Aldera Junior High

Timeskip – Age 12 to 13

The morning bell rang over the campus of Aldera Junior High, the noise barely rising over the usual chaos of first-day excitement. For most students, it was just another step in their school life.

For Shin Karasuma, it was another step toward destiny.

He walked through the gates with calm purpose. His appearance had sharpened over the years—leaner, taller, softer, more handsome. His storm-emerald eyes scanned the school casually. His black uniform fit cleanly over a physique that had been honed through years of secret training.

Aldera was nothing compared to U.A., but it was a necessary stop. One more stage before the curtain lifted.

A voice burst through the crowd like a firecracker.

"SHIIIIN! You're here! LET'S GOOO!"

Yuki Takamine came barreling through the crowd like a comet, her bag swinging, ponytail flying, and a grin stretched across her face. She was a short storm of energy, her spiky strawberry-blonde hair wild as always. The black band-aid across her nose was still firmly in place.

Before she even reached him, her voice cracked out loud enough to rattle a classroom window nearby—literally. One of the second-floor windows vibrated hard in its frame.

"Sorry!" she yelled—then added, "Boom Voice, remember!"

Shin chuckled, already sidestepping as she skidded to a stop beside him.

"Still haven't figured out volume control, huh?"

"I have!" she said proudly. "Just not when I'm excited."

Behind them, a yawn echoed.

Toma Nishida dragged himself into view, eyes half-lidded, tie undone, one hand shoved in his pocket. The tall, sleepy boy gave Shin a lazy nod.

"Yo," he said. "Yuki's been screaming about this all morning. I didn't even get to nap on the train."

"You nap everywhere," Shin replied, grinning.

"That's called strategic quirk management," Toma muttered. His quirk, Sleep Cycle, made him stronger the longer he stayed awake—but right now, he looked two blinks away from face-planting into the pavement.

The fourth member of the group was already there, standing quietly near the entrance like a shadow no one noticed.

Shiro Hanabusa, pale and slim, his silvery-white hair perfectly neat, watched them with calm eyes. He inclined his head slightly as Shin approached.

"You're late," he said softly.

"It's not even the first bell," Shin replied.

"Still late."

---

Inside the classroom, they were seated together—Toma by the window so he could doze with sunlight on his face, Yuki in front so she could chatter nonstop with whoever sat nearby, Shiro in the back corner, silent but alert.

Shin sat between them like the eye of a storm.

The teacher introduced the class, listed names, reviewed quirks, and passed out syllabus papers. Several students had flashy or unique quirks—flame breath, metal skin, stretchy limbs—but Shin noticed the teachers' eyes lingered on their group.

It wasn't just their test scores.

It was the potential.

---

At lunch, they gathered beneath a tree in the courtyard—Toma laying flat with his blazer folded as a pillow, Shiro reading quietly, Yuki bouncing on the balls of her feet as she spoke at a mile a minute.

"—and THEN I almost used Boom Voice on my mom 'cause she wouldn't let me bring the three-foot sword I made for Hero Studies, and—"

"Three-foot sword?" Shin blinked.

"Cardboard! I'm not crazy," she said with a smirk. "Just passionate."

Toma cracked one eye open. "You shouted a hole in the hallway wall last week."

"It was a tiny hole!"

Shiro looked up. "It was the size of a basketball."

Yuki grinned. "A tiny basketball."

Shin leaned back on his hands, watching the three of them. Different as they were, they balanced each other perfectly. He hadn't expected to make friends when he first awakened his quirk and remembered the world he was born into—but somehow, here they were.

Loud. Lazy. Silent. And him.

All aiming for something bigger.

---

After school, they walked the streets of Musutafu together, dodging crowds and snacking on convenience store mochi. The sky was orange with sunset, and the city buzzed with life—Pro Heroes on patrol, kids practicing quirks in alleys, distant sirens echoing.

Yuki was rambling about hero costumes again.

"I want mine to be LOUD. Like, speakers on my shoulders, flashing lights on my boots—"

Toma yawned. "So a walking rave?"

"YES."

Shiro sighed. "That's going to get you arrested."

"I'll scream politely."

