"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW SCARED I WAS!? WELL!? DO YOU!?"
"Uhh… I'm going to guess the answer is very?"
"DUH!" Her outburst made Bakugou flinch beside him.
"Sorry…" Izuku wilted under Jiro's scalding gaze, as said girl paced back and forth animatedly.
She inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm herself, before returning her focus to the emerald haired boy.
"As I'm sure you remember, I told you that if you didn't come back in ten minutes, I was going to go looking for you? Because this Baka-go joker can't be trusted?" She jabbed an offending finger in the blonde's chest.
Resident permanently irate teen was grinding his teeth hard enough to make sparks.
"I don't have to take shit from you, Ears!"
"Shut the FUCK up!" She snarled, causing Bakugou to recoil uncharacteristically.
But to his credit, he did try to act indifferent about being called out, though it was obvious to Izuku that he was shaken to his core by being reprimanded by anyone harsher than his own mother. Which he thought to be impossible. His case was only further emboldened as Bakugou shoved his slightly trembling hands into his pockets.
"Tch. Whatever. Like I care what you think." He mumbled lowly, lips curled in a nasty sneer.
Izuku turned back to Jiro with a combined sense of awe and fear.
"Typical response." Jiro sighed, massaging her temples soothingly.
"Jiro, h-how did you know we were in trouble in the first place?" He risked his safety by even asking her.
Instead what he got was the gauntlet.
"I like to think you're pretty smart when it comes to quirks, so I'm sure you'll be able to explain to me why both your heartbeats disappeared and reappeared multiple times in several different places?"
Her foot tapped on the asphalt street corner impatiently— and she was glaring at the both of them now, unsparing to Izuku of his best friend's wrath. Nevertheless, he approached her with a wobbly smile and elated his side of the story.
"That's easy enough to answer! You see, while I was on my way back to the locker rooms to find Bakugou, I saw a large villain wearing a trench coat and a fedora slip inside before I could. So I transformed into this, uh, this shade-shifting type alien—"
"—HAH!? Excuse me!? Deku did you just fucking say alien!?" Bakugou nearly bit his head off.
Izuku rapidly looked between him and Jiro, as if trying to properly decipher what that meant.
"...Yes? That's what I said?"
"Don't take me for some damned fool!"
"What are you talking about!?"
"Aliens. Aren't. Real!"
"Yes they are!" Izuku defended himself innocently enough.
"Have you ever seen another alien before, Deku!? Well, have you!?"
Izuku was about to angrily retort, only to then realize that he hadn't actually seen another alien before, besides the reflections of the aliens he himself transformed into. Bakugou's argument might actually hold some merit to it. Aliens could mean something entirely different in another world— heck, a whole universe— separate from his own. Tennyson wouldn't have lied about something like that, would he?
"Exactly!" Bakugou blared upon hearing Izuku's audible mutterings.
"What reason would I have to believe in it!? Not even Deku's enough of a dumbass to believe in that bullshit! You expect me to take it with grace— that the albino gecko you turned into is some brand new power quirk you managed to somehow pull out of your ass!? How'd you do it!? It's the watch isn't it! So I was right earlier! You just didn't want to admit— !"
"—You two are so stupid." Off to the side, Jiro groaned, rubbing at her eyes tiredly.
"We're calling them aliens before we consider them otherwise. Now, Green, finish what you were saying before Baka-go here so rudely interrupted you?"
"OK, so I transformed into— I'm thinking of calling him… Shadeshifter, he's like… like a chameleon, but an alien— I think— oh! But he has three eyes! And he can camouflage himself so seamlessly with his surroundings he appears invisible to the naked eye! Oh! He also has an impressively dexterous tail— it's how I was able to hold onto Bakugou for so long without being caught by Mr. Mute."
"Mr. Mute?" Her brows furrowed quizzically. "Is this some teacher I haven't heard of?"
"No? Wait— I can see how that might be confusing, seeing as we're in a school setting— but no. I call the villain we encountered Mr. Mute because of their apparent sound nullification quirk. I think it had the ability to manually choose to muffle a radius around them, preventing any sound from coming in or out. I guess your ear jacks aren't sensitive enough to pick up on vibrations from that specific frequency?"
She shook her head numbly.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Nope. Not at all!" He said while straining himself to make a straight face, determined not to mention how his tailbone stung for a reason he really wasn't willing to cope with today.
Her eyes flicked over to—
"Don't even think about asking if I'm 'perfectly healthy,' Ears. I don't want your pity." Bakugou resolutely crossed his arms.
"Fine then. Asshole." She blew a loose strand out of her face.
The student trio wordlessly jogged across the street as they received the signal to go for pedestrians. Izuku awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed by Jiro texting her parents that she was choosing to spend the afternoon with him. Once they arrived at a familiar back alley road, she marched ahead of them, rotating on her heel and resuming a defiant stance.
"I leave you for hardly fifteen minutes and this happens! You're attacked by a villain! At school, no less! You have to be the unluckiest person I know!" She pouted at Izuku.
"Sorry." He mumbled.
"Saying sorry isn't gonna change anything— !"
"— Then you better get used to it. Saying sorry and begging for forgiveness is the only thing the shitty nerd is any good at."
"Why are you even here?" Jiro glowered at him. "If you're going to keep harassing Green because your fragile ego demands it, then I'm going to have to politely suggest you leave. Or I'll be forced to make you."
Before the punk girl could lash out at the blonde, however, he raised a hand to signify he needed to speak.
"You couldn't even land a finger on me even if you tried, Ears, so don't even think about threatening me. I would blow you to kingdom come right now if I could."
Izuku raised a brow at that.
"Look. I promise I won't fuck with Deku anymore as long as you don't interrupt me here."
That made Jiro's eyes widen, while also causing her shoulders to relax, as she considered his proposal.
"Alright." She conceded, stepping to the side to allow the blonde to get closer.
Izuku gulped as Bakugou then proceeded to glare at him with the burning hatred of a hellspawn.
"I don't like you. I don't think I ever will. If you think you can look down on me now just because you have a potential shit load of new quirks now— which I'm guessing you did illegally— doesn't mean I'll begin to treat you like anything more than an extra! I don't care if you can turn into a super saiyan or fucking godzilla! I'm not some idiot to fall so easily for that alien explanation bullcrap! But you know what? In the end it doesn't matter. It won't matter, I'll still put you in the dirt, Deku— right where you fucking belong!"
By the end of his tangent, a pair of jacks were hovering dangerously close to his neck.
"You done?"
"Tch! Yeah, I'm fucking done! With the both of you!" He slapped the jacks out of his face, before angrily stomping away.
"That guy is such a dickhead." Jiro growled beside him.
Izuku suddenly felt compelled to shout.
"Bakugou!"
"Green what— !?"
"Eh?" The blonde sneered over his shoulder.
"I'm going to work everyday to become as strong as you so maybe I'll one day surpass you! So… I guess what I'm trying to say is… don't get lazy while you're at the top!"
Bakugou appeared surprised by that declaration, but quickly masked it with a furious scowl.
"I'd kick you off the ledge as soon as you got there!" This time he made it clear he wasn't going to respond as he stormed off faster than his previous attempt.
Izuku sighed, matching pace alongside Jiro as they stepped inside the elevator within the apartment complex he lived in.
The doors shut with a dull thump, enclosing the two teens in what felt like a claustrophobic inducing space.
"Whatcha thinkin' Green?" Jiro mumbled quietly, leaning heavily against the wall, acting as to blissfully ignore her own heart racing.
"I need to learn more about the Omnitrix." He belatedly decided, still focused on the watch.
"You got ten whole months to figure that thing out, I'm sure you'll be fine." She waved her hand about flippantly, rolling her eyes.
He shook his head somberly at her admission.
"You don't understand… everyone that I'll be competing against… they've had their whole lives to practice, train, and become better adapted to using their quirks. I got my powers only a week ago! If I want to get into UA, I have to do everything perfectly… I can't take any more rest days."
"Need I remind you that you were only resting in the first place because you got shot… while doing the exact thing you are trying to become a legally licensed professional as a career path… at doing?"
The elevator doors dinged, opening to reveal a moderately lit hallway.
"I mean, when you put it that way, I sound hypocritical— pretentious, even. If I had it my way I wo-OH?" He sputtered slightly as Jiro unexpectedly held a shushing finger to his lip.
"Please… try not to overdo it?" If he had any social awareness, he might've been able to notice Jiro's subtle blush. Instead he laughed while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"I promise, I won't overdo it."
