This story is heavily based off of the anime/manga series "Boku no Hero Academia". This work of fiction may contain spoilers towards the series, as well as references and characters. I do not own any of the references or characters from the original series that may appear in this story. This work and its original characters are fictional, any resemblance to real people living or dead is purely coincidental.
To be unique, is to be one of a kind, unlike anything else. What does that mean in a world where everyone is unique?
The world has transformed dramatically. Unique abilities that are normally impossible for an average human to achieve, are now commonplace. Nearly 80% of all of humanity is equipped with some sort of ability or mutation. These unique traits are known as "quirks". When individuals are given power, they are capable of making decisions that can affect others.
Facing your fears, overcoming your obstacles! That is a hero!
Monday, April 10th 7:00 a.m.
A loud buzz hummed, resonating in the dorm room. It sounded as if a woodpecker was digging into a thick tree.
A small groan escaped Kazuto's mouth as his forehead crinkled at the bothersome din. He groggily reached over for his phone, its alarm going off. After a quick swipe with his thumb, the vibration had ceased.
Kazuto sprawled about his bed, stretching his limbs while exhaling deeply. Cradling a pillow between his arms, he looked up towards the ceiling. The sight of his dorm room evoked pleasant memories of yesterday. Making new friends, individuals who seemed to attract interesting interactions and events.
Gradually, the desire to get out of bed grew as the seconds passed. He approached his closet while managing to stay balanced on his feet. The U.A. school outfit was laid flat on his bed, as he entered the bathroom to get ready for the first day of class.
It was time to move past the entrance exam. Now it's time for Kazuto to prove he's heroics course material!
Monday, April 10th 8:20 a.m.
The halls of U.A. were bustling with exuberant crowds of students, new and returning. Kazuto hummed to the cadence of his steps, as he ventured through the building, searching for the 1-B classroom. To his surprise, the door to his classroom towered before his modest stature.
Perhaps it's inclusive design...
It took him far more strength than he was willing to muster this early in the day, to open the enormous gate in front of him. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was struggling to make his way inside. He huffed as he leaned towards the right, gradually opening the sliding door. Kazuto fell over as the door suddenly opened. His face reddened as he quickly scrambled to stand up, brushing off his shoulders and pants for any residue.
"Coming in?" asked Renka, peeking out from inside of the classroom.
With a nervous grin, Kazuto nodded and continued inside. Inside he saw some unfamiliar faces, although he had seen most hanging somewhere around the dorm yesterday, as well as the cafeteria. Renka sauntered towards a small group of individuals surrounding a desk while looking at her phone. Upon closer inspection, Kazuto noticed that they were huddled around Rock, who was sitting in a desk. The individuals other than Renka were Ryuji, Satou, and Kotonoha. Although not as busy as the halls, this U.A. classroom was still full of plenty of energy. As the group laughed together, Ryuji turned his head slightly and caught Kazuto in his peripheral vision.
"Oh, hey Kazuto. Come over, we were just talking about how our mornings went." said Ryuji, waving his hand, gesturing the boy to join them.
He looks a bit worn out. I suppose he had a hard time waking up on time today.
"Hello everyone, how are you doing?" Kazuto said cheerfully, laying his backpack down in a vacant desk, adjacent from Rock.
"I'm fine," said Satou indifferently, adjusting his tie in an attempt to alleviate the uncomfortable chafe around his neck. "How'd your morning go?"
"Well, I woke up at around 5:00 a.m., and made my way towards the cafeteria to get some breakfast. I had a short stack of pancakes along with some bacon strips and a fried egg, an apple and orange, with a nice glass of milk and a cup of coffee." replied the boy, contently patting his stomach.
The group stared at Kazuto dumbfounded.
"W-where does all that food go?" exclaimed Kotonoha, surprised and envious.
Renka nodded. "Impressive."
Kazuto rubbed the back of his head, unfamiliar to having so much attention, and cleared his throat to move the conversation along.
