Chapter 7: Good Luck Suffering
Wind rushes past Izuku's face as he barely dodges one of Togata's powerful punches. He goes to grab the other boy's wrist, to hold him while he would deliver a palm strike to his elbow. Unfortunately, Togata's quirk is the bane of his existence.
Izuku's hand goes right through the blonde's wrist before Togata launches his elbow out at his face. The verdant is able to lean back just in time to dodge again while at the same time, attempting to kick his opponent in the gut. Again, his attack is permeated.
Dang, that kind of move would've worked a couple of months ago.
Using his planted leg, Izuku kicks himself back, out of Togata's range while the other boy does the same, giving them both a moment to breathe.
They are both in the same padded training room they met all those months ago. Togata wears his hero costume while Izuku wears athletic shorts and a long-sleeved lime green shirt that says 'For all time, always.' They had offered him an official UA gym uniform but he didn't want to wear it until he was an actual student.
Without taking his eyes off Togata, Izuku catches a throwing knife that had been about to hit him in his ribs, thrown from the side of the room. That's probably not where it had been aimed but she's getting better.
He vanishes the knife and charges straight ahead. Togata smirks, running forward to meet his charge straight on. They are about to meet in the middle when Togata stops and pivots to look behind him. "You're not gonna get me with that this time!"
The blue-eyed boy throws a punch directly behind him, at seemingly nothing, before a second Izuku appears behind him, right in the fists path. Togata yells in victory, only for his fist to go through the decoy's face.
"Guessed wrong!" The first Izuku yells, smiling at his own victory. But much like Togata's own, it's short-lived as his fist goes through his opponent.
"Made you look!" Before the future member of the big three can even think, a third Izuku appears in the air above him. The first two having both been decoys. He drives his fist into Togata's face, feeling satisfied when his hit lands.
Satisfaction turns to nausea as a surprise punch from Togata lands squarely in Izuku's gut. The boy loses some spit as he's thrown back and rolls across the floor of the mats. Togata himself hits the mat hard from Izuku's punch.
The illusionist rubs his tender stomach as he gets up slowly, Togata does the same with his face. "Dang," Izuku says. "I shouldn't have gotten cocky. Jumping in the air cost me all my maneuverability."
"Well that's why we're practicing, right?" Togata says, sporting a smile despite his clearly hurting cheek. "You did get me. I really thought that decoy behind me was the real you. The punch I landed was from instinct and experience. You'll get those soon."
Another throwing knife thrown from the side is close to hitting Togata but goes through his arm instead of stabbing him.
"Again?" Togata asks, a knowing smirk on his face while he lowers himself into a fighting stance.
"You're on!" A door slamming interrupts round whatever it is. Izuku had lost count, he was having so much fun.
Izuku turns around, while simultaneously dodging another throwing knife, to see a very ticked-off Eraserhead glaring at him. He marches right up to Izuku, stopping in front of him. "Problem Child…what do you think you're doing?"
"Uh…sparring?"
"You very well know that's not what I mean, Midoriya," Aizawa says, gesturing behind him.
"Well, you're always talking about training awareness, so that's what Togata and I are doing!" Izuku says excitedly. "We spar, while at the same time dodging Eri's throwing knives!"
Said girl waves from her spot on the side of the ring. She's wearing a white shirt and red overalls. A neat pile of throwing knives lay next to her on a small table. Izuku continues, "and Eri gets practice too! It's a win-win for everybody."
"And," Aizawa closes his eyes for a moment and tries to take a calming breath. It doesn't seem to work. "And do you remember what I said about me being there when Eri is using weapons?"
"Actually…" Aizawa's eye twitches. Izuku would give anything to be in the man's class this year. "You said we just need a licensed pro hero, not you specifically. And we have that!"
Izuku gestures to the side of the room opposite where Eri stands. Snipe casually leans against the glass of the observation room. The cowboy hero tips his hat up a bit. "Howdy, Aizawa."
It had been decided early on since Izuku would be taking the UA entrance exam, that he would have contact with as few of the teachers as possible. It was to keep the teachers unbiased when judging him for the exam.
Because of this, Izuku had only had contact with Aizawa and Snipe. Both of them, along with All Might, would not judge him for the exam. The former helped him and Eri with hand-to-hand and knife skills. And the latter handled projectiles like throwing knives. Though, Aizawa was still usually there even when he wasn't directly teaching them.
Apparently, Present Mic had tried on several occasions to meet him, always being thwarted by Eraserhead. It still made Izuku giddy just thinking about a pro hero wanting to meet him of all people. He was nothing special.
Aizawa turns his glare from Izuku to the other pro hero, who shrinks a little. "Explain to me in what way you thought this was a good idea."
Snipe gives a little shrug. "Girl needs the practice. Midoriya and Togata have dodged everything she's thrown anyway. Why you hazing me like I'm some Tenderfoot? My grandpapi had me at the range the day my quirk manifested. Right at the tender age of four."
"And what about injuries?" Aizawa counters. "What happens if they get hit in a bad spot and they aren't ready?"
Snipe walks up to his co-worker, taking out his phone and tapping on it before showing it to the other man. "Ain't that why we all got Recovery Girl on speed dial?"
"You're all going to need her when I get done with-"
"'Zawa." Eraser stops his threat, and everyone looks down to see Eri, who had manifested herself next to Izuku. She rubs her hands nervously together while glancing from the floor up to the teacher and back down again constantly.
"'Zawa…please don't be mad at Mido…it was my idea…so if you're gonna be mad at anyone, be mad at me."
Aizawa takes a few seconds to inhale, before doing the same with the exhale. "No, Eri. I'm not mad. I just want you all to be safe. No more weapons today. Besides, Midoriya, you should get home and get some rest for your exam tomorrow."
And with that, as well as some muttering about needing more coffee, he leaves. As soon as the door closes behind him, Eri's nervous energy evaporates, and she looks up at Izuku with a mischievous smile he couldn't be more proud of.
