The words hung in the air long after I'd said them. Deku stared at me, his freckled face a mix of confusion and something else — something like recognition, as if he knew what it felt like to hold a power that was too big for your body. All Might's jaw was tight, his eyes fixed on the sky above the park, where clouds were starting to roll in.
"Becoming a hero isn't just about wanting it, young man," All Might said, his voice softer than before but still carrying that weight I'd only ever heard on screen. "It's about being ready for what comes with it. And right now… you're not even ready for the power you already have."
I pushed myself up from the bench, my muscles screaming in protest. The golden light was gone, but I could still feel it under my skin — like a live wire coiled tight in my chest. Every breath made it throb, a constant reminder that I didn't belong here, that this power wasn't mine to keep.
"I know I'm not from this world," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "I know I shouldn't be here at all. But I am. And this power… it's here too. So what do I do? Just wait for it to tear me apart?"
Deku leaned forward, his eyes wide with concern. "When I first got One For All, it destroyed my body every time I used it," he said quietly. "I couldn't even punch something without breaking my fingers. Sensei had to teach me how to control it — how to let just a little bit out at a time."
He looked at my hands, then back at my face. "But your power… it's different. When we touched earlier, it felt like… like it was fighting itself. Like there's two versions of it, and they don't want to be in the same place."
All Might nodded. "One For All is a power that's passed down, not duplicated," he explained. "It grows stronger with each wielder, absorbing their quirks and their strength. For there to be two of it… that's impossible. It defies everything we know about quirks."
I sat back down, my head spinning. The park around us was quiet now — most people had left when the lightning flashed earlier, probably thinking it was some kind of villain attack. A bird hopped on the bench beside me, pecking at a crumb of bread, and for a second I felt like I was back home, watching the sparrows in our backyard.
But then I looked up and saw U.A.'s gates in the distance, and the reality hit me all over again.
I'm in a world where heroes are real, I thought. And I'm carrying a power that could kill me.
"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "I can't go back. I don't even know how I got here in the first place."
All Might sat down beside me, his massive frame making the bench creak. "We'll figure out how to send you home," he said. "But first… we have to figure out what's happening with that power. If it's unstable, it could be dangerous — not just to you, but to everyone around you."
He paused, looking at me with those serious eyes. "I want you to come to U.A. Tomorrow. We'll run some tests, see if we can understand what's going on with One For All. And Deku… I want you to help him. You know better than anyone what it's like to carry this burden."
Deku's face lit up a little, and he nodded quickly. "Yes, sensei! I'll do my best."
I looked from All Might to Deku, my chest tight with gratitude. Here I was, a stranger from another world, carrying a power that shouldn't exist — and two of the greatest heroes I'd ever known were willing to help me. It felt too good to be true.
"Thank you," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I don't know how to repay you."
All Might smiled — his real smile, not the big, flashy one he used for the cameras. "Repay us by becoming the hero you say you want to be," he said. "That's all any of us can ask."
The walk to the place All Might had found for me to stay was quiet. It was a small apartment on the edge of the city, above a convenience store that smelled like fried chicken and coffee. The owner — a kind old woman with a quirk that made her hair change color when she smiled — hadn't asked any questions when All Might had told her I was a transfer student who needed a place to stay.
"Here's your key, dear," she said, handing it to me. "Help yourself to the snacks in the store whenever you want. A growing boy needs to eat."
Her hair turned pink when she smiled, and I felt a little less alone. "Thank you, ma'am."
I stood in the middle of the small bedroom, looking at the empty walls and the single bed. Back home, my room was filled with books and posters and little trinkets I'd collected over the years — things that made it feel like mine. Here, everything was empty. Cold.
I pulled out the leather book from my pocket — it had been tucked inside my jacket the whole time, and I'd almost forgotten about it. The circular symbol on the cover still made my chest tighten, and when I opened it, the pages were still blank except for the second one.
I ran my finger over the circle, and for a second I felt that same weightlessness I'd felt back in my room. A voice whispered in my mind — not the ancient one from before, but something softer, like a memory I couldn't quite reach.
