Watching as the final set of potential students took their positions at the start line for the recommendation exams obstacle course Hizashi glanced down at the list of student names again just to make sure he hadn't missed something, there on the paper sat forty-three names. Every other year there had only been forty-two names broken down into seven sets of six for the relay, but this year there was an eighth group with only a single name and an attached note.
The name was one he'd come somewhat familiar with both Shota and Sekijiro grumbling about the shake-up of homeroom teacher assignments for the coming year was anything to go by, it struck him as odd that a hopeful student who hadn't even secured their entry into U.A was already causing such a drastic shake-up to a long-established status quo. It initially worried Hizashi that perhaps Nedzu had finally succumbed to being bribable to automatically pass someone, though such a thought was ridiculous once he had seen the note next to the forty-third applicant's name.
Like all his colleagues at U.A in the weeks leading up to the recommendation exams and the regular exams that would follow, they had all been briefed on a few key changes to the coming year, once they had signed a massive stack of NDAs. The first thing that shocked them all was not only the reveal of a fifth quirk type but the effects it had on the minds of those born with such a quirk, along with how destructive it truly was, it'd been a shock to know that some of the worst natural disasters since the emergence of quirks hadn't been natural but instead caused by the emergence of Kaiju quirks.
While a shock it had set up for the reveal that Monarch had made a breakthrough in helping those afflicted with a Kauji class quirk and had not only agreed to supply U.A with some additional heroes to teach heroics but bump up their budget. This had been something Hizashi along with the rest of the teachers welcomed, especially when Nedzu had mentioned that it'd allow for the heroics course to be expanded to not just cover for the 'shock and awe' quirks it. Every other heroics course in Japan seemed to favour but focus on the skills needed for underground heroics. Something that'd be of greater benefit to those students that wouldn't net enough points in the entrance exam for the heroics course but would instead qualify for general education.
The next bombshell Nedzu had dropped was a shake-up on what would be homeroom-teacher assignments, this was primarily due to one of the bigger conditions Monarch had got in exchange for what they would be providing. The automatic enrolment of a single recommended applicant. Initially, this had caused outrage among Hizashi and almost the rest of the staff, apart from his long-time best friend Aizawa, until Nedzu had produced footage from the Degobah beach incident that had occurred several months ago. It had been eye-opening to watch a girl no older than first years hold her own against some of Japan's top heroes. It was no surprise that Nedzu in his typical unsettling megalomaniacal way had eluded to using that footage as her recommendation test.
This was backed up by Shota voicing that they should use the recommendation exam to gauge her overall control and destructive capabilities instead, Hizashi saw the reasoning in this as well and wasn't surprised that Shota had suggested it. Probably as a means to see how safe it would be to allow her to train alongside the other hopefuls.
Snapping out of his thoughts Hizashi looked up from the paper looking over at the six potential students as they took their places at the starting line, while all the examinees must have held great potential to become a hero considering they were taking the recommendation exam only four of them would be granted the slots here, well four for the regular heroics track that is as much like being able to expand the number of heroics courses available they now also had two more recommendation slots open to match. These extra two slots, however, would be geared more for the applicants that didn't have flashy quirks and instead would be better suited for underground heroics, something Hizashi was sure Shota would enjoy but right now his focus was on getting the last recommended relay started.
-LINE BREAK-
Izumi rolled her shoulders as she followed behind Cementoss, having been instructed to do so by Present Mic. To say Izumi had been surprised that she had not been part of a group test like the other recommendation students, the Alpha snorted in amusement having its own idea as to why she'd been separated from the other small things. It thought the small things in charge sort to worship her like the Alpha she was, as clearly she had more strength than them. Izumi didn't agree with this idea for several reasons, the key among them being she didn't want to be worshipped at all and just wanted to become a hero to help, the Alpha thought that was one of the benefits of being a hero if the amount of hero endorsed products and brand they'd both seen was anything to go by being a hero lead to being worshipped.
Before Izumi and the Alpha could get into another internal argument over the difference between heroes being noble which often generated fans and how villains were the only ones that wanted to impose rule and worship they were brought back to focus by Cementoss coming to a stop before the large several stories tall doors of UA's training ground, Ground Beta to be specific.
"I suppose you are wondering why you have been separated from the rest of the applicants." Cementoss began as he turned to look up at the tall girl, getting a nod in response he continued, "Due to your unique quirk situation a slightly separate exam was devised to test your overall limits."
At that Izumi felt the Alpha swell in the back of her mind with a level of smugness she didn't think it could possibly have, Izumi rightly chose to ignore this and focused back on Cementoss as he began to fully explain her exam.
