Chapter 3
Nothing was worth taking on a new identity, much less if that identity was a girl and was more of a furry's wet dream than anything. At least, that was the case for most people. Izuku Midoriya, as it so happened, was not most people and, much to his embarrassment, found himself clad in girl's clothing, in the girls' dormitory at UA, awkwardly walking behind one Pro-Hero Midnight as the two went to what would be his room.
"Alright, Izumi, this is it" Midnight said, opening a door.
Spacious and big enough for one, Izuku entered the room. There was a rather large bed (bigger in his current rabbit form), a desk and a wardrobe. All in all, not bad.
Midnight looked around the corridor and stepped inside, closing the door behind. Her smile died on her face and sternly addressed Izuku.
"I will be frank with you: I do not like this decision. Don't take it the wrong way, but I rather if you chose to going the General Studies instead of assuming that form" Midnight admitted. "It feels wrong and sick to force you, and the girls, to go through this."
"Trust me, I don't like it any more than you" grumbled Izuku, annoyed at his own chirpy female voice.
Midnight merely nodded before giving him a warning look.
"I'll say it once: I hear one peep about you doing anything perverted, breaking the girls trust or anything like that and, trust me, expulsion will be the least of your problems" Midnight said.
The hero then was back to smiling and opening the door.
"With all that cleared, welcome Izumi to U.A.!" She said with genuine happiness and, after giving Izuku a playful wink, walked away.
Izuku went over to the door, looked at each side, before locking his bedroom. With that out of the way, he quickly undressed and desperately went back to his normal form.
"I can't do this" Izuku muttered, shuddering. "I-I can't."
He went to his suitcase and hastily put away his clothing, picking a shirt and shorts for his male form. Like hell he would spend any more time than necessary as a girl. He tried to ignore the pile of female pants and shirts he had bought with his mother, cringing at his memories. The underwear had been the most embarrassing of it all.
With nothing else to do, Izuku plopped on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Needless to say, he was already regretting his decision. He raised his scarred arm and grimaced.
As much as he hated to admit it, Recovery Girl and Nezu had been right. Izuku hadn't managed to get one iota of control over One for All, and Izuku really didn't want to repeat what happened last time. In his rabbit girl form, however, things were different. Izuku had discovered that Nezu's observations were correct.
In the last weeks, Izuku had trained with All Might in both forms. Unfortunately for Izuku, the human form showed no progress. Limited to trying to summon it and avoid using it, Izuku discovered that One for All was too powerful to handle and he would need a lot of time to get used to the powers.
Somehow, his rabbit form was different. He didn't bother using his arms, afraid his frailer rabbit arms would snap, but his legs had managed to not only withstand One for All, but to do so repeatedly. Still, Izuku and All Might discovered that even his rabbit form lacked control.
Three times. That was his limit for the time being. He could use One for All in his rabbit form three times before his legs were hurting all over. Nothing broken, though, just burning muscles. And it wouldn't be just some of One for All, it was three times Izuku could only go from 0 to 100% of power in seconds.
Why? Why is my stupid girl form better at handling One for All than my real one? Izuku asked himself, grimacing. Someone out there must be laughing at my luck.
Izuku remained there, on bed, unsure what to do. Maybe he could watch videos of All Might to cheer himself up, or perhaps he could continue writing down on his notebooks. He was not, however, going to walk out of that room. Oh no, if he could avoid it he would stick to that form.
I wonder who else made it to the Hero Course, Izuku wondered.
His mind immediately conjured the cute brunette from the entrance exam. As much as he wanted to deny it, he hoped she had made it. Maybe they could be friends.
Until I can use my real form, anything more than friendship is out of the question, he told himself.
Izuku shuddered at the thought of a boy actually getting a crush on his rabbit form. Even with the rise of quirks and the animal mutant quirks, dating someone that resembled more of an animal than a person was still considered weird. Even Izuku thought it would be disturbing to know someone would see his rabbit form in such a way.
Without really thinking, Izuku got out of bed and went to finish the decorations. He had been forbidden from bringing physical images with him or any of his many collector-edition posters of All Might. Instead, Izuku had to do with one All Might had personally acquired for him.
As a boy, he might have been considered a bit of a pervert. As an alleged rabbit girl, the one meter tall poster of Miruko, the rabbit hero, was expected of him. Izuku did not know how in the world All Might managed to get him an autographed poster. He was still confused as to why. Regardless, Izuku appreciated the effort enough to put up with the poster.
Sticking it over his bed, Izuku stared at the poster of one rabbit hero Miruko. She was grinning with her usual confidence. However, to Izuku, it felt as if Miruko was taunting him.
What's that, boy? Don't you like your rabbit quirk? Tough luck! Imaginary Miruko taunted Izuku.
Miruko was hot. Short, with long white hair and fluffy rabbit ears, her tanned skin and red eyes were exotic enough without that rather appealing skin-tight costume of hers. The confidence on her smirk, etched on her face, was also bright and enlightening. The more Izuku stared at it, the worse he felt.
Izuku sat down and pulled out his cell phone. Going through three new passwords and a fingerprint detection system, he unlocked the device and went to his photo album, which were locked behind yet more passwords.
"Stupid secret identity program" muttered Izuku.
Finally, he got the pictures he wanted. Izuku smiled as images of his parents, hugging him as he meekly held his diploma. Truth to be told, Izuku hated the Aldera diploma, but he would forever cherish the picture of both his parents proudly smiling with him, their arms wrapped around him.
