Chapter Text
"HOLY FUCK YOU HAVE ONE TOO!?" Katsuki screamed while pointing at the new boy's spirit.
"I never thought we'd see another one!" Izuku hollered as he whipped out his notebook. "Would it be okay if we asked you a few questions?"
"Who are you and why do you have those things too?" the other boy asked incredulously. There was a brief silence before the two boys started laughing.
"Sorry about that," Izuku started. "We just didn't expect to, well, see another spirit here. I'm Midoriya Izuku, he's Kacha-er-Bakugou Katsuki. What's your name? And your spirit's name?"
"Hitoshi Shinsou," the new kid replied before gesturing to his spirit. "This is Ivory Quill." His spirit stood still as Izuku made a quick sketch of it.
Hitoshi's spirit was pretty tall, taller than Cobalt Star, and really muscular. It was shirtless, but wore baggy white pants similar to most depictions of a djinni. Even with crossed arms Izuku could see the gold or bronze bangles around its wrists. Coming from its back was a pair of simple white wings, no fancy coloring patterns anywhere. Izuku, however, wasn't sure which was weirder, the fact this spirit had the head of a rooster or that said rooster head had long silky gold hair. It honestly reminded him of those shirtless men from those weird romance novels Kacchan and his moms would read on occasion.
"Fascinating," Izuku beamed. "My spirit is Cobalt Star. He's got super strength, like Lady Might."
"And mine's Ember Fang," Katsuki nodded. "He makes things explode. Can yours do anything?"
"Nuh uh," Hitoshi pointed, "I've been answering your questions this whole time, now answer one of mine. How the heck do you have those? I thought I was the only one."
"We..." Katsuki started, "...we dunno. They just kinda appeared when we were four." Hitoshi kept pointing for a few moments before sighing and lowering his hand.
"Figures," he drooped. "First time I see other guys with ghosts like mine, and you don't know where they came from either. Least you aren't freaking out about my guy with his bird head."
"You kidding?" Katsuki grinned. "I've got a literal hellhound the size of a horse following me and Dekiru here's got a suit of Phantom Armor followin' him around. Why on Earth would we be weirded out by your Six-Pack Chicken McSchwarzenegger?"
There was about five seconds of silence before Izuku turned to Katsuki and asked "How long did it take you to think up that joke?"
"One minute, tops." Before anyone could say anything else, the loud booming of the school bell hit their ears. "FUCK, WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"
"You're right!" Izuku whined before turning back to Hitoshi. "Um, would it be okay if we talked more after school? I got SO many more questions!"
"...Sure?"
"Awesome!" the green-haired boy cheered. "We'll meet by the gates! See you later, Shinsou!" With that, the two Hero Course boys ran back towards the main building, leaving Hitoshi alone with his spirit.
"...This school is weird, Ivory."
***
Katsuki gave a sigh of relief as he climbed up his desk. "Thought we were gonna be late."
"No kidding," Izuku groaned, laying on his desk. "I'm pretty sure we just beat a few Olympic records."
"How were you almost late if you got on school grounds before the rest of us did?" Momo asked.
"We were investigating something," he mumbled. That was as much as he willing to say at the moment, and was thankful when Aizawa came in to go over their class schedule. It was fairly short, only which teachers would teach which subjects, though she left out who would be teaching their Heroics class that afternoon. When she finished, she gave the students some free time until the next class. As the students talked among themselves, Aizawa pulled out her phone to read something. Izuku, still winded from his earlier run, watched Aizawa with interest. What was on her phone that made her look so-
His vision turned milky, like a dream sequence from a movie. After a few moments it cleared enough for him to see he was suddenly looking over Aizawa's shoulder. Wait. When did he get here? How was he standing so high off the ground? He couldn't look around, his vision squarely on Aizawa's phone. It seemed to be a message from Nedzu.
'Be sure to have Bakugou and Midoriya paired together for the hero exercise, and pay attention to their actions. It is likely they have developed individual techniques using their-'
"Dekiru," Katsuki said as he shook Izuku's shoulders. Izuku looked around. He was back at his desk, and Cobalt was by his side. "What the hell was that? You just kinda got stiff and...your guy hovered by Aizawa's shoulder for a minute." Izuku slowly looked at Katsuki with a look of bewilderment.
"I...I don't know..." he finally muttered in reply. "I just...kinda...I was looking over Aizawa's shoulder..."
"But you didn't move," Katsuki kept whispering.
"I think..." Izuku hypothesized, "...I think I was looking through Cobalt's eyes. Or rather, their version of eyes. I read part of the message on her phone. Something about pairing us up for the exercise this afternoon."
"...Dude..." Katsuki almost looked like he had stars in his eyes. "If that's true, your spirit is even cooler than before. Most I've learned is how to ride Ember...kinda..."
