Izumi technically didn't have to be at UA today, she could have gone out and planned a patrol route if she wanted to but honestly, she wanted to see the hero students in action.
In Japan, you had five days of required schooling, Monday-Friday, with Saturday being "optional" (optional but most students went in on Saturdays anyway) and Sunday is a day off.
UA though required that all students be moved in the Saturday before the week classes start, while Sunday was used as an orientation day. Students were required to come to class, meet their homeroom teachers as well as go through their orientation and quirk assessment tests for the Hero Course students. Afterward, they were allowed to return to their dorms or do as they pleased for the rest of their day, all in all, it was about two hours of class time early in the morning to prepare the students for the school year.
Anyway, Izumi was rambling, she was originally going to walk to the orientation and listen to Nezu speak, but that plan died when she saw Class 1-A, and by proxy Kacchan, heading towards the locker rooms.
'What's Aizawa doing…?' Izumi thought before silently following them. She didn't follow any of the students into the locker rooms but she did manage to catch sight of Aizawa waiting outside for his class, so she snuck out to see what was going on.
She silently walked towards a nearby tree and quickly made her way up into its thick canopy, she'd rather not deal with Grumpy Cat finding her or Katsuki recognizing her, at least not yet, she wanted that to be a surprise after all.
As she climbed she noted Uncle Might standing around a corner, not being inconspicuous at all, and reasoned that he must have seen the students come down as well and decided to also investigate. Maybe he was trying to scout out potential successors for One For All.
He offered it to Izumi herself a few years back when they met, but she declined. She had already decided that she was going to be a quirkless Pro-Hero, and besides, she had already developed her style by that point. What was essentially a strength quirk, no matter how powerful, would require her to change her entire way of doing things.
No thank you. She'll stick to her guns.
Guns are fun. And she likes fun.
She refocused on the world around her as she saw the students begin to file onto the field. And she sat there, comfortable in her tree, and watched as Aizawa began his class' quirked assessment test earlier than scheduled. She already knew Aizawa was a bit unorthodox, so it didn't surprise her that he made his class skip orientation and begin their test early. However, it did irk her a little. The schedule was there for a reason. Aizawa's excuse of 'heroes not having time for pointless ceremonies' was half-assed in her opinion. Ah well, there was not much she could do, it was his class after all.
Besides, she had a feeling the students wouldn't mind skipping orientation and getting straight to the fun part.
And oh, did the tests start with a bang. Literally!
Aizawa had Katsuki go first. He was to demonstrate the ball throwing test, and he was allowed to use his quirk to achieve the highest score he could. So of course, as Izumi expected, Katsuki used a giant explosion and sent the ball flying off into the distance. Izumi could hear from her perch how the class was getting excited at the idea of using their quirks.
After showing off Katsuki's score Aizawa talked for a moment, and though Izumi couldn't hear everything that was said, she definitely heard one student shout "This is going to be fun!"
That seemed to be a mistake, judging by the silence and then sudden shout of "What" that Izumi heard…she'd have to get the specifics from somebody later because the tests continued.
She watched them like a hawk. Taking note of how they utilized their quirks. She had put effort into not openly gushing over how cool all the students' quirks were. Sure she saw them in the Entrance Exams, and read their files, but still! The Yaoyorozu girl was by far the most successful at using her quirk for the tests. Creation allowed her to spawn anything she needed from her body, and she used that to her full advantage. Very impressive.
She took note of how the Todoroki kid wasn't using his fire, however. His fire would've really helped him during the Endurance Run if he used it to propel himself along his ice. Maybe he just hadn't considered it.
Though, she would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed the most with Katsuki. He really had grown a lot over the last eight years and his prowess with his quirk showed it. He was able to regulate his explosions, propel himself with them, the whole nine yards. It was so surprising compared to how he was as a little kid, only able to make small sparks and firecracker-like explosions before…
Ah, she's getting distracted again. There were other highlights too. Like the brunette who sent the ball up into space. The only reason she even knew that it had passed the atmosphere was that she had been tracking its trajectory with her cybernetic eye. That was impressive! And if the class's shouts of surprise (or indignation in Katsuki's case) were anything to go by they thought so as well.
