Chapter 26: The Final Countdown
Summary:
The end of term exams are coming! As the students prepare, Izuku makes room to let his relationships grow.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"Huuuurgh," Denki groaned as he slumped on one of the couches in the common room.
"C'mon, Sparky!" Mina said brightly, "No pain, no gain."
"It's fairly impressive you made it this far without even knowing you were dyslexic," Itsuka commented.
"Still got dead last in the midterms," Denki grumbled.
"Well, someone had to," Itsuka patted his knee to comfort him. "Do you know what they call someone who graduates at the bottom of their class at medical school?"
"What?" Denki asked.
"Doctor," Itsuka replied with a smile.
Denki smiled in response, "Always know how to smooth things over, Kendo-san."
"Least we've been doing this consistently," Tokage said. "Keeps us from getting sloppy and trying to cram the night before."
"Not like you need it, number four," Mina glared at her friend, referencing her rankings on the midterm.
"Stuff it, nineteen!" Tokage growled in response.
"We will need to train for the practical examinations as well," Momo interjected.
"Anyone know what it might be?" Toru asked, filled with hope.
"I have heard from our forebears that our evaluations will be determined through trial by combat with our institution's army of automatons," Reiko offered.
"Robots again!" Tetsutetsu cried out. "Awesome!"
"We'll beat them, no sweat!" Eijiro thumped his chest proudly.
"Yeah, I'm not sure about that…" Izuku said. Eri was coloring at his feet.
Everyone turned to their class representative. Kinoko replied, "Amanita explanation for that…"
Several classmates groaned at the pun, then had to explain it to those who didn't get it.
"Well, now that my mom's on staff, she's been gossiping with the teachers at times. They haven't come out and said it, probably to stop us from getting big heads, but both us and 1-B are incredibly strong for first years," Izuku began. "Plus, with what we know about Nezu and Eraserhead, the idea of planting false rumors for a 'logical ruse' seems highly likely."
"Perhaps the whispers in the shadows are ill-informed," Fumikage accepted. "But, in the case that they are not?"
"Maybe don't expect the same robots we've faced before? Mei and Melissa are working on some projects that we're not allowed to know about," Izuku said. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Support exams include making the Hero Course exams harder."
"Oh sh… shoot," Setsuna began to swear, then remembered Eri was there.
"Yeah, there's a reason we've been hitting the gym," Ochako offered.
"I thought it was because Midoriya has a shapeshifting stalker and therefore you can't go out on dates?" Itsuka grinned.
"We can multitask, ribbit," Tsu offered.
"Plus Ultra," Momo replied.
Dabi was debating whether or not to bail. This group might be useful for his purposes, but it was also clear that their leader was bugfuck insane, what with wearing a goddamn severed hand on his forehead.
Then again, Dabi's face was literally stapled together, so who knows? Maybe they had some common ground.
Handjob took a look at the two of them, "So, Giran hasn't sent me many people looking for groups, but he told me you two were top-tier. Why'd you decide to ask after us."
The girl next to him, with yellow eyes, blonde hair in buns, and a fanged smile, said, "You're going after U.A., right? You already fought Izuku-chan once, are you going to do it again?"
Handjob looked somewhere between confused and murderous, "Yes, I'm going after U.A. Now, tell me why you want to join in?"
"It's love!" The girl said, and Dabi could almost see the hearts surrounding her as she said that. "I fell in love with Izuku-chan at first sight, and he has so many people that he loves, too… And I want to drink, drink, drink all their blood until there's nothing left…"
Handjob was less than thrilled at being party to a teenage girl's stalker crush, probably unsure of why she was joining them, until she mentioned that last part. Then, his grin became apparent, "Well, then, I suppose we might have a place for you after all…" He turned to Dabi, "And you?"
"I was a big fan of Stain's work," Dabi answered. "Word is that you and he were working together, with those Nomu things attacking Hosu. I figured you'd be good people to join to ensure his legacy doesn't die."
Well, it was all sort of true. He was absolutely a fan of Stain murdering Heroes, but if there was any ideology behind it, Dabi gave approximately zero fucks. He was torn regarding Stain's arrest. On the one hand, it would have been hilarious for Endeavor to just be one of a string of Heroes lost to Stain, another statistic that would tarnish the bastard's name. On the other, he'd spent way too long plotting his sperm donor's murder to let anyone else have that privilege.
In the end, Dabi decided to err on the side of hating Endeavor. Stain's arrest being a feather in his dear old dad's hat was just another pound of flesh he'd be willing to extract. And if they were attacking U.A., he'd have the chance to finally murder Shouto. He'd failed at that once, but better late than never.
