Ok, I did not proofread this, beware…
So, previous chapter, I received some very supportive reviews, thank you! You made me think that all the worry over the chapter being not good enough was for naught. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
So now, after stating that I will have more confidence in the future, I must again, add a pessimistic remark (I am a controversial human being): this chapter is not so original, I think. Be ready to see dialogue from episode three and four… But, it's ok, I guess… I mean, I think the outcome is ok…
THANK YOU, READERS!
Enjoy!
Tanaka put his hands to the sides of his mouth, forming a short of cone, and bellowed with his cracking, awfully loud voice:
"Come on, Midoriya! Show some spirit!"
Izuku looked down at the ghost. He was too far up on the tree to give up now. The boy hesitantly placed his foot on a thick branch, then grabbed a thinner one and pulled himself up with a groan. The early, light green leaves, still developing and sort of moist to the touch, brushed his freckled cheeks as he did.
"Go, go!" Tanaka shouted again and gave him the thumbs up.
Getting a cat down from a tree was something that Izuku hadn't thought that he would do many times in his life. But Tanaka hadn't been kidding when he said that he'd be on the lookout for scared felines. Over the course of the few months, the ghost had called Izuku to rescue eleven cats, to carry the shopping bags of at least seven elderly people, to find four lost wallets, to help some tourists by giving them directions, and many, many other things. He had spent almost every afternoon running around and completing those small tasks, and now he had earned a reputation among the neighbors.
'Still,' he thought, as he looked at the twelfth cat, an orange tabby kitten that hissed at him menacingly when it realized his close proximity, 'Still, this feels heroic in its own way'
"Grab it by its nape! Like cats do when they carry them!" Tanaka suggested.
With a troubled frown, Izuku observed the frizzy fur on the kitten's spine and tail, and the way its front paw wavered into the air. It wasn't going to cooperate, it seemed.
"H-Hang on… I'll get you down…" Izuku told the cat, but he said it more to motivate himself. He wasn't looking forward to the scratches.
Tanaka squinted, with a hand on his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun. His red tie was loose around his neck, and he had rolled up the black sleeves of his jacket. Ghosts couldn't feel temperature, but he was trying to match the season nonetheless.
He couldn't see what exactly was happening high up in the tree, but by the sound of it, things were not going well for Midoriya. A high-pitched, threatening meow was followed by a yelp of surprise.
Then there was the sound of wood snapping, and the green-haired teen fell with a cry.
However, minutes before his body could touch the ground, his momentum stopped. Izuku was hovering above the ground, somehow. He blinked, realizing that he was floating in mid-air, and sighed. Just like that time…
The kitten, noticing that the ground was close, gave a powerful kick with its hind legs and broke free from his hold, flinging itself away. Izuku's suspension stopped. He fell down with a grunt.
The ghost looked down at him from above, blocking the sun with his egg-shaped head. Tanaka raised an eyebrow with amusement. "I thought I told you to grab it by its nape."
Izuku groaned in response.
He had no idea why, but apparently, there was more to his quirk than he realized, just as Rin had said.
On many occasions, he had found himself strangely levitating. It always happened randomly. He had woken up that morning to brush his teeth, and still drowsy, didn't notice until his head hit the ceiling and he dropped his toothbrush in the sink. But it was not just that.
Sometimes, especially when he was stressing over his homework, the lamp on his desk would flicker to the point that it became impossible to focus. Or, the pages of his book would, as if blown by a strange breeze, would start to flip. One night, he had woken up sweat-drenched and in panic, because his blanket had started to assault him; wrapping itself around his body. Another, at class, his pencil just kept rolling off the desk. He had looked at a door once, thinking of shutting it, and as he had gotten up, it had slammed shut on its own.
Most absurd of all, he had dreamt that there would be a sale at a local market and that his mother would bring home many tomatoes and make him a salad that day. A weird dream to have, but he had ignored it, as any normal person. Then, a few days later, his mother entered the house and put down a bag of newly-bought tomatoes, announcing that she was going to make a salad. She had said it exactly in the same way as he had dreamt of it and was even wearing the same clothes. She even cut her left thumb when making the salad, just like in the dream. The sense of déjà vu had weirded him out for the whole afternoon that followed.
