Chapter Text
Jeriko’s Pov
The bell just above the doorway jingled as I entered the corner store. My mom sent me into the city for groceries and foodstuffs while she was at work. Not like I got much else going on anyways, figured it’s a good way for me to get some fresh air and not be stuffed in my room all day.
Oh shit sorry I probably should introduce myself right? Name is Jeriko Blaze, just your not so average American teen living in a superhero filled Japan. Uhhh shit I’m bad at this aren’t I? Alright alright let me rewind a little bit.
Many years ago there was a group of people amongst the human population that began exhibiting strange powers and abilities. These people were the first to receive what we call today as Quirks, supernatural abilities that people are born with and start manifesting around the ages of 3-5 years old.
Many of these people were referred to as Metahumans and Mutants, and were initially hated and ostracized by society, but as time went on more and more people began exhibiting these powers until around 80% of the world’s population had these Quirks.
And now in our modern day and age, a new profession dominates the mainstream, hero work. I mean, that's the natural next step right? People who are born with superpowers are naturally going to use them for both evil and good right? So why wouldn’t there be a bunch of superheroes and villains popping up everywhere?
Some become heroes for fame and popularity, others do so out of a sense of purpose or service to the greater good. Me though? I didn’t really choose this life, it kinda chose me. Although I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.
“Ah good afternoon Mr Blaze, always a pleasure to see you here.” Mr Hirohito greeted me once I entered. He’s owned the store for as long as I can remember. He’s a bit of an older man, somewhere between is early 60s and late 70s, always dressed in bright colorful kimonos and with a Quirk that allows him to stretch his arms and legs to any length he needs.
“Mr Hiro, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Jeriko?” I chuckled slightly as I started loading a small basket with some groceries.
“Ah my apologies, you just look more and more like an adult with each passing year I almost forget that you’re still so young. Are you still riding around on that bike of yours? I do hope that you wear that helmet everytime you ride.”
“Yeah yeah of course, thanks for those parts btw it runs a lot smoother now.” I finished gathering food and made my way up to the front counter, shifting through my wallet for Yen to pay him with.
“Of course young man, anything for you and your mother. How is she by the way? Doing well I hope?”
“Yeah she’s at work right now just picking some stuff up for dinner.” I glanced up at the small black and white cat clock that Mr Hiro keeps just above the back wall of the cash register. “She actually should be on her way back home by now.”
“Ah yes well I won’t keep you then.” I handed him the cash for the food and he rang it up on the register and handed me the bag back. “You stay out of trouble young man, I’ve heard more and more villains have been popping up out of the woodwork. Although speaking of before you go.”
Mr Hiro reached underneath the counter as he pulled out what appeared to be about a half dozen fliers, all of them having a heroic image of All Might, the number 1 hero in Japan also known as the Symbol of Peace, with the emblem of UA High School and the words “Join us and prove yourself worthy to become a hero at UA’s Entrance Exam! Plus Ultra!”
The flier is dated for roughly six months from now. “I don’t know Mr Hiro…I’m not one for getting involved in these kinds of things.”
Mr Hiro shrugged and handed me one of the flyers anyway “in case you change your mind. I’m sure with that fiery quirk of yours, you’d be an amazing hero Jeriko. Just make sure not to forget about good old Mr Hiro when you’re a big and famous hero alright?”
I laughed a bit at that last part “I’d need to actually pass the exam first. See ya Mr Hirohito.” I got the rest of my things and started to make my way back over to where I parked my bike.
UA High School, one of the most top ranked schools in the country that specializes in training the next generation of heroes. All Might numbers in one of the school's most notable alumni, but plenty of other heroes consider themselves proud to be among the school’s impressive number of heroes in training. Still, hero work wasn’t necessarily something that I felt I was cut out for.
That was until I heard shouting and what sounded like a dozen firecrackers popping in succession. “You little twirp!” I glanced over to a nearby alley where I noticed a group of middle school students, one of them standing over another while two more punks watched, encouraging the beat down.
The one on the ground was a bit on the wimpier side, a small frame with a messy mop of green hair on his head clutching a notebook close to his chest. The one over him was taller, a little more muscular than the green haired kid but not by much. His blonde hair was spiky and his eyes a bright red while his outstretched hand was popping with tiny explosions.
