What is the difference between a Monument and a Pillar? A Monument stands before the sun, casting a wide shadow behind it. It says kindly, 'Come, rest behind me. Enjoy the shade and the breeze, and be at ease.' But it cannot be touched, lest the facade be marred forever.
…
"1.21 kilometers," Aizawa repeated dryly, eyes sweeping over the gathered students, pausing on the one who'd made the throw. "Do you think, rationally, that any of you could make that throw…without your Quirk?" He shook his head. "No. Instead of wasting time with orientation, I will instead use this morning to run you through the standard eight physical tests: 50 Meter Dash, Grip Strength, Standing Long Jump, Repeated Side Steps, Ball Throw, Sit-Ups, Seated Toe Touch and an Endurance Run. You will all be using your Quirks to find your maximum."
"We get to use our Quirks as much as we want?!" Denki shouted happily, turning to Mina and throwing up a hand. "This is gonna be awesome!"
She high-fived it with a grin. "Hell yeah, this'll be fun!"
Izuku winced at the thunderous look that crossed Aizawa's face. "'Awesome?'" he growled, black hair nearly standing on end, "'Fun?' You think you're here, at Yuuei, for fun? How irrational…" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before leveling an ice-cold glare at the students. "Very well, how's this for fun: The student who comes in last place overall will be judged as having zero potential as a Hero…and will thus be expelled immediately."
"Wa-wait a minute!" Toru called shrilly, visibly trembling as she waved her arms, "You c-can't just do that!"
"Can't I?" The thin man asked softly, black eyes boring into where Toru's might be. "Yuuei is well-known for allowing its teachers to teach how they want. If I judge this entire class to be worthless as Heroes…then I'll expel all of you. And it won't bother me at all. Why would it?" His eyes flashed dangerously. "I've done it before. So. Prove to me that you deserve to be here."
Bakugou's fists clenched, teeth grit. I haven't come this far just to let some power-tripping asshole fuckin' kick me out before I…! Her eyes darted over to Izuku, who had drawn himself up, determination burning in his eyes. …Before I do what I need to.
Izuku felt a hand grasp his and glanced down to find that Toru had latched onto him, and he could feel her trembling resonate up his arm. He gave her a comforting squeeze, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "You'll be fine, Toru-chan," he murmured, "Don't worry. You deserve to be here."
He felt her nod and draw a bracing breath.
Aizawa nonchalantly snapped his fingers and a robot with a camera for a head hopped up and scuttled down a length of the track "We will begin with the 50 Meter Dash, in pairs and in order. Aoyama and Ashido, to the line."
Mina stood at the line, shaking her legs out with a determined glare, while Yuga adjusted the belt around his stomach and flipped his hair.
"Ready, set…" The robot announced in a rather high-pitched voice. Then the sound of a pistol shot issued from it.
Mina dashed forward, hands whipping out to spray viscous but non-corrosive acid that she jumped atop, skating above the ground. Yuga turned around, hopped and fired a massive blue laser beam from his stomach, propelling him towards the line. Despite the impressiveness of such a move, he faltered halfway through and hit the ground rolling, jumping back up and firing his laser again. The pink-skinned girl crossed the line first, obviously. "4.63 seconds," the robot announced, then again as Yuga followed. "5.51 seconds."
"Asui, Iida."
Iida rolled up his pant legs, clearing the exhaust pipes on his calves before adjusting his glasses. Tsuyu glanced down at his legs and shook her head, crouching.
"Ready, set…"
There was a muffled roar and a plume of smoke erupted from Iida's engines, bolting down the track so fast he was a blur. Tsuyu leaped like a frog, powerful thighs coiling and uncoiling as she bounded down the track. She was fast, but not as fast as Iida. "3.04 seconds," the robot announced. A few seconds later… "5.58 seconds."
Izuku held out a hand as the two returned and Ochako and Ojiro were called up. "Looks like you're the time to beat, Iida-kun," he congratulated, patting the speedster on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Midoriya-kun. I only wish that I'd had the chance to go past third gear." Iida nodded, smoothing his hair back into place, "Alas, I am not quick enough yet."
"You'll get there," the green-haired teen assured, watching as Ochako ran her heart out and Ojiro launched himself forward with his tail. "Be warned, though, I am gonna want to discuss your Quirk in-depth, Iida-kun."
"I shall endeavor to inform you of the Iida family's grand history, Midoriya-kun," the speedster noted with a proud smile.
"5.49 seconds," the robot announced as Ojiro crossed the line. "7.15 seconds," came a few seconds later as Ochako slowed to a stop, breathing hard.
Izuku pulled the black notebook Himiko had given him and clicked a pen, opening to a blank page, quickly writing down the names and Quirks of his classmates, the ones he knew, anyhow. There was no better way to get data than by observing, after all.
The next few dashes weren't the most impressive, mostly displays of athleticism. Neither Denki nor Eiri's Quirk was particularly suited for speed, and it became clear that the red-haired, muscular girl had paid attention to more than just her weights. Koda and Sato were much the same. Shouji and Kyouka was at least visually interesting, given the disparity in size between the two. The girl with the ear jacks was smaller and lighter, but the multi-armed boy built momentum quickly and overtook her at the end. Sero and Tokoyami was also not much to watch.
Through it all, Izuku made notes and carefully observed every student. "Tsuyu-chan," he muttered to the frog girl, who looked up at him with her wide, dark eyes. "You mentioned your Quirk gave you frog-like capabilities, yes? Does that include a lengthy tongue?" Some frogs had tongues twice the length of their bodies, after all.
She slowly arched an eyebrow. "Rather suspect wording, there."
Iida adjusted his glasses. "Midoriya-kun, now is not the time to proposition our classmates," he warned with an arm chop.
Without looking, Izuku reached over and lightly flicked Iida's ear. "I'm asking about your Quirk," he clarified as the speedster recoiled, rubbing the side of his head.
"I can extend it about twenty meters, ribbit," she explained, letting her tongue hang from her mouth and curling it into shapes. "It has the tensile strength like steel cable, and I've been able to pick up people with it."
He nodded and made a note in his book. "Is it strong enough to pick yourself up?" He asked, peering at her thoughtfully.
Tsuyu put a finger to her chin in thought. "What, you mean like reeling myself in, ribbit? Like a…" She looked at her tongue, eyes narrowed. "Like a grappling hook?"
"Exactly," Izuku turned to the track as Shimo and Toru were called up, "Fifty Meters. You said your tongue extends twenty, so imagine firing…your…tongue," he shrugged. What a weird sentence. "Twenty meters, then reeled in at speed, you would have more momentum compared to your dash. And if you were quick enough, doing it twice in short succession would cover forty meters, leaving only ten to run."
She hummed thoughtfully. "I would have to practice, but yes, I think that would be faster, ribbit." Tsuyu's gaze bored into his eyes. "You think about Quirks a lot, don't you?"
"Always have," he nodded, looking up as the next dash started.
Shimo put her foot down and ice erupted from the contact, rapidly spreading across the track before she stepped forward and pushed off, bent over and gracefully but speedily skating down the track.
"Woah…what a Quirk," Eiri muttered loud enough for the class to hear.
Izuku glanced over at Mina, having guessed that the acid-spewing girl would have something to say based on the similarities between her idea and Shimo's, and he was right. She'd bitten her lip, torn between looking impressed and annoyed. "…That bitch stole my whole flow!" She complained, half-jokingly.
