The air in the principal's office was tense.
Sam was sitting on a couch and Aizawa was sitting across from him.
All Might stood still—nervous about the tension.
Nezu was still sipping his tea as he sat as his desk.
Aizawa glared at Sam—clearly unhappy with him.
Sam didn't even give him attention.
He was focused on his new gun, which he was inspecting—in reality he was showing it off—solely to piss off Aizawa.
Tired of the silence, Sam decided to break it.
"Keep glaring Captain Hobo and your abused eyes will be drier than the Sahara."
He said—with a smug smile.
Aizawa felt like he was about to blow up in rage.
Every bone in his body was telling him to strangle Sam.
All Might was barely keeping himself together—trying not to laugh at Sam's brutal roast.
"You think this is a game? You could have killed Midoriya!"
He yelled as he slammed his fist on the coffee table in front of him.
Sam just scoffed.
"He wasn't in danger. I know more about poisons and tranquilizers than you. I know the right amount of tranquilizer to make a perfectly non-lethal tranq bullet."
"You think you're smarter than me? You're still just a kid."
"Yeah right. My childhood was taken from me a long time ago. And I'm 18, almost 19 you Japanese Jesus wannabe."
"Ha!"
Everyone's attention turned to All Might who was holding his mouth while sweating heavily.
He coughed into his hand to try and hide the fact that he totally laughed.
That didn't work as Aizawa was glaring at All Might now.
"All Might…"
He growled.
"See? Even Captain Jamerica gets it."
Aizawa once again slams the table.
"Do you take anything seriously?!?"
Nezu was just watching this and smiling—occasionally sipping his tea.
Sam saw this and was getting annoyed.
"Let's get this over with. Why'd you call me. Are you gonna try and take this from me?"
He asked—directing his attention to Nezu.
Nezu chuckled.
"Now, now, there is no need for the hostilities you two."
Aizawa shot up out of his seat.
"No need?!? Nezu! He brought an illegal gun onto campus and nearly killed Midoriya!"
"Shut the hell up! I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't certain! And besides, it's not an illegal Glock, since it lacks the traditional firearm mechanisms. It's been denigrated to the rank of a paintball gun."
"Paintball gun? Can paintball guns pierce skin and put someone in a coma?"
"No. But if you tried to take it to court, they'd see it like a paintball gun, since if active ammo was loaded into it, it wouldn't work."
"That's bullshit. What about the tranquilizers? Those are obviously illegal."
"Ahem."
Aizawa and Sam turned to Nezu who cleared his throat.
Seeing he had their attention, he smiled.
"You are correct, Aizawa-san… yet he knew that he wouldn't be prosecuted for using this weaponry."
Aizawa's eyes widened.
Nezu sipped his tea again.
Sam nodded.
"I had a feeling you'd try and confiscate it if you searched my box, so I made sure to send the box to an associate and carried the tranquilizers by hand. I guess I didn't need to. But I had to be careful, considering how you and the rat went through my shit."
He said the last part with obvious contempt.
Aizawa gritted his teeth.
"I understand you don't trust us… but that gun is illegal. You can't break the law."
Sam rolled his eyes once again.
"I think I can. Right Nezu?"
Aizawa looked confused as he turned to Nezu to see Nezu still had his smile.
"Yes. It was quite ingenious to call Lieutenant Simmons and order your materials from him. Also, sending the box to Mirko in order to avoid your tranquilizers being immediately confiscated before you put that gun together."
Sam smirked.
"And now that the gun is complete and you have seen it work, are you gonna take it away?"
Nezu shook his head.
"Don't worry. I've seen all I need to. I'll trust you to take care with it."
Sam nodded.
"Wait! What are you doing?!? You're just going to allow it?!?"
Aizawa exclaimed.
Sam was really getting annoyed.
"Calm down, Aizawa."
Nezu tried to placate him.
"No! You're allowing a child to hold onto such a dangerous weapon?!? He could kill someone!"
Sam had enough.
SLAM!
CRACK!
Everyone flinched as they heard something impact the coffee table with great force, along with the sound of wood cracking.
They looked at Sam and saw him with his fist on the table, and a large crack on it.
But Sam's face was what shocked them the most.
There was no rage. Only absolute calmness in his eyes.
Just seeing that made them all shiver—even Nezu.
All Might was scared the most, because he had seen that look before. That eerie calm that screamed danger.
'All For One…'
All Might could see Sam's face and the face of All For One—before he smashed it to pieces—looked identical. It was the face of a predator.
