Hello. Allow me to apologize to those who wanted another chapter about RWBY OCs or if Ash Ketchem had a Stand. But my mind has wandered to seeing My Hero Academia, and I realized that there is someone that can act as an anime protagonist, and how crazy an AU of Marvel Comics and My Hero Academia would be.
Anyways, this is going to take place a few days after the Joint Training Arc, an entire arc after season 4 of the anime. Hope you enjoy it.
Do note that the depictions of the Avengers will be based off of the 2010 Disney XD show, "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes", though subtle references to the MCU, the comic books, and other media might be present.
If it wasn't already obvious, all property is owned by their respective companies: MHA to Horikoshi and Marvel to Marvel Comics (good riddance).
Chapter 1: The U1A3 Conference pt.1
"We are live at the U1A3 conference in Mustafu Japan. Here, a small convention is being held at the UA Sports Festival Stadium to mark the reunion of the Avengers with a few Pro Heroes that have actually worked together. Merch and refreshments will be about, obviously, as well as some talks from heroes as they work together in the event of an international crisis. There will also be small lectures to a majority of the superheroes to give tips to the students and professionals of both nations, giving a new perspective to their quirks and talents."
"Speculations have been made over the motive behind hosting a superhero convention between two major hero corporations from these two countries. These reasons range from reinforcing faith in the world's superheroes since All Might's retirement to Tony Stark just wanting another excuse to have a party, the latter of which is very unlikely but still possible."
"The local Japanese heroes one can expect at the U1A3 include the top 10 heroes, including All Might, Endeavor, Hawks, and Mirko. Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady are also expected to show up."
"Our roster of visitors includes a number of high-profile heroes from the Avengers, including Tony Stark's Iron Man, the mighty thunder hero: Thor, Bruce Banner a.k.a. the incredible Hulk, and the legendary, star spangled hero himself, Captain America."
"There have been rumors that Captain Steve Rogers was actually one of the pro heroes that actually trained Toshinori Yagi, the man formerly known as All Might."
"Now for some trivia: Some of our American audicance is unsure as to why the Japanese school is represented by the letters 'U' and 'A'. This is because the Japanese word for 'hero' is 英雄, pronounced 'eiyuu' or A, U. Thus, the kanji AND the letters are switched around to form the school's name of 雄英, Yuuei, or UA…"
"The Avengers are here! But why? Are we really going to compete with their students? Are we going to face them? What if they pick me, and ONLY me!? Am I going to embarrass myself and UA not only in front of Japan, but the Avengers Superhero Agency, and the entire world!? What are we going to do about this? What am I GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS!? WHERE IS ALL MIGHT!? WHAT IF THAT BLACKWHIP GOES CRAZY AGAIN!? AAAAAAAHHHHHHH-!"
"Deku! Calm down!"
That was when Izuku was shaken out of his escalating ramblings. When he refocused, he looked ahead to see Ochako Uraraka with her hands on his shoulders.
"S-sorry, Uraraka." Izuku said, standing up and gathering his belongings. "The thought that we may be meeting the Avengers up close is both exciting and nerve wracking."
"Yeah." Ochako said, averting her gaze. "Hey, Deku?"
"Yes?" Izuku said.
"I'm not as knowledgeable at heroes as you, and I know next to nothing about the Avengers. I was also hoping for some time away from the girls for once." Ochako's face started to turn a bit more red. "So, if it's okay, during the conference, can I stick by you?"
Izuku looked back at Ochako, unsure of what to say back. He's not embarrassed. Just confused.
"Yeah, I know it's weird." Ochako said. "But I ever since that black stuff came out of your arm during joint training, I can't help but feel like I shouldn't leave you alone. You get me?"
"Yeah, I remember, Uraraka-san." Izuku responded. "And now that you mention it, I think it would be nice to hang out with you and admire these American heroes. Just the two of us."
Ochako perked up. "Really, Deku?"
"Yes. Let's go." Izuku said, smiling. "And if you have to worry about me, let me know, okay?"
The students of UA were informed that there's a chance they'll have to compete with some of Avengers Academy or at least represent UA before the world, and were hence given permission to wear their hero costumes to the massive meetup. For the hero courses in particular, appearing in costume was necessary as they're the most likely to be chosen.
For Izuku Midoriya, he knew that as one of the Big 3 of Class 2-A, he might be the one to represent his school not only in front of the nation of Japan, again, but in front of the American audience, including what can only be described as the most famous superhero agency in the world.
He was obviously nervous at the possibility, but with Ochako Uraraka nearby, smiling at him, those worries felt greatly quelled.
"Ha! So we finally get to deal with those American wannabes." Bakugou sneered while brandishing his quirk's explosions. "Lemme at em, UA! I'll put those losers in their place!"