"4.52 seconds," the robot announced as Shimo slid to a stop. Then, "7.23 seconds." Was Toru's time.
Aizawa's gaze flashed over the class. "Bakugou, Midoriya."
Closing his notebook and storing it in his jacket, Izuku stepped away from the other students with the ash-blonde girl in step. "Hope your new fuckin' pals are ready to see you eat dust, Deku," Katsuki muttered under her breath, shooting him a glare from the side of her eye. "How slow are you gonna clomp around in that bulky armor of yours, huh bitch?"
Gazing at her, Izuku was tempted to just ignore her as he'd done for the past eight years. But at Yuuei, with friends and fellow students watching, and the added pressure to succeed in these series of tests…he felt the fires of competition burn in his chest. Lips curling in a challenging smirk, he pulled on the rock in his field, veins of sand racing down and around his body into the form of his upgraded Second Layer. "Let me show you," he murmured, her head whipping around at the sound of his voice, which was akin to a landslide speaking.
As they approached the starting line, Aizawa narrowed his eyes on the armor-clad teen. And again, that's not the armor from the Entrance Exam. It was a rather intimidating design, actually, resembling exposed musculature clinging to bone, but obviously sleek and with the sand-brown coloring and simple helmet, not as graphic as it could be. That's enough. Aizawa tilted his head down and his eyes glowed red.
They had just knelt down when suddenly Izuku hit the ground with a loud crack, lying face down. Katsuki looked over, confused as he lethargically rolled over with a loud grinding noise, a muffled cry coming from inside. Then she heard footsteps and there Aizawa was, black hair floating up, eyes a burning red. "Being so irrational…it really vexes me, Midoriya," he intoned with a slow, crawling drawl. "Do you think, perhaps, that by holding back you're doing everyone else a favor? That by sparing their delicate feelings, you're doing them a kindness? That kind of sacrificial mentality…it angers me."
Katsuki looked down at the struggling figure, mind racing. Deku, holding back? Would he…? She took in the rock armor he was covered with. He's been holding this back for years.
"Do you have nothing to say?" Aizawa asked, eyes narrowing.
The muffled noise had petered out but Izuku had started clawing at his face, stone scraping against stone weakly before his fingers dug in and rock cracked. The front of his helmet gave and it broke apart as he hurled it away, face blue underneath. He sucked in deep breaths, the color coming back to his skin, eyes fluttering closed as he stilled. His breathing evened out, and his eyes snapped open. "Eraser Head," he muttered, face filled with recognition.
Then it twisted into fury.
"What the fuck was that?!" He shouted, throwing himself to his feet with a grinding of rock, teeth bared in a snarl, eyes nearly alight with anger. "You erased my Quirk while I was using it?! I almost suffocated!"
"You were-"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Izuku thundered, most of the gathered students gawping at the display; even Katsuki took a step back. Aizawa glared. It did not intimidate Izuku. He was too angry. "What is your goddamn problem, Eraser Head?!" Izuku spat the name like it was an invective, "If you have an issue with me, say it like a rational fucking adult!"
By the way his brows furrowed, Aizawa did not appreciate being shouted at. "You are holding back, Midoriya," he stated, eyes burning. "That armor is not the same as the one you used to destroy the Zero Pointer. Do not disrespect me, the other students and yourself by keeping yourself from using your full power. It is the height of irrationality."
Izuku stared at him, with such an incredulous and furious look that in any other situation, it might've been funny. At the mention of his armor, he looked down at his body then squinted at the underground Pro Hero. "What?!" He cried, throwing up his hands, "Holding myself- my armor-you-!" He reached up and tore the rest of his rock helmet away with a shout of anger. "Of course this armor is different! The one I used before was designed to maximize strength and durability…at the cost of speed! This armor-!" He pounded his chest with a crack of rock, "Is designed for maximum speed! Which you would've seen if you hadn't Erased IT!"
As his scream echoed and faded, the raw anger nearly bleeding into the sky, the two stared each other down. Izuku's face had gone red, sweat dripping down his forehead as his emerald eyes nearly glowed. Aizawa, for his part, seemed unruffled if not for the scowl and floating hair. Then he blinked, the redness fading from his eyes. "I see," was all he said.
Izuku huffed, his armor rippling and distorting disturbingly. "So, if you're done thinking you know my own Quirk better than me, would you kindly fuck. Off?" With that said, he turned on his heel towards the starting line, done with the conversation.
"Very well, continue your test," Aizawa muttered and strode off, though not without a sharp glare. "We'll speak later."
As they took their positions again, Bakugou gave the armor-clad teen a strange look. There was this strange feeling, somewhere in her chest that was pleasantly warm. Thinking about it made her feel weird and her palms sweaty, which was a good thing. She glanced at him again, noting the shivering and rippling of his stone armor; given the faux-muscular look, it was more than a little creepy. And were those flickers of green?
"Ready, set…" The shot rang out. She threw her hands back, explosions ripping from her palms, rocketing her forward. Her feet hit the ground and she skipped, firing again. And then, on her left, a figure sped by, arms and legs a blur. It may have been the high speeds or the air-rattling detonations, but she could've sworn that every footfall warped the ground.
Izuku's anger had barely cooled as he started down the track. He could feel One For All's energy racing through his veins, burning inside of his heart. Remember, speed, he thought, his fingers twitching. Armor skin shifted to lessen air resistance. Field at the bottom of my feet is tuned to reduce friction. He heard the robot fire off its starting pistol and pushed off as energy roared through his muscles, the track ahead seeming to narrow as he shot off. He could hear Katsuki's explosions ring out beside him, but he paid no attention to them, only leaning forward as his feet hit the ground.
And then it was over.
"3.23 seconds," the robot announced as he skidded to a stop, feeling unsatisfied. The energy pulsing through his veins hadn't been fully expended, and it left him agitated. "4.13 seconds," he heard as Katsuki crossed the line, anger plain on her face.
"Mineta, Yaoyorozu," Aizawa called flatly, dark eyes watching Izuku and Katsuki step off of the track.
Izuku stood apart from the group, just barely refraining from pacing, fists clenching and unclenching. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried to center himself, trying to tamp down on the potent mix of fear and anger boiling inside of him. The darkness behind his eyelids didn't help, though, as all it did was bring to mind the sudden shutdown of his Quirk, the weight surrounding him, the light and air disappearing.
"Deki?"
He glanced over and found Ochako standing next to him, her face downcast and worried. A step behind her was Iida, looking like he was barely holding himself back from either having a seizure or shouting at someone. And further behind them, half of the class seemed torn between looking at them or watching the race.
Not that it was much of one. Momo was a fairly tall, athletic girl who kicked off her shoes and Created a pair of skates. Mineta was less than four feet tall.
"Yeah?" Izuku asked shortly, sighing.
"A-are you okay? That was kinda…out of character, for you," she pointed out gently, before shrugging, "I mean, it was kinda cool seeing you shout at the teacher after he told us he'd expel one of us, but, uh…you sounded kinda rough."
"Do you know who Eraser Head is?" he asked in reply, nodding towards the teacher. "An Underground Pro Hero, known for his Quirk, which erases other Quirks. He erased my Quirk while I was in my armor…my Second Layer, designed to maximize speed. It weighs over three hundred pounds."
Ochako winced and grabbed his hand. "That must've hurt." The pads on her fingers were textured differently from the rest of her skin. They felt nice rubbing his knuckles.
