No sooner had the members of the newly dubbed 'Team Defect' ceased their laughter and turned their attention to their individual lollipops, content to enjoy their newfound companionship in relative silence, did Recovery Girl make her presence known to the boys again.
"I am pleased to see you young men making friends with each other so easily, but the nurse's office is no place for idle dawdling and socializing!" She said with another wave of her cane.
The four boys stopped and shared glances among each other. Midoriya's classification as Quirkless for much of his life meant he was practically friendless after losing Kacchan and before going to Kamar-Taj. Kirishima, though he had past acquaintances, found friends hard to come by with a self-doubting attitude that plagued his junior high years. Aoyama and Tokoyami both developed strange Quirks as children that made others view them as dangerously unpredictable for years.
Although none of the heroes-in-training knew each other's full stories yet, the unintended irony of Recovery Girl's statement was not lost on them: making friends was not something that came easily to any of them.
Perhaps that's why it was so easy for them to befriend each other.
"Midoriya, Aoyama, you two are cleared. Although I'll need you both to return tomorrow morning for a final look-over as well as to remove your bandages," Recovery Girl informed them. "Change back into your school uniforms before you leave."
Aoyama slowly rose out of bed, inspecting the bandages wrapped around his waist and his support belt. Midoriya soon followed, carefully stretching his arms and legs. Kirishima pouted from the bed he remained confined to.
"Don't give me that look!" Recovery Girl chastised Kirishima as Aoyama and Midoriya hobbled into separate changing booths. "You have only yourself and your reckless drive to blame for the state you're in!"
"I didn't give my all any more than the others did, you know!" Kirishima protested petulantly.
"Nobody else ended up with a broken limb," Recovery Girl sternly corrected him, turning her sharp gaze to Aoyama and Midoriya as they emerged fully changed. "Which is a miracle given the reports I received of how your Battle Trial was conducted! Honestly, recklessness seems to be a shared trait among all of you aside from the level-headed Tokoyami!"
"You flatter me, ma'am," Tokoyami said with a humble bow.
"To be fair, Madame, we would not have chosen Team Defect as our name if we did not share some flaw in common," Aoyama said with his closed smile.
"Out, out!" Recovery Girl lambasted the cleared members of Team Defect, her patience well for further antics running quite dry.
Midoriya, Tokoyami, and Aoyama did not get very far; the door to the nurse's office had hardly opened before a large, imposing shadow crowded over the exit, blocking the three students' path.
"Worry not, Young Kirishima, for I am here!" All Might loudly proclaimed as he strode into the room, nearly barreling into three very surprised 1-A students. "Ah, the rest of Teams B and F are here as well! Sharing in camaraderie after a fierce battle, are we? Splendid!"
"A-All Might!" Izuku cried out as Recovery Girl looked to be on the verge of face-palming.
"Will the loud intrusions never end...?" She muttered in defeat.
"I must congratulate you all on a hard fought performance!" All Might continued, oblivious to his elderly friend's plight. "I must say, you inspired the teams that came after you to truly go Plus Ultra! The rest of your classmates have opted to stay after class to study over the results, so you may join them if you wish to learn of the critiques before we do so officially tomorrow!"
"I must profess some interest in our results," Tokoyami said calmly, giving All Might a courteous bow before stepping past to depart back to class.
"Wait for me, Le Merle Noir!" Aoyama called out to Tokoyami, trotting to catch up.
Izuku seemed torn, looking between Kirishima, All Might, and his newly departed friends. "Why couldn't we hear your critiques of us while we were all here?" He asked.
"W-well, you see, with Young Kirishima here the only one seriously injured, I thought it best to speak with him privately while everyone else convenes in class," All Might said shakily. "This isn't to show bias, or anything, though! Young Kirishima will be cleared in a little while, so rejoin the others if you wish, Young Midoriya! And fine job today!"
Izuku frowned despite the smile and thumbs up All Might was giving him. He was noticeably shaking. Did he want to have his conversation with Kirishima as quickly as possible before his Quirk form gave out? Izuku had never forgotten the secret behind All Might's true form, after all. Not wanting to waste anymore of his time, Izuku gave a quick nod and departed the nurse's office posthaste.
All Might needed to talk to Kirishima privately since he was the only student seriously injured during the Battle Trials? Izuku wondered as he sprinted to catch up with Aoyama and Tokoyami. It must have something to do with his arm breaking when he—
Izuku paused right as he caught up with his other new friends. Tokoyami and Aoyama paused in turn, giving Izuku curious looks.
Kirishima's arm glowed for but a second before he punched the floor, and the power he unleashed was devastating, Izuku pondered. His Hardening Quirk contains far more power than he lets on.
