"This morning, we reached the area where, yesterday, U.A. medical students assisted numerous victims after the collapse of several office buildings caused by the earthquake that hit Shinjuku in the afternoon. Early estimates indicate that the damage…"
"Mom! Come on, they're talking about us on TV!" you exclaim, sitting on the couch while enjoying your favorite strawberry yogurt.
"Eri, honey, we saw the news! Your dad and I are so incredibly proud of you," adds your mother, Tara Shimura, looking as beautiful as she always does at that hour of the morning. But for days now, you've been wondering why your stepbrother's father, Katsuki Bakugo, keeps coming to your house every morning to talk to her. And, above all, you wonder… what are they talking about?
"Tsk. If you can't fight, you can't call yourself a hero." Ryota crosses his arms, that usual air of superiority plastered all over his face, the same one that makes you want to fling a spoonful of yogurt right at him.
Your mother always says he looks just like his father, Katsuki Bakugo. And looking at him, you can't argue with her. Six feet tall. Sculpted, as if his entire life was devoted to training. Blonde hair sticking up, impossible to ignore, and those red eyes, so intense they seem to see right through you. Too bad they're also incredibly irritating.
You don't answer him. You simply turn your head toward the TV, pretending you didn't hear. But your heart is beating faster, and you can't tell if it's from anger... or something else.
"Hey! Look at me when I talk to you, idiot!"
"Ryota, stop it." Your mom's voice comes out low, guttural, almost annoyed.
"Yes, okay, Mom."
You smile, exhaling, and shake your head.
You need to know one thing about your brother: he has a bit of an obsession with your mother. He even calls her "the goddess of his life." You swear he means it. Everything your mother says is law to him. He doesn't argue, he doesn't object, he doesn't even breathe unless she allows it. In front of her, he's the perfect image of a model son. At school, he's the brightest guy in the room: excellent grades, impeccable behavior… every teacher's dream (and every family member's).
Too bad the people who really know him know the truth. Behind that good-guy façade lies a truly awful personality. And trust me, you know it better than anyone.
He believes that only people who know how to fight deserve to be called heroes.
To him, being a hero means knowing how to strike, defend, and react with kicks and punches.But you don't see it that way. You never have. To you, a hero can save someone… without having to fight. Sometimes, all it takes is a hand reaching out. Or even just a smile at the right moment.
"You're such an idiot, Ryota," you exclaim, shrugging. He gritted his teeth and turned away, walking toward the refrigerator.
Good! After this brief introduction to your (complicated) family… I think it's time to introduce yourself.
Your name is Eri Togata. You are the daughter of Tara Shimura and Mirio Togata, nineteen years old, and a second-year student in the advanced medical class at U.A. High School, a special program dedicated to the recovery, protection, and care of victims in any kind of emergency. Your class consists of five students, including you. You all get along wonderfully and care deeply for one another (except when Reina complicates things), but don't worry, you'll introduce them all soon.
Your father, whom you adore even if his energetic nature can be a little embarrassing at times, is a very strong Pro Hero (though I'm sure you already know that). Your mother, on the other hand, has been teaching Heroic Strategies at U.A. for several years. She doesn't teach your class, though, she looks after the older students and teaches only in the other wing of the school: the fighters' section.
Basically… you grew up surrounded by heroes. And maybe that's exactly why you want to find out what it really means to be one.
Shifting focus elsewhere, let's talk about your powers. Your Quirk is called Seraphim. (Yes, you know, it's a truly angelic name.) Essentially, it's a family heirloom, half from your mother, half from your father. Except that, thanks to the Shimura family genetics (and the strange energy of your grandmother Nana), it's evolved a bit.
In short: you've grown wings.
Large, ivory white with golden highlights, light yet strong. You can use them to fly; you're not the fastest, but you have absolute control in tight spaces. The most interesting part, however, is something else: your feathers release vital microparticles, a kind of energetic stem cells capable of stimulating tissue regeneration.
In simple terms: you can heal.
