"Who here can tell me the answer to question five?" the teacher asked as he pointed to the board.

Several hands shot up to be picked. The teacher scanned the sea of children and rested his eyes on a kid in the back corner staring out a window. "Listros," he started, "why don't you come up here and write the answer," he said holding out the marker for me.

I lazily turned back towards him and walked up to the front of the class. Swiftly, I wrote the answer without even looking at the question and returned to my seat. After a moment I spoke up, "It's 52." He looked at me not even looking the slightest bit surprised, "That's correct Listros, now the way he solved it was by…"

Not sure why he even tries anymore, I've been able to do that more than enough times this year to warrant a rest. It's easier to just go ahead and answer the questions in advance instead of going along with the same routine. Katsumi turned over to me from the next row in front of me and mouthed 'showoff.' I gave her a small smile and a shrug in return. It gets tiring doing the same song and dance time and time again.

Just a couple months ago I turned 12 years old, making me a sixth year, the last year of primary before middle school. The years had passed by pretty uneventfully besides the usual pattern of wake up, go to school, come home, train, and sleep. Izuku, Katsumi, and I still hung out together from time to time, but our little friend group hadn't really expanded much.

Ever since our talk all that time ago about not letting quirks define ourselves, Katsumi began to notice how all people ever really talked about around her was her quirk and how it would make her a great hero. One day she just up and announced that she was tired of them, in her words, 'shoving their faces in her ass,' so if anyone comes to pester her she'd give them an explosion to the face. Initially some boys didn't take it seriously and came up to her during lunch while we were eating at our own table.

Let's just say they got off with more than just a couple bruises and burns.

Izuku on the other hand had gone through a change of sorts. He still stuttered from time to time and came off a little clumsy, but his mental was much stronger than it had been before. Any and all putdowns that were hurled at him passed through as if the words didn't even exist. In the beginning, he still made small flinches when he heard the whispers directed toward him and looked a little dejected at certain comments. However, Izuku's built up a thick skin to this sort of thing. Like a river, any and all negativity from others passed right through him.

As for me, well, I'm the same as I've always been. I haven't just been sitting on my ass though!

My stamina and handling regarding the first level of boost has reached the point where I can hold it for hours on end. I can still remember the day where I finally reached my goal of holding it for an entire day. The entire neighborhood probably could've heard my cries of victory that evening.

Now, you may be wondering, why didn't I move onto the second boost if I could hold the first for at least a couple hours. Well that's pretty simple actually. After around a couple years the first boost became manageable for up to a couple hours with little strain. So, me thinking I was fine at that point moved to the next boost to test my time limit. Turns out that even if I could hold boost number one for hours, boost number two was only viable for ten minutes. Now that isn't bad per se, but you would've expected a longer time right?

So why? Why was this the case?

For years I had done stamina training appropriate for my age and had practiced with my quirk, so why was my progress so slow? The original boosting power mainly depends on physiology, but another facet that isn't talked about is acclimation. Even though quirks, as well as sacred gears, are intrinsically connected to the user, they're entirely new in a sense. Whenever something foreign is introduced in almost any situation, it takes time getting used to whatever variable is put in place.

With this, I came to another theory. Maybe the boosting ability doesn't fully rely on one's natural reserve of stamina, maybe it has more to do with the user's assimilation. One of the strongest users of the boosted gear was human. Granted, some humans in dxd are stronger than average but the point still stands. It may not fully be a stamina issue, rather more of an adaptation issue.

And boy was I happy when I was right.

Just a week after I met my goal of using the first boost for a whole day, I attempted the second boost once more and you wouldn't believe my shock when that lasted for five hours with not even a trace of tiredness. Even then, I can't explain how, but I think I could last for at least a little while with the third boost, but that'll come later. Another thing I found out was that I don't really have a cooldown period between boosts.

After I knew the second boost wouldn't drain me way too badly, I tried boosting consecutively to test for any waiting time. Turns out, I technically can do it, it's just not that good of an idea. Why? Because when I tried I nearly fell to the ground in exhaustion. What I'm thinking is that instead of a strict 'no boosting' period, I have something like an adjustment period so that I'm not overloaded. So, no more of that if I can help it.