"After finishing my meal, I ventured back to my room to prepare for the day. I was very impressed by the quality of the U.A. dorms, although I suppose it's to be expected of the world's best hero academy. Then, I made my way here. That was how my morning went."
"Huh. That's a surprisingly normal morning compared to everyone else's." said Satou, stretching his arms out. He made his way towards his desk to prepare for the start of class.
Kazuto tilted his head, expecting an elaboration.
"Yeah, I bumped into All Might this morning. It's insane seeing him in person now, he's like a living skeleton," Ryuji said, "His smile is still as bright as ever though."
Rock wiped a drop of perspiration from the left side of his forehead with the back of his hand, and exhaled softly out of relief. "I got lost this morning. I scrambled into class a couple of minutes before you, Kazuto. This school is enormous."
The bespectacled boy couldn't help but cover his mouth as he chuckled.
That sounds just like a "Rock" morning.
Kotonoha checked her phone for the time out of habit, even though there was a clock hanging on the wall at the front of the classroom.
"It's 8:29, almost time for the start of class. We'd better take our seats."
The group exchanged a nod, and sat down at their desks.
Class 1-B had become silent, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their teacher, prepared to begin their journey of becoming a professional hero.
Like the first firework to go off in a festival, the homeroom door slid to the right, its collision echoed throughout the classroom.
Riku slid into the room in a crouched posture. He stood up and quickly scanned the room for a clock, and noticed he was on time, just about thirty seconds before 8:30 a.m.
"Fuck yeah! Safe!" he cheered. Riku hopped over to a vacant desk in the back of the classroom and lounged in his seat, ignoring the numerous students' stares.
Kazuto couldn't decide if he was impressed or shocked. Regardless, that surprise managed to make his heart beat even faster than it already was.
Riku seems unfazed at the fact that literally everyone's eyes are on him. I'd like to get to that level someday too.
The clock had struck 8:30 a.m. As if on cue, Snipe walked through the classroom door, looking a bit confused as to why the door was left wide open. After closing the door with a gentle slide, he approached the front of the classroom and placed his bag down on the the teacher's desk. He was wearing a white dress shirt, with a gray vest worn over it, and a black long tie. His gray slacks kept his shirt tucked in along with his black leather belt, which matched his black loafers. His dapper appearance seemed to be mismatched with his gas mask and western-styled cowboy hat. Regardless, he looked professional and tidy.
"Howdy everyone, welcome to the first day of class. You're all lookin' well," said the teacher, tipping his hat. "On our agenda today, we're going to start off with roll call to make sure everyone's in the right place. Afterwards, I have a nice surprise for your first day."
Snipe cleared his throat, and began to read names off of the Class 1-B roster. Kazuto raised his finger to the bridge of his nose and pushed his glasses up, and prepared to connect the names with the faces of his classmates.
"Fujimoto Kazuto."
Kazuto raised his hand to indicate he was present. "Present."
"Ayama Ryuji."
"Here." said the aforementioned student.
"Chigusa Kotonoha."
She quickly put down her pencil in the middle of a doodle, before raising her hand. "Here."
"Akutagawa Riku."
Riku slouched in his chair, chin resting on his palm, "Heeere."
"Hachiman Garuru."
Kazuto's eyes widened.
A large student sat in the front of the class in one of the bigger desks. From behind, Kazuto could only see certain features of his appearance, such as his large forearms and hands, and his enormous back. The student's thick neck trailed from his defined back, and lead to his large head.
That student is enormous...! His appearance is akin to a gorilla. Thanks to U.A.'s inclusive design, there are desks in this classroom to accommodate his size.
"Present," said Hachiman.
His voice is deep! He is most definitely a gorilla.
"Ishikawa... Rokuro."
There was some hesitation in Snipe's voice.
Rock smiled and responded happily, doing his best to appease his teacher. "Here, Professor Snipe!"
His nickname raised the brows of a few of his classmates.
The boy's semi-forced smile quickly flipped upside down, as he felt Snipe's gaze behind his mask.
It seems Rock is not one of Snipe's favorites.
"Chideta Maeda."
