An impossible goal is only a dream until it's done, then it becomes proof that limits were meant to be broken.
26 February 2171
The day had come.
With a heave, Izuku finished dragging the pickup truck to the edge of the beach, next to a tower of scrap that was ready for removal.
When he'd first seen the pickup truck, it had been a rusty wreck, with no wheels, the engine block looked like someone had set fire to it. Izuku had been ready to Overhaul it into raw material until Yagi had said that it was a 1948 Chevy, an incredibly rare vehicle he'd always wanted, and it was a shame it was beyond repair.
Not to me it wasn't.
Izuku had moved it, deep into one of the trash piles, and over the course of the last fourteen months he had painstakingly repaired it, using Overhaul to recreate the missing parts.
Grabbing a metal sheet from the scrap pile, Izuku used Overhaul to turn it into a large cloth cover, throwing it over the Chevy to hide it.
Can't have Yagi seeing it before the big reveal. I have to thank him for all the training he's given me before we finish the program.
Shaking his now rather long hair out of his eyes, sweat dripping from it, Izuku turned back to the beach, uninterrupted sand rolling on for as far as he could see.
"Oh my goodness!"
And not a moment too soon.
Pivoting back around, Izuku saw All Might standing on the promenade, wearing a large beige overcoat and scarf to guard against the winter chill. His mentor was staring out at the beach, a mixture of amazement and pride in his eyes.
Izuku gave a tired smile. "I did it, All Might."
"When I said for you to clear the whole beach by the time of the UA Entrance Exam." All Might breathed. "That was supposed to be a teaching moment about how some goals aren't always achievable."
"I did it." Izuku repeated, stumbling forwards, only to find All Might's arms steadying him.
"You really did." All Might uttered. "I should really learn to not underestimate you, Young Midoriya."
"Think of it as a teaching moment." Izuku murmured back, making All Might boom with laughter.
"Young Midoriya, you've come so far, surpassing every metric I've set for you." All Might spoke. "I could not be more proud of you."
Izuku's heart swelled with pride.
"Well, we should probably be getting you home to have a nap and a shower before I pick you up for the exam." All Might stated, getting ready to leave.
"Not yet!" Izuku called out, halting All Might. "I have something for you, to thank you, sort of a graduation present."
"Graduation?" All Might repeated. "Young Midoriya, I have no intention of ceasing our training agreement. You have a place at Mighty Hero Agency, as an intern, a sidekick, a pro hero if you want it."
Izuku felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Come on then, my apprentice, what have you got for me?" All Might smiled. "I always accept socks, and whiskey, but I don't think they'd sell that to you."
"It's not something I bought, I used Overhaul."
Izuku pulled the cover away, revealing the cherry-red 1948 Chevrolet pickup truck, gleaming in the morning sun.
"Young Midoriya." All Might whispered, his voice thick with shock. "This is the Chevy from the beach, isn't it?"
Izuku nodded.
"You repaired it?"
Again, Izuku nodded.
All Might tackled Izuku into a hug, holding him so tightly the green-haired boy was a little worried his head might pop right off.
"I thought it was the only thing that might come close to repaying you for all the support and teaching you've given me." Izuku managed to force out. "And a herosuit designed by David Shield."
"Training you has been a reward unto itself." All Might stated firmly. "But I won't say no to the Chevy! Come on, I want to see how it runs."
"But, All Might, it's not road taxed!" Izuku protested.
"What's point 9.7.4 of the HSPC Heroics Code?"
Izuku's brows furrowed. "In the discharge of official heroic duties, Pro Heroes are granted the authority to commandeer, utilise, or requisition any civilian or official vehicle deemed necessary to ensure the safety of the public, prevent imminent danger, or respond to emergencies requiring immediate intervention."
"Exactly, you require transportation to your heroics course entrance exam, I would classify that as an emergency requiring immediate attention." All Might called, climbing into the cabin, a grin on his face like a kid at Christmas. "Oh good, full tank of gas. Come on, Young Midoriya."
