— Ryo POV —
Middle school is supposed to be simple.
Go to class, go home, don't get in trouble.
But every time I look at my right arm… I'm reminded I'm not like the others.
It's been years since that day.
Years since Kaiya vanished.
Years since that strange voice whispered inside my head-
"Do you want power?"
I don't hear it anymore. And honestly… the memory feels foggy, like a dream that refuses to sharpen.
But one thing I do remember clearly
My arm moved on its own.
My arm protected me.
Even while I was unconscious.
I sighed as I walked toward Ren's elementary school. He always waits by the gate for me so we can walk home together. It has become our little routine.
As I walked, I stared at my bandaged hand and flexed my fingers.
The doctors did everything. X-rays, quirk evaluations, and even those quirk-stability tests.
Their final verdict?
"He can transform his right arm into that gauntlet form at will… but it's unstable."
Unstable was putting it lightly.
The first time I tried to activate it at school, it shot out like a whip, extended nearly two meters, and smacked my classmate's lunch tray across the room.
The second time, it hit a wall so hard it cracked.
The third time… well, my teacher threatened to call my dad.
But over the years, I learned something important:
If I stay calm—
If I focus—
If I breathe slowly—
The arm listens.
…Most of the time.
Still, it's not exactly "cool."
Dad has two fully exoskeleton-covered monster arms.
Ren's quirk awakened years ago. His legs harden into glossy, armored plates like a beetle's, quite similar to our father.
And me?
Just one creepy arm.
Lucky me.
But the part that stings the most isn't the quirk.
It's Kaiya.
My best friend.
My first friend.
He was taken right in front of me.
And I couldn't save him.
That's why I want to be a hero. Not for fame. Not for glory.
But if Kaiya is still alive somewhere
'I'm going to find him.'
And I'm going to make sure no one else has to experience what we did.
"Ryo!"
Ren's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
He stood outside the school gate, waving both arms wildly.
"Come on! Let's go home!"
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."
We started walking. Ren hummed a tune, skipping slightly with each step, while I kept glancing at the shadows around us.
No reason.
Just a habit, I guess.
Or maybe instinct.
— 3rd POV —
Disgusting.
Sticky.
Wet.
But alive.
The sludge villain oozed through a sewer grate and poured himself onto the pavement like a living puddle of filth.
"Tch… that damn All Might…"
His body trembled with anger.
He barely escaped the Symbol of Peace.
"I need… a host," he hissed.
"A body to hide in… something small… weak… easy to control…"
He slithered through the alleyways like a stain that refused to dry.
Then he saw them.
Two kids walking together.
One small.
One distracted.
Perfect.
He smiled. if it could even be called a smile, as his body warped into a twisted, hunched silhouette.
"Either one will do…"
"Heh… yes… yes… that one… the older one looks sturdy…"
"But the small one… so easy to overpower…"
The villain melted into the shadows of an alley ahead, spreading himself thin like a trap.
And in a gurgling whisper that echoed through the darkness, he croaked
"Come closer…
Come closer, little ones…
Let me borrow your body."
The air grew colder.
The alley seemed to breathe.
—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~
Name: Kaiya Mizushima
Quirk: Arm constructs - creates arms that are made of light up to 2 arms
Family situation: Orphan
Location: ???
Status: ???