Chapter 10: USJ

(Edited on 8/28 for formatting)

-]-[-

Retired and Re-hired: All Might Finds Teaching Job at UA

"Bah," spat Tomura Shigaraki. He balled up the newspaper and reduced it to dust. "I hate newspapers. Even after the retirement, it's always the same thing, nonstop: All Might, All Might, All Might. It's pathetic."

"I agree; it's quite annoying." Kurogiri was cleaning one of their bar's many used glasses.

Shigaraki continued: "He's still pissing me off, as usual. The Symbol of Peace is getting off too easily, living the rest of his years in comfort and surrounded by respect."

"Indeed," said Kurogiri.

"So I was thinking:" said Shigaraki. "What if we showed the world how weak All Might really is?" He twirled in his chair, for effect. "If we could breach UA, a supposed 'safe haven' for heroes-to-be, and then kill some of All Might's students, the man would quickly turn from 'The Symbol of Peace' to 'The Man Who Couldn't Save Anyone.' And then, society's trust in UA and the Hero Hierarchy as a whole will start to crumble, leaving room for our newly-formed 'League of Villains' to take power. What do you say?"

"Hmm." Kurogiri pondered Shigaraki's words for a moment. It was true: if UA students were murdered at school, the overall amount of chaos in society would increase. And that chaos could be used by the League to leverage themselves into a position of power. But it would be difficult to execute such an attack with their ragtag group of common criminals.

"...Tomura, my student." It was a new voice. "You have learned well. An attack on UA is exactly what we need."

The two villains turned to the glowing monitor on the wall. Kurogiri bowed out of respect to his Master, who was surely watching.

"...Society is our greatest enemy, and what better way to fight Society than by turning the people against it? As such, I am trusting you to complete this mission."

"Yes, my master," said Shigaraki. "It will be done."

"But first," toned the monitor. "Come to the warehouse. I have… a gift. It is something that will help you complete this mission."

"The Black Nomu?" asked Kurogiri. "The monster that was created with the sole purpose of fighting All Might?"

"Well, there's that, but I have something else for you. Something better. You'll love them, trust me."

-]-[-

Ochako's alarm sounded at approximately seven o'clock in the morning. She shot to her feet, did a stretch, and then padded over to the communal bathroom for her morning routine. When she saw her zombified reflection in the mirror, she immediately started tidying up.

"It's the third day of school," she told her reflection. "Let's hope I can do just as well as I did on days one and two…"

"So, tell me about you and Izuku."

"Eep!" She wasn't alone in the bathroom. Ochako was so surprised that she almost activated One for All. "Mina! I didn't see you there." She tried to scooch away from the pink-skinned girl, but immediately bumped into something else.

"You're not going anywhere," started Toru, "until you answer Mina's question. Are you and Izuku a… thing?"

"N-no!" Ochako turned bright red. "We're just friends. We only met at the entrance exams!"

"I see," said Mina, unimpressed. "Friends. So how come you two 'friends' always seem to be falling over each other and generally being cute? Huh?"

Ochako was unable to answer as her face grew redder and redder. Sure, Izuku was, cool, nice, well-built, and cute, and he had strong quirk to boot. And the two of them spent a lot of time together, with both of them getting really flustered at moments. But Ochako wasn't sure if Izuku was interested in her. Better to leave it alone than to risk their new and delicate friendship, right?

"Don't worry," assured Toru. "We get it. Izuku is your territory, and we won't encroach. Right Mina?"

"Right."

The three girls silently finished up their morning routine and headed out into the girls' common room. The rest of them were waiting there.

"So, Momo..." Mina plopped down onto an empty couch, and the ponytailed girl turned. "Of the boys in our class, which one do you like the best?"

Momo pinkened a little. "Um, well… it's hard to say so early on in the year, when I hardly know any of them…"

"Nonsense. You have to like somebody at least a little! Even Ochako admits she likes Izuku…"

"I did not!" squeaked the brunnete.

