Here it is, the fourth full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released early as I had the time to make the edits for y'all. There is one thing that I need to clarify here as it was brought up in the reviews and while I've mentioned it in a post chapter note it was buried so I'll be clear here as well. This fic will have two pairing total in it, Adrinette (which has already happened) and IzuOcha which will be a slow burn one and I won't say anymore on that front here as you will have to wait and see how it develops. That is all I have for now as this chapter is pretty self explanatory in what it will be and there weren't any questions to answer or reviews to respond to so I will end this pre chapter note here. That means that it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 4th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.
Chapter 4: First Day
As Izuku Midoriya took his seat in class behind Kacchan he still couldn't believe he was actually here at U.A. The last 10 months had been a complete blur for him, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.
It had all started the day when he felt like giving up on his dream of being a hero due to being Quirkless. He'd been so depressed that he'd been attacked by a sludge villain. That led to him being saved by All Might himself. After that a series of events, in a large part his own fault, had led to Izuku learning the truth of All Might's condition and the truth behind the number 1 hero's Quirk while ultimately getting the chance to be a hero by inheriting All Might's Quirk.
It had taken 10 months to prepare his body for One for All, complete with a setback when he accidentally pushed himself too hard, before he finally got the Quirk. Then he'd the written and practical exams to enter U.A. He'd thought he'd failed because he had no points but saving that cute and nice girl from the giant robot when he first used One for All had meant that he'd scored 60 points and gotten into U.A. though he wasn't sure how he'd been saved from falling.
He'd hoped not to have Kacchan or Ida in his class, for different reasons, but alas his luck ran out and he'd learned that both were in Class 1-A with him. At least the latter had apologized to him his behavior during the test and though Izuku hadn't realized it himself, Ida acknowledged that he'd figured something extra out about the test and had changed his opinion on Izuku because of it.
There had been one really good thing that had occurred while he was talking to Ida. The girl he'd saved had also passed, he knew that thanks to All Might in his acceptance hologram, and she was in his class which was a plus because she actually seemed to want to talk to him. She was the first girl who wanted to actually talk to him, though she did get a little too close at times, and he couldn't deny that he found her very cute.
Alas he hadn't been able to talk to her much yet as their homeroom teach, a strange man Mr. Aizawa, had appeared behind them in a sleeping back for some reason and scolded them so they quickly took their seats. Strangely, there were two empty desks at the back of the room at the end of the 3rd and 4th rows. Izuku had no idea why they were there as there was supposed to be only 20 students in the class, not 22. However, that mystery was solved almost immediately.
"Alright before we start what I want to do while the rest of the school is at the pointless orientation, I have two special introductions to make." Mr. Aizawa said in a bored, tired tone. "As part of a long-standing program, there will be two special transfer students joining this class and will be with you for the next 3 years before either staying Japan or returning to their home country as pro heroes. They come from the Hero Course at Francois Dupont High School in Paris, and I will let them introduce themselves."
That did answer the question to the extra two desks but more importantly, Izuku was impressed. While he didn't really pay attention to heroes, and especially Hero Courses, outside of Japan he was aware of the big names in the hero world and that included the education of heroes. Francois Dupont was considered the best in France and one of the top 5 in all of Europe putting it on par with U.A. As such Izuku was going to pay close attention to the new hero students, as was the rest of the class.
As second after Aizawa was done talking the door opened and the two exchange students walked in though without bags as they'd already put them at their desks though no one had noticed yet. Both wore the standard U.A. uniform as the rest of the class did and neither had any alterations to it indicating that their Quirks were likely emitter or transformation class. They were also a boy and a girl and Izuku could hear the kid behind him openly lusting after girl who was the first of the two to enter.
Izuku wouldn't deny that the girl was certainly attractive. She was slender and athletic with short black hair done in a set of small twin pigtails and stunning blue eyes that took in the whole room at a glance. There was a hint of something not quite European to her features that Izuku couldn't place but he was certain that it was east Asian though not Japanese. She wore the girl's version of the U.A. uniform as if she was used to it with nothing out of place just like most of the class.
What surprised Izuku the most though was that she held herself with a sense of confidence and determination that he'd seen many pros hold almost as if she had experience in the hero world. Then again anyone who could get into FDHS and transfer to U.A. had to be good and in control so that was probably it. The guy next to her had the same disposition to him marking both as having some form of training, again not a surprise if they were allowed to transfer here.