Handjob finished his drink, then pressed all five fingers on the glass, disintegrating it. He looked at the two of them, "That's what I can do. How about you two?"
"When I drink someone's blood, I can become them!" the crazy girl said happily. Handjob nodded. It was really useful.
He looked to Dabi, who produced a blue flame in his hand, "I burn shit."
"You any good at it?" Handjob asked, not bothering to hide the fact that he was staring at Dabi's face.
"Too good," Dabi spat out. "You should see the other guys. Or rather, you can't, because they've been fucking melted."
Handjob found that acceptable. "Works for me. I'm Tomura Shigaraki."
"I'm Himiko Toga!" The girl cried out.
"Dabi," The burnt man growled out.
"And your real name?" Handjob asked.
"That is my real name," Dabi countered. As far as he was concerned, Touya Todoroki was dead and Dabi had no more use for that name other than to taunt Endeavor. "Might not be my legal name, but what difference does that make?"
Handjob paused, then turned to the black-cloud-bartender, "Kurogiri, get me another drink and pour him one too, because I'll make a toast to that!"
"Very well," The man made of mist replied. "What would you like, sir?"
"Any Nikka single malt whisky?" Dabi asked.
"Of course, we're not animals," Kurogiri pulled out an 18 year old bottle.
"Highball, neat," he requested. Once it was poured, he and Handjob clinked their glasses together.
Let's see how well this would go.
One thing Izuku hated about the new dorm arrangements was that taking people out on the dates they deserved was now a chore. At least if it was just the Shie Hassaikai they had to contend with, he'd be okay with it, if more cautious. Toga, however, made things more difficult. The fact that she was able to bypass Danger Sense made her so much more of a threat, even if he was as cautious as he could possibly be.
Sure, he could still go out, but it would require a lot of planning, paperwork, and permission.
So, he was quite glad when, for their first date, Yui asked if he wanted to do a movie marathon in her room.
Me : You sure?
KodaiUE : Positive. I don't like going out anyway.
KodaiUE : Too many people.
He did feel a little nervous as he knocked on her dorm room. He knew he shouldn't, given that they were neighbors, but it still felt somewhat scandalous.
Izuku was extremely casual in his dress. Athletic pants, a t-shirt that read "pants", and slippers. Not typical first date material, but this entire thing was unorthodox, and the bond steered him towards it. He was carrying several snacks.
"Another one with the same bad sense of humor as you," En mentioned regarding his choice of shirt. "You got lucky with her."
As if I'm not incredibly lucky in general? Izuku countered.
"Point," En replied.
Yui opened the door and was dressed even more casually. She was in a set of silk pajamas, lavender in color, with fuzzy slippers. There was a ghost of a smile on her face.
"P-pardon the interruption," Izuku stated as Yui let him in, and he saw her room for the first time.
"Huh, this seems familiar…" Nana joked. And she was right, her room was just as covered in hero posters, action figures, and memorabilia as his was. The primary difference was that while Izuku's were currently operating heroes, hers were fictional and old. Some were American, but most were Japanese tokusatsu heroes.
"Suddenly, your excellent grades in Midnight's class make so much more sense," Izuku commented. In this world, pre-Quirk superhero media was considered to be a form of art similar to Renaissance paintings or Shakespearean plays.
"Mm," Yui stated. In her typical low voice, she stated, "I know they're not current, but I did want to share this with you…" She took out a disc and popped in a modern reimagining of one of the first Hero series.
"Of course!" Izuku said happily. "They may not have actually existed, but they were still ancestors of Heroes as we know them today."
Yui exuded relief and happiness as they sat on the floor to watch the movie. She looked at one of the snacks he provided. He'd learned her favorite food through the bond and went to Lunch Rush for this particular concept. It was an Italian appetizer, tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, and balsamic vinaigrette. She took one in a set of chopsticks and bit into it. Her eyes sparkled as she cried out, "MM!" She finished them quickly.
They continued to watch. It didn't take too long for her to lean into his side. Izuku focused on the film with his typical intensity. He enjoyed it, yes, but he was also wondering if there was anything he could use for Hero work.
He caught himself muttering and was about to apologize to Yui, when he caught her emotions. She was paying more attention to him and his commentary than the film itself. It made sense, she knew the story inside and out, it was one of her comfort movies. And she liked hearing his muttering.
He knew that she'd expressed that before, but feeling that certainty through the bond was such a relief.
As such, he returned his attention to the movie, and his musings on it. As the ending credits rolled, he could hear Yui ask for his opinion with a simple, "Mm?"
"That was really cool! I can see where you got the inspiration for your Hero costume," Izuku said. "And I can think of some interesting moves based on it!" he gestured to the notebook that manifested once he required it.
