Hello everyone. I have returned with another story. Posting the first chapter to give me motivation to continue updating (and continue I will). Just want to point out that this is a slightly off-canon AU. Everyone will still attend U.A. and most of the characters will be there but certain events will be different or won't happen at all. There's going to be a bit of a slow burn romance/crush but I'm not set on who yet so tags/summary may change in future. So, without further adieu, please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, any of it's film adaptations or the manga.
Chapter 1
U.A High. He was here. He was finally here at the most prestigious hero school in all of Japan where some of the greatest heroes ever had graced it's hallowed halls. For one Izuku Midoriya however, it wasn't exactly the entrance that he had once dreamed of. Sure, it was his dream to attend the U.A. High heroics program just like his favourite hero, All Might. His dream however took a different turn.
Instead of applying for heroics, Izuku ended up applying for general studies. Why might you ask? Well it's simple. He was quirkless and being quirkless meant that nobody believed in him and his dream to become a hero. No, Izuku decided that after his so called friends and classmates had not believed in him, his mom not believing in him and even his hero, All Might whom he met in a chance encounter didn't believe in him that he would probably be best to play it safer and go in to general studies.
So that's why he ended up applying for general studies instead of heroics. It wasn't like the general studies program wasn't good or anything, it just wasn't heroics. Still, Izuku was determined that if he couldn't be a hero then he'd find something else that he was good at. The question was, what else was he good at? He wasn't particularly athletic and he liked to consider himself above average intelligence compared to his peers but that was about it. No other defining features or skill sets.
It wasn't until about 6 months in to the year that Izuku finally had the break that he needed during homeroom..
"All right class. Today marks the start of something a bit special," began the R-rated hero Midnight, "Every year, the first year general studies classes are given a project to complete. It starts half way in to the year and is expected to last about four to five months so it should take you up to the end of your first year here" she finished.
"Miss Midnight! What exactly is this project going to be about?" asked one of Izuku's classmates.
"I'm glad you asked. The school won't assign you the topic of this project. This is a project where you students get to choose the topic" replied Midnight.
The class looked rather confused, Izuku included.
"But Miss Midnight, if we just choose the subject ourselves, isn't that kinda cheaping out? I mean, we could pick an easy subject and do very little work and pass, right?" asked another boy.
"Ah...now that's a question. Sure, you could pick something easy and do little work...however that won't cut it I'm afraid. There are four stipulations to whatever subject you pick as your project" replied Midnight before she started explaining the stipulations;
"Firstly, I'll be approving your subjects. If I think you're trying to take the easy way out or that your chosen subject simply doesn't have enough material to last you up to 6 months, then I'll ask you to choose another subject. And don't worry if you can't come up with something, I've got 20 pre-chosen subjects so that everyone will have something that they can do" she explained.
"What are the other three stipulations?" asked Izuku as he raised his hand somewhat nervously. He still had some social and anxietal issues though he had gotten better;
"I'm glad you asked Midoriya. The second point is that your project must define its parameters. In other words, you need to explain the point behind your chosen subject, what you hope to achieve by undertaking your project and what benefits, if any, that could come from the results of your project" explained Midnight.
"Thirdly...resources! You are not limited in the resources in which you can use. So, if for example Tanaka wanted to ask one of the teachers for some information regarding a particular aspect of her project then she could. Though do bare in mind if asking a faculty member - or anyone for that matter - that they are not obliged to help you and could say no for any reason. You just need to respect their decision," she continued.
"Or for example if Nakamura needed one of the fields or testing grounds then he could ask and could be given permission, though something like that would need to get the principal's permission to do so. There is one and only one thing that you absolutely cannot do. Sabotage!" punctuated Midnight.
The class all looked a bit wide-eyed at that;
"Sabotage?" asked a slightly confused Tanaka.
"Yes, sabotage. Unfortunately it has happened before and has cost past students a passing grade once or twice. If anyone is caught purposely trying to disrupt another student's project, I'll expel them on the spot. There will be zero tolerance to that kind of behaviour, understood?" asked a serious Midnight as she cracked her whip.
"Yes Miss Midnight!" exclaimed the whole class.
