5 Infatuation pt1
As they walked down the street, following Katsuki, Ochako and Izuku chatted about their respective impressions of the exam. Katsuki threw in a couple lines about how easy the test was and how the robots were pushovers.
"Honestly, if school is going to be that easy, then I don't have anything to worry about!" He was walking with his confident strut, while Ochako and Izuku shared a look and grin.
"Don't forget, Kacchan. That was just the entrance exam," Izuku was quick to point out, "We have no idea what classes are going to be like, and what the teaching structure will be like."
Ochako nodded, then added, "Plus we are going to be training to use our quirks and how to use them."
"We don't have to worry about too much, do we, Deku?" Katsuki was looking back over his shoulder at his friend and work out partner of 13 years.
Izuku chuckled, and rubbed the back of his head nervously. Ochako looked at him in surprise.
"What does he mean?" She tilted her head in curiosity.
"Well, about 3 years ago, Kacchan and I got caught in messy business with a villain. All Might ended up saving us, and one of his trainers took us under his wing."
Ochako's eyes went wide when the villain was mentioned and gasped at All Might's name.
"So we have been training to be heroes a lot longer than most people will." Izuku looked down at Ochako with a smile.
"Just means that we'll be the most prepared for what's to come."
Ochako looked down thoughtfully. 'Maybe I should start training early too! I want to be a hero, and if they started so long ago, then I need to catch up!' She looked back up with a questioning look.
"How often do you train? Do you workout a lot?" She remembered Izuku shirtless and blushed hard.
Izuku looked over at Katsuki, with a pointed look. Katsuki glanced at him and at Ochako, before nodding slightly.
"Well, we work out everyday, in the mornings. Running, weight training, stuff like that. We also do sparring, using a couple different techniques that our sensei has shown us."
Izuku smiled at her again.
"You know, if you'd like, I can ask our sensei if you'd like to join us. There is still a month before UA starts. That's plenty of time to get into the rhythm of things." Ochako's eyes glinted in earnest.
"Are you sure?! That'd be super fun! It'll really help me get ahead!"
"As long as you can keep up, Round Face." Katsuki said back to her, "I won't be slowed down by anyone, got it?"
Ochako had a hesitant look that Izuku didn't like.
"O-oh, um…"
"Hey, don't worry about it! Toshinori-sensei is a great teacher and will find a plan that works perfectly for you and your quirk. Just listen to what he says, and you'll be able to keep up us no problem!"
Izuku's confidence was almost infectious. She could feel her worries melting as she looked into his bright green eyes. They held no doubt or fear. Just cool, calm, and relaxing energy.
"Ok, Deku! I'll do my best!" She looked back at him with a smile.
"Good! I hope-" "Can it, nerd. We're here."
The restaurant they were in front of didn't stand out, but it smelled heavenly.
Izuku's mouth began to water as the sweet scent of food surrounded him.
"Deku, are you hungry or not, Let's go!" Katsuki said from the threshold of the door.
After their meal, during which Izuku made jokes for Katsuki's benefit, letting Ochako get to see a different side of the explosive teen, the trio headed back to the train station.
"So, where do the two of you live?" Ochako asked while looking at the train map.
"Oh, we are pretty close, it's just a quick train ride to my apartment. Kacchan lives around the corner from me." Izuku pointed a spot on the map just 4 stations away.
"Oh, that's my stop too!" Ochako looked up at him and smiled.
"You live in the city? I thought you said your parents live in the Mei Prefecture?" Izuku looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, my parents own a construction company, and they built an apartment complex here, so the manager is letting me stay there for free until I start school." She looked down at the idea.
"That's awesome! That means you'll be able to work out with us in the mornings! Once Toshinorisensei gives you a plan, then we all be ready for UA!" Izuku had a bright big smile on his face.
Katsuki was waiting, leaning against a wall. The next train was due to arrive soon.
"Hey nerd, did you forget already? Sensei gave us tonight and tomorrow off because of the test."
Izuku looked up at his friend, and smiled, "I know, I'm glad to have a day to rest. Today was tough." He winked at Ochako with a grin. She smiled brightly back at him.
'God, he's so cute when he does that.'
The train arrived just a couple seconds later, and they boarded.
Ochako asked Izuku and Katsuki different questions about things around the city, and then their conversation drifted to local Heroes.
"All Might was seen around here recently, wasn't he?" Ochako was looking at Izuku with a curious smile. He had accidentally let slip of his obsession with the Number #1 hero.
He chuckled, "heh, yeah, in fact, I think I saw him chasing down a villain the other day. Looked like a robbery or something."
Katsuki looked up from his phone, "I still think that the villain has balls big enough to commit a crime, knowing that All Might is in town. Some people just need to learn their place." He finished with a dangerous smirk.
"Kacchan here can't wait to become a Hero so he can squash all of the villains." Izuku pointed out to Ochako. "He's been focused on being Number 1 since we were kids."
