It was peaceful. A calm day in May as an otherwise hurried show of a father carting his pregnant wife to the hospital took place. An early morning panic and before they knew it he was zooming to the car with his wife in his arms. A five minute trip to the hospital and a call in advance allowed time for the hospital to get doctors ready to receive the two.
It was all a blur, but a beautiful one. As he followed his wife in stretcher towards the emergency room, he found out he would be allowed inside to hold her hand as the delivery took place in their special moment. They both took comfort in the glitter of the abnormal May morning's snowflakes that fell over the twilight of dawn. Five minutes passed and then ten, and before the mother new it the worst of the pain had gone by, numbed by the beauty of the moment and the loving hold of her husbands hand. The child who came out let out a cry, and was quickly wrapped up in a nice warm blanket. Given first to the mother, she smiled with tears in her eyes. The crying of his wife got Akiara crying too. Pure tears of joy, a single one fell onto the head of the child through the babies own crying. In that moment something special happened.
The sign of a quirk, when no quirks manifested at this point; or at least very few, something special. A rush of bio-luminescent light raced through the babies small body and then disappeared in but a few seconds. Like a star coming down from above and poetically into the hands of someone looking for an answer. The moment, the entire scene as a whole went by like a dream. He was their first child.
They would name him Daiki, meaning the noble one; filled with radiance and light, after the sight they saw. Satou Daiki.
Chapter 1.5: Breakfast
{Expand}Years gone by since the day Daiki was born. Six years, exactly. It was an April morning and the beginning of a big step in life for everyone his age in life. He'd woken up on his very first day of school. Since he was born Akiara and Emika had another child who was currently four years old. His name was Satou Masato, meaning Justice. Up at seven in the morning both kids went to the table for breakfast. Their home was a nice place in Kanazawa, a place renowned for just how rural in aesthetics it was. There was a fireworks festival that was held every year, the town was interlaced with forestry, streams and ponds that gave it a really feudal and beautiful look. The Sakura trees dotted the town, intentionally planted and spread around to give the town a little more aesthetic flair.
The Satou house was a humble one, a medium sized townhouse at the side of a small residential district consisting of about five hundred homes. It was kept up to par using Akiara's handyman skillset while the smaller but more numerous chores were done by the two boys and their mum. That breakfast though? That breakfast was something really nice. By this point Daiki had mentally developed to a point that he had a small and naive perspective of things, he just wanted to get to school really! Munch munch munch munch munch! The breakfast on his plate was Oyakodon, which is a combination of a white rice base with scallions, eggs and chicken, soy sauce and stock in a nice bowl. With it to the side was some Miso soup. Daiki slurped it up a little too fast, the onions getting to him which caused him to scrunch his face. Yucky! He mixed it with his Oyakodon, still beating his brother by a longshot as he jumped up. His knee hit the table and jostled Masato's bowl as he ate, spilling some Miso soup stock over him. He shouted, "UGH DAIKI YOU ARE SO STUPID!". The shouting garnered the attention of both Akiara and Emika who were nearby, and they laughed after they saw what happened. Emika cleaned up Masato, and Akiara helped Daiki get ready for school. Day one, woo hoo!
Fifteen minutes later and they were off for the eight o clock start time. They had a whole thirty five minutes to get there, but they weren't using no simple car; Akiara and Emika knew they couldn't always drive him to school. Some days were busier than others. So, Akiara and Emika made sure Masato was okay, and then the both of them biked Daiki to school. They talked the whole way; with Daiki being incredibly chatty and full of energy. Often times he zoomed ahead to realize his parents were just smiling humbly and taking their time. The occasional shouts of, "Look both ways!" and "Watch where you're going Daiki!" were heard from behind him. He listened, because his mum and paps were great to him. Always looking both ways, always being attentive to the environment. The three of them heard the sound of a bike-bell ringing as another family and their daughter biked up beside them. The two families chatted for some time, it turned out that they were both biking for the same reason. It was both of their kids first day of school. The other family was the Ito family, the man Ito Michi and the woman Ito Sada. They had both the children introduce each other. Daiki, excitedly shouted, "I'm Satou Daiki and I'm gonna be the bestest in the class!". That got a laugh from just about everyone, including himself. Though the laughs had different motivation, he laughed because others were laughing, the parents were laughing because they thought it was cute. The other families daughter, Ito Takako was laughing because she took that as a challenge and confidently accepted.
The two families biked the rest of the way to the school. Down the light cobble path surrounded by cherry blossoms and benches until they reached the bike rack. From there, the teacher met with the parents and kids to which they were off. Daiki was a bright little twerp, he knew that he was gonna be home before the day was done and therefore he wasn't too flustered about leaving his parents for the first time in six years completely. He'd had home alone days, but not away from home alone days; it was whatever though. Takako seemed to be a little sad, and their parents had to go through the stereotypical words of assurance that she'd see them later. With a smile exchanged between the family and teacher, Takako was taken to the other kids to play before school started.
Daiki on the other hand didn't need much guidance. He jumped up and gave a little peck to his mothers cheek, and his father hoisted him up for a giant bear hug. After that he was set down, and in a freeze frame of the moment, both mother and father were aware that this time was special. The first day of their first child's school. A moment they wouldn't forget through thick and thin. Daiki tilted his head from his parents silence as they were wrapped up in their heads, before shouting. "Okay bye mum and pops! Gonna go explore now!" He gave a toothy grin, turning around and running through the gate to where the other kids were. The teacher turned and called after him, "Hey-...!" She cut herself off, letting out a sigh of slight frustration. The parents of the Satou family looked at her and simply smiled, saying. "Good luck with him. He's a handful." A brief laugh between the two parties and the parents were biking back home to start their own days of work.
Chapter 1.75: School Days
{Expand}Day one was the best! Said nobody but Daiki. He was the most lovable idiot of the class and made being quiet a distant dream. Often times shouting questions and interrupting the teacher, talking during class. Being too rambunctious during play. He was a little ball of energy that just kept ticking away. The teacher marked him as a work in progress to shape up into a well mannered young boy whereas the other students actually saw him as the cool guy. After day one came the blur of a new routines. Days started and ended, things didn't change suddenly but rather they gradually shifted.
During the first week of school he garnered a group of friends. He was the popular kid, and often led a group of other kids on excursions during their Sunday's they had off. During breaks they had their little circle that they talked at too. Takako often times sat with a couple of friends she had made, but she didn't really socialize with Daiki that much, odd considering the connection they had made before school. He'd often ignorantly question her, to which she'd just say she had to focus on her studies and couldn't hang out with everyone that was with him. Accepting that without a hint of suspicion, he went on with school! Marks weren't anything serious and homework wasn't graded harshly. It was mostly just teaching students discipline and proper school etiquette at this point anyways. Daiki eventually started to settle down into being a bit more academically diligent compared to just shrugging it off at first, and about half the class followed suit as they took his example, that half being his group of friends.
A lot of their days, considering it was first grade was equally physical too. They were outside playing sports like soccer or games like tag. Daiki was once again shining bright, it's not like he was ahead of the pack by much, but he still came out on top as the lead player or the winner in a lot of these games. He wouldn't have it any other way! He took a particular liking to basketball when they tried that and it was explained to them. Though, basketball was a sport for bigger people most of the time. Being so low to the ground, always having to dribble the ball around while being dexterous. It was a difficult thing to pull off, and Daiki (and other students) found themselves clumsily waddling around the court, throwing underhanded shots at the basketball hoop with little to no resistance when they got there. It was cute to watch, and because of the effort Daiki put forth, for once he was the best at something it'd be best to be the worst at; being clumsy. It was a nice change, and a lot of kids got a friendly laugh out of it, him included. A little laugh while one of his hands ruffled through his own hair in slight embarrassment.
