The entrance exam begins, and our intrepid trio...are in over their heads. But a brief moment of hope appears as they find themselves recovering from their wounds. And the the university staff are
Chapter 3! I'm already working on 7 as we speak, but I hope this one finds all of you well!
Okay. This…this was less than ideal, Izuku mused. And here he thought his day would have gone better, finally getting his chance to take the UA Entrance Exam! Sure, he'd stumbled into Kacchan at the entrance and gotten shoved around a bit, and sure, he almost face planted but was saved by a nice green-haired girl with big eyes, but it was fine! A brief moment of worry during the speech by Present Mic, with that blue-haired boy lambasting him for muttering but it was okay, he could handle it just fine, he wasn't that nervous (even if he felt like he was going to puke).
And then, the written exam!...which honestly, he felt like that was one thing even his dumb Deku self could handle. Scholastic things were one thing he did fine at (and he made sure to mark the requisite number of answers wrong so he didn't get in trouble).
But there it was, the practical exam! Which was…robots? Weird choice, but okay. For all of his worries, his training with Gran kicked into high gear, and he flew through the streets, bouncing off walls and villain bots with speed and precision. They seemed to be designed to fall, so it would only take one or two quick strikes to bring the bots down. That said, a lot of the examinees kept getting so close to getting hurt, he had to keep slowing down to help them out. Luckily One For All made him pretty durable, so it was okay if he got hit by a stray rocket or two, right? He was fine (he said to himself as he grinned through the pain).
And then the Zero pointer was unleashed. He could only gape in sheer, unadulterated terror at the fact the school unleashed something like that on a bunch of prospective students! He had to get out of there as quickly as poss-a cry of pain had interrupted his thoughts, and he saw the nice, green-haired girl who'd helped him before, stuck beneath a piece of rubble as the zero pointer began to approach, an inexorable tide of metal and power and terror all rolled into one…and he moved, a body covered in green lightning and radiating an eldritch energy that made others recoil as if they felt the icy chill of death breathing upon their necks.
The next thing he knew, the Zero Pointer was falling backwards, explosions coming from it, as he fell backwards towards the ground, one arm shattered, both legs broken, adrenaline only partly blocking out the pain as he realized what was going to happen. Well…at least the girl was safe, right, he mused to himself. Gosh, he needed to apologize to All Might though…his mentor had done so much for him, and he was about to die and fail (like he knew he would) and he could only pray All Might could recollect One For All before he fully died. Maybe to give to someone more worthy, more-
Any further thoughts had been cut off by a sudden yank to the side, a desperate grab from the now freed green-haired girl's tongue (idly he thought that was such a cool Quirk), pulling him off his trajectory and saving him from death…but his mind still wasn't able to keep up, and he lost consciousness.
Ochako had to accept that okay, maybe she went a bit overboard. But that giant robot was going to hurt a bunch of students if she didn't do something! Not that she knew what she was doing, when she rushed at it. Not that she truly understood why power flooded into her veins, why her body glowed with pink and white sparkles, why her eyes became deep wells of blackness, the darkness of her iris expanding to fill her entire eyes and making others shiver in fear as they passed her.
She saw none of this though, no handy mirror nearby to show her what she looked like. She brought her hands forward, trusting in her Quirk and the sudden thoughts in her mind that just…told her what she needed to do. As she planted her feet firmly in the ground, she could feel the very earth tremble and crack and quake beneath her, felt the air shiver and shake, a spot of pure, inky darkness forming between her fingers, barely visible in the midday sun. And yet, she focused further, her shoulders shaking, her entire body vibrating as she tried to contain the force, before she let out a shout and sent her hand forward, pointing the black dot at the Zero Pointer.
The black dot flew at it, seeming to vanish into its chestplate, the massive machine continuing its inexorable march towards them…and then it froze in place. Its servos whined, its form shook, the machine tried desperately to free itself from whatever trap she'd put it in…and then it began to crack. The metal screamed, electricity sparked, as bits and pieces of it began to crumble off, began to fall inward, the entirety of the machine imploding into itself, slowly being drawn into the single black dot that Ochako had somehow created.