When the tests ended, they had all gathered in an area closer to Izumi's hiding place, so she was then able to hear what Aizawa said more clearly. He said how it was pointless to go over scores individually so he just showed them all at once to save time. Izumi could agree with that. The scoreboard is what she expected it to be. What she didn't expect was what Aizawa said next.
"Oh, and I lied about the person in last place going home."
Silence.
'Wait, what?'
"WHAT?!" Apparently, the class shared her confusion, albeit they were rightly more incensed.
Aizawa gave one of those shit-eating grins Izumi had seen him make before, mainly when he thought he had outsmarted a villain or Mic, as he said, "That was just a logical ruse. To make you give it your all during the tests."
"So, no one's expelled?" An invisible girl asked, hope flooding her voice.
"No, Hagakure. You're not expelled." As he said that, Toru Hagakure gave a shout of relief and immediately hugged the pink-skinned girl Izumi recognized as Mina Ashido.
'Wait, he was going to expel last place?!' Izumi felt anger bubbling in her chest. Even if he had lied about it in the end, Aizawa just compromised the students' trust in their teacher by pulling this 'logical ruse'...
She had words for him. But those had to come later. She spent enough time watching these students. She had other things she needed to get done today.
Making sure Aizawa didn't see her, she slowly made her way to the ground and snuck off back towards the school.
She had a feeling though that her Uncle Might hadn't managed to get by unnoticed by Class 1-A's homeroom teacher, however.
Especially since he was wearing that beacon of a yellow striped suit.
The next day Izumi and Himiko were up bright and early. After a hearty meal provided by Jin, who was having one of his better days so far since he had only contradicted himself twice that morning, the two set off for Himiko's first day of class at Aldera Middle School.
Izumi would (and should) have reservations about her old stomping ground at Aldera. She had been bullied during her entire time at Aldera after all, but her father and Aunty Mitsuki had torn the school apart after she had moved. They had managed to get a group of parents together and with the help of her father's lawyers, managed to sue the school so thoroughly that they had to replace every member of staff.
Hopefully, Himiko would have a nice time…
Speaking of Himiko she looked down at her little sister with a smile "You have everything right?"
Himiko nodded, though she was busy sipping one of her blood packs (hidden as a juice box of tomato juice). After she finished she grinned and spoke. "I've got my extra packs in my backpack and all my school supplies!"
Izumi tussled her sister's hair with a grin of her own. "Good, if you need anything just call and I'll send Jin or Mama to bring it to you okay?"
Himiko merely hummed in response as the gate to the school made its way into view and Izumi's heart skipped a beat upon seeing it.
She clenched her fist and sighed through her nose. She wasn't the weak little girl that came here before, and this wasn't the same school she had left behind. She was a Pro-Hero now, she wouldn't be intimidated by a building, she wouldn't!
Giving Himiko a quick hug at the entrance, she gave her sister one last reminder. "Remember to drink a blood pack every two hours, I know you normally don't get your cravings that badly anymore but we can never be too careful right?" She whispered so none of the other students walking into the school would hear her. Best to let Himiko tell them her quirk when she feels that she's ready.
Himiko nodded and wrapped her sister in a hug one more time before turning and jogging through the gate, leaving Izumi alone with her thoughts. Izumi smiled softly and began making her way back to where she had left her motorcycle. After all, she had a job to do.
After a short drive, she was back at UA getting ready for her day. She stopped by the dorm she shared with her siblings to see if Jin was ready for his first day as her and, by proxy, Uncle Mike's assistant. She was honestly surprised Nezu gave the Midoriya siblings a whole building for themselves. That's UA's budget for you.
As she entered their home, she was pleasantly surprised to see Jin already dressed in his hero outfit (sidekick outfit?) posing in front of the restroom mirror.
"Looking good Jin! Looking real good! Oh, yea! Look at those muscles!"
Izumi couldn't help it, she started laughing, which caused Jin to immediately jump and shriek like a girl.