The year went by quickly and before he knew it, his first year at Kanazawa Elementary was over. It was mid-May, around the time he was born. He'd actually had his birthday just before then. It was a nice celebration with cake and distant relatives, and of course a lot of his friends and family. A big huge event that took up most of the day, a nice Saturday afternoon right after school. He even walked there with his friends right from school itself, about an hour, but that's fine. Surrounded by love and friendship, he couldn't be happier. He smiled in front of his cake, closed his eyes, wished to grow up, and inhaled before blowing out the seven assembled candles.
Summer break, two weeks. A lot of time for a class of friends to goof around outside. They adventured through the wilderness and landscape in and around Kanazawa. Playing around streams and forests, playing tag and hiding up in the local tree house for afternoons until everyone had to go home and back to their families. Then the next day would come, and they'd go toad catching, or butterfly catching, or play hide and seek, the world was their oyster! Even if the world was a small... Local area around Kanazawa, not much, but to them it was everything. Their friendships bloomed and if there was anyone on the outskirts of the group but still lurked around, all of this free time brought them in. There were eight of them; there were two brothers, Kawaguchi Youta and Yuuma. There was a girl named Junji Doi. And then three other boys and one last girl. Fukowari Itsuki, Akiyoshi Hansuke, Chujo Enmei, and Hitoto Kana.
Before they knew it that break was over and they were splat right back in the classroom for grade 2. While it was still lighthearted, school was a lot more serious compared to first grade. Homework was taken more seriously and graded more harshly. Thankfully Daiki had paid close attention starting about during the middle of the last school year. He did great academically while still upholding his social status. On top of that he managed to stay out of academic trouble when it came to being obnoxious or disruptive like before. Back at home he was a good example for Masato too. He was a lot well mannered and a lot calmer than he used to be. Perhaps a little brooding even, which brought upon the onset of a bit of a phase which was thankfully brief before he got back on track.
That is when the moment happened, though. The onset of this phase was because of the full manifestation of the quirk known as All Star. During the morning Anthem he started to light up like a Christmas tree with flickers of bio-luminescence. He wasn't the first, but rather one in a series of unveiling as everyone started to get their quirks. Curious, the whole class did some shady pseudo-science to figure out what he could do while they waited for a doctor to show up for assessment, a regular thing in school. He was just... Better! He was quicker, stronger, they didn't quite know he could take a bigger beating because they weren't that sinister with their fun little tests, and he could react quicker. When he was really active he started to glow with energy nearly, and he became an even bigger spotlight in the class; because he literally had a shine faintly across his body, even when just studying or doing work. During phys-ed? A lot of eyes were on him, and it truly made him hard to miss.
It was at this point that he started to excel well beyond a lot of other students. Some could sort of keep up with their own quirks, like Akiyoshi who it turns out got a quirk similar to his parents; goat! He had goat legs, and was great at running and climbing. At the end of the day, Daiki still came out on top however; though Akiyoshi could jump higher, making him a pretty good basketball player in his own right. He was the only one in class that could do a slam dunk, with everyone else being so short, his jumping making the difference. Daiki blazed a trail through the first half of his elementary life. By Grade 4 he was a different kind of role-model, the previous year being quite the mess. He was a whole 9 years old at this point, and had matured significantly mentally and physically. He was actually really tall for a 9 year old. The effect of All Star for him turned out to be starting growth 150% earlier and extending it until the same time to achieve that increased height and development. So while everyone else was just innocent and fine, he was doing the teenage thing in elementary school. Growing a lot, too. However in the end he'd wind up getting through the emotional side of puberty during Grade 4, so he was... Incredibly mature for his age.
Chapter 2: Afternoon
Tapering off the mental side of Puberty at Grade 4 was really something to consider from an outsiders perspective. Daiki himself had just finished the rebellious phase, thankfully it only hit his grades a little and at the right time for it to screw something up if it was going too. He'd manage to hold onto those close friends, but they generally didn't hang out as much anymore. It was on a calling them over or convenience basis, it wasn't quite the adventuring they had before. Though that did still happen sometimes! They were still 9, after all. Daiki himself had changed his tastes over that mental shift. At the start of it he sought immediate gratification and fun; that's what kids do. However after the fact, even though he was nine, he was looking at the greater picture. He wanted to become a quirk Basketball player or a Hero. He hadn't entirely narrowed down on which to go for between the two, at least not yet.
School was a breeze for the new Daiki as he came out from his rut. He'd always heard passing whispers of encouragement from the back of his mind, things like 'you can do it Daiki', 'you can do great things', 'make us proud'. It helped him through the mental confusion, and when he came out of it he just had to follow up on those words. He often questioned what it was considering it was more than a thought, he knew that much. However the words faded as his time of trouble did. He frequently aced tests, competed in spelling competitions successfully for prizes, and sports competitions too. Even at nine, he was in multiple junior leagues. While basketball was his main focus, he was also in the junior's football and soccer leagues between his school and a couple of others. Honestly, part of the reason he didn't hang out with his friends quite as much was because he was constantly busy. Every day there was a team meet or a game that he had to attend too. The ace player in all of them, he was literally a star of a student that acted as a role model, a rival, and many other things to others in his school and even others. He was incredibly popular, getting attention on social media within his school and other nearby schools. One of those people that had hundreds of different friends, even though he probably only talked to a handful of them regularly.
These years were really the ones he focused on school over all else. He had a lot of fun doing it too, discovering his fierce competitive spirit and aspirations to be the best. Basketball was his favorite because at the end of the day you stood in front of someone else, and the better person progresses the team to keep going to the top. Soccer is more about the team; not that basketball isn't, but a good basketball player can carry a game. Football was just about how fast someone could run, and that was too easy for him to outpace the other players in the quirk league with a literal speed related quirk, though it had other benefits too. Body checking someone was one of them. His eyes were always focused on that end field, hoop or goal. Awards and medals from local leagues and personal accomplishments piled up in his room, and he beamed at them. It was his source of pride, his hoard if he were a dragon. The walls had a few pictures, but it was mostly hung up metals with hooks to hold them.
Grade Five and Six were very much better versions of the same. When he got into his tens his height was indisputably noticeable. He stood at five foot one and was still growing. The sky was bright and beautiful, the world to him was full of opportunities. Masato was two grades behind him, and he didn't stand out as much as Daiki did. The quirk he got was much more like a reasonable mix between Akiara and Emika's quirk. However more important than that was the third and final child to be brought into the Satou family, a late newcomer to the family, seven years after Masato. His name was Satou Keitaro, meaning blessed with a huge gift. Maybe that was being the youngest and therefore the most attended to of the family, since that's how it went from that point. Daiki was fine with this though, having the maturity to understand why. Masato often got grabby for attention though.
The years all in all were filled with a lot, far too much to detail. Family trips, adventures, tournaments and academic successes. Relationships, gossip and drama. His life was always in motion, and Junior High was going to be where he really showed what he was made out of. That's when scholarships were there for the taking and he could get his shot at the greatest school in the world. UA Academy.
Chapter 3: Evening
Junior High. A place where individuality really started to shine and every single person started to gain some sense of vision and self. Daiki was now in Grade 7 and in a new school. Unfortunately that meant he couldn't bike to school together with his brother, he had to bike quite a bit further (and a lot of the time he just ran as practice, just as fast). He could accompany his brother for part of the trip at least. Otherwise school was unfolding to be an interesting blooming flower. Personalities he'd known since grade 1 were really shining, everyone had taken up such a unique role in the class ecosystem.
It didn't take any motivation for Daiki to get to work. As expected from all of his classmates he became the class president, signed up for multiple extracurricular activities and still remained an honors student. If anything he outperformed himself to the point that the meagre two week break between years were something he really appreciated for some nice R&R. With his performance and the more professional focus on Junior High sports, things quickly returned to how they were like in his early elementary years. Friends become close to him again, he had multiple girls with crushes on him. He was turning out to be the pretty boy, namely in the final two years of Junior High when that was actually on peoples minds. His first relationship was a really sincere one and it lasted for the most part the entirety of his schooling there. She broke it off in their third year due to a variety of reasons, but namely his focus on things other than her, not having enough time to give her. He got over it quick, he had the maturity to move forward and that frankly got the admiration of a lot of students as well.
