Chapter Two: What is Strong?

Izuku ended up taking the next day off of school in order to recover emotionally from the event, and the next two days where normally scheduled days off, so Izuku ended up with three whole days to figure out what he was gonna do when he got back to class.

While he could tell everyone he had been sick, he wasn't sure how long he could hide his quirk from the class. Or if he should just get it over with and tell them up front. The Quirk Man wasn't some big secret after all, they knew it could happen. Someone had even joked about him getting a quirk from him a few weeks ago. But if they pushed him to show off his quirk, that would be hard. Unlike some people he knew, he wasn't a naturally angry person. And then it would look like he lied to them all, which probably wouldn't go over well with them. Especially Kacchan.

While Kacchan was a good person at heart, he was terrible at showing it and was a jerk to him. He liked calling him Deku and weakling after all, because he was quirkless. So if he tried saying he got a quirk, but couldn't show it? He knew that the boy would definitely show off his quirk on him.

And if he did show it, then what? Would things get better? Or would they still tease him for being forced to take a quirk, and try to get him angry so he would use his quirk?

Because right now, he could not control his quirk. If he was angry, he got stronger. That was that. He couldn't shut it off and on like most people could. That was a problem, because of a second thing he realized.

Anger wasn't just stuff like hate or being mad at someone. Simple stuff, like frustration or annoyed, could cause it too. Simple stuff like not getting the rice ball you made to hold together right or that you can beat a certain level in a video game could cause a boost in power. It didn't get him to super strength, but was like a strong adult man than some nerdy boy. The crack in his game controller and the kitchen drawer that didn't slide right anymore were proof of that. He didn't even realize that he had the power boost until he saw the results, which was concerning.

The time he tried to get mad, to get angry so he could use the quirk (just to see if he could easily pick up the couch), he felt the surge of anger flow through him. It took forever to charge up, but he felt it. But otherwise he didn't feel anything. He had a lot to learn about this new quirk, a lot he wanted to know before he could show it off. So he came to the conclusion that he would hide it until he could control it. Then he would tell everyone the truth about it and how he got it. That was what he told himself when he was going to school.

That worked until P.E. class.

It had been, of all things, basketball, that got him into trouble. His coordination had never been excellent, so he was already mediocre when it came to dribbling the ball. As for shooting, nobody in class could be called a good shot on the regulation sized hoops, but the streak he had of missing jumpshots was getting embarrassing.

The boys in his class who weren't involved in Kacchan's 3v3 game had seen his plight and had begun egging him on to try and make one. He made a layup, but they didn't say it was good enough. It had to be a jumpshot.

"Come on guys, don't make me hog the hoop." Izuku tried to use logic, they couldn't play if he was the only one shooting.

"Come on," One of the boys prodded, " if you can't do anything else, you can at least make a shot."

"Come on Midoriya, no one can be this bad at basketball." Another pried into him, getting Izuku to take another shot. CLANG!

"Twenty-Four!" Izuku got thrown back the ball by the person who got the rebound. This time it hit the side of the backboard and never touched the rim.

"Twenty-Five!" The boys chanted. Izuku was passed the ball again, and couldn't believe his luck. He wasn't this bad, was he? The next shot was a heartbreaker, as it rolled around the rim twice before falling off to the side. Izuku clenched his teeth. He was thrown the ball again.

"Twenty-Six!" Airball, it was brutal. He tried for such a high angle, and it whiffed. No one noticed how high the ball bounced when it hit the ground but just passed back to him when they ran it down.

"Twenty-Seven!" Dang it! Why did this always happen to him! He was folding under pressure

"Will he make it to thirty?" "Worst Shot Ever!" "He has to be doing it on purpose." They chatted to themselves as Izuku felt something rush through him. He didn't even think about his new quirk. He got the ball, and made a simple plan, Bank it off the back of the backboard and let it plop in. Dribble. Dribble. Shot.

SMASH!

Everyone froze. The ball limply fell through the net as everyone turned to the noise. The metal backboard had crumpled from the impact of the ball hitting it with such force.

"What the hell happened?"

"Who did it?"

"I thought I told you no using your quirk in class!"

The most poignant question, that everyone heard loud and clear, was when one of the guys picking on him asked, "Midoriya, how did you do that?"

…

He had been sent to the principal for damaging school equipment, where he had been forced to reveal his quirk to the man. A call to his mother and e-mail of the medical report confirmed what he was saying was true. With that cleared up, the administration proved understanding of the circumstances but firmly reminded Izuku he need to work on controlling his temper if this was the case. He already knew that, but he was happy to hear they weren't gonna charge his mom for repairs. By the time they were done in the office, the school day had ended. But Izuku wasn't allowed to leave in peace. Most of his class were waiting around for him, with Kacchan leading the pack. He knew what was coming, and didn't wanna deal with it. He also knew he wasn't going to have a say in the matter.

Weakly walking up to the gathering of classmates, Izuku didn't bother looking directly at Kacchan. He just waited for him to begin the conversation.

"So Deku, I heard what about happened in the gym. Wanna tell us how the hell you did that? You're a weakling, and you almost put a basketball through a backboard? What gives?" Bakugou cracked his knuckles, their classmates muttering behind him in agreement and saying similar things.

Izuku took a gulp and tried to calm his nerves. "L-last week, when I w-was out sick… I wasn't really sick. I was re-recovering." He stuttered his lines, his attempt having failed.

Being prompted by some of his classmates question of 'from what?', Izuku continued. "I-I got visited by the Quirk Man."

Gasps came over the crowd of students. They all knew who he was, and how he was supposedly giving quirks to quirkless people.

