Boku no Hero Academia: Tales of Heroism

Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction story of Boku no Hero Academia. I own nothing of the series other than the fanfiction stories that I make.

Tale 3.2: Symbiotic Hero Izuku

It was the day of the entrance exams forthe hero course of U.A. High School. All the examinees had gathered in an auditorium where a pro-hero, a blond man with a loud voice named Present Mic, gave them an energetically loud welcome like a DJ. The pro-hero then explained the rules of the test which basically involved getting as many points as possible by defeating three types of enemy robots which had different levels of difficulty and therefore offered different amounts of points each.

The pro-hero's explanation of the rules of the test was interrupted when a black-haired boy with a pair of rectangular half-rim spectacles and a serious-looking face spoke, "Excuse me, may I ask a question? On the hand-out, there are clearly four types of villains listed! Such an error would be the height of embarrassment for a top-tier national academy of U.A.'s calibre! The reason why we are seated here today is because we seek guidance on the path to becoming model heroes!"

In a different universe, the stern-looking examinee would proceed to harshly lecture a certain boy named Midoriya Izuku for being distracting. However, since Midoriya Izuku was "not present" in the auditorium, no such thing occurred. Instead, Present Mic simply explained, "About the four types of enemies, Examinee 7111, the fourth kind of villain that you'll encounter is worth zero points. You could say that they are area traps to the avoided."

Once the bespectacled boy, who was currently known as Examinee 7111, understood why there were four types of enemies, he bowed respectfully as he spoketo Present Mic, "Thank you very much! I apologise for being rude!"

Midoriya Izuku, who was currently disguised as a boywith grey eyes andshort slimy black tendrils for hair, could not help but agree with his symbiotic partner, Yuushuna Yuuyou, when she mentally said, "That fellow's pretty intense."

Present Mic then told the examinees to get ready to go to their respective areas of the arena where they would be taking the test.

--At the arena…--

Izuku, who entered the test together with Yuuyou under the alias, "Yuuzuku", was relieved that he was not in the same arena as Katsuki. The last thing he wanted was Katsuki somehow recognising him and picking a fight with him. Even though Izuku was braver and more confident than before, he knew that he would have no chance of defeating him in a direct fight without Yuuyou's aid, the use of support equipment or forbidding the use of quirks. Izuku also knew that Katsuki had a grudge against him due to the police investigation that took place at their middle school and the fact that Izuku had somehow gotten a free pass into U.A. High School wile Katsuki barely avoided expulsion from middle school for his misdeeds as Izuku's chief tormentor for years. He was sure that Katsuki would attack him on sight if given even the smallest chance to do so in spite of the warning Katsuki had received from the principal of the high school.

Noticing Examinee 7111, Izuku made a mental note not to get in his way while they fight the robots. He had a feeling that the bespectacled boy would waste no time in lecturing him if he did something that Examinee 7111 deemed as inappropriate.

Before long, the exam began…

--Meanwhile…--

As the examinees tried their best to score as many points as possible, the teachers of U.A. High School, including All Might, were watching their performances. Afew examinees stood out from the rest such as a certain infamous blond boy with red eyes who used his explosive quirk to destroy the robots. In spite of his bad record, he was proving himself to be exceptionally skilled in taking down enemies. That said, it was apparent that he had no intention of helping anyone.

However, few of the examinees stood out as much asIzuku who was using the "tendrils" on his head in various ways including using them as whips to trip or damage the robots, encasing his arms of legs with them to boost his punching or kicking abilities, using them as lassos to drag himself to new locations or avoid incoming attacks, and even use them to pull the other examinees away from danger. All the teachers in the school knew that Izuku was a quirkless boy who was bonded to a symbiotic modified human named Yuuyou. They also knew that Izuku had grown into an admirable young man whom many of them felt was worthy of being a hero in spite of his unusual circumstances. The fact that they had personally taught and trained the boy for the past few months certainly helped to boost his tragically battered sense of self-esteem.

Speaking about poor self-esteem due to years of bullying, Eraser Headglared at Katsuki and asked, "Are we seriously going to let him enter U.A.?" In spite of Katsuki's undeniable combat prowess, his vicious personality and past misdeeds as a bully made him unfit for a hero in the hero's opinion.

"While I understand your apprehension of letting him enter U.A., we must remember that not all heroes necessarily have heroic beginnings. Not only that, but denying him the chance of proving himself to be worthy of being a hero would only drive him down to a path of villainy. That said, I will not hesitate to expel him if he proves himself to be incapable of changing for the better," replied an intelligent quirked animal of unknown species named Nedzu, the principal of U.A. High School.