The bell rang sharply, signaling the end of the school day. "Have a good weekend everyone and remember to study for finals next week!," the teacher called out. I packed my belongings and made my way to the door, falling in step with Katsumi and Izuku.

"So what're your guys' plans for the weekend? We got four days off until tests come up so I was wondering if you guys wanted to hang out," I asked the two of them.

"Sorry Ran-kun," Izuku looked apologetic, "Mom and I are going camping for the weekend and we won't be back until finals."

"Yeah, same here. Hag's having us go outta town to see her folks so I'll be gone too," Katsumi added.

I gave a sigh, "Well, it not as if I wasn't expecting something like this. You guys enjoy your trips kay?"

"Don't miss us too much, it's only gonna be four days," Katsumi said.

"Looks like I'll be visiting my old friend training again," I responded wryly.

Izuku looked exasperated, "It's ok to take more than one day off in a week Ran-kun. You're gonna burn out if you overdo it."

"It'll be alright, don't worry. Finals are coming up anyway so I won't go too hard at it," I placated him.

"You better," Katsumi shot me a look, "training is all you do and I don't wanna have to pick you up when you exhaust yourself again."

"I promise. Geez, you guys worry too much," I said.

The three of us got picked up soon after and I'd spent the day relaxing, keeping true to my friends' wishes. The next day had rolled around and I had asked my parents to go out for some time instead of staying holed up in the house. Mom had also let me know that she was going with Dad to another city for a joint operation.

Yep, you heard that right. Mom and Dad felt it was ok for me to be on my own for a day because I'm of age to be at least partially independent. Definitely didn't have anything to do with the fact Mom was getting itchy for action after all these years. Nope, not in the slightest.

'Now, what to do,' I thought as I walked through the streets. There wasn't all that much hustle and bustle since it was the weekend. Kids were running playfully in a park nearby, couples out and about on strolls, the usual activities one may take part in during a time of relaxation. 'You know what, this isn't all that bad,' I thought while taking a look around, 'It's important to take a break every once in a while, or you could get burnt out like Zuku said.' Things were looking up to be a peaceful day.

Well, that is until a building exploded.

A titanic boom rang out, large plumes of smoke quickly spreading into the air. People were running around screaming. Debris shot everywhere, zipping by like bullets. Without even thinking I layered myself in a coat of mana and gave myself a quick boost. Still, the blast, which was like half a block away, knocked me off my feet harshly onto the pavement. I sat up squinting through the smoke and tried to get a look of who could've caused this.

From the smoke emerged a pair of figures. They both seemed to be wearing black combat gear and domino masks. 'No guns though,' I absently noted. One of them looked to be a guy and was a hulking mass of muscle standing at around 244 cm. He was also carrying a couple briefcases. The other, sporting a more feminine figure, from the looks of it was standing at a more average height, maybe 165 cm. 'Wait,' I narrowed my eyes, 'they're talking.' The ringing from the explosion was dull since I had powered up so I couldn't quite hear them from this distance, but I could still see the slight movements of their mouths.

The two of them seemed to have a small back and forth before deciding on something. They then started in my direction, still unaware of me apparently.

'Shit, shit, shit!' I quickly dove behind some fallen over boxes. My breaths were quick and haggard. 'What do I do?! If I stay here they're probably gonna spot me! The boxes are only covering my front and if they turn even a little I'll be found. I could try to run, but I don't know what they're quirks are. For all I know, they could gun me down or catch up to me in a second.' I trembled slightly.

I peeked over from the boxes to try to get a look and quickly ducked back down. Crap, they were only a few meters away now. I began gathering some more mana in case I needed to run or defend myself.

Just as they were about to be on top of me, I heard a gruff shout from down the street, "Hey! Stop right there villains!"

Huh, my hearing's back to normal.

I looked out from behind my cover again to find a standoff taking place. Death Arms and Backdraft had arrived at the scene. 'With no backup either,' I concluded. There didn't wasn't another pro or sidekick in sight which caused me to worry. Death Arms could take care of himself in a fight, but Backdraft primarily worked with rescue, not combat. I could try to call Mom and Dad but they'd never make it in time.