She giggled, looking at Katsuki, "Well, I can see you have the drive, but do you think you'll be able to be the best?"
"Of course I will, Round Face! I'll be even better than All Might himself. Nothing is going to stop me!" Katsuki shot back.
Izuku chuckled, nodding his head slightly.
"What about you, Deku? Are you trying to become Number #1?" Ochako looked up at him with a smile.
'She already knows that I can get there now. What's she playing at?' Izuku smirked.
"Of course, I am. I'm going to be the best so I can make people feel safe. I want to be the Hero that people can rely on. I want them to see my smile and know that everything will be fine." He finished, glancing at Katsuki, smirk intact, and then back to Ochako.
"What about you, why do you want to be a Hero?"
Ochako's face fell. She got small, and hung her head.
"Well, see...my parents...work really hard...and they don't make a lot of money." She paused and glanced up at Izuku, but his face was still held that small smile.
"So, I want to become a hero so I can make lots of money and give them a good life." She finished and held back, expecting the worst from the boy next to her.
"Are you going to cry, Round Face?" Ochako's eyes snapped up at Katsuki.
"N-no! It's just kinda embarrassing. You two want to be heros to help people and stop the bad guys. I'm doing it for the money! It's selfish!"
Izuku looked at Ochako, appraising her a slightly new light.
"I don't think so."
She looked at him, that wide smile back on his face.
"Even though you are doing it for money, you are trying to give your parents a good life. That's helping someone. You want to help people so you can help the ones you love. To me, that's even more grounded than mine or Kacchan's goals."
He looked at Katsuki. "One of Toshinori-sensei's teachings is that a Hero is a person who meddles where they aren't required to. A true Hero will help anyone regardless of anything else."
He looked back at Ochako. "Helping your parents is a very noble thing to do." He smiled broadly again.
She just stared at him, not sure what to say.
'How can he be so nice and understanding? He barely knows me, and already knows exactly what
to say.'
The rest of the train ride passed by in a flash, their conversation jumping all over the place, Katsuki giving his input when it was asked or he had something to add.
When they got to the station, they exited and started the walk home.
They got to an intersection, and Ochako turned down a different direction from the boys.
"Well, this is where we say good-bye, I guess." She rubbed the back of her head, nervously.
"How much further do you have to go?" Izuku asked.
"It's about another 5 minute walk, not too far." She smiled back at him.
'Why am I smiling so much around him?'
"Well, if it's okay with you, I'd like to make sure you get home safe. I know you are tired from the test, so you'll need to sleep as soon as you get home." Izuku turned to Katsuki before she could respond.
"I'll catch up with you later, Kacchan." He nodded to his friend.
"Whatever, nerd. Just make sure you don't do anything stupid." Katsuki turned to walk home.
"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you!" Izuku retorted.
Katsuki chuckled and pushed on.
Ochako looked at Katsuki and then back to Izuku.
'Such a weird friendship, always teasing each other. They must really like each other.' Izuku turned to her, and gently smiled again.
"So, is it ok if I walk you home?"
"S-sure! I'd like the company!"
"Lead the way!" Izuku turned down the direction she had originally turned to.
The next couple of minutes passed by in a comfortable silence between them. Izuku was alert and watchful.
'Not that anything is going to happen, but I'd much rather make sure she is okay, especially after today.'
After a minute, Izuku looked over at Ochako, and noticed she was watching him from the side.
"Everything alright over there?" He smirked at her.
She smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just curious. Why did you stop me from saying something at the school about the test?"
She looked at his pensive face.
"Is there something you are trying to hide from Bakugo?" He studied her for a second.
"There are a couple of things that Kacchan doesn't know, but none of them are dangerous. I really just didn't want to ruin the mood."
He smiled at her confused expression.
"If Kacchan knew that he didn't make first place, or knew what I did to the 0-pointer, then he would have been angry and wanted to do the test again. And that would have ruined lunch."
He started to chuckle, "Plus I didn't want to scare you off with his outbursts. You saw how he can be. Now imagine him actually angry."
She looked a little shocked and scared at that idea.
"He wasn't mad or anything? That was just him being...well...him?"
Izuku nodded. "He's always been like that, even when we were kids."
He looked up at the sky, "He's always been aiming for the top, and will push others out of his way to get there."
He looked back down at Ochako and continued. "It's just his nature. Like I said, he's prickly, but he is very passionate."
"Yeah, I could tell. He tried to make it look like he wasn't interested, but when we started talking about heroes, I saw him listening and following the conversation." She grinned at Izuku's nodding.
They got to Ochako's apartment complex just a minute later, and he walked her up the stairs.
"Before I go, here's my number. Call or text me whenever you feel like it," he passed her a slip of paper with his name and number on it, "and let me know when you want to join us for a workout."
