Mystic Hero: Power Beyond Quirks(A Doctor Strange & My Hero Academia Crossover)

Chapter Three.

The teachers reviewed the exams, looking at the ranked list of all the candidates. Bakugo was first with seventy seven combat points, zero rescue points.
     "Check out the results from the exam," a man said.
     "Wow, the first place student didn't even have rescue points," Midnight observed.
     "He took down those foe-villains like an ace. When most of the other examinees were running from the big obstacle, he stayed focused and let the smaller targets get in close and then counter-attacking. That kid I'd tough."
     "On the opposite end, the seventh place student had zero combat points, but sixty rescue points," Midnight said.
     "Not the first UA student hopeful to take out that giant robot, but it's been a while since I saw someone blow it away with one attack."
     "But at what cost?" another guy asked. "If you ask me, it's like his body isn't used to his Quirk."
     "But that guy in fourth place, Ethan Vale-Strange. Doesn't sound Japanese," another said.
     "He's American," Midnight said. "He had an impressive Quirk. It's called Magic, right?"
     "Right."
     "With his level of power, I believe he could easily have come out in first place, but just didn't seem to care," Principal Nezu said. "We'll watch him closely."

     I walked down the hallway, looking for Class 1-A. Sure enough. I got to a door with a sign above it reading...
     ...1-A.
     The door was quite large. Tall, wide enough.
     "Hey," a voice said from behind me. I turned to look at the speaker. It was the green-haired boy. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. I never got your name." Immediately, the memory of him punching that robot to pieces, returned to my mind and I replied...
     "I'm Ethan Vale-Strange."
     "That name doesn't sound Japanese," Izuku said.
     "That's 'cause it's not," I explained. "I'm American." Then we both went into the classroom.
     "Take your feet off that desk now," the boy in glasses said to Bakugo. That was the first thing I heard upon stepping in.
     "Huh?!" Bakugo replied.
     "It's only the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scoffing school property, you cretin," the boy in glasses said.
     "You're kidding me, right? Your old school put a stick up your ass, or where you born with it?" Bakugo demanded. The boy in glasses gasped.
     "Let's start over," the boy in glasses said. "I'm Tenya Iida, from the Somei Private Academy."
     "Somei, huh?" Bakugo said. "So you must think you're better than me. I'm gonna have fun tearing you a new one."
     "You would threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you're in the right place?," Iida asked.
     "Huh," Bakugo scoffed and faced Izuku and I. Iida followed suit.
     "It's him," Iida said, then started walking over. "My name is Tenya Iida, I..." Izuku cut him off.
     "Yeah, I know," Izuku stuttered. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you."
     "Midoriya, you realized there was something more to the practical exam, didn't you? You must be very perceptive and I completely misjudged you," Iida said.
     "Maybe you shouldn't judge people at all," I said, but he continued speaking to Izuku.
     "I admit that as a student, you're far superior to me," Iida said. Izuku's nervousness kept on skyrocketing, and it was evident on his face.
     "Hey, I recognize that messed up hair!" a girl's said from behind us. We turned to see that brunette Izuku saved. "Falling Boy."
     Izuku gasped.
     "...that punch was amazing!" she was saying.
     "Oh hey, hi," Izuku said. "Oh my gosh! I should probably be thanking you for going in and talking to them."
     "How'd you know about that?" she asked. "And you?" She looked at me.
     "I'm Ethan Vale-Strange," I said.
     "That name isn't Japanese," Iida said. "At least that explains your look."
     I decided to be mature and not take any offense at his words, instead I spoke more...
     "I'm American."
     "America is quite the lawless land," Iida added. I now decided to give him a piece of my mind.
     "Loo-," I began, but the girl interrupted...
     "What do you think we're doing today, besides orientation?" she asked. "I wonder what our teachers are like. I can't wait to meet everybody." Then I noticed the man in a yellow sleeping bag, on the ground behind her.
     "If you're just here to make friends, then you can pack up your stuff now," he said. Izuku let out a cry and we all stared at the strange man. "Welcome to UA's hero course. It took eight second before you all shut up. That's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that." He stepped out of the sleeping bag and stood up straight. He was putting on black clothes, and a really long, weird gray strip of fabric was hanging around his neck. His hair was long and dark. His eyes spelt out fatigue, and his whole disposition gave off a lackadaisical aura.
