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Inasa felt the great weight lifted from his shoulders as he walked down one of the streets of Musutafu. He held the crumpled acceptance letter that had mocked him since receiving it the week before. All he had ever wanted since he decided to be a hero was to go to UA. It was where the best heroes studied and was the most renowned school available to a hero hopeful.
He had beaten everyone in the exams so the acceptance letter had been expected. Inasa had already celebrated with his family and friends at making it to the top. His coach had been particularly impressed by his quirk usage considering how hard they had worked on it. Windbreak may have retired as a hero but he had still been willing to help a young boy whose elemental powers had been tied to his emotional state.
His parents had gone to numerous children’s counselors trying to help his reign in his emotions so that his powers would not activate on their own. Considering how powerful his wind was, he had been the cause of much property damage and even worse had injured others. His case had seemed particularly difficult until one professional had recommended a quirk coach instead. It was only luck that Windbreak lived nearby and had been willing to take on a helpless case.
The grandfatherly old man had been able to show him the tricks to separate his emotions from his quirk. As a gift for all his hard work, Windbreak had also given him the greatest gift a hero could bestow on a student and recommended him for UA. His teacher had gone to Shiketsu for his own studies but UA was closer and it would allow him to commute to and from his own house.
Not to mention it was UA after all and who wouldn’t want to go to such an amazing school? His elated feelings had all come crashing down again once he had actually received the letter. UA wanted to place him in Class 1-B. It was Todoroki who was the one that would be getting into 1-A while he had been relegated to a lesser class. Had Endeavor used his prestige as the Number 2 to make sure his son had received preferential treatment?
Inasa could have accepted both of them being placed in 1-A. They had been the first and second place winners. That would have been fair. Instead they had wanted to ignore all his hard work and put the boy who had been just as un-hero-like as his father in a spot he had not earned. He refused to allow his accomplishments to be ignored and he had planned to make his point clear by personally rejecting their offer.
He had hoped that seeing the campus again since the recommendation test would have given him clarity. He had reached the school only to see it overrun with other hero hopefuls. He had not even considered that today was the day for the regular entrance exams. Still he was determined to get the answers he needed to move forward and had joined the applicants entering UA property.
Being with the examinees was nothing like his previous experience with a much smaller group trying for the coveted recommendation spots. There was a raw desperation about him as hundreds of others all sought the same prize. One that he had come here to throw back in the school’s face.
It was the first time he had really felt like his regular self since he had found out what the school had planned for him. Surrounded by all his passionate peers trying to get into the school he felt the intensity in the air. Inasa could feel the smile that had been missing on his face for days as he let himself be swayed by their emotions.
The angry voice that pierced through the crowd was a stark contrast to positive energy and sent him back to the reason why he was here. Inasa still could not help but look for the source of outburst and saw the blonde kid terrorizing the shorter green haired boy. Seeing the rage in the other’s face he found himself losing focus again and he moved towards them.
He did not know who this blonde boy was but that look of disgust on his face as he glowered at the other reminded him of that day when he had first met Endeavor. He had been afraid they would have come to blows but the angry one had left in a huff while the other turned to watch giving him the first glimpse of his face.
The thing he had noticed at once was the shock of freckles that stood out against the pale skin. It looks so soft and completely different from his own that was toughened and sun touched by the hours he had spent training to use his quirk. A nervous smile seemed pasted on the boy’s face. The look seemed to be of admiration towards the blonde that seemed out of place after their previous interaction. He clearly did not share the same anger that the other had for him.
Then he was falling and suddenly those large green eyes that matched his hair blinked in puzzlement as they looked up at him. That was when Inasa realized he had moved without thinking when he had seen the boy trip and had caught him by the arm, spinning him around in the process. The end result was him cradling the slight body against his own before reluctantly releasing him again once the other was stable on his feet again.
“Th… thank you. S… sorry for troubling you.” The boy stuttered, stepping away as his eyes turned down with a face red from embarrassment. Inasa did not like this one bit. It was like the boy was waiting to be yelled at as he drew into himself. Was he being compared to the angry one that had already left his companion behind?
Inasa had to compose himself as he felt a hint of his power leak as a light breeze came from him at being mistaken for being anything like that blonde. The only good thing from his lack of control was the wind did move the wild green hair the other was hiding behind so he could see those large expressive eyes again. Something in them had calmed his power without a fight. He may have just met him but he would never let his quirk injure him even by accident.
“Couldn’t have you getting hurt before the exams. You need to go in there and give your all!” Inasa said, trying to figure out why the other seemed so nervous about him. While he was tall and often towered over others, no one had ever seemed frightened of him before. He gave the other a broad smile willing the other to come out of his shell.
“Y… you think I can make it into UA?” It was not the question from the other that surprised him but the look of almost desperate hope from those eyes. It was the face of a person that had never been given a chance to prove themselves. But Inasa also saw the strength and determination that he knew all too well as it matched his own. Whatever life had done to his boy had not broken him at least.