You didn't just cross over, it seemed to say. You brought something with you.
"This is all my fault," I muttered, closing the book and setting it on the bedside table.
My arm was starting to throb again, and when I rolled up my sleeve, I saw faint golden lines running up my forearm — like the cracks from earlier, but faded now. They looked like scars.
I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The sound of cars passing by outside filled the silence, and for the first time since I'd arrived in this world, I let myself cry.
"I miss you, Dad," I whispered into the dark. "I miss my room. I miss being ordinary."
The next morning, I woke up early. The golden lines on my arm were almost gone, but I could still feel the power inside me, waiting. I put on the clothes All Might had bought for me — a simple white shirt and black pants — and headed down to the convenience store.
The old woman was behind the counter, her hair pink with a smile. "Off to school, dear?"
I nodded. "Yeah. U.A."
Her eyes widened, and her hair turned bright blue. "U.A.! Oh, my goodness — you're a hero in the making! That's wonderful. You be careful out there, okay? The world needs good heroes."
I thanked her and left, the sandwich in my hand and a warm feeling in my chest. Maybe this world wasn't so cold after all.
The walk to U.A. took longer than I expected, but I didn't mind. I wanted to take in everything — the tall buildings, the floating screens, the people with their amazing quirks. A girl with wings flew past me, waving at a friend on the ground. A boy with a tail was playing with a dog, using his tail to throw a ball. It was all so normal here, so everyday — and yet so completely impossible in my world.
When I reached the gates, Deku was waiting for me. He was wearing his U.A. uniform, and he had a backpack slung over his shoulder. He smiled when he saw me, and I could see the excitement in his eyes.
"Hey!" he said, walking over to me. "Ready? Sensei's already in the faculty office, and Recovery Girl is waiting to run some tests on you."
I nodded, taking a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."
We walked through the gates and into the campus, and I felt my heart race. Everywhere I looked, there were students training — lifting weights, practicing their quirks, running laps around the track. It was exactly like I'd imagined it, but better. Realer.
"This is it," I whispered. "I'm actually here."
Deku grinned. "I know how you feel. When I first got into U.A., I could barely believe it either."
We made our way to the faculty office, where All Might was waiting with a woman with pink hair and a kind face. She was wearing a white coat, and she had a small medical bag in her hand.
"Ah, there you are!" she said, smiling at me. "I'm Recovery Girl. All Might told me about your… situation. Let's get you into the infirmary and run some tests, shall we? I want to see how that power is affecting your body."
We followed her down the hall to the infirmary, which was bright and clean with white walls and comfortable beds. She had me lie down on one of the beds, then pulled out a small device that looked like a thermometer.
"This will measure your quirk factor," she explained, placing the device on my arm. "It'll tell us how strong your power is, and how stable it is."
She turned on the device, and a soft beep filled the air. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the screen on the device lit up, and Recovery Girl's eyes widened.
"Good grief," she whispered.
Deku leaned over to look at the screen, and his face went pale. "That's… that's higher than mine was when I first got One For All. A lot higher."
Recovery Girl looked at me, her face serious. "Zeke, your quirk factor is off the charts. But it's also… fluctuating. It's like the power is trying to settle, but it can't. It's bouncing back and forth between two different levels."
All Might crossed his arms, his face grave. "Two levels?"
Recovery Girl nodded. "One is the same as Deku's — strong, but stable. The other… it's much stronger. Too strong. If that one takes over, it could destroy your body in seconds."
I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. "So what do I do? How do I stop it?"
Recovery Girl sat down beside me, her hand on my shoulder. "We'll work on it," she said gently. "But it's going to take time. You're going to have to train — hard. You'll need to learn to control both levels of the power, to keep them in balance. And you'll need to be careful. No using the power unless you absolutely have to."
She paused, looking at All Might. "I also think he should stay at U.A. At least for a while. We can keep an eye on him, and Deku can help him train. It's safer than letting him be on his own."