Izuku could remember quite well what his father had said when he saw his rabbit form. He had been amused but, above all, amazed and proud. When Izuku mentioned the choices Nezu had laid out for him, Izuku had to endure the encouragement of both his parents to take the Hero Course option.
Why? Why did they want him to be a bunny girl? Were they happier to have a daughter than a son? Or was it the fact his rabbit form was cuter, less awkward and perhaps less pathetic?
Izuku sighed and shook his head. He needed to leave the room or else he would be swallowed by horrid thoughts yet again. Against his better judgement, reverted to his rabbit form. He grumpily moved to his wardrobe and to the mirror he had found against one of the wardrobe's door.
He still looked so unlike his human form, with strangely wide hips and enlarge violet eyes, that Izuku was mystified by the origin of such a power. His mother had promised to ask their relatives and search for any cousins to see if someone actually had some kind of rabbit quirk that had been forgotten. If his human form hadn't taken such a resemblance to his father, Izuku was sure his mother's faithfulness would have been put into question.
I guess I could explore the school a bit, thought Izuku with the utmost resignation, maybe I will get to see my future classmates.
With that thought, Izuku changed into something more fitting (he felt uncomfortable doing so) and, after a long minute of mustering his courage, unlocked the door to walk out, into the world outside.
The first thing Izuku did was hurry out of the girls' dorm. He did not want to find himself in any awkward situation. At least, he tried to leave. He stuck to the shadows and retraced his steps back to the main lobby, which so happened to have a few girls chatting. However, as he neared the front gate and his freedom, someone burst into the dorms, grinning happily.
Izuku's body stopped moving and stared in disbelief. It was her. The gravity girl had made it! Well, perhaps his luck wasn't as rotten as he thought.
"It is you, the she-rabbit!" The cute brunette exclaimed in joy, noticing her.
Much to Izuku's embarrassment, other of the girls seated in the sofas or standing around turned towards Izuku. The poor boy-turned-rabbit blushed at being the center of attention. It didn't help the girls all looked at him with interest. It wasn't every day you saw an actual anthropomorphic bunny, even in a world with crazy powers.
"So you made it to the Hero Course! I'm so glad" the girl said with a wide grin. "I actually thought I wouldn't make it, y'know? Anyway, what class are you in?"
"1-1-A" stammered Izuku.
"We are in the same class? That's awesome!"
"Y-yeah" stuttered Izuku, shyly averting his gaze.
"Can't you believe it? We get our own rooms! U.A. sure is the quite place, huh?" giggled the brunette. "I am Ochaco Uraraka, pleasure to meet you!"
She extended a hand, which Izuku hesitantly shook.
"Izuku- I mean, Izumi Mid- I mean, just Izumi" stammered Izuku.
Apparently, keeping a secret identity would prove to be difficult, especially to particularly cute girls.
"Just Izumi?" Ochaco wondered, tilting her head.
"I'm… I'm in the Secret Identity program so that's my codename" grumbled Izuku.
Truth to be told, All Might and Nezu had wanted him to get other more embarrassing codenames, like Jewel and Ame (for Amethyst). All Might even suggested trying to pass her as an American and suggested English names like Lisa, Elsa and even Judith.
"That's so cool" gushed Ochaco with stars in her eyes. "Are you the daughter of a famous hero? Or- or are you…" Ochaco grimaced "…you aren't one of those poor test subjects liberated from nasty secret labs, are you? Wait, are you a rabbit with a quirk?"
"No" Izuku said, reminded of the argument behind his backstory. "I'm human and this is my quirk."
Although the suggestion had been made for Izuku to claim to have a backstory similar to the Principal's, Nezu had argued against it, mostly because the idea was to allow Izuku to use his human form once he had mastered One for All to an acceptable degree… if that ever happened.
"Huh, would have been amazing to have an animal with a quirk as a classmate, but it is fine as it is" chirpily said Ochaco. "Thanks, by the way, for everything you did in the exam. Without you, I don't think I would have come here…"
She blushed, embarrassed, and averting her eyes. Izuku felt his chest constrict at that.
"It- it is fine. Thanks to you I-I got in as well s-so… we are even, right?" Izuku thought.
"Yeah, even" Ochaco nodded with a bright grin.
However, the brunette quickly was back to exclaiming her mirth.
"Aren't you excited? We are going to be heroes!" Ochaco exclaimed, flailing her arms in happiness.
Boy she sure is a ball of joy, isn't she? Thought an amused Izuku.
"Yeah, it is going to be awesome!"
Izuku and Ochaco blinked as they were joined by a pink-skinned girl and… floating clothes? Oh, right, an invisible girl. Huh, how peculiar.
"I am Mina Ashido!" The pink-skinned girl said.
"And I am Toru Hagakure!" The floating clothes said.
"Nice to meet'cha!" Ochaco happily responded, shaking hands with them.
"None of that! We do things proper around here" Ashido laughed, proceeding to hug Ochaco.
It was only when he felt arms around him that Izuku realized what was happening. When his face was buried on something soft, Izuku took many seconds to suddenly realize just what he had been embraced against. It was the promised land! The place of joy for all men in the world sought and strived for!
"Would you look at you?! You are so adorable!" Squealed Ashido as she hugged the life out of Izuku.
