"Ashido?"
From her trance, the pink girl blinked rapidly, and rubbed her eyes, trying to dispel the fatigue that had settled over her like a blanket. A light yawn escaped her mouth as her vision cleared, revealing several of her friends looking at her with concern written all over their faces. She felt a bead of sweat drip down her brow as she realized they must have been watching her for some time.
"S-sorry! I didn't sleep much the night before," she said with a warm laugh. It hadn't been a lie, either. Her sleep schedule the last few nights had left something to be desired. Whether it was because she'd been forced into staying up late in order to finish some last minute exam-cramming, or maybe it was because her of rising anxiety over the upcoming test, the end result was her missing out on several hours of sleep.
Of course, she knew at least part of it was due to the 'Midoriya Conflict'. She had made very little progress on that front, and it was beginning to mess with her head. She had attempted to talk to him a few times, but between the revelation of exams, and the rising rigors of the Hero Course, she'd been forced to limit the interactions she had with him. Lunch was one of the few times she got to see him, but more often than not, she found herself dozing off by accident.
"Do you need to see Recovery Girl?" Jirou asked uneasily.
Mina rolled her eyes. "I'm fine! Besides; now that those written exams are done, I can relax!"
A look of relief washed over the table at the mere mention of the written exams. Kaminari, in particular, was ecstatic, and was showing it off with giant smiles and an almost radiant energy. It was as if someone had replaced his electricity with good vibes, and they were crackling around his body, lifting everyone's mood, instead of their hair.
"That's true," Sero said with a grin. "All that's left is the practical exam. And that'll be a piece of cake!"
"I wouldn't get too cocky," Yaoyorozu said softly, a look of uncertain flashing in her eye. "While they're just robots, it wouldn't be U.A. if they didn't add some sort of trick in."
While everyone else spoke, Mina found her gaze slowly drifting one table over, to where a certain green-haired boy was sitting. He was ravenously digging into his food, barely pausing to breathe, but somehow, finding the time to laugh at something Todoroki mumbled. She smiled; seeing those two become such close friends was unusual, but she was happy to see them work past their intense battle from the Sports Festival. Ordinarily, maybe she wouldn't really have noticed, and maybe in another world, she would've been partially blind to Midoriya, but with everything she'd learnt as of late, she was finding him more and more interesting.
During class, she would often catch his eye, causing a tinge of pink to touch his cheeks, and force him to look away bashfully, eliciting a giggle from her, and a scolding from the teacher. Sometimes, she'd even brush by him between classes, offering him a warm smile and a pleasant greeting, which he'd return, albeit, with some stammering. He was quickly becoming one of her favorite people to interact with, just by his reactions and genuine pleasure in seeing her. He was... unique, she'd come to decide.
Plain to look at from afar, but unique to interact with.
"Earth to Ashido?" The girl blinked again; had she been staring? Kaminari failed to stifle his laughter, only ceasing when Jirou's earjack stabbed him in the arm, drawing a sharp yelp. He rubbed his arm and glared at the purple-haired girl, but turned to Ashido. "You were doing it again."
"Doing what again?" She asked, playing the clueless card. Maybe she could talk her way out of it...
Sero smirked. "Staring off at Midoriya." He turned to the rest of the table, and with his trademark grin, held up five fingers. "I think that's five times? How many times has that happened, Kaminari?"
"I'm thinking... around at least seven times," the electricity-user replied.
"Who cares how many times, huh?" Jirou interrupted. "Could be worse; she could be looking at, like, Bakugou."
Mina blanched. Now that would've been interesting if he'd been the one picked to wield One-For-All. Did he even have the right personality to be gifted such a prestigious quirk? Could he even use One-For-All? She didn't even know if someone with a quirk could hold a second one. Judging by the Nomu's she'd seen, people with multiple quirks became mindless fairly fast... and there wasn't exactly any way to check and see how many quirks it took to reduce them to their mindless state.
Could just two do it? Based on what she'd seen, One-For-All packed some serious power. If it was determined by the power of the quirk, then paired with Bakugou's current quirk... he probably would go insane. But... she shivered. Thinking about him with both quirks was... slightly terrifying. He was already powerful - adding something like One-For-All into the equation might just turn him into a monster.
"No defense?" Kaminari asked slyly. Mina snorted.
