Chapter 11: I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire
Midoriya's eyes widened at his teacher's words, but his reaction was nothing compared to the loud complaints of his classmates. Gami wasn't all that surprised, honestly. It wasn't like he was attached to any of the kids here, except his successor. And the ghost had full faith that his friend would do fine.
"The lowest score will be expelled…?" the nice girl from the entrance exam repeated, "It's only the first day! I mean, even if it weren't… that's totally unfair!!"
Aizawa ran a tired hand through his hair and looked over to her, "Natural disasters, highway pileups, rampaging villains…the world is full of unfairness"
The green haired teen was brought back to the sludge villain incident. It had only been a matter of luck that he ended up encountering the villain underneath the overpass that day. And a matter of even worse luck that the villain had escaped and captured Bakugo later on. A lot of things ran through his mind that day, and the days after, but never the thought that it was unfair. He was more grateful that the villain decided to attack him actually, as he had the ability to restrain him. He couldn't imagine if some other unfortunate soul ended up crossing paths instead. That would have been unfair.
"Heroes are the ones who correct all of that unfairness."
The boy's hand twitched at that statement. There was nothing incorrect about it from a rational standpoint, but he knew from experience that it wasn't true for all heroes.
If you were hoping for a nice, easy three years here, I'm sorry to burst your bubble," the pro grilled, "U.A. will run you through the wringer."
Midoriya looked nervously over to his companion, but found no hesitance in his ghostly friend. Of course, it was always a bit difficult to tell, but he had gotten better at it over the years. His worries eased away at the spirit's confidence.
"That's Plus Ultra," Aizawa finished, "Show me it's no mistake that you're here."
The boy first was afraid he shouldn't be here. That he took someone else's rightful spot at U.A. That it was a mistake that he was here. But now, he felt the determination flush out any hesitance he had left.
"We've wasted enough time talking. Let's get started."
Bring it on, I'm ready!!
The first event was the 50 meter dash. He was unsure of how any of his abilities could really help him here. The obvious answer would be to propel himself with another shockwave, but that would likely cause massive damage to the buildings near the track, as well as any students standing too close. And once he realized they were racing in pairs, he knew there would be no way he could fire off a blast without hurting the person next to him. So Midoriya opted to just rely on his natural speed.
He watched with interest as the boy from the exam, Iida, prepared to race against a girl who slightly resembled a frog. He wasn't sure what either's quirk was, but he knew he was about to find out.
As the starting noise sounded, both took off with surprising speed. He watched as smoke plumed from the tubes in Iida's legs, and that confirmed his initial guess about the student's quirk from the entrance exam. It must be a speed boosting quirk. He easily outran the other girl and the robot at the end of the 50 meters announced his score to be an impressive 3.04 seconds.
The teen hadn't caught much about the girl he was racing against, but based on her form and how she hopped along the track instead of running, he determined she had a frog based quirk. He noticed her long tongue when it escaped her mouth as she was jumping, and that only strengthened his guess. She had scored 5.58 seconds, not as fast as Iida's, but still impressive.
The next two to go were the brunette and another student with a tail. He had a good idea what the girl's quirk was, as he'd seen it in action in the entrance exam. At first, he thought she could make things float, but as he watched her touch her clothes right before the race began, he figured out it must have something to do with gravity. She only scored 7.15 seconds, but Midoriya couldn't really see how she could have done anything different to boost her score.
He continued to watch as other students raced, wondering who he would be paired with. As students got called and the list narrowed, the boy felt his gut sink and hoped the universe would have mercy on him.
It did not.
"Students 17 and 18," Aizawa called out.
He walked up to the track. The teen was number 18, but he paled when he saw who 17 was.
It being Bakugo of course.
He noticed that Gami stood on the sidelines still. It made sense, his mentor was probably worried about the light that would come off Bakugo's quirk. The ghost did a slow fist pump at him, and he almost snorted at how awkward it looked. But he was officially calmed down now and ready to run.
Midoriya noted that the blond currently had his arms crossed in front of his face. He knew his quirk would be beneficial to this test, and he put that at the back of his head.
The starting noise reached his ears, and like instinct, he took off. He heard Bakugo shout something, but he wasn't too focused on it. The boy's explosion propelled body was flying up next to him, but the teen moved accordingly to dodge a stray blast coming at his head. His pace didn't change though and he made it to the finish line a hair behind his former friend.
Bakugo had scored an imposing 4.13 seconds, but that was to be expected.
Gami flew over to him after he crossed the line, "What did you score? I could not hear over the explosions…"
The teen smiled briefly, "6.32. Much better than middle school."
The specter could see the pride that radiated off his successor. It was nice seeing him like this, genuinely happy and proud of himself.
The second event was grip strength. Midoriya knew none of his abilities could help him here, unless he wanted to disintegrate the machine. So he simply focused all his energy on squeezing the life out of the machine currently in his right hand. It was nothing too spectacular, just 56kg, but he was content nonetheless. There weren't too many quirks that could help out with this, but one kid with what looked to be multiple arms did score a striking 540kg.
Then came the standing long jump. At first, the teen thought he'd have to do this one without any assistance again, since the shockwave from his scythe would again be too risky, but a crazy idea struck him right as he was called up.
Gami once again watched from the sidelines, but upon seeing a tint of madness in the boy's eyes, he was debating whether to intervene.
He took a deep breath at the start, before performing the test as he usually would. He poured his strength into his back legs and lept. But right as he hit the peak of his jump, he flexed his gloved hand to summon his weapon. Then, with both hands, he slammed the blade into the sand, the long handle now sticking up. As he fell, he reached for the handle again, towards the highest part of it. Once he felt the familiar grain of the wood, even through his gloves, Midoriya used it as support to fling himself off of it, traveling even further than he would have with a normal jump.
He touched down onto the sand with both feet a bit roughly, but stable as well, a wide grin on his face. Gami rushed over to congratulate him.
"That was quite ingenious."
Noticing a few of his classmates eyes on him, he nodded his head instead of verbally responding. Aizawa was actually one of those eyes, impressed by the boy's creative use of his abilities. But in the back of the pro's mind, he knew that the kid was hiding something about his quirk. The fact that he couldn't erase it earlier confirmed that.
