See personal comment at the end of the chapter.
"Normal speech."
'Thoughts.'
"AI SPEECH/LOUD SPEECH"
Don't own any property of My Hero Academia.
Chapter 3
"Are you sure you have everything?"
It was the first official day of Izuku Midoriya's High School attendance, and he was occupied with his timely departure. Already dressed in his uniform uniquely standard to UA, a light gray blazer with dark turquoise trimmings over a white dress shirt, red tie and dress pants, he was sitting at the entry of his apartment to put on his signature red shoes.
His mother, Inko Midoriya, was standing behind to see him off. She was a stout woman wearing a light pink shirt and a blue skirt, who had features resembling those of her only child, including shoulder length hair and eyes that are of the same green color.
"I'm sure Mom! I'm off, don't wanna be late!" Izuku gets up, grabs his school bag and reaches for the door.
"Izuku wait!" He opens it halfway before his mother stops him from walking out.
"What?" He looks back at her impatiently. Inko took a moment to let her emotions build up to what she wants to tell him, her eyes looking down while a smile was on her face.
"I'm really proud of you son." She manages to say. Izuku was left open-mouthed and blushing from that.
"You were always a brilliant boy. It was often difficult for you to believe, and I...I wish I could've done more to make you realize it." She had more to let out from her heart.
"But you made other people see it, so much that they wanted to help you grow on that brilliance, and you have, into a more gifted young man than you already were. And I know you're still set on becoming a Hero. I hope UA does it's part to provide you the opportunity. But wherever you end up, I believe in you!"
He didn't know how to take it at first. His mother was a kind woman for as long as he could remember, and the one person he could rely on to not mistreat him for his Quirkless status. None of it was without any difficulties between them however, specifically a lack of faith and support from her towards his dream of becoming a Hero. He long accepted her reasons for it, but still would've cherished any that was given.
And that's exactly what she was doing now. He could tell it was genuine too just by listening to her. He then returns a smile to his mother.
"I'll see you soon Mom." Izuku exits the apartment.
Izuku makes it to UA, the school he's been visiting already for the past few months, so he has no trouble finding his way to the same classroom he spent most of his time here. Though this was the first he's had to arrive in the mourning, so it did prompt him to make a rush for it once he's on school grounds.
He reaches the large door to class 1-H, and opens it to find the room already filled with his fellow classmates. Power Loader wasn't present, which means he was on time. Izuku enters and makes his way to the remaining empty table. All of the other student were conversing amongst themselves while waiting for the day to start, and Izuku recognized this moment to as an opportunity to socialize and form new relations with those he'd spend the next three years learning besides.
Past experience however keeps him from being the one to approach, bringing him back only to the lifetime of harsh Quirkless treatment that was a common occurrence in all of his previous schools, or any kind of social interaction. Despite the safer environment he was assured UA would provide, repeating the cycle was still a risk he was hesitant to take.
The door opens and in walks Power Loader, a familiar presence he was glad to see. The rest of the class saw a pro hero enter the room which got their attention. Following behind him was another student, a pink haired girl with yellow pupils.
"Come on teach, at least tell me we're getting our hands on some baby making soon." She pleads to the Hero. Certain words in her phrasing stood out for Midoriya, as it probably did for everyone else.
'Baby making?'
"Take a seat Miss Hatsume." Power Loader was firm when he gives the instructions, pointing in the direction of the tables without turning to face her.
She reluctantly obeys and walks towards the empty seat next to Midoriya. The girl simply sat there and looked ahead without paying him any attention. Not that she didn't seem uninterested to talk to him, more like she just wanted to get started. If Izuku wanted to talk to her instead, he didn't have time before Power Loader spoke to the whole class for the first time, after putting behind whatever it was that transpired earlier.
"Good morning everyone and welcome to UA. I'm sure you're all excited to be here. I'm Higari Maijima, also known as Pro Hero Power Loader. As you imagined, you'll been seeing a number of Pro Heroes as part of the faculty in this school, myself being in charge of the first year Support Course, which also makes me your homeroom teacher."
He was standing behind his desk on an elevated mechanical stand for the students to better see him, given his short stature.
"We'll be heading out for orientation soon so I'll keep this short and simple. Each of you has worked hard to make it here today, proving that you have an aptitude for mechanics and engineering, and are now ready to take it to next level by applying your skills into the world of Pro Heroes."
"Society as a whole relies on Heroes for world stability. To that end, it has a tendency to picture Heroes in glorifying images as some perfect force that could do anything with their quirks, especially when it comes to the higher ranking Heroes."
"If any of that was true, then there wouldn't be a Pro out there carrying some tool for their work. No Quirk is without limit, and while some are more versatile than others, there isn't a single Quirk that's useful for anything you can think of. That's why support gears are around, build to alleviate the Heroes of those limitations as much as possible. Needless to say, it'll be your jobs to provide that to the Heroes, even during the time you spend here developing all of the knowledge and experience behind it."
"But if you think that just means building gadgets and gizmos, then your wrong. Construction alone will only get you so far without working on the three essential aspects: innovation, creativity, and adaptability. As Support Course students, it is your responsibility to push the boundaries of what you can achieve. You are the inventors, the engineers, and the problem solvers who will shape the future of Hero Support."
"That being said, there will be some rules and restrictions while working in this classroom. Something I might have to stress out more than I thought I would."
His statement clearly was directed to a particular person in the room, who was quick to respond.
"Hey I came to this school to make babies. Why bother wasting time on anything else?" The pink haired girl next to him defends. Power Loader reluctantly left it at that, while Izuku wondered what it was all about.
Not long afterwards, things went as imagined for a first day in high school. Power Loader lead the class to an assembly of all first year students, where Principal Nezu gave an introductory speech that congratulates all of the students for successfully entering UA, and gives out all of the standard expectations through out the following years.
Once that had past, everyone returned to their respective classrooms where teachers took the time to provide their students further layout of the year ahead of them, class 1-H included. Along with other activities to familiarize the students to their learning environments, it all lasted until classes would be dismissed for lunch period.
"Midoriya, stick around for a sec?" While his classmates were heading out, Izuku approached his teacher who asked him to remain.
"So, how does it feel kid? Coming here in uniform for the first time?" Power Loader eagerly inquiries.
"It feels good. I know I've said this plenty of times, but I can never thank you enough for this Sensei." Izuku humbly express the gratitude that usually follows whenever the subject comes up.
"And I keep saying, it's because you had it in you to make it here. All I did was to clarify that. Anyway, a couple of things I wanted to tell you real quick. First, Nezu has agreed to let you plug ICARIS into the school's system on occasion, only under my supervision of course."
Izuku nods his head to the reasonable condition.
"Second, this finally arrived the other day."
Power Loader pulls out a mechanical box from his desk drawer. He pushes a button on its side and the surface on top of it slides open to reveal a red glove within. Izuku the piece of fabric and looks at it with intrigue, having a good idea what this really was.
"This is..."
"The test sample for Miss Yaoyorozu's costume. If I recall, you mentioned that you kept touch with her, so I thought you might just meet up and get the testing out of the way."