"Still can't believe Ultraman survived to the present day…" Yoichi mused.
"Some of that crap had to," Ryouji scoffed.
Isamu seemed to grin, "As if you weren't a fan of-"
"Finish that sentence and I swear I will find a way to kill you a second time," Ryouji snarled.
Ignoring that conversation, Izuku asked, "What's the next one you wanted to show me?"
Her typical, hinted-at smile emerged. She put in the next movie, and they watched together, Izuku softly muttering, and Yui in comfortable silence.
Of course, while going off of U.A.'s campus was difficult, it wasn't impossible. And there was safety in numbers. So, on one available Sunday, Izuku secured permission for himself and Melissa to visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
He'd actually never been there, and Melissa certainly hadn't. It made no sense whatsoever to let her come to Japan and not let her see what they had to offer.
They'd taken a stroll through the East Gardens and admired the works in the Museum of Imperial Collections, and were currently sitting together on a bench along one of the palace moats.
Being seated right next to her made him aware of how she was, in actuality, only a few centimeters taller than him. Her choice in footwear made a big difference.
"It's a little disconcerting how different it is when those boots of yours aren't accounted for," Izuku said, glancing at her feet.
Melissa shrugged, "I like to be tall."
"I can relate," Izuku said. While he wasn't terribly short, he always felt that way. This was the first year that he was taller than most of his classmates, and he felt dwarfed whenever he saw 1-B.
"Want me to add lifts to your Hero costume?" Melissa asked.
"... I mean, I can't think of a reason why you shouldn't…" Izuku said as he debated whether or not it was a good idea.
She giggled, which made Izuku's heart race. "Do you want to keep the red color?"
Izuku scratched the back of his head, "It feels weird otherwise."
"You have options now. Maybe you should try it?" Melissa asked.
Izuku paused. He didn't quite whisper, but he was very quiet when he said, "I sometimes feel like a fraud. In both directions. I'm not Quirkless anymore, but I don't feel terribly comfortable about having one. Not like someone born with their Quirk."
Melissa rubbed his back, "It's all you've known for most of your life."
"Do you feel like Dad should have offered it to you instead of me?" Izuku finally asked.
"Nah," Melissa responded. "I wanted to be a Hero when I was a kid, too. But Uncle Might told me that my dad was his hero. That I didn't need to be a pro Hero to be someone's hero. And I like what I'm doing. I don't need a Quirk for that."
For a second, that hurt. That All Might phrased it in such a way for her, and his harsh words when he asked that question. But he remembered that she was his honorary niece, he knew her strengths and weaknesses, whereas Izuku was some fan he'd never met before. Not to mention, this was likely before his injury and the slow, painful journey All Might had taken to become the shriveled man Izuku met on that rooftop. Of course he'd have a different perspective.
"You okay?" Melissa felt that brief flash and was concerned.
"Just some automatic negative thinking," Izuku said, giving a reassuring smile. "Though, thinking about it, you are going to kind of have a Quirk yourself?"
Melissa paused, "Huh. The Stage 2 Bond. Yeah, that's essentially a physical Quirk in and of itself…" she leaned back, considering it. "That'll be interesting."
"Possibly more than that," Izuku said. "We don't know much about the bonds or what they're truly capable of."
"Wish we had a machine that could test that. Sadly, we've been trying and nothing's come of it yet…" Melissa said.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," Izuku stated confidently.
"For now, I'll focus on what I've got. I have a prototype for you, but it won't be ready until after finals. It should help with your punches," Melissa said.
"I can't wait! When do you think it'll be ready?" Izuku asked.
"Some of the materials are more available back home, so I should have it ready for you at the I-Expo," Melissa replied.
"Oh god, we're going to the I-Expo this year, I almost forgot!" Izuku went into fanboy mode. "This is going to be fantastic!"
"And I'll get to show you around my home this time!" Melissa added.
"I hope Japan measures up," Izuku said.
"It's really nice here," Melissa said. "I-Island has parklands, but unfortunately, landscape design isn't one of the fields we tend to focus on…"
The two of them continued to talk as the sunset glimmered on the water.
Lunch had been going well until Danger Sense popped up to warn Izuku about an incoming blow. He turned and expertly blocked the lunch tray before it would have smacked him in the back of the head.
"Why you gotta be like that, Monoma-kun?" Akira said, coming up behind him, looking disappointed. A nonplussed Hitoshi was by his side.
"Oh, I'm sorry, his head was just so big that I was about to bump into it by accident…" Monoma said harshly.
