Chapter 3. All I Want To Be...

Two assistants are seen running frantically from room to room inside a giant skyscraper. Worried looks on both of their faces. The first being a young man with bright blonde hair and dark hazelnut eyes and short stature. What made him truly stand out though was the scales that covered his body that went all the way to his neck and lightly grazed the bottom of his face. This mans suit had been custom tailored to his size as to avoid any ripping or tearing from the sleek and pure black scales. He yells into his radio, communicating with his partner.

"Beth! Come in!"

Across the other end of the building was said person. A red haired woman with piercing yellow eyes who stood taller then everyone employed by Mr. Striker aside from the man himself. She ran through the building. Literally. She phased in between walls, looking for her boss as he had been missing for a whole hour. All of the employees knew what he was most likely doing. But they needed to find him regardless.

"No need to yell Hunter. Find anything out about where he might've gotten off to this time?" She radioed her partner. A sigh is heard on the other end as Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Negative. I've seen a bit of secretion, but I can't find the source. He's really stowed himself away this time." She only rolled her eyes and thought carefully about her boss.

He was a man driven by his love for his daughter. Anyone that saw them together knew that. However that love blinded him in some instances. Today being one of them as they had a job for a new Hero they had to get done.

"This is getting annoying. We need him to finish this project. I'm going to start using the tracker we added to her suit. No doubt that's what he's working on." The red headed woman withdrew her phone and pressed a couple buttons before receiving a radio back.

"Copy. I'll return back to the project and let the others know Mr. Striker will be returning soon. Sorry I couldn't be of much more help Beth."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take my anger out on Clint!" The gleam in her eyes was downright menacing and even though he couldn't see it, Hunter's scales tipped up at the venom in her voice.

Looking back to her phone she saw that she was basically above the dotting father. Shaking her head she walked to the stairs and made her way to the floor below her. Walking through walls she finally made it to the small closet her boss had holes himself up in. His eyes manic trying to complete the Heroine costume on the table in front of him.

Using his Quirk, he secreted a red acid like substance that bonded pieces of metal together, trying to finish certain pieces of equipment for the costume. Bethany only sighed and went up to her boss, who was so engrossed in his work he barely even notice her.

His normally combed and quaff short red and orange hair now unkempt and pulled back by a clip making sure his hair didn't obstruct his view. The suit he wore slightly unbuttoned and untucked from his dress pants along with his wrist sleeves fully rolled up. He looked determined to finish this project more than his actual work.

"Sir, I know this is important to you, but we have other things we need to work on. Many Heroes and Heroines are awaiting their new gear and costumes. Sofia hasn't even started her Heroine training yet." The red haired man only sent a hand her way dismissing her. Bethany's eyes flared.

"Alright, let me make this more clear then. Clint Striker, you will return to working on the new Hero costume we have been commissioned to make, or I will lock this costume and it's blueprints in a safe that only I know the code for and FORCE you back to work!" The man finally looked up from his work, knowing how serious she was about those words. He backed away from the table and sighed.

"I just wanna make sure her suit is perfect and ready for her. I don't want her getting hurt by not having the right equipment and protection." He looked to the suit. It had no real defining traits yet as none of the stitching, or even cloth for that matter, for fabric had been added yet. Along with how the only thing that was really there, were a pair of jars he was experimenting with that would hold excess water for his daughter, along with the blueprint he and Sofia had worked out together.

"We all know that sir. She knows it, I know it, Hunter knows it, everyone who works here knows how important this is for you." The man fell to the chair that sat behind him and he slumped his shoulders. Bethany only laughed and wiped the sweaty secretion from his forehead with one of his personal wash clothes nearby.

"I just hope she isn't having too much trouble adjusting to life there."

"Wait... why is it 3 o'clock in the afternoon?"

It had been a few days since the exam and Sofia was still having problems with her internal clock. It was another reason she had made it her mission to get to the exam early. So she didn't sleep through it.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she quickly jumped off her bed, "Crap! I needed to go do some shopping today!" She ran to her bathroom to try and get ready for the day as quickly as possible. Taking a quick shower was a bit of her speciality as the water was, as you could imagine, a second home for her.

Finishing in most likely record time, Sofia rushed to grab the outfit she had laid out for herself the night before. A light blue tank top with a violet imprint on the bottom corner. To wear over that was a light weight blue sleeveless jacket. And for her pants, she wore white cargo shorts. She didn't have to worry about drying off from the shower as she just took the excess water in. One of the many perks of her Quirk.

Grabbing her phone and sprinkling some of the excess water she had collected onto the rose she rushed out of the apartment and to the mall that she had seen was only a few blocks away from her new home.

