Izuku never imagined he'd be joining UA like that. Or, well, he never imagined any of this happening! "So, Mirko? Can you explain to me again what it is that we are doing?" He asked for the tenth time, trying to make sure.
Mirko, however, simply sighed, frustrated by his constant questions. "I told you already! You are entering the Hero Apprentice Program as MY protege! We are just going to the rat to get your papers in order."
"And by rat, you mean the Dean of UA, right?" Izuku asked further, dragging his luggage after him.
"Damn right! He just called and told me about it, and asked if I wanted to see your cool tricks again. I should take you in! And honestly? I really wanna see what else you got in that fancy device of yours." She replied, the two of them entering the UA campus. It hasn't even been a day since he got the letter, and already, he was back at UA. But this time, Mirko took him to the Dean's office.
"I brought him!" She declared loudly, but then saw the surprise guest there. "Hey, who's the old man?"
"Well, hello to you, too, young lady!" Paradox replied, making it clear Mirko forgot her manners.
"What- Professor Paradox?!" Izuku gasped upon seeing him.
"Well, I can excuse you, Izuku, given your surprise. Come in! There is much to talk about! Oh, but Miss Usagiyama, care to wait in the hallway? As in, further down the hallway? I am afraid what is coming is not for your ears to hear."
"Huh? How come?" She asked.
"Miss Usagiyama, I'd listen to the esteemed Professor Paradox in this case," Nezu added. "Don't worry, you will remain Izuku's mentor. We just wish to ask him some questions to ensure All Might's questionnaire was truly unfair."
"Fine! I won't ask questions. This time." With those words said, Mirko left, leaving Izuku with the two men in the room.
"Show it to me!" Nezu practically jumped from his seat, rushing over and grabbing Izuku's wrist. "My word, it is true! The entire device seems integrated with the user! Had I not known better, I'd say this is indeed a Quirk!"
"What? Sir, you know about the Omnitrix?" Izuku asked, surprised by this revelation.
"He does! I told him." Paradox clarified. "Now, now, Dean Nezu. I know you are excited to see the device, but please allow Izuku to sit down for our talk."
"Right!" Nezu said, clearing his throat. "Apologies. I've seen so many Quirks in my lifetime, I feel like I've seen them all! This novelty had me all worked up. Sit down, young Midoriya." Izuku listened to Nezu and took a seat. After he was comfortable, Nezu began speaking again. "I first want to apologize for how you were treated. Know that your scores broke the UA record, having placed you first in the practical exam and second in the written exam."
"Really?!" Izuku gasped.
"Yes. Unfortunately, your application was indeed suspended. And I further apologize about the fact that I need to inform you that there is nothing I can do about it." Nezu said further. "The ability to suspend an application was implemented ten years ago. If three members of staff, mainly teachers, vote that a certain applicant should not be admitted, at any time before the official start of UA, they can have their application suspended. It doesn't matter how well they did in the exam; everything becomes irrelevant."
"And why was my application suspended?" Izuku asked.
"That, young man, I cannot say. It relates to things that must be kept secret, I'm afraid. Things related to All Might, which I cannot reveal to anyone outside a select, trusted few." Nezu replied, apologizing more for failing to provide the reason. "But know it was not your fault. You were amazing, Izuku Midoriya, and I can tell just by looking that you will make for a wonderful hero in the future! Hence my decision to use the only ace up my sleeve I knew they could not counter."
"The Hero Apprentice Program." Izuku figured it out.
"Precisely," Nezu added. "You will be placed under Mirko's care. She will take care of your training, and I will prepare some material for you to study to take care of your academics. As for living quarters, you will be placed in the 1-A street. We recently uncovered that one of the other applicants who made it has an active sexual harassment lawsuit filed against them, so we had no choice but to move them into the General Studies Department. Considering they also suspended your application, there should be plenty of space to house you, too!"
"Thank you, Dean Nezu!" Izuku said, showing how grateful he was for this chance. But then, Paradox went up to Izuku.
