Chapter 17: Learning from the Past
(Singing to the Sky Eng. cover by Jonathan Young)
I'll cut through the mirage then,
There's bright blue sky behind it!
I'll spend forever flying
(I'll be singing to the sky)
I will make my mistakes
(Izuku's scarred right hand cuts the air in front of him to clear away the smoke obstructing his view before he turns around to face whoever's behind him. A determined expression is painted on his face as he stands there in his new costume before All Might comes crashing out of the sky in front of him in his Silver Age costume)
It's Fate
It's Fate
Achieve the future with our might
Hearts alight, Still we fight!
(The to look and smile at each other before they join hands and the power of One For All surges through Izuku's arm. The scene then changes to the boy whirling around and then sending a Detroit Smash to the screen, causing it to shatter and the Title: My Hero Academia - Fox Sin. Forms out of the fragments before changing colors)
Seeking out...
All the lies I've ever feared
In oceans- of tears
(All Might is seen standing on a rooftop looking over the city before images of Gran Torino and Nana Shimura are shown)
I say goodbye
'Cause time has passed I leave today
No matter what I lose, I'm on my way
(Izuku then turns towards Shoto, who then turns to face someone as the image transitions into Iida who looks at the screen angrily. The image of his brother Tensei reflects of his glasses as he prepares to run towards someone)
Frustration... Humiliation
I need them-
To reach my destination
(Ochako is seen with a determined look as a few moments of her past are shown. The same happens with Momo and Bakugo before the shot changes again)
I'll cut through the mirage then,
There's bright blue sky behind it!
I'll spend forever flying
(I'll be singing to the sky)
I will make my mistakes
(The scene then becomes one of Stain snarling at Iida and Shoto. The latter using his engines to do a spin kick while the latter shoots at Stain with a blast of fire which then changes to Izuku bouncing around the walls)
It's Fate
It's Fate
Achieve the future with our might
Hearts alight, Still we fight!
(The shot then changes to a shot of the League of Villains and Shigaraki looking at Izuku as the boy glares at him before it changes to a tunnel of light shining with All Might standing in the center, his back turned. Then he's shown flexing and standing with the teachers before the students are shown in teams of two, Bakugo blasts himself at the screen, and then Izuku walks with his back to the screen as he activates full cowl. The students all stand in front of a wall with Plus Ultra on it as it cuts out.)
-Gran Torino's apartment-
It was the end of the week-long internships for Class 1-A and Izuku was standing on the steps of Gran Torino's apartment, costume briefcase in hand.
"Sorry we weren't able to do much this week, kid. Not much of an internship I know." The man said.
"Don't worry too much about it. You taught me how to use One For All without damaging my body, so I'd count that as progress." Izuku told him.
Gran Torino then smacked him on the leg with his cane. "You did yes, but remember that you only survived because the hero killer let you. You need to stay calm and alert when you use one for all, or else you'll risk going over your limit like you did with that stress fracture of yours that just healed!" He nagged.
"Uh… Right." The immortal nodded, slightly stunned. "Hey, I've been wondering this but how is it that you're not well known? I mean you trained All Might and taught his class at UA. You should be famous, but you're not. It makes no sense." He asked curiously.
"I can see why you'd wonder about that." Gran Torino mused. "Truth be told: I never really cared about being a pro hero." He revealed, surprising the Fox Sin.
The boy seemed genuinely surprised, which wasn't unheard of for him, but it was definitely a rare occurrence nowadays.
"I know what you're thinking, and the reason why I got my license is because I needed to be able to use my quirk without limits in order to help Shimura." The man said. "Though it'd be better if you heard it from Toshi—All Might, I mean. He can explain it better than I can." The man continued.
"Fair enough." Izuku shrugged. "Well, Thanks anyway." He said as he walked away.
"Hey boy!" The old man called, making the Immortal look over his shoulder with his usual nonchalant glare. "Who are you?" He asked in his dumb voice.
The Sin of Greed immediately saw what he was doing and smirked, flashing his Fox-like teeth and jabbing a thumb at himself.
"Who am I? Well that's simple." He stated, letting his tongue roll out the side of his mouth. "I'm the Immortal Hero, call me Ban." He added with a cocky smirk. The old hero smirked at him and nodded before they parted ways.
