Power Quaking - Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Ochako Uraraka had to admit that this was a first for her. Sitting on the back seat of a motorcycle behind a boy she had just met. She kept her hands clasped lightly over his shoulders but made sure to keep herself from pressing up against him. She wasn't fully confident in her balance if it came to just holding the grips of the seat she was on. If she ended up startled and almost fell, she might just activate her Quirk on a massive pile up of crashing cars was so not what she needed today. Or you know, ever actually.

This wasn't something she'd usually partake in either. But he was nice, if a bit flirty for her tastes and he'd offered to give her a lift to U.A. She tended to kind of wall off any of the few flirty types that she caught the attention of, they kind of wigged her out. It helped though that the bit of flirting he'd done wasn't really full on hitting on her. It seemed more like something born out of interacting with girls a lot. Plus, the more money she saved the better, her funds were tight enough as it was, so she'd accepted his offer despite the mild embarrassment she felt.

The less she used her railcard to get around the better, it would give her a few extra rides on her card before she had to replace it, saving her a bit of yen.

She had to admit as well though, that this was a nice bike. She'd toyed with the idea of going for her driving license herself. Especially since a cheap car would be cheaper in the long run than taking trains to school every morning and back again for three years. But, the money needed for the exam and license, then to pay for even a cheap car was just too much for her family to pay at once.

She and her family weren't doing so swell in the money department after all, the construction company owned by her parents rarely got any work in these days and they struggled to save any money up before they had to pay it all out.

She wondered though how he had his license before he had even been accepted into a hero academy. As far as she knew, that kind of thing wasn't really possible without someone putting a good word in for you, and that usually meant a successful Pro Hero who could vouch for the applicants potential and such.

Ochako was a bit jealous that he could so casually afford a bike like this one, if the designer jacket he was wearing was anything to go by. She fisted her hands slightly tighter against his shoulders - that just lit a fire in her belly though! All she had to do was pass the exams today and she'd be well on her way to becoming a famous pro and getting all the money she needed to give her parents the comfortable life they deserved!

"So what department are you applying for?" Kano's voice echoing loudly over the steady thrum of the bike's engine roused her from her thoughts.

She noticed the bike slowing down to a stop and traffic lights shining red in front of them, "The Hero Department," she replied, raising her voice and sliding up the golden visor of her helmet, "What about you?"

"Me too," he shouted back, looking over his shoulder at her, his own visor already slid up and flashing her a smile before it slipped into a bit of a grimace, "My Quirk isn't really suited to anything outside of fighting after all." she tried not to look into his eyes too long. She wasn't really interested in looks all that much, his eyes though, were a completely different story, she wished she had eyes like those. No boy should have eyes that pretty. Ochako didn't even know eyes that vibrantly green could exist. They were like glistening, vibrant emerald jewels. Definitely way more beautiful than her own ruddy brown eyes. So not fair.

Ah, but they were dimming right now and he looked a bit annoyed and put out about his Quirk. It should be a crime for emotion to dim those eyes down. Still, she shook her head - it wasn't like Ochako couldn't understand his gripe with his Quirk, her own Quirk wasn't really all that great for combat situations and was much more suited to a rescue hero. It didn't really bother her too much, since she wanted to be a rescue hero like Thirteen anyway, but the more popular heroes were the stronger ones and they made more money. The most popular by far though were the strongest heroes who could also rescue people even after beating villains down, like All Might, or Hawks.

So he was pretty much on the other side of the spectrum from her. And he seemed kind of a bit bummed out by that fact.

They both fell silent for a few seconds and he turned his head back towards the traffic lights. Ah, she should say something right?

"Mine's the opposite ta' be honest," her accent slipped in a bit as she spoke up, "My Quirk's called Zero Gravity and it lets me remove the weight of anything I touch if I want, it's not really all that great for a fight though." She didn't have any training to compensate for that either, she couldn't really afford to learn a martial art, even the beginner classes cost a decent amount of yen. All Ochako had been able to do to mitigate her combat weakness even slightly was working out to get herself into good shape, mostly by jogging every morning and installing a few cheap pieces of exercise equipment like a pull up bar in her room. That, and whatever small tricks she could come up with for her Quirk.

"Nice, that's a pretty awesome Quirk," Kano noted with a whistle, "It's pretty much tailor made for a rescue hero, definitely a Quirk worthy of a Pro."

