Chapter 11 Entrance Exam
One the day of UA's Entrance Exam, Izuku was up and moving at 4:30 in the morning. He had too much energy inside of him to let him sleep for any longer. He had spent nearly an hour talking to Katsuku about the exam, until the blond barked at him to fuck off and ended the call when the clock hit 8:30.
When Izuku stepped out of his apartment door, he found himself staring at Shouta who probably just returned from his patrol. Izuku beamed and greeted him. Shouta replied with a tired grunt, and something like 'too early. Too bright' before ruffling his hair and stepping inside of his apartment.
He sprinted down the stairs, skipping multiples at once before, before jumping onto the next platform.
" Someone's excited ." Izuku glanced to his side as he took to running down the empty streets, smiling at Nana. It was dark, and foggy. The early January wind caressed his cheeks, making him shiver even though he didn't actually feel cold. His Cold Resistance was preventing the low temperatures from affecting. And Fire Breathing was keeping him warm from the inside.
" I like winter mornings ." Izuku turned to his other side to find En tagging along as well.
"Hi!" Izuku chirped, "Good morning."
En let out a low chuckle, his eyes curving into crescents, "Good morning, Izuku."
"Waah, the little zygote is up already?" Another loud voice spoke. Izuku huffed good naturedly as he jumped up a fence, before sliding down the sloped stone wall.
"Morning Banjo." He chirped, jumping right before the slope came to an end.
"Hello Izuku." Shinomori greeted, though it was only in his head.
"Morning, Mori-san!" Izuku grinned.
"Are we going to see crabs?" En asked. Excitement was clear in his voice as he lifted his head above the collar of his jacket. Izuku giggled, and skipped over the railing where the beach started.
"We are!"
En didn't reply, but it was easy to tell he was excited. Izuku kicked off his shoes, and ran through the sand. Feeling the coarseness of it under his feet. En separated from it, while Izuku took to running along the length of the beach. As a vestige En unfortunately couldn't stay too far from him.
"The crabs aren't awake yet." En pouted, returning to him a minute later.
"Don't worry buddy! They will be up soon!" Banjo assured, slapping his hand against En's back. En frowned, and quickly sidestepped to hide behind Shinomori's body. Banjo blinked when his hand hit nothing, and looked around surprised.
"Pfft." Izuku laughed, activating Sprint to burn a little more energy.
30 minutes passed by in a blink, and soon after All Might came to the beach, in his hero form, complete with his hero suit, and wide grin. Izuku had sensed him coming, and took to hiding in the bushes.
"I am here!" He declared loudly in his signature pose. Izuku snickered seeing his mentor look around confused when he found no one.
"Poor Toshi." Nana chuckled, as Izuku launched himself from his hiding spot, and landed perfectly on All Might's shoulder. The Hero yelped in surprise, and spun around, but Izuku clung onto him tightly, snickering.
"Oh!" He stopped when he realized it was Izuku, and slumped his shoulder, "What a surprise that was, young Midoriya!"
"Good morning, All Might!" Izuku chirped, hopping off and landing behind the Hero.
"A good morning indeed, my boy!" All Might greeted back boisterously. He shifted back to his normal form with a poof, and smiled softly, "You look excited."
"I am!" Izuku replied, "I can't wait till the Entrance Exam." He paused, and frowned, "Do you think I'll do good?"
Yagi's gaze softened, as he bent his knee to meet Izuku's gaze, "I think you'll marvously my boy."
"But, what if I don' t?" Izuku asked because he didn't have long range attacks like the rest of the candidates might have. He still couldn't use Fire Breathing in its Third Form. And the First Form didn't last for too long, and drained too much energy at the current stage.
"Neither I, nor anyone who knows you think you won't do marvelously in the exam." Yagi replied, and placed a hand on his head, "And no matter the result, we will always be proud of you."
Izuku felt his lips quiver, and vision blurred. He lurched forward, and wrapped his arms around the man, "Thank you for mentoring."
"Your welcome, Young Midoriya. In fact, it was my pleasure to mentor you." Yagi replied. With a sigh he added, "Sometimes I cannot believe my past self almost made the mistake of overlooking someone as talented as you."
Izuku stepped back and shook his head, "It's fine. It's all in the past. You've helped me a lot. "
"You did good, Toshi." Nana said, standing beside him, and smiling at his mentor.
"Nana says you did good too!" Izuku relayed, looking at Nana.
Yagi's gaze shifted to where Izuku looked, his expression softening even further, "Thank you."
Izuku sniffed, "I was thinking about training a bit. Nothing intense. Just some light training before I head back."
"Would you like to race me?" Yagi asked, shifting back to his Hero form. Izuku grinned, and nodded.
"Sure!"
***
Dabi grinned at him from across the table and gave him a thumbs up as he ate his bowl of cereal. He winked and said, "Blow them all away!"
Izuku grinned, "Yep!"
He pretended to look around, and leaned in. Whispering, he added, "Burn a few things while you're at it."
"Try not to burn everything. " Shouta gruffly added.
Dabi snickered, and leaned away, winking once again. "You better get the top score."
"I'll try!"
"Make some chaos while you're at it."
"Good luck, baby." His mother said, pressing a kiss on his forehead. Izuku made a face, because I'm too old for this mom. And maybe his mom did read his mind because she gave him a look. Dabi sniggered, stuffing a spoonful of milk and cerealin his mouth. Izuku stuck out his tongue at him.
"I got to go, or Kacchan will get mad!" Izuku said, "Bye bye!"
"Race to the station, Kacchan!" Izuku said out loud as he sprinted past his friend waiting for him down the block.
"Hah?! The fuck, you nerd?!" Katsuki yelled back, but starting running after him nonetheless, "You fucking cheat! Hey! I will fucking kill you, you fucking cheater. Get back here!"
"Eat my dust, Kacchan!" Izuku snickered.
"Oh, you wanna die so bad, don't ya?!" Katsuki growled, jumping over a fence, to take a shortcut.
"No quirks allowed!" Izuku reminded when he heard a series of familiar explosions.
"Fuck you! I don't need my quirk to defeat you, you damned- Hey!"
Izuku sniggered as he skipped out of the way, while Katsuki tried to pounce on him. The people around him looked at them weird, but Izuku honestly didn't care. Things were good for him. People around him were happy, he was happy. And now he was going to give the entrance exam to a school that could change his life.
He had actually gotten down on his knees earlier, and bowed to his Skill set screen, thanking Fear Resistance for keeping him sane, and not vibrating like a phone. It also helped that Katsuki looked the farthest from nervous too. (Currently he was glaring from the other side of the train coach) But then again, the number of times he had seen Katsuki nervous could be counted on one hand.
"Tch." Katsuki scoffed once they got off. (Izuku reached the station first by a whole minute.) "If you fuck up because your stupid energy, I'm going to fucking strangle you, 'Zuku."
Izuku sucked in a deep breath and nodded. As soon as they approached the gate, Katsuki clicked his tongue, and went on ahead, while Izuku took a moment to stand in front of the humongous gate.
" Ha, feels like yesterday when I came to give the entrance exam. " Nana sighed wistfully standing next to him.
Was it this big back then?
"No, not at all. The new principal took it to a whole new level."
" Everyday I become even more convinced that we're living inside of a manga. " Shigaraki muttered.
" It's big ." En muttered.
" A perfect place for the budding new heroes! " Banjo declared.
" The world's changed so far… It's nice. " Shinomori commented.
