Glad everyone seems to like the story so far! Not much to say besides, enjoy!
Also, if you want to/are able to beta, lmk.
Chapter 3: Let's Get Physical
"Deku...let's talk."
Izuku's blood ran cold. Oh god, he's going to kill me! Is this about the exam?
Bakugou approached Izuku, taking slow and deliberate steps, "The exam..."
It is! Izuku's face contorted with panic.
"I saw the results from the practical." The blonde boy stopped only a foot away from Izuku and whispered, his face shadowed by the poor street lighting, "How did you cheat?"
Izuku's terrified expression gave way to one of confusion, "Huh? Cheat?"
A car drove by, its headlights momentarily lightning Bakugou's face.
Needless to say, whatever joy Izuku felt about his day went out the window.
"I said, HOW THE FUCK DID YOU CHEAT?!" Bakugou seized Izuku's jacket and pushed him against a wall, his hands ominously smoking, "THERE'S NO GODDAMN WAY A QUIRKLESS LOSER LIKE YOU COULD'VE BEATEN MY SCORE!"
Izuku started panicking again and he waved his hands, "N-no, wait Kacchan! I didn't cheat I swear! I only beat a couple of robots! You saw I only had 18 Villain Points! And even then, most of those were because one of their missile launchers went haywire! Really, I didn't do that well compared to you! If it wasn't for Rescue Points, I wouldn't have even gotten in! I didn't try to beat your score, I swear!"
Bakugou's hands stopped smoking, implying he was somewhat happier about the situation, but his hold didn't ease up, "Dammit...DAMMIT! I DON'T GIVE A FUCK HOW MANY OF WHAT YOU GOT! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONLY ONE WHO GOT IN FROM OUR SCHOOL! ME!"
He looked down and started shaking, "My plans...RUINED! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! You just love shoving your nose where it don't belong, don't cha?" Bakugou's mind flashed back to when he fell into a creek as a child. He remembered how he'd laughed it off, but Deku approached him with an outstretched hand and a look.
Those eyes...so full of pity. FOR ME?! And again with that villain. Those stupid eyes. Even now...
Bakugou looked up and sure enough, Deku's eyes were filled with fear, panic, but also a little bit of pity and concern. Is he okay? I know his ego is bigger than Mt. Lady, but this is worse than normal. I guess he really puts a lot of pressure on himself to be the best.
But Bakugou saw it another way. Deku...Quirkless Deku...feels bad for me?! Worries about me?! "FUCK THAT!"
Izuku yelped as Bakugou's grip tightened and his eyes flared, "LISTEN DEKU, I'M GONNA BE THE NUMBER 1 HERO SOMEDAY, SO STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT AND STOP GETTING IN MY FUCKING WAY!" He threw Izuku to the ground and stormed off in a huff, "Just stay out my way at UA, okay? Or better yet, just drop out altogether. Not like a Quirkless Deku could ever be a real hero."
Bakugou started walking back home, only to stop dead when Izuku shouted, "Kacchan!" Izuku was standing back up, fists clenched tightly. But more impressively, he was staring his childhood friend dead on, mouth set in a determined line, "Someone told me that I could be a hero. It's because of them that I've gotten this far..."
Izuku looked at his clenched right fist and remembered that punch he delivered against the Zero Pointer. He looked back at Bakugou and exclaimed, "I can't let them down now! I have to keep going, whether you want me to or not!"
Bakugou stood in stunned silence before continuing his walk home. Izuku kept up his brave facade until his 'friend' turned the corner and vanished from sight, at which point he promptly deflated, "O-oh wow. I can't believe I stood up to Kacchan. I guess today was pretty good after all."
Meanwhile, Bakugou was lost in thought. Since when did Deku ever stand up to me? Self-righteous prick.
Then he flashed back to when Izuku offered him that hand up when they were kids or when he shielded Bakugou's body from the Sludge Villain's attacks. And then he reflected on what he said to Izuku earlier that fateful day.
"Maybe you'll be lucky and be reborn with a quirk in your next life!"