'He may not look or act like him, but he's just like Toshinori. So this is who will inherit One for All. You picked a good one.' Gran Torino thought. 'Let's hope that we can both be there when you fade into history, and the hero Ban will take your place as the new symbol of peace.'
(Later)
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HOLY CRAP! WHAT THE HECK, BAKUGO/Kacchan?!" Kirishima, Sero and Izuku howled in laughter as they saw the blonde with a truly ridiculous haircut.
"Shut up, you idiots! My hair's gotten so used to it I can't get it back to normal!" The Pomeranian blonde growled. "You hear me?! I'll kill all three of you!" He added.
"I'd like to see you try pretty boy!" Sero laughed as Izuku stumbled to the back, still laughing.
"Holy crap, that's hilarious!" Taida chortled as he tried to contain his laughter.
"What did you say?!" Bakugo yelled as his hair blew up back to normal.
"Whoa! So you actually got to fight real villains! That's so cool! Oh I'm so jealous!" Mina whined as she talked to Jiro and Tsu.
"I just helped evacuate people and provide logistical support. No fighting on my part." Jiro shrugged as she twirled one of her jacks around her finger.
"All I did was clean the ship deck. Though there was this time where we stopped some drug smugglers." Tsu shrugged.
"Okay, now that's cool!" Mina and Jiro said in unison.
"What about you, Ochako? How was your week?" Tsu asked as they looked at the mochi loving girl… Who looked like a completely different person.
"Ah… I'd say it was very enlightening." The girl said as she was shadow boxing out of reflex and muscle memory.
"Looks like that battle hero helped her uncover her fighting spirit." The frog girl noted.
"I think it suits her." Izuku said with a grin.
"One week and it's like she's a totally different person." Kaminari noted.
"I'll say." Taida nodded.
"But if you wanna about some people who really changed, it was those three." The electro user said as he pointed at Iida, Shoto and Izuku.
"Oh yeah. Heard about you guys rubbing into the Hero Killer before Endeavor arrived." Sero noted.
"Feh." Izuku huffed as he folded his arms. "I woulda been fi—MMPH!" He started to say before Ochako hugged him tightly.
"I was so worried about you!" She exclaimed as she held him close. This caused the girls in the class to gasp as Izuku struggled to break free from her grip… mainly because he was unintentionally being suffocated by the girls chest. Which his head was currently smushed in.
'If I die like this, I'll be happy.' The immortal though, despite his position.
"Ahem." Momo coughed. "Um, not to be rude, Uraraka, but you may want to let go of Midoriya." She told her friend as Izuku kept struggling until he slowly died of suffocation. "You're suffocating the poor boy." She added.
"Huh?" The gravity girl uttered before seeing his current state. "AAAAHHHHH! No! Don't die!" She exclaimed in panic as she tried to get him breathing again.
"Ya know, I know the hero killer was evil, but according to a video I saw he was super tenacious." Kaminari noted as Ochako kept fretting over Izuku. "He's kinda cool in a murdery, stabby kinda way." He added.
"Kaminari!" Taida hissed at him.
"Oh, dude!" He said apologetically, looking at Iida, who's hand was still injured.
"No, it's okay. You're fine." The bespectacled boy said. "I will admit that he was a tenacious villain. And why people thought he was cool, but even so, killing cannot be condoned." He continued.
"That he was." Shoto nodded in agreement.
"Now, everyone take your seats. Class is about to start!" Iida told them.
"He's back." Tokoyami groaned.
"Nice going, Kaminari." Jiro hissed.
"Sorry, I'll try to keep my mouth shut." He sighed.
(Later)
It was Hero Basic training class and All Might was standing with the kids outside one of the training grounds. Everyone was in their costumes save for Iida.
"I am here! Hope you all are ready to return to our lessons! Feels like I haven't seen you in awhile, welcome back!" The man said as he smiled at them. "Today is Hero basic training. Now then, listen for what's in store. Today we're going to be conducting a little race, be sure to take everything you learned at your internships to heart and apply it to this rescue training." He told them.
"If it's rescue training, then shouldn't we be at the USJ?" Iida asked.
"No. That facility specializes in training for rescue after natural disasters. As I said this is a race, so prepare." The muscular blonde replied. "You'll be entering field Gamma! This training ground is made up of a series of factories, creating an elaborate labyrinth." He continued. "You'll be starting in groups of five at the outskirts, I'll be sending a distress signal and you do what you have to rescue me. The first to reach me wins!" He continued. "But try to keep the property damage to a bare minimum please." He finished while slowly pointing at Bakugo.