She grit her teeth, her body aching as she felt the pain well up from within, the lights around her becoming more and more extreme, white starbursts and pink energy racing up and down her limbs. She felt darkness creeping into her vision, realizing she was losing control, and at the last moment released her Quirk, the black dot vanishing into the ether as she fell to the ground like a puppet with her strings cut.
She lay there, losing the fight against passing out with a smile, as even though she didn't completely destroy the Zero Pointer, she could see it collapsing in on itself, the center of it gone, and thus falling to pieces. People were safe then…that was good.
Himiko woke up to bright, eye-searing lights that made her hiss and swat at the air instinctively. She was very confused, trying to remember what had happened. Last she knew, it was the UA entrance exam…she'd hoped to see Izu or Chako, but neither one was there (and her heart shattered), but she'd still been determined to do her best, to keep her promise. Written exam wasn't too hard…she rode the bus, thought the city was too big, ran around breaking some bots, but…what else happened?
"Well, it seems you're awake dearie, how are you feeling?" a soft, grandmotherly voice came from her left, making her blink bleary eyes over there, seeing a short, gray-haired woman in a nurses outfit, her lips curled in a gentle smile.
"W-where am I?" Himiko managed to stutter out, still trying to puzzle out the blanks in her memory.
The older lady let out an indignant huff. "You're in the nurse's office at UA. You, and a couple other foolish children, nearly killed yourself trying to stop the Zero Pointer. One of you almost pancaked yourself, another one nearly gave herself an aneurysm, and you somehow climbed inside it and started ripping random wires apart! You realize how dangerous that is, you could have been crushed!"
That jogged Himiko's memory…a sudden surge of strength letting her scrabble up its back, where she managed to pry some sort of access panel open and started breaking things from within. Which, in hindsight, maybe wasn't her best plan since it started falling over once she grabbed that one weird shaped handle that said something about stabilizers or something, she wasn't really paying attention when she ripped it out.
Another sigh brought her attention back to the older woman before her. "Well, you're as healed up as you're going to get. I can't believe I had three of you. You should be good to go, just be sure to take it easy. I'm just going to check on the other two."
Himiko nodded as the woman moved away, sitting up and wincing as she felt a wave of exhaustion pass over her. Luckily, she still had her clothes so she only really needed to get her shoes on, idly noticing a strange scent that felt oddly familiar but dismissing it a moment later. She wasn't really listening as she heard the woman speak to who she assumed was another patient, idly tying her shoes, but then she heard it and froze.
"-Miss Urakaka," the older woman had barely finished saying what she said before a blur of blonde ripped the curtains away between the two, amber eyes wide as she saw her.
"...Chako?" Himiko managed to stutter out, her entire body ablaze with a million emotions, seeing chocolate brown eyes staring back at her, a subtle pink glow visible as the brunette girl began to shake.
"Himi?" Ochako replied, her voice quavering. Himiko nodded, tears filling her eyes, the nurse blinking at the two of them in confusion and taking a step back, just in time, as Himiko launched herself across the distance and tackled the brunette over into her bed, her sobs audible in the now silent room, mirrored tears being released by the brunette as she subconsciously wrapped her arms around Himiko, squeezing her tightly.
"...I am assuming you two know each other," the nurse drawled, arching an eyebrow at the two young adults who were apparently in a world of their own. One which suddenly got bigger as the curtain on the other side was nearly ripped down, green hair and bleary eyes stumbling awkwardly into the curtain and nearly falling over.
"Himi? Chako?" Izuku mumbled, his eyes half closed and body language exhausted, but his voice making the two girls break their hug long enough to look up and see him. He was given no time to react, letting out an 'eep', as Himiko's hand grabbed his and pulled over into the two of them, the three now an awkward tangle of limbs and tears, Izuku half off the bed while Himiko nearly hung off the railing, and not a single one cared.
