I remember in high school when everyone got the breaking news story on the feeds of their phones. A villain taller than a building, seemingly made out of rock, casually tossing aside Mount Lady. My classmates and I were silent as we watched helicopter footage of the monster running headlong towards what looked like a city, only to be halted by pink lightning. Inexplicably, the giant that towered over even Mount Lady floated up into the air before seemingly being flung away from the city and into the wilderness.
I think that was probably the first time that people really took notice of the U.A. Student named Uraraka Ochako. The girl that would one day be known nationwide as Uravity, All Might's successor.
I had heard of her before, I watched her compete during the televised Sports Festival of U.A. High School. She got to the semis of the final tournament before getting knocked out by Endeavor's son, who eventually won the championship of the First Years. I thought she did pretty well, though her anti-gravity quirk had a pretty hard time dealing with all that ice.
After that, she kind of faded from public view. There were a few short videos and blog posts about her internship with Mirko, but nothing really noteworthy.
All that changed when she saved an entire city from the League of Villains' trump card. She immediately became the hottest topic in social media, trending on pretty much everything. The narrative being pushed by certain people was that the ones who made the most difference in that fateful day were all Heroines. Aside from Uravity herself, there was Midnight, Creati, Mount Lady, etc.
The online backlash pretty much wrote itself.
It was weird to look at from the outside. Mom had a few choice words about some of the things said during those subsequent weeks.
Ultimately, it all focused back to one person.
All the great things she did, the lives she saved, the crises she helped resolve. All of it held this weird tinge of skepticism from the greater Japanese public. Like no one believed that someone like her did those things instead of another hero. The people of Europe loved her more than those in Japan because of her key contribution in stopping the terrorist organization Humarise.
Part of it, I suppose, was due to her image. Her boots, arm protectors, and her visor gave off an impression that she wasn't very tough at all. That usually only lasted until the first crackles of pink lightning before you saw half a condemned building flying through the sky that had screaming villains trapped inside.
With Uravity, anything can be used as a flotation device.
When All Might had his climactic showdown on national television against a villain who we would eventually learn to be his arch nemesis, no one really knew who he was referring to when he said that it was "your turn". It would take a few more years for the answer to materialize.
Her feats continued throughout our high school years, she even won the Sports Festival in her third attempt. She was admired and worshiped by girls. She was desired and lusted after by boys. The public finally warmed up to her by the time she graduated and joined Mirko's agency full-time.
The clashes of heroes against the League of Villains throughout Japan continued. Their new leader constantly referring to Uravity as All Might's successor when they fought opened up a brand new can of worms in both the hero community and the public at large. All her successes were scrutinized with a microscope, all of her failures were blown up disproportionately compared to what actually happened. All the support from her boss Mirko, other Pro Heroes she had worked with, and her former schoolmates didn't matter.
She was All Might's successor. She needed to be held to a higher standard.
Was it really any wonder the state I found her in as I was walking back home from University?
It was around nine in the evening. The public park I was walking through didn't really have any foot traffic by that time, making it pretty relaxing to pass through at the end of the day. I guess that the lack of people was the reason why she chose that place.
She was sitting on a park bench, a street lamp across it barely illuminating her. Hunched over, elbows on her knees, hands clasped together. She was still in full costume but I wasn't sure if she was still on the clock. Her iconic visor was discarded on the footpath in front of her, making her hair obscure her face from view.
Was she hurt?
With some concern, I approached her. I made sure to be as visible and heard as I could. Last thing I wanted was to be flung to the next postal code because Uravity thought that I was a villain sneaking up on her.
"Ummm…" I started, completely unsure how to talk to a Pro Hero. "Are you okay, Miss Uravity?"
I heard her take a breath before she craned her head to look up at me. I stifled a gasp when I took a look at her eyes.
Tired.
That one word echoed in my mind as I continued to stare at arguably Japan's most well-known new heroine.
"Hello," She rasped out. Was she dehydrated? Did she have anything to drink at all? "Can I help you? Are you in trouble?"
Me? She was concerned about me? I wasn't the one who looked like they were about to collapse on the ground.
I don't know why I did what I did next, but I knew that it was the right thing to do at that moment.
Uravity's brows furrowed as I sat down next to her on the bench. I unzipped my bag and took out my thermos. Those same brows shot up when I opened it and poured what remained of my tea into the cap-slash-cup.
"I'm fine, but you look like you could use something to drink, Miss Uravity." I offered with what I hoped to be a friendly smile. She looked between my face and the cup of tea with pursed lips. After a few long seconds, she took the cup in her hands and nodded at me.
"Thank you, umm…" She trailed off.
"Midoriya. Midoriya Izuku." I freely supplied. She nodded once and looked back down at the drink.
"If this is a villain trap, I'll never hear the end of it from Mirko." She muttered before drinking.
That was the first time I met Uravity in the park. I thought it would be the last.
I was wrong.