Izuku waits nervously for the letter to come. He doesn't remember what it is all the time, but when he does, a sinking feel fills him stomach. Randomly, his face would pale at the reality that he took the UA test , sickness quelling inside himself.
All because he doesn't remember what happened.
It's times like these that make Izuku want to curse his memory. They say that sometimes forgetting is for the better. That it must be bliss for him to simply forget a bad thing that happened to him earlier.
It isn't. Izuku is more than willing to remember the bad in order to remember the good. Something he is forever thankful for and has made the week bearable is the airpods Present Mic got him. The music just helped him. The teachers didn't bother to care if he had them in or not. He even remembers more events than usual! Sure, they aren't the best, like him getting pushed, but he is accepting of the change. He remembers the material better atleast! He still struggles mostly, but he doesn't freak out at test anymore.
Izuku is extremely happy for the fact he remembers opening the airpods clearly. He doesn't want to forget that memory. Though, even if he did, he will remember it by simply looking at the note Present Mic wrote him hanging in a picture frame on the wall of his room.
It may seem extra to most people, but Izuku loves it. He will go out of his way to read it often.
Right now, Izuku's mom, Inko, and him sit at the dining room table trying to work through his homework. He may be smart, however, he does have trouble with the material often with certain teachers. If the teacher is a lecture type, he struggles in there. If the teacher physically shows him what to do, he does drastically better in the class.
Not that most teachers are willing to accommodate a quirkless boy.
A familiar buzz fills the apartment, letting the Midoriya family know that the mail has arrived.
"You work on the next problem. Let me get the mail." Inko tells her son. When she receives a nod, she steps outside and opens her box. She steps inside, closing the door as she looks over the letters. One specifically catches her eyes.
The letter from UA.
"Izuku, your letter is here!" Inko exclaims as she hands the letter to Izuku.
Izuku carefully takes the letter as though it will crumble right there. As gently as he could, he opens the letter, pulling out the paper with his future written on it. Trembling, he unfolds the hand-written letter and reads. His mom looks over his shoulder to read as well.
Hello Midoriya Izuku!
I would like to thank you for taking the entrance exams! I assume you have been waiting for the results, so I will not waste ink. You passed the written portion with a little trouble, but you did it! The practical portion is a bit more complex.
You only made 13 points, meaning you would not have passed if it wasn't for a secret point system. In addition to villain points, there is also rescue points. We would not turn our eye to actual heroes after all! Due to your save with Uraraka Ochaco when everyone else ran away, you were rewarded 60 hero points. This brings your total score to 73 points. This puts you in 3rd place alongside Uraraka Ochaco, meaning you passed the exam!
Welcome to your hero academia!
Congratulations!
Principal Nezu
P.S. Additional information is located on the back.
"M-mom? Am I r-r-r-reading t-t-this right?" Izuku asks, trembling in his seat and his vision blurred with tears. He looks up at his mom to face here. She has tears in her eyes as well.
Inko lifts him from his seat easily before spinning him around with a huge smile on her face. She replies," You are, sweetie. You did it! I'm so proud of you, Izuku!"
Izuku bursts out crying. The two cry together on the couch, seeking each other's warmth and company over the fantastic news.
First Day of UA
Izuku stands in front of UA, the school still looking as terrifying as the first time, and his uniform hangs from his thin body. Rock music blasts in his ears as he was allowed airpods. Quickly, he heads inside while turning down the volume.
Within a few minutes, he is already lost. He doesn't remember any of the ways he went. A voice cuts through the music in his ears.
"Hey Midoriya-kun! Are you lost too?!"
Izuku turns around to come face to face with the girl he recognizes from somewhere, but doesn't remember her name. Internally, he sighs at the revelation. Nervously, he nods. She smiles.
"Me too! Let's be lost together!" He can't help but chuckle softly behind his mask at the girl's enthusiasm. If only he can remember her name. Round face, brown bob. An appearance he has a name for somewhere, but it's lost in the depth of his dead brain.
Thankfully, they arrive to their class a couple minutes later.
Class 1-A. A new future stands before Izuku.
Slowly, they enter. The first thing they hear when they enter is yelling.
"Get your feet off your desk! You are disrespecting school property!"
"Oh, get out of here extra. You're probably one of those rich private school kids!" The voice causes Izuku to flinch, thanking himself for having his face hidden. Izuku is quick to recognize the voice.
Bakugo's voice. Izuku...rather not think about it. He switches his music to soft jazz quickly, wanting to calm down.