"Still cool," Izuku whispered. Honestly, between meeting Hitoshi and somehow doing something new with Cobalt, Izuku felt like this day couldn't get any better.
***
Iida Tenten was conflicted. She knew that if she waited long enough, she would learn how Midoriya and Bakugou made it into the Hero Course. She'd waited it out on longer matters before. After all, some of her former classmates in Somei had joked that 'patience' was her personal virtue.
However, this enigma was slowly eroding said virtue.
She had been watching Midoriya Izuku and Bakugou Katsuki the entire day, eager to figure out their secret. She watched them in Cementess' Literature class, noting Katsuki had some issues with dating older books. She was mildly impressed with their grasp of English in Madam Mic's class, but only mildly. They were above average in Ectoplasm's math class, but only by a small margin. Tenten was a bit worried about how Midnight would react to them in Art History, but was surprised to see that somehow Midnight knew them on a personal level. Other than that, their performance was barely better than mediocre. So how did they make it into the Heroics Course? Tenten was not one to accuse people of dishonesty, but she was beginning to think they must have done something illicit to get in.
As soon as she thought this, however, she took a breath to calm down. She was Iida Tenten, Ninth Bearer of One For All, and it is not heroic to believe one's classmates were being deceitful. She needed to simmer down and think of other possibilities. Perhaps lunch would calm her nerves.
She entered the cafeteria with the rest of her class, eager for lunch after the morning lessons. There was also quite a bit of excitement, as they knew they would have their first actual Heroics class afterwards. She could also hear Midoriya's excitement from seeing Lunch Rush. Honestly, his fanboy nature was, dare she say it, somewhat cute. As she purchased her food, a thought occurred to Iida, and she mentally kicked herself for not thinking it sooner. Why not just ask the boys?
"Excuse me," she caught Izuku's attention, "would I be permitted to sit with you?"
"Oh, sure," Izuku smiled (gods that was a cute smile) as he and Katsuki walked to a nearby table. Iida noticed that a few other classmates, namely Uraraka and Yaoyorozu, had also joined them. As they took their seats, Iida turned to ask her question, but stopped when she saw both boys and Uraraka were staring straight ahead. All three had their chopsticks in their mouths and stars in their eyes.
"Is something the matter?" Tenten asked.
"Kacchan," Izuku turned to his bestie, "...i-is this...?" Katsuki took another bite of his food, his eyes only widening as he looked down at his dish.
"Th-this food is natural," Ochako gasped. "I-I don't taste any synthetic stuff."
Ah, that made sense. Iida remembered hearing about how, due to the sudden growth spurt of women, natural foods became a bit of a luxury. While it was fortunate that scientists worldwide had figured out a way to make produce grow bigger and more abundantly, the majority of modern society subsisted off food grown in "meat labs" which, while still nutritious, had a different taste compared to natural foods. In that way, Iida considered herself fortunate to have had natural foods periodically while growing up. Seeing the looks on their three faces as they dug into their meals made it clear they didn't have that luxury. Meanwhile, a sidelong glance to Yaoyorozu (with her look of confusion) made Tenten wonder if her fellow classmate had ever had synthetic food.
Tenten waited for the boys to finish their meal before clearing her throat. "Midoriya, Bakugou, may I ask a bit of a personal question?"
"Depends on the question," Bakugou responded.
"I apologize if I sound rude," Tenten stated, "but how exactly did you two make it into the Hero Course? Did you use some trick to beat the entrance exam?" Ochako and Momo gasped the bluntness of her question, but Izuku and Katsuki responded with a big smile.
"You'll see later today," Izuku beamed. Feeling like she was on the receiving end of a cop-out, Tenten opened her mouth to inquire further before another voice cut into their conversation.
"Pardon me," a voice that oozed with condescension stated from behind Tenten, "did I hear you say something about boys in the Hero Course?" Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice. It came from a girl with short yellow hair and a sneer so pretentious everyone who saw it had to hold back the urge to punch it.
"Yup," Izuku nodded. "My friend and I are in Class 1-A. Who might you be?"
"Class 1-A? Really?" The snotty person laughed. "Wow, the standards of Class 1-A must be abysmal if they let boys into it. What, are you boys mascots or something?" The snotty person just kept laughing after this, not noticing that Kendou was coming up behind her, her enlarged hand at the ready. Before she could karate-chop the cackling blonde a small explosion erupted point-blank in front of her face. It wasn't large, but it had enough force to send the jerk backwards, like someone punched her in the face. She hit the ground with enough force to lose consciousness, leaving everyone in that part of the cafeteria staring in shock.
"...W-what was that?" Kendou asked as her hand shrunk back to normal.
"It looked like a midair explosion," Tenten pointed out.
