The Way of the Bat
Chapter II
Ten months later, and the time had come for the UA entrance exams. "I really must commend you, All Might. Your contributions to UA are extraordinary, and if it works out this year, I will certainly extend the technology to the entrance exams," Nezu stated.
"It was nothing. I wouldn't have even known the technology existed if it wasn't for a chance encounter with a perspective student," Toshinori humbly disagreed.
"Is that why you recused yourself from the testing committee?" Nemuri Kayama asked. "Do you expect this student to show up today?"
"As a matter of fact, I know he's here because I offered to bring him and he accepted. Trust me, when you see him, he's going to make an impression."
"Picking favorites already? You know we can't allow that," Aizawa stated.
"All my favoritism happens outside of the classroom, if anything I'm tougher on the students I like because I like them. Just look at young Togata if you want proof of that," Toshinori stated.
"Well, whatever the case, it's time for us to start paying attention, because they're about to start," Snipe pointed out. They watched as every student poured into the exam areas, most of them on foot, but some had taken to the skies with their quirks, among them, Toshinori noticed, were young Midoriya and his rival, young Bakugou. Him and young Midoriya had become quite close in the past ten months to the point where he thought of the young man as the son that he could never have. Part of that growing closeness included them telling each other about their closest friends. Naturally young Midoriya had recognized the name of David Shield, but he hadn't known that Melissa was quirkless. The two teens had bonded rather quickly with that revelation, and their shared dreams. In exchange, young Midoriya had told him about his friend turned rival, young Bakugou and how the two had constantly tested each other after young Midoriya started training.
"Hey, what's going on with that robot?" Snipe asked in shock. Everyone turned to the monitor to see a 2-pointer attacking … other robots? "That's not supposed to happen, is it?"
"No, not that fast at least," Nezu agreed. He had programmed the robots himself, and there were few, if any people who could hack into his programs. Yes, the targeting programs were easier to hack than anything else, but it should still be time-consuming at the least. So, he decided to check in on the robot himself. Hackers always left a footprint behind, and he should be able to find out who was actually responsible. To his shock and amazement, he didn't find a footprint, but a signature. Hello, Principle Nezu. My name is Midoriya Izuku and I'm one of your perspective students. I left this message behind, so you can know exactly who is responsible for hacking your robots. Yes, I've hacked more than this one, but don't be too upset. This had some of the best cyber security that I've ever seen. "It seems one of the children is to blame. He went and hacked the robot and left a message claiming credit, and that this wasn't the only robot he hacked." Sure enough, there were reports of other robots in the same arena acting the exact same way as the first, though every hacked robot was quickly taken down by those who didn't know better.
"Hey, I've seen one kid with each of those robots," Snipe said. "Couldn't figure out what he was doing because he kept hiding from the cameras, and I didn't connect the dots because some just blew up."
"Can you ID the kid?" Nemuri asked.
"Now that I know what to look for, easily. Might even be able to figure out how he's doing this. Hmm, the name is Midoriya Izuku from Aldera Middle School, and his quirk isn't listed. Odd, but neither is his father." Five minutes passed, and not once were they able to spot Midoriya using his quirk. He seemed to know exactly where the cameras were and positioned himself so that he completely vanished from them whenever he destroyed a robot or hacked one. "Well, that hasn't worked, but this should." With that, he flipped a cover and hit the Yaruki Switch, releasing the Zero Pointer.
As they watched, Toshi repeated his usual line to remind the others of the true point of the test. "Now things get interesting: an overwhelming threat has appeared. A person's true character is revealed when they're faced with danger." As per usual, most of the students ran from the giant robot. A few, like young Bakugou stayed focused on the smaller robots, gaining as many points as possible. Others were a good distance from the Zero Pointers and simply ignored them.
However, young Midoriya once again stood out from the crowd. First off, though he was several blocks away, he raced towards the robot with all the speed he could muster. Second, he rescued a girl from fallen debris before checking the buildings of all places! "What was that about?" Nemuri asked.
"I do believe our perspective student was checking for faux civilians," Nezu replied. "Remind me to work on that should the holographic programs work as advertised." The teachers agreed while keeping an eye on Midoriya. Unfortunately, he once again vanished from the cameras, and within a minute, the Zero Pointer was blowing up from the inside. "That is supposed to be impossible," Nezu stated. "He actually hacked his way into my self-destruct program." The teachers stared at him in shock. "Why are you all staring at me like that? What kind of genius builds ginormous robots that could be turned against him and doesn't build a self-destruct inside the robot?"
