I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure or My Hero Academia.
Please enjoy this story to your heart's content!
Also please read the author's note at the end of the chapter for answers to frequently asked questions.
Chapter 4: Sharp Dressed Man
"I'm pooped!" sighed Midoriya as he stepped out of U.A.'s main building. Ever since his trip to the nurse's office, he felt utterly exhausted and it was a chore to get through the rest of his first day at U.A. Though his fatigue was understandable after Recovery Girl used her Quirk on him, but it came at the cost of taking away a lot of his stamina. "To think that such an amazing Quirk has such a dangerous drawback..." Raising up his bandaged finger, admiring how he felt little to no pain at all despite it being broken earlier, before clenching it into a fist with the rest of his digits. "I can't keep going on like this… I need to regulate my power and fast."
"For someone who just had his finger broken, are you sure it's wise moving it around like that?" quipped a voice from Midoriya's right.
The tired youth let out a startled yelp before whipping his head to the side to see Johnny sitting not far away from him in his wheelchair. "Johnny! You startled me." Taking a moment to calm himself down, Midoriya gave the paraplegic a smile even as Johnny wheeled himself towards him. "My finger is fine now, thanks to Recovery Girl."
Johnny gave a nod at the explanation as he stopped right in front of the curly haired boy. "That's good to hear… Though I have to ask, just what kind of Quirk did you inherit?" As soon as the question left his friend's lips, Midoriya's eyes widened and a bit of sweat started to develop on the side of his head.
"U-Uh, w-well, you see, I-I can't really say… Not to because I don't want to, you understand, but rather it's… complicated and I was supposed to keep it a secret..." Johnny raised an eyebrow at that and the near babbling fanboy scratched the back of his head nervously, averting his eyes from the American's gaze. "I'm sorry, Johnny…"
"It's fine." Midoriya blinked before turning his gaze back at Johnny, who simply gave him a dismissive wave. "If you can't tell me about the details of your Quirk, then that's fine. However, that doesn't mean I've given up on trying to figure it out on my own." The dark haired boy nearly fell forward at that admission, but at the same time he felt relieved that he didn't have to reveal One For All. He still felt a bit guilty, hiding secrets from those he considered friends was never easy, but at least this was a compromise. Not the best, but at the moment, it's the best kind of deal he could get without angering Johnny or alienating him. Though he knew that All Might was going to have a word or two with him if he heard about this. "That being said, however, try not to go overboard next time. From the way you keep breaking your bones, I'm surprised that there isn't a medic following you around."
"H-Heh, I'm still trying to get some control over it." He let out another awkward laugh before deciding to shift the conversation to something else. "So, uh, Johnny, since your from America, whose your favorite Hero? The U.S.A has some best heroes in the world, such as Owl Knight, Yellow Blur, Star Justice, and Atomic Laser!" As the seconds started to pass by, the more Midoriya started work himself up to a fervor, especially since this was a subject he absolutely loved. "Personally, I find Mr. All Star to be one of the best American heroes in the world. He has an awesome costume and has a Quirk that shines as brightly as his name!"
"I don't have a favorite."
Midoriya paused in his excitement as he stared at Johnny. "Huh? You don't have a favorite?"
"Nope."
"But surely you must know about them, right? I mean, in today's society it's pretty hard to ignore the people who save and protect us on a day to day basis!"
"Not really. I only know their names—some of them anyway—and those local to my State and hometown."
"Ah, I would have thought you knew a bit more." Midoriya let out a disappointed sigh. "I mean, from what I seen from you and how you ride your horse, I would have thought that perhaps you liked the Hero from Wyoming, the Cowboy Hero, Mountain Tim."
"That doesn't mean I know everything about heroes like you do and I was more into riding horses when I was a kid." Johnny gave an annoyed huff as he looked to the side, a shadow covering his eyes. "…While I do know about Mountain Tim, he wasn't the reason I got into horse racing…"
The curly haired youth blinked in surprise at Johnny's admission. Yet before he could say anything else, Midoriya felt a hand land on his shoulder, startling him once more as he turned to see Ida standing right behind him.
"How's your finger, Midoriya?" The taller boy asked politely.
"Ida…! It's fine, thanks to Recovery Girl."
"That's good. I was worried since it looked really messed up by the end of the test." The dark blue haired boy then placed a hand on his chin while he pointed the other up in a serious manner. "But Aizawa Sensei sure fooled us. He made me think, 'This is how it is at the top!' But… Our instructor deceived us like that…"
As Johnny gave the serious boy a flat look, Midoriya stared at Ida thoughtfully. "I thought Ida was scary, but he's actually just super serious." In a way, seeing someone who was very committed to their education was inspiring, but also a bit frightening if the curly haired youth was being honest with himself.
"Also!" Ida then turned to Johnny, who continued to look at him with the same blank expression. "I been meaning to ask you about this, Joestar, but what exactly is your power? This Stand, as you and Aizawa Sensei coined it. I know our teacher said that we'll be getting more information on it later during the semester, but I would like to understand how can something rival Quirks yet not be so well known as them. Even at Somei, I never even heard of them!"
Though he never asked before, Midoriya too was curious about Johnny's Stand, or rather Stands in general. Ever since Johnny revealed his new power to him, Midoriya never really had the time to study about this strange power due to focus was solely on his training for the entrance exam. Even All Might barely mentioned it to him as they trained all those months back.
Suddenly he realized how unfair it seemed to ask Johnny about his new powers when he couldn't explain his. It felt selfish and rude and Midoriya couldn't help feeling guilty over such an injustice. If Johnny decided not to speak about it, he wouldn't press him and just leave it as that.
"Jeez, calm down before you bust your engines. And call me Johnny." Johnny sarcastically scoffed before he held up his left hand, staring at it thoughtfully. "…I don't really understand Stands myself and the circumstances around how I obtained one were tense to say the least…" Tusk suddenly appeared from his arm and crawled up till it was sitting on his shoulder, patting its user's cheek as it let out a solemn chime. "But without this Stand, I don't think I would have made it into U.A."
"Johnny…" said Midoriya as he knew exactly how the paraplegic felt. Yet before either he or Ida said a word, another voice intruded upon them.
"You three! Headed to the station as well? Wait up!" asked Uraraka as she ran over before standing next to them.
"Ah, Infinity Girl!" greeted Ida as he turned to meet the kind girl, while Johnny merely gave the girl a flat look. Midoriya too turned to greet Uraraka, happy to see another friendly face again after such a long, tiring day.
"I'm Ochako Uraraka!" She introduced herself again to the trio before tentatively pointing at Ida. "Um… You're Tenya Ida and you're, uh, Johnny Joestar and you're Midoriya… Um, Deku! Right?"
"Deku?!" yelped Midoriya, more than a little surprised that he was called by that name from Uraraka.
Seeing his surprise confused Uraraka as she placed a finger on her chin. "Hmm? During the test, that Bakugo called you that, right?"
"Yeah, I been meaning to ask, what's up with that? Why does he call you Deku?" asked Johnny, ignoring the brown haired girl as his gaze shifted towards Midoriya for a moment.
Feeling embarrassment starting to rise up, Midoriya shifted his gaze as he waved his hands around frantically. "Um… My real name is Izuku… 'Deku' is just Kacchan being a bully…"
"A derogatory pet name then?" concluded Ida.
"Why do you let him pick on you like that then?" Johnny chided Midoriya, who gave a helpless shrug before scratching the back of his head.
"Oh, gotcha!" said Uraraka. "Sorry!" She gave apologetic now towards the curly haired boy before an energetic expression crossed her face. "But 'Deku,' well… It just screams 'Do you best!' I kinda like it! The way it sounds awesome and cute."
"Deku's fine!" Midoriya shouted as his face turned beet red.
"Midoriya!" chided Ida as he waved his hands frantically around.
