"Son, there's nothing I can do but apologize. If it was not for me, maybe you would be born with a Quirk. You could become the hero you always wanted to be. Instead, you, just like me, are quirkless…But, even we have a place in society. We still can help people. If you still wish to do it, then show me the resolve. Show me the spirit. If you follow my steps, then…you will have the opportunity to help people around you."
Part I: An Enforcer
Status: 0%
Ten months before UA.
Musutafu Police station, 8:42 PM.
Senior Officer Inaya sighed wearily again. He truly loved his job, but even then he did not feel much enthusiasm to stay after his working hours. Despite how much he wanted to go home to his wife, he kept going to the interrogation room. He had to. Filled with determination, Inaya reminded himself that he had chosen this job himself. This kind of thing happens in police work, and there's nothing you can do about it.
According to the report he read on the way, the case here is really interesting, even a little frightening. A hero named Eraserhead caught a teenage vigilante. In itself, there is nothing interesting about capturing one. The police constantly has to catch copycat heroes who for some reason could not get into hero schools. Such is the reality of a world in which heroes dominate in media. In this case, however, the circumstances are a bit more unusual. The vigilante is quirkless. Many junior officers forget most of the theory, which, as they thought, would not be useful to them anywhere other than the exam, and calling the chief for every other case is counter-productive.
That is why the senior officer Inaya is now in front of the door to the interrogation room after his working hours.
Making a serious face, he entered.
To his left, leaning on a one-way mirror with his arms crossed, stood Aizawa Shota, aka Eraserhead. Inaya honestly did not understand how a person with such powers was allowed to do simple patrols. If he were the head of the Hero Public Safety Commission, he would definitely keep such heroes closer, using them only in special cases. The guy definitely needs a rest. And what's the point of erasing quirks with your own eyes if you can barely keep them open? Nodding to the senior officer, Aizawa turned his attention back to the teenage vigilante. Glancing at him, Inaya took a seat on the chair in front of the boy.
True, his description in the report, the young man looked no older than 16. Green hair, green big eyes, freckles, average height, lithe and muscular body. To Inaya's curiosity, he looked pretty calm.
"Izuku Midoriya?"
The boy nodded.
"It is said here that you are quirkless. Is that true?"
The boy simply nodded again.
Carefully watching the emotions on the boy's face, Inaya was a little surprised by lack of any reaction from the boy about his quirkless status. It's no secret that it's hard for people without superpowers in this supernatural society. The number of suicides among people without quirks is higher than ever, and despite the government's position, the real situation of such people is difficult. Pointing out to a person that they are quirkless is like telling a person that they are not a complete person. As if he is inferior. So why exactly there's no reaction? And it's one thing if an older person wouldn't react to it. Those people grew up at a time when heroes were still technically outside the law, and being without a quirk was not such a "sin". But when a child, that most likely has lived all his life in a society where heroes dominate the media, does not react to this - it is quite strange.
But not as strange as the circumstances of the boy's capture.
"I'm Officer Inaya. You see, young Midoriya, I consider myself an objective person. And to be objective and give the interns behind the mirror an example of how to conduct an interrogation, I will take an interest in your side of the story..."
"...So please tell me why did you, using an illegal weaponry - a sniper rifle - to be accurate, shoot Bakugou Katsuki and Sludge villain during the assault incident? In addition to this, using some kind of unmarked explosive ammunition. We are lucky that this did not lead to serious injuries, otherwise you have already been tried right now, and not interrogated here." After that, Inaya put the report on the table and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Because he needed help" Midoriya said, eliciting puzzled looks from Aizawa and Inaya. Midoriya continued "First of all, Officer, you said that the absence of injuries is luck. That's not true. The absence of any injuries is a direct result of my intervention. Katsuki Bakugou is my classmate. Thanks to this, I know that his quirk is an Explosion."
Izuku stood in front a crying boy, reading his fists.
"Enough, Kacchan! Don't you see it hurts him?! Stop it"
Young Katsuki bumped his palm, creating a small explosion. His smile became more strained, there was a noticeable scowl in it.