When Izuku was finally released, he was gasping for breath. He was sure that not only was he in need of immediate oxygenation but all of his blood had rushed to his face out of the embarrassment of being suffocated against Ashido's bosom. He was still unsure if it had been a bad experience.
"Come on girls, let us see if there are any other classmates here!" Ashido proposed.
"Yay!" Hagakure and Ochaco exclaimed.
"Eh… what?" said Izuku, confused by what was going on.
Sadly, he didn't get much of a chance to do anything as Ochaco and Hagakure grabbed him by the arms and dragged her away, as some sort of prisoner. Izuku wanted to protest, but that died on his throat as he panicked.
"Wow, you are a lot heavier than you look!" Laughed Hagakure.
"I bet it is all muscle, isn't it girl?" Cooed Ashido, patting Izuku's head.
Izuku's weight did not stop the girls, though. Rather, it seemed to embolden them.
Are girls all this possessed?! I should have stuck to the General Studies course! Mentally whined Izuku, terrified of what the next days would mean for him. Just what in the world did I get myself into?!
Somehow, Izuku survived the experience of being a rabbit girl for one day. Somehow. He still wasn't sure how. Between Ashido's social madness and the pure excitement of Ochaco, it had been a stressful day. And that was leaving aside the other personalities that made the freshmen year girls' dormitory.
Izuku had met with other girls, including those of 1-B. Given how most students were from outside the city, most future classmates actually chose to move to the UA dormitories like him.
Sadly, meeting their peers was not the end of it. Oh no. Of course Ashido had to suggest a big party, and then somewhat of a sleepover, and then a lot of stuff afterwards. Izuku wasn't sure how he had managed to slip away but he had done so before things become too embarrassing for him.
Izuku had planned to find somewhere to practice One for All in his human form, but to no avail. By the time he had managed to free himself from the clutches of Ashido and company it was already night and he had to go to sleep right away.
He had never spent so much time near girls, much less cute ones. Most had considered him a creep or too much of a nerd back in Middle school. Regardless, Izuku wasn't sure if he wanted to repeat the experience.
In any case, that night Izuku had a restless sleep, unable to find peace. He was haunted at the terrible scenarios, of the girls discovering that he was really a boy that could change into a girl, and worse, of boys actually fawning over him. He wasn't sure which one was worse but he sure as hell didn't want to find out.
Then, there were those nightmarish scenarios of being kicked out… to end up back in Alderra somehow… for his classmates to see him in his rabbit form…
The next morning, Izuku had rushed early to the bathrooms before any of the other girls could have woken up and gotten ready ahead of all of them. It was in that same morning Izuku almost decided to quit the hero course altogether. It was, after all, the first time he would be wearing a skirt. But Izuku was not a quitter and thus he made it to the small dorm kitchen where the girls noticed his rather awkward and stiff movements.
Ochaco had joined him for breakfast and the two chatted. Well, more like Ochaco regaled Izuku about her time at school, about the many friends she had left behind at her home town and a bit of her parents. Izuku just listened and nodded, unsure how to proceed. He made a mental note to search on the internet how to talk to girls, but until then he just nodded and hum whenever Ochaco said anything.
So there he was, walking side by side with his new friend Ochaco (for apparently that was what they had somehow become in less than a day), headed towards their classroom on their first day. He was, once again, a feeble little rabbit girl but this time in female uniform. Izuku could not fight the weirdness of feeling so much air against his legs. It was so weird. Ochaco noticed too, much to her own amusement.
"Wow, I never thought I would make it" Ochaco gasped, looking around. "This place is amazing…"
"Yeah" dumbly agreed Izuku. "Hey, that's our classroom, 1-A."
The two halted their march at the door and looked at the door. The pair stared at the threshold, wide-eyed. The door was… well… massive. A giant, someone even taller than All Might, would have made it through with ease. In the case of Izuku, however…
"Am I supposed to use doors like this?" Izuku asked, floored.
"I feel your pain" joked the petite brunette.
The two stared at the door some more.
"Should we…?" Ochaco wondered.
Izuku took a deep breath. This was it, the start of their hero careers. Inside, some of the boys and girls of their class probably were already waiting. Hopefully, Bakugo and examinee 7111 would not be inside. Izuku stepped forward and, on the tip of her elongated feet, reached the doorknob.
Luckily, the door, whilst gigantic, wasn't heavy, and could easily slide sideways. Once inside, however, they paused because of the shouting taking place inside. Or rather, the individuals doing all the shouting. As it so happened, Bakugo and Ingenium's long-lost clone would be their classmates.
"Get your legs off the table, you delinquent!" said former Examinee 7111.
"Bite me, four-eyes!" Shouted Bakugo.
The tall bespectacled boy released a huff of frustration before straightening up.
"We have started on the wrong foot. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Tenya Iida. I attended Somei Middle School" said the tall boy.
So he isn't a lost clone, Izuku thought, but rather a relative of Ingenium.
"Somei? That's a rich kids' school, isn't it?" Sardonically snorted Bakugo.
"Oh joy" grumbled Izuku. If his luck couldn't get any worse…
"Hey, it is you!"
Izuku looked up, only to have to look even higher. He was starting to hate his low stature in his rabbit form. Unfortunately, he had other concerns, like the fact he was now the target of Iida's attention.
"Ehm… hello?" Shyly responded Izuku, intimidated by Iida's instance face.
Surprisingly, Iida bowed apologetically.
"I must apologize, miss, for my behavior during the exam. It was reprehensible and unbefitting to someone with aspirations of becoming a hero!" Iida proclaimed.