"Omnitrix, provide report per Trial Protocol, Code 001003 under the authority of Admin Paradox," Paradox said, and the Omnitrix suddenly lit up.
"Report ready for delivery."
"What is this?" Izuku said, not knowing what was going on.
"You wouldn't think I'd leave you with the Omnitrix unsupervised, would you? Granted, in this case, the Omnitrix was the one keeping an eye out!" Paradox replied, then the Omnitrix began speaking.
"The current user, Izuku Midoriya, has experienced every available DNA sample in Playlist Alpha at least once. The user has a reduced tendency to use the Omnitrix for menial or personal tasks. Still, the Omnitrix does report the use of Galvan DNA to make financial decisions in the investment market."
"Oh my," Nezu said, surprised by that revelation.
"Otherwise, the user has mainly used the Omnitrix when training, getting himself used to the various samples available."
"And how many times had he gone over the safety limit?" Paradox asked.
"Not even once. Instead, the user prefers to turn back into his base form, then choose another to avoid the time-shortening effect of cross-form transformation."The Omnitrix's report seemed to have given Paradox something to think about, yet the older man simply nodded.
"A smart way of doing things," Paradox stated. "In that case, I guess-"
"The Omnitrix has registered multiple accounts when it both needed to correct the mental state of the user, and multiple accounts where such aid was denied."
"What?" Paradox's tone of voice changed, growing serious. Nezu took note of it as well.
"It's nothing! Just stress and, and-"
"Young Midoriya." Nezu raised his voice sternly, catching his attention. "It's ok. We know about Aldera. You don't need to pretend you are entirely fine. We know many things were going on behind those doors, and many were immoral, unjust, and above all, illegal. We made arrests. Surely, you saw the news, right?"
"I did," Izuku admitted. "Hard not to see such news. Granted, it did cause its issues."
"No one is perfect, young man," Nezu said further. "And I know what issues you might be referring to. It is unfortunate, but unavoidable, that the problem students of Aldera would go down twisted paths."
"Gentlemen, I don't believe that is a subject we ought to open right now," Paradox said, grabbing their attention. "Still, while a reason to worry, I have full confidence you will pull through, Izuku. Now, onto another subject…Got any questions?"
"I do!" Izuku piped up immediately. "Paradox, Sir, I, well…"
"Yes?"
"Well, the Omnitrix once mentioned something about other Playlists?" Izuku said, making Paradox arch an eyebrow.
"Did it? Well, I guess I should have mentioned this sooner anyway."
"Professor?" Nezu asked.
"Forgive me for not disclosing this sooner. You see, Izuku, the Omnitrix, currently, allows you access only to Playlist Alpha. Those lists are there to help manage your alien forms. Arranged in sets of ten, they have been tailored to include solely combat-appropriate races. That being said, there are other playlists, since the Omnitrix does house over a billion DNA samples."
"A BILLION?!" Izuku gasped in shock.
"You mean to tell us, Mister Midoriya here has access to over a billion forms?!" Nezu asked, absolutely shocked by what he just heard.
"Of course not!" Paradox replied sternly. "No, the Omnitrix is currently limited. To access everything, you'd require the full, unrestricted version of Master Control. Something only I can currently unlock for you."
"I see…" Izuku said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I just got used to the forms I already have, so I don't think I am ready for that many."
"You are right about that, Izuku. But…" Paradox reached the Omnitrix again, tapping the dial in several places. The Omnitrix beeped.
"Playlist Beta has been unlocked. Awaiting final password."
"Another playlist?!" Izuku gasped, bringing the Omnitrix up to his face, but upon checking, he saw nothing new.
"Not quite. I merely removed the first two layers of security around those playlists. It is awaiting the final password, after which it will fully unlock the playlist." Paradox explained. "The password is 0503."
"Why are you telling him this?" Nezu asked, confused. "If you are willing to go this far, fully unlocking the playlist is not that big of a deal, correct?"
"I think I get it…" Izuku said, grabbing their attention. "You are giving me an option to grow stronger, but I don't think I need the next playlist. Or rather, I don't think I am ready for it."
"And when do you reckon you will be?" Paradox asked.
