Chapter 45:
The morning of the mystery field trip dawn bright and early, and Izuku found himself waiting outside Yuuei's front gates long before the rest of his classmates with a take away tray of coffee cooling in his hands. He should have known that neither of his friends would actually show up when they said they would. If their coffee cooled before they got there, then it wasn't going to be his fault.
As though summoned by the thought, Kaminari came speeding around the corner, his voice sounding even louder than normal in the quiet morning. "Izuku! Is that coffee I see? You are literally the greatest person I have ever met. The kindest of heroes, the most considerate-" He cut himself off as Izuku snatched the coffee back out of his hands. "Hey!"
"That's Mei's five shot espresso death coffee, Denki. See the skull and crossbones? Your decaf is in the corner." Izuku had learned quickly that Kaminari could not handle caffeine at all. He felt pretty sure that it had something to do with his quirk, but Kaminari didn't seem to want to know anything more about it. One sip left him a jittery mess, and that was all Kaminari cared to think about it. Izuku wasn't going to push the issue, even though he was curious. He was already making Kaminari rethink his quirk in one area, he wasn't going to overwhelm him by information overload.
Although Izuku hadn't exactly been hid anything about his almost obsessive personality, he still worried that one day Kaminari would realize that he and Mei were too much for him. Of course, Izuku realized that the worry was ridiculous, but it didn't stop the thought from creeping in every now and then. The same thing had happened with Mei, but the attack on the mall had dissolved any lingering doubts. It would probably take the same kind of fight to put his doubts about Kaminari to rest as well, and that was probably something he should talk to Aizawa about. Izuku was self-aware enough to know that it wasn't healthy to rely on a traumatic event to bring him and his friends closer together. That was a conversation for later though, for now he could pass off the coffee tray to Kaminari so he could enjoy his own drink while they waited for Mei.
"Do you have any ideas about what we'll be doing today?" Kaminari asked. "Any insider secrets?"
Izuku saw the opportunity and he took it. Repressing an Aizawa like grin, Izuku said, "I finally got him to tell me everything." He pretended to look around as though checking to make sure the coast was clear. "The field trip is going to be to an underwater arena. It's to test our reflexes when our movements are impaired or something along those lines. It's going to be a giant free for all."
Kaminari's eyes widened. "Really? That's so cool! And unfair! I can't use my quirk in a place like that!"
Izuku shrugged. "Maybe that's the test. Maybe they want to see how you specifically will handle this situation."
"What! Really? Dude, I can't handle that this early in the morning!"
Unable to hold it together in the face of Kaminari's panic, Izuku interrupted him. "I'm only joking, Denki. Aizawa wouldn't tell me anything. He wouldn't give me such an unfair advantage. We'll all have to find out what's going on together."
"You had me worried there. What would happen if I accidently electrocuted someone? I've got to get better control of my quirk."
"You're already doing much better!"
Kaminari had made a lot of progress in the short time that he had been working on his quirk's drawback effect. Izuku's first guess was looking more and more likely the more that Kaminari tested it out. It seemed that the rush of electric current was too much for Kaminari's brain to handle all at once. That was why it affected him faster the higher the voltage he used. Although he wasn't able to limit the charge to a specific area of his body yet, he was getting better at recognizing when he was close to his natural limit and working around it. Izuku didn't doubt that he would get more specific control the more he worked at it.
Kaminari blushed at the praise, and looked away from Izuku, blowing on the lid of his coffee. He coughed, clearing his throat. "Well, I think we should go ahead and go in. Mei can just meet us inside. It's too early to be standing around out here."
Mei hadn't shown up by the time Kaminari and Izuku had to leave to catch their bus, but Izuku wasn't worried. Sometimes she would get caught up in a project and hours would pass without her realizing it. He sent her a quick text letting her know they would catch up with her after school, and then they were off to find out the location of their mystery field trip. Instead of meeting in the classroom, Aizawa would be taking roll by the bus that would be taking them to their next location.