"How was that, Mido?"
Izuku laughs, rubbing her head affectionately. "Well done! I didn't even have to tell you that time to do anything! I think you're ready to try your manipulation on new targets!"
Both kids turn toward Togata, eyes narrowing dangerously. The boy backs up slowly, hands raised and slightly sweating. "N-now hold on a sec. We can talk about this…a little help Snipe-sense?"
The man's phone has suddenly become the most interesting thing to him. "Oooooh, would you look at that? Two for one sell on spurs."
Togata looks back down to find a wide-eyed Eri staring up at him, tears beginning to well up in her innocent red eyes. "Does…does that mean you don't want to help me?…it's ok if you don't!…I'm used to not getting help…"
"N-no! Well…I…you see…"
Does Izuku sometimes think he's gone too far? Absolutely. Does that mean he regrets it? Absolutely not.
The morning of the entrance exams finds Izuku in his room, hands balled tightly into fists while he leans on his desk for support. He tries to get a hold of his breathing but he's just too nervous!
"Izuku, slow breaths c'mon." His mom wished him luck before leaving for work this morning, but it did little to calm his nerves. And with his emotions all over the place, he couldn't stop clones from appearing. Which is what led to Two standing by him, looking worried.
"It's just a test! And you're a demigod! Honestly, no one should be more Confident than you going into this thing. You've been trained by gods!" Two tries.
"Technically, they're not gods," Three says from the other side of him. "Even so, he is correct in other ways. You have prepared to the best of your abilities, it's Illogical to worry."
"You're both right, I know!" Izuku says, putting his face into his hands. "It's just…ugh maybe getting something to eat might help."
Izuku walks out into the hallway and does his best not to groan when he sees Five waiting for him. "Maybe it would go better if the real Izuku took the test."
Izuku slaps his chest as he walks past him. "Solid, see? I'm real."
Five joins him in step. "You may be solid, but we both know you're an Imposter."
A shake of his head is all Izuku manages because he is not going down that rabbit hole. He walks into the kitchen and grabs some bread from the cabinet.
"I hate myself!"
Oh, man. He must be having a worse morning than he thought if those ones are coming out.
The greenette peers into the living room to see Nine laying face down on the couch, one arm hanging off the side. "Why would UA want me? I'm worthless!"
Alright, he knows he's losing control if Nine's Depression is getting out.
"We're gonna let everyone down…" oh, good. Izuku looks to see Eight nervously pacing around. "I mean, Dad is the God of Mischief? How are we ever supposed to live up to that?!"
It's getting worse, he's starting to get a headache. "Two! Three! A little help with Nine! And Eight is having his Anxiety attack!"
"Don't worry! I'll wash away their problems!" Izuku can't hold back the groan when he sees Four walking in with an overly sized bucket of water.
"No Pranks!"
Two and Three rush into the room and lead Eight to the living room with Nine and Four. He's finally able to put some bread in the toaster, despite his hands trembling. He can feel his mind splitting as more clones appear, but he can't reign them in.
Six stares at the toaster dreamily. Hoping to end his non-existent Hunger. Twelve stands in a corner, notebook in hand while he Analyzes all the possibilities of the practical exam. Seven stands next to him, unbothered. Too busy Fanboying over being able to finally meet the other pro heroes UA has on staff.
Izuku's head is swimming. He can't focus. The boy leans himself over the sink just in case, breath coming in short gasps. Too much. There was too much happening. His senses were becoming overloaded.
He had lost control. Every thought and word that went through his decoys bounced around his head. He tries to right the ship, but every time he pushes back, his head explodes in pain. Izuku clutches it with both hands.
"Oh yeah, that'll help." Izuku turns just enough to see Ten glaring at him. "You're so pathetic! Maybe if you actually showed people like Bakugo how weak they are…" a dagger appears in Ten's hand. "Maybe then you wouldn't be sitting here, crying like a baby!" He yells, Anger radiating off him.
"Leave him alone!" Eleven stands between them. "That's not gonna help and you know it!"
Ten holds the dagger up threateningly. "Maybe if he allowed himself to get mad…"
"So he can do what? Stab everyone?" Eleven asks incredulously.
"Better than that Self Sacrificial crap he gets from you!"
Izuku is starting to feel colder. He thinks he hears his toast is done but he's not sure. There's screaming, talking, and everything in between going on around him. The boy closes his eyes and tries for a deep breath, but he just ends up coughing.
He can't focus. He needs to, but he can't. He has nothing to focus on. His hands constantly touch different parts of his body to make sure he's still there. Arms, legs. Torso. Face, oh, he was crying. Head.
He tugs on his hair, feeling quick sharp tugs of pain. His senses dull just a little. Izuku tugs more, focusing on the pain. He knows it's bad but it's giving him something to focus on. Something he has control over.
Izuku continues for a few minutes, his headache fading and his breaths becoming deeper. Finally, he raises his hand, feeling a pulse of magic running up it, and closes his fist and with it, all the decoys vanish.
The mere fifteen-year-old collapses onto the ground, enjoying the large amounts of air and clear mind. That can't keep happening. He needs to do better. To be better.
A quick wash up in the bathroom later and Izuku is out the door, toast in his mouth and all.
It just feels different today. Despite being at UA many times before now, today just feels so different. Izuku stares up at the H-shaped building, while usually comforted by the sight, today, it was intimidating.
Messing with the straps of his backpack, because yes, he's wearing his backpack today to not risk getting in trouble for conjuring it later, Izuku walks through the open gate.
"Outta my way, Deku!" What a way to start the day! Izuku slows, waiting for Kacchan to be right on him, before stepping into his path and bumping into him.
"Oh, Kacchan! I am so sorry! I didn't know you were there!" The taller boy gapes like a fish for a second before the anger returns. Izuku thinks it's best described like one of those old pre-quirk cartoons where the character's face would heat up in rage like a deranged tea kettle.