The next event was side stepping, and the teen performed under average for that. But he wasn't too worried based on how he was currently doing overall. Besides, not many students exceeded on this test. The only one that stood out was a small, purple haired kid that was using rubber-like balls from his head to bounce from side to side.
Next was the ball toss. For this one, he got to sit out as he had already performed it before. He watched as his classmates attempted using their quirks to launch the ball. Some were successful, like the nice brunette who scored an infinity by making the ball float into space. Others were not, like the one pink girl who seemingly tried to launch the ball with her acid. Unfortunately, the ball just melted instead.
When Bakugo walked up for his turn though, Midoriya grew curious. He was positive the blond would just launch the ball with an explosion, but he was wondering how far it would go. He walked into the circle and stretched out his arms as the teacher tossed him the ball.
"DIE!!" Bakugo shouted as an enormous explosion ripped through the air. The ball zoomed off into the sky. After a few seconds, the ball bounced to the ground and Aizawa held up the screen with his score.
"705.2 meters."
The class was thoroughly awestruck at the score, including the reserved teen, but Bakugo seemed to react in the complete opposite way. He growled and dug his fingernails into his palm. How had he scored lower than Deku, who was supposed to be quirkless? And by over 400 meters? He was livid with everything, and his usual seething grew to the point where his hands started smoking. Of course, the pro hero noticed, but recorded it for later. He realized that the blond held some sort of animosity towards the green haired kid. That may be an issue later.
The sixth event was a display of upper body strength, and despite not finding a way to use any of his powers, he still scored over average. The months of training at Dagobah really paid off. Plus, he naturally had to have a lot of upper body strength to swing around his weapon.
After that came the endurance test, and again, he still scored really well even without his powers. Years of escaping bullies at Aldera as well as his nightly endurance runs really built up a reservoir of stamina. He was one of the last kids left running on the track and felt proud of that. Especially since one of the few kids that outdid him was on a scooter for goodness sake. Midoriya was sure that the student, a girl with spiky, black hair, would place first overall. Her quirk, which he was sure was some sort of creation quirk, was really well rounded and contributed to every test.
Last was the seated toe touch. The teen didn't do so well on this one, but he wasn't that worried. He scored a bit under average again, but it wasn't too bad compared to everyone else.
And with that, the events were over. Aizawa grouped the class together once more so he could talk.
"Moving along, it's time for the results," he explained, pulling out a remote from his back pocket. The pro pressed a button on it and a screen popped up in front of everyone. Upon closer examination, the boy figured out it was a list of everyone's placement overall. Gami realized this too and the two scoured the list for his name.
He found his name, ranked third out of the class overall. To be honest, the teen wasn't expecting to place that high. He knew he did well enough to not place last, but he was sure his scores weren't all that impressive. He guessed that his ball toss score really carried him, along with the standing long jump and the endurance run.
He looked at the places above and below him. In first was the girl with the creation quirk, as he expected, now learning her name was Yaoyorozu Momo
Right above him in second was someone named Todoroki Shouto. He wasn't sure which student that was, but he swore the name felt familiar, at least, the family name did. He was sure he had heard that name before, somewhere.
And right below him were Bakugo in fourth and Iida in fifth. Being above both made his heart swell with pride, and he considered them both powerful and talented on their own. Though, he wasn't sure how happy said blond would be once he realized he was above him.
His eyes then traveled all the way down to last place, to see the name Mineta Minoru. Again, he hadn't really acquainted himself with his classmates yet, so he was unsure of who that was. But he followed the group's eyes to the small, purple haired kid that had exceeded on the side stepping test. The student was shaking and sniffling, realizing that he was going home. Most of the class looked at him with pitiful gazes.
"Also," Aizawa interrupted, "I was lying about expelling someone."
The entire class, except a few kids, perked up at that in shock. Midoriya did as well, but not for the same reasons. So did the ghost, but only the teen could see that.
"That was a rational deception…," the pro smiled eerily, "meant to bring out the best in all of you."
The class of first years all erupted into shouts of chaos, especially Mineta. But the quiet boy kept his mouth shut as normal, and instead turned to look at his mentor.
"I am thoroughly confused…"
The child couldn't agree more.
"It was pretty obvious that it was a lie," the girl who placed first, Yaoyorozu, stated, "I assumed you all knew that too…"
The duo shared another puzzled look. They hadn't imagined seeing Aizawa seething mad at the beginning when he made the declaration. It didn't make sense for it to be just a lie. Without even discussing it, both were certain that the teacher was going to expel last place, but changed his mind for some reason.
"Anyway, we're done here," the hero continued, completely ignoring his class's outburst, "Change and head back to the classroom. Your documents about the curriculum should be in there."
And with that, the pro walked away and headed inside himself, leaving the students to now rush back to the locker room. Midoriya trailed behind everyone, not wanting to be swept up in the crowd. He made sure to avoid Bakugo as well, unsure if he would want to attack him after the placements.
Once he arrived at the locker room, he made haste to his own locker. Opening it up, he quickly grabbed both his bag and uniform, as well as an extra pair of gloves.
He hadn't noticed his signature polyester gloves were starting to disintegrate until Gami had pointed it out at the end of the tests. The ghost's reasoning was that he had noticed it earlier, but didn't want to worry him during the apprehension tests. Whether Midoriya truly appreciated the lateness of the gesture or not was debatable, but he was just thankful that most of his gloves remained intact. He always packed extra gloves for situations like this, his paranoia getting the best of him. But he wouldn't consider it paranoia if someone called it that, just being precautious. And he was always precautious.
Finally snapping out of his thoughts, he walked towards the stall he used earlier. But as he passed by the other boys, Iida spoke up.
"I must say, Midoriya," he started, "I'm very much impressed by your skills. I really misjudged you."
"Ah, um, thank you," the teen stumbled out, "You were pretty cool too. Your quirk is a speed boosting one, right?"
The glasses wearing boy seemed to straighten up at the praise, "Yes! My quirk is Engine, and it indeed boosts my speed."
He smiled, and took that last statement as a cue to leave. But just as he was going to take another step, someone else called out.
"I must agree. You are a mad banquet of darkness."
He turned around to see a student with what looked to be a bird head. He hadn't recognized him though and was startled overall by his sudden statement.
