I do not own My Hero Academia.
"Human beings are born with different capabilities. If they are free, they are not equal. If they are equal, they are not free." – Aleksandr Solzhenistyn
Izuku sat quietly staring at the clock above.
The soft taps signalling that seconds and minutes were going by allowed him to some moments of reprieve from the situation he found himself in.
"Midoriya-kun, Bakugo-kun." A warm voice called out to them.
Izuku glanced down, his focus turning to the elderly lady – the school's guidance counsellor – who offered him a soft, motherly smile.
"Are you certain that this is the choice you're making?" Her eyes, soft as they were, held a certain edge to them. "This isn't an easy life, by any means. I've known people to lose themselves in this field."
Pride, and yet, an overwhelming amount of worry.
Like a mother.
"Of course." Izuku glanced to his left and found a terrifying grin marring Katsuki's face. "I'll be the goddamned strongest hero that even villains wouldn't fuck with me."
Izuku turned back to the elderly lady, a slight disapproving look in her gaze as she listened to Katsuki's proclamation. Admirable, but the vulgarity was not appreciated.
"Yes, ma'am." Izuku offered. "We are aware of the consequences."
The sounds of feet shuffling about in the hallways, and the echoes of voices of teenagers around the campus, couldn't alleviate the silent tension in the quaint office.
The gaze the counsellor offered them, and a single sigh of defeat, caused him to release his bated breath – he was certain Katsuki did the same.
"Very well." The counsellor yielded, smacking a red stamp onto their forms. "Over the recent years, U.A. High School's requirement has reached an all-time high – a score of eighty-nine." She pushed her spectacles up by the rim. "They only accept the most exceptionally talented."
It was true.
The alumni of Japan's most prestigious hero academy were some of the most well-known individuals in their nation. The fame and riches acquired from their heroics made that knowledge public. However, it was the current generation that had taken to the spotlight, being hailed as prodigious.
"I will submit these forms this afternoon. And if you feel the need to change your minds, I will be available for the rest of the morning." The counsellor neatly stacked the forms into a brown folder. "If not, I wish you the best of luck as you'll prepare for the Entrance Exam in the coming weeks."
She smiled and the boys offered their thanks, before quickly vacating the office.
They walked through the hallway in silence, neither feeling the need to initiate a conversation. It had become a norm between them, considering that neither were the talkative type.
"You know?" Izuku started. "I heard that someone actually died last year."
Katsuki scoffed.
"Stupid rumours from a bunch of spineless cowards." He grunted. "There's no way they'd allow that to happen, regardless of how intense the exams have become."
Izuku sighed, he was right. He was never one for rumours – he didn't even believe that one himself. But a lot of uncertainty and fear had grown amongst the masses over the recent years.
The crime rates had risen, again. Civilians were fearful, causing unnecessary, and almost guaranteed, violent spats amongst themselves. Children were hardly allowed outside of their homes, with areas being monitored by at the very least a squadron of police officers.
Because the Symbol of Peace had been killed in action.
"Aren't you going to class?" Izuku questioned as he noticed Katsuki heading towards the main exit.
"I've got shit to do, Deku." He grumbled.
Izuku, unperturbed, carried on his way to class.
Izuku strolled towards his home, having decided to skip out on his last classes to vacate the campus earlier than the rest of the students.
His eyes glanced up, noticing the park ahead of him. It was a few houses from their apartment complex, and had been a hub for nearly all the children in the neighbourhood.
He frowned.
Deciding that it would not hurt, he headed towards the bench beneath the shade of a few trees. Izuku gazed at the swings, slides, and the jungle gyms, wondering how it had gone so wrong.
So very wrong.
"We bring you this breaking news!" A reporter cried out. "We have sources from the site –"
The camera shifted downwards to a scene straight out of doomsday film. The city, which the name he failed to recall, had been for a better lack of a term – obliterated. In the distance, buildings were hanging onto their last hinges, some still collapsing despite the battle that had ended several moments earlier.
As the roaring of the helicopter echoed in the background, a standing figure appeared in the midst of the now-desolate city. With his arm raised into a strong fist, All Might stood above his enemy, his body seemingly caved into the rubble.
" – All Might has defeated the fearsome villain, All For One yet again!" The reporter cried out. "The Symbol of Peace has triumphed over evil once again!"
In that moment, a young Izuku roared in excitement. He was not alone. Even from within his living room, he could hear the cries of many people coming from the outside.
All Might had –
His eyes widened as he turned to the screen, his gaze shifting to horror as the man he admired most, the very person he wanted to be, collapsed.
A gaping hole in his chest as the man fell for the first, and the last time.
Izuku blinked, and shifted his gaze, catching the sight of his mother walking down the street. Dusting himself off, he called out to the woman.
"Mom!"
A short cry of fright escaped the beautiful woman, causing Izuku to chuckle nervously. The woman turned about and smacked his shoulder, looking up to his taller stature.
"How many times must I tell you to stop doing that, Izuku?" Inko frowned as she poked into his chest several times. "I swear Katsuki-kun is rubbing off some of his bad traits on you."
"I think if he did, I would have turned long ago." Izuku chuckled as he reached for the shopping bag that his mother had dropped.
A heart-warming laugh escaped the woman. It soothed his heart, causing a soft smile to appear on his lips.
"Don't make your friend seem like infected zombie from those old apocalyptic movies, Izuku." She chuckled again. "It's not nice."
"Right." Izuku laughed along.
They began walking home, with Izuku asking about her day. His mother was quite a busy woman, often attending meetings and seminars that were often business-oriented - she had the zeal to continuously further her own knowledge in the field.
