Prologue Part 3 - Great Minds Think Alike

Izuku then turned to the next person in the room. She seemed to be around Monika's age, probably another high school girl. Although unlike Monika or Zero Two, the expression on her face appeared deadpan.

The girl had pale skin, dark grey eyes that seemed gloomy, and straight long black hair. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, as well as sharp bangs that were swept to the right. She had a white and navy-blue uniform shirt, a matching navy blue skirt, black thigh-high socks, and black shoes. Izuku noticed how she barely seemed to show any emotion at all, like he was staring at a blank slate. Honestly, it creeped him out.

"Uh... are you okay?", Izuku asked her. He tried to be as polite about it as possible. The girl simply turned her head and met Izuku's gaze.

"Do you seriously have to ask that? In a situation such as this?", she told him coldly. "Of course not. Just another problem I have to deal with," she said in a monotone voice.

"Oh... yeah, I should've thought about that," Izuku said.

"Yes, you should. Being trapped in a school with complete strangers should be approached with caution and suspicion, you know. Not exactly a calming situation," she told him.

"Well... to be fair, that's what the introduction thing is for. I'm sure if we all get to know each other first, we won't act as paranoid to one another. I'll start. I'm Izuku Midoriya," he told her.

"I suppose there's no harm in exchanging names, at the bare minimum," the school girl contemplated. "My name is Ayano Aishi. That's all for now."

------------------------- CHARACTER BIO: AYANO AISHI ----------------------------

Often seen as emotionless, apathetic, and gloomy to her peers, Ayano Aishi struggles with a genetic condition found in all of her female ancestors: a perpetual state of inner emptiness. She has difficulty feeling any form of satisfaction, and she isn't capable of experiencing emotions in the same capacity as the average human. She's able to act like a normal person to be accepted by others: she buys manga, plays video games and does other things to protect her identity. Once she met Taro Yamada (aka, her Senpai), she felt as if her life had purpose. Ayano's love for him quickly turned into obsession, to the point where she swore to 'protect' her Senpai against anyone who dared to try and take him away from her. In this case, it means that she would go to ANY lengths to ensure her Senpai belongs to her. And I mean ANY lengths.

Height: 5'4.9" (165cm)

Weight: 94lbs

D.O.B: April 1st

Age: 18

Likes: Senpai, Green Tea

Dislikes: Anyone who tries to get close to Senpai, Loud Noises

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"You sure? I mean, we've got time to talk-"

"I have more urgent issues to worry about right now. Besides, I'm not in the mood for conversation. I'm sure we can continue this later," Ayano told him abruptly.

"Oh, sure! That's fine with me. I'll catch up with you later," Izuku told her, before moving on. Ayano still kept that emotionless expression on her face.

Okay, let's see, who is next?

The boy had light brown hair, neatly combed to the left, with blue eyes and had a strained expression. He was wearing an expensive-looking red suede jacket, with a white buttoned-up undershirt beneath it, and black pants. He seemed to be walking back and worth, in an anxious manner, trying to process everything going on around him. The boy seemed to be as old as a college freshman, from what Izuku could tell.

"It's okay, Nathan. Don't stress, don't panic, just... count to three. Breathe in, breathe out. You're fine," the boy said to himself, trying to calm his paranoia. Izuku tried to approach him with caution, not to accidentally disturb or anger him.

"Uh... are you alright? You're talking to yourself-", Izuku told the boy, in the politest way he could. Nathan turned towards him and looked offended, and on-edge.

"Did I ask for you to speak to me, Broccoli-head?", Nathan growled. Izuku didn't really take it heavily, since he heard that joke from Bakugo plenty of times in the past.

"No, but it's just that... you don't look like you're taking this very well," he told him. Izuku tried to get him to understand that he was concerned about his behavior.

"And you look like you don't even realize how fucked up everything here is!," Nathan yelled at him. "Seriously, you're not even panicking! For all we know, we could've been drugged and kidnapped for ransom, for fuck's sake!"

