Chapter 47: License to Thrill

Summary:

The battle for the Provisional Licenses begins!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Izuku was writing down information while looking out across the field, "So, Search works on anyone within your line of sight, but you could save up to a hundred people, and instantly check on them no matter where they are."

"Yep!" Ragdoll said, as the two of them scanned everyone in 1-A as they were working on crafting super moves in the Technique Development Lab. "I always just said I could check up to a hundred people simultaneously so they'd underestimate what I was capable of doing."

Izuku nodded, "What do you do if you want to swap someone in your 'database'?"

"You concentrate on the person you want to remove first, then you intently look at the person you want to add to the list," Ragdoll said. "It might take a few tries."

"What's your new limit?" Izuku asked.

"Haven't reached it, but I think somewhere around five hundred," Ragdoll replied. "I'm filling up my list, but I don't feel nearly as close to the limit as I would have been."

Izuku frowned, "So, are you able to track any of the League of Villains?"

"Nope," Ragdoll sighed. "I think the Quirk refreshed when you gave it to me. I've had to rebuild it from scratch."

"Darn," Izuku said. "Same thing happened to me. I've tried to see if I can track down Shigaraki or Toga, but I couldn't find anything related to them."

Ragdoll playfully ruffled Izuku's hair, "Don't sweat it. We didn't know."

"Still would've given it back," Izuku said. "Just, maybe after they were behind bars, that's all."

"That's sweet of you," Ragdoll smiled. "Any reason why you're asking me, and not that Quirk-FAQ you have in your head?"

"Quirk Understanding is still learning the appropriate ways to explain information," Izuku said. "In addition to your experience being more applicable, you're essentially teaching it as well as me."

I would appreciate it if you gave Shiretoko-sama my gratitude, Midoriya-sama.

"It says thanks," Izuku added.

"You're welcome," Ragdoll said, somewhat uncomfortably. Which was understandable, the situation was rather odd.

Izuku focused on his classmates, "I think Kirishima-kun needs some help… And never mind, All Might's got it covered."

About five seconds after saying that, one of Pony's horns struck a pillar, causing it to tumble right where All Might was. In a flash, he shifted into his muscle form and punched it into rubble before Izuku could even activate One for All.

Ragdoll whistled, "He's still got it! Can't believe he went from 'Quirkless' to 'Superpower'."

Izuku nodded, "Wait, so when he gave it a name, you could sense that, but my registered name for my Quirk didn't work?"

Ragdoll shrugged, "Maybe you could've made me see it as Decade Force, but I think you'd have to call it that in your head and you weren't doing that. Besides, I'd still know that it was an amalgamation of twenty separate Quirks."

Izuku frowned, "I guess that makes sense. I suppose I could try and train myself to think of it as Decade Force instead of One for All, but that seems disrespectful to the past users, not to mention that it'd be a lot of mental training for not a lot of good, since while it's not impossible for someone to learn my Quirk's real name due to their Quirk, the amount of people capable of doing that has to be slim, and-"

"Midoriya-kun," Mandalay's voice rang in his head. "Eraserhead says he wants you down here. You can grill Ragdoll for info on Search later if you need it."

"Coming!" Izuku said telepathically, then blushed realizing that Mandalay couldn't hear him.

The vestiges giggled at his mistake. Toru replied with, "Don't worry, I did it too." His other girlfriends said the same.

"Gotta get going," Izuku told Ragdoll, bowing gratefully. "Thanks again, Ragdoll-sensei!"

Ragdoll giggled, "See you!"

Izuku flew over to Eraserhead and Mandalay, "What can I do?"

Eraserhead stared deadpan at him, "Well, just because you've reached a level of overpowered that fills me with complete dread doesn't mean you're off the hook for super move development."

"Here's a question," Mandalay asked. "How did you take down Muscular?"

"It took a lot of constant beatdowns to tear through his growing muscle fibers," Izuku stated. "I used Smokescreen to blind him, and tore into him with Blackwhips and Laser Discs, not to mention Fa Jin to boost me up. And I used a Laser Disc dome to keep him from going after Eri and Kota."

