Tomorrow's when it all begins. The school year starts tomorrow, and I've never been so excited for anything in my life. But that's for tomorrow. For now, I have a friend to see.
Ah, that's the doorbell.
"Hello Midoriya! Good to see you again!"
Turns out Uraraka got an apartment in Musutafu. She lives all the way out in the Mie prefecture, and a 4-hour one-way commute doesn't exactly seem very fun, so her and a bunch of other students did the same.
"Ooh, I can't wait for tomorrow, I'm all giddy just thinking about it!"
"Yeah, same. It's been my dream ever since I could think, and now it's finally happening. I can barely contain myself!"
"Yeah! Also, how's your leg? I know you said it's fine, but I just want to make sure."
"Estus heals all. It's like time, but better."
We both had quite the laugh after that one.
We spent a few hours just wandering around the city, talking about anything that came to mind. From All Might, to food, and even the most random things, like pillow cases and how we liked our drinks.
"Well, I still will never understand how you can't like tea. It's the king of drinks!"
"Well, your taste buds must have been burnt off, because hot cocoa will forever reign supreme!"
"Never! Tea is the best, and green tea is the best thing in this world!"
"Ok, you may have me there..."
"OI DEKU! HOW THE HELL'D YOU SCORE HIGHER THAN ME ON THE ENTRANCE EXAM!?"
Oh. Oh no.
"O-oh, hey kaachan! I just fought all the robots I could find, just like you did, plus I-"
"LIKE HELL A QUIRKLESS LOSER LIKE YOU COULD DO SHIT TO THOSE THINGS! I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU'VE BEEN HITTING THE GYM, YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO EVEN DENT THOSE THINGS! TELL ME, WHO DID YOU BRIBE?"
"Hey, knock it off! He didn't bribe anyone, he saved my life and stopped the zero-pointer. If it wasn't for him, I would be dead right now! So back off!" Uraraka's cheeks were a deep crimson instead of their usual pink. She was almost unreasonably mad at kaachan.
"Oh, and who the hell are you supposed to be, pink cheeks? Wait... you're the girl that scored second place! There's no way you could have taken out that many robots!"
"She pulled me out from under the zero-pointer's feet, even though she was hurt herself."
Why do I suddenly feel so confident? Just a minute ago, I was a stuttering mess... I know I've stood up to Kaachan before, but still, I'm almost always pretty jittery...
"She put herself back in the way of the danger to get me out of it, and then took down the zero pointer with me. The judges looked for more than just explosions and destruction, you know."
Kaachan grabbed my collar and tried to lift me up. I didn't budge, and you bet he was annoyed about it.
"Heh, what's with this attitude change of yours? You finally grow a pair? You wanna feel all heroic in front of your little bitch girlfriend?"
I grabbed his arm and pulled it off of me. His usual cocky, aggressive demeanor shifted to one of shock and anger as he tried to push back, to no avail.
"Leave, Bakugo."
Something on his face changed after I said that. Maybe it was how dead serious I was, on top of how easily I pulled him off of me. Either way, he turned around and began to walk off.
"Tch, whatever deku. I'm still gonna crush you in U.A., just like I always have!"
And then he was gone.
"Wait, that was Bakugo? The same one who's bullied you since childhood!?"
"Yep, that's him. Real pleasant, huh?"
"...I hate him already."
After that, we left towards my apartment. It was getting late, and she would need to head back home really soon.
"Well Midoriya, I guess that's it for today. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Wait... there's something I want to show you."
We walked behind my apartment complex, into the forest behind it. A well-walked path leading into the woods, one that I knew oh-so well.
"Hey Midoriya, where are we going?"
"Call me Izuku. And when you overheard my conversation with Nezu, what do you remember about it?"
"Well, you said that you were born quirkless, and Bakugo... you were attacked by a sludge villain and died, and then you woke up... at..."
We reached the end of the trail, and entered the well-lit clearing, with a small bonfire sitting alone in the center, radiating the same pleasant warmth it always did.
"Mi-Izuku, is this the bonfire?"
"Yes. This is it. My little sanctuary. The bonfire gave me my "quirk", and is what brings me back to life. I would have been long gone if I never found this all those years ago."
"Whoa... I feel so... at peace... like everything else has all just fades away..."
"That's just another property of the bonfire. The flame isn't hot either, it just feels like the same warmth you feel all around."
As I finished saying this, Uraraka walked towards the bonfire, before sitting down in front of it. She reached her hand out, slowly creeping towards the flames, before she finally touched it. A look of bewilderment was plastered across her, before she stuck the rest of her hand in.
In the quiet tranquility that followed, I sat down next to her, in front of the bonfire. We simply sat there for a few minutes in silence, soaking up the warmth of the fire. As she finally pulled her hand out, something peculiar sat within it. A small white wisp of flame, just like the one I found.
"What's this?"
"I think that's a soul. Wrap your hands around it, and crush it in your hand. Trust me, it is endlessly worth it. It's what saved my life and gave me a chance to achieve my dreams."
She looked at me for a second, before looking back to the soul. She closed her fist around it, and clenched. As she did, a white light surrounded her hand, travelling up her arm, before wrapping around to her chest, before stopping right over her heart.
