Chapter Seven
Suspect
Beep beep beep-click!
The Avatar switched of his alarm as he rose from his bed. Stretching, he opened the window wide just before sunrise, just as the sun started to peak from under the horizon. The sun's rays filled Midoriya's room as he went through his various katas, specifically his firebending forms. If he was going to better control his fire, this needed to become routine for the young bender. He felt the sunshine soak into his body, filling his lungs with power without expelling any flame. To simply breathe in the warm energy was a relaxing way to start the day.
With his exercise complete, he let the power fade as he went through the rest of his morning routine. Inko had insisted on him creating a routine to keep his busy mind focused and thank the spirits she did. After breakfast, he hopped onto the subway and made his way to UA.
It had only been a few days since their eventful first day of class. Every day since then has had the usual schoolwork, such as math, English, social studies, and the like. Several different Pro Heroes taught these subjects, such as Present Mic and Ectoplasm. Heroics were most often taught by Aizawa-Sensei or a different pro when he was busy. Midoriya, like everyone else, knew that the legendary Number One Hero worked here at UA now. And rumor has it that the strongest man was teaching Practical Heroics class. Which was their afternoon class today!
The Avatar nearly started skipping as he came through the UA security gate. As he made his way past the stone statues of past heroes, he couldn't help but gleam in excitement. The fact that he was becoming a hero? At UA no less? A dream come true, even now!
He was climbing the stone steps of campus when a small blur shot past the corner of his eye. Whatever it was, it moved too fast to be seen.
'Must've been some quirk' he wondered to himself. He forgot about it and kept moving. Unbeknownst to him, a certain successor was panting as she hid behind a statue, out of sight.
"Whew, almost saw me!" Uraraka poked her head out from behind cover, watching as Midoriya stepped inside. In her hands was a small notebook, with hastily scribbled notes dotting the pages. She flipped through her notebook as she climbed back up.
"Takes train straight from home to school on Thursdays, rather than running in the early morning like on Mondays and Wednesdays. Is at school for the entirety of school hours before disappearing in Musutafu Forest. Training? Secret meetings? Unclear."
Pocketing her notes, she started to head in herself, not wanting to be late for Present Mic's English class again. That was an experience. A loud one. She was dusting herself off when…
"Ochaco, right?" someone croaked.
"WAAHHWAWAWAHUH?" Uraraka screamed, waving her arms in defense. A slightly hunched girl with green hair was looking blankly at the wielder of One-for-All, who had been very obviously hiding behind a stone statue before.
Asui put a finger to her chin in curiosity. "Are you stalking someone or something?"
"W-w-w-w-what?" Uraraka asked in shock. "No! Nonononono, I was just…ah…" she looked around for a story. "Checking out…this…statue! Yeah, the statue! Heh…" She leaned on the stone figure in mock casualness. Badly.
Asui blinked twice. Then took a look at the statue's inscription.
"'Nana Shimura. Hero name: Unknown. Died fighting an unknown villain and saved 306 lives in the Disaster of Chiba.'" She read, cocking her head at Uraraka. "She seems like a noble hero, huh."
Uraraka looked closer at the statue. Know that she thought about it, something seemed familiar about this hero. She was quite beautiful, almost regal. With a smile that seemed to say "everything's gonna be alright".
"Yeah," she agreed. "I suppose she was." She checked the date on the inscription. Waaay before All Might's time as a hero. "The kind of hero I want to be."
"Ribbit." Asui looked up at the clock above the entrance. "We should probably head in. English, right?"
"Oh! Right!" Ochaco shook herself off and walked in with the frog-like girl. "I'm Ochaco Uraraka by the way."
"Tsuyu Asui, but please call me Tsu" she replied, shaking her hand.
xXx
Pencils scratched as the DJ Hero continued his lecture, Uraraka trying her best to focus on the subject material. She wasn't "bad" at school, but wasn't really exceptional either in that department. It didn't help that her mind kept wandering to other things. Her studio apartment, her parents back home, boba, her mission, One for All…
The more Uraraka learned about Deku, per All Might's request, the more questions she ended up having. She, and the rest of class 1A, had finally learned what his quirk was. "Elemental", Midoriya had explained, was a form of telekinesis that only works on the four basic elements. Despite the underwhelming explanation, he had proved at the quirk assessment that his power was overpowered, if not a bit volatile at times.
What had Uraraka suspicious was simple. The explanation was weirdly convenient. The way Midoriya explained it, you might have thought it was rather tame. Maybe just moving pepples and spitting a bit of fire. But All Might told her once that sometimes the simplest quirks have the most potential in terms of sheer power. And even at the quirk assessment, it was clear Midoriya was holding back some of that sheer force. And Ochaco would know a thing or two about holding back.
Also, for a supposed agent of villainy, Midoriya sure was…nice. Really nice. As far as she could tell, he never got angry, never shouted, and never once was rude to anybody. The only person he never really greeted was Bakugo, but it was pretty clear why. They boy was explosively arrogant.
But not Midoriya. Far from it. Ochaco honestly couldn't decide if that was a red flag, or if Deku really was just a nice guy trying to be a hero.
Thwack!
"Eeep!" Her musings were cut short as Present Mic smirked down at her, with a ruler snapped on her desk. "Hey Listener!" he projected in English. "Mind telling me what that says? On the whiteboard?"
Beads of sweat dropped as she squinted up. In bold letters, it read "The cow leapt over the chicken coup."
"Uhh…Niwatori wa ushi no kūdetā o tobikoeta?" she answered back nervously. Present Mic shook his head.
"Not quite," he replied in Japanese, smiling kindly. "but good try! Anyone else?"