"I'll suggest you drop the subject, Bakugou." Todoroki said. "The school is not going to let you represent us."
"Why? Because they knew I would dominate the competition?"
"No, because while you've proven yourself to be a good fighter, your attitude is making you not a people-person, let alone the image of a hero." Todoroki explained. "Having you as the face of UA will make us look like idiots in the eyes of the world."
"Say that again, Icy-Hot! I dare you!" Bakugou barked back. "And let me guess. Perhaps, are they going to choose you because you're Prince Zuko and Princess Elsa's secret love child!?"
This taunt causes Todoroki to lose his cool in both ways as flames erupt from his left side and the two stare each other down. In response, Yaoyorozu tries to calm down Todoroki while Iida scolds them both to take their squabble off campus. Izuku and Ochako witness this and decide to move onto the convention on their own. As they try to leave the Alliance Heights building, they see Eri and Mr. Aizawa walking down the hallways when they spot each other.
"There you are, Midoriya." Aizawa said. "I was wondering if you two could take Eri with you to the festival. I'd do it myself, but I'd like to keep a low profile and I have a meeting to go to. You're welcome to go with them, Uraraka."
"I'd be happy to, but where is Mr. Togata?" Ochako asked. "Isn't he usually the one to accompany Eri?"
"Nighteye's agency is going to attend as staff, Mirio being among them." Aizawa explained. "Also because-".
"Because I want to see the Avengers!" Eri said, hugging Deku's leg and smiling at him. "I know that Deku knows a lot about heroes, so I want to go with him so that he can tell me about them!"
"That's why I want to go with him too." Ochako said. "Can she come with us, Deku?"
"Of course she can. Eri-chan, you can come with us!" Izuku agreed.
"Yay!" Eri cheered.
"Here." Aizawa said, and handed the pair a small wad of yen bills. "Consider this an allowance to get Eri what she could be interested in and/or something to eat."
"Thank you, Mr. Aizawa." the students thanked before moving towards the stadium with Eri's hands in theirs.
On the way there, Izuku shared with the girls a quick story of how the Avengers were formed.
Around 20 years ago, Thor's evil brother, Loki, had mind controlled the Hulk into a fit of rage that almost destroyed a city in America. Thor himself intervened and fought the Hulk to a standstill. When the Hulk was freed from Loki's spell, the trickster god had escaped them, promising to come back when he felt like taking the Earth, starting with New York.
Meanwhile, Iron Man, Ant Man, and Wasp were exploring the arctic ocean with a group named SHIELD, when they came across the frozen body of Captain America, who is unanimously regarded as the world's first superhero. As they tried to inspect the body, they discovered the star spangled hero to still be alive! Captain America was frightened of the new faces he saw and sought to fight his way out of SHIELD's care, but stopped when he realised he's no longer in 1943. After bringing him up to speed, Captain America agreed to help the heroes, forming a strike team in SHIELD consisting of Black Widow, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver.
After Cap further established hero fundamentals into the US, Loki returned with an army of space aliens at his command! After gathering any heroes brave enough to fight back, Captain America led a team composed of himself, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Ant Man, the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver in the fight against Loki and his aliens. The battle was long, but they succeeded, and Loki was sent to prison on Thor's home in Asgard.
Soon after, the heroes got together and formally formed the Avengers, a hero agency composed of Earth's mightiest heroes. Other heroes have joined their ranks from within the United States to even those from around the world, including the Black Panther, Captain Britain, Colossus, and Spider Man among many others.
"It is rumored that All Might may have joined the Avengers shortly after their conception to learn from Captain America, but I've yet to confirm this with him." Izuku explained further.
"Maybe you can ask him." Eri suggested.
Izuku and Ochako nodded. And thus they soon reached the stadium.
The area surrounding the stadium grounds was bustling with activity. Merch shops, food stands, mini games, interactive booths, movies, comic shops, it was a hero fan's dream come true to be in, and Izuku couldn't contain his excitement at this event, Ochako and Eri laughing along with him.
There were some trivia games where Izuku met his match a few times. The green haired hero felt right at home among people who are as knowledgeable about heroes as he is, if not moreso.
Ochako is trying not to spend too much money, which will always be something she does, but the sight of new foods from America made her want to try. Then Izuku reminded her that Aizawa gave them an allowance for this, and she accepted. She found a favorite American food in the form of hotdogs.
Eri was just happy to be with some of the people who rescued her, as well as just being a kid that plays games and reads about heroes. She and Ochako were mesmerized by the stories of the Avengers and even discovered stories about Japan's own heroes they didn't know about. One such story was when Edgeshot had an arch nemesis named Paperweight, his quirk being related to air flow in some way (Izuku took note to look it up later).
Soon enough, the three of them were walking around with a wad of cotton candy in one hand and some kind of hero merch in another part of their body.