"And if we don't?" the female villain asked rhetorically.

"Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, choose your next words carefully," Backdraft responded.

Without turning to her partner the woman said, "B, you know what to do."

The now identified B nodded mutely and attached the briefcases in his hands to his back with a couple clicks. He then rushed towards the hero duo. Death Arms ran forward to meet his charge, "Backdraft! Stay back and provide support! I'll take care of the big guy!"

"Roger!" Backdraft took a few quick steps back and took aim in preparation.

Death Arms and B met and locked palms in a contest of strength. Neither side seemed to be budging at all. Backdraft seemed to be looking for a shot to give Death Arms an opening until a blast of liquid skimmed his left side. He swerved his head to look over at the villainess who was holding out her left hand.

"Don't tell me you forgot about me," she said mockingly before running at him. Backdraft sent a stream of high pressure water at her. She deftly sidestepped it and raised her right hand. With a simple flick, sparks went flying and Backdraft's side burst into flames. He quickly jumped back and shed his coat.

"Backdraft!" Death Arms risked a look back and he paid for it. B was able to overpower him in the moment his attention strayed. B moved in and picked up Death Arms and slammed him on the ground. Death Arms didn't have any time to react and received a devastating stomp to the ribs. His eyes bugged and coughed out a large amount of saliva.

For the first time since the fight started B spoke, "Never take your eyes off your opponent." He then dropped onto Death Arms' stomach and began alternating punches at him. Death Arms could only sit and block the strikes until an opportunity presented itself.

Meanwhile, Backdraft was dodging more globs from the female villain as she kept lighting them with flicks of sparks. "What's wrong hero? Why don't you use your quirk and put out these fires, it's what you do isn't it?" she taunted.

Backdraft rolled away from another fire she created, "You and I both know I can't do that. You're spraying some sort of gasoline or oil, both of which are hydrophobic. It would seem that I'm out of my element here. Although, you're pretty slow so you'll never be able to hit me."

"Don't need to. Look around," she said with a smirk. Just then, Backdraft realized he'd played right into her trap. Surrounding him was a ring of fire that wouldn't let him escape. If he still had his jacket he might've been able to run out but that option's out the window now.

He looked back at the villainess who cocked both hands at him, "Say goodbye, hero." As she was about to set him on fire, an azure ball of energy rocked her into a post where she hit her head and slumped down. Another blasted B off of Death Arms into a nearby wall. Backdraft and Death Arms looked to me in shock.

Wait, what. They're looking at me? But I'm hiding behind…the…boxes…

All of a sudden, I noticed that I was standing in the middle of the street with both arms out glowing blue. What the hell?! I didn't even notice that! How did I not notice that?! It's my own body dammit! This kind of stuff only happens in fiction!

Not seeming to notice my panic, Backdraft yelled, "Get out of here kid"

"This place isn't safe, run!" Death Arms added.

I was gonna comply with their order until I saw B slowly rising from behind Death Arms. "Look out!" I yelled. I tried shooting another enhanced bullet of mana, but it fizzled out like all my other attempts. Why isn't this working?! I literally just did it now! Death Arms couldn't react in time and got picked up and thrown at me. I moved out of the way and Death Arms crashed into the street next to me knocked out.

Damn he looks bad. There were bruises all over his arms, his torso wasn't looking much better, and his back is probably messed up from that slam earlier. "Backdraft!" I called out, "Death Arms is knocked out and I don't know how to treat him. Can you call for anyone?"

Backdraft ran over to me and replied, "Yeah I can do that, but you really need to get out of here! We appreciate your help, but this is no place for a child."

"Trust me, I'll try not to do anything dangerous, just distract him until help arrives. Besides, what choice do we have? I can't just leave you and Death Arms to this guy. That's not what a hero would do. I'll keep us safe, that's a promise," I said to him with determination.

"But that's just it! You're not a hero! You don't have to do this!"

"I don't, but that won't stop me from trying! You're in no shape either, so let me help you!

He looked like he wanted to argue before relenting, "Fine, but if you even think for a second you can't handle it, you turn around and run, got it?"

