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13. The Payoff

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

-Seneca

Izuku stood proudly atop the first place podium beside the Power Suit. He'd requested that Mei be allowed to stand beside him, but Recovery Girl had vetoed the idea before anyone else could come up with a good reason to reject it.

"That girl needs bed rest for the next few days! Be grateful I'm giving you young Bakugo until the ceremony is over! Then that boy is right back on bed rest!"

Thinking of Bakugo, Izuku glanced at his one time friend. Bakugo stood dejected and listless, his eyes on his feet, his body posture slumping and defeated. Izuku had expected an explosion of rage when Bakugo had laid eyes on him again. Instead, Bakugo had gone pale, looking down and not meeting Izuku's eyes, or saying anything. Now he stood like a statue, oblivious to the addulation of the crowd.

"And now, to hand out the medals, the one, the only, All Might!" Present Mic called.

Izuku watched as All Might did a swan dive into the stadium to the roar of the crowd. He smiled and waved, giving a short speech. Izuku's mind was elsewhere though. He looked over at Todoroki and Shinso. Shinso stood with his hands in his pockets, looking a little bored. Todoroki seemed more alert than Bakugo, but still looked disappointed in himself.

"Ah, young Shinso! You did well, coming this far! Truly, you showed the strength of your convictions," All Might said, placing the medal over Shinso's head. "You too, young man, can be a hero."

"Thanks," Shinso said, straightening slightly. A slow thin smile crept over his lips. Not for the praise, but because All Might was recognizing him as a potential peer.

All Might pulled the young man into an embrace. "But you need to learn not to just rely on your quirk. Before you can be a pro, you've a long way to go. See this medal not as the final goal, but as a challenge to do better!"

"I will, sir!" Shinso vowed, nodding fiercely. "I will be a hero!" All Might pumped Shinso's hand one last time, then walked over to Todoroki, who was staring at his shoes, nearly as dejected as Bakugo.

"Young Todoroki, you have not failed this day. Not yourself, and not your father," All Might said.

At the mention of his father, Todoroki looked up, his eyes flashing. "I am not my father."

"No, you are not," All Might agreed. He pulled Todoroki into a hug too, causing the boy to stiffen slightly, as if he were unused to such a display of affection. "But you are also your own man, all of you. Even your quirk. Learn to embrace all of who you are, and you will be well on the path to surpassing even me as a hero."

A wet gleam entered Todoroki's eyes, and he suddenly closed them. Awkwardly, he squeezed All Might back. "Yes, sir."

Next, All Might turned to Bakugo. "Young man, you already have much of what it means to be a hero. Determination, drive and-"

"What does it matter?" Bakugo mumbled. "I lost. I lost to a quirkless nobody. What does that make me?"

"Proud."

Bakugo suddenly looked up, confused. All Might knelt, poking Bakugo in the chest. "It makes you guilty of a sin I've had to struggle with for years: Pride. You think too highly of yourself, and not highly enough of others, Bakugo. You're just as strong and capable now as you were before you lost to Midoriya.

Let go of that pride, Bakugo. It's one thing to be proud of your accomplishments. It's another to be proud of what you were born with. One is a satisfaction in your own achievements. The other confuses luck with ability. Learn the difference." All Might hung the medal about Bakugo's neck. "I'll be speaking with you more, I think. You've come a long way since the day we met, but it seems you still have lessons to learn. Keep that medal as a reminder that sometimes, we're our own worst enemies."

"My own worst enemy, huh?" Bakugo glanced at Izuku, and the pure despair in that gaze made Izuku flinch. "Yeah. Right."

Then All Might mounted the highest podium. He paused before Izuku, hefting the medal. "Somehow, I feel like I'm the worst possible person to give this to you, young Midoriya."

"Sir?" Izuku asked, confused. His own emotions towards All Might were still mixed, but more and more Izuku had realized that he had been wrong to simply lash out in anger at a man trying to protect a young boy. Besides, if All Might had never told him no, would he even have met Mei?