"Well you two, of what you saw so far of the Avengers, who would be your favorite?" asked Izuku.
"I like Scarlet Witch!" said Eri. "Her quirk is so mysterious, like mine! I want to meet her!"
Eri is wearing a red M shaped mask. The story goes that Scarlet Witch wanted a simple yet stylish headpiece added to her costume. She got it, and it became her hero symbol.
"Her quirk is something called 'Hex Bolt', which allows her to bend probability at a point in space. At least, that's the general explanation of it." Izuku wondered. "What about you, Uraraka?"
"I really like Black Widow." Ochako answered, holding up her keychain with the red hourglass of the Black Widow. "I like the whole feme fatale archetype she embodies and I believe Kendo and Yaoyorozu are fans of her. Imagine how cool I could be if I had her acrobatics and close combat skills! I could be a blur of black and pink that doesn't care about gravity!"
The image of Uravity zipping through the air and around obstacles with literal gravity defying stunts then beating up bad guys came up in the heads of Izuku and Eri.
"That would be so cool… yeah." Izuku said, almost dreamily with a smile on his face.
"Woah…" Eri agreed.
Ochako looked back at the two of them and giggled at how cute they look
"Deku, what are you thinking?" asked Eri.
"Um, I was just imagining how Uraraka would look with the skills of Black Widow." Deku nervously replied.
"Yeah. That would be cool." Eri said. "Can Ochako do that?"
"Not yet, but I'd like to try. I wonder if I could get some advice from the Black Widow herself." Uraraka said. "So, Deku, do you have a favorite Avenger?"
"Well it should be obvious, but my favorite Avenger is Captain America." answered Izuku, showing off a 1 foot toy version of Captain America's shield strapped to his left arm.
"As you know, he's known as the world's first superhero from way back in 1941, and his example during WWII is regarded as the basis of modern hero society. When he awakened to modern day, he's said to have worked in the US government to further legislate the guidelines for superheroes in the U.S. and wrote books on how to maintain it in other countries, including ours!" he explained. "Mr. Yagi told me he looked up to Captain America just like how people like me look up to All Might."
Eri was now more curious about Captain America while a snicker escaped Ochako's mouth, earning a questioning look from Izuku.
"You just made me think of All Might being a fanboy as he asked Captain America for his autograph!" she laughed.
Izuku thought about it for a second:
As Captain America fended off the blows of a powerful villain with his shield, All Might came out from the side and punched the villain in the head with a Detroit Smash, knocking him out in an instant. Then, the star spangled Avenger turned towards the new Symbol of Peace.
"Hm, you're new here, and yet you do have the spirit of a new hero." said the captain. "What's your name, soldier?"
All Might looked surprised as the Star Spangled hero was asking him specifically.
"Uh, All Might, sir!" he responded.
"Well, All Might, you have my thanks." said the captain. "I couldn't have defeated this villain without your help."
All Might could barely hold in his excitement and Captain America is looking a little weirded out that a hero who looks about as tall as the Hulk was acting like a fanboy before him.
"I-I am honored to be of assistance to you, Captain America!" He shouted with a salute. Then he slowly calmed down before he said, "Also, um. Cap, if it's of no trouble, can I have your autograph?"
Cap's eyes turn wide at the request as the buff dude pulls out a notebook and a pen seemingly out of nowhere. "E-excuse me?"
"Sir, I've looked up to you all my life! And I just c-can't contain myself for it truly is an honor to finally meet you!" he squealed.
"Oh. Uh, okay." So he signs the notebook.
"YES! THANK YOU!" Cheered All Might, much to the embarrassment of David Shield who's off to the side.
Izuku laughed at the imaginary sight while Eri just giggled along.
"Ha ha ha ha! That would be hilarious!" Deku agreed.
As the three of them finally finished their treats, Eri had put a finger to her mouth in thought.
"Wait, I thought Captain America and Black Widow like each other." Eri thought aloud, which the pair of students heard.
"That's right." Izuku said. "After beating a villain that wanted America and Russia to go to war, they realized their feelings and fell in love."
"They're an amazing hero duo!" Ochako commented. "Deku, do you know if they're married?"
"I don't know. The public has known of their relationship, but there was no mention of marriage." Izuku answered. "Why bring it up, Eri-chan?"
"Well…" Eri wondered further. "If Deku likes Captain America, and Ochako likes Black Widow, and Captain America and Black Widow like each other, does that mean Deku and Ochako like each other too?"
A second passed before Izuku stuttered until nobody could understand what he was saying and Ochako had her hands on her face while her quirk caused her to float around aimlessly. Eri looked between the two confusingly. Ochako was stopped when some guy had jumped up and grabbed her by the leg to bring her back to the ground.