At that moment, Izuku felt another presence in his mind. He frowned. He was completely sure he hadn't formed a Telepathic connection with anyone so-
" Third? " Shigaraki asked. Izuku turned around to find an unfamiliar figure standing behind him awkwardly.
He was a man with hair tied up in a spiky ponytail, with a black bandana covering his forehead. He wore a combat jacket with a pair of small escape tubes coming out his shoulders.
" You came! " Banjo beamed, and out of excitement tried to slap the back of the person next to him. But Shinomori, with the help of his quirk, swiftly leaned out of the way.
" Um… Hello ." The man bowed stiffly. " Erm… I'm Kuramoto Saburo, the Third User. "
Hello! I'm Izuku Midoriya!
" Did you guys come around? " Shigaraki asked, sounding more serious than Izuku had ever heard him before.
" I… I'm not sure. " Kuramoto replied, " I need more time… but ," He looked at Izuku, " I wish you luck for your exam. "
And with that, he disappeared back into smoke.
Um… Does he hate me?
" Oh no kiddo, he doesn't. It's just that… you're far different from the kind of people he's used to. " Nana kindly explained, " So, he's not used to it. Don't worry, he'll come around. "
" I'm going to talk to him. " Shigaraki said, " It's been going on for too long. "
Is everything alright?
" Don't be worried, Izuku. " Shinomori said, standing in front of him, " It's just something us Old Users were discussing. "
Are you sure?
" Mhmm ."
Izuku had been so focused in talking with the vestiges, he didn't notice a boy his age, with purple hair, and tired eyes, until he walked right into him.
"Oh shit-"
"Fuck-"
Izuku stumbled a few steps back but quickly steadied. His eyes shifted to the falling purple head and quickly reached out with his hand to wrap the invisible rope around his waist and pull him up. The boy's eyes went wide with both shock and surprise and he snapped his head up in his direction.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. I'm sorry I used my quirk on you without asking for permission. I-" Izuku stopped when the guy raised his hand, and looked at him somewhat dumb founded.
"It's fine, dude. Stop, freaking out." He said. Then he looked down at his outfit, and raised an eyebrow, "Are you not cold?"
Izuku looked at himself. He was simply wearing a black turtleneck and dark green joggers. He didn't really need anything else. Fire Breathing and Cold Resistance kept him warm even during the low temperatures of January. Anything else made him feel uncomfortable. "Nope!"
Izuku stared at him and he stared back at him. "So um…you planning to head in? The exam starts soon."
"Right! Shoot-Thanks for reminding." Izuku blurted, before turning around and sprinting. The last thing he wanted was to screw up just because he went into the examination hall late. He first went to the hall where they were supposed to give the written exam. The written exam frankly was easy. Or at least so Izuku thought. He finished an hour before time, and skipped his way to submit it to the Clone Hero: Ectoplasm, who was their invigilator. The Hero looked surprised at first, and asked him several times if had revised. Izuku assured that he had completed and revised thrice before walking out of the hall. The auditorium where they were supposed to be told about the practical exam was huge. He knew UA was a big place, but the sheer size of the hall had him dumbstruck for a good few seconds. Though as of now the hall was empty except for a few students. He sat down at his designated seat, only to find himself sitting right next to his best friend. He wasn't surprised his friend had finished this early given he was the top student at their middle school.
Katsuki acknowledged him with a bored look and clicked his tongue, "Thought you died, nerd."
"Sorry," Izuku chuckled nervously. He noticed the seat to his right was empty, until the last moment, when the purple haired guy from before walked into the hall and sat next to him. Izuku blinked, surprised to see him again, and grinned.
"Hi! We uh…," Why the hell did I open my mouth when I struggle to have a conversation, "...met outside…" Kill me.
Banjo snorted in his mind, along with En and Shinomori giving an amused chuckle. Not funny, guys.
The guy looked at him with an raised eyebrow and nodded in acknowledgement. Izuku pressed his lips together and nodded to himself, before turning away. Right… um…
" Oh you poor baby. " Nana cooed.
Izuku turned his attention towards the podium, when Present Mic walked in. It was weird to see him in his hero outfit in real life, far too used to seeing him in casual sweatshirts that he totally stole from Shouta, and faded jeans.
"WELCOME TO TODAY'S LIVE PERFORMANCE! EVERYBODY SAY HEYYYYYY!" Present Mic said loudly, using his quirk. Izuku pressed his lips together harder and curled his hand into a fist. He felt so bad when all Hizashi got was nothing but pin drop silence. He wanted to yell back so bad, but he was more scared of embarrassing himself than he felt bad. I'm sorry, Zashi.
"That's cool, my examiner's listeners!" Hizashi continued, completely unbothered by the silent reply he got, and went on, "I'm here to give you the guidelines for the exam!"
"I guess all the teachers at UA are pro-heroes of different heroics. It makes sense given there are so many senses with powerful quirk. They are going to need people to keep the student in check, and keep them from hurting-"
"Shaddup." Katsuki interrupted his mumbling. "I can't hear."
Izuku stilled and looked at his friend. What?
But before he could have the chance to ponder on it for longer, Hizashi started explaining the guidelines, "This is how the test will go, little listeners! You'll be experiencing ten minute mock cityscape maneuvers!"
Izuku sat up straighter. Selective Focus, Concentration, and Analytical Mind are already working together to analyze Hizahi's words.
Izuku had already spent hours searching about UA's entrance exam test. There was no actual information on it, which Izuku understood was so that the newcomers won't have an unfair advantage over the previous ones, but there were still enough hints. Izuku guessed it was a test for the examinees, and given that Nedzu was the principal Izuku didn't think it was completely out of the realm of possibility. Of course, he had never personally met Nedzu, but he had heard his Dad grumbling about him enough times to get a general idea.
From the data he had collected, the entrance exam had something to do with fighting robots. Which, gave enough answers, but at the same time wasn't nearly enough. Fighting robots could entail a lot of things. Depending on what kind of robots' they'll be fighting, the advantages and disadvantages he had would vary. But Izuku had learnt enough things from his Dad. More often than not, Heroes have no idea what kind of scene they are going to be walking into. A Hero needs to be versatile, and adapt to any kind of situation. " No hero is a one trick pony, Izuku. "
Unless you're All Might and your one trick is ridiculously overwhelming.
But Hizashi had said maneuver. And it usually means to handle something carefully.
What's there to do carefully while fighting robots?
Zashi said a cityscape… will that include civilians as well?
In that fighting robots will mean more than just simple fights.
If it's a cityscape, and the robots are the villains. Which meant there had to be civilians. Or at least, someone that needs to be protected or saved.
Because being a hero isn't just about fighting the bad guys. So, if-
Izuku blinked back his attention to his surroundings when he heard someone interrupt Hizashi. Izuku took one look at the familiar blue hair, and edges of glasses peeking out from the side of their face and shrunk in his seat.
Tenya Iida.
He only vaguely knew the boy as a kid. Tensei had practically begged Shouta for a playdate with his younger brother, when the man finally caved in and agreed to be Izuku's dad. Sure, they were seven, but Izuku was smaller than most kids, and timid and nervous. And Teny Iida was the very opposite.
Izuku knew the boy didn't mean any harm, they were kids after all, but Tenya Iida was a stickler for rules, and so when he found out Izuku was quirkless and wishing to become a hero, it did not end well. For Izuku that is. Tenya Iida was nice, of course, and probably didn't even mean to hurt Izuku. But to be told he can't become a hero because he was quirkless, hurt. The topic had still been sore for him, despite Shouta, his mom, and even his friend supporting him.
