Four months. I’d been in middle school for four months. Funny that.

First, the boring part. School was both harder and easier than it had been the first time around. I had the huge hurdle of learning all the subjects in a new language, with a new culture and history. But I still had the advantage of being an adult in a middle school.

More than that, I was determined. I had a new body, in a new world. The only freedom I could see was at UA. Not just because it was a place I was familiar with, but it was also a place that could do two things. Teach me to control and function in this new body. And give me the freedom to use it as I wished.

The law prohibited people from using their quirks for anything in public except self-defense. That made sense in some ways. But the idea of it chafed me. I was fucking BOWSER now. I wasn’t going to go villain, but I wanted to actually be allowed to use my powers. What’s the point of having superpowers if you can’t use them?

Oh, and helping people or whatever.

So yeah, I put everything I had into my school work. I studied Japanese constantly, forcing myself to speak it as much as I could with native speakers while studying it and reading it constantly. I refreshed my memory of math and science stuff I’d forgotten, and some I hadn’t known, which could have been because it was the future or because Japan takes schooling seriously.

And finally, history. Which was fun. Because to the average kid, history in this world was often boring. To me, it was reading comic books and manga again.

From All Might, to Crimson Riot, to Captain Celebrity, and all the villains they had fought over the decades. History was my easiest subject, without a doubt. Japanese Literature was a little harder, but not by much.

Once I got past the language barrier. Which, holy shit learning new languages is hard.

And I hung out a bunch with Pony.

She was a damn treasure man. I felt like I had a brand new little sister. We hung out at lunch, and we found a shared love for classic anime and manga, as well as old school Metal Heroes like Kamen Rider. She was a big fan of slice of life stuff as well, which wasn’t really my bag, but I did enjoy talking to her about it.

We spent a lot of lunches under my tree in the grass, talking about our favorite characters, stories, and adventures.

But the first semester was done. Japanese schools worked on a three-term system by the way. April to July, September to December 20, then early January to March.

So I had a hard time limit to deal with all the stuff I’d need to. Because, you see, about two months in, a certain green-haired dork with balls of steel had his origin story.

------

May, 2 months into the First Semester

“-the Sludge villain had the abilities to take over the bodies of others, forcing them to use their quirks for his benefit, and found a child with a powerful quirk that he used to devastate the area, even endangering the life of a fellow student who recklessly ran into the battle. Luckily, the young man whose body was controlled managed to hold on until All Might arrived on the scene, rescuing both children and defeating the villain! Reconstruction is already beginning-”

“Bowser-kun?” Pony asked, drawing my attention from the laptop I’d been using to study with until a news alert distracted me. She seemed worried. “Are you okay?”

“Oh! Uh, yeah, yeah. I’m just watching this news report from earlier. Some kids got saved by All Might,” I said, turning my laptop around to show her.

“Ohhh!” Pony took the laptop, eyes glittering happily. “That’s awesome! And so close by!”

Yeah, real close. And yet, we’d heard nothing. Goddamnit, if I’d walked home I might have been able to see it!

“All Might,” Pony said with a smile. “He really is strong.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” I smiled just a bit. Living in this world had really highlighted just how much All Might meant to the people of the world. It was like Superman was real. I mean, I knew he was a Superman Expy in my world, but… well. He was the Number 1 hero for a reason. The pillar of hero society. Not because of fame or good PR or something. He wasn’t Homelander.

He was a hero to people for genuine reasons. Because he really wanted to help. It was pretty inspiring.

“I want to be a hero too!” Pony cheered, pumping her fists.

“You do?” I was surprised. She’d never said anything like that before.

“Yep!” she held her fists under her eyes, smiling. “My mom is a hero in America! I always wanted to help people like her! That’s why I’m going to go to UA!”

Well well. What a coincidence. “That’s kinda awesome. I always wanted to be a hero too,” technically true, if less superheroic than in this world. “I guess we’re both shooting for UA.”

“We are!? That’s amazing!” Pony smiled. Then again, she tended to smile a lot. She was a sweet and cheery girl. If a bit naive. But she was a teenager, they’re allowed. “We should train together!”

“That would be dope,” I scratched my chin, claws digging against my scales. “I was planning to do some more hardcore training in the woods or something. Don’t suppose you know a place I can break things for free?”

I was laughing while I said that.

Pony was not. “Oh, yes! You can come to my family's farm!”

“The what now?”

My fellow American nodded. “I told you, my mom is a hero. She got a farm when we moved here, on account of us needing some room to run around with our quirks when we train.”

She clicked her hooves for emphasis. “I reckon she wouldn’t mind if we visited. But you should be nice, okay?”

“Nice? What do you mean?”

“Bowser-kun…” she placed her hands on her hips as she sat there, raising an eyebrow. “I know you are the one who tossed Keita and his friends in the dumpster and locked them in it.”

