Izuku took a deep breath, and looked around in the large training area. There were… a lot of people. three hundred or so, if he had to guess. Were they really all Trainees like him? It made sense, if they were those aged from the end of middle school to the end of high school, about a hundred per year but with some not making it through past examination…
"Hello Midoriya." Someone mumbled to his right. He turned to see Komori. Unlike him, dressed for sport with his t-shirt and shorts, Komori had more formal clothes, similar to the ones Izuku had in his bag. She looked a lot less energetic than usual, or at least than how he usually saw her.
'So this is what she looks like during the day.' He thought, noticing that her hair seemed to have drooped down to cover her eyes, "Will you be fine for the exam?"
"I have a special permission to take the physical and combat tonight." She mumbled again, "I'm just here to do the interview and academics review."
"Oh, that's good."
She just nodded. She really looked… well, not tired, but spent. He supposed that was what a nocturnal creature that didn't sleep would look like during the day. She yawned – interesting, so she used yawns to express that like humans did with being ready to sleep – and suddenly Izuku felt watched. He looked around, only to notice several people sending him side glances. He could also see them whisper to each other, but he couldn't tell what they were saying. Was he being paranoid in thinking they were talking about him?
"Stand straight." A new voice murmured from Izuku's side. He looked to his right to see Kodai. All three of them were in the same age group, Izuku realized. It probably explained why Shishikura and Haya weren't there too. They were one and two years older than Izuku, Kodai and Komori, so they were probably in different groups.
"I… Sure."
"Good." She whispered, standing next to him and Komori, emotionless as usual.
Looking around, Izuku managed to actually spot Nana Kitamura too in their same group, though she didn't seem to notice him. Aside from her, he didn't know anyone else of the hundred or so total Trainees in his immediate area. He wanted to ask Kodai and Komori if they knew anyone, but before he could, the door on the opposite side of the room opened, and three figures walked in, stepping on the elevated stand that had been prepared for them.
The first was an older man, somewhere in either his very late fifties or early sixties, that walked him was elegantly dressed, his blue suit and a black briefcase contrasting with the pale skin and azure hair, his look completed by a pair of rectangular glasses. His eyes seemed to scan the crowd step by step, as if sizing each of them.
Izuku felt his stomach sunk all at once. The man was Takumi Yukimura, Chief of the Law Office, the man that had been described as a nightmare during the interviews. And here he was, at an examination Izuku had to pass at all costs. For a moment, he was sure the man had stared straight at him, but a moment later he looked away, and Izuku hoped it had just been an impression.
Next to him stood a woman that was probably his polar opposite in terms of attitude. While she was also wearing a suit, hers a dark blue, and she looked about the same age as Chief Yukimura, she looked vicious as she eyed the crowd, looking as if she was taking in every person for a fight. Her dark orange hair were kept in a shoulder length ponytail. Izuku noticed a moment later the metallic right hand.
He recognized from the description Konoe the Delinquent, or, if he didn't want to get instantly booted, Chief Wakano Konoe of the Kyoto Municipal Office. Almost a legend in the HASC, rumor was she used to be a delinquent that ran a giant juvenile gang all over Kansai, until she got arrested. How she went from that to joining the HASC and ascending to the rank of Chief of one of the most prestigious Offices was a mystery, but the woman definitely looked the part, both for the Delinquent and the Chief.
Finally, the third man was one Izuku didn't know, which had to mean he was one of the Chiefs Hado, Haya and Shishikura had never met, because otherwise their descriptions left a lot to be desired. After all, an almost three meters tall man with six arms, a mouth covered in sharp teeth that poked out of the closed jaw and seemed to clench it shut, and the musculature of a body builder clearly recognizable under the black suit he wore, wasn't supposed to be hard to notice.
None of the Trainees dared to so much as whisper, now, as the three Chiefs' eyes scanned the crowd. Unlike the other two, Izuku had a hard time even trying to read the third man. He was just… observing them, neither with hostility nor with friendliness. He was the one that stepped forward first, Yukimura and Konoe taking a step back to allow him access to the microphone. Even extended to the max, he still had to lean down to reach it.
