Chapter 5
Scarlett made a scoffing sound when Aizawa said her score to the class. 'That bastard. He even tried to make it so I couldn't hear what he said. Jokes on him though, he doesn't know I have good hearing. But still. He revealed my score! Isn't that supposed to be the student's choice on whether to reveal it or not? Obviously he did it to give the others motivation, but this is just frustrating. Now I'm going to have a big red target on my back. I suppose though… it wouldn't be too bad to have a bit of competition at least. It would be boring if nothing went on for three years. Then again, with these kinds of people… who knows what will happen with them.'
"Alright, demonstration is over," Aizawa announced. "I hope all of you are ready, because your entry to UA is at stake. The real thing starts now."
First Event: 50 Meter Dash
The first two up were Iida and Asui. They both readied themselves on the starting line, waiting for the robot that records their time to give them the green light.
Scarlett managed to keep a straight face and ignore all the stares that the others kept giving her. It was especially hard with Bakugo trying to burn a hole through her back with his intense angry stare.
Hagakure decided to stand next to Scarlett. "I wonder how they will do?"
The ravenette narrowed her eyes at the two on the starting line, ignoring how uncomfortable she felt with the invisible girl's close proximity. "Iida's quirk makes him go fast I bet with those… engines on his legs. He was made for this test. Asui is like a frog, but frogs aren't necessarily known for their speed. But their agility is decent. I doubt she could pass Iida though. But she'll get a decent score nevertheless."
"Wow!" Hagakure exclaimed. "You really analyzed it greatly! You're… really amazing, you know that?"
Scarlett noticed a tinge of sadness and perhaps even envy towards the end, but ignored it. It wasn't her business nor was it important. "It's nothing much. Anyone could assume that." 'She seems to tend to exaggerate things quite a bit.'
"Yeah, but…" Hagakure trailed off a bit. "Did you really get a perfect score on the written exam and 1st on the practical?"
Sighing, she nodded. The cat's out of the bag. No point in hiding it, thanks to their oh so great teacher. She took back what her mind thought of before, thinking that he isn't such a bad teacher. If he can just blab out someone's private things intentionally just like that, she found him that much more untrustable.
"Amazing…" Hagakure breathed out. "You're gonna make it really big I bet!"
"...Perhaps," Scarlett decided to go with after a pause.
"On your mark!" The robot suddenly said. "Get set…"
A popping sound came afterwards and the two students immediately ran towards the end. Iida's engines were fired up and left a trail of smoke as he ran towards the finish while Asui took large leaps forward. As expected, Iida passed first with Asui surprisingly not too far behind.
"3.04 seconds!" The robot announced for Iida's time. "5.58 seconds!"
"Woah!" Kirishima exclaimed. "He's pretty fast!"
"And I never knew frogs could be that fast either!" Ojiro added.
"Your prediction was right on point!" Hagakure complimented Scarlett.
"Like I said, it wasn't much of a prediction. Just probability and what their quirks were. Don't make it seem like it was that great."
"Well, he's like a fish in water," Aizawa said to himself, looking at Iida. "Not to mention he's the brother of Ingenium. It'll be worth seeing what others do on this test."
Ojiro and Uraraka were next. The male was flexing his tail in preparation while Uraraka was tapping her clothes and shoes, leaving a light pink glow.
"Lighten up my clothes and shoes…" She murmured to herself.
'Her quirk is not just floating stuff, huh?' Scarlett thought, remembering that time she saved Midoriya. 'It's more like making things lighter. As if… she's controlling their gravity,' she realized.
"Get set…"
The two of them raced off, Ojiro with a strong lead. He used his tail to bounce himself forward while Uraraka started running there as fast as she could. Clearly, the girl was a bit out of a shape as she was panting halfway through.
"5.49 seconds! 7.15 seconds!"
'Creative way to use a simple quirk,' Aizawa reviewed in his mind. Ojiro had at least some potential. 'And while it was smart to lighten her clothing, she should have done so on her body as well. But it's a start. She's not entirely hopeless.'
While Uraraka's time wasn't the best, she seemed pleased. "That's faster than when I was in junior high at least!"
Ashido jumped up. "Looks like it's my turn!"
"And moi!" Aoyama interjected with his sparkles.
"Good luck!" Hagakure called out to her new friend as they went to the starting line.
Ashido had knelt down and prepared herself just as the others had done. However, Aoyama instead faced backwards, standing up straight. It intrigued Scarlett what he was going to do.
"Everyone, you're not being creative enough," Aoyama declared boldly. "I'll show you what it's like… to be allowed to use your quirk! ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*Watch moi in all of my dazzling glory!✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*"
'...How is he speaking in sparkles?' Went through everyone's heads.
The two of them started to move, with Ashido sliding on her acid like a skater on ice while Aoyama was using his navel laser to propel his body forward.
'Wow.' Scarlett raised an eyebrow. 'He's narcissistic, but he's got somewhat of a brain. And it's not like it's the first time I've met someone narcissistic,' she thought, thinking about now Nat was very similar. Although Aoyama blew that out of the water.
With his speed, Aoyama was in the lead, but not for long. The laser from his navel grew smaller and smaller as it ran out of fuse, causing Ashido to pass him while he had to fire up his laser again.
"5.32 seconds! 5.51 seconds!"
Twinkling, Aoyama explained in his french accent, "✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*If I shoot for more than a second, I'll get a stomachache.✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*"
'What is up with this guy…' All of them sweatdropped.
'Only for a second?' Scarlett mused, choosing to ignore the strange student's… interesting behavior. 'I wonder if you can expand the limit on that. It has the potential to be a good quirk.'
'Looking at the upper limit of your quirks and the room for growth for each result, it becomes clear what you can and can't do,' Aizawa thought to himself. 'That will connect you to the creativity needed for you to survive.'
Next up was Midoriya and Bakugo. The green haired male was shaking and sweating a bit as he readied himself. Scarlett was curious to see what his quirk was. After all their meetings, she hadn't even seen it once.
Meanwhile the blonde was the complete opposite as he rushed forward, explosions coming out of his hands as he practically flew to the finish. Midoriya, strangely enough, didn't even use his quirk, which made Scarlett intrigued. Was his quirk something that would handicap him more than it would help? And even without a quirk, he had a decent time. He was slightly faster than Uraraka, who even used her ability. Clearly, Midoriya had conditioned his body significantly.
"4.13 seconds! 7.02 seconds!"
'Tch! I didn't beat that elite, huh?' Bakugo scowled as he stood upright. 'And there's red eyes as well…' He glared at Scarlett again, who once again ignored him, much to his chagrin and fury.
'I don't want to give attention to someone like him.' The ravenette crossed her arms. 'He's the type of person who would end up worse once you get him the recognition he wants. His ego's big enough as it is.'
Midoriya was panting heavily, his hands on his knees as he recovered. 'There's still seven more tests. I'm sure everyone will use their quirks to produce some extraordinary results. On the other hand… I have this power that would break my body if I use it once! I have to control it… control it… think of an egg not exploding in a microwave…'
A few other people piqued Scarlett's interest. Yaoyorozu created an electric scooter from seemingly her own body. If she could create anything just like that… the possibilities were endless. Sero too had done something interesting. With tape as a quirk, it doesn't seem all that much. But the tape seemed very durable as he wrapped it around a nearby post and reeled himself in. Then there was the other recommended student. Todoroki. He seemed to be the most outstanding of all. He easily used his ice to slide across. The male was similar to her in that they were the stoic type that don't really talk. He was as cool as his ice. Scarlett didn't like the quiet types, despite being one herself. They were harder to understand and get a read of.
After a few more people went, it was finally Scarlett's turn. She stepped to the starting line with someone named Sato, who was rather big and muscular. He gave the girl a thumbs up and she responded back with a nod.
