Chapter 9
Well, things have certainly developed quite swiftly. "Alright, listen up, you lot!" Aizawa said, grabbing everyone's attention. "In light of what happened with your classmate, Yuga Aoyama, being exposed as a double agent, and the implications of that, the staff of UA was thrown into slight chaos due to the leak of information he caused and the possible dangers created."
Naturally, Ida put his hand up first. "Sir! If I may?"
"Go ahead, Ida," Aizawa replied.
"Given the events that happened, we had our trip to the USJ effectively canceled, correct? Doesn't this impact our development?" Tenya asked.
"A valid question. Now, missing one trip won't cause as much of a delay as you might imagine, but it is still a negative precedent for UA. Never before have we leaked so badly that it affected our schedule." Aizawa added, making sure to point out that for UA, this was a first as well. "But be assured. This won't happen again."
"Sir, with all due respect, how can UA be certain?" Tenya asked further. "For all we know, Aoyama was not the only traitor among us!"
"He confirmed he was!" Aizawa said harshly. "Now be quiet about such things! The last thing we want is to start doubting those around us."
"Forgive me for interrupting, Sir." Todoroki suddenly spoke up. "But isn't it natural we'd doubt those around us now? One of us proved to be a spy, and up until a little while ago, we were all strangers."
"He makes a good point…" Momo said, agreeing with Todoroki on his view on things.
"A good argument, Todoroki. However, this is exactly why you cannot allow yourselves to fall into doubt and suspicion. It is a slippery slope. In your chosen profession, you will be required to trust your co-workers, and doubt in the field can be deadly." He told his class, but then another hand was raised.
"I don't mean to interrupt, Sir, but…Can I ask why I am here?" Izuku asked, unsure why he was in the classroom.
"I was getting there, Midoriya," Aizawa replied. "Now, to get back on track, given that the USJ trip we had programmed for class 1-A was cancelled, we are actually going to join your fellow Hero Course applicants in 1-B for their trip to the USJ."
The class erupted in murmurs, exchanging opinions and talking about their classmates from 1-B. "Tch. What is so interesting about them, anyway?" Bakugou asked.
"You all might think, wrongly so, that Class B is formed of the other applicants who scored lower than you. But ask yourself about your placements in the Entrance exam, and tell me what you notice." Aizawa said, and sure enough, everyone began to ask questions, eventually revealing something strange about their scores.
They are all odd numbers.
"We are all placed in spots that have odd numbers!" Momo said, realizing their position.
"Exactly. Classes A and B are divided on that criterion. As such, second, fourth, sixth, and so on - they are placed in Class B. There is no distinction between which class is better in the end." Aizawa pointed out. "Of course, Midoriya here is the exception, given he is in the HAP program. And to answer your question, Midoriya, you are here because Bakugou is going to join us on his trip."
"What?!" Bakugou jumped, hearing that, but not because he was enraged, but because he was being allowed to come. "How come? I thought I was banned!"
"You still are. However, given that the 1-A numbers have once again dropped, Dean Nezu has decided that we need to show unity and perseverance to our colleagues in Class B. As such, an exception is being made in your punishment, just this once. Next trip, unless you correct your behavior, you will remain on UA grounds."
"And let me guess…Deku is coming to keep me in check?" Bakugou asked, to which Aizawa simply grinned.
"Exactly." The rage in Katsuki's eyes grew tenfold, yet he retained his temper. For now. "If you do anything during this trip, Midoriya here is fully allowed to intervene and use whatever form he so pleases to restrain you. Given he recently added ten more forms to his selection, he has plenty of options to do so."
Izuku gulped, feeling himself placed on the spot. "Sir, forgive me, but did Midoriya agree to be used in such a way?" Ida asked. "Given his earlier question, I am inclined to believe he was not."
"You'd be correct. He is hearing this now for the first time." Aizawa confirmed it. "However, this is not a request, but more or less an order. Midoriya won't be joining you in training, either, and will instead stay on the sidelines."
"What?!" This time, it was Izuku who was shocked. "B-but, Sir! Why am I being sidelined and brought along only to contain Bakugou? This seems…So illogical."
"I know how it must seem to you, Midoriya, but don't worry. Given that two courses are taking the same USJ course? Things will get interesting."
Elsewhere.
"Everything is fucked!" Someone shouted as they raged inside the dim light of a bar. The young man who was throwing this tantrum was slim with pale skin, tinged yellow teeth, and a great deal of wrinkles around his eyes from scraping at allergies that irritated the surrounding skin since his childhood. His lips were chapped and uneven, with a small mole on the right underneath his lip, with visible scars on his right eye and across his lip on the left.
He had messy, grayish-blue hair of varying lengths; the longest clumps reached to about his shoulders, left hanging over his face in uneven waves. His eyes and mouth were obscured, but when visible, they were usually stretched wide in a rather maniacal manner, their bright red irises very small. His costume was equally disturbing.