Izuku tilts his head to the side a little, gesturing to the UA teachers watching the students enter from the entrance. "Something wrong, Kacchan?"
Red eyes shoot back and forth between Izuku and the teachers before he finally relents. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kacchan walks on, making sure to give him a nice shoulder check as he does so. "Good luck!" He calls out sweetly.
After a few seconds of letting the other boy walk ahead, Izuku lets his smile drop. That was the first time they had talked in almost a year. They hadn't really since he told him to…well anyway, he wasn't exactly complaining but it was still weird.
The villain attack and Eri's rescue had obviously been covered up. Izuku didn't show up to school for the rest of the week after and Aldera had said it was a "personal" matter. Izuku wasn't sure what to expect when he had gotten back, but the look on Kacchan's face when he walked into the classroom wasn't it.
Glaring and hate he had been used too, but surprise? That wasn't an emotion he can remember ever seeing on Kacchan's face. There was something else there too. His brain had provided it to him but he tossed it away immediately.
He was pretty good at reading people, he had to be to do a lot of things he did with his powers. But he still gets things wrong all the time. There was no way there was any relief on Kacchan's face when he got back.
Even so, his former friend had left him alone after that for the rest of the year. He didn't go out of his way to talk to him, and Izuku did the same.
Shaking his head, Izuku continues walking, letting his brain wander at all the possible different quirks around him.
There was so much variety here! He sees two different girls with horns on their heads, one of them was pink! Another boy who looked like a dinosaur, Izuku is pretty sure he could ask him questions the rest of the day. Wait, floating clothes? Is that person invisible?! Is that on all the time? Oh! And a boy with messy grayish-blue hair whose-
Izuku's thoughts come to a screeching halt when his foot hits uneven pavement, tripping him.
'Heimdall is never gonna let me live this down.'
Izuku got himself ready to roll when hit the ground…only to never hit it.
"Woooooooah!" Izuku yelps, his arms, and legs flailing. 'I'm flying?! How?! What?!'
"Are you ok?"
Izuku turns his head to see a girl standing beside him. She is a brunette with her hair in a bob cut. Two bangs frame her face with blush marks on her cheeks.
'Cute.'
'Wait, what?'
"I'm sorry I didn't ask you first but I stopped you with my quirk," she says with a nice smile on her face while straightening him. "But I figured you wouldn't mind me catching you." She presses her fingers together and Izuku feels the weight he didn't realize was gone return.
A part of his brain was attempting to analyze that, but it wasn't working for some reason.
"Isn't this all, like, way nerve-wracking?" She continues.
"Um…y-yeah…" 'What am I doing?!'
"Well, I guess I'll see you inside. Bye!" She waves and walks away, her smile never leaving her face.
'Does…does that count as talking to a girl?…I'm gonna count it!'
—-
The written portion of the exam was thankfully, not as hard as he thought it'd be. Resisting the urge to 'mooooo' as the crowd was herded like cows into the auditorium, Izuku finds his seat next to Kacchan, only receiving a glare as a greeting.
The lights dim and smoke fills the stage as Present Mic rises behind the podium. "What up UA candidates?! I'm your master of ceremonies, Present Mic! Can I get a YEAH?!"
His dad taught him the power of showmanship and style. He respects it, and he's sure not gonna leave The Present Mic hanging. He stands up and pumps his fist. "YEAH!" No one joins him. Izuku doesn't care. This helps calm him down.
Present Mic shoots him finger guns (oh my god!), "that listener gets it! But keeping it mellow is fine too!" The hero goes on to explain the practical exam while they're handed cards with their test sites on them, and Izuku holds his excited mumbles pretty well if he says so himself.
He's only a little sad he's not with Kacchan. What he would give to have a decoy just follow him around the entire time annoying him.
After the pro is done explaining the three faux villains and how they can bring anything they want, a tall blue-haired boy interrupts, standing up and raising his hand. "Excuse me! I have a question!"
"The stage is yours!"
"On the printout we were provided, it lists four faux villains, not three! If this is a mistake on the part of UA, then I apologize but that is shameful of Japan's most notable school! And you!" The boy turns around, pointing right at him. "You have been muttering this entire time! It is very distracting and if you can't be bothered to take this seriously, then you should leave!"
A few people snicker. 'Who does he think he is-'
"Alright, alright." Present Mic calls the attention back to him. "Great question Examinee 7111. The fourth villain is worth zero points. Think of it as more of an obstacle. You can fight it if you want, but there'd be no point. You dig?"
"Yes, thank you!" The boy sits down. Oh. They are not done. Izuku puts his hand under the table, takes a second, and twists it. Let's see how he likes a scorpion on his lap.
It only takes a second. "AHHHHH!" The boy screams, jumping up, brushing his lap furiously. Too late, Izuku dismissed the illusion the second he jumped up.
It takes everything to keep the smile off his face. "Hey!" Izuku calls out. When he has the boy's attention he puts a finger to his lips. "Shh. You're being very distracting!"
More people snicker and laugh, including a snort from right next to him. Izuku whips his head around but Kacchan has a neutral expression on his face. Huh, must've imagined it.
The tall boy clears his throat and mutters an apology and sits down, but not before checking around his seat carefully.
"Well, that's all I got for you all!" Present Mic takes over again. "So I'll leave you all with this, as General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes. Go beyond, Plus Ultra!" A few people call back, including Izuku. "Good luck suffering."
The gates to the fake city loom over them while Izuku bounces in place trying to distract himself, but it's not working. He's so excited! Robots! He'll get to use his daggers and knives to his heart's content without fear of hurting someone!
That's when he spots the nice girl who saved him from falling. He should probably thank her. Izuku takes a step and then he feels it.
"Don't touch me," Izuku says without turning around.
"E-excuse me?" He turns and sees the tall boy again, hand raised. The blue-haired boy composes himself, lowering his hand. "Why are you here? Were you sent by the staff to try and distract us before the test?"