"You remember. I know I do," All Might said gently. He suddenly turned to the crowd. "I want you all to know that even I, All Might, can be wrong. And today, that is proven before the world. You see, once, not that long ago, I met young Midoriya. He was just another fan, and I had a moment of weakness. He asked me, 'I am quirkless. Can I be a hero?' I told him no."

There was an intake of breath and a buzz of conversation. Izuku felt something catch in his chest, and his breathing grew rapid. "All Might?" Was it going to happen again?

"Today, Midoriya proved I was wrong. I was short sighted. I told him that without a quirk, he could not be a hero. That he should just give up on his dream. I wanted to spare him pain and disappointment. What I did was wrong. I acknowledge that now."

All Might suddenly pointed, straight at the cameras of the press. "Whoever is out there, watching. Wherever you are, whatever you are. You too can be a hero. It's not going to be easy. It's going to take endless hard work. It's going to take dedication. Some days, you might feel like giving up. But don't. Remember Izuku Midoriya. Remember the boy with no quirk, who proved that he could be a hero. One day, the world will look back, and remember Izuku Midoriya not as quirkless, but as one of the world's greatest heroes. Mark my words."

All MIght turned back, kneeling down and smiling at Izuku. "I asked you once before to forgive me. Can you find it in your heart to do it again? Forgive a tired old man for a mistake, even one that must have hurt deeply?"

Tears filled Izuku's eyes, leaking down his cheeks, but he nodded and whispered, "Yes."

All Might placed the medal around Izuku's neck, putting both hands on his shoulders.

"Young Man. You too can be a hero."

Izuku fell to his knees, weeping. "I just...I just wish Mei could have been here, with me. She's...she's the only one who believed in me. Even when I didn't believe in myself."

"Then don't lose her, Midoriya. If you must give up all else, even your dreams, don't lose young Hatsume. To have a true friend, one who will be at your side, even in your darkest hour, is a precious thing. Do that, and you'll have a prize greater than any I could give you."

"Yes, sir," Izuku whispered.

All Might suddenly stood, grabbing Izuku's hand and raising it to the sky. "Izuku Midoriya! The Winner of this Year's UA 1st Year Sports Festival! Let's all give him a great big cheer! Are you ready?"

"PLUS ULTRA!" the crowd shouted.

"Good job!" All Might said. The crowd erupted in jeers as All Might looked embarrassed.

Izuku couldn't help but laugh. It seemed like something Mei would have done.

Much later, Izuku was helping Mei back to the school. She absolutely refused to ride in a wheelchair, but she was willing to have Izuku lead her. She contentedly held Izuku's hand, trailing after him and humming to herself. It was a soothing sound by now to Izuku, and it helped calm his still frayed nerves. Somehow, they'd be OK. They were just about to exit the building when a bandaged wrapped man blocked their way.

"So. You're Izuku Midoriya," the man said, his voice muffled by his layers of wrappings. He looked somewhat like a disheveled long-haired mummy.

"Um, can I help you?" Izuku said, taking half a step back and protectively extending an arm to guard Mei.

"Who is it, Izuku?" Mei asked impatiently. "Remember, I can't see!"

"I suppose I'm hard to recognize right now," the man said. "I'm Shota Aizawa, the head of the Hero Course instruction."

"Oh!" Izuku said, dropping his arm. "It's OK Mei, this is one of the teachers. He's also known by the name Eraserhead."

Aizawa nodded approvingly. "I see you've done your research. Well, come with me. We have a lot to talk about. Vlad's waiting for us."

Aizawa led Izuku out of the stadium building, his stride firm and steady despite his injuries. Instead of taking the main way back, Izawa led them to a parking garage, where Sekijiro Kan, alias Vlad King, was waiting for them with a car. To Izuku's surprise, Shinso was waiting in the car as well, looking impatient.

"Get in," Aizawa ordered, taking a seat up front.

Izuku helped Mei inside, then squeezed in next to her.

"So, are you finally going to let Izuku into the Hero Course?" Mei demanded.