I guess the fact I’d crushed the lid to the dumpster shut had been a good clue, though the teachers hadn’t approached me about it.

“...I’m nice to people who deserve it.”

She sighed, but I think she was still amused.

Pony and I made plans to train together. But all the while, a single thought filled me.

Deku trained with All Might for ten months. Which meant I’d been right about the timeline.

10 months to get into UA for me and now Pony, because like hell was I not helping my friend get into the school. Perfect.

------

July 21

Also, bullying in super-Japan was way more common than I expected. That and peeping. Keita, the kid with the rock hair and his two other idiot friends had been staring into the girls locker room through a peephole when I’d come jogging around the corner in my gym clothes. One of his friends had the power to fatten up his fists, while the other could spit chips of wood.

So when the response of his friends to me telling them to stop being assholes was for the duo to try and threaten me, Keita was the only one that tried to run.

After I locked them in the dumpster though, it had been yet another reminder I needed to train for real.

I did my best, but there was only so much a jobless dude with superstrength could do. Weightlifting without some serious hardware was a waste of time, since I could lift a van over my head. I jogged every single day, so my cardio was getting really good, even if I kept almost toppling when I turned tight corners. Pushups and pullups were okay, and I was practicing fighting on my own, but I needed the chance to really stress my powers, find and break my limits.

And also use my fire breath without ending up in a house fire. Again.

Thank god for Pony Tsunotori.

I woke up that first day of summer break and headed out to meet Pony with a bag of some essentials, including a shitty brush I used to scrub my shell. I really needed something more heavy duty soon, something that could reach the tough spots. I wasn’t built for flexibility.

I jogged over to Pony’s house, a small sensible place close to the school. I stood outside her gate and pressed the doorbell, waiting for a bit. As I did, a housewife looking lady down the street stared at me. When I waved at her, she hesitantly waved back, looking just a bit terrified.

Mr. Charm, that’s me.

The intercom buzzed on. “Bowser-kun, is that you?”

“That or someone is really good at cosplay,” I replied.

Pony giggled. “Okay, I’ll be right there! Come on in!”

The door let out a little alarm sound and I pushed it open, walking up the pathway to the front door of the house. As I approached, it opened up. And someone who was not Pony was behind it.

“Well, lil’ Pony tol’ me you were a big ‘un, but this is something else!” the tall blonde in front of me said with a smirk. She was a little taller than Pony, but had the same shade of blonde hair. She was wearing a red tank top under a blue flannel shirt she’d left unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of jean shorts, her outfit displaying her buxom figure, the deep tan to her skin, and the muscles of an athlete. She had horns poking out of her head, but they were shaped differently from Pony’s, with a curved appearance that reminded me of those of a bull.

“Cow Lady?” I said, blinking. “The California Cowgirl?”

“Ah, shucks, you know who I am?” she said in that strong Texan accent, chuckling as she crossed her arms.

“Well, yeah. You kick serious ass,” I said without thinking.

The older woman’s eyes glittered.

Cow Lady was fairly popular in my home state of Cali, with a dedicated history of service. Plus, she wore a skimpy costume, which tends to be popular for obvious reasons. But mostly, she was a hero who had saved lives. All around an admirable person. Funny enough, she’d been one of the heroes to see All Might in action when he first showed up in America.

“Ya really know the way to gals heart,” the blonde held out a hand for me to shake. “Tsunotori Tauren. Nice to meet ya, Bowser-kun!”

I took her hand, wondering why I felt so odd. As we shook, I suddenly realized what was going on.

She wasn’t intimidated by me in any way. Almost everyone I’d met, no matter how friendly they ended up being, was at least a bit afraid of me. People with mutation quirks that made them look just as monstrous as I was didn’t act that way. Same with Pony. And now, Tauren.

Then again, how could I scare her? She’d likely taken down guys three times my size and power.

The confident blonde waved me inside. “Come on, Pony is just grabbing her bag. Is that all yer bringing to the farm?”

“Yep,” I hefted my small backpack. “Don’t have much. I pack light even then. Nothing but books and a couple changes of clothes.”

“Man afta my own heart!” she said. “Pony! Yer friend is here!”

“Coming, mama!” Pony said from a room in the back of the one story home. I looked around the living room Tauren had led me into. There was a plate of fruit in the center of a table, a nice couch, and a kitchen nearby.

“So,” Tauren raised an eyebrow at me. “...What’re yer intentions fer my daughter?”

There was a chill that went up my spine along the inside of my shell. She was smiling, but I felt like… I don’t know, like her aura had changed or something.

“To train to become heroes together?” I said hesitantly.

“Oh? And did you know her momma was a hero?” she asked pointedly.

Ah. That made more sense. She wasn’t worried about dating. She was worried about a naive daughter getting used by an asshole who would use her to get ahead in his chosen profession.

