I, Katsuki Bakugou, have arrived. After years of training and putting up with pissants who thought they could stand on my level, I've finally managed to get into U.A. It's the best Hero School in the entire country, and I kicked their entrance exam's ass as hard as I knew I would. All Might said I got seventy-seven points. That's gotta be more than all those other losers, combined!
I'm finally on my way to the top. Gonna put all those know-nothing shitheads in their place once I reach the top. Won't be long before I'm beating everyone there is. Shazam, Wonder Woman, Endeavor, All Might, no one's gonna stop me!
Not even that piece of shit, Deku.
The day after receiving his acceptance letter to U.A., Midoriya, per All Might's request, went to his office in Roppongi to meet up with him. Just like he had done a year ago, Midoriya loudly shouted his name in public, forcing All Might to hastily come up with a lie about what was really said. Nevertheless, they were able to make their way to the same back corner from before to talk in private.
"I know I already said it in the video, but let me say it person: Young Midoriya, congratulations on your acceptance into U.A." All Might said.
"And on beating your record, right?" Midoriya asked.
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
"Sorry," Midoriya said, locking his eyes with the table.
"Hey, come on, that was a joke! Of course I'm proud of you for doing that. Super, duper proud and everything."
"O-Oh, duh! Thanks." Midoriya wasn't fully convinced, but he felt it best to drop the subject.
"So, were you surprised to learn that I'll be teaching this year?"
"Not really. I figured that you were doing it because, well, because you still need to find a successor."
"That's correct. The whole reason I was in Musutafu the day we met was to talk to the principal about setting this up. U.A. is the finest Hero School in the country, so if there's a young soul who would be a proper inheritor of One for All, they'll be there."
"Yeah, probably," Midoriya said, staring at the cup of tea in front of him. "Hey, is it really alright that I haven't given you a straight answer? You probably don't have a lot of time left before you have to retire, but I still turned you down, so it's kind of like-"
"Hey, hey! Stop being a Negative Nancy, already!" All Might cut in. "It's true that you would make for a great successor, but the last thing I'd want to do is force you into something you weren't ready for. If anything happens to me, it won't be your fault, it'll be my own fault for being too stubborn to retire back when this all started. No more of this nonsense, okay?"
"O-Okay!" This time, Midoriya did feel fully convinced. "But besides all that, I'm really just excited about the whole thing. It's been great getting to hang out with you so much this past year, but now we'll be able to see each other every day! I mean, you're still going to be working a lot, but now we're working in the same place! Oh, wait, this stuff and the other stuff reminds me: do all the teachers know about your injury?"
"They know the basics of my Quirk and injury, but only the principal and Recovery Girl know the specifics of One for All and my fight from six years ago. Naturally, they also don't know that we have any sort of pre-existing relationship."
"I guess that makes sense," Midoriya said as he took a sip from his tea.
"Also naturally, they know about you being an alien."
That sip ended up spread across the table.
"Th-Th-They what?!"
"Just the ones directly connected to the Hero Course. I'm not a fan of that, either, but that's what the government decided to do. Security reasons, and all that. Just, just try to understand."
"S-So all the teachers I'm going to be with knew I was an alien when I was taking the test?" Midoriya asked.
"That's right."
"And they still let me pass, in spite of that," Midoriya stated.
"That's right."
Midoriya stared at All Might for a few seconds before a bright smile appeared on his face.
"They knew I'm an alien, and they still let me in. That's good. That's really, really good."
"It is?"
"That means they don't care! At the very least, they don't care enough to treat me any differently than anyone else! The first thing that went through my head was that they'd all try to give me a hard time, but this means I don't have to worry about that!"
"Hmm… I guess it does mean that. At the very least, you know that you'll have at least one teacher giving you a fair chance."
What a teacher it would be, Midoriya mused.
More time came and went until it was the beginning of April. It all went by quickly, but for Bakugou, it wasn't nearly quick enough. He passed the entrance exam with flying colors, probably did better than everyone else, so they should have just let him get started right then and there. He wondered if they'd let him change the education system after becoming Number One. He hoped he could, since it wasn't as if anything important happened to him over the past month.
In the month since passing the exam, Bakugou had done nothing worth caring about. Graduation came and went, but he wasn't going to get sentimental about leaving people he didn't care about and a school that was only a stepping stone on his path to becoming a Hero. The only thing of note was getting confirmation that Midoriya also passed U.A.'s entrance exam. Good that he did what he was supposed to. Now all Bakugou needed to do was defeat and humiliate him, and everything would be perfect.
Moving on, the first day of school had arrived. After spending ten minutes trying to get away from his parents and their overbearing nonsense (who hasn't been taken hostage by a sludge monster?), he finally managed to get to school in time for the opening ceremony. There was a huge crowd of reporters milling about the school, both inside and out. He knew the opening ceremony always drew in the press, especially since it was the only time of year they were allowed on campus, but this felt excessive. Must have been because of that Luthor girl who was attending U.A.
Bet she thinks she's gonna be running this place. Guess again; that's gonna be me, Bakugou said to himself. Who gives a shit, anyway? She's in the Support Department, so it's not like she's competition.
Bakugou made his way to the seating section for Hero Course students. In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Midoriya coming into the auditorium and standing around for no reason before four kids ran up and started talking to him. They all looked like they were having a good time, together.
Bakugou made sure to sit way in the back.
For most people, today was simply another day in their ordinary lives, but for a select few, it was the most important day that they would ever live. Yes, Lexi knew that today was the first day of school at U.A. High School, but the fact that all of those incoming freshman would be able to meet her was what truly made it a special occasion.
"So Mercy, how does it feel to not have to drive me around, anymore?" Lexi asked while flipping through a manga magazine. "Does it feel liberating? Like a weight's been lifted off your shoulders?"
"You'd think it would, but it honestly just feels kind of empty," Mercy said. "Guess that's what happens when you spend so many years chauffeuring someone around."
"It sure was fun having you take me everywhere, whether it was by car, by bike, or by wagon when we were kids. I'll miss those days."
"It'd be easier to miss them if Woodhouse knew how to drive! Goddammit, would it kill you to seize the gap?!"
"Terribly sorry, miss. It's been quite some time since I've had to drive on the left, and I'm still getting readjusted," said an elderly man with a British accent and a bionic arm.
"Do that on your own time, not when you have a job to do!"
"Understood, miss."
Lexi could tell that Mercy wasn't fully convinced. She'd just have to get used to Woodhouse's driving. After all, for half of the day, six days a week, she wasn't just her assistant/bodyguard, she was also her classmate, and classmates don't chauffeur each other to and fro various locations.
"We're here, madam and miss," Woodhouse said as the limo came to a full stop. "Enjoy the rest of your day."
"I'll certainly be able to, now that I'm out of this death trap," Mercy said as she exited the vehicle.
"Don't take too hard, Woodhouse. Mercy just has high standards. If someone like me is saying this, then you know it has to be true," Lexi said.
"Understood, madam. I'll do my best to not take her unpleasantness to heart," Woodhouse said.
...He's been with the family a while, so I'll give him that, Lexi told herself. She grabbed her magazine off the seat and stepped out of the limo. The second Woodhouse drove away from the curb-doing so in a manner that Mercy would certainly have scolded him for-a massive crowd of reporters swarmed her person.
Why they thought this was a good time, she had no idea.
"Luthor-san, can I trouble you for a few-"
"Luthor-san, in regards to your new position as CEO of-"
"Luthor-san, if you don't mind me asking-"
"Excuse me!" Lexi shouted. All the talking heads went silent, allowing Lexi free time to open up her magazine and step over to Mercy's side. "I'm still in the middle of reading, so I'm going to have to ask you to wait until I'm done before asking your questions."
"Don't you think you can read your manga some other time?" one reporter asked.
"Well, I'm definitely not answering any of your questions." Lexi smiled at his flabbergasted expression. It gave her a good chuckle as she and Mercy walked towards the school.
"Okay, this is ridiculous!" another reporter shouted. "Luthor-san, I don't know how things work in America, but if you're going to be in our country, you need to treat people with the proper respect-"
Before he could finish talking, Mercy grabbed his microphone, ripped off the capsule, and jammed it into his mouth to silence him. Lexi admired her friend's appreciation of ironic punishment.
"Anyone else feeling brave and bold, today?" Mercy asked. The talking heads shook their speechless heads, and Lexi and Mercy were able to keep walking in peace.
"Oh, now that makes sense," Lexi said, turning a page as she, Mercy, and the reporters entered the building.
"The detail in this splash panel is phenomenal!" Lexi said, turning a page as she, Mercy, and the reporters entered the auditorium.
"Oh, Optiman, is there anything you can't do?" Lexi asked, finally closing her issue of Bessatsu Big Bounce and putting it away in her backpack. "Okay, then… you. From Hero News Association."
"Yes!" a woman with brunette hair tied up in a ponytail exclaimed, smirking at her fellow reporters. "Shuju Tokugawa, HNA, as you so brilliantly pointed out."
No one likes a suck up, Lexi said to herself.
"Luthor-san, the entire world was shaken by your sudden decision to attend U.A., but the question on all of our minds is why? You already graduated from Metropolis University at the age of five and earned your doctorate in nanoengineering at the age of seven, so why the need to go through secondary education?"
"As you all know, one day, I won't simply be CEO of a single branch of LexCorp, I'll be running the entire company; going by Mother and Father's addiction to alcohol and Russian roulette, that'll probably happen sooner, rather than later. Anyway, LexCorp is a company that serves not the wealthy elite, but the common, everyday folk who need a helping hand every now and then to get through life. One day, it'll be my turn to provide that service, and if I'm going to spend my life helping the common man, I need to gain more of an understanding of how they think. Of their wants, their needs, their struggles, I need to know everything there is to know about society so I know the best way to assist it."
Tokugawa was smiling through all of that, and she could hear scattered whispers of approval from the rest of the crowd. It appeared that that was a serviceable enough answer for these kinds of people.
"A truly amazing answer, Luthor-san. Just what someone would expect from a member of your family! Speaking of which, why didn't you decide to attend the Lex Luthor Institution of Accelerated Humanity? Furthermore, why a Hero School, at all?"
"For the second question, I feel like that's rather obvious, but I'll still explain. Heroes are the name of the game in today's society, so if learning more about society is the goal, then these are the people with whom I need to integrate. As for the first question…"
Lexi trailed off as something caught the corner of her eye. An important something. An important something being surrounded by a group of people after he appeared to stare off into space. An important something named Izuku Midoriya.
"As for the first question, well, let's just say that this school has something that my grandfather's never could."
"Hm?" Tokugawa turned in the same direction as Lexi. "Hey, that's Endeavor's son over there, isn't it? Ah, of course you'd be interested in the son of the Number Two Hero!"