Mandalay's eyes began to shine with unshed tears as he said that, and Eraserhead gave a hum of thought, "Okay, we spent the first part of the camp trying to unlock more of your Quirk's extra bits and pieces, but for now, I think it's best for you to stick to the basics. There's a reason we want you to have three super moves for the Provisional License Exam rather than thirty. You've shown creativity and ingenuity with your Quirk, what we need you to do right now is focus on some of your more basic super moves and practice them."

Izuku nodded, "Any suggestions on what I should focus on?"

"Blackwhip seems like a good place to begin," Eraserhead replied. "I might be biased since my own capture weapon is similar, but you can use it both to attack and restrain enemies, so it's highly useful. You should also look into your long distance options. Either your Laser Disc or your Hadoken."

Izuku held his chin as he considered, "Well, Hadoken is, strictly speaking, a better distance attack than Laser Disc because it has better range and power, not to mention I can continuously fire it. The problem is that it's tied to the kinetic energy I've stored, so there's a limited charge to it that will drain over time. Laser Disc is more versatile, and I have an easier time conjuring new ones so I should probably focus on increasing how quickly I can create and fire continuous Laser Discs, so of those I should probably train up my Chicago Smash…"

Mandalay looked at Eraserhead, utterly lost in the mutterstorm, "Was any of that intelligible to you?"

"Some of it, and that scares the shit out of me," Eraserhead shook his head. "All right, focus on Blackwhip and Laser Disc for now, and if something else sticks out to you, perhaps that."

Izuku scratched the back of his head, "Actually, I have something new that I might be able to use, based on how Smokescreen's synergizing, as well as one of Cathleen-nee-san's techniques…"

"Wait, who?" Mandalay asked. Eraserhead shrugged as well.

"Right, I mean, Star and Stripe," Izuku said, embarrassed.

Mandalay's jaw dropped as Eraserhead, apparently desensitized to this sort of reveal, simply said, "So, that's apparently a thing. Anyway, show it off."

Izuku let out a huge blast of Smokescreen, which billowed upwards, becoming a vaguely humanoid form about ten meters tall. Its hands seemed to shimmer slightly as it floated over to one of the gym's pillars and grasped it, tearing it to the ground.

Eraserhead blinked, with both his normal eyelids and his new ones, "So, how does that work?"

"Smoke Manipulation lets me shape it however I want and make a certain area of it solid. For something like this, I can just spread it over the surface, or just the hands," Izuku said. "Honestly, this isn't necessarily the best use of it, but the intimidation factor should help."

Eraserhead nodded, "And there might be other uses."

Izuku brightened, "Yeah, there's another option I came up with!" The smoke-giant dispersed, and Izuku created a new batch of smoke to cover it, "Instead of making a portion solid, I tried to adjust the density of the particles throughout the entire cloud of smoke." To show it off, he sent the smoke waist high around the two pro Heroes. "I could do more with this, make my Smokescreen into a forcefield or a trap for villains."

Mandalay tried to get out of the smoke, struggling as if she were stuck in tar, "This is amazing, Midoriya-kun!" Izuku smiled widely at that.

Eraserhead, meanwhile, was staring at Izuku. Only, he saw a different smiling U.A. student in front of him, whose wild hair wasn't green and curly, but sky-blue and vaporous.

"Everything all right, Aizawa-sensei?" Izuku asked, concerned.

That brought Eraserhead back to the present, "Yes, Midoriya. You should get to practicing while we have the gym."

Izuku nodded, flying off to where Snipe was teaching marksmanship lessons to relevant students. He slid in right between Mei practicing with a revolver and Melissa practicing with her blue lightning bolts.

Mandalay looked at Eraserhead, "What was that about?"

"I was reminded of someone I went to school with," Eraserhead said. The tone encouraged Mandalay to drop it.

Of course, Eraserhead wouldn't be allowed to let this line of thought go, because when 1-B came in at their appointed time, Present Mic came in with them.

"Really, Hizashi?" Eraserhead said. "Nothing better to do?"

"It's still technically summer break!" Present Mic stated. "Besides, I wanted to see 1-B at work! It's too bad that the open spots in the Hero course weren't in your class, Sho! You'd be teaching our younger selves!" He nodded over to Hitoshi and Akira, "I can't believe that this year's mini-Aizawa came packaged with a mini-me!"

