The new teacher was about the same height as his students, sporting a hero costume flashier than their own. Spherical objects posed as the man's hair with the same violet color that covered his outfit and the ankle length cape that draped over his shoulders. The only misplaced color was the glimmering white gloves and boots he also wore, along with a..
"Pfft, is that a diaper?", the pink skinned girl did her best to stifle a laugh. Hamina doubled over when she saw the shocked expression on Minoru's face.
"IT'S NOT A DIAPER!", the grown up Mineta instinctively covered his lower half with the cape. A face flushed full of red was easy to notice since it clashed with his other colors. The class had to cover their mouths to avoid snickering at their sensei's embarrassment, even Izuku had a hard time containing his laughter.
"Is it underwear?", Carame barely managed to gasp out his question with all the cackles & giggles.
"IT'S NOT UNDERWEAR EITHER!", Minoru flapped his arms in frustration.
"O- Okay everyone, enough teasing your other sensei. Please treat him with the same respect you've shown me.", Izuku tried to stop his own endless chuckling while lecturing the class.
"That's right! Show me some respect! I'm the pro hero: Grapejuice!", Mineta stated matter-of-factly. A cocky smirk etched across the teacher's face as he put his hands on his hips in a heroic pose.
"PFFTT, 'GRAPEJUICE', WHAT KINDA LAME HERO NAME IS THAT?!", Carame burst into another fit of laughter as he clutched his stomach. The elastic teen couldn't keep himself standing as he continued cackling over the teacher's alter ego.
"That's enough! Anymore remarks like that, and you'll be going to the principal's office! Got it?", Izuku suddenly let a more aggressive side break loose. Hikiyose was the most surprised at her father's sudden shouting, he never used a tone like that throughout her entire childhood, even when she got into trouble he kept a calm & collective nature. The class recoiled at their scolding and could only nod their heads in response.
"Thanks Midoriya-Senpai!", Mineta placed a thankful hand on his co-worker's shoulder. Izuku couldn't contain a cringe as he tried to politely shake it off with a nervous chuckle.
"Senpai?", Yuoro snickered in a hushed whisper with Hikiyose.
"Now that you've gotten everybody's attention for me, it's time I announce the next lesson! Indoor personal battle training! You'll be split into teams, heroes versus villains, and fight each other two on two!", Minoru briefly ran over the basics.
"B- But, how do we do that without any prior experience?", Yuoro began to hyperventilate.
"I tried to convince the principal to change our rules when it came to this simulation, due to the distinctive difference being you battle classmates and not villain clones.", Izuku nodded in agreement. "HOWEVER, most of you have parents who work in the hero field and she had no doubt that they taught you a few maneuvers just in case. We're hoping practical experience teaches you the basics.", the green haired sensei clarified U.A's reasoning. Hikiyose smiled as she recalled training with her father and mother, noticing similar smirks or nods from her peers. Izuku pulled out the same binder he had used to take notes on his student's quirks during the apprehension tests. "This will also help me further determine your capabilities! You'll find that using your quirk in combat is entirely different from common tasks."
"And partnering up with someone will help you prepare for likely teamwork!", Mineta added. "Right, Midoriya?", he then looked to his co-worker for reassurance. Izuku gave the purple pro an approving nod. Minoru cleared his throat before continuing, "So listen up cause' we know what we're talking about! Here's the deal. Villain teams are hiding a nuclear weapon in their hideout-"
"A fake prop of a bomb, of course!", Izuku interjected with a nervous laugh.
"Right.. So, the bad guy's side has to either protect the nuclear weapon until time runs out or capture the heroes! The hero team has that limited amount of time to secure the bomb or capture the villains!", Mineta finished explaining the battle simulation.
"Ooo, OOO, do we get to pick our team members!?", Hamina shot her arm up as she asked the question. The pink person filled with energy hopped between feet as she waited impatiently for an answer.
"To avoid the disadvantage of friends working together, we'll decide the teams based on drawing slots. It also helps prepare for real life scenarios where you may have to work with another pro hero at random.", Izuku answered his student's question while Mineta seemed to pull a tally box from who knows where.
"Team A will be heroes! Nagaidesu and Kaminari, that'll be you two!", Minoru announced what was written on the first slips of paper he pulled out. Carame gave his partner a thumbs up while Obachaji mouthed an inaudible 'fuck'.