"Think you can play a hero, Deku?"
"This means that in addition to the strength of his body, Bakugou Katsuki is especially resistant against explosive force. At the same time, Sludge Villain is mostly made of viscous liquid with the exception of teeth and eyes."
The villain, trying to launch a surprise attack on Izuku, did not take into account several things. The first is that the boy somehow heard him coming out of the sewer. Second – the boy had a firearm. Third – he did not hesitate to use it. Mutation quirks like this one were noted to have a duller sense of touch to compensate the ability to fully control the shape of their bodies. Thus, Izuku quickly noted the bullets did nothing but angered the villain. However, the duller sense of touch comes back to bite their ass. Because their weak points hurt much more in comparison. Izuku fired another bullet, which, most likely, saved his life.
"Aargh! My eye! You…you little piece of shit!" Having received a bullet in the eye, the villain started thrashing around. Izuku took advantage of the moment to distance himself from the villain and grabbed an installable module for his pistol from his inner pocket. With it, he shot the villain again, this time aiming at his teeth. After doing that Izuku ran.
It will be some time before the villain notices a tracking beacon on him. And even then, Izuku will know the general location of the villain.
"I will find you, you fucking piece of shit!" Midoriya heard from behind.
"Secondly," Continued Midoriya "None of the heroes who arrived, except Mt. Lady, had enough power to neutralize the villain, and even then she could not get to Katsuki."
Now fully prepared, Izuku ran to the location that his tracking device was showing. Unfortunately, it seemed that the villain was attacking again, judging by the fire he could see in the villain's general location. With all the buildings around, using a sniper rifle on the ground would be akin to turning into a lighthouse. Not only will he have to be in close proximity to many professional heroes, but the sound will be heard too easily. So instead, Izuku saw only one option – get to a high building to shoot from the roof. With no options left, Izuku quickly used his grappling hook, and, with the help of cylinder with compressed gas, quickly reached the roof. Using the scope, Midoriya started to assess the current situation.
"Thirdly, this villain can gather back, which means that even an explosion will not harm him, although it will temporarily neutralize him. If at least one of these requirements was not met, then I would not have fired."
Inaya rubbed his eyes, but has put the notes nonetheless. The information provided by the young man is still good for him, but still does not release him from the consequences. Even if the intentions are pure, the use of weapons even during superpowers era is very strictly regulated. Speaking of weapons…
"Tell me about your weapon. It lacks the manufacturer's brand and serial number, and the model is not similar to the others in the database."
Izuku replied without hesitation "I made it myself. It was...a long project. Took a few years."
Inaya raised his eyebrows and paused for a moment. This could be true. These times people, even as young as the boy in front of him, do a lot of more than weaponry. They do need to train to take the exams for Support Courses, after all.
Izuku held his breath, taking aim. An explosive bullet is heavier than a conventional one, so changes in the air in the fire area should not significantly change its trajectory. The target is big, and Katsuki resisted fiercely enough that there was still enough distance between him and the villain.
Izuku pulled the trigger.
The bullet flew a distance of 300 meters, got inside the body of Sludge Villain, and, after a couple of moments, exploded. Katsuki flew out of the Sludge Villain's grip, which broke into pieces. Katsuki, on the other hand, did not even have his school uniform burnt from the explosion.
Izuku quickly packed his rifle back into his briefcase. He has done enough. The heroes should be able to start working from there. Even they sometimes need help, after all. Everything worked out as planned.
However, fate decided otherwise .
"Stop right there!"
Midoriya quickly pulled out his pistol and pointed it towards the newcomer. However, when he saw that this person was a hero, he quickly changed his mind and began to retreat.
Inaya decided that the moment had come when he should stop being surprised. Apparently, the boy really had good intentions. However, the road to hell is made from good intentions. If paraphrased correctly, it will be possible to reduce his term as much as possible. However, Inaya still had doubts is he should use such a loophope. The prison time for using unmarked weapons and ammunition guaranteed him a place in prison. At least he was smart enough not to attack a hero.