Ochako smiled at the praise and leaned forward, patting him on the back as if to pass on the burden of sharing their Quirks, "What about you?" she asked.

He glanced up at the traffic lights again making sure they were still red before he took one hand off of the handlebars of the motorcycle and pointed one finger into the air, just high enough for her to see over his shoulder, "Mine's called Power Quake," he said. There was a kind of clash of sound between something vibrating and a high pitched echoing pop followed by a small transparent and whitish sphere of - she wasn't really sure what to call it - something forming around the tip of his finger, it looked kind of like the very air itself was twisting and fracturing within it.

'Pretty,' she thought. The sphere flickered between different shades of white in an almost mesmerizing way. And the feeling in the air, just from that small sphere over his finger tip it felt like the air around them was vibrating, she had to make a conscious effort to stop her teeth from chattering together.

Ochako understood though why his Quirk was only good for fighting now. If even that tiny little sphere no bigger than the tip of his finger caused the air to vibrate so hard around them, then what must it feel like if he made one much bigger, like the size of someone's head?

"You can feel the tremors through the air right?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her again.

Ochako nodded, boy could she feel it, "Yep! I can't believe such a little thing like that is causing that much vibration though."

"Yeah, that's the problem, see that's only the after effects of my Quirk," Wait, what? Just an after effect for something that strong, not really the full effect? He continued on ignorant of her thoughts, "See, my Quirk when activated causes the area it covers to constantly push and pull, every single tiny part of it and each motion bounces off of each other and amplifies those around it making them push and pull all that harder in a kind of loop effect. It's like the power of an earthquake focused in a tiny area and I can use it from any part of my body."

Kano lifted his other hand and clamped it around the fingertip, a hiss of pain leaving his mouth as he crushed the sphere out of existence, "That was as small as I could make it and it would probably tear a car apart if I hit one with it." he grimaced, "The kick back I get from using it isn't very pleasant either, I almost died when I first activated it."

'Oh gosh, no wonder he couldn't really use it for anything other than fighting,' Ochako thought, 'Heck, if that tiny little sphere could have torn apart a car, what about one the size of his hand like I thought of before?' It would probably tear apart a building. Even fighting with it without causing too much damage was probably really hard to do. And if even that little sphere hurt him to just power up and not even use, then how much must it hurt to use more?

Ochako was a bit glad the only kickback from her own Quirk was the nausea she got if she went over her three ton weight limit or removed her own gravity for an extended period of time. She couldn't really imagine going through pain like that for something she used constantly like she did her Quirk, sometimes she even used it in her sleep when she wasn't wearing her mittens.

"Eh," she patted him on the back again comfortingly, an awkward smile on her face, "At least it's super powerful right?"

Kano's eyes lit up a bit and he chuckled, "There is that at least," he conceded.

The traffic light above them flashed yellow, then green. "Hold on tight, we're off again." he told her. Ochako quickly pulled her hand from his shoulder, slipping her visor back down over her eyes and gripped his shoulder again, this time a bit more tightly. Then the sound of rubber on asphalt rang and he drove forward, quickly picking up speed.

She grinned in excitement as butterflies rose in her belly, she quite liked the speed the bike went at and the way the wind blew over her face. Thank god for the helmet she was wearing though or her hair would be messed up so bad, a total birds nest. That would be all she needed, a bad hair day during her attempt to get into the most prestigious hero school in the country.

With the tension more or less broken between them, conversation flowed between them much easier. She learned that he actually had a younger twin brother who was also taking the entrance exam with them today, that he surprisingly enough had a decently popular following on Wetube as he documented his training progress on the route to become a hero, and that he'd actually bought the motorcycle they were riding on with the money he made from it. She wished she could have done something like that, but she didn't even have a computer and her cell phone was a cheap-flip one on top of that.

'But jeez this guy's a real go getter type isn't he?' she thought. In turn, she ended up telling him about the limits on her Quirk, and how she was actually living alone at the moment in an apartment her parents got her for free since they actually built the apartment building. That she was doing so because she originally lived quite a bit away's and her new apartment was much closer to U.A. She told him that her favorite food was mochi and he ended up laughing, pointing out that he kind of figured that out with how much of it she had bought back at the store they met in.