"You keep thinking I'm looking at Midoriya, but maybe I'm not." She stuck out her tongue. "I could be looking at someone else... like..."
"Iida?" Jirou asked with a teasing smile.
"Yeah, Ii- wait, no. I'll take Midoriya."
"There's nothing wrong with him, he's got fairly good legs," Sero supplied in defense of their Class President. Mina didn't have a single thing against the bespectacled teenager; she admired his straight-forward drive, and his resolve toward being a man of the rules. That did not, however, mean she supported that pursuit, and she firmly believed that rules were meant to be bent, broken, shattered, and ignored when the time called for it.
Besides; if she had to admit who she was staring at, Midoriya was one of the best options she knew of
"True, but you've seen Midoriya," Kaminari said shamelessly. "He's pretty ripped for a guy who looks so small."
A faint blush dusted Jirou's face. "You guys have no shame. I'm try'na eat here."
"His quirk is super-strength," Mina said defensively. Truthfully, she had no idea why she was rising to his defense - up to this point, she wouldn't have even guessed he was 'ripped'.
That didn't mean she wasn't slightly curious.
"True... it's just a.. weird super strength." Sero began causally spinning the remnants of his soup in the bowl with his spoon, resting his head on his hand by propping his arm up. "Like; breaking yourself with each use?"
If Mina's attention wasn't fully on her friends before, it was now.
Jirou shrugged. "I mean, he did say like once that he was a late bloomer, didn't he?"
"Speaking of weird quirks... what's the weird one you guys have ever seen...?" Ashido tried her best to ask the question as casually as she could, and was pleased when no one gave her a second glance.
"I once saw an horned owl with actual horns at a zoo," Kaminari responded. He seemed deep in thought, and even though it was kind of what Mina had meant, it was also not anywhere near the level she was hoping. "It was pretty cool, though it was still like an owl."
"Dork," Jirou muttered, though she seemed slightly amused. "I had a classmate who could pass his emotions to someone if he touched them." Mina's eyes darted to Jirou, who was casually spinning her earjack around her finger. "But as soon as he let go, they'd go back to feeling whatever they were feeling before."
"Transmission, huh?" Sero asked. "I knew a kid who could do something kinda similar. If he locked eyes with you, he could like, whisper in your head. It was cool, but also kind of scary when you just randomly heard a voice in your head. It seemed kinda impractical, too. Like, what could you do with something like that?"
Kaminari snapped his fingers. "Oh! You could pretend to be a ghost!"
"Would... would it be weird for someone to be able to pass their quirk on?"
Everyone at the table looked direct at Mina, who suddenly felt very self-conscious. She looked between everyone, and put her hands up defensively. "W-what? I'm just asking!"
"Their quirk...? I mean... I dunno, it seems kinda wild, to be honest." Sero readjusted himself so that he was leaning back in his chair. "That also seems super impractical. Like, why would you want to pass it on?"
Because you're looking for a successor who will stop one of Japan's greatest enemies, and is already moving behind the scenes to try and kill everyone?
Of course, Mina was silent. She had to be.
"How would you know you could?" Kaminari mumbled aloud, and while it seemed stupid, Mina had to admit, it was actually a good question. How did the first holder of One-For-All even know he could pass on his quirk? Just because he was given a quirk... did that mean he suddenly knew the two had merged? He must have - otherwise, he wouldn't have known to pass it on, nor would he have known someone would be stronger than he was at some point.
The gentle chime of the lunch bell brought an immediate halt to their conversation, and just like that, everyone stood up with renewed vigor, and zero knowledge about the topic they'd just spoken about. Kaminari stretched his torso by reaching to the ceiling, grinning to himself as he felt his blood pump with gusto, his body practically vibrating at the thought of getting to electrocute some robots.
Mina was less excited; her mind adrift as she considered everyone's reactions. Just as she'd expected, nobody really thought it possible that the a quirk could be passed on. Admittedly, she'd kind of taken a gamble that no one would be suspicious with her asking, but she didn't really have much of a choice, either. She had made zero progress up until this point, and it had been several days already. She needed... something! She needed to start somewhere, and her friends seemed like a good place!
Well, they had, anyways.
Now she was back to square... zero.