Yuuei's campus was so enormous that despite looking at the map, there was no way that Izuku had been able to puzzle out where exactly they would be going. Some of the facilities on campus weren't even included in the standard maps given to students for safety measures, including all of the areas that Izuku knew extended underground. As much as Izuku wanted to be prepared for what was coming, he kind of like the surprise of it all. He rarely ever had true surprises, and those were always things like the attack on the mall or running into All Might. Everything else tended to be slipped to him from one source or another, but even Hizashi had been tight lipped about this excursion. The excitement didn't completely rid him of his nerves, but it provided a nice distraction so that he could shove those nerves a little farther down from the surface.
The majority of their class had already assembled at the pick-up spot, but Aizawa was still nowhere to be seen.
"Midoriya-kun!"
Izuku turned to see Uraraka Ochako walking towards him, a bright smile on her face. He hadn't had the opportunity to talk to her very often, but from what he could tell she seemed nice enough. The way that she managed to loudly and frequently shut Bakugou down when he started treading back into his old habits.
As much as it felt like spying, Izuku couldn't help but keep an eye on the way that Uraraka and Bakugou acted around each other. In the beginning, it had seemed as though the strange friendship they had built came entirely from Uraraka, and Izuku had been waiting for the moment when Bakugou lost his new and limited supply of self control and put and end to it. He had even debated whether or not it was his place, as an ex friend of Bakugou, to give Uraraka some advice on weathering his more explosive moods. Ultimately though, he had decided to simply watch from the sidelines. It wasn't his job to sabotage a friendship that Bakugou needed just as clearly as Izuku had needed Mei. Bakugou had always had followers, after all. His last true friend had been Izuku himself.
It didn't take long for Izuku to realize that there wasn't anything to be concerned about. The rest of their class might have watched Uraraka and Bakugou interacting like they were a bomb waiting to go off, but Izuku knew Bakugou well enough at least to know the difference. No, for some reason Bakugou gravitated towards Uraraka as much as Uraraka gravitated towards him. If Izuku didn't know for a fact that that wasn't where Bakugou's attraction lay, he might have even thought that someone was harboring a crush.
No, the truth was that Bakugou had been in the same boat as Izuku, although for entirely different reasons. He had been in sore need of a friend, and now that he had found one he didn't seem to be letting go of her anytime soon. Bakugou would never admit that, of course, and he always put on an attitude of grudging acceptance, but Izuku knew. He thought Uraraka probably did too, because every grumbled protest from Bakugou only made her try harder.
"Uraraka-san! What can I do for you this morning?"
Another thing that Izuku had realized pretty quickly was that he liked Uraraka. She was opinionated, and funny, and she had a kind of wit that made it easy for her to keep up with Bakugou's brand of brash bullheadedness. He could easily see her fitting in with Mei.
"Are both of those coffees for you, Midoriya-kun? Or does someone here already have a claim on it?"
"It was for our friend Hatsume," Izuku explain, "but she seems to be running late. You're welcome to it if you want, but I have to warn you it's got a lot of caffeine. Hatsume's a bit of an addict, and her tolerance is off the scale."
"You really don't mind? I was actually kidding, but if it's up for grabs I'd never say no to free coffee!" Her smile was infectious, and Izuku found himself smiling back as he handed it over. "And don't worry about the caffeine. I've got a pretty high tolerance myself."
Izuku handed it over, looking around for Bakugou. "If you didn't come over here just to claim the free coffee, was there something you needed, Uraraka-san?"
"Oh, nothing big," she said, waving off his concern. "I just wanted to see if you and Kaminari wanted to sit with Katsuki-kun and I on the bus!"
From the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Kaminari raising his eyebrow at the use of Bakugou's name, but Izuku skated right passed it. No need to comment on that at the moment. Kaminari glanced between Uraraka and Izuku, letting Izuku know that he would follow Izuku's lead on this one.
"I appreciate the offer, Uraraka-san, but I don't think that would be the best idea." As much as Bakugou had changed, Izuku didn't think they had quite reached the 'sit together on the bus' level of friendship. Taking him up on his offer for a rematch was one thing, but riding together suggested that they would be able to sit near each other for an extended period of time without one of them exploding. Literally. Izuku wouldn't take that bet.