She smacked her cheeks a couple times as Yaoyorozu answered correctly from the back. 'Gotta stay focused here!' she thought. Her eyes turned to Deku, who was scribbling down detailed English notes as usual, muttering all the while.
'Nonono…focus on English!' she internally chided. 'Mission later, English now!'
xXx
A few hours later…
"One order of tempura and miso soup comin' up!" Pro Hero Lunch Rush yelled as the cafeteria bustled with activity. Midoriya sat comfortably with Iida and Uraraka after fanboying about the Cooking Hero, chowing down kutsudon as Iida talked about their latest lesson with Ectoplasm. Uraraka was trying a different approach now as she listened with Deku. Sneakiness is not her style, so just quietly observing seemed like the best option.
If only they were talking about anything other than math.
"Trigonometry is pretty far off though Iida…" Midoriya said nervously.
"Nonsense!" Iida embellished. "Just because the subject isn't being taught yet, it doesn't mean we can't get ahead! Don't you agree, Uraraka-san?"
"Huh?" Uraraka looked up from her sandwich. "Sorry, what was that? I spaced out for a second…" she admitted sheepishly.
"I was saying that we should learn Trigonometry early to get ahead of the curve!" he explained again. "What do you think?"
"Huh?" Uraraka paled at the thought. "I-I dunno, Iida…I'd rather master what I have on my…my plate, you know?" An idea popped into her head as Iida adjusted his glasses.
"I see, very humble of you Uraraka-san. It is good to recognize your own limits sometimes. Do you need help studying by chance? Midoriya and I could give you a hand!"
"Hey, y-yeah!" Midoriya stammered for a second. "That sounds fun!"
"Well…" Uraraka was torn. Studying with Midoriya would be the best of both worlds, for both studying and "observing". But now that she was thinking about it…
"I'd love to, but I got a pretty tight schedule anyways. Sorry guys…" she scratched her head in mock embarrassment. Iida thought nothing of it.
"That's alright, let us know if you change your mind. Midoriya, how about you?" Iida asked.
"Um…yeah sure! We could study at my place!" Midoriya froze the moment he spoke. 'Why did I say that?' he internally screamed.
"Wonderful!" Iida did not notice the sudden change. "I will see if anyone else wishes to join us after lunch!" He stood suddenly, making both students jump. "I will see you both at Practical Heroics!" he took his tray as he marched away.' Uraraka was lost in thought while Midoriya was still frozen in his seat.
'Hold on! Mom doesn't know yet! Will she even say yes? Who else is coming! AHHHH!' he panicked silently.
"Hey Deku?"
"Huh?" He replied in slight panic. But it was just Uraraka. He relaxed, still getting used to someone else calling him that name. "What's up, Uraraka?"
"I was just wondering…" she twiddled her thumbs as she spoke. "What do you think of…All Might?"
"I THINK HE'S THE GREATEST!" Midoriya all but shouted, making the girl jump a bit. "Sorry! Sorry! I just…I'm a big fan! He's the best hero out there, you know?"
"Yeah! I mean, I wasn't really following him until a while ago, but he's the Number One for a reason after all" she agreed. "I also really like Thirteen, that rescue hero?"
"Oh, Thirteen is so cool! The way they use their Black Hole to rescue, despite how dangerous it is, is incredible!" he rambled. They went on more about heroes as they eventually made their way back to class. Midoriya was afraid a few times that he talked too much, possibly annoying his new friend. But this wasn't Middle School. Uraraka listened and even shared some things that even hedidn't know about! Who would've thought that All Might was amazing at Checkers! How did she know that? Was it true? He'd have to factcheck later.
As for Uraraka, she was less and less convinced that Midoriya had anything to do with All-for-One. He practically adored heroes, with All Might as his favorite. Doesn't really scream villainy.
Turned out between the two of them, only one of them was actually acting underhanded.
And it wasn't Midoriya, she began to realize. She felt a prick of shame as they took their seats in their next class. 'All Might, I'm sorry' she thought. 'but you were wrong about him. He's trying to be a hero just like me. Just like the rest of us. I don't need to spy on him' she decided.
After all, a guy like that? He has nothing to hide.
xXx
A couple of days ago…in India…
"A-A-All Might?" The security guard stammered. "But…how…it's an honor, sir!"
"HA HA HA! THE HONOR IS ALL MINE, MR…STEVE, IS IT?"
"Yes sir!" the guard replied, delighted that the most famous hero in Japan knew his name. Sure he had a nametag, but that was beside the point.
With Tsukauchi's help, he had gotten permission to enter the "Inner Palace" of the Shoe Ruins in India. He also talked to his fellow Pro Hero, Death Arms, who was on vacation here at the time. Talk about dumb luck. By Death Arms' memory, the kid was just excited to see a hero when he pulled him from the rubble of the entryway. This wasn't that unusual, but All Might took note of it anyway.
The inside of the Palace was just like how the photos showed, with the green and yellow aesthetic and oil lamps. Though this section was breached many years ago, researchers were still discovering new things about the area. Ancient artifacts, texts, and pottery alike. They even found the real name of the old city and updated accordingly. "Omashu", as it was called thousands of years ago, was nothing less than a curiosity still, and was being unraveled at a snail's pace. But progress was progress.
Researchers grew more and more distracted as the Number One Hero explored the inside of the Palace. Fluorescent lights littered the area to better illuminate the artwork on the walls. All Might took a moment to gaze at one in particular, a man covers from head to toe with arrow tattoos. With pearly white, pupalless eyes. But what caught Toshinori's attention were the depictions of wind, fire, water, and earth surrounding the figure. Quite the coincidence.
"All Might, sir?" Toshinori perked up at the address, looking down on a balding Indian man. "The name's Mr. Gushi. I'm the head of anthropology here at Omashu Ruins."
