From the black depths below, something stirred.
The water trembled first. Small ripples spread across the surface before the sea suddenly began to boil, steam rolling upward in thick clouds as a violent orange glow appeared beneath the waves. It grew brighter by the second, turning the dark water red and gold until the ocean itself seemed unable to contain what was coming. Then, with an explosive roar, Yakuto Todoroki ascended from the depths. Fire erupted around his body as he tore through the surface, water exploding away from him while flames curled from his arms, shoulders, and hair like the burning wings of some ancient dragon or something. His eyes burned through the steam as he rose higher, the ocean beneath him raging against the heat of his power. On the shore, Itsuki Shou could only stare in horror at the monster his friend had become, his legs trembling as one terrifying thought passed through his mind.
He was going to piss himself.
He had a warm feeling in hi-
Itsuki immediately shut the book.
"What the heck is this??
Glowl looked offended.
The three of them were sitting near the beach where Natsu had been doing most of his recent training. Their bags were piled nearby, along with a few bottles of water and lots of protein and energy bars. Glowl sat near them, his feathers slightly puffed in pride, while Itsuki stood up, holding the journal.
Natsu was sitting on the ground nearby, shirtless. He just finished his training and was taking a break. Thanks to his quirk, he was already completely dry. There were faint traces of steam coming off of him.
Glowl pointed one feathered finger toward the notebook.
"Thats the epic i am writing."
Itsuki stared at him.
"Your what?"
He opened it again and looked down at the page where he left off.
Then back at Glowl.
"And when did this happen exactly?"
Glowl tilted his head. "Which part?"
"The part where Yakuto rises out of the ocean like some kind of demon out of water."
Natsu looked over, his mouth was still full of food.
"I did that?" he said spraying food
"No! And gross, eat your food first" Itsuki shou waved, wiping off the bits of food flying over.
Itsuki jabbed his finger onto the line. .
"You wrote that the ocean started boiling, fire covered his entire body, and he ascended from the depths like some kind of dragon god!"
Glowl crossed his arms.
"That's just something cool to visualize."
Itsuki's right eye twitched.
He pointed toward Natsu.
"Most of the time he comes out coughing and wheezing, barely clinging to the dock."
Natsu immediately started laughing.
That only made Itsuki look more annoyed.
Glowl remained completely serious. "That doesn't sound cool enough though."
Natsu leaned backward onto his hands, laughing harder.
"I like Glowl's version more."
Itsuki looked back down at the notebook.
"And what is this part about me almost pissing myself?"
Glowl paused, looking away like he was guilty.
Itsuki narrowed his eyes.
"When did I almost piss myself?"
"You looked scared that one time."
"I looked concerned because this idiot stayed underwater too long! And you were the one that looked like you were going to piss yourself."
"Yeah, but I am the author, I can't be the one scared."
Natsu didn't say anything this time.
Itsuki opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then closed it.
Then rubbed his forehead.
Glowl reached over and carefully took the notebook back before Itsuki could damage it.
"The scene needs tension. What's cooler than the ocean looking like fire."
Natsu nodded seriously. "He's got a point."
Itsuki looked between them.
"I hate you both."
Glowl ignored him and carefully smoothed one of the pages before holding the notebook against his chest.
—
Natsu leaned closer, peeking over Glowl's shoulder to look at the book.
"So what's it called?"
Glowl's feathers puffed slightly with pride as he held the notebook against his chest.
"The rising dragon."
Natsu's eyes immediately lit up. "That sounds awesome!"
"I knew you'd understand."
Itsuki stared between them for a few seconds before slowly rubbing his forehead.
"Hold on. Why are you even writing a book about Yakuto?"
Glowl looked at him as though he was an idiot.
"Because he's going to be famous one day. And the world will want to know his childhood story, so when they make a movie about it, it'll be accurate."
Itsuki lowered his hand.
