Chapter 5 - The Start Line

{5} - Izumi Midoriya: The Start Line

It was a bright day when Izumi Midoriya first stepped through the gates of UA.

There's hardly anyone around at this time. She wasn't surprised. She wasn't taking the test to enroll in the Hero classes. Smith-sensei had advised her to take the Support Classes instead, and she agreed. Being in the Support Class would give her access to UA's supplies. She would need it for her Iron Suit.

It'd mean that her journey to Herohood would be longer, more winding, but she didn't mind.

She took a deep breath, and looked up. A pair of glass towers stood before her, glistening under the searing sunlight. Those glass towers were only UA's lobby. It was almost blinding, she thought as she averted her eyes. She could see the trees growing on the sides of the paved path towards the lobby's entrance.

She walked in, and she was met with a small group of students. They were all like her—engineers hoping to make it into UA's Support Classes. They look worried. Their eyes flutter left and right in impatience, and some are tapping their foot erratically onto the floor.

Only one of them is different. A girl with bright pink hair and scope-like eyes. She wondered if those eyes were her Quirk. Was it some sort of in-built scope? Did it allow the girl to zoom in on something? If so, by how much? Ten times? A hundred? A thousand? Maybe even more? Or did it do-

Izumi closed her eyes and forced her -Analysis- to calm down. It took her a minute, and she opened her eyes once she did.

In truth, Izumi couldn't really consider herself 'Quirkless', anymore. She knew she was, she hadn't magically gained the necessary chromosomes and all—but the 'System' she gained once she became Smith-sensei's Student made her a metahuman without question.

Her -Analysis- was almost prophetic in its power. One time she'd been walking down some random road when she heard something. She heard wind rush, and her mind ran in hastened time as she turned to see a truck barreling down the road. The driver was clearly inebriated, and didn't see the child running down the crosswalk.

Izumi had shot forward, grabbed the child, and landed on the opposite side entire seconds before the truck shot by.

The child's parents thanked her for saving their child. The nearby police congratulated her for her courage.

But that wasn't courage. She hadn't felt anything. The moment she heard that wind, her mind had shut down all emotions, and cold logic drove her forward.

…She wasn't quite sure where she was going with this. What was she doing again?

Ah, right. She was waiting for the examinee to come. Judging from last year, it'd probably be one of UA's Support Professors. Her -Analysis- judged that the most likely candidate would be the Hero Power Loader.

Minutes later, her guess was validated as Power Loader stepped into the lobby, dressed in nothing but a pair of slacks and a yellow claw as a helmet. The students around her stiffened at his entrance. The pink-haired girl didn't seem to notice his entrance.

Izumi only grinned, more than excited for what was to come.

..........

The exam was simple enough. A Written Test and a session of Engineering that followed. The students were given an hour and a half for each portion.

Izumi crushed both. She finished the former in barely thirty minutes, and the latter in under an hour.

She was allowed to leave an hour before the other students. Power Loader secretly told her that she had, without question, made it in. That the Repulsors she'd made as her display was more than enough to allow her entrance.

Izumi stepped out of UA's gates just as quickly as she entered.

Izumi felt like she'd cheated, somehow. She knew she hadn't—all those Lectures she underwent with Smith-sensei had pushed her to where she was now. And yet she couldn't shake off the feeling that she'd done something wrong.

At the same time however,

"Who cares what others think?" Smith-sensei had told her once, expression contorted in anger. "You trained day in and day out. You reverse-engineered something that should've been fiction. You nearly blew yourself up over a dozen times." He'd crouched down and patted her head. "You deserve this, Izumi."

Her cheeks lit bright red. This was a normal occurrence. Thinking of Smith-sensei made her feel…happy. Safe. 

She hated teachers, once. All she knew about them was their oppressive silence, their uncaring glances, their silent jeers. The most they'd taught her were ways to avoid getting detention.

Smith-sensei was different. He was kind, cheery, and a little vulgar at times. He was less of a teacher and more a fun uncle.

But maybe that was what teachers were supposed to be. Someone who held her hand, guided her, encouraged her when she felt down, and picked her back up when she fell. Maybe that was what teachers were supposed to be in the first place.

She didn't know. She didn't care.

She didn't care if UA didn't change her track record, if Power Loader was somehow just as bad as her teachers from highschool. She didn't care.

Smith-sensei was her one true teacher, and he would always remain so.

…What was she doing again?

Ah, right. She was about to head home, wasn't she? She should probably do that—lest she encounter some of the Hero students.

She took a breath and went on her way.

.........

[Name: Izumi Midoriya]

[Age: 18]

[Level: 10*]

[Strength: 152]

[Endurance: 133]

[Agility: 167]

[Intelligence: 200*]

[Skill: 200*]

[Skills: -Analysis Lv 74-, -Engineering Lv 60-, -Iron Suit Control Lv 31-, -Kung Fu Lv 45- ]

[Student Exp: 43,129]

*100,000 Student Exp to unlock Next Tier. Next Tier increases Max Level to 20, increases Max Stats to 400, and increases Skill Count Limit to 10.

Izumi hummed as she stared at her Status. 

Some months ago, she'd hit a hard block. Her Level had maxed out, and so did her Intelligence and Skill. She'd need 100,000 Student Exp to allow her to breach the limit, but it'd be long before she would reach that. Her -Analysis- estimated that it'd take her another five or six months before then.

"That's the normal Human limit." Smith-sensei had explained once. "Most humans will never reach this. Not in their lifetime, at least." He'd grinned at her, proud and ecstatic. "And I'm sure it won't be long before you surpass even this."

She smiled. "The normal Human limit." She repeated. It sounded almost…wrong. Conceited, even. That she'd reached the peak of a Human's intelligence. That in this world, only specific Quirks or drugs would allow the normal man to grow beyond this.

And somehow she could reach beyond—enter the realm of people she never thought she could ever compare to and-

The jostle of the train knocked her out of her thoughts. She blinked, and realized that she'd rested her head on the glass the entire time. She shook her head, mildly embarrassed she'd lost her thoughts so deeply in public. Although at least it didn't seem like anyone had noticed.

The train was packed today. It was Monday morning. She sat at one of the seats she'd luckily found, pressed up against other passengers as the train continued to barrel forward. It was mildly uncomfortable, but it didn't lessen the excitement she felt.

Today would be her first day in UA. The school uniform—mailed to her just a week before—fit snugly around her. She had her bag placed on her thighs. It was unnaturally heavy, though she barely felt it due to her Strength.

Of course, that's because she had a pair of Arm Repulsors inside. She'd brought them along, just in case something happened today. 

Not that she expected anything, but her -Analysis- had so kindly reminded her that train-jacking was one of the more common crimes the Villains would commit. There was no harm in being prepared.

The train rocked as it slowed. It wouldn't be long before the doors slid open. UA would be minutes away from the station. 

Her first day was approaching.

The train stopped. The doors opened. The passengers began to leave.

Izumi took a deep breath, and stood up.