"AH, HELLO! SORRY TO INTRUDE HERE, I WAS JUST HERE TO,"
"No need to explain, All Might" Gushi replied, waving the excuse away. "We're happy to have you! In fact, would you come with me for a moment? There's something we were hoping you could help us with."
"OF COURSE!" Toshinori agreed. "HOW CAN I HELP?"he asked as they walked closer to the center of the site.
"Well, you see," he began "when we discovered this place, there was only one part of the entire excavation we could never access." They passed through wall after wall, door after door as the anthropologist elaborated. "Nothing can scan it and nothing we've ever tried has ever breached this part of the Ruin. But you're the strongest man in the world, yes?"
"I DON'T CARE FOR BOASTING, DOCTOR. BUT THERE ARE FEW WHO CAN MATCH ME IN TERMS OF STRENGTH, SO I'D BE HAPPY TO HELP!" Toshinori noticed that they were traveling through not doors, but smashed and broken walls. "IF I MAY, HOW DID THESE WALLS GET DESTROYED?"
"Hmph!" The doctor seemed a bit miffed. "The day the Inner Palace was breached, we believe the young boy who was trapped used his quirk to try and break free. But he couldn't tell where he was going, so he smashed everything in his path." 'Young Midoriya.' Toshinori thought.
The doctor continued. "We have attempted to reconstruct the damage with limited success. Fortunately, he somehow carved a path right to the sealed room. This way please…"
They finally approached the center, approaching a sold metal door. Toshinori remembered this from Tsukauchi's report. "We've identified the metal as platinum, but it's super-charged with some kind of energy source. We're out of ideas, All Might." He gestured to the impenetrable door.
"Can you open it?" he asked. The researchers around the area were practically buzzing with excitement, with both All Might's presence and the idea of finding out what's inside. All Might tapped his chin in thought.
"…WELL, THERE'S HARM IN TRYING, RIGHT?" Gushi grinned with enthusiasm as the hero walked towards the door. He felt around for a handhold, but the only indication it was even a door was the thin line on the side. He pressed his fingers in the crevice and pushed.
To no avail. He furrowed his brow, adding more power into grabbing hold of the crack. But he simply lacked the leverage. He backed up, cracking his knuckles. "MR. GUSHI, WILL IT BE ALRIGHT IF I DAMAGE THE DOOR AT ALL?"
The researcher pursed his lips but sighed. "Like I said, we're out of ideas. Do what you must."
"VERY WELL!" All Might cracked his neck in preparation. "STAND BACK, PLEASE." Gushi backed up, telling his associates to do the same. Once they were at a safe distance, All Might faced the door again. Charging his fist with power, he punched the door.
BANG!
The metal thrummed with vibrations but didn't budge. All Might stared at the platinum, which didn't even have a dent. 'I just hit that with 50%!'. He jumped on his toes, readying another strike. 'This time, well go about 75%!' He struck again!
BAAAANNNGGGGGGGG! More vibrations, along with a faint purple glow came from the surface of the door. But not a single dent.
"GUSHI, TELL THEM TO BACK UP MORE." All Might stretched out his shoulder as the researchers backed up even more. Time for 100%.
"DETROOOOIIIIT…SMAAAAAAASH!"
His fist collided with the door, caused a great tremble throughout the entire ruin. But alas, the door not only withstood the assault, but absorbed enough of the strike the nothing else really felt it. But before All Might could even react…
ZAAAAAAAAAAP
A course of purple lightning struck the hero from the door's surface! All Might went flying as the power of his previous strikes pummeled his form, almost causing him to deflate. But he held on desperately, maintaining his buffed-up appearance. He crashed through about seven walls before the onslaught ceased, returning the door to it's normal appearance.
"ALL MIGHT!" Gushi shouted, rush back towards the hero. He and the other were blown back by the impact, but otherwise ok. After a moment, All Might sat up, dusting the rubble off his shoulders.
"THAT…HAH…IS SOME DOOR, DOC!" he grunted, letting a scientist help himself up. "SORRY ABOUT THE WALLS…"
"Never mind the walls, All Might! They're ruined anyway!" Gushi exclaimed. "What just occurred tells me more about the nature of this room than those walls ever would!"
True to his word, it was a matter of minutes when the research team had produced energy readers to try and identify the strange energy outburst. "Thank you for doing this, All Might sir!"
"HA HA! NOT A PROBLEM! I GUESS…"
xXx
Present day…
"Curious indeed…" All Might muttered, gearing up for his first class of the day. He was excited, of course, to be teaching not only his successor, but all twenty, er, nineteen young heroes-in-training. But he still had a lot on his mind. His investigation in India created more questions than answers, but in the end, there didn't seem to be any connection between Omashu and All-for-One. However, something happened that day. Whatever happened to Midoriya, as the boy's teacher, it's his responsibility to keep him safe. For now though, it would be best to keep an eye on him, just in case. He wondered what Uraraka had found out so far as he grew into his hero suit, filling it out with his bulging muscles. In a flash, he ran to 1A's classroom, stopping at the door.
"Here we go, Toshi" he muttered. "time to inspire the next generation!" He swung the door open…
"I…AM…HERE!" He hung from the doorframe as he dramatically entered. "COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A HERO!"
"Holy crap! It's All Might!" Midoriya yelled with excitement. He wasn't alone there.
"No way! He's really teaching here?!"
"Is that his Silver Age costume?"
"We're being taught by the Number One Hero? Awesome!"
All Might soaked it in as he marched in, taking his place at the teacher's podium.
