Go Beyond, Prince of All Saiyans!
Chapter 4 - The First Day of School is The Worst Day of School
"Quite an achievement that two of our students made it to U.A!" The homeroom teacher said in glee.
Deku was startled by such an unexpected appraisal from the teacher who stood next to the principal in his chair. On his left, Bakugo turned his head slightly towards the green-haired boy and let out a frown.
"And so it is! Especially for you Midoriya!" Principal Organa complimented as directed his attention to the boy, not noticing the blonde.
Outside the school, away from any prying eyes, Bakugo held a steely left grip on the collar of Deku's school uniform against the wall. He used his remaining free hands to shield himself from the blonde's spittle as he yelled right in his face.
"So how'd you do it huh?" Bakugo roared just inches away from Deku's face. "There's no way you got in without cheating!"
"It was supposed to be me who got into U.A., me! Now you've gone and screwed me over! I thought I told you to not even think of applying!"
Bakugo then felt something grab his wrist. Right as he looked down, he saw his arm unexpectedly twist like a knot. The near-mangling of his arm forced him to bend his spine forward. In quick succession, Bakugo felt a strong pressure on his chest that forced him to fall on his back. The blonde gripped his left arm in pain, but that was only part of the surprise. Bakugo looked up to see Midoriya in a stance he'd never seen before: right arm bend back while the fingers in his left hand were reeled back, palm outward.
"S-Someone who I look up to told me I could be a hero right to my face," The wimpy boy said in a shockingly assertive voice, with a scowl to go with it. "That was enough for me to apply... to keep going. And like it or not, I'll earn my place at U.A!"
Bakugo sat there wide-eyed, it almost seemed like this was part of a dream.
In the present, Bakugo set a cold stare at Deku while the latter made a pathetic meek smile. To the blonde, it almost looked smug from this distance.
"Can't believe he stood up to me!" Bakugo thought to himself. "Damn you Deku. You better enjoy this 'victory' while it lasts before I destroy you."
The stuck-up student with glasses who argued with the blonde earlier over his supposed 'lack of table manners' began to walk towards the weakling with his arms bent, almost like a robot.
"It's you from the Entrance Exam!" The spectacled student said in a surprised tone.
Deku snapped out of whatever pathetic trance he was in and started to do his usual trembling, he met this 'Four-Eyes' back at the Entrance Exam. Maybe the two were battle buddies of sorts, which the blonde doubted though he knew Deku wasn't completely devoid of human interaction.
"I'm Tenya Iida from Somei Academy!" Four-Eyes said as he extended his hands out.
"O-Oh! I'm Izuku Midoriya," Deku said with a shaking smile. "Nice to meet you!"
"Midoriya, you knew there was more to the practical exam right?" This 'Iida' said as he dropped his hands after a pause. "Something the instructors deceived us!"
Deku then let out a confused look. Bakugo was informed via video message, like all the other students who passed, that rescue points were being discreetly awarded as well as villain points for destroying the machines they sent. He remembered Vegeta's stern voice informing him that achieved none of these points, reminding him of that embarrassing encounter with that gooey villain. Not like it mattered anyway, there was no doubt he topped the leaderboards.
"Unlike you, I didn't see for myself what was the actual intention!" Four-Eyes complimented as he gave a weird-looking apologetic gesture while turning his head away with a strain. "That's proof that I severely misjudged you. You are far superior to me!"
"Far superior?" Bakugo thought after hearing the last part. He almost felt the urge to laugh, someone had to be that dense to even think Deku could even hold a candle to anyone.
"I thought I'd recognize that curly hair!" A somewhat high-pitched feminine voice called out. Deku turned around, allowing Bakugo visibility of a round-faced girl with bangs and what appeared to be pink circles on her cheeks. "That big punch was amazing!"
While the girl let out a fist pump on her left arm and a strange gesture on her right arm that looked like she was smashing something, Deku's face turned red as a strawberry as he bent over to partially hide his face.
As the wimp was flushing with embarrassment over the girl's compliments, Bakugo recalled the rumors circulating. Apparently, Deku saved this girl by jumping up at the zero-pointer and flying straight through its chest. The blonde didn't believe this garbage one bit, there was obviously cheating involved and he intended to find out.
"So today's orientation right?" The girl said in an annoying excited tone. "I'm so excited to meet everyone! I wonder what our teachers will be like!"
"Unacceptable of this behavior I can assure you," A mature, drab voice said.
Bakugo raised his brow at where the source of this sound. Looking behind over his right, he could tell it didn't belong to any of the other students. The excited girl stepped to the side to reveal what looked like a yellow caterpillar on the ground ... with a human face.
The blonde, and a few of the other students who had a better view of the classroom's door, watched with curiosity as the man pulled out a juice pouch and drank from it before continuing.
