Chapter 21: Mimicry
Nemuri Kayama, the infamous Pro Heroine Midnight, sighed as she put her pen down and arched her back, stretching in the chair she had been sat in. The latest examinee to strut their stuff in front of her had just left, a stoic young girl with black girl and big eyes and a Quirk that allowed her to manipulate the size of object she touched; it was a remarkable Quirk and Midnight had eagerly scribbled down notes on what she could suggest to young Kodai as moves to adapt her Quirk. Days like this reminded her why she had got into teaching, to see the untapped potential laid bare before her eyes, to tease out the bold discoveries these young students had made even without lessons at a hero academy. Watching the joy on their faces (or in Kodai's case, the raised eyebrow and slight twitch of a smile) was all she ever craved seeing.
Unfortunately, days like these also reminded her just how much she missed having Aizawa around to help.
Incident Zero had taken its toll on UA long before Nezu had thrown caution to the wind and planted the school firmly in the middle of a battle between factions of Hero society. The loss of the Symbol of Peace affected the world like nothing had in hundreds of years- international students no longer wanted to come to Japan, and aspiring students who may otherwise have taken the leap of faith no longer wanted to put themselves in the firing line in front of emboldened villains and criminals. Admissions had been down even before Nezu declared the school's independence, and after that point Midnight and her fellow teachers had seen all sorts of changes.
Sons and daughters of famed Heroes who would have gone to UA for the prestige now stuck to Apprentice work within the family, Private Heroes took promising candidates straight out of the high schools to circumvent the system, and the Hero Commission screamed murder if UA refused to allow them to conscript any candidate they saw as crucial for their future investment. But it hadn't just been a trying time for the school; it had been a trying time for the teachers too.
Eraserhead, Shota Aizawa, the third of the unlikely trio of UA's musketeers with her and Present Mic, had been hit as much as anyone. It hadn't been long after the death of All Might that some gang of wannabes and anarchists had taken it upon themselves to target one of the Hero academies, to sow more discord among an already broken society. Ketsubusu Academy had been a rival to UA for quite some time, so the news that there had been an attack which had forced Ketsubutsu to close stunned all the staff at UA at the time; however, when the school was bombed, the news of the hospitalisation of its second year teacher and Pro Hero Ms Joke had thrown Eraserhead off his stride completely. Emi Fukukado was, if not an old flame of Aizawa's, one of his oldest friends, and he'd taken time out from teaching that year to go and look after her and help her on the path to rehabilitation, learning how to walk again after one of her legs suffered serious and debilitating burns.
Eraserhead had, despite Midnight's best efforts, become even more withdrawn after that.
With the legendary Aizawa temper becoming more and more frayed, it was clear something had to give. Midnight and Present Mic saw him less and less as he disappeared after the day of school to go and care for Ms Joke, and the bags under his eyes had grown even darker as he worked himself to the bone outside of school. Part of Midnight's subconscious knew that he had been hunting down the gang who attacked Ketsubusu, among others, and she wanted to stand up to her old friend, to tell him that he couldn't take the law completely into his own hands even as an Underground Hero. But she didn't get the chance to.
A couple of years ago, Nezu had interrupted their staff meeting before the Entrance Exam to confirm that Shota Aizawa was going dark, and Midnight and Present Mic knew that their friend had been given some form of mission by the chimaera Principal. It had happened to other members of staff since Incident Zero, of course; Nezu took his responsibilities as a Pro Hero seriously outside of teaching, and so had tasked other staff members like Thirteen or Power Loader to help with certain investigations or accidents as supporting Heroes. But whatever assignment he had given Eraserhead, Nezu's lips were sealed, and they hadn't heard from Shota since that day. Not a single call or text, or coded message sent by some crazy radio signal only Mic's garage set-up would pick up.
Wherever Eraserhead was, Midnight knew that he was in deep, and alone. It was hard for that not to affect her or Hizashi sometimes.
So now they soldiered on without their friend, leading the charge for UA in his absence, and it didn't feel the same. The UA Entrance Exam, and all the excitement around welcoming their newest batch of first years, just wasn't the same without Shota Aizawa putting the fear of god into someone with his Erasure-enhanced stare. She could be sadistic and play up the image she had acquired as the dominatrix queen of the underground, but she cared too much about getting them to enjoy their education. For all she didn't have kids of her own, she couldn't help that some of her students felt a little adopted.
It had worked the past couple of years. She was a better bad cop than Present Mic, who didn't even try to be uncool and disciplined with the kids whenever they came to be assessed. He was wild and effortlessly entertaining, which left her to be the bearer of bad news and the harsher critic, and yet somehow their little system had worked. And then this year, of all years, something had happened with the students that seemed to have spooked Nezu. They didn't get Eraserhead back, reunited at last with their old friend; instead, they got Sir Nighteye striding through the UA doors with a look of purpose in his eyes.
While she was a little irritated with Nezu that he considered some of the students to be too much for her or Present Mic to properly assess, she understood that this was a fact of life in a society where danger lurked in every dark alley, and where Quirk variations over generations had resulted in some frankly horrifying and overwhelming end products. The Quirk did not define the person, of course- if it did, Nemuri knew that her own powers would have seen her labelled as a villain a long time ago- but sometimes powers were extreme, and questions over whether such a power could be used for good had to be answered. But still...
Nighteye was a weird one. He'd been All Might's sidekick, so Midnight was inclined to trust him, but it was clear that time and grief had taken its toll on him. He was aloof and uncaring, and Midnight was genuinely worried that his blunt tone and desire to microscopically analyse every facet of their being would scare some of the kids off. It was a good job she had half of the students to keep on side herself, although even that set her off.
Some of the kids were obvious- the boy with the Decay Quirk looked potentially dangerous and one they'd have to keep an eye on in training, as did the boy with the shadow demon Quirk. But there were others mixed in there too for Nighteye to assess half the class, and Midnight found herself confused how Nezu could worry about their abilities. The girl with the Creation ability, the heir to the Yaoyorozu hero dynasty, surely wasn't a danger to society? Why he was pulling the likes of her, the Midoriya boy with the Aerokinesis Quirk, and the young man who claimed "Copy" as his power aside to be assessed by him?
Midnight heard a knock at the door and shook her head. "Oh good, my next student. Come on in!"
She looked down at the piece of paper in front of her and tapped it twice with her pen, the biggest conundrum of them all to her. If Nighteye was so adamant to take the ones that seemed strange, then why was Himiko Toga left to her to deal with? The girl had an X on her profile next to her Quirk, which was usually the mark of a Quirkless student; those had been few or far between since Incident Zero, but there was at least one in Hero Course 3. But this girl had records with the Quirk Registry in Musutafu that had been destroyed, much the same time as the orphanage fire which she had apparently survived.
If Aizawa was here, he would have called her a "Problem Child" before even meeting her.
The door swung open with a click, and Midnight shook herself from the reverie of deep thought. "Welcome to your Quirk Apprehension Test, Miss... Toga? Young man, what are you-"
Izuku shook his head as if to cut her off, walking straight towards the desk. "Midnight, sensei, I know it's not my time to take the exam right now-"
"That's correct," she replied, frowning and wondering what on Earth was going on. "The last time I checked, Midoriya, you weren't Himiko Toga."
