BNHA Next Gen: Kota's Tidal Wave

Become the Beast

With a deep breath, the soothing air carried the scent of the pine trees surrounding me. I'm in laser focus right now, as I fight the furious current of the cold river pounding against me. I'm used to it at this point, but the rainy season had flooded the river, so training today was especially difficult. It didn't matter to me-- I just had to focus on the current of the river as the waters swish and roar around me, no matter how cold I feel. My waters have to surpass the intensity of this river if I'm ever going to become a hero. I take another deep breath...

"Become the beast." That's what Tiger always tells me. It's heroes like him that push me to train harder to become the hero I want to be. 

I open my eyes again; the stones I've set up in random spots along the river lay before me. I carried these stones myself from the rock pile about 100 meters away from the river. They're heavy, durable stones that are awesome for building my strength, and they make good target practice. I stick my right palm out in front of me, careful to not lose my balance from the current. Grabbing the wrist with my other hand, I start to take aim. Here, the Beast's Forest is my territory.

... FIRE!

Water ejects from my right hand at the speed of bullets-- all five of my projectiles darting towards their respective target. Then, my favorite sound echoes above the roaring current: the shattering of rock. I quickly jump out of the river to see how I did. Haha! Awesome! Even though these rocks were so durable, I saw a clean hole that came out the other side in each of the five... never mind. Turns out the last stone only had a dent in it without coming out the other end. Piece of crap... And I plan to become a hero at this rate? U.A. High, the most prestigious hero school in Japan, would want nothing to do with me if I can get beat by some shitty rock...

I'm Kota Izumi. I'm 15 years old, and I live in a superhuman society in Japan, where just about everyone has a special power known as a "Quirk". My Quirk allows me to shoot water from the palms of my hands, just like how my parents used to. My parents were a hero duo known as "Water Hose". I loved them so much, because no matter how busy they were in their hero careers, they always found time to be with their son... Then they were taken away from me when I was three years old. My parents left to defend a village that was under siege by an A-Rank villain. They told me they would come back to play with me, but they didn't come home that night. Cousin Shino babysat me when the breaking news report came on the TV.

"Water Hose duo killed by villain while defending village"

Killed? ... Killed? ... Killed? Killed? Killed? Killed? Killedkilledkilledkilledkilledkilledkilledkilledkilledkilledkilledkilled...

Water Hose... killed?! My world came crashing down like a violent waterfall. Cousin Shino was about to grab the remote to turn off the TV but I quickly took it from her. Why were Mom and Dad gone? Who stole them from me?!

"The heroes honorably served as a diversion away from the village and seriously injure the villain. The village was saved, but the duo was killed in their efforts."

Honorably? That's some bullshit. They knew I was waiting for them at home. Were those village people somehow more important than me? Mom and Dad should've known it was a fight they couldn't win, so why didn't they come back to me? ... After the news, I spent two years as a kid hating heroes and the entire superhuman society as a whole. Cousin Shino took custody of me, which annoyed little me. Just 'cause she's a hero too, she felt the need to "save" me? All heroes and villains were doing was killing each other without thinking what's actually important to them, like their family. Cousin Shino tried talking to me: 

"Kota, about your mommy and daddy, Water Hose... It's true that they ended up leaving you behind. But there were definitively lives saved because of what happened to them. I'm sure someday you'll meet someone, and then you'll understand. Someone who'll risk their life to save you... Someone who will be..."