"…Of course, go with the name that is supposed be derogatory just because it's 'cute',' said Johnny, sarcasm oozing out of his voice as he sent Uraraka a flat look.
"I'm sorry!" apologized Uraraka, her cheeks turning a bit pink as she cast her gaze to the side.
"Show a bit of backbone!" Ida said to Midoriya in his usual strict and serious manner. "It's an insult, isn't it?!"
"It's like the Copernican Revolution…" muttered Midoriya, his head now resting in the palms of his hands. This was just too embarrassing for him to deal with. Even if she found the name cute, it was the same name that Kacchan was bullying him with since he was a child. But on the other hand, she said it was cute. He couldn't tell if that was better or worse.
"The Copernican Revolution?" asked Uraraka as she didn't quite understand what he meant.
"Just give it a rest already…" Johnny muttered in irritation as he started to push himself past Uraraka. Everyone blinked at the action before quickly following after the paraplegic. As they caught up with the American, Midoriya couldn't help feel a sudden surge of happiness well up inside of him. Even though his first day at school was rather hectic, it was a wonderful. Not just because he was at U.A., but also the fact that he finally made new friends after such a long and lonely time. It was more than he could have asked for and in that moment, Midoriya resolved to do his best at his new school and become the greatest hero in the world.
Johnny originally didn't know what to expect when he first arrived at U.A. Besides the deceptive test on his first day at class, he expected the next day, along with the rest of his hero course experience, would be nothing more than training and learning how to become a great hero.
What he got, however, was actually rather plain and normal. The first few classes that started the day out were simple subjects: math, history, English, etc. Each subject had a rotating teacher that came into their homeroom and taught their lessons; each being a famous hero if he had guess from how Midoriya kept getting excited with each new entry who came through the door. At lunch, everyone either ate their own boxed lunches they prepared beforehand or head down to the cafeteria. More often than not, the majority went with the latter option since the food was being cooked by the famous hero, Lunch Rush, whose meals were both healthy and amazingly delicious. Johnny had to admit, the food that was served competed with the stuff he had back home, if not better!
It was rather pleasant and novel in a way—after all, many youths would kill to have some of their famous heroes and idols come and teach at their schools if only for a day—but at the same time, kind of frustrating for the young paraplegic. When did their real lessons begin anyway? He understood that it would be ludicrous for students to go to a prestigious academy and not get a proper education, but they should have at least taught something heroic by now. He admitted he felt more than a little impatient at the moment, but he wasn't the only one as several of his classmates were showing their own annoyance as time dragged on.
At least until afternoon class began, which was the Hero Basic Training class.
As soon as everyone got back from lunch and sat in their seats, a sudden mighty voice echoed outside the doorway. "I…. AM…. HERE! COMING THROUGH THE DOORWAY LIKE NORMAL!" Opening door with a loud slam was none other than All Might, dressed in his silver aged costume, complete with a cape that still had the scars of battle at the end of it, laughing rancorously as his signature smile was plastered all over his face.
To say everyone was surprised would be an understatement, some of the young students were gaping at the greatest hero in the world, but their shock soon gave way to overwhelming excitement. "It's All Might!" Everyone roared out loud as All Might practically skipped into class before taking his position behind the teacher's desk.
While what he told Midoriya the day prior was true, Johnny couldn't help feeling just as much awe as the rest of his classmates. He loved and preferred horse racing over playing hero when he was younger, but even he couldn't deny that All Might was someone admired as a child. The man could command a room, even when he was doing absolutely nothing at all. There was just something about the Symbol of Peace that stuck with him even as he grew older.
At least until his accident anyway.
Biting his lip before the haunted memories resurfaced once more, Johnny instead focused on All Might and more importantly, why he was here.
After the students calmed down a bit, though those like Midoriya were trembling excitedly in their seats, All Might finally got right down to business. "Hero Basic Training!" announced All Might as he posed for his wards. "The class that'll put you through all sorts of special training to mold you into heroes! It also gives a ton of credits to boot! Hahahaha!"
"Oh, that's a good one," said Gyro from where he sat behind Johnny. "I got to remember that one later for my joke book."
Johnny would have snorted at the idea that his friend had a joke book, but right now his focus was solely on the Symbol of Peace.
"No time to dally. Today's activity is training!" All Might then raised a card with the word "Battle" written in bold lettering to his class. "Battle training to be exact!"
"Battle training…!" muttered everyone, their excitement once more starting to overflow as the real meat of the hero course was just about to begin. Bakugo in particular was grinning almost villainously as he trembled in his seat. Even Johnny couldn't deny that he too was eager to start this kind of school activity.
All Might smiled at his students' anticipation before pulling out a small remote from behind him. "And for that… you need these!" With a simple click from the remote, several columns emerged from a small section on the left side of the room. Within each column were several steel cases with numbers on each of them. "In accordance with the 'Quirk Registry' and the special request forms you filled out before being admitted…"
"Costumes!" Several of the most excited students finished the hero's sentence with absolute joy, some letting out whoops and clapping their hands together.
"Each case is assigned to your seat number and has your special custom made costume! After you change, come out in ranking order to Ground Beta!"
"Okay!" Not having to be told twice, most of the students scrambled to be the first to grab their costumes. Before Johnny could even roll over to grab his, a steel case with the number twenty-one was thrown his way. With honed reflexes, the paraplegic caught it before it could hit his face. He then sent a scowl over to Gyro, who laughed good-naturedly as he turned to grab his own case.
"Looking good is very important, ladies and gentlemen!" explained All Might before he left the classroom. "Look alive now! Because from now on, you're all Heroes!"
One by one each student left the locker room, proudly wearing their new heroic costumes as they met All Might at Ground Beta. Each and every one them had amazing looking designs that fitted their own special Quirks and personalities. Some were extremely detailed, such Bakugo's explosive theme or flashy like the costume of a boy named Yuga Aoyama.
Despite it being mostly homemade, Midoriya's own hero costume felt right upon his skin. It wasn't too tight or loose, but felt rather snug and allowed him to move without any restraint at all. It was a simple teal colored jumpsuit with a red utility belt hugging his waist while black elbow pads and kneepads protected his joints. Covering his face was a mask with long ear-like protrusions sticking out of his head. The mask's jawline also looked like a big toothy smile.
Yet as he admired his own costume and that of his classmates, Midoriya paused when he noticed that not everyone was present. Turning back to the entrance to Ground Beta, the curly haired boy waited until he saw someone's silhouette coming out of the dark hallway of the entrance.
It was Johnny and Midoriya couldn't help but stare in wonder at the rather uniquely designed costume his friend now wore.
Slim, leather pants of a bright blue color, with pink stars running up and down fabric, adorned his legs. Covering his feet were simple leather boots that had a matching color to his pants. For his upper half, Midoriya noticed that he wore the same short-sleeved top when they first met, but now a sleeveless leather jacket was worn over it. Keeping with the current color theme, it was also of the same light-blue color as the rest of his clothes, but also having a huge pink star stitched in the center of his jacket. Yellow star-like buttons covered the collar of the coat. Adorning his shoulders were purple colored pads with golden star patterns running across them almost like a shooting-star. Sticking out of his jacket was a hood with three feathers tucked inside of it. Fingerless gloves clung to his hands while a set of utility belts that adorned his waist and chest, suitable for carrying everything a hero needs on the job. Lastly Johnny wore his signature hat and wristbands that seemed to fit with the rest of his clothes.
Midoriya got the sense that Johnny's outfit reminded him a bit of the Road Warrior series or Fist of the North Star, but more stylish and fashionable. Still, it looked rather nice and nothing seemed to be out of place with it. The young cripple wheeled himself over to the rest of his classmates, who were appraising him with approving looks.