"HA HA HA! THAT'S RIGHT! I, ALL MIGHT, AM YOUR NEWEST TEACHER FOR PRACTICAL HEROICS!" He took a decent look at his students. He had each of their utmost attention, which was half the battle really! Excellent!
"NOW! LET'S GET RIGHT DOWN TO BUSINESS! THIS CLASS WILL BE ABOUT PRACTICAL HEROICS AND COMBAT. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND STRATEGY ARE THE NAMES OF THE GAME HERE! AND THE BEST WAY TO LEARN ALL OF THOSE THINGS IS…EXPERIENCE!" He held out a bright card that read BATTLE. "TODAY, WE WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN TEAM BATTLES IN AN INDOOR ENVIRONMENT! MEET ME IN GROUND BETA! OH! I ALMOST FORGOT!" He pulled out a small remote, clicking it to reveal 19 metal briefcases from the side wall. "A PART OF BEING A SUCCESSFUL HERO IIIIISSS, LOOKING GOOD! SUIT UP EVERYONE! AND MEET ME AT GROUND BETA!"
"YES SENSEI!"
xXx
Midoriya was on cloud nine.
Not only did the support designers go above and beyond with his new suit, but he felt more like a hero every minute he wore it. All Might was right, the clothes really do make the Pros!
The base of his suit was simple, handmade by his mother based on his childhood drawings of his hero costume, with some minor adjustments such as fireproofing. The pale green tone matched his hair and bore black trimming, lining his body and creating the Earth Kingdom seal on his chest: a black circle with a square cut out of the middle. His boots, resembling his everyday red shoes, were durable and were made with flexible clay webbing in the soles. This gave him limited use of his seismic sense that could be improved on but will do for the time being. The red design was a good touch too, representing his power over fire. His hands and forearms covered in deep blue, fingerless gloves to symbolize water. Functionally, this allowed him to better use ice around his fists. On his waist, he had multiple pouches filled to the brim with water to use at a moment's notice. Lastly, a long, yellow, flowing cape adorned his back, functioning not only as a cloak, by as a means of gliding in the air with its hidden structure within. Though it was hard to see, the symbols of the four nations lined the edges and seams of his suit in small black designs, adding a degree of meaning to the overall design. The entirety of the suit was fire resistant to allow for safe usage of his firebending and general protection against the elements. Though the fabric was thick for protection, it was also quite breathable and could be cooled down with airbending when needed. Around his neck was a bulky respirator, which could be used to let him breath in thick smoke and even underwater for a short period. Other than that, nothing else covered his head, as he wanted to be recognizable by the people he was saving.
He stepped out into the sunlight just behind the rest of his class, getting a good look at his classmates. The rest of the costumes he saw were just as amazing too! They varied from armor to leather to holycrapthatsrevealing!
"Hey, Deku! Love the suit!" Uraraka greeted. Her suit consisted of a black body suit with pink outlines (think color inversion of her OG suit) with round attachments around her pressure points to reduce nausea. She also had a black and pink helmet with a pink visor covering her face. Her knee-high boots were a cool touch too, with spring-loaded heels to soften potential falls from Zero Gravity. Midoriya blushed as he greeted her back, as the body suit was very, very…tight. He looked away as he hid his own body in his cloak.
"H-h-hello Uraraka! Your suit is…nice! It's nice!"
"Haha, yeah, I didn't expect it to be so tight though. But I can still move well enough! Those colors are something else though" she noted. Midoriya nodded, airbending his cloak out of the way. "Yeah, I hope it's not an eyesore or anything…"
"No, it's great! It's unique!"
"I couldn't agree more, mademoiselle!" One shiny French guy added. His own suit was a sparkling suit of armor with glass attachments on his knees, elbows, and navel. "And your cape is nice enough, though nothing compared to my own!" he bragged, showing off his sparkling purple cape. Midoriya seemed at a loss for words as Aoyoma strutted off.
"That was…weird." Uraraka sweat dropped. The Avatar couldn't agree more.
"LOOKING GOOD, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" All Might called. "OVER HERE PLEASE! WE'LL BE BEGINNING OUR PRACTICAL TRAINING SOON."
Once everyone was gathered in front of a tall high-rise building, All Might produced a small notebook. "LISTEN UP!" he yelled clearly. "HERE IS THE SCENARIO, A TEAM OF THREE VILLAINS HAVE OBTAINED A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND ARE GUARDING IT WITHIN THIS BUILDING. IN RESPONSE, A TEAM OF THREE HEROES HAVE 15 MINUTES TO EITHER DEFEAT THE VILLAINS OR RECOVER THE WEAPON BEFORE TIME RUNS OUT. THE HEROES WIN IF THEY EITHER CAPTURE THE VILLAINS, USING CAPTURE TAPE, OR TOUCH THE MOCK WEAPON. THE VILLAINS WIN IF THEY CAPTURE THE HEROES BY THE SAME METHOD OR DEFEND THE WEAPON UNTIL TIME IS UP. ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR?"
About 5 or 6 different voices started at once, with various questions about points, how hard they could hit the other team, who would be the villains, etc. "WAIT! ONE AT A TIME NOW!" he called, quieting them down. He pointed at Asui, who had her hand raised. "YES MISS…"
"Asui, sir. In this scenario, aren't the villains at a huge advantage with the time limit in place?"
"YOU ARE CORRECT, YOUNG ASUI! HOWEVER, THAT IS SIMPLY HOW IT IS IN REAL LIFE. HEROES ARE ALMOST NEVER THE INSTIGATORS AND THEREFORE MUST RESPOND TO WHATEVER VILLAINS HAVE PLANNED. VILLAINS HAVE TIME ON THEIR SIDE, AND USE IT TO THEIR ADVANTAGE. AS HEROES, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO QUICKLY RESPOND TO ANY SCENARIO WITH LITTLE PLANNING. THANK YOU, MISS! ANYONE ELSE?"