…
A blue blur sped through the distance. It weaved to and fro, generating large, equine waves that refracted rainbow light through utilization of the rising sun. They raced in and out of the sound barrier, testing the limits of their speed. After a couple more minutes of this, the speedster looped around a small island and shot back towards Japan. Upon arriving, their foot caught on a mangled piece of driftwood lodged in the sand, sending them flipping across the dunes.
When the towering plume of sand and dust had dissipated, a dizzy but relatively unharmed Slipstream clawed his way out of the crater.
"See what happens when you don't listen to me?" Jiro trotted up behind him, hands on her knees, chest wheezing with laughter.
"I'll admit, I might have overdone it!" Slipstream chuckled, hastily spitting sand from his mouth.
Reverting back to human, Izuku groaned loudly as he flexed his shoulder, rolling over to a sitting position on the soft powdery ground.
"I will give you credit though– your water-running technique has improved a whole lot."
"If only I had a quirk that allowed me to do that better." He joked, earning him a playful stab in the forehead.
"Ten months have passed since I've met you, and your attempts at humor haven't improved!"
It really had been ten months.
'I've changed though.'
"I've been a little sidetracked, with, you know, trying to master the most powerful weapon in the entire universe?"
The purple haired teen shrugged in response, checking her phone.
"I just wanted to get one last training session in before the exams this morning! I usually have a lot more caution as Slipstream, but I think my nerves and anxiousness are getting to me. I'm so close to my goal. I don't- I don't want to lose this." A gentle hand fell on his back.
"You'll do great. You have done great. Hell, look at this place! It used to be a dump but now it's squeaky clean thanks to us— mostly because of you— but I did help! Plus, everyone else gets to enjoy the fruits of our labor!" She widely gestured to the sparkly beige coastline, providing evidence that there were, in fact, numerous groups of people who now regularly came to the beach.
Izuku had to admit, this was a million times better than the absolute trash heap Dagobah had become in decades past. The hero fanboy had taken his best friend to see the place where he transformed for the first time— and she hadn't been impressed. He couldn't find it in himself to blame her.
'A junkyard of all places, Green, seriously?' She laughed.
Whilst Bakugou made every conceivable attempt throughout the remainder of the school year to outright ignore/avoid he and Jiro, the two had devoted their spare time to practicing their quirks and training up their bodies in preparation for the UA entrance exam. Utilizing his obsessive attention to detail (especially when it comes to quirks), they were able to temper Jiro's ear jacks to a significant degree.
The punk girl's biggest concern heading into the exam was that her quirk might not have had the best durability or even the strength needed in order to muscle her way through based on sheer talent and instinct alone. He'd taken note of this, and they set out to work on and circumvent those concerns. Following months of rigorous training, she was now fully capable of shattering metal with her sonic projections.
That breakthrough had been her moment of clarity about the future that lay ahead of her– but even while his best friend found success– he couldn't help but feel that he was still struggling to catch up for lost time. Izuku had never been the most confident person, but adding ten super powered aliens into that mix is a recipe for disaster. Which it almost was.
Several times he would find himself being held back by Jiro who lamented to him that he needed to let the professionals take care of the situation— even if he could fix it by himself. He didn't have a license, and he was inevitably going to be in hot water once the UA staff realized who he was. Rather put simply: he couldn't afford another huge slip up. Mr. Mute had been the closest he came to interacting with a villain ever since then– and Shirai had never been caught!
Jiro called him 'hopelessly heroic,' and joked she would need a leash for him once they went pro to make sure he didn't 'hero' himself into an early grave.
He didn't exactly have a response to that. How could he? He knew she was spot on. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Which is why he was glad that he had Jiro to help keep him in check, preventing him from doing anything too reckless. Even learning that he has ten alternative transformations equipped to deal with any situation, he had to remember he was equally vulnerable to harm as anyone else.
It was about finding balance.
Speaking of his transformations–
"Notebook?" Jiro queried a brow at the muttering boy, recognizing the familiar contemplative look on his face.
"Notebook." He agreed, catching it before smacking him in the face.
Flipping to the first analysis page, he studiously scanned over the plethora of information he had gathered thus far, providing ample notes for each alien;
Alien Entry Number One:
Hero Name: Jellytronic
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 6'8" (207 cm) tall
Weight: ~300 lbs (136 kg)
Appearance: Jellytronic most closely resembles that of an Earth jellyfish, having six tentacles in total, with two acting as (passable) legs in the case that he is unable to passively levitate. His internal organs appear to be bioluminescent, and light blue in coloration, his blood being a similar but darker shade. His outermost layer is a translucent off-white pigment. His head is connected to his torso via a series of membranous flaps, concealing any obviously distinct facial features outside of his almond-shaped eyes.
Powers Simplified: Electricity generation, flight, intangibility, stretching capability, and underwater breathing.
Additional Notes: He has a lot of pros going for him, but his base body structure is actually quite weak. He relies on constant usage of his powers during a battle in order to preserve himself. His aquatic nature leads me to believe he must've originated from a world with especially inhospitable oceans or bodies of water of some kind. I suspect his race in particular evolved to have these electrical abilities as a response to a predator that couldn't be outrun (outswam?), instead relying on momentarily stunning them or phasing through their clawed grip, to make a getaway.
Alien Entry Number Two:
Hero Name: Slipstream
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 6'1" (185 cm) tall
Weight: ~175 lbs (79 kg)
Appearance: Slipstream has a distinctly humanoid body type, but is accentuated by his feline characteristics. He is covered in black, ultra-smooth hair fibers spanning across the majority of his torso, arms, and legs. His head, neck, stomach, hands, and feet are all lined with a fine blue coating of needle-thin fur. On his face, he has two large black tufts surrounding his eyes, bleeding into his ears, which normally remain hidden.
Powers Simplified: Enhanced speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, sharp spines on calves and forearms, and retractable claws.
Additional Notes: My favorite transformation thus far. When I'm Slipstream, I feel as if I'm on a caffeine buzz at all times. But this is probably more so related to his crazy fast heart rate. Where an ordinary person may average around sixty to one hundred beats a minute, Slipstream clocks in at a little over a thousand beats per minute— and that's resting! When I get back from doing cardio as Slipstream, I will frequently log heart beats in the ten thousand range. His blood is dark purple.
Alien Entry Number Three:
Hero Name: Shadeshifter
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 7' (213 cm) tall
Weight: ~405 lbs (184 kg)
Appearance: Shadeshifter is most comparable to that of an Earth chameleon. They share the same overall body type, with the exception of course being that Shadeshifter can move bipedally (walk on two legs). A dark ridge travels from the tip of his tail to the top of his head– acting as impartial armor. Excluding these zones, the rest of his body is made of alternating patterns of lilac, which appear to shift in response to their surroundings. He has 3 eyes, each with a different color. From left to right; red– green– blue.
Powers Simplified: Camouflage (while mobile), dexterous tail, wall climbing (sticky hands/feet), sharp teeth and claws, and enhanced flexibility.
Additional Notes: He can still be detected via heat signature and shadows. Despite that drawback, it is still unlikely that anyone will detect me as Shadeshifter. His joints are especially flexible. He is able to contort his neck seven-hundred and twenty degrees.
Alien Entry Number Four:
Hero Name: Magnetician
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 7'1" (216 cm) tall
Weight: 1,300 lbs (590 kg)
Appearance: Magnetician has a unique figure, sporting lanky limbs that end in pincer-like digits. Rather than his head being connected to his body through physical means, Magnetician's skull is instead fixed in a constant state of repulsion, hovering over the gap between his jagged shoulders. The skull itself appears to be made of some kind of alien metal, and it's difficult to see upon first viewing, but his lips and jaw do, in fact, articulate to allow him some semblance of coherent speech. His pincers, feet, chest, and shoulder blades– are yellow, having an almost sand-papery texture to them. The umber brown portions of his frame are more glossy than metallic, with the outermost layer being a coating of magnetic rock, with similar properties to lodestone. The lodestone chips easily, but normally it fits itself back into place, almost like it's a missing piece to a puzzle.
Powers Simplified: Magnetokinesis, magnetic force field generation, magnetic dismantlement, magnetic regeneration, levitation, sharp claws, and enhanced strength.
Additional Notes: While I am able to fly with Magnetician, it is with a great deal of strain from enacting his magnetic abilities onto himself, as opposed to finding a nearby metal object and hovering on top of that. Magnetician doesn't really 'feel' pain, he more just… kind of knows when something is missing. His floating head has control over the rest of his unattached body— which explains why he can still control his limbs even if his head isn't in the right place (literally).