"I get that," Izuku said, tapping his index fingers together nervously. "But you see, H-Himiko's Quirk is kind of complicated and it kind of can't be shown off best without having another person in with her! Otherwise everyone would be really confused what was going on, which is sorta the point when you think about what she could do but-"
"Woah, easy Midoriya," Midnight interrupted, leaning forward and scribbling some notes as she cut off his stream of Quirk-related muttering. "So Himiko needs someone else to... help show off her Quirk? What's to say I couldn't have provided this help-"
"It's... kinda not something you can spring on a stranger. It needs to be explained and i-it needs that person to be happy to help or-"
"Hmm." Midnight leaned back in the chair and shot an arched eyebrow at Izuku. "So you were happy to help her?"
"Of course! She's m-my friend," Izuku replied, a faint blush dusting across his cheeks as his mind treacherously strayed back to the intimate moment in the corridor where they'd been sat in the corridor with her on top, nibbling at his neck. "I just wanted to help!"
Midnight cracked into a wide smile all of a sudden, and she almost wiggled with glee as she sat there in her chair with her pen ready to mark. "How delightful! Such a strong bond between two people so young, it sends shivers down my spine!"
"Um..."
"Oh but don't let me hold you two back any longer! If you're here to help show off Toga's Quirk I'm all ears!" Midnight paused. "Do I need to shout to bring her in?"
"Not quite..." Izuku turned on his heel, to stare at the doorway. "Y-You can come in now."
The look on the Pro Heroine's face turned from one of expectancy to one of absolute confusion, eyebrows screwed up in a frown as the new arrival walked through the door. "But... that's... Midoriya? This is her Quirk?"
The second Izuku Midoriya, absolutely identical in every way to the one stood in front of the desk, walked through the door fidgeting nervously with a towel he was holding, and the Izuku in front of her desk coughed as the new arrival sat on top of a table. "You probably don't have much on file about the Quirk, but... y-yep. This is what Transform can do."
"Transform..." Midnight was furiously scribbling notes now and she had pulled her glasses down from the top of her head to concentrate, staring intently at the two Izukus in front of her. "Toga... you can-"
"Have you got this?" asked the sitting Izuku to the standing one, hesitantly. "Do you mind? Or do you want me to take it from-"
"No, don't worry, I've g-got it," said the first, with a determined nod. "Leave it to me."
"Okay."
"Transform... allows the user to turn into a copy of another person for a period of time. It's tricky because clothes can't be copied, which means that the transformation has to take place when the person is n-naked."
"Hence the towel, I suppose," Midnight mused.
"R-Right." The stutter had nearly disappeared up until that point. "But Transform needs..."
Midnight paused scribbling as Izuku caught himself. "Needs what?"
Izuku took a deep breath and tried not to let the weight of what was about to be said show in his tone. "Transform... needs the user to have some blood from that person in order to turn into them."
Midnight tried not to let anything show on her face at that point, as she put the pen down. "... Wow. Okay. I... understand why you were both hesitant for me to help demonstrate it. You wanted to be sure someone you trust helped you with it first."
"Yeah..." the second Izuku replied, nervously itching at his neck. "We didn't want to ask too much or anything-"
"And I think we were concerned you'd be scared of it," the first Izuku said, as the second looked down at the floor. "Using someone's blood, it's... well, all the stories you hear about Quirk discrimination and all-"
"Midoriya, Toga," Midnight interrupted, a caring edge now in her tone. She didn't know what the kids had been through together, but she suddenly had a strong desire to reassure them that everything would be alright going forward. That was her job as a teacher and as a Heroine, after all. "I can promise you that here at UA you wouldn't experience anything like that. Quirks come in all different forms these days, and we'd be more than happy to accommodate any needs of yours. It's... an incredibly versatile power."
There was a small smile shared between the two Izukus. "... Thank you, sensei."
"So I presume this works with fresh blood best?" Midnight asked inquisitively, picking up her pen again to take notes. "I suppose you'll have given some blood before this test Midoriya, which is fine for the purposes of here but I hope you haven't drained yourself before your own exam-"
"That's all covered!" The first Izuku nodded, eagerly. "Don't worry, we only shared enough to get through this exam- a small cup is enough for a whole day, so barely half of that was needed for this!"
"That's all good," Midnight said, cursing the fact that she sounded like somebody's mother by asking that. She'd be damned if she succumbed to her age. "And is it only one person at a time?"
"It can be stacking, so that means that different people's blood can be drunk and kept in reserve for a quick Transform at the last minute. The higher the quantity, the longer the transformation can be held!"
"Really? That's... remarkable." Midnight swept a strand of black hair off her face and adjusted her glasses. "The potential to use that Quirk underground... Toga, you could take a few faces for infiltration and leave people second guessing at every turn. You'd make an amazing Underground Hero."
"You mean that?" The second Izuku asked, eyes shining with something.
"Absolutely I do! This world we live in now has too many villains and it's so hard for the Heroes and the Police to get to grips with all of them." Midnight clenched a fist to her chest, her romantic and overactive imagination running wild. "I can see it now! Himiko Toga, undercover, getting where no Hero has ever gotten, learning things we all need to turn the tide! How exciting!"
"T-Thank you, Midnight..." The first Izuku stuttered. "It means a lot to hear that from you-"
"If nobody has told you two that before, then I'll be happy to remind you of it every day I teach you!" Midnight realised her arm was stretched out in a flourish, and folded her arms underneath her bosom as she stared down Izuku with a wry look on her face. "But I do have one question, Midoriya, and I don't mean any disrespect to you or to the thorough job you've done by answering me, because it really has been helpful. But don't you think it might have been more fair to let Toga tell me about her own Quirk?"
And then it all clicked with her as something strange happened. The Izuku who had first walked in broke out into a smirk that didn't suit the young man's face, and the copy behind shook nervously, placing his hands over his eyes as he spoke.
"I-I know," said the Izuku she thought was a copy in a shaky voice, as the face of the Izuku standing directly in front of her began to melt into grey slime with a disgusting noise. "T-That's what I said to her outside. And that's why I l-let her come in first..."
She had been utterly hoodwinked.
Midnight couldn't help but let her mouth drop open as the slime cascaded to the floor, and she saw why the real Izuku had held his hands over his eyes. "T-Toga! But I thought you-"
The real Izuku, still with his hands over his eyes, coughed awkwardly, and Midnight could see now the marks on his neck which looked like two little puncture marks in his skin. Now it was so clear. "It was h-her idea. She wanted you to think it was me-"
"You were feeding on him before this exam, weren't you?" Midnight had eyes only for Himiko as she came out of her Transformed state, and was grateful that the sludge had created a viscous grey layer to protect the girl's modesty- it meant Midnight could fix her with a devious smirk. "Oh, you and I are going to get along very well."
Himiko giggled and Izuku couldn't help but gulp, as he handed her the towel without looking at her. "Well, what did ya think? Did you really think I was Izuku?!"
Midnight couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "You got me. Your Quirk extends to his voice as well, but you seemed to be a complete copy of his manners too. You're... a good actress, Toga."
"Izuku is easy! Just mutter about Quirks and I'm like ninety percent there-"
"H-Hey!"
Himiko giggled at her friend's indignation. "But thank you! You... really kinda reassured me, ya know?"
