Chapter 7

As I began to come back to the waking world, I felt a strange sort of exhaustion; at once, I could tell I was in bed and almost certainly at the nurse's office. This was confirmed by the wrinkled old face of Recovery Girl smiling over me.

"Ah, it seems you didn't have long to wait at all!"

Before I could ask her what she meant by that, I heard a very familiar shout from nearby—just a few feet to my right, on the other side of Recovery Girl.

"BROTHER!" Izuku was there, lying in a similar bed and smiling broadly at me; he had a few bandages here and there, but was otherwise in good shape.

"Indeed," Recovery Girl said, a peculiar mix of worry, sarcasm, and anger coloring her voice, "if it weren't for the obvious lack of blood relations, I would have had to wonder whether or not self-destructive recklessness was a genetic trait that all Midoriyas share! Honestly, if I had my way we'd have a different sort of practical exam, but no one listens to the school nurse..."

"We've been out for a couple of hours, but apparently everything's fine," Izuku said as he walked over to my side; "We can go home as soon as Recovery Girl says we're finished healing up."

I decided to pry even though I knew full well why he was here. "So what happened with your exam? You look okay to me..."

"It's Recovery Girl's quirk! She can make you heal from nearly anything, but it makes you really exhausted—"

"Izuku, that's not what I meant."

"OH! You mean, how well did I do?..." He trailed off, a slight bit of shame in his voice. "Well, I don't know if I'm going to pass. I took your advice and focused power into my fingers, so I was able to take down a few robots here and there, but... well, the girl who was so nice to us earlier was in trouble, the zero-pointer came along, and I just... cut loose. I destroyed the zero-pointer, but the backlash of my quirk wrecked my arm and both my legs, and before I could do anything else the exam was over."

I stared at him in surprise. Wait, he managed to score some villain points and still have enough left in the tank for saving Uraraka? Not to mention, he's not as completely despondent, and not as entirely certain he failed the exam completely...

"Heh," I chuckled, "that's my brother. You always had more caution than me. I was an idiot by comparison..."

Recovery Girl snorted. "You're both idiots if you ask me. In any case, you can finish telling each other about your respective lack of common sense outside; you're both free to go, and if you both somehow manage to get accepted I don't want to have to see either of you in my office in that shape again, you hear me?"

We gathered our things and started making our way to the bus stop. It was still roughly mid-day, so I figured there was still time to get a quick lunch on the way home; as we finished discussing the specific location, Izuku remembered my words in Recovery Girl's office.

"About your exam... what did you mean when you said you were... uh, I mean, about my having more caution?"

"You don't have to avoid using my own words there, bro. I was an idiot..."

I explained everything that had happened in my own exam, about how I had gotten caught up in the rush and made a boneheaded mistake that nearly got me killed as a result.

"That's the whole story, really. Next I know I'm in the nurse's office."

"...Sotherehastobesomereasonforthezeropointerbeyondjustanobstacletoovercome, butwhatisitandhowdoesitapplytoherotrainingandwhatdoesitmeanforourchancesofpassing..."

I looked over to see my brother in his patented 'mutter mode'. "Izuku, what's going through your head this time?"

"HUH?! Oh, I mean... your story just made me think about that zero-pointer and the reason for it to be there. Yeah, the way you described it definitely made it seem like an obstacle to avoid, and I can see the need to press home the idea that you can't beat everything... but that can't be the only reason it exists, can it?"

I was mildly surprised by this change from canon and decided to see how far he could take this discovery. "You're right. Maybe there's some other aspect to the physical exam beyond just combat points?"

"That's what I was starting to figure out just now," he replied. "There were judges watching the exam, but those robots would have had sensors telling when they were destroyed, how they were destroyed, and who did it, so why use human judges anyway unless there was some other criteria they needed to look for that a robot wouldn't be able to see? And that got me thinking of the villain that attacked me the day we met All-Might. Heroes have to go in against villains who outclass them every now and then—like the pros struggling to save Kacchan even though they knew they couldn't hurt the bad guy—so why have an obstacle to teach potential students to run away from danger? I think the zero-pointer may have been a test of character; you don't get anything for beating it, but the act of trying anyway—depending on the reason—might count for a lot."