Izuku was worried that there really was something wrong with him. It was either his imagination or he had multiple quirks... No, it was something else…These… abilities, they were connected somehow, stemming from the same thing. But not once had he heard of such a case. And he still hadn't told his mother about most of it.
All that he had said was: "Mum, I… I think I have a quirk now."
At which she had shed tears of joy, and hugged him, and kissed his forehead. All that, after of course, making sure that Izuku was not having false hopes; she had told him to show her, and he did, by staring at his food for several minutes and gnawing at his spoon nervously, until a rectangular piece of carrot suddenly flew up and crashed on the kitchen's ceiling, staying there like a squashed bug.
Midoriya Inko had pointed at the carrot on the ceiling and expressed how proud she was of him and how much she loved him, and he had fallen into her open arms, accepting the offer for a hug as the waterworks began. They cried over that squashed vegetable together, among giggles of bliss. If anyone were to witness the scene, they wouldn't make heads and tails of it.
"Hey, kid."
Izuku blinked, leaving his thoughts behind.
"Thanks for coming all the way so early in the morning!"
The freckled teen smiled. "It-It was nothing, really."
"So… the exams are tomorrow, huh?"
Izuku nodded silently.
"Don't worry, you're gonna do just fine. You just have to have confidence!"
The idea of 'exams' was so intimidating, and exciting at the same time, that he doubted he would be able to eat a good breakfast without feeling ill afterwards.
He would be asked to show off his quirk, a quirk that he couldn't control and barely knew what it allowed him to do. Things were not looking good, but at least there was something to look at….
.
.
And then, before he knew it, tomorrow was finally there.
Izuku could not believe that, in an hour or so, he would be strolling the corridors of U.A., the top hero school, the school All Might had attended! He felt like exploding from joy just by thinking about it.
"Izuku."
"Hm?" he turned around.
She took in her son's appearance; red sneakers, school bag, the yellow cardigan she had knitted him, the curly green hair standing on his head rebelliously, the emerald eyes, anxious and watery, yet burning with determination. All ready to pursue his dream.
"You've grown so much, Izuku!"
"M-mum? Oh, no, please, don't cry!"
"My baby is doing his best!"
"M-M-Mum?"
It was too late, she had already broken into sobs. Izuku, not having anything else to do, hugged the chubby figure, digging his face into the soft, green hair and finding comfort there. He understood where all that was coming from. His mother had watched him hold onto a hope all those years and knew what this day meant to him. He had to hold back the sting that had developed in his own throat, otherwise, they would both fall into one of those sentimental moments and he would miss the train. Crying was like a contagious cold in the Midoriya household. If one Midoriya started, the other would follow.
"Ok, ok…" she blinked to clear her vision, and gave him a shaky smile. "I know you'll do your best."
"Yes!"
"…The neighbors told me about what you've been doing lately."
"W-what I-I've been doing?"
"You helped them paint the walls of their living room, or so I heard. That is some neighborhood-hero work, Izuku!"
"Yes!" he grinned, practically beaming.
"And I also heard that you caught the underwear thief!"
"Y-Yes…" he admitted with a blush of embarrassment. "But that was just an elementary student fooling around, so it was nothing dangerous, mum, I swear-"
"And you've earned a reputation as a 'cat rescuer' in the neighborhood. Little Hitomi-chan next doors was so happy when you brought back her cat!"
"I-I just happened to hear the meowing when I passed by the trashcans and-"
"Izuku!"
He flinched at the sudden serious tone.
She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. "I've never told you this… because I thought that it would hurt you. But now I know that, by not saying it at all, not even once, I hurt you more…"
"What are you talking about, mum? You've-"
"Izuku!"
"Yes!" He tensed.
"Izuku!" her features softened and a wide, toothy smile broke out. "Izuku! I think that you can become a great hero, Izuku!"