Izuku briefly snapped out of his thoughts to reassure to his friends he was fine. Together, they began walking again toward the 1-A classroom.
Has that kind of power caught All Might's eye? Izuku wondered. Is All Might considering Kirishima to become the successor of One For All?
The 1-A classroom hadn't even slid open all the way before Izuku, Aoyama, and Tokoyami were swarmed by the inquisitive and smiling faces of their new peers. The students each introduced themselves, and Izuku was soon acquainted with classmates such as the pink, outgoing Ashido, the plain yet excited Sero, and the mellow yet still sociable Jiro. Others that approached he already recognized, like the bubbly Hagakure, diminutive Mineta, and brawny Sato.
Izuku tried to remain composed despite all the attention and questions being thrown his way by curious companions. Aoyama seemed to relish the attention, however, and Tokoyami stoically slipped through the crowd, taking a seat on top of his desk as he observed the antics of 1-A.
"Ah! Midoriya! Aoyama!" Iida addressed them, raising his voice over all the chattering going on. "I'm glad you were cleared in time to join our class study session! We're currently going over all the results of our—Tokoyami!"
Tokoyami barely registered Iida with a turn of his head as the overly stern boy raced over to him. "Get off that desk this instant! It's incredibly inconsiderate!"
So they were all discussing the results of the Battle Trials. Izuku knew as much, but he was curious about the results of other three trials.
"In case you're wondering, Team D beat Team J, Team E beat Team H, and Team I beat Team G, ribbit," A frog-looking girl suddenly spoke from beside Izuku, causing him to jump. "Team E was the only villain team to actually win."
"W-whoa!" Izuku said. "Uh, thanks! I was pretty curious to know how everyone else did!"
"I'm Tsuyu Asui, by the way," Asui introduced herself. "I tend to be straightforward and say whatever's on my mind."
"Oh, is that so...?" Izuku said ambivalently. Only a couple sentences in, and Asui was already reminiscent to how he initially viewed Aoyama as an enigma.
"Yep, ribbit," Asui croaked. "Midoriya, your Quirk is unlike any Quirk I've ever seen in my life."
Izuku tensed. Was that a blunt compliment or was she being blunt with her suspicions? "Ah? T-thanks, I think!"
"Don't mention it," Asui said, not dwelling on the topic any further. "We were just discussing the Team D and Team J matchup."
"Team D won against Team J, right?" Izuku asked. "Wait...wasn't Iida on Team J? Iida and his partner lost?" Izuku sounded surprised; Iida carried himself confidently, and his Engine Quirk was nothing to sneeze at.
"Yep," Asui said. "He and Ojiro did their best to stay with the bomb, but Mineta's Pop-Off Quirk was stickier than any of us expected. He actually incapacitated Iida's feet and Hagakure snuck a win by touching the bomb while Ojiro was preoccupied with Mineta."
Izuku hummed thoughtfully; Quirk matchups were often unpredictable. One seemingly unimpressive Quirk may actually be somewhat effective against presumably stronger Quirks, or could have a wider range of application than expected. Pop-Off was one such Quirk, it seemed; Izuku would have to brainstorm it in his Quirk notebook when he got home.
"Iida is taking the loss seriously, so he's being very overbearing over this study session," Asui said, watching Iida continue fussing at Tokoyami, who didn't seem nonplussed about the berating in the slightest.
"Iida's not so bad," Izuku quietly said with a smile. "He's just an overly eager individual."
"If you say so," Asui said, turning her full attention to Izuku. "Seems you like to say what's on your mind, too."
"I try not to come across as too blunt, though!" Izuku quickly backpedaled. He then gave the class a quick scan; there was a distinct lack of brashness and explosions that should've belonged solely to 1-A.
"Kacchan's not here..." Izuku murmured to himself as his eyes honed in on his old friend's empty desk.
"If you're referring to Bakugo, he departed a few minutes before you arrived back in class," Asui said. "He was pretty quiet. Not at all loud and rude like he normally is."
Izuku turned and sprinted out of the classroom, leaving a seemingly unfazed Asui behind. Running toward the glass window, Izuku peered down and saw the form of Bakugo sulking toward the U.A exit.
He was quiet? Not at all rude? That's not like Kacchan at all... Izuku thought. Izuku knew from his demeanor after the first trial that Bakugo was not at all pleased by the victory of Team A. Was he really that upset at not being able to do anything? Had Todoroki's power unsettled him that badly?