She took the paper, looked at his neat handwriting, and then looked up smiling.
"Absolutely! Thank you, Deku!"
She opened her arms and grabbed him a tight hug. 'I can't believe I just did that!'
Her face was growing red as she pressed it into his coat. His arms wrapped around her, tightly, and she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. 'Safe, and warm. So soft, yet strong.'
He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and then pulled out of the hug, a huge blush on his face. He turned and waved, "Good night, Uraraka! Talk to you later!"
Uraraka crashed, red screen of blush on her face, stuck to where she was standing.
'Did he just…' Her hand rose to touch her cheek. His kiss was short, but it felt warm and shot electricity through her core.
She squealed and then ran into her apartment, almost hyperventilating from the shock and embarrassment.
Once inside, she closed the door, and slid down it on her back, hands covering her burning red face.
'I can't believe he did that. He's so...smooth! It's not fair!'
She stood up, and looked at the piece of paper in her hand. His handwriting was neat and clean.
She put his number into her phone and started to send a text to him.
Thirteen: Hey Deku, This is Ochako Uraraka! Thx for walking me home. When are u going to workout next? I'd like to come along.
She looked up from her phone, and decided to get into comfy clothes and settle in for the night.
After a shower and putting on her warm pajamas, she took a look at her phone, a message from Izuku waiting for her.
All Might: Hi Uraraka! Kacchan and I are taking the day off tomorrow, but if you'd like, we are going to go for a light run Sunday morning.
She thought for a second. 'I do need to rest tomorrow, it would be reckless to not rest after that
test.'
Thirteen: That sounds good! I'm excited to sleep in after today :).
She chuckled to herself, and then put the phone down.
'He's so cool. I can't wait to see him again.' She was out before her head hit the pillow.
Izuku got home, and as he walked through the door, he heard his mother in the kitchen.
"Hi Mom, I'm home!"
"Hi Izuku! Dinner is almost ready, and I want to hear all about the exam!"
He could smell the wonderful scent of his favorite dish being made. Katsudon was a gift from
God, and he loved every minute of it.
He sat down at the table after taking a shower and changing into comfy clothes. As his mom finished up with the dinner prep, he started to tell her all about the exam, leaving out the dangerous bits, and the sheer destruction he had created.
As they ate, he told her about Ochako and the lunch they had. Inko got that maternal glint in her eye and started grilling him about her.
"Come on, Mom, we just met!" after his mother had asked about their new found love, his blushing face turning more and more red.
"I know that dear, but this is the first girl you have shown interest in. It's my job as your mother to make sure you do it right." She was smiling with pride at her grown son. She was not looking forward to the empty house, but she couldn't be more proud of how much he had grown.
After Izuku had cleaned up dinner, he settled into his room, watching some videos online of recent hero activity, taking notes of anything of interest. After a while his head started to droop, so he pulled himself up, and rolled into bed. Under the covers, he was out like a light.
Izuku didn't wake up until the early afternoon the next day, sleeping longer and better than he ever had.
'Must have used more power than I thought,' he added a mental note to work on his power meter idea soon.
He checked his phone to see a text from Ochako, making his heart race and a smile cross his face.
She was asking how he slept, curious about how much he needed to sleep with his quirk.
He sent her a message letting her know he just woke up, and that he really only needed a couple of hours, but with yesterday's test, he was worn out.
He got up, showered, and then after a quick lunch, a sandwich his mom had made for him, he got back to his computer.
He started research into circuitry for his quirk, needing some way to watch how much power he was using, and to see his overall power level. He sent a message to All Might, to see if he knew anything about it, but didn't get a response.
Ochako sent him a couple more messages, most of them talking about the exam again, or what there was to do around town. He responded with what he knew, and gave her some good pointers on where to get cheap food and supplies.
After a couple of hours of gathering ideas and reading about the power meter, he looked for local listings for someone that might be able to make the device he had in mind.
'Any type of prototyper or electronics guru should be able to make it,' he pondered. His phone buzzed again, with a message from All Might this time.
Toshinori: You might want to check out this place. Tell them All Might sent you.
A second text followed with a listing to a local shop.
"Looks like I'll have to take the train. Shouldn't take very long though." He got ready to leave, kissed his mother goodbye, and then headed out. He sent a message of thanks to his mentor, and then let Katsuki and Ochako know where he was going.
Bomber-man: Fucking finally. Having to guess has been slowing you down.
Thirteen: Good idea! Let me know if you find anything cool!
He chuckled and tucked his phone into his pocket, and then boarded the train. Two stops later, he got off, and following the map on his phone found the little shop, tucked into an alleyway.
A small hand painted sign that said Hatsume Hero Support and Mechanics was over the Garage door. It was..quaint. Simple, but Izuku knew that the pearls were found in unsuspecting places.
