Ashes to Ashes, Power To Power: Chapter 3.1

"And here we are."

"Thank you for the escort, Ms. Rei." I thanked her with a smile as I opened the door and climbed out, to which she just smiled and nodded. Looking over to the house, I stared at it for a while before turning to Ms. Rei with a frown.

"Ms. Rei, All Might told me of two tests that I could take if I wished to become a Hero. Are there still spots open for those tests?"

"I assume you wish to apply for them?"

"I do." I nodded and she nodded as she took out her phone.

"There are two spots still available, but the test is in six months."

"And the closest one after that?"

"In one year and three months from today." She answered and I grimaced as I heard that. At that point, I think the battles would be in full swing and I'm fairly sure All Might would have fought against All For One by then.

At least, I think so because I'm not the best when timelines are added to the equation.

"I think I'll take the one in six months." I said and she nodded as she typed away at her phone before I blinked as my phone in my pocket rang.

"The message you received contains the location of the tests as well as the time and your personal ID. Make sure to show that to the front door when you get there and you'll be escorted to the destination." She said and I smirked as I saw the address.

U.A. High Sector Gamma

'In U.A., huh? Sounds like it will be a fun time.'

"Thank you for this, Ms. Rei."

"It was my pleasure and perhaps we shall meet once again when you get to U.A."

"Perhaps we will." I nodded and she smiled as she climbed into her car before I turned around and walked to the house when she drove off.

"I'm home~! Apologies for the intrusion." I muttered as I took off my shoes and jacket, placing the former on the genkan while hanging the latter up on the coat rack.

"Oh, you're back...and with a briefcase?" Mom gave the briefcase a confused look while I grinned and opened it up, her eyes widening not just at the luxury watch inside of it but also at the stacks of cash around it.

"D-D-Did you rob a bank?!" She whispered and I chuckled as I closed the briefcase while shaking my head.

"Nope, this is thanks from the parents of the kid I saved."

"O-Oh, well, they didn't have to." She spoke with a smile which I mirrored as I nodded before placing the briefcase down on the cabinet in the entrance hallway.

"I said the same thing, but they wanted to. Also, it turns out that All Might wanted me to become his apprentice, his successor for when he steps down."

"...He what?!" There were a rare few times from Kevin's memories that showed our mother being genuinely stunned speechless by something...and this was one of them. Her eyes were wide and I laughed as I saw her struggling to formulate words.

"W-Wha...I mean...whu...How...?"

"Yeah, he said I reminded him of when he was younger, the same drive and ambition to become something great."

"A-And? What did you say?" She tried her best to look hopeful, but I smiled as I saw the slight nervousness hidden behind her faux excitement.

"You don't have to worry, Mom. I told him no. That is way too much to give to me, especially since his enemies might target you when I'm not here."

"So, you didn't accept it because of me? Kevin, if you want to pursue the dream, you should."

"Mom, be honest. Would you be happy with me being a hero? Also, don't lie and say that I should do what I want, okay? Just be honest."

"...I would not." She answered with a regretful sigh before being surprised as I smiled and wrapped my arms around her.

"You're...you're not angered or mad?"

"Because you told the truth? Not in the slightest. If you had lied and said yes, I might have been, but I'm just happy you told the truth."

"...But you're still going to be a hero, aren't you?" She asked with a knowing look before shaking her head as I nodded.

"Yep. Like I said, I just wanted to see if you would be honest with me or not."

"Hah, very well. Then, how are you going to be this hero? Last I checked, no one over the age of 18 are still in high school unless you work there."

"Oh, I had Ms. Rei sign me up for this new course where I would do test and get a probationary license. Then, I have to attend classes for a month and if I pass the tests after those, I get to become a Hero."

"Ah, that's...a lot simpler than I expected it to be." Mom spoke with a raised eyebrow and I shrugged before opening the briefcase and taking out the watch and certificate.

Her eyes then widened as I turned and handed the open briefcase to her, the woman taking it even as she gave me a shocked look.

"Before you say I don't need to, I still have a ton of cash from my job that I was saving for a house so I have something to fall back on and even if you don't take it, I'll still pay it into a fund for you."

"...Fine, I'll take it, but I'm going to put this into an account for you." She said while poking at my chest and I chuckled as I watched her walk up the stairs to put the money away.

'Okay, the test in is six months. That means I have six months to learn not only my Quirk but everything I can about the Hero Culture in this world.' I thought with a frown before shaking my head as I walked to the entrance and picked up my keys.

"Hey, Mom! Is the bike still functional?"

"What have I said about shouting in the house? Also, yes, I've kept it clean."

"You're shouting back!" I shouted up the stairs, laughing at her grumbles before making my way through the living room and into the garage.

"Oh, it's good to see you, beautiful." I whispered with a smile as I stared at the black motorcycle, its model a Harley-Davidson VRSC that was modified to be a bit faster than the average one.

'Ah, Kevin's memories. I was wondering how I knew what kind of model it was.' I thought with a smirk as I sat down on its seat. Dusting off the helmet and making sure I had my wallet in my pockets, I turned and caught the dark green jacket with the number '11' on its back.

"Thought you would forget about that." Mom spoke with a smile as she pressed the button for the garage door and I looked at the jacket before putting it on along with the helmet.

"How long has it been since I rode this?"

"Before you went off to college and forgot about it and your mother."

"Going to guilt-trip me until you're ready to forgive me, aren't you?" I asked with a grin and shook my head at her giggle, putting the key in the ignition before the engine turned on with a rumble that shook the windows.

"Yep, I forgot how loud that thing is."

"I'm going to the gym nearby to join!" I shouted over the bike's noise and she just gave a thumbs-up before I kicked up the stand and took off with a deafening growl.

'Hahahaha! That's my baby! Roar!'

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"Holy shit, that was awesome!" I exclaimed with a grin as I took my helmet off, kicking the stand out while turning the engine off as I nodded at the few guys that gave my baby an appreciative nod.

Every guy likes a beauty that purrs like a kitten and roars like a dragon.

'I feel so bad for leaving you alone, but we're never going to be separated from now on.' I thought with a smile before standing up, carrying my helmet under my right arm as I walked into the gym right in front of me.

It didn't look any different from any other gym in terms of equipment and facilities, but that's where the similarities end.

Nearly every person inside was muscular, ripped, lean or even a combination of them in some rare few cases. Not just that, but I saw people with nails for eyes, slimes taking the form of vague humanoids, anthropomorphic animals and people with so many more different objects on numerous spots of their bodies.

'Okay, this is going to take a lot more to get used to.'

"Hi~ Are you here for a membership?" A cheerful and peppy female voice asked and I blinked as I turned to the voice before my eyes widened at the figure in front of me.