"Can't promise that one, but I'll try to stay cautious," I smiled wryly at him. I walked out to meet B who was peculiarly waiting the whole time. Damn, he's even bigger up close. I stopped and looked at him, "Why didn't you run away with your partner or attack us?"

"Unlike her, I don't taunt those lower than me. If I start something, then I'll be sure to finish it. Never really liked her anyway, too bossy," He paused for a moment, "I don't want to fight a child either, I can't guarantee your wellbeing once I start."

"Not like I have a choice here, aspiring hero and all that," I said drolly. I shot my hands up and rapidly fired mana bullets at him. He moved his arms into a crossblock. The small bullets seemed to push him back slightly and bruised his arms somewhat, but nothing more than that. Then he started to push towards me, slowly gaining ground. Once he got within arms length of me he took a swipe. I cut off the blasts and rolled out of the way, just barely dodging his large hands.

A bead of sweat rolled down my face, 'That was way too close. Gonna need more power.' I boosted again, now at 4x power, and concentrated more mana to the cloak. B's face twisted in surprise, not expecting my sudden boost in speed as I dashed towards him like a little blue ball of light. I crossed the gap in a second and jumped to throw a punch at his throat. My fist rocketed into his adam's apple and caused him to get stunned, coughing and choking harshly.

'Gotta keep up the pressure.' The second I landed I shrouded my arms in mana, making a pair of ethereal gauntlets. In quick succession I threw a left uppercut into his ribs and a right liver punch. He gasped in pain, yet still managed to try and make a sweeping hook in an attempt to catch me. I ducked it with ease due to my new level of speed and launched an oblique kick at his right leg. He buckled and involuntarily took a knee. I quickly ran and used his leg as a springboard. I threw a hard uppercut and shot a mana stream out my elbow to propel the punch even further. B's neck snapped up so hard he might've gotten whiplash. Still in the air, I shoved my hands directly towards his face and funneled a massive amount of mana into a point blank blast.

A large boom erupted into his face with the resulting force propelling me down the street away from B. I groaned as I got up, my hands were hot red and feeling like they were on fire. 'That's the first time mana usage actually hurt,' I thought, holding back a wince, 'Makes sense I guess, never used this much power before.'

I looked back towards B to find him also blown back down the street laying unmoving. 'At least he's down now,' I thought. A twitch. Dread started to fill me. Slowly but surely, B got back up with his domino mask removed, now displaying spiky jet black hair and a rugged face. Although, his visage was ruined by the numerous bruises, torn skin, and crooked nose. He brought a hand up and set his nose back with a loud crack, gushing with blood soon after.

"Me and my big mouth," I sighed.

I got ready to go again when abruptly he blurred and appeared in front of me already launching a haymaker. Hastily, I formed a barrier and threw my arms into a messy block. It was all for naught as his arm shattered my shield like glass and smashed me into the ground. The world went black for a moment. All my power left me. Next thing I knew was pain, pure unadulterated pain. A soundless scream tore out of my throat. Coating my arms, torso, and head was a mess of blood. If my arms hurt before, they were absolutely destroyed now. It felt like a bunch of spiky rocks were shoved inside my arms. My head wasn't much better, a constant pounding hammering my skull. Thankfully or not though, I could feel the pain. At least that means my spine isn't shattered. At least it means I'm alive.

B stood over me in what looked to be pity and slight remorse, "I didn't want to have to do this, but you proved to be too dangerous," he paused as he looked down on my broken body, "if you're wondering at all, my quirk is called [Impact Absorber]. I can absorb the kinetic energy that hits me and use it to empower myself. I'd prefer not to have it in full use though because that requires me to be priorly damaged." I stared up at him in pain, trying to push through the pain to move unsuccessfully.

"I won't kill you," he said after another few seconds of silence, "you are strong, let it be known. However, today is not your day of victory. Remember this, the heroes don't always win." B turned away to leave.

No! If he goes, then he might find Backdraft and Death Arms. Gotta distract him!

"..." I tried to speak. What came out was an unintelligible groan. B, however, seemed to sense my intent and came back to lean in towards me, "You have something to say?"