Plus, Tenya Iida was Ingenium's brother!
It stung.
Izuku stayed away from him from that day onwards. He felt guilty, of course. Tenya Iida hadn't meant to hurt him. He had said what society believed, and nothing else. But Izuku did end up having a panic attack.
He hoped Tenya Iida didn't remember. He'd prefer a fresh start with him, if possible.
At least he wanted it to be like that, until Tenya Iida was suddenly glaring at him. Izuku paled in his seat. Shit, does he remember me?
"You curly haired boy, you've been muttering all this time. It's distracting!" He said, cold eyes glaring at him along with his stern, almost threatening voice. "If this is some sort of game to you, then please leave!"
Okay so he doesn't remember, okay. That's good.
But…
Izuku felt his eyes twitch. He had been muttering because tapping on the table to note down his analysis would have been more disturbing and attention gathering.
"Hah?! You got a problem with his muttering?" Katsuki growled, "If you even know what he's muttering you'd keep your mouth shut, you fucking extra."
Kacchan… I appreciate the help but stop…
Tenya Iida opened his mouth, obviously to reprimand Katsuku for his language, but before he could Hizashi thankfully cut in.
"Examinee 7111 thank you for pointing that out!" Hizashi happily explained, "Have you played the really old game Super Mario brothers?..."
Izuku listened as Hizashi explained about the gimmick and frowned. Something like that… is it even safe? What about the examinees who have mental quirks, or close ranged quirks? Won't they have a huge disadvantage?
"You better put up a decent fight, nerd." Katuski threatened as they walked out of the auditorium. "I'm going to come first, watch me. "
Izuku grinned at the declaration of fight, and nodded, "I'll try my best too!"
***
Izuku stared at the frankly terrifying size of the walls.
" Huh. This is new…" Nana murmured in his mind.
" This place has a fucking city inside of it?" Banjo surprised.
Izuku echoed the question, although a less crude version of it, as he walked around. Students from the same school weren't allowed to give exams in the same place, which Izuku guessed was fair. Friends would have an advantage over the rest. But to think there were more city's like this was… mind blowing, and sort of intimidating.
" There's more than one city… " Shinomori mumbled, sounding a bit breathless.
" This is corruption… " En mumbled.
Clink!
Izuku looked down to find a small ball hitting the side of his shoes. He bent down to pick them up and frowned in confusion.
Huh? Where did this come from?
There were engravings on one side: Ochako Uraraka
He noticed the charms connected to the bell and wondered if it was meant to be a lucky item of sorts. His enhanced sense picked up the soft panicked murmuring of someone nearby. He turned around to find a girl with brown bobbed hair. Izuku glanced up to take a quick look at her name.
Ochako Uraraka
Oh, it must be her… I should give it to her.
Izuku walked over to give her back her lucky charm when a heavy and strong hand landed on his shoulder. Izuku had already sensed it coming, but the sheer heaviness of it had still triggered his flight and fight response. He whipped his hand around and found himself looking at Tenya Iida looking at him with a stern look.
"Why are you here? Hoping to interfere?" He asked.
Izuku blinked and stared at the boy.
On a scale of one to ten, how mad will Tensei aniki be if I fight his brother.
" Izuku !" Nana chided.
Banjo laughed, " That friend of yours is rubbing off on you! "
Izuku channeled his inner Shouta, and tapped the girl on her shoulders while looking directly at Iida.
"Huh?" The girl turned around, looking confused.
"Hey, Hi! Is this yours? I found it lying there." Izuku said with a smile and pointed to where he had picked it up.
"Oh!" The girl's face lit up with a smile, "Thank you! I didn't even realize!"
"It's fine," Izuku smiled back and turned to look back at Iida. The blue haired boy seemed to realize his mistake (Izuku knew Iida was a good buy, if not a bit too uptight) and opened his mouth to say something. But before he could Hizashi's loud voice echoed through the place.
"AND BEGIN!"
Izuku didn't need to be told twice. He only took a second to find where Hizashi was, only to spot his tiny figure far away at a tower, before he was sprinting into the opened door.
If there was one thing that Izuku had learnt from his previous experience against villains, it is that move quickly. The villains aren't going to wait for him. The sludge villain hadn't waited while it attacked Katsuki. The villains in the mall hadn't waited before they attacked.
The robots were the villains, and Hizashi had given them the go. He didn't see why he should hesitate.
He spotted the first robot fairly quickly. A One pointer. Izuku spared a second to study it and grinned. Izuku moved,and pulled the one pointer towards him. As soon as the robot came hurling towards him, he jumped, and landed on top of the robot's head.
"Disassemble!"
The rule said he can't bring anything apart from approved support items with himself. Nobody said he can't build one inside the cityscape.
It was only when he was busy assembling a pair of laser shooters when he realized he was the only one attacking. Huh? Did I hear Zashi wrong?
He faltered for a split moment, and realized the rest of the examinees are still frozen at the gate, before Hizahi's quirk infused was heard again.
"WHAT'S THE MATTER LISTENERS?! THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS COUNTDOWNS IN A REAL BATTLE! SEE, THOSE TWO KIDS GET IT!!"
Izuku didn't need to be told that the other kid was Katsuki. The only one apart from him who probably knew how quick reaction was important while fighting villains.
By the time the rest of the examinees were running in, Izuku was already sprinting deep into the city, shooting down the oncoming robots with his lasers. His laser shooter, along with Second's Perfect Aim, made the exam a little too easy.
" No." En's calm voice rang in his head, " No matter how easy it seems, never let your guard down. Never underestimate your opponent. "
Right, sorry.
Izuku decided to shift his fighting, and attacked the one pointers physically. With the help of One For All at 3%, it was a little too easy to break through them. Dodging the lazers being shot at him was something he had started doing unconsciously sometime through the exam. He didn't need to look. Two pointers turned out to be no problem against the combined skills either. He stuck to shooting down the three pointers.
While in the middle of his robot destruction carnage, Izuku spotted the purple head from before. Oh he's in the same area as me! Nice! Watching from for a few seconds, Izuku realized the guy was primarily focused on getting the other examinees out of the way of danger.
I don't think he has an offensive quirk.
Well… in that case.
One of his laser shooters slipped out of his hand, and dropped on the ground.
Oops.
"You dropped your laser shooter." En pointed out as Izuku pulled himself away from the place.
Oh? Did I? Damn… well, anyways -
Did he pick it up?
En turned around and looked over his shoulder, "He did."
Izuku grinned. Nice.
Every now and then, Izuku would stop obilerating the robots for the sake of using Pull to pull some examinees from danger, or to Sprint, and kick away any stray metal piece careering towards them. Looking at them, Izuku realized why Shouta gave so much importance to Situational Awareness. Things could've gone bad, if this was a controlled set up.
He had lost count sometime after 50, even though he knew with Concentration working full time he did actually know how much points he had collected.
It's not that the exam isn't challenging, it's just that… compared to Aegis, and the whole situation at the mall it's kind of… less exhilarating?
It didn't feel like he was actually present in the exam scene. It felt like he was playing a video game with how easily the robots were being destroyed. Izuku guessed the whole point of the robots were to be destroyed, but still.
He thought so, until the Zero Pointer came out.
" Oh, that's new ." Nana said, surprised.
" This is definitely corruption ." En mumbled.
" That thing is huge." Banjo exclaimed.
