253Pain in the ass to edit. Did not copy correctly from my documents, so I had to edit some things to make it work. I had it so neatly organized, too.
Izuku watched Shota leave the cafeteria with eyes glaring at the man's back. Suddenly, a loud noise could be heard behind him, so Izuku quickly looked back to see Momo producing a metal stop sign that Hitoshi bumped into. Izuku narrowed his eyes, seeing Hitoshi had been attempting to steal his seat, so to speak.
"Don't," said Momo coldly before Hitoshi could even say anything, "I have no desire to even hold a conversation with you, much less get to know you. You, who has no shame in stealing a spot you know that you did not deserve, hiding behind such a weak reason. Izuku chose to fight against those who viewed him in a bad light while you cowered and gave into your peers. Not to mention you are HIS apprentice, which merely reinforces the fact I don't want to do anything with you. Now leave."
Hitoshi felt his face turn red, and was tempted to use his quirk to compel Momo into compliance, but he knew better than to do so. He was better than that. So Hitoshi turned and left.
Seeing Hitoshi leave, Momo recalled the parts back into her body, as they were still attached to her body.
"C'mon, take a seat already," said Ochako, patting the seat for Izuku.
"Uhh, should we go?" asked Chikuchi and Tsutsutaka nervously.
"I don't have a problem with you guys sitting with us," said Itsuka, pointing to the seats next to her, "Be good to know more people from other classes."
The two smiled and thanked Itsuka as they sat down, Chikuchi sitting next to Itsuka while Tsutsutaka sat next to her.
"So you all know each other well?" asked Chikuchi, opening up the conversation.
"Yea, we actually all live in the same apartment complex," said Itsuka, pointing to herself, Yui, Momo, and Ochako.
"What about Midoriya? He doesn't live in the same complex?" asked Tsutsutaka curiously.
"I offered, but he wanted to commute from his own home," pouted Momo, "Granted it is about the same distance from our apartment complex, but still."
"Momo, you know why," sighed Izuku.
"Doesn't mean we can't complain," pouted Ochako alongside Momo.
"So you four girls seem close to Midoriya," piped in Chikuchi, "What's your relationship to him?"
"We're just….. good friends," said Itsuka hesitantly.
While Tsutsutaka didn't bat an eye, Chikuchi's bullshit radar was ringing.
Then Yui dropped the bomb.
"Lovers," said Yui bluntly.
"Yui!" hissed Itsuka and the others.
While Chikuchi began blushing, Tsutsutaka felt his world and eyes spinning in confusion and admiration. Soon, he could only give Izuku a thumbs up before he fainted.
"Hey , what's up?" aske Setsuna as she arrived with Reiko.
"Are they?" questioned Chikuchi, causing Momo and Ochako to frantically shake their heads while gesturing to her to be quiet while Itsuka slapped her hands over Yui's mouth to keep her quiet.
"Nothing much, just introducing ourselves to each other," said Izuku smoothly.
"Cool. Names Tokage Setsuna," introduced Setsuna as she placed her plate down to the table next to them.
"Yanagi Reiko," said Reiko quietly as she sat next to Setstuna.
Chikuchi quickly introduced herself while slapping Tsutsutaka awake so he could properly introduce himself as well.
Katsuki had left after the whole confrontation, though his eyes narrowed as he focused on Hitoshi. To think that the extra managed to get in because of favoritism rankled him. He would be sure to drive it in that he wasn't special at all.
"Wow, didn't think there would be someone like that here," said Eijiro next to him, "Kinda sucks you have him as your homeroom professor."
"Doesn't matter, I'll still become number one," said Katsuki, "Let's go eat."
Mina and Eijiro followed him to another table to eat, though glancing back at Izuku and the others.
Izuku met with a few other classmates from 101B before lunch ended. Ochako had been hoping to introduce Toga to the group, but she had been called over by her guardian when the whole confrontation happened.
As Izuku made it to class with Chikuchi and Tsutsutaka, he could hear whispers about him. Most were stating how pretentious Izuku was, just because he was 'chosen' by Nezu didn't mean anything. Some were betting how long it would take for Nezu to kick him out, others were stating that Nezu probably wanted to experiment on him, etc. Izuku ignored them all, as he was used to it from elementary and middle school. Just because most of the students were young adults didn't mean gossip went away. If anything, it could become crueler.
Izuku cared for only the approval of his masters, parents, and lovers, as well as some friends. Society continually to look down on it, but he would defy and rewrite societal roles as well as those also looked down upon.
"Tch, idiots," scoffed Chikuchi as she glared at a group of girls giggling and pointing at Izuku, mocking him.
"Punks," growled Tsutsutaka as he saw a group of boys pointing at Izuku, as if he was an easy target to bully. One of them included another whom he thought he could've been friends with, but that bridge was going to burn if he decided to bully Izuku. Izuku, however, was not the only one facing such harsh whispers.
Since Hitoshi's scores had been publicly aired by Izuku, many were glaring and whispering about Hitoshi as he made his way to class. Hitoshi could hear many talking about his score, how lucky he was to be chosen as an apprentice, or worse, what he potentially did to get such a position, such as selling body and dignity. Hitoshi gripped his fists tightly, wanting to yell out at them.
