Capítulo 2266: 8
Chapter Text
"Do you know why you are here, Midoriya?" came a stern voice.
Izuku remained quiet. He'd already gone through this talk with the principal multiple times before. And the outcome was rarely ever different.
"You were causing trouble in class again with Bakugou," he took a breath, as if he was tired over a repetitive task. "You claimed that he had attacked you." The principal tented his fingers. "Why do you insist on pinning such things on him?"
Izuku had learned that nothing would ever prove Bakugou to 'be in the wrong.' Everything he would do would be ignored, while Izuku would take the punishment.
"Now, I know it's the last day of your time here, before you head off to high school. So, there's not much I can really do."
He'd learned long ago the renown that came to a school when a graduating student got into U.A. He discovered how much a school's reputation boosted from such statistics, and in turn the resulting greater influx of students next year. This led to more funding, and more pockets being filled.
The sound of a hand slamming the desk came about. Of course, no actual hand was on the desk, given the principal's quirk. His hands were still tented up. Izuku did jump in his seat, however, not having been able to see the action either with his own eyes or his bugs'. "Are you even listening, Midoriya?"
"Of course, sir." Not really, though.
The principal sighed. "Do you know how difficult it is, dealing with you? Day in and day out, I have to worry about you causing trouble, or risk—"
"That's enough."
"You mean how difficult it is to ensure stuff like this doesn't get out? So that Bakugou has a chance of getting into U.A.?"
Izuku blinked. Wha—
It was no wonder that Isoshi Renjiro was so adamant on Bakugou's good behavior. Any blots on his record could risk his chances in getting into the country's top hero school.
"Now, Midoriya," the principal said in a warning tone, "such accusations are unaccounted for." A pause. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Izuku stayed silent this time.
The principal's blank face didn't relay his emotions, especially given the slight growls coming for the corners of the room. "Get out. I'm tired of dealing with you. I should just take your leaving as a blessing."
Izuku immediately complied, walking out of the office of Isoshi Renjiro for the last time.
"That old principal had you held up again?" asked Manga.
"Yeah," replied Izuku. "Had me in for disrupting class again, apparently."
"What is that, like, the fourth time this month?" asked Mei.
Another voice added, "He really does sound like a… uh…"
Izuku turned toward the voice, a more recent addition to his group of friends. He finished off her thoughts. "A jerk?"
"Yeah!" exclaimed Pony Tsunotori. "A jerk, that's the word… Or just a meanie, maybe. I, uh, I mean, he must be, right?"
"Well, I think so," said Izuku. "But it's not like it matters now. We're all out of school, after all. And I'll never have to see him again."
Manga had introduced Pony Tsunotori to the group just a few months prior. Apparently, she had come over from America due to family reasons; her parents had found a new job over here in Japan. Her having met Manga was a blessing to her, since she was still trying to learn Japanese. Manga's ability to 'pop-up' words on his face allowed him to be a great teacher on the subject. It wasn't surprising that the two became great friends.
Mei butted in. "Nevermind him. People like him are the type I ignore in favor on working on my babies! I just erase them from the memory banks and— Oh! I should try that," she pulled out her notebook, " a mind wiper. In the form of a helmet? No, too bulky. A gun?"
Izuku added in his own thoughts. "I don't think you should do that, Mei."
Mei looked up with an incredulous stare. "And why not? I can't be too hard. I just need to give the brain an electrical jolt! In fact, a simple shot of the Electro-Beam should suffice as a first experiment!"
"It's not like that Mei! You can't just mess around with someone's brain without having researched neurology!"
"But come on! Really?!? It's not—"
"But the way the brain works inhi—"
Meanwhile, Manga and Pony watched the ongoing strife as their two friends debated over memory erasure inventions.
"And there they go. They're at it again," uttered Manga.
Pony looked a little uncertain. "This happens too often, I think. How long did last time last?"
"Ehh… About an hour or so," mused Manga.