Daiki wasn't without his teasing and jokes, though. He often teased other students, he didn't bully them, mostly just poking playful fun to help them open up and get involved. He'd introduce people to clubs and sports, he was the person people looked to for advice. By second year he became the Captain of the basketball team and got an offer from multiple sports focused academies after he won not one, but two prefecture tournaments for his team. These were the times he pushed himself the hardest, he even collapsed a couple times during school and needed to go to the infirmary. Staring at the ceiling of that relatively quiet room, the nurse nearby rustling papers and writing away, he started to think. He could take any of these scholarships and get in for free to those respective schools. Some of them were some really serious offers from schools in Tokyo and the like, and he loved sports but... He didn't want to entertain people, if what he ended up doing provided entertainment so be it. However... He wanted to protect and keep people safe.
By this point he had attuned to some of the aspects of All Star. He had discovered the location of the 3rd holder of All Star, which was actually in Japan. The second was in Russia and the first two had died due to a couple of reasons; different, potentially violent. The other holders knew, and those who scoured the media enough might as well, but it was a bit of taboo talk, not that it mattered too much. Daiki decided that he'd make a trip to meet the old man in a neighbouring prefecture in his summer break between Grade 8 and 9 when he was 14 years old. So he did just that. Taking the train out along the countryside, elbow on the windowsill, he made the trip to meet his past and learn from an elder. With the quirk working both ways he needed not say a word to inform the other figure of what was going on. Reaching a small hut of a house with a sliding door out front, Daiki removed his sandals and called in. "Helloooooo? It's Satou Daiki!" A voice shouted out from inside, it had the rasp and accent of an aged venerable man, likely laying down and resting. Daiki stepped in.
"Come in! Make sure to wipe your feet off on the mat..."
He did so, and upon entering and sitting down next to the man, a conversation went on that will remain a secret for the moment, a very personal conversation that can only be shared among two people who fully understand one another. A bond deeper than most people see in a lifetime. He got some guidance from Taiga, some guidance that opened his eyes some more. He learned of Taiga's achievements and accomplishments, he learned of his own ambitions and goals. He was told of a similar encounter he had when Yekaterina Petrova flew to Japan to meet him as well. He recommended that Daiki go see her, and he took that to heart. However... Russia was a bit far for a 14 year old, they both understood. He'd come to meet her later in his life.
On the way back, Daiki finalized his decision to go to UA academy and become a Hero. Not just any Hero, he wanted to meet and surpass even current Pro Heroes so he could reach a point where villainy is hopeless under his watch. Grade 9 was the biggest overworking he'd ever done. The effort he applied would've been impossible if done in earlier years, only made possible by the conditioning of both mind and body during previous years. Now he did even more. Sports, sports, sports. It was the best way to train to be stronger without getting in trouble for recklessly using his quirk. Academics were something he spent almost all of his downtime doing. He needed to pass the UA entrance exam. Over seven months he put everything that made him him on the line. He stopped calling friends and only barely kept up with social media. He hit the grind, driven by nothing other than visualizations of protecting others, bearing their worries and pains, and inspiring them. He'd been given something so important, he had people putting their all on his shoulders already.
His up time? It was spent doing a gruelling physical plan. Lifting specially weighted weights to build power, sprinting down beaches and snowy places to help his traction and speed. Seven months of that rigorous training did make a difference, it made the difference he needed to slam the UA entrance exam. For the first time though he had... Genuine competition? The students here, they were all like him, that is in a sense how education works. There are those that put in work to get the best offered, and those who want to settle for second best do that as wells. In their respective goals of course, not pursuing heroics makes a person no less worthy than they would be had they chosen to do so. A pessimistic view perhaps, but it was one Daiki quickly dismissed in realization that it didn't matter. He had a name to uphold and a status to reclaim. He'd be the strongest, the most caring, the most inspiring with the best grades and achieve the best ranking during his time there.
He's working his passion, therefore he isn't working. He was accepted, and as Junior High came to a close, before he knew it so did his two week break.
Chapter 4: The Morning After
Yūei Kōkō, the worlds #1 Hero School that repeatedly puts out some of the worlds top heroes, sporting a faculty of some of the industries most veteran members coming together from across the world. It would be an understatement to say the boy wasn't humbled by the door that'd opened before him, achieved by the long hours he put in the gain the strength to make that happen. It goes without saying his first week was mind-blowing, a roller coaster of intense emotions and action packed calibrating to the UA scene. He made a ridiculous splash when he came in on the classes first day, regrettably showing up late but nonetheless enthusiastically with an energy-charged introduction to shock his to-be friends with. That day there were faces he saw but hadn't known yet. There was Ryuga, Jun, Raphael, Fu, and Isamu. That doesn't even take into account the faculty here. Such talented faces, ones that had faded into obscurity over the year and ones that still actively played an intense role in nurturing students to their peak performances. Aoi Sato, Yori Shisumetu, and Akasu Naibun to name simply a few.
While it was a fairly short class (made only shorter by his lateness) it was still his first look into the year that was to come. Well, at least the six months given his rapid improvement and stellar physical and academic performances. Then would come a meeting that was the first piece falling into a classic high school romance. A simple lunch happenstance between several students. Raphael Seraphine, Fu Himura - the one to become his beloved girlfriend and he himself her boyfriend. Thinking back it was almost humorous just how slow these things happen. A small meeting that seems so insignificant carries ripples that carry through weeks and months, maybe even years and decades. He met his first two classmates there, and came to know that very same girl that would become his girlfriend. The seal obsessed Fu Himura.
Then would come an absolutely absurd memory. Almost like it was from another reality all together. A pillow fight in the middle of a hallway, ordained by a teacher of all things on a weekend? Well, to specify either a Saturday afternoon after classes ended or a Sunday. For all the cards to line up for that to happen... Well, it was something else. Needless to say back then Daiki was a lot more of his Junior High self. A careless yet still insightful guy who just charged headlong into any situation social, confrontational or otherwise. This was no exception. He remembers charging towards Atsuko in hopes of overpowering her and Isamu's little pillow fortress. Why were there so many pillows in UA? It was whatever, laying in his bed and reminiscing didn't give him anymore greater insight than he had at that very time. It was just a moment stripped straight from the tenets of pure mischievous chaos.
That same evening, Daiki found himself returning to the dorm after a long day of working out and Basketball practice only to find himself greeted with much of his class that he hadn't met. There was one of his best friends to be, Jun Tomoshibi sitting on one of the couches. Cooking was one of the students who would become his must trusted ally in battle and of course there was Fu Himura. Raphael Seraphine was also there, but just like many relationships blossom and flourish, some just don't shine right away. Even to this day the second-hand famous student has managed to elude Daiki's attempts to cheer up his day. Well, there was a time he wasn't all that hard on himself either... Then well... Things took a turn for the worse. Still, that night was nice. Socializing, having some good food cooked by the slave voluntary dorm-chef Ren Wolff. Pancakes if he recalled correctly, or was that another time? The only thing he really remembered about the food was Jun's sassy remark on it being fried eggs, what else could it be? Daiki could almost hear even sassy the tone perfectly on replay in his head. It brought a smile to his face.
God, then came a bold move. In one of their first classes Daiki wound up ditching on morally good terms? It was a circumstance that seemed almost fated to play out. While it highlighted the good in Daiki, it also showed that he was willing to go to risky lengths to do the right thing. While the law doesn't always smile upon that sort of thing, the everyday person does. If everything else leading up to this moment was jenga pieces stacking up high, this moment was glue that made sure it'd never fall apart. Fu-chan was sick that day, and it'd be unwise to think it was anything other than nerves that caused her to puke. Even today, where Fu's seemingly given up on a lot, he still remembers the day when she couldn't even do the things she wanted to do. She'd vomit from fear, quite literally. If nothing else, she still has that same learned fearlessness. Just a lack of motivation... Still, he remembered giving himself an ultimatum to Sato-sensei. Either he gets back in ten or so minutes or he's expelled. He had to be like... Half a second late? It was fractional, but technically in that moment his teacher had every right to expel him. What would an aspiring Hero Student do after being expelled from UA? It's iffy if another academy would take them in with a record like that (a hero academy, specifically). Maybe Shiketsu? He didn't know. It wasn't on his mind, just doing the right thing was.
