Chapter 4:Fated Rivalry
U.A. GROUNDS-P.E. AREA
''Quite the first impression'' Izuku nervously grinned as he watched his classmates panic.
''This is our first day here!'' Ochako shouted in shock.
Izuku examined the pro hero's face, looking for any signs of deceit or hesitation at all. Sadly there was nothing for him to find.
And as messed up as it is, this could be a way to weed out the weak and encourage the students to take the hero course very seriously.
Either that or…this pro has a really good resting bitch face.
Aizawa wasn't fazed by the panic from his students. ''Natural disasters, massive accidents, ego-made villains. All kinds of calamities can happen when we least expect them. And it's our job as heroes to face it, to restore peace.'' He turned to the class who shrank under his stern gaze. ''If you came here just to have fun, then that's too bad. For the next three years, all you can expect from your life at U.A. is one of hardship.''
Lightly gulping, Izuku glanced at his nervous or tense classmates. ''Welp, that confirms it. Unless we step up, we're all going to be further from our dreams…''
The pro eyed them scrutinizingly. ''This is Plus Ultra, I expect you to overcome these trials and climb to the top.'' That seemed to do the trick as everyone including Izuku was getting pumped and becoming more serious. ''Now it's time to step up.''
With that the trials began, the first being the 50-meter dash and Izuku was paired off with Bakugou, both eager to see what they can do.
As soon as the signal was given, Bakugou blasted off with his quirk, covering Izuku in a cloud of dust. ''Blast Rush!''The blond teen screamed as he created mini-explosions from his palms allowing him to dash through the air as the students watched in awe.
''Look at him go!''
''So fast!''
Bakugou grinned as he flew, clearly enjoying the comments from his classmates.
Only for his moment to be short-lived when he blinked and saw Izuku calmly crossing the finish line before turning to watch him go with a grin.
[''Izuku Midoriya: 2 seconds.'']
[''Katsuki Bakugou: 4.13 seconds.'']
Once the machine announced the results the students were confused, only to go wide-eyed when they saw Izuku at the end of the finish line.
''What!?''
''H-How did he get there!?''
''Wasn't he at the starting line?''
The class started talking amongst themselves as they tried to process what just happened. Their conversations were interrupted as Bakugou started walking towards Izuku with a scowl. ''Figures your weird quirk could do that.''
The OFA user just shrugged with a smile as they both made their way to their classmates who were still trying to process how he got to the end so fast.
Upon arriving the class immediately bombarded Izuku with questions. Causing the teen to take a step back from all the attention with his hands raised. ''I just used my quirk is all.'' His nonchalant answer further confused the class apart from Iida, Ochako, and Bakugou since they'd grown used to the weirdness. But that didn't mean they had questions of their own.
''Is it speed or something else?'' The class thought in unison.
The class eventually let it slide as they continued the 50-meter dash. Izuku used this opportunity to study everyone's quirks and what they could do.
But unbeknownst to him, Aizawa spent that time analyzing his quirk as well. ''It was a distraction, the moment the dust-covered him, he used his quirk. While everyone was watching Bakugou, he was already at the end of the finish line by the time it cleared.'' He then glanced at Izuku who was studying his classmates' quirk. ''This kid is something else...'' A small grin slowly formed on his face.
The next trial was the grip test. Izuku was paired off with a teen named Mezo Shoji. He was a tall teen with white hair and a mask over his face, he also had a transformation quirk that gave him extra limbs.
As they both grabbed the device, Izuku channeled just enough OFA to not destroy it.
[''Izuku Midoriya: 700.0kg.'']
[''Mezo Shoji: 540.0kg.'']
''Damn! You two are seriously strong.'' A teen with black hair said as he looked at their results. ''Are you both gorillas or something?'' Izuku just shrugged as he pointed at Shoji. ''Well, you're more of an Octopus!''
''Or a squid…'' A short teen with purple orbs for hair muttered to himself as he stared at Shoji.
While this was going on, the other classmates were shocked at the strength Izuku possessed. The latter sent them a friendly wink, unconsciously making them eye him more carefully.
Two teens, in particular, were watching him in interest. One was a mature-looking teen with a ponytail wearing an analytical expression. The other was a teen with short red and white hair that was stoic but calculative. Both had their reasons for studying his quirk.
The physical examination proceeded rather smoothly. Eventually, the softball pitch trial came up and the first one was Ochako. She threw the ball in the air, looking like it would never return.
Aizawa eventually revealed her score to be an….
''Infinity!?'' The whole class said in shock, making Ochako blush a bit.
Finally, it was Izuku's turn and as he stepped into the circle, his friends couldn't help but have their discussions.
''I wonder how Midoriya's going to handle this.'' Iida said while rubbing his chin with a calculative expression.
''Maybe he'll use a blaster and make it go flying!'' Ochako said excitedly as she pumped her fists.
''Fat chance, the nerd's probably just going to chuck it to space with his telekinesis or some shit.'' Bakugou rolled his eyes, barely hiding his intrigue.
''Blaster!?/Telekinesis!?'' Was the collective thought of the other students. The other two in particular were just as surprised. Thinking that Izuku simply had a strength enhancement quirk.
Aizawa handed the softball to Izuku who stared at it in thought. If he used his blasters, there's a good chance that he might end up destroying the ball. If he simply threw it with his quirk, then it wouldn't be showing PLUS ULTRA anymore.
''Hmm… I can't go overboard, and I can't be lazy about it.'' With that, he suddenly had an idea that made him grin, making his classmates confused.
His grin widened as he covered the ball with a green glow surprising his classmates, except for his friends and Aizawa who saw this during the entrance examination. He then threw the ball straight in the air confusing everyone. While the ball was in the air, he created a bone club shocking everyone once again and making the teen with the ponytail feel faint.
''What else can he do!?'' Was everyone's collective thought.