"Why the hell is he pointing at me?" He muttered.
"You know why." Izuku muttered in reply, getting an elbow to the ribs in response.
As the first group got ready, Izuku cracked his knuckles as he let the camera catch his new threads, all while the others were talking about the group. Which consisted of Mina, Ojiro, Iida, Sero, and of course the Fox Sin.
"Iida's still recovering right? Maybe he should sit this one out." Kaminari states.
"Yeah, plus everyone in the group has super good mobility." Kirishima nodded.
"That doesn't seem to be stopping him." Taida shrugged.
"I'd say that Midoriya is at a slight disadvantage here. Since his quirk usually isn't mobility centered and so far is only good in short bursts." Momo noted.
"Yeah, that's my assumption, too." Jiro nodded.
"Who's your pick? I'm betting on Sero." Kirishima said.
"Oh yeah? I got odds on Ojiro." Kaminari replied.
"I'm gonna bet on Ashido. Her acid seems like it'd be a good fit here." King noted.
"I still think Iida's got this one…" Ochako said.
"Personally I think Midoriya has this down." Shoto stated. "Especially after what I saw him do in Hosu." He added.
"Huh? What're you yapping on about, Icy Hot?" Bakugo questioned.
"You'll find out in a few moments." The dual element user replied. With that the match began and Sero had an early lead.
"It's like this course was built with me in mind!" He grinned as he swung above everyone else… right before a green blur zipped past him. "What the-!" He exclaimed in shock as Izuku sped past him.
"Later, Sero!" The Immortal called back as he ran across a large pipe, his arms trailing behind him as his coat flapped in the wind before he had to leap off and start jumping around from ledge to ledge and building to building like a ninja would front tree branches.
"What in the world?!" Kirishima gasped in surprise, which everyone shared.
"Whoa! Those moves, he looks just like…" Ochako said in surprise.
"Those are my moves!" Bakugo said in shock. 'He got stronger while I was being groomed at that useless internship! Dammit! I'm falling behind!' He cursed mentally.
The Fox Sin grinned as lightning cracked around him as he moved. "Okay, time to crank this up to 8%!" He grinned as he launched himself forward at blinding speed and as he flew across the field… and slammed face first into a water tower, causing a dent to occur in the shape of his body. However due to how durable his body was now thanks to constantly regenerating, nothing was broken.
"Ooooohhhh!" The ones observing cringed.
"That looked painful…" Jiro commented as the boy slowly fell off the tower and onto the concrete directly below… birds flying around his head as he laid there, dazed.
"At least he didn't die that time." Kaminari said in a joking manner.
"Really, dude?" Bakugo and Taida deadpanned.
"What? It's true!" The electric boy defended.
"Shouldn't Midoriya's body be damaged and regenerating right now?" Momo wondered.
"I haven't known him as long as Bakugo, Uraraka or King, but from what Midoriya's told me, his skin and body gets stronger every time he regenerates or comes back from the dead." Shoto explained. "So theoretically, if he regenerates enough times, it could take nothing short of a nuke to take him out." He added.
"And he'd be strong enough to pack that kind of wallop." Bakugo amended.
Back with Izuku he slowly got back up as All Might faced him. "You surprised me." He told the boy. "Meet me after class, we need to talk. It's time I told you the whole truth, about me and One for All." He added. This made the boy look slightly surprised.
'Truth?' He thought to himself.
(Later)
In the locker room the boys were getting dressed and changed. "That sure was a workout." Taida sighed.
"It's the first class that really had me glistening." Aoyama said.
"You flew on your pillow the entire time, King." Izuku deadpanned.
"I really gotta work on my mobility." Kirishima noted.
"You can also compensate by improving other skills." Tokoyami suggested.
"I wish I could use my quirk for speed, I'm jealous of guys like you and Sero." Kaminari said as Izuku thought about what All Might said, before King tapped him on the shoulder.
"What's up?" He asked.
"Someone shawshanked a hole in this wall!" The grizzly Sin whispered. "You know what's on the other end, right?! The girl's locker room!" He added, getting the rest of the boy's attention, even Bakugo and Shoto.
"Shh!" Kaminari hissed as He covered the boy's mouth. "Are you crazy?! They'll kill us!" He hissed.
"No! Spying on them in such a way is disrespectful!" Iida exclaimed.