Kazuto tilted his head to the left to get a good look at the student. His desk was right next to Chideta's.
Chideta sat proper and upright in his chair, but it seemed as if his mind was elsewhere. The first thing that Kazuto noticed about this student were the black pair of goggles he sported, which gleamed with an orange tint on the lens. The second thing that he had noticed was his bright, white hair, that was held in a spiky ponytail. His dark complexion greatly contrasted his bright hair. He raised his hand before speaking.
"Here." said Chideta softly. It would be difficult to hear him in a loud room.
He turned his head towards Kazuto, forehead wrinkling as his brows furrowed.
"What?" he asked, in a quiet intimidation.
Kazuto's eyes quickly darted away from the boy.
"N-nothing..."
I suppose he's not friendly.
"Satou Youji."
Satou gradually raised his hand, facing forward with an attentive expression.
"Here."
It's hard to tell if he and I are on good terms. At the very least, it seems he's being civil. I can only reciprocate, and hope for the best.
"Tengen Daiki."
"Here."
The voice came from behind Kazuto, low and piercing. Kazuto couldn't see what Tengen looked like without turning around, but something was telling him to refrain from doing so. Tengen's presence was a different type of intimidation. It felt as if someone was staring at you, analyzing everything they could possibly see. Analyzing all of your capabilities, and gauging your strength.
This pressure... I haven't experienced anything like this before. I can't bring myself to turn around. Something tells me, just from hearing his voice and feeling his presence, that this person is strong.
After several more introductions, Snipe laid down clipboard with the 1-B roster on his desk.
"Alright, now let's move on."
"As I was saying earlier, your surprise is that we're gonna have an exercise that will display your abilities and hopefully bloom a bit of classroom camaraderie, as well as some friendly rivalry." said the teacher, head angled slightly downward, reading lines off of a sticky note.
A few students that had noticed his attempt to hide his notes stifled a laugh.
Snipe looked upward to see what had spurred their noise, before slowly looking down at his notes once again, continuing the explanation.
"The exercise will be a 'team battle'. The teams will comprise of two students each, with one student being the flag-holder, and the other being the guardian. Once you are placed into a team, it is up to you guys to decide who is the flag-holder, and who is the guardian. If a flag-holder is in possession of both team's flag, then that team wins. We will be conducting the exercise at Field Gamma, the industrial site. Although this is a large area like the replica-city district, the densely packed lanes of this industrial site seem more like a complex labyrinth. Before each battle, a coin flip will determine which team will have a five minute head start to traverse through the site. Anybody have any questions?"
Kotonoha raised her hand gingerly, "Uhm, why exactly are we fighting each other on the first day? Shouldn't we have some sort of friendly introductions activity or something?"
Snipe's eyes lit up (although you couldn't notice because of his mask), as he excitedly prepared to answer the question. He looked back towards his notes, searching through phrases as if he had previously prepared the perfect response.
"Now Chigusa, you and your peers are now part of U.A.! Sure, it would be nice to have a friendly introductions activity if you were at a normal high school. However, by exchanging fists, you can truly understand your classmates infinitely more than a friendly introductions activity."
The passionate teacher raised his hands to chest level before clenching them into a tight fist.
"I believe you can feel each other's fashion by fighting, which is why its much more valuable to have an exercise like this on the first day."
He stood triumphant, feeling he had properly delivered the phrase that Present Mic had written for him.
Once again, the class had stifled their laughter, sputtering like an engine running out of gas.
"Do you mean passion, sir?" asked Ryuji, hand held over his wide grin.
Snipe's face had reddened from embarrassment (again, unnoticeable due to his mask), shaking it off with a hearty chuckle.
Snipe seems to be a bit stiff. How long has he been teaching here? He's not very good at it.
"Yes, thank you Ayama. Now, who's ready to get into teams? I happen to have an application on this hologram device that can randomly pair two students out of our class of twenty. Additionally, the app will choose which team will face which."
