Chapter 273: Koda Koji’s Past

BOOM!

Deep in the dense forest, Koda halted for a moment, turning his head toward the distant sky, his eyes filled with admiration. Though he couldn't see anything from where he stood, the relentless sonic booms echoing across the battlefield made it clear, Kyoka was still fighting with everything she had.

"Kyoka-san is incredible… she's holding her own against Present Mic!"

But as much as he was in awe, a sense of urgency gripped him.

"I need to hurry! I can't let her fight alone!"

"I signed up for the Hero Course because I want to be a real hero!"

Determined, he pressed forward, his focus set on finding reinforcements.

The "forest" of the exam area wasn't a real, endless woodland. It was an enclosed testing zone, surrounded by transparent walls. Because of that, there weren't any large animals inside no tigers, no bears, not even wild boars or deer. The only creatures present were small ones rabbits, mice, and similar critters.

But rabbits and mice wouldn't be much help in this fight, and there weren't enough of them in the first place.

That was why Koda had another plan, he needed to find some small birds. If he could communicate with a few, he could ask them to call for more. A large enough flock might actually be able to assist in overwhelming Present Mic.

However, despite searching all the way to the edge of the examination zone, he hadn't spotted a single bird. From where he stood now, he could even see the faint reflection of light bouncing off the transparent barrier above.

"It's the sound… Present Mic's voice is affecting the entire exam area. The birds must have fled, and even the smaller animals have gone into hiding underground."

His breath came heavy, but exhaustion was the least of his worries. A creeping sense of frustration and doubt weighed on him instead.

"Am I… really this useless?"

Koda sank onto the soft earth, his lips pressed into a tight line, a lump forming in his throat. The distant explosions and Kyoka's relentless battle cries only made the feeling worse.

"If I can't do anything here, in a forest, where my Quirk should be at its strongest then what good am I?"

"Am I really cut out to be a hero?"

"My personality… my Quirk… why am I like this?"

He wasn't the type to shout in frustration or vent his emotions openly. Instead, silent tears welled in his eyes, his heart heavy with helplessness. He was certain that, back in the monitoring room, his classmates and teachers were looking down on him, disappointed.

But the truth was far crueler.

Nobody was thinking about him at all.

With the battle raging in the sky, the cameras remained locked onto Kyoka's fight against Present Mic. In that moment, Koda Koji was completely forgotten.

—

"Huh?"

Sitting there in his misery, Koda suddenly noticed movement near his shoes. A few black ants had started crawling up his white sneakers.

For a brief second, his brain completely froze.

And then—

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

His piercing scream shattered the silence, so loud that it even drowned out the distant explosions.

With a panicked yelp, he bolted upright, scrambling backward at a speed that defied all logic. In a blur of motion, he sprinted nearly ten meters away, seeking refuge behind a nearby tree.

"Insects!!!"

His face had gone pale as he peeked back at the ground, trembling.

The ants were still there. They weren't just wandering, they were dragging something.

A fat, wriggling green caterpillar.

It was still moving.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Horrified, Koda clamped his hands over his eyes, shuddering violently. Why did he have to see that?!

BOOM! BOOM!

Another explosion rumbled in the distance. The reminder of the ongoing battle snapped something in Koda's mind, and, despite himself, he hesitantly lowered his hands.

He forced himself to look at the ants but not the caterpillar his jaw tightening.

"Ants… could they… help Kyoka-san?"

Koda had always avoided insects, barely acknowledging their existence. Whenever he used his Quirk, it was always on birds or mammals, creatures he was comfortable with.

But… hadn't there been one time, a long time ago, when he had used his Quirk on insects?

The memory surfaced, unbidden.

—

A summer afternoon.

He had been playing in the neighborhood park with his friends. That was when he saw them, a massive swarm of mosquitoes hovering in the air.

He didn't remember exactly what he had said, but somehow, his Quirk had activated.

The next thing he knew, the entire swarm turned toward them.

No… toward him.

But something went wrong.

He must not have had proper control of his Quirk at the time. Because the moment he lost focus, the mosquitoes went wild.

They swarmed everyone.

The bites were instant. The panic was immediate.

That day, everyone had ended up in the hospital. And after that… his so-called "friends" never spoke to him again.

They avoided him. Feared him.

From that moment on, Koda had become more and more withdrawn, and his fear of bugs had only deepened.

—

His hands trembled at the memory.

But it also meant something important.

His Quirk did work on insects.

The only question was… could he face that fear?

At that moment, he realized that the line of ants was starting to disappear from sight.

His heart pounded.

He had finally thought of a way to help Kyoka.

Was he really going to let it slip away… just because he was scared?

His emotions clashed violently inside him.

And then.

He made his choice.

Gritting his teeth, Koda took one shaky step forward.

Then another.

His entire body was trembling, but he forced himself to follow the ants.

"I need to find their nest… and then…"

"I'll have them call for reinforcements. More ants. As many as possible. We'll swarm Present Mic!"

The thought alone was terrifying. He already knew he was going to have nightmares about this. Seeing that caterpillar again was going to haunt him forever.

But this was his battle too.

After a few minutes, the ants led him to their colony. More and more of them appeared, joining in to help with the hauling.

And that was when Koda froze again.

There were so many.

His legs locked up.

The sheer number of ants was overwhelming, his breath caught in his throat. He wanted to turn and run, but his feet wouldn't move. His brain screamed at him to act, but fear held him in place.

And then.

A different memory surfaced.

His mother, hugging him tightly after he had been accepted into U.A.

That feeling of pure joy. The sense that he had taken one step closer to his dream.

"That's right… I already made it into U.A."

"I'm in the Hero Course."

"If I don't keep moving forward, what kind of hero am I?"

His fingers curled into fists.

He sucked in a sharp breath.

And then.

"PLUS ULTRA!!!"

With his eyes squeezed shut, he charged toward the ant colony, forcing himself to ignore the sight of the insects scrambling in panic and the shredded pieces of the caterpillar lying in the dirt.

"Alright, little guys! Move out! Call in every ant you can!"

"Gather your forces!"

"And take down the guy making all that noise!!!"

***

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