"He threw it over 700 meters!" A student exclaimed in shock.
"Nice, he's finally showing us his true power." Ochaco exclaimed in excitement.
"His finger appears to be broken now. Just like in the exam. His quirk is very odd." Iida pointed out, looking at Izuku with a puzzled look.
"It wasn't a very pretty throw." Aoyama stated.
"What the hell was that? If he had a quirk he would've gotten it when we were kids. This is impossible." Bakugo thought, having a breakdown. He watched Deku's throw in shock, his mouth opening wide in surprise. Seeing the height he got with his throw sent him over the wall. His rage started to build up at the sight of the ball throw.
"He's up to something." He thought, thinking back to what Deku had said to him.
"Someone I looked up to told me… That I can become a hero. That's why I applied. Like it or not, you can't stop me!" Izuku shouted. Bakugo remembered his words and clenched his fists in anger, growling at Deku. He grunted and activated his quirk in his hands, rushing forward using momentum from his explosions. To Ami's shock, Bakugo jumped forward with explosions igniting in his hands. The explosions weren't big enough to push him like in the tests. Ami realized he was using them as an intimidation display and raised her eyes at him in anger. She opened her mouth to inhale the flames, but hesitated. She didn't want the flames to fly into anyone as it travelled to her mouth. Ami closed her mouth in anger, growling to herself. Bakugo knew what he was doing with her around. Knowing that much, she glared at him and yelled.
"Kacchan! Get back here!" Ami yelled, clenching her fists in frustration. Bakugo grinned at Ami's words. He knew she wouldn't do anything again. He kept up his intimidation tactic and watched it do its work. Izuku saw the rapidly approaching Bakugo and freaked out. He glared at Deku with an intense rage, running towards him without a second thought.
"Deku, you bastard. Tell me how you did that or you're dead!" Bakugo roared. Ami stared at Bakugo with frustration. She clenched her fists and was about to charge after Bakugo. Before she could move, however, she noticed Aizawa throw his scarf towards the angry teen. She stopped and watched the scarf wrap around Bakugo's chest and forehead, much to the surprise of everyone around her. Ami saw the scarf put a stop to Bakugos advances and calmed down. She unclenched her fists and sighed in relief. Bakugo was surprised to see the scarf grab onto his chest and forehead and prevent him from moving . He groaned and struggled as he tried fighting back against the scarf. He quickly realized he was unable to move.
"What? Why the hell is your damn scarf so strong?" Bakugo gritted.
"Because it's a capture weapon made out of carbon fiber and a special metal alloy." Aizawa explained, keeping his serious glare.
"Stand down. It'll be wise to avoid making me use my quirk so much. It gives me serious dry eye." Aizawa said, not wanting to deal with student conflict today.
"Too bad. That power's amazing." The class said, impressed by the teacher's incredible quirk.
"Class 1-A's Homeroom Teacher: Shota Aizawa. He can erase the quirk of anyone he looks at, but the effect ends when he blinks." Present Mic narrated.
"You're wasting my time now. Whoever's next can step up." Aizawa said, pulling his scarf back together. He turned around and walked off, leaving behind a startled Izuku and an annoyed Bakugo alone. Ami watched Izuku slowly walk around Bakugo and approach the class. Izuku walked up to Ami with his hands held together in nervousness.. Both Ami and Ochaco looked up at him with concern.
"Ouch. Is your finger okay?" Ochaco asked, getting Ami to nod in agreement.
"Sure. Fine." Izuku answered, nervously. Ami could tell he was hiding the pain and felt concern for her brother. Bakugo glanced back at Deku with anger. He watched Habanero and Ochaco gather around Deku with frustration.
"Until the exam he was nothing. A little bug I could crush if I wanted to." Bakugo thought. Flashes in his head overtook his mind. Bakugo wandered through the forest with a bug net. Both Izuku and Ami tagged along behind him. Ami wore a puffy coat despite the warm weather and made sure she was a few feet away from her brother.
"Wow, you're so lucky. Your quirk is so amazing, Kacchan! When I get mine I hope it's just as cool." Izuku exclaimed.
"Whatever, Deku. No matter what power you end up with you'll never be able to beat me. Even if it's like, Flame Breath, over there." Bakugo said, making Ami feel sad. Bakugo snapped back to reality and felt his eyes twitch in anger.
"Just an annoying bug that I can smash into the ground." Bakugo thought.
"After that, I had to fight through the pain as we finished up the rest of our physical fitness tests." Izuku narrated. He dropped down to the floor in exhaustion. The tired feeling he felt through his body almost numbed the pain he felt in his finger. He panted heavily on the floor, hearing the other students walk past him. He heard dirt kick next to him and felt the sun was no longer on his face. He opened his eyes and saw his sister looking down at him. She had a smile on her face and reached her hand out.
"Need a hand?" Ami asked, "Just don't give me the broken one."
Izuku nodded and grabbed onto Ami's hand with his non broken hand. Ami pulled him up and helped him get the dirt off his uniform.
"I can't believe you just did the rest of the fitness tests with your finger broken." Ami cringed, looking at Izuku's broken finger.
"Oh. It's alright. It actually doesn't hurt as much as it looks." Izuku said, assuring Ami he was fine.
"I hope I did alright. I only used my quirk on the 50-meter dash and the standing long jump." Ami hoped.
"Those sit ups weren't bad though. Guess I have All Might to thank for that." She smiled. She glanced at Izuku and noticed his somber expression.
"You okay?" Ami asked.
"I'm fine. Just thinking." Izuku replied. She knew he only used One For All for the ball throw and was concerned about his safety. She remembered what Aizawa said at the start of the tests and started to get anxious. The twins approached the rest of the class and listened to Aizawa.
"Alright time to give you your results. I ranked you all from best to worst. You probably have a good idea of your standing already. I'll just pull up the whole list. It's not worth going over each individual score." Aizawa said. Ami and Izuku thought to themselves about what Aizawa had told the class at the start.
"The person ranked last is gonna be expelled. And the only test I was any good at was the soft ball throw. Can I squeak by on that score alone? I bombed the rest of the challenges." Izuku thought. Aizawa activated the device in his hand, triggering a hologram of the test results to the class. Ami and Izuku hesitated looking at the results and gulped. They stared up at the hologram with anxiety. Izuku read the results looking for his name and saw his sister first.