The difference, though, was that Izuku endured it silently and stoically without a care while Shota suddenly marched forward, handing out detentions to those slandering Hitoshi or himself. Students quickly scattered with Shota on a warpath, leaving Hitoshi alone with his teacher.
"Head towards class. Lunch is over," said Shota as he left, his mood still angry.
He had just finished a small meeting with Nezu, which summarized as Izuku being Nezu's own recommendation for the newly created class 101-N, that he had no power to expel Izuku unless approved by Nezu himself. Leaving him untouchable unless Izuku broke the rules, and so far, he had not done so.
Hitoshi walked towards his class when he was met face to face with Aoyama Yuga.
"What!?" said Hitoshi angrily.
Yuga merely looked at him before scoffing and walking past him. Disdain could easily be seen on his face.
"Vous ne méritez pas d'être un héros, encore moins un étudiant ici," said Yuga as he passed by.
While Hitoshi didn't understand what Yuga had said, he could hear the biting comment and disdain from those words.
"You!" began Hitoshi, only for Yuga to ignore him as he entered his own classroom.
Hitoshi wanted to chase him down, but he saw Vlad walking into the classroom, giving him a glance before entering. Knowing it wouldn't do him any good, Hitoshi walked back into his classroom.
Izuku stretched his limbs as the class began walking towards another classroom for a special curriculum Home Ec. While it seemed like a pointless class, UA bragged about having quality classes. That included having Lunch Rush as their teacher. Not only was he a pro hero and a pro chef, but also a licensed nutritionist and accountant. It was a valuable skill to not only learn how to cook healthy, but to know how to balance the budget for anyone. While everyone was talking to each other, he was alone with Tsutsutaka and Chikuchi. It seemed that the trio had formed their own little group, but it made Izuku a little uncomfortable that due to associating with him, the two had basically been made an outcast in their own class.
"Don't worry about it too much," said Tsutsutaka, putting his arms around Izuku, "Some of them will come around."
""Some, not all of them," said Chikuchi, giving another classmate the look, "Some are still delusional unless you're willing to slap them on the face, and even then, that might not do the trick."
Izuku sighed before shrugging, "It doesn't matter to me. Already went through this phase back in elementary and middle school. It's just like back then, and I'm already numbed to it."
Before the two could even ask about more details, Lunch Rush stuck his head out of the classroom.
"Midoriya, the Dean wants to see you to get started with your new classes. You can head over to his office. He'll send you the code to get in," said Lunch Rush.
Izuku nodded before waving goodbye to his classmates.
As he left, the other students began to swarm around Chikuchi and Tsutsutaka. Some were curious about Izuku, but more of them left disdaining remarks about Izuku.
"How long do you think the quirkless freak is going to last?" snarked a classmate.
"He's probably being called to the dean's office to be expelled," joked another, "Just because he's the dean's student doesn't mean he can act so cocky."
"Yea, I mean c'mon, 100 points? He's gotta be lying," said another.
While some students began to make more disparaging remarks about Izuku, causing Chikuchi and Tsutsutaka to feel the veins on their forehead twitching in anger. Before Tsutsutaka could lose it, a loud sound caught all their attention. Everyone looked over to see Lunch Rush dropping a heavy book onto the desk before remembering they had class and quickly scattered to their seats.
"Welcome to Home Ec. 101. As you might know me, I am the Pro Hero Lunch, aka Professor Ranchi Rasshu. I hope you take this class seriously, even if it is considered a mandatory extracurricular class. It's important to learn how to at least take care of oneself in the future," said Lunch Rush as he introduced himself, "That being said, you, you, you, you, and you."
Lunch Rush pointed to five students who happened to be the loudest
"Stand outside the hallway. I will have no such talk in my class," ordered Lunch Rush harshly.
The students wanted to complain, but a quick reminder that the professors had the freedom to expel students whenever they wanted made them comply.
Izuku made his way towards Nezu's office, ignoring some stares from other students. He soon arrived in front of the door before his phone rang. Looking at it, he saw Nezu's private number for Izuku. Izuku saw a code that Nezu had given him before quickly typing it into the pad on the side. The door opened up, letting Izuku walk in to see Nezu sitting in front of his desk.
"Hello Midoriya," greeted Nezu, "I see you had a rather exciting lunch."
"I did," replied Izuku, "Didn't expect your 'professor' to confront me so fast, but in the end, I got what I wanted. Are you here to lecture me about it?"
"Perish that thought," laughed Nezu, "We agreed on it, and I am not one to back away from it. No, this was a much needed wakeup call for Aizawa-kun. However, it seems like it wasn't enough. But enough about that. We should focus on us. I admit, I am rather excited in teaching a personal student. It has been a long time since I've even taught in a one to one scenario than in a classroom."
"I appreciate the opportunity," thanked Izuku.
"Mm but first, a quick photo to commemorate the occasion," said Nezu as he quickly jumped up onto his desk, turning around as he held up his phone to do a quick pose with Izuku, who looked confused.