"Good morning, everyone." He said, in a warm, clear tone. It would have been almost calming, but Izuku was a bundle of nerves, so it wasn't doing that much. "I'm Koki Shoji, Chief of the Kyushu Office. Standing next to me are Chief Takumi Yukimura, from the Law Office, and Chief Wakano Konoe, from the Kyoto Office. It's a pleasure meeting all of you."
From the worried looks several people were sending to the stands, and to Chief Yukimura in particular, it was clear that wasn't mutual.
"First of all, I'd like to ask those that have a special permission to take part of their exams at a different time of day, or are otherwise exonerated, to please step forward." He said. Komori and twenty or so other applicants across the board did so, each holding a piece of paper they presented to Chief Yukimura, who had stepped down from the stands to examine them. He quickly pointed to the door they had come from, apparently giving instructions. Soon enough, all of them had disappeared through the doors, except for three that walked back with a shaky smile on their face. Izuku had to assume they had an exoneration from the Interview or the academics evaluation, for some reason. Well, one of them at least looked older than the rest, so that must have been why.
Chief Shoji nodded, returning his attention to the crowd, "Very well, now, a quick explanation. The exam will take most of the day. First we will hold the physical, under my supervision. Once that is finished, you will refer to Chief Yukimura for the academic review. We will have a light lunch and an hour for you to recover, then you will enter the Combat exam, supervised by Chief Konoe. Once those exams are finished too, you will be interviewed by all three Chiefs. Is all of that clear?"
All the Trainees in Izuku's group nodded, while the others answered. The man frowned, looking toward Izuku's group. "The right answer is 'Yes, sir'." He said, sternly, "So, is all of that clear?"
"Yes, sir!" The Trainees all answered, and the man's expression returned to normal. If anything, that was the final proof Izuku needed that he was indeed with the other newbies.
"Good." He replied, "Now, let us go up, shall we?"
Izuku for a moment wondered what it meant, until, the moment Chief Konoe and Chief Yukimura stepped out of the room, likely to go take care of preparing the other tests and the examinees like Komori, the room started to ascend. Izuku could feel the same feeling of a giant elevator going up, and after a few moments he could feel it stop. The doors on all sides of the training area opened, revealing they were now outside.
On Chief Shoji's orders, they all stepped out, and Izuku found himself staring at a large training field above ground. There was a vast running track and another, shorter one, several pits for the long jump, and nearby were pristine fields for both team sports and individual sports, ranging from a pole throwing field to, a bit further, a football field – association football, not the American one – and a baseball field. There were also stands all around, though they were empty.
"Alright, folks." The voice of Chief Shoji carried in the air, coming from several loudspeakers, "For my exam, we are putting you a bit through the wringer. Thanks to my assistants for the day," Izuku noticed only then several people in suits were standing around among them, "We will put you through… well, a bit of a test. I like to call it HASC Decathlon."
Izuku could feel the grin on his face, "Good luck."
-x-
After that, they were quickly divided in ten groups, each of them of roughly twenty people. Of course, Izuku's luck dictated his group also included Nana Kitamura. The moment she saw him, she scoffed and looked away. 'It's nothing personal, remember, she just thinks you arrested her dearest friend because of the virus.' He told himself, though it still stung. Aside from her, there wasn't anyone he knew, since Kodai had been assigned to another group.
"Alright." Chief Shoji stepped forward, "You guys are my group. Lucky you, I suppose. So, we have… one person from Central, two from Kinki, three from Chugoku, one from Kanto, two from Tokyo 1, two from Tokyo 2, one from Hokkaido, two from Tohoku, three from Ryukyu, two from Shikoku and one from Chubu." He says, pointing at each of them in order, "Of course, to make it fair, I didn't include anyone currently training at the Kyushu Office." He said, while leading them toward the shorter running track and continuing with some small talk. What Izuku learned was that Chief Shoji had a son around their same age, that was planning to join UA the following year. Cool.
"Sir, what's the first test?" Another one of the Trainees asked, as they stopped at the track.
