Chapter 1: The Nameless Boy

A Storm and a Discovery

The sea raged like a wounded beast, churning against jagged rocks and swallowing anything that dared defy its wrath. Thunder rolled in the distance, echoing across the darkened sky as rain pelted the shore. Amidst the debris of driftwood and shattered shells, a lone figure lay motionless, half-buried in the wet sand.

Kazuto Kirigaya had no reason to be here. The storm had driven most people indoors, but something had pulled him toward the coastline, a nagging feeling he couldn't shake. His younger sister, Suguha, trudged behind him, her arms crossed and her expression one of pure annoyance.

"This is stupid," she muttered, tightening her raincoat around her shoulders. "We should be home."

Kazuto ignored her, his eyes scanning the beach. The tide had retreated abnormally far, exposing a stretch of sand usually hidden beneath the waves. Something about it unsettled him.

Then he saw it.

At first, it looked like just another piece of wreckage, a dark silhouette against the storm-lit beach. But as he stepped closer, the shape took form—a boy, no older than thirteen or fourteen, his body limp, his dark hair plastered to his face by seawater.

Kazuto's breath caught. "Suguha—call for help!"

Suguha's earlier irritation vanished as she fumbled with her phone, her fingers trembling. Meanwhile, Kazuto dropped to his knees beside the boy, his heart hammering in his chest.

The boy was alive. His chest rose and fell with weak, uneven breaths. His clothes were tattered, unrecognizable, and his skin was cold—too cold. But what struck Kazuto most was the boy's face. Even in unconsciousness, there was something haunting about it. His features were sharp yet youthful, his expression eerily calm, as if he had made peace with whatever had happened to him.

Then, suddenly, the boy's fingers twitched. His eyes fluttered open, revealing dark irises that held an unsettling depth—like someone who had seen far too much for his age.

For a moment, those eyes locked onto Kazuto's.

Then, just as quickly, they rolled back, and the boy collapsed into unconsciousness once more.

In Kirigaya Residence:

The first thing Yuji noticed when he woke up was the warmth.

It was an unfamiliar sensation—one he hadn't known in a long time. The scent of tea and fresh laundry filled the air, a stark contrast to the harsh saltwater and blood he was used to.

Slowly, he pushed himself upright, his body stiff and aching. The room around him was modest but cozy—wooden bookshelves lined the walls, and a neatly folded blanket sat at the foot of the bed.

Not a prison. Not a battlefield. For now, at least.

His eyes flicked to the door as it creaked open. A woman stood there, watching him carefully. She wasn't armed, and her expression held a mixture of concern and wariness. Behind her, two familiar faces peered in—Kazuto and Suguha, the ones who had found him.

"You're awake," the woman said, stepping into the room. Her voice was gentle, but there was an edge of caution beneath it. "How are you feeling?"

Yuji hesitated. His throat was dry, his body still weak from whatever had brought him here. But he forced himself to answer.

"…Where am I?"

Kazuto stepped forward. "Our house. We found you on the shore last night." His eyes searched Yuji's face. "Do you remember anything?"

For a split second, a thousand memories crashed through Yuji's mind—war, betrayal, fire, the cold hands of death gripping at his throat.

He shoved them down.

"I don't know," he said, his voice quiet but steady. "I don't remember anything."

It was a lie. A necessary one.

The woman studied him carefully. "My name is Midori Kirigaya. These are my children, Kazuto and Suguha."

Suguha's arms were crossed, her expression skeptical. "You don't remember your name either?"

Yuji shook his head. Another lie.

Kazuto rubbed the back of his neck. "Then… do you want to choose one?"

A new name. A new identity.

Yuji's gaze flickered to the steaming cup of tea on the nightstand. The warmth of it—the unfamiliar kindness—reminded him of something distant, something almost forgotten.

"Yuji," he said finally. "Just call me Yuji."

Kazuto nodded. "Yuji, huh? Alright."

Midori smiled faintly. "It suits you."

The next words that followed, however, made Yuji tense.

"I can help you with the paperwork," Midori continued. "If you'd like, I can formally adopt you."

Yuji stiffened. His mind instantly calculated the risks.

Adoption meant ties—permanent ones. It meant being bound to a family, having a legal history, being part of a system that would ask questions he couldn't answer.

More than that, he couldn't afford to have them get too close.

"No."

The response came sharper than he intended. Midori blinked, surprised. Kazuto and Suguha exchanged glances.

Yuji softened his tone. "I appreciate what you've done for me. But… I don't want to be adopted."

Midori hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Alright. I won't push."

And just like that, he remained Yuji. No last name. No family ties.

Just a boy with no past.

A Year of Discovery

Yuji integrated into the Kirigaya household easily, though he always kept a careful distance. Midori helped him get official paperwork—an identity that made him a legal citizen of Japan. His story was simple: an orphan with amnesia, found near the wreckage of a shipwreck.

It was enough to satisfy the authorities.

For the next year, Yuji lived as an ordinary middle school student. He attended classes, kept his head down, and observed.

He learned quickly.

Not about schoolwork—though he excelled in that, too—but about quirks.

His quirk—All in One—was unlike anything he had encountered before. It allowed him to see quirks as colors, shimmering auras wrapped around people like second skins.

When he copied a quirk, its essence became his own. But unlike others who inherited quirks, Yuji's ability removed everything else—the will, the personality, the echoes of those who had used the quirk before him.

All that remained was raw power.

He experimented in secret, testing the limits of his abilities. He copied minor quirks from criminals in back alleys, refining his understanding of how powers functioned. Over time, he mapped out an intricate web of quirks, categorizing them, analyzing them.

And yet, something was missing.

Then, one fateful afternoon, he found it.

The Sludge Monster Incident

Yuji had never intended to intervene. Keeping a low profile was his priority. But when he turned a corner and saw a boy being suffocated by a massive sludge creature, he didn't hesitate.

The boy—freckled, green-haired, helpless—was about to die.

Yuji moved.

His quirk vision activated. The sludge villain's aura was murky green, shifting like toxic smoke. The quirk itself was strange—amorphous, fluid. Not something Yuji would ever use.

But he didn't need to.

He lunged forward, grabbing hold of the boy's arm and yanking him free before the sludge could tighten its grip.

Then—

"I AM HERE!"

A booming voice shattered the air, and a massive figure landed in the alley, sending a shockwave through the pavement.

Yuji turned, his breath hitching.

All Might.

He saw it instantly—the quirk wrapped around him, unlike anything he had ever encountered. It glowed, layers upon layers of power coiled together.

Yuji clenched his fists. He was going to copy it.

End of Chapter 1