Chapter Two
After three weeks of the Spring Holidays, Izuku was feeling far more prepared for his first day than the entrance exam. Not to say he wasn't nervous, because that would be a bold-faced lie. But over these three weeks, he and All Might had been experimenting with the facets and limits of his Quirk using some equipment he'd acquired from his old friend — who turned out to be the famed inventor David Shield! — until they'd hammered out a rough idea of its powers and effects.
Izuku gripped the straps of his backpack and strode in with all of the confidence he could muster, thinking back on some of All Might's advice as he did: This smile is a mask, a way to assure the people and ease their worries. So too does it ease mine. So while you must never deny your anxiety, hold it close to your chest and present your smile to the world!
Izuku fixed a wobbly grin on his face as he strode the fabled halls of UA to find his classroom. The actual letter accompanying the video disc said he was in class 1-A. He'd crunched the statistics on the way to the school over three-hundred-plus applicants being whittled down to thirty-six, with an average eighteen students in each class. It really was a competitive program, wasn't it? It was still hard to believe he'd actually gotten in!
'Let's just hope Kaachan and that guy with the glasses are in the other class,' he thought timidly. Izuku opened the massive door … and found the bespectacled guy chastising Kaachan for putting his feet on the desk. 'So much for that,' Izuku thought. 'Guess all my luck was used up to actually pass the exam.'
He idly listened to the bespectacled boy saying he was Tenya Ida from Somei Private Academy, Kaachan's irreverent threat to blow him up, and Ida's insulted reply. Then those glasses fixed on him and Izuku gulped. The Ida guy strode up to him and ushered him fully into the room before intensely, if somehow still stiffly, introducing himself. Izuku could barely stutter out his name and a greeting past his nerves, his smile still somehow in place.
"Midoriya, you perceived the true nature of the exam when I could not," Ida said a bit more calmly, gesturing wildly with his hands. "I misjudged you, and for that you have my apologies. As it happens, you were the superior candidate for this respected institution."
"Oh, uh, I didn't really … do anything," Izuku mumbled.
"I respectfully disagree!" Ida said, his intensity back in-full. "You are here with us and that shows you have earned your place!"
"As if, worthless reject," Katsuki snarled under his breath, but loud enough for them to hear.
"Hey, I'd know that hair anywhere," a familiar voice said. Izuku spun around to find the cute girl from the exam. "I'm so glad you got in, like Present Mic said!" she cheered. "Not that I'm surprised, of course. The way you saved me was awesome, just flinging that slab of concrete like nothing!"
"W-Well, I mean- You saved me too, so- A-And you spoke on my behalf, which was really nice-"
"What? How'd you know that?" she asked, blinking owlishly.
"It was in my acceptance letter," Izuku said, twiddling his fingers. "All Might showed me. I-" He took a breath and smiled again. "Thank you so much. I think you're gonna be an amazing hero!"
Neither of them felt Katsuki's furious gaze upon them both.
"If you're here to socialize," a figure said from a sleeping bag by the door, "then get out."
After a brief introduction and handing out gym uniforms, their new teacher Mr. Aizawa led them out onto a training field for a test of their Quirks. When the nice girl, Ochako Uraraka, asked about the entrance ceremony and guidance counseling, he brushed it off with a small speech about not wasting time and "freeform" education.
He listed off a series of middle school fitness exercises and explained that they would be performing them with their Quirks to help establish baselines for their power and skill with them. "And to keep you motivated," Aizawa added, "the lowest performer will be deemed hopeless … and expelled."
In another life, Izuku would have been mildly panicking at those words, anxious about not being able to control One For All yet.
But in this life … Well, he was still anxious. But he also felt something like confidence as he recalled all of the training he'd done since the entrance exam to figure out his Quirk. He ran through the list of exercises and determined that his Quirk could help with quite a few of them.
Katsuki started out with the softball pitch as a demonstration, earning an impressive seven-hundred and five meters. When Ochaco brought up the expulsion threat again, Aizawa gave another speech again about how life was unfair, pro-heroism was a difficult and certainly unfair profession, and UA would put them through the wringer to iron out their weaknesses and make sure they would be the best of the best.
That was what their school motto meant. Plus Ultra: "Go Beyond."
After Katsuki's demonstration, they moved on to the fifty meter dash. As Izuku prepped himself with some stretches and breathing exercises, he recalled All Might's summation of his Quirk.
It may not be what I expected, but you can certainly use it. After every test and exercise we've gone through, it seems your Quirk stores up the kinetic energy of your own movements. And while we have no idea the limits of the previous user, we have yet to discover a real ceiling to how much energy you can store up.
