AN: Hello! This isn't my first fic, but it has been a while since I've sat down and written one, so please feel free to give me feedback or suggestions so that I can improve the story in future chapters! I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I am hoping to finish this at some point. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of Supercharged Beginnings!
Buildings shudder and shake as battle is waged throughout the city. The streets are cracked, covered in debris from partially destroyed or collapsed buildings. Fires burn bright in this atrocious scene as smoke billows into the air. The sounds of frightened screams echo across cracked walls and urge other civilians to get as far away from the chaos as possible. Every now and then you'll catch a glimpse of a villain doing battle with a hero, the hopeful cheers from civilians, hoping for the hero's victory.
A young couple runs through the ravaged city, avoiding the conflict as best as possible. Their skin is littered with bruises and gashes, probably having escaped from falling debris. They turned the next corner, forced to duck and shield themselves with their arms as another strong force crashed into the building right in front of them, creating a large cloud of dust in front of them.
Loud footsteps thumped against the ground as a figure came towards them through the dust. The dust slowly began to clear, revealing a large reptilian man towering menacingly above them. The beast-like creature is covered in rough, green scales, the torn remnants of a tan-colored t-shirt covering his torso. Hand-sized spikes run along the arms and the long, lizard-like tail. Its red eyes glowed with a predatorial glimmer, the mouth opening up to reveal razor-sharp fangs.
The terrifying creature advanced upon them, and they could only stand there in shock at what was about to happen. However, as the lizard man reached his large, scaly hand towards them, a crackling sound started coming closer and closer, until it was right up on the monstrous villain.
A yellow flash and the sound of fist colliding with something hard is what followed. The villain once towering over the couple was now several yards away, lodged in a crater in the side of a building. The couple looked over with wide eyes at the man who had saved them.
His ash-brown hair spikes up, resting just above the silver visor that reveals his dark-brown eyes. He's wearing a black shirt underneath a dark-brown vest with silver bracers circling his arms, black gloves connecting to the bracers. His pants mimic the color of his vest, black boots adorning his feet. There is also what appears to be a small battery pack on his back.
He looked down at the couple, giving them a warm and encouraging smile. "There's no need to worry anymore." he said kindly, extending a hand to help them up. "Because I-"
"I AM HERE!"
"Gwah!" I jolted awake at the sound of my alarm clock, kicking off the covers and tumbling out of bed and onto the floor. Sitting up and rubbing my sore back, I sent a glare towards the All Might themed alarm clock sitting on my bedside dresser.
"As effective as you are, I'm starting to doubt how necessary it is to have something that scares me awake every morning." I muttered under my breath before shutting it off, making the flashing light settle and stop at 7:30 AM. Unfortunately, it was a birthday present, and I'd rather not tell Pony I threw it into the trash after a few weeks.
Standing up, I stretch my arms above my head, earning several satisfying pops from my back and joints. Smiling, I turn and looked at the All Might poster on my wall. Standing there in all his glory is the number one hero-in Japan- but also in much of the rest of the world, wearing his signature red, white, and blue suit, his wide, toothy smile, and his fist held victoriously above his head. My smile slowly diminished into small frown, remembering last night's dream.
I'd love nothing more than be able to bring hope and peace to people everywhere, just by showing up and saying, "I am here." Let's be realistic though, no one can compare to the Symbol of Peace, let alone someone like me. I sighed, reprimanding myself as usual when I have these thoughts.
"You're not aiming for number one. You're aiming for the best you can be." I reminded myself. I was interrupted from my musing by a yell from downstairs.
"Luca? Are you up yet? We're gonna be late getting to the airport if you don't hurry up!" my mother yelled, making my eyes grow as wide as saucers. I had almost forgotten about my flight!
I quickly run out of my room to take a quick shower before getting dressed. I don't even bother messing with my hair, knowing it would stay just as spiky as it always is. I slip on a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, a brown hoodie, and black tennis shoes. After getting dressed I run downstairs, nearly tripping on the last step, before making my way into the kitchen.
