Disclaimer–I don't own My Hero Academia or JuJutsu Kaisen
Chapter 5
Challenge Accepted!
Izuku stared at the three underground heroes through his sunglasses.
It was his monthly examination where the Hero Public Safety Council had him fight an underground hero.
The 'Underground Heroes' was a group started by the HPSC to monitor illegal proceedings in the country. As far as Izuku was aware, the HPSC had made a mistake in the past and hence had recruited heroes who were passionate about saving people from the shadows. They weren't much for publicity and hence made the best candidates to discover drug dealers and other illegal dealers.
Izuku wasn't sure, but he had heard rumors that someone mysterious spearheaded this group. Someone whose data was only available to the HPSC President and Vice President. This person's identity sure made Izuku curious.
The green-haired boy felt someone enter his range and then stand beside him. He turned his head to the right and saw Yukimaru standing there.
"Are you ready, Izuku?" Yukimaru asked gently.
"Um… D-Do I really need to fight them all together?" Izuku asked nervously.
Yukimaru nodded his head. "Yes, you do, Izuku. You have the potential to be a great hero, but your lack of confidence in yourself is impacting your abilities."
"B-But? Is fighting three heroes together the solution?" Izuku asked.
This time Yukimaru shook his head negatively. "No, it isn't. And that's why we are asking you to do this. If you win this, you know that you're better."
"What if I… Uh, what if I lose?"
Yukimaru shrugged his shoulders. "Then we can have one hell of a training month and then you fight five guys together next month."
Izuku felt himself gulp in fear. "So, if I lose, the number of opponents increase by two every month?"
Yukimaru simply nodded.
"And if I win, they remain the same?"
"No. They increase by four."
"U-Uh…"
"Anyway, I am sure you're going to come out on top," Yukimaru said, as he started walking towards the three heroes. "Good luck, Izuku."
Yukimaru walked up to the three heroes that he had chosen for this test.
One of them saw him approaching and raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, Yuki! What is this all about?"
Yukimaru stopped before them and addressed the hero nonchalantly. "Did not I tell you three that you will evaluate someone?"
"Yeah, you did," a hero with a dark skin replied, "But where is this mysterious trainee that we need to evaluate?"
Yukimaru raised an eyebrow and pointed a thumb behind his back at Izuku. "You are evaluating him."
The three heroes looked behind him at Izuku, then back at him, and then again at Izuku.
"Wait! Wait! You want us to evaluate a kid?" The dark-skinned man asked incredulously.
"I mean, I can understand killing drug lords and all that but fighting a kid…" the last hero mumbled audibly. "How old is he anyway? Ten? Twelve?"
"He is eight." Yukimaru said firmly.
The first hero's eyebrow twitched. "Yuki… With all due respect, how are we supposed to fight a child?"
Yukimaru rolled his eyes. "Don't think. Just fight him. And a piece of advice. Don't underestimate the kid." With that, Yukimaru walked out of the chamber.
The three heroes stared at Yukimaru's back before turning toward their opponent. A literal child who was shaking in nervousness. How could someone be so cruel to force a child fight three grown and experienced heroes.
The child was weird. He had spiky green hair, freckles on his cheek and wore a sunglass even in the dark chambers. By no means did the child look anything special.
And the way the child was fidgeting in nervousness caused their hearts to go out for the kid.
Maybe they could smuggle the kid out of the HPSC and have the kid live a normal life?
"Uh… Um… H-Hello. M-My name is Izuku Midoriya. It's a pleasure to meet you," Izuku greeted and shyly bowed.
Izuku's politeness brought a smile to the heroes' face.
The first hero waved and introduced himself. "Hey there, kid. The name's Yakushi and I doubt you'd know my hero name." He finished with a chuckle.
The second hero, the dark-skinned man, smirked while introducing himself. "And I am Toshi."
The third hero smiled softly and said, "I am Tenzu."
"If the introductions are done," Yukimaru's voice echoed through the chamber, drawing the eyes of the four toward the Observation room visible through a glass. "You should begin the evaluation."
Toshi's eyes left Yukimaru before releasing a sigh. "Guess, we will have to do this anyway. Let's be gentle with the kid and be done with it." He then looked at his fellow heroes. "You guys won't mind if I go first, will you?"
Yakushi and Tenzu shook their head negatively. "Not at all," Tenzu said.
Toshi stepped forward. "Alright kid, I will go easy on you. I don't know what quirk you have. So, I hope you're ready for this."
"Um… Sure," Izuku said, hesitantly.
Toshi curled both of his hands into fists and brought his fists five inches apart from each other. "Alright, kid. Here I come." And then, he collided both of his fists together as gently as possible.
BAAM!
The gentle collision created a loud sound directed toward Izuku who did not have time to react properly and was forced to bear the brunt of the sound attack.
