Katsuki: ur training w me asshole John: but I don't want to— Katsuki: did I stutter
BTW Shinsou was actually not supposed to be in this chapter, yet he somehow found his way into it and managed to befriend the local guardian cryptid haha and if you're wondering how Shinsou has a Twitter acc. when it only allows like 13, he asked one of his dads (if you know, you know uvu) to set up an acc for him. The ending of this chapter seemed a little off to me, but it's there now and I wanted Aizawa to show up lmao
also for those who were expecting John to accept All Might's offer of OFA, I'm sorry to disappoint ()v BUT!!! I do have plans with how I'm gonna handle OFA, so watch out for that, hehehe :3
next chapter is one that I am looking forward to writing & posting the most bc it's basically John Wick being John Wick and everybody being lowkey scared lmao
(ps. oh my god, you guys. the new chapter OH GOD HOLY SHIT IT HAPPENED OH MY GOD IT FINALLY HAPPENED IM SOBBING IM EMOTIONAL IM NOT FUNCTIONING DHFJKSHJKDSFKDS BAKUBRO IM SO PROUD OF YOU)
through adversity
Chapter Summary
Entrance exams have arrived.
(AKA John Wick does a John Wick but instead of people, he murders robots!)
Chapter Notes
CW: a lot of robots were harmed in the making of this video
thanks for waiting, yall!!!
another time skip and another long chapter!!! it's time to rock 'n roll, buckaroos
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The beach is pristine by the tenth month, in the early morning of the entrance exams.
It's almost a surprise, seeing how the sand glistens in the sun and how clear the sea looks from his spot on the high wall surrounding the beach, but John is glad there's no garbage anymore.
(Helen would've loved coming here.)
The air is fresher now as well, leaning more on the subtle scent of sea spray and nature rather than the unbearable stench of garbage and rusty components, and John takes a quiet breath in, his muscles easing just a bit even with the soreness that lingers. He's already used to the sensation anyway.
Ten months. They cleaned an entire beach in ten months.
Between training by himself, training with his new acquaintance, studying, and keeping shady strangers from provoking other civilians, John is rather astounded how he managed to clean up everything in the end. Just in time for the exams too.
Beside him, on top of the final pile of garbage they stacked for the truck to collect, Katsuki yells into the sky, and it's not one of rage or vexation, but of accomplishment and euphoria. John feels the same way, albeit it's a warm hum in his chest, a foreign little thing that came out of nowhere for him to acknowledge.
It's been quite a long time since he's felt this...proud of himself.
The only time he's ever felt this way was when he had been ten and managed to learn how to shoot a target's center. Neither the Director nor his trainers ever expressed their pride in him with that, though, so he didn't bother expressing it himself in later years. Until now, that is.
It's a strange feeling.
"Well done, you two!" All Might arrives in his car, deflated in the emaciated form of Yagi Toshinori, but John can see the pride in the man's eyes as he smiles, approaching them. "Your efforts certainly have paid off!"
"You're damn right they have!" Katsuki roars triumphantly, jumping from his perch using short bursts of his explosions to slow his descent until he's there by John's side, grinning widely and wiping away the sweat coating his forehead.
John just nods shortly.
He had seen the physical improvements this morning before he left, and though he doesn't particularly like looking at himself in the mirror for long beyond brushing his teeth and cleaning the glass as per his chores, he will admit that the change is noticeable.
His muscles are a lot more built, appropriate for a fifteen-year-old teen to have, and with such limited time to work with. He grew a bit taller as well, but not as tall as Katsuki, who has a few feet on him. (He blatantly ignored Katsuki's teasings over being taller than him when the blond discovered the fact, primarily because it didn't matter to him. John has dealt with much bigger opponents before to kick up a fuss over height differences.)
Another difference with Katsuki is that his own muscles are slightly more defined, the arms and shoulders being rather robust. He must have had his own private training then, specifically with his Quirk. Good for him.
"I must say," Yagi begins, turning his sunken-eyed gaze at the newly unsoiled beach, "I've never seen this place look as beautiful as it does now. You both have truly outdone yourselves."
Katsuki waves the man off, although John can see an inflated ego when he sees it. But he won't comment on it like usual. The blond can have this moment of gratification, at least. "We don't do shit halfway, All Might. That's not our style."
Yagi laughs merrily, and it sounds a lot more genuine than when he does it as All Might, "I can see that! You've definitely taken the Plus Ultra spirit to heart!"
While John is still unsure why such a phrase is so beloved in this world (even after reading the summary of its origins and its attachment to the image of UA), he takes it as is, and nods again.
Shortly after, Yagi tells them that he'll be one of the judges for the practical exam, a fact that doesn't really change anything for John, but Katsuki seems bolstered by the revelation. Knowing him, he's probably looking forward to impressing the hero again, this time with the usage of his Quirk. That or Katsuki is just excited All Might will be watching the practical.
Who knows.
"Young Midoriya, you've already requested the school-issued support items beforehand, right?" Yagi asks, and John confirms it with a dip of his head.
May it never be assumed that John goes into things unprepared.
He had the foresight to check the requirements in regards to the entrance exams on the school website and found one section that stated that an applicant may bring their own support items or inventions.