"Mei, Shinso is here as well," Izuku informed her.

"Oh hi. Did you like our babies?" Mei asked. "I heard Izuku beat you!"

"He would have," Shinso said before Izuku could correct Mei. "I forfeited, actually. Didn't feel like getting tossed around by that mecha of yours."

"Power Loader has a lot of explaining to do," Kan, also known as the hero Vlad King, grumbled as he pulled out. "If he thinks I'm going to pay up now-"

"Not in front of the students," Aizawa said quietly. Kan subsided, though he continued muttering under his breath.

"So, are you finally going to let Izuku into the Hero Course?" Mei asked again. Shinso cleared his throat, but Mei didn't take the hint, as usual.

"We'll answer that later," Aizawa replied.

"Why? He beat everyone! Even that jerk Bakugo! You should kick Bakugo out and let Izuku in. He has much better social skills," Mei explained.

Aizawa glanced back at Mei, his lone visible eye peering at her. "I thought you'd be quieter."

"Nope! My form of autism doesn't include much verbal language delays. If anything, I have a hard time knowing when to be quiet. Hey Izuku, should I be quiet now?"

"Um, it might be a good idea, Mei," Izuku said gently. "Just take it easy. You're still hurt."

"I'm not hurt that bad. Hey, could you take these bandages off? I'm sure I'll be fine."

"W-w-well, Recovery Girl said they should stay on for at least two more days. I um, I think maybe we should listen to her, Mei. Remember when you stayed up all night when you had a cold, then you had to rest for two days? It's like that."

"Fine," Mei sighed. "But you'd better take care of our babies while I'm sick. I expect lots of reports!"

"Why don't we take care of you first, Mei. Then we can take care of our babies together," Izuku said squeezing Mei's hand; she hadn't let go when they got in the car, and Izuku didn't see the need to separate himself from her. In fact, she was pressing herself up against him, and unlike he usually did, Izuku didn't back away or remind Mei about personal space.

"Why did you bring the girl?" Ken said with a sigh. "You're not seriously considering letting her into the Hero Course, are you?"

"We'll talk about it," Aizawa said as they pulled into the staff parking lot. "Come on. Let's go up to my office."

Izuku carefully undid Mei's seat belt, then helped her out of the car. She grabbed on to his elbow as they went up the steps, and didn't let go. She didn't seem frightened or concerned in the slightest, just that she wanted Izuku close to her. It surprised him how much she was willing to trust him. If he couldn't see, would he be able to trust Mei like this? Maybe. At least, he could trust her to look out for him. Not so much not to take him into the girls restroom because she forgot they were together.

At last they came to Aizawa's office, where Principal Nezu of all people was waiting, a full tea service out with steaming cups. Along with the Principal sat Mr. Maijima, this time in his formal suit and tie.

"Welcome, everyone! Congratulations, Midoriya, on your excellent performance! And you as well, Shinso and Hatsume," Nezu said.

"Actually I did pretty terrible," Mei said cheerily. "Did you see? Bakugo totally beat me up! But Izuku said he didn't hurt my babies so it's not all bad."

"Just take the compliment, Hatsume," Mr. Maijima said, shaking his head slightly. "Good job, you two. You just won me ¥50,000 each. Sorry, Shinso. I didn't bet on you."

"Considering I didn't even know about it, no offense taken," Shinso said blithely.

"I know you did something, Loader!" Kan growled. "They knew all about everyone's quirks! You've been trying to sneak a fast one past me for years, but I'm not going to-"

"Not in front of the students!" Aizawa growled again, causing the other two teachers to fall silent.

Principal Nezu chuckled, serving up tea for everyone. "It's all in good fun. Besides, I think they should be proud that you had so much faith in them, Maijima."

"Here, Mei, it's tea," Izuku said, handing her a cup.

"Can I have coffee or an energy drink instead?" Mei said, grimacing at the tea she couldn't see. "I don't like tea."

"Mei!" Izuku hissed. "Social skills!"

