Chapter 10: To the Future
"The kid's doing pretty damn good, if ya ask me!"
"Hn… decent enough, I suppose. But he'll have to do a lot more for what's ahead of him."
"Hey, go easy on him. He's new to it. We all were once. Just watch, I'm sure he'll surprise all of us. For now, I'm enjoying the show. This is gonna get fun once he wakes up."
"Ugh, Nana, are you seriously already shipping them?"
Izuku wakes with a groan, head spinning as he stares up at the ceiling of UA High's infirmary. "Huh… Well, at least I'm not confused this time."
"Of course you're not." Katsuki huffs. "Pain in my ass."
"Deku!" Ochako jumps to Izuku's side. "Y-You're awake! How do you feel?"
"Um… tired still." He grumbles and slowly sits up. "Recovery Girl already used her quirk on me, didn't she?"
"You know it, walking prune." Izuku jumps and looks across the room at Toga cleaning a few tools. "Way you looked when we got to you. Whole arm bruised and steamed into a wrinkled mess."
Katsuki bursts into hysteric laughter. "Shit, how did I not come up with that one myself?!"
Izuku slumps and pouts for just a moment as Toga joins his laughter, but smirks with his response. "Because you don't have a creative bone in your body."
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, DEKU!"
Ochako cringes. "Speak for yourself, you're the one making so much noise in an infirmary."
Katsuki gapes in indignation for a moment, but scoffs and grumbles under his breath.
"So…" Ochako turns back to Izuku. "Recovery Girl said you should be feeling well enough to leave when you wake. That true?"
He hums and slowly climbs out of bed, stumbling a bit once on his feet. "Ugh… still tired, and my balance is off, but-" He pauses as Toga holds out a protein bar for him.
"We have a huge stock of these in here. This brand is actually pretty great, it tastes like real chocolate, and doesn't get pasty."
"Oh, they got the real shit here?" Katsuki grins. "Pass me one, I'm starved after that test."
Ochako sighs. "Me too, that was crazy."
"Well, I mean, if Deku used Full Robo on a 0-Pointer, it must have been." He scowls as he looks over to Izuku, who's now digging into his bar. "Has to be the most destructive bullshit I've ever seen in person. If it weren't a one-and-done, I'd be pretty damn pissed."
Izuku smirks. "Won't be when I'm done. Good luck keeping up."
"Deku, I will nuke you into next week right fucking now."
"If you're gonna do that, don't do it in my office! I need to sleep here tonight." Everyone stops and stares at Toga. "... Oh, right. Yeah, I guess that's really far from normal, huh?"
"Uh…" Ochako clears her throat a bit. "No, not really… why are you staying here, exactly?"
She sighs and leans back against the counter. "My home situation wasn't exactly the best, and my quirk has some odd side effects that make me… creepy to most people. But thankfully, detective Tsukauchi managed to find me before I did anything too bad, and used his connections here to get me into a private training program and working here in return for everything I need to manage it. I'm gonna be in the support course, medical unit." She sighs and smiles as she leans back and stares at the ceiling. "Life's been pretty good lately. Especially getting to tend to all these injured cuties in here~" She winks at Izuku, who turns red instantly.
"W-Well, um.. That e-explains a lot. B-But um, w-what are you going to do about housing, though? Are you really just gonna keep sleeping h-here?"
"Oh, heavens, no!" She giggles. "Apparently, my circumstances and those of a few hero hopefuls here has the principal moving his plans to build dorms up. I'll be living in one soon after they're done, and well before the next semester starts!"
"Dorms, huh?" Katsuki hums through a mouthful of protein bar. "Yeah, I could get behind that. Anything to get away from the old hag."
"Kacchan, stop talking like that about your mom."
Ochako sighs and shakes her head. "His whole family's dysfunctional, isn't it?"
"Like you wouldn't believe."
"Cram it, dictionary dickhead."
"Oh hey, you can be creative!"
"THAT'S IT, FIRE IN THE HOLE, MOTHERFUCKER!"
.
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"Well, I must say, All Might." Nezu sips his tea. "Your selection of the next Symbol of Peace is quite remarkable! His written test scores may not have been perfect, but they were exceptional! His practical application was remarkable as well, like none other I've seen in the history of this school." He hums contently. "I simply must meet this young man before the semester begins."
"W-Why, thank you, sir! Honestly, I couldn't be much prouder of the young man myself." He chuckles, hunched slightly in his seat across the room. "He's proven to have the true spirit of heroism. Not about the money, or the fame, or glory. It's all about the people to him, putting the world and it's needs ahead of himself. Selfless to a fault in some cases, but I've paid close enough attention to be certain he's not going to be unstable. Anxious and uncertain for some time yet, but stable and dependable."
"He does seem like a good choice, Toshinori." Recovery Girl sips her tea down with a sigh. "But he has a long way to go. His right arm and leg were in horrible shape when I got to him. Too much of that technique, and he may be unable to use his own quirk due to scarring." Toshinori flinches. "But, I suppose that's a large part of why he's here to begin with. He's doing quite well, all things considered. And don't think I didn't notice him using Sorahiko's quirk out there! To get that man's respect and the right to use his quirk, the boy must have impressed him."
"Ah, that he did. Mirai, as well."