While Izuku was straight, he couldn't deny that the boy was classically handsome in a very traditionally European sense with slightly messy blond hair and bright green eyes that gave him a model like look. Add in a clearly muscular but not over the top physic and Izuku could already see the pink skinned girl in the second seat in the class openly appraising him. Izuku wouldn't admit it, but he did subtly look at the brunette he'd saved to see her reaction and was glad to see that she wasn't checking him out though he wasn't sure why he was relieved at that.
"I just want to start by thanking Mr. Aizawa for this opportunity to introduce ourselves to the class as I bet this is a bit of a surprise to most of you." The girl said in perfect Japanese but with a distinct French accent to her words as she bowed to the teacher who seemed to acknowledge the respect she showed him with a nod before she turned to the class. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng and I am looking forward to getting to know you all and working with you to become heroes."
"And I'm Adrien Agreste." The boy said causing a few gasps at the name and even Izuku knew the name, Agreste was one of the top fashion lines in the world and based in Paris though Izuku knew it from the fact that they were one of the top 3 hero costume makers in the world that had recently branched out into support gear. "And yes I am from that Agreste family, but I don't want to be seen for my name by my abilities as an aspiring hero."
"As you should." Mr. Aizawa said emotionless but with a hint of praise buried within it at Agreste's humble attitude. "Thank you for introducing yourselves now please take your seats, you can get to know those remaining later. Dupain-Cheng you are behind Todoroki, Agreste, behind Yaoyorozu."
Izuku blanched at the word remaining, he didn't like the sound of that. He was so nervous that he didn't pay attention to the transfer students taking their seats at the back of the classroom. He was now focused fully on their homeroom teacher.
"Alright it is time for me to test your Quirks while the rest of the school is at orientation." Aizawa said with a grin that did not put Izuku at ease. "So, change into your P.E. clothes and meet us at the testing ground behind gym gamma. So, you know, the student who comes last will be expelled. Immediately."
That caused the entire class to gasp as their teacher grinned at them before he left. Izuku was not happy with that, and he was now nervous and anxious as hell for it. He barely had any control over his new Quirk and now he was expected to show it off or else his hero journey would end before it even began. As he got up and joined his classmates as they left the classroom he desperately tried to think of how he could use what little control he had over his Quirk in the test. He had a bad feeling about this.
Adrien and Marinette had not been expecting the Quirk assessment test that Mr. Aizawa had decided to hold nor were they expecting the expulsion declaration. As special transfer students they were immune to it, even with the flexible rules that Aizawa had regarding how he taught his class, so it didn't matter but they were worried about Midoriya because of his lack of control over his Quirk. He was All Might's successor, so he had to succeed but neither expected it hence the worry.
Still, they couldn't do anything but change into the cool U.A. tracksuits in the changing rooms, Marinette glad she was wearing a white tank top under her school shirt, so she didn't have to reveal her Miraculous just yet and go to the testing area that Aizawa had set up for them. As it was a test of their Quirks, both made sure that they had plenty of protein cubes on them as they would likely have to use their Quirks a lot which meant quick recharges between usages.
Once there Aizawa was waiting for them holding a hand-held tablet for results and special softball that seemed to have an electronic band around it. None of the students had any idea what to expect from the test or what they would be tested on. They were all in the dark on this.
"You got the highest score in the entrance exam Bakugo so you can demonstrate for us." Aizawa said tossing the ball to him and he caught it instinctively. "How far could you through it in middle school?"
"About 67 meters." Bakugo admitted with a shrug.
"As expected, they don't test your Quirks the way we do so I want you to through it with your Quirk." Aizawa said stepping to the side to show the place he was supposed to throw it. "Let's see how far you can really throw it."
"Sounds fun." Bakugo said as he rotated his right arm a bit before running up the spot and launching the ball with a powerful explosion as far as he could while adding. "Die!"
Marinette just looked surprised at that, but she'd read the reports on each of her classmates and seen their entrance footage, well all but the recommended students, so she knew of Bakugo's aggressive nature, but it was still a shock to see it in person. He was also highly intelligent which meant that he wasn't someone to be taken lightly.
It took a good few seconds but eventually Aizawa's device chimed, and he showed them. On it was a recorded distance of 705.2m. that got all of their attentions.
"At U.A. we will be testing you to go past your limits, so in this assessment test I expect all of you to use your Quirks to your max." Aizawa said. "That way I will have a baseline for what each of you is capable of with your Quirks."
"Alright real manly stuff." Kirishima said with a grin. "Let's do it."