Izuku then held the club with both hands and got into a batting position. When the ball got into range he screamed. ''BATTER UP!''
In one fluid motion like a professional baseball player, he swung with all his might creating a strong gust of wind that staggered his classmates. The ball was then sent soaring through the sky and after what seemed like a long time, the device in Aizawa's hand beeped signaling that the ball finally landed.
[''Izuku Midoriya 900.0 meters.'']
Izuku grinned and held a peace sign to his friends who cheered. Except for Bakugou who simply smirked at the display. And as he made his way towards his friends, passing his other classmates who were just flabbergasted.
After picking their jaws off the floor the class eventually gathered around Aizawa as he revealed the results. In first place were Yaoyorozu Momo and second place went to Izuku. Third went to Todoroki Shoto.
Izuku was more than happy that he at least made it to the top five. However, he was still sympathetic toward the short teen named Minoru Mineta. Who was at the bottom of the list.
Said boy fell to his knees and started to cry anime tears. ''Nooo! I'm about to be expelled!'' His other classmates were starting to feel sympathetic as well. Knowing that this was supposed to be where your path to be a hero starts.
Izuku was about to speak up when the short teen spoke again. ''And there are so many hot girls here too! Life isn't fair!'' And just like that, all the sympathy built up disappeared.
Izuku put his hand down and tried not to bonk Mineta on the head with a bone club.
Aizawa then revealed that the threat of expulsion was a lie and that it was simply a way for him to get the best out of his students. But at the end of the explanation, he gave a warning to Mineta about the consequences of sexual harassment, earning a fearful gulp from him.
Understandably the class was rather miffed at being tricked, except for Yaoyorozu who explained that there wasn't any real threat of expulsion in the first place. With that, the class started making their way back to their classrooms.
And as they made their way back, Izuku glanced behind him with a grin and gave a thumbs-up, before looking ahead and joining the rest of the class.
In the direction where Izuku gave a thumbs up, All Might watched the whole thing behind a corner with a big grin on his face. ''Great work my boy.'' The pro nodded in approval as he made his way back into the building.
The rest of the day was uneventful as Izuku found out that UA still had regular high school classes. And being the best hero school, made them fairly difficult, meaning he needed to take a lot of notes and pay more attention if he wanted to pass.
THE NEXT DAY AT U.A.
The day was rather dull for Izuku, regular classes were held almost the entire day. At noon everyone gathered at the mess hall to feast on great cuisine made by a Pro Hero named Lunch Rush, a hero that used his influence to feed the less fortunate.
To no one's surprise, Izuku nerded out and held the line for a bit. Luckily he snapped out of it and hastily asked for an autograph from the hero. Said hero was shocked but happy to know that there are people that appreciate him. All the while his class could only snicker making him blush.
U.A. GROUNDS-1A CLASSROOM
The students all sat while waiting for their teacher to show up. And as they discussed who it could be, Izuku smiled when he felt a familiar presence making his way to the door.
"I AM!'' A certain hero called, making the whole class excited. ''COMING THROUGH THE DOOR, LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!'' All Might yelled as he burst through the door, proudly laughing in a heroic pose.
Izuku laughed at that. ''Nice entrance.'' He grinned as he watched All Might march his way to the teacher's desk. He also noticed that he was clad in his Silver Age costume.
As his classmates looked ecstatic, All Might stood tall.''Foundation of Hero Studies! For this class, we'll be building up your hero foundation through various tests.'' The pro began flexing. ''Starting with this!'' He then held out a card in a heroic way. ''A Battle trial!''
Bakugou formed a vicious grin on his face. ''Battle?''
"Trial?" Izuku added with a raised eyebrow.
''And to go with your first battle.'' All Might pressed a button on a remote. In an instant several shelves on the wall opened. ''We've had your costumes prepared to your specifications!'' He said, making everyone excited.
''Now go get changed and head over to Ground B!'' All Might said as everyone began grabbing their gear. ''And remember, from here on out, you're all heroes!'' He proudly stated making everyone smile.
Everyone in class quickly made their way to the locker rooms to change with excitement coursing through their veins.
U.A. GROUNDS-GROUND B TRAINING AREA
Izuku was the last to enter Ground B, upon arrival he instantly gained some confused looks from his classmates.
Which is understandable since he's clad in a white T-shirt topped with a green hooded jacket with the hood having a fur trim on it. His hands also had gloves with a pattern of a skeleton on them and baggy black pants with white stripes on their sides. For footwear he had his red combat boots on and to top it all off, he had a red scarf that reached to his knees and could cover his mouth and nose if he wanted to. [Author's Note: Yep, his outfit is a mix of Undertale sans and Aftertale sans, except no blood of course.]
The design itself was designed to be not so noticeable. When he submitted it to the support course, they had to confirm multiple times if this was the costume that Izuku wanted. The confusion he caused made him happy knowing that his idea was effective. The materials used to make this outfit were specially made by the support course, making it more durable than it appeared to be.
It also helped that they didn't weigh much, giving Izuku more than enough mobility. They also had functions that could prove to be useful in specific situations. As for the scarf, well….scarfs are cool.
''Deku?'' Ochako approached with a curious look.
After removing his hood and lowering his scarf, Izuku flashed her a friendly smile. ''Yep, it's me.'' He winked.
''Wow, your costume is so cool!'' She praised with excitement before fiddling a bit with the fabric on her waist. ''My suit came in rather tight…'' She added in an embarrassed tone.
Upon analysis, Izuku noticed that her outfit seems to be themed for space, complete with a visor. And upon closer inspection, He noted that her boots had springs on them, possibly used to help her jump higher if ever she used her quirk on herself.
All in all, it suited her quirk well.
Izuku shook his head. ''I think it looks good on you, it's pretty eye-catching and memorable." He hummed before nodding. "And aesthetically pleasing in my opinion anyway.'' He added honestly with a shrug.
