The people in the observation room stared at the screens in shock, marveling at the irony of how much damage the 'winning' team had sustained compared to the 'losing' team. Tokoyami commented solemnly about how they had won the war, while Tsuyu pointed out it was just an exercise.
Students laughed at the exchange between Tsuyu and Tokoyami. They had been in too much shock to really register it before.
Izuku and Iida were busy trying to comfort Uraraka, who felt like she was on the verge of throwing up again due to her past self's overuse of her quirk.
All Might was shown, now in the destroyed building. After making sure that Izuku was being taken to the nurse's office, he looked over at Bakugo. The boy had frozen in place, and was visibly shaking.
Some of the students were confused. Given Bakugo's attitude, they hadn't expected a single battle to shake him so badly. Had he overused his quirk? Or was there something else going on?
Bakugo realized that Deku had predicted his moves once again, and had even used that to win the exercise. Thoughts of what Deku had said rushed through his head. His shaking got worse and his breathing got faster and faster as he realized that Deku might have actually been able to beat him if they went all out.
Aizawa frowned. He hadn't realized that Bakugo's reaction to losing had been this extreme. The boy looked on the verge of going into a panic attack. Was it really that ingrained in him that he had to be the strongest person around?
The other students were becoming concerned too. As angry as they were at Bakugo's behavior, they didn't want him hurt, or to intrude on him in this way.
Bakugo had to consciously think about his breathing in order not to do the same thing the on-screen version of his was doing. He could feel the tightness in his chest, just as he had back then, and the panic creeping in at the edges of his mind. Dammit! It was bad enough the class was seeing this in the past he couldn't break down here too!
Bakugo jumped when he felt something land on his shoulder at the same moment as All Might's hand did in the past. He turned and saw Kirishima had laid a hand on his shoulder. He didn't try to smile at him, or make a big deal out of it, he just let it rest there.
Bakugo turned back to the screen, and let Kirishima keep his hand there.
Bakugo seemed to snap out of it, somewhat, when All Might put a hand on his shoulder and told him to come back so they could review. He told the boy that, win or lose, he could learn something from this.
"Indeed." Nedzu piped up. "Sometimes you learn even more from losing than you do from winning. It's important to remember that."
The scene changed to the observation room. All Might declared that Iida was the MVP of the round, much to the boy's surprise. Tsuyu wondered why it wasn't one of the winners, and All Might put the question to the whole class. Momo raised her hand right away. She explained that Iida did the best to adapt himself to the exercise. Bakugo had allowed a grudge to get to him and acted reckless. Izuku and Uraraka's final plan was also reckless and wouldn't have worked in real life. Iida's actions were the only ones that really would have worked if it hadn't been training. Everyone stared at Momo when she was done. All Might thought to himself that she had said more than expected.
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to overstep." Momo said, looking down. 'I really was too full of myself...' she thought miserably. Yagi was quick to correct her though.
"Not at all, young Yaoyorozu. I was merely surprised. I couldn't have said it better myself, which was only a problem because I had a whole speech prepared where I said almost exactly the same thing." He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, and Momo's jaw dropped.
"Really? You truly agreed with my analysis? Looking back I...I thought I was a bit too harsh..."
"You did dissect the results quite efficiently." Nedzu chimed in. "The only critique I had was in the delivery, though that is more a social issue. You are a fellow student rather than a teacher, so you may wish to be slightly more diplomatic in pointing out your classmates mistakes in the future."
"Though, if they mess so bad they put others in danger, bluntness is very well deserved." Aizawa added.
'Thinking back on it, some of the others did start to look a little annoyed when I kept answering after every round...and All Might started picking others to answer instead. He probably wanted to make sure the others were learning too. I'll have to remember to give others a chance to put their ideas forward too, and give them equal consideration.'' "I think I understand. I'll do my best to improve my demeanor going forward." At least the analysis itself had been accurate.
All Might scrambled for something additional to say, and went with saying Iida could have loosened up, but otherwise agreed with Momo. Present Mic's voice over explained how Momo had gotten into UA by recommendations instead of the practical exam, while everyone continued to stare at her in awe.