Another option is to requisition specific tools offered by the school, the list of available items already given on the site (obviously, no guns are listed, but he always managed to make do without
them anyway). John has yet to know how the support items are made as well as how they function in full detail, so appealing for tools supplied by UA is the next best alternative.
In a worst-case scenario, if the items somehow stopped being functional, he could always improvise and use the remains of the destroyed robots.
(He does wish he won't get caught up in some kind of explosion in the process, though. That's an unpleasant experience he doesn't want to relive again.)
"Excellent!" Yagi says with a grin. "I know you two don't need to hear this from me, but I wish you both good luck in the exams! It'll be a challenge for sure but—"
"But nothing, we've got this shit in the bag!" Katsuki interjects, still in a high of their accomplishment as he cracks his knuckles and John resists rolling his eyes at the display.
Although he wouldn't be opposed if he failed the practical exam and got into the General Education department instead, John is profoundly aware he wouldn't hear the end of it from the explosive blond, so like it or not, he will have to do his best.
("You are the best of them all, Jardani, so you must uphold that standard.")
He can make backup plans for a garden-variety life some other time.
Later, they go on their separate ways, with Yagi heading over to the school, and John and Katsuki heading to their respective homes to clean themselves up and be ready for the day.
And John thoroughly doesn't think of how this is beginning to feel similar to his "convocation" from the Ruska Roma because it isn't. He's not going to be given a trial mission to see if he's competent enough to graduate from its walls. He's not going to fire his first shot from a distance.
He's just taking a high school entrance exam. It's just an exam.
("Your final exam will be the kingpin of the rising Sonin mob, their territory located in New Jersey, so be prepared for your flight.")
"Oi, Deku."
Just as he was about to take a right at the intersection of their neighborhood, John glances back to find Katsuki observing him with a familiar gaze, narrowed, but not venomous. Stubborn, but not callous. A challenge from an equal rather than something born out of hostility and ill-temper.
"Don't fucking forget, alright?"
("I'm gonna blow the entrance exam out of the fucking water, Deku, so don't half-ass it either".)
"Yeah." And that is a promise.
~
Mom is a little (a lot) teary-eyed when she sees him off at the entrance hall of their apartment, a sight that John is used to and knows how to handle by letting her hold him in her tight, motherly hug.
This time, he lets himself hug her back completely, his arms enveloping her back delicately rather than his hands simply patting her arms. She deserves better than that, especially after supporting him in his training this whole time.
(He's grown taller than her, he notices. And she's grown rather plump too, but he won't comment on it.)
"Be careful, and do your best, alright?" She asks of him when she lets go, her lips wobbly as she offers him an encouraging grin. "I'll be cheering for you, Izuku!"
(He likes to think that Helen is cheering for him too, wherever she is.)
John doesn't quite smile like her. He can barely remember how nowadays without it feeling fake on his lips, but he softens his features as best as he can when he nods in Mom's direction. "Thanks."
And then, he's out the door.
~
Hitoshi
Today 7:32 AM heya are you n Blasty on your way now? I'm already here by the entrance yeah we'll be there in 10 minutes awesome are you nervous? bc I know I am even tho we've literally been training together for this no right, duh, you have a reputation as Musutafu's peacemaking boogeyman ofc you aren't nervous
John isn't quite sure how to respond to this, even after spending the past few months getting acquainted with Aiyama Hitoshi, a kid he somehow managed to befriend months before, but he figures the generic reassurances will be fine. Maybe.
Hitoshi
you'll be fine we need to work on your comforting skills, dude bc I'm not feeling the comfort not really but okay lol well, see you later then. good luck in advance you too
"Is Eyebags there already?"
John looks up from his phone to see Katsuki looking quite annoyed beside him, but that's just his usual face. Especially when Hitoshi is concerned. "Yeah."
"Tch. Figures," the other boy scoffs lightly, but even John can tell there's nothing inherently choleric in his words. "Well, it doesn't matter. I'm gonna beat that insomniac bitch in the exams first and rub it in his face!"
"It's just an exam, Katsuki."
"Shut up."
He does, mostly because he's already accustomed to this rivaling song and dance between his two acquaintances who somehow have a lot in common yet get along like oil and water to bother interfering with it. It's not exactly his problem to deal with unless they drag him into one of their little competitions, to which he simply evades and just leaves them be to resolve things on their own. (In hindsight, perhaps it was a bit of a bad idea to let them meet.)
So John sits in silence as the train takes them to their destination, occasionally complying with Katsuki's demands for a short review of the material they'll be encountering in the paper exam.
Then the train stops gradually with a low hiss, the automatic voice in the speakers announcing their stop, and John and Katsuki leave the car, not once separating from each other even with the wave of students and civilians filing out of it.
Eventually, the wave parts into different directions, leaving only students to amble up the hill to the school that sits on top of it, overlooking the city like some kind of fortress.
And frankly, John didn't know what else he expected.
Imagination and guesstimating its height based on official photos is one thing, but seeing it in person is another. The main building is exceptionally enormous, almost reaching up towards the sky, its windows reflecting the blue color and the clouds with great clarity.
