Disclaimer:
My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi. Rising of the Shield Hero was created by Aneko Yusagi. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. This story uses plot elements and characters from them.
The Quirk War
By: RB3
Building the Foundation Ch 7: Past & Future
For the rest of the week, the Mustafar Lords remained hidden to avoid the heat. Despite those efforts, they were not able to elude the Wild Hunt, who secretly spied on them on behalf of the Spade Mercenaries. Every night, the Wild Hunt would perch on the shelter of JP Petro, listening to whatever conversations they had. "That heist was the biggest haul we've ever had! We can live on that for months!" said Tetsuo with the widest smile.
"Yeah. I've been thinking. Now that we're filthy rich, it's time we show those Alderaan punks just who's boss around here," said Akira. "Next Saturday night, let's head to Alderaan and put 'em six feet under."
"YEAH!" cheered the Mustafar Lords, several members thrusting their fists into the air.
Since Akira's decree, the Mustafar Lords prepared by stockpiling guns and ammunition via black market connections. On the final night of the week-long grace period, Abel appeared before them to hear their answer. "We say 'no' to your Foundation! No clown in a bath robe is going to tell us what to do!" said Akira.
The members of the Mustafar transformed into their Avatars in preparation to attack. Akira had transformed into a monster resembling a devilish black shadow with burning red eyes. His Avatar was known as "Resident Evil." His girlfriend, Kiyoko, transformed into the ninja "Shinobi." His second in command, Tetsuo, transformed into "Origami King," a being made of folded paper who resembled a king.
The two remaining Mustafar Lords also transformed. The fourth, Shotaro, became the "Dragon Warrior," a humanoid dragon in armour armed with a spear. The last gang member, Yamagata, transformed into "Quaker," a rotund man made of earth who was clad in a wide-brimmed hat like members of that Christian sect. The five Atma Avatars of the Mustafar Lords hurled various attacks, but Abel vanished in a flicker of blue light, resulting in their attacks missing.
The Mustafar Lords were befuddled by his sudden disappearance. "So be it, Mustafar Lords! Since you want to continue your cannibalistic ways, we will show no mercy. Don't say I didn't warn you!" resounded Abel's scolding voice from all around. Due to its telepathic nature, the Lords could not find his location even as they looked everywhere.
"They're so rebellious!" remarked Izuku, once Abel reported the results of his visit back at the colosseum.
Abel sighed. "Aye. The time has come. They intend to attack the Alderaan Rebels next Saturday night. That will be our best chance to catch them by surprise," said Abel. "As an exercise, here are some pictures of the Avatars of our targets. What can you tell me about them just by looking at them?"
The demon hunters looked over the array of photos he and the Wild Hunt had taken. "Judging by his name and appearance, Quaker has powers over the earth. I'm sure he can rankle us by shaking the very ground we stand on," replied Danjuro.
"Resident Evil is a creature of darkness with powers over the dark. Holy powers should light him up," replied Izuku. "He looks like a living shadow, so it should be easy for him to slip through cracks in doors and windows."
"If Origami King is made of paper, he must burn easily," remarked Melissa.
"Dragon Warrior is a reptile, so cold should cause him problems. He can probably breathe fire and is very resistant against fire and heat-based attacks," replied Manami.
"Good! No one said anything about Shinobi. Can anyone give us a quick assessment about her?" asked Abel.
"She's probably very stealthy and elusive. She's going to try to sneak up on you while you're unaware, so make sure to watch your back," replied Kashiko.
"Good. You did well, all of you. Next Saturday is when we move. It's a hunt. We can't allow the Lords to harm any more people than they already have," said Abel.
The night of the big rumble arrived as dozens of Mustafar Lords rode out to Alderaan, the northern district of Mustafar City. The engines of their bikes vroomed as they sped down the street into the territory of their hated rivals. As soon as they spotted a small group of them riding by on the street ahead, they pulled out guns and started shooting. Bangs resounded around the intersection. Surprised, two Rebels had been struck by their foes' bullets and fell from their bikes.
Word of the Mustafar Lord raid spread as witnesses alerted others via smartphone. News of the attack summoned the main force of the Rebels to where their friends had been shot, where they found more Lords coming down the street. The two sides sprayed bullets at each other with bikers being struck, even dismounted, from being hit. The Lords found a restaurant and dismounted their bikes to take cover in and behind its walls.
