Chapter 1:

Inspired by the anime My Hero Academia / Boku no Hero Academia. I do not own any of the characters except for my OC, Okami Shizen, and her family. Credit goes to Kohei Horikoshi, the creator. Hope you enjoy!

P.S.: This is probably the third account I've posted this fanfic on so far. Aside from shifting accounts, I've made some major revisions to the plot (even though I've only written the story up to the 'Class President Election' sub-arc on my old accounts). Also, I'm a big fan of MHA, but not a hardcore fan like some. I do try to make my writing as precise as possible, but there may be errors - I'm open to suggestions. Thanks!

I check the calendar on my phone for the thousandth time. True enough, it's the twenty-sixth of February - the day of the UA Entrance Exam.

I'm in my room, changing into my middle school uniform. I'll be taking the UA Entrance Exam in a matter of hours, and boy, am I nervous. UA High School's one of the top Hero schools in the whole of Japan, and my dream school. Ever since I found out at the age of five that my dad's a Pro Hero, getting into UA has been my dream. I know I'll have had to work hard to deserve it, though - the acceptance rate is unbelievably low, with only a select few, about thirty-six or so, successfully qualifying for and enrolling in the Hero Course each year.

I do up my tie in silence, thinking of what I have to live up to.

Everyone I know tells me I'll be able to achieve my goal, because of my Quirk, Wolf. I have wolf claws, whiskers, and a wolf tail, and can even transform into a wolf at will if I have enough energy while retaining my ability to think and speak coherently. With this Quirk comes a plethora of handy tricks I usually keep a secret - they're much too weird and/or complicated to explain. One weird thing about my Quirk is that even though most Quirks are only classified as one of three classes, namely Emitter, Transformer or Mutant, mine is considered both Transformer and Mutant.

It's because not one of my ancestors or relatives, close or distant, has features even remotely similar to mine, and the physical characteristics of a wolf I possess match my ability to turn into one, hence the rare classification. My father's and brother's Quirks are also Mutant-Transformer.

Just like my dad's Quirk Falcon, my mom's Quirk Fiber Manipulation, and my brother Takaro's Hawk, everyone says my Quirk has potential, and I'll go on to do great things with my life. My brother will be in UA's Third-Year Hero Course in the spring and my mom's a famous designer just like my uncle, and instead of clothes, she designs support items for Pros. They'd all gone to UA when of age, my dad and uncle joining the Hero Course when they were fifteen and my mom enrolling in UA's Support Course. She'd even worked for the powerful support company Detnerat for a few months after graduating but quit afterwards.

My little sister Suzume's Quirk hasn't manifested yet - maybe she's just a late bloomer like our family doctor had diagnosed a year ago when she was eight. It's unlikely that she's Quirkless - only twenty per cent of the world's population is nowadays. Though one in five people is Quirkless, my family has had Quirks ever since the start, since the Luminescent Baby in Qing Qing City, China. This marked the start of Quirks, superhuman abilities that humans could possess.

When I head downstairs, Suzume is waiting for me by the dinner table. Her large intelligent eyes, as tawny-yellow as my dad's, shine in the sunlight. Her hair is blonde like our mom's, with electric-blue streaks running through it. They look exactly like the one in my hair, except mine isn't blonde - I have my dad's silvery-grey hair. Named for the Japanese word suzume, meaning 'sparrow', she's been a precocious and creative child since she could talk. She is better at mathematics than most children her age and loves engineering and design.

"Good luck, big sis! You've been working hard for this, and for such a long time, so don't worry! Just give it your all and you'll do great!" Although I'm nervous and honestly don't see how I have even the slightest chance of passing, my little sister says the words so earnestly that I can't help but smile.

"Of course, Suzu. I'll do my best."

The sky is a pleasant cotton-candy pink and blue, with just a hint of deep orange.

This is the view I see as I stare out the window, on a forty-minute train ride across Musutafu. My childhood friend, Inasa Yoarashi, will be taking UA's Recommendation Entrance Exam. I'm sure he will qualify thanks to his powerful Quirk - since young, he's been able to sweep people off their feet. Literally. The first time we met, he made me throw up.

Although my Quirk had been considered to be of Mutant class since the day I was born, another ability of mine popped up when I turned three. My mom came home one fine afternoon to find a sleeping wolf pup in my bed. The next day, my mom brought me to the Quirk doctor.

My Quirk was activating at random, making me either sneeze, cough or hiccup every time it did. We were waiting for our turn when my mom received a call and stepped out of the clinic. Feeling bored after about a minute or so, I scanned my surroundings. And there he was, waving at me from the opposite seat. I waved back shyly just as my hand turned into a paw.

