First Steps

Kai inhaled slowly.

And like everyday since starting six months ago, he ran through the bustling city of Musutafu at a moderate pace. His steps were firm, his arms swung with precision, and his heart rate started to pick up as he hit the first mile mark. Kai's gaze stayed forward, emotionless as always but sometimes faltering into a smile anytime an older lady or man would wave at him. 

He always had a soft spot for old people, so nine times out of ten he would never hesitate to help them, exchange a few polite greetings, or simply run in place as he listened to their ramblings about this or that. He had done it enough times that he started to form a routine of sorts with some of the locals, although he could do without the lectures about his hair.

Kai supposed the last part came par for the course when being around people their age.

He hummed as his wireless earbuds played instrumental music, the lack of words replaced by Kai's wandering thoughts as they drifted from one thing to another.

Unsurprisingly, they focused on a certain person, one he had grown to like over time as he had read his rise from a cry baby nervous wreck into a cry baby confident fighter.

Izuku Midoriya, or whatever this world would have her named as, was diligently doing the same training as she would in canon. 

To say Kai was relieved was an understatement, because if the green haired girl never got One for All, then he would have to find All Might and change how he played the game. Kai would need to give up a few valuable secrets, and after ample proof of being able to predict certain events or knowing knowledge he shouldn't, only then he would do everything in his power to have Izuku wield it.

The choice was not out of favoritism or anything of the like, it was just the fact that Izuku's use of the power was predictable, a variable Kai could work around. 

Better the devil he knew than the one he didn't.

Izuku would at least never go crazy and join the villain's side, since that was the last thing he needed.

It was why Kai was trying to stay away from known characters besides the ones he was forced to meet or had met by happenstance. He greatly feared where One for All might end up if he was too quick to change things.

All Might was known for his pension to do things on a whim, and the image of Bakugo holding One for All and also figuring out he would die early made most of his enthusiasm to interfere fizzle out.

'Speaking of One for all.' Kai thought as he turned a corner heading toward Dagobah Beach, raising his hand and once again looking at his palm to see the same lighting Izuku formed when going up to five percent output; just purple.

This was only three percent, and Kai had long experimented with the power enough to understand his limit.

It was twenty percent, though if he held it any longer than ten or so minutes at full throttle then he would be exhausted beyond belief, his body still getting used to the power.

His first theory had been wrong apparently, and after a long night staring at the ceiling during sleepless nights trying to find some other answer to work with, he believed he had it right this time around.

The reason the stockpiling power had not manifested out of the gate was because his Quirk was naturally holding back the strength portion so as not to hurt him. His body had only been deemed appropriate when he turned twelve, the strength he should have been getting finally manifesting.

Also, he wagered the percentage he gained was how much the wielder of the Quirk he got contributed to the stockpiling of One for All when they wielded it themselves. And going off this theory with two years to explore it, he was able to gauge how much each of the eight holders of One for All gave to it, or at least the ones he had currently.

The wielder of [Gearshift] had only given a measly three percent, [Fa Jin] gave a somewhat sizable twelve percent, and finally [Smokescreen] coming in second with only five percent.

Also, along with the previous, he discovered another fact that had him frown everytime he thought about it. The purple lightning that he honestly thought was super cool, was actually excess power releasing because he could not properly hold it.

With the discovery, his actual maximum percentage output was more so around fifteen percent, meaning that only in the future when he became more muscular or older could he truly wield the power in full.

However, there was still one thing that slipped his mind, which was when would he get All Might's portion of the stockpile? The number one hero had been Qurikless, so Kai could only speculate that once he unlocked every other Quirk he would get the final accumulated power All Might had nurtured.

Kai exhaled in slight frustration, his legs covering less and less distance until he came to a stop after finally reaching his destination.

Dogabah Beach. 

Down below, on the white sands marred by metal debris and garbage, the protagonist of My Hero Academia—or a version of him he supposed—was training just as she would in the show.

Shoulder length green curls that were tied into a short ponytail, a white wife beater white shirt hiding a black sports bra, black yoga pants, and also the iconic red sneakers.

She was pretty, not drop dead gorgeous or enough to be constantly turning heads, but she was still far from ugly.