"What kind of-"
"START!" Present Mic's voice booms over them. Izuku doesn't need to be told twice, sprinting through the gates. "He's got the right idea! There are no countdowns in real battles, little listeners! Run, run, run!"
Nice! He's got a sizable lead on the competition! Izuku runs in before three robots get in his path. A couple of two-pointers and a one-pointer. "Hope this works!" Izuku conjures three throwing knives and whisks them at the villains.
Each knife hits dead center and slices through with ease, each robot falling. "Yes!" He'll look around for his knives later, for now, he turns down an alley, only for a three-pointer to block his path.
"Target acquired! Prepare for judgment!" Izuku jumps onto the wall of the alley, using it to propel himself over the robot, dodging it's attack.
The trickster brings a conjured dagger down on the robot, slicing through it like butter. The three-pointer collapses and explodes in front of him. Izuku laughs, gripping the dagger tighter. "Oh yeah! I can get used to this!"
"I'd say this year's group looks promising. Would you all agree?" Nezu says, sipping a cup of tea with the other teachers in the observation room.
There are agreements throughout the room until, "I can't say I'm a fan."
Nezu chuckles at Power Loader. "Oh, Maijima. Don't be a child."
"I'm not being a child!" Higari Maijima whines, thereby nullifying his point. "I'm just saying, at least the explosion kid leaves some scraps behind for me to recycle. But that one kid at Battle Center E leaves nothing behind!"
"Oh, hush. We have more than enough funds for a few robots."
"That's not the point…" Maijima grumbles.
"We do have a good crop this year," Ectoplasm says. "But something isn't quite adding up. That boy there, with the green hair. Izuku Midoriya. His file says his quirk is illusion creation. But I've seen him create multiple knives and use them as if they were real."
"It could be that his quirk description is not accurate. It is, unfortunately, very common." Cementoss theorizes.
"A theory to solve another day!" Nezu happily calls out. "But for now, the real test begins!" The principal nods at Snipe who lifts a glass protector and pushes a big red button.
Izuku pants, his hands on his knees. If this test has shown him anything, it's that he has a real lack of mobility. Sure, turning into a dog helped a bit, but not that much. Maybe the next animal he should work on is a cheetah? Since he still can't get any birds to work.
But he still felt pretty good. If his math was right, he had 42 points right now. The robots had become a lot more scarce after the first couple of minutes, add in his lack of mobility and it wasn't a good recipe. Thankfully, he had been able to astral project himself to the top of buildings to gain vantage points and spot robots in the distance.
He had also created decoys to distract robots and help other kids a few times, at least when they were too far out of range for a throwing knife. So that made him feel better about everything.
Izuku straightens up and is about to go look for more robots when the ground begins to shake below him. 'What the…'
A series of explosions ring around the testing center, before a massive robot appears, bigger than any of the surrounding buildings. The behemoth crashes it's fist into the ground, causing another mini earthquake while obliterating anything near it.
The smoke is thick and screams fill the air as terrified kids run for their lives from the zero-pointer. All Izuku can do is stare as the monster of a robot moves toward them all, crushing anything in it's path.
'That's…so…COOL! I want one! Could the dwarves of Nidavellir build something like that? Won't hurt to ask…'
As much as Izuku would love to gawk at the robot all day, the test is probably almost over so he should find more robots to-
"Ow…"
He stops dead in his tracks. The nice girl…
Izuku is running before he realizes it.
With a wave of his hand, several decoys appear around him, running beside him, but it doesn't matter, he's more focused than ever. "Distract it!" They nod and run trying to get the attention of the robot while Izuku runs up to the girl, who had her foot trapped under some rubble.
He stabs a dagger under the slab of concrete and pushes down on the handle to lift it up more. Getting his hands under it, Izuku raises it a bit more. "I got it, go!" The girl nods and pulls her leg free.
With an action that would mortify him later, Izuku picks up the girl, bridal carry, and starts to run. His decoys weren't good enough because the zero-pointer still chases them. Crap, he couldn't outrun it. He needed something bigger to get it's attention.
He doesn't know if his dad will be proud or angry at what he's about to do.
Izuku deploys more decoys just to stop the robot for a couple of seconds while he puts the girl down against the side of a building. "I'll distract it long enough for you to get away! Go!"
"Wait-!" She starts but Izuku's already climbing up a nearby fire escape. All the dust and debris on the ground would hinder him. He gets to the roof just as the biggest faux villain is rolling past his decoys.
Izuku steps up to the edge. They said to go plus ultra, right?
He recalls all decoys and holds his hands in front of him, bending his knees. Izuku pushes more magic into his hands than he's ever done. Green lines envelop his body before all congregating onto his hands.
His body screams in protest. His arms shake worse than ever before. He starting to go numb everywhere but the two appendages he's focusing on.
He's never felt more alive.
His hands erupt what looks like green flames around them, and light envelops him, finally getting the attention of the zero-pointer. Izuku screams, releasing the magic and ignoring the blood dripping from his nose.
Because next to the building he's on, an exact replica of the zero-pointer appears next to him. Izuku laughs, looking up at by far his biggest creation. "I DID IT! Hahaha!" Every examinee has stopped at the test site, staring wide-eyed as the two giants square off.
Nezu cackles maniacally, nearly falling off his chair while teachers leap to their feet in surprise.
All Might smiles. 'Show them what you're made of, young Midoriya.'
The real faux villain seems to growl at it's challenger, rearing it's fist back and trying to pummel it's new opponent through the face, only for it to go straight through.
Izuku grunts, nearly falling to one knee as he pumps magic he didn't even know he had back into his creation, rebuilding it. This wasn't gonna work. He can't hold it much longer.
Using whatever he has left, Izuku holds up his hands and pushes. His illusion responds, moving away. And like he had hoped, the real one follows. Izuku holds. And holds. He keeps holding. He's on his knees at this point.
Sweat pours down his face. The blood is in free fall from his nose. It's like his arms will tear themselves from his sockets at any moment. But still, he keeps going.
