Chapter 13: QAT
- HEIGHTS ALLIANCE 1-A, FIRST DAY OF CLASS -
Hectic.
That was the current state of 1-A this morning. The Hero Course students were scrambling to get ready for their first class of the semester and their careers as future Heroes. And almost everybody was feeling some dread. At least until their salvation came an hour before class started.
In the kitchen, one verdette manned his post and provided liquid ambrosia to all who asked, with the stipulation of one cup a piece. This would be a rare event for him to give them each a special cup in the morning, letting them all know tomorrow the House Blend and Pick-Me-Ups would be the main menu going forward. It took time to do this. And he didn't want them all to be late to class on the first day. Not when Aizawa-sensei would be there.
"Alright, I got two Pick-Me-Ups for Mina and Toru. Extra sugar for sweetness."
"Thanks, Izuku! I appreciate you!" Toru cheered.
"Thanks, Midori! I reeeeeeally needed this!" Mina replied, now starting to get out of her early morning slump.
Izuku nodded at the energetic duo's thanks as the two girls moved over to the dining area to drink their coffee. He moved on to his next target. "For Tokoyami, one cup of Dark is my Soul. With a smidge of cream." Izuku called out.
"My thanks, master of the brew," Tokoyami said, bowing his head slightly in thanks.
"For Tsu, one cup of Rainy Dayz," Izuku said, moving on.
"Thank you, Midoriya kero," Tsu said as she took her cup. She basked in the unique flavoring of the roast, happy she chose to experiment with new flavors.
Without missing a beat, Izuku kept up the pace. "For Uraraka, Iida, and Kyoka, one cup of the House Blend. One with sugar and milk, one with just sugar, and one straight black." Izuku listed off as he set down three more cups in front of their recipients.
"Thanks, Phones," Ochaco said, still a little sleepy. She trudged over and slumped into the chair across from Tsu, who ribbited in laughter at her new friend's morning mood.
"Thank you, Midoriya," Iida said, thanking the verdette. "And thank you for taking the time to do this for your coursemates."
"Thanks, Greenie. I don't think I would get through the day without the help," Kyoka commented as she took her cup.
Shoka, Momo, and Shinso watched on from their spots at the counter as Izuku worked, Shoka and Momo sitting together with Kyoka joining them as Shinso waited at his end.
"Shinso, your pot is brewing so give it a minute." The verdette said to his friend. Shinso nodded and turned his attention to the pot of coffee currently being made. He stared at the coffee maker, trying to will it to work faster. Izuku shook his head while Shoka and Kyoka snorted in amusement at the indigoette. Izuku turned his attention to the two ravenettes.
"As for you two, one cup of the House Blend. Milk for Shoka, and cream for Momo. Both with a hint of cinnamon." Izuku said as he presented the girls their coffee.
"Thank you, Izuku," Momo said graciously as she took the cup into her hands. She basked in the aroma of her drink before taking a sip, humming in appreciation.
Shoka had already taken her first sip, savoring the flavor of her morning drink with a content smile on her face. "Thanks, Izzy." The slender ravenette said, her smile now directed at the verdette.
Izuku blushed at the nickname Shoka had started to use last night after they finished the mural.
That night, Izuku had laid in bed after cleaning up his room, unable to sleep as he thought about the two girls he had feelings for, and what he should do about those feelings. Two beautiful girls, each with a unique personality that he somehow clicked with. Izuku didn't think that was possible. He was in a weird situation, and he didn't know what to do. Those thoughts then drifted to the image of them in his shirts.
And just his shirts. Needless to say, he didn't get much sleep that night.
Shoka wasn't faring any better in her room. She spent most of her night when she returned trying to figure things out on her own. And she was hitting a wall. She had two sweet, lovable dorks and zero experience with relationships. So, she did what she thought was the smart thing to do at the moment. She left these feelings for future Shoka to deal with.
So she went to bed constantly thinking about the two, already dealing with what past Shoka left her. At least the shirt she kept from Izuku's closet was comfy.
Momo was trying to make sense of everything. She knew she was attracted to Izuku. That happened over their time chatting over Hero Scramble. And those feelings grew when they finally met in person. Then Shoka also began to fill a space in her heart with ease, leaving the heiress confused about everything. So she turned to her romance novels to see what possible help she could glean from them.
That only gave her vivid dreams of her with her two friends together in rather adult scenarios.
They all came to the same conclusion when they woke up this morning. They needed advice. And in their minds, there was only one person who could give them that advice. They just needed to message him later.
"Sooooo," Kyoka drawled out. "Any idea what today will be like?"
Izuku, Shoka, and Shinso froze in place, unable to really talk about anything. They did well to hide their reactions as no one seemed to notice.
"I just hope our course instructor is nice," Ochaco said.
"While I do not like that he was not here to greet us during move-in, the fact he dedicated himself to his heroics has told me he must be quite the Hero." Iida surmised.
Momo looked at her friends while her coursemates chatted. She had an idea of who their instructor was but wanted to confirm her theory. She saw the looks that her three friends gave her and understood their silent meaning.
Don't say anything, because we can't say anything.
As the others chatted amongst themselves, Izuku handed Shinso his pot of coffee and the three Problem Children huddled together.
"So, we keep quiet, right?" Shinso whispered.
"You know Aizawa. If the text this morning was anything to go by, it's either us or them." Shoka said without a hint of regret.
Izuku sighed, "We're lucky we know what he is like. Today will be a test."
They all nodded to each other. Izuku went back over to the coffee machine to make Aizawa his brew. He decided to make it double, in the vain hope he might make things easier for everyone if he did.
"Yo, Greenie. What's with the double pot?" Kyoka asked.
"You'll understand later," the verdette simply stated.