"We'll need to keep an eye on him and make sure that he does not become a bad influence to the other students," said All Might. All the other teachers nodded in agreement as they knew that Katsuki must be corrected before he became a bad example of a hero or, just as bad if not worse, a bully who decided to be a villain.

Smiling in spite of the topic on Katsuki, Nedzu said, "The issue with Katsuki aside, it seems that we have gotten ourselves a lot of promising students this year." He then turned his attention to Eraser Head, who nodded in understanding before pressing a big red button, as he added, "However, the thing to really test their mettle is THIS!"

--After the button was pressed…--

Izuku, who had been staying in U.A. High School for months, already knew a thing or two about the practical part of the exams. What he did not expect was the sheer size and power of the "area trap robots". Understandably, he thought the same thing as many of the other examinees, "It'sridiculously huge!"

However, unlike the other examinees who understandably ran away from the gigantic robot, either out of fear or out of pragmatic realisation that taking it out would be pointless since it offered no points, Izuku thought differently. He recalled his days of suffering because he was a quirkless boy whom his peers deemed as useless at best. Yuuyou recalled her days of suffering as a lab subject after her parents had basically abandoned her to be rid of her. They both recalled how they wished that there was someone who would save them from their suffering before they somehow found each other. Through their shared memories, they both knew the horrors of cruelty from both villains and uncaring civilians alike. Determined to be the best they could be to protect the innocent and vanquish the wicked, they spoke in one voice, "We. Are. YUUZUKU!"

--Meanwhile…--

Examinee 7111, who was also known as Iida Tenya, was running away from the gigantic robot like the other examinees. As he was running away, he noticed that a boy with black slimy tendrils for hair who suddenly covered his whole body in the stuff to become a lean-bodied black-coloured being with white eyes and a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth. The boy's changed appearance seemed more appropriate for a villain than a hero in Iida's honest opinion.

Suddenly, the black-coloured being charged towards the giant robot. Shocked by what the boy was doing, Iida turned around and thought, "What in the world is he doing? Doesn't he know that the robot offers no points?"

Iida was not the only one to notice as other examinees started to notice the black-coloured being charging towards the robot in what seemed to be a suicidal attack. Many of them questioned the seemingly reckless boy's sanity. Only a few of them wondered if they should stop him before he got himself killed.

--Back to Yuuzuku…--

Yuuzuku wanted to take down the robot, not for petty reasons such as showing off but for the simple reason that the first step to having the courage to face great evils is to be brave enough to face difficult opponents in spite of being afraid or doubtful. After spending years cowering before their tormentors, they refused to allow fear to make them helpless ever again. As they charged towards the robot, they saw something which made them hesitate. A brown-haired girl with pink blushes on her face was pinned down by some debris which were made by the giant robot earlier.

Between taking out the robot which was merely acting as an area trap to be avoided and saving the girl, Yuuzuku quickly chose the latter and used black tendrils to drag themselves towards her. Yuuzuku then used the tendrils to clear away the debris before running off with the girl in his arms. They ignored the girl's terrified expression as they knew that they looked villainous in their current form.

Before long, the examination ended…

--After the exam ended…--

Yuuzuku reverted back to the form which they took at the start of the exams when the brown-haired girl whom they had rescued spoke to them, "Um… t-thank you for saving me back there."

In a different universe, Izuku would be reduced to a sputtering mess due to being thanked by a girl who was grateful towards them. In this universe, Izuku was confident enough to be able to talk to her in an admittedly sheepish way as he replied, "Your welcome… uh…"

Realising that the boy did not know her name, the girl introduced herself, "My name is Ochako,Uraraka Ochako. What's your name by the way?"

"You can call me Yuuzuku," replied Yuuzuku. While they would have to reveal their true identities eventually, they were advised not to do so before they officially became students of U.A. High School. Considering the fact that the people who experimented on Yuuyou were still at large, Yuuzuku easily understood the reason for doing so.

A cough caught Ochako and Yuuzuku's attention and they turned around to face a certain bespectacled boy whom Yuuzuku recognised as Examinee 7111. Looking at the boy with black tendrils for hair, the bespectacled boy asked, "Pardon me for asking but were you aware that there was someone in danger when you charged towards the giant robot just now?"

Having no reason to lie, Yuuzuku simply replied, "No, I did not. That said, I chose to save her as soon as I saw her pinned down by the rubble."

"So you didn't rush forward to save her initially, did you?" asked Examinee 7111.

"I wasn't aware that there was anyone who needed saving at the time," admitted Yuuzuku.