"Welcome to the hero course."
The man began to slowly stand up and emerge from his yellow cocoon, actually a sleeping bag from the looks of it. As the man emerged, Bakugo saw more of his features. An unkempt mass of black hair was adorned on the adult's head with clear hints of stubble. A strange-looking scarf was wrapped around his matching black sweater and pants with that. Another detail Bakugo noticed was that the red veins in the man's eyes were more visible than they normally should be.
"It took eight seconds before all of you managed to shut up. Time is like currency, all of you wasting it isn't rational."
"The hell is up with this guy?" Bakugo thought. "Did this bum just come off the street?"
"I'm Shota Aizawa," The homeless-looking man said, turning his head to the class. "Your homeroom teacher."
A collective gasp swarmed the room, except for a few like Bakugo. This had to be a joke, this guy was not just any teacher but their homeroom teacher? He better not stick with them for the rest of the three years, something seemed off about him.
"Let's get on with this," Aizawa droned as he fished out a blue-looking tracksuit from his sleeping bag. "Put these on and head to the field."
"What? A quirk assessment test?" many of the students asked in bewilderment.
The students of Class 1-A were all gathered in an open sandy field as per Aizawa's instructions who was now telling them that they were to undergo a 'quirk assessment test'. Like many of the others, Izuku was surprised by this unexpected evaluation.
"But what about the orientation?" questioned the cheeky girl who greeted Izuku.
"If you want to become heroes, then you can't afford to waste time on such leisures," Aizawa replied with no shift in his tone as he turned to face the class. "U.A. thinks outside the box for its educational system, allowing us teachers to do our jobs as we see fit."
The tired-looking teacher then brought out a smartphone from his pocket. Turning it horizontally, images began to display as the teacher began to explain each one.
"Softball throw. The standing long jump. 50-meter dash. Endurance running. Grip strength. Side-to-side stepping. Upper body training. The seated toe touch. These were all activities you did in middle school correct?"
This managed to gain some reassertion from the class as they recognized the physical activities. Izuku remembered how he barely passed them before his training.
"As you remembered, none of you were allowed to use your quirks in any circumstances during your studies," Aizawa continued. "Irrational, the department of education needs to step up their game."
"Katsuki Bakugo, how far was your throw in middle school?" The weary homeroom teacher asked Kacchan.
"Sixty-seven meters." He grumbled.
"Let's see now with your quirk," Aizawa replied as he brought out a softball-looking sphere from his pocket and tossed it over to Kacchan who promptly caught it. "Head over to the circle and stay inside it. When you're ready, use your quirk to throw the ball."
Kacchan scoffed as he entered inside a white circle embedded into the sand. Izuku struggled to refrain from quivering as he saw him stretch, Kacchan's amazing power was something he was used to it in more unpleasant scenarios.
"DIE!" The blonde yelled as he heaved the ball upward at an angle, leaving a sweep of flames from the boom of his explosion. At a near-supersonic speed, the softball left rings of air as well as an orange trail of flames before they dissipated. At the same time, the shockwave from Kacchan's quirk reached the students watching even blowing back their hair.
"'Die'?" A student with spiky red hair said in amazement. "Pretty extreme!"
Meanwhile, Aizawa showed his phone once again only this time a set of numbers were displayed: 705.2 meters. Izuku widened his eyes yet kept a serious gaze at the results of Kacchan's powers.
Know your limits before you can reach your maximum, but only if you conquer your minimum," Aizawa lectured. "Those are the steps that will help you figure out what heroes you'll be."
After Kacchan's amazing display, many of the students began to murmur excitedly no doubt because they were finally allowed to use their quirks in a school setting without repercussions. Izuku couldn't help but get caught up in this excitement as well, it made little difference for him since grade school that none of his peers were allowed to use their quirks. Now that times have changed, he finally had an opportunity to stand alongside his generation.
"This looks so fun!" A pink-skinned girl with a small set of horns exclaimed.
"So we can use our quirks however we want to?" A boy with oddly-shaped elbows asked. "This hero course is gonna be a breeze!"
"A breeze you say?" Aizawa asked as he narrowed his eyes. The earlier excitement from the students had now dissipated completely as they instantly saw the seriousness in the homeroom teacher. " If you're going to learn what it takes to be a hero, don't even think it'll be all fun and games. You'll only have three years left before you get your hero licenses, will you keep up this attitude even after you graduate? When you get to see how ugly this world can really be?"
These harsh words brought worry, yet sense at the same time. Even though it was the first day of their studies, Izuku knew that another day would go by in time. Then it would be a week, then a month, and before they all knew it their first year was over not to mention the next three. He only wondered how hard it would really be once they were fully trained.