Scarlett took a deep breath, deciding what she should do. 'It would be most obvious and a seemingly logical decision if I simply use my telekinesis. And I would probably get a pretty fast time as well. But is that really the best option? There's a total of eight tests, and although I've trained to extend my limit for a long time, I don't want to be all exhausted before I can finish the tests. Plus, I shouldn't show weakness in front of everyone. I want to save them in case there's any that are extremely taxing and harder to do with just my own physical abilities. Rationality is a key point in this as well, as Aizawa hinted heavily at. So I shouldn't use them in this test.'
Sato took an entire small canister filled with sugar, chugging it all down in one gulp, making the girl next to him nearly open her mouth in surprise. After he ate the sugar, his muscles seemed to get even bigger and he looked more fired up as he yelled out.
'Sugar makes him stronger, huh?' Scarlett commented to herself. 'It's a material that's easy to access and gives you useful benefits. He'll probably be super tired after this though. Sugar only gives you temporary energy and then leaves you completely sluggish after its effects wear off.'
"On your mark!" The robot announced. Everyone seemed to put their attention on mostly Scarlett, curious as to what time one of the top students of the class so far would get. They still looked at Sato too so that they could evaluate him. He was extremely muscular, even more so with the sugar rush. Definitely a stand out.
Sato prepared to run to the finish, fueled up due to his sugar rush. Meanwhile, everyone noticed that Scarlett had been facing backwards just like Aoyama. But her powers were telekinesis, right? What would facing backwards do? Either way, even the quieter students were at least a bit curious at what she was going to do.
"Get set…" The sound of a pop once again rang out.
The sugar rush student immediately started running to the finish line. However, Scarlett suddenly also moved, but it wasn't with telekinesis. Rather… she was doing a series of backflips!? And she passed Sato doing it! The amount of backflips she was doing was unknown to the others due to how many she was doing. It was rather impressive she could do that many for that long.
"4.92 seconds!" The robot announced her time. "6.31 seconds!" It then said for Sato.
"OI!" Bakugo yelled angrily from his spot. "Why didn't you use your quirk?!"
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, her facial expression seemingly bored, only adding to Bakugo's anger. "He never said we had to use a quirk. And if we have seven more tests after this, shouldn't you save your quirk for the other tests? Why go all out immediately? It's not practical nor rational, especially if you're just trying to show off."
Everyone was stunned silent at her reasoning.
"She's right...!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed. "Going all out from the beginning hardly has any benefits… and Aizawa sensei isn't just grading us based on how good our scores are either… he's been speaking about practicality and rationality this entire time. That must also be a big factor in our grading."
'If that's the case, then if I'm more practical, I might be able to make it?' Midoriya thought, feeling a bit hopeful. But it soon went away. 'Even if so…that probably won't be enough for me to prove I belong here.'
"Yeah, but we need to get fast times, don't we?" Kaminari pointed out, confused.
"Idiot," Jiro scoffed bluntly. "We do need to get good results, but that doesn't mean it's a race for who is the best. We just need to make sure that we're not last."
Bakugo sneered at all of this. What a bunch of idiots! Of course you should strive to be the best! If you don't, you're just a nameless loser! If you don't aim for the top, you don't deserve to be here! Just like Deku!
Midoriya looked at Scarlett in awe. 'She really is amazing… not only is her quirk useful, but she's also physically strong as well! If it really was her that day… she defeated a villain without using a quirk! And without hero experience either! Even without a quirk… you can still do all of that! And then… there's me...'
Second Event: Grip Strength
"Hnnnnnggg!" Hagakure struggled as she gripped the device as hard as she could. But unfortunately, strength was not her… well, strength. She only got 22 kg.
Ashido was more athletic, but not in the strength department either. Still though, she gained a total of 42 kg. "Whew! Too bad my quirk would only just melt it!"
"Scarlett!" Hagakure bounced over to her. "You try it!"
"540kg?!" Sero exclaimed as Shoji gripped the device tightly. "What are you, a gorilla?! Wait, or are you an octopus?"
Taking a deep breath, Scarlett started squeezing her given device as hard as she could. Her mouth was a grimace as her hand shook slightly from the force she was using.
"65… no 67.4!" Ashido yelled out. "Don't tell me- woah!" She jumped back as Scarlett glowed red, gaining the attention of the others as she practically crushed the device.
"Octopuses are sexy…" Mineta trailed off, his thoughts clear as day as his mind began running images thanks to Sero's comment. He snapped out of it though as he caught Scarlett's deadly gaze. He let out a squeak as she literally broke her own grip device with her telekinesis, as if to say, 'This is you if you don't stop that train of thought'.
Meanwhile, Midoriya looked down at his own device that only has the number 56.0. It was higher than the average for boys, but that was without quirks…
Event 3: Standing Long Jump
Unlike the first event, Aoyama was able to use his beam to go the full way without it running out. He passed the sandpit with ease, a sparkling smirk on his face. The others looked exasperated and even a bit annoyed at it.
"Even if you all make it across, no one does it as well as ✧･ﾟmoi!✧･ﾟ" Aoyama declared flamboyantly, striking a model's pose.
'I take back everything I said,' Scarlett deadpanned. 'I'll take Nat over him anyday.'
"RAHHHHH!" Bakugo screamed as he used his explosions to propel himself across the sandpit with ease. "How was that, losers?!"
"HEY!" Kaminari protested. "We're all heroes in training, no need to degrade us!"
"That's right!" Kirishima yelled. "Calling us names isn't manly at all!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Take your own advice," Scarlett grumbled, having enough of his screams and shouts.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Bakugo yelled from where he was.
"Take your own advice," Scarlett repeated, surprised that he could even hear her at all. "I'm sure your ego can use some."
Kaminari snickered. "She's got you there, Bakugo!"
"BE QUIET, STUPID DUNCE FACE!" Bakugo retorted.
"Huh?!" Kaminari exclaimed, appalled at the name he was given. "Why do I get a nickname like that?!"
"Because you are a dunce face," Jiro quipped snarkily.
'Yuugo came up with more creative names.' Scarlett sighed, deciding to cross the pit next. She decided to just levitate herself across, and did so easily enough.
"Nothing fancy?" Ashido questioned once she landed on the other side.
"What's the point?" Scarlett responded. "It gets the job done, doesn't it? No need to overcomplicate things. And no amount of physical ability can get me across."
"Good point!" Hagakure complimented. "I'm not doing so hot though… my quirk is useless for all of these tests."
"Your quirk would be best suited for something like stealth or infiltrating," Yaoyorozu agreed, having just crossed the pit by pole vaulting, which impressed many others at her athletic ability.
Hagakure was grinning, although no one could see it. "I like it! I could be like a spy or secret agent! Look out, criminal masterminds! I'll take you down in no time!" She punched the air multiple times to emphasize her point. ...Or at least try to.
Event 4: Repeated Side Steps
Everyone gaped as Mineta was easily the fastest one, bouncing back and forth on the sticky purple balls that were his quirk.
'Well… that's actually quite intuitive for someone like him,' Scarlett thought. Maybe the pervert had some potential. Doesn't make him less unlikable though. Other than his impressive score, nothing interesting happened. And then the next event came…
Event 5: Ball Throw
Since Scarlett demonstrated this event already, she was able to sit out on it. So she stayed with the others, watching as each person went up and threw the ball.
Yaoyorozu got 643 meters by using a powerful handheld ball cannon to shoot it. Iida fired up his engines and kicked the ball to reach 632 meters. Tokoyami released Dark Shadow and had him pick up the ball and throw it for a total of 702 meters. As more and more people went, Scarlett found herself wondering the most about Midoriya, who hadn't even used his quirk once in any of the tests.
