Author's Note: First hot off the press chapter for this story since changing accounts

4: Starting Line

Izuku was extremely nervous when he woke up the day after he and his mother had registered Khaji-Da as a Quirk. The fact that there seemed to be a type of Quirk that was not only sentient, but independently sought out specific hosts was something no medical practitioner had ever seen. While it certainly wasn't beyond the realm of possibility, it was something entirely new to the world of Quirk Studies. And, as Izuku had feared, they had tried to take a sample from the Scarab.

Needless to say, Khaji-Da had made good on his promise to defend himself. And Izuku was certain that the doctor would never be the same after the incident. But it had gone over as he and his mother had wished: Izuku Midoriya was now registered as having the first ever recorded Sentient Parasitic Quirk in history. And it was marked down as highly aggressive.

The way that the doctor decided to explain the appearance of the Scarab was rather simple: animals, while rare, were beginning to manifest Quirks. A prime example would be the principal of the very school that Izuku was aiming to apply for, U.A. The Scarab, obviously, was an undiscovered Quirk-wielding parasitic beetle, which made its way to Japan and then chose Izuku as it's host. Khaji-Da remarked that the doctor was an exceedingly insulting buffoon.

But now that Izuku was no longer registered as Quirkless, he could now start toward entering U.A. as he had wanted all along. Of course, that did nothing to stop his nerves as he stood outside of the school's gates.

{You hesitation is understandable given how you have been treated at this establishment,} the Scarab told him with a small tickle at the back of his neck, {However, I would remind you that you are no longer alone, nor unable to defend yourself.}

[That's sort of what I'm afraid of,] Izuku said to the Scarab, [I know you don't like people threatening me, but you've got to be careful.] He said, thinking about some of the consequences should his friend injure anyone.

He felt a sense of annoyance from the Scarab, {I promise that I will only react to deter further action against you,} Khaji-Da said, {I believe the adjective is an eye for an eye, is it not?}

"Great," the boy muttered as he started toward the school.

As he entered and walked through the halls to his classroom, he was well aware that the other students were all looking in his direction: the opposite of what he was accustomed with. [They're all looking at me.]

{You need not worry,} Khaji-Da remarked, {They are wondering about your new Quirk.}

That didn't make the boy feel any better, but he was happy that none of them decided to approach him.

"Hey, Deku!"

[Oh, no,] he had spoke too soon as he heard the familiar voice of the last person he wanted to see. He turned around and plastered a shaky smile on his face, "Oh...he-hey, Kacchan?"

The blond boy was standing right behind him has he turned, a sneer on his face as usual. "The fuck is this I hear about you having a Quirk?" He demanded, "That shit can't be true."

{What an unpleasant creature,} Khaji-Da sounded like he was huffing.

Izuku's eyes wandered back over his shoulder, [That's just how he is.]

Unfortunately for him, Bakugo saw the eye movement as an attempt to ignore him. "Hey! Don't you look away when I'm talking to you, you bastard!" He reached out and grabbed him by the front of his uniform.

Izuku felt himself being lifted off the ground, but the real problem was when he felt the Beetle armor spreading over the skin of his back. "Kacchan, don't - !"

"Shut the hell up and - !" He was cut off abruptly when two insect-like appendages burst out of the back Izuku's uniform. He felt the blow against him before he saw what exactly hit him.

Izuku almost lost it when the two arms came out and struck his former friend in the ribs with enough force to stagger him, but thankfully the Scarab had been serious when it had told him that her would not use lethal force. The ends of the appendages were rounded, like boxing gloves. But that didn't mean that Bakugo was not feeling a searing pain in his ribs.

"You son of a - !" Bakugo looked up at him with pure malice across his face...right up until he saw what had hit him. "Wait...those arms..."

Izuku was panicking now. {It seems he recognizes the armor,} Khaji-Da said with a hint of amusement.

"Uh, I've gotta get to class now, Kacchan, bye-bye!" Izuku blurted out hurriedly before turning tail and running down the hall to the classroom.