A tense moment passed before Examinee 7111 spoke to Yuuzuku, "While I have no right to criticise you for charging towards that robot since you found out that the girl needed saving while the rest of us simply ran away, I have to ask why you decided to take it down in the first place."

Yuuzuku wore a sad smile as they explained, "I… we were tormented for most of our lives until recently. We could do little else other than cower before our cruel tormentors who were more powerful than us. If we lacked the courage and ability to take down that robot, what chance do we have to prevent history from repeating itself when facing true evil?"

Surprised by Yuuzuku's response, and choice of pronouns, Examinee 7111 started to understand Yuuzuku's seemingly suicidal decision to take on the gigantic robot and said, "I see… Thank you for explaining." The bespectacled boy turned around and added, "I hope that we both pass and as fellow students in the hero course of this high school."

"We hope so too," replied Izuku.

Needless to say, Yuuzuku passed the examination and in fact got the highest score of 90 points for both taking out villains and rescuing various examinees including the Ochako who would be his classmate in Class 1A.

--Springtime…--

"Well, we're off," said Yuuzuku who smiled at Midoriya Inko. He was currently using his disguised form which had grey eyes and black slimy tendrils for hair.

Inko smiled lovingly at her son and adopted younger daughter who were taking their first steps into becoming brave heroes with wonderfully kind hearts. "Do your best, both of you."

Yuuyou peeked from behind Izuku's head as they both spoke in unison, "We will, Mom/Mummy."

--A short while later at the assembly hall of U.A. High School…--

Aizawa Shouta, who was also known as Eraser Head, sighed irritably as he stood before the students who filled up the hall. Under normal circumstances, he would have already taken his students to the P.E. grounds to test their potential as future heroes. However, given the special circumstances of announcing the true identity, or rather identities, of a certain duo whom he would be teaching, he was forced to attend the school ceremony like the other teachers. "Well, at least I don't have to deal with Bakugou," thought Shouta who was feeling a little sympathetic to another teacher and hero, Vlad King, who had the explosive boy as his student. He did not envy the headache the other teacher would probably get in keeping Katsuki's temper and attitude in check.

Seeing Nedzu approach the microphone, Shouta knew that he was going to spend a long time listening to the principal's unnecessarily long speech…

--One tediously long speech later…--

"... and it is with great honour and pleasure that I introduce two very special students into the hero course of U.A High School," said Nedzu.

"Huh, he actually got to the important part earlier than usual," thought Shouta.

"As you all should know by now, a group of heroes led by All Might himself attacked a hidden lab which was run by a villainous organisation many months ago. The two key witnesses of the organisation's unlawful, and utterly unethical, activities were brought to this high school for their protection." Hearing the principal's statement made Katsuki growl in displeasure as he knew that the quirked animal was talking about Izuku and his "fellow witness".

As Katsuki had predicted, Nedzu said, "What many of you may not realise is that the two witnesses are a quirkless boy and a girl who was unwillingly turned into an experimental test subject by the villains." Nedzu's statement made many of the students murmur amongst themselves as they did not expect a quirkless boy or a villain's lab experiment to become students of the hero course.

After allowing the students to murmur for a short while, Nedzu coughed into the microphone to get their attention and then continued to speak, "While I am sure that many of you have questions about the two, please ask them after I introduce them. Speaking of introductions, will Yuuzuku please come forward?"

Recognising the name, some of Yuuzuku's classmates, who included Tenya, Ochako and a slender girl with long plug-like earlobes and a keen hearing named Jirou Kyouka turned their attention towards the grey-eyed boy who smiled sheepishly at them before assuming his monstrous form and leaping onto the stage next to Nedzu. Yuuzuku then turned around to face the surprised students to reveal their true identities. The boy with grey eyes and black slimy tendrils for hair turned into a plain-looking boy with freckles on his face, messy dark-green hair and bright green eyes who was carrying a small grey-eyed girl who was composed of black tar-like slime in his arms. It goes without saying that everyone soon knew that the green-haired boy was one of the two witnesses and that the slime-girl was the other witness who was a villain's lab experiment.

Seeing Izuku's smiling face made Katsuki's blood boil with rage as he recalled how Izuku had gotten a free pass into U.A. High School and even scored the highest score of 90 points while Katsuki only got 80 points. Logically speaking, Katsuki had only himself to blame for the problems that he had suffered as a result of the investigation which took place after Izuku was sent to U.A. High School for his own protection as a witness. However, Katsuki's anger at having his dreams almost destroyed by Izuku's indirect actions made critical thinking almost impossible due to the vicious desire to hurt the green-haired boy. Katsuki's rage was not unnoticed by many of the students or teachers who were eyeing him warily or fearfully.