Ochako beamed. ''Thanks! That means a lot Deku!'' She said in a bubbly tone.
''Plus I like the boots.'' He added while looking at her shoes ''It's pretty ingenious when you think about it.'' He finished with a smile and a thumbs up.
Ochako grinned and proceeded to give a friendly hug. ''Stop your making me blush!'' She laughed.
Izuku returned the hug, laughing as well. ''Heh. Easy there.'' He paused as a grin formed on his face. ''With an outfit like that, you might send me to space.'' He joked, making both of them laugh.
Off to the side, Iida smiled at the comradery displayed while Bakugou clicked his tongue and focused on adjusting his grenade gauntlets.
On the other side, some students were getting the completely wrong idea. Including a certain pink-haired teen who formed a mischievous smile on her face. While Mineta and a teen named Kaminari were grumbling in jealousy. ''Lucky bastard.''
All Might then arrived. ''I'm liking everyone's styles!'' He said while giving everyone a thumbs up.
''All Might! Regarding the performance area we'll be using, is it like the mock city from the entrance exam?'' Iida asked while raising his hand.
All Might explained that everyone would be performing mock battles in a form of "Heroes vs. Villains" with pairs on both sides. This of course made students ask a flurry of questions.
''So how do we determine who wins or loses?''
''Is there a threat of expulsion?''
''What would be the best way to group us?''
All Might started to sweat from the questions being thrown at him. ''I can't answer if you speak all at once!'' He said before bringing out a small piece of paper.
''Notes!?'' Izuku snorted into his hand trying to hold in his laughter. He ended up shaking from holding it in. Luckily Ochako noticed and nudged him to stop, though she was also holding in her laughter too.
''The scenario will be 'villains have a doomsday device they plan on using, and it's the hero's job to stop them'. If the heroes reach the device before the time runs out or they capture the villains, they win. If the villains hold out until the time runs out or they capture the heroes, they win.'' All Might explained.
''As for the teams'' He continued as he brought out a box. ''They will be chosen by lottery!''
''Is that really how we'll do it!?'' Iida among others was taken aback by this.
Izuku hummed, nodding in understanding. ''Makes sense actually.'' His remark grabbed everyone's attention. ''Pros are often forced to work with people they're unfamiliar with for short team-ups. This is probably to test us for future quick team-ups and to see if we can adapt.''
''I see!'' Iida shouted before turning to All Might. ''I apologize!'' He said while bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle, making Izuku and Ochako chuckle.
While a little weirded out by the display, All Might gave him a thumbs up. ''It's fine! Now let's get started!''
As everyone else got their teams, Izuku was next to put his hand in the box before he pulled out a name.
''Mina Ashido?'' Izuku called out while looking around.
''That's me!''
As soon as he heard the voice, he could feel his face burning up. Turning around he desperately tried to hide the blush on his face.
Not only was she beautiful up close but her outfit made it hard to look at her. She was wearing a skin-tight suit that hugged her body. The material was a very loud blue and purple camo design that started at her chest and went all the way down her legs. She was also wearing a pair of brown and beige boots. She wore a beige vest and to top it all off she wore a white domino mask.
Izuku then realized that he was more or less gawking at her and quickly rebooted. He needed to say something, anything! Maybe talk about quirks that could work. The weather or even make a jo-
''Y-You l-look great.'' He stammered before looking away and was tempted to hide his face in his scarf forever. He could've sworn that he heard Ochako snickering at his expense. "Real smooth bonehead." For some reason, his brain and mouth decided not to work today.
Izuku groaned internally. ''Great…she probably thinks that I'm a creep or something-"
''Thanks!''
This stunned Izuku not expecting a positive response. He dared a glance and to his shock, she was smiling at him. ''You look great too!'' Her happiness spread a warmth within him that couldn't be described.
As he lowered his scarf, Izuku gave her a nervous smile before he turned his head slightly to see Ochako giving him subtle thumbs up. A gesture he subtly returned.
He then cleared his throat and tensely extended his hand. ''It'll be nice working with y-you.'' He kindly said with his best-composed look, getting a smile out of her as she shook his hand, causing more butterflies in his stomach.
Soon the other teams were chosen and there were 10 in total.
''And the first two pairs to do the exercise will be the following!'' All Might pulled out two balls from the hero and villain boxes. ''Pair D will be heroes! Pair E will be villains!''
Hearing this Bakugou formed a feral grin that just begged for blood while Izuku grinned in his direction before glancing at Bakugou's partner, surprised to see that it was Iida. He smiled at the engine quirk user, a gesture he returned.
All Might explained that villains would be the first in the building and would have 5 minutes to prepare everything and that the battle itself would have a duration of 15 minutes. Everyone else will be watching from the observation room via surveillance cameras.
As a precaution, if the fight ends up getting out of hand, he will personally put a stop to it. The heroes would be given a layout of the building the villains were using. Both teams would also possess capture tape, if either the heroes or villains are wrapped up by the tape they will be out of the battle. They will also be given two-way communicators that could be put in their ears so that they could talk from a distance.
But before everything started, All Might's phone rang making him and everyone else stop in their tracks. He picked it up to read the message before turning back to his students. ''My apologies, it appears there's something I need to take care of. While I'm away you can use this opportunity to plan and bond with your teammate!'' He encouraged before running with his signature laugh.
''Planning huh?'' Izuku put a hand on his chin. This could be a great chance to think of ways to counter Bakugou and Iida's advances. With his ability, he could hold either of them down to capture them. But knowing Bakugou, it wouldn't be exactly a satisfying way to end it. But there's also Ashido's quirk if utilized well, victory will be-
''Midoriya?'' Mina tapped him on the shoulder bringing him out of his usual muttering.
''Oh!'' Izuku snapped out with a blush on his face. ''S-Sorry it's a habit of mine.''