It was no surprise to see my father already sitting at the kitchen table, face shoved in the morning paper with a mug of coffee that says "Best Dad" in his other hand. Only his shaggy black hair can be seen over the newspaper. I sit down across from him, looking at the back of his newspaper. Nothing out of the ordinary. A few villain attacks but nothing too serious. There's also an article about the new semester starting up at the various hero schools across America, though I could care less about that. I probably should, but none of them ever really interested me.
I was freed from my thoughts by a plate of hash browns and eggs being placed in front of me. "Thanks." I said, smiling up at my mother. Her ash-brown hair is tied up in her usual ponytail, and she has an ever so familiar scowl on her lips. She sighed, moving to the sink to finish clean up the dishes.
"I thought I told you to set your alarm. I doubt you want to be late for your flight. I don't think UA will accept late applicants to take the exam."
I rubbed the back of my neck and gave her a sheepish grin. "I did. Sorry. I was just…lost in thought, I guess."
Her features softened a bit a that. "Worried about the entrance exam?" she asked, receiving a shrug in response.
"A bit, yeah. I mean, who wouldn't be nervous? This is UA we are talking about here. They are the best hero academy in Japan, probably the world! I'm sure all sorts of people with powerful quirks are gonna be taking the exam." From what I heard, there are only two hero course classes for each year, and only twenty students are allowed in each. That's 40 students total, and there are probably hundreds of students applying. What are the odds I make it in that top 40?
"I'm sure you'll do fine." my dad said, putting down the newspaper to look at me. His features are rough, but his dark-brown eyes are soft, and he's got a small smile on his face. "And on the off chance you don't pass…" he scratched his check nonchalantly, pretending to avoid my annoyed gaze. "You can always apply for South High."
"Nice try, but it's not gonna work." I said before taking a bite of eggs. As soon as I told my parents I wanted to go to UA, he's done everything he could to try and convince me to go to one of the academies here in America instead, mainly South High, since it's only an hour or so away from home. He's got nothing against UA in particular. He knows how great of a school it is, but he'd prefer me to be closer to home. "I'll be fine. After all, Pony and her grandparents are gonna let me stay with them if I end up passing. It's not like I'll be staying with a bunch of strangers."
Pony was born and raised in Texas on her parent's ranch, but her father and his family are from Japan. She never spent much time there, but I remember her going to visit her grandparents every summer. Her grandparents also used to be farmers, but retired and moved closer to Musutafu, where UA is. When we told them we were applying to UA, they were more than happy to let us stay with them, much to my dad's chagrin and relief.
Dad sighed in resignation, raising his hands in mock surrender, making me chuckle a little. "Alright, fine. Just remember to call once in a while. Otherwise your mother…" he paused, seeing the raised eyebrow she gave him. "I mean, we, are going to get worried."
I laughed and nodded my head in agreement. Of course, I'm gonna remember to call them. This is my first time leaving the state of Texas, let alone the country. It's gonna be tough being there without them. Besides, if I didn't, I know they'd end up calling at a bad time, because I doubt they'll remember we'd be in different time zones.
"Anyways, finish up your breakfast and then I'll drop you off at the airport on my way to the workshop. I have to pass by it anyways." mom said. I nodded, understanding it would be a much longer commute for my dad, and he had to get to the store early to open up.
After quickly consuming my breakfast, I grabbed my suitcase and met mom out by her truck. It's a beat-up, white Ford, but it's served my mom well over the years. It's probably not the most reliable vehicle, but it has been taken care of fairly well, despite its age.
The ride to the airport was unusually quiet for the first ten minutes or so. Normally we'd be chatting about random things like school, work, an advertisement we see on the side of the road. Yet neither of us have hardly spoken a word since we've gotten in the car, choosing to instead listen to whatever happens to come on the radio. In this case, just a bunch of pop music that varies from good to just alright.
I'd normally try to start a conversation, but I'm not really in much of a talking mood. I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but my dream from last night is slowly making me feel less and less confident about the UA entrance exam. There are probably a bunch of other applicants with really strong quirks, and here I am with a quirk that is basically useless without a source of electricity.
