Chapter 3 - First Impressions Matter

Dagobah Beach, Three Months Before Entrance Exams…
 
Garbage. As far as the eye could see.
 
A literal labyrinth of stinking trash, thrown-away appliances and broken-down vehicles just teetering on the edge of collapse. Poised and ready to crush any poor soul caught wandering in between.
 
Izuku was that poor soul.
 
“Come on, just one more!”
 
The spirit was willing but the body was just so tired. With every day that passed the deadline for U.A’s entrance exam grew closer, and now more than ever Izuku was feeling the pressure of expectations weighing him down. Thankfully he’d found this place, a quick date turned ocean-side stroll with Momo having taken them past the ruined beachfront, and where his girlfriend saw pollution he saw opportunity. A naturally grown training course, filled to the brim with obstacles perfect for honing his growing powers into a force for good! And they were growing.
 
So here he was.
 
“Come on Izuku, ONE MORE!”
 
Sweat dripping from his forehead Izuku nevertheless drew himself up to his full height and reared back, chest inflating to an almost inhuman degree as he felt that pull in the centre of his being that told him he’d found the well of emotion stored within. The familiar crackle of pink energy sparked around his ears and jumped between the tufts of his hair, reflecting off the tarnished metal surrounding him as he dug his feet deep into the sand and glared ahead at the broken down, two-door refrigerator propped up against one of the spires of trash.
 
“Emotional Overload: Cacophonic choir!”
 
Fire boiled inside his throat as Izuku opened his mouth and screamed. A two-foot wide pillar of sound erupted from his lips in a wild, untamed mass of pink and purple lightning, tearing through the air like it was tissue paper and causing the sand underfoot to explode around him as it dug a trench across the ground and pelted his eyes with debris. Instinctively he flinched and without missing a beat the howling torrent of Chaos energy swerved, veering off to the left and missing the fridge entirely as it slammed into the broken-down frame of an old car.
 
The vortex cut off with a choked whimper from his throat as Izuku desperately brushed the sand from his eyes, making it just in time to watch the blast slam against the rusted metal frame and begin to tear. The very space around it seemed to warp as steel wrent and shredded beneath its power, crumbling to dust in the wind as it finally dissipated and left a husk of what was formerly a ton of cold hard steel.
 
“Note to self.” He coughed, his voice coming out raspy like he’d been gargling broken glass. “Work on aim, and do not use near civilians…”
 
As if to reiterate his point the ruined metal chassis crumpled, seemingly the signal for Izuku’s legs to do the same as a bout of lightheadedness swept through him and left the bruised and dusty teen to slump to the ground in a panting mess.
 
He’d completely lost track of time. Now that he’d finally surpassed the majority of hang-ups he’d held onto about his unconventional abilities, that childish wonder that he finally had a real Quirk had returned. It had even been enough for him to bust out his old notebooks, checking and comparing all the information he had about other emitter types to see just how he stacked up.
 
Present Mic had been an obvious go-to, his ability to shoot soundwaves strong enough to shatter concrete matching up closely with his own “Cacophonic Choir”. Unfortunately for Izuku though, that was where the similarities ended, because while overuse of either ability strained the throat and vocal cords, Present Mic’s power came from a biological adaptation of his muscles while Izuku’s came from the conversion of dark emotions. 
 
Regaining his breath Izuku clambered up onto his feet and began stumbling his way over towards his latest victim. The fridge stood there perfectly untouched, mocking him, but the car was another story entirely. Before he’d even come within ten feet he could see the scars left on the metal, like thousands of tiny teeth had ripped their way through the steel and aluminium, and with every step he took, the damage became more apparent. However, it was as he came to crouch next to the fallen vehicle that the dark reality of his powers reasserted themselves…
 
Pressing his fingers against the metal, Izuku traced the destruction with a frown on his face as he saw the damage wasn’t as wild as he’d thought, but instead etched out in a scrawling wave of horrific imagery. The grooves looked like they had come from some demented artist's pen as they depicted outstretched hands and faces locked in rapturous agony, thorn-like vines constraining them like they were the spirits of the damned that had been trapped within the steel for eternity.
 