Nezu hummed as he snapped the photo before hopping off the table.
"Come now young one! We'll be going to a private room for this lesson," instructed Nezu as he walked up to a bookshelf, pulling out a book before reaching inside to press a hidden button. He then put the book back in, pulled out two more books before swapping their positions, and then pulling another book to flip upside down before putting it in.
A hidden passageway revealed itself on the opposite side of the bookshelf, surprising Izuku before Nezu walked into it, waving for Izuku to follow him. Sensing no ill intent, Izuku followed him through the passageway, where the wall resealed itself. The bookshelf suddenly began to shift, pulling into the wall before a new stash of books and shelves replaced it.
Soon, the duo made their way into a hidden room within U.A., one the Nezu had personally constructed. Though there were no windows, the room was well ventilated and brightly lit with ceiling lights.
"Welcome to one of my secret rooms," giggled Nezu as he climbed up a sofa to take a seat, "Come, take a seat."
Izuku took a seat at the opposite couch that Nezu had pointed to him, pondering what Nezu had planned.
"Here, a list of the students in 101-A and 101-B," said Nezu, passing over a piece of paper to Izuku, "It would do you well to familiarize yourself with their names at least. I know that it is preferable to have actual social contact with them, but with Aizawa's current attitude, it would be best to avoid that for now."
Izuku took a look at the names and photos of each hero student in each class that Nezu had prepared for him.
101 A: Homeroom Professor-Aizawa Shota
Students:
Awase Yosetsu
Bakugo Katsuki
Bondo Kojiro
Fukidashi Manga
Honenki Juzo*
Ida Tenya
Kaibara Sen
Kamakiri Togaru
Kaminari Denki
Kuroiro Shihai
Mashirao Ojiro
Mineta Minoru
Monomo Nieto
Rin Hiryu
Sato Rikido
Sero Hanta
Shishida Juroto
Shinso Hitoshi
Todoroki Shoto*
Tokoyami Fumikage
Tsuburaba Kosei
101 B:Homeroom Professor: Kan Seikijro
Aoyama Yuga
Ashido Mina
Asui Tsuyu
Hagakure Toru
Kaibara Sen
Kendo Itsuka
Kirishima Eijiro
Kodai Yui
Komori Kinoko
Kyoka Jiro
Mezo Shoji
Shiozaki Ibara
Shoda Nirengeki
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Toga Himiko
Tokage Setsuna
Tsunotori Pony
Uraraka Ochaco
Yanagi Reiko
Yaoyorozu Momo*
Yoarashi Inasa*
Izuku memorized each name, noting that the ones with an asterisk were the ones who passed the recommendation exam. There were no quirks listed, but that was to be expected. It couldn't be that easy. He did notice that all the female students in the hero course were allocated to 101B. Curious, Izuku asked.
"There are various reasons," said Nezu as he picked up a tea cup, "One of which is Kan's chosen recommendation, would feel more comfortable surrounded by peers of her age/gender. Your friend's letter of request to not have Professor Aizawa as their homeroom professor was also taken into consideration."
"You chose it so you wouldn't be sued to oblivion," said Izuku bluntly.
"Naturally," said Nezu without batting an eye, "Too much expense wasted on something that can be avoided."
"Now that you are more familiar with your future classmates, I'd like to test something of you, if you don't mind," said Nezu before passing a piece of paper to Izuku, "This is a thinking exercise. There's no right or wrong answer, just a guide for me to see how you think."
Izuku looked at the paper to see it was describing a scenario.
'A fire has broken out inside a 5 story apartment due to faulty wiring. Two small apartments to a floor. Fire started on the 3rd floor. The water sprinkler emergency system failed to work due to lack of proper management. Fire has spread rapidly due to cheap construction materials used that didn't pass safety standards, going down to the second floor already, touching the first. First responders are three heroes who were in the area. One hero had a minor strength enhancement, another shot fire from his hands, and the last one could change his body into sand. Two heroes with water quirks are 15 minutes away,' said Izuu to himself as he read the scenario. He was even given details and dimensions about the building structure as well as the water tower on top of the apartment building as well as the hero stats.
"I'd like you to write out what to do in a situation like this," said Nezu, "Feel free to ask clarifying questions."
Izuku nodded as he began writing out a possible plan, stopping every now and then to ask Nezu a question. Soon, he had written up his proposed plan and passed it over to Nezu, who began to read through it.
While he waited, Izuku let his eyes wander around the room. Though it was sparse in decorations, there were a few items that were clearly of value to Nezu. A photo of Nezu himself with someone, a few random items, a tea pot, etc. However, Izuku's eyes locked in on a glass case, or rather what was inside it. Inside the glass case display was a rolled up scroll and a fruit that was half-eaten. Both objects caught his attention. The fruit looked like any ordinary fruit that someone might judge to be an apple and dismiss it, but Izuku knew better. The reason being? The fruit looked exactly like one of the fruits that was currently being grown in the sealed world, the Red Spiritual Awareness Fruit. From the coloration of the skin, it looked like it had been eaten at its ripest age perfectly. The main purpose of this fruit helped cultivators like him develop their sixth sense and awareness. For simpler animals though, it raised their awareness and intelligence to near human level..
