It's the day of the Hero License exam. We are hanging out in a rundown building complex of who knows where. Notably Toga is with us. I brought Toga here so she doesn't go to the Hero License exam disguised as a hero student. She is sitting by the corner of the room bored. I was told that I need to be monitored by someone at all times but today was Shigaraki's turn. Shigaraki and Spinner were playing video games on the couch together in the middle of the room. The other members are not here. Not like they need to be here or are required to be here nor do I know what they are doing.
I walked over to Spinner and Shigaraki. Looking over their shoulder they were playing some sort of rpg game on their handheld console.
"What are you two playing?" I asked.
"Oh this? Just the latest in the Killer Monster franchise." Spinner replied, holding up the screen to me.
"You don't have to answer that Nomu. It's just pretending to be a real person." Shigaraki said, continuing to play the game.
"You don't seem to have the same attitude with Kurogiri. Why are you only acting this way with me?" I felt hurt by the statement. Remembering that most Nomu didn't have any built in emotion function.
Shigaraki annoyingly pauses his game, puts it down and looks at me. "I don't trust you. Unlike other Nomus you have a mind of your own. That's what makes you different from Kurogiri. On top of that I have to watch over you for some stupid reason."
"Come on Shigaraki, it's been a while since then. I've changed. Quite literally." Taking a step back into the light I strike a pose. I transformed my body into what I looked like in my original world. Short brown hair, a noticeable change in my three sizes, and a slight height increase. "I have my body back." I don't feel any discomfort when transforming. It somewhat feels like someone putting a full body costume on me. After a few seconds the costume feels like a natural part of me.
"Wow, you can change into someone else too." Toga got up from her corner. Curiosity in her eyes she asked, "So this is what you looked like. Who else can you turn into?"
I slicked my hair back and said, "Only one other." I turn into a man with blond hair. "I don't know who this is but I'm assuming it's the super regeneration quirk guy."
"And I thought turning into other people was Toga's thing." Spinner laughs.
"You have five quirks total don't you?" Toga asked. "That means you should be able to turn into at least four different people."
I turn back into Akumi. "Wellâ That is a good question. I was never even able to turn into myself or someone else before. Maybe it's the perks of this body being 100% complete. I don't even know how I can turn this body into someone else."
"So why do you turn back into this body instead of your own body?" Spinner asks.
"I've spent a bit too much time in this body that now I prefer this one over my own." I put a palm to my face. "Wait, no, that's not rightâ I want my body backâ" I feel something or more like someone shouting from within my mind. "They want their body back?"
"The doctor said not to make her think so hard. It might trigger a quirk rebellion." Kurogiri warps into the room. "Our monitors showed an abnormal mental imbalance in Akumi. What did you say to her?"
"Even more reason not to answer any of her questions nor ask her any." Shigaraki goes back to playing on his handheld console. "You can watch over her now that you're here Kurogiri."
"Hey are you alright Akumi? Your eyes are glowing?" Toga asked.
I looked around the room and saw sparkling glows of colors purple, red, orange, and a dark blue almost black even.
Kurogiri then goes to cover my eyes with his mist. "It's best if you don't question your situation. Just listen. Everything will be fine."
My mind goes blank...
Izuku gets on the bus with the rest of class 1A going to the Hero License Exam. It was a quiet and awkward ride. Aizawa gestures to the bus driver to pull over.
This had everyone wonder what was happening since they were nowhere near what looks to be a facility where the Hero Exam would take place. This especially alarmed Izuku and Yumi who were not expecting this.
The bus driver leaves the bus. Aizawa then took a stance at the front of the bus. He spoke in a calm manner breathing out a sigh, "I sense that not everyone's head is in the game. I take it that everyone is still divided on the whole Akumi Akari situation." In a commanding voice he exclaimed, "Anyone who manages to get their hero license, I will personally explain to you our current situation and what us pro heroes are dealing with." Aizawa gives everyone a moment to let what he just said sink in.
A spark flicked in everyone's mind. Class 1A had one common goal. But in that one moment the class was united towards that goal. A wave of relief washed over Ida, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. Bakugo kept to himself looking out a window. Kirishima felt exhilarated. Everyone else felt reinvigorated. And Izuku felt relaxed for that moment.
Noticing the change in his students Aizawa goes back to his usual manner of speech he says, "So what do you students say?" He puts a fist in the air. "Let us all go beyond."
All but Bakugo shouted, "PLUS ULTRA!!!" And none but Yumi heard Bakugo mutter plus ultra.
So with the shouting as a cue the bus driver walks back in and to the Hero License Exam they went. With newfound determination they felt like nothing could stop them.
The bus eventually makes its way to the exam site without any more delay. They arrive at Takoba National Stadium, exactly where Yumi had told Izuku the exam was going to take place. Now that they were standing there in person, some of the confidence before started to waver.