"Let's start over then. I am Iida Tenya of Soumei Junior High!" The Iida kid exclaims. Izuku studies his appearance before quickly recognizing him. Once again, he doesn't know where. Probably from the entrance exam that he doesn't remember either.
"Ha, so you are one! Move away extra!" Bakugo scoffs. Before Iida speaks again, he notices Izuku and the girl at the door, dashes over, and stands in front of them.
"Hello, I am Iida Tenya of Soumei Junior High!" Izuku instinctively becomes withdrawn. The girl is just as excited.
"I'm Uraraka Ochaco, nice to meet you!" Why did that name sound familiar?
Reluctantly, he adds, " M-m-m-midoriya I-Izuku..."
"Ah, you're the boy that saved her. You saw the true extent of the exam. Congratulations!" Iida compliments. Izuku can't respond because he doesn't remember. Already, he is becoming frustrated.
Why can't he remember more important things?
Suddenly, Izuku hears shuffling down the hall. He doesn't know what it is, but, without a second thought, he moves to a seat at the speed of light and sits. He notices the strange looks from most of his class-mates, causing him to shrink.
"Midoriya-kun, is something wrong?" Uraraka asks worried. Izuku notices the reason for the sound; he sees a man in a bright yellow sleeping bag behind her. He signals behind her, causing her to spin around and yelp. The rest of class 1-A notices and zooms to their seats. The man before them steps out of his sleeping back. Izuku quickly searches his appearance.
The man has long greasy black hair, scuffle around his chin, angled face, and seemingly bad eyes as he looks like he has dry eye. Around his neck, a scarf is wrapped multiple times around. Besides that, the man wears a black jumpsuit, an utility belt, and black boots. The end of his sleeves are torn up a little as the man gives an overall hobo feeling. The man has a blank expression on his face.
Izuku will have to get a closer to check the dry eye. He can safely assume for the size of the scarf that it's the man's weapon. Finally, Izuku knows the man is analyzing the class. It takes a couple moments, but a hero name does come to mind. He doesn't have too much information on the hero because he is underground, but it's enough.
Eraserhead - Quirk: Erasure - Eraserhead can turn off a person's quirk factor by looking at them. This makes the person quirkless. Presumably fights quirkless. His scarf is used as a capture weapon to tie enemies.
Izuku hopes he can gain more information if that is the hero before him. For now, he will just refer to him as sensei like every other teacher as he won't remember his name.
Finally, the man speaks, " Took you 8 seconds to settle. My name is Aizawa Shouta, and I will be your teacher. Now," Aizawa-sensei pulls out UA gym uniforms from his back, " Get these on and head to the field. If you aren't there within ten minutes, don't bother coming because you're expelled. Get to it." With that, he leaves.
The students are quick to move, Izuku included, to avoid getting expelled. Thankfully, Izuku's uniform is long-sleeved so he doesn't have to worry about that. He is one of the first out. Unfortunately, he has no idea where to go so he has to wait for somebody. Iida is the next out.
"Good to see someone just as ready to work as I am! May I ask why you are waiting instead of going straight to the field, Midoriya-kun?" Iida asks.
"D-didn't know w-w-where to g-go..." Izuku admits embarrassed.
"You should learn the map of the school in case of emergencies!" Too bad Izuku can't. He isn't going to admit it. They will look at him different otherwise.
As they are walking to the field, Izuku feels hands grab his shoulders, himself spun around, and his body clashing into somebody's else. Without hesitation, he struggles.
"Oh, sorry Midoriya-kun! I forgot you need to see faces to recognize! One moment!" That voice. It can't be, can it? He feels himself being forced back to look up. A pink girl stand over him. She has pink fluffy hair, yellow horns, and black and yellow eyes. She continues, " Long time, no see! You haven't changed a bit besides the length of your hair!"
Izuku's eyes sparkle at the sight of her.
"Ashido-chan!" Izuku clashes into her body, causing Ashido to laugh aloud. Girls in the background awe at the sight. Some of the guys too.
Ashido - Quirk: Acid - Ashido can secrete corrosive acid from her body. This can have many applications in both offensive, defensive, and mobility as she can change the corrosive levels. In addition, she has dancing abilities that allow her to be more flexible and balanced. She will probably implement these into her fighting style.
"I'm surprised you remember my name. It's been too long!" Ashido says as she lets him go so they can walk to the field together.
Ashido and Izuku have a long history together. Izuku considers her his only real friend. They didn't see each other often, only at dance competitions, but when they did, they always danced together. Besides Saito-sensei, his dance teacher, Ashido is his only dance partner. She even forced the bullies away! Unfortunately, they haven't seen each other in over a year due to everything going on, but she is back!
