Two weeks later, Izuku POV
"O-o-ouch!" I screamed, as Itsuka's tending to my wounds after my training today.
"Hahaha! Stop complaining, Izuku!" she said as she slapped at the dressing she just finished over my burned skin. "You only have yourself to blame here," she continued, this time with a very stern look.
"Seriously?!" I looked at her in disbelief at what she was doing.
I accidentally ran into a 'Minotaur' Lord by myself and got locked into combat with it. Unfortunately, there's also a high-level Fire Elemental in the area which then took advantage of the fight and released a fire that even burned me, an Evoker. It shouldn't really be a big deal, overall. Just some third-degree burns across my arms and torso. It'll heal by tomorrow morning, but in the meantime, it'll also hurt every time it bumps into something or gods forbid my clothing sticks to it so I opted to get it treated.
"But still, it's crazy that you're able to take on a Minotaur Lord by yourself," she said.
"Yeah. It's a brutal fight. Don't get me wrong and I'm honestly not sure I'd be able to win that encounter. In some way, I guess it's lucky the Elemental was there because I managed to run away," I told her.
Yup. I ran away from them. Still, if I had a nickel every time I saw a 'Minotaur' in this part of the world, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice.
I looked at Itsuka and noticed her expression. 'Uh oh. I'm gonna get lectured, aren't I?'
"Welp. Thanks for this, Itsuka. I better go home since I might get the acceptance letter from UA any time now," I told her, wanting to escape here as soon as possible.
"You sure you don't wanna spend the night?" She asked, with a lewd expression.
'Nope! Not falling for that one again.' It's not the first time she used this trick on me to get me to stay and listen to her lecturing me all night. And no, it's not the fun kind of lecture.
"Not today, sorry. I'll do it next time!" I said as I booked it back to my home.
These two weeks, I've been in contact with Ochaco and we went on a date just last Friday. Looks like Friday dates will become a tradition if these two dates are anything to go by.
I also made sure to spend more time with Kinoko and Itsuka, with us hanging out almost every day like we used to. Heck, Yui's even joining us every now and then.
Walking to my house, I grabbed the knob and opened the door.
"I'm home!" I said.
Midoriya Residence
"Welcome back, Izuku," Mom said as she greeted me in our hallway. She then looked at the wrappings around my body and said "What happened to you?!"
"Sorry to scare you, Mom. It honestly looks way worse than it is. This is just so it won't stick with my clothing than anything," I reassured her.
"You sure?" She asked, tearing up.
'Ah. I feel so guilty seeing Mom like this.'
"Yeah, you can ask Itsuka if you don't believe me," I told her.
"Don't say that, son. I believe you, but suddenly seeing you like that..."
"It's honestly fine, Mom. You have nothing to worry about," I, again, reassured her.
"Alright, but if it worsens, I'm dragging you to the hospital. Don't think just because you're a giant now, I can't do that to you, young man."
"Okay, Mom. We have a deal," I told her.
"Oh, yeah. I just remembered that we received a letter from UA. It must be the results for your exam," she said as she handed me the letter from the table.
"Great! I'll just go and open this up in my room," I told her as I took the letter.
As I entered my room, I then got hit by a sudden wave of fatigue. That bovine really knocked the wind out of me. Thankfully, it's much closer now than when I fought one with Ochaco almost a year ago. I'd still have likely lose if it continued, or if not, be bloody enough that I'd still be in mortal danger.
'I need to get stronger,' I thought as I opened up the letter. A device the size of a large coin feel out as I did this and projected an image of ALL MIGHT wearing a yellow suit with blue necktie on.
"I AM HERE...AS A PROJECTION!"
'Wait this is from UA, right? Eh?!'
"YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHY I APPEARED IN THIS LETTER. I AM NOW PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT I CAME TO THIS CITY TO WORK AT UA."
'Huh. I guess that makes sense.'