Izuku hesitated, before running around to the passenger side and clambering in.
"Just think, Young Midoriya, no one else is going to turn up in a cooler ride."
All Might pressed the gas pedal, sand spraying behind them as they set off.
"Just remember, Bakugo, you can't take your jetpack into the UA Heroics Exam." Airjet spoke mockingly.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Katsuki roared. "Of course I know that, besides, I'm gonna ace that exam and come first without any of my gear, that's how you know I'm gonna be the next No.1 Hero!"
Airjet chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah, go and mock me, No.104 Hero." Katsuki snapped.
"Numbers aren't everything." Airjet defended casually.
"That old lady last week thought you were Wash."
"That one stung a little." Airjet admitted. "Now, do you have everything, your workout gear? UA Exam Invitation Letter? ID? Water bottle?"
"Packed." Katsuki answered shortly, snapping the clasps of the case that held his Grenadier Bracers, the gauntlets he'd built not only for his UA Support Course Exam, but also for his herosuit once he got into the Heroics Course.
"Well then, Bakugo, good luck."
"Don't need it." Katsuki replied, lifting the strap for the case his gauntlets were in over his shoulder.
Izuku stood just outside of the gates to UA Academy, staring up at the four interconnected towers that made up the central campus.
I made it, I'm actually here.
Izuku felt already honoured, just to be getting this far. The UA Heroics Course usually got around 10,000 applicants every year, of whom only 1,000 would be invited to take the assessment.
"This way to the induction!"
Holy crap, that's Lunch Rush!
Izuku produced his UA Exam Invitation Letter, ready to show it to the attendants at the gates.
Three years ago, UA Academy had announced a major reshuffle, now everyone took the UA General Education Entrance Exam as standard before taking additional exams or assessments if they were invited to apply to any of the other courses. And now if you got into multiple courses you could choose to major in one of them and minor in the others, whereas in previous years prospective students for UA could apply to multiple courses, but only choose one of them.
The only courses that didn't apply to were Heroics and General Education, both of them could only be a major course. And, starting from this year, a whole new course, Quirk Studies, had been added, for the first time since the Management Course had been introduced in 2116.
Izuku himself had applied to Heroics, Quirk Studies, Management and General Education courses.
Which meant he was going to have a very busy day. The itinerary had shown he had the General Entrance Exam first, which would take up until lunch. Then he got an hour for lunch, before he had Management and Quirk Studies exams in the early afternoon. Then Izuku had a break while the Support Course Assessments took place, before finally he had his Heroics Course Assessment.
Pulling his backpack up on his shoulders, Izuku prepared himself to head in.
"Outta my way, Deku."
Izuku stumbled slightly as a large metal case slammed into his side, followed by Bakugo coming into view from behind him.
"Kacchan!" Izuku exclaimed. "You're trying out for the Support Course?"
"Tch, only as a backup." Bakugo retorted dismissively, stopping with his back to Izuku. "Hope you've got a backup lined up, 'cause there ain't no way you're getting into the Hero Course."
Izuku held his tongue, instead, he set off, passing Bakugo and heading to the gates, invitation letter in hand.
"Hey, don't you dare walk away from me, ya bastard!" Bakugo spat indignantly.
Hours later, Izuku sat at a table in the UA cafeteria, his left hand cramping as he ate his lunch. He was alone, not that he really minded it, he'd been used to eating by himself from elementary school right up until he got Overhaul. Then the very same people who had shunned and bullied him tried to befriend him, eating at the same table until Izuku had started bringing in a packed lunch so he could avoid them.
The only person who came close to treating him the same as before he got his quirk was Bakugo, going from passive disdain to active disdain.
"Is this seat taken?"
Izuku looked up from his food and nearly dropped his chopsticks.
"Shield?"
"Surprise!" Melissa Shield smiled, taking the seat opposite Izuku.
"Why are you here?" Izuku breathed.
After meeting at Might Tower, they had exchanged emails and began communicating, talking about a range of subjects, from pro heroes to quirk mechanics.