This place could probably rival the Ruska Roma and Winston's hotel in size and resources alone, but that's a thought to ponder over once the exams are done. (A thought that he decidedly will ignore.)
"So, you've finally made it."
John hears Hitoshi drawl before he feels an arm wrap around his shoulder from behind, the same goes with Katsuki judging from his indignant squawk. He tilts his head to see the lazy smirk plastered on Hitoshi's face, but he can also note the nervousness beneath the calm exterior he usually possesses.
Maybe they should work on that instead of John's comforting skills. "Yeah."
"Get the fuck off me, dead-eyed bastard!"
"Good morning to you too, squinty."
John is swift enough to block out their rapid-fire exchange of sarcastic wit and irate yelling as he continues on his way, walking ahead rather than getting caught in the crossfire. He also takes to ignoring the stares his group is getting now. He should have packed a set of earplugs ahead of time,
but honestly, he's just hoping this argument won't end up in a lot of property damage and a possible trip to a clinic.
For once, the world heeds his wishes.
The noise eventually stops, and it just so happens to be when Hitoshi trips on a crack on the pathway, cutting off his and Katsuki's usual bickering.
"Shit—!" Hitoshi sputters, and just when John turns to catch him (because he knows Katsuki won't since he's busy laughing), someone's already there to halt his fall, and—
Ah, Hitoshi's floating.
"You alright? I'm sorry for using my Quirk on you!" A girl with distinct pink cheeks (and possible levitation or gravity Quirk) apologizes.
"It's fine," Hitoshi says as John guides him to float in an upright position and the girl touches the pads of her fingers together, consequently letting the taller boy back on solid ground. Interesting. So it's a five-point touch Quirk.
(Would it still work without a finger? Probably. Probably not. John isn't about to ask, though. That'd be strange.)
"Thanks." Hitoshi rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, later shooting the still laughing Katsuki a glare.
The girl smiles (it doesn't look fake), "No problem! It would've been bad luck if you fell."
(John has been thrown to the ground multiple times in different circumstances for him to know how much truth there is to that statement.)
"Nah, you should've just let him fall, he'd look less like a fucking zombie!" Katsuki is in stitches by now, clutching his stomach as he laughs to his ego's delight. And Hitoshi, predictably, doesn't take it without retribution.
"Keep laughing and we'll see if you can attract some hyenas in here."
And so it begins again.
Seeing that things are fine now, John turns back to where the other students are entering, the voices of his two friends (now bickering up a storm of drier sarcasm and even fiery insults) and the girl drifting into a distant murmur the further he goes.
He thinks the girl is wondering out loud why he's leaving, but it doesn't matter. He keeps walking, following the signs and the flow of the students to where he needs to go.
They'll catch up anyway.
~
The paper exams come and go smoothly in a span of three hours. John wasn't exactly confident in a few subjects, but he answered every question to the best of his ability.
(The Director always sought the best in her children, after all. He wasn't an exception.)
He thinks he did well in the science portion of the test, given his private research of everything that had to do with Quirks during the first few years of his new existence. The math and history portions were fine too, as was Japanese literature, even though it took him a while to remember the names of characters and story titles, and central themes.
What did take him longer was the essay portion at the very end of the exam.
Questions about morality, the dichotomy between heroes and villains, personal feelings on this, and that—if he didn't know any better, John might've thought the test packet he was given was made specifically for him, to throw him in a loop.
As if there's some kind of supernatural presence among the teachers and the students, a wandering, vengeful ghost (it could be Viggo. Iosef. Cassian. Santino. The Bowery King. The Director. The Adjudicator. Winston. Marcus—) aiming to make his current life a living hell with all the introspection. (Even when he feels he's been doing plenty of that already.)
But he knew, logically, that there isn't anyone like that. At least, to his knowledge.
Those questions were moderately general enough for a bunch of hopeful teenagers to answer, either in lackluster fashion or with some ignited passion to drive them to write their response.
John can't do either of those. It's almost in his nature not to half-ass things, yet he's not at all passionate about any of the topics prompted. Morality? The contrast between heroes and villains? What kind of hero do you wish to be?
He didn't have a clear answer for any of them. But he wrote anyway. He didn't try to look deep into the pond those questions opened up for him. He didn't overthink it. He just answered to the best of his ability, even when the words he had written felt lacking in the emotional aspect. Even when he wrote them down neither as Midoriya Izuku nor John Wick.
But he figured the ones responsible for checking the tests wouldn't care that much.
As soon as all the test packets are collected by the exam proctor (tall, exposed teeth like a skull, trench coat, leg prosthetics—Ectoplasm, his memory suggests) everyone in the exam hall clambers to leave, some grousing over not being able to answer a few tricky questions and others thinking out loud that they did well.
John ignores them.
Lunch passes by just as quickly. He follows the signs and the movement of students to where the auditorium is, and in the trek, he reunites with Katsuki and Hitoshi, both expressing their thoughts that they did fine (if with a bit of subtle shoving here and there over who finished first).
He doesn't see the gravity girl anywhere, but he suspects she's already on her way to the next room for their practical exam orientation.
And speaking of the orientation...
"WELCOME EVERYBODY!!!"