"...on't ha…win…ou jus… lose, " I mumbled out. He waited patiently for me, probably thinking me a non-threat at this point.

Big mistake.

I finally mustered enough strength to speak and looked at him dead in the eyes, "I don't…have to win…you just…have…to lose…"

"And how do you suppose that?" he asked inquisitively.

I only need a few seconds for this to work. Concentrate. Ignore the pain. What matters is focusing everything now. I closed my eyes and reached out to my quirk. Pulling on that familiar feeling, I instantly boosted four times. My mana skyrocketed like never before and without thinking about control for once, I poured every last drop of it into a singular beam that burst forth and rammed into B. A positively gargantuan pillar of energy shot into the sky, carrying B with it. Not a second later it cut off, all my power leaving me once more.

"Like…that," I said through strained breaths.

Rougly a minute later, B came rocketing into the earth with an echoing boom accompanying him on impact. I waited a minute to see if he would get up. He didn't.

That's good, that's good. I got nothing left. Rest sounds nice. I just need to take a short nap and meet up with Backdraft. Yeah…Imma just…close my eyes now.

Beep…beep…beep…beep…

Slowly I opened my eyes, squinting, adjusting to the light. Damn it's bright.

Beep…beep…beep…beep…

The familiar smell of antiseptic hit me. Must be in a hospital then.

Beep…beep…beep…beep…

My whole body seemed to be covered head to toe in bandages. I feel like a damn mummy in this stuff. And itchy. Itchy too.

Beep…beep…beep…beep…

…Ok someone needs to turn that thing off because it's actually starting to piss me off.

The door abruptly opened and in came a nurse with a clipboard. She looked up and stared at me in surprise, "You're awake!"

"Yeah…I'm awake," I started slowly. What's up with that reaction?

She appeared to sense my confusion and snapped out of her shock, "I apologize, you must be confused. You see, you've been in a coma for four days now."

Oh.

Nevermind, she can react like that. I'd probably react the same way. Damn, really? Four days?

I just sat there in a similar state of shock trying to process the gravity of what happened. Absently, I noted that she said she's calling the doctor to come check up on me and contacting my family about my state of being. I turned to my bedside table. There it was, filled with flowers and cards. Sticking out from the pile was a pair of distinctly green and orange cards.

Oh shit.

Zuku and Sumi came by. Dammit, I promised not to make them worry. I'm so gonna get chewed out for this by everyone aren't I?

The doctor interrupted my thoughts and came in with the nurse from earlier. He ran a quick check on my vitals and diagnostics. Surprisingly, he was able to heal me almost completely with his quirk which he told me was called [Mending Touch]. Apparently he had to meticulously repair me bit by bit since his quirk only works in a 5 cm. radius from where he touches. Also the fact that Backdraft was able to get me an ambulance almost immediately after my fight was done helped since my wounds were fresh. Though, there were residual scars on my arms and chest that couldn't heal.

Moments after he finished his tests on me the door burst open with multiple people flooding into the room. The doctor stepped back along with the nurse as a wave of people fell to my bedside. From both sides I was being hugged, crying resounding throughout the room.

"My baby!" Mom was clutching me tightly yet tenderly at the same time while sobbing into my head.

Mom was doing almost the exact same thing as Mom, watery murmurs pouring in my ear, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…" repeated like a mantra from him.

More near the foot of the bed were the Bakugos and the Midoriyas, all teary eyed at the sight of me. I tiredly looked at them. "Hey you guys," I said feeling worn out. They all began crying harder, "Sorry for making you all worry."

Mom and Dad pulled back to look at me. "Why did you fight the villain? Why didn't you call us? Why didn't you run!? Why…" Dad trailed off tearily. Mom didn't say anything but I could tell by her expression she was questioning the same thing.

"Well there's an answer for all of those believe it or not, " I took a moment to collect my thoughts, "I considered calling you guys at first, but keeping in mind your active operation and distance, I decided against it. Additionally, I think more backup was on the way, it just so happened that only Death Arms and Backdraft were the only ones immediately available. More heroes definitely would've been on the way to an explosion that big. As for me not running, well my position wasn't really the greatest since I was so close to the fight and me getting captured was a possibility so I couldn't risk it."

