11

"So, how's class?" came the echoed voice of Mei, her upper torso deep in one of her inventions.

"It's… alright. I suppose," Izuku responded steadily.

"Wrench." Mei asked, sticking her hand out of the contraption.

Izuku obliged, handing Mei a pipe wrench from the table.

"How so?" Mei continued.

"Well, there's this one girl. She's pretty nice, I guess. Though, that's probably an all-encompassing thing she has with everyone, if I'm going to be honest."

"Mmhmm. Flathead."

Izuku handed the screwdriver to her. "Then there's this other guy. I'm pretty sure he's related to Ingenium." Izuku refrained from expanding further than that.

Mei paused, peeking out to look at Izuku. "Hmm…" she hummed, heading back to work on her device. "That's it?"

"What do you mean?" questioned Izuku.

"What do you mean, what do I mean? You mean to say that you met a pro hero's sibling? And you neglected to question them about it?"

"Oh." Izuku gave a nervous laugh. "I guess that does seem weird, huh? Uh, well, it more has to do with Iida himself. He's kind of... off-putting. Very serious-like. I'm still kind of holding off my judgement on him for now."

"Uh-huh. Wrench. Combination, this time."

Izuku switched out the tools in Mei's outstretched hand. "But, uh, enough about that," Izuku said. "On another note, you remember that blond kid that we met in the park a couple months back?"

"That jerk that kept spouting out that you were quirkless, you mean?"

"Yeah, him. Apparently, he's in the same class as Pony and Manga. His name's Neito Monoma."

"Hah! He's going to be knocked down hard by the two of them! I feel kind of sorry for him. Almost."

"Yeah, but that's the thing. He hasn't done anything, apparently. All he's done is take a few glances at them. 'Calculatingly,' in Manga's words. Just sitting and looking. Nothing like he was in the park, acting like he wanted a fight or something."

"Hmm. Strange. I wonder if— Oh! That reminds me!" Mei exclaimed. Izuku jumped in surprise.

"You guys are probably gonna do some fighting today. The only reason Maijima-sensei left in such a hurry a while ago was because he forgot to finalize all the stuff for the Hero Course costumes."

"Wha— Really?!" 

"Yes, really," replied a voice from the workshop's doorway. Izuku glanced toward the door, finding a short man surrounded by a metallic, yellow apparatus. Izukuimmediately recognized the man before him.

"P— Power Loader-sensei!" yelped Izuku.

"Midoriya," Power Loader nodded. "I hope Hatsume hasn't been overworking you too much?"

"N— No sir! I'm sort of already used to working with her, anyways, so its nothing different than how it was before."

"As I heard." Power Loader took a nice trot through the room, eyeing every nook and cranny between every desk and chair. When he was done, he nodded to himself. "Hmm. Everything seems to be in order."

"Yeah..." Midoriya replied. "Umm… you sure it's alright for me to be here? It kind of seemed like a rushed decision awhile ago, when you said yes." 

Power Loader looked at Izuku, responding. "Oh, I'm sure, Midoriya. Hatsume spent all of yesterday after class whining about not having her assistant. Heck, I can already tell that you can act as a neutralizing agent if Hatsume gets too extreme. It'd probably save me from a couple headaches."

"It's a shame that she ruined the surprise for you, though. You would have been told about the Battle Trial by All Might himself."

"All Might?!"

"Ah, I said too much," Power Loader shook his head. "You know, I've had students like Hatsume before. They're the type who won't give up until they get what they want."

"You got that right! Nothing gets in between me and my babies!" exclaimed Mei. 

"You see?" Power Loader laughed. "There wouldn't be a point in denying her. She wants the workshop to work on her own stuff on her own time? Sure. She wants her assistant to help? Only on non-curricular oriented projects. She wants to build a giant mecha capable of lobbing nuclear warheads? That's where I draw the line."

"You should just do what he says! Agree with what he says Izuku!" came Mei's attempt of persuasion.

"But—"

"Besides, if you truly do anything too bad, I'll just snitch on you to Aizawa. You got that?"

"Y— Yes sir!" Izuku shook his head vigorously.

"Good. Now get going. Class starts in ten minutes." 

Izuku shifted his head toward the clock. "You're right! Have a nice day, Power Loader-sensei! Bye Mei!" Izuku said, running out of the classroom.

"You too Hatsume! Back to the regular classroom," berated Power Loader.

"But sensei!"

"What happened to doing as I said?"