"I never thought about it that way. I doubt anyone would want me kidnapped, much less for a ransom. Where did you get that from?", Izuku asked. I think I'm detecting a little anxiety from this guy. No, paranoia's probably a better word, he thought.

"Unlike your broke ass, I come from one of the richest families in Arcadia Bay! People already give me plenty of shit because of my family! It makes perfect sense why I'd be kidnapped! Because of stupid pricks who assume that just because my family is rich, means that I must be rich, too! But they don't know shit!", Nathan ranted.

Yep, he's definitely paranoid. I better not bring that up, though, Izuku thought. I should try to get this guy to relax first. "Dude, calm down! I wasn't assuming anything. All I wanted was to talk, okay?"

"I didn't ask to talk with you, greenie. Now would you go fuck off already?", Nathan told him.

"Look man, I'm not trying to be difficult. Can we get this over with already and move on?"

Nathan gave him an annoyed glare before continuing. "If it gets your ass out of my sight faster, then hurry it up."

"My name's Izuku Midoriya. There's no need to get aggressive with me." He regretted saying that last bit once Nathan's tone started getting much more serious.

"Oh man, you're telling ME what to do? Here's some free advice: don't get ahead of yourself, Midoriya. I'm Nathan Prescott, and nobody tells me what to do! Not my principal, not my parents, and not my peers! Remember that shit well," Nathan said, before storming off away from him.

------------------- CHARACTER BIO: NATHAN PRESCOTT -------------------------

An outwardly aggressive, spoiled, rich kid attending Blackwell Academy, Nathan Prescott comes off as a brat. He comes from a wealthy family, in which he often abuses his family's powerful influence over Arcadia Bay to escape responsibility for his actions. He doesn't show empathy to anyone he deems a threat to his authority. Nathan is mentally unstable (inwardly) and despite psychiatric treatment for several years, his issues are still present. He also suffers from major paranoia, anxiety, guilt from past mistakes, and perhaps a link to schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder. According to one of his psychiatrists, Nathan is "disconnected from reality". He is constantly pressured by his family to keep the Prescott reputation intact, and because of this, has a shaky relationship with his father. It's also rumored that he's involved in selling/taking drugs to the students at Blackwell Academy, as well as... other disturbing activities.

Age: 18

D.O.B: August 29

Likes: Listening to whale songs

Dislikes: Being used by others, Chloe Price

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Okay then... note to self: don't approach Nathan when he's in a bad mood, Izuku thought. Maybe it's best I keep my distance from him for now. He probably wants nothing to do with me, anyway. Well then, let's move on to the next person, shall we?

Izuku noticed there was a blonde girl near the bottom right corner of the gymnasium, so he decided to try going over to her next. But right as he was about to make his way to her, he stopped in his tracks. An ominous voice spoke behind him.

*H u m a n. Don't you know how to greet a new pal?*

Izuku could feel his bones starting to freeze in place. He was paralyzed with fear. He didn't know why it was happening to him. The distorted voice spoke to him once more.

*Turn around and shake my hand.*

Izuku did as the stranger told him, and slowly turned around, eyes closed, reaching his hand out. What he didn't expect was that the stranger's hands felt so rough and bony, almost like he was shaking hands with a skeleton. Wait... there was something else... he couldn't tell what it was, but the stranger was definitely holding something in his hands.

*BLARP*

*hehehe... the good old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny*, the stranger said. Izuku opened his eyes and was even more frightened once he got a good look at the stranger's face. For one, he was a bit shorter than he expected, but the major thing that stood out was that standing in front of him, was a walking, talking skeleton. It was a short, paunchy skeleton that looked somewhat like a cartoon character. Its wide toothy grin, along with his large eye sockets and glove-like hands didn't make the skeleton look too intimidating. He had an unzipped blue hoodie, with a white undershirt, along with black shorts and pink slippers.

*so, you're a human, right? just like everyone else here? that's hilarious. i'm Sans. sans the skeleton. i was actually supposed to be on the lookout for humans, but... y'know... i ended up here. but hey, i don't actually care about capturing anybody,* the skeleton told him. Izuku had no idea how a thing like Sans even existed.