It was that simple. Just that simple. With those few words, his mother chased away the darkness that had stuck with him for all those years, ever since he was told that 'it would be better to give up'. The words had finally come, from the person dearest to him.
"Off you go then!"
He wiped the tear that had made an appearance at the corner of his eye, fixed the straps of his bag, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
'Thank you, mum…'
He stepped out in the cold, damp air. The sun had just risen. A few, kind sunrays had found their way through the scarce clouds and had fallen on his face, heating it up. A fine day indeed.
.
.
.
Izuku stopped at the entrance, staring in awe at the two small sky-scraper-like buildings that loomed above every other building in the vicinity. Every window was squeaky-clean. At ground level, white columns supported the small extension of roof, with red doors and signs telling students where to go on the walls. This was it, the porch of U.A.
Not that he hadn't seen it before, but this was a special occasion and he felt like taking that moment to appreciate its greatness more.
Soon, the concerns started to flood in, and Izuku continued to walk, with his head hung down.
"What should I do? I still don't know much about my quirk, nor how it works exactly… Staring at things sometimes makes them work, but the others are random, ghosts cannot really help with this, and besides, the others will think I'm talking to thin air…Maybe I should try the staring, I still do not know what triggers it exactly, sometimes they move in mere seconds, and at other times, they do not move at all, most of the objects were small in size too, if it is a matter of size I may be at a disadvantage, but if-"
"Out of my way, Deku."
A shiver ran through his body. Izuku spun around, already moving his arms up and down way too much. "K-K-Kach-Kachan!" he managed to stutter.
The crimson-eyed boy was also in his school uniform, but unlike Izuku, had taken measures against the seeping cold and was wearing a scarf. He glared at him with the usual frown of dislike.
"Good m-morning! L-Let's both d-do our best!" the green-haired teen offered a timid, half-baked, awkward smile.
Bakugou scoffed. "Whatever" he mumbled and strode past him without paying him any attention.
Izuku lowered his arms and sighed. He stared at the flame-boy's back. He was still afraid of him and his explosive personality, but there really wasn't any reason to be so jumpy around him anymore. The bullying had stopped, ever since that day.
Midoriya shook his head and patted his cheeks. No, this was not the time to be troubled. This was the time to concentrate. He raised his foot, ready to take a step forward. He was going to give it his be-
His feet got tangled.
'This is it…'
But it wasn't. He didn't land on the ground like an overgrown walrus.
For a moment, Izuku registered the strange lack of gravity he felt all over as a result of his own powers.
"Are you alright?"
Izuku turned. There was a girl, with shoulder-length straight hair at the color of caramel, and a pink scarf, smiling at him. She grabbed him, and, as if used to doing so, casually put him down.
"It's my quirk. Sorry for using it without asking first." She apologized with palms pressed together. "But it'd be bad luck if you fell, right?"
He remained frozen and speechless.
"Aren't you nervous?" she said and her head fell back. What a bright smile!
"E-U-Uh…" he searched desperately for anything to say, feeling his heart beat faster than ever. Was this really happening?
"Let's do our best! See ya!"
She continued to walk, leaving him behind.
Slowly, a crazy grin appeared on Izuku's face. 'I talked to a girl!'
It was amazing how much that brief encounter refilled his motivation gauge. He followed the sings with eagerness, until he made it to the room where they were about to be informed about the exams. He took his designated seat, not paying attention to the people around him, or Bakugou for that matter, who shot him a death glare when he sat down next to him.
Eventually, the room filled up with the anxious students, and a strange, ominous silence prevailed.
A man with spiky blond hair and purple sunglasses appeared on the podium. He had clothes that would suit a hard rock idol, and many accessories to go with the overall appearance. Izuku squeaked with childish wonder.
"Everybody say hey!"
But nobody replied.
'No! I want to say hey! I'm ready to say hey!' Izuku tried to send waves of positivity to the hero that did not manage to appeal to the audience.
Still, Present Mic didn't lose his forte. He described the situation to the students, throwing random rock phrases in his speech.
So… three types of robots, with three levels of difficulty. How big would they get? Would they move slowly? Would they have any weak spots?
