Hello, everyone! My name is DocRider and welcome to chapter 4 of "My Rainy Day Turns into a Waterfall."
So… we finally have reached the UA Entrance Exam. And boy, will there be questions in the reviews/comments after this chapter.
Since there were no reviews for chapter 3 that popped up until the omake was released, I thought I'd respond to those here, so let's get on with it, shall we?
Chapter 3 Reviews:
Argo Devilian: I agree with your assessment of All Might's lack of thought process (stupidity was too rude to me). If he had just thought out these scenarios a bit more thoroughly, he wouldn't get berated all the time. In regards to the timing of Michiyo's call to AM, it's kind of a yes-and-no situation: yes, because she didn't want Izu to be that sad, but no in the sense that Izu needed to know about AM's injury. With the cleaning of the beach, in my head, Kat and Chiyo would help a little but the training would be purely for Izu's benefit and since he gets OfA early, it just takes a lot shorter of a time to clear the beach, although there is a reason to go slow with the cleaning (having a hiding place in case things went crazy). Also, Izu accessing Full Cowling before the Entrance Exam was not something I considered, but just might show up.
Chapter 3.5/Omake Reviews:
Argo Devilian: Like I said, if I have Kamino Ward happen, it'll be very different to canon. AfO won't know what hit him.
As always, I don't own the world I am using, so a disclaimer is here! My Hero Academia and its characters are all owned by Shueisha, Viz Media, Shonen Jump, Studio Bones, Funimation, and, most important of all, Kohei Horikoshi. All other characters in this story are created by me.
That's it from me! On with the story!
DOCRIDER OUT!
Dialogue
Thoughts
All Might Muscled Form Dialogue/Present Mic's Screaming
All Might Muscled Form Thoughts (when applicable)
My Rainy Day Turns into a Waterfall
Chapter 4: Exams and Familiar Faces
Soon, the week of the UA Entrance Exam was upon us.
I said 'week' because I had gotten a message from Nezu talking about how there will be three recommendation students for each hero course since the class size will be increased. He mentioned that if I wanted to, I could take the recommendation student exam earlier in the week, with the recommendation coming from Uncle Might himself.
I thought about the recommendation students for both classes.
'Hmm, so Momo and Shoto are class 1-A's recommendation students and Juzo and Setsuna are 1-B's… Adding another recommendation student means that Whirlwind Boy could get in, provided I could stop the animosity between him and Shoto.'
So I said yes, on the condition that the recommendation students who passed could watch the general exam in the Observation Room with the teachers.
Nezu agreed, saying that it would be good to see what their potential classmates could do.
The day of the recommendation entrance exam happened a few days before the general entrance exam, which was good for me 'cause I wanted all my energy to cheer on Izu, Kat, and Himiko.
From what I remembered of the exam in canon, it consisted of a written portion, a practical portion, and an interview. I knew that I was going to ace the written portion, and the interview was merely a formality at this point due to my prior meeting with Nezu during Izu's birthday.
The practical, however…
I didn't think I would be nervous going into the practical exam. But seeing all the people that were recommended by other heroes and knowing that only six would get in... well, I'll admit there were a few butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
Looking around, I noticed my competition. Obviously, most of the characters from the story stood out, Shoto especially. Seeing the burn in real life compared to on paper or on screen didn't sit right with me. It made me sad more than anything, as well as angry at Endeavor for causing it.
'It's gonna take a lot from both Izu and I to break Shoto out of his shell. But first, we both need to get into U.A.'
I was broken out of my musings when Present Mic spoke up.
"And that's all for the written portion, folks! Next up is your practical skills! And finally, the interview, got it? The practical portion will be judged in groups of six! When your number is called, proceed to the exam site…"
When my number was called, I looked to see who my competition was. I was hoping to get paired up with Shoto and Inasa and sure enough, I noticed them with Juzo at the other end of the line.
'Good. Now I just have to keep up with them 'til the finish line.'
I drank a lot of water in the time between the written and practical parts of the exam, so my hydro-bladder was absolutely full. I was sure it was enough to keep up with Inasa and Shoto.