"-Well, then." Momo straightened up. "I suppose Shoto has shown many admirable traits. He's calm, he's collected, and… well, he froze Mineta into an icicle, which is a plus in my book."

"Excellent choice," squealed Toru. "I agree. He's so… mysterious!"

"...Which just means that he doesn't talk a lot," said Jiro. Five heads turned to her.

"So, how about you, Jiro?" prodded Mina. "Come on, now. Don't be shy..."

"Boys?" asked Jiro. "They're all stupid. Especially that idiot, Kaminari."

Mina laughed. "Oh, you're just mad that you two lost against Momo!"

Jiro's face flushed as she remembered the events from the previous day, when she and Kaminari had faced off against Momo's one-person team. "We would have won if he hadn't rushed in like an idiot and fried his own brain!" She wheeled on Mina. "How about you, Mina. Who do you like?"

Mina smiled. "Well, it's hard to say..."

"Hypocrite," muttered Jiro.

"On one hand, I know Kirishima from outside of school, and he's a loveable idiot, but I also think Bakugou is really cool. He's tough, and he's passionate, even though he lost yesterday. And his costume design is on point!"

"You aren't wrong there," agreed Jiro.

"Oh! Does that mean you pick Bakugou?"

"Whatever," said Jiro.

"So!" shouted Mina. "We have two votes for Shoto…" she pointed at Momo and Toru. "...two votes for Bakugou..." she gestured towards herself and Jiro. "...and one for Izuku." She pointed at Ochako, who had long since given up on protesting.

"...And, that just leaves Tsuyu." They all turned to face the girl in question. "Tsu, you've been quiet this morning."

"Yes," croaked Tsuyu. "Because I cannot answer your question. After only three days and one party, I don't know enough about any of the boys here to develop feelings for them."

"C'mon," groaned Mina. "You have to say something!"

"But if I say something now, it will be a lie. Do you want me to lie, Mina?" Tsuyu looked at the pink-skinned girl expectantly.

"...No. I don't."

The girls fell into silence. Tsuyu put up a good argument, even if she spoiled Mina's fun. She's too serious. I'll have to watch out for her.

"Don't you feel uncomfortable," Ochako quietly asked, "talking about the boys like this and comparing their worth?"

"No," answered Mina. "Because right now, as we speak, they are probably talking about us in the same way."

"Really?" Ochako once more turned bright red. Is Izuku thinking about me?

-]-[-

"IF he can pull this off," bellowed Kirishima, "Izuku Midoriya is an ABSOLUTE MONSTER!" The other boys roared encouragement as they watched Izuku from their spots along the hallway's wall.

Alright, thought Izuku. I can do this, if I'm calm.

The green-haired boy was standing at the end of the hallway, his back against the wall. Across from him was a small trash can, about twenty-five meters from where he was standing. He clutched a bruised apple in his hand, carefully judging the distance and the angle he'd have to throw it at.

"Go, Izuku!" shouted Sato, pounding two fists together.

"You can do this," agreed Sero. "We're all counting on you!"

Izuku smiled. He took a deep breath, winding up his throw. And with a swift motion, he threw the apple. It sailed across the hallway and landed directly in the trash. Izuku exhaled in relief. He did it!

"HE DID IT," roared Kirishima. "He hit his target twenty-five meters away!" The rest of the boys started to cheer.

"It's nothing big really," Izuku stammered. "I just hone my accuracy so I can use my Quirk more effectively."

"And with the precision of an olympic archer!" shouted Kirishima. The boys roared their agreement as they crowded around the flustered boy.

Well, I'm making friends easily, thought Izuku. I wonder what the girls are up to…

-]-[-

Aizawa walked into the classroom looking as exhausted as usual. Izuku couldn't help but be concerned. Does he get any sleep at all? But when he tried to use Empathy on his teacher, Izuku found nothing. He suppresses his emotions really well.