He was just about to cross the threshold of the shop door, when there was a shout, a large bang, and a huge cloud of smoke came billowing out in front of him. He walked through the door, a soft chime in the back went off, and then he heard an older scruffy voice.
"Gotdangit, Mei! How many times have I told you not to use the acetylene torch when you have combustibles on the table!?"
"But Papa, I'm so close to being done with my newest baby!"
"NO Mei! Go clean up the front. I heard the doorbell."
Izuku heard an exasperated sigh, and then saw a young woman with bright pink hair, a black tank top, and goggles on her head walk out of the back room with a broom. She looked up at him and stared for a second. Izuku smiled brightly at her.
"Hi there. I'm wondering if you can help me?"
Mei broke out of her stupor, and then rushed over to him.
"You are so tall and muscley. You'd be perfect for a new baby I'm designing!"
"Uh, sorry, did you say baby?" Izuku looked over his shoulder as she was feeling all over him.
"MEI! GET OVER HERE!" The scruffy voice called from behind the counter. Attached to the voice was a man with a large salt and pepper mustache, overalls, and a baseball cap. He was glaring at Mei. She cowered behind Izuku for a second, then resigned herself to walk behind the counter.
"My apologies for my granddaughter, sir," the man bowed, "she has a very curious and inventive nature. My name is Hatsume."
"No apologies needed! Sounds like she is very enthusiastic." Izuku chuckled, as he smiled at Mei, who squirmed a little.
"What can I do for you? Perhaps some work on Hero Gear?" The older man asked politely.
"Actually, I need some help with something custom. I have a very unique quirk that allows me to store and release energy in many forms."
The older man tilted his head in thought. Mei's face burst into a huge smile. She almost started vibrating with excitement.
"I need a device that will allow me to monitor my power storage, and usage. I realize that it is a difficult challenge, but you were recommended to me. He seemed to think you'd be up for the challenge." Izuku smiled as he watched Mei start fidgeting and could make out a small squeal coming from her.
"May I ask who recommend us? We don't usually get special requests." the old man looked skeptically at Izuku.
"All Might sent me," Izuku said simply.
With that, Mei positively exploded.
"OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE! PAPA PLEASE LET ME DO IT!" She started
bouncing on the spot.
"Easy, Mei! Down! STOP IT!" He stared at his granddaughter as she stopped bouncing. Then he turned to Izuku and started chuckling, "Well, it seems I have no choice in the matter now. Come with us, sonny. Let's see what we can do."
Izuku followed them around the counter and in to the workshop. It was vastly different than the outside would make you believe. A whole wall covered in almost every tool imaginable, custom fabrication machines, 3-D Printers, and based on what Izuku had seen on the internet earlier, what looked like a 3-D Metal Extrusion table.
Izuku let out a low whistle as he looked around. "You have quite the setup here." He marvelled at the workspace.
Both Hatsume were grinning with pride, Mei bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"We do what we can to help those who help others." Elder Hatsume said sagely.
"Now, let's do some tests to see what we are dealing with."
Mei pulled a bunch of measurement devices, some that scared Izuku a little.
"Uh, what kind of...tests...are we talking about here?"
"Oh, nothing dangerous," Mei said as she walked over, "Just need to get lots of measurements, and figure out how you store power, how much you have, etc."
"This won't take long," Elder Hatsume said, "Just don't get carried away, Mei. Focus on the customers needs."
Whether or not Mei heard was anyone's guess, she was muttering to herself as she measure Izuku's body, stuck probes to his skin, and various other tests.
After about an hour, she finally turned away from Izuku, wrote a bunch of notes down on a notepad, and then walked over to her grandfather. They talked in a low whisper for a couple of minutes, then both Hatsume's walked over to where Izuku was sitting.
He stood up and looked at their grinning faces, not sure how to feel about their looks of glee and mania.
"So, doctors, what's the prognosis?" He asked, chuckling a little.
Elder Hatsume chuckled a little in response.
"We have a good idea of how to make a device that will read your internal energy store and power output, but It's going to require a neural link. From what we can tell, your power is controlled by your nervous system, so we'll need a way to read it."
Izuku cocked an eyebrow up at the mention of his nervous system. They figured it out fast. It took him a couple of days to figure out how his quirk handled the energy.
"So, you really have two options," Elder Hatsume continued, "you can have a neural lace installed that will interface directly with your nervous system."
Izuku had read about neural laces, but the cost was extreme, the surgery dangerous, and there was a chance of it not working. Involving weaving superconducting fibers into his spinal column, into his brain, and down to his extremities, it wasn't something to be considered lightly.
"Or, you can just use a neural net scanner. No pain, no surgery, but you'd have to have the interface around your neck and back of your head in order to get an accurate reading. Also, it's nowhere near as accurate as the lace. Expect a 10 to 15% margin of error."
"Ok, well, obviously, we'll go with the Neural Net scanner. If the technology gets better or the surgery gets cheaper, then I'll consider it." Izuku shivered at the thought of surgery though.