Maybe this won't go so bad!
All the students round up around as Sensei starts his speech, " I will be conducting a quirk-assessment test."
"QUIRK-ASSESSMENT TEST?!" Most of the kids react. Izuku can see Sensei sigh.
"You have had these in junior high, just without your quirks. Bakugo, what did you score in junior high?"
"67 meters (220 feet)." Bakugo states. Sensei throws the ball to him.
"Throw it using your quirk then." Bakugo moves to the circle and swings. As he is swinging, Bakugo triggers in explosion in his hand, causing the ball to sore.
"DIE!" He screams at the ball goes the distance. Once again, Izuku flinches as the explosion bursts in his ears despite the headphones being in. Sensei raises the phone to show the class.
On the screen sits 1232 meters (4042 feet). The class looks shocked, this time including Izuku even though he has trouble seeing it due to his height.
"The school not letting you use your quirks is highly irrational. This is a form of foundation for a hero. Now, " Izuku can see his Cheshire grin appearing, " whoever places last place after all eight test will be judged to have no potential and expelled."
"WHAT?!" Izuku is glad he doesn't talk, and that his facial expression is hidden. The whole class is freaking out.
Uraraka speaks up for the class, " On the first day of school?! No, in general, that is unfair! And aren't we suppose to go to a school function?" Izuku bites his tongue, but he didn't need to say it when his Sensei says it for him.
"Life isn't far. You want to hang out after school? Too bad, UA will give you hell. Are natural disasters and villain attacks fair? No, but they happen anyway. Go beyond. Plus Ultra. Welcome to UA's Hero Course!"
Izuku gulps. He isn't going to make it. Not when everyone here has a quirk to improve their abilities, and he doesn't. He can feel himself shaking. He switches his music to workout music to drown his anxiety while looking for something to focus on.
His classmate's quirks kept him busy. Izuku is grateful he can remember quirks and faces together at least. There is one girl that can create anything! There is a boy who has engines on the back of his knees! There is a boy who can create ice! There is so many quirks for Izuku to ponder over that he almost wants to skip the test just to watch them, but he has to prove himself.
Izuku has to prove that he can be a hero.
Shouta Aizawa watches his class carefully. Overall, most of the class has potential. Sure, Bakugo has some anger issues to deal with and Todoroki, a boy with an ice and fire quirk, is only using his ice side. Overall, they are good. Everyone's quirks can be used in specific situations.
Except one: Midoriya Izuku, the quirkless boy.
Don't get Shouta wrong, he isn't against quirkless people. He respects quirkless people for everything they go through on a daily basis. However, Midoriya has to prove that he can be just as useful as anyone else with a quirk.
The problem with Midoriya is that all the odds seem to be stacked against him. He has three major problem: he is quirkless, has memory problems, and is small.
Shouta hasn't looked too much into the memory problem so he isn't aware of the circumstances. In all honesty, he wasn't expecting the boy to make it far. Midoriya's size is a huge problem. While Midoriya isn't the smallest but the second smallest, he still is the thinnest. He lacks any bone mass and looks as though he should croak over right there. Yet, here Midoriya stands, somehow making it past the entrance exams.
The other thing that makes Shouta aware is the metal bands on Midoriya. He originally thought it was just for the entrance exam, however, the boy is still wearing them now. He will need to ask about those as well.
Physically, Midoriya isn't in the best place. Shocking Shouta, he managed to out-speed over half his class that was using their quirks. He knew the kid was somewhat quick to make it through the exam, but not that fast. In addition, Midoriya is the most flexible in his class. Strength-wise, he is one of the weakest. Based off the entrance exam, Midoriya also has a high pain tolerance as he managed to stay awake and moving after electrocuting himself.
Shouta isn't sure how he feels about Midoriya. The kid has potential, but looks like he is going to break right there. He honestly needs more information.
The test finishes, and Shouta speaks once more, "I'm not going to tell you your individual scores, so look for yourself."
Shouta puts the test results up.
1. Bakugo Katsuki
2. Yaoyorozu Momo
3. Todoroki Shoto
4. Iida Tenya
5. Tokoyami Fumikage
6. Shoji Mezo
7. Ojiro Mashirao
8. Kirishima Eijiro
9. Ashido Mina
10. Uraraka Ochaco
11. Koda Koji
12. Sato Rikido
13. Asui Tsuyu
14. Aoyama Yuga
15. Sero Hanta
16. Kaminari Denki
17. Jiro Kyoka
18. Hagakure Toru
19. Mineta Minoru
20. Midoriya Izuku
All the students look down at Midoriya, looking at him with pity and expecting him to break down. However, the boy stays still, his facial expression hidden by his hair and mask.