Mina waved it off. ''Oh it's fine dude, guess we can plan.'' She glanced at the other teams before looking back at him with a mischievous smile that made him nervous. ''Or…'' She stepped closer, making his heart rate spike. ''We could talk about relationships.''
''Oh boy…'' He gulped, noting that she was within his personal space. Deciding that this would be a good chance to know her better he gave her a shaky nod. Thankfully she stepped back giving him room to breathe and gather his thoughts.
Mina beamed, that was easier than she thought it would be. ''So...you and Ochako huh~?'' She teased in a sing-song voice.
And just like that, Izuku broke out of his nerves to give her a confused look. ''What do you mean?'' His response took her aback.
Without missing a beat, she replied. ''Well duh! Aren't you two dating or something?'' She exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Izuku then processed her words and replayed every interaction he had with Ochako. They laughed together, she called him by his nickname and they even hugged not too long ago. At first glance, it did seem like they were a thing. But that would be far from the truth. What they had is a genuine friendship that he could see becoming stronger by the day. And nothing more beyond that.
Upon processing this, Izuku laughed, shocking Mina. After recovering the best he could he shook his head. ''No, no we aren't like that. We're just really good friends.'' He chortled with a wave of his hand.
''Seriously?'' The pink teen's face of disbelief was rather cute in his opinion.
While putting that last thought aside for now, Izuku relaxed and was able to properly reply with a nod. ''Well yeah! I mean sure she's cute and fun to be around, but I honestly don't see her that way.'' He chuckled as the pink teen remained shocked.
What they didn't notice was Ochako eavesdropping on their conversation with a smile. She felt touched that her friend said all those nice things about her, and she was glad that he was fine with being just good friends. ''I'm really glad we met Deku.''
She then grimaced as she turned to her partner Yuga Aoyama who sparkled as he posed in front of his handheld mirror.
Mina Ashido was stunned, she always took pride in reading other people. Especially when it comes to romantic matters. Since she was young she could tell if someone has an interest in another. Her childhood friend Kirishima can attest to this.
Never had she been so wrong before.
Snapping out of her shock, Mina sagged a bit. ''So…you don't have anyone you are interested in?'' She said in a sad tone thinking that she just made her teammate uncomfortable by assuming things.
With this, Izuku's confidence effectively disappeared. ''A-Actually there is someone I'm i-interested in.'' He didn't meet her gaze, not wanting to lose his cool any more than he already did.
She perked up at his shy reaction and leaned close. ''Oh?'' An impish grin formed on her face as she leaned in. ''Mind telling me who it is?''
''Oh if only you knew…'' Izuku crookedly grinned at the irony of the situation. Your crush asking you who your crush is. The universe sure has fun making things interesting for him.
Looking into her eyes, he struggled to respond with how lost he was in their beauty. But after a bit, he realized how close she was and promptly looked away and hid his face within his scarf with pink dusting his cheeks.
All the while, Ashido's curiosity, and interest grew from his reaction. Finding it both cute and intriguing in a way.
Thankfully All Might arrived, indirectly rescuing Izuku from his predicament and gaining everyone's attention. ''I AM HERE!'' He said aloud as he flexed. ''Sorry about that, there was some paperwork that needed sorting.'' He chuckled and pointed towards the building. ''Now then, heroes and villains get in your positions!''
U.A. GROUNDS-INSIDE THE SIMULATION BUILDING-BOMB ROOM
After admiring the fake bomb, Izuku composed himself. ''Ok first things first…'' He turned to look at Ashido with a serious look. ''I think we should explain our skills and abilities a bit to get a better understanding of each other.''
Ashido nodded dumbly, hardly believing that this was the same timid boy she met earlier. ''I make acid.'' She started. ''I can secrete it from anywhere with sweat glands, but it's easiest through my hands and feet. I can control how strong it is and I can also control its consistency.'' She then lifted her foot to show him the holes underneath them. ''My shoes are designed to make sliding around easier.''
''Wow...'' Izuku said, gaining her attention. ''That's amazing!'' He exclaimed with a literal shine in his eyes, making her blush a bit, embarrassed and flattered by the sudden praise and energy.
''I-it's n-nothing special.'' She stuttered, mentally berating herself for showing sudden weakness.
"Pretty sure it is." Izuku's smile made it hard for her to rebuke that before he began explaining his quirk the best he could. ''My quirk is called: Energized Bones." A serious look dawned on him as he activated his quirk, causing the glow in his eyes to glow and his hair to stand a bit as well as emanate green electricity around him. "It gives me enhanced strength and stronger bones too.''
Mina couldn't help but stare in awe at the energy coming off of him. And despite having seen it already during Aizawa's test, it's still shocking for someone so ordinary looking to have this much power in him.
To have a face that held so much focus and will that anyone can see it from just having one look at him which is highlighted by his shining eyes that held strength and compassion behind them.
It honestly…made him look quite handsome.
Realizing that she was more or less staring longer than she should have, she quickly looked away with slight lilac on her cheeks.
With a blush of his own from the staring he continued. ''I can make bone weapons and levitate objects.'' He demonstrated by summoning a bone club and making it float around.
''But.'' He added while canceling his power and despawning the bone club. ''If I overuse it, I'll end up getting tired or hurting myself.'' He finished with a bit of sheepishness in his voice.
Mina raised her hand like she was in a classroom.
Deciding to play along, Izuku pointed to her. ''Yes, Miss Ashido?'' He chuckled.
Mina giggled. ''I heard Ochako mention something about blasters, what was that all about?'' Now that she thought about it, he looked familiar but couldn't place it.
But her focus was directed elsewhere when he casually waved it off. ''Oh, that? Well, I'm sure you'll see it later." He shrugged. "I mean, we're wasting time as it is.'' He finished with an apologetic smile as she pouted.
Not willing to give up yet, Mina clasped her hands together. ''Even if I say please?'' She prodded while doing her best impression of a sad puppy.
