Chapter 7
He looks the papers over with his mom, who takes them to a friend who is a lawyer (just in case, she says), and they talk some more about it with Shield, but in the end, they sign the papers.
They are only binding if a lot of conditions are met. Izuku needs to try and get as much as possible of his general study classes over and done with. Meaning he will need to try and graduate in courses like English, Japanese, math, and maybe history. There are exams people can take about twice a year and there are some coming up in December. The more classes he can get degree or certification for, the fewer classes he will need to follow for the next three years at UA, and the more time he can dedicate to other things. Taking them would be kind of a big waste of time, after all.
Never mind that he already has some advanced degrees from his online classes after graduating from middle school early.
It's a few days after he sends the paperwork back, that Shield lets him know when they can have the meeting with the UA Staff. When the fated day arrives, he stuffs some designs in his bag, waves at his mom on the way out of the house, and takes the train to UA.
UA.
The most prominent school in all of Japan. Not only known for its hero course. Every student who manages to graduate there has a very bright future ahead of them.
The building itself, looks like a big 'H'? Like, what? Is there some symbolism he is missing?
A big sturdy looking wall is surrounding the grounds and Izuku is supposed to wait at the gate. A gate, which is open.
It is very tempting to just walk in. He wonders why he has to wait here, out on the street, instead of inside. Maybe some security thing? But why on earth leave the gate open then? Isn't that like, inviting people in? Isn't that the wrong message to send to people?
He starts fidgeting; waiting has never been his strong suit.
Luckily someone comes out of the building soon enough. Izuku arches an eyebrow. Is that just someone on his way out? The man has long black hair, and a big white scarf thing, is dressed in black, and carries a general vibe of 'tired and irritated, leave me the hell alone'.
Huh.
"You Midoriya?" The man grunts at him.
"Yep."
"Wasn't there supposed to be someone else as well?"
"Shield-san can't be here in person. He is on I-Island at the moment, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean." Izuku replies.
The man sighs, slumps a bit more, then turns around and starts walking after making a vague motion in Izuku's direction.
Alrighty.
"So, are you a teacher here?"
The man shoots him an unimpressed look. "What else?"
"Well I don't know. It's why I asked. You could have been a homeless person who stashes his box here somewhere." Izuku shrugs, not at all bothered. Is he being rude?
The man snorts.
He can't have been too offended then.
The man leads him through the hallways to an office, knocks and enters with him.
"Ah, Midoriya-kun, so nice to see you again." The strange animal-looking principal greets him. "Isn't Shield-san with you?"
"He can't make it. Not live anyway. - I-Island left Japan last week - but if you allow me to call him, he will still be a part of this talk."
The two UA people raise an eyebrow at him.
"Very well." Nezu agrees.
Izuku takes his phone out of his pocket, places it on the table, and makes the call. As soon as it connects, the holo-screen activates and Shield's face is projected.
"Good morning." He greets them. Both teachers do a double take.
"Quite ingenious. Good morning, Shield-san."
"Good morning, Nezu-san. It is nice to finally meet in person."
"That it is. This is Aizawa Shouta, a homeroom teacher of the hero course here in our school. I invited him to sit in on our talk."
Pleasantries are exchanged, then Shield-san starts explaining why they are actually here. The two teachers listen attentively.
"You want to take the classes of two courses at the same time?" Aizawa grunts.
"I'd like to have both a support license and a hero license. Shield-san already is helping me get an early support license - it shouldn't take three years this way - but I'd still like access to the support labs here in school." Izuku explains.
"Midoriya-kun, while it is true that you are very smart, that does not mean you have what it takes to be a hero. Smarts are not enough to make it as a hero." Nezu says.
"Sure it does. You proved that."
"Flattery won't help you out here. Hero course students have to prove themselves before they are allowed into the course."
"True, via the all-out exam against giant robots, which is an exam that favors people with flashy quirks." Izuku nods with a frown. "Would you be able to pass it though? With the current rule set of only allowing very specific support equipment?"
Nezu frowns at him. "It is not my skills that are being questioned right now and we do have a system in place for possible transfers into the hero course."
"True, again, but how often does that happen? I saw your statistics. The last transfer was over a decade ago. And by the time people do get transferred, they struggle to keep up with their classmates because they are months ahead." Izuku says.
The homeless looking man next to him hums, as if agreeing.
Nezu keeps on frowning. "Whether you see it or not, and whether you agree with it or not, we do things for a reason. I am not interested in making exceptions, but I am willing to give you a chance. You will need to prove you are worthy of it first though."
"Fine, what do I need to do?" He sighs.
"I suggest you go for the support department. Students can be transferred into the hero course after exceptional performances during the sports festival." Nezu says.
"Yeah, but that is a full transfer. I want to do both the hero and support course. Graduate in both." Izuku feels like he is repeating himself.
"I am afraid that has never been done before at UA." The talking animal says.
"There is a first time for everything." Shield interjects. "Keep in mind that he has my backing in this, and that I can teach him what he misses in support classes in our time. Should that be an issue?"
"The number of classes you would have to take..."
"Please, I have several advanced degrees. I doubt I need first-year grade English or math at this point." Izuku waves the concerns away. "Also, I was already planning on taking some government exams in December, so you are actually just asking me to do things I had already planned on doing."
Nezu frowns at him. "I do like your enthusiasm and confidence in yourself. Still, this would be something new for our school. I will need some time to set this up, and some assurances for you."
"Meaning?"
"Well, I suggest the following scenario. You start out in the support course and we give you what you want if you manage to convince the other teachers of the school you deserve to be in the hero course at the Sports Festival. If you manage that, and you can prove to me you don't need the standard general education classes, like math and English as you say, then I don't see why we can't put such a system into place. You will need to keep up all your grades though. You will be our first student in such a schooling system. Depending on how well you do, we might give other students the same opportunities later on."