They continued to look on, watching the continuous onslaught of techno-babble that neither of them could understand.
"Shouldn't you stop them?" asked Pony.
After a few seconds, Manga sighed. "Alright, fine." He walked up to the debating duo, internally dreading that he would end up getting coiled by the 'Wire Arrow' again.
He kept an eye on the contraption on Mei's waist, before shouting 'STOP' to manifest a thin wall into existence. Both Izuku and Mei abruptly stopped their bickering. Seems like Mei was being more amiable today.
"Ok. Okay. Never mind that."
"But—!" Manga stopped Mei before she could continue, placing a palm in front of her face.
Manga turned to his green-haired friend. "Izuku why did you call us out here, again? To the park?"
"Ah!" Izuku steadied himself. "It's kind of silly, really. But... I've been inspired to work harder, so we are all going to train ourselves to the limit!"
Silence.
"Train? Why would I do that?" uttered Mei.
Izuku sighed. "Alright. Not you, I suppose. You could go tinker over there." He pointed at a park bench.
"But Izuku!" Mei whined. "We still haven't finished that robot we were working on! We still need to retroactively connect all the circuitry!"
"Why did you do that, anyways?"
"Because I have you, silly! Your bugs can connect all the wires and stuff!"
"Right…"
"Guys!" shouted Manga.
Izuku cleared his throat. "Anyway, if we all want to get into U.A., we have to make sure our bodies are ready! Not just our quirks!"
"Well?" asked Izuku, garnering for their opinion.
"Well… I think it's a… a…" Pony turned to Manga whispering what she was trying to convey. On his face formed the word 'amazing.' "Yeah! Amazing!" Pony finished.
"Thank you, Pony." Izuku said. "And you, Manga?"
"Eh… I suppose. No harm in trying."
(｀-´)>
"I might as well follow," said Mei. "But I'll be trailing behind instead, working on my babies!"
Izuku sweatdropped. "I suppose that's the best I can wish for," he muttered. "Thank you! Now, I'd like to start with…"
He sighed. It was hard, living with a quirk like his. Sure, he liked what he was able to do with it. Sure, he was praised for it. Sure, it was powerful given the right conditions, but…
He took a seat on the bench, leaning his head back over the backrest, and leaving his arms stretched out. He closed his eyes, taking in the feeling of sunlight on his face and the melodious chirping of the birds.
It just didn't feel… right. He'd never be able to stand on his own with his quirk. He would always just be… there. On the sidelines away from the others.
He thought back to his time at school. The others always found his quirk 'cool.' And he reflected that by the way he interacted with them. But he knew the truth of his quirk.
He never stood out because of what he could do, not necessarily. He decided that his quirk was more of a burden, with what he hoped to accomplish.
He sighed again. But his resolve refused to waver.
But I have a goal. A way to prove myself. I just need to get into U.A. That was for sure. And a complete guarantee. To be a Pro, I just need to—
"Alright everyone! Just a little bit more. We'll rest up here for now though. Let Mei catch up, too."
He opened his eyes, turning his head to look over at the fountain. There he found a group of three. There was a horse-looking girl - no doubt due to her quirk - given her horns and hooves. Then there was one with a speech bubble for a head - how does that work?
Then he glanced over at the other: the obvious leader of the group. The other two were both being led by the green-headed boy, no other remarkable features otherwise.
If only I could be like that, praised for my own qualities. He shook his head, intrigued by the scene before him. I wonder what he has, that makes the others follow him so resolutely. It must be something powerful.
He looked over again, an idea coming to mind. A smirk appeared on his face. Why don't I go find out?
"Hey… Izuku," said Manga, panting from their run, "it looks like that guy is… coming our way."
Izuku glanced over at the figure at mention, who had just previously been resting on the park bench. He had blonde hair, parted to the left with his bangs hanging over his right. The boy held himself rather… contemptuously, if that was the right word. He simply walked up, hands in his pockets.