Kai never really cared for looks anyways, exhibit A being his own hair he left to the whims of fate. To him, how pretty a face was didn't matter much, mostly because they all eventually grew decrepit and saggy, just as he did when he had been hospitalized by the autoimmune disease so long ago.

The experience would always be fresh in his mind, and no amount of time would ever erase its footprints in the sand.

Maybe, because he himself had not been much to look at as a pudgy Mexican boy back in his old life, or even perhaps as a by-product from dying, he realized just how fragile the body was and how little it contributed to a person's personality.

Kai had firsthand experience afterall, because even with a whole new body he still had most if not all of his morals and likes, though he didn't enjoy spicy food as much as he had in his old life.

So, he never really found himself overly attracted just off looks, mostly finding admiration in how someone treated others and carried themselves.

Exhaling and swallowing a few mouthfuls of water, Kai watched while slightly leaning on the rail, studying how Midoriya struggled profusely trying to pull the front half of a car Kai didn't recognize. There was too much rust and mold to make an accurate guess.

The young girl struggled for almost ten minutes straight, perhaps getting the hunk a metal a few feet before collapsing on her knees, punching two fist-sized holes in the sand and then using her forearms to wipe away forming tears.

Kai could almost taste her frustration from where he stood, and something inside of him stirred as he saw it. He had only come to monitor her progress, and also because no girl should be alone so early in the morning when the sun had yet to rise.

Kai would rather burn this world to the ground than allow someone as pure-hearted as her to get taken advantage of. He was sure the girl could handle herself once UA rolled around anyways.

As a result, he would run the five miles everyday except on Sunday, matching Midoriya's schedule and always coming to watch her training for a few minutes out of curiosity and worry about his plans.

However, there were a few things he was noticing as time passed. The first being just how slow her progress actually was. She had started off practically a skeleton, even more so than the Canonical Timeline Midoriya as a male had been.

If things continue as they were, he feared she would never finish, and failure to clear the beach could affect the first of the five 'must happen' that Kai had summarized. Midoriya would have One for All, even if he had to threaten All Might to make it happen, no matter how reckless it sounded. The process of screening another Quirkless person and guaranteeing their commitment to doing good could take too long and he wouldn't even be guaranteed to even find one in the first place.

So, in the spur of the moment action, Kai called out to her; a simple shout to draw the girl's attention.

Kai was certainly glad he had, because the short conversation made him realize just how close the girl was to throwing in the towel and giving up. Thankfully, with a few kind words and the simple statement of him believing in her, the determination in her eyes roared with flames again.

Although, soon after the girl suddenly blushed up a storm of red, making Kai want to slap himself for forgetting such a detail. He was thinking of a later version of Izumi, one where she had gone through her trials and tribulations and matured from them.

Funnily enough, he himself was slightly embarrassed by practically turning the girl into a hot mess, only able to do Izumi a favor and cut their meeting short. 

He was going to have to remember next time that he was dealing with earlier versions of characters on top of them being gender bent, the ramifications of forgetting again might prove detrimental.

An annoyance for sure, but one he had to deal with, though Kai did find making Izumi blush enjoyable; a reminder to troll other characters noted for later.

After leaving and finishing his run, time seemed to blur without stopping, days slipping into weeks, and those weeks turning into four months.

Momoto still took the recommendation exam and passed, Kai had been slightly tempted to join him if not for the fact he was afraid of taking Shoto Todorki's spot in class 1-A. He needed the original class to be intact as much as possible, both because he could work with familiarity, and also because had almost a decade to think about them and their Quirks.

Momoto was an example, and sometimes Kai slightly regretted what he created as a result. He had pushed his younger brother harder than he ever should have, but Momoto had never complained, almost thriving in the grueling pace they set.

Of course, Kai could put him down in thirty seconds tops on a good day, and a scant two minutes if Momoto was thinking outside the box and he was slightly sore from said good days.

Honestly, he really hated mentioning tear gas, one of his dumbest mistakes to date he believed. The amount of times he was forced to flush his eyes out was downright absurd.

Thankfully today they did not spar, seeing as it was time for the public entrance exam to be held, despite knowing he would pass there still needed to be some caution taken.