"I have a question, Sensei!" Iida called as he raised a hand from his white armor. "There are currently 19 of us! How will we divide in teams of three?"
"GOOD CATCH, YOUNG IIDA! DUE TO YOUR UNEVEN NUMBER, TEAMING EVERYONE FAIRLY WAS A CHALLENGE. THAT'S WHY THERE WILL BE ONE TEAM OF 4 VS A TEAM OF 3!"
This caused a flurry of mutters which quickly died down. "IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS, UNTIL SOMEONE FILLS THE 20TH SPOT, WE HAVE PRESELECTED THE 4 WHO WILL TAKE THE ADVANTAGE OF NUMBERS." He flipped through his notes, finding Aizawa's list. "WILL SERO, KAMINARI, JIROU, AND HAGAKURE STEP UP PLEASE?"
The group shuffled until the mentioned four were up ahead. "UNFORTUNATELY, MR AIZAWA FOUND THAT YOU FOUR, DUE TO THE QUIRK ASSESSMENT TEST, HAVE THE MOST TO WORK ON IN THIS CLASS." Kaminari and Sero looked a bit embarrassed while Jirou looked frustrated. No one could tell about Hagakure. "HOWEVER, TO ME IT JUST MEANS YOU HAVE MORE ROOM TO GROW! BESIDES, ONE'S FULL POTENTIAL CAN REST IN A NUMBER OF TRAITS OTHER THAN 8 PHYSICAL TESTS! YOUNG KAMINARI!" The boy jerked out of his thoughts. "YOUR QUIRK PROVED TO BE QUITE POWERFUL IN THE ENTRANCE EXAM, BUT IT DIDN'T PROVE THAT USEFUL IN THE ASSESSMENT, RIGHT?"
"Yeah!" Denki agreed. "I was freaking out a lot!"
"EXACTLY! THOUGH YOU FOUR WERE IN THE BOTTOM FIVE IN THAT TEST, I'M CERTAIN THAT AS A TEAM, YOU WILL EXCEL! SHOW US YOUR STRENGTHS! PLUS ULTRA!"
The group felt a little better about that as they took their places in the class. All Might then showed them a small box. "NOW THEN, FOR THE REST OF YOU, YOUR TEAMS WILL BE DECIDED THROUGH LOTS! GOOD LUCK!"
The lots were drawn as follows:
Team A: Uraraka, Midoriya, and Kota.
Team B: Shoji, Todoroki, and Sato
Team C: Bakugo, Iida, and Kirishima
Team D: Asui, Tokoyami, and Ojiro
Team E: Mina, Aoyoma, and Yaoyorozu
Team F: Sero, Kaminari, Jirou, and Hagakure
"Yeah! Let's do our best guys!" Uraraka cheered. Midoriya couldn't believe the odds! (Neither could Uraraka) "R-r-right! Let's do our best, right Kota?" The rock headed boy was famously shy and hadn't spoken a word to anyone since the year started. But he gave a shy thumbs up.
"Sato and Shoji?" A dual haired boy said emotionlessly, finding his teammates. Both were big, imposing individuals, and definitely were geared for close combat. "Fine. Just stick with me" he said coldly. Sato seemed a bit put off but didn't say anything. Shoji merely nodded.
"Bakugo right?" A red-haired boy said. "Let's win this, ok?" Bakugo seemed offended at the alternative. "Of course we'll win, Shitty Hair" he said gruffly. Iida started reprimanding the blond while Bakugo shouted back. Kirishima looked at Bakugo's hair then felt his own. "Not that different, though?" he seemed to ask.
A raven-headed boy in a dark cloak found his two teammates. "Hello, I am Tokoyami. I look forward to fighting alongside the both of you." Ojiou scratched his temple at the stoic greeting. "Yeah, sure thing! I guess…" Asui took in the boy's unique appearance. "Ribbit."
Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu tried desperately to gain the attention of her two teammates. "Mina, right? Aoyoma? We're gonna need a plan as soon as we can…" Aoyoma was busy admiring his armor, but at least Mina responded. "Don't worry, girl! We so got this!" she grinned, giving a thumbs up.
Sero turned to his team with a half-grin. "So…I guess we're the underdogs, huh?" Jirou hmphed with annoyance. "So dumb, but I guess there's no way around it" she admitted. A pair of gloves waved next to her. "Oooh! Are we like the Breakfast Club? I love that movie!"
"No way!" Kaminari exclaimed, though not really sure where to look. "That is a good movie! Have you seen Footloose too?" Jirou pinch the bridge of her nose as the two compared old flics. "We're doomed, huh?"
"RIGHT! NOW THAT THE TEAMS ARE DECIDED, WE WILL NOW DRAW FOR OUR FIRST BATTLE!" He pulled two balls out of a box, showing an "A" ball and a "C" ball.
"TEAM A WILL BE THE HEROES! AND TEAM C WILL BE THE VILLAINS!"
Midoriya froze in place. 'Team C? But that's…' He stiffly turned to his right. Katsuki was glaring right at him, ignoring his two teammates entirely. Midoriya turned away, steadying his breath. 'Relax. This isn't about him. It's about becoming a hero. I don't need to…' Against his better judgement, he eyed Bakugo again. Bakugo was glaring harder, gritting his teeth. 'No' Midoriya thought. 'He wants a fair fight. He wants to beat me for real.' He returned the stare, remembering their battle that day, by the river. 'Fine. But I won't be beaten…Kachaan.'
xXx
The rest of the class were below in the observation room, with the two teams and All Might above by the battle center. "Kirishima, Iida, Bakugo. Here are your earpieces and capture tape. And remember, to succeed here you must take the mindset of a villain. Play the part and seize victory!" All Might instructed. Bakugo gave one last look at Team A before following his teammates upstairs. All Might then gave the same items to Midoriya's team. "Now then, good luck you three! Remember to adapt and work as a team! See you on the other side!" With that, he dashed off to the observation room, leave the hero team behind.