"Listen, Aizawa. I'm going to just say this once more. I'm not a kid. I've seen more shit than you could have ever seen in your miserable life. You've seen the picture already, but I didn't always have white hair. I had to suffer weeks of suffering due to being bitten by one of the most venomous snakes in the world, a Gaboon viper, all the while trying not to succumb to death."
Aizawa's eyes widened in terror at that.
So did All Might, who looked like he was about to throw up.
Even Nezu was shocked. He heard that he was bitten by a snake from recovery girl, but a Gaboon? He was stunned he was able to survive.
Sam didn't let them respond.
"I endured all of that suffering. All so I could return to Japan. My home. The home I was taken from. And now, thanks in part to you, the people I ran from are coming back for me. So forgive me, if I want to be ready for them! You've seen Ra already, so you have an idea what we are dealing with!"
Sam just let those words sink in for a moment.
"I don't give a shit about your laws. I swear to you, in the real world, the only law that truly matters is survival of the fittest. With the biggest Lion retired, the other terrors of the jungle will start hunting again. But you already knew that."
Sam stood up and holstered his gun.
Everyone else just looked at Sam in horror.
Except for Nezu, who just had a face of contemplation.
"I'm keeping this and I don't care what you say. I'll use it to get your stupid hero license and when the Pale Hand comes, I'll do what I must."
Without even hearing a response, he walked out of the room—leaving the rest of them lost in thought.
Aizawa looked down in shame.
He was out of line. He had been treating Sam like a kid. Mainly because he cared about him like a student. But he wasn't an ordinary student. He was a trained killer who was forced to grow up quickly.
He rubbed his temples—feeling the headache from his chaotic thoughts.
All Might was also feeling awful. Mainly because he felt like he failed Sam. He wanted to be the Symbol of Peace, but just like Sam said, the Lion has retired, and the other beasts will soon start to hunt.
"Alright. I won't hear any more objections on this matter Aizawa. Now that the Pale Hand is here in Japan, we need to start being flexible. Because our enemies won't be hesitating. Especially such ruthless monsters like the Pale Hand."
Nezu said without his trademark smile—instead a serious scowl and sharp eyes.
Aizawa could only nod in agreement.
"Good. Go get ready. The license exam is coming up! I'm counting on you to get them prepared."
Nezu said—his smile now back to normal.
"Understood."
Aizawa bowed, before taking his leave.
All Might sighed.
He plopped down on the couch that Sam was sitting on.
"That… was stressful."
He said as he rested his head against the back cushion.
Nezu chuckled.
"Trust me. It is only the beginning All Might."
He turned his chair around to look through the big window behind him.
'There is a war coming. Pale Hand will play a role. I refuse to let them take Samuel Suzuki. This I vow.'
He thought—making a vow that he would die before breaking.
———
It was the morning of the provisional exams.
Sam was sitting on the bus, alone.
This was because the air around Sam was that of someone who was incredibly annoyed.
'This is just great. I have to be stuck in a room with a bunch of snot-nosed little brats.'
Sam wasn't excited like his peers were.
Some of them were practically bouncing in excitement.
Both he and his classmates were carrying their costumes in their briefcases. Sam's briefcase was also accompanied by another briefcase with his weaponry.
Sam narrowed his eyes as he saw the bus come to a stop outside a giant arena.
'I guess this is it.'
"Alright everyone, get ready."
Aizawa announced as the bus came to a stop.
Soon, everyone got up and left the bus. Sam was the last to exit.
Aizawa gave him a glare and Sam returned it—unfazed.
"I'm so nervous! What if I can't pass?!?"
Mineta is already freaking out seeing all the other students taking this exam.
"Don't think 'can't.' Think 'can.' You guys trained for this since the first semester. Now it's time to apply all you've learned."
Aizawa's words seemed to have raised the confidence of the class.
They were obviously nervous, but they had the determination to do their best.
"If you all get your licenses, you will then become Semi-pro's."
Sam had to refrain from rolling his eyes. He couldn't stomach hearing this, considering he wiped the floor with him on their first meeting.
"Alright! Everyone! Let's go!!!!"
Kirishima suddenly spoke up—trying to hype everyone up with a "plus ultra."
"Plus!!!"
"ULTRAAAAAAA!!!"
Before anyone could complete the chant, someone obnoxiously finished it for them.
They all turned and saw students from Shiketsu. The one in the front of them was the one to interrupt the plus ultra chant.
"Inasa, you shouldn't just barge in like that."
One of his classmates scolded.
Inasa, realizing his error, slammed his face into the ground.
BAM!
With a dramatic bow, he vehemently apologized.
"IM SO SORRY!"
Sam stared at him in shock.
'Does he have an iron forehead quirk or something?'