"Ah, of course. So, first test is a simple 200 meters dash. From here to there." He said, pointing first at the track's starting line and then at a small pole marked with '200 m', a pair of what looked like cameras standing next to it, "You'll run in pairs. Dash there, we record your time, and then move on. You are free to run as fast as you want or use anything else."
Izuku nodded, but he knew everyone would do their best.
"So, first, Nana Kitamura from the Kinki Regional Office and Eiichiro Kanamoto from the Hokkaido Regional Office…"
Kitamura stepped forward next to a blonde teen with very short hair. When they were given the signal, they both sprinted forward… except Kitamura instantly took flight, dashing far faster than her opponent and reaching the finish line first. Kanamoto meanwhile didn't use a Quirk, just running to the finish line.
It went on like this, pair after pair. Most just ran, but a few used something else. A girl named Yukiko Kita teleported from one end of the track to the other, obtaining an unbeatable '0 seconds' as her result. An Octovian, Takohiko Umisaka, ejected his real body from his mechanical one with enough strength to gain a few seconds on his time, though he had to then go back and awkwardly push himself back inside.
"Next, Izuku Midoriya from the Central Office and Ochaco Uraraka from the Kinki Regional Office."
There was a murmur among the other Trainees as Izuku stepped forward, to step next to the brunette with round cheeks that was busy touching her clothes with her hands, a faint light shining from her hands.
"So that's him…"
"I've heard he got a recommendation from the Director."
"I've heard it was All Might…"
'No pressure…' Izuku thought nervously hearing their whispers, taking position.
He finished the 200 m dash behind Uraraka, even if only by three seconds. He was in far better shape than he had been six months prior, but that didn't mean he was suddenly a master of athletics. With a result like that, from what he had seen, he was more or less 'middle of the pack'.
Chief Shoji didn't comment, just noting down their results.
-x-
The high jump and the 1500-meter run were nothing to write home about. Once again, Izuku found himself being just average, not standing out but also not being last, that dubious honor went once to Umisaka – his attempt at throwing his real body over the wall was good, but he messed up the timing and his fake body crashed on the bar – and twice to a guy named Satoshi Sugiyama. He was a Gargantea, apparently, standing over two meters tall and with a body that seemed to be made entirely of stone. Not surprising that he didn't have the best speed.
They arrived at the field for the shot put, Izuku watching as Uraraka used her Quirk to send the weight away from their field of view, disappearing into the distance, when someone came up to speak to Chief Shoji. "Alright, seems I have to go take care of the interviews for your nocturnal colleagues. Agent Matsui here will replace me until I'm back." And with that he was gone.
As promised, Matsui took the Chief's place, recording Izuku's mediocre shot put result, and then his average grip strength. Then came the long jump, and that Izuku messed up, tripping and falling face first in the sand pit. A few people snickered as he got back up.
"Uhm, could I retry…"
"Sorry Midoriya, one jump means one jump." Agent Matsui replied, "Next!"
Izuku sighed, sitting down. He was starting to feel a bit winded. 'I should thank Hado. I didn't get why she insisted so much on improving my stamina first, but if she hadn't by now I'd be completely spent.'
With this failure, he was starting to worry. Middle of the pack wasn't bad – heck, it meant he was doing a lot better than he had any right to, considering he had only months of training – but he was supposed to get better results. He watched the last few people jump the pit, and they moved again.
-x-
The 100 meters hurdles was another failure. Izuku managed to keep a decent pace for most of the run, but he stumbled on the penultimate obstacle, managing to keep running and jump the last one but likely getting some penalty for that. He panted as he reached the finish. As he sat down, he found himself next to Kanamoto. The teen glanced at him.
"Are you really the one that got a recommendation from the Director, Midoriya?" Kanamoto asked.
Izuku gulped, "I… Yes."
"I guess it must not be that hard to get one, then." He replied, and then stood up, deliberately moving away from Midoriya. Izuku wanted to say something back, but he couldn't really come up with anything. Instead, he waited for the others to finish and followed the group to the next event, that looked to be the main one. An obstacle course consisting of a rock climb, a pit one had to pass by using long beams, a rope climb, a zone where they would have to crawl under some rope nets – those had various heights, probably to allow the bulkier aliens to make it through. After that there was a pool that had several obstacles in the water, so they'd have to climb them to pass and reach the end. "This test consists in reaching the end of the course." He explained, "I think it's pretty straightforward."