"Uh thank you…" he wasn't sure whether that was a complement, "I don't know your name though…"
"I'm Tokoyami Fumikage," the bird boy introduced, then gestured to his side, "and this is Dark Shadow."
Midoriya was about to question the newly introduced Tokoyami, when a shadowy bird with red eyes materialized right where he had gestured. He recognized the shadow from some of the events back on those school grounds.
"That's me!" the bird giggled, "His scythe is so cool Tokoyami! Can we keep him?"
Said boy looked done with his shadow counterpart, "That's not how it works, Dark Shadow. Though I agree, his scythe is indeed cool."
The teen looked down bashfully at the praise. Gami would have been weary, but the man was too busy studying Dark Shadow in the moment. He determined that the bird could not see him and returned to his successor's side.
Iida jumped back into the conversation, "Though, I must ask. What exactly is your quirk, Midoriya? Because you displayed some other abilities in the entrance exam that you did not during that quirk apprehension test."
The timid boy got a bit nervous at the question, but calmed himself down. He and the spirit had rehearsed this exact scenario multiple times. He knew it was only a matter of time before someone asked about his quirk, student or teacher.
He and the ghost both noticed that the other males in the room immediately tuned in once that question was asked. The others were probably curious as well. He knew Bakugo was definitely listening just to scope him out. Though, a certain candy cane student was also doing the same.
"Well," he started, "My quirk is called Reaper. Um, it's basically got two major parts."
When both Tokoyami and Iida didn't say anything, he continued. Dark Shadow cocked his head curiously.
"I can decay living and nonliving things with my hands. That's probably what you noticed in the exam, Iida. Though, it works no matter how many of my fingers are touching, so it's a bit hard to control."
"I see," the strict student replied, "I'm assuming that's why you wear those gloves?"
Midoriya picked at his long sleeves nervously and Gami narrowed his eyes, "Yeah. It acts up when I get emotional. My gloves are kind of like the first layer of defense."
Tokoyami noticed the boy's discomfort and tried to change the topic, "What about the other part of your quirk?"
"Well, the other part is my scythe, of course. It's like my own personal weapon. I can make it appear and disappear at will."
Dark Shadow seemed to get excited, "Is it heavy?"
The teen snorted lightly, "Not really. Though, that could just be because I'm used to it."
Iida still looked confused though, "But what about the explosion with the zero-pointer? And the ball throw?"
"Um, I can basically combine those two parts together," he explained, "I can share my decay with my scythe."
That didn't satisfy Iida, "But that doesn't explain the explosion…"
"It's honestly just something I figured out. My decay works on a molecular level. So even if my weapon only cuts the air, I can decay those molecules and-"
"You're creating a brief, unstable vacuum, and that's where the explosion comes from," he interrupted, becoming excited, "I think I understand now."
Midoriya looked over at the bird duo and Tokoyami nodded, confirming his understanding as well.
"Woah!" Dark Shadow exclaimed, "That's so cool!!"
"Indeed," Iida agreed, "You have truly amazed me with your ingenuity, Midoriya!"
Said boy cringed at the name. He didn't really want to go by that during his years here at U.A. "You can call me by a nickname, if you'd like. I'm not too big a fan of being called Midoriya…"
He hoped he wasn't being too demanding or abrupt, since neither Iida or Tokoyami said anything after. But Dark Shadow didn't seem to notice the tension, if there was any.
"Can I call you Midori?"
The teen smiled at the little bird, "That's fine."
"Then I will call you that as well, if that is alright," Tokoyami followed right after his shadowy friend.
He nodded in confirmation.
Iida spoke next, "I'm afraid I'm not very good with nicknames, but I'll do my best."
"Thanks," the teen answered, "but I'm going to go change now."
Both boys nodded and let him go, so he meandered over to the stall and shut the door. Unfolding his school uniform, he carefully took off his gym clothes and slipped it on, removing the black turtleneck as well.
"That went well."
Midoriya huffed, "What? The whole quirk thing or just talking to them in general?"
The man snorted at his successor's awkwardness, "Both."
"Yeah, they seemed pretty nice, and I think the lie came off well."
But after that, no more words were spoken. The boy exited the stall into a near empty locker room. His gym clothes were now neatly folded in his backpack and his school uniform smoothed out. He had already taken a while in the locker room, and pretty much everyone else had left already. He was about to do the same, when a new voice called out to him.
"Midoriya, correct?"
He turned around to see a heterochromatic eyed boy facing him, a scar covering the spot where his right eye was, "U-um, yeah. Y-you are?"
The student didn't even pause, "Todoroki Shouto."
The teen recognized the name from the quirk apprehension chart. This was the boy who placed above him in second. From the first glance, he seemed cold and reserved, a bit similar to how Gami acted when they first met.
But now, the room was filled with tense silence, and it unnerved him.
"D-do you need something from me?"
Todoroki didn't respond instantly. Gami grew hesitant and moved closer to the boy. He wasn't sure what this kid was going to pull.
"Are your parents pro heroes?"
Midoriya didn't know what to expect, but he surely wasn't expecting that.
"W-what? No…"
The other student narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything right away. So he tried to reassure him that this was the truth.
"My parents aren't heroes, they're just…"
"Why did you drive Hisashi away from me?! Why did you have to be quirkless?! Don't you realize what you have done to me?!"
"Normal…"
"You quirkless misfit! Get out of my way! I SAID GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
"People…"
That did nothing to convince Todoroki though. In fact, he grew more suspicious at the hesitant response. He wanted to press him more, but the teen was growing skittish.
"We should really get going," he stated abrupt, "or we're going to be late."
Todoroki didn't want to let this go just yet though, "Can we talk after school then?"
Midoriya was eager to leave the situation, but at the same time, he really didn't want this conversation to continue. But something in his heart wanted to hear his classmate out. He reminded the boy so much of Gami, and he knew how many repressed emotions the ghostly man was hiding. What if he was the same? Maybe talking after school wasn't such a bad idea…
"Izu-"
"Sure, that sounds fine."