"16. Ami Midoriya." Ami muttered under her breath. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing she didn't get last and continued reading. Her eyes widened at the last name on the board and internally gasped.
"Number 21 is…"
"Me." Izuku said, feeling a mass amount of dread enter his body. On the hologram Izukus name was plainly listed in last place at number 21.
"I'm in last place. I failed." Izuku thought. He stared down at the hand with his broken finger and clenched it, wincing at the pain in his finger. Ami tensed her whole body up and started to get teary eyed.
"No. This isn't how it was supposed to go." Ami said, feeling her heart race. Before the two of them could let loose, the hologram quickly vanished.
"And I was lying. No one's going home." Aizawa admitted, causing everyone to gasp.
"That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all in the tests."
"Wha-" Ami exclaimed. Izuku's face turned white after hearing Aizawa. He felt his soul reenter his body. Ami's heart was still beating at the sudden twist and felt her face turn blue. She immediately realized she wasn't breathing and corrected herself.
"I'm surprised the rest of you didn't figure that out. Sorry I guess I probably should've said something." The tall girl stated. Ami turned and looked at the tall girl with a slightly annoyed, but mostly relieved face.
"Easy for you to say, you got first place." Ami mumbled in a tired voice, getting the students around her to nod.
"That's it. We're done for the day. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom. Read it over before tomorrow morning." Aizawa instructed, wandering off. Aizawa looked for Izuku and saw him standing next to Ochaco and Ami.
"Midoriya. Take this and go have the old lady fix you up. Things are gonna be tougher tomorrow when your actual training begins. Make sure you're prepared." Aizawa said, handing Izuku a Nurses slip.
"I managed to make it through the first day. But there's so much I completely failed at. I still got a whole lot to learn. If I'm going to achieve my dream." Izuku thought, walking off.
Aizawa turned the corner around the building and saw All Might staring at him.
"Aizawa, that was a rotten move." All Might said, disapprovingly.
"All Might. So you were watching. No talk shows today?" Aizawa asked, facing away from All Might.
"A rational deception? That's cute, but you're not exactly known for being lighthearted. I read your file. Last year you expelled an entire class of freshmen students. You have no problem kicking students out. Anyone you deem unworthy. You were planning to send last place home." All Might accused. Aizawa stood there listening, wondering where he was going with this.
"So that can only mean... You see the same kind of potential in young Midoriya that I do." All Might said, pointing at Aizawa. Aizawa glanced at All Might where he stood.
"What is this about? It almost sounds like you've been in his corner the whole time." Aizawa asked, getting a nervous smile from All Might.
"Isn't it a little early for you to be playing favorites? He doesn't have zero potential, I admit. If that were the case, I would've kept his sister and sent him straight home after class without hesitation." Aizawa admitted. All Might faltered at his harsh words.
"It's cruel to let a kid keep dreaming of something that'll never come true." Aizawa said, walking away. All Might watched him leave and thought to himself.
"In your own strange way, you're a kind man, Aizawa. I know that. But clearly, we are gonna have us a problem." All Might said.
"After the tests, I got sent to Recovery Girl's office to get my broken finger checked out." Izuku narrated, walking out of the high school. Ami met up with Izuku outside the nurses office and smiled at him. Izuku walked beside Ami, feeling incredibly tired. He then felt a hand grab his shoulder from behind him. The twins turned around and saw Iida. Izuku jumped at the sight of Iida while Ami looked at the teen in silence. She felt a little bad for calling him richy.
"How's the broken finger doing?" Iida asked, concerned for his classmate.
"Oh, it's doing fine thanks to Recovery Girl." Izuku answered. Ami cringed at the thought of Recovery Girl. She remembered her own experience with Recovery Girl and how drained she felt after being on the receiving end of her healing. The three of them started to walk together with Ami on Izuku's right.
"I was a bit concerned by Mr. Aizawa's approach to class. But I trust the school's judgement. U.A. is the top program, even so lying is downright immoral." Iida thought out loud. Both Ami and Izuku stared at him in fascination. Despite their initial thoughts of Iida, the two of them quickly realized he was really serious about school.
"Hey. Thanks for the water, Iida." Ami thanked, taking a sip from the bottle.
"No worries. I always make sure I'm fully prepared for any situation." Iida responded.
"Hey! Wait, you three. Are you going to the station? I'll join you guys." Ochaco called out. The three of them heard the voice and stopped. They all turned to see the identity of the girl's voice and had their own reactions. Iida had a puzzled stare and recognized her. Izuku felt himself get red again and Ami couldn't stop giving a devilish smile. A quick glance at Izuku reaffirmed her thoughts.
"It begins." Ami thought to herself, holding on to her backpack straps. She took another sip of water and watched the scene unfold.
"Oh. You're the infinity girl." Iida said. Ochaco caught up to the three of them and happily nodded.
"I'm Ochaco Uraraka. Let's see, you are Tenya Iida. And your name is Deku, right? Midoriya?" Ochaco asked innocently. Ami cringed after hearing Ochaco call her brother Deku.
"Uh. Deku?" Izuku asked in confusion.
"Uh yeah. Isn't that what Bakugo called you? During the fitness test he said-" Ochaco explained, quoting Bakugo. Ami shook her head at the memory.
"The whole class probably thinks his name is Deku now." Ami thought.
"Uh, well. My name is actually Izuku. Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me." Izuku stuttered out in embarrassment.
"That's unsportsmanlike." Iida commented.
"Oh, I didn't realize that, I'm sorry. You know what, I like Deku. It could make a great hero name. Plus I think it sounds kinda cute." Ochaco said, putting her fist up.
"Deku it is." Izuku blurted out. His eyes were wide and his face was completely red. Ami's eyes shot wide open at Izuku's proclamation. She had just taken another sip of water and quickly spat it out in surprise. More water shot out of it as she had accidentally squeezed the bottle. Iida was surprised as well to hear Izuku change his opinion on Deku.
"Just like that? Weren't you saying that it was an insult?" Iida asked in confusion. Izuku quickly turned around in embarrassment, hiding his red face in shame. Ami had covered her mouth at the scene and couldn't stop herself from giggling.
