'What does it take to be a hero?'
Does your quirk determine how special you are? I'd asked that question to myself after a, let's say unpleasant incident at pre-k. About three and a half hours ago, I got dressed in my pre-k uniform. I patted it for good measure, but something sudden happened. My hands created tiny sparks against the uniform's fabric. Orange sparkles danced above my chest as I backed away.
"What was that?"
Mom said four-year-olds gain their quirks, but she didn't say when. Since they established quirks across the world, people thought of how they use their abilities. It's the reason heroes and villains became the biggest cause of crime and protection. Me and my best friends dreamed of becoming heroes, saving lives and being recognized for our bravery.
After the sparkles moment, I tried to forget it, but when I marched out my bedroom, Mom and Dad had wide eyes on Asano. She blew flames out of her mouth, which took me by surprise. "Oh, Katsuki. Asano's quirk just came. She can breathe fire, ain't that amazing?" Sure, it was amazing, but Asano—my obnoxious twin sister—made 'great' use of her quirk. Mom asked if my quirk activated and I lied.
If Mom and Dad saw my hands flashing sparkles, their reactions wouldn't be as grand as Asano's.
Musutafu Pre-K Center (8:30am)
My class wasn't too small or big, just somewhere in between. The students had their quirks manifested, which made our schedule fun. Even though the teachers warned us not to use them, recess was where the excitement began. Close to 9am, I sat down, drawing those sparkles. I couldn't stop thinking about them. Why did Asano got an awesome quirk, while I got fireworks?
"Hey, Kacchan." Izuku walked up to me, his brimming smile distracted my train of thought. "Hi, Izuku. Uh, I have something to tell you. Promise me you won't share this with the others?" I can trust Izuku to keep this between us. I held out my hands, and those sparkles appeared, floating over my palms. The warmness grew hotter, but not enough to spread third-degree burns. I'd looked at Izuku and his eyes shimmered upon watching the sparkles in my hands. "Wow, that's amazing, Kacchan."
While I showed my sparkles to Izuku, a crowd surrounded Asano. She'd always been a showoff, even before her quirk manifested. That fire breathing ability made her ego larger and unbreakable. It annoyed me. She showed her skills in front of our classmates. They cheered, excited for Asano gaining a unique quirk. After the little show, Asano approached us with a smug grin. "Did your stupid quirk activate? You've been quiet since we got here, bro. Like I care. As long as my quirk is better than yours and Deku's."
"Hey, don't say that, Asano-chan!" Izuku marched to Asano, that gentle smile gone and replaced by a serious frown.
"Izuku, don't. She doesn't need to see it." I grabbed Izuku's shoulder with worry plastered on my face.
"Oh, and what are you going to do, Deku?" Asano smirked harder, leaned forward, and snickered.
Izuku, remembering how scary Asano was when enraged, took a few paces backwards, his hands up in defense. It was too late, as Asano grabbed Izuku's collar and pulled him close. "Asano, don't!" She stretched her jaw, an orange light ignited inside her throat. I can feel a burning heat without moving an inch. "What if scaring you to death will activate that lame quirk?" She huffed, her chest inflating a bit.
My hands curled into fists, arms shaking and legs remained still. I couldn't hold it in anymore. My palms turned warmer, moist from damp sweat. Just when Asano readied to blew flames at Izuku, I pounced. "Get away from him!" As if something snapped, I slapped Asano on her cheek and she skidded across the carpet rug. A blast of smoke and red-orange fire repelled me to a plastic table. Everyone heard the explosion and Asano cupping her bruised cheek. They went to her, but not me. I stood up, my hand throbbing from the burst. "Kacchan! Are you okay?!" Izuku ran to me and noticed the black marks on my palm. I guess those sparkles weren't fireworks. They were tiny explosions that came from my sweat. My hand sweat, that is.
"Asano, are you okay!?"
She sniffled a bit before pointing at me. "He did it! His quirk hurt me!"
Suspicious looks landed on me. The teachers guided me and Asano to the nurse's office, to get our wounds patched up. Thirty minutes later, Asano and I stood outside the office, waiting for our parents to arrive. She had a cloth wrapped around her cheek, probably to seal the medicine over the bruise. "I-I'm sorry, Asano. I didn't mean to—" Asano shot daggers at me. "That stupid quirk of yours almost killed me."
"But you were about to harm Izuku. I had no choice." I twiddled my fingers while staring at the tiled floor.
"That doesn't mean slapping and scratching my cute face." Asano crossed her arms and faced the other direction.
"I promise it'll never happen again."
Silence surrounded us for a few seconds until Asano said these shocking words. "Take my advice, bro, and quit that hero dream of yours. It's not worth it." My eyes widened and back froze still. Our parents arrived, both with shocked expressions. The principal of the pre-k center explained what happened between me and Asano. Mom and Dad were beyond shocked to hear of my quirk.
I was too afraid to tell them. Why didn't I speak up sooner?
