Chapter Two: Sparks In A Daze

Izuku was suddenly awoken by the light peering into his darkness engulfed bedroom. The sunlight from the outside world slipped through the cracks of his blinds causing the greenette to stir before opening his eyes to the blinding light.

Using his arm to shield his eyes from the light, Izuku opened them slightly to the familiar sight of his bedroom. His room was rather small, just enough space to fit his full sized bed, a small desk with a laptop, a dresser, and a few boxes from his father's lab.

'Oh… That's right…' Izuku thought sorrowfully, frowning as he let out a breath. He still wasn't fully over the loss of his father, it was as if there were a weight on his chest everyday reminding him of what happened on that fateful day. He couldn't escape it.

It had been a week; a week without peace, a week without school, a week without his father, and he couldn't stay festering with his thoughts forever. There was no moving on, just continuing to live, just like Hisashi wanted him to do, and thus came his decision to return to school. There was no point in trying to hide from it.

Rising from his lying position with a yawn, Izuku stretched his arms before pulling his duvet off of himself and standing up on his feet in order to give his legs some stretching room as well. For some reason he didn't feel all that bad, in fact, he was feeling better than normal physically.

Izuku shrugged it off as just having a decent morning and made his way out of his room in order to get ready for the day. Exiting his room, he made a quick turn for the bathroom in order to brush his teeth before getting dressed for the day, but as he entered something seemed to catch his eye in the mirror.

It was his body, for some reason he seemed to fill up his "tuxedo" shirt better than normal almost as if his body had a sudden bulk-up over the past few days. Where had this muscle been coming from? He knew he had been hungrier than normal, but he didn't expect this kind of growth spurt. The same revelation from the day before began to ring in the back of his mind; his body was changing. And this wasn't your average puberty changing, this was definitely irregular.

"First the wall sticks to my hands, then that weird tingly sensation, and now I'm growing… That spider bite must have changed something in my physiology. What the hell was dad working on in that lab..?" Izuku mumbled to himself, looking himself over in the mirror once more before grabbing his toothbrush and beginning to prepare for the day.

Perhaps his mom would have answers?

"Oh, I have no idea what your father did for his research. Per the request of their private investor, he was sworn to secrecy along with all the other researchers. He couldn't share a thing with anyone." Inko answered, staring at her son in confusion as he seemed frustrated by her response. "Why, is there something you need to know?"

"No, no… I was just curious about dad is all." Izuku mumbled in response, giving off the idea that he was still suffering immensely from the grief. Inko knew all of this was hard on her son, but she herself was suffering just as well. She lost the man she loved, and now all she had left was a distant son who barely came out of his room now.

Inko stepped towards her son and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace, "...Izuku, I know that it isn't easy for us right now, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, okay?"

Izuku froze up at his mother's words before a small smile graced his lips and he returned the hug. "Yeah… I know, Mom. Thank you, I just… There's a lot changing right now, and it's been tough. I've just been trying to learn everything I can, but maybe I'll find the answers outside of my bubble of grief."

"Heh… You sound like your father." Inko chuckled before releasing her son and giving him a warm nurturing smile. "Now, hurry on to school. You don't want to be late, and don't be afraid to speak up if people start pestering you, alright? Like your father always said-"

"Learn to fight with your mind. I know." Izuku finished off the quote, smiling back at his mom as he adjusted the yellow backpack that rested on his shoulders and went to put on his shoes. As he arrived at the entrance to their home, Izuku saw his father's old red hightops sitting right beside his own. They were a size bigger, but Izuku decided to wear these for the day. He'd grow into them eventually. "Alright, I'm heading off. I'll see you later, Mom!"

Izuku heard the muffled okay from his mother, and began to rush out of the house, beginning to jog his way down his street and inland towards the city. He could already feel the big difference in his body, he jogged down a few blocks and hadn't gotten tired as of yet. He definitely had higher endurance now, he felt more agile.

Eventually he found his way at a crosswalk, and as he went to cross a sedan nearly ran into him. In that short moment as the car approached him and the driver finally noticed him, Izuku felt that tingle in the back of his head alerting him to the danger approaching and in an amazing act of acrobatics, Izuku leaped and twisted in the air before landing on the concrete of the other side of the car, not a single scratch on him.

The greenette turned to the driver in a panic, almost as if he were confirming that he had just done what he did. The shocked faces of onlookers only confirmed his suspicions, yet most were impressed by the greenette's physical feats, and as Izuku cleared his throat and went to continue down the street to his school, a hefty set man with odd star-like spikes on his head approached him.

