Author's Note:
Before I begin, I want to warn the readers that since I'm not a Japanese citizen nor am I largely familiar with the customs of Japanese culture, so this story will be largely Americanized. And I mean that in a sense of language. Minus the use of surnames instead of first names, in most formal cases, things will be Americanized. The plot and location will still stick to canon, but for situations where -san or -senpai would be more appropriately used, you won't see that (unless I do more in-depth research and feel absolutely confident when using them). This is to avoid any butchering. I tried with a Naruto story a long, long time ago, and it didn't work out well. Besides that, I hope you enjoy the first chapter.
I do not own any of the characters that belong to the original Boku No Hero Academia story. This is a fan-work. Thank you.
Chapter 1:
Most days, Daichi's alarm clock never woke him up. Sometimes it'd be his empty, growling stomach after forgetting to eat dinner the night before, usually from late-running club meetings. Sometimes it'd be his nerves, that'd keep him jittery for hours, finally waiting for his next dojo tournament. Most of the time though, it'd be Deji, his older brother, getting up at the crack of dawn to go jogging around the block. It was a bittersweet tradition since Daichi despised jogging, but he loved his adopted older brother. And as the days till Deji went away to police academy grew smaller, Daichi hated the tradition less and less.
And now that it'd be five months since Deji left home to join the academy, Daichi couldn't blame his early rising on his brother. This time, it was pure, unadulterated fear. The U.A. Entrance Exam was today.
Beep, beep, beep.
The alarm clock next to the occupied bunk-bed rang from the nightstand. Laying on his back, under his thick gray fleece blanket, with his middle school logo hazardly printed across, Daichi reached over his head and tapped the Snooze button on the top of the alarm before returning to his previous state.
Daichi wanted to be a hero. He knew it'd be difficult, he knew his Quirk wouldn't make it easy. And he knew most applicants didn't even make it to graduation at the U.A., but as much as Daichi feared the rejection, he feared the idea of letting life pass him by without as much as trying. If he couldn't become a hero, at least he could move on with the knowledge that he gave it his all.
No matter what happened today, Daichi could sleep knowing he tried.
And with that, Daichi pulled himself up and set his feet to the ground, below him were the U.A. Prepatory papers he forgot to put away before falling asleep. The first thing Daichi saw on the paper – 2% ACCEPTANCE RATE, CIRCA 2015.
Daichi felt his stomach turn sharply. And for the millionth time this month, Daichi wondered if Deji could get him a spot in the local high school police academy program.
[Break]
"Look who finally got out of bed!" Daichi heard from the kitchen, as he shut the door behind him and pulled his book-bag onto lean but toned shoulders. Standing in the kitchen, organizing several plates of food was his adopted Mom, with her long black hair pulled into a bun and a sun-shattering smile. Behind him was his step-father, preparing what looked like another stack of pancakes.
Daichi shot a weak smile, as he approached the kitchen counter and took one of four seats available. Scooting a hot, filled plate in front of him, Mom moved forward and planted a kiss to his forehead before combing through shoulder-length, mop of midnight blue hair on his head with pinched brows. "You should've cut this for today, you know you look so nice with short hair,"
"But I said I'd cut it if I got in," Daichi interjected as he piled some fruit on top of his pancake before tearing it apart. His mother muttered weakly, still attempting to pull away the wavy curls hanging in front of his equally dark-blue eyes, before finding some peace in its current position and moving back towards his husband, who delivered a fresh batch of pancakes.
"You know it's only us eating right?"
"You know I nervous eat, Dai!" His father sprouted nervously, with a heavy sweat-drop, before his mother rubbed his back soothingly, shooting Daichi a comforting smile. "You'll do great, he just doesn't like not being there for your big days."
"They should at least televise it!"
"But then everyone in the world would know about upcoming heroes, and that'd ruin the whole point of the U.A.,"
"Still!"
The obvious support of his parents made Daichi laugh, the tension easing a bit as he dug into his meal. They knew this day would come as soon as Daichi took the dive, several months earlier, and applied for the U.A. instead of the Police Academy, like he'd been debating all year. He, like the rest of his family, were helpers. They believed in justice like they breathed air, and Daichi knew without a doubt he wanted to be an agent of the good. His Quirk didn't make it easy either.
