Chapter 3: A Long Way to the Starting Line
Rikimaru Daiki: Lithe, scruffy fighter, Izuku's Jeet Kune Do teacher, quirk is rooting (as in he can 'root' himself wherever he stands)
Chiura Hiro: Scary looking man missing left hand and part of 3 fingers on his right, Izuku's 1-C homeroom teacher, quirk is quirk identification
Izuku was a mess as he ran through the halls of his new high school. His mom wouldn't stop hugging and congratulating him this morning which meant he'd just missed his train and had to wait for the later one. He wasn't late quite yet but he'd hoped for more time to explore the campus. If he was being honest, he'd wanted to scout out the hero students. Oh well there was time for that later, he slows as he approaches class 1-C.
He looks at his classroom with trepidation but also renewed courage. This is where his story begins. Just as Izuku was about to enter, the door screeches open and he finds himself on the ground as another kid runs into him. A bit dazed, Izuku looks with concern at the boy who'd toppled onto him.
He was about his size with very messy orange hair and bright red eyes but, more importantly, he was shaky, pale and looked like he was about to be sick. The boy scrambles to his feet and weaves his way down the hall, presumably towards the restroom.
"Oh god I can't do this, I absolutely can't do this. I can't-" Izuku winces at the sound of the kid losing his breakfast on the hallway floor. What a way to start the day, poor guy.
"Oh jeez, that doesn't sound good," a girl with dark purple hair tied in a tail says as she pokes her head out the door with concern. Next to her is another tall boy with fluffy brown hair and glowing green eyes. She looks down at him and it takes Izuku an extra second to notice the girl has no irises, only pure white sclera underneath her glasses. "Look at you, are you okay?" She holds out her hand to help Izuku to his feet.
"Your mom seems really sweet but you can't let her make you late every day," she says brightly once she lets go of his hand. Izuku just blinks at her. "Sorry, I'm Motome Ayame and my quirk is Past Vision, I can see up to an hour of anyone's past if I touch them," Motome explains with a small smile. Down the hall, the red haired boy has gotten to his feet and finally staggered into the restroom. "What's your name?"
"M-M-Midoriya Izuku," Izuku stammers, he was already a little off-kilter from the confrontation and now here he was talking to a girl! This isn't how he imagined his first day of high school would go.
"Nice to meet you," the brown haired boy says in a friendly, but distracted, voice. So distracted, he probably didn't even realize he'd spoken in English. Now that Izuku looks at him, he did seem like he had some Western features, perhaps he was mixed? "My name is Patrick Takamitsu, please call me Patrick, I'll catch up with you guys later. I want to make sure that kid is okay. Excuse me," Patrick says as squeezes past them to follow the redhead into the restroom.
"Anyway, welcome to class 1-C," Motome says with a shrug as she steps aside to let Izuku in the classroom. "We still have a few minutes before homeroom starts, I can introduce you to some people I was talking to earlier." She says in a way which feels unnatural even though it shouldn't be. Here, Izuku wasn't the quirkless freak who wants to be a hero against all odds. He was just another student with no ties to his middle school self.
"Yeah, sure, that'd be great. Thank you, Motome," she leads him over to a small group who smile and wave with acknowledgement as they walked over. Most of them were girls, he notes with a funny twisting feeling in his gut as he feels his face flush.
"This is Midoriya," Motome introduces to the small group of four crowding around a single desk. "He had an unfortunate run in with that poor kid on his way to the lavatory but Taka- uh Patrick went to go check up on him." Izuku smiles at the group and is pleased when they smile back. "Midoriya, this is Kiyoshi, Kaneki, Korudo and Taketsu."
"Kiyoshi Kokoro, class empath. Don't be so worried about people liking you Midoriya; I just met you and I like you just fine." A tiny girl with the pastel blue hair tied in a braid says brightly. The person standing next to Kiyoshi, a tall girl with soft brown deer ears, horns and tail sighs fondly and pats Kiyoshi's head.
"Don't mind her," the brown eyed girl says, "Koko-chan and I went to middle school together; she's always like that. She just says whatever she's thinking or feeling, even if it happens to be someone else's emotion." She looks down with a mock glare at Kiyoshi who grins before turning back to Izuku. "I'm Kaneki Shika by the way; it's a pleasure to meet you, Midoriya."
"I'm Korudo Dan," the only boy in the group with pale blond hair says with a proud smile. "I can control my body's temperature meaning I can not only survive in any environment but I can heat or chill my body. I may have failed the Heroics exam but I'm going to get transferred and become a great hero someday."
"and I'm Taketsu Akane, nice to meet you," says the dark haired girl sitting in the chair. "So is your quirk like Endeavor's son?" She was a big girl with a rounded face and wavy black hair falling over her shoulders held back by a red headband. "Can you form ice?" Taketsu asks.
"Well," Korudo says awkwardly.
"What about fire?" She continues.
"Not that either," Korudo answers testily, looking annoyed.
"Well what are you going to do? I think they want heroes who can do more than change their body temperature," Taketsu says with a smile but there's a teasing look in her dark red eyes.
"I still have a shot!" Korudo emphasizes. "The Todoroki kid has a natural advantage since his dad is the Number Two. Maybe I can't make ice or flame but I can still do stuff!" The girls begin to chuckle among themselves but Izuku finds he couldn't.
"I believe you," Izuku speaks up, calling everyone's attention back to him. He blushes a bit under the scrutiny but continues. "I-I mean, it is a pretty handy quirk from the sounds of it. Depending on how fast you could regulate your temperature and what adverse effects it had on your body, it could be very versatile. You could perform rescue operations to regions where other people wouldn't survive; you could warm up or cool down sick patients. I'm sure you could even come up with combat techniques that augment your quirk if you really worked at it." Izuku says, losing himself to his thoughts as he went through all the possibilities for a hero with Korudo's abilities.
"Hey, look out everyone; we've got a nerd in here." Another boy across the room with his hair styled in a tall pompadour says before letting out a loud nasally laugh. Izuku shuts his mouth on instinct from years of conditioning. He hates himself a bit for that, how easy it is to fall back into old, bad habits.