A practical suggestion, but Izuku couldn't help develop certain feelings at the thought of seeing said girl at the soonest. Knowing his teacher, he was suspecting something like that with amusement.
"R-Right. Thank you Sensei." He quickly makes his way out of the classroom, closing the door behind him. Just when it looked like he could have a moment of peace...
"Hey greenie!"
He gets startled by someone's voice from behind, turning to find the pink haired girl who's been sitting next to him.
"What's ICARIS? That the name of your baby?" She asks, indicating that she overheard his conversation with Power Loader.
"Uh, You mean inventions when you say 'baby', right?" Izuku clarifies.
"Duh, what else would that mean?"
"J-Just making sure. Anyway, ICARIS is one of the archived projects Maijima Sensei mentioned. I was coming here for some special training to get into the Support Course, and I was able to finish it. The name is an acronym for Interactive Computerized Analytical Research Information System."
"You mean you got to come here and make a baby before everyone else?! And it can think and talk on it's own?!"
She got much closer to his personal space when asking that with complete excitement.
"W-well it's not the one I built myself. More like finished someone else's work, but yeah." He was taken back about from her sudden approach.
"You gotta show me!"
"W-Well we have lunch right now, and I don't think Power Loader will let us take it out of storage until after."
That got her thinking.
"Good point. I know, We wait till the room's empty, go in and hack it open ourselves. Already figured out how this morning."
"Wait, what?" Izuku had to inquire on what he heard.
"Had to when I showed up early to get a head start on making some babies. Teach was not happy about that."
"You hacked into the storage systems? You went that far to build something?!"
No wonder Power Loader seemed irked with her when he arrived in class today, especially since he was in charge of the school's security systems and that it was his classroom where a breach like that happened.
"I was surprised all the material was locked up to begin with. For a top hero school, you'd think they'd let the support class make babies at anytime." She responds, showing no concern for her actions and the impact they'd have for her as a student on the first day.
He simply wasn't sure how to respond to her tactless personality.
After some talking, and some effort with it, Izuku managed to convince her to settle down for lunch. The two ended up sitting together in the cafeteria, having food made by the school chef that had quality, though for Izuku, a much bigger treat was seeing a Pro Hero as the school chef, the Cook Hero; Lunch Rush.
He got to know more about her, starting with her full name being Mei Hatsume, and that her Quirk is called Zoom which basically enhances her vision to look at greater distances. Everything else was an expression of her passion for all things mechanical, industrial or electrical, clearly outweighing his own for Heroes, Quirks and technology.
She got to know more about him in return, although when it came to a question of his Quirk, he refused to answer. In today's world, if someone isn't comfortable with being open about their Quirk, it's proper etiquette to respect their privacy. Izuku can finally use that to hide his lack of one, without a certain someone around to always let everyone know truth. Luckily, Hatsume didn't mind, seeming more interested in how he got into the support course.
"So you only just started on the sweet path of tech parenthood, and just in time to enjoy it here of all places. Lucky you!"
"Yeah, I'm honestly still surprised I made it this far in the time I had. Guess the way I see machines and Quirks being similar helped me out more than I thought." Izuku explains.
"Eh, not sure I can get behind that. Sounds like it makes total sense, but quirks are a one time build with a one track purpose. Not like the free to build, unlimited design and awesome power of babies!" Mei proudly announces.
"I agree. Part of why I admire technology myself. Both have their own separate strengths, but you know, I actually saw something that inspired an idea I've thought a lot about. A way to possibly combine them." Izuku eagerly shares.
"Combine them? Babies and Quirks?" Mei asked curiously.
"Right! Oh wait, I can even show you." Izuku reached for the inner pocket of his uniform jacket and pulls out the glove given to him by his teacher.
"It doesn't look like much, but this glove is made of a specialized fiber that has someone's DNA mixed into it, their hair to be exact. That way, their costume is kinda like another part of them, therefore compatible with their Quirk. This one is for a new hero student who can create almost anything she wants from her body, but her clothes can get in the way of her creations from coming out of her skin. If this glove works out, then they should be able to just phase right through this material."
"Ever since I found out about this, I've believed that if quirks can be imbedded in a costume, then maybe one day we could do the same for more complex items, like technology, in order to advance it in ways no one had seen before."
For once after speaking with her, Mei doesn't give an immediate response. Probably because of how unbelievable it's expected to be for what he described.
"I know it sounds more like a dream, but..."
"ARE YOU KIDDING? THAT WOULD BE ONE MAJOR UPGRADE!" Mei bursts in loud joy that took Izuku by surprise.
"BABIES WITH THEIR OWN QUIRKS! SO SIMPLE AN IDEA YOU DON'T REALISE THE BRILLIANCE RIGHT AWAY! AND WE'RE ALREADY A STEP TOWARDS IT! NO WONDER YOU BECAME A TECH DADDY SO QUICKLY!"
"Oh uh, thanks. Y-You make it sound like I was the first person to ever come up with the general idea." Izuku tried to show modesty.
"You might as well be if I didn't think it first! And you said this is for someone who can make anything she wants? Can she make babies to?" Mei wanted to know more.
"I saw her taking the recommendation exam for the Hero Course, and she could make all sorts of devices to help her out. She really is incredible." Izuku openly expresses what he thinks of the individual in question.
"I'm flattered you'd think so of me." A response was given, and it didn't come from the girl sitting in front of him.
When turning to see who instead, he finds the teenage girl that had indirectly received his praise. The recommended hero applicant he befriended a few months ago, stood a few feet away from their table with her own tray of food in hand, a noticeably large amount on her plate.
"Y-Yaoyorozu! H-Hello." Izuku rose from his chair in her unexpected presence, his faced turned red after she overheard him talking about her.
"Hello to you Midoriya. I'm happy to see you in person again." Momo happily greets him.
This was their second physical encounter, but since exchanging contacts from their first, Izuku was able to maintain consistent communication with her so that he may enjoy the experience of socializing with who he could mutually consider to be friends with, the first one after so many years of his life. That the whole thing was done remotely might've been a big help to him if he felt honest with himself, as well as the fact that Momo held the role of starting most of their conversations.
Regardless, both of them did an adequate job of getting to know the other in that time. Some details more surprising than others, like the wealthy family she comes from. More importantly, they easily managed to find common interests between them, such as their fondness for Quirks that has lead to a number of intellectual discussions on the subject. These often included Izuku's continuous complementation of her amazing quirk and some analytical advices for its use he was happy to provide, which was often followed by Momo's gratitude for his support, and times when she would admire him for being a superior mind whenever it came to Quirks.
"I-I-I'm happy to see you as well."
While pondering on that statement, it crosses his mind that Momo is as he remembers her when they first meet, the differences being her dressed in the school uniform, and her shortened hair that now reaches at the base of her neck, likely the result of donating the rest for the proposed Quirk Fabric. In any case, Izuku couldn't look away from her at the moment, without realizing it.
"This the creation goddess you were just talking about?" Mei blurts out in a manner that could cause embarrassment for him.
"I was just telling her about Quirk Fabric, and how I saw your quirk and thought it would suit you." Izuku gives the context of their conversation to avoid any misinterpreted ideas.