"Your costume is really cool, Johnny!" exclaimed Midoriya as the American planted his wheelchair beside him. "Did you take inspiration from Colonel Wonder's star theme costume? Or Nitro Star? Though his color scheme is more red and yellow than what you have."
"I told you, I don't know any of those heroes," Johnny said in annoyance as he turned back towards the entrance and waited for Gyro to arrive. Midoriya's gaze followed his friend's, yet he blinked when he saw the Italian horse racer stepping out of the entrance wearing something rather familiar. It was the exact same clothes that he wore when they first met nearly a year back.
Johnny too noticed this, raising an eyebrow as Gyro came to stand before the duo. "So this your super-secret costume that you kept telling me about?"
"What can I say?" Gyro said with a Shrug. "If it ain't broke, don't' fix it. Or in this case, if you can't make up a good hero costume from scratch, the next best things are the clothes on your back. Nyo Ho Ho!"
"Ha, ha, ha! That is very funny, Gyro. Hilarious even. Also brilliant way to show your commitment to making your own hero costume."
"I know, right! I get to look like a hero without having to do anything!" Gyro let out another good natured laugh, surprising Midoriya as he would have thought that he would take offense to Johnny's sarcastic criticism.
"Maybe he's used to it or perhaps he's oblivious to sarcasm?" Midoriya wondered silently in his head, though he if had to guess it was probably the former. After all, he spent more time with Johnny than anyone else, at least to his knowledge anyway, so it wasn't likely that he could be that dense when it came to someone criticizing his jokes.
"Wow, that's a really cool cowboy get up, Gyro!" exclaimed Kaminari as he came over along with a couple other classmates to stand next to the trio. "I mean if what Tokoyami said is true, then it's no wonder you would go with a horse racing outfit like that."
"Honestly, I thought Johnny was going to with that similar costume," commented Kirishima as he gave the American a friendly smile. "Though your costume is also really manly and awesome looking!"
Johnny let out a huff while Gyro laughed and Midoriya couldn't help joining in. Though he paused when he saw Uraraka walking over to him.
"Ah, Deku?! Cool costume! Really practical looking!" She complimented him as she put on the helmet that completed her costume. For his part, Midoriya felt a small flush starting to build up on his face at the compliment, but also because of how Uraraka looked her in costume. "I wish I'd been more specific on my request form… This suit's so puffy and curvy… It's a little embarrassing."
"Being in the Hero Course is the best!" a sudden pitched voice said from below Midoriya, causing him to blink before looking down to see the shortest member of their class—Minoru Mineta if he remembered his name correctly—giving him a thumb's up. Though his eyes wandered over to Uraraka's form and shamelessly looking her up and down. The little boy's perverse gaze and comment caught the curly haired fanboy off guard and he honestly didn't know how to react to it.
Thankfully he was saved by All Might, who had come to stand before his students. "Looking good everyone!" he exclaimed, sweeping an arm forward before giving them a thumbs up. "All of you have such wonderful costumes befitting a hero! Now that everyone is here, shall we begin my wards?! It's time for Battle Training!"
"Sensei!" A student in full clad armor, which had exhaust pipes sticking out the back. Though the mask muffled his voice, Midoriya could tell that was Ida. "This appears be the same field used in the entrance exam. Will we once again be performing cityscape maneuvers?"
"Nope. While it is good to get more familiar with stuff you already had a taste of, you'll be moving on to step two! Indoor Anti-Personnel Battle training! Villains battles are most seen outdoors, but… statistically, the most heinous villains are more likely indoors." He then raised a hand to his chin as if he was remembering previous battles long since fought. "Between confinements, house arrest, black market deals… In this Hero-Filled society of ours, the cleverest villains lurk indoors!
"For this particular Battle Training exercise, you'll be split into Villain teams and Hero teams and face of in two-on-two indoor battles!"
"So basic training?" asked Asui, tilting her head to the side as she placed a finger on her chin.
"Practical experience teaches you the basics! The distinction here is that you won't be fighting disposable robots."
"He's not wrong…" muttered Johnny from beside Midoriya, who gave an awkward chuckle at that.
"What determines victory?" asked Yaoyorozu, raising a hand up politely.
"Can I just blast everyone away?!" Bakugo demanded eagerly.
"Are you threatening to expel someone, like Aizawa Sensei did…?" Uraraka tentatively asked as if she feared the answer. Though she wasn't the only one as nearly all the students were muttering their fears about being going through another cruel gauntlet.
"How do we proceed to divide ourselves into teams?" asked Ida, a hand raised up high in the fullest respect for his teacher.
"How fabulous is my cape?" asked Aoyama, whipping his cape around and giving a dramatic pose to boot.
"How the heck does that have to do with our training?" Johnny asked in disbelief.
"One at a time!" instructed All Might before the onslaught of questions got out of hand. "My Quirk isn't Super-Hearing!" As his students quieted down, All Might pulled out a small little piece of paper and flipped it open. "Listen up! Here's the deal. The villains will be hiding a nuclear weapon—not a real one, of course—in a hideout. And the heroes have to go in and take care of it! The heroes have a limited amount of time to either capture the villains or secure the super weapon. The villains must either capture the heroes or protect the weapon until time is up."
"Wow, I never thought to see an actual cheat sheet being used by a teacher before," chuckled Gyro, which caused Johnny to roll his eyes as his lame joke.
"Your battle partners will be decided by drawing lots." All Might then pulled out a small little drawing box from a nearby table prepared in advance for the training exercise.
"Is this really the best way?!" Ida exclaimed, a little more than shocked to see such simple method used by the legendary Symbol of Peace, let alone used at all by any of the faculty of a famous academy.
"Makes sense," Midoriya interjected, "because pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot during emergencies…"
"I see…! I apologize for getting ahead of myself… My mistake!" Ida then gave All Might a bow in apology.
"It's fine!" All Might reassured the strict boy. "Let's just get to it!"
"Wait Sensei," said Shoto Todoroki, a boy with white and red hair and having an angry burn mark over his left eye. His eyes were also heterochromia, his right being a gray color while the left was blue, giving him a rather distinctive look. "There is a problem with drawing lots for teams."
"Oh?"
"There are twenty-two students in our class and if we're doing two-on-two battles then one team will be left out of fighting." Everyone blinked at the boy's keen insight before muttering that he was indeed right about their current problem.
"Ah, so you noticed, Todoroki, my boy!" All Might praised the youth, but the white and read haired boy merely gave him an emotionless stare. "Never fear for I have already thought of a way of clearing this up." He then pointed to the drawing box in his hands. "To make sure everyone has a fair and balanced team, there's two extra sets of letter lots in this box. Thus two teams will be a set of three instead of two and will have the honor of having the first match for this Battle Training exercise!"
"That seems like a fair deal," said Toru Hagakure, an invisible girl whose only visible features at the moment were her light blue gloves and white shoes. "Now nobody is at a disadvantage."
"Indeed, young Hagakure!" He then presented the drawing box to his wards. "Now please form a line and take a lot. No pushing now! There's plenty of time in the day for everyone to get a crack at Battle Training."
One by one, everyone drew a lot from the box. Once everyone was finished, they all started to look for their partners. For Midoriya he managed to get the letter "A" lot and was curious to see who would be his partner. If there was one person he didn't want to partner up with, however, it would be Bakugo.
"Oh, you got 'A' too?" Uraraka asked excitedly as she came over to stand beside the fanboy. "That means were partners!"
"U-Uh, yeah we are!" agreed Midoriya, a small blush forming on his face as he tried to keep his cool around the energetic brown haired girl.
"…I guess that includes me as well." Midoriya blinked at that familiar voice before turning around to see Johnny rolling himself over to him, holding an 'A' lot in his hands as well.
"Oh wow! We're the first three man team!" said Uraraka, her eyes beaming with glee and energy. "This is going to be so cool. I'm glad you're on our team, Johnny!"