He hated it. And he hated that he could see the beauty in it.
 
Without letting go he reached for the pocket of his jeans and fumbled around for his phone, drawing out the newer, sleeker model that Momo had bought him so that they’d be able to keep better in contact with each other while he was out and about training. They hadn’t been able to spend as much time together as either of them would have liked, her upcoming recommendation exam keeping them apart as he fully supported her in focusing all of her energy into making sure she got accepted.
 
That didn’t mean he wasn’t suffering for it though. He’d tasted the forbidden fruit and now he wanted more, the stolen thong from his childhood bully's mother doing little to tide him over alongside the pictures Momo sent to let him know she was thinking of him. Photo’s like the one he was looking at now.
 
It was easy to see she’d just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was coiled up in a long, thick, jet-black rope, still dripping as a healthy pink flush filled her cheeks while she graced the lens of her camera with her attention through the bathroom mirror. With one hand holding the phone the other was left alone to clutch at her towel, the saucy smirk curving her full lips saying she knew exactly what she was doing as it was only held up to cover her chest while she was faced in the other direction, arching her spine to look over her shoulder and emphasise the flawless curve of her back as it shimmered in the lights. The water still trailing its way down her curvaceous body stood out proudly in the image, and Izuku was even able to make out the points of moisture trickling over the small dimples resting at the base of her spine before they eventually slid their way down and over the prodigious curve of her bum and in between those two plush, proud cheeks that he could almost hear BEGGING for a slap. But they weren’t the only thing which caught his eye.
 
No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t ignore the newest addition to her gorgeous body. A tattoo, much like his, etched into the skin of her right ass cheek with the skull and tentacles fainter but no less legible than his own. It’d been there ever since that night he snuck into her room, and Izuku just knew that it had something to do with his sudden increase in power.
 
It wasn’t hard to figure out. Enough research into older Gods across the regions raised a concerning theme for what they sought from the mortal plane.
 
“Worshipper.” He murmured, eyes flicking down to his chest as he wrinkled his nose. “Devotees, huh. Is that what you want?”
 
Maybe it was a trick of the mind, but Izuku would have sworn he felt one of the tentacles pulse almost reassuringly against his flesh before settling back into cold inertness. His eyes returned to the picture and Izuku was once more grateful he’d met her, Momo, someone who’d found the mark his power stamped onto her skin without her permission and had simply stared before accepting it. A smile twitched at the corners of his lips as he thought of how she’d not only accepted it, she’d seemed to approve, apparently more than happy to walk around with a giant mark linking them together.
 
“Well, it’s not really to my taste in design, but it says a lot more than any ring, don’t you think? So long as neither of us become criminals… That would be some pretty damning evidence, though I’d rather no one else is ever close enough to see it.” She’d laughed, right before shoving him out the window to make the half-dressed sprint of shame through the family's garden.
 
She was incredible, and Izuku knew she was more than he deserved. But maybe, one day…
 
Pink lightning sparked from the tufts of his hair and the pain lessened as Izuku forced himself back up onto both feet with a tired grunt.
 
“Just once more.”
 
He didn’t miss again.
 


U.A, Day of the Entrance Exams…
 
Considering how much of a mad rush he’d been in that morning, Izuku hadn’t really gotten a moment to appreciate just what he was about to do. The enormity of the situation only truly sunk in once he’d found himself standing face to face with the gates leading in towards where U.A’s exam would take place. A literal river of other Hero hopefuls flooded in the same direction and surrounded him on all sides, leaving him the one stagnant rock in a sea of nervousness, anxiety, excitement, arrogance and fear…
 
It was intoxicating.
 