"What you said to me at Might Tower, about being quirkless, it stayed with me." Melissa explained. "I made my decision. I'm going to be a hero, without a quirk. So, I've applied to transfer to UA. I'm going for Heroics, Support and Quirk Studies. I even got my support gear approved for the heroics exam. If you're going to be Uncle Might's successor, then I'll be my father's successor."
Izuku frowned. "I'm not All Might's successor."
Melissa shot him a reproachful look. "Izuku, I mean, Midoriya—"
"You can call me Izuku." The green-haired boy said quickly, blushing at her use of his personal name.
"Then you can call me Melissa." The blonde-haired girl replied. "Where was I? Right, do you really not know why All Might is training you?"
"He said it was because I have the ability to inspire others, not that I'm really sure I do." Izuku argued.
"You've already inspired me, my dream of becoming a hero was dead, and you brought it back to life." Melissa replied. "And that's why Uncle Might is training you to succeed him, plus he is fifty-three."
"All Might is fifty-three?" Izuku whispered with disbelief. "He really doesn't look it."
"I know, right?" Melissa replied rhetorically. "But thank you, for inspiring me. Even if I don't get into the Hero Course, I'm not giving up."
"What support gear do you have?" Izuku questioned.
"Well, I managed to get my Bounding Soles approved, they let me run faster, jump higher, kick harder." Melissa explained. "And my Stormcallers, they're a pair of gauntlets that produce electric shocks. Considering the fact that the UA Heroics Entrance Exam usually involves robots, I've increased the voltage somewhat."
Izuku smiled. "Well, I think you can do it, you're going to be a hero, Melissa."
"And so are you."
Katsuki stood by the workstation he'd been assigned to, the case containing his Grenadier Bracers resting upon its surface.
The Support Course Assessment was not what he had expected it to be like. All the forums online spoke of private assessments held in front of a panel of Support Course teaching staff and industry professionals.
Instead, they'd been led into a Support Course workshop and assigned to a workstation. A group of assessors, including Power Loader and Rikiya Yotsubashi, the CEO and President of Detnerat, had been waiting for them.
What followed was the assessors going around the workstations in alphabetical order, leaving Katsuki to be one of the last.
"Next we have Melissa Shield." Power Loader spoke, as he and other assessors approached the workbench of a blonde-haired girl. "Please begin when you're ready."
Wait, she looks kinda familiar.
Katsuki scrutinised the girl, trying to figure out where he'd seen her before.
"Thank you, Mr. Power Loader." The girl spoke, turning to a mannequin wearing a silver bodysuit. "This is the advanced modular bodysuit, or AMB for short, it's made from adaptive nanofiber technology integrated with a responsive pigment matrix…"
That voice, it's her!
Anger flooded Katsuki, the memory of this girl criticising his jetpack, his support gear he'd built with his own hands.
Shield, as in David Shield, she's his daughter.
"That is fascinating. Can the AMB be worn in combat?" Power Loader questioned.
"I'm afraid not, it's simply too fragile for that." The girl answered. "As it stands, the primary function of the AMB is to aid support designers in the development of herosuits."
"Illuminating." Yotsubashi spoke. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your quirk?"
Shield's face fell. "I don't have one, I'm quirkless."
Titters echoed around the workshop.
"I see, it is impressive work, regardless." Yotsubashi uttered, a subtly derisive tone to his voice. "Although, how do we know your father, the great Dr. David Shield, didn't build it for you?"
A quickly suppressed expression on Shield's face betrayed her anger at the Detnerat CEO's condescending question.
"I have included all the required design logs, both written and video, in my submission to UA." Shield retorted, a hand landing on the folder containing her design documentation. "I originally produced the AMB for my final dissertation project at I-Island Academy's Support Course."
"You're a graduate of I-Island Academy?" Power Loader queried, before flicking through his register of names. "It says here you're sixteen, correct?"
Shield nodded. "I am sixteen. I'm a couple of years ahead at IIA, but I've not graduated quite yet. I've submitted all my projects and my dissertation early. I will be taking my final exams early, next week in fact, to allow me to graduate in time for the beginning of the UA school year."