Snipe tapped a couple of times on the hologram device before a light/blue beam shot up, and displayed an interface with the entire class 1-B roster. After one final tap, the names rotated into a spiraling amalgamation of letters, and then popped with a bright flash, urging the students to shield their eyes from the light, all except Chideta with his goggles donned. As the bright light dissipated, the names were clear and paired in a list.
FLAG BATTLE PAIRING
TEAM A. YAMADA MASANORI & HIGASHI SHOU
TEAM B. MOMOCHI RUKA & CHIDETA MAEDA
TEAM C. NAKANO RENKA & ISHIKAWA ROKURO
TEAM D. FUJIMOTO KAZUTO & ENDO EMIRI
TEAM E. SATOU YOUJI & AYAMA RYUJI
TEAM F. USUI ISAMU & YANAGI JUNKO
TEAM G. KAYA ASUKA & HIROSE ANZU
TEAM H. HACHIMAN GARURU & SASAKI TAMIKA
TEAM I. AKUTAGAWA RIKU & MORINO HIDE
TEAM J. TENGEN DAIKI & CHIGUSA KOTONOHA
FLAG BATTLE MATCHES
Match 1. TEAM D. vs. TEAM E.
Match 2. TEAM B. vs. TEAM C
Match 3. TEAM A. vs. TEAM G
Match 4. TEAM J. vs. TEAM H
Match 5. TEAM I. vs. TEAM F.
The students stirred with excitement in their desks, anxious to showcase their abilities.
"And there you have it everyone, these are the teams and matches that were randomly set up. At my desk, I have a box containing several U.A. standard exercise clothes, each set tailored to a specific student, based on the information you wrote down for your application."
Class 1-B stood up from their desks and made their way to Snipe's desk in a semi-orderly fashion, and received their personal exercise clothes.
"Head to the 1st floor and make your way to the locker rooms. I'll be waiting at the front gate where we will board one of the buses, and make our way to Field Gamma. Hurry up now, I wanna leave in ten minutes so we can get to lunch on time at noon."
With minimal commotion, the class exited the classroom and headed to the locker rooms to get changed. Snipe was pleased to see that they had finished preparing for the exercise in less than ten minutes. After boarding the idling bus, Class 1-B set off for Field Gamma.
Monday, April 10th 9:21 a.m.
The students moved in a single-file line off of the bus, all dressed in their U.A. standard exercise clothes. The bus had parked in a large vacant parking lot just outside of Field Gamma.
Kazuto stepped off of the bus, and searched the crowd of students for his team member, Endo Emiri.
A light tap on his shoulder urged him to turn around.
"Hm?" muttered Kazuto, surprised to see the girl who grabbed his attention was standing over him.
"Hello. You're Fujimoto, right?" asked the stranger.
"Y-yes, you can call me Kazuto. I take it you are Endo Emiri?"
"That's right. It's nice to meet you. You can call me Endo." she said, extending a hand, smiling ever so slightly.
Kazuto hesitated for a moment, overcome with nervousness from this newcomer. He reciprocated the gesture with a smile of his own, albeit with lips quivering. After grasping her hand with his own, his shoulders quirked upward in surprise from the sheer cold of her hands. Kazuto's eyes darted from his hand to her face, only to see Endo smiling as if she hadn't noticed his shock.
Endo Emiri stood at a tall five feet and eight inches, her body slim and curvaceous, fitting well into her uniform. Her skin was light, and had white tribal-patterned markings trailing from the neck down. She had long, platinum blonde hair with a light blue tint, with hair braided on the sides that trail to the back of her head into a bun. Her eyes had cold bluish-gray irises, that felt like you were staring into a blizzard.
Kazuto and Endo walked with the rest of the pack as they made their way to the gated entrance of Field Gamma.
"You know Kazuto, I think I do remember you," mused Endo.
"Really? I don't think we've met before..." said Kazuto, pondering with his thumb and pointer finger resting on his chin.
"I seem to recall dodging shockwaves from a certain someone."
Oh dear.
Kazuto's shaky smile sank as he looked down towards his tennis shoes.