Kyoka raised an eyebrow but decided to just roll with it. Iida began to direct the class, trying to get them to arrive to class early. By thirty minutes. The bluenette explained it was due to it being the first day.
"Iida, while I am sure we all can appreciate your ethics and good intentions, thirty minutes seems a tad... excessive," Momo said diplomatically.
"I see. I suppose it might be too much to ask." Iida conceded.
As the time neared to head to class, every one of 1-A began to make their way to the campus, with Izuku, Shoka, Momo, Shinso, and Kyoka hanging back. Izuku poured the two pots of coffee into a large thermos for Aizawa. Before he left with his friends, he attempted to put on his tie.
The sounds of Shoka and Momo giggling told him what he needed to know. Hearing Shinso and Kyoka laugh caused him to slump over as a cloud of shame hung over his head.
"Izuku, would you like some assistance?" Momo kindly offered.
"Yes please," Izuku said, defeated.
Momo's melodious laugh filled the air as she closed the distance between them. Both of them had a faint blush dusting their cheeks as she took the thin red cloth into her hands and she began to maneuver it around and into the correct knot.
As the onyx-eyed ravenette worked her magic, Izuku tried to keep his brain active. And he did so by noticing how he was only a few centimeters shorter than Momo now than a year ago. And Shoka was only a few centimeters shorter than him.
"There. All done," Momo said as she stepped back. Izuku was relieved but saw her begin to think about something. "Hmm."
"I-is something wrong Momo?" Izuku asked the ravenette heiress.
"I know what's wrong," Shoka answered. She stepped up and messed with his tie, loosening it up just a little. She ended her adjustments by unbuttoning his shirt collar and opening up his gray and green blazer. He still kept his button-up shirt tucked into his green pants and wore his ever-present bulky, red shoes. Ego was pinned to his left lapel finishing off the look. It was a perfect mix of casual and formal.
Shoka stepped back next to Momo as the two girls began appraising their work.
"Perfect," Momo stated, bringing her hands together.
'Yeah, perfect.' Izuku thought to himself. He finally was able to get a good look at the two ravenettes in their uniforms. Despite being a university, U.A. had a standard uniform for all courses. The university does allow some freedom with how it is worn, as long as it doesn't cross any lines.
And it was something Izuku was fine with.
Shoka and Momo, like the rest of the girls of 1-A, wore the standard gray blazer with green trimmings, a white button-up shirt, and a red tie. Momo wore her tie in the usual way, while Shoka wore hers similar to one of Izuku's earlier attempts, making it smaller than normal. Despite that, he would have to give it to her, that style looked better on her. They both wore the standard dark green skirts that sat at their mid-thighs, showing off their shapely legs. They both also matched by wearing black calf-length socks. Momo wore brown formal shoes while Shoka followed Izuku's example and wore her usual footwear. Their uniforms showed off both of the girls' figures quite well and showed that while Shoka was more slender than Momo, she almost stacked up perfectly to the heiress being only a size smaller than her.
"So." Kyoka's voice cut through the air. "As cute as this all is, are we gonna get to class anytime soon? I would rather not deal with Iida getting on our case for being only five minutes early," The violette said as she did a mock gesture of reading a watch.
"Right," The three said together as they scrambled to gather their things. Shinso let out a chortle as Kyoka smirked at the scene. The five of them left the dorm, made their way across campus, and entered the main building. They didn't spend long roaming the halls in search of their classroom, Momo had taken the time to familiarize herself with the layout of the building and was able to guide them relatively easily.
It didn't mean they weren't slowed down though. U.A. was like a maze. And Izuku, Shoka, Momo, and Shinso all had a feeling that Nezu had a hand in it. They couldn't prove it, but they didn't have anything else to go on.
"Big door," Shinso commented as they stood outside their classroom.
"Probably for those with mutations that make them larger than most people." Izuku supplied.
Shoka walked up to the door and turned to her friends. "Well, better not keep everyone waiting. Let's see what kind of chaos can happen in ten minutes," Shoka said as she opened the door.
"Bakugo, I must ask that you remove your feet from the desk!" Iida's voice rang out as she did so.
"Ya know... I didn't think the universe would actually step up to the challenge right off the bat," Shoka deadpanned.
The group all nodded at Shoka's words as they continued to watch the scene in front of them.
Bakugo merely gave Iida a disinterested look.
"It is rude to the memory of our upperclassmen and to the underclassmen of the future that you are showing such disrespect. Not to mention the disrespect to those that made the desk as well!" Iida continued to reprimand the ash-blonde, trying to appeal to what empathy Bakugo had.
"Fuck off, Four-eyes. I don't need to hear bullshit from an extra like you," Bakugo huffed out in annoyance.
As Iida began to malfunction and reboot, the group ignored the drama unfolding and made their way to the last few empty desks near the back. Shinso took the back seat in the final row, right next to Todoroki who ignored all of them, with Izuku in front of him, and Momo taking the seat ahead of Izuku. Shoka grabbed the seat to the right of Izuku and Kyoka took the spot ahead of her and next to Momo.
There was still time before class started, and while everyone chatted amongst themselves, Izuku, Shoka, and Shinso kept their eyes peeled, looking for their sensei.
'He wasn't out in the halls.' Izuku noticed. He knew Aizawa was nearby, he just didn't know where.
'Wouldn't surprise me if he popped out of the vent.' Shinso considered, darting his eyes around the room.
'I didn't see him under the front desk.' Shoka thought, narrowing her eyes as she thought about where Aizawa could be.
"When you are in this classroom, your focus should be on heroics. Friendship building happens on your time, not mine." A tired voice sounded out.
Izuku, Shoka, and Shinso clammed up as their bodies stiffened. Momo and Kyoka saw their friends' reactions and thought it odd until they realized they should follow their example. The rest of the class, save Todoroki, was more concerned about where the voice came from and was being vocal about it.