"Very impressive." Power Loader breathed. "If you're going to have graduated from IIA within the next couple of months, why do you want to join UA instead of pursuing further education?"
"I have also applied for the Heroics Course." Shield stated simply. "I aim to use my inventions to become a hero."
"Without a quirk?" Yotsubashi issued, the derision once again plain in his quirk. "There has never been a quirkless hero."
"Well, I intend to be the first." Shield replied, looking the CEO directly in the eyes, as if challenging him to say something more overtly quirkist.
This is your doing, isn't it, Deku? Like she could get in the UA Hero Course without a quirk.
"I wish you the best of luck with the Heroics Assessment later today." Power Loader said hurriedly, looking eager to change the subject. "How about a demonstration of the AMB?"
"Absolutely, now, the AMB can also be paired with this, a holographic projector, to create 3D images of accessories, such as boots or gauntlets, that can be paired with the bodysuit."
Pressing a key on her laptop, Shield stood back as the AMB shifted, taking the form of All Might's Silver Age costume, the projector whirring to life, overlaying holograms of the boots, gloves, belt and cape.
"It can display a wide range of colours and designs." Shield added, returning to her laptop.
The Silver Age herosuit vanished, replaced by Endeavor's costume, with holographic flames, before it changed again, this time to Hawks's herosuit, a hologram of red wings sprouting from the mannequin's back.
"The holographic projector can also be used to simulate how a design could interfere with a mutation from a heteromorphic quirk, or the function of a transformation quirk." Shield explained, changing the AMB one last time, to a suit that Katsuki didn't recognise.
It was dark green and yellow, that verged on gold, with black gauntlets and kneepads, and red boots that looked familiar to Katsuki.
"Well, thank you for your demonstration, Ms. Shield." Power Loader spoke, ending the assessment.
With that the assessors moved on, but not without Yotsubashi giving Shield one last condescending look.
Katsuki tuned the babble out.
That was until the workstation in front of his exploded.
"My babies!"
Black smoke filled the air, completely obscuring the workstation in question. Katsuki coughed, waving his hand in front of his face to clear the smoke away.
With a whir, the ventilation system kicked in, beginning to suck the smoke up into the vents in the roof, clearing the air. A pink-haired girl was revealed, wearing black overalls, her face streaked with oil and soot.
Damn, that was a pretty cool explosion.
Power Loader coughed. "Was that your submission that just blew up, Ms. Hatsume?"
"What?" The pink-haired girl, Hatsume, responded, barely looking up from her display case. "Oh, that? Pyrotechnics! Huh, seems like I didn't get the ratio quite right. I'll tweak it and get it right next time!"
"Ms. Hatsume, this is an assessment, not an investment pitch." Power Loader chided. "Pyrotechnics are not required, or wanted, frankly. Please, could you present your submission?"
"Well, that's boring, but fine." Hatsume spoke with a small sigh before her posture straightened, her eyes sparkling. "What we have here are three of my most fantastic babies!"
"Babies?" Yotsubashi questioned.
"My inventions are my babies." Hatsume clarified. "This one is one of my bestest works so far, my Soundwave Nullification Earmuffs, they cancel out high-decibel noise whilst allowing the user to communicate with others. The primary usage of these would be in support gear development and other industries where hearing damage is common, but also for heroics as they can shield against sonic attacks. Here!"
With no warning, Hatsume jammed the earmuffs on Yotsubashi's head and produced a megaphone. Before anyone else had time to cover their ears, Hatsume leaned in close to Yotsubashi and screamed into the megaphone.
Katsuki winced at the amplified scream, painful even to him, with his secondary mutation to his ears that allowed him to withstand the noise of his own explosions.
"Some warning, please, Ms. Hatsume." Power Loader instructed.
"Sorry!"
She didn't sound all that sorry to Katsuki's ringing ears.