"This is why I came to U.A., to really let loose with my Quirk." Sero added as a few others smiled and chatted about the test.
"This isn't a game; in the field you will need to know your limits as your life and the lives of others will depend in it." Aizawa said seriously that shut them up. "And I mean it, the lowest score will be expelled immediately. The world isn't fair and with Quirks there is no such thing as equality. Today you will learn that the hard way."
That really sobered them up as they looked at Aizawa seriously now. Of all of them Midoriya was the most nervous as he still had not control over his Quirk, so he wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he was determined to find a way as he couldn't be expelled, he had to be a hero.
"That said." Aizawa said with a sigh. "I know that one of you has a Quirk that I can't exactly test using normal measures. Agreste, I am right in assuming that pretty much any of the standard tests wouldn't work with your Quirk."
That got Midoriya's interest and peaked his curiosity despite the situation as it sounded really unique, and he wasn't a nerd for nothing. What kind of Quirk could a student have that even the teacher wasn't sure how to test it?
"That would be correct sir." Adrien said with a small nod. "I certainly can't record a throw with a softball with my Quirk active. I am unsure what the other tests are, but I won't lie, my Quirk won't aid me in running, jumping, gripping, or any form of agility or endurance test. I, er, have other answers for those."
"Yes as abhorrent as it is, I am aware of the fad that the French were one of the biggest fans of during and even after the Quirk Wars." Aizawa said with a note of disgust in his voice. "And that you and Dupain-Cheng are products of it despite it going out of fashion some 50 years ago or so. Very well, I will be testing that aspect with you, and I do expect you to beat all the students who can't use their quirks in the respective tests."
"I understand and will do my best sir." Adrien said with a nod.
"I expect more but that will do." Aizawa said. "However, before we start, tell me, what are your known limits are."
"I have yet to find anything inorganic it won't work on." Adrien said as the class with the expected exception of Marinette stared in shock and surprise trying to figure out what the hell his Quirk was. "Size is a factor, the larger the area I try to affect the more spread out it is so it won't fully work but it will weaken the object if that makes sense. Same goes for the density of the object. Lastly, I can only keep it active for 5 minutes at this point and if I can fully use it on an object the power ends and I can't use it again until I recharge. Does that help?"
"It does." Aizawa said with a nod. "I will devise a special test for you to take with me alone later this week so that I have a sense as to what your Quirk can actually do but until then show me what enhancements you have inherited. Alright let's begin."
With that Aizawa turned and led them over to a pair of lanes in the dirt and explained that the first challenge would be a 50-meter race. They weren't being graded on their scores but how creatively they used their Quirks to complete the tests.
Midoriya was still nervous, but he decided to do his best, he would just have to wait for the best test to show off what he could do. However, he also wanted to watch and study his classmates as they lined up and began to take the test. As expected Ida was the best early on but the real curiosity to him were the French transfer pair who were in the middle of the pack, he had no idea what they would do.
Marinette and Adrien took their spots and got set, the stop watch would begin on Aizawa's order. Marinette had already seen Yaoyorozu prepare beforehand by making a scooter with her Quirk, so she decided to as well as soon as she got into position. With a though, Marinette asked for something to travel 50 meters as fast as possible as she activated her Lucky Charm.
As soon as she did she heard the class gasp as a flash of pink appeared before her and a pair of special looking roller skates with what looked like exhausted in the heels materialized in the air. Ignoring the class, Marinette kicked her shoes off and quickly put them on, getting into her Ladybug mindset to steady her usually clumsy self in them.
She also ignored that they had a U.A. Sports Kit print on them as she stood next to Adrien who was now in a sprinter's stance. The matching design to her clothing just seemed to be a part of it now as it had always been like that when they were training their Quirks over the last few months so she didn't question it as she tried to figure out what the skates would do.
Marinette looked down at her skates and saw that there was some sorta spark thing in between the final two wheels. That was when her ladybug vision activated and showed first the wheels, then the spark thing, and finally the exhausts in the heels and she realized what would ignite them. They were some form of rocket skates to make her faster than normal. This was going to be fun.
"Go." Aizawa said having noted Dupain-Cheng's Quirk as he was a little curious as to how it actually worked.
Adrien set off at a full sprint that shocked the class with his raw speed as Marinette skated forward using what she remembered from ice skating and applying it to the roller blades. Instantly the boosters shot out and she rocketed forward.
Only years of training as Ladybug, and 6 months of intensive work with Adrien since Mage recoded their DNA to work as if they always had their miraculouses active, kept her from crashing out as she shot forward. She past Adrien at the 35-meter mark and across the line dismissing the boots in a flash of pink and walking back in her socks to get her sneakers.