"Hold it!" Bakugo shouted after him.

Thankfully, Izuku was safe from the blond's wrath when he got to his seat, [That was too close,] the boy sighed as he took his seat, [Did you have to hit him that hard?] He asked of the Scarab.

{I could hardly call that a tap,} Khaji-Da sounded miffed, {Furthermore, Izuku Midoriya, I believe that this Katsuki Bakugo creature is a direct threat to your wellbeing.} The Scarab went on as the boy set his book bag down and pulled out his notebook, {As such, I will not hesitate to deter any aggressive behavior he shows toward you.}

[You're probably going to encourage it,] Izuku thought idly, knowing that Bakugo would undoubtedly see the attack as a challenge, and that was one thing that he hated the most: challenges from those he thought weaker than himself.

Thankfully, when Bakugo staggered into the classroom, the teacher was already there and ready to begin the day. Of course, the worst possible thing happened. "So, Midoriya," the boy jumped when the teacher called out to him, "I've been told that you have a Quirk, now." He said as the rest of the class turned their eyes on him, "Congratulations. I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do."

"I heard he gave Bakugo a real good hit to the ribs," one student said in a hushed tone that was heard by everyone, including the teacher.

But before the man could say anything, the aforementioned blond exploded, "He didn't do shit to me!" His palms went off in loud pops and crackles that had the other students cowed.

"Bakugo, sit down and do not use your Quirk again," the teacher said as the boy snarled at him, "First and last warning." He said before turning his attention back to the green-haired boy, "And Midoriya, I know that you that you must be excited about your new Quirk, but I'm not going to treat you any different than the rest of the students." He said while the boy hung his head, "Which means no Quirk usage inside the school."

{That rule seems frivolous considering how often your classmates use their own during your studies,} the Scarab said with annoyance, a loud chittering noise coming from beneath the boy's shirt.

Izuku thought for a moment that the Scarab was about to do something that would get him in trouble, so he turned his head over his shoulder with an attempt to look down at his back, "Hey, now, behave yourself!" He said out loud.

{I was merely stating that the rules of this school seem exceedingly loose,} Khaji-Da said with a hint of amusement as the boy's outburst only served to provoke the curiosity of the others, including the teacher, but only served to increase Bakugo's ire.

"Is your Quirk talking to you?" The teacher asked with a hint of awe in his voice, "I'd heard that your Quirk was sentient, but I didn't think that it was to this extent!" His tone turned to excitement, "I know that I just said that you're not allowed to use your Quirk, but I'd love to see what this sentient Quirk of yours can do."

{Oh my, I do believe he is challenging you, Izuku Midoriya.} Khaji-Da said with amusement heavy in his tone, {Why not let your friend see the armor that saved his life?}

Izuku sighed, [I guess I should get this over with?] He wondered, thinking it best that he just ripped it off like a bandaid to save himself the pain later. So he got up from his seat, and stood in the middle of the aisle. [Please don't take over, alright?]

{As a former host of mine once said,} the Scarab said, {It is all you, buddy.}

Izuku took a deep breath and willed the Scarab's armor over himself. It was as if the boy had transformed into a different being entirely when the blue and black armor encased him.

"Well, would you look at that!" The teacher said as he marveled at the armored teen, before his eyes widened, "Wait a minute...Midoriya, you were the one that rescued Bakugo from that sludge Villain!"

The class was abuzz with chatter as they all recalled that their other classmate had been attacked a few days prior, and had been saved by an armored Hero, who now appeared to be a Vigilante. [This isn't good.]

{What harm could they do to you?} Khaji-Da asked with hostility in his voice, {Regardless of whether I am defined as a Quirk, or a Support Item, you saved the life of that wretched creature whereas the licensed Heroes simply stood by, fearing for their own lives while he slowly asphyxiated.}

"Mister Midoriya, I think you and I should visit the principal," the teacher said, making the boy's heart sink down to his stomach. While it was one thing for the students, and the teachers to ignore the rules of Quirk usage, it was an entirely different matter altogether for a student to conduct Vigilantism.

