Well, you can all blame a couple of my friends for this, I was "convinced" to make this an actual series.
How often will I update it? I honestly don't know. Probably just when the mood hits me.
Though considering people have been enjoying this more than one of my other fics, I may slow that one's writing down a bit.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this story! and while I'll keep the one-shot up, I don't know how real it's going to be when/if this story gets to that point.
[MHA and "He-man and the Masters of the Universe" all belong to their copyright owners, as I do not own any of them.]
Chapter 1
No Potential
Shouta Aizawa was by no means a stupid man. Sure, he made decisions that often would get called into question or be 'irrational', which was a little ironic, considering how often he had a distaste for such things.
But when Nezu had literally forced him to look over the student files this year, which was something he didn't like to do as to not form early opinions, and highly odd for the dean to make him do, considering he was often allowed to run his class his own way. For once, Aizawa was glad he did, as he had noticed a few things, especially with one of his new students.
Izuku Midoriya was an odd one, which wasn't saying much considering the way he had acted during the practical exams and now. The young man was a mess of nerves, often stuttering and anxious whenever anyone in the class addressed him, particularly the women. However, the information in the boy's profile stating that he barely had his quirk a couple of weeks before the entrance exam was undoubtedly an eye-opener, meaning that the boy had been living as a 'quirkless' person for most of his life and the survival rate amongst the younger generation that was quirkless were horrific, to say the least, and would also explain the way he was acting.
The homeless-looking teacher remembered how Midoriya had acted during the exam itself. Using the weapon currently on his back to take down the robots, though he had not racked up that high of a score, possibly due to how incredibly blunt it was. Which was shocking since it was a bloody *sword*.
It was what had happened when the Zero Pointer showed up, which had trapped one of his current students, Ochako Uraraka, under some rubble. Midoriya had first dashed into an alleyway, out of sight of his fellow entrants, but not from the cameras strewn about the battlefield, lifting up and saying something before a brilliant flash of light enveloped him and out from the other side of the alley came a literal 'barbarian' of a man, who had rushed at an extreme burst of speed and punched the incoming foot of the gigantic robot away, knocking it down to the ground. Effortlessly lifting the slab of concrete off of the woman, carefully scooping her up, and then moving her off to safety, once he made sure she was alright, Midoriya rushed back in and jumped towards the rising mechanical monster and punched its head off, before making his exit and de-powering back into the clothes he had started with, out of sight of the rest of the public eye.
Right now, however, was a completely different matter, as the green-haired student was doing the assessment tests without using his quirk. Admittedly, the scores he was getting were above average than what he saw from some of the others, but those students didn't have quirks suited to the tests, or their quirks didn't give them any physical boost.
As the machine in his hand registered the infinite score for Uraraka, Aizawa looked over toward the group of students, "Midoriya, your next!"
"Y-Yes, sir!" The young man called out, slightly jogging towards him while not noticing the worried look on Uraraka's face as he passed by her. Once he was in the middle of the circle, Aizawa leveled a stern glare at him.
"We are far enough away that the rest shouldn't hear us." Aizawa spoke in a deep whisper, catching the boy's attention, who looked at him with a tilt of his head, "But you haven't been using your quirk since the start of the tests, and while you have been performing better than most, you haven't been doing so with your full potential."
Aizawa knew he had to be careful here; while he was still technically dealing with a young adult, it was clear from the body language and the way the boy's eyes were subtly shifting about that Midoriya was terrified. While he would typically instill the fear of god into his students, Aizawa was a professional. Sometimes a more 'delicate' way would be needed.
"I know you only had the power for a short time, but to be a hero, you need to-" "I-It's because it's embarrassing." Izuku had cut off his teacher, who at this point had clenched his eyes tightly as if awaiting some sort of reprimand. But when nothing came, Izuku slowly opened his eyes to see the perplexed look coming from his teacher.
"Embarrassing?"