"Hey, don't listen to him Midoriya," Motome says, giving pompadour boy an empty-eyed glare that had the other boy turning away in discomfort.
"Yeah, that was amazing, Midoriya. Are you interested in Heroics too?" Taketsu asks with a smile that puts Izuku at ease. He nods shyly as she turns to address Korudo. "Sorry if I upset you, I was just teasing. Besides, I really don't have room to talk," she says a bit nervously. "I was interested in being a hero for a long time but I kind of gave that up."
"Well, I suppose you do have a point that I need to improve both my quirk and physical abilities if I want to transfer." Korudo sniffs, looking unhappy but unwilling to admit it. Korudo looks over at him and Izuku knows that Korudo was going to ask about his quirk. Luckily, Izuku was saved from that reveal by the classroom door opening revealing the biracial boy, Patrick, and the boy who'd been sick. Behind them comes one of the most terrifying men Izuku has ever seen.
Apparently the rest of the class agreed for they all freeze when the tall, dark-skinned man marches into the room. Izuku spots a few scars on his face but, more noticeably, his left hand ended at the wrist and three fingers on his right were partially amputated. Was he a hero? Or some kind of Yakuza boss?
"Good morning class, I am your homeroom teacher Chiura Hiro. Please take your seats," Sensei says in a quiet but stern voice that has the entire class seated and silent in a matter of seconds. "I will not waste your time or mine with meaningless pleasantries. Here is what you need to know: you will be on time every day for homeroom, you will be quiet unless I call on you and you will respect me and your classmates at all times. If you can follow these rules, then we will have a good working relationship," he stops and let the weight of his words sink in before continuing.
"Now opening ceremonies are about to start, we will walk there single file and, once that has concluded, you will change into your gym uniforms and we will conduct physical exams. I understand that your middle schools prevented you from using your quirks during these tests. Well, this is Yuuei and, even though you're in General Education, we still expect you to be able to manage your abilities. So you will be allowed to use your quirks within reason." A quick cheer bursts into air and is quickly silenced. Izuku gulps nervously. Use of quirks, huh, that was going to be tricky.
XxX
Even Yuuei can't make opening ceremonies interesting so Izuku spaces out for most of it as he frets over the upcoming physical exam. He'd hoped to have a little longer before his new classmates found out about his quirklessness. It probably wouldn't be as bad as it had been in middle school but just the few minutes talking to everyone this morning had been real nice. Izuku supposes it was better to get it over with than to keep living a lie. He winces as he remembers that he'd let slip that he was interested in applying for the Heroics department.
Great, they'll think he was useless and an idiot.
His pessimistic thoughts are briefly sidelined by the jaw-dropping announcement that All Might, the Number One Hero and everyone's favorite, All Might, would be teaching at Yuuei this year. Izuku can barely contain his excitement. He'd applied to Yuuei because it was the best hero school in the country but now his idol is going to be here too? Sure, he was probably only going to teach the hero students but Izuku might see him in the halls, hear that loud booming voice somewhere other than his tv.
Despite that bombshell of an announcement, the assembly ends on an awkward note when it became clear that hero class 1-A just, wasn't going to show up. He's not sure what happened there but the teachers look annoyed but not all that surprised. Izuku doesn't see Kacchan. His former friend had spent the last week of middle school announcing his acceptance into Yuuei's Heroics department so Izuku figures he must be with the absent 1-A.
soon, the whole class is dressed in their gym clothes and standing on one of Yuuei's many fields. Chiura-sensei paces calmly in front of them as they're lined up in class order. Maybe it was Izuku's nerves, but he feels like his teacher pauses a bit longer in front of him, as if sensing his weakness, before continuing.
"All right, we will be performing a variety of physical exercises today. This is just like you did in middle school but you will be allowed to use your quirks so long as you control them and use them only for the tests. At Yuuei, we believe in using all of our skills to reach our full potential. Is this clear?"
"Yes, Sensei," they all respond while Chiura-sensei nods with approval. He goes back to pacing with his mangled right hand holding his left stump behind his back.
"I suppose I should tell you a little about myself," he says in a steely calm voice that demands attention with its quiet assurance. "My quirk is Identification which means I can identify the quirk of anyone I look at and use that to compile basic strengths and weakness." Ah, so that was the reason Izuku got an extra look over. I'm still looking for it too, Sensei, Izuku thinks dryly.
"I joined the military right out of high school, became involved in special operations all across Japan and occasionally overseas. This," Sensei says, holding up his hands, "happened nearly 15 years ago during a mission. It cut my military career short but I found work within Hero Support. I have personally worked with many professionals heroes, including most of the ones on this campus, and yes, All Might himself. While I am not a hero; no one understands them better than me. So why am I teaching General Education?" He stops and stares them down with his pale golden eyes.
"Because I understand that the Heroics entrance exam is a load of bullcrap. Any idiot can smash a robot while talented students fall through the cracks. The General Education teachers serve as a checkpoint. I'm sure all of you at some point have dreamed of being a hero, but either due to failing the Heroics exam or lack of confidence, you ended up here. One of my jobs is to evaluate you, see if any of you are capable of transferring." Chiura-sensei stops and gives them one last appraising look, "so put your all into these exercises, your futures just might depend on it." He lets his words settle before giving them a quick nod. "You have five minutes to warm up and then we begin."
Izuku is all but shaking by the time his teacher finishes and why shouldn't he be? The man had looked right at them and said he was going to be the judge of whether or not they deserved to transfer. While it was common knowledge that students could move to the Heroics department, it wasn't something that happened very often. Izuku wonders if he's looking at one of the reasons why.
"Oh man, that was intense," Taketsu says, coming up beside him with a friendly but nervous grin. "Wanna stretch together? Exercises aren't exactly my strong suit and you look like you know what you're doing." Izuku was going to ask her what she meant when he realizes he had automatically started his normal warm-up regimen.