To her dismay, however, Izuku wasn't moved despite a part of him wavering. ''Nope sorry, but I think we should focus on the situation.'' He glanced at the bomb in thought while Ashido slumped but agreed to be patient.
After tapping his chin for a moment, he turned to Ashido with a grin, gaining her attention. ''Right now, we're about to face two of my friends. But the real threat is Bakugou and from knowing him most of my life, I can say that he is very dangerous.'' He casually stated, shocking her.
''Oh boy...'' Ashido grimaced at the danger but soon looked at Izuku with a curious look. ''Why are you smiling then?''
His grin widened. ''Because I have a solid plan.''
''You do!?'' Ashido couldn't help but exclaim in shock, wondering how he made one so fast.
"Yep." Izuku then looked over to the window as he explained while she listened intently. ''Bakugou will want to use this opportunity to test how strong I am compared to him.'' He chuckled with a shake of his head. ''He'll probably want to settle things on a one-on-one fight with me, leaving Iida to work on his own devices.''
''Yikes.'' Mina grimaced, finding the explosive teen's motive to be careless while feeling pity for his partner. ''So what should we do?''
Izuku then formed a wicked grin that caught Ashido off guard. ''Here's what we're going to do…'' He began explaining his plan while putting his hood on.
AT THE SAME TIME-U.A. GROUNDS-OUTSIDE THE SIMULATION BUILDING
''So what's the plan?'' Iida asked while he stretched his legs.
Bakugou turned to him with an annoyed look. ''The hell are you asking me for?'' He asked with his usual scowl.
Iida expected the response and couldn't help but sigh. ''You knew him the longest, surely you have some sort of plan.'' He pointed out with his usual gestures.
While making sure his gauntlets were ready, Bakugou's scowl deepened. ''I didn't even know he had a quirk in the first place." His admission shocked the teen. ''I only found out about his quirk when he saved me from a fucking villain.'' He spat with venom in his voice, hoping that the bastard suffered in prison.
Despite the shocking bit of information, Iida looked down, feeling a bit of dread from their current situation. ''So we don't have a plan to win…'' He looked up at the building with a light grimace.
''Actually, I do.'' Bakugou said, gaining Iida's attention. ''I'll kick his ass and you go for the bomb. Your speed should be good enough to outrun raccoon eyes.'' He cracked his neck and began stretching.
''Raccoon eyes...'' Iida sweat dropped at the nickname before nodding. ''Well, it's better than nothing I suppose.'' The explosive teen merely grunted in agreement.
U.A. GROUNDS-IN THE OBSERVATION ROOM
After five minutes, All Might gave the go-ahead and the two teams started to move.
The Pro-Hero had a clipboard and pen in his hand as he turned the monitors on. When the screen came to life, he immediately noticed the villain room's floor covered by something. And from what he can tell, it wasn't the only place affected by this.
''Midoriya my boy, I don't know what you planned but know that you are just another student to me! So don't expect any favoritism here!''
The students also noticed the change but didn't comment on it. Thinking that it was set up that way on purpose.
''Look something's happening!'' The earphone-jack girl pointed out a specific screen, causing everyone to do the same.
U.A. GROUNDS-INSIDE THE SIMULATION BUILDING
The entrance was destroyed by an explosion before Bakugou marched through the smoke followed by a disapproving Iida. ''There are more subtle ways to approach this.'' He pointed out while keeping pace.
Without stopping Bakugou replied. ''They know we're here anyway.'' Iida shook his head at his brashness but didn't say anything.
As Bakugou and Iida walked down the hallway, they kept their eyes peeled for anything.
Turning the corner, they were greeted by Izuku at the end of the hallway with his hands in his pockets. And a grin that the explosive teen wanted to wipe off at that moment.
The OFA user gave a little wave. ''Heya.'' He casually greeted, making Bakugou narrow his eyes but confusing Iida. ''Did you mist me?'' He joked, making the blond teen growl.
''Four eyes, go for the bomb, I'll take care of Deku.'' Bakugou ordered as he cracked his knuckles with a grin.
Iida knew the plan already but looked unsure. ''Where would I even go!?'' He switched to a fighting stance.
Without looking away from Izuku, Bakugou answered. ''Fucker probably placed it on the last floor.'' He got into his stance.
Though reluctant, Iida ran past Izuku who grinned at him as he did. ''All according to plan.'' His grin widened as he watched the tall teen make his way toward the stairs. He then turned to Bakugou who lunged at him with an explosion ready.
The bone user saw this a mile away and simply dodged it by stepping to the side. Watching as Bakugou stumbled a bit before snapping at him with a world-ending glare. ''Don't dodge me!'' He growled as he let out mini-explosions from his hands.
Izuku raised an eyebrow at that but didn't remove his hands from his pockets. ''What? Did you think I'll just stand there and take it?''
Bakugou pulled his right arm back with a vicious grin on his face. ''One hit is all I need Deku; you can't dodge forever!''
''We'll see about that.'' Izuku's eyes glowed as he chuckled.
MEANWHILE AT THE STAIRS
Tenya Iida was struggling.
It's bad enough that he had a teammate who more or less won't cooperate with him. But they also had to face a friend with a strange quirk. And to make things worse, neither of them knew much about his quirk either.
They also knew that the Mina wielded a dangerous quirk too. And it didn't help that Izuku is great at analysis and formulating strategies. Oh well, at least it couldn't get worse from here.
Right?
Boy was he wrong. What was supposed to be a simple climb, turned into a slow but dangerous one. In front of Iida was a set of stairs covered in some sort of slime. Making it difficult to simply rush up the steps.
As soon as he took his first step, he grunted at the lack of friction on it. ''There's no time to look for another way…'' He glanced around in dismay.