     "Hello, I'm Shota Aizawa," he greeted. "Your teacher." Not surprising for me. It was obvious. He wasn't the kinda guy to go prying in matters that didn't concern him, yet some people were shocked. "Alright, let's get to it. Put on your tracksuits and head outside." Now, that was confusing.
     We gathered outside, near the softball throwing area, Mister Aizawa's back to the class.
     "We're gonna begin with a Quirk assessment test," Mister Aizawa said.
     "But orientation, we're gonna miss it," the brunette said.
     "If you really wanna make the big leagues you can't waste your time on pointless ceremonies," he replied. "Here at UA, we're not tethered to traditions." He turned his head to look at us through the corner of his eye. "That means I get to run my class however I see fit." Now that was scary. "You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives. But you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before." He held up his phone and showed us a list of activities. "The country's still tryna pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational." What was with this guy and that word 'rational'. "One day, the Ministry of Education will learn." He turned his back to us again. "Bakugo, you managed to get the most points in the practical entrance examinations. What was your farthest distance throw of the softball when you were in junior high."
     "You mean middle school," I goofed. Mister Aizawa glared at me, and I shrugged at him.
     "Sixty seven metres, I think," Bakugo said.
     "Right," Aizawa said. "Try doing it with your Quirk." Bakugo stepped into the circle and stared at Mister Aizawa.
     "Anything goes, just stay in the circle," Mister Aizawa said.
     "Alright, man, you asked for it," Bakugo said. Then he stretched a bit, before throwing the ball into the air with an explosion. Red and orange light flashes through the air as the ball went flying through the air. Mister Aizawa held up his phone, showing us how far the ball went.
     "All of you need to know your maximum capabilities," Mister Aizawa said. "It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro hero." Then I saw Bakugo's score...
     705.2 metres.
     "Whoa! Seven hundred and five metres?! Are you kidding me?!" a blond boy with a black lightning bolt symbol on the side of his hair interjected.
     "I wanna go, that looks like fun," a girl with pink skin said.
     "This is what I'm talking about! Using our Quirks as much as we want!" a dark-haired boy with strange elbows said.
     "So this looks fun huh? You have three years here to become a hero," Mister Aizawa said. "Do you think it's all gonna be games and playtime?" He suddenly smiled like a lunatic. "It is. Today you will compete in eight physical tests to guage your potential. Whoever comes last has none and will be expelled, effective immediately." A collective gasp rose from us. I immediately thought of Izuku whose Quirk could destroy him.
     "Like I said," Mister Aizawa reminded us. "I get to decide how this class runs. Understand? If that's a problem, you can head home right now."
     "You can't send one of us home," the brunette girl said.
     "Actually, he can," I muttered,. warning her.
     "I mean, we just got here, and even if it isn't the first day, that isn't fair," the brunette girl exclaimed.
     "Oh and you think natural disasters are?" he asked. "Or power-hungry villains, or catastrophic accidents? No. The world is full of unfairness. It's a hero's job to try to combat that unfairness. If you wanna be a pro, you're gonna have to push yourself to the brink. For the next three years, UA will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So go beyond, plus ultra style."
     "That saying, that phrase..." I said. "...is incredibly stupid."
     "Show me it's no mistake that you're here," Mister Aizawa finished. Physical test were my jam. At least one of them.
     We began with the first test.
     A fifty metre sprint. At the end of the track was a camera on a tripod stand. Iida ran, and that was when I took note of his Quirk. He had engines in his calves, made evident by the six small exhausts on each calf.
     3.04 seconds.
     Then the next person was a girl who had long dark green hair, and a long tongue, and she leapt pretty high. Like...
     ...a frog! That was her Quirk. Frog.
     The brunette was standing, touching her clothes and shoes. I already knew she made things weightless, nullifying gravity. Then the blond boy who told everyone about Recovery Girl at the practical exams, propelled himself across the track with a laser from his navel, but he fell down halfway through, then picked himself back up and continued.
     I came up and when it was time for me to begin, I opened a portal beneath myself that just dropped me off at the other end of the track.
     1.002 seconds.
     "Whoa!" Izuku exclaimed.
