Junko Enoshima, The Sixteenth Student, Watch Out For Her.
"Sooo," Present Mic drawled, looking around the room with expectant eyes. "Where do we start?"
At the moment, most of U.A.'s staff sat together around a large oval table within one of the school's many gathering rooms. Their current intent was to discuss the results from the entrance exam that transpired only a few days ago.
Several heads gazed at each other with pondering looks on their faces. Given their reputation as Japan's top school, they were used to finding all sorts of shenanigans during their tests.
And yet, this year somehow managed to throw them a few curveballs.
"If I may," It was All Might of all people who broke the deafening silence. He stood up from his seat, easily gaining the interest of everyone in the room. "I would like to begin this meeting by addressing a critical detail regarding my future as U.A.'s newest educator."
Some members couldn't help raising a brow in curiosity at that. They all had long been informed of the shocking news about All Might of all people attending U.A. as the first-year teacher for the class of Heroics.
No one had any outright objections. Even the most begrudging of teachers, like Aizawa, couldn't deny that despite the hero's inexperience as an educator, students would have much to learn from one of, if not the greatest hero in the world by his work field experience alone.
Back to the point, to hear that the man had even something far more important to share had everyone gripping their seats.
Taking the silent prompt to continue for what it was, the number one hero decided to waste no time ripping off the band-aid.
When a sudden blast of smoke surrounded All Might, several people jumped from their seats, while others cried up in alarm. Before anyone could take any further action, though, the fog rapidly cleared on its own.
Where once stood a seven foot, two inches tall bulk of muscles, now laid what no one could point as anything else other than a whole different person. His height was just around the same, however, that's where the similarities ended. Their hunched posture gave the impression of being smaller. Their sunken eyes, thin frame, and frigged hair made the man before them have the look of being on the verge of dying, almost giving the semblance for that of a skeleton. All in all, a stark contrast with the heroic figure that stood there just moments ago.
The reactions that followed were right about what Toshinori expected them to be.
Those who were still in their seats joined their already-standing peers with flabbergasted expressions. Wide eyes, gasps of surprise, and bodies tensed up in a mix of alarm and wariness filled the room.
First and foremost, though, they all were professional Heroes, so while the sight before them caused a ramble on their nerves, it didn't took much for them to regain their composure.
At least to a cautious degree.
"A-All Might," Hastily clearing her throat, Midnight continued. "Is that you...?"
"That I am." The man said with a curt nod.
Although the confirmation came from a voice that certainly resembled that of the Number One Hero, there was an uncanny disparity that failed to entirely convince everyone in the room.
Be it the discrepancy in appearance or the lack of boisterous energy he usually carried himself with, whatever the case was, they weren't fully convinced this wasn't some sort of ploy.
And so, all heads turned to the single individual who managed to remain entirely calm throughout the whole ordeal.
Principal Nezu let out a content sigh as he put his cup of tea back on the table. Shifting his sight from it and towards the expectant gazes that peered at him, he allowed for an amused laugh to escape his mouth.
"There's nothing to worry about," The mammal reassured. "I can confirm that this man is, indeed, All Might."
The confirmation earned a few sighs of relief. However, even if that lifted some of the tension from the room, it only made the elephant in the room twice as noticeable.
Whether still reeling from the revelation of All Might's…true appearance? Or because of the thousand and more questions running through their minds, there was a moment of uncomfortable silence in which no staff member knew how to proceed.
They knew the stillness couldn't last, so eventually, one dared put a halt to it.
"So, All Might, if ya don't mind me asking...WHAT HELL IS GOING ON!?" Present Mic cried out, his arms wildly gesturing at his skeletal form.
"I suppose that is the question of moment, isn't it?" All Might chuckled with a rueful smile. "Do not worry, I will explain everything you guys need to know."
And explaining he did.
He began by showing his injury, a sight that earned winces and horrified looks from the staff. When he went into detail about the crippling effects it had on his respiratory system and the non-existence of his stomach, a few faces turned green.
The hardest pill to swallow came when the number one hero talked about his limitations.
For the past six years, the amount of time he was capable of using his quirk has been reducing with each day that passed. To this day, All Might was only capable of keeping his 'Muscle Form' for about two hours on per day. And only if he didn't overexert his body. If he were to, those numbers would be far lower, on top of suffering permanent reductions to his daily reserves.
Granted, even now, there were few, if any, things in the world that could make All Might drop a sweat.
The knowledge wasn't reassuring for anyone.
How could, when they all have just been told that the era of Japan's greatest hero was nearing its end?
"This…this is big," Power Loader gulped.
"It is," Vlad King grimly nodded. "If word got out about this…"
"It will not," Nezu said with an uncharacteristic sternness in his voice. "As fellow heroes, I trust that each and every person in this room realizes that revealing this information to the public would bring catastrophic repercussions to society as a whole. Isn't that correct?"