Mei then spoke up.
"Great! I'll get working on it right away. Come back tomorrow! I'll have it ready for you!"
"Oh, okay! I wasn't expecting it to be done so soon. What about payment? How much is this going to cost?"
Elder Hatsume spoke up as Mei wheeled around and sped off to one of the fabricators.
"Don't worry about payment, sonny. You said you are with All Might, and he's already squared it up with us."
"Oh! Well, thank you!" Izuku took a deep bow.
"My pleasure. Like Mei said, come back tomorrow. We'll have something nice for you." With that, Izuku smiled, bid his good-byes, and left the store.
He sent a couple texts to Ochako, a thank you to All Might which went unanswered, and a message to his mother letting him know he was heading home.
His journey home was quick, and when he got home, dinner was waiting. He talked to his mother about the Hatsume's and their shop. He brought the terrible idea of the Neural Lace, all the research he had done on it. Inko didn't like the idea one bit, with Izuku mirroring her opinion.
After dinner and clean up, Izuku worked on his hero costume ideas. He had changed the greaves around a little, and a new idea had sprung inspiration for a modification to the cuirass.
After an hour of drawing his ideas, he decided sleep was a good idea, and crawled into bed. Sleep covered him swiftly.
The next morning, he woke up early for his run with Katsuki and Ochako. He got to their meeting place a little early, just in case Ochako decided to be early too. Katsuki was always on time, never late, but never particularly early either.
Sure enough, about 5 minutes before Katsuki was supposed to show up, Izuku saw Ochako walk up to their meeting place.
She looked...so tired. Bags under her eyes, like she hadn't slept at all.
"Not a morning person, eh?" Izuku grinned at her.
"Shhhh...still sleepy..loud noises not fun…" She mumbled out.
"heh well, sleepyhead, let's start our stretching so we can get the blood flowing ok?" She nodded wearily.
He led her through several stretching exercises and warm ups that managed to wake her up a bit. She became more animated as they warmed up, talking and asking questions about what they would do today.
Katsuki showed up at his usual time, and started stretching with them.
After ten minutes of warm up, they started their jog. Their usual path would do, but they took it at a slower pace than usual. Ochako had no problem keeping up for the first three kilometers, but once they hit the halfway point at the beach, they had to stop. She was out of breath, bent over, and looking at the pristine beach. Now that the boys had cleaned it, the locals were taking very good care of it.
"I read something about this beach a while back, how it got cleaned up after some huge explosion or something?"
Izuku and Katsuki shared a look and then started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Ochako looked at them, bewildered.
"That was us!" Izuku chuckled.
"The big explosion was me testing my abilities out on a fridge. The next day, we started cleaning.
Took us 7 months to get it totally clear."
"Tested on a fridge? You mean like what you did to the robot in the test?" She clapped her hands over her mouth after she noted her slip and stared at Izuku with worry.
Katsuki stared at her, then looked to Izuku's bemused face where he was chuckling.
"What's she talking about, Deku?"
Izuku gave Ochako a reassuring smile, and then turned to Katsuki.
"You remember the big one pointer in the entrance exam? I took it down with a single hit."
Izuku chuckled lightly, 'Well, not so much down, more like made it gone.'
"Not just that, Bakugo, he vaporized it!" Ochako was excited now that she could talk about it.
"You did what?! Deku, how much power did you use?! You know what happens if you use too much!"
Izuku put up his hands, "Easy, Kacchan, it was fine. I had more than enough built up. Remember that idea I had about concrete? The radiation? Turns out I was right. I can actively pull it out. I used that power to fuel the hit."
Ochako looked back at Izuku with a question on her face '...what happens when he uses too much?
What does that mean?'
"Anyway, yes, I vaporized the robot with a single hit," Izuku continued, "No I didn't hurt anyone or anything."
He looked at Katsuki, "I didn't tell you, because I didn't want you to worry." "Worry about what? You seemed to handle it just fine." Ochako questioned.
"You have to tell her now, Deku. You opened that can when you went beyond what you were supposed to do." Katsuki turned to Ochako, "I would tell you if it were my secret, but it's his, so he'll tell you."
He then turned and walked away to a water fountain.
Izuku watched his friend for a minute, then turned to Ochako. He took a deep breath, then looked at her with a smile.
"My quirk is very powerful, as you saw." Ochako nodded.
"It's also very dangerous." He turned and picked up a leaf off of the ground.
"My quirk absorbs, stores, stockpiles, and releases energy. I absorb all forms of energy, be it heat or light, even kinetic energy. I absorb the entire electromagnetic spectrum. But it goes further than that. Two years ago, my quirk evolved. Up 'til that point, the energy draw was passive, unless I was in a stressful situation, then I could actively pull energy to me."
The leaf slowly turned brown in Izuku's fingers, then slowly, condensation started to cling to the leaf.