"Well, that's that!" Uraraka leaned on one leg, looking the building up and down. "We have about 5 minutes to plan right? What do you think De…ku? Are you ok?"
Midoriya was not ok. He was sweating and shaking while as he stared at the floorplan, with Kota trying to calm him down but stressing himself. Midoriya muttered "Our op-p-ponents are really powerful…we should be careful…"
Uraraka decided to take a stab in the dark. "Do you and Bakugo have…history?" Midoriya stopped shaking, then sighed.
"You could say that." He looked up at the highrise. "Come to think of it, he'll definitely come after me right away. We can predict that at least." He looked to his two teammates. "I know your quirk, making things weightless and your strength make you a good heavy-hitter in close combat. Both Kirishima and Iida rely on close combat, so you'll be in your element." He turned to Kota. "I don't think we really talked before. I'm Midoriya and this is Uraraka. What's your name?"
Kota waved his hands in a series of motions before pulling out a notepad and pen. I'm Kota Koji. My quirk is Anivoice, I can talk to animals. It's nice to meet you both.
"Oh, that's so cool!" Midoriya exclaimed, pulling out his own notebook. "Can you do it telepathically or by speech? Is it like control or just communication? Do…" Kota shook his head nervously, backing up a bit. Midoriya saw this and stopped rambling. "Wait! I…ok. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overwhelm you." Koda opened his eyes to see Midoriya putting the book away, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn't mean to scare you or anything, I just think you're cool!"
Koda seemed surprised, pointing a finger at himself. Me?
"Yeah! Anivoice has so much potential! Right Uraraka?"
"Yeah! We just gotta figure out how to use it is all…" Uraraka wondered. While the two thought, two birds decided to land on Koda's shoulder, chirping happily. Koda smiled, petting one of them.
Midoriya saw this. And he had an idea. "Ok, here's the plan…"
xXx
Meanwhile, on the top floor…
"Fake of course, wouldn't want a real weapon to go off here" Iida commented, looking the paper mache bomb over. "Think it's safe up here?"
"I think so," Kirishima tapped the bomb with a knuckle. "They'll take too long climbing up the stairs to get here, but we're not all the way up either so coming in from above is just as tough." As they strategized, Bakugo stood off to the side, strangely silent.
"Hey Bakugo, you good?" Kirishima asked gruffly. Bakugo gave a tisk.
"Don't you idiots worry about me, but I'm going after Deku. Got it?"
"Now hold on!" Iida interjected. "Your abilities might be better suited for defense! We need to plan out a-"
"FUCK THAT!" he interrupted. "I'm roasting that nerd ASAP! You got it?"
Iida was at a loss. It was clear Bakugo wasn't going to work as a team player, but at least he'd be going after the opposing team. "…fine. Kirishima, go with him. Watch each other's backs the best you can."
"Wait! Fuck no!" Bakugo complained. But Kirishima interjected. "C'mon, there's three of them, right? If you wanna fight Midoriya fine, but he'll probably have someone with him! Let me guard your back, bro!"
Bakugo wanted to decline, but it was a good plan. Use an extra to block the other extras. "…fuck, fine you can come. Just stay out of my way, dammit."
Kirishima grinned as he sparked his fists together. All the while, a robin was sitting on the windowsill, listening closely before flying off.
xXx
Koda Koji nodded intently as he wrote, translating everything the small bird told him. He stood up and gave the paper to Midoriya, who read aloud.
"People on 5th window high, west. White staying, red and orange will go after green. Red watching orange. Orange angry." Midoriya nodded, making out the bird's interpretation. "So, Iida is guarding the weapon on the fifth floor while Katsuki and Kirishima come after us, me specifically. Right?"
Koda looked at the bird, who chirped twice. Koda then nodded.
"Great! Uraraka, you go after the weapon from the outside. Try and break open a window while you're at it. Koda, try and get the birds to distract Iida from out here. It's possible that Kirishima will go back, so Uraraka will need support. And if we need to know something, send a note by bird. As for me," he smiled grimly. "I'll take Kachaan. If I can keep his attention, then he won't be able to support Iida or defend the weapon."
"But Deku," Uraraka asked. "Wouldn't Kirishima just fight you with Bakugo?"
"No." Midoriya stared hard at the fifth floor. "Kac-Katsuki wouldn't let him. I doubt he's being a team player right now. He'll want to fight me himself." He turned to Koda again. "You should probably hide, in case Kirishima comes after you." Koda couldn't agree more.
"THE FIRST BATTLE BEGINS…NOW!" All might's voice blared. "HEROES! INFILTRATE THE BUILDING!"
"Alright! Go, go, go!" Midoriya yelled. The three of them dashed in different directions, Koji headed to a hiding spot, Uraraka to the west side of the building, and Midoriya straight through the front door. Midoriya had practically memorized the floor plan by now, sneaking through the halls of the battle site. It looked an awful lot like an office building, devoid of desks or cabinets. There wasn't much stone or rock here, just the pillars that stood here or there. The floor and walls in this room were metal, so no Seismic Sense here. 'I just need to be careful. Listen! Focus!'
Meanwhile, Uraraka floated up to the fifth floor, hopping weightlessly from window to window. Finally, she found the correct room. Thankfully, Iida's back was turned from the weapon.