"He impressed that tight-ass?" Toshinori spits his tea. "Are you sure you didn't find some kid with a hypnotic quirk to force him to be impressed?"
Toshinori coughs for a moment and catches his breath. "N-Nothing of the sort! He's just proven himself resourceful and quick-witted, and we all know how Mirai respects those two traits in particular."
"Indeed." Nezu takes another sip. "His input on the matter is incredibly reassuring. I'll make note of it, and be sure to contact him soon for more of his opinion. For now though, I believe both your successor and your other student have both assuredly passed, as have those Midoriya collaborated with. This generation of heroes is proving to be quite the promising ensemble."
.
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Izuku yawns on his way out the door and through UA's courtyard, accompanied by Katsuki and Ochako. "Ugh… I know I should be excited about, ya know, almost certain;y passing, but… I'm dead tired."
Katsuki shrugs. "Well, thanks to your dumb ass, it'll be after seven when we get back, so I'll basically have just enough time to eat before I pass out."
Ochako snorts. "You seriously sleep that early?"
Katsuki twitches. "What about it?"
"Aaanyway…" Ochako shakes it off to avoid another outburst. "I've got a… much longer ride ahead of me, sadly." She sighs. "I don't think I'll be getting home until ten at least."
Katsuki cringes. "Wow, that sucks. Don't know anyone around here you can crash with?"
She shakes her head. "Nope… but, I'll be moving in next time! So it's not so bad."
Katsuki slowly smirks as he peeks over to Izuku. "Hey Deku, doesn't your mom still have an empty guest room waiting for someone?"
"W-What? Well…" He can't help but turn red at the implication of what exactly Katsuki's suggesting. Let alone him suddenly trying to be a wingman! He knows well enough that it's mostly to make him freak out, though. "Y-yeah, we've got one, but I doubt she wants to-"
"A-Actually, coming to stay with you tonight sounds a lot safer than taking a late-night train ride home with three transfers!" Ochako giggles nervously. "A-And I think my parents would agree, if I just spoke with them for a minute. I mean, you're training to be a hero too, right? And you were so focused on saving and protecting people, you're too selfless to do anything inappropriate, r-right?"
Izuku's turned crimson by the time she's done. "I-I'm really not all that great, b-but, um… ok, I'll give my mom a quick call and see if she'd be o-ok with it." He sighs. "Knowing her, she's gonna jump at the opportunity and double the size of our celebration dinner." He digs his phone out of his pocket.
"Oh, what's your mom making?"
Katsuki snorts. "Katsudon and homemade mochi stuffed with five different flavors." He chuckles. "I'm gonna have to stop in to pick some of them up tomorrow, her chocolate mochi is fuckin awesome."
Izuku managed to get a call through just when he was finishing speaking, and Inko rings out through speaker phone. "As much as you need to curb the language, I'll be sure to make extra of them just for you, Katsuki. So, boys, how'd the exam go? And why are you calling so late? I know you said you didn't know how long it would take, but this is longer than I expected."
Izuku sighs and taps a few buttons to start a video call, showing Inko in the kitchen with mochiko over her apron, blouse, and some of her face. Doesn't matter what you're making or what kind of flour, it's all a mess. She's quickly greeted by Katsuki and Ochako over each of Izuku's shoulder as they all cheer "We passed!" Although in Katsuki's case it was "WE FUCKIN' PASSED!" followed by a small explosion off camera.
"Oh, that's wonderful! I knew you could both do it! So, who's this new friend to your left, 'zuku?" She smirks, knowing this is going to fluster the hell out of him. "You seem pretty close, for someone I haven't heard of yet."
Izuku turns red, while Ochako can't fend off her own blush, but giggles it off. She knows exactly what Inko's doing. "O-Oh, well, we met during the exam and teamed up to rescue a ton of actors and protect a shelter. We made a pretty awesome team! But, your son kind of overdid it and had to rest in the infirmary for a while. We both stuck around with him for a bit. Oh, I'm Uraraka Ochako, by the way!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, dear! And thank you for staying with my son."
"W-Well, actually." She bites her lip and nervously plays with her hair. "You may be meeting me in person soon. I kind of have a t-three hour train ride ahead of me with three transfers, and I'm pretty sure my parents would agree it'd be safer to find somewhere to stay and go home in the morning. K-Kacchan mentioned you had a spare room available, so…"
"You're more than welcome to stay with us tonight, dear! I know how frightening a ride that long and complicated at this hour can be. As long as your parents approve and I can speak with them, then you're welcome to stay."
"Great! How about I start a video call with them now, so you can talk it out right away?"
Katsuki chuckles and mumbles to Izuku while Ochako and his mother converse. "Not even a first date, and your parents are already meeting each other."
"You're getting a Jet-propelled kick in the dick for this later."
"Just try it, Deku."
.
.
Soon enough, Izuku steps through his front door with Ochako in tow, dropping his shoes off and sighing in relief. "Kaa-san, I'm home!"
Inko rushes around the corner with a wide grin and tear of joy in her eyes. "Just in time! Dinner should be ready in just a few minutes!" She uses a dish rag to wipe some flour off her face and hands. "And miss Uraraka, it's lovely to meet you. It's been so long since Izuku's spent any time with anyone besides Katsuki."
