Magnus: Thank you for all your support, it really gives me the strength to keep writing, enough to get this chapter out sooner than intended, now enjoy as Izuku and Tsuyu finally get their first scene together!
Disclaimer: Is just me, or even in canon do Izuku and Tsuyu have the best chemistry together?
Beta'd: Jan 17, 2019
Cursed Blood
Chapter 4
A sinister friendship.
Shouta Aizawa, Pro Hero codename Eraserhead, eyed his newest batch of wannabe students with some reservation. They might've taken his threat of expulsion better than some of their predecessors, but he still fully intended to discern their individual potentials… if they had any.
One of the reasons he even bothered teaching at UA was because it gave him the perfect justification to seek out and prevent future disasters from happening; people with Quirks they didn't understand or didn't care to control often ended up at the academy for one reason or another. Spotting these kinds of brats so that they could be handled properly away from the delicate public was worth his time.
When he'd been assigned 1-A… again… he'd done his usual research into the incoming students' files, and found a few that had caught his eye. One, in particular, stood out for a variety of reasons.
Izuku Midoriya, the boy with a troubled past. The kid lacked a true understanding of his Quirk, made use of a reanimated corpse he'd watched killed in front of him, and while clearly some finer details had been left out, spent most of his school career as a lone wolf. While the practical exam had revealed his budding heroic heart, the unknown limits of the teen's zombification abilities worried him. A history of—suspected—bullying, isolation, and trauma only increased the risks of villainous potential.
"Return to your spot, Midoriya," Aizawa said, shaking himself from this thoughts. "And remember, keep your… pet… under control. Or, failing that, be quick to warn me if your control slips."
The grizzled pro's sharp eyes caught the grinding of the green-haired teen's teeth at the referral of the reanimated corpse as a pet. He added a mental note to Midoriya's file that his relationship with the undead girl was viewed as more meaningful than previously recorded. Thankfully, after a firm nod, the boy went to join the rest of his classmates.
Out of the corner of his eye, Aizawa suddenly noticed the movements of a spiky blond. He wasn't anywhere near naïve enough to believe the scowling boy wanted to give his classmate a friendly handshake.
"Fucking Romero! I'm going to…"
Bakugo's rage sputtered out before it could really ignite. Nothing had happened. He was pointing an open palm at the freak but nothing was happening!
"What the fu—?!" The spiky blond's cursing was cut off as bandage-like cloth abruptly wrapped around him. No matter how much he struggled, the cloth held and he couldn't break free.
In fact, the more he struggled the more tangled he became.
"And what exactly were you trying to do?" Aizawa growled lowly, a hint of real anger crossing his expressionless face. "Attacking or harming a fellow student or member of the staff outside of training exercises is grounds for immediate expulsion."
Those currently not tied up like a mummy watched on as Bakugo was completely enveloped by Aizawa's seriously long scarf. The caught blond, finally realizing the futility of his actions and recognizing the threat in his teacher's words, roughly ceased his struggling. He settled for glaring at the man.
Hoping his point had been made, Aizawa released his captive, only to immediately wish he hadn't.
"Harming? That kind of thing doesn't apply to that abomination and his sick… zombie… thing!" Bakugo spat out. His disturbing words, delivered in such a disturbing fashion, quickly earned the disgust of the watching students.
Aizawa stood, silently examining what he'd belatedly realized was another potential villain problem.
"Midoriya, are you immune to or resistant to pain?" Asked with all the seriousness of the grave, the question caught everyone off guard. Those who hadn't met Izuku before were confused, shouldn't the green-haired teen share the durability of his zombie-girl? The imposing boy with glasses, and more so Ochaco, knew better. But even they were horrified when their classmate responded.
"Tae-chan's pain receptors seem to be non-functional according to all current means of analysis," Izuku was quick to reveal, "But I can feel pain just like a normal person, sir."
That was the truth, sort of. No one really knew if the zombie-girl felt pain anymore since they couldn't ask her and she never reacted to injuries. It was merely a best guess.
Meanwhile, Aizawa was nodding his head at the expected answer.
"Regenerators can build up their pain tolerance, just like everybody else, but that's no excuse to harm them," the pro hero said, staring at the aggravated blond. "Katsuki Bakugo, the rules apply to everyone here. Consider this your only warning."
With that, the issue was settled, though Aizawa noticed quite a few new developments amongst his wannabe students.
Thanks to his experiences as a pro hero, Aizawa had plenty of practice at and aptitude for reading body language. In that regard, the teens before him were open books. From the psychotic rage rolling off of Bakugo, to the forced resignation exuding from Midoriya, he could see an entire story being written before his very eyes.