"Sure, that shouldn't be too hard." Izuku says. As he had said before, he is already planning on it.
"We had talked about Midoriya-kun getting some degrees in certain classes before the year started. To help create some free time in his schedule." Shield says.
"Hm? Is there a reason you can't immediately try out for the hero course? If Shield has already taken you on to become his apprentice, I don't see why you need to be part of the support course. Simple access to the labs can be arranged after all." Aizawa suddenly says.
"I am quirkless and, since the exam doesn't allow for support items except for quirk-enhanced ones, fighting story-high robots will be very difficult." Izuku says, eyeing the only one who clearly hadn't known he doesn't have any special powers.
"Huh? And you still think you can become a hero?" The man eyes him, his face blank.
"I already have plans to create my own gear. I know I can do this. I will become the first quirkless hero ever. I am smart enough to do this."
The man sighs. "Fine, Nezu. I agree with your plan. Kid, should you manage to convince me and the other teachers you belong in the hero course, I will give you a place in my class. You better impress us though. We have high standards here. Prove to me you belong."
Izuku grins. "Oh, I will."
--
The months that followed are hectic. He does some extra studying in hopes of reducing the number of classes he has to take. He takes exams in December and passes English, math, history and his basic science classes. Mom invites Mei and her parents over for a small party around Christmas and they have a lot of fun together, though he does spend a lot of that day making sure Mei doesn't destroy their apartment by accident. The girl is surprisingly fond of explosions.
And now here he is. At UA, finally.
The entrance exams... The famous test that was supposedly so hard, barely 200 students get admitted every year. 200 of the thousands and thousands that apply every year. Only the best get in.
So Izuku had been studying hard, just in case. He knows he is gifted, and not just because Tony Stark had been a genius.
He actually managed to get a certification for multiple classes already. They had been included in his paperwork, so the school should already know about it.
What is he saying? Of course they already know. They have had that talk a while ago. It had been a condition he had wanted to fulfill as soon as possible.
He has waited so long to get here... Years, it feels like. No, it really has been years.
Now, finally, he gets to try and get into the school.
He is just so unlucky because the moment he steps inside someone is yelling at him. "DEKU!!!"
Come on?! Really? Why is he this unlucky?
"DEKU?!? WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?!"
He had hoped for a nice and peaceful day of exam-taking. Dealing with Bakugo is not part of that equation. Not in any world. Izuku had hoped that after years of barely seeing each other, the kid would simply ignore him now. No such luck. If Bakugo's volume is anything to go by, that might just have made things worse.
Great.
He sighs, but doesn't turn around. "Don't you ignore me, DEKU!!"
"That is not my name." Izuku grumbles.
A fist grabs his shirt and spins him around. Bakugo's face is very close to his. The blond is snarling and glaring. Like always.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, DEKU!?!"
"Oh, come on, Kaachan. There is no need to yell."
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!! That is not MY NAME."
"Nor is Deku my name but that doesn't stop you. I will stop calling you that the moment you stop as well. So this is entirely on you." Izuku shrugs, as well as he can in this situation. "Besides, what do you think I am doing here?"
Bakugo's hands spark with little explosions. Izuku narrows his eyes. Great, the blond ruined another shirt. He really should start sending his parents a bill.
"Hey, please stop bullying other applicants!" A boyish voice interrupts them, and someone actually breaks Bakugo's grip on him.
Izuku blinks in shock.
"Anyone wanting to enter UA should show exemplary behaviors! Bullying or whatever this is has no place in this prestigious school."
"Che." Bakugo scowls, but turns around with his hands in his pockets and walks away.
"Are you all right?" the new boy asks.
Izuku eyes him as he dusts himself off. The teen is broader than him, with dark hair. He is way taller than Izuku, which is a pain.
"My hero. Thank you for interfering, but I would have been fine. He hasn't really used his quirk on me in years." Izuku says with a small teasing smile.
The boy's glasses glint, hiding his eyes. "He's used his quirk on you?"
"I am fine." Izuku says again. "Thanks, he likes to pick on me because I am quirkless. We should go though. The written test will start soon."
"Of course! We should get going." The teen agrees.
Man, this kid is hilarious. The robotic motions with his arms alone are... He seems a bit tense and uptight though. Well, Izuku is sure he can teach this guy to relax a bit and calm down. He wouldn't be the first rule follower he had helped like this. Pepper sure had calmed down and so had Rhodey. Or at least, they had become more tolerant of Tony after a while.
Meh, technicalities.
Only Rogers had been unmoving, but they hadn't really been friends. Not in any way that counted. Still, this kid has helped him out with Bakugo (even if Izuku had been just fine).
They walk towards the exam hall together. "Are you trying out for the hero course too?"
"Eventually. I mean, I am here to get into the support course? But yeah, being a hero is the long-term goal."
The boy blinks at him, then a smile appears. "It is good to pursue your dreams! I hope you'll get in!"
Either this kid has the faith of a four-year-old in humanity or he hasn't heard what Izuku just said. Nevertheless, it is nice to hear.
They end up walking the remaining hundred meters to the exam room together.
The boy (Izuku tries to recall if he introduced himself or not?) nods at him with another odd arm movement before looking for his seat.
It is nice.
The test itself begins almost as soon as they get into their designated area. Izuku sits down and starts reading.
What?
This is... Is this for REAL?!?
Why did he spend years studying for this test? This is way too easy!
He's actually been tempted to get back up and ask the teacher supervising them if they have given him the right test. That easy. In the end, he settles for filling it out as quickly as possible, handing it in, and leaving the room to tinker on his phone in the hallway.
Either he has underestimated the school, or he has overestimated what level his year-mates are on. Neither is a good or happy thought...