"You all are taking too long to quiet down. We'll need to work on that." The voice spoke up once more.
The room all turned around as they pinpointed the source of the voice. Up against the back wall was a yellow sleeping bag. The yellow cocoon rolled over and revealed the disheveled face of Aizawa Shota. His sleepy eyes looked at each and every person in the room, unnerving several of his students who were not expecting his sudden appearance. After a moment, he unzipped the sleeping bag and started to make his way to the front of the room, stopping by Izuku's desk to grab the thermos the verdette prepared for him.
Aizawa stood at the desk and gave his students one more look. He then took a sip from the thermos. That one sup had included several large gulps. The room looked at him in a mix of awe, confusion, disbelief, and concern at the action.
As he finished his first sip, he addressed the room. "My name is Aizawa Shota, and I will be your Hero Course instructor. Now then." He crouched down behind his desk and brought out a box, which he began to open, setting out three bags that contained the standard U.A. gym uniform. "Come up to the front and take the bag with your name on it. Then, go get changed and meet me at the training field. You have ten minutes."
The class continued to just stare at the man even as he left. Izuku, Shoka, and Shinso were already up and grabbed one of the three bags Aizawa left out for them. The three quickly made their way to where the locker rooms were, leaving behind the rest of their coursemates. Momo realized what was happening and followed after them, with Kyoka running after her.
Things finally clicked with the rest of the class as they followed suit, becoming a hectic mass of young adults digging through the box in search of their uniform.
Toshinori was sitting at his desk in the teacher's lounge, finishing up the outline of his first lesson plan for Wednesday. Nezu had informed him that the first Heroics Lesson for the first years would be then as a way to help them get used to life at U.A. as to not overload them too soon.
Toshinori was certainly glad for that. It meant he could iron out some of the finer details he might have missed when planning. He set his lesson plan down on his desk and leaned back into his chair.
"The opening ceremony and orientation should be starting soon," he said to himself. The No. 1 Hero began to reminisce about his own time as a student at U.A., his ever-present smile becoming softer as he did.
And then he began to think about the current student body. Two students in particular.
Midoriya Izuku. The young man who had impressed the Hero enough with his words and actions. That and the feeling that his own Quirk seemed to be drawn to him.
The other student was Midoriya's upperclassman. Togata Mirio. From the records he looked through, Togata was a fine young man who was well on his way to being a fine Hero.
The issue came from where he heard about Togata. His old sidekick, Sir Nighteye, Sasaki Mirai. A man he hadn't talked to in years. And he knew why Mirai recommended Togata. His old sidekick believes Togata to be the best candidate for his Quirk.
A new holder of the torch. The next in a legacy.
But that wasn't for Mirai to decide. But Toshinori agreed to meet with Togata, to talk with a future Hero, and maybe give him a few words of wisdom. But it was mostly a courtesy. He had his own idea of who would be the one to follow in his footsteps. He just needed a way to bring it up to the young man.
Toshinori sighed as his thoughts began to drift, and he looked over to one of the desks on the other side of the room.
The one belonging to his coworker, Aizawa.
Toshinori then had a thought. 'Aizawa said he would be testing his students today. Maybe I might learn something from his example.'
Toshinori stood up from his chair and stretched before he made his way to the door. As his hand gripped the handle, one final thought crossed his mind.
'This would also be an excellent opportunity to see how creative Young Midoriya is with his Quirk before my lesson!'
- U.A. TRAINING FIELD -
Outside at the training field stood Aizawa and his three Problem Children in their gym uniforms. He was glad to see his three mentees again and proud to see they hadn't lost a step as they were the first ones out on the field. While Izuku and Shinso wore a standard U.A. gym uniform that consisted of a blue tracksuit, with a short-sleeve jacket that had red and white accents on the sleeves and the letter U across the collar and A on the front going straight down and onto the pants of the uniform, Shoka had a specialized version for her Quirk, which switched the blue out for black.
Todoroki and Iida were right after them, which made sense due to their families and their line of work. He was impressed that Momo, Kyoka, and Bakugo had arrived next and surmised that Momo and Kyoka followed the trio's example since he saw they stuck pretty close to them. Bakugo at least had the hustle, though his current temperament needed fixing.
The ash-blonde was currently glaring at his three Problem Children. He didn't know why but he made a note of it. Better to keep it in mind than to ignore a future problem.
His thoughts were broken by the hoard of students scrambling to the field. He checked the time on his phone.
'Less than two minutes left on the clock. Looks like there are many things that we will have to work on. Great...' Aizawa huffed. He looked to his class and addressed them now that they were all here. "Your ten minutes were almost up. It seems most of you will need to learn how to speed things up." Aizawa said.
Most of the class seemed dejected at his words but pushed past their own feelings as they focused on Aizawa.
"Now. You all will be undergoing a Quirk Assessment Test." Aizawa continued speaking.
Majority of the class began to question what he meant by that. He was going to explain when Ochaco spoke up.
"But Aizawa-sensei, what about the entrance ceremony? Or orientation?" The auburn-haired girl asked.
Aizawa stared at the girl, causing her to shrink in on herself at his gaze. He then began to look over each and every student as he spoke, "Fine. Here is your orientation. Welcome to the Hero Course. Here at U.A., we instructors are given the ability to run our classes as we see fit." His gaze hardened as he said his next point, "You all are here to become Heroes. And it's my job to make sure you all are competent enough to grow into great Heroes. I will not make things easy for you."
"If you aren't up to the challenge, then get out of my course and leave the space open for someone who will put in the work to be a Hero." Aizawa's stare intensified as he finished, causing several of his students to either look at the man nervously or start shaking where they stood.