"Paradigm shift. My whole world is upside down." Izuku said. Ami smiled, laughing out loud.
"Wait, what?" Ochaco asked in confusion.
"Oh, Izzy." Ami said between bursts of laughter. Ami couldn't stop herself from imagining them standing at the altar. In her mind, All Might gave the couple a thumbs up in his muscle form. Their mom was crying and Ami would catch the bouquet when they left. The thought made her giggle. She was probably jumping the gun there. Ochaco looked at Ami and smiled awkwardly.
"Well I guess that explains why I heard him call you, Habanero." Ochaco said, awkwardly putting a hand behind her head. Ami stopped her giggling and nodded. She looked down at the shorter girl and smiled.
"I'm Ami. I'm Izzy's twin sister." Ami introduced herself.
"Oh, hi. It's nice to meet you." Ochaco greeted Ami, happily. Izuku watched Ami interact with Ochaco and smiled. The four of them wandered off of the schoolgrounds together. As they walked, he looked up at the sky and thought about the day.
"I survived my first day at U.A. even if I kinda failed. But you know what, All Might? At least I'm making some new friends. That's gotta be a good thing, right?" Izuku thought to himself as they all walked to the station together. Inside the school, All Might sat in a room in his deflated form. He stared at his silver age costume thinking about the twins.
"You don't have time to relax, kids. The real test begins tomorrow." All Might thought.
Tomorrow
"U.A.'s hero course curriculum. There are normal core classes like English. They meet in the mornings." Izuku narrated.
"Now, which of these four sentences contain a mistake?" Present Mic asked, looking at a classroom full of bored teens.
"So boring." The class said out loud.
"This really sucks." Bakugo said to himself.
"No kidding." Ami replied, causing Bakugo to glare at her.
"Who told you to sit next to me, Habanero?" Bakugo asked, angrily.
"I figured you'd wanna sit next to your friends." Ami pretended to smile, "And Izzy's behind you." She answered, pointing at her brother.
"Hey everybody. Look alive! Grammar rules! Yaoyorozu lay it on us." Present Mic instructed.
"We eat lunch in the main cafeteria. Where we can buy pretty tasty stuff on the cheap." Izuku narrated.
"White rice is the perfect comfort food isn't it?" Lunch Rush asked. Izuku was excited to be talking to the cooking hero. Ami and Ochaco were both admiring the taste of the food and gave Lunch Rush approving nods.
"Mhm. This is super good." Ochaco approved, admiring the food. Ami savored the taste. She had never eaten school food that tasted so good before.
"And then in the afternoon. It's finally time. Hero basic training." Izuku narrated.
"I am here!" All Might exclaimed, causing some of the class to gasp in excitement. All Might burst through the door in his muscle form.
"Coming through the door like a hero!" He exclaimed, leaning forward on his tip toes. He held himself up with his hands on the doorframe.
"Wow. I can't believe it's really All Might." The electric haired teen said in awe.
"So he is a teacher. This year is gonna be totally awesome." A teen with spiky red hair said.
"Hey, look. Is he wearing his silver age costume?" The frog girl pointed out. The other kids took notice and looked on in admiration.
"I'm getting goosebumps. It's so retro." Another teen with a giant tail complimented.
"Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High. Think of it as Heroing 101. Here you will learn the basics of being a pro. And what it means to fight in the name of good. Let's get into it. Today's lesson will pull no punches." All Might exclaimed, showing off a card with the word; Battle. Bakugo read the card and smiled disturbingly.
"Fight training." Bakugo said, getting thrilled.
"Real combat?" Izuku asked, getting nervous.
"But one of the keys of being a hero is looking good!" All Might said, pointing to the wall. Suddenly the wall opened up, revealing numbered lockers. The students looked at the lockers and smiled with excitement.
"These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started." All Might explained. Izuku held onto his backpack, smiling.
"Costumes." He thought.
"Get yourselves suited up and then meet me at training ground beta." All Might instructed.
"Yes, sir." The class obeyed, listening to instruction. The students stood up and headed towards the lockers. Ami sat in her seat in the class and watched students pile up towards the lockers. She saw bits and pieces of their hero costumes and smiled. She even saw Bakugo's for a split second. She had to do a double take as soon as she noticed the strange shape of his gauntlets. Bakugo didn't let her see anymore of it before he scrambled out of the classroom in front of everyone else. She shrugged and rubbed her hands together in excitement. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. It was time to find out what her hero costume looked like.
Ami felt the anticipation swell up inside her. The thought of seeing her hero costume in all its costume glory sent her over the moon. All she had to do was wait for the pile up to clear and she could get up and take her costume. She stared at her desk and smiled, getting sentimental. A memory popped in her head. One she remembered fondly as it was the first time she had showed her two friends her hero costume design.
Last Year
Ami sat at the lunch tables, doodling in her notebook. Sitting across from her were her two friends. Ami looked up at them and listened to what they were saying to each other. Her orange haired best friend was laughing at a story the boy sitting next to her was telling. She wasn't paying much attention to his story, but judging from the bits and pieces she heard, it sounded pretty funny.
Ami stared at the happy couple in front of her and felt a little shy, noticing the arm wrapped around the orange haired girls shoulder. They were getting all romantic in front of her again, which made her bury her face in her notebook. She didn't mind when they showed public affection to each other. She thought it was sweet. However, she couldn't hide the uncomfortable feeling she felt from seeing others close by watching them. She made a small laugh to make it look like she was listening and went back to looking at her notebook. She looked at the drawing on her notebook in thought. It was her best work yet. it was a drawing of her new and improved hero costume. Something she had worked hard on for the past few hours.
Ever since her and Izuku's encounter with the Sludge Villain, Ami had been thinking recently about her future. She decided now was the time for her to start planning ahead. A couple weeks after the attack, she had recently gotten back into drawing. She found her old notebook that housed her old drawings of her long forgotten hero costume concepts. Looking at them all was nostalgic to her, bringing back memories of drawing them. She hadn't put much thought into her hero costume or her hero name back then. Even now, she was undecided about her hero name. But she had an idea about what her hero costume should look like. And that's what drew her in to start drawing.