As she sighed with resignation, and stood up to toss her bowl into the dish drawer for washing purposes, she caught the passing gaze of Jirou, and a slight shiver ran down her spine as the hearing-heroine seemed to be giving her a deeper stare than normal. But, as fast as her gaze had come, it vanished, and Jirou was back to looking at her yellow-haired friend, leaving Mina to wonder:
What in the world was that...?
She failed.
Utterly. Spectacularly. Horrifically.
Really, it didn't matter what adjective she used, it didn't change the outcome. She had failed so miserably that she was actually ashamed to show her face to her classmates. She knew they'd seen her, though. She almost laughed bitterly, thinking about how she and Kaminari had been running around like chickens without heads, desperately trying to avoid Nezu's calculated and precise strikes. She hadn't bothered to stop and think about anything - she left the thinking up to Kaminari and tried to provide the muscle, which hilariously had backfired.
Who was she kidding?
A failing grade like that was beyond disheartening. It was practically crippling. She had worked so hard in studying for that written exam that she'd just believed that she was owed a passing grade on the practical. She had figured the girl from 1-B was right - and she was completely unprepared for what was awaiting her. There wasn't a single rational reason she had that would protect her from the truth - she'd just screwed up, big time.
"D-Damn..." Kaminari mumbled listlessly. They'd finally reached the compound, but he was hesitant to walk inside, to face his waiting classmates. Ashido couldn't blame him - she was just as hesitant. He slammed his fist into the wall, but it lacked power, despite the frustration that was undoubtedly boiling under the surface, as his anger was replaced with... the numbing reality that they'd failed. "I-I'm sorry, Ashido..."
She shook her head slowly. "It's not your entirely your fault. I'm half to blame."
The yellow-haired teenager was silent, his fist still pressed against the wall, a long sigh escaping his lips. "I didn't..." He paused. "T-this whole time... were we screwed from the beginning?"
Mina looked up at him, raising her head for what felt like the first time since they'd been told they failed. His face was twisted with both poorly masked anger and sorrow, casting a dark look on his face that seemed relatively foreign. "A genius against... what, us? No offense, but we're the two worst in the class for grades. It hardly seems like a coincidence."
"That's because it wasn't." Kirishima, from the doorway, spoke solemnly and softly, though his voice seemed strained, like he, too, was angry. "You saw Sato and I. Two of the class's more direct attackers against one of the most ranged teachers we had? It's no coincidence. Midoriya even said so - it was a test, designed to beat us."
Kaminari grit his teeth. "So why -"
"Because we're not kids anymore." Kirishima's voice turned hard - harder than even his body. He looked at the two, directly, with his red eyes, and barely tried to contain his seething emotions, despite his normally friend demeanor. "We've been attacked once, and some of us have even been attacked twice. Todoroki. Iida." He paused, and Mina suddenly had an idea of who the last person he was going to say was. "Midoriya. All of them... they're above us because they're willing to do what needs to be done."
"And that is...?" Kaminari asked.
"Go beyond."
It was their motto, of course. Everyone knew U.A's motto - from the famous Sport's Festival, to the community service U.A students provided, everybody knew about the rigors the students would undergo whilst branding the U.A. colors. They were the top dogs - and there wasn't a single person who could ignore that, rival or not. But to embody those words was far harder than it sounded. It wasn't just about being smart. It wasn't just about being strong. It was more than the individual power of their quirks. It was more than their backgrounds or potential.
It was about their ability to adapt, overcome, and triumph. It was about their willingness to put their nose to the grindstone and power through, using any and every tactic that could possibly change the outcome to be in their favor. For someone like Bakugou, who was innately powerful, physically and with his quirk, and had the drive to become the number one, no matter what, it came naturally, but was still embodied. Todoroki, who, despite his upbringing and father, was willing to break his own personal code when push came to shove, even if it took some coaxing. His power was grand, but no amount of power could have saved him from the Hero Killer if he'd been unwilling to do whatever he could.
For someone like Midoriya, who was the physical embodiment of Plus Ultra. Only Mina knew his conditions, but she didn't even have to know about One-For-All to understand he had risen from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the crop in half a semester. Through the blood, sweat and tears, he'd forged a path that left everyone awestruck and flabbergasted, not even bothering to concern himself with what happened to his body along the way. Dangerous and reckless, yes, but as long as his body functioned, he was good to go and willing to duke it out for another round.