'However, it's tricky to eat this at its perfect time,' thought Izuku, 'The fruit only ripens after 1,000 years, and has a window of one minute to eat it before it becomes a useless fruit. Even with my Sealed World, it's hard to time it. It's more popular to use it as an ingredient for alchemy, as if you properly combine it with other herbs, you can get the same effect as long as the fruit is over 600 years old, but it's difficult to create such a pill with my level as of now. Even worse, it has no effect on animals, meaning Dean Nezu must have gotten extremely lucky to have eaten the fruit at the right moment.'
Izuku dragged his eyes away from the fruit to the scroll, noticing it was still sealed. His eyes narrowed as he noticed small characters on the wax seal, meaning there was more that met the eyes.
Izuku had to pull his attention back to Nezu as he placed the paper down.
"Do you know that this scenario is one I devised as a test for upcoming third year students?" asked Nezu, causing Izuku to blink before shaking his head.
"My request to have this on the test was rejected on the premise it was too difficult with my answer," said Nezu, "Nonetheless, I have added it, if only as an extra credit, to many students throughout all course, not just the hero students. And throughout the years, I have seen many different answers. Some of which have made me rather displeased with, especially when they came from a hero student, though those are very rare and few. Some have made their cases very….. mediocre. Some have tried and made better cases, but ultimately failed to impress me. One came very close, but couldn't quite bridge that gap."
Nezu took a sip of his tea before continuing, "The ones that displeased me were answers that suggested waiting for the 'right' quirks to deal with the fire. I'm sure you know why that isn't an appropriate answer."
Izuku nodded as Nezu continued, "Most wrote to have the one with the fire quirk to clear the streets while the other two heroes perform rescue work, to help speed up the water quirk heroes' arrival time. A common answer, but not the one I was looking for. However, your answer to the scenario was to eliminate the fire and rescue the citizens without even utilizing the other two heroes on route. A few students had the same answer, but none of them had quite the answer to solve it properly. One certainly tried, but not quite the answer I was looking for.
Your answer, however, is certainly the closest one I had planned. Using the sand quirk to put out the smaller flames on the lower floor. Having the hero with strength augmentation to head to the top floor to break open the water tower to spill down from the top floor. All of this would help delay the spread of the fire. And many tend to forget that those with fire quirks tend to be more resistant to fire than others. Sending him in to rescue and ensure the civilians are out of danger is a good idea. However, everything you listed is a textbook answer to the situation, even if it is good. What caught my attention, though, is this next attempt after ensuring the civilians were escorted out. Using the sand, you had the hero create a barrier around the building to not only prevent it from spreading to other buildings, but to limit the amount of oxygen within. Then you had the fire hero actually use his quirk in a funnel created by the sand hero. Explain your reasoning for that, for my benefit."
"Constructing a wall that I recommended and sustaining would put a strain on the hero," explained Izuku, "Waiting for the fire to just die out or until reinforcements arrived wasn't an option. So I had the one with a fire quirk use his flames to eat up all the usable oxygen in the area. With no oxygen or air to feed the flames, the flames themselves will extinguish themselves."
Nezu nodded before prodding some more, "And what about the building? By using such a method, you'll cause more fire damage than just letting the oxygen burn out or wait out for reinforcements."
"The building is already compromised," replied Izuku, "It's not worth saving. The amount of time and money needed to fix the wiring, replacing all the materials, and perhaps rewiring the whole apartment complex would be inefficient. It would be easier and less costly to destroy the building and rebuild it with the proper materials and wiring."
Nezu grinned as he tapped the table, "Excellent. That is my thought process exactly. Which is why I am more than happy to officially declare you as not only my personal student, but an upcoming apprentice!"
With that, Nezu sent the photo to a few people before turning his head to Izuku, "Now then, you will have all sorts of criticism in regards to this plan, and so it's up to me to show you how to navigate through the treacherous waters as well the uneducated masses."
HPSC Headquarters
Liza Hasley and her bodyguard, Kaina, were walking down the hall when Liza's phone began to vibrate. Picking up her phone, she flicked her finger to open the screen before taking in what she had been sent.
Kaina peeked over to see what she had been sent before whistling at the news.
"That's certainly going to shock a few people," commented Kaina.
"I wonder how our 'prestigious' president will handle the news?" chuckled Liza.
A few seconds later, there were screams as a secretary shouted that they needed a medic as the president had fainted for unknown reasons.
Random locations
The top ten heroes all noticed some message on their phones, and checked to see just who it was from. All of them stared at the message for a bit before registering just exactly what they had seen, and immediately began making emergency plans for the future.
A few government officials got the same message and paled at the thought of a certain dean's legacy continuing into the future. They were sure that they would only have to endure for so long, but they never imagined that being would have a worthy successor. It was unimaginable to them that that….. creature found someone to continue his work. Some began to foam in the mouth at the thought of having to deal with two of them.
U.A. University.
Nezu hummed, uncaring what he had purposely unleashed. Having his rivals panic would make it so much easier to predict.