"Sure, why not?"
"Did you remember to pack a notebook?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Don't forget to talk about something other than Heroes."
"Yes, Dad."
"Don't forget to take careful notes during class."
"Yes, Professor Stein."
"If anyone in a black suit walks up to you and says they're from the DEO-"
"Fly away as far as possible, as soon as possible, I know, okay?"
"We know, Izuku, but we're adults, so just let us get fussy on your big day, okay?" Inko asked.
"Yeah, okay," Midoriya said. In all honesty, he couldn't blame them for getting like this. Parents-also godparents, in the case of Professor Stein-were obligated to act like parents when their children achieved something, after all.
"You look so cool in your uniform, Izuku!"
"Wish people could have looked that sharp back in my day," Professor Stein said from the laptop Inko was holding.
"Come on, stop it. I gotta go, now, bye!" Midoriya said with a red face.
"Knock 'em dead, Izuku," Hisashi said. Midoriya had already walked out the door, but he could tell that his father was smiling as brightly as he was. It wasn't every day that someone started going to U.A. High, after all.
It had only been a month since Midoriya was last at U.A., but he still couldn't get over how mesmerizing it all was and how incredible it was that he could be a part of it all. Being inside the building, dressed in the school's uniform, seeing hundreds of people wearing the same clothes as him, it was all rather astounding. The fact that there were even more Pro Heroes as teachers for him to look at wasn't that bad, either.
Oh my God, over there! It's the Blood Hero: Vlad King! He once used his Blood Control Quirk to help Oracle arrest Count Dracula! Midoriya screamed in his head as he walked through the auditorium. Over there's the Space Hero, Thirteen! They've used their Quirk to clean up cities destroyed in cataclysms all over the world! Oh, over there's the Naughty Witch Hero, Midnight! Her sleeping magic is supposed to be some of the most powerful to ever come out of Isamu Academy! I should have known this going in, but it's still so amazing that there are so many Heroes working here! This is going to be great!
Then, all of a sudden, it stopped feeling nearly as great as it should have been, the reason being that Midoriya's eyes ended up locked with another person's eyes. He was wearing the school uniform, and going by the design of it, he was also in the Hero Course. Midoriya didn't remember seeing him during either testing period, and he was sure that he would have remembered those heterochromatic eyes, that mismatched red and white hair, and the stern, yet blank expression on his face that he kept staring at him with.
After a few more uninterrupted seconds, Midoriya finally figured out who it was.
I-I've seen his face on TV, before. That Shouto Todoroki, the youngest child of the Number Two Hero, Endeavor! Midoriya told himself. W-Why is he staring at me? Is my fly down? Do I have something on my face?
Wait. Wait wait wait Wait! When we first met, All Might said that all of the Top Ten Heroes know that I'm an alien. This guy, his father's the Number Two Hero, so does he-did Endeavor-could this guy possibly-
"Good morning!" a voice shouted, accompanied by a chop to the back of Midoriya's head.
"Aah!" Midoriya shouted, less from nonexistent pain and more from the sheer suddenness of it all. "K-Kendou-san!"
"What country uses 'Kendou-san!' as a greeting?" Kendou asked when Midoriya turned to her.
"G-Good morning to you, too." While Kendou was smiling at him, Midoriya stealthily and speedily turned back towards Todoroki and saw that he was walking away from the scene. He didn't know what to make of that, but with any luck, it would be a while before they'd see each other, again. It was hard to fully put the thought behind him, but with Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Uraraka coming over towards him, it would be a little easier.
"Good morning Midoriya-san, Kendou-san. It's great to see you both again," Yaoyorozu said.
"Same!" Kendou said. Midoriya meekly gave out an identical response.
"Midoriya-kun, are you alright?" Iida asked. "You look like someone just punched you in the stomach. Wait, that probably wouldn't hurt you. Like someone slammed a steamroller into you? No, that also feels rather questionable, but maybe with the right amount of velocity-"
"I-Iida-kun, stop, I'm fine," Midoriya said. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. First day jitters, you know? It's fine."
"If you say so."
"I'm just happy we're all here, at all!" Uraraka said with an exasperated expression. "The whole time we were waiting for results, I couldn't stop thinking about what would've been worse: getting in while some of us failed, or me not getting in, at all. And then Midoriya-kun said that he only passed because of those Rescue Point things-ahh, I'm just really glad I don't have to start over on making friends."
"I'm sure we all would have hated to fill in any gaps in our circle," Yaoyorozu said with a smile.
"Couldn't happen, though. Guess the pentagon's the real strongest shape in nature. It'll take more than a test to break up… what's a famous team of five?" Kendou asked.
"A team of five?" Midoriya asked.
"Yeah, know any?"
"Not off the top of my head."
"If there were two more of us, we could have been the Seven Samurai. How unfortunate," Yaoyorozu said.
"Is this really necessary, Kendou-kun?" Iida asked.
"It's not unnecessary," Kendou said. "I mean, we're going to be hanging out a lot, so why not add some extra synergy."
"Yes, that would increase the efficiency of our teamwork and make us more productive in our training." If Iida wanted to see it that way, Midoriya wasn't going to say anything. "In that case, I nominate 'The Five Dysfunctions' as a means of continually reminding ourselves of which aspects of teamwork we will have to overcome!"
"Nah, too negative."
"I knew you would say, but still!"
"What about the 'Scooby Gang'?" Uraraka asked.
"Too overdone," Kendou said.
"Monstars?" Midoriya asked.
"Monstars?" Yaoyorozu asked. She and everyone else started looking at him.
"Th-That just kind of slipped out! You can all ignore that, it really is kind of-"
"I like it! It's a deal!" Kendou said, giving him a giant-sized thumbs up with her right hand while she fished out her phone with her left.
"Really? That's the winner?" Uraraka asked. "I know that it's referencing an Academy Award-winning movie franchise, but-"
"Nope, it's the Monstars. I already changed the name of our group chat to that, and that makes it official; so let it be written, so let it be done, and all that."
That brought everyone to a laugh, a laugh that Midoriya desperately needed.
Midoriya and his friends, now having the nickname of the "Monstars", made their way to five seats when it was announced that the opening ceremony was about to begin. From there, the principal, a talking rat-like creature by the name of Nedzu, started providing the opening address. It was basically the same as what Midoriya had heard in junior high, Nedzu talking about things like how they should be proud of the work they put in to be there, how they couldn't let the next three years go to waste, how it would be important to treasure all of the bonds of friendship they establish during their time here. Many things of that nature.
"Most importantly, everyone in this room-not just the students, but the teachers and civilians, as well-must never forget the importance of the heroic ideals that have shaped society into its present form," Nedzu said. "One student bravely making his way into the world today is already far along on the path of reaching these ideals. During the entrance exam, this student showcased not only tremendous power for dealing with his enemies, but true selflessness by constantly putting the safety of his peers above his own success. Thanks to that, not only did he earn first place by a wide margin, he set a new school record for most points accumulated in the exam, a record that had previously been held by All Might for decades. Everyone, please join me in congratulating our top incoming freshman, Izuku Midoriya!"
A spotlight was cast over Midoriya's body, pointing him out for everyone to see. Simultaneously, applause sounded throughout the room, coupled with cheers from people in the crowd, every so often.
"You didn't tell us your score was that good," Yaoyorozu whispered.
"I-I didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Midoriya said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"There was no need for that. There should be no shame in celebrating your accomplishments," Iida said, bobbing his head at a perfect ninety degree angle. Uraraka and Kendou smiled at him from their seats. They surely had the same feelings, and the more Midoriya thought about it, the more he was okay with it.
It still felt good to feel like a winner.
"Thanks to that, not only did he earn first place by a wide margin, he set a new school record for most points accumulated in the exam, a record that had previously been held by All Might for decades. Everyone, please join me in congratulating our top incoming freshman, Izuku Midoriya!"
A spotlight was cast over Midoriya's body, pointing him out for everyone to see. Simultaneously, applause sounded throughout the room, coupled with cheers from people in the crowd, every so often.
What! The! Fuck! Those were three words being repeated in Bakugou's mind, ad nauseam. Everyone was applauding for Midoriya, cheering him on like he was a celebrity, yet all he could think about was whether or not he had fallen into some sort of Bizarro World.
Seriously, what! The! Fuck! Bakugou shouted in his head, regaining some of his vocabulary. Deku's the one who got first place, and not me?! Not getting first is bullshit as it is, but Deku doing that, and breaking a fucking record?! Fucking Deku?!
Nedzu was saying something else, but Bakugou was too angry to listen. He stomped out of his seat and headed towards the door, no idea what he was doing until he saw Present Mic standing near there.
"What the hell was my score?" Bakugou asked.
"Huh? What are you asking about, all of a sudden?" Present Mic asked.
"My score. On the fucking entrance exam. What was it?"
"Um, in case you hadn't noticed, we're kinda in the middle of something-"
"What was my fucking score?!" Bakugou shouted.
"Okay, okay! Jeez, cool your jets, kid!" Present Mic said. He pulled out a tablet and swiped his finger across the screen a few times. "Katsuki Bakugou, right? Says here you got… hey, tenth place!"
The words were like a dagger through his shattered chest.
"Congratulations, kid! Not many people get to say they got in the top ten. I remember back when me and Aizawa took the exam, and-hey, where are you going?!"
In the midst of Present Mic's speech, Bakugou had stormed away from him and out of the auditorium. He didn't need his pity.
Tenth place. Tenth. Place. That means I didn't just lose to Deku, I also lost to eight random nobodies! I'm fucking serious. What. The. FUCK!
In the middle of all the praise Midoriya was being showered with, he heard Nedzu say something else when the noise started to die down. He wasn't paying complete attention, but he still had an idea of what his principal might have said, and if it was true, then he didn't like it, at all.
"Once again, Izuku Midoriya-kun, please conclude the opening ceremony by saying a few words to your peers," Nedzu said. They were the exact words Midoriya thought he said, and he didn't like that, at all.
W-What? H-H-He wants me to give a speech? He wants me to give a speech!
People were starting to stare at him. Just sitting there doing nothing was going to draw more attention than he wanted, so despite being completely lost, he got out of his seat and walked towards the stage. Each step was stilted and full of hesitation, but he was walking, nonetheless. There was no plan running through his head, but he was walking, nonetheless.
What am I supposed to do?! Midoriya shouted in his head. He kept walking over to the stage, but he still couldn't come up with any semblance of an answer.
However, when he was almost at the steps, he at least got a hint in the form of All Might, who was apparently using his skinny form to disguise himself as an ordinary spectator. This was something he could use to his advantage with the right amount of precision.