His costume consisted of fourteen embalmed hands, all positioned so they were holding onto him on different parts of his body. These hands were taken from dead individuals and embalmed, giving them a zombie-like grayish-blue color, and attached to their bases a golden box with two holes drilled into the bottom.
Each pair of these hands originally belonged to an individual killed by him. Two on his neck, two on his arms, two on his forearms, and two on his wrists. One for each shoulder, and two on his chest, and one on his face, and one on his head, connected with red cords between them.
For the rest of his outfit, he wore his regular black clothes.
"Please, Tomura Shigaraki, compose yourself!" The one who spoke was a being composed entirely of mist, black and purple, swirling. A living mass of mist wearing a three-piece bartender's uniform with a metallic neck brace. "The situation is salvageable. Just trust our master."
"He hasn't contacted us since!" Tomura added. "Where are you, Sensei?"
"Right here…" The screen suddenly lit up, a voice coming through it. "My apologies for my silence. As Kurogiri here said, I was trying to salvage the situation."
"Sensei! Tell me! Do you have a plan? Anything!" Tomura asked. "When we went to the USJ, there was no one there! No one! It was deserted!"
"We lost a lot of credibility among the villain community, Sir," Kurogiri added.
"Yes, yes, I am plenty aware of the recent fuck-up! Not to worry, however, my student. It was not your fault. I am afraid we underestimated UA's Dean, Nezu. As well as those under him. Our spy was, unfortunately, discovered. Their family was also seized before I could get to them to enact proper covers, and I found myself in need of cutting loose ends."
"We were dealt a heavy blow from the start…" Kurogiri said, eyes narrowing. "Sir, if I may be so bold, what do you plan to do? Given your absence, I assume you used this time to ensure the spy's information that could be used to track you became useless."
"Right on the point. Yes, I needed to cover some tracks. But now we are in the clear. Still, the loss of our eyes and ears in UA is not to be taken lightly."
"Let's attack them!" Tomura suddenly said.
"Patience, Tomura!" The voice shouted. "We cannot just attack UA. Their security is top-notch. They will detect Kurogiri's warp gate, and before you can enact real damage, half of the country's heroes will be there to take you out! No! We cannot be reckless or impatient. We need to take a step back if we wish to take a step forward."
"A step back?! We've been planning and preparing for years to take them down, Sensei!" Tomura argued again. "Are you saying we will need to wait for another opportunity to sneak in a spy?"
"No, that angle is blown. Unfortunately, I am not sure we can even sneak in another spy." The man behind the screen said. "There is one among them, his Quirk is…Unlike anything I've seen before. So much versatility. So little in terms of drawbacks. Still, their Quirk is what exposed our spy in the end."
"Who?" Tomura asked.
"I am afraid that is for me to know, for now, Tomura. Don't misunderstand. We will get vengeance on this person, but not now. For now, we need to rebuild. Without our spy, we won't know the movement of UA anymore, but that is alright. There are other ways to draw out All Might, and even more ways to hurt the heroes."
The ride to the USJ was pretty normal, all things considered. "I didn't notice it before, but your Quirk creates an actual interface on your wrist?" Mina asked as she ended up sitting next to Izuku.
"Y-yeah." He replied. "It is how I turn. Apparently, only I can see the actual selection screen. All I need to do is select a form, let this pop up, push it down, and that is that."
"And you now have 20 forms?! Dude, that is awesome! And each can do different things? It's like you have…20 Quirks! Wait, no, what if a form can do multiple other things?" Mina said, rambling a bit. "Oh, forget about the number! Which one is your favorite so far?"
"My favorite?" Izuku echoed her question. "I am not sure, really. I mean, they are all useful in their own right, but…I really don't know."
"What about that diamond guy?" Mina asked. "You seem to use him quite a bit."
"Diamond Soldier is my most durable form!" Izuku replied. "He also packs quite a punch, so I guess he is my go-to when it comes to direct combat."
"What about that ghost one?"
"Poltergeist? Actually, I think he might be in the lead for my least favorite." Izuku replied. "Every time I turn, my personality is altered by each form. Some more than others. But Poltergeist? I feel like a whole different person when I am him."
"But you don't with others?"
"The other forms alter my personality as well, but as I said, it varies. Poltergeist alters me the most." Izuku clarified. "He is so cold and cruel. There is barely a shred of mercy in him. I think I am still me inside there, though, otherwise…"
"Otherwise?" Mina asked, seeing him trail off.
"I'd rather not think of the possibilities." He replied.
"But he is useful, isn't he?"
"He is…" Izuku sighed. "He can fly, turn invisible, intangible, possess people, and you haven't seen what he can do when his second skin layer comes off."
"Whoa whoa! Second skin layer? You mean what we saw is not all of him?" Mina asked.
"Yes, but it's a bit difficult to shed the second skin. When I do so, sunlight becomes a problem, and I can burn alive if I am not careful!" Izuku explained. "That second skin layer is what protects me."
"From getting a bad sunburn, got it," Mina replied. "But, your cool quirk aside, what can you tell me about…You, actually."