"It seems you are quite confident when it comes to shooting from big distances. You don't seem worried that you could hit Bakugou Katsuki. Were you trained?"
"Yes. I was trained to shoot since I could hold a toy gun"
"By whom?"
Izuku's gaze turned to his knees for a moment. "By my father."
Inaya picked up the file again and ran his eyes over it. Midoriya's father died 5 years ago, but no more information is indicated here.
The senior officer turned to Aizawa, but the man only shrugged in respone.
I don't know
"He did not talk about his job, but he was part of a military organization. So I consider him to be a knowledgeable on the subject."
Inaya made another note.
"Okay, this will be enough for now." Inaya stood up. "Eraserhead, thank you for the report, but now he is our responsibility". They both turned to leave.
"Hn. Make sure he gets the point. We are spending way too much time on vigilantes as it is."
Glancing at Izuku once more, Inaya closed the door to the interrogation room.
"We are spending this much time on vigilantes because a lot of them have mitigating circumstances. We must inspect every case thoroughly to impose the most justified punishment." Inaya continued.
*Sigh* "I guess you are right. Still, vigilantes are becoming quite a problem. We are in different times now. Hero schools are there for a reason. When uneducated amateurs start deciding the fate of other people things can escalate rather quickly."
"Indeed."
They faced each other for a moment.
"Be safe, Eraserhead" Inaya nodded at the hero.
"Same to you" answered Aizawa in kind.
As the pro hero left, Inaya turned to the interns that were spectating the whole interrogation and were filled with mixed feeling.
"Sir, may I" One of the interns raised his hand. "This case is definitely not easy, and a lot depends on the sentencing. If possible, this can be presented as an incorrect use of a support item, which can even reduce the punishment to a fine. You, as the head of the investigation in this matter after the departure of a professional hero, what are you guided by when solving such issues?"
"Well, we definitely don't have a villain here. However, we need to determine the motives and his mental state. Fill in the gaps in those things that you think need to be considered."
"The only thing that caused any reaction in him was his father. It is necessary to look for this in database. Maybe there will be something." Thought the Senior Officer.
"Somebody else-" Inaya was interrupted by two people in business suits who unceremoniously entered the room.
"Officer Inaya? I am representative Suzuya of Hero Public Safety Commission. We received the message about your newest captive. We are here to take this case to HPSC. Your chef has already been informed".
"Eh-wait. What?" He didn't remember any situations like this, so naturally he was confused. His question was interrupted with his cellphone ringing. It was from the chef of the station.
"Sir, it's…From higher-ups? I-uh…I understand. Yes, I'll do the documentation…Uh-huh. Yes. Thank you. Have a good night, sir" When Inaya returned his attention to his surroundings, the two men were already in the interrogation room.
"Izuku Midoriya. 14 years old, quirkless. Attend Aldera Juniour High. Son of Inko Midoriya and late Hishashi Midoriya. Captured for vigilance today for using a weapon on a villain. Am I correct?"
Izuku blinked a few times, not expecting to do the same thing again. And those people looked much more serious than the officer.
"Yes. You are correct."
The men looked at each other. The person that named himself Suzuya a bit earlier said to his colleague. "Take care of the confiscated weapons. I'll finish here"
Izuku felt sweat rolling on his head. What did he mean by finish?
As the second guy left, Suzuya turned to Izuku with a smile on his face.
"So, Izuku Midoriya, what do you think about becoming an operative of Hero Public Safety Commission?"
Eariler that day
HPSC Headquartes, 7:40 PM.
"Ms. President, Midoriya Izuku was captured by the police!"
Middle-aged woman, the current president of HPSC, with stoic expression turned her attention to the newcomer.
The woman furrowed her brows, and in a few moments her eyes cleared.
"Ah, this boy. Send someone after him. And make sure to notify the enforcer branch next time, not me. This is their resposibility"
"Y-yes, sorry, I was send to you-"
"Go." The president interrupted.
The girl ran away to find someone who can go and talk to the boy. As she did so, Ms. President stood up from her chair and turned to the large window in her room.
"So, Hishashi's son finally decided to show himself?"