Izuku looked down at the handout, noticing that there was another robot that the pro hero hadn't mentioned. Luckily, he didn't have to master the courage to ask, as another student, two rows in front of him, raised his hand high up in the air and brought it to the hero's attention.
"And you over there, with the curly hair!"
Izuku felt a chill run down his spine, as the tall, bespectacled boy pointed at him all of the sudden.
"You've been muttering this whole time. It's distracting! If you're here on a pleasure trip, you should leave immediately!"
Izuku put a hand over his mouth and shrunk in his seat.
"Ok, ok, examinee number 7111…" Present Mic waved at the boy to settle down and proceeded to patiently explain that the fourth one was not worth any points and that it was to be seen as an obstacle. "And now, I have a present for all of you listeners- our school's motto. The great hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said…A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes. Go beyond. Plus Ultra! Now everyone, good luck suffering!"
Go beyond. Plus Ultra.
Izuku got in fanboy mode, barely containing his happiness from radiating and annoying the other people around him that were unimpressed and rather gloomy.
After that, they were allowed some time to change into whatever comfortable clothes they had brought with them. Izuku put on his tracksuit in the privacy of a bathroom stall instead of the busy changing rooms. He couldn't change in front of others, or they'd see…
When the students were all ready to go, the personnel ushered them into buses that transported them to the exam sites.
And soon, the exams began.
.
.
.
Izuku's dark green eyes darted around. It was chaos. There were dozens of flaming wreckages blocking the path ahead. He had to scramble over chunks of metal that used to be parts of the faux villain robots. Other people rushed past him, searching for any remaining targets.
Zero points. All this time, he had not brought down a single robot.
'Don't give up! If I can just get one point…' he told himself and with greeted teeth, continued to run.
There.
A large robot appeared at the corner. It was large enough to tower over him. Even from afar, it looked intimidating enough to make his knees weak.
'Focus…Focus!'
He extended his arm and pretended that his hands were crushing the metal while staring at the robot and imagining its bulky exterior caving in.
'Focus...!'
He… he was making progress! A bump had started to form on the metal as if there was some invisible pressure there.
Then it was all over. Iida Tenya, the student that indirectly told him to shut up, flew like a bullet across the road, sending a wave of hot air at him, and kicked the faux villain with all his might. The robot broke apart from the force, and the pieces landed several feet apart. The tall boy didn't even look behind him, running off to the next target.
Izuku was left with trembling lips and on the verge of tears.
"Wh- No, this is not the time for distractions. I need to… If I could just get one point…"
The loudspeakers announced that there were only two minutes left. Only two minutes. One hundred and twenty seconds, and less, because they were ticking away…
Izuku wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
Suddenly, there was an awful sound of breaking walls, and a tremor ran through the empty buildings and streets of the exam site. What in the world was that?
Apparently, a gigantic robot, too gigantic for any puny human to take on. No way, that thing was too big, even for Kacchan.
"It's the zero points!"
"It's destroying everything!"
"This is bad!"
The examinees were running for their lives.
The robot's movements had spread clouds of dust everywhere and created more rubble. Izuku felt the earth shake violently under his shoes and lost his balance, falling harshly on the rough, cold cement. He curled into a ball and put his arms over his head to protect himself from the crowd that ran, quite literally, over him towards safety.
He needed to get out of there. Now.
But something stopped him from turning towards safety as he got back on his feet. Someone was calling for help.
Where?
He scanned the area like a hawk, searching frantically for that someone that was in distress until his eyes landed on her: the nice person! A piece of concrete, at least twice as big as her body, had trapped her legs with its weight. She had a look that meant that what she was experiencing was painful, but mostly, it showed her panic.
A shadow covered her, and she ceased struggling. Her brown eyes widened and she looked up. The giant robot was ready to squash her like an ant. Surely, the examiners would not allow it. They would stop the faux villain from doing anything to her… wouldn't they?
Izuku launched himself forward. His face had contorted. His lungs were burning from the effort, but the adrenaline made sure that he would keep going. He was seating like a pig, and some saliva had rolled down his chin, but none of that mattered. What mattered was getting there on time.