It was easy to stare in awe at the "Big Three", or the silently voted most powerful students in the class. As far as 1-B went, Mina didn't have a clue, but she knew that they were all familiar with the power of Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugou. After all - they'd made it clear during the Sports Festival who was on top, and who was looking up. It was less about who won, and more about how they performed, and for Mina, she wasn't impressed with her own performance, especially considering the stakes. But at the end of the day, there were no excuses. As powerful as they were, they're weren't unsurpassable. They were human - and they had limits, same as anyone.
"I'm not saying we need to lose ourselves and ditch the fun." Kirishima's voice has softened, and his expression had fallen, revealing the very things that Mina was feeling herself. Exhaustion. Disappointment. Reluctant understanding. They'd failed because of their own shortcomings, not because of how the test was designed. "We just... need to figure it out."
Kaminari groaned lightly. "Yeah... yeah, I get it. It just..." He paused. "Sucks."
"We'll get there," Mina said. She meant it. She wasn't going to settle for the bottom. "We just gotta stay positive."
From inside the room, the loud intercom that overlooked each battlefield blared to life, with the same bland voice that had announced all of the prior battle trials. "Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku, battle trial to commence."
Mina looked at her two friends, and offered them weak smiles. "Well, I guess if we're going to turn that corner, watching All Might in action would be the best idea, huh?"
"Those two are so screwed," Kaminari said with a shudder. "I mean, Nezu is one thing... but fricken' All Might?"
"If anyone can do it, it's gonna be those two," Kirishima admitted.
"Well c'mon!" Mina said, trying to squash the still aching disappointment that was radiating through her brain. "Let's root them on!"
She didn't wait for them to respond - she actually did want to see the fight, despite the knowledge that if they won, the gap would only appear that much larger between her and the top. After all, anyone that could best All Might in combat was... well, it was easiest to believe they weren't even real. Considering he was using numerous strength reducers, plus the fact that he'd passed his quirk on (though, only she knew that part), Mina truly believed that they had a chance. A small one, but it was there.
Part of her also yearned to watch Midoriya versus his mentor - it was the stuff that manga was written about! The student aiming to surpass the teacher... it was the classic shonen situation. She hadn't really seen Midoriya fight since unlocking his new... 'Full-Cowl', or whatever he called it. She'd seen his mobility increase exponentially, but she'd only heard in passing that his combat had improved, too.
Walking into the room, Mina's eyes widened as she noticed all of the teachers that had conducted their battle tests were also in the room, staring at the screen with keen interest. Hagakure took notice and gestured for Mina to come over by waving a gloved hand frantically, and calling out. "Ashido, c'mere! I saved you a spot!"
The pink girl bounded over, ignoring the looks she received from her classmates. She knew they meant well, but she didn't care to be reminded of her shortcomings. That didn't stop Hagakure, though. "I'm sorry you didn't pass... I thought you did okay, too! The Principle is... scary..."
"I wouldn't really say I did okay." She didn't believe that for a second. "We panicked and that's why we failed. But... we'll improve from here! We all will!"
"That's the spirit." Mina glanced over at Yaoyorozu, who was smiling widely, and seemed... much more confident? Her head seemed higher, and her posture just a tad bit improved - but most notably, her eyes were shining, and there was a spark that had been missing for awhile. "Failure happens to everyone - at some point, I promise, everyone in this class will experience it. But when you fail, you have the unique opportunity to learn from it and improve."
While it wasn't as uplifting as the tall girl had probably intended, it did somewhat alleviate the gnawing disappointment in Mina's head, and she felt herself lightened a little bit more. She offered the Creation-user a soft smile and a thumbs up. "Yeah... we'll get better. All of us." She spared Kirishima and Kaminari a glance - who were being hounded by some of her male classmates, with Kaminari getting 'lectured' by Mineta (a thought that made Mina's blood boil), and Kirishima getting sympathy from Sero.
They had good friends. All of them.
"A-ah! All Might really isn't holding back!" Hagakure said suddenly, and Ashido remembered the ongoing match. She watched just in time to see All Might - a man she, as well as almost every student in Class 1-A revered growing up - drive a guard-rail through Midoriya's body, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat like a wall had been put up inside her. Had he...?
