Chapter 5: Quirkless Quirks

Tony just could not keep up with deadlines. He had hoped to have his armor finished by April but solving his own personal energy crisis proved more difficult than he expected. Thankfully, his work paid off as his new arc reactor was over three times as efficient as his previous design. In the time he had left before the term started he had nearly completed his armor, though there were still some bugs that needed to be worked out. He had been working on the prototype almost entirely by hand. Thankfully, his father had promised him full access to the factory once his prototype was completed, meaning any future versions could be built in a few hours instead of a few months. Tony already had several ideas about how his armor could be made more portable, which was the biggest problem he faced at the moment.

Now, the first day of school was upon him. Tony was admittedly nervous, he had never attended a public school in Japan before. Aside from the fact that the material was too basic for him, his father was concerned about his safety after the accident. Had his father's concern not been a factor, it is likely that Tony would have been shipped off to a prestigious university abroad such as MIT or Oxford long ago. Tony was used to learning on the spot, overcoming challenges as they appeared. His advanced knowledge of electronics and chemistry were a result of his development of the arc reactor. His knowledge of math and physics came while he was developing his armor. He sucked ass at history but honestly who cares about that?

Tony was sure that he would draw a lot of attention to himself. Not only was he one of the only foreign students attending the school, but his name alone would be enough to identify him as the heir to Stark Industries. Tony was grateful that the UA uniform included a tie, he wanted to hide his Arc reactor for as long as possible. Having it clearly visible would result in too many questions to answer on the first day. His only concern was that pink girl, while the other examinees only saw his secondary reactor, which could easily be passed off as part of his costume, that girl saw the full implant and the full extent of his injuries. Aside from the noticeably larger tie, Tony also used his tool-belt instead of the belt provided by the school. He didn't really have a choice in this matter, the belt contained the palladium used to power his reactor and as such, keeping this belt near him at all times was a necessity.

Tony entered his classroom, class 1-A. He had tried to arrive before everyone else in order to draw less attention, but one other student had apparently had the same idea.

"Good Morning," the student said, "My name is Tenya Iida from the Somei private academy."

"Oh god, he's one of those students." Tony thought, "I'm Tony Stark, homeschool."

Iida seemed taken aback by this confession, "Oh, well if you ever need any help feel free to ask me…" he trailed off "Wait! Tony Stark? As in Stark industries?"

"Here it comes…" Tony thought, "Yes…"

"Well it's nice to meet you," He replied, "I hope we will both excel in this fine institution."

Tony almost sighed in relief, "Well that went better than I expected."

More students kept trickling in as the morning went on. Kirishima, the student he had met at the exam, had been glad to see a familiar face. Another student, with particularly messy hair, had already ousted himself out as the token asshat by getting into an argument with Iida soon after he entered the room. Then, a girl with pink skin and hair strolled into the classroom with a huge smile on her face.

"Good morning everyone!" she exclaimed as she looked around the classroom. "Hey, it's you!" she said pointing towards Tony.

"Hey Pinky," Tony said sarcastically.

The girl rolled her eyes, "I have a name you know!"

"Wonderful! So do I," Tony replied, "I'm sure you can forgive me for not asking, considering the circumstances of our first meeting." Tony said as he pointed towards his chest and placed a finger on his lips. "Don't tell." He mouthed towards the girl

She nodded signaling that she got the message, "I'm Mina Ashido." She said

"Tony Stark." He replied, "Thanks for helping me out there." He said

"No problem, after all that's what heroes do isn't it…" her voice trailed off at the end.

"Here it comes…"

"Wait… Stark. Haven't I heard that name before?" Mina asked.

Tony knew he couldn't keep his family secret from the class for long, so he decided to answer truthfully.

"Yeah… My father is Howard Stark." Tony saw that Mina was still confused, "He founded Stark Industries."

Mina recognized the name, eyes widening. "Wait! Doesn't that mean you're like a gazillionaire or something!" she said excitedly.

"46.5 billion actually" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Mina asked pretending that she didn't hear.

"Uhh… yeah basically." He replied nervously.

Mina laughed, "That's so cool! I haven't had a famous friend before!" causing both of them to laugh.