"You'd better shut your face if you don't want me to turn you into Past Mic," Eraserhead growled. And he frowned, "It… it wouldn't just be OUR younger selves…"

"Eh?" Present Mic scratched his head, "I mean, I suppose Yaoyorozu could work as Nemuri, with the black hair and the need for a specific wardrobe, and Tensei's little bro could-"

Eraserhead cut his friend off, "Midoriya has new control over his Smokescreen. He can control it better. He can shape and move his smoke more easily. He can control its density…"

Present Mic flinched like Eraserhead struck him, looking at Izuku with new eyes, "No… Oh, no…"

Izuku walked over to Hitoshi and Akira, the first of whom had a costume mimicking Eraserhead's own, the latter having a costume resembling an ouendan, a Japanese male cheerleader. Eraserhead noted the similarities himself and sighed, "Yeah."

"I can't unsee it now," Present Mic said. "He's a bona fide mini-Oboro."

Eraserhead didn't respond. How could he, with the reminder of the friend he lost?

"We'll make sure that never happens to him," Present Mic placed a friendly hand on Eraserhead's shoulder.

"Damn right," Eraserhead said.

Izuku took a steadying breath as 1-A left their bus and gathered before the testing site.

"Come on, Class Rep!" Tetsutetsu smacked him on the back. "You can't be intimidated by this, can you?"

Izuku scratched the back of his head, "Anxiety doesn't just go away that easily. But you're right, Tetsutetsu-kun! We've all faced worse than this! We're more than capable of making sure everyone passes the exam!"

"Too true!" Eijiro said. "Everyone together now! Plus-"

"ULTRA!" a tall, muscular student wearing the black cap of Shiketsu Academy somehow managed to drown out everyone else's cry of their school motto. The U.A. students looked confused.

"Yoarashi-kun, it's rude to intrude on another group's huddle," Came a stern voice from another student in a Shiketsu hat.

"Hehe, yeah, that's true. I AM SO SORRY!" the now-named Yoarashi bowed in apology with such force that his head hit the ground with a loud crack.

"What the heck's with this guy?" Itsuka asked.

"It's like you added Kirishima and Tetsutetsu and multiplied the result by Iida," Denki commented.

"I just always wanted to say that!" Yoarashi bellowed. "I've always loved U.A.! And I'm so thrilled to be competing alongside its students today!" As he said this, blood began to trail down his forehead.

Izuku looked at that with some alarm, and turned to Eraserhead, "Um, Sensei?"

"Go ahead, you'll be fine," the insomniac pro Hero replied.

Izuku walked over to Yoarashi, "If you could just hold still for a second, I'll take care of that for you."

"What, this?! A little blood isn't something to worry about!" Yoarashi scoffed, but didn't protest as Izuku touched him, causing him to blip for a second as the smaller boy restored him to perfect health. Once he realized what happened, Yoarashi let out a thrilled, almost gut-laugh, "Holy shit, you healed me! Despite being your competition! That's awesome, man! Exactly the type of Hero I'd expect from U.A."

Blushing at the praise, Izuku smiled, "See you on the field."

When Yoarashi left, Setsuna chimed in, "I remember that dude from the Recommendation Exams! Dude came in first place on our practical! I wondered if he bombed the written exam, but if he made it to Shiketsu, he can't have been that dumb…"

"Debatable," Itsuka added. "He did split his head on the concrete."

"Hey, if self-destructive tendencies meant you weren't qualified, half this class wouldn't be here," Setsuna fired back.

"Hate to say it, but she's not wrong," Toru muttered, eyeing Izuku as she said that. And she was currently visible, so he felt the call out even worse. He knew that denying it was a bad idea.

"Inasa Yoarashi was given one of the four recommendation slots for the U.A. Hero Course," Eraserhead stated. "He had the grades for it, but he declined the offer for some unknown reason. If not for that decision, he would have been in 1-B instead of Honenuki."

Mina scratched her head, "Wait, if he's such a big fan of U.A., why'd he turn down a recommendation slot?! That's so weird!"

"Weird or not, he's someone you should watch out for," Eraserhead said. "His strength is no… joke…"

As soon as he said that, he was filled with dread as a familiar form was making its way towards him. A cheerful female voice cried out, "Eraser! Hey, Eraser! It's been too long since we met face to face!"