The two clearly had history. The verdanette's acceptance of the blond's behavior didn't come off as someone unable to defend themselves, but more like someone who'd repeatedly been disallowed from going on the defensive. The exhausted teacher added another mental note, this time to remember to dig up any hidden info on these two. No doubt staff at their previous schools had a hand in things escalating this far.
What really concerned Aizawa, though, was the zombie. As Bakugo had attempted to use his Quirk, he'd clearly seen the undead girl tense up, ready to take action should violence break out. His unease steamed from one simple fact, there hadn't been any verbal commands from Midoriya for it to react to in that instant.
"That went better than expected," Izuku muttered to himself as he and Tae reached their classmates. Looking up, the green-haired teen realized the entire group was staring at him…
"To be able to control your darkness to such a fine degree! And with such finesse!" A boy with the head of a raven greeted him first, sounding quite friendly. "I salute you."
"That was an incredibly creative use of your Quirk," A tall girl with a wild, spiky black ponytail agreed. "More people should learn to think like you."
The green-haired teen was speechless at the continued support.
"Could'a been better," the crimson-haired boy with shark teeth added, more nonchalantly than antagonizing. "You should'a had her throw it for you."
"Not everyone uses brute force to solve their problems," the girl with cute frog features defended, taking Izuku's side to his amazement. "There's nothing wrong with being imaginative, kero."
Aizawa, seeing his wannabes getting distracted, tabled his current thoughts and pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd taken his hands of the reins for one second…
"Enough chit-chat!" the gruff teacher interrupted, returning the feeling of dread to the students. "Play friends after you've survived the day."
Uncowed, Izuku only nodded at the words, thumb and forefinger cupping his chin.
"As expected of the Pro Hero Eraserhead," the green-haired teen said to the surprise of his classmates… and teacher. "No room for nonsense."
"Oh? So you know who I am?" Aizawa asked, actually interested that some kid had recognized him. He was an underground hero for a reason. "And what gave it away? Or did you guess?"
Izuku shook his head in the negative, stepping to the side so the rest of the class could see him. He held out a fist, palm up.
"Wears specialized goggles around the neck that don't look like they'd impair vision." One finger shot up.
"Uses a capture tool that's disguised as a simple and plain scarf that's easy to wear and move around." Two fingers.
"A Quirk is suddenly unable to be activated without explanation." Three fingers.
"And, I apologize sir, but I don't think any one of us recognize your face even though we know you have to be a pro to teach here." A fourth and final finger rose up. Izuku smiled.
"I can't think of another hero that fits all of those descriptions," the green-haired teen announced, earning a small smirk from the underground hero. His classmates continued to stare.
Aizawa suddenly turned to his gaping wannabes, bloodshot eyes wide and frightening.
"Enough talk! Get ready to show me what you can do!" Returned to the task at hand, the hopefully future class of 1-A went about carrying out the orders for the different tests.
Aizawa took more mental notes as his wannabes tackled their tests; some preferred a direct approach, others showcased their creativity, and a few even exhibited balanced skill and ingenuity. As the school day approached its end, the pro hero already had a pretty good idea on how to guide a few of the more obvious talents he'd been given.
Tenya Iida, who came off to those around him as imposing with his stern look and glasses, has scored highest in the fifty-meter dash and above average in the long jump. He'd revealed himself to be rather narrow minded, however, playing by the book a little too much without any consideration for imaginative solutions. Tackling the tests as ordered was all well and good, but a hero needed to be open to all alternatives in every situation.
Ochaco Uraraka, a brunette with perpetually rosy cheeks, had completely bested everyone at the softball throw. He was a little miffed that she'd sent the test module into low orbit, but it showcased her Quirk's ability so he'd gotten over it. She'd also managed to score the best at the long jump, but he'd noticed that the longer she used her Quirk, the sicker she appeared to get. Definitely something to work on in the near future.
Momo Yaoyorozu, his most… mature looking… wannabe, had shown without a doubt that she deserved the recommendation she'd received. The tall girl had scored high marks in most tests, making excellent use of her Quirk to fabricate any and all tools that could make her life easier. She'd demonstrated higher than average physical conditioning as well, managing to excel even in situations her Quirk couldn't be used. He'd have to focus on her speed though, both physically and in Quirk use; she was the slowest in the class at the moment.
Shoto Todoroki, the heterochromatic with a history probably on par with Midoriya's in what hadn't been recorded. His dual hair color stood out, as did the scar over his left eye, but his high marks spoke louder of his ability. The kicker with the boy was that he absolutely refused to use half of his Quirk, a mindset that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Tsuyu Asui, a shorter girl who's Quirk gave her frog-like features, was what Aizawa would appreciate all average heroes aspiring to be. She'd easily scored above most of her classmates, easily enough that it was clear she was holding back strength and skill to spare. He decided she'd make a fine standard to grade everyone else against.