The green haired kid tried to get up off the ground “Kacchan please I don’t want any trouble-” but before the nerdy kid could finish, he got kicked in the chest by the blonde bully. “Shut up useless Deku! As if your worthless ass is good for anything more than a punching bag!”
The notebook the green haired kid was holding was launched from his grasp over in my direction. I sighed as I put the bag down on the ground. No matter if it’s the streets of Queens or Musutafu, there’s always gonna be people deserving of a beatdown.
“Hey asshole!” I called over to the blonde kid, Kacchan it seems, who was about ready to kick the kid he called Deku. His eyes darted in my direction as I walked over picking the notebook off from the ground. “How about picking on someone your own size? Or are you too much of a pussy to take on someone who’ll fight back?”
The other kids behind him let out a shocked gasp as Kacchan glared at me enraged. “You just signed your death warrant you fucking brat!” He charged at me clenching his right hand for an opening blow.
I side stepped the punch and jabbed right at his side. I wasn’t any kind of professional when it comes to this, but I’ve had to hold my own against my fair share of punks that think they’re above everyone else.
Kacchan grunted as he tried to backhand me which I ducked under just as he hit me right in the jaw with an uppercut, causing me to stumble back into the wall behind me. I kept my arms up around my face to defend before another one of his punches could hit me in the face.
I managed to grab his wrist before he could pull away and hit him straight in the chest before stepping away from the wall behind me. “Enough!” He grunted as he let out a big blast from his palm, clearly his thing is causing explosions.
The blast sent me back a foot or two as I got back on my feet. “Oh alright. We playing with fire then? Fine.” I quickly tossed off my jacket on the ground nearby, revealing the tank top I was wearing underneath, before sparking a pair of flames in each hand. “Then let’s play!”
Before either of us could continue the fight, Deku rushed in between the two of us. “Kacchan stop it! If someone sees you two fighting with quirks you’ll both get in trouble.” The guy was brave, I’ll give him that. Stepping in between two literal hotheads who were about to go at it. Still why he was trying to keep his aggressor out of trouble I’ll never know.
Kacchan just scoffed at the two of us. “You’re lucky the dumb nerd is right. Besides, you're not worth the trouble. Just stay out of my way damn extra!” He whipped away some sweat from his forehead before turning with the other two middle schoolers and walking off, as his friends started complaining about how he could’ve taken me.
“You alright?” I asked Deku as I handed him back his notebook. He looked banged up pretty bad, a couple bruises and a bloody nose, clearly he was being roughed up before I ever got involved.
“Yeah I’m fine..sorry about all that.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he spoke “I’m Izuku Midoriya.”
“It’s all good, Jeriko Blaze is the name. You need some help? My mom’s place isn't too far from here and she should be home by now. She works as a nurse at Musutafu General.”
“If it won’t be too much trouble…My house is pretty far for me to be injured like this.” Midoryia winced a bit as he held his arm.
“Yeah don’t worry it’s no problem at all, mom’s used to taking house calls from the corner store owner at this point.” I grabbed my leather jacket off the ground nearby and the bag of groceries before we made our way towards my place, picking up my bike and walking it along the sidewalk on the way.
—
I flipped the kickstand of my motorcycle down next to my mom’s car in the driveway before taking Midoriya to the front door and leading him inside after unlocking it. “Hey mom? Could I get some help?”
Our house was nothing extravagant, just a simple one story stone building with a wooden fenced porch and a small flower garden out front that my mom liked to tend to in her free time. The inside was well lit between the large glass door leading out to the small backyard where a cherry blossom tree grew. It’s not much but for the two of us it’s just enough.
“Coming sweetie!” I heard her shout from the other room. My mom pulled herself into the living room on her wheelchair, she’s been confined to it since a car accident caused her to be paralyzed from the waist down.
My mom gasped as she entered seeing me and Midoriya roughed up. “What happened to you two? Come sit down on the couch I’ll get the first aid kit.” Me and Midoriya did as she asked as she moved towards the kit mounted on the wall as I started to explain a bit.