     At the softball throw, the brunette girl came up, holding the ball tight. Then she threw it into the air and it simply floated away, into the sky and out of sight. Mister Aizawa held up his phone, showing us an infinity symbol.
     "Infinity?!" some of us exclaimed.
     When I went up for my softball throw, I held up the ball in one hand and concentrated. A blazing orange aura seemed to wrap it up. Then I opened my palm and the ball zipped out of it at blazing speed, heading towards the sky, out of sight.
     Mister Aizawa held up his phone and it displayed the infinity sign like the brunette's.
     When Izuku came up, I tensed up. He'd break his arm if he used his Quirk. Unless...
     ...I thought of a way to minimize the damage to his body. For a split second, I considered calling out to him and telling him, but realized Mister Aizawa would decide it was cheating and probably expel me on my first day.
     Izuku went up, looking at the softball in his palm. Then he prepared to throw it.
     Here it comes...
     Then he threw the ball. But as he threw it, I understood something was wrong. I didn't sense the kind of energy from him that I did during the practical exams. To everyone's surprise, the ball only went forty six metres.
     "What gives?!" Izuku exclaimed. "I was tryna use it just now."
     "I erased your Quirk," Mister Aizawa declared. Then I noticed the yellow goggles that had formally been hidden behind the fabric rolled round his neck—his scarf, the red glow in his eyes. But I still didn't know how he was. "The judges for this exam we're not rational enough." There was the word again. "Someone like you should never be allowed to enrol at this school."
     "You did what to my...?" Izuku began asking, then gasped in realization.... "Those goggles. I know you. You can look at someone and cancel out their powers. The Erasure Hero, Eraser Head." There were murmurs from the students around me, and I sighed.
     "You're not ready, you don't have control over your power," Mister Aizawa declared. "We're you planning to break your bones again. Counting on someone else to save your useless body?"
     "No, that's not what I was trying to do," Izuku began, but in one fluid motion, Mister Aizawa sent forty his scarf and wrapped Izuku, pulling him towards himself. Then he stopped pulling Izuku and spoke...
     "No matter what your intentions are, you'd be nothing more than a liability in battle," Mister Aizawa added. "You have the same reckless passion as another over-zealous hero I know. Someone who saved a thousand people by himself and became a legend." I didn't know a lot about heroes, I'd never even heard about Eraser Head before today. But I knew Mister Aizawa was talking about Almight. "But even with that drive, you're worthless if you can only throw a single punch before breaking down. Sorry Midoriya, with your power, there's no way you can become a hero." Then he released Izuku. "I returned your impractical Quirk. Take your final throw. Hurry and get it over with."
     "I wonder if our teacher have him some advice," Iida said.
     "Probably told him to start packing," Bakugo said.
     "I'm here, cheré," the blond boy with the laser out of his bellybutton said, placing a hand on the brunette girl's shoulder.
     "Uhhh, who are you again?" she asked. I wondered how Iida and Bakugo hadn't heard what Mister Aizawa said to Izuku. That was when I realized how much closer I'd been standing to them than the rest of the class. I suddenly felt like an eavesdropper.
     Izuku returned to the circle, and held the ball. He stared for several seconds, then held up, the ball. Indeed, I felt his energy once more, and there was something different. Something more. He wasn't pumping his power through his legs or his hands. It was on a much smaller scale. His fingertip. He threw the ball into the air and I gasped in shock. The wind pressure that rolled off him nearly overwhelmed me, as the ball shot through the air and out of sight.
     Mister Aizawa stared in surprise, so did everyone else.
     "Mister Aizawa," Izuku said, then turned and faced Mister Aizawa, shaking, as he held up his arm and balled his fist. One of his fingers was undoubtedly broken. "You see? I'm still standing." But just his finger. Not his hand.
     "This kid," Mister Aizawa said, sounding quite impressed. Then we stared at his result...
     705.3 metres.
     "It went over seven hundred metres," said the blond boy with the black lightning bolt symbol on the side of his head said.
     "Nice!" the brunette exclaimed. "He's finally showing us his true power!"
     "But his finger appears to be broken now," Iida said. "Just like in the exam. His Quirk is very odd."
"It wasn't a very pretty throw," the blond boy with the laser said. I examined him and noticed the belt around his waist. It had a glass screen where the buckle should've been.
     Bakugo looked like he was having a stroke.
