The red alarms screamed, painting the black metal hallway in a pulsing, violent light. All Might, the Symbol of Peace, a blur of frantic energy, tore through the facility. Behind him, other heroes evacuated terrified children. "I'm going to check if there's more!" he roared, his voice barely audible above the klaxons. He barreled onwards, crumpling the unfortunate guards who stood in his path.
He reached a massive vault door, its reinforced steel a mockery against his power. Five earth-shattering punches later, the door lay in twisted ruin. Inside, the darkness clung. Then, All Might saw him: a boy, no older than ten, skeletal and frail. Needle marks, a sickening tapestry, riddled his neck, limbs, and torso. All Might quickly tore strips from a downed guard's uniform, covering the child's emaciated form.
"Good, he's still breathing, but barely," he muttered, checking the boy's fluttering pulse. He scooped him up, cradling him like a fragile bird, and burst back into the hallway. Energy blasts whizzed past, one searing into his leg. He limped, but pressed on, reaching a room overlooking the outside. "Looks like I'll have to fight my way out," he gritted out, gently placing the boy behind a sturdy desk, a flimsy shield against the coming storm.
The guards swarmed, their energy weapons spitting light. All Might dodged and weaved, throwing bodies against each other, ignoring the white-hot pain in his leg. Suddenly, one guard raised a heavy cannon, the barrel glowing menacingly. "Shit! I can't dodge it!" All Might thought, bracing himself with crossed arms as the blast slammed into him, sending him hurtling into the wall.
The world swam, and he struggled to rise. Then, sunlight. It streamed into the room, bathing the hidden boy. In a horrifying, miraculous instant, the skeletal frame began to regenerate. Color flooded back into his skin, muscles rippled beneath, and the needle marks vanished. He stood, his face blank, his small fists clenched.
"Shoot!" one of the guards yelled, firing a blast at the boy. The boy stumbled, then his eyes locked onto the shooter. In a blur of motion, he was upon him, gripping his neck with inhuman strength. A sickening *crack* echoed through the room. "Kill him!" the remaining guards screamed, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts.
But it was too late. The boy moved with impossible speed, tearing limbs, punching through chests. The room became a slaughterhouse, a crimson tide rising around his bare feet. Minutes later, the boy stood amidst the carnage, his hands dripping, his face and body smeared with blood. He moved towards All Might, his expression still vacant, and lifted the debris pinning him down. Then, the light in his eyes flickered and vanished, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
The fluorescent lights of the sterile room hummed, a stark contrast to the chaos that had preceded it. The boys eyes fluttered open, met with a blurry tableau of faces peering down at him. Metal cuffs bit into his wrists and ankles. "He's awake," a woman's voice cut through the fog in his mind.
"Who are you...?" The boy rasped, panic rising as he registered his restraints. He tugged as the metal snapped like twigs. Shota Aizawa, his eyes glowing crimson and hair levitating in warning, stared in disbelief.
"I didn't erase his Quirk?" he thought, stunned. "So, you're one of those scientists," the boy said, his voice flat, already assessing the room for threats. He shifted into a fighting stance, his posture coiled and ready to strike. "Whoa, whoa, hold it there!" A familiar, booming voice intervened.
All Might, stepped forward. "You're that guy who saved me. Where am I?" The boy's defensive posture relaxed, confusion replacing suspicion. "You're in the hospital. They were just making sure you were okay," All Might reassured, his ever-present smile attempting to soothe the situation. "Then why restrain me?" The boy challenged, a hint of resentment in his voice.
"After what you did at the facility, you think I wouldn't be cautious?" Aizawa countered, his gaze sharp and unwavering. "I didn't even know I could do that. What did they do to me?" The boy asked, his voice laced with a chilling vulnerability. "That's what we're trying to figure out," All Might replied, subtly gesturing for the boy to sit back down.
He complied, his eyes still guarded. The woman from before spoke again. "By these tests, he's perfectly healthy. Even though we couldn't give him an injection due to the needle bending against his skin." "Well, at least that's good," All Might said, exchanging a worried glance with Aizawa as they stepped away to confer.
"So, what do you want to do with him?" Aizawa asked. "Well, first, we need to see what he can do before that. But at the very least, I would like him to get used to the world," All Might said, his gaze softening as he looked back at the lost boy. Later that night, the boy found himself following All Might into a modest house.
"Dad, you're back?" A girl, about his age with vibrant blonde hair, emerged from the hallway. "Who's this?" "Uhhh... oh, I didn't get your name?" All Might said, turning to the boy with an apologetic smile. "Number 223. They called me that," the boy said, his voice monotone. All Might's smile faltered, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. "That's not gonna work. You need an actual name..." The girl, her eyes scanning the boy from head to toe, placed a hand on her chin in contemplation.
