Hello, hello! A New Pencil returns to the desk!
"Underline" is when a character is speaking Japanese, and a lack of one is when the character is speaking English.
Italics is either thoughts, a flashback, or a song/poem.
I do not own Kingdom Hearts, My Hero Academia, OMORI, or any of its characters.
Chapter 10: Battle Trial - Test of Mettle
When equal powers clash, their true nature is revealed.
(Play: KH Re:CoM OST - Namine)
To say that Sora's mother was shocked was an understatement.
When Sora had arrived home, they talked about lunch, and she was surprised when he brought up how Aizawa taught his students. Ten minutes of explanation later, she finally found it within herself to relax.
"I still can't believe you did something like that," Shimizu sighed, "All for a friend, too…"
"I want my classmates to become Heroes, too, Mom," Sora replied.
"But at your expense? I know I'm being a little selfish here, but you also fit in with that class as well. To hell if you're an extra student." Shimizu continued exasperated, while looking at the clock, "Times like these, I hate it that talking about other worlds is taboo."
"Maybe in your eyes and some others like Izuku's, I deserve to be there, but I need to show the school that I belong here, too. I know it was a bit stupid to ask that of Mr. Aizawa, but honestly, it was worth it. Besides, I always follow my heart, Mom. It's my compass," Sora proclaimed, "And it won't steer me wrong."
"Oh… thank you, Sora's heart, for pushing us right into our clutches. Aren't hearts great? Steer us wrong every time."
Sora froze. Why were Xigbar's words coming to him now? Sure, it did steer him wrong that day. And he paid for it in the loss of his powers. But that was only one time. No, stop thinking about that. It's all in the past.
"Sora?"
Sora snapped out of his trance. Shimizu was looking at him concerned.
"You okay? You look a bit winded."
"Oh yeah. Must've been the explosion after class." Sora said sheepishly.
"'Explosion'?" Shimizu asked worriedly.
Hoo boy… Sora thought to himself.
(Play: OMORI OST - Forest Chillin')
"You did what?!"
Two hours later, Sora was currently putting a hand to his head at Faraway Library. Mari, Sunny, Aubrey, Basil, and Kel were there with him as he told them how his first day at U.A. went while he read his syllabus. Hero was absent due to interning at the hospital.
"Yes, I know, it sounded dumb, but don't blame me for not knowing that he was lying about the expulsion part," Sora groaned.
"But I still can't believe you got stuck with the teach who expelled all his students last year!" Kel replied, "It's unfair!"
"I'd have to agree, for once." Aubrey replied, "That was totally uncalled for. What kind of school does that?"
"Well… teacher makes the rules in class, not the principal, according to Mr. Aizawa. He isn't all that bad, though," Sora defended.
"Expelling an entire class because he saw no potential?" Aubrey countered, "That's a recipe for disaster."
"Hey, at least Sora wasn't expelled. Isn't that great?" Mari said to lighten the mood.
"I guess." Sunny shrugged, munching on some toast.
"That was only day 1, Sora." Kel argued, "And you have to deal with him for a full year?!"
"Be glad it's me and not you." Sora smiled tiredly.
"We wouldn't last a month…" Kel sighed, slumping in his seat.
"Hey, lighten up! At least your guys' school isn't as strict as mine."
"No. But it's kinda boring." Sunny grumbled, "You make yours seem like an adventure."
"A-At least we're gonna get some experience, right?" Basil asked.
"When we're in second semester, probably." Aubrey said sarcastically.
Sora sighed, "Don't worry. I'm sure you guys will get plenty of experience. Just be glad you don't have to worry about the threat of expulsion every minute you're in class."
"Please don't guilt-trip us…" Aubrey groaned, placing her hand on her forehead.
"S-Sorry! That wasn't my intention!" Sora said frantically, "I was only trying to encourage you guys. I guess you took it the other way…"
"It's okay." Kel reassured him, "I'm sure we'll learn something useful."
"Let's hope you do…" Aubrey teased him.
"Hey!"
Sora smiled, "Well, glad to hear your first day went well guys. How bout you, Mari? Any customers now that school's back in session?"
"Not quite there yet, Sora. It's still the first day." Mari told him, "Doesn't get super busy until those tests come up."
"Oh yeah." Sora chuckled, "Well. Here's hoping this place gets more customers!"
"Hear hear!" Kel held up an invisible drink, toasting to Sora.
"These two…" Aubrey sighed good-naturedly.
(Play: MHA OST - U.A. Corridors)
Sora hadn't felt this tired since the Heartless. All the better that he got a good night's rest after that action-packed first day.
Today would probably be yet another day at this wacky school. Sora couldn't wait to see what else was in store (other than the threat of expulsion, of course). Izuku had come over to U.A. before him, being the eager beaver, but Sora had plenty of time before his class started, so he acquainted himself with the corridors a bit.
He had his hands over his head as he walked through the corridors. He was hiding it well, but he was slightly worried. Other than their little intervention at the Entrance Exam, the forces of darkness from his world hadn't made a move in three months. He should be relaxed about this, but he still couldn't help but feel the creeping sensation of something terrible transpiring.
(Play: LOTR Extended Edition Soundtrack - Bag End)
Focus, Sora. You should probably get ready to head back, he thought. He made a quick turnaround to return to his home room, half-humming, half-singing to himself a poem he had read in the book, Lord of the Rings:
"Down from the door where it began,
Hm hmm hm hmm hmm hm hm hmm,
And I must follow if I can.
The Road goes ever on and on,
down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
and I must follow, if I can."
"Wow, you know that poem?"
A voice snapped Sora out of his trance, before he looked to see another U.A. student looking at him in surprise. She had a book in her hands.
"Yeah, you read the book?" Sora asked.
"I do! It's one of my favorite series!" the student exclaimed, before composing herself and clearing her throat, "Sorry. You speak English too, right?"
"No worries. And yeah, I do! Glad to see there's another English speaker around," Sora replied good-naturedly. When she beamed, Sora got a better look at her. She was wearing the standard girls uniform for U.A., but the only difference was that she had long red-orange hair that was tied into two pigtails. She brushed herself off before looking at him, her book in her hands.
"Y-Yeah… I'm glad too." she smiled, "What's your name?"
"Sora Nakajima. But you can call me Sora,"
"Sora… that's your name, huh?" the girl pondered, as Sora looked at her, his fingers twitching. For some strange reason, he felt something strange about her. Weird. She didn't seem like the type to be an enemy to him.
It was more like… he felt some sort of connection with her.
Why, though? He had only just met her.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
Sora snapped out of his trance. "Oh, sorry. You were saying?"
"I said that's a nice name." she commented, "Which course are you in?"
"Hero Course."
"Really? I am too!" the girl said surprised, "Are you from Class A?"
"Yeah! You?"
"Class 1-B."
"Ohhh... that explains why I didn't see you in my class. Your class went to orientation," Sora said in realization, "Say, is there a Pony Tsunotori in your class? She's another friend of mine."
"Yeah, she is!" she said with a smile, "I'm friends with her too. She's pretty shy due to being a foreigner, but she's getting the hang of Japanese."
"That's good to hear." Sora nodded. He was glad Pony was also doing well.
"She is a bit mad at you for some reason, though," she noted.
"Oh..." Sora laughed uneasily, "She's still got a grudge on me for not telling her, huh?"
"About?"
"Me getting into U.A."
"How do you mean?"
"It's uh... a long story."