Taida seemed to be really torn apart about this. "Oh, I know it's wrong but curiosity is killing me! I don't know if I wanna look or what!" He said, scratching his head wildly. Images of Tsu popping into his head.
Shoto, meanwhile, had a red blush plastered across his face as an image of a naked Momo enters his mind, posing shyly and also blushing.
Kaminari, Kirishima and Ojiro meanwhile had similar visions of Jiro, Mina and Hagakure respectively. Needless to say, curiosity was killing them!
They then turned to Izuku and Bakugo, who could immediately recognize their unspoken words. For them to do the peeking for them since the two had the most 'I don't give a fuck' out of them all at present.
"... How is it that we're always the fall guys for this shit?" Bakugo sighed.
"Because we literally give zero shits." The Immortal replied as he shook his head. Sighing, the two walked over to the peep hole and looked inside, both scanning the room for signs of life.
"See anything?" Kaminari whispered. The two were silent for a second or two, right until the undead Fox Sin suddenly stumbled backwards as he experienced a nosebleed.
'Holy crap, Ochako looks fucking sexy!' He thought with a dopey grin. Bakugo meanwhile was met with something much less pleasant.
"Gah! My eye!" The explosion teen yelled as Jiro's earphone jack stabbed itself into his eye.
"Ohh!" The other boys cringed as he clutched his eye in pain.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile with the girls, they were still getting dressed. Ochako was blushing like crazy given the fact Izuku had just seen her in only her black bra and panties. She wasn't really mad—they had seen each other with little clothing on as kids—but she was still very embarrassed.
"Thanks, Jiro." Toru said.
"Despicable, we'll patch this hole up right away." Momo nodded, her own blush visible since she heard Jiro mention that Todoroki seemed tempted to look. Same with the rest of the girls.
Jiro meanwhile seemed… conflicted, since she heard what Kaminari was mumbling under his breath about wanting to peek at them, and her in particular.
'Why me, though?' She wondered.
(Later)
Izuku was heading towards the teachers lounge to talk to All Might, when he saw Ochako heading to her locker.
"Hey Ochako." He said, making the girl jump in surprise as her Gunhead training suddenly kicked in and she judo flipped him out of reflex. "... Nice form." He added after a beat passed.
"Sorry Deku!" She apologized as she helped him up.
"No, I should apologize. Sorry about peeking on you back there… the guys weren't giving me much of a choice." He told her.
"I'm not mad… but I am embarrassed." She admitted with a blush.
"Sorry." He said. "Hey listen, about what I said on the phone. I wanted to tell you that…" He then leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I'm going to make good on my promise: that one day I'm gonna take what's mine, and make you mine." He told her as he pulled away. The gravity girl couldn't stop herself from leaning on his toned chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"I hope you do." She sighed longingly before smiling. "I still can't believe you remembered that promise we made when we were kids."
"Of course I did, Ochako." The undead boy told her, taking her hand in his. "I remembered it because you're the only woman for me. I love you."
Ochako blushed as she looked away. "I'm… glad you think that." She said before her face turned red and she ran off, full of embarrassment.
Izuku sighed, realizing he had overdone it. "Dang it." He sighed as he entered the lounge and saw All Might waiting for him.
"Have a seat." He told his pupil.
"What did you wanna talk to me about?" The green haired teen asked.
"I heard that the hero killer got a taste of your blood." The No. 1 hero noted.
"Yeah, twice." He nodded.
"Young Midoriya, do you remember how I gave you One for All?" All Might asked. "Do you remember what I said to you that day?" He continued.
"Eat this!" Izuku said, doing his best All Might impression, even looking like him.
"No! Not that part." The blonde stated. "I said the key was in my DNA, that's why I had you swallow the hair." He added. The Immortal's eyes widened as realization hit him.
"I swear, if that psycho has On for All…!" He growled.
"No, he doesn't! I just thought you'd be worried is all. But…" All Might said before sighing. "I see it didn't even cross your mind." He sighed.
"Let me guess: I have to willingly give my DNA to someone, right?" The boy guessed.
"Right. It can't be taken by force, but it can be given by force." The man nodded. "The quirk you have is unique and you should know its origin." He continued. "One for All was derived from another quirk, one that is very old known as All for One." He told his pupil.
'All for One? Why haven't I heard of that quirk before?' Izuku thought with a raised eyebrow. "Go on." He prompted, wanting to learn more.
