The Magicka Hero 2
The next few days were chaotic ones for Izuku. He was questioned strenuously by the police, but managed to pass off his disappearance to a 'weird quirk'. It was absolutely amazing what people would accept if something was attributed to a quirk. Sometimes, Izuku thought that quirks removed a person's critical thinking skills.
It took a little longer for Izuku to register his "quirk". With the breadth of ability that Izuku possessed through magic, he finally decided on "Energy Manipulation", and was vague on details. It was enough to get him registered, which was all he needed for the moment.
Later, he purchased a multitude of history, math, and science books to prepare for the high school graduation certification exam as he hadn't attended a 'real' high school. That could cause him issues for some schools as a real diploma was preferred. However, UA University had strict entry examinations and doing well in the tests would make him suitable regardless of lack of academic credentials other than the certification.
The only problem was learning everything in time to pass the test and apply to UA.
Luckily for Izuku, one of his specialities was Restoration magic; a quick Fortify spell ensured that he would learn the material needed quite quickly. The only problem was the occasional headache he experienced when the spell ended, his normal mind having to keep integrating the memories and knowledge he'd learned under the spell's power.
The other issue Izuku had was his father. Or rather, how clingy his father was.
Hisashi Midoriya was a good man. Some might think otherwise, as he had worked overseas for much of Izuku's early life, but he had always spoken to Izuku over the phone, or via video calls. Not to mention the regular visits when he was able and the constant encouragement of his son. He had been determined to make a good life for his family and worked towards a promotion that would've sent him back to Musutafu.
That was before Izuku's disappearance. He threw that aside to search for his son.
When Izuku returned, Hisashi welcomed him warmly, and cried even more than Inko! The trouble was, he wanted to protect him from the world, treating him like spun glass, encouraging him to attend business classes rather than hero classes. There had been some arguments in the quiet, teary way that the Midoriya family handled such things. It was understandable due to how long Izuku had been gone.
It didn't take long for Izuku to put his foot down. He was going to attend UA University and be a hero, and that was a dangerous profession. Yes, he had missed his parents. Yes, he loved his parents. But he wasn't going to be forced down a safe and easy path. He'd studied and learned his magic for a reason.
If he hadn't managed to return to Musutafu, he'd probably have joined the Imperial Legion as they served a similar purpose at times on Tamriel.
He'd help people, regardless of the situation.
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One thing Izuku made a point of working on other than his studies, was researching the effects of magic on Earth.
It wasn't difficult to purchase simple ingredients from greenhouses. A bit of aloe vera and redwort, and he found that materials procured on Earth did work for alchemy, though sometimes a potion required more ingredients than might be needed on Tamriel. Making a short-term invisibility potion used more aloe vera and redwort than he was used to, for instance.
Enchanting itself wasn't affected at all. Using a common soul gem that had already been filled, Izuku enchanted a simple Fortify Speed ring, planning on using it to speed his movements in the entrance examination. He still had to test harvesting animal souls, but if worse came to worse, he could trade to Jabal for normal soul gems. He certainly wasn't going to touch the other kind.
Soon, Izuku found himself at Dagobah Beach, practicing his magic and testing its responsiveness on Earth. He would summon bolts of fire or lightning or ice, use magic to fortify his body in various ways, summon bound swords to cut through the metal debris, test bound armor resistance and more. One concern of his was in how quickly his magicka would replenish, but this didn't seem to be an issue. Perhaps because he was the only person using magic in a wide area? It was something to talk to Anmaril about when he visited Tamriel again.
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On one such day, Izuku met a strange figure as he was leaving Dagobah Beach. A tall, blond man with an almost skeletal build tripped and started coughing as he walked down the street near the beach. Izuku asked, "Are you all right, sir?" he wondered.
"I'm fine, young man," the man responded in a deep voice. "I was just walking, I heard someone was doing a bit of cleaning on the beach, and I was curious."