Taking a look around; Izuku notices most of the other students were awkwardly trying to figure out how to work their bodies and some weren't even trying at all. Strength training and martial arts has become such a cornerstone of his life that he forgot to factor in that most people probably don't have the same discipline.
"Yeah, sure, I'll show you what I do," Izuku says, walking Taketsu through some of his work-out. She was easy to talk to and the familiarity of his exercises quickly put him at ease as he explains the purposes of each stretch.
"You really are on top of this!" Taketsu huffs as she attempts to mimic his toe touch only to stop just past her knees. "What kind of quirk do you have to keep you in such good shape?"
"Um actually I'm quirkless," Izuku mutters, hoping she hadn't heard him. But the wide-eyed look in her eyes tells him that she had. "I uh hope that's okay," he says shyly
"Yeah, no, of course it's okay," she says quietly, as if Izuku were some kind of mythical creature she had only heard about but never seen. Taketsu shakes her head, "sorry, it's just a bit unexpected is all. You don't see many quirkless people these days. You said in homeroom you wanted to transfer to Heroics, right?"
"Yeah," Izuku admits with an embarrassed wince.
"Hey, I think that's great," she smiles revealing sharpened teeth. "I can't wait to see what you can do."
"Alright, if you're not ready now, you'll never be," Chiura-sensei announces, startling most of the class out of their small conversations. "We'll start with the 50 meter dash. First three in the class, come up and state your name, quirk and intention for study. You will perform the test and then the next group of three will do the same, is that clear?"
"Yes, Sensei," they parrot back as the first three began to gather up. An explosion rips through the air just then, stopping everyone in their tracks. Chiura-sensei frowns at them.
"We're not going to stop and gape every time one of the hero kids uses their quirks, now hurry into line." As the first three students line up, Izuku was trying to loosen up his muscles which had tensed up at the loud, and very familiar, sound.
According to the strength; Kacchan had to be on the other end of the school, in one of the aft fields probably. It was fine, he was just doing physical exams like Izuku was, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to be afraid of. But it's easier said than done. Still, he tamps down the rest of his fear while the first students line up and give their introductions.
Izuku's anxiety quickly leaves him as he gets the chance to observe his classmates. It makes him realize a few things. One, spending so much time reading up on heroes, Izuku sometimes forgets that not every quirk was combat suitable or even all that useful; such as the boy who kept tripping over his unnaturally growing hair. Another was that, as far as physical training was concerned, most of his classmates didn't have the strength or stamina suited for these tests. Despite being quirkless, it was clear Izuku was more suited for this kind of exercise than most of the other students.
"Next!" And now it was his turn; Korudo, Kiyoshi and himself stepped forward. He listens to them explain their quirks again; Korudo with Thermoregulation was set on Heroics while Kyoshi the empath wanted to be a teacher.
"M-my name is Midoriya Izuku and I uh I also would like to go into Heroics." He stops and searches for the only person he sort of knows which is Taketsu. She gives him a worried smile and two thumbs up, "and I don't have a quirk." Well, that was done with, now for the fallout. A loud laugh breaks through the crowd. It was the pompadour kid who was hunched over as he laughs.
"What kind of idiot thinks he can get into the Heroics without a quirk? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." A few other of the kids chuckle nervously along with him but most glare or shift uncomfortably, probably too ashamed to openly mock Izuku.
"Kamoto," Chiura-sensei snaps which instantly silences Kamoto's merriment. The boy is upright with a startled look on his face as Sensei steps forward and gets right in his face. "I gave you three rules this morning: be in homeroom on time, be quiet while I speak and to respect me and your classmates at all times." He leans down further until he was nearly nose to nose with Kamoto.
"If you disrespect your classmates, you disrespect me. Now tell me boy, is that something you want to do?" Kamoto quickly shakes his head. Chiura-sensei stares him down a second longer before stepping back to address the entire class. "Every student here has earned their place here until they haven't. Likewise, every student has the potential to go beyond and I'm going to do my best to ensure each and every one of you gets there. Now, may we continue Kamoto or do you have anything else to add?"
"No, Sensei," Kamoto whispers, doing his best to shrink into his uniform.
"I'm getting old boy, speak up," Sensei says with an exaggerated grin that reminds Izuku of Rikimaru-shishou.
"No, Sensei!" Kamoto says much louder, his face twisted with fear and embarrassment. Appearing satisfied for now, Chiura-sensei turns back to their group with a much calmer demeanor.
"Alright, if you three are done, then get on over to start line. I'll let you know when to go," Sensei says, resetting his stopwatch. Izuku is too busy staring at his teacher.
He didn't know teachers could do that; his middle and primary school teachers had never bothered to stop any of the bullying Izuku endured as a kid which had been so much worse than what Kamoto had said. He can't properly think of a time when someone other than his mom stood up for him once they knew he was quirkless. Chiura-sensei gives him a look.
"Is there a problem, Midoriya?"
"N-no, Sensei!" Izuku pipes up, dashing over to the starting line where Kiyoshi and Korudo were already getting into position. Now that the worst was over, Izuku feels like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Kiyoshi wishes them both well, Korudo appears cocky and overconfident but Izuku is calm. He runs nearly 8 kilometers every day, a 50 meter dash would be nothing.
"Go!" And Izuku was off like a light. All too soon it was over but Izuku feels like he could keep running forever even while Kyoshi and Korudo wheezed. Sensei gives him an acknowledging nod.
"7.2 seconds, that's a full second better than the rest of you so far. Good work, Midoriya, I expect to see that same kind of performance in the rest of your tests. Next group line up, let's see if your quirks can stand up against training and discipline," Izuku lets out a breath as he steps back into line.
Once there, classmates are congratulating him and asking what else he could do. The attention was dizzying and Izuku simply nods at the people whispering at him, not trusting himself not to dissolve into tears if he opened his mouth. It wasn't Heroics but it was lightyears better than where he'd been. Izuku gives Taketsu an encouraging smile as she, Patrick and another boy step forward as the last group.