"W-When I change… I can't control how I look or wear, a-and while like that, I feel fine… but when I change back… gosh, it gets too much, and I worry what people will thinkofmeand-" Izuku started to ramble now, speaking so fast while Aizawa could swear he could see steam coming from atop of the boy's head. Aizawa knew where this kid would go should he pass his test.
Thank god they had Hound Dog on staff because this was clearly above his pay grade, and admittedly he knew that the canine-like hero would be better suited for this. It also dawned on him that extreme measures should be needed (and clearly they would have to be), but Midnight would be able to help with the young man's clear body and emotional confidence issues. It was evident that the student before him was wearing a gym outfit that was too large for him.
"Midoriya," The teacher's dull tone snapped him out of rambling and mild panic attack, "Will your 'embarrassment' be an excuse for someone's death?"
"Huh?"
Aizawa tossed Izuku the ball, walking away to get into his position as the young man caught it, ignoring the stare of his student, "If you don't want to use your power because you get embarrassed, you'll only get yourself or someone else killed. By all means, just throw the ball as you are, and then you can pack your bags; I don't need those with no potential in my class."
Harsh. Yes. But Shouta needed to drive the point home; sometimes, the truth was the harshest to tell. But it was better than being told a comfortable lie.
As their teacher walked away from their green-haired classmate, Mina Ashido was the first to speak up, "Hey, did anyone hear what they were talking about?"
"They were too quiet for me to hear them." The multiple-armed Mezo Shoji said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Same, though judging by that guy's reaction, it's nothing good." Kyoka Jiro said while twirling one of her ear jacks around her finger. A few of the other students agreed with her statement, given the way the green-haired young man had been so far in the tests, and it was odd that while claiming the sword he had been carrying on his back since he first entered the classroom was a part of his quirk, not once had he used it. Ochako had been silently watching the boy intently since he had moved to take his turn to throw; clearly, she was worried for him since he didn't seem to be using his quirk, but also the fact she needed to make sure that it was him that had saved her from the Zero Pointer back at the exam.
"I thought he was that other green-haired man from the entrance exam." Tenya Iida spoke up, rubbing his chin, "but perhaps I was mistaken, given that the Zero Pointer was felled with such a display of power, and it's clear that Midoriya does not seem to have it."
"Of course, fucking Deku doesn't have any power!" Bakugo Katsuki barked, having everyone turn their attention to him, "The loser is quirkless!"
"Quirkless?" Tenya had started to question, when a gasp from the invisible Toru Hagakure drew all the students' attention back to the pitching circle.
"Guys! He took out his sword!"
Rikido Sato squinted his eyes in confusion, as did a few others, "That's a weird-looking sword; why is he holding it towards the sky-"
"BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL!"
The shout from Midoriya initially caught everyone off guard before the bolt of lightning striking the sword from seemingly nowhere in the sky further shocked and confused them, enveloping the boy in the circle for but a brief moment before dissipating, revealing how the green-haired man looked now, while they could hear his now ethereal sounding voice call out, "I HAVE THE POWER!"
Everyone stood in silence as they took in the sight of Midoriya, now wearing an odd chest brace leaving nothing to the imagination for his classmates as the young man's broad and bare muscles flexed slightly, with ornate metallic bracers clung to his wrists that shone with a golden tinge. Around his waist was a belt that looked similar in design to his bracers, holding up a furry loincloth that hung loosely to give himself some modesty, though his bare muscular legs flexed while he lowered the sword down to the ground, giving it a quick flick of his wrist as if tossing off any residual energy, before stowing it back into the scabbard, then moving the ball from his left hand to his right.
"Everyone should cover their ears; this may get a little loud!" They heard the barely clothed man speak while rolling his right shoulder, letting his back muscles flex again before he moved into a throwing stance. All the other students quickly did as instructed as they watched Midoriya toss the ball with such force that it caused a harsh gust of wind to blow against them, nearly making them fall over. Of the few that stood their ground with relative ease, they watched as the ball soared high into the sky, hitting a patch of clouds before suddenly causing it to expand out into a circle.