With Momo working on her own preparations, it had left him with a lot of free time. His grades were as good as they could ever be, and so most of the last few months had gone into Quirk training. Theorise, practice, train. Day after day, week after week, until his throat had felt like it was tearing apart at the seams and the taste of blood changed from a concerning sign to an old friend. But that was when he was on his own, isolated amongst the sand and trash where no one else could influence him, and here…
 
There were so many emotions that Izuku couldn’t find his bearings, the intensity of the desire around him almost physically pressing in against his skin until he realised with a spluttering gasp he’d forgotten to breathe. They were everywhere, crashing against him from every side like waves in a storm as he stood there drowning and-
 
“Whoa!”
 
A soft pair of uncertain hands slammed into his back and Izuku wheezed as they helped to jumpstart his lungs, fresh air pouring into his chest as he inhaled gratefully and grabbed onto his knees to try and steady himself.
 
“Shit dude, you okay?”
 
With a supreme effort, he nodded. Eyes shut tight he poured all of his concentration into the bubbling cauldron of his power to try and start packing it down deeper, sucking it in beneath his skin as his tattoos pulsed disapprovingly before petulantly giving in and allowing the riot of sensations to deaden.
 
“Hnnngh, fine!” He choked, finally getting it under control as he slowly stood back up to his full height. “Quirk. Never sensed this many people in such a small place before. Just need a, hurk, second!”
 
Tentatively, the hands rubbed small circles between his shoulder blades and it would have been a lie to say he wasn’t grateful.
 
“Yeah? Well, your heartbeat sounds like a racehorse track. I think you’re gonna need more than a second...”
 
Finally able to concentrate without the threat of being overwhelmed, again, Izuku turned to look over his shoulder and found… no one?
 
“... Are you serious? Down HERE, jackass!”
 
He just about leapt out of his skin, glancing down with wide eyes and flushing as he realised that the person who’d stopped to help him barely came up to his shoulder. Something she’d noted too if the irritated twitch at the corner of her temple was anything to go by.
 
“Ahaha… sorry?” He chuckled sheepishly, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as she rolled her eyes.
 
“Apology accepted.” She deadpanned.
 
His gaze had barely managed to take in the petite figure and uniform before finally zeroing in on the sides of her head as those earlier words clicked.
 
“Enhanced hearing?” He guessed.
 
Reflexively her hands came up to awkwardly fiddle with the lobes of her ears, pulling at the electrical jacks extending out from her skin as she avoided his eyes and chose to take in more of the glass and steel behemoth towering ahead of them.
 
“Yeah.” She muttered, shooting him a look from the corner of her eye. “You too?”
 
“Hmm? Uh, no, actually. Emotions.” He answered distractedly, silently trying to puzzle out just how they worked.
 
A hint of tenseness he hadn’t even noticed existed until then flowed from her shoulders, reminding Izuku that he wasn’t the only one here nervous about their Quirk. Then came the anticipated stiffening of the shoulders as what he’d said clicked, right before her eyes came fully around to bear down on him curiously.
 
“Emotions? Like, what everyone's feeling?”
 
He gave a careful, tentative nod.
 
“Huh. Dope?”
 
He couldn’t help it, he snorted. It was a nice surprise compared to most people's instinctive fear and vulnerability in the face of their feelings being an open book to some stranger.
 
“I’m Midoriya Izuku.” He held out a hand to the surprised girl. “But you can call me Izuku… if you want?”
 
She stared, hesitating for a moment before cautiously reaching out to shake his hand.
 
“Jiro Kyoka.” She accepted before narrowing her eyes. “But you’re gonna have to work to call me Kyoka.”
 
That was fair, he thought, chuckling lightly as they pulled apart and turned to face the looming gates of U.A.
 
“You sure you’re going to be okay?” Kyoka asked. “You’re still looking a little glazed in the eyeballs there.”
 
“Ehehe…yeah, I’ll be okay. This many emotions are, well, kinda like taking a mug of caffeine and shooting it straight up into my veins, ya know? Bit of a contact high. It’s already calming down though! Just needed to get used to it.” He reassured her.
 