"I've been meaning to ask, how do you get in by recommendations? What are the qualifications?" Izuku asked.
"Well, you had to be sponsored by someone in the hero business, be it an actual pro or someone well known in support or management. We did fill out a written test, though I couldn't say if it was the same as the non-recommended applicants. Then we had a practical, which was a race through an obstacle course rather than fighting robots. Oh, and we each had to do an interview." Momo explained. Todoroki nodded, figuring that was enough to let them know it was the same for him.
Izuku wrote the information down while the show continued. He was even more glad that he'd decided to do the regular test now. He didn't have much faith in his interviewing skills, and he'd have hated if he failed to get in because he couldn't manage to string the right words together.
All Might got the students moving into a new training area so they could continue the trials. As they did so, Bakugo was shown, still looking stunned.
"He's really taking this hard, huh? You think he's really never lost before?" Hagakure wondered.
"Maybe. Or maybe he just never lost at something he considered really important." Ashido mused.
Uraraka breathed a sigh of relief as the scene moved on, the last bits of her nausea finally dissipating. Izuku looked at the on-screen Bakugo and thought of their talk after class that day, and wondered how he and the others would react to it being shown.
The start of the next trial was shown, Shoji and Todoroki vs Ojiro and Hagakure. Hagakure took off her gloves and boots so she could be completely invisible, and told Ojiro he couldn't look.
"So you really are naked except for the accessories?" Mineta asked with a lecherous grin.
"No." Ojiro and Hagakure answered simultaneously. The rest of the girls either sighed or rolled their eyes.
"I was just messing with him." Hagakure explained. "I have a body suit that I wear, you just can't see it because it's made out of a special material that works with my invisibility. The support company gave me a little info card about it, including how it's expensive to make."
"She told me about it after the match." Ojiro added.
The second trial started. Shoji used his quirk to figure out where the heroes and weapon were and told his teammate (earning him a closeup and quirk explanation). Todoroki got Shoji to step outside before freezing the entire building solid. The 'vilains' were stuck, allowing Todoroki to get past easily.
The students were once again left in awe of Todoroki's powerful quirk, though they were less grateful for the chill creeping up their spines once more.
"Ow ow ow!" Hagakure squirmed in her seat, and quickly took her shoes off, trying to bring some relief to the soles of her feet.
"Uh...sorry." Todoroki muttered awkwardly. He hadn't felt bad about it before, it was just a part of the training and her bad luck of being put against him. He hadn't meant to do it a second time though.
"S'okay, not your fault this time."
"Gotta say man, that look of yours is pretty freaky. Especially that red eye part, what is that even for?" Kaminari asked.
Todoroki didn't answer him. He did wonder about his costume though, he had been ever since he got it. His classmates' reactions did show it gave him an intimidation factor, but he'd realized that the iced over part made it harder to carry things. He may have to work on it.
All Might commented on how efficient the hero teams take down had been and declared them the winners. Todoroki was shown melting the ice he created before getting a close up himself. Present Mic's voice wondered if the strength made him a monster. The other students gushed about how strong Todoroki was, and Bakugo looked upset.
Bakugo scowled. He couldn't take on Icy Hot right now...but he would some day.
Todoroki grit his teeth when he heard Present Mic's description. 'I am not a monster! I won't be like him! I won't use it!' He thought angrily.
"Oh, sorry about that Todoroki. I say a lot of things when practicing for the sports festival, and I only really ever use half of it." Present Mic looked over at Todoroki and was met with an icy stare. "Heh, uh, I promise I won't use that at the actual festival." Todoroki stared at him for a moment longer before nodding and looking back at the screen.
Bits and pieces of the following trials were shown, usually heroes just entering and villains getting ready to defend. One snapshot showed Mineta eyeing Momo's backside while she did all of the work.
Tsuyu's tongue snapped out and slapped Mineta.
"Ouch! What the heck?! I already got the look from her for that!"
"I for one approve of Tsuyu defending her classmate's honor." Iida stated.
"Seconded!" the other girls said all at once.
Mineta looked plaintively over at the teachers.
"Perhaps if you hadn't been so busy ogling you could have done more to help your partner." Aizawa said dryly.