Izuku Midoriya, the top scorer in the practical exam, had managed to surprise him more than once with how he tackled the tests. The softball throw had been just a peek into the mind of the teen, a glimpse at a creativity that was rare to see these days. Having himself thrown by his zombie for the long jump, achieving a respectably above average distance, was a sight to see… so too was watching the undead girl easily match said distance with little effort.
'Above average…' that term applied to Midoriya in almost every test now that he thought about it. The endurance tests had presented interesting results of course, such as the green-haired teen would have everyone beat on number of repetitions made, but not speed, and that he could do all of this without sweating or showing signs of muscle fatigue. He didn't know what to make of the zombie matching his wannabe in perfect imitation.
"Something's doesn't feel right…" Aizawa muttered, glancing at the now exhausted students, specifically the green-haired teen. Every test he'd noticed it more and more, the zombie seemed to act with a degree of autonomy more akin to a thrall of a minion/pet Quirk than a creation of a zombification Quirk. She wasn't only obedient; she could react on her own.
Which didn't make any sense at all with Midoriya's Quirk registered as 'Blood Repair.' The file only said the teen's blood repaired biological structures it came into contact with, unsettling as that apparently allowed him to reanimate corpses to do his bidding. But the problem with that description was it failed to explain the behavior of the zombie. The undead girl acted more like loyal pet, not a mindless puppet.
Sometimes he hated how ineffectual the QRA proved themselves to be when handling delicate matters such as this.
"Not right in the slightest…" Aizawa muttered a second time, now taking note of Katsuki Bakugo. The explosive blond had spent the entire time glaring at anyone who managed to best him in even one test, which meant at this point almost everyone had drawn his ire in some fashion. He knew the type, had seen it a hundred times before; the top dog of middle school who couldn't come to terms with the truth of the real world. To be honest, he'd expected it to have been Endeavor's kid, not a random upstart.
"Okay then," Aizawa called out, drawing the attention of his wannabes. Once the teens were all looking at him, the gruff teacher clicked a button on his phone's screen. An innocent beep later, and a holographic display board popped into existence. In two columns of ten, the student hopefuls were ranked.
"These are the results for today," the pro hero announced, taking in the stressed looks as each wannabe desperately searched for their name. Logically, if they'd been thinking, the only name that should matter to them was the bottom one. On that note… "About last place being expelled…"
Izuku took in the sight of his name, sitting comfortably at seventh, with a smile. He felt good. He and Tae had earned that spot together through all their hard work. But he knew he still had a long way to go before he'd earn the title of hero, this was just another step.
Contrary to the green-haired boy, the shortest member of the class, Minoru Mineta, had collapsed to his knees. To his absolute horror, it was his name he found at the twentieth spot on the list. Only now did he truly regret skipping all those gym days in middle school.
"It was a lie," Aizawa revealed, "Just something to incentivize you all to go beyond your self-imposed limitations."
Too tired to cause much of a scene, the now official members of class 1-A still made their disbelief at what they were being told known.
"It wasn't true?" Kyouka Jiro asked, her ear-jacks writhing like agitated snakes. The punk rock girl obviously felt relieved, but at the same time strangely cheated.
Crossing her arms under her developed chest, Momo nodded in agreement… before looking down in shame.
"If you think about it, it was kind of obvious," the mature girl said, sure in her belief that a prestigious academy wouldn't risk its image by expelling students on the first day. "I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier."
Uncaring as to the veracity of the girl's belief, Aizawa turned to leave. The pro hero had a lot to consider with this batch of students, not to mention warnings to pass around during his debrief with the rest of the freshman teachers. He'd bet his melatonin that at least one of his coworkers weren't aware of the zombie or the explosive kid.
Izuku himself wasn't quite sure what he thought about Momo's declaration, but decided fretting over it wouldn't do anyone any good now. Ready to call it a day, the green-haired teen just wanted to follow his classmates back to the locker rooms in peace, change, and go home.
His classmates, on the other hand, had other plans.
"Midoriya," the teen with the raven head, Fumikage Tokoyami, said suddenly, coming up to the boy in question out of the blue, "As a fellow master of the darkness, I cannot help but dwell upon the curiosity that is your control over your undead servant. Would you grant me the honor of revealing your methods?"
1-A had by this point split to their separate locker rooms. Izuku, half changed, nearly fell over when he realized the raven-headed teen's enquiry had earned them the attention of some of the other boys. He kind of couldn't blame them though, he supposed, they'd noticed Tae waiting just outside the locker room.
"Master of—? Wait… Are you talking about Tae-chan?" Izuku asked, confused and thrown off balance by his new classmate's manner of speaking… and being approached at all.