"Now with that being said, you will all be scored on each of these activities," Aizawa darkly declared. "Whoever's at the lowest spot will be seen as hopeless ... and expelled immediately."
The class was rife with dread, especially Izuku. It was the first day of school after passing the seemingly impossible Entrance Exam and now those who passed were under the threat of expulsion already? This couldn't be serious, yet the tone in the homeroom teacher's voice did not say otherwise.
"A big test on the first day of school?" He thought to himself. "This is bad, I can only go all or nothing with One For All. And there's no telling how I'm gonna use my ki again!"
"As I've said before: welcome to the hero course," Aizawa said as he pulled his hair back with an intimidating smile.
"But it's the first day of school!" The auburn-haired girl protested. "You can't do this to us, this isn't fair!"
"Let me ask you all something, when has the word 'fair' ever mean anything?" Aizawa responded with calmness but with stern conviction. "The wrath of mother nature taking its toll, unprecedented accidents causing unimaginable scale, apathetic villains hurting those who don't deserve their wrath, and you dare say 'unfair'? It's not just Japan, but life in its entirety is not fair. Heroes are supposed to be the ones who undo all of that, but there's only so much they could do. Evil and injustice thrive while good people die. You all saw that for yourselves, or have you forgotten already?"
The quieter gasps caught Izuku's attention as he glanced at his other classmates who happened to have been shocked by the last part of the teacher's words. He quickly realized what Aizawa was referring to. It was an unprecedented phenomenon that caught the eyes of the world, and they were all just kids back then. Now Izuku saw that it was an exposure to how cruel the world can really be, the end of a golden age.
"A tragedy that it took the death of someone young for everyone to snap back to reality, we've gotten too comfortable," As he was done with his oration, Aizawa brought a beckoning finger. "In the words of our greatest hero: 'Go beyond. Plus Ultra.' Now get ready."
Izuku looked to his surroundings once more and saw that the homeroom teacher's stern reminder brought along a sense of motivation. After some hesitation, he decided to snap out of his dread and hope for the best. After all, one thing that Vegeta ensured the boy would never forget was to welcome a challenge.
The first activity was the fifty-meter dash, something basic which was a suitable start for Izuku though not an easy feat. He internally reminded himself to conserve his strength for the remaining activities yet put the effort to set a suitable score. On the upside, he could see the quirks of his peers firsthand that didn't involve getting nearly blown or beaten up.
Iida was the first to excel thanks to his engine quirk while the french-speaking blonde, who saved Izuku back at the entrance exam, almost flew through the track thanks to the laser from his stomach. Many of the others took to the practical sense of running like Izuku, perhaps their quirks were more in store in the later activities.
But none of that compared to Shoto Todoroki's sliding through the ice he easily generated. Oddly enough, he was he also had a fiery red color to the other half of his hair which Izuku wondered what accommodated for in comparison to his literal icy right side.
Once it was his turn, Izuku put all of his energy into his legs thought what didn't help him was that Kacchan was racing alongside him. The two boys darted through the track until Kacchan crossed his hands over his shoulders while letting out an intimidating snarl.
"Explosive speed, TURBO!" He yelled before using the combustion in his hands to propel him forward like an armored hero Izuku read about in his youth.
"4.13 seconds!" A robot nearby calculated.
As for Izuku, he had to shield himself while he was still running, forcing him to fall under the last place of the two.
"7.02 seconds!"
He panted as worrying thoughts clouded his mind once more. His best time in middle school was nearly seven and a half seconds and today made little difference. For a moment he wanted to use One For All or even take a chance at using his ki, yet chastised himself as he nearly forgot the advice his sensei gave him prior to today.
"The only way for you to truly understand your power is to feel it!" Vegeta yelled at Izuku who sat on the ground bandaging his forehead after a faulty sparring session.
"I-I know that, but.. could you be a little more specific?" he replied while hesitating to look at his sensei in the eye.
"You've already gotten a taste of what both of these powers," The pro hero asked with more calmness in his voice."Tell me, with more certainty this time what the feeling was like."
Izku pondered to himself as he tried to trace back his memory to the Entrance Exam. One thing he did remember was the mixture of angry emotions bottling up to a boiling point. Besides that, there had to be a visualization to focus on. After much thought, and the lingering impatience of his master, Izuku finally found his answer.
"Oh I know, an egg exploding in a microwave!"
A long awkward silence fell between Izuku and Vegeta, the steady wind and ambiance of wildlife not helping.
"Really?" Vegeta asked with a raise of his brow. "That was the best you could come up with?"
"W-Well yeah! I couldn't really find any other options so-"
"Alright alright, we'll just go with that!" Vegeta irritably dismissed before continuing. "Putting this image in your mind, if you slow down the power that means it won't be fully cooked. Yet at the same time, if you set it too high, you'll be left with a literal mess. Let that help you."