Midoriya had gone through the rest of his classes with ease, as well as silence, until lunch had arrived. He was so excited to see Lunch Rush as part of the school staff, and for the first time in years, he ate a meal he didn't have to cook. A warm feeling filled him when he took his first bite, and he knew it wasn't from the hot food alone.
The teen found a table to himself, and was prepared to sit alone, as he always had. That's when he could talk to Gami and do his job without any interruptions. Or mumble to himself as he scribbled away in one of his notebooks. Or analyze a quirk with his mentor. That's what he was used to. That's what he liked.
So he was certainly surprised when Iida and the brunette sat themselves down on the other side of the table.
"Ah, Iida," he greeted, "um, infinity girl… I never caught your name actually…"
She giggled, "I'm Uraraka Ochako!"
Iida immediately began with praise, "Both your scores for the ball throw and your placements overall were impressive."
Uraraka smiled, "You did just as amazingly… Iida Tenya, right?"
"Correct. But I cannot believe Aizawa-sensei fooled us like that."
Yeah, that was sure stressful," she confirmed.
Midoriya hummed in agreement.
"He made me think that this is how it's like at the top, but our own instructor deceived us…"
The two then devolved into idle chatter after that, with the shy boy chiming in every now and again. He had originally assumed that Iida would be an issue after the events of the entrance exam, but he realized the student wasn't like that at all. Just a very serious rule follower. And Uraraka was a very nice person overall. She was talkative and cheery, pretty much the complete opposite of himself. He really wasn't used to this kind of treatment, though it really was just typical friendly talk. It made him wonder how much he'd missed out on during his years of elementary and middle school.
Uraraka had ended up asking about his quirk as well, so he explained it as similarly as he did in the locker room, with Iida butting in a few times. She was fairly awestruck when he recounted the destruction of the zero-pointer and clarified how he did it. Of course, she ended up being a bit nosy into the gloves, so he had to explain that as well.
"So you can decay living things too, right? Is there a limit? Like what about people, or animals. Or even plants?!"
Midoriya swallowed a chunk of food in his mouth, "There isn't a limit. It works on all that."
Iida joined in, "So no finger limit or target limit. Your quirk seems strangely unbalanced."
Well, that was partially because it wasn't really a quirk. But even then, it had its drawbacks, enough to make him weary of using it.
"Well, it's a bit intimidating. Any damage I do to a living thing can't be healed…"
Both kids paled, "What?"
The boy shrunk back. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, "I can control it partially. I can touch people, as well as objects, without my powers activating, but not plants or animals. I've actually never touched an animal since my abilities developed. I don't want to take the risk."
The brunette looked heartbroken, "Oh, I'm so sorry if I brought up unwanted memories…"
Iida agreed, "I as well."
"No, no it's fine. That's just how I've always been. I'm used to it at this point," he assured them, "That's why I wear gloves. Sometimes my power activates without my consent when I'm emotional. I'd rather not put anyone at risk."
There was a bit of silence after that, but the stiff boy spoke up, "Well, I think it is admirable that you're working to become a hero despite however your quirk acts."
Uraraka perked up too, "Yeah! Your quirk may be a bit unnerving, but you've put it to good use!!"
Midoriya smiled, "Thank you guys. I've never really heard that before."
That was technically the truth. He'd never told anyone about his abilities before, so no one had actually reassured him. Sure, Gami did from time to time, but that was to be expected of the man who introduced said abilities to him.
"Well, that's what friends are for."
That took his breath away. Did she just call him a friend? They had only just met, how could she consider him a friend so suddenly? Was that just how friendship worked? He surely didn't know. His first day was turning out to be more groundbreaking than he expected, but he needed to make sure. He needed to know that she wasn't just pulling his leg, like the other kids did at Aldera.
"We're…," he fumbled, "we're friends?"
Iida backed up her statement, "Most certainly."
"Yeah, of course!!"
But even then, he was still weary. The specter noticed his hesitation. The poor boy had lived in his shell his whole life, he wasn't used to being coaxed out of it.
"They seem like nice kids…"
The man wasn't sure if that was enough to reassure his friend. But as he turned to look at him, he picked up on the newfound confidence.
"Ok then…"
The girl brightened up, "Awesome! I'm kind of embarrassed, but I don't think I ever confirmed your name. Midoriya… Deku, right?"
His mouth grew dry. They were going to make fun of him, weren't they?
She noticed his pause, "During the test, that Bakugo guy called you that…"
Oh, she just genuinely thought that was his name then? "Um… my real name is Izuku. 'Deku' is just Bakugo's way of making fun of me…"
Iida scowled, "Ugh, and that boy is truly aiming to be a hero?"
Uraraka kept on with her tangent, ignoring Iida, "Well I think it sounds like Dekiru. You know, like 'do your best?' I kinda like it!!"
As nice as he thought the girl was, there was no way in his right mind that he would ever let someone call him Deku again. He wanted that name to die with his old self from Aldera. He was really striving for a fresh start here at U.A.
"I'm not really comfortable with being called that…"
The brunette seemed sort of sad at that, so he did his best to save face.
"But I wouldn't mind another nickname though. I don't really want to be called Midoriya."
And just like he hoped, her eyes sparkled again with newfound purpose. She raised a finger to tap at her chin in contemplation. There were another few moments of silence, where no one spoke a word.
"What about Midori? It matches your hair pretty well!"
He snorted at the coincidence, "Sure, that's fine."
She must have interpreted the huff as something else though, "Is Midori not good either?"
Iida jumped in to help explain, "I'm pretty sure he is just amused. Another student from the locker room ended up calling him that as well."
That restarted Uraraka's bubbliness, "Well, then it must be fate! Midori it is!!"
Everyone at the table laughed, and lunch faded into conversation. There wasn't much time left, so the three ended up having to shovel the rest of their food down to get to class. There were only a couple more hours left before the first day would officially be over, and Midoriya wanted to savor every second.
His two friends from before left a bit earlier than he did, though that was only because he told them not to wait for him. He wanted some time to talk with his mentor.
"So," he began, "Midori, huh?"
The newly nicknamed teen waved him off, "Joke all you want, but I actually like it."
"Well, that is what matters, is it not?"
He placed his tray down on one of the dropoff tables, "Yeah."
The two left the cafeteria together in silence, but at seeing the hallway empty, their conversation started up again.
