My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 1: Takeo Raionhato
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I've taken a break from writing Fire Emblem and then found myself watching My Hero Academia. I've been binging the series for a while now and I've decided to make a Fanfiction about it. Big props to Engineer1869 and NightShock99 for helping me develop ideas, plots and characters for the Fanfic. I hope you all enjoy!
"Hrah!" a 15-year-old boy cried out as he swung his sword and round shield in the backyard of his home. After slashing with his sword, he then punched with his shield, using both weapons offensively. His weapons then disappeared like gusts of wind, replacing the shield in his left hand with a bow and his sword with an arrow.
He then shot the arrow into a target, hitting it near the bullseye. He then summoned another arrow after another, trying to see how fast he could fire his arrows. After firing all five, he walked over to the target and returned them to his inventory.
This boy was Takeo Raionhato, a student who sought to attend U.A. His appearance was dark brown hair with golden brown eyes and a broad build at 5'10, perfect for a warrior like him.
His Quirk was Inventory. In his words, it worked like an RPG Inventory. He could 'store' items away and summon them again for later, especially weapons and items of interest. While it definitely made for great support and combat purposes, it wasn't without its drawbacks.
The amount of items he could store up in his Inventory depended on their total weight. As of right now, he could store up to 40 lbs worth of items. If he exceeded that amount, his body would start to ache and hurt. The more weight he added after 40 lbs, the more hurt he'd cause to his body.
Considering the weapons, any damage they'd take during combat would have to be repaired manually. If Takeo's weapons broke or were damaged to the point of being unusable, he'd have to go and either replace them with different weapons or look for another weapon identical to the one he broke.
"Let's see…what weapons have I haven't used lately?" he wondered. He wasn't too worried about it since his Quirk made it necessary, yet easy to train with weapons. However, he knew that it'd be arrogant and stupid of him to neglect training all the weapons he stored away.
He stored his bow and arrows away so he could summon his metal bo-staff appearing in his hands like a gust of wind. Takeo twirled and swung his staff around, acting as though he was keeping enemies at bay.
"That's one of the beauties of my Quirk," Takeo remarked to himself. "I can be ready for close, medium or ranged combat."
"Provided you train with all of your weapons," a female voice called out from the house. Takeo looked over to see his mother, Nakano Raionhato, or also known by her hero name, Lioness. She was a woman with dirty blonde hair, amber eyes and stood near her son's height. However, while Takeo looked as normal as he can be, Nakano had lion-like ears, a tail, fangs and protractable claws on her hands.
Her Quirk was the same as her hero name, Lioness. Anything a lion can do, she can do as well. It gave her superhuman speed, strength, senses and other features that a full-grown lion could do. As a pro hero, Nakano ran her own agency and currently stood as the Number 25 Hero.
"Hey, Mom," Takeo greeted, storing his staff away. "Everything went well at work today? Any major villain attacks?"
"Other than a few small-time villains who tried robbing a grocery store, nothing really exciting," Nakano responded. "Come on in; I got dinner ready."
"Thanks, Mom," Takeo responded. As he walked inside, he noticed Nakano going through the mail and finding something that made her twist her features in disgust. She tore it up and threw it in the trash can.
"What was that?" Takeo asked.
"Some stupid TV Host wants me to be on an episode titled 'Is sexiness important to hero work?'," she responded with hints of cynicism in her tone as she brought out some gyakutsu, Takeo's favorite food. "As if I would waste my time on such a useless topic."
"Well, based on what I've seen online, you are becoming rather popular, Mom," Takeo brought up as he got some utensils and plates from the cabinets and drawer. Nakano shook her head.
"I don't do hero work for the sake of popularity, Takeo," she responded. "Too many heroes nowadays only do things for approval ratings and fame. I just hope the next generation can learn from their mistakes."
Having seen hero work a good number of times growing up, Takeo agreed that heroes shouldn't do hero work for the sake of popularity, fame and fortune. Being a hero meant two things to him: the first was serving as an ideal for others to follow and the second was to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
Many heroes did the second, but not all of them did the first. A good number of heroes only cared about having the limelight, the fame, the prestige that came with being heroes. Their only ideals were self-serving vanity and egotism, caring more about their public images rather than the people they protected.
