Hey dudes and dudettes, I'm here today to bring you the start of a, hopefully long, story following the My Hero Academia timeline, for the most part. This story is kind of a companion story to MHA in that it takes place in the U.S. and happens around the time that U.A.'s fall term starts (Around the time of the Yakuza Arc).

Since MHA doesn't give us a concrete timeline in terms of years, I've placed it around 297 years into the future. Going off of their being nine users of One for All and that the scientific amount of years that pass in a generation is anywhere from 27-33, so I went with the high end. I also placed the year of birth for the glowing baby in 2020. So 33x9=297, 297+2020=2317. So MHA, in my story, takes place starting in the year 2317.

IMPORTANT NOTE

All Information pertaining to OC submissions is located on the bottom of this chapter.

If you have any questions, concerns, or criticisms either shoot me a PM or leave it in a review. I hope you guys enjoy!

Purpose of a Hero

As the sun was taking its final descent below the distant horizon, two figures emerged from a small wooden house, located on the side of a cliff, their faces shrouded in shadow. One of the figures was significantly taller than the other and led the smaller by hand. They walked hand-in-hand until they reached the very edge of the bluff, just in front of a hundred foot drop into the crashing brine below. For a moment the pair of silhouettes stood in silence, simply staring into the sunset. After a while, the sun's final light finally disappeared and stars popped into existence in the dark blue night sky. The smaller figure turned its head upwards and spoke, its voice high-pitched and childish. "What are we doing out so late mother? Isn't it time to train?" The larger figure tilted her head upwards and smiled lightly, her lip's outline barely visible in the dusk.

"I had something I wanted to show you, my sunshine," She whispered, her tone distinctly feminine, soft, and whimsical. The figure knelt down and placed her hand on the child's shoulder, pointing to the star-filled sky above them. "Look."

"Whoa!" The child's wonder was clear it their tone as they looked up. The swirly of galaxies, shining constellations, and a large, full moon shone brightly in the child's eyes. "How many are there?"

"More than we have numbers to count." The child seemed even more amazed at this as they hummed and proceeded to count out loud, causing their mother to laugh lightly. Her smile then fell slightly and a more pensive look overtook her expression. "Many of these stars have already lost their light."

"What does that mean, mother?" The child asked, his tone head tilted slightly in confusion.

"It means that many of these stars have gone out, or died. What we see is just their after image, their legacy." This answer stumped the child, as they became silent.

"The stars can die, too? Just like us?"

"Of course. All things die. Though, I suppose not every star's light is appreciated," she replied in a mournful tone. "We are no different. In order for our light, our legacy to be remembered, we must shine brighter than anyone else, my sunshine. Never forget, you...are my legacy."

Purpose of a Hero

Eleven Years Later

April 27, 2317

Melody Halloway's eyes glazed over again and her mind began to wander. This tended to happen when she was stuck in a particularly boring class with a particularly boring teacher. Said teacher, a wizened old man named Boris Kharlamov, droned on from the front of the classroom. While usually, the red-haired girl paid apt attention to her lessons – she had a lot to live up to, after all – the glum, dreary day outside, mixed with the deep, monotone voice with which Mr. Kharlamov usually did his lectures on United States history, had her slipping in and out of daydreams. As the elderly man continued speaking he turned towards the whiteboard and wrote 'The United States Quirk Registry Act' in large, bold red letters. She again tried her best to stay attentive to the old man's teachings, but in no time at all, she was looking down at the page of her notebook she'd designated for this class, unsurprisingly devoid of any notes whatsoever, and started doodling a myriad of different things. Ghosts, food, ideas for a hero costume, and even a rather detailed sketch of her dull teacher. This continued for a while until the sound of someone clearing their throat caused her to perk up and smile sheepishly at the withering glare of Mr. Kharlamov. "Ms. Halloway, do you plan on joining us today? Or are you in the process of pursuing an art career?"

"Ah...no, sir. Sorry," Melody murmured and flipped to the next page in her notebook, only to find that it had as well been covered with drawings at some point.

"Well then, could you please tell me what caused the passing of the Quirk Registry Act?" Kharlamov asked. Melody fought the urge to grimace as she wracked her memory.

"Um...the Charleston Incident, right?" She said unsurely. The teacher stared at her for a few seconds before nodding and turning his back to the class. He wrote out 'Charleston Incident' on the whiteboard and continued his lecture, his back still turned. Melody sighed in relief, only for something to smack into the right side of her face. The small ball of crumpled paper fell onto her desk and she reached forward to, as silently as possible, uncrumple it.