Moderate wounds, cuts, bruises... you can even wrap patients in your wings to speed up the healing process. You can also absorb negative energy or pain, reducing physical shock.
...Yeah, you know, it sounds cool. But, like any Quirk, it has its limits.
Each feather used temporarily loses its power until it's reabsorbed and reformed (and this can take hours... or days, just like Hawks-sensei). Healing for too long causes you a kind of "magical anemia": paleness, fatigue, dizziness, and if you try to fly and heal at the same time... well, your body can't handle the effort. Just a moment too long and bye-bye, consciousness.
In short, you're not exactly the perfect angel that the name "Seraphim" might suggest, even if in flight, you leave small trails of golden light behind you, so much so that the children of Musutafu call you "the angel of U.A." The code name your companions gave you is Seraph, but you find it... rather embarrassing!
Within your medical class, your primary role is emergency medical transport. Essentially, you're used as a sort of flying regenerator for support. (Like a helicopter rescue.) During missions, you're always the one going first: you fly to the front lines, reaching the wounded or hostages and carrying them away from the battlefield.
Once they're safe, you stabilize them and hand them over to the Medical Team of your superpowered classmates, who handle the more complex treatments. It's not the flashiest role, you admit. But every time you manage to get someone home alive… well, that's enough to make you feel like a true hero.
"I'm home!"
Your father's voice, Mirio, resonates in the hallway: clear, energetic... the usual burst of positivity. You leap from the couch and run toward him, throwing yourself into his strong, confident arms. He hugs you and presses a kiss to your head.
"You were fantastic yesterday! Everyone's talking about you and how amazing you are. Great job, superhero!"
You squint, trying to hold back a smile, but you only end up laughing and hugging him tighter.
"Thanks, Dad. I love you."
"Me too, little star."
He pulls away slightly, looking around. "Has Katsuki come to pick up Mom yet?"
You shake your head. "Not yet. She's upstairs."
"Got it!" he replies with his usual enthusiasm, and disappears down the stairs, taking them two at a time to go towards her.
Meanwhile, Ryota is still sitting in the kitchen eating his cereal when he slams his spoon on the table, feeling incredibly annoyed.
"Don't act so strong, you idiot," he turns his icy eyes on you. "You're no hero, Eri."
He stares down at you, his usual arms crossed, his gaze piercing your very soul.
"You don't fight, you don't protect anyone. You just pick up the pieces after we're done."
You feel your anger rising to your ears, your breathing quickens as you clench your fists until your nails dig into your flesh. He's an idiot, you already know that, and you also know you shouldn't let someone like him sting you so much. But those words hit you squarely in the chest.
"That's not true!" you exclaim, clenching your jaw.
"Oh really? Then tell me, where were you when Uraraka's team got trapped under the rubble? When the doctors weren't enough and we were collapsing?"
"Listen, idiot, I was there saving five people all at once. Five! Understand? And if I hadn't done it in time, they wouldn't be here now!"
"Saving is not the same as fighting, I've told you that a million times. A hero must also know how to face the enemy, not just heal the fallen."
You bite your lip with such pressure that blood comes out.
"You're wrong," you reply, your voice shaking. "Being a hero isn't just about striking or winning. It's about not turning away. Even when you can't fight."
At that moment, your idiot stepbrother falls silent. His red eyes, usually clouded with a certain arrogance, lower upon hearing your statement, only to immediately return to you, defiantly.
"You don't understand anything, Eri." He concludes, grabbing the spoon again and digging it into the cereal bowl with force. "In this world, those who don't fight…are left behind."
"I'll prove you wrong. I swear. One day I'll make you understand how wrong you are."
He bursts out laughing, slamming his hand on the table.
"Okay! Let's see who's the strongest between us!" he exclaims, looking at you sharply, issuing a challenge.
Even though he's a few years older than you, you have no intention of letting him win.
He also attends U.A. (unfortunately for you). And you have to admit it, even if it costs you: he's good. Really good. Not just in his studies, but also in fighting.
