ROLL CALL!!!
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, EVERY 250 PS = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!
I DONT HAVE A PATREON SO IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT READ MY OTHER STORY: MY SCUMBAG SYSTEM
***
Isaiah stood before his bedroom mirror, making final adjustments to his school uniform. He traced the Aldera High emblem with his fingertips, remembering all the times it had been grabbed, yanked, burned.
"Today will be different," he murmured.
『Don't get cocky. Your stats might be maxed for F-rank, but you're still basically a child with a stick against people who can create explosions with their hands.』
Isaiah ignored Arcan, instead focusing on the status screen hovering at the edge of his vision. All his stats sat at their F-rank caps, with only his Aura needing one more point to max out. He couldn't directly upgrade it, but actions today could push it over the edge.
His gaze shifted to the quest objectives floating beside the mirror:
[Establish a New Baseline]
[Leash the Pomeranian]
[Show Contempt for the System]
"All three perfectly align," Isaiah said, straightening his red tie. "Social assassination as a strategic objective. I can work with that."
A knock at his door pulled him back to reality.
"Izuku? Breakfast is ready," Inko called, her voice tinged with that new mixture of worry and hope that had become her default since the "incident."
"Coming, Mom."
He found her in the kitchen, placing a plate of eggs and toast on the table. She smiled when she saw him, her eyes widening slightly.
"You look... different today," she said, head tilted.
Isaiah returned the smile. "Just feeling better. More confident."
She reached up to smooth a wild strand of green hair, her touch gentle. "I'm so proud of you, going back after everything. You call me if you need anything, okay?"
"I will." He ate quickly, checking the time. "I should head out."
"Have a good day!" She called as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
Isaiah paused, looking back at her. For a brief moment, he wondered what his own mother would think of him now, wearing another woman's son like a suit. The thought vanished as quickly as it came.
"I'll make it memorable," he promised.
===
The route to Aldera High School was achingly familiar through Izuku's memories. Every corner held some trauma—the alley where Bakugo had cornered him in sixth grade, the convenience store whose owner always watched Izuku suspiciously when he entered with Bakugo's group, the park bench where he'd cried after particularly brutal days.
But Isaiah wasn't Izuku.
Students drifted toward the school in clusters, their morning conversations filling the air with meaningless chatter.
A boy with stretching limbs noticed him first, nudging his friend and pointing. The whispers began, rippling outward like a stone dropped in still water.
"Is that Deku?"
"He looks... weird."
"Heard he got caught in that slime villain attack..."
Isaiah walked past them all, gaze fixed forward. A few of the bolder students stepped into his path, clearly expecting him to scurry around them as Izuku always had. When he didn't change course, they moved aside instinctively, confusion flashing across their faces.
It wasn't what he said or did—it was what he didn't do. He didn't hunch, didn't stammer apologies, didn't clutch his notebooks to his chest like shields. The script they all knew had suddenly changed, and nobody had given them the new pages.
Isaiah smiled. Objective one was already working.
The courtyard had the social hierarchy on full display. Various cliques clustered in their designated territories—the sports stars near the basketball courts, the academic elite by the library steps, the fashionable kids on the benches by the cherry trees.
And at the center, holding court like always, stood Katsuki Bakugo.
The explosive blond leaned against a wall, flanked by his two primary followers. One had unnaturally long fingers that could extend several feet. The other possessed oversized ears that could allegedly hear heartbeats. Both laughed at something Bakugo said, their sycophantic chuckles cutting off abruptly when they spotted Isaiah.
Bakugo followed their gaze. For a moment, something flashed across his sharp features—a flicker of confusion, perhaps even discomfort. The slime incident had left marks on him too, though different ones. Being saved by the Symbol of Peace should have been a triumph. Being saved because Quirkless Deku ran in first was a complication his ego couldn't process.
His crimson eyes narrowed, jaw clenching. Then, with deliberate contempt, he turned away, offering only a sharp "Tch" before continuing his conversation.
The message was clear: You are beneath my notice.
Isaiah changed course, walking directly toward Bakugo's circle.
The movement triggered an immediate response. Long Fingers and Elephant Ears stepped forward, blocking his path like obedient guard dogs.
"Well, well, look what the slime dragged in," Long Fingers sneered, extending one digit to poke at Isaiah's chest.
"Thought you learned your lesson, Deku," Elephant Ears added, his massive lobes twitching slightly. "Or did you forget how to be pathetic while you were in the hospital?"
The courtyard fell silent. This was familiar territory—the daily humiliation of Quirkless Deku. Everyone knew their roles. The bullies would mock, Deku would stammer, maybe cry, Bakugo would eventually join in with some explosions, and order would be maintained.
But Isaiah didn't flinch. He didn't step back. He simply stopped and looked at them.
Really looked at them.
His head tilted slightly, eyes scanning Long Fingers with the clinical detachment of someone examining an insect under glass. His gaze traveled from the boy's face down to his hands with their grotesquely elongated digits, then back up again.
The silence stretched for five uncomfortable seconds.
"You're trying to intimidate me... with fingers?" The question came out flat, genuinely confused. Isaiah's voice carried through the silent courtyard. "What's the play here? Are you going to pick my pocket from five feet away? Give me a really aggressive manicure? Your parents must be so proud."
Long Fingers recoiled as if slapped, his extended digit curling back reflexively.
Without waiting for a response, Isaiah shifted his attention to Elephant Ears. His eyes fixed on the boy's massive, flapping ears, and a small, humorless smile touched his lips.
"And you. Your Quirk is... enhanced hearing?" He paused, letting the question hang. "So you just get to hear everyone calling you a pathetic sycophant with better clarity. That's not a superpower. That's a curse."
Elephant Ears went pale, his massive lobes actually drooping.
Isaiah dismissed them both with a wave of his hand, his eyes now looking past them toward Bakugo's rigid back. His voice dropped lower, carrying a cold finality that silenced even the whispers.
"Honestly, I look at you two... and for the first time, I'm grateful I'm Quirkless. At least my mediocrity is by default. You were both born as walking punchlines."
The courtyard froze in collective shock. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.
Long Fingers looked at Elephant Ears, clearly expecting the other to take the lead in responding to this unprecedented situation. Elephant Ears looked at Bakugo's back, waiting for the explosion of rage that would put Deku back in his place.
The crowd's whispers began again, more urgent now.
"Did Deku just..."
"What happened to him?"
"Is he suicidal?"
Isaiah didn't even look at Bakugo. With the two cronies frozen in shock, he simply walked between them and continued toward the school entrance, his posture relaxed, almost bored.
Behind him, he heard a sharp inhale—Bakugo preparing to speak, to shout, to demand explanation or submission.
The school bell rang.
Isaiah reached the doors and pulled one open, pausing for just a moment. Without turning around, he spoke just loud enough for Bakugo to hear.
"See you in class, Kacchan."
As Isaiah slipped through the doors, he heard the first pop of explosions igniting behind him.
Two notifications pinged in his vision as the doors swung shut:
[Objective Complete: Establish a New Baseline]
[Objective Complete: Show Contempt for the System]