The screen was image-only, so there was no audio to accompany the action, but thankfully, Midoriya's expression was more shocked than pain, as he was driven into the dirt with force. His body made a slight crater, but somehow (and Mina had no idea how), he looked relatively alright, though his face morphed into shock as Bakugou received a direct punch to his solar plexus, sending him careening backward.
From her chair, Mina could hear the scolding from Recovery Girl as she not-so-silently fumed. "Crazy oaf is going to completely overdo it...!"
Everyone watched in apt attention as All Might knelt down to say something to the gasping blonde-haired boy, and despite their lack of audio, they could tell whatever he said didn't resonate well with the explosive boy as he scowled and glared holes into the larger, more experienced hero. All Might seemed to sigh, before cocking his fist back, but what came next drew various exclamations from around the room.
"Did Midoriya just punch Bakugou?!"
"D-Deku?!"
"Why would you strike your teammate...?"
"Yeah! Screw that guy!" Mina glanced at Mineta, who was... celebrating? She shook her head - she'd never understand that kid.
Though she couldn't pretend like she didn't somewhat enjoy that. "Wow, good hit!" She even said aloud, drawing a snort from Hagakure, and a raised eyebrow from Yaoyorozu. She didn't hold back - it was a good hit.
Midoriya said something to Bakugou - what that was, however, wasn't quite clear - and picked him up with ease, before hopping away, into a nearby alley, but outside the vision of All Might. Despite his lack of 'bunny ears', Mina couldn't quite help the resemblance she saw in his movements, when she compared him to a furry rabbit. He was even kinda cute like one.
"That Midoriya sure has some power, huh?" Kirishima said in fascination.
"His radiant power grows every day~" Aoyama said to no one in particular. But he wasn't wrong, either.
Tokoyami crossed his arms. "Bakugou is no pushover, either. That was a strong hit, but so far, he's been on the receiving end of everything. He can't have much more room for error if he wants to pass."
Factually speaking, Tokoyami was right. While Midoriya had been 'stapled' into the ground, he hadn't really received any injuries thus far - that Mina had seen anyways, since she had been distracted at the beginning - and he was fresh. Rattled, perhaps, but fresh nonetheless. Bakugou, though, had taken a direct punch from Midoriya, and an uppercut from All Might. Just one punch from Japan's greatest hero had to feel like getting hit by an incoming truck.
So far, they'd managed to evade All Might for the most part, but their poor cooperation was already hindering them. If they had any chance of winning... Mina clenched her fist subconsciously.
'Don't you dare break your bones, Midori...'
"I wonder what they'll do now..." Iida mumbled. "Surely facing All Might head-on is a grievous error?"
"Perhaps not." Aizawa muttered for the first time, breaking the silence that had befallen the teachers. "Between those two, their power is formidable. When facing a stronger opponent, you don't need to overpower them initially. But you do need to know when you can overpower them. Everyone here is fighting time."
"What do you mean, Mr. Aizawa?" Tsuyu asked. "All Might doesn't have a time limit, right? Ribbit."
For a second, Mina was confused. Time limits? She'd recalled something that Thirteen had mentioned back at the USJ about All Might running out of time; at the time, she hadn't really thought anything about it. But, with the new revelations she'd come across, perhaps it made sense that All Might couldn't use his quirk for as long as he did. It was like a canister, she imagined. If her quirk was the liquid inside, eventually, she'd run out of liquid. It might replenish, but it needed time. If Midoriya had One-For-All, then there was even slower recharge times involved, and All Might probably couldn't use One-For-All nearly as long as he used to be able to.
Or at least, that was a possibility. There were still too many unknowns - the biggest one nipping at her brain.
Why even give away One-For-All in the first place...?
She'd had no answer to this question, and it was legitimately driving her mad. All Might was still a very capable hero - while his age was a bit of a mystery, they'd known he'd graduated from U.A., and you could find images of the hero in past books. With that being said, he wasn't close to retirement, and he'd even said that he defeated One-For-All's user once before... so why... couldn't he finish him off now?
What was stopping him?
Why pass off his power to Midoriya now? Had he just believed that he'd defeated All-For-One's user the first time? Was it just a premature movement of One-For-All?