"Zinnia! What are you doing?" A familiar voice speaking Japanese caused both of them to jump. Literally. The two turned around to see a familiar blonde-haired boy walking up towards them.
"Oh, heya! You're the guy I saved from that tricky 1-pointer," Sora commented upon seeing him, "Glad to see you're here, too."
The blonde ignored him, instead going over to the ginger-haired girl, "What are you doing talking to this kid?"
"Just introducing ourselves, Monoma-san. No need to get worked up." the girl called Zinnia responded in Japanese, "Don't look that way, he doesn't seem all that bad."
The newly named Monoma grumbles, looking towards Sora with a strange look. Sora took this as a chance to make some sort of connection, and extended his hand, "I think we got off on the wrong foot back there. I'm Sora Nakajima. Nice to meet you."
"Neito Monoma," the kid sighed, "I appreciate what you did back there at the Exam, but keep in mind that you're not the only one with dreams to be a Hero."
"I understand that. Everybody in the Hero Course has that desire, and I respect it." Sora said kindly, "I'm sorry if my act of kindness was misinterpreted,"
A ring of the bell caused them to look up, before Sora said, "We should probably head over to class now. Wouldn't want to be late."
"Sure. It was nice seeing you, Sora." Zinnia waved to him as he took off. As he ran to class, Sora noted that she also didn't use honorifics for his name. But now wasn't the time to think on such thoughts.
He was seconds away from being late to his second day.
(Play: MHA OST - Dogimagi)
Thankfully, he made it just before the bell, panting in exhaustion as he slumped in his seat, which was behind Momo. First class was homeroom, which was taught by Mr. Aizawa. Except it didn't really feel like teaching. More like Aizawa handing them papers and then retreating into his sleeping bag. Sora didn't mind though. Like their teacher said before, he made the rules in class.
The second class was English, which was taught by the DJ at the Entrance Exam, who was actually the Voice Hero, Present Mic. Though he tried his best to hype the subject up, many in the class, unlike Iida, Izuku, or Momo, showed many signs of boredom. Sora wouldn't deny that it was a bit boring, but he respected Present Mic's attempts to make it fun for them. Heck, he even had the blessing to speak English in that portion, so his Japanese tongue could rest for a while. Sure it had improved thanks to Izuku and his mother, but English was his go-to language, not Japanese.
Next up came Modern Literature, taught by yet another Pro Hero, Cementoss. Similarly good-spirited, but didn't try hyping up the subject like Mic did. However, he did make sure that people were listening by walking around while talking. Sora tried his best to drink in every detail, but some concepts were slightly lost on him. Poor kid was still rusty on his learning skills when it came to knowledge.
Fourth class was Modern Art and History, which was taught by a heroine named Midnight. She was… very flirtatious and showy, almost reminding Sora of Mt. Lady when he first saw her. And to say she was proud of it was an understatement; she made zero effort to even stop displaying her sex appeal. It made the small weird-headed kid drool like a dog, and many of the males stopped paying attention to what she said. Sora was for the most part unaffected, but he wouldn't deny he was a little uncomfortable as she glared at him in a… Sora immediately hit the brakes on that train of thought and continued to focus. He had to or Kairi would kill him in his sleep.
The class before lunch was Mathematics, the thing Sora dreaded the most upon his return to school. It was taught by a Hero named Ectoplasm. His methods appeared the closest to what Sora remembered school being like. Random students were picked for each question, and they had to answer whether they liked it or not. Though Sora had gotten help from Izuku on those equations, he was still having trouble catching up. Maybe his mother could help as well when she was free from work.
After that load of classes, it was lunchtime, and boy Sora was hungry. He got his grub from the chef, Lunch Rush, thanks to the money his mother had given him for lunch. Sora's new friends were astonished by how quickly he ate his food afterwards, causing Sora to slightly blush from embarrassment.
(Silence)
Now it was time for the 5th class, which Izuku for some reason seemed pretty excited about. Sora couldn't blame him, as this was probably going to be where they would learn how to be a Hero. But then, he heard a very familiar voice.
(Play: MHA OST - I've Come!)
"I…Am… Here!" the voice boomed, before out of the black and blue ALL MIGHT of all the people burst through the open door in dramatic fashion, "Coming through the door like a normal person!"
"Omigosh, it's All Might!" Izuku geeked out, and to Sora's surprise, nearly everybody else was geeking out in some way too. He was wearing a different outfit than he did before as he marched to the teacher's desk, and Sora overheard from the frog girl he helped at the Entrance Exam that this was his Silver Age outfit. Whatever that meant.
"Welcome to the most important class on U.A." All Might began, "Think of it as Heroing 101! Here you'll learn the basics of being a pro Hero! And what it means to fight in the name of all that is good!"
He struck a dramatic pose, reminding Sora of Hercules again. Those two would really get along if they met. Alas, the world order prevented such a thing. "Now… let's get to it!" He spun before showing off a card that said "BATTLE!". "Because today is the time for… Battle Training!"
"Battle…" Katsuki smiled wickedly. His face reminded Sora of a top predator ready for a hunt that excited him. A desire for battle glowed within his eyes.
"...Training…?" Izuku asked weakly. Sora looked at him in concern. Unless Midoriya had a more efficient way of reducing the damage to his body every time he threw a punch, this wouldn't end well at all.
"But before that, one of the keys of being a Hero iiiiiiiis…" All Might began, before pointing to the wall behind him, "Looking GOOD!". At the motion, the wall began to shift and display numbered suitcases.
"These were designed for you, based on the Quirk registration forms and requests sent in before school began!" All Might declared.
Everybody except Momo and Shoto began to cheer wildly. Sora smiled and thought about yesterday when he met Professor Power Loader of the Support Course. Though he had received repairs and requested he use the outfit before school started, Sora wanted to ensure it was safe, entrusting the outfit he had to him. Thankfully, Power Loader promised it would be in tip-top shape by tomorrow, including the extra requests from before school. Sora wondered if he would be able to do it, considering the clothes themselves were magical.
"Alright, Class A. Get yourselves suited up!" All Might instructed. "And then meet me at Training Ground Beta!"
"Hai, All Might-Sensei!" The class declared in unison. Instantly, everybody scrambled to get their suitcases, and before long, it was only Sora, Shoto, and Momo left.
(Silence)
"...That was fast," Sora commented with a small grin.
"But… it was a bit improper to say the least." Momo sighed.
"Well… you can't blame our classmates for being so excited." Sora said earnestly, "This will be their first hero costume. For all of us, at least. I'd be excited to see my new suit. Wouldn't you, Shoto?"
Todoroki only let out a grunt. Sora looked at him before he said one word, "Probably."
Sora stared at him, before going over to his luggage. Shoto was as antisocial as the common Nobody, in his eyes. Baby steps with him, he guessed. Momo and Shoto grabbed their luggages and left, while Sora opened the luggage to examine its contents. Everything looked great, and Sora noticed a little note on it. He read it, saying to come to the Support Course room after school to see somebody. Probably the one who had ensured his outfit's safety.
(Play: MHA OST - Hero A)
When Sora finally entered the locker room, only Shoto was present, but he was already leaving in his Hero Costume. He looked like an ice cyborg from what Sora saw, as ice was literally covering the left side of his body. He had a strange feeling when he saw it… almost like the costume itself was trying to tell him something. The two passed each other by, but not before Sora gave Shoto a polite smile, before walking in and opening his luggage.
Oh, I can't wait for this… he thought as he grabbed the contents inside.