"Eh…" was all Izuku could say.
"Additionally, I would also like to commend you for your exceptional heroism and discovering the true purpose of the exam!" Iida added, looking frightening intimidating once again.
"Eh…"
"My name is Tenya Iida. It is a pleasure to meet you" said Iida, bowing respectfully once again.
"I'm Izuk- I-I mean, Izumi. Izumi Mid- I, just Izumi" quickly corrected Izuku. How many times was he going to be close to slipping?
Iida raised an eyebrow.
"It's just Izumi because she is in the Secret Identity program" exclaimed Ochaco with a grin.
Izuku shuddered as he felt all the boys snap their heads towards him. The girls, thankfully, already knew. That didn't mean they didn't remain intrigued by that.
"Secret Identity?" Scoffed one Katsuki Bakugo.
When his eyes landed on Izuku, the rabbit girl was rather taken aback by the lack of animosity. In fact, he seemed just as interested as his classmates. Well, in his own explosive angry way, that is. Then, Izuku noticed how Bakugo's eyes fell on Izuku's scarred arm. The way the blond squinted made Izuku turned around, hiding his arm behind him.
Izuku momentarily panicked. Could Bakugo make the connection? He had seen Izuku back when he had returned to Middle School. Once again, everyone made it a point to throw taunts and jabs at him for his scarred hand, but none was more vocal than Bakugo.
"Why the heck would a little bunny chick need a secret identity?" Exclaimed Bakugo.
Izuku, relieved that the explosive boy hadn't even suggested a connection with his human form, was about to reply, when someone else spoke.
"There wouldn't be a point of to a secret identity if she didn't keep it a secret, now would it?"
Izuku and Ochaco jumped, startled, as a man stood behind them. With long unkempt black hair, a tired face with messy stubble and a haggard look overall, he appeared in desperate need of some sleep, and perhaps a shower.
"Do not pester Ms. Izumi for her backstory" the man added, eyes piercing into Izuku.
As much as he wanted to thank him for intervening, Izuku could only shudder under the man's penetrating gaze. Luckily, he quickly pried his eyes from Izuku and addressed the classroom.
"I am Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. Now that introductions are over, put on these and follow me outside."
Before anyone could ask, Aizawa shoved what appeared to be one of the school's P.E. uniforms at Iida. The tall boy caught it and stared at the shirt in confusion.
Izuku, on his part, could only wonder what the sleepy man, allegedly their homeroom teacher, wanted from them on their first day at school.
Chapter 4
There will be a poll on my profile and over on A03 for if Izuku/Izumi should be related to Miruko.
A test. Their homeroom teacher wanted to test them. On their first day. Izuku had a strong impression Aizawa would not be the coddling sort of teacher. However, Izuku had to go through worse before that: he had to change clothes.
The experience had been… not as embarrassing as he had imagined. Then again, he had rushed to the changing rooms before any of his peers could make a peep and changed in an instant. In fact, he was standing next to Aizawa, in an open field outside the school building, for minutes alone before anyone else joined in. It was rather awkward, especially with Aizawa staring at him so intently.
Did he know? Did he suspect? It was likely Nezu had informed Aizawa about Izuku's real identity. However, something about the way he stared at Izuku made said rabbit girl apprehensive.
"Geez, I knew you were embarrassed to change with others, but there was no need to run, girl" laughed Ashido as she slapped a friendly hand on Izuku's back.
Izuku could only awkwardly chuckle at her. If only she knew the truth…
"Enough" Aizawa said. "With the exception of a few…" he glanced at Izuku "…you wasted enough time changing. I expect better in the future… if you remain in the hero course."
Everyone frowned at that.
"Today, we are doing a Quirk Apprehension Test. The objective is simple: to see if you are actually cut out to be in the Hero Course" Aizawa declared. "After today, only those with potential to become heroes will stay."
"Hold on, you mean you will expel whoever doesn't make the cut?" One of the boys, a redhead with spiky hair, asked.
"That's correct" said Aizawa.
"B-but that is unfair!" said Ochaco. "We all worked hard to make it to the Hero Course! Why do we need to have yet more tests?"
"Do you really believe facing robots in mock cities is enough to assess whether you are prepared to be heroes?" Aizawa hissed, making Ochaco recoiled.
For the first time since being under his presence, Izuku felt something other than fear: he felt anger. Who was the man to treat Ochaco in such a manner?
"No. The test by itself is irrational and skewed. It excludes multiple powerful and useful quirks and favors only those with the most destructive potential" explained Aizawa. "Additionally, multiple circumstances play to your success in the exam: the availability of opportunities to garner Hero Points, the competition, the randomness of locations of the robots, their distribution… they are all factors that could easily allow an unprepared examinee pass."
The students all awkwardly shuffled on their feet. The man wasn't entirely wrong. In fact, a lot knew that they probably wouldn't be there if it hadn't been for the hidden aspect of the exam: the so-called Hero Points. They took into account things about attitude and behavior, such as helping someone during the exam or outright saving a person from danger. They were, unfortunately, rather arbitrary and hard to quantify properly. After all, what was saving someone worth? Fifty points? Ten? Does it depend on the person being saved, the danger involved or the time spent?
"To those who prove themselves with potential, this test will also help both you, the students, and me, your homeroom teacher, to establish a starting point for your abilities. From here on out, this shall be the starting point of your careers, from which you must grow and improve… again, if you make the cut" said Aizawa.