Ignoring both the pointed comment and the glares his classmates were giving 1-B's resident purveyor of smug, Izuku said, brightly, "Oh, Monoma-kun! I was hoping I could talk to you!"
"That's on a list of sentences I never thought I'd hear," Hitoshi deadpanned.
"Oh, so the poster child of 1-A's misplaced sense of importance has deigned to ask for assistance?" Monoma said. "And what makes you think I'll just roll over and do what you-"
"There's a little girl with a Quirk that's difficult to control. I think that you're uniquely qualified to help her," Izuku interrupted the stream of hate.
Monoma sputtered as he heard that, "Wait, why would you-?"
"I helped rescue a young girl from a villain who was abusing her to use her Quirk. It's dangerous. Really dangerous," Izuku said with utmost gravity. "Only Aizawa-sensei and I are capable of helping her if it goes out of control… although, thinking about it, Yanagi-san or Tokoyami-kun have Quirks that could also potentially help… Anyway, I think that copying her Quirk could help give us insight into how to train her, or to prepare us for any unforeseen circumstances."
Izuku made sure not to mutter, and his tone was as serious as he could muster. Monoma, for his part, was stunned.
"I… Yeah, I'll help," Monoma said, shocked. He then seemed to realize what he said, cleared his throat, and said, "That is, if you've managed to open your eyes to the superiority of 1-B, then I can handle such a trifling request."
"There it is," Hitoshi responded.
"Excellent!" Izuku stated. "Oh, and Monoma-kun?" Izuku gripped the blond boy's lunch tray and smiled sweetly, "She's been through hell. If you hurt her in any way, shape or form, I recommend having a will drafted."
Despite the cheerful tone, everyone could feel that there was hellfire beneath his words. Shivering, Monoma could only nod. Izuku let go of his tray and let him scurry away.
"So awesome!" Akira said, practically driven to tears. "Like a papa wolf!"
"C'mon, man," Hitoshi said to his larger friend with the flamboyant hair, "He's too young to be a father."
"Well, Eri-chan does call him papa…" Tokage's grinning head hovered over them.
"I stand corrected," Hitoshi smirked as Izuku looked utterly defeated.
"So you are willing to be a stepfather," Shouto said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
"Gah! Where did you come from, Shouto-kun?!" Izuku said in surprise.
"I've been sitting right here this whole time," And, yes, it appeared that the boy was seated nearby, they just hadn't realized it.
"Huh," Hitoshi said to Akira. "Never thought on joining the Hero course that we'd be some of the more well adjusted members."
"Maybe we can join in, help cheer her up, keep Monoma in line?" Akira asked.
Izuku smiled, "Sure thing!"
"Well, that was underwhelming…" Hitoshi stated, staring at Monoma, whose only indication that his Quirk worked on Rewind was that he now possessed his own singular horn.
"Unfortunately, Quirks that rely on accumulation of a resource can't be copied," Monoma said. His distaste at revealing a weakness in front of his rival class was mitigated by the presence of Nezu, Eraserhead, and the girl in question. "Well, it can be copied, I just can't use it because I don't have any of that resource on hand to use."
"Well, that's more than we knew an hour ago!" Izuku said cheerfully. "Eri-chan needs to gather her strength before she can properly use Rewind! It also means that if she does use it unconsciously, then once she does, it'll be some time before she can do it again."
Eri looked down to the ground as Izuku said that.
"Eri-chan," Izuku knelt down and patted her on the head, "You don't have to use it if you don't want to. But knowing more about your Quirk and how to control it can't do anything but help you. Okay?"
"Okay," Eri said, a little reluctantly.
The mood dropped significantly, until Hitoshi decided to break the tension. "Akira," he stated.
"Yeah, buddy?" Akira said, before he slumped over, Brainwashing taking effect.
"Run around the gym screaming like a crazy person," Hitoshi ordered.
Akira complied, running and babbling like an idiot. Luckily, it accomplished the goal of getting Eri to laugh.
"Any chance for a last minute ding?" Toru asked.
It was the night before the practical exams. The days prior were used for the written exams, and now the various students were relaxing in hopes of helping their chances. To that end, Izuku and his girlfriends were all relaxing in his dorm room.
"On the one hand, it feels wrong to diminish our relationships that way," Izuku said. "I'm in this because I genuinely feel affection for all of you, not to try and maximize our combined power…
"That having been said," Izuku looked sheepish, "I have been trying to make that happen, and I don't know if it's going to happen."
"I feel so used," Melissa cheerfully joked.
Even with the tone and the bond enforcing that she wasn't serious, those words still made Izuku wince internally.
"Ribbit, some more physical enhancement wouldn't hurt," Tsu commented. "And I'm sure Izu-chan could benefit from a new Quirk or two, ribbit."