Flipping through the pages, memories of the past went through her. She laughed at the earlier pages, seeing a crude drawing of herself with huge bulging muscles. A feat that now seemed possible these days with the training All Might was putting her through. She looked at each drawing on every page and recognized them as her previous attempts to create a hero costume.
Through the years, Ami made concept designs of her hero costume that ranged from the overly simplistic to the edgiest thing in existence. The order of her costume designs reflected her overall opinion of her quirk at the time. it was a perfect timeline showcasing the changes to her costume design. The earlier pages were crude and made with crayon. Eventually, the drawings were made by pencil and the detail on them tripled over time. Ami was always good at drawing since she was little. It's a good skill you acquire from wanting to be left alone in your childhood.
She stared off at the sketches she had in her notebook. Reaching the end of her old costume designs, she frowned at how depressing they looked. As nostalgic as they were, she felt unsatisfied by them. The times really have changed for her. Looking at her old hero costume designs reminded her just how much she's changed in the past months.
She was training under the Number One Hero, All Might. She was communicating with her brother more and they were training together. All so that she could be ready for the U.A. entrance exam. And, most importantly, so that Izuku could be ready to inherit the greatest secret quirk of all time. She was improving her body, her mind, and her relationships. She wasn't as scared as she used to be. And the feelings she had about her quirk were beginning to change. She looked at her notebook and on the most recent page that contained her new hero costume. Compared to her old designs, this one was completely different.
When thinking about a possible hero costume in the past, it was always dark, edgy, intimidating. If anyone had gotten hold of her notebook, they'd probably be somewhat concerned. Thinking about them made her frown. They weren't what she wanted anymore. They weren't her.
Those old costumes designs in her notebook made her look completely unapproachable. Some looked downright dangerous. Villainous, even. They were a reflection of how she felt about herself back then. Dangerous and unapproachable. All the kids in elementary school avoided her then. All her life she was told her quirk was dangerous.
But, no more. She wasn't going to let herself get caught in what others thought about her quirk. Not anymore. She thought of the praise she received that fateful day by Kamui Woods and Backdraft and smiled. Then she thought about All Might and his quirk training. They were working on her flame breath at close combat. Recently, they had started referring to her fire breathing move as her, "Flamethrower," move. It sounded cool to her so the name stuck. Thinking about herself now, she realized she didn't want to be unapproachable. She wanted to BE approachable.
She didn't want to base her costume on the thoughts of her classmates. She didn't want to wear an intimidating costume like other heroes with fire quirks. She intimidated her classmates without even using her quirk. She wanted to wear a costume that would make her happy whenever she wore it. Not just her, but everyone. A costume that reflected her changed outlook. Something that even a baby would approach.
With that in mind, she started drawing. She placed all of her heart and soul into the design, putting a lot of thought in her hero costume. She thought about the heroes she was a big fan of and what made them approachable, incorporating a lot of their looks into her own design. Several hours of brainstorming ideas later and she had finished drawing her hero costume. She stared at her masterpiece and smiled.
Her head had a red firefighter helmet with the initials A.M. engraved on the front, a placeholder for when she'd come up with a hero name. Her eyes would be protected by blue-tinted glasses while her nose and mouth would be left exposed so she could use her flamethrower. She wore a sleeveless dark blue full-bodysuit that was flexible, fireproof, and left no skin exposed. Wrapping around her neck was a red poncho that had a fire design in the front. Above her body suit was a red jacket with yellow lines at the bottom. The jacket's sleeves reached her wrist and led to red gauntlets with a hole in the palm of her hands. It wasn't a part of her she used often but Ami knew from a young age that her body was immune to fire. And that flames she inhaled from the environment could be flung towards her hands if she so wanted it.
The jacket went all the way to her belly, leaving a bit of her blue bodysuit exposed. On her lower half was a red skirt with a flame design matching her scarf. She wore a utility belt on her skirt that had rows of pockets for smaller items. Ami put a lot of thought into what the bags would carry. She put little logos in the pockets to identify them easier. A plus sign for First Aid. A candle for her lighter. A water droplet for her canteen, and an extra bag to carry miscellaneous items or things she picks up along the way.
Ami put some thought into if she would have some support items and realized they were necessary given the nature of her quirk. She needed items that would help her in case she couldn't fight with her fire. She thought about other heroes with this idea and sketched it onto her belt. On both hips, she would have an item. A fire axe and a whip. The whip would be fireproof but flammable. Her legs would be protected by the blue bodysuit with her feet being covered by dark blue boots.
Ami looked at her final design and inspected her costume. It looked cute, practical, and, most of all, approachable. Ami looked at the costume in her notebook and felt a warm feeling tug at her heart. She smiled warmly at the drawing. Her costume's design was inspired by Backdraft's and her fireproof Teddy Bear. She would never tell anyone about the Teddy Bear. Ami held her notebook in her hands and looked up at her friends. They were still acting romantic towards each other. She frowned and lowered her eyes in hesitation, unsure if she should interrupt them. Eventually, she decided to get their attention.
"Hey." Ami said, quietly. Her friends broke eye contact and glanced at Ami at the same time. They stopped what they were doing and looked at her curiously.
"What's up, Ami?" Her orange haired friend asked, smiling warmly at Ami.
"I wanna know what you two think about this hero costume design I just finished." Ami asked, causing her orange haired friend to gasp in excitement.
"You're making a hero costume?" She asked, smiling at Ami. Ami smiled back and nodded, looking down at her notebook. She stared longingly at her costume, getting sentimental.
"Before I show you guys, I want to get something off my chest. I've been thinking about what kind of hero I want to be. I'm sure you already know what other people think of my quirk. That's it's dangerous and all?" Ami questioned, cringing at the memories of her classmates' insults.
"Mhm." Her orange haired friend nodded, frowning at the memories.
"I didn't think it affected me as much as I thought until I looked back at old designs for my hero costume. I realized most of my old designs reflected what I'd been told all my life. My costumes looked intimidating, threatening, and dangerous. They were kinda like something a villain would wear." Ami said, causing her friends to frown even more. She stayed silent for a couple seconds, getting caught up in a memory. Before she knew it, she was thinking of words that All Might had told her.
