As Midoriya stood in front of the kid, his voice trembled but he was firm. "Stop, Kacchan. You're being mean. If you hurt him, I won't forgive you."
Tears streamed down Midoriya's cheeks, his whole body shaking with fear and determination.
Bakugo clenched his fist into his palm, a small explosion erupting with a sharp pop. "Stop trying to be a hero, Deku," Bakugo sneered. Before anyone could react, Bakugo and his friends lunged forward, landing blows that left burn marks and scratches all over Midoriya's body.
Caleb and Calvin watched silently from the sidelines.
Caleb broke the silence, voice low but resolute. "I'm going to heal him. This is just… sad to watch." Calvin nodded, eyes narrowing slightly. "I'll stay here and keep you two company." Caleb glanced over at Calvin with a small, tired smile. "Thanks. Someone's gotta watch our backs."
Midoriya blinked as the pain started to fade. He looked up and saw two kids kneeling beside him, their expressions calm but kind.
One had sharp blue eyes and faint traces of glowing talons on his hands. The other was flicking a small flame casually on his finger.
Midoriya's voice was weak but curious. "Who… who are you?" The boy with the blue talons smiled gently. "I'm Hinari Kanezawa." The other one nodded and added, "And I'm Arata Kanezawa. We noticed you needed help." Midoriya blinked in surprise. "You're the ones Kacchan's always arguing with?" Hinari shrugged, still smiling. "Yeah, that's us."
Midoriya's smile grew a little, then curiosity got the better of him. "Hey… if you don't mind me asking, what are your quirks?"
Hinari glanced down at his hands, the faint blue glow of his talons flickering briefly. "Mine's a transformation type. I get these fire talons and can do more than just that, but it's still kind of new."
Arata shrugged with a grin. "I'm an emitter. I can produce flames from anywhere on my body. It's called Blazeborn."
Midoriya's eyes widened. "That's amazing. You guys must be really strong." Hinari shook his head with a small laugh. "Strong? We're still figuring it out, just like you."
Hinari smiled warmly. "So, what about you, Deku? What's your quirk?"
Midoriya shook his head with a small, sad smile. "I don't have one. I'm quirkless." Arata frowned, looking thoughtful. "That must be tough. But it doesn't mean you're any less of a person."
Hinari nodded firmly. "Yeah. Quirks don't define who you are. You've got guts, and that counts for a lot. Midoriya's eyes softened, grateful. "Thanks. I just want to prove I can be a hero, quirks or not."
Hinari smiled again, a spark of determination in his eyes. "Well, when you're ready, we'll train together. We can help each other get stronger." Arata nodded, cracking a small grin. "Yeah. It's not about what you start with, but what you do with it."
Midoriya looked between them, a new sense of belonging settling in. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of recess. The three of them stood up, ready to face whatever came next — together.
[10 Years Later - Finding Toga]
Hinari glanced at Arata, determination burning in his eyes. "We can't just wait for her to show up at school. If we want to stop Toga from going down that dark path, we have to find her."
Arata nodded, flicking his eyes to the quiet streets ahead. "Yeah. She's not enrolled here, so we'll have to look where she hangs out—maybe the outskirts of town or some hidden spot. Honestly, I think I can take her on my own, so you just relax a little."
"You're talking like I don't have a mythical zoan fruit that literally lets me turn into a phoenix," Hinari said sarcastically, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Arata rolled his eyes but smiled. "Alright, alright. Let's focus on our quirks for now and getting stronger. Maybe we'll find out more about Toga later."
Just then, a familiar figure appeared down the sidewalk. "Oh, look—it's Deku."
Over the past eight years, me, my brother, and Deku have grown really close. Well, I've always been tight with my brother, but Deku's become like family to both of us.
We waited for Deku outside Aldera Junior High School.
"Oi, Deku! Wanna head over to a coffee shop with me and Hinari?" Arata called out, his voice full of excitement, sure that Deku had some free time.
As we walked toward the coffee shop, voices called out from behind us. "Why are they hanging out with Deku?" "He's fucking quirkless!"
I glanced back, seeing a few students snickering and whispering. It hit me again—people really don't like quirkless kids, especially the younger ones. The way they looked at Deku wasn't just mean, it was like he didn't belong. It wasn't fair. But Deku didn't seem to notice. He just smiled and kept walking with us like he belonged — because with us, he did.
As we entered the coffee shop, that's when my brother and I saw her—two pigtails, blonde hair, and a sailor school uniform. Himiko fucking Toga. I pulled Arata to my side and said, "Hey, look, it's your crush."
"Shut up. She's not my crush. I just really like her character and think she got the short end of the stick, and I want to help her," Arata said, a blush creeping onto his face. I pushed his back. "Then go talk to her, idiot. Get her number and set up a date with her."
As I watched Arata walk up to Toga, Deku looked at me with a weird expression on his face. "Um Hinari, what's he doing?" "It's love at first sight, he's going to get her number." As Arata came back with the most joyful grin on his face he said it, "I got it, I got her number." he said while jumping up and down like a fucking middle school girl.