As one, all of U.A.'s staff nodded in understanding.
"As for myself, I must apologize," All Might bowed, much to the staff's astonishment. "I'm certain that this is not what any of you expected when news got out that I was to join into U.A.'s ranks. However, believe me when I say that, despite my limitations, I will give it my all to ensure our students walk these halls as shining beacons of hope!"
"Ah, don'tcha worry, big guy," Present Mic assured. "Time limit or not, I'm sure this ol' bear has a few tricks to teach these punks!"
While not the words they would use, the entirety of the staff made their sounds of agreement clear.
Well, Aizawa just grunted, but that was as close to it as he could get.
"I'm glad we all reached an understanding!" His chirpiness returning as if never leaving in the first place, Nezu shone a grin that revealed the sharpness of his teeth. "Now then, with that part of the agenda dealt with, what should we address next?"
"If we are going by order of impact," Ectoplasm, a mask-wearing man in a trench coat, chimed in. "What about the incident in Ground Delta?"
Some people made faces at the mention of it.
"Righto, I was wonderin' 'bout that," Snipe, a second masked figure with the stark difference of his whole style being that of a cowboy, raised a hand. "Do we have plans for all those kiddos who didn't get a chance to start the exam?"
"What is there to do about that?" Eraserhead quirked an eyebrow. "The test was meant for the applicants to show what they were capable of. By all intents and purposes, examinee Enoshima did as she was expected to."
"Heh, look at you, Shouta," Present Mic spoke with a teasing grin. "At first you couldn't stand the chick, now we have you standing up for her. Is it because she pulled that off without some flashy quirk?"
The Erasure Hero rolled his eyes.
"I am merely stating what should be obvious for everyone in the room," Eraserhead drawled, his voice that of a man perpetually tired. "It is unfortunate that so many applicants lost their chance at the practical? Yes, but it is simply irrational to discredit her merits."
"I agree with Aizawa," All Might said, much to all teacher's surprise. Eraserhead's most of all, even if he didn't make it known on the outside. "Young Enoshima gave her plus ultra, and disappointing as missing what those rascals were capable of might be, meddling with the procedure would not be that different from doing so back when I pulled my own record, where no doubt I also prevented several aspirants from a potential seat. It would be…hypocritical on my part to believe otherwise."
'Huh, maybe him becoming a teacher wasn't a sudden whim of his like I expected…' Aizawa thought, looking at All Might with a measuring gaze.
It might be too early to make a judge of character, but at least he was willing to give the Number One Hero a chance and see how things play out.
"Well, if those two are in agreement, I can't see why we shouldn't leave it at that," Midnight shrugged. When one objected, she allowed for a saccharine grin to grow on her lips. "Alas, those poor youngsters, perhaps I―"
"Anyway, I'm guessing the next order of business would be the assignment of classrooms," Power Loader interrupted pretty much on purpose, much to the R-Rated Hero's chagrin. "Like every year, Eraserhead and Vlad King will begin with the hero course, and we will move from there on. With the incident on Ground Delta already marked as solved, I take it that the preliminary list for approved examinees will remain the same, yes?"
Eraserhead and Vlad King shared a look.
"What is it?" Ectoplasm asked. The same way the rest of the staff did, he noticed the silent exchange between the duo of homeroom teachers. "Is there something wrong with the list?"
"Actually, yes, there is," Eraserhead grunted, and it was hard to miss the way he spoke with a spark energy that the underground hero usually missed. "There are a lot of kids that don't belong there."
It there was one thing well-known about the Erasure Hero, it was the rigorous qualifications he searched on aspirants to deem worthy. By now, it was a ritual ceremony of sorts to hear him make the same complaint year after year, and for the rest of the staff to spend a pair of hours convincing him to reconsider his posture.
So, to hear him refute the newest batch of first-years wasn't much of a surprise.
It was, however, when Vlad King nodded in agreement.
"Usually, I would argue that Aizawa is taking things over the top once again," Vlad King grunted. Eraserhead held back a retort about the irony of the rivalry-obsessed professor saying that. "However, after reviewing the examinee's footage on multiple occasions, we both reached the same conclusion. To put it plainly, this year sucked. Badly." Despite the crude language, no one said anything, both being used to it from their blood hero and because it was clear he still had more to say. "Even with the rescue points, there were lots of underperformers, and the only reason most of them made it into the list, was because the rest were far worse and we had to fill the usual quota of eighteen members per class, leaving two spots to each class available for the recommended students. This isn't to say we are facing a fully lost cause, but by my estimations, at least eight of them simply don't have what it takes to make it in, and would drop halfway through the year even if we admitted them."