Alien Entry Number Five:
Hero Name: Terraquake
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 10' (304 cm) tall
Weight: ~4,410 lbs (2,000 kg)
Appearance: Terraquake is definitely the most top-heavy of my transformations. His torso is a giant, robust lemon-colored chest plate which acts as armor. The large majority of his body is protected by this metal-like material. His face is completely obscured by shadow, and only by shining a bright light directly in front of him– would you finally then be able to see his true features. Which are oddly mole-like, despite Terraquake putting on the facade of an oversized armadillo. Outside the hidden details, Terraquake's greatest strength comes from his arms– or more specifically, his forearms– which are equipped with jackhammer constituents. A large section of the inner workings of said jackhammer is visible through his armor. Upon further analyzation, I have come to the conclusion they behave like springs. It would divert less energy back into his arm, via channeling it through kinetic means by latching onto the moving parts such as these springs. The only portions of his body that aren't covered in armor or metal, are his thighs and upper arms, in their place a dark rubbery– almost like latex skin was stretched over dense, powerful muscle.
Powers Simplified: Terrakinesis (Earthquakes/shockwaves/fissure creation), burrowing ability (Can dig at a rapid pace, resurfacing appx. 10 seconds later at MOST), enhanced strength, durability, sharp claws, drill hands (improved excavation), and jackhammer arms (improved punching).
Additional Notes: Terraquake seems to have a sixth sense of some kind, which I've only been able to access while burrowing. In spite of my eyes being bathed in nothing but darkness, I still get a shaky, yet, precise black and white image inside my mind detailing my surroundings in a 3D environment around me, extending up to eighty meters (262 ft.). That tells me where everything is— if I'm about to break through the surface or if someone or something is in my way, and I can adjust accordingly.
Alien Entry Number Six:
Hero Name: Iron Jaw
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 8'3" (252 cm) tall
Weight: 900 lbs (408 kg)
Appearance: Iron Jaw is every bit of the juggernaut-esq physique he possesses. He is pitch black in coloration, making him especially fearsome in the night time. His ever so slightly hunched posture, burly external appearance combined with a large, singular ax-like horn, leads me to compare this transformation with an Earth beetle. The horn itself is bioluminescent, glowing a viridian green– as it also happens to be the same area he channels his lasers from. In order to do that, he has to consume raw materials. His jaw mechanism is unusual, grinding open and shut similar to a trash compactor– or a bear trap ready to snap on an unlucky forest critter.
Powers Simplified: Enhanced strength, tough exterior, solid matter ingestion (It grants him the ability to fire a laser from his horn).
Additional Notes: He doesn't have any taste buds, which I find very odd. For an alien species that obtains half their power from eating— I would think taste buds may have been especially prudent for them. Perhaps my human perspective doesn't allow me to comprehend such things, but wouldn't a living creature want to enjoy consuming food for energy in return as a means of equivalent exchange? Conservation of matter? It boggles me. From what I can rationalize, Iron Jaw has two modes of attack; Brawler (making use of his immense physical gifts) and Gunner (making use of his ranged laser horn blasts). Gunner mode gets the job done faster but it's more dangerous and it drains a lot more from Iron Jaw's energy reserves. Brawler is the traditional beat em' up method but there's the prevalent chance a villain escapes. So far, there is no material I haven't been able to bite through.
Alien Entry Number Seven:
Hero Name: Meltdown
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 9'10" (305 cm) tall [C. Suit]
Weight: ~3,825 lbs (1735 kg) [C. Suit]
Appearance: Unfortunately, I haven't yet figured out how to unlock the containment suit. So for now I'll have to settle on what I can describe, with that being a restless heat-based alien trapped inside a jar. Not literally– with arms and legs and weirdly little room for the head inside to peek through the small, narrow three channels in the suit. The containment suit resembles a traditional furnace, being constructed from a dark teal colored alien metal, outfitted with numerous bolts and hinges to allow for semi average maneuverability.
Powers Simplified: Nucleokinesis, intense heat generation, indestructible containment suit, and radiation immunity.
Additional Notes: I have reason to believe Meltdown might be my most powerful transformation– if only I could break out of that containment suit! The alien metal the suit is made of appears to be indestructible. Nothing has been able to dent or scratch it.
Alien Entry Number Eight:
Hero Name: Cyclonado
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 9'8" (298 cm) tall
Weight: ~2,010 lbs (912 kg)
Appearance: Cyclonado most closely resembles that of an Earth sea turtle. He isn't a seafarer, however, instead he opts to utilize his oar-like limbs to create an artificial vacuum. Still unsure of how it works. The exposed, fleshy sections of his body are a pale green with surprisingly smooth scales. The frontal portion of the shell has eight openings (all varying in shape and size) to allow air to easily flow through. It hurts when objects (specifically rods) get caught in these openings. On top of his head is a hard horn, but it's the same shade of brown as his shell so it doesn't stand out. It provides him with extra protection for when he needs to crane his neck around further to better survey his surroundings.
Powers Simplified: Shell flight, aerokinesis, air suction, levitation, enhanced durability, sharp retractable claws, and retractable head and limbs.
Additional Notes: Much like Jellytronic, he has a clumsy walk. It is obvious this species evolved to fly at constant time intervals. I haven't done it yet, but I think it's possible to fall asleep while flying as Cyclonado. What practical application might this have? Not quite sure!
Alien Entry Number Nine:
Hero Name: Hijack
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 3'3" (100.5 cm) tall
Weight: ~75 lbs (34 kg)
Appearance: Hijack is the only transformation of mine that physically makes me smaller as opposed to being made larger. His appearance is astonishingly similar to ancient depictions of demons. His skin is a red-orange hue, but it leans more on the red side. Similar to Meltdown's containment suit, Hijack has an auto generated costume as well– donning a black uniform with green highlights. To go with his pointed ears, he has a pinocchio-esq nose, and a set of fangs and whiskers to go along with his natural devilish charm. His size disposition makes him slightly disarming for opponents. On said head, he wears a pilot's cap of some kind, featuring an accessory in the form of a pair of goggles. His arms and legs are spindly, rounded off by hands and feet with long digits and sharpened nails.
Powers Simplified: Mechanical Intuition, tech disassembly/repairment/modification, wall climbing (micro-bristles on hands/feet), sharp claws/teeth/tail, enhanced strength, durability, and dexterity.
Additional Notes: Hijack has such brazen instincts ingrained in him that he overrides my own personal judgment. His 'quirk' isn't really a quirk, either. I'll try to explain how it happens the best that I can: I transform into Hijack. Then I (Me, as Hijack), see a pile of junk lying on the ground beside us. Compulsively scream, "Hijack, disassemble! FIX! FIX! FIX! FIX! Hijack, reassemble!" As I vocalize my excitement, the synapses in my brain go supernova. It's like in the small time frame it happens in… everything makes sense. The crystallized blueprints in my head drive my actions. In a frenzied blur, usually lasting around five or ten seconds, I'm done. The high is over. That pile of apparent garbage has been converted into a hover cycle with mounted laser turrets. Hijack seems to be quite fond of explosives. It doesn't help that half the stuff he makes ends up exploding, too. This is why I am hesitant to turn into him sometimes— even if it's just to answer a math question I can't figure out as my ordinary human self.
Alien Entry Number Ten:
Hero Name: Atlantean
Species: NA
Home World: NA
Height: 6'6" (201 cm) tall
Weight: 280 lbs (127 kg)
Appearance: Atlantean has the most humanoid body type after Slipstream. His flesh is intertwined with a hard red carapace dotted with dark spots. This simultaneously gives him protection and exceptional mobility. His head is mollusk-like, with his eyes being bisected and placed far apart relative to each other on his skull. To shield his vulnerable face, he has a neat visor. He has two singular portholes on the palms of both of his hands, from which he can expel or inhale water from.
Powers Simplified: Hydrokinesis, moisture absorption, water whips, bubble shields, enhanced strength, durability, and underwater breathing.
Additional Note(s): Atlantean is at his strongest while he is in the water. Or near it— it doesn't particularly matter as long as he can still draw from it to enhance himself. I'm usually not one to brag, but I legitimately feel bad for any villain who has to engage with me while underwater. Atlantean is plenty strong on land, and most of the time, his own H20 reserves will replenish themselves before his tank being empty can even be considered an issue. In the water, all of Atlantean's strengths and abilities become supercharged, granting him Herculean strength and speed. His hydrokinesis gives him a versatile fighting style, as he can summon essentially any tool he needs for the job, whether it's a bubble shield, a water whip, or an aqua bomb.
" –Green, seriously, we're going to be late if you don't snap out of it." The notebook slapped shut.
"Huh?" He blinked dumbly, returning to reality.