Present Mic continued, "The format of the exam is a three kilometer marathon! However, this is a course you cannot hope to cross by simply running! You're to make free use of your quirks and dash to the goal!"
The course was large, as was U.A.'s standard. There were mountains, valleys, waterfalls, and even a castle in the distance.
We all got ready at the starting line. I opened my apertures a little to allow for movement with high-pressure water bursts.
When the blue light hit, I was off. I could tell that Shoto and Inasa were behind me and were going to overtake me, but in the moment, I was ahead. I knew I could put all my focus on the race, and decided to pace myself.
It was a hard race, and at about the three-quarter mark, both Inasa with his wind and Shoto with his ice overtook me. I knew I was still in the running for entering U.A., but at that point, I had to make sure I kept up with the two boys in order to ensure my plan worked.
As we neared the finish line, I could see Inasa edging ahead of Shoto. I knew the race was going to end with them being number one and two, but I wanted to make sure I talked to Inasa before he left, so I closed the apertures in my hands slightly to allow the water bursts to help me move quicker.
After a few more seconds passed, I crossed the finish line. And just in time to see Inasa go up to Shoto.
"Now that I think about it, you're Endeavor's kid, arent'cha? Man, you were amazing!" he said, with all the enthusiasm in the world.
I rushed up, just as I heard Shoto speak.
"Shut up. This is an exam. If I pass, then that's all that matters. And I never had any intention of competing with you, got it?"
Even with him not looking at us, I could see the coldness in his eyes that was a byproduct of Endeavor's "training." Again, I felt the anger towards Endeavor well up before shoving it down, planning on using it another day. For now, Inasa needed to see that Shoto was as much a victim of Endeavor's attitude and that it's not his fault he's so cold.
I pulled Inasa away before he could hear Shoto say his final words.
"Hey, don't listen to him," I said. Inasa looked at me with a little shock before regaining his composure.
"What do you mean, miss?"
"His eyes might have the coldness that his father does, but it could be that his father is an ass at home, too. That coldness is probably just a result of his father's attitude and thus, directed at his father. Plus, since he's most likely homeschooled, he probably has no sense of social interaction."
Inasa placed a hand on his chin, thinking, before showing his grin. "You're right! I hadn't thought about it that way!"
He shoved his hand out to me.
"Yoarashi Inasa, at your service. And thank you for opening my eyes. I probably would've dropped out of U.A. if you hadn't said anything."
I smiled and grabbed his hand in a handshake.
"Shimizu Michiyo, at yours. And you're welcome."
After the handshake, he apologized in his special way (head bashing and everything) for beating me and I laughed, telling him that it was no problem and that I hoped to see him at the start of the new semester.
He laughed and we parted ways. I had a feeling that he was sticking around, even if he wasn't going to be in 1-A.
After a few days, I received my letter from U.A. stating that I had passed and made it into class 1-A. There were forms about the dorm system for Mom, plus an extra letter from Nezu about what we talked about during the interview about separating Shoto and Inasa. He confirmed that Inasa had decided to stay and had been placed in class 1-B with Juzo and Setsuna, which meant that Momo and Shoto would be the other two recommendation students joining me in class 1-A. The letter also stated that Eri was welcome to come live with me at the dorms, should my mother agree.
Obviously, Mom agreed to the dorms and to Eri moving into the dorms with me, stating that it would be safer for her in the long run. Eri was happy too, seeing as she would be able to stay with both her big sisters and Izu and Kat and be able to see Mirio more often.
But first, Izu, Kat, and Himiko needed to get into U.A.
The day of the general entrance exam couldn't've come any quicker.
Surprisingly, Kat and Izu were up pretty early, most likely getting some last minute light training in before the exam. Himiko, on the other hand…
"Himi, get up or you'll be late for the exam."
She was still in bed.
It wasn't until I said that the exam started in thirty minutes that she jumped out of bed and rushed into the shower.
Five minutes later, we were out the door and on our way to U.A.
While we were walking, Himiko turned to me. "Hey, why are you coming with me, anyways? Didn't you already take your exam?"
I gave her a grin. "Of course I did. But Nezu said that if they so desired, any of the recommendation students who got in could sit in the Observation Room with the teachers while the general exam was taking place to, quote, 'see what their potential classmates could do.'"
