Chapter Text
Have you ever felt like the whole world could continue to turn without you ever having done a thing to help it? Okimi has spent her life rejecting that possibility. It all started from a young age; worshipping the ground Pro Heroes walked on, feeling inspired by the work that they had accomplished. There was no mistaking that feeling that crept it's way into her heart, the inexplicable desire to help people. To save them the same way she'd seen a hundred times before.
When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, they might tell you a number of things; an astronaut, a rock star, teacher, an actor, an artist.
The possibilities are endless when you're young.
When you asked Okimi what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer stayed the same every single time;
"A Hero!"
She'd say it with a twinkle in her eye that shined so brightly, you could've sworn she was seeing galaxies. The title; "Hero" traditionally would've been celebrated. It sounded so sweet. Endearing, even. To Okimi's father though, that one little word filled his heart with nothing but dread. To hear his child actually utter those words felt nothing short of a nightmare.
Don't be mistaken. Rai loved his daughter with his entire being, never could he imagine being the reason she didn't smile. But when villains were on the rise yet again, and there were too many to stop them, all Rai could do was stand by helplessly as the love of his life lay unconscious on the ground before him.
Cold.
Stiff.
Lifeless.
It was from that day forward that he decided he could never let that happen again. So, down came those posters strung about his daughter's room. Their smiling faces felt like too much of a mockery. Action figures found their way into the garbage can, comic books were burned. Okimi cried until she couldn't anymore. Now not only mourning the loss of her mother, but also the loss of a dream.
That happened so long ago now, but somehow, the wounds still felt so fresh.
Her father, Rai, was good about keeping it together. All considering. Removing Heroes from their home was a difficult task to upload, but he was willing to do anything to ensure the safety of his family. What little of it he had left, that is. If keeping his daughter out of harm's way meant crushing some childhood dream, well, he would do it. A million times over, he would. Even when it absolutely pained him - he'd try to remind himself that it was all for the best.
He tried to introduce her to new paths, push her in other directions, hoping something - anything could act as a distraction from that ridiculous dream of hers. He taught her music. They painted murals over empty canvases. Family game nights with her aunt and uncle. They read novels and built castles out of paper. He taught her about space, and all of the stars, especially his favorite one that he named; "Yoshimi."
It was funny. Out of everything, Okimi seemed to take the most interest in building. Not construction work, per say, but robotics and electronics. It happened sort of naturally, and maybe it should've been more expected.
Short Circuit. That was the name of the Quirk passed down for generations in her family, courtesy of her father's side. In the early stages before she ever even knew how to use it, she was breaking more things than she ever meant to. Guilt weighed heavy on her mind for so long, she knew she had to be better. The best solution she could come up with was; keep practicing. Until she got better, she'd learn how to fix every little thing she'd broken. Eventually, her father called it a true calling. She wanted to feel proud of the work, wanted to believe him when he said that, but still.. it felt like something was missing.
As Okimi grew, she would never admit how a tinge of resentment started to form in the pit of her stomach every time her father would shew the subject of Heroes under the rug. Even after she'd express interest, she could only watch helplessly as the light in his eyes began to dim. Already charcoal eyes somehow turned darker.
She understood how he felt, and why he felt it.
So she never pushed it.
It felt easier that way.
Behind closed doors was where she truly felt herself. Her computer acting as a safe haven, having access to a plethora of live footage of Heroes simply existing; doing their part to change this world every single day. Gosh, she wanted to be that.
Like any other child her age - All Might was the.. Well, he was the all mighty. The Number One Hero who fought with a smile on his face. It wasn't hard for Okimi to decide she wanted to go to UA High when it's alumni included Heroes as incredible as him. However, there were couple problems with this silly little plan of hers.
Firstly, her father. A man who detested heroes would never let her attend a school full of them.
Secondly, Okimi wasn't sure she'd make it in if she tried.
But that didn't stop her from trying.