Izuku looked to Vegeta with more certainty, tightening his fists as he heeded his master's advice.
"You'll have three weeks left before school starts, so don't forget this image," Vegeta advised as he pointed to his head. "It will take time to master One For All and your ki. What you should also remember is persistence. That's what'll allow the best warriors to thrive and it makes the difference between the successful and the unaccomplished.
Izuku strained as he recalled this memory while clinging onto the weight in his left hand. Control and persistence rung like a bell in his mind with the hope that these two will be key to his success not just as a student but as a future hero.
With a loud beeping noise, it was a signal that he was finally done with this activity. Lifting the weight that has now reduced in its mass, he shuddered as he saw '56 kg' embedded. His best in middle school was 40 kg.
"Wow look at you go!" the familiar voice of Hanta Sero said as Izuku glanced at the boy. Alongside him was Mineta, a boy with peculiar-looking purple grapes for hair. From time to time, he would take the opportunity to steal a glance at the female students which Izuku found odd. The two were in awe over Mezo Shoji who had a set of muscled arms where more seemed to grow at the very least.
"540 kg? That's amazing, like a muscle octopus!" Mineta said in glee.
From behind, that only made Izuku more discouraged as one by one he saw how far his classmates were superior to him. Still, he reminded himself to press on, looking back to how helpless he was after the exam as a reminder to go past being a liability.
Vegeta skimmed through the teacher's handbook in preparation for tomorrow, his first day of teaching. He sat alone in the teacher's lounge in the same bright yellow suit he wore when recording the videos for the new students. He thought it was a ridiculous thing to wear though couldn't argue against the fact that some formality was needed, at least he was able to bring his hero suit for tomorrow's class.
For now, a part of him felt queasy for the upcoming responsibility of training not one but twenty students. Vegeta was no stranger to mentorship but this was on an entirely new level. He set the handbook down before leaning back to rub his face as he groaned quietly.
The teachers at U.A. were always given free rein on their business, which puts the Saiyan at an advantage. Still, he had to figure a way to accurately watch over Midoriya's use of One For All and his ki.
Speaking of teachers, Vegeta instantly remembered that he didn't find out who his successor's homeroom teacher was. Picking the handbook back up, he leaned closer as he flipped through the pages with haste only to barely suppress from vomiting blood when he saw the name.
Eraserhead was to be Midoriya's teacher, no doubt singling him out instantly. Looking over to the teacher's profile, Vegeta's eyes widened when he saw Aizawa's expulsion record: 154 students with undoubtedly more to come. It didn't help either as he examined a note explicitly stating that he dismissed an entire class of first-years.
The number one hero set panicked breaths as he desperately searched for the schedule today and saw that Eraserhead was to put the students through a 'quirk assessment test' for orientation.
The Saiyan hero quickly set the handbook down and quietly raced out of the room to head to the P.E. Grounds, hoping he wasn't too late.
Vegeta snuck behind a building once he got closer to his destination, making sure to stay out of sight to not let a single soul notice him. Peering around the corner in front of a tree, he saw a group of students all dressed in blue-looking tracksuits gathered in front of a scruffy-looking teacher. Now that he found Aizawa, Vegeta scanned through the youths until he quickly found his apprentice standing near the front. Midoriya barely looked like he was able to stand on his own, swaying left and right and shaking his head to keep himself awake.
"He's worn out," Vegeta lamented in his head. "How much longer can he sustain his strength?"
"Now for the fifth test," Eraserhead said out loud enough for the Saiyan hero to hear. "Ball throwing, just like I showed you when we started so you know what to expect."
Vegeta faintly heard the tired teacher calling out to one of the students who promptly ran up in excitement. He recognized the student as Ochaco Uraraka, the girl whom Midoriya saved at the entrance exam. His successor's spirit was lifted for a time once the girl came up, he must have gotten acquainted with her.
Uraraka stretched her right arm before she flung the ball in the air with an overhand. Surprisingly, the sphere didn't fall at an arc even when she didn't put that much power behind it but kept going. Her fellow classmates gazed at a glint in the sky, followed by Aizawa showing the distance covered on his phone: infinity.
"Infinity?!" The class exclaimed.
Though surprised as well, Vegeta recognized the girl's power through both the entrance exam and her profile in the teacher's handbook. There were pads on her fingertips that allowed her to make any object, living or not, lose its gravity. The drawbacks to her quirk were not only relying on close-range combat, but she had a weight limit of three tons as well as getting more nauseous the more objects she made to float. Once she hit that limit, Uraraka would throw up almost a literal rainbow.
"Good job," Aizawa droned his praise as the said girl regrouped with her classmates, even high-fiving one of them. "Up next: Izuku Midoriya."
