As Izuku stepped out onto the athletics field, he was well aware that Bakugou was staring at him. He'd noted that Bakugou seemed to be keeping his distance from Izuku, which wasn't anything new, but the way he'd send the smaller boy glances every time he moved his hands for something would send shivers down Izuku's spine, and he didn't know why. Well, he knew exactly why, because he'd begun shaking and freaking out like a weirdo before class had even started, but Bakugou usually had an air of confidence, even when he was acting on fear. It was strange to see Bakugou do anything fearfully, but the not-so-subtle glances whenever Izuku moved his hands were definitely ticking all the boxes.
He couldn't focus on that, though. Izuku walked across the grass toward where the teacher, apparently called Aizawa, was waiting for the class. He was preceded by Bakugou by minutes, but Mineta, oddly, hung at his side like a dog who'd been spooked by a loud noise. He guessed it had something to do with how the girls would throw dirty looks when the smaller boy looked over at them, but Izuku wasn't sure about that. He didn't know what Mineta had done and said before he'd arrived, and he wasn't sure he wanted to if it had garnered such an immediate dislike for him as a result.
Izuku approached the gathering of students and hung back, not wanting to be at the front of any crowd after his small spike of panic earlier. His hands still ached, but it was more manageable now. He tuned into what Aizawa was saying to the group, as all the others had.
"We're going to be conducting a test of your Quirks," the teacher said, making Izuku's stomach drop. He continued, "You'll go through seven tests of your physical abilities, supplemented by your Quirks in whichever way you see fit. Do whatever it takes to get the highest score possible. Go beyond."
"Alright, sounds like fun!" a pink skinned girl exclaimed, agreeing with the general air of excitement that was quickly spreading throughout the crowd of students.
"Oh, you think this is a game? Fine, then whoever comes in last place will be expelled. How's that for fun ?" Aizawa added.
A murmur broke out across the class. This was what they were doing instead of orientation? Izuku frowned, having confirmed for himself that this would suck right out of the gate. He'd thought UA's patented 'subversive, alternative teaching style' would amount to petty hazing, but school hadn't even officially started yet and they were already on a whole other level with it. Looking around, Izuku could spot four other people with seemingly non-powerup type Quirks that would automatically score in the bottom five, and Izuku included himself into that, so five. Before this test had even begun, he could pinpoint who was going to fail, and he felt a hot flash of anger streak through him. Before he knew it, he was talking.
"That's unfair," he said.
"Unfair? You don't know what unfair is, kid. Not until you see—" Aizawa tried to say.
"—avoidable deaths?" Izuku asked, not allowing himself to waver when the class parted to give him line of sight with Aizawa. It looked like something flashed in his eyes for a moment, but his stoic mask was put back on with haste. "Until you see the spilling of blood that was entirely preventable? Until you see red when you close your eyes? I know what unfairness is, and I'm looking it in the eye right now."
"Midoriya—"
"No, listen to me. That girl over there, the invisible one; you've said to use our Quirks however we can to score high on these physical tests, but how is being invisible going to help her run faster?" Izuku asked, only frowning deeper when Aizawa did not answer. "You, with the earlobes, what's your Quirk?"
A shorter, purple-haired girl with long, hanging mutations shaped like the jack to a pair of headphones startled and flushed at being called out. She was silent for a moment, but then spoke up with, "Uh, I can hear from far away and detect vibrations."
"How will that help you lift up a piece of heavy rock, or metal?" Izuku asked again.
"It … won't?" the girl said back.
"Yeah. You," Izuku said, feeling more confident now that he was on a roll. He pointed out the tall, well-built boy with a spiky mutation atop his head. "What can you do?"
"I … can … talk to animals," the boy said in a quiet, strained voice.
"What will you do when you need to clear a gap to save a hostage?" Izuku asked.
The boy went quiet. Izuku wasn't surprised. He looked back at Aizawa, who looked angry enough, with his prominent scowl and furrowed brow, that it seemed his eyes were glowing red. Actually, they were glowing red, and his hair was sticking straight up somehow. Izuku suddenly felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, like he was able to breathe again, and it came to him when his hands stopped aching. This was Shouta Aizawa, the Erasure hero. Eraserhead. This was one of the best heroes in the underground scene, and Izuku had been shit-talking him to his face. Holy crap.