Meanwhile, everybody else had already arrived on Ground Beta, assembled in their brand-new Hero Costumes. Every single one had something unique and suited for their Quirks. One by one, they came out from the entrance to Beta.
This is it. My Hero Costume. Izuku was the last one to enter, looking rather determined. His costume consisted of the green suit his mother Inko had made for him, a pair of red shoes, and a mask that had two ear-like appendages sticking out, very similar to another hero in the room.
"They say the clothes are what make the man and woman, ladies and gentlemen," All Might posed, "And behold, you are the proof! Take this to heart. From this day forward, you are all officially Heroes in Training!"
The class looked a bit more confident when they heard him say that.
"This is getting me all revved up! You all look so cool!"
Izuku looked prideful, before All Might continued, "So… shall we get started, you bunch of newbies?"
(Silence)
"Ah! Hey Deku-kun!" Izuku turned to see Ochaco walk up to him, and his face turned red.
"You look great! It looks really comfortable on you." Ochaco continued. She was wearing a suit that made her look like a futuristic astronaut, "I should've been more specific about what I wanted. This body suit is super tight. It's not really my style."
Midoriya wasn't really listening, trying to keep himself in control. She looked so good in that outfit! Almost like…
NO! Don't think like that, Midoriya! He said to himself as he looked away to find his other classmate, Mineta, drooling. It didn't help, so he looked at All Might. When their gazes locked, All MIght slightly recoiled. The ear-like things atop his head… the mask…
…You're so obvious! All Might had to put a hand to his mouth and looked away so nobody would see him laughing.
"Wait a minute…" Ochaco wondered, "Has anyone seen Sora-kun?"
"He was with me and Todoroki-san before we went to get our costumes on. But I didn't see him when we were walking over. What's taking him?" Momo wondered. Todoroki only grunted when people looked to him, and it was clear he wasn't planning on answering, or didn't care whatsoever.
Everybody looked back to the entrance, wondering if their extra classmate was missing.
(Play: KH 3 OST - Time to Shugyo! "Sora's theme" -cutscene-)
Then suddenly, they heard the patter of feet, before out of the blue, Sora skidded to a halt right in front of them, leaving sparkles in his wake! The class was stunned, but mostly by the literal blue sparkles that came along with Sora and floated around them. A light blue aura was around him earlier, but it had faded into wisps.
"Phew! I made it!" Sora said in English as he stood up straight in front of them in his Hero Costume. It wasn't as flashy or badass as some other costumes were, but it was still a sight to behold. One of their number recognized the outfit immediately. He was wearing his outfit from his most recent journey, which looked like it had been newly crafted. Gone was the battle damage from the Keyblade War and the Heartless only three months before.
The only difference was the color scheme, and it was a very minor change. Where there was normally gray, it had been shaded much more darker, but was visible enough to be different from the already blacker parts of Sora's outfit, including his gauntlets. All in all, Sora's outfit had undergone a slight change to a vibrant and slightly darker color scheme, from his gauntlets to his jacket to his shoes, almost matching the dark shades his outfit from his second journey had.
But the most prominent change was the headset he was currently wearing. It was black and red to match the outfit Sora had on, and it had two prongs coming out from the earlobes. Not to mention that it also had a transparent visor that was a shade of bluish-purple.
This was a copy of the AR Device Hiro had made for Sora in San Fransokyo. It had proven very useful, so Sora had asked Hiro to make another for personal use against the Heartless in other places, while Hiro kept the original for when Sora would return in case Heartless reappeared in the city (Sora keeping quiet on the world order when making the request). The original was connected to Hiro's other electronics, so it allowed Sora to also communicate with the rest of the members of Big Hero 6. The copy was later modified by Chip and Dale before the Keyblade War so that it was connected to the Gummiphone. That way, Sora would have all the information he needed just with a tap of the device, not to mention it was, like the other Gummi devices Sora had seen, powered by happy faces, so Sora saw no need for it to recharge. One big smile was enough to keep it running for 3 hours!
Sora had wanted to wear this for the war, but Riku and Donald were against it, telling him that it would be unwise to do so should the device fall into enemy hands. Now without a war to worry about, he was free to wear it as he pleased, so it was obvious he would use it for his Hero costume. Combined with his old outfit and with the blue sparkles, he looked like a futuristic manga character.
"Whoa… I said your other outfit looked like something outta an RPG, but this new one blows it right out the water!" the blonde whose name Sora learned from roll call was Denki Kaminari said.
"Thanks for that!" Sora grinned, "But man, look at all of you guys!"
To their surprise, Sora began running from one person to the next, admiring and complimenting their costumes as his eyes literally sparkled in excitement. Each time he found something really unique in every costume, almost like it was a hobby for him, and was even polite enough to ignore the showy parts of the ladies' costumes, finding something else to compliment them on. Heck, he even complimented Katsuki's outfit, as if the bout between the two had never happened, leaving the explosive boy confused.
When he was finished complimenting them all on their Hero Costumes, he was back to where he had started, eyes sparkling in excitement.
(Play: KH3 OST - Hero Upgrade!)
"Oh wow, wow, wow! You guys look so awesome!" Sora gushed in Japanese as he pumped his fist, "I can't wait to see what you guys can do with them while you use your Quirks. And I'm with you all for three years? This is so amazing! Woo-hoo!"
Once again, the class felt a little warm at Sora's little compliments. He had made such a cool entrance with those little sparkles and skidding, and despite that, he manages to compliment their outfits despite them not doing a flashy entrance like Sora did. He didn't even brag about how great his entrance was. He was only focused on how great they looked right now, not even caring about his own costume or entrance.
(Silence)
"Hey, you look great, too, Sora-kun! Don't sell yourself short." Ochaco complimented him, "Especially with that superhero entrance at the beginning. It looked so cool!"
"Was that a superhero entrance?" Sora asked with a sheepish look, "I was just running as fast as I could so I wouldn't be late. I guess I caught you guys off guard when I stopped myself back there."
He was just running? That wasn't an act? the class thought.
"You kinda did, but it's okay." Ochaco smiled at him.
"Yeah, Sora-kun. Wow, that costume looks really comfortable on you!" Izuku added.
"Aww… thanks guys," Sora chuckled rubbing the back of his head, "It isn't all that great, honestly. I'm sure you guys can come up with something even better later. Not to mention your own costumes are pretty unique in themselves, and they were designed so you could use your Quirks better. I think that's pretty cool."
"I like your enthusiasm, Sora-shounen! That's a trait for every great hero to have!" All Might complimented, "Now that all you are ready, we can now begin the Combat Training!"
(Play: MHA OST - U.A. Session)
"Sensei!" Iida asked, getting his teacher's attention, "This is one of the zones that was used in the Entrance Exam. Will this be an urban battle?". He was wearing a costume that made him look like a knight of the medieval times.
"Not quite!" All Might responded, "I'm planning to move you all two steps ahead! Many villain fights you see take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors."
The class murmured amongst themselves, while Sora remained silent as All Might continued, "Think about it! Backroom deals, stealings, kidnappings, and cloudy business. In this society of heroes, the true villains hide in the darkness!"
Sora couldn't argue much with that. Nearly half of his battles were in closed spaces, but the more deadly fights he's been in were more out in the open. Even so, what All Might had said was still true.
"For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys, and fight two on two indoor battles!" All Might explained.
"What about basic formation, kero?" the frog-like girl asked. Sora had learned from the roll call that her name was Tsuyu Asui.
"The best training you get is what comes during the battlefield!" All Might answered, "But remember, you can't just punch robots this time. You're now dealing with actual people!"