Wanting to forget about my paranoid thoughts, I lean up against the windowsill, watching the buildings go by as we zoom past them. It makes me wonder what the city will be like in Japan. From what I've seen in pictures and vlogs on the internet, the city tends to be very crowded and busy, and there are a lot of different shopping districts. I'm gonna have to get a map or something once I get there. It'd probably be a good idea NOT getting lost in an unfamiliar country.
Perhaps Pony and I can go look around the city a bit when we arrive to help me learn the layout a bit. Considering she has been there before, I'm sure she remembers at least a few places. Though I wouldn't be too surprised if she didn't. She's not forgetful by any means, but I wouldn't call her memory perfect either.
"What are you grinning about over there?" my mom asked with slight amusement in her tone. Though she didn't look away from the road, thankfully.
I just chuckled, looking over at her. "I'm just thinking about whether or not Pony will end up getting us lost when we get to Japan." I said, making her laugh.
"I don't think your girlfriend will approve of you making jokes about her to your mother." she responded, making me groan with a very slight blush on my face.
"For the last time, she's not my girlfriend. Also, I'm pretty sure she does that with me all the time, anyways. I still remember when she told her parents about me accidentally short circuiting the television at our house with my quirk. They haven't let me near their television again when I'm over at their place." I can't see her face, but I'm imagining my mom is rolling her eyes, knowing full well my instance is more likely to occur.
"Whatever you say, but you'll be spending a lot of time with her in Japan. That gives a lot of time for something to develop between you two." She turned onto the highway, getting into the rightmost lane. We'll have to turn off in a couple mile to reach the airport.
"Maybe. Maybe not." I shrugged my shoulders. "Now can we please drop this? I'd rather not hear my mom talk about whether or not I have feelings for my best friend."
"Whatever you say~" she hummed. Sarcasm was dripping from her tone. She'll never stop bringing it up until it finally happens, that way she'll be able to tell me "I told you so!"
She remained silent after that for a few minutes. Though it was an awkward few minutes. I'd look over at her every now and then, and it looked like she wanted to say something else, yet she stayed quiet. Her face is slightly scrunched up, like she is thinking about something.
15 minutes later, and I almost let out a sigh of relief when we arrived at the airport. I've never actually been here before, or to any airport, really. I never had much reason to, since my family has never travelled all that much. Even then, all the travelling we do is by car. The parking lot is full, people walking to and from their vehicles. There was a low rumble. I looked up, and I saw a plane taking off heading who knows where.
My mom pulled up underneath an awning in the front of the airport, putting the car in park. "Well, we're here. Hurry and get your stuff out the trunk. I'm pretty sure your flight is scheduled to leave in at a quarter to ten."
Just as I was about to open the door to get out, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, seeing a sad smile on my mom's face. "What's wrong?"
"I could tell you were a still nervous about the exam. I just wanted to say, no matter what happens, your father and I are both so proud of you. The fact that you are willing to work so hard to achieve your dream…that in itself shows just how brave and strong you are."
Heat rose in my cheeks from her praise. "I'm really not all that impressive. In terms of quirks- " I was promptly cut off.
"You give yourself too little credit. Your quirk is amazing because it is yours. You are going to do just fine on the exam. And, if for whatever reason you do end up failing, there is always the general studies course. Just keep working hard, and you'll reach your goal."
I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her, doing my best not to shed any tears. "Thank you." I whispered appreciatively.
After a few seconds we broke the hug, her blue eyes looking into my brown ones with a proud smile on her face. "Now go and become the hero that I know you are."
I gathered my belongings and got out of the car, waving to my mom before she drove away. I'll miss my parents, but hopefully the next time I see them, it'll be as a hero in training!
"I should probably text Pony to see if she is here yet." I thought to myself. I pulled out my Samsung III mini, a hand-me-down from my father, pulled up Pony on my contacts and sent her a message. I almost laughed when I saw the horse emojis next to her name on my contact list, forgetting she had put that in herself.
Luca: My mom just dropped me off at the airport. Are you here yet? (Sent at 8:45)
Luckily for me, Pony is always very quick to respond, and I got a text a few seconds later.