The patrons within heard the pops of gunpowder going off and saw holes getting punched into the window and creating cracks on the glass. "Holy shit!" remarked one of them.
One of the Lords ran inside, then turned around to fire back out into the street. "He's got a gun!" cried another patron.
"BANG BANG!" went his pistol as bullets flew at the Rebels. Another set of bangs came from the opposite direction and more cracks appeared on the glass window.
Caught in the crossfire, an unaware taxi driver had been struck. He lost control of his vehicle, which swerved into a street lamp and crashed, leaving the lamp post bent and his vehicle smoking. The restaurant patrons promptly fled through the back, screaming and nearly trampling a waiter as they stampeded by. "There's a gang war outside! Run for it!" cried a fleeing patron to the staff in the back.
Outside, some of the Rebels invaded a house for use as a firing position against the Lords holed up in and around the restaurant. These Rebels had terrified the family into fleeing, screaming as they fled through their back door. Other Rebels took positions in other homes and returned fire at the Lords. After several exchanges of fire, both sides had lost members. The five infectees had exhausted their ammunition, so decided to assume Avatar form. As they emerged from behind the restaurant to attack, the Rebels unloaded bullets into them. Despite taking several shots, they did not fall.
Shinobi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a trash can. She popped up behind a Rebel in a living room, then slit his throat with a kunai. The other two Rebels noticed her, then fired back. Upon being hit, she vanished in another puff of smoke, which cleared to reveal a trash can. Suddenly, both Rebels felt an object prick them in the back. When they removed it, it turned out to be a dart. Both gang members suddenly felt dizzy with vision blurring. Moments later, the poison in the darts had felled them.
As Shinobi left the house through the back, she was unaware of another figure creeping up on her from the roof behind. Once she reached the street, it struck! Its luminescent blue claws tore through her back, splitting her in two. Her remains scattered over the ground, then vanished in a burst of Magatsuhi motes. At that moment, Resident Evil came from down the street and saw his girl die right before his eyes.
He then glared at her attacker, Altered Beast Werewolf. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" cried Resident Evil.
Resident Evil hurled dark bolts at Beast, who hopped to the roof of a house for safety. Resident Evil scurried up the wall to chase after him. Altered Beast jumped to a different house nearby, causing his pursuer to do the same. After he descended to street level, Resident Evil continued on his tail. Suddenly, three card soldiers descended upon him and thrust spears at him. Resident Evil was forced to break pursuit and evade. He hurled bolts of darkness at each soldier, destroying all in an instant. In this time, the Werewolf had gotten behind him, then severed his head with one Lunar Claw swipe.
Origami King hurled paper darts at the Rebels, impaling two in the chest. In turn, his back had been riddled with machine gun fire from Metal Gear. Seeing his friend fall, Dragon Warrior descended upon her and spewed flame. She noticed and quickly formed a heater shield to block. From a distant roof, Plant Zombie fired peashooter plants grown from his body. Dragon Warrior was overwhelmed by the onslaught and staggered. Metal Gear sent a metal spike through his heart, felling him.
Sirens from police cars sounded in the air as they and pro heroes came to restore order. Quaker saw the arrival of a police convoy and stomped the ground, creating a fissure down the road. The car at point quickly swerved left to avoid falling in. Other cars swerved right instead. The police surrounded Quaker and stopped their car sideways to form cover from his attacks.
"This is the police! Put your hands up and surrender!" demanded one of the officers while pointing his gun at Quaker.
"No way, copper!" cried Quaker.
His stomp triggered an earthquake which knocked down the police officer as well as the others in cover behind their cars. Two pro heroes flew over to try to apprehend him, but Quaker hurled dirt into their eyes. They crashed to the ground, blinded and dazed momentarily. Quaker tore open the ground beneath their feet and sent them into the abyss. Serenoa sent a bolt of lightning booming upon Quaker, leaving him charred on the ground before he burst into motes of Magatsuhi.
"Everyone, I just felled Quaker. With him down, all of the infected Lords have been eliminated! It's time to retreat," reported Serenoa through telepathy.
As Plant Zombie received the message, he came face-to-face with a pro hero who had spiky blond hair and stubble on his face. He wore bamboo-like ornaments over his ears and on his back like a pair of crossed swords. This familiar face was one from Danjuro's past. This old acquaintance had the Quirk of Bamboo, which allowed him to create and control bamboo. "Takeshita," muttered Plant Zombie.