Walking up to those school gates, a lump sat snug within her throat. Months of training in private, trying to perfect the usage of her Quirk without so much as a guide. Making sure she could become the very best she could. It all brought her right to this moment; her fate sat, waiting on the other side of this door.
It was most certainly difficult hiding it from her father, but a part of her had hoped maybe he could learn to love Heroes again if she became one herself. It felt like the only way. So; one forged signature scribbled onto an UA application later, Okimi was walking toward the school's front doors to take part in the same exam that so many others had been preparing for.
Oddly, Okimi didn't feel nervous.
For the first time in a long time, this all.. felt right.
Shuffling through a crowd of people, muttering out quiet apologies as she bumped into them. Eventually, she found a safe spot to stand that was close enough that she could clearly see the stage in front of her. The room was packed, to the say the least. People shoving against one another, cracking jokes to help the time pass. Suddenly all the prior confidence started to escape from her body as her eyes scanned around the room, a familiar sense of doubt growing in the pit of her gut.
"Oh, sorry!"
A brunette girl with rosy cheeks had managed to bump directly into her, mumbling out a quick apology to Okimi. As their eyes met one another, the two could only muster up a soft smile. An oncoming opportunity to make a friend had arrived.
"I totally didn't mean to bump into you." She had explained, pointing a finger to the room around them. "It's just so crowded in here."
"Definitely get what you mean." Okimi replied, chuckling to herself as yet another person bumped into her shoulder. "It's amazing though, isn't it? We're all here for the same reason; to become Heroes."
"I've been so nervous because I was looking at them more like competition." The brunette confessed, a subtle blush of embarrassment creeping to her cheeks. "Hadn't thought about it that way at all - Maybe I should start! My names Ochaco Uraraka."
"Okimi Denryu." She smiled, reaching a hand out to shake. "But you can just call me Okimi."
"Would you maybe want to sit with me before the presentation starts?"
"Yeah." Okimi nodded, accepting the kind offer. "I'd really love that. Thank you!"
"What's up UA candidates!"
"Thanks for tuning in to me; your school DJ! Come on and let me heart you!"
A man with tall blonde hair entered the stage, shouting out a warm welcome to all the students. There wasn't a microphone in site, and yet, his voice carried so far. Echoing through the building like his vocal chords were directly plugged the PA system at a concert venue. With a voice like that, there was no mistaking him; Pro Hero, Present Mic.
Dumbfounded at first glance, the magic of it all managed to wash away as the great hero himself was met with nothing but silence. Crickets chirping could be heard in the background, even after such an explosive opening speech. Uraraka and Okimi quickly busted into a quiet fit of giggles, unable to contain the laughter after such a lack of response from the crowd around them.
"Keeping it mellow, huh?" Present Mic tapped his foot impatiently, more than unimpressed by the reaction. "That's fine! I'll skip straight to the main show; Let's talk about how this practical exam is going to go down, okay?"
"Let me hear you! Are you ready?"
Once again, the room was filled with such a deafening silence. Okimi and Uraraka couldn't take it anymore, heeling over in their desks as they tried to stifle the noise. Eyes returning to each other to double check they weren't the only ones laughing in this situation.
"Like your application said; Today you rocking kids will be out there conducting ten-minute mock battles in super-hip urban settings. Grid your loins, my friends! After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specific battle center. Sound good?"
Glancing down to the exam ticket they'd been gifted upon their arrival, she noticed the assigned battler center Present Mic had mentioned; Battle Center B. As Uraraka placed her own ticket beside Okimi's to compare, the two discovered they'd had a struck of luck - being assigned to the same exact area for the mock battle. A bit of relief washed over the two of them, a deep exhale escaping their lips as they sunk into their seats.
"We got really lucky to have met before all of this." Uraraka whispered to the girl, giving a thumbs up.
