AFM 9

Chapter 9 : First Impressions

Izuku stood at the entrance of the U.A. gates, looking ahead and lost in thought. The other kids around him displayed a range of emotions—excitement and fear being the most common. If anyone were to look at Izuku’s face, however, they’d see nothing. His poker face was so well-crafted that even Principal Nezu, who was observing him closely through the security cameras, couldn’t read anything from it. No excitement, no happiness at finally pursuing his dream, and certainly no fear. Izuku was reflecting on his journey so far and the role he was destined to play in the coming year. He didn’t want to attend U.A. or any other hero school for that matter. If he was going to fight against society, he wanted to do so without betraying his principles, with complete honesty and without masks. But circumstances were not on his side. All For One always got what he wanted.

As the other kids passed by, many pointed and muttered to their friends. Some thought Izuku looked familiar, but no one recognized him except for one blonde, angry young man. Bakugo came barreling through and deliberately rammed his shoulder into Izuku, shouting, “Move it, DEKU, if you don’t want to die.” Bakugo expected Izuku to stumble, but the outcome was the complete opposite. Upon hitting Izuku’s shoulder, Bakugo almost fell, feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder. Izuku hadn’t moved an inch.

“Bakugo, what a pleasant surprise. I honestly thought U.A. was better than this, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe if you attack a fellow student even before entering U.A., they’ll see your villainous nature. And don’t call me Deku,” Izuku said with a pleasant smile. But for the second time in his life, Bakugo saw that Izuku’s eyes weren’t smiling. There was something unsettling in them.

Bakugo was furious, but he knew better than to attack anyone and simply said, “Damn bastard, you’re lucky this is U.A. and there’s a camera here.” Bakugo moved aside and walked inside.

“Wow, that was intense. Are you okay? It must be tough having a heated discussion with your rival just before entering the premises,” a slightly chubby girl asked him. Izuku looked at her and observed. She was certainly cute, a little on the chubby side, but her arms looked strong. She had five pads on her hands, and the concentration of quirk energy there suggested she might have a five-point activation like Tomura.

“I’m fine, thank you. What’s your name? I’m Midoriya Izuku. Let’s walk inside and talk,” Izuku said, turning slowly to walk inside. The girl followed shortly, looking at him with a thoughtful expression.

“Wait, Midoriya Izuku? Do I know you? You look familiar, and I’m sure I’ve heard your name before,” the girl asked.

“Oh, if it’s the first time you’re hearing my name, I’d be truly surprised. I’m the kid from four years ago,” Izuku said, looking back at her while walking. As he finished the sentence, and before the girl could process it, his foot hit a stone, tripping him. While in the air, Izuku cursed himself for turning off Boost after Bakugo walked away. He righted himself in mid-air, ready to land on his feet, when his movement suddenly stopped, and he floated still in the air.

“Release.”

Izuku landed on his feet.

“I’m so sorry for using my quirk on you. I didn’t want you to fall before the exam. And I’m sorry for making you remember something sad just before the exam. My name is Ochaco Uraraka,” the girl said with a regretful expression.

“It’s okay, Uraraka. I understand. Thank you for saving me from that fall. The events of four years ago won’t affect me negatively during the exam. If they did, I wouldn’t be able to become a hero. I’ve made my peace with it,” Izuku said calmly.

Uraraka felt bashful that their conversation had reached such intense topics so quickly. As they reached the exam hall, she said, “Good luck, Midoriya. Do your best.”

“You too, Uraraka. All the best,” Izuku replied. As they split to walk to their assigned seats, Izuku smiled to himself. It seems coming to U.A. wasn’t a complete waste. I could see myself becoming friends with her. A powerful quirk with such a kind, friendly nature. I hope she passes the exam.

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“You can exit from the underground tunnel, Cementos. Everyone has entered the exam hall,” Nezu said through the comms. Nezu had been observing through the camera, focusing on the reason a new test was added three years ago—Izuku Midoriya. The test was random and designed to see which applicants helped others when they tripped and fell, and which just laughed and walked away. Nezu didn’t want any bystander heroes from U.A., like those three infamous ones. Cementos had manipulated the stones to emerge just before the kids walked through. If the ones who saw helped, they got 10 rescue points. If they walked away without helping, they got minus 5, and if they stood and laughed, the point was minus 10.

“It seems this year has some good applicants, quirk-wise and instinct-wise. Don’t you think, Mr. Yagi?” Nezu asked the Number One hero, who was deep in thought. All Might, startled, answered, “Yes, there are.” All Might went back to watching Izuku on the screen.