Among the last arrivals to the classroom was certainly one of the most interesting, Izuku Midoriya. He got the highest number of rescue points on the exam, in fact he only got rescue points. According to Iida he took down the 0-pointer with just one punch. Though the undivided attention the class gave him was cut short by the arrival of a homeless man. Said homeless man, Mr. Aizawa, he introduced himself as, was apparently the teacher.

"Let's get to it… Put these on and head outside" he said in a monotone voice lifting up their gym uniforms.

"Well shit…" Tony thought That would mean changing… in the locker room… in front of everyone else, "So much for hiding the reactor…"

It didn't take long for the boys to arrive at the locker room and start changing. Tony tried to change quickly, hoping that no one would notice, those hopes were quickly dashed almost as soon as he took of his shirt. "Woah… what's with the flashlight on your chest?" one of the other students, Kaminari if he recalled correctly, said, "You a cyborg or something?" he said with a laugh.

Tony looked towards his classmate, technically he wasn't wrong, "It's a miniaturized arc reactor." The confusion on the other's faces was evident so Tony decided to elaborate, "Basically it's a highly efficient energy source…" Tony wanted to continue with an explanation on how it worked but was interrupted by Kaminari.

"Ok, that's all well and good, but why is there one in your chest." he asked

This was the question Tony was afraid of, "That's… complicated." He said, downcast. It wasn't that he was ashamed about his implant, nor did the think that the other students would reject him. It was just personal, Tony was only alive today because his mother had shielded him with her body, at the cost of her own life. Yet, despite that it had not been enough to prevent him being crippled for life.

"You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives." Aizawa began, "But you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before…"

"Definitely should have finished the armor…" Tony thought.

"The country is still trying to pretend we're all created equal, by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational." Aizawa continued, "Bakugo you got the highest score on the entrance exam, what was your furthest distance with the softball throw?"

"67 meters I think." Bakugo, the aforementioned token asshat, replied.

"Try it with your quirk." Aizawa said as he tossed a softball towards the student.

"Alright man, you asked for it."

Bakugo produced a large explosion that stunned the rest of his classmates, Aizawa was the only one who seemed unphased. "705 meters… not bad" Aizawa said

"Oh shit… this isn't going to be what I think it is, is it?" Tony thought.

"You'll be competing in 8 physical tests to gauge your potential, use everything you have at your disposal to increase your performance…"

"Ok… not the worst thing in the world."

"Whoever comes in last has no potential and will be expelled."

"Shit." Tony was racking his mind to come up with an idea. He couldn't rely on his innate physical prowess because frankly, he had none. He spent years tied to a car battery, often in a wheelchair unable to even stand up. It wasn't until he built his first arc reactor that he was able to even walk comfortably. The most exercise he'd gotten since the accident was when Dr. Yensin put him in physical therapy after he built the reactor. Years of carrying around a car battery really screwed up Tony's muscular development, and though he went through the necessary physical therapy, his athletic performance was lackluster. Now all his hard work over the past year was on the line… again.

Test 1: 50-meter dash

It was only the first test and all the other students had already been using their quirks to their full potential. Tenya Iida, who's quirk was some form of super speed, blasted through the finish line in record time. Interestingly one other student seemed to not be using his quirk, even so Izuku Midoriya managed a respectable 7 seconds. Tony was the odd man out, he was racing alone, unfortunately. He really needed to get into shape, he managed an embarrassing 9 seconds. Needless to say, the first test was a failure.

Test 2: Grip Strength

"You will be using these devices to measure your grip strength in kilograms. Once you have your best score, show me and we can move onto the next test." Aizawa explained

"My gauntlets do increase my strength significantly, but it's not guaranteed to keep me out of last place." Tony thought as he studied the machine, "God I can't believe people still use these things, they're so easy to…" Tony thought as a smile formed on is face. He rummaged through his toolbelt and pulled out a screwdriver, he finally had his winning strategy.

"Mr. Aizawa I've finished." Tony said as he handed the device back to his teacher.

"Took you long enough," he said as he looked at the number, "What the hell…" Aizawa was shocked, because on the screen was the highest grip strength Aizawa had ever seen, 9999 kilograms.