"I HAVE COME HERE TO ANNOUNCE THAT YOU, MIDORIYA IZUKU, PASSED THE WRITTEN EXAM WITH FLYING COLORS! ON TOP OF THAT, YOU MANAGED TO SCORE 87 VILLAIN POINTS DURING THE PRACTICAL EXAM, MAKING IT THE HIGHEST WE'VE HAD IN YEARS."
'Oh, that's a relief then. That must mean I passed.'
"AND THAT'S NOT ALL..."
'There's more?'
"THE ENTRANCE EXAM THE OTHER DAY WAS NOT GRADED ONLY ON VILLAIN POINT! THIS IS A JOB THAT REQUIRES RISKING ONE'S LIFE TO PUT LIP SERVICE INTO PRACTICE SO WE HAVE...RESCUE POINTS! GIVEN BY A PANEL OF JUDGES. IT'S ANOTHER BASIC ABILITY WE AT UA LOOK AT! MIDORIYA IZUKU: 60 POINTS! TOTALLING YOUR POINTS TO 147 POINTS! ONE OF THE HIGHEST IN UA HISTORY!"
ALL MIGHT then reached out his hand and said, "HERE IS YOUR HERO ACADEMIA," I didn't realize up until now how much I was looking forward to being a hero nor how much I may have taken after my Mom with the waterworks. Either those or ALL MIGHT is just that great at tugging at heartstrings.
He then proceeded to explain to me that the students were expected to live in a dormitory building being overseen by Midnight.
'Does that mean I'll get to see Ochaco every day then?' I thought with a smile on my face.
Also, since the staff at UA also knew about me being an Evoker, they had me attend two extra classes a week. One on Mondays and another on Thursdays.
I told Mom that I passed and both shared a hug then she pulled up some fancy meal, saying it was to celebrate my passing though she already expected it.
During the meal, I let her know that I'll be moving to the dorms and asked if she was okay living alone.
"I guess it'll be quite lonely without you around, but don't worry about me and follow your dreams, Izuku," she said while teary-eyed.
"Thank you, Mom. I'll make sure to visit as much as possible," I said.
"I'd like that," she replied.
We finished our meal, washed the dishes, and went to sleep.
After I went to bed and got some shut-eye, I woke to some kind of...beach? No, it's near a lake or something. I found myself resting on the lap of...Ochaco?
'What's going on?' I thought. I tried to speak, but I couldn't. Then Ochaco started speaking.
"I decline. Once, and once again, I was left watching the person I loved with all my heart disappear before my eyes. I will not let it become thrice. We will be together, My Tomcat...in this world, and in eternity," she said.
'What?! What are you talking about, Ochaco?' I looked around and found my body was on fire. 'What in the world is going on?!'
"Then take me back into your arms, if you my love would win. I'll hold you tight, and fear you not... you'll be my gentleman," she said.
I found myself speaking yet not. At the very least, I couldn't understand the words that were supposedly coming out of my mouth.
"But first you'll change, all in my arms...into a wild wolf. I'll hold you tight and fear you not...you are my own true love."
The flame flickers back and forth in less than a second between temperature rivaling the core of the sun and absolute zero. Both extremes try to cancel each one's effects.
"And then you'll change, all in my arms...into a wild bear. I'll hold you tight and fear you not...you are my Husband dear."
Then I found the fire enveloping my body intensify to something I'd never seen before. Its flame burnt the trees charcoal black and superheated the air itself.
"And then you'll change, all in my arms...into a lion bold. I'll hold you tight and fear you not...and you will love your child."
The flame is winning I watched it as it approached her. Her face shows extreme pain, and she makes sure she's still smiling until the end.
"And then you changed, all in my arms...into a naked man. I wrapped you in my coat so warm...and I have brought you home."
Beside the tranquil lake, the all-encompassing flames continued to flicker, enveloping me, Ochaco, the universe itself, and beyond. Amid this cosmic conflagration, a profound stillness marked the solemn moment as the flames, once confined, now consumed everything in a quiet, all-enveloping embrace.