"And Team B will be villains, obviously. They are, uh, Akauna and Shimasu.", Izuku announced the second group.
"Why did it have to be 'puke boy'..?", Yuoro hung her head in disappointment while Hikiyose tried to comfort her. While the young Midoriya girl was also upset about missing the opportunity to be paired with her friend, she was highly curious about who would be her partner.
"Team C is made up of villains too! That's gonna be Iris Todoroki and.. um, Kasai? That's it? Just one name? Like Adele?", Mineta raised an eyebrow while he looked to his shrugging co-worker for reassurance.
"Looks like we'll be on the same team. Let's give it our best.", Iris tried socializing with her partner, but the edgy teen only gave a grunt as his response.
"Team D is heroes! Tokoyami and my daughter, I mean, M- Midoriya.. will be teaming up for this one.", Izuku stammered out the next result. The green haired teacher then made his way to the green feathered teen and whispered, "Please watch over her for me."
"You have my word.", Verde bowed in respect as he made the promise.
"Team E has Sero and Pqerosu on it! Also heroes!", Minoru announced.
"Hey, wait a second, we're short by two classmates! Who's gonna be the other team?!", Hamina whined.
Izuku and Minoru gave each other a glance before smirking, "We're a villain team too.", the whole class shivered at the thought of having to fight their teachers.
"The first two groups facing each other will be Team A and Team C. The rest of us will be watching the match from a surveillance room. Give it your all everyone, Plus Ultra!"
…
Carame and Obachaji stood outside the boarded up building, each one uncertain as to how they should enter. "We're up against freaking Todoroki! We might as well call it a match..", Nagaidesu sulked. The girl with ear jacks used one to slap her teammate across the cheek.
"That just means we have to try harder. Quit complaining about everything and put your quirk to good use! Can you use your elastic arms to hoist us up?", Kaminari pointed to the only window that didn't appear to have some sort of blockage. Carame blushed as he nodded his head, the girl wrapping her arms around his neck in a loose grip. Nagaidesu then extended both hands and propelled the hero team forward like a grappling hook.
The rest of Class 1-A watched as their peers stealthily sneaked into the hideout. Izuku's hand moved at the speed of light as he scribbled down notes about the hero team's strategy. On another monitor, Kasai and Iris appeared to be discussing something while they guarded the nuclear prop. Todoroki had frost emitting from her hands before she created ice mannequins like the Entrance Exam. Groups of two newly created minions split up, clearly meant to act as a diversion for the hero team. Once the first phase of the villain plan was enacted, Iris followed up by creating an icy cage for the bomb to be kept in. Kasai began to stroll across the room, much to Todoroki's dismay.
"Where are you going?!", Iris tried to keep her voice at a hushed whisper despite the anger leaking out.
"We're the villains, aren't we? I'm going to play my part.", Kasai shrugged her off before leaving.
Meanwhile, Carame waited impatiently as Obachaji plugged her ear jacks into each corner they rounded to see if she could hear the opposing team. "I say we forget all this stealth stuff, I'll just wrap up Todoroki with my elastic arms and that Kasai kid doesn't seem like too much trouble..", Nagaidesu kept his voice at a low whisper despite the impulse to pull a frontal attack.
"Ssshh..", Kaminari waved her partner off.
"Don't ignore me, come on, it's a good plan!", Carame continued to protest despite his teammate's constant shushing.
"No, you don't understand, I hear something..", Obachaji explained why she was trying to keep the volume low. This made Carame shut up long enough for Kaminari to pick up the footsteps of an ice minion. "WATCH OUT!", she called out to her partner while tackling Nagaidesu. The two narrowly missed a swing from the ice henchman's fist.
Carame then retaliated with an attack of his own, shattering the goon into a bunch of shards. "We make a pretty good team!", he commented with a smirk. The teenage boy was too distracted to notice the second ice minion coming up behind him, resulting in a rescue from Obachaji. "Heh.. thanks."
"Don't mention it.", Kaminari rolled her eyes while helping her partner to his feet. "This can only mean we're getting close to the bomb."
The two then continued their cautious journey through the labyrinth, rounding each corner with unease. Class 1-A watched with the same anxious feelings as each team grew closer together. Izuku's interest was peaked when he saw Kasai venturing off on his own. The teen dug into a pocket of his trenchcoat and pulled out what appeared to be a pocketknife. Izuku's heart clenched as he worried about one of his student's getting stabbed or cut, making him wonder if he should call off the match before things escalated. What surprised the spectators though, was that the knife wasn't for the hero team. Kasai used the blade to carve a deep scar into the flesh of his hand, making the class recoil and close their eyes. Blood seeped from the careless teen as he dragged his palm across the floor, making a perfect red path.