“Of course! Show them your passion and they are sure to accept you into the hero course!” Inasa proclaimed ignoring his own issues with the school in the face of such eyes. True the other did not seem much like a hero now with the stuttering and small stature but he was still here to fight for his place. That alone let him know this boy had something in him that was worthy of UA.
“Oh… I’m not actually here to take the hero course exam. Someone I admire greatly explained that it was not possible for someone like me to be a hero. But even after that, I still can’t help myself and want to be a hero anyway. If I can get into the general studies, it means I can still go to UA and might be able to transfer to the hero course if I can prove myself. It has happened before in the past when students from general studies have impressed the school during the sports festival.” The boy explained getting more excited as he went even though Inasa wanted to know exactly who would have told the other he could not be a hero. Was it that angry boy from before? He looked the type to say something so careless.
“If you think you can make it into the hero course through the sports festival why not try for it today? You should seize the moment and show them what you can do!” Inasa encouraged trying to understand how someone was willing to go a more complicated route rather than attacking head on like he did for most things.
“I… I can’t. The school refused to allow me to take the physical test due to my situation. The school board sent a letter with my application with the rules that block me from even trying for the exam. So I did some research and found that it only applies to applicants and not students. So I still have a chance.” The boy said with so much passion in face for a slight chance after yet another great injustice from this school. Rather than be dejected and give up on his dreams he was still going to try his best anyway.
This meeting had only confirmed Inasa’s resolve to find a school that would see a person’s merit over their name. He had not even made it to the principal as he had intended but he did not need to in order to know how to respond to his acceptance letter now. Placing his arm across the boy’s shoulders he turned him around and started walking them back to the gate. The other struggled for a moment but calmed down quickly enough as he looked to Inasa for an explanation of his actions.
“The school does not deserve you. Don’t let them dictate what you can and can’t do. Instead, you're coming with me to take the Shiketsu exams next week. We are going to show UA exactly what their own actions have caused them to miss out on.” Inasa said, guiding the two of them around the students moving in the other direction.
“You don’t even know my situation. What makes you think I can make it into Shiketsu?” The green haired boy puzzled but continued to allow their close contact. Inasa was probably happier than he should be about that. Most people, even those that knew him well, often complained about him intruding on their personal space. This one seemed surprised by it at first but was accepting of it in moments.
“Does not matter. You’re a fighter. That is enough for me to know your hot blooded enough to be a hero. I’m Yoarashi Inasa by the way.” Inasa said realizing he still did not know the name of the boy he was dragging into his own plans.
“Midoriya Izuku. Please take care of me.” Izuku responded politely with a large smile that gave him a warm gentle feeling that was able to cut through the dark mood that UA had put him in. Inasa was going to make sure that Midoriya would continue to smile just like that. If Shiketsu did not accept them both, they would try for a different school together.
Inasa was already planning on getting Windbreak involved. He had a feeling that his trainer would be just as disappointed by UA’s rash decisions. With his help, they would make sure the Shiketsu would at least give his new friend a real chance at his dreams.
🟥🟧🟨🟩🟦🟪
Izuku laughed as Inasa's enthusiasm for the provincial license was infectious. The weight of his arm around his shoulders was commonplace to him now after getting used to it. These days it felt odd not to have the other plastered to his side. They had both worked hard for this opportunity to join their seniors today. Following Inasa to Shiketsu had been the best decision he had ever made. The school focused on teamwork and leadership unlike UA who produced mostly solo heroes which is why their exam mirrored their expectations.
He had been so worried that first day that Inasa would say he could not be a hero after telling him that he was quirkless. Instead it seemed to fire up the boy even more that he was trying for such a dangerous career with smarts alone. He was also the first person that saw value in his notebooks and introduced him to the retired hero Windbreak.
Windbreak had been able to explain what the Shiketsu entrance exam would require of him and gave him the courage to try for it. Even with his help, Izuku had barely passed the physical exam that was a mock hostage scenario. Something that could not happen in UA due to almost ten times the number of applicants to the school.
He had taken longer than most as he had sneaked his way through the different levels and to the fake hostages. Izuku may not be very physically fit but he was good at running away and had a great awareness for others due to his natural wariness of bullies that he had picked up from school. From there he had learned the different quirks from the hostages and planned a way out using the civilian’s quirks to get them to safety.
As expected, the hostages had no real fear of the situation since they had known there was no real danger to themselves and it took little coordination to convince them into working with him. Especially since he never told them that he was quirkless and let them think his quirk was completely mental. Windbreak had suggested that sometimes omitting information and pretending the confidence he did not have was all that was needed sometimes.
Thankfully the school had found the approach novel as no one had ever convinced the Help Us Company workers to help in their own rescue. If anything they had all given Izuku glowing reviews for how well a student with a mental quirk was able to use his powers to complete the challenge.