"Physically?" he shrugged almost carelessly, then looked up at the sky, his eyes losing some of their sparkle. "…Imagine you have a favorite blanket. You've had it since you can remember. You know every part of that blanket; how it smells, how it seems to wrap around you like a hug from your parents. Even with the mere thought of it, you can feel its softness on your fingers. Then, one night, just as you're about to fall asleep, it comes to life and tries to strangle you. You fight and struggle and nearly black out before tearing it away, only to find out someone else had been using it to hurt you. Even if you know it wasn't the blanket that tried to murder you…you just can't quite trust it anymore."
"The 50 Meter Dash has been completed," Aizawa announced, "Grip Strength is next. Into the gym."
The class followed after him, a tense silence hanging over them like a storm cloud. It was especially hard on Mineta and Toru, who'd gotten the worst times.
"Midoriya-kun, are you going to be alright?" Iida asked softly, "If you wish to lodge a complaint against Aizawa-sensei, I don't think many would blame you."
"No," Izuku shook his head, bringing up his hand, sand swirling in his palm. "I'm tempted, but no. Fear is only fuel, and the fear of death is the most potent. I'll use it to shove his words back in his face."
Ochako shrugged, still holding his hand. "I think you mighta done that with your time in the Dash. Only Iida-kun was faster than you."
He nodded, eyes taking in the rather plain gym and a table covered in devices. "It's a start. Though…" Izuku shook his head and sighed. "I just know I'm going to have nightmares about it…"
With that, the devices were handed out to the class. Simple in form if not in function, there was a screen and a bar that would fit a very large hand; they were to grip it as hard as they could with their Quirks.
There were only a few of the grip-measuring devices, though, so the students gathered into little groups, watching each other measure their strength before passing it around. To be honest, most of their scores weren't all that impressive. Shouji set the high mark by duplicating his hand twice, though Sero wrapping his tape around the handle and pulling was pretty smart, as was Momo Creating a vice. Sato and Koda, being muscular lads, also scored rather well.
"Damn," Ochako muttered, grimacing at her score before passing the device on to Eiri. "Here, Eiri-chan, your turn. Maybe I should find one of those grip things and find some time to uh, heh, squeeze in some workouts." She stuck her tongue at Mina as she booed.
"I find doing homework is a good time to do so," Izuku commented, idly stretching his fingers as he watched and waited for his turn. "Studying and working out combined are a good way to save time and to sharpen your focus."
Eiri's hand and arm Hardened, her teeth grit as she squeezed the grip, her knuckles cracking from the effort. The device beeped and the screen read '121.07 kg.' "Alright, look at my score! Manly!" It was, in fact, the third highest score. Nowhere near Shouji's 540 kg, or Momo's vice-powered 478 kg, but higher than everyone else.
"Whoa! Nice one, Eirishima!" Mina cheered and gave her friend a high five as some of the other students clapped and threw their own comments in. "Alright, my turn!" She grabbed the device and started squeezing, tongue poking out of her mouth, eyes narrowed in concentration. It beeped. 45.03 kg. "…Ah crap," she muttered, rubbing her neck. It was only one point above Ochako's score. "How the hell am I supposed to use acid to make my grip strength better?"
"How am I supposed to use Zero Gravity to grip harder?" Ochako shrugged as the pink-skinned girl passed the device to Izuku. "Some of these tests really don't need us to use our Quirks…"
Mina shook her head, fluffy pink hair rustling as she grinned. "Ah well, you know most guys prefer girls with softer grips, you know?" She chuckled as the gravity girl and Eiri blushed. "But girls like guys with some finger strength, if you get what I'm…sayin'..." She squinted. "Uh, Midori? What's up with your hands?"
Izuku glanced at her then at his hands. His calloused, scarred, white-nailed hand. "What about them?"
Ochako had noticed his hand had felt rough when she grabbed it earlier, but she'd thought it was because of his armor. "Deki…how'd you get 'em like that?" She looked at her own hands; while not manicured, the nails were trimmed and the cuticles neat.
"I punch trees." He shrugged, before pausing. "No, wait. I used to punch trees. They kept breaking, though, so I started using rock pillars."
The girls traded looks, silently communicating with their faces.
Izuku gripped the device, rock armor forming around his limb before he squeezed, the number climbing up. Good to know, he thought, before using the rock around the grip to create a cylinder. Then, with a slight furrowing of his brow, he closed the cylinder.
The sudden shrieking of metal drew the eye of everyone in the room, every head turning to the source of the noise. They saw him focusing on the device, then the numbers blurring as they shot up and up until they were maxed out, the last decimal flickering between '999.99 kg' and '999.98 kg.' Izuku noticed them staring and held it out so they could see the screen clearly. His eyes flickered over to Aizawa, who blinked.
Katsuki, who had been watching, had a vein bulging in her forehead as unconsciously squeezed the crap out of the device in her hands; so hard she sparked her Quirk. A muffled boom later and it was on the floor in pieces.
"That's a zero," the teacher called blandly.
"FUCK!"
The worst part was that, since her score was a zero, it put her directly below Mineta and Toru, who'd both had a poor showing once again.
"Next, the Standing Long Jump."
The next test was pretty unimpressive. The Highlights: Yuga using his navel laser to propel himself clear over the sandbox, without falling halfway that time. Mina nearly cleared it with pure athleticism alone. Tsuyu did it with ease. Tenya did well, but lamented the lack of a run-up. Ochako used her Quirk on herself at the moment of her jump, floating through the air rather gracefully, even though she was completely green and dizzy by the time she reached the other side. Ojiro launched himself with his tail and cleared it with no problem. Denki got a little more than halfway. Eiri did, in fact, clear the sandbox with athleticism alone. Koda made it more than halfway, as did Sato. Shouji duplicated his arms and used them to throw himself over the pit. Kyouka made it less than halfway. Sero made it more than halfway, getting a bit more distance by shooting tape from his elbows at the height of his jump, pulling himself farther along. Tokoyami; more than halfway, but barely.
Shimo definitely had the most interesting method; she sent ice spreading across the ground, over to the other side of the sandbox that formed into a ramp. Then, a miniature glacier burst into existence beneath her feet, sending her flying into the air; only for her to land on the ramp and slide safely down. Toru made it halfway. Bakugou launched herself into the air with explosions from her hands, then used another to easily clear the sandbox. Izuku formed his Second Layer and jumped, the ground cracking underneath his feet as he landed on the other side. Unfortunately for Mineta, he was still less than four feet tall. Momo, for her part, opened her shirt and Created a springboard that she bounced off, hitting the other side of the sandbox in a roll.
Things were not looking good for Mineta.
But they definitely got better when the next test was Repeated Side Steps; he placed two clumps of his head balls on either side of the lines they were stepping over, easily racking up nearly a hundred back and forth in the time limit. His only real competition in that sector was Bakugou, who repeatedly blasted herself back and forth; Mina, who made a slippery trail of acid and slid on it; Iida, who was just that fast; Ojiro, springing off of his tail; Shouji, who was just that tall; Kyouka anchored herself with her jacks on either side, pulling herself back and forth, though she was rubbing her ears afterwards; Sero, who copied her idea with his tape; and Shimo, who once again stole Mina's whole flow with ice; and Izuku, who used his field to reduce the friction under his feet.
Things were now looking very bad for Toru, and they did not get better with the next test, the Ball Throw.
"Watch me sparkle!" Yuga announced as he wound up then let the ball fly. As it started to arc down, he thrust his hips and fired his laser, the beam glancing off of the ball and sending it back up. He hit it once more, adding more range, but he missed a third time. "Honhon, see?! Such a strong, beautiful Quirk!"