'I won't make it! I need to do something! Anything! Or else, the good person will-'
While on the run, he spread his arm forward and motioned with his hand as if he were trying to flick the image away. He imagined it clearly and wished it with all his heart, wished that the rubble would be flung away and stop causing her pain.
The chunk of concrete was there for one second, and then it wasn't. By some mysterious means, it took off and swooshed upwards at a great speed, as if All Might himself had hurled it. It went on and on, finding its way to the giant robot's head-like structure.
Upon impact, the awful sound of metal being crunched made the examinees shiver and turn around to see what was going on.
The concrete had pierced it. Through the gaping hole, one could clearly see the blue sky. Some cables hung like loose thread from a rug, shooting yellow sparks.
Two more pieces of rubble suddenly shot through the robot as well. Then three more, then four more, then five, a ruthless rain of rubble. Each dealt a formidable amount of damage to the giant, turning its thorax into Swiss cheese. Multiple explosions occurred at its sensitive spots, the sound echoing all throughout the empty city.
"H-Hey! It's going down!"
"Seriously?"
Every single person had stopped in their tracks to stare in awe as the zero points faux villain, the biggest robot they had ever seen off TV, collapsed.
Izuku's arm fell limply to his side. A wave of excruciating pain hit him. This was the worst headache he had ever experienced. It hurt so much that it made him want to fall down right then and there and go to sleep to escape it. But he couldn't, not yet.
Slowly, he staggered towards the girl that was still lying on the ground. She glanced at him, shock evident on her face.
"Are you ok?" Izuku asked and offered her a hand. "Can you stand?"
"I…I…" her eyes became watery. She tried moving her legs and found that nothing was broken. "Thank you…"
The girl grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. She was light, like a feather. Izuku was too preoccupied with the pain to process the situation; that he had, in fact, just held a girl's hand.
"You look a bit pale… Are you feeling alright?"
"Hm?" he squinted, trying to refocus on her.
She frowned with concern. "You're swaying like one of those floppy balloon-people in front of gas stations…"
"I really need to get one point…If I could get just one…" he mumbled.
With his last thought being that, Izuku blacked out. The girl gasped with surprise when he collapsed like a lifeless doll before her feet.
The loudspeakers announced that the exams were over.
She instantly felt bad for him. He had wasted all this energy for her, he had saved her, but he had not gotten a single point all this time, despite having such a powerful quirk. The desperation in his voice when he uttered 'just one point' had tied her stomach into a knot.
"Ok, good work! Good work!"
An old lady with wrinkly cheeks, short as an elementary student, made way through the crowd with her cane (a cane that looked disturbingly like a big syringe). She held a few candies in her free hand and offered them to some of the students that her experienced eye deemed tired before finally reaching the fallen boy.
"Oh, my. What seems to be the problem here?"
"He just suddenly collapsed…" the girl replied.
"Overuse… probably. He'll be fine if he gets some rest. But just for good measure…" the nurse of U.A. said and bent down. With her thick, dry lips, she kissed the top of his green hair.
The brunette didn't take her eyes off the freckled boy who had stayed behind to help her.
.
.
.
"Izuku? W-Why are you smiling at the fish?"
The chopsticks released the fish, which fell back on the plate lifelessly. Izuku looked at his mother and realized that he had messed up big time. He had seriously scared her.
"I-It's nothing. I'm fine! Just… thinking about the exams…"
She nodded in understanding, but her eyes were still wide and frightened. "The results will arrive soon… today or tomorrow…"
"Yeah…"
"Izuku, results don't mean anything about who you are. You will always be my brave little boy, your mum's hero. Don't you forget that."
Despite the gloominess, he smiled. "I can't forget, can I?"
He had barely passed the written exams. And with the big fat zero at the practical, there was absolutely no way that he had made it.
Midoriya Inko watched worriedly as her All-Might-pajama-clad son got up from the table after finishing his dinner and walked up to the couch, where he plunged in the comfort of the furniture.
"How about a movie night?" she suggested, hoping that he would agree.