It probably helped that they were all very flattered by how Izuku had been able to utilize their quirks that they themselves thought of as useless. After all, people did not dream of being a professional victim. It was a job that people who could not be heroes themselves took in order to help heroes in their own way. Having a hero hopeful find them useful in their own right was a boost to their egos especially when the end result had them all safely rescued from their own efforts.
Once he had become a student, he was luckily in the same class as Inasa and the two of them had gotten closer. Unexpectedly, Shiketsu’s system to choose their representatives was based on grades and conduct befitting a hero rather than a popularity vote like it had in his middle school. Izuku had been honored that his studies and habit of helping his classmates develop their quirks had gotten him the coveted spot for himself.
Being here to compete for his license was another privilege Izuku could barely process. A week ago his class had a joint training with the upperclassmen in the bus that had not passed the previous exam. The senior class representative Mora had been so focused on helping the rest of his class pass that he had been knocked out himself. Apparently a good half of the students under his care had received their provisional licenses due to him. The other three all had their own reasons for failing but seemed confident in the exam today.
The training was meant to be a way for the four to practice their skills with others that they were not accustomed to. At the same time both Inasa and Izuku have proven to the teachers that they were ready for the provisional license test themselves. He understood how someone like Inasa was able to come to the exam. His own invitation had been a shock but if they thought he could do it, he would not let them down.
Leaving their bus after reaching their destination, they had to wait for their teacher to check them in. Mora Sempai had started a conversation with Izuku about what to expect from the exam. It was all things he had heard before but Izuku suspected that he was doing it to help him with his nerves.
“...Ultra!” The loud familiar voice of his friend coming from across the way in front of a different bus was the first time they realized that Inasa had moved away from their group. As the class representatives they both immediately stopped their conversations and looked to where his tall classmate was currently standing with the newly arrived UA students.
Izuku did not even hesitate even though he immediately recognized the yellow colored hair of his past childhood friend. As much as Inasa had helped him get through his own past with Katsuki, he never seemed to be able to help Inasa with his own issues with Endeavor or his son. His goal for barging into the UA student’s space was more likely to confront the young Todoroki. Inasa did like to confront things head on after all.
“You shouldn’t just barge in on other people’s huddle’s Inasa.” Izuku said, hiding his smile at the big goof’s loud and exaggerated apology. Banging his head on the ground from the effort definitely got all eyes on him though which was just what the other had planned from the spectacle. By the time Inasa’s head was raised back up, their upperclassmen had arrived to stand in a unified front for their rival school.
“I wanted to try saying it just once! Plus Ultra! I love UA High School! I am extremely honored to compete against UA students! I’m looking forward to it!” Inasa yelled even with his eyes set on the boy with two colored hair that Izuku recognized from the UA Sports Festival. His friend was definitely targeting Todoroki and wanted him to have advanced warning beforehand most likely thanks to his sense of justice. Involving the whole school was to warn them that they would also be targets if they got in his way.
“The fuck are you doing here, Deku?” Katsuki snarled, charging up to them and breaking Inasa from his posturing. Izuku’s view of his childhood friend was blocked by a large strong back as his best friend stepped between them. Izuku had known that UA was going to be at the exam but he had hoped for class 1-B to be the ones that came to this location to avoid this confrontation since Inasa had taken strong objections to many of the things Katsuki had done to him in his past.
“Kacchan, it’s been a while. Didn’t you know that I was going to Shiketsu?” Izuku said, trying to calm the situation down before either of the two started throwing punches and being disqualified before being able to take the exam. Izuku saw the rage increase from Katsuki at the use of his childhood nickname. It had come automatically after hearing his own nickname from the other and he had not thought to correct it. His classmates whispering to each other about the cutesy nickname probably was not helping.
“Why the hell would I care about what high school you go to? Answer the fucking question. Why are you here?” Katsuki repeated as two of his classmates held to his shoulders, seeming to know how explosive the other was. Oddly, the Kacchan he had known would have immediately shrugged them off but he seemed to actually tolerate their touch… or was ignoring them as his focus was only on him.
“I’m here for the same reason as you. To get my provisional license.” Izuku said turning away while grabbing Inasa’s hand to walk away from the group before Katsuki could say something that would infuriate his classmate into defending his honor. After a few steps without any comment or complaints from his best friend he peered over to find him red in the face as he looked at their clasped hands as he walked stiffly next to him.
Now that he thought of it, it was the first time he held hands. Considering how often Inasa liked using his shoulders as an armrest, he had not thought anything about initiating contact first this time. When he tried to let the other go as he did not want to make the other uncomfortable, the hand holding his tightened and Izuku could only smile as they moved forward followed by their upperclassmen. Time to get his license and show UA exactly what they had lost by not treating them fairly.