She didn't need much. Just some extra school supplies. Her dad was right when he said she aced the written exam. Being privately tutored all of her life had left her extremely well off in terms of smarts. She knew she would at least make it into general studies or the business course.

However there was one thing she had only a little experience in. Being in social settings. She loved people and loved helping people. But crowds were a bit hard to deal with. Spending most of her life being cooped up away from public eye had left her with a slight fear of public spaces. She didn't resent her father for this though. She knew he was only trying to protect her from the press he had to deal with. To the media, the daughter of a multimillion dollar company's president didn't exist and they both liked having that privacy.

She knew if she became a Heroine this secret would spread quickly back home in America. And though she was nervous, she wanted -no needed- to become a guide. And the best way to achieve that would be to become a Heroine and protect her family and her community, inspiring more people who may not have have the right guidance.

That was what this adventure was today. A pushing of her limits to handle the crowds. She'd been able to handle UA and all the students mostly well with a few hiccups during the opening by Present Mic. So what were a couple hundred civilians compared to hundreds of students

Sofia quickly found herself overwhelmed by the crowd. People as far as the eye could sea that formed a stream of people rushing from one store to the next. Many students like herself getting ready for their own semester. Rushing in and out of stores with bags under their arms holding new clothes and supplies.

Unlike with what happened during the entrance exam, she couldn't exactly use her Quirk to escape the rushing crowd and instead, resigned to her fate. That being letting the stream carry her until she found a way out. Which was easier said than done as she found herself not exactly hyperventilating, but still breathing heavily as she was crushed between strangers. Her small stature made it so not many people noticed her and there was no way she was going to be able to say anything with how fast she needed to be breathing.

She did finally find a way out however as the stream pushed towards one of the more quiet spots of the mall. There weren't as many crowds here. But there were a few shops.

One, a boutique that didn't really interest her. She really disliked throwing on a whole bunch of makeup. A little was fine, but the amount those places used were too much for her

The second, a Hero shop sporting memorabilia of Heroes like All Might, Endeavor, and two new up and coming Hero and Heroine respectively, Kamui Woods and Mount Lady. Sofia hadn't seen a lot of Japanese Heroes, aside from famous names like All Might, and thought about heading in later to see if they had any American Heroes that she recognized, but she doubted that.

Out of all the shops, the Hero shop was definitely the most popular, young kids and some teenagers being the main occupants of the store. Trying on All Might T-Shirts along with smaller versions of the Heroes Silver Age costume. She couldn't help the smile, remembering when she used to have a onesie exactly like that. Remembering the thought however made a strong blush cross her face and she tried to cool down her now steaming face.

The final shop was one that wouldn't normally interest her. But seeing the music box in the window instantly got her thinking of her prized possession. After her father had gifted her the music box that played Return To The Sky, she started to collect music boxes and found herself always at home hearing those tiny melodies.

So she decided that the she would check out the music shop in front of her, coated in black and yellow neon lights with the name, "Behind The Rock" to see what kind of music boxes they had and maybe even buy one. It was a surprise to see it in the window in the first place as this shop seemed more rock and heavy metal focused. And judging by the man behind the counter with a pierced nose and leather jacket, she wagered she was right.

A little nervous to walk in she just stared at the window. Most likely infuriating the cashier. She could imagine him saying, "finally done window shopping girl?" A shiver went down her spine thinking about confronting the man. She was about to turn tail and leave before feeling a slight tap on her shoulder.

Turning she saw a face she recognized from the entrance exam. During the exam she hadn't been able to really study her features but now she was able to really get a closer look and not just see the headphone jacks dangling from her ears.

The young woman had onyx colored eyes that paired well with her short purple hair that was only a bit longer than her own. On her hair were two lines that almost looked like heartbeat monitor waves. As she had noticed before, headphone jacks dangled from her earlobes. She wore a light yellow sleeveless shirt with the words "DEEP DOPE" printed in red and purple respectively, and a line with an arrow pointing down from the P in Dope. Sofia smiled at the girl she had helped during the entrance exam.

"I remember you! I helped you out with that 3 point robot!" She exclaimed proudly.

"Yeah yeah rub it in." The girl looked bashful but Sofia just looked on in confusion. Why would she gloat about saving her? "I saw you staring aimlessly at the store. You ok?"

The girl in question just rubbed the back of her neck and laughed sheepishly, "Well I wanted to go in because I saw that music box in the window." She pointed to the object in question, "But... I'm a bit scared. I don't normally go into music shops, let alone a place like this." She decided not to let on that it wasn't just the fact that it was a music shop and that she had been scared most of the time she had been in the mall. She gestured to the dark shop and the purple haired girl just nodded.