"This quirk allowed its user to steal quirks from others, he could either keep them for himself or pass them along to other people." The symbol of peace explained. This caused the Immortal to look down at his hand, and a thought crossed his mind.
"If that's the case then… would that user be able to take away my immortality?" The Sin of Greed asked. "Hypothetically, I mean." He amended.
"Why do you ask?" The Symbol of Peace wondered. Izuku let out a sigh.
"Because even if I get together with Ochako, my quirk would force me to watch her, my mom, and all my friends wither away and die in front of me. That can destroy a person." He explained.
All Might seemed to contemplate this. "Yes, I can see how that could be a tempting prospect for you with that in mind." He nodded before his expression softened. "But you shouldn't give in to that despair, not yet. After all, you may learn how to do that very thing yourself, given time."
"What?" He asked in confusion.
"Let me finish the story and I'll explain to you what I mean." His mentor said. "Now, this occurred when quirks were just starting to appear. Before society knew what to do with the newly powered among them. When quirks first appeared, suddenly it was impossible to say what it meant to be a normal person. Laws and human rights were hotly debated, civilian's progression stopped, society decayed."
"If superpowers had never appeared, humans would be taking interstellar holidays by this point." Izuku quoted. "I remember hearing that somewhere." He added. "And it sounds like civil rights America, to an extent." He noted, his mentor nodding.
"All for One Took advantage of this turmoil and asserted himself as the overlord of Japan by having people join his cause. Stealing quirks from others and committing evil acts with little resistance." All Might told him.
"How come we never heard of this guy?" The Fox Sin questioned.
"Because that's a part of history people prefer to ignore. Like you said, it sounds like civil rights America, and it makes people feel guilty that they acted in such a way." The man sighed.
"How does this all tie together?" The Sin of Greed asked.
"All for One can pass on quirks remember? He would make people trust him by altering their abilities or giving them more quirks. Though some poor souls would break under the strain of this and become like living dolls, incapable of speaking." All Might explained.
"Just like Nomu." Izuku hissed, his teacher nodded before continuing.
"This man had a quirkless younger brother. He was small and sickly but he had a strong sense of justice. They couldn't have been more different." The hero continued. "It pained the younger brother to see his older brother's deeds, so he tried to resist him." He added. "Then All for One forcibly gave a stockpiling quirk onto his sibling. We're not sure if it was a gift he was trying to give his brother. Or if he was trying to force him to submit." He added.
"What happened next?" The teen questioned.
"The stockpiling quirk merged with a quirk that the younger brother had all along: a quirk that allowed him to pass on quirks." His teacher explained. "And that is how One for All came to be!"
"Well that's unexpected." Izuku commented, not expecting One for All's origin to be what it was. "And you mentioned something about me learning to give?" He asked.
"Yes. I believe that if you take this as inspiration, you could learn how to use your Snatch ability to learn how to give pieces of your immortality to someone else, instead of using it to only take. Just like the two brothers." All Might told him. "Your quirks are very similar, it could be very possible." He added.
"Learning to do so is going to be a struggle." Izuku sighed before shaking his head. "But if I can pull it off, it'll be more than worth it." He added with a determined look.
"I'm glad you think so. All for One was the same villain who killed my master and wounded me. I thought I had destroyed him, but now it seems I was wrong. He's back and he's working as the mind behind the league of villains." The hero said as he stood up. "I wanted to tell you this because you may have to face him yourself. As it is the purpose of One for All to stop All for One." He added.
"Then I'll do my damnedest to make the fucker pay!" The Fox Sin growled. "I'll do it for you All Might, and Miss Shimura, and all the past users who came before me. I'll avenge them all, no matter what it takes!" He added, clenching his fist. All Might looked like he wanted to say something, but he hesitated.
'Come on, you idiot! Tell him!' He thought to himself. He then looked at his student who walked towards him, that same determined look in his eyes. 'I'm sorry young Midoriya, but… by the time you face him… I won't be able to be by your side anymore.' He thought before Izuku suddenly hugged him.
"I've lost too much already, All Might. So don't you go dying on me. Alright?" He said. "I didn't heal your stomach just so you could keel over." He added. All Might looked at his hand, which had been slowly regaining its muscle mass day by day like the rest of him, before hugging his student back.
"I'll try to stay alive as long as I can, my boy." He replied.