The rest of the breakfast went as smoothly as it could. Dad never really stopped making food, despite the growing protest of his mother but it was all in good fun. Before Daichi knew it, his parents were sending him off to the nearby bus stop, with wishes of good luck and faith, but that kept Daichi afloat. As he stood at the lightly crowded bus stop in his plain black track pants and a newer, but simple long-sleeve red athletic shirt, the navy haired boy could only hope it got easier from here. But he knew it wouldn't.
Paying his fare and making his way to the riser seats, Daichi took a window seat and sat his bag on the floor, in case his neighbor needed room, before looking out to the window and watching the older, faded apartment buildings be replaced with sleeker, taller skyscrapers. They were heading into the city, home of the heroes. Home of the U.A.
His stop was near the end of the route, so he knew he had time to get his nerves together. But it wouldn't make much of a difference. He came to the same problem he did every time he thought about the U.A. How could he get in without using his Quirk? It had been legally prohibited since he triggered back in elementary school.
And he understood why, it was a life-threatening. It offered no mercy, no chance of recovery. A fatal, one-time complete disintegration. Something he had no control over. He wouldn't fight with the law when it came to restrict his powers. So, instead, he took up martial arts. It became a part of him, in every aspect. His dojo felt like a second home. At first, it was a hobby, something to occupy the hours where Mom and Dad were off working in the administrative hero departments – managing hero PR & agent contracts – but soon enough, he didn't care about the belts or badges. It taught him self-control, self-confidence. His body was a tool, he just had to learn how to use it correctly.
It changed everything for him. He was a simple kid, maybe a bit shyer then he should've been especially with his quirk, but the dojo gave him a push. Made him certain in himself. Initially that translated to pursuing his interest, no matter how fickle. So, he joined his local Robotics club, any sports held at his school. That gave him friends, made him approachable, carved an athletic build out of him. But soon enough, martial arts gave him to push to still help others. Whether that was being a hero or being a police officer, either way, he would be a tool of justice. It's what he was made to do.
As the bus slowed to a crawl at his incoming stop, where the tall walls of the U.A. entrance towered even miles away, Daichi could only pray his instinct hadn't led him astray. With a quick thank-you to the bus driver, Daichi stepped off and quickly began making his way towards the U.A. entrance.
At first, Daichi was the only one heading that direction, but soon, slowly, a crowd began to form around him. It was filled with athletes, loners, tall-looming figures, tiny-undiscernible types. It was more diverse than any Daichi had seen in his niche. Maybe it was a little intimidating, but he didn't take it to heart. Diversity meant growth, that meant the U.A. was doing something right. And they all worked to get there, they deserved to be here as much as he did with.
With a small nod, more to himself than anything, Daichi pushed forward. Soon enough, the walls were in front of him, and Daichi stood beneath the thick U.A. letter banner. As the crowd began to pile forward, the gates began to open, with a few volunteers guiding students forward. Following the crowd, Daichi took a moment to gaze around the famous school, in awe of its seemingly pristine-white halls with no sign of disarray or mess. He expected no less from the home of Japan's best heroes.
Soon enough, the crowd was moved into a large auditorium, where Daichi found himself near the back, in an assigned seating. The room continued to fill, the chatter gradually rising as friends found each other and enemies denounced each other in the same breath. As far as Daichi knew, he was the only one from his school to apply, though to be fair, he didn't spread the news far beyond his dojo or at the least, the Robotics club, who had been witness to him signing the sheet. But they were all clothes friends from his childhood and known of them decided to attend. So, he was alone thus far.
Daichi watched as the curtain covering the stage ruffled lightly, several sneakers floating in and out of sight at the bottom, before suddenly a loud snap bounced through the room and curtains drew back to reveal –
"WHAAAAAT'S UP" The loud, Present Mic roared from the stage, finger-guns pointed to the crowd. Every student fell silent as they turned their attention to Present Mic, Daichi did the same. Present Mic snickered, clearly satisfied at the immediate attention before a white screen appeared behind him, and he began the introduction speech.
