Shigaraki Tomura scratched at his neck while looking at the photograph in his hand. His contact at U.A. had given him the highlights of behind the scenes at the event and sure enough his instincts on Inko Midoriya and her two children was correct. The Midoriya Twins were the children of All Might, and Gran Torino, the stubborn old coot, had been correct of them being in a place beyond his direct reach. U.A. He had spies and informants but to launch an attack on U.A for a couple of kids was just plain stupid.
"Tch, We'll need to be sneakier than that." He crushed the picture of All Might and his twins in hand making it disintegrate. "Kurogiri... tell our contact to inform us of the Twins school schedule. We'll need to find the time in which they'll be most vulnerable."
"If I'm not mistaken the children should be preparing for internships." Kurogiri insighted.
"That so... if that's the case those two may be separated from each other." How face twisted in a grin. "Mmmm if that's true they'll be easier to pick off. Even if I just got one it'll be more than enough to bring that smiling fool to his knees."
"An excellent idea sir. I shall make the preparations."
"Good... which reminds me. Did you locate the Hero Killer?"
"Yes, he's still lingering in Hosu after taking down the hero Ingenium."
"Send out a personal invitation to him. He could be of use to me in my new found plan."
"Yes sir."
~U.A front gate~
The clouds were thick with rain and it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon. Izuku and Bakugo walked side by side under the same umbrella with Izumi right behind with her own.
"I don't see why we need to share my umbrella, Kacchan. I have a spare you know." Izuku flustered.
"Shut up I can't properly hold things yet. I refuse to share with your sister so this is fine." Bakugo grumbled. When Izuku drifted off to the side a bit He cursed. "Hey stand closer will yeah or my bandages are gonna get wet!"
"Just indulge him Izuku. The sooner we get to school and see Recovery Girl the sooner he'll shut up." Izumi said grumpily.
"You shut up, half pint! I'm still pissed at you for that stunt you pulled at the festival. Mark my words I'm gonna annihilate you during midterms."
"Bring it on, explosion boy." She aimed a finger at him and triggered it like a gun. "I'll take you on anytime."
"You guys come on, its too early for-"
"Good Morning, Midoriya-kun. Midoriya-Chan, Bakugo-kun!" Iida jogged through the rain in a wet suit and rain boots.
"Iida!" Izumi and Izuku both shouted in unison as he ran in place beside them.
"Why are you running so slowly! You're going to be late!"
"Late?" Izumi asked jogging behind him. "There's plenty of time before the bell."
"A hero should always arrive early!" He rushed ahead of them stopping only when he saw the mob of reporters out front. "How frustrating. Excuse me! You're in my way! I do not wish to be late to class." He called out over the crowd.
"I wonder what that's all about." Bakugo grunted eying all the reporters.
"Probably here to bug Iida about his brother. You heard what happened to Ingenium? They say his career is completely over." Izumi explained halting her jog when her side started to ache. She wanted to hurry and get inside so Recovery girl could finish healing her rib. She was anxious to get back to training.
"Tch, freaking heartless jackals. Don't they have anything better to do than-" Bakugo started to curse, then saw reporters looking in their direction as Iida shoved his way through.
"Look there they are!" A reporter shouted suddenly. "It's the All Might twins!"
"Geh!?" Both Izuku and Izumi made alarmed faces as the mob rushed straight for them.
"Run for it!" Bakugo shoved Deku in the opposite direction. "Head for the side entrance!" The two rushed off. "Move it or lose it half pint!"
Izumi dropped her umbrella and rushed after Bakugo and her brother. Their shoes splashed and skidded as they rounded the campus and halted to a stop as a whole new mob greeted them at the side entrance. Sandwiched between them they darted and ducked, dodging cameras, and microphones being shoved in their faces. They were chased half way across the campus before darting over the wall near the south entrance and the school's security system finally clicked on. With the Paparazzi cut off, and the three of them safe inside they all collapsed, wet and tired.
"What the hell? I thought that story was old news." Izumi complained ringing out her skirt. "Fuck I'm soaking wet!"
"We'll get some dry clothes from Recovery Girl's office. Luckily we got here a little early." Izuku wiped his hair with a handkerchief. "I hope Iida made it inside okay."
"With you two acting as a distraction, I'm pretty sure Mr. Tight Ass made it in just fine." Bakugo complained and shook himself like a wet dog.
"What happened to you three?" Todoroki walked in the door arriving right on time as per usual.
"Paparazzi chased us all around the school." Izumi complained and sneezed. "Achoo! Damn it I'm gonna catch a fucking cold thanks to those assholes."
