This document beta'd by kylekatarn77
4. The Builder's Rejection
Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.
-Winston Churchill
"Power Suit MK V, all electrical systems running!" Izuku said, trying hard to keep the nervousness out of his voice. He'd done most of the wiring himself, and he felt good about his work, but still.
"All systems are green! This baby is ready to go!" Mei cheered. "Initializing! Begin start up sequence!"
"Engaging," Izuku said, and closing his eyes, flipped the toggle that would turn the suit on. This time, there was no explosion, no fire, no sudden leak of hydraulic fluid. Instead, the suit turned on with a hum. "It's working!"
"Yes! I knew you wouldn't let mommy and daddy down, baby!" Mei cheered, running forward and hugging the Power Suit, and by extension, hugging Izuku as well.
"We did it!" Itzuku cheered, carefully striking a victory pose. He'd spent time practicing in the MK III and MK IV, so he knew how to keep his motions slow and steady.
"Well then, we're ready!" Mei declared. "Now we just have to head down to the UA headquarters to present our applications!"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Izuku asked, feeling slightly nervous. "They did just invite you…"
"Well we haven't heard back about your application yet, which means we just have to go and show them just how important it is that you get into UA too!" Mei declared. "How am I supposed to show off all my babies if no one can see them in action?"
"R-r-right," Izuku agreed. "Um, so how do we get there?"
"Why, you carry me, of course!" Mei declared. "It's only a few kilometers. You're pretty good at running now, right? So you run over there in the Power Suit, and carry me and the rest of the gear! It's a perfect plan!"
"Um, won't we get in trouble for taking unlicensed gear out onto the street?" Izuku asked nervously.
"I thought about that!" Mei took out a few decals from a drawer and slapped them on to Izuku.
"Property of UA Support Department?" Izuku read. "Um, Mei, maybe we shouldn't-"
"Oh relax, we're showing this off at UA and they'll probably want our wonderful baby to use for themselves! Besides, once we have their unlimited materials we'll make you a better one!" Mei declared. Then she grabbed up her back pack and jumped at Izuku, who caught her by reflex. "Now, onward!"
Despite his misgivings, Izuku managed to open the shutter to Mei's room, then carry her and her bag of gear down the street. She'd put on a jumpsuit that stores sold that was modeled after the kind that UA students wore for the annual Sports Festival, so she looked like she belonged at UA herself. To Izuku's surprise, no one seemed all that shocked to see a suit of power armor carrying someone dashing through the streets of Musutafu. Apparently, the UA logo commanded enough respect that even police officers who saw them dash by didn't find anything suspicious going on.
It didn't take Izuku long to draw near to UA, by which point he had worked up a sweat, and the suit was starting to heat up.
"I'm overheating," he panted to Mei. "It's too hot in this suit! I forgot how hot the new power systems I installed could get, even with ventilation!"
"Hmm, we'll need some sort of cooling device for you in the next model," Mei mused. "But don't worry, we're almost there!"
UA High School had a massive, sprawling campus that took up a good portion of downtown Musutafu. The main building was many stories tall, made of four towers that were connected by a lower central hub. It gleamed in the early morning light, it's glass surface a beacon for all the world to see. The campus was protected by a visible 3 meter wall, but Izuku knew there were additional security systems that would prevent anyone unauthorized from trying to get over the wall, or pass through the main gates. When they arrived at the entrance, someone was waiting there for them.
"Hi Mr. Onizuka!" Mei called, waving excitedly.
The man turned, looking startled to see Mei hurtling towards him, carried in the arms of a massive suit of armor. This version of the Power Suit was fully enclosed, with a helmet that completely obscured Izuku's face.
"Mei? What is that? I know I told you to bring one of your inventions, but you didn't have to bring a whole robot!" Mr. Onizuka protested. He was a blond man, in his late middle years and going bald, though he had a comb over to try and hide it. He was wearing a tacky looking suit that didn't seem to fit him well, but Mei hopped out of Izuku's arms and skipped toward him, her arms spread wide.
"You said to bring one of my babies, and I brought our best one! This is the Power Suit, MK V, and it's daddy, Izuku Midoriya!" Mei said, wrapping Mr. Onizuka in an embrace. He returned it, which made Izuku feel a bit odd for a moment. He chalked that up to the heat.