He's part of the Assault Squad, a select group of thirty students chosen from among the best, within Class Alpha. (What was once 1-A).
His Quirk is called Plasma Surge. It's a combination of his father, Katsuki Bakugo's Explosion, and a genetic trait inherited from the Shimura family, that strange ability to generate vital or spiritual energy, which flows through the body like an invisible flame. So, when you watch him train, it almost seems as if light itself responds to his movements. He's powerful, precise, and full of determination.
And maybe that's exactly what's irritating you.
Because every time you look at him, he reminds you of everything you're not... and everything you want to prove you can become.
Instead of his father's nitroglycerin sweat, Ryota's body generates a high-energy ionized gas. Through movement (or even just the friction of his muscles), he can convert it into concentrated plasma, and when he does so, the air around him vibrates. Electric arcs and plasma heat waves erupt from his palms, curling and twisting like snakes of light. He can shape that energy: he can transform it into blades of unstable light, or compress it into controlled explosive bursts, similar to electrical pulses that fire with his every movement.
And when he truly focuses his power… the air itself transforms. It ionizes, creating an invisible defensive field that deflects projectiles and softens the impact of physical attacks.
Watching him in action is like witnessing a storm held within a human body. Frightening, but… also incredibly beautiful.
Like all Quirks, of course, his also has limits... but you don't know them. It's strange, when you think about it. He's never spoken about them to anyone, not even you. And so, even today, you have no idea what the limits of Ryota Bakugo's power are. Maybe he doesn't want to reveal them. Or maybe... he hasn't found them yet, either.
While you're lost in these somewhat strange thoughts, your phone vibrates on the table.
It's Tess.
Sighing, you answer.
"Let me guess… someone wants to ask if I'm free for dinner tonight," you say, trying to keep your voice cold and professional, so much so that even you barely recognize it.
"Don't be such a jerk, Eri!" she retorts with her usual energy. "I mean… actually, yes, that's exactly what I wanted to ask you."
You raise your palm to your forehead, and you let out a half-smile.
"Eight-thirty. At McDonald's."
"I adore you!"
Click. She hangs up.
You stare at the screen for a moment, then shake your head, amused. Tess is like that. Always direct. Always unpredictable.
Alright, friends. Who's Tess?
Well, she's Tess Midoriya, daughter of Pro Hero Izuku Midoriya and Pro Hero Ochaco Uraraka.
And, yes... also your best friend.
She's in your medical school class at U.A., and it's impossible not to recognize her. If you're familiar with her father's features, then you already know what she looks like: the same kind expression, the same big, bright eyes, and that hair that always seems to have too much energy to stay still. Basically, she's him. Only... a female version. But with the heart and enthusiasm of two Midoriyas rolled into one.
Her Quirk is called Zero Pull, while her hero name is Gravity Star.
Simply put, it allows her to negate the force of gravity and any physical attraction within a confined area. In practice, she can create true zero-gravity spaces, where everything (bodies, instruments, even the air) floats with a surreal lightness. It's a perfect ability for delicate surgical procedures or during rescue missions, when an area needs to be isolated to prevent further collapses or injuries.
Cool, right?
Yes, you know. You think so too every time you see her use it.
But if you know Tess, you know it's never just about power. It's the way she uses it, with precision, with courage... and with that smile that makes everything seem a little lighter.
She's the most brilliant and thoughtful person you know. Truth be told, you see Tess more as a scientist than a heroine. From the first day you met, it was as if you'd known each other forever. You bonded quickly, effortlessly, as if something had simply put you on the same path.
Since then, you've shared everything with her. Absolutely everything. Even the most… indecent things.
(Okay, confess: you're madly in love with your mentor, Eraser Head… yes, that Eraser Head, your Intelligence and Support teacher.)
And with that, you think it was time to run upstairs and get ready, it's already late!
You want to meet up with your sensei, Recovery Girl, to discuss the final details of yesterday's incident. But don't worry... you'll introduce the rest of the class soon.