"Takeo," Nakano told her son as he was about to eat. "Say grace, first." Takeo put the food down and held his hands together as did his mother. They said grace to God before eating the gyakutsu.
"So, how was your day at school?" Nakano asked Takeo.
"Went well," he responded. "Though I did hear about a student from another middle school being attacked by a villain."
"Attacked?" Nakano asked with some concern in her voice.
"Yes," Takeo replied. "It was some kind of sludge villain. Before All Might and the heroes arrived, another student actually ran towards the villain to try and save the kid."
"Well, that was certainly brave of him," Nakano acknowledged. "I just hope both of them are okay."
"Luckily, All Might saved both of them," Takeo brought up as he took a bite of the gyakutsu. "So I imagine they're both fine."
"I hope so," Nakano responded. "So, have you already applied for U.A.?"
Takeo had already done so earlier this week. The entrance exam was ten months away, which meant he had that long to train and hone his skills before then. He didn't know what the exam would be; all he knew was that it was comprised of a written test and a practical test. How he performed, especially in the practical test, would determine whether he enter the Hero Course or General Studies.
"Takeo," Nakano addressed. "I know the entrance exam is months away, but I feel we should talk about it now."
"Talk about what exactly?" Takeo wondered.
"If you're accepted into the Hero Course," she brought up. "Anyone who's been in the Hero Course will tell you that it wasn't easy; it was difficult. It's hard to get into it and even harder to stay in it."
"Stay in it? You did tell me that if U.A. Teachers from the Hero Course could demote students to General Studies if they wanted to." Nakano nodded her head.
"And students from General Studies can be moved to the Hero Course if they prove themselves, even if they fail the entrance exam. So if you end up in General Studies, don't get angry; you'll have a chance to get into the Hero Course."
Nakano made sure to do her best to prepare her son for the hardships at U.A. High School. As a pro hero who was a former student at the school, as well as Takeo's father, Takeshi Jonetsu, she understood how hard the Hero Course can be.
She told Takeo that when she enrolled in U.A., she failed the Entrance Exam and ended up in General Studies. Luckily, after competing in the Annual Sports Festival that year, she was able to move into the Hero Course. Only after moving into the Hero Course did she realize how truly grueling and demanding it could be.
Any of the students could've been expelled at any time and replaced with others from General Studies. If any student from the Hero Course was deemed unfit to be there, then they could be replaced as easy as opening a jar of honey.
"Remember, Takeo, you have to bring your absolute best," she told him. "I don't know how the Entrance Exam works now, but I do know that getting into the Hero Course is only half the battle."
Nakano knew she sounded like a broken record, but she couldn't stress enough the importance of doing his best to Takeo. If he was to remain in the Hero Course, he had to prove he deserved to be there out of hundreds of students who wanted the same position. And while she wouldn't say it, she did have some concern for Takeo.
The biggest drawback of his Quirk was that with the current total weight and items he had stored away, he wouldn't be able to carry many weapons that would give him heavy firepower. This would cause him to struggle against other Quirk users who really packed major power, like explosions, earth manipulation or super strength.
What did give him an advantage however is that because of the nature of his Quirk, he had developed his skillset very well, especially thanks to the tutelage of his late mentor, Forge. Ever since Takeo turned nine, Forge had taught him how to better his Quirk, how to arrange Inventory, and how to fight with multiple weapons.
Everything Takeo learned about his Quirk would be put to the test on the day of the Entrance Exam.
"I understand, Mom," Takeo replied. "I will get into the Hero Course."
The next day, Takeo walked to Middle School, which luckily wasn't too far from his home. Lioness had left at the same time he did to go to her agency, which was much further, though she'd get there quickly due to her superhuman speed.
"Takeo!" a voice called out, belonging to none other than Takeo's best friend from childhood, Satoshi Gijutsu.
He was a young man of Takeo's age of 15 with grayish blue hair, electric blue eyes and a a much thinner body build. The two of them had known each other ever since they were six years old, two years after the two of them discovered their Quirks. They couldn't have asked for better friends.