It was a trait he knew he had adopted from her.
"How was your day?" Inko asked as she unlocked their apartment.
Despite being fairly well off, they had never thought of moving out of this apartment. It was their sanctuary, one filled with innumerable memories.
"I submitted my form today." A pause. "Kacchan, too." He informed.
Inko was quiet, but Izuku took note of her grip on the door handle. She was shaking, and he understood her reasons completely.
"I-I see." She relented, turning back to face him. "I guess I can't stop you from following your dreams, right?"
Izuku's eyes softened as soon as he took note of her expression. Her eyes were watery, and her smile was sombre. It hurt him to see his mother this way, but he had steeled his resolve a long time ago – he wouldn't waver now.
It was for her sake, too, after all.
"Mom, I want to be a hero." He started, glancing at his open palm. "I have the power to help, a gift to stop the evils of this world." He looked into her eyes, again. "I have to do this."
Inko covered her lips to muffle the sob that nearly escaped her. Her eyes were flowing with tears but she couldn't help but nod fervently. Izuku had always been a gifted child, and she had known that one way or the other, this would be the path he would take.
As Izuku pulled his mother into his embrace, she wondered if she had failed her duties as a mother – the duty to protect her child from any and all kinds of harm, until they could fend for themselves.
"No. You have done an amazing job as a parent, Mom." Izuku smiled as he patted her head. "I couldn't be any happier."
Although it was unsaid, Midoriya Inko knew why her son dared to journey into the dangerous world of heroics.
I want to protect you, too.
"I see you're all here today."
The staff of U.A. High School were in the Meeting Hall, seated at random around a table. Many of them were dressed in their hero costumes, and some in more casual apparel.
However, there was a quiet tension in the room.
"It seems we have received an even lower number of entries this year." A voice squeaked out. "Just a little over four hundred, I believe."
Hound Dog grunted, his reaction summing up how his colleagues felt.
In the recent decades, perhaps a century, becoming a Pro Hero was amongst the most vetted career paths for children and adults alike. Many became heroes for the wealth, some for the fame. Neither was a wrong goal because, at the end of the day, people were saved by those qualified for those duties.
However, within two years, the tens of thousands of entries they would receive, had dwindled down to hundreds. People had become fearful. Some had resorted to crime, often ending up in cells. Others had chosen to stay outside the limelight of heroism ever since it had become apparent that heroes were subtly, but surely, being hunted.
But, the very few that had succeeded to be accepted into the academy had shown outstanding mettle to become heroes, whether it be for one reason or the other.
"It's understandable, honestly." Kayama muttered softly. "There is so much of the unknown lately, and people have come to depend on their version of normalcy."
"It's irrational thinking from the masses." Scratching his stubble, Aizawa glanced at his colleague, then back at the principal. "Regardless, we will have to make-do with what we have."
"I agree. Quality over quantity is what we seek out nowadays." Nezu acknowledged. "The stronger they are, the better they will be able to protect themselves and society as a whole."
The decision was unanimous.
Signalling to Present Mic, the man handed out folders to his colleagues. Each of them were allowed to study its contents before they could review it. Naturally, Cementos was the first to raise his concerns.
"Is it fair to challenge children with something of this intensity?" He asked, pointing towards a section on the paper. "Most, if not all of them, are inexperienced."
"It is expected for children their age to have a decent grasp on their abilities lest they injure themselves or others." Ectoplasm commented. "I believe it to be a fair assessment to test their ability with their various quirks."
"If not, we will have someone on standby should they lose control." Nezu concluded. "Does that sit well with you, Cementos?"
The man mulled for a moment before nodding in agreement. His worry for children, under their care or not, had become far more apparent as of late.
"Very well." Nezu smiled. "We have three weeks to prepare for the exams. I expect all your assigned duties completed within two, understood?"
The nods of agreement were satisfactory.
Three weeks had gone by faster than expected.
Izuku was laying on his bed, his mind wandering through various scenarios and plans that he had come up with.
The Entrance Exam format at U.A. High School changed so very often, it was hard to predict what to expect. The school did so, supposedly, to nurture one's creativity. Which made sense, considering that many battles with villains or rescue missions were filled with the unknown.
However, despite all that, one could tell of the unfairness that came with these exams. Only the cream of the crop, the very best of the best, would be able to qualify to attend the school, keeping the school as the very best – although, even that was beneficial for civilians in their society.
It acted both as buffer to protect civilians, and as a deterrent to the villains around the Shizuoka Prefecture.
"People are not born equal." He surmised his thoughts.
The shattering of dreams that U.A. did had saved many lives. Those incapable would never dream of heroics, and those capable were destined to protect those who could not. Similar to a food chain, a cycle of life.
He pictured one of the known heroes, Manual. The man was titled "The Normal Hero" because he was deemed normal in comparison to his peers. However, the Turbo Hero: Ingenium was considered a genius, because of his ability and intellect.
Even amongst those with inequalities, you stand far above them.
"I guess so." Izuku muttered and gazed at his raised hand.
Instead of a light coloured hand, his enhanced vision pierced through his skin, his muscles, and the bones within, studying it and cementing its form into his memory.
He then clenched his hand into a tight fist.
Author's Note: It is true that artists are frivolous beings. Every single spur of inspiration I have had over the past year has proven that.
But fear not, I have finally recovered my notes, and I expect to drop a new chapter of Kono Yo no Kyūseishu this month.
Do enjoy this story, and with that I bid you adieu.