So currently, he waited inside the familiar tea garden he had frequented for the last four years, fond memories coming to him as he waited on a certain red winged professional hero. 

The memories of playing chess, losing said chess, consoling Momoto when he broke down about not seeing his parents, reading out the novels he managed to steal as Momoto buried his head in a bush, and lastly the times spent with Hawks.

They always kept their relationship, if that was the correct term, mostly casual. They would talk about each other's day, speak on the happenings of hero society, reminisce about their memories at the HPSC, and on occasion even converse about their future goals.

It was nice.

A reprieve from life, just the two of them, alone in their own little world. 

"Hey Kai." The words were accompanied by the familiar sound of flapping and displaced air, and Kai did not even look as he could already imagine the countless times the hero, with unnatural grace, would land perfectly in the chair across from him with minimal noise.

"Morning Kaya." Kai answered, not bothering to look up at his fellow agent, more so scrolling aimlessly on his smartphone.

However, the action was stopped cold as he saw a long shadow cast over him from behind. Kai turned, eyes widening just a hair as his nose now sat inches away from Kaya's, her smile broader than he had ever seen it.

"Uhh… what-"

He never got to finish, arms falling around his broad shoulders as Kaya hugged him from behind, two soft pillows pushing against both sides of his neck and chin. Kai's back straightened, and for a second he got lost in the feeling of Mount Tai before shaking his head and raising a single brow.

Kaya closed her eyes, not caring about how close she was, even going as far as to bury her face in Kai's hair and breathing deeply. He was about to speak, but the sudden girlish squeak of excitement shut him up before he could. Hawks was rarely this genuine with her emotions. 

Kai smiled, pulling away and setting his phone down on the table, turning around fully to see her still grinning ear to ear like a good girl on christmas.

"I got into the top ten."

Purple eyes brightened, and before Kai noticed what he was doing he was hugging the young woman back, even going as far as to practically leap out of his seat in mirrored excitement. He instinctively powered up two percent of One for All, picking Kaya up and twirling her about as they laughed in glee.

"That's awesome, when will it be officially announced, are they going to wait for the Hero Billboard JP event?"

As Kai set her down, he had to look down to see her face, a development that had started two years ago after he finally grew past 5 '4.

Kaya looked up, arms still clasped around Kai's sides as she rested her chin on his chest, "At the HB event(Hero Billboard). I even beat Endeavor in villains detained this spring. I cannot wait to see the look at that arrogant bitch's face. Ugh, she would always steal my spotlight and she even burnt some of my feathers in the Saitama incident a few months ago. 'Collateral' and 'necessary sacrifice' my ass."

Kai chuckled at the jab at the number two hero, but he already knew how much Kaya actually looked up to the woman and respected her, going into Midoriya levels of fangirling as she was able to talk about battles almost a decade ago in great detail.

"Don't meet your heroes I guess."

Kaya rolled her eyes, "Well you already met me so what does that say?"

Kai rolled his eyes right back, hands firm on the sides of her hips, the sensation of her bare skin because she wore a tank top making his mind finally register exactly the pose they were in. He pulled away, and the thinly hidden pout that sprouted on Kaya's face was definitely a new development from her.

One he was not sure how to feel about.

"Anyways, today is your big day, you are about to go and ace the entrance exam right?" Her shit eating grin was back. "Think you're some hot shit for gunning for UA?"

Kai sat back down, yawning with exaggeration, "It will be a walk in the park, it's why I'm here and not showing up an hour early."

Kaya nodded, sashaying over to her seat before plopping down with little grace, a pair of gray vans settling squarely on the chessboard and pieces knocked over as she did so.

"I know you will pass, we were trained to pass every entrance exam, I just got unlucky and had to go to some three star academy. You totally lucked out."

He simply grunted, acknowledging her statement before sighing at the black bishop that rolled off the table and bounced into a bed of tulips.

"Will you ever not, not knock those over?"

He only got a wink in response.

"Whatever, I might as well head out, Momoto keeps texting me every minute about how much time I have left, I swear he still gets anxious even till this day." Kai pocketed his phone and stood up again, turning to leave, but only to once again find slender arms wrapped around his midsection.