"I see. She's a classmate of yours I take it." Momo refers to the other occupant at the table.
"Mei Hatsume, future head of Hatsume Industries! Greenie was just saying how your Quirk is a baby maker."
"She means technology when she says baby!" Another quick clarification from Izuku on Mei's choice of wording.
"Oh. Yes, my quirk allows me to create any inorganic object I can think of, and after learning the required knowledge, that includes machinery as well." Momo confirms.
"You gotta show me! Oh wait, Greenie has that special glove for you. Put that on first!" Mei says enthusiastically. Momo looks back at Izuku, who was taken unprepared for the haste of the moment, but still responded accordingly.
"G-Got it from Power Loader just before lunch. I meant to let you know later on." He presents the glove he holds to the person it was made for.
"Oh wonderful! I would love to try it out now, if it's alright with you." Momo asked.
"Of course."
Momo sets her tray on their table and takes the glove from him to put it on her left hand.
"Maybe start with something small and simple. To be on the safe side." Izuku suggests. Momo nods her head and proceeds.
The glove had a spec of a glow coming from tip of the index finger, similar to every other occasion she's used her Quirk. A small, thin piece of metal was then seen materializing from that glow. Her attention was on the point of the finger where it originates, and all she could determine was that the fabric was completely unaffected after she created something through it without any hindrance.
"It worked! I can't believe it!" Momo was amazed that the fabric lived up to its design and offered no resistance to her quirk, like no other clothing had done before.
"That's great!" Izuku was as happy with the result.
"Now make a baby! Doesn't matter what, I just wanna see the magic!" Mei throws at her. Momo was glad to go for a second testing and complies to her request.
This time, the glow covered the palm, and a much larger object came from it, an ordinary flashlight, the first thing that came to mind to build. This second attempt with a bigger item had the same desired outcome as the first, and to demonstrate its authenticity, she even uses it to flash the table.
"You are a goddess!" Mei had to make that proclamation after seeing it first hand. Silently, Izuku had to agree with her.
"I'll be sure to let Power Loader know the next time I see him, and he'll tell the support company to go ahead with the rest of your costume. It will take longer though for them to complete. You may not receive it for awhile." He informs her.
"I don't mind that at all. Thank you so much for this Midoriya." Momo gives him a courteous bow.
"I-It's my pleasure." Izuku was pleasantly surprised for the gesture.
Yaoyorozu gave back the glove, and unexpectedly sat down at their table, choosing to enjoy her lunch with them. Not that either had objected to it, least of all Izuku thinking to do so.
"So, how is your first day in the Hero Course?" He asks her. Momo lets out a breath to the inquiry.
"Eventful, to say the least. Our homeroom teacher had us skip orientation to conduct physical evaluations this mourning. They were the same as what's standard in the education system, only these had the purpose of using our Quirks in them." Momo answered.
"That sounds exciting!" Izuku believes. One part of her sentence though stood out to him.
"Wait, your teacher skipped orientation intentionally?" When he thinks back to it, there was a number of empty seats that didn't go unnoticed during the event. The Principal even made an amusing comment to point it out.
"The school allows the teachers a free reign on how they run their classes, and ours likes takes advantage of that to make the most of the three years we have to spend here. In his mind, orientation would be to trivial to waste time over." She explains.
"Aw man, why can't our teach think that way when it comes to making babies." Mei complaints.
"I guess that sort of thing is expected for a hero school. They are meant too prepare students for a career meant to save and protect lives." Izuku adds.
"I believe that as well. Still, I can't help but feel that ours went to far after expelling one of us." Momo states with no enthusiasm for that occurance.
"Someone in your class got expelled? On the first day?" Izuku was shocked to hear it.
"Aizawa wasn't pleased to hear that any of us weren't taking the hero course seriously enough, so he decided that whoever ended with the lowest overall score would be expelled for having no potential, as he puts it. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was a ruse to better motivate everyone to push themselves, but I was wrong." Momo elaborates.
"Sucks for that kid." Mei comments.
'Aizawa? He's their homeroom?'
Most of the UA staff that were Pro Heroes with a teaching position, Izuku has had an opportunity to recognize in the time prior his enrollment. Among those Heroes, Shota Aizawa was the one he knew very little of, apart from the fact that he's an Underground Hero, so his Hero identity being kept in the dark is to be expected. Everything else came from his own impression of the man, a stoic and intimidatingly strict teacher, and backing that impression was a particular hearsay of his deeds at UA, of how he expelled an entire class.
Izuku wasn't willing to believe it was anything more than that, until now hearing that an expulsion was done to a student on their first day. The real concerning part however wasn't in this teacher's capability, but in his position at the school. If he's one of the homeroom teachers for the first year Hero Course, then he's gonna have a major influence on his transition to that course, a man that doesn't appear to hold back in removing those already there.
"Midoriya?" Momo's call breaks him out of his nerve-raking thoughts. Realizing that she must think he was out of it, he immediately comes up with an answer.
"Oh s-sorry. I-It's just, getting into UA is difficult enough. Staying here being as difficult, finding that out just makes you think."
"I know what you mean. Knowing the possibility has me worried about protecting my place in the Hero Course. Then again, Aizawa's action may have been unfair, but his argument was that it's a hero's job to fight the unfairness of the world, and I can't really dispute it." Momo explains.
"Anyway, I'm sure he has the best intentions for his students in his own way, and I doubt the teacher for your class has any reason to be as strict." She then reassures the non Hero students.
That much can be believable to Izuku, but pondering back to his earlier thoughts, Aizawa will still be someone to deal with on his path.
The second day of school was naturally more productive than the first when students would being the work, giving Izuku much to convey to his mother while having dinner.
"You're not...working with anything dangerous in that class, are you?" Inko shows motherly concern for her son's well being.
"No, of course not Mom. Besides, there's plenty of advanced safety features for the Support Course. Shouldn't be anything to worry about." Izuku answers a little quickly.
'At least, as long as Hatsume doesn't get carried away again.'
Recalling a certain part of today's events he leaves out, when said girl was to quick to invent something that it somehow caused an explosion. No one got seriously hurt thankfully, though her enthusiasm to carry on like it's part of the process gave the class something to fear in the days to come, Izuku most of all as the one seated closest to her.
And just when he though that explosions were something he could avoid for the time being.
"That's good to hear." Inko was relived and continues her questioning.
"So your regular subjects are done in the first half of the day, while your main classes are done in the other?"
"Bassically. That's how it's scheduled for every course in UA, including the Hero Classes. Speaking of, they had their first hero lesson today, and for Class 1-A it was battle training."
"Oh my, so soon in their lessons?"
"I think it was more to see where they stand in their current abilities. But you'll never guess that the teacher in charge was none other than All Might!" Izuku couldn't wait to mention the involvement of the Number One Hero at his school with the thrill that was kept built up in him.
"Really? So he is actually teaching at UA. That must be very exciting for you honey." Inko was happy for her son.
"I know! But that's not even the best part. At the end of the day, Power Loader allowed me to download all the recordings of the Hero lessons today onto ICARIS. I can finally put it to work now."