Izuku screamed in agony as his ears were forced open by the loudness of the sound. He collapsed on his knees while grabbing his ears with his hands.
"SHIT!" Yakushi cursed as he rushed toward Izuku. "Dammit Toshi! Why did you use such a loud sound?"
"That was the softest sound that I can produce," Toshi said as he too rushed toward Izuku.
When Yakushi reached the boy, he knelt beside him and tried to touch him only to find his hand stopping two inches away from the boy. "Huh?" He muttered as he tried to take his hand away but was unable to do so.
"Yakushi. Is he alright?" Toshi asked.
"I… I don't know…"
"What do you mean?"
"I can't touch him."
"What!?"
Toshi stopped behind Yakushi and noticed that indeed Yakushi's hand was stopping inches away from Izuku's face.
"Is that his quirk?"
"Izuku Midoriya," Yukimaru's voice echoed through the chamber once again, "I thought you were better than that."
Izuku shook his head. "I-I am… I just miscalculated."
"Then, show these heroes what you're capable of Izuku."
"S-Sure," the boy said, as he raised an arm and pointed his palm at something behind Yakushi.
Both Yakushi and Toshi turned their heads in that direction but saw that no one was there. Not even Tenzu. They turned their head back toward Izuku and were about to question him when suddenly –
"Technique Lapse," Izuku whispered, "Blue."
Suddenly, both the heroes felt a pull and a second later they were harshly dragged away from Izuku by an invisible force. The two of them continued until they crashed into the wall of the chamber.
Yakushi let out a groan of pain at being hit so hard and he opened an eye. He noticed that Izuku had stood up and took a fighting stance.
"I-I am sorry i-if I hurt you. B-But, I don't want to lose," the boy said, shyly.
"What the hell is going on, Yakushi," Toshi asked groaning and rubbing the back of his head.
Yakushi slowly pushed himself onto his feet. "I think that was his quirk."
"Wait! Wait! What is his quirk?" Toshi asked, getting onto his feet too. "Is it a barrier? Or is it some form of pulling?"
"Well…" Yakushi said, staring at Izuku with a frown. "That's the question, isn't it? Hope Tenzu can find an answer."
Tenzu, who had disappeared from before, blended himself with the air. Tenzu's quirk was called "Air Shape" where it allowed him to change his body molecules into oxygen molecules and disperse in air. His quirk was one of the most versatile because he could use the surrounding oxygen molecules to recreate the molecules of his body, thus giving him infinite regeneration.
When Toshi had first stepped up, Tenzu had quietly dispersed his body molecules into the air. He kept his eyes intact so that he could observe the proceedings.
At first, when Toshi's attack made Izuku scream in agony, Tenzu had thought that the fight was over and that he wasn't required. But then, the boy had shown his quirk by throwing Toshi and Yakushi away from him.
Just when Izuku threw Toshi and Yakushi were away, Tenzu made his move. He appeared behind Izuku and attempted to grab the boy in his arms. But surprise took him when Izuku's head snapped back, his green eyes glowing with an unknown intensity behind those glasses.
Before Tenzu could grab Izuku, Izuku dodged by ducking down. The boy then placed both of his hands on the ground and used it to push himself into the air, allowing him to do a spin kick at Tenzu.
But Tenzu immediately responded by dispersing his lower body into the air, causing Izuku's kick to fly past him.
Taking the opportunity, Izuku pushed himself away from Tenzu, whose head was floating in the air.
Izuku stared at Tenzu, his eyes telling him that whatever Tenzu's quirk was, they related it to air. So, in an experiment, Izuku brought both of his hands up and pointed at Tenzu.
"Blue," Izuku whispered as an invisible sphere appeared in front of Tenzu's head.
Tenzu's eyes widened when something invisible started pulling his body molecules in. He tried to get away by dispersing his body into oxygen molecules, but the force did not allow the molecules to escape.
Izuku was about to increase the output of his technique, which would cause the pull of 'Blue' even stronger, but was interrupted when the concrete below him just disappeared. Because of that, he lost his balance and his concentration on Blue, allowing Tenzu to escape.
Izuku huffed when his senses told him that someone had appeared behind him. He reacted quickly and turned around to see Yakushi with his hands covered in concrete, trying to grab him. Bending his knees a little, Izuku pushed himself away just as Yakushi's hand made for the grab.
But Toshi appeared soundlessly to Izuku's left, his hands curled into fists and nine inches away from each other. Without wasting time, Toshi bumped his fists together sending a louder sound wave at Izuku.
Izuku in return formed the half-Ram symbol with his left hand activating the neutral aspect of his quirk. The sound waves did reach Izuku but stopped just a few inches away from him. The effect could be seen because the impact of the sound waves with neutral limitless created a triangular crevice.