"Thank you for the tea," Mei said robotically. "It is very nice."

"It's not a problem. Kan, will you grab the young lady a coffee from the teachers lounge? I think she's earned it. How do you take yours?"

"Half sugar, half coffee," Mei said eagerly at the same time as Izuku said, "Two sugars."

Mei sighed and nodded. "Two sugars. I probably don't need to think about wonderful babies right now, even if Izuku is here."

Shinso eyed Izuku over the rim of his tea cup, one eyebrow raised in a questioning fashion.

"It's really just the inventions," Izuku sighed. "We're not even...well, I mean, we're not really even boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Really?" Mei asked, sounding hurt. "I thought we were friends, Izuku. Does that mean…"

"That's all very fascinating." Aizawa said, setting aside his untouched cup of tea. "And completely irrelevant. You're here because both of you have stated you want to be in the Hero Course. Is that still the case?"

"I don't want to be in the Hero Course," Mei began. "That's Izuku-"

Izuku squeezed her hand, and Mei lapsed into silence.

"Well, I suppose I should explain why you're here anyway, Hatsume," Aizawa sighed. "Yes, I'm going to give Midoriya, and Shinso too, a chance to join the hero course. But you're here because if Midoriya joins the Hero Course, I have the feeling that it's going to be in large part thanks to you. I want to know just how much."

"It's basically entirely because of her, sir," Izuku said quietly, swirling the tea in his cup. "I was ready to give up on being a hero. Mei changed that. She believed I could be a hero when no one else did."

"He was very heroic," Mei added. "He saved me and my baby from a dumpster. But Izuku is too modest! He is a great hero and hard worker! And he makes lots of stuff for our babies too!"

Mr. Kan returned and handed Mei her coffee, which she enthusiastically began to guzzle. Mr. Aizawa took the opportunity to continue uninterrupted. "That's not exactly what I'm talking about. I mean the gear. What percent of that does she make, Midoriya?"

"Most of it. I basically just do the wiring and power systems. I'm a bit better at those. Um, mostly because, well, Mei's are prone to exploding the first few times."

"It's true," Maijima put in. "The boy's a damn fine electrical engineer. I'd say he's at least as good as a master electrician right now. He's a natural. Better than a lot of college grads too. Picked most of it up on his own from Hatsume or internet tutorials."

"But most of your gear, that suit, the grapple, the missiles, the jet pack and those boots, she made all of those, right?" Mr. Aizawa asked. When Izuku nodded, Mr. Aizawa sighed. "Well the thing is, Midoriya, that actually puts us in a tricky situation. Technically, you shouldn't have been able to use half that gear in the sports festival. Not just because you didn't make it, but because it was military grade equipment that could have easily been lethal."

"I'm going to have to have a very long staff meeting discussing what is and isn't allowed for Support Course students to have in the future!" Mr. Nezu said brightly. "But don't worry, Midoriya. We're not going to take your laurels. Frankly, even with all of those marvelous machines, it's a wonder you were able to overcome all of the Hero Course students. Some of their quirks should have utterly crushed you."

"But they didn't, because he cheated," Kan grumbled. Izuku noted that he wasn't looking at him, but rather at Maijima.

"We did not! Our babies are just super cute and amazing!" Mei said, setting down her empty coffee cup with a smack of her lips. "Did you see us? Izuku was so amazing! He's the best test pilot ever! Let me tell you, I've tried a few times, but I'm not as good as he is!"

Aizawa rubbed his temples with both hands. "I see. So, Hatsume, the question for you is this: Are you willing to work extra hard to continue to provide Midoriya with his gear?"

"You mean I won't have to go to my classes anymore?" Mei asked eagerly. "I can move into the workshop! I won't ever have to leave, I can just work round the clock with Izuku! He can move in too! He's actually a good cook, he'll make sure we get the right food and go to bed on time and I remember to shower and brush my hair! And we'll do nothing but make super cute babies all day long!"