"It's alright to be afraid, young Ami. I understand not wanting to harm people with your fire breath, but you shouldn't let it hold you back. It's not always about fighting the villain, you need to save people as well. Inspire others and create hope. Think back to why you wanted to be a hero. Before you had your quirk why did you want to become a hero?" All Might asked. Ami looked at her drawing and smiled.
"Why did I want to become a hero?" Ami repeated, pondering her answer.
"Because of you. Me and Izzy used to watch the same video on repeat every day. It was your debut. We thought you were so cool how you saved all those people with a smile on your face." Ami said, chuckling at the fond memory. All Might smiled back, remembering that day.
"And after?" All Might asked.
"After? After my quirk, I avoided people because I didn't want to hurt them. Even my own brother. But even so, me and Izzy always followed around one person." Ami said, remembering her childhood.
"Then I met my friends and made me realize I didn't have to worry about hurting others if their quirks countered mine. It wasn't the right answer, but it was half of it."
"But I know who I want to be now. I want to do more than save people. I want people to look at me and my dangerous quirk and see that anyone can become a hero. I want to inspire people. And I want them to see my smile and know they're safe. Just like you, right?" Ami asked, All Might looked at her determined face and smiled. His mind drifted as he looked at her, causing him to smile in nostalgia.
"A wise woman once told me that real heroes don't just save lives, they save their hearts, too. No matter how scared you are, you should smile to show that things are okay. And that in this world, the ones always smiling are the strongest." All Might quoted, looking at Ami with a warm smile.
"Wow. She sounds really cool." Ami said, amazed by the quote. All Might laughed and nodded peacefully.
"She was. In a way, you remind me of her." All Might smiled, looking up at the sky.
"Really? How so?" Ami asked, excitedly. All Might smiled and put his hands on each side of his face to mimic her hair.
"Same hairstyle." All Might said, smiling. Ami was caught off guard by the answer and started to laugh. Ami's mind went back to her drawing. Looking back up at her friends, she noticed the sympathetic looks on their faces. She smiled and started to speak again.
"I used to think a quirk like mine meant I should look scary. Like the kind of heroes who look like villains. But now, I don't want that anymore. I don't want people to think I'm a villain because of my quirk. When a person sees me I want them to feel happy. Whether I'm saving their life or if they see me on tv, I want people to look at me and smile knowing I'm there to protect them. So that's what I wanted my costume to reflect." Ami said, turning her notebook around. Her friends stared at the notebook and saw her hero costume, eyes lighting up.
"I want to make people smile just by looking at me. That's the hero I wanna be. So, what do you think?" Ami asked, seeking their input. She saw her friends surprised faces and watched them smile.
"You look so cute!" She exclaimed, gushing with joy. Her positive response surprised Ami.
"It looks great, Ami!" Her other friend replied, agreeing with his orange haired girlfriend. She blushed a little at the compliments towards her costume and smiled.
"Th-Thanks. I-I wanted my costume to look approachable, you know? I don't want to scare anyone when I become a hero. Even if a villain isn't afraid of me as long as people smile I know I'm doing right." Ami said, hiding her embarrassment with positive excitement.
Present Day - U.A. Girl's Locker Room
Ami looked at her costume in the mirror of the locker room. The costume was almost exactly how she imagined it. The differences between drawing and reality though were alarming. The bodysuit she wore underneath her jacket and skirt was skintight. It certainly did no favors in hiding her...body. She wanted to be approachable, but not that kind of approachable. It was fortunate for her that her jacket, scarf, and skirt, did the job covering her body. She put on the blue tinted glasses on her face and looked back at the mirror. She stared at herself and felt her emotions get the better of her. Her dream was getting closer to fruition.
"Cute." She thought, looking at herself in the mirror. The other girls had put their hero costumes on and left. Ochaco had her costume on and approached Ami.
"Hey, Ami. I like your hero costume!" Ochaco greeted, looking at Ami's hero costume. Ami looked at Ochaco and appreciated the compliment.
"Thanks. But it turned out a little tight around some...parts of me." Ami said in embarrassment. She looked at her midriff and scrunched up half of her face in disatisfaction. Her abs were in plain sight through her costume. They were more noticeable than she expected. She flared her nostrils and shrugged, happy they were atleast covered. Ochaco looked at Ami and nodded in silence. She understood what she meant and put her hand on the back of her head.
"Yeah, I know how you feel. They made my costume skintight, too." Ochaco laughed. Ami looked at Ochaco's hero costume and understood. She could definitely tell.
"Anyways, we should probably go out there and see what everyone else looks like." Ochaco suggested.
"Yeah." Ami agreed, locking her locker. Ami and Ochaco walked out the locker room and headed to training ground beta. The both of them caught up to the rest of their classmates, their costumes were obscured by the dark entrance to the training ground. All Might watched as the students exited the dark tunnel and walked into the light.
"They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen. And behold, you are the proof. Take this to heart from now on you are heroes-in-training." All Might said, enthusiastically. He stared at the students and saw Ami and her costume. All Might remembered when Ami had shown her a drawing of her costume and asked for his opinion. He remembered suggesting she axe the axe in the design. He quickly realized that Izuku was absent from the crowd of students. Ami had also realized this when she looked at all the other heroes until he heard running coming from the tunnel. She turned and stared into the tunnel, a smile appearing on her face. Standing proudly in front of her in what could be described as a green bunny costume was her brother, Izuku Midoriya.
"Hey, Deku." Ochaco waved, getting Izuku's attention. Ami would have to get used to hearing that name from other people.
"Uraraka." Izuku said, quickly taking notice of Ochaco's hero costume much to Ami's discomfort. Ami hid her discomfort and listened in on their conversation.
"Love your costume. Not very flashy, you know? I should've been more specific about what I wanted. This bodysuit is skintight, not really my style." Ochaco admitted, rubbing the back of her head. Ami looked at her brother's actions and noticed the heavy blush on his face, raising her eyebrow at him. She knew what he was looking at. She looked at her brother and at Ochaco and didn't know how to react. Ami never put much thought on Izuku's interests. She had only ever seen him get excited to see a hero, much less from a girl. Ami thought about it more and wondered if Izuku ever once talked to a girl in his life that wasn't either her or their mom. He never interacted much with her orange haired friend, either.