"Sorry!" His face lit up like a stop light once he realized he'd spaced out again.
"It's fine dude, just change and we'll head on up to UA."
"Oh r-right." He dialed up the Omnitrix. "Flying or running?"
Jiro hummed contemplatively.
"I don't want to risk being nauseous for the written exam, so I think I'll go flying."
"Who do you want your chaperone to be?" He asked politely.
"Cyclonado please." She fixed him with a cartoonish grin.
In a green flash, the purple haired girl was already climbing up the side of the large turtle alien. A couple breathing exercises later, and the two were shooting far into the clouds, projected by rapid wind torsion. Finding a steady altitude to safely hover at, Izuku briskly set pace for his memorized direction leading to the hero academy. On the back of his shell, Jiro sat cross-legged, checking the time on her phone.
"Good news: If we don't take any pit stops, we should arrive there in time… barely." She surmised.
"Hey, uh, I was wondering something?" He tried to converse casually.
"Yeah?"
A fleeting moment passed.
"Are you nervous?" He asked quickly.
"Green, what kind of question is that?"
"W-what!? I was j-just–" He stuttered.
" –Of course I'm nervous you dolt!" She slapped his shell.
"And I'm not mad at you… I'm more glad that you're here with me now than anything else."
"Jiro?"
"You know, it's super hard being this upfront, this honest and this sarcastic with my feelings all the time." She sighed wistfully, before elaborating:
"I thought if I worked myself ragged enough, I would eventually begin to fool myself into believing I could bulldoze through this exam without a sweat. But… God, this is UA we're talking about! This isn't some school that anyone can get into! Now I'm doubting myself, and I can't stop spiraling." She woefully admitted.
"Stop that."
She snorted.
"You've cured me!" She snarked.
"N-no, I meant like… You've worked hard to get where you are!"
"Heh, you see that's funny to me because you have ten different super alien heroes with multiple quirks of their own!"
"Your quirk is plenty stronger than it was before our training began!" He argued.
"I know that!" She huffed, visibly upset.
"Then… what is it?"
"Mmm…" She rebelliously buried her head between her knees.
Sensing his friend's distress, he prodded further.
"Is it because you're scared of failing?"
"Obviously. Who isn't?"
"Well if it's not that… are you perhaps, scared of failing and realizing that everything you've done up until now has been utterly pointless?"
The punk teen sat up and crossed her arms, pouting at him.
"What's with you and always being understanding of how I'm feeling? Cyclonado has an empath quirk I don't know about or something?"
He laughed good naturedly.
"Not that I know of! But even if you fail, which may I add, isn't humanly possible– you at least know you tried! You can't be mad at yourself for that."
It was difficult to take him seriously with his big dumb turtle face staring up at her.
"You're a wise one, Greenie. I reckon if the hero business doesn't work out for you, therapy would make for a good profession."
"Thanks?"
"Anytime. Also, you're veering off course."
"Oh, I am!?" He panicked, poking his head out the side of his shell to confirm.
"More to the left! UA, here we come!" She declared, shakily standing atop Cyclonado's shell, allowing for the wind to tousle her purple locks.
…
At long last the teen duo arrived at ground level, hurriedly rushing through the courtyard leading to the main lecture hall, which was swarming with last minute test-takers. Briefly meeting with some school officials near the door, and getting some paperwork signed, the young hero hopefuls were split into eight different groups, with each being led off to separate rooms to take the written exams by their respective teachers. Izuku was placed in Power Loaders classroom, and Jiro was paired with Ectoplasm.
Sitting down on the stool provided for him, Izuku made the deduction that this "classroom," was clearly outfitted to be a studio. Power Loader is the head of the support department, so it stands to reason he would frequent the room with gadgets and various other tools and equipment. Seeing the timer on the clock fluctuate, he put his head down and got to work.
The written portion of the exam wasn't hard per say– but it had some spikes in terms of difficulty. Keeping in mind that most of this information he had already memorized by heart by the time he entered middle school, so there ended up being stretches during the test where he was scratching in the answer faster than he finished reading the question. After triple checking over his work, he quietly plopped the packet into the bin on Power Loader's desk, before strolling out–
"Hey, kid, hold on just a sec." The hero's voice sent a bolt of fear through him.
'Does he know?' He sweats.
Leg still poised to take its next step, he swiveled on his heel to answer:
"Yes, Power Loader sensei?"
Rather than verbalizing, he flipped the stack of papers to the front page and scooted it across his desk.
"For future reference, it might be a good idea to write your name on your work." He said, tapping on a specific blank spot.
Izuku's face sparked neon.
"I f-forgot to write my…?" He slumped over as Power Loader nodded.
He looked up when the older man chuckled.
"Happens to the best of us." He slid him a pencil.
Shamefully taking the writing utensil, he filled in his name. As he was knelt down, however, doing this gave the Excavation Hero an up close view of the Omnitrix. Curiosity getting the better of him, he inquired about it.
"You said a cousin of yours from America created this for you? The craftsmanship is remarkable! Kid…" His attention momentarily diverted to the packet. "...If you get in, you have to get me in contact with em!"
"I'll see what I can do!" He fibbed, face now steaming from how out of hand this lying facade was becoming.
Taking the opening, Izuku nervously slipped away from the development studio. Around twenty minutes later, he convened with Jiro, who was happy that the written exam was over. Returning to the courtyard they discovered that all examinees were required to sit by their school district. Which normally would've been fine for most people– it meant they got to sit with their friends. Except that he and Jiro went to school with one, Bakugou Katsuki. Needless to say, none of the trio were particularly excited to be sat on opposite sides of the blonde.
Izuku noticed something had changed about his temperamental bully over the past year. Ever since that day with Mr. Mute in the bathroom, coupled with his unveiling of him having powers– after years of him being stark quirkless– a harsh chord had been strung deep within the boy. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was measuring himself against the greenette. He was coming home less– according to what he heard through his mom from Aunt Mitsuki. He would come home, glare at his mom, wordlessly eat dinner, glare at his mom again and immediately crash in bed. Rinse and repeat.
The fatigue followed him everywhere he went– including school. That's how Izuku began to notice the gradual exhaustion condensing in his eyes. He was training himself to the point where he could barely walk, and most days, judging by the limp he sometimes wore, rest appeared to be foreign concept for him, too. He would lecture the blonde about how these activities in excess weren't healthy– but that would just make him look like a massive hypocrite– and it's not like Bakugou to listen to him anyways.
Present Mic strolled on stage, causing Izuku to perk up. As the voice hero continued to give the students a run-down of what the practical portion of the exam would entail, Jiro's hand clapped over his mouth, preventing him from going on another muttering spree. He silently thanked her, returning his attention to the contents of what the screen displayed. The entire exchange did not go unnoticed by Bakugou, who ended up taking an intentional elbow jab to his lips as the punk girl enacted her motion. The task proved grueling for him, having to focus on the Voice Hero while in the midst his blood was busy transmuting into pure venom by existing mere inches adjacent to Jiro without the ability to char her corpse or even yell profanity.
Izuku wasn't sure why Bakugou was vibrating beside him and cycling through shades of red, but he eventually gave up, assuming this was normal for the blonde.
'Robot villains? They ramp up with difficulty judging by what their point total is. I know for a fact all of my transformations are strong enough to take on an exam with parameters such as these, so I can be tactical with how I approach this.'
"...Remember the school motto of UA, young listeners: Go beyond and– !" Present Mic pointed to the crowd of students, deadpanning as no one responded to his enthusiasm.
"...Plus Ultra!" His hands flopped to his sides emphatically.
"Your testing site number should be on the back of each of the cards you have been provided. If you are unsure of where exactly your testing site is, come talk to me. If everything is perfectly fine and dandy, you're free to head down to the terminal." The radio host languished, before sulking off the stage.
The trio were then unceremoniously forced to separate, the reason they gave was to prevent cooperation amongst test-takers who were already familiar with each other prior to the practical exam. Bakugou had no issue with the rule, having already swapped from his Aldera uniform into his gym clothes, much to Izuku's sudden whiplash. Following his lead, the collective student body ducked in and out of the locker rooms to properly acquaint themselves with physical action.
The freckled boy was wearing his usual teal tracksuit with classic red high tops. Across from him, Jiro stood with her hands on her hips. She had on similar athletic clothes, the main difference being that hers were purple. Her combat boots took the place of ordinary tennis shoes. Regardless of what he said to try and convince her otherwise, she had been equally as adamant about taking the exam in her combat boots.
Not looking at him, Jiro said: "Well, Green, I guess this is it."