“No ma’am,” I said, calming down a little. “I only found out a couple months after we became friends. And I wouldn’t have cared anyways. Pony’s awesome. I think we would have been friends even if we didn’t both want to be heroes.”

Tauren eyed me for a long moment, seemingly trying to read my emotions. I let her, not reacting much. Finally she sighed. “Yer an odd kid. Most would freak out a bit more if their friend's mom was eyeing them this way.”

“I’ve been told something like that before.”

“I’m sure ya have, fella,” she cocked her head to the side.

“Momma, Bowser-kun!” the girl of the hour rushed into the room, smiling. Her bags were hanging from her shoulders as she smiled. She was wearing a blue shirt and some jeans, her hooves poking out the denim. “I’m ready!”

“So are we,” Tauren said, rising up and hugging her daughter. “Good thing I brought the truck. I reckon yer big friend’ll need to sit in the back.”

“That’s a safe assessment,” I said with a chuckle. Pony surprised me by giving me a hug, which I returned. She really was a My Little Pony at heart. “But I’m ready.”

------

I did indeed sit in the back. But that was fine. Because I retreated into my shell and fell asleep.

It probably made for a funny image. Two horned girls in the front seat of a pickup truck with a giant spiked shell resting in the back, strapped down by some rope. But it was oddly comfy. I just poked my head out every once in a while to eye the countryside, then right back to my warm shell.

We reached our destination after a few hours. I was awoken when someone knocked on my shell. I poked my head out to see Pony.

“Heya, pardner! We’re here!”

I sat up and looked around. We were indeed. It looked like an American farm set into the middle of the Japanese countryside. I could see a typical red barn, but the house looked Japanese in design. There was a rice field on one side, and in the distance I could see a large clear dome that looked like a super futuristic greenhouse. Oh, and a rock quarry! Off to the right of the farm, poking up in the distance.

“Damn, this place is picturesque,” I hopped off the back, the truck letting out a squeal of relief. “You guys own this place?”

“Got it when we moved out here,” Tauren said proudly, walking by with a piece of straw in her mouth. “Ya’ll wanna eat before we get to training?”

I was about to say no, when-

Gruuuuuuuagh.

Pony giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Tauren smirked. I sighed, glaring at my belly as it finished it’s all too cliche roar.

Damn you, Bowser belly.

“Yeah. That might be good.”

------

Thank god for the massive meals that farmers make. We had steak, eggs, salad, buckets of rice, a good mix of foods.

Thankfully, Tauren and Pony were big eaters as well, if not as much as me, and they didn’t mind my bottomless stomach. Pony had a lot of foods with Keratin in them, for her horns, while Tauren avoided the meatier foods. Long story short, we ate a lot. As Tauren said, ‘Best compliment to a chef is an empty table!’

Once done though, we headed to the rock quarry.

“Do you think they ever filmed Super Sentai or Kamen Rider out here?” I asked Pony as we stared up at a cliff face.

“That would be AMAZING,” she said thoughtfully.

“They didn’t,” Tauren said. The older woman laughed at the crestfallen looks we gave her.

Can’t help it man. How cool would it have been if our training took place in a place where Red Rangers and Kamen Riders had beaten the shit out of monsters?

“So, what are you guys going to do for training?” Pony’s mom asked, raising her arms over her head and stretching.

“Well, first I want to figure out how strong I am,” I mused. “So my part is just dumb rock throwing for now. How about you, Pony?”

“I’m going to practice controlling my horns in flight!”

Oh right, she could do that. Pony’s powers were pretty damn awesome. She could launch her horns out and replace them with new ones, giving her dope long range abilities. And since she could control them…

“Wait, how many can you control?” I asked.

“Two,” Pony clenched her fist. “I want to learn how to fly with them!”

The image of Pony using her horns like ice skates made me smile. “That could be awesome.”

“Well, you better get started,” Tauren said, walking over to the cliff and leaning against it. “Ya don’t get stronga by jawin bout it.”

Ain’t that the truth.

I noticed a boulder nearby. I walked over to it. It was big as I was, brown, and made of, I don’t know, granite? I raised my fist upwards. Three clawed fingers and a thumb clenched up, covered in smooth scales. Well. My next action would have ended in a cracked knuckle back in my home universe.

I did a jab.

CRUNCH.

My fist bounced off the side, and the boulder had a small crater at the point of impact. “Oh… damn,” I gaped. I’d barely tried! And my fist felt fine.

Feeling more enthusiasm, I reared back, one foot rising from the floor, then hit the boulder with a full on cross.

“Ragh!” I felt the boulder under my fist, right up until it shattered apart. The whole thing exploded outwards, chunks bouncing across the ground.

“Woooo!” Tauren clapped her hands, chuckling. “That’s a hell of a hit!”

“Good job!” Pony cheered.