By the time he was done, the mild surprise I felt had given way to shock and genuine pride. Seriously, how many more times are you going to completely amaze me today, Izuku? As he finished, though, a strange sense of shame came over me. "In that case, I don't think I'll be getting nearly as many points as you for beating that giant robot."

"Why not?"

"You said 'depending on the reason'; your reason was to save someone in need, regardless of the fact that you still needed more villain points. That was selfless and heroic. Me? I had plenty of points, I just got an ego and wanted to test my limits; as a result, I nearly got flattened. That's not selfless or heroic, that's vain and stupid."

I spat out that last word, knowing it was absolutely the truth. We walked in silence for a little while before the burning shame passed and I decided to try and bring some cheer back. "In any case, Izuku, I don't think either of us has to worry about getting in; it'll be a week before we get the results, and then until April before class starts. That's enough time to really start thinking about our costumes, get some training in, and even some extra research!"

That got a smile out of my brother. "Right! I have some ideas on the first one, too..."

I somehow managed to avoid laughing at the mere thought of that ridiculous mask.

Quirk Research Journal, entry no. 1,742

One of the few upsides to what happened in my practical is that I now know two key downsides of my power:

(1.) "Overflow" is definitely dangerous; based on what I recall of the bruising, my hypothesis is that it makes the excess energy start releasing in microscopic explosions throughout my body—not big enough to crack bones, but enough to cause bleeding and considerable pain. This could easily just be the best-case scenario, however, and greater "overflow" could result in far worse.

(2.) I can put everything I've stored up into one last-ditch mega punch, but in the process I use up all my kinetic energy, without which I can't move or breathe unless someone gives me kinetic energy by moving me or hitting me. Sir Isaac Newton giveth, Sir Isaac Newton taketh away.

I don't see any immediate way to avoid the former aside from not being such a moron in the future, but the second also plays into an issue I've thought about for a while: what if I don't have time to charge up in the morning? How do I keep from running too low in the middle of a fight? Not every opponent is going to have a physical attack, and those with the option and the brains would probably figure out that I'd need to get physically hit to use my power. What I need is something built-in to my hero costume that can charge me up on the fly as well as ensure I don't get paralyzed like in the exam.

With that in mind, I've come up with what I refer to as a "vibration rig", or "vibro-rig" for short. At the moment, it's really just a sketch in this journal rather than anything physical: a small motor from a massage device or something similar that I could put on my costume. Upon activation, it would vibrate against me, giving me kinetic energy to absorb for a decent boost, or activate to keep me from being paralyzed. There are a couple of issues right off the bat to this—for one, how to keep it vibrating when my power would immediately stop it upon contact with me—but I'm confident that I have plenty of time to test and experiment.

Quirk Research Journal, entry no. 1,743

The first test of the prototype rig didn't go as planned; I bought a burner phone with a vibrate function at a corner store, pried it open, and took out the motor for my rig. At this point, the rig is just an external battery, a button, and the motor sewn into a glove; when I press the button, the motor activates, and I feel a tiny bit of energy... but nothing big enough to register in terms of the accelerometer in the punching bag. The motor also stops working for a few minutes; as I suspected, my power absorbs the kinetic energy directly from the motor, which makes the motor stop. I need something in between the motor and me, some way to transfer the energy indirectly...

Quirk Research Journal, entry no. 1,744

Not quite there yet, but I think I'm on to something with version 0.2. I decided to create a "suspension" system for the motor, where the motor rests on a small metal spring from a wind-up toy on the side facing my body; when I press the button, the motor activates, the kinetic energy is transferred to the spring, and then my quirk absorbs it. The motor kept going, but from what I could tell on examining the rig afterwards I could probably do with a better-quality spring, and the motor itself simply doesn't give enough juice to be worth it. I'll need something a little more powerful.

Also, we got the acceptance letter today; mom was freaking out, but to be honest so were Izuku and I. Can't wait to start the real training and meet everyone!

Quirk Research Journal, entry no. 1,745

I think the vibration rig is close to a full version. 0.3 had a few changes:

* Bigger motor from a phone meant for people with giant-related quirks

* Better-quality springs, purchased from a hardware store

* Larger battery

* Accelerometer-based switch that activates the rig automatically when I'm still for a certain amount of time

This time, I was able to get a small power-up from the motor, just enough to register on the punching bag. From repeated testing, I estimate that it would still take a few minutes of vibration to get any difference that would be noticeable in a fight, but that can be improved in later versions, and the emergency function has been thoroughly tested and should save me if I need it. For now, this will do, but there's still the problem that it would make an enticing target for a smart opponent; I'll need to protect it somehow, while also working it into my hero costume.