"I have the results from yesterday's training exercises. I was pleased to see there was nothing extremely wrong with any of your performances, so I'll move on to the next thing." He paused. "It's time for you to pick out your class presidents."

Aizawa sighed as the class burst into a commotion. All of these children wanted the recognition that came with being president, no doubt. But only the strongest could prevail. So far, he'd only seen a handful of students worthy of the presidency.

"The holder of this prestigious position should be left to the will of the students!" yelled Iida.

"What?" asked Kaminari.

"I'm saying, our leader should be decided by a democratic vote."

The silence turned into a soft murmur as the class discussed Iida's proposal.

"Yeah," said Izuku. "Let's do that. After all, is there really any better way to decide?"

"So it's decided," announced Iida. "Let's put it to the vote."

-]-[-

Izuku Midoriya - III

Shoto Todoroki- II

Katsuki Bakugou - II

"What?" exclaimed Midoriya. "I have three votes?"

"And I have two?" asked Bakugou. He looked to Shoto. "Who voted for us?"

Shoto shrugged, but Mina eyed Toru knowingly. The pink-skinned girl might have been used to bad grades, but she was smart enough to know what happened.

I am pretty much unknown to the rest of the class, and so is everyone else, to be honest. But there were three people who have made an impression: Shoto with his party, and Izuku and Bakugou with their exceptional fight. Toru voted for Shoto because she likes him, and I knew Ochako was voting for Izuku. But Shoto's too aloof and Izuku's too awkward. Bakugou was the best choice out of the three of them, so that's where my vote went!

"So our leader is decided," said Iida, blinking back tears. "Congratulations, Midoriya! But for me to have received zero votes…"

"That means you voted for somebody else, right?" Izuku gave Iida a sympathetic nod.

Yes, so I guess I should have expected this… For the entrance exam, Iida was in the same testing area as Izuku, and after watching him destroy that zero-point villain to protect Ochako, he knew where his vote would go.

Iida straightened himself up and cleared his throat. "Anyways, Shoto and Bakugou are tied for the vice president's position. So I propose we have another vote, with the ballot limited to just the two of them." He turned to Izuku. "President, do you agree?"

The green-haired boy nodded.

"Well then, let's commence another election!"

-]-[-

Oui, what a shame that nobody else realized the position was made for me! No matter; I will vote for the one whose ice can sparkle almost as much as my lasers can: Shoto!

Well, I voted for Bakugou last round, so it only makes sense that I vote for him again!

Ribbit! Shoto seems to be calm and smart, but he was so cruel to Mineta at the party and the dorm! A strong leader should not be so brutal, so I'll vote Bakugou, even if the blond has his own ego problems.

Shoto has been instrumental in forming our class' culture ever since he hosted the party. I'll vote for him

Wow! I'm glad Izuku got the most votes! Bakugou has been treating me with respect ever since the distance run, so I'll vote for him.

Shoto's mind is always cool, even in heated situations. That's a quality I'd admire in a vice-president.

Shoto and Bakugou are both cool, so I can't decide. If I have to pick one, though, I'll help a fellow blond out and pick Bakugou.

Bakugou, for sure! He's so tough and manly…

Bakugou scares me. Way too loud. So I'll vote for Shoto, then…

Shoto stepped it up for sure when he confronted Mineta. I appreciate that, so he get's my vote!

Yesterday, Shoto took the lead of our hero team and immediately secured our victory. I'd like him as our vice-president…

It's hypocritical of me to say this, but with Izuku as the pres, we need a leader that's loud and assertive. Plus, he mentioned that he likes my drumset. Thus, Bakugou!

Bakugou's a cool guy, and I don't really know Shoto. So, Bakugou, I guess?

Hmm, a battle between the bright day's sun and the cold-hot night. It's obvious who wins this. The night always prevails.

My choice is obvious: myself, of course.

Shoto's so much more cool and mysterious. And I think he hates villains (like Mineta) almost as much as I do. I'll absolutely vote for him again!

You bet I'm gonna vote for myself! Vice-presidency, here I come!