"When my quirk evolved, I gained the ability of Active Draw permanently. I can turn it on and off at will. But it also has a failsafe. If I fall below a certain energy level, my quirk activates itself and begins to actively draw in energy from all sources around me." The condensation on the leaf started to freeze.
"Two years ago, when my quirk evolved, I lost control. Do you see that circle of dirt over there?" Izuku pointed to an area of dirt in the grass that was a near perfect circle.
Ochako looked at it, and back to him, but didn't say anything.
"That circle will never grow anything unless the replace the dirt. My quirk pulled every ounce of heat and energy out of it. That light post inside the circle was damaged too."
He dropped the leaf, and it fell quickly, covered in frost. It hit the ground and shattered.
He looked down at the pieces. "I have to be careful with my quirk, otherwise it will kick in on it's own. People could get hurt or die, if I'm not careful."
"So, now you know. I have a super useful and powerful quirk, and if I use it too much, it could kill someone."
Ochako was quiet for a little bit, then looked up into Izuku's eyes. They were sad, but also scared.
That wasn't a look she enjoyed seeing. 'I need his smile again.'
"Well, thank you for telling me. I think I understand. My own quirk could be used to hurt people, but I suppose not like yours."
She looked at the pads of her fingers.
"But you know what, I'm okay with your power. I trust you." She smiled widely at him.
His face cracked into smile too, his eyes lighting up.
'There it is! I love that look.'
"Besides, you just became my best friend. You never told me you could make ice cream instantly." She said as she put her hands on hips in an accusatory manner.
Izuku blinked at her, taken aback, then started laughing.
"Ice cream," he chuckled, "that's rich."
"Ahaha! You made a pun!"
"ARE YOU READY TO GO, NERDS? WE STILL HAVE A RUN TO FINISH!" Katsuki yelled
from the water fountain.
"Coming, Kacchan!" Izuku said as he laughed with Ochako.
They took off towards the explosive blonde.
Izuku felt much better about getting that off of his chest. He didn't want to scare Ochako off.
'He cares so much, he kept his failsafe a secret because it's so dangerous. But I know he wouldn't hurt me. He's too...good.' She smiled to herself.
The next week past by rather quickly.
Sunday afternoon, Izuku went to the Hatsume shop, only to find it was closed, a note left on the door for him to come back Monday afternoon. Izuku was sure Mei found some new things to put into his idea.
Monday morning, there was text from Toshinori saying that he was busy that week, so Izuku and Kacchan were to follow the schedule like they have. Ochako did her best to keep up with the boys, but fell behind them.
She was determined, though, much to Izuku's amusement. She would always try her hardest.
Lunch was usually at the Midoriya Apartment. Ochako was nervous about meeting Inko, but she warmed right up to Mama Midoriya, chatting like they had been friends for years.
After lunch, Ochako and Izuku decided to head to Hatsume's, to show Ochako a little of the city, and to get Izuku's item.
When they arrived, Elder Hatsume was sweeping the front entryway. He looked up as they approached, a wide smile forming on his face.
"Ah, Mr. Midorya, welcome back! My apologies for not having it ready yesterday, Mei had some last minute alterations she wanted to do."
"No problem at all, Hatsume, I figured it was something like that." Izuku chuckled, "I doubt anyone could stop her from improving on something once she has started."
"Too right you are! Now, please come in, let's test the fit and make sure it works for you."
Izuku led Ochako into the shop, and then followed Hatsume into the workshop behind the front counter.
He stopped at a work bench with a black case on it, then opened the case.
Inside was a pearly white band in a horseshoe shape, thin near the middle then wider near the ends.
"Mei! Our guest has arrived!" Hatsume called back to a door in the back of the shop.
There was a loud crash, and a scurry of feet, then the door flew open, and Mei raced out of it. She skidded to a halt right next to the table, a look of excitement on her face.
"I made the best baby for you! You are going to love it!" She bounced on her feet again.
"This is your new Neural Interface!"
She pulled the device out of the foam.
"It reads your nervous system through magnetic resonance in the back of the band, against your neck. Go ahead and put it on!"
Izuku took the band, and looked it over. It was pearl white on the outside, but black and silver on the inside. The silver parts appeared to make contact with the back of his neck at the base of his skull, and at his temple.
He put the device over his ears, and let it settle down. It was a lot lighter on his head than he thought it was going to be. It settled then adjusted automatically, using the magnets to find the optimal position on his neck. The band stopped moving, then cooled against his skin. The part around his temple flexed a bit, finding the optimal area, then settled and cooled as well. He now had a pearl white band going from his temple, back towards his ear, then angling down a little, cupped the base of his skull, and swung back up to the other side of his head.
He could barely tell it was there, it was so light. He looked at Ochako, who was staring at him, mouth open.
"How does it look?" He asked, smiling widely.