Bakugou sighed, looked at his feet, and whispered, "Goddammit."
Two Weeks Later
"You have your pocket tissues?"
"Yea." Izuku knelt down to his laces.
"And your handkerchief? Your hanky?"
"Yea, Mom. I gotta hurry or I'll be late." Izuku finished tying his shoes, smoothed out his uniform, and opened the door.
"Oh, and Izuku?"
Exasperated, Izuku turned from the doorframe and whined, "What?"
Inko just smiled through glossy eyes, "You're really cool."
Taken aback, Izuku smiled gratefully, "I'll see you later."
From his home, it was about 40 minutes by train to UA. The entire ride, he could feel himself shaking, the reality of his situation slowly dawning on him. I know I've been before to see Recovery Girl, but...I'm about to attend the top hero school in the country!
Standing in front of the gates certainly felt different this time around. No more waiting for All Might to secure a visitor's badge. Armed with his student ID, that most mighty of weapons, Izuku strolled through the gates with confidence.
Which, for him, means that he didn't trip, cry, fall, spontaneously combust, blush, sweat, die, cry, mutter, or cry.
He did tear up a little bit, though.
This campus is massive! Okay...Class 1A...where are you? Izuku strolled around the hallways of one of the towers, doing his best to follow the signs before he came face to face with a door fitting the campus's size.
It's huge! But this says 1A on it. He took a deep breath. Okay. The rest of your life begins right now! He opened the door. I just hope Kacchan and that scary guy from the exam aren't in my class. Or that one French guy.
"Get your feet off of that desk! That's disrespectful to the carpenters who slaved over its craftsmanship and to our elders who learned from there!"
Well, that's only one out of three. I can handle that.
From inside the classroom, Izuku vaguely heard someone twinkle, "Isn't my belt so magnifique?"
Okay...66.7% isn't bad. Besides, those two are mild compared to...
"Hmph. You talk funny. Where you from, extra?"
Oh no.
The tall boy with glasses stood up proudly to answer Bakugou, "My name is Tenya Iida. I attended Soumei Academy for junior high. But my family and I are originally fr-"
Bakugou grinned maliciously, "Oh, a Soumei kid? Didn't realize you were an Elite! Maybe I should just blow you away right now and save myself the trouble later."
The tall boy stepped back, completely aghast, "W-what? Are you sure you're trying to be a hero?" Then he noticed Izuku standing - or more accurately, shaking - by the entrance, "Oh, it's you!"
He walked over in a fashion that was also somehow running and bowed slightly, "I know we met once before, but I am pleased to make your acquaintance again. My name is-"
Izuku sweat a little bit, but bowed in return, "O-oh, I already heard! My name's Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you too, Iida."
Bakugou narrowed his eyes, but looked away without giving much acknowledgement.
Some of the people in the classroom who overheard turned towards him now.
"Wait, Izuku Midoriya? Didn't he get the top score on the practical?" Someone with spiky blonde hair with a black streak asked.
A girl with pink hair and skin and two angled horns replied, "Oh, yea! I think you're right. Man, with a point total like that, I bet he's got a crazy strong quirk."
A student with spiked red hair looked like he was about to cry, despite the massive smile on his face, "Wow! That's so manly!"
In the back of the classroom, a kid with evenly split red and white hair, heterochromia, and a large pink scar over his left eye glanced up. He zeroed in on his classmate's target of conversation and narrowed his eyes. Top score, huh?
Iida suddenly slammed his fist on his other hand, like a judge's gavel, "Midoriya, you easily ascertained the true purpose of the exam, didn't you? Yet I judged you harshly beforehand. How foolish of me! Please, accept my humble apologies for you are certainly the superior candidate!"
Izuku waved his hands frantically, "N-no, I didn't ascertain anything, I promise!" I know he's complimenting me, but I still feel so scared.
"Oh, it's Izuku."
Izuku turned and nearly turned into a tomato, "U-uraraka!" First name basis?
Uraraka smiled, highlighting her natural blush, "Wow! I was hoping you'd get in and then I saw your name at the top of the chart and I was like 'Wow!'"