With no other choice, he made his way up the slippery steps. Encountering some close calls along the way. Looking up he paled when he saw that more staircases were covered with slime. There was also no sign of Izuku's teammate, making him nervous as he climbed. The thought of Ashido just waiting at the top to push him down the steps terrified him.
''Midoriya…..why…?'' He let out a frustrated sigh before he continued the dangerous climb.
BACK IN THE HALLWAY
Izuku didn't know why, but he suddenly felt his sins crawl on his back.
But he shrugged it off as looked at Bakugou who was panting from his assault earlier. But other than slight fatigue, he didn't have any damage on him.
Izuku on the other hand was lightly panting with a bit of sweat on his forehead. Some parts of his outfit also had a few burn marks on his outfit from being singed by splash damage from being clipped by explosions.
Thinking that this had gone long enough, Izuku decided to make his move. ''My turn.'' He stomped his right foot forward, sending a wave of bones towards Bakugou who was surprised by the sudden movement but soon propelled himself in the air, avoiding the wave.
While in the air Bakugou put his arms behind his back and used his quirk to launch himself toward Izuku. But before he could reach him, he was suddenly covered in a green glow as he was stopped mid-air. Looking up he saw Izuku with a glowing hand stretched out.
The OFA user then pushed Bakugou to the other side of the room. The latter slammed hard onto the wall with a grunt before falling face-first on the floor in a daze.
Izuku then took a few steps forward to see if he knocked him out, only to see him stir, making him stop in his tracks.
The blond let out a growl as he stood to his feet. ''Now I'm pissed!''
Unfazed, Izuku grinned. ''Good.'' He removed both hands from his pockets as he went into his stance.
''DIE!'' The blond roared as he blasted forward again.
Izuku sent a long bone toward Bakugou who used his quirk to dodge it. But to his chagrin, he was then forced to rapidly dodge a barrage of bones but didn't relent in his charge, even if it meant getting scrapped on the shoulder and cheek a few times.
Once he was close, Bakugou went for a kick but Izuku had already gotten close to him and hit him with a 3% punch to the stomach. Knocking the wind out of him before he was once again sent to the other side of the room with psychokinesis, slamming him onto the wall again.
But as he fell, Bakugou regained focus and quickly landed on his feet with a growl and rushed toward Izuku again, the latter surprised by the quick recovery but with a wave of his hand, sent more bones toward the explosive teen.
But instead of dodging, Bakugou brought his hands together with an explosion ready.
*BOOM*
With the bones dispersed, Bakugou rushed through the smoke with a fist ready in front of the bone user. ''Your mine!'' He yelled as he delivered a successful right hook to the chin, stunning Izuku, and followed up by placing his palms on Izuku's chest before releasing a light explosion.
Now it was Izuku's turn to be sent flying, but quickly recovered as he spawned a bone blade and stabbed it on the ground, stopping himself from touching the wall behind him. After finding his footing he looked at Bakugou who was once again blasting toward him. ''It'll take more than that to beat me you fucker!'' He roared with an angry grin.
''If it were that easy then it wouldn't be fun.'' Izuku retorted with a smile as his eyes flashed.
And before Bakugou could retort, a long bone shot up from the ground and slammed onto his chin, sending him spinning into the air. "Guh!" But Bakugou's tenacity wouldn't allow him to give in and quickly recovered before launching himself toward Izuku. ''You're below me!'' He roared in fury, ignoring the pain from the earlier hits on him.
Izuku then made a bone staff and threw it toward Bakugou, who propelled himself to the side to dodge it. After fixing his trajectory he looked forward again, only to find his opponent to be nowhere in sight.
''Actually, I'm right behind you.'' Bakugou's eyes widened.
Turning his head, he was immediately greeted by a 3% punch to the face, sending him to the ground. Izuku then landed a good distance away from him as he powered down and let his stamina recover a bit.
Bakugou then staggered to his feet and spat to the side before he smiled as he slowly moved his right arm. ''It's ready.'' He formed an almost mad grin as he aimed his arm and let out an unnerving chuckle.
Izuku's glowing eyes narrowed a bit as he went into his fighting stance again. ''My explosions are sparked by the sweat in my palms which is like nitroglycerin.'' Bakugou explained as he pulled the stock of his gauntlet.
Izuku raised an eyebrow, he already knew this so why was he explaining this?
He then eyed the gauntlets thoughtfully before his eyes suddenly widened a bit. "Uh oh." He discretely summoned a bone projectile above Bakugou. ''Now would be a good time to execute the plan.'' He noted that they're currently in the perfect position.
Izuku's lack of response didn't deter Bakugou at all as he grabbed the pin on the right gauntlet. ''Now if the specs are as I asked, then I can store my sweat into this and-''
Bakugou never got to finish his sentence as Izuku sent the bone down on him at high speeds and with a bit of OFA, smashing into the gauntlet's pin, effectively destroying it and stunning Bakugou as well. The latter grunted in pain from the hit as he stared at his damaged gauntlet in shock before glaring hatefully. "WHAT THE FU-"
''Ashido, now!''
The pink teen quickly emerged from the room beside Bakugou with a daring grin. "Roger!" She flung a batch of non-lethal acid on the blond's face.
The effect was immediate as the substance sizzled and steamed a bit, causing Bakugou to let out a scream.''FUCK! IT BURNS!'' He immediately used his good hand to try and nurse his burning eyes.
Ashido then regrouped with Izuku who was preparing for the final move.
FLASHBACK-A FEW MINUTES EARLIER
''Here's what we're going to do.'' Izuku said as he looked into her eyes. ''I need you to use your quirk to cover the floor of this room and the set of stairs with slime.'' He gestured to the room and pointed to the stairs.
This of course confused Ashido as she gave him a head tilt. ''Why would I do that?''
''Because Iida uses a speed quirk." He tapped the floor with his foot as he envisioned it. "With the room and stairs covered in slime, he wouldn't be able to utilize his quirk well, or maybe not at all.'' He explained with a cheeky grin.