Izuku's eyes were full in moments, tears streaming down his face as Himiko sobbed loudly, mirroring the green-haired boy's tears. None of them had expected this, none of them had even considered this possibility, none of them ever hoped for this, and yet here they were. Ten years of shoved down, pent up, frozen emotions were let free into the world, pain and fear and worry all seeping out and making Himiko only squeeze the two of them tighter. She…she saw them. She kept her promise. They all kept their promise. They were here!
"...I'll leave you three alone for a bit, dearies," the nurse said, understanding enough of what was going on to see that she wasn't needed. She took a few steps away, opening the door and closing it shut silently behind her, making sure to flip the sign saying she wasn't in, as she headed to the conference room where they were judging the students' performances.
Izuku's tears came with a hiccuping noise, Himiko's were full blown sobbing, but if it weren't for the wetness on her cheeks, Ochako wouldn't even be sure she was crying herself. The sheer joy in her heart she felt, the way it felt right to be able to hold her childhood friends, to know not only that she kept her promise but they did too…she didn't think she could express her feelings in words, not in a thousand years. She found them! There was nothing in this world that could ruin that for her, not now, not ever.
"Izu, Himi, I-I missed you!" she said, her voice watery and fragile, her arms gripping Himiko's back tightly, the other wound around the back of Izuku's neck from where he was hanging half off the bed.
"You're here, you're really here," Himiko repeated, still sobbing as she clutched at the both of them like she was afraid if she let go they'd vanish.
"...I am here. I promised, Himi, 'Chako. I promised and I made it! We're all here! We're here, oh my gosh we're here!" Izuku tried to sound strong, lifting his head to give the two of them a brilliant if shaky smile, but his voice cracked on the last few words as fresh tears fell from his eyes once more. He scrabbled on the bed for purchase, managing to finally clamber up onto it, making the trio suddenly realize exactly how small the bed was even for three shorter teenagers, barely able to fit…yet Ochako couldn't complain. The warmth, the sheer, bloody warmth she felt from the two of them, as if some hole in her heart that had been missing was suddenly full, meant all she could feel was happiness.
"I never thought I'd see you guys again," Himiko muttered, her entire body shaking.
Izuku took the arm around her back and squeezed her tighter, burying his face in Ochako's hair as she lay back, the two others half-collapsed atop of her. Izuku's voice was muffled, but clear as he said "Me too, Himi…but I'm glad I was wrong."
Ochako let out a huffed laugh, her voice watery with tears and emotion, but didn't bother replying. She had her people back…and she wasn't letting go again.
"Well, it seems we've calculated all the numbers and know our top scorers. Any particular business we should discuss before we start sorting the students?" Nezu asked, straightening the papers before him.
"I want to speak about the three top scorers. Midoriya, Uraraka, and Toga. All three of them nearly killed themselves in the exam. That's a dangerous attitude to have and I am not sure we should be awarding them with as many rescue points as we did, considering the precedent that sets," Aizawa replied, tapping on the three papers he had that were the student dossiers before him. "Also, I want to know how they did that. Nothing in their Quirk registries put that sort of power in their hands. Uraraka has a listed limit of three tons, not the ability to create a gravitational singularity while glowing with pink and white lights. Toga has a minor cat mutation listed, not some sort of strange golden and red energy that lets her rip open the Zero Pointers welded shut access port. And do I even need to mention what Midoriya did? Nothing about their Quirks makes sense."
Toshinori cleared his throat, getting the attention of the room at large. "I cannot speak to the other two, but young Midoriya I can explain…though it will be difficult for you to believe."
Nemuri blinked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
Toshinori took a sip of his water to wet his throat. "I mean that Izuku Midoriya is Quirkless. Or well, he was."
The room was silent for a brief moment, before a half-dozen voices rang out in disbelief and confusion, only to be silenced a moment later by Nezu's paw tapping on the table, the click-clack making all of the teachers fall silent. "Please, allow Yagi to explain, it will make more sense if you wait until he's finished."