Tokoyami nodded solemnly, glad that he'd been understood. Too often was it that those he spoke to looked back at him as if he spoke madness. It was refreshing to be acknowledged.
"I am," the raven-headed teen confirmed. "Although now I find myself ever the more curious. Is Tae the corpse's true name, or is it something you provided when you took control?"
Hearing him speak further, it was clear to Izuku that Tokoyami was being overly dramatic on purpose, though he couldn't be sure if it was how the teen normally spoke or was the result of a lonely scholastic life. If it were the latter, then he'd at least met a kindred spirit.
"Well… yes, her true name was—is Tae," Izuku replied, eyes filling with sadness. "As for control… she's an extension of my Quirk now. Honestly I wish I could've saved her instead."
"Saved?" Tokoyami breathed, unable to contain his surprise. Realizing what he'd said, he shook his head. "No, think not of answering further. Truly, it must have been a most painful experience."
The raven-headed teen had no idea just how appreciative his green-haired counterpart was for being allowed to avoid reliving the traumatic events that had ended with the existence of the undead girl for a little longer.
As the class necromancer and local edge lord continued their talk in quieter tones, Bakugo sat by himself, working himself even farther into his scorching rage. The apprehension tests had been a hard blow for him; his rightful place at the top taken again and again by smiley extras, people he knew were weaker than him. The freak's victories over him were the worst though, not even suffered at the hands of combat moves, just cheap tactics unbecoming of a hero.
What really boiled his blood was how much attention Romero was getting for his tricks, attention that should've been his for the taking. How could anyone not be disgusted by the mere existence of such a grotesque Quirk?
"You two ready?" Came the sudden call of Denki Kaminari, a blond with a happy face. The question visibly startled the so-called 'dark kids' of the group. "We're all leaving to get our things from the classroom now. Some of us are gonna hang out after. Wanna join?"
Touched that he was being offered an opportunity he'd never been given by a classmate before, Izuku nevertheless had to deny the invitation.
"Maybe next time," the green-haired teen said, "Need to feed Tae-chan first before heading out."
Even spoken so nonchalantly, the declaration still managed to regain the attention of the rest of the boys.
"Would it be an imposition if I stayed to observe?" Tokoyami asked, fully expecting his plea to be rejected. "I find my curiosity still itching to be sated. What does a corpse require as sustenance? What rituals need be involved?"
Unnoticed by the rest of the boys, a now pale Bakugo quickened his pace, throwing his dirty clothes haphazardly into his bag. The blond knew what was involved in feeding that abomination, and he knew he didn't want to be anywhere near the freak when it happened.
"I… I mean, I don't mind. But are you sure?" Izuku asked, wary of exposing and potentially losing his—weird and barely understandable—friend to the sight of Tae's feeding. "I don't know if you'd be able to… stomach it."
Tokoyami, far from being off put by the green-haired teen's reservations, gave a firm nod in affirmation. Dark Shadow, the symbiotic Quirk entity that lived inside of the raven-headed teen, poked its head out and gave a thumbs up as well. Reassured, Izuku gave the two a bright smile, and the two went to exit the locker room.
Crossing the threshold back into UA proper, the two boys were immediately joined by Tae, who oddly enough seemed to give off a vibe of impatience to return to Izuku's side. After a short walk back to their classroom, the two realized the rest of class 1-A had alrady left to pursue their own devices. Now alone, Tokoyami started when he noticed the green-haired teen pull out a penknife from his pocket.
"For what purpose is there to draw a blade?" The raven-headed teen asked in mild alarm. While his trust in his classmate, and hopefully new friend, was sizable, his overactive imagination was quickly getting the better of him. It was with an ever more quickly beating heart he noticed the presence of the undead beside him. Though surely Izuku wasn't dark enough to commit murder for food?
Tokoyami could only watch in fascinated horror as the green-haired teen he'd just met raised the knife to his own arm and positioned the blade to stab.
"Tae-chan feeds best from fresh sources," Izuku said sweetly, an affectionate smile on his face that appeared more twisted with each passing second. "And you know, you can't get any fresher than the living. Now please, try not to scream."
Izuku hated playing on the raven-headed teen's exaggerated sense of drama, but the truth of his blood wasn't something he was comfortable with sharing just yet. Better that his classmates thought that Tae could survive off of any living thing, instead of just him.
Unbeknownst to the two boys, Momo and Tsuyu had been delayed in leaving the girl's locker room, waylaid due to searching for the taller girl's lost student ID card. They also didn't notice as the girls watched Izuku plunge the tiny blade downward, carved into his own flesh to draw as much blood as possible, and did it all without any outward care for Tokoyami's contorting face.
"Gods! The blood! The pain!" The raven-headed teen nearly shouted. "How can you withstand such agony?"
