AN: Bit of a time skip here but I didn't want to stay too long in the child stage, wasn't sure what all I could do without it getting repetitive. I'll bring up stuff that occurred during the time skip as needed but this chapter starts on day one of classes.
Shards of Power
Chapter 4
-Izuku-
"This is still bullshit." Neito scowled as the trio walked down the road to UA, the massive school rising high into the sky. Each wore the uniform for a UA first year, the trio having grown over the years, although none as much as Mezo.
"I know Neito," Izuku sighed, patting his best friend on the shoulder, "but we don't exactly get a choice. The teachers get to pick who's in their class by turns and apparently Kan was already upset that our Homeroom teacher got first pick of the Recommendation students and got me."
Standing out on their jackets were the pins denoting class, Izuku and Mezo's both bore the letter 'A' while Neito's had a 'B'. Beyond that though, were the stars, an addition the Board had forced Nezu to add. Regular entrance applicants like Neito and Mezo had a single star above their letters. The four yearly recommendation students had two. Izuku himself had three, being the personal invitee of a faculty member, something each teacher at UA could only do once each.
Neito's irritated grumblings showed that while he understood he was far from happy.
"Do not worry my friend." Mezo gave Neito's shoulder a squeeze, "We will still be able to speak during Lunch and after school. And no matter who is in our class, you shall remain our closest comrade."
"Fine." Neito sighed, running a hand back through his hair as they passed through the UA barrier, "You two look out for each other."
"You're the one who needs to be careful." Izuku snorted, feeling the pulsing energy he'd felt ever since getting his quirk almost feel 'amused' for lack of a better word "You're the one who's going in without 'backup'."
"Damnit Izuku, I used that phrase while ranting one time." Neito groaned as Izuku smirked unashamed.
"And now it will never be forgotten." Mezo nodded with exaggerated seriousness "Truly, your immortality through fame is one to be envied."
"Why am I friends with you assholes?" Neito grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Whatever, I'd better see you two at lunch." The blond continued to walk down the hall once they found the large door with 1A on it.
"Try to find a girlfriend!" Izuku called out with a teasing grin, knowing Neito would have flipped him off if there weren't other people around to see.
"Come Izuku," Mezo chuckled, "let us go in." nodding, he stepped in through the door with his large other best friend, stiffening slightly when he heard the familiar 'pop pop pop' of explosions. He hadn't seen Bakugo since before he'd gotten his quirks, the blond having been out of town during the incident and Izuku's one disastrous day back at Aldera. That said, he still had memories of Bakugo being far from 'accepting' of his original quirklessness. Now that same childhood tormentor he'd hoped to never have to see again was there, arguing with another student with blue hair and glasses.
"Come on Izuku." Mezo's voice was gentle as he urged Izuku on before Bakugo could take notice, the gentle giant having noticed Izuku's reaction and pieced together just who their classmate was from the stories Izuku had told him and Neito over the years. As they approached the seats with their names, Izuku glanced around at the rest of their classmates. Most of them were more focused on the still ongoing argument although a few stopped to stare at Mezo due to his sheer size.
"Do you both plan to spend all day arguing or are you going to stop wasting my time?" the tired exhausted voice had Izuku flinch as he looked to the front of the room, seeing a man who he knew to be the one member of UA's faculty he'd never actually met in person.
Eraserhead, an underground pro who, according to both Nezu and Present Mic, had a decidedly low opinion of All Might. That fact alone was apparently all the man had needed to not bother trying to meet Izuku over the years he'd been visiting UA and he'd decided to respect that by not seeking the Erasure Hero out in turn.
A moot point now.
"My apologies sir!" the blue haired student started giving frantic stiff bows, "It will not happen again sir!"
"You're still wasting time." Aizawa sighed in frustration, gaze sweeping around the students before pausing when he saw Izuku and the three stars on his pin, "My name is Shota Aizawa, and I'll be your Homeroom teacher for your first year. Well, for those that remain anyway."
"R-remain sir?" a nervous sounding set of floating clothes that probably held an invisible girl questioned.
"You'll find out." Aizawa avoided answering, dropping two bags on the desk and a stack of papers "These have gym uniforms in the sizes you put on your entrance paperwork, the papers are maps of the school. Get changed then head down to training ground B for a Quirk assessment test."
"B-but what about orientation?" a brunette girl who he noted had pads on her fingers looked shocked.
"Another waste of time." Aizawa grunted, draining a juice pouch "Get changed and head to the field or be expelled." With that, the tired jaded man stalked off, Izuku and Mezo quickly moving to grab their maps and clothes.
"He…he's not serious, is he?" a short boy with purple orbs for hair gulped as everyone started getting their uniforms.