(The next day)
"Well, it's almost time for summer vacation to begin." Aizawa told them the next day. "But don't get too excited, you can't just relax for an entire month." He added.
"Does that mean-!" Kaminari started, his body tensed.
"You'll be training, while you're camping in the woods." The erasure Hero said.
"I knew it! This is awesome!" Everyone cheered at hearing the news.
"It's like a giant sleepover!" Mina exclaimed in delight.
'Baths!' All the boys thought, imagining the hot bath houses where the girls would be, blushes all over their faces.
"Fireworks." Tsu said in intrigue. King blushed at the idea of watching the airborne explosions with her.
'And hot springs too… meow.' Izuku grinned, eyeing Ochako as the thought crossed his mind.
"And s'mores." Iida added.
'*gulp* And maybe… Skinny—oh lord!' Kaminari gulped as he looked at Jiro, his face tomato red.
"However…" Aizawa interjected as he activated his quirk, silencing everyone. "If you don't pass the final exam, then you'll have summer school." He finished.
"Guys, let's all do our best to pass!" Kirishima told his classmates.
"This is so stupid…" Bakugo growled.
"Chill out, Kacchan. It'll be worth it in the end." Izuku told him.
(The next day)
The next day in class everyone was sitting in home room, and when Aizawa left the room…
"I've barely studied any this semester!" Both Mina and Kaminari said in unison.
"With the Sports Festival and internships I didn't have time to read the textbook!" The blonde said in panic, as Mina anxiously laughed. The two had placed 20th and 19th in the midterms respectively.
"It's true that we haven't had very much free time." Tokoyami noted, he had placed 14th in the midterms.
"We hadn't learned much this semester so they weren't very hard, but I'm kinda worried about these, they probably won't pull any punches either." Sato added, getting a nod from Koda. Both had placed 12 and 10 in the midterms respectively.
"Well as someone in the top 10, I've got nothing to worry about." Taida said with a smirk, having somehow placed 9th in the midterms.
"What?! You placed ninth in the midterms?!" Mina and Kaminari exclaimed.
"Aw man and I thought you were one of us!" The pink girl whined.
"Don't you know that lazy dudes like you are only likable if they're kinda stupid?! Who's gonna love you now?!" Kaminari added.
"I can name a few." The Grizzly Sin shrugged with a grin.
"Cheer up Kaminari, we still got time to study, so we can still pull this off." Izuku told his friend. "That way we can all go camping. It's no fun if there are people missing." He added. The Sin of Greed had somehow placed 4th in the midterms, despite his nonchalant and lax nature.
"Yes. I have high hopes that we'll make UA proud." Iida nodded. Placing second in the midterms.
"And just how are we supposed to do that?" The electric boy questioned.
"It's kinda hard to fail if you just pay attention in class." Shoto shrugged. He had placed fifth.
"Why you gotta cut me down like that?!" Kaminari said before Momo piped up.
"Hey, you two, if you want I can catch you up on the important topics." She told them. She was first in the class.
"You're The best Yaomomo!" The two exclaimed.
"I'm not sure if I'll be any help with the practical though." She sighed, which was noticed by Shoto.
"I've been studying but do you think you can help me? I'm having trouble understanding quadratic functions." Jiro said.
"And Classical Japanese is killing me!" Sero added.
"Is there room for one more? I'm afraid I'm falling behind a little." Ojiro chimed in.
"Pretty please?" They asked the girl.
'They all need my help… I can make this into a study group! This is amazing!' Momo thought giddily. "Alright! Let's do it!" She said with a beaming smile.
"Sounds like I should be studying with her." Kirishima said as he sat with Bakugo.
"You think I don't know enough? Maybe I should beat the lessons into your skull!" The blonde growled.
"I'm counting on it." The redhead said.
Meanwhile Izuku sat on Ochako's desk. "I'm not gonna be doing much this week, so do you wanna come study at my place?" He asked her.
"Sure. It'll be nice to see your mom again." The girl nodded as she thought about her childhood friend's/crush's mom.
"Alright then, see ya there, pink cheeks." He smirked down at her, causing her to blush.
(Later)
As everyone was having lunch, they were talking about the practical test, Shoto was quiet for most of the conversation, his mind drifting to how troubled Yaoyorozu looked.
However their conversation was interrupted when Monoma from Class 1-B walked by and slammed his elbow into the back of the Fox Sin's skull.