Kyoka looked at him like she didn’t quite believe him but still shrugged as if to say ‘your Quirk, I guess’ as they both took those first steps past the entrance. Before long the tide carried them along to where they were handed their seating cards and directed towards their seats. A weird twist of fate revealed that their schools were in neighbouring districts so they ended up sitting next to each other, keeping their budding acquaintance to low murmurs as they waited for everyone else to find their seats in the auditorium and for the doors to close.
 
When they finally did, nervous anticipation saw all conversation around them dying out while the lights dimmed. 
 
“For all you examinee listeners tuning in…”
 
One by one the lights on stage burst to life before coalescing in a single, giant spotlight which ignited with a thunderous ‘CLAP!’
 
“WELCOME TO THE SHOW!”
 
To both Izuku’s surprise and amusement, one of the louder gasps came from the seat right next to his.
 
“Lemme hear you say YEAH!”
 
Kyoka’s face had already started flushing a bright pink as she realised she’d audibly shown her excitement to see the one and only Voice Hero Present Mic. She glared as he snickered, ear jacks rearing up like hissing snakes and making him yelp as he swatted them away from his eyes before ducking down and continuing to laugh as she ground her teeth like a raging Chihuahua.
 
It was too funny though. Even from the barest of introductions, Izuku could tell how much of a firecracker she was, her temper and dry humour apparent as they’d made their way inside.
 
Then the almost crushing silence surrounding them made itself known and both realised that they’d managed to draw most of the disgruntled eyes around them.
 
“Man oh man, at least there’s some life in this crowd…”
 
Both of them ducked down to avoid the glares of their fellow examinees as Present Mic shook it off with a laugh, boisterous energy infectious as he waved away the awkward silence and carried one without missing a beat.
 
“Well, whatever. Guess I’ll jump right into the rundown for your PRACTICAL EXAM!”
 
Finally, all eyes returned to the stage and the two of them breathed a sigh of relief, sharing a rueful look before unloading their focus onto the blonde Pro.
 
“As you all should know, today you’ll be conducting a ten-minute mock urban battle! As soon as the presentation is over you’ll be directed towards your designated battle centre, lettered from A to G!”
 
Turning his eyes towards the thin card with his identification he’d been given before entering the auditorium, Izuku looked over to Kyoka’s to see that while he’d been placed in centre F, she’d ended up in centre G.
 
“Guess they don’t want to risk us ending up with people we might know.” He murmured, getting a distracted nod to show she was thinking along the same lines before Present Mic waved everyone’s attention back to him.
 
“That’s right folks! Remember, you can bring anything along with you inside the facilities. Three different types of villains will be placed throughout, with each of them offering a range of points based on their difficulties! Your goal? Immobilise the villains and earn yourself enough points to qualify! As for attacking or sabotaging your fellow examinees? That’s a big no-no. If you hear me say HEY!”
 
Silence once more reigned, and Izuku thought he might have even seen Present Mic’s hair twitch.
 
“Yeesh, tough audience. Oh well, if that’s all then-”
 
A single hand shot up into the air and Present Mic paused to let a spotlight beam down on one of the examinees.
 
“MAY I ASK A QUESTION?”
 
“Okay!” Mic happily allowed, waving the rigid, bespectacled youth to go ahead as he nodded appreciatively.
 
“My thanks! On the printout we were all given, it says here that there are in fact FOUR types of villains. If this is a misprint then U.A, the most prominent Hero school in Japan, should be ashamed for allowing such a foolish mistake! We examinees are here to be moulded into exemplary Heroes! And YOU TWO!”
 
He didn't even pause to take a breath before whirling around and pointing straight towards an innocently blinking Izuku and bewildered Kyoka, her ear jacks coming up to point at her face as if saying ‘Me?’ while Izuku’s hand did the same.
 
“Your tomfoolery is incredibly distracting! If you’re here to play around, then you should leave. Immediately.”
 