I think I was more stoked than they were, to be honest. But in my defense, I wasn’t born and raised in a world where super-strength could be something even a store cashier could have. So forgive me for the slasher smile that grew on my face.

“Awesome!”

I turned around and punched another boulder, the rock smashing into pieces, then went to the next one, embedded the fingers of one of my hands into the surface, and hefted it into the air. With one hand.

“This is amazing!” I grinned up at the giant rock I was holding over my head.

“Wow, you’ve really never gotten to use your powers before, have you?” Tauren said thoughtfully. “You never went through Quirk counseling?”

“Not in a long time,” I said. Technically that was true. It had been a month or so, and that had been the bare minimum for the Japanese government to have a record of my powers.

I looked over at Pony. “What do you think? Pull?”

She didn’t seem to know what I meant for a second, confusion on her face before her face cleared. “Yeah! Pull!”

I launched the boulder upwards. At the peak of its arc, two horns zoomed into the sky and hit the boulder, sending it up just a bit higher, before they flew around to drive down on top of it, smashing the boulder into the ground.

“Nice!” I looked over at Pony, who had her fists clenched as she stared into the sky with eyes filled with concentration. “Here, again!”

“Wait, Bowser-”

I tossed another rock into the air, this one a little larger, straight above me, then looked at Pony.

“I… I still need to rest a bit before I can control them. My stamina needs work, sugah,” Pony said nervously.

“...” I stared at her. Then up at the falling boulder. It came down just in front of me, smashing into the ground… and my right toe.

“...” I inhaled. Then screamed. “FUCKSHITBITCHDAMNCOCKSUCKER! AHHH!”

I bounced up and down, wincing. Technically it wasn’t that bad, but a boulder landing on your toe after 2 months of not feeling any pain was a shock to the system.

“Pony was right, you do have a potty mouth,” Tauren said idly. She frowned. “You okay?”

I hissed, shaking my right foot. “Yeah. Just not used to things hurting.”

“Never had to test your durability, huh?” Tauren asked.

“Well, that’s why I’m here, right?” my foot was no longer hurting, I shrugged. “Okay. Let's get this done!”

“Yeah, let’s do it!” Pony cheered.

Ah, for the enthusiasm of youth. With a grin and an idle backfist to a boulder that sent gravel bouncing on the floor, I got to work.

I started by grabbing rocks of various sizes and tossing them upwards, while Pony shot at them with her horns, switching between controlling them and just aiming on her own. It was pretty good training. I finally got to throw things that were close to my weight class, and Pony got to practice not just her aim and her control, but her stamina. Which was better than she gave herself credit for.

We did that for around thirty minutes, until my arms started to get tired. Then I gave Pony different targets.

“Okay, Pony. Call it!”

“Pull!” she yelled.

I breathed inwards, focusing my power in my lungs. A warmth filled my chest. My cheeks billowed. And I let it out.

Fwoosh!

A ball of fire burst from my lungs, an orb of liquid red flame the size of a basketball flying up into the air.

“Wha!” Pony let out a small scream of shock, but still fired off two horns. They sliced through the flames, lighting up as they passed through fast enough to disperse the fire. “Bowser-kun, that was mean!”

“Hey, you never know when someone will surprise you!” I grinned down at the pouting teen. “Plus, it helps me practice with my fire.”

“I just didn’t know you could do fireballs,” she pouted, waving her arms up and down in frustration. “I thought you could only do streams of it!”

“Well, you know. I can do fireballs,” I smirked at her, then decided to point something out. “Pony. In a fight. A real fight. You are never going to know everything the bad guy is capable of or willing to do.”

She froze, staring at me.

“It’s fine to be surprised by an unexpected target out here. But when we become heroes, we’ll ALWAYS be on the backfoot. Our basic powers are going to end up public knowledge. And the bad guys will work constantly to try to overcome us. They’ll all be a surprise to us. Maybe some dumb guy with a power we don’t expect. Or a smart guy who has planned specifically to take us on.”

Pony cocked her head to the side, pressing a finger to her cheek. “That makes sense. Like in Power Rangers.”

“Exactly that,” Tauren said, walking over to us. She cocked her hip and placed a hand on it. “It’s a good lesson, dahling. I can’t tell you how often some vahmint would pop up with something he made just for me. You gotta learn to roll with the punches in this business.”

There was a sad look on her face. “Some of us… well. If you can avoid learning that lesson the ways I did, I’d like that, okay?”

She was rubbing a small section of her collar towards the end. There, resting just over her throat, a small scar could be seen.

“Okay, momma,” Pony said, clenching her fists. “All right! Let’s go again!”

I threw a boulder. Just as she fired her horns, I blasted another fireball, forcing her to divert one of her horns to intercept it.

We shared a grin, then got back to work. Tauren watched us.

From the corner of my eye, I could still see her touching that scar…