Once dinner had concluded, Izuku had eagerly retreated to his room so that he may get on with the task he had been looking forward to undertake since his departure for home. On his desk was the specialized laptop for ICARIS to run on. Opening the device and pressing some buttons have turned it on so as to awaken his AI companion.
"GREETINGS MIDORIYA. ARE WE TO BEGIN ANALYSIS OF THE UPLOADED DATA?"
"Greetings to you as well ICARIS, and yes, I would like to get started on that. Please pull up the file for the training exercise done by Class 1-A."
Following the voice command, a window opens up with information regarding the exercise in question.
"THE REQUESTED ITEM IS NOW OPEN. FILE CONSISTS OF A DESCRIPTION OF THE EXCERCISE, AS WELL AS VISUAL AND AUDIO RECORDINGS OF THE PERFORMANCES OF THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS."
Izuku took the time to read the description out of curiosity.
COMBAT SCENERIO:
VILLAINS ARE IN POSSESION OF A NUCLEAR WEAPON THEY HAVE HIDDEN WITHIN THEIR HIDEOUT. HEROES ARE TO INFILTRATE, DEFEAT THE VILLAINS, AND SECURE THE WEAPON.
INSTRUCTIONS:
STUDENTS WILL BE PAIRED IN GROUPS OF TWO, DETERMINED BY DRAWING LOTS.
'Makes sense. Heroes have to work with other Heroes on the spot sometimes. Can't always choose who with.'
EACH EXCERCISE WILL HAVE TWO GROUPS FACING EACH OTHER, ALSO DETERMINED BY LOTS, AS EITHER THE HERO TEAM OR VILLAIN TEAM, IN THE BUILDING DESIGNATED AS THE TRAINING AREA WHERE HERO TEAM WILL COMPETE TO REACH THE WEAPON, WHEREAS VILLAIN TEAM WILL COMPETE TO GUARD THE WEAPON. ALL STUDENTS WILL BE PROVIDED 'CAPTURE TAPE'.
RULES:
EACH EXCERCISE WILL HAVE A TOTAL DURATION OF 15 MINUTES
VILLAIN TEAM WILL HAVE 5 MINUTES OF PREPERATION. HERO TEAM MAY NOT ENTER BUILDING IN THAT TIME
VILLAIN TEAM CAN MOVE THE WEAPON ANYWHERE WITHIN THE BUILDING, BUT IT MUST REMAIN UNHIDDEN
IF A STUDENT SUCCESFULLY TIES THEIR CAPTURE TAPE ANYWHERE ON A OPPOSING STUDENT, THE CAPTURED STUDENT IS ELIMINATED
EITHER TEAM MAY WIN IF BOTH MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSING TEAM ARE CAPTURED
HERO TEAM MAY WIN IF AT LEAST 1 MEMBER COMES IN CONTACT WITH THE WEAPON
VILLAIN TEAM MAY WIN IF TIME RUNS OUT
It all seemed simple enough, though Izuku would argue that the teams playing as the villains could have their own scenario where they're the heroes having to defend a valuable object from the opposing team as the villains, something to show that everyone is learning an essential part of hero work from either role.
"Now can you please pull up the list of profiles for the students in Class 1-A."
Another window appears that had the requested item. The members of Class 1-A were all displayed in a list of full names, alongside information of their respective Quirks that was made available to the Support Course for working relations between both classes in the future.
"THE REQUESTED ITEM IS NOW OPEN."
"Thank you. Now please run the first recording and while it's playing out, analyze the students within them and upload the data to the corresponding names on the profile list based on the set factors of their performance."
"ACKNOWLEDGED. PLAYING RECORDINGS OF EXCERCISE NUMBER 1."
Izuku could only observe the video in play while ICARIS does its work, and he had nothing but joy in the process, seeing Hero students dressed in their costumes and using their Quirks in confrontation with each other. Best of all, was the sound of All Might's voice in the audio as he would remotely guide everyone through out the lesson. A dream come true that others were living in his eyes, making him happy for these Hero students, while resurfacing his own aspiration into fulfilling that dream for himself.
The video came to its end, and ICARIS had updated all the data it could gather on the participating students into the profile list. This process was repeated with all the other recordings, meaning more Quirks and costumes for Izuku's entertainment. Some matches stood out more than others, and they each involve someone that was already familiar to him.
In one battle, Izuku got to witness the amazing quirk of his new friend, Momo Yaoyorozu, who won her match as a villain with the time to have set up traps she created. She didn't have a costume though, wearing instead a school uniform for physical training, which was to be expected since they only recently made the order for her Quirk Fabric costume. The student she was paired with was left alone to guard the bomb and didn't have any opportunities show what he could do, but since the class was down one student, he volunteered to go again in a later match, pairing up with a pink skinned girl. His Quirk was revealed to be an interesting mind controlling power.
The other outstanding matches provided more shock than intrigue. The first was when Shoto Todoroki, who he remembers specifically as a son of Endeavor, managed to encase the whole building in ice, jus minutes after their match began, a feat similar to what he saw at the recommendation exam. The villain team were helplessly frozen in place when Todoroki simply walked towards the the bomb to touch it, winning the match in the shortest time out of all of them, then he melted all the ice away in the same speed. As far as quirks go, this one is amongst those that could easily be described as a force of nature.
Finally, the most familiar of them, and the one that was nerve-racking for him, was the match that his life long friend took part in.
That he was a part of a hero class at UA comes as to no surprise to anyone that knows him, least of all to Izuku. Seeing him now however only reminds him that his pursuit for a spot in the Hero Course would eventually cross their paths in school, and past experience makes a clear picture of how that'll go down. The way he's performed in this exercise was no help either, seeing him unleash his explosive Quirk on the opposing hero team when confronting them directly, now having more freedom of quirk usage than Izuku has ever seen in his life time. The student who stood to face him had a Quirk that appeared to make his body invulnerable enough to prolong the fight and give more to show of his friend's Quirk. Some might argue to much, after using one of his large gauntlets that came with his costume to fire a concentrated explosion with a destructive force greater than any he's given before, causing significant damage to the building.
The other student was able to dodge a direct hit, thankfully, and All Might firmly instructs not to repeat this action. The exercise went on until time ran out, ending with the villain team winning. Unlike the others, this one gave Izuku much to dread.
"ALL VIDEOS HAVE BEEN ANALYZED. FROM THE DATA OBTAINED, I HAVE DETERMINED A MINIMUM OF THREE STUNDENTS WITH A MARGIN OF CONSIDERATION THAT EXCEED ALL OTHERS." The AI gave it's assessment after processing all of the recordings. He didn't doubt the three mentioned were the same he thought of the most, but didn't interrupt.
"FIRST IS SHOTO TODOROKI. HIS QUIRK DEMONSTRATES THE HIGHEST FACTORS IN POWER AS WELL AS RANGE OF EFFECT, POSSIBLY ATTRIBUTED THROUGH LINEAGE AS HIS FATHER IS THE HERO CURRENTLY RANKED AS NUMBER 2, FLAME HERO ENDEVOUR. THERE IS NO INDICATION HE HAD PHYSICALLY EXCERTED HIMSELF IN THE EFFORT TO ENCASE THE BUILDING IN ICE, OR THE ELIMINATION OF IT AFTERWARDS."