Yotsubashi's expression turned to one of respect as he took the earmuffs off. "Nothing, no sound at all with the megaphone, but I could hear you talking afterwards."
"That's just one of the three of my babies I have here today!" Hatsume gushed, producing a large device that resembled a rocket launcher, painted red and gold.
Everyone ducked, except Katsuki himself.
Hatsume continued on, seemingly unaware. "This is my Auto-Targeting Net Launcher, this baby deploys a net, braided with steel reinforcement, at speed, perfect for villain detainment. Watch."
Turning to one of the other examinees, Hatsume pulled the trigger. Instantly a grey ball launched from the device, deploying into a large net that wrapped around the examinee, leaving him to list over onto the ground.
Power Loader sighed. "Hatsume, you can't just—"
"And, my ultimate baby, the Hovering Utility Sphere, or the HUS." Hatsume interrupted, releasing something from her display case.
A metallic sphere, similar to a medicine ball, rose up from the display case, stopping above head height.
"It's equipped with high-range optical zoom cameras, as well as infrared, ultraviolet and low-light modes. It has sophisticated motion, acoustic and chemical sensors and a battery life of a little more than seventeen hours, closer to fifty hours on the low-power autonomous sentinel mode." Hatsume raised her arm to show a chunky wrist unit on it. "All data is transmitted at high speed to this control unit, fully encrypted, at a range of up to forty kilometres. It has GPS navigation and uses LiDAR to avoid any obstacles, and will automatically return to its base unit if it loses connection to the controller or has low power. And in a pinch it can be used as a weapon, see."
The examinee had just freed himself from the net and stood up when the HUS swooped down and slammed into his chest, knocking him off his feet.
Power Loader pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, that's another accident form I'm going to have to fill out, but, very impressive work, nonetheless, Ms. Hatsume. Does anyone have any questions for her?"
There was a flurry of shaking heads and muttered nays, clearly none of them wanted to be Hatsume's latest guinea pigs.
"Excellent, next we have Katsuki Bakugo, from Aldera Junior High, a local, it seems." Power Loader spoke as he and the assessor hurriedly moved onto his workstation. "What do you have to exhibit to us today?"
Biting back a snarky response, Katsuki focused on what Airjet had told him.
"You don't need to hold your tongue all the time, just enough to keep those who could have your back from turning their backs. Being loud isn't the problem, it's being reckless with it."
Katsuki gritted his teeth.
"These are the Grenadier Bracers, custom designed for my quirk, Explosion." Katsuki forced out. "The gloves are made of a porous membrane to allow the nitroglycerin my palms excrete to pass through them, whilst also absorbing the recoil of my explosions. The main body of the bracers—"
Katsuki pointed to the large, grenade-shaped gauntlet sections.
"—are designed to store excess nitroglycerin from my quirk, which can then be used to fire a massively powerful explosion once the tank is full." Katsuki continued. "That's triggered by pulling the pin found here. That's it, I'm done, questions?"
"What precautions have you taken to ensure the Grenadier Bracers don't detonate accidentally, especially in high-stress combat situations?" Power Loader questioned.
"I'm not an idiot, I know the risk. The pin's design locks in place with a reinforced mechanism that won't budge from shocks or regular movement. You have to pull it deliberately to trigger the release. Plus, the tank itself is lined with heat-resistant and pressure-dampening materials, so it won't ignite if I use smaller explosions nearby or if it takes a hit." Katsuki rattled off, before crossing his arms over his body. "Besides, I wouldn't wear them if I thought they were gonna blow up in my face."
"You've put a lot of thought into them, kid." Yotsubashi commented, making Katsuki bristle with the last word. "But have you considered how this design could be adapted for other quirks or individuals, or is it strictly tailored to your quirk?"
Katsuki resisted the urge to glare at the red-haired man. "I hadn't, I've designed the Grenadier Bracers with the mindset of using them myself. But with some modifications, other quirks could be used with them."
"An example?" Yotsubashi queried, the two dark moles on his forehead moving as the man raised his eyebrows.