"Geez, Kid! You almost got hit there, but boy do you have some moves! Are you thinking of becoming a pro hero? I really think you could with quick thinking like that!" The man praised, smiling at the greenette who shyly rubbed the back of his neck in response. He wasn't quite sure what to say, it was the first time he'd heard such words from anyone but his father.

"E-Er… Th-Thank you, sir. I'll take what you said into consideration." The greenette replied, bowing his head gratefully before turning back towards the path that would lead him to his school.

Izuku continued to ponder the events in his mind, the odd tingle, his quick reflexes, and his newfound agility… They seemed to all be connected; whatever that spider bite did to him, it's really beginning to take effect now and changing him in ways he couldn't even imagine. At first he thought it was purely physical, but now… He wasn't sure what would change next.

As Izuku crossed the gate that would lead onto the courtyard of his school he glanced around at his surroundings filled with paranoia. There were people staring, pointing, talking. The news of what had become of the greenette must have spread like wildfire, and now that he had returned, everyone was probably considering trying to pick on him again. It was the norm, but it wasn't like he couldn't dish it out in return.

The greenette sighed, peering down at his shoes before the tingly sensation from before rose up within the back of his mind and in a moment's notice, Izuku swiftly leaned back from the hand that approached his uniform's jacket. It was the one person who had it out for Izuku the most, his childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugou.

There was a pause of silence as the two locked eyes, Bakugou was surprisingly without his lackeys, and had yet to bark orders or complaints at Izuku. Perhaps he was going to take it easier on him today?

"Now, you know I don't swing that way, Bakugou. No need to try and pull me in for a kiss, pal." Izuku joked, earning a few laughs from the onlookers as Izuku swatted the blond's hand away and stood up straight. Bakugou could tell that something felt different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

"Don't flatter yourself. I was going to say sorry for your loss, but I can see that you're still as annoying as ever." Bakugou replied, glaring daggers at the boy before him as Izuku simply rolled his eyes at the boy's pointless intimidation. "I don't know what made you walk in here so confidently, but-"

"But, nothing. Just-" Izuku interrupted, pausing to take a quick breather to calm himself from the eruption of rage that nearly escaped. His father just died, and he had the nerve to get in his face and try to put him down? That wasn't going to slide. "Just stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours. I've got a lot to deal with, and even more to figure out."

Both boys continued to glare each other down for a moment before finally Bakugou yielded and let the greenette pass without any more of his nonsense. Izuku was silently thankful, but he knew this would only slide for now due to them not having enough time to duke it out before class started. After classes, though?

That'd be an entirely different story.

Izuku Midoriya was an exceptional student through and through, though many could attribute that to his famous researcher of a father. He was a top tier student, with a knack for science, engineering, and all things heroic. Many said that if he didn't have the passion to be a hero, he'd be a great support engineer.

The greenette would often find himself finished with all of his work earlier than everyone else, allowing him the free time to create different designs for hero costumes and equipment, one such moment being now as the teacher was preparing to hand out career forms while Izuku scribbled away at his notebook, noting the changes that he's finding within his body and how he may be able to adapt it to his heroics in the future. (If he were to make it into his dream school).

"Alright, now today we're going to be discussing careers and I'm going to have you all fill out these future career forms." The teacher started before a smile graced his lips and he adjusted his glasses before tossing the papers aside. "...Is what I would say if you lot didn't just want to be heroes! You all have such wonderful quirks, just remember not to use them in school."

The class erupted in cheers of confirmation and excitement, excluding Izuku and his childhood friend who were too preoccupied with their own activities, though Bakugou surely wouldn't miss this opportunity to gloat.

"Puh-lease! Don't compare me to the rest of these losers, teach! As if I had anything compared to their crappy quirks! I'm gonna be even greater than All Might!" The blonde shouted, smirking as many of his classmates glared and shouted in disapproval. "Oh, shut it you extras!"

"Ah, yes, you must be aiming for UA High School." The teacher replied nonchalantly, silencing the rest of the students with the shock of the blonde applying for the national hero school. A few students mumbled amongst themselves about just how difficult it was to get in, but Bakugou wasn't phased at all.

"That's right! I aced the mock exam, which means I'm the only one with the stuff to get into UA!" Bakugou shouted, jumping onto his desk as he took a menacing pose to intimidate the rest of his classmates. "I'll make sure I surpass All Might and become one of the greatest heroes in the world! Hell, I'll even become one of the richest!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Kacchan." Izuku chimed in, smirking as he rose from his seat and stared directly at the prideful blond across the room. "I also aced the mock exams. I'm making sure I get into UA as well, so don't count me out just yet, bomb-for-brains!"