A walking embodiment of a radio station stands center stage, clad in a neck speaker and leather (that just can't be comfortable when it's summer), and with a peculiar hairstyle that gives him the impression of a cockatoo. John didn't need a second to recall who this hero is since the man's radio
show has always been Mom's favorite to listen to in the evenings, and even if he tried, he couldn't escape seeing the face and hearing the name of Present Mic.
John notices some movement beside him, and when he subtly glances to the side, he discovers Hitoshi hiding a smile behind his hand as he leans his elbows on the long table, his expression akin to one of fond exasperation.
Hm. There's a story there, but he won't poke around it. That's not at all important right now.
"YOU GUYS FIRED UP OR WHAT?! GIMME A YEAH!!!"
They don't give him a 'yeah'.
Present Mic doesn't seem that discouraged by the silence, though. "ANYWHO! I'm gonna give you the rundown of how the practical exam is gonna go, ya dig?! CAN I GET A YEAH?!!!"
He doesn't get a 'yeah'.
And Hitoshi is currently holding back laughs, covering his mouth with both hands and sinking on his seat in an attempt to muffle them further.
"Yeesh, tough crowd," Present Mic whistles but he waves a hand dismissively. "Well, whatevs! Listen well and good, listeners, 'cause this is how it's gonna roll!"
John pays close attention to the instructions, considering each detail carefully, not missing anything. Present Mic explains that the test will run for ten minutes in a mock city where they will have to fight robots (so the website wasn't kidding).
Not only that, students from the same school are separated into different areas, which disconcerts Katsuki a little from the way he grumbles under his breath. Lastly, there are four robots in total with designated point values beginning from 1 to 3.
John doesn't get to hear about the last robot and its point value, however, when someone raises their hand.
A squarish teenage boy with glasses stands up and begins to ask about the last robot, and for some reason going off on a small tirade about oversights and how it's an embarrassment to a well- respected school such as UA.
It was relatively fine until it mildly escalates when the same boy whirls around to direct an accusing finger at Hitoshi, who goes rigid on his seat but just as swiftly schools his features into his usual mask of composure and unconcern.
"And you!" The boy with glasses scolds. "If you think this is some funny display based on your laughing earlier, please leave! This is not a game and clearly, you aren't taking this seriously!"
He can already sense the humiliation and annoyance from Hitoshi as his friend lowers his head with crossed arms, as well as the growing temper from Katsuki in heatwaves on his other side, but John is spared from having to give the blond a fast kick to the ankle when Present Mic interrupts, regaining everyone's attention.
"Good observation there, listener! I was just getting to the fourth bot!" The hero gestures to the large screen behind him and a large silhouette of the fourth robot appears, its point value a zero. "As you can see, the last one is worth 0 points! It's pretty huge, though, and can go on a rampage, so you might wanna avoid that hot mess once you see it."
"Understood, sir! Apologies for the interruption!"
"No sweat, listener! That's pretty much the gist, so all of you funky little dudes suit up and head out to your designated buses!"
And with that, the orientation ends, with Present Mic showing off a grin that John always saw on Katsuki's face whenever they'd spar. "And remember to have the Plus Ultra spirit! Break a leg, everyone!"
John can only hope there won't be any actual bones broken during the exam because that would be very inconvenient and annoying to sit through.
~
They leave the auditorium, voices mingling together into a cacophony. John says his temporary partings with Katsuki ("Don't kill anyone." "Shut the fuck up, asshole, I know.") and walks with Hitoshi to their bus.
However, he soon remembers that he hasn't received his requested items yet, so he tells Hitoshi to go ahead, intending on finding the administrator's office. Or, wherever it is they keep their support items. Honestly, with how gigantic the school building is, he doubts he'll be able to find it in time for the practical exam to begin. There should be a map around here somewhere, though.
"Midoriya?"
John stops in the middle of the hallway at the gruff voice behind him and he turns to see a tall, scruffy, tired-eyed man with dark unkempt hair, equally dark clothing, and a white scarf.
After scouring his memories, he later realizes that this man must be Eraserhead, an underground hero. Highly skilled, well-known in his network of associates, and incredibly efficient in his work. A probable threat to John Wick, but not to Midoriya Izuku. Maybe.
"Yes," he chooses to say because he knows that underground heroes rely on their anonymity to be able to work efficiently.
Eraserhead pauses, seemingly scanning him, until he gestures to the other side of the hall with his head. "Your application forms stated you requested for school-issued support items, is that right?"
John easily follows. "Yes, sir."
Eraserhead grunts. "Follow me, then."
The silent walk doesn't take more than a minute until they reach a large sliding door. The hero opens it without preamble and John trails after him, noting a few discarded tools and other machinery on workbenches lining the walls. This must be where they make their inventions. Either that, or it could just be some storage unit for things like this.
He stops when Eraserhead does in front of the middle workbench, waiting patiently, even when his body automatically readies itself for an attack that won't come because this is a school for heroes, John, don't lose focus.
Eraserhead holds out a navy blue messenger bag with the school's logo imprinted on the flap. "Here are the tools you requested. Be sure to return at least some of them once the exam is over, alright?"
