9 Chapter 9 - Class 1-A

"You have everything you need, Master Midoriya?"

"Yes, Alfred," Replied Izuku. It was the first day of his new life at UA. The acceptance rate into the hero program was just as small as it ever was: only one in three hundred. Four got in on recommendations, and even though Izuku was sponsored by Bruce Wayne, he didn't count since he took the Entrance Exam.

His mother had fussed over him before he left, as mothers do. He had planned on taking the train, but was surprised to see Alfred was already waiting for him with the car. And he had fussed over Izuku almost as much as his mother did.

"Quite an exciting day," Said Alfred cheerfully. "I remember driving Master Bruce to his first day of school at Roxbury Fielding Academy back in Gotham. It was hardly a school for heroes, but in a way it was there that Master Bruce's hero journey began."

Izuku had never thought to ask where Bruce had went to school. His knowledge was extensive, and wasn't limited to criminology. And according to rumor, Batman was considered to be one of the most intelligent heroes on the planet, he had to have gained the knowledge from somewhere. Come to think of it, he had never asked Bruce about how or when he had become the Batman in the first place. He knew the reasons behind him being a hero was the death of his parents, but it was a mystery as to the circumstances that led him to become his alter-ego.

"Alfred?"

"Yes, Master Midoriya?"

"How did Bruce learn to. . . I mean, when did he first become. . ." Izuku was having trouble formulating the question.

"I believe you want to know about when Master Bruce first donned the cape and cowl, correct?" Alfred said.

"Yeah," Replied Izuku.

"As you know, Master Bruce had a troubled childhood," Said Alfred. "The trauma of losing his parents. . . it was earth shattering. As he had no immediate family other than his parents, I took over the responsibility of raising the young Master."

Izuku knew this much from his conversations with Bruce and Alfred. They had a very father-son like relationship, and Alfred was more loyal to Bruce than anyone, his conscience and voice of reason. "Bruce tried to live a normal life, and I tried to provide it for him," Continued Alfred. "But as the years passed, it became clearer and clearer that any hope of a normal life died with his parents. He had another destiny to fulfill.

"Master Bruce left Gotham for a while," Continued Alfred. "I had hoped that getting away would help him find healing and peace. It was during these travels where he developed the skills he employs now, and after eight years he finally returned to Gotham, and I hardly recognized the man who stood before me. It was as if the Bruce I knew as a child had completely transformed. It was both amazing. . . and frightening. Here we are, sir." Alfred added, pulling up alongside the curb, just outside the UA gate.

"Thank you, Alfred." Izuku was glad there wasn't anyone around. He always felt uncomfortable driving around in the limo. Alfred opened the door for him, and he began to proceed towards the gate when Alfred placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Before you go, sir," Said Alfred. "If this old man can part some wisdom: Master Bruce became what he needed to become, both for the city he defended, as well as for himself. These are different times, yes, but you must remain true to yourself. As you take these first steps into your hero's journey, focus on becoming the hero that you need to become, not what you think others need you to be." Alfred bowed his head and entered back into the car, leaving Izuku to ponder his words.

Turning, Izuku paused a moment to take in the impressive building before him that would be his home for the next three years, and give him the starting point he needed to fulfil his dream of becoming a hero.

He only hoped that, as Alfred put it, along the way, he became the hero that he needed to be.

Izuku was running late, so he quickened his pace as he searched for his homeroom classroom. The hero course students were split into two home classes: 1-A and 1-B. Izuku was in the former. Beyond that, he knew nothing about his class, not even who the homeroom teacher was. Finally, he came upon a large door, stretching from the ceiling to the floor, with "1-A" painted in large, red print across it. Izuku stopped and marveled at the door, chuckling slightly to himself. UA was nothing if not ostentatious. As Izuku pushed the door open, the sound of a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Keep your feet off the desks," Said Tenya Iida, animatedly thrashing his arms through the air as he yelled at one of the other students. "We must not disrespect this academy by scuffing school property!"