"And fighting the villain?" Mom finally spoke up, looking at me intently.

"Death Arms and Backdraft were in trouble," I said immediately, "I couldn't just stand by and do nothing when I have the power to step in and help."

"But you could've! You didn't have to risk yourself so needlessly!" Mom retorted.

Dad added on, "You should've just left it to the pros! There was no need for you to interfere! You're just a child!"

"You're right!" I yelled back, stunning them into silence. I took a breath to calm myself down, "You're right. I am just a child, I didn't have to do anything. But you weren't there, you didn't see what I saw. Death Arms was being beaten into the ground and Backdraft was just seconds away from being set on fire. I saw people in trouble, so I had to act. Hero or not, there were people in need and I could do something about it."

They were all in silence at my speech. "Besides," I gave a small smile, "I already told you, didn't I? I want to make others feel safe. I want to make them feel protected whenever they see me. That is my vow as a hero. That's a promise, and I never break my promises."

Mom and Dad leveled me with mixed gazes. They were filled with so many emotions, but one stood out amongst all the rest.

Pride.

"You're making us so stressed and you're not even in middle school yet." Mom lightly joked. She looked at me in my eyes, "Oh, you're gonna go so far Randell-kun, so far."

"I believe we should let the others get a chance to talk to Randell-kun honey, especially those two." Dad said while looking over at Izuku and Katsumi. Dad gently pulled away with Mom and made space for the others to come in. Izuku and Katsumi rushed to my sides while Inko, Mitsuki, and Masaru stayed at the foot with Mom and Dad to let us have our moment.

Izuku and surprisingly Katsumi crashed into me with fierce hugs. I let out an 'oof' at the sudden impact and after a second sat up to wrap my arms around the two of them a little startled. "We saw the news," Izuku said teary eyed. "Aunty Miyu called us and we were so scared! You wouldn't wake up and the doctor said you were really injured."

"Yeah, sorry," I said lamely. "I'm ok now though! The doctor was able to heal me pretty good so don't look so down," I smiled at him

"Ok…" Izuku got back up and smiled a little shakily but looked a lot better now that I reassured him.

I looked down at Katsumi who still hasn't said a thing or let go of me yet. Shaking her shoulder lightly I asked, "Hey Sumi? Are you ok?"

She didn't respond so I went to shake her again when she finally looked up at me with slightly red eyes. "...You're an idiot," Katsumi said after a moment.

"I…wasn't really expecting that," I said, taken aback. No really. I for sure thought she'd be yelling or something, just not…this.

"You made me worry so much," she said, not caring that she was talking in front of everyone else. "You promised that you wouldn't worry us."

"Well, actually I said that I would take a break aaaand I'm shutting up now," I said as she shot me an intense glare.

Katsumi stared at me for a few more seconds before letting go and sighed, "I know you can't promise to stay safe, but can you at least promise to always come back, please?"

The vulnerability in her voice was palpable and I know how much this meant to her since she was saying please of all things. I spoke up as firmly as possible, "Of course. I promise that I'll always come back Katsumi, no matter what."

"Thank you," she said quietly so only I could hear. She gazed at me for a bit before hardening her eyes to turn and look at everyone, "If any of you speak of this again, you're dead. Got it!"

The mood switch was so sudden I couldn't help but let out a laugh. Yeah, to keep people safe and protected is my goal as a hero, but this? This is my goal as Randell Listros, to always make sure my family and friends are happy no matter what.

AN: I'm alive! Real sorry for the wait guys! Things got kinda busy with school and family so I couldn't find the time to finish the chapter. I'm back now though, so expect more consistent uploads. Hopefully this will just be a one time thing. Anyway, first fight scene! Tell me what you guys think about it 'cause let me tell ya, I had to edit this thing a crap ton of times. The hospital scene for that matter as well. I kinda suck with emotional stuff so it feels really shitty to me right now. I'll try to do better in the future with scenes like this. Remember to rate and review, I'm open to criticism! Til next time!

I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THIS STORY AND MY OCS