"Reassured you?"
"Yeah!" Himiko's smile didn't falter on her face, but something flickered in those yellow eyes, something Izuku recognised. "I... kinda wanted Izuku here because I was scared. A lot of people in my life have told me I have a hideous Quirk and he's not one of them, so... I really want to get into UA with Izu. But I don't want people thinking that of me here, so-"
"So you asked him to come with you and help you explain," Midnight realised, and her voice softened. "Well rest assured, Toga, I won't think that of you. You've shown me how much of a gift it is... both of you. I'm grateful you gave her that chance, Midoriya."
"Anytime-"
"You really are her knight in shining armour!"
"Haaaaah..." Izuku melted into a bright red steaming blush as Midnight and Himiko shared a look he didn't like. "Can we get back to the exam thing?"
"Oh right, yeah!" Himiko bounced on her heels in front of Midnight. "Did I pass? Did I did I?"
"Haha! As if I'm going to tell you that right now!" Midnight sniggered, looking at the look on the teen's faces. "Oh come on, we've got plenty of other students to get through! I can't spoil it by letting one know who's passed the exam?"
Himiko's face fell a little. "Oh..."
Midnight flashed the pair a wink that reminded them why she had earned the soubriquet of the R-Rated Heroine. "Don't you worry, either of you! I'm sure you have nothing to worry about! I mean-" and here she waggled her eyebrows conspiratorially, "I'm sure you'll find out soon!"
Izuku nodded and smiled to her. "R-Right! Thank you Midnight-"
"Don't thank me yet, Midoriya," she said, wagging a finger at him. "You've still got an exam to do after all!"
"Oh crap." Himiko looked at him. "If I've made you late-"
He grabbed her hand without thinking. "Himiko, if I've got you to pass and helped with how you felt, then that's enough. I'll take whatever comes next happily."
Her face brightened up in a moment that was immediately spoiled by a loud schoolgirl squeal from Midnight. "How adorable! You two are going to make me melt."
"Gah!"
"Go on, get out of here before I get all sentimental! And Midoriya?"
"S-Sensei?"
"Good luck on your exam." Midnight flashed him a peace sign, like All Might used to. "I'm sure you've got this covered, if this is anything to go by."
"T-Thank you!" Izuku didn't have a chance to say anything before he felt Himiko's slim fingers close around his wrist and drag him away, another door at the back of the classroom opening back out into the corridor away from the rest of the applicants. "Hey, Himiko?"
"Mmm?"
"You did r-really well in there. I'm really impressed. Although..." He chuckled. "It's gonna take me a little while to get used to seeing myself like that."
"Mmm?"
"Are you... feeling okay."
"Mmm." She stopped suddenly, looked around the corridor conspiratorially. "Say, Izuku?"
"Yeah, what's u-"
Whatever he was about to say, whatever his mind had been trying to process, was never revealed. In fact, he would never remember. Ever. Because what would have happened next was completely replaced by her arms going around his middle, dragging him up against her as she, rather delicately, pushed her lips against his. The heat that spread, no, erupted across his face, neck and shoulders was very unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
Squeaking to himself ever so slightly in shock, he was frozen where he stood as she just kept kissing him. Everything about her was just lips, her embrace, her... body. Oh boy, there was that heat again as electricity tingled in his lips and face, and indeed across much of his skin. Her fingers tangled in his hair, playing rather innocently and making his scalp tingle too. He surprised himself by... returning the embrace and kissing her back. Instinct, he'd later reason, but he cetainly wasn't reasoning then. Nope. Not at all.
Having fun, are we?
By the time she stopped kissing him, she was quite short of breath and more than a little flushed herself. "Okay," she whispered, "if anyone saw us I'm gonna die."
"I, what, you, how, whaaa-"
She giggled, hopping back away from him. "But that was great."
He just stood there, unable to speak, and gawking at her. "Whaaaaa-"
"What?" She tilted her head and looked at him with a blush, and for a moment he felt his heart try to leave his chest. "Can't a girl say thank you?"
"You..." Izuku slowly rebooted what remained of his brain after that and tried to get his mouth into gear. "You k-k-kissed me?"
"Yep." She popped the end of the word and stared at him, the blush still there on her face. "I... wouldn't have been able to do any of that if it wasn't for you. So... thanks for getting me through that, Izu."
"But a k-kiss-"
"Well yeah." She looked at him oddly. "I like you, genius. You and your big heart and everything, it's..."
"It's w-what?"
"I don't just say all of it for show, Izu. I meant that kiss." She gave him a mischievous little smile just like Midnight's. "I wouldn't mind another, unless you wanna keep a girl waiting."
"I, wow, um, okay-"
"As cute as this is, cuz, I think you're gonna be late for the biggest day of your life if you keep this up."
Izuku whirled around the second he heard that voice, panic coursing through his veins like ice. "SETSUNA?!"
His cousin stood behind them, a Cheshire Cat smirk on her face like every birthday of hers had come at once. "Hey. You two lovebirds seem to be getting along well."
"H-How did you do on your-"
"My exam? Good distraction, genius." Setsuna rolled her eyes at him. "Just you wait til Tenko and Inko hear about this."
"Okay," Himiko said behind him, and he didn't even need to turn around to know she'd gone as red as he had, "I'm gonna die now."
"But since you asked," his green-haired lizard-loving cousin continued, "I did alright. I got the guest examiner because you were off helping Himiko on her exams, so he put you back and dealt with a few others before. He dealt with Tenko before me."
"Oh really? How is Tenko?"
"Um..." Setsuna trailed off. "He's not really talking about the exam. I don't know what he did in there but he doesn't seem happy. You may wanna talk to him about it since he's not opening up to me... after you're done, of course."
"Are you sure? I-"
"Zuzu, with respect, you've been real sweet to Himiko and all, but Tenko can deal with waiting for ten minutes to talk to you while you get your exam done."
"...Okay. Fine, I'll check after. Any tips on the examiner?"
"Uhhh, he seems intense. Liked my Quirk though."
"Oh okay..." Izuku frowned. "Who is it who's testing us?"
"It's a secret, but I bet you're gonna love him Zuzu." Setsuna chuckled. "Although he might not love you if you keep him waiting any longer. Can you wait until after you're done for another kiss from Himiko?"
"I-! You-!" Izuku stuttered, before shaking his head. "Fine, I'll wait-"
Himiko did a little cheer, and Setsuna's eyes widened in shock. "Girl, you've done a number on him."
"Forget it! I'll see you later!" Izuku ran off before Setsuna could mock him any more and frantically slapped at his face to calm the fierce blush he was wearing down. He had done what he could to help a friend in need, and somehow he had ended up with a kiss from Himiko of all things in the middle of it... but he couldn't get distracted by that now or he would risk failing, risk letting down all his friends by not being able to go to UA with them. If today was to mean anything to them as a group, he had to pass too, and he had to focus on doing the best job possible right now.
Time to tell UA that he was here. Time to show them he had what it took to be a Hero.
(***)
With a look and a knowing wink from Present Mic that somehow told Izuku that the Pro Hero knew what had been going on, Izuku strode through the breakout room to the door to the examination classroom. He could hear a few mutters from some of the other applicants at where he had been this entire time, but they didn't faze him one bit. He was far too terrified about what awaited on the other side of the door, the most important test of his life, and just how much he wanted to pass and start on the path to becoming a Hero.