"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Izuku asked.
"Well, I know you were classmates with Bakugou at Aldera, which must have sucked," Bakugou growled as he could still hear them, given he was seated two rows ahead. "I know your name. I know your quirk. But that is about it. In fact, I don't think many in our class know more about you, not even Uraraka! And you and she have been spending quite a bit of time together."
"Was I really being this socially withdrawn?" Izuku asked.
"Well, something like that. I get you are busy, being trained by Mirko and all, not to mention you need to study everything we do by yourself, but…What do you do in your free time?"
"I study more?" Izuku replied, surprising Mina.
"Ok, whoa, that is…" She snorted. "You are worse off than I thought, Midoriya."
"Hey!" izuku replied, taking slight offense to her words.
"Easy, easy! I didn't mean anything by it. I am just curious, that's all. So, how about we try to break the ice a bit? I reckon we still have a bit until we arrive at the USJ."
"Well, I guess we could…I don't see the harm in that." Izuku replied.
"Awesome! How about this? My name is Mina Ashido, from class 1A."
"Izuku Midoriya, HAP program under the current number 6 Hero, Mirko," Izuku replied, catching on to her introduction.
"Great! So, I am guessing this is the most obvious question, but where are you from?" Mina asked. "I am from the Chiba Prefecture."
"I was born near Shiozuka, but moved to Musutafu later, I suppose," Izuku replied. "I was quite young, so I wouldn't remember for sure. I grew up there."
"I see. Well, I don't think asking about school is a wise choice." Mina said awkwardly, knowing the subject of Aldera was likely a very sore one. "But, what about your family?"
"I was raised by my mother." He replied. "My father…Let's say he didn't stick around."
"Because you were perceived as…Right." Mina said again, finding their talk to be a bit difficult. She didn't expect his life to be so…Full of sore subjects. Or rather, she did, but reckoned there must have been more to it, like a good friend-Bakugou, right, that angle was blown as well.
But she still had something she could ask! "What about a girlfriend?"
That question seemed to have caught him off guard. "Isn't that a bit of a personal question?"
"I mean, not really? Even I had one or two boyfriends before, so is it that sensitive a subject?" She reasoned, and Izuku found it impossible to argue against her. She had a good point. Still, it didn't make his answer any less sad to hear.
"Not even once." He replied. "Girls stayed clear of him more so than guys."
"Oh…I see." Mina said slowly, feeling awkward. Another subject blown! Great…Wait! "Anyone that interests you in UA, though?" She asked with a sly smirk.
"I'm…Not sure?"
"Come on, how can you not be sure? Is it Uaraka?" She asked, and Izuku was starting to turn red in the ears. "If so, know that I think she has a crush on you as well."
"MINA!" Ochako shouted from her seat, overhearing what Mina was saying about her.
"What? I am just making conversation." She argued back, but by now, Izuku was getting so embarrassed that the Omnitrix activated.
"Danger! Increased heart rate detected! Danger perceived!
The AI could be wacky at times…
"It's not that, don't you think you are-AH!"
"Whoa there!" Mina and Ochako, as well as several others, jumped as a bright green light shone where Izuku was, and a tall being replaced him.
"Huh? Oh!" Izuku looked at himself. He turned into Hack. "I'm so sorry, I must have turned by mistake! I will turn back."
"Wait!" Mina said, grabbing his hand before it touched the dial. "Is this the technology one?"
Aizawa was interested now. "Is it, Midoriya?"
"I mean…Yeah. Hack can essentially combine with any technology, modify it, and control it."
"If it means we get there faster and I don't need to listen to more teenage gossip, then do it." Aizawa urged him, surprising the boy. "The drive is long; we are still 40 minutes out."
"Hold on, the kid doesn't even know the way there!" The driver argued.
"The bus has a GPS map he can read to find the USJ location." The man argued. "Now, do it."
"Yes, Sir." Hack's body started to melt, slipping off its seat and onto the floor.
"Eww! That is nasty!" Kirishima said, but then the entire class watched as Hack's mass expanded and covered the bus they were in. Black goo with green, circuit-like lines covered it. Then, after it was fully covered, the modification began. The shape of the roof changed, becoming more aerodynamic, and two wings for direction control grew from the sides. Two thrusters also formed on the back.
"I lost control of the vehicle!" The driver shouted, only for a circle to form in the heart of the wheel.
"Allow me," Hack spoke, the circle lighting up with his words. The bus began to pick up speed, surprising those within. Luckily, the road they were on was sparsely populated, meaning there was no risk of accidentally crashing into someone else. But as they picked up more and more speed, the wheels below the bus eventually retracted, morphing into thrusters that pushed the bus upward.
Well…You can't really call it a bus anymore.
"Dude, we're flying!" Kaminari shouted, looking out the window.
"This is amazing! He created a system for direction control, thruster, and even altered the chassis to be more aerodynamic and reduce air resistance!" Momo said, amazed by Hack's abilities.
"Damn, Deku, showing off again…" Bakugou growled.