Izuku turned to run outside and hopefully catch Bakugo before he was off the school grounds and out of sight, but he suddenly paused where he stood. For as long as he could recall, from his early childhood years before Bakugo even received his Explosion Quirk to his Junior High years leading up to his accident in the ravine and introduction to Doctor Strange, Izuku had been chasing after Bakugo. He had been chasing and following him dutifully, even in spite of what he now recognized as years of horrendous bullying, all because Bakugo seemed to embody a virtue of victory that he didn't see in anyone else besides All Might. Bakugo strove towards victory, and so he'd followed, hoping to walk that same path right behind his former friend as they became heroes.
However, it became clear to Izuku that he no longer walked the same path as Bakugo still did. His path had diverged ever since his hands became scarred. His introduction to magic set him on a wildly different path toward becoming a hero. The destination was the same, but his route was one that, at best, could only parallel Bakugo's.
Standing in the window, Izuku watched as Bakugo soon disappeared from view. Their paths were now distinct, and he was determined to embrace that divergence. No longer would he follow in Bakugo's footsteps, hoping to one day catch up with him. No...his was an untried path of heroics and sorcery that he needed to blaze through and forge without relying entirely on the footsteps of another.
Back in the classroom for 1-A, most of the remaining students were grouped together in teams of two to four people, each discussing the critiques given by All Might and each other. Most students were, anyway. Two notable exceptions to this were one Shoto Todoroki, who instead appeared to be impassively reading over notes he'd scribed from the suggestions and criticisms given in the wake of his performance, and one Denki Kaminari, who was more or less staring sullenly at his own two hands instead of his own notes.
"Kaminari?" A soft voice gently pierced through the dread clouding his mind, allowing him to think with some clarity for the first time since his trial ended. A slender hand glided down to his desk. He glanced up, a small smile gracing his lips—it was Uraraka, appearing completely restored thanks to Recovery Girl's Quirk and efforts. Her hair was no longer frizzled, and her round and admittedly cute cheeks seemed unblemished from the discharge he'd accidentally struck her with.
"Uraraka, I barely noticed you'd returned to class!" Kaminari said with as much pep as he could muster. "I can't tell you how relieved I am to see that you're okay. I-I hope you know I didn't mean to—"
"All Might and the others filled me in on what happened," Uraraka replied with a beaming smile, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "You were caught off guard, Kaminari. I know it was an accident. It happens to the best of us. These things sometimes happen in the Hero Course!"
Kaminari could hardly believe his eyes and ears as he watched Uraraka acting so diffident over what he'd done. Could she really be this forgiving and trusting after he'd hurt her so carelessly?
"Hey, Uraraka," Kaminari said, trying to muster some confidence together. "You want to grab a bite—er, what kind of food do you—"
Kaminari groaned as whatever self-assurance he'd hobbled together quickly seemed to drain away, the cloud of dread and pernicious whispers resurging through his mind with a vengeance. He didn't want to turn around to confirm, but he felt as if Todoroki's eyes were glued to the back of his blonde head.
"Kaminari," Uraraka's voice once again banished the dark haze to a smaller corner in his mind. He dared to look back up at her, her cheerful and sincere disposition glowing brightly against his morose demeanor. "I happen to like mochi a lot, if you want to grab a bite sometime!"
"Sorry for bringing this up so late, but today I have a different activity for you all to complete," Aizawa informed Class 1-A the next day after going through his own observations regarding the Battle Trials. "You all need to decide on a class representative."
It's a normal classroom activity!? Nearly all of 1-A thought as the room burst with excitement and chitchat, with various students each raising their hands or outright standing up to stake their claim on the coveted title of Class Rep. Some students, like Midoriya, Todoroki, and Tokoyami, remained far more taciturn in the wake of the others' excitement.
"Everyone, calm yourselves!" Iida spoke authoritatively and stood up, garnering the attention of everyone in the room. "Think carefully about the position Aizawa-sensei is speaking of! The position of Class Representative is not one that should be carelessly appointed to any one of us! It is a position befitting only those who demonstrate clear leadership qualities! It is a role requiring the trust of your peers, and should be granted to whoever holds the greatest amount of trust among us!"
The greatest amount of trust, huh...? A number of 1-A students thought to themselves as they pondered Iida's words, lowering their hands and sitting back down in their seats.
"Therefore, I suggest we hold an election process to determine our representative!" Iida recommended. Everyone else discussed the idea among themselves more quietly.
"But we haven't had much time to get to know each other that well yet," Asui spoke up. "If we focus entirely on trust as a factor, then won't we just all end up voting for ourselves?"
"Precisely why we should have elections!" Iida retorted. "Wouldn't it be indicative that whoever actually received multiple votes would be the most deserving of the position? Aizawa-sensei, what do you think?"