"…Whatever…" The paraplegic said in a cool tone, surprising both Uraraka and Midoriya.
"Huh? What was that about?" silently thought Midoriya. Yet before he could finish that line of thinking, he was interrupted by some familiar laughter.
"Nyo Ho Ho! I guess that makes us a team of three," said Gyro, causing everyone to turn to see him standing next to Bakugo and Ida. For a moment he stared at trio blankly before his eyes slowly widened, realizing with growing dread that they would be his team's opponents. He wasn't the only to realize this as the rest of the class took notice and wished both teams the best of luck. Yet he ignored all that as his eyes met Bakugo's. Time seemed to freeze between the two of them before a vicious, almost beast-like smile grew on the blonde's lips, sending a shiver down the curly haired youth's spine.
"It looks like we have our chosen teams and our first match up!" All Might announced loudly, as everyone attention turned towards him. "The Villain team goes in the designated building first! The timer starts in five minutes, when the hero team sneaks in. The rest of us will be watching via CCTV." He then gestured for both the Hero and Villain teams to come forth. "Ida, Bakugo, Gyro. You boys need to adopt a villain mind-set! This is practical experience so go all out. Don't hold back! Though I will stop you, or the Hero team, if things are taken too far… Speaking of the hero team," he turned his gaze to Midoriya's group, specifically Johnny, "You may approach your objective anyway you please, the building has been modified to be wheelchair accessible, but while I wouldn't want to put you in a situation that could hinder you, I recommend to think outside the box and try everyone possible route, or plan, to achieve your goal." Johnny clicked his tongue at that, but gave a nod to his teacher. "That being said I wish all teams the best of luck! Give it your all and remember, PLUS ULTRA!"
Johnny stared at the building blueprints in his hand, memorizing every detail as best as he can. True to All Might's word, the building was wheelchair accessible, having entrances and ways to ascend each floor of the building without hindering someone like him. Which was good since the dummy bomb was on the top floor of a five story building.
"Thank goodness that there is no punishment like with Aizawa Sensei, so I'm not too worried about this," said Uraraka as she carefully folded her copy of the blueprints before putting it a pouch along her utility belt.
"Just because we won't get punished doesn't mean were not being graded," commented the American.
"Oh, you're right. But at least it's not too stressful as the last test." The brown haired laughed a bit awkwardly, but paused when she saw Midoriya's face. "But you look absolutely worried, Deku!"
Johnny blinked before turning to see that Midoriya was indeed trembling, a small trail of sweat started to drip down the side of his head. "Hey, what's the matter with you?"
The curly haired boy turned his gaze towards his comrades before letting out a sigh. "Well… I mean…" he said hesitantly before taking a deep breath. "We're up against Kacchan, Ida, and Gyro… We'd just … better be on our guard…"
"Bakugo's the one who bullies you, right?" asked Uraraka, concern written across her face.
"Is he some kind of childhood bully of yours?" questioned Johnny, more than a little curious as what relation he had with the angry blonde.
"Yeah, he is…" confirmed Midoriya, but Johnny was surprised that there was no hint of anger in his voice. If anything there was admiration in it. "He may be a jerk, but he's amazing… His goals… His confidence… His strength… His quirk… He's stronger than me in every way." He then raised his mask to his face before securing it tightly. "But that's why… I don't want to lose to him."
Midoriya's words seemed to echo within Johnny's head. There was something in them that reminded the paraplegic all too much about his own goal and why he was here at U.A. in the first place. In particular how he didn't want to lose this chance to reverse his fate.
"So you're like his fated rival or whatever?!" Uraraka asked in awe, bringing Johnny out of his own thoughts before they once more took a dark turn.
"Ah, sorry. I'm sure I'm boring you with all this…"
"Not at all! We're a team! Come on! Let's give it our best!" Uraraka then placed her helmet on as she got ready to begin their infiltration.
"…Let's not go through the front door," said Johnny, causing his partners to blink before turning to face him.
"Huh? But that would mean—"
"The others will probably be waiting near the entrance due to my disabilities." Johnny practically growled that last part, causing Uraraka to take a step back. "The best way to get through this exam is to do what All Might said and try to figure out a different way to approach our objective."
"O-Oh, okay…" Uraraka reluctantly agreed, before placing a finger on her chin. "But if we can't go through the front, then what about the back door?"
"No, that wouldn't work either," commented Midoriya, tilting his head to the side as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "If our opponents are looking to set up an ambush then they would have a guard near the front and back entrances." He then pulled out his blueprints before pointing a particular section of the building. "That means we'll have to improvise and go through one of the windows. That way we can sneak past the guards and make our way up the building. Although… Kacchan might try to go straight for me anyway, but we'll have to chance it."
"Sounds like a plan to me," agreed Johnny.
"That's really good plan, Deku!" exclaimed Uraraka. "Now we have a better chance of winning this exercise."
"O-Oh, it was nothing," stuttered Midoriya, thankful that his mask hid his growing blush at both his friends' praise. He then cleared his throat before pointing towards their objective. "Let's start this operation then!"
With no further encouragement, the trio carefully and stealthily headed towards a window on the east side of the building. Thankfully it wasn't locked, allowing Midoriya to help Johnny slip in first. Though he grumbled about being helped out his wheelchair and carefully aided through the small opening, Johnny couldn't really complain at the moment. This was a mission that had a time limit and he couldn't waste a second trying to prove he could get through the window on his own, which he could do.
After his chair was carefully slid through the window, just barely making past the small opening, Johnny quickly got back into it as Midoriya and Uraraka slipped in. "Successful infiltration!" Uraraka muttered excitedly.
"Keep it down, unless you want them to hear us," hissed Johnny as his eyes scanned for any movement in the hallways.
"S-Sorry…" Uraraka pushed her fingers together, a blush forming on her cheeks.
"Don't worry about it Uraraka," said Midoriya. "The main and back entrances are too far apart if our opponents are guarding them, so they shouldn't be able to hear us. But I do agree we should keep as quiet as possible." His gaze then swept over the hallways. "Lots of blind corners, so watch out in case they decide to do patrols…"
Both Johnny and Uraraka gave nods at Midoriya's advice before they all started down one of the hallways. It was mostly well lit and there weren't many places that would hide them in case they ran into one of the villains. From what the American remembered from the layout of the building, there were several small rooms throughout structure, giving a tight and cramped feeling at first, but there were a couple of larger areas scattered here and there. In short, it was the perfect scenario for indoor fighting.
They quickly turned into several different hallways with no sight of anyone on the villain team. "Guess they really are waiting by the entrances…" silently thought Johnny. While it was practical since it was a three-on-three match, he couldn't help assuming that they did this because of him and his disability. It irritated him for a moment, but that line of thinking was quickly smashed apart when Bakugo sprang around the corner.
He only had a second to register that thought before his wheelchair was pushed to the side along with Uraraka by Midoriya. A fiery explosion tore apart the wall where they once stood next to, scraps of metal and chunks of brick crumbling to the floor as their explosive attacker stood before them.
"Is trying to win or kill us?!" grunted Johnny as he prompted himself up on his wheelchair before turning to his teammates. "Are you guys alright?"
"He grazed me…!" exclaimed Midoriya, half of his mask was destroy leaving a small portion of his face for all to see. "But I'm alright. You okay, Uraraka? Johnny?"
"Yeah, thanks!" Uraraka said gratefully before pulling herself up from the floor.
"Just peachy…" Johnny confirmed though his eyes never left Bakugo, who had mini explosions popping off in his hand like firecrackers.
"Nice Dodge, Deku," he practically purred as he glared menacingly at Midoriya.
"I knew it," said Midoriya as he stood up, "Kacchan was sure to come straight at me."