"You look like a Kai. So that'll be your name. Kai. I'm Asami." The next morning, Kai ventured out of his room to find Asami in the kitchen, humming as she cooked. "Good, you're up. Take a seat, I'm almost done," she said, gesturing to a chair at the kitchen table. Kai hesitated, then cautiously sat down. "You know, you could say 'good morning' or something. Don't you know how to greet someone?" Asami said, placing a steaming plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.
Kai simply stared at the unfamiliar food. "What, you never had eggs and bacon before?" Asami asked, arching an eyebrow. Kai remained stoic. "You eat it like this," Asami demonstrated, spearing a piece of egg with her fork and taking a bite. Kai, mimicking her, picked up his own fork, but the metal warped and bent under his grip. "Guess you don't know your own strength," Asami commented, unfazed.
Kai tried again, attempting to stab a piece of egg, but the fork pierced straight through the plate and embedded itself in the wooden table. "Hahaha!" Asami burst out laughing. "Here, let me help you," Asami said, gently scooping up a piece of egg with her fork and offering it to him. Kai's eyes widened as the taste exploded on his tongue. It was the first time he'd tasted real, natural food. "Seriously, you're like a baby. Guess I'll have to teach you some things," Asami declared, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
One year pass. The air in Musutafu hung thick with tension. Four thugs, each a grotesque parody of brotherhood, held a woman hostage inside a convenience store. "You guys make a move, she gets it!" barked the biggest, Brother Number 4. His right arm, like his brothers', had grotesquely morphed into a crude, cannon-like appendage.
"Man, we really hit the big one, brothers," Brother Number 3 slobbered. "Stick to the plan," growled Brother Number 1, the apparent leader. Across the street, a hero, sweat beading on his brow, pleaded, "Just let the woman go, and everything will be alright!" Nearby, Kai, a seemingly ordinary eleven-year-old, stopped, intrigued. "Huh? What's going on here?" he asked a harried citizen. "Bunch of villains took a hostage. Police and heroes can't even get close." Kai's eyes narrowed.
"Hmmm. So bad guys... like in my book." A mischievous glint sparked within him. Without hesitation, Kai vaulted onto the roof of a police car, his voice surprisingly loud. "Hey, you four! Let the lady go and turn yourselves in!" A chorus of protests erupted from below. "Get down from there, kid!" heroes yelled, faces etched with concern. Brother Number 3 sneered,
"Hahaha! Kid, you should leave this to the adults!" He charged his arm-cannon, unleashing a blast of blue energy. It struck Kai, sending him tumbling to the pavement. "No! What did you do?!" the hero cried. Brother Number 1 seized the opportunity. "Now that you know we're not messing around, give us a car so we can get out of here. Before we kill this woman, too." A voice, calm and chilling, cut through the air.
"That wasn't nice." Kai, impossibly, was behind Brother Number 3. A swift leg sweep, followed by a spinning backfist, sent the villain crashing into the police car. Confusion rippled through the crowd. The hostage was gone. Kai gently placed the woman, now safe, in the arms of the approaching police. "You shouldn't have done that, kid," Brother Number 1 snarled. Brothers Number 4 and 2 charged, Number 4 firing a clumsy blast that Kai easily deflected.
With a burst of impossible speed, Kai slammed Number 4 into the waiting arms of the heroes. He then delivered a precise punch to Number 2's stomach, rendering him unconscious. "Time to end this, kid! Rapid Blast!" Number 1 roared, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts. Kai, a blur of motion, dodged them all, closing the distance. "This is what you get for hurting people!" he yelled, just as Number 1 ducked behind a reinforced pillar.
Without hesitation, Kai punched straight through the pillar, connecting with Number 1's jaw. The villain crumpled. "There. And I held back enough so I didn't kill them," Kai thought proudly. A voice, laced with exasperation, broke through his self-satisfaction. "Kai! There you are! I told you not to run off!" Asami, a girl a little older than Kai, rushed towards him, grabbing his hand. The heroes surged forward, desperate to learn the secret behind the boy's power.
"Wait, kid! That was some quirk!" "Kai, let's get out of here," Asami urged. Kai nodded, grabbed Asami's hand, and launched himself into the sky, leaving behind a bewildered crowd and a team of stunned heroes. Two years passed. Kai, now thirteen, sat in his classroom, impatiently waiting for the bell. "Gotta get the latest comic. I heard it's the best ever yet," he thought, heading out of school.
His attention was snagged by a girl on a nearby hill. Her skin was a vibrant pink, her hair a chaotic explosion of the same color, and two small, curved horns protruded from her forehead. She was lost in her music, earbuds blasting. She turned, saw Kai watching her, and smiled. "You wanna listen?" she asked. Kai stammered, "I... I... I... Uhhh..." The girl, unfazed, walked towards him, offering an earbud.