Immediately he could tell she was closing in on herself again, as he recognized that tiny inflection in her voice and the way her body language changed. He was determined to stop that from happening. He strode forward, and captured her hand in his. The sudden contact made her jump a little but found her nerves were soon to be blissfully soothed.
"We met under… less than conventional circumstances." He began.
"You could say that." She bit her inner cheek.
"Jiro before you, I didn't have any friends for a depressingly long time– and life overall kinda sucked– b-but that's not the p-point I'm trying to m-make– what I am trying to say is- is that you mean a lot t-to me."
'Why does this sound like the beginning of a proposal?' Jiro mentally joked with herself.
Said girl's eyes darted back and forth, desperately as to avert their gaze from being caught in the tractor beams that she swore his own pair emitted. Her efforts proved futile, as she was ensnared in his piercing emerald trance. His grip on her noticeably tightened.
"That's not all you've done, though! That's only scratching the surface of what your presence has done for me! You restored my confidence, made me feel respected, a-and held me back when I was going to do something horribly r-reckless and probably instantly regret l-later. Thank you."
'Wait, is this a confession? No. No, it can't be, Green's not bold enough to try something that ballsy on the day of the entrance exam.' She subconsciously sized him up though. 'Admittedly, he is a few inches taller than me now and has filled out rather handsomely.'
She blinked.
'Handsomely? I don't use that word to describe things very often? But for people? Damnit! Green, why are you mixing my emotions up now of all times!' The sheer effort alone required to stop her jacks from emotively forming noodle-heart shapes was a superhuman feat alone.
"I'm a firm believer that people show their true colors when their back is against the wall. That's how I know you're going to do great! Because when lives were on the line, you were willing to place yourself in harm's way for their sake! UA would have to be insane to not let you in. S-so, don't start doubting yourself now. Your quirk is amazing. You're amazing."
'Fuck, I'm really crushing on this idiot?' She was struggling not to be incinerated by his sunshine smile.
"Haha and um, you can't say I'm wrong because the reason I gave was the same you used to convince me." He hit her with the finger guns and it was over.
Jiro's breath caught in her throat.
"Enough flirting! Let's move along kids! We don't have all day!" A bus driver with a bear mutation quirk hollered from the window, understandably annoyed.
Izuku wanted to say more– only to miss her hand as it escaped his– he hadn't realized he'd been holding it still– and not wanting to invoke anymore of the bus driver's and possibly UA staff's ire, he hastily made sure Jiro found her correct bus. The musically gifted teen halted halfway up the steps leading into the transportation vehicle, looking over her shoulder at him.
"Hey, uh, Green?"
"Yes?"
"Show them what you're made of."
The world stood still, if only for a few seconds.
"I will. Same to you." He declared with spontaneous intensity, immensely reinvigorated by her brisk words of levity.
Rather than saying anything, she simply smiled and disappeared inside the bus. After being heckled by the bus driver for the second time, he soon found himself on his way on a separate bus leaving for Ground Beta. Those of his age group didn't speak much, and those who did choose to talk, didn't have much to share. Everyone knew why.
They were all thinking the same thing.
Now was the time where people narrowed themselves in on their goals, in an attempt to find a decent headspace to further elevate their abilities. Izuku was no different, as he brainstormed what his opening transformation should be– and debating on whether or not switching to different forms throughout the exam would be too risky or exactly what he needed.
Ten Minutes. That's how long he had to secure his spot in UA. His future counted on this.
'Ten minutes… and I have ten transformations, but I won't be able to use all of them for the test. That wouldn't be realistic.' He cupped his hand over his mouth so his mutterings would be muffled to those around him.
'I would go Slipstream if it weren't for the fact that he's recognizable to most people by this point.' He chewed the edge of his lip. 'Shadeshifter is also a fine pick, but his camouflage makes him better for stealth than pure combativeness. By using him I make the test far more difficult than it needs to be.'
They drove through a tunnel that was constructed on the side of a hill, veiling the examinees in a muted darkness.
'Meltdown has the most destructive power– but I don't want to risk accidently hitting anyone with his heat vision. Combined with his limited visibility, it's a disaster waiting to happen. I can see the same rules here being applied to Terraquake, Cyclonado, heck, even Iron Jaw. I still have trouble aiming his laser horn blast sometimes, no matter how much I practice with it. Getting off track–!'
The bus made it out of the tunnel, bathing everyone in light once again.
' –That leaves me with four options; Jellytronic, Atlantean, Magnetician and Hijack. Speaking of the gremlin– an exam filled with robots? His brain internally combusts if he so much as catches a whiff of gasoline within his vicinity. I couldn't imagine what otherworldly epiphany he may come to; The meaning of life? The true origin of the universe? Excuse me, universes? I'm not willing to contemplate those sorts of topics when I'd rather focus on acing this thing. Though something to try for the later? Atlantean could short-circuit their electronics, and Jellytronic can phase through everything they throw at him… No- no, the solution can't be this simple! There has to be a variable I'm not accounting for.'
His body jolted from the momentum of the bus coming to a stop.
'Think Izuku! Think! You're getting off this bus soon!'
Sweat dripping down his neck, he wiped at it feverishly, gritting his teeth as he scrounged his imagination for the perfect answer.
'What about Magnetician? His magnetism powers would certainly be useful against metal robots. However, if Atlantean and Jellytronic can inflict anywhere close to the same amount of damage as Magnetician can with better efficiency than him then– wait. Waitwaitwait– I have something here. I remember the night– the first time I ever transformed– and Kamui Woods– he bound me up with his Lacquered Chain Prison, and I had been completely helpless until I figured out how to phase out of it! Jellytronic's significantly more susceptible to damage due to his amphibious nature! He tires easily too– just walking with him was exhausting– if I don't pace myself effectively, I'm done for!'
He stood up in cacophonous synchronization with the others as they waited for the doors to open.
'Jellytronic is out. It's one-to-one. Atlantean has impressive reserves of water, enough to convince me that he has a gland or organ inside his body that generates H2O at ludicrous rates– that had to be the explanation– the problem is he can run dry. If he expelled too much water too rapidly, the pressure would gradually reduce until it was nothing more than a dribble.'
Drip–
–Drop.
He wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. He seemed to be an excessive sweater nowadays. He prayed that would change soon.
'And thankfully since I was already at the beach I had a constant source of fuel to pull from and swim inside, so it was never a huge issue. Looking at my surroundings…'
Exiting the bus in a cluttered single file line, he rolled his sleeve up and began cycling through his aliens.
'The reserves of water in any city are limited. Expanding upon this idea further, why would UA give this place any kind of plumbing whatsoever? It's a fake city, so no one is living there. I hope so. If I stumble across someone I'll help them find a real home! Trusting my gut!? Err… yes? Yes. OK, I know who my alien is going to be: M–!'
" –NEED I REMIND YOU that support items are strictly prohibited unless approved by a UA administrator!" A militaristic voice boomed from behind him.
"AH!" He flailed, whirling around to see a taller boy with blue hair and glasses glaring at him with no lack of scrutiny.
"Or shall I report you to the faculty for even considering cheating on an exam as prestigious as the one UA so graciously hands out?" His arm made a bizarre chopping motion.
"Th-There's no need for that! My support item is signed off on, I swear!" He shook his hands about placatingly.
The bespectacled boy studied him for a moment longer before conceding that he must've been telling the truth.
"Very well then! I sincerely apologize for not only misjudging your character upon first observation, but causing you great distress in addition to that!" He bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
'This guy is so dignified!'
"How rude of me, I haven't properly introduced myself! I am Tenya Iida of Somei Private Academy!" He bowed again.
"Izuku Midoriya. Also it's fine. No harm d-done!" He responded, cringing at his stutter.
If Iida was perturbed by his stutter and clear nervousness, he didn't seem to mind.
"It's been a pleasure to meet you Midoriya! I wish you the best luck on the practical portion of the exam!"
'He's not so bad… he's just… very passionate?'
"Same to you, Iida!" He nodded to the other boy as everyone else waited for the signal.
" –Aaaand… GO!" Present Mic's voice projected loudly from atop a nearby five story building.
No one moved, freezing in place trying to register what they just heard, turning to the people beside them for confirmation that might've been mishearing.
Well, it would've been no one– if Izuku's hand wasn't already slapping over the Omnitrix dial. Instantaneously morphing into Magnetician, he magnetized the closest manhole cover, stepping onto the plate. Riding the metal like a makeshift hoverboard, he elegantly zoomed past his competition through the cold morning air– directly towards the central most section of the faux city.
"What are you all waiting for!? Times' a wasting!" The radio host cackled.