For a moment it was a tense standoff between the four of them, but Johnny's eyes suddenly widened when he caught the glint of something flying over Bakugo's shoulder and coming straight for him. Raising a hand up, Tusk appeared above his shoulder just as he sent three nail-bullets straight at a Steel Ball. Though it wasn't enough to destroy a Spin powered metallic ball, it was enough to redirect its course, smashing into a wall with a loud thud. Besides Bakugo, everyone blinked at the sudden appearance of the Steel Ball before its owner step out from a corner.
"Nice reflexes, Johnny," Gyro complimented his pupil's skill, giving him his signature grin as his Steel Ball returned to him.
"Stay out of this, gold tooth!" roared Bakugo, not taking his eyes off Midoriya as he took a step forward. "Deku's mine!"
"If anything Ida or I have said earlier didn't stop you, what chance do I have now when you look like a blood hungry beast?" Gyro grinned before turning his gaze back to Johnny and Uraraka. "Besides, I already have my dance partners for this match."
"Whatever!" Bakugo then lunged forth, his right hand pulled back and ready to unleash an explosive punch at Midoriya's face. "Deku! I'll mess you up just enough to not be disqualified!"
His fist started to race forth, but he, along with everyone else, blinked in surprise when Midoriya closed the distance between the two of them and grabbed ahold of his right arm. As Bakugo tried to process the fact that his intended victim just read his move, the curly haired youth yanked the blonde forward before throwing him over his shoulder. With a roar of triumph, Midoriya slammed his childhood bully into the floor, stunning everyone in the hallway and the rest of the class who watching the fight via camera.
"Nice! What a pro move!" Uraraka congratulated her partner.
"Got to admit, that was pretty cool," complimented Gyro.
"Whose side are you on anyway?" asked Johnny, his eyes never leaving the Steel Ball in the Italian's hands.
"Kacchan…" said Midoriya as took a deep breath, cutting everyone off as Bakugo let out a grunt and started to slowly get up from the floor. "You always lead with that right hook. I've seen it enough to know…! You see, I've analyzed heroes I think are awesome… in that notebook of mine. The one you blew up and chucked out of the window in middle school!" The curly haired youth's got more passionate as he spoke and he started to get in a fighting stance similar to that of a hero's. "I'm not gonna be your worthless punching bag Deku forever… Kacchan, I'm… I'm the Deku who always does his best!"
Though Midoriya was trembling as he stood before the kneeling Bakugo, everyone was stunned by his declaration. Especially for Johnny as he realized that Midoriya had took Uraraka's words to heart and was making that nickname into something more than bully's pet name. At first he scoffed at the idea that Midoriya embraced that name, but now, seeing him confronting his childhood tormentor like that, made him change his mind. Perhaps Uraraka was right, Deku was a name befitting the curly haired boy after all.
"You spout that crap… all the while scared out of your mind… It really pisses me OFF!" roared Bakugo, jumping back on his feet before cocking his head, his expression turning even sourer, as if he was hearing something. "Shut up and keep watch…! I'm ready to wreck someone!"
"He must be listening to Ida…" thought Johnny as he kept one eye on Bakugo and the other on Gyro. He knew that this standoff wasn't going to last forever and one of them was going to make a move. And with both sides of the hallway blocked off, there odds of getting out of here unscathed were severely low.
"That goes double for you, gold tooth!" Bakugo declared as he pointed a finger to Gyro who continued to watch scene play out. "If you interfere, I'll kill you!"
"Oh, scary…" said Gyro, but his eyes were already locked on Johnny and Uraraka, a hand patting his holstered Steel Ball. Time seem to slow as the two villains stared down their prey. Deku continued to tentatively stand his ground while Johnny's hands twitched as Uraraka glanced from one blonde to another.
As if a gun went off, both villains made their move at the same time. Bakugo lunged forth with the power of his explosions while Gyro's hand flashed as his Steel Ball flew across the hallway once more. Gritting his teeth, Johnny ignored the threat behind him, flicking a hand upward and unloaded all the nails in one hand at the Steel Ball. Yet as the metallic object once more careened into a wall, another Steel Ball was heading straight for his gut.
As several explosions were heard behind him, the young cripple let out a curse before firing the rest of his nails at the oncoming ball just as it was a mere few feet away from him. With a slight bend, the metallic sphere barely missed his stomach and collided with the guard rail, bending the metal backwards at obscene angle. It then slipped to the floor, still spinning constantly as its owner started to walk menacingly to him.
"Johnny!" Uraraka exclaimed as she stood before him and reached down to grab the spinning green ball.
"Don't touch it!" He yelled, causing the brown haired girl's appendage to freeze. He then quickly looked down at his hands. Three of his nails on his right hand had grown back. "It's still spinning. Keep away from it when it's spinning!"
"Ah, Johnny, don't start talking about trade secrets now," said Gyro, a grin on his lips as he stopped his advance. Clearly he saw the regrown nails in his pupil's hands. He raised his hands as his Steel Balls returned to him, startling Uraraka as she jumped back a bit.
"Tch! Move Uraraka! Get to the bomb already!"
"But—!"
"He's right, Uraraka! We'll hold them off!" shouted Deku, looking a bit haggard as Bakugo swung a fist at his form. He barely rolled to the side just as another chunk of wall exploded into bits.
"Worry about yourself!" roared the explosive teen, his eyes getting wilder as the fight dragged on. He swung his leg at Deku's head, but he blinked when he saw the capture tape they were given earlier wrapping around his knee, keeping him from moving. Creating the perfect opportunity for the brown haired girl to get away and complete the Hero Team's objective.
Uraraka looked hesitant for a moment before turning to run past her comrades and the tangled Bakugo. "Oh no you don't!" said Gyro, his Steel Balls already chasing after the gravity girl. Yet he blinked when several nails smashed into one of the Steel Balls, causing it to spin right into the floor. Two more nails flew through the air, but they missed their mark. Unfortunately for the Italian, his target had already slipped around a corner, causing his last Steel Ball to embed itself into a wall. "Heh, not bad, Johnny!"
Johnny clicked his tongue at his mentor before noticing Deku had released Bakugo and rolled to crouch behind him. The curly haired panted lightly as he stood up, Bakugo already starting to stalk forward as Gyro's Steel Balls started to return to him. Seeing that they were at a disadvantage, Johnny saw they needed to run or get pummeled by an explosive fist and a cold steel ball. Currently the paraplegic saw one option open to them, but it was more a gamble than a sure way out. Never the less, it was his only path to victory at the moment.
"Grab onto my chair and place your feet with the carrying case underneath, Midoriya! And whatever you do, don't let go!" Johnny said as he grabbed ahold of his wheels. His teammate blinked at him, but did as he was instructed. Before either Bakugo or Gyro could even twitch, the wheels on the chairs suddenly spun wildly, gaining speed as the seconds dragged on, creating skid marks on the floor.
It wasn't even a second before wheelchair burst forward, causing Gyro leap to the side as Johnny and Deku sped past him, the latter screaming as clung to the wheelchair for dear life. They were already twenty feet away from their foes before they came upon a corner. With a heave, Johnny turned the wheelchair, but with the speed they were going, it barely managed to change its velocity, causing it careen into the corner.
Clenching his teeth to hold back a gasp, Johnny clung to his wheelchair as it crashed into the corner, bruising his shoulder pad; it still stun like hell, but thankfully it wasn't dislocated. "Hang on!" He told Deku, who still clung to the wheelchair, though he looked rather dizzy. Placing his hands back on the handles of the wheels, Johnny used the Spin, but a sharp clang caused him to look down. Both of the wheels had pieces of metal sticking out at odd ends. From the sound of things, the axle at the bottom of the chair must have also broken apart due to the exertion caused by the immense rotational energy, causing it hiss along the metal floor. Suddenly he was jerked forward as the broken parts caught onto a ridge before completely falling forward.
