Race to Fire Mountain: 1 (Future Hero)

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The radio buzzes with the insects in the grass on a late summer evening in july. His father sits on the porch with a book and a cup of tea while Katsuki plays. It’s play in Katsuki’s mind, at least. Izuku is the only one he’s ever met who knows this game. His foolproof survival method is useless. Mitsuki was right. He’ll never amount to anything here under his rules. Of course, Ulfrika has its very own fantastical twist. Talking beasts like Were-hyenas and Painted Wolves roam the kingdom, and there are warriors like Kimisi, Jarell’s loyal friend, who assist and protect Ancients – gods and goddesses of the realm. There are ultra-high-tech gadgets everywhere, like a gauntlet that can whip up mini thunderstorms, or equipment which allows its wearer to cloudport across stretches of sand to their desired destination. For what?” Izuku doesn’t even glance up as he spins around in circles, eventually falling to the ground in a heap of giggles. He’s the only one not participating in the teasing. Katsuki stares at Izuku’s face and watches as his eyes start watering. Izuku hasn’t said anything since breaking the news, and there’s a glassy sheen across his eyes. It’s almost like something is stopping him. If it were Katsuki, he would have been restrained until he forced out the right words. No one does that for Izuku. Katsuki doesn’t know why.

Fearlessness. Jarell comes up against some dark and creepy creatures in the next exciting instalment of the series! She looks just like his mom pointing out all his flaws. Katsuki hasn’t said a word to her and she already has him pinned down. She’s the type that was born with power, she doesn’t need to steal from others like he does. She’s terrifying. Something disgusting in him desperately wants the girl to tell him he did at least one thing right, at least then he’d feel like a person again.

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Hi! You must be Katsuki’s mom.” Izuku’s mom smiles. “I’m Midoriya Inko, and this is my son Izuku. These two have been inseparable for the last few hours, it’s been a real treat to see Izuku bond with someone. He usually has trouble making friends with other kids his age.” Mitsuki slaps him. Katsuki reels, and waits for his vision to stop swimming. He barely notices the sting anymore. It’s a struggle to keep his breathing steady but he’s not about to let her have that. Katsuki lies awake until midnight, until he’s sure they’re asleep. Then he slips out his window and runs. He runs until his lungs burn and then he runs until he can’t feel anything at all.

Jarell, like his ancestor Kundi, is selfless, loyal, and kind. When Jarell discovers that he is Ulfrika’s long-awaited Future Hero – and that he has inherited a powerful magic staff – he does not attempt to seek fame or fortune. He doesn’t get bigheaded or arrogant. If someone is in danger, he puts his own mission on hold to help them first. He is as kind to animals as he is to people. Jarell earns the respect of his Ulfrikan peers not through his mantle but through his actions, which show that he has a brave and gentle heart. Dinner is eaten in silence, until the way his mom watches him starts to feel overwhelming, all he wants to do is relieve the pressure and tap his chest. Afrofuturism was the perfect lens for the Future Hero series because the possibilities with it were endless – it allowed me to collaborate with my team on creating a world that found its power in its future technology and its magic in its ancient past. Katsuki bristles slightly, the kid is talking more than he’s ever heard anyone talk, but he’s not really encroaching on Katsuki’s space. It helps that he’s not even looking at Katsuki as he rambles. Katsuki doesn’t even feel pressured to answer.Both the kids nod. “He doesn’t say a lot of words but I asked him and he said he didn’t have anything to say. Do you have anything to say right now?” Katsuki jumps at the noise, and curls in on himself at the sight of his mom looming over him in the doorframe of his room. His heart pounds in his ears.

His mom doesn’t look annoyed anymore, she’s smiling again. Katsuki’s heart soars, and his palms spark happily. They don’t stop him. They like his handheld fireworks. His mom likes it. Katsuki thinks to himself that maybe the others will too. When Jarell successfully completes his missions in Ulfrika, he goes home. In our world, Jarell hasn’t got magic powers. No one knows he is the Future Hero. His older brother thinks Jarell is uncool, and so do the other kids at school. He spends most of his time alone, or with his cousin Omari, and he prefers drawing to video games. But that doesn’t mean Jarell isn’t just as special in our world as he is in Ulfrika, even if people don’t realise how powerful he is. Special means something different in our world. It’s what happens when we stay true to ourselves. Here, we keep our magic in our hearts. My aspirations as a writer… I guess to get a chance to have my work showcased and read by people across the world. I’d love to get the chance and experience to venture into different areas like TV or film, but my first aspiration is to go to a bookshop and see something I’ve written, with my name on it, on one of the shelves. That’d be pretty cool.Katsuki takes as deep a breath as he can manage. “I’m sorry, I’m a bad kid.” He takes another breath. “I’m ready to be good now.” I hope readers are inspired by Jarell’s assurance in himself. We must never compromise who we are inside for other people. We must continue to respond to cruelty with kindness. And we must each keep our heads held high, because we are all special in our own way. Something Deku said during the fight, you’ve always been stronger Kacchan, I know that you’re better than me. That’s why I want to beat you, because you’re amazing! Katsuki grimaces at his reflection, it’s hard to believe anyone thinks he’s amazing but it’s very on brand for shitty Deku. If that’s really the case (Katsuki reserves the right to believe this until he sees some hard evidence) then it means Deku isn’t trying to beat Katsuki to humiliate him and steal his power, he’s doing it for his own personal improvement, social status notwithstanding. Which…is a lot to take in. His mom handed him a few coins and Izuku starts reciting his favorite things about the hero as Katsuki turns the handle. He already knows Izuku’s speech by heart, but he doesn’t mind. He’d be prattling along with him if it wasn't against the rules.

But when he discovers that this fantasy world is real, and that he is Ulfrika’s only hope, he is able to take on the mantle of Future Hero admirably well. He is the hero we would all want watching out for us.Do you want to have a playdate with Izuku today? He’s going to be so excited to see your quirk.” His dad asks on the way to school the next morning. Katsuki whips around towards the voices. A group of boys a few years older than him approach with as much threat as a kid can manage. She doesn’t look mad. His mom is grinning from ear to ear. Teeth flashing with pride. She likes this one, he realizes. I love to travel, so I like the idea of being able to teleport. Other than that I’d say being able to read and move things with my mind like Jean Grey. I think readers will be hugely excited to hear that tensions will escalate, new creatures and beasts will be introduced, and the reason for Legsy’s banishment from Ulfrika will finally be revealed…The stakes are high.