Aizawa blinked as he moved his free arm away from his face, considering he was still so close to the teenager when he threw the ball. As the machine in his hand was trying to calculate the distance, his student's voice was heard suddenly, "Mr. Aizawa."
The tired-looking teacher stared at the defiant look from the student before him, ignoring the machine in his hand fizzling out from overheating; the silence was heavy before Midoriya broke it, "My embarrassment will never be put over someone else's life."
Everyone stood in awe as they could see the shake of their teacher's head, either in amusement or just pure exhaustion (it was hard to tell with his scarf covering the lower half of his face), when a sudden shout and explosion rocked the onlookers from behind, along with the blonde boy rocketing past, "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL, DEKU?!"
With a swift turn of his head, Aizawa had activated his erasure quirk, his eyes glowing red while he masterfully threw the ends of his scarf towards the incoming student, wrapping him up instantly and pulled to the ground with a heavy thud, "Bakugo, stand down and stop using your quirk, you're giving me dry eye."
The rest of the class was now rushing towards the three people, while Izuku blinked and gasped before smiling slightly, his much longer hair shifting slightly when he moved closer to Aizawa, "Wait, I thought I had seen you before! You're the underground hero, Eraserhead!"
The now identified pro hero huffed indignantly, grumbling about how his new 'problem child' was a fanboy as he reeled Bakugo in, who was still struggling within the capture scarf. Moving the strands under his arm, Aizawa was able to punch something on the tablet he had on with him before lightly tossing it to the young woman with an ebony ponytail, "Yaoyorozu, just press the red button in the middle of the screen to display everyone's scores. And no one is getting expelled today; it was a ruse to force you all to do your utmost best; go get changed and pick up your welcome packets on your desks."
Ignoring the betrayed looks on everyone's faces, Aizawa turned his attention to Izuku, "Midoriya, report to the teacher's lounge after you get your schedule; we need to discuss a few things."
"Y-Yes, sir."
Without another word, their homeroom teacher dragged off a still struggling and shouting Bakugo (though muffled) away. Once they saw the teacher was gone, everyone immediately went to their green-haired classmate.
A blonde teenager with a black streak in his hair gasped loudly, "Holy shit, dude! Like, what the hell?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You were totally holding out on us, man!" spoke a sharp-toothed boy with a big smile across his lips, "And you look manly as hell!"
"Can one of you please give him a jacket or something!?" Kyoka suddenly spoke up, looking away from the barely clothed man with a red tinge to her cheeks.
"Oh! No worries, my apologies." Izuku said as he took out his sword, "You all may want to step back."
Once the crowd around him did as he said, Izuku's voice echoed out to the sky with an 'I return the power!', followed by another brilliant flash of light that quickly dissipated and returned Izuku to the tracksuit that was similar to everyone else's and his slightly shorter hair. Looking towards the punk rocker, gently scratching his cheek after placing the sword back into its scabbard, "I-I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
The only response was a huff from the woman, further making Izuku's cheeks blush as the gentle clearing of a throat caught everyone's attention; Momo Yaoyorozu looked over everyone with a soft gaze, "We should all look over our scores for now; and then do as our instructor suggested. It's been a long day, and we can all rest after the mental and physical exhaustion today."
As everyone nodded their heads in agreement, Izuku was internally sighing in relief at the distraction provided by Yaoyorozu. Watching a holographic display with their scores suddenly rise from the tablet she held, Izuku's gaze shifted between the names before finally finding his.
Seventeenth.
Izku had placed seventeenth overall, and while he was a little disheartened to see himself that low, considering how much work he had put into training up his body. But, Izuku knew he was placed there because he had refused to 'use his quirk' until the end. And while the hero student knew Aizawa was going to be harsh, given his overall demeanor and attitude throughout the day, Izuku knew he was right about his hesitation to use his powers; he couldn't let his own embarrassment be a hindrance to becoming the hero he dreamed about since his childhood.