"Since we are going to have a bit of one-on-one time with each other, I believe it's only fair that we are open to each other about some of our secrets. I will go first. But first, what do you know of me?" asked Nezu.
Izuku hummed as he knew the general details of Nezu. However, his past was shrouded in mystery. It was as if Nezu personally made sure his past would never see the light of day, even in the age of information, unless he deemed it necessary. Momo's grandfather, Morino, had even warned him about Nezu.
"Not much," admitted Izuku, "Just what you let out in the public."
"Hoo, so you're aware of that," grinned Nezu, "I noticed you looking over at that fruit quite intently as well. You might wonder why I have such an item here. As for my quirk, as you know, is High Specs. What isn't known is that even with such a quirk, I wasn't always like this, even after experimentation."
"My intelligence surpasses most humans, but if we put it into perspective, let's say the average human's intelligence is 7. Some of the smarter ones are 8 to 9, some of the less bright ones are perhaps 5 to 6," began Nezu before commenting within his mind, 'And personally, I believe Minase, the HPSC president, is a 3 along with the previous president, but that's not important.'
"My species, which I will be making you work to figure out specifically which one it is, has a baseline intelligence of, say 1. My quirk does make me much smarter, but even that has its limit. You can say it adds 4 to my baseline intelligence, but even then, I would match the lower end. The scientists who experimented on me managed to improve my baseline to 2, but still, it wouldn't have been enough. Enough to know what was going on, but not enough to lead me to where I am now."
Nezu took a breath before continuing, "It was when a raid on the lab that held me was held that allowed me to break out of captivity. I ran into the forest when the systems failed, and kept running until I could no longer run. As I stopped, I spotted that fruit that you see in this room. I was hungry and was about to eat it when my instincts told me to wait. Confused, I wanted to ignore it, but decided to stay my hand. Had to fight off some birds and snakes wanting to eat the fruit as well, to my confusion and astonishment at how many animals wanted this fruit. I stayed and waited 44 hours, 34 minutes, and 29 seconds, never sleeping nor keeping my eyes off. It was then I could tell something had changed. The fruit began to let off some sort of light and a divine smell. It was then everything changed. The whole forest seemed to come alive as other animals went for the fruit. Luckily, I was prepared with plenty of tools to assist me."
"This scar's origin isn't actually from the experiments that I've been subjected to, though I let people think that. Instead, it was from a bear that was fighting for that same fruit. I got my revenge by stabbing her in the eye for almost taking mine out before using her body to leap towards the fruit and ate it. I only managed to eat half of it before its shine faded away. Sometimes, I wonder if I managed to eat the whole thing if there would have been a difference. But anyways, the fruit pushed my baseline intelligence up to 6. Add my quirk, High Specs, and I'm vastly smarter than most humans. I won't go over what I did after I achieved this, but needless to say, the whole experience has made me more… empathetic."
Izuku had to suppress a shiver, knowing full well that whatever Nezu was hinting at and decided not to question it.
"Now then, I've given up some of my secrets, I would appreciate it if we had a more open dialogue between us," hummed Nezu as he took a sip of his tea, "Again, I don't expect all your secrets, but as a modicum of trust between us."
Izuku kept silent for a bit as he gazed at Nezu. He was wary of Nezu for sure, from all the warnings and circumstantial evidence he had gotten about the dean himself. Yet he was being completely honest and open to him right now. Well, as honest as he's allowing, but Nezu was at least being respectful towards him. One thing he was taught that those who respected him, he needed to return that respect.
"...Red Spiritual Awareness Fruit. That's the fruit that you ate," began Izuku. He would give Nezu some of his secrets, but not all of it.
"It's a rare fruit that takes 1,000 years to ripen, and has a one minute window to consume it before it loses its potency and effect. Its main effect for animals once eaten raises intelligence and awareness to near human. Now then, it's my turn. What do you know of me?"
Nezu smiled as he took a sip of tea, "Red Spiritual Awareness Fruit? Interesting name, also interesting that you know its effect and duration time. But getting back to the main topic, I'm aware of your connection to the Yaoyorozu family, and how they see you as one of them already. I suspect that you are quite familiar with the heiress as well. But it seems to have all started when the current patriarch of the said family was saved by foreign intervention. From what I gathered, enemies from within and outside the corporation targeted Yaoyorozu Hotoru for his seat and power. It would've been successful if someone hadn't suddenly interfered and intervened."
"I tried to investigate just who had done such a fearless thing, only to come up with a blank sheet. Not information that was locked or hidden, but rather nothing to find. It's as if he never existed in the first place, only to suddenly show up into this world. Not only that, but he suddenly cures Yaororozu Morino of a terminal illness that nobody could cure. Morino may have been cunning in declaring that a new breakthrough and opportunity allowed him to heal, but it was obvious it was a ploy to hide just who exactly healed him."
Nezu took a sip of his tea and a bite of cheese before continuing, "It was easy to see when you moved into your new abode, purchased by the Yaoyorozu family, that they consider you one of them. Your father, Midoriya Hisashi, is certainly good at his job, but it doesn't fit his profile to purchase a new manor, land, and security around it. Your mother is a full-time house wife. Leaving you with the link to this mysterious man and the Yaoyorozu family."