John accepts the bag without a fuss, like acquiring more guns and knives from the Sommelier (although, the Sommelier would've made a show of displaying his requested artillery). He does a quick check, peeking through the opening and finding himself satisfied with the tools. Hero schools are certainly thorough.
He looks back at Eraserhead and offers a short nod. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
The hero grunts again, wordlessly motioning for them to leave the room. Still unsure of the layout of the school, John follows behind. Perhaps he should review any public maps of the campus after this. It doesn't hurt to be extra thorough before classes start.
"Just follow the signs on the walls to your bus. You know what it is?" They stop at the hallway leading to the auditorium.
John nods again.
"Right. I'll leave you to it." Then, Eraserhead turns back around, likely to where the other exam proctors are.
John does the same, walking down the hall and promptly heading for his designated bus to where it will carry him and many others to the exam site.
To his silent relief, the bus is relatively quiet, save for a few murmurs and soft conversations between the other examinees. Aside from Hitoshi who simply asked what was in the bag, no one else tries to talk to him, which is a bonus.
(He doesn't think about past missions in the duration of the trip. He can't afford to be distracted by the unwanted feeling of reminiscence just from this alone. This is an exam to enroll into a school, not a mission to eliminate a mafia kingpin who displeased a few people.)
After some time, the bus pulls over to their appointed testing ground, and everyone files out of the vehicle in a buzz, either congregating into groups or by themselves.
"Ah shit, I'm getting nervous now," Hitoshi mutters as he shakes out his hands.
John doesn't really glance at him in response, opting to double-check his tools and coming up with a hundred plans on how he should do this. By comparison, dealing with humans is much easier than robots, but John isn't that averse to trying something new. "You'll be fine."
He can already feel the light stink-eye. "You're terrible at being comforting, you know that?"
"Hm."
Later, Hitoshi seems to have spotted the pink-cheeked girl from this morning. He tells John that he'll be right back, presumably to talk to her.
John doesn't mind. He has other things occupying his thoughts, such as strategies, and contingency plans in case he somehow uses up all of his requisitioned items. A familiar motion that he didn't mind falling back into, but then the most prevalent thought marches forth like a headless horseman as he stares at the towering door ahead of him, barely noting the thrum of other students and a certain sense of anticipation pervading the air like static.
How in the hell did I get here?
But he doesn't get to ponder over it and his previous choices that led up to this moment because the doors have opened.
"START!!!"
And John moves.
~
John destroys his first robot after another examinee blasts one with some kind of laser shooting from his stomach.
And apparently, that examinee is also French because he aims a wink at John and says, "Magnifique!"
John graces that with just a bob of his head and grabs a durable piece of metal pipe from the damaged remains before running off to his sighted target. Judging from its single-wheeled design and the large number painted on its arms, it's worth just one point.
But it's better than nothing, he supposes, so he forges ahead, his impromptu weapon in hand.
"Target Lock-On!"
He's quick to use a damaged robot as leverage, mounting it and shortly jumping off it to plunge his weapon from behind the robot, straight through its chest. The thing is surprisingly breakable.
Something bulky and sphere-like is sticking out of the other end of the pole, he realizes. Is it...a heart or something? Best not to think too much about it. Time is too limited for him to ponder over unimportant details.
Deeming his weapon unusable (it's immutably stuck in the bot's chest now) John climbs off his first casualty and decides to nab the sizable object from the pole.
After checking it quickly and thoroughly (it is a "heart", consisted of wires and durable material), he glances at the messenger bag he's carrying and a plan is formed.
He only hopes UA makes their bags as heavy-duty as everything else.
Pocketing the steel balls and small electric disks, and looping the prototype capture binding around his left arm securely, John puts the robotic heart within the bag, finishing off with testing its robustness by giving it an experimental swing. Thankfully, it doesn't tear, which is all the assurance John needs.
He finds two more robots—a 1-Pointer and a 2-Pointer—gunning for him, their red eyes gleaming brightly and dangerously, no doubt ready to attack him, render him useless, kill him—
(And without his permission, the skin of Baba Yaga washes over Midoriya Izuku completely like an unwanted parasite. A parasite he will have to tolerate if John wants Izuku to pass this. He doesn't
welcome it warmly. He only refocuses on the task at hand. No distractions.)
Gripping the straps of the bag tightly, he moves with a purpose.
He dodges the enemies' attacks with ease and bashes their heads with his newly acquired weapon, sparing no time to find his next set of points.
He strikes the weaker spots of 1-Pointers with the electric disks, shocking them into powering down.
He plunges acquired poles and sharp rods in 2-Pointers after jumping off walls and broken machines for support.
He gets lucky in getting 3-Pointers to destroy themselves with their lock-on systems and built-in defense mechanisms, using the steel balls as well to trip them up until he has none left.
John also manages to save that French kid ("Merci mon ami!") when it appeared he gained some stomach ache, and a few other examinees from making careless errors, either getting hasty verbal gratitude for his efforts or irate yelling for "stopping them from gaining a point".
John doesn't care for that.
He destroys a couple more villain robots with his worn makeshift weapon. He knows it'll give way eventually, but it hasn't, so he keeps fighting.