"While normally this is done with the regular recommended exam, the information we have on your particular quirk it was determined that exam would accurately give us any baseline reading on your limits." While his explanation so far made sense to her, Izumi and the Alpha could both feel he wasn't telling them everything.
With narrowed eyes, she focused on the Concrete hero before her. "You are not telling me everything are you." It was less a question and more a statement of fact.
Cementoss let out a small chuckle at the girl's blunt statement before nodding, "Under normal circumstances, you would be correct Midoriya-san, but we had been advised to be honest with you to avoid any misunderstandings."
Cementoss thought back to the staff meeting where Nedzu had revealed UA's increased budget from Monarch as well as the only real concession he had to make for it, mainly he was remembering how Nedzu had explained in detail how Izumi Midoriya's psychiatric assessment Monarch had carried out showed that her primal instincts still strongly resonated with the girl and would likely perceive lying and misinformation as a threat. This likely would lead to her reacting, in her own mind at least with appropriate force, but to most, it would be a violent overreaction. After the shock at hearing this and understanding, that this was likely to be a common thing with Kaiju class quirks should anymore with them be brought back to their sense like Izumi. Cementoss and all the UA staff barring Aziawa had gotten a chuckle at how Nedzu had taken some measure of glee in calmly explaining to the man that during any interaction he had with Izumi doing his normal 'logical ruse' style of teaching would likely end very poorly.
Focusing his attention back onto Izumi and away from his memories, he continued to explain, "We will be using your exam to test your overall control and limits to see the likelihood of your primal instincts taking over as well as the upper limits of your ability to fight," Pausing briefly to field any questions Izumi might have, after waiting a few moments to see if she asked any and not getting a single question he continued, "After entering you will have thirty minutes to destroy as many of the faux villain bots, the more villain bots you destroy the more challenging they will become. The test will conclude when either the thirty-minute timer is reached, you manage to destroy every faux villain bot or you are deemed no longer fit to continue. Do you understand?"
Getting a nod from Izumi in response as a small near-feral grin, appeared on her face, Cementoss nodded once as the large gates slowly slide open allowing her to enter. "The timer will begin when you encounter the first faux villain bot."
Izumi stepped into the testing ground as the door slid shut behind her, standing inside the replica city she sniffed the air taking in the scents around her. This place was stale, devoid of life and cold. It made it the perfect place for her to be tested.
As she stood there taking in the smells Izumi looked inwards to the Alpha as it prowled around her mind, reaching out to her primal side hoping it would understand they needed to work together here to show they were better than what they once had been. The Alpha reached back knowing they needed to be better than not just what they had been, but this place reminded them of the deep ocean it was quiet, something the Alpha could appreciate, so they would work with Izumi to protect this empty small thing hive.
They were broken from their internal conversation by the sound of a cluster of metallic creatures rounding a nearby corner, together both Izumi and the Alpha zeroed in on the skinny single-wheeled green robots before them, clearly a group of faux villain bots, and smiled. Cracking her knuckles Izumi threw her head back and roared. A roar that resonated deep from within, a combination her both sides of her mind. The Alpha's deep primal energy, declaring that all she perceived was her territory and should anything seek to usurp it they had better be able to back up this belief, mixed with the well of pride and heroic drive that Izumi had long buried deep within herself that was now surfacing at the chance she had here to fulfil her childhood dream.
As the roar came to an end Izumi snapped down to look at the villain bots, a wide grin spreading across her face and a dangerous glint in her eyes, These things were to be treated as villains or as the Alpha put it 'prey', so she would respond accordingly. Not giving the villain bots any time to react to spotting her Izumi charged toward them, even as they levelled their weaponised arms towards her and opened fire with a hail of non-lethal rounds her skin shrugged off each and every shot that connect as Izumi slammed into the first few villain bots with enough force to shake the surrounding buildings.
Letting her own natural drive and the Alpha's instincts gel, Izumi sort about ripping the first group of villain bots apart, only to be treated by another group. It was time to prove she deserved her chance at becoming a hero.
-LINE BREAK-
With shaky hands Mitsuki closed her apartment's front door before staggering back into the opposite wall, her nerves were in tatters as she brought shakey hands up to cover her mouth and began sliding down the wall her legs having lost all their strength, all due to what Inko had shown her.
Her boy, her well not sweet more violently angry but her baby boy regardless, had nearly cost himself not only his chance at becoming a hero but his life and possibly everyone in the prefecture as well. All because he couldn't stop and think for a single second about the consequences of his actions. Mitsuki choked back a sob that threatened to escape as her mind replayed once again what Inko had shown her, a fifth quirk that had been kept hidden from the public since the very dawn of quirks. It was a global conspiracy theory if she had ever heard one, but one that in a twisted way made sense simply due to the destructive nature of the quirk.