Landing on his stomach, Johnny let out a sharp hiss as his wheelchair landed on his back. Taking in a sharp breath, he started to push himself up, only for Deku to pull him off the ground. "Come on! We got to keep moving," he said as he pulled the young American onto his back. Seeing that his wheelchair was basically useless at this point, Johnny clung to the curly haired boy as they ran further into the training building.
"Look at them go!" said Mineta as he stared in awe at the footage from the match in the observation room of the testing facility along with the rest of his classmates. "I honestly didn't think Johnny was going to last this long, but seeing him hold his own is pretty cool!"
"Yeah, and Midoriya is holding off Bakugo like a true man would!" applauded Kirishima.
"Just wish we could hear them…" Sato said in disappointment as no one could hear a word either team said through the footage, expect for All Might of course since he was the monitor for the fight.
"Woah! Johnny's wheelchair is all busted up!" exclaimed Hanta Sero, a boy who had uniquely shaped elbows that stored long ropes of tape.
"Yeah, but how did that happen?" asked Mezo Shoji, a six armed boy with white hair and a mask covering his mouth. "How did Johnny make his wheelchair go that fast?"
"Could it be because of that power that Gyro uses?" wondered Ashido as she scratched his chin, her eyes glued to the screen where Midoriya was carrying Johnny throughout the "villain hideout", both Bakugo and Gyro close on their trail. "What was it called…? Uh, the Spin? Yeah, that's it. The Spin!"
"You are correct, young Ashido," All Might confirmed, instantly catching everyone's attention as they tore their eyes away from the match to the face the ever smiling hero. "What young Johnny used just now was definitely the ability called the Spin and he must have used it on his wheelchair in order for him and young Midoriya to escape the villain team. But it appears that the rotational power was too much for it."
"Wow… that's incredible!"
"Yeah, but that means Johnny is practically a sitting duck!" Kaminari pointed out.
"Never fear, young Kaminari," All Might reassured the lightning haired boy. "Johnny is a clever young lad and with Midoriya helping him, I'm sure they'll think of a plan to secure victory. After all, one of the best traits a hero should have is the ability to adapt to any situation!" He then turned his head back to the video footage, watching as the villain team was on the move again. "However, the villains also have a good chance of victory as well. If they can get past their flaws, then they'll pass this training with flying colors."
Despite what he just said, and his role being an impartial teacher for this test, All Might was a little worried. He knew that he give his students a fair and equal grading for the Battle Training—which he still intended to do, no matter what happened during the fight—he secretly hoped that Midoriya's team would exceed his expectations.
"I think we lost them…" panted Deku as he carefully laid the paraplegic down next to a wall. His lungs felt tight, his breath coming out in hot puffs, yet he wasn't exhausted. He was lucky that All Might's training all those months ago was paying off in spades otherwise he doubted that he would have gotten far with Johnny clinging to this back.
"Yeah… but it won't be long before they find us," Johnny commented darkly as he pushed himself into an upright position. "Your nemesis seems really determined to kick your face in."
"Yeah, Kacchan did beeline right for me… but that means he's the vanguard instead of Ida or Gyro."
"What are you talking about?"
Deku scratched his chin for a moment before turning to face the American. "Well, out of the three, Ida has the greatest mobility and maneuverability. He if came at us from the start, it's possible he would have beat most of us before we could make a decent comeback. As for Gyro, I'm assuming that he was part of our original theory that he was guarding the entrances, otherwise he would have immediately attacked us along with Kacchan. He must have heard Kacchan's explosions and came to investigate. In short this is just Kacchan running rampart and Gyro's simply following after him."
"That's an elegant way of putting it, but doesn't change our situation."
"No, but it means we can plan around it." Deku then rubbed a smudge off his nose as a burning glint formed in his eyes, surprising the young disable youth beside him. "Johnny, can you give me a summary of what Gyro can do with the Spin? I don't need to know the specifics, just the basics."
"… I don't know everything about what Gyro can do with the Spin, but he normally fights with his Steel Balls, using them as medium for the Spin. With them, I seen him harden his body with it, create a powerful rotational force that causes the muscles in a body to move to his will, and is able to apply it to just about anything he can get his hands on…. Unfortunately that's all I know… I'm still learning from him, ok?" He looked to side and for a moment, Deku thought he saw an embarrassed flush on his face.
"That's ok, Johnny," Deku reassured his friend, "what you told me is really helpful." And indeed it was. Now that he had a better understanding of his opponents' abilities, he could tell that Gyro was most likely the sharpshooter of the group while Bakugo was basically the upfront warrior. The more he thought of it, he realized how unmatched in power his team was compared to his opponents. Everyone single one of them could use their abilities to their greatest potential, while he couldn't. And it looked like Johnny was still getting used to his abilities—at least with the Spin anyway—and with his physical disabilities, he could only do so much in a confined space. The only one who had mastery of their abilities and was more physically fit was Uraraka, but she was probably already half way up the building by now. And if he even tried to use One For All, then he'll more than likely break his bones again along with the building.
Suddenly he blinked at that last thought before inspiration flooded his mind. "The possibilities from what I have in mind are risky and I'm probably going suffer a few broken bones, but if this works… then we'll definitely win this exercise."
"What are you muttering about?" asked Johnny, eyeing him with an inquisitive gaze. "What will work?"
"One moment," Deku said before placing a finger on his communicator. "Uraraka are you close to the target?"
"I'm close," answered the gravity girl. "I'm on the fourth floor and heading up the stairs to the fifth. Why?"
"Hang on a second. I got a plan."
"Where the hell are they?!" roared Bakugo as he stomped across the hallway alongside Gyro. In the very short period being partnered up with him, the Italian was correct in his initial assumption of the explosive blonde. Every compromise he tried to make with him, every suggestion, was brushed aside with threats of having an explosion in his face. It was amusing at first and he really wanted to make a joke about it, but after Midoriya and Johnny got away, Bakugo's short fuse was almost unbearable.
Yet he needed to stay with him in order to hunt down the fleeing duo. The way Gyro saw it, the easiest way to secure victory for his team was to knock out the hero team as soon as possible. It was safe to assume that Uraraka was already near the top of the building, so it was best to let Ida handle her and simply go after those who were closest to him. They couldn't have gotten far, let alone up the next floor, after Johnny busted his wheelchair with the Spin.
Thinking about the ruined chair brought an amused grin across the Italian's lips. "He still has a long way to go before he masters the Spin," he thought silently as he continued to follow after Bakugo.
"God dammit! Come out and fight already, Deku!" The wild-looking boy cracked his knuckles menacingly as he looked ready to let out another round insults, but paused when a faint click was heard around the corner. Gyro quirked a brow upwards at the sound, his hand instantly wrapping around a Steel Ball, but Bakugo beat him to the punch and leapt around the corner. Letting out a sigh, the horse jockey follow after him, only to stop when he saw Bakugo glaring murderously at Midoriya, who was crouching on the floor beside a closed door. Johnny was nowhere in sight.
Immediately Gyro felt alarm bells going off in his head, but unfortunately for him, Bakugo's attention was solely on the fanboy. "Why not use it?" asked the increasingly wild boy, who took a step forward. "You mocking me, Deku…?"
"Kacchan! Gyro!" Midoriya said as he leapt to his feet, eyeing both villains warily. "I'm… not afraid of you anymore!"
"Oh ho, I guess you're no longer the boogey man, Bakugo," quipped Gyro, though his eyes were scanning around the hallway. "Where is Johnny? Is he that room that Midoriya is next to?"
Bakugo ignored him as he held up his right gauntlet. "Guessing you know this from all your stalking, but… the sweat glands in my palms secrete something like nitroglycerin. That's how I make explosions."
"Where are you going with this, Bakugo?" questioned Gyro. The boy's words were… dangerous, more so than before and the Italian couldn't help a feeling that something bad was going to happen next.