Again, the students were forced to agree with their homeroom teacher.
"Bakugo, how far could you throw a baseball back in middle school?" Aizawa asked.
"Don't remember" said Bakugo with a shrug. "More than seventy meters?"
More than one student looked at him like he was crazy. Izuku on his part grimaced. He remembered being able to only throw the ball a pathetic thirty meters. A glance at his arms soured his mood even further. Those floppy rabbit arms would definitely not help him that day.
Aizawa unceremoniously threw an odd looking baseball to Bakugo. The explosive blond caught in, only to frown and stare at the ball.
"Get into the ring and try it again" said the man. "This time, use your quirk."
Bakugo snapped his head to Aizawa, shocked. The surprise was quickly replaced by a gleeful grin that made Izuku shudder. He knew that face, and it rarely bode well. It was as Bakugo stretched his arm a bit and looked ahead at the distance that Izuku realized something.
"Eh… Aizawa?" Izuku asked, raising a hand.
"Yes, Izumi?" Aizawa responded. He sounded irritated.
"I think we should get some headgear… you know, this is going to be really loud" he said.
Izuku ignored the look of confusion written on the face of his peers.
"What the hell? How do you know about my quirk?!" Bakugo growled, squinting suspiciously at him.
Oh boy, I sure did it, thought Izuku. He had the urge to face palm but instead remained as still as a statue.
"Have you been hiding your quirk, Bakugo?" Aizawa asked with a roll of eyes. "Do not be surprised that some of your classmates actually did some information gathering on you, especially considering that you got the top position."
Bakugo scoffed but seemed satisfied. That was, however, until Aizawa looked away. The blond's red eyes focused on Izumi and squinted angrily at the boy-turned-girl, clearly suspicious that something was up.
"Miss Yaoyorozu, would you mind creating hearing protection for Miss Izumi and Miss Jiro? They are going to need it" Aizawa said.
A tall black-haired girl solemnly nodded. Everyone watched, amazed, as she lifted her shirt and a light erupted from her stomach. From there, a pair of identical hearing protection headsets materialized.
With his long rabbit ears protected, Izuku proceeded to walk away from Bakugo, much to the confusion of everyone. After watching a bit, Ochaco hurried over to his side, somewhat nervous for separating nearly twenty feet away from their classmates. More shocking for his classmates, however, how Izuku shut his eyes and clutched his ears. Ochaco followed suit.
Aizawa turned to Bakugo and nodded. The blonde nodded back, not before squinting once again at Izuku.
"Don't hold back" droned Aizawa.
"Don't worry, I won't" Bakugo chuckled.
He reared his arm back, smirking at the sky.
"DIE!" He roared.
It was only as Bakugo threw the ball that everyone understood Izuku's apprehension.
A thunderous roar of an explosion shook the entire grounds after a blinding flash. The students were all pushed back by the shockwave while more than one was left with their ears ringing. Within seconds, there was only acrid smoke around everyone.
Izuku, on his part, shuddered. Even with all his protections and distance, his ears were aching. It seemed that he would have to find some way to counteract Bakugo's explosions. Apparently, having keen ears like his weren't always an advantage. Next to him, Ochaco watched, horrified, and pale. Izuku couldn't blame her. It wasn't every day you saw someone have the quirk to be a walking cannon.
Izuku noticed that Aizawa seemed a bit troubled by what had happened. Well, more as in annoyed. It was hard to tell, really. In any case, it looked like Aizawa hadn't been expecting such destructive power from Bakugo.
He must be basing his assessment on Kacchan's display at the exam, which would no doubt was more restrained, Izuku reasoned. Kacchan isn't stupid. He no doubt made sure to minimize collateral damage against other students if only to avoid rising a fuzz that could get him disqualified.
"So you know that guy? Kacchan or whatever?"
Izuku chocked as Ochaco stared intently at him. Had he been muttering aloud? Yeah, that was a definitely.
"P-Please, don't tell him or repeat that name!" Izuku whispered.
Ochaco frowned in confusion and looked ready to say something, until they were interrupted by a loud ping. The students turned their heads to the source, where Aizawa was displaying a hand held device, a number flashing across it.
"That… that's the distance he threw the ball?" Someone asked in shock.
More than seven hundred meters. Yeah, that was right within Izuku's own estimates.
"Today, you will show me your potential. Reach your limits, and go beyond them… plus ultra-style" Aizawa said. "If you fail to do so today…"
"But that's so wrong! Some of us came from all over japan and just settled in yesterday!" Someone protested.
"You will discover that the Hero Course is not as conventional as in other departments. It is more demanding and rigorous, and for good reason. If we were to allow unprepared students to take on the world of Pro-Hero work, it wouldn't just be them who would suffer the consequences. Innocent lives could be lost, or permanently maimed, if you fail. Thus, failure is not a luxury you can have out there" said Aizawa.
Everyone gulped. The man wasn't joking.
Izuku looked at Ochaco, who looked despondently at the ground. Her fists were clenched tightly and her knuckles pale. Izuku didn't need to be a master of observation to know she was worried about the prospect of getting expelled.
"Isn't it unfair to judge us so early?" Asked Yaoyorozu. "After all, we are barely starting our hero paths, sir. Isn't the whole point of the school to prepare us?"