"Hey!" Ochako pouted at his laughing and playfully thumped him on the back with one hand while making sure to maintain her balance on the bike, "Mochi's great and really cheap too!" It had been something she picked up at a young age. It was very cheap and just one little piece the size of a small matchbox was as filling as an entire bowl of rice. She loved the taste and texture of it in her mouth too so it was a win-win for her.

Stocking up on mochi tended to save her a lot of money.

"I didn't say there was anything wrong it," Kano chuckled, "Personally my favorite is kebab meat in chilli sauce. I had to eat a lot of meat and stuff like that for a high calorie intake when I was younger so I could bulk up and make my Quirk easier on my body."

She could certainly attest that he'd done a good job. She felt like she thumped a brick wall instead of a person's back just there. "Really, kebab?" Ochako snorted, "And covered in chilli sauce at that. That's so weird! At least mochi is a Japanese food." It definitely explained why he had bought three bento's that focused on meat though.

Once again though, so not fair! This guy was going to eat three bento's by himself and it would help him maintain a rigid body of powerful muscle. If she ate three bento's it'd go straight to her hips, and her hips were already too thick in her opinion. The other girls she knew at her old school had much more slender hips than her, just - so not fair at all. If it weren't for how little she actually ate and the jogging she did everyday she had no doubt she'd be a complete and utter natural chubster.

"Hey, don't bash on the kebab, I love that stuff!" he jokingly rebuked, "Besides, it's really filling and feels good in my stomach. One of the better things I've eaten before using my Quirk. Let me tell you, using it on an empty stomach gives me some annoying nausea to deal with, as if the pain wasn't bad enough already."

Ochako grimaced, "Ah that sucks!" she was sympathetic with that plight, she knew how much of annoyance Quirk based nausea was. She'd become an old friend with throwing up long ago thanks to her own inborn ability. "Will you be fine for the exam?" She didn't really know what the exam would entail, all she really knew from the hints in letters she received was that this year the entrance exam was going to have a much bigger focus on combat ability.

She tightened her hands on his shoulders a bit more when he sped up a bit and passed through two cars in front of them seamlessly, "Nah, the exam shouldn't be a problem," he replied, voice carried on the wind rushing over them, she had to admire his skill when driving, he made it look easy, "From what my sensei tells me we'll just be up against a bunch of robots called villain bots. Big and fast, but not really too much of a threat. each one gives a set amount of points and the more you destroy the higher your score rises, and the top scorers get in."

"Ah, really!?" Ochako demanded frantically. No doubt about it then, his sensei must be a Pro of some kind. That must be where he got the recommendation for this motorcycle of his. Still, big robots that could be really bad for her.

"Don't worry so much," he replied easily, "We get like ten minutes to rack up points and we can use any equipment we brought with us to help augment our fighting skills. With your Quirk all you've gotta do is touch them once and you should be able to bring them down without too much trouble."

'I'd still have to get in close though,' she bit her lip slightly. She wasn't the fastest person around, as far as running speed went she was pretty average.

No, it didn't matter! She'd just throw everything she had into it and chase those robots down like a wolf hunting a rabbit! And she at least knew in advance what to expect so there wouldn't be any surprises to slow her down.

Yeah! She could totally do this!

Fired up, she lifted her hands from his shoulders and punched her right hand into her left palm, "Yeah I'm gonna crush them!" Ochako agreed with him loudly and vehemently.

Then she wobbled slightly and realized she'd taken her hands off of what she was using to balance herself on the bike, "Ack!" she spluttered, quickly throwing her herself forward and gripping his back tightly before she fell off.

Kano just snorted in amusement.

_______________________

"Ugh," Kano groaned standing over a sink in the changing rooms toilet, "That was brutal." The theoretical exam was something else. So many damn laws and regulations that were need to know, on top of a typical high flyer high school entrance exam. Not fun at all.

But now that he was done and had a few minutes to himself before he had to head out, he could focus on what had been bothering him since he parted ways with Ochako this morning after arriving at the school.

It was mainly because of the discomfort he noticed Ochako showing on her face when he reflexively flirted with her that he noticed. How unlike himself he'd managed to become. How much of himself he'd hidden away.