This was it. This was make-or-break, do-or-die. This was his chance to make Tenko, Setsuna, Himiko and his mother proud...
Izuku knocked.
"Enter."
Izuku stiffened at the sound of the voice on the other side of the door, wondering why it sounded so familiar. It was brusque and to-the-point, commanding and clearly intelligent- the sort of person who had a voice like that would take no nonsense and would have precise demands of him for what they wanted to see from his Quirk. Good, that suited him. Izuku's nerves would have consumed him and made him hesitate if he was given complete free reign with Air Force and told to use his creativity to impress a judge; if the man behind the voice on the other side had specific requirements of him, he could push his nerves to the side and show them off.
Time to make a name for himself.
He pushed the door open and smiled. "Hi, I'm s-sorry I was a little late. I had to help my friend with her application exam because of h-how her Quirk works-"
"I heard this from Midnight." The speaker was hidden behind a newspaper he appeared to be reading. "Relax, young man. You are young and an aspiring Hero- while it isn't a logical move to be late to your own exam when you need to impress, I can see you had nothing but good intentions in helping Miss Toga. I assure you, there will be no detriment to your assessment on that basis."
Izuku smiled to himself, appreciating the comment. "T-Thank you, sir."
"Hmm." There was a brief noise, almost like an abrupt chuckle. "Do you know why I find that funny, young Midoriya?"
Izuku faltered. "Um, not really-"
"Humour is an important skill to preserve for an aspiring Hero. We see the horrors of the front line, the depths of despair which disaster and villainy can create in people's lives, and we must reassure them. It's why All Might always kept a smile on his face, no matter how hard things were."
"I w-want that too," Izuku said, clenching a fist. "I want people to see my face and feel they're safe, just like All Might, just like any Hero could do before Incident Zero."
"Good. Preserve that instinct, young Midoriya." The paper rustled. "As for me, I usually find things like your comment funny because of the blurring of formality and informality. When formally addressing me, anyone younger or more junior will automatically call me sir. But even in the most informal of settings, when people look to take a shortened form of my name and be more familiar..."
The paper dropped, and Izuku saw the face of the man assessing him, a face he had seen on countless videos and news reports as he grew up idolising the Symbol of Peace. "... Then they all still call me Sir."
NO. Not him. Anyone but him.
This was Sir Nighteye! The former sidekick of All Might back in the glory days before Incident Zero! One of the most famous and most genius analytical minds in all of Japan, and a Pro Hero with one of the greatest mysteries for a Quirk besides All Might himself. And he was here at UA to test Izuku!
You failed All Might, you-
"SIR NIGHTEYE, I'M A HUGE FAN OF YOURS, SIR!"
Izuku had no idea where those tiny dark thoughts had come from, stirring in the back of his mind like an octopus in the crevices of a reef, but they were overwhelmed totally by his base fanboy instincts which drove him forward. He nearly flew forward with a hand outstretched to try to offer a handshake to Sir Nighteye, but at the last second the rational part of him wanting to impress and make it through the Entrance Exam pulled back, so that he staggered to a halt in front of the Pro Hero and grinned nervously at him. "Um, I'm sorry I just got so excited because I was a huge All Might fan growing up and you were always in his videos, so I always used to admire you when I was growing up, and all of the hard work which you put into investigation and deduction and tactics was a big influence on me because I still like to write notes of Quirks and-"
"Young Midoriya?"
"Y-Yes, Sir?"
"Breathe." Nighteye looked him up and down, and folded the newspaper. "I assessed your cousin, Setsuna Tokage, prior to your arrival. She informed me of your appetite to analyse Quirks and of your idolisation of All Might; I believe she considered it to be a warning to me."
"I-I'm so sorry-"
'Nonsense. I am flattered, of course." Nighteye moved to his notes now and began to write something. "I have taken the liberty of signing a scrapbook which she brought with her. I believe it belongs to you, but I was impressed on the detail with which it assessed her Quirk. The notes were particularly helpful for my own examination, so in kind I left you a little memento from today, as she said you might appreciate it or forget to ask otherwise."
"Th-Thank you so much, sir!" Izuku did a little bow, cursed himself for how he would look, and then straightened up, but not before spotting something. "That pen..."
Nighteye looked up from the desk as he was taking a precise note at Izuku. "I'm sorry?"
"That's not just any All Might pen you're using to do your notes..." Izuku looked in awe. "That's one of the limited edition Chibi All Might pens with the California Smash graphic, isn't it?"
"You... would be correct." Nighteye put the pen down, looked at it for a brief second, and looked back at Izuku. "And that is significant because-"
"Because the general prints that went to stock were of all of All Might's other moves! Detroit Smash was the most common, but we had Texas, Missouri, New Hampshire and Carolina too. I got a New Hampshire one-"
"A good achievement," Nighteye interrupted with a nod. "There were only a thousand of those made-"
"But there were only fifty of the California Smash made, with All Might's Young Age costume on the little figure!" Izuku's eyes were wide. "They were given out at I-Expo a few years back to special guests, the last year All Might attended. They're a real collector piece!"
"... Hmm." Nighteye's mouth twitched, and although it wasn't a smile it looked to Izuku like the former sidekick was impressed. "Well spotted, Izuku Midoriya. I snuck this one away at the last ever signing session I did with All Might. Although I dare say the fan-boy in you will be aggrieved I am using a collector's piece to do my notes today."
"You're his old sidekick..." Izuku said, in awe at how that sentence sounded. "You earned the right to do what you want with it, if you ask me. It would be more valuable to you than anyone else, anyway."
The look on Nighteye's face at that point was a strange one, flickering for all but a second through an array of emotions which didn't belong on the otherwise implacable face, before he picked the pen back up and nodded to Izuku. "... You truly are a proper fan. Looking to follow in his footsteps?"
"I h-hope so, sir."
"Good. We need more Heroes like him." Nighteye clicked the pen twice, retracting and then reloading the tip. "Well now, if you get into UA, you can start to make that a reality. That said, I am your last obstacle, young Midoriya. I might respect your appreciation for All Might, but I am not so fickle as to pass you on that alone. Show me what you can do, and show me you'll be worthy to come after him. I am yours to impress."
He can't be trusted. He will-
Izuku shook his head to clear that thought away. This was Sir Nighteye, after all, the last sidekick of the Symbol of Peace himself; there was no reason for him to think like that. "O-Okay, I'm ready when you are! Where do you want me to start?"
Chapter 22: Hero A
If anyone had told Izuku that this would be how his day at the UA Entrance Exam would have turned out, he'd have accused them of trying to mess with him. Even now as he stood with his arms by his side, awaiting instructions from Sir Nighteye of all people about how he was to demonstrate his Quirk, a little bit of his inner fanboy was worried he might have to pinch himself and wake up from what was in front of him. Of all the people to examine him!
Izuku, and anyone close to Izuku, knew of his admiration for All Might growing up, and how it practically had transcended fanboy moments into a form of worship. He of course wasn't alone- All Might was universally beloved across generations who had been born into different stages of his hero career, and up until his death crowds would gather from miles around if they heard that he would open something, would be somewhere. But Izuku had replayed the old videos and devoured the books on a level like very few other people, to a point where All Might's mother might have struggled to match Izuku's knowledge of her son. Everything that was All Might, he absorbed like a sponge.