Then everything...turns black. I heard voices coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"The Son shall wash away the Father's sins...paying in blood and fire the toll long postponed. The Light of the Black Sun shall cleanse the world."
'WHAT?!'
"Thrice paid. Once in Loyalty. Once in Service. Once in Love. Thrice paid...before The Return."
*I AM...HERE TO WAKE YOU!* *I AM...HERE TO WAKE YOU!*
I found myself jumping as I woke up, confused as to what was happening. I found myself back in my room. I'm covered in more sweat than I've been in years. I then took a moment to calm down.
'Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breath out. Wax on. Wax off.'
After calming down, I made sure to take a shower as soon as possible and removed the bandages around my body. I then thought back about that dream. "What was that all about?" I asked myself.
Timeskip to 1 week later, 1st day of UA
Days passed and I'm still nowhere near a clue on what that dream was about. Not one about the things Ochaco said, not even one about a Black Sun. At first, I thought it was connected to a solar eclipse, but only found a dead end on that path. Though who my Father is may give a clue on at least something.
I found myself walking in the hallway of UA, finding the room labeled 1-A. As I reached out for the door, I heard someone arguing,
"Don't put your feet on the desk!" One person said. Looking at the guy, it's the one with blue-hair and wearing glasses.
'Of all the people...'
"Huh?!" The other said. Looking at him, I instantly recognized Kacchan.
"Don't you think that's rude to the UA upperclassmen and the people who made the desk?"
"I don't! What middle school did you go to, you side character?" Kacchan asked the guy.
He had a shocked expression but regained his nerves then replied, "I attended Somei Private Academy, Iida Tenya."
"Somei!? So you're a damn elite, huh? Looks like I'll have fun crushing you."
"'Crushing'? You're horrible. Are you really aiming to be a hero?" He asked, which Kacchan only scoffed.
'It's too early for this,' I thought. It was at this moment that I had enough and proceeded to an empty seat just behind Kacchan.
"Good morning! I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is Iida Tenya," he then walked over to my desk.
"So I heard. Midoriya Izuku, by the way," I told him, disinterested.
"Midoriya-kun, you realized there was something more to the practical exams, didn't you? I had no idea. I underestimated you. I hate to admit it, but you're better than me," he said.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Iida," I told him.
"Eh?"
"If you're thinking about what I did to the zero-pointer, it's nothing more than me trying to save someone. I had to take down the robot since I had no idea whether someone's in the similar position as her without us knowing," I told him as I pointedly looked at the invisible girl.
"Is that so? I still respect you for doing what you did, even more so now. Also, I'd want to apologize for my rude words toward you and your friend back then," he said as he bowed in a perfect 90 degrees. "I may have been on edge because of the exam, but what I said is still unbecoming of me. Please accept my apologies."
"Apology accepted," I told him.
He looks funny and we may have started on the wrong foot so I'll give him another chance. I simply got pissed off when he called me cheering up Kinoko 'disgusting.'
Then I saw Ochaco walk into the classroom. For some odd reason, I expected her to arrive in her armor, but she's not. She's wearing the UA uniform like the rest of the girls.
'I gotta say, she looks cute in that outfit.'
"Greetings, My Knight," she said.
"Hello to you too, Ochaco. Told you we'd be in the same class,"
"Indeed you did, Izuku. I am looking forward to spending this time with you," she said.
"And I wouldn't miss a single moment of it for the world,"
"OH MY GOD! ARE YOU TWO DA-" a pink-skinned girl said as she excitedly jumped up and down from where she stood but she got interrupted in the middle. No, she doesn't have very light skin tone we usually mean by pink skin, but it's literally pink. The same shade you'll see on a pink lotus.
"Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends," a caterpillar-like guy said as he? it? is standing around the classroom door.
'Geez, someone didn't wake up on the right side of the bed last night. First Kacchan, and now him. They're making the guy standing on the wall with a bird-shaped head over there look like bursts of sunshine and rainbows in comparison.'