"H-hello," Izkuku said, his voice echoing slightly from the voice modulator they'd installed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Onizuka."
"I thought...I thought that was just what you'd named one of your inventions," Mr. Onizuka said, blinking rapidly. "I didn't think you'd actually found a boy who willingly helped you in your lab every day, Mei."
"Well you said to practice my social skills, so I found a friend!" Mei proclaimed. "He's a great lab partner. The perfect papa for all my babies! He's even rigged the electrical systems for the suit! He added the voice modulator, and installed a gyroscope that helps with stabilization!"
"She, um, she means the suit, sir. Not, ah, actual babies. I-I-I'm not that kind of guy," Izuku hastily explained.
"I'm aware," Onizuka said, scratching the back of his head. He sighed. "Well, this interview was just for you, Mei. I'm not sure how they'll feel about you bringing a friend along…"
"Well, I always say, the more, the merrier!"
Izuku turned and gasped to see the person coming out of the UA gates, a man with what appeared to be an upside down excavator bucket on his head, though he was dressed in a suit instead of his usual hero costume today. "That's Power Loader, the Excavation Hero!"
"Call me Mr. Maijima," Power Loader said, coming out to examine Izuku. "My, my, this is quite an impressive specimen. Did your students build this themselves, Onizuka?"
"Actually, I don't know the boy at all," Onizuka admitted. "He must go to another school."
"I go to Mustafa Private Middle School actually, sir," Izukua said, bowing slightly. It was difficult to make such a motion in the Power Suit, but he managed it. "Mei and I met while she was scavenging for parts. I've been helping her for the last 9 months. We built this together."
"Really? Hmm. Well, come on in. I think I can whip up something to put you two through your paces," Power Loader said, leading them back inside.
They followed Power Loader into the main UA complex, past several buildings and into a testing site.
"I was going to take you into the support lab and have you show off your inventions there, but frankly I think you're ready for something a bit more advanced," Power Loader stated. "I've got a few of the robots for the Hero Exam in a few weeks set up here to test them out before the big day. Think you could take one of them on with that thing?"
"You bet!" Izuku said excitedly. "I actually applied for the Hero Course, but I haven't heard back yet!"
"Oh? Well, consider this a sneak peak I guess, there's already a lot of information available online about what to expect, so this wouldn't give you much of an advantage anyway," Power Loader declared. He motioned Izuku forward. "I'll activate one of the robots. You see if you can take it out."
The robot in question was painted green, with shield like arms that concealed weapons. It rode on a unicycle-like wheel and had a single, glowing red eye atop a snake-like neck. Izuku assumed a fighting stance, raising his arm and pointing it at the robot. It activated, letting out an electronic warble and charging forward.
"Grappling hook!" Izuku shouted. A spear like projectile launched from its mounting inside of Izuku's arm, but the robot raised its left shield, which the hook bounced off of. "No!" Thinking quickly, Izuku charged forward, dashing around to the side of the robot. He slammed out one fist, which connected with the side of the robot's head with a loud clang. The robot spun slightly, clearly rattled, and Izuku shoved it as hard as he could. It careened into a wall, bashing it's body and cracking it's case. The robot collapsed in a heap.
"Hey, not bad," Power Loader mused. "You have some sort of strength enhancing quirk?"
"Um, I-" Izuku began, but Mei interrupted.
"Nope! He's totally quirkless! What you see before you is purely the result of spectacular engineering and inventiveness from me, Mei Hatsume, and from the pilot, Izuku Midoriya! We've worked hard to create the most spectacular support equipment, from only scraps we scavenged off the streets! And bought with our severely limited funds."
She leaned in close to Power Loader, far past what most people found comfortable, but the Excavation Hero didn't back down. "Just imagine what we could do with proper funding and materials! Think about what a great fit for the Support Program I would be, and what an awesome Hero Course candidate Midoriya would be! Together, we're unstoppable!"
"I am impressed," Power Loader mused, rubbing his chin. He glanced at Izuku, who was feeling slightly embarrassed his condition had been revealed. "Quirkless, you say? That power came purely from your device?"
"I-I also have been training really hard!" Izuku said, raising his arm hesitantly. "I've done extensive physical conditioning, and my grades are really good! I sent my test scores to UA and everything with my application!"