“All Might, what’s on your mind?” Nezu asked, noticing that All Might was concentrating only on Izuku.

“It’s been four years. I’ve asked many times for a meeting with Izuku to apologize directly. I’ve emailed his father many times. The response every time was ‘No.’ I really thought he wouldn’t apply, like he said that day. I wonder what changed. If he passes, maybe I can arrange a private meeting and see if he can be made my successor,” All Might replied thoughtfully, wondering how Izuku would fight against the robots with just a quirk for attracting small objects.

Nezu looked at All Might with a certain pity. Sometimes his oafishness astonishes me, sometimes his brains astonish me. Truly, I wonder how his brain works.

“All Might, I don’t want to impose my opinion on your successor like Nighteye, but please never reveal the truth to the kid. Never offer him One For All,” Nezu said with a slightly threatening undertone.

“Why shouldn’t I even consider him? He’s adequate for it,” All Might asked, puzzled.

“He was adequate before the events of that day. The moment you told him he couldn’t be a hero, and his mother died because of heroes, he became inadequate for One For All—one of the greatest quirks in the world. Midoriya Izuku is a walking time bomb. I only accepted his application to try and save him and society from the horrors he might unleash. I want to make him at least like me.”

“What do you mean, Nezu? Be clear.”

“The boy who had dreams of being a hero died on that day, Yagi. I’ve kept an eye on him ever since. He’s a mystery I haven’t solved yet. There are inconsistencies upon inconsistencies in his story over the last four years. Moreover, he doesn’t have a heroic mindset now. His mindset is similar to mine. I’m 100 percent sure that when those three heroes start active patrolling or anything like it again, there will be a reckoning. His mind is set on revenge and hatred. It won’t change in four years, and if he learns your secret, it’ll be another blow to heroism in his eyes. He’ll only see things the way Recovery Girl saw them on that day. So please, don’t do it.”

“I’ll take it under advisement and watch him closely,” All Might said, very much surprised. All Might looked at the screen, showing Izuku writing the exam with impressive speed.

“All Might, I also suggest that whoever you choose should be compatible with One For All. It should completely synergize with the existing quirk and the body of the new individual. Ideally, the best candidate should have some healing aspect in their quirk.”

“I see why you say that. Without adequate muscle or durability, the quirk will destroy the user’s arms if they try to use it at 100 percent. It’s that powerful now. Let’s move to the common viewing area.”

All Might and Nezu moved to the common viewing hall.

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Izuku was sitting on the bus with Uraraka. She appeared to be getting more nervous by the minute as the bus traveled near the fake city.

“Uraraka, what’s your quirk?” Izuku asked, seeing the genuine interest in his eyes, Uraraka was taken aback.

“It’s not that powerful. Just Zero Gravity. I can make objects lose their gravity by touching them with all five fingers. I’m not sure I could even fight the robots.”

“Gravity?” Izuku asked in genuine amazement. “You can control one of the fundamental forces of nature. That’s insanely powerful. You’ve won the lottery, as the old saying goes. Don’t worry. There are many students. Use them as distractions and help them as much as you can.”

Uraraka blushed hard, hearing all the praise from the boy. “Okay, thank you for the advice.”

“CAN YOU PLEASE STOP TALKING. It’s  disturbing  others from  thinking plans. If you are not taking this seriously and using to flirt with girls, please leave.” the glasses boy who interrupted Present Mic told them with robotic chopping of hands from the seat just in front of them.

Izuku responded calmly, “Okay, I’m sorry for having a private conversation with my friend here. But I think you’re the one who disturbed everyone else. You should apologize.”

The glasses boy spluttered and then turned to the bus, saying, “I’m sorry, everyone.”

“Friend? Private conversation?” Uraraka asked shyly and nervously.

“Of course, I’d like to be your friend if you’ll have me. I appreciate a kind, friendly girl like you,” Izuku replied warmly.

Uraraka looked bewildered but very happy. After six years of scorn and hatred, it seemed she would finally have a friend. With a joyful smile, she said, “Of course, Midoriya-kun, I’ll be your friend. In fact, let’s work together and pass the exam. You can summon the robots, and I’ll use my gravity to send them high and release them to destroy them.”

“That’s a very good plan, and it’s impressive that you remembered my quirk from four years ago,” Izuku said.