Unperturbed at this point, Izuku removed the penknife from his hand and cleaned the blade against its back, the only part not covered in blood.
"This pain is nothing compared to letting Tae-chan starve…" Izuku replied, actively avoiding the real question. "You really don't want to see her get that bad."
When enough of the crimson liquid had pooled in his wounded palm, the green-haired teen raised the limb to Tae's face. The zombie-girl eagerly leaned forward, beginning to lick away the blood with deft tongue-strokes. It was then that the two boys heard the unmistakable sound of dry heaving. Concerned, they rushed toward the source around the corner, Tae gently taking Izuku's hand to continue her meal.
"Kero?" Croaked Tsuyu, her worry carrying through when the boys found her. The green-haired teen was quick to notice that the frog-girl's wide eyes were staring intently at his bleeding hand.
"Don't worry, it doesn't even hurt anymore," Using his none-damaged hand, Izuku waved away the concern emanating from his classmates, downplaying the gruesome scene the best option. "And look, it's already closing. It won't even leave a scar."
The green-haired teen's reassurance did nothing to alleviate the fact that the disturbing sounds of a tongue lapping up blood continued to echo through the hallway.
"You don't have to do that every day, do you? Kero," Tsuyu asked, still oozing worry. The distress confused Izuku, who was unused to such regard.
"Of course not," the green-haired teen assured, hoping to bring peace to his new friend and the cute girl that for some reason was showing care for his wellbeing. "Once a week is usually enough, if there's continuous activity. Although she does need emergency feeding if something drastic happens that requires regeneration."
As he finished speaking, Izuku's self-inflicted wound finished closing. Meal complete, Tae dropped the green-haired teen's hand and returned to standing behind him. Seeing this, the three teens stood awkwardly, unsure how to continue.
"A-Anyway, what brought you back here?" Izuku asked hesitantly, desperate to get out of the uncomfortable silence. His question did the job, and the short girl stiffened, no doubt remembering what had led her to the scene in the first place.
"Ah… That's because Momo here forgot—eh? Momo? Kero?" Tsuyu's explanation died as she pointed to her side, only to notice that she was pointing at empty air.
It took only moments to decipher that the mature girl had fled the scene, unable to find a private enough place to empty her stomach. Izuku should've known, for all the acceptance he'd found so far, there'd still be some who reacted negatively to glimpses of his Quirk's true nature. But for now, life hadn't turned out as bad as he'd expected.
1-A Classroom – Day of Battle Trial…
Sitting at his desk, Izuku lightly reminisced over the last few days. He'd been continuously surprised by how much kinder the school in general was to him than his past schools had been. For once, people didn't outright run away from him, though admittedly a few shied away and kept their distance. And so far no one had openly refused to partner up with him during classes, although Momo still made an effort to find an alternative before giving in and Bakugo hadn't been given a chance to be an exception to this rule yet.
Teachers didn't seem to care about Tae or her antics, only asking once each whether she was infectious or not, or if he was keeping her well fed. The pro heroes didn't flinch at the occasional groan or grunt either; rather they acted as if nothing had happened at all. The best part of this tolerance was that half of them didn't even seem to mind when the zombie-girl knelt to lay her head on his lap while he did his work.
That wasn't to say that Iida and Mineta didn't voice their discomfort at such scenes though.
Tokoyami had continued to be a source of surprise for him too, he was glad to say. The raven-headed boy made it a point to engage in casual conversation with him on a daily basis, although he still struggled to understand his new friend's obsession with darkness and the occult.
Yes, all in all Izuku found that classes at UA were more than pleasant to attend.
But today… today turned out to be the one he'd been both looking forward to and dreading in equal measure. And it all started in the afternoon when the first teacher to enter the classroom wasn't Aizawa as they'd expected, but—
"I'M… COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
All Might.
Wearing his Silver Age costume, the Number One Hero posed magnificently as he entered the room in no way like a normal person. All smiles, the Symbol of Peace dropped his bomb-worthy news on 1-A.
"Today you'll have your first taste of heroism!" All Might boomed, smile widening. "And to do that you'll first need these!"
Pressing a concealed button, the muscular hero revealed hidden compartments in one of the walls numbered from one to twenty. The slots popped open, each revealing a respectively numbered case.
"Heroes need costumes, not the least of reasons being so that they can become symbols in their own right," All Might announced, gaining excited shouts from his students as they realized what they were being given. "So go! Change and meet me at today's designated training ground!"
Just as quickly as he'd arrived, the Number One Hero darted away, gone in the blink of an eye.
In seconds the members of 1-A had descended on the wall of cases. It wasn't a shocker his classmates would be so exuberant, Izuku decided. They'd all designed their own costumes before submitting them along with their applications, so everyone was eager to see their visions brought to life. Unfortunately, the green-haired teen knew he didn't have as much to cheer over as the others.