"I'm guessing this means no more sorting at lunch then…"
The boy nearly slapped himself, "I didn't even think about that. Shoot. I can't just make them stop coming to the table though."
"No worries, you will just have to pick up the slack throughout the day."
"Yeah, I can just work extra in the mornings and evenings."
The duo made their way back to the 1-A classroom with a little pep in their step. He was a bit disappointed that he would no longer have lunch to chat with his ghostly companion, but the change of scenery was pleasant.
Besides, he was glad to have Iida and Uraraka around.
Despite Midoriya greatest efforts to make the day last, the rest of the classes simply flew by. Before he knew it, it was already the end of the last class. After the rest of the regular subject classes, his schedule ended at 1-A, which Aizawa clarified would be heroics.
But they weren't doing any heroics today, since the pro had already had them participate in the quirk apprehension test earlier. They were only going over some of the documents handed to them near the beginning of the day, syllabuses and such. Most kids thought it was boring, but the quiet teen didn't really mind. Just the fact that he had gone through the day without anyone hurting him or making fun of him really gave him no room to complain.
But eventually, the class, as well as the day, was over. Midoriya sat up out of his chair, and swung his bag over one of his shoulders. He paused for a moment, letting a good portion of his classmates exit before him. But that didn't stop Uraraka or Iida from meeting up with him at his desk.
"Wow," the brunette sighed, "I can't believe the first day is over already!"
Both boys nodded in agreement.
"Are you two headed to the station?" she followed up.
"Yeah, I am…" he responded softly.
"Indeed!" Iida confirmed.
"Well then, let's get going!"
The two boys nodded again, and the three made their way to the classroom door. Gami trailed behind, silently observing the classroom. The teacher, Eraserhead, was still at the front of the room, shuffling around some papers. But upon closer inspection, the spirit realized he was sneaking glances at his successor. His eyes narrowed accordingly, just because his friend admired the hero didn't mean he had to be easy on him. Gami never saw it as overprotecting, just simply watching out for the boy. Besides, it wasn't like he could do much with his transparent form and all.
But the ghost desperately wished he could interact with more, because he watched the pro stand up and walk towards the small group of kids. He tensed, but even that wasn't enough to solidify his hands so he could defend if he needed to.
"Midoriya…"
All three kids turned around, even though only one had their name called. Aizawa towered over them, his hands stuffed into his pockets. His long, black hair brushed over his tired eyes, but he still managed to look intimidating.
The teacher continued when no one responded, "I need to speak to you."
The teen flashed a worried look to Uraraka, and she shared the same sentiment. Iida stiffened up and straightened out his glasses. The girl was the first to speak, surprisingly.
"It's ok, Midori," she assured, "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Ah, ok," he mumbled.
His two new friends sent him bright smiles and waved as they exited the classroom. Midoriya smiled back, though it wasn't as wide. He turned around to face his teacher, but kept his guard up, not knowing what to expect. Gami's tall figure loomed next to him and made him feel safer. That was one of the nicest aspects about having the specter around pretty much 24/7. He never felt alone, no matter the situation. The spirit already did a lot to reassure him on a daily basis, but his presence alone simply put him at ease.
"What did you need, Aizawa-sensei?" he pondered.
"It's about the quirk apprehension test," he answered, "but not here."
That made the teen pale. He hoped his teacher wasn't getting suspicious about his quirk. That would definitely not end well.
The hero walked to the door and gestured for the boy to follow him. He was growing more nervous by the second, but he did his best to hide it so as to not draw attention. He twiddled his gloved fingers together and stepped through the doorway, but stopped to check the classroom. There were only a few students left in the corners of the room, and Midoriya didn't know any of their names. But his eyes settled on the one student he did know, one red and white haired boy.
He felt bad that he wouldn't be able to hold out on his promise, but there wasn't anything he could really do. Todoroki just stared back without a word, and the tension in the room only strengthened. The shy teen just sent him an awkward smile and a slight wave, before rushing off to catch up to Aizawa.
The duo walked slightly behind the teacher as he led them down another hall. The ghost and boy shared a lot of looks between each other, with Gami making comments every here and there.
"Do not worry too much. I am sure it will all work out."
He didn't answer of course, so the ghost just kept rambling.
"Besides, we rehearsed what to say to most typical questions concerning your quirk."
They turned down another hallway. Midoriya was still unsure of where they were going, or what exactly Aizawa needed with him.
"Whatever it may be, we are most likely overthinking it."
He could only focus on the soft echoes of his footsteps behind the hero, and the smooth tone of his mentor's voice.
"Maybe he is simply curious about-"
"We're here," the pro unknowingly interrupted.
The teen looked out from behind his teacher, but a seemingly normal door was the only thing that greeted him. Though the door looked similar to most of the closets and rooms in the school, something about it seemed so imposing. He clasped his hands nervously and held them close to his chest, his fingers twitching.
He couldn't deny the fact that he admired Eraserhead. The man was one of his biggest inspirations growing up, especially after meeting All Might. The way he fought, his nonchalant attitude, his whole stature, made him Midoriya's favorite hero. The hero just put the boy's mind into overdrive. Even his companion admitted that he was interesting, and Gami found few things appealing.
But right now, he was feeling less awe and more afraid. The pro was radiating this serious energy and it just infected the air around them. It felt like something was caught in his throat.
Aizawa turned the handle and swung open the door. It creaked on its hinges for a second, but didn't make a sound afterwards. The teacher didn't walk it right away though, just held it open. When the student didn't move, his eyes snapped down and he thrusted out his hand.
"Go on in…" he clarified.
The teen jumped, "O-oh, ok."
He did what the hero said, and walked inside. The room looked to be an office, with wide windows covering the back wall. There was simply furnishing, a large wooden desk and a seating area in front of it. Behind the desk was a tall swivel chair facing the windows. The chair was moving, so he could tell that someone was in it.
The door was shut behind him, and drew a startled gasp from him. He spun around to see the hero closing the door. The man gestured to take a seat, so Midoriya did. He carefully sat down on one end of the small couch, and Aizawa placed himself on the other end. The boy nudged his form closer to the armrest, hoping to increase the space between them. Gami stood next to his successor by the couch, and rested his hand near the armrest. He tried to lean on it, but his hand slipped right through. Normally, he would have at least snorted at that, but he had enough self control and common sense to realize that may not be a good idea when in close proximity to a pro hero.