Kitamura coughed awkwardly, "Uhm… Am I still allowed to fly? Feels like I'd have a big advantage."
"You would, and you are allowed to use it." The Agent replied, "The point of this exercise is to test how well you can pass the obstacles in a practical situation. If on the field you found an obstacle like those in a situation where speed is what matters, would you question using it? Agents are supposed to find the best solution, not just a good one."
"Understood, sir."
"Good, go ahead then." He said, before heading to the end of the course to take their time.
Kitamura, predictably, finished the obstacle course quickly, flying over all of it and landing at the finish line. Izuku watched the following participants push themselves through it, and tried to figure out what was the best way to approach it. Yukiko Kita teleported herself past the pit and to the top of each structure. Takohiko Umisaka left behind his mechanical body and used his natural abilities to climb and swim through the course, easily making it through. Another guy, Rozaru Kobe, had a Heteromorphic Monkey Quirk, making him easily push through each obstacle.
Then Izuku's turn came. He had an idea, but if he was wrong… Well, it was going to be a bit of a disappointment for everyone. Then again, he was sure to be in the lower half of this exam too, if he didn't think of something. He took a deep breath, stepped on the course, rushed to the wall… and then ran around it.
It was the wording Agent Matsui had used. He was supposed to find the 'best' solution. And the best solution in this case was dodging the obstacle, avoiding it entirely, not wasting time through it.
Or at least, he hoped so. He supposed someone could say in this case the 'best' solution was showing off his skills, but then Kitamura would have also been screwed, and… He shook his head and rushed past each obstacle, reaching the end quickly. He panted, and looked up.
And up.
And up.
Chief Shoji looked back down at him, and Izuku gulped. If he had been wrong… "That's rather unorthodox, Midoriya." The man said. "Are you sure that was the right move?"
"Agent Matsui only said to reach the end of the course, he never said I had to go through each obstacle. And he said that I had to find the 'best' solution. The best solution, on the field, would be to dodge obstacles I can avoid, rather than try to get past them like that." He hoped. Hado had told him before that tests like that weren't unusual in the HASC physical exam, especially for the first exam, so he supposed he had some reason to believe that, besides a gut feeling.
Chief Shoji seemed to study him for a moment, then his expression changed, in what Izuku hoped could be read as a smile. "Go sit with the others, Midoriya." He simply said, without clarifying if he was right or not. Izuku considered asking, but then decided against it. He would find out, eventually.
"What the hell, Midoriya." Kanamoto hissed, "What was that?"
"The right solution, I hope." He simply replied.
"That's ridiculous! This test is to verify your physical skills!"
"Well, then letting Kitamura fly through each step is just as wrong." Izuku pointed out, "She basically got the second highest score in every speed-related event, and both the long jump and high jump were trivial."
"I think Midoriya has a point." Another one of the examinees, a white-haired teen called Takumi Asai that Izuku hadn't seen use any Quirk or other ability, interjected, "I wish I thought of that."
"Nah, he fucked up." Umisaka intervened, "It's one thing to use a physical skill to make it through, it's another to just waltz around it."
"I mean…" Kita glanced at him, "If he did, Kitamura and I also fail, right?"
The discussion got heated, but Izuku noticed Kanamoto and a few others were clearly convince he ha fucked up, even as people like Kita and Asai agreed with him.
He hoped the latter were right.
-x-
The last exercise – apparently, the obstacle course counted as both a race test and a swimming test – was a resistance run. They just had to keep running until they were spent, or until the thirty minutes time ran up. Izuku kept his rhythm, using that time to think. Save for his stunt, he had been in the middle in most tests. It wasn't bad, at all, but it also meant he wanted to make up for it in the combat test.
"Hey, Midoriya, can I ask you something?" A guy asked. Midoriya racked his brain for the name of the tanned, purple haired teen, with eyes of a smooth, uniform, deep purple, and finally landed on the name of Yusei Kumogami.
"S-Sure, Kumogami."