Pony: Yeah! I got here a little while ago. I'm sitting at an Auntie Anne's near terminal 3. Better hurry up, because I'm gonna eat the pretzel I got for you if you don't show up soon! (Sent at 8:45)
I let out a relieved sigh. "At least she's in one place and not running around trying to find me."
Not wanting to test her patience, I start making my way through the crowded airport, sidestepping fairly often to avoid bumping into people. I slowly made my way to the first terminal with the help of a map of the airport, which then led to finding the second and then finally the third.
I found the Auntie Anne's that Pony was presumably talking about, but now she is nowhere to be seen. She's not inside the building, nor do I see her sitting at any of the benches outside.
"Looks like she got tired of waiting. I'll just text her again." I sighed, about to take out my phone and text her again. However, before I could pull up my contacts, I heard footsteps running towards me from behind, then I felt something tackle me from behind and two appendages wrap around me. I tumbled forward a few steps but managed to stop myself from falling.
"Hi!" the ever so cheerful voice of Pony rang in my ears.
A small chuckle escaped my lips. "So that's what you were planning." I pried her arms off me and turned around, seeing the familiar large horns, flowing blonde hair, and cute, large, green eyes. I had to look down to look her in the eyes, because she is a good few inches shorter than me. Pony is wearing a cream-colored sweater, jeans, and cowboy boots.
"I got tired of waiting, so I hid and waited for you to show up!" she said with a somewhat horse-like laugh, her hair bobbing up and down in time with her laugh. I've always wondered if her laugh was just a part of her quirk, since it gave her similarities to a horse, or if she does it on purpose as a joke.
I set my suitcase down for a second to rest my arm. "I had a feeling you would. So, how did your parents react to you leaving?"
She smiled sadly. "They took it pretty well. They're sad that I'm leaving, but they know I'll be fine with my grandparents. How about yours?"
"Fairly well. My dad tried to briefly talk me out of it again, but he knew I was set on going to UA. Now its time to get to Japan and hopefully not fail." I said, receiving a light punch on the shoulder.
"Lighten up! We'll do fine. Oooh! I know! I can show you around a bit once we get to Japan to take your mind off things! You've never had boba before, right? I know a great place I can take you to!" she said, her horse tail flailing behind her in excitement. Seeing her so excited and cheerful couldn't help but put a smile on my face.
"Alright. Sounds like a plan. Now, we should probably get checked in and board our plane. Don't wanna get left behind, after all."
We both went through customs without much issue, and thankfully neither of us got stopped when our things were checked. I've heard about how annoying it can be when trying to catch a flight, but thankfully we had no issues. We were able to get past and board our flight.
After dropping off our luggage we found our seats, me taking the window seat and Pony sitting on my left. There was another guy sitting in the same isle as us, though we paid each other no mind.
It took a few minutes for the plane to start, but the pre-flight checks were finished and I felt the plane jerk forward as we started to go down the runway. I watched as the runway quickly disappeared behind us, and the plane finally started lifting up into the air. My stomach lurched forward for a second, making me think I was about to puke, but it settled a bit as the plane started to level out. Though I had to look away from the window, the sheer altitude we were at making me feel a little nervous. I've never flown before, but I can already tell that I prefer the land.
I didn't have to worry about that for very long though, because Pony immediately started playing around with the screen in front of us after the all clear was given for technology.
"Do you want to watch a movie or something? We can watch one of the pre-quirk era hero films, like the Avengers! It might get us in the spirit for Wednesday!"
I shrugged my shoulders in response. "Sure, why not. It's been a while since I've seen it." Thor is personally my favorite character, though that's probably more or less because of his lightning-based powers.
Over the course of our 16-hour flight, we only had one major stop, so we managed to get through five of the movies in the series. Although, by the end of the fifth one, both Pony and I were on the verge of passing out from exhaustion. She fell asleep first, slumping over and resting her head on my shoulder. I didn't last much longer, falling asleep before we even got to the end credits.