"I'm really sorry."
Endo snorted in laughter. "I was just teasing you. I'm fine, see? Aside from the 'almost-killing-everything-in-your-way' part, you were pretty cool at the entrance exam."
That's right... I've moved on from that.
"Thank you for the compliment, but geez Endo, don't ever do that again please," whined Kazuto, his face flush.
"Okay, you've got it," said Endo, with a smirk. "So, do you have a plan for us?"
Kazuto crossed his arms as he descended into critical thought.
"It seems we're up against Satou and Ryuji, which I believe to be a favorable match-up. I don't know what Satou is capable of, but I have knowledge of Ryuji's quirk. He can exhale large amounts of smoke, which would make fighting difficult. The smoke is harmful to our lungs, and provides a good screen of cover they can take the initiative with. Normally, this would be problematic for other teams."
Kazuto pushed up his glasses with his right pointer finger, "However, I can dispel whatever he throws at us with my shockwaves."
"That will definitely come in handy. I'll tell you my quirk so that we can formulate a proper plan," chimed Endo, with a determined, piercing gaze.
[Quirk: Illusory Snow]
Endo is able to continuously generate a vast amount of a dense fog/mist that covers approximately twenty meters within her vicinity. It only takes around five or six seconds to cover the whole area once her quirk is active. If she is moving while her quirk is active, the fog/mist adjusts in order to remain within her vicinity. She's able to create illusions within the mist & can completely blend into the mist itself, essentially using it as camouflage.
If she uses her ability consecutively, the quality of the illusions & the density of her mist goes down drastically.
While it's possible for her to be warm, her body is naturally cold. Additionally, she has a natural resistance to cold weather.
In order to recover her quirk's original capabilities, she must refrain from activating it while it recharges. To expedite the process of recovery, she can consume something cold such as ice cream.
"That's quite the interesting quirk you have. I already have some good ideas about the illusion aspect that we can use to our advantage against the other team," said Kazuto, running on with his thoughts.
"The first match is beginning! Teams, have you chosen your flag-holder and guardian yet?" asked Snipe.
There's still the issue of how we're going to take the other team's flag.
"Uh, Kazuto? Snipe is speaking to us," muttered Endo.
Sure we can effectively defend our flag with our arsenal, but how will we go about winning this?
"Hello? The other team already chose, we're just waiting on you guys," said the teacher, irritation from being ignored festering.
It's probably best to go about this cautiously, since Satou's abilities are still unknown...
"Time's up!" exclaimed Snipe, shoving a small flag into his hands. "Fujimoto is the flag-holder, Endo is the guardian!"
Snapping out of his intense thinking session, Kazuto noticed he had been given the flag-holder role. Looking ahead, he saw Ryuji was the flag-holder for his team.
"Everyone listen up! Each match is ten minutes only. A team can win or lose. Flag-holders need to protect their team's flag, and the guardians need to protect the flag-holders. Both team members can fight, although it may or may not be a good idea to send your flag-holder into battle. A team only wins if their flag-holder is in possession of both flags. If neither team loses a flag, then everyone loses. We'll begin with the coin flip, call it, teams."
"Heads." said Satou.
"Tails." said Endo.
Snipe laid a U.A. coin on his thumb, cradled over a clenched fist. The coin sat with its heads side face up, a symbol of U.A. labeled on the center. The tails side displayed the phrase "Plus Ultra!" in the center.
The teacher flicked his thumb, sending the coin flying upwards. The coin shimmered in the sun before landing directly into his held-out left palm.
"Heads!" bellowed the teacher, "Team E will have a five minute head start! You will begin in ten seconds, prepare yourselves!"
Satou and Ryuji exchanged a nod, and prepared to dash into Field Gamma.
This set-up time they've received will make this treacherous for us... We'd better be careful.
10...
9...
8...
7...
6...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
"Team E, begin!" Satou and Ryuji took off into the metal jungle, through the large gated entrance. Snipe led the rest of the students to the monitoring area. Kazuto and Endo remained stationary at the entrance.