Izuku looked away with a sheepish smile, "O-oh, well, I should really be thanking you since you went to talk to Present Mic and all."
Uraraka cocked her head, "Huh? How'd you know about that."
Izuku's face lost all color. Crap!
Luckily, a distraction came in the form of a giant caterpillar, "If you're here to socialize, you should just leave. This is the Hero Course at UA, not some public high school in Tokyo."
Everyone slowly turned to face the interruption, looks of confusion, fear, a bit of interest plaguing their expressions.
The caterpillar sighed and began to unzip itself, revealing a tall, lanky man and a large sleeping bag. "It took you a whole 8 seconds to quiet down. Time is precious, and you just wasted mine. You guys aren't too bright, are you?"
Izuku turned his head slightly. This guy...he looks familiar, but I can't remember from where.
The mystery man pulled out a juice box and in one mighty gulp, finished it and threw it away. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Nice to meet you."
The yellow haired kid from earlier chuckled and whispered, "Doesn't sound like it."
Izuku's brow furrowed. If he's our homeroom teacher, then he must be a Pro Hero. But I don't remember seeing him on TV or anything. I'll check my journals later to check.
Aizawa reached inside his sleeping bag and pulled out a blue uniform with white lettering and red trim, "Put these on and meet me out on the practice field."
All Might peered over the class files, searching for the first sign of Young Midoriya's name. "There! Let's see...Class 1A, nice. Young Uraraka is in there too. I'm sure they'll get along well. Young Bakugou, though, might be trouble based on Young Midoriya's anecdotes. Hmm...but the homeroom teacher is..."
All Might's eyes widened and he nearly spat blood, "Oh shit."
Aizawa cracked his neck, "Alright. Since you're all finally here, we can start the Quirk Apprehension Test." The class gathered at the training field all sweatdropped.
Uraraka protested, "What? A test on the first day? What about orientation and the school assembly and-"
Aizawa cut her off, "UA gives you guys a lot of freedom. If you want to waste your time on petty stuff like that, feel free to go now. I'll fill out your expulsion form in the meantime."
Uraraka immediately went quiet and even stepped back.
Izuku sweatdropped. So intimidating!
Aizawa continued, "UA gives me a lot of freedom too. You all had to do physicals and fitness tests in junior high, but you could never use your Quirks. Just another example of the subpar government at work. But if I'm going to teach you anything, I need to know where you're all at right now. So you're going to use your Quirks freely to complete all these tests."
He looked at his clipboard, "Hmm...Bakugou, you had the most Villain Points on the practical by a long shot. I want you to throw this ball as far as you can. Don't hold back." Aizawa handed Bakugou a softball with a band of sensors embedded in it.
Bakugou nodded and walked to the throwing circle. He wound up and roared as he threw the ball with a literal bang, "DIE!"
Izuku paled. Die?
The ball rocketed through the air and out of sight, the only indication it landed being a beep on Aizawa's monitoring device. He held it out, "See that? That's a hero score."
A short kid with purple balls protruding from his head nearly shrieked, "705.2 meters? That's insane!"
The pink girl from earlier beamed, "Wow, this kinda looks fun!"
A guy with black hair, a permanent grin, and cylinders on his arm laughed, "And we get to use our Quirks completely! This'll be a breeze."
Aizawa grinned, but it made the room feel colder, "Fun? A breeze? Since you're already taking this so lightly, let's raise the stakes. Lowest score is expelled. Capisce? I, and the rest of this school, are going to beat you down until you can barely move, all to make you better heroes. If you can't withstand that, you're out. That's Plus Ultra."
Everyone just stood in shock, save for Bakugou, the half-and-half boy from earlier, and an oddly - ahem - mature looking woman with spiky black hair. Aizawa then listed off the events and with each pronouncement, Izuku felt his spirits fall.
This is bad! One For All is basically a glass cannon right now and the Sharingan's gonna be useless on all of these! Maybe it'll help on the long jump for technique or ball toss for the angle of my throw, but that's not gonna mean anything compared to what some of these guys can do! I just need to power through on my own abilities.