It then started getting out of the...sleeping bag? And I'm surprised when it turns out to be a person.
'Oh, so it's a person. Here I thought some caterpillar creature from Elsewhere escaped and was about to freeze him.'
...
I've seen some weird things over there, okay!?
"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota," he said. "Nice to meet you."
"It's kind of sudden, but put this on and go out onto the field," he said as he pulled out a uniform out of the bag.
At the UA field
"Quirk apprehension test?" Most students, including me, said.
"What about the entrance ceremony? The orientation?" A girl with frog-like features said. She has a wide mouth that dips down the middle and a rather large set of hands.
"If you're going to become a hero, you don't have time for such leisurely activities," Aizawa-sensei said. "UA's selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are. That's also how the teachers run their classes," he continued. "You'd done these before, hadn't you?"
He then looked at us and brought up his phone to show us the screen. It shows the names of eight different exercises. These are:
• Ball Throwing
• Standing Long Jump
• 50m Run
• Endurance Running
• Grip Strength
• Repeated Side Steps
• Situps
• Seated Toe-Touch
"Physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your Quirks. The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their Quirks. It's not rational. Well, the Ministry of Education is procrastinating."
"Midoriya, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right? In high school, what was your best result for the softball throw?"
"84 meters," I answered. I can throw it way more without the use of 'quirk' because really...I don't have any. But it would raise eyebrows if I didn't hold back to something more in-line with the average person.
"Then, try doing it with your Quirk," he said as he handed me the ball and I walked inside the encircled area. "You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle. Give it your all," he continued.
I then manifested the cards and used Force as the effect. While playing a Straight Flush! I wound up and released the ball with all my might. The sphere sailed through the air, tracing an arc against the backdrop of the open sky. The force behind the throw carried a momentary weightlessness, a fleeting connection with the kinetic energy propelling the ball into the distance. As it soared, the world seemed to pause, capturing the intensity of the moment when potential energy transformed into a kinetic dance through the air.
It took a while before Aizawa-sensei's phone beeped and showed the results to the class: 12,877.44 meters which surprised the rest of the class except for Ochaco and Kacchan.
"Almost 13 km, for real?" A blond guy with black streaks on his hair said.
"What's this? It looks fun!" The earlier girl with pink-colored skin said.
"We can use our Quirks as much as we want! As expected with the hero course!" The dark-haired guy with a big, round elbow said.
"It looks fun, huh?" Aizawa-sensei said. "You only have four years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time? Alright, whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential...and will be punished with expulsion," he continued.
The entire class was shocked by what he said. Don't get me wrong, I'm confident I'll at least not come last. But seriously? Downright smashing the student's life like that?
"We're free to do what we want about the circumstances of our students. Welcome to UA's Hero Course," he said.
"Last place will be expelled? But it's the first day of school! No, even if it wasn't the first day of school, this is still too unfair!" Ochaco said. I was going to say it, but she beat me to the punch.
"Natural disasters, big accidents, and selfish villains. Calamities whose time or place can't be predicted. Japan is covered with unfairness. Heroes are the ones who reverse those situations. If you want to just talk with your friends at the local fast food store, then too bad for you. For the next four years, UA will do all it can to give you one hardship after another. 'Go beyond, Plus Ultra.'"
"That was a long-winded way of saying you're too lazy," Ochaco retorted. "Is it not your job to help guide the students so long as they're willing to learn? Or are you so eager to laze in your sleeping bag that the first thing you do after arriving at class late is to find an excuse to have fewer students?" she said. "You are correct that none of the things you listed there are fair, but is it not the point of us attending UA in the first place for us to have the guidance to learn how to deal with those said unfairness once we are out on the field? And 'no potential'? Need I say more about how imbecilic that sounds?" she continued.
'Damn, she laid it on him.' Aizawa-sensei's eyes are bulging and the rest of the class are looking at her like she grew a head or something, afraid that he'll expel her. I simply chuckled at the exchange. I know he won't.