Thankfully, Eraserhead was spared from having to explain the intruder by way of Izuku going on one of his info dumps about Ms. Joke and her Outburst Quirk, naming her as one of the hybrid Heroes who work between the limelight and underground Hero routes

Which, of course, went off the rails when Ms. Joke went with her signature line of, "Let's get married!"

Before he could even say no, Mina, Setsuna, and Toru squealed in delight, making him wince at the high pitch they were putting out.

"Aizawa-sensei has a far off paramour?" Reiko asked.

"Even in the shadows, the righteous can find love," Fumikage said warmly, causing both of them to blush and avoid eye contact.

"Wait, you two know each other, ribbit? Tsu asked. To her bondmates, she said, "I doubt they're actually involved, given what we know about Sensei…" which they all agreed with.

"Well, our agencies were close by back in the day. He'd save me, I'd save him, and over the years, we fell in love! You know how it goes!" Ms. Joke said with a smile.

Eraserhead gave perhaps the weariest sigh of his life, which, given how often he wearily sighed, was quite an accomplishment.

"Come on, Eraser! The two of us would be fantastic together! Give it a shot and we'll build a household filled with laughter!" Ms. Joke teased once again.

Something in Eraserhead broke that day. When asked later, he wouldn't be able to say exactly why. Perhaps it was the constant amount of villain attacks on his class that year wearing him down. Maybe getting Overhauled and thus sleeping better put him in a good mood. Or, maybe seeing that his students were starting to form relationships and, somehow, become more effective Hero students made him more receptive. Or, perhaps being reminded of the loss of his old friend Oboro made him reflect on his life and what he was missing from it.

Whatever the reason was, Eraserhead thought, Fuck it, and said, "Y'know what? Fine. Let's give it a shot."

Ms. Joke blinked, "Wait, what?"

"You've been asking me out for years," Eraserhead said, as his class quieted down entirely out of shock. "Might as well give it a try, see what I've been missing."

Ms. Joke's face went blank. She apparently never expected anything like this to actually happen and was shocked that it did. She apparently had no plans for what to do if her target actually agreed.

"Should've done this years ago," Eraserhead murmured under his breath as Class 2-2 of Ketsubutsu arrived to greet 1-A.

Izuku was brought out of shock when a taller boy with black hair as messy as his came up to him, "Oh, wow, you're Izuku Midoriya, right? I'm Yo Shindo. Man, you must have some willpower to handle all that happened to you this year!"

"Um… yeah," Izuku finally managed to say as Shindo shook hands with other U.A. members. "The hell is with that guy?" He mused, something feeling off about his demeanor.

"Fakest smile I've ever seen," Isamu pointed out. "Like, one of Eight's most plastic grins would be more genuine than that."

"Good to know I wasn't the only one who got a bad vibe from him," Izuku said.

As the students walked to the changing rooms, Denki cheerfully said, "Man, it's cool, we're being treated like celebrities!" Upon which, Izuku and Momo turned and gave him a sharp look that he quailed under.

Eraserhead said nothing to that observation, grinning to himself. If his students didn't figure it out, they'd deal with the fallout. Not to mention that Ms. Joke hadn't said a word after their exchange! He walked towards the testing site, ready to take a seat among the spectators.

He made it five steps before he felt an iron grip on his shoulder, and turned to see the ecstatically grinning face of Ms. Joke.

"Oh no, Eraser," she said, eyes gleaming. "You agreed to give it a shot. This is happening. Don't bother trying to wiggle out of this. I've been waiting for years!"

As she dragged the insomniac into the testing site, Eraserhead mourned his terrible, terrible decision making.

"Damn," Daigoro said. "Wasn't expecting them to try and limit the number of licensees by this much…"

"If I had to guess, Endeavor's reveal made them look bad, so they're trying to make sure they only get the best of the best," Nana suggested.

"Which makes no sense, because Endeavor's problem wasn't being an ineffective Hero, but being a shithead off the clock," Ryouji grumbled.

"We've been around since before the HPSC's creation, you should know full well that sense rarely factors into their decision making these days," Hikage stated.