"Hey! I'm Patrick Takamitsu, please call me Patrick, I'm originally from the good ole US of America but my dad lives here so now I do too!" Patrick begins with a flourish as his skin began to brightly glow. "My quirk is Glow and, like many of my dear friends, I'm also aspiring for Heroics," he beams, literally, causing some of the other students to shield their eyes. Well, it wasn't the most exciting quirk but there were definitely applications with proper conditioning.
"And I'm Taketsu Akane, my quirk is Bloodspell which means I can manipulate my own blood and I uh," Taketsu pauses and considers herself before continuing, "I haven't decided what I'm doing yet." Finally, the last kid steps forward with a tired, but resolute look on his face.
"My name's Shinsou Hitoshi," he says quietly. "My quirk is brainwash and I'm going to be a hero." Not, trying, going to be. Izuku wishes he had that kind of confidence but with a quirk like that it was understandable. There were some hushed whispers behind him but Izuku couldn't make them out, but Shinsou's fists clench by his side. With all of the introductions done, the rest of the exercises seem to pass by quickly.
Classmates chatted more easily with one another, details were shared on quirks and personal history as they completed more and more trials. Back in middle school, Izuku used to be terrible at these things, always finishing near the end despite the lack of quirks involved. Since he started training with Rikimaru-shishou not long after school started, he'd never gotten to measure himself against his classmates.
The rest of the morning was spent completing the other activities but Izuku hardly felt tired. This was nothing compared to what he usually subjected himself to. They're given a few minutes to rest as the results are compiled. Izuku grins at Taketsu, lying red-faced and panting on the grass, she gives a half-hearted kick in his direction when she sees his smile. Kourdo was talking to Patrick, Kyoshi was leaned up against Kaneki's back and Motome had pulled out a book off to the side. For once, everything seems to be going right.
"Alright, line up. We're going to go over the results and then head back inside," Chiura-sensei orders.
The results were stunning to say the least. Izuku came first or close to first in nearly all of the activities as most of his classmates didn't have quirks that enhanced their physical abilities, moreover, it looks like most of them haven't undergone any sort of training. It's ironic in a way, Izuku was the only one in the class without some sort of special ability and yet he ended up with the second highest score of the class.
"Let this be a lesson to you all," Chiura-sensei says after he's announced the final scores. "Strength is not defined by your quirk, but by the discipline of your mind, body and soul. We have a couple of students who are actively pursuing the hero track, for those of you were are serious about that, I suggest you work on your performance and attitude. High school passes quickly, go beyond or go home. You have lunch for one hour and then regular classes will begin promptly at 1300, dismissed."
"That was amazing Midoriya!" Taketsu says, coming up to him with a bright smile that lights up her face. He blushes from head to toe looking at how cute she looks and stammers out an awkward thanks. "Would you be willing to train me?" she questions, pointing to herself. "I need to lose some of these hips, not to mention everywhere else too. What kind of training have you had?" She babbles as some of the others fall in line with them.
"Oh I've primarily trained with Jeet Kune Do with my master, but I worked with Aikido in middle school and have incorporated that into my style as well." Izuku lists off, feeling more comfortable in his element. "I've wanted to be a hero since I was a kid; I know I'm at a huge disadvantage without a quirk so I'm working on training my mind and body instead. Just because Yuuei hasn't graduated a quirkless hero doesn't mean it's impossible."
"That's incredible!" Taketsu says.
"That's insane," Korudo counters, the small group turns to look at him but he frowns and crosses his arms. "What? We were all thinking it," he sighs and runs his hand through his short hair and smiles slightly. "Still gotta admit you beat me fair and square in physical tests; even Taketsu beat me a couple of times and she's got 15 kg on me." Taketsu swats him on the arm.
"My point being, it's insane but Sensei is right, you can't write someone off before they get started and you've got a hell of a start. I'd be interested in working with you too, if you don't mind. I've got this amazing quirk but it doesn't mean much if I can't do anything with it." Izuku is touched by the friendly camaraderie and acceptance of his ambition despite how impossible it sounds.
"Yeah me too! We could make it a group thing!" Patrick says, leaning down to put his arms around Korudo and Izuku's shoulders. "We can be like a secret club! We can train together and get t-shirts and everything." He says, his face glowing a bit.
"Please don't touch me, Takamitsu," Korudo hums as he slips from Patrick's hold. "Midoriya, those things you were saying about my quirk in homeroom, can you read those back at me. I think you have some good ideas that I can work with. Of course, I'd be willing to help you with anything you needed in return."
"Come on, we can talk more over lunch, let's go before the hero kids take all the good stuff. All this exercise has made me hungry." Taketsu says, picking up her pace. The four of them were joking and laughing all the way to the cafeteria and Izuku had never felt so complete in his life.
For just being a stepping stone on his way to being a hero, the General Education department was pretty great too.
XxX
School is over and yet Izuku was still stalking the halls. He'd mentioned casually to his new, sort of friends that he was an All Might fan but he somehow managed to keep them from finding out just how obsessive he really was. He needed to make sure they liked him a little more before unleashing that amount of nerdiness onto them. He hasn't been able to go hero chasing with his training schedule but it was easy to fall into old habits.
Izuku would not stop until he got to meet the Number One, but it was turning out to be harder than he'd thought. Asking around, no one but hero students saw All Might today and that was only during his scheduled class. He wasn't seen in the halls, in the cafeteria, anywhere else on campus which is hard to believe considering how large and famous he is. Izuku's probably covered the entire school twice trying to find his hero. All Might was so close and yet so impossibly far.
He thought he'd heard All Might's distinctive booming voice near the teacher's lounge as he was leaving campus today. Despite being right there, all Izuku had been able to find was a skinny blond man is a too big suit who'd looked just as startled when Izuku nearly smacked into him coming around a corner. Embarrassed, Izuku had apologized profusely and ducked away only to realize he'd probably just missed his hero.
Still, he was nothing if not dedicated and so he continued to wander the school, hoping the man would just, appear, somehow. But a ping from his hero alert app informs him that All Might had been spotted in Osaka so, with a forlorn sigh, Izuku decides to pack it in for the day. It was nearly dark out and he's sure his mother won't be happy that he's late on his first day of school.