“I came into the situation late. Midoryia was it? He was getting beat up by this blonde haired asshole named Kacchan.”
“Actually…” Midoryia started to say sheepishly “Kacchan is just a childhood nickname. It’s actually Katsuki Bakugou. He’s just a little bit…rough around the edges I guess.”
“More like a psycho.” I commented under my breath.
“Jeriko, be nice.” My mom wheeled her way over to the pair of us as she started to patch the both of us up. “Well in any case it’s wonderful to meet you Midoryia, even if the circumstances aren’t the best.”
“It’s alright Ms…Blaze right? Forgive me if I’m being too forward but are you and your son from America?” Midoryia asked as she finished tending to my wounds and moved onto his.
“Yes, in fact, we moved here about 9 years ago after my husband passed away. I thought it would be healthy for both me and Jeriko to have a fresh start, and I have always wanted to live in Japan.”
Midoryia winced a bit as mom felt his arm. “Could you take off your jacket for me sweetheart? I need to see how severe the damage is.” Midoryia nodded a bit as he took off the jacket part of his uniform revealing the white t-shirt he was wearing underneath.
She looked at his left arm for a moment before speaking again “welp you’re lucky any more force from that hit and this Bakugou might have broken your arm. Jeriko could you fetch an ice pack from the fridge for me please?”
I nodded as I stood up and dug around the freezer for a small ice pack. “What even started the fight between the two of you anyway? And what was with him calling you Deku, was that another nickname?”
Midoryia nodded a bit as he spoke “It’s because if you write out my name a portion of it is similar to the word Deku. As for what started the whole situation well…It was mostly just Kacchan being Kacchan.”
My mom stared blankly at Midoriya for a moment before speaking to him in a very serious tone “do I have to call someone’s parents?” The question damn near made Midoryia jump out of his seat “no no no no no, nothing like that I promise. He just gets a little bit full of himself sometimes he’s normally not as violent.”
I sensed a hint of a lie in Midoriya’s tone but it’s not necessarily my place to get involved in something like that. I walked back over to the two of them and handed Midoryia the ice pack. “Here keep that on the bruise for a couple hours the swelling should go down by then.”
Midoryia nodded as he placed the ice pack on his arm. “I can give you my mom’s number so that she can come pick me up though. She’s probably worried sick about me by this point.”
As Midoryia gave my mom the phone number I started to unpack all of the groceries from the store. I had almost forgot I put the flier Mr Hiro gave me at the top of the bag so that was the first thing that came out as I stared at it for a moment, and Midoryia seemed to take notice.
“Is that a flier for the UA Entrance Exam? Are you planning on going to UA as well?” His eyes seemed to sparkle a bit as he asked.
“Oh this? Uhhh I’m not really sure to be honest. I was just given this at the store, I’m not really sure how well I would do in it.” My mom seemed to give me a confused and a bit concerned look to me as I finished.
“Well if you have a quirk that is similar to Endeavor, pyromancer based heroes are extremely popular in the media because of how big and flashy they can be. That’s why Kacchan’s quirk is perfect for hero work and I’m sure you would be in a similar boat too Jeriko. I also want to try and go to UA, even though I'm not as strong as some of my peers…but I wanna be a hero just like my idol All Might!”
“All Might huh?” My mom commented. “Well those will be some pretty big shoes to fill young man, but until then try not to get yourself into any more scrapes like that if you can? It’d be very awkward if I were to meet you again at the Hospital wouldn’t it?”
Midoryia chuckled slightly at that last part. “I’ll try my best ma’am.”
Eventually as the night continued on Midoryia’s mother came to pick him up at our place and thanked me and my mom endlessly for taking care of him. Me and Midoryia swapped phone numbers so that we can keep in touch (and so that I could help him out if he got into another fight again) before the two made their way back to wherever they live.
Once me and my mom went back inside, she looked at me with that same concerned look as before. “Are you actually considering going to UA?”
“Um…Yes? No? I’m not sure. I mean…what I did today, protecting Midoryia, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel good but…Isn’t it too dangerous for me to do that?”
“Well of course but…” she held both of my hands as she continued “if it’s what you really want to do then I will support you. Just…Promise me that you’ll be careful ok?”