"Oh… so you'll be watching the three of us take the exam?"
"Yep." I popped the 'p' as I said it as we continued walking.
Once we reached the school, I could see Izu and Kat just inside of the gate, gawking up at the majesty of the main school building. I turned to Himiko and gestured my head at the boys. A silent conversation happened between the two of us.
'Scare the shit out of them?'
'Scare the shit out of them.'
We both nodded and snuck up on Izu and Kat. Once we were behind them, we stood up and said at the same time, "Cool looking, isn't it?"
I don't think I've ever seen Izu jump that high, even with One for All active. Kat just turned around, hand outstretched, as if to fire an explosion, before seeing myself and Himiko laughing our butts off. Himiko had curled up on the ground from laughing so hard.
"Kami, don't do that, you two!" I could see the anime tick marks on Kat's face as he screamed at us.
"Sorry, Kat, but I figure the best way to get rid of nervousness is a scare, or in Himi's case, some laughter." I wiped a tear in my eye away as I looked around at all the people taking the exam. "Man, there are a lot of people taking… the… exam…" I trailed off as my eyes stopped on a familiar face for a few seconds before someone obscured my view of them and they were gone. I blinked a few times.
'Was that…? No, it must've been a ghost of my past. There's no way it was her.'
I turned back to my three friends, only to see them give me bewildered and confused looks.
"You okay, Chiyo?" Izu asked, concern written across his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, worry about your exam." I waved my hand. "Come on, you guys have an exam to take." I started walking towards the school.
They started following me, Izu trailing behind while looking up at the school. We didn't even get three steps before we heard an "Oop…" coming from Izu and we turned in time to see him trip over a brick and start to fall to the pavement before a hand tapped him on his back and he stopped moving.
'Right, enter Uraraka.'
We turned to the brunette and noticed her scratching the back of her head sheepishly.
"You all right? Sorry for going crazy with my quirk there. I just think it'd have been a bad omen if you tripped, you know?"
As we righted Izu and Uraraka placed her hands together to release her quirk, Kat and Himiko sighed, while I had a smirk on my face.
'Ooh, I'm gonna have fun getting these two together.'
"Thank you very much, um…" I said, feigning confusion.
"Oh, sorry. Guess I should introduce myself. I'm Uraraka Ochaco, pleased to meet you." She bowed in greeting.
The rest of us bowed in response before I replied, "I am Shimizu Michiyo. This is my adopted sister, Himiko, and my two friends, Bakugo Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku."
Kat spoke up, "Hey, not to rush or anything, but we still have an exam to take."
I nodded. "Right, let's get inside."
(Izuku's POV)
"HEYO EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO MY LIVE SHOW! EVERYBODY SAY HEY!" The Voice Hero, Present Mic shouted as he arrived into the amphitheatre.
"HEY!" Himiko screamed, sitting to my left, while Katsuki scowled on my right.
"HEY, ONE IS BETTER THAN NONE! ALL RIGHT EXAMINEES, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THE LOW-DOWN ON HOW THIS'LL GO DOWN! ARE YOU READY?"
"YEAH!" This time, Katsuki, Himiko and myself screamed in response. I could also hear a few more people in the crowd scream the word.
Once the sound died down, I started mumbling about Pro Heroes being our teachers here at U.A. It only stopped when Himiko poked me in my side.
"Calm down, Izu. No need to mumble now, not when we need to focus."
"Right." I nodded as I turned back to the centre stage and Present Mic's speech.
"NOW PAY CLOSE ATTENTION, LISTENERS! WE'LL BE TESTING YOUR METTLE BY RUNNING A TEN-MINUTE PRACTICE RUN AT OUR REPLICA CITY-DISTRICT! YOU CAN TAKE WHATEVER YOU LIKE! EVERYBODY GATHER AT THE DESIGNATED MEETING AREA AFTER THE PRESENTATION, YA GET ME?"
I looked over at Katsuki's sheet and then over to Himiko's sheet before turning to my sheet and noticing that we all had different areas we'll be starting from.
Katsuki answered my voiceless concern. "It's probably so that friends or classmates can't co-operate with each other." He turned to us and gave us one of his excitable smirks. "Not that we need each other's help, right?"
