What it Takes to be a Hero

The young students huddled together, whispering and glancing nervously at silver hair girl.

"How scary!" one of them said in a hushed voice. "I heard she was there when the villains attacked. What if she's cursed now?"

"I don't want to be near her, what if I get cursed too?" another chimed in, taking a step back.

"Yeah, I don't want to lose my parents," a third added, shaking their head.

Mirai kept her eyes down, pretending not to hear as she methodically tore a sheet of paper into strips. The jagged pieces fell onto her desk in uneven lines, but she didn't mind the asymmetry. Tearing the fragile paper was a welcome distraction, something to keep hands busy. To keep her busy.

"Hey you!" A loud voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. Startled, Mirai looked up to see a grinning boy with spiky blond hair. "Wanna play heroes and villains with us?" he asked.

The other kids hung back warily. "Katsuki, that's the cursed girl," one of them warned. "She might-"

"So what? I ain't afraid of some girl." Katsuki pointed a finger at Mirai. "Hey, do you wanna play or not?"

Mirai blinked in surprise. Who was this bold boy? Why wasn't he scared of her like everyone else? She hesitated, "He's right, you know?" She mumbled, "What if I cursed you too? What if…""Then I'll deal with it like a hero should. You're looking at the future world's number 1 hero! No curse is gonna stop me from being the best. And if you're gonna be apart of my agency you best be bringing your best at this too. No more dumb curse talk."

A few seconds passed, before Mirai reached out and tentatively took Katsuki's outstretched hand. "Sure," she said quietly. "Why not?"

As Katsuki pulled her over to join the game, Mirai felt the tiniest smile tug at her lips.

***

The teacher droned on about high school applications as Mirai twirled her pencil absentmindedly. "Now, remember, your choice of high school will greatly impact your future as heroes. I see many of you have chosen excellent schools with strong hero programs…"

After class, the teacher called out, "Mirai, could I speak with you for a moment?"

Mirai approached the teacher's desk, her expression neutral. "Yes, sensei?"

The teacher looked at her with concern. "I noticed you applied to UA High School. While it's certainly an excellent choice, I must admit I'm a bit worried. Your grades haven't been the strongest, even though your quirk is quite impressive. Are you sure about this decision?"

Mirai met the teacher's gaze steadily. "I.." She lowered her gaze, "I will do my best sensei."

The teacher sighed. "Very well. I wish you the best of luck, then."

As Mirai turned to leave, a few classmates approached her. "Hey, Mirai! We were thinking about signing up for a cram school together. Want to join us—?"

But Mirai's attention was caught by something outside the window. Without a word, she vanished in a flash, reappearing outside the building just in time to snatch a falling notebook from the air before it could hit the water. She rolled as she landed, absorbing the impact.

Opening the charred notebook, Mirai's suspicions were confirmed. "Midoriya's hero analysis… Damn it, Bakugou."

"Mirai!" Izuku's voice called out from her left. She turned to see him running towards her, his face etched with worry.

"Thanks for catching my notebook," he panted as he reached her.

Mirai tossed the notebook to him, which he fumbled with before securing it in his grasp. "So, I take it that Bakugou is responsible for this," she said, her tone sharp.

"Uh—" Izuku stammered.

"I'll take that as a yes. That asshole!" Mirai screamed. "What else did he do, Izuku?"

"Erm—"

"Izuku, what else did he do?" Mirai pressed.

"He, well… he said…" Izuku hesitated before recounting Bakugou's cruel actions and words.

Mirai's face contorted with rage. She started to storm off, but Midoriya grabbed her arm. "Mirai, don't!"

"Let go, Izuku! That goddamn prick needs to pay!"

"Mirai, please! It's okay—"

"No, it's not!" Mirai exclaimed, pulling her arm free. "How dare he say those things to you? I swear, that big shot is going to regret this."

Izuku's voice was quiet. "But Mirai, what can you do?"

The question hit Mirai like a bucket of ice water. He was right. What could she do against Katsuki Bakugou, with his stupid explosive quirk?

She sighed heavily, and Izuku began to ramble. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean… You're not weak, Mirai! Your teleportation quirk is amazing, and I know you can…"

"Alright, alright," Mirai cut him off, waving her hand. "I get it. Thank you, Izuku. And hey," she punched his shoulder lightly, "when we get into UA, we'll show that egocentric prick what happens when his plans fall apart."