Vegeta immediately felt his heart race after hearing the call to his apprentice. Even from a far distance, he saw Midoriya flinch as all eyes fell upon him.
Izuku was distraught on top of his exhaustion from the earlier fitness tests. He was sure he didn't pass the standing long jump after falling within the sandbox and his efforts for the repeated side steps weren't much of an improvement either. Then there was the distance run, the seated toe-touch, and the sit-ups. At least for those events, he didn't have to rely upon his quirk up front but that was no option for the ball throw here.
Kacchan had already blasted the ball in the air when they started the quirk apprehension test while Uraraka simply made the ball presumably float all the way to space. As he slowly walked to the center of the white circle, Izuku reminisced seeing the amazing quirks from his other classmates and how they had obviously shown their competence unlike him. It was only an inevitability that he'll have the lowest score and get expelled before getting a chance to learn.
"Unfortunately, Midoriya hasn't been doing well during the test," Iida pointed out from behind. "All he has left at this point is hope that he won't get an expulsion."
"What the hell were you expecting?" Kacchan responded. "He's just a quirkless runt, he's nothing compared to even the weakest of all of us!"
"But he does have a quirk!" Iida countered in defense. "Did you not hear of his feats during the entrance exam?"
"You mean how he cheated right? That's the only way that bastard passed the test, take a look for yourself and see how pathetic he is."
Izuku was now at the center of the circle as his classmates and teacher alike awaited his feat they had heard so much about.
"I'm proud of you son, I want you to remember that."
"Yes, you can become a hero."
There were only two options left now: break his body or take a fifty-fifty chance at an ancient power that just awakened within him. Gritting his teeth, Izuku placed the ball in his right hand and twisted his body as he took a step back for an overhand throw. The red streaks returned in his arm along with the glow that swarmed it. So much faith has been placed into him, and he wasn't going to let his mother or his master down.
"Forty-six meters," An automated voice said.
Looking up mid-stance, Izuku saw the ball only a few meters in his view. Not only that, but his arm felt completely fine but he knew that there was no way the ball could have covered that little distance with all the power he put into his arm.
"Wh-what happened?" He said to himself as he stood up to inspect his right hand. "I was trying to use it!"
"I erased your quirk," Aizawa said in a blunt reply.
Izuku turned to his left and saw his homeroom teacher's appearance change completely. His disheveled look was completely replaced with his hair waving above his head and the straps in his scarf have loosened to where they looked like they were floating on their own. What was most frightening about his form were the tired eyes now glowing in an intimidating red flare.
"The judges made a grave mistake when they thought that you passed the exam," Aizawa said as he approached Izuku. "Someone so irrational like yourself has no place at this school."
The mention of 'erasure' and the yellow goggles dangling at the teacher's neck made Izuku's memory click as to which pro hero his homeroom teacher was. It was Eraserhead, and he was infamous for his ability to cancel out anyone's quirk and his refusal to show himself in the spotlight. It was thanks to these traits that his name ran fear down to evildoers.
"I was watching when you embarrassed yourself by destroying your body like that, you're not ready," Aizawa continued as he narrowed his eyes and looked down. "You'll just get your colleagues at a disadvantage if you ever try that stunt in the real world, not to mention getting civilians hurt or killed."
"W-wait, It's not like that!" Izuku exclaimed.
Two ends of the teacher's 'scarf' darted out towards Izuku and grappled him closer to the teacher. The strong grip the fabric had on him was immense as he felt a giant squeeze on his small figure.
"As I was saying, you'll be nothing but a liability. Students who can't control their powers are only a waste of time, like you. Your recklessness reminds me of another hero, one who has made his name in restoring peace in a society on the path to its downfall," Aizawa took a glance at his right side at something other than Izuku before redirecting his attention. "It was that same recklessness that killed him, and it will kill you as well. Saving one person in an exam is far from enough if you want to make it with the pros."
"Izuku Midoriya," he concluded. "With that power, don't even think of becoming a hero."
Izuku quivered, yet kept his focus on the intimidating teacher's lecture. Aizawa then set calmed breaths as his hair fell down to his face in its usual drab while the bright red glare from his eyes dissipated with a single blink. The binding cloth released its grip from Izuku as the teacher took a step back to grab something from his pocket. It was an eyedrop, no doubt for his eyes because of the use of his quirk.
"You've got your quirk back," Aizawa said as he tossed the young student another softball from his pocket. "I'll give you one last shot so make it count."
His earlier determination now gravely wounded, Izuku gripped the ball in his left hand tightly as he reconsidered his strategy. Close by, he barely heard the murmurs of his classmates who were no doubt questioning his ability to succeed.