"Whoa…" Mina said, touching the wall. It was official, she was impressed beyond words.
"He turned the bus into a flying ship!" The driver was amazed. "And you are driving it?"
"Do you even have a license to fly?" Aizawa asked.
"Shouldn't you have considered that before I modified the bus? I don't even have a license to drive, yet!" Hack replied, and Aizawa didn't argue back. Still, thanks to the newfound speed, the 40 minutes mentioned were quickly cut down.
"Look! I see it!" Hagakure shouted, and sure enough, the USJ came into view. A large building-a large dome made of a durable glass-like material, and one of UA's most advanced facilities meant for training future heroes. The entire class was marveling at it, but as they were drawing closer, Hack began landing the bus. First, he reduced the speed, then slowly returned to the road.
"Be ready to take back control, Sir," Hack said as its mass began to retract, returning the bus to normal. He reformed in the middle of it, then swiftly returned to his seat before turning back. "There we go." Izuku let out a sigh of relief at being back in his seat, but to his side, Mina had stars in her eyes. "Something wrong?"
"That was so cool! You said before you can do that, but to see it is just…Holy shit, dude!" She said loudly, but then the bus came to a stop.
"Alright, everyone! Time to get out!" Aizawa shouted, and one by one, they began getting off the bus. Upon reaching the doors of the USJ, they looked to the side, seeing another bus there already. "Looks like 1-B is already here."
"Yes, but we arrived not long ago. I'd say ten or so minutes before you guys showed up." The one who spoke was one of the people responsible for Izuku's file getting rejected. Vlad King, the teacher in charge of 1-B. "Being fashionably late, Erasurehead? I'd expect nothing less from your class."
"It is not us who are late, but you who are early, Vlad." Aizawa argued. "When did you even depart from UA?"
"Heh. Quick enough to be here first." Vlad's line of thought, however, was cut short upon laying eyes on Izuku. "What's he doing there?" He pointed right at him.
"As you know, Midoriya is in the HAP program. Today, Mirko lent him to me for practice." Aizawa answered. "Plus, he already proved useful, weeding out the traitor from our ranks."
"Weeds snitching on weeds."
"What?" Izuku asked, not quite catching that.
"No matter! I heard Cementoss retracted his support for the suspension of your file, though." He sighed. "That guy was always more heart than brains!"
"Umm. Sir?" Ida raised his hand. "Forgive me for asking, but why the hostility towards Midoriya?"
"You lot wouldn't get it. However, just know we had a reason for making sure he didn't get into UA."
"You were among the people who denied his entry into our university?!" Ida gasped, his shock being mirrored by the others in class.
"Ha! Finally, someone with brains!" Bakugou cheered, but Vlad King's sharp gaze fell on him as well. And he spat right at Bakugou's feet.
"Aldera thrash. Don't think I, or my class, are unaware of who YOU are, Katsuki Bakugou! In fact, both of you went to Aldera, right? Birds of a feather, the lot of you."
"Enough!" Aizawa shouted, finally reaching his boiling point with this conversation. "If you will waste our time mocking us, and by extension, the time of your class, then I suggest you either leave or we will. Then, something tells me Nezu will have a word with us both."
Vlad narrowed his eyes at Aizawa. "Very well, Erasurehead. Come in, 1-A! Your fellow Hero Course applicants are already inside with Thirteen, waiting for you to begin."
"Thirteen is here?!" Ochako gasped as the group slowly began to move inside the USJ.
"Is she your favorite hero?" Izuku guessed.
"Absolutely! The design of my hero costume was inspired by her space look!" Ochako explained. "I can't believe we get to meet her! I am so excited!"
"Midoriya!" Aizawa suddenly called for him. "You will be sticking close to me. Come on." Izuku did as told, going closer to Aizawa as they entered the USJ. Izuku thought the Omnitrix was impressive in terms of technology, but the complexity of the USJ was nothing short of amazing, either.
Well, amazing by the human scale. Not the alien one.
Izuku looked around in all directions, seeing a vast facility with various sectors that seemingly suffered from all kinds of artificially simulated disasters. The class was told to go change into their Hero Suits, then come rejoin them in the middle of the facility when ready. Since Izuku doesn't need one, given his forms kinda come with their suits, he was instead led directly there.
And there, Izuku saw the members of class 1-B, already dressed in their hero suits. He didn't know them, but he observed them keenly.
There was a boy with long black hair, spiked upwards and backward to his left, and rounded gray eyes. He wore a wide, blue and white zig-zag patterned headband around his forehead to keep his hair out of his eyes. His hero suit consisted of a burgundy, baggy, full-body suit, with the collar passing his chin.
He wore dark brown shoulder pads, a three-layered chest armor that he could use to shield his face, white knee-high boots with brown accents, and two blue bags on his belt.
The next one was also a guy. He was of average height with dark brown, shaggy hair and thin, lazy-looking black eyes with white pupils.