Trying to ignore the vestiges, Izuku looked to his group, "Everybody ready?"

His classmates all gave him nods, thumbs up, or shouts in the affirmative. Izuku prepared himself for the upcoming challenge as he heard the exhausted HPSC representative started to count down from ten.

The very second that the man told them to begin, Izuku let out the largest Smokescreen he could, blinding his opponents as Ochako began to work.

It was intriguing to see which of his reclaimed Quirks transferred to which of his bondmates. Multitasking was accessible by everyone. Total Body Enhancement, a minor mixture of Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Survivor, and Blood Bank, was another gift that everyone received. And, of course, everyone could hear what Quirk Understanding had to say. Beyond that, however, the only Quirks that transferred were those that fit with the Quirks that fit their own.

Springlike Limbs fit amazingly with Tsu's amphibian biology, as did Super Regeneration, which ported over in its entirety.

Mei's Zoom and use of Danger Sense allowed her to use Search and Diagnosis, along with the ability to use Quirk Understanding to get a brief synopsis of the Quirks of the person she was observing.

Nejire got a version of Survivor that made her stamina drain at a slower rate than it did with her Stage 3 Bond.

Toru's connection with En gave her access to Smoke Manipulation (or rather, in the same way that Smokescreen now gave Toru a field of invisibility, she could now manipulate that field the way that Izuku could manipulate Smokescreen).

Melissa gained Springlike Limbs, which apparently synergized with her latent Quirk factor and gave her additional agility, but if she concentrated, she could potentially use any single one of his new Quirks at its full potential.

Momo, Yui, and Ochako, however, had enhancements based on Overhaul.

Momo could now repair inanimate objects by touching them, along with a modification of Diagnosis that allowed her to instantly detect any damage done to an object.

And Ochako? Well, now, the definition of what sort of object she could affect with her touch had become a lot looser. So, as the smoke began to clear, the gathered examinees heard a rumbling of the ground around them. They looked up to see that Ochako had managed to lift a giant section of the ground surrounding her classmates, forming a flying island.

"How're you doing, Uraraka?" Itsuka asked the girl, knowing how much the similar move at the Sports Festival debilitated her.

Ochako, in response, grinned and gave a thumbs up, "I could do this all day!"

Mei turned, in a modified pair of coveralls that was buried under the vast amount of gadgets she wore. "Incoming!" she said, pointing. "Some guy who's half bat."

"Tag," Yui said to Izuku, who understood what she wanted, patting her shoulder and activating Float, allowing her to fly off to meet their new challenger. The bat-boy threw a ball with his handlike feet, aiming right at one of Yui's targets.

At which point, Yui shrunk to about half a meter in height, dodging easily.

Izuku smiled. Overhaul's influence on Yui's Quirk now allowed her to shrink and grow living things, including herself. Of course, she could only hold that sort of size-shifting for about a minute. Still, that was something they could work with.

The bat-boy boggled, as Yui darted over and grew to about twice her height, then grabbed her opponent's wings, spreading them out, holding him hostage.

Three balls struck him from 1-A's flying island, one glowing with Reiko's Quirk, one carried by a crow, and one attached to a flying horn. Over the loudspeaker, the tired officer stated that the first examinee was eliminated.

Yui let the dejected student fly off, reverting to her normal height, panting heavily as she reached the island, soaking up the cheers.

"Where to next?" Denki asked.

"I'm guessing not there," Mina pointed to a tornado that was kicked up in one of the city zones.

"There's a bunch of students holed up in that building," Mei pointed to one of the skyscrapers. "Seiai Academy, I think. They seem to be trying to bring people into a deathtrap."

"A house of horrors," Fumikage stated.

"We shall have to haunt it ourselves," Reiko said, excitedly.

Momo, having created an enormous propeller, brought the island closer like she was steering a fan boat.

"Wow, guess this is why you've not only kept them all, but added some extras!" Ms. Joke said, clinging to Eraserhead like a baby koala.

Sighing and hating the part of him that enjoyed the contact, Eraserhead grumbled, "They're good kids. They have the drive and the instincts necessary to succeed as pros, and they're constantly striving to be better."

"Awww, you're proud of them!" Ms. Joke said. "It's nice, I get a preview of how you'll feel about our children!"