Aizawa gave them a moment to collect themselves before continuing. He took out his phone and addressed the class once more. "To start, you all will be taking a series of fitness tests, only this time you will get to use your Quirks to do so. Where the country only takes the averages from the results when you took this exam without the aid of your Quirk, we will ignore that. The Ministry of Education has set limits on you, and I will have you break those limits."
He pulled out a softball with a built-in sensor from the bag next to him. "Midoriya, you finished at the top of the practical exam. We'll have you be the example today. What was the distance you got with your softball throw in high school?" He asked.
"Uh, sixty-two meters, sir." The verdette answered.
Aizawa tossed the ball to Izuku who caught it with ease. "Step into the pitch. Throw it however you want, just don't step outside the circle." Aizawa explained, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. Aizawa moved to the group of students and opened up an app on his phone as Izuku stepped into the circle.
The verdette gripped the ball tightly in his hand.
'I can easily use Orbit and launch it as far as I can. But Aizawa already knows what I can do with that.' Izuku thought. He was running ideas through his head, trying to figure out something that would do more than just what works. So, he sent his energy to Orbit and went down his current list of Psychs he had set.
Pyre continued to give him a Psychronization with Orbit, but that wouldn't work for this.
He didn't feel a link with Excalibur so that was immediately out, as well as his new Psych and Vitali-Tea.
What he didn't expect was Buster-Shot starting to link up with Orbit. As he let the link happen, an understanding began to form in his brain.
And he smiled.
'That'll work.'
Over with the others, they watched as Izuku stood there, thinking about what to do.
"Hey, Shoka," Kyoka said as she leaned over to the gray-eyed ravenette. Shoka turned her head slightly while still watching Izuku. "You and Indi know Izuku best. What do you think he'll do?" She asked.
Shinso raised a brow as he heard his new nickname, but chose not to dwell on it, refocusing on Izuku. Shoka spoke up when she saw Izuku smile, "Something really stupid, but also kinda awesome."
"Yeah, that smile means he is about to try something new," Shinso elaborated.
Mina overheard the conversation and jumped in, "Oooo! Think we'll get to see a new Psych?"
Before anyone could say something else, they heard Izuku address them. "You all may want to step back." He was about to get ready when he stopped himself and turned to look at Momo. "Momo, could you please make a pair of headphones for Kyoka? I don't know how loud this is going to be."
Momo quickly complied and unzipped her jacket enough for her to create a pair of sound-canceling headphones for the violette. Once Kyoka put them on and had her jacks covered, Izuku got into position.
He spread his legs apart to brace for the future recoil, turning his body sideways with his back to the class, and held out both of his arms. His left hand held on to the ball as he formed his right hand into a finger gun with his pointer and middle fingers being the barrel.
Once he was set, he called on Orbit, the Psych grabbing the ball from his hand and holding it into position. A green line began to form around his body, coiling around his arms as the power built up. As the trail ended at his fingertips, Izuku let out a howl.
"Psychronization! MAC Round!"
With his call, the ball followed the green path, building up speed as it twisted around his body. As it reached his right hand, green and teal energy built up and encompassed the ball, and he dropped his thumb.
And the ball soared, disappearing into the sky within seconds. And followed by a sonic boom.
The dirt around him was kicked up by the sudden burst of energy. Izuku skidded back, using the last of his energy with Orbit to stabilize himself. He felt his right arm lock up and figured it was due to his Quirk defending his body by trying to handle the recoil of the blast.
'And that was with as little energy sent to Buster-Shot as possible.'' Izuku thought to himself, wincing as he felt his arm sting.
Everyone else just watched the scene in shock as the dust settled. Shoka and Shinso gave each other a look before rolling their eyes at the verdette. Momo was slightly concerned as she saw Izuku trying to relax his arm in order for it to return to normal. He had managed to lower it, but it was still stiff with his hand stuck in its firing position. Where everyone's reactions varied at the power displayed, only one looked on in anger. Bakugo clenched his teeth tightly together as he glared at the verdette, his mood souring even further.
From behind a tree, Toshinori watched the verdette in awe at how he utilized his Quirk. He remembered that Izuku had psychokinesis and energy blasts from his actions against the Sludge Villain almost a year ago.
'He must have combined two of his Psychs like he did in the Entrance Exam!' He concluded. 'Holy crap! That was so cool, young Midoriya!'
Aizawa looked at his phone and smirked. He would have gotten on Izuku's case if he just used Orbit for this. Now was the time for his No. 1 Problem Child to get creative. And the verdette realized it as well.
"1.17 kilometers," Aizawa called out the reading. While the class seemed to focus on the distance, Aizawa looked at Izuku. "Midoriya, will that be a problem?" The tired Hero asked, pointing to Izuku's arm.
"No, sensei. I still have feeling in it. It just seems like my Quirk is letting it slowly return to normal. If anything, I can use Vitali-Tea if I need to." Izuku explained while trying to wiggle his fingers with some success.
Aizawa nodded in understanding at Izuku's words. "Alright, but if this keeps going, do what you can for it. If I have to send you to the old lady, then I will."
Izuku nodded, happy that Aizawa trusted him enough with his limits. He was feeling pretty good before he heard something that made his body fill with a deep dread. And by the look he saw in Shoka and Shinso's eyes, they felt the same.
"This looks like so much fun!"
"We get to use our Quirks, this is so awesome!"
The air stilled. There was no ambient sound as the cheers were finished. There was only dread.
"It looks fun, huh?"
The class all turned their attention to Aizawa, his hair falling over his eyes, hiding them from the students.
"Fine then. It seems like my words from earlier didn't get through." Aizawa raised his head, his sullen eyes glaring at his class. "If this is fun, then let's turn this into a game. If you get last, you may find yourself out of here. Forget being dropped to Gen Ed. I will personally kick you out of here."
Nobody knew what to say to that. They all looked to their sensei in shock, not really believing what they heard.