Uraraka felt a surge of happiness. It had been six years since anyone, other than her parents, praised or supported her. Every classmate had said she wouldn’t be admitted to any hero school and that UA would reject her application because of a black mark on her family’s record. But Uraraka had persevered, and incredibly, she had been admitted to take the Entrance Exam.

“But we can’t work together. Attraction of small objects is only one aspect of my quirk. My quirk is Boost. It enhances me both physically and mentally. Attraction is just a small part of it, thanks to the mental enhancement. I’ll be going after the robots myself. I’m sorry, Uraraka. Since you want to help, let me give you some advice: Help the other candidates who are in danger,” Izuku finished in a low, serious voice.

“It’s okay. I understand. Thank you,” Uraraka said with a cute smile.

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“STTTTTAAARRRTTTT!” Present Mic’s loud voice echoed as the gates to the fake city opened. Before he could even finish, Izuku jumped over the heads of the other students and entered the half-opened gates. His quirk, Boost, had been activated since he entered the bus, and every kinetic movement in his body generated energy, which        h was stored using his stamina stockpile. Izuku had enough stamina to use Boost and Mind Augmentation at full strength for 20 minutes. His depleting stamina would be restored using the stamina generation and Kinetic Absorption aspects of his Boost.

As Izuku turned the first corner, he saw five One-Pointers. He used Attraction on every bolt in the first robot with his left arm and cocked back his right arm. As the robot rocketed towards him, he punched it, sending it flying back in pieces that destroyed the robot behind it. Izuku laughed heartily and charged at the remaining three robots.

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“So which student is interesting this year? Any special case? Snipe asked Nezu.

“Look at the site F. You can see Midoriya Izuku destroying the robots with a carefree laugh.” Nezu replied with a cackle and looked at the sleeping bag in the corner.

“I thought summoning was the boy’s quirk, a mental quirk, not a physical enhancement.” Asked Vlad king.

“His Quirk registry was updated 2 years ago. Quirk: Boost, it enhance both Physical and Mental Aspects. Limits: Unknown. It was assumed that only summoning occurs through mental boost, but the registry is wrong as usual.”  Nezu said with a mocking smile as the hpsc maintains the registry.

“What do you mean, Sir? Yagi asked curiously.

The mental aspect boosts, intelligence and atleast thinking speed. He has destroyed 7 robots using the debris from his punch. Every time there was a robot any where behind the first one. Each punch is angled perfectly to the maximum effect and at the specific weak point of the robot. It takes very good intelligence, thinking and processing to calculate that.  Nezu said with a wide smile as it closely follows his pattern. “Anyway let’s release the Zero Pointer. I need some entertainment.”

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52, Izuku counted as he destroyed a robot, Izuku has helped several persons during his mad running for hunting the robots. ‘His father was specific that there is a hidden criteria of Rescue Points, and thinking about it, it was obvious. What hero scholl rejects people helping and saving others.  Yeah the school one of those three bastard went to’ Izuku thought sarcastically. It was at this moment that the ground started shaking and a building was demolished  by the emerging Zero Pointer. It was as big as the buildings and seeing this every student started to run the opposite direction in panic. Izuku observed the Zero Pointer for any weakness and whether to attack or not. Deciding it was worthless, Izuku turned and started to run.

‘ahhhh’

As Izuku started running he heard a painful yell in familiar voice and looked back. It was Uraraka who was trapped under a huge piece of building. Many candidates are not even looking at her and running away from the giant robot. Seeing that the girl will be crushed under the Robot and a freaking gravity quirk lost forever, Izuku ran towards the hurt girl and reached as the robots caterpillar tread was seven metre away from the girl.

Izuku with a huge yell lifted the heavy piece of building and  said, “Move it Uraraka. Its too heavy, I can’t hold it longer.”

Uraraka crawled backwards and bend forwards to touch the heavy rock. Izuku almost dropped the debris before the weight became null. Izuku lifted the heavy debrid and threw it at the hands of the robot, who was pushed back as  Uraraka has released her hold on the debris  just as the rock hit the robot.  Izuku turned and picked Uraraka in a bridal carry and ran for their life.

“FIIIIINNNNIISHHHHH!” Present Mic’s loud voice boomed as a horn signaled the end of the test.

Uraraka was turning red, feeling Midoriya’s clearly defined muscles as he ran. The only thing keeping her from floating away due to accidental quirk use was the pain in her legs, both of which were furiously red and in horrible pain. Izuku gently lowered Uraraka and laid her down on the ground as they reached Recovery Girl.

