7 Chapter 7
Hearing All Might mention he was a candidate to succeed 'One-for-All,' Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted. If he managed to get his hands on such power, he could breeze through the rest of his life. The issue was that 'with great power came great responsibility.' Furthermore, while he was determined to become more powerful, Izuku wasn't sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life as a Pro Hero, much less the 'Symbol of Peace.'
Closing his eyes, Izuku both surprised and impressed All Might by saying, "As I am, I'm unworthy of such power. After all, while it's true that I want to help people, my reasons for becoming a Hero are fairly selfish. Leading the next generation and becoming the Symbol of Peace...I'm not sure I'm capable of such selflessness..."
Catching Izuku by surprise, All Might exhaled a throaty laugh, smacking his leg several times before adopting a massive grin and saying, "Worry not, young Midoriya! While it's true I'm looking for a successor, it's not a pressing matter that requires an immediate response. Use these next few years at UA to better understand the kind of Hero you want to be. It's not too late to give me an answer once you graduate."
Without waiting for Izuku to respond, All Might rose to his feet and added, "It seems our time together has to be cut short. I hear citizens in need of assistance, so I must go to them. Farewell, young Midoriya! I look forward to observing your growth, both as a person and a Hero!"
Finished with what he had to say, All Might bolted from the room without giving Izuku a chance to see him out. As a result, the latter was left slack-jawed and silent until his mother arrived with hot tea and an entire platter of snacks...
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[April 1st, 2149]
After more than a month of hard training, allowing him to reach Level 16, it was finally time for Izuku to attend his first day at UA High.
Similar to the original, Izuku had been placed into Class 1-A. He wouldn't have minded being put into Class 1-B, but being in a familiar setting was always preferable to going in blind.
Entering through his class's massive door, Izuku was surprised to find he wasn't the first person to arrive. There was nearly a full hour until the first bell, so it made little sense for anyone else to be there.
Noticing Izuku's arrival, a rather short girl with large eyes, a larger-than-average mouth, and dark green hair fashioned into an ornate bow that extended past her hips stared back at him. Her hands were also larger than average, but instead of appearing grotesque, her overall appearance was fairly cute.
Touching her lips with one of her oversized fingers, the green-haired girl remarked, "I didn't expect anyone else to arrive this early, ribbit. I was so nervous that I would be late that I came in a full hour early. I'm Tsuyu, by the way. Tsuyu Asui."
Recovering from his brief stupor, Izuku adopted a friendly smile, raising his hand as he replied, "I'm Izuku Midoriya. It's a pleasure to meet you, Asui-san."
Shaking her head, Asui said, "Just call me Tsuyu. You're the first person I've met since becoming a student at UA, so I'd like it if we could become friends, ribbit."
Smiling a little wider, Izuku replied, "I'd like that too, Tsuyu. As such, feel free to address me as Izuku."
Seemingly satisfied by Izuku's response, Tsuyu adopted a similarly broad smile, replying, "Okay, Izuku." before rising to her feet. There were still 51 minutes until class began, so she figured they could chat a bit once Izuku got situated at his desk.
Understanding Tsuyu's intentions, Izuku made his way over to his desk, Seat No. 18, setting down his stuff as he asked, "This may sound a little rude, but does your Quirk have anything to do with frogs? I really don't mean to sound insulting, but that's the first impression I got when I saw you. Your verbal tick would seem to suggest I'm right."
Instead of answering Izuku's question directly, Tsuyu tilted her head to the side and asked, "If you had to say, what kind of frog do you think I resemble?"
Though he was somewhat taken aback by Tsuyu's response, Izuku didn't hesitate to reply, "A tree frog...?" in a questioning tone.
Adopting a smile, Tsuyu gave a slight nod and said, "You're right. My Quirk is related to frogs, ribbit. What about you, Izuku-chan?"
Ignoring the fact that Tsuyu had added the chan suffix to his name, Izuku explained, "My Quirk enhances my strength, speed, reflexes, and intellect, but the effect diminishes if I focus on more than one. I also need time to adapt to the changes in my body, so I can't freely switch from a strength-focused build to an intelligence build on the spot. Still, it's a pretty useful Quirk."
Blinking in surprise, Tsuyu remarked, "Sounds strong. My Quirk only lets me do the things a frog can do, ribbit. I'm confident in my tongue and leg strength, but my other abilities are lackluster."
"Your tongue?" asked Izuku, fully aware that Tsuyu could extend her tongue roughly 20m. After all, when he inspected someone's status, he gained intuitive knowledge of their listed Quirks.
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Name: [Tsuyu Asui]
Quirk: Frog
Current Level: 20 (102,405 EXP)
Effective Level: 28
[Attributes]
Strength: 24
Agility: 55
Vitality: 39
Intelligence: 52
Dexterity: 63
Luck: 49
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Though it was a little embarrassing, Tsuyu extended her tongue until it dangled around her stomach, revealing, "I can extend my tongue around 20m and use it to grab hold of objects and people, ribbit. If I push myself, I can lift around 300kgs."
Blinking several times, Izuku parroted, "Three hundred kilos? Seriously? That's incredible, Tsuyu."
As she wasn't accustomed to praise from people outside her family, a faint blush colored Tsuyu's cheeks as she snappily retracted her tongue. Unlike the original, the current Izuku put a lot of effort into his physical appearance. He kept his hair short and faded on the sides, but the most notable difference was his confidence. While the original struggled with all manner of esteem issues, to the point he would celebrate when a girl talked to him, the current Izuku gave off a mature but approachable vibe.