That extended, of course, to Sir Nighteye. The sidekick had only really become public knowledge in the couple of years leading up to Incident Zero, but for almost as long as Izuku had been alive, Sir Nighteye had been standing behind All Might ready to support him through thick and thin. Izuku would be lying if some of his analytical obsession had not been inspired by watching the old documentaries and interviews, seeing how thorough Sir Nighteye had been in driving All Might forward. He was an indisputable genius and the unsung hero for some of the Symbol of Peace's greatest victories, a tactician and strategist who could find weak points and play the game three steps ahead of some of the worst villains in Japan.
Everyone wanted to be All Might when they grew up, and Izuku was no exception to this rule, but Izuku saw things in Sir Nighteye which he wished others had seen too. Perhaps it was how ordinary the man looked standing at the right hand of All Might, his bland suit and lanky frame a complete contrast to the bulging muscles and distinctive blonde bangs of society's Number One Hero, that spoke to Izuku back when he was Quirkless. Maybe there was enough of the average person in Nighteye that made it more easy to imagine Izuku becoming a Pro Hero in future.
Of course that had all changed when he got his Quirk. Or Quirks, more accurately. But now there was a slight element of risk to all of it.
Izuku couldn't fathom why, standing across from someone he had idolised for as long as he could remember, he had thought such dark thoughts about Sir Nighteye to think that he couldn't be trusted. This was All Might's former sidekick, after all, one of his heroes growing up. He could trust that he was in safe hands with him. But... the issue wasn't Nighteye, it was himself. Nobody in the world except Tenko and his mother knew the truth of all he was capable of, of all the powers he currently had at his disposal. He wanted to prove himself to get into UA, but he couldn't let anything slip about the powers he had taken for fear that Nighteye and the school would throw him out of the door...
He had to be careful and keep his secret, still. As far as they all knew, his Quirk was Aerokinesis, and he would keep it that way.
Keep that guard up, Izuku.
For once, he agreed with his often rebellious inner voice.
"Is there a problem, Midoriya?"
Izuku shook his head and realised that he had spaced out in front of Nighteye, and quickly flushed red in embarrassment. "N-No Sir! Just a little stage fright, th-that's all!"
"Hmm." Nighteye looked at him for a second while sat behind the desk, and scribbled a precise little note in the corner of the page. "Your cousin was one of the students I tested before you. She suggested that you might be a little nervous to fail today."
"Yes sir. I..." Izuku paused and took a moment to clear his head, hoping his stutter wouldn't come through in his voice. "I guess I've always wanted to prove I can do it, prove I can become a Hero. Ever since All Might died I've worked so hard to try to get this chance because... I want to help people. I'm... tired."
"Tired?" A faded eyebrow rose. "How so?"
"I'm tired of seeing people think they have no hope. All Might... gave me hope. He put a smile on my face and on the face of other people because he kept them safe... so if I can do that then I'll do anything I can. I want to come to UA like he did, and show the world they don't need to be afraid of everything."
"Hmm." Nighteye gave nothing away as he scribbled another note. "I suppose when you say that he gave you hope, that might be related to your previous Quirkless status?"
Izuku gulped. How did he know that? "Sir?! What do you-"
"Please, Midoriya, try to relax." Nighteye sorted through the small sheaf of papers on the desk and pushed one sheet to the edge. "UA has its Entrance Exam, and the preliminary tests, but it also does its own background research into matters. Your medical records and your school record are among those items the school seeks in order to build a background picture, and of course I have considered the same."
Izuku took a moment to compose himself. He didn't know what Nighteye had concluded from reading that, but he had to keep calm in case something unexpected came up. "Oh, I s-see. And you saw that I was Q-Quirkless?"
"I did." Nighteye put the pen down and looked at him. "When did you develop your Quirk?"
"A f-few years after Incident Zero." Izuku's mind flashed with images of his eleven year old self, and the moment Bakugo pushed him to defend himself with a power he didn't know he possessed. "It came out when-"
"When another boy attacked you at school." Nighteye ringed around something in his notes which Izuku couldn't see. "That's a fair delay to find your Quirk. It really didn't manifest until that late in your life?"
"I'm... kind of a late bloomer I guess?" Izuku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It's made it harder to train to get into UA when I'm less used to my power, but-"
"I admire the tenacity to apply yourself to that goal all the same." Nighteye folded his arms and the corner of his mouth twitched. "And before you say anything out of panic, young Midoriya, while I cannot condone fighting among students, I do not propose to rebuke you for acting in self-defence."
"... Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me, Midoriya. It should be the reaction of any reasonable adult aware of your... circumstances. Quirkless abuse is unfortunately a problem endemic in our society, as much an issue as the rise of criminal groups and the increase in Mutant-type discrimination." Nighteye seemed to drum his fingers on the desk. "I too experienced something similar when I was young."
"Y-You did?" This wasn't something Izuku had seen in any of the interviews.
"Indeed. While I do not propose to reveal my Quirk to you-"
"It's a closely guarded secret! There are so many theories-"
"And I will allow those to continue to profligate without providing conclusive answers to anyone as to its true nature," Nighteye interrupted, before Izuku could go off on one. "What I will say to you is that my Quirk is one of great power, but one that is not obvious or easy to demonstrate. As such, a large part of my youth was spent living with others believing that I was Quirkless... I cannot say I enjoyed the attention that brought."
Nighteye nodded to Izuku, gently, and Izuku felt genuine sympathy from the former sidekick. "For my part, I am sorry that it took until you developed your Quirk for matters to be resolved to any degree. I hope at least that since then, your bullies have been silent and that you have found things easier."
You have no idea.
Izuku swallowed, and was conscious that a small tear had formed; eager to prove himself and not allow the classic Midoriya waterworks to take hold, he wiped it away quickly. "Thank you, Sir."
"Not at all. Now..." Nighteye flipped to another sheet of paper. "Your Quirk is described as... Aerokinesis. Funny, your cousin said that you call it Air Force."
"That's r-right," Izuku confirmed, and his inner nerd revelled in the opportunity to talk about his power. "When I first developed my Quirk, I could only use it to push out a blast of air from my palms, and I called it Air Force because of that. I was also... kind of an All Might fanboy-"
"You don't say," Nighteye remarked drily.
"-And so I called it Air Force because..." Izuku fidgeted slightly. "I watched all those videos of All Might's moves, Texas Smash, Detroit Smash... All Might could change the weather with a punch and make the air move. I wanted to make it a little tribute to him."
If Nighteye was moved of the mention of his former mentor and partner, he didn't show it. "So what changed, Midoriya? What did you find you could do?"
Toya Setsuno happened.
Izuku brushed aside that traitorous memory of the past and flexed his fingers. "The more I practiced, the more I realised I could change the output of my Quirk. Smaller blasts from my fingers, beams of air, delayed reaction air pockets... I can apply the force differently."
"And the kinesis element..." Nighteye stared at a corner of the page in front of him and adjusted his glasses. "Your mother has a telekinetic Quirk, correct? Attraction of Small Objects? I presume some hereditary element of that is present in your own Quirk, if you're defining it as a kinesis Quirk."