"How did you get that recommendation from the Director? I mean, no offense, but you aren' anything special." He asked, quite more directly than Izuku had expected.
"A-Ah, uhm… I just… You know…" Was he supposed to just admit he had been chosen because All Might liked his attitude and the Director liked he was Quirkless? "It just kinda happened."
"Hear that Kanamoto?" Another Trainee, a blue skinned guy with spiky brown hair, shouted, "It just happened that he got assigned the big Central Office job. Guess you just got unlucky when you got sent to freeze your butt in Hokkaido."
Kanamoto, who was standing in the first positions, grimaced, and sent a glare to Midoriya. "The Director probably owed someone a favor." He said dryly, before going back to running.
"He might have a point." The blue skinned teen, the guy Izuku recognized as Noboro Fujihara, said. Izuku wanted to argue but… Well, he didn't have that many ways to.
"Come on, stop it already." A new voice interjected. Ochaco Uraraka glared at Fujihara, "He is holding on well, I'm sure he deserves this spot as much as we do."
Fujihara rolled his eyes, but didn't answer, instead focusing on continuing his run.
"Thanks." Izuku said.
"Don't mention it." Uraraka said, giving him a thumb up, "We are all working hard for the same job, right? No reason to get envious of one another." She frowned, "That said, is it true you arrested Nana's friend?"
"It's more complicated than that, I swear." Izuku replied, "Kitamura thinks he was a friend, but… well, alien weirdness."
"Eesh, sounds bad, but it makes sense. I asked her how they were friend and she said something like 'we met and just clicked', but that seems weird." Uraraka shrugged, "And she clearly doesn't know a lot about him, beyond 'being her friend', so that checks out."
Izuku nodded, "Yeah, there are a lot of people in her same condition. I think they found at least thirty?"
"Thirty?" Uraraka frowned, "Man, that could have gotten bad. Good job stopping whatever was doing that."
"Thanks. Uhm, how many missions have you taken so far?"
"Four." She replied with a proud smile, "Although, one turned out to be too difficult for a Trainee and her Trainer to handle, so it got moved to someone else. But the other three were a success!"
"Great! I got two, and yup, one was also too difficult to handle for me and my partner."
"Partner, not Trainer?"
"Ah, I got assigned someone else, because all Trainers were already busy."
Uraraka nodded in understanding, then seemed to think of something. "So, why did you-" She stopped when she looked behind his shoulder. Izuku turned to see black hair and a pair of grey eyes bore into her.
"Fraternizing with the enemy, Ochaco?" Kitamura asked.
"Nana, he isn't 'the enemy." Uraraka replied.
"Umpf. Very well, then keep talking to him, I guess I can find another best friend like you." The girl said, speeding up a bit."
"Nooooo!" Uraraka replied in faked despair, catching up with Kitamura, "I could never find another best friend! It's in the 'best' part of the word!" She playfully started to poke the black-haired girl in the cheek, getting a pouty look that, Izuku noticed, had a hint of a smile back. Of course, the moment Kitamura so much as glanced at him that expression vanished entirely.
'Stupid Kingmaker pathogen…' Izuku found himself thinking, but he shook his head and refocused. He was keeping his pace, but it was better to not risk it.
-x-
After twenty-five minutes, Izuku had to drop out, unable to keep up. It was a good result, for sure, but not as good as he had hoped. He wasn't the first, but this time he was in the lower half. At the thirty minutes mark, Kanamoto, Sugiyama, Umisaka and a few others were still running, so they got called back. The Gargantea didn't seem even remotely fazed, and neither did Umisaka, though in his case it was simple to figure out why: he was 'running' using his robotic suit, after all. Kanamoto, in contrast, seemed winded, and Izuku wondered if he had just pushed himself forward through sheer will more than physical skills. The teen slumped down on the ground, drinking avidly from the water Chief Shoji kindly passed around.
"Good job, everyone. It was certainly an… interesting test." He said, glancing at Midoriya, "Now, there are showers, and you were told to bring formal clothes and a spare of sports clothes. I hope you have everything."
Everyone nodded, but the man sighed.