"Whoa... what is this? I can't describe this feeling... I feel..."
"Whole?"
"I guess so... what did it do?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure what all the effects of souls are, but I do know they make the person who absorbed them stronger. They make you feel more like yourself, as if they are a part of you that you never knew was missing. They're amazing little things."
"They are... Oh, it's getting late, I can see the sun setting through the trees. This was fun, and I hope we can do this again, but I need a good night's sleep if I want to get to U.A., and you do too. I'll see you tomorrow, Izuku."
"See you tomorrow, Ochako."
As she stood up and walked away, I could swear I saw a faint ring of light emanating from her chest.
The Next Day
1-A... where's 1-A... there it is! The door's humungous... huh. Giant quirks, I guess?
Man, I really hope kaachan's in 1-B, I do not wanna deal with him. Even better, I hope Ochako's in 1-A. Alright, open the door, and...
"PLEASE KEEP YOUR FEET OFF THE DESK! THAT IS DISRESPECTFUL TO U.A., AND THE PREVIOUS CLASS!"
"OH, I DON'T THINK I WILL. WHERE YOU FROM, YOU FOUR-EYED BUZZKILL?"
Oh god damn it. Of course he's here, why wouldn't he be here?
"I am Tenya Iida, from Soumei Private Academy!"
"Soumei, huh? Well, you're quite the elite! I'm gonna enjoy crushing you!"
"Are you sure you're here to become a hero, with that attitude?"
This is gonna be such a fun year. Wahoo, I cannot WAIT.
"Hey Izuku!"
Well, at least that's one good thing.
"Oh, hey there Ochako! Good to see we're in the same class!"
"Yeah, I was worried about that too! Looks like we both got lucky!"
"If you're here to make friends, I suggest finding another school."
Who said that?
I looked downwards to see a... Caterpillar man? Just laying on the floor.
"It took you 8 seconds to quiet down. Time is ticking, and you all clearly lack the common sense to realize that. I'm Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher."
He's our teacher? Wow, he looks burnt out... scratch that, he looks like any motivation he had got downright disintegrated.
"Put in your gym uniforms and follow me."
"A quirk apprehension test? What about the welcoming ceremony?"
"If you want to be heroes, you won't have time for things like that. You all know about U.A.'s reputation for freedom on-campus. Well, that freedom applies for teachers as well."
Makes sense. The teachers are heroes themselves, they know what they're doing. I guess the school realized that, and let them teach in their own way.
"Softball pitch, standing long jump, 50 meter dash, endurance running, grip strength test, sustained sideways jumps, upper-body exercises, seated toe-touch. You all know these exercises from middle school, but you weren't allowed to use your quirks back then. Bakugo, how far could you pitch a softball in middle school?"
"Uh, 67 meters,"
"Try using your quirk this time. Don't hold back."
He gave a nod, reeled his arm back, before throwing it forward, releasing the softball with a giant explosion.
"DIIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"
Really, kaachan? Die? Well, I guess he wouldn't have said anything else.
The ball flew farther and farther, until it was completely out of sight. Just how far did that explosion blast it?
"Before anything, one must know what they are capable of. This is the basis of what we call your "hero foundation." As he said this, he lifted up a little device that read 705.2 meters.
705.2? That's crazy, even for kaachan! I'm gonna have more trouble here than I thought. There's no way I can throw a ball that far, even now!
"Man, that looks fun!"
"We get to use our quirks! This is gonna be great"
I looked over to Aizawa, to see him smirking slightly with his head down.
"Heh... did you all come here just for fun? Just to have a good ol' time? I thought you wanted to become heroes! Do you want this to be fun? Alright then, here's something fun! Whoever places last will be deemed to have no potential, and will be expelled on the spot!"
Oh no, oh no no no no no no no... ok, alright, calm down, this should be no problem for you, you aren't the same as you were last year... alright. Let's do this.
Trial 1: 50 meter dash
"3.04 seconds."
That's a neat little robot.
Tenya Iida, quirk: Engine! He's got engines in his calves that let him move at super-speeds!
"7.15 seconds."
Ochako Uraraka, quirk: Zero Gravity! Using little pads on her fingertips, she can remove the gravity of whatever she touches with all 5 fingers! But if she overuses it, she gets really queasy!
"Pushing their quirks to their limits shows how much room they all have to grow, and lets me take note of what they can do. Let's see how creative the little runts get to keep themselves afloat."
"BLAST RUSH!"
A chain of explosions erupted from bakugo's hands, pushing him forward at incredible speeds.
"4.13 seconds."
Katsuki Bakugo, quirk: Explosion! He sweats nitroglycerin, and can ignite it in his hands, creating a powerful explosion! And his sweat isn't the only thing that's explosive, his temper is too!
"4.19 seconds"
"WHAT!?"
Oh wow, I've got this in the bag!
"HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT, DEKU! THERE'S NO-"
"Calm yourself, Bakugo. I know you two have a past together, but now isn't the time for it."
He relented, and walked off, angry as ever.
Test 2: grip strength
"Whoa, you got 540? You're like a gorilla! Scratch that, an octopus!"