"Really getting into the mood, aren't you Jin?" Izumi smiled at her brother.
"I'm ready to kick ass and chew bubble gum! I hate bubble gum!"
Izumi chuckled. "I know you do bud, why don't you head on over to the school and set up my guns for me at Ground Beta?" She tossed him the keys to her gun safes, which Jin caught and looked down reverently at.
"Really? I get to choose? Their deaths shall be swift and painful!"Jin sounded like he was about to cry.
"Yep! Surprise me." Jin let out a joyful laugh as he made his way to where Izumi kept her safes. But Izumi had to make sure of something first. "Hey, JinJin?"
He stopped and gave her his full attention, as he heard… something, in his sister's voice.
"Are you gonna be okay… you know?" She made a motion of holding up one finger, before lifting two more fingers.
It took a second for Jin to understand what she meant, but when he did, he reassured her. "I think I'll be okay. You've helped me get better, and… I'm willing to give it a shot."
Izumi smiled and brought Jin into a hug. "Hey, zero contradictions. I'm proud of you."
Jin tried not to cry. He kinda failed, judging by the sniffles that Izumi heard. "Thanks, Little Sis. Big Sis."
Pulling away from the hug, Izumi gave Jin a gentle shake of the shoulder. "I'll see you out there… Twice."
Jin saluted before running off to plunder Izumi's weapon stockpile.
Izumi froze and shouted after him. "Don't forget to bring the Ammo Locker that says 'Non-Lethal' on it!" She shuddered. "Oh God, I hope he heard me. Otherwise, it's gonna be a mess…"
Deciding to have faith in her assistant, she changed into an older version of her hero outfit, as planned, and made her way to the school to find Toshinori and recap their plan for the day.
Heroics will begin soon. Izumi was waiting in the teacher's lounge, fiddling with her arm while Toshinori sat across from her relaxing with a cup of coffee.
"Ah, Izumi!" The squeaky voice she's become familiar with had her looking… up.
Her boss was hanging upside down from the ceiling.
Not the weirdest thing he's done since she'd been hired honestly.
"Howdy, Principal Nezu!" She waved. "What are you doing up there?"
"I've come to check up on you and see if you and Toshinori are ready for your first class!" he chuckled when Toshinori gave him a beaming thumbs up while Izumi just gave him a grin and a nod.
"Oh, I'm ready. Hey, while I've got You here, quick question. Well, a few actually. If you don't mind?"
"Of course!" Nezu didn't come down from his hanging position.
"First, was it necessary to give me and my brother and sister an entire dorm building to ourselves?"
The animal shrugged, "Perhaps not, but I could, so I figured, 'Why not?'! Besides, I've heard that you outfitted the basement into a makeshift gun range."
Izumi laughed. "Well, I had to use the space for something. Right? Was it okay?"
"Oh, by all means, do what you like. Now, I believe you that you had another question."
She nodded and started again, "Yeah. Have you seen Aizawa? I wanted to talk to him about something." She gave a sweet smile, but Nezu being an animal could sense the hidden frustration bordering on anger behind her words. His answer was simply him pointing to the door.
As if on cue, it opened to reveal the permanently tired Underground Hero himself.
"Have fun!" Nezu said before disappearing back into the ceiling. He was smart to get out of the crossfire. As was Toshinori.
"Er, I'm gonna go and find the classroom. You know how sometimes you can get lost in this building." The Number 1 hero nervously chuckled before quickly exiting the room, leaving Izumi and Shouta alone in the lounge.
"Um… what's going on?" Shouta asked, his coffee-making him just aware enough to notice that everyone had left and he was alone with the certified gun maniac.
"Can we talk?" Izumi asked as she stood.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready to teach a class?"
Izumi laughed. "You mean the class who you threatened with expulsion?" She was still smiling.
Shouta groaned. He was too tired for this. "It was a-"
"'Logical ruse'. Yeah, I heard. I was there." Izumi interrupted him, crossing her arms.
He raised an eyebrow at her. She was? "I didn't see you."