"I don't know," Izuku replied.
"An incomplete answer, laced with doubt." Paradox smiled. "A good answer. Playlist Beta will be there when you feel ready for it, Izuku. No one is rushing you."
"I will see about finding you a vacant room, and hopefully not near any problematic individuals," Nezu stated, checking the files. "UA University provides students with special boarding houses. Students are expected to maintain them, meaning tasks like cleaning are up to them. Supplying the houses with day-to-day necessities is also your duty. Usually, our students receive aid from their families, but in case they lack such support, the University has a special Support Program students can enroll in, and if they qualify, they can benefit from a monthly allowance that scales with their grades and performance."
"Considering your investments had been going well, you don't need this program, I assume," Paradox said, receiving a nod from Izuku.
"We provide 3 Houses per gender, totalling 6 houses per class," Nezu replied. "Each of those houses can house up to 8 students!"
"Umm. Sir? Sorry to interrupt your explanation, but isn't that a bit much? I mean, it sounds like a house is always left empty, if not half full." Izuku questioned, but Nezu had an answer ready.
"A good observation, but it is exactly for this very reason that there are 3 houses! You see, like you, other teachers might take a student under their wing. Should they choose to have them acclimate to the Hero Course better, they usually do so by moving them into the respective street!" Nezu explained.
"So, it's space in case you need it?" Izuku asked.
"Exactly! And speaking of, this year, minus the student who was transferred, we have a total of 6 girls and 13 boys! This means we have an entire house free on the side of the boys!" Nezu stated, then opened a drawer, pulling out some kind of card. "Here you go, Izuku."
"What is this?" Izuku reached for the card, but the Omnitrix beeped, coming to life.
"External technology detected. Do you wish to integrate it?"
"Integration?" Nezu said softly. "I see. What I gave you is a special digital keycard meant to open the front door of your new house! It also has a special code meant to act as the key to your room, once you choose one. Please, do integrate it. I want to watch the process."
"Ok? Omnitrix, integrate this card," Izuku said, and this time, the Omnitrix launched some kind of scanning ray over the card, reading it over. When it was done, it beeped, indicating it was done.
"Integration complete. The Omnitrix has successfully integrated the codes within the foreign technology into itself."
"I guess I won't need this." Izuku slid the key card back to Nezu, who took it.
"Fascinating," Nezu said. "To think the Omnitrix was able to essentially hack into our key cards. Those were made to be peak security, you know? But who am I kidding? This level of technology is leagues above our own."
"I apologize if this seems disrespectful, Sir," Izuku said.
"There is no need for any apology. Just don't abuse your power, Izuku. Anyway, I think we held you long enough. Your mentor is likely tapping her foot onto the floor so hard she made a dent already."
"Playlist Beta is there for you when you need it, Izuku." Paradox reminded him.
"Thank you, Professor Paradox. And thank you, Dean Nezu, for giving me a second chance." Izuku thanked the two, then went out the door, returning to Mirko so they could head to his new place of residence for the next 4 years.
"Be straight with me, Paradox, did you leave it up to him to unlock Playlist Beta?" Nezu asked.
"Of course not! That was another little AI-based function of his Omnitrix! Playlist Beta is fully unlocked." Paradox replied. "However, it now depends on Izuku if he will figure out my little trick."
"Oh, you sly man." Nezu chuckled. "I like your style."
"Finally!" Mirko said as Izuku went up to her, having waited for him down the hall. "Kept you long enough! Your luggage is most likely at the house by now!"
"My luggage?" Izuku asked. "Wait, they are already moving my stuff in?!"
"UA doesn't waste time, kid, and neither should you! Now let's go! After I drop you off, I will have the rest of the day free to do what I want, and the same goes for you."
"Right!" Izuku followed Mirko across the UA campus. The sight of a Top 10 hero turned heads from all present students, and sure enough, sights were also set on him because he was walking in such proximity to her. He felt very nervous because of this, feeling all of their looks on him, judging him, and wondering what he was doing with Mirko.