Izuku turns around and began to slump towards the exit when he hears the door opening down the end of the hallway. He looks up and sees a wild mane of purple hair in the distance. Shinsou is another kid in his class, one with a brainwashing quirk and a desire to transfer into Heroics. Despite the common ground, there's something unfriendly and off-putting about the other boy that sets him on edge. Izuku awkwardly puts up his hand in a half wave.
"G-good afternoon, Shinsou," he says brightly, trying not to come across as too weird but he supposes that went out the door when he was caught slinking around the school after hours. Actually now that thinks on it, it's a bit weird for the other boy to be here still, especially in his gym uniform. Shinsou seems to debate going back the door he'd came through before deciding to just walk ahead. He keeps his head down as he quickly marches past Izuku.
"Look, just stay out of my way, okay?" Was all he says as he walks by, Izuku turns to watch the other's boy's back as he rushes past with his hands lodged deep into his gym pockets. "Have a good evening," was muttered awkwardly afterwards before Shinsou reaches the door and leaves the wing entirely.
"Yeah, you too." Izuku says to the empty hallway, not sure what to make of the whole situation or his mysterious classmate.
Chapter 4: The Only Thing I Can Do
Taketsu Akane- Big, dark haired girl with red eyes and sharp teeth, kind but sarcastic, quirk is blood manipulation
Patrick Takamitsu- Tall, Japanese-American boy with glowing green eyes, energetic and sweet, quirk is glow
Korudo Dan- Short, stocky blond boy with brown eyes, brash but with good intentions, quirk is thermoregulation
Motome Ayame- Purple haired girl with no irises, friendly but nosy, quirk is ability to see 1 hr into past of anyone she touches
For the first time in a very, very long time, Izuku was actually excited for school. It's only the second day but he already feels energized. Maybe it was because there were people there he liked and who seemed to like him in return. He'd been basically friendless since his diagnosis but now it was like none of that ever happened.
It was nicer, easier, to pretend that there didn't exist a time when he would eat his lunches alone in an unused classroom. Izuku had his mom as always, but now he also had his grumpy but supportive master, his slightly scary homeroom teacher and maybe now some friends.
It seemed nothing could bring him down, or so Izuku thought when he gets to homeroom and finds a note on his desk. The message is simple, neatly written on a notecard and taped down to ensure it didn't get knocked away. 'The quirkless don't belong here', short and sweet.
Izuku should have crumpled it up and thrown it away without a second thought but instead he shoves it into his bag. Shame burns in his throat, making him unable to meet his friends' eyes when they walk in. His palms sweat as he clenches and unclenches his fists in an attempt to stop feeling so small.
"Izu-kun, is something the matter? Your emotions have been down in the dumps this morning," Kyoshi asks when he once again drops out of a conversation. Izuku shakes his head, homeroom would be starting any minute and this wasn't something that involved them. It's not like he wasn't used to this kind of thing.
Unfortunately, the decision isn't left up to him. Chiura-sensei comes and begins preparing himself for homeroom. Patrick leans over to tell him one last thing before class began and accidentally knocks over Izuku's bag. And of course, the half crumpled note was one of the things to fall out. Korudo starts to pick up the spilled things before Izuku can stop him. The other boy's eyes darken as he reads the message. His hand goes into the air.
"Korudo just drop it," Izuku whispers harshly as he swipes back the note and piles his things back into his bag. "It's not that big of a deal honestly. It's nothing I haven't seen before." Which was apparently the wrong thing because now Korudo looks even angrier.
"Chiura-sensei, I'd like to report harassment," Korudo says, loud enough to demand everyone's attention.
"Oh?" Sensei challenges softly, stepping around his desk and walking towards Korudo.
"Midoriya was given an offensive note," Izuku wants to die right now as he shrinks into his seat. "I can only speak for myself but I did not come to the Yuuei to watch people be bullied for things beyond their control."
"Is this true, Midoriya?" Chiura-sensei turns his intimidating gaze onto him.
"R-really, it's not that important, I don't-" Izuku gulps, feeling the pressure of the entire class staring him down.
"That's not what I asked, Midoriya."
"Yes, it's true," Izuku whispers quietly, "I-I found it on my desk this morning. But it's not-"
"May I see the note?" Sensei asks in a voice that would almost be gentle if it weren't for the low growl. Izuku was sure the word may was intentional. Sensei wouldn't force it out of him but at this point it seemed a bigger issue to hide it. Izuku pulls it from his bag and deposits it into his teacher's mangled hand. Sensei looks it over briefly before frowning and stalking back to the front. The note went into the waste bin near his desk.
"I believe I made it clear yesterday that I would not tolerate this sort of behavior. If there's anyone who doesn't belong here is the person who wrote that note." His gaze could have melted steel. "This had better be the last incident I hear of, if not, we have plenty of quirks in this school who can locate the perpetrator and have them removed from this school entirely." Silence. "If there's nothing more, I'll begin homeroom."
Korudo looks proud of himself and gives Izuku a thumbs up but he can't look at his friend just now. While a part of him is touched that Korudo felt the issue was worth addressing; he's also angry to have such a stupid thing dragged out in front of everyone. Izuku tries to let it go, he really does, but Korudo's annoyance over Izuku's lack of gratitude only serves to keep him silently steaming throughout morning classes.
"I don't see what you're so mad about," Korudo says over lunch trying, unsuccessfully, to get Izuku to at least look at him. Frankly, if he didn't stop soon, Izuku was going to throttle him. "In fact, I can't see why you didn't report the incident yourself. You don't deserve that and the scum wrote that doesn't deserve to get away with it."
"Korudo, just let it go," Taketsu hisses from across the table. "It was Midoriya's decision to keep it quiet and you totally blew past that even with the best intentions at heart." Patrick just sits there, shoveling food in his mouth. He pauses every now and again, as if he had something to say, before thinking better of it and burying any potential words with more rice. Motome and, more likely, Kiyoshi had probably sensed Izuku's rotten mood and were eating at another table. Whether it was to give him some space or to be as far away from the inevitable explosion is up for debate.