"Hey, Satoshi!" Takeo reciprocated with a smile as he fist bumped his best friend. "How've you been?"
"Doing good," Satoshi responded. "I've already applied to U.A. What about you?"
"Did so as well," Takeo confirmed. "Mom's basically been giving me the rundown of how the Hero Course works."
"Basically, survival of the fittest."
"Unfortunately, yes. But she did say why: we have to be giving our absolute best, we have to take our work and our future responsibilities seriously. If we don't, then why would we belong in the Hero Course? She would know, considering she was a graduate from U.A. High."
Takeo always considered that a blessing he had. He didn't always show it, but he knew his mom as a down-to-earth and intelligent woman. When it came to U.A. and hero work, she was a gold mine of knowledge. Not many other applicants for U.A. had something like that. A good number of them had parents who never went to U.A. or were even pro heroes themselves.
His friend, Satoshi, was one of those didn't have that advantage either. Though his parents were intelligent and skilled in science and technology, neither of them pro heroes nor did they attend U.A. High School. They didn't have any knowledge to pass onto Satoshi, so he'd often ask Takeo for information.
"How're the grapple gun and concussion gauntlet holding up?" Satoshi asked. Takeo held up his right hand and summoned the metallic concussion gauntlet in a gust of wind.
"It's pretty strong," he answered. "It definitely gives me an edge, which I'd need since I can't copy guns or explosives."
"Yeah, I honestly don't know if I'll get in myself," Satoshi brought up. "My Quirk's better suited for support, not hero work."
"But your Quirk is very versatile," Takeo stated. "Technopathy can be very strong and we've been working on your fighting skills."
Satoshi's Quirk, Technopathy, allowed him to interact with technology and electronics on a superhuman level. He had already built three of Takeo's weapons that he had stored away in Inventory: a pair of wire gauntlets, the concussion gauntlet and a grappling gun. As for combat abilities, on its own, it offered none.
To compensate, Satoshi often came by Takeo's house to train with him to better his combat skills since his parents were having financial difficulties at the current time and couldn't hire a combat instructor. Despite their time training together, Satoshi was still nowhere near Takeo's level of combat prowess since he had learned from his father, the pro hero Paladin and then Forge.
"So, did you hear about the incident yesterday?" Satoshi asked Takeo as he put his gauntlet away.
"The one with the sludge villain?" Takeo replied. "I heard. He caught a student our age and nearly killed him, I think. Caused quite an uproar, especially since that other student tried to save him."
"Did you actually hear that the kid was Quirkless?" Satoshi brought up. Takeo stopped in his tracks, shocked by what he just heard.
"The student was Quirkless?" he repeated. "You're sure?" Satoshi nodded his head in confirmation. Takeo smiled.
"He's braver than I thought."
"Or foolish," Satoshi replied, causing Takeo to raise an eyebrow.
"He was trying to save another student, Satoshi, when everyone else was just standing around and doing nothing until the heroes arrived."
"As brave as it was, Takeo, it was also rash. If the kid had gotten himself captured as well, that sludge villain would've had two hostages instead of just one or worse, gotten himself killed. People like him aren't trained yet to take on villains, so sometimes, the better choice is to stand aside and let someone else handle it."
While Takeo could understand Satoshi's point of view, it felt wrong to disregard the young man's bravery, especially since he was Quirkless. The fact that he was willing to step in and save someone else despite having no powers said a lot about his moral character. Right off the bat, Takeo thought he'd make a great student at U.A., but without a Quirk, there was no way he'd get in.
"Hey, do you remember what today is?" Satoshi asked.
Takeo already knew what day it was. April 17th, which would've been the birthday of their friend, Anzu Yamashita. She'd be their age by now…if not for a terrible accident that had happened many years ago.
"After school, we should go to the cemetery and pay our respects," Satoshi insisted.
"I agree," Takeo responded. "She deserves that much."
After walking for a short while, Takeo and Satoshi reached their middle school twenty minutes before classes started. As Takeo looked around, he immediately locked eyes with someone leaning near the entrance of the school, a young man his age with purple eyes, messy black hair pulled into a ponytail and a slender build compared to Takeo's.