"Really?" Ochako's smile fades a bit, and she peeks over at Izuku in worry for just a moment. Noting his own smile had dropped, she drops that topic for now. "Well… that's everyone else's loss, then." She grins and pokes Izuku in the ribs to snap him out of it. "Now, my parents work construction, I know this apartment layout already. I'm gonna wash up quick for dinner!" She giggles as she rushes off to the bathroom, and Izuku's left standing there stunned.
"Oh, she's definitely a keeper." Inko smirks over at her son. "It's about time you brought a friend besides Katsuki home. You must really trust this girl, huh?"
After a few moments, he nods and sighs. "Yeah. Despite all the training, I don't feel as close to Kendo or Ojiro yet. I-I guess because that's mostly focused on other things, a-and… they're both just… so sure of themselves, I really can't imagine them understanding my past, what's going on in my head. Honestly, I was f-freaking out for that whole test, I just feel calmer and more collected behind the mask, whenever I use my quirk. She was as nervous as me out there…"
Inko sighs and pulls him into a quick, gentle hug. "Good to know you've found someone to share that with. Katsuki may be great support nowadays, but I know he still doesn't really get you."
He nods into her shoulder and slowly pulls away. "R-Right… I guess I've really needed someone like her."
Meanwhile, Ochako leans against the bathroom door. She doesn't like eavesdropping, but damn, it's so easy in these mass-produced apartment complexes. The walls are too thin to silence much. Her family does far better than this.
The remainder of the night is a bit of a blur, but a welcome one. Dinner goes by slowly, but every bite is interrupted by retellings of the exam and stories about each other's family lives. The mochi for desert was wonderful, and Ochako stuffed herself with a bit too much. She didn't regret it. After a while, with Inko having brought up Izuku's collection, Ochako absolutely had to see it. Mortified but unwilling to argue, Izuku managed to show her. The collection of figures on his shelf got her attention rather quickly, upon seeing Thirteen on the same shelf as one of the grandest All Might figures. She ends up going on a long rant about how amazing Thirteen is, how inspiring she is, and Izuku can't help but listen. It's strange, hearing it from the outside this time, but he can't help but admire that passion.
Eventually though, they run out of what little adrenaline they had left from the exam and turn in for the night. Ochako finds herself perfectly comfortable sleeping under the roof of this wholesome family. As she drifts off in some clothes Inko lent her, left over from before the weight the single mother had gained in the last decade, she can't help but realize she'll have to get used to this next semester anyway. She'll be living in a dorm, far from her family, but she'll be with at least two friends- well, she thinks Katsuki could be a decent friend, despite how loud and aggressive he is. Izuku though… she can't stop thinking back to just how awesome he was at the exam, and how kind he'd been in offering her this bed, or even speaking up to calm her down in the courtyard.
Maybe she has no reason to worry about the dorms. Maybe it'll be as great as tonight, falling asleep on the other side of the wall from the young man who changed her world in just a few hours.
Little does she know, just across the wall from here, mere feet away, Izuku is thinking the same. He looks forward to a fresh start with fresh faces and a new outlook on life, knowing he's sure to have more support than he'll ever know what to do with.
Chapter 11: Dynamic Entries
Izuku sits on Dagobah Municipal Beach Park, legs dug into the sand, as he stares out over the waves in comfortable silence. Just over a month since his exam, and he feels like a new man.
He supposes he will be pretty soon. Word was just sent out yesterday that the dorms are complete, and students can move in whenever. There's a full week yet before classes start, but they decided it best to let students get to know each other earlier so there's less uncertainty and distraction during early classes.
So, he sits here in the sand, enjoying the view made by his greatest accomplishment. Some would consider how much of a landslide he passed with to be his greatest accomplishment, but that hasn't impacted the world. Cleaning this beach made it a functioning tourist attraction again and cleaned the biggest mess in the city. Now, everyone could enjoy this beauty, but it meant the most to him.
"I thought I'd find you here." Izuku peeks back to find Toshinori walking up with a gentle smile. "Hard to keep away, isn't it? Come back quite a few times myself already." He chuckles. "I didn't even do any of it, and I'm still probably even prouder of it than you are."
"Knowing you, probably." He chuckles and stares out across the sea again. "Hard to believe the day's already here."
"I know the feeling. If I weren't sure to see you most every day at class, I'd be choked up about it." He hums. "Your mother, on the other hand-"
"I know you'll take good care of her."
Toshi sputters. If not for his latest treatments, he'd be spitting blood. Thank to them though, he's putting some weight and muscle back on again. "W-What do you mean by that?"
Izuku sighs and shakes his head. "I see the way you look at each other at dinner, it's kind of obvious." He chuckles and climbs to his feet. "Only problem I have is that you tried hiding it from me. I mean, I get it, it's kinda risky, but so is being the mother of the next Number One, and if anyone can protect her…"
After a few moments, Toshinori breaks into laughter. "Wow, have we really been that obvious?"
"Well, I also saw some of mom's fancier dresses that she literally never wears in the wash, so that made it a lot more obvious."
He pauses. "Hm. Well, I suppose that would be a pretty clear sign, especially with you being as astute as you are. Should have seen it coming."
"You fail to see a lot of things coming."
"Name one thing-"
"Cryptid Catapult launched an entire Sedan into your head seven years ago."
"Fffuck."
"Yyyup." Izuku chuckles and stretches. "I could keep going, but that's still the best one. So, I guess it's about time to go, isn't it?"