If only it were that simple.
The 50 meter sprint went decently, but Izuku still placed 10th, right behind some huge guy that inhaled a cinnamon roll before running so hard he cracked the ground.
That still wasn't as weird as the tall girl, who pulled a skateboard from under her shirt and rode that to a comfortable 5.65 second time.
For the grip strength test, he only managed 56 kilograms of pressure. While in the top 10 again, his score was dwarfed by the multi-limbed man's score of 540 kilograms.
Okay, I'm not doing bad, but I'm not doing great either. Maybe I can raise my score now, though. "Sharingan." Izuku whispered. He felt his Quirk activate and he started observing the others who went before him.
"Maybe I can learn something from the others," he muttered while tracing their movements, "I can't shoot a laser beam so that's a no-go. Also can't create explosions so can't copy that. Oh!"
The pink haired girl walked up to the starting line. If I remember, she did really well in the 50 meter dash. She also looks athletic. Maybe I can find something out from her.
He watched her lead up and jump carefully, even paying close attention to her form in mid-air and her landing. She's faster than me on the run up to the jump point, but I should actually be able to push off harder than her. And none of her movements were too out of my ability so maybe I can do this! I can even spot the ideal location to jump from so I could surpass her jump, too!
"Oh, is that your Quirk, Izuku?" Uraraka asked loudly while moving much too close, observing his red eyes. Immediately, much of the class turned towards him, interested in the top candidate's quirk.
Luckily, the surprise made Izuku reflexively deactivate his Quirk, "W-wha?" She's so close to me! And everyone keeps trying to measure me up! And if Kacchan finds out I kept my Quirks a secret then...!
Bakugou also looked at Midoriya, albeit he was confused about what drugs Uraraka was taking. "Deku's Quirkless, Round Face."
Iida raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about, Bakugou? Did you not hear about Midoriya's feat against the Zero Pointer in the exam?"
"Eh? What're you talking about, extra?"
Before the argument could progress, Aizawa interrupted, "Midoriya, you're up."
Izuku walked up to the line and discretely activated his Sharingan while looking at an angle, trying not to attract any unwanted attention. Ugh, if only they didn't glow! And red is the most noticeable color, too! If Kacchan sees me, I don't even wanna think about what he'd do!
Izuku breathed deeply before taking off at a sprint and leaping at the perfect moment. He soared through the air with perfect form, and even landed gracefully. He looked at the ruler next to the sand pit where he landed and smiled, "Yes!"
Not too bad! I'm definitely in the Top 5!
He wasn't.
The guy with multiple limbs/tentacles used the membranes connecting his arms to glide over the pit with surprising grace for someone so large. The large guy ate a brownie this time and jumped over the pit entirely. The person with the ice-Quirk just created an ice bridge and walked over the pit. Even Uraraka made herself weightless and slowly floated over the sand.
Crap! I know I'm passing, but...Izuku looked at Bakugou, who was already glaring at him. Izuku yelped and looked back down, twiddling his fingers nervously.
The repeated side steps went about as well as he could've hoped: despite trying to mimic the pink girl again, he ended up getting dizzy and falling on his butt, earning the second worst score, only above the multi-limbed guy who basically just shuffled from side to side like an awkward middle school dance.
Sucks that he's so big, he basically straddled the area that Aizawa-sensei gave us.
The ball throwing was where Izuku's nerves got the better of him, especially after seeing Uraraka throw an infinity. Everyone has at least one incredible score and after my last event, I need all the points I can get! Even if it breaks my arm, I need to do this!
So when Izuku got called to the plate, he immediately whispered, "Sharingan," and started charging up One For All.
Uraraka whispered, "Izuku's not doing so well, is he? At least compared to what his score was."
Iida commented, "Yes, but am very intrigued to see Midoriya's performance in this event given the power he displayed in that attack against the Arena Trap. Although it did damage him severely so perhaps he has been saving that strength."
Bakugou just stared at the two in complete disbelief. Please. Deku only passed cuz of those stupid Rescue Points. He doesn't have what it takes to pass this test.