Glowl continued with complete confidence. "He's going to be in UA, his quirk is crazy strong, and he already does heroic things. When he becomes a famous hero, people are going to want to know how he got there."
Natsu nodded along despite having never considered any of it.
Glowl tapped the notebook. "The public needs an accurate account of our boys' early years."
Itsuki's expression went completely blank.
"Accurate?"
"Yes."
"You just wrote that he exploded out of the ocean surrounded by fire while I nearly pissed myself."
Glowl hesitated.
"I may have exaggerated some things."
"Give me that."
Itsuki took the notebook back before Glowl could protest and started reading again. His eyes moved along as he read it.
"What is this?"
Glowl immediately became suspicious. "What part?"
Itsuki began reading aloud.
"As the Flame Dragon emerged from the raging sea, one figure alone stood without fear. Glowl remained steadfast before the overwhelming power of his companion, his calm presence holding the group together. As the natural leader of their unusual band, he had long guided the young Yakuto along the difficult road toward greatness."
Silence followed.
Itsuki slowly lowered the notebook.
Even Natsu was staring at Glowl now.
Glowl's feathers seemed to tighten against his body.
Glowl looked away.
Itsuki's deadpan expression somehow became even flatter. "You wrote yourself into the book as our leader."
"I wouldn't phrase it like that."
"But that's how you phrased it here."
Glowl's face began turning red beneath the feathers around his cheeks.
"Well…" He adjusted his wings awkwardly. "Someone has to fill the role."
Natsu tilted his head.
"What role?"
"The de facto leader."
Itsuki blinked.
"The what?"
Glowl straightened slightly, though his growing embarrassment made the attempt considerably less impressive.
"The person who keeps everyone organized. The one guiding the young Yakuto through his journey and making sure the crew doesn't fall apart."
Natsu stared at him for another second.
Then he completely broke.
He doubled over laughing.
"Commander Glowl!"
Glowl's feathers puffed defensively. "It's not that funny!"
"It is!"
"You don't organize shit!" Itsuki added.
"I organize plenty!"
"Name one thing."
Glowl opened his beak.
Nothing came out.
Natsu was laughing hard enough now that he had to sit back down.
Itsuki shook his head and began flipping backward through the notebook. "I can't believe you're planning to show people this someday."
"Don't worry. It'll be a lot better in a few years."
The group spent a few more moments relaxing before Natsu eventually dove back into the water. Days like these had become normal for them over the last three months. He trained whenever he could, studied whenever, and still made sure to spend time with his friends. Physically, he was far stronger than when he started, while his fire output and stamina had increased by leaps and bounds. Studying, however, was still excruciatingly painful.
–
A few days after Glowl revealed his future masterpiece to the world, the three of them were back at the beach.
Natsu was in his shorts.
He sat cross-legged on a towel with a pencil in his hand and several sheets of paper spread across the ground in front of him. Shou sat opposite him with an answer key, while Glowl was snacking.
They had found a practice entrance exam online. It wasn't exactly the same test, but it was a good example. There was silence for nearly an hour. Natsu was getting Antsy.
Eventually, Shou finished checking everything.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Natsu watched him. Glowl watched him too.
Shou slowly shook his head.
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Well, is it bad?"
"No."
That answer seemed to surprise him more.
Shou looked over the paper again. "It's actually decent."
Natsu grinned.
"But not enough yet."
The grin stayed.
"How far?"
Shou tapped the page. "You improved a lot. There's definitely a lot of improvement since you took it a while ago."
Natsu nodded. "Yeah."
"You're still making stupid mistakes, though. Some of these were pretty obvious."
He pointed to one of the questions.
"You changed the right answer."
Natsu leaned over and looked.
"Oh shit, that one."
Shou stared at him.
"Why?"
"I thought it was too easy and I was being tricked."
"What?"
"Well, I overthunk it."
Glowl quietly looked away while Shou inhaled through his nose.
Natsu laughed.