"The normal kind, sir," Toshinori responded as time for the test ran out.
An hour later, the teachers gathered to discuss how to divide the points. Since he would cause the most trouble, they started with Midoriya. "So, how do we score points with the robots that he hacked?" Cementoss asked.
"I believe that the best way to score them would be to grant the points for the hacked robots to those who destroyed them, and those destroyed by his robots to him," Nezu suggested. "Would that not be how things are decided if the robots were brainwashed villains?" Everyone quickly agreed to the principals' suggestion, making the villain points easy to decide. When it came to the rescue points, Midoriya easily scored the highest ever, especially with the care he took to check for civilians. "Now, we really should find out what his quirk is," Nezu replied.
"I can find out what it is," Aizawa stated. "It will be easy to do so."
"Not as easy as you might expect, Aizawa," Toshinori stated.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"That young Midoriya is the boy I brought in, and I can assure you that you will have a difficult time prying it out of him. Or perhaps you will have an easy time, but you won't believe the answer," Toshinori replied. He couldn't wait to see the photo he'd been promised of Aizawa's reaction! This would surely shut him up about the rationality of the entrance exam!
"Midoriya, answer me this," Aizawa demanded at the end of his fitness test five weeks later. "Why is it that you never once tried to use your quirk during the exam?"
"Don't answer just yet, Deku!" Katsuki called out. "I have to get a picture of this!" Izuku just laughed at his best friends' demand, especially since it would help him keep his promise to All Might.
"And why would you want a picture just because he answered Aizawa-sensei's question?" Jirou Kyoka asked.
"It's not the answer, it's your reaction to the answer that I'm looking forward to," Katsuki answered as he raised his phone. "Go ahead Deku, tell Eraserhead why you didn't use your quirk."
"That's easy, I don't have a quirk." Everyone from emotional Uraraka Ochako to stoic Todoroki Shoto were blown away by that statement. A quirkless kid got into UA? Absurd! Unheard of! And yet, that only made some of them intrigued, chief among them Todoroki.
However, no one was more blown away than Aizawa himself. "But you got the highest score on the practical exam!"
"Maybe it's not as irrational as you thought it was, sensei," Izuku replied. That was too much for Aizawa, and he collapsed on the ground.
"Wow, I knew he wouldn't take the news well, but I never expected he'd react that badly," Toshinori stated as he walked up to the class.
"Umm, who are you?" Jirou asked. "And why are you even here?"
"The name's Yagi Toshinori, and I'm going to be one of your teachers. As for why I'm here, Principal Nezu suggested I show up, and now I know why. So, how about we get you to orientation, there's quite a bit there that you need to be aware of."
"Umm, sensei, Aizawa-sensei threatened to expel whoever did the worst on the fitness test. Who's going home?" Uraraka asked.
Toshinori shook his head. "Of course he did, and he would have done it too. If he thinks you don't have potential then he throws you out, seems to think he's doing you a kindness by killing your dreams." His tone made it clear what he thought of that idea. "Don't worry though, no one is getting expelled. If you want though, I can show you the results, as we do use them to test how far you've come." Everyone nodded, excited to see the results now that t knew no one was getting expelled. Toshinori picked up the results, only to be utterly confused at what was written. "Huh, seems like Aizawa let some bias into his test results. Here's what his results were," he said, revealing that Yaoyorozu was at the top and Midoriya at the bottom. "Here's the proper results." This time Hagakure ended up on the bottom with Midoriya ending up in the low teens. "But as I said, no one's getting expelled today. So, let's get back to the opening ceremony. For all Aizawa's talk about rationality, he forgets that most pros do need to have some experience with the 'frivolities' that he calls a waste of time."
"Sir, every UA teacher is a pro-hero, so which one are you?" Kirishima asked.
"Well, you'll find that out tomorrow when you have your first class with me."