"Woah there!" he said to her. "Maybe you shouldn't accidentally use a gravity based quirk in open air."
The three kids looked at whoever just prevented Ochako from flying away.
He was a pretty tall guy, around Tenya Iida's height. A Caucasian male with red hair swept right, well defined brows, and distinct, blue eyes.
His navy blue jacket appeared to be double breasted in design with a wide collar, and one of the flaps had the red outline of the left side of a star. On his arms were red gloves and a pair of gunmetal grey bracers with a large, teal gemstone embedded into each. His lower body was clothed in ultramarine blue cargo pants suspended by a loaded, black utility belt, as well as armored red greaves and boots. If Izuku had to guess, this pseudo-military outfit is this guy's hero costume, and it made him look like he would fit in with Shiketsu High. All that's missing is their hat.
"Right. Sorry." Ochako apologized before releasing her quirk.
"It's okay." the guy said in Japanese. "Say, you two are UA students, right?"
"Y-yes, we are!" Izuku responded. "I am Izuku Midoriya, I'm in my 2nd year.
"I'm Ochako Uraraka, I'm also in my 2nd year. What's your name?"
"James Rogers. 3rd year student from Avengers Academy." the new guy replied
Eri didn't respond as she looked up at James in wonder before walking up to him and tapping on his leg. James then looked back down at her curiously.
"Hi. I'm Eri." she said.
"Eri? Hm…" James muttered, crouching down to Eri's level. "You seem pretty small for a student. Are you with Izuku and Ochako over here?"
"Yes." she replied. "Deku saved me and he and Ochako are watching me while we're here."
"That's good to hear." James said with a smile, patting her head. "Are you having a good time?"
"Yeah!" Eri cheered with a grin. "Deku knows a lot about heroes, and Ochako was helping me too! Also, I think I like Scarlet Witch!"
"Ooo… I think Ms. Maximov would be delighted to know she has a fan in Japan." James said.
The three of them all looked at their new American friend in wonder.
"Her real name is Maximov? How did you know? Do you know her?" asked Izuku.
"Only by name." James explained. "But enough about that. Mind if I hang out with you guys for now? I was hoping to meet some UA students while I'm here."
Ochako perked up. "Sure. I don't see why not."
"Yo, Midoriya! Uraraka!" said Sero, who was with Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods for the festival. "And hello there, Eri-chan."
"Hi, Mr. Sero." Eri responded.
"And hi, whoever you are." Sero said to the American.
"James Rogers. Nice to meet you." James replied.
"Mt. lady and Kamui Woods? What are you doing here?" asked Izuku.
"For the first time, I'm not here as security." Mt. Lady said. "I'm here to accompany Shinji-kun."
"You said that you wouldn't go unless I came with you." Kamui replied.
"Shinji-kun? Are you serious?" asked Ochako.
Now the pair of pro heroes started to get flustered.
"W-Well," Mt. Lady started. "Woods has proven to be a good coworker so-."
"Are you two sure you're not in love or something?" Sero asked.
The two heroes didn't say a word as Mt. Lady's face went red and flowers started sprouting out of Kamiu Woods. As the group of them began to badger the pair on their potential relationship, and James introduced himself to the other persons present, Izuku spotted someone familiar out of the corner of his eye.
A hero in a red bodysuit with black web patterns and sections of blue. White, flower petal shaped eyes seemed to shift in size with the hero's expression. The lower half of his mask was pushed upward, revealing caucasian colored skin and a mouth that's chewing on a hotdog.
Behind him was a similarly dressed person but with a mostly black suit and wearing a black and red hoodie. He was around Izuku's height and looked as meek as a squire following Spider Man. He then turned to spot Izuku and the group around him, focusing on James.
"James! There you are!" said the smaller Spider Man, his accent almost reminding Izuku of Rock Lock.
True to their observations, the kid was wearing a Spider Man costume that was modified to be covered in mostly black, with the webs, eye borders, and spider symbol in red, all underneath a red hoodie.
"Who are you? Another Spider Man?" asked Sero.
The small looking Spider Man looked confused at what Sero said, as he couldn't comprehend the Japanese language. James then translated Sero's question for the guy, and he nodded in understanding. The little spider then lifted his face mask to reveal a dark skinned male with brown eyes looking back at him.
"It's Spider Boy, actually." he said, in English.
Now Izuku comes over and translates for Sero.
"Wow. Neat." Sero said. "What's your name?"
The dark skinned boy looked confused, but James points out that Izuku can comprehend them and they can translate to each other.
"The name's Mile's Morales. I'm a Sophomore student at Avengers Academy." the little spider introduced.
"Hanta Sero, Cellophane of UA." Sero said.
"I'm Ochako Uraraka and also go to UA." said Ochako.