"But she made the steel and everything for the door on her own! What was I supposed to do?" Mineta whined.
"What about adding your quirk to the barricade?" Aizawa challenged. "Something to make the beams stick together would have made it even stronger. I believe I mentioned that in my review of your battle trial."
"Well...it seemed strong enough without it. And it was! They didn't break through."
"What about using it to secure the window?" Izuku asked. "Tsu can stick to walls, she could have come up that way."
"I would have if it hadn't taken so long for us to find the weapon and realize why we couldn't get the door open." Tsuyu confirmed.
"Oh...I didn't think of that." Mineta looked down in embarrassment.
Momo huffed and Jirou patted her shoulder sympathetically.
A couple more scenes were shown, including one where Ashido burned holes in Aoyama's sparkly cape. Then All Might was wrapping up the class, congratulating them all on doing well.
"My beautiful cape!" Aoyama bemoaned.
"I said I was sorry!" Ashido pouted.
"Didn't you already get a replacement for it?" Sero asked.
"You never forget your first..." Aoyama said morosely. THAT earned him some strange looks.
"Kinda bummed that we didn't get to see the rest of ours play out, but at least that means no one has to deal with any injuries again." Kirishima said. Even if Midoriya was the only one seriously hurt, there had been plenty of bumps and bruises gained during the other trials.
"With that first trial taking up two episodes, I'm pretty sure we'd be here ages if we went over everyone." Sato pointed out.
"Not like we don't know what happened." Shoji agreed. Midoriya hadn't seen the actual trials, but he'd gone around asking people about them during any down time the following day, and he was pretty sure he overheard Midoriya asking Aizawa for the footage at one point.
Tsuyu pointed out that this class was kinda anticlimatic after the intensity of Aizawa's first class. A number of people flashed back to Aizawa's grinning face and nodded in agreement.
The image made Aizawa smirk.
"I never got why you guys said that." Uraraka interrupted. "Our trial was pretty climactic, and the others were exciting too."
"Well, I was thinking more about how 'intense' that first class was." Kaminari admitted. "Your trial was pretty hardcore, but it felt different than the threat of expulsion, you know?"
Koda gestured and murmured something, and Tokoyami nodded. "Yes, I agree. The class with All Might was less pressure and more passion."
"Especially since the excitement of the first trial had worn down a bit by the end." Jirou added.
All Might stated he was going to go update Midoriya, and ran off in a burst of wind. He looked back as he did, and considered Bakugo. He thought about how much pride the boy had, and how having too much of that can make ones heart fragile.
Bakugo grit his teeth. All Might's words were made all the more painful by the knowledge that the number one pro was, partially, right. None of the extras had reacted like he did to losing or seeing Icy Hot's quirk.
"Ah yes, even with all the patients I've treated I've yet to see anything quite so easily bruised as an over-inflated ego." Recovery Girl said serenely. Presnet Mic snorted and held out a hand for the older woman to high five.
All Might thought about how he'd have to talk to Bakugo about it, but he didn't have time now. He shrunk down to his normal size as soon as he got through the door at the end of the hall.
The class looked at how much their teacher was panting, and exchanged worried or astonished looks with each other. They hadn't realized how much All Might had to push himself to teach a class on top of everything else; a part of them was still getting used to the idea that All Might had a time limit.
The scene changed to Recovery Girl scolding All Might for Midoriya being in the infirmary so often.
There was a few chuckles and giggles. Seeing such a little lady scolding the number one hero was certainly something.
Recovery Girl explained she couldn't heal all of Midoriya's injuries right away, since he was already so exhausted, and scolded All Might more for playing favorites. All Might admitted he had no defense, and had been thinking more about Midoriya's feelings at the time. He also asked her not to talk about his quirk so loudly. She agreed, though she did it mockingly.
Seeing the banter between the two, the giggles became laughter.
All Might revealed that all of the teachers knew about his smaller form, but it was a much smaller group that knew the full story.
"Well, strike that I suppose." Yagi sighed.
The laughter died down and was replaced by awkwardness and some guilt. They hadn't really considered how much they were intruding on the number one hero's life by learning about his quirk.