"That it is." He hums and peeks back up the stairs. "Everything's loaded into my truck, and I'm joining you to drop it all off. Should take no time at all."
"Good…" He sighs and stretches. "With my strength, I should be able to get it all in myself pretty fast." He turns and looks back to the sea. "... I just hope the rest of my class is half as nice as the ones I already know."
"Half as nice as Bakugou isn't very nice at all." He chuckles. "But I'm guessing you mean Uraraka, Sero, Shoji, and Ojiro."
Izuku nods. "Of course! It's hard to believe my friends all got in…"
"Your ambitions and the strength of your convictions drew you together. That will make quite the powerful bond." Toshinori smirks. "Although three of them weren't your friends until you fought together in the exam."
"Not the point!"
"I'd say it's a good point." He leans in with a smirk. "By the way, I noticed you checking your phone a few times while sitting here. Waiting to hear from Ururaka-san, perhaps?"
"Ooook, I'm gonna head back home and change out of these sandy clothes so we can get going!" Izuku marches past him and up the hill, building up to a jog once he's up the stairs.
Toshinori just shakes his head and follows at a casual pace to give the boy some time. "Really going places, aren't you? You'll surpass me before I know it."
.
.
The vehicle access gate into UA is off to the side near the faculty offices, and it's as intimidating as one may expect. The enormous steel trap towering over and around them can easily super semi trucks for deliveries- too easily actually, leaving one to wonder just how large of deliveries they expect to have made an entrance of this size.
"FU-" Katsuki jolts forward and hits his head on the seat when an unauthorized vehicle ahead forces the gates to slam shut with shocking speed, and the offending vehicle is pushes aside by a few security drones to make way for expected arrivals. "The hell is that about?"
Mitsuki hums and peeks over as they pass. "Ah, seems a reporter was trying to get in with her kid in tow." She barks out her window in laughter. "SERVES YOU RIGHT, BITCH!"
Katsuki grins. "Damn straight!"
The trip in from there is surprisingly long yet. The dorms are to the rear of the campus in a long, curved building. The drive up through campus is awe-inspiring to those not already familiar with it. The path is lined with marble busts of great alumn and towering trees, both dwarfed by the four-pillared structure of UA's main hall. After making their way around it, there's a notably large procession of cars gathered to unload, but more than enough parking space for the job.
The Bakugou family parks a bit far, so Bakugou huffs and hops out to get some fresh air while awaiting a fresh spot. He takes a moment to peek around at some of the arrivals. At the IA dormitory, he can already see a good number of students, including a hulk of a boy with six webbed arms and a facemask, followed by a tall and… gifted girl who apparently has several people hired to haul her things in. From a limo. He shakes it off and marches in further, ignoring his mother's calls to not wander too far off. He soon catches sight of a familiar truck that appears to be already empty. "Of course he used that backstage pass to beat me here." He growls before setting off a small pair of blasts. "OY, DEKU, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"
Izuku pokes his head out from the other side of another car. "Oh, hey Kacchan! I was wondering when you'd get here."
Ochako smirks as she steps into view with a levitating bundle of a mattress and disassembled bed frame. "Yeah, Kacchan. We thought you'd make a bigger entrance."
He scowls. "I would have if the OLD HAG hadn't been bitching about my plan!"
"I HEARD THAT, BRAT!"
Ochako snorts. "Well, not half as bad as when she heard you screaming at us over Smash the other night."
"Your Kirby is bullshit, and so are you."
"Don't be such a predictable Ike."
"Oh, hey, Bakugou!" Everyone turns to see a spiky red-head rushing up. "Good to see ya made it, man! Guess that's no surprise, though. You were awesome!"
He grins almost sadistically. "Fuck yeah I am. And congrats, I guess."
Izuku's smile on the other hand is predictably gentle and bright.. "Oh, so this is the guy who was tailing you after the exam."
"Yep, that's him. Uh…" He pauses. "... Kirishima, right?"
"You got it! Kirishima Eijiro!" He hardens his fists and clashes them.
And Izuku's jaw drops. "W-Whoa, is that a hardening quirk?!"
And it's Eijiro's turn to be shocked. "You recognize it that quickly?"
"Get used to it." Katsuki grumbles. "Nerd's obsessed with quirk studies."
"Um… o-ok, I'll admit, it is a bit of an obsession."
Ochako gasps at him. "He's turned self-aware!"
"Don't worry, I have a bomb shelter strong enough to withstand me."
Eijiro chuckles. "Well, I'm just impressed. Maybe it's obsessive, but that's a really manly talent! Being able to pick apart someone's abilities at a glance, never caught off guard!"
Izuku pauses and straightens himself. "Huh… yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, I was planning to take the quirk analysis elective anyway, but am I really that good?"
"Deku, if you became a villain, every pro hero in the world short of All Might would have to worry. Maybe Star and Stripe."
Izuku shivers. "Yeah, don't get me started on her quirk, that thing's scary."
"Well…" Ochako tugs at her bed bundle. "I'm gonna get all this inside quick, make room for more people to pull up." She peeks over at her parents in a passionate discussion with a rather wealthy mother standing by the limo Katsuki spotted. "Just glad they're giving me some space to talk without embarrassing us all. Love em, but…"
"Oh, I get it." Izuku nods back to Mitsuki and Inko catching up. "Just glad parents don't think to bring photo albums to things like this."