"Maybe I can be sneaky about it…" she murmured. Her stomach wrenched at the feeling of weightlessness, it was getting hard to focus. "No time for that…" She looked up to the 6th floor window. "…maybe…" Then the worst happened. Her boot clicked on the window pane!
Iida thought he heard something outside and turned to the window. Nothing.
"Hmm, I know I heard something." He muttered. He walked over and opened the window wide, looking out carefully. "Nothing out here I guess…" he grunted, completely unaware of the floating girl right above his outstretched head. Uraraka's stomach churned again, loudly. Her clasped her hand to her mouth desperately.
"Who's there!" Iida yelled in the other direction. Uraraka tried floating higher, but she was nearing her limit! She's got to do something! Iida was about to look up!
"Tweet tweet!"
Iida jerked towards a robin, which was now sitting on the open window. Iida stared at it, as this was not normal bird behavior. And the robin stared right back, looking Iida right in the eye.
BA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
The building rumbled from somewhere below. Iida ducked back inside at the noise, pressing his earpiece. "Bakugo! Was that you?"
"Shuddup and defend the weapon!" came the screaming reply. Iida flinched at the noise and looked back at the window.
Only to see a pair of pink boots in his face.
POW!
xXx
A few minutes earlier…
Midoriya crept along the side of wall when he heard them. Bakugo might have been more sneaky alone, but not with Kirishima. Their arguing voices echoed through the hallways, allowing Midoriya to pinpoint their location. He got into position…
"C'mon man! Fried Mac n Cheese is the best thing ever!"
"Shut up you idiot, you'll give us away! And don't eat that shit, your muscles will wither and die!" Bakugo raged. Not that he actually cared, but he was pissed. Weird Hair had decided that he wanted to get to know him better as teammates, so he grew annoyingly…chatty.
"I'm serious, one bite and you'll look out!" Kirishima yelled. A caped figure jumped into view, sending a blast of wind down the hall. Kirishima shoved his partner out of the way, taking the blustery attack head-on. Though he was knocked off his feet, he was hardly hurt thanks to his rocky skin.
Bakugo blasted forward at once, aiming a right-hook towards Midoriya's head. The Avatar ducked, bending back as the explosion boomed above his face. In two fluid motions, he jumped into a handstand in his dodge, and jumped forward onto his feet, with fire roaring from his shoes and into Bakugo, forcing him back.
"DEKUUUU!" Bakugo screamed with hate, blasting with both hands to create an explosion as wide as the hall. Midoriya blocked, creating a shield of wind but being pushed back regardless. He stumbled from the attack as Bakugo rushed again, putting an explosion right into the Avatar's stomach. Midoriya rolled, coughing and hacking from the hit.
"Bakugo! You good?" Kirishima called. Bakugo snarled back. "Shuddup! He's mine, go find the extras!"
Kirishima wanted to protest, but this was the plan after all. "Right! Good luck!" he yelled as he ran off. Bakugo yelled back, "I don't need no fuckin' lu-"
BWOOOOOSSSSHHHH!
Bakugo was taken right off his feet by Midoriya second air blast, followed up by a water whip from his pouch. Bakugo took the air blast, but fried the whip, rendering it to steam.
"Like I'm gonna let you do that again, DEKU!" he yelled, rocketing forward again. He began a barrage of attacks, punching, kicking and exploding everywhere he could. Midoriya dodged and blocked the best he could but was hit several times as the fight went on. Training is one this, but this was real battle. A real fight!
Still, this time was different. This time, Midoriya could give as good as he got. Bakugo tried for an uppercut, which Izuku dodged, with a flaming fist planted right into Bakugo's gut. This made Bakugo double over, allowing him to send a kick of air into his side, slamming the blond into the metal wall.
Good hits, sure. But most of them only served to enrage Katsuki more. The fight had moved from the hallway and into a wide room, allowing for better maneuverability for both sides. Midoriya spun and dodged like a leaf in the wind as Bakugo blasted and soared through the air himself. Both parties were tiring, with no clear winner yet.
That when Bakugo decided to bring out the big guns. He backed up with a forward explosion, stopping a few feet away from his rival. Midoriya, who was playing defensive, stopped moving as Bakugo stopped attacking.
"That's it…Deku…" Bakugo panted. "I'm done holding back!" His right gauntlet flashed red and clicked, causing the explosion user to raise his fist. "I'm all charged up now" he stated with a malicious grin.
Midoriya stared at the device, theorizing what it was for, other than aesthetic. Although, he could help but notice the concrete beneath both their feet.
"That's right, these things aren't for show!" he yelled with glee. "They've been storing up my sweat this entire time, loading up for one…big…bang" he aimed the gauntlet right at his opponent. "What? You underestimating me?"
Midoriya was doing no such thing, backing up slowly towards the wall as Bakugo clicked the gauntlet open, exposing a firing pin. All Might's voice blared through his earpiece. "BAKUGO, STOP! THAT'S TOO MCUH POWER! YOU'LL KILL HIM!"
"HE'LL BE FINE AS LONG AS HE DODGES!" Bakugo yelled back. He pulled the pin…
And fell through a hole in the floor.
BA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
At the same time Bakugo fired his weapon, Midoriya planted his feet and crumbled the floor from under Bakugo's feet! As he fell backwards, his gauntlet fired high, sending the gigantic blast through the wall and part of the ceiling. As the smoke cleared, Bakugo regained his barings and blasted back up a floor.
Midoriya was nowhere in sight.
"No…" he whispered. He ran to the hole 20-foot hole in the wall, exposing the room to the outside. "No no NO! He was supposed to dodge!" He looked desperately for the Avatar down on the ground. His earpiece buzzed. "Bakugo? Was that you?"