Her lips formed a soft smile.
"I hope you nurtured him well. After all, with right treatment…"
Keigo Takami, or more commonly known as Hawks, flew past her window.
"Children can make for the best soldiers."
Musutafu residential disctrict, 9:31 PM.
A black car stopped in front of a large, two-story house.
"Kurihara, wait here." representative Suzuya said, reaching for the door handle.
"This is your car. Where do you think I would go?"
Midoriya, still wearing his gear, got out of the passenger seat, along with the now named HPSC employee Suzuya, who immediately headed to the trunk of the car. Taking the case with the soon-to-be-enforcer's weapon, he, along with Izuku, went to the house.
Before they managed to close the entrance door a pair of gentle arms wrapped around Izuku. Inko, the mother of young Midoria, was worried to put it mildly and had every right to be. Coming out of the embrace, she began to examine the condition of her son.
"Izuku! Why have you been gone for so long?! You ran inside, didn't explain anything, took your..." her gaze went to Suzuya, who was still standing in the aisle. "Uh...backpack, and ran out! Where have you been? I was worried and-"
"Mom. Everything is fine." Izuku smiled at his mother antics "I'm sorry it took so long. In short..." Izuku turned away. "...I was caught. And-"
"What? Izuku, I told you to stop doing this!"
"Mom, no, wait-"
"It's illegal! Just because your father did something like that doesn't mean you can do it. Times are completely different!"
"Mom-"
"Do you have any idea how much I've turned gray during these couple of outings of yours? Do you even think about how I feel about it""
"MOM! They want to take me in!"
"Eh?"
Inko's fiery speech was suspended by this sudden statement.
"The HPSC. Right after the police interrogation, I was picked up and taken here. So that's all right. In the end, I'm here, I'm all right and there are officially no crimes behind me."
Inko couldn't restrain herself and hugged her son again, tears began to appear in her eyes.
"Do you even realize how close you were to putting an end to your whole future, Izuku?.."
"…"
*Cough*
The focus shifted to Suzuya.
"That…might not be entirely true, mrs. Midoriya."
Completely calmed down, Inko's face took on a serious look. She was Hisashi Midoriya's wife, so she easily noticed moments when a conversation could take a much more complicated turn. She was a steadfast woman in her own way. It just so happened that her son was her only weakness.
"Please, come in. Let's not discuss this in the hallway. Tea?" Suggested Inko, going inside the house.
"Yes, please."
Inko, Suzuya and Izuku, who had changed into his home clothes, sat down at the dining table of a well-furnished kitchen.
"You said that your appearance is not accidental. Do I understand correctly that my son was being followed? Either that, or you for one reason on another were keeping track of him"
Izuku's face, however, did not show any surprise.
''Just like he said. All I needed was to show myself, and they will seek to recruit me. Didn't know it was HPSC of all things., though"
"That's right, although I would say it differently." Suzuya looked grim "I can't explain all the details, but in short, young Midoriya is one of the special potential candidates to join the ranks of the enforcer branch of our Commission. We did not arrange any surveillance for him as such, but we had a description of his appearance and his equipment in our data. It also includes location marks created using facial recognition technology on street cameras. We kept our finger on the pulse and waited for the moment when young Midoriya would show himself in one way of another."
"Quite interesting list of candidates you have!" Exclaimed worried mother "Izuku's still young! He's not even 15!"
"I'm sorry for the frankness, but he is a bit older than we wanted."
"Explain." That drew a quizzical look from Inko
"I'm sorry, I've already said more than I should" was immediate answer.
*Sigh*. This was too much and too unexpected. Still, not the first time such a thing happens in her life.
"Then at least explain to me how my son ended up among your... candidates""
"Hisashi Midoriya placed him there about 8 years ago"
"…I should've expected that"
"Wait" Midoriya drew attention to himself, "How is my father connected with this?"
"Mentioning an organisation is one thing...being directly involved is another"
"You didn't tell him, did you?" inquired Suzuya
Inko turned away from them.
"Kids that age shouldn't think about it, in my opinion. And, after Hisashi's death…I didn't want him to have any part in that organization."