"That was the point. I was hiding nearby." Izumi frowned at him. "Seriously, of all the threats, expulsion was the one you used?" She kept her voice calm, but Shouta knew she was anything but happy.
"They needed the motivation to give a hundred and ten percent. It's worked before." He sipped his coffee.
"You realize how serious expulsions are, right?"
"I usually re-enroll them after."
"And the ones you don't?"
"Had zero potential." Aizawa deadpanned.
"So you expel them and they can't get into another hero School, or most other schools, because of it!" Izumi growled.
Aizawa though raised an eyebrow "Where did you get that idea?"
"That's literally how Japanese schools work! We've had a stigma against expulsion for nearly our entire history, education is a big deal here!"
Class 1-A's homeroom teacher nodded "Okay, that's fair, but Nezu and I don't actually put the expulsion on their record." He admitted. "They still have plenty of opportunities after they leave."
Izumi sighed. "Alright, I'll give you that. But still, you do realize the students are going to have a hard time trusting you now."
"That doesn't matter, as long as they get the training they need." He went to take a sip of his coffee, only to realize his mug was empty. He sighed before continuing. "Whether my students trust me by the end of their attendance here matters little."
Izumi walked up and grabbed the cup from his hand, before walking over to the coffee machine. "You may not think it matters, but it does." She began working with the machine.
"My mug…" Shouta whispered, before addressing what she said. "How so?"
"If you lie to them, they'll learn to distrust their superiors. Right now their homeroom teacher, their superior, lied to them and now they distrust you. Who's to say they won't distrust what their future superiors tell them?" She handed him the now full mug of coffee, before heading to the door. "Think about that. Now if you excuse me, I've got a class to teach."
Shouta eyed the coffee suspiciously. "What's in this?"
Izumi's hand stopped before she could open the door. "If you're asking if I put something bad in it, don't worry. It's just pure black coffee." With that, she left the room.
Shouta kept eyeing the mug and the liquid inside, before taking a cautious sip. His eyes widened at what he tasted.
"It is pure black."
"Izumi is the most passive-aggressive nice person I've had the pleasure of knowing." Nezu once more popped his head in from the vent above Aizawa, causing the insomniac to jump and spill some of his coffee
"Mother fucker!"
"Welcome to your hour-long class of hell!"
Everyone stared at their Heroics teachers with wide eyes. Well, almost everyone. Bakgugou's eyes were narrowed while Pony's eyes were wide, not out of fear but out of pure star-studded admiration for the lady who was currently threatening them.
"Hahaha! Indeed Young Flintlock but first!" All Might pulled out a remote and with a flourish and a pose pressed a button on it, causing the walls of the classroom to open up and reveal suitcases lining it "You all can't be heroes unless you look the part! So made ready to order with the help of UA's support staff and students! Your hero outfits!"
Flintlock pointed her thumb over at the suitcases. "Grab those, then head over to the locker rooms and gear up. You kiddos are gonna meet us at Training Ground Beta! Don't keep us waiting!" She then looked down at the man she was carrying in, who was still on the floor. "Twice, get up. We gotta go."
"Right away! No! I live here now!" The man now known as Twice said. Why did he just contradict himself?
"Twice!"
"Yes ma'am!" He shot to his feet in an instant, saluted, then ran off.
Flintlock noticed the class staring at her and waved off their confusion. "Don't mind him. It's his first day. See y'all in the city!" And with that, she and All Might left the class to do as they were told.
Ochako glanced at Pony with a frown "What did she mean by the city?"
Pony was too starstruck to answer though, so Ochako shrugged and made her way to the locker rooms to change.
After everyone was changed and ready to go, they met up with All Might who quickly gave all of them a compliment on their outfits. "They say the costume makes the hero and boy are they right! You all look absolutely heroic!" He gave them a quick thumbs up and motioned for them to follow him "I'll lead you to training ground Beta so we can get started! Follow me zygotes!"
Pony fiddled with her own costume nervously, which Ochako noticed and gave her a quick thumbs up. "You look great, Pony! I love the leather straps!"