“Of course mom. I’m always careful.” I kissed her forehead as she smiled back up at me. “Now I don’t know about you but kicking the shit outta bullies makes me work up an appetite so let’s eat already.” She chuckled and rolled her eyes as she made her way into the kitchen to start cooking dinner.
—
I stared down at the flier one last time as I sat on the motorcycle just outside the school’s entrance, before I started to make my way into the school.
“So many kids here.” I thought in my head as I took a look up at the school’s main building “So this is UA? Gotta be honest, I thought I’d be a lot fancier. Like some expensive private school or something but, besides it’s size, it’s pretty modest”
My train of thought is interrupted when one of the kids shoved past me wearing a black middle school uniform and had familiar spiky blonde hair. Bakugou turned back and growled “watch where you’re going you- oh…it’s you. Don’t think I forgot about the last time extra. You better pray that we don’t end up in the same test or I will smoke your ass.”
“Heh, funny, I was about to say the same thing to you Kacchan-”
“Call me that again and I will kill you! The name is Kastuki Bakugou, and don’t you fucking forget it!” The bratty teen stormed off in a fit of rage before I could get another word in edgewise. “Asshole.”
Later me, along with the other students that showed up, were seated in this large room that seemed to be a lecture hall with a stage and large screen set up. Standing on the stage was a man clad in leather and bits of armor with headphones and yellow hair that was styled into one large point spoke to us.
“HELLLOOOO EVERRRYBODY! I’m going to be you announcer for this exam, Present Mic, are you all excited!?” Silence fills the room “wow lively group we have today. Ok so time for me to go over the rules.”
On the screen behind him appeared pictures of 3 silhouettes of what seemed to be different robots. “For this exam you will be participating in a mock city battle against robot villains each with their own point score tied to them, your goal is to defeat as many villains as possible before the time runs out!”
One kid in the crowd shoots up from his seat within the crowd “excuse me sir!” a spotlight shines on the kid, he was wearing another school uniform much different from what I’ve seen Bakugou and Midoryia were wearing, along with glasses and blue hair.
“But the paper that was provided to us says that there are 4 different types of robots. If this is an error it is a poor mark on the reputation of this school and should be corrected!”
“What’s up with this kid?” I thought as he continued
“Also you!” He points over to another familiar green haired kid not too far away, Midoriya. “you’ve been doing nothing but muttering this entire time and you are being distracting to those of us trying to pay attention. If you're not going to take this seriously then you shouldn’t be here!”
Finally I get fed up and shout out “hey kid! The only person around here being distracting is you, so how about you shut up for 2 seconds and let the pro speak will you?” The kid looks at me with a shocked look on his face as Present Mic continues.
“Well yes anyways I was just getting to that” as another silhouette pops up on the screen “the 4th villain is actually worth 0 points, this is really meant to be an obstacle so I’d recommend listeners avoid these at all cost and go for the point based ones”
The kid with the glasses bows “thank you sir, apologies for the interruption” as he sits back down. “No sweat! Now that’s all so get changed if you need to and head down to the testing grounds. Now say it with me now, you all know it, go beyond PLUUUUUUUUS…”
Silence fills the room once again “ULTRAAAAAA, wow you guys are bad at this. Now get goin listeners!”
—
A little while later and we were all down by the testing grounds. I was wearing my normal jacket and T-shirt that I had on when I got here but I could see everyone else was wearing either gym clothes or workout attire. As I got off the bus I could see that once again the kid with glasses was picking on Midoryia again.
I sighed and walked up to the pair “hey glasses!” The pair turned towards me as Midoryia’s eyes went wide with excitement. “How about you leave the kid alone. We’re all nervous here so the kid doesn’t need you riding on his coattail ok?”
The kid fixes his glasses and replies “I suppose you do have a point, my apologies.” As he walks over with the rest of the group.
“Thanks for that Jeriko. I’m glad to see you decided to take the exam too, I was starting to worry I wouldn’t know anyone here aside from Kacchan.”
I chuckled a bit. “Hey same here man, I ran into the raging blonde earlier he did not seem happy to see me. But to be fair, I would be pissed if I saw the person I threw hands with months ago too.”
