The training ground was a wide, open space with padded floors and targets scattered across the area. As Class 1-A filed in, I hung back beside Deku, my hands still clenched. The thought of fighting without using One For All made my stomach twist — back home, I'd never been in a real fight. I'd only ever practiced moves I'd seen in anime, swinging my arms at thin air in my bedroom.
"Hey," Deku said, noticing my nervousness. "It's okay. Everyone starts somewhere. I didn't know how to throw a proper punch when I first got here either."
I looked at him, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Yeah, but you had All Might teaching you. I just… I don't want to make a fool of myself."
Deku shook his head. "No one's going to laugh at you. We're all here to learn. And besides — you've got more courage than you think. Coming to a whole new world and deciding to be a hero? That's pretty amazing."
Before I could respond, Aizawa-sensei's voice cut through the air. "Pair up," he said, already settling into his sleeping bag against the wall. "First to pin the other down wins. No quirks. No cheap shots. Let's go."
The class split into pairs quickly. Bakugo paired up with a boy with red hair and a sharp smile — Kirishima, I thought his name was. Sero paired up with a girl with short black hair who was already stretching her arms. Deku nudged me gently.
"Want to pair up with me?" he asked. "I'll go easy on you at first."
I nodded, relieved. "Yeah. Thanks."
We stepped onto the padded floor, facing each other. Deku got into a loose fighting stance — feet shoulder-width apart, hands up to protect his face. I tried to copy him, but my arms felt stiff, my legs wobbly.
"Relax," Deku said softly. "Don't tense up. If you're too stiff, you won't be able to move quickly."
I took a deep breath and tried to loosen my shoulders. "Okay. I'll try."
He gave me a small smile, then moved — fast. Before I could react, he'd stepped to my side and gently swept my legs out from under me. I fell to the ground with a soft thud, my face burning.
"Sorry," Deku said, helping me up. "I said I'd go easy. That was too fast, wasn't it?"
"It's fine," I mumbled. "I just… didn't see it coming."
"Try to keep your eyes on me," he said. "Don't look away. And keep your feet moving — don't stay in one place."
We tried again. This time, I managed to dodge his first swing, but he was still too fast. He grabbed my arm and twisted it gently, pushing me forward until I was on my knees.
"Again?" he asked.
I nodded, getting back up. "Again."
We went at it for what felt like hours. Every time, Deku would take me down — sometimes quickly, sometimes after a few seconds of struggling. But with each try, I got a little better. I learned to move my feet, to watch his hands, to block his swings with more confidence.
"Hey, that was good!" Deku said after I managed to duck under his arm and take a step back. "You're picking this up fast."
I felt a spark of pride in my chest. "Really?"
"Really," he said. "Want to try one more time? I'll make it a little harder."
I nodded, getting into my stance again. This time, when he moved, I was ready. I dodged his first swing, then his second, and before I knew it, I'd reached out and grabbed his arm. I pulled him forward, trying to sweep his legs — but he was too steady. He planted his feet and pulled me toward him, and we both fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.
We lay there for a second, laughing, then Deku rolled on top of me and pinned my arms to the floor. "Got you," he said, smiling.
I grinned back. "Yeah, you did. But I almost had you."
"Almost," he agreed, helping me up.
As we stepped off the padded floor, I noticed Bakugo looking at us. He was scowling, but there was something in his eyes — not anger, exactly. More like curiosity.
"Tch," he said, turning back to Kirishima. "That new kid's not completely useless."
After training, Deku walked with me to the cafeteria. The room was huge, with long tables and a line of food stalls along one wall. The smell of rice, curry, and fried chicken filled the air, and my stomach rumbled loudly.
"Hungry?" Deku asked, laughing.
"Starving," I admitted. "I haven't eaten since this morning."
We got in line, and Deku pointed out the different stalls. "The curry here is really good," he said. "And the katsudon is amazing too. All Might always says we need to eat well to train well."
I nodded, grabbing a tray and piling it with rice, curry, and a piece of fried chicken. When we got to the register, the woman behind the counter looked at my student ID, then at me.
"New student?" she asked, smiling. "Welcome to U.A. Your first meal's on the house."
I blinked in surprise. "Really? Thank you!"
She waved a hand. "Any friend of Deku's is a friend of mine. He's always looking out for people."
We found a table in the corner and sat down. As I took my first bite of curry, I felt my eyes water a little. It was good — really good — but it also made me miss my dad's cooking. He used to make curry every Sunday, and we'd eat it together while watching old hero movies.
"Hey," Deku said, noticing my face. "You okay?"
I nodded, wiping my eyes quickly. "Yeah. Just… this curry reminds me of home."
Deku's face softened. "I know how that feels. When I first started at U.A., I missed my mom's cooking so much I'd call her every night just to hear her talk about what she was making."
We ate in silence for a few minutes, then I looked up at him. "Deku… what was it like when you first found out you had One For All?"
He paused, stirring his rice with his chopsticks. "Scary," he said honestly. "I'd wanted a quirk my whole life, but when I actually got one… it was too much. I was afraid I'd hurt someone. Afraid I wasn't good enough to be the one to carry it."
He looked at me, his eyes serious. "But then I realized — being a hero isn't about having the strongest quirk. It's about what's in your heart. And you've already got that, Zeke. I can see it."
Before I could respond, a voice interrupted us. "Mind if we join you?"