"328 meters," Aizawa announced.
Tsuyu came next, and had her own way of throwing the ball. She clutched the ball with the end of her tongue, then swung it around her head and released it with a snap.
"253 meters."
Iida stepped up with the ball in hand, brows furrowed in consternation. He lifted a foot and made to step back.
"Stay in the circle or get zero." Aizawa's voice warned, the man himself not even looking up from his tablet.
The speedster grunted, eyes tracing out the circle he stood in. It definitely wasn't large enough for him to run around in. "Hmm…I should try spinning, that's a good trick," he muttered loud enough for his voice to carry. Contorting his legs, his engines spit smoke before he started to spin in a tight circle, moving so fast with his arm out it seemed like he might lift off. Then he threw the ball.
"567 meters."
"Excellent," Iida muttered, chopping a hand into his palm triumphantly, lifting a foot before instantly falling onto his back with a groan. "I don't feel so good…"
Izuku shook his head and jogged up the downed speedster, grabbing him by the arm and hauling him up. "Come on, Iida-kun this is no time to be laying around," he chided jokingly, guiding him back to the sidelines.
"Ah, Midoriya-kun, I appreciate your assistance, but it is unneeded." He blinked hard then squinted at the other students. "…Ah. Our class seems to have forty students in it. I see your point."
With the speedster out of the way, it was Ochako's turn. Her solution was as simple as it was elegant. All she did was use her Quirk to remove the gravity from the ball, then lightly toss it up. It then proceeded to float upwards until it was a speck and then, completely gone.
They looked at Aizawa. "Infinity," he shrugged.
Ochako let out a cheer before skipping back to the class, trading high-fives with Eiri, Mina and Izuku while Iida merely saluted respectfully.
Like most of the test, Ojiro used his tail, tossing the ball up before slapping it down the range.
"404 meters."
Denki's Quirk was not at all suited to throwing balls.
"32 meters."
Eiri Hardened her entire body as she drew her arm back, her fingers digging into the metal surface of the ball before she hurled it with a roar.
"69 meters."
"Nice!" Mina cheered, making the muscular girl slap a hand to her face.
"Nice!" Denki echoed, clapping.
"Nice!" Sero called with a grin.
"Nice!" Sato laughed.
"Nice!" Toru giggled.
Mineta also giggled.
"Enough!" Aizawa glared, eyes flaring, hair spiking. "Koda."
As Eiri returned to the sidelines, standing next to Izuku with embarrassment on her face, he leaned over and whispered, "Nice," grinning as she face palmed then punched him on the arm.
"46 meters."
They'd been so busy teasing her they'd missed Koda's throw.
Sato stepped up and threw.
"502 meters."
Next was Shouji.
"568 meters."
Kyouka stepped up, lips already set in a frown, and didn't use her Quirk at all.
"30 meters."
Sero was next, attaching the ball to the end of the tape coming from his elbow and slinging it down.
"100 meters."
When Tokoyami stepped up to the circle, ball in hand, he proceeded to drop it onto his shadow, which writhed and billowed outward in the shape of a bird made of pure darkness with glowing yellow eyes. "Dark Shadow, throw it," he stated simply. With a barked "Aiyo!" the big shadow bird wound up and threw it.
"257 meters."
Then it was Shimo's turn and Izuku was not afraid to admit that he was interested to see how the dual-colored girl would use her Quirk for that test. She didn't disappoint, tossing the ball up and stomping her foot, a massive pillar of ice erupting forth to carry it into the air.
"602 meters."
"She's very creative with her usage of her Quirk," Izuku muttered, taking notes in his notebook.
"Indeed," Iida nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Her ability with ice is most impressive."
It was then Toru's turn. The ball shook in her invisible hand as she cocked her arm back and threw it with a desperate shout.
"50 meters."
Toru slumped in relief and stumbled out of the circle, stopping next to Izuku and leaning her head against his shoulder. A little surprised, he rubbed her back comfortingly.
Katsuki stepped up with a furrowed brow, tucking the ball under her arm as she rubbed her hands together. She cupped her palms with the ball between them and pulled her arms back to her side like an ancient anime character. And much like said character, her hands began to glow and crackle. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Izuku's eyebrows perk in surprise. That's right, fuckin' Deku, you aren't the only one with some secrets! WITNESS ME! "DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" She roared at the top of lungs, the air darkening as explosive power burst to life in her hands.
A cloud of smoke covered her, the smoking sphere of the ball sailing into the distance. "1 kilometer," Aizawa announced.
Bakugou, with her head thrown back proudly, strode back over to the group of students. "Yo man, that was manly!" Eiri threw her hand up. "High five!"
She was once again ignored as Katsuki glared at Izuku, the message clear in her eyes. I'll catch up to you real quick, Deku.
"Not as manly as Izuku, though," Mina pointed out, relishing in the ruby-eyed glare she was sent. "And definitely not as manly as Urara-chan!" Ochako blushed as the horned-girl threw an arm around her shoulders.
Since Izuku had been the one to start it off, it was then Mineta's turn. He was very aware he wasn't suited for the task at hand.
"25 meters."
And then, finally, it was Momo's turn. She stood in the circle, eyeing the ball critically before unzipping her jacket and pulling her shirt up to reveal her stomach. In a flash of blue and pink, a large iron cannon was sitting next to her, which she adjusted to aim higher before loading the ball inside. She covered her ears and fired the ball in a plume of smoke.
"2.89 kilometers," Aizawa announced, though if he was as impressed as the rest of the class, he didn't show it. "Next test: Sit Ups. Back to the gym."
"Man, Yaomomo, you got the second highest distance!" Mina cheered, Eiri chiming in with an enthusiastic 'Manly!' "But I'm gonna be honest, I'm not gonna count it 'cause your Quirk is B.S."
Momo frowned slightly, tilting her head. "Oh, my apologies," she murmured, tapping her chin in thought.
"Oh I don't mean it like that Yaomomo," the horned girl commented, nudging her playfully, "There really isn't anything you can't do with your Quirk, is there?"
"There are plenty of things I cannot Create, Mina-san," Momo shook her head humbly, "Though I endeavor to cover my weakness, there are many I simply couldn't handle."
Behind them, Izuku ducked and stuck his arm into the barrel of the cannon, feeling around. Nodding to himself, he scribbled something into his notebook and followed after the class.
The setup for the Sit-Up test was simple. The class was split in half and paired off. Half would lie down while the other half would hold their feet so they could do their sit-ups while they counted how many they could do in a minute. Then they would switch.
And, well…they did sit-ups. And there was only one person in the entire class who had a Quirk that would allow them to do sit-ups easier; Izuku.
Who didn't need help.
Smoothly and quickly sitting up and laying down, Izuku wore an incredibly bored expression as Ochako, who was holding his legs, stared at him, open-mouthed and pink-cheeked.
"Number?" Aizawa asked boredly.
The gravity girl blinked and looked up at the teacher, thinking. "Oh, uh…one hundred and twenty?" Denki and Eiri, to their left, had their eyebrows nearly lifting off from their foreheads. Yuga and Iida, to their right, wore similar expressions.
"Are you asking or reporting?" Eraser Head questioned.
"One hundred and twenty," Ochako repeated firmly.
"Switch."
Izuku had the audacity to sigh loudly as he switched places, muttering to himself, "Not even a light workout…" He held Ochako's feet and gave her an encouraging smile. "Come on, Ochako-chan, reach deep and focus on your breathing."