The UA campus was truly massive. It took them a good 10 minutes of walking until they reached the housing district, and even then, Izuku was utterly baffled by the sheer size of it. Every single course had its street, with the whole district being split into two based on gender. He heard they didn't used to split the students like this, but following several incidents in which students had to drop out due to unplanned pregnancy, the UA staff imposed this measure along with their female students taking mandatory birth control.
Harsh, but necessary.
"Alright!" Mirko raised her voice. "We're here. Your stuff should already be inside. Seeing how you are the only tenant here, UA thought you might need some additional aid, but then the detail of your fast form was brought up. How fast can you clean this entire house using that guy?"
"Umm. I assume you mean Accel. And, well, I'd say maybe a minute?" Izuku replied, making Mirko grin.
"A minute?! Are you kidding?! Don't suppose I can ask you to clean my place, can you?"
"I don't think I-"
"Relax, I was joking. Anyway, feel free to go in." Mirko turned around to leave. "I have some stuff to do, but I will be here at 8 AM sharp to pick you up for your first day! Peace!" And then she leaped away, leaving Izuku by himself.
"Wait, Miss- Ugh…" Izuku groaned, but then he smiled, looking at the house. "I cannot believe I am here." He approached the door, bringing up the Omnitrix to unlock the front door. He saw the device beep once, and the door unlocked itself. "It works! This is amazing, I am finally-"
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU SHITTY DEKU?!" The shouting that came from behind him had Izuku spooked, but the voice and nickname were impossible to mistake. The number of times he heard them ensured they were engraved in his mind. And sure enough, turning to the right, he saw Katsuki Bakugou standing at the front door of his own house, staring absolute daggers at him. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!"
"I live here!" Izuku replied, keeping a more level tone of voice.
"The fuck you are! Get out of here before I throw you out!" Katsuki replied, making an obvious threat.
"Hey, what is going on here?!" However, at that moment, Tenya Ida came out as well and saw Izuku. "It's you! Izuku Midoriya!"
"Ida!" Izuku called out to him, happy to see a relatively friendly face. "Good to see you! I see you passed."
"Indeed, I have! But, mind if I ask what you are doing there? Were you also accepted into UA?" Tenya asked, but that was when Katsuki interrupted them.
"Bullshit! This loser could never get into UA!" Katsuki argued. "Not even with his so-called miracle of a Quirk!"
"Bakugou, mind your manners!" Tenya scolded Katsuki, a sight Izuku was honestly surprised to see. "Your first impression is already bad enough! Calling me four-eyes…Distasteful."
"Fuck off! And you, Deku, I-"
"Deku? Wait a minute…Izuku…What is with this derogatory nickname?!" Tenya said, putting two and two together. "Midoriya, you allow me to call him such?!"
"It's a long story, Ida. But, let's say I and I go way back to Aldera."
"Aldera?! This explains your rotten behavior, Bakugou!"
"Shut up! And you, Deku, leave before I make you regret opening your eyes in the morning!" Katsuki threatened again.
"I do need to point out you are right on one account, Katsuki. My application was suspended." Izuku revealed, shocking even Tenya. "But the Dean himself enrolled me into the Hero Apprentice Program!"
"The fuck is that?!"
"The HAP?!" Tenya gasped. "Midoriya, that is a great opportunity to be able to learn directly from a professional hero for the next four years! Although unfortunate that your application was suspended, I am glad to hear you will at least attend the same institution as us!"
"What the fuck do you mean there, four-eyes?!" Katsuki asked, confused.
"The Hero Apprentice Program is a UA-sponsored program that focuses on nurturing talents that fall under the radar. Should a hero that is also part of UA's staff consider that a student has the potential to become a great Hero, but circumstances prevent it, they can choose to take them under their wing! As such, the protege of this hero is treated as a UA-Hero Course student just as much as we, albeit with a different schedule based on what their mentor decides." Tenya explained.
"I was also assigned this house to live in all by myself," Izuku added, then opened the door. However, before he could enter, he was stopped by an explosion that went off behind him, like a firecracker.