I looked up to see Kirishima and Sero standing beside the table, grinning.
"Sure," Deku said, moving over to make room. "Have a seat."
Kirishima sat down next to me, his smile wide. "Hey, man! You did pretty good in training today. For a new kid, anyway."
Sero nodded. "Yeah! That last move you tried — the leg sweep — that was pretty cool. Where'd you learn that?"
I felt my face heat up. "Um… from anime. Back home, I'd watch hero shows and practice the moves in my room."
Kirishima laughed, but it wasn't mean. "That's awesome! I used to do the same thing. I'd practice punching the air like Crimson Riot."
We talked for the rest of lunch — about heroes, about training, about the things we liked to do for fun. Kirishima told me about how he'd developed his quirk, and Sero told me a story about a time he'd accidentally wrapped himself up in his own tape during training. By the time lunch was over, I felt like I'd known them for years.
"Hey," Kirishima said as we stood up to leave. "You want to train with us after school? We're going to practice hand-to-hand combat in the training ground. It'd be good for you."
I nodded, smiling. "Yeah. That sounds great."
After school, we met up in the training ground. Bakugo was already there, stretching, and a few other students had joined in too — a girl with pink hair who could create explosions from her hands, a boy with white hair who could freeze things, and a girl with long black hair who could make herself invisible.
"Alright," Kirishima said, clapping his hands together. "Let's split into pairs again. Zeke, you can pair up with me this time. I'll go easy on you."
I grinned. "Thanks, but I don't need you to go easy. I want to get better."
Kirishima's eyes lit up. "Now that's the spirit! Let's do this."
We got into our stances, and this time I was ready. Kirishima was stronger than Deku, but he was slower. I managed to dodge his first few swings, then I blocked a punch and pushed him back. He laughed, his teeth showing.
"Nice one!" he said. "Let's see if you can do that again."
We fought for a while, and even though Kirishima took me down more times than I took him down, I felt like I was making progress. Every time I fell, I got back up faster. Every time I blocked a punch, my arms felt a little stronger.
"Hey, Zeke!" Sero called out from across the training ground. "Watch this!"
He shot a piece of tape at a target on the wall, then pulled himself toward it, flipping in the air before landing on his feet. I clapped, impressed. "That was amazing!"
"Thanks!" Sero said, grinning. "Want me to teach you how to do it? It's easier than it looks."
Before I could answer, I felt that familiar warmth in my chest. The power inside me was stirring, pulsing faster than usual. I looked down at my hands, and I saw the golden lines starting to appear on my arms.
"Whoa," Kirishima said, noticing my hands. "Zeke, are you okay? Your arms… they're glowing."
I took a step back, trying to calm down. "I'm fine," I said, my voice shaking. "It's just… the power. It does that sometimes when I get excited."
But the power was getting stronger, the warmth turning into a burn. I could feel it spreading through my body, wild and uncontrolled. The golden lines on my arms were getting brighter, and I could hear the echoes of past wielders in my mind.
This power is too much for you.
You don't belong here.
You'll never be a hero.
I cried out as the power surged, and golden lightning flashed from my hands. The other students jumped back, surprised, and Bakugo's eyes narrowed.
"Hey!" he yelled. "What do you think you're doing? Aizawa said no quirks!"
"I can't stop it!" I screamed, falling to my knees. "It's too strong!"
Deku ran over to me, his face full of concern. "Zeke, look at me! Breathe. In and out. Focus on my voice."
I tried to do what he said, taking deep breaths and looking into his eyes. The power was still burning, but it was starting to calm down a little. The golden lines on my arms were fading, and the echoes in my mind were getting quieter.
"Good," Deku said softly. "That's good. Keep breathing. You've got this."
Slowly, the power settled back into my chest, the burn fading into a warm throb. I collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
"Zeke!" Kirishima said, running over to me. "Are you okay? That was… intense."
I nodded, sitting up slowly. "Yeah. I'm okay. I just… I got too excited, and the power got out of control."
Bakugo walked over to us, his scowl still on his face, but there was worry in his eyes. "Tch. You need to learn to control that thing, new kid. If you can't keep it in check, you're going to hurt someone."
He was right. I knew he was right.
"I will," I said, my voice firm. "I'll learn to control it. I promise."
Deku sat down beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We'll help you," he said. "All of us. That's what friends are for."
I looked around at the other students — at Kirishima's concerned smile, at Sero's nod of support, at Bakugo's serious face — and felt that same resolve burn in my chest. I had a long way to go. I had a power to control, a world to understand, a hero to become. But I wasn't alone anymore.
The power inside me pulsed, soft and steady this time. It wasn't fighting me. It was with me.
And for the first time since I'd arrived in this world, I felt like I belonged.
That night, I lay in bed in my small apartment, looking out the window at the city lights. The leather book was on the bedside table, and I could feel its presence in the room — quiet, watching. I'd thought about opening it again, about trying to find a way back home, but I didn't want to. Not yet.
I had friends here. I had a purpose here. I had a chance to be the hero I'd always dreamed of being.
"Dad," I whispered into the dark. "I know you're worried about me. But I'm okay. I'm where I need to be."
The power inside me pulsed, as if in agreement.
Tomorrow, I'd start training in earnest. Tomorrow, I'd learn to control the power I shouldn't have. Tomorrow, I'd take another step toward becoming the hero I wanted to be.
And I couldn't wait.