Chapter Text
If the absolute best in a certain profession, your dream profession even, tells you that you have potential in that field, and you DON’T feel the need to double down on all your efforts. There’s something wrong with you.
Which is why, after All Might leapt away with the sludge villain collected in a pair of soda bottles he had on hand, he immediately raced home as fast as physically capable (which was pretty fast thanks to his body’s high constitution) and spilled to his mom about everything. Then he got busy making a workout plan.
During one of his runs he stumbled upon Dagobah beach, although it was more of a dump than a beach. So he incorporated it into his regime, using Remote Manipulation to grab things from far away, and lifting things with Leverage (what he called his enhanced strength) and even practicing Mimic.
By the time the UA entrance exam came around, he’d boosted his quirks relatively well. Remote Manipulation coins reach farther, he could run faster and jump higher, lift heavier things and throw them terrifyingly hard. Shift let him teleport longer distances, and he could use Mimic to transform into more complex objects. When he started he could only turn into basic items like coins, cups and pens. Now he could turn into machines. He once turned into a washing machine and did a spin cycle. It was… very nauseating, having his inside spin around at high speeds like that.
Speaking of the entrance exam, Izuku was practically enamoured with the building when he saw it, pausing to admire the sheer size of it. Then Katsuki ruined the moment, shoulder checking Izuku on his way in. “Outta my way, freak.”
Normally he would be startled and probably turn into a household object. But not today. He’d worked too hard just to be here just to get scared of a bully. So he held his ground as Katsuki walked away, even as his form flickered for a moment as he almost morphed.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he walked forward. ‘I’ve worked hard. I’ve trained. I’ve earned this. And nothing can bring me down!’ He trips on a loose brick in the pavement. ‘Except gravity, apparently.’
With his view consisting of nothing but the ground, he prepared for imminent embarrassment. But then he stopped and the whole world simply… fell away. There was no Katsuki, there was no UA, no entrance exam. There was only Izuku and the black between the stars. But there was something there. He just… couldn’t see it. But it sees him. And the whispers that plagued him became clearer, closer, what seemed like thousands of voices coalescing into one.
“You’re not what they say you are.”
He was overwhelmed by this feeling of something more. Something connected. Something… belonging. And suddenly he was back on solid ground. “Are you ok?”
Izuku turns to a worried looking brunette with a bob-cut. “Am I… huh?”
“Oh man, I’m really sorry. I should have asked before using my quirk on you, but I thought it’d be bad luck to fall before the exam, and no one’s ever gone LIMP when I used my quirk on them before! I’ll just go.”
She turns and runs inside. “No, wait… and she’s gone.” He looks around, focusing on the whispers, searching for that all encompassing voice. “Hello?” When he doesn’t get a response, he shakes his head to clear his thoughts before heading into the building. “Maybe I am going crazy.”
After the written exam and the explanation by Present Mic, Izuku muttered to himself, wondering about what happened with that girl. Why did everything go dark? Why did his tinnitus suddenly act up and form an actual intelligible sentence for the first time? Why did he feel so much… bigger than himself? Did he have some kind of schizophrenia on top of his tinnitus? He hoped not. If that turned out to be true after years of denying that he was insane, he’d be so pissed. Why did that girl's quirk trigger it? What IS her quirk?
He’s startled from his thoughts by a sudden loud voice, thankfully one that ISN’T in his head. “Excuse me! You said there were four robots during the exam, but this pamphlet clearly outlines three! If this is a mistake it is shameful of an institute such as UA! And you!” He points at Izuku. “If you're going to distract us with your constant mumbling, get out!”
Izuku hung his head in shame from that point up until he arrived at the area for the practical exam. He looked up after arriving, hoping to take his mind off his embarrassment by seeing what quirks he could analyse. That’s when his eyes landed on the girl from outside. ‘Oh, it’s that nice girl. I should thank her for helping me. And probably apologise for scaring her. And ask what exactly happened when I blacked out and heard intelligible voices in my head…I’ll probably leave that part out when I ask.’
Wanting to avoid bumping into people, he simply used Shift a few times in order to reach her, unknowingly avoiding an uncomfortable confrontation with a certain spectacle wearing examinee. Although maybe appearing right beside her was a bad idea. “Hi.”
The girl jumps from where she stands. “Oh my goodness!”
Izuku blushes at his immediate blunder. “I’m so sorry!”
The girl puts a hand to her chest as she steadies her heart rate. “It’s fine. Solid payback for what happened outside.”
Izuku waves his hands in front of him. “Oh, no, I’m not a vengeful person. I actually wanted to apologise for scaring you like that. Can you actually tell me what exactly happened? I sorta…blacked out.”
“Well you just sorta,” she hunches over and lets her arms hang uselessly at her sides “ragdolled, like some kind of video game character. I even tried shaking you and nothing happened. You only blinked after I cancelled my quirk.”
Izuku rubs his chin. “Huh. What is your quirk?”
She puts the pads of her fingers together. “Zero Gravity. If I touch something I can nullify its gravity.”
“Wow, that’s the perfect quirk for a rescue hero!”
The girl suddenly gets stars in her eyes. “I know, right? If I get in I’m hoping to be just like the Space Hero: 13!”
“With a quirk like that you're practically a shoe in.”
She rubs the back of her head, suddenly looking nervous. “I don’t really know. I have a kind of exertion limit on my quirk and if I levitate too many things or something that’s too heavy I throw up.”
Izuku hums before snapping his fingers. “I think I have something that can fix that.”
“What do you mean?”
Izuku looks up at the big gates blocking the way to the exam area. “They said we weren’t allowed to sabotage other participants, but they never said we couldn’t team up.”