"Oh no! I, um, accidentally dropped my phone to the floor, completely by accident!" Midoriya shouted while throwing his phone down and then kicking it under All Might's seat, all done in a rather conspicuous manner. "I really should get it back before I give my big speech that I'm really excited to give! Could you help me out, random citizen? This will only take a minute!"
"Yes! I would be more than happy to assist you, kid I don't know!" All Might shouted in an equally conspicuous manner. The two jumped down to the floor and started to establish the facade of searching for Midoriya's phone.
"Well, while they're busy with that, I'll tell you all a riveting story from my past," Nedzu said. "It was back when I worked as a detective alongside my good friend Bobo, though you all probably know him better as Detective Chimp. We had this quaint little agency in downtown London that was only ten minutes away from a bakery that always served delicious banana bread and cheesy hashbrown bagels. I know what you're thinking: bagels? In England? I was just as surprised as you were, but they were legitimate and tasted just like they came out of a New York oven. Bobo and I would always pick up a few bagels and slices of bread every other morning and eat them with eggs and fruit for breakfast. He always liked to eat his eggs hard-boiled, said it was appropriate, but I've always been a scrambled man, myself-"
While Nedzu droned on and on about whatever it was that he was talking about, Midoriya engaged All Might in conversation.
"Why didn't you tell me I had to give a speech?!" Midoriya whispered calmly.
"I definitely told you about that!" All Might whispered back in an equally calm manner.
"No, you didn't! All you did was lead me on into thinking I failed before talking about how great I actually did!"
"That's not-wait, hold on. Hold on. Okay, now I remember, and, okay, I definitely dropped the ball on that one. In my defense, I had to do a ton of videos that day, and by the time I got to you, I was just really tired."
"That doesn't help me! What am I supposed to do?!"
"I… don't know. I'd pull up my old speech on my phone for you to use, but I don't think today's audience would find it very relevant for you to talk about how we need to stand up against Communism."
"I'm dead. I'm so, so dead," Midoriya whispered.
"Come on, public speaking isn't that hard, kid. All you gotta do is talk about how you think the people in the crowd are the real winners, say a few things about justice, then end it all with a Plus Ultra. It's that easy."
"Even if you say that-"
"Here you go, kino." All of a sudden, Midoriya found himself being interrupted by someone other than All Might: a small, talking mushroom that was emitting a light red glow and holding his phone in stubby little arms.
"Huh?"
"I found your phone, as requested by Lady Kinoko, kino. Please take it, kino." The mushroom kept talking, but Midoriya still had no idea what to make of it; going by All Might's face, he was lost, as well.
"U-Um, thanks?" Midoriya said. He still had no idea what was happening, but if someone was trying to help him, then it would be rude of him to refuse, so he took his phone away from the mushroom. Immediately after doing so, the mushroom exploded and was replaced with a plastic bag of mushroom-shaped gummies.
Today was just one of those days, Midoriya surmised.
"-and with that, the portal to the Underworld was completely sealed shut. Eurasia was turned back to normal, Wonder Woman gave us both a peck on the cheek for a job well done, and Ares learned what war is really good for: absolutely nothing," Nedzu said. "Now then, while I would love to keep talking, it appears that Midoriya-kun is no longer distracted and can start his speech. Midoriya-kun, if you would be so kind."
"Well, I guess I have to, now," Midoriya said under his breath.
With slightly less hesitation than before, Midoriya stuffed the gummies into his pocket, returned to his walk cycle, and finally found his way to the stage. Nedzu moved his step stool away from the podium and allowed Midoriya to stand behind it. All of a sudden, dozens upon dozens upon dozens of faces of varying sizes, shapes and colors were all focused on him with anticipation. He really hoped that he wouldn't vomit.
"H-Hello. M-My name's Izuku Midoriya," Midoriya said. The audience erupted into a wave of cheering. "S-So! I, um, I did good-did well on the exam, really, really well. I'm not trying to rub it in, or anything! I-I'm just still really surprised by the whole thing! For the longest time, I never thought that I'd be able to go to U.A., and then I find out that I did a better job of getting in than everybody else. That-That's crazy!"
"You're so humble!" shouted a random person in the audience.
"T-To be honest, I'm surprised that I got in, at all. No one told us about Rescue Points, so I thought that I only managed to earn fifteen points. The whole time the exam was going on, I thought I was doing a terrible job, but I couldn't bring myself to change that. I-If someone had gotten hurt, and I knew that I could have stopped it, I, well, I don't know what I would have done. So even though you're all acting like I've done something great, I-I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of you. That's why, if you ask me, you're the ones who are really great! You're… the real winners!"
"He's right! We are awesome!" shouted a random person in the audience as everyone erupted into more cheers and applause.
"Y-Yeah, that's right! It's not just about me, it's about all of us. We're all in this together; once we know that we are, we'll all be stars. All of us can show off Wisdom, Wonder, Mystery, and Entropy if we just put our minds to it. A-And if you ever think that justice isn't working, then all you have to do is… is justice harder!"
"I love it!" shouted a random person in the audience.
I love it, too, random citizen! Midoriya thought to himself. The crowd kept cheering and applauding him, but after a few seconds of him not saying anything, they went dead silent. Midoriya was running out of things to improvise, so it was getting time to put an end to things.
"Plus… Ultra?"
The crowd went wilder than they ever had before. He could see All Might giving him a thumbs up, so hopefully this meant he was doing something right.
After Nedzu gave him the go ahead to stop talking, Midoriya ran off the stage and out of the auditorium, stopping in a random hallway to catch his breath.
"Oh my God, that was one of the worst things in my life. I never want to do anything like that, ever again," Midoriya said through frantic breaths.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad. I thought it was pretty great for something you pulled out of thin air."
"It was that obvious? No one seemed to notice that, though."
"Well, you can't blame them for not being able to notice the little things. You're the same. Why, you're so worn out from all of that that you aren't even paying attention to who you're talking to."
"Yeah, probably."
It took Midoriya three seconds to listen to what he was saying, four to fully understand it, and five to turn and face whoever it was he was talking to. As it turned out, he was talking to a dark-haired woman wearing a beige jumpsuit and holding a large broom in one hand.
It was quite easy for Midoriya to conclude that the woman was a janitor.
"Kids like you need to learn to be tough! A soft heart is fine and dandy, but a weak heart won't get you anywhere!" the janitor exclaimed.
"R-Right. Thanks for the advice…" Midoriya took a second to read her name tag, "Aoi-san."
"Don't mention it. Supporting the future leaders of the world is what makes janitors janitors, after all. Now if you'll excuse, I need to go to the third floor bathroom. Someone had literal explosive diarrhea."
As Aoi the janitor walked off, Midoriya couldn't help but think about how he didn't need to have heard that. Today was just one of those days, Midoriya surmised.
"Oh, you guys, I found him!" came Uraraka's voice from the other end of the hall. Seeing her and the rest of his friends helped put his mind a little more at ease.
"Yeah, I guess you did find me," Midoriya said. "Sorry for running off like that."
"It's perfectly fine; that was very much something you would have done," Yaoyorozu said. "I think any of us would do the same if we were put on the spot like that."
"What are you talking about, Yaoyorozu-kun? Are you suggesting that Midoriya-kun wasn't prepared to give that phenomenal a speech?" Iida asked. Yaoyorozu nodded her head. "That's absurd! A speech that inspiring and well-constructed could only have been born from days of rigorous labor and practice-"
"It was actually all on the spot," Midoriya said.
"I can't believe it!" Iida shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "I don't know if I should find this massively impressive or utterly disappointing!"
"How about you figure that out while we're walking?" Kendou asked. As per her suggestion, the group started walking off to their new classroom, Hero Course, Class 1-A, to attend their first homeroom of the year.
"Word of warning, Midoriya, they're gonna make you give another speech at the Sports Festival. If this is how you handle public speaking, then you should probably start working on your next speech a year ago," Kendou said.
"I'll try to keep that in mind," Midoriya said. Rather absentmindedly, he took out the bag of gummy mushrooms and started eating them for a few seconds before offering them to the rest of their friends. Fortunately for him, no one questioned where he got them, so he didn't have to try and explain whatever it was that happened earlier.
In little time at all, the group made their way to the door to their classroom. It was massive in size, something Midoriya guessed was for students with powers that made their bodies equally massive in size. Whatever the answer was, it still made it nerve-wracking to look at.
Just power through, Izuku, just power through, Midoriya told himself. They're letting everyone go home after homeroom, so it won't be much longer until you can relax again. As soon as you walk in, just try and slink into a dark corner and avoid drawing attention to yourself.
Midoriya opened the door and took one step inside the classroom. Before his foot could even touch the ground, a swarm of people jumped out of their seats and ran over to him with excited looks on their faces.
"Hell yeah! Midoriya's in our class!" shouted a short kid with purple hair that looked like balls, said kid jumping into the air as everyone said similar things.
"I'm just going to slink off and try to be comfortable," Uraraka whispered as she proceeded to do just that.
"Hey, is it true that you beat up that Starro robot, all by yourself? Like you just flew straight through it at super speed and blew it up?" asked a girl with small horns and pink skin.
"Y-Yeah, I guess so," Midoriya said.
"Awesome!"
"He also kept helping everyone get points when they were in trouble. Like me! Remember?" asked what appeared to be a floating uniform.
"Did I-oh yeah! Now I remember you! Took me a second because, um-"
"Because I was naked, right?"
"Wait, what?!" shouted a boy with a black zigzagging line running through blonde hair. "Wait, what's even the point?"
"Shut up," said a girl whose earlobes looked liked headphone jacks. "Seriously, though, thanks for the save back there. I thought that robot was gonna squash me like a bug, but you blew it up before it even had the chance."
"I was trying to save it for you, though."
"He also helped me when I was being double-teamed by two robots," said a masked man with six muscular arms.
"I was just doing what anyone would. Well, I guess that's apparently not true."
"You should have seen the way he froze this one robot to a wall and let me beat the crap out of it! This guy's a total badass!" shouted a boy with spiky red hair. Midoriya remembered doing that, but he couldn't remember this person to save his life. Not until he saw how sharp his teeth looked, at least.
"Oh, right, I remember that! You were the last person I helped before Starro showed up. But wasn't your hair-"
"Hey, hey! No need to talk about that!" The pink-skinned girl seemed to be directing a smirk right at him, only for him to turn his eyes away from her. Thinking a little harder, Midoriya remembered that she was the girl he pulled out of the "Mutation" line on the day of the exam. They must have known each other before coming here, he surmised.
"Just so we're all on the same page here, I got helped by this guy before it was cool," Kendou said.
"That's not wrong, but I don't remember trying to make it cool, or anything," Midoriya said.
"Call it an achievement in ignorance, then."