"Hatsume. Midoriya wouldn't be with you all the time if Midoriya joined the Hero Course," Maijima said gently. "He'd have other things to do."

"I'd still help you!" Izuku put in quickly. "It would just be more like when we were in middle school! We wouldn't have all our classes together anymore, but I would help you whenever I could!"

"Oh." Mei deflated slightly. She considered this. "Could I join the Hero Course with Izuku?"

That made Izuku whip his head around. "Mei?! You want to be a hero? I thought you just wanted to work on your inventions!'

"Well, yes, but I also want to be with you. Going to school is much more fun and interesting when you're here, Izuku," Mei said as if that were the most natural thing in the world. "I'd rather still be in your classes and just work with you in my spare time too."

"That's...not exactly what we were talking about," Aizawa said slowly.

Maijima leaned over and whispered something to Nezu, who frowned. "I see. She doesn't talk to their peers at all. Not once?"

"Not unless they or Midoriya started the conversation," Maijima confirmed quietly. "He's her whole world, basically. And frankly, she's his too."

"I don't have time for childishness in my course," Aizawa said with a shrug. "I won't tolerate any fooling around. Nothing past first base as long as either of them are in my hero course."

"Why do heroes have to play baseball?" Mei demanded.

"It's...not quite like that," Maijima said hesitantly. "Mei, well, she doesn't think the way most people do. You've heard of Autism Spectrum Disorder?"

Aizawa grunted. "Why don't we just all assume I'm a competent teacher, that will make all this a lot easier. I had, in fact, noticed that Mei exhibited such tendencies, but I think that they're largely irrelevant. My course doesn't teach social skills."

"That's good, because those are really boring," Mei commented.

"-however, I may be willing to make an exception," Aizawa concluded. He looked at Mei steadily. "Will you or will you not be willing to work extra hard to continue to provide Midoriya with support gear, in addition to your own workload?"

"I said yes," Mei grumped. "Obviously I'm going to make super cute babies for Izuku forever. But what does that have to do with baseball?"

"It means that you'd best not try to make it to second base, as long as Izuku's in the Hero Course, and definitely no home runs," Mr. Aizawa answered. Izuku wondered if he could still get into the hero course if he crawled under his chair and died.

"So does that mean we're in?" Shinso demanded. "Will you let Midoriya and I into the Hero Course now?"

"Not by a long shot. Neither of you are even close to ready," Aizawa stated. He held up a hand. "Before you argue with me, know that I don't mean I don't think you can be heroes. We wouldn't be having this conversation otherwise. I mean, you're not quite ready to enter the Hero Course. And Hatusme, if you interrupt me, I'm going to make you wait outside without Midoriya."

Mei closed her mouth, looking frustrated at being preempted.

"The fact of the matter is, you two might have the potential, but you lack the basic training our hero course candidates have had. You haven't had the right kind of Quirk counseling, for one. Well, I suppose that's only a factor for Shinso, but Midoriya's going to need some help. How's your physical fitness?"

Mei raised her hand. Aizawa sighed and looked to Izuku, who nodded. "Yes, Hatsume?"

"Izuku runs 10 kilometers every day! He does 100 sit ups, 100 push ups, 100 squats too! And then he does different kinds of training every day like different weights and pull ups and balance training and martial arts katas and I make him do extra practice with the Power Suit!"

Aizawa blinked. Or winked, it was hard to tell with one eye visible. "Really? That's a fairly intensive daily routine for a kid. Maybe you're not as far behind as I thought. How fast can you do the run, Midoriya?"

"I average about 54 minutes, but when I'm pushing myself I can do it in 50. My best time is 45. With the Power Suit, I can do it in about 10."

"That thing is that fast?" Kan asked, clearly surprised.

Maijima grinned. "Oh, it is. And I bet you they can figure out how to make it stronger and faster. He couldn't do it if he weren't extremely physically fit. About the only time Izuku does something that isn't with Hatusme is when he does his daily training. I think he actually runs all the way to her house and changes there most days."