Quirk Research Journal, entry no. 1,750

Well, I'm finally at what I feel is the prime candidate for vibro-rig 1.0; I still haven't really changed anything with the motor itself from the 0.3 version, but I definitely improved its durability over the last couple of versions since then:

* Rig housing now iron instead of hardened plastic

* Shock-absorption springs in housing facing outwards to further reduce potential damage

* Battery protected further still

* Button replaced with pneumatic pressure sensor that runs into my glove (with matching sensor on the other hand) so that rig activates when I punch my fists together

That last one should help me disguise the whole rig as just a fancy armbrace once my costume is ready. Hopefully, this thing should last me a while before I need a new one. In any case, our first day of school is right around the corner, and as excited as I am I'm also super-nervous; I can't imagine Eraserhead being impressed with me or Izuku, particularly after we both wrecked ourselves the way we did. That said, I don't think there'll be nearly as much of an issue with the assessment test as in canon, given how much we've been training since then and such; even All-Might is impressed at how quickly Izuku's progressing. Look out, UA: Here come the Super Midoriya Brothers!

Izuku couldn't help but get lost in thought a bit on the bus ride to UA; even after everything that had happened since meeting All-Might, everything still seemed so unreal, like a dream that would shatter into reality at the slightest touch. The only thing keeping him from freaking out, as usual, was his brother's confident demeanor.

But in reality, Casey is just as nervous as I am, thought Izuku, and he hides it the same way All-Might and other heroes do. By pretending to be fearless...

If you had asked Izuku even a year ago if he were capable of such a facade, of displaying courage in the face of fear, he would have immediately admitted to the contrary. Now, though, his confidence was greater than it had ever been, and the mere realization that his brother was holding up a brave front as well motivated him to do the same—if only to share the burden and return the favor. Izuku would carry Casey, who would carry him.

What would I be like if I didn't have a brother? He asked himself; I'd probably still let Kacchan walk all over me, even with One for All. I'd probably still look at Kacchan as a model of confidence instead of... what he really is.

He still felt nervous around the blonde, to be perfectly honest, but the all-pervasive fear had been all but banished as a result of his newfound quirk, with Casey's support providing an additional boost. That said, there was still one thing his brother seemed not to be able to do, one thing that nagged at him whenever the three of them—Izuku, Casey, and Bakugo—were together:

Casey hated Bakugo. Not without reason, but...

Kacchan doesn't deserve hate. He definitely doesn't deserve respect, but hate? No. There's more than enough of that going around in his head already without other people adding to it.

Izuku had thought multiple times about speaking to Casey over what he'd seen in Bakugo hidden underneath all that rage and bluster, but bottled it up every time his brother made a smart response or tried to annoy the bully to take the heat off of him. Casey was doing it to protect Izuku; if he tried to intervene, wouldn't that be ungrateful? Would his brother even understand, or would he see Izuku as a doormat defending his own abuser?

I'm grateful for the help, bro. I really am. But you're not entirely right about Kacchan. You're not wrong, but not completely right. God, how did I not see through him before? How was I that scared of him for so long?

In all likelihood, Izuku knew, they'd end up in a class with Bakugo. Which meant that eventually they'd have to deal with this, one way or another. How was he supposed to be the big brother to Casey when it had been the other way around for as long as they'd known each other?

At last, the bus reached its destination, and soon after they stood in front of the rather intimidatingly-large door to their classroom.

Time to meet our classmates...

Next up is the quirk assessment test and the rest of Class 1-A. In case I haven't made it clear enough, Bakugo is going to have a lot more character expansion and development than he did in canon; one of the only frustrations I have with MHA (aside from "worthless-pervert-who-shall-remain-nameless") is that Bakugo gets off way too easy and yet somehow gets a consequence-free redemption, in addition to a lack of realistic explanation as to why he's such an asshole. Hopefully I can pull it off well. As usual, if you have anything to say at all, please leave a comment or review, and I'll see you next chapter!