Present Mic continued his explanation of how the exam would unfold, and how points would be earned. Showcasing a couple photos and videos from the terrain and the enemies they'd bee facing off against. At this point, Okimi expected to be dripping with sweat - expected her nerves to be getting the best of her, and yet, instead she felt so excited. A chance to finally showcase all the hard work she had been putting forth all of the years. It was her time to shine. After an quick interruption from one of the students in the crowd, Present Mic left the class with some final words;
"A sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down.."
"A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes."
"You ready to GO BEYOND? Let's hear a PLUS ULTRA!"
"Dude - What a loser!" Okimi could overhear one of the students scoff. "But one less rival to worry about, I guess."
Both of the girl's eyes followed the direction that the group of boy's were pointing and laughing in; a boy with a held full of messy green curls stood idly by, looking utterly frazzled as another student seemed to be drilling him about something - absolutely talking his ear off, and probably giving him more anxiety than he already had. Uraraka pointed a finger to the boy the moment her eyes landed on him, she began to explain she'd met him before already. Having said that, it felt like a good enough decision to officially go introduces themselves. However, the moment they took a single step forward, a familiar voice boomed from the sky above - Present Mic was calling their directions from atop a near by building.
"Let's start this!" He shouted, looking as pumped up as ever. "There's no countdown in real battles. You're all wasting air time here. Move! Move!"
It was like the floodgates were opened, and water was rushing straight through an innocent and unsuspecting village. Each of the candidates barreled their way toward the marked battle center. Taking notice to the absolute free for all unfolding before them, Okimi and Uraraka nodded to one another before taking off in opposite directions - mentally agreeing with one another it might be for the best if they split up and gather points that way.
When Okimi's eyes met the first target, a overtly confident smirk tugged at her lips. She took a moment to take her surroundings into consideration. Something that must've been important in a city scape - all of the buildings were pushed so close together, surely they'd done that on purpose. Her approach had to be careful and calculated. If this were a real battle, the amount of damage would have to be kept to a minimum.
Latching onto one of the machine's arms, Okimi clawed and climbed her way up it's body until she'd reached the top of it's head. Slapping both hands against what would've been it's temple, she let a burst of energy rush through her veins and directly into the device. It wasn't difficult to cause a short circuit. Having robots as her enemy was a match made in heaven. However, the hard part was making sure this hunk of metal would fall down directly in the middle of the road. So after frying it's mechanical brains, she jumped toward the sky as high as she could and came back down onto it with a strong kick. Shoving the metal backwards and leaving it sprawled out on the concrete. Successfully avoiding the buildings as it crashed down. Score.
Before she even realized it, Okimi had racked up at least twenty points. A triumphant smile was present on her face as she took down robot after robot, for a brief moment really believing she had this in the bag. That was.. Until she noticed the green haired boy from earlier. That frazzled and freaked out look still clinging to his pale face. Her footsteps began to slow as she noticed him, and that's when the ground began to violently shake beneath her feet. Gasps and horrified screeches filled the air around them as a gigantic shadow was cast. People ran for their lives, abandoning even their closest of friends in their endeavor.
"That." Okimi huffed, wiping the sweat from her brow with a terrified expression. "Is the one worth zero points? There's no way!"
Zero points was zero points. Meaning there was absolutely no reason to try and fight that thing. The amount of energy it would take for her to cause something of that capacity to short circuit could've killed her, she was sure. As soon as she began to make a break for it, her eyes caught wind of those familiar emerald curls - the boy had stumbled to the ground, tears welling in his eyes as he stared up to in it horror.
"You gotta move!" She tried to warn him, but it appeared he was frozen in his tracks. "H-Hey! Get out of there!"
But it didn't matter what she said. How many times she screamed for him to scramble, to run for it. He wasn't budging any time soon. Biting her lip, she shook her head - she knew what she had to do. Changing her course of direction, she broke into a dead sprint for him. She held out a hand to him, reaching desperately to hopefully snag him and run for their lives. But as he was finally within a fingertip's reach, he ran in the opposite direction, straight toward the giant zero point robot.