"That's right." Izuku took a second to answer. What he would be describing at this point would effectively be Steal, the Quirk he had taken off of the Yakuza. He didn't want to make his power look suspicious. "It's not... as effective as other parts of my Quirk, but I can pull objects. It works best when it's being held off the ground by someone, but... I can pull it to me if it's airborne too."
He had never tested that theory before, but he couldn't let on that Steal only worked on things being held. His Quirk needed to look authentic, and someone like Nighteye would spot the gaps if the different parts of it looked too disconnected. For his part, the Hero's brow creased as he heard that. "Really? How interesting..."
"Sir?"
"Catch." In an instant Nighteye had grabbed a pen, thankfully not the limited edition All Might one, and threw it into the air. This was the test then?
Pull. Izuku felt his head tingle as it normally did when he used his Quirk, and as he splayed his fingers out he felt the air around them as if it were ready to be pushed. This time though, he clenched his fingers and in his mind, he imagined pulling a tablecloth from the surface of a table, drawing the air towards him...
At the top of the arc of its throw, the pen twitched and flew towards him, and it took an instinctive catch from Izuku to grab it in the air. "Yes!"
Nighteye scribbled a note and nodded approvingly. "Good. Fine control of your abilities. It takes one thing to use a Quirk like yours to push the air and cause a blast, but pulling requires good senses and a lot of practice. I can see you've put good work into refining your control."
Izuku bowed, and tried not to let his relief show. "T-Thank you Sir!"
"Although on the subject of push..." Nighteye hefted a metal ball which had been on the floor for some reason now. "Can you demonstrate?"
"Um, we're kind of inside-"
"Don't worry about the room, Midoriya. Frankly, as much as Nezu's funding has been cut, the nature of some of the Quirks of the applicants this year requires them to let loose. If one of his classrooms needs a new window or some paint, then it's for the best if you can show your full potential."
"R-Right!" Izuku subtly shot a look over to the glass window looking out on the grounds, and in his head apologised for what he was about to do. "Ready!"
"Play ball." Nighteye threw the ball into the air, and as the ball began to fall to earth, Izuku felt the energy ball up in his palms...
Maximum efficiency. He cannot be shown the truth yet.
"Hah!" With a cry, he let loose, blasting out the air at the most power he could manage, and the ball went flying. Not that Izuku needed to worry that the ball would break the window he was aiming at- the force of the air blast he had pushed out had shattered each of the windows before the ball got anywhere near, sailing through into the grounds.
Nighteye raised an eyebrow, adjusting his glasses where the wind blast had skewed them. "Well done, Midoriya."
Where had the lightning been? "Huh. Strange."
Nighteye frowned. "Is there an issue?"
Izuku was oblivious, staring at his own palms and arms as he muttered under his breath. "That's not usually how my Quirk works. Usually when I use it I feel this energy build up in me and sometimes it crackles around my arms, but this time it was like none of that was there, it was just an easy push out. I don't know where the energy went but-"
Enough talking.
"Midoriya, you're muttering."
Izuku's head told him to snap out of it at much the same time as Sir Nighteye called him out, and he snapped to attention. "Sorry, I-I just got carried away!"
"Quite alright, although I think I've seen enough to satisfy my curiosity at this stage." Nighteye circled something. "Your Quirk gives you... feedback, sometimes?"
"Yes, Sir." For some reason, Izuku found himself biting his tongue about the energy his Quirk produced. "It sometimes gives me nosebleeds." That wasn't untrue, even if it now happened a lot less than his first uses.
"Intriguing." Nighteye ticked a couple of boxes, although Izuku didn't have the courage to see what they had been in relation to. "I just have a couple of other questions, if I may."
"S-Sure."
"The first is relatively simple." Nighteye gestured to his notes very briefly. "I have assessed a number of people today, not least your cousin, but also a boy who I believed is your best friend. Tenko Shimura, his name was."
"Ah yeah, I heard his name get called first-"
"Correct." Nighteye folded his arms and looked at Izuku. "His Quirk is something rather unique, and not something I have seen myself in my years of analysis. But more importantly, Tenko appears to be a little bit of a mystery. The boy lost his family young, and it seems from the school records he has become very close with you. His teachers report that he's been highly critical of some Pro Heroes, and that he seems willing to criticise the system on a regular basis, yet he wants to apply to become a UA student with you."
"Sorry, Sir, what are you-"
"I am simply asking about Tenko Shimura, to you, the person he is closest to in the world." Nighteye tapped his pencil. "Do you believe he has what it takes to become a hero?"
Izuku spoke without hesitation. "I know he'd be a good Hero!"
"No stutter," Nighteye observed. "You have incredibly firm convictions in your friend. Do his beliefs not cause you concern?"
"I don't..." Izuku paused now to get it right; he owed Tenko that much. "He's more blunt than me for sure, but I... get what he's saying. I think the reason things are as bad as they are now is because we lost All Might, because he meant so much and did so much. I don't think we have Heroes who live up to that right now."
"And you believe Tenko Shimura can live up to it?"
"He can be one of the ones who does, yeah." Izuku nodded to himself and smiled, all the memories of their work to get to this point flooding through his head. "He's the reason I'm here, after all. He believes in me, more than anyone ever has except my mom. And he wants to do things right for people, so they have something to believe in again. He might not be the one, but... maybe it's best we don't have one person to pin all our hopes on going forward. He could be one of them."
"A bright future in the next generation..." Nighteye leaned back for a moment in his chair. "We can but hope."
"You... had a second question, sir?"
"I did, but..." Something in the older man's voice cracked. "Something tells me I know the answer anyway. Do you believe in destiny?"
"Destiny?" This was not what he was expecting.
"Fate, destiny, an immovable future. You have hope that the future is one of happiness again, but... do you think our paths are set for us? That the future can be changed to a better one?"
Izuku found himself blindsided by the philosophy in front of him, but shook himself mentally. "I... don't know. Nobody does. But... I hope it can. Someone has to try to make it better for everyone, right?"
"... Hmm." Izuku couldn't read Nighteye. "Curious. You may go, Midoriya. I've seen enough."
"Are you... sure?"
"Positive." The former sidekick flashed him a little look. "Be sure to send the next student in when you go through, won't you?"
Whatever was going on behind those eyes, Izuku couldn't guess, but it wasn't worth wasting any more words over it. He didn't know if he'd passed, didn't know if the last questions were part of the test, didn't know if he had said the right thing. But he had come to the exam, done as he had been asked, done as much as he could, and so he turned his back on Sir Nighteye and walked through the door back to the breakout room, to join Tenko and Setsuna, Himiko and the other applicants.
Not long now, and he would learn if he had made it into UA.
(***)
"You're naive, Midoriya."
Sir Nighteye sat at the desk, staring at the report from Izuku's school, staring at the notes he had made on his Quirk during the assessment, shuffling papers so he could look at the medical documents provided to him. The assessment was done, and he had the chance to take stock of what he had seen.
"Rather too naive," he said aloud, to himself. "To believe that hope of all things can conquer the inevitable... can change the future? Destiny may defeat you yet."
Midoriya was fierce in his defence of his friend, that much had been clear. If Nezu had any concerns about the goals or motivations of Tenko Shimura, then Midoriya did not share them; in fact, it was clear that he idolised the older boy to a degree. But nothing in what he said was anything less than genuine; he really did believe that Shimura could become a Hero, and really did believe that the next generation could change things for the better.
