FOUR-YEAR-OLD INDIONIS MICHEALA NOTICES A CAT ACROSS THE STREET WHILE HIS MOTHER IS TALKING TO MITSUO BAKURA, A FAMILY FRIEND, AND THE MOTHER OF IZUKU’S FRIEND, KATSAKU BAKURA. HE CALLS KATSAKU KASTI, AND KASTI CALLS INDIONIS DIONI.  EVENTUALLY, THOSE TWO NAMES WILL BE DIONI'S ONLY MEMORY FROM HIS CHILDHOOD, OTHER THAN KATSAKU’S FACE AND PERSONALITY. HE FOLLOWS THE FLUFFY ANIMAL AROUND 6 BLOCKS FROM WHERE HIS MOTHER IS TALKING AND NOTICES THE CAT JUMP OVER A BRICK WALL. HUH. NEVER BEEN TO HIS PLACE. THINKS THE BOY. HE LOOKS OVER THE WALL AND FINDS PLACES TO GRIP TO CLIMB IT. HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A QUICK OBSERVER AND THINKER, ACCORDING TO MRS. BAKURA. AS DIONI LANDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRICKS, AN ALARM GOES OFF. HE TURNS, HOPING TO CLIMB BACK OVER THE WALL AND GO BACK TO HIS MOM WHEN A DARK CLOTH PASSES OVER HIS NOSE AND MOUTH. AN ODD SCENT FILLS HIS SENSES, AND HE PASSES OUT. 

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ONCE DIONI WAKES UP AGAIN, HE HEARS CONVERSING IN THE ROOM NEXT DOOR. HE IS CHAINED TO THE CEILING AND FLOOR, DANGLING BY HIS WRISTS. MULTIPLE IV STANDS ARE NEXT TO HIM. HE PRICKS UP HIS HEARING TO LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION. “WHERE’D THAT ONE COME FROM? I THOUGHT THE BOSS SAID NO MORE EXPERIMENTS UNTIL HE FINDS A QUIRKLESS KID.” QUIRKLESS? DIONI THINKS, BUT THAT’S ONLY TWENTY PERCENT OF THE WORLD POPULATION! AND WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY EXPERIMENTS? ARE THEY DOING ILLEGAL SCIENTIFIC WORK? AM I AN EXPERIMENT?!  “EXACTLY.” “EXACTLY, WHAT?” “WE RAN SOME TESTS ON THE KID. THAT ONES NEVER GONNA GET A NATURAL QUIRK. WE CAN REPORT TO OUR BOSS, SHOW HIM THE EVIDENCE, AND GET BACK TO WORK.” “WOW. LUCKY FIND. WHERE’D YOU GET HIM?” “THE LITTLE DUMBASS JUMPED RIGHT OVER THE WALL FOLLOWING THE BIG MAN’S CAT!” W-WHAT… I'M QUIRKLESS?! BUT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BECOME A HERO? CAN QUIRKLESS BECOME HEROES? YES, ANYONE CAN BECOME A HERO! ALL MIGHT SAID SO! I JUST NEED TO ESCAPE, OR WAIT FOR PRO-HEROES TO FIND ME! A WOMAN WITH DARK BLUE HAIR, A BLUE MASK, AND A SCIENCE COAT WALKS INTO THE ROOM HOLDING A SYRINGE. “SORRY, KIDDO, BOSS WANTS US TO TEST OUT A COUPLE OF THINGS ON YOU. THIS WON’T HURT A BIT.” WITH THAT, SHE STABS THE NEEDLE INTO HIS ARM AND INJECTS THE FLUID INSIDE. “WELL, LET'S SEE WHAT IT DID.” AND SLICES OPEN HIS ARM. HIS BLOOD COMES OUT BLUEISH GREEN, LIKE POISON. SHE TAKES A BIT IN A BOTTLE, CLOSES UP THE WOUND, AND WALKS OUT OF THE ROOM YELLING BACK AT HIM. “DON’T SCREAM, YOU HAVE A SHOCK COLLAR ON, EXPECT THESE EXPERIMENTS EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS OR SO UNTIL YOU'RE SOLD, AND DON’T EVER THINK ABOUT ESCAPING.” SHE SLAMS THE HEAVY IRON DOOR BEHIND HER. HE STARTS CRYING AND SHAKING SILENTLY. THE NEXT DAY SHE COMES BACK WITH AN OXYGEN MASK AND ANOTHER SYRINGE. SHE ATTACHES THE MASK, AND SAYS, “HEY KID, DON’T CRY WHEN THIS STARTS TO TAKE EFFECT, IT’LL LEAVE QUITE THE MARK.” HIS BLOOD STARTS TO BOIL AND THE PAIN PREVIOUSLY IN HIS BACK FROM STANDING ALL NIGHT SPROUTS TO HIS SHOULDERS. THE BONES START TO SPLIT AND EXTEND, AND HE FEELS BUDS STARTING TO FORM ON HIS BACK. “WHAT, WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?” HE GASPS. “DRAGON QUIRK BLOOD. THE PROCESS SHOULD TAKE 2-3 DAYS, DON’T CRY TOO MUCH.”  SHE TAKES THE OXYGEN MASK OFF AND WALKS OUT OF THE ROOM, THIS TIME LOCKING THE DOOR BEHIND HER. HE FEELS HIS TONGUE SPLIT INTO A FORK, HIS TAIL BONE STARTS TO EXTEND, AND HORNS START GROWING ON HIS TEMPLES.