Recovery Girl questioned whether or not being seen as the symbol of peace was really that important. All Might replied that the world would be seized by evil if he didn't play the role. Recovery Girl seemed to accept that answer, and told him he'd have to really learn how to guide someone in that case.
Anxiety seeped into the edges of Izuku's mind. That was the role he'd have to assume someday, right? How could he do it? How could he ever replace All Might? How-?
A hand landed on Izuku's shoulder, and he turned to meet Iida's determined gaze.
"I'm sure you realize that is a heavy burden to bear; I myself sometimes struggle with the idea of following in my brother's footsteps. The one thing you must remember is that it is not a burden you will shoulder alone."
"We'll be with you every step of the way!" Uraraka agreed.
"You won't be the only hero out there, kero."
"Yeah! We'll all get to the top and make sure the villains think twice before acting up!" Sero agreed.
One by one cries of support or ambition came from class 1-A. Even Bakugo growling "Like I'd let you take all the credit" was somewhat comforting. Tears began to stream down Izuku's face.
"Thank you all so much! You're all gonna be great heroes!"
The teachers all smiled at the scene. Even Aizawa, though he personally thought All Might was over blowing things a bit. The world had survived before the 'symbol of peace' and it would find a way to do so again when All Might retired. It was just a matter of how chaotic the transition would be...but seeing this class made him rather hopeful about it.
Past memories flashed through Izuku's mind before he groggily woke up. He had just enough time to notice it was late afternoon before Recovery Girl was hovering over him. The next scene showed him walking tiredly back to the classroom.
Izuku slumped into the couch cushions, relived tiredness pulling at his limbs and body once again. Were they allowed to nap at any point? Would they need to?
Izuku opened the classroom door, and was immediately faced with classmates running forward to congratulate him and tell him how he'd inspired the rest of them. Izuku clearly didn't know how to deal with so much positive attention and was looking overwhelmed.
"Whoops, sorry about that Midoriya, didn't mean to freak you out." Kirishima said.
"N-no, it's fine! It was just a bit much all at once."
"Better get used to it though." Kaminari gave him a teasing grin. "Once you you get that quirk figured out and you really get out there I bet you'll have a TON of fans."
"You'll have people fanboying over you instead of the other way around." Mineta agreed.
Izuku blushed deeply at the thought.
Tokoyami muttered that the other students were too loud, right before Iida marched over and started lecturing him, and soon Ojiro and Jirou, about the need to respect school property.
"Do I really look that scary?" Iida asked as his glasses flashed on-screen.
"Well, like I said, er, thought, before. You're not scary, just passionate." Izuku assured him.
"The passion does come off as kinda intense sometimes though." Sato admitted.
"I see..." Iida's expression turned thoughtful. Maybe there was something more to All Might saying he could have 'relaxed' a bit more.
Uraraka and Kaminari came in carrying stacks of books. Kaminari asked if she'd like to go out to eat sometime, and she started to answer, but ran off as soon as she caught sight of Izuku.
"Swing and a miss." Sero snickered. Mineta offered Kaminari a sympathetic shrug.
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry Kaminari!" Uraraka said, blushing in shame. That had been so rude.
"Don't worry about it, all water under the bridge." Kaminari brushed away her concern. He shot Sero a glare once she looked away again though.
Uraraka asked him about his cast, and he began explaining, but stopped when he saw Bakugo's seat was empty. The next scene had Izuku running down the stairs as Uraraka's voice explained that he had left. Bakugo was walking toward the exit, and Izuku ran out to meet him. Bakugo stopped, but barely turned around as he asked what Deku wanted. Izuku hesitated, he hadn't even told his mother about this, but he still wanted to tell Bakugo.
Bakugo looked at the screen. He hadn't understood what Izuku went on to say, not back then, but he did now. Everything made a lot more sense...at least in one way. What didn't make sense was Izuku telling Bakugo anything when he didn't have to. Why did he do that? What was he supposed to make of the fact that Izuku had tried to explain things to him of all people?