Chapter 8
He gets his UA letter a few days later in the mail. His mom has to come into his lab and wave it under his nose before he realizes she is there.
The easiest solution to combat any nerves he has found (while waiting for his letter from UA, in this case) is keeping extra busy. So, he has been making some more of his smartphones to give away. One for mom, one for Mei and he sends the blueprints to Shield for him and Melissa (after the patent paper got filled out, of course. He doesn't trust the man that much. Not yet, anyway.)
"Huh?" He says as he sees his mom next to him.
"Honestly honey, you need to learn to pay at least a bit of attention to what is going on around you." She sighs with a grimace. "Your UA letter came."
"Oh, right."
He takes the envelope with shaky hands. Why is he nervous? He knows he got in. He can't have failed. The test had been way too easy. And the support department has no extra practical exam, unlike the hero course. (He would have aced the practical exam as well if it had existed). The written exam had been too easy. And it still doesn't sit well with him. What if he has missed something? Some sort of ruse or something…? A prestigious school like UA can't have an entrance that easy, right?
He shakes the negative thoughts from his head. Now is not the time.
"I'll leave you to read it in peace. Just…let me know, alright?" Mom asks, looking just as nervous as he feels.
"Of course." He mutters, focusing completely on the letter. She pats his shoulder before leaving him alone.
Izuku takes a deep breath, trying to settle himself, before prying open the paper envelope. No reason to wait any longer. He'll only get more nervous and anxious.
There is a small red disk inside, not a letter. He takes it out and it projects a hologram.
"YOUNG MIDORIYA!" He startles at the loud noise, badly, dropping the disk in his shock. It falls onto his desk.
All Might? What is the number one hero doing in his video? Why is he involved at UA?
The hero is projected as a hologram display, but not quite like his, but rather like a portable movie screen. 2D only. So he picks it back up and points it at the wall. That is better, he can see it more clearly now against the wall.
He frowns at the hero as All Might continues talking. Izuku still isn't sure what to think of the man. He had adored him, once. Before waking up to the nightmares that are his past life.
But even now, he can't shake the hero's resemblance to Rogers. Captain America. Both are blond, buff as hell and even their superpowers resembled each other. Both are adored and very justice driven.
It is very difficult not to let his feelings for Captain America spoil his image of All Might. He can't seem to help it. Because while he is doing better, it is hard to forget how someone you considered a friend tries to as good as murder you. No matter the reason he may have had for that.
So seeing the hero pop up here is...jarring. To say the least.
And what is All Might even doing here? Izuku can't remember him ever being connected to the school? At least not beyond having graduated from it. The man can't be a teacher, right? That actually requires degrees and studies and such, even in this world.
He barely listens while the man prattles on, trying to make sense of his thoughts. "This is the start of YOUR SUPPORT ACADEMIA!"
Honestly...does the number one hero have to be this loud? Well, at least he got in?
"Congrats, chief." Tadashi says with a happy tilt in his voice.
He scoffs, the nerves completely dying away. As if there was ever any doubt. (It's easier to think that now, now that he knows for sure.) "Of course, I got in." he mutters mostly to himself. "Thanks, buddy. Can you download my results from this drive so I can look them over later?"
He really doesn't feel like watching that video again if he doesn't have to. "Shall I call you friends and mentor?" Tadashi asks.
"Sure, just give me a sec to inform mom as well."
"I'll set up the call while you are away." Tadashi decides and Izuku can't help but smile at his proactive behavior.
"I'll be right back." He says to the AI as he gets up, feeling the leftover nerves becoming nervous energy and having the strange desire to move around a bit. He walks towards the kitchen where his mom is sure to be found. And indeed, she is beating some eggs together in a hurry that shows him he clearly didn't inherit his nervous tendencies from a stranger.
He smiles softly as she looks up, fear (for him! He still can't get used to that) clear in her eyes. "I got in."
She screeches and Izuku startles at the sudden sound. But she is laughing happily as well, and she rushes towards him to hug him. All Izuku can do is grab the bowl with the mixed eggs and hope they don't somehow end up wearing the mixture.
He barely manages to get a grip on the bowl, but he can't help but laugh out loud. Both at her antics and because of the relief he feels.
"Oh, I knew it! My smart boy! Of course, you got in! Oh, I am so happy for you!" She squeezes him tight, before releasing him and kissing his cheek. "I'll make your favorite for dinner tonight, to celebrate. Have you told Shield-san yet? And your friends?"
"Not yet." He continues smiling. "Tadashi is calling them so I can tell them after this, but I wanted to tell you first."
The look in her eyes softens and her smile grows watery. "Oh, my precious boy. Go on then, go tell them. They'll be waiting for you."
"Thank you, mom. For everything." He can't help but say as he smiles at her.
Tony has never been good with expressing emotions, and while Izuku is better at it, it still isn't easy. Still, he makes the extra effort for his mom. It is thanks to her he got this far after all.
Her smile widens. "Of course, dear, you don't need to thank me for that. Now go and see your friends. Tell them the good news. You are starting at UA High school in less than a week!"
She throws her arms in the air with a big smile, and it is very lucky Izuku keeps a strong grip on her bowl with the eggs.
He flashes her a smile and holds out the bowl.
"Oh dear, I completely forgot about the eggs. Thank you, you just saved our dinner." She flushes but takes the bowl out of his hands with a smile.
"No problem. I'll be back shortly." Izuku can't help but smile at her antics.
He leaves her for dinner preparations in the kitchen and makes his way back to his lab. Mei is already calling for him, he can hear her from in the hallway.
"Midori-kun! Where are you?!"
"All right, all right, I am here already, calm down." He says with a laugh as he comes into the room.
Tadashi has the call set up already and the holograms are fully functioning. On one side is Mei, bouncing up and down in whatever chair she chose for today (it might even be a box of something, or one of her inventions, who knows?), on the other side are Shield-san and Melissa, who is following everything by looking over her father's shoulder.