Meanwhile, Izuku was marveling at himself. Wow. I can actually see my own life force getting brighter and brighter with my Sharingan as I charge One For All! He pulled his hand back and started the wind up. The ideal angle for distance is 45 degrees so I need to move my hand in exactly this way to get that done. Izuku visualized his throw and with his natural Quirk's ability, executed it. Egg in the microwave...Shorten the cook time...lower the wattage.
His arm rippled with red and green lines, electricity crackling through his veins. I can feel it! It's not as bad as before! However, right as he threw the ball, he felt the floodgates open and the full force of his second Quirk rushed into his arm. Crap! Izuku thought as he threw the ball...
46 meters.
His face dropped, "W-what?!" No way!
Bakugou smirked and turned to Iida, "See? Quirkless Deku."
However, Aizawa settled the debate then and there by wrapping his scarf around Izuku and pulling him closer, "I erased your Quirk." Izuku noticed his teacher's eyes were glowing red and his hair was standing up. And that with the scarf unfurled, Izuku saw that Aizawa had a pair of yellow goggles around his neck.
Then it clicked, "Y-you're Eraserhead! An underground hero!" Izuku exclaimed, surprised at the development.
While his classmates mumbled about the revelation, Aizawa spoke loudly and harshly, "You know why I called for Bakugou to do the demonstration and not you? Because if it were up to me, you'd never have gotten the top score."
Izuku paled, "H-huh?"
Aizawa continued, "Your perception and analysis against the small fries was impressive, sure, but half of your Villain Points were from dumb luck and a glitchy robot. You didn't even use your Quirk! If it were up to me, you wouldn't have gotten those 9 points.
"And you destroyed that giant robot, sure. But in the process, you not only destroyed a building, but you trashed your arm. If Uraraka hadn't saved you, you'd probably have died or messed up your body further with your Quirk. And then what? You were gonna keep fighting with that arm? I don't need amateurs who can't control their Quirks in my class."
Bakugou's eyes narrowed with each word. Is he seriously saying that Deku has a quirk? Has he been lying to me all these years?
Aizawa procured another ball and handed it to Izuku, his eyes returning to normal as his hair set and he rewound his scarf, "You can try once more. Go all out and destroy your chances in the next three events or hold back and not get a single hero-level score."
Izuku was left stunned and silent. Iida and Uraraka watched solemnly. The latter spoke first, "Looks like Aizawa-sensei really tore into Izuku. I hope he figures something out.
Iida nodded, "If Midoriya is unable to somehow live up to Aizawa-sensei's expectations for this event, I fear that he may face severe consequences."
"If he can't control his Quirk, though, it might be best if he didn't progress any further, as harsh as it sounds." Everyone turned to look at the speaker: the tall girl with the spiky ponytail, "In this line of work, you can't rely on others to pick up your slack. You need to be a self-sufficient hero on your own. And if using his Quirk once really damaged him as much as Aizawa-sensei says it did, then he might simply not be able to be a hero."
Izuku felt his heart sink as he overheard his new classmates speak. What do I do? I wasn't able to pump the brakes on One For All on my last throw, but if I don't use it, I'll be the only student without at least one crazy high score!
"Sharingan." Izuku muttered as he began charging One For All, watching how the power grew in his right arm. I can literally see it with my Sharingan. It's like electricity...wait a minute...what if I use the Sharingan to visually gauge how much I put into One For All?!
Izuku concentrated on pulling back his power, feeling the energy decrease in intensity, as well as seeing the glow of his arm drop in luminosity. Okay, that looks good. The bright light's only about half as much as it used to be. And maybe, to minimize the damage, just in case...
He wound up and tossed the ball with all his might. But the second the ball was about to leave his grasp, he shifted all of One For All into his hand and roared, "Smash!"
The softball shot off into the sky, producing small airbursts with its incredible speed. Izuku smiled, but immediately clutched his hand, which was slightly red and appeared a little misshapen.
Dammit! 50% is still way too much! I wanted to put in all into my index finger but using the Sharingan to adjust my trajectory made it too hard to also shift One For All at the same time. But I can tell: this isn't nearly as bad as before. I have a few fractures, but, "Aizawa-sensei!"