"There is a reason this exercise is no different from the physical tests you did at Middle school, Ms. Yaoyorozu" Aizawa sternly said. "I am sure none of you could work as heroes as you are now. However, take the perspective of the school. Why should we waste time and resources in students who will eventually fail when we could replace said students for better suited candidates?
"Your costumes, gear, training equipment and battle grounds, not to mention the time and experience of your teachers… those are all paid and covered by the school under the assumption you will become upstanding heroes. If I can't be convinced you have the potential to do so, then you aren't worthy of the hero course and should step aside for others" Aizawa explained.
By that point Aizawa looked frustrated, as if annoyed that he had to explain himself.
"Anyone else has any questions? Any other complaints?" Aizawa asked.
Timidly, Izuku raised a hand and Aizawa sighed.
"Yes, Izumi?"
"What exercises we will do?" asked the boy turned rabbit girl.
"The eight standard physical exercises of middle school. In order they are: 50 meter dash, grip strength, standing long jump, repeated side-steps, ball throw, seated toe-touch, sit-ups and distance run" Aizawa said. "Anything else?"
Izuku shook his head. He noticed that his classmates were all frowning and he could see why. How in the world could any of their quirks be used in exercises like sit-ups, seated toe-touch or repeated side-steps? Was it as much of a Quirk apprehension test as a physical apprehension test?
So I can use One for All in this form three times, ruining my legs after the third time. That means I can only use it twice if I want to make it through the rest of the exercises. I guess I will have to use it during the meter dash and the long jump, Izuku thought.
He nodded confidently. It suddenly occurred to him that had he joined class 1-A in human form, he would have faced quite the situation. Perhaps Nezu had known beforehand and was the main reason he had wanted Izuku to join in his rabbit form.
In the end, the test began in earnest. The students, while fearful and weary of their teacher's threat of expulsion, were visibly excited. They had never been allowed to use their quirks in such a way. Izuku, on the other hand, was eager to see the quirks of his peers.
As Aizawa had said, the first test was the 50 meter dash. Right from the start, it was made clear that the exercise was better suited for a handful of Izuku's classmates. Iida, and the frog-girl Asui, were first. Iida, with motor-like exhausts on his calves, made it in three seconds. Asui, whilst not a speedster like Iida, wasn't that far behind with her long frog-like leaps. Others followed, Ashido showcasing her acidic-slime emitter quirk which she used to slid across the fifty meters and Aoyoma, the allegedly French blond that sparkled and had a navel laser.
Students tried their best to use their quirks in whatever way to make the most of it. One after another, they all showcased their quirks and Izuku studied them, amazed by the variety. Some were impressive, like Todoroki's ice-creating powers, others were a bit more mundane, like Ojiro's tail mutation quirk.
In the end, Izuku's turn came and the rabbit girl found himself moving over to the 50 meter track. He swallowed his nervousness as he walked side-by-side one suspicious Bakugo, who scowled angrily at her. Izuku made it a point to ignore his childhood friend and took his position. He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the power of One for All.
Unbeknownst to Izuku, his body started glowing and sparks of power cracked across his fur. When he opened his eyes, with a face of utter determination etched on his rabbit female face, his amethyst eyes shone with an eerie light of unadulterated power. The on-looking students stared, amazed by what they were witnessing. Bakugo, next to him, gritted his teeth with newfound determination, unwilling to be outclassed by a puny rabbit girl.
Izuku prepared for the signal to start. He looked up ahead, feeling the thrill of having One for All coursing through his entire rabbit body. It was definitely exhilarating to the point he was itching to go forward. He was ready to go… until he felt his power vanish.
Izuku blinked and stood up, startled. It felt as if somehow had switched his power down. He quickly realized what happened and snapped his head towards his homeroom teacher. Aizawa was looking at him, his eyes glowing with a red light.
"Why did…?" Izuku wondered.
"A word of caution, Izumi" Aizawa stoically stated. "In the world of heroes, we can't allow ourselves to be in need of rescue. If your quirk is beyond your limits or incapacitates you, then you will become an undesirable liability… and that is something I do not wish in the hero course."
His eyes returned to their normal color and Izuku felt the warmth of One for All return to him. The boy-turned-girl understood the underlying warning: you better not be left out of the count for using your own quirk once.
"I've returned your power. Use it at your own risk."
Izuku wasn't sure what was it. Perhaps it was the stress of the situation, perhaps it was Aizawa's ill-temper and disposition, or maybe everything that Izuku had to endure to reach that point. Probably the fact Izuku had to sacrifice the person he was, join UA as a stupid girl anthropomorphic bunny, hadn't helped either. Maybe, Izuku was just tired of having people decide how he was supposed to be and act. Regardless the reason, Izuku become absolutely furious, to the point he almost snapped on his homeroom teacher.
Izuku held his tongue, however, and glared furiously at the track. He ignored the dumbfounded Bakugo next to him, who watched on with what Izuku might have called interest had he noticed. However, at the moment, Izuku was enraged.
First I get this stupid form, then they make me use it if I want to fulfill my dreams… and then they aren't satisfied of that?! How much do I have to sacrifice of myself?! Izuku mentally growled, taking his position.
Once again, his body glowed and sparked danced across his body. His eyes burned with an intense light that was intimidating to the onlookers. Even Bakugo was somewhat apprehensive of the angry looking rabbit girl.
The signal was given… and Izuku shot off.