He is very proud of his Hologram system and the communication possibilities it has. The holograms project their faces and part of their shoulders. It isn't quite how he wants it yet, still 2D, but it is life and it lets Mei see the Shields and vice versa. He hopes to be able to make the communication center he actually wants to make later at UA (when he has access to all the right parts).
"Midori!! I got in! We got in!" Mei cheers when she sees him appear on her own comm. center. Because of course he immediately sent them copies of the blueprints. It won't work if he alone has the tech, of course. They need to have the same tech to make this work.
Shield-san had been impressed and had immediately thanked him and completed the paperwork Izuku had sent with it.
The comm. center has been up and running ever since. It's easy. And it comes in handy when he wants to talk to someone, brainstorm a bit, and still keep tinkering.
"Congrats you two. I knew you'd get in with no trouble." Melissa congratulates both Izuku and Mei.
And of course, Mei got in as well. Like there has ever been any doubt.
"Are you two ready for classes? It's only a few days away." Shield-san asks.
Izuku points at the papers he has pinned to the wall behind him. "All certificates are ready to go. I can't wait to check out their labs though."
"My mom said UA has the best labs!" Mei yells into her comms.
Izuku winces at the volume but shoots her a smile. "I hope so. I will be really disappointed if they are not."
"Don't get your hopes up too much. Disappointment is always an option. Better to anticipate it and with luck, you will be positively surprised afterward" Shield-san says. "And if it doesn't live up to what you hope…" He trails off with a grimace.
"If not, then I'll spend my first week there building better equipment." Izuku grins wryly. "This is going to be awesome!"
He barely gets any sleep the night before his first day at UA.
He keeps busy though. He goes over all his blueprints, again, plays with Kitt-E, bugs Tadashi till the AI gets annoyed at him, and that sort of stuff.
Feeling nervous and scared is really exhausting and he is done with it. If only that was enough to stop feeling like this.
No matter, he keeps busy, and before he knows it Mom is calling for him to come eat breakfast. He hurries and shoves a piece of toast in his mouth as he jumps into his new uniform, running a hand through his messy hair, and rushedsout the door.
"See you tonight!" He calls back to his mom. "Be careful dear, and have fun!"
He makes his way to the school by bullet train. It is the quickest way to get there, but also the most boring one (except for walking, maybe). How he misses flying in his Ironman suits. Soon, hopefully… For now, he just needs to stand in the train (sit if he is lucky) and keep himself occupied. It is hard not to let his thoughts wander and start feeling nervous again. He pulls out his earbuds and puts them on.
"Tadashi, put on some music, will you?" He mutters softly to his phone, trying not to draw too much attention.
Bakugo is sitting at the other end of the wagon, and he really doesn't feel like dealing with him today.
"Of course, chief, anything for you." His baby replies in his ear pods.
Izuku closes his eyes and leans back a bit, fully prepared to lose himself in the music. But as soon as the first notes ring in his ears, he blinks and frowns.
What the…
"Tadashi, what are you doing? What is this?"
"I believe this song is called Ponponpon, chief. I thought you might enjoy it."
This is definitely not his playlist though. Not any of his playlists. This is like nothing he's ever chosen to listen to. It's way too…cute for his taste.
"You are being a little…you have multiple playlists ready for me. Why play something I have never heard, and that you know I won't like?" He asks, not understanding what is going on.
"Oh, chief, I am so sorry. Is this bothering you?" The AI asks innocently, but with an undertone of sass to his voice.
Izuku narrows his eyes at the tone. "Is this revenge for last night?"
Tadashi had been annoyed that Izuku had ignored his advice of going to sleep practically all night long.
"Well, you really do live up to the genius title. Well, done, chief. A+ for you." There's that sass again.
"Ooh, you are getting sassier every day. You are lucky I like that." Izuku smiles despite himself. "But seriously, are you trying to make me lose it? This is not my type of music! At all."
"Shh, you are attracting attention, chief, people will think you are crazy, talking to yourself." Tadashi whispers to him to prove a point.
And indeed people are starting to stare at him.
Dramatically, Izuku clutches at his chest, as if in pain. "The betrayal!" He mocks and whispers in tears.
Tadashi actually snorts. "You wound me chief. Also, this is your stop. You should try and pay more attention, you know."
Izuku pouts but actually hurries off the train before it can take off again. "You are so mean to me."
"Now, now, Sir, I'm sure you'll survive."
He pouts the entire rest of the way to the school. It's not very far anymore, but UA is built on the outskirts of town.
The school itself is a somewhat modern-looking building. And he is being generous there. It looks modern by this world's standards. It looks mostly made up of windows and is shaped weirdly.
Like four towers connected by a small corridor halfway up. He can vaguely see the symbolic U and A in them, but even seeing it for the first time hadn't impressed him. Now, it impresses him even less.
Mei is supposed to be waiting here for him (as her train is scheduled to arrive before he does by a good fifteen minutes), but there is no one waiting at the entrance. He checks his phone and finds no new messages waiting for him. Shrugging, he walks inside. She probably forgot and went on ahead.
He enters and goes looking for his homeroom class. Which, according to his instructions should be on ground level. Always smart. Putting labs for what most people would assume were beginners on the higher floors is just waiting for someone to bring it back down with a good explosion or two.
He finds his designated classroom easily enough and enters. One look around tells him everything he needs to know. His shoulders slump and he sighs deeply.
Really?
UA's workshops are...disappointing. He knows he shouldn't have expected too much. His personal workshop/lab in his last life had not been the norm either. Still, this place reminds him of his very first tech classes. Simple desks and a bit of equipment and resources by the side.