Izuku merely laughed quietly, keeping to himself as he was always did. Mirai didn't really mind, "Let's go home?"

But Izuku shook his head. "Oh, I'll have to take a different route. I want to check out where there's a new villain on the loose."

Mirai frowned, concern etching her features. "Izuku, don't you think running towards villains is a bit… oh, I don't know, dangerous?"

Izuku waved off her worries. "I'll be fine."

"Will you?" Mirai pressed, not entirely convinced.

"Yes."

"Will you keep a safe distance?"

"Yes."

"Will you stay surrounded by people?"

"Yes."

"And finally, will you continue taking notes for your hero journey?"

At this, Izuku's face split into a wide grin. "Yes!"

Mirai couldn't help but smile back, "Then what are you still doing here? Go! Before you miss it!"

With a quick nod and a wave, Izuku took off, his feet pounding the pavement as he ran.

Mirai watched him go, a sigh escaping her lips. She knew Izuku was smart enough not to get into serious trouble, but still, she couldn't help but worry. That boy seemed to have a magnet for attracting danger, always finding himself in the thick of things.

Mirai walked home alone, her phone pressed to her ear as she talked with her parents.

"Hm? Yeah, I could go to the grocery store. Huh? The villain… ah, I'm sure the heroes have it handled—"

Her words trailed off as she spotted Bakugou and his sidekicks heading into an alleyway.

"Er… I'll call you later, Cecila." She quickly ended the call and teleported a safe distance away from the trio, hiding behind a wall to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"You overdid it today," one of the minions said.

Bakugou scoffed as he kicked a discarded bottle of goop, sending it flying, "It's his fault for being in my way."

The minion sneered. "Don't be so irritated."

Bakugou's hand tightened around his soda can, wisps of smoke rising from his fingertips. In an instant, the can exploded, reduced to a charred husk by the force of his quirk. "Just thinking about him pisses me off." He hurled the remains of the can against the alley wall, where it clattered to the ground.

The minions glanced at each other, used to Bakugou's outbursts.

"Hey, I know what'll cheer you up," one of them suggested with a grin. "Let's hit up the arcade, blow off some steam. You in?"

Bakugou grunted noncommittally, "Fine."

The other minion smirked. "Or… we could sneak into the bar at the station, eh? Pick up some ladies?"

"Now that's a good idea!" The two high-fived.

Mirai suppressed a sigh. What was she doing, spying on these disgusting boneheads? Her target was Bakugou, but knowing him, he would probably respond with…

"Ha!" Bakugou shouted. "And risk getting caught? Like hell I'm gonna let anything ruin my perfect record!"

Yup, called it. Then again, if she could get those idiots saddled with a record, there would be fewer morons to deal with—

Suddenly, a massive, sludge-like creature took form, its attention solely focused on the trio.

"Watch out!" Mirai screamed, teleporting forward in a burst of blue light. She collided with the two minions, knocking them out of harm's way—but as she spun around, her heart seized in her chest.

Bakugou was trapped, engulfed up to his neck in the villain's viscous body, his eyes wide with shock and rage. And something else, something that she couldn't imagine the Katsuki Bakugou capable of feeling, he was afraid.

"Shit, shit, shit," Mirai chanted under her breath, frantically searching for an opening. "Bakugou, just hold on—"

But before she could make a move, a tendril of sludge shot out from the villain's main body, wrapping itself around Mirai's legs and torso. She cried out in surprise and disgust as the cold, slimy substance engulfed her, dragging her down to the ground.

Struggling against the sludge's iron grip, Mirai looked up just in time to see Bakugou's minions turn tail and flee, their faces pale with terror.

"Hey!" she shouted after them, "Get back here, you cowards!"

But they were already gone, disappearing around the corner without so much as a backward glance.

The heroes arrived on the scene, but the spreading fire and the sludge villain's grip on Katsuki made it impossible for them to act without risking harm to the young boy. Katsuki struggled desperately within the monster's grasp, explosions sparking weakly from his submerged hands, but to no avail.

Mirai watched as her heart pounded in her chest. It was just like before, just like—she felt she couldn't breathe. No no no not again, please. Tears prickle in her eyes.

Please no.