"What? What didn't you tell me, Mom?"
"Mrs. Midoriya, may I?" The answer came in a single nod.
"Izuku" Suzuya turned to Midoriya "Your father was the leader of HPSC enforcers. For a brief time, yes, but it doesn't change the fact. His ties to many heroes of that time as well as his vast knowledge in combat and tactics against enemies with quirks granted him the position, despite being quirkless. Add to this his participation in almost every major operation in the last 20 years. He stepped down from his position in a few months, though."
"…"
Izuku was speechless. His father held such a high position, and he didn't even know about it! However, now everything has started to fall into place. How his father offered to train and learn how to fight, so that one day Izuku I could follow in his footsteps. To ensure this, he used his opportunities at HPSC to help secure his entry into the organization. For this, he trained for about 10 years of his life.
"Initially, you were placed on the standard list of candidates. However, after the death of Hizashi Midoriya, the management decided to move you to the list of special candidates. The reason for this is that it was your father who trained you. After so many years, it is considered you are perfectly tuned for the military and law enforcement. We expect a giant and fast growth of your capabilities on the field."
Midoriya gathered his spirits.
"Thank you for this information, Mr. Suzuya. However, I have already given my consent. My father, even with a gun in his hands, helped people in his own way. At least, that's what I think. This is... different from directly helping people in need. However, directing heroes and running huge underground operations is still a big help to general people, in my opinion. *Sigh* I... I'll be honest. The fact that my father was such a big man surprises and scares me. Now I'm not sure how much I knew about him. However, thanks to the time I spent with him, I'm sure he really believed he was helping people. And I will follow his example. I'm sorry, Mom... I've been going to this point for so long that I can't back down now."
Inko's eyes filled with tears, but nevertheless, she nodded in understanding. She has already lost one close person in this organization. Now the last of them is trying to risk himself. Izuku got up from the table and hugged his mother.
"I've been coming to this for many years. I can't back down now..." He repeated, and then bent down and wiped her tears.
Sweat, tears, blood, time and social life - all this was given for this moment.
Izuku broke the embrace and turned to Suzuya.
"What do we do next?"
"Tomorrow they will send for you - most likely me again – you will pass a couple of tests and depending on the results you will be distributed, or you will return home. Although, considering what I've learned about you in the last 24 hours, it gives me a pretty good guess where you'll end up." A smirk appeared on Suzuya's face.
"Quirk analysis, movement through terrain, considering how long it took for Eraserhead to catch him, tutelage from Hishashi Midoriya and long-rage weaponry. Yep, definitely that "squad", heh"
Midoriya nodded, trying not to think about what was so funny about his possible distribution.
"Well, what time will it be? It would be nice to combine this with school"
"Early in the morning, around 7 a.m. The school will have to wait one day. If they take you, which I have no doubt, then you can forget about about it. The rest of the lessons in some of the subjects, as well as in new ones, will take place on Saturday and Sunday at our headquarters."
Headquarters. Sounds strong.
"Good. Anything else I need to know, Mr. Suzuya?"
"Not at the moment. Do you have any questions?" Izuku shook his head "Good. Then I should leave you, or my colleague Kurihara will leave without me. Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Midoriya. Have a good evening."
Inko nodded absently-mindedly.
"I'll walk you out," Izuku said.
As the representative left, younger Midoriya found his mother waiting for him in the kitchen. She turned to him, barely holding herself
"Izuku. I do not support this decision. I think you're still too young to fully understand what you want in life. You're putting your whole life on the line. I'm afraid that you will be disappointed in this job, while losing your way back."
"I understand your worries. But you have to understand, Mom. The first thing my father brought up in me is..."
"Show me the resolve, come on! One more push-up! And one more!"
"Another lap. This one is really the last one. Come on! Don't fall behind dad!"
"You can't just shoot the center on your first attempt, Izuku. This needs practice. A lot of practice. And to practice and keep practicing you need…"
"Determination. Durability. Resolve. I've always wanted to help people. To be closer to the heroes, since I could not become one myself. This is my best chance at the moment. And I won't miss it."