Stop daydreamin' ya dunce

-N

Melody rolled her eyes and sent a glare at the blond-haired boy sitting across from her, who shot her a quick grin and pointed towards the front of the room. The redhead faced forward just in time as Kharlamov turned to face them again. "Alright class, now then who can tell me the name of the villain responsible for the Charleston Incident?"

Purpose of a Hero

The class continued on as normal for the rest of the day, with Melody only drifting off a few more times, including an instance in her literature class that got her another scolding. After that, she tried even harder to stay focused. Near the end of her fifth class, however, she and the rest of her classmates were told that their last period of the day would be somewhat different. While this class period was usually designated for each student's chosen elective, they instead were directed back to their homeroom class, which meant returning to see her favorite mundane teacher. As she re-entered Mr. Kharlamov's room she immediately locked onto the same blond boy from earlier standing over her desk, working furiously on something. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she walked up behind him to peek over his shoulder. There, on the desk, was a small drawing of a cartoonized of her sleeping, with a large snot bubble emerging from her nose.

"Really, Nathan?" She spoke up suddenly, making the boy leap up in shock, which caused the thin blond tail emerging from the back of his pants to stiffen and the hair covering it to stand on end. She grinned slightly at his reaction before shoving him to the side and sliding into the newly vandalized desk. It didn't take long for the blond to recover, though, and almost instantly he was sitting in the seat across from her grinning like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Hiya, Mel! Haven't been sleeping through all your classes have you?" Nathan inquired, a cheeky grin on his face. Melody didn't get to answer, however, as at that moment Boris Kharlamov walked into the room with a large stack of folders clutched in his withered hands.

"Sit down, sit down," he commanded. Those not already sitting in their seats quickly remedied that and the classroom fell silent. Satisfied with their response time, Mr. Kharlamov began speaking, handing the stack to a student in the front row as he did so. "Now, what I'm passing you all now is the results of the forms you filled out last month before reviews for the final exams commenced. Within these forms, you will find out if the school you applied to has accepted your application." This got the entire class's attention and the pile of papers was passed around the room even faster as each student wanted to see if they'd gotten into the school they'd wanted. In her seat, Melody broke out into a cold sweat as she remembered her own form.

"Hey Mel, are you really only putting one school? What if you don't get accepted?" Nathan had asked after he'd ripped the form out of her hands.

"The only school I'll settle for is the best! If I don't get accepted, then...well I guess I'll figure something out." Looking back on it, Melody felt incredibly stupid about her choice. There had been ten different slots for the students to fill out and she was the only one in class to write down just one, probably the only middle school student stupid enough to do so. 'I am so screwed,' she thought forlornly. Eventually, the pile of papers made their way to Nathan, which made her heart sink as it came closer and closer to her, and he whooped happily after seeing the crest imprinted on the top of his form. "U.S.A.E.I Here I come!"

"You made it!?" Melody nearly screamed as their fellow classmates all turned to look at the tailed blond with wide eyes. The United States Academy for Enhanced Individuals, U.S.A.E.I or 'The Forge' for short, was the most prestigious hero training school in the United States, and one of the best worldwide. It was the only school the red-haired girl had written on her application sheet. She and Nathan had talked about attending since their Quirks had developed, and it seemed her friend made that dream his reality. She could only hope for the same result. 'As happy as I am for Nathan, I still won't be happy if I don't make it. Does that make me a bad friend? No, I can't afford to think like this! If I don't make it all I'm doing is sullying my mother's name.'

So lost in her thoughts was she, that Melody didn't even notice when the student behind her growled through his dog-like maw and slammed the stack of papers, slightly smaller than it had been, down on her head. "Ow! You jerk, Jared!" She stuck her tongue out at the boy, her fear momentarily dissipated, and grabbed the pile, snagging the manila envelope with her name on it, and passed it forward to the girl with green skin in front of her. Her temporary distraction gone, the girl stared in dismay at the offending paper lying on the desk in front of her. With careful, shaking fingers she picked it up and popped the top open, turning it upside down and watching as an official-looking sheet of white paper halfway out of the container into her awaiting palm. It took a bit for her to gather her courage, but when she did she nearly ripped the paper by grabbing and flipping it over. She bit her lip as she read the neatly printed font.