"Personally, I would raise that number for at least up to twelve, but I'm not going to discuss that," Aizawa conceded before his far more passionate co-worker turned even something like this into a competition of sorts. "The point stands, though. We both agree that there are far too many unworthy aspirants into consideration to simply ignore."
There was a tense silence following the grim news.
It has been a long while since a batch was so badly received. From both Eraserhead and Vlad King at that.
"So, what do you suggest, Eraserhead?" Ectoplasm asked, his sight now on the numerous files each professor held copies of, eyeing the document holding the list of potential admittances with renewed interest. "That we reduce the number of students we admit this year for the hero course?"
"I do," Eraserhead ignored the familiar groans. Yes, that wasn't his first time suggesting it. "It isn't logical? Twenty students for each class have always been a massive number when we are supposed to train the next best generation of heroes. Pour into the combination of teenagers and its hormones, alongside their quirks into the mix, and we always get a recipe for chaos that could be better controlled if there were fewer variables. Especially now so, if those variables are the sort for which would require extra attention only so they could keep up with the rest."
"You sure you aren't pulling out numbers to finally get away with this initiative of yours, Shouta?" Eraserhead shot Midnight a stern glare for an answer. "Sheesh, I get, I get it. How many do you propose?"
"Ten students per class. Recommended students included."
"Hey! You are using this as an excuse to get more sleep time, aren't you?!"
"Hmph, fine. Then―"
"How about sixteen?" All eyes turned to the school's principal. "Fourteen from the regular exams, and two recommended students. It is a decent enough reduction for a first-time trial, and it would prevent the HPSC from stepping too hard on our toes, or pawns, for the sudden and unannounced change."
Aizawa grumbled. Not because of Nezu's proposal, even if he still would've preferred a lower number, but rather at the reminder of the Safety Commission.
It was easy to forget the influence they could hold on U.A. when someone like Nezu was there to prevent the brunt of it.
"Yeah, I suppose that's acceptable," Aizawa hummed. Again, it wasn't the number he would've desired, but at least, finally, some concessions were made. "Alright then, how much time Vlad and I have to send you the official assignments?"
"Oh, about that," Nezu began, with a tone that chilled Aizawa's spine. "Since this is a concept in the testing, I believe I am the most qualified to decide which students each of you will have!"
The Erasure Hero groaned.
I'm going to get all the problem children, aren't I?
Hours later, the adjourned meeting came to an end. With their presence required somewhere else, be it for administrative affairs or otherwise, one by one members of the school left the meeting room.
At least, until only Aizawa and Nezu remained.
"Oh my, is something the matter?" The mammal tilted his head, his frontal pawns held together above his desk. "I thought you would be back to your sleeping bag by now."
"It is a tempting idea," The underground hero admitted. "Unfortunately, there are some important matters we need to discuss."
"Do we?"
"Mhm."
"I see. Then, how can I help you, Aizawa?"
"There were a few things I've wanted to talk about ever since the entrance exam," Aizawa sighed, passing a hand through his forehead and hair before continuing. "All Might's reveal, however, brought some matters at hand that I would like some clarification of."
A pause.
"I can't guarantee that I will answer all your questions."
"But you will for some of them?"
"Depends on what you ask."
Not what he wanted, but just about what he expected.
"I will take it, I suppose," Aizawa nodded in acceptance. Perhaps resignation, depending on whom you asked. "Firstly, who is the villain that gave All Might that injury?"
"He never mentioned any villain, did he?"
"Please don't take me for a fool, sir."
"Of course, you aren't," Nezu said with a smile full of mirth, and much to Aizawa's chagrin, he couldn't tell whether he was being mocked or not. "However, I'm afraid I can't answer your question."
"I see," The underground hero's lips thinned into a fine line, but didn't press for an answer. He had been warned beforehand and knew that insisting on it would lead nowhere. "Is he or she dead, right? Or at least imprisoned?"
"All Might defeated them, yes."
"That's not what I asked," This time, Aizawa's eyes narrowed. Why would the principal omit even something like―a thought came to mind. "You don't know of their fate, do you?"
Nezu sighed.
"No, I do not," The mammal admitted with some bitterness. As if the mere concept of not knowing about something gnawed deeply at him. "I'm certain they aren't rotting in Tartarus, deep in a cell under sea level, and I was honest when I told you they were defeated by All Might. I can also assure it was one of the few occasions he made intended use of lethal force. The villain's body, however, was never found."
'Of course it wasn't…' The underground hero thought grimly.
"If I may," The principal's voice brought his attention to him. "Do you mind answering a question of my own?"
Aizawa considered the question for a moment. Then, he nodded.
"You can, sir."
"Thank you. In that case, is there a particular reason you are asking about this villain?" Nezu asked. "Don't get me wrong, its existence is a valid concern. Still, even if it is something that All Might brought in recently, I can't help but notice there is a certain urgency in the way you are prodding about it."