'I know I said you should save your quirk, but isn't this a bit too much?' She mused. 'At this rate, he'll be last. And for some reason, I don't like the idea of him leaving. Even though we hardly know each other. Maybe it's because of how much he reminds me of Emma or some of the others. His potential isn't bad either. He may not seem all that strong, but he also has the ability to rush into a precarious situation, from what I've seen. Having a strong quirk doesn't matter if you can't act properly.'
Bakugo practically ripped the ball from Aizawa and stood in the circle. As he reeled his arm back, the angry blond yelled out, "DIEEEE!" The ball flew impressively with the power of his explosion.
'That is one durable ball to withstand that,' Scarlett thought, bemused at the action. 'And… Did he just say die? If he'll say something like that to a non-sentient object, he's gotta work out his issues.'
"705.2 meters," Aizawa announced.
"Woah! That's pretty good!" Kirishima praised him with a grin.
'DAMMIT!' Bakugo cursed as he violently kicked some dirt. 'How did I do worse than red eyes?! Just you wait! This is only the beginning! I'll kick your ass later!'
Uraraka stepped in the circle next and took a deep breath as she held the small white ball. It glowed a soft pink for a brief second before she threw it in the air. The ball just kept on going higher and higher, showing no signs of fall down at all. Everyone waited, just for the ball to get smaller as it got further away.
Eventually, Aizawa showed her shockingly impressive score, much to their surprise.
"INFINITY?!"
"That's amazing!" Sero stuttered out, shocked. "That's actually possible?!"
"Does that mean there's no limit on her quirk, ribbit?" Asui wondered out loud.
'Impressive,' Scarlett thought. 'I figured she'd get a high score on this test, but to think she got infinity…'
Meanwhile, Midoriya was barely keeping himself together. 'This is bad. It's not something simple that I can just do right away. Everyone's leaving at least one amazing result… and for a few others, they've been consistently on top! Scarlett hasn't shown a single drop of sweat since this started! How… how can you be this amazing?'
He walked inside the circle with the soft ball and stared at it intensely. 'The only tests that are left are this one, the long-distance run, and the seated toe-touch. It's now or never! Using my quirk for any of the other tests wouldn't be effective! I have to at least make some sort of statement for myself!'
"It's not looking good for Midoriya," Iida muttered.
"Huh?" Bakugo scoffed, standing next to him. "Of course not. He's a quirkless small fry, you know. There's no way he'll make it!"
"Quirkless?!" Iida exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you not aware of what he did during the entrance exam?!"
"Huh?" Bakugo replied, only showing that he had zero idea of what he meant.
"What did he do during the entrance exam?" Scarlett murmured to herself. If Iida was saying it, it must have been something groundbreaking.
Aizawa looked at Midoriya silently from his position. 'It's about time, huh? Well, he's the one who has absolutely no potential. He's done for. Nothing he'll do at this stage will save him. It's harsh, but that's reality. All of them still have yet to even get a proper feel of it. Well, perhaps except for one.' He looked over at the ravenette.
Midoriya gritted his teeth. 'Let's just do it!' His arm appeared to have veins of red as he reeled his arm with the ball back. 'I'll definitely do it! I'LL BECOME A HERO!'
However, as he expected the ball to go at least a decent distance, the ball only landed some distance away. A mere 46 meters.
He stared, shellshocked at what just happened. 'No way… I definitely activated my quirk just now! How…?'
"I erased your quirk," Aizawa explained, his scarf floating around him and his hair rose up as his eyes glowed red. The students all looked at him fearfully. "That entrance exam was definitely not rational enough. Even a kid like you was accepted."
"You… erased my quirk?" Midoriya clarified shakily. He then gasped in realization when he saw the yellow goggles around his neck that were concealed this whole time until now. "Those goggles… I see! You can erase other people's quirks with your own quirk just by looking at them! The Erasure Hero, Eraser Head!"
Scarlett barely managed to keep in a snort despite the tense atmosphere. 'Eraser Head? I'm sorry… but that's a really stupid name for such a quirk…' Her amused attitude disappeared in an instant however when she remembered what his quirk was. 'He can erase quirks? And just by looking at the person? What an ability…'
However, she started feeling fear build up in her body. 'But… my powers aren't quirks, right? So that means my abilities won't be erased if he tries to use his ability on me. You would think that would be good, but that would only just raise questions! And an investigation would most likely ensue! If any of them find out… my family would be dragged into it. I cannot let that happen! That's out of the question!'
She made a quick decision. 'I'll keep this hidden, no matter what! If he tries to erase my powers, I'll have to pretend that he did. It's annoying and a hassle, but I have no choice. Not if I want to keep the people I care about out of this. Jeez… of course I get him as a teacher. I lucked out on everything from brains to strength but when it comes to actual luck, not so much. Not to mention regeneration either.'
"Eraser?" All of the students conversalized.
"Never heard of him."
"I think I have! Apparently he's an underground hero."
Underground hero? Scarlett never heard of that term before, despite being fairly knowledgeable about the hero world. Judging from the word, and Aizawa himself, it must be the pro-heroes who aren't the flashy ones you see on tv or billboards. Rather, they must do more cases beneath the surface. How intriguing. In America, it probably isn't as big of a thing, seeing as all the heroes there like the spotlight. Not that Japan doesn't either, but it is considered the hero capital around the world. There was bound to be a larger variety of heroes here.
Was it possible… for her to pursue that as well? She never liked attention. But if she could become an underground hero and still be successful, it was a better option. Seeing the condition of her teacher though… doubts were still present. So for now, her original plan was still a go. But it was definitely worth researching. It wasn't important right now though.
As it turns out, All Might was sneakily watching the quirk apprehension test nervously. 'Eraser doesn't like media attention because he says it hinders his work. That's right, young Midoriya. He and I don't get along very well.'
Aizawa's quirk was still activated, looking at Midoriya with a serious expression. "From what I could tell, you can't control your quirk, can you?"
Midoriya gave a slight gasp in response. Scarlett rolled her eyes. Did he really not know how obvious he was?
"Do you intend to become incacipated again and have someone save you?" The underground hero queried.
"T-that's not my intention!" Midoriya protested. He let out a yelp as one of Aizawa's binds wrapped around him and dragged him towards the hero.
"Whether or not that's your intention…" Aizawa glared at him. "I'm saying that's what others around you will be forced to do. In the past, there was an overly passionate hero who saved over 1000 people by himself and created a legend." He looked over at the place All Might was hiding at.
Scarlett too had noticed him quite a while ago, and had wondered why he was sneaking around. But she was too focused on the tests to really wonder why he was here at all. And why he was trying to not be noticed.
"Even if you have the same reckless valor," Aizawa continued, "you'll just be decked and turn into a useless doll after saving one person. Izuku Midoriya. With your power, you cannot become a hero."
Midoriya looked at him in disbelief before setting his mouth into a grim line. Aizawa then released him from the bind, deactivating his quirk. He once again looked like the brooding unkempt teacher they first met.
"I've returned your quirk," Aizawa said. "You have two turns for the ball throw." He started to walk away. "Hurry up and get it over with."
"I wonder what they talked about," Sato wondered. None of them were close enough to hear it. But Scarlett was able to. Not that they know that of course.
'Once again… extremely harsh teacher,' Scarlett commented internally. 'There's no way I should outright go against him. I'd probably be expelled before I could even say 'demon'. So unless it's something absolutely absurd and there's no way to go around it, it's best to lay low and not give him an excuse to use his quirk on me.'
"I feel terrible for him!" Hagakure whispered. "Is our teacher serious about expelling the worst person in the class?"
"You thought it was a bluff?" Scarlett questioned back.
"W-well, part of me did," she admitted. "It was just so absurd… and I thought it could be a push for us to bring out our full potential."
"Perhaps that's part of it," Scarlett conceded. "But… I didn't detect any lies in his words or body language. I'm almost certain he was serious about it."