This is tough. To choose between Shoto and Bakugou, my two closest friends… Bakugou's strong, and he's definitely more determined, but Shoto has those qualities, too, and he has his father's weight on his shoulders. Sorry, Bakugou, but I'm voting for Shoto.

As I told the girls back in the dorm, I like Shoto because he's calm and collected. I'd love to work under him some day…

And at that, the votes were cast.

-]-[-

Shoto Todoroki - XI

Katsuki Bakugou - VIII

"The voting has been completed," said Iida. "And it was close, but Shoto has won the vice-president position."

Dammit, thought Bakugou. I've lost three times in the first three days. Four, if you count the initial election. Step up your game, man!

"It took you long enough," Aizawa grumbled as he crawled up out of his sleeping bag. "Now it's time for lunch."

-]-[-

"That mob of people outside is so damn annoying!"

"Language. But I agree; it's preposterous that the media should be such a bother at an institution of learning."

Bakugou and Iida looked outside at the crowd of reporters, who no doubt wanted to get a quote from All Might, or, as the students started calling him, Mr. Yagi.

Surprisingly to Izuku and Ochako, the two boys were getting along despite their personality differences. The four of them were sitting with Shoto, who sat eating his food in comfortable silence. Rice and spicy curry was on the menu, today; lunch Rush was spoiling the kids, as usual. They chatted about everything, from Izuku's stay in America to Iida's older brother, the pro hero Igneum.

"Tensei, I mean, Igneum has been an inspir-"

*REEEEEEEE!*

"An alarm?" asked Ochako.

*Level three security has been broken. All students, please remain calm and evacuate the premises!*

"It's an alarm," said Izuku. And before he could say anything else, the lunch hall erupted into pandemonium. First-, second-, and third-year students became one big wave that pushed itself towards the exit. Inevitably, the five Class A students became a part of that wave.

"Ohh, it's so crowded!" shouted Ochako as she was squashed into Izuku.

"Gah, die! Get back!" Bakugou had to be grabbed by Iida so he wouldn't blow apart the crowd with his quirk.

"We really shouldn't be panicking," Shoto grumbled as a fist slapped into the back of his head. "It's just a bunch of reporters that broke in, see?"

He pointed outside and Izuku saw it: the pesky 'journalists' were now on campus, having somehow broken through the UA barrier. But nobody else in the crowd could see it, so they were acting like there was an active shooter on the loose. The crowd needs to be stopped, or someone will get trampled. Hmm. He looked around. Maybe I can try out a new move.

He raised his arm to the sky.

Crack!

The mob of students heard the sound of muted thunder and felt cool wind pass over their heads. They turned to face the sound and saw Izuku, his arm raised into the sky.

"Everybody, calm down! It's just the media, so walk, please! We wouldn't want somebody to get trampled."

The crowd obliged, and soon, they were out the door.

-]-[-

"Toshinori," called Nezu, as they walked away from the police crowding around the dissolved gate. "Can you please come into my office?"

All Might's heart dropped at those words. Once he went into the office, he wasn't sure if he was going to come back out alive. The principal was notorious for carrying conversations on for way too long. Would he die of boredom first? Or old age?

But still, he grudgingly obliged, and followed the rodent up to his office, amused at the height difference between animal and himself.

When they reached the spacious office, All Might shut the door and turned to face Nezu. "It's a pleasure for me to be here and all, but you know I have a heroics course exercise to supervise, right?"

"Yes, yes," said Nezu absently. "But Aizawa and No. 13 have that covered. For the moment, I want to talk to you. Tea?"

All Might shook his head.

"Alright then." The human rodent poured himself a cup. "Have a seat. I was wondering how it feels, being among so many pro heroes when you, yourself, are incapable of heroing." Before All Might could respond, Nezu continued: "I, myself, sometimes feel self-conscious…"

Might as well make myself comfortable. This will take a while.