Then, the office chair turned around, shocking the teen out of his bewilderment. At first, he saw no one sitting and the possibility of a ghost ran through his head, but then, a small animal hoisted himself off of the seat and onto the desk. The duo observed him silently. They both weren't sure what animal he was, but he wore a black suit with orange sneakers. The shoes were very similar to Midoriya's own, the thick soles matching up and everything.
The rodent looking creature reached the edge of his desk and sat down, letting his feet dangle off. He smiled at the two sitting in front of him before saying his signature greeting.
"Am I a dog, a mouse, a bear? Who knows!" the animal declared, "But more importantly, I'm the principal!"
The boy paled. He was in front of the principal. Aizawa had taken him to the principal. He couldn't shake the feeling out of his gut that this wasn't going to be good.
"U-um, hello sir…" he stuttered out.
"You can just refer to me as Nezu, Midoriya." he stated, "Would you care for a cup of tea?"
His hands grew clammy. It was just his luck that the principal knew his name. That meant he was probably looking into him. "S-sure, Nezu-san."
The principal hopped off his desk and headed over to a small table by a bookshelf. While there, he opened up what looked to be a thermos and poured its contents into two cups.
"I'm assuming you don't want any Aizawa-san?" he asked.
"No, I'm good. Thanks though."
The animal then returned with two cups in his hand. He placed one on the coffee table in front of the couch and pushed it towards the teen. He slowly picked it up with both gloved hands, feeling the warm even through the polyester. He took a small sip and instantly felt at ease. The principal sat down back on the desk, his tail swinging back and forth.
"Do you know why you're here, Midoriya?" he began, still holding the cup between his paws.
"Just stay calm."
"No sir…"
Nezu then gestured to the other pro. Aizawa coughed to clear his throat.
"During the quirk apprehension test, I asked you to demonstrate the ball throw for everyone, yes?" the tired man questioned.
Midoriya resisted the urge to look at Gami for guidance. He kept both hands on the tea cup and looked over to his homeroom teacher.
"Yeah… you did," he confirmed.
There was a short pause, before the man continued, "I understand you know of me."
The teen brightened at that, "Yeah, you're Eraserhead. If this is about me calling you out in front of everyone, then I just want to apologize and that I totally didn't mean to-"
The pro held out his hand, and he immediately stopped rambling.
"That's not what this is about. You know what my quirk is?"
Where was the hero going with this? "Y-yeah. It's Erasure. You can erase people's quirks when you look at them, unless they're mutant types."
"Your quirk is classified as an emitter, correct?" the man narrowed his eyes.
That was what Midoriya listed his "quirk" as. It seemed like the best fit. "Yes…"
"Then do you want to explain why I couldn't erase your quirk during the test?"
The gasp lodged itself in the boy's throat.
"This was certainly unexpected."
He turned to glare at the spirit, but caught himself midway and snapped his head back. What was he supposed to do? There was no way he could have expected to have Eraserhead as his homeroom teacher, so he didn't have an excuse prepared for something like this. Nezu and Aizawa were currently staring him down. He had to say something soon. But his mind was racing and drawing a blank at the same time. His heartbeat flooded his ears as his hands grew sweaty. He couldn't even form a coherent thought like this, much less a believable lie.
"You could spin it as a misunderstanding. Make them believe your powers are a… what is it called… a mutant quirk instead."
This time, the teen couldn't stop himself from snapping to his mentor. He knew the man was only trying to help, but this wasn't really helping. "That's not how it works," he seethed.
But unfortunately, his angry whisper wasn't quiet enough to be completely unheard. At least, not to the individual in the room who had sharper senses.
"Who are you talking to, Midoriya?" Nezu inquired with a curious, yet sadistic smile.
If Aizawa's declaration didn't make him piss himself, the principal's statement certainly did.
Eraserhead turned to look at his student. He definitely wasn't expecting this kind of turn out. His gut was starting to push the idea that this kid could be a spy, and had some sort of communications device on him right now. He reached for his phone, and was ready to call Tsukauchi and some other heroes if it came to that.
Midoriya's throat grew dry. He was really at a loss for what to do.
Gami could see the bind his successor was in. The truth about his powers and subsequently the explanation of being Death wasn't some sort of secret that needed to be kept. There were no repercussions from the higher ups if the current Death spilled to someone. It was more of putting oneself at risk. After all, outing a fact like that could lead his friend to be targeted or experimented on, or even locked away. The specter wished he had this conversation with the boy before this.
"Your position isn't something that is required to be kept secret," he tried to explain quickly, cursing out his luck, "You will not get punished if you spill. However, you will be putting yourself at risk."
Well, at this point, the teen could see really no other way out of this situation.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" he finally responded to the principal.
Aizawa tensed. The rodent smirked even wider. "Try me."
The boy swallowed thickly. Here goes nothing. "Well, there's a ghost next to me."
He could see the looks of disbelief on the teachers' faces. There was no stopping now.
"He's a bit over 5 centuries old, and he's basically my mentor. I don't know his real name though, so I just call him Gami."
His homeroom teacher still looked skeptical, but Nezu just seemed interested, "Alright then. Assuming what you are saying is the truth, what does Gami have to do with your quirk?"
And here was the waterfall. He held his breath, preparing to go over.
"I don't actually have a quirk. Gami passed his powers down to me."
That was the simplest way of saying it.
After quite a while in the principal's office, Midoriya was able to explain everything. And by everything, I mean everything. How he was the current Death, and Gami was the previous. How he handled his position and what exactly that entailed. How his powers didn't stem from a quirk factor and the mass amount of other abilities he actually had. And how the ghost had been with him since he was little, helping him through his first 11 years.
The teen wasn't sure how the teachers had remained so level headed during the whole time. He was sure his story and claims sounded outlandish. If he was hearing them for the first time, he wasn't sure that he himself would believe them. But Nezu and Aizawa simply let him talk without any interruptions.
After he was done explaining, the principal wanted to see his abilities for himself. So the boy disintegrated a few sheets of paper all while Eraserhead used his quirk on him. And just like the quirk apprehension test, he was unaffected.