"Um, yeah, actually, that's pretty much what I do," Izuku admitted. "I do the rest of my exercises throughout the day. It's called The Hero program. I found it online."

"I'll look into it, but I imagine it's plenty," Aizawa said. "You, Shinso?"

"Well, I thought I was doing fairly well. I have good scores in PE, but I don't do much beyond that," Shinso admitted.

"That changes now. You don't need to quite be doing what Midoriya is, but-"

"I'll do everything he does," Shinso vowed. "If he can do it, so can I."

Aizawa nodded. "Good. You need more than one trick. You can't be a pro if your quirk is all you have; to be a pro you need more than one trick. That quirk of yours is powerful, but you will find yourself in situations where it isn't enough. Just like I do. I'll train you in a few techniques I have. Your power is somewhat similar to mine. Believe it or not, I was rejected from the Hero Course as well, and started off in general studies for a year before they moved me over."

"Really?" Shinso asked, intrigued. "I never knew that, sir."

"It's not exactly common knowledge," Aizawa said with a shrug. "Plus, we do make it hard to get into the Hero Course. Both of you aren't ready just yet."

"What about me, sir?" Izuku asked. "What do I need to do?"

"You'll need to pass a few tests I have for you," Aizawa explained. "Plus, you'll need to prove to me you do know how to use that gear of yours in a variety of situations. For example, those missiles you had were expertly tailored to counter specific quirks; I looked over the manifest. Someone gave you access to information on all the students' quirks, didn't they?"

"Um, yes, we got it from Mr. Maijima. We were working on some support gear for some of the hero course students. We made a special set of capacitors for Kaminari to prevent him from overloading himself, and we're going to make some other stuff too."

"I'm making a storage tank for the acid girl!" Mei added. "She visited me in the infirmary! Did you know she's pink? She says she is, but I don't remember. Anyway, we're going to make her some super cute babies to help her store then spray her acid! Like those stupid, ugly things Bakugo has for his hero costume. We're not making any babies for him!"

"That's cheating," Kan grumbled. "They had insider information!"

"That's smart," Aizawa countered. "They did their research, like a smart pro does. They evaluated their opponents' quirks, and then figured out how to cancel them or reduce the advantage they had. Tell me, how did you plan on dealing with Todoroki?"

"Um, we put in a system that vented heat to the exterior surface," Izuku explained. "And the Power Suit is flame resistant. But, um, well, we maybe underestimated how strong he is."

"But our baby is totally cute and amazing and handled it all anyway," Mei added.

"Then you got lucky, and were smart enough to avoid a direct confrontation when you realized you were at a disadvantage," Aizawa said, ignoring Mei. That was starting to bother Izuku. She was a person too after all. "Like I said, smart. Being quirkless, you will need to heavily rely on gathering intelligence and adapting your gear to what the situation calls for. But, you also seem to have some general trump cards. For one thing, that suit seems to be fairly physically strong, plus that grapple and jet pack give you excellent mobility. It's a good start."

"Frankly, we have to apologize to both of you," Nezu put in. "Midoriya, Shinso, the fact is, our entrance exam isn't perfect. It does favor flashy, combat related quirks. Those like you or Mr. Aizawa are at a distinct disadvantage."

"Just like you will be in the field," Aizawa agreed. "So the test is valid. Life isn't fair. If you're going to cry about it, I don't want you in my course. Understand?"

"The plan is, we train you until next semester," Kan stated. "You pass muster at the end of the summer, we let you in."

"Won't you have to cut someone for us?" Shinso asked.

Kan shrugged. "Maybe. But you two are promising enough we're willing to work harder ourselves to give you kids a chance."

"And Mei?" Izuku asked.

"She can go to hero classes with you," Mr. Aizawa explained. "Maijima assures me that he has to physically bar her from sleeping in the workshop, so I don't think you'll fall behind in your support course duties."

"I keep telling him there's room for a bed there," Mei grumbled. "Izuku and I could even share."