"Ugh, my head hurts because of it." Shinomori groaned.
Later on, Izuku might think he's been spending a little too much time with adventure seeking, and daring people, (See: Dabi, Hawks, and Shouta) but at the moment, he found himself itching to disassemble that thing. It was huge, and Izuku knew his skills would Level Up if he used it on them. Plus, Dabi had asked him to create chaos hadn't he?
Izuku was sprinting towards the humongous robot when Aural Sense picked up the sound of someone's whimper. Izuku immediately came to a halt and whipped his head around to find the source of the sound. He spotted the girl from earlier trapped under the chunk of rubble. Right in the same path as the Zero Pointers
Shit.
I knew that thing couldn't have been good news.
Izuku noticed the other examinees running away, which was understandable. But how could he? Someone needed help. Someone needed to be saved.
Previously, he had been deciding to take on the Zero Pointer solely for getting a kick out of it, but now it seemed he actually needed to destroy the thing. Izuku sprinted forward at full speed.
The robot was a minimum of 30 times the size of the Three Pointer. Which meant, it would have just as many times, if not more, parts, and be just as many times more complex. It also meant, it was going to take just as long for the entire thing to get disassembled with his skill. He needed a little time
"System, transfer 150 points to Disassemble!" Izuku yelled as used the chunks of rubble, and the sides of the building to pull himself upwards, until he reached the head of the robot.
Then he imagined an invisible rope wrapped around the neck of the robot. He grabbed onto the rope tightly, and jumped off. Gravity did its work and pulled him down in a wide arc. Izuku used the circular momentum, and activated One For All at 5%. His feet came in contact with the robot's body, and the metal dented under his weight. The robot skidded backwards with a loud bang. It didn't break or stop, but it gave Izuku just enough time he needed.
[Congratulations! Your skill Disassemble has leveled up!]
[Congratulations! Your skill Disassemble has leveled up!]
[Congratulations! Your skill Disassemble has leveled up!]
Izuku once again pulled himself towards the robot. His hand touched the solid head of the robot, as he pushed himself upwards, balancing his weight on his hand.
Then he grinned.
"Disassemble."
A second passed, and several wide rings of green light surrounded the body of the robot. Then it broke apart.
Izuku would like to appreciate how easily the mammoth sized robot just separated. But he didn't have the time for it. He needed to kick and pull the big parts of the robot away before it hit the ground.
…which wasn't really that much of a problem.
The problem came after he safely landed on the ground. The exhaustion hit him like one of Shouta's punches. ( Those were effing painful. He had suffered from too many of them during their practice spars.)
That was the problem of leveling up skills using points. Izuku found out about it after the time he had used points to level up his Dominance while helping Dabi with his quirk. Just because his skills leveled up, didn't mean his stat would. And there wasn't the option to level up his stats with his points either. Leveled up skill required higher stats that he didn't have, and so it drained his EP and HP like water.
Izuku puffed and panted, using his breathing techniques to fight the exhaustion, as he jogged over to the pile of rubble where the girl had been trapped. He frowned and realized she was still there. He looked up confused. Why did no one help her?
While he was taking care of the robot, someone could've just pulled her out. At least one person had to have strength based. No, Izuku was sure he had spotted at least three people with strength based quirk.
"Hey," Izuku panted, and smiled at the girl who was looking at him utterly dumbfounded. Is there something on my face?
"Um, what's your quirk?"
"Huh?"
"Your quirk?"
"Oh um… Zero gravity. It nullifies the gravity of anything I touch."
Izuku didn't mean to be rude but… then how were you stuck here in the first place?
"Is your hand stuck somewhere underneath?" He asked.
The girl blushed, "Ye-Yeah. I can't move my left hand. And my right hand can't-can't reach the rubble."
Makes sense.
Izuku nodded and said encouragingly, "I'm going to try moving the rubble a bit. See if you can move your hand underneath."
"O-Okay."
Izuku hid a wince as he pressed his hand against the rubble. He checked his profile quickly to see how much EP he had left.
[Name: Midoriya Izuku]
[Username:
[Age: 14 years]
[Language: English, Japanese]
[Level: 20 ]
[Rank: D]
[Status:]
[Title(s): Born To Be Hero (L), He Who Cheated Death (M), Ninth User Of One For All (S)]
[HP: 545/1000 | EP: 220/2000]
He winced. When his EP dropped below one-tenth of his total EP, it started eating away his HP gradually. Using skills like One For All was out of the question. He'd pass out before he could even push the rubble outwards. He only had his breathing techniques left. It won't be enough, but it'll have to make do. He waved away the blue notification and said, "On the count of three. One… Two… Three!"
He groaned as he pushed the rubble away from him. It barely moved up from the ground, the small amount of gap he had managed to provide was enough for the girl underneath. Izuku flinched when the rubble suddenly became weightless and took a step back.
He watched wide eyed and mouth as it floated upwards into the air. Then he looked down at the girl. Her face was scrunched up with intense concentration as she stood up. She winced when her left foot touched the ground. Izuku guessed it was broken or sprained.
Once she managed to step away from the spot, she touched the fingertips of both her hands together and the rubble dropped.
Izuku yelped and jumped back. Coughing when dust, smoke and cement rose into the air. He clasped his hand over his mouth and jogged away. She found the girl kneeling on the ground, a pool of vomit in front of her.
"Are you okay?" Izuku panicked.
The girl raised her hand and waved it dismissively, "I'm fine! Jus-Just overused my quirk."
"Oh…" Izuku relaxed. The girl looked over her shoulder and at him with a smile, "Thanks-Thanks for helping me."
"Oh! No, no, you don't have to thank me. I just did what I had to."
Just then Hizashi declared with his loud quirk infused voice that the exam had ended. Izuku immediately relaxed and laid down on the ground.
"I'm tired." He groaned.
The girl giggled, "Me too."
Moments later, some robots came, carrying a stretcher, along with an aged woman behind them. Izuku's eye went wide when he saw her.
"Recovery Girl!"
Recovery Girl looked surprised at first, before smiling, "I'm surprised you recognized me, dearie. Now tell me, are either of you hurt?"
"Just her." Izuku replied politely, "She said her ankles were hurting."
"And what about you, dearie?"
"I'm fine. Just exhausted!" Izuku smiled.
"Here, have some gummies." She said, dropping a small pouch of gummies in his hand. Izuku thanked as he turned to focus on healing the girl. Izuku watched the process while nibbling onto the gummies, before Recovery Girl gently chided him for lying on the ground. Izuku apologized before standing up and walking towards the exit.
"Mhmmm… 83 villain points." Izuku muttered, "Should be enough right?"
Chapter 12 Result: Nedzu's New Favorite Human
Izuku let out a loud squeal as he tore through the steps and barged into Shouta's apartment. His mom was at work, so there wasn't any point in going to his room. Dabi looked up from where he sitting in front of the TV and playing video games.
"Tiny!" He cheered.
"Dabi!" Izuku returned, and sprinted around the room before crashing onto the couch with all the grace of a newborn giraffe, "The results came!"
Dabi tilted his head back, eyes still glued to the screen where he struggled to fight of the AI based villain. Izuku took one look at the game, Pattern Recognition, anatomizing the character in a second. "UpperCut, knee to the solar plexus, and toss him down, finish it with a hit to his nose."
"Huh?" Dabi asked, but followed his instruction to the T. Despite running dangerously low on his HP, Dabi ended up winning the match. He grinned widely and jumped up on the couch. "Damn, tiny, I still don't know how you do that."