"They're moving!" Uraraka yelped, and Mina's thought process was broken by Bakugou blasting All Might, and screaming something. From behind, everyone gasped - Midoriya was wearing Bakugou's gauntlet with a grim expression. The explosion that resonated through the testing field could almost be heard at the spectator's facility, though only Jirou had strong enough ears, and she had to strain a bit. All Might flew backward, and a grimace of pain shot through Midoriya's arm as his shoulder was sent rocketing backward from the recoil.
"T-that's... his shoulder looks kinda funky..." Kaminari mumbled.
Jirou agreed uneasily. "Maybe dislocated...?"
"Bakugou's explosions have likely reinforced the tissue and surrounding joints around his shoulder to withstand the forces generated from each explosion." Yaoyorozu said lowly, though her voice filled the silent room. "Midoriya, unfortunately, doesn't have the same luxury."
"What a wild power..." Mina gulped. She hadn't even considered the mild bodily changes that occurred when one received their quirk. It was easy to overlook those changes, but to someone like Midoriya, they made all the difference. He was born quirkless... ergo, he had never had any reinforcements created, and he was weaker than all of them because of something as simple as that. Even so...
Mina felt her admiration for Midoriya increase just a tad more. Even so, he was dedicated to doing whatever he could to get stronger.
The duo began to run toward the exit, not noticing All Might's blazing speed. "H-he shattered both cuffs... with a punch?!" Uraraka stated with wide eyes.
"W-what strength..." Sato groaned.
Mina blinked - and when her eyes opened, All Might was grasping Midoriya by his arm, holding him in the air like a fish pulled from the stream, while placing his foot firmly on Bakugou's back. It was at that moment she realized the gap between her and the top was evident, yes. But the gap between Midoriya and All Might was...
Immense.
To him, there was a chance that he believed they weren't even comparable. She stared - in fear - as Midoriya dangled lifelessly in All Might's grip, a look of abject horror on his face. Bakugou's disbelief was written all over his face, and for the first time, Mina actually felt a pang of sympathy for the blonde-haired hero-in-training. Facing against someone as overwhelming as All Might... having a plan that resulted in nothing... being overpowered time and time again, with no chance of escape... was it even worth fighting against?
"C-c'mon, Deku!" Uraraka said through her tears. Mina knew she wasn't crying - she wouldn't cry - but that didn't mean she wasn't upset. She clenched her fists and leaned forward, desperately trying to remain optimistic for her green-haired friend (and lesser so for the blonde-haired teen) despite their rapidly sinking odds.
"You can do it!" She yelled out, and her voice was followed by a raucous uproar of her fellow classmates, each pitching their faith in the duo, even as the situation continued to worsen.
Midoriya desperately powered up, the electricity crackling around his body like a second skin as his Full-Cowl sprung to life, but All Might simply smiled good-naturedly and shook his head. With barely any wind up, he threw the boy like a sack of flour, sending him flying recklessly into the ground, rolling like a rag-doll, before coming to a painful halt.
He didn't stir.
"Oh no..." Tsuyu mumbled quietly.
"Get up, bro!" Kirishima yelled loudly, but it was clear that not even he knew if his friend would be getting back up.
Then, there was a blinding whiteness on the camera.
"W-what the...?"
Todoroki grunted in surprise. "An explosion...?"
Sure enough, the whiteness faded, and as the image restored, everyone watched as All Might staggered backward, barely harmed, but rubbing desperately at his eyes, a pained expression on his face. Bakugou rolled out from under his now-lifted foot and clamored over to the fallen Midoriya, a scowl on the blonde boy's face. He seemed to say something, and to everyone's surprise - and joy - Midoriya slowly rose.
"He sure doesn't hold back," Jirou muttered.
"That's what makes him so manly!" Kirishima said, pumping his fist.
Admittedly, Mina was impressed. Bakugou's power was never in question, but it seemed that with every chance that arose for him to prove himself, the explosive-teen was more than ready to rise up and meet the challenge. His ferocity in battle was unmatched - by anyone - and more often than not, he was able to fight through a situation with raw strength.
His unwillingness to lose a fight made him a formidable opponent. But...
Mina grimaced.
Would that be enough?
"Is... is he throwing Midoriya...?" Iida said in surprise.