Izuku then joined his fingers together and clasped his palms together, teleporting behind Toshi. There he threw a hard punch that connected with Toshi's right side and sent the Sound Hero hurling toward Yakushi.
Yakushi, however, managed to grab Toshi in his arms but the force with which Toshi was thrown caused him to skid a few meters back.
Tenzu, who was watching all this, decided to act again. He dispersed his body into oxygen molecules and surrounded the green-haired boy with them.
"Give up, Midoriya." Tenzu warned. "This can become ugly if we continue. I can ignite the oxygen molecules."
Izuku gulped but clasped his hands together. "I-I am sorry. But I don't like losing," he said and teleported a few feet away. He then pointed his palm at Tenzu who was floating in his initial place and activated Blue there. It caused Tenzu's molecules to be sucked into the sphere mercilessly. Izuku just hoped that when he dropped Blue, Tenzu would be fine.
But once again his senses went haywire and he looked down. Suddenly, the ground beneath him exploded and a loud sound impacted his ears. Izuku's eyes were shut in pain but he managed to open his eyes a little and saw that Toshi was bent over a hole in the ground while Yakushi had his hands on the ground.
Izuku spun himself in mid air and pointed his palm at the duo trying to activate Blue again but Toshi was faster and sent another soundwave toward Izuku by bumping his fists together.
Izuku was able to activate neutral limitless and managed to stop the sound waves from affecting him. But what he had not expected was that the explosion from before was not a simple explosion. The concrete that had been exploded away coalesced together to form a hand and tried to grab Izuku.
Izuku, who was starting to get irritated at this point, closed his palms together teleporting behind the two heroes.
Toshi turned back but was late as Izuku's fist connected with his stomach with enough force to send him hurling away at the opposite wall.
Yakushi seeing Toshi being punched away went to grab Izuku with his concrete arms but Izuku dodged the grab and proceeded to throw a punch at Yakushi's arm that tried to grab Izuku.
The punch was strong enough to cause the concrete coating Yakushi's arm to crack and be destroyed. Yakushi tried to grab Izuku with his other arm but Izuku dodged it too and punched it, breaking it too.
Izuku did not waste another second and punched Yakushi in the stomach, sending him flying into Toshi.
"Well done, Izuku," Yukimaru's voice rang through the chamber.
As Izuku retracted his fist, he was amazed that he had managed to take down not one but three heroes at the same time. He raised his right fist to his chest level and stared at it with wide and awed eyes.
Maybe he could become like All Might. Perhaps he had the strength to surpass the Symbol of Peace. In that moment, Izuku was lost in his own world.
A world where he was at the top and everyone was looking at him with hope.
Just like this world did with All Might.
So lost in his world, he did not even notice Yukimaru enter the chamber or the other heroes all start to surround him.
"The hell Yuki," Yakushi said, groaning and massaging his swelling head. "What are you feeding this kid?"
"Yeah," Toshi groaned, crossing his arms over his chest, "This kid is way too strong."
Tenzu just nodded his head.
Yukimaru gave them a smirk. "I told you, did I not? Don't underestimate the kid. You guys did not go all out against the kid. Maybe then you would have a chance."
Toshi's eyebrows knitted in a worried frown. "But still… Having three grown heroes going all out on a kid does not seem right. You know it is against our morals, right?"
Yukimaru released a deep breath. "I know. But I told you that specifically because Izuku has fought heroes and the trainees that we have here before in a 1v1 and he has always come out on top." Yukimaru then turned his head and looked at the small green-haired boy. "You want to know something interesting about the kid."
Yakushi shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sure. Why not?"
"Izuku has yet to fail in any task that we have given him. Whether it was any academic test or any physical test, Izuku Midoriya has never failed before."
Toshi raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You for real?"
Yukimaru nodded.
"So, you guys are dealing with a genius, huh? No wonder you had such confidence in the boy," Yakushi murmured begrudgingly.
"Indeed," Yukimaru touched the boy's shoulder and shook him gently. "Midoriya… Midoriya…"
"…Midoriya."
Izuku's eyes snapped open as he felt someone jerk his body.
He felt someone's hand on his right shoulder. He moved his head in that direction and noticed the black-haired girl he had met on his way to class earlier.
"Uh. It's you, Yaoyorozu," Izuku said. 'I must have dozed off,' he thought in his head.
The green-haired boy was sitting on a seat in the cafeteria. He wondered how long he had been here now. He glanced to his right where Yaoyorozu took a seat beside him.
"Mr. Midoriya, are you alright?" Momo asked in concern.
Izuku turned his head toward her and looked at her questioningly. "Huh? Why won't I be?"
Momo averted her eyes and said lowly, "You are crying."