"Yeah, no offense but you don't look like you normally go in shops like this one. I see that as being more your speed." She pointed her thumb to the boutique she had seen, to which Sofia just crinkled her nose.

"No thanks. I like getting dressed up as much as the next girl, but that's a bit too much for me." She kept her eyes away from the shop that was radiating with white walls and covered with mirrors.

"Same here. Now this is more my speed!" The girl let her arms come up and gesture to the music shop, "So why don't I show you around. I'm a regular here. It's the least I can do for helping me out during the exam." She began to walk inside the shop, to which Sofia quickly followed behind.

"Thank you so much! But you don't have to feel like you owe me for that. I was just helping any way I could!" Sofia made her way beside the girl as they entered the shop. The cashier having a look that conveyed a debate forming in his mind on how to react to the two girls. The girl helping Sofia looked at her quizzically but still with a small smile on her face.

"Well then how bout we look at this as a favor between two fellow UA prospectives." Sofia only smiled at her new acquaintance. Nodding and starting to look around the store with curiosity, trying to find if they did sell any music boxes or if it was just the one. At the same time, scanning to see if there were any bands she recognized. She then realized she had forgotten the same lesson her father tried to instill in her again.

"I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Sofia Striker. But most of the time I go by Sofi!" She stuck out her hand for the girl to shake. Surprised by how the girl liked to be called, the punk rock girl simply nodded and exchanged her own name.

"I'm Kyoka Jiro." They shook hands before Jiro looked towards the cashier, "Now then. Katsu! How long you gonna stand there staring at us and come out here and help your customers!?" The cashier jumped at Jiro yelling at him before making his way out from the counter. Jiro just smirk and sent a knowing look toward Sofia. Showing her that the cashier was a pushover and she shouldn't be intimidated by him.

Sofia looked on in awe at the girl as she commanded the cashier, who she knew quite well, to help Sofia out. She thanked Jiro, knowing that with her around, maybe the crowds wouldn't be so bad.

She was glad she met Jiro

They had spent a good half an hour in the shop. Jiro showing Sofia all of the bands she liked to listen to and even showing off some of the memorabilia towards said bands. Jiro dragged around the cashier, who she quickly learned was named Katsu, courtesy of Jiro yelling his name every time she wanted his attention, and ordered him to show her the music boxes.

They didn't have many. Just a few that were in display cases under the counter. None caught her eye however. She knew she shouldn't get her hopes up, but she thought maybe they might have the second of the pair of music boxes that went with Return To The Sky. Jiro gave Katsu a good tongue lashing about how they needed to stock more of the small boxes. To which he reminded how they were a rock store, not a garage sale. Sofia did end up buying some small merch however. A Deep Dope set of pencils -at Jiro's insistence- and a black wristband that she now wore.

"Sorry they didn't have any you were too interested in." Jiro now held a bag underneath her arm that had a new record disk she had been waiting for. She was actually there that day to pick up the disk that she had ordered previously, "I'll tell the manager they should start stocking more of them. They aren't entirely my style but I can see why ya like em."

"No no! Don't worry about it. I'm really only looking for one specific box. And it's pretty old so I doubt anyone here has it in stock." She looked down at her hands, thinking about her dad.

"Oh really? What song does it play. I might know it. I may want to be a Hero, but music is an expertise of mine." She looked proud of herself while saying it.

"Well the song is part of a pair actually. I have the first music box with the piece Return To The Sky. The second piece was named Another Oath. They're old pieces though. Before me or my dad were even born. Actually I think they were made before the age of Heroes even began." Jiro looked to the ceiling but came back with a negative to which Sofia assured was fine.

As they left the store they both looked back to the boutique. Many women were coming and going, each more dolled up than the last in the twos eyes. Looking to Jiro to see what she was planning on doing next she saw the girl staring with a slight blush on her cheeks but also a look of, inadequacy? Looking to where Jiro was staring she saw a youthful woman with, let's just say, very defined features. Tall, curvy, and beautiful to many. Jiro looked down at her own body and thought about her less than defined assets with a look of disappointment.

Sofia saw this and gently placed a hand on Jiro's shoulder, "It's okay Jiro. I don't have much going in that department either." Jiro looked surprised that Sofia had caught her mood so easily. Looking to her companion, she was correct to say they had a lot in common in terms of body type. Sofia smiled reassuringly to which Jiro looked thankful.

They made sure not to stay on the topic long. Instead they started heading to some different stores. They both decided to head towards somewhere with school supplies. Jiro said she had most of everything. She just needed to get one last notebook.