Her boyfriend finished about a second later and they got their times as he walked back to join her. Adrien had run it in 4.41 seconds without any Quirk use and Marinette had done it in 3.21 seconds, the second fasted on the class. As Adrien came over to her, Marinette reached into her pocket and pulled out a few protein cubes that she popped into her mouth and ate as the class watched stunned by the results and Marinette's Quirk.
Now Midoriya and the others were really confused and wanted to know what was up with the French duo. Agreste had run it without a Quirk and done it in a time that was above human average while no one knew what Dupain-Cheng had done and that oddness only continued through the rest of the test.
Next up was a grip strength test in which Adrien scored an impressive 316kg on with his raw power, again above the scores of those not using their Quirks in the test as they weren't suited for it. Meanwhile Marinette accidently broke her machine with an automatic clamp she created and got a max score on it as she hadn't expected the clamp to be that strong.
Of all their classmates, Yaoyorozu was studying her the most as they had similar but distinctly different Quirks, but she wasn't going to approach the French girl just yet as it wasn't the time. They all had to focus on their respective tests and doing the best they could on them. Afterwards, if there was time they could chat.
Third up was the standing long jump where again Adrien cleared it without using his Quirk to the surprise of the class while Marinette created a jet pack to clear it having again eaten her protein cubes. Midoriya figured had to do with her Quirk, but he don't know how it played into it though he was determined to ask if he wasn't expelled.
Unbeknownst to their classmates, Marinette was starting to feel the strain of using her Quirk so much and knew that she needed to take a test off as the more she used it the longer the recharge time was and thankfully the fourth one was just that. It was side to side jumps that Mineta did best in because only his Quirk was really suited for it, though Bakugo showed he could easily come second in it, while Adrien and Marinette did above average for humans without using a Quirk. Then came the ball throw.
That one was where Izuku was going to have to show his Quirk, he knew it, and he had one way of doing it but first there were the others to go before him. The cute brunette, Uraraka if he recalled her name correctly, was the one who dominated it by recording an infinity, literally the machine actually had the symbol for it, with her Quirk as she likely launched her ball into orbit. The rest were mixed with Adrien again showing his raw strength throwing it 298 meters without using his Quirk. However, the strangest one was reserved for Marinette.
She took the ball from Aizawa and went to the circle. There she thought of something to launch the ball as far as possible and waited for her Quirk to give her the item she needed. A second later the class gasped again as a rocket launcher in a U.A. sports kit appeared before her and fell into her hands. Blinking, Marinette activated the second half of her power and saw that she had to put the ball in the opening and the pull the trigger.
Doing so, Marinette got down onto a knee and shouldered the launcher, her old video game days reminding her how to use it and that this was the most stable position to do so from. Then she looked through the sights and fired while the class stepped back.
The thing kicked hard, and she knew she'd bruised her shoulder, but the ball was blasted out in an arc faster and higher than Bakugo had managed it, so she knew she'd done well. Still, she dismissed it, pulled some more cubes out and got up as she ate at least three to see the stunned class. Then Aizawa's device chimed, and he looked at it before holding it out for her to see. It was 977 meters; she was just shy of 1k which kinda annoyed her.
"That one hurt." Marinette said to Adrien in French when she rejoined him and Midoriya went up for his turn. "I'm going to have to ice my shoulder when we get home."
"You just used a rocket launcher; I don't doubt it." Adrien replied in Japanese to remind her that they should avoid French when with the class as there was a thump and they looked up to see Aizawa with his hair up and binding everywhere as he approached Midoriya. "Um what is going on? Why didn't he sent that thing into orbit, this is the best test for Midoriya?"
Adrien's question was answered a second later when they learned that their teacher was in fact the pro hero Eraserhead who had the power to cancel a person's Quirk with his eyes when he activated his own Quirk. He ranted at Midoriya for trying to spend his arm on a throw and how he shouldn't be here after what he did in the practical, but he gave him another chance to throw it and prove him wrong.
That is when Midoriya showed how quickly he learned. He put all his power into his right index finger and with one finger threw the ball 705.3 meters, .1 further than Bakugo with a bomb that surprised the whole class with its amount of power and how it had only been with one finger. Afterwards Midoriya turned to Aizawa and clenched his right fist despite the pain to declare that he was standing and even Aizawa was smiling at him for his quick understanding of Aizawa's lesson.