"It's not rocket science why he stopped me from using One For All," Izuku thought. Both he and Aizawa knew that his inherited quirk would have only caused him a grave injury, no matter if he placed all his power through his arm or even just his finger The outcome would have been the same, showing his teacher and schoolmates the potential of him being a hindrance. There was no place for that here, and Izuku understood the need for his peers to have the drive to succeed.
Now he had one last shot, one last shot to prove himself worthy in the eyes of U.A. One For All would break his body and prove Aizawa right so that just left him with his only other option.
Tracing his memory back, Izuku remembered the meditation sessions Vegeta put him through. At the time they were intended to give him a calmer alternative to the painful sparring, now he saw that his master was testing him on whether he shared his power. It wasn't through meditation that Izuku found his ki, but in the Entrance Exam when Uraraka was nearly crushed by the zero-pointer. It was his rage and frustration in himself that allowed him to awaken a power that was seemingly dormant in his entire life.
Izuku now snapped his head back to the open field, his assertion returning. With steady breaths, he slowly winded his arm back and his eyes fixated on the field. A white glow suddenly encompassed him and set a sharp gust of wind that made his hair flow like water and the dirt around him fly away.
He yelled as he hurled the ball forward at an angle, only given a moment to observe. A loud BOOM nearly shattered the eardrums of Eraserhead and the other students of Class 1-A as they observed in shock.
"Seven hundred and seventy meters." The automated voice droned.
Izuku panted heavily from the use of his ki, as he felt like the earlier tests were nothing compared to what now felt like running a marathon. He stood up and faced his teacher with a strained smile.
"You see sensei? I won't be a liability!" He said as he showed his uninjured hand.
"Heh, this kid!" Aizawa responded with a creepily wide, but genuine smile.
"Woo-hoo! That's the kind of stuff I was talking about!" Uraraka shouted in praise.
"Interesting, he used his quirk without injuring any of his limbs. Has he overcome the drawbacks of his quirk already? His form looked far different from his first attempt," Iida observed quizzically.
"Damn! If this Midoriya guy passes, I can't wait to see what else he's got!" The red spiky-haired Kirishima excitedly exclaimed.
The rest of the classmates' murmuring escalated into full-blown excitement over Midoriya's throw.
All except for one particular blonde who only stared dumbstruck at what he just witnessed.
"That loser has a quirk?!"
Bakugo couldn't believe it, Deku actually had a quirk after all this time! Not only that, but he did far better than the blonde during his first and only attempt at the ball throw. He only watched as the weakling barely slogged through the events before what occurred right now.
But why now? Not one recorded individual had their quirk manifest after the age of four. Past that benchmark would have been an inevitability that they would be quirkless nobodies.
Bakugo clenched his fists as the loser undermined him once again. First pushing him down, somehow especially from the grip he had over him, and now launching a softball like a rocket. Not to mention that the other loser classmates were in awe of Deku of all people rather than him.
"And like it or not, I'll earn my place at U.A!"
No, he was going to get to the bottom of this right now.
"DEKU! You're gonna explain how the hell you did that you lying bastard!"
The weakling responded with a frightened yelp as Bakugo charged at him head-on with sparks in his right hand reeled back, ready to give him a beating like he had done many times before. Today he was going to destroy Deku for sure this time.
Which is what he would've done before some stiff cloth grappled him from behind, wrapped over the right side of his face and midsection.
His explosive quirk also disappeared suddenly as the blonde no longer felt the familiar sparks in his palm.
"Hrngh... what is this?!" Bakugo growled as he strained.
"My capture cloth. It's made of carbon fibers and special alloy wire. Perfect for villains, and bratty children as well," A familiar bored-sounding voice said from behind. Taking a slight turn of his head left, Katsuki saw that it was Aizawa. His unkempt hair now stood straight up like earlier and the red glow in his eyes returned. "And don't use your quirk so frivolously, it's the first day and I'm already getting dry eye thanks to you kids."
Bakugo could only do so much as to glare in rage before the teacher released him. He could faintly hear some classmates whisper about his feeble attempt of an attack.
"Such a waste of time," Aizawa said as his coal-colored hair fell on his face. His "capture weapon" now receded to drape around his neck. "Let's hurry up with this so we can go over to the next event."
The round-faced girl quickly ran up to Deku as he and Katsuki returned to the small crowd of their classmates. Four-eyes joined her and the two were gawking over that lanky loser.
"You didn't break your bones this time? That's good, plus that was a great throw!" Pink Cheeks said.
"It may have been a struggle, but you continue to impress by the minute Midoriya!" The Somei smartass followed.
Bakugo didn't even pay attention to whoever was up next as he glared at Deku who was, as usual, sputtering because of unearned praise from an unearned power.
"Why're you being so mean Kacchan? Can't you see you're hurting him?"