There are no bots here. No fabrication process. Everything is literally handmade here? Now, don't get him wrong, he knows this isn't a factory, but it's been since Mark II that he has had to build his Ironman suit from scratch by himself. (And no, those repairs on his suit after his house got blown up didn't count. That suit might have been ruined, but he hadn't needed to wire it completely from scratch!)
Still, this won't do.
Chapter 9
Only after noticing all that does he see that people are already inside the room. There is a man at the front of the workspace. He is literally encased in what looks like a giant robot. He already looks close to done for the day.
Mei is already inside. She is surrounded by materials on the desk she is standing by, a wide grin on her face. She has clearly already started tinkering and…are those scorch marks on the desk? How long has she been in here?
"Mei, are you blowing up our classroom before the school year officially starts? " Izuku asks, amused. "You were supposed to meet me in front of the school, remember?"
"Midori! You are finally here!! Come see what I made!?" She completely ignores what he said. "Come see what you blew up, you mean? " He arches an eyebrow, but obediently comes closer. "Midoriya Izuku, right?" Their sensei suddenly asks.
"Yes, sir!" Izuku nods politely, but with a mock salute he really can't stop.
"You seem to know this one. Can you get her to calm down? She's going to destroy the lab on her first day." The man asks him with a strained voice.
Izuku snorts. If their teacher can't handle Mei after only this long, he is scheduled for a complete breakdown in less than a week. Or maybe a month. At most.
Mei snorts as well, having heard the man. "He is actually worse than me." She says and points at Izuku.
"Hey, I haven't blown anything up in years, thank you very much!" Izuku cries out indignantly, before winking at her with a grin.
Their sensei actually holds his head in his hands in misery. Poor man.
"Just wait to cause more chaos till later. We have some stuff to talk about first, and there is orientation in a bit." The man sighed.
Yeah, this man isn't going to last.
"Come on, Mei. Put down the screwdriver for a second." Izuku grabs her arm and drags her to another empty desk. They sit down together.
"Thank you. Now, this is your homeroom. Class 1-F. As you've noticed, it's not a homeroom like you're used to having. That is because you'll spend a big portion of your day in here, getting lessons and creating things." Their teacher says.
Wait, sensei is starting with just them here? Shouldn't he wait until the other students arrive as well?
"May we work on personal projects here as well??" Mei asks eagerly from her space a table over, having already claimed the desk.
"Sure." Their teacher smiles at her. "All materials you find in our supply are yours to use. All we ask is that you register for it. I'll be showing you how to do that later on today."
That is sensible, Izuku thinks. And a good way to keep track of what stocks need to be replenished. And also a way to keep an eye on which student uses what.
"My name is Maijima Higari also known as the Excavation Hero: Powerloader. I will be your homeroom teacher for this year. As you can see, support classes are different from the other classes at UA. Sadly over the years, fewer and fewer students apply and now we don't actually have enough students to have full classes."
"Wait, so it really is just the two of us?" Izuku asks shocked, his finger pointing between himself and Mei multiple times.
Sure, the support course isn't popular, but this is just…
"Yes, meaning you will take all your normal classes like English and Maths and others with a Gen-Ed class. Well, Hatsume will. Midoriya, your schedule will be even more different. We'll go over it later on."
Izuku nods.
"There is an assembly in half an hour. Everyone is supposed to be there. In the meantime, why don't you two come up with some plans to personalize this space? This will be your workspace to work on all support-related projects for as long as you are part of my class. So even next year, this class will be yours." Their sensei informs them.
Both Izuku and Mei exchange a delighted grin.
Powerloader watches them with narrowed eyes. "Keep in mind that I will need to approve of all plans before anything is allowed to be moved."
Yeah..., like that will stop them.
"Also, Midoriya, I hear you have a sponsor? And that you will spend most of your free periods learning from him?"
"Something like that, yes." Izuku grins.
"You will use this class for those lessons, so be sure to include space for that."
"Yes, sir!" He salutes the man again.
He already has plans for this space.
He talks them over with Mei, who is equally as enthusiastic. They don't seem to agree though. Mei wants other stuff installed, no matter how cool she claims his ideas are. They argue- "No, you can't put the solder over there! Are you crazy!"- Needless to say, they argue a lot. But it is fun.
Despite his maturity (compared to her anyway) Izuku has been egging her on more and more. They do this all the time, trying to outdo each other till the other explodes. It's all in good fun, honestly and both are grinning brightly until their sensei interrupts them.
"Each of you just pick one side of the room and leave the other be!" They smile with closed eyes (a smile of innocence). "Sure!"
The man sighs and rubs his hand through his hair. Izuku feels pity for the man. This is only two of them. How can this guy even think to gain control over a whole class of them? What if there were twenty students like this?
Maybe it is better that there are no other students in 1-F.
"Alright, have some plans made by tomorrow. We need to go and after the assembly, you'll get to go home." The man sighs as if he can't believe he has to see them again tomorrow.
Part of Izuku feels really bad for this man, but the biggest part of him is delighted. Time for the assembly.
Which, as he has feared it would be, is boring, and monotonous and he can't wait for it to be over.
Nezu keeps on talking, very enthusiastically, but Izuku really can't be bothered to pay any attention.
Mei is fidgeting next to him, and muttering to herself with stars in her eyes, and Izuku has to try really hard not to join in.
The only unusual thing about it is that one class is clearly missing. The empty chairs are a clear indicator that something is going on, and Izuku entertains himself by thinking about what they can be doing.
The assembly doesn't take too long and they get to leave immediately afterward. He waves as he goes his separate way from Mei and feels giddy thinking about tomorrow.
**
Again, Powerloader is waiting with Mei when he makes it to his homeroom the next day, and the man looks less tired than yesterday. That is good.
And worrying. What had Mei done to him yesterday?