Himiko and I nodded as Present Mic continued, the screen behind him showing silhouettes of Mario enemies with point values.
"WE'LL BE SPRINKLING A LARGE NUMBER OF "VILLAINS" OVER THE BATTLEFIELD. THEY'LL APPEAR IN THREE DIFFERENT VARIETIES, WITH POINT VALUES SCALED ACCORDING TO DIFFICULTY!"
The screen then changed to a silhouette of Mario destroying those enemies and earning coins based on their point value.
"USING EACH OF YOUR INDIVIDUAL QUIRKS, DISPATCH AS MANY "VILLAINS" AS YOU CAN. YOUR GOAL, LISTENERS, IS TO RACK UP A HIGH SCORE! AND DON'T THINK ABOUT DIRECTLY ATTACKING ANY OTHER COMPETITORS OR ANY OF THE NASTY ANTI-HERO STUFF, BECAUSE THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES, CAPISCE?"
During his speech, I was running through my head, and subconsciously out my mouth, the best way to deal with these robots. I didn't stop planning until another voice cut through my mumbling.
"Excuse me, may I ask a question?" A tall boy with dark blue hair and glasses stood up, pointing at his sheet.
"On the handout, there are clearly four types of villains listed! Such an error would be the height of embarrassment for a top-tier national academy of U.A's caliber! The reason we are seated here today is because we seek guidance on the path to becoming model heroes!"
He then turned to where the three of us were sitting and pointed at me.
"Moveover, what's with you? Can't you sit still for a second? You're distracting! If you think U.A. is some pleasure jaunt, then leave this place at once!"
Before I could respond, Kat and Himiko both stood.
"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, FOUR EYES? THIS IS HOW HE PLANS!"
"Yeah, if anyone is being distracting, it's you. Can't you see that Present Mic was gonna get to that at some point?"
"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH! I WAS GETTING TO THAT, BUT THANKS FOR POINTING THAT OUT, EXAMINEE 7111! THE FOURTH TYPE OF VILLAIN YOU'LL ENCOUNTER IS WORTH ZERO POINTS! LET'S CALL THEM "ARENA TRAPS"! HAVE ANY OF YOU PLAYED MARIO BEFORE?"
There were a few hands that went up, Kat's, Himiko's, and mine included. Michiyo had made it her job during our time off from training to showcase a lot of her retro consoles and games, so we were plenty familiar with Mario at this point. The screen changed again to show two silhouettes, one of a robot and the other of a Thwomp.
"YOU REMEMBER THOSE THINGS THAT'D GO THWOMP ON YOU? THERE'S A THING LIKE THAT IN EACH AREA! THEIR "GIMMICK" IS THAT THEY RAMPAGE WHEN CROWDED!"
A few comments went up after that.
"I see… Sounds like one of those stage hazards you just have to slip through and avoid."
"This really is starting to resemble a video game."
The boy bowed before returning to sitting in his seat. "Thank you very much! I apologize for being rude!"
Mic continued with the presentation.
"WELL, THAT'S ENOUGH FROM ME! I'LL LEAVE YOU ALL WITH A PRESENTATION ON THE "SCHOOL PRECEPTS" OF THIS ACADEMY OF MINE! AS A CERTAIN "HERO" BY THE NAME OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE ONCE SAID, "A TRUE HERO NEVER STOPS OVERCOMING THE MISFORTUNES IN LIFE"! NOW, LET'S MOVE TO THE MAIN EVENT! PLUS ULTRA! AND MAY YOU ALL SUFFER GLADLY THE TRIALS TO COME!"
At those last words, I felt a shudder go down my spine.
(Michiyo's POV)
As I entered the Observation Room, I noticed that, aside from me, none of the recommendation students had decided to come watch their potential classmates. I could see Uncle Might in the corner on a couch facing the giant screen that showed all the Battle Centres.
Nezu noticed me and gestured me over to the couch.
"Ah, Ms. Shimizu, glad you could join us. We were just getting everyone situated in their respective areas."
"Great," I remarked, giving a smile to all the teachers present. "I know what areas Izuku and Katsuki are in, but which area did you put Himiko in?"