And just how one day can be grim, the next can be beautiful. That's just the way life plays out in this Earth we're born in. He had become... Not close-close, but decent friends with the main group in class 1-A and had actually decided to join them for some Karaoke. Regretful for all the times he was late because of distractions and lack of prep, in the present he was thankful that he's changed those ways. Still, even coming in late he had a blast with them. A short stay and a heartfelt song. He felt himself opening up on more than a friendly level. He was actually showing parts of himself that he just didn't really bother sharing with people. Though nothing really came of it, it's not really much of a surprise. That's just how people are, and just how he was in singing that. Life isn't about him, so he was glad no one actually confronted him about anything he sang about. That'd just instill unnecessary worry. He got to see the seeds of love be sowed between Ryuga and Raphael, yet somehow that love would never come to bloom. At least not at this stage in the story.
Classes went on, one particular class he remembered was one hosted between Naibun-sensei and Armory-sensei. Though come to think of it, he'd only seen Armory on the one occasion. Maybe it didn't work out? Or maybe he was called in specifically to help with the lesson, having been in the area. UA was like that, in a state of constant motion. Sadly students leave because of poor academics and effort, teachers leave because of life and just... Daiki couldn't help but feel a bit mournful for all of the faces gone after just half a year. He'd keep going for them if nothing else. He could only imagine what it might feel like to shoot for the stars and fall short. That... Sometimes some life lessons are learned hard, and too late to rectify the cause of the lessons in the first place. Though more importantly it was around this time that... Something became official.
Romance. Sparkles and Snowfields.
He still remembers the auburn glow of the setting sun amidst the abandoned music room that had lacked proper attention. The dust formed over the desks arranged into the corner, the several chairs accumulated in circles almost indicative of distant ghosts of the past who once used that room. It would be the room Daiki believed he absolved Fu's fear of other opinions, but more notably where their love between one another would become known. Even now, Daiki considers if it was the right choice. Is it smart to expose someone to that sort of risk just for ones own happiness? True love is a love of giving, not a love of receiving. Yet he's just giving her reasons to worry, where he plans to go Villains will try and get at him no matter the moral costs. Some of them truly are that twisted and... He just had to and still has to believe Fu will be strong when and if the time comes. Of course, he'd rather it not happen at all or he be there... But... Hoping for the best never works out. After that day it was official, and now on top of excessive studying to master his UA academic performance... On top of overly regular physical activity to top PE charts, on top of hours of practice put into Basketball to soar beyond the competition in Hero School Quirk leagues he had to manage a relationship. What bit the bullet? Would Fu understand if he couldn't be there with her all of the time? He once loved a girl named Ito Takako... The girl he met on his first day of school. She dumped him because he never had enough time to spend with her. It'd be... Unrealistic to think he never considers what life might be like if that never went up in flames. Still, moving on is important.
Immediately, with a forearm draped over his forehead a massive grin formed over his face. An enthusiastic sounding voice played in his head. 'TAKA TAKA SUPER ATTAKA!'. Then he remembered how that students time at UA had played out... That smile was turned upside down real fast. The first class Taka Hone went to was some strange game of dodgeball orchestrated by Shisumesu-Sensei? If he remembered correctly that is. He remembered doing a lot in a short time with the new student. There was that class and the classes around it, catching the oink with Meka-Sensei and... Well. There was the last time Daiki really saw Taka. He knew he recovered, but perhaps that situation pulled him from the spotlight. He'd become a faded face, one he hadn't spoken to in months. His mind went right to that Villain Attack. A bold strike against Musutafu and UA itself, leading to faculty authorizing students to manage and defend themselves as best they could in a last ditch effort to make sure everyone was okay. Two sides of one coin determined by if it was bad luck or an act of fate that led the group Daiki found himself in to be faced off against the number four villain... Also known as Ryuga's dad. Once again, a face that has faded into obscurity for the moment. While the thrill of putting everything he had into ending the battle stuck with him, what he remembered more was the self-mutilating Taka having destroyed his own body in an attempt to contribute. To have a quirk like that... On top of having lost an arm is just tragic. He couldn't help but draw parallels to Vol, a new hotshot third year. Even then, at least his quirk doesn't literally destroy his body with even the slightest usage. It was a time that'd stick with Daiki for a lot longer still. Considering he was entering 2-A, he'd be looking out for his former classmates if it ever happened again.
Then came the aftermath. Hospital and infirmary visits for both himself and others for much longer. He'd fractured his leg during that whole fiasco, and a few ribs as well. Nidhogg wacked him around good, and while he made a solid effort to shrug it off at the time it was only after the fact that he was assessed and attended to by hospital staff. He'd done such a stubborn job to cover it up that first responders like Naibun-Sensei and Mika didn't even pick up on it. Of course there was also press attention, interviews to recall the event and undoubtedly fame spread in his name for having taken out the number four villain. He didn't know if those claims included those who made that hit possible but... He hoped they did. Along with the medical visits came a chaotic debrief, classes held specifically to talk over the event and discuss what happened in more detail. More than just teachers showed up, with parents (pro-heroes in most cases) and guardians showing up to watch over like hawks. UA was under scrutiny, and even then they got off with figuratively just a slap on the wrist for what otherwise could've been taken as a monumental societal failure.
Then classes went on as normal. Transfers unbelievably came in despite recent news. Riku Sakamaki, Tyrodin, Kato, the list went on and the extreme personalities just kept pouring in. He could imagine Kato came because of the potential of such a thrilling experience. He seemed the type to take fighting with an overly sized fraction of pure enjoyment, but the other two he simply couldn't imagine. Tyrodin was almost like a second chef, Kato was the only guy who was taller than him at the time and Riku seemed like he must've held some sort of fan-club for Daiki with how crazy he was about him. Frankly, it was the first very obvious sign that he'd become popular at school. He was used to that, but didn't expect it at the first school where he wasn't miles ahead of everyone else. He didn't stick out as much, so he really didn't expect to be as popular. Still, ones own hubris is toxic to the self. Even if he didn't mean to, hearing that let him slip on one or two occasions to allow some rather venomous students to take a chomp out of him. It was around this time he started to learn a lot more valuable moral lessons. Being on time isn't about a class or an appointment; it's about being there before the citizen is dead or after. He also learned to carry fame with pride but... As Suzuki-san would put it, carry a sense of noblesse oblige. A desire to give back to others for the privileges he has.
Then came a new era of his time at UA. One of normalcy. There was excitement and beauty, attack, panic and despair and finally some sort of normalcy. Well, almost too normal. That story about someone somebody knows having been a victim of cancer, well... That kind of 'normal'. He blamed himself for weeks, if he hadn't encouraged his girlfriend to use her quirk as much as she did just maybe she'd have avoided the whole thing all together. While eternally grateful she's still among the living, it can't be denied that the coincidence seemed all too probable for it to mean nothing. The months after were dedicated to seeing Fu every chance he could, and the days before then he spent beating himself up for not having the courage to look at what he thought he caused in the face. Even if... He wasn't really the cause; he still blamed himself. Though there was more than that. While the class was without Fu for a time they were not left abandoned. Classes still happened, the unknown still made itself known at every turn. In what seemed like a UA microcosm Daiki got acquainted with two close individuals, Romi Moon and Sun-Hee Gung. The latter of which he'd find himself alongside in a freak midnight coincidence.