There was still something strange about him. The level of detail which he deployed to talk about Quirks was on a level with the analysis he and Nezu could provide, and yet came from the mind of an awkward, stuttering teenager who seemed incapable of talking about anything else without stumbling on his words. He had seemed unsure about his own power when he used it, and easily lost in his own head, and Nighteye couldn't help but notice him hesitate when he was asked a couple of questions.
But there was no doubt about it. Izuku Midoriya really did want to change the future for all...
"You are a boy of ideals, Midoriya..." he said, reaching for a stamp on the edge of the desk and inking it up. "And I don't know what destiny has in store for you..."
"But you're just like him. And maybe that's what we all need."
The stamp came down...
(***)
The rest of the exam day had taken an age to Izuku.
Izuku had slid into a chair in the main classroom, uncertain how things had gone, and had been immediately greeted by a grinning and wide-eyed Himiko, who had flustered him by wrapping herself around his arm and pressing herself up against him. Her affection wasn't something he was going to complain about by any means, and he was flattered just how interested she was in how his exam had gone, but he wasn't sure how much help it had been to him. The more he went over it, the more he wondered whether he had done a good job at all. That said, the more he watched the confused faces on some of the other applicants as they came out of their exams, the more he began to think that maybe he wasn't the only one who had been given a little bit of a rough time.
Tenko seemed to have had it worst of all. Setsuna wasn't around when he came out of his exam, having gone off to look for his best friend wherever he had been hiding; whatever had happened in his exam, Izuku could only think of the questions Nighteye had asked him about whether he thought that Tenko would be a good Hero. If that was what Izuku had received, he couldn't imagine what had been put to Tenko directly.
Nearly all of the classroom full of applicants had been assessed by the time that Tenko returned, and Izuku was so preoccupied discussing what the Quirk of the last student to be assessed by Nighteye would be with Himiko (he was SURE there was more to it than the boy's raven head) that he missed Tenko slinking in the door. It was only when Tenko slid into an empty chair beside him, with Setsuna wrapping her arms over his shoulders to give him a hug from behind, that Izuku realised. "W-Wait, Tenko?! Where were you-"
"Around," his friend replied bluntly, interrupting him. "I just... needed some space, you know?"
"Are you alright? Did something go wrong in the exam or upset you or-"
"It's... complicated. Wasn't expecting flashback scenes in the middle of the exam, you know?"
Izuku frowned, but as he opened his mouth he caught sight of Setsuna and the look on her face. He didn't see his cousin plead much, but even without her mouthing 'don't push it' to him, he could pick up the warning signs. It was clear that whatever had happened to cause Tenko to feel upset and withdraw into himself, he didn't want to be pushed further. "I'm... sorry, Tenko. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"Yeah. I don't." Tenko paused, groaned, ran a gloved hand through his blue hair. "Damnit, I'm sorry, Izuku. I'm kinda taking my shit out on you, huh?"
"Hey it's okay. I'm not going to push-"
"You aren't, trust me, I know you're looking out for me. I get it." Tenko tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Some stuff came up in the Exam with Nighteye I wasn't expecting... it's about my family."
Izuku ignored the look from Setsuna- she hadn't been told about what happened to Tenko's family before- and gave his friend a look of sympathy. "I... I'm sorry, Tenko."
"Heh, you didn't examine me, don't apologise. I just..." Tenko shook his head and smiled weakly, and Izuku tried not to falter at how small and forced it looked on his best friend's face. "I hope it was worth it. I'll tell you all later about what happened but... I hope we get through it after that."
"M-Me too, Tenko."
"Yeah. It would suck to not even make it through the tutorial." Tenko shook his head with a look on his face, and the smile was slightly more genuine this time. "Although from what I hear, you kept yourself busy with Himiko while I was gone."
Izuku felt his face flush as Himiko giggled. "Yep! He kinda made sure I was able to get the most out of the Exam! If I pass I guess I owe him another kiss!"
"H-Himiko-"
"I leave you unsupervised for five minutes..." Tenko shook his head as Setsuna smirked behind him. "Only you could turn up at UA on the most important day of your life and unlock the hidden romance options too. You're out of control, Izu."
"I d-d-didn't mean-"
"Sure ya didn't," Setsuna said, rolling her eyes in an overly dramatic way. "You just happened to slip and make out in a corridor, I get it."
"GUYS-"
Luckily for Izuku as Himiko opened her mouth to make the situation worse, his blushes were further spared with the sound of the door to Sir Nighteye's Assessment room opening. The last student to be assessed, the bird-headed boy, came back through to join his peers, and despite feeling sympathy for him Izuku took a brief moment of reassurance out of the sweat on the other boy's beak and brow. At least Nighteye was consistent in how he treated everyone.
"At least it's not just us," Setsuna muttered, echoing his thoughts, as the bird boy nodded to Izuku's group in a friendly way and took his seat.
"I'm starting to think I got off lightly with Midnight," Himiko said, under her breath, before the door swung open again. There was a ripple of murmurs among some of the students who had been assessed by Sir Nighteye as the phantom menace of their Quirk Assessment Entrance Exams loomed through the doorway and strode straight over to Midnight and Present Mic, lounging at the front against the wall with very little cares in the world. "He looks scary as hell."
"You have no idea," Tenko said ruefully, as the serious Pro Hero passed one sheet of paper to the two teachers. It was clear that the discussion between them was short, and one which was ended with a knowing nod and smile from Present Mic, and a mouthed 'thank you' from Midnight. Izuku didn't know if Present Mic was capable of whispering and he didn't want to find out the hard way that he couldn't. "If you gave me the chance to replay that exam or replay that level with the Yakuza again, I'd take the shark guy."
"I dunno. Feels like we bit off more than we could chew with that one?"
"Setsuna that was months ago, the jokes were crap then and they're crap now."
"Hey, my comic genius is refined, thank you very-"
"Ahem." Everyone in the room, even the students who hadn't been assessed by him, stiffened up and silenced themselves as Nighteye made a noise to gain everyone's attention. "Thank you. I won't be staying for the results of this test, as I've been informed of a lead on one of my Agency's investigations-"
"Some bullshit excuse if I've ever heard one," Tenko muttered, dodging a jab in the ribs from one of Setsuna's detached arms.
"But I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you for your demonstrations with your Quirks." Nighteye straightened his glasses and gave it a nod. "My decisions were fairly easy today and while I will leave news of the outcome to your actual teachers, I hope you all take pride in making it this far. Go beyond, and I'll see you in the field in future, I hope."
As Nighteye gave a curt bow, turned tail and left the room, the murmurs started up again. Himiko's yellow eyes narrowed. "Making it this far? Really?"
"He knows we're on edge," Setsuna added, balling a fist. "He didn't need to remind us we might not make it through."
"I'd like to take this chance to invite you all to join my vigilante team if we don't make it in," Tenko said darkly, with a humourless chuckle. "Instead of UA, we can be AU for Alternate Universe. Let them know what could have been."
"Let's do it! I know a couple of guys I could introduce you to!"
"... I'm not even going to ask how you know, Himiko. Or question the fact that you know."
"Uh, yeah, oops. Forget I said that?"