Eraserhead pursed his lips, considering how to answer that question, or even taking notes from the principal and outright denying him any useful response.
"Is it because of Ultimate Despair?"
For a moment, Aizawa's eyes widened.
Just as fast as they regained their usual size, he let a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Do I want to know how you got hold of that information?" Aizawa asked, fully aware that someone like Nezu would know much more than a simple moniker. Hell, perhaps even more than what he was allowed to from those atop the investigation.
"No, you do not." The principal said with a cheeky grin, almost resembling a child who refused to tell their parents how they got hold of the cookie jar they had hidden.
Moments like these made the underground hero wonder if the mammal was the principal of U.A. simply because he found it far more entertaining than world domination.
Well, if he's going to rip all pretense off, I might as well stop beating around the bush.
"Back to your question, sir? You are right, it is because of that person," Immediately, the chirpiness dropped off the mammal's face. "I was one of the few underground heroes the police contacted for their investigation in the case. As I'm sure you know, the investigation ended as a cold case when all trails of this 'Ultimate Despair' disappeared some months ago." The underground hero paused, a series of emotions flashing through his eyes before continuing. "After the things I got to see, I…well, even after I was dismissed, I decided I had to do some independent work of my own."
"Oh right, I remember there were certain days that you looked scruffier than usual," Nezu mused aloud. "I take it that didn't bore well."
"It didn't," Aizawa admitted with some irritation, more out of the lack of results than something non-consequential as pride. "It was as if they and everything related to them was swallowed by the earth. Looking for fresh tracks was leading nowhere, so I decided to take another angle and see if further into the past could bring a clue that the villain might've forgotten about."
"Forgot? Heh, I have a feeling they might not be able to even if they tried."
Aizawa's sight hardened, and his hands under the table bailed into fists.
"I couldn't say I fared much better that way," The gruff-looking hero continued as if the emotions threatening to snap inside him weren't there. "It is no secret that Japan before All Might was a lawless state in all but name, where villains roamed as they pleased. Plenty of awful individuals were raised at the time, and I figured that there was no harm in having a look at it. Newspapers. The internet. Anything that spoke of any outstanding individuals. Specially so, if a brainwashing quirk was involved. The best I got were tales of a mastermind controlling Japan from the shadows. Rumors at best. And these bogeyman stories were the sort of which would've prompted me to dismiss. I certainly did for a time. At least, until just so recently, I noticed something."
"I'm assuming it was All Might's injury?"
"That…and the way you reacted to Enoshima's presence thorough the whole practical exam." Aizawa leveled a glare at the quirked mammal, one filled with concern and sternness in equal measure. "It wasn't that of a principal assessing the potential of a future student, but rather one of someone measuring the danger of their future foe. One worth of caution. Sir…no, Nezu. I need to know, is there a correlation?"
A moment of tense silence passed between professor and principal.
"It is hard to say," Nezu hummed after a while. "As you can tell, Enoshima is far too young to be some retired villain coming back from those dark times and, as we all saw, her quirk is not brainwashing people."
"Still, there has to be something, right?" It had to be. The principal wouldn't make his alert to their future first-year that obvious otherwise.
"There are three things, actually."
"Three?" The Erasure Hero perked up. "Those are?"
"Before we get into any details. You do understand I'm only confiding you this because you already have one foot into the swamp and out of anyone within the school's staff, you are the least likely to let your lips loose, don't you?"
"I do, sir," Aizawa agreed with ease. "I was long enough on the case to understand this unidentified villain is someone you can't defeat by pilling numbers into it."
"Good to see we are in accordance then," Nezu nodded. "Well then, most notorious of all, there is the name of her quirk."
"The name," Aizawa repeated, some of his, for lack of a better term, enthusiasm dimming. "I admit that reading it for the first time gave me pause as well, but doesn't it seem like we are grasping at straws just because it has that in her quirk's name? Objectively speaking, it isn't that different from an adjective like 'Super'. Loads of people have their quirks registered with it because as kids they thought it would make their powers sound cooler."
"You would be correct. It is ridiculous to raise suspicion on a person for some meager coincidence," Nezu smiled, but his eyes carried a dangerous edge that made Aizawa tense up. "It is not, however, when we talk of two or more coincidences. Speaking of which, do you remember which examinee stood out the most on Ground Beta?"
Aizawa considered the question for a second.
"Izuku Midoriya?" He guessed. As far as the underground hero could remember, his opinion of the boy was particularly favorable. Contrasting Enoshima, the kid seemed to be fully focused even before the exam began. From there, his impression grew more favorable when he saw the aspirant in action. Going for a well-executed search and locate strategy by taking advantage of altitude points, avoiding most, if not all distractions his way in favor of locating the largest amounts of bots and defeating them. On top of that, he was the examinee with the highest amount of Rescue Points after he saved another aspirant by defeating the Zero Pointer. All of that without sustaining any major injuries. Even by Aizawa's standards, the kid was nothing short of impressive. Or it was, until the principal brought him into the discussion. "What about him?"