"Yang Kai," said Izuku. He knew his masters didn't care if their identities were revealed. To them, his world could be considered just mere ants. Of course, considering their powers and abilities, it made sense they could care less. Only Tang San was more well-tempered amongst his masters.
Nezu hummed as he got a name. It was a start, but just a name was just a name. It could be a false name, but looking at Izuku's face, he was being completely sincere.
"Any chance that the medicine that cured Morino can be disclosed?" asked Nezu.
Izuku shook his head, "It's something that I can't create yet. My master could, but he likes to come and go. You could say that he's rather…. out of touch with this world."
Izuku meant that quite literally, but knew his words could be interpreted differently. Nobody would suspect aliens of all things, especially since the said 'alien' looked like a regular human being.
Nezu merely nodded as he leaned back.
Izuku was telling the truth that his level of alchemy wasn't high enough to create such a pill, but it wasn't too far away. Right now, he only has a 10% chance of creating such a pill with low quality. That didn't mean that Izuku's masters didn't provide the Yaoyorozu family with something as thanks for taking care of their disciple. Nie Li gave them a herbal bath recipe that not only nourished the skin, but with an extra ingredient, helped enhance a female's breast size and perkiness. Obviously such a solution would be popular amongst all the ladies in the world, but the ingredients were not of this world. Izuku had them in his sealed world, but he couldn't be expected to always provide the supplies.
So the Yaoyorozu family had their best scientists attempt to extract and replicate the key ingredients, with harsh restrictions about sharing such research. So far, they had managed to create a serum that was 50% as effective with the materials used on Earth, all while preventing about 25 different potential leaks to other competitors about the formula. From what Izuku knew, the serum was being commercialized soon for the population while the business department were looking for models for the commercials. Of course, Momo's family and those close to Izuku had already been soaking in the original herbal bath for years, though they weren't going to publicize that.
'Maybe I should ask Professor Midnight if she wants one as thanks for standing up for me,' thought Izuku before pushing that thought away for now.
Nezu nodded as he took a deep breath, "Thank you for being open to me, even if only slightly. I hope that one day, we'll have a more open relationship. I understand with your experience with Aldera Middle School that you're more hesitant to trust your teachers, and even more so with what professor Aizawa has pulled."
With that, Nezu passed a tea cup over to Izuku, who gladly took it before lifting it up in respect to Nezu. Nezu smiled as he did the same. The two of them exchanged a toast before drinking their tea.
"Now then, let us improve on your scenario," said Nezu as he tapped the paper in between them, "I see some refinement that could be done."
The two spent the rest of the time discussing, sometimes arguing, about the best course of action. One that simply delighted Nezu to have such a student. When he gave one-on-one lessons, which was far and few, most students caved to his suggestions too easily. Barely a few tried to argue their points as passionately as Izuku was doing.
"As much as I enjoyed our time together, it must come to an end," said Nezu as he and Izuku were wrapping up the lesson, "School will be ending soon. I'm sure you have other plans in regards to your own training."
Izuku nodded as he thanked Nezu for the opportunity and lesson as he prepared to leave. Nezu pointed to another exit that would lead him through another passageway that would put him close to 101C. Just before Izuku left though, Nezu stopped him for a second.
"I could see it wasn't just the fruit you were interested in," said Nezu as he popped off the top of the glass display case containing the fruit and scroll, "This scroll was found near the same tree that bore the fruit. I took it out of curiosity, but have been unable to open it. I have had Power Loader scan the scroll to see its composition, but it seems to be just plain papyrus. Still, the fact you are aware of the fruit's origin and uses makes me realize there is more that is hidden. Perhaps you can unravel the secrets in this scroll."
With that, Nezu tossed the scroll over to Izuku, who caught it in surprise before nodding as he left.
"What other surprises will you give me?" laughed Nezu gleefully as he pulled up a photo that he had kept privately.
It was a photo of a special satellite that only he had access to. It was blurry, and it was a photo of outside of Earth, in outer space. With the rise of quirks, everyone began focusing on Earth and quirks. While understandable with the chaos and disorder that came with it, Nezu felt it was foolish to devote everything into quirk studies in this current age. There had been some who felt the advancement of space had come, but they were constantly shut down by others, only wanting to focus on quirks. Especially the Hearts and Mind party, a growing faction.
Still, with Nezu's own funds, he managed to create a satellite that was his personally to view space. The photo in hand was several years old, but an unmistakable image of a man in blue hair could be seen diving towards Earth. While many would claim it was photoshopped, Nezu knew better. It was proof that life existed out in space. Now the only question was just how. When Izuku said the man was out of this world, Nezu knew Izuku had been trying to do a play with his words, and Nezu would've taken it for its other meaning than the literal statement had it not been for this photo.
Izuku wandered the halls as class had ended. He pondered for a bit before deciding to head over to the Support Lab to take a quick peek at what it was like. Sure, he had a forge back at home, but it was a little more old-fashioned with an anvil and hammer. Being able to use a hydraulic press as well as the famous big blue hammer would reduce the amount of time and strain on his body to construct some of his hidden weapons.