Jiro's final parting sentiment had rekindled the brazier inside his heart, now overflowing with inspirational fire.
'I'll show them… that includes you as well, All Might.'
…
Overcoming adversity and premeditated self-loathing are both admirable feats. To accomplish even one of these feats successfully is a marathon run in and of itself. He could attest to that, having to rely on his wits in order to get by– to survive. So he perfectly understood the circumstances of one's birth cannot dictate the content of someone's character, nor their will. But at the same time?
It was nigh impossible.
Which is exactly why Nezu, current overseer and principal of UA, was so drawn to the enigma Izuku Midoriya was panning out to be. His quirk registry detailed his status as being quirkless, dating back to when he was four years of age. Witnessing the machine massacre that was unfolding on screen alongside all the other gobsmacked teachers, encouraged him to believe otherwise. It was clear this wasn't a power he obtained overnight.
He gave a tiny huff of amusement, sipping his luxury tea brand.
"Wow, we have a promising batch this year, huh?" Midnight commented, swapping camera angles.
"I reckon we oughta be havin' a good feeling about this partner." Snipe pointed to the main screen (it tracked whoever was currently in first place in the rankings during the exam), which displayed a quirk user with a truly bizarre appearance, as where the neck should've been, was an empty space– instead, in its place, a floating metal head jostled about.
"Hah! Well I don't!" Power Loader stood as he made himself visible.
"He is destroying all my hard work! With the way he's warping the metal it'll take forever to reuse those scraps!"
"Izuku Midoriya, you mean?" Nezu smiled coyly behind the rim of his tea cup.
"Yeah, Midoriya– wait– you mean to tell me that person there– that's him!?" Power Loader blanched at the principals curt nod, while All Might not-so-obviously stared at them from across the room.
'He's trying to overhear our conversation in regards to Midoriya? I wonder what his connection to him is? Interesting… oh very interesting, indeed.' He gave a content sigh, finishing his tea and setting the cup down on the ceramic coaster on the arm of his chair. 'He's trying to be subtle about it– almost like he doesn't want anyone to know he's secretly invested. I'll need to keep an eye on that development.'
"It sure is. What's your relation to him?"
"I talked him up for…uh?" He tapped his chin with his clawed hand in an attempt to help jog his short term memory. "I would say I spoke to him for less than two minutes? Before he left the studio after finishing the written test. He was one of the first students done, too. Even so, he seemed like such a timid and meek kid, I can hardly fathom that it's actually him out there wrecking all my bots!"
"I concur! His quirk application and combat skill is impressive. Such raw power! It would be catastrophic for the heroes if it were to be placed in the wrong hands." Nezu stated ambiguously, beady eyes immediately shifting to see the prone form of Toshinori Yagi tense.
He wasn't as blatant as before, but the reaction was enough of an indicator for the super genius to make acute deductions.
'Oh? His muscles tensing at the mention of a quirk suggest that he knows Midoriya is quirkless. Or at least, he used to be. Oh! How I love mysteries!' The principal speculated giddily.
"He's not wrong: Magnetism of any variation is a powerful quirk when used correctly. It just so happens the practical portion of the exam was in his favor from the very beginning... It's not rocket science." Eraser Head spoke up suddenly, almost giving Vlad King a heart attack with how unexpectedly he appeared behind his shoulder.
Then, proceeding to lean his partial weight on said now grumpy man with a propped up elbow, he scanned the faces of the UA faculty. His eyes flickered to Nezu for a long moment.
"The practical portion of the exam is entirely illogical. Midoriya is living proof."
"How's that?" All Might's personified inquiry had the effect of quelling every other discussion from transpiring in the observation room.
Nezu merely watched on with rapt interest as Shota Aizawa stared down the herculean man with no lack of disdain in his withering, arid glare.
"I don't know. Why don't you tell me, number one hero?"
The symbol of peace curled a brow at his fellow hero's sudden hostility.
"Fine." All Might rose to his full height, crossing his arms. "What's this really about?"
Eraser Head scoffed.
"That depends, are you going to keep playing dumb?"
The stalemate was witnessed by the UA faculty, wondering where this verbal spat was coming from.
"Look, Aizawa–"
" –Eraser Head. You don't get to call me by my name."
"...Eraser Head," All Might trailed, "I'm serious when I say I have no clue what it is you may be referring to." He spoke with sincerity present in his voice, but Nezu spotted the vocal discrepancy right away.
Eraser Head squinted narrowly at the principal.
"Why is he here? Why is All Might teaching at UA? I sincerely doubt the symbol of peace sat down in a college lecture hall just to get his education degree. Now he has to divide his time between hero work and teacher work– which isn't exactly ideal when he's the most powerful man in the world. The second he has any kids in his class they're going to be too starstruck to think comprehensively."
"The purpose of the practical portion of the exam is to measure pure combat ability and heroic tendencies in the midst of struggle. Perhaps this is a discussion best left for another time, hmm?" Nezu casually deflected, humming.
"No he- he has a point. I haven't the slightest idea of where to start when it comes to teaching. That being said, I also think my status as well as my experience, gives me more than enough reputable points to incur valuable wisdom to the young heroes of this generation." All Might mumbled his case albeit, hesitantly.
Eraser Head's eyes gleamed briefly signaling the activation of his quirk.
"You're reckless. You're negligent. You throw yourself into the fray with no regard for personal preservation. What message does that send the children? You get away with it because of your super durability, but for everyone else? That's not an option. Not on the streets. I won't stand by idly while you fumble the ball of the basics of teaching and get my future students, teenagers, slaughtered because they thought, if they had enough machismo and one-liners, they could take down any villain with their quirk alone."
He shook his head, nearing the end of his rant.
"You've fooled a lot of kids into thinking they were anything close to being hero material."
'I've had to crush a lot of their dreams.'
"Is that why you expelled your entire class last year?"
"For not being ready to take on the responsibility that comes with a profession such as ours? I did them a favor by sending them home early. They get to see their families again and pursue a career best suited for them, not something as life-threatening as heroics. That's preferable to a family waking up only to find the face of their sons and daughters in the obituaries."
"My intention isn't to lead the youth astray. The only thing I've ever wanted was to help people– that's my calling in life! The reason I smile– it was something my master imparted onto me before she died. To deceive the fear within my own heart, to abandon doubt– it made me stronger as a hero— as a person." He clenched his hand into a fist, divulging.
"It's part of the reason why I never got… 'involved' with the dating scene. Knowing that my passion for heroics has inspired so many others to give it a shot is an honor I can't dismiss, Eraser Head, but one I proudly cherish. I understand the importance of safety, I wouldn't be where I am today if I ignored it. Had I done so, I'd be no different than Endeavor. What I stand for is tenacious, excruciating dedication towards a craft that is intended to make the world a better place.
It's… difficult for me to see myself in any other job– which I'm guessing is why you expect me to pass down all of my bad habits onto your soon-to-be students. You're scared for them. I am too. We can't know what the future holds, so it's better to be ready rather than not. I get that."
His face didn't show it, but the way he says it:
"I'm getting older– It might not seem obvious but my uh, well– it's complicated– the gist is, I'm close to retiring."
The pain was palpable.
Eraser Head remained deathly quiet throughout the verbal dump. The other teachers, who were still attentively focused on the examinees, couldn't help but recoil at the reveal. While not directed solely at them– it was an atmosphere changer. The excitable air in the observation room rapidly thickened, as the gravity of All Might's disclosure took on varying effects.
Then he bowed.
"Eraser Head… if you will have me… you have my word that every single one of your students will make it to graduation day. I'll make absolutely sure of it."
The erasure hero gave an audible exhale through his nose.
"Color me surprised, you're not as daft or obnoxious as your hero persona would suggest." He readjusted his capture tool.
"You can stand up, you big oaf."
"Eraser–"
" –Nezu," Eraser Head brushed off the number one hero, "You pride yourself on intelligence and foresight. So why are you reaching for the red button that specifically says DO NOT TOUCH?"
"Oh dear, it seems I've been caught… red-handed?" Nezu laughed at his own pun.
Multiple groans later, Power Loader remembered why he had been so distracted to begin with.
"Say uh, how many points is Midoriya at now?"
The question sparked to life the curiosity of the other pro heroes present. Ectoplasm, the hero who was responsible for monitoring the fluctuating top ten, clicked a couple times– when his jaw unhinged and just about hit the floor, white eyes bulging out of his head almost cartoonishly.
"Good God what fuckin' reaction was that!" Snipe cursed as he stumbled backwards and spilled to the floor.
"What is it!? How many does he have!?" Midnight impatiently demanded as she shoved Snipe back down while he was attempting to stand.