"Heroes don't just let things go Taketsu and they don't take this kind of crap either," Korudo continues. "We could have worked this, Motome could have used her Past Vision to have found who planted the note or I'm sure Sensei could have gotten the jerk to crack with a little more pressure. I don't even want them expelled, I just want them to know that we don't accept this kind of thing at Yuuei. We shouldn't have to deal with this sort of thing." A fist slams on the table and was his and Izuku doesn't even remember doing it.
"There isn't any we here, Korudo, this is about me; these kinds of things have always been about me ever since my quirk failed to appear. Now I'm so sorry someone writing me a mean note offends your sense of justice but, for me, it's just reality." Izuku says harshly, doing his best to keep his voice at a reasonable volume so the whole cafeteria doesn't hear.
"I don't need you to defend me and I'm not some poor, pitiful quirkless person who needs every problem solved by you. There are some things I want to handle on my own and in my own way. If you can't deal with that then I don't think we can be friends." Izuku huffs before going back to his meal, trying Patrick's method of trying to eat away his feelings. He didn't really want to stop being friends but at the same point, Izuku couldn't get along with someone who didn't respect him. No friends were better than mean friends, Kacchan had taught him that.
"Yeah, ok, sorry. I was just trying to help," Korudo sulks and the table descended into uncomfortable silence.
"I don't know if it matters to you, but I heard it was that Shinsou kid," a meek voice says from the table across from theirs. Izuku looked up to see Mifune, the nervous orange haired kid, he was a very weak psychic if Izuku remembered. Mifune looks around anxiously before leaning forward.
"He hasn't talked to anyone since class started, plus you know he's pretty suspicious with his quirk and all," Mifune shrugs uncomfortably, pushing up his glasses. "I just thought you should know, in case he decides to do something again." While Korudo turns around to interrogate a now thoroughly terrorized Mifune, Izuku exchanges confused glances with Patrick and Taketsu.
"Shinsou is the kid with purple hair, the one with the brainwashing quirk, right?" Taketsu whispers.
"Yeah," Patrick garbles through a mouthful of food, "he said he was going for Heroics during the introductions. I tried to talk with him yesterday, to see if he was interested in hanging out with us but he kind of brushed me off. I don't want to bad talk about someone I don't know but he does come across as a bit rude and creepy to boot."
"That's not nice to say," Izuku mutters even as he cranes his neck up to see where his classmate was. Izuku found him on the far end of the cafeteria near the exit. Shinsou was sitting at a table with a few other students but it was clear he wasn't actually sitting with them as he was quietly eating his meal. As if sensing that someone was watching him, Shinsou looks around suspiciously while Izuku ducks his head. "Look, please can we just drop this? I didn't want to make this a big deal in the first place and I especially don't want to blame some kid who might not have even done anything."
"There's only one way to find out," Korudo says, standing up with a bright look in his eye, "I say we-"
"I think you've said enough, Korudo," Taketsu interrupts in a low, threatening voice. "Maybe this time you should ask Midoriya what he wants to do, seeing as he's the one involved in all this." Korudo twists his mouth like he'd just tasted something sour before sitting himself back down.
"Right, sorry, I'm just so mad someone would treat you this way and I want to make sure it doesn't happen again," Izuku's mouth twitched into a half smile. Korudo was a hot-head, a bit ignorant too, but his heart was in the right place and Izuku couldn't really stay mad at him for that.
"Let's just let it lie for now, Chiura-sensei probably scared off whoever did it so it's probably over." Korudo nods but he looks unhappy about it, "but how about I promise to tell you guys if anything happens again. We'll talk, quietly, to Sensei and work something out, alright?"
"Yeah, that sounds good." Korudo smiles and most of the tension leeches out of the air. "Here, let me cool down your soda for you, to make up for blowing this whole thing up." He adds, grabbing Izuku's soda can and willing his temperature down to colder levels.
"I think Midoriya wants to finish that soda before last period ends," Taketsu says with a cheeky smile that exposes her sharpened teeth. "There's not enough time left in lunch to wait on your slow moving quirk. I'm sure you could find Endeavor's boy and ask him to do it lickity split." Patrick spits out his rice and cackles as he slaps the table.
"And Taketsu gets off a good one yet again! Way to go girl, remind me not to get on your bad side." Patrick hoots even as Korudo's face begins to heat up with anger meaning that Izuku's soda is all but lost. But at least his friendships are intact and that's more important anyway.
XxX
Chiura Hiro likes being able to monitor his homeroom students' gym class. It was the only time he really felt he could see his students as they were. Nothing brings out a person's true feelings like a good old fashioned spar. Hiro watches the students and marvels, not for the first time, how each new class always seems to fall into the same catagories.
For example, there are the small groups who were pretending to fight but were really just gossiping. They were mostly good kids, confident and a bit flighty, but they didn't see the value of the activity and thus didn't put any effort towards it. They'd pass their classes, just barely, and go on to live good but ultimately normal lives.
At least they're better than the ones who aren't even trying to participate and were standing silently on the sidelines. They came from wealthy families, were undoubtedly brilliant but were arrogant and dismissive. They'd excel at Yuuei and go onto fantastic careers without learning a drop of humanity.
Most of the students are hesitantly engaging in the sessions, unsure of themselves and afraid of hurting people but trying none the less. They were the ones with dreams beyond heroes and quirks and would work hard for their individual goals. They'd do well and graduate Yuuei to achieve their dreams and lead happy, fulfilling lives.
Then there are the handful of students who were giving the training more aggression than they needed to. They were the outcasts, the ones held back from their full potential by their own poor attitude. Hiro would be keeping an eye on them in the hopes that structure and guidance can help straighten them out.
Hiro appraises the last group with interest. Every year, the prospective hero students would somehow fall together. Takamitsu hits the ground first with a loud groan. He was a friendly boy, loud and obnoxious, but his dreams of heroism were half-baked at best, more likely a product of his American upbringing. The boy would likely drop his ambitions by the end of the semester.