"No way!" Katsuki argued further. "I won't accept this! You have no business being here, Deku, and I will not let you enter that house!"
Izuku, however, stared at him with a fierce gaze. "Stop me if you can without getting expelled in the process." And with those defiant words, Izuku went inside his house.
"DEKUUUUU!" Katsuki yelled out, but by now, Izuku had locked his door as well.
"Damn it…" He collapsed behind the door, inhaling deeply to calm his nerves. Out of all people, he had to be neighbors with Katsuki Bakugou. This was going to be a long four years. Still, he got up and decided to explore the house. It was really large, and inspecting it, he found the promised number of rooms along with a fully furnished kitchen and living room. He even had a TV!
He felt at home. Going up to his assigned room, the Omnitrix had no problem opening the door and letting him in, where he was able to see all of his stuff perfectly organized. It was like the moving team had documented where everything was meant to go.
With everything done, however, Izuku was starting to feel sleepy. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a nap right now, right? Classes started only tomorrow, and checking his dressed, he saw his uniform was already here. Though he had doubts his mentor would care for a uniform. But something was there. Books. Lots of books.
Since he was not part of the UA schedule, this meant his studying had to be done by either his mentor or by himself. He could use Thinker to technically pass every single subject, but that felt too much like cheating for him to be comfortable doing it. Best to do things the natural way.
For now, he decided to go to sleep. He had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a long day.
"WAKE UP!" Mirko shouted as she burst in through the door, making Izuku scream and fall out of bed.
"M-miss Usagiyama?!" Izuku gasped seeing her as he got up, revealing his All Might pajamas. He panicked, thinking he slept in and missed their appointed time, but as it turned out, he didn't sleep in. It was 6 AM, not 8 AM. "You're two hours early!"
"Wrong! Crime doesn't sleep, and neither should we!" She argued back.
"That is not healthy…" Izuku muttered.
"You say something, kid?" Mirko asked.
"Nothing!" He replied quickly and began to think that maybe, just maybe, her bunny Quirk came with improved energy management, considering she might not need as much sleep as others.
"Get yourself dressed. We are going to Training Ground Alpha." Mirko told him. "And seriously, All Might merch?"
He flinched. "I always idolized him…"
"Right…You still feeling that way after finding out he was among the ones who suspended your application?" Mirko asked.
"They are also my only sleepwear." He added. "I did plan on getting new ones."
"Hopefully, not bunny ones." She remarked dryly. "Be done in ten minutes, no more, no less, otherwise I will kick your ass all the way to Training Gounds Alpha, understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
"And drop the formalities already, you brat!"
Training Grounds Alpha were one of UA's training grounds for students in the heroic course. A real-life replica of an entire city, complete with working traffic lights and even a functional piping system. Izuku found himself in the middle of it, wearing a tracksuit, with Mirko standing on a set of stairs in front of a house.
"So, Mirko? What do you want me to do?" Izuku asked.
"Simple: I want to see as many of your forms in action before 8." She replied. "I reviewed the document about them, so I got a general gist. But I want to see them up close. So, I put together a few challenges for you. Take this as your first test. Your grade starts at a perfect 100 points, but for every mistake, I will take points away. Got it?"
"Yes!" Izuku replied.
"Good. The first one is simple. I want you to find a rubber."
Izuku blushed madly. "M-miss Mirko, I am not-"
"Ha! Relax, kid, I am not asking you out. I hid a rubber ball, like this one, somewhere in this city." She added, showing Izuku a small, fist-sized ball. It was red with black stripes over it. "Your job is to find it. You have a 3-minute time limit to find it, and every second you go over the allocated time is a point taken off your final grade."
"So, using Accel. Still…" Izuku looked at the city. Even with Accel's speed, it was going to be like finding the needle in a haystack. Still, he had no way of refusing the task, so he brought up the Omnitrix.
"The timer starts the moment you transform," Mirko told him. "Also, don't try to pull a smart move and search here without transforming. If you do, I will consider it an immediate failure. Got it?"
"Yes!" Izuku replied, then slammed the dial, letting the green envelop him before he returned as Accel.