Dear Ms. Halloway

We have received your application, along with its accompanying paperwork, and have reviewed all your material. While several of your former and current teachers have noted a short attention span, your grades are impressive, as are your physical results. In addition, our board of governors has decided that your Quirk is both laudable and has potential. All of this in mind it is my pleasure to inform you we have accepted your application and hope to see you for the entrance exam on July 23. Please review the details listed below and come prepared to fight for your right to attend the United States School for Enhanced Individuals.

Principle Igor Fetisov

Melody imagined most people felt absolutely ecstatic about something this big, Nathan was a prime example of this, but she was of a different mindset after reading her letter. A massive wave of relief washed over her and the tension in her muscles immediately faded. She smiled down at the paper and raised her hand towards the tailed boys sitting across from her, who obliged her high-five with gusto. Once Mr. Kharlamov announced it, with no little amount of shock himself, the class broke into a dull roar of excitement. No one from their middle school had been accepted to U.S.A.E.I in almost forty-five years, and now they had two. Melody spent the rest of her school day being randomly patted on the back, congratulated, or, in several instances, someone threw an insult at her.

By the time the final bell rang, the redhead was exhausted...and it was still raining, much to her chagrin. As she unfurled her umbrella and embarked on the long trek home, she smiled. "All that's left is the entrance exam. The sheet said it had three parts. The written is going to be murder, but I can handle the physical easily," she mumbled to herself. While it may have seemed presumptuous of her, but ever since she was ten and expressed the desire to become a hero, her father had trained her mercilessly. She usually had two hours of intense workout before and after school, with any free time she had devoted to her studies or helping her father out in the restaurant. "The Quirk test is the really hard part. I'd bet they're gonna try and make us do something to show we can handle the strain of it or something like that."

"You're thinking too hard, Mel." The sudden sound of another voice brought Melody out of her musings with a jolt. She didn't even notice Nathan's approach. The tailed boy grinned at her and folded his arms behind his head. "Doesn't matter what they throw at us, we are getting into U.S.A.E.I. Without a doubt."

"I wouldn't get too cocky. You do know this school has the lowest acceptance rate of any hero program in the country. We'll have to face people from all over North America in order to get in. Not just that either, we have to excel against them," Melody grumbled with a roll of her eyes. Her explanation visibly deflated the boy a bit, but he bounced back quickly.

"You need to loosen up, I haven't seen you being this uptight in a while. Usually, you'd be right there with me shouting our superiority to the skies. You alright?" He asked, holding the back of his hand to her forehead. She gave him a deadpan look and brushed his hand away.

"I'm just worried. This is the first step towards our dream."

"And if we pass the test? You gonna worry about the second step as well?" Nathan probed. At this, Melody just smiled, which caused the boy's eyebrow to raise questioningly.

"Of course not. There is no second step, once we pass the exam we start at step one again." The tailed boy gave her a disbelieving look before letting out a bark of laughter.

"You are an absolutely terrible philosopher. Stick to the hero job, eh?" He teased, receiving a shove in response. The two continued walking through the crowded Brooklyn streets for several minutes in silence before Nathan hummed and held a hand to cup his chin. "The exam is on the twenty-third, right? That only gives us three months to prepare. We need to ramp up our training to insane levels. Did you still want to go to the mall on Saturday? We'd be losing valuable training time."

"Yeah, we'll be training all week after school. Sure we have to up our training, but that doesn't mean we work ourselves to death. Breaks are just as important physically as they are mentally," Melody explained, her voice taking on that of a teacher, which caused Nathan to snort and roll his eyes.

"You're just saying that because you want to be lazy. Slacker!" Eventually, the two friends stopped walking when they arrived at a small storefront with ripped letters spelling 'Halloway Pizzeria' on the red and white awning. "See ya tomorrow for training, Mel!" The tailed boy yelled as she started walking past the small restaurant. After she bid him farewell, Melody glanced up at the two-story building and sighed. 'My shift doesn't start for another hour. Suppose I should make dinner if I don't want dad's crappy food. How this place stays in business is beyond me,' she thought to herself. When she pushed open the front entrance to the pizzeria she was greeted by the tinkle of a small bell above the door, the din of the restaurants twenty or so customers each going about their business, and the loud, rough voice of her father yelling in the back. 'At least he hasn't started swearing yet. 'Poor Anthony just started dad, be more patient.' As quickly and quietly as she could, Melody walked towards the kitchen and inched open the door. Peering around she saw her father, an absolute mountain of a man with a head of wiry red hair similar to her own, standing in front of a young man with black hair, which stuck up like needles, screaming in his ear.