"I'm Eri." Eri said. "Wow. Cool costume."
"Why thank you, little lady." Miles said back, patting Eri on the head, making her giggle.
"Izuku Midoriya." Midoriya said. "So, what's your relationship with Spider Man?"
"I'm his sidekick." Miles answered. "Pretty cool huh?"
"Spider Man and Spider Boy? That sounds like an awesome duo already." Mt. Lady wondered aloud to the nods of her compatriots. "What do you think, Shinji-kun?"
No response.
"Shinji?" she said again, but got no reply. Then again, Spider Man was right there and he didn't say anything either.
The pro hero, the four students, and the little civilian looked at him and could not believe their eyes.
Kamui Woods just stood there, frozen, unexpressive. When Mt. Lady got a more careful look on his face, his eyes were looking very focused. James and Miles looked at Spider Man, only to find him with a similar reaction.
It lasted a few seconds, but Kamui Woods and Spider Man locking gazes, the optics on their costumes expanding.
"YO!" they yelled, pointing a finger at each other.
They then went into a hearty embrace that caused a group of people within a 5 meter radius to stop and stare.
"Shinji! It's good to see you, dude!" Spider Man said.
"I never thought I'd see you again either, Peter-san!" Kamui Woods said back.
Everyone else was applauding with joy as these two "streetsweeper" heroes have a hearty reunion complete with a massive hug.
"Wait." James said. "You two know each other?"
"Mr. Woods, you know him?" Sero asked.
"KNOW HIM!?" Kamui basically yelled back. "Cellophane, when the Avengers sent one of their heroes here, Spider Man and I were practically partners!"
"Yeah, our one partnership was crazy." said Spider Man.
Both heroes then explained the case they worked on together. Apparently, a few years ago there was a Spider Man in Japan, but this one was a vengeful vigilante who had a rope launcher quirk instead of spider powers. This "Japanese Spider Man" would casually kill and push criminals to suicide, even managing to turn their own death traps against them. Peter Parker's Spider Man was authorized by the Japanese government to pursue this imposter and Kamiu Woods volunteered to work with him. And the rest was history.
"His catchphrase was literally, 'I'm an emissary from hell, Spider Man!" said the real Spider Man. "Still, the thrill of taking down my vengeful twin led to the best month of hero work we've ever done…"
A sigh of reminiscence escaped their mouths as nostalgia washed over the pair of acquainted heroes from across the Pacific. That was until Mt. Lady grabbed Kamui Woods by his arms and shook him frantically.
"Why, Shinji!?" she yelled. "Why didn't you tell me you were friends with an Avenger!?"
"I-I had no idea Spider Man would be here!" he replied.
As laughs went around, Izuku turned to the famous hero from Queens, New York.
"Excuse me, Spider Man, I have to ask." he said, before pulling out a notebook and pen. "Can I have your autograph?"
"Sure kid!" Spider Man replied, snatching the notebook, signing it, and giving it back to Izuku.
"Can I get one too?" asked Eri, to which Spider Man obliged by signing a small notepad that Eri kept on her. Eventually, Spider Man began signing the rest of the student's stuff, aside from Miles and James of course.
"What's your real catchphrase?" asked Ochako.
"Look out! Here comes the Spider Man!" Spider Man shouted.
As soon as he said that, the other attendees looked in their direction and the press began to move in. James and Izuku made sure they kept their distance as the reporters began inquiring about Spider Man and Kamui Woods's past partnership.
"So, the Avengers let you come to Japan?" asked Kamui Woods.
"Yeah." Spider Man explained. "Any Avengers who've had prior experience in Japan got priority in becoming the visiting group. Thus you're likely to see me, Wolverine, and Captain Celebrity. James here has priority due to being fluent in the Japanese language and Miles is here by apprenticeship with yours truly."
"Captain Celebrity…" Izuku pondered. "I'm actually curious about his relation to Captain America. Do you guys know anything?"
Miles shrugged his shoulders, Spider Man shook his head, and James turned away.
"Let's call it… complicated, kid." Spider Man responded, much to Izuku's confusion.
Just then, an announcement sounded off on the intercom.
"Attention listeners!" It was Present Mic. "The U1A3 ceremony will begin in 15 minutes. Please make your way to your designated seating area."
"Well, that's our cue." said James, before turning to the press. "Okay, everyone, we need to get going. Miles, let's go. See you later, Mr. Parker. Hey, UA, I'll see you on the other side!"
The two American students gave UA's students their goodbyes before jogging through the stadium. Just as quickly, the 3 pro heroes bid farewell to the students, leaving Izuku, Ochako, Eri, and Sero to walk towards UA's seating area by themselves.
"American heroes in training." Ochako thought aloud. "I wonder why they're here."
"I think they're cool." Eri said.