------------------------------------- CHARACTER BIO: SANS ------------------------------------------

A nihilistic and flippant person, Sans the Skeleton tends to be lazy and takes breaks frequently. His mischievous nature is shown to those he's on good terms with, and tends to make dry puns about anything involving bones and low-brow comedy, since he likes to make others laugh. He's apathetic towards himself, yet he shows consideration to those he cares about, especially his brother, Papyrus. Sans is also very observant of others emotions. Though he usually tends to be in a good mood, he takes certain things, including promises, very seriously. While he's a good friend to have on your side, you would not want to have him as an enemy.

Age: Unknown

D.O.B: Unknown

Likes: Puns, Hotdogs

Dislikes: Work, Killers, Surface Dwellers

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"Uh... wait, I'm sorry, are you, like, alive? Or dead? Or undead? How are you talking to me if you're a skeleton?", Izuku asked, dumbfounded.

*honestly dude, i don't think you'd understand if I explained. anyway, you're izuku, right?*

"Yes, that's me."

*good. i haven't seen this many humans in one sitting for a long time now. i don't know what happened last night, but whatever it was, it's sure bone-numbing confusing. not sure what's weirder: waking up surrounded by people you don't know, or waking up surrounded by humans.*

"I take it you're not used to be around so many... living people, right?", asked Izuku.

*you could say that. back where i'm from, there was a war between the human and monster races. the humans won and drove the monsters underground. countless monsters were massacred. those who survived were sealed underneath mount ebott. as you can imagine, i'm not exactly happy to be in contact with so many of them,* Sans said. Izuku noticed that both of the skeleton's pupils disappeared, leaving his eyes empty momentarily before returning to normal.

*but don't take it as a threat, kiddo. you seem like a good egg to me*, Sans told him, before his pupils returned.

"Thanks for the compliment, I suppose," Izuku said. "So you saying there's an entire civilization of monsters living underground? It sounds intriguing."

*yep. been down there for so long we've built entire cities. yet the hostility towards humans is still present. there's a very strict policy on any human that stumbles into the underground. any human that's found is to be immediately captured and brought back to the capital. though honestly, i could care less about that,* Sans said.

"Glad to hear you have no hard feelings, man. Thanks for being polite, unlike the last guy," Izuku told him. "I'm gonna go introduce myself to the blonde girl over there. I'll see you around, Sans."

*i'll keep an eye socket out for you, kiddo. later*, the skeleton said, before he walked away from him. He seems like a decent guy, he thought. Very chill.

Izuku went ahead and approached the blonde girl slowly. He could tell that she was probably analyzing the building structure, since she was staring quite intently at it. She had a very cheery smile on her face, as if she wasn't too anxious with their current predicament. She was an attractive and pale-skinned young woman, probably older than him, with a roundish face, aqua-blue eyes and a pair of round glasses. Her wavy blonde hair reached halfway down her back and partly over her shoulders. Her outfit consisted of a white short-sleeved dress shirt, a large plad bow near her neck, a dark pink waistcoat, light grey Capri pants, and heeled-leather boots.

Oh no, she's too cute, Izuku panicked. Get a hold of yourself, Midoriya! You already talked to Ochako once before! You can talk to her just the same, he thought, trying to reassure himself. He tried his best to speak up, but... he froze. Just like with Uraraka, he was too anxious to make the first move. Thankfully, the blonde girl noticed him and made the first move for him.

"Oh, hello there! I'm Melissa Shield. Pleasure to meet you," the blonde said to him, reaching out her hand. It took an immense amount of self-strength for Izuku to shake hands with her. Her hand feels so smooth and gentle... wait, don't get carried away!