As soon as he arrived at the Support Lab, his face immediately darkened when he saw who was standing there. Izuku, however, quickly masked his face before deciding to march into the lab without acknowledging the people standing there. He was hoping if he ignored them, they would do the same and ignore him.
Sadly, that plan failed when a scarf wrapped around his hand as he tried to push open the door.
"Students from the General Course have no reason to be in the Department of Support," said Aizawa coldy, "Especially those who have no chance to become a hero despite what other people tries to enable."
"Once more, not against the rule for students to interact with students from other departments," replied Izuku, "If that was true, then Hitoshi shouldn't be here either."
"He's here because he needs some hero equipment vital for his future, unlike you," riposted Aizawa.
"Despite your rather pathetic attempts at barring me from doing anything and hoping to that I will quit U.A. since you can't expel me, Nezu has allowed me to explore the Support department," said Izuku as he held up a letter with his other hand.
Aizawa scoffed and was tempted to rip the letter off his hands and continue denying it, but he knew that Nezu would do something drastic if he did so.
"Pathetic. Did you want to use support gear to become a hero?" scoffed Hitoshi from the side.
"Aren't you doing the same thing?" snorted Izuku, deciding to end the conversation by walking in after unraveling the capture scarf around his other arm.
Suddenly, Izuku felt himself stopping, his arms going slack while his body refused to listen to his mind. His mind instantly went to his spiritual sea to see something was intruding. He recognized the attacker was none other than Shinso Hitoshi.
'Must be his quirk,' thought Izuku instantly, 'Seems like he can control a person's action with it. But if he could do so earlier, he would've already done it. There must be some sort of activation or trigger for it. Maybe via voice activation.'
Still, it was child's play for Izuku to dispel it if he wanted to. While others may struggle against Hitoshi's quirk, none had the ability to create and dive into their spiritual sea like Izuku or any cultivators could. From there, they could remove Hitoshi's influence from their body, or if feeling particularly vengeful, which many cultivators are if being controlled, counter attack with a spiritual attack. Such a backlash would harm Hitoshi, if not put him into a coma.
'Not to mention my masters all kind of spoiled me with these spiritual defense gifts,' thought Izuku with a slight sweatdrop as he looked around his spiritual sea. Besides the dragon soul spirit that was clammering to bite Hitoshi's attack, there were artifacts and spiritual defense mechanisms in place that he had been either given and taught. One such was a soul saber artifact within his spiritual sea that was being nurtured by his Chi that if used against Hitoshi's mental attack, would most likely destroy Hitoshi's soul. The sword itself had been an artifact that Yang Kai once used until it was destroyed, but he had it repaired. By the time it was done though, Yang Kai didn't need it anymore, so it was left alone in his treasury until he met Izuku and gave it to him as a gift.
Still, Izuku wanted to see how this played out. If Hitoshi was going to force him to do something life threatening, then he'd respond in kind. He also wanted to see if 'professor' Aizawa would actually do something about misusing his apprentice's quirk or turn a blind eye like he was used to all those years ago.
"Jump off the window from here, head first towards the ground," ordered Hitoshi heartlessly.
Izuku felt his eyes twinge at that order. They were currently the first floor, but it was elevated above ground level. If he was to climb on top of the windowsill and jump, he would be jumping 5 feet into the ground head first. For any normal mortal, this could be not only dangerous, but life-threatening if landed wrong. For a 'hero' candidate to give such an order and blatantly abusing his quirk made him angry. And what's worse was Shoto gave no compunctions about this.
For Shoto, he didn't do anything because he figured it would be a good life lesson to teach Izuku just how weak and woefully unprepared for the world of heroics. It didn't matter if Izuku had strength or skills, he was quirkless, and therefore unable to fight against those who had powerful quirks. Relying on purely support gear was just another way to get a hero killed if their items suddenly malfunctioned in the field or attacked when they weren't wearing any of their gears. It was irrational, in Shoto's mind, for Izuku to be a hero. He would've thrown his vote in with the HSPC to ban Izuku from all Heroics courses from all universities had Nezu not interfered. No matter, with this, he could prove that Izuku was not capable of being a hero.
'Just to give him a little scare,' thought Shoto as he began to unwrap his capture scarf, 'I'll capture him just as he's about to jump so he doesn't get hurt, and then use this as proof that he'll never be a hero. He won't become another Oboro.'
Of course, he would lecture Hitoshi about abusing his quirk like this, but compared to what the punishment should be given for such abuse, it would be a light slap to the wrist.
Izuku had only taken one step, and was ready to break free of the brainwashing that Hitoshi had him under. All he needed to do really was to flare his chi throughout his body to overthrow the brainwashing, washing away the quirk in his spiritual sea, though he heavily contemplated on using the soul saber to cut through it and cause a backlash against Hitoshi.
The choices were taken out of his hands when a red and white gloved hand landed heavily onto his shoulders, stopping him from moving. Izuku noticed that the nudge also shattered Hitoshi's influence within him, making him realize that a small jolt of pain could break free of Hitoshi's quirk.