Sora looked at the group assembled with him. Many of the people assembled were unknowns to him, other than Izuku. If his battle with the Heartless 3 months before was censored, then he was also still an unknown, other than those like Kaminari who saw him at the Entrance Exam. They had only seen a snippet of what Sora could do, but it was enough for them to be wary of him.
Momo raised her hand, "Sensei, will you be deciding the one who wins?"
"How much can we hurt the other team?" Katsuki asked.
"Do we need to worry about the losing teams getting expelled like yesterday?" Ochaco added worriedly.
"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?" Tenya asked.
"How does my cape look?" A very dramatic kid asked.
"Too many questions!" All Might called out, before grumbling in English, "I wasn't even finished talking…"
Sora chuckled uneasily. Sure, he's the Symbol of Peace and Justice and all, and he also is their teacher, but at least give him some breathing room.
"Listen up!" All Might got the class's attention, pulling out a small script. Izuku wondered why he needed that, while Sora deduced he was probably new to teaching. So far, he was getting the basics, as far as he knew. And his knowledge on teaching was very little.
"The situation is this! Villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their evil lair. The Heroes must do what they can to foil their plans and save the day! To win, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers, or recover the weapon through contact. Likewise, the bad guys will win if they either protect their missile or capture the Heroes! And to answer the question of teams," he pulled out a box with letters saying "Lots", "Time is short, so we'll choose teams by drawing lots!"
"Isn't there a better way than this?" Iida asked worriedly.
"Think about it, Iida-kun," Midoriya replied, "Pros often have to team up with Heroes from other Agencies on the spot, so maybe that's the reason why we're seeing that here."
Sora had to agree. It was like Aizawa said, life was full of unfairness, and a Hero's job is to fight it. In this case, it could be teaming up with a person you have no intel on and likely contradicts you in every way imaginable, and finding ways to work with them. Sora grinned as he recalled his first meeting with Donald and Goofy once again, and how different their fighting styles were.
"Yes, I see now," Iida declared, "Always looking towards the future. Excuse my rudeness, All Might-sensei," he bowed.
"No sweat. Now draw your lots, everybody!" All Might declared.
Everybody managed to draw their lots. Izuku and Ochaco were paired together as Team A; Katsuki and Iida became Team D; Momo and the small purple dude were Team C; Kaminari and another girl with weird things protruding from her earlobes were Team G. Many other teams were formed, but Sora was once again the odd one out. Everybody noticed this, but Sora didn't mind.
"Uh… sensei?" a spiky redhead asked All Might, "There's a man without a team. Is he gonna make a 3 man team, or is he gonna fight alone?"
"Fear not, Kirishima-shounen!" All Might declared, "Sora-shounen's team will be based on the results of all of your battles! When all is said and done, depending on what happens during combat, your teams could be selected one more time, except with Sora as a new challenger!"
(Play: Super Smash Bros for 3DS OST - Challenger Approaching!)
Sora grinned at them as he rubbed his nose with his finger, while most of the class looked at him with a slight hint of fear. He had a slightly competitive look in his eyes as he smiled at them, one that they had never seen on him before. If they hadn't seen the stars in his eyes back then, they were definitely showing now. They had seen only a glimpse of what he could do during the Assessment Test, so seeing him like this was more than enough to make them worry a bit about what he could really pull out of his shorts.
"Now, then," All Might began, "The first teams that will be up against one another will be… these two!" He whipped out two cards, which were A and D.
Uh-oh, Sora thought as he looked at Izuku. He was going up against Katsuki.
(Play: MHA OST - Threat Incoming)
Midoriya and Bakugo were surprised at the slots, but Katsuki was more eager, while Izuku looked mortified. This time, Sora wasn't there to watch his back. He was on his own.
But Izuku needs this, Sora thought, If he wants to get stronger and achieve his dream, he'll have to fight through the odds and make sure his light burns strong, just like I did way back then. This experience is a chance for his heart to grow, so I won't object in any way.
"Team A will be the Heroes, and Team D will be the villains!" All Might declared, "Everyone else can head to the Monetary Room and watch!"
"Hai!" the rest of the class nodded. Sora noticed Katsuki glaring at Izuku, who looked at him fearfully. Izuku seemed to tremble, before clenching his fist and returning fire with a glare of his own, startling the explosive boy. Sora didn't bother to hide his smirk. Looks like the demolitions expert wasn't used to perceived weaklings daring to fight back.
That's the spirit, Izuku. Show that jerkoff who's boss.
He noticed that he was the only person other than the two teams and All Might left at the entrance.
"Young Sora. Have anything to say before you head to the Monetary Room?" All Might asked him in English.
Sora replied awkwardly, "About that… where exactly is it?"
"Basement levels of Ground Beta, Young Sora. Just follow your classmates," All Might answered in English.
"Kay, thanks All Might." Sora grinned, before looking behind him and seeing that a couple people were kind enough to wait for him, and he scampered after them. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Number 1 Hero giving the four students who were left behind something that they put in their ears. He noticed All Might putting one on, too.
Suddenly, Sora sees words appear on the visor of his AR Device.
Scanning…
…
Connection Successful.
Sora was confused but ignored it as he walked down to the basement. Eventually, he met up with the rest of his class in the dark Monetary room. From there, he and his classmates could watch everything unfold on the big screen. He saw Iida walking up towards the bomb.
"Even though this is training, it pains me to be aligned with criminal behavior." Sora heard Tenya say, "So this is the weapon we must protect. Fake of course." Tenya then tapped it a couple of times.
"Hey," Katsuki then spoke up, "You really think shitty Deku's got a Quirk?"
"Of course. You saw how he threw the ball." Tenya answered, "Though I believe that his power hurts his body."
Katsuki looked away, anger written all over his face.
"Why is it that you seem to be especially angry when it comes to Midoriya-kun?" Iida asked him. Bakugo responded with a glare that almost made him look crazy. Sora felt something in his stomach turn. But he had faith in Izuku and Ochaco, faith that they would prove to Bakugo that they shouldn't be underestimated.
Speaking of…
"You're sweating, Deku-kun. Are you okay?" Ochaco asked Izuku. They were portrayed on another panel of the screen.
"Uh… well…" Izuku stammered, shaking in his boots, "W-We're up against Kacchan. Plus we have Iida-kun on the other side too. We have to be on our guard; who knows what they could throw at us."
"Oh yeah…" Ochaco mused, "Bakugo… the guy who's always making fun of you."
(Play: MHA OST - Anguish of the Quirkless)
Izuku slumped slightly while sighing, "And he's amazing, too. Sure, he can be a pain in the neck, but his strength, confidence, and ambition, not to mention his Quirk. They're all so much better than mine,"
"I see…"
"But…" Izuku added with a renewed determination, "That only means I've got to do better. I refuse to lose today."
Sora felt his eyes grow a little misty. It was like looking back at a memory. He had once thought like Izuku, when it came to him and Riku. Back before all the crazy Keyblade shenanigans, he always believed Riku was somebody who'd always be better, always have the jump above him, but Sora, despite that, was still determined to prove his worth.
In a way, it was the same song and dance after the Mark of Mastery. Riku was a Master, but Sora was not, and he had to prove that he was still useful, and not just fodder that could be tossed aside. Riku had proven to be stronger once again. Even now, despite seeing the letters from his friends, Sora wondered if what he did was good enough for them all.
Of course it was. Sora thought to himself, Everyone we planned on bringing back returned to us. They've all gotten their happy endings.