Confusion filled her head, heavy breaths escaping her mouth. She tried to ask him where he was going, tried to stop him. As the dust started to settle, she finally realized what had compelled him to move; Uraraka. She was stuck beneath some of the rubble that thing had broke up. It looked like it could've crushed her at any moment. Acting on pure instinct alone, Okimi ran the same way he had. Even with her lungs burning within her chest, she didn't leave that slow her down. The mission was more than clear; save her.
"Whatever Quirk you got, I need you to use it at full force right now." Okimi shouted to the green haired boy, managing to catch up with him. "I'll carry her to safety. Just need you hold that thing off, at least until I get back. Can you do that?"
"I'm on it!"
For a brief moment, she could've sworn she saw a glint of green lightning flash through his eyes as this newfound confidence washed over the boy. He looked so angry, so focused. It was surprising, to say the least. But also.. so inspiring. Just a second ago he resembled a scared child who would've rushed to his mother's side for safety, but now - he was so sure. In a way, Okimi understood exactly what was happening; how his body rushed toward danger the minute he saw someone who needed help. How all concern for yourself goes out the window when someone elses life is on the life. He was admirable, she hoped she could come close to that.
Ripping and tearing at the rocks that trapped Uraraka's legs, Okimi cradled the girl within her arms, mumbling quiet words of encouragement as she ran them both away from the fight. Trying to tell her everything would be alright. At the current moment, Okimi wasn't sure if she was saying that to soothe her new friend, or convince herself. Once she'd reached a safe enough distance, a group of other candidates began to crowd around them - all of their glued to the green haired boy.
All the while Okimi was making their grand escape, the unnamed boy had skyrocketed himself through the air like a bird. Landing a soul crushing punch against the machine, knocking it over and out in just one hit. As it toppled over, wind erupted from it's fall. Okimi had to push her hair from her eyes to make sure she was seeing everything correctly - How was this kid spending the whole exam looking like a lost child with a Quirk as powerful as that? All the remaining candidates could do was stare, mouths agape. Utterly shocked at what they had just witnessed.
Suddenly, he began to fall.
Surely he would've been able to stop himself?
Right?
Right?
The panic returning to his face had suggested otherwise.
"He's falling!" Someone had shouted, knocking Okimi from her trance. "What do we do?"
"Uraraka!" Okimi shouted, attention snapping to the girl as a lightbulb began to glow above each of their head's. "Can you-"
"Yes, but I have to touch him to make him float!" She replied. "My legs got crushed, I won't be able to make it there fast enough!"
Without a second thought, Okimi scooped the brunette back up and rushed toward the flailing body. Sending a nod to Uraraka, the two once more understood what the other was thinking. So with all of her might, Okimi threw Uraraka toward the sky straight toward the boy. A sense of relief washing over Okimi as Uraraka managed to land a slap across his face, which was just enough to let him slowly float to the ground, and she did the same.
Safe.
They were all safe.
Immediately, the three candidates collapsed to the ground in exhaustion upon noticing it was all over now. A final alarm sounded to signal the exam had officially finished. Now there was nothing left for them to do except wait. Wait for help, and wait for the results.
Recovery Girl found herself on the field, checking over the injured students. As her head poked it's way into Okimi's field of vision, she nodded toward the woman with a deep exhale. Instead pointed a finger straight towards Uraraka and the green haired boy.
"I'll be fine." Okimi muttered, weak smile on her face, giving the woman a thumbs up. "Please, help them first. They need it more."
It had been a couple of days since then.
She checked the mail every morning. Awaiting the arrival of a letter with her test results tucked away within it. She couldn't be certain she passed, especially after overhearing so many students mention they'd accumulated far more points than her. After that, it seemed impossible that she'd receive a passing grade.
But, she couldn't help but think about how it felt being there. How her body ran towards Uraraka the moment she noticed she was in danger - How that boy did the same. What it meant to be a Hero. To see it in action. The idea that maybe - just maybe, Okimi could be one too. It was worth all the worry.