All Might nodded. "I agree. Zeke, would you be willing to enroll at U.A.? As a transfer student? You'd be in Deku's class — Class 1-A. They're a good group of kids. They'll help you."
I looked at Deku, who was smiling at me, and then at All Might and Recovery Girl. They were all putting their trust in me. How could I say no?
"Yes," I said, my voice firm. "I'll do it. I'll enroll at U.A. And I'll train as hard as I can. I won't let you down."
All Might smiled. "That's the spirit, young man. Now, let's get you registered. Class 1-A is going to be surprised to see a new student — but I think they'll be happy to have you."
We left the infirmary and made our way to the administrative office, where a woman with glasses and a strict face helped me fill out the paperwork. She didn't ask any questions about where I'd come from — All Might had already taken care of that.
"All done," she said, handing me a student ID. "Your homeroom is 1-A. Go on — you're going to be late for class."
Deku led me to Class 1-A's classroom. The hallways were filled with students, all talking and laughing as they made their way to their classes. When we reached the classroom door, I could hear voices inside — loud, excited voices that made me smile.
"Ready?" Deku asked, looking at me.
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Ready."
Deku pushed open the door, and the room went quiet. All eyes turned to me, and I felt my face heat up. There were about twenty students in the room — some I recognized from the anime, some I didn't. A boy with spiky blonde hair was sitting in the front row, scowling at me. A girl with pink skin and long hair was smiling, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Everyone," Deku said, stepping aside so they could see me. "This is Zeke Kaito. He's our new transfer student."
A boy with purple hair and a tape dispenser on his arms stood up, smiling. "Welcome! I'm Sero. Nice to meet you!"
The rest of the class started talking at once, asking me questions about where I was from and what my quirk was. I looked at Deku, who gave me a reassuring nod, then turned back to the class.
"Um, hi," I said, my voice a little shaky. "I'm Zeke. I'm from… a small town. And my quirk… it's complicated. But I'm here to learn how to be a hero."
The blonde boy stood up, crossing his arms. "Complicated? What kind of quirk is 'complicated'? You either have one or you don't."
"That's Bakugo," Deku whispered to me. "He's… intense. But he's a good hero."
I nodded, looking at Bakugo. "It's called One For All."
The room went quiet again. Bakugo's eyes widened. Deku's jaw dropped. A girl with green hair and a plant on her head gasped.
"One For All?" Bakugo said, his voice low. "That's… that's All Might's quirk. The one he passed down to Deku."
I nodded. "I know. It's… it's a long story."
Before anyone could say anything else, the door opened, and a man with long black hair and a scar over his eye walked in. He was wearing a black suit and a white shirt, and he had a tired look on his face.
"Aizawa-sensei," Deku whispered.
Aizawa looked at me, then at the rest of the class. "Sit down," he said, his voice flat. "Zeke Kaito, right? I'm Aizawa Shota. Your homeroom teacher. Take the empty seat next to Deku."
I walked to the seat beside Deku and sat down, my heart racing. Aizawa-sensei was even more intimidating in person than he was on screen.
"Now," Aizawa said, leaning against the wall and pulling out a sleeping bag. "Today we're going to practice hand-to-hand combat. No quirks allowed. I want to see what you're all made of — especially our new student."
He looked at me, his eyes sharp. "Don't think just because you have One For All you can slack off. A hero needs more than just a strong quirk. They need skill. They need focus. They need to be able to fight even when their power is gone."
I nodded, my hands clenched. He was right. I couldn't just rely on One For All. I had to be strong on my own, too.
As the class got up and made their way to the training ground, Deku turned to me, smiling. "You'll do great," he said. "I'll help you. We'll train together — learn how to control your power, and how to fight without it."
I looked at him, then at the rest of the class, and felt that same resolve burn in my chest. I was in a world I didn't belong in, carrying a power I shouldn't have. But I had friends now. I had teachers who believed in me. And I had a chance to become the hero I'd always dreamed of being.
The power inside me pulsed, but this time it didn't feel like it was fighting me. It felt like it was waiting — waiting for me to be strong enough to wield it.
I'll be strong enough, I thought. No matter what.