Kazuto was once again deep in thought attempting to come up with a decent strategy for victory. Endo felt she should leave him alone until it was time to start. Several minutes had passed, sounds of steam hissing and metal pipes grating echoed throughout the industrial site. The rest of the students were in a secluded building with Snipe, monitoring the actions of Satou and Ryuji through a set of live camera feeds.
Kazuto and Endo stood silently at the entrance of Field Gamma.
"Team D, start!" said Snipe, announcing on an intercom.
Kazuto's eyelids shot open, dashing forward with Endo.
"Kazuto, they've had plenty of time to prepare! Let's proceed with caution," exclaimed his partner, steeling herself for battle.
Suddenly, a large metal dumpster soared towards the two at blistering speed.
Kazuto stopped in place with a steady, unwavering stance, and turned to his left, where the object was approaching them. He quickly raised both of his arms, aiming his palms at the fast approaching object.
He fired from both hands, a large shockwave soared towards the dumpster, slowing its intense acceleration. The large, heavy object slowed to a crawl before resting just several inches away from Kazuto and Endo.
Kazuto wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, panting slowly.
"That way," he huffed, pointing past the dumpster, "They're... over there!"
Endo's eyes lit up with strength, she nodded quickly and ran into the direction Kazuto gestured.
Is she going on her own...?
"Hey, wait! I didn't mean-" yelled Kazuto, reaching out as she continued her chase.
"We need to come up with a plan! This is reckless!" he exclaimed.
Her eyes narrowed as the direction she advanced towards became flooded with smoke.
I'd say I only have about 4 shots left until I collapse...
A loud voice cut through his thoughts.
"Kazu! Clear the smoke!" hollered Endo.
It's no use thinking so hard!
Kazuto sprinted towards the smoke, and unleashed another blast from his right palm, paying mind to not fire directly at his partner. The billowing smokescreen immediately dissipated, diverging in all directions.
Endo spotted a silhouette's feet zip past a corner. She pursued the individual with unwavering courage, moving forward without a moment's hesitation. Her partner advanced with a modest pace. Kazuto's breaths became shorter from using his quirk in rapid succession. He knelt over, resting his palms on his knees.
Keep moving. Endo needs you.
Kazuto stood up, and continued to jog towards Endo's direction.
As Endo cleared the corner, Ryuji was in sight.
The girl stopped in place, before walking towards Ryuji. The boy reached a dead end, and was forced to turn around to face his pursuer. His eyes narrowed as a dense fog gradually filled the alleyway.
"Now, Satou!" yelled the boy, a faint smoke trail escaping his lips.
A large wooden crate zipped across the ground, barreling towards Endo.
[Quirk: Stasis]
Satou can put an inanimate object in a temporary stasis, essentially freezing an item in place. When an object is in 'stasis', it stores kinetic energy. Satou must make physical contact with the object in order to lock it in stasis. The stasis lasts 3 seconds. During that time, he can apply force to the object, which will be stored as kinetic energy. Once three seconds have passed, the object's stored kinetic energy will be expelled at once.
This ability is suited more towards strategists, since it is not applicable to living things, and takes time and a large amount of energy to be used properly.
If Satou overuses this ability, he will enter a state of paralysis that lasts several hours.
Satou clenched his fist, "Dead on!", he exclaimed.
Kazuto, Ryuji, and Satou's eyes widened in shock as the crate passed right through Endo, resulting in her fading away like an apparition.
This must be one of her illusions!
The fog reached its maximum opacity, cutting off vision of Ryuji from Kazuto and Satou.
Ryuji panicked as he desperately searched for her, unable to see in the heavy fog. The dense cloud brought a strong chill down his spine.
She emerged once again from the haze, and dashed towards the boy.
He opened his mouth and exhaled a jet of smoke in her direction. Ryuji's expression transitioned from satisfaction to a sour frustration as his target vanished.
Endo appeared once more, this time with a leap, retracting her right leg into a wound up position. The boy quickly turned his head, but it was too late.