Izuku also noticed Katsuki's rage and decided to address to him first, "Before I say anything, let me just ask one of you one question." Looking at Katsuki, Izuku took a deep breath to steady his nerves before he asked with a serious expression on his face, "What do you want to know, Bakugou Katsuki?"

"What do I want to know? What do I want to KNOW?!" Katsuki yelled with a hateful glare on his face as he tried to make Izuku spontaneously explode by just glaring at him as he continued yelling, "I want to know WHY THE FUCK did U.A. allow a QUIRKLESS loser like you to be here!" Katsuki then pointed at the slime-girl and yelled, "And don't think I don't know that your SLIME-BITCH is the only reason you got into U.A in the fucking first place!"

Izuku glared angrily at Katsuki's insult towards Yuuyou and said, "And what makes you, the boy who basically bullied me for years for being quirkless, any more worthy of being a hero than I… no… we are?"

Taken aback by Izuku's response, Katsuki quickly regained his composure and yelled, "And what makes YOU the best partner for that slime-bitch?!"

A tense moment of silence passed between the two boys before Izuku finally answered, "Does the fact that she was abandoned by her own parents because they thought she was quirkless sound like a good enough excuse to you?" Of all the responses Katsuki had expected, he did not expect Izuku's given response as the green-haired boy continued to speak, "Has it ever occurred to you that the reason why this girl in my arms chose me as her host was because I was arguably the very first person to have ever shown her genuine kindness?" Izuku then snorted in derisive anger and shook his head in disappointment before adding, "No, of course you wouldn't think that way. Unless I'm mistaken, you only thought that just about ANYONE else would make a better partner for her than me just because, unlike me, they have a quirk."

Realising that he was actually losing an argument against Izuku who had a far greater moral high ground than what his pride and resentment had allowed him to imagine, Katsuki was torn between wanting to either yell back at him or simply attack him. Since attacking Izuku would result in his immediate expulsion, Katsuki had to resort to using words as he glared at the green-haired boy and yelled, "Do you even know what kind of shit I had to go through because you told All Might your fucking sob-story?!"

"Do you even know how much your bullying hurt me, or should I tell everyone here what you "advised" me to do to get myself a quirk?"

Suddenly remembering his last "words of advice" to Izuku, Katsuki froze in terror at what the revelation of that truth to the entire school would do to him. Sweating in fear, Katsuki said, "Y-you fucking wouldn't…"

"I would, if you plan to continue insulting her… insulting us," said Izuku who patted Yuuyou's head and added, "And her name is Yuushuna Yuuyou." After Izuku revealed the slime-girl's name, a certain well-endowed student with a long black ponytail named Yaoyorozu Momo almost gasped as she recalled a certain upper-class couple who was imprisoned months ago due to abusing and neglecting their own daughter.

Trapped between a rock and a VERY hard place, Katsuki suddenly noticed the gaze of everyone around him, none of which were friendly or even sympathetic. If anything, many of them looked like they were ready to throw him out of the school, especially his own classmates from Class 1B. Unable to take the disdainful looks in their eyes, which reminded him of his last few months in middle school, Katsuki suddenly bolted and ran out of the hall while yelling obscenities at the same time.

Shouta was about to restrain Katsuki when Nedzu raised his paw to stop him and said, "Let him go. He needs time to think over his past actions. As long as he does not leave the school compound, or destroy anything for that matter, we should leave him alone."

Yagi, who was currently in his skeletal form and had overheard Nedzu's reasoning, stood up and said, "That may be true, but I think I should go and keep an eye on him. He may be at fault but that does not mean that he should be forsaken completely." Nedzu nodded in understanding and allowed the skeletal blond man to leave and find the explosive teen and hopefully talk some sense into him. Izuku looked at Yagi who was leaving the school hall and could only hope that he would be able to help Katsuki become a better person somehow. Having known Katsuki for years, Izuku was not sure if even All Might himself could convince the boy to change.

Putting the sad line of thought out of his mind, Izuku turned his attention to the assembled students before him and sheepishly asked, "So, does anyone here have any questions about us?"

The first person to raise her hand to ask was a certain blue-haired second-year student named Hadou Nejire who proceeded to ask him a dozen questions in rapid succession…

--Meanwhile…--

Katsuki was fighting back tears as he punched a tree with his bare hands with enough force to tear the skin on his knuckles. What had happened back in the hall was not what he had expected or wanted to happen. He wanted Izuku to be put back in his place like the useless, quirkless loser he was. Instead, it seemed that everyone in the hall was prepared to Katsuki himself into whatever place they had deemed as fitting for him. He just could not understand why that was the case. It was not as though Izuku had suddenly gained a ridiculously powerful quirk or that Katsuki was at the bottom of the school's pecking order.