There was a muffled reply, and Izuku raised his arm high to show her the thumbs up, but his face remained pressed against the pillows.
"I'll go get some popcorn then. You'll stay here, right? You'll wait for me to come home?"
Izuku finally lifted his head to look at her. It was a sincere, reassuring gaze. "Of course mum. I will be waiting." He was aware of her fear that he would do something stupid during her absence. It hurt to see her so scared, hesitating to leave her own house because of him. "I promise."
She inhaled deeply and exited the room. "I won't be gone for long"
Izuku sulkily reached for the TV controller set on the little table. He rarely watched TV, but he really felt like taking his mind off of things. But the small, rectangular device was too far away. How irritating. Maybe if he tried…
The controller suddenly rose in the air and shot forward, smacking his face. Izuku withheld a curse and rubbed his aching nose. The lamp that hung from the ceiling flickered for a second.
"IZUKU!"
He gasped and stood upright at his mother's shrill cry. She had crawled all the way from the door so as not to dirty the floor with her shoes.
"Izuku! Iz-Izuku! I-I-I-It's here!"
She held up an envelope. Izuku recognized it right away. It was here. The letter was here. It was finally time for the results. He got up from the couch and took the letter from her shaking hand. Without a word, the green-haired teen headed directly to his room and shut the door behind him. This was something he needed to do alone.
Izuku sat down in his chair and turned on the lamp of his desk. The rest of the room was dark. It was only him and the letter, with the formal, crimson seal of U.A.
He considered throwing it away for a split second, but discarded the thought. He couldn't back away from the truth. An answer had been given, and he needed to know. The boy tried to extinguish the flame of hope that burned in his subconscious. There was no way that he had made it.
'Might as well get this over with'
Izuku snatched the envelope and tore it apart. Something fell out.
"Greetings, Midoriya Izuku! I am here as a projection, as one of the designated teachers of U.A. for this year!"
All Might! This was really All Might, staring at him from the screen, that mountain of a man, with his blindingly bright smile and golden hair! The number one hero, the symbol of peace! All Might was speaking to him! And what was that that he had said? Teaching at U.A.?
Wait… was he going to be told that he had been rejected by the Hero himself? He had already been told to 'dream realistically' once. He dreaded what was to come. But still, why would All Might announce the results then? It didn't make sense…
"You did good on the written exam but got zero points at the practical. Of course, that would mean you didn't pass…"
He had known. He had known from the start. But it was so frustrating to hear it again.
The lamp on his desk inexplicably shut off, and All Might's projection flickered with uncertainty. A hum was building up.
"…if that was all there was to the exams. Look here, young Midoriya!"
…What?
He wiped away the tears from his eyes. There was a girl on the screen… the nice person! What was she doing?
"Excuse me… That person…with the curly hair? Do you know who I'm talking about? Short, with freckles…Kind of plain-looking…"
She was talking about him.
"He- He saved me! And I heard him say, 'If I could just get one point'… He was aware of the limited time, and the points he needed to get but saved me instead. I… Can I give him some of points? Please!"
The image changed again and All Might appeared.
"Your actions even spurred others into action. And it's not only that; how could we not accept someone who has the qualities of a hero, who goes over his limits for the sake of others? We had judges that were watching and assigning rescue points. That's why, Midoriya Izuku, you scored a clear sixty points! Congratulations! You pass!"
You pass, you pass, you pass…
The words went round and round, echoing over and over in his mind.
The lamp turned on with a popping sound, brighter than before. Izuku noticed that he had stopped breathing. He got up, pushing his chair backwards.
"Mum!"
The door opened immediately. The chubby green-haired woman entered with an expression of dread. They looked at each other with wide eyes and shock. Then, very slowly, Izuku's lips curled upwards, forming a smile.
"I passed!"
"Y-Y-You… You passed!" she repeated, and a grin popped on her face. "Oh, Izuku! I'm so happy for you!" she motioned for him to come closer and wrapped her arms around him.
"Mum, please don't cry again…" he joked and hugged her tightly.
"I can't help it!"
.
.
.
.
April.
