Ticked Off [Boku No Hero Academia]

23: JOKE'S ON AIZAWA

Discord server, if you're interested: https://discord.gg/DSBF4dP 

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The students spent a week creating and refining their techniques, as well as upgrading their hero costumes to better suit their needs. Izuku swapped out his goggles in favour of a tinted visor similar to Kaminari's, one that settled comfortably on his forehead and was easily shifted over his eyes when he needed to use Flashbang. During the training, he also discovered that a lot of his special moves from the previous timeline were a lot more difficult to accomplish due to his smaller, slighter form, and it was almost impossible to use while restraining himself to less than 10% of his power. He couldn't move fast enough to make a good Smokescreen, focusing his Quirk in one place for Power Surge would likely injure him, and his legs weren't really strong enough yet to create a good Earthquake, but he had spent a decent amount of time perfecting less intense versions that didn't run the risk of him hurting himself or someone else.

It was frustrating to be so limited, but he would have to deal with it, since this second chance allowed him to do so much good.

Their coach slowed to a stop outside the Provisional Licensing Exam Location, and everyone piled off, eager to finally put their skills into action. The building was massive, segmented with stripes of soft red and pastel yellow, looking oddly similar to a circus tent aside from the large spire twisting skyward on top. Izuku clutched at the case that contained his hero costume, holding it to his chest while he and his friends listened to Aizawa as he gave them the run-down of the situation. Tension was palpable in the air, and even though he knew he was totally capable of passing, the boy couldn't help but shift nervously on his feet, always betrayed by his over-active imagination plaguing him with the what-ifs.

He glanced aside when he noticed a familiar face approaching them, wearing Shiketsu uniform, with a white short-sleeve shirt and a navy-blue cap. Without thinking, Izuku grabbed Shouto's arm, wholly intending to march right over there and set things straight before taking note of his friend's questioning expression and realising that, oh, yeah, right, he should probably explain things to the boy, lest things end up even more bitter between the duo.

"You accidentally made a bad first impression on him when you briefly met at UA before. He was also a recommended student. Uh..." Izuku squinted, desperately trying to remember what he'd been told before. "I think... he had a bad run-in with Endeavour, and when you dismissed him, you reminded him of Endeavour. So, um... I figured it'd be good if you two started afresh, so that misunderstanding doesn't cause any trouble."

"I see," Shouto said lowly, frowning a little. "You're right. Thank you."

Izuku flashed a smile and linked their arms together, gaining raised eyebrows from his friend at the unusually enthusiastic contact. The boy merely laughed softly, practically prancing over to the Shiketsu student and placing his costume case on the ground before raising his hand in a friendly wave. They waited for the fellow first-year to unfold himself from the brutal bow, standing in an awkward silence as the two others stared at one another.