"Just… fucking… WHY?!" yelled Katsuki as he accidentally fractured the knuckles on his right hand by punching the tree too hard. Biting back a howl or pain, Katsuki felt alone and isolated in a world which he realised did not welcome him for some reason which he could not understand. Given the fact that he was deemed as a golden child by his peers and teachers from the time he was in kindergarten up until the day Izuku was sent to U.A. High School for his own protection, it was tragically easy to see why Katsuki failed to realise his own failings in spite of being smarter than what his usual attitude indicated.

Katsuki was close to sobbing when a calm voice suddenly said, "To answer that question, you should ask yourself what makes a hero different from a villain."

Shocked by the unexpected statement, Katsuki turned around to see a skeletal blond man with blue eyes looking at him with pitying eyes. Infuriated by the man's gaze, as he hated being pitied as much as he hated being looked down upon, Katsuki growled, "And why the fuck should I myself ask that question?"

"Because the last time I checked, a true hero is a person who helps others to rise up, not step on the downtrodden," replied the blond man who then added, "For example, when was the last time All Might used his quirk or position as the 'Symbol of Peace' to attack a weaker person just because the person wanted to be his rival or successor as the next No.1 hero?"

Katsuki froze at the man's simple question and knew that the answer would be simply, "No." As powerful as All Might was, he had never attacked anyone who did not deserve to get beaten up, mainly villains and criminals.

Seemingly satisfied by the boy's reaction, the bond man continued to speak, "If you truly wish to be the next No.1 hero, you should learn to be a true hero first, and have Recovery Girl check your hands, Bakugou-shounen." The skeletal blond man turned around and left, leaving Katsuki alone with his thoughts…

--Later that day…--

Both Izuku and Yuuyou sighed in unison as they sat on their shared seat. While they were relieved to know that many of the other students of U.A. High School did not seem to share Katsuki's beliefs when it came to quirkless individuals, they were not so naive as to believe that none of them would agree with the boy who had bullied Izuku for years. After all no one other than his mother and Katsuki's parents had actually tried to stop the bullying Izuku had to endure from the time he was still in kindergarten.

Still, it was nice to know that many of their classmates, including Ochako, Tenya, Momo, Jirou, a frog-like girl named Asui Tsuyu, a boy with a bird's head named Tokoyami Fumikage, a manliness-obsessed redhead named Kirishima Eijirou and a pink-skinned girl named Ashido Mina had taken a liking to them. Apparently, they believed that being quirkless mattered less than the fact that Izuku had basically saved Yuuyou from her tragic fate as an abused child who had never known real love. While they appreciated the thought, they were admittedly a little nervous around them as they were still not used to being the centre of positive attention, especially from teenagers. It certainly did not help that the girls found Yuuyou adorable especially when she shyly tried to avoid their gaze by burying her face into Izuku's chest. Izuku was also aware that at least four boys, a short boy with purple balls in place of hair named Mineta Minoru, a plain-looking boy with cylindrical elbows named Sero Hanta, a blond boy with a black lightning-shaped streak named Kaminari Denki and a brown-haired boy with oval-shaped eyes named Tsuburaba Kosei were glaring at him out of jealousy towards Izuku's apparent popularity with the ladies.

Little did any of the students of Class 1A realise of the trials that they would face in the near future.

"-but that is a story for another time…"

---End Chapter--

Author's Notes:

For a reference of how Yuuzuku (Yuuyou and Izuku) looks like while fully transformed, imagine a smaller and leaner version of Venom from the 2018 Venome movie.

Katsuki's in for a tough time in U.A. High School. Whether or not he can rise above the consequences of his past actions is which something only time can tell.

Yes, I placed Tsuburaba Kosei in the class in places of Katsuki. To be perfectly honest, I almost forgot about Katsuki's replacement and decided to use Kosei as a last-minute character insert/edit. (Sheepish grin)

While Izuku is Yuuyou's main host, other characters can use her. However, a strong mental link is needed for both Yuuyou and the host to be able to act as one which means that not everyone can use her to her full potential.

Yuuyou does have weaknesses which include freezing cold, burning heat and high-frequency sounds. She also uses up biomass when using many of her abilities so she needs consume a lost of biomass to remain healthy. This usually involves her host eating a lot of food but she can cannibalise her own host or an opponent if needed.

Yuuyou's abilities include slime-tendrils, hardened spikes, blades and clubs made of slime, tough and/or sticky webbing made of slime, enhanced senses and physical abilities, enhanced regeneration, limited shape-shifting and contact-telepathy.

Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!