I was later awoken by the plane's landing, jumping in my seat and causing Pony to wake up as well. She rubbed her sleep-filled eyes, trying to rest her head back on my shoulder. "Just five more minutes."
I chuckled, gently pushing her head off my shoulder. "Not unless you wanna get stuck on a plane for another several hours. Now wake up so that we can go meet your grandparents." That seemed to get her moving, though rather sluggishly. I can't blame her, though. It was a long flight, and it is technically nighttime as well. But we can always go back to sleep once we get to her grandparents' house.
We went through the tired rhythm of getting off the plane, looking for our stuff, and then making sure that we had yen. I can't say I'm very happy about having a bunch of coins in my pocket, but I suppose there's not much to be done about that, aside from trying to not let them jump out of my pocket while I'm walking.
When we were finally able to get out of the airport, I heard Pony gasp and before I could say anything, she charged forward, nearly crashing into the elderly couple several yards in front of us. I can briefly recognize them as her grandparents from pictures Pony has shown me in the past. Though if it weren't for the horns on her grandmother's head, it would be hard to tell they are related.
Her grandparents are both around the same height of Pony, though both have black hair instead of Pony's blonde hair. Her grandmother's hair is short and neatly tucked back behind her head, and her brown eyes have the same vibrance as Pony's. She has a sweet, motherly smile on her face as she hugs her granddaughter. Her grandfather seems to be a bit more reserved, though he still appears to be very happy to see her again.
"Welcome back, Pony-chan." her grandfather said kindly, making me remember to start speaking in Japanese. Hopefully I'm not too rusty, since I don't get to actively practice it very often.
"I missed you so much, Ojiisan, Obaasan." Pony's tail is wagging faster than I've ever seen it before. It makes me wonder if she is part dog as well as part horse. She then turned around, gesturing towards me, and suddenly I felt the pressure to make a good first impression. "This is Luca Watson, my best friend since I was little!"
I bowed, hopefully not to low, hoping to show them the proper respect. "T-thank you very much for welcoming me into your home!"
Everything went silent for a moment, before finally all three of them burst out into laughter, and it seems as though Pony inherited her horse-like laughter from her grandmother's side of the family.
"There is no need for such formality, Luca-kun. We are happy to offer up our home to one of Pony's closest friends, as well as someone who aspires to become a hero." Mr. Tsunotori said.
I stood up straight once more, a sheepish grin on my face. "I apologize. I'm familiar with the language, but I'm not the most knowledgeable about Japanese customs. I didn't want to appear rude."
"No need to worry about that. We're not keen on all the traditions, either. Too stuffy if you ask us." Mrs. Tsunotori said with a small laugh. "Anyways, let's not stay here all night. I'm sure you're both tired from your long trip. We can talk more in the morning."
It wasn't a very long ride from the airport, but both of us had a hard time staying awake. Though we didn't have to stay awake for long, because half an hour later, we arrived at the Tsunotori residence. Just from the outside, I can tell it is a very traditional ranch house. The roof is separated into several sections, the one towards the front of the house sloping slightly downwards with a triangular shape further towards the top. There is a big window enveloping much of the front room, giving it a very open feeling.
We quickly got inside the house, and I remembered to take my shoes off at the entrance, repositioning them to face towards the door for when we go out in the morning. Pony and I each brought out belongings to our respective rooms before taking turns taking a shower. I let Pony go first, of course. Once I finished showering and changed into a comfortable black t-shirt and shorts, I looked around at my potentially new room for the next several years. It's pretty plain now, having blank, white walls, one medium-sized bed, and a few dressers. I might change some things up in the future, but for now, it is more than good enough. Besides, I have to actually pass the exam before thinking about redecorating.
I lay back on my bed, letting out a sigh of relief. It has been a tiring day, but the next few days will be even more tiring. The entrance exam doesn't take place until Wednesday morning, so we have all of tomorrow to explore the city and then prepare.
I closed my eyes. "I wonder…what tomorrow will have in store for us."
AN: I hope you all enjoyed! I'm going to probably have at least two more updates within the next couple of days, so look forward to that, and feel free to leave any reviews!