Aizawa turned from the score of 535.5 meters and looked at his student, who wore a pleased grin, "I can still move!" He clenched his fist slightly to prove it.
The underground hero just stared at the kid for a while. He localized the power into his hand instead of his arm. Furthermore, it doesn't look bloody or limp like it did against the Arena Trap. He not only minimized the area of damage, but he managed to reduce his power on the fly! "This kid..." Aizawa just grinned.
Uraraka cheered while Iida nodded repeatedly. Even the tall girl seemed slightly taken aback, "Huh. Never mind then."
Bakugou, however, looked someone just told him his puppy died...as they killed it in front of him. D-deku has a Quirk? Quirkless Deku has a Quirk?!
Then Izuku turned back to the students and Bakugou saw those red eyes, the tomoe still spinning.
"DEKU!" Bakugou shot off towards his classmate, blinded by his rage/insecurities, "WHAT?! YOU THOUGHT YOUR QUIRK WAS SO COOL THAT YOU KEPT IT HIDDEN? IS THAT IT?! I DON'T NEED YOUR PI-GAH!" Bakugou suddenly felt the familiar heat in his palms vanish as several strands of suspiciously hard cloth wrapped around his body, locking him in place.
Aizawa's glowing eyes glared, "Cut it out. Another outburst like that and you're expelled. Got it?" He then released Bakugou and deactivated his Quirk, dropping some liquid into his eyes, "You kids are gonna be the death of me; my Quirk gives me serious dry-eye."
But his Quirk is so cool! Everyone sweatdropped at the revelation of his weakness.
Bakugou glared at Izuku again but turned away in a huff. Izuku looked back, his heart still racing from when he thought Bakugou was gonna flatten him.
Aizawa sighed, "Now that that's done, let's keep going. Yaoyorozu, can you make a splint for Midoriya?"
The tall girl, Yaoyorozu, nodded before pulling a hand brace out from under her shirt. She walked over to Izuku and sternly asked, "Would you like some help putting it on?"
Due to the close proximity of the - ahem - mature woman, Izuku's face was redder than his eyes, but he managed to squeak, "Y-yes, please."
Choosing to ignore his timid behavior, she softly wrapped the brace around his right hand and secured it snugly, "All done."
Izuku examined the splint, "W-wow! T-thank you, Yaoyorozu!"
She gave a soft smile, breaking her serious facade, "Of course. As classmates, it's important we support each other." Then she walked back to the crowd, loosely followed by Izuku.
"Midoriya, that result was most impressive!" Iida pronounced, chopping his hands rapidly.
Uraraka bubbly nodded, encroaching on her new friend's space, "Yea, that ws so cool! You were all 'SMASH' and then the ball went 'WOOSH' and-"
Izuku zoned out the second she started talking and started blushing again. I need to stop associating with pretty girls. It just doesn't end well for me.
In the background, behind a nearby building, All Might watched the scene with a smile. I was worried about you, Young Midoriya, but WOW, do you love crushing my expectations. When did you become so cool?
All Might also noticed his pupil's red face and the close proximity of Uraraka. And popular with the ladies, too? You never cease to amaze me!
The rest of the events fared moderately well for Izuku. The seated toe touch was easy since he did so much agility training while learning to use his Sharingan. He scored fifth, behind Yaoyorozu, the boy with the tail - Izuku suspected it was due to his martial arts background, at least based on how he 'Kya'd' every time he did anything - the frog girl, and the same pink girl he's copied so much.
He actually excelled at the sit-ups, managing to finally place in the top three, only behind Bakugou and the guy that looked like he was split in half.
The pull-ups, however, were a different story. Despite the brace, he couldn't use his right hand at all and he had to do the exercise with one arm. He only beat out the kid with purple balls on his head.
Finally, the endurance run came around and Izuku was able to reclaim his momentum by placing fifth. If my hand wasn't throbbing so much, I probably could've done a lot more. I wasn't even that tired!