"So cool" she said in a low voice, still in awe.
Izuku turned back to Mei. "It fits great. How did you make it automatically adjust itself?"
Mei smiled a toothy grin, "Magnetics and your own static electricity. The device is powered by you. Just by being attached to your skin, it will sip power from your own stores. Don't worry, it's got a failsafe. If you reach a critical point, it will automatically detach." She noticed the slight look of worry in Izuku's face.
"It's also thought controlled, so no buttons, or weird hand movements. Just think about what you want it to do, and it will do it. For example, think Screen, and the screen will activate."
Izuku immediately thought 'Screen', and a faint neon green band of light popped up in front of eyes, just like a visor shielding his eyes. He focused on the screen and could see a HUD that detailed his heart rate, a power meter that showed battery that was halfway full, as well as a compass at the top of the screen, and a minimap in the corner.
"Mei, this is...absolutely amazing...I've never seen anything like this!" Izuku was completely blown away by her ingenuity.
"Thank you! But that's only a part of what it can do. It's waterproof, heat resistant, and crush resistant. It's got Bluetooth, so you can connect your phone, and bone transduction audio, so you can still listen to everything around you, while listening to what's playing through the Interface."
He stared at her. "Bluetooth?"
"What? Everything's better with Bluetooth!"
Izuku chuckled at that. He couldn't disagree with her on that.
"Is there anything else I need to know about?" He asked her, as he deactivated the screen with a thought.
"It also has satellite communication, so if you get into an area with no signal, you can still reach out. I'm also working on further improvements into the software, so if you think of something you need, just ask. Though, once I start at UA, my time will be limited." Izuku looked at her. "You're going to UA?" he asked excitedly.
"Yeah! I got my results from the Support class exam this morning! Why?" Izuku pointed to Ochako and himself.
"We tested for the Hero course. And I'm pretty sure we got in. We'll be going to school together!" Mei looked delighted at that.
"That's perfect! I can keep making stuff for you! Please let me! I want to be your exclusive technician!"
'Heh, she's really eager!' Izuku thought, as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head.
"Sound good, Mei. I have quite a few ideas that I'm sure you'll like. I can send them to you if you'd like."
"YES PLEASE! Here's my number." And she wrote her number down on a piece of paper.
"OH! Try this! Connect the Interface to your phone." Mei just remembered a feature she added.
After Izuku had paired his phone, he had access to texts, calls, even pictures and music. He could even surf the net.
"Now, look down at the paper, and think 'Scan'."
He did so, and the screen showed a scanner bar transposed over the paper, then a complete replication of the phone number on the screen. A new box opened after the software recognized the information as a phone number and automatically added it to a new contact.
Izuku thought about a keyboard, but nothing happened.
"How do I input text?" He asked Mei.
"Just think about the words or letters." She was bouncing, so excited that her beautiful baby was working so well.
He thought about her name, and the software automatically input Mei's name, and saved the contact.
"This is incredible, Mei! Such an amazing tool!" Izuku was so excited to play around it.
"I'm glad you think so! I can't wait to make more babies for you!" She was so happy that Izuku liked it so much.
Elder Hatsumi chuckled, and the rest of the group followed suit.
Mei handed him a small booklet with instructions and basic troubleshooting tips, just in case.
After that, they talked about upcoming school for a couple minutes, then Izuku and Ochako bid their good-byes and left to go home.
Ochako was quiet on the ride home. 'The way he got excited was cute. It is cool tech. But I wish I had been that close to him and could know him like that.'
"Something the matter, Uraraka?"
He was looking at her with a smile.
"Um, no! Everything's good!" She returned the smile.
'Ugh, it's not fair. Why does his smile make me feel like this?'
The rest of the week passed by without incident. Workouts in the morning, lunch, and then hanging out. Izuku was constantly playing with his new tech. It made it so much easier to text, all he had to do was think about it.
It also let him watch his power level, though after a confirmation text from Mei, he confirmed that he had to calibrate it first. Which meant using everything he had to drain his power as far he could go without the failsafe tripping. That would be Power Level 0 from now on.
They went to the field at the high school again, no Toshinori around though. He was still doing whatever business he needed to take care of.
At the field, Katsuki ran Izuku ragged, making him use as many attacks and shields as possible.
After about three hours of intense sparring and running, Izuku began to feel the start of the pull.
Katsuki noticed the air seemed to cool a little. So Izuku started the calibration process of the Interface, and then laid down in the grass to rest and catch his breath. He watched the battery reset to empty, and as the sunlight washed over him, he basked in its warmth. After ten minutes of just laying there, he looked at the battery again. 1%.
'Ten minutes of sunlight for 1 percent. 1000 minutes for full charge. A little over 16 hours.'
Izuku let out an exasperated laugh. Katsuki looked at him.
"What? That gadget tell you anything good?"