The next morning, everyone was surprised to find Toshinori at the lectern in 1-A. "Sorry everyone, it seems Aizawa just isn't ready to handle the idea of a quirkless student in UA yet. So for the time being, I'll be your homeroom teacher. First thing though, we clearly need to do some seating changes. So, first off, Uraraka and Iida, switch seats. Mineta, you'll take Shoji's seat, Yaoyorozu will take Midoriya's, Midoriya will go where Mineta was, and Shoji to Yaoyorozu's." Once the rearranging was done, he nodded his head. "There, now, can everyone see myself and the board?" When everyone answered positively, he smiled. "Good, now to answer young Kirishima's question about my identity. It is my pleasure to announce that I AM HERE to welcome you to your hero academia!" As he said his catchphrase, he inflated to his hero form, causing almost the entire class to stare in shock before bursting into cheers. "Alright, settle down now, we still have some things to do." Once everyone had done as he asked, he deflated. "First things first, I'll mostly be in this form. A few years ago I was hurt fighting a villain, so I can't be All Might for more than a few hours a day now. It's not a serious problem, I'm just losing stamina, something that at least some of you will have to deal with as you get older. Second, I would prefer it if you keep this a secret for now. Since only a few people know about this, I can maintain some level of privacy." With that out of the way, he handed out their schedule, reminded them of Hound Dog's job as school counselor and his open-door policy then promised to return in time for their first Heroics lesson.
As soon as it was revealed that they would be teamed up against Bakugou and Iida, Uraraka gave a scared look to Midoriya. Bakugou's response was even worse though. "Deku! You rigged this, didn't you?!"
"Kacchan, how could I have rigged it? All Might was the one who picked the teams," Izuku asked with a smile.
"I don't know how you did it, but I know you did it, you damned Bat!"
All Might separated the two before it could get worse and gave them their instructions. As they split up, Uraraka turned to Izuku. "Do you really think we can do this? I mean, without a quirk, how do you expect to stand up to Iida and Bakugou of all people?"
Izuku gave a dark, terrifying smile in response. "Are you kidding? Just the fact that it's me going against Kacchan gives us an amazing advantage. That means the best weapon in my arsenal is already working. The one power I do have, the one power that any hero or villain can wield, and it's always effective."
"What's that?"
"Fear. I'm going to start showing you the power of fear."
Iida Tenya turned to his partner. "This should be an easy win for us, shouldn't it? Uraraka can't do anything without touching something, and Midoriya is quirkless."
"You're a damn idiot, Glasses," Bakugou said. "Deku is the most dangerous person in UA, with the possible exclusion of All Might himself. Everything we're here to learn about being a hero, he's already learned. His skills, support equipment, judgment, martial arts abilities, and above all, his mind make him more skilled than most pros. If you underestimate him, you only do so at your own peril. The only chance we have is if we face him together."
Iida was … confused. Yes, Midoriya was clearly a brilliant person and deserved to be in UA more than anyone else (saving Uraraka alone proved that,) but Bakugou seemed to put Midoriya on an even higher pedestal than he had! "I guess the best thing to do now is to try to get into character then." He internally hyped himself up into a villainous persona before turning back to his partner. "So, are you finally going to fill me on your plan? We wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, after all."
Bakugou smiled at that before getting into character himself. "You're just a small-timer, why on earth would I ever tell you my brilliant plan? Besides, the less you know, the less you can tell that damned Bat!"
Iida was confused by the nickname, especially since he had now used it twice, but he stayed in character. "Small-timer?! Do you have any idea the kind of jobs I've pulled?!"
"Yes, I do, small-timer. That's why I call you that, you've pulled some good gigs, but you're just a thief for hire. There's no bigger objective for you! I am Bakuhatsu no Kami and I will have my dream!"
The two argued a bit longer until Iida called out "Is that you, Uraraka?"
Uraraka was about to move into sight when Izuku called on the radio. "Don't move, don't say anything. Never reveal anything you're not ready to, and we still have work to do."
"I did hear her, didn't I?" Iida asked.
Bakugou growled out "The Bat is in charge, no way he'd let her make a rookie mistake. Where are you, Deku? Don't you want to take me in? The only way you can stop my greatest explosion yet is if you capture me!" Nothing but silence answered him. "Damn him, he's too good at this," Bakugou whispered two minutes later.
"I don't get it, what's Midoriya waiting for?" Kaminari Denki asked, as it was clear to everyone that he was in charge of the hero team.
"He's taking advantage of the fact that Bakugou knows him so well," Todoroki stated. "By delaying his attack, he's stressing Bakugou out, messing with his head. Very impressive, it's not something one would expect from someone our age."
Five minutes passed in which the hero team did nothing, only stressing the villain team out even more. Finally, Izuku said "Okay, I think we've tortured them long enough, Uraraka. Throw in the smoke pellets I gave you."
Within seconds, the room was filled with a black smoke obscuring everyone's vision. "In the name of villainy, I demand you show-" Iida was cut off as he disappeared.