Once both robots were a fair distance away, his decoy blinking in and out of existence, Izuku let's go.
The green flames around his hands extinguish themselves and with them, the rest of his energy. Oh, he just realized he's falling. That's right, he was at the edge of the roof. Not exactly a swan dive but he wonders if Kacchan would be happy with this? Wow, his brain goes to weird places when he's about to die.
The ground quickly approaches and Izuku can't even brace himself so he closes his eyes waiting for-
SMACK!
Instead of the ground, he feels a stinging on his cheek. Izuku cracks his eyes open to see himself floating above the ground, the nice girl had saved him, again. Wow, she'd make a great hero.
She barely gets her fingers together, whispering a quiet "release." Izuku falls the last small distance to the ground, as does she and the piece of robot she had been floating on. He doesn't really feel the impact, his body is still numb.
The greenette pushes himself up to thank her but turns away when he sees her throwing up. Hey, even half-dead, manners are important.
"Are you ok?" He asks once she's done.
"M-me?" She responds with a disbelieving giggle.
"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic's voice travels through the city, followed by a horn.
"Thanks for saving me." Izuku smiles, her blush marks going redder randomly. "But if you'll excuse me…" he slumps over, letting darkness overtake him.
Chapter 8: Thank You for Your Cooperation
"Izuku? Honey? Are you sure you're going to be ok?"
The called-out teenager snaps out of his thoughts and looks at his mother from across the dinner table. "O-oh. Sorry, mom." Izuku tries to offer a weak smile to comfort her but it doesn't work.
It had been a week since the entrance exams, at least that's what the calendar says. According to Izuku's internal clock, it had been a whole year with how slow the time had gone! Was it normal to consider breaking into UA just to look at exam results? No, that would probably dampen his relationship with the staff.
But it's also partly their fault! No one was answering his texts! All Might, Aizawa, Snipe. Not even Nighteye or Gran Torino were answering. The only thing he got was a message from Aizawa telling him he couldn't come back on campus until he got his exam results and then everyone had gone dark. He hopes Eri is doing alright at least.
Izuku picks at more of his food with his chopsticks. His shaking hands had already spilled some stains on the white long-sleeved shirt he wore that said 'what's a fish?' Forty two points would be enough. It had to be. It's not like his entire future was riding on this or anything.
"Izuku…" When had his mom gotten right next to him? "You can tell me when you're nervous."
"What makes you think I'm nervous?" Mom doesn't answer him. Shaking her head fondly, she turns his head to the living room…only to see Decoy Two slamming Eight to the ground on his stomach and pinning him.
"Submit!"
"No!"
"It's stupid to worry like this!"
"Maybe to you!"
"Boys…" Inko calls out. She sounds a bit exasperated but there's no actual heat behind it.
"Hi, mom!" Two waves. "Don't mind us!"
"Mooom! Tell him to stop!"
"What did I tell you boys about wrestling?" Inko lightly scolds with a small smile on her face. "One of you could get hurt."
"We're not even real!"
Inko's voice gets a little more serious. "Are you talking back, young man?
Two pretty much leaps off Eight and both clones stand next to each other looking like, well, looking like kids that are getting reprimanded.
"Sorry, mom…"
"Yeah, sorry…"
Izuku, feeling better from the antics, waves his hand letting the clones disappear
"Izuku…you know no matter what happens, I'm proud of you right?" His mother tells her real son with a concerned look on her face, reaching down to take his hand.
With a bit of the weight lifted off his chest, Izuku smiles at her, a bit more genuine this time. "I know, mom. And thank you. I just want this so bad."
Inko gives his hand a gentle squeeze. "Well, your father and I will be here for you no matter what happens."
"Oh, right!" Izuku exclaims. "Shouldn't dad have been here by now?"
Inko chuckles at Izuku looking like an excited puppy at the mention of his father. "He projected here earlier to tell me he'd be here in a little bit. Just had some business to take care of."
Loki conjures his phone to his left hand, the one that's currently free, to check the time. "Damn." He didn't have a lot of time left. "My son is finding out if he's going to get into the high school of his dreams tonight, and I couldn't be more proud."
He vanishes his phone. "Do you have kids?" Loki asks the U.S. soldier he's currently holding in a chokehold hold with his right arm. He lessens the pressure enough so the man can give a small nod. "Ah, good. Then you'll understand how, as parents, we'd do anything for them."
A quick jerk of his arm breaks the man's neck and he lets the body fall next to the others. "Thank you for your cooperation."
The lab he's in isn't the biggest one he's ever been in but is still of decent size. The main power was out, leaving emergency lights to blink continuously. The middle of the room had several workbenches and desks, most of which had been thrown to their sides while the ground was littered with the bodies of technicians and the soldiers who had attempted to protect them.
What an inconvenience. And to top everything off, the mortals had gone ahead and gotten blood all over his armor. He tries to shake some of the excess fluid off his hand. How unsightly. One of the few downsides of working with blades.
A whimper drew Loki back from his musings. Oh, he had almost forgotten. Back at the far side of the lab was a giant computer terminal, complete with a keyboard and screen, probably for presentations to the whole room.
An older heavyset man with balding white hair sat in front of the terminal on the ground, his left hand pinned to the machine by the dagger that pierced it.
"You know, I'm impressed," Loki says, beginning his walk over. He goes slow. Whenever the lights went out, it cast the room in darkness for an entire second. The human wouldn't know where he was and that should terrify him. Hopefully, his babysitter was enjoying the show. "Yours is one of the few governments who know of our existence."
The man says nothing as Loki reaches him, opting to cry instead. "I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose."
"P-please…w-we have no quarrel with your people…"
"And an ant has no quarrel with a boot." To demonstrate, Loki stomps on the man's knee, breaking it while a sickening crunch reverberated around the room. The trapped man shrieks in pain louder than ever, grabbing his leg with his right hand, and openly sobbing now. Couldn't they be quieter while they suffer? He was working.