"Oh no…" Uraraka whispered. "He seems like such a nice kid though…"
"Being nice isn't enough to be a pro-hero," Scarlett retorted quietly. 'His willingness to run into danger though… is it bravery, recklessness, or both? Either way, it's one step forward to be a true hero. Not many pro-heroes make that first step.'
"Perhaps he received some good advice!" Iida theorized about their conversation. "He is our teacher after all!"
"Yeah right!" Bakugo sneered. "He's probably going to get expelled."
"Are you worried about him?" Aoyama asked Uraraka.
"Hm?" Uraraka looked at him in slight surprise.
"I'm…" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "✧･ﾟNot at all.✧･ﾟ"
Scarlett deadpanned at him. "Thanks for your helpful input." Definitely needed to know about your very interesting thoughts…
"What should I do…" Midoriya muttered to himself. "Which should I choose?"
'Will he incorrigibly prepare for an honorable defeat here by using all of his strength… or become intimidated and settle for last place?' Aizawa questioned internally, putting eye drops into his eyes. 'No matter which he chooses, he has no potential. It's an all around lose situation for him.'
'I still can't control my power.' Midoriya gripped the ball tightly. 'Should I let everything I can do hang on this one throw? Even All Might said that it wouldn't happen overnight. No, that's not good!' He looked back up, his face set and determined. 'If that's my only choice, then I'll just have to go all out!'
'Zero potential.' Aizawa looked as if he could care less about what Midoriya got. He just wanted this day to be over.
Midoriya reeled his arm back and prepared to throw the ball. 'It's just as Aizawa Sensei says! At this rate, I'll never become a hero! I have to work harder than a lot of people! That's why with all my strength… I'LL DO WHAT I CAN RIGHT NOW!'
Right when his hand released the ball, something unexpected happened. He only activated One for All in just his index finger and used that to throw the ball.
'SMMMAAAAASSSSSHHHHH!'
Everyone gaped at how far the ball had gotten, the impact having made wind blow in their faces, just like how Scarlett's did.
'It doesn't hurt… as much as it did before…' Midoriya thought, breathing heavily.
'His finger…' Scarlett stared at it, barely concealing her horror, but put a hand over her mouth instinctively. 'This is what happens when he uses his quirk. Such a powerful quirk… but with such a devastating consequence. Midoriya… who are you?'
Aizawa showed the class his score. A whopping 705.3 meters, leaving the entire class in a stunned state. And it just so happened to be .1 meters further than Bakugo's, adding salt to the wound.
"Teacher…" Midoriya grunted out. "I still… can move!"
To the shock of the other students, Aizawa had a grin on his face. But it wasn't like the sadistic one they saw earlier. Rather, it was one of exhilarated bewilderment.
"This kid…" Aizawa couldn't believe it. This kid actually had some common sense! Intelligence! He'd never met a student that defied him like this before or shocked him this way. Even the most powerful students never made him feel so… invigorated!
All Might had a very similar reaction. 'I came because I was worried, but what on earth, young man?! You still couldn't control your power, but you couldn't become incacipated. So, you propelled the ball at the last point of contact… by sending the power of One for All to just your fingertip… minimizing the injury while maximizing the power! Young Midoriya… you are incredible!'
"Over 700 meters?!" Kaminari exclaimed. "That's crazy!"
"Finally, a hero-like record!" Uraraka cheered, having hope that he'll still be in the class.
His finger's swollen!" Iida looked at his rather mangled finger in shock. "There was the entrance exam too… what a strange quirk!"
"Hmph!" Aoyama brushed it off. "It's not very stylish though!"
"Dude, no one really cares about that," Sero deadpanned.
But no one's reaction was quite like Bakugo's. He was gaping and sweating profusely, stunned by what had just happened. 'W-what the hell is up with that power?! Everyone's quirks manifest by the time they're four years old. This is unthinkable! But in reality…'
The shock slowly faded away to anger as small explosions started popping in his hand. "Oi… oi, oi, OI! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" He started running towards the green haired male, full of anger and wanting answers.
"TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON, DEKU, YOU BASTARD!"
"AHHH!" Midoriya froze up, not able to move to avoid the angry teenager. He cowered in fear, expecting the worst.
Right before Bakugo was able to grab Midoriya, he was stopped by Aizawa's scarf as well as Scarlett using her telekinesis on him.
"W-what t-the…" Bakugo grunted as he tried to free himself.
Aizawa had also activated his quirk onto Bakugo. Without taking his eyes off the angry teen, not wanting him to do anything irrational, he said to Scarlett, "You can stop. I can handle the situation from here."
Scarlett did so, her crimson red hair turning back to raven black. 'What a nice thank you,' she thought irritatedly.
Since her telekinesis wore off, Bakugo thought he could move again, thinking that the scarf was nothing. But to his shock, the cloth was very binding and tough. "W-what the…? These cloths are hard!"
"They're weapons for capture made of carbon fiber woven together with metal wire made out of a special alloy. Jeez…" Aizawa had the same look on his face when he reeled in Midoriya earlier.
Midoriya flinched at the teacher's stare and many of the others didn't make eye contact.
"Don't make me use my quirk over and over again," Aizawa grouched. "I have dry eye."
'It's such a waste since his quirk is so amazing!' Most of the class thought together.
'He gets dry eye from his quirk?' Scarlett narrowed her eyes. 'Come to think of it, whenever he activates his quirk, I've never seen him blink until he turns it off. Then… does that mean his quirk is deactivated once he blinks? And does his quirk still stay in effect even if he breaks eye contact with the person? I have to know everything about his quirk as much as possible so that I'm not in a tricky situation with him.'
Slowly, Aizawa released his binds off of Bakugo and they wrapped back around him as he blinked. Once again, he looked like he desperately needed some sleep. "We're wasting time. Hurry up and get the next person ready."
Midoriya hesitantly started sidestepping away from Bakugo and then ran to the other students. Bakugo just stood there, his teeth gritting in frustration and anger.
"Is your finger alright?" Uraraka questioned him worriedly.
"O-oh!" Midoriya was suddenly as straight as a board. "Y-yeah. Don't worry!"
"You should check up with Recovery Girl after this," Scarlett muttered so quietly that Midoriya barely heard it.
"E-eh?"
"Our school nurse!" Hagakure explained eagerly. "She'll heal you up in a jiffy!"
"U-um… I'll do that l-later then!" Midoriya blushed furiously. 'S-so many girls talking to me at once! Is this what it's like to be in highschool?!'
Bakugo glared at Midoriya with animosity, clenching a fist. 'Until a little while ago, he was nothing more than a pebble on the side of the road. A pebble… on the side of the road! That's all he should be! And yet… and yet… DAMMIT! And what the hell is up with Red Eyes? Not using your quirk? How stupid! Quirks are meant to be used! How the hell did someone like her beat me?! It's just some telekinesis quirk! Nothing special! I'll show you! I'll show everyone that no one holds a candle to me! NO ONE!'
The other tests went by with almost nothing happening. At least, not as much as what happened with the ball throw. …Or anything actually related to the trials.
Everyone sweatdropped as Scarlett drop kicked Mineta into the air with no hesitation.
Aizawa also appeared to have somehow turned a blind eye to the whole exchange.
Some of them were concerned with Midoriya and his rather gruesome looking finger, but he kept brushing them off and powered on. At the beginning, many of them had seen Midoriya with little care or even a bit of contempt at how he had managed to get into the hero course of the top school in Japan. However, almost everyone, minus Bakugo and a certain fire and ice user, had seen Midoriya in a new light.
As everyone drank water and rested from finishing the long distance run, Aizawa said he was going to tally up the results. He walked away from the field and looked at each student's score.
"Excuse me, sir?"
He looked up to see Scarlett standing there with her usual monotone expression.