"Once again, the right answer is…"
"Yes, sir!" Everyone said loudly, Midoriya included.
"Good. To the showers with you all. Formal clothing next, Chief Yukimura won't forgive anyone that doesn't dress appropriately. Once you are done, make your way back to the training room we used to come in." He said, gesturing to a nearby building. Izuku went back like the others to grab his bag, and not long after he was showered, dressed and back in the original room, trying to fix his tie.
"Let me help." A voice said, making him jump in surprise. He turned around to see Kodai behind him, the neutral expression colored with just a bit of confusion at his reaction. "Something wrong, Midoriya?"
"You just surprised me, Kodai."
"I see. Here, let me." She grabbed his tie, pulled a bit, and a second later Izuku had a proper accessory around his neck. "There."
"Thank you, I never learned how to tie those."
"You should. It's technically part of your uniform."
Point taken, Izuku thought, before looking at the girl. She had put on a beautiful red and white suit with a short skirt that ended above the knee and continued into her very smooth legs- Midoriya coughed, looking back up "Uhm, nice suit."
"Thank you. You don't look bad yourself."
"Hado dragged me to buy clothes. She said something along the line of 'if you try to go in with a shirt that says 'shirt', or something like that, I will hunt you down."
Kodai's neutral expression was changed by the shadow of a smile, before she nodded. "She was right."
"Probably…" Izuku sighed. No one understood his awesome t-shirts. "So, how did the test go?"
"First place in everything, at least in my group." She said, showing a victory sign with her fingers that was rather at odds with her still neutral expression.
"That's amazing!"
"I'm an Ultravian." She replied, "It's expected."
Izuku wanted to ask what she meant, but before he could, Chief Shoji walked in. "Very well. It seems everyone is done and here." With that, the doors to the room shut closed, and the room descended again, until they stopped, "Next, Chief Yukimura will take care of you, so I supposed I will pass the baton to him."
The door opened, and Chief Yukimura walked back in, stepping on the stand. "Thank you, Chief Shoji. Now, for what concerns the rest of the day, please stay in the same groups as before. You will be examined with them throughout." People started to shuffle to rejoin their companions from earlier, Izuku and Kodai waving goodbye as they did too. Various Agents stepped forward too, each taking the lead of one of the groups. Yukimura left the stand as well, to stand in front of Izuku's group. "Form an orderly line and follow the Agents you have been assigned." With that, he stepped forward, Izuku and the others following him.
"Is it normal for the Chiefs to not examine everyone?" Uraraka asked, in front of him.
"For those kinds of exams, yes." Kitamura replied, "They are recorded, either way, so they can easily gain any additional info they need. The only part that the Chiefs handle entirely by themselves is the final interview."
They followed Chief Yukimura to a small waiting room with twenty or so seats. "Sit down and wait until I call your name. We will start with… Izuku Midoriya." He said, pointing at him. Izuku gulped, not expecting to be called in first, and followed Chief Yukimura in a small room with a simple desk and two chairs. Yukimura sat behind the desk, gesturing for Izuku to take the seat in front of him.
Izuku waited nervously as Yukimura opened a laptop, typed in something, and then hummed. "Let's see… Second in your whole year, that is quite impressive. First, if we only consider HASC Trainees."
"Yes sir."
"Good, very good. I see you scored better in scientific subjects. Math seems to be your stronger suit, is that right?"
"Yes sir." Izuku nodded again.
"Worst result was in Japanese literature, but even then, we are talking of a result far above average." He glanced at him, and Izuku did his best to look back without struggling. He could tell Chief Yukimura was taking the chance to study him before the interview. "Tell me, are you planning to go to university?"
"I… Haven't given it much thought, sir."
The Chief hummed, studying the pages with interest, "Usually, with results like those, HASC Agents are encouraged to attain a degree that would allow them to join the Law Office, the Weapons' Office R&D department, or the Medical Team. It's undeniable that you could achieve a lot seeking a career on that front." He nodded, "Well Midoriya?"
"As I said, sir, I… Never thought of a university."
"Some other career in your mind then, before you joined the HASC? It seems unlikely a bright student like you wouldn't consider his future career choices."