Of course, that was the moment that Bakugo got furious and started yelling at Midoriya his hands sparking as he charged him before Aizawa used his bindings to capture Bakugo, revealing that it was a support item for that purpose, and using his Quirk again to stop Bakugo from using his as Midoriya cowered. There was clearly some bad history between the pair. In addition, Bakugo was also calling the green haired boy Deku the entire time for some reason.
It took a moment for Aizawa to restore order, but he did, and the tests continued. There were only a few more tests that consisted of toe touching, sit ups, standing high jump, and a distance run. In all but the standing high jump Adrien and Marinette didn't use their Quirks but showed that they were still above average without them. Marinette did create what turned out to be rocket boots for the high jump and went the highest in the class but that was it.
Finally, the tests came to an end and the results were posted via a hologram from Aizawa's device as he didn't have the time to go through them all individually. As expected Yaoyorozu came first as she had the most versatile Quirk and had used it for every test in interesting ways, but Marinette had come in second much to her surprise while Adrien place 5th based on his raw abilities behind Todoroki in third and a snarling Bakugo in 4th. As expected though Midoriya came last, so he expected to be expelled. Until the sudden reveal a second later.
It turned out that the expulsion was, as Aizawa put it, a rational deception to get them to try their hardest. Most of the class blanched in shock at that though Yaoyorozu claimed was obvious and she should have said something, but which Adrien at least suspected was a front the girl was putting up to avoid admitting that she too was fooled.
Regardless of his intentions, it seemed that Aizawa had had a specific target in mind, Midoriya. He was obviously testing the boy to see if actually he had potential or if he would just be a broken version of All Might. Thankfully he passed the test and that was why he wasn't expelled despite coming in last.
"Change quickly and meet outside the entrance to the school." Marinette whispered to Adrien in French after the test was over and everyone was still freaking that Midoriya hadn't been expelled or complaining about Aizawa's actions. "He has to get healed so let's wait for the right moment to approach and introduce ourselves to him and anyone else with him. We can focus on the rest of the class later."
"Agreed bugaboo." Adrien whispered back in French this time as it was a private conversation and causing Marinette to blush at the pet name that she now really liked. "I'll take the lead though; he seems like the type to get intimidated by girls."
"I got that though I think it's one in particular that he's uncomfortable around but for a different reason." Marinette said with a grin as the class ended and they began heading back to the changing rooms as she looked at a certain brunette who'd been close to Midoriya all class. "Ok back to normal. Let's remember we are still school kids and actually have fun. This will be good for us."
Adrien nodded as they headed back to change into their uniforms and then head home as apparently the only thing today was the test that they'd taken. Thankfully no one had spoken to them as everyone was still processing the test though Adrien and Aoyama had had a brief chat in French in the changing room and he'd promised his partial countryman a longer chat later. It was for the best as the boy seemed to be a bit of a loner and was currently in some discomfort from overusing his Quirk, so he went to see the nurse to address it.
It didn't take either of them long to change and meet back up in front of the school but to the side of the entranceway. No one was really chatty right now after that test, but Marinette was certain that that would change soon, especially after some combat which was going to happen the next day and combat would be the quickest way to bond the class together.
That didn't matter to them, they needed to be social and make new friend and Midoriya was the main one, so they prioritized him. They didn't like it starting this way, but they knew that soon they'd fully become immersed with the school, and their new classmates so it would become more natural over time.
"Ok Midoriya went to the medical center right after changing to get his finger healed." Adrien said to Marinette in French when he met up with her. "We've heard about Recovery Girl and her Quirk, and that she is in the know, so he'll be ready but tired soon."
"Good then all we have to do it wait." Marinette said as she suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her and more particularly her ass that the skirt hid due to her lithe frame and knew who at once who it had to be; the boy had been checking out all the girls during the test and was glad they were currently using French. "Is Mineta behind me?"
Adrien glanced over Marinette's shoulder in a way that wouldn't be noticed and used his heightened sight to scan the area for the little gremlin in their class. He could have tried to smell him but his sense of smell, while above average, wasn't good enough to pick out an individual he'd barely gotten the scent of in a public area, even if that scent was pungent and not pleasant.
Thankfully he didn't need his sense of smell. It took only a moment before he saw the boy hiding behind a bush checking out all the girls including his and using his small stature to his advantage.
"Yup he's there." Adrien muttered. "He didn't say much in the changing room, but I can tell it will get more noticeable over time as he gets more comfortable here."