Uraraka took a sip of her coffee and hummed. "I don't know what the story between the two of you is," Uraraka said, examining the skull and cross bones Izuku had scribbled onto the cup while he waited. "It's not really my business, and I'm not going to pry. But. I think that it would be better for the both of you in the long run if you work it out. He would never admit it, but I get the feeling he's got a lot of pent up regret that he doesn't know how to deal with."
"Uraraka-"
"Like I said, I don't know what went on between you. He's got a prickly personality, and from what little he has told me, I know that it's his fault there's this great big something between you. I'm not saying you have to forgive him for whatever it was. That would be ridiculous. He's my friend though, and I know this bothers him. I'm pretty sure it still bothers you too."
"Wait-"
"Thanks for the coffee, Midoriya-kun! And good luck today!" And then she was off.
Izuku turned slowly to Kaminari. "What just happened?"
"Uraraka's pretty perceptive, that's what just happened. It's really not all that surprising she can handle being Bakugou's friend. Girl seems like she can be ruthless when she wants to be."
"At least she took Mei's coffee. I would have felt bad throwing it away, but I certainly didn't want to drink it."
"Smart decision," Kaminari said.
It wasn't long after Uraraka left that Aizawa turned up, wrapped in his favorite yellow sleeping bag. Izuku covered his mouth with a hand to hide his laughter. The rest of their classmates had gathered, but very few of them were taking Aizawa's appearance in stride. Given how rule focused Iida was, Izuku was surprised he wasn't among the group that seemed baffled by Aizawa's constant need for sleep. Or maybe he just recognized that hero work on top of teaching was a round the clock job was understanding enough to cut their teacher a little slack.
"Wait until you meet his cats," Izuku whispered to Kaminari as Aizawa started to take roll. "I don't know whether they started acting like him, or he just naturally acts very cat like, but the resemblance is uncanny."
Kaminari smirked at him. "And where exactly does that leave you, Izuku?"
Izuku rolled his eyes. "I never should have told you. I literally asked for this, didn't I?"
"You know you want this running commentary on your Aizawa-ness. I'm keeping a list of the most obvious moments so that when the rest of the class finds out I can throw them all in their faces. Who do you think is going to figure it out first? My bets on Uraraka."
"Midoriya. Kaminari. If you could pay attention so that we could be on our way?"
Izuku ducked his head at the rebuke. "Sorry, Aizawa-sensei," they both chimed.
"Now. If you could please make your way onto the bus."
Uraraka flashed them a smile as they loaded onto the bus, but she didn't try to stop them from walking straight passed where she and Bakugou were sitting. Kirishima had slid onto the same bench as them, and Izuku wondered how long it would take for their duo to become a trio. Kirishima also seemed like the kind of person who would be able to smooth out the rougher edges of Bakugou's personality.
Instead, Izuku and Kaminari found themselves sitting with Asui Tsuyu.
The bus started up and began to pull away from the curb, and for a second Izuku floundered. They should talk, shouldn't they? There was no way for them to tell how long the ride was going to be, and their classmates were talking all around them, but Izuku found himself unsure of where to start. Asui watched him, a small smile on her face as though she sensed his dilemma and had no intention of helping him out of it.
It didn't matter how much his confidence in his abilities grew, talking to his classmates and making friends was always going to be an area that he struggled. Mei and Kaminari had both been the one to reach out to him. In Kaminari's case, multiple times before Izuku finally let him in. He wasn't good at casual conversation that didn't involve some kind of banter.
As his brain went around and around in panic mode as he tried to figure out what to say, Kaminari came to the rescue with his usual level of smoothness. "Dude. Your quirk is so cool! Do you have anyone else in your family with frog abilities?"
"Thank you, Kaminari-chan," Asui said, shifting her attention from Izuku to his friend. "And yes. My whole family has some kind of frog based quirk."
"That's awesome! Right, Izuku?"
Izuku would have to thank Kaminari later for saving him from some incredible awkwardness and silence. This was one topic that he would never run out of things to talk about. "Absolutely! Your quirk is one of the most versatile in the class! Besides the exercises in class, have you tested the limits on your jumping? What about your strength?"