Izuku told Bakugo he'd gotten his quirk from someone else, but couldn't say who. He explained that it was just a borrowed power he was trying to make his own, and that's why he'd tried not to use it. Bakugo was getting angry, but Izuku was looking down and didn't see. He said he'd make the quirk his own eventually, and then beat him.
Kirishima whistled lowly. Admitting he had a ways to go but saying he'd still beat Bakugo one day? That was pretty manly, and pretty bold.
"Did he tell you he was doing this?" Aizawa asked All Might. The man sighed.
"He didn't at the time, but he did let me know it happened afterward. So he's already gotten a talking to about being more careful and asking before he reveals anymore to anyone else."
Bakugo stared at him. Izuku blanched, realizing what all he'd said and thinking he hadn't meant to say that much. Izuku became worried, but Bakugo angrily said Izuku was spouting nonsense. Bakugo started to shake. He said that he'd lost to Izuku that day, and that's all there was to it, and raged that he didn't believe he could beat Todoroki's power. He even admitted to agreeing with Momo. He cursed at himself, but then looked Izuku in the eye and said that he just getting started too. That he would become number one some day. The two stared each other down for a moment, before Bakugo started to walk away. He wiped tears from his eyes, saying he wouldn't lose to Izuku again.
The class stared at the screen. The majority of them could hardly believe it. Bakugo had been so stubborn that they figured he'd try to pass the trial off as not a real loss, or just continue to dismiss Izuku outright. But he'd acknowledged him instead, and even admitted he had more to learn. It was surprising to say the least.
"Dude..." Kirishima whispered. "That was manly!"
Bakugo had been looking down at the ground, avoiding all eyes after his crying being shown in front of everyone, but his head snapped up when he heard Kirishima.
"What the hell are you on about? I just flipped out and fucking cried over losing!"
"Tears can be plenty manly under the right circumstances, but that's beside the point. You admitted you were wrong, and that you had more to learn, but still laid down a challenge anyway. You had a loss on your first day in battle training, but you faced it and used it to motivate you to do better. I'd say that's a manly choice." Kirishima grinned at him. Bakugo huffed and looked away, but he didn't go back to looking at the floor.
Izuku deflated as soon as Bakugo looked away, and was almost bowled over by All Might rushing out to catch Bakugo. He started giving a speech about pride and how Bakugo did have what it takes to be a hero,
The class tensed, and many shifted uncomfortably. This was definitely not the time for a speech, not after that confrontation.
"Heh, All Might's a little late to the party." Kaminari joked weakly.
until Bakugo cut him off. He said he'd become the best hero even without All Might telling him so. Seeing the look in his eyes and hearing what he said, All Might hastily let go of Bakugo's shoulders.
"And that was even more manly!" Kirishima declared. Bakugo grinned for the first time since the episode started.
All Might mused that it was hard being a teacher.
"Welcome to my world." Aizawa said blandly. Yagi chuckled.
"Ah yeah! Welcome to the 'I have to deal with frustrating kids' club!" Present Mic cried. Several students gave him looks.
The scene changed to show Ashido, Uraraka, and Tsuyu watching the scene from a window. They wondered what was going on, and Uraraka declared it 'a fated battle between men'.
Uraraka blushed as several people snickered.
"With what we saw earlier, your not really wrong with it being fated." Tsuyu pointed out.
Izuku stared after Bakugo, thinking that he would just have to keep chasing after him. All Might then asked him what they had been talking about, which caused Izuku to panic and try not to answer. The scene faded as All Might kept insisting.
"Somebodies in trouble." Ashido said in a sing-song voice.
"It- it wasn't that bad-" Izuku cut off when the screen started to show a part of the city at night.
"Curious, I thought the episode was over." Iida said.
The scene showed a street with screens and lit up signs all around. It focused on one particular bar as Izuku's voice over claimed that they would soon see just how terrifying villains could be.
It clicked in Izuku's mind almost immediately. The villains from the USJ, this scene was about them. He immediately started writing down as much as he could about the area he had seen as fast as he could. If this area was important to the League of Villains than figuring out where it was could be critical!
Aizawa was quick to follow suit when Hizashi nudged him and whispered in his ear. Momo started to do it too just a few moments later.