"Shut it, Gold Tooth." Bakugo huffed as he pulled the handle of his grenade like gauntlets back, revealing a hidden pin inside. Both Gyro and Midoriya eyed the little piece as the explosive blonde hooked a finger in it. "Assuming they honored my design requests… This gauntlet has been storing that fluid…"
"Storing…" Gyro repeated before his eyes suddenly went wide, realization hitting him like a tidal wave as his partner grinned a vicious, almost animalistic smile. "No, wait!"
"Bakugo, stop it now, kid!" All Might's voice crackled through their communicators as Bakugo started to pull the pin out.
"He won't die if it's not a direct hit!" exclaimed Bakugo, all sense of reason replaced by pure instinct and pride.
Letting out a curse in his native language, Gyro tossed his Steel Ball into Bakugo's right shoulder, the arm jerking upwards as the muscles twisted back, but it was too late.
A sudden flash engulf the hallway where Midoriya stood followed by an explosive roar that blocked out any sound. So powerful was the blast, Gyro felt himself getting pushed back by the sheer air pressure that was left in its wake. A dreadful ringing filled his ears as he tried to keep himself from falling onto his bottom, but by the time he regained his footing and turned to his gaze forward once more, his mouth dropped open in awe.
The upper half of the hallway was completely obliterated along with the floor of the next story. What was left of the frame work stood out in bent angles. Rubble and scrap were scattered all around the floor. The room that Midoriya stood next to earlier could now be seen due to the wall hiding it was completely gone. Only a few pillars remained and glass from broken windows filled the outer edges of the mostly destroyed room. Smoke filled the hallway, though most of it came from the palm of Bakugo's hand, an after effect from releasing such a powerful explosion.
As for Bakugo's intended target, he lay on the floor looking worse for wear, his mask completely destroyed by the blast and his costume mostly in tears, but he wasn't dead. His face etched in complete panic as he stared at his childhood bully, who turned to glare murderously at Gyro. "What the hell, Gold Tooth?! I told you not to interfere or I will kill you!"
"And I wasn't going to until you decided to try and kill Midoriya!" retorted Gyro, still in a state of disbelief at how brazen his teammate was with his vendetta with the curly haired youth. "Are you completely insane?! That blast would've burnt him into a crisp!"
"Like hell it would have! I wasn't going to give him a direct hit!" Gyro gave a snort at that, not really buying it, but he didn't get a chance to argue as they were suddenly interrupted.
"Bakugo, use that move again… and I will forcibly end this match. You will lose along with your teammates," ordered All Might, his voice through the communicator giving no room for argument. "Using massive attacks like that indoors is just asking to have your own stronghold destroyed! Whether hero or villain… It's a bad move! And it's a good way to lose points!"
"Argh! Come on, man!" complained Bakugo, raising his hands up in frustration, but paused when he saw Midoriya fleeing into the now half destroyed room. Pulling back his lips into a snarl, he threw his hands down, causing a miniature explosion that sent him leaping forward towards his prey. "Time to pound you!" Not willing to wait around, Gyro followed after him, a Steel Ball in his hand.
Midoriya suddenly stopped before turning to face Bakugo, a hand raised and ready to block the vicious blonde's attack. Yet an explosion appeared just a foot away from his face, causing him to flinch. He then let out a gasp as his childhood bully used the momentum of his explosion to ambush him from behind, his feet not even hitting the ground yet. "Here we go. Your old favorite, my right hook!" Bakugo taunted as he swung his fist at his prey's right arm.
The curly haired fanboy could do nothing to stop the blow, his breath once more leaving his lungs in one huge rush. Yet Bakugo was not done with his combo attack. Grasping ahold of Midoriya's arm, the wild eyed youth swung him around before slamming him into to the floor, causing small cracks to form in the concrete.
Midoriya let out a grunt before scrambling to his feet and jump away just as Bakugo smashed a fist where he once was. Gyro was absolutely amazed by the sheer endurance that the curly haired boy could take after getting a full on assault from someone who was currently running on pure instinct. "Is this the same kid I rescued all those months back?" he wondered to himself, more than a little impressed by Midoriya's determination. In way, he remind him of Johnny.
Suddenly Gyro blinked as he realized that he totally forgotten about his pupil. He was nowhere to be seen when they encountered Midoriya and knowing the fanboy, he wouldn't leave him behind. Yet before he could continue to wonder about his friend's whereabouts, his partner decided to throw another tantrum.
"Why don't you use your quirk!?" demanded Bakugo. "You mocking me?! Ever since we were kids! You always have!"
"You're wrong…" answered Midoriya, his back to the wall as Bakugo stalked ever closer to him.
"I know you're looking down on me!"
"It's because you're so awesome… that I want to beat you!" Suddenly Midoriya lurched forward as his right arm started to bulge and glow with power. "I wanna win! I wanna beat you, you idiot!"
"Stop lookin' at me like that, YOU DAMN NERD!" roared Bakugo as he rushed forward to meet Midoriya with both of his arms raised and ready for one last epic confrontation.
"Sadly, I'm going to have end this right here…" silently thought Gyro, a Steel Ball rotating intensely in the palm of his right hand. With how Bakugo was currently acting after Midoriya's declaration, he knew that there was no way the explosive boy was going to hold back. So in order to save the fanboy from getting the worst beat down ever, he was going have to knock him out first. The horse jockey knew that Bakugo will most likely will be furious from interfering with his duel, but things were getting too out of hand for his tastes.
Gripping the ball tightly in his hand, Gyro threw it at Midoriya's head. Yet before the ball could even get close to the fanboy or Bakugo, several nails collided with the metallic sphere. Time seem to slow as the Italian's eyes widen as he whipped around to see Johnny, sitting in a corner of the room, looking worse for wear as his clothes were in tatters and a thin trail of blood leaked down the side of his head.
"He was here the whole time?! How the hell did neither of us notice him?!" Gyro's mind raced in a buzz before noticing that rubble covered the paraplegic's legs and a bit of his torso. Combined with the fact that most of his attention was mostly focused on Bakugo and Midoriya at the time, Johnny was practically unnoticeable. He blinked suddenly when he noticed Johnny's expression. Though he looked exhausted, he was giving him a smirk. A slither of dread ran up his spine for a moment before he turned his head back to see his Steel Ball now connected with his partner's left shoulder, jerking his arm upwards.
Bakugo didn't seem to notice as he brought his right arm up, an explosion already brimming to life in his hand. Yet what really caught Gyro's attention was the look in Midoriya's eye. It was calm and determined.
"NOW, URARAKA!" the fanboy roared out as he swung his arm upwards while an explosion engulfed his form.
As soon as Midoriya gave her the signal, Uraraka clung to a pillar in the center of the room she was in. Ida, who had been protecting the dummy bomb, not letting the brown haired girl even close to it, gave her a confused look before a racking explosion and massive force of air pressure tore apart the floor they were on. Letting a smile crawl upon her lips, the gravity student floated in the air with the pillar she clung to, now weightless in her grip.
"Ida!" she shouted, catching the strict boy's attention. "Sorry! Gotta improvise… COMET HOME RUN!" Uraraka then swung with all her might as the pillar hit several small pieces of rubble that floated in midair as if they were mere baseballs.
"That's no home run!" exclaimed Ida, as he endured the sudden barrage. Yet he flinched when he saw Uraraka leaping over him, her Quirk letting her glide over the hole in the room, before finally reaching her goal.
"Secured!" Uraraka practically shouted with glee as she clung to the dummy bomb, though her cheeks looked slightly green.
"Ahhhhhhhh! The weapon!" Ida could nothing, but stare in disbelief as he knew that he, and his team, had failed in their mission.