"What?" asked the pro hero, Bamboono.
Rather than say anything more, Plant Zombie caught him in a giant Venus flytrap, then quickly retreated from the battlefield. The Foundation's hunters gathered at an alley away from the chaos. They were instantly teleported out of the area in a flicker of blue light. The group appeared in the Domain and returned to human form. "It's done," Izuku reported to Abel.
Abel nodded. "The city is safer after you removed these murderous infectees. You've done well," remarked Abel.
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The next morning, Izuku attended school at Alderaan Junior High. "Did you hear about that gang war last night, the one between the Mustafar Lords and Alderaan Rebels?" asked one random female student to a male one.
"Yeah. It was bad. Really bad. Dozens of people got killed," said the male student.
"None of the cameras were working that night, so the police have no footage of the battle, only eyewitnesses," reported the girl as she looked over the news brief via smartphone.
Seated in his desk, Izuku elected not to say anything, thinking back to how he had intervened and slain the infected Lords as Altered Beast. It was the first time he had ever killed a living person. Although the Lords were more demon than human as Avatars, it was still a lot to process. Despite these misgivings, Abel reminded him about the realities of these professions. Even pro heroes had to kill villains on occasion, as did the police in order to protect others.
Via smartphone, Izuku glanced at the pictures of the resulting damage to the Alderaan district. Streets had been ripped to pieces after Quaker tore chasms into the ground. Several windows had been shot through with holes left behind. Many corpses of both gang members and civilians were strewn about, taking many hours for emergency services to remove. Having seen the damage first hand and being actively involved in the incident, he knew it was very bad.
Izuku's thoughts turned to how destructive fights between villains and pro heroes were. Quirks made crimes easy to commit, with great collateral damage to be expected. The police simply could not cope with criminals who could fling superpowers all day, which necessitated the pro hero. Due to the prestige of pro heroes, Izuku was among the many people who wanted to be one.
As Izuku's thoughts drifted towards his pro hero dreams, his teacher took the front of the class and brought him back to reality. "As third year students here, it's time to start thinking seriously about your futures. Here are forms to select your high school, but I know you all want to be pro heroes!" said the teacher, handing them out to the front row of desks.
"Sir, when must we return these forms?" asked one female student as she received hers.
"You have until the end of next week. Think hard about which school you want to go," said the teacher.
The teacher also handed out small booklets with information on various high schools and what they specialized in. One of the institutions listed was I-Island Academy, also known as I-Technical, the same place Melissa attended currently. It specialized in training students in the creation of Quirk support items, the same type of work David Shield specialized in. Izuku scanned the booklet and saw entries for more prestigious and familiar schools such as Shiketsu High, Seijin High, Ketsubutsu Academy, Isamu Academy, and Seiai Academy.
All of them were great schools, but there was one he wanted to attend more than the others. That was UA High, the alma mater of All Might, the number one pro hero of Japan and "Symbol of Peace." It was the most prestigious of the schools, giving its graduates a great reputation once they entered real hero work. However, he would have to honour the promise he made to Abel and refrain from applying to a hero course.
Later on, when Izuku went to the Domain to train, Danjuro saw the booklet and form as they changed into exercise clothes. "Oh, you're choosing your high school?" asked Danjuro.
"Yeah. I'm almost done junior high. I have to look to the future," said Izuku.
"The future..." said Danjuro wistfully, becoming engrossed in thought.
"Is something wrong?" asked Izuku. "You seemed sad when I mentioned that."
"I wanted to be a pro hero too at one time, when I was a wee lad. Seeing you now and Takeshita yesterday brought up some old memories," replied Danjuro.
"Why didn't you go pro?" asked Izuku, puzzled at his friend's situation.
Danjuro sighed. "I just wasn't good enough. I got bad grades and failed my provisional licence exam four times. To make matters worse, I botched the rescue of a window cleaner. There he was, hanging on to his rig for dear life. I thought I could use my Elasticity Quirk to make a cushion for him. Instead, he bounced off and the cushion got in the way of a pro hero coming to rescue him. The cleaner got seriously injured and sued my parents. They were harassed constantly and when they couldn't bear it any more, they disowned me. Since then, I lived on my own and did odd jobs and foraged to survive," replied Danjuro.
"It must have been rough," remarked Izuku in sympathy.