"Obviously, we put her in Battle Centre C," Nezu replied. "Don't worry, I know you'll be focusing on those specific Battle Centres of your friends and sister, so we'll be keeping the footage from those locations closer to the couch."
As I moved to sit down, I gave Uncle Might a hug as I passed.
"Now Young Michiyo, when you are at U.A., I expect some form of professionalism between us," he said as he returned the hug. Most of the teachers already knew of my status as All Might's pseudo-niece, but he was right. It could be seen as favouritism to reporters who would think that I got in just because All Might said so.
"I'll try," I said, sitting down beside him and looking at the screens showing the three areas that Kat, Izu, and Himiko are in.
(Himiko's POV)
After we were guided to the changing rooms to change into our workout gear, we were then led to our respective Battle Centres. Katsuki was led to Battle Centre A, Izuku to B, and I was led to Battle Centre C for my exam.
As I looked around, I noticed a camera pointed at us. I knew Chiyo was watching, so I gave a peace sign to the camera.
After that, I took stock of anyone important that I could potentially use the blood of. I had capsules of blood from Katsuki, Izu, and Chiyo as well as some from Mirio that I could use, but I wanted to keep my options open.
Looking around, a few people stood out. A girl with headphone jacks on her earlobes, a blond boy with a black streak in his hair ('probably an electric quirk,' my mind suggested), a short purple boy with balls on his head (who was giving a few of the other girls a weird look), a girl with a orange side-ponytail, a girl with short black hair in a red workout outfit, and a girl with short brown hair and a sketchbook and pencils.
The look the short boy was giving the other girls was one I recognized from being on the street. It was the look of lust. I already could tell that I was going to have to talk with the teachers about him if he got in.
Just as I was about to walk over to the girl with the side ponytail, I noticed the doors to the Battle Centre open.
"GO!" Present Mic yelled. And I was off.
As I turned a corner, I heard Present Mic once more.
"WHAT'S THE MATTER? THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN A REAL BATTLE! RUN! SEE, THAT GIRL GETS IT!"
After that, I saw the one-point robots start coming out. Grabbing my daggers (U.A. had allowed me to have them for the exam) from their sheathes, I rushed towards a few.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Instantly, they were taken down, the cables and tubes holding the headpiece to the rest of the machine sliced cleanly.
After taking out a few more one-point robots, I ran further into the city, where I saw more two- and three-point robots.
The two-point robots weren't hard to take out either. I was able to use the same method of slicing the head off the rest of the body to bring the robot down.
The three-pointer was where it got tricky. The neck on these bots were thicker and closer to the body, so I knew I couldn't slice through them like on the other two, but while I was zipping and dodging, I noticed that there was a button on the back. After I flicked that, the bot shut down.
'Huh, so even someone without a physical quirk can turn these off and get points.'
Looking around, I noticed that some of the other examinees were getting cornered by the bots.
'Wait, a hero course wouldn't judge on just combat alone because a hero isn't just about fighting villains.'
I rushed up to the bots, slicing and dicing them up and saving the other examinees. Looking down, I noticed the brown-haired girl with the sketchbook looking at me, as if she recognized me.
I dropped down to the ground.
"Is there something on my face?" I asked.
"N-no. You just look familiar, as if I've seen your face before in a story," the girl said as she gave me a look of curiosity.
"Weird, not like I have a memorable face or anything." I held out my hand. "Shimizu Himiko, pleased to meet you."
She took my hand and shook it before returning it to holding her sketchbook. "My name's Kyoto Megumi. N-nice to meet you."
I smiled again, pulling out my capsule of blood from Chiyo. "Wanna see something cool?"
She nodded, pulling out some pencils and opening to a new page of her sketchbook.
Placing the capsule in my mouth and biting down, I slurp up Chiyo's blood and activate my quirk. Instantly, the gray goop that surrounds me when I transform started to cover me as I turned into Chiyo. Once it's done, I shouted "TADA~!"
The look on her face was priceless. It was a cross between shock and, again, familiarity.
"It is you! I knew I recognized you!" she screamed before turning her volume down to a mutter that I could barely make out (thank Kami for Izu's muttering habits). "Could he have reincarnated to this world, too?"