Sero was excited after meeting his hero idol. "It was an honor to meet Spider Man, and his new sidekick. That James guy, I don't know…"
"Welp, only one way to find out. Come on." Izuku said.
Twilight is here. The stadium was packed full of superhero fans wearing memorabilia depicting hundreds of famous heroes from around the world. The cameras were rolling and the skyboxes were filled.
On the pews closer to the front of the action, a number of UA's hero courses were sitting about as they have to account for 6 classes worth of heroes, them being classes A and B of three UA years.
For our three in particular, Izuku sat next to Ochako, who had Eri sitting in her lap. Izuku couldn't contain his excitement as this momentous occasion was happening before their eyes, much to the mild chagrin of his classmates, especially Bakugou. Eri laughed at how Izuku was looking before Ochako giggled and poked him to help him stop shaking.
On the other side they can see a cluster of students looking just as mismatched as them and sitting down. They guessed they were the Avengers Academy Students, but they were far fewer in number.
In between them lay the same red dirt ground where the games are played. To one side of it is a raised platform where Midnight stood in front of a pair of microphones.
"Hey there, listeners! Hizashi Yamada, Present Mic here to announce for the U1A3 conference! Accompanying me for some commentary for this event is the West Coast Avengers CEO, Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye!"
"Thank you, Present Mic! And hey to you too, everyone!" Hawkeye replied. "It's really quite something to see so many heroes' fans in one place!"
"I love you, Hawkeye!" said some random female citizen.
"Sorry, darling. I'm married. Can't blame you for wanting me, though."
There was a menagerie of squeals and laughing after that.
"Anyways we've planned a few neat spectacles for you today that will happen shortly." Present Mic announced. "A few movies, some performances, and even a few trips down memory lane."
"Now then…" Hawkeye said.
"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" They yelled together.
Suddenly, fireworks blasted off and then began what could only be described as a hyped up halftime show you'd find at the Olympics, when it still existed. There were cheerleaders, dancing, music, fireworks, and even a flying armada consisting of a number of flying heroes from both countries including Nejire-chan, Captain Celebrity, War Machine, Air Jet, Ryuko, and many others. There were a few epic and/or funny videos of incidents getting resolved in both Japan and the states, even ones where the Avengers teamed up with some Japanese heroes:
- Crimson Riot and the Hulk were wrestling a large villain that needed both of them to take him down. Now Kirishima wanted to meet the Hulk firsthand, if not get his autograph.
- Ingenium and Quicksilver pursuing an APC carrying active villains as they fought back, much to the nostalgia of both Iida's. Tenya in particular was slightly teary eyed at the sight.
- Endeavor stood atop a building and launched a torrent of flame at a frost giant as Thor was overhead, ready to clock the giant in the head with Mjolnir.
- Iron Man was carrying Thirteen as she used her Quirk to disintegrate a black swarm cloud that moved towards a city. Ochako recognized this as the time one of Stark's coworkers went berserk and used his quirk to possess an army of tiny robots and became the villain Robot-Swarm. Iron Man needed Thirteen's help to stop him.
- Kamui Woods and Spider Man were shown taking down that menacing Spider Man look alike they were talking about. The vigilante in question had sinister eyes, a length of rope in one hand, and a submachine gun in the other. The one of the screens suddenly snapped to the two heroes in question as they were hyped at seeing themselves taking down Japanese Spider Man, leaving Spider Boy and Mt. Lady to nervously laugh along.
- And finally, Izuku's personal favorite, a video of All Might throwing Captain America like a human javelin as the Avenger slammed his shield into the villain's head.
By the time the spectacle ended the day had finally reached nightfall, the stadium's lights turned on, and Hawkeye stepped back into the speakers.
"Wow that was quite a show!" said Present Mic. "Let's give thanks to [50 plus heroes and agencies] who volunteered for this event."
Hawkeye: "Now let's introduce the world's finest heroes, who would like to share a few words with the world!"
The stadium gave a loud 10 second cheer before they started to quiet down.
Present Mic started it off. "From Japan's league of heroes, he's a symbol of peace, Japan's previous number one hero, and now he's a teacher here at UA! It's alright, because he is here! It's All Might!"
All Might's theme song blared as Toshinori Yagi walked out of one of the tunnels wearing his most recent red, white, blue, and yellow costume. Though he's deflated and the suit is not as fitting as it used to be, he still looked fine in it. Behind him were Endeavor, Hawks, and Mirko as the four of them walked onto the platform. All Might smiled and waved, still glad that they still cheer for him even though he's retired. Endeavor had one hand waving and a small smile on his face, Mirko showed a big smile, and Hawks is looking just as enthused as All Might.