"What is it?" He sighed with a touch of annoyance. He didn't want to deal with anything more troublesome. But the ravenette actually has a clear mindset. Maybe it would be worth listening to.
"I have a favor to ask of you," Scarlett replied.
"It depends on what you're asking," Aizawa droned. "If it's unreasonable or unfair in any way, it's not happening."
Scarlett seemed to be bracing herself, uncertain if her favor was any of those two things. Finally, she said, "Don't kick Izuku Midoriya out of the class."
The tired teacher raised an eyebrow in surprise. He wasn't going to anyways, not after seeing what the kid had done. But he was surprised that a seemingly nonchalant girl like her had wanted to stick up for someone. So in curiosity, he asked, "Why?"
Taking a deep breath, the ravenette explained. "In most of the tests, he may just be average or even below average. And even his quirk is not the most ideal. But he also did something that most of us haven't done."
"And that would be?" Aizawa queried, giving her his full attention.
"He showed the capacity to learn."
The pro-hero's eyes widened a bit.
"This is a school, right?" Scarlett continued. "The entire purpose of a school is to learn and be educated. Everyone has the capacity to learn. The only way for someone to not be able to learn is if they do not want to be taught. If one cannot pursue knowledge, then they should not be here. You saw what he did during the ball throw test. He was first going to throw the ball with his entire arm, making his whole arm broken. But when you reprimanded him, you got him to think and only use a finger. In just a small amount of time, he was able to improve. Imagine how much more he can evolve if he had more time. I'm sure you are the type of teacher who won't teach someone who won't learn, right? But I am almost certain that it is not Midoriya."
Aizawa was almost unnerved by her keen eye for details and her deduction skills. She would make a promising underground hero. "Interesting explanation. But answer this: would you give up your own spot for someone like him?"
Scarlett hesitated. Was this a test? A trick question? Did her own future depend on how she answers? What should she do? 'No, take a deep breath. Just answer honestly. I don't want to give an answer that does not show who I am.'
"No. No… I wouldn't," she answered slowly. "I'm not so naive as to give up my own position for someone I hardly know. I am merely showing that he has potential. In the end, it's your choice whether he makes it or not. But I am just putting in my own input. You may see it as selfish, but most people tend to look out for number one. I'm no exception to this." Well, my number one isn't exactly myself, but rather…' Her mind drifted off to her family.
'Blunt. And very honest,' Aizawa commented to himself. "Good. You've shown that you have promise as well. Very well. I won't kick Izuku Midoriya out."
Exhaling a breath, feeling the sensation of victory bloom within her, she bowed. "Thank you, sir. Sorry for taking up your time." The ravenette then began to walk away. Aizawa then stopped her before she could get far though.
"Tell me, Evans. Your little speech earlier was interesting. You said 'pro-hero' instead of 'hero'. What's your take on hero society?"
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, but didn't look back. "I think it's not a bad concept. But it's heavily flawed and needs fixing. I don't care all that much if pro-heroes are in it for the money. It's their job and they should get compensation for it. I approve of that. But hero society twisted what exactly is a hero. A pro-hero is a profession. Over glorified police officers. A hero is someone who helps others because it's the right thing. If a pro-hero doesn't prove that they are a true hero, then I won't accept them as one."
She tucked her hair behind her right ear. "As of right now, things are peaceful. But eventually, the peace will break because this type of society isn't substantial. Especially Japan. The heroes rely too much on All Might as a symbol of peace. What's going to happen once he is gone? The most ideal hero society is one that can stand on its own without certain help from certain people."
"...I see," Aizawa finally responded, mulling over her explanation. "You may leave."
'Yes. She's very interesting,' the unkempt teacher thought as she walked off. 'You don't meet someone like her everyday, that's for sure.' It only made him more curious about her. And more suspicious about her background. But like he thought before, it was not his place to snoop around unless something warrants it. Right now, all he could do was watch. Will Scarlett Evans be a good contribution to their society? Or will her inclusion make it crash down? Only time will tell.
"There you are!" Ashido said to Scarlett. "Where did you go?"
"I needed to stretch. Get some things out of my system," Scarlett replied.
"I totally get what you mean," Hagakure agreed.
'Well, I'm not sure about that,' Scarlett whispered to herself. 'There was just something different I needed to get out of my system.'
Jiro sighed. "Man, I hope I'll make it in. Although I'll probably barely do so. My quirk barely even helped me with these tests."
As everyone gave her murmured sympathies, Scarlett looked away. It felt too uncomfortable to be with someone who's quirk and likes are around music. Hopefully it won't hamper her too much. It was pathetic, being like this. But right now, it's not something that she can face head on.
Soon after, everyone gathered up together, facing Aizawa nervously. Who got last place? Who was going to be sent home, their dreams crushed? At first, almost everyone thought it was going to be Midoriya for sure. But after what he did, it was uncertain now. Those who knew they got low scores especially waited anxiously for the results, and stared intensely at their teacher.
"Ok, I won't beat around the bush because that's irrational," Aizawa stated. "So I'll just tell them straight to you. The total is simply the marks you got from each test. It's a waste of time to tell each one verbally, so I'll just show all of them at once."
He pulled out his phone and projected the results on a hologram that revealed what everyone got as well as their placement.
Midoriya was looking down shakily, preparing himself for the worst and inevitable. Exhaling a breath he'd been holding for who knows how long, he slowly looked up and read through each of the names, the feeling of his heart sinking in his chest increasing as he got farther down the list.
1. Scarlett Evans 6. Fumikage Tokoyami
2. Momo Yaoyorozu 7. Mezo Shoji
3. Shoto Todoroki 8. Mashirao Ojiro
4. Katsuki Bakugo 9. Eijiro Kirishima
5. Tenya Iida 10. Mina Ashido
Midoriya wasn't in the first ten. Ok, well that was to be expected. He really only got a decent score on one test. The question is, was that score good enough?
11. Ochako Uraraka 16. Denki Kaminari
12. Rikido Sato 17. Minoru Mineta*
13. Tsuyu Asui 18. Kyouka Jiro
14. Yuga Aoyama 19. Toru Hagakure
15. Hanta Sero 20. Izuku Midoriya
He was 20th. Also known as last place… which means… he's going to be expelled. The pain in his finger seemed to increase. He'd expected this. After all, Midoriya did the worst in all of the tests. But it still hurts to think… that he failed All Might. It looks like he did put his faith in the wrong person after all.
Scarlett looked at Midoriya's name with pursed lips. 'Ok, don't jump to conclusions. Just because he's last, doesn't mean that he'll be expelled, right? Will Aizawa keep his word? Did he only agree just to brush me off?'
Aizawa put away the results and said nonchalantly, "By the way, I was lying about the expulsion."
All of them stared at him blankly, not able to process what he just said. Especially Midoriya, who looked as though he was one step away from dying of a heart attack.
Grinning almost evilly, Aizawa then added, "It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your quirks."
…
"WHAT?!" All of them yelled out.
"Of course that was a lie," Yaoyorozu commented nervously after seeing Midoriya's reaction. "It should have been obvious if you just thought it through."
'...I didn't notice it,' Jiro, Kaminari, and Mineta thought simultaneously.
Scarlett looked sideways at the recommended student. 'Well she may be smart, but she's got a long way to go if she wants to properly detect deception. Aizawa wasn't lying at the beginning when he said he would expel the student with the least potential. I'm sure of it. I know pretty well when someone's lying or not.'
"That was a little nerve-wracking, huh?" Sero laughed nervously.
Kirishima grinned. "I'll take up the challenge again anytime!"
Iida had a disapproving look. "I do not condone this behavior of tricking your students! However, I will admit it gave all of us a necessary push, so I will let it slide!"
'And what would you do even if you didn't?' Scarlett asked rhetorically in her mind.