Aizawa took Tony aside, "Do you think this is a game?" he asked angrily. "I read your file, there's no way you have a grip strength this high!"

Tony feigned shock, "Mr. Aizawa! You said we could, and I quote, 'use anything we have at our disposal to increase our performance', you never said it had to be a quirk." He said, twirling the screwdriver in his hand. Tony was nervous however, he did not want the other students to know of his quirklessness, at least not yet.

"Listen kid, let me be straight with you… you don't belong here." Aizawa said, no deadpan, no anger, just genuine concern for Tony. "Hero work is dangerous, and you being quirkless not only puts yourself in danger, but others as well."

Tony was getting pissed off, "Listen, just because I'm quirkless doesn't mean I'm helpless. I'm more capable than you know, and I'll prove it." Tony said as he walked off.

As Tony walked outside to prepare for the next test, Aizawa smiled, "I'll give you a pass this time, since I'm honestly a little impressed." He said, "but you're going to have to try a whole lot harder to fool me next time."

Tony looked back and gave the best shit-eating grin he could, "It's about time I had a real challenge, I hope you can keep up."

Test 3: Standing Long Jump

Thankfully the third test would finally allow Tony to show off his inventions to the class, though technically he had gotten the idea from watching one of the other students. Bakugo, the same student who threw the baseball over 700 meters, used the explosions he produced to propel himself across the sand pit. Tony was able to use the repulsor blasts to a similar degree to secure himself an acceptable score, it wasn't too impressive but certainly more than an average person.

"Woah!" one of the other students, Denki Kaminari, commented, "Dude those gloves are seriously badass! You think those lasers are his quirk?"

"No, they look different from the blasts I saw him use in the entrance exam." Mina answered, the eyes of the entire class now focused on her. She blushed slightly, "We were in the same battle center, it's hard to ignore a guy shooting lasers out of his hands!"

Test 4: Repeated side steps

Absolute Failure.

Test 5: Ball Throw

All but two students had performed this test, Tony Stark and Izuku Midoriya. Most students have had at least a few really good scores, hell one girl even got infinity! Tony just had the grip strength and he wasn't even sure if Aizawa would accept it. Though this next test presented a certain opportunity to test a new feature he'd been working on.

He stepped into the circle with the ball,"Mr. Aizawa, you said we can do anything as long as we do not leave this circle, right?"

Aizawa sighed, "Yes, but don't push it Stark."

Tony smiled, "Alright, watch and learn children! This is how you throw a baseball back in the US of A." He declared, deliberately leaving out the fact that he hadn't been to America since he was 6. "JARVIS, it's time to test the rocketry give me a firing angle" Tony muttered as he pulled his forearm part way out of the gauntlet.

As he did so, the gauntlet's fingers sealed around the baseball. Vents opened on the side of the gauntlet as Tony disconnected it from his reactor. "Sir you have 30 seconds to launch before power is lost, angle your arm at approximately 46 degrees upward and I'll ignite the rocketry on your command"

Taking aim and stabilizing his arm, tony gave the command, "Now." the gauntlet rocketed off his hand at high speed. The entire class watched the metallic hand rocket up into the sky with the ball still in its hands. At the height of its arc, the rockets gave out and the gauntlet plummeted towards the Earth. Turning to Aizawa with a smile, "Was that acceptable?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Moments later Aizawa looked down at his phone, turning it around to show Tony his distance. "502.7 meters… not bad at all."

"Great!" Tony said proudly, "Now do you mind if I go get my hand back?" Tony said, earning a laugh from the class.

Aizawa on the other hand was less amused, "Let your classmates finish first, Midoriya! You're up!" he said, tossing Midoriya a spare ball.

As Midoriya walked stood in the middle of the circle, the nervousness on his face was evident. Tony realized that he had yet to see him use his quirk. "Well if he passed the exam he should have no problem with these tests" he thought before remembering, "Wait… this is the guy who passed on rescue points alone! His quirk could be useless for these kinds of tests!"

Midoriya pulled back his arm, preparing to throw the baseball with all his might, a look of determination l clearly on his face as he released the ball into the sky.