As everyone headed back towards the changing rooms, Izuku felt someone gently grab his wrist to hold him back. Quickly turning around and pulling his arm away, perhaps a little harsher than intended, a look of frighten on his face before shifting into one of confusion as he looked at the surprised face of Ochako Uraraka, "O-Oh, s-sorry about that Uraraka… you just surprised me there. H-How can I help you?"
Shaking her head slightly, she beamed a gentle smile at him, "Oh, I just wanted to thank you… you know, for saving me at the entrance exam."
"O-Oh… n-no problem…" Izuku said with his entire face going red, "I-I know you'd have done the s-same for me. L-Like you did when you stopped me from falling before the exam."
"Hehe, well, like I said then, it would have been bad luck!" Ochako smiled brightly, easing Izuku's nerves a little, "But, I have to ask, how come you didn't use your quirk during the tests?"
Izuku slowly looked away, rubbing the back of his neck, "W-Well… it's silly to say it now… but um…."
Ochako leaned in a little, raising an eyebrow as he trailed off into a whisper, "What was that?"
"A-Ah!" Izuku leaned back a little, his cheeks rosy once more, "I-I said it was embarrassing. I-I mean… when I transform, the outfit is very…a little too… um… revealing?"
Ochako blinked for a moment, silent as she took in what he said before her face suddenly went just as red as his, and Izuku could swear he heard a kettle somewhere… in the middle of the track they were standing in.
"Hey, you two!" another voice caught their attention, and both turned to see Mina waving toward them, "You going to stay out there all day?"
Ochako quickly rushed towards their classmate, saying something, though Izuku couldn't quite make out what she had said. But the rather coy little smirk coming from the other woman before she didn't help much.
With a heavy sigh, Izuku began to make his way toward the men's changing rooms, already beginning to dread what the rest of his classmates would think of him.
At least it couldn't have been worse than 'quirkless loser'?
(Later that evening)
1-A GirlRock Chat Room
AC!DQU33n logged in.
NowYouDontSeeMe logged in.
Yaoyorozu M. logged in.
NothingButTreble logged in.
Uravity logged in.
Froppy logged in.
AC!DQU33n:
Woo! Finally got this bad boy all set up!
NowYouDontSeeMe:
I'm shocked it took you this long
AC!DQU33n:
I had a few errands after classes today, needed to grab some stuff before we move into the dorms next weekend.
NowYouDontSeeMe:
True dat.
NothingButTreble:
I'm still packing here, so if I'm silent, it's because of that.
Froppy:
Cooking dinner for my siblings, kero.
NowYouDontSeeMe:
Awww, that's adorable!
AC!DQU33n:
Soooo… the first day, ladies, whatcha think?
NothingButTreble:
Do you mean besides our teacher freaking us the hell out by kicking us out of the university? Which… Can he even do that?
Uravity:
I was literally scared he would toss me out, and I'd never get enough of the tuition money to try again.
Yaoyorozu M.:
Well, I know he had explained that the university allows its teachers to teach us however they see fit, but I am currently looking over the forms and seeing if it's true.
AC!DQU33n:
As much as I would *love* to discuss the literal heart attack Aizawa gave us, I'm referring more to everyone in general!
Yaoyorozu M.:
I mean… everyone was friendly, aside from a few boys. I know I'm glad to find such friendships with you all.
AC!DQU33n:
AWWW love ya too, Yaomomo!
NowYouDontSeeMe:
Yaomomo?
Froppy:
Your name is a tongue twister at times, kero; I'm guessing she gave you the nickname to help with that.
AC!DQU33n:
Prrrreeeetty much… Why? You don't like it?
Yaoyorozu M.:
Oh goodness! I meant no disrespect, Ashido; I just never had a nickname before between friends, so I very much like it.