-]-[-

After the police came and arrested the trespassing reporters, Class 1-A found themselves back in the classroom, where they waited on Aizawa.

"Bad media," whined Kaminari. "They ruined lunch!" A few more hungry kids grumbled in agreement.

"By the way, Izuku," Ochako said, turning to face him. "You never told us about that thunder thing you did with your hand to get the lunch hall's attention."

"Oh, that?" The class turned to look at Izuku. "I attracted and repelled the air around me at the same time. When two sheets of air collided so fast, it created a wave of sound, which you all heard. The move is useful for getting people's' attention, but not much else."

"That's so cool, Izuku," said Ochako. The other girls shot each other knowing looks.

"So wait," started Momo, looking at Izuku across Mineta's empty desk. "Does that mean your quirk works on fluids, too?"

"Yep," beamed Izuku. "It works on all states of matter. I create my shockwave attacks by repelling air at extremely fast speeds. They work even better in water."

Before Momo could remark at this, Aizawa rose up from behind the podium. Was he sleeping there?

"It's the afternoon," he mumbled, clearly resenting the fact. "Which means that we will be moving on to the next stage of training: rescue training!"

Boring, thought Bakugou. I want to fight!

"Come take your hero costumes, if you want, and then get onto the bus, right outside. We'll be going on a short trip off-campus."

The students did as they were told, and they filed onto the bus, which was waiting for them outside of the main entrance.

"Mr. President," Iida started, arms gesturing wildly. "Is there a specific seating order you want the students to follow?"

Izuku waved his hand. "Call me by my first name, Izuku. And sit wherever you want. I don't care…" Being president is easy! I can just let the students do their own thing…

As he climbed onto the bus, Mina called out: "Hey, Izuku! I saved you a comfy seat next to Ochako. Enjoy!" The pink-skinned girl winked at Ochako, who glared back.

"T-thanks Mina," Izuku stammered. What just happened? He reached out to Ochako with Empathy and found two emotions: embarrassment and confusion. But as he squished into the seat next to her her, he felt a third emotion, excitement, appear. Strange girl. I wonder what that means...

"So, Izuku." Ochako took a deep breath. "Rescue training, huh? You must be well-suited for it with your quirk."

"But not as well-suited as you are! Zero Gravity, combined with super-strength! The rubble doesn't stand a chance…"

Ochako was reminded of the building collapse that led to All Might's retirement. "Zero Gravity only works up to a certain point, though. I also need to be careful not to collapse a whole building by rendering one of the supports weightless…"

Izuku nodded. "I never even considered that! You know a lot…"

The girl blushed. "Yeah, well… my parents work in construction, so I've learned the basics…"

The bus arrived at its destination about ten minutes later. Izuku stepped off the bus and strained his eyes.

"Wow," said Ochako. "It's so big!"

"It's like Disney World!" agreed Kirishima.

"This is the USJ." Aizawa stepped down from the driver's seat. "The Unforeseen Simulation Joint. It's a facility that hosts many zones, each designed to simulate a disaster scenario. There's the landslide zone, for example." The class looked at a sloped mountain dotted with collapsed buildings.

A man wearing a spacesuit costume started to walk up the stairs. "Greetings, Class A!"

"That's Number Thirteen, the Gravity Hero!" whispered Ochako. "One of my favorites!"

The Gravity Hero. Izuku cataloged that factoid in his brain. Thirteen went on to explain his quirk, as well as its uses in rescue missions and its potential to kill.

"Hopefully, today you'll learn to use your quirks not to harm, but to save people."

And ironically, as if fate was trying to flip Thirteen's words on his head, the villains chose that moment to appear. Aizawa immediately noticed the black disk that materialized in front of the fountain, and the rest of the class was looking on when the masked Tomura Shigaraki stepped out of the portal, flanked by villains.

"The Symbol of Peace is gone," Shigaraki yelled to the thugs that flanked him. "And now it's time to bury him, along with his reputation and his students!" The villains cheered.