Satoshi saw the young man as well and recognized him as Kaze Yonaka, a student at their school who harbored a bitter hatred for Takeo. Luckily, they had only had one class with him and they didn't need to interact during that class.
The staredown didn't last for long as Kaze turned his head in contempt and disappeared in a black and purple puff of smoke, presumably to his first period. Takeo shook his head and walked with Satoshi to their first period as well in mathematics.
"I hate math," Takeo groaned, remembering that they had a big test today.
After 25 minutes, Takeo's test was finished. It wasn't too long, but the questions themselves were rather difficult.
He hated mathematics, so much so that he considered it his worst subject. Sometimes, the equations could get too complex and confusing, causing him to wonder what kind of problem solving he should use for it. He knew this would be a subject at U.A. High, but he didn't understand how mathematics could apply to hero work. If he had a different Quirk, perhaps he'd understand, but for now, he didn't.
Since he wasn't allowed to take out his phone, Takeo pulled out some paper and a pencil and started drawing. He'd often draw whatever came to mind: battle scenes from movies he loved or hero battles he watched, sketches of other heroes or working on his hero outfit, which he had already started.
He wanted his hero outfit to be comprised of armor similar to a knight with a lion motif to pay homage to both his mother, Lioness, and his role model, the Barrier Hero: Guardian.
"MOM!" a ten year old Takeo Raionhato cried out from the living room. "He's on TV! Come on!"
"Who's on TV?" Nakano asked.
"Guardian!" Takeo cried out once more. "He's on TV! He's taking on a bad guy! Come on!"
Takeo leapt onto the couch and watched with immense anticipation as he saw his role model, Guardian, appear on TV. He was clad in silver armor, wielded a hammer and crest shield and stood against a large bull-like villain called the Red Bull, who had already caused some destruction in the area.
As the reporter stated the details, all Takeo could focus on was the fight between Guardian and the Red Bull. Guardian's Quirk, Barrier, allowed him to create invisible barriers that were difficult to break through. He could summon up to five at once, but the more barriers he summoned, the weaker they became.
Guardian bravely stood against the powerful Red Bull, fighting with great skill and strength. Takeo's eyes were glued to the screen with his mouth wide open in anticipation as he waited for Guardian to emerge victorious. After two minutes of a brutal battle, Guardian pinned Red Bull to the ground, knocking him unconscious.
"Guardian is victorious!" the news reporter cried out. "He did it! Guardian has defeated the Red Bull!"
"GUARDIAN!" Takeo cried out in joy.
The school bell rang, indicating it was time to move onto the next period. Takeo and Satoshi went their separate ways as Takeo went to Modern Literature and Satoshi went to Modern Japanese.
As Takeo walked, he constantly overheard the students talking about the villain incident yesterday. They were shocked that a student was nearly 'taken over' by the sludge villain, but was luckily saved by All Might. If All Might hadn't been there to save that young boy, then odds are, the sludge villain would've forced the boy to be his host.
"That sounds…disturbing," Takeo groaned as his stomach grew queasy. "Ugh…sounds parasitic. I hate parasites."
"They can't be worse than you," Kaze insulted Takeo, having walked near him after the bell rang. Takeo looked at him and frowned.
"What do you want, Yonoka?" he asked. "For someone who wants nothing to do with me-"
"I heard you're planning to enroll in U.A.," Yonoka pointed out.
"So I did," Takeo confirmed. "What of it?"
"Do yourself a favor and drop out. People like you don't belong in U.A."
"That's not up to you." Kaze scoffed with immense contempt.
"Do you honestly think people would accept you if they knew you who you were?" Takeo frowned and glared at Kaze Yonoka, his hand curled into a fist.
"Raionhato, Yonoka, is there a problem?" a teacher asked as he approached the two students. Takeo and Kaze looked at the teacher and then back at each other with disdain and contempt in their eyes.
"No, sir," Takeo replied.
"Then please get to class," the teacher insisted. Takeo walked off while Kaze glared at him for a little longer before walking away himself.