540? Wow, he's ridiculously strong. I looked downwards at my own grip-strength tester.
312!? Wow, that's way higher than I thought it would be! I thought I would get 150, tops!
Test 3: standing long jump
Of course, kaachan just flew across the court with his explosions. But I haven't even jumped yet, so who knows?
I bent my legs down, and sprang back up. I felt myself fly through the air, way farther than I ever have before. Almost surreal...
I hit the sand, tumbling over as I landed. I got back to my feet just in time for the little robot to tell my score.
"13.7 meters"
Wow. I guess I should just double any estimates I had, because I guessed only about 6 this time.
I looked around, and everyone around me was looking focused as all hell, but also a bit astonished. And then there was kaachan, whose usual pure rage was replaced with what looked like a mix of confusion and anger.
Test 5: softball pitch
"Whoa! She got infinity! That's freakin' insane!"
I stepped up to the circle, and readied my arm. I looked over to Aizawa, who looked like he was beyond focused. What is he thinking?
"This kid is an enigma. He was registered quirkless for all his life, until a few days before school started up. He also scored the highest in the entrance exam by far, nearing what All Might scored. And now, he's showing strength, speed, and athleticism far beyond what most people would ever be capable of, even with a lean, athletic body like his. On top of all that, his fighting skill is downright inhuman. No one should be able to take out those robots with a sword. And that healing... I need to know, is this a late-blooming quirk, or his actual abilities? If it is a quirk, why is All Might so relaxed about it, despite what it implies? I need to find out."
I threw the ball as hard as I could, and it was quickly out of sight. I looked back to Aizawa to see a face of pure bewilderment. He looked down at the distance tracker, and his eyes went even wider.
"Kid... I erased your quirk. So tell me..."
He lifted the tracker up to reveal 376.4 meters.
"How the hell did you do this?"
The crowd behind me erupted.
"He can erase quirks?"
"I think what's more important is that this means none of his insane scores are from his quirk!"
"Who the hell is this guy?"
"What kind of monster are you!"
The only ones not freaking out were kaachan and Ochako. He was frozen in place, completely blank, while Ochako was simply smiling at me, awe in her eyes.
I turned back to Aizawa.
"I trained myself through hell and back over the last 10 months, sir. So hard it felt like I would die. Over and over again. If you want specifics, meet me in nezu's office after school, then I'll tell the full story."
"...Alright then. Continue the tests."
After all 8 tests
"Alright it's time to present the results."
I looked around, and a few people were visibly nervous. A tiny guy with purple, uh, ball-hair was actually shaking. He did the worst of everyone on most tests, so I guess he's gonna be the one to get the boot.
"Also, the expulsion thing was a lie. No one's leaving."
"WHAAAT!?"
Oh my god, Aizawa... you had everyone freaking out... even me. I feel a bit ashamed now...
"It was a logical ruse to get the best out of all of you. Anyway, here are the results."
1: Izuku Midoriya
2: Momo Yaoyorozu
3: Shoto Todoroki
4: Katsuki Bakugo
5: Tenya Iida
6: Fumikage Tokoyami
7: Mezo Shouji
8: Mashirao Ojiro
9: Eijiro Kirishima
10: Mina Ashido
11: Ochako Uraraka
12: Koji Koda
13: Rikido Satou
14: Tsuyu Asui
15: Yuuga Aoyama
16: Hanta Sero
17: Denki Kaminari
18: Kyoka Jirou
19: Tooru Hagakure
20: Minoru Mineta
Oh my god... I got first place... This is unreal, I've come so far...
"Alright, you can all go back home now."
Wait, what? The day's already ending? That quickly? We were only here for 3 hours!
Huh. Odd.
Guess I'll just see what happens tomorrow.
As I was walking out of the school, the spiky red-haired guy from the entrance exam came up beside me.
"Hey, Midoriya!"
"Huh? Wait, you're Kirishima, right? What is it?"
"Ok, so I'm a huge fitness freak, you can probably tell just by looking at me. Now, I've been doing strength training for about a decade, but I've never found anything that can get someone as strong as you are. Tell me, what's your workout plan? I need to know!"
"Oh, that? Well... I did say I trained myself so hard I felt like I would die, and that isn't an understatement. I'm not really sure if you could-"
"Man, I don't care how intense it is, just tell me!"
"Alright, alright! Um... You have any paper?"
"Nah, but I could just add your number, and you could tell me that way."
"Oh, right."
I entered my number into his phone, and texted him my plan.
"WHOA! Damn, you weren't kidding! That is some of the most hardcore stuff I've seen in a long time! If you've been doing this for 10 months, then it's no wonder you're so jacked!"
"Oh, um... Thanks!"
"Alright, see ya later!"
And he took off down the street.
New friend, I guess?
Hooray! Ochako's an undead too! Why am I celebrating, being undead is pretty awful... Also new friend Kirishima!
The story will really begin to shift from the main plotline of MHA during the USJ arc. Sports festival will still happen, but not much is gonna stick around after that. Gonna go full batshit off-the-wall crazy after that.
Praise the sun \[T]/