"The hell crawled up your ass and died?!" He growled.
"Sorry, your head's just so big it's hard to miss." Monoma said.
"Got somethin' ya wanna say, punk?" The green haired teen questioned.
"I heard you guys stumbled across the hero killer. Pfft, just like in the Sports Festival, Class 1-A isn't happy unless it's at the center of attention." The blonde sneered. "You do realize that people aren't watching you because they think you're good Heroes, it's just because you get into so much trouble." He continued as everyone glared at him, and Izuku started gripping his utensils so hard they started to crack. "Here's food for thought: someday we'll all be caught up in your mess. Then we'll all be unwitting victims! What horrible villains will you bring down upon us? What demons—?" He said before he was cut off.
"Shut your motherfucking mouth, you little brat!" Izuku barked as he grabbed Monoma by the throat. "What the hell would you know about fighting villains?! Have you experienced a situation where it was do or die?! Have you ever seen a villain up close?! Have you seen how they have the ability to end your life?!" He all but yelled as he throttled the supposed bully. "No?! Then keep your mouth shut! As far as I'm concerned, you're just a bratty child with an inferiority complex!" He finished as he tossed him to the ground angrily.
The copying boy coughed as he fell to the ground. Kendo luckily caught his plate. "You didn't have to do that, I would've handled it." She told the Sin of Greed.
"Too late." He stated as she sighed, grabbing Monoma by the collar.
"So I was listening, I know you guys are worried about the practical final and decided to fill you in." The ginger said as the boy in her grasp tried to shush her. "Apparently we're gonna be facing robots like in the entrance exam." She told them.
"Kendo, you just gave away our strategic advantage!" Monoma groaned.
"Shut up, Monoma/brat!" The ginger and green haired teens said in unison, causing them to look at each other before shrugging.
"Anyway, I would say thanks, but I don't think it would be a good idea to stick to that." Izuku said, much to Kendo's confusion.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"If it's robots now, then the faculty might change it at any time, making it useless info." The Immortal explained, causing his friends to mutter in agreement.
"Hm… Yeah, I see your point." Kendo nodded after mulling it over. Sticking to info that could be rendered useless was admittedly foolish, and would throw them off their game.
(Later)
"Alright! This'll be so much easier if it's just robots!" Kaminari and Mina smiled.
"Such awesome news!" The pink girl beamed.
"Why do you sound so happy? You both have a hard time controlling your quirks." Shoji told them.
"Yeah, But I can let loose if it's robots." Kaminari smirked.
"And melting them is gonna be a sinch for me!" Mina chirped.
"Now all you'll need is for Yaoyorozu to help you study and you'll be all set for finals." Sero smiles.
"It shouldn't matter if it's robots or real people. Why are you morons so happy?" Bakugo shot back at the two.
"Uh… Cuz it's easier?" Kaminari shrugged awkwardly.
"Like I said earlier at lunch, that info could change. Don't stick to it." Izuku told them.
"Midoriya's right. We should be at least somewhat prepared for any changes." Momo nodded in agreement.
"Hey Deku." Bakugo said as he turned to his rival. "I'm not sure what you did with your internship to get better with your Power. But I want you to know, it's seriously pissing me off." He growled.
"And?" The Fox Sin replied flatly, not seeing the big deal.
"We'll be getting individual scores, that means new rankings. So I won't hold back, I'll prove how much better I am. I won't have another half assed victory like in the Sports Festival." The blonde stated, before turning to look at shoto. "And Todoroki? I'll kill you too." He growled before he stormed out of the room.
"Well he's in a bad mood." King noted.
"More than usual." Kirishima nodded.
"Think it's impatience? Or hatred?" Tokoyami wondered.
(Later)
As the days leading up to finals went on, Ochako stood outside the door of Izuku's house, ready for their study session. She nervously knocked on the door as she adjusted her backpack. The girl felt like her stomach was tied in a Gordian knot. The door opened after a moment, and there stood Inko, who widened her eyes upon seeing her and hugged her.
"Ochako! Oh I was so glad to hear that you were alright sweetie!" The woman said as she pulled back. "How've you been? Are your parents alright? And how's your brother doing?" She asked.
"I've been as fine as I could get, my parents are fine, and Taida is… Well, Taida." The girl replied, answering her questions in that order.
"That's good. Come in, Izuku's in his room, you can go into the dining room and get started if you want to until he comes out." Inko told her as she led the girl inside.