"… I wanted to be a Hero, sir."
The Chief looked at him, surprise on his face, "You are aware there was no way that would happen, right?"
"Without even trying…" Izuku started, but Yukimura shook his hand.
"Even assuming a Hero School accepted a Quirkless student, you'd then find yourself always in the situation of having to make up for the difference in abilities. Even with martial arts, you wouldn't be comparable to someone with martial arts and a Quirk. Even with support gear, you would fall behind those with support gear and a Quirk. Not to mention, the costs from having to maintain your gear up to standard would eat up most of your salary. And said salary would likely be low, since your level of strength and stamina could only take you so far. Most heroes in the top 500 have some form of flashy Quirks and persona, and below the 400 their yearly income tends to be just decent, about the same of one of our Agents despite a comparatively more dangerous lifestyle. A Quirkless Hero would likely rank in the four digits. Less fame also means less sponsorship deals, drying up the amount of wealth you can get on that front, and-"
"Sir, please." Izuku looked at him, "I get it. I know, it wasn't… It wasn't realistic. Not at any high level, at least. But it was a career I wanted to pursue anyway. I admire Heroes. I admire All Might, above all else. I want to save people. Becoming one was the obvious choice to me."
The man studied him for a moment, and Izuku wondered what he was looking for. Did he try to make him angry? Or had he just stated facts to try and see how Izuku would react? "I see." Chief Yukimura finally said, nodding, "Well, now you are an HASC Agent. I suppose as a career it can suffice. But I do believe you can do a lot of good by progressing your studies beyond middle and high school, Midoriya. The HASC appreciates valid, intelligent Agents that can also join different Offices in case of need. I suggest you start looking into it. It's never to early to think about your future."
Izuku nodded, and Yukimura sighed. "Very well, given your results we don't have much else to discuss. Could you call in… Takumi Asai, please?"
Izuku nodded, standing up, and making for the door, "Oh and, Midoriya?" The man called back.
Izuku turned around, "Sir?"
"… Nothing, sorry. Go on."
Izuku was tempted to ask more, but the look on Chief Yukimura's face told him he should go. He stepped out, calling for Asai to go in, and sat down.
First half of the Trainee exam gone.
And this one was the easy part.
(XX)
This chapter was fun to write. It allowed me to introduce a ton of characters. Some are actually important, some are just background characters. I'm leaving it up to you guys, mostly, guessing which are the Aliens and which are the humans in this section. Except for the Octovian and the Gargantea, of course.
So, speaking of the office Chiefs, some good, some bad, some unknown. I might have foreshadowed chief Yukimura a lot, so it's not that much of a surprise that he is here. I wonder if people are surprised that the other Chiefs I foreshadowed are mostly absent. Well, we won't have just one Trainee evaluation in this story, of course, so there is time to see more.
And oh my, we have some familiar faces mixed in. Or well, one familiar face and one face that is clearly related to someone we know.
Also, as a total fun fact: I usually roll my OC's hair color, unless it's important for their characterization. Rolling Kanamoto as blonde, given his role in the story, was pretty funny. Izuku really can't escape.
Although note that, as much as some of the people around Izuku are being douchy, none of them are being nearly as offensive as pre-development Bakugo, of course. They were all picked with an eye to their personality, after all.
(XX)
HASC REPORT N. 198792 – "KINGMAKER VIRUS"
The following is a combined summary report from the individual reports compiled by Izuku Midoriya and Nana Kitamura.
