BNHA: Force Within

Anakin stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, adjusting his new middle school uniform. The dark blue blazer of Mandoru Middle School felt stiff and formal compared to his old elementary school clothes. His blonde hair had darkened over the years that people didn't immediately assume he was foreign anymore.

"Anakin! Breakfast!" Megumi called from the kitchen.

He grabbed his backpack, pausing at his desk where a stack of hero notebooks sat ready to be packed. Kenji had helped him collect the hero data in those notebooks. Now they'd probably never talk about heroes together again.

The kitchen smelled like toast and coffee. Megumi was already in her nurse's uniform, getting ready for her morning shift.

"Nervous?" she asked, sliding a plate of eggs toward him.

"No." Anakin poked at his food. His quirk betrayed his mood, making the salt shaker wobble slightly.

"Ani..."

"I'm fine." He steadied the salt shaker with a thought. "It's just school."

But it wasn't just school. It was a new school where he wouldn't have any friends. Where he wouldn't have Kenji, who hadn't spoken to him since that day two months ago when Anakin told him the truth about his birth.

The train ride to Mandoru was longer than his old route. Anakin spent it practicing his quirk control, subtly lifting and lowering his phone without touching it. Dr. Nakamura had said focusing on small movements helped with stress.

Mandoru Middle School was bigger than he'd expected. Students streamed through the gates, many already in established friend groups. Anakin felt the weight of their emotions pressing against his mind - excitement, anxiety, joy, fear. He raised his mental shields like Dr. Nakamura had taught him.

"Class 1-C," he muttered, checking his schedule. He'd memorized the school layout during orientation.

He was early to class, choosing a seat by the window. Other students filtered in, their emotional energy making his shields vibrate. He recognized a few faces from his old school, including Kenji, who walked in with two other boys.

Their eyes met briefly. Kenji looked away first, choosing a seat on the opposite side of the room.

The teacher arrived, a tall woman with metallic skin. "Welcome to Mandoru Middle School. I'm Tanaka-sensei. Let's start with introductions. Please state your name and something about yourself."

The introductions moved row by row. Some kids mentioned their quirks, others their hobbies. Anakin's heart pounded as his turn approached.

"I'm Skywalker Anakin. I like studying heroes."

Simple. Safe. No mention of his quirk or anything else that might raise questions.

Morning classes passed quickly.. By lunch, Anakin's head ached from maintaining his emotional shields around so many new people.

He found a quiet spot in the courtyard to eat, taking comfort in the solitude. His phone buzzed with a text from his mom asking how things were going. "Fine," he replied.

A shadow fell across his lunch. Kenji stood there with his two friends.

"So," Kenji said, his voice cold. "Did you tell anyone else your secret?"

"Leave me alone."

"I still can't believe I was friends with a freak."

Anakin felt his quirk surge with his anger. He forced it down, remembering Dr. Nakamura's warnings about emotional control.

"Just go away, Kenji."

"Or what? You'll use your weird quirk on me?"

Kenji glanced at his friends, then walked away, leaving Anakin's appetite gone.

The afternoon classes focused on quirk education. Their teacher explained the basics of quirk law and safety, emphasizing the importance of control and responsibility.

After school, he took the less crowded route to the train station. His phone buzzed again - this time a message from his grandfather asking if he wanted to get ramen after school. The thought of sitting in a noisy restaurant made his head pound harder.

"Maybe tomorrow," he texted back.

At home, he changed out of his uniform and started his quirk exercises. Moving objects was easier than dealing with people. Each item responded exactly as he directed, no emotional complications involved.

Megumi found him practicing an hour later.

"Bad day?"

"Kenji told his new friends about me." Anakin let the objects settle back into their places. "Called me a freak."

"I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter."

But it did matter. Kenji had been his best friend since preschool. They'd planned to be heroes together, spent hours discussing quirks.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No." Anakin picked up his hero notebook. "I have homework."

That night, lying in bed, Anakin reached out with his quirk. He could sense his mother in the living room, her familiar presence warm and steady. Further out, he felt the neighbors - the old lady next door watching TV, the college student upstairs typing on his computer.

He pulled his awareness back, focusing on his own room. His action figures rose from their shelf, floating through the air. This, at least, he could control. This made sense.

His phone lit up with a text from his mom: "Proud of you."

Anakin set the phone down and let his figures continue their silent dance in the dark.