"I haven't tested them as much as I probably should have," Asui admitted, "but there wasn't much chance outside of Yuuei. Hopefully I'll get the chance with Aizawa-sensei soon."
"I'm sure you will! Maybe with whatever we're doing today."
"You seem pretty knowledgeable about quirks, Midoriya-chan. That video…I don't think I would have been able to react like that."
Izuku laughed awkwardly. "Being able to pick out weaknesses in quirks is kind my whole deal. It only worked out this time because I already know Bakugou so well."
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Izuku!" Kaminari protested. "That fight was epic. I couldn't have held my own with him either, and you hit him right where he was weak. It was so great to watch! That rematch is going to be something too."
"Maybe you can help me out, Midoriya-chan. I'm sure you would have some great advice."
"I can always try, Asui-san."
"Call me Tsuyu! You too, Kaminari-chan!"
The bus ride ended quickly, and the entire class filed off the bus to find themselves standing in front of a large domed building that Izuku had never seen before. Aizawa didn't pause to explain what they were doing there. He led them straight inside the double doors, taking only a moment to unlock them, before stopping in the open landing that looked out onto the expansive space.
"Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, otherwise known as USJ," Aizawa said.
Izuku could certainly see why it was called that. The area inside the building had been divided into different areas, all with their own theme. From where they were standing, Izuku could see another smaller building with a fire raging inside, water with a large ship and a waterslide of some kind, a towering mountain, a destroyed city. All of that and more with plenty of space between them right there on Yuuei's campus.
Once again, Izuku had to think about how much money such a setup would have cost. A stadium sized building devoted to recreating as many environments as possible. Suddenly the purpose of their field trip became clear.
"As Aizawa-sensei said, welcome to USJ!" Another hero dressed in a space suit stepped up towards them. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Thirteen, and I will be working with you today!"
"All Might will also be joining us," Aizawa said, "but he had business to take care of before he can assist us."
"The purpose of today's lesson is to get you familiar with the different areas in USJ so that you can use the facility to the fullest. In your previous classes, you have gotten a chance to better understand your abilities in combat situations, but this does not mean that you need to lose sight of the reason that you are at Yuuei in the first place. Yes, working as a pro hero does often mean battling against others, but do not forget that the true purpose of being a hero lies in saving people. USJ is a tool that you can use to help you fine tune your quirks towards saving people without also putting them in danger in the process. Quirks can be dangerous when not fully under control. The sooner you gain that control the better."
"For now," Aizawa said, "we will be going over the different areas in the facility. Once All Might arrives we will be dividing into groups to explore. It is extremely important that you do not wander off. While this is a class exercise, the dangers in this building can be very real if you are not paying attention and are not prepared. You should not be alone in any region without a teacher present."
"The first region we will looking at is…" Thirteen trailed off, tilting his head to the side. "Do you hear that?"
He and Aizawa both turned as one towards the walkway behind them. Izuku strained to see over their shoulders, as his classmates did the same. He could almost feel the moment when Aizawa saw it and time slowed.
A swirling vortex of black and purple smoke had appeared above the ground behind the teachers, and the sight of it had Izuku's heart pounding heavy in his chest. This wasn't part of the class, which could only mean one thing.
Slowly a hand emerged from the smoke, and then a man. Izuku couldn't get a clear view of him except for the dismembered hand latched onto his face. The man wasn't alone either. As soon as he stepped clear of the smoke another stepped in behind him. Then another and another. Izuku could only watch in horror as the space filled with menacing figures, all of them leering towards the small crowd of students and their teachers.
"Stay here," Aizawa said, the sleeping bag he had been so comfortable in falling to the ground in one smooth movement. "Whatever you do, don't step off that platform. Thirteen?"
"I've got them."
The class burst into protest.
"What's going on?"
"Is this part of the class?"
"Who are they?"
"Aizawa-sensei?"
"This isn't part of the test," Aizawa said, settling his goggles over his eyes. Izuku's hand twitched towards the latch on his belt. "And those are villains."