Snickers erupted around them and Izuku watched Kyoka duck down further in her seat, clearly embarrassed as her ear jacks slid inside her collar. She obviously wasn’t one for being the centre of attention, and seeing someone so willing to lend a helping hand to a complete stranger they’d seen in distress being made to look like a target made his chest tingle and his eyes spark.
 
“Oi...” 
 
The other boy stilled from where he’d been about to reface Mic and twisted his head to meet Izuku’s ice-cold glare.
 
“For someone so dedicated to becoming an ‘exemplary Hero’, you seem awfully quick to start harassing examinees you don’t even know. And here I was hoping we’d all left the childish outbursts back in high school. Is that the kind of Hero you’re gonna be? No compassion? Maybe the Hero course isn't for you. Hard to make anything ‘exemplary’ out of a bully, ya jackass.”
 
Izuku could feel Kyoka’s bewildered eyes burning into the side of his head at the sudden mood shift while he leaned back and let the tension unwind minutely from his shoulders, leaving the other boy gaping as a flustered Present Mic wildly waved his arms to calm the rampant ‘ooooh!’s which sprung up around them.
 
“All right, ALL RIGHT! I like your spirit but let's maybe save it for the exam, yeah? As for your question, little listener, that fourth Villain? It’s worth… ZERO POINTS! That’s right, it’s more of an obstacle than anything, and while you can fight it if you wish, I'd personally recommend you avoid it at all costs!”
 
“Ah-, thank you? PLEASE EXCUSE THE INTERRUPTION!” 
 
Still seething, Izuku watched the thrown-off boy slide back down into his seat, the whispers in his head grumbling about letting him off so easily before he finally managed to blink himself out of his anger as Kyoka jammed an elbow almost softly into his side.
 
“You didn’t have to do that.” She muttered, fiddling with her jack as Present Mic screamed the school motto with flair.
 
“You’re right.” He agreed, nodding and following the rest as they climbed up onto their feet before shooting Kyoka a small smile. “But I wanted to.”
 
They both streamed out from the auditorium to find buses parked with their battle centres marked on the sides. No more words were exchanged as they turned to split up, but Izuku still felt a budding bulb of warmth whispering out from his side as a smaller shoulder bumped his arm before heading off.
 
He boarded the bus with a grin and easily managed to ignore the curious looks being shot his way as he found an empty seat deep in the back, settling in beside a quiet girl with vines for hair who offered him a simple nod before turning back towards the window. It was pretty silent considering the stress everyone appeared to be under, and the short ride passed in a blur before they were let loose into the courtyard outside one of the utterly ginormous entrances which hid their appointed battleground.
 
Settling in amongst the crowd, the moment he both dreaded and longed for had arrived. A sliver of nervous anticipation wormed around in his gut as he looked out across the sea of equally nervous yet determined faces, and made his resolution.
 
‘Sink or swim.’
 
Finding that ball of warmth in his core, Izuku’s eyes slid shut while his soul opened.
 
All at once, the reverberations of emotion came crashing in and it was a battle to keep his breathing steady. There were fewer people to deal with now than earlier, sure, but with the exam starting so soon all of their fears and anticipations were kicked up to the max.
 
But he was determined.
 
He drank it all in, syphoning off the surface of those invisible waves before digging down deeper and slurping at their core, storing all the darkest, grittiest emotions he could find until his hair stood on end and his skin felt like it would vibrate right off of the bone.
 
And as he drank his fill, his own nerves began to dissipate. It was like all of his fears were being washed away, thoughts of disappointing his Mom, Momo, Kyoka, and even HIMSELF vanishing as the marking on his chest squirmed and his mouth curled upwards at the corners.
 
“Yo!”
 
He wanted to run.
 
“No way!”
 
He wanted to fight.
 
“Hey, hey! Greeny! We’re tota-” 
 
He wanted to fuck.
 
“-lly matching!”
 