"True well let's make sure he knows I am off the market and see how he reacts to that, though I will make sure he knows not to mess with us hero girls the first chance I get." Marinette said with a grin before getting up on her toes and giving Adrien a chaste kiss on the lips and talking his hand before pulling away. "And? Did he see?"
"He's crying what might be blood and looking away." Adrien said with a grin of his own. "I think he'll respect that you're off the market, but I don't think it will stop his wandering eyes."
"Well, I am sure I will find a way to get a little revenge in combat training one day." Marinette said with a smile as a tired looking boy with messy green hair exited the school. "Looks like Midoriya is leaving so we should move now."
"One sec." Adrien said as he glanced at the door and saw Ida leave as well. "I think Ida is going to intercept him and we can use that break to introduce ourselves to both of them so it's not just Midoriya we're talking to. Someone with his personality will help break the ice as well, he's the social, if formal, type from what I've gathered."
"Agreed." Marinette said with a nod. "Right then when the moment's right, let's go."
Adrien just nodded back at her as he and Marinette began to walk hand in hand after the tall speedster as he made his way to Midoriya. It was time to meet their new classmates properly.
Izuku was exhausted after the healing and just plodding along as he made his way to the train station to get the train home. It had been a rough first day with the test and threat of expulsion, but mercifully he wasn't expelled. Now all he had to do was figure out how to properly use his Quirk and not get expelled by his crazy teacher for some other reason as Aizawa had a reputation for that. It was as he was doing this that he felt a hand on his shoulder that woke him up fast.
"How's the finger?" A kind, familiar voice said as Izuku turned to see Ida.
"Oh, hey Ida, it's fine thanks to Recovery Girl." Izuku said with a slight shudder at the memory of the healing, it was a strange sensation, but it worked great, so he didn't really complain. "She healed it right up."
"I heard that there was a healer here, looks like she's a good one if she fully mended your finger, that looked bad to it." A new voice said with a slight clipped tone to it that indicated that it wasn't the speaker's first language. "That is good given what happens in hero courses. Means we can go all out most of the time."
Izuku and Ida turned to see the transfer students in their class, Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng approaching them from the school's entrance. It had clearly been the former who had spoken given the lack of a French accent to his words while giving them a dazzling smile as he approached. What surprised Izuku though was that he was holding Dupain-Cheng's hand and their fingers were interlocked indicating that they were a couple. Izuku breathed out a sigh of relief at that, but as with early he wasn't sure why he was so relieved at that fact.
"Ah I must apologize for not introducing myself before the moment I had a chance, that was terribly rude of me." Ida said surprising Izuku and bowing to the two French teens in a formal fashion. "I am a representative of the Ida name; I should have better manners. I am Tenya Ida, it is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard of your family Agreste, and I must say I am surprised that you are here."
"Please call me Adrien if you'd like." Agreste said letting go of his girlfriend's hand before offering Ida his now free hand which surprised Izuku on both fronts. "I know that it is customary to not do so in Japan with people who aren't friends or long-time friends and all that but well it makes me feel like my father and well I'd rather not as he's not a big fan of my decision to become a hero even if he can understand it. If you can't do it just yet I understand though, I know that I am asking a lot."
"Of course, I will strive to honor your cultural norms as is expected of me, but I will refrain from your first names just yet, that would be impolite of me." Ida said shaking Agreste's hand and then Dupain-Cheng's. "It is the least I can do. It would be improper of me as a representative of Japan to not respect your culture as well."
"And we will do our best to recognize yours Ida though we will refrain from the cheek kisses until we're all better friends and I think Adrien won't do it with the guys for obvious reasons." Dupain-Cheng said with a smile as they shook shocking both boys. "Yes that is part of French culture as well, we are a little touchy-feely, but don't worry, we understand that it is a little unexpected outside of western Europe, excluding the UK, and will refrain from it. Do call me Marinette if you'd like, hyphenated surnames aren't common here so it may help."
"Yes that is not something we do in Japan." Ida said as Izuku shook hands with the French duo a little surprised that they'd approached and were so formal but not complaining, they'd shown a lot of skill in the test, and he wanted to ask them about their Quirks when he had a chance. "I hope I am not rude in asking why it is like that Dupain-Cheng and yes it will take me a while before I feel comfortable using your first name, more so than with Agreste. Again, that is a cultural thing, it's rude to me to not use your family name."