Sato looked at the ground dumbly, the effects of sugar rush having run out a long time ago. "Durrrr…"
Bakugo merely scowled at the fact that Deku somehow managed to weasel himself into his life once again. He was like a bug or a piece of gum on his shoe that won't get off! Why? Why was there something looking out for Deku? What did the world see in some loser like him?! The fact that he got 4th didn't help either.
Mina sighed in relief. "I did pretty good, but man I was so scared!"
Hagakure didn't say anything, her usual bubbly self gone. 'If Aizawa was actually serious about expelling someone and Midoriya didn't make it in… I would have been the one to go. Scarlett's right. Just because we're here, doesn't mean we're here to stay. My quirk… is nothing compared to everyone else's here. I have to just work harder so that I can be on their level!'
"And with that, we're done here," Aizawa announced, walking away without a care. "There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom so when you all get back, make sure to look over them."
"He just walks away like that, ribbit," Asui croaked, her legs sore from hopping. "As if this whole thing never happened."
Midoriya let go of a giant breath he'd been holding, looking down on the ground. Looking back up, he followed the rest of the class, trailing behind them.
"Midoriya."
He immediately jumped to attention. "Y-yes, sensei!"
Aizawa gave him a slip of paper as the others walked further away. "Have the old lady fix you up in the nurse's office. Tomorrow will be even more packed with rigorous tests. You better prepare yourself and get some rest."
"Yes, sir," Midoriya obliged. "Um… Sensei?"
"What is it?" Aizawa glared slightly at the student, wanting to just go back to sleep.
"U-um," Midoriya stuttered frantically. "S-so… um…"
Aizawa sighed. "Just say it. I won't bite." He does give the impression of that, but it all roots to the lack of sleep and the fact that he's surrounded by a bunch of idiotic and hormonal teens for most of the day. Who could blame him?
"...I don't think that you were joking about expelling someone…" Midoriya mumbled out in a hasty way.
"Speak up," Aizawa said impatiently. "I have other things to do today."
"W-why did you not expel me!?" Midoriya questioned louder. "I…I think you fully had the intention to expel the worst student."
Aizawa was surprised that the boy picked up on that. "What makes you think that?"
"Well…" Midoriya started, "when you had lectured me, I just… had this feeling. You fully intended to expel me. And you were all about what was rational or took the least amount of time. It just didn't make sense that you suddenly dropped all of that and said it was all a joke, even if it was meant to bring out our full potential. It sounded like an excuse. I don't think you're the type to make jokes. Because that wouldn't be rational to you. At least… t-that's my deduction."
'Well would you look at that,' Aizawa thought, a bit impressed. 'Perhaps I underestimated him too much.' "Well, there's no point in keeping it to myself. I had intended to expel the worst person in the class, which was you."
"What made you change your mind?" Midoriya asked, now curious.
Aizawa was a bit prideful and didn't want to admit that what Midoriya did had impressed him. So instead, he went with, "You showed some potential. And one of your classmates had made the push to solidify my final decision."
"One of them?" Midoriya pondered. "Who? Uraraka?"
The teacher merely shrugged and walked away. "Figure it out yourself. You seem to have some smarts. Use that and deduct it. And make sure you go to Recovery Girl. If you miss class tomorrow, it'll be on you."
As Aizawa walked on the side of one of the buildings, he was interrupted by All Might, decked out in his yellow suit and wearing his signature grin.
"Aizawa, you liar!" All Might boomed, his signature grin present as ever.
"All Might," Aizawa greeted flatly, clearly not in the mood. "If you want to sneakily observe something, you need to be more discreet and perhaps not wear bright yellow clothes in daylight. And not be in your buff form either."
"ACK!" All Might felt an invisible arrow go through his chest from all the snide remarks.
"What are you doing here anyways?" Aizawa questioned. "Too much time on your hands? That'll be taken care of soon."
"A rational deception?" All Might answered back, referring to what the teacher had said to his students. "You and I both know April Fools was last week. You're most known here for expelling an entire first-year class last year! You cut those deemed to have no promise with no hesitation. For a man like you to take back those words…" He pointed triumphantly at him. "That means you must have also seen some potential in him, no?!"
"Also?" Aizawa repeated with a small smirk. "You seem to already have favorites. Is that how a teacher should be acting?"
All Might nearly flinched. 'That was too obvious!'
Aizawa continued walking. "He had more than zero potential. That's all I'll say. I'll always cut down those with no potential. There's nothing crueler than cutting off a dream midway. But that can either strengthen you or break you. It's up to the person to decide."
Somewhere else, Scarlett felt a shiver go up her spine for whatever reason. Looking behind her, she saw nothing and continued what she was doing.
"Even you show kindness in some way, huh?" All Might commented. "But… I don't think we'll get along too well…"
~0~0~0~0~0~
Midoriya stood in the same place for a few minutes, trying to figure out who had urged their teacher to not expel him. The most obvious would be Uraraka. She was the first girl who helped him with anything at all. And she was kind… supportive… cute… wait, where did that come from!?
Focus, Midoriya! Ok, Uraraka was definitely a possibility. What about Iida? He seemed to be on good terms with the stiff student now. But that was the thing. He was strict, so it's not very likely that Iida would try to bend the rules just for Midoriya, right? Bakugo… is definitely out of the question. Even if he hadn't just tried to attack him, the two of them have a very rocky relationship at best.
Sighing, he started walking to the boys' locker room to change.
By the time he made it there, most of the males were almost done changing back into their uniforms. His finger was hurting even more, so it was a bit of a struggle to change. After that, he went to the nurse's office to get the finger healed up.
"Um… hello?" He called out tentatively.
"Oh, you're that same boy from the entrance exam, correct?" An old lady's voice said.
He looked down to see an elderly woman in a nurse hero costume smiling at him.
"A-ah!" Midoriya jumped. "Um… I'm here because I need to get my finger fixed." He showed the swollen finger.
Recovery Girl tsked as she looked at it. "Please don't make it a habit that you'll come here. But at least this time, it's just a finger."
"So, are you going to heal- EEEEEK!" Midoriya yelped as a pair of lips suddenly landed on his finger and kissed it. It was enveloped in a bright green light and after she pulled away, the finger was as good as new.
"Woah!" Midoriya looked at the healed finger in awe. "It's all healed up!"
"Of course it is!" Recovery Girl smiled. "That's what I'm here to do."
However, Midoriya started slouching. "But… I feel so drained…"
"My quirk can only stimulate a person's healing ability," Recovery Girl explained. "Healing requires stamina. If you keep on getting too many serious injuries, you'll run out of stamina and end up dying, so be careful." As Midoriya freaked out about the last part, she was about to grab a piece of candy when she realized, "Oh. I forgot I ran out of them. Hopefully she'll be back soon."
"She?" Midoriya repeated.
"Sorry, sensei!" A girl's voice called out.
Midoriya turned around in surprise to see another student in the UA uniform. She had long light blonde hair that had two small braids on each side and charming, big, blue eyes. The girl was also holding a box of candy dispensers.
Realizing he was in the way, Midoriya quickly stepped to the side. "Oh, sorry!"
The blonde girl smiled sweetly at him. "No worries! I'm sorry I'm a bit late with the candies though. I still haven't gotten used to the layout of the school yet, so I got a bit lost along the way."
Midoriya blushed at her smile. 'She's… an angel…'
"That's quite all right, dear," Recovery Girl reassured her. "I don't blame you at all. And you've made it here just in time! Please give one to the boy next to you."
"Oh, ok," the blonde girl replied. Placing down the box, she pulled out a small candy dispenser that was modeled after the famous hero, Kamui Woods, and it spat out a candy onto Midoriya's open palm.
"T-thank you," Midoriya gratified. "Um… who are you?"
The girl smiled again. "I'm Anna Fenette. I'm an American transfer student that's training under Recovery Girl. You're in the hero course, right? In a way, we're both heroes in training, just under… different branches I guess. Let me bandage that up." She grabbed a roll of white elastic bandages and wrapped some around the finger.