Suddenly, a flash of green hair caught her eye. Izuku Midoriya burst past the line of heroes, charging straight towards the villain.

"I-Izuku!" Mirai cried out.

Midoriya couldn't do much against the towering sludge monster, but he hurled his backpack with all his might. His notebook flew out, striking the villain directly in the eye. The monster reeled back, its focus broken just long enough for the sludge to pull away from Bakugou's mouth and release its hold on Mirai.

But even as the sludge retreated from her body, Mirai found herself unable to move. Why couldn't she move? Damn it.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya shouted, crawling forward and digging his fingers into the sludge, trying desperately to pull Katsuki free.

"Deku!" Bakugou coughed, "Why you—!"

"I don't know why!" Midoriya replied, tears streaming down his face as he continued to claw at the villain's body. "My legs just moved on their own!"

But the sludge monster recovered quickly, surging forward to engulf Katsuki's mouth once more.

Helpless and terrified, Midoriya grinned through his tears, his body shaking uncontrollably. "It looked like… you were asking for help!"

Mirai could only stare as the villain raised a massive, sludgy tendril to strike at the green-haired boy. Instinctively, she lunged forward to push him out of the way, consequences be damned. If she was going to die, at least it would be while doing something good.

Both Mirai and Midoriya shut their eyes tightly, bracing for the impact—but instead, a booming voice cut through the chaos.

"I am so pathetic."

The words were so self-deprecating, so uncharacteristic, that Mirai's eyes flew open in shock. "All… Might…?"

There, standing tall and proud, was the legendary hero himself, his muscular form blocking the villain's attack.

"I admonished you," All Might ground out through gritted teeth, "yet I'm not even doing my part." With a mighty heave, he wrenched Katsuki free from the sludge monster's grasp, cradling the boy's hand in his own.

"Pros are always risking their lives!" All Might declared, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he reared back his fist.

"All Might…!" the sludge villain roared, surging forward in a last, desperate attack.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

As the dust settled, the gathered heroes and civilians alike stared in awe at the aftermath of All Might's incredible display of power. The sheer force of his punch had not only shattered the sludge villain's body but also created a powerful updraft that nearly blew away Mt. Lady's gigantic form.

Midoriya, Bakugou, and Mirai lay unconscious on the ground, the immense pressure from All Might's attack having taken its toll. Mirai, sprawled face-down on the pavement, stirred slightly as the first drops of rain began to fall.

"Huh?" A member of the audience looked up, noticing the sudden change in weather. "Is this from the wind pressure just now?"

"It created an updraft," another spectator marveled, watching as the rain intensified.

Mirai's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself gazing up at a breathtaking sight: a brilliant blue sky encircled by dark, swirling clouds, the result of All Might's incredible feat.

The crowd erupted in cheers, their voices ringing out in a chorus of admiration and relief.

"Amazing!"

"This is truly All Might!"

In the aftermath of the battle, heroes and police officers worked diligently to retrieve the scattered remnants of the sludge villain, carefully securing them in trash bags for safe disposal. Meanwhile, reporters from various news outlets swarmed around All Might, their cameras flashing as they captured images of the triumphant hero.

Izuku, on the other hand, found himself on the receiving end of a stern lecture from the pro heroes.

"Good grief!" The wooden figure admonished, shaking his head.

"You're too reckless!" another chimed in, fixing Izuku with an annoyed glare.

"Hey!" Mirai stepped forward, "Back off, heroes. Can't you see he's had a rough day? What kind of heroes—"

"Mirai, it's okay—" Izuku began, but Mirai cut him off.

"Oh no, don't think you're off the hook either. What was that? You could have died!" Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she confronted her friend. "What was even your plan?"

Midoriya looked down, his voice barely above a whisper. "Nothing. I just… wanted to help."

Mirai stood still, Midoriya Izuku, if she could, Mirai would have transferred her quirk to him in a heartbeat. Someone like him deserved to be a hero, unlike her. She clenched her jaw. And worst of all…

'You get what you deserve.'

Sighing heavily, Mirai turned her attention to Katsuki Bakugou. The explosive boy was being showered with praise for his powerful quirk, despite the fact that it had been largely responsible for the raging fires during the battle. Yet, even with all the accolades being heaped upon him, Bakugou looked far from happy.