46 meters.

Midoriya looked down at his hand in confusion, as if he expected so much more.

"I erased your quirk" Aizawa said his black hair now flowing upwards, clutching the scarf around his neck. "The judges for this exam were not rational enough." He as he turned toward Tony who now saw his eyes glowing red, "Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school." Tony got the message, he wasn't just talking to Midoriya.

"Wait! I know you… You're Eraserhead aren't you!" Midoriya said as Aizawa turned his attention back towards Midoriya.

"You don't even have control over your power. Were you planning on breaking your bones again? Counting on someone else to save your useless body?"

"N-No that's not what I was trying to-" He was cut off as Aizawa used his scarf to pull the young man closer.

"Even if you have the drive to become a hero… you're worthless if you can only throw a single punch! I'm sorry, but with your power there's no way you can become a hero." With that final line, his hair fell back down to its natural state. "I've returned your impractical quirk… take your best shot."

Midoriya walked back to the center of the circle. Clearly struggling due to what Aizawa had told him. However, as he threw his arm back once more, that look of determination returned to his face. Without warning, the ball shot up into the air at incredible speed.

"What in the goddamn…" Tony said quietly. The force behind that throw was incredible, that ball might have even broken the sound barrier! When Tony looked back towards the young man who had produced such incredible forces, what Aizawa had said to him began to make sense. Midoriya's finger was broken and mangled, though that only made what he had just seen more incredible. "JARVIS… did he just do that all with one finger?" Tony muttered.

"I believe he did sir." JARVIS answered through Tony's earpiece.

"Mr. Aizawa." Midoriya declared through the pain, "I'm still standing!"

Tony was still preforming calculations in his head, trying to figure out the potential force that Midoriya could produce if he used his entire arm, when Bakugo ran towards Midoriya with rage. "DEKU YOU BASTARD TELL ME HOW YOU DID THAT OR YOU'RE DEAD!"

Thankfully Aizawa captured his explosive classmate with his scarf, "What the hell, how is this damn thing so strong."

Aizawa was about to explain but he was cut off by Tony, "Because it's made from carbon fiber and a specialized alloy of-" he stopped himself, "Sorry, don't want to just give away company secrets, do I?! It's a special capture weapon designed by yours truly, though I never did find out who it was for…" he said looking at Aizawa, "Basically you're not getting out of it 'splosion boy, I don't half-ass this kind of stuff."

Aizawa was surprised by this, while he knew his scarf was produced by Stark Industries he never expected it to have been designed by a child, he managed to subdue his curiosity enough to keep his eyes on Bakugo, keeping his quirk in check. "I recommend you stand down… using my quirk for so long gives me serious dry eye."

He released his hold on Bakugo, "You're wasting my time now… lets move on to the next test" he said.

"You're welcome by the way." Tony said smugly as Aizawa walked past.

AN: Ok so I suppose I owe you guys an explanation… first finals happened… I passed everything thankfully. Then I started working a lot this summer, need money for next year and everything… and I'll be honest I might have started another story…. Yeah, I know I've been cheating on you but I just couldn't get the idea out of my head! To be honest, if I didn't already have most of this written it wouldn't have come out for a looong time. But then I saw this story had over 100 followers (thanks for that btw) and I couldn't just abandon you! As for my other story… that's going to be my main focus. Not that I'm going to ignore this story or anything… it's just that I'm honestly enjoying writing the other one more at this moment.

As for what it's about… well stop me if you've heard this before… It's a Familiar of Zero story where Louise summons something that isn't Saito! No wait! Don't leave its not a crossover I swear! Instead of Louise summoning a character from another series that absolutely wrecks the entire universe with their pure amazingness and kicks out the nobility because fuck the bourgeoisie, Viva la Revolution, power to the people, and all that crap, Louise summons a Crusader from the First Crusade. It's called "Crusader of Zero" and honestly, I think it's my best work so far. I try to incorporate a lot of the obscure history facts I know about the period (as I'm Majoring in History) which is the main reason I'm having a lot of fun writing it.

Thanks for reading and I'll try not to take as long writing the next chapter!