"After the exam," Kaya's voice was quiet and meek. "Would you come over to my flat, for a celebration or something?"

Kai smirked, "Shouldn't we wait until I get my acceptance letter?"

Kaya scoffed, "If you don't make it in, the UA staff is just a bunch of idiots."

The two went silent, Kai still facing away as Kaya continued to hug him from behind. Slowly, and gently, red wings wrapped around him also.

"Please?"

Her tone was nothing short of begging, so Kai gave the only response he could at the moment,"Yeah, nothing wrong with a fourteen year old boy visiting a twenty two year old woman. Sorry Grandma."

The punch to his shoulder blade made him laugh aloud, wondering how Kaya liked having the same lip service done to her in kind, a taste of her own medicine if you will. 

"I'll be there."

A smile blossomed on the blonde woman's face, "Good luck then Kai, even if you don't need it, I'll text you the address."

Then, like clockwork, Kaya was gone.

Kai watched her go, looking up and definitely not taking a peek at her ass, he swore he didn't.

He coughed at the thought, simply waving at the heroine and not really caring if she saw it or not. He then cast his gaze at the chess pieces scattered about.

"Eh, we have butlers and maids for this anyway." He took the lazy route this time around.

With no more distractions, he made his way into the mansion he had called his home for four years. He walked through each hallway, fond memories replaying in his head as he did so. 

After his small trip down memory lane, he took a few minutes to give a proper goodbye to Momoto, who nagged at him about being late and what it meant to be a Yaoyorozu. Kai just rolled his eyes, flicked his younger brother on the forehead, and chuckled. With his emotions properly sorted out, he finally headed toward where it would all begin.

UA.

At this point in his life, he did not see anyone as mere characters anymore, however he did still refer to them as such when discussing his plans.

Honestly, after fourteen years which practically passed in a blur, Kai had become more attached to this world than his old one. Earth was great, but super powers made everything better, especially if or when he matured he would be powerful enough to be almost like the Superman of this world.

A big leap of logic, and a lot of confidence sprinkled in, but Kai believed he could.

He would be a symbol, he would reach the number one hero spot, and then he would become a bastion that would always be ready for those who wished ill will for the world or planned to conquer it. He would make those hellbent on causing death and destruction think twice, a deterrent or stop gap from mass destruction. He knew he did not want power, he knew he was not a leader, and he knew he could not make any 'necessary' sacrifices for the good of the world.

He was too human, too selfish in his dreams and aspirations, and perhaps a bit small minded as well.

Hopefully, when whatever befell the world was all said and done, and when he could guarantee peace, then he would have a big family. One where none of his children would have to worry about absent parents or be forced to rot away in some orphanage.

Of course, said goal was at the end of a path filled with potholes, raging fires, high walls, caltrops, and plenty of other nasty things that wished to stop or slow him down. Honestly, he was looking forward to it a little, eager to test his metal and prove to himself and any who were watching that his dreams were achievable.

However, it all started in the place now before him, four glistening glass titans that belonged to the prestigious UA. The towers stood unwavering in their strength to loom above the swathe of students entering its premises, bearing down with long shadows cast across walkways.

Kai gazed up at them, seemingly accepting the pressure they offered him, and marched forward with determination.

The feeling was almost tangible as he took his first step through the open gates, the line from simple guess work in his head to actual actions no longer so far apart. 

Fourteen years of anticipation, all gone in an instant, replaced by a will to succeed.

"Plus Ultra." Kai said to himself, slowly meandering off the side of the gate and waiting for a certain green haired protagonist to show up. 

He had done what little he thought he could get away with Izumi, and now he had to see if his efforts were not in vain and also to see how structurally sound canon was.

The breath he never noticed he held for almost two minutes left him, seeing the cheerful yet anxious expression on Izumi's face as she walked through UA's gates, eyes sparkling with a plethora of emotion.

However, her face suddenly morphed into fear, her steps quick to take her away as a slightly taller girl with sandy blonde hair and red eyes stomped forward with her hands crossed under her chest. The same crimson eyes which scanned the crowd, and for the briefest moment met Kai's own. 