"What?" Izuku asked in shock. His left hand instinctively rose up to his left cheek and he was shocked when he felt a trail of wetness on his cheek. 'Have I really been crying? What happened to me? First that weird dream from my past and now this.' He was a little rattled but he outwardly smiled broadly. "Nah! I think something went into my eye or something."
Momo looked at him in worry but did not voice her concern. The events of the examination had rattled everyone in the class. Everyone was shocked when Aizawa-sensei had decided to expel not the last student but two of the top 3 students from his class.
Aizawa's decision made no sense to Momo. She had tried her best to think of a reason why Mr. Aizawa would do something like that. Todoroki was an excellent performer in the evaluation. He was physically fit and had one of the strongest quirks in their class. And then there was Midoriya, who had to be the strongest student in their class. Midoriya had dominated the Physical Evaluation.
Yet… Mr. Aizawa had decided to expel both of his strongest students. It confused Momo what could have led to Mr. Aizawa doing that.
"Anyway, why aren't you heading home?" Izuku asked, wiping away the trail of tears from his eyes.
Momo seemed to be caught off-guard. "Oh. It's just my chauffeur hasn't arrived yet."
"You have a chauffeur?" Izuku asked incredulously before he realized who he was talking to. "Oh. You are a Yaoyorozu."
Momo smiled hesitantly. "I-I hope that does not inconvenience you."
Izuku tilted his head to the side and looked at her questioningly. "Huh? Inconvenience?" He smiled brightly at her. "No way! I don't have any problems with you. You are an interesting person, after all."
Momo felt her face heat up and she averted her eyes quickly in embarrassment. "T-Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"It's all right," Izuku said before he moved his eyes away from her.
A peaceful silence descended between them which was broken by Momo who asked, "What did the Principal call you for?"
Suddenly, Izuku's demeanor changed. His eyes became icy and his face became expressionless. Momo could literally feel the anger radiating off of Izuku.
"I-I am sorry. I-I should not have asked," Momo apologized.
A second later the atmosphere cooled down and Izuku's eye became warm again. He looked down at the ground and said, "I am sorry. It's just… The meeting with the Principal took a toll on me."
"No, no. I should be the one saying sorry. I should not have pried."
Izuku let out a chuckle. "You really are a weird girl, Yaoyorozu." He then turned his head toward her. "But why would you assume you being a Yaoyorozu would inconvenience me?"
Momo looked at her lap, where her hands were curled up and were holding a fistful of her skirt. "About that… I have heard that people don't like people from rich backgrounds."
Izuku felt bad for the girl. He raised a hand and gently patted the girl's head. "Don't worry about it. I am sure you are going to make good friends here. You are a nice girl. They are going to like you."
"Indeed," someone spoke from behind them.
The two of them turned to notice Jirou, Kendo, Uraraka, and finally Iida walking toward them. They had three new students following them, too. One of them was a pink-skinned, pink-haired girl. The other one was a spiky, red-haired boy. The last one was a short girl with dark green hair and weird walking posture.
"If we can befriend someone as unlikable as Green here," Jirou said with a playful smirk, "We can easily befriend someone as sweet as you, Momo."
Izuku made a grumbling noise while Momo giggled and smiled. "Thank you, Kyoka," she said gratefully.
"Midoriya," Kendo called, gathering Izuku's attention.
"About the class," Ochako tried to speak.
Izuku did not let them finish. He started laughing and said, "Hey, hey. Don't worry about it, ok. I am fine."
Jirou frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Green, I think you need to stop trying to be strong. We are friends here, you know."
"Huh?" Izuku looked at Jirou weirdly. "Me trying to be strong? Don't put me in the same category as you. I am not weak."
Jirou felt her eyebrow twitch at the taunt. But before she could retaliate, the red-haired newcomer spoke up.
"Hey, Midoriya. I just wanted to tell you I am sorry about what happened."
"Yeah!" the pink-skinned girl pitched in. "You did not deserve that. If anyone deserved to be expelled, it was that little ball-headed perverted bastard."
"Indeed," the dark-haired girl said, looking at Izuku. "You were a hundred times better than all of us."
Izuku smiled genuinely at them. "You guys don't have to apologize. You did not do any wrong, you know."
"We know, but still we feel bad," the pink-haired girl said, looking downcast. But she brightened up and smiled excitedly. "By the way, I am Mina Ashido and this here is-" she snatched the red-haired boy by his neck and started drilling her fist into his head, playfully. "This red-haired bastard is Ejiro Kirishima."
"And I am Tsuyu Asui," the dark-green-haired girl introduced.
"Nice to meet you, Ashido, Kirishima, Asui," Izuku said with a smile.
"You can call me Tsu," Asui pitched in.
"In that case, call me Mina, or Minny, or Pinky. Anything you like."