"Oh, that's me," Izuku responded brightly. "I'm practicing for the UA Entrance Exam, so I figured this was a good place out of the public eye to practice my ability. Cleaning it up a bit is a perk."
"Mmm," the man mused, looking at him. While not entirely legal, the authorities looked the other way if people practiced their quirks privately. Not everyone could afford private property to practice on or the fees that some licensed gyms charged. "What's your quirk, if I might ask?"
"That's an interesting first question. I can understand though, I do that too," Izuku said with a smile. "I call my power 'Energy Manipulation'," Izuku explained. "I can manipulate various elemental energies, such as..." He lifted his hand, and fire appeared, then electricity, then a swirl of ice. "I can also control things or boost my body with telekinetic energy, or even heal with life energy." He shrugged, "I can't really manipulate the more scientific energies like radiation, though." He's somewhat curious if he could develop a spell to do so in the future.
The man blinked. "That is an incredible quirk, young man! May I ask your name?"
"Er," Izuku said, shrugging after a moment. It's not like it's hidden, really. "Izuku Midoriya, sir."
"I'm Toshinori Yagi. It's a pleasure to meet you, young Midoriya!"
This man is certainly... enthusiastic, thought Izuku, a bit amused. The man coughed again, and Izuku was concerned to see blood on his fingers when Yagi took his hand away. "Uh, sir, you're bleeding, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, young man, it's an old injury," Yagi told him, and Izuku frowned.
He stepped forward to touch the man's arm, "Just a moment, sir, let me try something." Pushing some of his magicka into the man's body, Izuku 'felt' for injuries and took a step back, "How are you even alive, sir? You're missing your stomach and have numerous other injuries. Your lungs don't feel too healthy either!"
"I'm fine," Yagi repeated, before sighing, "I was a hero, and it's due to injuries I had five years ago. I survived but at great cost."
Izuku hmmed. "I'm not good enough to heal all of this. But I can at least fix some of the scar tissue and repair some of the worst bits, it could help. If you like?"
"While I'd like that, young man, I think it'd be best to get to know you better first. Trusting a stranger to heal you is a rather big step, yes," Yagi said with a chuckle.
"Oh." Pausing, Izuku blushed. "You're right, sir, sorry. I just felt how injured you were and wanted to help."
"It speaks well of you that you wanted to, young Midoriya. If you like, we can meet later, and I can have Recovery Girl talk to you," Yagi said. "If she is monitoring, I might be willing to have you look at me, with thanks."
"All right, sir," Izuku agreed, before double-taking, "You know Recovery Girl?!"
Yagi laughed at him, "Oh, yes, young man." They began to talk more, as they walked down the street.
It was a meeting that would have ramifications for many peoples' futures.
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The next few months passed and soon it was time for the UA Entrance Examinations. Izuku found himself standing in front of the school, wearing normal clothing as he didn't have a high school uniform. Taking a breath, he stepped onto the grounds and towards his future!
He had spent way too much talking to Yagi lately. The drama was rubbing off on him.
Making his way towards the main building, he gave his name at the front desk and went towards one of the testing rooms, sitting at a desk and starting his test. It was honestly rather easy, which surprised Izuku a bit. The hardest bit being a few questions on certain details on hero laws.
Emerging from the classroom a few hours later, Izuku was confident that he did well on the test. He made his way to the auditorium where they were supposed to report before taking the practical exam. Finding his seat, he looked around curiously as people filed in.
"Hello, Listeners!" came a voice from the front, and Izuku's eyes were drawn to the speaker. It's Present Mic, his quirk is totally awesome!, he thought. At least he wasn't muttering as he used to when he was younger.
As Present Mic explained the robots, Izuku idly wrote down notes on a slip of paper. It helped him think without muttering. His mind whirled. There's probably a lot more one pointers, and they're easy to take down. Probably fewer two and three-pointers. I don't have large-scale area attacks so it might be better to focus on higher point values if I find I can take them down quickly with a lightning bolt or bound sword...