Nezu gave him a long stare.
"We really need to have a talk about your tendency to give only passing glances at our students' profiles, Aizawa." The principal sighed. "That is neither here or there, though, what matters now is the name of the boy's quirk, which is…"
Aizawa heard Nezu say Midoriya's quirk.
His eyes widened upon hearing it.
"Him as well?" He asked, barely containing the surprise in his voice. "Still…it doesn't change what I said before, does it? Even with that in mind, there's no real connection between those two."
The principal gave him another lasting look.
It rapidly dawned on him its meaning.
"There is one, isn't it?"
"Oh, most definitely," Nezu reaffirmed, and there was a more notable hint of dread on the mammal. Almost as if something about the boy himself concerned him apart from his connection with Enoshima. "Back at the entrance they seemed to hang out like two old friends, and you should have seen the way Midoriya gave Enoshima a piggyback ride thorough our halls. It was rather amusing watching it all from our security cameras, I admit."
Aizawa had no time to find any diversion on it.
Those were multiple coincidences in a row now, and if he understood Nezu right, there still was another factor that drew suspicion on Enoshima.
Part of him wanted to keep his mouth shut.
Unfortunately, Shouta Aizawa had a nasty tendency of prodding for answers whenever something eluded him.
"I'm going to take a guess and say that your last point is meant to be the most impactful one."
"You would be correct," Nezu nodded. "But first of all, let me start with a piece of trivia: Did you know that all those public incidents with the brainwashed victims were orchestrated with the intended purpose of having All Might tracking them all on a wild goose chase?"
That definitely made him regret opening his damn mouth.
Aizawa stepped out of the meeting room, and closed the door as his sight inadvertently settled on one of the windows.
It was already late into the evening. Slowly the sun was setting, and in its place, darkness began overtaking the skies.
He hated how fitting that was.
In a few weeks, classes will renew at U.A., with a new batch of students starting their first year.
And they, along with the second and third years, and the rest of U.A.'s staff will spend the next three years in company of a potential nuclear bomb.
On one hand, there was a fifty percent chance that it was simply raw paranoia making them suspect a brilliant, if only overly eccentric girl. They would face a few bumps here and there out of that suspicion, but nothing more than that.
On the other, there was another fifty percent chance that U.A. would host one of the vilest villains in Japan's recent history. Allow her to share a classroom with fifteen kids who will be none the wiser about it. Fourteen if one took for granted that Midoriya was in coalition with her. And on top of all that, had shown the cunning to play one of the strongest heroes of the earth like a fiddle for literal months.
Worst of all, they couldn't do anything to prevent it.
They had no compelling evidence to accuse her of anything. Every suspicion against her was made up of theories, coincidences, ambiguous speculations, and what Aizawa suspected to be Nezu's thrill to have a battle of wits with an intellectual of his level.
Truth be told, it was hard to take for granted that Enoshima was Ultimate Despair, or an accomplice of them for that matter, when that was all they had on her.
There was the possibility of being blunt about the issue and to simply reject her entrance. That in itself would bring another large problem, though. They would lose what was likely their only chance to watch her closely.
Should Enoshima be truly in coalition with those dark forces, she would be back in the shadows, and it would be a repeat of the tragedies that took place all those months ago. Perhaps ten times worse seeing that whatever potential plans within U.A. she could have, would've been ruined in such a scenario.
The thought in itself is haunting. Not even during Japan's darkest times, has a villain ever dared set foot inside the school, and now there is a chance one of the most dangerous ones will casually come in like they owned the place.
As much as he hated to admit it, one way or another, the less catastrophic option seemed to be allowing her in and preparing for the potential consequences of it.
Even if it didn't paint a nice prospect that the only ones within the academy in any capacity to deal with this mess, for the moment, would be only Nezu and him.
All Might was out of the question. As involved as he might be around Ultimate Despair, he was a man of action, not of plotting and schemes. While he didn't believe that All Might would be as brutal as to attack Enoshima based on mere suspicions, he doubted the guy would be able to treat her as a regular student knowing the information disclosed minutes ago.
It was the same case for most members of the staff. Perhaps Ectoplasm might be able to pull off the straight face for a short while, but it was unlikely that he could keep at it, not in the same way an underground hero was used to coexist with villains in the long term when it was required.
Until they find a way to confirm that Enoshima was either innocent or guilty, bold moves were risks that they couldn't afford.
For the umpteenth occasion today, Aizawa let out a long and tired sigh.
Just when he was getting used to dealing with problematic brats, here it comes the mother of them all.