"Oh, I nearly forgot the last stipulation. Well...it's not exactly a stipulation, more of a point really. This project is going to be worth up to 50% of your overall grade at the end of the year so please students, try...oh I don't know...putting some effort in to it?" asked Midnight, though really it was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes Miss Midnight" the class replied back.
"Good, now you don't have to decide now but by the end of this week I want all of you to have approached me and let me know what subject you intend to start a project on. Those who don't have one by the time class starts next Monday then I'll assign you one at random. Okay kids, that's it for today, class is dismissed. I'll see you all next Monday" finished Midnight as she sat at her desk whilst the class slowly filtered out save for two students who started their cleaning duties.
Izuku had been thinking for the majority of the time about what he wanted to do a subject on. It didn't take him too long. He didn't have any hobbies or interests realistically...well, none except for one.
Izuku had long since been a hero fanboy and had taken many notes on quirks. Notes on his friends, heroes and sometimes even villains if he had seen them on tv or in person. Once everyone else had filed out of class, Izuku decided he was going to submit his project idea now. At least this would give him a chance to work out the kinks to his project now. He slowly approached the desk where the R-rated hero sat;
"Miss Midnight?" Izuku tentatively asked.
"Ah Midoriya, how can I help you?" she asked.
"I-I'd like to submit my subject, if you don't mind?" he asked. His stutter not completely gone. U.A. had done wonders but it wasn't a miracle worker.
"By all means, shoot" she replied.
"Well...I thought that maybe I could do a project on the analysis of quirks?" he asked.
"An interesting choice. What made you choose that, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Midnight, though she had a suspicion she already knew the answer.
"Well...when I was young, all I wanted was to be a hero more than anything else. Being diagnosed as quirkless when I was four kinda set me back but I was determined not to let that get me down so I started writing about all the quirks I knew about so that it would one day help me get in to U.A." he explained.
"Oh Midoriya, I'm absolutely thrilled by your passion" said Midnight in a sultry tone as she licked her lips.
"...yeah...so anyway, about a year and a half ago I met a hero who told me to be more realistic and...I kinda gave up on writing about quirks" he continued.
"Oh...and why's that?" asked Midnight, now a bit curious.
"Well...I didn't see a point. The whole reason was to help me become a hero...but since I decided not to be a hero then there was no point to writing about quirks anymore" he explained.
"I see...so you think that this project is a good place to pick up where you left off and gives you a good reason to write about quirks?" she asked.
"Y-yeah, pretty much" he replied.
"Ok. Then answer me this, what are your parameters for the subject of Quirk Analysis?" asked Midnight.
"Firstly, to study quirks with the intention of finding out strengths and weaknesses for that quirk's user. Secondly, try to understand if there are other applications for any given quirk and if so, what is within the realm of possibility for the user of the quirk in question. Third and finally, if the user of a quirk has the potential to apply the quirk in a different manner and is within a position to be able to use their quirk freely, can suggested changes be made that will ultimately help it's user in the long run" Izuku explained to his teacher.
"Ok, I see where you're going with this. I understand your first two points and I think I understand your third point. Could you give me an example, just so that I am clear?" she asked.
"U-uh...yeah okay. So if I were to study one of the students in 1-A or 1-B for example and found that they could use their quirk in a different way to what they were already using and I suggested a change in how they do so, would they find a benefit to using the suggested change so much so that they start to base their entire skillset around that change or would they revert back to what they were doing previously" explained a slightly nervous Izuku as he was now having to defend his choice.
"I wouldn't have quite put it like that but that is the gist of what I was getting from your last point. Ok Midoriya, I approve of your subject: Quirk Analysis" said Midnight as she accepted his request.
"Thank you Miss Midnight" he replied with a small bow.
"Ok, since your subject is now approved tell me...are there any resources that you think you require that you may struggle to get on your own?" she asked.
Izuku had to think for a moment before coming up with a reply;
"I suppose there is. I was just going to ask random people throughout the school, however outside of the heroics class not many people tend to show off their quirks that much. Ideally I would like to get some one on one time with different people from different courses, though, I would probably benefit with having some significant time with a hero class" he said as he nearly dove in to a muttering storm before catching himself.
He still needed to work on that a bit more.
"Well, I'm sure it'll be simple enough finding someone in general studies and the support departments to study. Business and management courses might be a little bit harder to get them to agree but I'm sure it won't be too hard. You might even be able to strike up some sort of deal as they tend to be all about making deals in that department.