His hero costume was a white windbreaker with four grommets holding spiral tubes. Underneath was a dark blue undershirt with drill-patterned rings around the base of the neck, hem, and arms. He wore white sweatpants with horizontal drill-patterned rings that went up to the thighs, two red holsters on both sides that were held by the midsection, and brown shoes.
He also wears a pair of spiral-patterned gloves that cover only his fingers.
Next was a tall, slender young man with pale yellow-green skin and a bright, fluffy green mohawk. His dark green eyes pointed downwards to the center of his face, and two hooked blades jutted out from either of his cheeks. He had no visible nose, and the shape of his head resembles that of a praying mantis with mandibles.
His hero costume consisted of a large dark green rugged cloak with plain black trousers and dark green three-toed boots. He had a mask around his eyes and a zigzag pattern on his shirt.
Next up was a tall young man with fluffy white hair and long, thin black eyes. Granted, it'd be hard not to see him in broad daylight, given his pitch-black skin. Likely a Quirk thing. His hero costume consisted of a simple high-collared black jumpsuit with light shoes with a dark collar and large silver wristbands, with three rectangular indentations on them and the tongue of the shoes.
Next up came the first of the girls. A girl of medium height with a slim build. She had sharp yet rounded teal eyes with white pupils and long orange hair that she wore tied into a high ponytail on the left side of her head. Her bangs were split into three clumps around her eyes, and some of her hair stuck up in large tufts at the top of her head.
Her hero costume was a teal knee-length qipao with yellow accents, over which she had a black double-breasted corset, ending just below her breasts. She also sported black short pants under the qipao. For accessories, she wore a loose brown utility belt around her hips with two long containers attached at the back, a thin black domino mask around her eyes, and white-heeled navy blue boots with wide vamps that reach down to her toes, filled in with white slips.
Next up was another one of the girls. She had shoulder-length, bob-shaped hair, bangs that were side-swept to her right, with shorter strands hanging above her eyes. She had fair skin, an athletic build, and slightly narrow cerulean eyes with a neutral expression.
Her hero costume consisted of a simple red bodysuit with a white-collar trim, a matching "V" pattern running over her chest and around her upper arms, which also included a short white skirt with a red design at the front, dipping so it followed the one in her chest.
She wore white vambraces with yellow accents and a hat that resembled the front of a baseball cap and a white strap in the back, colored red with white U-shaped lines around the sides and two yellow dots on the top, with a metal piece resembling a fin attached at the back of the strap around her head.
She had a grey oval-shaped gemstone on her collar, a belt at her waist with a yellow buckle and straps around her shoulders, each adorned with a small pouch.
Next was a shorter girl from 1-B. She was relatively short with a thin build. She had honey-brown hair curved inwards in a mushroom-shaped bob that reached just below her narrow shoulders.
She had a long fringe that completely covered her eyes, hiding most of her face, and her mouth was somewhat large.
Her hero costume consisted of a turtleneck dress with long sleeves and furred cuffs, which was decorated with a red and white fly agaric pattern, matching the one on her mushroom cap-shaped hat. She wore pale pink knee-high boots with thick tan soles and frilled shafts, patterned with the same fly agaric as her dress. Around her waist was a dark brown belt with a large golden buckle, holding something in it.
All in all, Izuku was guessing her Quirk had to do with mushrooms.
Next came a girl of medium height with green, thorn-covered vines for hair, one set wrapped around her forehead a couple of times in the shape of a cross. Her eyes were dark green with long lower eyelashes.
Her hero costume was comprised of a plain white robe, similar to a toga, and dark brown knee-high boots. That one so far took the cake in terms of the simple costume he's ever seen in 1-B.
Next came a clear Mutant-Type Quirk user. He was a tall young man with a very beastly appearance. He had shaggy, brown hair covering most of his body, sharp teeth, and his large jaw stuck out a fair amount, with two lower canines poking upwards between his lips.
His hero costume consisted of a regular pair of pants, dark brown boots with light fur lining on the collar, a shirt collar with no shirt, and a pair of stylized goggles.
Next came a chubby young man of below-average height with short, ice-blue hair and a round face. He had large, wide eyes with small pupils and was looking sheepish and apologetic; his eyebrows were pointed upwards.
His hero costume consisted of a black, high-collared suit with a trim of pale white lines around its collar and hem and a similar pattern over his torso and shoulders, along with plain black pants and white knee-high boots. He also wore a strange device over his eye.
Pretty sure Izuku saw that in an anime once.
Next came another of 1-B's girls. A short girl with a round face and a short equine muzzle, framed by thick, wavy blonde hair that reaches halfway down her back, with shorter bangs hanging down her forehead. Her eyes were large and round, blue, and she had a pair of tall, lyre-shaped, pale tan horns on her head. Her calves were notably rounded, shaped similarly to those of a horse, and she had brown hooves and a short horse tail poking out from the end of her tailbone.
Her costume was horse-themed, matching her appearance. She wore a horse halter around her head with a lead rope dangling from the back, and her outfit resembled a jockey uniform, consisting of an orange skin-tight shirt with paler markings around her chest and stomach, with matching-colored pants, along with a pair of fingerless gloves with orange tips.