"Midoriya, step forward. " Quietly, Midoriya does as he is asked in front of his classmates, " Tell me, why I should choose you over your classmates?"
This immediately starts a frenzy among few classmates that know him.
"He saved-"
"Midoriya is-"
"Midoriya-kun has more-"
Everyone is cut off when Midoriya raises his hand, quieting everyone. Everyone looks at him once more. Midoriya looks up at Shouta, his hair moving to the side to reveal one of his green eyes.
"H-h-how about a f-fight, Eraserhead? B-between you and me. I have to last a minute and a half without getting caught. If I do so, you can't expel me. Otherwise, you can." Midoriya states, half-way through stopping the stuttering for some unknown reason. A loud laughter echoes through the field, and everyone turns to face Bakugo.
"SERIOUSLY DEKU!? YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN LAST THAT LONG?! YOU SHOULD JUST GIVE UP NOW BEFORE YOU GET YOURSELF HURT!" Bakugo growls.
Shouta sighs. Damn kids. He can say he is impressed that Midoriya knew who he was. He seriously needs to look up how his memory problem works.
"Bakugo, you are not to interfere with Midoriya's decision. Midoriya, I accept."
Midoriya's decision is reckless as even now he is still recovering his breath. However, he knows why he decided on the plan. It's to prove himself to his classmates that he is capable. The two step on the field away from each other.
"Any rules?" Shouta asks. He's morely asking this to see how the kid reacts.
"There isn't rules in a battle. Get the timer ready. Do a countdown somebody." Shouta gives Midoriya credit. Midoriya will especially need to be able to fight dirty without hesitation.
Iida is the one to do the countdown.
"On your marks!
Get set!
Go!"
Shouta is quick to make the first move, swinging his scarf at blinding speeds towards Midoriya. Surprisingly, Midoriya is able to dodge, bending down on his knees and rolling away from the loop the scarf made. This continues for a few seconds, Midoriya spinning around the scarf like a ballerina, forcing his weight to spin faster. Some points, he has to bend down and hop again, but the first 30 seconds, he is fine.
Shouta is stunned, but he can tell Midoriya is struggling to continue. From the entrance exam, Shouta thought Midoriya did acrobatics, but he must have done more than just that. It didn't help that the boy can easily switch directions when needed. It helped him to remain unpredictable. Shouta going to finish this.
It takes ten more seconds to get Midoriya trapped in the loop and Shouta pulls Midoriya toward himself. Midoriya wasn't fight back, probably so worn out after everything. Shouta had noticed that Midoriya's stamina isn't good.
Suddenly, Shouta sees Midoriya raises his hands to throw something at his face, causing sharp pain in his eyes. So he noticed that weakness and gave no mercy. That must have been why he decided to bend down during the fight. Midoriya is able to break out of the wraps and run off. Shouta quickly feels for his eye drops and put some in. When he can see again, he sees Midoriya bent on the ground, taking the moment to recover.
"30 more seconds!" Iida declares.
Shouta throws his scarves once more, Midoriya barely able to through himself to the side. It takes him longer to get up again. Midoriya isn't able to last long until Shouta captures his wrist, pulling forward, and causing Midoriya to stumble to the ground. Probably on instinct, Midoriya lands on his free hand and flips himself upright on his feet. He spreads his legs, trying to keep himself grounded. Shouta pulls once more, Midoriya almost stumbling once more. In a final desperate attempt, Midoriya takes his free hand and shoves it between the cuff on the opposite arm tied.
Shouta immediately feels a shock flow through the scarf and his body, causing him to fall on his knees, but not letting go. Midoriya pulls his hand out, barely standing before him. Shouta takes the chance to capture him, pulling him close. It takes Shouta minute to recover, looking down at the boy before him. A shock like that should have knocked him out. He has to be building a tolerance to it. It almost knocked Shouta out, and he has been electrocuted multiple times on the job.
Why does Midoriya's cuffs do that though? That can't be the intended purpose, especially when the individual itself is being electrocuted. It has to be meant for that, and Midoriya twisted the reasoning behind it. Why would he wear if it does that to him? Is he required to? There is a lot of questions about Midoriya that Shouta needs answers to and will ask Midoriya after class.
"What's the time?" Shouta asks.