"I love this school." A small purple kid said in the corner of the twins vision. They both turned to look at the small kid in confusion. All Might took notice of the twins and made eye contact with Izuku. He quickly noticed several aspects of Midoriya's costume that looked...similar. Very, very suspiciously similar to him. All Might took no time deducing the similarities between him and Izuku's costume and felt his smile falter.
"You're so obvious." All Might cringed, covering his mouth.
"Now that you're ready. It's time for combat training." All Might announced.
"Sir?" Iida said, raising his hand. Izuku and Ami looked to the robot on their left and realized it was Iida.
"That's Iida's costume? I wonder if he likes Ingenium?" Ami wondered, impressed by his costume.
"This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean that we'll be conducting urban battles again?"
"Not quite. I'm gonna move you two steps ahead. Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside, however, statistically speaking run ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place in doors. Think about it, backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two-on-two indoor battles." All Might explained.
"Isn't this a little advanced?" The frog girl asked.
"The best training is what you get on the battlefield. But remember you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people now." He warned.
"Sir, will you be deciding who wins?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"How much can we hurt the other team?" Bakugo asked, hoping to hospitalize Deku.
"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?" Ochaco asked with worry.
"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?" Iida asked.
"Sir, if this is supposed to be two-on-two then you know there's 21 of us, right?" Ami pointed out.
"I wasn't finished talking." All Might groaned.
"Listen up," All Might instructed, pulling out a script, "The situation is this. The villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes."
"Times limited. And we'll choose teams by drawing lots." All Might said, pulling out a box.
"Isn't there a better way?" Iida asked.
"Think about it. Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot. So maybe that's the reason we're seeing that here." Izuku explained.
"Yes, I see. Life is a random series of events." Iida replied, understanding the reasoning. He quickly bowed and apologized.
"Excuse my rudeness." Iida said.
"No sweat. Let's draw!" All Might exclaimed.
The class moved forward and took a piece of paper out of the box and made up their teams.
"Wow, what are the chances? We're a team." Ochaco exclaimed. Ami could see Izuku's nervousness through his mask and smiled. She looked at the other students and felt unsure about the way the teams were made. She approached All Might with a question about the battle.
"Hey, All Might, sir. I'm confused. How is this gonna work with an odd number of students?" Ami asked.
"I understand your confusion, young Ami. But to make it simple, the student will have to team up with two students in a two-on-three."
"What? But, sir, isn't that unfair for the hero or the villain team? " Ami asked, getting nods of agreement from her classmates.
"Yeah, how's that gonna work?" The red haired student asked.
"Whether you're dealing with heroes or villains. It's not too uncommon to be outnumbered. It's up to the villains or the heroes to formulate a strategy against the odds." All Might explained, proud of the justification.
"So in other words, the enemy team is screwed?" Ami asked, causing All Might's smile to falter.
"Just grab a paper." All Might said in defeat.
"Right, sorry." Ami apologized, seeing All Might's defeated expression. Ami put her hand in the box and pulled out a card.
"Team J." She said.
"Hey, we're team J." The red haired teen waved. Ami saw the red haired teen and approached him. She also took notice of his hero costume, which exposed his chest. Ami looked at the man and gulped. Beside the teen was a masked teen with a strange hero costume. Ami wondered what his costume meant and initiated contact.
"Hey, guys." Ami greeted, anxiously. She felt a little uncomfortable with her teammates. Not because of her classmates' choice of costume, but because of her.
"Man, I hope my team's quirks counter mine. I don't wanna burn redhead's body." Ami thought, raising her hand forward.
"I'm Ami Midoriya. It's nice to meet you-"
"We know who you are." The redhead said, causing the other teen to nod. Ami looked at the two of them in confusion and replied.
"You do?" She asked.
"Yeah, we saw you at the Battle Center." The redhead nodded,"We saw what you did to the robot. You were awesome." He said, putting his fist up. Ami thought back to that day and couldn't for the life of her remember seeing a guy with red hair at the exam.
"Seeing you charge in and burn that robot was the manliest action ever." He complimented. Ami raised an eye at his words.
"You know I'm a girl, right?" Ami asked, slightly confused. The redhead looked at Ami and nodded. He shook his head and introduced himself.
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Eijiro Kirishima." Kirishima said.
"And I'm Hanta Sero." Sero said, taking off his helmet. Ami nodded at them and remembered seeing their names on the top 10 results.
"Oh. You guys were on the top 10 with me and Izzy." Ami said, recognizing them.
"Yeah, but only, it's kinda thanks to you I even made the top 10." Sero admitted, rubbing his hair. Ami looked at Sero in confusion.
"Really? How so?"
"Huh? Oh man. I forgot. You blacked out after using your quirk. Remember when that tape wrapped around you and pulled you away from the robot?" Sero asked. Ami nodded in confusion, trying to understand the question. She started to put together the pieces and formed a realization.
"Yeah?"
"That was me." Sero said, pulling out tape from his elbow. Ami's eyes widened at the revelation.
"Wait. That was you? You're Tapeman?" Ami exclaimed, feeling the nervousness fade away. Sero nodded and reeled the tape back into his elbow.
"Oh, man. Thanks for saving me. I thought I was a goner." Ami bowed.
"Well a lot of the applicants ran towards you after we heard that robot's alarm. I was just the closest." Sero said, recalling his location. He remembered seeing the robot fall and the outline of a girl on the street below it.
"Once I realized you couldn't use your quirk, I knew I could use my tape to grab you."
"So you can make tape with your quirk?" Ami asked.
"Uh huh." Sero nodded.
"And what's yours?" Ami asked, looking at Kirishima.
"Hardening." Kirishima said, hardening his arms and chest in an instant.
"We'd ask about your quirk but I think we already know what it is."
"You breathe fire, right? Like the monster hero, Godzillo?" Sero asked. Ami laughed at the comparison and nodded. She touched her belt and grabbed her lighter and ignited the flame.
"There's more to it than that. I breathe fire through my mouth. But I can also collect the fire in my environment, even from another quirk, to boost the power of my fire. But If I eat too much like a whole burning building, I end up getting dehydrated faster." Ami explained, eating the flame from her lighter.