As Izuku's heart began to race at what this could mean for him, the door to the classroom slammed open.

"That boy is going nowhere with you, Sir!" The newcomer snapped angrily, causing all eyes to land on him. He was tall, all of seven-foot-two with a lean build. His eyes were bright blue, and his hair was wavy, with two long strands coming down from his hairline and framing his face. It was actually the only way that Izuku recognized him with how different he looked.

This was Toshinori Yagi, better known to the world as All Might, the No.1 Hero, restored.

{Say nothing,} Khaji-Da cautioned him, {He kept his normal self a secret for good reason, and you must not reveal it to anyone.} Izuku silently agreed with him, knowing that he would have blurted out the man's Hero alias without a second thought had the Scarab's armor not locked his jaw in place to prevent it. {Apologies.} The Scarab said a moment later, {I only meant to protect the pair of you when I took control of the armor. I would have asked your permission had this not been urgent.}

Behind the man, both the teacher and Izuku saw, was the principal himself, looking rather pleased.

"He's quite right," the balding man said as he stepped around the large man, "Class, allow me to introduce a very special guest, Mister Toshinori Yagi, the personal assistant to All Might at the Minato, Tokyo branch of Might Towers." He said grandly as the class erupted into excited chatter.

The teacher looked at the man as he tipped his hat at the children before taking it off and tucking it under his arm, "Sir, I don't think I quite understand," he said, "While I know that Mister Midoriya must have had Mister Bakugo's best interest in mind, he still performed Vigilantism, and the school has a very strict policy on such acts."

Toshinor looked at the man with a tight smile, "While that may be so in most cases, Sir," he said with a friendly look in Izuku's direction, "However, in Young Midoriya's case, All Might himself has taken a very special interest in him," the chatter started up again, "However, since the young man didn't hang around after the Villain was contained, I had to do a little research to find him."

"F-Find me?" Izuku stuttered.

{It is an act,} the Scarab told him, {Why are you stuttering?}

[Nerves!] Izuku yelped mentally.

Toshinori nodded, "Yes, indeed," he smiled, "You see, your Quirk was not recognized in any of the registration offices. Which gave me a pretty good idea that you were a late bloomer, and would most likely register your Quirk soon after." He gestured to the classroom, "And, as I'm here, I'm obviously correct."

"Why the hell would All Might want anything to do with him?" Bakugo growled quietly, just barely keeping himself under control.

However, Toshinori must have heard him, "Because, not only did Young Midoriya show great promise as a future Hero," he smiled as smoke began rising from Bakugo's clenched fists. "But the young man impressed him quite a bit. Not only did he minimize damage to the area, but he was also able to capture the Villain exceedingly quickly." Izuku felt himself swelling with pride from the man's praise, however, the sound of tiny explosions popping off made him more nervous than seeing All Might at the door.

"And because All Might was so impressed with Mister Midoriya's performance," the principal continued, "He has kindly offered to sponsor him when he graduates and enters high school!"

"But I don't understand, Sir," the helmet covering his face and head opened up, showing his face, "I still made myself a Vigilante, so - "

Toshinori started chuckling, "Do you know how many Heroes nowadays used to be Vigilantes?" He asked, and Izuku almost answered him, but a buzz from the Scarab halted him. "There's quite a few of them." He said, addressing the class as a whole, "And there are just as many more that were taken straight out of middle schools such as this one and put into training." He smiled at the boy, "And this, my boy, is exactly that."

Izuku looked confused: he knew that All Might wanted to train him for the upcoming U.A. entrance exams, but didn't expect to be pulled from school.

"I've already spoke with your mother over the phone," Toshinori went on, "And the principal, here, has kindly offered to write up all the necessary paperwork required for an early graduation." He smiled, "In the meantime, I will be overseeing your training personally from this point on."