"Who are you?" asked Manga.
The boy smirked. "I'm Monoma. Neito Monoma."
It seemed as if that was all he was going to say, showing no signs to continue. Manga spoke up instead, "And... what do you want?"
"Oh, not much, my fellow peers. I was simply… rather engrossed in what was transpiring here."
Izuku rose an eyebrow, "Us training?" he asked.
"Precisely," affirmed Monoma.
"...Why?" asked Manga.
Rather than answer, Monoma simply walked up to Izuku, placing a hand on his shoulder. Then he furrowed his brow, which eventually morphed into an expression of shock and confusion.
"Is everything… okay?" Izuku asked, concerned.
Monoma looked at Izuku, then at the two behind him. He backed away a few steps. "You're… quirkless?" Monoma spoke, confused.
Izuku flinched, as if struck. "What?" he said in a deadpan tone.
Monoma shakily continued. "How could a quirkless be leading such a group of those obviously gifted with their own—"
"Whoa man, that's uncalled for," interrupted Manga. "Besides, he—"
"No, let him—"
"It… it just can't!" exclaimed Monoma, showing a bit of unease. "It doesn't work like that. You can't— when I—"
He shook his head, his expression going back to as it was before. His resolve seemed to steel, as if he was remembering something only he knew himself. "How can someone as yourself possibly teach these people anything of circumstance?"
"A powerless nobody, are we?"
Izuku's eyes shone with fury. Bugs began to congregate around his figure, buzzing and chittering. They came from all angles, from the beehives up in the trees to the taller grass that littered the floor of the park.
Surprise filled Monoma's expression. "But… that's impossible. I checked…" He backed away in fear, and the bugs that crawled on Izuku's face and hair did little to deter that fear. "You can't possibly have a quirk."
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. The bugs sped towards him, covering his body in seconds. Izuku refrained from any lasting damage, stopping any bites or stings, simply letting his creatures scurry over the boy's body. But Monoma didn't know that.
The boy screamed, panicking and running off away from the three. He didn't stop until he reached the edge of the park, where Izuku ordered his bugs off.
Continued watching via [Bug Scry], as Izuku thought of naming it, revealed that Monoma was smart. Well, at least in the sense that he didn't seem to want to head back to where Izuku was.
Back to where the friends stood, Manga slowly walked up, putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Hey, buddy… What was that, just now?"
That seemed to shake Izuku out of his stupor. He blinked in realization over what had just occurred. "I… I don't know, actually." Izuku said slowly. "It just sort of… happened. It felt kind of right, you know. But I feel kind of bad now, with me covering him in bugs. That probably wasn't a nice experience."
"Well you shouldn't!" yelled Mei, who was currently screwing in a bolt to her contraption. "He was acting all pretentious and stuff. Didn't know what he was walking into."
Everyone blinked. "How long have you been there?" asked Manga.
"Eh, around the part where blondie started freaking out. He's a real jerk, by the way."
"Ooh! Ooh! Like the principal guy, right?" exclaimed Pony.
Manga chuckled. "Yes Pony, like the principal guy." He turned back to Izuku. "That was kind of weird, though. What was that all about?"
Izuku shrugged his shoulders. "No clue. He was very odd. I don't know what set him off. And what did he mean, that I was quirkless? Maybe that's his quirk? Sensing other quirks? And he saw that I didn't have mine? That's weird. I feel even worse now, I probably overrea—"
Manga came up to Izuku, grabbing his shoulders and vigorously shaking him. "Whoa dude! Snap out of it. That's too much for one mutter session."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry. You know how I am." He shook his head. "Anyway, we've spent long enough here!" He turned to the other three behind him. "Onward! Toward U.A.!"
"Yay…" the group yelled dispassionately. However, they still followed Izuku's lead. U.A. was the goal, after all.
Izuku walked up to the large campus ahead of him. It was a Saturday, and yet here he was, taking his first steps into U.A. High. Of course, the school term didn't start for another few months, but that did little to ease his worries. He was here for an entirely different reason, actually.