Heroics. Now...I think they would provide your biggest source of research and information. We could probably ask if you would be allowed to shadow one of the classes during their foundational heroics classes. It won't be too hard for me to convince Aizawa to allow you to tag along. We would just need to convince Principal Nezu as we can't have your other grades slipping as well." she explained having given it some thought herself.
"Wow really? Shadowing a hero class? That would be really awesome" said an over excited Izuku.
"Don't get your hopes up just yet Midoriya, I'll have to clear it with the principal first" replied Midnight.
"Of course, thank you for your help Miss Midnight" said Izuku as he bowed once again and left the classroom.
'I hope she gets them to agree, this would give me so much to write down. Maybe I should start a whole new notebook for this project?' he thought to himself as he left school for the day.
Later after all the kids had left the school, Midnight approached the Principal's office to discuss Midoriya's project. She knocked on the door and waited;
"Come in" she heard Nezu from the other side. She slid the door open and walked in;
"Ah Midnight. To what do I owe the pleasure?" asked the small principal. Midnight closed the door behind her and stepped further in to the room;
"Good afternoon Principal Nezu. I was wondering if I could ask you something about the first year's projects?" she asked.
"Ah the general studies projects. It's that time of year already. What an exciting time wouldn't you agree?" he asked as he poured some tea, gesturing for her to sit down.
Midnight took a seat at his desk and accepted the offered tea. She wasn't usually one to drink tea but in her time as a teacher, she had learned two things: one, you should always accept the offered tea as a way to placate the principal, regardless of whether he needed placating or not; and two, he always had good tea so it would be a waste to decline it.
"Indeed," she said as she took a sip of the tea and continued, "I was actually wondering if we could discuss one particular student" she asked.
"Oh, which student would that be?" he asked in return.
"Izuku Midoriya" she stated
"Ah yes, the only quirkless applicant and student in the history of U.A. What about him do you want to discuss?" he asked.
"Well, I came to ask permission for a certain aspect of his project. Also, I believe you'll find his chosen subject quite interesting" said the R-rated hero.
"Oh...do tell" asked Nezu, his curiosity now peaked slightly.
"Midoriya has chosen to do quirk analysis" replied Midnight.
"I see. Most ambitious but you are quite right, I am interested" replied the principal.
"I thought you might. I thought it would be beneficial if he could follow one of the first year hero courses during their foundational heroics class to allow him to gather his research, but of course I don't want him falling behind in his other subjects" she explained.
"Of course. We can't have a bright young student falling behind now can we. I certainly approve of this. I'll have a look over his schedule and see what we can do to limit the interruption. Though I do need you to do something for me in return Kayama" said Nezu.
"Sure. What is it?" asked Midnight.
"Once your next class with Midoriya is finished, could you send him to me please? I'd like to see how far along he is with his own analysis" asked the Principal.
"Of course. Thank you Principal Nezu" said Midnight as she stood and took her leave.
"This will be most interesting indeed" Nezu said to himself as he poured himself more tea.
Izuku Midoriya was nervous. Ok that probably needed some clarifying. He was always nervous but he was nervous for a different reason today. After class had finished, Midnight had let him know that his chosen subject was perfectly ok and that she and Nezu were sorting out his schedule to allow him to shadow class 1-A. She had also asked him to go see Nezu as the principal wanted to see him regarding his project.
So he was nervous simply because he didn't know what he was there for. All he knew was that it was something to do with his project. What though, he wasn't sure.
He approached the door to the principal's office and shakily knocked the door;
"Come in" could be heard from the other side. Izuku slid the door open.
"Ah, Mr Midoriya, please come in and take a seat. I was just talking to All Might here about your project" greeted the principal.
"All Might?" asked a surprised Midoriya. The number one hero in Japan turned around from looking out of the window and looked at the young man, his eyes widening in surprise;
"Young Midoriya?" he replied.
"Oh! You know each other?" asked Nezu.
"Yes. We met almost a year ago after I saved him from a villain" explained All Might.
"In fact…" he started before steam poured off his body and he shrunk down to his normal size,"Young Midoriya here knows about my secret so it's safe for me to do this and allows me to conserve energy" All Might finished.