"The reason he's got nothin' is that he knows what I'm saying is true, he just won't face reality."
"Quirks are so cool Kacchan! I can't wait to get mine!"
"Ha! I bet yours won't be cool as mine Deku!"
"Why now?" was all that the blonde could muster in his head. Unlike the rest of these louts that were his classmates, he actually knew the fact that Deku was quirkless because he was there himself when the word passed around his kindergarten class.
Every step of the way, that loser was nothing more than a bug in his path. That's the way that it was meant to be for Bakugo, he would be the only student in his pathetic middle school to go to U.A. He alone would excel above these extras and rise to be the most powerful hero Japan has seen.
"Deku could try all he wants to get in my way. I'll only squash him like so many times before, this won't be any different."
"Everyone listen up, it's time for your results."
Class 1-A was gathered around Aizawa once more after they finished their final event. After the ball throw, many of the other students continued to stride in their ever-impressive abilities to make it to the finish line.
The same couldn't be said for Izuku, unfortunately. Though he impressed both his classmates and the intimidating Aizawa at the ball throw, he only toiled through the remaining tests with exhaustion as his burden.
His ki usage for the ball throw drained nearly all the stamina he had left in his body. Izuku nearly regretted the final decision, at least with a broken arm or finger he would still have the energy to run or do the toe touches and sit-ups.
But he never forgot Aizawa's stern instructions. He would've looked far more of an impediment to his classmates with a broken appendage, or to his sensei even. Now, he stood at the back of the crowd as they awaited their results.
His eyes were shut with anticipation and fret. The news of the lowest-performing student getting expelled hung over him more than probably the rest of his classmates.
"I'll be grading from highest to lowest," Aizawa explained. "I'm not going over the score of each of you, but get a good idea of your standing."
A blue hologram displaying a chart suddenly towered over all the students. Just as the teacher said, the highest performing students were listed from top to bottom with a single row to divide all twenty into half.
Izuku slowly creaked his eyes open to scan the chart. In the heat of the moment, he singled it down realistically. There was for sure no way he was at the top, that was where Yaoyorozu was, so surely he had to be somewhere in the middle. Maybe in the lower end of the column if not.
Then he saw it: 20. Izuku Midoriya. He sullenly glanced down at the hand that threw the softball. Izuku almost cursed himself for the unrealistic mentality that he put faith in.
It was finished. He failed not only his teacher and future peers, but he failed his sensei. Who knew what Vegeta would say about this? There was no doubt the number one hero would express his displeasure thoroughly but perhaps reconsider his decision to give Izuku One For All.
"And by the way, no one's going home."
Izuku snapped from his thoughts to direct his attention at the homeroom teacher. He could have sworn that he heard the pro hero say that no one was going home. And he wasn't alone in this bewilderment as nearly the entire class stared at the teacher wide-eyed.
"That was a rational deception," The homeroom teacher said with a toothy sardonic smile. "Something to give you all the proper 'motivation' to bring out the best."
"WHAAAT?!" Many of the students, especially Izuku, screeched in unity.
"It shouldn't really be that surprising," Yaoyorozu said with a strange sense of calmness. "It was a ruse from the get-go if you really think about it."
Izuku eased his earlier shock to reflect on the girl's words. It wouldn't make sense for even a harsh teacher like Aizawa to send away a student on the first day by itself. Plus, despite the rather cruel threat, he remembered how it only kept pushing him to do better on the tests not to mention his ball throw.
He cursed himself for his inattention. If sensei Vegeta were here, he'd surely voice his disapproval in his apprentice.
"We're done here," Aizawa finished as he made the chart dissipate with a button on his device. "Change into your regular uniforms and head back to class, you'll find the syllabus and all you need there. And Midoriya."
The said student shivered as the homeroom teacher approached him slowly, his eyes narrowed even without the intimidating red glint.
"You may not have been expelled, but that's no excuse to get comfortable," He sternly reminded the boy. "It's the first day and you're literally starting at the bottom, so you'd better learn well and fast. It doesn't get any easier from here."
"Y-Yes, sir!" Izuku replied with newfound confidence.
"Good, now head back to class. I've got an 'appointment'."
Aizawa then turned away from the group and started heading down to a corner of a building next to a tree. Before trailing behind his classmates, Izuku looked back as he felt something familiar deep in his gut.
Deciding to pay it no need for attention, he jogged to keep up with his classmates as he thought back on his teacher's words. He was right, this wasn't going to get any easier.
"'A rational deception'?! That's the best you had for an excuse like that?" Vegeta cackled.
"Good to know you don't mind wasting time Vegeta," Eraserhead coldly greeted as he stopped, not even facing the number one hero. "Don't you have a class tomorrow?"