"And it was such an awesome achievement!" the purple-haired shorty shouted once again. "You can try and act all modest and stuff, but there's no way that there's anyone better than-"
"Will all you morons just shut the fuck up, already?!"
Everyone turned towards the sudden shout in surprise, no idea who made it or why they would do so. Everyone except Midoriya. He immediately recognized the voice and knew that the second worst scenario he could think of had come to pass: Bakugou was in the same class as him.
"Excuse me, but we were all in the middle of a conversation here! You don't have to participate, but if we're bothering you, you can simply ask us to keep it down in a more polite manner than that," Iida said.
"Blow it out your ass, four-eyes."
"Excuse me?!"
Uraraka, having made the poor decision to sit next to Bakugou, quietly got up and started slinking back over to Midoriya. Midoriya wasn't completely sure, but he thought he heard her mumble something along the lines of "Nowhere's safe in here."
"All of you losers acting like Deku's hot shit. Makes me want to throw up," Bakugou said.
"'Deku'? Midoriya-san, this wouldn't happen to be Bakugou, would it?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"I-It is," Midoriya stammered out.
"Now it all makes sense," Uraraka said with an exasperated look on her face.
"He's about as tall as I thought he'd be," Kendou remarked.
"Wait, you're Bakugou-kun?" Iida asked. "Well, if we're both Midoriya-kun's friend, we should try and get along, so let's start over. My name is Tenya Iida. I graduated from Somei Academy-"
"I'm not interested in your life story, four eyes! But Deku, what the hell are you doing talking smack about me behind my back?! And since when can you fly and freeze shit?!" Bakugou shouted, standing up from his desk. In response, the rest of the students backed up into various parts of the room, making room for a fight Midoriya hoped they were wrong in expecting to happen.
"I-I wasn't doing that, Kacchan!" Midoriya said. "I-I mean, I told them that you existed, but it didn't go any further than that, and I only got those powers in the past year, so I never really got around to-" As Midoriya kept talking, he trailed off when something caught his eye in the aftermath of the crowd's dispersal. Apparently, there was another person who had been sitting down through all of the unwanted praise Midoriya had been getting. Going along perfectly with the luck he had been having, the person was Todoroki, staring at him as intensely as he was back at the opening ceremony.
Midoriya was wrong. It was the number one worst scenario that had actually come to pass.
"Asshole! Look at me when you're talking to me!" Bakugou shouted.
Midoriya didn't know who was going to say something next, Bakugou, one of his friends, or more surprisingly himself, but no one got the chance to do so. The door flew open, forcing all of the tension to fly right out of it, leaving the atmosphere in the hands of the newest person to enter the scene.
"Good morning, class," the new person, a young woman, said in a quiet voice. The top half of a pale face was covered by a white Noh mask, and the entirety of her head was framed by a short crop of black hair. Her chest was wrapped in a sarashi, a black leather jacket covering the same amount of skin, and a red obi sat above matching leather pants. Equally eye-catching, though, had to be the twin katanas on her left hip and what appeared to be a yellow body bag being dragged across the floor with her right hand.
"I said good morning. Did-Did you all not here me?" she asked again in a meek tone.
"""Good morning,""" Midoriya and a large majority of the class said. Bakugou looked like he understood the shift in mood, so he sat back down in his seat.
"Get up, please."
"What the hell for?" Bakugou asked.
"Assigned seating," the woman stated. She walked over to the desk at the front of the room, stuffed the body bag in the nearest corner, and pulled out a clipboard and a stack of papers from a drawer. "You'll find your assigned seats here. After doing so, please take a blank sheet of paper, fold it in half, and write your name and favorite Hero on it."
"Um, why do we have to do that last thing?" Midoriya asked. After a few seconds of silence, all she said was "icebreakers" in a quiet voice, and apparently that was the end of that. All Midoriya hoped for was that it would be smooth sailing from that point forward.
Much to Midoriya's surprise, his hope for smooth sailing didn't lead to any sort of ironic consequences, at least none that were as ironic as they could have been. To put it in perspective, the seating arrangements went as follows:
The incredibly nervous Izuku Midoriya. Favorite Hero: All Might, naturally.
Shouto Todoroki, who Midoriya was certain was trying to burn a hole into the back of his head. Favorite Hero: Ice. Odd, considering who his father was.
Tooru Hagakure, the invisible girl he met during the exam. Favorite Hero: Her mom, apparently ("I love you, Mom!" was written next to that part).
Koji Koda, a muscular boy with a rock-shaped head. Favorite Hero: Batman IV. Technically a Vigilante, but it still probably counted.
Mashirao Ojiro, a plain-looking boy with a large tail coming out of him. Favorite Hero: Animal Man.
Itsuka Kendou, bringing Midoriya some much-needed relief. Favorite Hero: Richard Dragon. Not surprising.
Momo Yaoyorozu, adding even more relief. Favorite Hero: Princess Shazam, which he was already well-aware of.
Denki Kaminari, the guy who had a reaction when Hagakure talked about being naked. Favorite Hero: Static.
Eijiro Kirishima, the guy who dyed his hair, for some reason. Favorite Hero: Crimson Riot Pretty old school.
Fumikage Tokoyami, the guy he saw in the magic line on exam day. Favorite Hero: Johnny Thunder. A rather rare sight.
Mezou Shouji, the masked, multi-armed guy from earlier. Favorite Hero: The Question. What an odd choice.
Tenya Iida, sitting with straighter posture than anyone else in the room. Favorite Hero: The Flash I (Jay Garrick). Made sense.
Tsuyu Asui, a girl with frog-like features with a blank look on her face. Favorite Hero: Aquagirl III (Mareena Curry). It seemed a little weird for a frog girl to be a fan of someone who was half-fish, but who was he to judge?
Yuga Aoyama, a well-groomed boy who, according to Midoriya's enhanced vision, had something pushing slightly against the waist of his uniform. Favorite Hero: Crimson Fox ("All three are fabulous", according to the extra note).
Mina Ashido, the pink girl Kirishima had some kind of something with. Favorite Hero: Starfire. He could probably get along with her.
Minoru Mineta, the short boy who had replaced enthusiastic cheering for Midoriya with an enthusiastic thumbs up in his direction. Favorite Hero: Fire, something he hoped was for constructive reasons.
Kyoka Jirou, the girl with the oddly-shaped earlobes. Favorite Hero: Solovar, which seemed completely out of left field.
Hanta Sero, a boy with slanted eyes and odd protrusions on his elbows. Favorite Hero: Blue Beetle III (Ted Kord). Another odd choice.
Ochaco Uraraka, who seemed rather upset that she wasn't near the rest of her friend group. Favorite Hero: Wonder Woman, which explained the scarf she was wearing back in the winter.
Katsuki Bakugou, scowling as he sat in an appropriate seat for him. Favorite Hero: All Might, naturally.
The name plates were finished, yet it didn't seem like anyone was interested in breaking any ice. Midoriya felt a little happy that he wasn't the only one with first day jitters.
"So, um, good morning. Wait, I already said that." Their teacher appeared to be in the same boat. That felt less assuring. "Um… good morning-wait, no."
What is this even supposed to be? Midoriya asked himself.
"Okay, I can't do this. You were right, sir, I need more time to prepare myself."
"'S fine… been napping too long, anyway…" came a voice from the body bag of all places. Even more surprising was when the body bag started standing up.
"I-It's a zombie!" Uraraka shouted.
"Teacher! What is the proper procedure for handling a zombie attack at U.A.?!" Iida asked.
"I'm not a zombie… just slept too much…" The body bag, which Midoriya now realized was a sleeping bag, turned around to reveal a drowsy, unkempt face sticking out of the top. "Coffee…"
"Yes, sir," the woman said. She opened another drawer and pulled out a black mug and a large Starman-bucks brand thermos.
"So, are you our teacher, then?" Jirou asked the man in the sleeping bag. He gave a lazy nod as the woman poured coffee into the mug. "Who's she, then?"
"This is Katana; she's… got my back… I would advise… not getting killed by her… her sword traps… the souls… of its victims…"
"Could you elaborate on that, please?" Tokoyami asked.
There was no answer. Instead, Katana walked over to the man in the sleeping bag and forced the mug of coffee into his mouth, like a mother bird feeding worms to her babies. After a few seconds, the man in the sleeping bag's eyes opened ever so slightly as he squeezed out of the sleeping bag, revealing a mess of bandages around his neck and a sloppy assortment of all black clothing.
Today was just one of those days, Midoriya surmised.
"Right, let's get down to business," he said, sounding far more awake than he did a few seconds ago. "I'm Shouta Aizawa, your homeroom teacher and the social studies teacher for the Hero Course. The woman who tried and failed to get the class started is Tatsu Yamashiro; she'll be acting as my teaching assistant for the year."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Yamashiro said with a bow.
"Like all of the teachers at U.A., Yamashiro is a licensed Hero, but she's spent the majority of her career in America and other Western countries. That's all I'm allowed to tell you, from a legal standpoint."
Midoriya really hoped she wasn't some sort of criminal.
"Now that that's all cleared up, it's time to get started on today's main event. Normally, Yamashiro and I would have already completed this by now, but I was forced to push it back because someone just had to break a school record and force you all to go to the opening ceremony."
This is my fault? Midoriya asked himself.
"Anyway, everyone change into your gym clothes and head outside. Be quick about it, too; time is justice."
Another year, another opportunity to see if these kids were worth the effort of teaching, Aizawa mused. Principal Nedzu implied that he should go a little easier on his class since he had Yamashiro as his teaching assistant/chore monkey/excuse to sleep in, but the key word there was "implied". If it wasn't a direct order, then he really couldn't be blamed for not listening.
"Back in elementary school and junior high, you were all forced to go through physical education without using your powers," Aizawa said. "That, of course, was stupid. Ninety percent of the population possesses some kind of superhuman ability, so trying to evaluate someone without taking that into account is meaningless. Now that you're in U.A., those days are over. Midoriya."
"Y-Yes!" Midoriya stammered out.
"As I'm sure we all know, you scored first place in the exam. What was your record in the ball throw back in junior high?" Whenever Aizawa was assigned a freshman class, he always started things off by singling out the person who had the best score in the entrance exam. Of course, he was always planning to pick Midoriya for this, so him also getting the best score was just a happy coincidence.
"520 meters." That was less happy.
"I meant without your Quirk."
"520 meters." Even less happy.
"It's the first day of school, so you know nothing about me, but I'm going to tell you right here and now that it's not a good idea to be the smartass in my class."
