My Calling

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---

After that eventful day, my life took a drastic change for the better, as I had a goal and purpose to work towards. One that had me out of bed early in the morning before sunrise. 

I hastily put on my running shorts and shoes before making my way out of the apartment, careful not to wake my mom, who was still sound asleep in her room. Closing the door behind me, I jogged down the rusted stairs to the street. I hit the sidewalk at a brisk pace, the cold morning air warming as my body quickly heated up. 

My long legs ate up the ground beneath me as I ran, taking deep, steady breaths in through my nose and out my mouth. After a while, I felt my lungs start to burn, but it was nothing compared to the pain when I started exercising three months ago. My malnourished body protested with every step, and I would end my run on the verge of passing out. 

But now, as I completed my ten-mile circuit back to my apartment building, I was covered in sweat and panting, but I stood tall on steady legs with enough strength left in them to carry me back to my apartment.

Walking into the kitchen, I quickly washed some rice before putting it into the cooker and returning to my room. Opening my closet, I took out a weighted vest along with ankle and wrist weights that I fastened to my body before dropping to the floor and starting my workout. 

Even more than running, I hated working out. I could not understand why anyone would voluntarily strain their muscles to the point of causing micro-tears over and over until one day, I saw my reflection and noticed the faint outline of a six-pack. I was hooked, eagerly awaiting visual confirmation of my progress with each new line carved out of my musculature. While I wouldn't be winning any body-building competitions, I no longer looked like an errant breeze would blow me away. Instead of skinny, I could now proudly call myself lean, but I still had a ways to go. Unfortunately, I noticed that my progress had started too plateau with diminishing returns on my investment, something I had expected to happen.

Three months of consistent exercise and dieting weren't enough to compensate for eighteen years of neglect. My quirk didn't give me super strength or a crazy regenerating factor, at least not in its current state.

The rice cooker went off in the kitchen, signaling the end of my workout. I stood up and stripped the weights from my body before making my way back to the kitchen. 

A few minutes later, I had prepared two rice bowls with eggs, one significantly larger with six eggs instead of two. I sprinkled on some scallions, salt, pepper, and soy sauce before digging in, breaking the yokes halfway between sunny side up and soft-boiled. 

I had finished half of my bowl when my mother, still in her bathrobe, walked into the kitchen and said, "Morning, Kenji. You're up early." 

I nodded. "You got home late last night from work, so the least I could do was make breakfast."

My mother's face was filled with a thankful smile as she sat across from me. However, she paused, reaching for her chopsticks. Noticing her hesitation, I stopped eating. "Is something wrong?" 

My mother grimaced before letting out a tired sigh, "It's today, isn't it." 

I paused before nodding as I set my chopsticks down, "My train leaves in an hour." 

"Kenji, are you sure about this? Why not apply to Shiketsu? It's just as good and a fraction of the cost." My mom argued, only for me to shake my head. 

"I can't explain it, Mom, but Shiketsu is not for me. And don't worry about the cost; I'll get a scholarship; hell, a full ride?" I replied confidently. 

"I know you've been working hard, Kenji, but you have to understand, you'll be going against people who have been training their whole lives for today," My mom rebutted, her voice growing less sympathetic and harsher, "You need to wake up to reality, I know you want to be a hero but-" 

"Mom," I interrupted softly, causing her to draw short, "I don't want to be a hero...I need to be. Back on that train, I didn't even have to think about it. I was ready to die if it meant saving those people like my whole life had been leading up to that-

My mother slammed her hands against the table, cutting me off with a bang, "Don't You Dare talk about throwing your life away so casually! I understand you want to save people, Kenji, but you don't know how much it terrified me! Knowing you were on that train and then getting a call from the hospital! I thought...I thought...I thought you were dead!" 

I stared at my mom, stunned into silence. Tears welled in her eyes as the fire left her, and she slumped in her seat. "You're all I got, Kenji. I can't lose you." 

Wordlessly, I stood up and walked around the table before pulling my mother out of her seat and into a hug. She felt fragile as she latched onto me, as if afraid to let me go. "You'll never lose me, Mom." 

"How can you be so sure?" She muttered into my chest, and I felt her tears drip onto my shirt, "You already said you were willing to die to save people you didn't even know." 

My body stiffened as my mom threw my own words back at me, and I realized how bold my proclamation had been. Heroes died every single day; why wouldn't my mother be terrified? But even in the face of my own mortality, my conviction didn't falter. Instead, I doubled down. 

"How about I make you a deal," I asked, making my mom look up at me, "A-a deal?" 

I nodded, "You're afraid of me getting hurt, but what if I prove to you that I'm strong enough to take on any villain without risking my own life." 

"H-how would you do that?" 

A grin spread across my face, "Easy, I'll place first in the practical exam, and then when I get in with a full ride, I'll get first in the Sports Festival. If I fail, I'll abandon my dream of being a hero." 

My mom's eyes widened as she took a step back, breaking free of my embrace, "Kenji t-that's insane. You don't have to-" 

"Yes, I do," I replied resolutely, my mind already made up, "If that's what it takes so you don't have to worry about me, I'll do it. I won't follow my dream if it causes you to stay up every night in bed, wondering if I'll be okay." 

Words failed my mother as she stared at me, stammering as she tried to come up with a response. Eventually, I saw acceptance settle in her eyes, and she sighed, "Okay, Kenji, if that's what you want." 

I exhaled as the weight of my promise settled across my shoulders, "I won't let out down, Mom."

I quickly finished the rest of my bowl before running to the bathroom to shower and get dressed, leaving my mother still in the kitchen, "I know you won't...you never have." 

---

"Now boarding Train C headed for U.A University." 

I sighed in relief as I squeezed past the closing doors and onto the train, which quickly took off. The car was bustling with activity, and I looked around to see it was packed with people my age. Undoubtedly, all of them were there for the same reason I was. 

The UA entrance exam. 

Tens of Thousands applied, but only a few hundred were selected into the most prestigious hero academy in all of Japan, the one responsible for creating one of the strongest heroes to ever walk the planet, All Might. 

For most, making it in was a cause for celebration and the accomplishment of a lifetime, but for me, that wasn't enough. I needed to go above and beyond; I needed to be the best. 

Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my notebook and flipped past all my sketches before stopping on my latest fixation, countless pages filled with sprawling notes and diagrams. While I hadn't been able to practice the full extent of my quirk due to it being illegal, that didn't stop me from researching and theorizing about its uses. The file provided to me by the doctor had been invaluable, but deciphering the advanced terminology used to describe the potential of my Flux had a sharp learning curve. While Flux could be anything I wanted it to be, to fully unlock its potential, I needed to understand how physical and chemical properties worked at a fundamental level. 

Even something as simple as changing its shape involved a process, especially given how little Flux I could create at once. However, my limitations forced me to adapt and optimize how I used my quirk, studying the molecular structure of different substances and understanding how they functioned at a fundamental level. 

But that was just the beginning. I started small, but with each piece of information, more and more possibilities were revealed. Some were so complex and far-reaching that they bordered on science fiction, but I didn't let that stop me as I learned the basics building a foundation that would one day support the tower of my ascension.