A late walk after a long evening game turning into a sudden Villain... Sort of villain? Attack. Some sort of person long gone from their healthy mind. Frankly neither he or Sun-Hee reported what happened to UA. The police were well... Quite bluntly sympathetic enough not to over-complicate their lives for doing a good thing when they were right there. During this time Daiki also became aware of something eating at one of his classmates, Jun Tomoshibi. The confrontation that said realization sparked would ignite a friendship that carries forward to this very day and perhaps for decades longer. It was also during this time the fruits of his accomplishment got him an invitation for an early internship with Pleid... That name was so complicated, he couldn't even remember it now that said time has come and passed. A Hero Agency that wanted them to put down a gang that was lead by Akuma, a notorious villain that used to romp around Osaka if his understanding was correct from Isamu's information. To which he learned about another friends secrets... Friend might be a weird word for that relationship though. Maybe it was... Daiki couldn't really place it. He could tell Isamu didn't hate him, but he sure tried to make him believe he did. Who knew, definitely not him. He was finally starting to learn about all of his classmates, and finally was able to start helping them through their troubles however effective those attempts may be.
Then came Election Day, well... Not like the nation-wide elections but rather the small little 1-A elections. Students prepped up their best series of notes and stepped up to the podium to give a speech for a shot at the head honcho of the class. Daiki was no exception to the speech giving part while perhaps a bit lacking in the preparation department. Really, what he said wasn't even something that ought to be taken as a class president speech. It could just as easily be something for mental health, it was an attempt to reach out to others to help them open up with him if they needed someone to vent their frustrations on. It didn't matter that his schedule was already packed, he'd make it work. For them; since if he couldn't manage that how was he supposed to achieve his dream? He'd met more transfers having come in this late into the year. Chiura Yutsuko and... While perhaps embarrassing he'd only talked to her once and the easiest thing to remember was... Daiki snapped out of a blank dumb stare towards the ceiling, shaking his head. Needless to say he tied for Vice President, the student he voted for ended up getting Class President. He knew she'd be a good fit, it's always better that someone try their best as to someone who thinks they're enough for the role. One settles and the other is always trying to do better. He consigned Vice Class President to Isamu Suzuki after his relentless desire for the role. Perhaps an effort to make a peace treaty between the silent clash in leadership shared by the two at every impasse.
Then came the final chapter of his time in 1-A and what led him to laying down on a sheet-less mattress in the middle of a barren room. He was just about finished moving dorms to the 2nd Year dorms just a minutes walk from this one. It was nostalgic leaving this place, six months can burrow so deep into a heart that it's enough to even call a place home. It was reassuring that he could make himself at home here, though. Just prior to the present time he competed in the Sports Festival with promising results. Before that he'd attended his final class in 1-A, not that he knew of the transfer at that time. In between that class and the Festival he'd gotten to the root of one of his best friends biggest pain. The tragic coma his brother wound up in after a villain break-in a handful of years back.
That is where his life has come up to this point. What lies next is something pandora's box never disclosed, a hiding place of fascinating wonders and bone chilling tragedies. Tomorrow could be his greatest victory or his worst defeat, his brightest smile or his heaviest tears. One thing is for sure, he'll never forget his time with 1-A and even if he's not in their class for the second half of the year, he'll damn sure still be in their lives.
Chapter 4.5: The Academy Quirk Basketball League [AQBL]
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Quirk sports, an idea originally so controversial that the only way to make it work was to have specific arena's that were compatible with the intensity displayed during these games. Some were milder than other, there were games like soccer that were fairly straight forward. Games like dodge ball that generally left the quirks used in open air and away from things that can get damaged... Then there's basketball. A sport packed to the brim with body contact, active juking and movements to throw the other team off. Quirks in such an environment would tear an ordinary arena apart, and that is why the quirk arena existed for multiple of these sports. In fact, an entire rule set for these sports to assist in taming some of these quirks were instated to further solidify the activity. While Quirk Basketball is still simply referred to as Basketball, it is a different beast all together. A world where the strong rise to the top and the weak are crushed.
In this world Satou Daiki is a different man. He is not charitable, he is not heroic or filled with excitement and happiness. The competitive spirit that usually lies at peace alongside all of his other facets in equilibrium can be found to have burst to the surface in a wild display. Sports is an outlet to dominate and win, to carry the trophy and to prove you're the best there is. Every game is a hustle to get that dopamine fix when the final slam dunk happens just before the buzzer goes off. The players on the other side for all it matters are just grey faces. The reality is different of course, a game is ruined once sportsmanship goes up in flames. Honor among players and respect for other practitioners of the sport allows for a healthy environment despite the intense inferno that is the excessive amount of competition. What in the real world would be seething hatred becomes a passionate rivalry neck and neck with one always trying to surpass the other, improving one another without the conscious intention too. Slack off for even one day and that person doesn't? You've already lost your next game.
That's what drew Daiki into basketball. It was something where everything tied to Heroism could be left at the door and he could have raw unbridled fun without any need for responsibility or thought of what happens before or after the game. The Daiki that walked the court was a different kid all together, almost intimidating to look at. That being said, his year of extracurricular sports started the same way that it always did. To an extent that is. After his rushed class introduction and dismissal, he made his way around the various clubhouses towards the PE sector where this sort of thing would be stationed. Sure enough he'd meet the budding team of veterans and newbies all packed around getting ready for their first practice ever. The team captain still had a stack of applications in his hand from each of the other new members, all of which were first years. Though he immediately recognized Daiki, because the people that take these sports seriously watch the scene, and Daiki's accomplishments leading up to UA spread fairly wide in the Basketball community, at least outside of the adult scene.
Introducing himself and shaking hands with the captain who was actually taller than him at the time standing at 6'6, he'd proceed to fill out a form and hand it in among the other applicants. Truthfully he was told he didn't even need to, but it was just nice to go through the formalities if they ever want to take a look at it in the future. It was without question that he was accepted onto the team. Alongside him four other members were accepted. The newbies, first years that made up one entire court rotation. Their seniors consisted of four second years and three third years. None of which immediately stood out to Daiki as star students at the academy, but that was the joy of basketball. With even a normal everyday team, a single star player can bring out the best in everyone and carry them to victory. While he wouldn't be so presumptuous so soon, he'd instead take the time to get to know each of the members.
Naturally he'd have met the team captain first. Third year Aoki Basho known for his physical transformation quirk Skyscrape, allowing him to increase his height up to double his current dimensions. Next up was the faculty advisor for the team, Aoi Sato. She was the only actual school staff member out of the... fifteen people in or associated with the team. Twelve players(one Captain), advisor, coach and manager. Their coach was an old UA student gone professional basketball player, actually somebody from general studies. Koizumi Jin, known during his time for a quirk that allowed him to go invisible along with everything on him for one second intervals every five or so seconds. Finally was the idol of the club and the manager, Saza Sata from Hero Management, a second year.
The rest of the roster was a collection of students with different quirks each able to be creatively applied to the sport, below is a complete roster of the entire team and their quirks;
Advisor: Sato Aoi
1-A's homeroom teacher and the teams advisor. (Player Character)
Coach: Koizumi Jun
General Studies student gone professional QJBL player (Quirk Japan Basketball League). Coming back after fifteen years of professional play he's a rich guy on a still rich salary to teach a new stellar generation of players to be the best they can be. Known for a wicked soul patch.
Manager: Saza Sata
Besides Sato Aoi, Saza Sata is the only active female member of the team which makes sense considering the actual specific league is men only with a separate league for women. She's the idol of the team, with her and the players having not any weird sort of relationship but a more friendly familial one. When she gives the okay for a plan or a smile, it brightens the entire teams confidence since... Normally she's pretty stone-faced.
3rd years
Captain/Center: Aoki Basho, SKYSCRAPE (transformation)
The mighty third year Captain of UA's powerhouse basketball team, Aoki Basho. His three years have given him an incredible amount of time to not only improve the mastery of his quirk but also his mastery of the sport. Even when he's not using his quirk he's a strong mental support for the entire team, and serves as a beacon for morale. When he is using his quirk that doubles his height, he's a giant that can lead a one man assault... He just has to place his dribbles right so they're not caught.