'Another transfer student?' Midoriya thought. He wondered if she knew Scarlett…
Wait. Scarlett…
"Um, I-I probably should get back to class," Midoriya mumbled awkwardly.
Anna tucked some hair behind her ear. "Alright. And say hi to Scarlett for me, ok?"
"Sure!" Midoriya agreed. 'She does know her! I wonder how close they are?' From the little he's seen of the girl, she was definitely not the social type, so it was surprising to see an acquaintance of hers.
As he walked back to class 1-A, he thought about the mysterious ravenette. She's definitely not the… warmest person out there. But surprisingly enough, she helped him out just as much, if not more than Uraraka, now that he thought about it. In fact, it was actually her that helped him out first, not the brunette. Would Scarlett be the one who convinced Aizawa though? Now that his mind was reeling… he saw her walk away after they did all eight tests. She claimed that it was to stretch and get things out of her system, but the fact that she came back from the direction that Aizawa was in… and Uraraka wouldn't have had time to even talk with him before the results were revealed. It raised some questions.
Was Scarlett the one who convinced Aizawa to let him stay? If so, why? Why did Scarlett help him out so much? He'd like to think it was out of the goodness of her heart, but it felt like there was more to it than just that. It felt wrong to judge, but she didn't seem like the nicest person. Either way, he was completely indebted to her. He'll have to make it up for her eventually. Right now though, he's just glad to be here in UA, with All Might as his mentor.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Scarlett sighed. 'Why am I always with these two…'
She was sandwiched in between Ashido and Hagakure, neither letting her have an opening or chance to get away from them. It was annoying and yet made her feel a bit… warm? What a strange feeling.
"Ne, Scarlett," Hagakure said to her, "why do you cover your eye with your hair like that? It would be much more pretty if you showed both of your eyes in my opinion." Her invisible hand reached out to brush the black hair out, but Scarlett covered the area in response to the action, surprising the other girl at how curt she became.
"It's fine. That's just how I put my hair." 'And it would be very awkward for them to figure out I put black hair clips to keep it in place. Not only that, but I don't want to show any weakness by revealing that I'm blind in one eye. They seem nice, but looks can be deceiving and I hardly know them. They can't be trusted. I shouldn't trust anyone. Especially with that smoke person and their comrades here.'
Ashido sighed. "Well, I'd better get going! There's a bunch of homework I have to do! Man, it's only the first day and there's already homework!"
Hagakure giggled. "That's UA for you, huh? Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Mina! And you too Scarlett!" She went in a different direction than Ashido.
Scarlett stood at the school gate, waiting for the others to come out when she heard her name being called out by a male voice.
"Evans… no, Scarlett?" Midoriya greeted her with uncertainty.
"What is it?" Scarlett questioned, keeping the impatience out of her voice.
"There's something I want to ask you…" He twiddled with his fingers nervously.
Scarlett made a tsk sound. "Just say it."
The green haired male was immediately reminded of Aizawa. It really seems like they're related at times… "R-right! Um… did you tell Aizawa to not expel me?"
She nearly froze from that statement. Did Aizawa tell him that? It certainly wouldn't be below him, seeing as he revealed her score to the entire class. It still irked her greatly.
"Why… do you ask that?"
"Aizawa sensei said that one of our classmates had helped convince him to not expel me. At first I thought it was Uraraka, but even though it seemed like something she would do, she couldn't. There was no time for her to do so before the results came. But I noticed that you walked away from the group towards Aizawa…"
Scarlett pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "And if I did?"
"I just want to say thank you," Midoriya responded with a nervous smile. "But I want to know… why did you help me so many times? On the day of the sludge villain attack (Scarlett's eyes widened a bit), the entrance exam, and now this."
"Do you need a reason why?" Scarlett retorted. "To be a hero, why do you need a reason to help others?"
Midoriya's eyes widened at that. He'd never thought of it like that before. And he didn't miss how she didn't deny the bit with the sludge villain. Getting back on track though...
"No, but… you don't seem to be the type to do these things so… willingly. Sorry!" He added hastily. "I hardly know you and I'm already making these assumptions about your character."
"...You're right on the money," Scarlett replied. "I didn't do it just because it was a good thing. It's because there's just something about you that… stands out, I guess. You have potential and promise. Don't mistake my words for compliments out of kindness. I'm just stating facts."
The green haired male looked at her with a confused expression. It was as if she was drawing a clear line between the two of them. Not just him, but to the rest of the class as well. Others like Todoroki and Tokoyami do the same but it feels different somehow. They do it because of their cold and stern personalities. While Scarlett had very similar traits to them, the line she drew did not feel like theirs. It was as if she drew the line for them to not get close to her. Or was it the other way around?
Scarlett stared at him in silence until she asked, "Tell me, Midoriya, why do you want to be a hero?"
He looked a bit surprised with that question. "Because… because I want to be a hero that saves others with a smile on his face! I've always wanted to be a hero, ever since I was little. It's been my dream for the longest time."
Scarlett scrutinized him sharply, making him shrink a little. He noticed that she looked a bit sad when he mentioned dreams but it was gone so quick that he couldn't make sure.
"W-why do you want to be a hero?" Midoriya popped the question back at her, surprising himself with his boldness.
She looked at him blankly. What was she supposed to say? 'Oh, my first dream was crushed because of my panic attacks about my past as a terrorist of demons and now I'm pursuing this as my next one?' She didn't want pity. But that was the reason, and so she was going to say something more vague and simple when something else came out of her mouth instead.
"To atone." Wait, what did she say?
Midoriya stared at her in confusion. "Atone?"
Scarlett cursed at herself for saying that, but it was too late to take it back. "I've… done things in the past that I'm not so proud of. So I wanted a fresh new slate." It wasn't a lie. The guilt of killing so many innocent demons and not being able to save some of her friends still weighed heavily on her. And it was a reason why she'd wanted to be a hero. Even though it wasn't her fault, you couldn't stop the feelings of guilt. This way, maybe she could forgive herself.
The green haired student looked at her with the same confusion but also now mixed with a bit of curiosity. It was obvious that he wanted to know more, but he had the manners to not push on it, which she was thankful for.
"Midoriya?"
"Yes?"
"...Do you think I'm a good person?" The wind blew softly, letting her hair flow elegantly. The timing of the wind and the question was so odd, almost as if it was an anime scene. (Wait, what?)
"E-excuse me?" Midoriya didn't expect that question. As he was about to reply with the obvious answer, she stopped him.
"No, never mind." Scarlett shook her head. "Just ignore that. Anyways, it looks like Iida is coming. You'd better talk to him. He and Uraraka have been worried about you."
He flinched a bit at the sudden dismissal. "Oh. R-right, I'll just… go over here…And your friend Anna said hi by the way!" He walked away, waving at the blue haired student.
"Iida!" Midoriya called out to him.
"Is your finger healed?" Iida asked him in his usual all-business tone.
Midoriya gave a slight smile, showing his bandaged finger. "Yeah. Recovery Girl healed me up. Although I'm super exhausted." 'I can't keep on relying on others, whether it's Recovery Girl or Uraraka… or even Scarlett. I have to hurry up and master my power!'
"I was really taken in by Aizawa Sensei," Iida commented as they walked. "I even thought that 'this is the best of the best' and such. I didn't think a teacher would encourage us with a lie."
'I thought Iida was scary, but he's just earnest,' Midoriya thought with a smile. He knew now that it wasn't a lie, but didn't have the energy to explain it nor was he even sure he wanted Iida to know about it. It would just raise more questions and make more explanations. He was tired enough.
"Hey!" Uraraka called out to them as she ran towards the two males. "You two! Going to the station? Wait for me!"