Eraserhead was suddenly thankful that Eri was left at U.A.

"So, it appears you told them about the U.A. Crush, so they'd prepare for it," Ms. Joke said. "Doesn't seem much like you."

"I didn't, they deduced it on their own," Eraserhead clarified. "They're clever and once Midoriya and Yaoyorozu gained a modicum of confidence, they began wargaming possible exam scenarios."

Ms. Joke's smile faltered for a second, "Right, I think it'd be better if you gave this to him…"

Eraserhead raised an eyebrow as she took out an envelope and handed it to him. His eyes widened, "What is this?"

"One of my more unconventional students' projects," Ms. Joke said. "Kid's even grumpier than you, and he's still got some unfunny stuff crammed in his skull, but we've been putting him through the ringer and he's responding well. Not well enough to justify tagging along, though. I just didn't think that your student needed this dropped in his lap before the exam."

Eraserhead considered the envelope with caution, "It's not full of glitter, is it?"

"Please, Eraser, I'd only do that to you, not your students," Ms. Joke waved him off with a chuckle.

Eraserhead didn't look too appeased, "I'm still skeptical about this…"

"I checked over his work before I even considered delivering it," Ms. Joke said.

Eraserhead cocked his head to the side, "How many drafts did it take?"

"Seven," Ms. Joke said. Eraserhead snorted, which Ms. Joke considered a complete win.

"Intelli-san," a pink haired student of Seiai Academy stated, showing off a hologram of the building's roof. "U.A. students are breaching the building."

"Four of them entering first, hmm?" Saiko Intelli smiled. She'd hoped for this. After learning that the famous class 1-A had been present at their exam site, she'd ached to find a way to beat them. She herself had taken the recommendation exam for U.A. that year and failed the practical. An unfortunate setback, but that meant that now she could prove herself more worthy than the brutes who managed to make it in.

She took a sip of tea and closed her eyes, and began to sift through her memories, like she was looking up books in a phantom library. She came upon the memories of the four students entering from when they participated in the sports festival.

Fumikage Tokoyami, an empowered shadow that appears to have some form of sapience. Reiko Yanagi, precision telekinesis, seems limited to smaller objects. Kinoko Komori, produces fungal spores that quickly grow into mushrooms. Koji Koda… Hmm, they never mentioned his Quirk, and he didn't showcase it, it seems. Probably weak or situational. None of them made it past the second round, none were present at Kamino. Most likely brought out first hoping we would underestimate them or to capitalize on their more limited exposure. Might be a sacrificial play by other 1-A members… Saiko thought to herself at lightning speed, as she devised her strategy.

She began to relay her plans to her classmate, smirking. When they left to prepare for their intruders, she clasped her hands and said, "Now, let us begin the scenario…"

So assured she was with her Quirk enhanced intelligence that she overlooked the blind spots it gave her. One thing she did account for was the lack of knowledge of Koji's Quirk, but that was seen as a minor setback rather than a major issue.

There was also the fact that her Quirk enhanced her intellect, but that if she was set on a course of action for reasons that weren't governed by intellect, her Quirk wouldn't provide it. Thus, in her drive to prove her superiority to these U.A. students, her Quirk wouldn't say that her best plan in this scenario would be to evacuate and find a better target.

Koji looked a little panicked as they made their way into the building.

"Do not despair, Koda-kun," Reiko said. "Your power is one that will strike fear into our enemies."

Fumikage nodded, "Go and unleash one of the Biblical plagues." Reiko frowned at that, and Fumikage said, "Too much?"

Reiko shook her head, "Just not part of your usual milieu. That's more Shiozaki-chan's style."

"Noted," Fumikage said.

Koji still seemed hesitant at their words, until Kinoko came up behind him, and he was reminded of a conversation they had…

Shortly before the I-Expo, Kinoko and Koji had taken a hiking trip. The Iiwaku Forest Reserve was a truly gorgeous park. As they reached the top of the hill, Kinoko requested they take a break, which Koji obliged to. He took out a blanket for them to rest on under the shade of a nearby tree.

"This place is beautiful," Kinoko said. "Thanks for bringing me here, Koda-kun."

Koji smiled and nodded in thanks.

