A/N: Hello again. I finally got around to adding another chapter to this story.
As some of you may have seen, I have also been updating the story that came before this one.
I will say now that some plot points in A Different Deku may be used in this story down the line. Not yet, but I wanted to give a heads up while I still remembered.
I do not own MHA.
"Hey, isn't there supposed to be a first-year orientation going on right now?"
The plain-looking boy with a tail, Mashirao Ojiro according to his locker name tag, asked while struggling to get his tail through a hole that had been cut into his pants.
"Hell if I know. I'm trying to figure out who that guy is. Never seen a hero that disheveled in my life. Dude looks like he might fall asleep at a moment's notice."
Hanta Sero. Izuku noted his elbow protrusions but made no comment, observing as many of his fellow guys and noting anything worth writing down once he got back to his desk.
He himself was almost changed, and only needed to put on the gym shirt. He knew he would likely get a few remarks about his abdomen. As is, he was surprised no one had noticed his legs when changing into the gym uniform pants.
Kaminari was the first to make a comment.
"Dude, I already figured you were hardcore, but what the actual fuck?"
Izuku sighed. He could feel the stares of his male classmates fall onto him. He absolutely despised being the center of attention after spending years purposefully avoiding attention.
"Kaminari! Please do not make disrespectful comments about your classmates' appearances like that!"
Thankfully, Iida stole everyone's attention with his boisterous reprimanding and exaggerated arm chops.
"UA has a strict zero-tolerance policy when it comes to looks, race, quirk, religion, orientation, and such! Please try not to make your classmates uncomfortable!"
"Yeesh, sorry man. Didn't mean to-"
"I really don't care," Izuku stated casually, cutting off the blonde's apology. "Come on, we'd best hurry."
Izuku shut his locker and silently walked out of the changing room. A few more classmates scolded Kaminari and quickly jogged to find the field.
Aizawa stood eerily still as he watched the boys and girls push through the doors to get outside, no one wanting to be the last one out and subjected to running laps.
The man took note of the last one out the door; a simple looking brunette. Ochaco Uraraka if he remembered correctly. He'd have to keep an eye on her and decide afterwards if she put in enough effort to excuse her from laps.
Everyone was standing at attention. Good.
"You will be having a quirk assessment test today," the man started. As he expected, several students mentioned the ongoing ceremonies they were already missing.
Such naivety.
"The world won't wait until you're ready to act. As heroes, you will be among the first called in to deal with villains and natural disasters. If you think you can just sit back hope such occurrences wait for you to be prepared, I can already tell you, you're not cut out to be a hero."
The man pulled a baseball and a small electronic device from his hand. "Uraraka, you have the most appropriate quirk for this demonstration. What was your best throw in middle school when they didn't let you use your quirk."
The girl notably struggled with being put on the spot, but did her best to remain calm. "Uh…fifty-seven meters, I think?"
Aizawa tossed the ball to the teen and pointed at a circle drawn in the sand. "Now show me what you can do when you use your quirk. The only restriction is you have to stay in the circle."
Uraraka nervously stepped towards and into the circle. She took a glance at her nineteen classmates watching her expectantly, and took a deep breath.
A quick flash of purplish-pink radiated from the ball, and she gently threw it.
Despite the lack of power behind the throw, the ball did not stop or fall to the ground. It just kept going, and going, and going until it was no longer visible.
"This is just a taste of what you need to aim for when unrestricted." The device was shown to the class, displaying an infinity sign.
"How are we supposed to compete with that?" Mina complained, many students letting out similar statements.
Uraraka returned to her classmates with a pang of guilt knowing she might have already ruined their days.
"You're not," Aizawa stated almost coldly. "She may have excelled in this particular test, but there's no guarantee that she will do any better than last in the following exercises."
The man pulled another ball from his pocket and tossed it straight up, then caught it without looking.
"That's what this test is for; to find what you excel at with your quirks and what you need to work on to get better."
The students, a little perturbed by the lack of emotion the man spoke with, saw the point he was trying to make and took on much more determined looks.
"Let's begin, then."
Izuku, both to his dismay but not to his surprise, did not excel in any of the tests. He was more than grateful that he was never the worst in any of the exercises, but had hoped for one that he could at least show off a little in.
He was one of the better performers in the seated toe-touch and sit ups thanks to his well developed core, but neither one were his specialty.
Then there was Bakugo, who was almost always within the top five for every test.
And Todoroki, who was more than capable in any test, undeniably due to his father's training.
Once the long distance run was completed, Aizawa had the students gather around and used his phone to project a holographic display of the results.
Izuku found his name in eleventh place. He hated the feeling of being in the bottom half of the class, but was also thankful he had managed to surpass a fair number of his classmates that actually had quirks.
He would have considered himself tenth, but Uraraka's infinity at the beginning had basically granted her the top spot from the start.
"I will admit you all did adequate for beginners. You have a lot of progress to make, but for now you should return to the classroom. Syllabi will be on your desks and you are free to do whatever until your next class. And Uraraka?"