"Yeah, but what wounded me the most was when I saw Takeshita after his graduation. He had become a pro and even had his own agency," said Danjuro.
"Oh, do you mean the pro hero Bamboono?" asked Izuku.
"Aye. Takeshita didn't even know me, even though we went to school together. That was when I knew everyone had forgotten me, and it hurt," said Danjuro sheepishly. "I didn't want to die old and alone, forgotten. When I found a book about famous villains in history, that was when I came up with the idea to commit crimes and film them for publicity. Soon after, I met Manami and we've been a team ever since."
Izuku smiled. "At least you found something good in her, despite all your misfortunes," assured Izuku.
"Yes. Manami has been the best partner I could ever hope for, even if our videos weren't too popular," said Danjuro, who chuckled. "Then, the incident at the mall happened and here we are."
"You were infected like I was," said Izuku.
"Soon after, Atbro found us," said Danjuro.
As if on cue, a banging came from the door. "Hey! Hurry up in there!" called Atsuro from the other side.
"Speak of the devil! We shouldn't keep him waiting," said Danjuro.
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The demon hunters of the Atma Foundation gathered in the arena for their next training session. The firing range southwest of the colosseum took on the form of an old village from what appeared to be medieval Europe. The inhabitants were human peasants who laboured under a local lord, tending the land and growing food for him. The roads were made of dirt and a farmer used them to bring goods from the fields via a wagon pulled by an ostrich-like bird.
"What is this place?" asked Melissa as everyone passed its front arch.
"This is the village of Lute from the the nation of Melromarc in the world of Melro. We were here fighting a war against its Waves of Calamity before we came to Hero Society," replied Atsuro. "This is where your training will take place."
"We're going to initiate a Wave over the city. Your job is to get the people to safety and fend off the invading monsters," said Abel.
"They use ostriches instead of horses here?" asked Izuku, looking at the ostrich-like bird which pulled the wagon.
"Yep. That bird is known as a filorial. They're Melromarc's main draft animal. They love to pull things as exercise," replied Abel. "Speaking of exercise. Get ready, cause yours is about to begin. Do what you must to get the people to safety."
As soon as Abel and the other Spade Mercs left, the sky turned red rapidly. A series of fissures started to open above and from them dropped dozens of unknown beings. One of them landed near Izuku with a thud, prompting him to transform into the Werewolf. Beast could see that the creature was a Wave zombie, an undead warrior armed with a worn sword and clad in tattered armour. He could detect the hostility radiating from its being, promptly charging and cutting down the undead marauder.
A bell started ringing as a member of the local militia banged on it from atop a crude tower of tied sticks. Another cast a spell which shot a flare into the air, shining a bright light visible for miles around. A Wave zombie landed near Serenoa, which she promptly incinerated with fire magic. "To anyone who can assist, please send help! Lute Village is being attacked by Wave monsters!" Serenoa broadcast for miles around via telepathy.
Danjuro became Plant Zombie and confronted another Wave zombie which accosted a nearby militia member. He created a Venus flytrap which caught the undead. "Thank you hero!" said the militiaman, who promptly skewered the zombie with a spear.
Three new zombies landed nearby, prompting the two to face them. The militiaman advanced and stabbed one of the zombies. Plant Zombie fired his peashooters at the other two, but a pea accidentally sailed past and struck a second militiaman in battle with a different Wave zombie. "OW!" gasped the second, his wound now bleeding.
Plant Zombie quickly shot that Wave zombie before it could threaten the fallen militiaman. "Careful hero! Watch your attack!" cried the first militiaman.
"My apologies! Please allow me heal you," said Plant Zombie, who sprayed a rejuvenating oil onto the bruise. The wound gradually faded.
A short distance to the village entrance, Queen had deployed a dozen card soldiers to her side. One of them found a mother cowering in an inn with and her baby. "Ma'am, we have to leave. We'll take you to safety," said the card soldier.
"Lead the way," said the mother.
Outside, other card soldiers held back Wave zombies near the village limits. One of the zombies suddenly broke through their line and charged at the mother being escorted to safety. Queen leapt in front and summoned the Kingdom of Hearts. The zombie recoiled from the spectral wall, to be promptly blasted by the muskets of the soldiers on the walls. The card soldier continued its escort of the mother and eventually got her far from the Wave-afflicted village.