"Damn it, small timer, I told you to-" Bakugou disappeared less than fifteen seconds after Iida did. When the smoke cleared, the villain team was hanging from the roof, having been tied with rope around their waists and their wrists, and Midoriya and Uraraka were touching the weapon.
After the tests were over and they were back in their normal uniforms, Midoriya approached Todoroki, whom anyone could see had some serious issues with his fire. "Can I speak to you in private after class?" The bi-colored teen was curious and agreed. Two hours later, after All Might had dismissed them and they had done their part in cleaning the school, they met up at the arena that UA kept strictly for the Sports Festival. "How often has Endeavor done something like that?" Izuku asked, rubbing his hand over his own eye where Shoto's scar was.
"Never, actually. He trains me hard, and sometimes it does border on abuse, even if it hasn't happened for a few years now, but he's never burned me. This was actually done because he destroyed my mother's sanity."
"I'm so sorry," Izuku whispered. "No wonder you reject your fire so badly. But you shouldn't hold yourself back just because you inherited half your quirk from him."
"What would you know about inherited power?" Shoto demanded, almost in a rage. "No offense, but you are quirkless," he finished in a calmer tone.
"First, none taken. You can't be insulted by what's true. As for inherited power, more than you can imagine. Do you remember my costume? What did you make of it?"
Shoto thought back. A domino mask, a cape that was yellow on the inside and black on the outside, a full body suit in red and green with clear body armor, a stylized 'R' on the left breast and the visible 'briefs' look. All in all it was rather … "Old-fashioned and outdated. It actually reminds me of a costume from the early days of quirks."
"Because it is," Izuku replied. "I'm working with a company that specifically trains quirkless kids to become heroes, in honor of their founders. The original was a true hero, but he realized he couldn't do the job on his own, so he started taking kids on as sidekicks. Each of them wore a version of my uniform. We don't get our own until we earn our license. When we're given our Robin uniform, we're told of the legacy behind the costume … and then we're told that while we stand on the shoulders of giants, it is our actions as heroes that make us who we are and that we will be judged on. Besides," he continued with a smirk. "My dad is an actual villain, but I'm not going to let that rule my life."
Shoto nodded. Something about that resonated with him, and his interest in Midoriya Izuku shot up. "I'm going to have to think about what you said."
"Have you visited your mom since that day?" Izuku asked.
"No, why?"
"A bit of advice then: go see her, and eventually ask her what she thinks. It might help you out. Maybe take one of your siblings or a friend for moral support when you do."
That evening at the Todoroki home, Fuyumi decided to start the dinner conversation by asking "So, how's UA so far?"
"Interesting. I have a quirkless classmate," Shoto responded.
"Quirkless? How the hell did he pass the entrance exam?" Enji demanded, though more out of shock than rage.
"He seems to be very well trained. Midoriya defeated Ingenium's younger brother and a boy with an explosive quirk without breaking a sweat. They were defeated before they even knew he was there."
That sparked a memory in Enji's mind. "Do you know anything else about him?"
"His friend called him a bat, and he has a very old-fashioned costume. A domino mask, red and green body armor for the costume, -"
"A black cape and a stylized R on the left breast, correct?" Enji interrupted.
"Yes, how did you know?" Shoto asked. Even Natsuo, who usually did his best to ignore their father perked up at that.
"Because the founder of his line of heroes helped save my mother's grandfather," Enji explained. Everyone was interested, so he explained. "It was back in the early days of quirks being public, when quirks could manifest at almost any age. My great-grandfather, Sato Takeo discovered he had a quirk when he was in his twenties, after he had become a movie star. His quirk allowed him to absorb and project solar energy. However, one of the local yakuza discovered this and kidnapped his parents. Using that as blackmail, they forced him to commit crimes for them. One day, he was caught by a man dressed up as a giant bat and his young partner and taken down by them before he had even known they were there. Batman and Robin were already famed heroes for their work in their hometown of Gotham, but they were also known to occasionally do work in the rest of the world as needed. Batman heard Takeo out and promised to rescue his family, which he did only a week later while also taking down the yakuza. We have owed a debt of honor to Batman ever since. If he is trained by Batman Inc as I suspect he is, you should listen to him when he tells you something, even if it directly contradicts what I've taught you. The Bats have been at this for far longer than even UA."
"And if he suggests that I talk to Mom?" Shoto asked, pinning his father with an ice-cold look. He may have been better since All Might's semi-retirement, but he didn't think he could ever truly forgive him.
Enji looked pained at the question, but answered it honestly with his head bowed. "Then you should go talk to her. Just know that I never will see her again."