Now it was Hawkeye's turn to speak as the music faded out. "And from the Avengers, he's the man, the legend, the sentinel of liberty, the First Avenger, and the greatest American hero, everyone salute the Star Spangled hero: Captain America!"
As the Captain America March sounded throughout the stadium, Steve Rogers walked out of the other tunnel wearing his Captain America uniform with his shield on his back. Behind him were Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk as they moved forward. In contrast to Toshinori, Steve Rogers towered over the retired hero, being a centimeter taller than Endeavor's hair, with Hulk over them both. Iron Man waved about, his smirk hidden by his armor's mask. Thor raised his hammer about and took in the cheers with an elated smile. The Hulk nearly mirrored Thor but had his hands in fists and cheered along with the people.
The two legendary heroes met atop the platform and shook each other's hands.
"Thank you for coming to Mustafu, Captain." said Toshinori.
"It's good to meet you too, old friend." Steve replied.
As they released their hands, they picked up their microphones and began to speak.
"How's everyone doing!?" Toshinori called out.
"It is great to see so many supporters of heroes here tonight." Steve spoke. "I thank you for coming."
"Steve, how about doing one of your little speeches like you used to do?"
"Used to do?" Steve repeated in mock astonishment. "How old are you exactly, Toshi?"
"Uh… 40?" Toshi replied.
Steve moved his mouth away from the mic and whispered, "Are you sure having Captain America talk to Japan about being an objectively good hero is a good idea?"
Toshinori shrugged. "Just, talk about some universal truth about heroism or something."
With that, Toshinori stepped back and Steve just gave the old hero an annoyed stare. Then he looked out over the crowd with a more relaxed expression. He then put his shield on his arm and put the microphone on the stand, before holding an open hand up, signalling a request for silence in the stadium. The audience obliged as they slowly went quiet, and Captain America began to speak.
"I will keep this brief." he started saying, before lowering his hand.
"I'm aware of the need to push to become the best, to be number one, as if getting a trophy, or a gold medal, or some fancy title is going to prove that you're the best hero around. Most of the heroes that earn the respect of others don't think much of titles and prizes. I've talked to the police, the firemen, the people that they helped. How they didn't ask for recognition, or reward, or even thanks. And I'll say to you what I said to those same heroes: It doesn't matter what the newspapers say or the politicians or the whole world. They don't define who you are, you do. Not by your words, but by your actions."
He paused, letting the audience take it in.
"Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with. And those who think that power is everything are no different than the villains who seek the same amount of devastation. Might doesn't make right, but virtue does, that's the message I sought to instil in the hearts of future generations. And in an age when anyone can be a meta-human who fights crime, I felt that those words of virtue are even more necessary than before. All Might himself made this clear to you before, and he'll do it again if he must."
Some of the students and younger heroes started to look a bit annoyed at the captain's words, who noticed and started sounding a bit more serious.
"I know that the would-be heroes of tomorrow would be bored or even annoyed when I start talking about virtues, but that doesn't make them any less true, because there is one absolute fact that must come from this: a hero IS a paragon of virtue, and you must understand them. These virtues: prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude; learn what they mean, and that will make you a better hero. Whether you're meek or outspoken, quirk user or quirkless, you can be a hero!"
"And to the people who live in a world where superpowers clash in a fight of good vs evil, you yourselves need to be just as virtuous and righteous, and be another kind of hero for their community or their nation, Anyone can be a hero as long as your heart is in service to good."
"And now, whether a citizen or a hero, that spirit of goodness must be called upon! Make the right choices according to the truth, find peace with reality, right the wrongs against The Good, and be steadfast and vigilant in the face of evil! Thank you for your time."
The audience roared in applause as the old hero said those words. A number of students from both areas began to think about what was just said, amongst the thousands of them. Izuku Midoriya in particular was starting to tear up at what had just been addressed to him, even if it came 10 years too late.
"That's what I needed to hear." he sobbed.
"Whether you're meek or outspoken, quirk user or quirkless, you can be a hero!" the quote replayed in his mind.
"Deku, are you okay?" asked Eri.
Izuku felt two hands on his left arm as Eri and Ochako both reached over to him, looking very worried about their green friend.
"Thanks, girls." Izuku replied, wiping a tear from his face. "It's just that, I can see why All Might looks up to this man so much. He is a hero who wants to raise others up. He's amazing."
Down on the platform, Captain America raised his hand again and continued talking.
"And before I leave, there's something I'd like to address." he said over the microphone. "All Might, remember that time you tried to break my shield?"
"What about it?" Toshinori responded through his.
Suddenly a video played on the stadium screens showing a much younger All Might in his "Young Age" costume, preparing himself to punch Captain America's shield, which was affixed to a solid metal pedestal for him to hit into:
"Okay. Legend says that this shield is virtually unbreakable." All Might said to himself. "Time to prove the old man wrong."