Power Forward: Kibe Seiryo, GRAY WORLD (mutation)
The sort of co-captain of the team, not in any official capacity though. A hot-headed not red-head (blue actually) that has proven time and time again to come in clutch when it matters. His quirk is simple at a glance, the ability to perfectly perform synergy motions with any level of speed or exertion. Sprinting at full speed, dodging and weaving and dribbling can all be incredibly taxing and risk losing the ball. His quirk mentally makes him completely calm and able to at any speed perform sub-actions at 100% efficiency. A full on offence by Kibe-san is never something to miss, it's almost satisfying to watch him cut through the defence with surgical precision and rapid speed.
Shooting Guard: Teramoto Narahiko, DREAMER (emitter)
The nice guy of the team. With a charming personality and great looks, while not even part of the Hero Course he's become a bit of an online sensation and has a little entourage of girls with crushes that follow him to each of his games. His main job in games is defence as shooting guard, stopping three points. How? Well, his quirk DREAMER allows for him to alter objects around him and envision his surroundings with his eyes closed. He can imagine an object moving a different way, a certain thing playing out slightly different. Though it's incredibly iffy on anything other than neutral objects like well... A basketball. Slam dunks are his worst enemy.
2nd years
Small Forward: Austin Baker, RECOIL (emitter)
One of the teams biggest trump cards, Austin Baker has an incredibly fascinating quirk that allows him to accelerate a personalized timeline or reverse it. Just his own, and technically it has nothing to do with time itself in an existential perspective. When he performs an intensive action he can rapidly return to where he was upwards of eight seconds ago or speed up for two seconds. A spiritual spectre version of himself seems to follow in his wake to indicate the furthest he could return himself too. He's known for being able to make rapid assaults and then instantly return to be an additional guard. Though while he can be everywhere, he isn't the most capable player other than his quirks viability for the sport.
Point Guard: Nakai Saikaku, ACCELERATE (emitter)
Every team needs the glue that brings every component together into a well oiled and functioning machine. Nakai Saikaku is the main point guard that serves this role, using his quirk to rapidly accelerate the ball in passes using himself as the middle man between other players on the team. With him on Point Guard the team is enabled to perform instant assaults, travelling the court in less than three seconds and berzerking the opponent.
Shooting Guard: Gima Yuko, VACUUM (emitter)
Another Guard, Gima Yuko's quirk enables him to defend well against distant shots. At will he's able to extend his arm and pull objects towards him, meaning he can play guard from the middle of the court and still obstruct three pointers to enable rapid rebound plays to get across the court as fast as possible. He's also known to be incredibly cocky to the point of his hubris leading to his own downfall at least once per game in a laughable moment.
Power Forward: Sakamoto Goro, SODA POPEYE (transformation)
One of the linebreakers, a one man army that instead of having allies he has supporters when he makes his rushes. Never going into a game without at least six bottles of soda, his hobby has come at quite the expense to him having to load up before every game. Not to mention the crash afterwards. When he drinks soda of any kind, defined by carbonation he grows in multiple physical facets. Height, speed and strength namely. Using this he is a good all rounded player that is equipped for a sudden trump-card power up to throw the opponents for a spin when the going gets rough.
1st years
Power Forward: Satou Daiki, ALL STAR (mutation)
An up and coming Power Forward known for his carry potential in his younger years, and has thus far proven to be the same asset that he once was. While not the most interesting of quirks, it is undoubtedly potent and gives him the ability to blast through the court like a flash of light. At the end of the day though he still needs to clutch and juke through every stop to make his way to the post. While he uses his quirk to be faster, better and more reactive it doesn't make up for technique. For his age he's excellent at basketball, just shy of a professional novice.
Point Guard: Asai Chiko, COORDINATES (emitter)
The backup Point Guard that 100% changes the teams gear when he's on the court. Asai is played when rapid plays just stop working. A backup to break any gunk clogging the UA teams gears. Instead of rapid speed with ACCELERATION, Asai Chiko utilizes an immense logical based quirk that allows him to note and rapidly coordinate between well... Coordinates. He can quite confusingly (a personal vocabulary the rest of the team had to painstakingly learn) instruct the entire team to get into ideal positions for a lightning play. It gets predictable fairly fast though, since the coordinates are always generated based on the most obvious vulnerability. Therefore if a team baits a vulnerability with the tools to close it in an instant, this gets countered.
Center: Kanagi Juzo, MIGHT (transformation)
One could say Juzo... Might be or might not be a valuable addition to the team. His quirk is heavily leaned on probability, when he performs an action there's a chance he does it incredibly well and a chance he's just normal. Only slightly influenced by the amount of effort he's applying... He's a wild card that is used just as much for his incapability as his capability. His main use is causing the enemy team to not be able to calibrate to their attacks. They can't become accustomed to a perfect storm, and they can't get cocky thinking he's useless either. Though for now he's often benched just because of how chaotic his quirk can be, it leads to more points lost than gained at the moment. Perhaps in three years there will be a different story here.
Shooting Guard: Anzai Hisaki, ICED BEES (emitter)
A player that can almost be scene as two players. His quirk allows him to create and command a swarm of icy bees that do his last spoken bidding. The good side is that the swarm of bees can bounce, catch and dribble the ball with how dense the cluster is. They can even fly up the ball for a slam dunk if they're in the position to do so. However the issue is that they need to do what they're verbally told in understandable language. This means that the opponent will know exactly what the bees are up to, which means Anzai Hisaki is only really viable as one player as opposed to the hopeful two. Using the bees and himself to introduce unknown elements alongside the known actions of his bees, he can present hints to the answer but never the solution to the puzzle. With a solid head on his shoulders, he is capable of constructing smart rebound plays to win points over for the team.
Small Forward: Viktor Yenova, GLITCH (emitter)
One of the trickiest and slipperiest players on the team. Viktor is also one of the smallest players clocking in at 5'5. His quirk however more than makes up for his lack of natural height. Around him whenever he wishes is a series of illusory copies that mirror his movements two feet to either side, twicefold (for four mirrors total). The key factor in this quirk is that he can select which one of him is the actual Viktor at any point, allowing him to shift upwards of five feet to his left or right to avoid a blocker. To actually stop him all four in the line need to be accounted for or his advanced juke needs to be predicted. He's another wildcard player to stir the pot and rattle the brains of the enemy team.
That concludes the full current roster for UA's Basketball Team, but it wasn't always the roster. Disregarding previous years due to obvious members becoming UA graduates, under-performing first years are cut and replaced on a semi-regular basis through the first half of first year. The team holds high expectations of their members, with UA and Shiketsu having been in a constant power struggle for the most formidable team at Nationals every year. Those that don't put in the effort, make it for practice and actively engage in the team aren't members that offer a valuable enough contribution to the team on the forefront and especially on the court. With that said, the year started as all years did. Practice, practice, practice.
To be more specific, practice and teammate acclimation, people getting familiar with another forming bonds and sharing their styles and techniques. Daiki in particular got in well with Aoki-san and Kibe-san for his impressive performances in practice. It was fortunate that his stay on the team so long as he put in the work wasn't in jeopardy. Yet what was perhaps more terrifying is there was no stunned reaction from these General Studies people. Come to think of it... Hero courses teach how to fight, rescue civilians, defeat villains. It's combat and all that surrounds it. Basketball isn't an innately violent sport, so quirk expertise is defined by a completely different set of standards compared to expertise when geared towards combat. Ball manipulation, consistency and potential are all things that Heroes often don't focus as much on; though somewhat for the latter two. Daiki's quirk had a ton of potential and consistency, and his ability to work with the ball actually only allowed for him to move at half of his total output if he wanted to manipulate the ball correctly. Too fast and too powerful and he'd slip up and send the ball flying court-side. He was limited by his ability to manipulate the ball, a problem that would absolutely never crop up in fighting villains. Precision, coordination, the ability for the senses to keep up with actions.