"Not exactly," Izuku stated. "At this point I wouldn't have time to practice with either Fa Jin or Laser Disc, and using them in an exam setting would be more of a liability than anything. I mean, I could always use them in some way, like when I first used Blackwhip in the Sports Festival, but it could easily go very poorly..."
"Oh!" Nejire interrupted the mutterstorm. "What if we all took turns swapping One for All and then gave it back to Izu-kun? Then we'd all be connected several times over AND we'd have access to that stockpile, at least for a bit!"
Both she and Yui had been read into the situation with One for All, not wanting them to get a Stage 2 Bond and become blindsided when they least expected it.
"That sounds like a good way to have a fatal accident," Izuku said. "The margin of error for One for All is razor thin, and it grows whenever it's transferred. It's a good way to make the power completely unusable."
"Hmm," Momo considered. "Not to mention the fact that we'd have to completely relearn our own supercharged Quirks and how to use all the additional ones as well."
"Besides, the bonds'll probably let us use One for All at some point," Mei said casually.
Everyone stopped to turn to her.
"Oh, this is one of those things that I think everyone already figured out, but I'm the only one, isn't it?" Mei asked.
"Mhm," Yui nodded.
"You think the bonds will let us share Quirks?" Ochako said with disbelief.
"I mean, wouldn't it?" Mei asked. "We don't know what a Stage 3 Bond is capable of doing."
"We don't know if a Stage 3 Bond is even possible!" Ochako rebutted.
"Doesn't mean we shouldn't prepare for it," Mei stated.
"That's not a bad idea in any case," Momo posited.
"So, we train like we're going to get One for All? Any other garbage dump beaches for us to clean?" Toru joked.
The group giggled, tension broken, at least for a little while.
Class 1-A approached the field for their final exam, and saw a lineup of the U.A. faculty standing at the ready.
"Aw, man!" Mina and Eijiro said in unison as they passed money over to Denki.
Tenya gasped, "Gambling has no place in such an august institution as U.A.!"
"Hey, when Mido explained the 'nightmare scenario' in the tutoring sessions, I figured it was the safest bet," Denki said.
"Indeed!" Said Nezu, poking out of Eraserhead's scarf. "The growth your class has demonstrated is such that we feel that our traditional end of term examination would be insufficient to accurately test your abilities, as such, you will be placed in teams of two, pitted against a teacher!"
The exam parameters were further explained. Each team would be placed in a predetermined arena to fight against one of the teachers, who would act as a villain for the exam. Each fight would take place simultaneously. Each team had thirty minutes to either capture the faux-villain in handcuffs or to have at least one teammate escape. The teachers would be wearing handicapping weights that would inhibit their movements, though against some of them, like Nezu, this wasn't much of a comfort.
"Before we announce your opponents, are there any questions?" Nezu asked.
Izuku raised his hand, and asked, "Will we be given time to prepare before setting off on the buses?"
"We'll grant you five minutes after the announcement," Nezu stated.
"Is there any restriction on support equipment that we can use for this exam?" Izuku asked again.
Power Loader shook his head, "There isn't."
Izuku nodded, "That's all I have to ask." Telepathically, he said, "Momo, we'll need twenty earpieces that we can each connect to."
"I suppose one who lives by the logical ruse must die by the logical ruse," Momo stated as she complied.
"With that settled, here are your teams," Eraserhead said. "Komori and Yanagi, you'll be up against me," his unsettling smile peered out as the two girls shivered.
"I'll be fighting Kirishima and Tetsutetsu," Cementoss stated. The two boys bumped their fists in anticipation.
"I'll be fighting Iida-kun and Tokoyami-kun," Midnight purred.
"What a mad banquet of darkness," Fumikage muttered as Tenya seemed to have a slight meltdown.
"Koda and Jiro!" Present Mic yelled. "Be prepared for the gnarliest mosh pit you've ever faced!"
"I shall be pit against both Ashido and Kaminari," Nezu said calmly, with a glint in his eye.
"Hagakure, Yaoyorozu, I'm callin' you out," Snipe said. "Be prepared for a showdown."
"I will be facing Tokage-san and Kendo-san," Thirteen stated.
"Asui. Shiozaki. You're with me," Ectoplasm stated.
"I'll be facing down Kodai and Tsunotori," Power Loader said.
As each teacher revealed their opponents, everyone became worried. But all of that was eclipsed when the final opponent landed in front of all of them, forming a crater in the ground.
"I AM HERE! To test the mettle of young Midoriya and young Uraraka!" All Might declared proudly.
"... We're fucked," Both Izuku and Ochako stated in their minds