Izuku laughed awkwardly. "Uh-haha… I think I will stick to Asui and Ashido for now."
Iida stepped forward and said, "We tried to talk to Aizawa-sensei about the expulsion. Well, let's just say. Aizawa-sensei does not take to protests kindly."
Izuku frowned, his eyebrows crinkling with disappointment. "Why did you go groveling at his feet? Have some respect for yourself."
Ochako scratched the back of her head. "We just thought… If we raised our voices together, he would listen to us."
"And let me guess," Izuku said, his glasses sliding down his nose as he stared at her. "He threatened to expel all of you, right?"
Kendo released a sigh and nodded. "Yeah. He did."
Izuku shook his head. "You should have known something like this is going to happen," he said. "But still. Thanks for caring for me enough."
"Hey, we are all friends here, right?" Momo said excitedly. "We should all support each other."
"Damn right, girl," Jirou exclaimed happily.
Suddenly, the sound of a phone beeping reached their ears.
Momo began fishing into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Oh. My chauffeur is here," she said disappointedly. She put the phone back in her pocket and smiled at her new friends. "I guess I will have to leave." She gave a small bow. "Thank you for accepting me as your friend."
"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down girl." Mina shook her hands to and fro.
"Yeah! You should never bow to your friends," Ochako chimed in.
"They are right, Miss Yaoyorozu," Iida pitched in.
Momo felt tears well up in her eyes. She had never thought that she would ever make friends. Yet, here she was surrounded by a group of people that were willing to call her friends. "Thanks all of you," she whispered to herself.
Momo turned around and was about to walk out of the main building of U.A., but she stopped and looked back at Izuku. "And Mr. Midoriya. Thank you for your words earlier." She smiled brightly.
Izuku placed his hand behind his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Nah. It's alright."
Momo let out a giggle before walking out of the building.
Izuku stared at her retreating back before he turned back to his other friends who were waggling their eyebrows at him while smiling teasingly. "What!?" He yelled in embarrassment.
As the group of friends left the main building, none of them realized that they were being spied on.
The person spying on them was standing way far from their peripheral view. This person was none other than Shota Aizawa who was leaning against a pillar and watching the group of first years talking.
He pushed himself off the pillar. Putting his hands in his pocket, he started walking toward the teachers' lounge with a slouched posture.
Just when he thought he had reached his destination peacefully, he noticed All Might standing outside the door to the teachers' room.
All Might noticed Aizawa approaching and gave his usual broad smile. "Aizawa! There you are!"
Aizawa grumbled and looked at All Might in boredom. "What can I do for you All Might?" He asked.
"I heard that you expelled two students today," All Might said carefully.
Aizawa shrugged his shoulders in an uncaring way. "So?"
All Might's hands slipped from his hip. "They were the two of the top three students apparently."
"Am I supposed to care about their rankings?"
"Aizawa!? They were the strongest in your class. One of them even broke my record in the Entrance Exam and the other has the potential to surpass even me."
Aizawa looked at All Might in disapproval. "A strong quirk does not make you a good Hero, All Might. Just because you have a strong quirk and you turned out to be the best hero, does not mean everyone with a strong quirk would turn out like that. That Bakugo kid in Vlad's class. He is the prime example of a strong quirk not making a morally good person. He should be grateful that he is not in my class, otherwise I would have made sure he did not get admission in any other Hero School."
"But still Aizawa," All Might tried to protest. "You don't even know what they are capable of. They may -"
"All Might," Aizawa interrupted before All Might could finish his sentence. "If you see so much potential in them, then why don't you put your bet on them? If you believe in them so much, then wait and see what they do from here. Do they bounce back from this setback? Or do they give up and choose a different path? One of these choices will decide what kind of hero they will become, right, All Might?"
Aizawa walked past All Might toward the door to the teachers' lounge and he was about to open it when –
"Your morals are really twisted if you think making a good hero is to expel potential students on the very first day," All Might said lowly. The Symbol of Peace turned around and stared at Aizawa's back heatedly as he said, "They are kids, Aizawa. We need to nurture them into perfect heroes. Not punish them for simple things. Your expulsion does not even make sense."
Aizawa's hand was on the slit on the door when All Might had started speaking. His hand dropped. "Kids, huh," he muttered in a low voice. "Quite the privileged kids, won't you say, All Might? But then again, you won't understand anyway."
"What do you mean?" All Might asked in shock.
Aizawa turned his head upward and stared at the ceiling. "You are super strong, aren't you All Might?" Aizawa asked but this time, instead of his stoic voice, there was a hint of melancholy in it. "All that strength must be useful when it comes to saving people. No. Wait. You have already saved countless people. That must be nice."
All Might stared at Aizawa's back in confusion. "What are you trying to get at, Aizawa?"