Without much pleasantries, the U.A. began to explain the upcoming entrance exam. Daichi had read a bit about it online, so he wasn't surprised when he heard of the dual practical & written exam. As Present Mic explained the point system behind the robots in the Practical Exam, Daichi made a note to focus on the smaller, more attainable targets. Gathering those while others focused on larger ones could give him an advantage that not using his Quirk took away.
Those sitting around him ranged in reactions. Some were practically vibrating in their chair – one ecstatic blonde guy literally was, some were more subdued, planning like Daichi. Again, this was only to be expected. With all the information out in the open, Present Mic sent them on their way to change. Daichi walked past the locker room and straight towards the buses since he was already in gear. All he needed was mobility, he didn't own anything fancier so.
The bus ride was quicker than Daichi anticipated, but he knew it easily could've been a days-worth of travel and he still wouldn't have noticed by how deeply he was in his thoughts. By the time they reached the arena gates, Daichi felt warm all over. Adrenaline, anticipation, anxiety. Dread. Fear. But, as he stood near the front of the crowd, he refused to let himself focus on anything but just yet – focus.
Daichi watched as Present Mic appeared in front of the crowd, as the arena door opened behind him. Then without a countdown, Present Mic initiated the battle – "heroes don't have countdowns in real life".
[Break]
Daichi didn't wait to take off into the arena. Ignoring the loud ring and crash of other students around him, Daichi focused on a small wondering robot in the far distance of the street.
Thanking Deji for constantly forcing him to run every day, as he felt his lungs expand with every foot-fall. A comfortable pace. Just what he needed. As he gained on the robot, Daichi angled him to kick off an adjacent building corner before angling himself off the building and straight into the robot's chest feet first. The inertia of the jump sent the robot straight to the crowd, with a loud clatter to his body.
Daichi shook off the sting of the kick before turning left to head down the next road. Several students fought ahead. Daichi watched as a girl spewed aside onto a larger robot, causing a mid-size piece of its foot to fall out. Daichi slowed down a fraction of a second to pick up the piece of robot before adjusting to its weight and continuing his run.
Armed with a weapon, Daichi pushed forward. It'd be quite a few before he felt the burn, so he'd make the most of it. Daichi spotted another small robot coming out of an alley right ahead of up. Swinging the robot leg up, Daichi brought it down on the small robot's head.
The robot fell, but it wasn't destroyed. Standing between the alley and the robot, Daichi did a quick scan, more instinct than anything, when he spotted a tall guy on the other end. His head was a jagged, sharp shape, his skin looked more rock than human skin. But the boy stood under a larger robot – it didn't look like he had a way out. He quickly looked between the boy and the robot pulling itself up, before throwing the robot leg directly at the robot before taking off down the alley to the boy.
The larger robot was kneeling itself down, its large red eye looking the boy directly in the eyes as it raised its left arm to swing down. Making it out of the alley, now only a few feet away from the robot, Daichi bit back a grunt as he leaped across the distance and threw himself shoulder first into the robot's head.
The robot toppled over, as Daichi fell past it, further down the street. The rock-boy looked at Daichi, eyes wide, before looking back to the robot, before moving past it to offer a hand to him. Daichi gave a grateful smile as he rose to his feet. "Thank you, I hope I didn't get in the way," Daichi offered, and the boy quickly shook his head, but no response. Daichi nodded, rubbing his shoulder, as he looked back to the robot, which now had a dent on the side of its head. The fall shattered its eyes, but it was still moving.
"Wanna work together?" The navy-haired boy asked with a nod towards the fallen beast. "With both of our weights, we can crush his head, they could split the points."
The rock-boy quickly nodded, and together they jogged back. Daichi reached to put his foot out, but the other boy hesitated. "It's okay, it won't hurt you," Daichi offered, remembering what his friends would tell him back when he was more reserved, less certain.