By the end, his score was the highest, the second being Bakugou with ninety-nine sit-ups and Eiri with ninety-eight.
"Seated Toe-Touch."
Another test where Quirks didn't matter.
"You think this might be a bit unfair for the boys?" Mina asked, casually pushing the measuring stick out beyond her feet, looking over to the side where Shimo was much the same. Eiri though, was having a bit of trouble, straining to get her fingers beyond her toes. "And Eirishima, to. Being manly has its drawbacks, don't it?"
"I'll say," Izuku agreed, "You should see how flexible Himiko is. I think if she didn't want to be a Hero, she could easily be an acrobat or a ballerina."
The horned-girl couldn't help but be surprised at the sight of him with his chest touching the ground, the boy nearly folded in half.
He caught her eye and shrugged. "Flexibility is important to a Hero," he said simply, tapping his fingers on the floor. "Himiko and I do yoga."
Mina blinked, images rushing through her mind. Himi-chan in yoga pants…Midori in yoga pants…all sweaty and contorted…She licked her lips subtly. "You know, I've always wanted to get into that kinda stuff, and Eiri needs it, so…next time you guys are doing it, can we come with?"
Izuku gave her a bright smile. "Sure! We'd love to have a couple more people workout with us. We could even do some of the partner poses!"
"Promises, promises," she murmured, face hot.
"Finally," Aizawa announced after they were allowed to get a drink, leading them back out onto the track. "The Endurance Run. Run around this track for however long you can last using your Quirks and your physical capabilities. Begin."
The sound of so many footfalls could've been mistaken for weak rolling thunder as the group of twenty trundled around the track. They traded light conversation as they went, but before too long the beating sun, the heat rolling off of the concrete buffeted only by the occasional breeze, and the physical toll began to show. Kyouka was the first to drop off, nearly tripping over her feet before shuffling off of the track, panting. Denki was next, his spiky blonde hair sticking to his skull.
Mineta was the next to fall, but to his credit he crawled on his hands and knees before having to be carried away. Then Toru tripped and fell, nearly taking out Ojiro if he hadn't hopped over her. A bit later, Sero called it quits.
The sun crawled high into the sky, and more dropped out. First Koda fell out, then Tokoyami, swiftly followed by Yuga and then, minutes later, Ochako. Then, Sato and eventually Shouji. Some time later, Ojiro stumbled off, panting hard and tail limp.
Those who were left had their methods of getting around: Tsuyu would drop to all fours and hop. Shimo had created a track of ice that she skated on top of; ironically enough, Mina had jumped on behind her to steal her flow back. Iida was a speedster from a family of speedsters. Momo had once again opened her jacket, this time to create a solar-powered scooter that she'd been riding on the whole run.
Katsuki had lung capacity, as well as a very demanding runner of a mother.
And then there was Izuku. He ran alongside Momo's scooter with a peaceful smile and despite a few beads of sweat, looked fresh as a daisy. "Excuse me, Momo-san, I hope it isn't too presumptive of me to offer some criticism of your Quirk usage," he said casually.
"Of course not, Izuku-san, I would welcome any advice," she nodded, still retaining her poise and posture even while riding a scooter. "And if you would not mind, I would like to ask you some questions as well."
"A discourse, of course," he agreed with a smile, and they shared a chuckle as he retrieved his notebook. "So, I noticed that the cannon you Created for the Ball Throw was a smoothbore, Momo-san. Though your, well, throw had the second longest distance, if the barrel of the cannon had been rifled it would've increased the distance by a magnitude. And even more so if said cannon was magnetically rail-accelerated."
Momo tapped her chin, eyes narrowing. "Ah, yes, the spin would've increased the velocity. My thanks, Izuku-san, for bringing that to my attention. Now, a question from me."
"Go ahead." Behind them, Tsuyu finally gave in and slowed to a stop, doubled over and panting.
She looked him over, noticing both the seeming lack of effort and the absence of any armor upon his person. "Why aren't you using your Quirk? Or, are you using it in a subtle way?"
Izuku blinked at her, confusion writ plain on his features. "My Quirk? What do you…" His eyes widened in realization. "Oh. Oh, right, I forgot. I just started running and fell into my usual routine." Shaking his head, tendrils of liquid rock snaked from under his gym uniform and wrapped around his limbs, cushioning the joints and supporting his spine, but nothing more.
Momo noted the absence of weight upon his person and the way he almost seemed to bounce with every step. "Again, Izuku-san, may I ask what you mean by your 'usual routine?' Would I be correct to assume that you mean your training regimen?"
Iida, hair plastered to his forehead with sweat and glasses slightly askew, jogged up beside them. "I, too, would like to know, Midoriya-kun," he wiped his forehead, arms and legs pumping steadily. "I cannot help but feel that the pride of the Iida family may be threatened."
Izuku's smile had grown to blinding proportions and without a word he suddenly took off in a sprint, metaphorically leaving them in the dust as he raced around the track, waving brightly to Mina and Shimo as he passed them and playfully sticking his tongue out at Bakugou, who had resorted to skipping and firing miniature explosions from her hands. He caught back up with Iida and Momo before they'd done half a lap.
"Sorry to ignore you like that," he commented, besides a bit more sweat and breathing a little harder, he looked about as casual as he had before. "You asked me about my training regimen, right? The very beginning would be the weights I wear, all day everyday except for Sunday, as those are rest days." Izuku unzipped his jacket and pulled the tank top he wore underneath up, showing them the bands of opaque glass wrapped around his abdomen. "I'm up to 75 kilograms, now."
"...Excuse me if I'm missing something, Midoriya-kun," Iida started, his face beginning to turn red from exertion. "But isn't your Quirk controlling rocks?"
"It's called Rock Field. I have absolute control of all rocks and minerals within a two-inch telekinetic field around my body," he explained, holding out an arm to show them the rock armor wrapped around the limb, pieces separating, floating around in his field and spinning at high speeds before melding seamlessly back together. Then, with his hand out, sand spun on his palm before forming into a two-inch round orb that, with a flex of his field, compacted into a marble. "I compact rock, or, usually, glass, into weight bands that I secure on my body before withdrawing my field, so I feel the full weight."
"That is…" Momo looked away from his abdomen with pink cheeks, "Admirable dedication, Izuku-san."
"Indeed, perhaps I should investigate using weights myself," Iida added, looking thoughtful.
Izuku arched an eyebrow at them. "That's just the weight I wear, not my routine. Every weekday I do a light workout, consisting of a six mile run, then two hours of calisthenics, studying and then martial arts practice, sparring, then yoga followed by a six mile run back." He thought back. "I would do a few hours of strength and weight training after school, though I'll have to use a gym since the beach is clean."
"If you are amenable to the idea, I would like to join you in your morning runs while we are at Yuuei," the speedster offered, licking his lips as he eyed the sitting students on the side of the track, relaxing with bottles of water. "That is similar to my own regimen, and I would quite enjoy the company."
The green-haired teen nodded with a grin. "I would like that very much, Iida-kun. Himiko and I would appreciate more company when we exercise. Anyhow, on Fridays I meet up with Yu-senpai for grapple practice, and Saturdays are high-intensity workout days. That includes a thirteen-mile run, then six hours of sparring, martial studies and kni-more sparring, conditioning, underwater training, balance training, focus training, Quirk training, meditation and then another thirteen-mile run." He narrowed his eyes in thought. "Perhaps I should add another mile, I have acclimated to the increased weight already…"
Momo withheld a yelp as she lost her grip on the handlebars of her scooter, snatching at them and righting herself before she fell. Iida did, in fact, trip over his feet but rolled into the fall and sprang back up. "A-and you do all of this while wearing seventy-five kilograms of weight?" The creating girl asked faintly, her eyes flickering.