Sofia was in much the same boat and only needed a new water proof calculator. The last one had unfortunately not been water proof and that caused issues, for obvious reasons.

Along the way Jiro asked the question that she knew was coming, "So you're Japanese, but have an American name and prefer to go by your given name?" Sofia nodded and smiled.

"I was adopted from Japan when I was 3. My dad is American and I've lived there most my life. But he made sure to teach me Japanese alongside English as he knew I'd one day wanna come back." He was right of course. She was just here a lot sooner then they both had expected.

"Adopted!? And you're trying to be a Hero!?" Jiro looked Sofia in the eyes surprised, to which she nodded, a little saddened, "that's... wow. Do you know who your birth parents are at least?" She was rightfully curious.

"We know my mother. But my father wasn't around when my mother gave birth to me. I don't even know if he's still alive, let alone his Quirk." She didn't seem to mind not knowing this however, "My dad did his best with helping me. We only knew my mothers Quirk, which was to change water into any state she wanted, and my fathers was a mystery to everyone. Quirk councilors that teach adopted children without the correct knowledge about the birth parents are hard to come by. My dad found a few but none ever really helped me figure everything out. All I know is my body becomes liquid when I activate my Quirk and that I can control water that is around me." She demonstrated this by raising her hand and letting Jiro see it become see through as her hand turned to liquid.

"I'm... I'm sorry. But it's incredible that you're going to maybe be in the Hero course at UA of all places! The Hero percentage for those that were adopted is..."

"Less than 5 percent of all the Heroes and Heroines in our entire world." Sofia recited the statistic she had seen countless times by the many advisors her dad had set her up with. And just like all those times she said exactly what she said back then, "That number honestly just makes me wanna become a Heroine more! To prove I can, y'know?"

She looked to her liquid hand and thought of the man who did his best to help her, "To prove my dad didn't waste his time helping me as much as he did. He helped me more than any of those councilors ever did!" She thought of the many sleepless nights in which her dad helped her keep her body from losing its form as she activated her Quirk. She didn't know what she'd do without him, "Plus, above all else I wanna be the kind of guide that I never got because of my situation with my birth parents. I don't blame them though. Without them I would've never been with my dad."

"Man, I've got nothing on that. I wanna be a Hero because I've always seen my parents create joy with their music. I love music too don't get me wrong, but I wanna make people smile with something else. And, well, being a Hero, being someone who protects people, always puts a smile on people's faces." Jiro looked down, a little dissatisfied with her answer. Sofia just looked at her with joy.

"That's a great reason to become a Hero! Don't look down on that dream! We all have our reasons to keep moving forward!" The moto slipped out and she blushed turning her face away.

"Heh, thanks Sofi. And just for the record, I think you can do it. Become a Hero I mean. That drive of yours is inspiring even me to act." Jiro gave her new friend a pat on the back. To which Sofia responded with a smile covering her previous blush.

She was definitely glad she met Jiro.

The two young women finally parted ways after getting their supplies. The two exchanged numbers so they could keep in touch and find out if they both made it into UA. Sofia really hoped so. Jiro was really fun to be around and she made going into crowds much more bearable. Plus she was the first person outside her fathers group of assistants and family friends she had told about her goals and her adoption complications.

Finally making it back to her apartment she checked her phone while she fiddled with the lock on the door. Her dad had texted her earlier to let her know her Heroine costume was being personally worked on by him and that he'd have it done by tomorrow. She thought that was insane until she saw the second message.

Dad: Dear Miss Striker. This is Bethany. I am saddened to say that your father has had his phone revoked from him for the time being. This was a punishment by myself for him neglecting his own work to create your Heroine costume. I hope you can forgive me for stepping in.Your father will not be finishing your costume by tomorrow. Not if I have anything to say about it that is.

Sofia laughed imagining her father being dragged away by the strong willed woman. Ms. Roadfield had been employed with her father since the early days of his company and was a childhood friend along with her partner and close friend Hunter Kenneth. The three were inseparable and Ms. Roadfield was always there to reel her father back in. She quickly opened her own chat with the woman.

Sofi: Thanks for stopping my dad from overworking himself and keeping him focused on his job Ms. Roadfield. Let him know he needs to finish his own work before he helps me. But do tell him thank you for me. He means well.

Sofia finally got her door open and switched on her light. Looking to the ground she saw a small letter with the letters UA engraved into the stamp keeping the letter shut. Her eyes widened realizing what this was. She stood there in shock, realizing that her making her first steps towards her dream would all be determined by what was in that letter. She was only broken out of her trance by the buzzing of her cellphone. Looking at the device she saw that Ms. Roadfield had responded to her text message.