"Like the hag hasn't gotten every photo Aunty Inko ever took of you already."
"If only we had one of the mess after that turkey you blew up on our fifth Christmas."
Ochako giggles maniacally as she stumbles away. "You've got to tell me more about that one later!" She then jogs off with her bed in tow, causing a few newer arrivals to stare at the large but weightless payload.
Eijiro chuckles. "I guess I'll wait to hear it when she's back. Wow, that's a manly quirk she's got."
Katsuki smirks at Izuku. "Day one, and already spending most of your time with her, huh?" Neither of them notices someone peeking up from behind a car at the sound of romantic gossip. Hard to notice when all that's visible is her seemingly empty tank top straps. Eijiro happens to be looking the right way to spot it, but misses her in favor of his favorite pinkette getting starry-eyed over the tea about to spill.
"H-Hey, it's nothing like that! She's just a fun person, and you k-know how hard it is for me to make f-friends. Not to mention Itsuka got into 1-B and Ojiro's not here yet…"
"Bet he'll be one of the last to show just because it's 'practical' to wait and waste less time."
"Probably." Izuku chuckles. "Still, you should come in and see how cool this place is! The lobby is basically a massive lounge, and the kitchen it huge!"
"Damn well better be! I'm making curry tonight!"
Izuku cowers. "Please don't hospitalize our classmates."
"Hey, I'm making the mild version too!"
"Your mild version is still too much!"
"Fine, fine, I'll dial it back, damnit!"
Eijiro siddles up to Izuku. "Is it really that bad?" He almost shivers when Izuku gives him an emphatic nod.
They hear a bit of chuckling nearby and see a boy with wide lips and a spiky topknot. He's also quite possibly the only person here more ripped than Izuku or the kid with six arms. "Well, you mind if I take the kitchen first? I was planning to celebrate by baking for the whole class. You won't need the ovens for curry, so shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Katsuki pauses. "... I brought jalapenos, how about baking bits of them into some cookies?"
He tilts his head back as he casually hefts his dresser. "Huh… Unorthodox, but I can see it. Sweet and spicy is a pretty good combo. I'll take ya up on that, but I'm also making some cakes and brownies."
Izuku chuckles. "Actually, that's one spicy thing I really do like. His mom's made them a few times, they're pretty great." He hums. "I uh… I would introduce myself, but I feel like we should save that for once we're all settled in and can have a class meeting or something, or we'll be repeating ourselves all day."
"Sounds good to me, Midori." He pauses at Izuku's suddenly frozen face. "Uh… something wrong with that?"
He stares for a moment and huffs, hanging his head as Katsuki just chuckles beside him. "I'm Midoriya Izuku."
"That so? Well, I doubt I'll forget it! I'm sure half the people here will be calling ya Midori all day."
"Yeah, yeah, they will."
Loading everything in proves a quick ordeal, dealing with a bunch of hero hopefuls with various powers to help things along. Several strongmen of various types offer others a hand with heavy lifting, Izuku included to many people's surprise. Ochako making things weightless almot doubles their pace, and cars start breezing to the front of the lot and out in no-time.
It all goes smoothly until a young man with striking blonde hair smacks himself in the forehead upon realizing he didn't bring a few critical toiletries. "Agh, my toothbrush! I knew I forgot something!"
The girl to his left pokes him in the ribs with her extended earlobes, drawing Izuku's attention when he notices the headphone jacks on them. "You'd forget your ass if it wasn't attached to your face."
He pouts and grumbles. "Damnit, I know, I know! I guess I'll have to run out and buy one quick today."
The tallest girl in the class steps up with her arm sparkling. "Don't worry, I've got you covered." Pulling from the glowing patch of skin, she produces a toothbrush with clearly high-quality design, curved and ribbed for a perfect grip and with layers of patterned bristles, accented in black and yellow.
The young man she hands it to looks to her as though with reverence for a god, before peeking back to the girl who poked him. "Sorry Kyoka, she's my best friend now."
"Bullshit!"
He bursts into laughter and rolls back onto one of the lounge's couches, leaving his bag open on the coffee table. "Still, that's an awesome quirk! What else can you make?"
Izuku pulls a notebook from his bag- but pauses as she cuts him off. "Actually, I believe it's best to save that for introductions when we're done unpacking. It shouldn't take long now, right?"
"Oh, uh.. Yeah." The blonde says this with all the confidence of a man fully intended to live out of suitcases for the next week.
But soon enough, everyone was gathered downstairs in the lobby, scattered about the various couches. Bakugou on the other hand is leaning against the wall far ascant from the rest, but in plain view. A young man with violet hair somehow even messier than Izuku's is seated in an armchair off to the side as well. One student who towers over most and carries himself like a Hyuga stands in the middle of them all, waving his arm like a lever to grab their attention. "I believe now would be an excellent time for introductions! Seeing as we're all aspiring hero students and will be working together in a semi-professional capacity, we should also provide our quirks and any warnings related to them as well! Is this agreeable?"
Bakugou scoffs. "Good reasoning I guess, but ya gotta have such a huge stick up your ass?"
"E-Excuse me?! I'm just trying to present myself as professionally as an aspiring hero should!"
