Thorny Path of a Pro-Hero

Saturday evening was like a reflection of Friday evening, only in a distorted mirror. I brought Yui home, my parents met her and asked a few questions. Some of the questions were on topic, some even touched on the demonstration of Yui's quirk... some were inappropriate and caused "second-hand embarrassment," but knowing my mother, it would have been incredibly naive to hope that she wouldn't ask about our relationship.

Initially, I just wanted to borrow some money. But I didn't succeed, which didn't particularly surprise me... damn this age. It's annoying.

My parents thought it over. They checked their bank accounts. They let Yui go; they liked her... but whether Yui liked my parents, I couldn't tell, because Kodai treated this visit like a dangerous, complex, and extremely important secret mission, and the whole evening she was even more... Yui.

Emotionless, stern, and quiet, like a tree in the taiga.

When she left, after a consultation, my folks gave their approval.

I was... happy. And perhaps even delighted, like any ordinary boy.

Only the gift was unusual.

On Sunday, I accompanied Yui to her training session, and it seemed that only at that moment did it dawn on her that Saturday wasn't just a gesture of politeness and what I had done and why.

Monday morning started even more strangely: in the early morning, when it's still dark and supervillains roam the streets, right on the porch of my apartment building, as I was heading out for my run... I found a young future heroine, who, slightly out of breath and nervous...

I don't even know how to put it.

It would have been better if she had confessed her love to me, seriously. I wouldn't know what to do with that either, but at least I could have expected it...

Nooo. On the doorstep of my home, I met Yui Kodai, who, in all seriousness, well, almost in all seriousness, tried to pledge her vassal loyalty to me.

Like to her liege lord.

Like, damn it, the samurai did five centuries ago.

Yoko, damn it, Kodai, what did you give your daughter to read as a child?!

With threats and futile gestures, I managed to drive Kodai back to her home—to get some more sleep. However, the day, having already started off strange, remained so, and Yui turned out to be unexpectedly firm in her decision to become my... good lord, what are you even trying to become?! Whatever I command... darn it, Kodai, I'm not the kind of person who wants to dominate a twelve-year-old... what do you mean "I'll grow up?!" What are you reading at home, for crying out loud?!

But...

The samurai in a skirt couldn't be stopped. Her gray-blue eyes looked firm and determined.

Which, by the way, doesn't surprise me. I already know she's persistent. I know and appreciate it.

In the end, I... I offered friendship and combat comradeship in return. And equal partnership.

What else could I do?

***

A month later—in August—it became clear that the invisible boundary... some kind of wall or chasm between me and Yui and the other classmates wasn’t going to disappear.

Not that I was going to do anything about it or was even against it, really.

Yui got into the habit of spending as much time as possible next to me. In class, she now sat at the desk next to mine, and during breaks, she quietly followed me like a little shadow. Given the circumstances, I "grew up" in this world as, to put it mildly, not the most sociable person, and if it were someone else, I probably would have been irritated.

But this was Yui, who most of the time was silent, didn't draw attention to herself, and was sweet, smart, and hardworking, so we got along well.

As for the other kids... I obviously had no common topics for conversation, no similar interests, and no real interest in them. Kodai alone, like a needle in a haystack, stood out among the gray and boring kids... stabbing me right where it counts... um, not the point.

The other students seemed to subconsciously feel that I was different—stronger, older. More disciplined. And my would-be vassal was always around, gradually "soaking up" this—what I consider the correct—attitude towards life.

And it's not that I didn’t see anyone among the students who could potentially become a hero—Himari, for example, Haruki, or... that guy with claws, I don't remember his name... Even the strangest person in the world I've ever seen!

A guy named Yamato, whose head looked like... one big, enormous eyeball! I've been observing him for two months, but I still haven't figured out how and where he eats. Or how he talks. Or how people normally communicate with him. But even his quirk was quite...

In general, any one of them, judging purely by their quirks, could become a hero.

However, they lacked the most important thing: dreams, persistence, strength of spirit.

Or, at the very least, the desire to help people, to follow ideals, and to repeatedly inflict physical injuries on themselves, each one worse than the last...

No one had it.

Or at least, so I thought until a guy from another class approached us during a break.