He doesn't know what his score is now, but he reckons it's at least higher than ten. Or fifteen. Maybe twenty, if he's feeling generous of himself.
In the mayhem, he finds Hitoshi, visibly exhausted but continues to dodge swipes from the robots and successfully getting the machines to demolish themselves. He's unsure how many points his friend has, but what he does know is that passing this exam is important to Hitoshi.
Plus, no matter how much stamina Hitoshi says he has, there's a limit to how much he can evade, so John swiftly picks up a broken sign pole from the ground and jogs up to his friend, wordlessly handing it to him before running off again. (Absently, he wonders how Katsuki is doing, but he figures he's doing fine. It's Katsuki, after all.)
He fells three more robots before a 2-Pointer stands before him like a dragon from a storybook. And though John doesn't think himself to be a knight in shining armor, he slays it with a fast and heavy swing of his makeshift weapon to the head, narrowly avoiding the robot's initial attack.
It doesn't immediately go down, but it does sputter in sparks, visibly malfunctioning. John dodges another strike from the bot, making its arm stick itself in the asphalt this time.
He takes the chance to rush forward, shouldering the messenger bag and holding the capture binding in both hands.
Without delay, John loops the binding around the 2-Pointer's head and drives it like a metal steed, leading it to crash into many of its brethren until his mount is all but demolished, the binding thankfully not snapping throughout the whole ordeal.
He doesn't leave the scuffle unscathed, though, earning a few cuts and minor singes from the small blasts, but he ignores them and the burning ache in his muscles. He can't let himself rest now.
There are still other enemies coming for him, intent to (kill) hinder him.
John doesn't know when it began, but a blaring alarm echoes across the battlefield, like a signal for something big and sinister on the horizon.
(He heard the siren loud and clear, and he took to shelter, hid from copper bullets, hid from imminent death. Others weren't so lucky.)
The ground shakes. Other examinees are screaming, running away. John finds Hitoshi still around, helping fallen and trapped students even when there's a threat looming close by because that's what a hero does, he told John long ago.
(A hero. John isn't a hero. He's just a person doing the sensible thing.)
A gigantic titan of a robot turns a corner, multiple red eyes gleaming as it towers even the highest of buildings in the area, casting a huge shadow over the street as it causes some property damage to the structures with abandon. So this must be the Zero Pointer from the orientation.
UA never holds back on anything, does it?
Present Mic had suggested avoiding it as much as possible, which is understandable advice. John can only imagine the kind of power that could take down something as massive as that.
The idea of running comes to mind (he kept running, even when his legs burned something fierce and terrible, he kept running, he kept fighting, running from blades and bullets because that's all he knew now) but it's extinguished instantaneously at the shrill cry down the street.
"S-Someone- someone, help!"
John immediately spots someone—the gravity girl—trapped underneath robot corpses and rubble, unable to get them off of her.
No one else comes to her aid. They've all ran away.
But not John.
Unlike back then, when wave upon wave of killers and assassins were gunning for his head and he had no choice but to run, John stays and assesses everything all at once, not wasting a single second to doubt himself.
He still has the robotic heart in his bag. The prototype capture binding is still usable. The Zero Pointer is just a few meters away, far enough from the gravity girl, but still a grave threat. A threat that needs to be eliminated as efficiently as possible.
John doesn't know the inner workings of these villain bots yet, but at this point, he's willing to throw anything together just from his knowledge on incendiaries alone.
With that, he runs towards the girl, not minding the way his legs are on fire from the added exertion.
"You alright?" He asks, kneeling beside her. She tears up as she answers, "Y-Yeah, just- my legs..."
Pinned down, definitely.
The Zero Pointer is close now, whirring and loud. Time is running out. He scrutinizes the robots piled on top of her legs until he finds what he needs. It's reckless of him to do this, he knows that,
but right now, he doesn't care. He pulls out the components needed to fire off their artillery from their damaged bodies as well as the mechanical heart from the bag and quickly gets to work.
Luckily, he recognizes most of the parts as soon as he goes to combine them all in some way, so with slightly shaky hands (he added the last piece of the gun) he connects the last wire, seeing the small red light blinking (he had a minute to escape before it went off) and shortly asks, "Your Quirk?" It wouldn't hurt to double-check.
"Z-Zero Gravity," she replies, shaking. "Why—?"
"Can you make this float?" The robot is closer.
The girl looks at him confusedly, but she does reach out to tap it, and John briskly ties it with one end of the capture binding and holding the other end. He looks up at the Zero Pointer, near enough for him to act.
With a spin of the capture binding to build up momentum and speed, John launches the thing at the machine's head, the capture binding along with it (he hopes Eraserhead won't mind, he did tell John to return some of his requested items). He's fast to get the fallen bots off of the girl, and she crawls herself to freedom before he goes to carry her.
How much time is left?
John doesn't know. All he knows is that he's escaping with the girl in his arms, away from the mechanical behemoth in a sprint.
He hears the booming noise before he feels the swell of heat and the force of the explosion from behind him, and he is propelled to the air. (So much for not wanting to be involved in another explosion.)
On instinct, he braces for impact, turning on his back to receive most of it so the girl wouldn't have to. She's injured enough as it is.