"Kacchan."
"What, Deku?"
"Just cool it and let everyone speak."
He growls a bit. "I miss when you didn't have any balls."
".. W-Well, um.. To move on, I suppose it's only fair that I introduce myself first." He swings his arm again. "My name is Iida Tenya! I am the youngest child of the leading family of the Iidaten Hero Agency, and as one of our classmates already parsed when we first met at the entrance exam, the younger brother of Ingenium! Having grown in my brother's presence, I couldn't possible have wanted to be anything other than a hero of such high caliber as him! And of course, my quirk is quite similar to my brother's as well!" He gestures to the exhaust pipes sticking out of his calves, beneath the gym shorts he chose to wear for the move. "My quirk is Engine, and it allows me to move at landspeeds rivaling most conventional vehicles with ease!"
Izuku pulls out his notebook with a grin, turning to a page he'd already prepared. "Excellent! Does this also improve your bone density in your legs and spine, much like your brother with his arms?"
"Ah, indeed, Midoriya-san!" He chops into his own hand. "You're quite well-informed! My brother would be honored to have such a dedicated and talented fan!"
"O-Oh, well, he's definitely one of the most p-personable heroes today." He chuckles nervously.
"Indeed he is! Now, who would like to go next, then?"
Kyoka holds up her hand. "May as well get it over with. Jiro Kyoka, quirk is Earphone Jack." She extends her lobes and waves them a bit. "With these, I can listen in on anything through any solid structure, and pump them with the amplified sound of my heartbeat for a sort of internal sonic attack. Kind of hardcore though, so I don't quite like using it that way."
"Ok, I've actually got a question about that." The fluorescent pink girl to the left couch speaks up. "Do they also function as actual earphone jacks, and do you ever get them tangled?"
She huffs and glares a bit as the blonde beside her breaks into laughter. "She totally did! She got good at avoiding it, but god, she tied herself in knots so many times back in elementary!"
She jabs him in the neck and grumbles. "Yes, they do work as regular jacks, so I've never had to buy a pair and never will." She points to the blonde beside her. "Your turn, sparky."
"Ugh, fine! Ok, I'm Kaminari Denki. My quirk is Electrification, and I can put out about a million watts in one blast before it starts frying me. If I hit 1.3 mil, I short circuit, but I'm working on improving."
Izuku hums as he writes that down. "An impressive wattage for a student just starting here, though. Is short-circuiting painful, or just prevent your quirk from working for a while?"
He stares in shock for a moment, not used to anyone looking past the surface of his quirk. "O-Oh, um… yeah, it's not really painful, just kind of a… 'pop', like air pressure, and then my brain kinda stops working for a while. I can't think straight or even remember anything until I recover after about an hour."
Izuku hums and takes a couple notes. "Well, I'm sure there's a way around it. Part of why we're here, right?"
Denki grins and nods. "Hell yeah! Ok, who's next?"
"Moi!" Another blonde with might brighter hair and a pointed smile jumps from the couch and poses. "Greetings, monsiuers and mademoiselles! You may call me Aoyama Yuga. I hail from France, but my dual citizenship through ma mère allowed me to come to UA and hopefully become a hero with international license! My quirk is called Naval Laser, and although it's name is quite self-explanatory, it's appearance is tres magnifique!" Through his whole speech, he shifts through various extravagant poses that leave Bakugou twitching and the pink girl across from him considering asking if he can dance.
While Izuku is finishing his notes on Yuga, the muscular gentleman whom nearly guessed Izuku's name speaks up. "I suppose I'll go next. Name's Sato Rikido. You can expect I'll be spending a lot of my time outside the class in the kitchen, because my quirk relies on sweets to function and I'm an experienced baker. Quirk's called Sugar Rush. Eating large amounts of sugar gives me a huge boost in strength and stamina for a while, but I crash pretty hard once I run out, and my IQ drops a bit when using it, so I have to rely on my body's natural strength and use my Sugar Rush as a supplement once I know it'll be safe to use and deal a good blow."
Katsuki can't help but laugh. "Wow, so does that mean you're immune to diabetes, or diabetes is your power?"
Rikido's jaw slacks for a moment, but he then growls a bit. "Hey, that's a bit far, man. I lost my grandma to that!"
Katsuki blanches. ".. Shit, ok, ya got me there. You should probably hope you're immune, though."
".. Well, yeah, I am. I burn sugar really efficiently." He sighs. "Just don't go there again man."
"Yeah, I got it." Katuki grumbles.
"I suppose on that grim note, I'l step in." The raven-headed boy clears his throat. "My name is Tokoyami Fumikage. Many suspect my quirk to be avian in nature, but it's more of an aesthetic detail that has much to do with the form my quirk takes. My quirk is sentient, and produces their own body when they wish to manifest, though I can hear and feel them at all times regardless. They prefer not to emerge in brightly lit areas, as light disturbs and harms them. They would like to introduce themself, if no one has any objections."
With a round of clear approval, he nods and straightens himself out a bit as a large mass of animate darkness emerges from his abdomen. It takes the form of a violet bird with glowing yellow eyes, a spiky headcrest, and large hands rather than wings. "Yo! Name's Dark Shadow. Good to meet yas! Sorry if I make a bit much noise at night, I'm practically nocturnal." They slowly float around the room. "Huh, I recognize a few faces from the exam." They pause on Katsuki. "Sup, Blasty? Figured you'd get in."