Metal Gear fired at several zombies, riddling their heads and felling them. Those that survived were surrounded by nearby militia members and finished off with well-placed thrusts. One of the men broke the wooden shaft of his spear during the attack. "This unit will provide a new weapon to you," said Metal Gear, who absorbed the tip, then used it and some metal reserves to refashion a pure iron spear.
"Thank you hero. This is a wonderful weapon," remarked the militiaman.
Nearby, Altered Beast tore through a pack of zombies with a Lunar Kick. The holy-charged attack had disintegrated a large swath through the enemy ranks. The surviving zombies noticed and advanced on him, but his claws tore through them, disintegrating them with with holy lunar power. The zombies continued to advance and had him surrounded, but he transformed into the Garuda and took to the air where they could not follow.
Beast conjured a tornado which sucked in the zombies and whirled them in a circle. His tornado accidentally crossed over a house as it advanced and ripped it to pieces, whirling them along with its foes. When it dissipated, the zombies were battered beyond recognition and got dumped on the ground in a heap. As Lute's defenders eliminated the zombies, the skies cleared on their own and the Wave ended. The Avatars mopped up the last of the monsters, then reverted to human form and gathered for a review with the Spade Mercs.
"Okay guys, good work clearing that Wave, but there were some issues I noticed," said Abel. "Danjuro, you accidentally hit a militiaman with an attack and Izuku, you wrecked a house with yours. Granted, neither of you caused any lasting harm, but please be more careful."
"I understand. I need better control," replied Izuku.
"Manami, it would have been better had you secured the area before you started moving the mother. The zombies saw her as easy prey and went after her," said Midori.
"Okay," said Manami.
"That was a pretty good first attempt. No one got killed and only a few bruises and a wrecked empty house came about from friendly fire," said Abel.
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After the training session in the mock Lute Village, the Foundation's demon hunters returned to the locker rooms to change back into plain clothes. A knocking came on the door. Izuku answered and found Mao. "Izuku, my master and your mother wish to speak to you at the meeting room after you're dressed," said Mao.
"Okay, I'll be out soon," said Izuku, who put on a shirt.
He met with Abel and his mother at a table. "Please sit down. Let's discuss your future," said Abel, presenting him an unused chair. "I heard that you're about to pick your high school for after middle school."
"Yeah. My teacher gave me the form earlier today. I have until the end of next week to fill it out," replied Izuku.
"You've promised me this, but don't apply to a hero training course," warned Abel.
"I know. I'll keep my promise, but what course should I apply to if I can't take heroics?" asked Izuku.
"Why not go into business or support gear development instead?" asked Abel.
Izuku's gaze lowered. "I don't know..." muttered Izuku.
"Right now, there's a glut of pro heroes, so finding work as one might be tough," said Abel. "On the other hand, things break all the time, so people will need a repair man for that. They also like to have cool new toys to buy, which the support and business side can bring to market. The business course can also teach you about managing an organization like the Atma Foundation. You can also go into general studies."
Izuku stroked his chin, deep in contemplation. "I see what you're getting at. I need to think about having a secure job to support myself, and as a cover for my demon hunting," said Izuku.
"That's the idea, Izuku. We both want you to be able to support yourself in the future," said Inko.
"Exactly. One day, we'll need to leave to confront the demons in another world. Even if we defeat them here, they won't ever be completely eradicated. I foresee the Atma Foundation becoming an authority on matters supernatural after we're gone. When that time comes, you and the others must continue the vigil for us," said Abel.
"I see. You want us to succeed you in the fight against the demons," said Izuku.
Abel nodded. "Someone has to do it, or else any victories we achieve here will be meaningless," said Abel.
Izuku lowered his head and stroked his chin. "You've given me a lot to think about. Thanks for speaking to me," said Izuku.
"Yes, thank you for talking to my son," said Inko.
Later on at home, Izuku mulled over what course and school he should apply for. Izuku narrowed down his choices to those with general, support, and business courses with UA High still making the list. Also on the list was I-Tech, which Melissa attended currently. It was considered one of the best schools in the world for support item creation. Others included Isamu, Shiketsu, Seiai, and Ketsubutsu, all of which had such programs. The others in his booklet were not what he was looking for, so they got cut.
In the end, he decided that UA High would be his destination. With the hero course off limits, he had to choose between general studies, business management, or the support program. Ultimately, he decided on the support program. It was through it that he could learn how to build support gear, which could endow himself with new abilities when he could not wield the power of Altered Beast. He filled out the sheet and put UA High first, followed by Isamu in second, and Ketsubutsu in third.