The petals were everywhere; they had sneaked into the creases of his brand new school uniform, they had covered the rooftops of cars like pink snow, they had become a fuzzy carpet for streets and ponds, and were still falling like a soft, spring drizzle. The cherry blossom trees kept shedding them like cats.
He made his way through the campus, admiring everything around him like the fanboy he was. Once again he had come to the school, but this time he had the right to call himself, with pride and joy, a U.A. student.
"Wh-where was I supposed to go again?" he mumbled and looked down at the map that he had printed. He had circled the room that he needed to find with a red marker. U.A. was huge, and time would be needed to get used to it and learn every nook and cranny.
According to the map, the building that he was searching for was… Actually, where was he? He had no idea.
Izuku scratched his head. "I guess I'll have to go back to the main building and find my way from there…"
"Oh? You're from the first years, aren't you?"
He lifted his gaze from the paper. An unknown woman had approached him. She had her black hair styled partially in a loose bun, with the rest down to her shoulders and a few strands falling at the sides of her face. A cape swayed in the breeze behind her shoulders. Her outfit was that of a hero, and she was well-built, but Izuku didn't recall seeing her in any magazines or videos…
"Um…"
"What's your name?" she asked with a kind smile.
"M-Midoriya Izuku!"
"Oh, I see! You're the student that scored sixty on the entrance exams just with rescue points!"
Izuku felt like exploding from a simultaneous mix of embarrassment and pride.
"I can show you to your classroom if you want, Midoriya!"
"R-Really?"
"Sure! I've got some free time!" She ruffled his hair.
He beamed with gratitude. "Thank you very much!"
She walked with confidence, her hands resting on her hips. For every step she took, he had to take three. Izuku felt bad for not knowing the woman's name. She seemed like the kind of hero that people would notice. Maybe she was still new on the job…
"We're almost there. Better not fall behind!"
"Yes!" he picked up his pace. "Um… excuse me… I'm afraid I don't know you…"
"If you knew me without me telling you, I'd be disturbed." She laughed. It was a deep, hearty sound. "I quit fighting on the field a long time ago because of an injury, so it's not a surprise that I'm not popular. My name is Shimura Nana."
"Ah…I'm…I'm so-"
"You don't have to apologize, it's all right. I'm happy with how things are. Besides, I now have all the time in the world to watch after the students. An especially troublesome student of mine, in particular... Seriously, that kid is so reckless! Here we are, Midoriya. This is your classroom."
He stared in awe at the brown door with the number 1 and the letter A painted in red. It was way too big, like everything in the school, it seemed. This was it… Inside, he would meet his new classmates. He needed to be calm and collected and not lose the chance to make a good impression. This time, he was determined to claim a place among peers…
"You look nervous." The woman remarked.
"I am, a little…" he admitted timidly.
"You need only open the door, and everything else will flow. Squeeze your buttocks and shout this within your heart – Plus Ultra!" Shimura put her fist high up in the air.
He nodded, his eyes glinting with admiration. "Thank you, Shimura-san!"
She laughed again and patted his shoulder with her heavy hand. "No problem, Midoriya! I'll be wandering around, so don't hesitate to come to me if you have any questions."
"Yes! Thank you!" he bowed deeply.
The woman's cape disappeared at the end of the corridor. She strode fast, with the air of an experienced hero.
'She's cool…' Izuku thought and pushed the door. It glided smoothly on the floor. 'I wonder what kind of people my classmates are…'
HA! And that is all for this chapter.
I have a question for you, readers! Who do you think All Might should choose for his successor? Izuku? Todoroki? Bakugou? Someone else? Or… maybe he won't even pass his quirk on… Hmm… I didn't think of the implications before. Oh well, it's a challenge that I need to overcome.
I hope you liked it, despite it being similar to the exams episode.
Thank you very much for reading!
Until next time! PLUS ULTRA! (fun fact, I decided to set passwords for my fanfiction documents so that my nosy family wouldn't see anything if they were to accidentally stumble upon them. And, of course, what was the password? That's right… Plus ultra.)
Have a nice day! :)