At the end, Aizawa gathered everyone and showed the results on a screen. Izuku feared the worst, but nearly sobbed when he saw his name in 14th.
I made it! And Kacchan got third!
A high pitched shriek interrupted Izuku's giddiness, "I'M GONNA BE EXPELLED! AND I HAVEN'T EVEN COPPED A FEEL YET!"
Izuku sweatdropped at the purple ball-haired kid's choice of words, "I guess that's Mineta."
Iida nodded vigrously, "How tragic to be expelled on his very first day of high school. Truly, UA earns its title as the premier hero course!"
"By the way, I lied about the whole expulsion thing."
After sending off his - justifiably - peeved class to change, and Midoriya to Recovery Girl afterwards, Aizawa walked back to the homeroom, only to hear a familiar - and his opinion, annoying - laugh.
"Ha ha ha! Aizawa, you said the expulsion threat was just a trick, but April Fool's was last week!"
Aizawa sighed, "What do you want, All Might?"
All Might sweatdropped at the rude reception, but continued, "You've expelled over 100 students in your career at this school. So pray tell, why the sudden change in modus operandi?"
Eraserhead shrugged, "The only one I actually would've expelled was Midoriya, but he managed to improve my opinion of him. Slightly."
"Ha! Then you see it, too! Young Midoriya's potential is overflowing!"
Aizawa's eyes narrowed, "...too?"
All Might immediately sweatdropped.
Something's up...whatever. "Look, I won't say he's completely devoid of potential, but regardless of his scores, he's still a glass cannon. And I won't humor anybody like that. The only thing crueler than stomping out a dream early is letting it continue too long."
Later That Day
"Midoriya! Is your hand healed?" Iida called as they crossed the UA gates to go home.
Izuku turned and smiled, "Oh, Iida! Yea, Recovery Girl healed it in a few seconds, flat. I just have to keep the brace Yaoyorozu made for the rest of the day and I should be good as new."
Iida smiled, "Good. I'm pleased to hear that you weren't permanently injured! Such a tragedy on your first would only serve to sour your high school experience."
Izuku laughed sheepishly. I thought Iida was kinda mean and scary, but he's just really genuine and earnest. I can appreciate that.
"Hey, Deku!"
Izuku nearly vomited as he turned in a panic, "K-kacchan? Why is your voice so high?"
As luck would have it, it was just Uraraka, "Huh? Kacchan? Isn't that your name for Bakugou?"
Izuku chuckled sheepishly, "Y-yea. He's really the only one who c-calls me D-deku. Cuz it's a different way to read the kanji for my name and it means 'useless' so..."
Uraraka flinched, "Oh! I thought that was like a nickname or something! Sorry about that." But then she bounced up and grinned, "But I kinda like the sound of it, ya know? Sounds like dekiru. Has a real 'never give up' kinda vibe, ya know?"
"YOU CAN CALL ME DEKU!" Izuku's cheeks flared up and a smile ripped across his face.
Iida gasped, "Midoriya! You shouldn't give into peer pressure so quickly! First it's nicknames, then it's the marijuana cigarettes!"
Izuku buried his face in his hands and muttered, "I don't know what's happening anymore."
And that was the moment Izuku realized he had friends.
The next day seemed almost insulting compared to the first one. Instead of an emotionally and physically grueling exam, the students of Class 1A had to endure the very worst thing imaginable to a high school student: learning.
Even Present Mic, with his infectious enthusiasm and perma-grin, couldn't bring life to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'
Izuku certainly wasn't helped by the fact that Mineta, who sat behind him, kept whispering how awesome it was that 'The R-Rated Hero: Midnight' was their biology teacher.
"Seriously, Midoriya! Just imagine how hot it'll be when she covers...meiosis!" Mineta shuddered in delight, leaving one very flustered greenette contemplating his life choices.
But after lunch, everyone in the class was excited because their schedule listed, in bolded lettering: 'Battle Training!'
And the teacher for that day's session was, "Coming through the door like a normal person!"
All Might - clad in his Silver-Age costume complete with flapping and entirely useless cape - appeared in a flash, leaning into the classroom while gripping the doorframe behind him for support.