"Password?" Loki requests.
Through his blubbering, the man gets out, "Lehigh." Fortunately for him, it works. The insect continues to weep as Loki starts to sift through the files.
It only takes another minute for Loki to find what he's looking for. "You continue to impress it seems. While I never expected you to find the item I seek, you have several leads that will most certainly help." Loki looks down at his conversation partner. "You have my sincerest thanks."
The man says something barely above a whisper but he can't understand him.
Loki kneels in front of him. "Shhhhh. It's almost over." The Asgardian uses the man's face to get some of the blood off his hands.
More tears. "I…I don't want to die…"
Loki sighs. "Well I'm afraid…you will not be overly fond of what's about to happen."
"It's here, Izuku! Your exam results!"
"Money is not my goa-" Izuku quickly closes his laptop and races to the living room to find his Mom holding a letter with UA's stamp with trembling hands.
"I-it's here…" Izuku barely manages, taking the envelope. It's a lot heavier than he thought it'd be, with what definitely doesn't feel like a normal letter inside?
"I don't think I'll be able to wait for-"
The front door opens and both greenettes turn to see Loki walking in, wearing his usual black suit. He closes the door behind him, "speak of the devil and he shall appear."
"Dad!" "Honey!"
Mother and son crash into the Mischief god hugging him tightly while Izuku lets the excess stress melt off while he gets his hair ruffled. "Oh, I missed you both so much. Did I make it on time?"
"Just in time!" Izuku says, not able to keep the smile off his face. "Also, really dad? The devil?…"
"Yes, the devil," Loki laughs. "You know…because of…the horns…"
"That's kinda lame."
Loki gasps in dramatic fashion. "Inko, did you hear what your son just said to me?"
She giggles at her husband. "Well…"
"Not you too?!" More snickering. "You both wound me more than any dagger ever could!"
"Oh shush." Inko separates and lightly slaps the man on his shoulder. "Stop being so dramatic. Did you take care of whatever it was you had to do?"
Izuku looks up. "What did you have to do dad?"
Loki smiles down at his son. "Nothing too big. I just had to give a presentation of sorts to some people."
"Did it go well?"
"Oh, I killed it, son."
The smaller Asgardian buries his face back into his father's suit. "That's good."
"I'm glad you made it," Inko begins. "But now that we're all together, shouldn't we…"
"The results!" Izuku unlatches and grabs the envelope again and after hesitating for just a second, rips it open, a small black disk falling out. "Huh." He places the disk on the dining table. "How do you suppose we-"
"I am here! As a projection!"
Izuku squeals as a hologram erupts from the disk, revealing All Might in a yellow suit standing in front of a red curtain.
"Baby! Are you ok?!"
"Gods don't squeal Izuku…"
"Yes, it is I! All Might! Newest faculty member of UA High School! I know, quite the 'All Sight,' wouldn't you say?"
Izuku is so enthralled in the video, that he doesn't notice Loki behind him, staring at his dagger while debating on stabbing himself in the face or not.
"Showboating? What do you-wait? How many of these do I have to do?" All Might clears his throat. "Now onto your results! You scored in the 94th percentile of the written exam, great job!"
Both of his parents congratulate him as All Might continues. "As for the practical exam, you scored 42 villain points. While not enough to get you in the top ten on its own, that by itself is enough for entry into the hero course! But wait!" It's as if All Might was watching the family, stopping their celebrations before they could start. "There's more!"
The camera pans to the side at All Might's gesture to a tv beside him. The video starts cutting through different instances of Izuku saving other applicants with his decoys or knives. "There's more to being a hero than beating the villain. How could a hero course not reward someone who is so committed to saving others, no matter the consequences to himself?!"
"Izuku!" Inko crushes her son in a hug as the video switches to him saving the nice girl. Loki's dagger clatters on the ground when the video shows Izuku making an illusion of the zero-pointer.
"It is for that reason why we have rescue points! A panel of judges watches and awards points for heroic actions. And for your actions in the exam, you have been awarded 60 rescue points!"
A leaderboard appears, showing Izuku's name clearly at the top with 102 points. He can only stare. "Congratulations, Young Midoriya! And welcome to your Hero Academia!"
The hologram fades, not that Izuku notices as he's currently fighting for his right to breathe from his mother while Loki continues to stare at where the video used to be.
"IZUKUUUUU! You nearly gave me a heart attack! You have to be more careful! Oh but I'm so proud! You have to promise me you won't get hurt like that again, promise me Izuku?!" Inko releases her son, giving him just enough time to get a big gulp of air before she engulfs him again. "I just love you so much!"
After Izuku turns blue and it this time having nothing to do with his heritage, Inko lets her son go. "We need more to celebrate! How does ice cream sound? I'll run out and go get some. Loki!" The man is broken out of whatever state he was in. "I'll be right back. Make sure Izuku knows not to do something like that again."
"Of course, darling. I'll let Izuku know what I think," he says, turning toward his wife while using telekinesis to bring the dagger on the ground back to his hand. Inko nods and leaves after giving Izuku a kiss on the cheek.
After the oxygen has time to reach his brain again, Izuku's thoughts finally catch up with him. He had passed the exam! He was going to UA! The same school that All Might had gone too! And on top of all that, he had somehow gotten first place!
Sure, a part of him was worried about how Kacchan would react to second place but that's for later Izuku to worry about. Now, he can just be happy and let the excitement wash over him-
"So, Izuku." Or his dad could kill him now and he'll never make it to his first day. "About what you did during the exam."
"D-dad I-"
"That was amazing, son!"
"I know and I'm sorry! It was-EHHHHH?!" Izuku stops and gapes at his father's smiling face. "You're not mad?!"
Loki walks over as he talks, "mad? Izuku, you just created an illusion at a size I would have difficulty with now! I couldn't even attempt something like that for hundreds of years! And you just did it! At fifteen!" He puts both of his hands on his shoulders. "I know I said your powers would be stronger than mine when they manifested but not even I could have predicted you would move this quickly. I'm so proud of you."