Aizawa let out a hollow chuckle. "You are so above in power and stature that you often forget the cruelty that occurs at the roots of the pillar that you have created. You are so high up in the pedestal that what happens in the base is invisible to you." Aizawa turned his head to the side and stared at All Might through the corner of his eyes. "You say that my morals are twisted. You are right. Because the things I have witnessed during my time as a Hero, you will never see them in your life."
All Might could only watch speechlessly as Aizawa opened the door to the teachers' lounge and entered the room. He knew that Aizawa was a reserved man and when it came to hero duty, the man took it seriously. But what could Aizawa have seen that had caused such a reaction from the man? Even though Aizawa kept it well hidden, All Might did not miss the guilt that he had seen in those dry eyes.
With all that thought in mind, All Might decided to leave and ponder.
Inside the teachers' lounge, the moment Aizawa had entered the room and closed the door behind him, a loud voice attacked his ears.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"
Aizawa sighed and deadpanned at Hizashi who was fuming and glaring at him. "What?"
"You not only expelled the no.2's son but also expelled the student who was the top scorer in the entrance exam! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?"
"He is right you know," a female voice said.
Aizawa stared past Hizashi and saw Nemuri sitting on his desk with her legs crossed. She had changed her attire which now consisted of a tight flesh-colored body suit over which she wore a black-colored breastless leotard. A weird choice of hero clothing for sure.
"You just expelled two of your strongest and best students," Nemuri said, looking at Aizawa with narrowed eyes. "Do you want to go the Nezu route? Get yourself kicked out of U.A. as well?"
Shota walked past Hizashi and toward his desk. He shrugged his shoulder and said, "What is the worst they can do? Fire me from my job? That will be helpful for me and I can focus on my Hero duties."
Nemuri frowned in disappointment. "Is this how you want to honor the last wishes of your friend?"
Shota's eyes steeled, and he glared at Nemuri heatedly. "Do not bring him in this."
"Then stop making wrong decisions." Hizashi exclaimed in frustration.
Shota ignored the two of them and focused on getting his desk clean before he left.
Nemuri sighed and addressed Shota. "You will not change your mind, huh? I hope you remember Todoroki is Endeavor's son and Midoriya's mother is an influential model. Both of them have enough pull to humiliate you in public."
Shota focused on arranging the books on his desk. "You guys are overreacting. Neither the Principal nor I expelled them from U.A. Just demoted them to General Studies. If they have potential, they will be back in the Hero course in four months."
Nemuri hopped down at Shota's desk. "I hope you know what you are doing," she said and walked out without glancing back a second time.
Hizashi looked at Shota sadly. "This is because of that incident, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about?" Shota asked, without looking up from his desk.
"That night. At the hospital–"
"Hizashi." Shota interrupted, pausing where he was. "I think you should leave."
Hizashi did not protest. He just gave Shota a melancholic look and walked out of the room.
Shota did not know how long he stood there motionless. But the images of that night were flashing through his eyes. The blood, the gory scene, was etched in his mind forever. He squeezed his eyes tightly and pinched them with his fingers. He took a deep breath. He needed to go home and have a drink.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, causing Aizawa to sigh. Why did everyone have to come today and question him?
Aizawa raised his eyes to the door and so the Number 2 Hero standing there intimidatingly.
"May I come in?" Endeavor said.
"Sure."
Endeavor walked to Aizawa's desk. Grabbing a chair from a table nearby, Endeavor spun in the air before placing it in his preferable position. He sat down, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at Aizawa. "I heard you expelled my son."
Aizawa nodded fearlessly. "I did," he answered to the statement.
"Let's talk about that, shall we?"
Aizawa looked at Endeavor enquiringly, and a few moments later shrugged and said, "Sure."
"Mom. I am home."
Izuku closed the door behind him as he walked tiredly through the hallway and into the dining room.
"Welcome home, Izu-chan", his mother's voice reached his ears.
He could hear his mother working in the kitchen. His heart ached with pain. He walked into the dining room and let his bag drop near the couch, where he plopped down tiredly.
"What am I going to tell mom?" He muttered to himself and ran a hand through his hair.
His mother had been the greatest support in his life. She had been there with him during his difficulties. She was there every night consoling him when he would cry for his quirk to come. She was there, taking his care when each night his body would ache from training. She was there when he was mentally exhausted from studying. She was there to cheer him on at every difficult step of his life.
How was he going to tell this person that he had gotten expelled from the Hero Course on the very first day?
Izuku knew that it was not his fault that he had been expelled. He had no idea why Aizawa would do something like that. He had laughed through it all after all. The only thing that he could not laugh off was his mother's feeling from this ordeal.
Oh, Izuku was fully aware that his mother would never scold him or anything. He was ninety-nine percent sure that she would smile and support him like always.