The female Bakugou did not even pay him mind, continuing on like she owned the world, huffing arrogantly.

Kai moved to meet Izumi, gaze focused behind her as he looked for Uraraka, the gravity 'boy' who should be coming soon to sweep Izumi off her feet. Although, as he drew closer, he realized he was nowhere to be found. His pace quickened in response, and he wondered exactly how things would play out now that Uraraka wasn't present. Maybe he was late, the ramifications of her being a boy escaped him honestly.

Kai almost laughed at what happened next.

Thankfully, he was there in time when the nervous wreck called Izumi tripped, barely managing to touch the back of her hand and slowing her down with [Gearshift].

However, the second he touched her skin, something inside of him almost lurched awake. Akin to a part of his body which usually stayed dormant, unthinking and a simple cog in a machine which diligently did its job. Whatever it was, it pointed at Izumi, and Kai shuddered as he saw purple lightning spark across his fingers to meet the same arc of green emitting from Izumi's.

There was only a second of contemplation for the sight, then his mask slipped and autopilot took over. He pulled the girl back to her feet by her yellow backpack and cleared his throat.

"You okay?" He asked, deftly hiding his trickle of panic and confusion.

Izumi's eyes widened, and she swirled around to see Kai standing there. She took a few moments to examine him, as if she wasn't exactly sure if he was there or perhaps who he was.

They had only met once, maybe she had forgotten about him, he couldn't fault her for it if she did.

"H-hi Kai."

He barely was able to fight back the wide smile he wanted to show, only allowing a smirk as he spoke, "Hello, guess it was fate, I never got to ask which hero school you wanted to apply to."

Izumi smiled back, "Well, everyone usually tries for UA, but yeah what a surprise."

Kai gestured with his head toward the flowing crowd of people, "Let's go, we might be late if we stay out here."

"Yes," Izumi chirped as she started walking, Kai falling in line right next to her while his mind went back to the feeling he had felt when their skin had touched.

'I never thought about it, but we literally have the same Quirk, everything is identical except for the leftover vestiges and how we get our other Quirks.' Kai thought. 'Is that the reason, or is it something else? Tch, another unknown, another variable, another problem.'

"How did training go?" Kai asked, focusing on the short girl next to him instead since he wouldn't be able to investigate with the entrance exam so close.

Her long green hair was still as wild as his, but her body had changed a lot. She was 5 '4, same as hawks, and she looked a lot older. She was fit, the Aldera uniform doing little to hide her hard work, and Kai was glad she also seemed to carry herself better.

"U-uh-"

Nevermind.

"It was hard." She started nervously. "All M- um, my mentor helped me a lot, she didn't pull any punches…" Izumi's gaze was squarely locked on the crowd in front of them, as if meeting Kai's gaze would be the death of her.

Kai, for all of his skills and abilities, was not trained on how to treat teenage girls with enough strength to level cities. He had been introduced to sex and the like much younger because of the HPSC, but it was more so from studying biology and how fights might be affected due to gender. Any other training in the field would be during internships and work studies which would send him back to Facility Beta.

However, that was if he followed their orders, and he decided come the time he was asked to go back after the sports festival for evaluation; he would have to permanently remove himself from them.

"I can tell, you look great." He regretted saying those words almost immediately, forgetting how anyone around this age would take the sentence for flirting despite him meaning it as an observation.

Hormones.

'Man, I wish life was just fighting, High School is going to be the death of me.'

Izumi covered her face, but her stupidly large grin still showed through her fingers, and he assumed the girl got lost in her own head, seeing as she never spoke for the rest of the trip through UA's halls.

Signs and arrows told them where to go, and although Kai and Izumi were in the same testing site, once they showed proof of who they were, gave a fingerprint, and even answered a few questions, they were led to different classrooms.

Kai noticed the testing sites were split into students with Mutation, Emitters, and Transformation Quirks. He was inside the Emitter wing of UA, in Classroom C while Izumi was in A. Without the green girl to tease or fail talking to,Kai became silent, casually spinning his pencils while a random faculty worker went about giving the class of fifty instructions.

The long spill was the usual about cheating, being honest if you see someone else cheating, manners for other test takers, and doing your best for your future.