Short, skinny, dark-haired with messy, curly hair. He looked like Midoriya, the protagonist of the story I supposedly ended up in... well, how I imagined him... Only with a lock of hair falling over his eyes and a mean look. And much gloomier and more toxic.

Muuuch gloomier and more toxic.

This was particularly evident in the fact that he didn't come for advice or to share common interests, but to vent his frustration on us.

The first thing the nameless guy did was cross his arms over his chest and say in a scornful, dismissive tone:

"So these are the future heroes! Training hard, I see!"

Yui and I exchanged glances. The girl was sitting properly on the windowsill, adjusting her uniform skirt and reading a book (Best Jeanist's biography, by the way), while I was eating my mother's packed lunch with an appetite worked up from the morning's training. A bento, if "in our language."

I turned my head back to the guy, slowly raising an eyebrow, knowing how much this expression on my face irritates people. The guy immediately bristled and raised his voice:

"And what, you don't even have anything to say back?!"

I don't know about Nirengeki in the series, but my years of persistent, daily physical training have significantly boosted growth hormone production by my adenohypophysis. I guess I could have stood up and applied some "psychological" pressure, considering I was a good head taller.

But I was in a fairly peaceful mood, so I decided to try and defuse the conflict. Besides, I was diligently instilling in myself the mindset of a hero—talk first, hit later.

"Maybe you could at least tell us what your problem is?" I asked, clicking my chopsticks together in confusion. Like, I have no idea why you're so tense, du-u-ude, relax, take a breath...

"My problem is YOU!" the guy nearly shouted. "You've both been given such an amazing opportunity, one that everyone," he pointed behind him where our classmates were still staring at us, "would be willing to fight for, I would give my arm to have the same quirk... to become a hero... I would train every day! During breaks, during classes... I would already be a hero! And you... you just read books, damn it... acting like you're better than us... when you just got lucky..." he was almost in tears by the end.

"Ah, this again."

Not the most pleasant reference to Yui's father flashed through my mind, who used to say "this" with exactly the same resigned expression, though the meaning was opposite.

I sighed, put my food aside, and leaned back in my chair.

"Kid... what's your name?"

"Mikumo," the aggressor grumbled.

"Alright, Mikumo-san. Tell me, do you really believe that the defining element of a hero's profession is their quirk?"

The guy blinked a couple of times. Then got angry:

"Of course! What, are you going to mock me now?! I..."

"Yes, quirks are important," I interrupted, "But what's far more important is the ability to think and be creative in using them."

Taking advantage of the fact that Mikumo was choking on his overwhelming emotions, I continued leisurely:

"Allow me to prove it. Take, for example, our classmate Haruki-san," I pointed my chopsticks at a tall, lanky guy who instantly found himself in the spotlight of the entire class and began to fidget nervously, "who can extend parts of his body, like his neck, forearms, and shins, and also make them flexible. I don't interact much with my classmates, so I might be wrong..."—in fact, I interacted so little with them that I still used the honorific "-san," while everyone else had long switched to "-kun" and "-chan," or dropped them altogether—"But I have the impression that Haruki-san believes he can't become a hero and that his power is almost useless. Is that right, Haruki-san?" I raised my voice slightly.

The poor guy was so lost that he swallowed his tongue and just nodded nervously.

I nodded back:

"I can understand Haruki-san's doubts. However, if I were in his place, I wouldn't be discouraged, I wouldn't give up, and I would become a hero..."

"Ha!" our curly guest laughed mockingly, pointing a finger at me, "Sure, of course! Go ahead and tell us how exactly…”

"... to figure out the subject, make the right choice, and spend at least a decade studying the most effective martial arts based on grappling and throws," I continued, as if nothing had happened.

Mikumo abruptly fell silent.

"With Haruki's body and abilities, he could become an excellent close combat fighter, a fantastic judoka with such long reach! Not to mention, with the ability to extend his arms and legs, he could overcome any walls or obstacles while rescuing people! Climb through a window three meters up, grab a criminal on the other side of the room... rescue a kitten from a tree," I shrugged and smiled.

The whole class went quiet, listening intently.

Our guest, the dark-haired boy, who was no longer so aggressive, tried to object... but couldn't:

"But that's not... how do you even know..."