The world snapped back into focus as Izuku’s eyes shot wide and he looked at the crowd around him, finding them all backed up to leave a massive berth of space between them and him as he stood there like a lone island in the middle of the sea.
 
“Is that your Quirk?”
 
Well, almost alone.
 
The soft tingle of fruity perfume with something acidic brushed beneath his nose and Izuku found his vision filled to the brim with wide, excited yellow irises surrounded by black sclera. Her hair was thick, and poofy, with two thin pale yellow horns poking out from amongst the floof as she stood there practically thrumming with excitement.
 
“Huh?” He answered elegantly, though she didn’t seem to mind.
 
“Your hair!” She burbled, not asking for permission before reaching up to his head and snatching a great thick tuft of usually green hair before dragging it in front of his eyes. “It wasn’t like that in the auditorium when you were standing up to Mr tall, mean and serious. Is it your Quirk?”
 
Izuku didn’t have an answer. Mainly because he didn’t even know this was a thing. Or if it was, he’d certainly never seen it! But it was impossible to ignore what was before his eyes.
 
There, in the still-waiting girl's hand, was a handful of sparking green hair highlighted with neon pink.
 
“Ah…” He blinked and she was still standing there, cheeks puffed up like she was holding her breath. “... yes?”
 
“That’s… AWESOME!”
 
She screamed and jumped into the air, reminding Izuku that he was filled to the brim with energy and seriously lacking in his inhibitions, because as she bounced her chest bounced with her. The sparkling, sequined tank top she wore was left straining as it clung to twin orbs that, while not as big as Momo’s, were definitely more than enough to fill a man's palms to overflowing, jiggling in a way that made Izuku’s mind scream milk as he licked his lips and felt his cock roar to life in his shorts.
 
The only thing saving him from total humiliation was the reinforced elastic of his waistband, though even if it hadn’t there was a part of him that knew he wouldn’t really care as the girl finally seemed to realise where his focus was before stopping entirely.
 
“Pffft, yo, buddy! My eyes are up here, ya know?” She giggled, not moving to cover up as Izuku’s blood warmed and he grinned in response.
 
“Sure they are.” He agreed, still not shifting his gaze.
 
She waited, maybe for him to look away from her shamelessly buoyant chest or possibly because she was expecting an apology, Either way, she got neither, snorting when she realised he was more than willing to keep ogling her body and luckily seeing it in good humour as she finally stepped closer to his chest and dug her finger into the underside of his chin.
 
“You know…” She forced his eyes to meet hers and Izuku couldn’t have described her smile as anything other than wolfish. “Most girls would get pretty upset at that kinda behaviour.”
 
“Looks like I’m extra lucky then.” He rumbled without missing a beat, lips peeling back over his teeth as he noted with a steady heart that she was incredibly, phenomenally, entirely pink.
 
“You think so? Why’s that?” She teased, subtly preening under his attention.
 
“Pink’s my favourite colour…”
 
Then he leaned in, and now it was her turn to still as his lips just barely missed the corner of her lips to sidle up next to her ear.
 
“It’s also my favourite flavour.”
 
He pulled his head back and was rewarded with a sweet face dyed lilac with her blush, jaw dropped like she wasn’t quite sure how to respond as he stood there daring her to call him out on it. She eventually broke, and Izuku was pleased to note that she didn’t shy away, instead narrowing her eyes as if seeing his words as a challenge!
 
“Ohoho, I’m gonna have to watch you, aren’t I?”
 
As far as first impressions went, Izuku’s one of her was that whoever she was, she wasn’t often on the other side of being teased.
 
“I’m looking forward to it.” He smirked.
 
She opened her mouth in preparation to say something else, but that was the exact moment their little moment was broken by the rumbling of monstrous steel gates sliding open to reveal the entirety of the mock city ahead of them.
 
“Aaaand… GO!”
 
No one moved.
 
“WELL? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! THERE’S NO STARTING BELL IN HERO WORK! GO GO GO GO!”
 
The stampede started, and Izuku sprinted forward through the gates.