Further, somehow your Quirk not only matches your movements, but amplifies the built up force at roughly twice the input. So if you take a mile-long run, all of the motion and force your limbs exert will be stored up and essentially doubled. Even further, there seems to be no loss when you rest or sleep, and even small motions like eating or tapping your foot add to the reserve. That may not seem like much, but it certainly adds up — especially with that doubling factor.
Of course, this all depends on how well you can regulate your output. We've found that you can control not only how much force you release, but where and in what direction as long as it amplifies a physical motion. You can use it to bolster punches or running motions, to redirect your momentum to dodge attacks, or even in one burst like a Delaware Smash. Naturally, that last one leaves you dry, so I'd use it as a last resort.
They'd hammered his limitations and gotten him used to idle motions for the last three weeks, not to mention going over physics to help him understand kinetic forces. Now was the time to show what he had learned!
When the dash began, Izuku augmented his start with a relatively small push — as All Might had taken to calling his releases of kinetic energy — that had him moving faster out of the gate than anyone except Ida. As he ran, Izuku was careful to keep only to his natural speed to preserve his stores. Granted, after the hellish ten months to prepare himself for One For All, his natural speed wasn't something to look down upon, either. It was only when he neared the ending line that he leaked another push to boost his speed and send him hurtling over the finish line just behind Katsuki and his "explosive speed."
He ignored the confused death glare Katsuki sent his way because of that, even if it still made him tremble, and got ready for the next event with more stretches to keep him limber and to add back what he could to his kinetic well, as he'd nicknamed his accumulated stores. As he did, he filed away any and all observations of his classmates' Quirks and styles to write down later …
Next came grip strength, which Izuku had specifically worked on during the ten months. He squeezed as hard as he could naturally, then amped it up with a small kinetic push to pad his results. It wasn't as much as Shoji, who had some serious muscles possibly amplified by his Quirk, but it was more than the majority.
Next came the long jump, which had Izuku boost his jump with a moderate push. Not enough to break his legs on impact, but enough to beat the ones who couldn't use their Quirks for the event. He winced at the sharp drop in his stores, having practiced gauging that during the last few weeks. He wasn't out at all, but it had taken a sizable portion.
Finally came the softball throw, which Katsuki had already performed. Most people did decent, though none as well as Katsuki's explosion-driven throw. Except for Ochako, who simply activated her Quirk and sent the softball hurtling into the sky. Professor Aizawa's reading actually read out infinity for hers.
Finally, Izuku was up. He worried his lip between his teeth as he tried to figure out how great a push to use. Too little and it wouldn't make a difference. Too much, and he may deplete his stores too much for any surprise events Aizawa might have for them.
Trust your instincts, Young Midoriya! All Might had said.
That sounded good.
Izuku reared back and tapped into his kinetic well until he felt something in his gut and threw the ball … but the energy slipped from his grasp and he only threw with his natural strength! A measly forty-six meters …!
"What?" Izuku asked in shock.
"I erased your Quirk, kid," Aizawa said, his eyes wider than before and bloodshot, his hair standing on end. "I saw that stunt you pulled during the entrance exam. You have no idea what you're doing. And that kind of ignorance could get you and a lot of people killed." His eyes were redder now, like he needed to blink. "Did you expect someone to step in and clean up your mess when you go pro?"
"No!" Izuku snapped, sudden anger rising up. "I may be inexperienced, but we all are!" He gestured at the class as a whole. "That's why we're here. To learn about our Quirks and how to be heroes."
'Our Quirks?!' Bakugo thought furiously. 'Quite lying, Deku! It'll only make the reveal of your powerlessness worse!'
"Fine," Aizawa said, his hair falling back into place as he took some eye drops. "Go ahead."
Izuku went through the motions again, tapping into his well and rearing back. He threw with all of his might, the force of his throw amplified by an even greater push … and the softball left his fingers with a huff of displaced air to soar and land at …
"Seven-hundred and five meters," Aizawa said, eyebrows arched in surprise. Three meters more than Bakugo …
"Nice!" Uraraka cheered. "A heroic record for a real hero!"
"What?!" Katsuki shouted. The dash and long jump could have been flukes or due to the surprise muscle on that skinny nerd. But that throw was certainly superhuman …! "That can't be-! Explain yourself, Deku!" He launched himself forward on explosions, rage building. Had Deku been lying this whole time?! To what end?! To rise up late in the game and make Katsuki look bad?!
His charge was halted by Aizawa's badges wrapping around him and going taut. "What the-?" he growled. "How's it stiff?"
"Capture cloth," Aizawa drolled. "Made up of carbon fiber and a special alloy wire. Also, you don't have clearance to use your Quirk at the moment." He glared at Katsuki. "I'm getting dry eyes again, here!" When Katsuki had visibly backed down, he blinked and gestured for them all to move. "Next event, hustle."