"I SAID EVEN! DOES THAT DOUGH LOOK EVEN TO YOU?" Carlyle Halloway roared. Upon closer inspection, Melody spotted a large circle of black needles surrounding their feet. 'Anthony's spines fall off when he's nervous. By the look of it, he's been dealing with dad for nearly twenty minutes. Crap, I feel bad, but I also don't wanna deal with the geezer before I get something in my stomach that isn't greasy.' Deciding to leave Anthony to his own devices, Melody tried to stay in her father's blind spot as she made her way to the stairs leading to the second-floor apartment she shared with the man. Unfortunately, her sigh of relief at reaching her destination unseen turned into a yelp of surprise when the door opened and a large, clearly plastic spider to drop out of it. "DON'T TRY AND SNEAK UPSTAIRS YET, OH DAUGHTER OF MINE!" The middle-aged man cried dramatically as he ran, or rather leaped, over to her.

"Oh...hey dad...didn't, uh, didn't see you there," Melody lied, her eye twitching in annoyance at his improvised 'Melody Alarm'. Carlyle grinned widely and slung an arm over the girl's shoulders.

"So, I heard from a reliable source of mine," Her father said proudly. 'If by reliable, you mean your drinking buddy the principle, then sure,' she guessed, trying to shrug off his beefy arm. "You got back your applications today. And you tried to sneak away without telling me the results. You would really leave your own papa in the dark?"

"Don't be so dramatic, dad. I would have told you later, it's just that...I wanted some relaxation before my shift," she said sheepishly.

"Well?"

"Oh! The entrance exam is at the end of July." Realization dawned on her father's face and he let out a loud, laughing cheer, wrapping both of his meaty arms around the skinny girl. She turned to yell at him to let her go but stopped at the sight of the tear tracks running down his face.

"My little girl, going to the academy!" He sobbed. When he finally did release her he ran over to the small window separating the kitchen from the dining area and yelled out to all occupying the small restaurant. "A ROUND OF DRINKS ON THE HOUSE FOR MY DAUGHTER MAKING IT INTO U.S.A.E.I! Nothing imported!" While many of the patrons simply stared at him in shock, a few jumped out of their seats and cheered along with him. Still crying, Carlyle went back over to Melody and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, despite her protests. "Time for a victory dinner!"

"I can walk by myself dad!"

"Take over the shop, Anthony!" He called, again completely ignoring his angry daughter.

"Wh-what!? But Mr. Halloway!" The teen yelled as his boss disappeared into the second-floor apartment, slamming the door behind him. He sighed and turned back to stare at the poorly rolled dough before him, then at another, perfectly made, pizza that Carlyle used as an example. His head swiveled from side to side as he checked to see if the coast was clear. Having seen no one, the teen walked up and poked one of his fingers onto the crust, which caused a bright flash of light that swiftly died down to reveal not one, but six pizzas, all identical.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Carlyle sat on a small, green sofa mock glaring at his daughter, who'd freed herself with a well-timed kidney punch. "That was very unnecessary, Melly!" He grumbled.

"Karma, old man!" Melody shouted, sticking her head out of the kitchen.

"I'm only forty-two! That's not old!" Away from her father's pouting, Melody smiled fondly. A little while later, the father and daughter sat in front of their small television, which had a crack in its face from when her father's football team lost, eating a simple serving of spaghetti that Melody had whipped up. Following an initial argument over what to watch, they settled on a show called Heroes through History, much to the middle-aged man's chagrin.

"Grow up, dad. You can watch your reality shows some other time. Besides...this is the one with mom," Melody said, her voice dropping slightly near the end. Carlyle gave her a sad look but as he opened his mouth to comfort her, the show's host began to speak.

"Harmony Kristenson, alias; The Crying Hero: Teardrop. With her weaponized tears, Teardrop was a shining beacon of hope for many people. At her peak she was ranked number three overall in the North American Hero Popularity charts and on more than one occasion she risked her life to help save others from devastating disasters.

Unfortunately, Teardrop was yet another example of the dark side of heroism. During a battle against the Magma Villain: Miss Vesuvius, Teardrop sacrificed herself to save a small family from the villain's Lava based-attack. At only thirty-two years old, the world was robbed of a masterful hero far too soon. During her time at 'The Forge', she distinguished herself as an exemplary hero-in-training, graduating as her year's valedictorian. After school, she was accepted into the agency of the then fifth-ranked hero, Oddball, who himself was only twenty-five at the time. She worked with him for three years before she finally broke into the top fifty in the Hero Popularity Index. She struck out on her own following this and worked solo for another two years until she finally took on a sidekick. Unbeknownst to her, taking on this sidekick would be her undoing. Miss Vesuvius, a freshly graduated hero with the ability to generate magma from her pores, would work under Teardrop for nine years.