UA, as great as it was, like all other hero schools was governmentally mandated to contract outside agencies to actually produce their students' first costumes. This was ostensibly to make sure that no incoming newbie snuck in an unfair or dangerous advantage in their gear. The issue with this was that these agencies were allowed to hold their own standards when producing these costumes. And it was just Izuku's luck that regenerators, designated more often than not as mutant types, weren't held in high regard by support agencies.
These factors led to almost guarantee that his costume would be made by one of the cheaper companies, not that he minded too much. If it came down to it, he'd just contract one of the Support Course students when he could and 'upgrade' his gear.
As for right now, there wasn't anything for it.
UA Campus – Ground Beta…
Feeling exposed, Izuku gazed at the various costumes his classmates had appeared in. All of them were flashy or showed off the physical rewards of their hard work. It was almost too difficult to look at the girls for this very reason, their strength and beauty glowing like the sun. And then there was him, who looked—
"Fucking Romero! This is a hero school, not a goddamn horror movie," Bakugo spat, incredibly quick to throw a jab. Unlike the blond's previous attempts to put down the green-haired teen, this time there were a few snorts from their classmates. "What made you think dressing like a fucking tax collector was a good idea?"
If one were ignorant, like the explosive blond, it would be easy to see why Izuku's hero costume appeared less than impressive at first glance. The suit consisted of dark green dress pants with a matching vest and tie, contrasted sharply by a crimson red dress shirt underneath. The black dress shoes weren't anything to call home about either. But this was in appearance only.
Izuku had designed the entire suit to be made of a specific type of ballistic weave so that even if he ended up with the cheapest of support agencies, if they followed his specs to the letter, then it'd be incredibly hard for the material to be punctured or cut by normal means or strength. His plain dress shoes also held secrets; he'd requested steel-toes and ankle protectors be inserted into them, the metal guards no doubt going to pack a painful punch in the event of a pinch. The only cosmetic add-ons he'd sprung for, unlike certain other classmates who'd overindulged, were the fingerless gloves that covered his hands and the round sunglasses that hid away his eyes.
In his opinion the complete look gave him a slightly more mature and professional look.
"I can't believe you Midoriya!" Mineta nearly cried, eyeing Tae with an overly dramatic tearful look. "You squandered such potential! Why did you dress her like that?!"
And now everyone was staring at Tae.
The zombie-girl's hero costume could be described as… militaristic… at best. The overall jumpsuit was patterned in green camouflage while brown combat boots and gloves adorning her hands and feet. Reinforced elbow and kneepads both kept joints protected and allowed for devastating blows. And that was just the beginning.
A black harness complimented the undead girl's developed chest while also housing tools ideal for rescue; a coil of reinforced rope, a collapsible shovel, miniature lanterns, a med-kit, and even a crowbar were all tightly secured for optimal movement. The only cosmetic addition was a pair of colored sports shades that covered her eyes, an attempt to conceal an unsettling red gaze from civilians and those others who didn't need any more stress in a rescue scenario.
"You know…" Tsuyu intervened quickly, a gesture that Izuku appreciated to the point of beaming at the frog-girl, "He kind of looks like a detective… doesn't he? Kero."
A pair of floating gloves and boots bounced over to the slightly hunched green-haired teen. One of the gloves acted as if it were resting on a chin in thought.
"Hmmm… Wouldn't he need a trench coat though?" Came the girly voice of Toru Hagakure.
Jiro scoffed, drifting over to join the conversation. She made an attempt to rest a hand on Toru's shoulder, missed, and settled on crossing her arms.
"You know that most real-life detectives don't actually wear trench coats… right?" The punk rock girl asked. Before the invisible girl could answer, All Might arrived in a sudden burst of speed, wind, and dust.
"Alright you zygotes! Here's today's most important lesson!" All Might boomed, standing tall and proud, every inch the Symbol of Peace he was. "Where you fight is just as important as who you fight! Why? Because when you use your Quirks in public, and you all have quite the powerful Quirks, you could easily jeopardize lives if you're not careful!"
Class 1-A stood, devouring the words of wisdom from the Number One Hero without moving a muscle. There were still some who couldn't believe they'd actually gotten the chance to have the larger than life man as their teacher.
"Statistically speaking, most hero-villain encounters are in enclosed spaces whether you know it or not; banks, important facilities like hospitals or schools, and even secret lairs!" All Might continued, "That's why today's training is going to be inside this building here, so that you all may learn to overcome the obstacles that arise from combat in confined spaces. That's right! This is your first BATTLE TRIAL!"