(Silence)
"...Except for you."
Sora froze, looking around in shock. He could've sworn he heard a voice.
"Yo, dude. You okay?" Kaminari asked him.
"Huh? O-Oh yeah. I-I'm alright." Sora hastily replied in Japanese, before he took a deep breath to calm himself down.
What in the world?
"All right!" All Might declared, bringing Sora back to reality, "Let's start the indoor combat training! Team A and Team D, your time starts now!"
(Play: MHA OST - Strategy vs. Wilderness)
"Pay attention kids!" All Might instructed. "Think of what YOU would do!"
The group saw the Hero team enter through a window and cautiously observe their surroundings.
"We're in… just like that." Ochaco muttered.
"Be careful." Izuku reminded her, "There's still a lot of blind spots."
Izuku then took point, walking down the hallway with Ochaco right behind him. As he looked in all directions for signs of movement or a clue to their whereabouts, Uraraka watched behind them, in case an attack came from behind. They continued this pattern until Izuku froze, looking up.
Katsuki was in the air, on top of them and ready to pounce, launching an explosion from his hand towards the pair, but Midoriya reacted quickly and moved Ochaco out of the way, but at the cost of part of his hoodie.
"Are you okay, Uraraka-san?" He asked her.
"I'm fine, thanks." Sora heard her response. As they prepped for the fight ahead, Ochaco took notice of Izuku's mask.
"It's fine. Just my mask," Izuku reassured her, while keeping his eyes on the smoke-covered figure in front of him.
(Play MHA OST - Runaway Battle)
As the smoke cleared, Katsuki glared at the two and barked out, "What's the matter Deku? Afraid to stand and fight?"
"I knew you'd come for me first." Izuku got into a stance, "So I figured you'd try and catch me by surprise,"
Meanwhile Sora heard his classmates commentating on the fight.
"Almost got the jump on him," the small purple dude named Minoru noted.
"But a sneak attack like that?" Kirishima wondered, "That's so unmanly."
"It's a viable strategy," All Might pointed out, "He is playing the part of the villain, and acts as such."
Maybe a bit too much for comfort. Sora thought quietly.
"But that strat didn't work, Sensei. Midoriya dodged him." The pink girl named Mina Ashido pointed out.
"Look! He's going in for the attack!" Kaminari called out, causing everyone to look back at the screen as Bakugo began to blitz towards Midoriya.
"I don't plan on hurting you to the point where they have to stop the fight," Katsuki declared, "Just close!"
(Play: MHA OST - You Say Run)
But as Bakugo began to rear back his right hand and extend it out for a hook, Izuku managed to grab his arm as he extended it, before throwing the bully over his shoulder and down onto the ground hard.
This in turn shocked many of the viewers, even Sora, who yelled out, "Nice shot! He knew exactly where he'd strike and countered just like that!"
He then heard Izuku say through tired pants, "Kacchan… Usually you start attacking with your right hand. How long do you think I've been observing you?" Katsuki got his head up seconds after being stunned, growling at his former victim.
"I've been taking notes of all the amazing Heroes, including you." Izuku continued, "I wanted to know everything about them, and all of that was in that notebook you burned and threw away back then!"
Katsuki glared at him even further as Izuku exclaimed in defiance, "Go ahead and call me Deku, see if I care! I'm no longer the Deku you called helpless and defenseless… I'm the Deku that sounds like, 'You can do it!'" At that, Sora heard Ochaco gasp as Izuku declared, "From now on, Deku is the name of a Hero!"
Sora grinned with pride at Izuku's declaration. Sure, Izuku was likely shaking in his boots, knowing him, but he had the courage to stand and fight against his bully, and this time would definitely be way different.
But to do so, he had to overcome the hurdle that was Katsuki Bakugo. And by the looks of things, he wasn't going down without a fight.
This was more than just a battle of power. It was a battle of wills.
(Play: MHA OST - Darkness in Heart)
"Deku…" Katsuki snarled as he advanced towards him, "You're shaking in your boot… you're scared half to death…" His hands began popping with small explosives, "And you still wanna pick a fight. THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I CAN'T STAND YOU!"
If this were any other situation, Sora would definitely see this as a huge red flag in terms of Katsuki giving in to his darkness, but due to not seeing any signs of dark wisps around the explosive kid's body, Sora relaxed, if only slightly. Either the signs weren't as present, or Katsuki had a whole lot of self-restraint. Well, if he had any to begin with.
"Bakugo-kun, report!" he heard Tenya call out from the other screen, "What's going on there?"
"Shut it, just defend the weapon!" Bakugo shouted, "I'm really pissed off right now!"
"I didn't ask about how you feel!" Iida retorted, but got no response, "Hello?"
(Play: MHA OST - Among Kosei)
Sora turned from the screen to see his classmates confused.
"Any idea what Bakugo's saying?" Kirishima asked, "Can't be heard because cameras don't have audio."
"Huh?" Sora said aloud. All this time, they couldn't even hear what they were saying? It would make sense given that they weren't reacting to the venom Katsuki was spitting out, but why was Sora able to hear them?
As All Might explained to the class how the teams were communicating, he decided to check something. He took off his AR Device, and the voices of Izuku, Ochaco, Katsuki, and Tenya instantly disappeared. That answered that. Somehow, his AR Device was connected with whatever his classmates on screen were communicating with, but nobody seemed to have noticed. Better to keep it that way, Sora thought. He fiddled with the device's connection as best as he could and made sure his connection remained undetected as he muted himself from it. Sadly, due to his sloppy skill with technology, he had to settle with just muting himself, and hoped that All Might wouldn't notice.
"So there's a fifteen minute time limit and the good guys have no clue which floor the nuclear weapon is on?" Mina asked, as Sora finished fiddling with his headset.
"Correct, Ashido-shounen!"
"So then the Hero team's at a clear disadvantage. A big one, to be sure." Ashido thought with concern.
"Heroes have to be ready to face any kind of situation," All Might instructed, "That is our life. Even when the odds are stacked against us, we fight!"
The students became inspired from his declaration, and Sora understood. He had been in that position during the Keyblade War, fighting through the Seekers of Darkness with his allies, their replica variants created by Master Xehanort; Xehanort himself, using armor and then the almighty X-Blade. Not to mention he immediately went back in time after Xehanort's defeat in order to rescue Kairi, fighting through more enemies and reliving the War again. All within one single day. Thinking about it now, Sora was surprised he didn't go insane with all that happened. Perhaps he was so driven to save everybody from a dark fate back then.
"ALL TOGETHER 1-A!" All Might began, hyping the class up, "Go beyond!"
"PLUS ULTRA!" The class responded in unison, pumping their fists, while Sora went the extra mile and jumped while pumping his fist. But given he was all the way in the back, nobody took notice except for All Might himself.
"Monsieur," the flamboyant kid began with eyes on the screen, "They're moving again."
Everybody focused their attention back to the screen. Katsuki was preparing himself for battle once again.
(Silence)
"Uraraka-san, go!" Izuku told her. She nodded, moving ahead while Katsuki was focused on his former victim. Katsuki then lunged and used a spin kick to try and knock Izuku down, but the green-costumed hero was quick to block it.
"Ballzy move, Deku." Katsuki snarled, seeming to almost sound like a compliment, "Think you can take me by yourself?"