It didn't take long for the hero team to find the trail of red liquid. Carame reluctantly gulped back any fear as he continuously followed Obachaji. The path eventually led them to a dead end where Kasai waited patiently for the duo. Kaminari pulled out a roll of capture tape that the teachers provided, ready to engage in combat. "Where's Todoroki and the bomb?", Obachaji looked like she was playing the bad cop of an interrogation.
"I lost track as I went.. Doesn't matter. It seems you found me and I found you as planned.", Kasai shrugged nonchalantly. The teen shrouded in shadows took a step back as the heroes edged closer.
"Fine. We'll find her after we deal with you.", Obachaji returned the casual shrug. Both teens had a war of shrugging off one another, making everyone else very uncomfortable. The duo of heroes continued edging closer as Kasai became backed into a corner. What shocked Kaminari most, was how care free the enemy seemed to be as he pointed down with a sinister smirk. The hero team glanced down to see what they had walked into.
Izuku gulped as he watched from the surveillance system, "They fell for his trap..", Obachaji and Carame were both standing in the middle of a circle of blood.
Kasai's palm touched the red streak again, "Everyone asked me what my quirk was back during the apprehension test.. I call it Igniter Fluid.", fire then began streaming along the blood painted path. It looped around the hero team, trapping them in a ring of flames.
"So his blood acts as some sort of gasoline.. I wonder if that's only manageable through contact with oxygen or possibly worse, if it's only his blood that works.", Izuku trembled at the thought of someone bursting into flames from the inside.
"Team C wins due to Kasai capturing Team A!", Minoru Mineta announced the first victory.
Iris cocked her head in confusion after hearing her teacher's statement through the earpiece. "Kasai beat them alone?", Todoroki's interest in her teammember suddenly peaked.
…
"Team B and Team E are next."
Shuaka and Hamina were in the same boat as the previous hero team. The pink skinned girl used her acid tape to catapult each other into the open window. Once inside, Shuaka used his quirk to shrink into the size of an ant and hid in his partner's hand. Also like Carame & Obachaji, the duo began cautiously sneaking through the building.
Yuoro and Jayzon immediately got into an argument over what they should do as a strategy. "I can eat the bomb, if I can fit into my mouth..", Shimasu suggested.
"Wouldn't that just be the same as forfeiting?!", Akauna ran a frustrated hand through her hair.
"I didn't really think of it that way, you're probably right though.", Jayzon nodded.
Yuoro huffed a heavy sigh, "Look.. I'm not gonna be much help. This kinda falls all on you."
"Wh- What do you mean?", Jayzon began to shake with worry.
"My quirk only powers up other people, not myself. You have to fight the others all on your own if they find us.", Yuoro briefly elaborated.
"I.. I don't know if I can do that..", Jayzon voiced his concerns while he clutched his stomach. "I think I'm gonna puke.."
"DON'T YOU DARE!", Yuoro jumped back after being stricken with terror.
That's when Hamina Sero arrived, promptly using her tape to restrain Akauna. The acid let out a slight hiss as it singed Yuoro's costume. Jayzon had no time to react as Hamina unclenched her fist and allowed Shuaka Pqerosu to resize with an uppercut. With the villain team defeated, the heroes gave one another a victory highfive.
"Team E wins!", the announcement from Minoru Mineta made Hikiyose tremble with doubt. The young girl couldn't watch the monitors for a second longer as she thought about the loss of her friend. Fear and worry began creeping into the teenager's head as she thought about potentially losing her match.
…
"Team D will be fighting us for the final round.", Mineta started the next match. "I hope you have no problem battling your own daughter, Midoriya.", Minoru turned to his partner with concern.
"I- I should be fine.. I want her to be strong and grow into a great hero, ya know. So, if this is what it takes, then so be it!", Izuku hyped himself up.
"Are you sure? I'D be so SO happy to fight her FOR you.", the purple pervert had drool seeping from his mouth at the thought of battling a teenage girl. Izuku put the potential pedophile into a position that could break Mineta's arm after hearing the off handed comment about his daughter. "AAAHH, SORRY, SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!", Minoru struggled as he felt the applied pressure sprain his wrist.