"My father's quirk, Acid Sweat." Katsuki answered. "He sweats an acidic compound he can detonate, the Grenadier Bracers would store the compound, it could even be mixed with a reserve of glycerin in the tanks."
"Hm, no more questions from me." Yotsubashi uttered.
"Me neither, thank you, Mr. Bakugo." Power Loader added. "Now, next we have—"
Katsuki returned the bracers to his case, closing and locking it, a smirk gracing his lips.
One assessment aced, one more to go.
"CAN I GET A HEY!"
Izuku could practically hear crickets chirping in the massive auditorium.
Present Mic coughed awkwardly. "Tough crowd, eh?"
That's Present Mic, the Voice Hero, Eraserhead's friend! I listen to his radio show every week!
An elbow jabbing into Izuku's arm, coming from Bakugo next to him, told the green-haired boy he'd been muttering.
"Shaddup." Bakugo hissed.
Izuku felt bad for Present Mic, the No.48 Hero was very popular, hosting one of the most listened-to radio shows in Japan and regularly holding sellout concerts.
I guess we're all just too nervous for such excitement right now.
"Well, that's cool, my examinee listeners!" Present Mic exclaimed, his normal energy returning to him. "I'm here to tell you all the guidelines, and rules, of the 2171 Ultra Achievement Academy Heroics Assessment. ARE YOU READY?!"
A couple of half-hearted whoops came from lower down in the auditorium.
"That's the spirit, well, close enough!" Present Mic continued. "So, little listeners, the assessment will consist of a ten-minute-long 'Mock Cityscape Maneuvers'. You've each been assigned to one of seven testing centres, labelled A to G. After this presentation is over, you are to head to the centre you've been assigned to, ya dig?"
At this point, Izuku had to wonder if the pro hero was deliberately doing call-and-response when he knew no response was coming.
Is it an attempt at self-deprecation to get us to relax before the assessment?
"Different test centres?" Bakugo mused. "Probably so those coming from the same junior high can't help each other out. Not that I'd ever help you out, Deku."
"Thanks." Izuku muttered, holding up his test card and nodding towards Bakugo's. "See, we've got consecutive test ID numbers, meaning different test centres."
"Tch, I'm gonna crush 'em all." Bakugo leant back in his seat. "But you get to live another day."
"Right-o, each test centre is filled with these faux villains." Present Mic explained as the screen changed to show the outline of three different robots. "Each type is worth a different number of points for disabling or destroying it, one point, two points or three points. That's the whole goal, listeners, earn those points! Oh, and no going all anti-hero and attacking your fellow examinees, that'll be an instant disqualification if ya do!"
A navy-haired boy a few rows in front of Izuku shot up out of his seat, his arm raised high. "May I ask a question?"
"On the test pamphlet distributed with the invitation to the 2171 Ultra Achievement Academy Heroics Assessment it lists no less than four varieties of faux villains." The navy-haired boy barked, holding up said pamphlet. "If this is an error, then it is deeply disappointing for such a fine institution as UA, Japan's top academy!"
"Well, listen—"
"And you two, with the curly hair and the concerning anger issues!" The navy-haired boy spun around, pointing first at Izuku, then at Bakugo. "Would you refrain from talking during Present Mic's presentation? It's distracting."
Izuku felt a shiver go down his spine as the boy's red eyes bored into him.
"If you two are just here for a lark, then I suggest you leave right now."
Oh no.
Izuku could feel the rage building up inside Bakugo next to him, the blond-haired boy practically vibrating with fury, ready to explode.
And then, he didn't.
Huh, I guess Airjet really has done a number on him.
Present Mic cleared his throat. "Nice catch, Examinee 7111, but that's no mistake. The fourth kind of faux villain is worth zero points, you heard that, nil pois. It's more of an obstacle really, there's no point in fighting it, literally."
A fourth outline of a robot joined the others on the screen, this one with a large flashing red zero over the top of it.
"I understand, apologies for my interruption." The navy-haired boy uttered with a bow, before returning to his seat.
