Chapter 19: The Morning After
*glances at the chapter title innocently* You know I had to do it to ya'll. I also considered "Under Pressure" because of all the Queen songs that I've been listening to.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia). It belongs to Kōhei Horikoshi, Shonen Jump, Funimation, and any other of their partnered companies.
(Izuku POV)
"So..."
"So..."
"Your mom's katsudon was good yesterday."
"Yeah, she doesn't always does make something like that. But she been making it a lot since the USJ. Speaking of which, you didn't mention much how you felt about that. You okay?"
"I should be asking you that considering you were closer to the action than me."
"I'm fine, so... What about you?"
"Honestly a tiny bit shaken. But those baby pictures of you definitely cheered me up."
"I'm never going to let you talk to my mom if it means you'll never see my baby pictures again"
"I guess it's late to let you that she gave me one?"
"She what?!"
"While you went to the bathroom, I told her how adorable you were in one of your pictures and told me I could have it."
She pulled out a Polaroid picture that I scanned with my MTAB and sure enough it was one of the many pictures of me in a silver age onesie at 4. I tried to snatch it from her she jump away and stuffed it back in her bag. As embarrassed as I was, hearing her giggle was enough for me to smooth it over.
(Later in Homeroom)
"Do you think Mr. Aizawa will be here today?" asked Kirishima
"I don't know. His eyes and arm was messed up pretty bad." Uraraka mentioned.
"Good Morning, everyone", the drawl voice of Mr. Aizawa muffled through his bandaged face as he shuffled into the classroom.
"Sir, shouldn't you be resting?" Iida exclaimed pointing to his injures.
"Villain don't wait just because the heroes are injured. If your aiming for the top, you have to persevere. Speaking of which, the UA Sports Festival is coming up.
"Is it really okay to have a UA event so soon after we were attacked?" Mineta whined.
"On top of having more spectators than the Olympics, the event will be televised. It's too big of an event for not just the school, but also for the country. Plus, it's the prime time to show the world of heroes what you got to offer. 3 years, 3 chances, make it count."
The shift around the room was almost electric. All around, there were faces that were a mixture of determination and anticipation. When Mr. Aizawa left for the next teacher to come in, the room exploded with excited chatter of what the Sports Festival was going to be like.
The most startling thing however was how fired up Uraraka was. There felt like an aggressive aura around her she rounded up a group cheer to do our best. It wasn't until we left for lunch with Iida said something about it.
"Uraraka, I hope that I'm not intruding, but what made you want to be a hero? With you zero gravity quirk, I'm sure many jobs that you could do well in as well."
"Oh, I never told you?" She turned toward me. "I don't think I told you either, did I Deku?"
"Well, you did mention something about money that's it."
"Well there was more to it than that." She said nervously twiddling her fingers. "Ever since I could remember, at least one of my parents was always working super hard. Even with all their effort, we couldn't always have things that weren't a necessity. My parents sometimes thought I was sad because of that, but what really made me upset was seeing them so gloomy and not always spending time together. So, I want to become a hero so that I can make a lot of money and let my parents have an easy life."
"That's so inspiring." Iida sniffled before applauding like it was a standing ovation.
But he wasn't wrong. Even though I hang out with Uraraka, we've never really talk about stuff that stuff.
"Midoriya!" All Might popped out of a side hallway pointing at me.
"Woah, All Might?!" We all jumped slightly.
"Care to join me for lunch." He said producing a wrapped bento that almost seemed too small for him.
"Go ahead." Uraraka shooed be me. "It's not every day you get to eat with a pro hero, let alone the #1 hero."
'If only they knew.', I thought to myself.
"So young Midoriya, how have you and your class been after the USJ?"
"Most of us seem pretty fine. There were a few people that were jittery during homeroom, but I think that was from talk about the Sports Festival. But there was one thing that stood out to me. When I tried punching that Hand Villain, Shigaraki, my arms was fine."
"Maybe it was because of you were hitting something living? Up until this point, you've only fought using Pulse Attacks. Since your Pulse Attack is a super charge of your quirk, you know that it can't be lethal. However, a Smash with One for All is something that can, so you subconsciously held back to prevent a killing blow."
"I'll be sure to work on it sometime before the Sports Festival."
"Speaking of the Festival, I think it's the perfect opportunity to step up as your debut as the new symbol of peace."
"What?! I just started at UA and getting used to One for All. Where has all of this come from?"
"This sudden rush is more on me than anything. It seems that my fight with that Nomu did a number on me." All Might said reaching for his side and making me flinch from how he twitched. "I can only stay in my hero from for an hour, possibly less. I can only do so much now, but before I retire, I want you to start getting positive attention from the pubic so that there can be a smoother transition from the old to the new generation." He turned to me, and even though I can't see his eyes, the vibe coming from him was almost as intense as when he offered One for All. "You need to push as hard as you can to be on that podium and tell the world, I AM HERE!"
Even though it's slightly off topic, I have wanted to recommend "Hajime No Ippo" in these trying times of MHA anime hiatus. It's an oldie but goodie boxing anime by MadHouse that I've noticed similarities between Deku and Ippo. I'm still going through anime and it has been keeping me inspired & going with my fics aside from the MHA manga.
Thanks for all those that reviewed, every little bit helps. If you're new to the story, please let me know what you think with a review. Constructive criticism is accepted, but no flames please. And don't be too shy to check out some of my other stories.