"Are you done?" Aizawa asked, looking Izuku dead in the eyes with his own shimmering ones.
"Yeah, that about sums up my problem," Izuku said, suddenly feeling as though his throat was very dry.
"Good. If you don't like how I teach my class, you don't have to sit through it. Have a problem? Leave, and don't come back. It's no skin off my back if you can't handle putting in a little effort ," Aizawa said, slowly stepping toward Izuku as he spoke, eventually coming to stand directly over him.
Izuku saw red. Effort? Effort ?
"Do you have any idea what my Quirk did?" Izuku asked, keeping his voice low even if everyone heard him anyway.
"Your Quirk breaks down matter at a molecular—"
"Not what it does . What it did ," he said, slower this time.
Aizawa looked into Izuku's eyes, clearly trying to figure out what he meant. Izuku tried to put everything into the way he looked at the man, every ounce of grief and pain that he'd had to suffer through in the years after his Quirk's first activation. Clearly, the great Eraserhead wasn't a people-person, because he simply sighed and released his Quirk, which must have been solely for the intimidation factor, since Izuku's hadn't been anywhere close to using his Quirk. He can't say it didn't work, but it was still overkill at best .
"I'll do your tests," Izuku said.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes at Izuku, and he could've sworn that the teacher's hand twitched upward, but he calmed down soon enough. Aizawa walked back over to the front of the group as his hair fell around his head and back into its messy clump around his shoulders. There was a moment of silence from the class as they feared the wrath of a man who would threaten expulsion as a casual punishment. What would he do to a kid who so clearly challenged his authority on the first day? There were a few people looking at Izuku, including Uraraka, Mineta and Bakugou, who snapped their gazes to the front as soon as he looked their way. Uraraka lingered a little longer, but reluctantly turned away from Izuku when he gestured vaguely for her to do so, even though it kind of hurt to tell his new friend not to worry about it.
"If there aren't any further interruptions, we'll start with the ball throw. Midoriya, you placed first on the practical exam," Aizawa said, tossing Izuku a ball he almost didn't catch. "Throw it as hard as you can, using your Quirk, without leaving the circle."
Izuku, ball in hand, walked over to the pitcher's mound in the middle of the field. He stood in the circle, thinking about how he could use his Quirk to get a higher result in this test. Ignoring the small sound of outrage that came from Bakugou at the confirmation that he'd been first in the entrance exam, Izuku almost felt the gears turning in his head. His mind recalled his way to blow off steam, the way in which he'd Decimate balls while throwing them so that they'd turn to dust in the air. If Izuku could use his Quirk in a way that altered the ball's shape and aerodynamics, then he could probably get it to fly further than he could've with a plain throw.
Slipping his glove off, Izuku rolled the ball in his other hand, trying to pin down the spot at which it would be best to use his Quirk to achieve the result he was aiming for. Once he realised that was kind of useless, since it was a perfectly spherical ball, Izuku simply chose a spot at random and tried it. He pinched all of his fingers on his uncovered hand together and pressed down on the ball with them, making contact with it in the barest possible fashion and triggering his Quirk. Izuku immediately tore his hand away, not wanting the ball to fully disintegrate, just enough. The ball caved in, a small collection of dust spilling out of a brand new cavity in it that travelled about halfway through the small sphere. That would have to be enough, as Aizawa was looking at him with an intense glare that told Izuku to get on with his throw.
Putting his glove back on, Izuku took it in his good hand. He leaned back and tensed his arm, ready to throw, and then sent it, hurling the ball into the air with all the strength his thin limbs could muster. The ball soared through the air, hurtling away from Izuku, and he saw that its path wasn't straight. It had a kind of angle to it that veered left, as if it was being subtly pulled in that direction. Izuku figured it was because of the cavity, and saw it fall to the ground, accompanied by a beep from Aizawa's device. When Aizawa turned it around to show Izuku, he was pleasantly surprised to see a score of 57 metres, which was more than he'd been hoping for. He rejoined the class in a fairly neutral state, as he'd just about expected this from the get-go, but was doing well, if he could say so himself.