"You wanna risk it? Cause I don't!" a blonde with a black lightning bolt streak was right behind Izuku, nervously snatching up a map. As they got their uniforms, Izuku noted, gratefully, that Mezo was deliberately placing himself between Bakugo's line of sight and Izuku, but that unfortunately wouldn't last for long. He was so focused on the imminent eruption of Mount Bakugo, that Izuku failed to think about how his classmates would react to other factors. When he took off his shirt in the locker room to change, he was instantly rewarded with the sound of retching. Head snapping up, Izuku saw the same boy with purple balls for hair throwing up on the floor, the others already there staring in wide eyed horror at the litany of scars that made up his torso.
"What the fuck?" the same blond he'd seen before with the lightning bolt streak in his hair was gaping in horror at the sight. Uncomfortable with the stares, Izuku hastily changed, not answering the question as Mezo moved between him and the others, his expression making it clear how little he'd appreciate anyone trying to push for an answer.
"Please…don't make me talk about it." Izuku wasn't sure if it was the desperation in his tone, or Mezo's glare, but they acquiesced, even if those still entering the locker room noticed the tense atmosphere.
Izuku had gotten used to his scars with those he knew, those he cared about, but he wasn't fond of strangers looking at him. The looks of pity and horror he always got for them.
Hurrying to the training ground, Izuku and Mezo were the first to arrive, Aizawa looking surprised by that. Izuku wondered just what sort of opinion the man had of him given his 'three star' status and connection to All Might, one not known to any outside the school and those closest to the number one. The rest of their class soon arrived at the clearing, the girls noting how uncomfortable those who'd seen his scars still were.
If Aizawa noticed the tension, or the hints of bile still on the purple haired one's face, then he didn't care to bring it up "Alright, back in your Middle Schools you would have done a series of fitness tests. Today, you're going to be doing the same ones but with a twist. I expect you to use your quirks. Push yourself and your powers to the extreme, use every ounce of creative ability you have. Because if I feel you aren't showing enough, then I'll kick you out of the Hero course before you can even blink."
"But that's not fair!" a pink skinned girl protested scandalized as Aizawa's eyes flared red.
"Fair?" the man's tone at the word implied some unresolved problems "Fairness doesn't matter, Miss Ashido. Life isn't fair. The world isn't fair. And if that's what it takes to prevent you from wasting everyone's time, of dying the second you're put into the field, then I am not 'fair'."
Nobody could think of what to say in response to that, not that Aizawa gave them any chance to say anything "Bakugo, you got the highest score in the regular entrance test." As the angry blond stalked forward, Aizawa tossed him a softball "What was your best throw back in middle school?"
"Sixty-seven meters." Bakugo grunted, tossing the ball up and down as if to test its weight.
"Throw it with your quirk, just don't leave the circle." Aizawa pointed to the throwing position as Bakugo gave a wicked grin and nodded.
"DIE!" Bakugo roared, hurling the ball, empowered by an explosion from the palm at the peak of the throw, hurling the ball away.
"Seven hundred and five point two meters." Aizawa read out as most of their class gaped at the raw power Bakugo's quirk had.
"Tch, that's right extras, you're looking at the next number one." Bakugo sneered as he went to take his place back in line, never noticing Aizawa's look of disdain at the title.
"Midoriya, you're the only three-star student currently at the school." Aizawa's voice had everyone who hadn't noticed his pin, as well as Bakugo who hadn't noticed him at all, reeling "You come up and do the same."
Nodding, and already able to tell that this teacher was going to put him through much stricter expectations than the rest of his class, Izuku took the offered ball and readied himself. Bakugo's quirk had been powerful, and he wasn't sure if any of his abilities by themselves could match that raw power output.
Luckily, he didn't have to use just one power.
Taking in a deep breath, Izuku felt his lungs expanding, the oxygen in his blood racing as power surged through his body, gleaming black carbon appearing on his arms up the elbows as he readied to ignite his palms.
"Earth Breathing, fourth form." Izuku took got ready to release the built-up power, "Rushing Comet!" he hurled the ball with a yell, ignoring the fire from his palms at the apex in a way not that dissimilar to what Bakugo had done. When combined with the 'breathing' technique he'd developed over the years with the help of his mentors, the ball flew rapidly.
"One point six kilometers." Aizawa's tone was surprised but pleased, "Let's keep this up you lot. I want to see if you all can impress me enough to stay."
AN: And next chapter we both go over more of the results, and get a bit more Aizawa, but we bring in Nejire! Be excited!...or is scared? Fuck it, we do both! Enthusiastically beware her coming!