Inko nodded again.
"I understand. Have a good night, Izuku"
And for the first time in years, she cried herself to sleep.
Outside the Midoriya residence, 7:30 AM.
"And here we meet again," smiled Suzuya, this time alone in his car. While Izuku was getting into the car, he decided to start a dialogue" "You know, sometimes it's scary to own a car! No matter how many degrees you have, if you have a car, then you can very easily turn out to be a delivery-boy. Just like I am now"
"Sorry to hear that, Mr. Suzuya."
"…"
After a couple of minutes of driving in silence, Suzuya spoke again.
"You're not a very talkative guy, are you?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Suzuya. Apart from my mother, I have quite little experience in communication. It depends on how much I can add to the talk"
"You could ask me what tests you will take, to begin with."
"Would you answer?"
"Heh. Partially"
"What tests will be conducted, Mr. Suzuya?"
"There will be a medical examination first... and then we will see how it goes. Can't have you fully prepared"
"Thank you for the information, Mr. Suzuya"
"You're welcome"
A couple more minutes of silence pass.
"...Mr. Suzuya," Midoriya suddenly began
"Hmm?"
"Will you tell me about your quirk?"
"I wish there was be something to tell."
"What do you mean? Are you also a quirkless?"
"No, no. I have a quirk. But it's not at the level of heroes, and it's not that interesting."
"Well…if you don't want to."
"...I have complete control over my voice. I can change it, make it louder, quieter, and changes tones"
"Do you have a volume limit?"
"Of course" Suzuya pointed to his ear "If I speak too loudly, I can lose my hearing. And using it in some kind of battle in the city will easily lead to injuries among ordinary people. Therefore, with bitterness in my heart, I forgot about the life of the hero. I decided to pick up something where the voice can have a good impact. I graduated from the PR faculty in the hope that I will conduct press conferences at HPSC using public speaking. And then I was gifted with a car, thanks to which I am taking the role of a delivery man."
"I could become an idol, damn it. Of all places...PR" whispered Suzuya to himself.
"It sounds like there are not enough people in the Commission."
"I won't lie, that's the way it is. I don't know how our Vice President Yokumiru Mera is holding up. I don't remember the last time I saw him fully awake"
"Should I start worring about my physical condition? If even such high-ranking officials do not get enough sleep, then ordinary employees..."
"You should have started worrying about it when you decided to become a vigilante. And so, the enforcer unit has its own rules. I wasn't interested in them, so I don't know.
"I see."
"But, this has its advantages. Maybe we don't have enough employees, but thanks to this, each of them becomes experienced in a relatively short time. This way, we compensate for our lack of employees with quality."
"…"
"Here we are!"
A large area right in the middle of the city, closed by a high wall with a small number of entrances and exits, stood out strongly. In the center was a black building, as if made of two. On one side was a typical skyscraper. It was difficult to determine where the paneling were starting and where the windows were ending, which gave the building a sense of a certain inaccessibility. From below, however, the high-rise seemed to overflow into another building. The first three floors had a continuation. If the main feature of the first part of the headquarters was "height", then the feature of this part of it would be "occupied area".
The black car drove up to the barrier with guards.
"Yo! Suzuya greeted, holding out his ID.
A rough-looking security guard in a black uniform with a pair of fangs sticking out of his lower jaw returned the ID and looked into the car. It wasn't hard to spot an assault rifle hanging from a belt around his neck.
"Back already, Suzuya? Who's that with you?"
"This is Midoriya Izuku. He should have a temporary permit for today""
"Ma..Me…Mi-yes, there you are. Midoriya Izuku. I'm opening it, but look, no tricks, man." Midoriya just nodded. "Drive through."
"Okay, the plan is this." Said Suzuya. "I'm taking you to the reception, wait for someone from the staff to receive you, and my work with you is over. If anything, the dining room here is ridiculously cheap, although the food there is excellent. So if you're not done before lunch, you can find me there. Tell me what and how""
"Good. Thank you, Mr. Suzuya""
"You're welcome"
HPSC Headquarters main facility, 9:20 AM.