"This place will be amazing for foraging come autumn," Kinoko said excitedly. "There'll be matsutake all over the place."

Koji looked puzzled, and signed, Why not just grow some yourself?

"I mean, I could, " Kinoko said. "But where's the fun in that? The hunting makes it taste twice as good! I mean, if I want something out of season, or that's not native, that's a different story, but there's just something about getting it from the wild, you know?"

Koji nodded, understanding. He was about to sign something else when Kinoko yelped.

"What was- Oh, hello!" Kinoko reached behind her and removed a rhinoceros beetle from the back of her shirt. As the beetle came into view, Kinoko was about to move it elsewhere, but Koji shook his head, gesturing for her to hand it over. Kinoko did so, placing the beetle in his open palm. Koji smiled and stroked its carapace with his index finger.

Kinoko smiled, "Guess you got over your fear of insects after the Finals, huh?"

Koji looked pensive at that, and seemed to want to sign, but the beetle clearly enjoyed the petting and he didn't want to deprive it, so he said, in his quiet, high pitched voice, "Well… I kind of… talked myself into that fear to begin with…"

Kinoko looked puzzled, "How so?"

Frowning, Koji replied, "Well, I could always talk to bugs as well as other animals, and they were always easier to come across than any other animals… But, well, when I was a kid, they'd come around whenever I'd talk, and it'd make people frightened or mad or disgusted, so I had to stop. And, well, if I talked to birds or mammals or reptiles in public, people thought I was weird, but talking to bugs made people think I was creepy or villainous. And I wanted to be a Hero, and I didn't want to make people feel unsafe by showing up with swarms of bugs…"

Kinoko sighed, "It's like everyone in our class had a crappy time growing up. Even Yaoyorozu-chan, who had a perfect childhood on paper, was desperately lonely!"

"It's not a competition…" Koji whispered.

Kinoko looked at him firmly, "If you want to be a hero, it doesn't really matter how you do it. Sure, some people might say mean things, but everyone gets told mean things. If you use a swarm of flies to take down a rampaging villain or find someone missing, the only thing that matters is that you've saved people."

Koji's eyes began to shine with joyful tears. He placed the beetle on the bark of the tree, then said, "Thank you, Komori-chan… I needed that."

She placed her hand on his shoulder, "Anytime!" she said happily.

That seemed to steel Koji's resolve. He reached into his pocket and took out a small wrapped box. "Umm, I…" he began, but he couldn't finish the sentence, he'd become too shy.

Kinoko's heart melted as she took the box and opened it. She gasped at the contents, holding up a colorful necklace that depicted a bat that seemed to be made of red-and-white spotted mushrooms.

"I, well… Because your surname sounds like 'bat' and your given name sounds like 'mushroom', even though they're not spelled the same… I had the idea for the design, but I asked Midoriya-kun to help make it look better, and Yaoyorozu-san made it for you… I thought it'd be a nice emblem for you…" Koji said, getting quieter with each statement, unsure if this was too much.

"I LOVE IT!" Kinoko cried out. "This is wonderful!" she immediately wore it, smiling at Koji. "We're going to show the world what nature can do!"

As Kinoko grinned at him, wearing the bat-shroom necklace he gave her that day, Koji used his Quirk. His new mask allowed him to switch frequencies he could use to communicate, and he was using infrasound to broadcast his new commands.

Back in the building, Saiko crowed to herself as her classmates took their places, "Am I not great? Am I not awesome? Am I not a genius?!"

Of course, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Especially when that enemy is a swarm of insects thick enough to cover the walls of a building.

As her classmates shrieked and tried to face the horrors, the four vanguards made short work of them.

Saiko could only watch, horrified, as the cutesy-looking girl in the mushroom themed dress entered the room where she was bunkered, the door having been decayed by the fungi she produced. "No…" she finally said, dropping her teacup in disbelief, "No, you can't have beaten me… I'm smarter than you!"

"Maybe you could outsmart me," Kinoko said, cheerfully. "But I doubt you can outsmart a bolete."

"Don't you mean 'a bullet'?" Saiko questioned.

"No," Kinoko said, as mushrooms grew onto Saiko, sapping her strength. Kinoko quickly dispatched her with three of her balls, and skipped out of the building, happy to have passed