"SHUDDUP AND DEFEND THE WEAPON!" he screamed into his comms. The smoke was too thick to see the ground below.
"Did…did he…" Bakugo started to panic. "Did Deku-"
SLAM!
An uppercut! Midoriya used airbending to conceal himself with smoke and jump back up to the 3rd floor! Bakugo was met with a stone-covered fist, and then another, knocking him back into the building. Midoriya hopped back inside, with his eyes set on his opponent. Without another second, he blasted a whirlwind of air forward from outside, sending the living bomb careening to the opposite wall. Midoriya stood silent as Bakugo stumbled up, spitting a tooth from his mouth. Feeling the missing bone, he saw red, and reared on Midoriya again.
"HRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Bakugo rocketed forward blasting down to send him above the Avatar and then into his back. The hit was clean, blasting Midoriya forward. But still on his feet, Midoriya whipped his head back at Bakugo, his eyes were almost…blue?
"HAAAAAAAH!" A whirlwind erupted from inside the building, blasting Bakugo right out the open hole! Thinking quickly, Bakugo slowed his fall with his explosions to land safely to the ground. But Midoriya had jumped too, hitting the ground before him.
SLAM! A pillar of rock sent Bakugo soaring right back up, above the 9-story building! Pushing through the pain, Bakugo blasted over the building and onto the roof, where Midoriya leapt up to meet him.
Bakugo stumbled, feeling a cracked rib or two with blood streaming down his mouth. He was still standing, but barely. Midoriya was covered in burns and rips in his costume but was standing too. Sharp eyes met sharper ones as Midoriya walked forward.
"Are you done trying to kill me yet?" Midoriya stated coldly, not a stammer in sight. Breathing heavily, Bakugo wiped the blood off his chin and mouth, grinning. "Funny…I didn't hear a bell. Did you?"
"…no. Can't say I did." Bakugo's vision started to blur a little. He kept his eyes on Deku, who was still walking forward, calm as could be. Weirdly enough, Midoriya started to look a little different to Katsuki. Maybe it was the bloodloss, but Midoriya seemed to…flicker. Green curly locks changed to brown long strands. The yellow and green suit switched to blue and brown, then back. And his eyes. Not the soft, green ones Katsuki was used to. No, these were blue, calm, and collected. And full of hatred.
"Frankly, you don't look so good" not-Midoriya stated. "Better just lie down for a while."
"No…way am I giving up…Deku…" he slurred in rage. But his feet betrayed him, sending him to his knees, to his elbows, then…his face. "Shiiiiiiiii….."
xXx
From Midoriya's perspective…
SLAM! A pillar of rock sent Bakugo soaring right back up, above the 9-story building! Midoriya leapt up to follow, seeing Bakugo blast himself to safety.
"Wait…what am I doing!" he yelled to himself. He must be injured after that pillar! That was way too much! "Kachaan!" He airbent himself to Bakugo. He was in bad shape, his face pouring blood as he staggered.
"Get…git away…Deku…" he slurred. Definitely delirious. Midoriya approached cautiously, edging closer to his childhood friend.
"Kachaan? Are…are you done fighting now?" Midoriya asked. Katsuki jerked his head up, stumbling as he tried to speak.
"Didn't…hear…a bell…shitwad…"
"Kachaan…just lie down ok? You need to sit down…" Midoriya coaxed, but Bakugo was having none of it.
"No way…am I giving…up…Deku…" he slumped, collapsing to the floor.
"KACHAAN!" Midoriya rushed forward to catch him, but All Might got there first. Bakugo's eyes rolled up into his head as he fell unconscious in Toshinori's arms. "Shiiiiiiiiiiii…" he groaned. All Might stood, carrying Bakugo.
"Young Midoriya. I'm taking him to the Nurse's Office. Meet me there." And in a flash, the hero was gone. Midoriya stood there for a bit, processing what just happened, then fell to his knees.
"…Kachaan…" Tears started to form in his eyes, dripping to the floor. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…sorrysorrysorrysorry…" He cried for a few minutes, sitting alone on the rooftop. Sniffing, he got back up to jump down the building, floating down as he went. Iida, Uraraka, Kirishima, and Koji were down on the ground waiting for him.
"Deku?" Uraraka asked, noticing the tearstains. "Are you alright?" The others looked equally worried. Midoriya, looking down, plopped down on the ground, leaning on the battle site.
"I hurt him…I lost control…and I hurt Kachaan…" he cried. Wiping the tears off, he asked the obvious. "What…what happened with the match?"
"Well," Uraraka sat down beside him and explained. "after that big boom, I kicked Iida in the face and Koji sent a bunch of birds to harass him while I went for the weapon. But Kirishima came in to defend it, so I figure you and Bakugo were fighting."
"You should've seen her, man." Kirishima complimented. "She punched me into a wall! And then another wall! So manly!"
"After I did that, I touched the weapon and that was that. But apparently you and Bakugo were still fighting and…you know the rest I guess." Uraraka finished. Koji was still slightly pale, having seen the entire fight from a distance. How brutal they both were.
Midoriya couldn't believe his ears. The match was over? And they didn't notice? He shook his head, getting to his feet. Kirishima helped him up while Uraraka stayed beside him. "I need…I need to go to the nurse's office. All Might told me to head there" he mumbled. Uraraka nodded. "Ok, I'll go with you. Can you three head back to the class? Fill them in?" Iida nodded silently, leading the other two back while Uraraka lead Midoriya back to campus. Good thing too, as Midoriya only had just enough energy to stand and walk.
"Do you think…you think he's ok?" Izuku asked worriedly.
Uraraka smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure he's completely fine."
"How do you know?"
"Let's just say I'm familiar with the nurse."