"You should stop now, girl, or..." he started.
"Or what?" I said. I'm not a fan of this guy since he appeared and if he threatens Ochaco, he'll be on my permanent blacklist. Ochaco then held my arm, as if to silently say she's got this.
"No, I won't, Aizawa-sensei. For what kind of Hero would I become if I turned a blind eye to this injustice?" She said to him.
*Sigh* "All right, you made your point. There won't be any expulsions happening," he said, which relieved the rest of the class. I still think he's an asshole.
After that incident, we were finally able to do the quirk apprehension test.
Ball Throwing
Ochaco managed to score the highest with a score of infinity. A girl named Yaoyorozu came in second, surpassing me, by creating helium balloons to float them up. It eventually popped, netting her a score of around 14k.
'That's interesting.'
Standing Long Jump
A test where it only counts if you can clear it, which quite a few of us were able to do.
50m Run
With my already huge physical advantage on top of using my 'Quirk' to propel myself forward, I was able to clear the runway in 0.042s (1/24s). Ochaco was able to clear it within 1.02s. Third was Iida who got 3.02s.
Endurance Running
Since it's been going on for so long, Yaoyorozu and I are marked tied for this since she created a diesel-powered bike. Except for us two, Ochaco's result is far better than the rest of the class.
Grip Strength
Ochaco, Yaoyorozu, and I broke our measuring tools, with Yaoyorozu creating some kind of pulley system to grip hers. Next to her is a guy named Mezo who was able to measure 540kg.
Repeated Side Steps
I was able to place first. The guy named Mineta made a pretty interesting usage of his quirk. The Yaoyorozu girl took inspiration from this and created wheeled shoes and put bouncy balls on each side of herself. It's nowhere near as effective as the Mineta guy's, but talk about a versatile quirk. Ochaco still placed further than her though.
Sit-ups
I took first place with Ochaco taking the second. I expected the Yaoyorozu girl to come up with something, but she didn't. Did she run out of resources?
Seated Toe-Touch
Like with the situps, Ochaco and I bagged second and first place, respectively. Surprisingly, Yaoyorozu was able to create something. She created a glove-like material that lets her 'touch' her toe barely bending her body at all. She came up in 5th place.
"Okay, I'll quickly tell you the results. The total is simply the marks you got for each test. It's a waste of time to explain verbally, so I'll show you the results all at once," Aizawa-sensei said.
1. Midoriya Izuku
2. Ochaco Pendragon
3. Yaoyorozu Momo
4. Todoroki Shoto
5. Bakugou Katsuki
6. Iida Tenya
7. Tokoyami Fumikage
8. Shoji Mezo
9. Ojiro Mashirao
10. Kirishima Eijiro
11. Ashido Mina
12. Koda Koji
13. Sato Rikido
14. Asui Tsuyu
15. Aoyama Yuga
16. Sero Hanta
17. Kaminari Denki
18. Jiro Kyoka
19. Hagakure Toru
20. Mineta Minoru
"Lastly, Ashido, Midoriya, and Pendragon. You three are called to the principal's office. With that, we're done here. There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom so when you get back, look over them," he said.
"Eh?! I'm included?!" Ashido said.
"Let's just get it over with and go there. I doubt it'll take long," I told them as we went to the Principal's Office.
As I opened the door, I saw a mouse? a dog? a bear? whatever before it spoke,
"Good afternoon to you three. Am I a mouse? A dog? A bear? My real identity is...the Principal!"
"Good afternoon," the three of us said at the same time.
"Glad to see that the three of you are here," he said, looking at the three of us. "Now, for the reason why I want the three of you here is that on top of the Hero courses you're supposed to attend, I want the three of you specifically to attend a few more classes to further hone your talents. I believe we've already provided you this information when you got your acceptance letters?" he continued.
"That is correct," I answered for the three of us. Then Ashido-san raised her hand timidly.