Kirishima walks in front of the group and shouts, "Come on guys, it's not time to falter. Let's all cheer one more time to get the nerves out. Plus!"
"ULTRA!" Everyone in the group shouts. Including a very particular student with a buzz haircut from another hero school.
"It's rude to suddenly barge in another group's cheer, Inasa." Said a boy with purple hair wearing the same hero school uniform as the boy before.
"Ah, you got me." Inasa then leaned far back and headbuts the ground. Leaving his bleeding head on the ground still standing then shouts, "I Am So Very Sorry!"
Aizawa recognized Inasa. Izuku and Todoroki could now connect the name to the face. Bakugo takes notice of Izuku's and Todoroki's slight reaction to Inasa.
"Who's this ball of excitement?" Kirishima asks.
"He's like Ida and Kirishima combined," Sero answers.
Bakugo takes a closer look at the other group and notices two familiar faces. He then said, "So Brick Brains and Tunnel Vision decided to join Shiketsu High."
"Good to see you again too Bakugo," Kenji replied. "I see you haven't changed your name calling."
"Izuku, how have you been?" Daichi goes and pats Izuku on the back. "It's been a while. I knew you could make it into a hero school if you tried."
Izuku wasn't surprised that those two were here. He expected this and laughed it off. Yumi, Watching from within the vestige realm with the other users of One For All, was not. Two more variables to be added into the exam made her anxious.
"Aburaya, Fujisaki, are you friends with some of them?" The boy with purple hair asked.
"I wouldn't call us friends. We're more like friends of a friend." Kenji adjusts his glasses. "Speaking of which, where is he?"
"We're class A. If you want to pick a fight with Stop Sign, he's somewhere else with class B," Bakugo said offhandedly.
"Ah. Well Souta and Yasuo are going to have a fun time then," Daichi said, walking back to his group. "Hopefully they don't kill each other."
"Kill each other!? What do you mean by that?" Ida spoke up. Ida knows not to take words like kill lightly when it comes to Akumi's friends now. "I've noticed that particular phrase spoken out by every one of her old friends. I'm starting to think there's a common theme around it."
"Oh that. Don't mind how we speak. We're very cryptic and sometimes too on the nose about things." Yasuo answers. "Daichi meant that it would be for their best interest if they're not going to the same exam site."
"Right." With a doubt full glance Ida adjusted his glasses. Kenji does the same.
"I want to ask. And I'm sorry if this comes off a little too ill-mannered but. Daichi, Kenji, what made you decide to become heroes?" Izuku asked. "The last time we saw each other you guys never wanted to be heroes."
Daichi laughs. "Actually, I've always wanted to be a hero. It's just that there were other things in my life that I couldn't be a hero until just a while ago." He gets serious for a moment and says, "It's better if you don't ask."
Izuku looks to Kenji to see if he would answer. Kenji gave it a thought then said, "I don't know. No reason really. Why? Should there be a deeper meaning into wanting to be a hero? What makes a hero? Having a license to use our quirks in public? Helping a cat down from a tree? Hunting down villains? Saving the world? Donating to charity? Trying to reform the government, the people, the environment? No. I don't have any reason like that."
"Kenji, you're doing it again." Daichi said, knocking Kenji on the head. "Stop focusing so much."
"Ah, apologies." Kenji catches Daichi's hands and tosses them back. "To get to the point. Just because."
"Come on now Kenji! Don't be shy! We all know why you wanted to be a hero." Inasa said, giving Kenji a push. "It's because-"
"NOPE! WE ARE LEAVING. IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THE EXAM TO START WE DON'T WANT TO BE LATE NOW DO WE!" Kenji spoke over Inasa, herding the Shiketsu High group into the exam building.
The mood was now much more light hearted as the U.A. group followed after only to be stopped by none other than Ms. Joke and Ketsubutsu High.
Youta and Souta are standing still a good distance away from each other. They noticed each other's presence almost instantaneously. The aura around them was unnerving. Neither of them would budge an inch. Looking from a distance others would think they were having a standoff. But this is just how they greet each other now.
Tetsutetsu goes and pats Youta on the back, breaking the standoff. "Hey. Why'd you just suddenly stop? Being late here might just disqualify you from taking the test all together."
"Sorry, I was just thinking about something," Youta replied. Looking back to where Souta was, Souta was still there. With an ominous smile Youta says, "If this test requires fighting. It's going to be a fun one."
"And I thought I had a devious smile," Monoma spoke up, also giving a diabolical smile. "See someone you know?"
"Maybe who knows-"
"Well if it isn't Youta Okazaki. I would have thought those other two would be here with you." Youta turns around and sees Itsuki walking up to them.
"That's someone who knows you for sure. He called you by your full name and everything." Tetsutetsu said getting in front of Youta. "Something doesn't seem right with him."