"NEXT IS KATSUKI BAKUGO."
More of that dread being brought up at the mention of his friend's name.
"THE EXPLOSIONS PRODUCED FROM HIS QUIRK POSSESS A HIGH CAPABILITY FOR DESTRUCTIVE FORCE, UTILIZED THROUGH CLOSE RANGE OFFENSIVE MEANS, COMBINED WITH AN EFFECTIVE MEATHOD OF MANUVERABILITY BY HAVING HIS BODY PROPELLED WITH THE SAME FORCE. TACTICS DISPLAYED SUGGESTS A HIGH LEVEL OF CONTROL AND PRECISION IN THE USE OF HIS QUIRK DESPITE THE AGGRESION THAT SEEMS TO BE A DRIVING FACTOR OF HIS PERSONALITY. THE GAUNTLETS THAT ARE PART OF HIS HERO COSTUME APPEAR TO BE SUPPORT GEARS THAT ALLOW FOR AN ENHANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK."
A pretty accurate break down for Katsuki in Izuku's mind. The part about his maneuverability was something new to consider, and those gauntlets were a new height of worry when it came to him. He didn't think that the hardened student would've been able to come out unharmed if he got hit by the blast. If it had been anyone else, it likely would've been lethal.
'No. No Kacchan would know no to go that far. He wants to be a hero as much as I do, and he wouldn't do anything jeopardize that. He even said as much before firing. Plus in the sports festival hero students wouldn't be allowed to us support gears unless they were needed, so I don't really have to worry about them anyway.'
"THIRD WOULD BE MOMO YAOYOROZU. THOUGH HER QUIRK ISN'T ORIENTED FOR DIRECT COMBAT PURPOSES, IT EXCEEDS THE QUIRKS OF ALL OTHERS IN HER CLASS IN THE FACTORS OF VERSITILITY AND PRACTICALITY, A HIGH CAPACITY TO ADAPT TO POTENTIALLY ALL MANNER OF SITUATIONS BY MEANS OF PRODUCING THE ESSENTIALLY RESOURCES. USE OF HER QUIRK MAY ALSO INDICATE A HIGH LEVEL OF INTELLECT IF HER RANGE OF PRODUCTIVITY REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE OF THE ITEMS SHE CREATES."
On that, he could only agree with the AI. The other two were powerful and straight forward, where as Yaoyorozu's came with endless possibilities. Add in her own intelligence that he was very much aware of already, and dealing with her would be tricky. That's is if Izuku couldn't avoid confronting her at the sports festival, which he hopes to do. Of course he feels that way for all three, though unbeknownst to him, not exactly for the same reasons when it comes to her.
With those aside, ICARIS proceeded to breakdown the gathered data with all other students in Class 1-A. After that was done, he moved on with the recordings of Class 1-B's lesson.
Day three at UA began a little hectic. When arriving at the front gate, it was to find a large crowd of news reporters and cameramen in the way. Like every student trying to go about their day, Izuku couldn't get past the gate without having the media persistently uncover whatever answers they can get for the same subject that attracted all of them here in the first place; All Might's presence at the school.
Izuku's wasn't prepared when they had their sight's on him, so he used the first excuse that came to his head and just ran of into the building.
Homeroom went on as normal, with one one task in particular that Power Loader gave Class 1-H, which was for them to decide who would take the roles of class representative and vice representative. How they would choose was left for the students of the class to figure out on their own. It ended up being done with one classmate's suggestion of a friendly competition, where everyone would display the work they used for their entrance exam, then vote for the best one.
When they all got to see each other's inventions, Hatsumei felt the need to point out that ICARIS wasn't amongst them, which revealed Izuku's creation of AI to the rest of the class from her unfiltered words, along with the fact that he didn't even have any engineering skills a year ago before his special training. They were all impressed to hear it, but he wasn't ready for that kind of attention no matter how positive it was. He argues that ICARIS shouldn't count for this as it wasn't part of anything he start himself, both to keep it fair, and to avoid getting either class positions he never expects to receive. Not only did he lack the confident because of his past social experiences, he didn't want anything that might take time away from his personal project for the sport's festival.
Luckily, he didn't have to worry after two of his classmates won those positions. School proceeded from there on, all the way to lunch period where a routine was forming that puts Izuku at a shared table with Mei.
"You didn't care about being class rep?" Izuku inquires her.
"Sounds like work to take away precious baby time. If someone's gotta do it, then I'd rather be a stay at home mama." Mei answers in her usual manner.
"Anyway, I really liked how we all showed off each other's baby, but I still don't get why you didn't put up ICARIS. Your other baby was cute to, but parents should treat their children equally."
"W-Well it's like I said, everyone else had one invention to show and it was what they build on their own. Plus I only finished putting ICARIS' software together. I'm not the one who initially build it."
"So what? The other guy started the work, but he left his baby for adoption. You're the one who picked it up, nurtured it and got it to talk. He only helped give birth to it. You're the daddy that's doing all the real work. You gotta learn to take pride in that." Mei tries to convince him.
"I...guess you may have a point there." It's not an easy feet, but her words were sinking into him for consideration.
All of a sudden, alarms begin to fill the air with loud noise.
'WARNING! LEVEL 3 SECURITY BREACH! ALL STUDENTS PLEASE EXIT THE BUILDING IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!'
"What's that all about?" Mei wonders, while Izuku recalls when they've covered UA's security protocols in the orientation.
"Wait I remember. It means someone got pass the school barrier!"
The reaction to this alarm was all the students in the cafeteria following the instruction to exit the building, only it was far from an orderly fashion, as they all fell to a massive panic when they ran into an unavoidable cluster while struggling to get past the door. Izuku was no exception to the crowded passage and getting helplessly shoved from all sides in the mob.
Despite all the chaos, Izuku was able to notice one dark blue haired student flying above the rest, albeit with some uncontrolled backward somersaults. He crashed onto the wall that was in his way and ended up standing on the exit sign of where the crowd was going through. His action already got some attention, but it was his voice that got everyone to stop and listen to him.
"Listen up, everything's okay!"
It was then that Izuku recognized this student to be Tenya Ida from Class 1-A, the one whose quirk gives him engines in his calves to move at inhuman speeds.
"It's just the media outside! There's absolutely nothing to worry about! Everything's fine! We're UA students. We need to remain calm and prove we're the best of the best!"
It took little to no time for his clarification to convince them of the lack of any danger. Students next to the windows looked out and pointed out the police arriving to deal with the trespassing media on school ground, further reassuring everyone of the situation and letting all the panic to just vanish.
Izuku had more of an admiration for the one who made that happen, now believing he'll make a fine Hero someday.
Talks of the lunch period ruckus extended into the time students were gathering in their homeroom classes. Those of Class 1-H were freely chatting about that particular subject while waiting for their teacher. Everyone has also changed into their attires for the more labored work that comes with mechanical engineering, a mix of casual clothing and various work related items. Izuku was wearing a dark blue shirt, protective gloves and boats, and a gray utility suit with the top left loose and wrapped around his waist, a style that was commonly adopted amongst his classmates.