But then he feels lighter, somehow. As if he's floating.
Oh, he is.
The gravity girl—
"Gotcha!"
John then senses someone else catching them, the collision of it rattling him slightly. Oh, it's Hitoshi.
"Fucking hell, you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days, you lunatic," his friend mutters. Should John apologize afterward? He's not sure. And frankly, he's a tad bit exhausted to muse on it. But maybe a trip to their usual corner store could suffice.
Later, once everything is settled down to an extent, a petite elderly woman with a doctor's coat and a peculiar syringe cane comes to check for injuries. Oh, it's Recovery Girl, a healer from what John can remember, and UA's resident nurse.
He gets the old woman to tend to the gravity girl first. Leg injuries aren't pleasant, after all.
Everything then passes in a blur once he sits down, the noises muffled in his ears and the
adrenaline rush drained from his system, leaving him just a little adrift in his own body. He thinks Hitoshi asks Recovery Girl to tend to John next. He thinks Hitoshi carried him on his back. He thinks he's settled on something soft, like a bed.
He doesn't think about it too much
He does think about whether or not he has enough points to pass the exam. If he does, then at least now he can put Tsukauchi's concerns for his social life and apparent track record to rest since he's certain the detective will appreciate that.
And if he doesn't? Well, he just hopes Katsuki won't chew his head off for it.
But that's a problem for the future version of himself. He's tired.
~
Midoriya Izuku, the student file says.
Quirkless, it says even louder.
The entire observation room is silent, the teachers gaping at the screens, and Shouta hides a minute smirk underneath his capture weapon.
It's not unheard of to have Quirkless applicants, but most of the time they change their minds about trying for the Hero Course, either transferring to different departments per the advice of family, friends and counselors or backing out altogether and going to regular high schools.
Not this Quirkless applicant, though.
No, this kid is practically blowing the exam out of the water, and that's Shouta's quiet little bias towards the underdogs talking.
"Holy shit," Vlad breathes out as they collectively watch the Quirkless middle schooler jump down from a damaged bot's corpse to plunge his acquired metal pole all the way through a 1-Pointer's chest, and what the fuck, is that the robot's fucking mechanical heart?
He can hear Maijima choking on his coffee at that ("How in the goddamn fuck did he do that?!").
The kid quickly climbs down from the now-dead 1-Pointer only to nab the mechanical heart, examining it for a quick second before he...puts it inside the fucking bag after removing the bag's contents, successfully creating some sort of blunt force weapon akin to a meteor hammer.
Then he moves on to use said blunt force weapon to bash the heads of the other robots, almost poetically ironic in that he's using the heart of a villain bot to kill its brethren without a second thought.
It's a terrifying and majestic thing to witness, actually. Almost.
At least Nedzu seems to enjoy the show, smiling and sipping his tea all the while.
The kid doesn't stop there.
He keeps fighting, destroying bots left and right using the tools he requisitioned as well as his environment to his advantage. His score rises even more when he also begins saving a few injured examinees, earning a few scrapes himself, but he doesn't falter. He even gave Hitoshi a broken street sign pole for him to use as a weapon before rushing off.
(Could Midoriya be the friend Hitoshi's been meeting up with for the past few months? Maybe. They seem to know each other since Hitoshi reacted with relief in his body language. But Shouta will think on that later.)
Shouta watches carefully when Midoriya finally unwinds the prototype capture weapon from his arm and holds it in his left hand with the makeshift weapon clenched tightly in the other, eyeing up another 2-Pointer in front of him.
He knows he should be watching the other applicants (he needs to be impartial, after all) but he can't seem to ignore the Quirkless boy (nor Hitoshi, for that matter, the kid's ranking up his scores as well) for long, anticipation thrumming under his skin as he witnesses the kid trick the robot into pounding the ground instead of him and subsequently bashing it in the head at the opening.
In his peripheral, he can see Hizashi, Nemuri, and the rest of the teachers fidgeting on their seats, likely wanting to get in there and save the boy but Shouta knows it's unneeded. Honestly, wanting to protect those who can't protect themselves is a good quality to have as a hero, but really, they should be at least have a little more faith in this kid's abilities.
He has enough points to pass, after all. Surely that must count for something.
Midoriya catches his attention again when the kid leaps back from a strike from the robot, making its arm hit the pavement and stuck there. Good reflexes, Shouta thinks with a nod.
The boy dashes forward, shouldering his bag, and after securing the prototype capture weapon in his hands, he uses it to steer the damn robot like a mechanized warhorse, leading it to charge at the other bots in the path.
Suffice to say, Shouta is thrilled by this new development. (Even when he can feel the second-hand stress rising from each new stunt.)
"Look at him go!" Snipe whistles and Shouta knows right then that Midoriya Izuku has impressed the staff.
(All Might looks particularly in awe and terrified all at the same time, and while he's a little curious about that kind of reaction, it's none of Shouta's business to pry.)
And then, Nedzu releases the Zero Pointer because he's a mad man.
Shouta can respect that.