Youta nudges Tetsutetsu aside and says, "It's alright guys. He won't do a thing. There are too many eyes watching."
"What would he do if there weren't so many eyes watching?" Monoma questioned. He taps Tetsutetsu without anyone noticing.
"I just hope you break a leg, that's all. No need to get all serious." Itsuki stops his advancement and chuckles to himself. "It's going to be a fun one if it's a fight after all."
"What's this about a fight I hear!" Souta interjects himself into the conversation. "Man, all this waiting has got me itching for one."
"Brother, please, you know that this isn't the time or place," Yasuo said, standing by Souta. "Apologies for the late greetings Okazaki." He does a bow.
"Shiketsu High in the west and U.A. High in the east. What a classic rivalry we have here," Itsuki commented.
"And of course we have ourselves an independent hero. Not associated with any hero school. Not even needing to take the license exam to get a professional hero license because of connections to the Hero Public Safety Commission. Itsuki Kajiwara," Souta states in a sarcastic tone and bows. "Pleasure to meet you."
"I believe that all three of us here never needed to take the exam to begin with. We each have other ways to obtain a provisional license. Even the full license is not off the table. Obtain without any exam or qualification." Itsuki hand begins to spark with electricity for just a moment.
"Why don't we all just cut straight to the point. We don't like each other." Youta kept his smile as he continued speaking, "What are the chances that the three of us will be matched together in this one license exam held in three different locations at the same time? It's almost like someone set it up so that we would."
"If not you then who?" Souta genuinely asked. He looks at Itsuki. "It wasn't me."
Itsuki shrugs his shoulders. Walking towards the exam building he says, "I may know a person or two. But it wasn't them. There would be no benefit to having us eliminate each other now. This time it was a real coincidence. Ha what are the chances?"
"It's about time we take our leave too," Yasuo leaves, dragging Souta along with him back to the Shiketsu High group.
"You have something you want to explain to us," Kendo asks. "They don't seem like friends of yours."
"The two boys from Shiketsu High are brothers. Yasuo Chiba, the one with gray hair, is the older brother by a year. The younger brother, Souta Chiba, we used to be friends." Youta crosses his arms. "Souta's quirk, Tree Growth, he can control the life cycle of wood. Example: if it was turned into a paper he can revert it back to a tree or back into paper. Turned into charcoal, back to a tree or back to charcoal even if the charcoal was used. With the seed of a tree he can basically turn it into anything. The material is still the type of wood the seed is from however. He's easy to deal with. It's Yasuo that is the problem."
"What can he do?"
"His quirk is not that strong. Hidden Leaf is what it's called. He can control leaves and he can turn them invisible. The leaves he controls dry and crumble easily. But put Souta and Yasuo together and they make a great combination."
"Why is Yasuo the problem? I get he relies on Souta to make leaves for his quirk to work but he shouldn't be all that hard to deal with."
"A word of advice, if you're not ready to kill or be killed do not try to attack Souta. Unless of course Souta attacks first."
"What happens if we attack Souta first?" Monoma asked.
"If Souta doesn't stop Yasuo, Yasuo will find a way to hurt you where it hurts the most. The people you care about. The things you care about. The places you care about."
"What!? He doesn't go after us but after everything else we care about. What are you trying to imply here Youta?" Kendo asked. She knows what Youta meant but was asking for confirmation.
"He will personally make it so your life is a living nightmare. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, so to speak. If you don't plan in advance you'll see your life turn upside down."
"Is he just that petty?" Monoma asks. "How could he even manage to do one third of what you just said and get away with it."
"Invisibility is a much scarier ability when used to torment people. It's hard to prove that it was them when it could so likely be anyone else with an invisibility quirk. I'm glad that the invisible girl from class 1A isn't as active with her quirk as Yasuo."
"So who was that other boy?" Kendo asked.
Youta stops smiling then with a cold tone he says, "Someone better off dead than alive."
Kendo, Monoma, and Tetsutetsu all caught Youta's sudden change. The other class 1B members were just a bit away when they finally noticed that those four were lagging behind.
"We should get going now. We don't want to keep the others waiting," Youta said, putting his smile back on. Walking past the three he whispered so only they could hear, "Do not try to fight him."
Tetsutetsu didn't know whether to be sacred or to think that this was a challenge. Kendo took those words to heart, planning to avoid conflicts with those three in the future. Monoma was confused as to what he just got himself into.
"Kendo, Monoma, Tetsutetsu! What's the hold up?" Vlad King shouted towards them.
"Nothing, we're coming!" Kendo shouts back. She tries to be as uplifting as she can be. "Come on guys. I know that both class 1A and 1B are a bit split but we got to show that Class 1B is as united as ever."
"That's my line," Monoma responds. He walks with Kendo back to the others.
"Hey don't leave me behind just because I'm a bit slow at processing all that information!" Tetsutetsu shouts following shortly after.