"I see. Midoriya, I take it you know how important it is to not let the secret slip about All Might's condition?" Nezu asked Izuku seriously.
"Y-yes s-sir" replied Izuku, somewhat taken aback by what he was seeing. He didn't think this meeting was going to start out the way it had done.
"Good. Now, onto the matter of why you are here. I understand you'll be doing a quirk analysis for your project, is that correct?" asked the principal.
"That's correct" replied Izuku as he sat down and accepted the offered tea.
"Wonderful! Then if it is alright with you, could I ask you to perform an analysis on Mr Aizawa just now? Don't worry, I'll give you ten minutes to write down whatever you think is pertinent" Nezu explained.
"O-ok?!" exclaimed Izuku, both in shock and surprise. He certainly wasn't expecting that type of a question.
"All Might, I'm going to have Midoriya here observe your students during your foundational heroics class. Just as soon as I convince Aizawa. It may be your class but they are still his students and he has been taking over your class a good dozen or so times this year already. Best to keep him in the loop" explained the short principal.
"Oh! I almost forgot. Here you go Midoriya, paper and pencil to get you started on your analysis" he offered.
"Oh, thank you Principal Nezu sir" said Midoriya as he politely accepted the offered materials.
For what seemed like an eternity, Izuku sat there and wrote out word after word, thinking and rethinking everything he had been writing down whilst Nezu and All Might quietly chatted between themselves.
After ten minutes, Nezu declared that his time was up and accepted the paper back as he began to read what exactly Izuku had written down:
Name: Shota Aizawa
Hero Name: Eraserhead
Quirk: Erasure
Description: He can erase the quirk of anyone he looks at, even multiple people at once as long as they appear within his field of vision. Unsure if there's a limit to how many quirks he can erase at once.
Notable Drawbacks: Hair stands on end indicating when quirk is in use. Unable to be subtle except for when it's windy?
If he blinks then it will stop his quirk working.
Unsure if certain mutant type quirks are unaffected by Erasure (as this would cause their mutations to stop/go back to normal human state?)
Possible ideas: Can he erase a quirk from outwith his normal field of vision using some form of equipment (e.g. erase someone's quirk by looking at them through a telescope or binoculars?)
Can he wear sunglasses/shades to hide his eyes when not in hero gear?
Support Gear: Uses yellow goggles so that nobody can tell exactly who he is looking at during a fight. Could possibly change the colour of his goggles so that he blends in to the shadows more when stealth is key?
To say that Nezu was impressed would have been an understatement. Usually to get something so detailed, one would have to pay a support company to perform an analysis and unless it was on a top ranked villain then there would also normally be some sort of waiting period to get results (think months, not days).
"Well Midoriya. I must say I am quite impressed with your analytical skills. How would you like to hone your skills a bit more? It might take you down the path of being an analyst in the future?" asked the principal.
"Oh...well I honestly hadn't given it much thought...could I maybe think it over and get back to you sir?" he asked, unsure of what kind of response the small principal was expecting.
"Of course. Take all the time you need. Do you mind if I show this to Aizawa as well?" asked Nezu.
"You want to show it to him?! I-I suppose n-not" replied Izuku.
"Marvellous. Ok, that will be all for today Midoriya. Please let me know about my offer to hone those skills of yours as soon as you've made your decision" asked the principal as he escorted Izuku out of the room.
After returning to his desk, Nezu then addressed All Might;
"So what do you think Toshinori? Would it be beneficial to have someone of Midoriya's caliber going over your students' quirks?" he asked. All Might had been reading over the analysis that Izuku had written;
"I'll say. I hadn't even thought of changing the colour of his goggles. Though I suppose it's not really my place to tell Aizawa how to be a hero either. Still, young Midoriya has a good head on his shoulders" said All Might.
After having sent Midoriya to see Nezu, Midnight made her way to class 1-A to go and speak to Aizawa. When she arrived, the door was left open where upon entering, she could see two students cleaning and tidying the room, as per custom;
"Uraraka, Asui. It's good to see you girls" she called to them.
"Oh, hi Miss Midnight" replied the girls.
"What brings you here?" Uraraka asked.
"Yes, I'd like to know as well?" asked Aizawa as he sat behind his desk grading papers.
"Well hello to you to Shota" smirked Midnight.
"Whatever it is, the answer is no" the erasure hero replied flatly.