"Yeah, Sunlight isn't enough to maintain power. After ten minutes, I'm only at 1%."
"So you'd need a full day of charging just on sunlight."
"More than than. Only so much sunlight in a day. Unless I want to move to Alaska or Russia." He chuckled at the thought.
"We'll need to find other ways of increasing power input. Portable power sources, electrical tethers, etc."
"Don't forget you've got me, and you take Kinetic hits as well."
"Yeah, but I have no idea how much power those provide."
Katsuki licked his lips. "We could always learn now." he said with a malicious smile.
Izuku rolled onto his stomach, and stood up with a chuckle. "Maybe later?"
Looking at the display, he noted the time. "Just about 5 pm. The results should be delivered soon.
Gonna head home."
He turned, waving good-bye to his friend.
Katsuki watched him go, ideas running through his head.
The Entrance Exam results weren't there when Izuku got home, so he sat down with his mom for dinner and then relaxed after.
It wasn't too long later that Inko came bursting into the living room with an envelope.
"Izuku! It's here!"
He grabbed the envelope and carried it to his room.
He immediately opened it, and small silver disc clatter onto his desk. A small white light started shining from it.
"I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!" All Might's voice filled the room.
"All Might?!" Izuku glanced down at the envelope, "This is from UA right?"
"Sorry for not getting back to you or Young Bakugo sooner, but the reason I moved to this city was so I could start my new job! Teaching at UA!
'All Might's teaching at UA! This is going to be awesome!'
"Young Midoriya, I'm proud to say that you aced the written exam, and you got the highest score in the practical exam. Welcome to U.A., my boy. You scored 84 villain points in the exam, getting more than enough points to pass, but you exceeded even my own expectations. When you rushed to the aid of your fellow test taker, Ochako Uraraka, you did so without hesitation, and in full spirit of a Hero. We have awarded you 60 rescue points for saving someone at the expense of your own safety."
Izuku was tearing up, and wiped his face with his sleeve.
"We even gave Young Uraraka Rescue points as well, for inspiring you into action, as well as her assistance with other students. She received 10 rescue points for her actions."
'That's a relief. I'm glad she got in.'
"So, Young Midoriya, you both have passed the Entrance Exam. U.A. will be your Hero
Academy."
With that, the hologram shutdown, Izuku still standing there.
'I did it. I'm in!' He let out a whoop!
His phone buzzed, Ochako sent a text. Thirteen: I GOT IN! *lots of excited emojis* All Might: Yeah! That's great!
All Might: We need to celebrate! I know a great mochi place that is open late. Wanna go?
Thirteen: . . . .
Thirteen: OMG YES
All Might: Haha ok, I'll be by your place in ten minutes.
He got up and got ready to leave, said goodbye to his mom, and made his way over to Ochako's place.
She was just walking out the door when he got to her floor.
"Hi Deku! I'm so excited! And we are getting mochi!" She was beaming brightly, and Izuku could help but feel light at the sight.
"You did a great job, Uraraka! I'm glad you got it!"
"Same to you, though I didn't realize how high your score was!"
"Heh, yeah, Kacchan isn't going to be happy about that one."
They kept walking and talking about their results, and about Izuku's relationship with Katsuki.
"So, he's really your best friend, even after he gave you such a mean nickname?"
"Well, yeah, it just stuck. And it worked out. I'm not useless anymore. If anything, I'm the exact opposite. My quirk lets me do so many things that it's scary."
They arrived at the mochi shop, Ochako getting strawberry, and Izuku getting green tea. They sat outside the shop, ate, and talked about random friendly things.
After they were done, they walked back to Uraraka's place.
Izuku's phone vibrated, but he ignored it for now. 'Might have Mei look into text to voice so a notification can be read to me so I can focus.'
When they got to Uraraka's door, she turned and hugged him again. He smiled and hugged her back, tight and sturdy.
She melted into the hug, nothing had felt so perfect.
She pulled away after a couple of seconds, and turned to look up at Izuku.
"Thanks for the mochi, Deku. And for everything else."
"You're welcome, Uraraka." He smirked, "It was my pleasure." as he took a big bow, making Uraraka laugh at his joke.
"Good Night, Deku," She turned to go inside.
"Uraraka, before you go. Would you like to go on a date with me, say tomorrow evening?"
She stopped, and slowly turned to him. His face was smiling, with a sincere and light glint in his eyes.
"O-oh, um..y-yes! I-I'd love to!" She managed to say. She was blushing so hard now.
'He did it! HE ASKED ME OUT. ON A REAL DATE!'
"Great! I'll let you know when we are going to meet up. Have a good night!" He turned and walked away, leaving Uraraka floating a couple of inches off the ground. She slapped herself and settled back down. After running into her apartment, and into her bedroom, she collapsed on the bed, and started screaming happily into the pillow.
Izuku was walking down the street, and did a whoop of joy, along with a punch into the air.