She wore belts secured around her collarbone, biceps, lower torso, and boots that guarded her hooves and had stirrups attached on either side.
Next was a young man with short brown hair, spiked up at odd angles on his head. His eyes were somewhat oval and black, with no visible pupil.
His hero costume consisted of a simple light blue high-collared jacket with light accents on the shoulders, a black shirt underneath, pale pants with grey kneepads, and large brown boots with cylindrical shapes on the soles.
Next came someone that Izuku made a note to avoid in direct combat unless he used one of his heavy hitters. A young man with chin-length, messy gray hair, and black eyes that are tilted dramatically inwards, each lined with a very thick, jagged, tan-colored substance, presumably his eyelashes. He did not appear to have any notable eyebrows, and, like Kirishima, he had rows of sharp, pointed teeth.
Maybe they were relatives?
His hero costume consisted of a dark pale green jumpsuit, cut off just below his chest, with some small, silver-rimmed holes in the lower section of his baggy pants and black boots with metal soles, heels, and front plating.
He had steel straps over his shoulders and under his arms, made up of multiple pieces, which connected at a red oval in the center of his chest, with two thinner bands around his biceps and a small plate on either side of his waist, connecting to a brown sash with pouches and a big gray container on the back.
He wore a metal jaw-guard around his face, similar to Kirishima's again, just thicker and not connected over his nose or around his chin, with the letters "Fe" stamped on a plate on each side of his face.
Next came another one of the young women in 1-B. And holy shit! Izuku couldn't help but curse internally, seeing her, given that her suit was even tighter than Ochako's! The person in question was a young woman of average height with surprisingly large, upturned, dusky green eyes, long lower eyelashes, and notably long and pointed teeth. Her hair was a dark moss green, collectively reaching just below her shoulders, aside from a short clump that hung in the center of her forehead, and it grew wavier and thinner the lower it got.
Her costume consisted of a purple, scaly mask over her eyes, and a very TIGHT, simple bodysuit with a matching design, and black knee-high boots. She wore black fingerless gloves with purple, scaly knuckle guards and pale orange, three-piece wrist-guards and a black belt around her waist with what looks to be a yellow jewel embedded into the center.
Next came a very short young man with fair skin and a blank, pale-white speech bubble as a head and neck. Ok, now that took the cake for weirdest mutations he has ever seen. Period.
His costume consisted of a blue shirt with red sleeves and pants covered by a series of ink bottle-like pieces of armor around his torso and legs, black on his torso and white on his legs. He wore a yellow belt with manga panels, short elbow-length gloves, and his mask resembled a manga page template.
Next came another one of the guys in 1-B. A pale-skinned young man with angular eyes, mid-length spiked hair of a beige color, a flat nose, and small eyebrows. His most evident feature were his teeth, which sat outside his skin. He had no discernible lips, giving him a skull-like appearance.
His costume consisted of a dark bodysuit with a set of armor over the top and a mask that covered the face, but which he was currently holding in his hands now, speaking with his classmates.
His helmet was rounder and elliptical, tinted black with white lines on the visor and orange with black lines supporting the sides, some tufts of hair around the back of his head, and his chin was still visible.
His chest plate comprises three pieces, held on by two thick metal straps over his shoulders and a red jewel-shaped scale supported between them. He wore orange with small yellow accented vambraces and plates over his thighs, calves, and upper arms. He also sports a pair of elevated, green, and orange boots with pipe-like shafts, white gloves on his hands, and white kneepads.
Next came a tall young man who was large and muscular in stature, with very wide shoulders in comparison to his slender waist and unusually sizeable hands. His skin was a yellow, straw-like color, and his head was shaped somewhat like a glue-dispenser with a lappet on top, along with seven "eye-holes" on his face.
His hero costume consisted of a yellow, slightly baggy suit. Around his neck, wrists, and waist, he wore red circular accessories resembling the lower part of the cap of a bottle of glue; around his ankles were slightly thinner, taller versions of these. He also wore white gloves and shoes with red soles. His sleeves had red squares with black trims, and on his belt were two red and yellow glue bottles on each side.
Next was another young man. He had lightly tanned skin and black hair reaching roughly down to his shoulders, which he wore in a low braid. His eyes were shaped like a reptile's, and his irises were notably miniature.
His costume consisted of white knee-high boots with yellow straps on the back and a high-collared black bodysuit with thin yellow clouds across the torso that get progressively baggier as they travel downward.
He had a red belt tied around his waist with brown pouches on the side, and wore large yellow gauntlets with black sleeves with thin yellow clouds underneath. He was also holding a visor of some kind beside him, likely part of his costume. His outfit appeared similar to a Jiangshi, and his visor seemed identical to the talismans commonly seen pasted on their forehead.
An interesting design, Izuku will admit it.