"Hmm. Well, let's go to the lab so I can pull you up," Power Loader said. He led them back to the main UA building to a rear entrance, where Izuku had to climb out of the Power Suit.
"This is a beautiful piece of engineering," Power Loader observed, examining it carefully. He took several minutes to open panels and check various systems. It made Izuku especially nervous when he eyed the wiring and how he'd connected the various systems to their power supplies, capacitors, and back up batteries. He'd had to jury rig most of it, but it did work. "Hard to believe two kids built it out of a bunch of scraps in less than a year."
"That's because I'm a genius, and Midoriya is a super hard worker!" Mei declared, wrapping her arm around Izuku's shoulder and pulling him close. "Hatsume and Midoriya! Remember that name, because our babies are going to change the world!"
"S-s-she means inventions," Izuku clarified, blushing slightly and looking down.
"Sure she does," Power Loader chuckled. "I was 15 once too, kid. Hmm. Well, I can definitely see room for improvement here. The work is a bit rough, and I bet this thing is hotter than a tin roof. You look pretty sweaty there."
"Our next iteration will include air conditioning!" Mei declared. She dashed forward, pointing into the helmet. "You see those wires? Izuku saved up all his money and bought a VR headset, then configured it to take input through this headset! It helps modulate the movements of exoskeleton and gyroscope we installed. Just like Iron Man's suit!"
"Ironman? I'm not familiar with that particular hero," Power Loader said with a shrug. "Well, come on inside. Show me what else you got while I look up Midoriya here on the system."
Mei happily pulled out several devices, a few of which Izuku had helped her with. One was an early prototype of a pulse weapon similar to the ones Iron Man had installed on his suits. "I think I can use them to help control flight, once we get a good enough power source," Mei explained. "Midoriya has sketches of someone he calls Kacchan who uses explosions to propel himself through the air, and Iron Man used the same thing to help him fly. I don't know if we can get enough lift for true flight, but assisted leaps would allow for traversal of tall buildings or rough terrain."
"Who is this Iron Man you keep talking about?" Power Loader said as he typed something on a computer at his desk. "I've never heard of him. Is he foreign?"
"Um, k-k-kinda," Izuku stammered. "He's, um, American. But he's not real! It's a comic book, one about a quirkless hero, from the before times."
"Oh, that. Well, I never cared much about that kind of stuff," Power Loader said dismissively. "But if it gives you kids ideas, more power to you. Ah, here we go. Midoriya, Izuku. Says here you applied for the Hero Course. You're flagged for denial, due to your quirkless status."
"What?" Izuku said, going pale. "But, y-you saw me! I can be a hero! I took out that robot, no problem!"
"Your gear took that robot out," Power Loader said absently, typing something in. "Well, I'll just change that. I'm putting you in for the Support Course."
"The S-s-suport Course?" Izuku asked. "I...I wanted to go into the Hero Course…"
"I heard you the first time, Midoriya." Power Loader looked up, frowning. "Look, I'm sorry, but we don't let quirkless individuals take the exam for or enter into the Hero Course. That course is dangerous. Even kids with strong quirks get hurt. Someone like you could get themselves killed. But, from what I've seen, I'm more than willing to let both you kids in on recommendation to my course, the Support Class. I suppose you'll want to be in the same class?"
"Now wait just one moment!" Mei protested, planting her hands on her hips. "That is not what we said! Izuku wants to be the muscle, I'm the brains! I make the gear, he tests it and uses it, so we can get funding and make babies together forever! Just who do you think you are, changing that beautiful plan?"
"The man in charge of admissions to the Support Course," Power Loader said dryly. "I could just deny you both, if you're going to be obstinate about it."
"Mei, it's OK," Izuku said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He felt tears in his eyes, and wiped them away with one hand. "This is...this is a start, anyway. If I get into the Support Course at UA, at least I'm closer to my dream than if I get rejected. And besides...it would be nice to be in the same class as you. To have a friend to work with. I'd like that. Wouldn't you?"
Mei frowned. "Well, I don't know. I've never had a friend at school before."
Mr. Onizuka let out a loud sigh. "Mei, what have we talked about?"
"Yeah, yeah, social skills. I mean, yes, Izuku! I am your friend! And I want to make babies with you in the same class!"
"She means-"
"We know," Power Loader and Mr. Onizuka said together.