"I don't care what you do," Aizawa said dryly as he slipped into his yellow sleeping bag. "Just pick a class rep before the homeroom period ends."
"Elections it is then!"
Iida's unwavering imperiousness quickly dissolved into unmitigated disappointment and shame as the admittedly shocking election results were fully tallied. The top two contenders made their way to the front of the class, one stunned beyond belief and shaking where he stood, the other watching her class rep with a curious, doubtful eye. The other students of 1-A cast curious glances between those who had a single vote—those who had presumably voted for themselves—and those who had no votes whatsoever.
Eight votes. Izuku Midoriya had won eight, whole votes from his classmates, including one from himself. Momo Yaoyorozu, his now vice rep, only had two votes. It was a distant second; it wasn't even close.
"Bullshit!" Bakugo exclaimed, slamming his palms against the top of his desk. "There's no way that damn pipsqueak got seven votes from you other extras! Who voted for him!?"
His eyes scanned the list of names on the board, registering which ones had zero votes before honing in on one that stood out in particular. He whirled around and snarled at Todoroki. "Did you vote for him, Half-and-Half!?"
"Who I voted for is no one's concern but my own," Todoroki replied coolly, stoking the fires of Bakugo's rage.
Iida appeared especially frustrated, but did not appear outwardly hostile as Bakugo was. Asui gave him a sympathetic look.
So you voted for yourself as I thought most of us would, huh, Iida? She thought. You must've recommended elections to convince the class to vote for you...
Among the sea of surprised faces, Uraraka and Kaminari's stood out as they located their names on the board. They weren't among the group of zeroes as they'd been expecting. The both had one vote each.
But I didn't vote for myself! Kaminari and Uraraka thought simultaneously. Who voted for me!?
"So it's decided then," Aizawa rose from his sleeping bag, glancing at the nervous wreck that was his class's rep and his doubtful vice. "Midoriya will be the 1-A Class Representative."
Izuku stared down at his rice and veggies, mindlessly thumbing through it as all the cafeteria conversations around him buzzed away into simple background noise. His mind was singularly focused on his newly appointed role as the representative for his entire class. He couldn't believe anyone other than himself had actually cast their vote for him, let alone seven others!
Iida said it best: it's a role requiring the trust of your peers, Izuku pondered as he rummaged through his food. But have I really earned that trust so soon in the school year?
"Mind if we join you, class rep?" Kirishima asked loudly as he took a seat next to Izuku, slamming his food tray down with aplomb. Aoyama and Tokoyami followed thereafter, taking seats opposite of them.
"Kirishima!" Izuku said in surprise. "Aoyama! Tokoyami!"
"I take it you are still ruminating over the results of our venture into democracy?" Tokoyami asked, referring to the election.
"Yeah, I guess you could say I'm still reeling from it all," Izuku answered with a nod. "I just wasn't expecting to win, especially by the margin I did. Seven people voted for me besides myself..."
"I voted for ya," Kirishima said plainly as he bit into a piece of meat.
"Oui, as did I," Aoyama added.
"It appears Team Defect's first decision was a unanimous one," Tokoyami also joined in. "I voted for you, too, Midoriya."
"You guys...!" Izuku was blown away. "Didn't you hear Iida? It's a job requiring the absolute trust—"
"Listen, man," Kirishima interrupted. "I think the others here will back me up when I say you're the most trustworthy guy in the whole class as of now."
"You gave me trust during the Battle Trial, so I will repay you in kind!" Aoyama said with a wink.
"And I made my judgment separate from the possibly corruptible influence of others," Tokoyami said. "Though I must concur with Kirishima on this topic."
"We agree, too!"
Team Defect turned their heads toward whoever was addressing them. It was Hagakure, though she wasn't alone: walking alongside her on their way to their respective tables were Sato, Koda, and Mineta.
"We all voted for you, Midoriya!"
"I was going to vote for myself, but when Iida brought up his whole point about trust, I admit, I thought about you instantly, Midoriya," Mineta said with a sideways glance.
"Yeah, you and Kirishima both saved our butts during the Entrance Exam!" Sato added. "During the discussions, Kirishima told us in private you were way more fit for the role."
Koda nodded eagerly but stayed quiet, shy and reticent as he was.
Izuku looked over at Kirishima, who merely shrugged and continued munching on his lunch. "It's true," He spoke through a mouthful of food.
"As the class has decreed, it is indeed true!" Iida's authoritative voice captured their attention. "The class has made its choice, so we must honor it and trust Midoriya will see through his duties as Class Representative as dutifully as he can!"
"Iida..." Izuku whispered, amazed by all the support being shown to him so freely by his peers.