To the people watching, it was as if the rabbit girl became a living lightning, a familiar scene for Iida and Ochaco. Even Bakugo was taken by surprise and lost a few seconds in shock. A cloud of dust rose as Izuku came to a halt nearly a hundred meters from the finish line. Untroubled and uninjured, Izuku to his feet and smirked at his homeroom teacher.
"0.51 seconds"
The gathered students gaped as the robot at the finish time announced just how long it took Izuku to make it across the track.
"I can still move" Izuku said, making a point to stretch his legs a bit.
Aizawa squinted at him but said nothing. Izuku, on his part, marched to stand next to Ochaco, where he proceeded to release a long sigh of relief and finally breathe.
"That was amazing!" Ochaco squealed, grinning. "I knew you were fast, but damn!"
"Th-thanks" stammered an embarrassed Izuku, stretching his legs. Although he could still move, they were rather sore.
Hopefully, the rest of the Apprehension Test would be much better and far less stressing. As Izuku busied himself studying his classmates, impressed by their quirks and sometimes their creativity, he missed a certain explosive blond that stared at him with furious red eyes and a burning suspicion.
The grip strength exercise was rather disappointing for Izuku. As he quickly discovered, he had abysmal upper body strength, something he had to remedy. On the other hand, he was certain his human form would have done far better. Like, come on, only thirty kilograms? After an entire year of moving heavy garbage from Dagobah beach?
At the same time, it did make Izuku wonder. Had his arms perhaps lost muscle mass in exchange of far stronger legs? If that was the case, it would explain why his rabbit form could handle One for All. His human form probably had a better muscle distribution, meaning they were all equally unprepared for One for All's full power. The rabbit form, however, had clearly far superior legs, superior enough to withstand that same immense power a couple of times.
Does that mean that if I work my upper body strength as a human I will only make my rabbit legs even stronger? And does that also mean that it also works the other way round, with more strength on his rabbit legs going to his human arms? And, wait, if I were to train my arms as a rabbit… would that also translate in greater upper body strength in my human form? On and on he thought while he had time available.
The long jump had been rather fun. This time around his classmates weren't taken by surprise and actually complimented her speed. It was really awkward for Izuku to be surrounded by peers, all towering over him, and offering nice words. It was… nice. Iida in particular had surprised Izuku with quite the intense and sincere flattery.
There were a couple exceptions regarding his classmates. While most seemed amazed by his quirk, Shoto Todoroki stared at him with a strange intensity that was chilling. Izuku wasn't sure what the ice-user was thinking, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Then, of course, was Bakugo. Whereas Todoroki was cold and calculating, Bakugo was steaming and furious. If Izuku didn't know any better, he would believe Bakugo was frustrated by having someone being much better at something that him.
The ball throw had been hilarious. To no one's surprise, Ochaco threw the wall to space and pretty much broke the detection, earning a unique "INFINITY" score.
"Remind me never to anger you" chuckled Izuku. "I rather not be shoved to the exosphere."
"I would never do that!" An embarrassed Ochaco said. She paused, before squinting at a certain dwarf classmate. "Although you never know when you have to throw some pervert straight to the moon, huh?"
One Mineta Minoru started sweating nearby.
Izuku blinked at that and looked curiously at Ochaco. He must have been a tad obvious, tilting his head and flopping down one ear in curiosity, because Ochaco answered the unsaid question.
"I overheard Jiro telling Yaoyorozu that she thought she heard someone trying to creep into the girls' dorm… and Asui thinks it was that guy" Ochaco whispered to Izuku.
Izuku's heart froze. Could that guy have seen him? He stared at Mineta, his heart beating. Said boy noticed that he was being watched and turned around.
Could he know? Could he have seen me? Gods, I don't just need to look out for the girls but also peeping toms and perverts?! Izuku mentally panicked.
To Izuku's chagrin, Mineta confirmed his ignorance by winking at Izuku and giving what he must have thought was a winning smile and thumbs up. Izuku, instead, glared at the boy, an eyebrow twitching.
The repeated side-steps was no one's specialty, except perhaps Mineta who thought it was a smart idea to endlessly rebound between two piles of his own sticky balls. He did break many records, at the expense of puking his guts out. Bakugo used his explosions but other than that, no one really got to use their quirks in any clever way. Izuku, though, felt he did better than in his human form, but that was except given his rabbit form's better legs.
The ball throw was as disappointing as the grip strength exercise. Izuku had considered kicking the ball, but Aizawa had indicated that it was called "Ball Throw" and not "Ball kick". Thus, the strongest of Class 1-A got their chance to shine, outcompeting those who had been doing rather well until then. Guys like the multi-arms Shoji and the sugar-strengthening Sato both nearly broke the grip-strength machines. Izuku felt like crying at his own results. Even Ochaco outclassed Izuku by far in the upper-body department.
The seated toe-touch was boring and simple, and no one did badly at it. The same happened to the sit-ups. Guys like Kirishima, though, went crazy coming close to surpassing Bakugo. It was with the sit-ups and toe-touch that Izuku discovered that his rabbit form performed surprisingly better than his human form.
It could have been that Izuku's rabbit form, being smaller than his human form, concentrated his musculature into denser tissue, capable of more strength and endurance. Certainly there was a difference of distribution, but he had discovered that his mass (and weight) did not change. Could that mean that in the places there were not muscle re-arrangement there was refine muscle tissue?