The form also had a space for him to fill out his Quirk's name and a description of what it could do. He decided to consult Abel, who stroked his chin as he pondered what to tell UA. "Put down 'Regeneration,' the ability to heal rapidly from any injury suffered. It's the one ability you retain as a human from Altered Beast," replied Abel, when he was asked about that.
"Okay. Thanks for your help. I'm going to hand in my form when I return to school," said Izuku.
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As the year came to a close and the next arrived, winter neared its end in Japan. Students who had applied for UA High were gathered at the grounds of their school for an entrance exam. Izuku sat in one of the seats and looked through the test, which was a review of the material he had learned during junior high. He knew how to solve the vast majority of the questions and simply filled out the answers without hesitation. Once the proctor called the exam's end, his helpers gathered the applicants' tests.
Izuku left the building and saw the gate to one of UA's sprawling training grounds. Some of the students were gathering there, as they were hopefuls who wanted entry into the hero course. He saw Katsuki Bakugo among the crowd, who was too busy boasting to the other students to notice his presence. Rather than run afoul of him, Izuku continued on his way home.
A week had passed and Inko came rushing into the apartment. "Izuku! You've got a letter! You've got a letter!" announced Inko as she presented her son's mail to him.
The letter came from UA High. No doubt it was his exam results. Izuku took the letter to his room and ripped it open at his desk. Inside was a single holographic projector, a small disk-like device. When he activated it, a recorded image of All Might appeared. "Boo yah! I am here as a projection now!" announced All Might.
Izuku's jaw dropped to see his idol looking back at him from the recording. "All Might? This is from UA, right?" asked Izuku.
"With great power comes a great amount of paperwork! I didn't come to UA simply to fight villains. You're looking at UA's newest faculty member!" announced All Might.
"Is this for real? You're gonna be a teacher at UA?" asked Izuku, stunned to hear that from the man himself.
A hand belonging to someone off camera gestured to All Might. "Huh? Who's showboating?" asked All Might. The unknown person gestured again. "What? I have to do how many of these things? ARRRGH! Anyways, back to your test results. You scored 85% on your written test. Since you applied for the support course, you weren't required to take a practical exam. You made the cutoff, so congratulations young Midoriya! I look forward to seeing you at school."
The holographic footage ended, leaving Izuku alone with his thoughts. "Woohoo!" cheered Izuku, thrusting his fists into the air at his success. However, he was even more shocked to realize that his idol, All Might, was going to teach at UA, training the next generation of heroes in the trade. Even though he was glad to have passed, he wished circumstances would have allowed him entry into the hero course so he could learn directly from the greatest hero of his time.
When Izuku left his room, his mother smiled serenely. "I heard you all the way out here. You passed, didn't you?" asked Inko.
Izuku beamed a bright smile at his mother. "Yes mom, I did! You know what else I found out? All Might will be teaching at UA!" replied Izuku.
Inko winced at this revelation. "Oh, you so must have wanted to learn from him!" remarked Inko.
"Yeah, I did, but I promised Master Abel. I already took my test so it's too late now to change anything," said Izuku.
"It's not the end of the world. You're still learning how to fight demons from Abel. I'm sure he wants you to broaden your horizons. You can do a lot of cool things in support," said Inko.
A few weeks later, the first day of high school began for Izuku. That morning, Izuku had donned a special jumpsuit similar to those worn by mechanics. The navy blue jumpsuit had the initials of UA emblazoned in white letters on the shoulders and the left side of the chest. It was the support course's uniform, since their work made it far too easy to soil and damage a normal suit-like uniform. His ensemble also came with a pair of safety gloves, masks, and goggles.
On his first day, he was shown to the UA development studio, which was the school's workshop. Izuku saw various tools on racks and vises and clamps at various tables for working on projects. At the centre, mounted on a cardboard plaque, were the regulations for the class. They included wearing protective equipment like goggles, avoiding loose jewellery and clothing, and not engaging in horseplay.
The teacher who presided over the place was a shirtless man with ginger hair who wore a mask resembling an excavator's bucket over his head. "I am Higari Maijima. I also go by the name 'Power Loader.' I will handle home room and shop class," introduced the man. "Heroes bring villains to justice, but they wouldn't be able to do their job effectively without people like us backing them. Our creations help heroes manage their Quirks and use them to their full potential."