"N-No! That's not what I'm doing! Really, it's not! It's just that my Quirk isn't the kind of Quirk I can just turn on and off on command. If I want to use less power, I have to consciously put in the effort to put out less power, but that's not the easiest thing to do, especially when I'm doing physical activities. Even though I'd always try and restrain myself, I'd always end up using too much power, and then the teacher would get mad at me because, like you said, we aren't supposed to use Quirks or other abilities for this kind of stuff-"
"Okay, that's enough," Aizawa cut in. "I get it, you're a bad example. Yamashiro, take a note: never call on Midoriya for anything." Yamashiro pulled out a notebook from her jacket and started writing in it.
"Never… call on… wait, what kanji does his name use?" Yamashiro mumbled.
"Moving on. Kendou. You got second place in the exam." Aizawa paused for a moment to let the class get out their unnecessary oohs and aahs and what sounded like angry growls from Bakugou. He'd have to look into that. "Remember what I said about being a smartass and tell me what your record was."
"I think it was fifty-three meters, give or take," Kendou said.
"Let's just make things simple and say it definitely was fifty-three," Aizawa said before tossing her a soft ball.
"What's this weird ring around the ball?"
"That connects it to a tablet that'll display how far it goes. Go ahead and test it out with your Quirk. Do whatever you want, just don't leave that circle over there."
Kendou gave a quick acknowledgment before stepping in the circle. She took a quick breath, positioned herself like a pitcher on the mound, enlarged her hands, and sent the ball flying in an a massive arc.
"Yamashiro," Aizawa stated after the ball hit the ground. She fumbled around her jacket for a bit before pulling out a tablet and turning it so everyone could see the number: 520 meters.
"Alright!" Kendou cheered. Midoriya and the rest of that little group ran over to congratulate her. It was dumb, but at least it wasn't undeserving. The girl had a good strength enhancement Quirk in Big Fist, so add in the good physique he assumed she had from giving her a once over and the background detailed in her file, and of course she would get a good score.
Still, it was far too early to celebrate.
"It's far too early to celebrate, you know," Aizawa said. "Right here and now, you're all going to go through eight physical tests to measure your abilities. Unlike the entrance exam, there won't be a reward for doing super well, but if you do so poorly that you end up in last place, then I'm going to expel you, on the spot."
That got them all to shut up.
Aizawa liked to compare his annual tradition to the dramatic arc. The first step, exposition, happens when he tells his class that they need to give it their all if they don't want their resumes to say "Only attended one day of high school before being expelled". After that came the second step, the rising action. That was when the students, those who would actually continue being students and the one who would be getting the boot, actually started the tests, and it was where they were at, now.
The first test was the 50-meter dash. Since Midoriya was the one he wanted to evaluate the most, he had him going first against Iida. With Iida having a speed-based Quirk, he would serve as a good measure of how fast someone like Midoriya could run.
That was the plan, anyway. Midoriya ruined it by effortlessly completing the 50-meter dash in 0.39 seconds, turning Iida's impressive 3.04 seconds into a mark of shame.
"No one other than my brother, father, and our American friends has ever outpaced me, before," Iida said. "I had a feeling you were faster than me, but I never thought the gap was so wide. All the more reason to keep trying hard, I suppose."
"Y-Yeah!" Midoriya said before the two high-fived. Maybe mark of shame was an exaggeration, Aizawa mused. The rest of the test didn't have anything too outrageous. The only other thing worth taking note of was Aoyama trying and failing to use his Quirk, Navel Laser, to clear through it with a good score. He needed to work on shortening the time he had to wait between firings.
Next was grip strength. Everyone was on there own for that one, so Aizawa couldn't pit Midoriya against anyone. Not that he needed to. He watched the exam, he already knew how incredibly powerful Midoriya was. He knew that, but he still didn't expect him to actually break the device.
"C-Can I get another one?" Midoriya asked.
"Can he?" Yamashiro asked.
"No. Let's just say you automatically win this one," Aizawa said. He wished there was a grin for him to tell him to wipe off. The rest of the test didn't have anything too outrageous. Shouji had the best score after Midoriya, followed by Koda (that was a little surprising), then Kendou, and so on and so forth.
The third test was the standing long jump. Just as he thought, Midoriya easily cleared the sandbox and then some; he nearly landed on the other side of the field before stopping himself in midair. Another person who was worth paying attention to was Ashido. She kicked the ground once, propelling herself into the air with some kind of blue light, kicked the ground a second time as she landed to repeat it with a larger spectacle, then finally launched herself forward after the third kick against what was now a small crater. She didn't land anywhere close to Midoriya, but no one else got farther than her. All in all, it was an excellent usage of her Quirk.
The fourth test was the sidesteps. Just as he thought, Midoriya handled it with ease, moving side to side with such incredibly speed that it was a little hard to track him. The person who did second best was, of all people, Mineta. Out of all of the students, he was the one struggling the most with all of the tests because of a blatant lack of physical ability. Fortunately, he was able to use his Quirk to produce a large number of bouncy balls from his head, causing his sidesteps to be done at rapid speed. If nothing else, it showcased exactly what he was trying to do with this whole thing.
The fifth test was the ball throw. Surprisingly, Midoriya wasn't the one to have an outrageous score. That honor belonged to Uraraka. Brown light enveloped her fingertips, she touched the ball, and it kept floating through the air until it went completely out of sight. For some reason, Yamashiro's tablet registered that as a score of "infinity". She breathed a sigh of relief and nearly fell to the ground when Yamashiro showed her her score. Couldn't blame her. Going off of her file, she probably felt like it was a miracle to be here, at all.
After Uraraka, it was Midoriya's turn. Just as he thought, his throw was utterly incredible, soaring out of sight in just a few seconds. When Yamashiro got his score, it somehow read "less than or equal to infinity". These things were really weird. After Midoriya was Bakugou, putting out an impressive score of 705 meters. All of his results had been impressive, now that he thought about it. Aizawa had assumed that Bakugou's handicap would get in the way, but he moved like it wasn't even there. One could only imagine the kind of training he put himself through to achieve that.
"It's my turn, now." Currently up to bat was Tokoyami. He was one of the people who wasn't using his power for any of the tests. His scores were good enough, so it wasn't a major issue, but he wanted to see it sooner, rather than later.
"No, this isn't one I can easily do on my own," Tokoyami coincidentally said. "I have no choice but to call upon your power. Now! Unleash your chaotic fury upon the world, Dark Shadow!"
Three seconds passed by without anything happening.
"I thought we talked about this! Fine. Imykst!" A dark cloud shot out of Tokoyami's stomach. Then, with a comical "POOF!", the word actually appearing out of nowhere, the cloud transformed into a birdlike creature made of shadows. It stretched out its body, performing the action and actually making itself larger, and with a yawn called out "Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!"
"Must you do that every time I go a few days without summoning you?" Tokoyami asked.
"I'll stop when it stops being funny, Fumi," the creature, Dark Shadow, said. Tokoyami rolled his eyes, and Aizawa couldn't blame him. "Anyway, what's on the menu for today?"
"I wish for you to launch this ball as far as you can. Into the heavens, if you must."
"You got it, boss!"
Dark Shadow took the ball out of Tokoyami's hands and tossed it high in the air. As the ball made its descent, Dark Shadow's body transformed into what looked like a medieval cannon. The ball fell into the back end, then a hand stretched out of its body to close it, followed by that same hand lighting a fuse with a snap of its fingers. The cannon turned upright, the fuse was completely burnt up, and the ball went flying through the air, eventually landing some 666 meters away.
"Ooops, botched it a little," Dark Shadow said.
"You did your job. Tskymi." At his command, Dark Shadow faded away into nothingness, not a single trace left behind.
Aizawa didn't really understand this, but he knew that he hated it.
After the ball throw, the students went through sit ups, long distance running, and seated toe touches. Nothing noteworthy happened in any of those events, so there was little to nothing to comment on. Either way, Aizawa's tests were over, and going back to the dramatic arc, they were now at the climax: the results.
Izuku Midoriya
Katsuki Bakugou
Momo Yaoyorozu
Shouto Todoroki
Tenya Iida
Fumikage Tokoyami
Mezou Shouji
Mashirao Ojiro
Eijirou Kirishima
Mina Ashido
Itsuka Kendou
Koji Koda
Tsuyu Asui
Ochaco Uraraka
Yuga Aoyama
Hanta Sero
Denki Kaminari
Kyoka Jirou
Tooru Hagakure
Minoru Mineta
"Well, there you have it," Aizawa said as Yamashiro closed the holographic display. "Now you all have a good understanding of where you stand, how you can improve, and in the case of one of you, whether or not you actually belong here."
That specific one being Mineta, of course, which brought them into the fourth step, falling action. It was going a little differently than normal. The person who got last place was usually crying or throwing a fit at this point, but Mineta was just staring off into space with a dejected look, completely at a loss. The other kids looked at him with a mixture of pity and ambivalence, ambivalence strongest with Bakugou. The only person who looked angry was Midoriya, the kid looking like he might blow a fuse.
"By the way, I was lying about expelling someone. It was a logical ruse designed to push you to your limits." All of the anger on Midoriya's face faded away, replacing itself with the same level of shock nearly everyone else had.
"S-S-So I'm not getting expelled?!" Mineta cried.
"Naturally; this should have been obvious from the start," Yaoyorozu said. "Although I must admit to having some doubts about that towards the end."
That was Midoriya's fault. Aizawa liked to milk things a little, get whoever got last place to take a walk of shame for a bit before breaking the news, but Midoriya had to ruin it by looking like he was going to start a fight. Last thing he needed was someone yelling at him for doing his job, so now it was time for falling action: explaining the logical ruse.
"You're right, Yaoyorozu, it should have been obvious, but don't you or anyone else think that that's because I'm a nice guy," Aizawa said. "Ask anyone who's been here more than a year and they'll tell you that I won't hesitate to kick someone out, but not like this; never with something like this. All that stuff I just had you do was basic physical training, and most of it you couldn't even use your powers to help get a better score. If I wanted to seriously test you, I'd put you through something far more elaborate. It'd probably be spread around the whole school, there'd be spikes jutting out of walls and the ground, and there'd also be shark tanks. Or fire. Or both. I'd probably do both. What were my notes, Yamashiro?"
"You did, in fact, talk about using both. There was also mention of finding a way to attach laser beams to the heads of the sharks," Yamashiro said.
"Right, forgot about that one. There was some kind of logistics problem with it-"
"The sharks would bite off someone's hand."
"Well, it was all hypothetical, anyway. But to reiterate, if I was really going to kick someone out, I'd do it for failing something designed to actually challenge them, not something as basic as this. Of course, the obvious exception would be if someone was abysmal in both power usage and pure physical ability. Mineta, you were able to use your Quirk to get a good score on the sidesteps, so that tells me you have an inkling of what you need to be doing. Try to work out a little, and there won't be any problems from me."
Aizawa wanted to believe that Mineta was thanking him, but it was hard to tell through all of the snot-filled crying he fell into.