"One minute, 17 seconds." Shouta felt Midoriya flinch at the number. To be honest, Shouta is impressed with how well Midoriya did. He didn't do his number, but he did better than most students. If Shouta didn't have an idea of Midoriya's background, he would have thought that Midoriya had some experience in fight. Or maybe he does? He can't overthink it. He lets Midoriya go with a smirk, not that the kid could see as he was looking down. Once again, the class is looking at Midoriya with pity, and he can tell that the boy probably hates it. Midoriya might have the most potential here if Shouta may be honest. Midoriya starts walking back to class.
"Midoriya, where are you going?" Shouta asks.
"I-I d-d-didn't make my n-n-number, I'm e-expelled." Midoriya responds. At least he is honest with his deal.
"I'm not expelling you, kid. It was all a logical ruse for everyone to perform at their best." Midoriya stops and turns around to face him, trembling.
"Y-you don't h-h-have to l-lie. I want the t-truth." Shouta sighs.
"I'm seriously not going to expel you kid. If anything, you did better than I expected."
"Are you sure?" This damn kid.
"Yes, now everyone go back to class and pick up their syllabus."
"Yes, sir!" Class 1-A responds as they walk back. Shouta sees Ashido going after Midoriya as he seems to be thinking. These kids are going to be hell demons, but they have potential. Right now, he has something else to deal with.
Shouta walks in the opposite direction towards the opening between two buildings. When he arrives, he sees All Might waiting there.
"What are you doing, All Might?" Shouta asks, getting straight to the point. He really has other things to do besides question the number one hero.
"I'm just watching the next generation of heroes! For your high expulsion rate, I'm surprised you didn't expel Midoriya, especially with everything going on with him." Shouta founds it odd that he brings up Midoriya of all students, but he keeps it to himself.
"He has potential. He might not be a hero in the same way as others, but he can be a hero."
"Are you sure this is the right choice though?"
"You saw our fight. You decide for yourself. I have better things to do then argue with you, All Might." Without listening for a response, Shouta leaves.
Shouta knocks on the door to an office.
"Ah, come in Aizawa!" A high-pitched voice exclaims. Shouta enters a large office and walks toward the center where the principal of UA Nezu sits, " May I ask what you are doing here?"
"You should know." Shouta responds without a beat, sitting down in front of Principal Nezu.
"Ah, Midoriya I assume? You have questions?"
"Yes, what do you know?" Shouta can see a dark look washing over the creature before him, a look he rarely sees.
"The main question is the cuffs and collar, correct?"
"Yes." Nezu sighs.
"That collar is the same collar I seen when the government was doing experiments on me," This causes Shouta to sit straight up, listening carefully," the collar is a quirk suppressant drug injector. You know the cuffs the police use to suppress a quirk. The moment you put them on, the quirk factor is shut off and the moment it's off, the quirk factor is on again. With the collar, it creates a drug inside and injects it directly into the person's bloodstream. When the collar is taken off, the drugs are still in the system for a couple minutes, enough time for a person to come back and put it back on without the quirk factor turning back on. That is for a secondary protection. The first protection is the cuffs on the wrist and ankles. It electrocutes them to the point of knocking out. I believe Midoriya has worked with this so he doesn't knock out immediately, but he can resist it for a while."
It takes a moment for Shouta to process everything.
"So you're telling me that Midoriya does have a quirk, but the government is not allowing him to use it?"
"Yes, however, I don't know what his quirk is. Normally, the collar is only used on powerful criminals. Never has it been used on a child. I suspect that the drugs is why he is psychically and mentally struggling. It makes your body weight feel double of what it actually is and it drives people insane."
"Midoriya has had these on since he was four?"
"If that is the age he gained his quirk, yes." Life just got much harder for Shouta.
"What are we going to do?"
"For now, I will argue with them to try and get the collar removed. I deny it will happen without severe consequences though so I need to be careful. Work with him for now. He probably has other symptoms that he won't or doesn't realize about. "
"Alright...what about the memory issues?"
"Actually, I believe you should go speak to Present Mic on that issue. He knows more about it then me because he has known the kid for a while. You might also be interested in talking to Recovery Girl about his medical conditions. Any other questions?"
"No." Shouta stands up and leaves, thinking of everything he has to do for Midoriya. He's surprised that Hizashi knows about the kid, so he might have more information then just the memory problems. Then he needs to speak to Recovery Girl to see how bad of shape Midoriya is in.
Hopefully Midoriya is in better shape then everyone believes he is in. Otherwise, Shouta may fight the government for screwing a kid up. Nobody deserves to go through that.
The worst part is that Midoriya may not even know what the cuffs and collar are for how long it has been a part of him. Shouta can tell this kid is fighter, especially after the information from Nezu.