The long distance run was strikingly exciting. It started simple enough, with Bakugo and Todoroki glared at each other as they tried to run ahead of each other, only for Yaoyorozu to pass past them on a bike, and then Iida, who would not be outdone. It had been hilarious to watch their faces as Izuku sped past them all, grinning. If Izuku was going to be stuck as a rabbit girl, he might as well make the most of it after all.
In the end, it was an all-out race even if the long distance run was more of a test of endurance. It looked like Todoroki, who was pushing himself forward by creating a wall of ice behind him, was on his way to winning, with a screaming Bakugo quick behind. It was in that instant, when there were less than twenty meters, that something in Izuku was ignited.
It happened while he was running, the adrenaline of the impromptu race taking over, that Izuku decided right then and there that he would not lose. He had sacrificed so much already, and he was stuck in that embarrassing form… he had been mocked, ridiculed, looked down upon… and perhaps there was more of that left. Izuku would not take it lying down. He was going to win.
The haunting laughter of his former classmates vanished. His imagination went silent. For once in his life, Izuku felt only the thrill of the movement.
Todoroki was about to cross the finish line, a confident smile already in place, when he saw it. There was a flash of light and, in that very instant when he turned to see what was going on, his eyes landed on a leaping rabbit girl. Izuku didn't know it and only Todoroki could see it, but at that moment Izuku had the widest and happiest grin he had ever had in his entire life, lost in the passion of victory.
When they crossed the line, a dumbfounded Todoroki could only stare as a particular rabbit girl started bouncing around in circles.
"Oh hell yeah! That was awesome! I want to do that again!" Laughed Izuku, who was filled with boundless energy and could stay still. Instead, he hopped in a circle, eager for another race.
Todoroki and Bakugo, panting, stared at the rabbit girl with something akin to horror, whilst drenched in sweat. Iida and Yaorozu approached them, less tired than the other two. Differently from Todoroki and Bakugo, they found Izuku's excitement rather amusing.
"She's so adorable" cooed Yaoyorozu, eyes sparkling.
Everyone failed to see that Aizawa's long annoyed face had changed throughout the test. While Izuku slowly regain his composure, Aizawa smiled and shook his head. The homeroom teacher hadn't expected the long distance run to turn into a race, but he wasn't about to stop the students if they wanted to start competing with each other. Aizawa actually found it amusing to see Bakugo's ire and Todoroki's disbelief.
Deep down, Aizawa was starting to like his class.
At the end of the Quirk Apprehension Test, Aizawa displayed scores garner based on their performance. Izuku was surprised to be in seventh position. He was also taken aback by Mineta Minoru getting last place, followed closely by Hagakure. Izuku had expected it to be the other way round.
It was as he stared at the scores that Izuku could only ponder what it would have been like if he had taken the test in human form.
Could I have managed to prove myself to Aizawa? Would I have even gotten anywhere close to seventh place? Izuku grimly thought.
Fortunately for everyone, no one was expelled. Mineta Minoru and Hagakure fell to the ground, almost in unison, and thanked every known deity known to humanity for surviving the test. The class was dismissed and everyone went their own way. Those who lived in the city, who were a mere handful, left the school, while the rest didn't bother changing and instead picked their bags before dispersing.
Izuku and Ochaco found themselves in the company of Iida, who somehow managed to become their friend during the exam. He also was staying at the dorms, given how his family worked in different cities. However, Iida left deciding that he needed to busy himself with studying. What exactly? Izuku and Ochaco had no idea.
Hence, Izuku ended up that evening hanging with Ochaco, walking side by side just as they had marched to their classroom. This time, they were both tired, but happy. They weren't so worried about their first day in school, instead enjoying the freedom.
Izuku thought about his performance in the Quirk Apprehension Test. Even if he would have preferred not to have been under the threat of expulsion, he actually found the whole test as a useful experience. He had learned a few things about his rabbit form. Additionally, Izuku realized something that had happened that was surprising, to say the least.
Izuku stared at the sky, wide-eyed. He had used One for All three times and, on the last one, he hadn't felt it. Or rather, he was sure he hadn't gone 100%. Somehow, he had unconsciously managed to use One for All just under his limit.
"Is something wrong, Izumi?" Ochaco asked.
"No, nothing… Infinity Girl" Izuku said with a teasing smirk.
"Infinity Girl?" repeated Ochaco, blushing.
"You know, because of the pitch throw" Izuku chuckled.
Ochaco grinned at him and their eyes locked.
"I kind of like it… rabbit girl" she said with a teasing smirk of her own.
Ochaco giggled as Izuku scowled. Beneath the scowl, however, Izuku was burning red of embarrassment. It was not every day a cute girl gave him a nickname, even if it was a cheap and easy one.
"F-f-fine, you can call me that if you want" mumbled a flustered Izuku.
"So, do you want to do something? Maybe… hang out or something? We could train…" Ochaco shyly proposed.
"Yes, why not?" Izuku shrugged with a smirk, only to freeze, dead on his feet.
Ochaco stopped next to him, blinking at the boy-turned-girl.
"What is it? Do you have something to do?" Ochaco asked, looking disappointed.
Izuku bit his lower lip. Should he really hang out? He had to train with his human form! It would mean staying in his rabbit form for longer otherwise… but at the same time, it meant spending time with Ochaco.
"No, it is fine" Izuku said with a bright grin. "So then… how do you wish to spend your time with this rabbit girl?"
Ochaco beamed up and Izuku felt his heart leaping in his chest. Things sure were starting to look up for the rabbit girl.