"Despite my earlier reservations about you and my own desire to be placed into such a position, I will support you any way I can!" Iida proclaimed. "Starting with some advice: whatever you do as our representative, just make sure that you remain concise, clear, and bold! Not only are you at U.A now, but you've been chosen to be a leader within this student body on top of that. As one of the best of the best, make sure you act accordingly."
Izuku was about to offer his sincere thanks when an alarm blared throughout the entire cafeteria, catching all the students off guard.
"This is a Level Three security breach! All students should evacuate outdoors promptly!"
A wave of panic and confusion instantly arose among the student body present in the cafeteria. Chairs and tables not secured to the floor were hastily pushed aside or overturned entirely as the panicked throngs began pushing their way toward the cafeteria exit.
Izuku and his new friends were not spared, either: Iida barely had any time to stop a third year student for questioning before he was swept away into the crowd, and Team Defect were absorbed into the chaotic mass as soon as they arose from their respective seats. Hagakure, Mineta, and the others had all but vanished, too, amalgamated into a sea of U.A faces and uniforms.
What a panic! Everyone reacted so quickly that a stampede has formed instead of an evacuation! Izuku thought as he tumbled through the crowd, a barrage of shoulders and elbows bumping and crashing into him as students pushed against one another on their way out. What even caused all of this!? Who intruded into U.A, of all places!?
Izuku soon found his answer as he was suddenly pinned against the glass window by some larger students trying unsuccessfully to force their way through. Gazing through a stand of trees and shrubs, Izuku spotted a crowd moving toward one of the U.A buildings, their hefty cameras and long microphone devices cluing him in on their identities rather quickly.
It's the media who trespassed? So it's not a villain attack after all? Izuku thought, glancing around where he could to see if anyone else had noticed. Iida, too, was pinned against the window and was watching the trespassing media goons, though he was in no better position than Izuku to do anything about it. Does no one else realize it's just a false alarm? Someone has to put a stop to this before someone gets trampled...!
If he had his Cloak of Levitation equipped, he could probably zoom to the front of the pack in no time at all. Heck, a portal would suffice as well, but Izuku had no room to circle his hand to conjure one. He squirmed his way back into the farce that was this evacuation, his brain racing a mile a minute.
I seem to be one of the only ones who realizes the media caused this! I-if anyone's going to stop this, it might as well be me! Izuku thought, his mind replaying all the voices of support that landed him in the position of Class Representative. He'd been placed into a position of leadership. He'd been entrusted the role by his fellow classmates. Now more than ever, Izuku wanted to show that he was deserving of that trust.
Izuku spotted the pointed hair of Tokoyami bobbing and weaving through the crowd, and Izuku was immediately struck with inspiration.
"Tokoyami!" Izuku called out to his friend, squirming through a swarm of shuddering shoulders and erratic elbows in order to get closer to him.
"Midoriya?" Tokoyami's head swiveled until they locked eyes. Grimacing, Tokoyami tried unsuccessfully to bridge the gap between them. "This horrified horde is unrelenting...!"
"Tokoyami, listen!" Izuku shouted now that he knew they could both hear each other. "I think I can stop this stampede, but I need your help! Can you have Dark Shadow lift me up to the exit sign near the door?"
Tokoyami nodded, silently recognizing what Izuku had planned. He muttered a soft apology to all those around him for the inconvenience he was about to cause before he drew Dark Shadow out of the depths of his body. The students around him cried out indignantly as they were pushed aside even further against one another by the shadow. Tokoyami muttered quick instructions into Dark Shadow's ear before the creature snaked its way through the crowd.
"Yo, Midoriya!" Dark Shadow said as it reached the boy. "Hop aboard!" Of course, the shadow didn't wait for Izuku to move on his own, instead grabbing him by his waist and hoisting him above the stampede. Using his elongated body, Dark Shadow stretched out far enough for Izuku to hop above the exit door, gripping a pipe for balance as he sucked in a deep breath.
Be concise, be clear, be bold...! Izuku recalled the quick advice Iida had given him.
"Everybody, calm down!" Izuku yelled as loudly and authoritatively as he could, channeling his Inner Iida in order to grab the attention of the writhing masses below. One by one, the students paused to look up at the short, green-haired boy shaking from where he was perched. "There's no reason to panic! The alarm was caused by the media, nothing more! So please remain calm as we evacuate the building! I-I'll even use my Quirk to make things easier for you all!"
Izuku circled his free hand as the students took his words to heart, with several corroborating by finally noticing the media amassed nearby. Tokoyami in particular breathed a heavy sigh of relief, drawing Dark Shadow back into his body as the stampede came to a halt at long last.