Izuku heard the murmurs, and noticed Bakugou getting even more on edge, so he just continued. "I didn't… I didn't want the quirk. He stole it from s-someone else. B-but he forced me to take it. It r-really hurt so I had to go to the hospital."

Bakugou listened to his longtime classmate and seemed to contemplate what he said. "So Deku, what is your shitty quirk called." The rest of the class seemed interested in this as well. None of them knew anybody who was given a quirk, and had been too young to remember much about when others had gotten their quirks.

"The doctor's call it "Anger Boost". It basically uses the chemicals that make you mad and angry to make me super tough and strong. So, uh, ya know, the madder and stuff I get the stronger and tougher I become."

"So you got mad at not being able to make a shot, and did that in gym?" One of his earlier harassers asked?

Izuku shrugged. "And you didn't let me stop so that got me...mad I guess." It was so awkward. So many eyes on him, all about something he couldn't handle yet. Chatter erupted and he was hearing it all.

"So Izuku has a quirk, huh?"

"It figures the Quirk Man would get him."

"Izuku is such a pushover, it's a bad quirk."

"This quirk makes me ya know, not wanna mess with him."

"Kinda sounds like a villian quirk."

"My uncle told me about an old comic character like that."

"Sounds like a perfect quirk for Bakugou."

"Don't piss him off then, huh?"

"That quirk seems like it'd be perfect for a bad guy though."

"Everyone picks on him, seems like the backstory of a villain doesn't it?"

"That's a bad guy quirk if I have heard one."

He had enough. So many people were saying things about it that he couldn't accept about him.

"H-hey, don't talk about me like that. This quirk… I don't care what it seems like. I'm going to be a hero, and the best hero that there is! Just like All Might!"

"Whatever, shitty Deku. Even if you become a hero, you'll just be a weakling." Kacchan sent him crashing down to Earth.

Izuku glared at Kacchan. He was on edge, and didn't like what he was saying. "I don't care what you think. I'm gonna be the best hero in the world, it doesn't matter what my quirk does!"

Bakugou just laughed. "First off, I'm gonna be the best. Secondly, I don't care what you think. You are a weakling, no matter what your quirk lets you do."

His backbone was on display today, as Izuku countered back. "You don't get to decide that, Kacchan."

"I'm not deciding it, it's a fact of life. I'm the best, and you Deku are a weakling." Kacchan wasn't backing down on his argument.

"Oh, Bakugou, you might wanna back off. You might make him angry."

"Yeah, I bet he doesn't know his own strength."

"He is definitely gonna use the quirk on you."

Voices in the crowd tried to warn Bakugou, but he ignored them. He was just glaring him down.

"I'm not gonna fight anyone. I just...I just wanna go home." Deciding that continuing this wasn't in his best interests and began to walk away. To the surprise of everyone, Bakugou did nothing to stop him.

So Izuku was surprised when, a few blocks away from his place, he ran into him again. He had taken a longer route home in order to think, and it seemed like this was something the boy had set up. He was standing next to a light post with his arms crossed, staring him down. He couldn't avoid him so he just decided to try and walk on by. Kacchan didn't try and stop him but he did speak up.

"I just want you to remember, Deku, I mean what I say. You are a weakling. It doesn't matter if you have a quirk or not. That is just who you are. Deal with it."

Izuku clenched his fist. He then unclenched it, knowing he couldn't get angry at him. It wouldn't help matters. "I don't care what you think Kacchan. I'm gonna be a hero, the best hero I can be. I can't let stuff you call me stop that." He was amazed how well he was holding his own against his long term classmate.

"Clean out your ears, ya dweeb. I never said you can't be a hero. You'll just be a shitty one, cause you're a weakling. I hate it that you think you can be the best, because you can't."

"Because you think you will be?"

"Because I know I will be, first off Deku. And secondly, as long as you keep choosing to be a weakling, you'll never be anything you pretend to be. So I don't care about your shitty quirk, or whatever puny ideas you have. Just remember to stay outta my way." Bakugou left, seeming to have gotten his message across.

One that confused Izuku. That seemed totally unneeded, he had made his viewpoints pretty clear in the past and at school. But the bigger thing that stayed on Izuku's mind was something he had said. About choosing to be a weakling. What did he mean choose to be one? Why would he choose to be weak? So what, did he think he could choose to be strong?

Was Kacchan telling him something here? Was he...trying to help?

What did he mean by strong? Like physically strong? He was never impressive athletically, something that had been pointed out often. Did he mean he had to get stronger like that? Or did he mean like...get stronger emotionally?

He was awkward, and could stutter, and didn't like dealing with large groups of people and didn't make friends well, and cried a lot.

Izuku suddenly understood Kacchan so much better. He might not have agreed on some of the things he thought, but things clicked. Kacchan didn't think he was strong, that he was a weakling. And that he didn't even try to be strong. Kacchan was strong, so why should he like some person who didn't even try to be strong?

Over dinner, he asked his mom if they could order some weights for him to use. And that night, he set his alarm clock to thirty minutes earlier so he could exercise in the morning. And he promised himself he wouldn't stutter once tomorrow.

Izuku was going to prove Kacchan wrong. He was going to be strong, and he was going to be a great hero!

Once he figured out how to control his quirk. He had time though. He didn't have to worry about getting into his dream high school, U.A. for four years. And by then...he would be strong.

So surprise, quick update. Don't expect this too often. I'm just on a roll. So again, more setup, more Izuku working on himself and Bakugou getting some characterization on my part that makes him...a bit better and less jerky? I don't have his hero name yet (I doubt it's gonna be Deku though). Going to throw a wrench into the universe next chapter though, so look forward to that. Have a good one!