     Then he conjured several miniature explosions in his palm, then dashed at Izuku. I noticed and moved to intercept him.
     "Deku, you bastard, tell me how you did that or you're dead!" Bakugo yelled. Before I could reach him to stop him, Mister Aizawa sent out his scarf and restrained Bakugo.
     "Why the hell is your damn scarf so strong?!" he demanded, struggling against Mister Aizawa's grip.
     "Because it's a capture weapon made out of carbon fibre and a special metal alloy," he replied. "Stand down. It would be wise to avoid making me use my Quirk so much. It gives me serious dry eye. You're wasting my time now. Whoever's next can step up." Then he walked away, but Bakugo hadn't stopped vibrating.
     By the end of the physical fitness test, we all gathered to get the results.
     "Alright, time to give your results," Mister Aizawa said. "I've ranked you all from best to worst. You should probably have a good idea of your standing already. I'll just pull up the list." A holographic screen materialized before us with the rankings. I scanned it, and found my name at the top. Someone named Momo Yaoyorozu was second, someone else called Shoto Todoroki was third, Bakugo got into fourth place, Iida was fifth, some dud called Fumikage Tokoyami was sixth.
     Izuku was last.
     But he obviously wasn't gonna expel anyone.
     "And...I was lying, no one's going home," Mister Aizawa declared. "That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all in the tests." And he said 'rational' again.
     Everyone around me gasped, surprising me. They didn't really think Mister Aizawa would terminate someone for a fitness test? But a girl spoke. She was tall with dark, lush, and stylish hair.
     "I'm surprised the rest of you didn't figure that out," she said. "Sorry. I guess I probably shoulda said something."
     "That was pretty nerve-racking, huh?" the boy with weird elbows said.
     "Nuh, I'm always down for a challenge," a boy with spiky, red hair said.
     "That's it. We're done for the day," Mister Aizawa. "Pick up a syllabus in the classroom. Read it over before tomorrow morning." Izuku sighed in relief, and Mister Aizawa came up to him and handed him a note. "Midoriya. Take this and go have the old lady fix you up. Things are gonna be tougher tomorrow when your actual training begins. Make sure you're prepared."
     After school, I walked up to the brunette girl.
     "I never caught your name," I said to her.
     "I'm Ochaco Uraraka," she said. "Let's go. I'd like to check on Deku."
     "Deku?" I asked. "Isn't that what Bakugo called him? I assumed that he slurred his words 'cause he was angry."
     "Let's go," she said after a laugh. Once outside, we both went up to Izuku who was walking with Iida already. Once we got there, Ochaco said...
     "Hey, Deku." Izuku flinched at the name.
     "Deku?"
     "Yeah, that's what Bakugo called you," she said.
     "My name's actually Izuku," he said. "Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me."
     "That's unsportsmanlike," Iida said.
     "Oh, I didn't realize that," she said. I'm sorry." I shrugged. "You know what? I like Deku. It would  make a great hero name. Plus, I think it sounds kinda cute."
     "Deku, it is," Izuku declared, although he did seem a bit nervous. At this point, I didn't actually know if it was Ochaco, or the conversation that was messing with him. Maybe both.
     "Just like that?" Iida asked. "Weren't you saying...that it was an insult?!"
     "Besides, why do you let Bakugo, or as you call him, Kacchan, treat you like that?" I asked him. "Yet you say you guys are childhood friends."
     "It's...complicated," Izuku said.
     "No it's not," I said. "It's really not. He hates you, and friends don't hate each other. And I think I know why he hates you."
     "Why?"
     "Bakugo is obsessed with being better than others and you guys both went to a middle school that wasn't very prestigious. Maybe he believed he'd break a record by being the single first student from that school to come here, but you applied as well, and got in. So now he's jealous. Also, he's called you Quirkless, meaning your abilities manifested late, and back in middle school he found it easy to oppress you, but now, with your powerful Quirk, he thinks you are capable of killing him if he crosses you and he hates you more for it. He doesn't believe you're good enough to chase the same dream as him. That's not friendship. If it is, it's toxic friendship. Anyways, goodbye. See you all tomorrow." Then I manifested a portal and went through.
     It was the afternoon of the following day, when someone beside me tapped my shoulder. I turned to look at the boy with spiky red hair...
     "What class do we have now?" he asked.