Their sensei immediately starts talking as soon as Izuku steps inside. "Good, Midoriya you are here. Sit down and I'll start."
"I didn't think I was late?" Izuku can't help but ask.
"You aren't. But I have some explaining to do before you two head to your first class."
Powerloader hands them each a light file. "These have your class schedules and your access badge to this room and the support supply room. Since there are only two of you, you will take your morning classes with 1-C. Midoriya, you obviously have more free time, but you will spend those hours in this room, working either with your sponsor or on schoolwork. "
Izuku salutes the man and his teacher snorts. The man seems to handle the two of them better today. Maybe there is hope for him after all.
Izuku opens the file and smiles. Classes before lunch are more general education stuff like Japanese, English, History, Math...stuff like that. And he already had degrees for English and Math and all the Science classes they can come up with. Hell, he even managed to squeeze in a Biology degree in the last few months. Nothing college level, yet, but enough not to have to take the high school classes at least. Biology isn't a class that comes naturally to him, but he had spent quite a few years delving into the subject as Tony Stark. After the whole Extremis business that Aldrich Killian had injected into Peppers body, the jerk, Tony had brushed up on it over his past life.
Anyway, he has about one or two real classes every day. The rest are support classes or free periods. Good.
"You will need your badge to open and lock this room when I am not present. "The man continues, mostly looking at Izuku, probably because Izuku would spend quite a few hours here alone." Always lock the lab when you are last to leave. I do not want any students wandering in here who do not know what they are dealing with and possibly hurting themselves."
Both Izuku and Mei nod at him, and with his own satisfied nod, the man continues on. "Afternoon classes will be in here as well, with me. "
Mei squeals. Loudly.
"Yes, yes, I get it. You are very excited. " Powerloader sighes.
Powerloader goes with them so that they don't get lost on the way to 1-C. He leaves them there and their Japanese teacher introduces them to the other students, who stare at them with curious eyes.
There isn't a real meet and greet though (students already met their classmates yesterday, for the most part), for which Izuku is grateful. And about halfway through the morning he leaves the class, waving to Mei on his way out and back to his homeroom for his free time.
So he spends most of the morning of his first day building his lab space in his and Mei's homeroom class. His comm. centre is up and running even before lunchtime, as are his holographic screens. And of course, Tadashi runs through all his machines, and thus most of the classroom. He hasn't connected him with the school just yet. He figured he needed to talk to his sensei, or Nezu at least. The creature knows what he and Tadashi can do, so...best not to send the whole school into a panic and make the person in charge of his transfer to the hero course pissed off. It is a shame though. He would have liked to see their faces.
He is busy making his first helper bot, when the bell for lunch rings.
At first, he completely ignores it, busy with his future bot arm. Not that he is being dismissive or anything, but he gets so focused on his work, that he is simply not paying any attention.
"Chief, you agreed to meet Mei for lunch?" Tadashi speaks up above the loud music that is blasting through the classroom.
Sue him, he's been in there alone for two hours.
He ignores his baby (and Mei is such a bad influence on him), and tightens the screw he's been bolting shut.
"Chief?"
"Sure, sure, give me a second to secure this." he mutters distracted.
Because sure the materials UA has available are more sophisticated than what he worked with from the beach that was actually a junkyard. Though it still wasn't up to the standards he had once been used to.
He finishes a few minutes later, and watches his work with sadness. Why do humans need food anyway?
"I believe: 'to not die' is the answer to that question, chief. You really should get going." Was he thinking out loud again?
"Fine, fine." he grabs his phone and locks the room behind him with his badge. And tries to find his way to the lunch room.
When he finally finds the room, Mei is already waiting for him. She is standing by the entrance, humming and smiling and twitching in place as if restraining too much energy.
"Yo, Midori! Let's get some food, so we can get started and make babies!" She yells as she sees him and waves at him.
Izuku laughs, even if he turns slightly red at how wrong that sounds. People stop to stare at them.
He speeds up his pace and grabs Mei by the arm to stand in line to get some food. There is a hero cooking lunch for them. The Cook Hero: Lunch Rush.
Which brings a whole lot of new questions to Izuku's mind. Lunch Rush is a hero. He knows that. But does the man ever go out to actually be a hero? Does he do any rescuing or fight villains? He'll need to research it later, but he can't recall ever hearing mention of him on the news… Sure the man came on TV with his daily cooking show, but other than that...? He has a hero license though. Otherwise him serving anyone quirk-made food is a big no-no. So has the man gotten his license just to do this? Cook all day? That seems like a waste of a hero license. And how had the hero actually passed in the first place?
Mei tugs at his arm. "Come on, let's go."
Izuku grabs his now full plate and shakes his head free of thoughts. They're late, so they need to search a bit to find a place to sit.
Izuku grins suddenly, having spotted someone. "Let's go sit over there."
He motions over to the table where he recognizes the robot-like guy from right before the entrance exams.
"Why over there? You know him?" Mei asks with a frown.
"Met him before the exams. He did this weird thing with his arms that was kind of funny." Izuku shrugs.
"Alright. He seems sort of lonely all by himself."
And indeed he did. There were other people sitting at his table, but they weren't really talking to him.
"Let's go say hi." Izuku takes a deep breath and together they walk towards the table.
Chapter 10
They reach the guy's table and sit down. The boy before them looks up, his glasses glinting in the light, a puzzled look on his face. It is only then that Izuku realises most people ask for permission before they sit down. Oh well. Too late now.
"Hi." Izuku greets him with a smile.
"You are that boy from the entrance exam." The guy says to him.
"Nicely spotted, and you are my knight in shining armour." Izuku winks playfully.
"Knight in shining armour?" Mei asks, eying them both with a sly look in her eyes.
"Never mind that." Izuku waves the topic away. "I can't for the life of me remember if you ever told me your name?" he admits easily.