He then took a few steps back before cocking his right arm backwards for the attack.
"DETROIT SMASH!" he yelled.
Said smash slammed straight into the shield and the entire thing plus the pedestal it was on twists, bends, and breaks into a pile of scrap now scattered on the concrete floor. The shield's presence is only visible as a sliver of red and silver metal.
All Might stood back up before turning toward the camera, a bruise apparent on his right knuckle. He was smiling at the camera, but he looked to be in pain judging by the way he held his fist and the gritting in his teeth.
"Ha… ha… I-I think I did it." he said.
"All Might?" asked Captain America, walking into the shot. "What are you doing?"
The Symbol of Peace turned toward Captain America with a look he would've made if he's the one who's been caught committing a horrific crime.
"I-I'm sorry, Cap!" he stuttered. "I was just-!"
He began to turn pale when the first Avenger then walked up to the pile of scrap metal and saw the piece of colored metal. He then watched as Captain America reached down and easily picked it up, the rest of his shield revealing itself and looking perfectly fine.
"What's my shield doing here?" he asked.
All Might stared at him, then at his hand, and let out a frustrated groan as he lowered his head. Captain America just looked at him confused, before figuring out what just happened and laughing out loud.
The real All Might had a reaction involving turning his head away and blood spewing from his mouth. The other pro heroes on stage all laughed as Steve hugged Toshinori over his shoulder as the rest of the stadium laughed along.
"Okay. Okay. We had a good laugh there." said Present Mic.
"And to those who were wondering if the video is evidence: yes." Hawkeye said. "All Might was indeed an Avenger for a few months to learn from the old man."
"I HEARD THAT, BARTON!" yelled Captain America from the platform.
He then placed a hand on Toshinori's shoulder.
"It's your show, All Might." he said. "Knock em out."
With that, Steve then walked backward as Toshinori took his spot at the mic.
"I'm glad to know that the modern heroes are still well and strong. Ponder on the captain's words. Let them inspire you as they did me many years ago." he started saying. "Though seeing as I'm no longer the number one hero of Japan, I feel like we should get a few words from the one who currently is."
That's when All Might stepped back from the microphone stand and led Endeavor to it instead. The other heroes got closer to emphasize Endeavor as the current center of attention among them.
While the rest of the audience thought Endeavor was a bit confused by the gesture of 7 heroes, Shouto knew that his old man was being nervous.
"I don't really have much to say, except this." said Endeavor. "We are fortunate to have mentors as great as these two men, and a host of heroes of this new age. So let's secure the future of our land! And how do we do that? You know the words! Go beyond! PLUS-!"
"ULTRAAA!" roared the stadium.
"Thank you!" Endeavor said.
At that moment, the entire stadium was up in applause, and Captain America and all the other heroes cheered as well and gave Endeavor a handshake before they all walked off the stage and to one of the tunnels.
"And now for the semi-final event!" Hawkeye cheered. "After deliberation between the Avengers and UA's panel of pros, we decided on only having one sports festival event this evening."
Some confused talking and groaning among the audience.
"Hey. Relax." Hawkeye retorted. "After all that flashiness, we figured it would be a good idea to have just one event involving the students."
"And this event will be…" Mic said.
A visual of two silhouettes facing off appeared on the screen.
"A 1v1 duel!" said the two.
"Ooo"s and cheers went around the stadium. The students started to pale.
"The duel will be between two premire members of the schools. One from UA and one from Avengers Academy."
Izuku shrank in his seat and was looking visibly nauseous. Ochako and Eri took notice and were worried.
"Deku, are you okay? You were inspired a few minutes ago, but now you look nervous." asked Ochako.
"I really don't know anymore." Izuku answered.
"These two have best exemplified their respective schools and are going to duke it out on the cement stage that Cementos will produce." Mic continued.
On the ground, Cementos was spilling cement and making a platform with his quirk. He waved to the cameras when the commentators called for him.
"And these two faces of future heroes are…"
The screen changed to show a graphic featuring the respective students facing each other.
"Izuku Midoriya!" said Present Mic.
"And James Rogers!" said Hawkeye.
That's when the world turned dark and became unknown to Izuku, even as Bakugou was loudly whining that he didn't get chosen. He instinctively stood up while the world seemed to be shining a spotlight on him. His eyes darted around the stadium before he stared at another spotlight across the stadium, and in it was a familiar figure with red hair and a dark jacket.
Izuku and James stared at each other, their shock almost mirroring each other from across the stadium, and they both knew what's about to happen.
"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!?" they panicked, audibly, alarming their classmates even more.
I apologize if the speeches seemed too sappy. I've always been a fan of Captain America and I thought about how James is to Captain America what Izuku is to All Might and had them interact, which will be shown more in the next chapter.
See you later!