--------------------------------- CHARACTER BIO: MELISSA SHIELD -------------------------------

Despite being quirkless, like Izuku, Melissa Shield makes up for the lack of a quirk with her extensive intelligence and positive attitude. As the daughter of the famous David Shield and a member of I-Island Academy, she has a lot to show for her intellect. She's a very kind-hearted individual who wishes to become a hero, also like Izuku. Her knowledge of science and mechanical inventions makes her a capable inventor, and wants more than anything to put them to good use. Even without a quirk, Melissa still wishes to help save people and support heroes like her father does. She exhibits the necessary bravery of a hero, as she is willing to risk her life to save those in need.

Age: 17

Height: 5'6½" (169cm)

D.O.B: October 1

Likes: Social Interaction

Dislikes: Snobby Boys

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"T-Thank you! N-Nice to meet you! I'm Izuku Midoriya! I've been training nonstop to get into the hero course at U.A. High! But then... you know... t-this happened," Izuku said nervously.

"You're trying out for U.A.? Well then, I wish you the best of luck with that! It's the hardest superhero course to get accepted into out there," Melissa told him.

"W-Wait, you know what I'm talking about? Quirks, heroes, U.A., that kind of thing? Thank goodness! It feels like everyone else here has no idea what I'm talking about!", Izuku said.

"Of course, silly! Why wouldn't I? I had my eyes set on being a hero since I was a kid, but... I'm quirk-less. So I focused on my other talents," she said, with a hint of sorrow in her tone.

*Huh, you too?*, Izuku whispered under his breath. Nice to finally see someone else like me. Someone who wants to be a hero more than anything, yet doesn't have a superpower. Melissa noticed the boy said something.

"What was that? Did you say something?" she asked him.

"Oh no! I just said that I'm sorry to hear that. I can imagine what it's like... wanting to become a hero, but not having a quirk," he told her. He thought about admitting he was quirkless, but he realized he mentioned trying out for UA, so that would probably just confuse her. Besides, I have to keep All Might's secret safe.

"Yeah... but that's alright! There are plenty of other ways I can help the people around me. Like my inventions! My dad specializes in helping heroes with our inventions. He's been doing it for years, with all kinds of different heroes, even All Might!", Melissa said proudly. Something began to click in Izuku's mind. Hold on... her name is Melissa SHIELD... her dad's an inventor - NO FREAKING WAY!!!

"Wait, your dad is David Shield?! THE Professor David Shield? The renowned scientist in Quirk research AND All Might's partner?! AND the designer for All Might's Young Age, Bronze Age, Silver Age and Golden Age outfits?!", Izuku energetically rambled. He didn't realize how loudly he was talking. He tended to overlook that when fanboying over superhero knowledge.

Melissa chuckled. "My oh my, looks like someone knows his hero history. Yes, he's my father. And yes, he did design all of Uncle Might's hero costumes with pinpoint accuracy."

"Uncle Might?! HE'S YOUR UNCLE-?!" Izuku screeched, his fanboy levels reaching dangerously high before Melissa calmed him down.

"Not biologically, no. But he's a very close friend of my father. He even came to visit us many times when I was a kid. Although I haven't seen him in person for a few years. I mean, being the Symbol of Hope is quite the demanding job, isn't it? Working around the clock to protect hero society would probably leave you without much free time," Melissa told him.

"Yeah, I can imagine. Hey, I'm sorry about reacting like that. It's just that I'm such a big All Might fan and now that I'm meeting someone so close to two great people... it's a bit overwhelming," Izuku said, blushing.

"Oh, it's no problem! I'm flattered, actually! It's always nice to see someone so interested with my father's work," she told him, giving him a cheery smile.

"T-Thanks for understanding," Izuku weakly said.

"Say, you said you were trying out for UA, right? What kind of quirk do you have? Must be pretty strong if you're planning to apply for the greatest of the great," Melissa said.

"It's a-a, uh, a power type Quirk! No need to explain everything right away!", Izuku said nervously. It was the first thing that popped into his head, so he went with it.

"I was only curious, Izuku, that's all. We're introducing ourselves, right? Figured asking a few questions wouldn't hurt, would it?", Melissa replied.

"No, no, you're right. Besides, I still need to get used to this sort of thing."

To be continued...