Daiki's day consisted of some amalgam of the following, and rarely any moment for free time. Classes, helping others out with any concerns or problems, helping neighbourhood cats and helping elderly with groceries and finally... Basketball; well, if he wasn't studying. Just... Never a dull moment if he wasn't being lazy and not doing something when he should be doing that thing. Practice was daily for a team as prestigious as UA's team. Some days it was way early in the morning before classes and on days like Saturday or a couple times through the week it was late at night. Tuesdays and Thursdays specifically, allowing them to take all the time they needed to perfect the techniques they were trying to master for the next competition. They could then just close up the gym and turn the lights off when they were done. The coach was cool like that, having access to the gymnasium keys. If someone couldn't find Daiki in class or in the dorm, he was in the gym throwing hoops and playing a divided skirmish among his own team. The first years line-up against the second and third years, with two benched. Naturally they got stomped, while Basketball has carry potential if you have a thousand holes in your defence and only one spear to poke a hole in theirs... It'll never go so well. That is, the original first year line-up.
However after a month of school things started to change. Sato-sensei helped arrange a series of matches for practice between other academies. It wasn't hard to find those games, considering most of them brought offers to UA in a desire to play against the team that'd won Nationals on multiple occasions; last year not being one of them though. And naturally UA would have success against most of them, actually suffering a couple losses because the... Machine wasn't oiled, so to speak. The players weren't meshing well enough, cooperative techniques were still being worked on, that sort of thing. The problem with team play in sports is that advanced cooperative techniques either blast you closer to victory or cause your downfall. They're almost always risky if they don't work out, since failing them is giving the ball, and keeping control over the ball is almost more than half the battle.
Though what was more important was the Spring Tournament. Held once a year, while it holds importance in it's own right it is often seen as a scouting opportunity to see how things might play out at the later Nationals event. UA's roster had finally settled for the listed members, and Satou Daiki had gone from another aspiring first year to a sub-in clutch player to turn the tide of games. Mostly because the current power forward was a third year, and it was important to give him as much game time as possible to give him memories that'd be with him for the rest of his life. With about as much practice as humanly possible put in since the start of the year, a team of skilled players set to the court in Tokyo for a week long stay. His classwork at UA would be emailed to him, the activities shared and repeat classes after school hours listed for a second shot at catching up for sick and unavailable students. Each game came with it's own struggles, and a collection of actual publicized official games will be listed below and their events shared... Considering they were on the locale news;
Quarterfinals
ISAMU vs KETSUBUTSU
Isamu Academy, known for their focus on long range point accumulation with their star player Hiroi Yasuoka. Hiroi-san's quirk trajectory gives him the precise information required to have a one hundred percent goal rate when the net is exposed. Dominating all of the other participating schools up until the quarterfinals with vast sweeps, Ketsubutsu was the Academy that shut them down. Recently having remade their entire team, what was once a team about rapid attacks and risky charge plays has become an iron wall. A vast collection of individuals that make sure a ball never gets in that net. Natsukawa Korekiyo, his quirk POWER TOWER has made him a consistent nine foot wall of pure bulk and strength. Looming overhead all of his classmates, he's known for being able to turn attempts to slam dunk into simple steals mid-air. With the rest of the team all exceeding national averages in terms of height, Ketsubutsu chose with surgical precision their roster for this years shot at the trophies. They overpower their enemies with intimidation and raw power. Even if they only inhabit half of the players of the court, other teams often start to lose their mental from how claustrophobic the court feels. Naturally, Natsukawa-san made quirk work of Hiroi-sans ability to generate three pointers across the court, catching the ball and letting his team make an assault. No doubt the strongest Point Guard in all of the academies currently. The game ended 98-40 KETSUBUTSU-ISAMU and the latter went home to prepare for Nationals.
SEIJIN vs SEIAI
Seijin, a team prizing themselves on mastery of the fundamentals enhanced by usage of their quirks. Seijin unlike many of the other teams doesn't actually have a star player, instead every single team member pays their dues and contributes equally. The ball in Seijin's control can change hands five times in three seconds, zipping across the field in a fascinating display of different quirks and skills. On the defence they're not lacking either, able to capitalize on mistakes and able to take on charges fairly well compared to other teams. Unfortunately, spearheads put pressure on select members instead of the unit as a whole, and that's precisely what Seiai did. Seiai's basketball is one of intelligence, the strategy is where things come together and executing a plan is only a time to think of the next plan to always keep innovating against the opponent. Heavily researching other teams to find their weak points, Seiai was still neck and neck with Seijin's persistent and headstrong play style until a break in the third quarter happened when Seiai shifted in their trump card. Kibe Botan, with their quirk Hawks Eye completely remodelled their team upon being entered upon the field. Turning an otherwise intelligent playing team into one of instinctive opportunity and exploitation. Third pointers, spearhead assaults with the power forward when third pointers were being covered. The game ended 75-52 SEIAI-SEIJIN, with the latter packing their bags.
UA (bye)
Shiketsu (bye)
Semifinals
KETSUBUTSU vs UA
The Indomitable Wall vs The Golden Spear. One of several most anticipated game in the Spring Inter-academic Tournament. UA as usual had managed to stomp so hard in the preliminary round robin that they got a bye in the tournament, their first game of the Spring Inter-academic tournament being against what to most was an unstoppable wall. Frankly, UA was no exception. Compared to last year, Ketsubutsu was a different beast entirely, packed with monstrous players that looked like they could pinch someones head into a mushy paste.
The first quarter was as most games start. It was an acceleration towards peak performance that in normal games persists into the second and third quarters. However the first quarter actually wasn't nice to UA. Kibe Seiryo had trouble weaving between five guys that dwarfed even him in size, finding himself surrounded in even the briefest entrance into their side of the court. Aoki Basho while formidable, used his quirk only further in the game considering it was a bodily intensive transformation quirk. Which to note, the jerseys are made of special fibres so there's no tearing! Then there was Teramoto Narahiko on defence, who found his attempts to control the ball with his quirk overpowered by Ketsubutsu's blood-thirst to win. The ball barely ever left the players hands but to dribble within Ketsubutsu, lending themselves to dunking on UA over and over. The first quarter ended 25-16 KETSUBUTSU-UA.
The second quarter allowed the team to take a break and consult with the coach, talking valuable strategy and considering a new way to break the wall down that was Ketsubutsu. Gima Yuko was useless with his quirk vacuum seeing as Ketsubutsu specifically dunked instead of going for three pointers. Austin Baker if he used his quirk recoil might be able to be in the places that need defending, but he didn't have the raw power to stand up against these Ketsubutsu Goliaths. He could also lead rapid charges, that would perhaps be what they would have to rely on. Rapid speeds to zig-zag between the taller players. Subbing out Kibe Seiryo for Austin in a role he wasn't used to playing allowed for a quicker assault that could perhaps take advantage of the slightly slower speed of the giant players on the opposing team. It only closed the margins slightly, as delegating two people to cover Austin shut him down completely while Natsukawa Korekiyo loomed near the net to stop any attempts at a distant shot. It was frankly horrifying. While the lead stopped increasing so quickly, it did grow further at a slower pace. The second quarter ended 49-35 KETSUBUTSU-UA.