Pony made a whining noise. "What if I look weird? What if she thinks it's not practical? Holy shit, what if she laughs because I look ridiculous?!" She was rambling in English, Ochako not really able to understand her.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you think Flintlock-Sensei won't like your costume." Ochako guessed. Based on how Pony freaked out earlier, she figured Pony was a fan of Flintlock or something.
"Yes! What if?!" Pony cried.
"Pony, your costume looks perfect. It suits you so well! I'm sure she'll love it"
Pony shyly smiled at them as they came to a stop in the middle of Ground Beta's streets. All Might then began to explain the lesson plan to the class.
"All Right Zygotes! Come pick a letter from this!" He pulled a box out from behind his cape and grinned "These will be your teams for this assignment!"
The class did as they were told but not before asking rapid-fire questions that All Might seemed to have trouble answering. Things like "Would we be expelled for failing?" or "Why are the teams randomized?", but Ochako honestly tuned them out and walked up to grab her own letter.
She got the letter A, and looked around for her partner. Luckily for her, it seemed fate was on her side as Pony had also gotten the letter A. She quickly ran up to her new friend and gave her a side-armed hug "That's awesome! We're on the same team!" Pony gave her a beaming smile and a thumbs up. Now they just waited for everyone else to get their teams situated.
After a few moments, the teams were decided and All Might quickly read them off.
Team A: Ochako Uraraka and Pony Tsunotori
Team B: Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shoji
Team C: Momo Yaoyorozu and Minoru Mineta
Team D: Katsuki Bakugou and Ejiro Kirishima
Team E: Yuga Ayoma and Mina Ashido
Team F: Rikido Sato and Koji Koda
Team G: Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro
Team H: Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui
Team I: Mashirao Ojiro and Toru Hagakure
Team J: Tenya Iida and Hanata Sero
"All Might-Sensei!" Iida held up his arm. "You have yet to tell us what our assignment is! May I assume that the organization of teams means we will be competing against each other?!"
"Haha! Not quite, Young Iida. You won't be going against each other today. No, you'll be going up against someone more experienced. Your opponent…"
"Will be me!" The voice drew everyone's attention to a nearby rooftop, where they saw Flintlock standing there on the roof. She then jumped off the building, before aiming her left hand and firing what the students recognized as a grappling hook, which served to slow her descent to safe speeds.
"So cool!" Pony gushed as Flintlock landed on the ground and made her way over.
"Thanks, lil'lady!" She said in English as she shot finger guns at Pony. "I think you're pretty cool too!" She then looked towards the class after placing her hands on her hips "Pitting you kids against each other is just asking for someone to get seriously hurt. You haven't exactly been properly trained in how to fight with your quirks, and haven't been taught how to take hits yet either. I, on the other hand, have taken many hits, and know how to not hurt you more than necessary. So you'll be fighting me."
Kaminari scratched the back of his head. "Isn't this kinda unfair? You have way more experience than us."
"That's kind of the point," Flintlock deadpanned, "You aren't expected to win." She glanced around at the assembled students "This is just a way for me to gauge your skill and figure out what we need to work on for the year," seeing the dejected faces on her student's faces she continued "also think of it like this! Heroes won't always have the advantage against a villain, even if you have the numbers advantage skill can make up that difference so keep that in mind."
The students all started to nod along to her logic while Pony looked like she hadn't been paying attention at all, she was still so starstruck at being complimented by her idol…Ochako knew she'd probably have to fill her in later.
The man from before, Twice, if Ochako remembered correctly, came up to Flintlock's side with a box in his arms. Ochako couldn't help but notice that he now had a green bandana now tied around his head.
"Twice, is everything set up?"
"Yes Ma'am! Everything is in place! It's gonna be chaos!"
What a strange man…
The hooded hero nodded to him before giving All Might a quick thumbs up. She reached into the box and pulled out what looked to be a small laser tag sensor. "These sensors are your win condition ladies and gentlemen. They attach to your hero suit and are light enough to not be noticed while in combat." She quickly attached one to her own hero outfit, right above her armored breasts on her chest.
