"Denki."
"Yeah?"
"Do you think that the drawbacks of your Quirk make you weak?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"..."
"Well, to answer that, no."
"No? Why?"
"I think that the strength of a Quirk doesn't just have to do with the weaknesses and drawbacks it has. Whenever I use my Quirk to much, I pretty much turn into a complete idiot."
"..."
"But I'm not just an idiot, you know. With my Quirk, I can help a lot of people. I want to help a lot of people. And that's why I'll be a hero."
"..."
"Why'd you ask that question? It's not like your Quirk's weakness makes you weak. You're really strong, you know!"
"...No reason."
Denki was so screwed.
Both in the Quirk Apprehension Test and his chance of living by Raiden's hand.
His Quirk wasn't well-suited for physical things. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if he could use it for the test.
Denki was suddenly thankful for all the rigorous training he had with Raiden. He was more fit than the average person. He just needed to push himself in this to make sure he didn't get expelled and die by his sister's hand.
Unlike Denki, Raiden didn't have a problem with the tests.
Her Quirk, though electric-based, was able to enhance her physical state to some degree. She was able to score better-than-average scores, and combined with her impressive physical prowess, she wasn't scared with being expelled.
Looking over at Denki, she could see that he was a bit scared and nervous. Still, he focused and managed to not get the lowest score each time.
When they came back to the softball throw, Raiden stood aside with the others, watching as Midoriya nervously came up for his turn to throw the ball.
"He's not doing very well," she murmured.
Denki nodded. "Yeah. I wonder what his Quirk is?"
Raiden watched as Midoriya threw the ball, only for it to reach a little over forty meters.
It was a bit of a surprise to find that her homeroom teacher was the Pro Hero Eraserhead. She remembered him from a time in her past.
"Eraserhead?" Denki whispered in surprise and awe. He cautiously looked over at Raiden. "You remember him, right?"
Raiden frowned. "Of course I remember him. Why wouldn't I?"
Denki's gaze remained on her for a few more seconds before returning to Midoriya, who had returned to the pitch, another softball in hand. He winded his arm back, preparing to throw.
And when he threw, Raiden couldn't stop herself from letting a small smirk rise up on her face, even though she could clearly see Midoriya's bruised and broken finger.
"Um, Raichan?"
"Yeah?"
"That look on your face is scary."
"I know."
A thoughtful look crossed her face. "His Quirk injures him, huh."
She continued to watch as Bakugou lunged at Midoriya in a blind rage. Aizawa yanked him back with his long scarves, his Quirk flaring up again.
The class was then to go through three more sets of trials. Raiden noticed Midoriya wincing at the pain in his broken finger.
"Midoriya," she called out, walking up to him. "Give my your hand."
Midoriya jumped in surprise, but he hesitantly extended his hand.
Raiden gently held his hand in her own gloved ones, critically examining the broken finger. She could feel Denki staring at her from afar, knowing what she was going to do.
She ultimately sighed. "Here," she said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an extra leather glove. "Wear it. It may not look like it, but it's well-cushioned for injured hands and comes with it's own wiring to help stabilize injured fingers and dull the pain." Raiden gently tugged it onto Midoriya's hand, who winced from the jostling of his finger.
"Wait, but I couldn't-"
"Just take it," Raiden said. "You can give it back once your finger's treated. Things like these don't come cheap." She stepped back and made her way back to Denki. Midoriya stared after her and looked back down at his gloved hand.
"But why would she have these in the first place?" he muttered to himself. "And doesn't she wear these gloves too?"
Raiden came up to Denki, who gazed at Midoriya before turning away. "That was nice of you," he said.
She shrugged, reaching up to poke Denki's cheek. "Help people, right?"
Denki smiled.
So she managed eighth.
Denki fell in seventeenth.
And turns out Aizawa had lied about the whole expulsion thing.
Which was lucky for Midoriya, who fell in last place.