The third quarter called for pulling out the stops. Teramoto Narahiko was subbed out for Anzai Hisaki while Austin Baker was subbed out for clutch Power Forward Satou Daiki. Point Guard Nakai Saikaku was subbed out for Asai Chiko, bringing in the quirk COORDINATES as opposed to ACCELERATE. The new plan relied heavily on clutch slam-dunk plays between Satou-san and Aoki-san. It would be up to their performances if they took back the lead. The play finally happened that gave them hope for victory. Ketsubutsu's power forward streamed between the different members before coming up towards the basket for another dunk before Center Aoki Basho in a flash of light doubled in height and stopped the assault akin to a mosquito flying against a screen door. The player fell to the floor and the ball changed hands to UA. Shifting back down in a quick moment, he tossed the ball to Satou-san. Streaking into the court, Daiki made an important note to move alongside Aoki-san. After all, Daiki wasn't the one that'll be scoring the points here. Aoki would be doing that, Satou was just the transporter. He had the speed and power plus the reaction time to make it happen, and in the third quarter Ketsubutsu had acclimated to everyone but him and a few of the other benched players. Dashing forward in a streak of sparking energy, the red glow across his body illuminated the court as he slammed the ball in a dribble between a players legs. Leaping over to get the ball dribbling on the other side of the player with his other hand, he zig-zagged across the entire field and rapidly juked out the shooting guard. So hard in fact, that in a fumble to adapt to Daiki's movements he fall right onto his butt. Charging passed and getting towards the net the Center, the brace that held the wall up with the quirk POWER TOWER stood before Daiki and the net. Aoki was being covered, but there's no way that ball would be intercepted. In a flash of light Aoki dwarfed his defender and easily caught the ball thrown high, slamming it into the net for the first of a long spree of goals. However that rate only caught them up, barely gaining them a lead for the fourth and final quarter. The third quarter ended 71-70 UA-KETSUBUTSU.
The final quarter was one played out with everything both teams had left, and even a little more. Despite the first four minutes of the final quarter going well with a similar strategy, some switched out members on Ketsubutsu made their lead gain even less than it had been before. Only three points ahead of Ketsubutsu, when Aoki's transformation quirk had been used too much and he was brought courtside and replaced with Kanagi Juzo, thinggs looked incredibly grim. Without their flash play, Satou had to rely on the most wildcard unreliable member of the team. He might help, but he might not... Everyone knew it was making the best of a worst situation, and that pressure got to the first year's head. Closing up on the court, it would be up to Satou and his other teammates to close the game as the next four minutes were spelling out doom for them. Ketsubutsu had taken the lead back 86-81 and that gap was only exceeding. This is what Satou lived for in basketball. When every plan has gone up in the air and it's just wild desperate competitive chaos to bring home the win and step just one step further. When no strategy or plan could close out the game. His aura changed, he almost looked threatening with a thrilled grin over his face. Slowly dribbling the ball on their end of the court he made his attack. Zipping forward he'd use his teammates as opposed to work with them, sending the ball flying towards Anzai Hisaki's swarm of bee's. Shattering some that were quickly replaced, the swarm as Daiki zipped around one of the giants returned the ball into his hands. Coming up against the power forward and shooting guard, he dribbled the ball left and right before zipping right entirely just to juke them out by bouncing the ball between the lefts legs and changing directions in a split second. Catching up to the ball in a flash on the other side the titan was all that stood in his way. There was no way he could get to that net in a battle of speed and out-maneuvering. He had to go for it.
Leaping into the air in a spectral display that lit up the whole room, spectators were almost bedazzled by a chromatic shine of colors as Daiki sailed up... Up... And up towards and over the titan. He'd jump up to meet Satou's one handed slam dunk and plant both hands on the ball in an effort to push it back. Though he started falling when Satou was still sailing through the air. Overpowered in a battle of pure strength the ball slammed through the net and their Center, their team captain fell onto his back in a thunderous impact that shook the court and Ketsubutsu's mental. That was what basketball was about. The final third of the last quarter took advantage of Ketsubutsu's crumbled wall, with Satou making plays and outperforming the other teams members. And every time he met the wall, he slammed right on through it.
The game ended 113-96, UA-KETSUBUTSU.
SEIAI vs SHIKETSU
Shiketsu, a school that plays with an almost unparalleled upfront intensity that knocks all opposition aside. They were up against yesterdays victors against Seijin, Seiai Academy. However no amount of planning and strategy can really contain the monster that is Shiketsu, at least as far as Seiai's players were concerned as Shiketsu star center and monstrous basketball player Amai Koan ran them over several times over with his quirk Gods Will. The game was the biggest point difference in recent Inter-Academic history clocking in at 154-17 SHIKETSU-SEIAI. By the second quarter, Seiai had already mentally checked out entirely. They didn't even try for the rest of the game.
Finals
UA vs SHIKETSU
The final game of the Spring Inter-academic Tournament couldn't have been closer ending at 111-110. It went down as a game to remember in the minds of many, but it started out just like many games. Yet it was clear Shiketsu had an insane advantage over UA with their berserk aggression. The starting line-up for UA was trashed by Shiketsu, especially when Shiketsu adapted to UA's ability to stop ranged points as opposed to dunks. When they resorted entirely to up close point accummulation UA started to severely lose points. It was all the coach could do to get to the second quarter without calling for a timeout. In just twelve minutes and thirty seconds Shiketsu had a 20 point lead over UA at 31-11.
Immediately that Satou-Aoki synergy was deployed with a quick sub of Power Forward Kibe Seiryo and Shooting Guard Gima Yuko for Anzai Hiksaki. Allowing for an easier catch for berserk attacks with Anzai's frozen beeswarms, the ball managed to get into UA's hands without giving over points more often. Though it only evened the scoring rate between the two times and UA had already pulled out some of their biggest stops just one quarter into the game. The quarter would end at 52-34 SHIKETSU-UA, leaving them basically no closer than they were at the start of the quarter. They needed to improvise fast, or else they'd completely concede the game to Shiketsu.
Going into the third quarter the team was kept as is except for the removal of small forward Austin Baker for Viktor Yenova. As Aoki's transformation period started to fall off, Viktor's quirk allowed him to clutch by the enemy defences several times to start closing the gap while Daiki worked as his second hand man to exchange the ball from time to time. The gap started to close, yet when it became close enough to see a prospect for victory, Amai Koan's aura shifted to that of what basketball players call... The Zone. In reality there's no flashy theatrical effects, but there is a different vibe from the player and on the players end a complete disregard for anything but victory. Eyes forward at all times in a hunger for the wind. The third quarter ended 71-63 SHIKETSU-UA. The last quarter would need to have everything possible put into it in order to win. As in... Someone would have to take on Amai Koan.
That someone would be Daiki, Power Forward on Power Forward. It wasn't just Amai Koan with that kind of hunger for victory. Having lost before, the idea of a crushing defeat was disgusting, bitter and horrid. They came here to win and if they won here they'd be walking home with the cup and a testament to their skill for the rest of their lives. Satou would enter The Zone as well, his body tensing as he got ready to pair with Amai Koan's intense skill. Amai's quirk specifically allowed him to get stronger coinciding his belief in what he's doing. Stronger, faster, better reflexes. The less willpower he had for a given thing the weaker he was, the more will he showed... The more power he had. Facing Amai head on, the court turned into a series of flashes and rapid movements as every other player was just a pylon to be moved around save for the occasional rapid juke-pass to return.
The court became a deathmatch in an instant between two clutch players on either team. Going neck and neck and viciously exchanging points, the rest of either team felt like nothing but accessories to what was happening. Whenever someone tried to play defence or join the offence they'd quickly be outpaced or easily juked out to the point of raw confusion. The only person that could keep up with Amai was Satou, and the only person that could keep up with Satou was Amai. Still, just barely. Exchanging points at a rapid pace for every dunk Amai got off Satou got almost two. One dunk for Shiketsu, two for UA. One for Shiketsu, one for UA, such and so forth. The game would come to an epic conclusion at 111-110. One point behind Shiketsu, Daiki was on the offensive against Amai. Pushed to his limit and waining with Amai also in a similar state, they both desperately struggled for supremacy in this game to go down in memory. As the clock counted down the final half minute, the two exchanged the ball in the same active period four times. Daiki to Amai, Amai to Daiki, Daiki to Amai and finally Amai to Daiki. With the ball in his possession he juked his way with intensity around Amai who rapidly compensated for any lost ground with rapid speed. Flashes made their way towards Shiketsu's end of the court at the five second mark... This was it. Juking Amai in a final moment Satou leaped up and went for a dunk.
And a hand slapped the ball courtside.
The game ended 111-110, SHIKETSU-UA.
UA went home that night without the trophy. Though all is not lost... They'd have a chance for a rematch at Nationals.