Class 1-A gawped at seeing their sensei easily restrain a pro hero without using a quirk. "Hey.. what is sensei's quirk anyway?", Carame wondered upon realizing he never saw it used.
"Let's watch closely and find out.", Iris Todoroki gained the approval of her class as they continued viewing the monitors intently.
Verde Tokoyami and Hikiyose Midoriya took a different approach by entering through the building's front door. The hero team cursed themselves for being so careless as a bell chimed to announce their arrival. The duo made haste to flee from their current position out of fear that the teachers heard it. Both teens hid in another room behind closed doors, preparing to discuss their course of attack.
"I.. I'm sorry to tell you this now, but I'm quirkless.. So, I-", Hikiyose didn't get to finish her apology as the bird boy placed a finger over her mouth to shush her. The green haired girl blushed profusely and became frozen in place as she realized she was having a physical interaction with the opposite sex.
"I'm not concerned about what you consider to be a weakness. I suggest you focus on your strengths instead. For instance, one of the opponent's we're facing is your father. That gives us a slight advantage since you know personal things about him.", Verde reassured his partner.
"M- My dad.. knowing him, he's probably already got a plan on how to beat us. He's REALLY good at strategizing, always thinking things through. Anything that I come up with will be expected. He doesn't know enough about YOU yet though! Like.. what's your full quirk?", Hikiyose began to see the logic in her partner's suggestion.
"It's hard to say, I feel like I've inherited more than one gene from my parents, but all I can manage is my mother's frog tongue.", Tokoyami scratched the feathers around the base of his skull.
"That's not good.. N- NO OFFENSE! I mean, it's not good considering we're in the same boat and don't know about Grapejuice-Sensei's quirk.", Hikiyose yammered out.
"We'll need to remain on our guard then.", Verde nodded in agreement before the two started moving again. The duo found their way to a staircase that would help them reach the higher levels, but before Verde could enter, Hikiyose extended an arm to stop him. "What's wrong?", Tokoyami wondered.
"My dad will expect us to use the stairs.. we need to take the elevator shaft.", Hikiyose pointed to an out of commission conveyor.
"Didn't you say we should also do the opposite of what you suggest?", Verde cocked his head.
"Well.. yeah.. but, trust me on this one!", Hikiyose got her partner to reluctantly agree before the two pried open the metal sliding doors. Verde then used his tongue as a grappling hook and Hikiyose held onto him so the two could be pulled to their proper floor.
Whenever the two stepped out of the shaft though, Verde's foot was met with a sticky purple ball, latching him in place. "I'm stuck!", Tokoyami alerted his teammate before the villain team performed their ambush. Minoru Mineta had supplied Izuku Midoriya with a few of his sticky spheres, allowing the green haired sensei to plant several traps throughout the lair. Hikiyose narrowly ducked under an attempt to get her stuck as well, eyeing her father who now revealed his hiding spot.
"I know you so well sweetheart, of course you wouldn't use the more obvious route of the staircase! I dunno whether I should be proud or discouraged that you still technically chose the obvious route by using the elevator shaft.", Izuku's words made his daughter & Verde grimace.
"I told you we should have taken the stairs!", Tokoyami groaned.
"Shut up and restrain him with your tongue!", Hikiyose called out to her partner who followed the order instantly. Izuku evaded the attempt to capture him with lightning fast reflexes.
"That wouldn't have worked either. I had Mineta guard the staircase in case you DID decide to surprise me with an alternative path.", Izuku gave away the position of his partner while dodging another shot from Verde's tongue.
"Tokoyami-San, get yourself free from that trap. I'll hold off my dad from here..", Hikiyose began to unravel the scarf of steel wire clothes. Izuku realized his daughter was serious and got into a fighting stance, the technique taught by Aizawa proved to be a challenging & effective one.
The capture cloth roped out like a lasso, mimicking her father's movements. It took a great amount of agility and acrobatics to evade such a lively substance. Much like Verde's tongue, Hikiyose began lashing out at her father with the strand. Izuku didn't break a sweat as he easily evaded all her attacks, this didn't stop him from smiling though. He was so proud of his little girl and how far she had come in her combat training. "Really dad, you're SMILING?!", his daughter's angry voice snapped him out of the daze and threw him off guard long enough for Hikiyose to land a slap across his face. Everyone seemed to stand still as they realized what had just happened. "Oh God.. sorry dad, I-", Hikiyose didn't get to finish her apology as her father took out her legs. "That was real cheap to use my emotions as an advantage!", Hikiyose complained.