“I guess you’re right. Oh yeah! I almost forgot to ask you before, what is your Quirk exactly? I know it has something to do with fire but is there anymore to it?” There was a spark of curiosity that lit in his eyes as soon as he asked the question, almost as if he was getting ready to record the next words I said.
“Uhhhh well-” Just before I could answer, Present Mic’s voice boomed out through the speakers “Alright let’s get this party started! Real heroes don’t get a countdown so get moving!”
As me and Midoryia look back we see the group already heading into the fake city “shit!” and me and Midoryia rush off after them.
We ran straight into the fray as everyone started separating from the group to go off on their own so I looked to Midoriya “good luck out there!” ''Thanks you too Jeriko!” Midoyria replied as he turned the corner down an alley.
And just like that I went off on my own. It didn’t take long for me to find my first target. A 1 pointer robot came around the corner and took a strike at me. I ducked out of the way and shoved a burst of fire in its face as it fell to the ground.
Just as I finished I saw a 3 pointer robot across the way. I shot out two fireballs right at the 3 pointer as it tried to block, I bent the fire to hit it in its back. The robot's back exploded and when it was off balance I shot another fireball to its chest as it fell over
“Ha these things aren’t so-agh!” Another robot smacked me in the back and I slammed into a nearby wall “ugh…me and my big mouth.” As I let out another burst of fire at the 2 pointer.
The rest of the time I was taking down robots left and right even seeing some other kids in action. As I was taking down another 3 pointer I was the glasses kid zooming past and kicked a nearby 1 pointer in the blink of an eye.
Another kid I saw lifted a group of robots up in the air and slammed them down with some type of floating quirk.
After fighting for a minute or two I had a moment to think. “Ok so far I got 23 points that should be good enough now I just gotta wait for time to be called.”
My train of thought was broken when I heard a yell from across the way. It was Midoryia cornered by a 1 pointer!
I rushed over immediately, blasting a giant wave of fire over the robot and kept the fire from Midoryia at the same time. The 1 pointer melted away as I turned to the frightened teen. “Midoriya what are you doing, get your head in the-woah!”
The ground beneath us started to shake “What was that?” As I turned and saw rising above some destroyed buildings a giant robot, double the size of the nearby buildings!
“Jesus Christ! That’s the zero pointer?! How do they expect us to avoid that?!” I saw a bunch of other kids start running away and I saw Midoriya starting to crawl. I ran over and picked him up off the ground “c’mon we gotta move!” “Yeah right!”
As we started running we both heard someone “HELP!” Looking back I saw it was the girl who made the robots float. She was trapped under some debris in the path of the zero pointer. “Shit, she’s going to get crushed!”
Before I could even react Midoriya started running towards the robot. “Midoriya what are you doing?!” He bent his knees and in a massive shockwave rocketed up to the robot and sent me falling on my ass.
He flew in the air up to the thing’s head and punched it in its face, causing a massive shockwave that caused it to crumple to the ground.
My jaw dropped and the only thing I could say was “Holy Crap! THAT WAS AWESOME!” But my excitement soon changed when I noticed that Midoriya…wasn’t slowing down, he was still falling and fast.
“Oh shit!” I rushed to try to catch him as fast as I could but he was falling faster then my legs could match pace with. “I’m not gonna...make it!”
Just then I saw the girl from before floating on a piece of a robot slap Midoryia in the face, causing his fall too slow as he then floating just a few inches off the ground.
She looked very weak as she put her hands together and spoke “release…” and both she and Midoriya gently fell to the ground. The girl looked sick but not injured so I rushed over to Midoriya “yo, you ok?” As I looked I noticed...his arm and both his legs are broken!
“What the heck!? Was that from punching that robot!?” I heard over the loudspeaker Present Mic “TIMES UP LISTENERS! Thank you all for participating in this year’s entrance exam!” “Wait, it's over? Already?”
Just then pushing through the crowd a small old lady wearing what appeared to be some kind of lab coat and nurses scrubs. “Oh well this one looks like he got destroyed more than the robot did, well that’s why I’m here.”