It put so many natural disasters into perspective that they had not been entirely natural but the result of a 'Kaiju quirk' awakening, like the Arizona earthquake one that had topper the previous highest for the area but a factor of five. The near thirteen magnitude earthquake had torn the state asunder and made international news with the staggering death toll and destruction put down to a truly earth-shattering quake. But now she knew this had been the result of a young boy's quirk manifesting putting what her son had done into stark contrast.
Katsuki had for fourteen years been unknowingly punching a ticking time bomb, one they were so lucky hadn't gone off and resulted in a staggering death toll. A bomb he had decided that upon seeing again would be a good idea to further agitate, the thought her son had through his own idiocy been a hair's breadth away from dying terrified her. Mitsuki knew his desired career path would result in him putting his life on the line but she'd made some peace with that, but her idiotic child couldn't look past his own ego and see a clear and present danger to his life right before him and that truly scared her.
"Mitsuki?" Hearing the voice of her husband broke Mituki from her spiralling thoughts, looking up she met the eyes of her husband Masaru, his face showing concern as he closed the front door behind him and knelt down to help her up, "What's wrong?"
Biting back a sob Mitsuki steadied herself and looked her husband in the eyes, using his arms to support herself, "W...We can't let Katsuki apply to UA" While shaky her voice was filled with a determination not there since she had, in their younger years, made her declaration to marry him.
"Honey, we said he could, provided that he kept up his anger management," Masaru calmly explained, thinking this was just the result of another heated argument between his wife and son, "What kind of parents would we be if we didn't follow through with our word?
"The kind that don't want their son to be killed!" Mitsuki screamed her strength returning as she kept her steely gaze fixed on her husbands eyes, "Any hero school I don't care where or how much it will cost but he cannot go to UA, not after what I have just learnt."
Seeing the panic in Mitsuki's eyes Masaru guided her into the apartment's modest kitchen and to the table guiding her into a seat before taking on himself. "What did you learn that would make UA unsafe for him?"
"The other day when Katsuki told us he had a run-in with Izumi and how she'd attacked him, well turns out he was lying about that." Mitsuki bit out noticing her husband didn't seem too surprised by the fact their son had lied about that, clearly Masaru hadn't believed him at the time. "It's how that encounter could have ended if INko's brother hadn't intervened our boy would be dead Masaru! DEAD!" Mitsuki's voice had risen to near hysterics only for Masaru to place a calming hand over hers allowing her to steady herself.
"You are going to have to explain things fully to me honey," Masaru gave her a soft reassuring smile.
Nodding once Mitsuki looked him in the eyes as no matter what she needed to have her husband not only understand but agree with her when she eventually had to break the news to Katsuki that he couldn't apply to UA for his own safety. "Izumi's quirk is so much more than he explained to us yesterday, and with how he reacted to just seeing her in the hallway it'll be even worse if they are both in the same university. I know he'll cause something to happen and I don't want my son to be killed by his own stupidity and ego."
"You are still not explaining why he cannot apply to UA, I am sure the teachers there will be able to stop such a thing from happening." Masaru sighed, wondering why his wife wasn't fully explaining her reasoning.
Mitsuki bit her bottom lip as she thought back to the NDA Inko had made her sign before she had explained anything, if she got caught telling her husband anything then the legal trouble she would find herself in was something she could not truly fathom. "Okay," She sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince Masaru otherwise. "But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else this."
"Okay, Mitsuki I promise," Masaru gave her a small smile.
"No Masaru this si serious, if you tell anyone I'll be looking at some serious prison time," Mitsuki urged hoping he'd understand and seeing the now serious look in his eyes with the accompanying small nod he did when he understood the seriousness of something she began to explain everything Inko had shown her.
The more she explained the more concerned her husband became, with slow dawning horror Masaru much like his wife realised that for his son's safety they would need to convince him to apply for a different university's heroics course.
With both elder Bakugo's on the same page, they turned to stare towards the front door as they heard to telltale sounds of their son coming in. The vitriolic cursing, blaming some 'extra' for ruining his training, loud footsteps and slamming of the door, they watched their son storm into the kitchen only to stop as he caught sight of both his parents sitting down at the table.
"Hag, Old man what the hell are you sitting there for?!" Katsuki bit out the typical anger in his voice.
"Katsuki have a seat we need to talk," Masaru replied before Mitsuki could yell at their son.
Taking a seat glaring at both his parents, a glare that only worsened as they began to talk about him applying for a different university heroics course. While their talk started off relatively civil by the standards of the Bakugo household it did not take long for it to devolve into a screaming match as so many others had.
It would honestly be a miracle if it ended how either Mitsuki or Masaru hoped it would.