I wonder if it is too much to ask for Enoshima to be the only one of our headaches…
"Oi, brat! U.A.'s letter is here!"
Sitting on his room's desk, Bakugo Katsuki grew a feral grin as he heard the callout he had been waiting for the entire week.
About fucking time!
Wasting no time, Katsuki jumped from his seat, dashed out of his room, and rapidly made his way down the stairs.
There, near the entrance door, his sight locked on the white envelope held by a woman's hand.
His heart pumping with excitement, he all but ran to the entrance and forcibly snatched the envelope.
"Ya really couldn't wait any longer for it, eh?" Katsuki's mother, Mitsuki Bakugo said with a grin of her own. "So, what are ya waiting for, brat? Open it up already so we can―"
"Screw that, old hag!" Katsuki scoffed. "This is my moment of glory! I will tell ya later after I bask in it!"
With that said, he made a mad dash back to his room, ignoring his mother's remarks like "Shitty brat" or "Loudmouth".
Once back inside his abode, he slammed the door shut, took a seat on his desk and, finally, ripped off the envelope.
A clank sound was heard.
Looking down, he noticed that from the wrapping came a disk-like object of sorts. For a moment, he felt confusion and irritation, not knowing what the hell was he supposed to do with that thing.
He scowled when just a moment later, noticed the red button in a corner of it.
Tch, stupid brain, you better figure this shit out faster if there is a next time!
Intended on wasting no more time, he went and pressed the button, perking up when a hologram projection flared into life.
It showed a weird mammal of sorts wearing a suit. They were standing in the middle of what appeared to be an office of sorts.
'U.A.'s principal?' Katsuki pondered for a second, then a smirk grew on his lips. 'Heh, of course, they would only bring in the most important guy in the room to congratulate me.'
"Am I a mouse? A dog? A bear perhaps? The truth of the matter, my identity is…Nezu, U.A.'s principal!" The ashen-blonde boy rolled his eyes at the antics of the mouse…dog-bear thingy. "Greetings, Katsuki Bakugo. Through this projection, I am about to reveal the results of your performance for our admission exams!"
The smirk on his face grew back.
Fuck yeah! Lay it on me, principal. Tell me how impressed you and the whole of the U.A. is with my score!
"Right then, starting with the theoretical exam, I am glad to announce you have passed with flying colors. It wasn't the top score, but you weren't far either." Katsuki felt a small sting in his chest, but he pushed it down with ease. He had been mentally prepared for months for the idea that some all brains no brawn nerd would take that spot instead. It was the test where he blasted robots like no tomorrow mattered anyway. "Moving onto the practical exam, I think I speak for several of our staff members when I said that your performance was exceptional!"
Even though the motion was unnecessary, Katsuki couldn't prevent himself from leaning towards the projection, anticipation building up in his body.
"You showed a keen mind for strategy, luring the villain-bots and cornering them in massive numbers, making effective use of your quirk and neutralizing them in one fell swoop. Although you didn't earn any rescue points," He tilted his head in confusion. Rescue points? Did they ever make mention of them? Bah, if he didn't get any then they weren't important. "Your efforts earned the grand amount of ninety villain points, one of the highest scores we had."
Katsuki beamed with pride, a cocky grin growing on his lips.
Then he went still. His eyes darted back and forth, widening as his mind began racing with a dawning sense of realization.
What was that shit about one of the highest? That almost sounded as if I wasn't―
"Without further ado, please take a look at our official rankings!"
He did as told.
His entire world crumbled at the sight of it.
[Examination Results.]
[Junko Enoshima: 999+ Villain Points, 0 Rescue Points.]
[Izuku Midoriya: 108 Villain Points, 75 Rescue Points.]
[Katsuki Bakugo: 90 Villain Points, 0 Rescue Points.]
[Ibara Shiozaki: 50 Villain Points, 32 Rescue Points.]
[Ejiro Kirishima: 39 Villain Points, 40 Rescue Points.]
The list went on for a while longer, and even after that, the recording transitioned back to U.A.'s principal who congratulated him on earning one of the top grades.
Katsuki Bakugo wasn't paying attention to it.
His vision was blurred. The noises reaching his ears felt like static. He simply stood there, motionless.
Then after what felt like hours, he let out a choking gasp, coming back to his senses.
And the reality of what he had just witnessed along with them.
His legend shattered into tiny fragments, scattered and unable to ever recover.
It wasn't even by a small margin.
Neither first nor second place was his.
"Third…place…?" Repeated out loud, with a meekness he didn't think himself capable of.
Horrifying as that truth was, it wasn't even the worst part of it.
The worst, Katsuki just realized, was that he was robbed of his rightful throne by no one other than the two biggest pains in the ass he ever had the displeasure of meeting.