Korudo falls next with a frustrated grunt. Another boy from a distinguished family who'd probably been told that his quirk, and his family's influence, would see him through only to realize he didn't have the drive and strength to excel like he had in middle school. He was a good kid; he just needed to understand a little bit more about the way the world worked.
Taketsu stumbles but quickly finds her footing again. Hiro hasn't quite figured out her motives yet. She was both strong and fragile at the same time; she had the brains and stubbornness to see her through but not the direction so far as he could tell.
But of all the students in his class, it's Midoriya who has interested him the most by refusing to fit into any one category. Right now, he appears nothing like the boy who'd looked like he wanted to melt into his seat this morning. The young man before him is strong, his well-toned muscles visible through his gym uniform as he parries, dodges and counters every attack thrown his way.
Hiro has seen many boys and girls come through his class, dreaming of heroism, but he's not sure he's ever seen any want it as badly as Midoriya Izuku did. The boy's quirklessness makes his application more difficult, but watching him now, Hiro wouldn't say it's impossible just quite yet.
"Midoriya!" Hiro shouts, grabbing everyone's attention. The boy in question winces and drops out of his stance, as if hearing his name reminded him that he should be timid and meek. Hiro would give anything to have a word with the boy's previous teachers who'd clearly ingrained in him a sense of worthlessness. "Please demonstrate that last move again for the class; that was a very simple but effective takedown, one that would be useful in a variety of situations."
Korudo sighs as he gets back to his feet and repeats his earlier punch. As he had before, Midoriya dodges the initial attack and lunges forward to grab Korudo by the forearm and, bracing his other arm, perform an elegant shoulder toss. Despite knowing what to expect, there wasn't much Korudo could do but hit the mat hard. However, Korudo was barely on the floor before Midoriya is bursting forward with apologies as he helps his friend to his feet.
Strong, smart and kind to a fault, yes, he'd be watching Midoriya's progress with great interest.
"Did you all see what he did? When most people dodge a punch, they leap away to get out of range. But Midoriya went towards his attacker, he made his defense his offense and using it to neutralize his opponent." Hiro nods in the boy's direction, "good work, your martial arts master should be proud." Midoriya flushes but is interrupted before he could launch into any denials.
"Jeez that was incredible, where'd you learn to do that?" Fuyuko asks, jogging over to greet the small group, most of the other students weren't far behind.
"O-oh well I've been training in martial arts for the last year; my master is pretty tough so I had to learn pretty quickly," Midoriya mutters with a shy smile.
"No need to be modest, Midoriya has some kickass Judo moves over here," Takamitsu says as he nearly knocked his friend over with an enthusiastic clap on the back.
"Actually it's Jeet Kune Do with some Aikido mixed in," the green haired boy corrects quietly but it was hard to hear over the mob of students now surrounding him.
Hiro looks at the clock; it's almost time to dismiss the students for the day. Hiro could, probably should, make everyone go back to their partners but he figures a little attention would do Midoriya well. He was skilled and smart enough but confidence was the only Midoriya lacked in his desire to be a hero, especially given the mess during homeroom.
"Alright, let's have a little challenge," Hiro announces, "you all have nice quirks. Who wants to take on Midoriya one on one? He's the only one here with actual training experience despite his lack of a quirk." He grins as several of the students back up and shake their heads. "Your apprehension is understandable in the face of an experienced fighter; that sort of discipline should be respected."
"I'll go," Shinsou says, stepping forward, just as Hiro suspected he would. Hiro could already tell that Shinsou and Midoriya were the two with the greatest ambition, and the ones most likely suited, for Heroics. They could do great things together if Shinsou could get past his deep-seated bitterness and Midoriya could let go of insecurities. A friendly spar might help them bridge that gap.
"I," Midoriya begins nervously before settling more confidently into his stance. "Alright, I'm ready when you are."
"You better be," Shinsou says as he rushes forward aggressively. It was an uncoordinated attack, the result of pent-up frustration. Midoriya was easily able to duck underneath his opponent's wild swing and pop up behind him. He lightly tags Shinsou in the back, more to demonstrate the other boy's weak defenses than to hurt.
"Try being more purposeful with your attack," Midoriya suggests genially. "Also never let your opponent see your back, always keep your weak points guarded."
"I don't need advice from you," Shinsou says through gritted teeth as he runs forward again. This time, his movements are more precise but, again, Midoriya steps around the attack and uses Shinsou's momentum against him, causing the boy to crash into the floor. Shinsou hisses as he pushes himself back up. A few of the students are cheering and Hiro frowns at the dark look on Shinsou's face. This was supposed to be a friendly spar, not a public humiliation.
"You have natural strength and strong drive but you're fighting emotionally," Midoriya says gently. "Try coming at me again, I promise I won't move this time." Hiro understands the sentiment but he suspects that someone as prideful and insecure as Shinsou would not appreciate the well-intentioned comment.
"Stop acting like you're better than me," Shinsou says as he steps forward with his fist raised. Midoriya's frowns with determination and, true to his word, doesn't dodge the punch. Instead, the green haired boy catches the fist easily and twists Shinsou's arm until he falls to one knee in pain.
"Don't leave yourself so open, your punches should be quick, unannounced and then held back at your core to avoid them being used against you," Midoriya says, gently, but firmly. Shinsou struggles valiantly to get out of the hold but Midoriya has a good grip on him. There's still a few minutes left in class but this spar is going to get worse before it gets better.
"Alright boys, that's enough, good work to both of you," Chirura-sensei says, stepping forward. Izuku is more than glad for the opportunity to stop the fight as he quickly releases Shinsou. He didn't want to hurt the other boy but he also didn't want to come across as weak. If he wanted to get anywhere at Yuuei, he couldn't let people think they could walk all over him because he was quirkless. "You are dismissed for the day, I saw some good effort out there today but I expect more in the future. Have a good afternoon, I will see you in the morning."