Sam then noticed Aizawa staring at him with shock too.
Not the shock from his actions, but from who he was.
'So he knows the brat?'
"Inasa Yoarashi."
Aizawa said.
Inasa smiled at the class.
"I LOVE U.A. AND WANTED TO SAY 'PLUS ULTRA' ONCE IN MY LIFE!"
He loudly proclaimed.
Sam noticed something.
"Hey, Aizawa, how do you know this kid?"
Sam asked—leading to everyone turning to him.
Aizawa stared at Sam for a moment before sighing.
"He was the one who got the best scores of those admitted to U.A. through recommendations. But for some reason, he turned down his acceptance."
This surprised everyone—even Sam.
U.A. was the cream of the crop. The boy even admitted to loving U.A. But he chose not to go even when he was accepted.
'Odd kid. Though he might have been wise to the fact the faculty at U.A. are lying pieces of shit.'
Sam thought to himself—reasoning as to why he didn't go to U.A.
"Wow! I didn't know there was someone with abilities above Todoroki's."
"Eraser!"
Someone called out to Aizawa—causing him to flinch in annoyance.
The voice was a female. One who was very outgoing.
A hero wearing a sleeveless turtleneck and a bandana appeared.
"Ms. Joke…"
Aizawa said with clear annoyance.
"Hey! Marry me!"
"No."
She flirted with him but he immediately shot her down.
"Come now sensei. It's about time you settled down. I'm sure there is room for her in that sleeping bag."
Sam decided to be an asshole and mess with Aizawa.
The students heard that, and immediately held their hands to their mouths to try and not burst out in laughter.
Aizawa activated his quirk and stared at Sam—clearly displeased.
"Suzuki…"
"Bwahaha! I like this guy!"
Ms. Joke patted Sam on the shoulder.
He just nodded.
After calming down, Izuku decided to return to his fanboy-mode.
"Ms. Joke. Her quirk is called Outburst! With it she can make anyone laugh uncontrollably!"
Sam turned to Izuku in surprise.
"Goddamn. That's a dangerous ability."
Sam looked at the hero with a different look. He thought she was just as her name implied, a joke, but it seemed he was misjudging her.
The students, Aizawa and Ms. Joke herself were confused by Sam's critique of her ability.
"What do you mean, Sam?"
Izuku asked—his notebook already out to record his words.
He rolled his eyes seeing everyone pleading with their eyes for an explanation.
"It may seem like a silly ability, but she can fuck with someone's emotions. In battle, that could be dangerous. Emotional control is vital for soldiers. Anyone panics, they act rashly. Anyone gets too excited, they get reckless. But she can make anyone break out in laughter. That could change the trajectory of a fight real quickly."
Sam revealed with his combat knowledge.
The students understood now what he meant. She can change the emotional state of someone and make them vulnerable to attacks. Now that they thought of it, it was quite scary.
"Whoah! You nailed it! I'd expect nothing less from the one and only Samuel Suzuki!"
She said with a big smile.
He pinched the bridge of his nose—already aware that these heroes likely knew who he was.
After all, he shoved a smoke grenade into All Mights mouth, nearly suffocating him to death.
"Anyways, let me introduce my class! Class 2 from Ketsubutsu!"
Two students stood out. Both of which were very excited to see U.A. students.
"It's so cool to meet you U.A. guys!"
A blonde from Ketsubutsu excitedly exclaimed.
"It's nice to meet you! I'm Yo Shindo!"
The one with black hair introduced himself first.
He walked up to Bakugo first for a handshake.
Sam scoffed at the kid, seeing through him immediately.
Katsuki glared at him and refused to shake his hand.
"Maybe when you wipe that fake smile off your face."
He said before turning away.
Sam smiled.
'Well done, Chihuahua.'
He was proud of the kid for seeing through the boy, Yo Shido's, facade.
Shindo then walks over to Todoroki.
"Can I get your autograph? I've seen you perform at the sports festival! You're amazing!"
Todoroki—awkwardly—obliged.
"Alright, get ready for the exam."
Aizawa interrupted—instructing his students to go get changed in their gear.
The students obliged—all except Sam.
After seeing them leave, he turned to him and Ms. Joke.
"You left it out on purpose, didn't you?"
Sam said with narrowed eyes—seeing through Aizawa's intent.
Aizawa only nodded.
Sam nodded back—heading to the changing rooms.
"I was just about to say the same thing. You left something out."
Ms. Joke said to Aizawa.
Aizawa ignored it and saw Sam leave.
'This should be interesting.'
Aizawa thought to himself—ready to see what Sam will do.