Izuku grinned and tapped his forehead. Dabi scoffed good naturedly and rolled his eyes.
"You seem like you're in a good mood." Izuku commented, as he gauged the envelope in his hand. "Is the case going well?"
"Hmm? Not really." Dabi shook his head, "But, I met my baby sister, and brother, so yeah."
Izuku glanced up to see the rare fond look on Dabi's face, and smiled to himself, "Which one?"
"Natsuo," Dabi answered, "The youngest is…" He paused and sighed, "I still haven't met him."
"Why not?" Izuku frowned. The envelope was heavier than it should be. It meant there was something apart from a simple letter. Given what he had seen during the entrance exam, he wouldn't be surprised.
"He's still too… He doesn't realize it, but he's still letting Endeavor control him. And… for the case to succeed we can't let Endeavor get even the slightest clue of my existence. It's a risk we can't afford. Because the moment he does, the Commision will get involved and then we'll fail." Dabi explained, bitterly. He smirked cruelly, "It's taking time, sure, but we're getting enough evidence. Anything else is classified for you tiny."
"Mhmm." Izuku hummed, "Don't wanna know either. Plausible deniability and stuff. Plus, I don't know if I'll be able to hold myself back if I ever found out the rest."
"Anyways, enough about my asshole dad. What's that?" Dabi asked, tossing his controller aside.
Izuku grinned widely, "It's the result from my entrance exam."
"Holy shit, really? It's only been a week!" Dabi gasped, "Well? What are you waiting for? Open up!"
Izuku pressed the envelope close to himself. "I'm scared."
Dabi gave him an unimpressed look, "Princess, you're worrying over nothing."
Izuku crinkled his nose, "I still don't get why you call me that."
"Because that's what you are when you fall asleep." Dabi rolled his eyes, "And I have you carry you back to your room, you know… like a princess."
Izuku blushed and ignored Dabi for the sake of studying the envelope. He took in a deep breath, and decided to open it up. He carefully tore it open, and a round disc fell off it and onto the coffee table. As soon as it hit the table, a holographic screen hovered above it.
All Might's face appeared on the screen right away. Izuku bit back a smile after seeing his mentor's face. He could see the way All Might was barely holding back his own excitement. He didn't know what his result was, but All Might seemed excited for him, and Izuku couldn't help but be excited as well.
"Aww, so cute." Dabi cooed dramatically, feigning a gasp and clutching his chest.
Someone signaled All Might from behind the camera that it was recording. All Might's grinned widened as he boisterously declared, "I AM HERE! AS A PROJECTION!"
Dabi snorted and muttered, "He's such a dumbass."
Izuku shushed him, throwing a pillow at him for good measure.
"Izuku Midoriya! You have scored a fantastic score of 97 on your written exam! But that's not what we're here for!" All Might announced. Dabi booed from the other side, and asked the Hero to hurry up, "On your practical exam, you've earned an impressive score of 83 villain points! But," He leaned forward towards the camera, "There is more! A secret system that helps the judge evaluate the examinees because after all what is a Hero if they do not protect people?"
Izuku let his gaze shift towards the boy sitting on the couch for a moment. Dabi's expression once again had gone back to the stoic and reserved one. Shoulder's tensed and hands curled into a tight fist. Izuku bit his lip and looked back at the projection.
"You've been awarded 115 rescue points!" All Might declared, "That puts your total at an unprecedented 198 points! Putting you in first place! "
Dabi let out an impressed whistle "Damn, princess. You did destroy the competition." He leaned back into the back and gave a lazy lopsided grin "I'm proud."
Izuku preened and continued watching the video. All Might's expression softened, and the smile changed to something more intimate. No longer the smile that he carried on camera for his fan. "Welcome to UA, my boy."
Just as the holograph flickered, Izuku thought the video came to an end. But to his surprise, the screen changed and now instead of All Might, the camera showed a table, and seemingly empty chair.
Then suddenly something popped up from behind the table, and Izuku immediately recognized him as the Principal of UA.
"Hello! Am I a mouse? A bear? Or a dog? But most importantly I'm Nedzu, the principal of UA!" He announced.
"Am I high or is that a talking rat?" Dabi asked, blinking owlishly at the screen.
"Dabi!" Izuku chided, "That's Mr. Principal! A Pro-Hero."
"....that's a rat."
Izuku looked at Dabi, "He's the Rat. With a capital R and everything."
Dabi raised an eyebrow. Izuku waved his hand dismissively and focused back on the playing video.
"Midoriya-kun, I must say I was very impressed by your performance in both the written and practical exam. Such a magnificent performance has never been seen before in UA's history." Nedzu said with a smile, and Izuku straightened up. Izuku didn't know how to explain it, but the moment he saw the smile, his instincts immediately went on alert mode. It wasn't anything dangerous, but it felt like something important was headed his way.
"However, that is not what this message is for!" The Principal chirped. "Midoriya-kun, I've seen your paper for the written exam, and I'd like to say I'm rather impressed by a few of your answers." His grin widened, "And because of it, I would like to meet you personally! If you are okay with it, I'd like to meet you next week, Monday at 10 am. If you accept my invitation let me know!" He raised his hand and waved his paw, "See you then, Midoriya-kun."
The video ended.
"Did I hear wrong… or did the Rat say 'See you then'?" Dabi asked, "As if he knows you're going to say yes."
"I won't be surprised." Izuku replied, a little breathless, unsure how to feel. Honestly, he was terrified. His Dad's vague description of the Principal being responsible for it. But at the same time he was excited. Nedzu was one of the smartest being in his world thanks to his intelligence quirk, High Spec.
And someone like him was asking to meet up with him, how could he say no.
His phone run, and disrupted the silence in the room. Izuku yelped in surprise, and rushed to pick it up.
"Oi, nerd, how did you do?" Katsuki's voice came.
Izuku beamed, "You go first, Kacchan!"
"The fuck nerd? You don't tell me what to do! Answer me!"
Izuku snickered, "I got 198 points. What about you Kacchan?"
Katsuki fell silent on the other side of the call. Izuku frowned and checked his phone to make sure the call hadn't accidentally ended. "Kacchan?"
"Bitch, what the fuck? " Katuski breathed out in the end, "How the fuck?"
"What do you mean Kacchan?"
"I got 120!"
"...Did you get 120 villain points?" Izuku asked quietly, almost scared to hear the answer. Honestly, he won't be surprised if he did. Because Katsuki was that good at fighting. Fighting came naturally to him. You could throw him at a trained fighter, and he'll still put up an amazing fight, if not defeat his opponent. Izuku knew his friend was prodigy when it came to fightin but-
"Hah? As if." Katsuki scoffed, "I got 90 villain points."
Izuku's face lit up as he smiled ear to ear, "You got 30 rescue points Kacchan?"
Katuski huffed on the other side and mumbled, "Yeah…"
"Kacchan, that's amazing!"
"Hah? The fuck, nerd? You looking down on me?"
"No, no, of course not Kacchan! I'm just happy." Izuku replied. He frowned at Dabi who mimed gagging in front of him. He was honestly happy that Katsuki had gotten rescue point. It mean, he had finally realized that Heroics isn't just about beating the bad guy.
"Tch." Katsuki clicked his tongue irritatedly, "Some fucking two bit extra ran out of energy for her quirk while fighting a three pointer."