"Yes, Ashido-kun?" he said.
"Sir, I thank you for providing more guidance for us. I appreciate it, but I don't know why I'm included. Going by the Quirk Apprehension Test, these two are beyond amazing, but I have no idea why I'm grouped with them," she said.
"Oh, that is because you are aware of the hidden side of the world, just like these two, and the world of Magic," he said.
Huh. It's not that surprising to find someone who knows about magic in the top hero ranks, it's almost impossible to find ones who knew them below that. Never mind a hero-in-training. I didn't sense any power from her the whole test. This could only mean that she knows someone from Elsewhere or she's an Esoteric Mage. At the very least, I don't feel any Spark inside her. Looking at Ochaco, she appears to have the same thought as I am.
"Ashido-san, are you a Mage?" I asked her directly. There's no point in beating around the bush.
"In a matter of speaking, I guess? Wait are you two mages?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm an Evoker. Ochaco's an Enchanter," I told her.
"Oh..." she said. Nervourness obvious from her body language. "I'm...I guess a Ceremonial Mage. At least I was taught by my Mom," she said.
Shocked at the revelations. Ceremonial Mages and Evokers famously do not get along. Most Ceremonial Mages I encountered are insufferably smug about being able to siphon powers from vile and perverse creatures from Elsewhere. Not to mention their very vocal stance of Evokers being relics from bygone eras. I felt irritated at the knowledge, but I managed to calm myself down.
I then address the Principal. "I see. So what are these classes we're taking?"
"The three of you, along with another student, will be attending a Ceremonial Mage class!" he said.
"Please tell me you're kidding," I asked him.
"No, I'm not. You'll also be attending an Evoker class along with the other students. Ashido-kun, you are allowed to take dancing classes, if you want. Princess Pendragon, you'll be enrolled in a few Enchanter classes. I'm sure you'll like the advancement of Magic we've made," he said.
"Wait, Princess?!" Ashido-san looked at Ochaco.
"It is nice to meet you, Ashido-san. I am Ochaco Pendragon. Princess of Blood. Heiress to the Throne of Camelot founded by Merlin and the late King Arthur Pendragon, my great grandfather," she said, which prompted Ashido-san to do a curtsy bow to her, a confused look on her face.
"Holy crap, I'm classmates with a real princess!" she rejoiced after snapping out of it.
'Okay. If she stays like this, she might not be all that bad. Would she be the first Ceremonial Mage I won't want to drop in a pool of Acid?'
It was then that I heard the door open and was greeted by a woman with blue eyes and blonde hair. Her hair was long and braided at the side. I would call her above average in height, if not for the heels she's got which makes it confusing. She's wearing a dark grey button-up dress with no other accessory except for the choker on her neck.
Her nametag says she's Professor Sarah Renier. Honestly, she's kinda hot. But she's also likely older than electricity.
"Good afternoon, students. I'll be the one who'll educate you for Ceremonial Magic. And originally, it's supposed to be Professor Booker who'd assist the Evokers, but due to an emergency, someone else was sent in for the temporary position," she said.
"What happened?" I asked.
"What usually happens if you're found on top of Calton Hill wearing steel armour during a thunderstorm," she answered.
"Ouch," Ashido-san said, empathizing with the Evoker professor.
'I'm liking her more and more. Not a big deal or anything, but certainly liking her more than other Ceremonial Mages.'
"Bloody Evokers, you lot will be the death of me. Anyway, the Infirmary says he'll likely pull through, though he's still prone to uncontrolled muscle spasms, so there's that," she said. Which surprised me. Evokers are always far easier to kill than to be put out of commission for more than a day. It still won't be easy to kill one, sure, but a whole lot easier.
"So who's teaching us?" I asked.
"We were fortunate enough that another Evoker was found and sent," the Principal said.