     "Basic Hero Training," I shrugged. "It's a practical class, so I advise you ready your track suit."
     "Wonder who our teacher is?"
     "I am..." a voice called out disgust rushed through me. "...here! Coming through the door like a hero!"
     "I can't believe it's really Almight!" the blond boy with a lightning bolt symbol on his hair said.
     "So he is a teacher," the redhead who just tapped me said. "This year's gonna be totally awesome."
     "Hey look," the girl with the frog Quirk said. "Is he wearing his Silver Age costume?"
     "I'm getting goosebumps, it's so retro," another blond boy said.
     "Welcome to the most important class at UA High," Almight said. "Think of it as Heroism 101. Here you will learn the basics of being a pro, and what it means to fight in the name of good! Let's get into it. Today's lesson will pull no punches!"
     "Fight training!" Bakugo said.
     "Real combat?" Izuku gasped.
     "But one of the keys to being a hero is looking good!" Almight exclaimed as cases slid out of the wall beside him. "These were designed for you based on your Quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started. Get yourself suited up and then meet me at Training Ground Beta."
     Upon stepping out, I realized that Training Ground Beta was actually where I engaged in my practical entrance exams. But I stayed in my school uniform, as I didn't need a costume. Magic was magic. Then Izuku joined us...
     "Hey, Deku," Uraraka said. "Love your costume." It looked ridiculous to me. "Not too flashy, ya know. I should've been more specific about what I wanted. This body suit is skintight." Once we were organized, Almight spoke...
     "Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training," Almight said.
     "Sir," Iida said. "This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?"
     "Not quite," he replied. "I'm going to move you two steps ahead. Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, runnings with the most dastardly evil-doers take place indoors. Think about it. Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. In this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of heroes and villains, and fight two on two indoor battles."
     "Isn't this a little advanced?" the frog girl said.
     "The best training is what you get on the battlefield," Almight said. "But remember, you can't just punch a robot this time. You dealing with actual people."
     "Sir, will you be one deciding who wins?," Momo asked.
     "How much can we hurt the other team?" Bakugo asked.
     "Do we need to worry about losers getting expelled like earlier?" Ochaco asked.
     "Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?" Iida asked.
     "I wasn't finished talking," Almight said. "Listen up! The situation is this...." I paid rapt attention. "...the villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do this, the heroes must either have to capture the villains or recover the weapon. Likewise, the villains succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes. Time is limited and we'll choose tems by casting lots."
     "Isn't there a better way?" Iida asked.
     "Think about it," Izuku said. "Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot. So maybe that's the reason we're seeing that here."
     "Yes I see," Iida said. "Life is random series of events. Excuse my rudeness." He bowed to Almight.
     "I understand that your class population is an odd number, so it's not plausible to separate you into groups of four. That's why I've decided that Ethan will engage in a special challenge," Almight said, pointing at me. I knew why I was chosen so I said nothing. I was powerful enough to handle it. "His match will be based on whoever volunteers to battle him. Note that he was the fourth highest in your entrance exams. Now we need three volunteers. One to be his ally, two as their opponents."
     "I'll be your opponent," Bakugo said glaring at me. "I'll show Deku that even with his friends he's no match for my power."
     "Any other volunteers?" Almight asked, but I was too busy glaring at Bakugo, I didn't notice a boy whose hair was split down the middle with a red colour on the left and white on the right step forward. "Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo against Ethan Vale-Strange. Any volunteers as  Ethan's ally." No response. No one really felt like fighting Todoroki and Bakugo at once.
     "Don't worry," I said. "I'll fight them without an ally." A gasp rose from the class.
     "You might want help if you don't wanna die. Shoto's the son of the number two hero, and Bakugo's a rage-addled mad man," a boy with a bird's head said.
     "I'm sure," I said. I stared at Almight. He had on each side of him, two tall boxes without any lids. One was a black box with the word 'Villains'  written on it in white. The other, a white box with 'Heroes' written on it in black. In the end we had ten teams of two students each, labelled A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J. The first battle was Bakugo and Iida posing as villains, against Uraraka and Izuku.
     "Everyone else head to the control room to watch the watch the match," Almight ordered and as we left, I began to wonder if I'd made a mistake deciding to fight Bakugo and Todoroki simultaneously and alone.
     Would I fail when the time came?