Four Months Later
Musutafu Police Department (5am)
"Tanaka!? Can ya come here for a minute?" Officer Hiragi, the vice chief officer of the Musutafu Police Department and resident pain in my ass. I chugged a few sips of black coffee while walking towards Hiragi's desk. His toothy grin made me puke my breakfast sandwich, but I'd held my frustrations in. "What do you want, Hiragi?" He leaned into his armchair, hands behind his wavy brown hair.
"Chief wants you to parol Western District for me." He put his feet on the desk, not bothering if the boots had mud.
"Did he? Or are you making it up to torture me?" I raised my eyebrow, hand on my right side.
Hiragi, who gloated about his identification quirk, always teased me around work. Why? Because I'm quirkless. From placing loads of paper documents on my desk to faking tasks, Hiragi loved mocking quirkless officers. Especially me, since I enrolled in the force a couple months ago. "He could, but he's at a meeting. You know how busy he is." The chief, the proudest man in Musutafu, had a generous respect with his team.
When I passed the exam, he congratulated me on not using my quirk. Then, he looked into my resume, learned I was quirkless, but still congratulated me on completing the exam. Despite the chief being the only officer not to mock me, he believed Hiragi's words. All because he's the vice chief, meaning he'll get away with anything. "Now, get on with the parol, Tanaka." Rule one: don't argue with a fellow officer. If I argued with Hiragi, things could go south.
I sipped the last drops of coffee, picked up a cinnamon sugar donut, and headed to my desk. Just because his quirk identifies criminals, doesn't make him a hero. A hero puts his life on the line. My dad would know, because he served the department while I attended middle school. He sacrificed his legs to save a family from a burning apartment complex. After seeing the bravery, I wished to become a police officer like Dad, but to make a difference. I strolled outside and got into my car. With the key igniting the engines, I drove away and rode straight to the western district.
Pre-K Center (6:30am)
The incident made me doubt my quirk. I've heard people getting quirks, but how useful they were becoming the subjective topic to me. Laser eyes, razor-sharp teeth, and possession. Those quirks harm people than help them. What I did to Asano was wrong. I'd almost killed her. Since the incident, Dad bought gloves for my hands. "It'll conceal the sweat from your palms, Katsuki. Always wear them at school, okay?" Aw, Dad.
Class was normal, but had a few changes. Asano grew more egotistical after the incident. Whenever the class had a group activity, I'd always ended up with Izuku. "Deku and Explodie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" That was one of many insults Asano and her friends gave me. Explodie, like with Izuku's nickname, grew an attachment to Asano. To me, it reminded me of how bad my quirk was.
Before class began its lesson, I left the room to the boy's bathroom. "Kacchan! Wait up!" Izuku followed me, probably wanting to know why I walked out. He's my friend and the only one to stand by my side, but I can't. As I entered the bathroom, I removed the gloves. It seemed Dad picked the right pair, as the soft fabric absorbed my sweat. Although I should be careful not to place them near flames. The door opened and Izuku barged in. "Is it about Asano-chan? Don't listen to her, Kacchan. Your quirk is awesome."
"Ah, thanks, but it won't erase what I've done to Asano." I glanced at my palms, the sunlight glistening little drops of sweat.
"No, I'm serious. You're so lucky to have a quirk. I hope it's better than Asano-chan's!" He moved closer, those eyes glistening in excitement.
"Okay, Izuku, then tell me. What does it take to be a hero? Does your quirk determine how brave you are?" I'd tried blinking the tears away, but a couple streaked my cheeks.
Izuku hugged me, nuzzled his cheeks on my shoulder. "I don't know, Kacchan, but any quirk will make anyone a hero. Remember what All-Might said?" I wiped the tears before staring into Izuku's green eyes. All-Might was our biggest model. No one came close to him. Together, we said, "Any hero has bravery in their hearts. They just have to push past their insecurities and fight the hard battle."
Izuku was right; I shouldn't doubt my quirk over what I did to my sister. It was my mistake for hiding it from people. "Thank you. I needed that, Izuku." Afterward, the room rocked violently. "Wah, Kacchan! I-Is that an earthquake!?" We kept our balance, the shaking growing violent. Behind the door, I'd heard the teacher's voices. They were evacuating the students! I pushed the door, but it wouldn't bulge. "Hey, the door's locked! Hey! We're in the bathroom!"
A certain chuckle blared beyond the door, pausing my plead for help. "That's what you get for thinking your quirk is better than mine!" Asano! She locked us in! It's like she doesn't care if the ceiling collapsed on our heads. I tried pushing the door open, but my four-year-old strength wasn't enough. "W-What are we going to do!?" Izuku stood there, his knees buckling and eyes watering.
Ugh, what would All-Might do?
Then something clicked. My hands were bare. I rubbed them quick, heating the palms so they'll sweat. Once I felt my hands moistened, I reeled them back. "Plug your ears, Izuku!" He cupped his ears as I slammed the door. A loud explosion catapulted me to Izuku and knocked the door over. "It's open! Let's go!" We jogged out the bathroom and down the hallway. I knew where the nearest exit was. My chest pounded faster as I saw the exit door a few feet ahead.