I was confused by the statement until I said, in Chiyo's voice, "You realize we still have an exam to complete, right?"
That broke her out of her thought bubble real quick. "Right, maybe my drawings can help you." She started scribbling in her sketchbook before a bird of paper flew out. "My quirk can tell us where there are still robots or if there are people trapped."
'Man, Izu is gonna have a field day with this girl. I wonder how he's doing in his area.'
After that thought was completed, there was a rumble as a giant robot broke out of the ground close by. I turned to Megumi.
"How strong are these drawings of yours, and can they be bigger? Because there might be people trapped by that thing," I asked, hoping she had something.
What I did not expect was a scroll of paper that she pulled from behind her, as well as a marker from her pocket.
"Would a giant python help?" she asked.
"Hopefully," I replied. I let the goop of Chiyo's transformation slough off of me as I pulled out Katsuki's blood capsule. Recently, I had discovered that if I try hard enough and if I have enough blood, that I can use the quirk of the person whose blood I ingest.
Tossing the capsule in my mouth and biting down, I swallow Katsuki's blood and feel Transform activate.
Sometimes, turning into a guy is weird, but right now, I needed the power of Kat's explosions.
When the transformation finished, I looked to Megumi, who had finished drawing her python on the scroll. A few seconds later, a paper python started slithering down another alley.
"Follow it," I said in Kat's voice, then pointed down another street, "I'll head that way, see if anyone is hurt."
"Got it." She rushed after the python as I activated Explosion.
There were many people that were trapped down this way, but I did manage to come across a few people trapped in the rubble the giant bot was making. After a few small controlled explosions, I freed them.
"TWO MINUTES REMAINING!" I heard Present Mic say. A few seconds later, I heard a voice that I knew all too well.
"SMASH!" Izu's voice carried across the Battle Centres, along with the sound of a robot being punched. I looked over to Izu's Battle Centre just to see the giant bot falling over, its face caved in.
'Damn, Izu, what did the bot ever do to you that you had to smash it with One for All?'
I pondered for a few seconds what could've caused Izu to do that when I began to feel Katsuki's transformation wear away, the gray sludge that makes up my quirk falling off of me.
Looking around, I see Megumi helping another examinee up when I hear Present Mic's voice once again.
"AND THAT'S IT! TIME'S UP!" The giant bot in my area stopped moving and people started heading towards the entrance of the battle area. I ran over to Megumi.
"Hey, how did you do?" I asked, hoping my new friend did all right. She looked tired, whether it was from her quirk or not enough exercise, I don't know.
She gave me a small smile. "I think I did all right. You?"
"Fantastic!" I noticed one of U.A.'s drones hovering around us, so I grabbed Megumi and pulled her in close, pointing her at the camera on the drone and then throwing up a peace sign. "Smile for the judges!"
She looked a little shy before giving a smile and her own thumbs up.
Once the drone flew away, I picked my new friend up and led her to the entrance and the buses.
'I can't wait for the others to meet her!'
(Michiyo's POV; Start of the Exam)
Once the exam started, I kept an eye primarily on Izu's screen. It was important to see if he was actually going to get combat points this time around instead of just getting in on rescue points like in canon.
When the doors opened and Mic said 'Go,' Izu was off like a bullet, putting Full Cowl to good use. He smashed at least three two-pointers before the rest of the people entered his area.
I leaned over to Uncle Might and said, "Looks like he's got Full Cowl down pat. How much do you think he's using?"
He placed his hand on his chin as he thought for a second before replying. "I'd say he's using about seven percent of One for All at this point."
"Well, it's better than in the story," I said, with a sigh of relief.
"Why do you say that, Young Michiyo?" Uncle Might asked.
"Well," I remarked, remembering what I could about the story, "he would've gotten One for All just this morning and not known how to use it."
Uncle Might gave me a look of shock. "You mean…?"
I nodded. "Yep, his first time using the quirk would've been today and he would've broken at least three of his limbs."
I turned back to the screen, watching Izu plow through bots while also making sure to help any other examinees who needed it.