"But... But that's not fair! We just got here!" Ochaco cried out, trying to reason with their sensei.
Aizawa turned his head to focus on the girl, Ochaco started shrinking in on herself as he did so. "Really? It's not fair?" His eyes narrowed as he continued to speak, "Natural disasters, accidents that can cost people their lives, and selfish Villains. Life is a series of events. Some we can predict while others sneak up on us at the worst of times and push us to the brink. It is a Hero's job to do all they can in situations like that, to fight against the unfairness of life so that others won't suffer."
Aizawa returned his focus to the whole class and continued, "I told you I will not make it easy for you. Here's your first challenge as future Heroes. Will you crumple under the pressure, or will you find a way to stand tall?"
The class became unsure of themselves as they listened to Aizawa's words. Save for a few. Shoka and Shinso understood what he meant since they trained under him, but they knew not even they were safe if they didn't put in the effort. Todoroki just stared at the disheveled Hero, not balking under his words. Bakugo returned Aizawa's glare with one of his own. It would take more than that to scare the ash-blonde. Momo managed to steel her nerves, but even she had some self-doubts running through her mind. She saw the look of determination in Shoka's eyes, trying to gain the same level of confidence from her friend.
Then she looked at Izuku, and what she saw helped her find her resolve.
"Sensei!" The verdette's voice called out.
Aizawa and the rest of 1-A turned to look at Izuku who was standing tall and gripping his right arm with his left.
"I accept your challenge!" Izuku proclaimed loudly. "And if I stumble, I'll get right back up. And if anyone else stumbles, then I'll be there to pick them up. Because what sort of Hero would I be if I just gave up, if I let others fall? So I accept your challenge!" Izuku began to bend his right arm, bringing his hand up and slowly clenching it into a triumphant fist. "And like everyone else here, I'll succeed! We got this far, so now it's time to go beyond!"
Aizawa cast a glance back at the rest of his class. Those that were starting to doubt themselves took the verdette's words to heart and looked ready to take on the challenge Aizawa issued. He returned his gaze back to Izuku, a smirk forming behind his capture scarf.
"Good. Then let's get started." Aizawa declared.
They continued the ball test after Izuku's showing, going in alphabetical order. Some students thought about how to utilize their Quirks as best they could. While others resigned themselves to using whatever physical capabilities they could fall on, which would affect their scores.
As Mina finished her throw, Bakugo stepped up to the pitch. The ash-blonde began rolling the ball around in his hand, a wide grin forming on his face. Izuku watched his old childhood friend wind up his throw.
"Hey, Kyoka. Might wanna cover your ears again. Sparky is about to go off," Shoka warned the violette.
Kyoka quickly put the headphones Momo made back on as the smell of burnt caramel became prominent.
"DIE!" Bakugo yelled as he launched the ball with a controlled explosion. The ball flew through the air for several seconds before finally landing. Aizawa's phone beeped as it recorded the distance.
"705.3 meters." The Underground Hero droned out.
Bakugo clicked his tongue, not happy with how he scored compared to Izuku. He put his hands in his pockets and made his way back to the group. He stopped briefly as he and Izuku stared each other down. After a moment, Izuku turned his attention to the next person, no longer paying Bakugo any mind. The ash-blonde grits his teeth but does nothing else.
The tests continued on from there.
It was now Shoka's turn as she took the ball from Aizawa's hands and made her way to the pitch. She was thinking over what was possible with her Quirk. Her transformation gave her a boost to her physical strengths, but she was determining the best way to get results that would impress Aizawa. She smirked as her Quirk began to transform her body. The black segmented armor formed on her arms and legs, her tail appearing behind her as her skin turned white and her uniform became a dull gray.
"So that's what her Quirk looks like," Iida commented.
"You should have seen it in action. She literally tore through the robots!" Mina replied excitedly.
"Revelry in the dark," Tokoyami stated, causing confusion among most of his coursemates at his phrase.
Kaminari and Sero began to whisper to each other, "Dude we have a literal cat-girl. That's like the dre-"
Sero quirked a brow as he looked at his friend. He saw fear in the electric blonde's eyes. He followed the direction where Kaminari was looking and adopted the same look of fear.
Izuku and Momo had somehow heard Kaminari. And their glares told both him and Sero everything they needed to know. So Sero wisely raised his hands in a placating manner to the two, trying his best to not get on their bad side. The two let out a held breath as Izuku and Momo went back to watching Shoka.
Everyone watched as Shoka lobbed the ball into the air, took a few quick steps to build up some speed, and wound her leg back. As the ball descended, she kicked it with all her might, rocketing the ball into the air.
She turned to Aizawa who gave her an approving nod as he called out her score. "356.9 meters."
Shoka preened as her color reverted back to normal. She made her way back to her friends as Sero stepped up. After Sero used his tape as a sling to launch the ball, getting him quite a bit of distance, it was Shinso's turn.
He didn't move from his spot, his mind running wild with ideas and fears. While his coursemates knew about his Quirk and didn't shy away from him, it didn't mean that could change. But if he didn't use his Quirk, he would be on the chopping block.
So, he came to a decision.
"Izuku, do you still have some energy for Orbit?" He asked his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Izuku looked at his friend and understood what he needed. "Yeah, plen-"
The verdette's eyes glazed over as Shinso took control.
"Follow me," Shinso said.
The two made their way to the pitch as Shinso took a softball from Aizawa. He turned to look at Izuku and held the ball out in front of him.
"Izuku. Use Orbit on this ball and throw it as far as you can." Shinso ordered, pointing to the end of the field.
As he finished his command, the ball was wrapped in green energy and shot off in the direction Shinso pointed. The indigoette watched and waited as the ball continued to soar. After a moment, Aizawa called out his results, "782.5 meters. Shinso, cut the connection."