The girl nearly jumped at her name, recalling how she had been the last to arrive.
"You did well enough for me to excuse you from laps. I wanted you to get used to the feeling of urgency you will deal with as professionals. But make no mistake, just because I am forgiving this one time does not mean I will the next time."
A hint of eagerness was visible in the man's expression, which most of the students found to be rather unsettling.
"I can, and have, gone as far as expelling students. I once had to expel an entire class. For your sakes, you'd best hope I don't get to that point with any of you. Now get back inside."
"Man, I thought the idea of running around the whole campus was bad. Now I have to come to class knowing he might kick me out," Uraraka whined as she finished changing back into her school uniform.
"I am not entirely sure about that." Yaoyorozu, as she had introduced herself, remarked with an air of knowing. "Teachers aren't allowed to expel students of their own volition. It usually has to go through the district, or in this case, Principal Nezu."
"Isn't UA known for being unorthodox, though? I wouldn't be surprised if that's something they allow here. Ribbit."
"Well, if he is allowed to expel us as he chooses, I hope he gets keeps an eye on that Mineta kid. I could feel him ogling at me for an unbearable amount of time."
Mina shivered at the recollection of seeing the shortest student staring at her with such lecherous eyes.
"You think that's bad? Imagine being able to hear everything he was muttering about us. Especially you, Yaoyorozu."
"Perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to judge. Hopefully he knocks it off soon. But either way, I'm glad I'm invisible."
"I don't think it's too quick to judge," Jiro commented with an earjack plugged into the concrete wall. The rest of the girls turned to her and were able to quickly deduce what was going on. "Yeah, definitely not too soon to judge."
Even without enhanced hearing, the other girls were able to make out the beginnings of an argument, which was mostly the boy's excited squeals at his discovery of a hole that offered a peek into their changing room.
"Does he know that holes work both ways?" Hagakure asked, seemingly rhetorically.
A firm knock on the door drew them away from the eavesdropping. Asui answered, revealing an embarrassed and ashamed Iida holding a poster to the girl.
"One of our classmates found an old peephole in the wall. We would like to offer you this so you may cover it from your side where he is unable to uncover the hole as he pleases."
"Thank you. Ribbit."
The frog-like girl took the offered poster and closed the door, then quickly used the picture to cover up the hole.
"At least not all of them are peeping toms."
In a surprising twist, the rest of the classes were rather bland. Despite being taught by well known heroes, math class was still math class. The school day eventually came to an end, and the twenty students filed out of the room and collected into groups as they walked down the halls on the way out.
"Midoriya, correct?"
Shoto Todoroki, son of Endeavor, walked at a brisk pace to catch up to his classmate, then slowed down once the two were side by side.
"That would be me. What's up?"
Despite, or maybe because of his special upbringing, Todoroki had not struck Midoriya as chatty in the slightest. The fact that the boy had not spoken more than three sentences all day just cemented the theory.
The red and white haired teen took a moment to carefully make sure no one was within hearing range, and turned to his classmate.
"Are you being abused?"
The question nearly floored Izuku, and he had grown accustomed to living with the Hero Killer from a young age. But something in the deep sincerity and worry in the bichromatic teen's voice caught his attention.
"I wouldn't put it that way. More like...harsh training, I guess? Comes with trying to keep up when you're quirkless."
The doubtful look in Todoroki's expression did not go unnoticed.
"Why? Are you?"
Todoroki gave his classmate a side eyed glance, but kept himself collected and responded as flatly as he usually spoke, which was not all too often.
"No. I'd put it more like...harsh training."
Izuku rolled his eyes, but decided that prodding further was not something he wanted to get into at the moment. As is, he had already gotten a few sentences out of the boy, which was more than anyone else in the class could say.
The two walked in silence, occasionally being joined by another classmate for a few minutes.
"I gotta go this way. See you tomorrow," Izuku said with a small wave. Todoroki nodded and resumed his own path, not sparing a second look at his departing classmate.
Midoriya finished the trek to his apartment in silence. He quietly walked up the stairs, quietly approached his door with key in hand, and quietly entered.
He thought it was a crime that some teachers had assigned homework on the first day, but that was UA for you.
Thankfully, the assignments were easy, even for someone that once had to spend months catching up on years worth of material. The only subject he found himself struggling with was literature, which he considered to be mundane. But at least there was leeway in Literature, unlike math which only had right or wrong.
A little over an hour later he shut his notebooks and let out a relieved sigh at having finished his homework.
The sheets on his floor were calling his name, and he was more than willing to answer the call.
The next day of classes was both similar and very different from the first day. Outside of the assessment test, there was a lot of chattering, note taking, and a hobo looking man that wrapped himself in his sleeping bag at every chance he was given.
Unlike the first day, there was something that everyone was undeniably excited for.
"I am entering the room..."
Twenty heads snapped towards the door so fast that a slight draft formed.