“Broken legs, sweety. It’ll take a great amount of stamina to heal. Here, have a stamina gum,” Recovery Girl offered.

Uraraka took the gum and ate it, and Recovery Girl kissed her on the forehead. A green glow enveloped Uraraka as the bones healed with a popping sound.

“Thank you, Recovery Girl,” Izuku said as Uraraka was almost asleep from exhaustion.

“Young Midoriya, she’ll be very tired for an hour. If you can, please escort her after having some food until she recovers. Otherwise, I can take her to the hospital wing right now.”

“I’ll take her to a restaurant to eat, Recovery Girl. We became friends today. Don’t worry,” Izuku replied calmly.

Uraraka started to get up and stand on her feet as the stamina gum took effect.

“Thank you, Recovery Girl,” Uraraka said. “Midoriya, let’s go.”

Uraraka began walking but almost stumbled, prompting Izuku to catch her arm and support her.

“It’s okay, Midoriya-kun. I can walk,” Uraraka said with some embarrassment.

“Let’s go to a restaurant on the next street outside UA. I know it has very good food. It’s somewhat expensive, but the quality and quantity are worth it. You should eat a full meal now to recover and travel home. Where’s your home, if I may ask?” Izuku asked curiously as they started walking at a snail’s pace, so Uraraka wouldn’t stumble.

‘Expensive?’ Uraraka thought to herself, worry flashing across her face, which Izuku didn’t miss. “I don’t think I’m hungry now, Midoriya. The sugary gum is enough. I have to go check an apartment so I can stay if I pass the exam. I need to see it today to avoid unnecessary travel. My home is in Mei Prefecture.”

Izuku looked at Uraraka closely, noticing her worry about the restaurant and realizing that the problem was money. He decided to help her, as it was the least he could do to repay her for a gravity quirk.

Izuku said kindly, “Don’t worry, Uraraka. I grew up here, so I know the address you mentioned. I’ll escort you there after we have some delicious food. Come on, this is my treat. You can pay when I visit your hometown. It’s the least I can do for the second friend I’ve made in my life.”

“Second friend only? I’m so sorry, Midoriya-kun. I’ll, of course, come to the restaurant. Let’s have a delicious meal,” Uraraka said happily, thinking about the food. She felt sad that the boy didn’t have many friends. “To tell you the truth, Midoriya-kun, you’re the first friend I’ve had in six years. So, I understand what you went through about not having friends.”

Hearing this, Izuku was surprised that Uraraka didn’t have any friends. She’s kind, cute, and has a powerful quirk. Why doesn’t she have any friends? Wait, she mentioned Mei Prefecture... six years ago, that was the time and place my dad fought All Might, Izuku thought.

“Then your ex-classmates are stupid, Uraraka. There's nothing more to say about it. You’re an amazing girl, and I can see you becoming a great hero. May I ask you something?” Izuku asked as they reached the restaurant.

“Let’s order first, then we can talk,” Uraraka deflected the question, knowing what Izuku was about to ask regarding the six-year gap.

“Okay,” Izuku replied as they entered the restaurant. They sat at a small two-person table and ordered some food. Uraraka was astounded by the high prices and asked, “Midoriya-kun, this place is really expensive. Is it okay, or should we go somewhere more affordable?”

“It’s fine, Uraraka. Ever since my father came into the picture four years ago, money hasn’t been a problem for me,” Izuku reassured her, waving off the concern. It was true—Izuku had reinvested the money he gained from pledging his I-Island shares using his enhanced mental abilities. He understood well how Nezu became the sixth richest person in the world. As of now, Izuku could live comfortably for five years without working.

“So, continuing from earlier, can I ask you that question now, Uraraka?” Izuku asked delicately.

“Yeah, go ahead. I can see you’re not going to drop it,” Uraraka sighed in defeat.

“You’re from Mei Prefecture. Are you related to Uraraka Construction, the big construction firm that went bankrupt and was blamed for not following safety procedures, leading to the collapse of many buildings during the Great Earthquake of Mei six years ago?” Izuku asked, his voice devoid of blame.