"Wow, that's amazing!" the boy exclaimed.

I switched back to human form in a matter of seconds and hiccupped. "Thanks. What's your Quirk?"

"Here, I'll show you." He extended his hand and a used tissue on the floor hurled itself into the trash can. "I can control the wind if I focus really hard." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his face scrunched up in concentration. I laughed at his comical expression. The wind, slowly but surely, plucked me from the red plastic stool, and in no time, I was spinning around in the air two meters from the ground.

"Hey!" I squealed. "Put me down!" I landed with a thump on the stool as he withdrew his hand. His onyx eyes shone with excitement. "I wanna be a Hero someday!" he told me. "Do you?"

I thought about it for a while. "We've got to train hard, don't we? If not, we'll never really be able to save people."

"Then let's train together, work hard and become great Heroes!"

Right then, the speaker on the wall boomed: "Inasa Yoarashi, please proceed to the doctor's office."

A woman with dark hair came in and picked him up. "Bye!" he said as his mom carried him away.

"Bye," I replied.

Only then did I realize I wasn't feeling too good.

We'd met again when our new neighbours, the Yoarashis, moved into the house next to ours. That was back when we lived in Kai, in Yamanashi prefecture. When my family moved back to Musutafu, Inasa was a little disappointed, but we promised to keep in touch and visit often, as Shizuoka wasn't too far from Yamanashi.

"Next stop, Tatooin Station," the cheerful female voice announces through the speakers, jolting me out of my reverie. As the train comes to a stop at the station, a bird-headed boy who's been sitting opposite me makes to alight the train. I hurriedly do so as well. As I navigate the busy streets of Musutafu, I notice that the boy from the train and another purple-haired girl take the same route as me throughout, stepping into UA's premises when we finally get there.

I stand outside the majestic school building for a while in awe as I take everything in, knowing that UA owns most of the forested area behind the hill. Seeing scores of students my age entering through the numerous front doors of the school, I gulp nervously and step through the gates.

I head straight to the auditorium, where we're to be briefed. Finding my assigned seat quickly, I turn to my left to see a familiar face. He smiles at me and I turn away quickly, blushing slightly. Not long after, the lights in the auditorium come on, and all eyes are on the stage (at least, mine are). A blond man immediately comes into view - he wears tinted sunglasses and a tall-collared black jacket, as well as a speaker around his neck and orange headphones.

"What's up, young listeners? Thanks for tuning in to me, your school DJ! Come on and lemme hear ya!"

The auditorium is completely and utterly quiet.

"Tough crowd, eh? I'll just get on with explaining how the practical's gonna go down. ARE YOU READY?"

Again, no one answers him.

From his getup to his speech, I recognize the man immediately. There's only one Hero I know of who can scream that loud.

"He's Voice Hero: Present Mic!" I whisper excitedly to myself. My fascination with Heroes started the first time I saw a couple of Pros fighting a villain in public. They'd seemed so, well, heroic. Since then, I keep tabs on Heroes with exceptional abilities.

The boy on my right gives me a disgruntled look. He has dark blue hair and wears glasses too, sturdy-looking square-framed ones. I notice the school crest on his middle school uniform - this guy is from a pretty posh school, Somei Private Academy. He doesn't tell me off, though he seems like a no-nonsense kind of person.

Then, I hear someone sitting behind me mutter the same words that I just had, adding on, "I listen to his radio show Put Your Hands Up Radio every Friday night! He's so cool-"

"SHUT UP!" I hear a second voice snarl angrily. It's a lot deeper and gruffer.

"Okay," the first voice replies meekly. "Sorry, Kacchan."

I start a little as I hear this male voice call out my childhood nickname because I'm pretty sure I don't know him. It reminds me a little of my brother, the person who came up with it when we were just little kids. It just stuck after a while, but it got annoying when he addressed me as such in the hallways of our middle school. Now, of course, he's in UA.

UA is the reason why I'm here, I think to myself. Don't get distracted.

Present Mic starts the briefing. "As you should know from your application forms, you will be having ten-minute mock battles in one of seven urban settings! After I drop the mic here, heh, you'll be heading to your designated Battle Arena. Okay?"

There's silence as everyone lowers their heads, almost as if on cue, to check which Battle Arena they've been assigned to on their cards. I already know which one I'm in - Battle Arena A. I haven't really been thinking about anything else. I take the opportunity to sneak a glance at the other candidates' forms.

Square-Frame is in Battle Arena B. My schoolmate's in Battle Arena F – presumably far away.