He walked in through the large, imposing gates and followed the designated signs. The building he arrived at was apart from the main campus, standing off in the far corners near the edge of the fencing.
He walked in through the automatic glass doors, which were larger in size than what would be considered as normal.
Why are the doors so big? Perhaps for people with gigantification quirks? That's rather considerate of U.A.
He arrived at the reception room, which was empty and quiet. It made sense, considering why he was here. Fortunately, it wasn't too long before someone else exited from the side room, quietly cursing as they went.
His stuff probably wasn't approved. It was likely, given the rather obtrusive board that towered from his back. That broke rule three: Nothing larger than one's own person.
A disinterested sounding voice called out from beyond the door, "Next."
Izuku walked in, but at the moment he looked at the man in front of him, he froze. He recognized the man, with his black clothing and hair that was barely longer than his own. He'd only seen him up close once before - well, technically anyway - but that was enough to cement the image in his mind.
Eraserhead.
"Name?" the man asked, paying no heed to Izuku's current state.
Need to stay calm, not arouse any suspicion. Act as usual. He doesn't know. Shouldn't know.
"Ah… sorry, Eraserhead."
The man's hand froze ever so slightly, before immediately continue its swipe across the paper.
Opps. Probably shouldn't have mentioned his name. I probably shouldn't even recognize him at all.
"Uh, sorry. It's just… are you not Eraserhead? I assumed you were, since you matched the few reports they have been posted up online, and you sort of look tired. It makes sense, considering your late night patrols."
Great, dig yourself into a deeper hole.
Eraserhead looked at Izuku, a rather inquisitive stare from what he could tell. But he simply repeated himself, "Name?"
"Ah… Izuku Midoriya, sir."
Eraserhead wrote it down. "Reason of visit?"
Izuku moved for his pack. "These sticks, sir," Izuku pulled them out from his backpack. "They're specialized equipment used in several fighting styles. They're esk—"
"I know what they are, kid," Aizawa interrupted.
Izuku gulped. "I—Ah, of course."
The man tilted his head in observation. "What exactly is your quirk?" he asked slowly. "Is it based around CQC? Enhanced reflexes?"
I need to be careful with this. " Um no. You see, well…"
Insects began to crawl out from under his hair, skittering over his scalp and sides of his face. Others sprouted from his bag, emerging through the open slots. Others came from the outside through a nearby open window. To say the least, it was quite the spectacle for an unready viewer. But for the man in front of him, he showed little notice other than a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Entomokinesis…" he said in thought. "And why do you need the Eskrima sticks?"
"I, uh, know how to use them. Muay Thai, too. And a little Silat, but that's more on my own time.
The man simply continued. "So you've been training your body, along with your quirk?"
Izuku grew a large smile. "Yes sir!"
Eraserhead simply stared at Izuku. Izuku began to sweat in anticipation, nervous gulps appearing at his throat.
Eraserhead grabbed a paper from under the counter. He began to write, eventually ripping a slip separately and handing it to Izuku. "These should be fine," he motioned to the sticks. "Bring this in with you on the exam date. It'll allow you entry with your equipment."
Izuku merely nodded, grabbing the slip and walking outside. He didn't notice, but he had been holding his breath, which he eventually let out once he left the building.
Great. Just great. He's definitely not suspicious of me at all. He sighed. Maybe he'll just think of it as nerves. No point in worrying about it now.
As he began to walk away, he turned around, taking in the view of U.A. Yeah, I still have a goal to reach, after all.
Notes:
Heyo! How was this chapter, everyone? Was the Monoma POV alright? I'm not entirely sure I got his character correctly on that part, really, but it had to be done. But hey, two character introductions in one chapter! Quite ambitious, eh? Thoughts on the newfound friend the group has found with Pony?
Anyhow, hope you all enjoyed! 'Till next time!
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