Uraraka sighed loudly, her bubbly demeanor fading to reveal only sadness and anger. “Yes, I am the daughter of the firm’s owners. How did you know about it? No one outside my hometown seems to care. When you said you had a question, I thought it was about my comment on not having friends for six years. But that’s related to this too. The government declared that our safety standards were inadequate and charged our company. The insurance company screwed the homeowners and us by claiming the buildings were substandard and that was reason they were destroyed in the Earthquake.  We became the scapegoats for the entire disaster. We still have to pay off the debts we incurred to cover the fines and penalties. Everyone affected blamed us, and I became a social pariah in my class. My parents work so hard just to put food on the table. The situation got so bad that they finally agreed to my suggestion to use my quirk in construction. The only good thing that came out of it was that I got to train my quirk. Midoriya, we never cheated anyone. Even though no individual clients have approached our company since the incident, other companies outsource their work to us because they know our standards and can get our services at cheap rates since we have no other choice. Anyway, I guess you won’t want to be friends with the daughter of ‘cheaters’ who caused so many deaths. So, thank you for offering the food and for your kindness. I’ll leave now,” Uraraka finished sadly and began to stand up.

Izuku wasn’t surprised that his guess had been correct. He looked at the young girl and felt a deep sadness, recognizing another unintentional victim of his father’s century-old grudge. He cursed the HPSC and the opportunistic bastards who had screwed over the Urarakas by not informing the insurance company to pay for the damage as part of a classified fight rather than the official story of  earthquake. They had used the cover-up of the earthquake to gain money.

“Sit down, Uraraka,” Izuku said firmly. Uraraka was surprised and looked up at Izuku’s face for the first time since she had started answering his question.

“What? You don’t want me to leave? Why?” Uraraka spluttered in confusion.

“Uraraka, I believe you. Anyone with eyes can see that you’re a kind and honest person without an ounce of crookedness in you. Someone raised by people like you described isn’t a cheater. I can tell. There are also a couple of other reasons too. Uraraka, tell me, why do you want to be a hero?”

“Money,” Uraraka replied hesitantly. “I want to help my family recover. They’ve sacrificed so much for me, and I need the popularity of being a hero to attract new individual clients and the money to pay off our debts. You probably think it’s not a good reason. I know.”

“No, Uraraka, I understand. It’s a very good reason. You’ve chosen to help others while achieving your goals. That’s admirable,” Izuku responded warmly.

Uraraka was truly astonished by the understanding shown by her new friend. She sat down again, feeling more comfortable as they talked over their meal, discussing various things. Finally, it was time to look for her apartment.

“Izuku, thank you for the food. I have to go check out the apartments now. Let me not bother you anymore,” Uraraka said with a smile.

“You’re welcome, and it’s not a bother. In fact, I’ll come with you to check out the apartment. The area is a bit shady, and I can’t let my new friend go alone,” Izuku said, hoping Uraraka wouldn’t notice his inner turmoil. Ever since hearing her story, Izuku had second thoughts about his plan. He had intended to take her quirk and use the Double Method, leaving her with a weaker version. But now, he didn’t want to make her suffer as his father had done.

Uraraka agreed, and Izuku led her to the address she had. The apartment was in a run-down building that looked like a strong breeze could knock it over.

“Uraraka, are you sure this is the right address? How can anyone safely live here?” Midoriya asked incredulously.

“This is the only place I can afford, Midoriya. The truth is, I can’t make my parents pay more. The least I can do is sacrifice my comforts,” Uraraka said sadly.

Midoriya looked at the girl with an intense stare. How could I even think about destroying this girl’s dream by taking her original quirk? I can’t make her suffer like my father did. I won’t be like him. I’ll take a copy and let her keep the original—and I’ll pay for even the copy of the quirk too.

“Uraraka, I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay here. I own the apartment where I lived with my mother. It was a gift from my father. I haven’t visited it since... the incident. I had her belongings taken out and sorted them later. The apartment’s still there, and I have another apartment where I’ll live when I start at UA. I couldn’t visit the old apartment even once since the incident. I want you to live there, rent-free,” Izuku said sincerely.

“What? I can’t do that! That’s too much. Please, Midoriya, I can’t accept it,” Uraraka protested.

“Please, take it. My mother would have definitely approved. She would have helped you. I can’t visit there alone, and now I have a reason to visit sometimes. Please, Uraraka,” Izuku pleaded with genuine kindness.

“I... I... I’ll take it. Thank you,” Uraraka said happily, running to hug Izuku for a couple of seconds. Realizing that she was hugging a heavily muscled boy, Uraraka jumped back with a red face, shrieking, “Sorry! Sorry! It was just because I was so happy. No one has shown me such kindness in a long time.”

“It’s okay,” Izuku said with a kind smile. “Let’s go and check out the apartment.”