After the next three periods were done, the last one where Takeo met up with Satoshi, it was lunchtime. Takeo and Satoshi went to the cafeteria, bought their lunches and sat down together with some of their friends.
"So, do you know of anyone else who's applied to U.A.?" Takeo asked some of his friends as he ate.
"I heard that guy, Kaze Yonoka, applied too," one of the friends brought up. "I don't know how he'd stand a chance honestly. His Quirk's good for moving around, but it doesn't seem to offer any combat abilities."
"What's his beef with you, Raionhato?" one of the friends asked.
"Beef?" Takeo asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't have any beef, though it does sound good." Satoshi groaned and shook his head.
"No, Takeo. What he's asking is why Yonoka hates you so much."
"Then why not just say that?" Takeo replied. "As for that…I'd rather not talk about it."
Mostly everyone acquainted with Takeo and Satoshi knew that Yonoka had a major hatred for them, mostly directed at Takeo. No one knew why the black-haired purple-eyed young man harbored such disdain for them, but neither Takeo, Satoshi nor Yonoka would open up about it. Therefore, it was all left to guesswork on what caused the disdain from Yonoka to the two friends.
"I think you'll do great in the Entrance Exam, Raionhato," one of the friends spoke. "You've really made Inventory work for you."
"I appreciate that," Takeo responded. "I don't have a super flashy or powerful Quirk like All Might or Guardian. I've had to work pretty hard to make Inventory as strong as it is now."
Unfortunately, in today's world, it was hard for heroes to stand out if they didn't have a Quirk that was either flashy or super strong, such as fire manipulation, telekinesis or super speed. But Takeo was certain that if he was chosen to enter the Hero Course, it'd be based on his strength and skills, not his Quirk alone.
"I didn't come this far just to fail now," Takeo thought to himself. "I will make it into U.A. and become a pro hero just like Mom, just like Guardian…just as Dad was."
After school, Takeo and Satoshi stopped by the store and bought some baked sweets. When they bought enough, costing around 1000 Yen (roughly around 8 USD), the two of them started making their way to a cemetery that was quite a long walk from the school.
After a long walk, the two friends arrived at the cemetery and entered. The two of them looked around for a tombstone with their friend's name inscribed on it. After several minutes of looking around, they found the tombstone with the name 'Anzu Yamashita' inscribed on it.
Plenty of beautiful-looking flowers had been placed here next to her picture, which showed a beautiful eight-year-old girl with orange red hair and brown eyes. The two friends looked over the well-preserved grave of their dear friend as they knelt down and placed the baked sweets in front of the picture.
"She'd be our age today, Satoshi," Takeo stated.
"Do you think she would've applied to U.A.?" he asked. The Inventory Quirk user chuckled as if he had been a question that was too easy to answer.
"She would've applied…and she would've gotten in." Takeo then made the sign of the cross and held his hands together.
"Dear Father, look over the soul of our friend, Anzu Yamashita. Keep her safe in the palm of your hand and may all those…" He paused for a moment before continuing.
"May all those affected by her passing find peace. Amen." He again made the sign of the cross and stayed on his knees with Satoshi.
For seven years, Anzu Yamashita, one of their oldest friends, had been buried here in this very cemetery. She was a ball of sunshine, kindness and fun wherever she went, making friends easily with her award-winning personality. If she had been alive today, she would've undoubtedly have joined Takeo and Satoshi in applying for U.A. Both of them felt that she would've gotten in without a shadow of a doubt.
But that would never happen now. They'd never hear her laughter again, see her smile or know the heroine she could've been. They'd give anything to have her back, to have their friend walk among them again.
But the dead are dead and no matter how much one wished, they'll never come back. All the two friends could do was pay their respects to Anzu Yamashita.
"Let's go," Takeo told Satoshi solemnly.
After returning home, Takeo proceeded to train with his concussion gauntlet, bo staff, and throwing crosses. As he trained, thoughts of U.A. ran through his mind like a merry-go-round.
The most prestigious school in Japan for heroes in training and Takeo had applied for it. There could be hundreds, maybe thousands of applicants and he'd have to stand out from all of them. It'd be very difficult for him to stand out since as stated time and time again, his Quirk itself was neither flashy nor powerful.