"Awesome job Midoriya!" One of his classmates says as the group begins to shuffle towards the exit. He catches a few others wave to him as they leave and it makes Izuku feel a bit better; it seems not everyone is out to get him. Shinsou is still on his knees, stretching out the arm Izuku had twisted. Izuku puts out his hand to help him up.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you, I just wanted people to know that I'm serious in my intentions to transfer over to Heroics." Izuku pauses, "I know you're hoping to transfer too. I think we got off to a bad start but I'd like to try and be friends." Even if you did leave a derogatory note on my desk, Izuku thinks bitterly. But he didn't have any proof that Shinsou did that and, besides, heroes were supposed to be better than their emotions.
"Don't be stupid," Shinsou says angrily, ignoring Izuku's outstretched hand to stand up on his own.
"It's not stu-" Izuku freezes, his muscles lock up and a fog comes over his mind. He tries to move, to do anything but he can't so much as twitch his fingers.
"Listen here," Shinsou says, getting close. "Just because you have the advantage right now with your martial arts doesn't mean that you're better qualified to be a hero than me. I've waited a long time for this opportunity and I'm not going to let anyone stand in my way. I'm not looking for friends, if you're really serious about transferring then that makes us rivals. You'd do well to remember that."
"Hey! What's going on over here?" Korudo says, stomping over, causing Shinsou to take a few steps back. Izuku is still stuck in his uncomfortable position, Patrick waves a hand in front of Izuku's face but he can't move. "You think it's funny to use your power on some quirkless kid? I'm sure Sensei would love to hear about your unauthorized quirk use."
Shinsou glares at Korudo for the blatant threat but Korudo is glaring back just as fiercely. The effect was somewhat diminished by the fact that Korudo was so short that he has to stand on his toes just to be eye level with Shinsou. Izuku blinks and comes back to himself, he shakes his head as he's given back control over his body again. He glances over at Shinsou warily who still looks annoyed but not as angry as before.
"We were just talking," Shinsou says before frowning. "I shouldn't have used my quirk though, I do apologize for that. It won't happen again, I promise."
"It's…" Izuku begins, unsure of what to say next because it really wasn't fine but at the same time, he understands that he may have been provoking the other boy. Izuku wasn't the only one with something to prove.
"Oh great, an apology, that means a lot," Korudo says angrily. "While you're at it, why don't you apologize for leaving that note on Midoriya's desk this morning? Let's see you smooth talk your way out of that one." Shinsou's glare darkens.
"Hey, let's all calm down," Taketsu says with a frown as she steps in-between Shinsou and Korudo, presumably before Korudo does something stupid. Izuku looks around to see that there are a few other stragglers hanging out and watching the confrontation. This is so humiliating, it's only the second day of school and twice today he's been defended by his friends for stupid, petty things.
"There's no need to go throwing around false accusations," Taketsu says to Korudo before turning coolly to Shinsou, "unless you have something you'd like to say."
"I don't know why you would think I did that," Shinsou says icily.
"That's a lie," says another voice nearby which shatters the tension between Korudo and Shinsou. Korudo drops back to his feet and Shinsou puts some space between them. One of the students in his class, Nakadai, was standing by the gym door, watching them with narrowed eyes.
Izuku hasn't seen or heard much of him so far, he comes across as being stiff and uncompromising. He was about Izuku's height, maybe a little taller with a shaved head and a skinny build. If Izuku remembers correctly from yesterday; his quirk was the ability to detect lies. Izuku blinks at this realization as his earlier statement becomes clear. He glances in Shinsou's direction who has his face twisted unhappily.
"I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble but I wanted you know that I'm in this to win. I don't intend to lose to some kid who thinks he can become a hero without a quirk." With that said, Shinsou turns and stalks out of the gym giving a brief glare to Nakadai before leaving.
"It's unfortunate to see that Yuuei has dropped its standards to allow a brute such as him to be accepted," Nakadai says to no one in particular before giving Izuku a level glance. "I hold no stake in this; I just despise seeing people use their lies and quirks without consequence. I would watch yourself if I were you," Nakadai nods before leaving the gym himself.
"Jeez," Patrick says, running his hand across his face, "why do we have so many weird, intense people in our class?" Taketsu and Izuku smile a little at that, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood. Korudo is still tense as he glares at the door where Shinsou and Nakadai had left. "Kourdo, man, let it go. Besides, school is over, we should be out doing something fun. What do you say? Anyone up for ice cream sundaes? There's a great place by my dad's house."
"I don't know if I'm really up for that right now," Izuku says softly, still uncomfortable about what had just happened. Just when he thinks he's moving forward it seems someone is trying to keep him down, from Kaachan to Shinsou.
"You're okay though, right?" Taketsu asks with a frown. "He didn't hurt you or anything, did he?"
"No, of course not," Izuku says with a shake of his head. Shinsou really hadn't done anything to him but Korudo, once again, had blown things out of proportion. He kind of wants to say something about but he knows Korudo won't understand and will only take offense. Having friends is hard, he thinks as he rubs at his eyes. "I'm fine really, I just think I should head home now. It's been a crazy day and all."
"Yeah man, whatever you need to do," Patrick grins, giving him a thumbs up. "We do gotta hang out one of these days though."
"Agreed," Korudo says, "we need to forget all this ugliness happened and move on. We still have to find time to train together too," he steps forwards and gives Izuku a friendly shoulder pat. "Have a good night and, remember, you promised to let us know if Shinsou or anyone one starts bothering you again."
"I," don't need your protection or to be treated like a child who can't handle their own problems, "will," Izuku finishes lamely feeling strangely tired. Yesterday had been so good but now Izuku is feeling like he's back in middle school again, eternally stuck being the quirkless loser. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," he says dully as he walks out of the gym.
Izuku changes back into his normal uniform and leaves the school feeling despondent. He hikes his backpack up on his shoulders and picks up his pace. And to think he'd started this day filled with excitement and optimism. Well, day two wasn't the best but not every day could be a winner right? Tomorrow would be better, it had to be.