A newspaper landed on a counter top, the front page article talked about All Might teaching at UA. A voice made note of that.
Izuku shivered. He remembered that voice. He remembered it teasing him and Aizawa, and giving orders to the Noumu. A quick look around showed him that Kirishima also looked disturbed, that Bakugo's mouth was in a hard line, and that Todoroki was giving the screen a steely look.
The shot panned up to show a man covered in hands, and a bartender made of purple mist.
There were gasps from people who only now put the pieces together. Sato and Sero growled at the sight of the teleporting villain, and Uraraka's gaze had turned hard. Shoji nearly broke the chair's arm as he gripped it tighter.
The perspective changed to show a large purple, muscular villain with a beak, sitting dead eyed behind the man in hands.
Students huddled closer together. Yagi felt the ghost of pain whisper across his side, and he held a hand to his old wound.
The man in hands mused, what would happen if the symbol of peace was killed by villains?
Only then did the episode truly end.
The air was tense as they all stared at the darkened screen. They hadn't expected any sign of the villains quite so soon, at least the students hadn't.
"Well!" Nedzu said cheerfully, breaking everyone out of their stupor. "This venture is already proving to be useful. Several episodes in and we've already been given a clue as to where to find the League. Quite a bit of good news I'd say! Let's all break so we can stretch our legs and take everything in!"
It was slow, but the students did start to get up and move around. Izuku and Momo both rushed over to the teachers.
"I started writing down everything I noticed about the area as soon as I realized what was about to be shown." Izuku said.
"So did I, though I didn't start as early." Momo added.
"Excellent you two!" Nedzu smiled "That was a great response, and shows good instinct. We kept a sharp eye over here too, but it would still be prudent for you to look over your own notes and try to memorize what you saw. We don't know if we'll be able to take anything from here after all, and the more people know about where the League might be hiding the more likely it is that we'll be able to track them down later."
"Yes sir!" They both said before walking back toward their seating area.
"Would you like to compare notes about what we observed in the area and see if we can recognize where the bar might be?" Momo asked.
"That's a great idea!" The two quickly claimed a couch and swapped notebooks.
A short while later
"So..." Sero started, looking at the people around him. "Do we have any thoughts on this thing with Bakugo and Midoriya...or just Bakugo in general? Because after that last episode I'm feeling a little conflicted."
"Me too!" Ashido piped up right away. "After everything we saw with him and Midoriya growing up it seemed like he was nothing but a big, mean, stubborn jerk. And, I mean, he still is, but that part at the end made him seem a little less like one, you know?" Hagakure's shoulders moved like she was nodding vigorously.
"I think I know what you mean. From what we saw in the first episodes, Bakugo in middle school never would have admitted to not being able to do something or that he had room for improvement. But that's what he did now, so I feel like there's a bit of hope for him."
"That doesn't erase the way he treated a fellow classmate who never intended him any harm." Momo pointed out. Tokoyami hummed thoughtfully.
"That is true, but I believe we must take propriety into account. Most of Bakugo's truly harmful actions have been directed solely at Midoriya alone, while he has merely been abrasive toward others in the class. Had we not been sent here we may not have ever known that such a deeply troubled side to Bakugo existed. So is it truly our right of us to 'deal' with an issue that has little to do with us? Perhaps we would be better off judging Bakugo here, and here on out, by how he treats us directly."
"Well, it's not like its got nothing to do with us, since Midoriya is our classmate too." Tsuyu replied. "It's not like we should just stand back and let him continue doing stuff like that if it happens again." Tokoyami shook his head.
"That is not what I meant to suggest. I merely meant that most of the poor behavior we saw here was linked directly to deep personal issues between Midoriya and Bakugo, and wondered if it was truly our place to interfere with that or base our own opinions of them off of it."
"I suppose you've got a point there." Ojiro said. "And like Hagakure and Ashido said, it seems like Bakugo has taken a step in the right direction not too long ago. So, maybe we should just...keep an eye on things and see how things go from here?"
Aoyama swept his hair back dramatically. "Indeed, it would be folly to either ignore the past or let it tarnish our minds."