But that was the worst part of it. She would keep all the disappointment and hurt buried within herself and would never express her feelings to him.
It was this fact that pained Izuku more than anything.
Soon his mother entered the room with a smile. "How was your day, dear?" she asked but immediately noticed something was wrong.
Izuku looked way too sad and defeated. It was as if she had returned to that time when Izuku had not awakened his quirk. The images of a tired and defeated child flashed through her eyes.
Inko walked up to Izuku and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. A hand that only a mother could provide. "Izuku, is everything alright?"
"It – " Izuku tried to form words but his mouth failed him. He did not know what to say. "I just don't feel well," Izuku finally said.
Inko stared at Izuku in worry. "Why? Did something happen at school?"
"Yeah."
"Did a girl reject you or something?" Inko joked trying to lighten the mood.
Izuku let out a chuckle and said, "I hope it were that simple."
Inko squatted down to Izuku's eye level. "Izuku, you trust me don't you?"
Izuku nodded without any hesitation.
"Then please tell me what's wrong, Izu-chan."
Izuku averted his eyes from his mother's and whispered, "I was expelled."
"I am sorry…?"
"I got expelled."
"Oh…"
The two of them sat in silence for a few moments before Inko asked, "Why?"
Izuku did not look her in the eye but stared at the floor. "I don't know..." Suddenly, Aizawa's words ran through his ears.
"Do you know why I expelled you, Midoriya?"
"No, sir."
"Tell me Midoriya, what do you think it is that makes someone a Hero?"
"Um… Their ability to save people…?"
"Hm. Typical, but a good answer nonetheless." Aizawa paused for a brief moment before saying, "Ponder on that question. If you decide to stay, I will come to you for an answer when I think you're ready."
"Aizawa said something that made no sense to me," Izuku said with a frown.
"Oh. What did he say?"
"Not say exactly. More like he asked me a question."
"Alright. Go on, tell me."
"What makes a person a Hero?"
"I see…" Inko took Izuku's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "And what did you answer, Izu-chan."
"Their ability to save people."
"That is a good answer. What did Aizawa say?"
"That is the thing. He asked me to ponder on the question and that he will come for an answer when he thinks I am ready."
"I see…"
"Do you think you have an answer?"
"Hm." Inko hummed in thought before answering, "For me, a hero is someone who does not back down no matter what. Every time he is thrown down, he jumps back and continues to fight. For me, that is what makes a hero."
"So, basically the ability to fight continuously. Great endurance?"
Inko let out a giggle. "Something like that. But I think the answer to that question varies from person to person."
Izuku frowned in irritation. "I know that. That is what is making me more confused. Does Aizawa expect me to find an answer that matches his description of a Hero? How am I even going to do that?"
"I am quite sure you are going to find an answer to that. You have always managed to find an answer to problems."
Izuku released a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, the easiest way out is to change schools."
"What?"
Izuku shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yeah. I mean no one will reject a student who beat All Might's record in the U.A. Entrance Exam. And I also have the President backing me up. So, I am sure I can get admission to another Hero Academy."
Suddenly, Izuku felt two hands slap both of his cheeks, causing him to close his eyes. When he opened them, he saw Inko staring fiercely at him. She was holding his face with both of her hands.
"Izuku Midoriya!" Inko firmly began. "I did not give birth to a coward. You were never someone who would run away from problems, Izuku. You have always faced problems head on. So, why are you running now? U.A. is your dream academy. Why are you running from your dream? Just because you met a hurdle so early? Is that it? Is my son, the next strongest hero, going to run away from his dream because someone thought he did not belong in the Hero Course? Answer me Izuku!"
Izuku's gaze shifted down and he stared at his palms. His mother was right. When had he started questioning himself? Why was he even questioning himself? Perhaps it was because his idol of all people had expelled him. But that was no reason to act like this.
He was Izuku Midoriya. Not a coward.
"Izuku," Inko's voice was stern and confident. "What are you going to do?"
Izuku raised his eyes and met Inko's with newfound determination. "You're right. I can't run away from this. I am going to prove to Aizawa that I have what it takes to be a hero. And I am going to find the answer to his question."
Inko whooped her hands in the air and cheered. "Yes! That's my Izu-chan." She threw her hands around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "I knew you were going to fight instead of running away. Just think about it. The first arc of your biopic will begin with you fighting for justice for yourself."
Izuku's face lit up into a genuine smile as he hugged his mother. "I don't know what I am going to do without you."
Suddenly, Izuku's phone rang.
Inko let Izuku out of the hug as the green-haired boy pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"Damn!" Izuku whistled, impressed. "I knew she has eyes everywhere, but this is fast."
"Is it the President?" Inko asked.
"Yep."
The President of the Hero Public Safety Commission was a prestigious and powerful position. But the bane of such positions was always one thing.