Next was the last one of 1-B's girls. She was a notably pallid, slender young woman with a ghostly air to her. She had pale silver, pin-straight hair that draped down just above her chin in an unkempt pixie-bob. Sporting a sharp side-swept patch of hair that obscures the entirety of her left face, followed by a pair of half-lidded eyes that have pointed lower eyelashes and are dark blue in color. Her brows were thin, but her lips were somewhat plump.
Her hero costume consisted of a light periwinkle-blue kimono that flowed down her legs and had a huge, puffy hood encircled at the back of her neck. It had long, flared sleeves that slung down her wrists, followed by a white double-striped, navy-blue colored band that lined around her upper abdomen.
Paired with matching colored boots that have dark flat soles, alongside an off-piece mask that connects to her lower face as well as the end of her neck
Then came the last one of 1-B, a young man of average height with slick blond hair, which gets shorter the further down his head, styled so that it's parted to the right, his bangs left hanging over his right eye.
His irises were a periwinkle blue, his pupils white, and his eyes were shaped so that they slanted downwards towards the far sides of his face.
His hero costume was a black, double-breasted tuxedo with two long tails almost reaching his ankles. Three clocks hung on one of two belts around his waist, and his shirt collar was upturned. A light and dark blue dotted tie was done up around his neck.
A left breast pocket can be found on his tuxedo, with a small blue handkerchief sticking out. His tailcoat and pants were plain black, except for the cuffs of his sleeves and the inner-facing sides of his tails, and his shoes were white with a simple design.
They were just as colorful as 1-A!
"Huh?" The blonde guy turned to see Vlad King returning, along with Erasurehead and Izuku in tow. "Hey guys, our supervisor is back!"
"Oh! Vlad King! Erasurehead!" The one that came to greet them was the Pro Hero, Thirteen. Her costume consisted of a white space suit design using what appears to be a puffy jacket instead of an actual suit, a black helmet with white eyes, and a pair of yellow boots. "Glad you could join us! Where is 1-A?"
"Getting ready. Their suits should have been delivered here already," Aizawa said, but then Thisteen took notice of Izuku and his Omnitrix.
"Oh, my. Is that the young man I've heard about from Nezu? Mirko's own protege?" She asked, pointing at him.
"That is me, Ma'am," Izuku replied, deciding to introduce himself. "I am Izuku Midoriya, from the HAP program."
"Ah, I see you are polite. That is good to know! Oh! I heard about how versatile your Quirk is, but there is a rumor about a highly dangerous form? Something about radiation?" Thirteen asked, which seemed to get Vlad King on alert, too.
"Is it true?" He asked.
"Chernobyl. That form is named Chernobyl." Izuku replied.
"Fitting name." Vlad King replied with a twitch to his eye.
"Oh? Who is this, Sir?" The blonde boy asked, walking up to Izuku. "Is he not from the shameful 1-A?"
"Shameful 1-A?" Izuku echoed.
"Monoma, behave yourself. You are speaking with Mirko's private student." Vlad King told his student.
"Her student?! Oh, how unfortunate…"
"Unfortunate?"
"For her!" The guy named Monoma added. "I've heard from our teacher that your application to UA got suspended due to suspicious details, right?" Aizawa fixed a sharp look at Vlad King, but the man didn't make any reply.
"It was…" Izuku said slowly. "But, apparently, it was reinstated, so I can join UA if I want to."
"Well, unfortunately, it looks like you'd be joining 1-A. 1-B is full!" Monoma pointed out. "A full 20 seats are full!" He then noticed the Omnitrix. "Is that your Quirk?"
"A manifestation of it, yes," Izuku replied.
"May I have a look? I've never seen such a Quirk before."
"I'd rather avoid letting random people look at my Quirk, thank you," Izuku replied, but Monoma seemed almost insistent on it.
"Oh, what could be the harm? I just never saw a Quirk that looked so…Strange, before." Monoma said, then tried to slyly reach for Izuku's wrist. "Just one touch."
"We are here, Sir!" Ida suddenly shouted, distracting Monoma as class 1-B looked toward 1-A, seeing them slowly walk to the center of the USJ. "We deeply apologize for any potential delay!"
"You are on time, Ida. Now, everyone, line up!" Aizawa said, addressing everyone in the USJ. "It is time to start. Your first simulation of disasters. Thirteen shall be leading this exercise, and given that rescue is her specialty, especially in light of disasters, her experience here is to be taken into account heavily!"
"Thank you, Erasurehead." Thirteen said as she began addressing everyone. "Good day! Many of you already know who I am, but to those who don't, allow me to introduce myself! I am the Space Hero: Thirteen! I specialize in rescue operations where I use my quirk, Black Hole, to usually clear debris in the way to reach victims."
"Now, many of you might be wondering how a Quirk like mine is useful for rescue missions, when it could be more easily used to subdue villains. Well, in short, I chose this path because I hate violence. Some might view me as a coward, but the reason I avoid fighting is not that I am afraid, but because I know how easily I can kill someone with my quirk."
That line seemed to make the students tense, since the subject of killing was a rather sensitive one.