"I did my own fair share of 'studying'. I read your file, you expelled all of your freshmen last year! You have no qualms about setting aside anyone who won't live up to the challenge at this school."
"And?" Aizawa queried. "You have a problem with that? I thought you, of all people, would be enthusiastic about only allowing the strongest to thrive."
Vegeta only chuckled, pleased that he was only getting closer.
"That I have no problem with. For my standards, expulsion is mercy. But I saw the certainty in your announcement, you surely planned on sending whoever came in last place home."
"But you changed your mind!" Vegeta proclaimed as he pointed at the homeroom teacher with a semi-accusatory finger and a mocking smile. "It was Midoriya's determination that made you sense his potential!"
"Heh, you're right. That kid did something that I haven't seen from a student in a long time, he surprised me," Aizawa chuckled while looking almost longingly at the ground.
Vegeta's smile only grew wider at his success in exposing the reserved teacher.
"Of course, there's no greater act than self-sacrifice. Right?"
The Saiyan's smile shattered like glass, his pointing hand crumbled as Eraserhead grinned through his shoulder-length hair.
"I thought so," Aizawa said in a deriding tone. "Pretty odd for you to be playing favorites already, don't forget you have nineteen other brats to take care of. We'll see tomorrow."
The erasure hero then slowly continued on his path. Vegeta was barely able to suppress an annoyed groan at being outsmarted.
"I meant what I said when I compared Midoriya to a hero I knew."
The Saiyan hero snapped his attention to the homeroom teacher who was not even at a far distance. His embarrassed look had now changed into a scowl at the indirect mention of his precursor.
"I heard that quite thoroughly," He responded in a grumble. "You had anything more to say about that?"
Even then, there was no change in Aizawa's unkempt features.
"Just saying. It's one thing to let a kid chase a hopeless dream, but it's nothing compared to pushing him so far to the point he ends up on an early grave. So let's hope for Midoriya's sake that he won't share the same fate as your predecessor."
Vegeta set deep breaths as he watched the homeroom teacher finally leave his sight. Once Aizawa was nothing more but a speck in the distance, the Saiyan made the opposite way back to the teacher's lounge.
Vegeta stood alone in one of the teacher's lockers with only a suitcase to accompany him.
It took nearly every fiber in him to resist from lashing out at the Erasure hero on the mere suggestion that he would only get Midoriya killed, just like what happened to Kakarot all those years ago. That unkempt excuse of a pro knew nothing of him or his rival.
He didn't know the responsibility of One For All and the need to pass it down to the next generation. What did Erasearhead of all people know of the pain that has wrought the number one hero?
A part of Vegeta realized the reason why he didn't even try to prove his colleague wrong: he was right. In the end: Kakarot gave his own life because of One For All itself. Inch by inch, the power took its toll on him up to his final days. Yes, he was trained, but it wasn't enough. Midoriya will have his own struggle to properly inherit this power, but it will be far greater than what his idols endured.
Their relationship as master and student went hand in hand, Midoriya had the responsibility of inheriting One For All while Vegeta's task was to properly instill these principles on the boy. If he were to fall, the blood would be on the Saiyan's hands.
Vegeta then set aside these concerns, though made sure to heed Eraserhead's words. There was one thing he could not argue against the homeroom teacher: he had a class to teach today, and there was only one chance to make one good impression these students will never forget.
He unlatched the locks to open the case. Gripping the piece of fabric within, the sight of his outfit reminded him of the trials that lay ahead.
AN: Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving and a good start with December! Finals are closing onto me now so I'm gonna try to set that as my priority until the quarter is over.
I wanted to add that little bit of Midoriya getting out of Bakugo's throat grab, then pushing him down as a result of Vegeta's aggressive training. I felt like it's something that he would advise while not using an extreme amount of his power.
And I don't know about you, but writing in Bakugo's POV was more fun than I initially thought. I know I did it a little bit in the second half of the first chapter (what used to be the second chapter in its entirety), but I wanted to make the different POV's more unique like his numerous nicknames and insults. I know it sounds kinda mean I don't plan on getting carried away with his volatile behavior.
As for Midoriya's use of ki and OFA, I felt that him using the former would prove a better point to Aizawa and his classmates. In the original story, he didn't exactly have any other option rather risk hurting himself. Now that he's got the power that'll let him fly and shoot energy blasts, he won't have to worry so much.
Now that doesn't mean he'll be invincible with his ki though. Not only does he now have the risk of fatigue, but don't expect him to be a planet buster just yet or even a city buster. One of my main focuses is to have Midoriya gradually build up his power rather than through a short period of time. He'll still be a formidable foe to deal with but nowhere near Goku and Vegeta that's for sure.
Hope you're all ready for the rest of Class 1-A to meet the Prince of All Saiyans next chapter!