"So Gami-san is basically the Grim Reaper?" Nezu questioned.
Said spirit growled, "I am not whatever you consider the 'Grim Reaper.'"
"He's not too happy at being called that," Midoriya referred, "but basically."
"Excuse me! I just said I was not!"
The rodent continued, "But he retired from his duties after a few centuries."
"Indeed," the teen confirmed.
"And because he is no longer active, his position is now yours."
"Yes."
Nezu hummed, "Well, I see no reason to not believe you."
At that, the teen's eyes popped out of his skull, "Wait, really? You believe me?"
"As unbelievable as your story may seem, there really is no reason for you to have such a bizarre explanation unless it were true."
The student let out a huge sigh of relief, "Oh, thank god."
The principal continued, "As for your quirk records, it is best to leave them as is for your safety. If you truly do have immortality, then keeping that a secret from villains is ideal. Though, I do want to keep a separate record of your abilities."
"That's understandable," he nodded.
"However, I won't keep you any longer today. Your first day has likely been hectic enough. I'll be having you back in my office for further evaluations, though."
Midoriya was shocked at what he was implying, "Wait, so you're not kicking me out of U.A.?"
Nezu chuckled, "Why would I do that?"
"I mean, because of the whole lying on my quirk records thing and-"
"Nonsense!" he exclaimed, "Besides, your situation is most intriguing. I'd prefer to keep tabs on you here at U.A."
Gami gave the rodent a suspicious look. He wasn't going to let this individual do anything invasive or dangerous to his successor. He wanted to make sure both teachers remembered that he was here, watching them. He was still a force to be reckoned with. God damn, if they even laid a hand on him, he would make sure they felt his fury.
In the spirit's protective rage, he impulsively swiped at the principal. His hand was off by a few inches though, and plowed towards the tea cup he had set down on the table. He wasn't expecting to interact with anything, but the universe had other plans.
Midoriya watched in horror as Gami knocked over Nezu's tea cup. The cup clattered on the table and the leftover tea spilled over the side.
"Gami!! What's gotten into you?" he cried, "Oh, Nezu-san, I'm so sorry…"
"It's quite alright," he replied, but looked over to the spot by the couch in curiosity.
The teen also looked there with a disapproving stare.
"I do not want my presence to be forgotten. If they do anything to you, I will do all that I can to fight back," the ghost clarified.
So he repeated what his mentor said, "Sorry again. Gami doesn't want you all to forget that he's here. He's a bit protective of me…"
A bit was an understatement.
But the principal took no offense, "Ah well, Gami-san I can assure you I will not harm Midoriya, nor intentionally put him in harm's way."
The specter seemed satisfied at that and the tension in the room died down. Nezu dismissed them and moved to clean up his spilled tea.
Aizawa held open the door again for the student, and the two, plus the ghost, walked back down the hallway. Not a word was spoken, but the silence ate away at the boy's conscience.
"D-do you believe me," he mumbled, "Aizawa-sensei?"
The teacher looked down, "Well, if Nezu does, then I don't really have a reason not to. Even if your story seems a bit too outlandish to be rational."
"Oh…"
They continued to walk, with more silence creeping up behind them. He hoped he hadn't made the pro upset in any way.
Aizawa never thought he was good with kids, but after years of living with Hizashi, he got good at picking up emotions.
"Look problem child," he started, "I'm not mad or anything, if that's what you think."
"O-oh."
They turned down a hall, and Midoriya could see the 1-A classroom. He fiddled with his gloved fingers nervously. Despite finishing his tea, he could feel his throat dry up again.
"Um, Aizawa-sensei," the teen began.
The hero looked over to him again, but didn't say anything. He just took it as a motion to continue.
"I'm not sure how much you caught back in the office, but my decay is permanent when used on a living organism."
The tired teacher raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, I heard that."
The timid boy kept on, "Well, I'm a bit afraid of it…"
Aizawa immediately caught on to what he was trying to say. The kid was training at a hero school, so eventually he'd have to fight villains. Having such a dangerous power like that would make anyone second guess using it on a person, even if it is in self defense.
"Problem child, if I see you hesitating, I'll let you know whether or not to use it. Call it permission if you will."
Midoriya smiled, "I'd appreciate that."
They eventually stopped at the classroom door, and parted ways. Eraserhead went back inside to finish up his paperwork, and the student left for the exit. He had spent nearly 2 hours in Nezu's office. If his mother cared about him, she'd be frantic to know why he was so late. But he knew she really didn't, so the time difference was of no worry to him.
"Well, that went surprisingly well."
"I know," he agreed and pushed open the front doors.
The duo walked together down the beautiful path, trying to collect themselves. Today had definitely been a crazy day. Between finding out that Bakugo was in his class, to the quirk apprehension test, to the possibility of making real friends, and now outing his biggest secret to Eraserhead and Nezu. The teen was looking forward to just going home and doing nothing. Maybe he'd take a long shower and lounge out on the couch. That sounded nice right about now.
But right as he exited the front gates of the school, all thoughts of relaxation were blown from his head.
"GAHH!!" he cried out in shock.
The object that had startled him wasn't even an object at all. It was a familiar candy cane headed boy leaning against the gate. At the cry, Todoroki stood up straight again and walked over to Midoriya.
"T-todoroki, I wasn't expecting to see you…" he stuttered.
"We did agree to talk after school," the student replied bluntly.
"Y-yeah, but it's been nearly two hours…"
The green haired boy was a little freaked out at his dedication, but the other kid simply shrugged nonchalantly. Gami wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but after all that had happened today, he was ready to defend any way he could.
When Todoroki didn't start the conversation, Midoriya tried to. The awkward silence was really making him uncomfortable.
"S-so, what did you want to talk about…?"
"My father is the hero Endeavor. I'm sure you must have heard of him."
Well, that was certainly one way to start a conversation. Though, that did explain why his family name felt so familiar.
"Yeah," the teen responded carefully, "He's the number two hero."
Todoroki huffed in confirmation, "My old man is ambitious. He aims for the top."
He could see where the teen in front of him was coming from. Endeavor had always been a bit rash and hasty in his hero work after all. That must have been due to his ambitious nature. But he didn't bother to interrupt and let him keep talking.