"The hero course really is so cool…" Mineta murmured, earning himself a glare from pretty much everyone in the class save Kaminari who silently agreed, and Bakugou who was busy listening to the teacher surprisingly.
"That it is, little dude!" Flintlock nodded to him though it seems she didn't really understand why he had said what he did. "Continuing on! If you manage to destroy or rip this puppy off me you win! If I do the same to you I win!" The class shuddered at the pure excitement oozing from her voice. She tapped her sensor "The only other way for you to win is to run down the clock. Each team gets ten minutes to take me down or survive!" None of them liked how that sounded.
She quickly looked at her watch, which was positioned with the face being placed under her wrist."We only have so much time before we have to go back to the classroom, so we don't have time for all of you to fight today. So half of the class will fight today and the rest of you will take notes!" Out of nowhere, she pulled a pile of notebooks and pencils for the class, before handing them out to every team. Ochako noticed Bakugou twitch at the sight of the notebooks appearing out of nowhere, but he didn't say anything so she didn't think much of it. Pony squealed because her notebook was signed on the cover…
Flintlock turned to All Might. "I'll leave the rest to you, big guy. I'm gonna go get set up." And with that she walked off, leaving the Symbol of Peace to explain the rest.
"Teams will be picked by drawing lots from this!" All Might pulled out a Bingo Machine. "The first five teams picked will fight today! The rest will be up tomorrow! Now, let's see who's up first!" Be began spinning it around, the balls inside mixing up. The majority of the people held their breath, and others watched in anticipation. Eventually, All Might stopped spinning and extracted a ball from the machine then held it up for them all to see.
"TEAM H!" He announced.
"That's us. Kero." Asui told her partner, Tokoyami.
"It seems we are first to test our powers against a seasoned opponent." The bird-headed student dramatically said.
"You'll have five minutes to mentally prepare yourselves zygotes! But, it's too dangerous to go alone. Take these." All Might gave them a pair of earpieces. "These will act as communication devices for you and allow me to listen in and communicate with you as well if need be." He turned to the rest of the class, "The rest of you follow me to the observation room!"
Team H didn't know what they were getting into.
"It seems our mentors have supplied us with a map of the area. As well as general floor plans for the nearby buildings." Fumikage observed the blueprints on the table in their starting area. "Perhaps it's to aid us against our more skilled adversary."
"Kero. I get the feeling Flintlock-Sensei isn't gonna go easy on us. I wouldn't be surprised, especially with how serious Aizawa-Sensei was." Tsuyu looked over the street plans, trying her hardest to commit them to memory. "We should use everything we can."
"Hm… Asui-"
"Call me Tsu."
"... Okay. Tsu, the designated area includes the sewers. Your quirk allows you the abilities of a frog, yes?" Fumikage asked, and he got a rabbit in confirmation. "It may be in our best interest to draw our opponent into the sewers."
"I am not swimming in sewer water. Kero." She told him flatly.
"Even if you choose not to, the darkness of the sewers can serve as a great ally in our mission. The demon bonded to me only becomes stronger where light is the weakest."
"... You mean your quirk is stronger in the dark?"
"Correct."
"Okay, that makes sense." Tsuyu just went with it. She understood what Fumikage was saying, so no need to make a big deal out of it.
"Young Asui, The sewers aren't connected to the rest of Mustufu's sewer system, they are just simulations so they should be safe to swim in." All Might helpfully chimed in through the earpieces.
"Oh, good. I don't have to swim in shit." She said bluntly and with a straight face. Fumikage squawked at how casually she just cursed in response to All Might.
"What a mad banquet of darkness…"
"Er… yes, Young Asui. You don't have to swim in… shit."
"Or piss?"
"..." They heard All Might sigh before he seemed to whisper to them. "Or piss."
"Okay, then I'm ready to go. Kero." Asui nodded, getting down into her hopping position.
"Revelry in the dark," Fumikage whispered to himself. Dark Shadow cackled within Fumikage's shadow, ready to wreck everything that stood in its way…
"... Just start the match." And with that, a buzzer sounded. Signaling the start of the first battle trials.
Team H vs The Gunslinger Hero: Flintlock!