"Sorry I'm late everyone."
The door slides open to reveal Power Loader arriving, who makes his way to his desk with a slight expression of annoyance. After sitting down is when he lets the classroom know the reason why it took him longer to show up.
"You probably heard by now that the media was the cause of the commotion from lunch earlier, leaving me to inspect how a breach of security like that occurs as part of my duties at this school."
"Mijima sensei, how did they get in? Doesn't UA have some of the best security systems in the country?" One large student with a mutation that made his skin in the same texture as stone asks that concerning question.
"I guarantee you that remains true, and that maintaining the level of standard is a top priority to the staff at UA, especially in response to moments like these. One of them just had the right kind of Quirk to pull of something bold is all." Power Loader was quick to put the whole class at ease with this fact.
"Whatever the case, it's for the police to worry about now. We've got work to do."
The classroom proceed with the practical portion of their studies, evidently some far more eager than others if not for a pink haired girl in particular to demonstrate. The same girl who the other students felt a little nervous to work alongside with after what happened the other day. Everyone was using this time to carry one with their personal projects, which for Izuku meant interacting with his computerized companion, going over the accumulated data thus far to figure out the most effective types gadgetry to his advantage.
"So how's ICARIS coming along?" A surprise question coming from his side turns his head to find the teacher snuck up on him while working.
"Great Sensei. It's managed to compile a lot of data for both hero classes from those exercises." Izuku happily answers.
"Stuff on self improvement, or ways for you to counter for what's ahead?"
"Both actually. First time I've used ICARIS the other night, and I've covered a lot of ground so fast. That was the idea from the beginning, but still!"
"MIDORIYA'S OWN INPUTS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO MY ASSESSMENTS BY 43%." The AI compliments his programmer, though indirectly, with this added detail.
"Thank you ICARIS."
"YOU ARE WELCOME MIDORIYA."
"Anyway, I'm using what I have now to come up with new inventions that are best suited for me in the upcoming festival. I think I'm off to a good start, but I could use some more data to analyze. Maybe some basic information on the rest of the first year classes while I'm at it." Izuku states.
"Not a problem, but I can do you one better. How would you feel about going out for a more 'On the Field' analysis?" Power Loader offers.
"O-On the field?" Izuku didn't expect such a prospect to be given to him.
"THE ACT OF GATHERING DATA WHILE PHYSICALLY PRESENT WITHIN THE TIME AND LOCATION OF THE SUBJECT OF ANALYSIS AS IT OCCURS." ICARIS though the question of the term required a definition.
"Reason I'm asking is because I got to talk with 1-A's homeroom teacher while checking that breach, and found the perfect opportunity coming up soon. Seeing the hero students up close and in action."
The second day following the eventful media break in couldn't have come fast enough for Izuku. As promised, he gets to for go the normal main lessons for today after lunch for a very special occasion, one that involves meeting with a group of people he was thrilled to see in person, and the very reason why he was rushing to not risk being late at the designated meeting point. Taking also into consideration was the duffle bag of some equipment he planned on using, accompanied with some special eyewear with an earpiece attached.
His destination became easy to spot from the sight of the people already there.
It was them. The students of Class 1-A, dressed in their hero costumes.
Seeing them was cause for Izuku to stop running and look at them from a distance to admire their heroic appearances. He may have already familiarized himself with who they were and what they looked like in their costumes in his previous analysis, but he's had a lifetime to distinguish between the thrills of seeing Heroes in videos, and in real life.
He continues his approach on a gentler pace, wanting to make a good impression with the kind of students he admired the most. He was noticed by the one that was the closest to him, who spared him the effort to start the greeting process.
"Hi there."
It was one of the fewer female students who had shoulder-length auburn hair and and eyes, welcoming him in a pleasantly filled manner. If he remembers correctly, she's the one whose Quirk allows her to nullify gravity. Her costume was a black full-body suit with some pale pink formation, seemingly space themed.
"H-Hello. My name is I-Izuku Midoriya. I'm From Class 1-H." He find more opportunity to talk with the opposite gender.
"Oh yeah, we heard someone was joining us on our rescue training. My name is Ochako Uraraka. It's nice to meet you." She identifies as the name he rightfully assumed.
"I-It's nice to meet you too. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you in training."
"We'll have to do our best then. So is this for your own special train?" She inquires.
"Something like that. I'm here to gather data for a project I started awhile ago. I actually saw the battle training you all ha-."
"DEKU!"
With that one word, all feelings and expression Izuku had turned to anxious worry. His head was drawn to the very familiar sound of that term and found the only person in the world who could make it.
In the excitement to meet new people involved in heroics, he overlooked the fact that the circumstance would come with seeing an old friend as well, who was not any more enthusiastic about this encounter, by the rage filled demeanor he displayed as he walked closer to him.
Standing before Izuku was the spiked blond-hair teen he's known for as long as he could remember in the costume he's been given for his heroic endeavor, a black combat suit consisting of a sleeveless tank top with an orange x around it, baggy pants held by a belt that carries grenades and knee-high combat boots with orange soles. It had the accessories of a black jagged mask surrounding his eyes with two flare shapes panels protruding from each end, a rectangular metal neck brace, and of course those large grenade like gauntlets to enhance his explosions.
"H-Hi kachan, i-i-it's nice to see you a-again. Y-You have an amazing c-costume to." Izuku gave him his usual friendly greeting in some nervously driven effort to avoid some of the tension between them.
"What the fuck are you doing here? Don't you have toys play with it in the tech nerd class?" Katsuki responds with unbridled aggression, loud enough to get everyone else's attention. Another of the hero students reacts from overhearing him.
"Bakugo! Your attitude is reflecting badly on our entire class! Aizawa-sensei gave specific instructions against such things for our guest student!"
Izuku heard that stern voice before, coming from Tenya Iida who wore a one piece suit with various armor pieces of a pale silver color, including a full facial helmet he held in his arm while revealing the glasses he normally wears, and adorned with metal pipes as thematic to his Quirk.
"Shut it four eyes! This is personal business between me and the nerd!" Katsuki turns to retaliate.
"Calm down Bakubro." Some of the others tried to get involved, such as the red-haired student with his chest left bare, gear-shaped shoulder pads, a wire guard on his face and a half cape around his baggy pants with a red 'R' in the center of the belt.
"Yeah what's your beef with this guy?" Asking that was the teen boy with whose quirk places two round formations on his elbows, a skin-tight bodysuit of black and white design and a yellow helmet shaped like a tape dispenser that had a black facial visor.
"This worthless loser not knowing his place as always. Thinking he can have anything to do with Heroes, his pathetic way of saying he's better than me!" Katsuki points to Izuku, causing him to flinch.
"Why would you believe that?" Another familiar voice was heard.
Momo made her presence to the argument in Izuku's defense, dressed in the physical training uniform again and not looking pleased with how Katsuki is acting towards him.
For once, people were standing up for him against Katsuki, and that includes one of his newest friends. It felt nice.