The score still was not where he needed it to be, but that did not bother him much. A few months ago he would have struggled through most of the test. Now his mistakes were things he could actually fix, and there was still plenty of time before the real exam.
"You've still got time," Shou said.
Natsu folded the practice test and shoved it into his bag. "Then I'll get it next time."
There was no frustration behind the answer. His training had taught him the same lesson over and over again. If something was not good enough yet, he kept working until it was.
Natsu stretched his arms above his head until his shoulders cracked.
Glowl winced. "Ouch."
"It feels great."
Natsu stood and rolled his neck.
By the time they packed everything up, Natsu had already moved on from the test. Rei had made him promise to come home early today. Gray was finally returning from Antarctica, and she wanted everyone there when he arrived.
Natsu grinned as he started home. Three months was a long time, and there was no chance Gray had spent all of it just doing whatever work study people did. He really wanted to see what the bastard had learned. It was obvious he used it as a great training opportunity.
He checked his phone, he was late.
"Shit" He yelled before sprinting home.
When he finally reached home, he could already hear voices in the living room.
Natsu slowed near the entrance. There was a travel bag sitting near the wall, and a pair of heavy boots by the door.
His eyes widened.
"No way."
He hurried inside.
Gray was standing near the living room, talking with Fuyumi. Natsuo and Shoto were also there, along with Rei. Gray looked mostly the same, though his hair had grown noticeably longer during the trip. There was also something about the way he carried himself now.
His face immediately lit up.
Gray barely had time to turn before Natsu crossed the room and slapped him hard across the back.
The impact nearly knocked him forward.
"Gah! What the heck!! Stupid flaimbrain."
Natsu grinned. "You're back!"
Gray rubbed the spot between his shoulders and glared at him, though there was no real anger behind it.
Natsu looked him up and down for a second.
"Sooo? Did you fight anyone strong!!"
Rei immediately pulled his ear. "Why would he go there just to fight? Your brother just got back, and you're already hitting him. You are also late! I told you to be here when he gets here. And another thing." Rei continued lecturing him.
Natsu didn't even get a chance to defend himself. Gray just laughed and went with Shoto to the living room.
Natsu just stood there, waiting for Rei to give him a chance to explain himself. He knew better than to interrupt her.
—
After Rei finally let him go, Natsu immediately rushed towards Gray's room. It was open so he barged right in.
Gray was by his desk, unpacking his bag. Shoto was helping him.
"So did you fight anyone strong!" Natsu asked again. There was no one to stop him.
Gray rolled his eyes. "Of course not. No one even lives there. All I did was work."
"And??" Natsu pressed.
Gray grinned. "And train, obviously. It was the best environment."
"Oh, wouldn't a place that's hot be better for your quirk?" Shoto asked.
"Probably, but this was about something else, and I am glad I took the journey." Gray replied.
Shoto was about to ask more questions when his phone rang. He checked it before excusing himself for a moment. He stepped out of the room.
"Well, I hope you got stronger, or else I'll be leaving you in the-." Natsu was suddenly interrupted by ice covering his mouth. Gray was still unpacking, and didn't even look in his direction. Natsu exhaled, instantly melting it, steam wafting out.
"Interesting. Let's see how much stronger you got." Natsu was fired up.
"I also want to see how much stronger you've gotten, but there's a better time and place right. We will both be taking the entrance tests, so we wait until we both pass, then fight. It'll give you a little bit of time to catch up to my level." Gray replied, with faux smugness.
"You're right. That's the way to go."
Shoto returned shortly after. He noticed the bit of steam that was left.
"What happened here?"
—
Gray's return was about as he expected. It was loud. But it only turned to chaos when Natsu arrived. He smacked him lightly, but he felt his body reeling from it. Obviously whatever training Natsu did was working. His physical strength improved immensely. He missed his bed and surprisingly, his sister's cooking. It felt like home. He let himself sink into his mattress and closed his eyes, sleeping almost instantly.
