~Kaiya's POV~

On the morning of UA's entrance exam, I was too nervous to eat breakfast and left way too early. Luckily my parents were vacationing in the Alps. If they knew I was going to UA's entrance exam they'd be furious. After the accident they told me to give up my dream of being a hero. After the accident, everyone gave up on me. My dreams stopped mattering. People stopped asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up, they stopped treating me like I was a human being with wants, and desires. In everyone else's eyes I was nothing more than my disability. I had no individuality, just a wheelchair.

I shook my head as my thoughts turned dark. No. That was all going to change, today. I had amazing grades, I was top of my class (partially because no one hung out with me so I had plenty of study time). I'd completely decimate the written portion of the exam and my quirk was strong, really strong, I could handle their physical assessment, no matter what it was.

As I arrived at UA, I glanced around and groaned as I realized I had arrived before anyone else, possibly even the faculty. I took a deep breath and thought of All Might, always smiling in the face of fear. I put on my brightest smile and rolled my way down the path leading to the main building. My smile started to falter as the building came into view and I realized there were only stairs leading to the building, there were no accessibility ramps. You can't be a hero in a wheelchair. There were so many voices who'd said those words to me that the voice inside my head that repeated it back to me wasn't one voice but hundreds all screaming at once.

Would I get in trouble for using my quirk to get myself up the stairs? We weren't allowed to use our quirks in public, but surely this would be an excusable instance?

As I was waging an internal war with myself I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned to find a tall slender humanoid figure whose entire face was concealed by their black and gold skin tight hero costume that disappeared beneath a large tan trench coat. I recognized him, Ectoplasm. He was a Pro Hero, like most the staff at UA his quirk was a cloning quirk.

"Did you get lost?" He asked innocently as he glanced down at my wheelchair.

"I'm Kaiya Daichi, I'm here to take the entrance exam." I cursed at myself mentally as my voice shook nervously.

"Ah-." Though his face was completely concealed I had a feeling he was frowning. I sensed his gaze sweep over my wheelchair then back up to the stairs leading to the building.

"Is there a ramp to get into the school?" I asked, trying to ignore the sudden pit in my stomach.

"...no, there isn't. Sorry, kid..."

You can't be a hero in a wheelchair.

The words echoed in my mind.

He scratched the back of his head, "there aren't going to be ramps in disasters either, I don't think this is the right path for you." He was trying to be kind but his words were like a punch in the gut.

Obviously there weren't going to be ramps in a disaster, did he think I was some kind of moron? Pro Heroes were allowed to use their quirks whenever they wanted and then accessibility would be no problem.

"If I use my quirk I don't need a ramp." I offered.

He shook his head, "want me to call someone to come get you?"

My heart fell. "...no..." I turned around and pushed myself back down the path toward the main road.

I passed two other faculty members on my way: a man with shaggy dark hair and a man with long blonde hair that was currently defying the laws of gravity. I hoped neither of them saw the tears streaming down my cheeks as I quickly made my exit trying to pretend my entire world hadn't just shattered.

Miraculously I made it back home without having a complete breakdown and without seeing anyone I knew. When I got into my apartment I let out a scream of rage and anguish. The room seemed to rattle unsteadily as the steel support beams of the building trembled. I took a few deep calming breaths. What now? That was my only plan. Ever since I could talk my plan was always to go to UA and become a hero. If I couldn't go to UA what was I supposed to do? Would the other hero schools be just as inaccessible?

Tears welled in my eyes.

"No." I hurriedly wiped them away. "I WILL be a hero." More tears splashed onto my cheeks. "I'll show all those ableist bastards." I clenched my fists tightly and rolled myself to my computer.

It only took me an hour to find a hero costume supplier who catered to vigilantes and villains. I didn't like that they supplied BOTH villains and vigilantes but I was desperate. I sent an encrypted request form with my measurements to the email address I found for the supplier, after another hour of digging.

A few minutes later my phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number. I answered it quickly. "Hello?"

"Kaiya Daichi, I presume?" A masculine voice sounded.

"Y-yes."

The man on the other end of the line chuckled, "first rule of vigilante work, kid. Don't use your real name."

"Ah." I felt my face flush at this. I'd put my name in the name field without thinking.

"We all start somewhere, now you know for next time. You gotta be careful who you give that kind of information to." It sounded like he took a drag off a cigarette, "you can call me Giran. I'll have something for you in a few days. I'll text you the rendezvous point when it's ready."

"Thank you, Giran." My heart skipped a beat, I didn't expect anything to come of this.

"Start thinking up aliases, kid." He chuckled before hanging up.

I sent a text to my parents.

K: I'll do online schooling.

My phone rang with a call from my mother.

I answered the call but before I could get a word out my mother interrupted me.

"Really?! That'll be a relief." Mom's voice sounded absolutely ecstatic. "I can have you transferred in five minutes! It'll be a big load off your father and I, we'll be able to travel more without worrying about anything happening to you at school."

I felt my heart harden in my chest. "Sounds good."

"Oh that's wonderful news. We'll bring you back something nice!" Mom hung up.

I clenched my fists and my phone crunched inward before flying across the room.