She delivered a devastating kick to his stomach, sending him rolling backwards, coiling in pain.
Endo skipped over, dusting her shirt off with the back of her left hand.
"I'll be taking that," she hummed, reaching over and claiming the flag that was in Ryuji's back pocket.
The boy could only reply with a groan, trying his hardest to not spit out something other than smoke, reaching for the silhouette as she faded into the fog.
"I just need to get this to Kazuto, and we win..." muttered Endo to herself, making her way towards Kazuto.
Meanwhile, Kazuto and Satou were locked in their own battle.
"That flag of yours is mine," declared Satou, pointing directly at Kazuto.
Kazuto wheezed before wiping the sweat dripping alongside his left temple, "Then why don't you come and take it?" He bit his lip, and frowned slightly.
What am I saying? My lungs are screaming... I need to catch my breath.
"No hard feelings!" yelled Satou, clenching his fists and dashing forward, preparing to duke it out.
Endo appeared from the dissipating fog, unnoticed by the two boys about to brawl. Curiosity struck her hard, as she stood from afar and decided to observe.
"Let's see what Kazu is capable of on his own..." muttered Endo.
Kazuto dodged a swing by Satou, pushing up the bridge of his glasses as they nearly dropped to the ground. His wheezing quickened as his breath shortened, and his heartbeat increased in cadence.
"You're not looking so good Kazuto, maybe you ought to give up?" boasted Satou, throwing another left swing towards the boy.
Kazuto moved his body to avoid the punch, but frowned as he fell into a trap.
Shit-
Satou's fist stopped as his motion ceased, his feint had successfully baited his opponent. Satou swung a right punch and landed a direct hit just below the center of Kazuto's face, slamming his fist into his nose and mouth.
The impact produced a stomach-churning crack.
Kazuto fell back, skidding on the pavement. He covered the afflicted area delicately with his hands, blood seeping from his nose and down his lips. His breathing had become dangerously labored with his inability to breathe through his nostrils.
Satou advanced slowly, confident in his victory.
Kazuto grit his teeth, and raised his left palm, aiming it at Satou. He steeled himself, and fired another shot. A shockwave soared towards his opponent with great speed.
Satou quickly dove out of harm's way, successfully avoiding the blast. A sigh of relief escaped his chest, bringing a new focus to his eyes. He charged towards his opponent, and prepared to throw another punch.
Predict his attack! Counter! Counter! Counter!
Satou thrust his fist towards Kazuto's face once again, determined to strike at his new weak point. His brows raised in surprise, as Kazuto stepped in as soon as the punch was in motion.
Kazuto ducked past Satou's fist, and smashed his own into Satou's left cheek.
The two backed off, reeling from sustained damage.
Ugh... My fist is stinging!
Satou shook his head left and right, quickly recovering from the damage. He gripped his opponent's shoulders and shoved him to the ground.
"Your punches are light!" exclaimed Satou, properly mounting his fallen opponent, and preparing to strike him as he's held down.
Kazuto held up his arms in defense, attempting to protect his face.
Punches rained down, making their way past his brittle guard.
This hurts.
Another punch landed, striking him in the chin.
I want to give up.
Another punch landed, this time on the right cheek.
It's hard to keep my eyes open.
Another punch landed, a fist slammed on his left cheekbone.
It would feel good to just fall asleep now.
Kazuto's arms fell, leaving him open to Satou's final blow.
Once again, a voice cut through his thoughts.
"Kazu! Get up!" exclaimed Endo with a worried wide-eyed stare.
His glassy eyes gained light, as he snapped back to consciousness. Satou was winding up his arm for the final strike, aimed directly for Kazuto's nose. With barely enough time to react, Kazuto pushed up with all of his strength, fighting for some ground to maneuver. Finding an opening, Kazuto squeezed out of the mount, and kicked with everything he had, sending Satou stumbling backwards. Kazuto quickly scrambled to his feet, and managed to hold himself upright despite his damage.
Choking on blood and saliva, he fought through the pain and raised his right arm, aiming the palm directly at Satou, recovering from the push.