ブルービートル

The day ended on a sour note for one Katsuki Bakugo. Not only was he being constantly reminded of being attacked by a Villain and rendered helpless, but he had found out that the one that he owed his life to was none other than the most annoying little shit that he knew: Izuku Midoriya.

[How the hell does that little bastard suddenly gain a Quirk,] he snarled to himself as he stalked toward home angrily, [And then catch the attention of the fucking No.1 fucking Hero!]

After the All Might's assistant had arrived and taken Izuku out of class, it had taken all that he had in the form of control to keep from letting his Quirk run wild. [Of all the fucking things to go wrong!] The blond snarled as he kicked a crumpled can down the street, [I was supposed to be the only one from that shitty school to get into fucking U.A.! This was my origin story!]

He kicked the can again as he came up on it. "Fucking Deku!" He snapped, "Fucking school!" His hands started smoldering. "Fucking stupid ass Quirk!" He let loose a blast that was strong enough to lift him off the ground a several feet. "He'd better enjoy being All Might's golden boy as long as he can, 'cause when I get into U.A., I'm gonna blow that worthless Deku to kingdom come!"

ブルービートル

"I can't believe how different you look, now!" Izuku said as he smiled at his favorite Hero, "I wasn't even sure that you would use the nanomachines that Khaji made for you!"

Toshinori chuckled as the two of them waited at a small hole in the wall restaurant: after picking the young teen up from school, they had quickly called Inko to let her know where they were, and asked if she could meet them there. The woman quickly agreed, and promised to be there as quickly as she was able. Now the man found himself on the end of the boy's bombardment of questions. "I must admit, Young Midoriya, I was pleasantly surprised to find that your...friend...meant what he said." He said, not mentioning the pain the torturous pain that he had had to endure.

The previous night, when he had injected himself, he was glad to have David's support. If he hadn't been there, then there was a very good chance that he wouldn't have been able to pull through. His entire body had felt like it had been thrown into a wood chipper, puzzled back together, and then shoved through a meat grinder. Repeatedly.

Though the Scarab had warned him that there would be pain, but he hadn't told him just how much. Luckily for the large man, he was accustomed to pain, and with his friend's help, was able to pull through it.

Izuku laughed, "I'm glad to know that you don't have to worry about time anymore," he said, "But are you sure it's okay for me to get this sort of treatment?" He asked, referring to being pulled out of school to be trained. "I mean, I'm grateful, but -"

Toshinori shook his head, "I understand what you mean, my boy," he said, "You'd like to earn your way into the school, right?" The boy nodded slowly, "Now, I understand why, but I have quite another reason for going this far in order to train you, Young Midoriya."

Izuku waited for him to explain as he felt Khaji-Da stirring. {I have a suspicion of why he pulled you from school.} He said, {I believe that he has likely guessed that you have suffered severe abuse at this educational center.}

"Khaji says that you pulled me out because you thought I was being bullied," Izuku summed it up, making the man raise his brow, "Uh, was...was that right?"

Toshinori gave the boy a slow nod, "I will admit that, from your behavior when you worried about being recognized, I had thought that you suffered from Quirkless discrimination." He explained while shaking his head, "Things like that make me sick to my stomach. It wasn't that long ago that half the population was Quirkless, yet within a few decades, Quirk wielders were the norm, and Quirkless were on the decline." He said while the boy looked teary-eyed, "Now, now, no water works!"

Izuku rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve, "Sorry, Sir, I just didn't expect - "

"Young Midoriya," the man said, "I owe you a great debt...not only did you prove me so terribly wrong about you becoming a Hero, but you, by extension, also saved my life, my career, and gave me a chance to continue doing what I love." He smiled as the boy started tearing up again, "And no amount of apologies or thank yous will ever be enough for me to convey just how much this means to me." He patted himself on the chest, "But I hope that this will be a fine start."