Iida glanced towards the door, and stared right at Izuku as he stood in the entryway. "It's him," he whispered, a look of awe on his face. At this, the entire class spun their heads in unison, looking directly at Izuku, who suddenly felt as if he was under a spotlight.

"Uh, hi?" Izuku said, unsure of what else to say.

"Good morning!" Said Iida, marching with a purpose up to Izuku. "My name is Tenya-"

"Iida, I know," Izuku said, smiling despite himself. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Izuku Midoriya."

Iida's look of amazement increased, his face almost beaming. "That's right," he said. "You already know who I am! You also realized that there was something more to the practical exam, didn't you?"

"Er," Izuku said.

"You must be very perceptive," Said Iida, bowing his head respectfully. "I completely misjudged you, I admit. As a student, you are far superior to me."

"Whoa there," Said Izuku, holding his hands up. "Let's not get carried away. It's true, the zero-pointer was the real test, but that's not why I -"

"And you're modest," Iida said, bowing deeply. "Truly, it will be an honor to be your classmate, Midoriya."

"Well, I -" Izuku felt himself blush as the rest of the class continued to stared at him.

"Deku!"

As if on queue, Uraraka came running up behind Izuku, who turned to her just in time for her to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. Izuku could feel every eye in the classroom burning into the back of his head. In Japan, public displays of affection such as this was considered a social faux pas, even for couples. Izuku and Uraraka weren't dating, but after all they had been through, they simply felt comfortable enough with each other that they exchanged hugs all the time. When they broke apart, Izuku could see out of the corner of his eye a mix of glares and whispers from his classmates. This was getting off to a great start.

"Ahem," Said Iida awkwardly. "Well, very good then." He turned to Uraraka. "My name is Tenya Iida, it is a pleasure to meet you!"

"Ochako Uraraka," She replied cheerfully. "Its a pleasure to meet you too! I'm so happy that we're in the same class together," Said Uraraka, turning back to Izuku. "I wonder what our teacher's like. I can't wait to meet everybody!"

"If you're just here to make friends, you can pack up your stuff now."

Izuku, Iida and Uraraka jumped in unison and followed the voice to what looked like at first glance to be a yellow lump on the floor. After a minute they realized it was a man in a yellow sleeping bag. He had a long mane of unkempt black hair that drooped over his eyes, which stared intensely up at them. It felt as if his eyes were staring deep into Izuku's very soul.

Standing up, the man unzipped and took off the sleeping bag. He was tall and slim, wearing a black jumpsuit with large white bands wrapped around his neck and shoulders. "It took you all 8 seconds to shut up," He said. "That's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that."

Izuku looked the man up and down. He looked completely worn out, as if he hadn't slept in days. His face was passive, unshaven and scruffy, like his hair. Izuku assumed that he must be some kind of pro, though he didn't recognize him.

"I'm Shota Aizawa," He said. "Your teacher. Let's get to it." He reached into his sleeping bag and pulled out a red, white and blue tracksuit. "Put these on and head outside."

The students all gathered around Aizawa, who took them to UA's outdoor track and field. They had completely skipped orientation, which Aizawa had informed them was a waste of time. What's more, he informed them that they would be performing a quirk assessment test to determine if they were fit enough to continue with UA's hero course.

"Here at UA we are not tethered to traditions," he said. "That means I get to run my class however I see fit. You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives. But you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before."

Izuku swallowed hard. He had always known that he would be coming to UA with a disadvantage, but looking around at all his classmates, he could almost feel the imbalance in the scale of power. They were all going to use their quirks to help them through this assessment. He had to step it up somehow in an effort to keep up.

"The country's still trying to pretend that we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel," Aizawa continued. "That's not rational. One day the ministry of education will learn." He stopped directly in front of Izuku, staring him down. Izuku could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Izuku Midoriya," he said. "The upstart. The first student to ever be admitted into UA without a quirk." The class around him audibly gasped, murmuring to each other.

"He doesn't have a quirk?!"

"How did he take down that robot?"

"What is he even doing here?"

"No way he can keep up."