Toshinori nodded at Nezu. "Thank you. To explain, we must go back to the Dawn of Quirks, and a tale of two brothers…"
"...setting aside my many, many issues with everything you just said, the fact Midoriya was Quirkless most of his life is concerning. That said, people aren't statistics, and it's possible he lived a fine, happy life, even if the numbers are not on his side. Do you have any insight into that, Yagi?" Inui asked, his voice a barely rumbled growl.
Toshinori winced. "Unfortunately…I think he fell more on the lines of the bad side of those numbers. Thing is, we don't actually know how bad it is…he won't even tell his mother. Yes, she is aware of his inheriting One For All, I speak to her often about his training and how he's doing. I do know his father walked out on him when he was diagnosed Quirkless, and…well, he's hiding something from his mother and from me. We just can't tell what. Miss Midoriya has told me he used to come home with burned and ripped uniforms, but after she spoke up about it he went out and bought more, claiming they were just in case…but she's quite certain he just changes before coming home."
Inui tapped his claws against his muzzle. "That is…concerning behavior. Added onto his clear instincts to sacrifice himself to save others as his first instinct. Speaks to a lack of self-value." He turned to Toshinori. "What kind of person is he? You chose him for your Quirk, so his heroic attitude cannot be understated. But what else can you tell us about him?"
Toshinori paused for a moment, thinking. "He is…skittish. Anxious. Incredibly so. Inko, uh, I mean Miss Midoriya believes he has an anxiety disorder but he also refuses any talk of therapy or counseling. He's self-effacing to a fault, and the number of times he thanked me for giving him a 'chance' is astronomical. I have tried, repeatedly, to make him understand I am the thankful one, but unfortunately, it's not gone well. He can and will overwork himself if you don't keep a strict eye on him, believing he somehow has to 'make up' for who he is. To be blunt…his self-esteem is shit. And it infuriates me," Toshinori's voice dropped to a growl at the last few words, his hands clenching at nothing as he took a deep, bracing breath.
"He's one of the kindest young men I've ever met. His knack for analysis is incredible. He's brave and intelligent and has a wonderful heart…and nothing I nor his mother say to him make him see that. Truthfully, I worry about what happened at that school, but he would not tell us a thing, and when his mother tried contacting the school they always claimed he's the troublemaker. Which anyone could see is bullshit, but…I have little to go off of."
Nezu's claws clacked at his keyboard for a moment, his beady eyes narrowed as he scanned over something. "Hmm. Midoriya has hundreds of citations on his record, claiming he starts fights, comes to class late, etc."
Toshinori slammed his fist on the table. "That! Yes, that! It is absolutely impossible! The boy would never start fights, and I've never met someone more punctual in my life!"
"Calm yourself, Yagi," Nezu cautioned. "I did not say I believed these records…many of these infractions simply don't add up. But it does paint a picture of what sort of environment he dealt with."
"Hmm…did anyone else notice that Bakugo, the fourth place scorer, came from the same school?" Nemuri asked, one finger tapping against her chin as she scanned over another piece of paper before her.
Nezu's claws clacked upon his keyboard once more. "He has a spotless record. Although…some of Midoriya's complaints claim he started altercations with this Bakugo. He was the one with zero rescue points, yes?"
"Yeah. Very aggressive, but he didn't go out of his way to hurt or hinder other applicants. He pretty much ignored them," Hizashi said.
"I don't want to judge before we've seen any of them personally, but…that does not bode well," Nemuri mused.
"It's probably best that both boys go into my class then. I can work that idiotic martyr complex out of Midoriya, and if Bakugo starts problems I will not hesitate to deal with it," Aizawa said, Vlad nodding along.
"Also means you can shut down any attempts at using their powers as well," Vlad added.
"I agree. Seems settled then. Let's move onto Uraraka. Do you have knowledge about her, Yagi?" Aizawa asked, narrowing his eyes at the hero across the table from him.
Before Toshinori could reply, the door hissed open, Recovery Girl making her way to her seat. After situating herself, she let out a deep sigh. "I miss anything important?"
"Other than Yagi revealing Midoriya's secret to his power, no," Nezu replied cheerfully.
"Is young Midoriya all right?" Toshinori asked, unable to wait any longer.