It did really bugged Izuku, however, that UA had Eraserhead teaching. That just felt like they admitted they couldn't control their students. See, Eraserhead's Quirk was to inhibit the function of Quirks in those he could see, and so putting him in charge of a class of rowdy teenagers learning to use their Quirks felt both like a smart decision and a terrible one. It was smart, since he could easily prevent and solve problems that came up because of irresponsible Quirk use, but it was also awful because Quirks were part of people. They were biological functions. Nobody was giving a swimming coach the ability to stop their students from holding their breath. It was counter-intuitive and took away the bodily autonomy of kids. If they wanted to prevent accidents with Quirks, then they should teach the kids to use their Quirks properly instead of just pushing the Eraser button, and allow the kids to learn nothing. Izuku couldn't help but feel like it would encourage recklessness and a lack of proper Quirk-discipline.
After that little show from Bakugou, they got started. The tests were all standard physical tests that Izuku had done before, though obviously not using his Quirk. First up was the 50-metre dash, which he could use his Quirk to help score high in, so he simply ran it. It didn't help that Bakugou was paired up with him for it, but he ignored the subtle jab at him when they both crossed the finish line.
"What's your damage, Deku? I thought I made it clear that you're a fucking villain, so why are you here?" Bakugou asked.
Izuku didn't give Bakugou the satisfaction of a reply. He just walked away and sat down on the ground until the next test. That was what he'd planned, but Uraraka suddenly approached him and gave him a bright smile. Izuku felt his chest tighten as she did, but he ignored that, too.
"Hey! You did well on the dash," Uraraka said, sitting next to him on the ground.
"Nah, my Quirk can't do anything to help me here," Izuku sighed.
"Yeah, mine can't either, to be honest. I can make myself a little lighter, because of my clothes, but I can't do much," she admitted.
Izuku kept quiet. He didn't know how Uraraka would think of him after his outburst. Would she still want to be his friend after she'd seen him all but yell at a teacher on the first day? Would she think he was just some rude jerk who didn't actually want to be a hero? Would she think he was like Bakugou ? All those thoughts swirled around his head, making him feel a little dizzy, but his worries were alleviated when Uraraka spoke up.
"I'm sorry about before," she said.
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked.
"When Aizawa was talking about expulsion, I wanted to say something, but you did first, and it made me feel bad for not really joining in. It is unfair, what he's doing, and I'm glad you said something. I'm just sorry I didn't back you up," Uraraka said. She looked down at her hands, which were fidgeting in her lap.
"No!" Izuku shouted, and flushed at the accidental raising of his voice. "You didn't do anything wrong. If I'm being honest, I kind of regret rocking the boat so early. I was so prepared to be upset that I got all worked up right out of the gate."
"But it is unfair," Uraraka said.
"Yeah, but I don't think there's anything we can really do about it. The best I can really do is to get through today and hope that actual classes are better than this," Izuku said, looking over and seeing that Aizawa was gesturing for everyone to group up for the next test.
As Izuku got up, he was joined by Uraraka, who put her hand on his shoulder. His heart beat hard, and he looked back at her to see that she was staring him in the eye with a serious expression on her face. Such an expression would've looked goofy on her round, cutesy face, with those seemingly permanently flushed cheeks and that gravity defying hair, but Izuku found himself frozen by it. He forgot to breathe for a second as that moment of touch dragged on for what felt like minutes. By the end of it, Izuku regained his wits when Uraraka took her hand off his shoulder and smiled.
"We'll get through it together, right? Friends can make anything bearable!" she said, making Izuku want to throw up with how his stomach was squirming.
"Yeah," he muttered, his voice breaking as he fought not to show Uraraka what exactly he was feeling at that moment.
Izuku and Uraraka walked over to join the class once again, now moving on to the grip strength test. Trying hard to focus on his performances with these tests, Izuku didn't speak up very much after that. He simply put his head down, save for the occasional , super normal glance at Uraraka, and did his very best, throwing in a brief use of his Quirk every so often when he thought it could help and not risk anything happening. Decimation wouldn't work very well with a lot of these tests, but he could use it in the grip strength test, at least.