Izuku could cry. Had it been a few years ago, he was sure Katsuki would've ignored the girl and gone about fighting the other robots. But he had changed a bit after the attack in the mall. He wasn't sure why, but Izuku was glad nonetheless.
Izuku also knew that saving only one person wouldn't get Katsuki 30 rescue points. He had to have helped other examinees whether directly or indirectly for that.
Izuku winced when he heard Aunty Mitsuki's loud voice in the background, demanding Katsuki to get into the living room.
"Fuck you, you fucking old hag! I'm not fucking deaf!" Katsuki growled and Izuku froze in his seat. There was something wrong with the way Katsuki replied.
"Kacchan?" Izuku called. He didn't get a reply.
"Kacchan?" He tried again, but a little louder. Once again he didn't get a reply.
"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled, surprising Dabi who had been busy petting Coffee sitting on his chest.
"What?" Katuski snapped back.
"You didn't reply when I called for you…" Izuku tested the water, "Did you not hear me?"
"The fuck, you damned nerd? Of course I he-heard you." Katuski snapped something at his mom before continuing, "I'm ending the call. I'll deal with you in school you damned nerd."
Izuku stood frozen with his phone in his hand. He couldn't help it. Couldn't help questioning his own ears. Because Bakugou Katsuki had stuttered. It was barely there, almost perfectly covered but it was there. Bakugou Katsuki was one of the few people Izuku couldn't fathom being anything but perfect. But the same Katsuki just sounded so defensive.
It was so wrong.
So, so wrong. It didn't suit him. Not Katsuki. Not him of all people.
Being defensive didn't suit Katsuki at all.
And it alarmed Izuku to no extent.
***
"198?!" His mother exclaimed once Izuku broke the news to them. Izuku nodded, staring at the different side-dishes in front of him and wondering which one he should eat first. "You can get that high?"
"It's the first time in UA's history." Shouta mumbled, protecting his fish from Dabi, "The last record was by All Might and it was 112."
"Huh. Kacchan got 120." Izuku mumbled, picking up a bit of the fish and mixing it with his rice before putting it in his mouth. His mother spluttered, while Shouta stilled in his movement. Dabi used the chance to snatch the unboned fish from Shouta's plate.
"I'm going to ask Nedzu for a raise." Shouta mumbled.
"Oh yeah about Mr. Principal," Izuku looked up, "He asked me to meet him next week."
Shouta choked. "Wha-What."
Izuku hummed, "Said he was impressed by some of my answers in the written exam. I'm supposed to meet him next week, at 10 am."
Shouta sighed, and dunked his head. His expression conveying he was going through a midlife crisis. He sighed and dropped his head into the cup of his hands. Izuku was almost too sure he heard something about the world burning from him. He went back to eat peacefully, while Shouta silently and internally suffered from thinking how things would turn out when Nedzu got his paws on Izuku.
"Oh, and, I went up in rank." Izuku announced happily.
"Congrats, Problem Child." Shouta mumbled.
"Congratulations, sweetie!" His mother smiled. Izuku grinned back, while rubbing the back of his head.
"Rank?" Dabi asked.
"Mhmm, you know how there's rank in games? It's like that." Izuku replied.
Dabi leaned forward, interested, "How do you know the ranks?"
Izuku grinned once again, but this time with mischief, "It's my quirk."
Dabi huffed and leaned back, "Seriously, the f-" he paused and took a quick glance at Izuku's mom, before clearing his throat and continued, "-fudge is your quirk?"
Shouta snorted and muttered, "Nice save."
Dabi rolled his eyes, and made a motion to snatch away Shouta's fish, earning a scolding look from Izuku's mom, before he asked, "Anyways, what rank you at now?"
"C." Izuku replied proudly.
Dabi grinned, "Nice." He paused as if considering something, and asked curiously, "Can you see other people's rank?"
"Yep!"
"What's mine?"
"You're…." Izuku took a quick glance to make sure he was right, before replying, "Rank A."
"Oh? What about him?" Dabi asked, pointing towards Shouta.
"He's S ranked." Izuku replied.
Dabi whistled, impressed. "What's the highest rank you've seen so far?"
"SS."
"Let me guess, All Might?"
"Duh."
"And what's the highest possible rank?"
"Hmm…" Izuku wondered if the ranking system for one's potential was the same as the titles as he separated the bones from his fish, "Mythical, I guess."
"Damn…"
"Oh," Izuku put down his chopsticks and looked up at his Dad once again, "Dad, who makes the support item, and hero costume for us at UA?"
Shouta sniffed and looked up at him tired, "For the first year the support items are made by the third year Support Department students, and quality checked by PowerLoader. Unless you make a special request for someone else to make it. And as for the costume, UA is affiliated with a support company."
"The third year?" Izuku repeated, surprised.
"Hmm." Shouta hummed, "The students get support items, and the third year students get experience before they graduate. Though that's only in the beginning. If you break or damage your items during the school year, it's sent to the support company for repair, or for making a new one."
That's beneficial…
"Can someone have their first items be made by the affiliated Support Company?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah." Shouta shrugged.
Izuku nodded in acknowledgement, and made a mental note to talk to Katsuki as soon as he could.
"Why? Anything special you're looking for in your hero costume?" Shouta asked.
"Nuh-uh." Izuku shook his head, "It's not for me. It's for Kacchan. I'm designing it."
Dabi raised his eyebrow, "Oh?"
"Yeah," Izuku replied with a chuckle, "Though he did say he'll kill me if I mess up," He added with a mumble, earning snort from Dabi.
Shouta let out a puff of breath and shook his head. Doesn't seem like he realizes how much faith Bakugou's putting on him by letting him design his suit.
"What's the special item?" Dabi asked.
"Um…" Izuku glanced at his mother. Knowing well enough that if he said it out loud his mother will worry, and then Katsuki will get mad. "...It's a secret."
Dabi wiggling his eyebrow at him, while Shouta raised his eyebrow (His silent way of saying, ' We'll talk about this later' )
"Anyways…" Izuku continued, and turned to Dabi with a sharp grin, "How's things with Hawks?"
Dabi promptly choked on the rice.
***
Monday came far too quickly, and not quickly enough for Izuku. He had no idea what to expect from his meeting with the principal of UA. With the smartest being alive. He just hoped he didn't embarrass himself more than usual. Even if Fear Resistance took care of his bubbling anxiety, it did nothing for clumsiness.
He wished he could get some form of support from his Dad, but Shouta had already left for his work at 8 am sharp. ( I'm lazy, he says. But the guy's never been late in his life. )
Standing in front of the UA main gate was just as daunting as the first time. Everything was just so huge. He knew there was a reason for it. He knew it was made as such while keeping in consideration of possible gigantification quirks. But still.
Izuku walked in, half expecting the humongous reinforced, heavy duty doors to slam shut in front of his face, but thankfully it didn't. Much to his pleasure, he didn't come across that many people as he wandered through the hallways. Only a few students gave him a curious look but didn't say anything.
Izuku replayed the directions Nedzu had provided him with in the last email as he walked up the stairs. He'd prefer to jump out of the window rather than make The principal wait because he got lost. Which he inadvertently did. But a kind, second year student, with possible water based quirk helped him with the directions.
Izuku took a deep breath once he reached the Principal's room. And just as he raised his hand to knock on it, the door slid open. He let out a quiet yelp, and stiffened up.
"Am I a dog? A bear? Or a mouse?But most importantly, I'm the principal of UA!" Nedzu popped up behind his table, a smile on his face, and a paw raised in the air. Wait, where did he even come out from?