It couldn't be helped really. He literally hadn't outright talked with anyone besides teachers, his sensei and his mother since the break up with his girlfriend. He hadn't even spoken with his brother since then either. It was a reflex born from his time socializing with people Camie wanted to hang out with.

Standing in front of one of the bathroom mirrors inside a U.A changing room, Kano gave himself a once over. And he had to admit, he did look good. He kept his boots, but changed out the black gakuran uniform for a pair of black gi pants tied at the waist with a golden sash that dangled by his left thigh. Up top he wore a simple, sleeveless white zip up hoodie with golden zips on the front and pockets that left his well muscled arms on full display.

The black color of his pants really made the white and gold pop out all the more.

His hair, so different from his brothers frizzy mess fell in cascading waves of spiky greenish black. His skin, tanned and lacking the freckles his twin had on his cheeks, and to top it all off, a bright, inviting smile. It looked fine on him, hell it looked great. But it just wasn't really him.

"So fake," he glared at himself in the mirror, a sneer replacing his smile.

He spent so much time with Camie and faking that inviting persona for the people she dragged him around to hang out with, that it had become second nature to him. When did that All Might rip off replace the cutting smirk he'd practically patented from a young age?

He didn't have to play the inviting gentleman around his girlfriend's clique anymore, all so she had no real social problems with him as a boyfriend with his prior and well deserved reputation and all.

He hadn't minded playing the part too much. Not with the way she rewarded him. What bothered him was how he was just now realizing how much he'd been holding himself back. That irritated him. Holding back was something he had to do constantly with his Quirk, always suppressing a massive part of himself so he didn't destroy everything around him. And there he was willingly binding himself even further just for a girl.

He snorted, a small amused smile flashing at him through the mirror, "How pathetic," he chuckled. it wasn't even that he didn't like talking to people, and he definitely enjoyed his time with Ochako. But it was the way he did it. He was always biting his tongue to stop the more caustic parts of his personality from showing. Always smiling as if everything was fine, a constant, blinding smile on his face.

It had become like second nature to stop himself from outright calling Camie's friends annoying airheads or snapping at them. Camie had been the queen bee type, even the way she talked reflected the constant time she spent on social messenger systems. All her friends were popular, catty girls who were always giggling over some boy or insulting someone for something that was just so utterly childish.

The social skills he picked up with her would no doubt be a boon when dealing with the public when he became a hero, and it did wonders for his popularity on Wetube. But he had to balance it more, he wouldn't allow himself to flash that same dumb smile as All Might.

Kano sighed, she hadn't spoken to him in over two months now.

He couldn't exactly blame her mind you. He'd pretty much outright chose his brother over her, giving up the chance at making their future as a couple work just so he could keep an eye on him.

And as usual, it always came back to his brother. A sneer pulled back over his lips and he bared his teeth angrily at his reflection. 'And with him, it always comes back to All Might!' Kano snarled mentally, eyes flashing with barely suppressed rage.

All Might, All Might, All Might! He was sick of hearing about that guy. For over ten years all his brother would talk about was that god damn fake smiling bastard.

It pissed him off, that nobody but he could apparently see how damn fake the smile that was constantly plastered across the number one hero's face really was. Just as fake as the one he wore to please Camie's friends for her.

He'd gotten his curiosity in wondering what got his brother so motivated to train, answered. That day ten months ago, when his brother and Bakushitty were attacked by that sludge villain, All Might had apparently been impressed by him and told his brother;

'You can be a hero!'

His fists glowed with a blinding white power, his Quirk threatening to explode into existence. He ground his teeth and forced the power to disperse before he destroyed the entire bathroom.

Since the very moment his brother was told he didn't have a quirk and yearned for confirmation that he could become a hero regardless, he'd been there every step of the way and day in, day out he'd told him. He could be a hero. But it never stuck, not once. No matter how hard he tried.

It didn't matter how strong he got. It didn't matter how many bullies he beat down. It didn't matter how many ways he showed his brother how he could be a hero without a quirk. It didn't matter that he even outright almost got expelled for punching out a teacher who mocked Izuku for being quirkless. Not once did his brother believe in him.

But All Might told him once that he could do it, and set a fire under his brother so hot that he trained every single day for ten months. To points where he came home half dead, vomiting through the night from muscle cramps and fatigue.