For the short time it'll last anyway. Katsuki will reveal the inevitable, and their opinions of him will change. Izuku knew this all to well.
And why is his involvement in heroics something to take offence over?" Momo asks further.
"Because he's even worse than any other extra who think they're worth anything! He's fucking Quirkless!"
And there it was. It couldn't have remained a secret forever, but Izuku hoped that it's moments of uncovering since coming to UA would've been on his terms, when he'd first prove himself in ways that might not let it effect how people see him as it did before. In the place that mattered most to him, Katsuki destroyed all chances of that without mercy. He could feel all eyes trained on him now with that cursed knowledge, despite his own not making any contact while looking down in sorrow.
"I though the message finally went through your skull when you went and joined the grease monkeys. So again, why the fuck are you here Deku?" Katsuki reinforces that question.
"Obviously, you didn't hear that he's the one that's tagging along with us." Another of of the female students retorts, who had the earphone jacks protruding from her earlobes, and whose costume was a simple black outfit with a leather jacket over a salmon colored shirt, and boot with stereos built into them.
If anyone else was going to talk more in the conversation, Izuku didn't expect it to be anything other then them siding with Katsuki after learning the truth, as history has proven time and again. Even less that they'd still be willing to act in his defense. And yet that appears to be the case.
"R-Right! I-I'm collecting data on the Hero Classes for one of my inventions, a-and I was told I could a-accompany your class for that today!" Izuku quickly adds.
"Tch, some excuse you cooked up to nerd out on all our Quirks, and now you got some stalker tech to do it!"
"If you're referring to his analytical skills, then it's to everyone's benefit. Clearly you're more familiar with him than I am Bakugo, so you should know about his amazing abilities to discern Quirks. I've seen enough of it to know how invaluable he would be for hero work." Momo provides more to support Izuku, who was more happy in the fact she would for him, meaning that she might sees him no differently than before his quirkless status came out.
"The only thing I need to know is that this worthless wanna-be has always been to pathetically desperate for people to think he can be the one thing he has no right to be! And as if real Heroes need help from this kind of weakling to get better!" Katsuki retorts then turns back to a flinching Izuku.
"You can fool them, but not me Deku! I won't let you forget it!"
"That's enough!"
Before the whole argument is stirred further, a new intercepting voice takes over. Everyone was drawn to the adult making his way towards the students, a man with long messy black hair and look that can be defined as 'worn-out', clad in an all black outfit with a utility belt and a lengthy scarf wrapped around his neck. Izuku didn't need anyone to tell him that this was their homeroom teacher.
"Bakugo, can't say I'm surprised you'd ignore what I said about being on your best behavior and act like the professional you aspire to be when you'd have a spectator, but I at least thought you had a higher standard than to attack him unprovoked, personal history aside." He says to the explosive teen impassively.
"Therefore, you can refrain from speaking to him, or of him, while we go on with the training, unless you'd rather sit it out and waste my precious nap time in detention and remedial training later on."
This shouldn't be anything new to him. Somewhere in his mind he knew that, but it was. A teacher is protecting him from Katsuki, showing no favor for the boy with a powerful Quirk over the one with no Quirk at all, no doubt aware of the fact. What's more, instead of reacting back with aggression, Katsuki remained silent. Clearly not of his own desire when Izuku looked back at him and saw him stunned, then changes to an expression of reluctance, that was followed by an even more uncharacteristic gesture of simply walking away in agitated silence.
"Midoriya."
Hearing his own name from the teacher broke him away from staring at a historical moment that was Katsuki Bakugo backing down. Though the man had protected him in the last few minutes, he was still the one teacher at this school who didn't want to give any bad impression of himself, so he couldn't help being nervous for him now.
"Aizawa Sensei! Thank you for having me! I promise not to interfere with the lesson!" Izuku says anxiously while bowing to the man.
"See that you don't, and to make the most of your time here while you're at it." A simple response given in return and Aizawa walks past him.
"Get everyone on the bus." He instructed the class representatives. Izuku raised himself and watched him leave.
"Good day to you." Someone else offered their greeting to Izuku.
I'm Tenya Iida, vice representative of class 1-A. I believe you are acquainted with my superior." He introduces before directing attention to Momo.
"Hello Midoriya." She welcomes him casually, no different from previous occasions, to Izuku's eternal gratitude.
"H-Hello Yaoyorozu."
"I'm glad to have you with us today. I am sorry about Bakugo though, we didn't expect him to react so suddenly like that."
"I to would like to express my sincerest apology for our colleague's highly rude and unbefitting conduct." Tenya adds.
"O-Oh no, don't worry about Kachan. I've known him for most of my life and that's uh, that's normal." The first time Izuku has had to explain that to people who weren't like minded with Katsuki.
"His personality and behavior are beneath what I'd consider normal, far less for someone who is pursuing the noble title of Hero." Tenya counters displeasingly over the exact nature of those things.
"If you've known him for a long time, then I find it concerning if that's the way he treats you. It's not the sort of thing you should have to endure Midoriya." Momo tried to affirm for his well being.
"R-Really, I don't mind any of it. Bakugo might not give the impression, but I just know he will make a great Hero. Oh that reminds me, I've been meaning to tell you what a good job you did with the media situation the other day." Izuku compliment's what Tenya did during that whole ordeal.
"Ah yes, thank you. I simply acted accordingly to quell the chaos. Any number of students would have if they'd only looked out the window." Tenya explains with modesty.
"Anyway, I hate to cut this conversation short, but we really should be heading out now." He informs Momo, who nods her head.
They both got the class to load onto the bus that's been parked next to the class. Iida made a suggestion to organize seating arrangements by everyone's designated number, excepted it wasn't applicable to the open layout of it's interior, much to his disappointment, so they each picked a seat freely.
It was during the ride that other students began to socialize with Izuku. He still had some getting used in talking with new people, and in this case he was more nervous for when they might ask about him being Quirkless. And yet, no one had brought it up. They were talking to him like there was nothing wrong about it, an experience he was enjoying from many others, aside from his mother and the faculty member he knew at UA, who all took it so quickly.
Momo revealed how they were already familiar with each other, and she eagerly compliments his prowess for Quirk analysis in the process.
"I'm not exaggerating. Midoriya has such a driven mind for studying the nature and possibilities of Quirks unlike anyone else." She praises him to her classmates.
"I don't know if I'd go that far." Izuku humbly backs from the statement.
"If Yaoyarozu thinks so, then it's probably not that far off. You're in the Support Course to, so you have to be pretty smart." The girl sitting next to him adds her opinion. She had long dark green hair and traits resembling frog like features, with a bodysuit of a green and black design that emphasized her frog appearance.
"Thank you. Tsuyu Asui right?"
"Call me Tsu." She insists.
"If you're in Support, then you must already know about all of our Quirks." The red haired teen sitting in the same row of seats states, earlier confirmed to be Eijiro Kirishima.
"I do. I think everyone in this class has a wonderful Quirk." Izuku replies.
"Yeah, but only some are special in comparison. Wouldn't blame you if thought my Hardening Quirk wasn't one of them. It's useful in a fight and I can smash bad guys pretty easily with it, but not much else to it. Not at all flashy and powerful." He demonstrates his quirk when he raises his arm up and transforms it into its hardened state.