"Thanks." The girl nodded as she proceeded to the dining room to get started on studying.
As she started reading the material, she neglected to notice that someone was standing over her shoulder.
"If you're trying to figure out that sentence structure I suggest looking for the subject first." Izuku said, causing her to turn around and see him leaning over her shoulder and looking at her English workbook… and noticed that he was currently shirtless. "See? That's the subject right there." He added, pointing at a sentence.
"Uh… R-r-right. Thanks." She stuttered with a blush due to his toned body being exposed and so close to her. 'OH NO, HE'S HOT!' She yelled internally as she tried to stop herself from having a nosebleed.
"You okay? Your face is all red." The Sin asked, putting a hand on her forehead. "You don't have a fever, do ya?" He asked.
"No, i-I-it's just… C-c-can you p-put a s-s-shirt on please?!" She squeaked as she tried to hide her red face.
The scarred teen looked at himself and shrugged before putting on a simple white T-shirt. "Anyway, let's keep going." He said as he sat next to her.
"R-right." The girl nodded.
(A few days later)
After the written exams were over, it was time for the practical and everyone was in their costumes. But apparently, so were the teachers, which seemed odd to them at first.
'What's going on?' Was the thought going through the majority of the class.
"Now, I know you kids think you may know what you'll be facing today." Aizawa stated.
"Robots right?" Kaminari asked.
"Actually, this year's test will have a different set of opponents for various reasons." Nezu said as he popped out of Aizawa's scarf.
"Principal Nezu?!" Most of the students gasped in surprise.
"To reflect the current times you will be facing off against one of our esteemed teachers in teams of two. You will have to show teamwork in order to pass." Nezu began.
"The teams have already been decided. For example we have Todoroki and Yaoyorozu against me." Aizawa states. "And then we have Midoriya paired with Bakugo." He added.
"And who will said pair be against?" Iida questioned. That was when All Might jumped down from the roof.
"I am here, to fight!" He said confidently, causing both boys to nearly wet themselves.
"We're up against All Might?!" The two said in shock.
"The objective is to battle your opponent and pass by either capturing them or running away. You'll have thirty minutes to do so, so be proactive." Snipe told them.
"This'll be different from that combat training you had earlier kids, cuz you're up against people who're waaaay better than you!" Mic added.
"Better? You're just the announcer." Jiro states with a savage smirk.
"OOOOOOHHHHHH!" All the guys started hooting as the earphone girl roasted their teacher.
"That's just harsh." Present Mic groaned at the roast.
"And we know what you're thinking, with those rules the only sane option is to flee. Well that's why the support class made these for us." All Might said holding up some weights.
"Weights to eat up stamina, nice." Izuku smirked.
"You think we need a handicap to win against you?" Bakugo questioned angrily. "Well think again." He added. All Might let out a belly laugh while Izuku, Ochako and Taida looked at the Pomeranian bomber like he was the biggest dumbass on Earth.
"Famous last words…" Taida whispered.
"No kidding." Ochako nodded.
"Are you crazy, Kacchan? Or are you just dumb? What kind of a stupid ass question is that?!" Izuku snapped.
"This'll be fun." The No. 1 Hero said ominously, causing the Fox Sin to shiver.
"How do you expect us to beat that?!" He hissed at Bakugo.
"Well, Deku, what I want you to do is to pull up your leather pants, tighten your belt, and stop being such a—." The blonde started to say before Izuku cut him off.
"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" The green haired boy yelled.
"Make me, ya damn nerd!" He yelled back.
"That does it—COME HERE!" The Immortal yelled before he tackled his rival and they started fighting on the ground.
Well, so much for team work.
Dragon Emperor0: Sheesh, talk about a bomb going off. These two practically never got this mad at each other, what gives?
ThermalsniperN7: Bakugo literally refused to use common sense while Izuku knows exactly what's waiting for them. Of course this would happen.
Dragon Emperor0: Yeah. But looks like Izuku was finally able to get his feelings out in the open with Ochako. Guess that just leaves for her to get hers sorted and then things can get back to normal. Also, I wonder how he's gonna learn "Gift"?
ThermalsniperN7: No idea. That's a mystery at the moment, so it's up in the air.
Dragon Emperor0: Anyway Guys, see you next time with the practical exam matches. We're gonna try and get as many done next chapter as possible.