"Yup," Izuku nodded, adding a second later, "Himiko usually gets tired halfway through the running, though, so I typically carry her on my back for a while. She wears weights, too."
Iida looked at Momo, who seemed just as nonplussed at the geo-kinetic's nonchalance as he was. "…And how long have you been doing this?" He was hesitant to ask.
"Nearly eight years, though I had to wait for puberty before I could really get serious about my training," the green-haired teen relayed with a bob of his head.
Mina slipped on the ice trail and crashed to the ground, rolling. With a groan, she pushed herself up then yelped as Momo circled around her right while Iida went left, and Izuku hopped over her with a bright, "Excuse me!"
"Apologies for the implication, Midoriya-kun, but…" Iida paused, unsure of how to word his thoughts as Katsuki fell on her face and skidded to a stop, cursing but not at her normal volume. "Are you…perhaps, short of a marble?"
Izuku glanced at him, swiftly forming a marble of sand on his arm that he made hover above his skin and dance. "Nope," he replied, before turning to face them fully. "It's like Yuuei and All Might say:" The shadows darkened over his eyes and he grinned broadly at them. "If you're going to be a Hero, you must go beyond the edges of sanity! Plus Ultra!" At that moment, he resembled nothing more than a green-haired, freckled young All Might.
Momo and Iida stared. …Is he All Might's kid? Was their shared thought. There's no way…
Ignorant to their thoughts, Izuku was peering intently at the marble levitating, then his eyes narrowed. Levitating rock over my skin…can I do the reverse? He looked around at the students off to the side, noting the furious glare of a certain volatile ash-blonde. Katsuki's already out, so if I flub this then I already beat her. Experimenting with the process, he started pushing the field from his feet against the ground, the sudden loss of friction nearly taking his legs out from under him. Okay, maybe a wider area…and maybe like a mag-lev train…
Taking a chance, Izuku covered the back of his lower body in rock before taking a dive, rolling onto his butt before pushing against the ground. Though it was shaky and rather slow, he was, in fact, levitating off of the ground. Crossing his legs and focusing on his field, he imagined it like a tank tread, constantly circling around an invisible wheel and soon enough, he was moving at his previous pace.
Looking at the two surprised students, he smiled sheepishly. "I thought of something," he said weakly, now traveling at speed with barely any physical effort.
"How are you doing that?" Momo asked, peering at the two or so inches of empty space beneath his lower body. "Is it, perhaps, similar to the mag-lev trains we use?"
"Exactly so, Momo-san," Izuku nodded with an impressed smile. "I've told you of my training, so perhaps you would like to share yours?"
"Mm," she gave an agreeable hum before flicking her wrist, a round wooden doll popping into existence in her palm. "Ever since I became aware of my Quirk, the very first thing I ever learned to Create was my favorite Mastrokya Dolls. They seem simple on the surface, simply wood and paint, but underneath they're layered with complexity as they become smaller and smaller. Eventually, after much, much practice, I learned to Create them flawlessly."
Shimo skidded to a stop, bent double and panting, though oddly enough also shivering with frost creeping her legs.
Realizing he was now in third, and aware of just how much less effort the other two were using, Iida decided to bow out. "E-excuse me," he panted, slowing to a jog, "I'm a-afraid I must stop soon. Excellent…" He exhaled heavily, "Excellent use of your Quirks…I wish to speak of them further…when I can breathe…"
Izuku and Momo waved, then returned to their conversation. "So what made you decide to become a Hero, Momo-san?" He asked interestedly, "I mean no offense when I say that a woman with your Quirk and your looks could become anything, so why join the most dangerous career in the world?"
She bit her lip with uncertainty. "None taken, Izuku-san, it's just, well…" She brushed her loose hair away from her face and adjusted her posture, "I come from a family of Heroes as well as means. Before my Quirk even manifested, it was sort of destined, you might say, that I'd become involved in the Hero society. When I learned how to Create, though, all roads led to it. I suppose I somewhat resented it; I could Create anything, sure, but following in family footsteps just because it was expected didn't sit right. But then…" Her eyes gazed into the distance, glazing slightly.
After a minute, Izuku reached over and lightly twisted the handlebars, keeping her on the track. "Momo-san?"
Momo blinked and lightly shook her head, cheeks slightly pink. "Ah, sorry, it's just…such a small, simple thing. I was walking through the park after school, thinking over what assignment I was going to do first…when I heard someone crying."
Izuku couldn't help but flashback to that day, when he'd found Himiko huddled under their tree.
"It was a little boy, with a broken toy. He'd been running around with his friend, tripped and snapped it in half when he fell. His friend was trying to comfort him over this broken toy, an All Might action figure, just like the o-one-'' she cleared her throat quickly, eyes darting away, "-I'd, ahem, seen all over. Then his friend, this cute little girl, saw me and ran up, holding the toy and asking if 'onee-san' could fix it. Her big eyes, watering and pleading and I just…knew I had to help. But…I couldn't fix it. I could Create a new one, but there was a crying child and another child about to cry, and I may have…panicked, slightly."
He nodded in understanding. He easily remembered how he and Katsuki had been like as children. Troublesome would've been an understatement.
"I needed something to distract them, and the first thing that sprung to mind…" She held up the mastrokya doll, smiling gently at it. "They were so impressed by the light…I gave them the dolls and tried to remember how that kind of plastic is arranged. When I Created a new action figure and showed them, the looks on their faces…it was like a spark lit inside of me…" She rested her hand on her chest. "That spark blossomed into the fires of realization: I am powerful…and I can help."
Izuku looked upon the girl on the scooter with new respect. To find the call to heroism in helping small children…well, that was just adorable.
Momo noticed his look and flushed, glancing. "I-I know it may seem silly-"
"Not at all, Momo-san," he interjected quickly, "It's not silly at all. I think it might be one of the most wholesome things I've ever heard."
She smiled and brushed her hair back. "I appreciate that, Izuku-san."
Aizawa checked the time on the tablet and noticed that over an hour had passed since the Endurance Run had begun, to the point that the rest of the students were all sitting around, looking very bored as they chatted. "Alright, I'm calling this a tie," he announced. With Yaoyorozu's solar-powered scooter and Izuku's floating bullshit, the only way to see who could truly last longer was to either nix the Quirk usage or wait for sunset. "The Tests have been completed. I hope you haven't forgotten the consequences of being the lowest score," he drawled, expression dark.
The relaxed, bored atmosphere vanished like smoke in the wind. Momo dismounted her scooter as Izuku climbed to his feet, the two joining the rest of the class as Aizawa tallied up the results on his tablet. I really hope the whole 'expelling the lowest score' was some kind of ruse or something to make us use our fullest abilities. He thought, eyes narrowing on the teacher.
