The Wraith Within (On Hold Indefinitely)

The years that passed since Izumi’s encounter with Katsuki Bakugo were a blur of quiet solitude and intense self-discipline. From the moment she had left the playground that day, she had known that the world wouldn’t simply accept her, no matter how much she longed to become a hero. Her body was a strange, frightening thing to others, but she didn’t let that stop her. She couldn’t afford to let it.

Training became her lifeline.

By the time she was 10, Izumi had already begun to push herself, refining the abilities that her quirk, a strange mutation, afforded her. Her parents, though concerned, were supportive, providing her with what little encouragement they could offer. They had tried to shield her from the outside world’s scorn, but deep down, they knew she would need to grow stronger, faster, more controlled if she ever hoped to achieve her dream.

Every day, she woke before dawn, her pale, almost translucent skin shimmering under the first rays of light. Her body, though still strange and out of place, had grown more agile. She spent hours at the park near her house, avoiding the prying eyes of other children and training in isolation. She practiced running on her tentacle-like legs, pushing herself to move faster, more fluidly. She learned how to control the sharp, blade-like appendages that protruded from her arms, using them not only as weapons but as tools to help her scale walls and trees with ease.

Her abilities, which had once terrified her, slowly became an advantage. Through trial and error, she discovered the full extent of her quirk’s capabilities—abilities that, if mastered, could make her more than just a monster.

Warp Blast was the first of Izumi’s abilities she fully understood. She discovered it on one of her first attempts to scale a large wall. Frustrated after a particularly painful fall, Izumi let out a shout of frustration—and, to her surprise, found herself suddenly speeding across the distance in the blink of an eye. She had warped towards the wall, her body moving in an unnatural, twisting motion. The sensation of warping was like being pulled through space, and as she landed on the wall, her sharp arms pierced the stone for stability. But she wasn’t done.

As she focused her energy, she realized that the same distortion could be used offensively. With a thought, Izumi could warp directly toward an opponent, unleashing a powerful burst of energy that sent them flying backward. The blast was forceful, but her control over it was still in its infancy. There was a rush of adrenaline every time she warped—every time she felt the raw, destructive power at her command. It was exhilarating, and she quickly became addicted to the feeling.

Abduction came next. Izumi had been training late one evening, when the moonlight cast long, jagged shadows over the park. She was practicing her agility, leaping from tree to tree, when she noticed a group of people walking along the park’s path—just out of reach. They were too far to interact with, but something about their movement caught her attention.

Instinctively, she reached out. Her extra set of scythe-like arms extended, and without even thinking about it, she warped into their midst, grabbing one of the individuals by the wrist. The person barely had time to scream before she pulled them into the shadows, vanishing completely.

For a moment, Izumi froze in panic, her heart racing as she realized what she had done. She had abducted someone. But as she watched the person—an adult—struggle in her grasp, trying to free themselves from her hold, she saw how easily she could manipulate her surroundings. The person in her arms was helpless, completely at her mercy. She could feel the power coursing through her veins, the ability to snatch someone out of a crowd, to disappear without a trace.

But, as quickly as the panic had set in, it dissipated. She hadn’t harmed them. She let the person go, watching as they stumbled back in confusion before quickly running away.

Izumi realized that Abduction wasn’t just about pulling someone into the shadows. It was about control, about turning her presence into something more insidious. She could be everywhere and nowhere at once, and it was a power that thrilled her.

Phantom was perhaps the most difficult ability for Izumi to fully comprehend. She had always been able to move quickly, but it wasn’t until one night when she was surrounded by a group of training dummies that she accidentally triggered her ability. While testing her blade-like appendages, she accidentally created a decoy of herself, a mirage that fought back against the dummies as though it were her. In that moment, Izumi realized that her quirk wasn’t just about physical prowess—it was about deception. She could vanish from view, leaving a phantom of herself behind to confuse and mislead anyone who sought to track her.

At first, Izumi found it difficult to keep the decoy intact, and the illusion often flickered out of existence the moment she moved. But as she spent more time perfecting it, she learned to control the Phantom’s movements, allowing the clone to mirror her own actions, to fight for her. The decoy became an extension of herself, and with each training session, it became harder and harder for her enemies to distinguish between reality and illusion.

The final ability, Supernova, was the most explosive—and perhaps the most dangerous. Izumi discovered it when she was training in a small, abandoned warehouse, honing her skills for stealth and speed. She had already mastered her warping techniques and was practicing using her scythe-like arms to create swirls of air and wind. In an effort to increase her speed, she focused all her energy into the very core of her being.

Suddenly, the air around her began to pulse with energy. Izumi felt a rush of power like never before as the space around her seemed to compress. With a burst of light, a wave of energy exploded outward, sending the air around her spiraling. The ground beneath her feet cracked as the wave expanded. The Supernova had granted her a burst of enhanced speed—her attacks became faster, her movements more fluid. It was like a temporary surge of power that sharpened every sense, every action, and made her nearly unstoppable.

But the rush didn’t last long. The power was fleeting, and once the wave had dissipated, Izumi felt the exhaustion set in. It was a volatile, dangerous ability, but it was exactly the kind of power that could give her the edge in a fight.

By the time Izumi was 14, the girl who had once been a frightened, isolated child was no more. She had transformed into a formidable force, capable of using her quirk in ways others could never imagine. Her slender, ghost-like form moved with grace, each movement a deadly dance of strength and agility. Her abilities had become second nature, and she was ready to face whatever the world had in store for her.

But there was one more hurdle to clear: the UA Entrance Exam.

It was only 11 months away.

Izumi’s heart raced at the thought. For years, she had dreamed of this moment—the moment when she could prove herself, when she could show the world that she was more than just a monster. It didn’t matter how she looked, how others saw her. All that mattered was her strength, her will to protect, and her desire to be the hero she always knew she could be.

With the power of her abilities at her side, Izumi made her way toward that future, determined to show the world that even a monster could become a hero.