Paperwork.
There was even a law called the Paperwork Law that stated that paperwork doubled every one hour and would triple if left undone.
But that was not the focus right now.
The President was reading a very interesting report right now. And if what the report said was true, then it was going to be a boon for the Hero Society.
The report pointed out a few things that could help to make the Hero Society a lot more flourishing and safer. It was a long process, but the end results made the wait worth it.
Suddenly, the sound of the door flying opening reached her ears. In a quick maneuver, the President pulled out a sharp knife from under her desk and hurled it at whoever was entering through the door.
"The Hell you psycho old woman!" A young and very familiar voice yelled from the doorway. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"
She finally focused and saw Izuku standing at the doorway with the knife floating inches away from his face. She shot up from her chair, her hands banging against the wood of her desk. "Then knock first you massive dolt! Who the hell enters a confidential room without knocking!" The President yelled.
From beyond the doorway, the assistant of the President could only laugh. The usually calm and collected President of HPSC would always lose her control when Izuku was nearby. It was as if Izuku's real quirk was irritating the President.
Inside the room, the President had calmed down and sat back on her seat. "Come in," she said.
Izuku let the knife fall to his hands and walked up to the desk. Placing the knife on the table, he took a chair opposite to the President and leaned back to relax.
"So, I heard that you got yourself expelled," the President began.
Izuku shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Yeah. I guess I did."
The President raised an eyebrow at the carefree attitude. "I expected a more disheartened attitude."
Izuku smirked looking at the President. "Come on old lady. Are you telling me you don't like me smiling?"
The President gave Izuku a flat look and said, "It's nothing like that. It is weird to see someone so happy after they got expelled from their dream course."
Izuku laughed a bit. "I know, right? But I guess you will have to thank my mother for that. And not to mention, I look better when smiling and smirking, don't I?"
The President ignored the snarky question. "What are you going to do now? If you want, I can arrange for you to get admission in some other – "
"Hey, hey, hey, old lady. Stop right there," Izuku interrupted.
The President raised an eyebrow but did not say anything.
"You really think, I, Izuku Midoriya, am going to run away from this war? No way! I am going to stay here and prove my shit to that bastard Principal and Aizawa."
The President suppressed a smirk from appearing on her face. "Oh, is that so? So, you're not going to leave the school."
"Nah! Where's the fun in that? I am going to do something even better."
"And that something is…?"
Izuku smirked again. "Sports Festival."
This time, even the President let a smirk appear on her face. "Go on."
"The best way to deal with this is to prove to everyone just how strong I am and reclaim my place in the Hero Course again. And I won't lie. I am feeling a little vindictive. So, what better way than do it during a public event like the Sports Festival. Not only will I prove my strength but I will be able to humiliate Aizawa by defeating his class. What say? You like it?"
The President leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked at Izuku and smiled proudly. "It seems we have trained you well, Izuku."
"And when were you going to tell me that he was the Principal?"
"Eh? Someday I guess."
"Fuck you, Prez."
"Get out, already!"
Next day, Izuku and Iida were on a train to Musutafu.
Izuku was sitting pretty much motionlessly throughout the train journey and Iida was starting to get worried. Izuku had a tendency to talk continuously, especially when bored. But for Izuku to stay quiet throughout the journey was shocking.
"Izuku, are you alright?"
Izuku turned his face toward his friend and looked at him questioningly. "Huh? Why won't I be alright?"
"You are quiet. You are never so silent."
Izuku let out a laugh. "Oh, come on. I just have a few things going on in my mind."
Iida frowned. "That just means you are not alright."
"Eh~ Guess we have different ideas about not being alright."
The speakers announced that they had reached their destination station. They got off the train as soon as it came to a halt.
The two of them walked out of the station and into the street. There was a peaceful silence between them until Iida stopped in his tracks.
"Midoriya."
Izuku also stopped in his way and looked back at Iida. "What is it?"
"What did the Principal say?"
Izuku sighed and looked at the morning sky. "Just something I had never expected to hear. He did say he does not want to expel me from U.A. and has demoted me to the General Course. He says that if I want to prove my worth, I can do that during the Sports festival."
"What are you going to do?"
Izuku lowered his eyes and saw the worry on Iida's face. Walking close to him, Izuku placed a fist on Iida's heart and smiled. "Hey. We promised that we will become the greatest heroes from U.A., right? So let's do that, best friend."
Iida felt the corners of his lips rise up in a smile as he too placed his fist on Izuku's heart. "Yes, let's do that, best friend."
xxx
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Author's Note: Sorry that it took such a long time to upload. I was busy updating my other story and was planning to finish one arc in that story before returning to this one. But then I thought that I could update this story now. Next chapter is going to come after two or three months most probably.