The next few days passed very quickly. He had to return to school, but it wasn't as difficult as he expected it to be. Gray settled back into his normal routine almost immediately.
After three months in Antarctica, he expected it to be different. But three months clearly wasn't long enough to see many changes. So it took less time to adjust than he expected.
His teachers had already been informed of his return, and most of the work he missed had been accounted for through the placement program. The final requirement was the paper he had been expected to write about his experience.
Gray turned it in on his first day back. It was something he had already completed before he left.
The assignment covered the work he performed, the structure of the outpost, the importance of the research being conducted there, and what he learned while assisting FrostBITE and the rest of the staff. There wasn't much else to do, and he wasn't going to put that he left every day after work to go train.
His teachers did not need to know about that part.
A few days later, his teacher called him aside after class.
Supposedly, the school had received the final evaluation from the outpost.
FrostBITE and several members of the staff had given him glowing marks. They praised how quickly he learned his responsibilities, how reliable he became with administrative work, and how willing he was to assist with field preparation once the research season began. The report specifically mentioned that Gray had become so helpful, the other staff members regularly requested his assistance. His teacher was pleased. It was something that looked good for the school and for Gray's future applications.
His report was accepted, his placement was officially completed, and the entire three month program was added to his school record.
Everything had gone better than expected.
Which meant Gray had finished almost everything he needed to do. There was one more thing he had to finish. The entrance exam would be in a few months, and Gray had to prepare for that. His training yielded great results, so now was the time to digest everything and take the test. He got to working on his main plan.
Plan A.
Gray had been thinking about it for a while.
The general entrance exam was always available. There was nothing wrong with taking it. Natsu was already preparing for that. But Gray wanted to take the recommendation exam. It was much harder and the students invited through recommendation were supposed to be some of the best applicants U.A. received. They were all top students that came from influential families or had powerful quirks. Most of them would already have people expecting great things from them before they were even accepted into U.A.
Gray wanted to compete against those people. Lets see how everything he worked towards compares to the elites of this world.
Gray immediately headed home. When he arrived home, he changed out of his uniform, dropped his bag in his room, and spent several minutes thinking about how he wanted to approach the conversation. Maybe just being straight forward? He didn't have the best relationship with his "father" so to speak. He never really cared much about him, so he never spent any time with him. Plus, he didn't have the best impression of him. Although he had improved somewhat, it was still strange.
He stopped thinking about it too much. It was a simple request. Endeavor either agreed or he didn't.
"Whatever."
Gray went to the living room to watch some news. Natsu and Shoto weren't home, his siblings also returned to their apartments. His mother was busy. He kicked back and rested until his father came home.
—
Endeavor returned home a bit earlier than usual today. It wasn't uncommon. Gray waited half an hour before he made his way through the house toward Endeavor's study.
The door was closed.
Gray stopped outside it for a moment. He had almost never come in here unless they were all called in.
He could hear papers moving inside.
Endeavor had just returned. Would asking him now be appropriate.
Gray shrugged and knocked at the door.
"Come in."
Gray opened the door.
Endeavor sat behind his desk with several reports spread in front of him. He looked up when Gray entered. If he was surprised, he didn't show it on his face. It was as grumpy looking as ever.
Gray stepped inside and closed the door behind himself.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Gray had already gone over the request several times in his head. He thought about and realized there was no reason Endeavor would say no.
His grades were excellent. He was well respected by his peers (probably) and his teachers were happy with him. He had a few extracurricular activities and he had just completed a three-month international career placement connected to a professional hero and returned with excellent evaluations. Not only that, the work study was in a region that no student his age was willing to go to.
He took a breath.
He wanted the strongest competition he could find.
Gray looked directly at his father.
"I want you to recommend me for U.A.'s recommendation entrance exam."
Endeavor stared at him.
The silence stretched for several seconds.
Then his eyebrows lowered.
"What?"