"I mean, he might still do the second part. He's only had the quirk for half a year, after all."
After that comment, I shifted my focus to Himiko's area to see Himiko talking to… her. I started shaking.
"H-how? How is s-she here?" I said shakily, seeing the face of one of my oldest friends, a friend from my previous life on the screen in front of me. I started hyperventilating. "N-no, what did she do to end up here?" I started hearing harps, signifying a flashback.
'Oh no, you don't, you random omnipotent as—'
[A Week Before the Day of Death]
It was about six or seven days before Wesley and I were to head to the cottage and those events transpired. I was hanging out with one of my friends showing them a cool story called My Hero Academia, a story about heroes and superpowers and about a hero school called U.A.
The friend, named Cheyenne or Chey (pronounced Shay), was really interested in the art style. I was interested in the story, obviously.
We were sitting around in her apartment talking about the story when it got me thinking.
"Hey, if you were in this universe, what would your quirk be?" I asked, curious at what her answer would be.
"I dunno, something to do with art, I suppose," she pondered.
"Ooh, what if you could bring your drawings to life, like Sai from Naruto?" I questioned.
"Yeah, that would work. What about you?" she returned the question, anxious to hear my answer.
I placed my hand on my chin, thinking about that for a second before giving my answer.
"I mean, being able to manipulate water would be cool. There are a lot of people in the story that use fire quirks, so having a way to counteract them would be nice, I suppose."
I change topics. "You sure you don't wanna come up north with Wes and I next weekend? There's enough room at the cottage for all three of us."
She shook her head. "Sorry, my boss won't let me take next weekend off, plus…" she trailed off, looking worried.
"What's wrong?" I asked, worried about her worrying.
We sat there for a minute before she replied.
"I have a feeling something bad is gonna happen while you're up there. I mean, this is your first time heading up there since your step-grandfather passed, right?" There was a tone of worry and fear in her voice.
I nodded. It was the first time I had been out there since he passed. In fact, it would've been the last time I would've been out there, whether I lived or died in that world, seeing as it would've been sold after the summer.
"Chey, this is the last time I'll be able to go up there, period. I need a little bit of closure, at least," I said.
She sighed, "Yeah, I know. Just be careful, okay?"
"Of course," I said, ending the conversation.
[Present Day]
As the harps faded away, I cursed the ROB (Random Omnipotent Being) who brought me here for the flashback, then opened my eyes to see Uncle Might and some of the other teachers staring at me.
"Michiyo? What's wrong?" Uncle Might look extremely worried. I would've been too if my pseudo-niece had passed out seeing a student.
"I'm fine," I said to him, as I returned to sitting on the couch. I turned to Nezu. "The girl who helped Himiko. Who is she and what is her quirk?"
A screen popped up with her picture and info about her.
Name: Kyoto Megumi
Age: 15
Quirk: Living Art
Hometown: Belleville, Ontario, Canada
Junior Hero Name: The Art Hero: Still Life
"Her quirk is most fascinating. Apparently, she can bring her art to life at the cost of stamina. And she can choose what comes to life and what stays on the page. It also seems that her living art has a duration and a durability," Nezu said, going over the quirk's description on his tablet.
If he continued, I never heard from him, because all I could do was focus on my old friend who seems to have reincarnated into this world as well.
'Wait, she was younger than me when I died. Now we're the same age. I wonder if the ROB had a hand in that, too. I doubt she'll recognize me, but she recognized Himiko well enough, meaning she knows of the character.'
I was broken from my musings when I noticed Uncle Might get up, walk over to a control panel and push a red button.
"Time to really test their mettle, shall we?" he said, with a somewhat devious smile on his face.
'Well, now to see if Izu deals with the big bot in the same fashion. I can worry about Megumi after the exam.'
As Uncle Might sat back down on the couch, I leaned into him and said, "This is where he would've broken three of his limbs, fighting the giant bot."
As the giant bots rampaged over the seven Battle Courses, I kept my eyes on Izu, wondering what was going to happen.
As it turned out, it happened almost the exact same way as it did in canon, with two major differences.
First, Izu actually had points this time around, so even if he ran away, he would've still passed.
