Drache Side Story: The Approaching Dragon

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Sora Moto casually strolled by the corridors at a brisk pace, not really caring about any of the sounds, calls, activities, or shouts from her fellow students. She had started to become something of a quasi-celebrity in her school again, all for simply applying for a certain Hero Academy. Drache's Hero Academy was the most difficult hero course in the world, but if she could complete her studies there, she would surely become great. As she walked she hummed the tune to her latest rap that she was working on, snapping her fingers in tune with the beat and just softly mumbling her lyrics.

She turned around the last corner towards her destination, finding a guy around her age already sitting there. At first she was confused as to why he would be there to begin with as this was supposed to be her time. Then it hit her. *Must be another applicant.* She thought to herself as she stopped everything and just sat down on one of the benches beside him, keeping a slight distance as to not intrude on his personal space. "Sup?" She asked casually as she picked up her phone and scrolled through some of her lyrics, editing them as she saw fit.

Dieter sat, staring mindlessly at the many posters that lined the halls of their middle school. All of them lined with colorful messages about how "Heroes don't do drugs" or "Heroes stand up to bullies", his mind recognizing they had words on them but knowing they didn't say anything worth reading even if he was bored out his mind. He felt the presence of someone else when the weight on the bench he was sitting on shifted slightly but didn't bother to look to see who might have joined him, knowing the poor sap is probably gonna have to sit through the same boring lecture he would. Have to hear about how "difficult it was going to be to get into Drache and how they should be sure of their decision to pursue that path". As if everyone in the country hasn't already been beaten over the head with what it means to attend Drache, to study there, and actually make it to graduation. No one in their right mind would apply just for the fun of it.

It was then that his ears twitched, knowing that a new sound had entered them but taking a moment to process. Realizing the person beside him had said something and once he'd finally made out what it was they'd said, he turned his head to look at them. His eyes narrowed, she looked familiar, definitely someone from his grade but it took him a moment to figure it out. "Sup", he responded with the same short greeting as he tried to place her name, not knowing why'd he was having such a difficult time given her rather unique appearance. He closed his right eye, using his quirk to recall anything he could until he got a name. "Sora, right? If we're both here then I guess we're both gonna be stuck listening to whatever lecture Mr. Schulz is gonna give us, tough break..."

Sora offered a glance before returning to her phone. "Sora is the name, and yes, I figured as much." She spoke, looking away because she disliked the initial look on his face. "Tough break indeed. I suppose that they have to in the end, but seriously, I can't think of much they would have to say that I haven't heard already." Sora shrugged as she pocketed her phone and looked forward, pulling a chair towards her with her legs, resting them on it and leaning back. She sighed shortly before slightly turning her head to look at him. "Gonna become a hero, eh? What is your quirk?"

Dieter shrugged, "I guess bashing us over the head with it all over and over again keeps people who aren't up for it from getting themselves hurt but at the same time I can see it attracting the kind who like to get in over their heads." He said before pausing for a moment, a breath of air coming out of his nose as though stifling a chuckle. "Quirk before a name, huh? I can't say I'm surprised but still...Either way, I'm Dieter. As for my quirk, what if I told you it was x-ray vision?" He justed, giving her a once over, "My left eye can recall any memory I have ever experienced with crystal clarity, and my right eye can see into the future. It's not as impressive as it might sound. I can only see a few seconds in the future, eight at the most right now. But that's all I'm gonna give you until I've heard what you've got. After all, if we're put up against each other in the future I don't wanna regret this conversation." He said, a serious tone not matching the playful smile on his face.

"I would probably be threatening your life right now if you insisted on the x-ray." She said with a serious glare before chuckling. "Sorry if I came across as rude. I didn't ask a name because I already knew it, Dieter. Still, probably should have asked out of courtesy. As for me, my quirk allows me to transform into a bird and shoot energy that I get from disintegrating blood, flesh, muscles or fat." She explained about her own quirk, keeping some details under wraps as to not give away too much info unless he did the same." She said, sounding genuinely cheery, yet in her core she was still anxious and cautious. She knew some things about this guy, and from what she had seen, he had left a sour impression.

He raised an eyebrow, "Ah, I wasn't aware I was that popular." He responded jokingly, "Sorry if you found my joke rude, I didn't mean anything by it. I have a tendency to not think before I speak. Anyway, that's an interesting quirk you've got there. Seeing into the future isn't going to do much against someone with super speed or strength. But lasers? That's something useful. I guess being able to fly is cool too though." He ended with a shrug, finding her talk about shooting energy much more appealing than the whole bird thing. "Your quirk sounds familiar, I'm sure of it..." He said, closing his right eye but immediately opening it as the sound of the counselors opening told him it was time for the boring part.