"There'll only be one zero-pointer per test centre, and it'll rage around like a stage gimmick in a video game, best just to avoid it altogether." Present Mic added. "Anyway, that's enough yapping from me, I'll just leave with the UA Academy motto, 'a true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes'. Pretty cool, right?"
With that, the examinees started to shift, getting ready to stand up and head to their test centres.
"Actually, there is one last thing I'd like to say." Present Mic spoke, making everyone stop. "PLUS ULTRA!"
The walls seemed to vibrate, a few of the stage lights lit up as their bulbs exploded and nearly everyone scrambled to cover their ears.
As soon as the sonic blast ended Present Mic gave a nervous cough. "Sorry, a little overexcited. Break a leg, everyone!"
With that, Present Mic turned and sauntered offstage, his usual confidence returned to him.
Izuku turned and stood, his test ID clutched in his disturbingly sweaty hand, only to start at the sight of Melissa waiting for him at the end of the row he had been sitting on.
"Izuku!" Melissa called, waving to him.
Izuku's cheeks reddened as he felt Bakugo's gaze land on his back, like it was boring into him.
"Coming!"
Why is my voice so high-pitched?
Rushing down the nearly empty row, Izuku met Melissa at the end, only for her to snatch his test from his grip, the blonde-haired girl comparing it against her own.
"Damn, we're not in the same test centres." Melissa sighed, betraying the nervousness she was attempting to hide. "Would have been fun if we were, right? We could have teamed up."
"You'll be fine, you're going to ace this." Izuku assured her, with a small smile. "You don't need my help."
Melissa shrugged. "Still, I would have liked you there."
"Me too." Izuku replied, taking his test ID that the blonde-haired girl was offering to him, his heart pounding in his chest as their fingers touched.
"Right, I guess we'd better go, want to walk to the bus together?" Melissa asked quickly.
"I'd love to." Izuku blurted out.
Katsuki watched as the nerd and the blonde left, walking up the steps to the auditorium exit.
What the fuck?! Deku's got game? I mean, dorky game, but game nonetheless.
It was official, the world was ending.
"Am I fucking dreaming or what?" Katsuki muttered to himself. "Am I dead?"
"Hey man, you lost?"
Katsuki looked around to see the auditorium was nearly empty, a boy with long, black hair and bulky elbows stood at the end of the row, looking at him.
"Yeah, you've been standing there staring after your friend for like two whole minutes." A second boy appeared from behind the first, this one with brown hair and silver eyes, wearing the same junior high uniform.
"He's not my friend!" Katsuki snapped, storming down the row and turning towards the exit, taking the steps two at a time.
"I'm Hanta Sero, by the way." The first boy offered.
"Go fuck yourself."
"Man, you've got a temper." The second boy laughed. "Renn Takarakuji, quirk's Joker."
"Go fuck yourself."
Katsuki exited the auditorium, swinging the door shut behind himself to stop them from following him.
"Consistant at least, isn't he?" Takarakuji joked, undeterred.
With that the two morons blessedly shut up, following him in silence, down the stairs and out onto the concourse outside the main UA building.
"Alright, can everyone continue to make their way onto the bus with the same letter as the test centre you have been assigned to."
Katsuki looked down the row of buses, eventually finding the one with the 'G' marked on the side.
"Later, extras." Katsuki barked, making his way to his bus and hopping on.
Heading down the aisle to the back row, finding it already filled.
"You extras are in my seat." Katsuki growled.
"No way, we got here first!"
Katsuki snarled.
"This seat isn't worth it."
One-by-one the boys fled the back seat, leaving it clear for Katsuki.
"Psycho!"
Katsuki shrugged, dropping down into a window seat and putting his feet up on the seat next to him. Closing his eyes, Katsuki rested his head back against the window as the bus rumbled into life.
"Can you believe it, we're in the same test group!"
Katsuki felt a vein in his forehead pulse, opening his eyes in time to see Sero joining him on the back row.
"Fuck off."
And yet he didn't.
Katsuki growled.
-Origins Arc-