To the amazement of many of the students, a ring of flame sprouted in the doorway leading out of the cafeteria. The adjacent walls seemed to disappear, and the doorway appeared widened just enough to facilitate a quicker exit for the students. Tokoyami recognized that Izuku was utilizing his portals, with the entrance being on one side of the cafeteria doorway and the exit being immediately on the other, giving the impression that the doorway had actually widened.
It appears we made the right choice, Tokoyami and several other 1-A students still present in the crowd silently praised their class rep as the rest of the evacuation went off without a hitch.
"Give it up for our Class Representative!" Kirishima rallied most of 1-A into a rousing round of applause for Midoriya after they finished their afternoon classes, Bakugo and Todoroki excluded. "He handled that stampede in the manliest way possible!"
Izuku remained in his seat, shell-shocked by the unexpected applause. He'd seen Kirishima whispering among the students after lunch, but he didn't expect anything like this to come of it.
"Seems we won't have anything to worry about then," Asui said bluntly.
"He's more dependable than I gave him credit for," Yaoyorozu whispered to herself. "That will certainly make being the vice more tolerable."
"Tch!" Bakugo grunted and looked away, feigning indifference.
"Midoriya," Aizawa called the class rep over to his desk. "I'm about to dismiss class for the day, but there is one more task I need to run you through since you are 1-A's representative."
Aizawa reached into his desk and retrieved a folder, handing it to Izuku. Izuku thumbed through it briefly, recognizing the papers within as updated costume change request forms. Included among the forms were copies of the preliminary costume requests his classmates had sent in before the school year began.
"As Class Representative, you will also be 1-A's official liaison to the Support Department," Aizawa said. "Run these files to the Development Studio, then you can head home."
"Yes, sir!" Izuku tucked the files under his arm and departed for the Development Studio, giving a final wave to his classmates before he left.
Much like U.A's main building looked to anyone standing outside its gates, the doors to the Development Studio were as tall as they were imposing to anyone standing before them. Thick slabs of bolted steel towered over Izuku, with only a daintily lit neon sign giving off an air of welcome. The muffled sounds of gears grinding and machines whirring could be heard right on the other side, letting Izuku know that it hadn't been closed quite yet.
As he reached out for the giant iron handles, preparing to give the door a mighty tug, the sound of a small explosion rattled through the doors. Izuku yelped and jumped backward as the vibrations ran up his arm and down his spine. Faint wisps of smoke could be seen billowing from underneath the door.
Izuku cautiously tugged the door open, peeking inside. The explosion wasn't too bad—there seemed to be minimal damage to the studio and smoke was minimal—though all the Support students seemed on edge. Izuku quickly realized why after locating the epicenter of the explosion: a coughing Mei was standing over a dying contraption of some sort, beeping its last beeps before shutting off for good. Her baggy pants, work boots, and tank top were thoroughly coated in ash.
"Hatsume..." A growl emanated from the back of the class.
"Everything's fine! All under control!" Mei coughed out. "Just a bit of overheated circuitry is all! Failure is the mother of invention, after all!"
Seems she really took Mr. Stark's words to heart... Izuku thought, grinning weakly at his Support friend's antics.
"Midoriya!" Mei cried out as her scoped eyes landed on the crop of green hair standing idly in the doorway. "So glad you could join us today! Have you come to witness the tech I've already built in my first couple days?"
"A-actually, I'm here to—" Izuku tried to speak but Mei wasn't having any of it, forcefully ushering him inside to peruse her newest 'babies'.
"I've remodeled my standard headgear to allow for even greater visibility with my Quirk!" Mei said, shoving her goggled helmet into Izuku's face. "I even kept the little notch in the back—never know when another nose needs to be broken!"
"That's great, Hatsume, listen: I need to—"
"Oh! Check this one out!" Mei exclaimed, pushing Izuku down the row of gadgets to a belt-looking apparatus. "Baby No. 22: my Wire Arrow!"
"Oh, is it like a grappling hook—"
"It's a grappling hook coupled with steel wiring that can extend over long distances!" Mei spoke over Izuku excitedly. "This one will definitely come in handy in the future! Though I haven't come up with a baby yet that goes well with your magic—mmph!"
"H-Hatsume, that's supposed to stay a secret!" Izuku whispered to her frantically as he smothered her mouth with his hand, pulling away once she'd calmed down.
The calm didn't last long. The irises in her eyes seemed to widen in a manner that Izuku knew could only spell inevitable mischief, pain, or both. Hatsume had just been struck by a spark of inspiration, and she'd be damned if she passed this opportunity up.
