The Emerald Prince

Chapter 142: Who wants to play?

We're on the last ten chapters folks!
Warning, sections of this chapter quoted out of context were enough to send my lovely beta reader into a mild panic attack.

———

"So, what's your name?"

Izuku stretched as they left the arena just as the room they'd been in collapsed. Heading through a large set of doors they made their way up three flights of stairs with that impersonal chemical yet musty smell only office blocks have.

"Me?" Asked the blonde in front of him looking faintly surprised.
Izuku shrugged, "who else?"
"Fair point...my name is Irina Jelavić."
"Russia? Ukraine?" Asked Izuku in English.
She smiled in slight surprise, "Serbia."
"Huh," they approached a consultation room as dull looking as the corridor they were walking down, "how did you end up here?"
The look she gave him was one of impossible tiredness, impressive with her model-like appearance, "it's a long story, you best go in."
Izuku shrugged, "nice meeting you Miss Jelavić."
She nodded and slunk away.

Izuku took a steady breath, having a faint deja vu of his first day in UA. He tried to slow his breathing but the more he thought about not panicking the harder it became. Distant explosions brought him out of his thoughts instinctively, but when his brain caught up he realised the sound no longer brought fear but reassurance. He smiled slightly, then schooled his expression and entered.

———

"I can believe it worked so easily!" Yelled Ashido, laughing happily.
Not only had their entire class got through in the first hundred, they were in the first thirty.
Kaminari chuckled, "they moved so slowly, and with so much inaccuracy, it was mad!"
Asui hummed, "do you think that's how we used to look to Izuku before he started teaching us?"
Shinsou snorted, "bet we still do. I still can't hold out more than five minutes against him in quirkless combat."

They made their way to the waiting room as a group, happily reflecting on their results. The contrast between their skills and those of Shiketsu and the other schools was almost frightening, Izuku truly had brought them to another level. It hadn't been five minutes into the task before they had realised their initial formation was unnecessary against their competition and had split up into smaller teams to seize their wins faster. Within ten minutes all of them had taken out two opponents each and gotten through the task.

They strode into the waiting room late, since the early finishers had waited so they could walk in together. Inasa the wind quirk user was already there, gazing at the observation screen in shock. Unlike the rest of his school mates he had not gone after 1A, but the rest had and most had been taken out ruthlessly.

"What the fuck." He spat when they came in.
A blonde next to him, Camie, scowled. "Keep it down Inasa."
The buzz cut guy shook his head and strode over, eyes narrowed as he made his way straight to Hiniyuki. "Son of Endeavour...what the hell was that?"
"My name is Hiniyuki Shoto." Said Hiniyuki calmly. "I have no father."

Nagamasa Mora, who looked like a chewbacca in military uniform approached the tense duo and inclined his head slightly to Hiniyuki, "I wish to maintain a good relationship so I hope you will not take his tactlessness to heart, Inasa please apologise."
Hiniyuki was about to reply, then Inasa growled, his eyes darkening. "I will not apologise. You have his eyes. You have the eyes of Endeavour...I hate you."
Hiniyuki froze.

Shinsou stepped forward as did most of their class, hands balled into fists.
"Now now guys," sang a light voice, and all the hundred students turned toward the voice to find Izuku at the door, his sweetest smile in place. The one strangers were enchanted by, and the one UA recognised as a funeral notice. "There's clearly a little misunderstanding going on. Don't beat up the guy, he doesn't have enough classmates left to back him up."