"Said what?"
"... Heh. Thanks Tenko."
Izuku didn't engage with his friends as they bantered (at least, he hoped they were bantering). His head was down and he could feel his legs twitching, his feet nervously tapping the floor. The weight of what was about to happen was not lost on him and he could feel his nerves shredding and remaking themselves with every second that passed. This was it.
In the next few minutes, he would learn if he would get into UA. If the years of tolerating the shouts of those who mocked and belittled him at every turn as a useless Deku could finally be left behind. If the hours on hours of practicing with his new Quirk and learning to control and mask his other new Quirks had been worth it. If all of the work of his friends and his mother had been in vain, if all of the stories that had inspired him to want to act were good enough for UA to put their faith in him.
This was it. The moment that he would find out if he, Izuku Midoriya, was good enough to be a Hero.
Moment of truth, Izuku.
"Alright, children." Midnight had clearly had enough of the terrified murmuring from the gathered applicants, and dragged her whip out of god-knows-where to crack it against the desk. "If we sit here and debate what will happen all day you'll never find out if you made it into UA, will you?"
That shut them up. Present Mic grinned even wider than usual in response to the sudden silence, and winked at them all. "That's right listeners! Now's the time in the show where we get to tell you who did enough to earn their place here at UA High! I'd give you a drumroll, but none of you want tinnitus, ya get me?"
"Before I do spill the secrets," Midnight continued, hiding the whip away, "I wanted to say thank you to all of you for working so hard to give us the best showing. I can safely say all of you deserve to be here to fight for your right to come to UA, and you all gave it your all."
"Plus Ultra, right?! YEAAAAH!"
"But of course, you all remember what was said at the beginning? The punishment that awaits you if you don't do well enough today?" Midnight smirked. "How only a select few of you would be making it through today to be our newest first-year Hero students?"
Izuku gulped and felt a bead of sweat run down his neck. This was not good for him, the longer this was drawn out.
So much pressure!
"Do you wanna tell them, or shall I?! OOHH LET ME LET ME!"
"I'll take this year, Mic, the thrill is just too much for me!"
"AW MAN!"
Izuku frowned. What were they talking about?
Midnight's smirk grew wide and she actually appeared to lick her lips out of some sense of sadistic enjoyment for what came next. "... None of you have failed this exam."
... What?
The group full of students, bated breath collectively held in anticipation and dread for what was about to come, were knocked for six by the revelation. "WHAAAAAT-"
"It's just like one of our old friends would say..." For a moment the teacher paused, and Izuku watched some pain flicker in her eyes. "It was a rational deception."
"Hell yeah it was!"Present Mic took over at this point, and Izuku swore that his grin could blind people. "Go beyond, Plus Ultra is our motto, and we wanted to make sure that when we picked the chart toppers to make up our class of first years! But nothing motivates like a little pressure- it's what makes diamonds out of coal after all!"
So that means...
"Each one of you went above and beyond to show your Quirks to us and show how much it meant to you to be considered for a place at UA," Midnight said, her smirk softening and fading into a genuinely happy smile. "Sir Nighteye and I were equally impressed by the vigour and passion you all showed in proving you deserve to be here, and I have no hesitation in welcoming you all into my new Class 1A next year! You really did go Plus Ultra!"
"No way..." Izuku murmured, under his breath, the weight of years of hopes and dreams and expectation breaking into tears that spread down his cheeks, as he looked at his little crew.
"We made it," Tenko managed, the shock catching in his voice.
"Nobody's splitting us up," Setsuna breathed, her eyes wide as they had ever been.
"They... want us all to train here," Himiko said, a glint of happiness in her eyes that had never been there before.
"We will be Heroes," Izuku finished, the tears beginning to cascade now with the emotion of the moment.
"And so, without further ado, I wanna do a big old roll call, ya dig?" Present Mic carried on, as the gravity of the announcement seemed to roll through the gathered group of students. "Nemuri gets to do this all of next year, but I wanna bring the hype right now, YEAH!"
"Get used to the names and faces you hear now, my students," Midnight cried, eyes shining with glee. "I'll be greeting them every morning for morning homeroom next year, and these are the young Heroes you'll graduate this prestigious institution with! Ready when you are, Hizashi!"
"GOT IT!" Present Mic was practically bouncing where he stood. "Tenya Iida!"
The rigid boy with the glasses stood up and chopped the air vigorously. "It is my honour to accept a place, sir!"
"Momo Yaoyorozu!"
"I won't let you down!" A girl with black hair in a ponytail and a refined aura cried, clasping a hand to her chest.
"Mina Ashido!"
"Aw yeah!" The pink-skinned girl Izuku saw at the start of the day punched the air. "Let's do this!"
"Eijiro Kirishima!"
"Alright!" The red-haired boy sat with Ashido stood up and clenched a hardened fist. "This is the manliest day of my life!"
"Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"
"Funny!" A boy with wild eyelashes stood up, clenched a steel fist, and grinned at Kirishima. "This is the manliest day of my life too!"
"Ibara Shiozaki!"
"Thank you for your faith in me," the vine-haired girl first to be assessed by Midnight replied, bowing her head solemnly.
"Neito Monoma!"
"Heh," the blonde boy who had been commenting on Midnight said. "Not bad."
"Itsuka Kendo!"
"Thank you!" A ginger-haired girl flashed a peace sign. "This is gonna be a good few years!"
"Mezo Shoji!"
"Hmm." The giant boy with six arms bowed his head. "Thank you."
"Fumikage Tokoyami!"
The bird-headed boy nodded sagely. "I hope to be good company to you all."
"Yui Kodai!"
"Mmm." The stoic girl with the black bob barely moved a muscle.
"Juzo Honenuki!"
"Nice to meet y'all," a lipless boy with jagged teeth said, with a wide grin.
"Toru Hagakure!"
"That's me!" Izuku strained to see a floating school uniform, its invisible owner waving. "Hiya!"
"Tsuyu Asui!"
"Please, call me Tsu, ribbit," a girl with a wide face, big eyes and green hair said.
"Yosetsu Awase!"
"Um, hi," Bandana Boy said, scratching the back of his head. "Can't wait."
"Reiko Yanagi!"
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," a grey-haired girl with bags under her eyes said in an eloquent voice. "I look forward to making your further acquaintances."
"Setsuna Tokage!"
"Reporting for duty," Setsuna called, with a wave of a detached arm and a smirk.
"Himiko Toga!"
"The one and only!" Himiko cried, bouncing up from her seat with glee. "I can't wait to get to know you all!"
"Tenko Shimura!"
Despite everything he had seemingly been through that day, Tenko gave everyone a wave while his head stayed down; Izuku nearly choked at the sight of a tear rolling down his best friend's face. "Level up."
"And..."
This was it. The moment he had always been waiting for.
"Izuku Midoriya!"
This is where the fun begins.
"H-Here, guys!" He replied, his voice wobbling and cracking as the tears poured down his cheeks and as the happiness overwhelmed him, all of the emotions of years behind his smile. "P-Plus Ultra!"
"Plus Ultra is damn right, Midoriya!" Present Mic turned to Midnight. "You wanna say it together?"
"You bet I do."
He had made it.
"Welcome, Class 1A..."
He could finally say it.
"To your Hero Academia!"