For the endurance running, upper-body workout, and seated toe-touch exercises, he couldn't think of a way to boost his performance without draining his kinetic stores dry. But even so, he still did fairly well; at least enough to stay in the running.
Finally, when every event was complete, the rankings were revealed. Izuku gasped with relief at his placement of fourteen. He was near the bottom, but he wouldn't get expelled.
"Noooo!" a boy with purple lumps on his head cried out.
"Minoru Mineta," Aizawa said with a heavy tone. "You're expelled. Gather your things and report to Principal Nezu."
"It can't be!" Mineta wailed. "My chance at fame and girls; gone before it begins!"
"Now, Mineta," Aizawa said firmly.
As the boy slumped in despair and wandered back toward the main building, everyone watched with various amounts of sympathy, concern, or relief. The latter particularly from the girls.
"You mean it wasn't a motivational deception?" Yaozorou asked.
"Not the way you imagine it," Aizawa said with a small, cryptic smile. "The curriculum documents for the semester are back in the classroom on your desks. Remember to eat well and rest up, because tomorrow won't be any easier." He began making his way to the school. "Good day, all."
After the school day had ended, Izuku made his way homeward alone. He didn't really give it much thought, as it had been his reality for so long.
As such, he never could have expected what came next.
"Midoriya!" Ida strode up to him and adjusted his glasses. "Well done today. Might I ask a personal question?"
"Uh, sure …?" Izuku said, sweat beading his brow.
"You seem less adjusted to your Quirk than I would have thought," Ida noted. "Why is that?"
"Oh! Uh, well …" Izuku swallowed thickly and tried to embrace the half-truth that All Might had coached him through for this exact situation. "I've been effectively Quirkless all my life. It only manifested recently, as in 'at the entrance exam' recently." He chuckled nervously, his voice pitch rising with nerves. "What a time, right? Luckily, I've got a great mentor to help me figure it out!"
"I see," Ida said. "Most unusual. To my knowledge it is extremely rare to have a Quirk manifest beyond age four."
'He's not scary,' Izuku thought glady. 'He's just really intense and focused.'
"Hey, wait up!" Ochako was running up to them with a wide smile. "Hey, guys! You headed for the station? We can walk together!"
"Ah, the Infinity Girl," Tenya said fondly.
"That's not a bad hero name," Izuku said before blushing and clapping his hand to his mouth.
"My real name is Ochako Uraraka," she said bashfully. "And you guys are Tenya Ida and, uh, Deku Midoriya, right?"
"Deku?" Izuku asked, his stomach turning as Katsuki's voice in his ear needled him about being worthless.
"It's what that angry Bakugo guy from before called you," Ochako said, her smile dropping at his clear discomfort. "Did I hear wrong?"
"No, but m-my name is actually 'Izuku.' Deku's just Kacchan being a bully."
"An insulting pet name, then," Tenya surmised. "How dishonorable."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ochako said, folding her hands at her waist. "I thought it was kinda cute." Her eyes became determined and she pumped her fist. "Almost like it shouted 'I can do it,' y'know?" Her smile faded again. "But if it has that kind of baggage …"
"Actually," Izuku said, "if you wanna call me that," he scratched at the back of his neck with an awkward smile, "I think I could handle it."
"You sure?" Ochako asked. Izuku nodded, more firmly than before. "Alright … Deku." She smiled as she said it, and Izuku's stomach flip-flopped at the realization that he'd been talking to a girl. Successfully!
"Shall we move on?" Tenya said, gesturing for them to walk. Izuku nodded and Ochako giggled as she led the way.
"It's nice to have friends on the first day of school, right?" she asked.
"F-Friends?" Izuku asked, eyes wide.
"Sure," she chirped, looking at him kindly, "you wanna be?"
"Y-Yeah," Izuku sighed.
"I would be honored, my new friends," Tenya said with a fierce grin. "Onward to the train station," he said, pointing dramatically, "then to home for rest, and then back again for another successful day!"
Ochako laughed at his antics and fell back to walk beside Izuku. "To friends," she said, holding up her knuckles.
"To friends," Izuku said, pressing his own first to hers.
"Have you turned anything up?" Toshinori asked gravely.
"Despite my best efforts," Principal Nezu said, "I have yet to determine any information on the bearers of One For All before Lariat. Records from the era of emerging Quirks and the years after are spotty at best."
"It was a longshot anyway," Toshinori admitted. "My own research has dead-ended with the third bearer. But given Hikage the fourth was tied somewhat to a resistance against All For One, perhaps so were the second and third?"
"That is a reasonable conclusion," Nezu stated. "And what of their Quirks?"
"The fourth was able to survive for eighteen years before succumbing to some kind of natural death. From what I can tell, he spent his time honing One For All rather than fighting our adversary."