"Trust me, I know what I'm talking about because I've been studying the martial arts best suited to my quirk for years. Or take Yui-chan, for example," I gestured toward her, and the girl nodded with dignity, "She's been training for a month in the fighting styles that best enhance her combat potential. Want another example?"

"... I..."

"No problem. For instance, Yuto-san," I pointed my chopsticks at a cheerful, small boy who, however, nervously shifted out of the chopsticks' trajectory, as if I was going to throw them at him and hurt him. Even though he was on the other side of the classroom.

Not that I couldn't... but he doesn't know that.

Am I really that intimidating?..

"Yuto-san has incredibly strong suction cups on his hands and feet," I continued drilling the idea into my classmates, "Yuto-san thinks they're useless for a hero career. I understand why he might think that. But if I were in his place, I wouldn't think that way."

"Why?" Yuto exclaimed. "What use could they be?"

"Of course, they can be useful. You all seem to forget that heroes don't necessarily have to fight against criminal gangs like the Yakuza every day," a couple of students shuddered at those words. "In today's world, there are daily catastrophes, malfunctions, fires, accidents, car crashes, and so on. And often, people faced with such events are helpless. But not you, Yuto-san! Because you could climb any building, reach any hard-to-access places, and rescue people from fires!"

"But... I won't be able to do anything to villains..." Yuto muttered gloomily.

"Oh really? The ability to stick to any surface would allow you to make absolutely unbreakable holds in a fight. Even without a combat quirk, you could still disable one, almost any opponent—just by clinching with someone! Thus reducing the number of enemies your teammates need to defeat. All you need to do is bulk up, gain some weight, and do some wrestling..."

I shrugged, paused, and popped some sashimi into my mouth.

Mikumo was grumbling quietly but said nothing.

Yuto rummaged through his backpack, pulled out a notebook, and began feverishly writing something down.

"Niren...-san," hesitantly spoke one of the girls in the class, "What can you say about my quirk? Would it be useful?"

After thinking for a moment and recalling what she could do, I nodded in agreement:

"Of course, Himari-san!"

This girl could create bright light flashes at a distance—red, blue, green... and blinding white too.

"But they're just flashes... special effects, like in movies. They don't even cause any damage," the girl murmured, adjusting her glasses.

I smirked:

"Oh, Himari-san, why be so bloodthirsty?" The girl blushed. "In most encounters between criminals and law enforcement, the latter tries to use non-lethal methods... of conflict resolution. And do you know which one is the most popular? Alongside rubber bullets and powerful water cannons, of course, but let's skip that for now..."

"N-no..."

"Flashbang grenades, Himari-san," I pointed to my own eyes. "We have a lot of photoreceptors in our eyes that are calibrated for a certain level of illumination. But you can exceed it—and most opponents will be disabled for a long time; they won't be able to see anything, they'll be helpless and easily captured by the other heroes, or they might even lose consciousness due to sensory overload. After all, heroes rarely work alone—they form teams with complementary abilities. And you can also cover your team's movements with such flashes! Or you can distract and confuse the enemy by creating flashes where you aren't. And you can also signal allies from a distance using your power like a flare!... And also..."

Somewhere deep in the class, there was a half-stifled sigh with something like "...kami-sama, he's so cool..." and strict Yui looked disapprovingly in that direction.

I kept a straight face, even though I wanted to laugh incredibly.

"There are no weak quirks, guys," I paused, slightly tired as I repeated my key point, addressing the entire class. "There are only weak-spirited people with a lack of imagination. Practically any quirk can be put to good use, and the application of almost any power can be turned into a combat advantage. And if the quirk isn't combat-oriented at all... study mechanics and physics. Technology has advanced to the point where a couple of hero gadgets can make a hero out of anyone. By the way, even UA has a Support Department, have you heard of it?"

A murmur of agreement interrupted by a newly awakened Mikumo, who challengingly addressed me:

"Practically any quirk, huh? What about mine? Are you going to send it to mechanics too?"

Ready for round two?

Sighing again, I dutifully asked (since otherwise, we'd be arguing here for another hour):

"And what is your quirk?"

The troubled boy had been waiting for this:

"I can run really fast..."

Seriously? Then why are you complaining?

"...but only on water, got it?!" he shouted. His expression amusingly mixed a sense of smug victory over me and the deep suffering of a loser with a shattered dream. "What do you say to that? How can I become a hero with such a useless quirk?!"