"Listeners, your targets are three different types of robot villains in every Battle Arena. They have different levels of difficulty, which is why each robot defeated gets you either one, two or three points. Be sure to check the numbers on them and choose wisely which to target! Your goal is to use your Quirks to defeat as many robot villains as you can and earn points!" Present Mic instructs. "But be sure to keep things heroic – attacking the other candidates is a no-no."

Suddenly, Square-Frame stands up – more like rockets up out of his seat – and shouts with his hand up in the air, just like a traffic guard, "Excuse me, sir, I have a question."

"Hit me, young listener!" yells Present Mic.

A spotlight shines directly onto him.

"On the printout you've issued, it states that there are four types of robot Villains, not three. With all due respect, if this is an error on an official UA document, it does reflect shamefully on the standard of this school. Is UA not supposed to be one of the best schools in Japan? We, as exemplary students, expect only the best from this school, and this mistake simply won't do!"

He gestures at a green-haired boy three rows behind and says sternly, "You there, with the unkempt hair –" "Huh?" the boy in question points at himself questioningly, his mouth open in shock. "You've been muttering this entire time! If you can't be bothered to take this seriously, then leave. Otherwise, kindly stop that. You're distracting everyone else!" I realize he's the one who'd been told to shut up.

Green Hair covers his mouth in humiliation. A muffled "Sorry!" escapes from between his fingers. Everyone around him is laughing.

In the presence of the spotlight, I realize something's familiar about Square-Frame. He looks like a certain Hero I've seen, his helmet off, of course... Then it hits me. I notice the unmistakable Ida family resemblance - the square features, the sharp, straight eyebrows... I glance at his arms - no engines there. Maybe I'm wrong after all. I look down at my feet and hope he won't reprimand me in front of everyone in the auditorium (and a UA teacher who also happens to be one of the many Pros I admire).

Just my luck. He does exactly that.

"And you!" Without warning, he turns toward me. "I noticed you muttering as well."

Ingenium is one of the most inspirational and gracious Heroes I know. I'm speaking from personal experience - due to my dad's connections as a Hero and the camaraderie he has with his comrades, I'd been able to meet some of the best Pros on the entire Hero scene in the flesh.

And yet his supposed relative is so uptight.

I'm taking a huge chance here, but I don't care. My brother claims that whenever I go into one of my 'rants', I don't consider how I might embarrass myself and that they're usually triggered by something or someone who annoys me (for example, him).

His allegations prove to be quite true in this case.

I grit my teeth and roll my eyes as I slowly stand up to meet his gaze. For the first time, I notice how much taller he is than me - he's at least five foot nine, while I'm only five foot two.

"No doubt you are proud of your brother, on account of him being a humble, easy-going and respectful Hero. If he had been in your place, at this UA briefing, do you think he would have brazenly criticised a UA teacher who also happens to be a Pro Hero, or fiercely berated someone who just happened to want to fanboy over Present Mic? If your goal is to someday become a Hero just like him, whom many idolize, this is not the way to do it." I say while baring my canine teeth, in hopes that it'll make up for our height difference.

He is momentarily speechless, as is everyone else in the auditorium. All eyes are on us.

Eventually, he asks me, shocked, "How do you know who I am?"

I snort in disgust. "I was guessing. Based on factors other than your personality, obviously."

Neither of us breaks eye contact, though I feel like disappearing. The silence is deafening for a few frightening moments until it is broken by the sound of a pair of hands clapping.

I turn my head a little to look at the person seated beside Green Hair. He's the one clapping. He has spiky ash-blond hair and an annoying smirk on his face - he wears the same middle school uniform as Green Hair. I make out the words 'ALDERA JUNIOR HIGH' near the collars of their gakurans. Green Hair seems surprised, as if he's never seen his schoolmate smile before, or applaud anyone.

"I like this kid," he says. He seems familiar - is it just me, or does everyone look familiar today?

"I'm hardly a kid," I mutter to myself.

"I apologize, and to you too…" Square-Frame suddenly gestures uncomfortably towards the green-haired boy.

"It's Izuku Midoriya," Green Hair replies.

Square-Frame extends his hand for me to shake after we sit down. "I'm Tenya Ida. What's your name?"

I take it. "Who wants to know?" I say quietly, and thankfully, he doesn't press me for an answer. Ida of all people will most definitely know who I am if I tell him my name. That's not something I want to happen. Although I hadn't cared about drawing attention to myself during my little 'rant', I do now.

Present Mic graciously answers Ida's question.