"Himiko, no," said Vlad King, who had put his hand onto Izuku's shoulder to stop him from following through Hitoshi's order.
A second later, a knife paused right before Hitoshi's jugular, the cold sharp metal touching skin.
"Aww, but he would look better in red," pouted Himiko from behind Hitoshi, "I think he needs some after what he tried to do."
"Let him go!" ordered Shota, his eyes glowing red, "Or you'll regret your actions!
"Himiko, come back," said Vlad gently.
Himiko giggled before putting the knife down and skipping over to Vlad without a care.
"Control your apprentice," said Shota sternly, "Can't see why you would choose such a loose cannon as your apprentice, it's irrational."
"Because I'm not blind like you are despite the fact you always claim to be rational," retorted Vlad, "She has talent for sure, unlike your 'apprentice'. And unlike yours, she earned it. I saw what happened. The fact that you didn't immediately stop or lecture your apprentice from abusing his quirk is disgraceful!"
"A rational ploy to show the student what the real world is," said Shota before glancing over to Izuku, "I hope this is enough to show you that not everybody can become a hero. Foolish dreams should stay as just that, dreams. Let the real heroes do the work. And Himiko, detention for threatening another student."
"If she gets it, then your student gets it too for abusing his quirk," shot back Vlad.
"He's my apprentice. He's under my jurisdiction, and I allowed it as a life lesson," dismissed Shota.
"If that's the case, Himiko is my apprentice, and so under your logic, she's under my jurisdiction. I allowed her to make sure that a certain someone didn't go too far."
"In that case, if I beat you, then you should just retire," snorted Izuku as he inserted himself back into the conversation, "Your quirk has no effect on me. If I beat you, then it means you can't even handle common criminals. A professor hero like you with that sort of mindset in this prestigious university is disgusting."
Shota turned his glare at Izuku, who cooly glared back. Before the situation could escalate, the loudspeaker crackled for a second, catching their attention.
"Professor Aizawa and student Hitoshi Shinso, please report to the Dean's office," ordered Nezu, "... Now if that wasn't clear."
Shota clicked his tongue in annoyance before pulling Hitoshi away.
"That man," sighed Vlad in slight anger before looking at Izuku, quickly pulling his hand back, "Sorry about that. Aizawa, with all his 'rational' ploys, doesn't know when some ploys aren't rational at all."
"It's alright," said Izuku, "Met teachers like him back in elementary and middle school. Don't see why that doesn't change even in universities."
"It shouldn't have to be the same," grunted Vlad, "Midoriya Izuku, right? Since you're Nezu's recommended student, I feel like it's only fair that I introduce my own recommendation student. This is Toga Himiko."
"Soon to be Kan Himiko," corrected Himiko quickly, "Just call me Himiko-chan!"
Izuku blinked before smiling, "If you're alright with that, then you can call me by my first name, Izuku. What brings you to the support lab anyways?"
"Dunno, but my uncle says it's important and needs my hair," chimed Himiko.
"It's for your hero costume," explained Vlad, "I don't want you using your quirk, only to have to hide to change everytime after using it."
"Quirk?" asked Izuku with interest.
Himiko hesitated for a second, glancing over to Vlad, who gently nodded and waived his hand towards Izuku.
"... It's called Transform. If I consume a person's blood, then I can transform into the said person, copying to the tiniest detail, including the current clothes the person is wearing, " said Himiko nervously.
Izuku hummed, "That means infiltration missions could be easier for you, but that can't be all that caught Professor Kan's attention. You seemed pretty talented with the knife too. And the way you snuck up on Shinso. It was silent and deadly, like a predator stalking its prey. You can erase your presence as well."
Himiko gave a small blush and toothy smile at Izuku's words, which caught Izuku's eyes. He noticed that Himiko's canine teeth were sharper than normal humans.
'Must be an adaptation to break into skin to consume blood,' thought Izuku before continuing with his thoughts, "So why the hair?"
"DNA infused costumes," answered Vlad, "An unfortunate part of her transformation is that if she's wearing clothes like her current uniform, it stays on. Her quirk will copy clothes, but she'll end up with two layers of clothes. Yet if she takes off the layer of clothes, when her quirk fades, so do the clothes she copied."
"That's troubling," admitted Izuku, "But the DNA infused costumes can get around it?"
Vlad nodded, "Because it has her DNA, it'll take her quirk into effect as well. She'll be able to transform in and out without needing to flash everyone."
"Not that I would mind," said Himiko.
"I mind!" Vlad half-shouted, causing Himiko to giggle.
"So what are you here for?" asked Himiko as she turned to Izuku.
"Just want to check out the Support Lab and maybe create some tools for myself," said Izuku.
"Well then, we should at least go find Power Loader so the two of you can introduce yourselves to him, as he's in charge of the labs," suggested Vlad.
The two nodded as they entered, holding a light conversation. Izuku was curious how far Transformation could copy, including body weight and shape as well as the insides of a person.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
Reminder, I have a pat reon, look up azndrgn making fanfic. Donators get to read my chapters earlier!