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Izuku... might have not thought it through properly when he decided to launch himself at the zero-pointer.
It seemed like a good idea at the time; He'd be saving his potential classmate, returning the favour from earlier, when that girl saved him from eating shit right in front of everyone, and it seemed like a good source of adrenaline for a last ditch effort to manifest his newly gained quirk!
He just didn't consider what he'd do after manifesting it. Then again, All Might had failed to mention that it would shatter all his bones, so was it really Izuku's fault?
The fact remained that he was falling uncontrollably, approaching the ground uncomfortably fast. He could do nothing but squeeze his eyes closed and brace for the impact-
But what he collided with was not the cement-covered road of the faux city. No, what he barreled into was definitely a human body.
A few seconds stretched into infinity as the person swore, scrambling to get a hold of Izuku. He ended up in their arms in a princess carry.
Cautiously, Izuku opened his eyes, dreading who he would see. It wasn't any of the other candidates, nor was it any of the teachers Izuku could recognize. The man looked down at him in bafflement, and Izuku could do nothing but return that sentiment.
It had to be a hero - no one else would have been licensed to fly, and they were evidently not falling - but if so, it wasn't one Izuku knew. Which was really saying something!
The man wore green robes in an ancient style, his long black hair pinned back with a metal hair crown. It was a get-up Izuku had seen at some cons before, though he had never familiarized himself with any source media.
His hands felt warm where they held onto Izuku, muting the pain where the effects of adrenaline started to fade.
"T-thank you for saving me," he stammered out, remembering his manners. "Could you let me go now?'
"That's inadvisable," the man said. "Seeing how we're still in the air."
Izuku twisted a bit to look down and immediately regretted that choice. How was it possible to be that high?? Had he really jumped so far above the clouds when dealing with the zero pointer...?
Thankfully, the man seemed to be preparing for a descent. Izuku remained silent, just to make sure he wouldn't acaidentally annoy his benefactor into dropping him early. Even though he was really curious about how, exactly, was he flying!
That mystery solved itself soon enough, when they landed and the man stepped off a mind-controlled sword. Izuku stumbled a little when he was released, rapidly remembering that his legs were in fact broken. But, oddly, they didn't hurt.
"Aww, Jiu-ah, you didn't have to!" Someone yelled nearby and Izuku startled, turning to look at another man, who was dressed in white martial artist's robes and wore his hair in a tall ponytail. "A new disciple? All for me?"
"He just fell into my grasp," the first man said dryly, flicking his sleeves. "You may do with him as you like."
Izuku... had a bad feeling about this.
"I really appreciate you saving me," he said, taking a cautious step back. "But I should really be getting back to school now..."
"Is that school of yours teaching you how to efficiently break the most of your own bones?" The man gave him a pointed look. "Seeing how, without my intervention, you would be dealing with 67 various fractures right now?"
Izukt blanched. It was... that many?
"I... only just manifested my quirk," he justified. "I just need to get a handle on it, and it won't happen again-!"
The second man clasped his hands loudly. "That's where I come in!" He declared. "I am Cheong Myeong, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, and a week from now, you'll be a master of your quirk!"
"Ah, I wouldn't want to impose-"
"It's no imposition!" Cheong Myeong assured.
"And you don't actually have a choice," the other man added. "You may call me Shen Qingqiu. I will bring you some tea once you collapse."
He left then, walking off towards a nearby cottage. It made Izuku realize that he couldn't recognize his surroundings. Gone were the familiar streets of Musutafu; There was only unbroken wilderness of a mountain range as far as the eye could see.
When Izuku looked back towards Cheong Myeong, the man was holding onto a massive rock, gesturing for Izuku to pick it up. He did so, pleasantly surprised to find the rock lighter than a fridge.
"See that tree?" Cheong Myeong grinned, pointing to a plum tree growing on the next peak over. "Your task is to run there and back. I'll be counting. Go!"
Reflexively, Izuku started running on the path. Well, since he started, he ought to finish the challenge... It wasn't so different from what All Might had him doing for training. In fact, running down and up a mountain path was far more pleasant than dragging smelly pieces of trash around, as much as the community service warmed Izuku's pride.
And, honestly... The exam was already finished. Whether Izuku got in or not was out of his hands. It wouldn't hurt to build his muscles a little more before returning to UA...
Hopefully his mom wouldn't worry. He'd be back home soon enough!