"While his academic background might be a...little unconventional...he comes with strong recommendations from several alumni," she said. I can kinda understand. Finding an Evoker over 35 is damned hard. We're rare enough as is, but most of us bite off more than we can chew at far younger ages. An older Evoker that can teach, on top of that? Yeah, they're lucky, alright.
"You'll meet him soon enough next week on Thursday," the Principal said. "Anyway, that's all I need for you three. Have a great rest of the day," he continued.
After getting the handouts from the classroom, we made our way to the dorms, named the Heights Alliance.
"Ah finally, you've arrived. Midnight's not here so I'll be the one who'll inform you lot about the dorms. Each class will have its own building. The building's separated with girls on the right and boys on the left. But the first floor is the common area. Food, baths, and laundry are on this floor. These are the keys to your rooms," he said as he gave us our keys. "Curfew's at 10 pm. If you people want, there's a bar just across the street outside the university gate run by Midnight," he continued and walked outside, though without reminding us one time about the curfew and that we'll be responsible for our actions in case there would be an incident in it.
We went to our respective rooms to change our clothes and relax. After a while, I got curious about the bar Aizawa-sensei said so I went there for a drink or two. What greeted me was a tall, curvacious woman. She had long thick spiky dark purple hair, which was made up of layers of varying lengths, and eyes glowing permanently. Yup, it's Midnight.
"Welcome to The World Famous Aleister Crowley pub. Walk in, crowl out! The finest pub in Mustafu!" She pitched.
"It seems kind of empty for a World Famous bar," I said to her.
"Very funny. I'm just getting started," she said sarcastically, clearly unamused with what I said.
"It looks kinda...old," I observe the bar. It looks serviceable enough. It has all it would need for a bar. But certainly won't fool anyone into thinking it's recently built.
"It's been lovingly restored to its original condition; an immaculately preserved fragment of a bygone era. Bloody job, it was too," she said, still trying to pitch for the place.
"What was wrong with it?" I asked. 'Except for being old.' I kept that thought to myself.
"Well, all the blood, first of all. As I said. Pain in the ass to get it off the wood, and forget about the cushions, then the claw marks, but I think I covered those up quite well," she said with an exasperated tone.
"Wait, is it safe now?" I asked, I looking around the place. Now that I see it, there are signs of that everywhere.
"Safe is such a...relative term. It's totally safe compared to some parts of the world," she said.
"Should you really be running a pub in a place like this?" I asked.
"Oh yeah. And I've gotten in touch with some additional security to help prevent any future...mishaps. Should be here any moment now," she said.
"Like a bouncer?" I asked.
"Sorta. Yeah, let's go with 'bouncer.' Sounds Normie enough," she replied. Then a glimmer in her eyes like she realized something. "Ah! You're Inko's boy. Huh. You look older than I expected. But...yes, I can see the resemblance to your Father," she said, her tone as if she found the last missing piece of a puzzle that she'd been trying to solve for centuries.
'Wait. WHAT DID SHE SAY?!'
"Did you know my dad?!" I frantically asked her. I need to know who my father is.
"Oh, very much. In a most biblical way," she said.
"What are you talking about about?" I asked the question I'm going to regret years down the line, but didn't know yet as of this moment.
"We used to fuck like bunnies. Your Father, Inko, and I, in that huge bed back on the ranch. Good times," she replied.
'Gods, why did I have to ask that?!'
Also, I realized something. Her glowing eyes indicate she's actually a Mage of some sort.
"So my Mom...is she also a Mage like you?"
"Gods, no. Inko's the least magely person I've met. Though she had her own...magic...of course. Those gorgeous eyes, that body, and she could suck like the air intake on a jumbo jet," she recounted to me.
"Need...mind...bleach. How about my dad?" I asked. Maybe I can finally have some answers to these mysteries.
"Oh, he was magical alright. Not a mage, though...to his kind, Magic is as easy as breathing," she tells me.
"Can you tell me anything about him?" I asked.
"Not right now. Also, I need a bouncer for my bar and you're it, I'm not expecting you here 24/7, but I need you to be on call if I need someone exterminating," she said.