"I see I have your attention. My quirk, Black Hole…Can anyone tell me what a black hole is?"
Momo put her hand up.
"Yes?" Thirteen asked her.
"A black hole is a gravitational singularity that draws in anything in its range, compressing it until nothing remains. Researchers have been trying to unravel the full mystery of the phenomena, but to little to no success due to the difficulties presented by merely getting close to them."
"A good answer, Miss Yaoyorozu. Indeed, black holes are gravitational singularities, but what you forgot to state was the fact that almost nothing can escape one." Thirteen added. "Due to how easily I could harm or kill a person, I always wanted to avoid using my quirk for combat! So, this is why you are also here! Some of you have such quirks, which are likely too powerful for direct combat!"
"As if!" Bakugou said loudly. "There is no such thing as too powerful!"
"On the contrary! A quirk that is too powerful IS a problem." Thirteen argued. "Even though we, as heroes, are allowed to use our quirks freely to conduct our duty, we may not kill. Killing is, and remains, a taboo among heroes. Sure, at times, we find ourselves with no other alternative, but even then, we must be ready to face consequences."
"What kind of consequences, Ma'am?" The vine-haired girl asked.
"When a hero kills a villain, the Hero Commission will move to investigate the situation." Thirteen began explaining. "If the hero killed the villain on purpose, it would be seen as a clear abuse of power, and they would be stripped of their license and arrested, potentially facing charges of murder. If it was accidental, they might avoid serving time, but they will still lose their license as a result!"
"What about situations when killing is done in self-defense of themselves or others?" Ida asked.
"A very good question! Still, killing ought to be seen as the LAST resort. If no other option was available, however, the final punishment could still be having your license revoked. However, if no malicious intent can be proven, your sentence could be reduced to suspension instead."
Everyone seemed to understand that, allowing Thirteen to continue. "Regardless, I have created the USJ to teach future heroes how to use their Quirks for more than just combat! This facility simulates a large number of disasters you will need to overcome using your quirks, if you can."
"If we can?" A guy from 1-B asked.
"Some quirks are not suitable for certain situations. That will be a harsh lesson all of you will need to learn: There will be times when there will be nothing you can do." Thirteen added with a grim note. "Regardless, today's lesson will be a bit more special. Today, given that we have more students than is normal, we will be mixing the classes into teams."
"What?! You mean we will be made to work with the shameful 1-A-" Monoma found himself struck in the head by a large fist. At least it stopped his rant.
"Insult aside, yes!" Thirteen confirmed. "In total, we have 37 students! You will all be put into random groups of 3, with one group containing four participants!"
"A question, Ma'am." The orange-haired girl who struck Monoma asked, then pointed to Izuku. "What about him? With him, we'd have 38, an even number to create teams of two."
"Midoriya will be given a different role in this exercise," Aizawa replied sharply. "You are not privy to what his purpose here is."
"Regardless, let's assign the teams! We assigned everyone numbers and introduced them into a computer, which randomly assigned you to teams! The teams are!"
"Team 1: Katsuki Bakugo, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Tenya Iida, Nirengeki Shoda!"
"Team 2: Ochaco Uraraka, Pony Tsunotori, Juzo Honenuki!"
"Team 3: Eijiro Kirishima, Kojiro Bondo, Setsuna Tokage!"
"Team 4: Fumikage Tokoyami, Itsuka Kendo, Kinoko Komori!"
"Team 5: Rikido Sato, Ibara Shiozaki, Kyoka Jiro!"
"Team 6: Momo Yaoyorozu, Hiryu Rin, Reiko Yanagi!"
"Team 7: Denki Kaminari, Yosetsu Awase, Manga Fukidashi!"
"Team 8: Mashirao Ojiro, Tsuyu Asui, Togaru Kamakiri!"
"Team 9: Toru Hagakure, Jurota Shishida, Neito Monoma!"
"Team 10: Mezo Shoji, Mina Ashido, Yui Kodai!"
"Team 11: Sen Kaibara, Shihai Kuroiro, Shoto Todoroki!"
"Team 12: Koji Koda, Hanta Sero, Kosei Tsuburaba!"
"Everyone! Please be prepared! Teams will be randomly selected to undergo a random task within one of our disaster zones!" Thirteen added. "This will also test your ability to work together with individuals you do not know well, as is the situation in the field as well! We often get to work with heroes we have never met before and must coordinate ourselves!"
"You have 10 minutes to complete each task!" Aizawa added. "The first team is going to be…" Suddenly, a screen appeared from the ground, displaying the number 8. "Team 8. You will move to the Downpoor Zone and await your task! Everyone else will spectate."
Upon hearing Aizawa's orders, Team 8 moved. However, he then moved to Izuku and leaned in close, telling him his task. Izuku's eyes widened, but then he nodded his head.
His task? To make the other's task harder. Combat was off the table, but sabotage was 100% allowed. They had to overcome more than just the disaster…They had to overcome an enemy constantly sabotaging rescue efforts.
Chapter 10: USJ Trials