"Well.. I am the bad guy!", Izuku sinisterly chuckled. The sudden dark side of her father sent chills down Hikiyose's spine. She began to back away, crawling back until she bumped into a wall. Once he had her cornered, Izuku dropped the fake evil grin and felt pity for having to make her fail.
"Stay away from her! BRIGHT UMBRA!", Verde took advantage of the father's hesitation by summoning a shining being from his mid section. The creature had features mirroring its master, but radiated like the sun as it lashed out at Izuku. The teacher was so blinded and surprised by the attack, that it was enough to knock him away. "I'm sorry, Midoriya-Sensei. I am merely holding to the vow I made to watch over your daughter."
"I thought you said your tongue was the only part of your quirk?!", Hikiyose gasped out in shock upon seeing the new prowess from her teammate.
Verde rubbed the feathers on the back of his head, thankful they covered his face and hid a slight blush. "I thought so too.. but seeing you in danger made me discover what I knew was hidden inside me.", Tokoyami helped Hikiyose get to her feet.
"Oh.. uh, w- well, thanks for s- saving me..", the green haired girl shied away with a similar blush. The two then snapped back into action and ran down the hall in pursuit of the bomb.
Izuku held the throbbing bruise Verde's attack would leave on him as he regained his bearings. "That was a lot like his father's Dark Shadow.. Such an unexpected move with perfect timing. I have to give it to them, they make a good pair.", Izuku made mental notes to write in his journal later.
Verde and Hikiyose kicked open the door that led to the bomb room, only to be shocked upon seeing the nuke was missing. Minoru Mineta stood in its place with his cape draped around his body and pulled to his jaw like Dracula. "Looks like Midoriya-Senpai was right! Moving the bomb to another room would catch you two off guard!", Grapejuice let out a maniacal laughter.
"Your father is certainly living up to the reputation you created..", Verde acknowledged Izuku's strategy to defeat the hero team. Hikiyose only offered an agreeing nod and grunted in frustration that her dad managed to trick them a second time.
"Now... SUFFER THE GRAPE RUSH!", Mineta then bolted at the duo while rapidly tossing his sticky spheres in a wild frenzy. Verde shoved his teammate to save her, taking the blunt of the attack and getting stuck in place.
"Tokoyami!", Hikiyose cried out upon seeing her partner sacrifice himself.
"Find the nuclear weapon! It's my turn to hold the villain off!", Verde ordered his teammember. Hikiyose shared a thankful nod with her partner before running off with determination to finish what they had started.
"Get back here!", Minoru was about to pursue the girl, but got hung up by Verde's tongue. "Hey! No fair, lemme go!", Mineta struggled and kicked.
Hikiyose Midoriya kicked down several doors as she continued racing down hallways, searching every room for where her father may have hidden the fake nuke. After numerous attempts, she finally found the right one and was about to grab it – when Izuku Midoriya stood in her way.
"Dammit dad! Step aside!", Hikiyose groaned in frustration.
"I'm sorry Hikiyose, but I won't go easy on you just because you're my daughter.", Izuku held remorse in his tone but forced himself to keep fighting on the belief that it would make her stronger.
"Fine..", the daughter of Midoriya draped her scarf once more. Izuku heavily sighed as he prepared for what could be a challenging battle. The father & daughter then charged one another head on, blocking jabs and knees as each one performed spectacular displays of combat. It looked like the two were entangled in an elegant dance as they sparred with one another, hand to hand fighting that brisked around the room. Everyone in the surveillance room gawped at how they were both able to keep up and perform perfect jutsus. Izuku found himself grinning again, but so was Hikiyose as the two actually felt like they were having fun together.
"Go Hikiyose!", Yuoro Akauna cheered from the spectator booth as she watched the fight on the monitors. Hamina and Obachaji joined in with the whoops and hollers for their classmate as the battle raged on. Nobody could take their eyes off the screen as they watched both Midoriyas wage all out war.