I thought for a moment before answering.

I decided not to joke about the Jesus we deserve.

I clarified:

"On any water? Even, say, on droplets or a pressurized stream of water?"

"Well, yeah..." Mikumo hesitated, "but not at full strength... Crap, what difference does it make! It won't help me at all!"

"What stops you from becoming a hero specializing in marine and ocean rescue operations?" Yui suddenly interjected, tapping her lips thoughtfully. Folks, have some decency! Even my frosty student has had enough of this!

Mikumo was at a loss again—whether from the obviousness of the suggestion or the sudden female attention:

"But that's not... that's not the same! I'd be useless on land, and... and... and I wouldn't be able to save anyone on the water either, I can't run with someone in my arms, and... and nobody needs marine heroes... and I wouldn't be able to protect myself at all!"

"Nonsense, Mikumo," I drawled, leaning on the desk and propping my chin with my hand. "Use your imagination. You need flexibility of mind, not a powerful quirk. Nothing's stopping you from, say, turning to the tech guys and carrying around a dozen quickly inflatable rubber boats to save people in shipwrecks. You could even replace the motor with your legs. Imagine how many people you..."

"But what's the point?!" the kid exploded. "Any rescue boat could do the same!"

"Oh really?" I started messing with the teenager's not-yet-developed central ganglion. "What do you think a shipwreck looks like? There are tons of debris. Or say, an accident on an oil rig? What if there's so much flammable substance in the water that the surface catches fire? Or what if the ship runs aground on some reef? Or what if there are some sharks? In short, there are plenty of situations where no boat can reach the victims, the rescuers will have to wait for a helicopter, which might take forever to arrive... and then, suddenly, there you are, all handsome and mobile, running across the water's surface, reaching any point, and helping everyone who needs it!"

Mikumo's aggression evaporated, and he slumped.

"So what, am I just supposed to sit and wait for a suitable disaster where I can be useful?" he asked quietly.

I stood up from my desk, yawned, and stretched.

"No. You've already mentioned your quirk, and I've talked about using it wisely... But the most important thing for someone who wants to become a hero is persistence. No, you shouldn't sit idly by. Everyone who trains hard, everyone who wants to get into UA, or Shiketsu, or... what's it called... oh, I remembered, Ketsubutsu Academy. Anyway, all future heroes know that if you develop your quirk, it will become stronger, just like if you train your body, it will become stronger, just like if you train your combat skills, you'll become a better fighter. That's why WE," I pointed to Yui, then to myself, and then clenched my fist, "WILL DEFINITELY become heroes. Not because we're lucky, but because we work hard and consistently to become the best."

I poked Mikumo in the chest, almost hitting him:

"And you're worried that any boat could replace you, right? Well, let's imagine that if you train your quirk every day for the next three years, you'll end up faster than any boat, huh? And what if, by training day and night, you become the only one who can move across the sea during a storm, huh? Yes, of course, not all of us have bright quirks like Endeavor's. Not everyone has the talent of All Might. But that doesn't mean we should give up. It means, damn it, that we need to play with the cards we're dealt and squeeze the most out of them! Not whine about how lucky someone else is. Heroes aren't those who are lucky; they're those who don't give up. Best Jeanist can confirm that," I waved toward Yui's book.

The class was silent, Yui was silent, the guest was silent too.

I turned to leave, but I decided to give some hope to the boy, who was looking at the floor with a lost expression:

"And you know, when you do get into one of the hero academies, nothing's stopping you from asking the engineers to make you a suit, say... with a pressurized water tank on your back and two hoses running to your feet, which will, in turn, give you acceleration on land. Right?"

Mikumo's jaw slowly dropped.

And I, satisfied with the effect, left the classroom.

Wait a minute. I threw a cool line, left like a boss... but where am I going if the lesson is about to start?

Yeah, not great.

Laughing, I ducked into the restroom and then headed back.

Illustrations:

Here's a sketch that served as the basis for Mikumo's image.

In fact, this is an early concept drawing of Midoriya by the manga author—who initially was supposed to be a dark character without a quirk.

But the producers intervened, and Izuku got a quirk :)

One of those rare cases where producer intervention actually benefited the project, rather than the opposite.