"Begin!"
"This won't take long!" He sped off, going through the city in search of the rubber ball. Mirko was smirking all along as she watched him blitz past her occasionally, the blue and black afterimage giving her an idea of just how fast he was going. Still, as she watched him go, checking the timer revealed that he had less than half a minute remaining.
"Hmpf. Might need to subtract some points in the-"
"Back!" Izuku said as he returned, holding the rubber ball. Mirko immediately turned the timer off, checking it to see how long he had left.
"12 seconds left on the clock! Not bad, kiddo." She said, then watched as Izuku turned back.
"Thank you, Mirko."
"Now, let's move on to the next one. To the sewers!"
Sure enough, the sewers under Training Grounds Alpha were also fully functional. Thank God they were empty. "What are we doing here?" Izuku asked.
"Simple. I managed to get my hands on one of the robots used in the Entrance Exam. You will thrash it."
"That's it?" Izuku asked, confused at the simplicity of the task.
"Not quite. See, there are a lot of pipes here. If you were to throw it around or use an attack that causes a lot of damage, you might cause unnecessary damage to the surrounding area. You must take it down WITHOUT causing any damage." Mirko stated, and Izuku understood the task. "No timer this time. You are graded based on your performance."
"Got it." Izuku brought up the Omnitrix, choosing the form he deemed best for the task. With a slam of the dial, Polar Ghost revealed himself. "Where is the robot?"
From further away, the sound of the robot echoed throughout the sewers. It was a modified three-pointer, and the moment it spotted them, it charged right at them! However, Izuku was not about to let it get close and blew a cloud of freezing air at it. Sure enough, the robot was frozen solid, and Izuku turned back. "Ice melts, so it shouldn't cause any damage to the-"
"Minus 10 points." Mirko suddenly said.
"What?! But I dealt with it efficiently and with minimal damage!" Izuku argued.
"Maybe, but the form you chose was overkill," Mirko stated. "You can freeze large numbers of enemies at once, right? Well, then freeze large numbers! You had that other form, the slime one, right?"
"Hack?" Izuku said.
"Yes! Couldn't that one do an equally good job?" She asked.
"I suppose," Izuku replied, feeling unsure about his selection.
"Exactly. I am not saying your method was bad, but given the opponent, I think you used a bit of excessive force. In the field, we heroes must watch who we pick a fight with, you know? Some villains have Quirks that can counter us perfectly, putting us in a shitting situation. But the same is true the other way around as well. Unfortunately, there are laws about using too much force when dealing with a villain. We cannot rough them up as much as we'd like." Mirko explained. "Freezing a person? Do you know the effects of prolonged exposure to very low temperatures?"
"Frostbite, hypothermia…" Izuku said softly. "Oh my God…"
"Exactly! Your guy is useful, don't get me wrong, but you need to be careful not to use too much force. If you end up hurting the villain too much, it can get you in trouble with the law later." Mirko added further. "So far, you have a score of 90. Not bad, but not perfect. There is one final task I wanted to put you through before we head out."
"And what task is that, Mirko?" Izuku asked.
"I want you to demolish a building."
Returning to the surface, Mirko didn't seem to have been kidding. They found themselves at the base of one of the buildings in Training Ground Alpha, and she explained what he had to do. In short, what she meant in the sewers. He had to demolish the building before them, but there was a catch. He had to do it in a way that wouldn't cause large chunks of debris to fly about the area.
"Sometimes, we heroes get a little too focused on combat to focus on the civilians around us," Mirko stated. "In such cases, people tend to get hurt by debris flying around everywhere. I won't bullshit you on this one, I want to see if you can minimize such events by showing me you can control the destruction."
"Control the destruction?" Izuku echoed, feeling nervous. He looked down at the Omnitrix and started to cycle through his forms. He could burn it with Fire Hazard, but who's to say the fire won't spread? He could bring it down using Quake, but creating earthquakes might damage surrounding areas. He chose to do something else, however. "I cannot."
"What?" Mirko tilted her head, confused at his response.