"Here." Todoroki pulled her into his left, his hand running through her wet hair. Steam rose up and he sighed and crooned as she dried out. "Better?"
"Much better..." her lips curled in a cute little smile and she cuddled into him. "You're like my own personal heater." Her head tilted up... it took her five whole seconds to realize what she was doing and she jerked back blushing. "Gah uh I mean... thanks!" She ran off towards the infirmary and had Bakugo snickering.
"Chick has got it bad."
~Class 1A~
The classroom seat assignments had been changed. Instead of the traditional desks there were long tables set up in rows. Too afraid to sit, the students hugged the wall waiting for Aizawa to show up. Tears and dread covered their faces.
"Well it's been nice knowing you all. Please think of me in the future..." Mineta sniffled and hugged Tsuyu, sneaking in a grope. She smacked him across the face with her tongue.
"Aizawa isn't here yet so don't panic Mineta."
"It's not fair... who knew we were going up against All Might's daughter?" Sato complained crossing his arms.
"I agree, the teachers or Midoriya should have told us the truth." Kaminari agreed, and all eyes turned to the door as Izuku, Todoroki and Bakugo walked in. "Speak of the devil."
"Deku-kun!" Uraraka rushed up eyes big and wet. "So unfair! You should have told us about your dad!"
"Geh! Uh... well... you see um..." Izuku held out his hands looking at all the glares in the classroom. "I actually didn't know myself until recently."
"Hey!" Bakugo sneered at the group. "It's none of our business who their father is. That shouldn't change anything. None of you gave a crap about IcyHot's parentage." He jerked a thumb at Todoroki.
"Pot and kettle, Bakugo..." Todoroki warned, and shoved his hand away from his face. "However he does have a point. Just because Izumi and Izuku are All Might's kids doesn't mean anything. They're our classmates, friends, and rivals. Nothing's changed."
"Speak for yourself... your head isn't on the chopping block!" Mineta retorted. "Those of us that did poorly get expelled!"
"If you performed poorly, that's your own fault isn't it?" Bakugo glared down at him. "You knew the stakes beforehand, so man up!"
Mineta shriveled and backed up against the wall again whimpering. The door opened again and Aizawa walked in with Izumi right behind him fully healed. "Alright settle down..." He looked around and grunted. "Everyone take a seat... not you." He grabbed Izumi by the back of her jacket as she moved to sit down. Izumi frowned and straightened, then looked around at the class. She saw several dirty looks in her direction and crossed her arms to hide the unease in her stance.
"Oh boy..." Izuku gulped loudly slumping in his seat, fearing the outburst that was about to happen.
"After reviewing the results of the Sports Festival, it's been decided that the person being pulled from this class..." He tossed the papers in the trash. "Is no one."
"EH?!" The class all shouted together in shock.
"You all performed well, and while some of you need to improve in order to stand out, you all managed to stand out as a class, and show potential. The Principal was ready to serve papers, but someone came forth and spoke on your behalf."
"Aizawa Sensei!" Ashido cheered with happy tears in her eyes. "We knew you loved us."
"Not me..." Aizawa pointed at Izumi. "Her."
"Eh?" Ashido blinked and all eyes went to Izumi who flushed at the attention.
"I merely told the Principal that he'd be wasting talent by expelling students who showed such amazing potential. I went beyond my best, because I knew you guys were giving it your all... and it didn't feel right for me to just take someone's spot, when they're the ones that earned it in the first place."
"So..." Uraraka stood up, tears in her own eyes. "Does that mean you're not gonna be a part of our class?"
"She's joining the class..." He motioned around the room at the new desks. "It's the reason we've a new seating arrangement." He turned and started writing on the board. "Your seat assignments have been updated based on your test scores and festival rankings. Please seat yourselves accordingly and we'll get started."
"IZUMI-CHAN!" Ashido jumped up and hugged Izumi tightly and was quickly joined by several others who crowded around her. "Thank you so much! Welcome to the class!"
"You really are a nice person!" Sato agreed. "I'm sorry for thinking bad about you."
"Me too.." Kaminari pointed at himself. "You're officially a member of Class 1A."
"I'm looking forward to working with you, Midoriya-chan." Hagakure said joining the group hug. "Welcome!"
"Welcome!!!" The class shouted in unison and had Izumi flushing, and smiling tearily in response.
"Thanks... everyone." She looked to Izuku and the two of them shared a grin.
Once the seating chart was up, and everyone was seated, Aizawa slapped a folder on his podium to gain the class' attention. "Settle down! It's time we got down to business. We'll be having a special hero informatics class today."