Kai was actually a little surprised when everyone yelled "Plus Ultra" in concert, and he wondered how exactly that had worked out so perfectly.

'Anime logic.' Kai summarized. 'Now let's get this over with.'

With that, a timer was shown to them and properly started, eliciting the sound of papers flipping in unison with the sound of pencils scratches following right after.

Kai finished in forty minutes, noting that he had not been the first, but actually the seventh. Though none of those that finished ahead of him were gunning for the normal courses. The likely answer was Quirks that helped with memorization or mental facilities.

A good amount of people just wanted UA on their resume, not to be a hero, the school almost like a  Havard like equivalent in that regard.

Done with the test, and due to finishing early, a few of the security guards and non hero course teachers went about giving out refreshments, showing students to bathrooms, and if they wanted, letting them inside the auditorium early.

Kai pondered on waiting for Izumi, but he honestly didn't want to torment the girl anymore, so he made his way to the auditorium and picked a random spot towards the back. He knew what was going to be said anyways, so he shut his eyes to let himself catch some extra rest.

Thirty minutes later, other people started to file in, and Kai couldn't really nap with all the chatter going on. He opted to scroll through social media, and like this another hour passed, the lights finally turning off and a familiar yet distinct figure appearing on the stage.

Hannah Yamada, aka Harpy, or Present Mic as she would have been called in the original world of My Hero Academia. The English teacher for heroics and a Pro Hero known for her boisterous announcer voice and sultry style. Her hero outfit did her body justice, and if one did a casual glance at the crowd most of the males were suddenly listening with rapt attention. The leather and spikes she wore, with plenty of skin showing at that, was most likely the reason.

"Hello UA candidates~" She started with a tone that had every boy lean forward an entire foot. "Can I get a HEY?"

The resounding "HEY!" that most of the almost four hundred called out was deafening, Kai visible flinching and probably showing the most emotion he had in years. Jaw slack and eyes wide as the Female Present Mic chuckled playfully before continuing. He was truly registering just how drastic a change in gender could do for someone's popularity.

"I won't bore you with an introduction, I'm sure you hard working individuals are nervous and roaring to get those muscles working."

Next, she went into her normal canon spill, talking about the entrance exam, the robots and their points, and surprisingly without being interrupted by Tenka Iida. No, Kai slowly scanned the crowd before finding her with her back straight, legs crossed, and eyes focused on Harpy and nowhere else.

'How exactly sound is canon? What happened inside of me when I touched Izumi? How will UA play out?' Kai swallowed, but knew he was as ready as he was ever going to be. No amount of worry helped, it was sink or swim now.

Kai looked down at his plastic card, seeing a big bold A for his testing site, not particularly remembering such a small detail but wondering who he would have in his testing site. He yawned, following the arrows and staff leading the boys to the locker room.

Without much fanfare, he chose locker number 117 and changed into his workout clothes. A form fitting short sleeved black shirt, baggy white joggers, and simple gray sneakers. He closed his locker, and took a moment to center his mind before heading out toward the buses lined outside the side of UA, letters their matching testing sites painted on the sides.

Kai found Bus A, and was a bit early since he did not waste time talking to any other examinees. He found a random seat in the middle, plopping down onto the seat and then closing his eyes, enjoying the silence for what it was.

Peaceful.

Ten minutes later, people started to funnel into his bus, and he would have continued to meditate if not for the slow rise of whispers and words that made his eyebrows furrow.

"She's the one with the awesome Quirk.'

"Hey hey, that's the one chick from the slime villain incident."

"Yo, I'm totally hitting that."

"Uh, bro, she's glaring this way."

"Must be nice having a good Quirk."

It did not take a genius to guess who and what was being spoken about, and Kai peeled a single eye open to watch as a female Bakugou stomped through the aisle, blood red eyes promising violence as she brushed past everyone with unnecessary force.

Right before sitting in the spot directly next to Kai.

'Great.' He thought, hoping she wouldn't be bothered to talk to him.

"Hmm," She grunted. "You don't seem like an extra, who the hell are you?"

Kai exhaled, wondering why his luck ran out, and also why it had to do so today.