The special shape of the building divides it into two parts. In the second one, which he is heading to right now, there are medical station and enforcers headquarters. The first one seems to have gathered office workers of all stripes.
"Endeavor and Edgeshot are on the line!"
"How is the planning of the Allmight's press conference going?"
"Insurance companies have sent a damage assessment from Mt. Lady last work."
"Send them to me, Hachi."
"This could incur serious reputational losses. Seriously, is he even going to enter the top 50?"
"..."
Continuing to follow the guide to the side, Midoriya tried to examine and study every open door or, as in this case, a huge hall filled with tables with computers, as well as employees who seemed to be forever going back and forth, passing information to each other. How many floors with such equipment was there?
"I guess they coordinate heroes here" Izuku thought. It made sense. Some quirks have certain advantages in certain circumstances, terrain, or even time of a day. These people are working day and night so that heroes know where they are needed. That, and someone has to hold press-conferences, write articles, hold discussions with the media and, finally, count heroes' ratings. Essentially, their job was to use their connections and resources to create and manipulate the image of heroes. Typically, for the better.
Conduction of Hero license exams was still a job for higher-ups, though. As well as cleaning up after the "incidents" that occurred because of some hero's carelessness.
However, in all this fuss, one sleeping figure, with his feet on the table, attracted Izuku's attention. His clothes did not look like office clothes, but at the same time they were noticeably brighter than the uniform of the guards, despite the fact that it was covered with a blanket.
"Excuse me, I would like to ask"
The woman leading him through the hall turned to him without slowing down.
"Who is it?" He turned to the sleeping man.
"He? He is Technoblaze"
"Technoblaze?" Midoriya's eyes widened "As if, the technological Hero Technablaze"
"Yes, as if"
Izuku turned to the now named hero again.
"He disappeared some time after his debut, though. I can still remember him taking down that mecha-villain. His ability to cut off an area from electricity and any of wireless connection was pretty cool. But, why is he here?"
"Can I ask you why is he here? I remember his debut, and I think he would quickly become a famous hero. But he disappeared from any media."
The woman smiled.
"He came to us himself. He too was thinking he could quickly become famous, get rich and so on. Well, turned out his quirk barely has any use in normal hero's activities."
"And he came to HPSC in hopes they will use him better?"
"Something like that. We have a few heroes working directly for us, but not many. And he is one of them"
"Oh, that's how it is."
"If I were you I would be preparing for your application tests"
"Right, sorry."
HPSC Headquarters main facility, floor 68, 12:43 PM.
Medical check-up. Done.
It took only about 30 minutes. After them, the facility had the data on Midoriya's health, and he was good to go. Izuku, of course, knew he was perfectly healthy, but the organization needed their trusted medical personnel to prove it.
Next were the physical exams. Body is one of the most important factors that impacts the mission. Those tests were made to prove that you meet the standarts. But, overall, there was nothing out of ordinary. If it was not for the fact that he had to do 3-4 times more exercises than his peers in school, then everything went just as he expected. It tired him out, sure, but he passed nonetheless.
These two parts gave him a pass for the job. However, this is where the ordinary things ended. Next thing decided where he will stand as an enforcer.
The next was the assessment of the use of tactical skills and weapons. The first problem was that you choose weapons blindly. The choice was between the main weapon - an assault rifle and a sniper rifle, which Midoriya brought with him. The secondary weapon in any case will be a standard pistol. Midoriya, being without a quirk, will certainly have hard time in a direct combat. Therefore, he threw away the option with the AR. He needs to keep his distance no matter what.
The first thing was shooting at targets for reaction, as well as the asseessment of his current skills. In the zone there were extendable models of civilians and villains of various shapes. Add waves of fire, cold, various projectiles, and there you have an imitation of the enemy's quirk in a shootout. If Midoriya had taken an assault rifle, things would have gone much easier. But, obviously, the choice of weapons is evaluated and preferences are taken into account. It would be foolish to send a man who feels the most comfortable with a long-range rifle to the front line, and vice versa. At least, when you have such an option.