"Just a little closer!" I sprinted faster than my legs can handle.
"Ugh!" I heard a thud.
I craned my neck to see Izuku laying on his stomach. He must've tripped. He wasn't the fastest running, but with the situation we were in, his anxiety slowed him down. "Izuku, I'm coming!" I ran for him, carried his arm around my shoulders and dragged us out. Once outside, the teachers noticed us limping towards the steep grass hills. One of them went after us, all while the ground continued shaking.
Fifteen Minutes Later
"Police department, there's been a category three around the western district. I need backup!" I picked up the speed and drove to where the earthquake was.
That wasn't no mere earthquake. It came from the villain named 'Quake.' Dumb name aside, his quirk allowed him to create tremors for extended periods. I parked miles away from the center. Upon exiting my car, I saw Quake going after the teachers and students. Not on my watch! I gathered my taser gun and dashed across the street, careful not to get run over by passing cars. "I should be thankful to Hiragi for giving me the parol!" Quake grabbed an ash blonde-haired boy by the collar, about to smash his head.
"Freeze!" I pointed the taser gun at Quake, who dropped the kid and smirked. "Or what? That taser gun ain't gonna do a thing to me!" Yeah, that's what he thinks. I fired a dual strand of metal conductors at Quake's chest. Within thirty seconds, his body jerked and electricity shocked his skin. Smoke engulfed him as he fell on his back. No Quake equals no earthquake. The teachers and students cheered, amazed to see a normal police officer take down a villain. I didn't expect my taser gun to work, but here we are.
The chief got my word and called the ambulance. Alongside the firefighters, who searched through the center for injured staff members, no one was hurt. Parents came to pick up their children, relieved to see them alive and well. "Officer Tanaka? A word?" The chief and Hiragi approached me. One look at Hiragi, who expressed shame and fear, confused me. "Yes, sir?"
"Hiragi's partner spilled what he'd been doing to you. To be honest, his identification quirk is only necessary for tracking quirkless villains, not ones with quirks. That ego-sized brain of his might have fooled him to believe he was special." The chief folded his arms behind his back, his light gray beard sticking upward.
"Oh, then why are you saying this, sir?" I raised an eyebrow, unsure what the chief will say.
"I'm saying this because I've thought long. Because of your bravery today, I'm promoting you to vice chief." His smile shined from the yellow sunlight above us.
"A promotion!? This feels sudden."
Oh no, the chief wasn't fooling me. He promoted me to vice chief after realizing what Hiragi's teasing had on me. Also, Hiragi had been mocking other quirkless officers before I enrolled. "Officer Hiragi? For making fun of Tanaka and our fellow officers, I'm transferring you to the lowest ranking department in Hasu City. I'm revoking your vice chief position, affected immediately."
Hiragi, who beamed with pride, dropped to his knees, crying out loud. Serves him right for believing quirks mattered. The chief pushed a now broken Hiragi away from the scene, as I noticed the blonde-haired kid with his parents. He showed fearlessness towards a villain like Quake. I walked to him and his parents, but stumbled into a serious conversation.
"You left Katsuki in the bathroom!? Dammit, Asano! When are you gonna learn!?" The mother slapped her daughter upside the head. Damn, too much force!
"Ugh, I'm sorry, Mom! There, happy now!?"
"Oh, hi, officer. Thanks for saving our boy." The father smiled at me.
"It's a pleasure, sir. You know, your son saved a classmate while escaping the center. He doesn't show an ounce of fear when Quake threatened his life. I think he has potential. To be a hero."
The boy's eyes widened when I said he'll be a hero someday. "Can I ask you a question, officer?" I kneeled to the boy's height, as he spoke into my ear. 'What does it take to be a hero?' was his question. I smiled as best as possible, stood up, and puffed my chest. "A hero puts their lives on the line, no matter how dire the situation is. That's what makes a hero." With that, I'd returned to the department, proud of how my day ended. I'm sure Dad's giving me his thumbs up. He'd be happy to see his daughter achieve grander goals.
Bakugo Residence (8pm)
"Aw, this sucks. All because Explodie got credit for saving Deku." Asano slumped in the time-out stool, facing the wall corner.
"Shut up! I'll give you dinner once our time out session is done." Mom chewed on her meat bun, the corner of her eye watching Asano.
"Katsuki, I'll buy another pair of gloves tomorrow. This time, they'll be leather, instead of wool." Dad drank his ice water.
"Thanks, Dad."
What happened today got me thinking. Officer Tanaka's statement about what makes a hero inspired me not to quit my dream. Asano might believe my quirk will harm people, but I saved Izuku with it. Hmph, I should've thanked her for locking us in, otherwise I would have concealed my quirk forever. Now, I believe I can practice my abilities to help people. Izuku, Mom, Dad, and Officer Tanaka were right. I am amazing. In fact, I bet I can achieve higher if I try.