Ashido, Hagakure, and Sero all stared at him. "...what?"
Kirishima gave him an appraising look. "So, try to step in if it seems like Bakugo is crossing a line again, but don't be stubborn like Bakugo was and refuse to believe he could improve?"
"Oui, is that not what I said?"
Kirishima smiled. "Sounds good to me."
"That does seem like a reasonable stance." Momo agreed, and the others did the same.
"Are you sure Deku?" Uraraka asked, clasping her hands in front of her. "I gotta know. Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." Izuku said with a sigh. Her hands fell and landed on her hips.
"Awww! I was really looking forward to planning a vengeance fueled prank on Bakugo!" She pouted.
"As much as I appreciate the sentiment Uraraka, it would be completely unprofessional." Iida stated.
"Plus I'm pretty sure the fall out would be more trouble than it's worth."
Uraraka didn't bother to point out how she was willing to go through said fall out if it meant she could give Bakugo a taste of his own medicine. She wanted to do something about all the years of bullying that Deku had to go through at the blonde boy's hands, but if Izuku was this adamant about her plan then it wouldn't work.
"Is there anything you would like us to do?" She pressed.
"As class president, I could certainly keep a closer eye on him to ensure that such behavior does not continue in our class."
"No, no, I mean, yes to keeping an eye out for bullying but no on the other thing. I just..." Izuku's shoulders drooped and he looked down. "Believe it or not, Bakugo has actually gotten better about leaving me alone since we got to UA, and I'd like to keep that going. And despite everything, he was my friend once. Plus I just...I want to leave that part of my life in the past. I have friends here now. I don't want to be so caught up in what things were like that it ruins my present or my future."
Uraraka and Iida exchanged a look, and turned back to their friend with soft smiles.
"I find myself once again impressed by you Midoriya. That is a very mature outlook to have."
"My Dad always says that you should use what happened to you in the past to make you better, not bitter. Guess you already got that figured out."
"I wouldn't go that far..."
"Deku."
The trio froze. That name hadn't come from Uraraka. Izuku slowly turned around, and found Bakugo standing a few feet away from him. Uraraka and Iida surged forward to stand on either side of Izuku, but the boy signaled them not to go any further. There was something different about the way Kacchan was standing, with his shoulders hunched and his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes cast down. It made him think of the talk their past selves just had.
As for Bakugo...he'd been doing a lot of thinking ever since he talked to Kirishima and Aizawa, about topics he never really thought about before. And because he hadn't thought about them he'd never had any room to doubt himself about his assumptions, assumption that could have ended in the worst way if he'd been even slightly off about them. And after all this thinking, he had managed to come to one conclusion.
"Deku...I don't want you to die."
"...huh?"
"I know I say a lot of shit, but I've never actually wanted you to die, okay? So...try to remember that, you damn nerd." Bakugo turned on his heals and walked away.
"What the heck was that about?" Uraraka wondered. Izuku looked after Bakugo in slack jawed awe.
"I...I think...that Bakugo just apologized for something he did to me."
"Midoriya, I don't think that counts as a proper apology." Iida said.
"Maybe not to you, but I've known Kacchan for ages. He only says 'sorry' or anything similar when he's not being sincere. Honestly that- that's the first time in years I've heard him give a sincere apology."
"Huh..." Uraraka said, still a little dumbfounded. "I guess that's progress then?"
Given the smile on Izuku's face, he certainly seemed to think so.
Unnoticed by either party, Todoroki stood a short distance away. He watched the interaction, and was left to ponder his own feelings.
A.N.
I'll be honest, I'm probably projecting onto Momo a bit here. I was once that kid in school who was super eager to answer questions and so happy when I had to right answer, but that did lead to me being a bit overzealous about it sometimes. I had a couple different teachers over the years basically tell me "It's great that you're understanding this and learning, but you need to give the others a chance to show what they know too". With how smart and eager to answer Momo is, I figure she might need to be reminded of that every now and then too.
And just so we're clear, that last bit was Bakugo apologizing strictly for what he said to Midoriya in the first episode, not any of the other bullying. He's got a good amount of character development to go through before doing that becomes realistic.