It was already bad enough to realize that woman had been aiming for the hero course all along, but to see her capable of this? To achieve what even Katsuki doubted All Might was capable of?
Nothing but a terrible nightmare coming true.
His stomach churned, and the feeling grew the longer he stared at her score. He wasn't even close to matching hers. Not even halfway through.
The difference was so overwhelming that it made him feel like a bug watching an unreachable titan looking down on him. Spared from being squashed for no other reason than their pity and amusement.
For one damnable second, his mind flashed back to that cheshire grin of hers, sending a shiver down his spine.
And Deku…
While there was no feasible scenario in which he could've imagined the bastard acing the exam, it would've made a modicum bit of sense that those supposed rescue points had miraculously saved his ass. If only by a hair's strand.
But no, he couldn't even blame it on those damnable pity points. After all, someway, somehow, the snake had managed to pass and surpass him in villain points as well.
Deku…s-surpassed me…?
How?
Why?
'This can't be happening.' The thought swirled in his mind like a nauseous vortex. His eyes, drained of life, stared into nothing. It became harder to breathe. He almost swore that the walls were tinning as well. 'This can't be happening...' His mind repeated. Time and time again it echoed within the corners of his brain like a mantra of sorts.
And it kept going and on.
This can't be happening.
This can't be happening.
This can't be happening.
This can't be happening.
This can't be happening.
Thiscantbehappening.
Thiscantbehappening.
Thiscantbehappening.
Thiscantbehappeninthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappeningthiscantbehappening
THIS. CAN'T. BE. HAPPENING!
Finally, he was unable to hold it any longer.
And Katsuki Bakugo let out an ear-piercing scream filled with both rage and despair.
"Um, excuse me?" A brunette girl with her hair cut in a bob style spoke.
"Hm?" Turning toward the voice's direction, Present Mic perked up as he saw it was a student who called him out. "Oh, hey there, listener! What can this old punk help ya with?"
"Oh, well, it is about a boy from the practical exam…"
"So sorry, listener, I might be a teach, but I ain't giving love advice!"
"E-Eh? No, nothing like that!" The girl waved her arms frantically. "It's just, there is this boy. Messy green hair and freckles. Was a bit tall, his face was kinda plain, and there was this gloomy aura about him. Do you know who I'm talking about?"
"Hm, oh him, yeah! I think the guy rings some bells."
"Really? Well, I was wondering if―"
"FIRE!"
Without a hint of hesitation, Izuku threw the hologram device to the other side of the room.
It blew into pieces as Junko slammed it with a metal baseball bat.
She looked down at the bits and pieces that fell near her with a smirk, then she looked up at Izuku. Her smirk grew into a cheeky grin.
"Heh, can ya believe that chick? You saved her ass, and the whore still has the balls to go with a teacher to call you names!" Junko twirled, and suddenly there was a crown atop her head. "Preposterous! Doth thou wish for her immediate execution, mine knight in shining armor? If so, we shall begin the preparations at once!"
"I don't know, wouldn't that bring unnecessary attention?" Izuku shrugged. "Besides, why should I care what some random girl I don't give a damn about thinks. I've dealt with her type all thorough Aldera, so what's one more?"
Admittedly, part of him thought bummer that even U.A., the supposed bastion of heroism, was no different than the shitty school he was finally getting away from.
And he knew that girl would be there. He saw the scores on Junko's projector.
Katsuki was going to be there as well, though, so Izuku couldn't say he had any expectations to begin with.
Just another disappointment into the pile, I guess. As if I don't have enough reasons to stick with Junko already…
"Yeah, I suppose so." Junko chuckled, going back to her regular persona. "Still, I have to insist. Are you sure it is fine to leave it at that, even after the bitch had the gall of giving you hope for even a moment?"
Izuku stilled as a cold sense of trepidation ran across his spine.
"…She didn't―"
"Oh, but she did," Junko dropped the bat to the ground. He flinched at the clanking sound it made. She suddenly took a step forward, prompting him to take a step back. "For one insignificant moment, she made you believe that you could be a Hero for someone other than me," Another step of hers forward, another one of his backward. "She grew into your head that there is a chance for you to go back to what it once was." Two steps forward, two steps back. "She made you forget all those lives you have already taken."
"N-No, I haven't forgotten―Agh!"
A flash of pain hit Izuku as one of Junko's legs swooped his. Rather than falling on the ground, he rapidly recognized the soft mattress in which he landed as Junko's bed.
He tried to get up, but before he could get a chance to, Izuku felt a weight landing on him.
His face heated up in a crimson red when he recognized the familiar face of his friend inches away from him, with her smooth knees pinning his arms down and her soft hands securing a hold on his face.
"Hey, Zuzu, it might've been some days ago already, but what you did back then, it made me jealous, ya know?" Junko said with a whispery voice that replaced the cold dread with a warm sense of fascination. "Should I be worried that some cheap two-faced hope-skank is going to take you away from me?"