Power Loader also had a pair of more established, third-year students with him at his shop. Those students led the class around the UA campus, showing them the various areas where hero students could train. They included the mock city of Ground Beta, the maze of pipes which formed the mock industrial zone of Ground Gamma, and the forested terrain of Ground Omega. All of these areas simulated a place where a fight against a villain could break out. They could also be used as test sites for gear.
The next day, classes truly began for Izuku. Maijima entered the shop and took the head of Class 1H. "Hello new students. For our first exercise, let's have everyone introduce themselves to the class."
As Maijima went down the list, each student got up and addressed the class in turn. A boisterous, pink-haired girl with pupils resembling a set of cross-hairs took the front of the class. "I'm Mei Hatsume. I hope to make tons of new babies while at UA. I want to get into a good company and have my inventions be used by everyone!" said the girl. "My Quirk is Zoom. I can use it to see very far away. If you need help with that, I'm the girl for you!"
Eventually, Izuku got his turn at the front. "Hi, I'm Izuku Midoriya. I'm a fan of heroes and their Quirks. I take notes on them all the time. I wanted to be a hero like All Might, but I don't have a powerful Quirk like he does. Mine is Regeneration. I can heal from injury very quickly, but that just means I'm a punching bag. So, I went into support so I could help heroes behind the scenes," said Izuku.
After introductions and lectures, Izuku got a free hour to eat lunch at the Lunch Rush cafeteria. As he took his tray from the counter, he scanned the room for a free seat. He found one three tables away and sat there. "Excuse me! Coming through!" he said as he passed by a familiar girl with ginger hair to get to his seat. "Hey, I think I've seen some of you at the exam!"
"I wouldn't be surprised. I'm Itsuka Kendo, Class 1B," replied the ginger-haired girl.
Izuku smiled. "Oh, the hero course! I'm Izuku Midoriya of Class 1H of support," replied Izuku.
"Oh, so you're a support student! It's kinda obvious from that jumpsuit," remarked Itsuka.
"Hey man! Nice to meet you! I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu," said a boy with wild grey hair seated across from Itsuka. "That's a mouthful, so just call me Tetsu for short. I'm in the same class as Kendo."
"I'm Neito Monoma, also from the same class. It's great to meet you Midoriya," said the blond boy with short hair next to Tetsu.
"I'm Ibara Shiozaki. I'm in the same class as them," said the a with thorny, vine-like hair who sat across from Monoma and beside Itsuka. "I'm glad to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, all of you. What kind of Quirks do you have? I'm a fan of heroes and their Quirks. I keep notes on everything I see," said Izuku.
"My Quirk is Big Hands. I can make my hands really big," replied Itsuka.
"Mine's Steel. I can turn my body to metal," replied Tetsu.
"Both Quirks sound so useful. You must pack a pretty mean punch, Kendo, and it must be nice not having to worry about getting hurt, Tetsu," said Izuku. "My Quirk is Regeneration. I can heal very fast, but other than some martial arts and being a punching bag, I'm of little good in a straight fight."
Izuku was only being partially truthful, since he was at his weakest while in human form. His Regeneration "Quirk" was only one aspect of his true power, the Atma Altered Beast, and the only one active in all forms. Beyond that, Izuku had been receiving training in parkour and martial arts from the Spade Mercenaries. As a human, the best he could ever do was hold the line against a foe with an overpowering Quirk.
"Don't be so modest! Martial arts are great! I train in them myself," said Itsuka.
"You do? What styles?" asked Izuku, eager to know.
"I know a bit of boxing, muay thai, and wushu," replied Itsuka. "My Quirk is really good for punching, so that's what I focus on."
"I can strike. I can also do some grappling too, like wrestling and jiu-jitsu," replied Izuku. "What about your Quirks?" Izuku asked Monoma and Ibara.
"Copy. I can copy other Quirks," replied Monoma. "Oh, it's only temporary and I can't copy too many at the same time."
"Mine is called Vines. As you can see, my hair is like vines. I can extend them to capture people," replied Ibara.
"Both very useful Quirks, especially yours, Monoma. Your copying seems quite powerful. With the right combination, you can beat almost anyone," remarked Izuku.
"If only it were that easy. I have to touch the Quirk's owner first. No enemy would let me do that," said Monoma.
"It's nice meeting all of you," said Izuku.
END OF CHAPTER