Izuku is pulled into a luckily, much softer hug than with his mom. Getting into UA and hearing his dad talk about how proud he was of him does the boy in and he can't stop the tears as he hugs his father back. Izuku thanks him over and over. Without his dad's training, he would have never gotten this far.
"I wasn't sure when to do this, but I think now is a good time," Loki says after another minute of hugging.
"Dad?"
Loki separates before conjuring his second dagger to his hand and holding both out. Izuku looks down, the handles of the daggers are a glossy royal blue, and the blades themself are a nice silver on the outer part, with the color becoming a more dark grey as it nears the middle. Three small notches decorated each side of the blades.
"Are we going to do more training?"
Loki shakes his head smiling. "These are yours now."
Izuku can't even bring himself to look at the blades. "B-but dad, those are your daggers! I can't just…I mean…"
His dad can't stop his laugh. "We both know I have plenty of extras."
"But those are your favorite!"
"They are. So who better to have it than my favorite person." Loki grabs Izuku's hand and puts the daggers in it. "I know you'll keep making me proud."
After another tear-filled hug, Izuku finally feels like he can stand on his own two feet. "I'm going to be the best hero I can be!"
"I know you will," Loki agrees, going over to the cabinet to pull out bowls. "And you already are. You saved that young woman during your exam." He smirks. "Did she give you a nice reward for your efforts?"
"A reward? What could she have-" Izuku's eyes widen and his face glows. "N-n-n-n-no! It wasn't like that!" Izuku defends while his hands blur around him. "I didn't do it for that and nothing happened!"
"Interesting," Loki notes while putting the bowls on the table, "you never said you didn't want it to happen."
Izuku's face is in his hands. "Daaaaaaaaad."
"I'm still not hearing a denial." Izuku yells into his hands in frustration, making his father laugh. "Alright, I'm done for now." Loki begins to gather utensils. "But you have been a hero in other ways too. What about that little girl you told me you saved? What was her name again?"
While the red isn't completely gone from his cheeks, Izuku is able to look up at the mention of his unofficial little sister. "Eri. And, well, she's doing a lot better than when we first met. I've actually been teaching her some of the things you taught me."
"Is that so?" Loki puts the spoons by the bowls. "Well she sounds like an absolute treat and I would love to meet her someday."
"You should! You'd love her!" Izuku shouts in excitement. His previous embarrassment is all but gone. "She's really special."
The God of Mischief gives a half-smile. "On that, I can believe. I think, in time, everyone will see how special she is."
Walking through the halls of UA on his first day, Izuku can't believe it. He was here. He had made it. He got to the school early to have breakfast with Eri and was now making his way toward homeroom.
It was different, walking through the halls as an actual student. He hadn't been in the main building too many times before this, but now, walking through with his new uniform on, he felt like he could conquer the world.
His Dad had sent him off that morning, checking his uniform over despite them both knowing the magic would make it fit nearly perfect. But that's just the way his father is.
To be honest, while a part of him was hoping he'd be proud of what he did at the entrance exam, he knew with absolute certainty the man would be furious if he walked out of the house with a crinkled uniform or a tie done wrong.
"Yeah, you and I, we gotta stick together." Izuku looks to see two boys standing outside one of the General Education rooms. Both have purple hair, one of them has it in the shape of balls and the other has it in spikes, almost like it was defying gravity.
It was the smaller one that was speaking. "The babes in there are ripe for the picking so what do you say purple brother, will you be my wingman?!" It sounds like the small one is trying to rally the other for battle. It might be inspiring if the subject wasn't gross.
Evidently, the taller one seems to agree with him. His answer is an eyebrow raise before walking into the classroom. "Wait! So that's a yes?!" The increasingly annoying midget follows behind, closing the door. Well if that's how the kids in the general course are, and the hero course kids are supposed to be crazier, then it might not be solely up to him to be the entertainment this year.
Finally finding his classroom, Izuku cranes his neck to look at the huge door. 'Wow. Are they expecting Frost Giants as students?'
Alright, go time! Izuku pushes the door open and-
"Get your feet off that desk right now!"
"You're kidding me, right? You got a stick up your ass or something?"
In front of him, Kacchan has his feet up on his desk while he argues with the blue-haired boy from the entrance exam.
'Both Kacchan…and the tall boy are in my class…YEEEEEES! I can't believe my luck! I have an entire year to mess with BOTH of them!'
"Huh, it's him." And just like that, every student in the room is staring at him. It takes every ounce of willpower not to turn invisible right then and there. "Good morning!" The tall boy is now marching at him like he is on a mission. "I am Tenya Iida from Somei Private Academy!"
He's still being stared at. Darn his instincts. "Hi! I'm Izuku Midoriya. You're the one who jumped out of his chair screaming in the auditorium, aren't you?" Some snickers from his new classmates and the attention lessens. There we go, deflect with humor.
The bespectacled boy falters. Wow, he's not really good with the unexpected, is he? This year's gonna be better than he thought. After he gathers himself, Iida continues, "you realized there was something more to the exam, didn't you? As a student, you are far superior to me and I apologize for my behavior!" Iida sinks down to a full ninety-degree bow.
Maybe he's not as bad as he initially thought. Still gonna be fun to prank though.
"Hey, I recognize that messy hair!" Izuku turns to see the nice girl from the exam standing in the doorway, beaming at him. "Distraction boy! Oh my goodness, I don't even know how to describe what you did but it was amazing!…"
'Oh wow, it's her!' Izuku thinks while she gives a play-by-play of the exam. 'Ok, I don't know what happened when we first met, maybe it was the nerves? But I'm feeling much better today. Time to analyze! Aaaaand go!…She looks good in that uniform.'
…
…
'WHAT THE F-'
Izuku's senses take over and his eyes travel downward to see a yellow caterpillar attempting to worm its way into the classroom, the girl's head follows his after a few seconds, gasping at the sight. He'd know that grumpy insect anywhere. Could it be?!