Each fighter lunged, swinging and missing while the other retaliated with a kick or punch. Izuku slapped aside his daughter's palms and feet as if he were wiping a window or waving someone off while Hikiyose continued to dodge and weave against her father's attacks. Blow by blow, each fist struck a palm and each kick pressed a hand. They struggled to break through eachother's defenses, both failing miserably. The pace remained despite each fighter's faltering stamina, leaving nothing but a blur for spectators to view. Izuku caught his daughter's hand before thrusting it forward and using his own weight to toss her over his shoulder. The move reminded him of his first fight during U.A's Battle Trials, one he had planned and used on Katsuki Bakugo. The childhood tormentor left his mind as Izuku refocused on the fight at hand. Hikiyose regained her footing, prepared for another round.
The older Midoriya prepared to counter his daughter's next attack, until he caught the glimmer of a security camera recording the entire battle. Izuku began to realize the entire fight was being recorded and the tape would display all of his combat moves. The secret vigilante began to worry about his identity being discovered if a viewer were to recognize the same technique from other recordings. The alleyway fight and bank battle flashed through his memory, making Izuku go on the defense and pull his attacks when going on the offense. Hikiyose started losing her former excitement as she began noticing her father falter on purpose, "Are you letting me win?! What happened to what you said about not taking it easy on me?!", she complained through heavy breathing.
Izuku purposefully threw sloppier punches and forced himself to narrowly dodge attacks. "You're forgetting that I'm older than you, sweetheart. I get winded faster.", Izuku panted back; he hated lying to his daughter but had to make some sort of excuse to avoid suspicion. Hikiyose frowned as she realized the elegant dance they once had was gone, all that remained was an off key trip up. Since her father was starting to hold back, she could now manage to land a few hits.
To test her theory that he was pulling his punches, she left an opening for him to take advantage of. When Izuku backed off instead of taking it, she huffed in disappointment. "I knew it! I'm not some little girl that doesn't know what she's doing anymore! I can handle my own against you!", she heaved in both anger & exhaustion.
"I know that sweetie, I'm not holding back out of fear that I'll hurt you. I'm trying as hard as you are.", Izuku lied yet again. Even when the two held an on sync battle, he had been revoking himself of going all out. If he really tried to beat her, he would destroy her in a matter of seconds. Izuku also refused to hit his own daughter, it was the one thing he wouldn't do.
"You're lying!", Hikiyose sobbed through tears before rushing her dad with equally as sloppy swings. Izuku easily managed to counter them and tripped her up before backing off again. "See? You could have beaten me there, but you're letting me go on..", his daughter's crying felt like a dagger piercing Izuku's heart.
"What do you think they're talking about?", Jayzon Shimasu wondered from the surveillance room. The feed had no audio, only teachers were able to hear and communicate with the previous Battle Trial teams.
"Midoriya-San..", Yuoro rasped out upon seeing her friend's upset expression on the monitor.
Izuku sidestepped his daughter's desperate attacks now, all sense of martial arts thrown out the window. Their battle had been reduced to a pitiful match, and it was time for it to end. Izuku regretted kicking out the back of his daughter's knees and shoving one of her arms behind her back as he pinned the other. Hikiyose struggled against the pin, but only cried out in pain upon Izuku twisting her arm. "You're beaten. Tap out.", her father sighed.
"N- Never!", Hikiyose continued wriggling in her dad's grip. Izuku applied more pressure to the hold he had on her arm, making her wreathe in agony.
"It's no use, Hikiyose. This particular hold requires you to break your own arm to escape it. That's the only way out of the pin.", Izuku tightened his grip to emphasis the point.
"Whatever it takes!", the teenage girl cried out as she dislocated the bone and broke free from her father. Izuku watched in awe with the rest of his class as Hikiyose carried her own weight to the nuclear weapon. "I win.", she sobbed while placing her one good arm on the object.
"That's my girl. Now lets get you to the infirmary.", Izuku smiled as she fell into his arms.
"Team D wins."
…
"Time for a recap!", Minoru Mineta stalled for time with Class 1-A while his co-worker tended to Hikiyose's injury. "Can anybody tell me why certain teams failed and others didn't?", Grapejuice asked the crowd of students.
"Because my partner sucked!", Yuoro folded her arms.
"I DO NOT!", Jayzon shouted while on the verge of his desk.
The interaction between students was enough to make Carame and Obachaji snicker while Kasai & Iris rolled their eyes. Hamina and Shuaka had to stifle a laugh considering they were the ones who beat Yuoro's team, each one desperately trying to hold it in.