"The results are as follows:" Aizawa's dark eyes flickered over the class, taking them in. "In first place…Midoriya. And, narrowly, in second place is Yaoyorozu. Third, Todoroki. Fourth, Iida. Fifth, Bakugou." He easily ignored the volatile blonde's fuming and muttered curses. "Sixth, Tokoyami. Seventh, Shouji. Eighth, Ojiro. Nineth, Kirishima. Tenth, Ashido. Eleventh, Uraraka. Twelfth, Koda. Thirteenth, Sato, Fourteenth, Asui. Fifteenth, Aoyama. Sixteenth, Sero. Seventeenth, Kaminari. Eighteenth, Jiro. Nineteenth…"
The students tried to resist the urge to look at the two who'd been at the bottom for the whole day; only a few managed.
"Hagakure."
The invisible girl exhaled loudly, nearly slumping to the ground in relief if Ochako hadn't been right next to her. And then every eye turned to the shortest of the group, each individual purple ball jiggling as he trembled, one clutched between his hands as he anxiously gnawed on it.
"Twentieth…Mineta." Aizawa's dark eyes fixed on the short boy, his face unreadable. The silence hung like a guillotine, blade freshly sharpened and gleaming. It was, perhaps, cruel to let such a moment settle its weight on their shoulders, but he saw the shaking, he'd seen the results with his own eyes. He was not ready. And there was the transfer to think about. And so… "Go pack your things. You're expelled from the Hero Course."
Mineta fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. He looked desperately to the others for some sort of help, but there was nothing they could do. His sobs echoed over the silent track.
"Aizawa-sensei!" Izuku stepped forward, face a picture of determination. "I volunteer-!"
"'-to take Mineta's place?'" Aizawa cut in sardonically, "Or perhaps to forfeit?" His face fell into a scowl, eyes nearly glowing, hair spiking but Quirk not quite activating. "Perhaps you didn't hear me before, Midoriya…that sort of self-sacrificing mentality is the height of irrationality. It vexes me. Greatly." He blinked. "In any case, your 'volunteering' is denied. Mineta, go pack up your room…and report to the Gen. Ed Dorms."
The short boy paused in his crying, breath hitching. "W-what?" He asked with a painful sort of hope. "Y-you mean…"
"I said the lowest score would be expelled," the Underground Pro Hero said, the barest hint of smirk tugging at his lips. "I don't recall ever saying it would be from Yuuei itself."
Mineta breathed a sigh of relief, and though still sad, the rest of the class felt it as well.
Except for one. "Yes, a logical ruse to push us to do our best," Momo nodded as if she'd known all along. At the surprised looks she was receiving, she blinked. "Ah, why is that surprising? Perhaps I should've mentioned it earlier…"
"Yaomomo's a smart one, no doubt!" Mina cheered, freely smiling now that the pressure was gone. "I don't know about you guys, but I could use a shower!" She nudged Izuku in the side, waggling her eyebrows. "You know?"
Aizawa opened his mouth to dismiss them when a voice called out. "Is this 1-A?"
The class, now down a student, turned to find a girl in the standard uniform standing near the track, looking confused. And she, swiftly, was not the only one who became confused.
Because it was Himiko.
"This is, yes," the teacher said, arching an eyebrow. "Do you need something?"
Himiko held up a piece of paper and pointed at it. "It says I'm supposed to be in this class, even though the letter I got with the dorm information said I was in 1-B. Apparently it was some sort of mix-up but we only realized when we were sitting down that there weren't enough seats for everyone, so I met with the principal and he told me to go to this class, but when I got there it was empty and I've been searching around the whole day." She shrugged. "I kinda came this way randomly and saw some people and thought I'd ask directions."
Aizawa blinked, then shrugged. "Okay. Class is dismissed for the day."
"What?!" Mineta shouted, eyes wild, "You aren't gonna make her run around and jump and squeeze the thing or throw a ball or a-all those tests?!"
"No." The short boy's jaw fell open. "It would be irrational to keep everyone here just for one person. Now go change and head for the dorm." His hand shot out, finger descending like the spear of judgement on Izuku. "Midoriya, stay behind."
Shrugging, Himiko followed after the other girls as they headed towards the locker room, but not before giving him a curious look. He mouthed 'later.' She nudged Mina in the side. "Mina-chan, why's Izuku staying?" She asked, throwing an arm around the horned-girls' shoulder.
"Prolly 'cause he cursed the teacher out at the top of his lungs," Mina replied casually.
"…He did what?!"
Izuku scratched his cheek sheepishly before it faded and he locked eyes with Aizawa, the two standing apart as the rest of the class shuffled off until it was only the two of them alone on the track. The wind whistled, tugging at the teacher's scarf and at the hem of his sleeves, over the cracked and pitted concrete and Momo's forgotten cannon.
The silence built and billowed, suffocating and stifling until…
"Midoriya," Aizawa said, not quite as toneless or flat as other times. "I apologize."
Izuku blinked. "…What?"
Eraser Head scratched his chin. "I said I apologize, Midoriya. It's only rational for one to make apologies after wronging another. Erasing your Quirk as I did was out of line and based on assumption, and I certainly didn't mean to cause you such intense distress. It was wrong of me."
The geo-kinetic teen ran a hand through his hair, thinking. Alright, not what I expected. "I…accept your apology?" He hadn't meant for it to come out as a question.
"Good." Then the teacher's eyes sharpened. "That being said, your reaction, while understandable, cannot happen again. I am your sensei, Midoriya, and while you may not respect me, nor will I demand it, you cannot be disrespecting my authority in front of the class. Do you understand me?"
Izuku nodded, then bowed stiffly. "I apologize as well, Aizawa-sensei. I should not have shouted or sworn at you as I did, and I am sorry for my actions." He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "It's just…I-I was-" It was all too vivid; the sudden weight, the crushing darkness, the straining of his lungs.
"Afraid, I know," Aizawa agreed, tucking his hands in his pockets. "I've all-too often looked into the eyes of the desperate to know when fury is born from fear, Midoriya, that is why I will allow it, just this once."
The geo-kinetic sighed, glad that source of tension had been eased. He chuckled lightly. "You were right, actually," he admitted, trotting over to Momo's cannon, patting the barrel.
Eraser Head squinted at him, eyes flickering. "You were holding back?"
"Not by choice," Izuku replied, before shoving his arm down the barrel of the cannon and lifting it up, the black iron melting into silver streams that raced over his body, the wooden stabilizers clattering to the ground as the metal meshed with the rock and coalesced into the armor he'd worn in the Entrance Exam. "Unless Yuuei wouldn't mind me ripping a pipe out of the ground, I had to use what was in my environment."
Aizawa looked at the remnants of Momo's cannon, the question glaringly obvious.
The armor melted away from Izuku's head as he shrugged. "I couldn't just ask Momo-san to Create some metal for me; what if doing so had impacted her scores?"
The teacher grunted, his hand flicking out his pocket. "Show me," he ordered.
Izuku caught the ball that had been thrown at him, arching an eyebrow. Acquiescing with a nod, his armor reformed and he drew his arm back.
In the locker rooms, the students paused as they heard a sonic boom tear through the air, and felt the ground shiver. They traded looks, and wondered what had happened.
As Izuku walked off, pulling the rock and metal under his clothes, Aizawa checked the tablet and felt something approaching a smile tug at his lips.
5.34 Kilometers.
…
Watching Mineta carry his box of stuff out of the 1-A dorm was an odd, sad and yet hopeful affair. On one hand, he hadn't made the best impression on the rest of the class and at the same time, he had earned his way into Yuuei and had tried to stay to the best of his abilities. At the least he would still be in school, just in the Gen. Ed. class.
Himiko, on the other hand, arrived with a couple of girls from 1-B, extracting promises to stay in contact…it wasn't like they lived about a block away from each other or were one class down or went to the same school or anything.