When Izuku got his hands on the device they were using to test their grip, Izuku waited for a moment. He stood by someone else doing it, and observed how the device worked. From what Izuku could see, the device measured grip strength by measuring how far the handle was pressed inward from the default position. He also saw that it must have had some kind of crazy resistance, as one of Izuku's classmates got around 500 kilograms by wrapping three different hands around it and squeezing. Seeing that, Izuku stepped away from the largest clump of students and pulled one of his gloves off. He then took a closer look at the device, and pinpointed the specific mechanism that pushed against the grip, which was how it measured grip strength, by measuring how much it had to push back and working backwards from there, which seemed like a flawed design. Izuku used his Quirk on it. It wasn't easy, because he had to move his fingers in a way that didn't accidentally meet the conditions of Decimation on anything else, but he managed to weave his fingers far enough into it that an inner piece turned to ash and filtered out of the device with a soft hiss of moving particles.
Then he clamped down on it, accidentally pushing the handle a little bit over to the side and past the back part it was supposed to hit when pushed on. With a pit in his stomach, hoping it had worked the way he'd thought, Izuku looked at the number that registered on the small screen at the top of the device, which put up an infinity symbol. Izuku laughed, a high, uncontrolled laugh, and people around him began to look at him, noticing that, from their point of view, he'd clamped down so hard that he'd broken it, which not even the boy with multiple arms had been able to do.
"Whoa, dude, you must have a crazy powerup Quirk!" a boy with red hair all but yelled with enthusiasm.
"Did you turn it to dust ?" asked a boy with thick, rounded elbows and dark hair.
"How'd you get infinity?" the invisible girl asked.
"Infinity?! You have to be cheating now!" Bakugou screamed from across the area.
Bakugou raced across the group and ripped Izuku's device from his hands. The blond boy looked at it for a moment and then made a small squeaking noise that Izuku took an odd amount of joy in hearing, and then dropped it. He raised his hands like he was about to blast Izuku with his Quirk, but a few layers of thick fabric wrapped around him, and all that happened was a small pop of light in the palms of his hands before Aizawa cleared his throat from behind Bakugou.
"What the fuck? What is this shit?" Bakugou screamed from under the layers, his voice muffled by the material.
"This is a specially made capture weapon of my own design. I'd advise you not to resist, as even if you do break out of it, I'll have you pay the reparation costs, which aren't insignificant for a unique item like this. I'm going to let you go now, and you're going to calm down," Aizawa drawled.
The capture weapon, which previously was taught against Bakugou's body as it held him back from attacking Izuku went slack, and Bakugou was free to move. He decided, with his infinite wisdom, not to try for an attack again, and moved over to the edges of the group so that he could sulk, probably. When he did, Izuku was able to see Aizawa, now blinking a red glow out of his eyes. His hair fell once more, and he returned his capture weapon to its default state, a grey scarf wrapped around his upper torso. He sighed and made eye contact with Izuku.
"Now what's this about infinity?" he asked.
"It has to be a mistake. There's no way that a school focused on progression and quantitative results like UA would actually allow something to read as infinite," Izuku rambled, picking up the device for Aizawa to see.
"No, that's correct. You must have bypassed the measurement system entirely by, from the looks of it, completely eliminating the method with which it does so," Aizawa looked up from the device and back at Izuku. "A little effort."
Izuku took a shaky breath in and met Aizawa's eyes, which were as wide as his unnervingly rigid smile. It looked like he didn't know how to smile, so he just went with whatever he thought would look right, but hadn't actually ever seen a smile, so this was what he ended up with. It was a smile, though, and Izuku couldn't complain about that. Actually, yes he could, because this smile made his heart stop for a second due to the sheer shock of it. He laughed, but deep down wanted Aizawa to stop looking at him with that unhinged looking expression.
When that test was over, Izuku went with the rest of the class to the next one. On the way, Uraraka fell into step next to him with a wide smile on her face, which Izuku couldn't help but return with a small smile of his own.
"You totally flipped Aizawa's whole thing on him! That was awesome!" Uraraka said, bouncing with every step she took.
"Really?" Izuku asked, feeling a warmth come to his cheeks. "I suppose so. I don't know if I can keep that up, though," he added.
"Well, I think you've impressed him either way," Uraraka said airily, as casually as someone might say what they had for lunch the day previous. Izuku didn't think he'd ever done that before, impressed a teacher, and his head suddenly felt light at the realisation.
If things kept going his way like this, then maybe UA wouldn't be so bad for Izuku. Maybe he could actually look forward to the next few years. That'd be nice.