『No. 6 - The Next No. 1 Hero』

"Alright, let's get this started! Can you two go over to the platform, please?" Mr. Tanner said, pointing to the arena.

Hai and Luke walked to either side and everyone in the bleachers looked on in excitement.

I nudged Chris' shoulder. "Hey, do you know Luke's Quirk?"

"No, I have no idea," he said.

A sudden burst of anxiety and excitement welled up inside me.

'This final boss thing is really hyping up his Quirk, huh? Is it really worth all the hype, though?' I thought.

"Are you two ready to begin?" Mr. Tanner asked.

"Yes! I'm ready!" Luke shouted.

Hai simply nodded in response.

"Okay! It's time for the actual final round! Hai Ren VS. Luke May!" Mr. Tanner said. "Now, since we're running out of time I don't have enough time to insert the countdown so... begin!"

Mr. Tanner's announcement caught Hai off guard, so it took her an extra second to get into her attacking position. That one second she lost at the time... would change the course of this match.

Surprisingly, Luke was prepared. He bent down and placed his palm on the platform. As Hai was about to release her attack, a ball of bright blue aura surrounded Luke's hand. He clenched his fist and dug into the concrete. Then, in an instant, he pulled forward, launching him right in front of Hai in less than a second.

"Huh-?!" Hai blurted out.

Quickly, she released her attack ahead of time. But, Luke's left fist caught her chop mid-attack, creating a shockwave throughout the gym.

"What the hell?!" Lance, the boy with the Thorns Quirk, yelled.

It was like a windmill was pointed right at the bleachers. The gust of wind from the clash had such an intense force that it was hard to stay in our seats.

The power from the clash broke up the platform beneath them, separating it into different large chunks. A few seconds after the clash, Hai used a less powerful chop with her left arm directly into Luke's stomach, launching him back onto a different platform chunk.

"I... I had no idea Luke was this powerful..." I muttered. I suddenly heard footsteps next to me and saw Mr. Tanner walking up the bleachers to our row.

"Yep, that's what I said when I learned about his Quirk for the first time," he said.

"It's amazing," Chris said.

Mr. Tanner nodded. "Mhm, that's why he's one of the top candidates to become the next No. 1 Hero in America,"

Chris and I quickly turned to Mr. Tanner in shock.

"The... No. 1..?" I asked.

Mr. Tanner chuckled. "Why are you so shocked? He definitely has the power for it," Then, he placed his hand on his chin. "But, I wonder... Why did he choose Blackwood of all places..?"

I stared at Mr. Tanner for a few seconds but then quickly turned back to the fight.

Luke was lifting himself up and coughing from Hai's previous attack. "Man, that was one powerful chop..! But, that wasn't even at your full power, right?" he said.

Hai stared at him with a slightly scared expression. It was still my first day, so most of my first impressions for my classmates were just assumptions. I assumed Hai didn't really have much emotion, but in a crisis like this one... she seemed different.

"I hope it isn't too much to ask, but... next time... I want to learn what a full power chop feels like," he said with a grin.

Then, he placed both of his hands on the platform and the blue aura showed up again. Like his previous move, he dug his fingers into the platform concrete and launched his forward, but with twice as much strength. He got up to Hai so fast that she couldn't counterattack. So, she lifted up her left arm in front of her face, expecting a hit with Luke's right arm. Then, without hesitation, he pulled back his right. He flashed a big smile and sent his punch towards Hai.

"San Fransisco... SMASH!" he yelled as he plowed his fist into Hai's arm.

She tried to hold her ground, but Luke's power was too overwhelming. After a few seconds of struggling, she lost her footing and was launched off of the platform onto the ground.

Naturally, Mr. Tanner quickly made his way over to Hai to heal any injuries.

"'San Fransisco Smash'..?" I asked.

Luke stood on the platform triumphantly, turned to everyone in the bleachers, and raised his fist in victory. "This is an announcement for you, fellow classmates! I'm going to become the next No. 1 Hero. I'm going to become the next All Might! So, watch me!" he shouted.

Silence...

"All Might..?! You mean the No. 1 Hero in Japan, right?! The strongest Hero of all time?!" June, the girl with the Finger Cannon Quirk, questioned.

Luke lowered his fist and nodded. "Yeah! He's the greatest Hero there ever was! I want to be just like him!"

"Well, you've definitely got the Quirk for it," said a light blue-haired boy.

"Hmm..." Chris muttered.

I turned to him in curiosity. "What's up?" I asked.

"Well, if he's such a big All Might fanboy then why didn't he go to U.A.?" he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "U.A.?" I questioned.

Chris turned to me with a surprised look. "You don't know what U.A. is?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"It's the best Hero school in Japan and almost the whole world. And it's where All Might attended. How do you not know about it?" Chris said.

"I don't know. I just never heard of it," I responded.

"That's odd," Chris muttered. "Most people have heard about it in some shape or form,"

I shrugged. "I guess I'm not most people, then,"

Mr. Tanner then walked up to the front of the bleachers. "Alright, kids! That was a successful first day of class! It was great to see all of your unique and interesting Quirks and I can't wait to see more of what you can do. Tomorrow, we'll be doing something more simple, but don't rest yet. This is just the beginning of your future career as Heroes! Class dismissed!" he said.

Mr. Tanner and the other students started to flood out of the gym and go off doing their own things. But, Chris and I were the last to leave. We started walking out, but I stopped Chris to ask him a question.

"Chris, do you know where the nurse's office is?" I asked.

He stopped in place and turned to me. "Do you wanna go see Elizabeth?" he questioned.

"Well, yeah. I want to tell her all about what she missed!" I said.

Chris smiled. "Alright, I'll come with you. I know where it is,"

"Whoa, you know where it is already?! We've only been here for one day!" I shouted.

Chris pulled a paper map out of his pocket. "I have a map,"

"Oh," I whispered. "I guess that would help..."

Yeah, it was only my first day. But, I felt like I had already ingrained my spot at Blackwood. I made a few friends and some acquaintances. My parents were always worried that if I did study out-of-state I wouldn't fit in. And honestly, I thought the same. But, somehow I was proving myself wrong in more ways than one. I was right where I wanted to be. But, obviously, stories come with hardships. Life teaches you that you need to get through tough times to reach your goal. At the time, I hadn't succumbed to any intense hardships. But, It was only a matter of time before I was going to learn that this world of Heroes wasn't as safe as people make it out to be.

『No. 6 - END』