"Bu—"

"No buts!"

The aforementioned surprise ended up being ruined for Midoriya anyway. Not because of Mei's loose lips - at least, not entirely so - but with his own bugs.

His flies had spotted a debuffed All Might emerging from what Izuku assumed was the hero's office. In a puff of smoke, the man transformed into the Symbol of Peace, donning — his Silver Age Costume!! Ah! So cool!

The hero sped through the halls, stopping just outside the door to Basic Hero Training. "I am coming through the door, like a normal person!" came the booming voice of the Number One hero.

All Might lit up the classroom with his personality, instantly gaining the awe of the students. All Might went on the explain the ins-and-outs of the Hero Basic Training course, captivating the class even further with the mention of combat training.

"And now, we have these!" He gestured to the side of the room, shelves emerging seamlessly from the wall. "Your costumes were approved and/or based upon the specifications you sent in three weeks ago. After you change, we meet at Ground Beta!"

Izuku stared down at his costume. Three weeks ago he had sent in the piece for approval. Well, that, along with his quirk registration. 

The registration was a bit of a problem when it came up at first. He hadn't thought of it for a long time, but the document had reminded him that he still appeared as "none" in regards to what his quirk was. He worked himself into a frenzy then, trying to come up with something to name his quirk.

[Entomopathy], like Eraserhead had said? Something gimmicky, like [Eye of the Swarm]?

He ended just going with [Bug Control]. He could change it later, afterall. 

And so, here he stood at U.A., his costume ready for its first outing. He looked over his creation, the streamlined, reinforced dragline silk intricately bound together. The golden yellow was accented with a dark green, the color taken up the space where the silk covered the limbs. 

The golden torso was accompanied by Izuku's trusty eskrima sticks on his back, and a few pouches that were - at the moment - filled with spider silk, woven together to make thin ropes capable of supporting his body weight.

On his head sat a pair of goggles of Mei's design. They were mostly for eye protection - even if he didn't really need it - and part of Mei's insistence. She'd designed it so it externally looked like an insect's compound eyes, thousands of photoreceptors making up a kaleidoscope look.

Izuku didn't want to admit it, but he thought that he looked somewhat like Eraserhead with his long hair and goggles. It was a rather uncanny coincidence, now that Izuku thought about it. That, or some cruel twist of faith to remind him of the danger Aizawa posed in discovering his other persona. But ah least the bright coloring of his costume prevented any other similarities with the Erasure Hero.

But that was another matter entirely. For now, he needed to worry about school. Izuku walked out into the open air amongst his peers, they themselves donning their own respective costumes. Unexpectedly, he was called out fairly quickly.

"Midoriya."

Izuku turned toward the voice. He was met with— why is her costume so revealing?!?

"We haven't been properly introduced yet, have we? Momo Yaoyorozu, a pleasure to meet you."

She stretched out a hand.

Izuku shook it. "I— A pleasure."

She nodded. "I couldn't help but notice the material your costume is made of. It wouldn't happen to be spider silk, would it?"

Izuku rose an eye in surprise. "You can tell just by looking at it?" 

She nodded. "It's part of my quirk. I need to know the molecular makeup of things so I can make them. I've made spider silk before, so I know how it's like. But I must admit, I never would have been able to make something quite so exquisite. The weave of this must have taken some work to create."

"Oh, yeah…" The work of spiders, at least.

"Wow! Your's looks so cool, Midoriya-kun!" Uraraka said. "Nothing like mine though."

"Well, I think it looks great." Izuku said.

"Really? Thanks!" 

"All right, class!" announced All Might. The collective of students turned to face him, their conversations cutting off in favor of listening to the hero. "Now, it is time for battle training."

"Sensei!" Iida spoke. "This is the battle center from the entrance exam, so are we undergoing urban battles again?"

I wonder, how often he interjects like that with everyone. Did he think that maybe All Might was about to something about that?

"No, we are moving ahead two steps." All Might explained the statistics and facts of villains then, providing a nice little backdrop to the situation the class was about to be placed in.

"For this class, you'll be split between teams of two; heroes and villains who will fight indoor battles."

A whole load of questions erupted from the class, ranging from the way this activity was going to play out, to expulsion, to how stylish a certain purple cape was.

All Might refrained from answering any. Rather, he pulled out a little booklet, and began to explain how this class was going to play out.

A booklet? Huh. I suppose he would be a novice to teaching. Especially to high school students.

Eventually, All Might came to the part where he said we'd be teamed up by picking lots.