(Play: MHA OST - U.A. Reporting for Duty)
Bakugo then saw Izuku quick to wrap capture tape around his leg, and the explosive Hero-in-Training reacted quickly by trying to strike him with his Quirk, only for Izuku to stop what he was doing and dodge the blast. From what Sora could see, Izuku was gaining more confidence, which was a good sign.
"Wow, the little guy's amazing!" The large kid in a yellow suit named Rikido Sato complimented.
"He's holding his own and hasn't even used his Quirk!" The young man with weird elbows said. Sora recalled his name being Hanta.
"How's he doing that?" Mineta asked.
Sora simply smiled. It was much simpler than they thought. To Midoriya, Bakugo was like an open book, due to Izuku having taken notes of nearly everything he observed about his old friend. By studying how Bakugo acted over the years, Izuku could learn how to avoid his attacks and counter properly without using Super Power.
The same unfortunately couldn't be said for Katsuki himself. He underestimated Izuku so much over the years, which in itself was a grave mistake, resulting in him getting hurt here on two occasions. Izuku was still an unknown to him, and the unknown were the most unpredictable, and thus had the advantage. Such was the case here; Bakugo had no idea what Izuku would do, but Izuku knew most of what he could do, giving him an edge in this battle.
Sora was glad Izuku was currently giving Bakugo a hard time, but if Izuku didn't make a decisive move fast, the tides could change very quickly. He hoped his friend knew what he was doing.
As the smoke cleared from the blast Bakugo had created, Izuku took the moment to turn tail and retreat. Sora mentally applauded him, as it seemed Izuku was trying to buy time for Ochaco to find the missile uninterrupted before time ran out.
"Get back here, shitty Deku!" He heard Bakugo roar. As Izuku scampered away, Sora couldn't help but wonder what he was planning to do. His earlier assumption was simply that. There was the chance that Midoriya had something else in mind.
Or he was losing his confidence. That wouldn't be good.
(Silence)
"GODDAMMIT!" Katsuki shouted out in frustration, "You tricked me all those years by acting weak, huh? Have you been laughing behind my back? Huh?!"
Izuku nearly froze in shock on the screen, but he kept his pace.
Bakugo simply roared, "So where's that flashy power of yours now? You hiding it from me?"
Sora could see Midoriya have a small look of annoyance.
"If you think your Quirk's flashy, let's see how it compares to mine, then!" Bakugo declared to no one in particular, "Quirk or no Quirk, I'll destroy you either way, Deku!"
With that declaration, Bakugo began to blast through doors and walls, looking everywhere for Izuku, but being unable to find him.
(Play: KH BBS OST - Extreme Encounters)
"Sheesh." Sora heard Kaminari say in front of him, "This guy's got anger issues. It's kinda scary."
Midoriya stopped to take a breather, before looking behind him to make sure that Katsuki wouldn't get the jump on him.
"Quit hiding, damn you!" Bakugo screamed, "Come and face me you coward!"
Izuku readied himself with a confident look, which was a good sign in Sora's mind. So long as that confidence remained, he could think of a way to outsmart and dismantle Bakugo before he could do anything. Not to mention that the explosive bully wasn't thinking straight, so this gave Izuku another advantage. Now it was just a matter of how he would use it.
(Silence)
With confidence and faith that Izuku would be fine, Sora then turned to the other screen in hopes of finding Ochaco. A few seconds later he found her hiding from Tenya, who was still guarding the weapon. He saw her about to radio Izuku to keep her stealth, but then she heard Iida speak up.
"Bakugo-kun definitely has a villainous side to him, and that's exactly what we need to succeed in this mission." he muttered, "So… I must temporarily devote myself to criminal intent. Yes. I will not fail this trail and risk bringing shame to my family's name. So… I must now embrace evil, to become a Hero."
Sora just cocked his head. He barely understood any of that, and only guessed that in order to be a Hero, Tenya believed he had to embrace his "darkness". Sounds like something Riku would do.
"Behold…." Iida announced in a very generic, yet cheesy, villain-like way, "I am the personification of all evil and villainy…"
"Pfffft…" Sora had to keep his mouth closed as to not burst out laughing and catch the attention of everybody. From the looks of it, Ochaco had tried and failed to do the same, and Iida took notice of her slip.
(Play: MHA OST - Professor Aizawa)
"Is that you, Uraraka-kun?" He demanded in that same tone. He was really trying so hard with it, but based on his previous behavior, Sora noted that this wasn't out of the ordinary for the diligent student.
Ochaco then revealed herself to Iida, and he continued, "I knew you'd come alone, the instant Bakugo-kun took off in order to fight Midoriya-kun. Your Quirk allows you to float anything you touch. But I've prepared for that by hiding every object in this room. You have nothing to use against me, Hero!" He lifted his arms in a very funny manner similar to Xehanort's Nobody. Sora knew Iida was trying hard, but his arm-lifting couldn't hold a candle to how Xemnas did it.
Back in the monitor room, Sora was still trying to prevent himself from laughing, but it was so hard not to. Iida was taking this very seriously, but that blasted tone he had when speaking was just too hard not to laugh at. He covered his mouth to prevent any sound from coming out, while the others looked at the screen in confusion.
"My dastardly tricks have rendered you helpless!" Tenya declared dramatically, "You have blundered, Hero! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Sora couldn't help it. After hearing that ridiculous evil laugh, it was too much for him to take. He quickly and quietly ran out of the room and made sure he was far away enough so nobody could hear him let out all his own laughter as he banged the side of the wall behind him with his fist. Tenya was taking this way too seriously and it was just too funny!
After a few seconds of calming himself down, he returned to the Monitor Room with a red face and a goofy smile. Momo took notice of this, as she, along with a few others, had heard Sora scamper out the room seconds earlier.
"Are you alright?" she asked him.
"Yeah… heh heh… just swell." Sora kept that smile, "Let's focus on the fight, okay?"
"If you say so. It looks like Midoriya might be in trouble," she pointed to the screen, and Sora followed her finger to it.
(Play: MHA OST - HERO A)
Midoriya was currently face-to-face with Bakugo, who looked surprisingly calm for the first time. "I'm all loaded up," he heard the explosive kid declare as he raised his right arm up.
"What does that mean?" Izuku asked him.
Bakugo ignored him, "What's the matter? Why aren't you using that flashy Quirk? Are you underestimating me, Deku?" His face morphed into a very sinister smile, which sent alarm bells off in Sora's mind.
"Come on. Show me what you're made of."
Izuku accepted, capture tape in hand, as he prepared himself for another fight. "I'm not scared of you anymore, Kacchan!"
This clearly struck a nerve, but Katsuki quickly calmed himself down, before continuing, "Given that you're such a stalker, you probably know how my Quirk, Explosion works."
Izuku looked perplexed as his friend(?)/bully continued, "I secrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from my hands and make it blow up."
Sora quickly took a mental note of that, and his AR Device added that to the Gummiphone's database on its own. It could prove useful for potential fights and team-ups in the near future.
"Now…" Bakugo smirked, "Imagine if I had a whole bunch of it!" He then pulled the giant pin on his grenade-shaped gauntlet to show a smaller pin. Almost like an actual grenade. "That's right. These gauntlets aren't just for show. They've been storing up my sweat for one giant monster blast!"
Midoriya stepped back in alarm as Katsuki grabbed the small pin with a look of killing intent. Sora grit his teeth in frustration.
Not good. If Midoriya was unable to dodge it, he would take considerable damage, and worst case he gets critically injured for life. This might be what Katsuki wanted outta the fight, if his words from before were taken into consideration.
Come on, Izuku, MOVE! Sora thought urgently.