"With regards to your question, listener 711 –" Ida has the grace to blush – "the fourth type of robot, the Arena Trap, gives you zero points. It's just an obstacle that we have for you – there's one in every Battle Arena. Just treat it like a distraction, because although it is possible to beat, it doesn't earn you any points," he says, pointing to the slideshow behind him. Now that Present Mic has explained the exam, it seems very much like a video game.

"That's all I have for you today, listeners," says Present Mic, keeping to the radio-host theme wonderfully. "I'll end this off with a quote from Napoleon Bonaparte: A true Hero can overcome life's misfortunes. Now, can I hear a big 'PLUS ULTRA'?" he yells as the words 'Plus Ultra' flash on the screen behind him in big, bold, comic font. The audience, yet again, does not respond. Maybe it's because of Present Mic's horrible slide designs. I feel kind of bad for the guy.

"Good luck!" shouts Present Mic, apparently not bothered by the lack of enthusiasm from the audience. "Hope you studied more than just books, because it's time for the practical exam!" We're asked to head to the changing rooms to change into the appropriate attire and then line up in twos according to the Battle Arena we're assigned to. I change into the blue tracksuit I've packed as my heart starts racing. This is all so surreal.

The ash-blond and I end up on the same bus - we're both headed to Battle Arena A. Yes, UA's premises are that big. So big we can't even walk to our examination sites.

Everyone's staring at me and whispering to one another as the bus starts up and begins to move. It's obviously about what happened back in the auditorium. I try and act like I don't care, but I do. That just makes me even madder.

"Cut it out." I hear an angry voice. The same angry voice.

The mutterings die down immediately. I look to my right and he's sitting beside me. He smells like a mixture of caramel and something spicy.

If that sounds weird, it's part of my Quirk. Canines can recognize individual smells, as well as people by their scent, so I can too. See what I mean by weird? If you're wondering, Ida smelled like oranges. Not limes, oranges. Sometimes it's uncanny how I differentiate the smells of similar things. Weirdly enough, my immediate family members have scents I can't recognize as having smelled before.

I'm about to thank him when I realize who he is. He's Katsuki Bakugo from the Sludge Villain incident.

"Who's your schoolmate?" I ask him. I'm referring to Midoriya, who I now realize must have been the one who tried to rescue him.

"Deku's just a nerd," he snorts. "We're not friends or anything."

Why do you call him a wooden puppet? I want to ask, but think better of it.

"How does it feel to be saved by the Number One Hero?" I murmur.

He rolls his eyes. "You seem to know who everybody is."

"Not that guy," I retort, gesturing to the person sitting opposite us. He has yellow eyes and hair, with a zigzag streak of black running through his hair on the left. He smells like how lightning might if it smells of something. Ozone, I realise.

"What?" the boy says in confusion. "By the way, what you did back there was cool. I don't see someone stand up to annoying people very often. I'm Denki Kaminari," he introduces himself. "What are your names?"

"Name's Katsuki Bakugo - don't you forget it," Bakugo says, sounding a little grumpy and annoyed. I guess he always sounds like that, no matter what he's feeling.

"Okami Shi-" I stop myself. "Yep. Just Okami."

Kaminari looks at me, puzzled.

"Has anyone ever told you you look like Pikachu?" I blurt out, hoping to change the subject.

He bursts out laughing, thankfully, immediately shutting up when he sees the other candidates' withering glares.

"You're funny, you know that?" he whispers. "Wanna go grab a bite sometime after this?"

I narrow my eyes. "Are... are you trying to get me to go out with you?"

"Obviously! I mean... n-no?"

"Idiot," Bakugo scoffs derisively.

Kaminari keeps denying it fervently until I stop him.

"Think of a better pickup line than 'Wanna go grab a bite?' next time," I advise him, doing my best to look serious. "It may help in the future."

Bakugo laughs loudly, a real hearty laugh.

His laugh is surprisingly infectious - it gets me laughing too.

It's also partly because no one's telling him to shut up.

The Battle Arena looks just like a high-tech Colosseum from the outside.

Sure, my brother's told me all about UA - the premises, the teachers, the students, everything - but nothing, and I mean nothing can prepare you for understanding that UA is where the best of the best, and only the best of the best go. From the Hero Course to General Studies and even Business or Support, UA's students are truly the cream of the crop. These thoughts all hit me like a basketball to the face.

A voice suddenly reverberates through the entire vicinity. "AND... BEGIN!"

I notice a tall observation tower overlooking all the test sites. At the top stands Present Mic. It must mean the test has started. The crowd is still standing blankly at the tower, save for Kaminari, Bakugo, a few others and me, until Present Mic yells, "THE TEST'S ALREADY BEGUN! WHY AREN'T YOU MOVING?"