Before Izuku could mount a protest, Mei whisked him past her row of gadgets and spun him into a seat decked out with circuitry and exposed wiring. Hooked up to the top of the seat was a dome-like object, which promptly lowered itself onto Izuku's head once he was sat down.
"Uh, Hatsume?" Izuku nervously asked as he felt thin, prodding antennae lowering themselves down from the dome and into his hair, tickling at his scalp. "What are you doing?"
"I just realized a great way you can help me, Midoriya!" Mei said a bit too cheerfully for Izuku's comfort. "I needed someone to help me run this device, and no one would be better than you!"
"H-Hatsume? This isn't going to explode on me, is it?" Izuku gulped, noticing that many of the other students in the studio were giving him and Mei a wide berth.
"My newest baby will not explode on you, Midoriya, I promise!" Mei said with a cheeky grin. "...Maybe, anyway."
"Hatsume—!"
"Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of science!" Mei yelled as she flipped a switch, activating whatever device she'd thrust him beneath. Izuku tensed as the antennae began rapidly combing across the top of his head in seemingly random patterns. They peppered his scalp with small, continuous jolts that weren't painful, but they were incredibly uncomfortable.
When the device whirred to a halt and the scalp-rubbing antennae lifted off his head, Izuku leaped out of the chair, combing a hand through his hair to see if there was any permanent damage he needed to be aware of. He turned to chastise Mei, but all her attention was focused on a computer screen located behind the device.
"Hatsume, what did you do?" Izuku asked with equal parts caution and curiosity.
Mei hummed as her fingers landed one final clack on the keyboard, streams of data indecipherable to Izuku flying past their eyes before finishing with a beep. A data disk popped out of a hardware slot, which Mei swiftly snatched between her fingers.
"This, Midoriya, is my newest baby," She said. "Or rather, it's our first baby!"
"W-wait, w-what!?" Izuku stammered as he stepped back, visibly flustered and embarrassed. "What do you mean, 'our first baby'!?"
"Hmm, this particular baby needs a name," Mei said thoughtfully. "Something fitting, since this came from Izuku's engrams. Perhaps...Victor? Or maybe Mancha? I guess either could be a good enough starter name!"
"Hatsume! You better not be starting work on a new piece of tech without fixing the one you just broke first!" Someone barked.
Izuku and Mei tuned to face the newcomer, a diminutive man sporting a large yellow helmet reminiscent to the scoop of an excavator vehicle. He wore blue pants but was shirtless, and his metallic-tipped hands were disproportionally large compared to the rest of his body.
Izuku shook with excitement—he knew exactly who this man was, and he was once again grateful to be part of a school staffed by Pro Heroes.
"And you're not one of my students. Who are you?" The man turned his attention to Izuku. "Students who are not part of any of the Support classes and who have no reason to be here should have a limited presence in the Development Studio for their own safety."
"You're Power Loader, aren't you?" Izuku answered the man's question with one of his own, eyes glowing with adoration. "As in, the Power Loader? The same one that worked with the Founding Avengers—?"
"You worked with the Founding Avengers, sensei?" Mei jumped in, somewhat surprised herself by Izuku's question.
"Oh? I'm surprised you know about all that, kid," Power Loader said, sounding almost impressed by Izuku's hero-related knowledge. If he knew Izuku better, he probably wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. "Yeah, I'm that Power Loader. Worked with the Avengers when All Might and Tony Stark founded the group all those years ago, fell off the radar when I started doing my own thing, and well...you see what happens when you're yesterday's leftovers to the media. Big name Pros are immortalized, but sidekicks' years are always numbered."
"I can't believe the media were so quick to forget about you," Izuku said. "You were just as crucial as All Might in defeating—"
"I don't know what you've read or where you read it, but that's all in the past," Power Loader said with a dismissive wave of his gargantuan hand. "Now no more tangents: state your purpose for coming to the Development Studio."
"Oh! Right. I'm the Class Representative for 1-A and I was told to bring these files to you," Izuku said as he handed the folder over to Power Loader.
"Ah, one of our two new liaisons," Power Loader said as he briefly looked through the folder. "Thanks kid, I'll take it from here and put these where they belong. You skedaddle on back to class."
"Y-yes, sir," Izuku said before giving a goodbye to Mei as well.
"Thanks a bunch for your help, Midoriya!" Mei said as she waved him off. "Thanks to you, I now have all I need to understand you a whole lot more!"
Izuku shivered as he exited the studio, half wondering if Mei was referring to his skills with magic and half wondering if she was going to be able to keep his secret for the rest of the first term, let alone three or more years!
"Alright, Hatsume," Power Loader sighed as soon as Midoriya was out of his sight. "What is this 'surprise baby' you said you needed to complete before the end of the first week of classes?"