Out stepped the school counselor, Mr. Schulz, a rotund man appearing to be in his early forties. A large and bushy grey mustache sat on his upper lip, thick round glasses making his sky blue eyes look twice as large as they should be. An all but bald head adorned with a single large horn sticking straight up from the top of his head. He looked at the kids and then down at his papers as though not sure they were the right ones. "Oh, Sora, Dieter, you're both here on time. That certainly makes things easier, please come on in. We've got a lot of things to talk about." Schulz said, a voice gruff but full of cheer as he waved a flipper-like hand toward the two children.

"Don't fret about it." Sora said jokingly before the counselor came into the room. As the two of them followed Schulz into the room, Sora couldn't help but notice the lack of a personal touch to the room. Many teachers she had visited before usually had something to remember old students by. A photo, a picture, a painting the had made, anything that showed that they can and have cared about their students. There was none of the sorts. That wasn't the only thing. No photos of family members on his desk, no disarray of papers in the least, not a single pencil out of line existed in the room. It gave of the impression of being professional and to the point, but to Sora, that made her uncomfortable, as if she had stepped into a void of nothingness. It felt stifling, to say the least. Schulz waved for the two of them to take a seat, to which she eagerly obliged. Anything to get out of here as quickly as possible.

Sitting down in his own seat, which let out a groan as he did so. The swivel chair lowering until he was at what seemed to be his preferred height. He sat in silence as he typed at his computer, his flipper hands smacking at the keys with a quiet clicking at seemed so loud in the otherwise silent room. He turned back to them, his eyes still on the computer screen as he cleared his throat. "Alrighty, at the beginning of the year all of the students were asked if they already had a high school or list of high schools they may want to attend once they ended their eight grade year here. While we didn't expect many to have a clue, we do that for situations like the ones you find yourselves in. So that students who do know can be placed in classes and give them the guidance they need to pass the entrance exams of their chosen school. Of course, many students who know which school they are wanting to attend are aiming for schools with well-known hero courses." Schulz spoke as though he'd been through this a hundred and one times already. "However, you've both chosen a path that, while not necessarily rare to see students choose, is certainly a difficult one. Now, before I continue, I would like to confirm that both of you are serious about wanting to attend Drache Hero Academy. It isn't that I doubt your resolve or your skill but every year we have a joker or two who put it in their top three schools of choice who don't actually want to go there."

Schulz leaned forward a bit, another groan echoing from his chair as he did so. "Sora, I can understand why you might want to attend Drache but I would like to hear it from you before I start making assumptions about your goals." He spoke, turning his head toward Dieter, "Who I'm more curious about is you, Deiter. Your grades are excellent and you'll surely be able to pass the written exams but you've never seemed like the type to apply yourself in school. I'm sure you understand what Drache will ask of you. So why choose it?"

Dieter looked at Schulz, his eyes glancing toward Sora for a moment, uncomfortable that he was being asked such personal questions in front of someone he'd never even officially met before. "Well, I mean, every kid dreams of being a hero. What better place to start than the front of the line? Everyone knows what graduating from Drache means. If a few years of hard work is all it'll take to get a head start that big then maybe it's worth it." He said as he leaned back in his seat. He'd said nothing but vague half-truths, trying to sound cool in front of the girl beside him and avoid giving Schulz a direct answer. Mr. Schulz was unamused by Dieter's response, and nothing but silence as he turned his head toward Sora. "And you, Miss Moto?"

Sora didn't know what to think about Dieter's words. He seemed so nonchalant about the whole thing, justifying it as a child's dream. It didn't seem genuine. Was that all Drache was? A head start? Part of some childish ambition of... What exactly was it even?! Schulz then turned his attention to her, adressing her, asking about her own goals and ambitions. Sora had a bit of a struggle to find the words she wanted to use. Not remembering what she wanted to have said, she proceeded to speak from the heart instead. "I want to be a beacon for others. The beacon that my family always was for me, encouraging me to strive forward and be my best self. So many people are without that, and I want to change it. I've already gotten a taste of real hero action, regardless of how horrible it was, I felt proud of what I had done. Hell, even my bullied turned a new leaf and thanked me for it! I just... I just want to do more of that." She finished, feeling disappointed with some of her word choices, but ultimately found herself content with her response.