INVOLVED AGENTS: Izuku Midoriya (15, b. 07/15/2XXX, Earthling), Nejire Hado (16, b. 10/06/2XXX, Faedian), Nana Kitamura (15, b. 04/07/2XXXX, Quirked Earthling), Kentaro Watanabe (55, b. 03/12/2XXX, Lytedian)
INVOLVED CIVILIANS: Rikido Sato (15, b. 06/19/2XXX, Quirked Earthling), Masashi Shinobiya (15, b. 03/27/2XXX, Half Alien), Rentaro Kishimoto (14, b. 12/21/2XXX, Quirked Earthling), several other middle school students from Echoo Middle School, Kendo Rappa (29, b. 08/08/2XXX, Quirked Earthling), Toya Setsuno (23, b. 11/03/2XXX, Quirked Earthling)
PERPETRATOR: Romero Fujimi (14, b. 10/31/2XXX, Quirked Earthling), 'Kingmaker Virus' (Unknown)
CRIME CLASS: Blue
REPORT: On 08/13/2XXX, the Weapons Office Biological Risks Research Department confirmed the possible presence on an Alien spaceship that landed in close proximity to Tottori, Tottori Prefecture, traces left by a then-unknown Alien pathogen. After several interviews with various Aliens that were then present, the unknown pathogen was identified as originating from Planet Vedron, the origin planet of the Aliens in question (henceforth named Vedrians). The pathogen is a symbiotic, semi-sentient colonial organism similar to a Virus from Earth. The pathogen had likely escaped through water and headed toward Tottori, therefore various Agents were sent on location to investigate.
Agent Nejire Hado and her Trainee, Izuku Midoriya, spent three days investigating hospitals, clinics and police stations in search of symptoms similar to those of the pathogen. On the third day, Agent Hado and Midoriya identified two possible cases of infection from the pathogen. The first investigation led to a Rikido Sato, 15 years old. He agreed to lead the pair toward the possible perpetrator, but requested more time. Agent Hado and Midoriya agreed, and decided to pursue the other line of investigation available to them, infiltrating the New Masquerade, an underground fight club.
Meanwhile, Agent Kentaro Watanabe and Nana Kitamura, his trainee, had pursued a different line of investigation, examining schools and other institutions searching for people that seemed to have suddenly grown more popular in the school. They correctly identified Romero Fujimi, 15, supposedly a loner for most of his school career until very recently, when he suddenly seemed to acquire numerous friends and generally become well-liked from his peers. Pursuing him, they cornered him, when he was helped by Toya Setsuno, 23, a known thief that used his Quirk to help Romero Fujimi infect both Agents with the Virus, making them 'loyal friends'*.
At the New Masquerade, Agent Hado and Midoriya were involved in the confrontation between several criminal groups, including The Family and The League.** The confrontation resulted in the target, Kendo Rappa, being kidnapped by the Shie Hassaikai, a Yakuza group based primarily in Kanto and Chubu. Agent Hado and Midoriya avoided a confrontation with The Family and The League and were not positively identified as HASC Agents.***
Agent Watanabe and Kitamura, under the influence of the Kingmaker Virus, organized a trap for Agent Hado and Midoriya. The trap was sprung by inviting them to search for Romero Fujimi in the forest of a city park, and then trying to remove the gas masks used by the Agents to force them to breath the Virus. Agent Hado and Midoriya however managed to subdue the others and capture the Perpetrator.
The Kingmaker Virus was successfully removed on 18/08/2XXX and has since been stored in a hibernation chamber. Further action against it will be determined following contact with the Intergalactic Community. No actions were taken against Romero Fujimi, as he was deemed an unwilling participant in the crime.****
Reporting Agent
Izuku Midoriya, Nana Kitamura
The Director
Yokumiru Mera
*The 'friendship' created by the Kingmaker Virus is more akin to a leader-follower dynamic. All the 'friends' were willing to put themselves and their career at school or on duty on the line for Romero Fujimi without any hesitation. This exceeds the expected symptoms of the infection, and an investigation is ongoing on whether this was a unique interaction between the Perpetrator's Quirk and the Virus or if instead the effects would have been the same for any human.
**Information on The Family and The League is classified and not available for Trainees. All information on the matter has been supplied by Agent Kentaro Watanabe in Appendix B and is only available for the appropriately qualified HASC Agents.
***Kendo Rappa and Toya Setsuno have both been placed under observation. No noteworthy change has been observed in either of them in their public appearances, aside from a slightly heightened aggressiveness, common across all infected.
***The extended letters from Agents Watanabe and Kitamura that request special permission for Romero Fujimi to use the Virus, describing in detail how much good their 'friend' can do for the world, have been archived as Appendix A. They were not taken into consideration, and instead are considered a primary source on the effects of the Kingmaker Virus in this particular case.