But he was certain he could do it. After all, a school as prestigious as U.A. had high standards and Takeo was certain he could fulfill those standards. Many of the applicants were only interested in money, fame, or ego, goals that were mostly self-serving and could care less about the people they would one day be sworn to protect.
Takeo sought none of that. He sought to be a hero like his role model, Guardian, someone who defended the innocent, who could give the weak and defenseless a sense of safety when he was around. He didn't like to think this was arrogant of him; perhaps it was, but he didn't seek material gains, only to do what he believed was right.
Takeo heard the door open inside and put his weapon away to walk in. As expected, he saw his mother walk in. Unexpected, she was holding a large open box in her hands.
"What's that?" the Inventory user asked. Lioness reached inside and, much to Takeo's surprise, she pulled out a black and white puppy that was big enough to just fit inside her hand.
"One of my sidekicks found a box left outside their house in the morning," Lioness informed. "There were several puppies in here, so she brought them to my agency to see if any of us wanted them."
"I thought you said you didn't want a puppy," Takeo brought up. Nakano weakly laughed.
"The moment I picked this little guy up, I didn't want to put him down. I shouldn't have picked him up."
Takeo could certainly see what she meant. The black and white puppy was very adorable, so much so that Takeo went over and picked him up. The little puppy snuggled into Takeo's arms and quickly started to nap.
"Have you named him yet?" he asked his mom.
"I named him Peter," Nakano informed. "And he'll be sleeping with me tonight. I'll get him the proper supplies tomorrow since I'll have the day off."
"Okay," Takeo responded as he continued fawning over the cute puppy asleep in his arms. Nakano chuckled and shook her head with a smile on her face.
"Even you fell under his spell."
"Spell?" Takeo asked with an eyebrow raised. "But dogs can't use magic or something like that."
After having dinner and showering from the training, Takeo retreated to his room, where Peter followed him. The Arsneal user picked up the small puppy and placed him on his lap while he browsed the internet. As he looked up his usual spots, he stopped when he saw a news article titled "Carnage: The Blade of Terror Strikes Again!"
The Blade of Terror…Fukushu, a ruthless vigilante who slaughtered criminals, corrupt pro heroes, villains…anyone he believed preyed on the innocent was in danger of being hunted by him. The media did whatever they could to keep the details of the murders from the public because of how gruesome they could become.
Fukushu believed himself to be an avenger of justice who felt his terrorizing and brutality protected people. How wrong he was; his terror only terrified people, not helped them feel safe.
Takeo's blood boiled with anger and hatred as he read the article. The way this 'avenge of justice' killed criminals or corrupt pro heroes was more of an animal than a man. The corpses of those he killed were often mangled, torn, found in red pools of blood, something no true hero could ever do in Takeo's eyes.
Peter nudging against Takeo's arm broke him out of his angered mind. The Inventory user looked down at the cute puppy, smiled and gently petted his head. The puppy put his front two paws on Takeo as if asking to be picked up. Before he could, a knock was heard at the door of Takeo's room. He picked up Peter and walked over to answer his mother.
"Going to bed?" Takeo asked.
"I am," Nakano replied. "I can't wait to sleep in." She reached over and gently took Peter from Takeo's arms to take him to bed with her. Takeo caringly pet Peter's head and received a lick before he snuggled into Nakano's arms and fell asleep.
"I think he's ready to go to bed as well," Takeo chuckled. "Good night, Mom."
"Good night, son. See you in the morning." Takeo closed the door as Nakano walked to her room to prepare for bed.
Before turning in himself, Takeo knelt down beside his bed and pulled out a box from underneath. He took off the lid to reveal a deep blue cape that was folded up inside. Takeo took it out of the box and looked upon it with a scowl of remembrance. He gazed upon it for several moments before putting it back and prepared for bed.
"One day, I'll be a hero," he stated.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage. If you have any constructive criticism to share, please leave a review or message me! I ask that you leave your reviews free of strong profanity. Keep reading and writing, my fellow writers!