"I cannot fulfill the task you ask of me." Izuku clarified further. "I cannot demolish this building without causing severe damage to the other buildings around, or without risking possible lives."
"Is that so?" Mirko crossed her arms, looking at him with what appeared to be disappointment. "Fair enough. No point deduction."
"Huh? But I refused to comply with your order and-"
"An order? More like a request!" Mirko clarified, grinning. "There is no way anyone would ask you to demolish an entire building for no reason! The reason I gave was total bullshit as well!"
"But you said you won't bullshit me!" Izuku argued.
"That was on the last part of my sentence! What I wanted to see from you. The other parts? Heroes benefit from special insurance covering the medical bills of any unfortunate soul caught in the crossfire. Even then, we have sidekicks whose job is to evacuate civilians to a safe distance! The same goes for property damage. If we cause damage while on duty, it falls to the Agency to contact a building company to fix everything, but the government is the one who must cover the cost. They have an entire budget especially allocated for such events."
"I didn't know…" Izuku said slowly.
"Of course you didn't," Mirko added. "That is stuff you are taught in your 2nd or 3rd year. A greenhorn like you couldn't have known about such details."
"So, do you have any other-"
"Nup." Mirko cut him off. "I just wanted to see what you can do. I know I didn't get to see everything, but I wanted a head start."
"Head start?"
"Yes." Mirko then led him out of the Training Grounds Alpha. "Just in time." And there, Izuku saw a gathering of students in the open fields. "Hey, Aizawa!"
"Oh no…" Shota Aizawa, AKA Erasurehead, groaned as Mirko approached with Izuku. "What do you want, Mirko?"
"Whoa, that is the Bunny Hero, Mirko!" One of the boys from Aizawa's class stated as he pointed at Mirko.
"Whose the guy next to her?" Another asked. Looking over the class, Izuku took in the appearance of everyone around him.
First, he noticed a young man with a slim build and a feminine face, with long blond hair, worn flattened down around most of his head, spiked and sticking out to the sides at the bottom with a side fringe slightly curved upwards before it curved down. He had notably long eyelashes and bright indigo eyes.
Next, he saw another guy with short gold hair, parted to the right with a black lightning-shaped streak on the left of his side fringe, which was angled to partially obscure his left eye. He had slanted, somewhat triangular, golden eyes and notably small eyebrows. He was slimmer than most male students in class, with little visible muscle mass.
Next, he took notice of a tall, lean young man with chin-length black hair spiked downwards, with jagged bangs coming about halfway down his forehead, almond-shaped eyes with small pupils, and straight teeth that dominated his grin; His elbows had the shape of cylindrical tape dispensers, which Izuku believed to be related to his Quirk.
The first of the girls in class caught his eye. And how could she not? She was bright pink! She was a girl of medium height, possibly a little broader than some of her other female classmates, with, as Accel would say, healthy curves. She had somewhat square-shaped eyes with black sclerae and yellow irises and notably long eyelashes below and around the sides of her eyes.
Her face was framed by short, fluffy, unruly pink hair slightly darker than her skin, and she had two thin, pale yellow horns protruding from her head, hooked squarely and leaning diagonally to opposite sides, which seemed to be slightly flexible, able to bend a bit to each side. She was talking with another one of the boys, possibly her boyfriend or a friend of hers, judging by how casually they seemed to be chatting.
The boy in question was a muscular young man of average height with a rather impressive physique for his age. His red eyes were pointed slightly inward, and a small scar was just above his right eye. He had small eyebrows and pointed teeth. His hair was somewhat long, bright red, and spiked away from his head at all angles with gel. Two more pronounced tufts spiked on either side of his forehead like little horns.
Furthermore, there was a boy who caught his eye with his bizarre look. He was a short young man with the head of a blackbird, a crow, or a raven. He had a tan, yellowish beak that was slightly hooked down at the end. He had thin, red eyes with a small black pupil, one on each side of his head, and a red choker. Despite the appearance of his head, his body looked like that of an average human with relatively fair skin.
Next up, Izuku eyed another one of the girls with another relatively strange look. Frog-like, if he were to say.