Shinso nodded and Izuku was seen shaking his head. As Izuku's mind caught back up to him, he looked at his friend and went into Quirk Analysis Mode on him.
"So, what was the command? How did it work? Were there any issues this time?" Izuku began to ask rapid-fire questions
Shinso raised his hand to stop his friend before he answered, "Simple command. Stuck with words you would recognize in the controlled state. You used Orbit to launch the ball." Shinso smirked and lowered his hand. "We got 782.5 meters. Better than I thought."
Izuku gave his friend a wide grin. "Nice."
The two made their way back to the group as the next person went up. Several of the students looked at Shinso curiously, trying to figure out what to say.
"Soooo, does that count for Shinso, or does Izuku's score go up?" Kaminari asked.
"Yes." Izuku and Shinso answered as one.
Things kept moving along, with Ochaco getting the highest score as she used her Quirk to mess with the gravity of the softball, letting it float into the sky.
And into the thermosphere. Ochaco was elated at her score of infinity.
"Damn," Shinso commented. "Went with the wrong horse for this one."
It was finally Momo's turn and the heiress was trying to determine what to do. 'Shoka was straightforward with her approach. Shinso used what he could and found a way to score high with his Quirk. And Izuku thought outside the box.' She thought to herself.
She continued to work through the problem in search of a solution. 'I need the maximum distance, with minimum drawback from my Quirk. I still need to keep track of my lipids for later.' She replayed the past attempts and focused on Izuku's, Ochaco's, and Bakugo's. As she did, a picture began to form in her mind. 'That's it!'
Momo unzipped her jacket fully and her Quirk began to work. From the myriad of colors emitted from her skin came a miniature rocket and a launcher that she easily set up without issue. She placed the softball into a hatch on the rocket and set it on the launcher. She created a wireless controller at the cost of more lipids for the intricacies of the remote and pressed the red button.
With a fwoosh, the rocket sailed through the air. Not quite at the speed Izuku's first launch went, but more than matched his distance. After a minute, Aizawa's phone chimed, alerting them all.
"Good work Yaoyorozu. 2.01 kilometers." Momo beamed at her sensei's words and looked at Izuku and Shoka, who gave her wide smiles of their own.
"Alright, we are moving on to the 50-meter dash. Everyone get ready, you'll go two at a time." Aizawa explained as he ushered the group to the next test.
Momo returned to her friends with a bounce in her step as she did. She and the others watched as Tsuyu and Iida lined up to start the run. As they watched, Izuku spoke up.
"Nice work with the rocket Momo. Pretty clever to come up with that. What made you think of it though?" He asked.
The busty ravenette smiled and blushed at his compliment as she answered, "Well, I didn't want to use too many lipids to fuel my Creation. So I thought of a way to minimize my use to maximize my output. I actually used you, Uraraka, and Bakugo as examples. I originally thought of using a cannon, but that could cost me more to make because of the size and density of the object. And while the rocket was more complicated, the size countered the cost."
The next set of runners went up and the group watched their attempt.
"Though I did want to try making a railgun to match your effort, but I don't know the full inner workings in order to do so." She said, a little dejectedly. "I will just have to apply myself to my self-studies."
She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Izuku give her an amused look. "Next time then. Besides, you're smart. You'll figure it out in no time, Momo."
The two could hear Shoka hold back a laugh. This caused them to look at the slender ravenette in confusion. She stopped herself and explained as the next two runners got ready. "Sorry, just thinking of a meme because of Momo. Remind me to show you two what I mean later."
"Midoriya, Bakugo. You're up" Aizawa called out.
"Good luck, Izuku."
"You got this, Izzy."
Izuku gave the two girls an appreciative nod as he stepped up next to Bakugo. The ash-blonde gave the verdette a brief glance before focusing.
"Your shitty Quirk isn't gonna help you here, Deku," Bakugo growled out.
Izuku just ignored him and began channeling his energy into his Psychs. Once he felt a connection, he replied to the ash-blonde, "Blink and you'll miss it, Bakugo."
"Get ready!" The camera-bot said. Izuku and Bakugo got into a readied position. The group of students watched in rapt attention, some taking friendly bets on who would cross first. After a tense moment of silence, the camera-bot called out, "START!"
Bakugo launched himself forward, using his Explosion Quirk to boost his speed. He was so focused on his own efforts that he failed to notice that Izuku was already ahead of him. Or even saw him get ahead.
"1.05 seconds!" the camera-bot called out as a green and teal flash of color was seen.
Bakugo's eyes widened as he heard that. He crossed a few seconds later, only to not see Izuku near him.
"Wow! I didn't even see him." A voice said.
"Indeed, that was quite fast, Midoriya," Iida replied.
Everyone blinked in confusion as they turned around and saw Izuku standing behind them. They saw a trail of green and teal energy flowing from him to the finish line as it began to fade away.
"Izuku," Momo said as she blinked owlishly, "How did you get there?"
Izuku tugged at a pin clipped to the hem of his jacket. It was his green rabbit in the process of leaping, green energy trailing behind it as several points along the jagged trail seemed to pop or explode.
"New Psych. Like I told Bakugo, blink and you'll miss it." He said cheekily.
The tests began to fly by after that. Aizawa watched on, making mental notes of how everyone was doing. He saw how some would push their body to the limits if their quirk couldn't help them with their attempts.
Shinso was one of those, choosing to push himself to finish the dash as quickly as possible, actually getting a higher score than the last time Aizawa tested the Problem Children at 5.06 seconds.
Shoka was able to use her Quirk once more, matching Bakugo's time of 4.13 seconds.
Yaoyorozu lost some time at hers due to spending too long trying to come up with a solution. She made up for it with the simple application of a pair of skates with small rockets attached to them, getting her across the line at 3.56 seconds.
They moved on to the next test, the long jump.