Second, he didn't break his arm and legs this time around, using approximately fifteen percent of One for All's power to destroy the giant bot.
Once the exam was over and the hype of Izu's punch to the zero-pointer had died down, Uncle Might turned to me.
"Ok, come clean. Who is that girl to you?" he said, Nezu turning to hear my answer.
I sighed, knowing that answer was going to come out one way or another. 'Might as well get this out of the way.'
"She's like me, in the sense that she's reincarnated. Either that, or she's the descendant of my old friend's doppelganger. It's hard to tell, but I'm leaning towards the former, given her reaction to Himiko."
Nezu walked over. "Yes, I noticed that she gave your sister a very unique reaction, like she recognized Himiko," he said, turning back to the screen. "You'll find out soon enough, since it looks like she's made friends with your sister."
I looked up to the screen to see Himiko and Megumi walking together towards the entrance of their Battle Centre.
"I guess I will."
After the exam, I was waiting near the gates to U.A. for the boys and Himiko… and Megumi.
The boys came out quickly, taking a shorter time to get changed and checked on by Recovery Girl.
"Hey, guys! You did fantastic!" I said, as they walked up. I turned towards Izu, "Especially you, Mr. I'm-Gonna-Punch-A-Giant-Robot!"
"Hey, someone was in trouble. I had to help." Izu said, sheepishly placing a hand on the back of his head.
"I take it you were watching us the whole time, Sprinkler System?" Kat said, looking anxious to get home for some grub and rest.
"Yep," I replied, popping the 'p.' "Gotta say, not bad from either of you."
At this point, Himiko walked up with Megumi in tow.
"Hey, guys! Guess what? I made a new friend. Guys, this is Kyoto Megumi. Megumi, this is my adopted sister, Michiyo, and my two friends, Bakugo Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku," she excitedly said.
Megumi gave us a wave, but I could tell she was more preoccupied with something.
I walked up to her. She was wearing a uniform I didn't recognize with a bow instead of the usual tie. At that moment, I knew exactly what to say.
"I like your uniform, especially your bow. You know what I think? I think bowties are cool!" That last part I said in English to get my point across.
The look of realization that dawned on her face as she looked into my eyes and saw one of my favourite colors in them was priceless.
Tears started falling down her face as she yelled, "I knew you were here; I just knew it!"
I wrapped her up in a hug as we left U.A., my sister and friends trailing behind, confused at what was happening. Tears were streaming down my face as well because I knew that one of my oldest friends had followed me into a world that was only in the pages of a book or on the pixels of a screen.
Today was the greatest day of my second life. And nothing was gonna change that.
And there's chapter 4 done!
Holy crap, I thought it'd be longer. And take longer to write, too. It took me about two days to write this chapter. And this was without my friend's input on her character.
When I originally wrote the outline for this chapter, Michiyo was supposed to have multiple breakdowns at the sight of her old friend (one in the Observation Room and then a second after the exam) and I mean, there still was one at the end of the chapter, but honestly, that breakdown was started by Megumi.
Chey is actually a friend of mine IRL and she gave me permission to use Megumi when I originally brought it up to her. Her quirk was originally gonna be called 'Blood Art' and use her blood to draw her art, but with Himiko being part of the Hero Course in this story, I didn't want a second blood quirk cluttering up the story. As for the hero name of Still Life, that actually came from Discord. Shoutout to triangle in Darklogic's Writing Corner (/25BTet3) for the idea.
Big thanks to Raef for editing this chapter!
Here's the preview: Michiyo and Megumi catch up and the first day of school happens! Oh, and Aldera crumbles to the ground.
Thank you so much to anyone reading this, and I will see you all when the next chapter is ready.
If you want a place to hangout or talk about the story, you are welcome to come into mine or Evil's Discord servers. Use the code /ffA9xrq to get into mine.
Peace out, and have a wonderful day, and as always...
BOWTIES ARE COOL!
DOCRIDER OUT!
EDITOR'S NOTE
This is Raef, Doc's editor. If you're looking for someone to edit your works, you can find me on Evil's server (/jTkyRQvEpc) or my server, Fireside Tales (/9y2A92pP38) on Discord, or you can message me on AO3 under Raef Darksbane.