The respectful silence was suddenly broken by exuberant shouts and exclamations of excitement. Their first combat class, the teens couldn't believe it was finally here. Distracted, the students of 1-A missed All Might pulling out a garishly colored box with the word 'LOTS' written on it.
"Time is limited so we'll be drawing lots to see who partners with who!" The Symbol of Peace announced. "Then we can go over the details of the trial."
Iida abruptly raised his hand, speaking immediately after doing so.
"Sir! Isn't there a better way to choose such important roles?" The tall boy asked. Izuku mentally facepalmed, wondering why he bothered to raise his hand if he was going to speak anyway before being called on. He stepped closer to his uptight classmate.
"Think about it like this," the green-haired teen said, "Pros often times don't get to choose who they end up working with in a crisis. This kind of simulates that randomosity."
Seeing the rationale in Izuku's words, Iida bowed to their teacher with words of apology. All Might waved the remorse away with a smile, putting a hand in the box he held.
"It's fine young Iida! Now, let's see who the first team is!" The Number One Hero dug around before withdrawing two slips with names written on them. "Tsuyu Asui! You'll be partnered with… Izuku Midoriya!"
"GGNAAHH!"
"And Tae!"
The tentative laughter in response to the zombie-girl's almost offended sounding groan was enough to almost cover Izuku's sigh of relief at not being paired with Bakugo. The only one to notice was his new partner, Tsuyu, who found the green-haired teen fun to watch.
After that, pairs were created quickly, and before long all of 1-A was partnered up and ready to go. From somewhere unseen by his students, All Might pulled a second box, this one just as garishly colored as the first, with 'H & V' printed on it.
"Now let's see who our first hero and villain teams are!" All Might shouted to the cheers of his students. The pro hero drew from the new box. "Bakugo and Iida will be on the hero team!"
It was at that moment that Izuku felt the ice-cold grip of cosmic irony curl around his heart. There was no way… All Might drew a second card. It would just be his luck if—
"While Asui and Midoriya will be on the villain team!"
The declaration was received with cursing from Izuku and a disappointed croak from Tsuyu, neither wanting to be villainous in their first training exercise. Bakugo sniggered loudly, only adding fuel to the fire. The look in the blond's eyes couldn't be mistaken for heroic in the slightest.
Minutes later, second floor of the training building…
The exercise hadn't turned out to be too difficult, all things considered. The villain teams would be given a fake nuclear weapon to protect until a timer ran out, and the hero teams had to either secure said weapon by touching it or capture both of their opponents. The villain teams would be given a surprisingly large amount of time to prepare while the hero teams had to wait outside and then go in totally unprepared, All Might justifying this by reminding his students that real villains hardly ever played fair.
Which really amounted to nothing in the end, as neither Izuku nor Tsuyu really wanted to be villains, and the duo decided to leave their fake weapon on the second floor as a result. They both agreed to be done with the exercise as soon as possible.
"Villains? We don't look like villains!" Izuku groused, railing against their unlucky draw. "And Bakugo sure as salt doesn't act like a hero."
It was a lose-lose situation for the two green-haired teens. If they won then their reputation would be tarnished for being too good at acting villainously, but if they lost then… they lost.
"Iida at least looks the part, kero," Tsuyu offered, joining her partner's rant. Even while doing so, the frog-girl seemed more intent on calming Izuku down than adding her own complaints.
The green-haired teen knew in a straight fight his only chance against opponents like these two, who'd been born with amazing Quirks fit for heroes and the drive to reach said title, would've been to turn them against one another. He was even confident he could easily achieve such an outcome, but concern over his partner's reputation in the face of such tactics kept him from bringing this fact up.
"Yeah… you're right," Izuku said, turning toward the frog-themed girl. Was it just him, or did she look even more attractive while crouched down like that? "I'm sorry you had to see me complaining like that, Asui-san."
"Call me Tsu-chan," Tsuyu answered suddenly. Izuku nearly fell over.
The green-haired teen attempted to collect himself before staring at the frog-girl in disbelief. With her naturally expressionless face, it was hard to read her intentions, but looking into her black eyes made it clear beyond all doubt that she was being honest.
"Y-You… wha—?" Izuku stuttered, his mind crashing to a halt. "Tsu… chan? As if… as if we were… friends?"
The idea that a girl, a pretty girl at that, wanted to be friends with someone like him of all people was completely absurd. There's no way the request had been real.
"Kero!" Tsuyu croaked while giving a cute node in response. The frog-girl didn't smile, but inside it felt good. She'd already taken a step toward her self-imposed goal of making many new friends at her new school.
Izuku shook himself free from his stupor, a guarded expression suddenly appearing in his eyes.
"Does that include Tae-chan?" He asked, already knowing such a demand would most likely end in the retraction of the offer of friendship.