Izuku bowed hesitantly, and stepped in. Narrowly saving himself from tripping on the gap on the floor meant for the sliding door. "Hello Midoriya-kun! I'm glad to finally meet you face to face!"
"Please take a seat!" Nedzu chirped, pointing to the four empty chairs in front of him. As soon as Izuku took a seat he noticed the difference between the height of his chair, and the one Nedzu sat on. Nedzu's chair was higher than the one he sat on, making it seem like he was towering on him. A quick glance around the room told him that everything was placed in a way that kept Nedzu on the higher pedestal, in more than one way, no matter what. Starting from the blatant difference in the heights of the chair, to the low hanging bookshelves, and the couch. Everything in the room was made to make the visitor accommodat to Nedzu.
This whole room is a power play.
"Would you like some tea?" Nedzu asked. And when Izuku stuttered a weak yes, he asked again, "Any preferences?"
"No-No, anything is fine." Izuku. "As-As long as it's not caffeinated." He added it as a good measure.
Izuku watched with buddy anticipation as Nedzu ( Oh my god I still can't believe this ) prepared the tea. Every simple action felt so nerve wracking. Izuku went through the names of all heroes based in Mustafu to calm himself down.
The tea inside of delicate, exquisite looking china (this cup looks more expensive than my entire existence ) was placed in front of him with a quiet clink. He mumbled a quiet thanks in response.
"So, Midoriya-kun, as I already mentioned in the video message, I found your answers for the written exam particularly interesting. Your answers for the extra questions specifically. The one that asked what kind of Hero you want to become. And while most examinees predictably wrote LimeLight Heroics, along with a few Underground and Twilight Heroics, I must it was a surprise to find a paper that included almost all Heroics License."
Izuku winced internally, and chuckled nervously, "Ye-Yeah. I gu-guess that was a bit over-over ambitious of me."
"Not at all!" Nedzu replied, "I've seen the quality of your answers, and I believe it is the perfect amount of ambition, Midoriya-kun!"
Izuku blinked at him, surprised, "Really?"
"Yes!" Nedzu nodded, and took a sip of his tea, "Though, I must admit, I am curious about it. If you don't mind explaining your thoughts about your answer, I'd like to hear it."
Izuku sat up a little straighter, "It's just that… whenever people think of Heroics they think about LimeLight Heroics which isn't right. There's more to Heroics than that. There are Underground Heroes, Support Heroes, and Rescue and they are often overlooked. A lot of people don't even consider Intelligence gathering, and Analysis as a part of Heroics. Which, I don't think is right. Intelligence gathering is just as important as fighting villains. Without proper information, heading into a fight can be dangerous. Even a fight that might seem disadvantageous can be won with proper planning and analysis." He paused and nibbled on his lower lips, "And I just want to help people. In any way I can. Be it fighting villains in daylight, or dipping my hands in the darker part of heroism as an Underground Hero. I want to gather information, analyze, rescue… anything I can to help people, I want to do it."
He finished speaking with a deep exhale, before rushing to take a sip of his tea to calm his nerves. The sweet taste of the tea spread over his tongue. He paused and looked down at the light golden and purple tinged tea in the cup. It was white tea. That's his Dad's favorite.
He looked up to see the principal's beady black eyes shining at him, a polite but delightful smile on his face.
… why does this feel like a silent message?
"That's wonderful thinking, Midoriya-kun. I don't see it often. Especially not in humans your age."
Izuku shuddered. The mini Shouta in his mind softly muttered, 'Oh no.'
"Usually, I'd ask you a few questions. I'm curious about it. But having you come over to a school despite it being a vacation, only to answer a few questions, doesn't feel right." Nedzu said, hoping down from his chair to walk over to the drawers embedded in the walls. The closer he got, the more Izuku felt like he was stepping into a lion's den. "Say, Midoriya-kun, do you like to play chess?"
And that's how the conversation proceeded from that point onwards. Every time Izuku lost one of his pieces, Nedzu would ask him a question that he would answer. And every time Nedzu lost a piece, it was Izuku's turn to question.
Izuku knew that this game was favored towards the principal. But honestly he stopped caring after the first two moves. It was fun. Nedzu, obviously, was a difficult opponent, and Izuku was far too engrossed in playing the game to consider anything else.
Izuku looked over the board one last time, before he looked up and met Nedzu's, and grinned. "Checkmate." He declared.
Nedzu looked down at the board. A rook and two pawns on his side, and a knight, and rook on Izuku's were the only pieces left apart from the kings. Anatasia's mate was the only other end left apart from Stalestmate. And Izuku honestly didn't want to let the, possibly the most intense chess game of his life, end like that.
Nedzu grinned. All predatory and pleased.
"Congratulations Midoriya-kun!" He chirped, a little too happily that had his passive skills flaring in his mind.
"Hehe." Izuku chuckled. He had to use Pattern Recognition more than once to understand Nedzu's plays. But then again, Nedzu was using his own skill all the time so he guessed it was fair.
It wasn't until Izuku had lost his third piece did he realize how distracting him with a game like chess was the perfect way for Nedzu to get honest answers from him. Five pieces later, Izuku stopped minding. It wasn't often he got put on the edge of his seat. His Dad's logical ruses didn't count.
"Midoriya-kun," Nedxu started, taking another sip from his cup, "There is another thing I'm quite curious about. See, in question 12, which was meant to gauge the examinee awareness of a quirk, you gave a rather detailed answer. Despite being provided with very little information. Do you perhaps have a hobby of analysis?"
Izuku earnestly nodded. If I show my analysis to Nedzu, what will he think?
'Zashi's agency has a lot of analysts, and he says my analysis is quite good.
So, what about Nedzu?
"Ye-Yeah." He answered, "I really like analyzing quirks, and heroes."
"Oh!" Nedzu's ear twitched as he sat up straighter, "Is it possible for you to show me one of your analyses at the moment?" He asked politely, though leaving very little room for saying no, "It's fine if you don't have one at hand. You can email it to me afterwards!"
"Um… I-I do." Izuku answered, and very carefully opened his bag full of goodies. Usually he carried multiple notebooks and stationary with him, but right now there were gifts taking up the place. However, he couldn't step out of his house without at least one notebook without making him feel empty. So, thankfully he had one notebook at hand.
"I-I only started this one recently." Izuku said, placing the notebook with HAF#14 written on it. "And I haven't coded this one yet."
"Perfect!" Nedzu chirped as he took the notebook. Izuku waited with baited breaths as Nedzu flipped through the pages. He didn't know how long it was until Nedzu reached the last page of his analysis. The Chimera without a word put the notebook down on the table and slid it to Izuku. Then, he leaned back slightly and placed his paw over the other.
"Midoriya-kun," He started, a predatory smile stretching on his lips, "UA strives to provide the best to each and every student. Be it Heroics, Gen Ed, or Support." He paused, and took a sip of his tea, "Your analytical skill, in my opinion, is something I've never seen in humans your age. I'm honestly surprised. I hope you keep honing your analytical skills. It'd be such a waste to let go of something so beneficial. Especially at your given skill level." His ears twitched once again as he looked at him, "If it is alright with you, I'd like to discuss further about your analysis when the school year officially starts. As I said, UA strives to provide the best. And I plan to see it through."