What was the freaking point of it all, if all his efforts were just going to get completely ignored and be completely unappreciated? If he had that zeal for training, why hadn't he done anything sooner? Why had he just squandered his time all those years moping about not having a quirk?

It wasn't fair. He had a recommendation for Shiketsu. He had met teachers in advance, actively convinced them to bend their little no dating rule in regards to him and Camie because they were going to become a Pro team together. He'd freaking paid a deposit for one of their larger dorm rooms that he didn't get back.

All that effort wasted, and his girlfriend along with it. And his pathetic brother wouldn't even look him in the goddamn eyes! He used to find his brother's skittishness adorable, now he was just plain disgusted with him. He needed to man up a lot.

He forced himself to calm down and turned away from the mirror. He didn't have the time to just sit in here letting his thoughts rage around, it was time for the practical exam. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his camera drone and turned it on, letting it float gently into the air.

Turning, he began making his way out of the building and made towards the bus that would take him to the designated exam area, the drone following behind him. The microphone around his neck worked as a sort of beacon to it, and it would follow the signal of it, recording all the way.

It took him a good twenty minutes all in after he reached the bus, for them to arrive in front of a boarded off miniature city where a bunch of people, hundreds easily, were waiting, many restlessly moving about and anxiously staring at the large closed gate at the front of the city.

Battle Center E.

'Good,' Kano thought to himself when he scanned the crowd as he walked through them. He saw nobody he wouldn't mind not being able to pass so he could nab all the villain bots to himself. Admittedly, at this point, the only ones he'd feel bad about doing that to were the nice, bubbly girl Ochako he met earlier and his brother...possibly.

Ochako was a nice girl, rather interesting too. Nice, energetic and kind of funny to watch and listen to. But above all else, he got this kind of warm vibe from her that made him keep up the kind attitude with her on. It hadn't been a reflex either, he'd literally wanted to be that kind person with her, so unlike those other girls. He'd feel like he kicked a puppy if he got in her way and made it harder for her.

He hadn't seen her since they arrived at U.A. She'd been quick to thank him and move on, wishing him luck and hoping she'd see him later. She had wanted to be punctual and make a good impression apparently, so went on ahead while he ate one of the bento he bought. And he hadn't seen her during the orientation since he was stuck in the seating section for those from his middle school.

Hopefully she did well enough to pass. At least if she did, he'd have one possible classmate that wouldn't annoy the shit out of him. Knowing his luck, he was going to end up in a damn class with both his brother and Bakushitty.

Also, it was probably for the best he knew that he'd be separated from his brother in the exam. U.A tried to do its best to keep people who knew each other from the beginning teaming up in the entrance exams. He couldn't be sure he wouldn't be vindictive enough at the moment to stop himself from really making his brother work for it.

He was excited for one thing about this test though. They were told to go all out by Present Mic, go wild and hold nothing back. They didn't have to worry about collateral damage at all. The only thing not allowed was interfering with another examiner. Kano smirked, bodily pushing through the crowd until he got to the very front. He could let loose some wanton destruction, that would be real good stress relief. The feeling of letting his Quirk free and not having to hold back at all. For once he could fully relax and let down all the walls he constantly forced his power back with..

They wouldn't know where the villain bots would be hiding, The objective was to draw them out and destroy them. 'But that's far too tedious for me,' the older twin thought to himself. Someone tried to push him back but he barely paid them a glance and a simple nudge with his shoulder had them falling on their ass, he didn't even bother taking in their looks.

The gates swung open a minute or so later, and Present Mic's voice rang out all around them, "Staaaaaaaart!"

His smirk grew. Time to have some fun!

Faster than any of the other examinees could react, he stepped through the gate and swung his fist. With a sound like glass shattering, a white crack appeared in the air before him where his fist struck. Then a massive wave of force exploded outwards, enveloping the first block of the city, passing over the towering buildings in less than three seconds and reducing everything it touched to pieces.

Screams of shock and terror resounded out, hundreds of them and all behind him. But he didn't care, and even as the very ground itself tremorred with an unrelenting force and the buildings exploded apart in massive chunks of raining debris, Kano pushed forward into the city. Twin spheres of white light appeared around his feet and he pushed off at a blindingly fast speed, not even sparing a glance as the ground he previously stood on ruptured and left behind a body sized crater from the sheer force of his take off.