"Awww but Shota, you don't even know what I'm going to ask yet" replied Midnight with a fake pout on her face.
"Fine, what do you want?" he asked, already irritated. Damn it Kaminari, how many times do we have to go over quirk laws.
"Well my homeroom class has their projects coming up and I've got a student that you might like. He's doing his project on Quirk Analysis" she explained.
Shota stopped grading papers and thought for a moment before replying;
"Ok but I don't see why I would be interested?" he asked the R-rated hero with a hint of confusion.
"Well think about it. You could get free tips on how to improve your students' quirks and it'll count towards his grade. It's a win-win" Midnight explained.
"No thanks. If I want a quirk analysis of my students, which I don't by the way, then I'll have the school fund for a professional analyst" replied Aizawa.
"Fine. But I'm sure you'll come around in the end" said Midnight.
"And why is that?" he asked.
"Because I've already spoken to Nezu and he's meeting with the student just now. Just thought I'd let you know. Anyway, gotta run. Bye girls, have fun" said Midnight in a hurried tone as she rushed out the door.
"...that damn woman" groaned Aizawa.
Great, now Nezu was going to come down here and try to convince him to take this brat. He didn't have space in his class so...wait, when did Midnight even say it would be? Damned papers had dulled his mind that he was barely even rational when having that conversation. Seriously Ashido, what the hell is a phalange?
After cleaning, Ochaco and Tsuyu left the room bidding their teacher farewell for the day. As they left the front doors to the school, Ochaco turned to Tsuyu and spoke;
"Hey Tsu. What do you think about what Midnight was saying? About the student who wanted to do quirk analysis?" she asked her green haired friend.
"Hmmm, I'm not sure. I mean I understand Mr Aizawa's point about wanting a professional. But then this would not only help that student with his project, it could also give us insights in to our quirks that we hadn't even thought of, kero" said Tsuyu.
"Yeah I see what you mean. I hope Mr Aizawa accepts his request. I wouldn't mind having my quirk analysed to see what else I could do with it" stated the brunette haired girl.
"Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, I'll text you later Ochaco" said Tsu as the girls stopped at the street corner where they parted ways.
"Ok, safe journey Tsu" said Ochaco as she turned and walked off in a different direction.
Knock knock!
"Come." said Aizawa, not looking up from his papers. Thank goodness for Yaoyorozu.
"Hello Aizawa. May I have a moment of your time?" asked Nezu. Shota stopped to look up from his papers to the small mammal/animal;
"Principal. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, though he was sure he already knew the answer.
"I was hoping you would consider allowing a general studies student to accompany your class during foundational heroics as part of his project?" asked the Principal, though it really wasn't a question as such.
"Is this the same kid from Midnight's homeroom class?" he asked.
"Oh so you're aware. Good. I took the liberty of having him do an analysis of your quirk just a short while ago. I'd like you to see what he came up with on the spot. No time to prepare and no pre-written notes to go over" explained Nezu as he offered the papers to Aizawa.
Aizawa took the offered papers with a bit of skepticism and began to read through what was written down. Colour him impressed. Considering he was an underground hero and that most people - never mind teenagers - hadn't even heard of him. To see that a student at the school not only knew who he was and what his quirk could do but he also had a suggestion regarding his support item. Maybe there could be some value in this after all.
"So, what do you think?" asked Nezu.
"Fine. He can come. It seems like he does know what he's talking about and it could prove beneficial. But! I reserve the right to revoke this privilege at any point" stated the erasure hero.
"Of course. If he weren't putting in the effort then it wouldn't be fair to anyone involved. I've offered to assist with sharpening his analytical skills so I'm sure you won't find a reason to dismiss him" replied Nezu.
'Of course Nezu has taken a liking to him' thought Shota.
"When will he be starting?" Aizawa asked.
"He'll start next week during foundational heroics...and after I tell him about the change in his schedule" replied Nezu.
"Very well. Anything else?" Aizawa asked.
"Nope. That will be all. Have a good day Aizawa" replied the principal as he left the classroom.
'It's a miracle I've not expelled anyone yet. I don't need more kids to watch over...but it's a logical course of action, especially if this kid does actually end up helping the rest of them reach their potential' the erasure hero thought to himself as he finished grading the last paper.