Katsuki twitches. "Blasty? The fuck, you bargain bin Batman?!"
They huff. "I'm more partial to The Crow."
"... Ok, for that, you have my respect. The Crow's a badass. Damn, now I wanna watch that again."
Dark Shadow hums. "Anyone up for a hero movie marathon down here after introductions?"
Ochako cuts in. "Only after we get a Smash tournament in."
"Singles, or doubles?"
"Ooh!"The pink girl throws her hand up. "Doubles!"
Ochako shrugs. "Sure, I can go for that. So, me next then. Name's Ururaka Ochako! If you leave unlabeled mochi in the kitchen you can expect me to steal some. A lot of you saw my quirk in action already, but to be more specific, anything I touch with all five fingers becomes weightless until I put my fingers together. I hope to use it to be an amazing rescue hero, like Thirteen!"
The redhead grins and clashes his fists together. "Now that's a good idol! Ok, let me go next then." he chuckles. "I'm Kirishima Eijiro! My quirk is honestly uh… kinda basic." He raises an arm and hardens it. "I can harden my entire body, resisting impacts and delivering harder blows with it. I get pretty jagged though, so I can cut people up with it pretty easily too." He provides an example by hardening his arm in a chopping pose.
Izuku cuts in. "That's really far from basic, kirishima! T-The sheen and cleave of your hardened form suggests the sharpness of obsidian, b-but the hardness of granite at the very least! The impact forces you can resist must be incredible, a-and without any weight gained? It's beyond impressive! Your own body is the perfect shield for the people, b-but you can just as easily be a good enough sword to stop any threats too! I-It's conceptually simple, but that makes it really flexible!"
Eijiro's jaw slowly drops as he takes all that in. "W-Wow, uh… s-seriously? Thanks, man! I guess I really needed a new perspective on that."
"A-A lot of people do." He smiles softly. "W-Well, I suppose I've grabbed too much attention to buck it now. I'm Midoriya Izuku! I-I come from Aldera High, alongside Kacchan here-"
"Stop calling me that around strangers, Deku!"
"-and my quirk is… different. Y-You see, I need to get a genetic sample of someone else's quirk into my bloodstream for it to work. I then produce a suit that channels that quirk for me until the sample burns out."
Hanta chuckles. "You wouldn't believe the stuff I saw him do with it in the exam! I counted, what, four quirks you used there?"
"O-Oh, um…" He chuckles nervously. "That last one was overclocking the stockpiling component of my quirk to make a bigger, stronger suit, but uh… you saw what it did to me."
Bakugou chuckles. "Pruned Prick."
"Heeey." Izuku glares half-heartedly. "It didn't look that bad."
"It did." Ochako cuts in. "Your arm could have easily been mashed into a pulpy meat pudding."
"You two are cruel."
The tallest girl in the group cringed at the thought of such an injury. "How could your quirk possibly damage you that much during the exam?"
"I, uh…" He chuckles nervously. "I kinda grew an arm and leg each fifteen stories tall and punched a 0-pointer's head off."
Silence falls as that sinks in, until Eijiro's hoarse whispering cuts through it. "So… fucking manly."
"Eiji!" The pink girl gently smacks his shoulder in mocked shock.
"H-Hey, what else could I say to something like that? You know I don't swear unless it really means something!"
"Yeah, but still!" She huffs and shakes her head. "Well, I'll go, then. I'm Ashido Mina! Eiji and I have known each other most of our lives, so don't expect to separate us easily. As for my quirk.." She giggles a little. "I can't exactly demonstrate without damaging anything here. I can make acid from any pore on my body! I have some control over acidity and viscosity, and I'm trying to improve on it for more results. Maybe soon, I'll be able to glue people to the ground!"
"Well, that's quite impressive!" The tallest girl's ponytail bounces a bit as she laughs. "You're a walking universal solvent, too, so gluing shouldn't be a problem! Well, my name is Yayorozu Momo, and my quirk is similarly skin-based. I convert lipids into any objects and matter I can imagine, so long as I know it's atomic and molecular structure to do so! I need to know every step of the object's assembly from developing the base materials and their chemical compositions to complete assembly and interactions, so the more complex the object, the more difficult it is to make."
Izuku's jaw drops and he even drops his notebook and pencil. "That… that's incredible! With rigorous enough studying you could produce literally anything! W-What's the most complex object you can produce?"
"Um…" She rubs her chin. "W-Well, I did produce some ionic fuel cells with… a few flaws the first time, but I managed it on the third attempt. Disposing of the flawed ones was a bit of a hassle, though."
"No shit, that stuff's explosive and corrosive." Katsuki huffs. "Not bad, though. Ok, I guess I'll go next then. Name's Bakugou Katsuki. Call me Kacchan like this dipshit here, and I'll blast your face into oblivion." He grins maliciously and causes a small blast in his right hand as proof. "I think that paints enough of a picture."
"Graphic, bright red, and hideous." Izuku cuts in. "I didn't know you picked up fingerpainting again."
"FUCK OFF, DEKU!"
"Is he, um…" The quietest and chunkiest among them just barely speaks up. "Always this… loud?"
"Kind of hard for him not to be, actually."