"Great, then I'll just put you both in class 1-H," Power Loader declared. "Midoriya, you might get a letter of rejection. Just ignore that, I'll make sure you get your letter of acceptance and call your parents to let them know what happened. You should have just applied to the Support Course. If you can rig electrical systems like those you're a shoe in. Why did none of your teachers recommend you?"
"They, um, well, they don't think-" Izuku stammered, meaning to say that his teachers didn't know, but Power Loader cut him off, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Ah. Right, well, Quirkless prejudice is a problem. But if you prove yourself here, you won't have to worry about it. And I'll go to bat for you with the administration. Leave the suit here, I'll show it to them if they have any questions."
"Oh, ok. Um, is that all? Do we have to take a test or anything?" Izuku asked.
Power Loader shrugged. "I have your grades right here, and I already knew what Mei scored. Honestly, I couldn't care less how good you are at taking tests. What matters is what you can make, and both of you can obviously make some top quality stuff. Onizuka's been bugging me for six months about this amazing student he had. He's come to me with good recommendations in the past, but I have to admit you two blew me away today. You'll be good fits for my class. We've got plenty of odd ducks in the Support Course."
"Just promise me one thing," Mei said as they left the building. She flung her arms around the Power Suit. "Take extra good care of my baby! Don't leave it out in the rain and make sure you polish it every day! Otherwise it gets lonely."
Power Loader chuckled. "Don't worry, your creation is in good hands. I'll make sure she's well taken care of."
"Well OK then. Be good, sweetie! Mommy and daddy love you very much and will be back for you soon with lots of upgrades!"
At the entrance, Mr. Onizuka and Power Loader parted ways with the two students, leaving them to walk back home by themselves.
"I can't believe we have to wait another three months to start!" Mei complained. "Mr. Majima even took our baby! Ugh, we'll have to find something new to work on, Midoriya!"
Izuku was silent, still going over what had happened. He couldn't get into the UA Hero program without a Quirk. It was likely he couldn't get into any reputable hero program as a Quirkless individual, and besides if he were separated from Mei, he would lose any hope he had of acquiring the gear he would need to become a Hero. Plus, she was still the only person who had ever shown any belief that he could become a Hero.
Thankfully, Mei was fully capable of carrying on a conversation by herself, and rambled on about her various plans for the new "babies" they'd be making together and how Izuku should wire them. Izuku let it wash over him for a while as he pondered the future, but then Mei said something that jerked him back to reality.
"You really were just like a hero when you took out that robot! One punch! Bang! It's like you knew just what to do! I knew you would be a great lab partner! Someday, you're going to be the world's greatest hero, Izuku, and it's our babies that will make you that!"
Izuku stopped, his emotions overcoming him. Mei continued on for a few paces, as Izuku hung his head, covering his face with his hands and beginning to weep. When she noticed he wasn't walking with her any longer, Mei stopped, turning around and looking at Izuku oddly. "What's wrong? Are you upset you didn't get into the Hero Course or something?"
Tears started to trickle down Izuku's face, and he scrubbed at them, trying to control himself. "N-n-no. I m-m-mean, yes, I am. I've w-w-wanted to b-b-be in that course all my life, but...but-"
"Hey."
Izuku felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Mei smiling at him. "It's OK! We can just keep making babies together! It's not like you can't take the Hero License Test or whatever even if you're not in the Hero Course! We'll just make such amazing babies together that everyone will have to see how cute they are!"
"T-t-thank you, Mei," Izuku said, wiping his eyes and smiling at her. "That...that means a lot to me. You… you're the only one who believes in me, in my dream."
"Well of course I do. You're the only one who believes in me!" Mei declared. Then she paused, frowning. "Hey, did you just call me Mei?"
Izuku's eyes widened. "I-I-I'm sorry, I know that's probably too informal of me-"
"It's about friggin' time! Do you know how confusing it is for you to keep calling me Hatsume even when we're with my family? I don't even know who you're talking to half the time! You're worse than I ever was at looking at people when you talk to them! Did no one tell you you're probably ASD too? See, we're totally alike! That's why you're the best lab partner ever! Now I know just what will cheer you up! We're going to make a super awesome baby together that will turn you into an amazing hero! I've been reading those Batman comics you left lying around and I think you need a tool belt! We can put in a rebreather device, a laser cutter, maybe some smoke bombs-I've always wanted to make smoke bombs, and-"
Izuku wiped his eyes and hurried after Mei, who continued to list off various devices they could create together. Somehow, even though he'd faced an enormous setback, he felt better. He would be a hero, as long as at least one person believed in him, he could do it.