"Ah, I… have no idea either. My name is Iida Tenya. It's nice to meet you." The kid looks unsure for a second, before offering his hand.
"Midoriya Izuku." They shake on it.
"Hatsume Mei."
"So, how are hero classes?" Izuku asks, actually curious to hear the answer. "I assumed you got in, right? The hero course? Or are you in general education?" He rambles a bit.
"No, I did indeed get into UA's Hero course. My family was very pleased." Iida says with a smile on his face.
"So, how are hero classes?" Izuku asks again. He wants to know what he can expect after the Sport Festival.
"We only have our first heroics class this afternoon, but I trust UA to hold to the highest standards!" Iida says. "We already had a quirk test, to know our limits and Aizawa-sensei proved to be quite cunning. He only accepts our best."
The arms are going up and down again, and Izuku has to hide a smile.
"So, why are you sitting alone?" Mei asks as she takes a bite of her food.
"Ah, I fear that may be my own fault, really. I called out one of my classmates as a bully on the first day, and people have been avoiding me a bit since. It is fine though. I know I did the right thing."
"That sucks." Izuku frowns at him. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing much." The guy refuses to look at him.
Izuku looks around and studies the other tables. It doesn't take him long to see Bakugo sitting at a table, ignoring the ruckus going on around him. Because he is surrounded by kids and not speaking up about it. Which is surprising in and on itself.
"Bakugo, right? You called him out on his crap? And no one believed you?" Izuku guesses with a dry tone and a grimace.
Iida mirrors his expression.
"Bakugo...? Midori, didn't you mention him, once?" Mei tilts her head in thought.
"Not sure, I try not to think about him." Izuku honestly isn't sure. He shrugs, not really caring either way.
"Yeah, the loud and biting Chihuahua, I think you called him?"
Izuku snorts and even Iida can't fight a small smile. "If I called him anything, it would have been a Pomeranian, I believe. But close." Izuku turns back towards Iida. "He really does bite though, so be careful."
"He was yelling at a classmate, and after seeing what he tried to do to you last time I saw you both, I just could not stand aside. I called him out on his behaviour, but it backfired quite spectacularly."
Izuku pats the guy's arm. "They'll get to know him quick enough. Bakugo is not known for his patience, nor his gentle demeanour. You shouldn't pay it any mind."
"Yeah, and you can always sit with us at lunch." Mei grins.
Iida smiles back at her and nods his head in thanks. They talk some more during lunch, and it is nice. Iida still has that weird habit Izuku had noticed the first time they met, the chopping motion with his arms. It is kind of funny, but the guy is feeling down so Izuku tries very hard not to laugh at him.
After lunch, they have their first real support lesson.
Both Izuku and Mei are excited for it. They have both submitted plans for their workstations and are eager to get tinkering. Yesterday had been the first day, and they hadn't been expected (or allowed) to do any real work. Today is the real start.
Powerloader enters the lab with both machinearms full of files.
Izuku groans. There goes that hope they will get any real work done.
Paperwork, such a joy. They are going to be reading all afternoon if that pile is any indication.
Mei's head hits her desk with a miserable groan. Clearly, she understands their fate as well.
At least he isn't the only one disappointed here. That is something, at least.
Sensei drops the files on his desk and watches them both.
"So every year, hero course students who want to make changes to their costume, or who desire some support equipment, come to their year mates in the support course first before going to see any professionals. That has always been UA's policy, for the benefit of both hero and support course. Minor changes to costumes and none lethal support equipment don't require much paperwork, and so we get carte blanche about that." Sensei tells them as he pats the two piles of paper files. "This year, there are only two support course students, as you well know."
"Well, yeah." Mei pouts , lifting her head from where it had slammed in her desk. "We noticed."
Izuku scratches his nose, not sure how to react. He keeps eyeing the paper files with a vague sense of trepidation. He is never happy to see such a mountain of paperwork approaching him.
"So, expect a lot of hero students to come here in the coming months. To make it easier, I will hand you their files already. These have details on their quirk, their costume, stuff like that... Read these, have them on hand. You'll need them to perform upgrades later on."
Sensei hands them each a pile of files. There are a lot of them. There are only two support students this year, and there are two complete hero classes... So Izuku supposes they get one class each? Or, in case they don't split it up, forty potential customers between the two of them.
Yeah, he sees as he looks through the files. That is the whole of class 1A. He thinks?
"You have 1B?" He asks Mei.
She nods with a hum, not looking up from her pile of paper she is reading through.
"Do you want to split them up? You a class and I one? Or do both together?"
She looks up, a thoughtful look on her face. "Maybe start with one class each? I mean, of course we can help each other out, and we will have access to both classes. Students should be free to go to whichever of us they feel most comfortable with. But, yeah, one class each is a good place to start?"
"Sure, we can always put our heads together once we have gone through everything." He agrees, because Mei is being very logical about it all.
It doesn't make sense to just put them aside for later. If a hero student comes he wants to be ahead of the problem. Also, maybe he can come up with some ideas just by looking their files over. He had once invented new weapons and costume fabric for his fellow Avengers without asking their input. They had all appreciated it though. Well, they had all used his inventions/improvements, so he had always assumed they had liked them.
He likes it, alright. No matter how ungrateful people can be about it.
Never mind, he continues browsing.
Ooh, this girl looks interesting! Yaoyorozu Momo. Quirk: creation? She make anything out of her body fat? As long as she knows the chemical components of whatever she makes? Damn.
That … Is a very handy quirk to have. He is happy as he is, quirkless, but he can admit to himself he wouldn't have minded a quirk like that.
That quirk... He can already see the possibilities flash before his eyes. All the expensive martials he had worked with in his last life, which were too expensive for him to buy right now…
He'll need to speak to her at some point. See if they can't work out some sort of agreement. If she can provide him with some materials, that will make his life a lot easier. And of course he won't just expect to get that for free. He can't pay for it yet, but he is sure they can work something out.