"Okay, so we're done here. Hurry back inside so we can get the day over with."
With that, they were at denouement: the complete end of it all. Aizawa turned away and walked back towards the school, not bothering to give the kids any mind. They'd probably start filing in in a few minutes after some mindless chatter, and that was fine. He didn't need to keep a constant eye on them; he's their teacher, not their warden.
"That went well, right?" Yamashiro asked as she walked next to him.
"More or less."
"The less would be in reference to Midoriya, I presume."
Aizawa didn't respond because he hated how right that was. At every single test, Aizawa had been trying to use his Quirk on Midoriya, and at every single test, it did nothing at all to negate his powers. It wasn't like he expected it to work, but it was still annoying to have to add "Aliens" to the long list of people his Quirk was completely useless against.
When Midoriya and everyone else returned to their class, Aizawa and Yamashiro gave everyone their class schedules and told them to make sure that there weren't any errors with electives and other areas. Midoriya's schedule went as follows:
Homeroom: 8:25-8:35. Instructor: Shouta Aizawa/Eraserhead (Midoriya couldn't believe he didn't recognize him at first glance).
1st. Period: 8:40-9:30. English. Instructor: Hizashi Yamada/Present Mic.
2nd. Period: 9:40-10:30. Modern Literature. Instructor: Ken Ishiyama/Cementoss (Mon-Wed). Art History. Instructor: Nemuri Kayama/Midnight (Thurs-Sat).
3rd. Period: 10:40-11:30. Science. Instructor: Sekijirou Kan/Vlad King (Monday, Wednesday, Fri-Sat). Personal training and self-study (Tuesday, Thursday).
4th. Period: 11:40-12:30. Math. Instructor: ?/Ectoplasm [Monday, Wednesday, Fri-Sat(There was some ink splattered across Ectoplasm's name, so it was a good thing Midoriya already knew it)]. Personal training and self-study (Tuesday, Thursday).
Lunch: 12:30-1:20.
5th. Period: 1:20-2:10. Hero Training. Instructors: Hikaru Hinata/All Might (Practical: Monday), Shouta Aizawa/Eraserhead (Lecture: Tues-Sat).
6th. Period: 2:20-3:10. Social Studies. Instructor: Shouta Aizawa/Eraserhead (Mon-Wed). Alien Studies. Instructor: Manegi Kanai/Kurile (Thurs-Sat).
7th. Period: 3:20-4:10. History. Instructor: ?/Snipe [Sat. (More ink splattered across a name he already knew).]
"Alien studies? Didn't know you were interested in that stuff," Kendou whispered, leaning over Midoriya's desk to look at his schedule.
"W-Well, it's not like I'm super interested in that stuff, or anything. It's just that, um, this and journalism were the only electives left, and I've never seen myself as much of a writer," Midoriya whispered back.
"I don't know, I think you could write something good if you tried."
"I agree with Kendou-san, but I would kindly suggest that we all stop talking, as Ms. Yamashiro looks like she wants our attention," Yaoyorozu whispered.
Midoriya snapped his head back over to the front of the class. Yamashiro was standing in front of everyone holding a stack of notecards, her hands shaking ever so slightly.
"Good morn-Good afternoon, students, pause for response. My name is Tatsu Yamashiro, and I will be assisting Mr. Aizawa for the duration of the school year, hold for applause. Since this is the first day of school for both of us, we should use this as a chance to get to know one another and establish our bonds for the rest of the year, hold for applause. Please talk amongst yourselves while enjoying soda and cookies at your leisure, gesture to snack tray."
She gestured to nothing.
"I'll be right back," Yamashiro said, dashing out of the room.
"You heard the lady: mingle. Or don't. I don't really care that much," Aizawa said as he wormed his way back into his sleeping bag.
After a few extra seconds of silence, Mineta was the one to get things moving when he said "I thought I was gonna die!" in a melancholic tone.
"I thought it was all over for me, right then and there, and then what would I be doing with my life? What else would there have been for Minoru Mineta?" Mineta asked.
"But Mr. Aizawa was never actually going to expel anyone, so you don't really need to get upset about it," Midoriya said. "At the very least, you can use it as motivation to work harder, right?"
"First you're on the verge of standing up for me, then you're giving me advice… Midoriya, do you ever stop being cool?!"
"I haven't even gotten started. Wait, that-that came out wrong. Can we please just talk about someone who isn't me?"
"Never thought I'd actually agree with you on anything," Bakugou said.
"So, just out of curiosity, do you actually like anything?" Uraraka asked. Bakugou glared at her, prompting a bit of impromptu, nonchalant whistling.
"He likes his cat," Midoriya said, the words slipping out of his mouth rather unexpectedly. Appropriately, Bakugou now looked like he was going to try and blow Midoriya up with his mind.
"You have a cat? That's so adorable!" Ashido shouted.
"I wanna see pictures! Please tell me you have pictures!" Hagakure said.
"I ain't showing you people shit!" Bakugou shouted.
"Bakugou, show everyone pictures of your cat, or you're on cleaning duty for a month," said Aizawa, who was suddenly out of his sleeping bag and standing right next to Bakugou's desk.
"Wha-goddammit, Deku! You see what you do?!" Midoriya got out a quick apology as Bakugou pulled out his phone. Save for Todoroki, everyone gathered around his desk to look at the pictures on his phone.
"Wait, your cat's blue? That's amazing!" Uraraka said.
"He seems like a fine beast. What is his name?" Tokoyami asked.
"Dexter," Bakugou said after a few seconds.
"Kind of a weird name for a cat, don't you think?" Kaminari asked.
"Yeah, but look how cute he is all curled up on his little pillow," Ashido said with a smile.
"I know these are only pictures, but I would figuratively die for this cat," Hagakure said.
"You and everyone else might as well go the extra mile," Bakugou said.
"Watch the mouth, kid," Aizawa said while leaning in to get a closer look.
"Sure, the cat's cute and all, but is he even nice? You know what they say about pets taking after their owners," Kendou asked.
"No, Dexter's a great cat! Scroll through some of the other pictures," Midoriya said. Aizawa, the closest person to the phone who felt like participating, did exactly as Midoriya had instructed. Sure enough, he came across multiple pictures of a young Midoriya and a young Bakugou having the time of their lives with Dexter the cat.
"Midoriya-san, why is the cat attacking you in all of these pictures?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"What, that? That's just this game we used to play where I'd try to pet him and he'd try and stop me by any means necessary. It was usually scratches, but sometimes he'd bite my fingers or throw his toys at me; it was a lot of fun."
"I'm pretty sure this cat hates you," Jirou said.
"Come on, that's ridiculous! I've known Dexter my entire life! Sure, he's a little rough around the edges, but he never means anything by this stuff. Things might get a heated, blood may be drawn here and there, but at the end of the day-"
"He fucking hates you, Deku," Bakugou said.
"What? No… no! No, no way. Just, just no! No… but-no, come on! No way!"
It was silently decided then and there that they were done talking about Bakugou's cat.
"So I know you asked us to stop talking about you so much, but your power is really amazing, Midoriya," Jirou said. "I mean, I already knew that from the entrance exam, but I didn't really get as good a look as I did from seeing you blaze through those tests."
"Yeah, people keep saying that, but I don't really think I'm that special," Midoriya said. "I'm only able to do all of that because of the way my body absorbs sunlight, so without that, I'm just a normal guy."
"Good to know we can beat you just by sitting around for five billion years," Kendou said.
"So if sunlight makes you stronger and gives you all of those other abilities, then you're what, a buff plant?" Kirishima asked. "Not that there's anything wrong with that! Who doesn't like Kamui Woods, Swamp Thing, or hell, even Poison Ivy when she isn't being an ecoterrorist?"
"Thanks?" Midoriya said, not completely certain of how he should have taken that.
"Kind of hard to believe that that's just a Quirk. Something that crazy is usually a Metahuman ability, right?" Sero asked.
"I wish that were true," Ojiro said.
"Ojiro-kun, are you a Metahuman?" Midoriya asked.
"That's right, though as you can tell, I don't really have anything that crazy for an ability," Ojiro said, flourishing his tail.
"I'm a Metahuman, too!" Hagakure said, doing an action that Midoriya assumed was her raising an arm. "Hey, who else is a Metahuman?"
Uraraka, Asui, and Kaminari all raised their hands. That meant there were five Metahumans in this one class. Considering that Metahumans only accounted for about eight percent of the superpowered population, this was a rather impressive figure.
"Yay! I've never met any Metahumans outside of my family, before! Is that the same for you guys?" Hagakure asked.
"Basically," Ojiro said. "My parents are Metahumans, but other than them, I'd never met anyone else with a Metagene. On the bright side, it meant that there was no need to worry about me not developing powers at age four, like everyone else. We knew that my power, if it existed, would come from a Metagene, and not a Quirk, so it was just a matter of waiting for the right emotional stimulus. For me, it was when I won my first karate tournament at age six… though I sometimes feel like the pain of having a tail suddenly sprout out of your back should have been enough to give me a second power."
"Oh, you study martial arts? Me, too," Kendou said. "I've picked up a bit of karate, but my dojo kind of mixes a bunch of styles into one, so studying there kind of gives you a little bit of everything. Assuming you can actually put up with the intense labor of it all, of course."
"I-I think I'm good with just karate. Anyway, when did the rest of you awaken your Metagenes?"
"Eh, it's nothing special. I was almost five, people were picking on me for allegedly being Quirkless, and I got so upset about it that my powers finally kicked in; you hear about Metahumans getting their powers like that, all the time," Kaminari said. "Though I will tell you that the bath is the absolute worst place to find out you have electrical powers."
Jirou gave a little laugh at that.
"Hey, I could have died!"
"Yeah, but you didn't, and that's why it's funny," Jirou said.
"I… Yeah, you got me there. Okay, who's next? How 'bout you go?" Kaminari asked, pointing at Asui.
"I was about six when my Metagene activated," Asui said. "I don't really know what triggered it; I was just minding my own business, and all of a sudden, I started looking like this."
"Your Metagene activated without an emotional trigger? That's pretty rare," Yaoyorozu said.
"Not impossible, though, at least according to the doctors. It was pretty surprising to see myself like this, though."
"Yeah. Must be weird being so different from everyone else," Midoriya said.
"No, I didn't think it was weird simply because I was a frog girl, I thought it was weird that I was a frog girl when everyone in my family has a Quirk that gives them scorpion-like bodies," Asui said.
"Th-That is weird, Asui-san. A little ironic, too… I think."
"Eh, I'm okay with it, now. By the way, you can all just call me 'Tsuyu-chan', if you feel like it, ribbit," Tsuyu said. "What about you, Ochaco-chan, when did your Metagene first activate?"