"You totally do, it's all your fault!", Yuoro yelled back. The argument was just too much, Sero and Pqerosu burst into fits of laughter.
"Akauna, refrain from blaming your classmate for the failure.", Izuku's arrival was like a sudden wave of silence washing over the room.
"Midoriya-Sensei! How is Midoriya-San, um, your daughter?", Yuoro eagerly asked.
"Yeah! How is she?!", Mineta had a creepy tone when sharing the same question. It earned a smack upside the back of his head from Izuku.
"She's recovering well. Come tomorrow, she'll be back in commission.", the green haired teacher shared a relieving smile with the class.
"Glad to hear it.", Iris Todoroki shared a consoling nod with her sensei.
"Yeah! She was so awesome when fighting you! You were all like, WHACK AND THWACK, and she was all like, NU UH!", Hamina Sero performed crazed hand motions like she were in the Matrix or something.
"Sensei was a badass too!", Jayzon Shimasu chimed in. His compliment was enough to make Izuku blush in embarrassment.
"It WAS pretty awesome..", Carame Nagaidesu agreed with the chorus of praising from his classmates.
"Though, we never did get to see your quirk. I'm curious as to what it may be.", Todoroki pointed out.
Izuku awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck while Mineta answered for him, "Midoriya-Senpai is quirkless. That's what makes him so special."
Most of the class let out 'oo' and 'awes' at this revelation, completely taken by surprise. "That explains why Hikiyose has none either. Not to mention your various forms of martial arts. Without a quirk, you two taught yourself different combat techniques to keep up with the rest of us.", Verde Tokoyami gave credit where credit was due.
"I guess the secret's out.. yep, I'm quirkless.", Izuku nervously & anxiously laughed despite the class applauding him for it.
"But I don't get it, didn't Midoriya-San show signs of super strength and speed during the Apprehension Test and Entrance Exam?", Nagaidesu remarked.
"Oh, that was all me! My quirk acts as a sort of upgrade for others.", Yuoro chimed in.
"Which reminds me, we should get back on topic. You blamed Shimasu for your failure, but you can't always rely on others to carry you to a victory. You only see your quirk as useful to others while you need to focus on making yourself more powerful. That's the real reason you two lost to the other team.", Izuku lectured Akauna.
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Midoriya-Senpai!", Minoru flashed his co-worker a thumbs up & grin. Joke's on him, I never would have thought of such wisdom! But he'll never know that as long as I play along!, Mineta had wicked thoughts despite Izuku knowing full well that this was the case.
"But Sensei, how do I focus on making myself stronger when my quirk is meant for others?", Yuoro wondered.
"There you go again assuming that's the only way it can be used. All quirks are created equally and have multiple uses when it comes down to it.", Izuku's answer made Yuoro's face flush red.
"You and Midoriya-San showed off some pretty cool moves, Sensei! Can you teach me how to do that and then I'd have a way to fight for myself?", Akauna asked.
"I'm sure Hikiyose would love to see you more often around the house, so we could possibly fit some training in.", Izuku smiled at the thought of taking on another protege.
"Me too! Can you teach me too?!", other students began speaking up about their interest until it got out of hand. It took Mineta screaming at the top of his lungs to make them all stop shouting.
"Wh- Why did you yell like that?!", Izuku stammered while uncupping his hands from his ears.
"It worked. Didn't it?", Minoru shrugged.
"I GUESS! Whatever.. Moving on! S- So, we were discussing why certain people had failure and o- others succeeded. That all rides on the same problem I saw each of you exhibit: Teamwork.", Izuku went from addressing his co-worker to the class.
"Ah, I see. Like how Kasai ran off on me, rather than working together to defend the bomb.", Iris used her simulation as an example. Kasai only offered a grunt as his response.
"He still managed to win though, and that was going against Kaminari-San and I who had actual teamwork.", Carame pointed out.
"That may be true, but things could have easily gone differently. Let's say Kasai was the one to get captured and not Nagaidesu or Kaminari. Then Todoroki would have been all by herself and would have the disadvantage. Teamwork is usually the key to success.", Izuku reasoned.
"Yes, like how Shimasu and Akauna were dysfunctional working together. They were too distracted with their arguing, that Sero and Pqerosu were able to get the drop on them.", Verde offered a perfect example.
"Exactly. When two teams that were able to cooperate with one another like yours and mine collided, it was a more indecisive and drawn out match.", Izuku agreed.