Sure enough, Midoriya found himself in Bakugou's grip, and while the blonde-haired boy didn't look happy with having to, it seemed they were settling for fleeing the combat zone in order to secure their grade. It was the only way, even if neither party was willing to admit it. The strength gap between the three was larger than the space between the Earth and sun.
One day, maybe they'd touch that gap, and one day, they'd even surpass him. One day, they'd stand amongst the top heroes, a testament to their labor, and a mark of honor upon the sweat they'd poured to reach their point. But today...
Today they wouldn't beat him in combat.
An explosion darkened the screen as Midoriya went flying, and bursts of flames dotted his uniform, trails of smoke rising off of his shoulder, tracing the arc he made through the air. A few students hissed and moaned at the burns that their friend undoubtedly suffered in a last-ditch effort for them to pass.
But Mina sighed; they would pass after all.
Then...
Everything changed.
All Might - with the speed that couldn't be followed by the naked eye - came soaring through the air like a ballistic missile on a direct collision course with the green-haired boy. The impact was devastating, and the camera perfectly caught the intense pain that filled Midoriya's body as he was launched into a prop bus, crashing with dangerous haphazardness, his body mangling the steel and framework.
"Holy shit..." Ashido mumbled with a hand over her mouth.
There was no way he could get up from that... right? That had to be it. There was no way they'd be allowed to keep fighting. This wasn't a test - it was a poor man's effort at not dying.
Bakugou seemed shocked, but didn't hesitate to leap in, launching explosions from his hands like there was no tomorrow, desperately trying to impede the legendary hero's progress. He seemed to scream something, but without audio, his words were lost to the void, never to be heard again. And Mina, with all her heart, found herself almost hoping that Midoriya wouldn't get up again - he was beaten to high-hell. They both were. This couldn't continue.
But Midoriya got up, just like she knew he would.
And he began crawling, pitifully, toward the gate, the crackling electricity that surrounded his body only slightly aiding his movements. And then, in one swift movement, Bakugou was down - and out - and Midoriya turned around, frozen in time.
"He's down..." Yaoyorozu whispered.
"Is... did they fail...?" Sero asked quietly, almost in disbelief.
"No way..." Kaminari mumbled.
Did they... fail?
Then, Midoriya moved.
Toward All Might.
And for Mina, it all made sense.
Why he was picked to become All Might's successor. Why he'd been selected to become the new... 'Symbol of Peace', as All Might had dubbed it. Why he was so willing to follow in All Might's footsteps and fight the most dangerous man that Japan had ever known, despite the looming death that probably waited for him. Why he was able to rise to the top of the class, despite his former quirkless status.
It all made sense as he drew his fist back and struck All Might directly in the cheek, forcing the bulky man's head to snap the side, and release his grip on the unconscious Bakugou. It all made sense as the green-haired quirk-inheritor grabbed the boy and dragged him along, the dancing electricity of Full-Cowl propelling the two forward with surprising speed, despite Izuku's deformed shoulder, skin burns, and various bruises and cuts.
It all made sense as he passed through the gate, and the robotic voice (sounding a little more excited than it did before) droned out its pre-recorded message.
"Battle trial, concluded. Midoriya Izuku and Bakugou Katsuki have passed."
Ayy, chapter 3 in the books. I know it probably wasn't all the exciting - after all, a lot of it was canon-esque stuff - but it was necessary, and some minor deviations were necessary, too. Mina might not have had the development you were hoping for, but this is a slower burn romance story. It'll take some time - expect her to start to talk to Midoriya more in the coming chapters, but also for a few other characters to start to suspect something...
I also saw this story was mentioned on Reddit, and thank you so much for that! I love seeing people enjoy my work, so really, go nuts!
If you haven't, check my Tumblr for occasional updates and requests, as well as chapter previews!
And now for responses:
Dragontitan: Mina does have a lot to say, doesn't she? But the whole point is that she doesn't feel like she should tell him because of her own fear of his response in finding out. There's guilt in overhearing something like that - and, unfortunately, things like this can happen where no one know's what to say.
FireDusk: Marriage? Somebody better warn Midoriya, he might lose his mind ;)
MIKE202303 : Thank you! I'm glad you like it!
BukkakeNoJutsu : Thanks! I really put some effort into how to start everything off, and to be honest, this just felt right!