It was clear that several students would excel, notably Asui and Bakugo. Both were able to clear the sand pit. Aizawa was surprised that Uraraka managed to do so with only minor issues of her stomach showing signs of discomfort after she used her Quirk on herself, the effects of gravity gone, launching her across the gap. Asui was quick enough to catch Uraraka with her tongue since she was still on the other side.
Sakurane cleared the pit with ease, not needing to use her full transformation to do so.
Yaoyorozu showcased her own athleticism and intelligence by using a pole to launch herself across the pit.
Midoriya first used Orbit to lift him up into the air and cleverly used Pyre to give him some propulsion, allowing him to land on the other side with a crash.
Aizawa watched Todoroki go next. So far, the bicolor-haired teen wasn't leaving the best impression. He had great control and power with his Quirk, but he was holding back. He expected that maybe Todoroki would try something similar to Midoriya, only to create a ramp with his ice and launch himself that way.
And Aizawa was starting to get annoyed. This was the second chance for the son of Endeavor to use his full Quirk.
And he made the choice not to.
They moved to the gym after the long jumps and started the grip test.
Midoriya and Yaoyorozu managed to break their testers, Izuku using Orbit to do so and Yaoyorozu creating a miniature machine press.
Shinso managed to use his Quirk on Shoji, having the Dupli-armed teen squeeze the grip and achieve a score of 540 kgs. Aizawa allowed it to count for both of them, Shinso apologizing to Shoji, who simply waved him off and started a conversation about their Quirks.
Aizawa watched as Sakurane achieved a score of 262 kgs with her Quirk. He appreciated that Jiro thought outside the box and used her jacks with her hand to increase her score.
After that, came the seated toe touch. The only real notable standouts were Sakurane, Ashido, and Hagakure who easily completed the test due to their own flexibility.
Sit-ups were next and it seemed like there was a competition between Midoriya, Sakurane, Shinso, Kirishima, Ashido, and Bakugo as they kept going past the called time. Aizawa just let them continue, curious to see who would tap out first.
That right went to Ashido, followed by Sakurane.
He took the class back outside for the final two tests.
For the side jumps, only Bakugo had an impressive score. The ash-blonde used his quirk in a rhythm to easily outperform everyone else.
And he was very vocal about his minor triumph.
Last was the long-distance run. The main standouts were Yaoyorozu and Iida. Yaoyorozu had created an electric bike, letting her easily sail past the others while Iida was a natural runner and managed to keep up with the heiress. Midoriya and Shinso kept neck and neck until Midoriya used Vitali-Tea to give himself a minor recovery to his stamina, allowing him to outlast his friend.
"All right. I'm going to show you all your scores together. Going one at a time is just irrational and I want this to be over with." Aizawa said to them all as he tapped away at his phone.
A holographic projection emerged from the device. Everyone gathered closer to get a better look. Momo was surprised at her placement.
"I... I placed first." She simply stated. She began to smile brightly as Izuku and Shoka stood next to her.
"Not surprising," Shoka stated matter-of-factly.
"Congrats, Momo," Izuku said to the onyx-eyed ravenette.
Momo began to blush at the words of her two friends, her heart beating faster as they continued to speak to her. Trying to keep her feelings in check at the moment, she decided to turn their attention elsewhere, "Thank you, but let's not discount Izuku's placement."
It was Izuku's turn to blush as the two ravenettes began to congratulate him. He had placed second overall. "Well let's not forget Shoka. She placed fourth." He said. Izuku looked around and saw Shinso looking at the projection still. He pulled his friend over into the group and shifted the attention to him, "And Shinso got sixth."
Shinso groaned but smiled nonetheless at his friend's antics. He looked around and saw they were missing a person. Izuku, Shoka, and Momo noticed as well and the group looked around for Kyoka. They saw her keeping some distance away from them. The four walked up to her as she spoke up, "Sorry guys, not exactly my best showing this time around." They all double-checked the board and saw Kyoka only placed seventeenth.
"And?" Shinso questioned her. Kyoka turned to face the indigoette, her eyes filled with some frustration. That didn't deter Shinso, who continued to speak, "Gotta start from somewhere. Izuku and I had to work our asses off just to get where we were."
"He's right," Izuku picked up where Shinso left off, "The two of us got stronger together. And then Shoka joined us and we all worked together from there on out."
"And when we needed more help, Momo joined the party and gave us a boost," Shoka added.
Kyoka quirked a brow, wondering where this was going. Noticing her confusion, Momo spoke up next, "What we mean is, we all improved because of each other. And you're our friend, and that means we will help you too."
Kyoka smirked. "Guess that means you're stuck with me then, yeah?"
The four of them smiled at her as Izuku spoke up, "Welcome to the A-Crew, Kyoka."
The group's interaction did not go unnoticed by a certain ash-blonde. He seethed. 'Third... fucking third to Ponytail and Deku.' He clenched his fist, small explosions popping off as he did so.
He wasn't the only one angry about his placement. Todoroki stared at the projection. At his placement in the exams.
Twentieth.
Before the bicolor-haired youth did anything, Aizawa addressed the class.
"Everyone, you're done. Get changed and do whatever you want, the rest of the day is yours." Aizawa turned and left the group on their own, but stopped and addressed them one last time. "To those at the bottom, it doesn't mean you're out. It means you're on the chopping block. Use this as the motivator to improve yourselves." As he finished he continued on his way back to the main building. He passed by a tree on his way, with Toshinori waiting for the Underground Hero.
"I must say, that was a sight to see, Aizawa. He really lit a fire under your students." The disguised No. 1 Hero said.
"Make it quick Yagi, my work isn't done and I have something I need to look into," Aizawa replied, nearly snapping at his coworker. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and continued speaking, "And I feel it already giving me a headache."