Izuku felt his heart rate pick up. He had no idea what Nedzu was suggesting. But Nedzu, though his skills were good enough to be nurtured. And honestly, that had him over the moon. He had to pinch his thighs to keep himself from squealing out loud
A pinging sound of notification interrupted their session. Nedzu checked his computer before turning back to him. "My apologies, but unfortunately I will have to end our delightful session right here."
"No-No! It's fine." Izuku replied, failing his hand, "It's not problem." He picked up his bag carefully and stood up. "Thank you for meeting me, Mr. Principal."
Nedzu smiled, "The pleasure was mine, Midoriya-kun." Izuku smiled back, and walked to the door. "We'll play another round of chess when we meet again, Midoriya-kun!" Nedzu added just as the door closed behind him.
…Did he just say when we meet again?
"That was hands down one of the most intense meetings I've ever been in." Shigaraki muttered, "And that's saying something."
"Interesting chess match." En mumbled.
"I literally have no idea how that game works." Banjo muttered.
"Congratulations on winning!" Nana smiled.
"Good game." Shinomori mumbled.
Thank you.
Izuku wondered if Hizashi, Nemuri and Shouta would be free at the moment. He had seen the staff room on his way to Nedzu's office. He had been planning to visit them once anyways. Even brought them their favorite snacks. The whole reason he had been carrying his bag so carefully on his way to UA, as if he was carrying a child.
Lil' Green Listener: Uncle Zashi, can I ask for something?
Laying it thick from the start…
"Wow. Look at this little shit." Shigaraki snickered, well aware of what Izuku was doing. Hizashi hardly ever said no to Izuku. And the chances of him saying no dropped down by a lot whenever Izuku would call him 'Uncle Zashi'.
"Just making sure there's no room left for saying no…" Izuku mumbled.
Uncle Cockatoo: DFSAFHKJDHFKJ
Uncle Cockatoo: OF COURSE LIL LISTENER! YOU CAN ASK ME FOR ANYTHING! :D :D :D
Izuku grinned as he typed his reply.
Lil' Green Listener: I'm at UA now. Is it okay if I come meet you in the staff room?
Uncle Cockatoo: OF COURSE!!
Lil' Green Listener: Is Aunt Nemmi going to be there?
Uncle Cockatoo:I'll make sure she is! :D
Lil' Green Listener: I'll be there in two! :)
Uncle Cockatoo: Can't wait for you lil listener!
Izuku pocketed his phone as he skipped his way down to the staff room. He knocked on the door, before sliding it open slightly and peeking in his head slightly. Immediately, everyone turned their head in his direction.
Izuku panicked slightly when he saw— Holy shit Thirteen is here as well! Oh my god, is that Vlad King? — all the other teachers present in the staff room. Oh my god did I walk in during their break time?
Before Izuku could panic any further, he heard two loud voices shriek in joy and immediately the entire door was being pushed open, and he was being pulled into someone's chest.
"Huh-"
"Look! It's my favorite nephew!" He heard Nemuri squeal.
"I'm your only nephew." Izuku mumbled out, hugging her back, before struggling to wiggle out of her hold.
"Details! Details!" Nemuri replied, waving her hand in the air before she let go. Immediately Izuku was tackled into another hug by Present Mic. He giggled when the Hero accidentally activated his quirk while squealing. Causing the others in the room to groan in pain.
"Hello 'Zashi." Izuku mumbled, hugging the Hero back.
"Lil listener!" Present Mic cried.
"Um… I got something for you both." Izuku said, pulling his bag to the front. He fished out the bag of raspberry shaped red and black jelly candies, her favorite.
"Oh my god, thank you! " Nemuri grinned, licking her lips as she took the bag from his hand.
"And this one is for 'Zashi…" Izuku mumbled, making the said Hero clasp his hand with a shocked gasp, and green eyes glimmering with joy. Izuku carefully removed the box of lemon curd swiss roll cake from his back, and checked the contents once to make sure it wasn't deshaped. Sighing in relief at the sight of the near perfect condition of the cake, he gave it with Hizashi with a soft smile.
"Aww! Thank you- Oh my god it's my favorite!" He clutched it closer to himself, and pointed finger guns at Izuku before whispering, "I love you."
Izuku giggled, "Love you too."
He looked around the room, pointedly ignoring the inquisitive looks directed their way from the other teachers. (If he acknowledged them, he would literally melt on spot from the nervous and embarrassment.) and asked, "Um… where's he?"
He knew well enough his dad expelled his entire class this year.
"Hmm?" Hizaski hummed, licking a bit of the cream he had scooped on his finger. "Oh he's teaching the third year students. "
"Oh." Izuku nodded and glanced around the room until his eyes landed on the most mundane looking desk inside the room. "Is that his?"
Hizashi looked at where he was pointing and grinned, "Yep! Sure is!"
"Can I…?"
"Of course!"
"Who's the young'un?" He heard someone ask as he walked into the staff room. Oh my Snipe-
"It's my nephew!" Nemuri replied, "Isn't he adorable! So cute. Makes me wanna gobble him right up."
Izuku shuddered slightly as he looked around the desk for a familiar looking sleeping bag. Surprised when he did actually find the hideous looking thing on the couch. (It was a gag gift from Hizashi, and his mom. Hizashi planned it, and his mom sewed it. Shouta never stopped using it.)
I thought he took it everywhere with him.
"This is like the millionth time I'm seeing that thing. It's still just as horrendous as the first time." Shigaraki muttered standing behind the couch and peering down at the sleeping with pure judgment on his face.
"Is it just me or does this thing look worse each time I see it?" Banjo asked, crouching in front of it and poking it with his finger.
Izuku rolled his eyes at them, before he zipped off the sleeping bag. Carefully, he placed a thermos of hot coffee inside of it, along with some strawberry, and watermelon flavored jelly pouches. Technically, Shouta didn't need them.
"Write a note." Hizashi suggested, looking over his shoulder. His grin widened, ""Make it look cute."
Izuku grinned back, "Do you have some glitter pens?"
"Of course!" Hizashi chirped as walked over to his desk. Yellow mug, a cockatoo figure, several Present Mic figurines, some pictures of him with Shouta and Nemuri, and Tensei decorated his table. He came back holding a bunch of glitter pens, and colorful sticky notes in his hand.
"There ya go, buddy."
"Thank you." Izuku smiled, and picked the bright yellow sticky note that was in the exact same shade as the sleeping bag, before scribbling 'Love, Dad' and doddled Coffee beside it. Behind him he heard Hizashi coo in delight as Izuku stuck the note to the thermos before zipping up the sleeping bag.
[Forty minutes later, Shouta walked into the staff room, grumbling about not having his sleeping bag with him while dealing with the disastrous third year. He stopped when he noticed everyone staring at him weirdly. Vlad King look constipated, so Shouta didn't care too much about that. But everyone else, apart from Cementoss, and Ectoplasm (well it's not like anyone can guess what expression he's wearing) was looking at him weird. Why the fuck are Kayama and 'Zashi looking at him like that-
He walked to the couch where his beloved sleeping back was present, and immediately knew someone had touched. Who has a death wish…
He heard Hizashi snickered as he reached for his sleeping bag. Shouta paused feeling the slight bulging inside of it. He looked over his shoulder and glared at Kayama just as an extra measure before zipping the sleeping bag open and check what was inside.
And-
Oh.
…um…
Shouta carefully removed the post it, and pocketed it before, slipping into the bag while sipping on his favorite strawberry flavored jelly pouch. Completely ignored Hizashi taking pictures of him, all content and hiding a smile behind the straw.]