Several of the students started to sweat. The images of quizzes and long boring lectures plague their minds...
"Code names... you'll be coming up with your hero names today."
Code Names... Izumi blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected to be doing something so important so soon. She glanced beside her at her brother who looked nervous and excited at the same time. The way the seating arrangements were laid out, there were five to a table, except the back two rows which only held three. At her table there was Izuku, herself, Bakugo, Yaoyorozu and Iida. The second row held Tokoyami, Todoroki, Uraraka, Ashido, and Tsuyu. Izumi wasn't sure how she felt about having Todoroki directly behind her. She caught herself glancing backwards and catching his intense stare, and blushed bright red.
"Anyway, here is the requests in question..." Aizawa pushed a button and the scale of everyone's requests results posted on the board. Izumi narrowed her eyes at the results.
"What... that doesn't make any sense," Jiro murmured. "Why would Todoroki and Bakugo be ahead of Midoriya and Izumi?"
"The numbers are usually spread out more, but all eyes were on these top four. Izumi, Izuku... you actually had more than this, but we took away the requests that specifically wanted you as a set."
"A set?" Izumi's brow twitched. "Meaning they wanted both of us or neither of us?"
"Precisely... if we include those numbers..." Aizawa hit another button and the scale changed drastically putting their numbers almost a good thousand over Todoroki and Bakugo."
"Whoa... such a huge difference." Kaminari stretched out feeling so underrated in comparison.
"It's up to the two of you if you want to take these other agencies into consideration." Aizawa told the twins. "However, what these pros don't realize is that you're separate people. Despite being twins you're not a set, you're individuals with your own mind and your own goals. Take that into consideration when making your decision."
"Yes sir!" Izuku nodded while Izumi stayed silent... her hands clasped tightly together on the desk.
Two separate people... it was a reality she was slowly coming to terms with. She'd known the moment Izuku had decided to apply to U.A. that the time they had together was shortening. She glanced over at her brother, who was already scribbling down thoughts and ideas about what agency to choose from.
Midnight came in a few moments later to take over the class. She would be the judge of whether or not the codenames everyone chose would be acceptable and appropriate for professional use. Dry erase boards were handed out and hands already started to move as ideas flashed into their minds.
What name should she choose? Glancing over at her brother she smiled a bit leaning on her hand. More than likely he'd inherit their father's name. Which was fine with her. She wanted something of her own... but still paid homage. She slipped a hand into the pocket on her jacket where she Gran Torino's mask as a good luck charm... and got hit with sudden inspiration.
As the others announced their names one by one, Izumi scribbled on her board and stared long and hard at the name she'd chosen. A smile spread on her lips and she looked over to her brother's board and made a face at the name he chose.
"Oi, are you serious?" She whispered harshly. "You don't honestly want to be called that. You're the heir you know, why not use dad's name?"
"He hasn't retired yet," Izuku whispered back and covered his board with his arms. "Besides I haven't exactly earned it yet. This name suits me as I am now."
"Damn it, Zuku, you could be stuck with it you know..." her brow twitched in irritation.
"I'm okay with that." He smiled softly and pulled back staring at the name. "I didn't always like this name... but-"
"Oh Midoriya twins..." Midnight said in a sing-song voice. "Have you decided?"
"I have," Izumi raised her hand and stood up. As she stepped around him she slapped Izuku in the back of the head with her board. "I hope you know what you're doing, baka brother."
"Ow!" He frowned at her, watching as she stepped up to present.
"I chose my name to play off the two heroes whom I've looked up to. My adoptive grandfather, Gran Torino, and my father All Might. Their names are symbols of the heroes they've become, and I hope to live up to them..." She turned her board around, "Grand Valor."
Izuku's eyes sparkled with pride. His sister knew exactly the kind of image she wanted to portray. She wanted to be a hero who protected what mattered, and brought justice to those in need of it.
Izuku knew he wanted to be just like his dad... but to take the mantle of his name before he really had a chance to prove himself didn't seem right. He stood up after his sister sat down, and showed his name off to the class. He saw the looks of confusion and disappointment and had to take a deep breath before speaking.
"I didn't always like this name... and I had planned to go with something else but... I don't feel as if I've earned the right to adorn it. This name suits the hero I am now... young, inexperienced, and still needing to prove himself. Once the world accepts me, and acknowledges me... then I can take hold of the image that will be passed down to me."
He watched Izumi's lips twitch in recognition of his decision. Bakugo made a face with mixed embarrassment and curiosity, and Uraraka just beamed out at him all smiles. He smiled out at the class.
"My name is Deku... and I will be a hero the world will acknowledge."