Shinso and Izuku both turned red, but Aizawa pointed to the door. "You interrupted me. Hallway. Count to 100, then knock."

Mei sighed, but got up and fumbled around for the door, until Izuku led her outside. Then she began to count. Loudly. Izuku winced and shut the door. "Um, sorry. She, uh, well-"

"Has her own set of unique issues," Aizawa said. "But she's good. Very good. Without her, you being in the hero course wouldn't even be worth considering, Midoriya. But I'm willing to take a chance. Are you?"

"Yes!" Izuku agreed quickly. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good. Now, here's what I am going to expect of both of you," Aizawa said. He and Kan then outlined a multi-tiered training program, with duties split between them. Kan would train them on Search and Rescue, first aid, and hero law. Shinso would learn a special combat technique from Aizawa to make up for the holes in his quirks abilities. Izuku would have to train hard with the Power Suit, learning how to use it in a variety of complex situations. They'd essentially be doing an entire semester and a half of Hero Course work in addition to their regular studies.

Halfway through, Mei knocked on the door and called for Izuku, who quickly helped her back in. She actually sat quietly, humming to herself for a bit, then fell asleep on Izuku's shoulder, apparently exhausted.

"Well, that covers everything. Are you still willing to try?" Nezu asked. "It's more than we ask of our normal students."

"We're not normal," Izuku said, fondly looking at Mei. "I sort of like it that way."

"Well," Shinso said, a smile tugging at his lips. "I suppose I don't mind being considered abnormal for a change."

Aizawa nodded. "Good. You start before school on Monday."

Authors Note:

Once again, I am a humble Special Education teacher with no degrees outside of Elementary and Special Education. The information depicted here is fictional, and any relation to real persons is unintended. This is not a breach of confidentiality.

Incoming Psychiatric Evaluation

Name: Shinso, Hitoshi

Age: 15

Sex: M

School of Origin: Saitama One Middle

Quirk: E-3

Evaluator: Inui, R

Assessors Notes

Hitoshi is a typically developing adult male of 15 years of age. His scores on testing and interviews with parents and peers indicate that he is in the average range for cognitive, social, adaptive, and academics. Hitoshi is a 3rd generation quirk user. His quirk was double inherited. The maternal side of his family possesses emitter quirks that allow them to soothe or calm others by singing or speaking to them. On the paternal side is an emitter quirk that allows users to impair motor functions of those who answer verbally to questions.

Hitoshi's quirk is known as Brainwashing. It allows him to seize control of anyone who answers verbally to Hitoshi. Hitoshi has good command of his quirk, and can choose to either activate his quirk or leave it dormant. Peers report that he has never used his quirk on others since he was a young child, save for two incidents. In the first, Hitoshi broke up a fight in 8th grade by forcing two combatants to stand still and wait for teachers once they had answered him. He faced disciplinary action for this, though others state he prevented serious injury. The second was to protect his elderly grandmother when a villain attempted to mug her while on an excursion with Hitoshi. Police largely overlooked this incident, citing that Hitoshi had simply held the criminal still until authorities had arrived, and that the perpetrator was possessed of a heteromorphic quirk he was using to threaten Hitoshi and his grandmother.

Hitoshi has expressed that he wishes to become a hero, and seeks to use his quirk to help people. However, he failed the entrance exam to the UA hero course. He was admitted to general studies on the merit of his academic achievement. Peers report being afraid to talk to Hitoshi, though they admit that he has never used his quirk on them. There is no evidence that Hitoshi has ever used his quirk for personal gain or to exploit another, outside of the aforementioned incidents.

Due to the nature of his quirk and how easily it could be abused, it is recommended to continue monitoring Hitoshi. It is also recommended that Hitoshi be monitored for hero potential. His quirk is powerful, and while unconventional, does have a large degree of merit in hero work.

Addendum: Shota Aizawa has vouched for Hitoshi following his performance at the UA 1st Year Sports festival. Pending approval, Hitoshi will be transferred to the Hero Course when he meets the expectations of Mr. Aizawa.