"He used his power in order to make a name for himself as a hero, but he was never able to best All Might. The symbol of peace is living proof of his failure."
Midoriya stiffened at the wording. Todoroki was being oddly harsh towards his father. Sure, he didn't really fancy the number two hero either, but still, this seemed kind of rough coming from his own son.
"He's still at it though, trying to take down All Might. One way or another…"
"I'm not really sure what you're getting at," he was desperate for some clarification, and he could tell his mentor was thoroughly confused as well, "What are you trying to tell me, Todoroki?"
"Have you ever heard of… quirk marriages?"
"What?!" the ghost growled.
He hadn't heard of them, but based on the spirit's reaction, he could tell they were nothing good.
"They became a problem in the first few generations after superpowers became widespread. There were those who sought out potential mates solely with the intention of creating powerful children," the stoic student paused, "Many people were forced into relationships. They were simply viewed as old fashioned arranged marriages, but clearly, it was unethical."
"Do not tell me…"
"My father had not only a rich history of accomplishments, but plenty of money to throw at his problems."
Midoriya could see where this was going, but he hoped desperately for his thoughts to be wrong.
"He bought my mother's relatives to get his hands on her quirk. And now he's raising me to usurp All Might."
The shy teen couldn't hold back the pained gasp that escaped his throat.
"How despicable! The majority of humans today have no respect for one another!"
But Todoroki either didn't notice or didn't care, "In every memory of my mother, I only see her crying."
Midoriya brought his hands to his mouth, but couldn't stop the stray tears from falling. It hurt to hear his classmate recount such a horrible childhood. His heart panged, as he recalled his own nightmares from when he was younger.
"I remember she called my left side unbearable," he continued, despite the reaction from the boy he was speaking to, "before she poured boiling water on my face."
He caught the sob that he nearly released after hearing that. His thoughts now centered on his own burn scar that laid across his chest. Todoroki was still just a child. He himself was still just a child. What had any of them done to deserve such a fate?
"Even though my mother was the one who gave me this scar," he gestured to his right eye, "I only blame my scumbag of a father for pushing her to this."
"W-why," he stumbled, "why are you telling me all this?"
The candy cane boy took a step closer, "I saw the same pain in your eyes from the moment you walked into the classroom. You've gone through the same as I have."
The currently distraught teen looked up shakily, "W-what?"
"I thought that your parents might have been pro heroes, but I don't think that anymore. But that doesn't dismiss the fact I still believe you are different from everyone else."
Different? He knew Todoroki was probably referring to his home life or something, but, what should he even say. His classmate had just spilled his whole tragic backstory to him. And yet, he was hesitant to do the same…
"You… do not have to say anything," Gami could probably see his dilemma, but still, the advice didn't feel right to take.
The two boys waited in silence, but the minute he looked back up into Todoroki's eyes, guilt flooded his conscience.
"My… my father was always distant," his mouth had started for him, "He worked abroad and was never usually home, so it was only my mother and I when I got my quirk diagnosed."
He watched as the red and white haired boy listened intently. He didn't want to lie, but he also couldn't spill everything, so he treaded lightly around the truth.
"I was an outlier compared to my parents," that wasn't technically a lie after all, his quirklessness didn't run in the family, "My mother was quiet about it at first, but when my father found out, he wasn't happy."
Gami was impressed that his successor was managing to recount this horrific event so calmly. His friend had told no one about his situation at home, and yet, this boy had coaxed it out of him.
"The days after my diagnosis, my parents constantly fought. My father didn't want me anymore, and my mother was at a loss for what to do."
Midoriya tugged at his uniform collar, revealing the bit of his scar that peeked out. He heard Todoroki take a sharp inhale.
"On the third day after, my parents got into a really bad fight and he… he hit her. I tried to help her and calm him down, but my father was too furious. He… has a fire-breathing quirk."
That definitely made Todoroki gasp, though it was small and light.
"He burned me that night, all across my chest and right shoulder," the teen motioned to his chest where the scar laid, "He never came back after that night either."
The other boy tried to respond, "I-"
"My mother," he didn't mean to interrupt, but if he stopped now, he was afraid he wouldn't start again, "she blames me for his departure. She resorted to alcohol to try and cope, but things only got worse. I don't have anywhere else to go though, so I just try and stay out of her way."
He took a slow breath once he finished, and Todoroki's cold gaze softened.
"I'm sorry," he began, "that you went through that."
"I'm sorry for you too. I had no idea Endeavor was so cruel…"
"Most people don't. He's got enough money to cover anything up anyway, so it's not like I could say anything."
They stayed quiet for a while. Midoriya picked at his gloves while Todoroki shuffled his hands in his pockets. Gami moved his arms to wrap around the small boy, hoping to comfort him. He had no idea what was going to come of this conversation, but he didn't want to see someone so similar to him struggle on his own, like he was. So he took a risk that he hoped wouldn't backfire on him.
"I'm still not too sure what you were trying to accomplish with this conversation, b-but, do you want to be friends? We can work through this together…"
Todoroki's eyes narrowed, "I didn't come here to make friends."
He paled, "O-oh."
The timid boy's reaction immediately made him feel guilty, for some odd, unfamiliar reason. So he tried to save face. "But… I wouldn't mind making an exception, Midoriya."
When said child flinched, he realized his mistake.
"Sorry, I forgot what you said about the name in the locker room, though now, I can understand why."
"It's fine. You can call me by a nickname."
The candy cane teen shuffled, "I'm not very good with coming up with nicknames…"
Midoriya hummed, "Well, some people are calling me Midori. But if that's not your style, you can use my given…"
"I'm afraid I don't know it."
"It's Izuku."
Todoroki nodded, "Then I'll use that. If you could extend the same courtesy to me, I rather not go under that scumbag's name."
"Do you have a preference?" he asked, ignoring the quip.
"You can use my given as well," the student clarified.
"Wha-"
He already knew what the green haired teen was going to ask, "It's Shouto."
He flashed the stoic kid a wide smile and gripped his backpack straps. Gami proudly stood behind his successor, excited he was taking the initiative to make a friend.
"So… friends, Shouto?"
"Friends… Izuku."