The pistol was enough to pass.
But the most interesting part was a conversation with a local education representative. He asked a couple of simple questions about some school subjects, trying to probe general knowledge to determine the approximate level of Midoriaya's knowledge. Next, he changed the subject from school subjects to, suddenly, Izuku's last outing against the Sludge Villain.
Obviously, the representative was trying to understand the logic in the boy's actions. However, what started with a simple discussion of tactics ended with Midoriya showing his ability to quickly analyze quirks, which is why a rather pleasant conversation with an education representative dragged on for another hour.
"Izuku Midoriya, you are expected at 2-110"
And like that, the wait for the official order is over.
He passed. Well, nothing unexpected here!
Honestly, it's hard to believe that the whole enrollment process is so fast. Only yesterday he was sitting in the police station, awaiting punishment. How can these people trust a gun to a man to whom they showed up only yesterday? In Izuku's mind, doubt began to appear concerning Suzuki's words yesterday. Such a level of trust is difficult to obtain without ensuring constant surveillance of a person. Is every candidate enrolled just as quickly, or only from a "special" list, like him?
Midoriya's gaze returned again to the copy of the enrollment order and the printed initial briefing.
Anyway, he's here now. And he was not going back.
It seems that the conversation he had with the education representative determined the subjects he should continue studying, and those were: physics, math, chemistry, theory of quirks, history or special operations. Relatively small number when compared to school, but huge enough considering he will only study on weekends.
The next significant point is the squad.
"Recon Squad №2"
A reconnaissance unit? Sounds interesting, and actually possible without a quirk. An idea of working in a team somewhat excited him, despite a little anxiety.
How big was the squad? Will he be able to fit in?
Standing in front of the big door, Midoriya took a deep breath, gathering his courage. Another step towards the door, and then the second one. What was supposed to be a recreation area for the so-called "Recon Squad 2" should have already appeared.
Except... there was only one person in this rather spacious room.
A single figure, dressed in a black fitted armored vest, stood at the shooting range with a bow in his hands. He was tall, with tanned skin and white hair combed back. An arrow was released while Izuku was studying the man, and hit the center, breaking the previous arrow.
"Excuse me, is the second recon squad stationed here?"
The man did not turn to him.
"Squad, heh." The man's chuckle felt empty, "Well, you could say that. And you, I suppose, are the reason why they don't give me new assignments. Quite a place they found to send recruits. Name?"
"Midoriya Izuku"
The man stopped, and his gray eyes quickly found Izuku.
"Midoriya, you say?" Asked the man "Now I see. That's why they sent you here. And since you're here, it means you're my responsibility."
The man put down his bow and walked towards Midoriya. The difference in height was too big to ignore.
"Maybe you got your place here through some connections, but I don't care about that. This is my squad, and there's only one rule: if you are efficient – you stay." Izuku nodded. "But, I'm not a teacher. The only way I can teach you is through pain and experience. The only way I've always known it." Midoriya's face hasn't changed, "but considering your last name, I think you're already familiar with it."
"Will it be strange to assume you knew my father?"
"Knew? Listen here..." The man's face flooded with irritation "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I'll say this. I am familiar with the methods taught by Hisashi Midoriya. I know them well. To be honest, this is the reason why you were sent here to my... squad, and why I still haven't thrown you out of here. People from above think that I can make a great enforcer out of you. But, what comes out of it depends on you. I'll be waiting for you here at 7:30. I'll show you our main locations so I don't have to look for you later. And don't forget to take some things with you, you're here for a long time."
"F-for a long time? Am I going to live here?"
"Obviously" The man huffed and crossed his arms with a smirk.
"Mom won't like it," Izuku thought.
"I-I understand. By the way, you still haven't told me your name."
The man frowned.
"Call me Emiya."
Somewhere out of city, in a huge, luxurious house.
Ichirou Yaoyorozu hung up the phone in his office. He has just received a call from his contact from HPSC. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Well…you appeared much sooner than I expected, young Midoriya"
A/N: Please, leave a review, follow if you are interested, and like if you like the story!