"The hell did you just say..!?" Bakugou mumbled through grit teeth, hopping down from the desk as he glared viciously at the greenette due to his declaration. "YOU THINK YOU CAN BUMP SHOULDERS WITH ME!? TALK ABOUT DELUSIONAL!"

"Oh, here we go…" Izuku mumbled rolling his eyes as he stepped up to match up with the aggressive stick of dynamite glaring at him. "Just because I'm quirkless doesn't mean I don't have a shot at it. There's no harm in trying, or are you just afraid I'll do better than you?"

Bakugou's eyes dilated at the greenette's challenge, almost as if he were ready to strangle the greenette right then and there. "The hell you just say to me, runt? Do I need to put you in your place again?"

Izuku's smirk fell and was replaced with a frown as his brows furrowed to match his expression. He let out a low sigh, glancing across the room to see that everyone was already expecting him to back down like he had countless times before in the past. But not this time, no. This time he was going to set the record straight, and maybe even utilize whatever the hell has changed in his body to his advantage.

"Now that's something I'd like to see, Bomberman." He fortified, not letting his own fear get to him as the two locked eyes with one another. Red met green, and many of the spectators gasped in surprise at Izuku's challenge. This wasn't like the normal Izuku, something must have happened, right?

Bakugou glanced down at the greenette's hands. They were shaking, but balled into fists. He was affirming himself, trying to stand up for what he believed in. No longer was he that feeble boy from before, something was different, and it was pissing Bakugou off.

"You. Me. Afterschool. You'll be meeting your old man again." Bakugou spoke, shoving the greenette aside as everyone in the room let out a breath they didn't know they were holding. The pressure of the two's presence was nearly suffocating; there was going to be some physical confrontations and they needed to spread the word.

For the rest of their class time everyone watched as Izuku and Bakugou counted down the seconds of time they had left. They were anxious to see what would transpire between the two, but they weren't alone in that.

Izuku was feeling anxious now. He was feeling fear, but he noted that it was nothing compared to that same feeling of fear he felt when he lost his father, and that blond had just used it as a threat. To joke about Izuku's own deceased father… He was going to pay for that.

Perhaps he was rushing into this sort of conflict way too early. It probably would have been smarter to give this sort of fight a few months or years before letting it play out, but Izuku didn't want to be pushed around after everything he had been through. He wanted to let those that doubted him that they couldn't toy with him any longer and that started with confronting his issues with the head of it all.

As the school day came to a close, both Izuku and Bakugou took their time packing up their bags and prepared for what was to come. As Izuku finished up, the shadow of his soon-to-be opponent loomed over him, alerting him to Bakugou's presence.

"Follow me. We're not doing this here." Bakugou instructed, earning a nod from the greenette. There were many eyes on the two boys, some secretly wanting to follow, others expecting Izuku not to live another day, but everyone was aware of just how much these two needed to do this.

One person, however, sat in the background of all of this, silently hoping that the greenette would come out of this on top. They watched curiously as Izuku fidgeted with his hands before standing up straight and trailing after the angry blond. They didn't know the two personally, but they've been witness to many of their feuds, and boy were they glad it was about to come to a close.

After some time of following the blonde, the two boys found themselves at a certain coastline. The boys and their surroundings were illuminated by the sun setting past the horizon as it took them some time to get there by foot. Towers of appliances and garbage blocked out the beautiful scenery beyond.

"Takoba Municipal Beach Park… This place is a landfill, why here of all places?" Izuku questioned softly, placing his bag down as Bakugou turned to him and did the same.

The blond smirked, "Because there's cover here. No one will see or interrupt us, and if they hear any crashing, well…" The blond paused, glancing around at the many appliances teetering, or just generally looking like they could fall at any moment. "I don't think anyone would investigate."

"So you really wanted this to be close and personal, huh? Can't say I'm not surprised, I always got the feeling you hated me and here you are trying to put me in a tight spot." Izuku quipped, furthering Bakugou's annoyance. He knew that the blond's anger would be his downfall in this fight, he'd just have to compensate for the overwhelming power he was up against. "But you got one thing wrong there. People won't investigate? Please."

Izuku matched Bakugou's smirk, "I'm sure there's plenty who will wonder how you got your butt kicked."