"Not at all and I understand, take your time and bear with us as well as we are going to struggle a bit as well as we don't know Japan well yet." Dupain-Cheng said with a smile at Ida. "My father's surname is Dupain and my mom's Cheng, which she kept when she married him, and they decided to give me both as he's French and she's Chinese, so it is a way for me to be connected to both cultures more."
"I see that does explain your slightly Asian features though they are more muted than I'd expect in someone who's half-Chinese." Ida said bluntly. "I should have guessed that you were part Chinese with that name."
"Yes well I was born and raised in France, so I am a little more connected with that side of my family, in fact I don't even speak Mandarin or Cantonese." Dupain-Cheng admitted with a hint of embarrassment. "Adrien knows more than me on that front."
"I have been studying Mandarin and Japanese for a long time and I have a gift for languages as I speak 6 fluently." Adrien said as it was basically true except for the Japanese part, so they'd incorporated it into their backstory. "It was why I was excited when Marinette and I were chosen for the U.A. exchange, after passing the tests of course."
"Oh yeah I wanted to ask you about that." Izuku said excitedly finally finding his voice. "What is…"
"Hey!" An excited feminine voice called out to their group. "Wait up you lot. Are you going to the station? I'll join you guys."
Izuku turned to see the brunette girl he'd saved running towards them from the school, her arms wide and an adorable smile on her round face. They all respectively waited for her as Izuku tried to control his racing heart, she was the first girl to be friendly towards him, so he was nervous, but he seemed fine around Dupain-Cheng so why was his heartrate faster around this girl. At least now he'd get to confirm her name. He'd heard it before but wanted to be sure before addressing her.
"Oh, you're the infinity girl." Ida said as she reached them referring to the score she'd gotten in the ball throw.
"Yup, Ochaco Uraraka." Uraraka said confirming what Izuku thought was her name with a small nod of her head clearly pleased with that performance and she should be as it was damned impressive. "And you're Tenya Ida."
"Correct, pleased to officially meet you." Ida said with a nod before Uraraka turned to Izuku.
"And you're Deku right? Midoriya." Uraraka said smiling at him surprising Izuku.
"Deku?" Izuku asked her surprised and trying not to yelp.
"Yeah isn't that what Bakugo was shouting at you." Uraraka said looking off as she recalled something. "He was saying 'Deku you bastard' or something like that."
"Oh well my name is actually Izuku." Izuku said nervously. "Deku is something that Kacchan calls me to make fun of me."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Uraraka said before smiling again and striking a power pose. "But you know what, I like Deku, it would make a great hero name. It sounds like the phrase 'you can do it' plus I think it's kinda cute."
"Deku it is." Izuku said blushing bright red at how Uraraka had turned the insult into something positive so quickly with her happy attitude and it was the first time a girl had said anything about him was cute which helped a lot.
"Just like that." Ida exclaimed shocked. "I thought you said Bakugo used it as an insult."
"Huh?" Uraraka asked while Izuku just muttered.
Marinette just chuckled as she watched the exchange while Adrien looked confused at what was going on but then again she didn't expect him to see the subtle nuances of what was going on. Obliviousness was something Adrien was an expert at, he was the only one who couldn't see Marinette's extremely blatant crush on him back before everything happened though thankfully that had been solved now.
While Adrien was oblivious, Marinette was not, and she could already see the signs to some extent. For Midoriya it was more an apparent lack of contact with the opposite gender, so Marinette wasn't sure on the front, but she wouldn't be surprised in time. No, it Uraraka she was intrigued by.
The girl clearly had a soft spot for Midoriya after he'd saved her during the entrance exam and that was always where the seed got planted, especially after an act like that. Marinette would have to keep an eye on that seed as it slowly bloomed but for now they had introductions to make and friendships to forge so she cleared her throat to remind them that her and Adrien were there.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you're the transfer students, right?" Uraraka asked them blushing a bit at accidentally ignoring her classmates. "Er, you're Marinette something right? Sorry I was a little confused with your family name. It is your family name, right?"
"Dupain-Cheng is my family name but please call me Marinette if you would like." Marinette said holding out her hand to Uraraka and resisting her cultural training to just kiss her on each cheek as the French did do that even with strangers they were meeting for the first time. "It's a little unwieldy to use and it's more common where we're from to use first names."
"Oh right, cultural differences." Uraraka said a little taken aback but shaking Marinette's hand after a moment but keeping her pinky clear for safety. "Not my strong suit."
"Same here, we'll do our best to respect yours as we are the guests in your country." Marinette said with a smile. "Some things are harder to get rid of though and in time I'm sure we'll all adjust, at least amongst us girls."