"U-Uraraka?!" Midoriya exclaimed nervously.
"You're the infinity girl!" Iida realized.
She grinned back at him. "I'm Ochako Uraraka. Um, you're Tenya Iida and you're Deku Midoriya, right?"
"D-Deku?!" Midoriya shouted out in shock.
"Hm?" Uraraka tilted her head to the side a bit. "But during the fitness test, Bakugo said- 'DEKU, YOU BASTARD!' …Didn't he?"
Blushing, Midoriya quickly explained. "U-um well, my real name is I-Izuku, but D-Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me..."
"An insult?" Iida looked surprised and a bit aghast. "Can he get more deplorable?!"
Uraraka turned a bit red at the ears. "Oh, I'm so sorry! But… Deku also sounds like the Japanese word for 'You can do it!'. I kinda like it!"
Immediately, he completely turned red and yelled out, "I'M DEKU!"
"M-Midoriya?!" Iida exclaimed. "You're accepting it way too fast! Did you not just say a moment ago that it was an insult?!"
Midoriya hid his red face in his hands. "It's like a Copernican Revolution…"
Cluelessly, Uraraka said, "Co-pe?"
"Oh, Midoriya!" Iida realized something. "You were talking with Ev- I mean Scarlett, earlier, were you not? Or was I mistaken?"
"Scarlett?" Midoriya looked up. "Yeah, I just wanted to ask her something…"
"Like what?" Uraraka asked curiously.
"Just… a clarification!" Midoriya replied hastily. "Nothing more!"
"I see," Iida mused. "She's quite impressive, isn't she?"
Uraraka clasped her hands together. "Right? A perfect score on the written is already impressive but first in the practical as well? And she also got first today! Aizawa even mentioned that she stood out from all the previous years' first placers in the practical! Coming from someone like him, it must be incredible!"
"She's the exact model of a UA student!" Iida concluded with handchops. "I am honored to be classmates with someone like her!"
Midoriya frowned a bit. Who exactly is Scarlett Evans exactly? He's never seen more of an enigmatic person before.
"...Do you think I'm a good person?"
He frowned even more. What did she mean by that?
"Oh, Midoriya?" Uraraka addressed him. "I've been hearing rumors of a medical apprentice here at UA! You went to Recovery Girl, right? Did you see her?"
"Yeah," Midoriya responded. "Her name's Anna Fenette. She's also from America."
"How interesting," Iida muttered. "Healing quirks are rare and highly valuable. She does have one, yes?"
"I-I don't know," Midoriya admitted. "She never used it and I never asked."
The three of them walked to the station, conversing with each other. Midoriya was smiling, happy to have some companions.
'I have to work hard! I can at least be happy that I have friends, right?'
~0~0~0~0~0~
"Scarlett!" Emma ran to her with the others and hugged her. "Thank goodness!"
"Get off me, people are staring," Scarlett grumbled, pushing her off. "Why are you so worried anyways?"
"We didn't see you at the entrance ceremony," Norman explained, a certain look in his azure blue eyes. "We were worried that something happened to you."
A very clear message was in those words. They were worried that the smoke person or their allies had come for her to finish the job.
"Don't worry," Scarlett reassured them. "Our teacher just had some… other plans."
"Well don't leave us hanging," Ray grouched, bopping her on the head. "Tell us."
.
.
.
"And that sums it all up," the ravenette finished.
"Your teacher can erase quirks?" Anna clarified nervously. "You better be careful… I don't think our powers classify as quirks."
"Your teacher sounds scary!" Emma added. "Expelling someone on the first day! That's terrible, even if he ended up not doing it!"
"Who was your teacher?" Norman asked his girlfriend.
"Vlad King!" Emma replied, holding her boyfriend's hand with no hesitation. "He's definitely a bit on the scary side as well, but he means well! Eraser Head on the other hand… he seems intense."
"My teacher was Power Loader," Ray said. "He's not bad, but it's not him that's the problem…"
"What is it?" Scarlett questioned.
"My seat neighbor," he groaned, throwing his head back in frustration. "Mei Hatsume. She's a nightmare! In just the first period, she nearly blew up the classroom ten times!"
Anna looked startled and concerned. "What on earth was she doing?"
"Trying to create support items in secret," Ray sighed. "And get this, she calls them her babies. Babies!" He looked as though he were choking on air from not being able to comprehend it.
Emma laughed nervously. "Ok, let's move on from that before you have an aneurysm… Norman, what about you? How was your business class?"
"Exactly as you'd expect it to be," Norman responded. "There's a lot of know-it-alls, but some of them are nice and have interesting thoughts and opinions. Of course, though, we're on completely different levels when it comes to everything else."
Emma poked him roughly. "Your arrogant side is showing again!"
Anna had an amused smirk on her face. "While I'd been getting stuff for Recovery Girl, I'd been hearing rumors of a certain white haired male in the business class. Every single girl that saw you instantly fell in love."
Norman jumped in surprise, his ears going red. "Y-you know about that?!"
"It's hard not to," Anna pointed out. "I also have heard rumors of starting a fan club-"
"Ok, enough!" Norman interjected hastily. He sighed. "High school is strange."
"To us, yes," Ray said. "But to others, it's normal and a part of life."
"Normal…" Scarlett murmured.
"What is it?" Emma questioned.
"Will we… ever be normal?"
Ray shrugged. "Highly doubt it. The real question though, is if you want to be normal."
Scarlett frowned as they exited the train. "I don't know."
* I decided to change Mineta's placement because unlike others such as Hagakure and Jiro, he actually got a good score on one of the tests. I thought it was strange how he was second from the bottom in the manga/anime, especially since Hagakure nor Jiro's quirks would help them much. I still hate his guts, but I can't deny that he deserves some credit. And he'll definitely be getting a bit of a redemption later on.
Author's Note:
And here's chapter 5! I was originally planning to post it last week, but then I decided to change my upload schedule to biweekly. It's been hard to keep up with creating these chapters, but I didn't want to shorten them either. If this continues though, I might have to since I don't want to keep you guys waiting too long for another chapter.
My main goal for this chapter was to start the foundation of Scarlett and Midoriya's relationship. I want it to be one of uncertainty and I hope that it's looking promising so far. And don't worry, I do not plan for any sort of romantic relationship between the two. Scarlett already has someone of course, and you all know who Midoriya likes the most. (At least, I hope you do.) I'm not into cheating at all and I don't see them having any sort of romantic interest in each other. Speaking of romance, there are a few ships in this fic that I want to implant. Of course, I won't reveal them now. In a few chapters though, you guys should be seeing a hint of one! Romance is still something I struggle with writing at times though, so I hope you'll bear with me.
I also forgot to mention in the last chapter, as to why I put Emma in 1-B instead of 1-A with Scarlett. I have several reasons for that. For one, you already saw how I'm building a friendship between her and Kendo. I just thought it'd be really cool if they could be besties or something like that. Another reason is that I've always felt like 1-B was constantly pushed to the side. I know that the 1-A vs 1-B arc was supposed to give them some spotlight, but it was one of my least favorite arcs. And it was because I just didn't feel any sort of connection with any of the characters. Having Emma placed in that class gives me more movement to give them more character development and have them more involved with the story.
And my final reason is because I already replaced one character in 1-A, which was Koda. I didn't want to change up the cast even more and so that was my solution. If I have some Koda fans reading this, I apologize. He might have some moments here and there outside of the school, but I got rid of him because of how little presence he has at all. It's not as though I think his quirk is useless or anything like that. In fact, if it weren't for his meek personality, he'd be op as hell. Which is why I'm even considering still giving him some spotlight, just not as a member of class 1-A. I already have some ideas for what to do with him, in fact.
Once again, I apologize for the constant stagnant updates. I'll do my best to make it more smooth, but I can't make promises. At least I'll be honest about that. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope all of you have a great day!