The Scarab seemed pleased by the man's sincerity. {I did not give him the nanomachines in order to endear him to us,} Khaji-Da said, sounding humbled, {I find myself growing fond of this human.}

Izuku snorted through his tears, rubbing one eye with the back of his hand, "Khaji says he likes you."

Toshinori sputtered out a laugh at that, still unaccustomed to not coughing up blood. "Well, given the circumstances, I've grown quite fond of him as well." He chuckled, "But the bullying was not the only reason I wanted to pull you from school." He said with a hardened edge entering his voice, "Are you familiar with the Meta Liberation Army?"

Izuku nodded, "I've heard of them," he muttered as realization set in, "And some of the teachers actually preached some of their views on Quirk usage!"

"Exactly!" Toshinori leaned in close, "While they weren't open about it, many of the teachers at Aldera were followers of Destro before he was defeated," he went on heatedly, "I wanted to have you pulled out of their before they started forcing some of their more extreme ideals on you since you have a fairly powerful Quirk, so to speak." He said, "And soon, I plan to have them thoroughly investigated by a very close friend of mine on the police force."

"You really think it's that bad?" Izuku muttered.

"You don't?" Toshinori countered, "Young Midoriya, you've attended this school for nearly three years, you should know what they're like concerning those with powerful Quirks."

The boy nodded, "I do...but...the teachers were never abusive," he muttered, "At least, not outright..."

Toshinori leaned back and laced his fingers together, "Young Midoriya, I realize that you are a kind young man, but there are some people that simply don't deserve that kindness." He said with a saddened look on his face, "These men and women at your school may be teachers, but there are lines that have been crossed when they shouldn't have."

"I know, but - "

"How many Quirkless children aside from yourself attended Aldera?" He asked, "If there were others, did they, by chance, always seem to get in trouble which involved another student with a particularly strong Quirk?"

"Um...yes...yes there was at least one more student," Izuku nodded sadly, "And...she...well..."

{Do not attempt to reveal this if it causes you unrest,} the Scarab said, {I recall that this young woman was forced to leave the school after the incident.}

Toshinori, however, had already guessed what had happened. "At least tell me she wasn't injured?"

Izuku shook his head, "Not...not injured..."

The man's knuckles turned white as he clenched his hands together tightly. "I see." He rumbled deeply, "Tell me: do you still think these people are worth wasting your kindness on?"

Izuku was quiet for a long time, not trusting himself to answer. The man gave a small sigh, "Given time, you'll learn that sometimes, kindness is wasted on some," he gave the boy a smile, "But that will be far into the future, I hope. In the meantime, once you've graduated, we'll begin your training in full."

"What will I be doing?" Izuku asked.

Toshinori smiled at him, "Since your muscle structure is sound thanks to your friend, I think combat will be the order for the next several months." He said, leaning forward, "If your friend is as old as you think he is, then I believe he might be able to teach you a few things?"

Izuku felt amusement from the back of his neck, {I believe that is a challenge, is it not?} The boy chuckled at the Scarab's tone, but was saved from answering the man as his mother abruptly arrived at their table.

"IZUKU!" The woman shouted before latching onto the boy, "You'll never guess what I heard from Mr. Yagi! He - "

"Ahem," Toshinori coughed, gaining her attention, "Nice to see you again, Ms. Midoriya."

Inko's face turned blank for a moment, right before her jaw absolutely dropped, "M-Mr. Y-Ya-Yagi?!"

The entire meeting devolved into Inko demanding an explanation about the man's renewed appearance, and what her son would be doing over the next several months to prepare him for U.A.'s entrance exams.

Author's Note: Toshinori is back to his old self, Izuku and the Scarab are about to go through combat training, and Bakugo is pissed. Next Izuku and Inko meet David Shield and Melissa. Now, we're not gonna go through all the training, because learning to fight from All Might would be pretty straight up. So, soon, we'll get to the real meat of the story.

Also, heads up, more Scarabs to come!