"I hope so." Uraraka said before turning to Adrien. "And you're Adrien Agreste, that I remember."
"Yes and you can called me Adrien or Agreste if you want." Adrien said with a slight bow showing more cultural awareness around Uraraka as she was of the opposite gender, so he was making an extra effort for her before taking Marinette's hand again. "I would prefer Adrien but if that is a little too impolite here then feel free to use my surname."
"I'll keep that in mind, but I will stick with your surname, it's only proper." Uraraka said before noticing their hands and her eyes going wide at that. "Wait! You two are an item?"
"Yup started dating about 6 months back shortly after we found out we'd be the pair coming here for the exchange program." Marinette said with a smile and the lie was only partial as they had started after finding out they'd be in Japan for the foreseeable future. "A few factors kept us from realizing our feelings for each other until then but U.A. actually helped on that front so another reason to love this place."
"Yes we were into each other for a long time before though." Adrien said helpfully. "But the nature of Francois Dupont didn't allow for us to realize that until we got clearance to reveal our identities to each other."
"Of course, FDHS is known for its use of anonymity in its Hero Course." Ida said rubbing his chin. "It's one of the few hero courses where masks are required full time while in the course and you only use hero names chosen when accepted through individual tests and before you are paired up for your time there. It is a fascinating system that is unique as far as I know."
"I'm surprised you know that." Adrien admitted though he was glad that Ida was inadvertently backing up their story. "Few outside of France know it and for the most part its people at our peer schools in England, Germany, Italy, and Spain."
"I come from a prestigious hero family that has worked abroad many times." Ida said proudly. "It is only natural that I be educated on the workings of the other top programs around the world, as well as be able to speak English at a fluent level which I can so that class will be easy for me. However, I must say lying is immoral, so I am not of fan of our teacher doing that."
"It was a shock, but each teacher is different." Marinette said with a shrug. "U.A. is known for a more liberal attitude to teaching so likely Mr. Aizawa has a lot of leeway in teaching us."
"Wait if you two had to have hero names already does that mean you still have them?" Izuku asked, he was eager to learn about that as hero names were something they wouldn't touch for a few months at least. "Like are they still valid?"
"We had codenames back in France, but we can change them now if we want though our French names have been approved so we can use them here as well." Adrien said but both he and Marinette had agreed to stick with their names as that was who they were, and their costumes were as close to the past as they could make them, minus the more embarrassing things on Adrien's. "But you two will have to wait to find out if we've decided that or not."
"I see that makes sense as you already had names so you can still use them or change them here if you'd like." Ida said understanding the logic. "However, you two must have gotten an exception for the exchange."
"We did and we kinda realized that we had crushes on each other in the process." Marinette said with a slight blush. "Funny story there seeing as we knew each other in civilian life, that was where my crush was, while Adrien's was in our Hero Course life."
"Well tell us on the way to the station." Uraraka said. "I need to get home as soon as possible so let's head out."
"Agreed, we have a long commute, and our guardian will want to know about our first day at U.A. when we get back." Adrien said as the 5 of them began walking away.
"Oh, your parents aren't here." Ida said as he began to grill them. "I can see why they wouldn't be; Japan is on the other side of the world from France, and they must be busy there, but I am curious as to how this program works. Could you…"
Marinette just let Adrien do the talking to Ida about their program while they walked, he was better at that and could handle all of Ida's questions on that front. Instead, she focused on chatting with Uraraka and Midoriya about more mundane stuff to get to know them more and make plans for them all to have lunch together tomorrow.
Overall, it had been an interesting first day, but they'd survived it and were already starting to make friends within their class. Things were starting to feel normal to Marinette and Adrien and that was good because above all else that was what they wanted after all they'd been through and learned since that fateful day in Paris 230 years ago. This was their life now, so it was best to make the most of it. They couldn't wait for what tomorrow would bring.
Well, there it is, the first day, Quirk assessment test, and the initial meeting between the two groups. Naturally there is more to come with a lunch chat that will go into more depth and of course y'all know what comes next in MHA and that is coming up soon but no spoilers. The only thing I will say is that things that I am leaving as canon from MHA will for the most part be glossed over as I do not what to directly copy the canon though I will use it from time to time, especially early on as everything is being set up and the Miraculous duo are getting settled but expect deviation more and more going forward as they work their way into their new lives, help their friends out (Marinette is already onto something it seems), and their actions impact the various arcs. However, that is all I have for now so I will leave it here. If you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Until next week.
Stringdog