"Bakugo-shounen, stop!" All Might shouted to his earpiece in alarm, but the explosive boy didn't listen. Light was glowing through a hole in the open gauntlet. He was about to release the concentrated sweat.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to kill him?!" All Might shouted.
"If he dodges the attack, he won't die!" Bakugo roared, and pulled the pin. The result was a massive explosion that covered the entirety of the hallway. Having no other options, Midoriya forced himself to brace.
The resulting explosion made the entire building, no, the entire sector of Ground Beta, shake. Even the ones in the basement could feel the subtle shockwaves.
"This is nuts! Wasn't this supposed to be a class?!" Kirishima shouted.
"Come in! Come in, Midoriya-shounen!" All Might shouted into his mic. Sora could only hear static on his end. But as the smoke cleared, Sora saw that Midoriya was still moving, though he looked like Hades had gotten a lick or two outta him with his burns.
"He's alive! Look!" he said, pointing to the cam, getting closer to the front of the class.
"Is… is that even allowed?" Izuku coughed, before perking up as Katsuki began to laugh like a man possessed by a devil, walking out of the smoke and towards his opponent.
"Amazing…" he replied gleefully, "The more quantity stored, the bigger the range of the explosion…" His smile grew wider as his left gauntlet began to glow the same red color as the right one did moments before, "Come on, Deku… use your Quirk…" He walked towards him in a creepy fashion, "I'll make you use all your strength… before I crush you!"
The way Bakugo was acting was leaving Izuku terrified. Honestly, if Sora were in Izuku's shoes when he first got his Keyblade, he'd probably feel the same way. It took nearly every ounce of restraint Sora had to just blitz out there and stop the fighting before Katsuki released another blast like the previous one and potentially kill him by accident. Too focused on Izuku's match, Sora was only half-paying attention to Ochaco's plight on the other screen.
"What's the matter?" Katsuki goaded, "You look scared. You dodged the attack, so you can still fight, right? Quit shaking and come at me!"
(Play: MHA OST - Enemy Strike)
"Uraraka-san, come in. What's your status?" Izuku radioed his comrade.
"Not good." came the reply.
"Ignoring me again, shitty Deku?" Katsuki asked, twitching uncontrollably, the sadistic smile never leaving his face. "Fine, I'll get your attention.". His right hand moved to the left pin with sinister intent.
That's when Sora saw it.
It was faint, but he could see it as clear as day. Wisps of darkness coming out of Katsuki. Not good. He had to get over there fast before Bakugo would pull the pin on Izuku a second time. One more blast while Izuku was weakened would kill him in the worst case scenario. He started to move out towards the door…
Before a hand grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks. He turned around and saw that it was All Might holding him back, shaking his head.
"Leave this to me, Young Sora." he said in English, before switching to a warning tone in Japanese, "Bakugo-shounen. if you use that weapon again, the training ends and your team will lose."
It seems All Might's words were getting to Bakugo, because the wisps suddenly disappeared as he looked up to the sky, "Hah?!"
"Employing such a strong attack indoors, is inviting the destruction of the stronghold you're supposed to be protecting," All Might explained, his tone becoming a bit threatening as he continued, "It's a poor strategy, regardless of whether or not you're a Hero or Villain. You've just lost many points because of that."
"Pillar by the window." Sora heard Izuku mutter to Ochaco, "Go over there now."
So Izuku had a plan. That's good. Let's hope he survives long enough to enact it.
"Fine!" Katsuki looked angry, "We'll fight HAND TO HAND!"
Midoriya braced as Katsuki blitzed towards him and raised his hand up. But when he braced, Bakugo suddenly launched himself over Izuku, but not before making a smokescreen with his arms to blind his opponent before landing behind him and blasting him in the back. Midoriya yelped out from the pain and force.
Everybody was surprised, save for the two recommended students.
"He doesn't come off as a guy for strategy, but he's actually pretty intelligent," Shoto noted.
"Whatcha talking about?" Kirrishima asked, confused.
"He changed trajectory mid-air while using a blast that doubled as a smokescreen," Shoto explained, "It's pretty clever on his part."
"An attack like that requires an extreme amount of precision." Momo finally added, "He had to calculate the physics and demonstrate a good control over his Quirk."
"Ugh… Bakugo's uber talented," Kaminari said disapprovingly, "I hate it."
"Even so, I wouldn't count Izuku out just yet." Sora said with conviction.
"How so?" Shoto asked, genuinely curious.
"He's lasted against Katsuki for over ten minutes by working around his Quirk. if he plays his hand correctly, he'll have a chance, and the battle could turn over in his favor." Sora said.
Everybody was surprised at how confident the Key Bearer sounded when it came to Izuku's abilities. Even Momo and Shoto were fascinated by his belief, but they were doing very well to hide it.
But deep down, Sora wanted Izuku to fall back. He didn't stand a chance against Katsuki as he was now, and he knew Izuku was running out of options. If he attacked Katsuki with his power, both of them could be knocked out, and if Katsuki got the upper hand, Sora didn't want to know the collateral damage that would happen. Either way, Ochaco would be on her own in that stalemate with Tenya, and time would run out.
Meanwhile, Izuku was still recovering from the shock of the blast, but snapped out of it as Katsuki declared, "Here it comes, damn nerd! That precious right-hook you've been hollering about!" It wasn't a lie, as Katsuki then performed the technique, and Izuku, who was still shocked from earlier, took the brunt of it, which sent him to the air for a second before Bakugo grabbed his right arm, before throwing Izuku over his body and slamming him into the ground, giving the green-haired hero a taste of his own medicine.
"Never forget who you are, Deku!" Bakugo snarled, "You're nothing but a weakling!"
(Silence)
Sora felt his anger grow from within, but he did his best to calm down. Bakugo was nothing more than a bully in his eyes, a jerk who took pleasure in harming others just to prove he's the strongest. He was honestly even worse than Riku was when he was tempted by darkness, in terms of belittling, that is. In short, he wasn't a true Hero by Olympus's standards. Far from it, actually. However, despite that, he wasn't dumb and a complete brute. He was smart and intelligent, but his hubris was holding him back from seeing his true potential. Hopefully, he wouldn't end up like Riku did by succumbing to his darkness.
But that wasn't important right now.
(Play: MHA OST - Evil of Psychology)
"This is hard to watch," Mina said worriedly, "All that guy's gotta do is wrap the tape around him, not kill him."
"Bakugo is truly acting like a villain," The bird in the cloak noted. Sora realized him as Fumikage Tokoyami.
"Honestly, Midoriya was great, but…" Denki began to rub his head with a wavering smile, "Bakugo's superior when it comes to fighting power. He doesn't stand a chance."
"So much for playing his hand right." the weird earlobe girl named Kyoka looked at Sora.
"It isn't over until Izuku or Katsuki goes down, or when time runs out." Sora responded politely so as to not act rude, "Until then, I remain optimistic about the Hero team's chances."
As Izuku began running, Sora then looked from that screen to a monitor showing the locations of where the team members were. Seems like Izuku was heading towards Ochaco's location right below her.
Wait a second…
Izuku… What are you planning? Sora thought.
Speaking of, Midoriya was now right under where his teammate was, and now Katsuki was standing a few feet away, panting and growling with annoyance.
"Why the hell won't you use your Quirk on me?" he demanded, "Still think you can stop me without it?"
Izuku looked away, "That's not it…"
"It's been like this for years! Were you trying to trick me, bastard?! You think you're better than me?!"