"He is about to hit two hundred points." Ectoplasm's voice was small despite.
"TWO HUNDRED!?" Was the collective response to such absurdity.
The main screen showed the hero hopeful altering the trajectory of several missiles to funnel together a massive explosion in the center of the street, which was strangely subdued— like a force field had kept the shockwave contained.
"That kid sure is something else," Power Loader commended, "Hold on— Nezu, is he the reason you asked me to triple the amount of robots to be deployed in Ground Beta?" He pondered as he scratched his head.
"Did you see his quirk registry as magnetism and decide to even the playing field?" He guessed, only to be dismissed moments later. The principal's paw flicked open the plastic box shielding the red button from being pressed.
"Call it a hunch."
"OK, are you one hundred percent sure you want to—"
—Power Loader flinched as the quirked animal anticlimactically pushed the button.
'Let's see how he fairs against this! Am I slightly masochistic? Probably— but no time to dwell on that at the present time! I have an exam to conduct!' The principal thought to himself amusedly.
…
Izuku Midoriya was fighting for his life.
What had initially started as an intense five on one matchup, had quickly devolved into a full-throttle battlefield in the heart of Ground Beta. He found his skills being pushed to their absolute limit, as the sheer number disadvantage alone was forcing him to reach deep in his bag for moves he only experimented with prior to the exam. Not only was he maintaining his levitating manhole cover to cruise on, he also had to create a constant polarizing force field around himself to even be able to move safely out in the open. Although the mental strain was taxing, his adrenaline rush canceled it out.
A rocket whizzed through the voided dimensions between his head and torso. Capitalizing on its momentum, he returned the explosive ammunition to its sender, allowing his metal skull to magnetize parallel to its surface, yanking himself along for the ride. While this was happening his main body fought independently. With his head now essentially a cannonball, he ejected it from the flaming rocket and headbutted a one pointer in the midsection so hard that he effortlessly tore through the metal chassis, rending them in two. Diagonal to him, a collection of three pointers were blown to bits in a heated burst. After confirming that his separate entity was holding its own, he proceeded to carry on with his crusade.
Utilizing the leftover smoke from the robots scrap heap as cover, he screamed in and out of the thick gray smoke akin to bullet howling across the trenches. The smoke dissipated after a short duration, but the opportunity it provided him with was earning seven easy points so he wasn't going to complain. He commanded his skull to patrol the oncoming alleyways for lurking one pointers.
Meanwhile, the main body was surfing atop a mob of robots with his manhole cover, performing a somersault and then heaving the plate like a discus. The iron slab sliced the heads off of every robot in the area. When the desecration arrived at a conclusion, he pulled the metal back to his arm like a buckler and brandished himself with a dismembered tail of a two pointer as a sword. His skull slingshot back to its original position, as he theatrically turned to face off against the approaching army of villain bots barreling over the asphalt pathway. Their lifeless scarlet optics visible through the large amount of dust they were kicking up.
The alien boy gave a guttural battle cry, charging headlong into the mechanical fray. Using a widespread magnetic dispersal blast, he locked the gears of the robots at his locality, stalling them, before smashing through them with long sweeping strikes. Using the destruction to his advantage, he attracted the scrapped parts from his leftover carnage to fit around him into a misshapen suit of samurai armor.
Seeing that his sword had been damaged beyond usefulness, he launched the busted two pointer's tail like a javelin, impaling an entire row of villain bots. The resulting detonation enveloped a large swathe of them. Hopping on the back of a three pointer he plunged his pincers into its spine, splitting the material with a condensed forcefield. He followed this up with a downward strike from his buckler, successfully incapacitating the machine.
Tanking ballistic missile fire, he ducked and caught the weight of a daring one pointer. While unsuccessful in stopping him (as Izuku immediately ripped it in half), the first robot to physically catch him off guard led the way for his comrades to gain the upperhand. The swarming villain bot brigade was mobbing him, and this time he wasn't able to deflect their blows. His skull was being knocked around like a pinball, rebounding between the various flinging limbs and projectiles. He was getting extremely dizzy, and if he didn't break out of their hold soon he was going to be completely overwhelmed.
Improvising, he ejected his armor in a shockwave around him, piercing the robots exteriors with magnetized shrapnel. If there were any that survived the initial spread, there certainly were none remaining once he recalled the shrapnel, doubling the extent of the damage. The fragments swirled around him in a metallic gust, as he permitted them to rest. Perched at the summit of a robo-graveyard, he surveyed the cityscape, surprised to find no more villain bots in sight.
"Did they run out?" He wondered aloud, losing his footing when a low rumble caused the scrap pile to shift.
"What was that?" His skull rotated, discovering a gargantuan robot rising above the buildings.
"The zero pointer…" He breathed, and without hesitation, he levitated himself away from the wreckage and in the direction of the goliath.
'UA isn't trying to kill us are they?' His mind flickered to the past five minutes.
"Maybe they are actually trying to kill us– but a robot of that size– someone could get seriously hurt!"
Approaching the ruins of the desecrated street, he discovered an examinee trapped under fallen rubble— a brunette with a bob haircut and pink cheeks. She was struggling to pull herself free out from underneath a large concrete slab. The zero point robot was already poised to crush her.
"NO!" He flew behind the giant robot, attempting to restrain with his magnetokinesis.
In response, the inner workings groaned loudly and the treads stuttered. However, while he was able to slow down the zero pointer's progress, he wasn't strong enough to attract something with so much distributed mass. Noticing other examinees fleeing the scene, he caught sight of a familiar bespectacled boy.
"IIDA!" He screamed as loud as his alien form could manage.
The teen came to a grinding halt, whirling around to locate who called out to him.
"IT'S MIDORIYA! YOU NEED TO GET HER OUT OF HERE!" His desperate plea struck Iida like an echo chamber, who, even in the midst of all the chaos of the exam, was still able to make sense of what he was trying to say.
Wasting no time, he activated his thrusters, navigating the collateral maze. Dodging more falling bricks and glass shards, he found the trapped student that Midoriya had been alluding to.
"Where are you hurt?" Iida spoke diligently.
The girl's head snapped up to look at him as he spoke, eyes widening briefly by the fact that someone had come to rescue her. A mechanical roar reminded the pair of teens that they didn't have much time to become acquainted.
"My leg! It's pinned! I can't move it at all!" Her panic was evident in her voice.
"It's OK! I'll get this thing off of you!" He promised, pouring all of his strength into lifting with his legs.
"What's your name?"
"Uraraka. Who're you?"
"Iida Tenya! Nice to meet you!"
"U-um yeah!? Same!?" She replied unsurely, but not unenthusiastically.
A shadow indicated the jumbo-sized fist of the zero pointer was encroaching on their position. Izuku's heroic instincts flared to life, as he multiplied his efforts to hold the mechanical monstrosity back. His mouth was beginning to taste vaguely like mercury, which was the indicator that he was rapidly approaching his limit.
With a combined heave, they were able to shift the concrete slab enough to where she could shimmy herself out. Seeing that her ankle was obviously twisted, Ingenium's brother took the liberty of sweeping her off her feet; he leapt away, seconds before both would be reduced to paste. The impact of the zero pointer striking the earth caused a tremor that shook the entire city.
Seeing that Iida had done his job of saving that examinee, he relinquished his hold, the pressure building inside his skull reducing drastically.
"THREE MINUTES LEFT!" Present Mic reminded him that he was still in the middle of a test.
"Only three minutes left!?" In his floundering he failed to notice the zero point robot had rotated on its midsection axis, optics fixated on him.
"Huh?" He blinked as a metal fist, not unlike the size of the bus he'd taken for the ride over, rammed into him, the colossal strength and kinetic energy behind the attack sending him rocketing across the cityscape– crashing into four separate office buildings. Tumbling through the road barrier, he finally rolled to a stop.
"That…" He paused to vomit a stream of mercury. "...Sucked." The lightheadedness that suddenly overcame him caused him to crash to his knees, as he blinked stars out of his vision.
"I pushed myself… too much…" His brain felt like it was sizzling, but somewhere deep in his subconscious, he remembered why he was here.
"But I can't give up. I need to show them… I have- I have to show them! I-I have to! That I…" He rose to his feet, legs shaking.
The robo-colossus was almost upon him as he already began formulating a plan.
'So it wants me? Alright, then come and get me!'
"Just a little bit… closer!"
He offered himself, splaying his arms widely, subsequently allowing for his main body to be smashed by the weight of the zero pointer's punch. In the moments prior to this, he ejected his skull high into the atmosphere, flying far above the other's head. Pulling its arm back, the giant robot somehow managed to appear distraught as the alien had instinctually magnetized to the machine's hand.