"Wait, why do I have to do this?"
"Because, dearie. You and I both know that this is the only way forward. The answers to your questions, to protect those you consider yours, can only be found by doing this," she countered.
I hate to admit it, but she's correct. She knows more than she lets on, and it's too important to pass it up. The only way to protect those important to me, most especially Ochaco, is going through with this. Knowledge is power, after all.
"To sweeten the deal, I'll even let you use one of the rooms we got for whatever you need so long as the building's not damaged in the aftermath. For now, you don't have to be here, but you're welcome to try the drinks," she said, gesturing at the bottles on her bar.
Which I did. Unfortunately, none has the kick strong enough to make me feel anything. Evoker metabolism isn't all that's cracked up to be and I went to sleep sober after downing bottles of strong alcohol.
Katsuki POV
As I lay down on my bed, directly looking at the ceiling, I replayed what that happened in today's class in my head. How everyone used their quirks to not only get impressive results but to dominate. I recall Izuku in every test. I know he can use his quirk in more interesting ways. He's a quirk nerd, after all. But the thing is, he didn't even see the need to. As if saying we're so far below him, he didn't even need to try. And he's right! Aside from just one event, he crushed all of us without even trying. Heck, he crushed us even there except for two other people. I've been watching all that time. He hasn't even broken a single drop of sweat! What is he?!
Some parts of me wished he was assigned to a different class. Maybe, perhaps, my pride wouldn't be as shattered the way it is right now.
'Fat chance it'll do anything.' If anything, whatever pride I'd retain would be shattered to a million pieces the second he bulldozed everyone, including myself, at the Sports Festival.
Letting out a deep sigh, I lay on my side as I recall my life up to now. Growing up, I've always looked up to ALL MIGHT. I thought that Heroes were those that would be victorious, no matter how much trouble they found themselves in. No matter the overwhelming number of enemies, no matter how many traps are laid before them. As I discovered my quirk, hearing everyone say how amazing it was, I deluded myself into thinking that I was going to be the next ALL MIGHT. Izuku and I were praised the same way. Though I was never a fan of sharing the spotlight, I thought it was fine. Maybe he can be my sidekick.
His quirk wasn't as strong then. As a boy, he could lift an adult. Impressive in general, maybe, but far from extraordinary from someone with Super Strength. 'I can still keep up,' I thought like a fool. Then we started growing older, and his powers increased. I saw him from when he struggled to lift a car to throwing it around and catching it as it fell like nothing. Before I knew it, I was caught in his shadow and there was no way out. As days went on, I quickly realized that the next ALL MIGHT wouldn't be me.
Even so, I tried my best. I tried, I swear to God, I did. I trained to the point my hands started to bleed from the explosions. Because even if I can't be the number 1 Hero I'll still work into becoming someone who can stand tall beside the number 1 hero. At some point, I admittedly got caught up in my training, I wasn't able to know how powerful he'd become. We went to different schools and after that, good luck knowing how strong he is. Today, I did, and I saw the shadow that I was caught up in has now become a black hole where nothing escapes. 'Heh' I laughed at the thought of it. I'm so pathetic I can't even feel frustrated about this. In fact,
'I don't feel like doing anything anymore,' was my last thought as I went to sleep.
Midnight knew Izuku's dad and got involved with him. She'll reveal more later.
Hope I didn't go too hard with Ochaco's rebuttal against Shota. It was already trimmed down. Originally, I wanted Izuku to bring up these points, but Ochaco beat him to the punch. She's far less likely to take things lying down in this version. And yes, as much as I also like Shota as a character, I'd had to admit he's a frickin' terrible teacher. He's not the worst, but still.
EDIT: Fixed some stuff and added Katsuki's POV. How'd you like it?
Next chapter, we'll finally get to see Nana and Eindridi. We'll be getting our first Evoker lesson!
Thanks again for reading this story. And, as always, let me know if you have any questions or feedback about it.