The nurse walked over and kissed Midoriya on the head. “Uhhhhh...What?” before I could formulate another thought, Midoriya’s wounds seemed to heal on their own.
I later learned that it was Recovery Girl, she can heal those by kissing them but if the damage is serious it’ll leave the person drained. Mom would absolutely kill for that quirk given how many double shifts she's had to take at the hospital sometimes.
I walked over to Recovery Girl as she stood next the unconscious Midoryia “Is he gonna be ok?” “He’ll still need time to recover but he’ll be just fine don’t you worry.” Just then, a stretcher with two robots on each end picked Deku up and started to carry him away from the testing site. “Is anyone else seriously injured? No? Good, all of you did wonderful, excellent work.”
With nothing else I could really do, I like the rest of the kids here decided to make my way back home.
—
It’s been 2 or 3 days since the entrance exam and, for the most part, things have been pretty boring. I’ve had nothing to do but ride my motorcycle around town and play video games while waiting on the results from the exam.
My mom has checked the mailbox 200 times already, the anticipation is killing her. Meanwhile, I'm interested to see how I did but I’m not expecting to get in. I didn’t stand out much, especially compared to Midoriya after he one shot that 0 pointer. He’s been texting me for days with a mix of worry and disappointment, because he didn’t even get any points which made me even more confused. “How is it possible that someone with that much power didn’t get a single point? I guess he broke his arm and legs after punching that robot but still.”
In the middle of my game, I was interrupted when mom called me. “Jeriko, can you come down for a minute?” I headed downstairs to see mom sitting at the bottom of the stairs.
“There’s a letter for you sweetie, and it’s from UA!” She pulled out a letter which had the school’s symbol on it and handed it to me. “Well come on, open it and let’s see! Let’s see!”
“Ok, ok calm down. Don’t get your hopes up too high.” i sat down on the couch as I started fiddling with the letter.
“Oh come on Jeriko you need to have more confidence in yourself.” She teased as she wheeled herself up next to me. “No matter if you get in or out I am going to be proud of you.”
Finally I managed to get the letter open, and inside was a small black disk which I placed on the table. As soon as I did, a hologram picture of someone I wasn’t expecting to see appeared. “I AM HERE!”
“ALL MIGHT!?” Both me and my mom exclaimed.
“Yes it is I! I’m sure you must be wondering why I’m appearing on this holoscreen right? Well to answer that question first you're looking at the brand new faculty member of UA! That’s right, I am going to be teaching at UA! We are planning on holding a press conference to officially announce it.”
Suffice it to say I was not expecting this news, the symbol of peace himself was going to be teaching at the best high school in Japan. Seems like a weird bit of information to just gloss over in an acceptance letter.
“But enough about me, let's talk about you! I’m sure you're dying to hear your results! Now, Jeriko Blaze, you did manage to pass the written portion of the exam, but where you really shined is in the practical exam.”
Suddenly videos of me fighting the robots popped up next to All Might's face as he went on. “Your quirk may not appear to be special but the way you use it is very unique and creative.” As the video played when I bended the fire around the robot hitting it in its back.
“Very impressive! But above all that you still helped out your fellow examinees, watch!” As the video played both the moment when I saved Midoriya from the one pointer and when I checked up on him after he punched the giant zero pointer.
I glanced at my mom and noticed she was smiling at me “What?” “Oh nothing, nothing.”
The moment was interrupted when All Might spoke again. “The way I see it, you're more than deserving of training at this school.” “Wait...does that mean?” “Young Jeriko, welcome to the hero academia!”
My mom startled me with a scream of excitement. “Congratulations Jeriko! I’m so proud of you!” I let out a light chuckle “yeah, I wasn’t expecting...any of that.”
“See I told you, you need more confidence in yourself.” She teased me again as she rubbed my shoulder. “Okay maybe you’re right” “moms are always right remember?”She chuckles as she starts moving over to the door. “Just remember what I told you before alright? Be careful.”
I gave her a soft smile as I stood up. “Yeah mom. Like I said, I'm always careful.”
“Good…Now I think this calls for celebration! Get your shoes on and we’ll go to that sushi place you like.”
I gave a big smile at that news. “All right! Now you're talking!”
END OF CHAPTER 1