"Huh? Me?" Uraraka, who had been doing her best to go unnoticed, asked. "Um, well, I actually took a little longer to get my power than normal."
"Really? How old were you? Seven? Eight?" Mineta asked.
"Fourteen."
Midoriya felt himself take a step back.
"Wait, so you've only had your powers for about a year?" Midoriya asked. Uraraka nodded her head with a nervous look on her face.
"I've never heard of a Metahuman going so long without their Metagene activating in this day and age," Iida said.
"Hey, don't sweat, Uraraka-chan. My mom's a super awesome Hero, and she didn't get her powers until she got caught up in a crisis in her twenties!" Hagakure said. "Of course, she wasn't a Metahuman, she got mutated by weird space energy from who knows where, and now I'm thinking that this isn't a good example-"
"Hey, hey, it's fine, really!" Uraraka cut in. "I've already had to spend a long time dealing with this, and I don't want people feeling sorry for me. It's still kind of embarrassing to talk about, but for a while now," she looked at Midoriya and the rest of their group, "I've felt like a stronger person than I used to be. And hey! I got what I wanted. I have powers, and I can become a Hero, just like Wonder Woman. So it's fine, really."
"That, it is!" Iida said. "Uraraka-kun, your strength of heart is truly admirable!" Uraraka put out a small "Thank you" while rubbing the back of her head. Midoriya felt that that was enough to leave it alone, for now.
"Hey, speaking of weird powers, what was that thing you were doing, Tokoyami?" Ashido asked.
"I was simply reaching into the void and calling upon a powerful entity to do my bidding," Tokoyami said. Apparently, that was a sentence.
"So magic, right?"
"Yes, Dark Shadow operates in a way that can be classified as such, at least… fine, I'll let you talk to them. Imykst!" A dark cloud shot out of Tokoyami's stomach. Then, with a comical "POOF!", the word actually appearing out of nowhere, the cloud transformed into a birdlike creature made of shadows.
"How's it going, class of 20XX? You guys feelin' alive, today?!" Dark Shadow shouted in a tone that greatly contrasted Tokoyami's. "Name's Tskymi, spelt just like it sounds." The letters "T", "S", "K", "Y", "M", and "I" appeared above Dark Shadow's glowing a neon periwinkle.
"You can all see why I was hesitant to call upon him, right?" Tokoyami asked.
"As you can all plainly see, I'm both the fun one and the handsome one."
"Hold on a second," Yaoyorozu said. "The way that you summon and dispel Dark Shadow, and how you said your favorite Hero is Johnny Thunder… Tokoyami-san, are you in possession of a Genie?"
"Righty-o! Give the girl a prize!" Dark Shadow said before Tokoyami had a chance to even open his mouth. Both of them paused for exclamations of awe and astonishment.
"S-So you're just like Thunderbolt? Or Qwsp? O-Or even Bat-Mite?!" Koda asked in a quiet whisper.
"I'm not as dorky as those guys, but yeah, basically got all of their stuff mixed together in a nice little stew. You know what I'm talking about, right? PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER… itty bitty living space?"
Dark Shadow repeatedly patted the top of Tokoyami's head as he said the last part.
"Seriously, sometimes I need a magnifying glass to make sure I'm still attached to this guy," Dark Shadow said, making a comically large magnifying glass appear out of thin air. Everyone but Tokoyami, Todoroki, and Bakugou was amused.
"This is so cool! Even though Johnny Thunder was too goofy to always use Thunderbolt in the best ways, he was still one of the most powerful members of the Justice Society thanks to the reality warping powers of his wishes!" Midoriya said. "How did you two even end up together?"
"Well, it all goes back to the island nation of… no, I cannot speak of this," Tokoyami said. "The ordeals I went through to obtain this power are too wretched to warrant repeating."
"Oh, okay, then-"
"Relaying these details would not at all send your heart aflutter; all they would do is weigh it down with their depressive form."
"Alright, sounds like it's a lot-"
"If I were to even attempt to treat you to such a tremendously terrifying tale, your souls would shatter to pieces! Like Marie Antoinette, the fear it would strike in you would make your hair turn a pale white, in an instant!"
"Do you want to tell us about it, or not?" Midoriya asked. After a few seconds of silence, Tokoyami said "No".
"Oh, Fumi, always with the dramatics. I don't know where he gets it from. But hey, he's finally around normalish people, maybe you guys can help straighten him out. Especially you," Dark Shadow said, his eyes looking straight at Midoriya.
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. You seem like you got a good head on your shoulders. Plus, there's just something about you. Something that feels like… something." Dark Shadow floated over to Midoriya and wrapped himself around him. His body felt weird, spongy and boney, at the same time. It was a bizarre feeling, and it was even more bizarre to feel it again and again as Dark Shadow's hands went all around his body.
"Tokoyami, why is your Genie molesting Midoriya?" Kendou asked.
"What? Just getting a general feel of the guy," Dark Shadow said.
"That's kind of the problem."
"I really do feel uncomfortable, though," Midoriya said.
"Then this is now at an end. Tskymi!" Tokoyami shouted. In an instant, Dark Shadow vanished from sight, and both Midoriya and Tokoyami breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, Yamashiro had finally returned with the snacks that were promised to everyone several minutes earlier. She looked exhausted and out of breath, and there was dirt splattered across the bare midriff and bandaged chest that Mineta, Kaminari, and-for some reason-Uraraka kept looking at. Regardless, Midoriya was glad she was back; it seemed like everyone was getting a little tired of talking and wanted to just have something to eat.
Just as Aizawa had promised, they were all allowed to go home after they finished mingling, which apparently meant after they had polished off enough of Yamashiro's snacks. Not like they were even that good, Bakugou told himself. How they were good enough for that gravity Meta to sneak a bunch into her pockets, he didn't know. Either way, the day was over, and after peeing, he'd be able to get away from these people for the rest of the day.
Of course, Midoriya just had to be in the bathroom at the exact same time as him. He had the decency to not go in the urinal next to him, but that could only go so far. It couldn't stop him from remembering how pissed he was at the guy. Getting first on the entrance exam, setting a school record, getting first on Aizawa's stupid test, apparently being friends with one of other eight people who did better than him. He just couldn't stop trying to one-up him.
I'll show you, Deku. If you think you're ever gonna get the jump on me again, then think again! Bakugou thought to himself. He solidified the thought by making sure he was the first to finish between the two of them. A truly tremendous victory, though it was slightly ruined by Midoriya somehow managing to get to the door at the same time as him.
"After you," Midoriya said, barely even looking Bakugou in the eye. Not like Bakugou felt like doing that, either. With that being settled, Bakugou exited the bathroom, Midoriya leaving two seconds after him, and both of them still being close to the door when the girls bathroom opened and two people stepped out: the Luthor girl, Alexis Luthor, and that super tall girl she came in with, her butler, or something.
"Oh? Fancy running into you, here," Alexis said. Bakugou raised an eyebrow. He'd never seen the girl before today, so there shouldn't be any reason for her to know him. Not only that, but even with Bakugou being as great as he knew he was, there wasn't any reason for any Luthor to try and pull up information on him.
"H-Hello Alexis-san, Mercy-san." There it was. She was talking to Midoriya, for some reason. Because Midoriya was associated with a Luthor. Because of course he was.
"S-So, you really did decide to go here," Midoriya said.
"That's right. Say hello to Support Department, Class 1-H's most valuable player," Alexis said. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised at how easy it was to get in. Everyone applying had to display a device of their own creation, and except for maybe two other people, it was all so amateur. Probably why they acted like I just created sliced bread when it was my turn. Japan's supposed to be at the forefront of technology, yet they acted like it was so surprising to see a portable, Tritium-powered fusion reactor."
"I feel like that'd be shocking, anywhere," Midoriya said, scratching the back of his head. "Mercy-san, the way your uniform is stylized… are you in the Business Course?"
"Yep. I've already been handling Lexi's affairs for years, figured I might as well get a degree for it and learn a little extra," Mercy said. "That was the idea, anyway. If today is any indication of what I'm in for, then I could have graduated from this program when I was ten."
"I could have been done with mine at three, so I win," Alexis said. Another comment that didn't even acknowledge Bakugou. "Unless, of course, Izuku could beat that. I bet you could."
"I-I don't really think it would work that well for me," Midoriya said.
"Please, you're being too modest. As if anyone else in your class is even the dimmest of candelas, compared to you."
"You got somethin' you want to say to me, bitch?!" Bakugou shouted.
"Hm? Izuku, has there been someone standing next to you, this entire time?" Alexis asked. Midoriya gave a hesitant nod. It all only served to make him angrier.
"I'm sorry I didn't mention it; I honestly didn't think it was important," Mercy said, not even trying to look Bakugou in the eye.
"Why don't you try saying that to my face, Beanpole?!" Bakugou shouted.
"'Beanpole'?"
"K-Kacchan, calm down! Getting angry won't accomplish anything with these people," Midoriya said, somehow thinking it was okay to step between them.
"Oh, you must be Katsuki, then. I'm surprised that your relationship developed in such a way," Alexis said. "I figured you'd want nothing to do with Izuku, but you… you fancy yourself a rival, don't you? You see yourself as his Kaiba, his Tetsuo, his Kurei, his Glomgold, his Sasuke-actually, scratch that last one, I don't think that one's a good comparison."
What the hell is this bitch even talking about?! Bakugou shouted in his head.
"It's kind of charming, in a way. Everyone loves a good rivalry, especially when it starts off with one person being so obviously below the other. That is what you're going for, right? I'd assume so. After all, Izuku did so well on the entrance exam that he broke a school record-delightful speech, by the way-and you weren't talked about, at all. Was your score even anywhere close to his?"
Every syllable out of her mouth felt like an annoying little slap to the face. She was a Luthor, she could do whatever she wanted and say whatever she wanted, and trying to fight that was suicide. That had to have been what was going through her head, and why not? It had to be how things worked for her in Metropolis, but not in Musutafu. Bakugou wouldn't stand for it. Not after the day he was having.
"Why don't you shut your mouth before I fucking shut it for you, Baldy?!" Not his best work, but it would have to do, for now.
"Well, well, well, look who's feeling brave and bold? Mercy, could you remind me what happened the last time someone-hold on, did you just call me 'Baldy'?"
"Got a problem with me calling you Baldy, Baldy?"
Alexis stared at Bakugou in silence, the intensity of her glare matching his own. It was like the two were in an impromptu staring contest. If that was what was going on, then Bakugou had to be winning with how soft her face was getting, all of a sudden.
After she suddenly started laughing, though, he had no idea what was happening.
"I can't-I can't believe you-of all things-Baldy!" Alexis cried between fits of laughter.
"Stop laughing."
"It's just-That's insane! I've-I've been called so many names because of who my grandfather is, but this! This-This is a first!"