Glancing up in confusion as a blue-haired young man demanded more answers, Izuku sighed. He could have waited for an answer. Zero-Pointers sound like a hazard. I wonder if there's more to them than is obvious.
Shrugging, he got to his feet as the auditorium was dismissed, and headed to his testing ground, designated Testing Ground C. As he waited for the start of the test to begin, he looked around, examining the other prospects. He saw a blank-faced girl with large eyes and dark green hair, and a blonde guy with a large tail. Another green-haired girl with vine-like hair was not far away and he flashed her a smile as he waited. For some reason, her demeanor reminded him of a Priestess of Mara.
When the alarm blared, Izuku concentrated. [Bound Armor]. [Bound Sword]. [Fortify Strength]. [Levitate]. Slowly, blue armor that looked vaguely like legionnaire armor appeared around him and a glowing blue sword appeared in his hand. With that, he darted off into the faux city, glad to have his ring to quicken his movement. Behind him, he heard, "He has the right idea, there are no countdowns in hero work!"
Darting forward, Izuku sliced through a one-pointer, his sword cutting through it easily. He whirled and cut at a two-pointer, still with little resistance. "Huh, this might be easier than I thought," he said, before hearing a sound behind him. A three-pointer had just released a rocket that was heading towards him. He lifted his hand, casting quickly, [Telekinesis]. The rocket curved upwards, turning in a circle and re-orienting to strike the three-pointer, destroying it. I have to be careful, don't want to use all of my magicka at once.
Flying onward, he saw a group of one-pointers and flew close, trusting his bound armor to protect him. As their limbs slammed into him, doing little more than bruising him through the armor, he lifted his hand and cast a spell. [Sparks]. He swept the cone of electrical energy as it roared forth and as the energy ground into the robots, they sputtered and sparked. All four were disabled in an instant. Four more points, he said to himself.
He continued to fly along, stopping robots now and then. At one point, he saw a three-pointer shoot a missile at the multi-armed guy, and he crushed the missile with [Telekinesis], nodding towards the other potential student. Izuku watched as he slammed into the robot, destroying it.
Darting away, the battle continued, even as the countdown hit the halfway mark and beyond. Izuku continued to focus not only on destroying robots but helping others. It was just the way he was. A robot frozen here, falling debris pushed to the side there, even as he cut and zapped his own share of robotic enemies.
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"We have a lot of good students this year," Cementoss stated as he watched the monitors. "Look at that one go," he said, "Those explosions are powerful."
"I like her. Her quirk looks interesting," said Snipe, as he nodded to a brown-haired girl who seemed to be levitating robots and sending them crashing to the ground.
"The young man in Testing Ground C. His quirk seems interesting. He can fly, summon armor and weapons, and zap the robots?" asked Midnight.
"Ah, Number 1919. Izuku Midoriya. His quirk is listed as 'Energy Manipulation', he can manipulate multiple types of energy. I'd guess the armor and weapon are energy-based," Nezu stated. "According to Recovery Girl, he can also manipulate 'life energy' to heal."
"How would Recovery Girl know?" asked Aizawa, frowning.
"An associate of hers brought him to her because of his quirk's ability to heal," Nezu said, not going into details as he knew All Might didn't want all of his secrets revealed. "She was quite excited about his quirk. I'm very happy that he seems to do be doing well with the robots." He chuckled, "We're nearing the end, though, so why don't you do the honors?" he asked Cementoss.
Nodding at him, the quiet man pushed the button.
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As Izuku flew through the air, he kept an eye out for more robots. Swooping down, he destroyed a three-pointer, his bound sword cutting through its head before leaving it to spark on the ground. Suddenly, he heard a rumbling sound, and then a figure emerged from the ground in the distance.
Now that was a big robot.
As everyone fled, Izuku turned to do the same when he heard a cry of pain. Blinking, the young man glanced over his shoulder and saw that the robot had knocked a robotic fist through a building, sending some debris onto one of the other students - the guy with a tail that he saw before. He was pinned underneath it and struggling to get free.