"Seriously? That's sick." Kirishima said. Ami smiled in appreciation at her classmate's reaction to her fire. She was expecting them to freak out.
"I can also collect fire with my hands and eat the flame later." She explained, rubbing the fire from the lighter onto her other exposed palm.
"See." Ami asked, showing off the candle from the lighter on her hand. Kirishima and Sero gave impressed smiles at her action.
"That's so cool. Hey with us as a team, we'll definitely win as heroes or villains." Sero said, giving a thumbs up.
"Now that the teams have been chosen. I declare the first teams to fight will be...These guys!" All Might explained, pulling out two balls with the letters D and A. Ami looked at the letters and tensed up.
"Team A and D? That's Izzy and-" Ami's thoughts ended upon seeing the twisted smile form on Bakugo's face.
"Oh no." Ami thought. The students fighting first were Izuku and Ochaco versus Bakugo and Iida.
"Team A will be the heroes. Team D will be the villains. Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch." All Might instructed.
"Yes, sir." The class answered, walking up to All Might. Izuku heard All Might's words and gulped. In the corner of his vision he could see Bakugo. He made a glance toward him and saw his cold angry stare. He frowned at the sight of him and clenched his fist. Izuku knew he would have to use One For All if he was gonna have any chance at winning. Behind the two of them, Ami watched Izuku's nervous expression change into a determined look. She gave a tiny smile at him and hoped it would be okay.
"Bad guys you can go on in and get set up. In five minutes the good guys will be let loose and the battle will start." All Might said.
"Yes, sir." The students replied. All Might stood at the building's entrance watching Bakugo and Iida approach.
"Young Iida. Young Bakugo. The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. Think from the perspective of an evildoer."
"Got it." Iida replied.
"If things go too far, I'll step in." All Might said, getting a nod from Iida.
"Understood." Iida said. Bakugo stared at Izuku while he was talking to Habanero. He watched Habanero give Deku an encouraging smile before walking away. He could only assume they were talking about him. He watched Deku clench his fist repeatedly behind his back and scoffed. He was going to crush him. Bakugo headed off into the building behind Iida. The two of them quickly made note of their surroundings and prepared themselves. Bakugo stared off at the door while Iida looked at the nuke.
"Even though this is training. It pains me to be aligned with criminal behavior." Iida said, walking up to the bomb.
"So this is the weapon we must protect, " Iida said, knocking on the metal, "Fake, of course."
"Hey," Bakugo called out, getting Iida's attention, "Do you really think Deku has a quirk?"
Iida took note of the unsportsmanlike name for Izuku and ignored it, replying to his question.
"You saw how he threw that ball. Though I think that power hurts his body?" Iida theorized.
"Why is it that you seem to be especially angry when it comes to Midoriya?" Iida asked, getting no response. Bakugo ignored his partner's question and felt his rage building back up. The image of a sad quirkless little Izuku was in his head.
"Was he seriously just tricking me all these years?" Bakugo thought, the image of Deku pointing and laughing at him filled his head. Then the image of his stupid sister standing beside him laughing at Bakugo appeared.
"No, not just him." Bakugo thought, thinking of the twins laughing at him. He thought back to the many times he tried to use his quirk on Deku and remembered Habanero. She was there in all of his memories. The one person that stopped him from using his explosions wasn't here to protect Deku. Bakugo leapt out of his thoughts and started to smile.
"I'm gonna roast that damn nerd today."
Inside the monitoring room, the class had gathered to watch the two teams. Ami had stood by her future teammates and stared at the monitors. She could see the layout of the buildings through the cameras placed in every room. One camera in particular had her attention. Standing in the bomb room was Iida and Bakugo. Ami stared at Bakugo through the camera and felt herself shaking in nervousness. She took off her firefighter hat just to have something to hold on to. Normally when dealing with uncomfortable conditions she'd pull out her lighter and start practicing eating flames but she didn't think any of her classmates would appreciate the smell of smoke in the monitoring room.
She was afraid for her brother. From the look on his face alone, she knew he was also realizing the same thing she had then. Izuku was facing Bakugo without her. She knew Bakugo's antics since childhood. If there was a chance he could use his explosions on Izuku, he'd take it. Ami gulped in fear.
"Hey...Ami." Kirishima said, bringing Ami out of her thoughts.
"Huh? What is it?" Ami asked, puzzled.
"That green guy on the hero team. Izuku. That's your brother, right?" Kirishima asked.
"Uh huh?" Ami nodded.
"We heard what he did at the entrance exam and were wondering what he can do. And when he broke his finger at the fitness test yesterday. It made me wonder what his quirk was? And you're his sister so you gotta know, right?" Kirishima asked, enthusiastically. Some of the other classmates listened to Kirishima and nodded in agreement.
"I was wondering that too." Sero nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I wanna know, too." A pink girl said, coming out of nowhere. Some of the class formed around Ami with curious smiles. Ami could see them all gather around her and started to get anxious. Ami looked at her fellow classmates faces and felt a strange feeling inside her. She could hear their questions, but the specifics were starting to blur. Her mind started to change their faces into the ones she saw in her childhood. A memory of excited kids surrounding her as she covered her mouth in fear. Ami stopped paying attention to her surroundings and started to cover her mouth. The memory of hiccupping and setting desks on fire were causing her to sweat. Outside the group, several students took notice of her facial expressions. All Might had also taken notice of her facial expressions. He remembered what Ami had told him when she activated her quirk for the first time and quickly approached the group. In the center of the group, Ami covered her mouth with one hand and tightened her grip on her hat with the other. The students were unaware of the panic she was feeling as the memory flashed through her. She closed her eyes and grinded her teeth in an attempt to stop her imaginary fire. As she did this, the questions suddenly stopped and the voice of All Might was all she heard.
"Now, now, class. Let's not overwhelm her with questions. Look at her," All Might said, getting the students to look at Ami's face.
"I'm sure, you mean well, but you don't have to swarm your fellow student. Instead why don't you watch the monitors and see what young Midoriya's quirk is for yourself." All Might said, getting the students to realize their actions.
"Right, sorry, Ami." Kirishima apologized.