"I dunno what happened," Katsuki casually stated as he looked around the room. "Somebody's throwin' stuff." Most everyone slowly returned to eating after that, though the question of what happened hung in the air. Some other girls, identifying themselves as members from Class 1-B, came and hauled the singed blonde away. A few of them giggled at the sight of the boys, but otherwise left them alone. Izuku watched as the girls hauled their jerk of a classmate away and chatted among themsel-
Suddenly Izuku's vision shot forward and hovered behind one of the girls. He wasn't quite over their shoulder, but he was close enough to hear what they were saying to their companions.
"Why is Class A so lucky? They got two cuties in their class!"
"Three," another one pointed out. "That boy with the tail you were ogling at earlier? He's there too."
"Three boys! Three in Class A, and more in the other courses!" The first girl groaned as she asked "What did we do to get cursed with Monoma instead of-"
There was a snap in the back of Izuku's mind as he came back. Looking around the room and seeing Cobalt hovering back to their position next to Izuku, he was now certain that he was somehow using Cobalt to eavesdrop. This put a whole new twist on what he could do. Maybe if he actually tried focusing he could do more, and for longer? He definitely needed to practice this.
During this, however, Ochako seemed fixated on the spot of open air the explosion from earlier occurred.
***
Class 1-A was abuzz with excitement. Fresh from lunch, they had returned to their homeroom ready for their first actual Hero class. They had no idea what they were gonna be doing, but as Aizawa said when they returned from lunch, none of them had to fear expulsion unless they did something really stupid.
"I wonder who our teacher is gonna be?" Sato brought up. "I heard an upperclassman say the previous Heroics teacher retired and we got a new one this year."
"I'm hoping it's Hero Thirteen," Uraraka replied.
"No way," Jiro smirked, "I bet it'll be someone like the Rabbit Hero, Miruko."
"I'm hoping it'll be Mt Lady," Mineta Shinobu drooled.
"Oh gods, I hope not," Katsuki growled. "I really don't want my cousin for a fucking teacher."
"WAIT, YOUR WHAT!?" half the class exclaimed.
"Settle down," Aizawa groaned from her sleeping bag. "Your teacher is running a little late, but they'll be here soon."
"I AM..."
The instant those two words were heard, everyone in class gaped at the door.
"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" Lady Might announced as she leaned through the doorway.
"Oh my god, it's Lady Might!" Kirishima cheered.
"Is that her Silver Age outfit?" Kaminari asked. "So retro!" Everyone in the class was cheering and excited over this reveal, except for Izuku and Ochako, who both turned to look at the dumbfounded Katsuki.
"So, Kacchan," Izuku stated, "about that thing you said this morning..."
"Shut it," Katsuki growled while looking out the window. "I didn't know." Ignoring the boy's muttered conversation, Lady Might smiled at the class.
"IT IS GOOD TO SEE THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEROES IS SO EXCITABLE," she laughed. "BEFORE WE BEGIN, THOUGH, YOUR HERO COSTUMES ARE READY FOR PICKUP! GRAB THEM, GET CHANGED AND MEET ME AT GROUND BETA FOR YOUR FIRST HERO TRIAL!" As the students all rushed out to grab their hero suits, Aizawa got up and stood next to Lady Might.
"You got the message from Nedzu about those two boys, right?"
"OF COURSE. I WILL MAKE SURE THEY ARE ON THE SAME TEAM. I AM QUITE EAGER TO SEE HOW THEY'VE IMPROVED."
***
In a matter of minutes, everyone had grabbed their outfits and changed before heading to Ground Beta. The three boys of Class 1-A were surprised to see a dedicated changing room for men, and even more surprised to see it was spotlessly clean. Izuku kind of wondered if they had to hire male custodians to clean it.
Izuku's outfit was clearly inspired by Cobalt Star, being a suit of green and blue armor made from ceramic plates. Unlike a traditional suit of armor, however, his greaves and gauntlets had small boosters in them that increased mobility and striking power. It also had a dark blue cape that could block blades and was fire resistant. Instead of a helmet, he wore a blue cap with a gold buckle on it.
Katsuki's outfit also took inspiration from his spirit, but from a clearly different angle than Izuku. He wore a spiky black and red jumpsuit, also with a cape connected to polished shoulder pauldrons. He didn't have anything in the way of headgear beyond a black and orange domino mask. Overall, his outfit had a very hellish appearance.
"Ooh!" Ochako looked down at Izuku and Katsuki with starry eyes. "You two have amazing costumes!" Izuku gave a nervous chuckle while Katsuki gave his signature toothy grin.
"Yours ain't too shabby either, Round Face!"
Ochako gave a giggle as she gave a cutesy pose. Her hero outfit had a clear space theme to it. Her torso, shins and forearms were clad in thick white components that looked like an astronaut suit while her arms and legs were in dark blue and covered with a stars-n-galaxies pattern. Her helmet was similar to an astronaut helmet as well, with a vague blue tint. Unlike the boys, however, she didn't wear a cape.