And the robot was not stopping, moving towards him with earth-shaking stomps of its metal feet.
He should go. After all, they wouldn't have the robot actually harm someone. Right?
He couldn't take the risk. Sighing, Izuku flew towards the young man and gestured with his hand, a green glow forming over his hand. [Telekinesis] The debris went flying, and he knelt near the other boy, "You all right?" He wondered. "Your leg looks a mess, let's get out of here."
As he moved to pick up the boy, he saw long, dark green vines streak out to wrap around the robot's legs, holding it back. Flying off, he reached the girl who had aided him, and called, "Thank you!"
Suddenly, an alarm blared. "That's all, folks!" he heard Present Mic call.
Izuku flew over to where he saw Recovery Girl was and put the other boy down. "He's got a broken leg and ankle. I figured you'd want to handle it," he told her.
"You?" Recovery Girl gave him a look, "I'd trust you to take care of it, but I'll handle it as he's here." She leaned in and kissed the boy's temple. "They get more reckless every year, I swear," she said to herself as she moved towards another injured exam taker.
"Thank you," came the other teen in a soft voice. "I'm Mashirao Ojiro. I appreciate you helping me."
"Izuku Midoriya. It wasn't a problem, Ojiro; I had to help, just in case something had gone wrong with the zero-pointer." His gaze fell upon a passing girl, and he waved a hand, "Hey there, thanks for the help with the vines."
"It was my duty to aid you," the girl stated in a soft voice. "Thanks are not necessary."
"Well, I insist," Izuku said with a smile. "I'm Izuku Midoriya," he said, repeating his introduction.
"Shiozaki Ibara," the girl answered in kind, bowing slightly.
As they spoke, others began to pass near them. Idly, Izuku canceled the Bound Armor and Bound Sword spells, the blue armaments fading into nothingness. As this happened, Ojiro asked, "That looked really cool. What's your quirk? And you both want to walk to the station with me?"
"I can do that. As for my quirk, I can control many forms of energy. I bind the energy into shapes for the armor and weapon, it's kind of hard to explain," Izuku answered with a shrug.
"How strange! Energy? That seems versatile," said the vine-haired girl. Ibara added after a moment as she followed. Apparently, she plans on heading to the train station as well. "It was very brave of you to go towards the zero-pointer and save someone."
"It can be. I don't really have the raw power of some of the heroes like Endeavor or Tornado, but I can do a lot of tricks, so I'm happy with my abilities," Izuku said with a smile.
"Being able to fly would be nice," Ojiro said. "My quirk is called Tail. It's pretty obvious what my quirk does," he said with a chuckle. "It really helps with my martial arts, though."
"That would be a great quirk in a fight, especially if it's as strong as it looks. I sure wouldn't want to be hit with it. Is it completely prehensile?" Izuku asked curiously, glancing at the other boy.
"It is. I can pick things up with it and carry objects," Ojiro said before adding, "It took some time to be able to though, it's kind of like patting your head while rubbing your stomach," he joked.
"My quirk," Ibara said, "Is called Vine. I can rapidly grow my hair and control it. It's very useful for binding those who wish to cause ill."
As they talked, they walked along the path off-campus, heading for the train station, "That is so cool," Izuku said to Ibara. "I saw Kamui Woods once, he does something similar."
Ibara perked up, "He's a favored hero of mine. He is honorable and does good work."
"Mine is Ryukyu. I wish I had a quirk like that, being a dragon would be fun." After a few steps, Ojiro paused and gestured to an arriving train, "I need to take this train."
"My train is the next one. It should be soon," Ibara added.
"I'll leave you both then," Izuku told them. "I actually needed to pick up one or two things before heading home, but thought walking to the station with my soon-to-be classmates would be fun."
"Have a good day, Midoriya," Ibara offered.
"See you, man. Nice to meet you," Ojiro added.
Izuku waved a hand and turned, heading up the steps to the street once more.