Tsuyu merely shrugged, glanced at the zombie-girl, and stuck her tongue out in thought.
"Sure, why not? Kero," came the frog-girl's simple and honest reply. As if to prove her acceptance, the heroine-in-training approached Tae without concern, poking her in the cheek like a curious child.
Tsuyu was never one to judge a Quirk by its appearance, knowing from experience that some weren't pretty to look at and others were downright terrifying. People with Quirks like those usually ended up lonely, like her dear friend from middle school, and she knew they were the ones in dire need of real friendship.
"So… then… would it be too much to ask… and you don't have to if you don't want to… but… could… could you call me… Izu-kun?" The words, calling up a nickname from long ago, were forced past a throat choked between fear and hope. Izuku hadn't been called such since kindergarten, when a girl he'd shared a bento with had giggled it at him.
Bakugo had kicked her the next day. And he hadn't stopped until she'd tearfully promised to never talk to the 'little green freak' ever again.
"Sure, I don't see a problem with tha—why are you crying Izu-kun?! Kero!" Tsuyu hadn't seen the problem with such a silly request. Izu-kun? She probably would've come up with the nickname herself in a day or two.
But then her new friend had burst into tears.
"I'm just… so happy…" Izuku confessed through hiccupping sobs. "It's silly… I know… but I'm just so happy… that you're my friend."
The green-haired teen tried to wipe away the waterworks, but to little result. At least it was enough to earn a cute smile from the frog-girl who'd just changed his life. That smile, which had slipped by Tsuyu's normal mask of reservation, came from her understanding of the need for such a pure offering of friendship.
"Gggghh…"
The sudden groan from Tae, suspiciously sounding like a warning, caught the frog-girl off guard. The hard look that cut through her new friend's tears did so even more.
"You're right Tae-chan," Izuku replied, finally succeeding in wiping away his tears. "If…"
And then whatever else the green-haired teen said was lost to a storm of muttering, words spoken too fast and low for Tsuyu to follow. Straining her ears, she could at least make out what sounded like she'd been put in danger. Somehow. But that wasn't what worried the frog-girl the most regarding what had just happened though.
"Izu-kun, did she really just say something you could understand. Kero," Tsuyu asked. Normally she wouldn't bother, chalking it up to the unpredictability of Quirks, but this was different. She'd seen enough zombie movies to know that the undead weren't meant to be intelligent… at least, not enough to be able to communicate with living people.
Tsuyu's intense stare was met with one of Izuku's own, but as the seconds drew on she didn't find it creepy at all. In fact, the frog-girl noticed her new friend seemed to actually be more worried for her than anything else.
Izuku knew what he had to do as he gazed into Tsuyu's eyes. He had to keep Bakugo as far away from her as possible. This exercise had just taken on a new difficulty; the blond would be able to hurt her, and he would, repeatedly, until he drove the frog-girl away from him. He wasn't about to lose a friend, not again, and certainly not to Bakugo.
"Say… Tsu-chan?" Izuku asked out of the blue, "What would you say about playing to win instead of just giving up?"
The eyes she stared into spoke to Tsuyu of not one plan, but hundreds. The grin pulling at her partner's face for some inexplicable reason made her stomach tighten.
"Kero?" The questioning croak only fueled Izuku's determination. This girl was too cute to allow harm to come her way… even if she was probably fit enough to kick his, or anyone else's, ass easily.
Gently, the green-haired teen took the frog-girl's hands, hoping she wouldn't hate him for the bold move.
"I know how to win, but it could get us labeled as villainous for awhile," Izuku's words seemed ominous, but they'd piqued Tsuyu's curiosity. Especially when her partner instantly followed up with, "But we don't have do it unless you're okay with it."
So, after a moment of thought, the frog-girl decided to give in to a little competitiveness. It would do those hero-wannabes good to work for their win. They needed the practice after all.
"Okay, I'm in Izu-kun," Tsuyu said, nodding to show her agreement. "But how are you proposing we do this? Do you know their weaknesses?"
It was all well and good to desire to win, but everyone knew that without a plan even the greatest could be defeated. After all, a tactical mind could topple even the strongest Quirks if properly incentivized.
"Oh, I'm not going to use their weaknesses," Izuku corrected, "I'll be playing to their strengths."
The green-haired teen undid his tie, drawing a menacing groan from the zombie-girl behind him. In that moment, to Tsuyu, Tae appeared so much more than a puppet made from dead meat.
"We're going to get creative."
Izuku's final words would plague Tsuyu's dreams for many years to come… but not in the form of nightmares.
Magnus: I love your reviews, and I find it funny how a few of you are actually predicting things that will happen. Hopefully many of you will be really pleased with the changes that will take place in the future.