Izuku felt his heart sink, but he didn't drop his gaze from Aizawa's. His class was already beginning to write him off, a prejudice that he felt his entire life.

"I've been looking forward to this," Said Aizawa. "Front and center, Midoriya." Trembling, Izuku complied, stepping forward past the rest of the students.

"You impressed a lot of people during the entrance exam," Said Aizawa. "In the fifteen years that he's been a patron to UA, your benefactor has never sponsored another student, until you." He cracked his knuckles. "I have planned something special with you in mind. Let's see if you really deserve to be here. "

Today was not Izuku's day.

The next couple of hours consisted of the class going through basic exercise drills: throwing a softball, long jumps, 100-meter dash, etc. Izuku felt he had performed well in all of them, but he was unsure of the results as he was the only one who didn't use a quirk for assistance.

He had been getting sideways looks all day. Many tried to hide it, with a few people openly talking about how he had no quirk. Izuku found himself growing more and more annoyed, but he didn't allow it to break his focus.

After the exercises were done, Aizawa had them all line up again. He took them to a large, domed building adjacent to the courtyard. Aizawa stopped in front of the giant double doors at the front of the building, and turned to face the class. "You all performed adequately," Said Aizawa. He pulled out smartphone and tapped the screen. A projector appeared in front of him, showing the results of each student for the exercises.

Izuku was dead last.

Izuku expected this. He was strong, and he was able to do so much more than he used to with Bruce's training. At a regular school, he would be considered well above average. But without the added benefit of a quirk, it was hard to compete with the numbers of his classmates. On paper, he was the weakest student there. His other classmates continued to mutter to themselves.

"That's to be expected. He doesn't have quirk, after all."

"Are we sure he really destroyed that robot? Maybe it was a fluke."

"Do you think they'll send him home?"

Izuku tried to ignore them, but deep down felt a pang of fear in his heart. What if they did send him home? How would Bruce react? Would he cast him out as well? All these questions blared through his mind.

"But your test doesn't end here," Aizawa said. "For the next three years, UA will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. Think of this as a teaser." Aizawa tapped another button on the screen of the smartphone. The large double doors slowly opened behind him, revealing to Class 1-A the most arduous and unforgiving obstacle course that they had ever seen.

Several of the robots that were at the entrance exam were there, poised and ready to attack. Conveyor belts running at extreme speeds, swinging pendulums, even a ring of fire. The class gasped in unison as they saw it.

"Say hello to The Gauntlet," Said Aizawa.

"We're going to run that thing?!" Said a boy with Spiked red hair.

"Not you, no," Said Aizawa. He then pointed to Izuku. "Just him."

"What do you mean 'just him?'" Said Uraraka.

"Midoriya scored lowest on the exercises," Said Aizawa. "This is a final test of his ability to attend UA. If he is not able to complete The Gauntlet, then he has no place being here."

"What are you saying, sir?" Asked Iida.

"If he doesn't succeed in completing the gauntlet," Said Aizawa. "He goes home."

The students gasped again. "You can't send him home!" Said Uraraka indignantly. "He just got here. We all have! It's not fair!"

"You think natural disasters are fair?" Aizawa shot back. "Or power-hungry villains? The world isn't fair. It's a hero's responsibility to counteract the unfairness. It's also a hero's job to put others before himself."

"What does that mean?" Said Uraraka.

"If he refuses to do the gauntlet, you're all going home," Said Aizawa simply. The group went dead silent, all turning to Izuku. He was used to being singled out, but never to this extent. As he looked to all his classmates, his eyes landed on Uraraka. Tears filled her eyes as she stared back at Izuku. He could read her as if he was able to stare into her mind. The indignity and unfairness of this situation made her both angry and afraid. She didn't want Izuku to be sent home, but was also terrified: if Izuku didn't do it, all of her hard work, all of her hopes and dreams would come to a grinding halt.

He couldn't let this be the end for her, not after how much she has riding on this. With a defiant glare at Aizawa, Izuku marched towards the entrance of The Gauntlet.

That's it, kid, thought Aizawa. Show me what you can do.