Not long after her thirty-second birthday, the hero world was robbed of one of its greatest heroes when Teardrop was betrayed by her first sidekick. It happened in March of the year 2,306, when Teardrop's New York agency exploded in the early morning hours, resulting in the deaths of six of Teardrop's ten total sidekicks. It soon became apparent that the Crying Hero was battling against her own student. The battle lasted only forty-five minutes, but the devastation was immense. Three city blocks completely destroyed by magma, over two billion dollars in damages, but thanks to the sacrifice of Teardrop and two more of her sidekicks, Reflector and Beast, not a single civilian life was lost. Harmony left behind her husband and this day, Miss Vesuvius has evaded capture for several years, but later resurfaced with a group of Supervillains to kickstart the Battle of Las Vegas. Despite the best efforts of many great Heroes, she once again escaped and is still on the run to this day.

She is known to have had at least one child with her fellow sidekick, Reflector, but this child's whereabouts are currently unknown. If you have any information concerning the location of this dangerous villain, please contact your local police office.

Melody and Carlyle sat in silence as the program played. Even after the report on Teardrop ended the two said nothing as Heroes Through History transitioned into the nightly news. Finally, Carlyle beamed at his daughter. "She would be so proud of you. You've wanted to be a hero since you were no more than two, you know? Always running around the house with one of our good towels tied around your neck. You'd always get me to play the villain."

"Because momma's too nice," Melody said, echoing her three-year-old self. Her father nodded and, the regretful look disappearing from his face jumped to a standing position. As soon as she saw the malicious grin, the teen sat up as straight as a tree. "No, no, absolutely not!"

"TIME FOR SOME MIDNIGHT TRAINING!"

"What about the shop?"

"ANTHONY CAN HANDLE IT! NOW LET'S GO, MELLY DEAR!" Carlyle bellowed, grabbing a hold of his daughter and yanking her off of the couch before sprinting towards a window on the far side of the room.

"DAD NO!" Melody cried just before the pair crashed through the window onto the rather large balcony just off the back of their apartment, a balcony that had a fully functioning door not five feet away from the window her father chose to bust through.

PURPOSE OF A HERO

Well...what'd ya think? Learned a bit this chapter, about Melody, her parents, her friend, and her school life. Next chapter we will learn more about Melody's training, social life and pastimes, and the reveal of her Quirk. Chapter Two will be posted a week from today (tentatively, as my 21st birthday is that Sunday and I might not get much work done).

OC SUBMISSIONS

First Off, I didn't say this in the initial submissions section, but I am allowing people to submit multiple OCs, while all of them might not make it in it does help me tremendously with filling up the world.

Second, if you submit a classmate AFTER both of the hero course classes are full, that submission will either be aged up a bit to become a Pro Hero, or may be included later as a cameo from another school (Most likely the former)

Third, if you plan to include siblings/parents that you want to have a large impact on the character and the story as a whole, be sure to include a submission for them as well. Minor characters just need names, Quirks, appearances, and personalities.

Pro Hero and Villain submissions will be open throughout the entirety of the story as I will always need both major and minor characters to fill out the world around the students.

*HEYO, Future Buixy here. Just came back to say that submissions for Pro Heroes and Villains are still open (I kinda need these for how long this story is gonna be) so if you just stumbled on this story, don't hesitate to send in a full character, a character concept, or even just a Quirk you find interesting. Anyway, Future Buixy out!

OC SUBMISSIONS

THROUGH PM OR EMAIL PREFERRED!

Alrighty then. When I was first planning this story, I actually made two full classes as well as teachers each with their own Quirks and personalities, but then I figured it'd be more fun to give the readers some stake in the story. I am currently looking for Students, Teachers, Pro Heroes, and minor villains. Anything too overpowered will be considered, but most likely not included in the story. Below is a basic list of information you must include, but if you want to go the extra mile and increase chances of having your character brought to life in the way you want, contact me through my email address -Buixy97 at Gmail . com- for a more detailed character sheet. Anyway, here ya go!

Character Name:

Hero/Villain Name:

Quirk:

Age:

Appearance:

Costume:

Personality:

Motivations:

Bio:

REMEMBER Quirks are not all-powerful. They have limits.

That's all I can think of atm, but if you want to add anything just go right ahead.