"Like a normal person!"
All Might leaned at nearly a forty-five degree angle as he quickly slid the door open and popped his head in, reveling in the cheers from his first ever students. He had decided to give them a little show, so he made a deal of taking slow but exaggerated steps towards the podium that put him facing the students. He could hear them commenting on his outfit and wondering aloud if he would give signatures.
Sometimes he missed when he was a young lad; before he had learned the true hardships of not only being a hero, but the Number One hero.
The man loudly cleared his throat and the class went silent.
"Today is your first class in basic heroics. As heroes in training, you will take many classes like mine over your next three years here. But before we begin, I must ask now that you forgive me if my methods are ineffective. This is my first year as a teacher, and I have no prior experience with such a responsibility."
The large man took note of the few quizzical looks sent his way. No one questioned or berated him though.
"Anyways...your first heroics class will be battle training. I'm sure you have lots of questions, but please save them for later. For now..." The man pressed a small button on the podium and several hidden drawers slid from the wall that was closest to the hallway. "Please get changed into your official costumes. I will meet you outside the changing rooms and lead you to Ground Beta."
With a frenzied hurry, all of the students rushed to grab their own suitcases and dashed into the hall and towards the changing rooms.
"They must be rather excited," All Might muttered to himself with a little amusement at the spectacle.
As promised, the top hero of Japan was waiting for his students and led them all to the suburban training area. After taking a moment to admire the wide variety of costumes, the man finally began explaining the exercise.
"As I am sure you all know, heroes are most commonly expected to fight villains. It is true that rescue and underground heroes do not get as much recognition as they deserve, but it cannot be understated how important combat training is. Which is why today's exercise will revolve around that. The premise is as follows: You will be broken into random pairs, and each exercise will have a pair play the villains and a pair playing the heroes. The villains have a computer that is doing...some...computery...stuff...that the heroes must stop by finding it and typing in a password."
A few snickers came his way at the lack of a proper description, but All Might persevered and pushed forward with the scenario.
"The heroes will be given the password they need to stop the computer. However, the villains are allowed to hide the computer wherever they wish in the building as long as they do not damage it. If the heroes cannot enter the password within five minutes, they will lose."
The imposing hero then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small roll of what looked like tape.
"There is also the capture tape. If either team can wrap both opponents with the tape, that will also be considered a victory. Lastly, all pairs will be given a pair of comms that will allow them to communicate with their teammate."
All Might brought a hand to his chin and started rubbing with a thoughtful look over his ever present smile.
"Yes, I do believe I covered everything. Now then, any questions before we begin?"
Several hands shot up. All Might nervously looked around and randomly picked a student.
"What are the restrictions for fighting? How far exactly are we allowed to take it?" Kirishima asked.
"Yes, I should have mentioned that. Good question. For the most part..." All Might started with a heavy emphasis on the last half. "You are allowed to do as you want. But I will be watching and if anyone starts to go too far, I will interfere. Next?"
Less hands went up, which All Might was grateful for.
After answering a question regarding punishments for failing, specificities about the rules, and explaining to Bakugo that no, he cannot just blow up everyone and everything to win, the man grabbed a folded piece of paper and read out the teams.
"Ahem...The pairs are, Todoroki and Mina, Kaminari and Asui, Kirishima and Sato, Midoriya and Uraraka, Tokoyami and Hagakure, Bakugo and Iida, Aoyama and Koda, Shoji and Jiro, Ojiro and Yaoyorozu, and Mineta and Sero."
(A/N: I want to point out that I just threw the names into a random pair generator. I have no clue how Izuku and Uraraka as well as Bakugo and Iida ended up in pairs again.)
"Now, for the matchups. Kaminari and Asui will play the villains against Midoriya and Uraraka, then Kirishima and Sato as the villains against Yaoyorozu and Ojiro. Third will be Tokoyami and Hagakure as the villains facing Shoji and Jiro. Then Todoroki and Mina against Aoyama and Koda. Last will be Bakugo and Iida versus Mineta and Sero."
Everyone quickly found their partners and started discussing plans.
"I will lead Kaminari, Asui, Uraraka and Midoriya towards the building. The rest of you stay here and I will take you to the observatory room."
The four first participants followed their teacher towards one of several identical buildings. Midoriya noted the five floors and dimensions that allowed for dozens of rooms on each floor.
"You two head inside and prepare; you will have three minutes to plan. Take these as well." The man handed each mock villain a roll of tape and an earbud, which they both accepted before heading inside. Once the two were gone, the heroes to be were given the same supplies.
"The password for the computer is one one three four six seven. I must return to the rest of the class, but will keep you informed through the comms devices."
And with that the Number One hero sped off, leaving Izuku and his classmate to look at the building and start planning.
A/N: Been too long since I updated this. But maybe if the writing craze keeps up I can pump out another chapter for this and Prototype, another story I haven't touched in a while. Let me know what you think, and have a good day if you can.