Connecting the dots, Ashido mirrored his grin. ''Wow, that's pretty evil.'' She stated in a sly tone.
Izuku looked sheepish at that. ''W-Well, it's not like I mean to be evil.'' He rubbed the back of his head, internally wondering if he should come up with something else.
Thankfully though, she waved a hand. ''Relax dude, I know you don't mean it. Besides, we're on the villain side remember?'' She pointed out in an understanding tone.
This reassured Izuku. ''Right." He smiled before he continued. "With Iida taken cared of, that leaves Bakugou.''
''What do we do with him then?'' Mina nervously asked, knowing full well how scary the blond can be based on what she's seen.
''I'll take him on.'' Izuku's confidence took her aback and intrigued her. ''While I'm fighting him, you'll be hidden in one of the rooms in the hallway. When I give the signal, you'll jump out and spray him with non-lethal acid at his eyes.'' He brought out his capture tape. ''Once he's stunned, I'll deal the final blow and he'll be out of the game.''
Ashido dumbly nodded, impressed with his quick planning. ''But what if he leaves the area? Or how can I even know the signal?'' She didn't want to mess this up, especially with how well-constructed the plan is.
Izuku waved his hand. ''Don't worry, Bakugou relies on close-range combat mostly, so keeping him close won't be a problem. As for the signal…" He winked. "I'll only call you when I know you'll have an opening. But beyond that, I need you to trust me.''
With her confidence rising, Ashido pumped her arms up with a smile. ''It's the best plan we have so far. So I'll follow your lead boss!'' She finished with a mock salute and an excited grin.
Izuku laughed at her infectious energy before gesturing to the room. ''Then let's get started.''
PRESENT TIME
Everything moved in slow motion as Izuku's plan came into play.
Bakugou could hear another set of footsteps. ''It's a fucking trap!'' He started to recover from the burning sensation in his eyes.
Seeing this Izuku covered Bakugou in a green glow as he lifted him, shocking the temporarily blind teen. Before pulling him towards himself as he charged 4% OFA and reared his fist back.
''Say good night!" Izuku shouted as he hit Bakugou with a left hook below his chin.
The blond let out a painful grunt as he fell on his back. ''S-Shit…'' Bakugou groaned as shakily propped himself up with his left elbow and tried to aim his right palm to fire off an explosion. But with the pain from the battle, temporary vision loss, and exhaustion kicking in, he could only let out a breath before falling on his back again as he blacked out.
When he didn't get up again, Izuku and Mina let out a sigh of relief. ''Get dunked on buddy.'' He said with an exhausted smile as he powered down and approached the fallen teen.
He then turned to Mina and offered his capture tape. "I'll hold him up, you capture him." She nodded as she accepted the tape while he held the unconscious teen in the air with his quirk, allowing her to easily bound Bakugou's arms, wrists, and ankles to be together.
[''Bakugou has been Captured!''] All Might called out from their communicators.
Izuku gently lowered the unconscious teen to the ground before turning to Ashido with a big smile and thumbs up. ''Nice.''
Ashido nodded but quickly made a face of concern when she noticed something. ''Dude, your face has a bruise!''
Though understandably shocked, he gently touched his cheek, only to wince. ''Oh yeah, Bakugou had a mean right hook, but don't worry. It doesn't hurt that bad so let's get going, we need to make sure the weapon is secure.'' He waved off before moving on.
Ashido looked like she wanted to disagree but reluctantly nodded before following him as he led the way to the other set of stairs that had no slime on them. ''What do we do about Iida though?''
''Already have a plan.'' Izuku replied without looking back, but Ashido could tell that he was grinning excitedly. She wanted to ask for more details, but from the short time she spent with him, she figured that he's an honest type of guy that shouldn't be doubted.
Plus, he looks cute when he's excited.
Realizing where her thoughts were going, she felt her face heat up a bit. Thankfully Izuku was too busy climbing the steps to notice.
She wasn't sure what those thoughts meant but one thing was for sure, she had a lot to think about when the trial is over.
U.A. GROUNDS-INSIDE THE OBSERVATION ROOM
All Might had a bigger smile on his face than before, proud of his successor's skills and planning. And even more pleased that his partner was able to coordinate well and put her skillset to excellent use.
He was also glad Izuku stopped Bakugou from using his gauntlet. The damage caused could have been catastrophic to both sides. All Might then looked at another screen and couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for Iida, who had just finished climbing the stairs before kneeling on the ground for a moment to appreciate solid footing.
In the meantime, Izuku's classmates were having their discussion.
''Man, his quirk sure is something isn't it?'' Said Kirishima, making most of his classmates agree.
Yaoyorozu nodded and voiced her thoughts. ''It is quite the unusual kind; it makes you wonder what else he is capable of.'' She wore a thoughtful look as she hummed at the possibilities, making most of them think too.
''Well one thing's for sure, I'm glad he's on our side.'' Kaminari said making them shudder at the thought of Izuku being a villain.
U.A. GROUNDS-SIMULATION BUILDING-BOMB ROOM
Upon finishing what he can describe as a hellish climb, Iida took a moment to thank everything for solid footing before running to the bomb room.
And upon entering, he paled at the sight before him.
At the center was the doomsday device, but that wasn't the only thing. The floors were covered with the same slimy substance that made it difficult, but not impossible to use his quirk.
His observations were interrupted when he saw Izuku and Ashido calmly emerge from the back of the device. ''Heya.'' The OFA user stood in front of the bomb, putting himself between Iida and the device. While Ashido stood to the side of the room staying alert in case of any sudden movement from the taller teen.
''First of...'' Izuku said in a regretful tone that caught both students off guard. ''Sorry about that whole stairs thing, I never meant to make you angry or anything.''