The boy nodded and in sync, they slammed their heels into the damaged head of the robot, causing it to stop moving altogether. Daichi shot the boy a bright smile before reaching his left hand out – ignoring the slight protest from his shoulder. "I'm Daichi, thanks for your help." The boy took his hand and shook it and nodded. Daichi shook his hand, and before offering they continue together, the crowd began to shake.
Soon the street below them was cracked and from what Daichi could see, so were the buildings. Then he saw it – the largest robot of all. Nearly a sky-scraper at it's height, Daichi didn't see how he could stop it.
He compared it to a natural disaster. Something out of his hands, but he could help the victims. Move people out. Maybe leave this to something like All Might – even though, in this hypothetical, All Might can't stop a hurricane. Well to be fair, he's never tried. And he probably could if he did.
Daichi looked back to see a mainly clear road, away from the robot. It was better than trying to move past it, even if this road could be the huge robot's next landing pad. "We've gotta go! Let's see if anyone is trapped!"
The boy looked to Daichi, a sweat-drop forming for a moment before he nodded. He was nervous, shaky even, but willing. Daichi couldn't ask for anything more. With one last reassuring nod, they ran back down the street and began to scan for those who trapped or needed help. Spotting no one down the street, they turned right – still heading away from the large robot – and continued searching. It was as they found two students semi-buried under large concrete slabs that the ground shook again, except this time, it was the sky-scraper robot falling. Holding one of the two contestants under the rock slabs – a nice guy named Ysu with slimy webbed hands and thick green hair, but sweet nonetheless and grateful for the help – Daichi watched with wide eyes as he spotted a small, green-haired boy recoil from a blast to the sky-scrapers face. He was free-falling. He'd die on impact.
Daichi looked to the boy on his shoulder, falling in out of consciousness and the boy falling almost two streets over and momentarily wondered if he could do both at the same time. If his body would let him – he had to try.
Daichi began to jog forward when the rock-boy grabbed his shoulder and pointed up. The green-haired boy was levitating now, slowly descending back to the ground, before disappearing from view. Daichi took a small breath of relief, but still wanted to check on the boy, before loud horns rang through the air. The exam was finished, it was time for the written exam.
[Break]
After dropping Ysu with the friendly nurse waiting at the bus stop, Daichi took the ride back to the school to stretch out his shoulder, before he tried calculating his points. The first robot he took out was one point. The one he and the boy had taken down were two points. That left him with two points total. Oof.
It was a bit of a sad revelation, but there was still a whole other half of a test to take. He couldn't give up now.
After a quick locker visit, that left his shaggy blue hair wet against his shoulders, Dai found his seat and organized himself, just as Present Mic returned and began the standard testing procedures. Oddly enough, this portion was less strenuous than the Practical Exam. It felt more simplistic, more humane. It wasn't math or science related, it was about his own thinking cycle and his reaction to both traumatic and seemingly simple systems.
He spent years day-dreaming about his work as a public servant, both caped and not. Whenever Deji fell asleep in the top bunk, while studying, Dai would crawl up and burn through his textbook and homework. Deji would wake up and his homework would be done – with Daichi's then poor handwriting – and Deji would freak.
This felt no different. Daichi took that as a good thing.
Before long, the exam was finished and Daichi was sent off with the knowledge that if he were accepted, he'd get a letter in the mail in about two weeks, if he wasn't, he would also get a letter of rejection. Either way, he'd have a definite answer soon. That was enough for the navy-haired boy. Maybe it was in poor tastes of himself, but tonight he'd get started on next year's police academy application. At least he'll have plenty of time for the essay question – it was the same one every year. Deji confirmed it.
As his bus rolled up to Dai's spot, he took a moment to look back at U.A. He loved it. He really did. He wanted to get accepted with every fiber in his body. He wanted to make his adopted parents proud, his birth mother proud, even his unknown father proud. He wanted to work alongside Deji as a hero one day.
Even if he never used his quirk, it'd be an honor to step foot back in that school. It'd be an honor to die by it too.
But even dreamers had to wait for dreams to come true. So Toshitomo Daichi stepped back onto the bus and soon the U.A. was gone. Back in his daydreams, once more.
Author's Note:
I don't have a beta reader, so I apologize for any major spelling errors.