Immediately, his flustered face was replaced with one of concern.
"Of course not, Junko!" Izuku said, and although on the outside he seemed to be shooting a vibrant and determined glare at her, his voice failed to hide the pleading desperation behind his eyes. "There is no way I would even consider leaving your side. Much less for some ungrateful harpy I don't even know the name of!"
"Hm, is that so…" The pigtailed girl hummed. "Well, we will have to see about that, won't we?"
Izuku frowned in confusion.
That was strangely insistent of her. He truly meant all of what he said, so he was sure that by now Junko would've dismissed any further talk about that girl out of boredom.
He decided to dismiss it after a moment of consideration, a small smile slowly tugging at his lips.
Even after Junko…opened herself to him, she still made her displeasure known about the people who picked on him.
No matter what, she remained his beloved and only friend.
"Anyways," She began, untangling herself from him and getting up. She put her hands on her hips as she looked down at him. "Excited for our incoming days?"
"Well, I will attend the same school as the prick I've known since I have memory. Again." Izuku righted his torso up, sitting comfortably on the bed. He put a hand up, raising his fingers as he began listing. "There's a fifty-fifty percent chance he will be in our same classroom. One filled of other jerks at that. If what you told me about that rat is true, with the exception of All Might, it is likely that some professors will be secretly after our throats. So, except for you being there as well…nope, I'm not looking forward to it."
"Aw, c'mon now, Zuzu! Where's your sense of adventure!?"
Without warning, Junko grabbed his raised hand and pulled him to his feet. Taking hold of her momentum, she raised her hold further before using it to spin the both of them in a mockery of a dance.
By the time they came to a halt, they stood back-to-back, now both of their arms intertwined with one another.
"Once upon a time, I promised that you would take U.A. by storm. Well, things have changed, haven't they? Now it is you and I against the world, pal." Izuku could practically hear the smirk that formed on her face. "They will be on the hunt for us at every corner. Heroes. Villains. The eternal cycle of hatred will not be able to resist lunging at the new contender. Yet, by the time they truly understand the danger we represent to them, it will be oh so fucking late. Doesn't it get your blood boiling in dreadful euphoria? We will be the dream team, and nothing and no one will stop our path to despair. In giving in our precious gift to humanity."
A path of despair.
Izuku wasn't blind to the implications.
A lot of people will suffer from it.
Many more people will die.
Most will beg for the sweet release of death.
L̶̲̠̯̪̎̋̓̆i̵̼̝͈͊̀͘͝k̷̭͇͖͔͆̓ě̶̞͜ ̷̟͈̫͋̾h̷̤͑̊ë̴̖̱́̈̾͗̌ ̴̞͎̍d̶̩͗̈́̉ĩ̷̛͔̦̱̖̹̐͠ḑ̵̢̛͍̼̐͌̿̎ ̴̻̣̹́̆́́͘n̷̩͎̋͑͜͝o̶͎͔͖̍̈̈́̾t̷̩̅́̎ ̵̛͉̭̈́͂̕t̴̪̪͙̭̪͐̑o̸̻̲͖̓̓̽͝o̴̬̣̞̓́̑͘ ̸̥͇̣͚́̉͘͜l̴͎̹̯͚͖̒ö̴͙͓̹́̔̚͝ņ̸̣̮̽ͅǧ̸̡ ̸̝͇̟̈́̀a̶̲̼̩͕̻͂ģ̵̨̭͕̘͋̃̀͝o̷͇̙̯͆̀̀̌͜
The burning headache he was becoming familiar with reared its ugly head. It felt like a fiery hold of sorts, pulling from several directions at the same time. He didn't know how, but it always carried this strange sensation. One that felt like it was trying to lead him…somewhere.
After yet, despite the echoes rattling in his skull. The forceful tugging that threatened to thorn him apart, and the understanding of the overall consequences this road was going to lead…
"When you put it like that, Junko, it does sound exciting."
How could he say no to his beloved friend?
Huzzah, we are finally back!
So, not even the first day of classes and the best worst girl has already a target on her back, from no less than the dubbed 'smartest living being in the world'. She simply can't stay out of trouble for a moment, huh?
U.A delivered the exam's results and a certain explosive boy found them, uh, just a little bit unsatisfying. No doubt at all that his reunion with the first and second placers will be an harmonious and wholesome one.
Right, of course it will.
Meanwhile Izuku and Junko...well, they are doing Izuku and Junko things.
On brighter news, though! As I upload this chapter, I can confirm I've made some good progress on the next one. The wonders of having a few days off from the job. I want to say it will be done just a week from now on, but knowing me, I wouldn't count on that big of a miracle.
Regardless, I will do my best to deliver. Until next time!