Aizawa ignored how shocked and devastated everyone was at his lie and walked off. "There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom. When you get back, look over them." He stopped near Midoriya and gave him a piece of paper. Most likely a note for getting his hand fixed up.
The day quickly passed by, and Raiden waited patiently at the gate of U.A. for Denki, who was talking with some of their classmates. Someone with bright red hair that stood up like horns, and someone with plain black hair, a wide smile, and elbows shaped like tape dispensers.
Who were they again?
"Sorry," Denki said when he finally came up to her. Raiden only shrugged.
"Aren't we going back home?" Denki asked when Raiden wasn't moving. She shook her head. "Waiting," she said.
Denki rememembered the glove that she had given Midoriya. "Oh right! The glove! You're waiting for Midoriya, aren't you?" Raiden nodded.
After a few minutes, the familiar green-haired boy walked out of the building. His injured finger was freshly bandaged. He noticed Raiden and Denki and quickly came up to them.
"Kaminari-san!"
Raiden and Denki looked at each other. "He's probably talking to me," Raiden said. Denki shrugged.
Midoriya came up to Raiden and held out the black glove. "Thank you for lending me this. It really did dull the pain." Raiden took the glove back and pocketed it with a nod. "No problem."
Midoriya looked like he wanted to say something, but Denki shook his head slightly. Midoriya got the message.
Raiden crossed her arms. "You can't control your Quirk, can you?"
Midoriya stiffened. "Um, uh-"
"It's okay," Raiden said before Midoriya could stutter even more. "I know how you feel." Denki scooted a bit closer to Raiden, very slight concern and worry beginning to seep into his features.
"How about this," Raiden said. She nodded at his bandaged finger. "Instead of channeling the full power and energy of your Quirk into only parts of your body, you should take a small portion of it and keep it channeled constantly throughout your body. And as time passes, increase the percentage your body can handle. That way, someday, you can use your Quirk without any major damage."
Midoriya's eyes widened. He suddenly clapped his hand to his head. "Why didn't I think of that! Ah!" He suddenly made a low bow. "Thank you very much, Kaminari-san!"
"It's no problem," Raiden said.
Denki suddenly tapped Raiden's shoulder. He was holding his phone in his hand. "Raichan. Let's go. Mom says that she's prepared homemade hamburgers for us."
Raiden slightly raised an eyebrow. "Ah, okay." She began to walk off and gave a small wave to Midoriya. "See you tomorrow, Midoriya-san!"
"See ya, Midoriya!" Denki called out.
Midoriya watched as the two walked off. He tilted his head curiously.
"They look nothing alike."
That night, Raiden was lying on her bed, deep in thought.
Tomorrow is when classes really start. We'll have Foundational Hero Studies. And that means we'll have All Might as a teacher, she thought.
Raiden remembered how excited Denki was when they heard that All Might was going to teach at U.A. Denki, like nearly everyone in this and all generations, idolized All Might.
Raiden had her own mild respect for the Number One hero. Not only for his legacy of maintaining peace in the world, but for a whole different reason.
Closing her eyes, Raiden could clearly remember that day when heroes changed her life forever. The incredible showdown before villains and heroes.
Raiden could remember it as if it had been yesterday because she had been there.
She was there to watch countless heroes risk their lives to keep the people and populace safe.
She was there to watch people scream and cower in fear as chaos reigned around them.
She was there to watch All Might face off against what might've been the deadliest villains of all time.
Raiden took a deep breath, clearing her head of the memories. She couldn't think about that right now. She lifted her head above her face, staring at the All Might figurine she held in her gloved hand. Raiden stared at it for some time before setting it down on her desk.
She was looking forward to the next day.
A/N: And another chapter is done! Raiden helps coach Midoriya on his Quirk just a bit. Plus, there's the tiniest, tiniest look into Raiden's past. More will be revealed later!
Reviews help me stay motivated! :)