"It seems we've hit a roadblock," Nezu surmised. "Unless we could speak to the bearers themselves."
Toshinori kept carefully quiet, though he couldn't help briefly flashing back to his own mentor. Nana Shimura had been a sharp woman with a strong understanding of One For All and horrid experience with All For One. From those experiences, she had devised several intuitive theories about the nature of Quirks, many of which she had shared with him. But aside from a vague vision, there had been no concrete evidence to support them.
"If only," Toshinori sighed heavily. He meant it, too. He offered a brief prayer to heaven, fate, the ancestors, and anything else that might listen to help him figure out how to help his successor. Just as Nana did for him.
As Izuku slept soundly in his All Might comforter, he remained oblivious of his dear mother Inko sitting by his bedside looking down on her son with worried, tired, loving eyes. She gently brushed some curls from his face as she recalled everything that had happened lately.
When Izuku had told her that he had gotten into UA … she had been astounded. Oh yes, she'd believed that if anyone could do so without a Quirk, it would be her determined Izuku. But even so, the fact that he had succeeded in entering a school with a one-in-three-hundred chance at entry was incredible to hear. She'd hugged him so tight and babbled about how proud she was that he got in without a Quirk, but he'd squirmed in her grasp.
And then he'd dropped the real bomb.
He had manifested a Quirk of his own! He'd given some vague explanation about it being a sudden mutation unexplained by modern medical and Quirk-related sciences. It had confused her after having long accepted that her son would be Quirkless. Yes, she was happy it would help him fulfill his dream, but at the same time … she wished to heaven that Izuku hadn't had to suffer all those years. What right did fate have to pull this Quirk out of its hat after everything Izuku had been through?!
Inko sighed and used her own Quirk, an extremely weak manipulation of gravity that could attract small objects to her person, to lift some papers and toss them in the trash at Izuku's desk. Her power was useless in combat or for hero work, but it had its uses around the house.
That was another concern of hers. Izuku had apparently found a tutor to help manage such a late-blooming Quirk and try to understand it. Said tutor, a tall and frightfully skinny man with golden-blonde hair, had determined that Izuku's Quirk was related to the storage and release of kinetic energy that simulated greater physical power.
What did that have to do with her own or her dear Hisashi's Quirks? It was common knowledge that children typically manifested a Quirk closely related to one of their parents' or a combination of the two. Hisashi could breath small bursts of fire, and Inko's power was weakly gravitational.
Could Izuku's power be some kind of mutation of her own?
Furthermore, Izuku had told her that his tutor had claimed his Quirk may develop further, gaining a measure of unforeseen power. She honestly wasn't sure how to process such a thing.
And yet, through it all, Izuku's latest news made her smile. Despite his nervousness about attending UA he had found real friends! According to him, a super-serious but earnest young man named Tenya and a sweet girl named Ochako. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the thought of her dear son finding people who recognized his true worth — not necessarily as a hero, but as a person. Who understood how kind and thoughtful Izuku was, as well as the unswerving determination hidden behind his wide green eyes.
His father's eyes.
"Sleep tight, Izuku," she whispered, brushing his hair one more time before standing and leaving the room. She quietly closed the door before moving to her room and sitting with a sigh on her own bed. As she settled her palm onto her stomach in a thoughtless gesture, she blinked and patted her belly.
"Izuku's taken the time to exercise and eat healthier," she noted, thinking over the last ten years of stress-eating. "Maybe I should exercise a bit more, too."
Chapter Two ... IS HERE! There wasn't a whole lot of deviation in this one, but it did set some small, necessary precedents. I do hope it was enjoyable.
*Due to how different Fa Jin is from baseline OFA, All Might will be taking a more active role in training Izuku. In canon, Gran Torino explains that Toshinori was a natural at using OFA, and these experiences blinded him to the idea that Izuku might not adjust so quickly. But here, with a Quirk he knows nothing about at first, he realizes he has to have a more hands-on approach without showing it.
*I said I would outline the parameters of Fa Jin, and I did.
*All Might said in the manga that there were three weeks between the entrance exam and the start of term. Just in case anyone wondered where I got that figure.
*I considered making Midnight their homeroom teacher as a sharp deviation based on Horikoshi's original idea. But Midnight's sexualized demeanor makes me a bit uncomfortable as a teacher myself. So, what're you gonna do? We're sticking to Aizawa. Though, who knows? She may appear in a greater role ...?
*I seriously dislike Mineta as a character. Aside from my being fed up with the overabundance of perverse characters in shonen, he's a lazy coward motivated almost solely by lust. So when I saw that my original plan of pushing Izuku a few places up the roster would kick him out ... I took it with both hands. He will not appear again!
As always, I hope this was enjoyable! Leave a review if you like! And may your own works be awesome!