Dinner that night had been decided to be fried rice, and Sato had declared that after the day they'd had, everyone deserved a treat, so he was making cupcakes. The kitchen was busy with batter being stirred and meat and vegetables being chopped and cooked, a few of the students leaning on the counter to chat while others gathered around the TV.
"So you guys missed orientation for a test?" Himiko asked, looking up at Ochako and Momo as she nimbly diced carrots. "Talk about high pressure…and I thought Rishi Prep was bad."
"It is the best Hero School in Japan," the gravity girl shrugged, blanching. "Will you please stop looking away when you cut stuff?"
"Oh don't worry about it," Himiko waved her off, dumping the vegetables into the skillet Izuku was cooking in. "Mm, smells good already! By the way, Izuku," she bounced lightly in place, the front of her apron bobbing with the motion, "I need more weight, I don't even feel what I got on." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ochako and Momo blush, and she smirked.
"One sec," he replied, stirring dinner to make sure everything was even before turning to his blood-drinking lover, sand swirling in his hand. "How much?"
Himiko unashamedly lifted her shirt, showing her toned, muscular stomach. "Five more," she requested, resisting the urge to giggle as his hands circled her torso, adding another ring below the other weights.
The other two girls couldn't help but notice the state of her belly. Wow, this girl's cut, Ochako thought.
"Still doing the exercises?" Izuku asked, turning back to the stove like he hadn't just had his hands on Himiko.
"All day!" She nodded, patting her stomach. "I'm really lookin' forward to a hot shower and a massage."
"A bath would be nice," he nodded, adding sauce and stirring the rice. "I wonder if there's an onsen on campus? That'd be neat."
"Ah, Izuku-san," Momo raised a hand, "There's a bath in the dorm. It's a door further down from the elevator that leads downstairs into the basement."
"Is it unisex?" Himiko asked, smiling as, hidden behind the counter, she reached out and grabbed Izuku's thigh. He didn't react beyond a slight tightening of his eyes.
Ochako and Momo both blushed and looked away. "N-no, Himi-chan, they're separate," the gravity girl replied, her eyes flicking up at Izuku and then back away.
"Shame." By the squeeze she gave his leg, Izuku deduced that she'd taken that as a challenge.
"Ahem," the elegant girl cleared her throat, "To continue the previous conversation, before we began talking about the test, we were speaking of Quirks. If you don't mind me asking, Himiko-san, what is your Quirk?"
Himiko grinned, her large canines glinting in the light. "When I drink other people's blood, I can turn into them," her form shifted into that of a thin, willowy girl with pink, pupiless eyes and sakura flowers for hair. "And I can use their Quirks, too." The flowers rippled and changed into plum blossoms, their sweet heady scent filling the kitchen.
"…That's amazing Himi-chan!" Ochako clapped her hands, warm brown eyes shining with enthusiasm. "So that's why Deki-kun gave you his blood this morning! Although…" She narrowed her eyes in thought, tapping her chin. "You didn't have to take the test, so…"
The blood-drinker shrugged. "It tastes good and it's filling," she replied nonchalantly, "Like the best coffee and food all in one."
Momo rested her chin on her hand, idly playing with her hair. "Your Quirk is quite versatile, Himiko-san, though I do hope it's safe for you to drink blood. There are quite a few blood-borne diseases, after all."
"She's immune to those kinds of things, we had it tested," Izuku cut it, tasting the fried rice and nodding. "It's a secondary effect of her Quirk, like Bakugou's body."
"What do you mean by that?" Ochako asked, twisting in her seat to look at the volatile blonde slumped on the couch, a coverless book in her hand.
"You saw the explosions she can create," he pointed out, "If she didn't have a way to deal with the heat, pressure and recoil, she wouldn't have arms. Or be alive." He tilted his head back and called, "Dinner's ready!"
"Oh, before we eat," Himiko pulled the Blood-Draw Bracer from a pocket and held it out, "Can I get some of your blood, please? I promise I won't use it for anything other than training."
Momo took the bracer with a nod and a pleased smile, clasping it on her arm and Creating a vial from the back of her hand. The gravity girl watched the glass tube fill with blood, biting her lip anxiously. "It doesn't hurt, does it?" She asked, tapping her fingers together.
"I don't feel anything," the elegant girl answered, blinking as the bracer dinged and the slot in the side opened, dispensing a shell-shaped cookie. "A madeline, hm…"
Himiko was grabbing bowls that Izuku filled with rice as the other students got up and made their way to the tables. Eiri was in lockstep with Katsuki, still trying to get the volatile blonde to acknowledge her as more than just an 'Extra' and somewhat succeeding. Bakugou hadn't told her to fuck off more than twice. "The fuck are you doing?" Katsuki asked, eyeing the blood-filled vials.
That led to another explanation of Himiko's Quirk and all the other stuff, with the conversation moving to the tables. Ochako had gotten a chocolate chip cookie from the bracer and passed it on to Eiri, the red-haired enthusiastic about another girl using her Quirk; 'wrestling and sparring' had been muttered about excitedly.
"That reminds me," Izuku spoke up, sliding down a bottle of hot sauce to Katsuki, "Mina, Eiri and Iida said they'd like to join us for some morning training."
The red-haired girl looked up as she passed the bracer down to Toru, chewing on the chocolate chunk with extra walnut cookie that had been dispensed. "Hm?" She jumped as Mina elbowed her in the side. "Oh yeah, right. Sounds manly!"
Himiko set the vial of blood next to the others, a happy smile on her face. "That's awesome!" She enthused, nudging Izuku playfully. "Not that I mind the two of us getting all sweaty together, but the more the merrier, right?"
Several people in earshot choked on their food. "Toga-kun, that is very inappropriate!" Iida called.
"But also factually correct," she retorted with a grin. "Any other interpretation is entirely imagined…all you people with your dirty minds."
"I wanna train, too!" Toru announced, waving an arm with a meringue in her mouth.
Kyouka, with the bracer on her arm, glanced up at them with a flat gaze. "I don't," she muttered, before sighing. "But I should. Got uncomfortably close to last on the test."
Denki, on her other side, slumped in his chair. "Me too…"
"Excellent!" Izuku said with a grin, clapping his hands. "So, what time do you want to start? Four? Or four thirty?"
Mina's eyes bulged, chopsticks falling from her fingers. "F-four?" She asked shakily.
Kyouka and Denki traded looks. "…You know what, maybe it can wait," he said quickly, "Maybe get a bit more settled in before that…"
"Don't wait too long," the geo-kinetic said sternly, pointing a chopstick in his direction, "Procrastination will only limit your improvement as a Hero."
"Plus, you're kinda noodly," Himiko added, rolling up her sleeve and flexing her bicep. "I bet I could beat you in an arm-wrestle."
As she was flexing, Izuku reached back and pulled the chair out from under her. "Chair check."
The blood-drinker remained in a sitting position despite the lack of furniture, giving him a knowing look. "I told you I've been doing the exercises all day."
"Had to check," he shrugged and put it back, turning to the other side of the table with a smile. "So, four o'clock, then?"
Mina glanced over at the others and noted the looks on their faces; Iida was surprised but defiant; Toru was invisible; Eiri bore a mixture of surprise, admiration and dread; the acid-spewing girl knew her face was the same. In for a penny, I guess… "Four thirty?" She said with a weak smile. This gonna suck…
But the bright smile on Himiko and Izuku's faces almost made it worth it. Almost.
…