"Yeah!", everyone looked at Minoru who decided to butt into the conversation. "Wh- What?"
"Anyways.. I think I made my point pretty clear. We covered a lot today, I think everyone made excellent progress! Tomorrow, we'll really put your quirks to the test and focus on some rescue simulations! Until then, class is dismissed.", Izuku allowed the students to then disperse and go home.
…
Dabi used his heated fingernail to carve a burned in smiley face, patiently waiting for Himiko Toga to make him a cocktail. After their former associates and bosses, Kurogiri & Tomura Shigaraki, were put out of commission; the two villains claimed the bar as their own. When the couple weren't managing drug trades or weapon shipments in a warehouse, they were here in the makeshift little lair.
"Do you think our little spy managed to get anything useful today?", the crazy blonde wobbled like she had already drunk thousands of the mugi shochu she served Dabi. The burn victim plucked the mini umbrella Toga had added for decoration from his drink before downing it.
Dabi etched the face he had singed into the bar counter to look more like a frown. "I wouldn't be surprised if he fell short of our expectations.", the new kingpin of crime slid his empty shot glass back to the hostess.
"You need a little more faith in em, he's a good boy!", Himiko reassured her partner in crime as she began mixing him another drink.
"Only because he's properly punished when he fails.", Dabi ignited a miniature ball of smoldering blue flames to imply the kind of torture he had performed. The fire danced in the palm of his scarred hand, flickering around as it tried to grab onto another victim.
Himiko surprised the man by grabbing his wrist with a strong grip, "Don't.", the statement was more of a warning than anything. Toga loosed her grasp upon receiving a intent glare from Dabi, "Please don't..", this time she was pleading.
"That depends on whether he failed or not.", was all that Dabi offered in response to console the woman.
The exchange was then broken up by the arrival of someone else. The person they had been discussing.
"Then it's a good thing I didn't fail. I have something for you..something you'll like very much."
…
END CHAPTER FOUR
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Dun, dun, dunnn!
So, as you can see, I used Mineta as pure comedy relief, he's mostly hated by the My Hero Academia Community, so I didn't want to include him without making it worth your while. Hopefully I succeeded.
In regards to the ongoing decision around Izuku's vigilante name, I did some digging into the green shadow title s082829 suggested. By that, I mean I searched up the Japanese translation.. it was a combination of Midoriya and Fumikage/Tokoyami. That didn't really help.. HOWEVER, I also searched up what VIGILANTE was translated to in Japanese. Drum roll please – Jikei-dan. Part of me thought that was pretty cool, maybe shortened to Jikei or something. So I'm torn on the choice because both sound pretty neat, I'll leave it up to you to decide!
ONTO MY FAVORITE PART, THE REVIEWS!
Sunshine's Armageddon: After what Izuku did in this chapter too, Ochaco will probably kill him off before a villain does!
Grenobi: Happy that you're enjoying the story thus far! Also hope I continued to strew that chuckling into this chapter, my little moments of comedy relief can either shine or make people cringe. Hopefully both!
Blizzardfang: Thanks, I have a lot planned! We're only getting started, muhahahaha! As for the 'Deku' nickname, I've been trying to figure out how to implant that. I was going to make it something Ochaco called Izuku when she got mad at him, but that felt too out of character and cruel. The loving form of 'Deku' also felt too convenient.. so, there's always Bakugo's form of using it as an insult. That'll work just fine when Kacchan shows what he's been up to.
patrickthenobleman: Sounds about right, that's definitely something I would subject my readers to! Thanks for implanting that image in my head, because now I'm obsessed with it. You heard it here folks, you have Patrick (if that's actually your name) to blame for that future heart breaking moment! Just messing around with ya.. or am I? I certainly have stuff planned when it comes to Izuku's identity and kinds of crisis he could get into. I don't want to spoil anything, but the whole Heisenberg secret and how that seeped out in Breaking Bad might be of some influence. Funny you should also mention Todoroki and the other pros, they have yet to make their debut, don't they? Boy, I'M supposed to be the one making YOU hyped for future chapters and storylines! All I can say, is at least you see the heart wrenching moments to come, you can prepare for it by enjoying the happy moments like this chapter gave you.
I do apologize for ANOTHER chapter with minimal vigilante stuff in it.. well, this one had NONE.. but..
I'll make up for it in the next one when he gets to reunite with Dabi and a few other past enemies..