"Stop laughing."
"Baldy! Baldy! Mercy, he-he-he called me Baldy! It's-It's amazing! It's so stupid that it loops around to being brilliant!"
"Stop laughing!" Bakugou shouted. At the same time, Alexis fell to the floor, still laughing all the while.
"Mercy! Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Please-Please carry me out of here before he starts talking again. I-I'm going to figuratively bust a gut at this rate!"
"Are your legs broken?" Mercy asked.
"Am I still-Am I still signing your paycheck?"
"Fair point," Mercy said. She lifted the still-laughing Alexis off the ground, hoisted her onto her back, and walked away from the bathrooms. No matter how hard Bakugou tried, he couldn't block out her laughter. She was either still in earshot or it was just annoying enough to get stuck in his head. Or both. Hopefully it wasn't both.
"'Baldy'? That's kind of a weird one, isn't it?" Midoriya asked.
"The hell do you care, Deku?" Bakugou asked. "Last I checked, I didn't ask for any copyediting!"
Midoriya opened his mouth to stammer out something new, but before he could, someone else stepped out of the boys bathroom. Bakugou knew who it was with a single glance: Shouto Todoroki, one of his classmates, and son of the Number Two Hero, Endeavor. And if he wasn't mistaken, he was looking right at Midoriya.
"Midoriya," Todoroki said, confirming his suspicions.
"T-T-Todoroki-kun?!" Midoriya stammered.
Goddammit, why are so many people who know Deku taking shits, right now? And why are they all ignoring me?! Bakugou asked himself.
"You know, my old man told me to look out for you," Todoroki said.
"H-H-He did?" Midoriya was sweating bullets, his face looked like he took a cannonball to the gut. Bakugou didn't get it at all.
"Before I left for school today, he said that someone named Izuku Midoriya was going to be my toughest competition, that I might end up falling behind him if I didn't go all out." Todoroki clenched his left hand into a fist as he said the last part.
"A-A-And was there a reason for that?" Midoriya asked, getting out the obvious question.
"He just said that you were strong and left it at that." That seemed to relax Midoriya, for some reason. "I didn't really get it, and when I saw you at the opening ceremony, saw someone who looked like he wouldn't last five seconds against Kite Man, I thought my old man was trying to tell a joke for the first time in his life. But after the speech, Mr. Aizawa's test, and the way you wanted to stand up for Mineta, I started to understand it, a little."
Midoriya opened and closed his mouth a few times, but nothing ever came out.
"You're definitely a strong guy in both power and heart; I can see why my old man told me to look out for you. Even so, don't think for a second that where you are now is enough to take you to the top. I'm going to defeat you, and I don't plan on giving you a chance for a counterattack."
"Are you shitting me?!" Bakugou shouted, finally deciding to speak. "What the hell is up with you people?! Everyone's 'Deku' this and 'Deku' that like it's the latest trend, or something! What the hell's he even doing to be you and everyone else's little golden boy?! Huh?!"
"Hey, I didn't ask for all this atten-" As Midoriya was talking, Todoroki cut him off to ask, "When did you get here?"
"Are you shitting me, right now?!" Bakugou shouted.
"Anyway, Midoriya-"
"Dammit, answer me!"
"I have nothing to say to you because I don't care about you. If you want me to, stop attaching yourself to Midoriya like some kind of leech," Todoroki said, eyes still locked squarely on Midoriya.
Just like that, Todoroki went to the top of his shit list.
"Who the fuck are you to try and make fun of me? At least I didn't need Daddy's fame and fortune to get in here!"
For the first time, Todoroki turned towards Bakugou.
"H-Hey now, let's not do anything rash," Midoriya pleaded.
"You should be thankful I didn't take the normal exam," Todoroki said. "If I did, I might have done well enough to stop someone in our class from getting in. Care to remind me about how low your score was?"
"Will you people get some new material, already?!"
"How do you want us to make fun of you, then?" Todoroki deserved his spot on the list, Bakugou thought.
"I'm getting real sick of you and all these other shitheads acting like I'm some sort of joke compared to him!" Bakugou shouted, pointing a finger at Midoriya. "You all keep talking about how great Deku is and how he's the one you have to beat, well guess what?! There ain't no way in hell anyone's taking a shot at him before I beat him to a bloody pulp, so take a number and get in line, Two-Face!"
The end of Bakugou's spiel created a silence that put all others before it to shame. If Bakugou concentrated, he could hear Midoriya's eyes widening in shock. If he kept concentrating, he could hear the same thing happening with his friends, Kendou and the other three, as they just happened to walk into the area. Todoroki was the only one not giving anything away, his face completely steady. After a few seconds, he finally sighed, let out a solitary "Yep," and walked away from Bakugou.
"I-I think I should go, now," Midoriya said. He ran to his friends, and the five of them went off in the opposite direction Todoroki went.
At that point, Bakugou was alone, everyone he was talking to forced away through one reason or the other. Fine. He didn't need them around, anyway.
He didn't need any of these people.
With how stressful the day had started, all Midoriya wanted was for it to at least have a relaxed ending. At first, it seemed like things were going that way with the small party, but of course it all spiraled out of control not long after. Those sudden meetings with Alexis, Mercy, and Todoroki felt like they each took a few years off of his life, especially with how things went with Todoroki. He should have known nothing good would come of peeing at the same time as Bakugou.
At the very least, his suspicions about Todoroki knowing he was an alien were thoroughly debunked; that would help him sleep a little easier. The things that were said, on the other hand, did a good job of putting things against him, once more.
"You're definitely a strong guy in both power and heart; I can see why my old man told me to look out for you. Even so, don't think for a second that where you are now is enough to take you to the top. I'm going to defeat you, and I don't plan on giving you a chance for a counterattack." That's what Todoroki had said to him. A declaration of war on the first day of school. Only someone like him could get that.
He's not wrong, though, Midoriya thought to himself. It's not like I don't already know that I still have work to do. I wouldn't be here if I thought anything else. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you or anyone else, but Todoroki-kun, if you try and come at me, don't think I'll just stand and take it.
"What on Earth is this?!" Iida shouted. The five of them had exited the building, and amongst their small group, it was Iida who chose to speak their collective thoughts about what appeared to be a giant pillar of ice towering above the front gate and bearing a width large enough to knock over several Justice Society busts.
"This wasn't here this morning, right?" Uraraka asked.
"It was not. What we're looking at is a clear act of vandalism!" Iida said. "Who would have the audacity to damage school property to such an extent?! And on the first day of school, no less?!"
"Couldn't it have been an accident?" Midoriya asked. "If someone has a power that lets them make ice on this kind of scale, then they could have just destroyed everything, but only a few busts are knocked over."
"I suppose that wouldn't be impossible. Perhaps whoever did this was looking for an outlet to release the stress that had built up over the course of the day. Even still! U.A. has plenty of facilities where students are able to freely use their powers, so there was no need for something like this!"
"Not that I don't agree with you, Iida, but maybe turn it down a notch? You know, going back to that first day stress you were talking about," Kendou said.
"Why don't we all try and relax with a late lunch?" Yaoyorozu asked. "We can all finally be in the same place at the same time, and that seems worthy of celebration. My treat."
"I'm in!" Uraraka said, hands moving around the same pockets she had stuffed extra food into.
"I would be glad to participate," Iida said.
"Looks like this is the Monstars first official meeting," Kendou said.
"Midoriya-san? Are you in?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Y-Yeah. That sounds great," Midoriya said. Maybe the day was going to end on a higher note than he thought it would.
The next day, after a rather tumultuous morning, Midoriya's first real day of school was in full swing. Even though U.A. was a Hero School, they still needed to deal with standard academics. Most people just looked bored sitting through them, and while Midoriya could understand that, there was still a lot of joy to be found in the teaching staff.
First period English with Present Mic, who brought the same energy to teaching that he brought to his radio show. After that was modern literature with Cementoss; while Midoriya never had any doubts of his intelligence, he never knew the man was so well-read. Following that was science with Vlad King; made sense that someone who fought with blood would have a familiarity with the human body. Fourth period brought them into math with Ectoplasm; the lesson plan was about as exciting as math could be, though he wished that it was easier to understand Ectoplasm with whatever accent he was speaking with.
After lunch came the one class that everyone was excited for: Hero Training. This probably would have gotten everyone excited, but the fact that it was All Might teaching them made everyone start oozing joy and good vibes.
"I am… coming through the door, like a normal person!" All Might shouted, trying his hardest to keep to that. He marched in wearing his Silver Age costume, the one that bore a red coloring and a cape as opposed to his blue, capeless Golden Age costume, and he did so while whistling the tune of a Hoyt S. Curtin song.
"Welcome, children, to Hero Training! Of all your classes, this is the one that'll really whip you all into shape on the path to becoming true Heroes. Because of that, we're starting off strong and heading right into one of the most important aspects: Battle Training!"
Midoriya didn't like how much Bakugou was smiling at that. As Midoriya was looking at him, he noticed that the wall on the far left was opening up into four segments, each one holding five numbered boxes.
"Since this is the beginning of your Hero careers, it's only natural that you look the part, so here they are! All of your costumes, made with all of your specifications! Grab your costume, go get changed, and then it's go time!"
Everyone cheered as they ran over to grab their costumes. Midoriya, on the other hand, just grabbed his backpack and headed for the door.
"Where are you going, Young Midoriya? You need to wear your costume for today's lesson," All Might said.
"I-It's fine. There's nothing in there, anyway," Midoriya said. "N-Not that I forgot to come up with anything, it's just-"
"It's just that Midoriya-san felt like going outside the box for his costume," Yaoyorozu said with a smile.
"Is that right? Well then, more pow-good for you!" All Might said. For some reason, he stumbled a bit while trying to say "power". It probably meant nothing.
A few minutes later, Midoriya, having made his way to a bathroom, finished changing into his costume.
Alright, this is it, Midoriya told himself as he zipped up the jacket portion. This is my costume. He looked over himself in the mirror to make sure everything was in order. Belt, check. Striped boots, check. Symbol of the House of El displayed proudly on his chest, check. Bunny ear hoodie that was there because he just had to have it in, check. General pattern of green and white running across the entire outfit, check. It was official, everything was in order.
It was finally time for Midoriya to be a Hero.
The artwork for Midoriya's costume was commissioned by Kaiyamon on Tumblr; hope you all like it. In case you missed it, the Eri sidestory I mentioned writing has been published as a separate story called Be Humble. Check it out if you haven't already, and keep an eye on The Infamous Man, he might be cooking up something special in relation to this.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you've been adding to the TV Tropes page, thanks for that, too! Join us next time when Midoriya adopts Bakugou as his son and spends weeks emotionally abusing him!