There was a moment of stunned silence before the class erupted into cheers.
"All Might-sensei! You're so cool and manly!" The spiky-haired boy exclaimed.
The twinkling boy sparkled, "Ooh. Monsieur All Might-sensei's cape is oh magnifique."
And despite having seen All Might for most days out of the last year, even Izuku was swept up by the class's fervor, "All Might-sensei! I'm your biggest fan!"
All Might let out a booming laugh, "Ha ha! I'm glad to see that you're all excited! I'm certainly excited myself to be your teacher so let's all get along! But how about we just jump right into it?" All Might pressed a button on the teacher's desk, causing a section of the left wall to extend outwards, revealing four columns of five suitcases, each numbered 1 through 20.
"These are the costumes you specifically requested! We had our support company use the information you provided and what we found from the Quirk Registry build you the perfect outfits! Please put them on and meet me on Ground Beta!"
While everyone else swarmed their suitcases, eager to see their very own super suits, Izuku stayed at his desk to open his backpack first and pull out an old grocery bag, carefully tied so as not to free the precious cargo inside. Then he gathered his suitcase and went to the locker room.
This represents my mom's faith in me. I can't wear anything else!
So with that, Izuku finished putting on his costume and walked out with his classmates, while All Might complimented, "Nice! You all look like proper heroes!"
Then he noticed Izuku's mouth guard and rabbit ears, "So obvious!"
He cleared his throat, "Anyways, we'll be conducting battle trials in teams of two. One group will play the role of heroes, while the other will play as villains."
All Might pulled out a cheat sheet, much to everyone's amusement, "Ahem. The scenario is that the villains have a nuclear warhead somewhere in the building to my left. The heroes have to infiltrate the building and secure the weapon and/or capture the villains. The villains will receive a 5 minute head start while the heroes get 15 minutes to complete their objective."
The Symbol of Peace then pulled out his phone, "I've already used a random number generator to assign teams. They are as follows:
"Team A: Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka."
Uraraka cheered and got too close to Izuku, again, "Yay! We're on the same team! Must be fate."
Izuku looked away with a wicked blush but nodded.
"Team B: Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shoji.
"Team C: Minoru Mineta and Momo Yaoyorozu.
"Team D: Katsuki Bakugou and Tenya Iida.
Bakugou raised an eyebrow, "Who?" Iida just gasped, affronted.
"Team E: Mina Ashido and Yuga Aoyama.
"Team F: Rikido Sato and Koji Koda.
"Team G: Jiro Kyoka and Denki Kaminari.
"Team H: Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui.
"Team I: Mashirao Ojiro and Toru Hagakure.
"Team J: Ejiro Kirishima and Hanta Sero."
All Might took a deep breath. That was a lot! "And these lottery machines will decide the match-ups!" All Might gestured to two lottery ball drawing machines labelled 'Hero' and 'Villain,' respectively.
Izuku started sweating. Just not Kacchan's team. Anything but Kacchan's team!
He picked out the first set, "Looks like Round 1 is Team A vs. Team D!" Oh, shit...sorry, Young Midoriya.
Izuku nearly fainted.
If you're confused about Bakugou's behavior, it's because I've added an extra dimension to his character arc. In my mind, this will expedite his growth, so we can get more 'Bakubro' instead of 'Lord Explodo Murder'.
The majority of you seem to favor Momo for a pairing, with Ochako as a close second. So unless another 'Best Girl' is gonna make a helluva comeback, maybe pick between these two? Or vote for both, cuz fuck it. Either way, I love them both so I'm a happy camper.
Side note, a lot of you are either super passionate about Yaoi or insanely against it. Not sure which is more worrying, but I think both.
Now, a few people asked if I'd get rid of Mineta, which I sorta answered by letting him not get expelled. What can I say? He's hilarious and if Aizawa thinks he has potential, who am I to argue?
But I will be deviating from the canon in a major way in the next chapter and maybe even an original story arc?
HINT There're a few empty weeks between USJ and the Sports Festival HINT