"You like it?" she asked. "This was actually my backup idea. My first idea was a bit simpler, but when the Support Course made it for me, they made it skintight and it was sooo embarrassing. I'm glad I took a friend's advice and had two ideas in mind."
"SIMMER DOWN, EVERYONE!" Lady Might called out from her position in front of a large screen, and between two large boxes marked 'hero' and 'villain.' "TODAY, YOU WILL BE PRACTICING INDOOR COMBAT TRAINING! WHILE A LOT OF VILLAIN CLEANUP IS OUT IN THE OPEN, SOME OF THE SMARTEST VILLAINS WORK INDOORS WHERE BIGGER FLASHIER QUIRKS MIGHT BE AT A DISADVANTAGE! KIDNAPPINGS, BREAK-INS, THE BLACK MARKET POMERANIAN TRADE, ALL THESE AND MORE OCCUR IN THE SHADOWS! AS SUCH, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PRACTICE INDOOR COMBAT JUST AS MUCH AS OUTDOOR!"
"Will this be a solo exercise?" Momo asked.
"How do we determine the victor?" Tenten asked while chopping the air with her arm.
"Will there be a penalty for collateral damage?" Sato queried.
"Doesn't my cape look fabulous~?" Aoyama asked as she twirled through the air behind everyone.
Lady Might just laughed. "PLEASE, PLEASE, ALL YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED!" She rummaged through a pack on her hip for a few moments before pulling out a sheet of paper, which Izuku and Katsuki realized was a script. "AHEM. FOR TODAY'S TRAINING, A PAIR OF VILLAINS HAVE A NUCLEAR DEVICE SOMEWHERE IN THIS BUILDING! A PAIR OF HEROES WILL THEN HAVE TO INFILTRATE THE STRUCTURE AND STOP THEIR NEFARIOUS PLANS BEFORE TIME EXPIRES! THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS BY EITHER DETAINING BOTH VILLAINS, OR DEFUSING THE BOMB BY MAKING PHYSICAL CONTACT! THE VILLAIN TEAM WILL BE VICTORIOUS IF THEY KEEP THE HEROES AWAY FROM THE BOMB UNTIL TIME EXPIRES, OR IF THEY MANAGE TO CAPTURE THE HEROES! THE MATCH WILL BE CALLED A DRAW IF THE BOMB RECEIVES DAMAGE! EACH SESSION WILL LAST UP TO FIFTEEN MINUTES, AND USE A DIFFERENT STRUCTURE EACH TIME IN EVENT OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE! AS FOR YOUR TEAMS, THEY HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AHEAD OF TIME BY RANDOM LOTTERY!"
"Random lottery?" Tenten seemed shocked. "Would it not be better to have us paired up by compatibility?"
"It's difficult to prepare for unexpected situations," Izuku pointed out. "and be it due to travel or circumstances, pro heroes do have to create makeshift teams on the spot a lot. It's not unusual for us to practice a similar thing."
"Ah," Tenten looked down at Izuku with a slightly embarrassed look, "my apologies."
"1000 yen says Dekiru and I are paired up," Katsuki grinned before squealing from being prodded by Jirou's earlobe. "Gah, you bitch!"
"No gambling," she deadpanned. After Jirou said this, the screen behind Lady Might lit up, showing everyone's teams.
A - Yaoyorozu Momo & Uraraka Ochako
B - Todoroki Shouko & Shoji Maya
C - Midoriya Izuku & Bakugou Katsuki
D - Sato Kiki & Mineta Shinobu
E - Kirishima Fujiko & Tokoyami Fumikage
F - Sero Hinata & Aoyama Yuna
G - Ojiro Mashirao & Hagakure Tooru
H - Kaminari Genkai & Koda Komi
I - Iida Tenten & Asui Tsuyu
J - Kyoka Jirou & Ashido Mina
Everyone read the board in silence. Some of them were glad with the people they were paired with, and all were glad they didn't take up Katsuki's bet. Katsuki grumbled at his lost opportunity, and Izuku noted the other teams intensely. Any one of them would be his opponent, so he and Katsuki had to be ready.
"NOW THAT YOU KNOW YOUR TEAMS," Lady Might said as she thrust her hands into the boxes to her sides, "IT IS NOW TIME TO DETERMINE WHO WILL BE THE VILLAINS AND WHO WILL BE THE HEROES! EACH GROUP WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES OF PREP TIME, SO SPEND IT WISELY! AND REMEMBER, THIS IS A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION! WORK YOUR HARDEST, AND USE YOUR ABILITIES TO THE FULLEST!" Izuku and Katsuki caught the hidden meaning behind this last phrase, and gave Lady Might a knowing nod. Lady Might yanked her hands out of the boxes, holding a ball in each one.
"THESE ARE THE FIRST TEAMS TO COMPETE!"