Floating close to cloud level, Izuku ordered his skull to be slingshot back towards the planet he called home, gradually building up so much velocity that a stripe of fire was trailing behind him. Simultaneously, Magnetician's body was evading capture by swinging in between the zero pointer's monumental digits like an acrobatic (really his magnetic nature made it more troublesome for the metal titan to establish a steady grip on him).
"If I can't slow you down, then I'll just speed things up!" He declared.
Like an asteroid impact, his skull collided with the giant villain bot's optic, impaling the material. Now literally inside the zero pointer's head, he set about determinedly to shredding and dismantling the giant robot's innards. From the outside, it appeared as if the mechanical monstrosity was having a seizure. The chest plate creaked, the metal warping oddly, before expanding outwards and bursting open. The skull of Magnetician returned to his main body, as he vaulted over the now smoking and crackling limb. The prone form of the metal titan slumped over, defeated.
As soon as he made contact with the ground, he broke into a run in the opposite direction. The shockwave from the resulting explosion threw him off balance, but he was still far enough away that the only danger he was in was due to heat exposure. Magnetician was already impervious to most forms of harm anyway.
"TIMES UP!" Present Mic announced the conclusion to the exam.
"Times–!?" His head rotated three-hundred-sixty degrees.
Crestfallen, Izuku reverted back to his human form. His mouth tasted thickly of iron, the injury his alien experienced carrying over to his more vulnerable human body. He wiped the excess blood away from his lip. He didn't get as many points as he believed he could've. Had he not spent so much time dealing with zero pointer by himself, he might've been able to secure a higher ranking and score. He saw Iida standing beside the brunette from earlier being tended to by Recovery Girl.
"At least she's fine. It was worth it." He sighed, a humble smile gracing his lips.
"I wonder how Jiro did?"
…
The observation room was as silent as the vacuum of space. Before All Might, the teachers of UA had never witnessed any examinee successfully stop the zero pointer before– and Nezu had set the machine to its maximum difficulty. Speaking of the number one hero– he had to leave for an 'emergency' bathroom break just as the exam ended.
"Shit." The herculean man attempted to be discreet as he dabbed at the corner of his mouth with his handkerchief. "The Midoriya situation is worse than I could've possibly imagined."
'There's only one explanation for how he got this incredible power… and I fear I might not have the strength left with One For All diminishing… Nana… Forgive me.' Toshinori pocketed the handkerchief, while using his free hand to extract his phone.
Leaning his weight on the tile wall, he hesitantly hit the call button.
"Hello?"
"Whose this?" Someone grunted on the other end.
Pinching his nose, Toshinori steeled himself.
"I know you have me in your contacts, you don't have to act senile."
"Who said I'm senile?"
"That's not what I– Jesus Christ–"
"I'm just fucking with you Toshinori, no harm, no foul. So what's this about? You haven't called me in over five years."
"..." The words were trapped in his throat.
"Toshinori? Are you still there? I know I'm hard of hearing but throw me a goddamn bone here!"
"I think he is still alive." The explanation was curt, but effective at establishing the tone of conversation.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Izuku Midoriya. I just watched him destroy the zero pointer."
"That's…impressive. What about that implies this boy is tied to him?"
"He has a quirk."
"Details, Toshinori."
"He didn't have one ten months ago. When I first met him."
"Ah."
"Yeah."
"So, what do you need me to do?"
"Err, I mean, I'm not telling you to do anything, but–"
" –You want me to make a surprise visit? Drop in? That's what you're asking me, right?"
"Yes." He admitted after an awkward moment of silence.
"OK, fine, I'll do it."
"Thank you."
"Hey, that's sensei to you."
"Thank you, Gran Torino sensei."
"Hehe, all these years and you're still whipped." The elderly man laughed at his student's expense.
…
Ochaco Uraraka gloomily stared at the Thirteen space-themed candy bars through the glass pane of the convenience store. After taking a train all the way to Musutafu from Mie Prefecture, and renting a hotel room for a week, the gravity quirk user had been brimming with excitement for a chance to make it into a prestigious school such as UA. She figured she'd done well enough on the written portion– and she was doing decent enough during the practical– when she made a fatal mistake that cost her dream.
'If it wasn't for that weird, floating head guy and Iida, I may have actually died today.' She sighed depressingly. 'I should never have gotten so close! I saw all those three pointers clumped together and I-!' Unable to keep her emotions under control, tears pricked painfully at the edge of her eyelids.
She bumped her forehead against the glass.
'How could I be so STUPID!? Now my parents will never get the life they deserve! It's all my fault! It's all my–!'
"What's your deal?" She was barely able to contain her sobs, when that dry voice appeared beside her.
She rubbed the wetness from her eyes, so she could examine this person with better clarity. Pale blue locks shielded his crimson eyes from plain view, but most of his facial features were concealed by the dark hoodie he wore anyway. They took a large bite out of their apple. He wore specialized gloves– she knew instantly they were for touch based quirks because she owned the same pair herself— back at home. She didn't entertain him with a response, instead choosing to glare at her reflection through the transparent material.
"Hey, there's no issue in talking about your problems isn't there? You seem to be in a bit of a rough patch. You're staring at those candy bars like they killed your family." Another bite.
She huffed.
"They might as well have." She growled menacingly.
"Oooo, edgy! Tell me more?"
"I don't have to talk to you about anything."
"Rude. Fine, see you around but then again…" He slowly turned to walk away before slyly inserting, "...Maybe not."
It felt like a harp string was being cut inside her mourning soul, the manner in which she was dismissed so easily by this sudden stranger. It reminded her of how her parents' construction business was never sought out, despite the exceptional quality of their work. She refused to be brushed off again.
"Wait." He slowed to a halt.
"I thought you didn't want to talk?" He hadn't turned around yet.
"I- I don't want to keep talking to myself."
'Or my parents.'
"That's all. I didn't mean to give you the cold shoulder. I'm upset. Angry. Depressed. A whole bunch of other things that I don't know how to describe. "
"I accept your apology." He said nonchalantly, nearly finished with his fruit.
She approached him.
"I didn't even say sorry." She laughed. "I'm Uraraka."
He finally spun around to focus on her, swallowing.
"Shiggy." He grinned widely, putting his chapped lips on full display.
Mirroring him, she deliberated;
"I failed the UA entrance exam today."
It was brief, but for a split second, she could've sworn he looked like he was about to reach out and strangle her. It passed as quickly as it came, however, as he hummed in acknowledgement.
"I suppose UA is less than a mile down the road, huh?" He commented offhandedly, appearing amused by the fact.
"UA's a hard school to get into. If not, the hardest. Are your standards so incredibly high that you're crying over failing a test that ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent of participants don't pass?"
"I– well I- I was so close!" Her fists shook in her frustration. "I guess there is a chance I still get in, but it's most likely not happening. I didn't score enough points. Instead I had to be saved like I was some damsel in distress!"
"Why'd you take it in the first place?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you, of all people, take the UA entrance exam? Did you want to be a hero?"
"That was the plan."
"Things don't always go according to plan. I would know that." He shed his glove and disintegrated the apple core, showcasing his quirk to her.
"Which is why you need a backup plan." He yanked the cloth back on. "You wouldn't already happen to have one?"
"No… I was sort of banking on this." She admitted, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I thought if I could become a hero, the money I'd make from that alone would be enough to set them– my parents– up for that trip to Hawaii they always dreamed of."
"Being rich is your motivation? That doesn't sound too heroic to me."
"That's not– it's different from that!" She argued.
"Is it?" He countered tactfully.
"It is." She didn't sound confident in her assurance.
Shiggy appeared to seriously regard her circumstance for a moment, before he slung his hands into his hoodie pocket. He thumbed a business card, extending it for her to take. Snatching the paper, she was confused to find only a phone number.
"If you are in desperate need of some cash, I know about a job you can do."
She frowned, though the allure of making up for her failure in any way possible was becoming a more tantalizing option. In a moment of weakness, she took the bait.
"Um, what kind of job?"
"The kind that can get your parents to Hawaii."
See Author's Notes:
If you had trouble figuring out which aliens were being described... THIS SHOULD HELP!
1. Jellytronic (Ampfibian)
2. Slipstream (Fasttrack)
3. Shadeshifter (Chamalien)
4. Magnetician (Lodestar)
5. Terraquake (Armodrillo)
6. Iron Jaw (Eatle)
7. Cyclonado (Terraspin)
8. Meltdown (NRG)
9. Hijack (Jury Rigg)
10. Atlantean (Water Hazard)