"Yeah, we didn't mean to surround you like that." The pink girl nodded, feeling bad. Ami opened her eyes and looked at her classmates faces return to normal and started to return to reality. She felt her heart start to beat normally and her breathing resume. Ami took a sigh of relief and loosened her grip on her hat. She felt embarrassed that she had a panic attack in front of her classmates. She looked up at All Might and saw the concern on his face.
"Everything okay, young Ami?"
"Yeah. I'm good. Thanks, All Might." Ami thanked, appreciating the save from All Might. The questions aimed at her brother's quirk had made her freeze up. She knew she couldn't tell them about One for All, but she was unable to say anything. When the class surrounded her, it brought back painful memories that she hid inside her mind.
"Now, class. It's time to start." All Might said, walking over to the monitors.
"Alright, let's begin the indoor combat training. Team A and Team D, your time starts now!" All Might announced over the mic.
"Pay attention, kids. Think about what you would do." All Might instructed, getting the class to stare at the monitors.
"Young Midoriya. In this class you're just another student. I'll grade you as I would anyone else. Without playing favorites." All Might thought. Ami and her teammates approached the monitors with anticipation. Her classmates were excited to see the battle, but Ami held her breath.
"Hey, Ami. You think your brother's gonna win?" Sero asked. His smile faded when he saw Ami's face staring up at the monitor. His smile was replaced with an unsure look.
"In all honesty, no." Ami admitted, staring down at the floor.
"What? Really? How come?" Kirishima asked, glancing back at Ami.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for him, but. It's just that… The person he's up against.
"Oh yeah, Bakugo. You guys are friends, right?" Kirishima asked.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know what we are to him." Ami explained, looking at Izuku and Ochaco enter the building.
"Me and Izzy grew up with Kacchan in the same neighborhood. So we've known each other since we were little kids." Ami explained, thinking of the past. She remembered her and Izuku's unsure face as they stared into the entrance to the forest. The fence had been torn down, leaving an exposed path to the forest.
"C'mon. Let's fight bad guys." Bakugo said, pointing towards the forest. The kids closest to Bakugo shouted in the air, cheering him on. Bakugo smiled and stepped forward into the forest. Izuku and Ami both made weak cheers towards Bakugo.
"All the other neighborhood kids followed him around. It seemed like he could do anything. And no matter what he decided to do. He would always do it with a brave look on his face. Me and Izzy thought he was the coolest person we ever met. However, after his quirk manifested," Ami said, thinking back to when she had eaten the flames off Bakugo's quirk in order to protect her brother, "He started to change." Ami said.
She watched Izuku and Ochaco walk down the dark hallway of the building, hoping Izuku had a plan. Before she knew it, Bakugo had appeared from around the corner, causing her to gasp. She watched Bakugo ignite his explosions into Izuku. To her relief, the camera captured Izuku grabbing onto Ochaco and jumping out of the way in time. Ami watched the screen and felt her heart skip.
"I knew it. Kacchan went after Izzy first." Ami thought.
"He almost got the jump on him." The small purple kid said.
"Sneak attack, Bakugo? What kinda man pulls cheap crap like that?" Kirishima said, pounding his hardened fists together
"It's a viable strategy. He's playing the part. Acting like a true villain would." All Might explained.
"It didn't work. Midoriya dodged it." The pink girl smiled, watching the screen with excitement. Ami nodded at her observation.
"All Might's training really improved his reflexes. But I don't know what Izzy could do now against him. If he uses One For All, he might break his arm. And Bakugo might break the other arm." Ami thought, staring at the screen with a serious face. She watched the smoke clear, revealing Bakugo staring down at Izuku.
"Now that I think of it, he hasn't used One For All on a person before." Ami thought.
"There he goes." The electric haired teen said. Ami snapped out of her thoughts and watched Bakugo charge towards Izuku, ready to punch him. To her surprise, Izuku grabbed onto Bakugo. Sliding his foot across the ground, Izuku held onto Bakugos arm with his body behind him. Ami watched the scene in disbelief. Izuku grit his teeth and put all his strength into his arms and flung Bakugo over his head and onto the hard floor. The class gasped in shock at the action. Ami's mouth dropped open in awe at the action. This was All Mights training revealing itself.
"Holy crap, Izzy..." Ami thought out loud. She watched Bakugo show visible pain through the monitor, cringing at the impact he must've felt. Izuku said something to Bakugo as he stood up and recovered. Ami watched the scene wishing she could hear what Izuku was saying to him.
Izuku caught his breath as he stared down at Bakugo. He had just taken him down without using his quirk to the surprise of Ochaco and the class. He tightened his fists and started to talk.
"Kacchan. You always use a big right hook to start a fight. I know because I've watched you for years. I analyzed every amazing hero, even you. I wanted to learn everything I could about them. It was all in the notebook you threw away." Izuku stated. Bakugo glanced at Izuku with an annoyed growl. Izuku kept his stance and stared down at Bakugo with a determined face.
"You can call me, Deku. But I'm not the same helpless, defenseless kid, anymore. You hear me, I've changed. From now on Deku is the name of a hero!" Izuku shouted. Ochaco heard his words and remembered what she said to him.
"You know what, I like Deku. It could make a great hero name. Plus I think it sounds kinda cute."
Bakugo stood up and listened to his words. He stared down at the ground and saw the same crying Izuku staring back at him with fists ready to defend the child behind him. Then his mind flashed with images of Deku and Habanero laughing, pointing fingers at him with twisted smiles. The images contributed to his anger, making his rage reach beyond it's natural boiling point. He got up from the hard floor and stared at Izuku in complete anger.
"Deku. You're shaking in your boots, you're so scared. Yet you wanna fight me anyway. That's why I hate you!" Bakugo shouted.
Author's notes: Hello. Again. This chapter would have been part of 3 but I didn't want to take any time away. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and what's happening so far. I wish I could draw better than stick figures but I hope you can visualize what Ami's hero costume looks like.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to give reviews, they've been really nice. Thanks for reading my story. Have a good day!
Re-Edit November 25th, 2021
I've expressed my displeasure with how I presented Ami's conflict about her costume in this chapter and wanted to make it make more sense. So I went back and changed up her thoughts. Made it clearer and touched up some dialogue and reactions. Hopefully this change makes that part of the chapter a little more bearable. Thanks for reading and have a good day!