Authors Note:
Disclaimer: I am not a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), School Based Behavioral Health (SBBH) Counselor, or Clinical Psychologist. The depicted information is fictional. Any resemblance to real persons is unintended, and this is not a breach of confidentiality.
Transfer 504 Review
Name: Midoriya, Izuku
Age: 15
Date of Birth: July 15
Sex: M
Quirk: *See Assessment
School of Origin: Aldera Junior High
Case Manager: Horikoshi, K
School of Receipt: UA High
Results current as of year 8 (further testing waived).
Test Results / Percentile Rank
Cognitive 110 / 76
Academic 113 / 81
Adaptive 110 / 75
Social 92 / 30
Speech 87 / 19
Assessors Notes:
Cognitive:
Izuku's strengths are primarily in the areas of Fluid Reasoning (112) and Processing Speed (114); he is able to rapidly think on his feet and react to stimuli. His notably lowest score is the verbal area, in which he scored a 98. Points were not taken off for Izuku's speech impediment (see Speech results).
Academic
Izuku has generally high scores across all academic areas. His main strengths are in languages and history. His written expression score (109) is notably higher than his verbal expression score (97) being one standard deviation higher. Izuku typically scores at the top of his class in all areas. His overall class rank is in the top 10% of his school. There is no need for specialized instruction in the area of academics.
Adaptive:
Izuku is very proactive in meeting his own needs. His mother reports he has long been able to care for himself, and is very conscientious of both hygiene and nutritional needs. Izuku is responsible for at least a portion of his own meal preparation and is able to make appropriate choices. There is no need for Adaptive services.
Social:
Izuku is very isolated socially, due to his status as Quirkless (see Quirk Assessment, attached). This is exacerbated by Izuku's own speech impediment and his lack of drive to interact socially with peers. He rarely initiates contact within his own peer group, but does respond appropriately and enthusiastically when approached by others. He is able to converse about a wide range of subjects, though he does have a preferred set of subjects, as is typical. Currently, the team feels it would be detrimental to Izuku's social development to further isolate him from his peers for specialized instruction. The situation will be monitored, as per the standard 504 for quirkless individuals.
SBBH note: There is a history of depression in Izuku's family. He should meet with the SBBH counselor tri-annually for check ups. Both his mother and father have reported suicidal tendencies or thoughts. At this time, Izuku has not reported any such thoughts. This is in addition to standard Quirkless counseling per his 504.
Speech:
Despite progress that has been made over the previous school years, Izuku continues to display a pronounced stutter brought on by social anxiety. His social language is adequate, and he is able to communicate his wants and needs; the disability is entirely in speech production. At this time, upon parent request, speech services are being discontinued for Izuku. Therapy for social anxiety* is recommended.
*Note - Declined by parent.
Quirk
Izuku is the product of the union of two 4th generation quirk users. However, Izuku has failed to manifest any quirk. Testing conducted at the age of 5 indicates that Izuku does not possess the QR.16 gene. Izuku has been labeled as quirkless since the age of 5.
Diagnosis:
Izuku MIdoriya is not qualified for special education services at this time, and parent has declined further Speech/Language services. SBBH services will continue as per the Quirkless 504, and student mental health guidelines.
Received by UA High School
New case manager, Inui, R (SBBH)
Homeroom Teacher: Maijima, H
Note- Izuku originally applied to the Hero Course. However, as quirkless, he was slated for rejection. He was accepted into the Support Course on recommendation on March 13th (Maijma). Izuku is close to Mei Hatsume*, both were accepted for their collaboration on advanced support gear. Social interaction between the two should be encouraged, but monitored.
Case manager will continue counseling services.
*See case file, student has IEP under ASD (Sped minutes now to be provided primarily in gen ed setting by gen ed teacher)
…
I don't know about Japan's laws, but in the States Izuku's status as Quirkless would probably qualify him under 504 for classroom adaptations. His noted depressive tendencies would also flag his file for additional 504 services for counseling and therapy.
Consider all the teachers at UA being highly competent at their jobs to be my personal AU wish fulfillment scenario.
Yes, that means All Might too.