All too late, the other candidates realize they've wasted precious seconds waiting for further instructions.

"BREAK A LEG!" I hear Present Mic scream after us.

Great, I think. I've got the advantage.

As I follow the most straightforward path into the city setting, an entire bunch of two-pointers round the corner and hurtle towards me. For a second, I'm too shocked to move, but then my instincts take over and I use my Quirk-given enhanced strength to kick the first robot, sending it flying into two others. The wreckage of all three crashes with a loud crunching sound into the ground, the red lights on their front fading to black.

Six points, I note mentally.

I repeat this with robots of various difficulty levels - my strategy is to increase efficiency while minimizing contact with the opponents and the damage I take at all costs, and using the robots' slow reaction time against them. I soon find out that this doesn't exactly work with the quick yet fragile one-pointers, so I have no choice but to engage in close combat. This works surprisingly well - after six minutes, I have thirty-five points. The rest of the examinees, I notice, are slowing down. It seems they're getting confident in themselves - I realize this is my opportunity to stand out.

I keep going at it, and so does Bakugo. He's relentless in his pursuit of the Villain bots, racing after them propelled by explosions from his palms and blowing them up with giant-sized combustions. That must be his Quirk - it's a really powerful and versatile one.

As I race past the city buildings, I spot Kaminari dodging a few one-pointers. His Quirk has something to do with electricity, evident from the lightning he seems to emit as he attempts (and succeeds in) shock-circuiting the bots. I move on to see a blond boy using the same Quirk as Kaminari. It's too much of a coincidence that two people I meet in the space of one morning have the same Quirk, but I can ponder that when the exam is over.

The ground starts to shake as fumes billow into the air not far from where I'm standing. I assume it's someone's Quirk and start to turn back, but then I see a massive shadow from inside the cloud of smoke. My jaw drops as it emerges from behind a large building because it looks exactly like the Arena Trap Present Mic told us about.

I hadn't imagined it to be so big.

Fiery rubble rains down from the sky, the zero-pointer causing an unbelievable amount of collateral damage.

The candidates I see around me are divided into two factions - run-away-screaming (Kaminari) or I-don't-care-I'm-going-after-more-points (Bakugo). I'm about to run away for fear of being crushed when I see a human figure in the distance. It's a girl, that much is certain, but her leg seems to be trapped under some rubble, so she can't escape from the bot.

I watch in horror as the massive robot makes its way down the road towards her.

Every time it inches forward, time seems to stop for a moment.

I don't recall moving, but the next thing I know, I'm crouching down beside a pink-skinned girl. She has unusual features - yellow irises and black sclera along with short, messy hair a slightly darker pink than her skin, with two short yellow horns atop her head as well. She seems like she's trying to dissolve the rubble with some kind of acidic substance, and it's working, but not quickly enough. I remove some of the bigger chunks of concrete and eventually help her to safety, wincing as I notice the deep cut on her left leg (I'm half expecting her blood to be green, though).

"Are you alright?" I ask her nervously.

"Thanks so much!" she pants, still in shock from the danger she'd just been put in. "I thought I could die. Boy, UA's methods of testing us are really weird, aren't they?"

Before I can respond, Present Mic announces that our time is up.

"Oh, shoot," I mutter to myself as Pinky and I head to the exit, where the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl will be waiting to help all injured candidates. "I don't think I got enough points."

"Relax," she says. "With abilities like that, there's no way you'd fail. Besides, they have to pass you - they must have seen what you did for me back there. How could UA, a school for Heroes, not accept someone with mad talent and a heroic spirit?"

I blush, not used to being complimented by a person I'd met just four minutes ago. "Thanks. What's your name?"

"I'm Mina Ashido!" she says cheerfully. After I introduce myself, she asks, "Do you know if anyone from your middle school took this exam?"

"Uh, yeah, just one," I say awkwardly. He and I have an awkward relationship.

"So do I!" Ashido says. "But he was assigned to Battle Arena B."

"My... schoolmate isn't here as well." I pause for a moment. "Do you think they did this on purpose? UA, I mean. So that people from the same middle school wouldn't collaborate to pass."

"Gee, I never thought of that," Ashido remarks. "I can tell you're smart. Nearly everyone is, compared to me." Despite the joke she just made at her own expense, she laughs it off.

It doesn't feel right to laugh at someone else's self-deprecating comment, but Ashido makes it feel a little less wrong.

So I laugh along with her.