Aizawa called for the students. "Group up and stick together!" Then, he donned the goggles around his neck. Izuku wondered what they did. "Thirteen, protect the students! I'm going down."

The class clamored, unsure of what was going on.

"Is this an elaborate test?" Izuku asked, but Thirteen shook his head. Izuku could detect fear in the hero's head, and Izuku was deeply discomforted. If Thirteen, a pro hero, was afraid, then how should he feel?

Aizawa relayed instructions to the class, stepping up to the very edge of the cliff that led down to the fountain area. Izuku opened his mouth to protest, but the Erasure hero turned away. "I can keep them all at bay until help arrives. Remember this: no good hero is a one-trick pony."

And with that, he disappeared over the edge. For the first time, Izuku caught a hint of emotion from his teacher. It was faint, but it was there: fear.

Aizawa was afraid.

Shigaraki looked up at the greed-clad hero as he ran down the wall. "We'll handle this, easily. Warp-gate, can you take care of the students?"

"Certainly." The man's misty form disappeared and reappeared in front of the students at the top of the wall. Izuku and Ochako took a step back, and Bakugou clenched his fists.

"Greetings, students," he announced in a deep voice and a polite manner, as if he were a butler, and not a villain that was trying to kill them all. "Please forgive me, but I need to move some of you around to spread chaos. It's all in the name of a better world, you know-"

"Shut up!" Bakugou rushed forward, with Kirishima hot on his heels. "I don't care about your greater plans, or your ego!" The blond sent a blast at the misty form, and Kirishima followed up with a hardened punch. But the villain simply became… incorporeal, and their attacks missed.

"Close," chuckled Kurogiri. "But not close enough." He stretched his body out, and the two boys were dragged into it. When the mist cleared, they were both gone. Shoto stepped forward, but he, too, was consumed by the mist. Kurogiri came for Izuku next, along with Tsuyu standing next to him. Both of them disappeared. Then Kaminari, Jiro, and Momo went. Then Aoyama and Ojiro. Then Tokayami and Koda.

Shit! thought Ochako, her mind racing. Where did Izuku go? And the others? The now-diminished group of students clustered closer together, facing Kurogiri. There was herself, Mina, Iida, Sato, Sero, and Shoji. And Thirteen.

"Iida!" Thirteen shouted. "I know you're Igneum's brother. You have superspeed, right?"

"Yes," answered Iida, pushing the glasses to his face. "Do you have a plan?"

"Indeed. Communications are down, and we need to get word out to the teachers, which means we need you to run back to main campus. But," he gestured at Kurogiri. "He'll just warp you away. That's his power."

"So what do we do?" asked Sero.

"We won't do anything. I'll keep him at bay." He flipped open a panel on his glove and nodded to the other paralyzed students. "I'll keep you safe, no worries."

Thirteen stepped up to Kurogiri's amorphous form and activated Black Hole. The Black Mist started to be sucked in towards his finger. "Run, Iida!"

I've got him!

But Kurogiri was gone. Thirteen suddenly felt a searing pain in his back. Then, his chest split open. He screamed in anguish and looked down to see blood spilling down the front of his suit through a narrow slit in the fabric. He'd been stabbed from behind. Gah! How did that happen? He opened his mouth to scream again, but blood flowed out and filled his helmet. The pain suddenly caught up to him, and Thirteen fell to the ground.

"Nobody's going anywhere," said Kurogiri, turning from Thirteen's dead body to face the petrified students.

Excellent! It looks like Invisible Blade works even better than Master said it would! Now that the chaos has been adequately spread, I can work on dispatching the students.

-]-[-

And that's Chapter 10! RIP, Thirteen. What an unexpected turn of events! Well, unexpected for everyone but me.

Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm glad to see so many people are enjoying this story. I'm sorry that it hasn't really been consistent with MHA Vigilantes Canon. I haven't had the time to read it, but I will when I get the chance!

Chapter 11 should be out Thursday/Next Sunday, depending on its length. Keep an eye out!