They all laughed—even Shin, softly.

Because for now, this was enough. Training would continue. Destiny would come. The canon of My Hero Academia would start in a few years.

But for now… Shin Karasuma walked beside his friends, and the road ahead didn't feel so heavy.

*******

It started like most days at Aldera Junior High—loud, chaotic, and entirely predictable. Until it wasn't.

Shin was walking down the hall after lunch with Yuki, Toma, and Shiro, still laughing about Yuki's overly dramatic impression of a pro hero doing laundry, when they turned the corner and stumbled into a tense scene.

In the middle of the hallway stood a blond boy with an explosive scowl, hands in his pockets and an aura so intense it practically sparked.

"Oi, Deku," the boy growled, "you really don't know when to quit, huh?"

Just across from him, a smaller boy with messy green hair flinched but stood his ground. His notebook was clutched tightly in his arms, his freckles scrunched in nervous defiance.

"I—I wasn't saying anything bad, Kacchan, I was just—"

"Don't call me that," the blond snapped. His palms let off a faint pop of smoke, enough to make the nearby students whisper and back away.

Shin's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew these two—Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku.

The names were enough to hit a warning bell in his head. The gears of fate were already grinding into motion.

"...Should we step in?" Shiro asked quietly beside him.

Toma blinked sleepily. "Isn't that Bakugou kid the top scorer in class 1-C?"

"Yeah," Yuki said, crossing her arms. "Also a jerk."

Shin tilted his head. He could feel the tension, the way Bakugou loomed over Midoriya with a simmering need to dominate—not out of insecurity, but pride.

Midoriya, on the other hand, looked shaken… but not broken.

Shin stepped forward.

"Hey," he said, calm but firm. "That's enough."

Bakugou's head snapped toward him. His glare was sharp, and for a second, Shin saw the flash of raw ambition behind it—dangerous, explosive.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Shin Karasuma. Just someone who doesn't like bullies."

Midoriya blinked, wide-eyed. Bakugou's scowl deepened.

"Tch. Stay outta this, new guy."

"He's not new," Yuki chirped, stepping beside Shin. "He's just quiet. Like Shiro, but buffer."

Bakugou's eye twitched. "I don't need a damn backup choir."

Toma stifled a yawn. "You kinda do. You're off-key."

Even Shiro cracked the faintest of smiles.

Bakugou scoffed, stepping back with an audible crackle of palm sparks. "Whatever. You losers wanna hang with Deku? Fine. Waste of time."

He stomped off, students parting in his wake.

The moment he was gone, Midoriya exhaled shakily. He looked up at Shin, hugging his notebook to his chest.

"Thanks… I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"You didn't," Shin said, offering a small smile. "That guy's just loud. You okay?"

Midoriya nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah. I've seen worse."

Yuki leaned in. "Whoa, what's in that notebook? Is that for quirks?"

Midoriya flushed. "Uh, yeah! I-I like analyzing heroes and quirks, even if I don't have one—uh, technically—"

Shin blinked. "Wait. You're… quirkless?"

"W-Well… yeah. But I still want to be a hero."

Yuki gasped dramatically. "That's so cool!"

Shiro, from behind, said quietly, "That takes guts."

Toma looked at Shin. "Remind you of anyone?"

Shin smiled slightly. "Yeah… it does."

There was something about Midoriya—earnest, awkward, but determined—that felt like a thread tied to everything Shin had been preparing for. Another piece on the board. Another echo of the world he knew was coming.

And Bakugou… fiery and prideful, on the edge of exploding in more ways than one.

Their paths were colliding already.

"Hey, Midoriya," Shin said. "If you ever want to hang out, or talk quirks, come find us."

Midoriya blinked, stunned. Then nodded. "Y-Yeah! I will! Thank you!"

As he hurried off to class, Yuki elbowed Shin in the ribs. "Look at you, collecting cinnamon rolls like stray cats."

Toma chuckled. "I give the green one two weeks before he's stuck to us like glue."

Shiro added, "You're becoming a magnet, Shin."

Shin watched Midoriya disappear around the corner, then glanced back in the direction Bakugou had gone.

He had a feeling this was just the beginning.