"Aizawa? Is that you?!" His outburst attracts his classmates once again.
"Oh my god?!"
"Do you see that?!"
"What is that thing?!"
"Of course, you take this away from me too, Problem Child," Aizawa complains, standing up and shedding his cocoon to reveal the beautiful spite-filled butterfly that he is.
"No way!" Izuku is practically bouncing. He gets to prank Kacchan and Iida all year, the nice girl is in his class, and Aizawa is his teacher?! His luck is phenomenal today! "You're our homeroom teacher?!"
Aizawa lets out a long suffering sigh. "Despite my many protests and attempts at resignation," he looks up to address the whole class. "Yes. I'm Shota Aizawa, homeroom teacher of class 1A. Nice to meet you."
It then dawns on Izuku and the other students standing up front that their teacher is here and they are not in their seats. Something they correct very quickly. Izuku rushes to sit behind Kacchan and in front of a boy with off-blue hair.
Aizawa pulls a stack of uniforms from his sleeping bag, somehow, and drops it onto his desk. Is he sure he's the only one here who can conjure things? "Put these on and meet me outside at the P.E grounds. Hurry up." And with that introduction, their new teacher walks out of the room, sleeping bag in hand, without any care.
It takes the class a few seconds to move, but eventually, some just shrug, take the uniforms, and go look for the locker rooms. Izuku waits until everyone's left before walking up and picking up his gym uniform. Finally, he can let himself wear one.
He turns the uniform over in his hands a few times before being satisfied enough to vanish the clothes to his pocket dimension. Yellow lines cover his body for a moment before his regular uniform is replaced by the gym one.
He moves his arm and legs around but something feels off…oh! It's a short-sleeve. More lines cover Izuku's arms until he's wearing the long-sleeved version of the gym clothes. Much better.
Izuku runs to the grounds directly to find Aizawa standing there with a bag of equipment next to him, tapping on a tablet in his hand. Unsurprisingly, Izuku is the first one out.
"That was quick," Aizawa comments, a very faint hit of surprise in his voice.
"You said to hurry up," Izuku answers, putting his hands into his pockets.
"I gave you all short-sleeve uniforms. Why are you wearing a long-sleeve?" Aizawa asks, though he makes it sound like he couldn't care less about the answer.
"When I use my throwing knives and daggers, I like to make it seem like they're coming out of my sleeves. Can't do that if they're short." Izuku shrugs. A half-truth. But still a truth.
Aizawa lets his arm with the tablet drop to the side, giving his student his full attention. "Midoriya, it is the first day. It's bad enough you got Eri hooked on that stuff, are you really planning on stabbing your new classmates?"
"Only if they ask for it. So probably Kac-Bakugo. But the rest should be safe," Izuku answers happily with a smile on his face. That should quell any fears his new teacher would have.
Aizawa shakes his head a little, like he's trying to clear blurry vision. "I don't even know where to start. Where did you even get a long-sleeve uniform?"
"Magic."
The pro hero says nothing, opting to type something on the tablet instead. After a moment, he receives a notification. "Figures. Another resignation denied."
The rest of his class trickles onto the field over the course of the next few minutes. A couple of the guys give him weird looks, probably because he didn't go to the locker rooms. Once they're all gathered, Aizawa speaks.
"Today, the twenty of you will be participating in a quirk apprehension test."
"Won't we miss orientation?" Someone asks.
"UA doesn't adhere to a traditional teaching model. That means teachers can run classes as they see fit, and that includes skipping waste of time orientations. You'll be doing the eight standard physical tests today, only this time, with your quirks. Bakugo."
The blonde straightens as their teacher addresses him. "You got the most villain points on the exam. What's the farthest distance you got in the softball throw?"
"Sixty seven meters."
"Good." He tosses a ball with a metal ring around the middle to Kacchan who catches it one-handed. "Go stand in that circle and throw it using your quirk. Anything goes as long as you stay in the lines."
Kacchan walks into the circle and rolls his shoulders. A dangerous smirk appears on his face. "Umm…" Izuku intelligently says, getting most of the student's attention. "If anyone has sensitive hearing…you may want to cover your ears…"
Surprisingly, a purple-haired girl complies and a boy with multiple arms shifts the appendages that had ears into something else. 'I've found my first victi-I mean my first willing, yes willing, person to answer my questions about their quirk.'
Kacchan cocks his arm back. "You asked for it. DIE!" With a swing of his arm, Kacchan lets off a terrifying explosion that sends the ball shooting into the atmosphere. Most of the rest of the kids cover their ears.
Aizawa looks unfazed while he stares at his tablet. "This is the only rational way of finding your capabilities." He flips the tablet around to reveal a score of 705 meters.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"That looks so cool!"
"Not bad for a tutorial."
"This is gonna be fun!"
"Fun?" Aizawa all but demands. Oh man, Aizawa looks worse than that time he taught Eri how to climb the cabinets to get to the cookies. "You all think this is a game, huh? Fine. Whoever gets last place will be deemed hopeless and immediately expelled."
The class instantly begins to protest. "That's not fair!" The nice girl shouts, her voice above the others.
"Life's not fair," Aizawa says, still in a neutral tone. "Are Natural disasters, power-hungry villains, or catastrophic accidents fair? We have three years here at UA to teach you how to combat that unfairness. You will be pushed to your breaking point, thrown into one hardship after another. So go beyond. Plus Ultra and all that."
Oh that he can do. He says it's not a game but to Izuku, almost everything can be made into a game. He hopes Aizawa has a tight grip on the rules. If he doesn't, Izuku plans on bending every rule as far as he can. You don't just challenge the Prince of Mischief. And if Aizawa really thinks he'll let him expel someone today, well it's not just the students who will be learning an important lesson today.
Aizawa gives them a smile that's anything but warm. "Welcome to UA's Hero Course."