Yaoyorozu M. changed her nickname to 'Yaomomo'.
AC!DQU33n:
Hurray! O.k. The first thing we do is find out what else you seem to have missed out on, because that's seriously no good, and it's Mina to all of you. :)
AC!DQU33n:
Second, which guys are you talking about? Was it that short purple one and the blonde loudmouth?
Yaomomo:
Mineta and Bakugo, right? Then yes… while I can commend Bakugo for his excellent quirk use, his personality is anything to be desired.
Yaomomo:
And Mineta… honestly kept giving me the creeps; I swear he was staring at me most of the time.
NowYouDontSeeMe:
Same.
NothingButTreble:
Ugh, little creep.
Froppy:
Kero.
Uravity:
Y-Yea…
AC!DQU33n:
This just means we gotta stick together and make sure the twerp doesn't try and pull anything during or outside classes.
Yaomomo:
You'd think he would behave, considering we are in a university.
NowYouDontSeeMe:
Sadly, I doubt guys like him ever grow up.
Yaomomo:
Regardless, the only other person I initially had a minor issue with was Midoriya during the tests.
Froppy:
Oh? He didn't seem that bad, kero. Very timid most of the time.
Yaomomo:
Oh, I agree, his attitude during the tests wasn't the concern I had, but it was him not using his quirk during most of them… we were all trying our hardest, yet he seemed to be not willing to use his at all.
NothingButTreble:
Don't get me started about how he looked after he used it; the hell kind of quirk nearly strips a person naked like that?!
NowYouDontSeeMe:
I'm not complaining.
AC!DQU33n:
Nor am I. I love seeing a show.
NothingButTreble:
Ugh…
AC!DQU33n:
Oh, Pssh, you were turning red looking at him, Ms. Jiro!
NothingButTreble:
SHUT!
Uravity:
U-um… girls… I know why he didn't use his quirk during the tests.
AC!DQU33n:
Ooooh? Is that what you two were talking about when I found both of you out in the field? Or was it something else? w
Uravity:
AOKSANAIBSJ
NowYouDontSeeMe:
Oh, ignore her; we need deets, Chako! I want to know why I placed just underneath him in the standings.
Uravity:
A-Alright, he said it was because it was embarrassing… his outfit. It was embarrassing.
NowYouDontSeeMe:
…
AC!DQU33n:
…
NothingButTreble:
…
Yaomomo:
… Admittedly, it wasn't the most modest, but given how I designed my hero costume, I cannot speak for myself.
NothingButTreble:
Then if he knows it's showing too much skin, why can't he just not cover more of himself or something?
Froppy:
Kero, maybe he can't.
Froppy:
Just like I can't stop my verbal tic of ribbiting occasionally, or how Hagakure cannot turn off her invisibility, or you cannot stop hearing things you may not want to. Otherwise, it sounds like Midoriya would have already done something about it.
NothingButTreble:
… I guess… I just hope his hero costume doesn't just vanish when he transforms.
Froppy:
Honestly, I think he was worried we would call him a pervert or something, kero.
The chat room has calmed down since then, though a few messages about other things than their mysterious green-haired classmate, and while Toru was drilling Ochako about the events of the entrance exam, getting her side of the story and how Midoriya had swooped in to save her. Mina was smirking as she lay in her childhood bed, idly sending texts to Kirishima in between watching the madness happening in the girls-only chat.
The hardening hero was one of her old friends from high school. While she knew what buttons to push to tease him, she also knew how to get gossip out of him. While she was a social butterfly, she knew when to hold her tongue, especially with the little tidbit he had unknowingly given her.
Mina had asked her 'horn buddy' if he had a chance to question Midoriya about exercising, given how strong he looked after the whole 'lighting strike hitting him and turning the meek boy into a stud muffin.'
And when he told her there was virtually no difference between the before and after… All Mina could do was bite her lower lip and smile.