"Oh, don't go telling them this shit." Bakugou growls."
"What? You have a legitimate medical reason for being such an ass."
"Ok…" The invisible girl leans forward. "I have to hear this. Oh, and name's Hagakure Toru. My quirk's kinda self-explanatory."
"Well, ya see…" Izuku sits back. "His quirk involves sweating nitroglycerin."
Momo's jaw drops as she leans in. "B-But, that would mean his blood pressure would normally be dangerously low!"
"Exactly." He chuckles. "So his body compensates by making him more stressed than most people can manage without an aneurysm at all times."
Silence falls for a moment as all eyes fall on Katsuki, until his temper boils over. "WHAT?!"
"Dude." Denki mumbles. "Chilling out would actually kill you ."
"I'm well aware, thanks for pointing it out, discount Pichu."
Denki pouts, but the bug-eyed girl by Mina speaks up. "Well, I'm used to weird side effects. I'm Asui Tsuyu. But you can all call me Tsu." She shrugs. "My quirk is pretty simple. I'm a frog. That also means extreme temperatures really mess with me. Hot and cold are both a problem, cold much more so."
" I get that." The quiet boy without a nose cuts in. "I hear frogs complain about it all the time. O-Oh, um, that's my q-quirk." As he speaks, his hands fidget a bit, but seem more controlled and focused than random. "I can speak to animals, and get them to work for me, b-but I prefer to ask instead of giving orders. O-Oh, and my name is Koda Koji."
The purple-haired boy cuts in. "You seem to be signing a bit. You nervous about speaking?"
Koji pauses, but eventually nods. They get into a short signing exchange, at which point Shoji cuts in. "Well, I worked with a few of you in the exam. My name is Shoji Mezo, and my quirk, Dupli-arms, lets me turn my arms into duplicates of whatever body part I wish, with enhanced function and even reach." He raises one to show he's been speaking from one of these arms the whole time. "It's flexible in both combat and rescue, though I intend to be an underground hero, where a combination as such will be most critical."
"Amazing." Izuku leans in to inspect his limbs. "Are you capable of self-replication and extension as well?"
He nods. "Indeed, though the more I do so, the more complicated controlling it all becomes. I need far more training and experience before I'll be able to do so with any practicality."
"Well." Ojiro speaks up. "That's what we're all here for, right? As for me, I'm Ojiro Mashirao, and my quirk is basically just my tail, but it's such a dense mass of muscle that I basically have super strength in any technique that strikes with it. Combined with being fully prehensile and my martial arts ability, I should be a flexible source of damage in most villain encounters."
Hanta nods. "Definitely. Gotta be good for mobility too, but it's got nothing on my quirk. I'm Sero Hanta, and my quirk is Tape. I produce it from my elbows in pretty high quantities, and while it's still attached, I can vibrate it in a way that detaches and cleans it, so I can retract it to pull things in, or myself up to reach high places."
"Definitely one of the top utility quirks here." Izuku nods and looks to the purple-haired boy seated in the corner whose just ended a signing conversation with Koji, and the scarred boy off to his left. "Well, you're the only ones left."
The signer grumbles and slouches in his seat. "Shinso Hitoshi. My quirk…" He sighs. "... It brainwashes people that respond to me, and puts them under my control for a while. Basically until they take a hit from something or I order them to wake up."
Izuku's jaw drops, but Katsuki speaks first. "Damn, that's one of the most overpowered quirks I've ever heard. 'Hey, villain, what's two plus two? News flash, it's whatever the fuck I want you to do.' De-escalation literally on fucking command."
Hitoshi stammers silently for a moment. "You… what? You're not.. None of you are scared of my quirk?"
"Well…" Izuku shrugs. "You wouldn't use it against us, right?"
"Not unless you were being particularly stupid."
Denki snorts. "In that case, I'd want you to stop me! Hey, maybe we can test if it works on me when I'm short-circuited or not?"
"... I'm officially living in a nuthouse."
"Nuthouse or not, don't expect any of us to have a problem with your quirk." Izuku smiles just a bit wider, then peeks to the remaining student. "And you?"
He remains silent for a few moments, but sighs and closes his eyes. "My name is Todoroki Shoto. My quirk produces extreme amounts of ice on command."
Izuku's eyes narrow for a moment, but he decides to ignore it. "Thank you, Todoroki-san. Well, I believe that's everyone, right?"
"Seems so!" Mina jumps out of her seat. "Now, we're gonna get that tourney going, right? I'll go get my Switch!"
Denki joins her. "Me too! This is gonna be awesome!"
"Hell yeah it is." Katsuki grins. "I'm gonna demolish all of you."
"It's doubles, Kacchan."
"Fine, we'll demolish everyone."
"That's more like it." Izuku peeks around. "SO who all's in on this?"
Almost every hand goes up at once. Koji eventually raises his, and Shinso shrugs and joins them. Rikkido picks at his ear. "Eeeh, I haven't played much, but I'll give it a shot."
Shoto stares at everyone for a moment. "What is this… Smash? I don't think I've heard of it."
Ochako's eyes couldn't be bigger. "Oh my poor sweet child. Don't worry, we'll teach you all you need to know! Join my team, and I'll take you far."
Katsuki looks almost satisfied for a moment, but seeing the competitive look on her face… "Ffffffffuck."