of forcibly removing Bakugo. And of course, using his abilities in public would draw attention, and might cause a mess for him.

But even so.

He could not let this go. The villain would get away, and once it did, it would kill Bakugo for sure.

With lives hanging in the balance, Jotaro leapt into action.

He never considered himself a hero, or even a good person.

But he was certain. He knew what evil was when he saw it.

And he wouldn't let it go unchecked.

He dashed forward, overtaking Midoriya easily, causing the boy to gape in surprise.

K-Kujo san?

Jotaro quickly analysed the situation. First thing first, he needed to stop that thing from moving. Such an endeavour would normally be easy, but there were people around, and the villain had Bakugo as well.

Given these factors, he decided to try a different tactic.

Standing firmly in front of the villain so that he saw him for sure, he summoned forth his power.

To most viewers, it looked as if a car right next to him simply rose into the air, as if lifted by some invisible force.

"Let him go!" shouted Jotaro, knowing very well the thing would not comply with his demand.

Instead...

"Oho! Another tasty snack! Another body to possess, and my my, you've got a hell of a Quirk too, haven't you? I'll be taking that!"

As several tendrils of the nasty substance shot towards him, the car immediately moved in front, acting as a shield.

"You think that'll save you? Naive!"

The tendrils snaked around the car to continue advancing towards him, but the vehicle shuddered, moving around, seemingly attempting to try to block their path by adjusting, like a mobile shield.

In the meantime, Jotaro dashed to the side. Curiously, the car dropped as soon as the distance between him and it increased.

"You won't get past me that easily!"

More tendrils shot out, and this time, managed to grab the youth. The villain sneered as he lifted Jotaro up to eye level, deciding to get a good look at him before taking over his body.

"Pathetic little kid! Leave this sort of stuff to adults. Playing the hero ends bad. Which is why you're here, and I'm about to take over that sweet, sweet Quirk of yours.

Even trapped by the slimy extensions of the villain's body, Jotaro's face showed no signs of fear.

He looked calm, almost impassive.

The anger burned on the inside. Not controlling him. Instead, he harnessed it.

An angry Jotaro Kujo never lost control.

His intelligence and ability to act rationally always remained active.

It was precisely why his anger was so terrifying.

"You know, I never believed in heroes," he said.

The villain frowned at first, before its monstrous mouth curved into a smile.

"Hahaha... smart kid, huh?"

Jotaro continued, giving no sign of acknowledgement to the villain.

"Playing at being one is a waste of time. You know, in my eyes, being a human being is enough. After all, I'm no good guy, but even I know what real evil is."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Real evil... is using the weak for your own purposes, and then trampling them underfoot. There aren't any heroes here right now. No cops. Therefore, I'll do it. I'll make you pay for this shit."

The villain laughed, even as the sludge began to creep over Jotaro, covering more and more of him.

"Hahahahaha! Ah, you delusional kid! You've been watching too much anime. Even as we speak, I'm taking over your Quir- huh? What's this?"

The villain's expression changed, becoming puzzled.

"I can't feel anything! Where'd your Quirk go?"

Busy trying to locate Jotaro's Quirk, the villain had not noticed that every civilian in sight had backed far away, leaving the entire street more or less empty around him for thirty metres or so in either direction, and a shorter distance breadthwise.

"Quirk, you say? Well, I suppose its natural you'd think that. You want to take over my powers? Idiot."

Jotaro's expression darkened.

"You can't take over Star Platinum."

A violent explosion of force expanded from Jotaro's body, smashing the sludge holding him, breaking it into tiny droplets that were sent flying. The villain's main body had been split as well, and he landed in chunks, several metres away.

"Wha-what the hell was that?"

Invisible to ordinary eyes, a figure hovered in front of Jotaro.

In many ways, he resembled Jotaro himself, but as if the core aspects of him had been emphasized, strengthened. He was taller even than the youth himself, with an immense musculature that made him look more like a god than a mortal. His skin was purple, and his only clothing was in the form of arm-guards, studded gloves, greaves, and a loincloth. Long black hair flowed from his head, which also had a gold band worn on the forehead. Oddly angular features which resembled Jotaro's own were twisted in an expression of wrath. He held in his arms the unconscious form of Bakugo, whom he gently lowered to the ground.

The figure held one arm up, and began to move it in a circular motion, as if stirring the sky. As his movements became faster, a wind began to blow, growing steadily stronger.

The villain, whose body was in chunks, began to feel parts of him lift slightly, dragged forwards as if into a vortex.

The gigantic figure's movements gained a burst of speed, increasing vastly in force, and a miniature tornado was formed, dragging every last bit of the sludge into its center.

"ORAAAAAAAA!" cried the being, as he ceased the rotation of his arm, leaving the bits of the villain hovering momentarily in the air, before striking violently upwards in their direction with an uppercut using the other arm. The air pressure behind the blow blasted the pieces upwards, sending them into the sky.

The crowd gasped in shock.

But the mysterious being wasn't finished yet. Grabbing the car he had dropped earlier, he tore the metallic hood clean off it and applied force. Within seconds, he had bent it into the shape of a rudimentary bucket, hammering the disconnected parts together with such force using his fists that there was no chance of even water leaking through.

A second more later, the chunks that had been sent flying upwards before, descended now, and the purple giant caught it in the quickly made "bucket". Grabbing one of the doors of the car, he ripped it off and bent it into the shape of a lid, covering the bucket, trapping the villain inside.

With his task performed, the giant disappeared, vanishing. In truth, he merely returned to Jotaro's mind, his soul.

This was the terrifying power he possessed.

Not a Quirk, but a physical manifestation of his psychic energy in the form of a powerful spirit.

His name... was Star Platinum, and he was Jotaro's Stand.