Shuzenji waved dismissively. "Oh, he's fine. Especially now. I left him and the other two to catch up, it appears they knew one another."
"Wait…he knew Uraraka and Toga?" Aizawa asked, confused.
Shuzenji snorted. "The three of them burst into tears and tackled one another into hugs the second they saw one another. I admit I am concerned about that reaction, but I decided to leave them be. They pretty much forgot I existed the second they saw one another."
Toshinori was a bit taken aback, as Izuku had never mentioned anyone in his life as a frie-Wait! "Oh, oh wow, I-I can't believe it. Inko mentioned young Midoriya had a pair of childhood friends, a 'Himi' and 'Chako', that he made some sort of promise with to all become heroes together before they were separated. It was practically his mantra, he'd mutter about how he would keep his promise whenever the training got too difficult for him. I doubt he even noticed he was doing it. Huh. Reunited at UA, that's…huh."
"...Hmm. This continues to concern me then. The fact he's emotionally unstable we expected, due to the revelations of his past. The other two acting in a similar fashion worries me," Inui mused, shuffling his papers to peer down at the girls dossiers more closely.
"Well, I do not have many details, but in my cursory examination I detected some abnormalities in all three of them," Shuzenji added, adjusting her glasses as the room turned to give her their attention. "I'll speak towards Uraraka first. She is absolutely malnourished. The scanner only gives basic details, and I didn't run any bloodwork as I didn't think it was necessary, but there is no way her numbers should be that low if she wasn't."
"Records indicate she has applied to a number of our student support programs for tuition as well as her dorm costs. I suspect she's not from the most solvent background," Nezu replied.
"Hmm. We'll have to keep an eye on her then, make certain whatever issues she may have were external and that she is able to manage once she's in a more secure location" Inui remarked, making a note on his pad.
"As for Miss Toga…yeah, just gonna come out and say it, her Quirk's marked wrong. No way it's just a minor cat mutation. While she was out cold, her face literally shifted into another one for a brief moment before melting back into her own. She's some kind of shapeshifter or mimic, and it isn't marked. And her nutrient balance is all out of whack. Very similar to when people with Quirk requirements don't get their requirements," Shuzenji said.
"...and you said that she and Uraraka are basically attached to Midoriya right now?" Aizawa said with a groan.
"Yep. Probably not going to stop hugging for a while, from what I saw."
"Well, it seems only fitting to put all three of them in one class then! Especially with that strange power up they seemed to get!" Nezu interjected, his teeth bared in a 'friendly' smile.
"I can already tell this is going to be a mess. Did you have to put Todoroki in my class as well?" Aizawa says, glaring at Nezu.
"You are best suited to handle any accidental Quirk use!"
Aizawa sighed, closing his eyes as he rubbed at his temples. "Fine. Whatever. We still don't have a full plan for how to deal with those three, and we still don't know why Uraraka or Toga had those extra abilities. Or what Toga's actual Quirk is, going by what Shuzenji said."
"I believe a small discussion with them after they move in would do wonders. Perhaps after your first class, you only do a half-day on day one anyways. Why not ask the three to stay back and discuss with them then?" Nezu offered.
"I suppose. Will you want to be part of that discussion, Yagi, since it partly involves your successor?" Aizawa asked, turning to the newest teacher in the room.
"If it would not be an imposition, yes, I would appreciate it," Toshinori replied, taken aback that he'd been offered that but not about to skip on the chance.
"Very well. Seems we've established our plan for those three as well as Bakugo, so let's move onto the next students," Nezu said, shuffling his papers and pulling up the next one to review. They had many to get through, and little time. Toshinori made a note to speak to Izuku as soon as he could, although he knew he would be busy the following week. But he was sure his boy knew he did wonderfully and would make it into UA, so he wasn't worried about Izuku being too anxious. No way the boy didn't see how well he did! Toshinori smiled to himself as he shuffled to the next name in the list, ready to continue learning from his fellow educators on how they handled the classes, proud of his boy's success and ready for the next step!