I'm not sure why, but for a second, it felt as if I had no limits.
Kazuto fired a shockwave from his palm, the force sending him rolling backwards. The blast sent Satou flying, colliding with a large metal pipe. The sound of his back slamming against the metal echoed. Satou lay limp, knocked unconscious by Kazuto's blast.
The boy fell to his knees and keeled over, holding himself up with his hands, his dripping blood pooling into a small puddle below.
Endo approached, and held the other team's flag in front of his face.
"Good job, Kazu" said Endo with a warm smile.
"Yew, tbou" muttered the boy.
Kazuto groaned and wiped his face with the flag's cloth.
The two stared at the flag in horror, mouths agape.
The rest of the class monitoring the battle expressed their disgust with a collective cry.
"Team D wins..." said Snipe over the intercom, still disappointed that the flag has been soiled.
"I-I'm sorry! I thought it was a handkerchief or something..." exclaimed Kazuto, flush with embarrassment.
Endo kneeled and wrapped her arms around Kazuto in a chilly embrace, "Who cares, we won".
His weight shifted onto her, as his last sliver of consciousness slipped away.
A small audible screech echoed on the intercom.
"Everyone, escorts will soon help bring you to the bus, where you will be examined by part of our medical facility. Go ahead and get patched up by recovery girl, grab a juice box, some snacks, whatever you need. Make sure you come back though, you ought to witness the rest of these matches. If you can't make it, I'll have recordings you need to watch. Our homework tonight is an analysis on the flag-battle matches," lectured Snipe.
Kazuto's glasses shifted downward, as he slept quietly. His breathing had improved, and his heart had slowed down from its fast pace.
"What an interesting guy," said Endo, holding on to his limp body, awaiting an escort to the bus.
Class 1-B crowded around the monitors displaying the aftermath of the first match.
"I'm surprised. I thought that nerd would get his ass kicked," scoffed Riku, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Are you kidding me? I knew he'd win. Plus, that match was incredible! I'm feeling inspired," said Rock, stretching his triceps.
"Yeah, you're up next. Think you're up to it?"
"Definitely, me and Renka got this," chuckled Rock, raising his hand for a high five for his partner to reply to.
Renka stood, and tilted her head, unsure of what to do. Rock's positive expression deflated as he was left hanging.
"I agree with Rock. I'm confident in our abilities," she affirmed.
Snipe cleared his throat, and began his announcement. "We're taking a short break, we need to get the injured to the bus for the medical staff to take a look at them. After that's done, it'll be Team B against Team C."
Renka looked to her right and saw Momochi Ruka and Chideta Maeda conversing, most likely coming up with some sort of strategy. Chideta noticed her glance, and replied with a confident smirk. She turned away, slowly closing her eyelids and cracking her knuckles.
"Feeling fired up?" questioned Rock.
"It's nothing, I just want to make the most of this opportunity to show what we're capable of today."
Riku looked around, with a confused expression.
"What's wrong, Riku?" asked Renka.
"...Which one is Morino Hide again?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"...Your partner?"
"Shit, I know that. I just don't know who it is."
"I'm sure you will figure it out. Rock and I have to go prepare for the match now, good luck," said Renka, taking Rock by the arm and moving to a secluded location.
"Break a leg," Riku simpered, revealing a menacing grin.
"Something tells me he meant that literally," chirped Rock, rubbing his chin with his pointer finger.
The first day of class at U.A.! What better way to start than with a combat exercise? I didn't introduce every single student in the class in the beginning, since I really don't like dumping a ton of characters on at once. They'll make appearances in the upcoming chapters, covering the matches of the flag-battle exercise. This chapter was focused on Kazuto! The events revolved around him, and his inner dialogue was there, and etc.
The reason he doesn't seem as strong as the first chapter, is because he's not on the drug. The drug was what enhanced his abilities.
Sorry for the slow upload, finals and all. Hopefully the pace will speed up from here on out!
Once again, thank you so much for reading!