She was a short girl of a relatively slender build and had notably large hands with a wide mouth, which dipped down a little in the middle, and oval-shaped eyes with large, black irises, their lower eyelashes visibly pronounced. Her hair was a dark sea-green color and was very long, reaching to her waist with the ends tied together at the bottom in a large bow of hair. She has two shoulder-length clumps framing her face and shorter bangs between her eyes, some partially swept to each side.
Next up was another one of the guys, a tall young man of a broad, muscular build with peach-colored skin and a head the form of a rock, which is unevenly shaped and pointed at the top of his head, and his jaw was square-shaped. From the back of his head, thick hair-like protrusions slope downwards.
Next was a moderately tall and rather muscular young man who was well-built for his age, stemming from intense training, with short hair that doesn't pass his neck, and wears bangs, parted twice to avoid obscuring his vision, evenly split between white on his right side and crimson red on his left. He also possessed heterochromia iridium, which made his left eye's iris to appear turquoise, while his right is a brownish-dark gray.
His eyes, in shape, are quite thin and reserved. Additionally, he had a large burn scar on the left side of his face, which reached from his hairline to halfway down his cheek.
Next on his list was a tall, very muscular young man with a broad build and brown hair that was short and spiked upwards away from his head. He had relatively tiny, square-shaped eyes with small black pupils and a pair of bushy eyebrows. He also had huge, thick lips, slightly darker than the rest of his skin, and a notably large, round nose.
Next, however, was quite the oddity. A set of floating clothes. Female, judging by the shapes alone, but he had to guess they had an invisible female classmate.
Next, he locked eyes with their next female classmate. She was a tall girl with a very mature physique and long black hair tied into a spiky ponytail with a large strand hanging on the right side of her face. Her eyes were big yet sharp, dark in color, and paired with short eyebrows set in a determined expression. Truly, he found a woman of strong will.
Next was quite the sight. A tall, muscular young man with pale gray hair swept forwards, covering most of his face, and bent downwards at almost a right angle over his eye with six arms attached by a web of skin; the arms are very physically strong, only the front two arms had hands, the rest ending in thin stumps.
Next up was a more normal-looking boy. He was a muscular young man with short blond hair swept to the front of his head and thin eyes with no lower eyelashes. The only odd part was that he also had a tail, which was entirely hairless, save for the tip.
Lastly, Izuku saw a petite, fair-skinned girl with a slender build, triangular onyx eyes with notably long lower eyelashes, and small eyebrows. Her dark-purple hair was chin-length, with an asymmetrical fringe that had two reflections shaped like sound waves on either side, but the most eye-catching detail was the flexible, plug-like earphone jacks hanging from each of her earlobes.
He also saw Ida there, along with Bakugou, and one more friendly face.
"It's you!" It was the same girl from the exam, and she happily got closer to him. "I heard from Ida that you were accepted into the HAP program. Is that true?"
"It is. I am Mirko's protege." Izuku confirmed. "My application got suspended, but the Dean had Mirko and me paired up under the HAP program."
"That is so cool! You get to study right under a pro for your four years!" The girl said, but then she seemed to recall something. "Oh! I never introduced myself. My name is Ochako Uraraka."
"Izuku Midoriya," Izuku replied with his name.
"Quiet!" Aizawa raised his voice slightly. "I ask again, what do you want, Mirko?"
"Simple: I heard that every year, you like to do some kind of test, right? Hey, brats! Did he take you out here to test you or something?"
"We don't know why he took us outside." One of the girls replied.
"So, they don't know…" Mirko said slyly. "Well, count my protege here for your test, whatever it is you want to do."
"Are you sure?" Aizawa questioned. "You must have heard what happens to those who fail my class."
"Excuse me?" Tenya raised his hand. "But what exactly happens if we fail today?"
"If none of you can prove to me you have some potential, I have full authority to expel any of you," Aizawa revealed, shocking the entire class. "And since you want to add your protege, he has to respect the same criteria."
"Fine by me," Mirko replied, despite Izuku's protest.