Trying to contain his enthusiast - all the possibilities though! - he continues on through his pile. Most of them are what you can expect from students of hero. Flashy, but not inefficient. Maybe not his choice, but he can leave it be.
Iida dressing up as some sort of speedster knight? Much too bulky and non-tech for his taste, but he can't see any obvious flaws with it. Though he will speak to his friend about making it sleeker, maybe. More aerodynamic, build for speed and not power. Unless it was some sort of ruse?
Thoughts for later.
He holds a file that is chocking beyond belief. This can't be possible, right? No one would be this stupid, right? How did this ever get cleared?
What?
He reads the file again. His shock and disbelief rising. He must be dreaming, this is a nightmare.
"Sensei, your files are faulty!" He calls out in distress..
"No, they are not!" Powerloader yells back, not even looking up from his own work at his desk.
"Seriously?!" He exclaims in genuine shock. "There is seriously a girl going out into the field to fight villains completely naked??!"
"What?!" Mei cries out, just as shocked.
Their sensei turns around now, a grimace on his face.
"Yeah, I saw that too. Hagakure Tōru, the invisible girl. She didn't even submit a costume design. Just wanted some gloves and shoes.
"How could anyone approve that!? That is so life-threatening, why!? Who could possibly think this is a good idea??!" Izuku yells out, stunned anyone can be that stupid.
"She is invisible, And she specialises in stealth. Unfortunately, her clothes don't also turn invisible the moment she puts them on. That is why this was approved."
"Then just make some clothes that change with her!" Izuku yells out in anger.
"Material like that doesn't exist." Powerloader says wryly, with a raised eyebrow.
Is he underestimating Izuku, or laying down a challenge?? Either way, Izuku feels challenged.
"Nothing? Isn't there some fabrics that allow for DNA infusion? To allow clothes to work with certain quirks?" Mei asks.
"Yes, but none that work with invisibility." Sensei admits with a sigh.
"Maybe not yet." Izuku mutters to himself as he narrows his eyes, leans back in his chair and allows his mind to race through multiple options. "This is just… the pinnacle of irresponsibility! She has no weapons, as good as no martial arts training of any kind, and they are just going to… what? Send her out there completely naked??"
Sensei sighs. Izuku isn't sure if the sigh is a sign of annoyance at him or at the problem he just pointed out. It pisses him off either way.
He is more determined than ever to find a solution for this.
"Keep readying those files, will you. You'll have time to think about those plans of yours later."
He'll need a sample. Some skin tissue from the girl to put under a microscope and pray he remembers enough of his last life from his experiments with Extremis to not botch this up. This would just be some very advanced camouflage gear. Or something like that. Maybe based on those reflector panels Shield once had commissioned from him? Maybe that could work?
Izuku makes some quick notes on a piece of paper and staples it to her file, puts it apart from the others and turns back to the remaining pile. Many ideas burst in his mind as he keeps on reading and he asks Tadashi to keep notes as he mutters to himself.
He puts the in his eyes inappropriate costume files in a different pile.
And again, most are alright. Not what he would have chosen, and some are not age appropriate at all. But they also aren't dangerous to their owners. Seeing Bakugo's grenades makes him grimace, but he can't argue that they aren't a good idea. Though who thought it a good idea to give a kid with such an explosive personality such a potential supply of explosives, he isn't sure.
But he does want a word with them. Because those grenades are good for once the kid learns control. Maybe once he graduates. But letting him use them during training? Especially at the beginning of his training? That is just asking for injuries.
One other file makes him blink, and read it a second time. Just to be sure he read and saw that right. He tries to progress it and fails so he has to read it a third time.
Feeling stunned, he turns towards Mei.
"Hey, Mei, what is the first thing you think when you look at this guy's hero costume?" Izuku asks as he holds up a paper with the design.
She looks up and blinks. "Diaper man ?"
Izuku exclaims loudly in his frustration, gesturing wildly. "My thoughts exactly. Why would anyone design it like this? What is this guy's quirk? Maybe he needs it for some reason... Nope, not at all. His quirk is only related to his hair. So, it's not like his body is shaped like that either!" he checks the file.
"How on earth did these costumes ever get approved?" Izuku asks their teacher. "Please tell me someone had to approve of these. And students can't just send in whatever they want without anyone keeping an eye on them?"
"Sure, but it usually gets discussed here. Or their homeroom teacher takes them aside to talk it over.
"So, they'll get a talk and come here to discuss changes? "
"They should. "
"Should? That is reassuring. " He mutters to himself. "Does that mean we have to wait to discuss these costumes with the students until they come to us? Or can we go and seek them out?"
"I don't think there is a rule about that, but that is usually how things go here, yes. Hero students come to us."
"Nope, not going to do that. That could take ages, and at least one costume – or lack of costume - is too dangerous to allow for that." Izuku says loudly. "So sensei, when can we start harassing the hero students about new costumes?"
"Harassing them?" the man looks at him as if he has never seen a teenager before.
"Of course. If some of these idiots got these costume ideas all by themselves, they deserve all the harassment they will get. Some can't help it, I guess. They just don't know any better. But others... Honestly, what was Diaper boy thinking?" Izuku mutters.
"Class B isn't too bad, I think." Mai says with a thoughtful look. "I think I'll wait a while. See who comes to me."
"Please do not harass other students, Midoriya." Sensei says with a pained look.
Oh good, the man already knows he won't be able to stop him from doing so.
"In the meantime, why don't you explain to me who you keep talking to on the phone?" sensei asks.
Izuku only blinks at him, feeling both surprised and so-so-done-with-all-the-idiots-around-him.
"Really?!"
Mei bursts out laughing.