"They're being picked so haphazardly?!" exclaimed Iida.

"You never know who you might have to get teamed up with in the field," Izuku provided in explanation.

The class eventually picked lots, each of them getting sorted into their respective teams. Izuku found himself teamed up with the girl who wore a green costume and had a tongue that stuck out of her mouth. Izuku introduced himself, raising a hand to shake.

The girl took it in kind. "Tsuyu Asui," she ribbeted. "I often say what's on my mind."

"Good to know, Asui."

"Call me Tsu." 

Izuku paused, considering her words. "Alright."

Izuku glanced at the other teams, sizing them up and forming strategies against them. He held a little laugh when he discovered that Bakugo got paired up with Mineta. 

"First up, Teams A and C! Team A are the heroes, Team C the villains."

Team C turned out to be Bakugo and Mineta, who strode their way inside the designated building. Team A consisted of Aoyama and Todoroki.

The battle... didn't turn out to be much of a battle. Todoroki froze the entirety of the building, seemingly catching even Bakugo off guard. Izuku gave him props to that. Even if the resulting angry yells and curses were getting a bit annoying.

"Alright, um, Teams D and E?" All Might said hesitantly. 

Team D is us. Izuku looked at All Might. Looks like he's still a bit off put by Bakugo.

" Ahem. Anyways, Team D will be heroes. Team E: villains.

"Looks like we're heroes then." Izuku said to Asui. She nodded.

"Good luck, Midoriya-kun!" yelled Uraraka.

"Likewise. Good luck," said Iida.

Izuku nodded. "Thank you, guys."

Team E consisted of Mezo Shoji - the boy with morphable limbs - as well as Hanta Sero - the boy who could shoot tape out from his arms.

Both teams walked up to the building they were to utilize, All Might leading them the whole way.

"Villain team!" exclaimed All Might. "Go on ahead and set up. In five minutes, the heroes will break in and the battle will begin." All Might then sped away back to the monitoring room.

Once they were alone, Asui spoke up. "Midoriya-chan." 

Izuku quirked an eyebrow at the familiarity. "Yes?"

"Your quirk. You control bugs, yes?"

Izuku simply nodded.

"Alright. My quirk is [Frog]. Basically, I can do whatever a frog can."

"I thought so," mused Izuku. "In that case, you wouldn't mind taking on Sero, would you? I'd rather not go against someone who would have more agility than me."

"I can do that," she ribbeted. She pulled out the map of the building, ready to study its interior.

"Ah, we don't need to worry about memorizing the building's floor plan. I can guide you through."

Asui put a finger to her lips. "With your bugs, I'm guessing?"

"Mhm. I'll send in a pair of dragonflies in your heed." Izuku gathered up flying insects at the outside of the building's openings, ready to head in once permitted.

A whistle rang through the air, signifying the start of the battle. Before anything else, Izuku sent in his bugs, surveying the building's interior.

"Sero is on the second floor. Seems like he covered up the staircase and the hallways, trapped them to his advantage. He's hiding in the middle of it."

"Is there space at the top of the hallways?" Asui asked.

"Hmm. It seems so. About a foot or two."

"I can climb on the ceiling, then." 

"You can—that's right. Does what a frog can. Gotcha."

The insects continued their trip through the building. "Shoji's on the third floor. Looks like he's… he has an ear to the floor. A couple others rotating in the air." Izuku tilted his head in thought. "Got it. We're good to get in." 

Asui hopped onto the building, traversing its outer walls and stopping before a second floor window. She eyed the two dragonflies that appeared beside her, and immediately followed as they flew inside.

Meanwhile, Izuku eyed the third floor. He had a plan to place into motion.

"Hello, Shoji."

Shoji turned around, looking out the window. There floated a figure made of bugs and insects, squirming and crawling all over one another. A slight buzzing accompanied the bugs, the snapping of tiny jaws and the fluttering of wings filling the air. Shoji retracted all his limbs to himself, transforming the enhanced ears and eyes on their ends back into arms.

"I suggest that you surrender now," came the chittering of the bugs, bearing a voice exactly as that of Izuku Midoriya. "It would save you from a load of discomfort, if you did." The buzzing became louder, harsher, filling Shoji's ears. 

The figure descended from its place in the air, entering through the window and touching the floor. It slowly made its way towards Shoji, each step collapsing upon itself - the bugs making ripple like movements on the floor - and instantly building itself back up again. It stopped a few feet from Shoji, crossing its arms and tilting its head. It stopped, almost as in wait. It didn't take long to see why.