Ms. Roadfield: Of course Miss Striker. Trust me, your father will have your costume done, but I intend to make sure he finishes his actual work first. However it does go to show his faith in you. He already knows you've been accepted as a Heroine. We all here know it too. I'll pass on the messages to your father when he, Hunter and I all go out tonight. Take care.

Sofia sent a quick thank you message before grabbing the letter on the floor. With shaky hands she looked at the letter. Nervous, but also excited. Just like she had felt during the entrance exam. However this time there was no way to destress herself by running to the school two hours early. Closing the front door behind her, she made her way to the kitchen table, where the rose sat overlooking the letter.

She couldn't help her nerves as she looked at the letter. Her whole body was shaking and she almost lost control of her Quirk, which would've left her a sad, lifeless puddle on the ground as, at the moment, she didn't have much control or any cognisense of the world around her. But something brought her back.

Remembering Ms. Roadfield's texts, she knew her father was already working on her Heroine costume. That spoke volumes to her. He knew she was going to make it into the Hero course. He didn't have faith in her. No he just knew his daughter was a Hero already. Just like he had said the day they said goodbye. With that kind of support, what was she so afraid of.

Sofia grabbed the letter with now steady hands and opened it. Once she did, a small, cylindrical device slid out and onto her table. She looked at it quizzically before a projection shot out of the device, scaring her out of her chair.

"BOOM, I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!!!"

On the projection was a man of myth, legend, greatness. One everyone in the world knew existed. One that struck fear into the hearts of villains, and hope into the eyes of civilians. This man was...

"ALL MIGHT!?"Sofia looked up from the ground and steadied herself on all fours for support as she watched the now laughing man. She looked at the letter again to make sure this was right.And sure enough, the letter was from UA High school.

"YOU'RE PROBABLY WONDERING WHY I AM HERE!? RIGHT YOUNG STRIKER!? WELL THE TRUTH IS THIS YEAR I AM GOING TO BECOME A TEACHER HERE AT UA HIGH. ITS A PRIVILEGE AND HONOR TO BE TEACHING AT MY ALMA-MATTER!!! BAHAHA!!!"

The man laughed again and Sofia was extremely excited. Getting to see All Might himself address her was unreal. She just hoped she got to be one of his students.

"Now then, to get onto some more serious topics, you'll be happy to know that you passed the written exam and with much room to spare. There will only a few who passed your score this year. Take pride in that Young Striker."

Sofia looked down, finally having picked herself off the floor and now standing, and blushed sheepishly. Hearing All Might say that was flattering to her, "T-Thank you!" She knew he couldn't hear her, but it was the thought that counted.

"However, during the practical exam you only scored twenty five points. An impressive feat, but unfortunately not enough to secure a way into the Hero course..."

Her heart dropped.

...

The news sunk in.

...

She'd let him down.

...

She'd let her father down and everyone back home who were rooting for her.

Her father was working on a Heroine costume that wouldn't be used.

She almost lost full control of her Quirk as her body became translucent.

"That is if we were only scoring on the points you scored from destroying those robots!"

Sofia heard the words and her heart began to hope as her body became opaque again.

"During your exam, you showed many actions of what it takes to be a Hero."

All Might clicked a button on a remote and the TV behind him flared to life. On the screen was herself, helping Jiro stop the 3 pointer robot.

"These acts of Heroism could never be discarded. Being a Hero is more than just fighting bad guys after all!"

The next clip showed her pulling the zero gravity girl out from the rubble and then her catching the boy who had destroyed the zero pointer. They even included after the exam had ended and she had asked Recovery Girl to heal the two bruised teenagers.

"How could a Hero course turn away someone who put their own life on the line for someone else? THAT IS WHY WE HAVE RESCUE POINTS!!! IN WHICH A GROUP OF JUDGES GIVES POINTS BY THE DEEDS OF KINDNESS AND HEROISM THEY PROVIDED DURING THE EXAM. SOFIA STRIKER!!! YOU SCORED FOURTY RESCUE POINTS!!!

Sofia couldn't believe her ears. She looked towards the rose and thought about how happy her dad was going to be. How happy Ms. Roadfield and Mr. Kenneth would be. And how happy she was herself.

Congratulations! You have made it young Striker! You will now be apart, of the Hero Academia.

Sofia let the tears flow even as her body became fully liquid, just barely keeping her form. Smiling through it all. Not even noticing her phone going off as her new friend texted her her own exciting news.

"I MADE IT DAD!"