Still she hadn't confessed to her father that she'd taken part in the Hero's Entrance Exam. She did - however - tell him she was applying for UA High. But instead of the Hero Course, she lied and said he was signing up for the Support Course. As far as he was concerned, she would be building and crafting - inventing! Her father seemed more than content with an idea like that. He even walked into the kitchen that morning with a smile on his face, happily handing the letter over to her while humming a hopeful tune.
He was truly excited to hear the news - if she made it in or not.
Even with that excitement, it took some time. It proved incredibly difficult to convince him to let her attend a school like UA High. He was more than aware of what kind of students a school like that harbored, and he still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea that his daughter would be working so closely with them. But.. He figured if she was at least only there to work in some workshop, she was at least out of harm's way. That felt like enough of compromise.
Ripping the letter from her fingers, Okimi rushed up the stairs and toward her room. Not wanting to chance him reading the letter over her shoulder.
"Sorry! J-Just excited!" She exclaimed. "I'm gonna open it in my room! I'll update you in a bit!"
Rai let out a quiet laugh at her excitement as she disappeared up the steps. Slamming the door, Okimi made sure to lock it behind her and tossed the envelope down onto her desk. A deep exhale escaped her lips as she took a seat, fingers fidgeting with the red and white sticker that held the letter shut. The biggest news she'd ever receive was waiting just inside this fragile piece of paper, it felt so silly.
So she tore it open, holding her breath as she did so. Out plopped a small device, one she'd never seen before. As her finger grazed the top of it, a bright line erupted into the air. It was projecting a screen onto the wall in front of her.
"Hello! I Am Here!"
"T-That's.." She started to stammer, looking up to the Hero on the screen before her. "All Might?!"
"You are currently looking at the newest UA Faculty member!" He announced, pearly white teeth sparkling as he smiled toward the camera. "You have successfully passed the written exam, and earned a whopping twenty combats points! Great work!"
He appeared so optimistic.
It felt promising.
"Unfortunately, your combat points placed you below some of other candidates.. But don't let that encourage you, young hero!"
Despite his request to not become discouraged, Okimi felt the smile on her face begin to falter. This was it.. She didn't make it in. Which meant it really was time to retire that stupid silly dream of hers. In her mind, it was decided - either get in the best school, or give it up for real and try something else. There was no use wasting her time on something that wasn't going to happen. Even if it felt right.
"However, there were some other things we had to factor in as well." He smiling, shooting that signature thumbs up. "Look over to this screen here! We've highlighted some of your best moments."
As he said, a tiny screen popped up next to All Might, and he turned to the side to watch the footage with her. Suddenly, there on the screen was Okimi - one moment was her carefully directing where the robots would fall after she'd taken them down. The next scene to appear was her rushing towards the giant robot beside the green haired boy. It was the moment she scooped Uraraka into her arms and ran her to safety. Next up was when she threw Uraraka into the air to help the boy from falling. Finally, on the screen was the moment she told Recovery Girl to help the others. Smile on her lips as she gave the woman a thumbs up.
Tears streamed down Okimi's cheeks as she watched All Might watch the screen until it went black. When the footage wrapped up, he turned on his heel and shot a proud smile, sporting a thumbs up of his own now too. Her breath hitched in her throat. It was so hard to believe one of her idols had witnessed something she'd done, and even more so, appeared proud of those accomplishments. Even if it happened to be scripted - so fricken what!
"Now.. Can you tell me why a Hero Course would reject someone who has already proved themselves to have the qualities of a hero?" He spoke. "The fact is - we wouldn't! Having said that, you received five extra points for the lack of damage you caused in combat. In addition to that, also received an extra forty five rescue points!"
"N-No." Okimi stuttered out, palms pressing to her lips to quiet herself down, tears continuing to spill down her cheeks. "There's n-no way!"
"Okimi Denryu, you have passed the exam." All Might smiled confidently. "Welcome to UA High! You are now a part of the Hero Academia!"