"That not true. You're definitely pro material with a Quirk like that!" Izuku counters.
"You really think so?"
"Absolutely. You might think your Quirk looks simplistic, but I came up with a theory when I gave it some thought. We're you ever told how exactly how your body hardens? The science behind it I mean." He asks him.
"Huh, not sure I ever looked into that, I just knew what I did from experience. You got an idea?"
"I'd have to verify it first, but If I'm right, then it could help you to do more with your Quirk." Izuku explains.
"Oh yeah? I'd like to hear it!" Kirishima wanted to find out more, but Aizawa interrupts the conversation before anything was shared.
"Listen up, we're here. I appreciate whatever help you can provide Midoriya, but it's for another time."
The bus pulls over to the front entrance of a large building with a dome shaped roof. The students and teacher got out of the vehicle, and were all meet with an individual that had been waiting for their arrival.
"Welcome Class 1-A."
Someone dressed in a puffy space suit, with a black helmet and yellow boots, stood before everyone to greet them, her voice sounding mechanical through her helmet.
"It the Space Hero; Thirteen! She's well known for being a rescue hero that's saved tons of people from disasters across the world!" Izuku excitingly informs out loud who the new Pro Hero was.
"Woo-hoo! Thirteen's one of my favorite heroes!" Ochako showed her own excitement for the presence of an admired Hero.
"I can't wait to show all of you what's inside. I understand there's also a student here from 1-H."
"Oh, t-that would be me Thirteen Sensei." Izuku lets her know.
"You may not be participating in the exercise, but I bet you're in for a treat from just seeing what this place has in store." Thirteen tells him before they move on.
The class follows her into the building, and not long once they set foot inside were they amazed from the mere sight of it. It was all one open space, above and beneath the level of the entrance, with various sections of structures all around, each of them clearly built to simulate the environment of a specific natural disaster. One of the students completes it with a resemblance to an amusement park.
Everyone stops in front of a large blue gate with a set of stairs leading down to the base of the building.
"Ship wrecks, landslides, fires, wind storms. Whatever disaster you can think of, this training facility was built to prepare you for them. It's called The Unforseen Simulation Joint, or the USJ for short." Thirteen explains.
'USJ? Isn't that the same initials for Universal Studios Japan?' Izuku thinks to himself.
"Hey shouldn't All Might be here by now? Don't tell he booked an interview instead." Aizawa approaches Thirteen to inquire.
"Actually, it's something else." She answers him, but makes sure it's not for the students to hear.
'That's right, All Might was also gonna be here. I can't believe I forgot about that. If the teachers don't want us to know why he didn't show up, it must be because he exhausted his Quirk. I hope he's doing ok.' Izuku surmises as one of the few that is aware of the number one Hero's secret.
"Let's just carry on with the lesson." Aizawa responds.
"Excellent. Before we begin, I want to cover something first. If you already know me as a Hero, then no doubt you recognize my Quirk as well, Blackhole, which lets me suck up anything and turn it into dust." Thirteen informs.
"Your quirk can effectively remove all kinds of rubble in order to save people from disasters." Izuku clarifies.
"That's true, however, the people I rescue can also fall victim to its effects if I'm not careful." The class was taken back at her comment.
"My Quirk is an example of those that despite the good I can do with it, there always a potential for danger. I could take away life just as easily as I've used it to rescue."
"Some of you also have powers that fall under this broad category. We tend to overlook this side of Quirks because of the commonality behind this, and how society has always certified and heavily regulated Quirks for mainly these kinds of reasons. You have to remember that any misstep in using your Quirk for whatever task, even in saving someone's life, can lead to deadly results."
"This past week should've given you all a better understanding of your Quirks and what you can do with them. Aizawa's fitness tests revealed your limits, and All Might's battle training helped you to see the damage you can inflict onto others. Carry what you've learned over to today's lesson. Here you will learn to use your Quirks for the sole purpose of saving lives. You won't be using it against each other, only to help. After all, that essence of being a hero, ensuring the safety of others."
She spook to all of the student when giving her lecture on the importance of safe Quirk usage in the line of duty. Izuku took in every word, even while knowing that it didn't really apply to him, but was non the less inspired by them.
"Right, now with that out of the way..."
Suddenly after Aizawa spoke, the set of lights from around the perimeter of the building were going off. Izuku and the other students were surprised from that.
"MIDORIYA, I'M DETECTING A SURGE OF ENERGY APPROXIMATELY 1.6 KILOMETERS AHEAD OF YOU AND 13 FEET BELLOW." Izuku's attention was drawn to his AI communicating remotely to him through the earpiece. Looking into that general direction revealed something far more astonishing.
A dark formation was appearing in front of the water fountain at the center of the USJ, with the space surrounding it looking like it was swirling around.
"Don't Move! Thirteen, protect the students!" Aizawa commands rapidly at the sight of the formation.
"Wait, what's that thing?" Kirishima calls it out and everyone else was now staring at it.
More shocking than its appearance was the fact that after reaching a certain size, people began to walk out of it. Most of them has heteromorphic Quirks, and combined with their attires, they all gave an impression that could easily be assumed as something 'sinister'. Izuku used the zooming feature of his eyewear to get a closer look at them and notices two that stood closer to the portal after walking out of it.
The first was a lanky figure with messy greyish-blue hair. Nothing else was worth noting, other than the severed hands that are gripped around him, including one covering his face. Standing beside him was something of a monster, a large humanoid with a muscular body, pitch-black skin with several scars, an exposed brain where its eyes are located, and a beak-like mouth full of sharp teeth. It's only attire was beige pants reaching to skull shaped knee pads.
"It's some kind of portal." Izuku states.
"A portal? Is that part of exercise?" Kirishima inquired further.
"Stay Back!" Aizawa shouts before any them takes a step closer.
"This is real! Those are villains!" The Pro Hero teacher breaks the situation loud and clear to the students. None of them were left any feelings from it but the anxiety that comes with this turn of events.
Izuku could only stare at the infiltrators with dread. If actual villains are here on UA grounds, then they've come with the only likely intent of threating the class, himself included. They already outnumbered the only two Heroes that were real Pros.
Will they be able to handle this?
Finally, Chapter 3 is out in full.
Again, my usual excuses for why this took time to complete. The year 2023 was looking to occupy my time with a lot BS in its remaining moments. On top of that, I've had other ideas for different stories that have drawn my interest in a number of directions. I'm currently thinking of redoing the other MHA story I wrote after my much needed break from writing.
Some personal notes:
Like I said previously, I'm skimming the main as fast as I can to get to the points of the series where it diverges from the cannon for development that's significant to my version of the story, the USJ Arc being the upcoming one, though more towards the end of it.
It was pointed out in the second preview(On Archives), I confused Iida with his brother. As I wrote back to one of the comments, I didn't hear his full name often enough for the first name to stick in my mind. Either way, it's fixed now.
I usually include more content in these personal sections, but I'm not all that up to it this time. Probably will just talk more in the comments.
Anyway, Merry Cristmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!
See you all in 2024.