Amused by Tsuyu's reaction, Izuku teased, "I wasn't aware frogs could blush. You're going to be popular once you become a Hero."
Furrowing her brows slightly, Tsuyu adopted a reproaching tone as she said, "It's not nice to tease people, Izuku-chan. Besides, I might have a frog-based Quirk, but I'm still a human. It's normal for me to blush, ribbit."
Deepening the ruddy hue in Tsuyu's cheeks, Izuku's smile widened as he replied, "It suits you."
"Gnuuu..."
Feeling that Izuku was a little 'too' playful, Tsuyu briefly contemplated giving him a smack with her tongue. Instead, she combed back the bangs on the right side of her face and changed topics, focusing on subjects like which middle schools they originated from, the Entrance Exam, and what kind of Heroes each wanted to be...
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Though he enjoyed talking with Tsuyu, Izuku was relieved when other students began to arrive around half an hour before the bell. The first among them was Ida, who seemed genuinely shocked to discover others had come before him. Shortly after, one of the people Izuku had a vested interest in made her appearance, a tall, mature-looking girl with intelligent eyes and raven-black hair tied up in a spiky ponytail.
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Name: [Momo Yaoyorozu]
Quirk: Creation
Current Level: 14(39,942 EXP)
Effective Level: 30
[Attributes]
Strength: 21
Agility: 25
Vitality: 81
Intelligence: 73
Dexterity: 40
Luck: 63
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Surprising by Yaoyorozu's Vitality and Intelligence attributes, Izuku's gaze lingered a little longer than it should have, prompting Tsuyu to remark, "It isn't polite to stare, Izuku-chan." in a chiding tone.
As the classroom wasn't very large, and there were only the four of them present, Yaoyorozu also noticed Izuku's gaze, a polite smile adorning her face as she crossed her hands in front of her, gave a slight bow, and said, "Greetings, fellow students of Class 1-A. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu. I look forward to working alongside each of you as we endeavor to become dependable Heroes."
Seizing the opportunity Yaoyorozu had created, Ida rose from his seat like a spring, exclaiming, "What an excellent greeting! I, Tenya Ida, am also looking forward to working with everyone in our class! May we all go on to become great Heroes!"
Seeing how 'intense' Yaoyorozu and Ida were, Tsuyu briefly considered not getting involved with them. Unfortunately, she already viewed Izuku as a friend, so she was left with little choice when he said, "I see the two of you are morning people. However, while it's great to be spirited, it could cause a misunderstanding if someone were to hear you shout. My name is Izuku Midoriya, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yaoyorozu-san."
Piggybacking off of Izuku's words, Tsuyu gave a slight nod, adding, "And I'm Tsuyu. Tsuyu Asui, ribbit."
Smiling slightly wider than before, Yaoyorozu repeated, "Tenya Ida, Izuku Midoriya, and Tsuyu Asui. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. We'll be in each others' care these next three years, so please watch over and inform me if there's anything I'm doing wrong or could improve upon. I'm always open to constructive criticisms."
"Same here," replied Izuku. Then, to break the ice, he added, "Now, why don't you drop your stuff off, and then the four of us can get to know one another? Before you arrived, Tsuyu and I were discussing what our first class might be. She thinks we'll be doing introductions, while I suggested it'll be some kind of test. This is the Hero Course, after all."
Blinking in surprise, Yaoyorozu asked, "Do you really think they would test us on the very first day of school?"
Before Izuku could respond, Ida exclaimed, "What utter nonsense! If you had properly reviewed the schedule, you would know we have homeroom, followed by a school assembly!"
Resisting the urge to deadpan or roll his eyes, Izuku responded with a curt nod, saying, "You're right. However, that most likely only applies to the General, Support, and Business-Class Students. We're all aspiring to become Heroes. At the very least, we should expect the unexpected to ensure we're mentally prepared for anything."
Unable to refute Izuku's words, Ida pushed up his glasses and remained silent. At nearly that exact moment, the door to the classroom was kicked open, followed by the entrance of a boy with crimson eyes, a perpetually pissed-off expression, and ash-blonde hair reminiscent of an explosion.
Noticing the presence of other people, the boy remarked, "Huh? There are other people here? You tryhards are wasting your-"
Spotting Izuku, the boy's perpetually pissed-off expression became even more so as he screamed, "Deku!? Why the hell is a pathetic weakling like you here!? Do you want to die!?"
Taken aback by the boy's, Bakugo's, crass words and actions, Yaoyorozu covered her mouth in shock. Izuku, however, maintained a calm smile as he replied, "I'm here because I passed the Entrance Exam. I imagine you have a similar reason."
Creating an explosion in his left hand, Bakugo screamed, "Don't you dare compare the two of us! I'm nothing like you and these extras...!"
Undaunted by Bakugo's outburst, the corners of Izuku's smile curled upward as he retorted, "You're right. Everyone here is aspiring to become a Hero that others can look up to and feel safe around. We're absolutely nothing like you..."
Interpreting the relaxed smile on Izuku's face as a smug look, Bakugo's left brow twitched as he growled, "What did you just say to me, you little shit...?"
Raising his brows slightly, Izuku retorted, "What? Use your Quirk so often you've become hard of hearing? As expected of the future #1, Explosive Hero, Big Ego..."
"Dekuuuuuu....!!!"
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(A/N: It's a fitting name...)