Kai took it, tentatively placing it in his ear, shoulder to shoulder with the girl. Suddenly, a whirlwind of unfamiliar sensations engulfed him. "What's going on? My heart is beating faster, and... are my palms sweaty?" he wondered. He'd never felt anything like this before. "Hey, you okay? You look a little red," the girl said, concern in her voice. Kai could only stare into her captivating eyes: black sclerae surrounding vibrant yellow irises. The world seemed to slow down. "Mina! Come on, let's go!" another girl shouted from afar.
"I gotta go. I didn't get your name," Mina said. "K... Kai," Kai managed, his voice cracking. Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his head. "Hehehe. It was good meeting you, Kai. Let's do this again sometime," Mina said, turning to leave. "Okay," Kai whispered. The next moment, Kai was lying in bed in a sterile room. A nurse entered. "So, what's going on, Kai?" she asked gently. "Well, Miss Lia, my heart was racing like crazy, my palms were sweaty, and there were weird feelings in my stomach," Kai confessed.
"What caused this?" Lia inquired. "It happened when I saw a girl. Her name is Mina, and she is..." Kai trailed off, his face turning an even deeper shade of red. Lia smiled knowingly. "Oh, I see. There's nothing wrong with you, Kai." "Then why do I feel this way? I don't get like this with anyone else," Kai said, genuinely confused. "This is something you're gonna have to figure out yourself. It's all part of the experience," Lia said. "Okay," Kai replied, still bewildered, as he left the room. "So, it finally happened," Lia thought, a smile gracing her lips.
Next day. Kai hovered above Mina, watching her expression of pure excitement. "That's so cool you have a fly quirk?" Mina asked, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, not only that…" Kai replied, a playful smirk forming on his lips. In a flash, he disappeared and reappeared, holding a small tree with one hand.
"I also can move really fast and I'm strong." He gently placed the tree down, then floated back to the ground. "That's so cool you have multiple quirks! Are you joining U.A. to become a hero? 'Cause you totally should!" Mina exclaimed, stepping close to Kai's face. He blushed furiously, taken aback by her enthusiasm.
"I-I-I really haven't thought about it," Kai stammered, averting his gaze. "I... guess I could." "Cool! Then we could even hang out while becoming heroes!" Mina said, beaming. Kai looked back at her, her smile seeming to shine in his eyes. "Yo, Mina!" a male voice called out.
"Hey, Kirishima!" Mina responded, as a boy with spiky red hair approached. "Kirishima, Kai. Kai, Kirishima," Mina said, introducing them. "Yo," Kirishima greeted, flashing a toothy grin. "Yeah... yo," Kai replied nervously, feeling a strange pressure in his chest. "Mina, we need to get going," Kirishima said, and Mina nodded.
"See ya later, Kai!" Mina said, turning and walking away with Kirishima. Kai watched them go, a lump forming in his throat and an unfamiliar ache spreading through his chest. "This feels different," he thought. A moment later, Kai walked through the door of his home.
"Kai, what's wrong with you? You look down," said, noticing his expression. "It's nothing," Kai mumbled. "But I decided that I might attend U.A. after all." Asami's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise. Kai nodded.
"Then we must start training now! Let's go!" Asami urged, grabbing his arm. Kai was confused. "You may be tough, but there's gonna come a time where you need combat experience. I'll train you! I am a martial arts prodigy, after all." Asami declared confidently. "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask," Kai said. "What is your quirk?"
"Let me show you," Asami replied with a mischievous smirk. The next moment, they were at Takoba Municipal Beach Park. Kai stood two feet away from Asami. "Okay, Kai, I need you to hit me," Asami instructed. Kai tilted his head, confused. "I'm not gonna hit you," he said. "Trust me. Just do it," Asami insisted. Kai sighed and reluctantly walked toward her, lightly tapping her shoulder.
"Come on, a little harder," Asami prompted. Kai put a bit more power into it, and Asami's body briefly glowed red. "What was that?" Kai asked, surprised. "Do it again," Asami replied. Kai did as she asked, and the same thing happened. He repeated the action three times. "It feels like I'm hitting a wall now. What did you do?" Kai said, bewildered.
"I absorb your energy," Asami said, before disappearing in a burst of super-speed, reappearing behind Kai. "I call it Overdrive. The more damage I take, the more powerful I become. Of course, I'm already strong. So you could have hit me harder, scary cat." Asami teased. "Alright! We got two years of training!" Asami said, bumping her fists together enthusiastically. Kai could only offer a sweat-dropped expression. This was going to be a long two years.