"Hanta Sero is down! The hero team has garnered a capture," the speakers rang out.

"Your teammate is already down. You will have no backup to fall upon."

Shoji reacted to the announcement, gazing upon the swarm in front of him.

"I will not surrender, Midoriya," said Shoji. "If we are to fight, we will fight." He took a fighting stance.

The bugs gave a little laugh. "If you say so."

The mass of bugs abruptly collapsed in on itself, falling onto the floor. Shoji scrunched his eyes in confusion, scanning the mass, until they opened wide in realization. The mass reformed into a wave, rolling and descending towards Shoji. Insects hidden amongst corners and crevices of the room joined the movement, all aiming to fall onto the boy. Shoji attempted to run, to escape the clutches of thousands of little feet before they were upon him. He didn't make it far. He was covered in seconds, his yells of surprise lost in the cacophony of buzzing. 

The monitoring room was in complete silence. Just seconds before, everyone was commenting on the harrowing fight between Sero and Asui, and the frog girl's ensuing victory. They were especially pumped up with the way Asui's stealthy entrance via the ceiling caught Sero basically off guard, ensuring his quick defeat.

But then came the 'fight' between Shoji and Midoriya. It was a sight to behold.

Now, All Might and most of class 1-A stood in shock at the display that Midoriya had laid upon their eyes. For them, the image of the insect figure was still in their minds, as was the way it collapsed onto Shoji. 

Others had looks of intrigue on their face, another was growling in fury. 

Mina Ashido broke the silence. "That was… definitely something."

"Yeah..." muttered Uraraka.

"Wasn't that kind of much?" asked Iida.

"Huh," said Denki Kaminari. "You know, that display would have fit his image a lot better if he was on the villain team instead of th—Ow!" he yelped as he felt a sharp pain at his neck.

Kyoka Jiro retracted his ear jack, reprimanding her teammate. "Don't be an ass."

"Um…" All Might looked up at the monitors. "Oh! Uh… Team D has taken control of the bomb. Heroes win."

"What?!" questioned the class. They looked up at the monitors, and there stood Izuku next to the bomb, hand outstretched and touching the fake explosive device. "How did he get there?"

Previously…

Izuku circle his way to the back of the building. Turn left, his mind supplied. The mental command was directed to his two dragonflies. Asui—Tsu took the left. Another right, and then left. It wouldn't be long until she was upon Sero. 

Task nearing completion, Izuku focused his attention up. The fire escape stood before him, granting him a back entrance to the building.

But there was only one problem. The metal that the staircase was made of would make too much nose if he were to climb up the steps. The ears that Shoji had listening in to his surroundings would pick up Izuku's steps long before he would even get to the second floor. 

And Izuku didn't really didn't feel up to picking a physical fight with someone that had a grip strength of 540 kilos. 

But he had a plan to circumvent that. Izuku began to form his bug figure - this time, in the image of himself - on the third floor. 

"Hello, Shoji." he relayed.

Izuku watched through his bugs as Shoji quickly turned, morphing his limbs back into arms.

Bingo. Izuku began his slow up the steps, making as little noise as possible. He continued to talk through his bugs.

"I suggest that you surrender now. It would save you from a load of discomfort, if you did." 

He rose sound of his bugs, raising the amount of insects that produced their distinct buzzing. He improved his pace just a little in company of the noise. 

Eventually, he reached the top. But he stopped himself from going further, just as he did with his bug decoy. He remained outside, waiting for Tsu take down Sero. To make Shoji unsure, hesitate just a bit. He waited.

"Hanta Sero is down! The hero team has garnered a capture."

He spoke through the bugs yet again. He paused.

Izuku laughed a bit from Shoji's statement, and the laughter bleed into the speech of the bugs. He really didn't know what was coming.

Izuku enacted the next phase of his plan. The bug decoy collapsed, falling to the floor. It then rose, moving with purpose and descending on the tentacle-armed boy. His voice was drowned out by his bugs.

With Shoji neutralized, Izuku simply strolled into the room. He strode in, funding himself in front of the fake bomb. He smiled, placing his hand upon it.

"This is getting exciting. Let's continue with this, shall we?"

Notes:

And there we have the Battle Trial! Spoke right to your interests, I hope? How about the costume design? If anything, that was the part I was stuck on the most. So I just winged it. Not sure if I'll keep the look.