"And don't tell me to wait!" Power Loader quickly said before Mei had a chance to speak. "Only a few days in, and you've already shown a propensity for explosive devices. So no more waiting. Tell me what this side project you're working on is."
"It's an idea I derived from my meeting with Iron Man several months ago!" Mei said. "He's a huge inspiration!"
Power Loader frowned, obviously displeased by Mei's statement in some way as he shuffled through the pile of gadgets she'd both finished and begun work on. "You should always be wary when deriving inspiration from others, especially men like Stark," He warned. "Your enrollment in U.A's Support Department is meant to cultivate your own set of skills and your uniqueness in order to prepare you for what comes after graduation."
"But this is going to reflect on my uniqueness!" Mei retorted, although to Power Loader it sounded almost like a whine. "I'm going to be unique in that I plan on surpassing Stark in every way I can think of! Starting with this!" She proudly raised the data disk she'd retrieved from her work on Izuku. "I'm going to create an A.I for the Development Studio that's superior to Iron Man's in every conceivable way!"
Clang!
Power Loader had dropped whatever unfinished device he was holding in his hands. He tilted his head upward, his dull blue eyes drilling into Mei with unprecedented terror.
"I mapped Midoriya's engrams and brain patterns with a modified mapper I cobbled together based off of some old theoretical schematics," Mei excitedly continued with her explanation, paying her teacher no mind. "Victor—or Mancha—here will be the first of many A.I that I plan on incorporating into the studio! I want to be remembered as the greatest graduate to ever come out of U.A's Support Department, and this is just the first step!"
"I forbid it!" Power Loader roared, his anger reverberating throughout the entire studio. The other students present paused their work to see what triggered such indignation in their strict but otherwise calm teacher. "Hatsume, I demand that you cease all work on this project at once!"
"What, why?" Mei asked, just as put off by her teacher's uncharacteristic display of anger as any of the other students. "The worldwide regulations regarding A.I have been discontinued, haven't they? I mean, Ultron was defeated by All Might over 15 years ago—"
"I don't care," Power Loader growled. "The governments of the world may have deregulated all work concerning artificial intelligence, but I will not and cannot allow such work in my studio."
"...On our very first day of class, you told us that the best innovators out there are unconstrained by convention," Mei said defiantly, her gloved hands curling into shaky fists.
"And I stand by those words; here are some new ones for you to mull over: 'we may be unconstrained by convention, but there will always be lines that we, as inventors, should never cross,'" Power Loader said as he extended a hand toward Mei. "I'm sorry, Hatsume, but I must demand that you hand the data disk over to me and dismantle the mapper you constructed."
Mei bit her lower lip and looked as if she was going to continue resisting or outright refuse her teacher's demands. Ultimately, however, she thrust the data disk into Power Loader's large hand without another word. She immediately set to work dismantling the engram mapper she'd used on Izuku piece by piece, cradling every fragment of the device as if it were an actual child of hers.
Power Loader watched to ensure she wouldn't half-ass the dismantling. Once he was satisfied, he turned toward his personal office, a side room adjacent to the studio. He paused and noticed every other pair of eyes present in the room still glued on him and Mei.
"Back to work everyone," He said with a sigh. "I'll be making my rounds in a moment to grade what you've completed."
The other students hastily went back to their work, and Power Loader trudged into his office with as much propriety as he could muster. He fumbled with the key to a locked desk drawer, unlocking and opening it just quick enough to toss Mei's data disk inside, where it clattered against another disk labeled 'Jocasta'.
I should destroy them, Power Loader thought as he sank into his chair for a brief respite. But...should the worst ever come to pass as it nearly did all those years ago...
Ah, you can't imagine how sorry I am to have done that to you, Hatsume, Power Loader continued thinking as he slowly lifted his yellow excavator-like helmet off his face, tracing an oversized metallic-tipped finger against an ungainly scar that horizontally bisected his forehead. But I can tell that you are shaping up to become the brightest, most innovative student I've ever had the pleasure of teaching here at U.A. And I don't wish to see you cross the same lines I did when I created Ultron over fifteen years ago...
Author Notes
And now I proudly present to you all the summary of this story's prequel: The Ultron Imperative.
A suit of armor around the world-that was what Power Loader designed him to be. Marred and corrupted by twisted views regarding the rise of Quirks, he broke free and created his own imperative. All Might and Hero Society are now all that stand in the way of his mission. And that mission-whether he admits it or not-is global destruction. Prequel to 'Of Quirks and Magic'.
The first chapter of this story will be uploaded within the next few days!
Stay tuned! Until next time! Plus Ultra!