It's mildly disappointing to see that all of the examinees are running away, though, but he thinks it's logical to escape a dangerous situation when you can't do anything to stop it and need back up. However, he does notice Hitoshi staying behind to help out a few students who've tripped or stuck under some robots, which is heartening to see. (Shouta will definitely take him to his favorite cat cafe for that. As a treat from a dad to his son.)
"Oh, we got someone trapped down there," Power Loader says, fiddling on his tablet.
The other teachers set their sights on a girl trapped underneath rubble and robot corpses, the girl with the gravity Quirk, his mind supplies. And the Zero Pointer is just close behind.
Shouta doesn't need to see the others to recognize they're concerned, itching to get in there, even though Nedzu has safety precautions in mind for this kind of situation.
The sequence of events that happen next, however, will forever be stamped in their memories.
Because Midoriya Izuku, the underdog among them, runs towards the Zero Pointer's direction without pause nor hesitation.
"The hell is that kid doing?" Vlad mutters.
The boy crouches before the trapped girl, most likely talking to her about her injuries, and after a moment, he pulls out the robotic heart from the bag and then a few things from the destroyed Villain bots. The camera doesn't show what Midoriya is doing, which is a little annoying, but Shouta can hazard a guess. He watches as the kid shows his new creation to the notices how the girl nods, reaching a hand out to tap the object, and Midoriya rises to his feet.
He looks straight up at the massive bot before him. He winds his hand holding the bulky object back and throws.
He doesn't look to see if or where the thing has landed. He just crouches and lifts one robot corpse possibly pinning the girl down, which allows her to crawl out some, then he lifts her in his arms, sprinting like hell away from the robot until-
A giant explosion happens right at the head of the Zero Pointer, and everyone collectively loses their shit.
"—What the fuck?!—"
"—Holy shit!—"
"—Where did that come from?!—"
"—Did that kid just throw a bomb?!—"
"—How is that possible?!—"
"—I thought he didn't request a bomb, how—"
Meanwhile, Shouta is still processing the fact that Midoriya defeated a giant fucking robot, saved somebody, and garnered plenty of Villain and Rescue points.
All without a Quirk.
He can already imagine the Hero Commission and the school board having a grand time with this change in the norm.
Shouta certainly is, because now, Midoriya has made a giant wave in the ocean as the first Quirkles kid to apply to UA's Hero Course and succeed.
(A certain part of his mind tingles, poking at a memory, and Shouta wonders where he's seen or heard of this kid before.)
Nedzu claps his paws together, urging everyone to calm down (to an extent) before he explains, "Midoriya Izuku did not, in fact, request an explosive device. It's quite thrilling, actually, because he made one out of the incendiary components of the 1 and 2-Pointers. A smart young man, he is."
They watch the aftermath.
Apparently, Midoriya and the gravity girl (Uraraka Ochako, as stated from the files Shouta was able to pick out) had been propelled by the force of the blast, and the boy shielded her from the incoming impact on the ground before she used her Quirk on him, and Hitoshi—bless him— managed to arrive in time to catch them both.
They're seen to by Recovery Girl, and the whole room is once again bathed in silence until Nedzu announces with a particular giddiness to his tone, "Everyone, let us welcome the top scorer of our practical exam, and the first Quirkless student to have made an impression and passed with a score of 83 points; Midoriya Izuku."
Shouta allows himself to grin.
~
Somewhere in the school, in an infirmary, the door bursts open.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID EYEBAGS MEAN YOU BLASTED A ROBOT TO HELL WITH YOUR OWN FUCKING BOMB, DEKU?!"
John should've escaped when he had the chance.
Chapter End Notes
tsukauchi: so how did the exam go? aizawa: oh there was this green-haired kid who slaughtered a lot of robots using the remains and made a bomb out of them too, it was crazy tsukauchi, already pouring himself his 45th coffee that day: i see
man, on one hand, the first few parts of this chapter feels weird somehow and I wanna rewrite everything until it's Somewhat Good, but on the other hand, writing John destroy the shit out of the robots while also saving some people was so freaking FUN (even tho fight/action scenes are my kryptonite \o/)
and if him being able to make a bomb outta robot parts was a little weird, I remembered that in the 3rd movie, he was able to make a revolver out of other different gun parts, which was hella awesome and I thought "Hey, if John can make a gun, then he can make BOOM BOOM BALL OUTTA ROBOT GUTS"
(don't @ me, this is my fic and I DO WHAT I WANT, MOM)
also yes, hitoshi and katsuki have met months before bc of john :D you can imagine how that went down lmao if you guys want, I can post a bonus chapter or one-shot or smth about their blossoming friendship bc i love writing their dynamic which is basically john trying not to let the other two kill each other ( )っ
lastly, HOLY SHIT THE 500 KUDOS??? CLOSE TO 10K HITS??? YALL OMG you guys are incredible thank youuuuu (* ິ ີ)
oh, and one part of this chapter is inspired by shanatical's quiet like a fight, one of my fave crossover fics between two of my favorite animes ( )ノ (it's hella good, go read it if you love Angels of Death as much as I do lol)
next chapter is another one you've all been waiting for! :D AKA Reincarnated Assassin Meets UA :D (and hopefully it's better than this one /works/15502224/chapters/35987313