"Is that what you think?" Izuku suddenly started shaking. Not in fear, but with fury and frustration as tears began to fall from his eyes, "You're wrong… You're somebody incredible, Kacchan! You've always been better than me! That's exactly why… I want to beat you! Because you're amazing!"
"You're even more of an idiot than I thought." Katsuki snorted, "Now COME AT ME!"
(Play: MHA OST - You Say Run)
The two of them lunged towards one another, with the intent to attack. Bakugo began to rear his arm back to launch his explosive power, while red veins protruded from Izuku's right hand as he winded up for a punch.
His classmates were panicking, and initially, Sora was, too. But then he saw Ochaco moving towards a pillar, away from where Izuku and Katsuki were several floors below. If they were in the same area, it'd be more of a racket.
Then it clicked.
"That's it!" he shouted in English, "This is their chance!"
"What chance?" Momo asked, confused.
"Izuku's not aiming for Katsuki," Sora explained to his classmates, switching to Japanese so they could follow, "He's aiming for…!"
"SMAAAASSH!"
"Holy crap!"
Izuku's scream over his AR Device and Hanta's shout afterwards stopped him as he focused his attention on the screen. As Katsuki fired an explosion point blank at Izuku, the latter raised his fist to the air, releasing a familiar gust of wind that pummeled through the floors of the buildings. As they watched, and while he knew it was coming, Sora was still amazed as he saw the wind plow through the floor that Ochaco and Tenya were on!
Seriously, Midoriya's Quirk was frightening, but awesome all the same!
Ochaco was holding a pillar with her Quirk, while Tenya was thrown off-balance. It was clear the former was ready for Izuku's attack, and she winded the pillar up, before hitting the debris made from Izuku's punch with the pillar, sending it all hammering towards Iida. She had nicknamed the special move, "Comet Home Run.", a move Sora had no objection to the name of. As Iida shielded himself from the debris, Uraraka used the chance to leap over her opponent, fingertips close together.
"Release!" he heard Ochaco shout, before she brought her fingertips together, and she started to freefall before grabbing the missile.
"NO! THE WEAPON!" Tenya shouted in dismay.
In two quick decisive moves…
"The Hero Team… WIIIIIIIINSSS!" All Might declared loudly.
(Silence)
Meanwhile, the others were shocked that Sora had figured out Izuku's plan so quickly.
"It was a long shot, but I know Izuku well enough to realize just what he was about to do and what he was planning." Sora smiled softly, "For what it's worth, I'd say it's best not to underestimate him."
"I see…" Fumikage noted, "You were keeping an eye on the one who placed last in the Quirk Assessment, because in your opinion, he's the wild card. No one would know what to do against him because we have no idea what he can really do."
"Perhaps," Sora grinned while placing his hands over his head, "Like I said, I know him enough to figure it out at that moment. I am his friend, after all. Please excuse me."
With a polite bow, and with a nod from All Might, Sora walked out of the door to head over to where Izuku and Katsuki were. In a burst of Flowmotion, he arrived at his destination in ten seconds.
Izuku was already unconscious by the time he got there, and he winced as he saw his broken right arm still raised to the sky, and the burned left arm where he had blocked Katsuki's explosion. The boy in question was looking like he had stared into the void and it had stared back. Sora ignored him and lifted his friend up, putting an arm around his shoulder. He looked over to Katsuki again, a frown on his face.
I really didn't see how the two got along, but if Izuku holds Katsuki in high regard, then I won't judge. It's kinda like how I saw Riku. I still see Riku that way. Sora thought, It looks like Katsuki's being influenced by some form of darkness. Probably his own, since I don't see anything Heartless-related. Sora smiled softly, unnoticed by the explosive boy looking like he was going through an existential crisis. Who knows. Maybe Izuku can be to Katsuki what I was to Riku. We'll have to wait and see.
"You did good, Izuku," he muttered to his unconscious friend, "Now let's get those injuries treated,"
(Play: Fountain of Eternity Album - Path to Glory)
Who is Izuku Midoriya in my eyes?
I see a kid who's passionate to reaching his dream and knowing everything there is about it. A person with a heart of gold who has been hurt due to his supposed weakness, yet wishes to help everyone and make others smile, even his enemies, despite his hardships. He is a boy willing to put his life on the line to ensure that people are safe and happy, just like his idol. However, that does lead to him willing to cross lines and take risks that many wouldn't dare to cross, which can be both good and bad. He, like every other person, inspires others in marvelous ways.
That's how I see Deku.
And that's a wrap for Chapter 10! The Battle Trial begins, and man it started off on a high note! Sora meeting up with a new member of Class B and Monoma! I wonder who the new member is, though, since Sora's sensed something off about them. And yeah, that part of the LOTR poem I put in there was always one of my favorite moments in that movie trilogy. I always found it peaceful and mesmerizing when Gandalf sings that tune. It also kind of fits Sora, since he's a world traveler, and is also going on a journey of his own, the path before him having not reached its end, even when he's vanished from his home.
And the Battle Trial went off smoothly... well... save for the broken bones and the existential crisis going on in the corner.
And as you can see, Sora's clothes from KH3 have gone through a bit of a color change, if you haven't noticed. It's closer to the concept art that Tetsuya Nomura made for him in KH3, in case you were wondering, and he also has an AR Device made to his liking, though he doesn't know all the things about the copy that make it different than Hiro's.
Off topic here, but to those who have come from The OC Maniac's shoutout, I welcome you to this new story, and hope you guys can enjoy it as much as you enjoy May Your Heart Go Beyond! For those wondering what May Your Heart Go Beyond may be, I highly recommend the story, and suggest you check it out when you can!
Onto reviews!
Gamelover41592: Yep. This is Aizawa we're talking about, so day one is bound to have something wild in it.
shadyxlr: Just wait and see.
blueassassin996: Glad you're accepting this part of the story. I'd headcanon that his loss in power this time isn't due to him vanishing from his world, but due to the aftermath with his fight against Yozora.
Xerayn: Thank you. I'm glad you liked the extra part, despite how out of place it was.
the mysterious Mr.E: I'm glad you're enjoying it. I hope I can keep expectations high in this one.
Guest: Thanks for your feedback! And yeah, you could say that Sora came at an unfortunate time in the Support Course room, and you could be right on who caused the big kaboom. Stay safe out there!
Laplase: Thanks for that. I agree that Sora's magic isn't affected by the laws of this world, which makes upholding the world order all the more important. It only will affect him if the world also has some form of higher magic that can overcome his own, which MHA's world doesn't really have.
WizardWolf 1020: Your reasons are your own, Wolf, and I can understand why you feel that way. You could be right about how Izuku got that many Rescue points, but alas, we don't have a clear/logical explanation. I do agree with what Aizawa said about the Practical Exam being pretty much flawed. The same can be said with Hero Society as a whole. Both aren't perfect. Why else would there be people in MHA who disagree and go against the status quo?
PUBLISH: KH speeches and logic in a nutshell, am I right?
Digitalreaper360: Well, Nezu and Mickey are similar in more ways than one, other than their type of animal (Nezu is a combination of animals in one)
The OC Maniac: Thank you for the feedback and the shoutout, OC! I also recalled that Nobodies can also appear when any strong-hearted person becomes a Heartless, so I put in the implication that they could show up here too. Stay tuned!
What did you think of this chapter? I'm glad if you found it interesting, and I'm sorry if it wasn't and didn't meet expectations.
Thank you for reading this story, and until our paths cross again!