"Sorry, Aizawa. I simply came by here to see what your teaching process was like. I wanted a reference for when I teach my first class on Wednesday." Toshinori explained. "While your reputation as a tough teacher is well earned, I know you take your role as an instructor seriously. I wanted to see how you handled a lesson like the one you just gave."
Aizawa begrudgingly nodded his head at Toshinori's words. "If that's all, Yagi, I'll be going now."
The Underground Hero began to walk away before Toshinori could say anything else. The No. 1 Hero let the man go and turned his attention back to the Hero Course students as they all began to make their way back to the locker rooms.
He smiled as he witnessed the interaction Izuku had with his coursemates. And once again, he felt a connection to the verdette through his Quirk.
'Yes, I believe you are the one, Young Midoriya.'
Back at Heights Alliance, Izuku, Shoka, and Momo were currently in their rooms. Each of them trying to figure out how to word a message asking for help for their current predicament. They had hoped to avoid this situation altogether, choosing to focus on it later. But since Aizawa had ended class early, it was all they could think about.
"Come on Izuku, just ask him if you can drop by for advice. You always went to him when you needed it before, so why is this time any different?"
Izuku paced around his room. He went to grab his phone, before walking away from it for the fifth time. It was an interesting dance if one were to observe it. He would walk in a straight line for a minute, go to his phone only to walk away and start again.
He continued his manic pacing for several more minutes before he stopped and looked at his mural. Izuku's eyes traced every single piece of art on his wall, each one bringing up a mini memory for him. His gaze then ended at the signature he, Shoka, and Momo painted onto the wall. He took a deep breath and walked over to his phone.
And his message was sent.
"Okay. This isn't hard. Just message the guy, Shoka."
Shoka was lying down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She huffed as she hadn't moved from her spot, her phone sitting in her hand waiting for her input.
"He was there to help you out when you needed it, and he can help you again if you. Just. Ask!"
But she continued to lay there, not moving an inch or trying to send the message she needed to send. Shoka sat up, huffing once more. The ravenette turned her head and looked at the collage of pictures on the wall next to the bed. Each one captured a different moment from the past year. So many different days she spent with Izuku, Shinso, and Momo.
Shoka brought her phone up and opened Hero Scramble, going to her team-ups section. Only two agencies were there. And they were the only two that mattered to her.
BunyMight and LadyMateria. Izuku and Momo.
"GAH! This is just so weird!"
Shoka stared at her phone and threw caution to the wind.
And so she asked for help.
Momo was sitting at her desk, frantically reading and rereading one of her novels, trying her best to find anything to help her muster her courage.
And found nothing.
She had the man's number. He was kind enough to offer it to her, saying if she needed anything at all, she could contact him. And she desperately wanted his advice. He knew her two friends the best so who better to help her understand what she was feeling.
"Come now, Momo. You are a Yaoyorozu. You are looking to be a Hero. This should not scare you!"
Her phone still sat at the corner of her desk. Next to a framed picture.
And she began to focus on that picture. A selfie Shoka had sent her that she had printed out.
The first day she, Izuku, and Shoka spent together by themselves. It was of them, sitting on a rooftop overlooking the city. She was leaning on Izuku with Shoka leaning back onto him as she took the picture. Momo smiled as the memory came back to her.
And that was all she needed to do what must be done.
And with that, she sent her message asking for help.
- CAFÉ WILDKAT -
Mr. H was currently relaxing at his café. The day was an easy one and everything was alright in his books. On the counter he was leaning on as he drank his coffee, was BK, RK, and SK in a small pile with BK in the middle of the other two cats. LK was sleeping away on his bed near them, choosing to ignore his friends. The café owner smiled at the interaction and began to think about how his other cats were doing on their first day.
And then he heard his phone go off.
He dug through his pocket and pulled out his phone, interested to see who messaged him. He smirked as he saw the name of the sender.
"Well, ain't this a surprise. I was just thinkin' about you, Phones." The coffee maker said out loud.
He tapped the notification to open it, quirking a brow as he read through the messages he had just gotten.
Phones: Hey Mr. H. I need some advice. About Shoka and Momo.
Phones: I think I have feelings for both of them, but I'm confused and frustrated with myself at the same time.
Phones: Please, let me know if you are free to meet up. I really need your help understanding all of this.
'Dang, Phones. Not something I expected to happen as quickly as it did, but I can understand why you may be frustrated at yourself.' Mr. H thought as he read the messages. He was about to reply, letting his mentee know he was free to drop by later so they could talk when another set of messages came through.
This time from Shoka.
ShoKat: Sup Mr H.
ShoKat: Look, I could use some advice.
ShoKat: So heres the thing. I think I have a thing for Izuku. And Momo.
ShoKat: Think I can pop on by for a cup and some wisdom?
"Okay, I was really not expecting this so soon." Mr. H said to himself. He was about to go back to message Izuku when he stopped himself. He kept his eyes on his phone, brought up his other hand, and began to countdown. As soon as he hit zero, his phone chimed once more. This time because of Momo.
Ponytail: Good afternoon, Mr. H.
Ponytail: I find myself dealing with some confusing feelings for Izuku and Shoka.
Ponytail: And while I believe these feelings to be natural, I am lost on what to do.
Ponytail: You told me that if I need it, I can come to you for advice. I would like to take you up on that if you would be so kind.
"Cripes, kids work fast these days." The man muttered. He looked at the three cats in the pile. What he saw didn't really surprise him. Bk, Rk, and SK all seemed to have a smug look on their faces.
"Alright, so you three were right." He said to the animals.
They all just meowed in their own way of saying, "Told you so" before returning to their little cuddle pile.
Mr. H snorted in laughter and shook his head. He looked back at his phone and sent the three messages telling them to drop by later today. Once the messages were sent, he pocketed his phone and returned to his drink.
"Gonna be a real interesting evening."