Off to the side, Ashido smiled as her impressions were confirmed. ''Yep, definitely an incredibly kind person."
Recovering from his surprise, Iida smiled at his kindness. But then wore a serious expression, making his opponents tense a bit. ''I don't need your apologies villain!'' He got into his fighting stance. ''Though my companion is beaten, know that I will never surrender!'' He shouted with clenched fists and a dramatic pose.
''So serious!'' Both students sweatdropped at the over-the-top acting.
Deciding to have some fun, Izuku smirked. ''I admire your spirit." He chuckled. "If that's the case then I better not disappoint.'' He took his left hand out of his pockets and snapped his fingers.
When nothing appeared to happen, both Iida and Ashido were confused by this. The tall teen was about to speak until Izuku casually pointed upwards with his left index finger, wearing a big grin on his face.
Following the direction of his finger both students looked up, only to feel their blood run cold. Even his other classmates in the observation room, apart from All Might who remained calm and focused, paled at the sight.
Above Izuku were two medium-sized Gaster blasters looking ready to unleash hell. Behind the OFA user, floating bones formed, but that was the least of Iida's worries.
''So those are the blasters…'' Ashido gulped as she watched the blasters lower themselves and took their positions on both of Izuku's sides with glares that could kill.
With the blasters in position, Izuku's grin turned wicked. "So...hero." Both cannons began charging up with low growls. ''Are you ready for my SPECIAL ATTACK?'' The bone projectiles hovering behind him aimed at the tall teen.
This made both teens tense up, but for different reasons. Ashido knew Izuku wouldn't severely hurt his friend, but from what she's seen so far, she thought about taking cover somewhere.
As for Iida, he saw what those blasters can do firsthand. Just the mere thought of him going against that much firepower terrified him. And even with his quirk, the slime that covered the room made it impossible to run at full speed.
But still, in this situation, a hero must never give in, despite the massive odds stacked against him. So his response was clear….
''Come at me villain!'' Iida shouted as he steadied his stance, shocking Ashido.
Izuku smiled in respect then shrugged. ''Alright." The glow in his eyes increased as green electricity emanated from his body, making them sweat. ''Here goes nothing.'' Both teens braced for whatever was coming while the others waited with bated breaths.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
[''The Villain Team wins!''] All Might called over the coms, startling Ashido and Iida. Meanwhile, Izuku made all his weapons despawn and chuckled upon seeing their dumbfounded faces.
''Huh?'' Was the only thing Iida could say, as Ashido also looked to Izuku for an explanation.
The OFA user snickered. ''That's right, it's literally nothing.'' His grin became wide. ''You get it?'' He shrugged before laughing.
After registering what he said, both of their eyes widened, though Iida and Ashido had different reactions.
As for the observation room, everyone there did the famous 'Face vault' at Izuku's joke apart from All Might who guffawed.
Once he processed what happened, Iida turned to Izuku in awe. ''Not only did you make a perfect plan, but you used your knowledge of your enemies' quirks to your advantage." The teen bowed in respect. "Rest assured, I'll take this as a learning experience, and I don't plan on losing to you next time.'' He straightened up and walked up to offer a handshake.
Izuku smiled as he shook it. ''Glad to see that there aren't any hard feelings buddy.'' Iida nodded and as for Mina, she's been spending this whole time laughing at the silliness of the situation.
''GODDAMNIT! DEKU!'' A sudden shout was heard as a tremor was felt throughout the building.
Iida and Izuku sweatdropped before the latter turned to his friend. ''I think Bakugou woke up.'' The casual remark caused Ashido to double down in laughter while the taller teen pinched the bridge of his nose with a tired smile.
LATER-BACK WITH THE CLASS
Needless to say, Izuku was deemed to be the MVP of the game. Since he was the one that came up with a solid plan to counter Bakugou and Iida. And though all the praise was appreciated, he made sure to give Ashido credit as well. A gesture that got her to give him, in his opinion, the most beautiful smile he's ever seen.
Bakugou remained silent but Izuku knew it was just him reflecting on his actions and that there wasn't any bad blood between them, making him glad for his friend's growth.
While watching the other battles, he observed everyone's quirks. One that caught his attention was Todoroki Shoto. He watched as the stoic teen covered an entire building in ice with no signs of fatigue, which was all he needed to keep an eye on him.
His thoughts then drifted to Mina, as she sat on the other side of the room talking to her friends. His experience while being with her was refreshing, even though it was short. She was fun to be around and very understanding. She may make him tongue-tied, but in all honesty, he didn't mind one bit. There was just this…charm to her that made him want to spend more time with her, but he didn't know the best way to do it.
But then again….
''If I don't find out the answer, then I never will.'' He formed a somber look. Sure being rejected will hurt, but living the rest of your life without knowing will hurt even more.
On the bright side, even if it doesn't work out, the best outcome would be becoming friends at least. With that in mind, Izuku decided to make his move when classes were dismissed. But not without talking to a friend.
AFTER CLASSES
Mina Ashido was in deep thought.
The young teen was currently by herself as she made her way home.
Unsurprisingly her thoughts centered around our green hero. At first, she found her classmate to be underwhelming. But after spending a short time with him, it was clear that her initial impression and the impressions of others were flawed.
After all, never judge a book by its cover.
Just by talking to him, it was clear enough that not only is he incredibly smart, but he also has a brave side to him. He's kind and possesses a strong drive to be a hero. All in all, she wanted to get to know him more when she got the chance.
''Hey Ashido!''
Glancing behind her, she was greeted by the subject of her thoughts. ''Speak of the devil.'' Mina mentally chuckled as he approached.
She was about to ask what he wanted until Izuku spoke. ''S-Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to ask you something.'' He asked in a low voice, but she heard it.
''Sure dude, what's up?'' She asked, fully turning around.
Though very red-faced, Izuku looked at Ashido with a determined expression. He then opened his mouth to say something…