"Heh… I can't believe it worked…"grunted Johnny, before letting out a hiss as he tried to sit up straight, but failing that as both pain and exhaustion caught up to him. Despite this, however, he couldn't help feeling victorious. While Deku's plan was almost derailed by Bakugo's sudden burst of power—really almost killing Johnny as he had to shoot several pieces of rubble and endure what was left as it fell on him—it worked really well in the end. Keeping Bakugo and Gyro busy while using the latter's own abilities against the formers' before combing it with Deku's Quirk was brilliant. The paraplegic knew that he could never thought of a better plan, especially in his state. He was lucky that he had partner like Deku.
"That… from the start, you…" stuttered Bakugo, causing Johnny to look up to see the arrogant blonde's expression of pure disbelief and defeat. "You've been mocking me…!"
"I didn't want to use it," said Deku, which the cripple noted that both of his arms were red and swollen while the rest of his body was trembled where he stood. It was amazing that he was even standing at all. "The blowback messes me up too much… It's just like Aizawa Sensei said… But… it's all that I could think of…" With that said, Deku stumbled forward before hitting the floor, completely unconscious.
"The hero… The Hero Team WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINS!" declared All Might through everyone's communicators, causing Johnny to let out a smirk once more before pausing to see Gyro standing right next to him.
"That was a pretty ballsy plan, Johnny," he said with a smile before crouching down and started to move the rubble off his pupil's body.
"Heh… Not a bad joke, Gyro…" admitted Johnny. He was tired and could feel the sweet embrace of unconsciousness coming on, so he decided to let his friend have that one joke.
"Of course it is. Don't you know? All my jokes are the best in the world! Nyo Ho Ho!"
Johnny almost was tempted to let out a snort and take his compliment back, but he couldn't muster up the energy to do so. As his eyes started to close, he saw the arrival of All Might along with several helper robots. The Symbol of Peace said something to Bakugo, but the blonde didn't seem to notice as he looked like was in a state of shock. Then the great hero turned and walked over to Johnny and helped the Italian horse jockey dig him out of the rubble.
"Well done, Johnny Joestar," he congratulated the young paraplegic as he lifted him up off the ground. "That was a pretty risky plan, but in the end, your team won in the end."
Johnny's lips curved into a small smile at that compliment, but whatever else All Might had to say was lost to him as darkness finally took him. Not that he really minded at this point. After all, he succeeded in another near impossible exercise and that was enough for him to take a nice long rest.
Author's Note: Whew! This was a hard chapter to get out. Not because of the writing itself was hard, that is the easy part, rather my summer job has been keeping me busy and annoyingly so. Makes me feel absolutely tired when I get home from work. Not to mention I have other stuff I want to do, like rewatching the entire series of Code Geass or finishing off Disgaea 5 on the Nintendo Switch before Splatoon 2 comes out this Friday. Point is, I was tired and distracted and had to put off this chapter, and my other stories for that matter. Speaking of which, I will try to start writing another chapter for my RWBY X Bloodborne story very soon, but it will be slow and I make no promises on when it will be released.
As for this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun with writing the battle scenes, but I have to admit it was a little bit difficult to do much with the battle training test. Simply because while I wanted to have cool combinations from the villains, Bakugo's personality wouldn't have allowed Gyro to interrupt his vendetta with Deku and Ida wouldn't leave his post as he took his job very seriously. That being said, I did what I could do and I hope you enjoyed what I had to offer.
As for the next chapter, I feel like I will have more freedom with creativity since it's the first villain arc! Get ready for some badass fun and some epic confrontations as Class 1-A gets its first real taste of villainary and more importantly, confronting the works of an Enemy Stand user! I won't say who it is, but I will say that they are from Part 7 of Jojo. Plus another character from Jojo will be showing up as a Hero. You'll know him when you see him. :P
On the subject of Johnny's costume, I thought long and hard on what would be best for him, looking up Super Hero costume designs and thinking of what would suit the 7th Jojo. Even had my friend, The Infamous Man, help me out with this. What I came up with was something that resembles Jonathan Joestar's original outfit from part 1 while also referencing features from Fist of the North Star and Mad Max, since both series help inspired Jonathan's design. And since Johnny is Jonathan's parallel, I found it fitting. Now that being said, his costume may change over time since Hero Costumes do that with new artists or appealing to a new generation. Like with All Might and his Silver Age costume. So keep that in mind in future chapters!
At any rate, as promised, here is Johnny's current stats.
Johnny Joestar:
Power: 1/5
Speed: 2/5 - 4/5 (with the Spin on his wheelchair or when riding Slow Dancer)
Technique: 3/5
Intelligence: 3/5
Cooperativeness: 2/5
Stand: Tusk (Act 1)
Destructive Power: E
Speed: E
Range: D
Durability: B
Precision: E
Development Potential: A
Powers: Tusk Act 1's main ability is to allow Johnny to shoot his fingernails, or toenails, with the power of the Spin. They are incredibly sharp and fast like a bullet, able to penetrate through stone and metal, but have trouble when against tougher metals. Once shot from his hand, they take a short time to grow back. Besides mainly being used as a ranged weapon, Tusk Act 1 can use its abilities for several uses, such as being used as a close ranged weapon or limited mobility, but they depend on how clever and creative Johnny can be when putting them into use. That is if he get more confident in himself.
The next person for stats will be Izuku "Deku" Midoriya and his Quirk: One For All!
Now onto review responses, which will be brief this time around and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability.
kerrowe: As I have stated above in the stats for Johnny, if he can get more confident in himself, then he can learn to use his Stand for different ways than simply shooting. In the manga he was clever enough to trick Pork Pie Hat Kid by literally making a wooden carving of himself, so it's not too far fetched to think that Johnny can learn different uses for Act 1. Also I hope you continue to enjoy this story!
betsybugaboo: Sorry, but the only Joestar in this story will be Johnny since this is a universe made after Part 6. Thank you for enjoying this story!
TheLunaticChild: Thank you very much! I try to make sure each character is the same as they are in their own series. I hope to continue to please you, and everyone else, with future chapters!
Jajo Camello: I haven't thought much of Diego yet, but after rereading Part 7 and watching a video on youtube about Steel Ball Run, I will say that Diego will be showing up later in this story. But I won't say is what role he play as even I don't know as of this time. Don't worry though, I'll think of something that is befitting for him.
The Infamous Man: As I have already talked to you before on PM, I will make this brief and say thank you once again for your helpful insight, as well helping me work out the details for Johnny's costume! I hope you enjoy this chapter and future entries!
Guest # 1: Sorry, but no. Gappy won't make into this story as he isn't "Born" yet and I only want one Jojo per story I write, unless it involves time travel, which story does not have.
Guest # 2: Tusk Act 4 won't be appearing until very late in the story.
Keneki005: As I have stated before, I haven't thought of pairings yet, as they are not the focus as of this time. However I do a romance in this story, I won't try to force it. Rest assured it would be natural and not wanting me or anyone to scrape their eyes out in cringiness if they read it.
Ducks: I can't really say without spoiling anything regarding your concerns, but I will say this, most of those characters might appear in this story. I won't say who or when, but I do have plans for them.
Guest #3: Thanks man, that means a lot to me! And yeah, I like Kirishima, and the rest of Class 1-A for that matter, and I want each of them to get their screen time in my story.
Guest #4: So you wished it, so shall it be. :P
Guest #5: Don't worry, as I have just stated, Diego will be showing up later, but still need to make plans for him first. Rest assured, he will show though... Just got to think of something for him. :P
Vaughnilla: I actually did explain this in my first Author's Note for Chapter 1. Stands are visible to everyone in this story since it would be difficult to explain how Johnny got into U.A. or how they face enemy Stand users if they can't see their powers. Thank you for your support!
Amelia Earhart5: Thanks for your support and I will vary my words more in the future. And yes I did notice that after I reread my last chapter.
coduss: Cause Jotaro, the Ocean Man and Stardust Crusader, doesn't exist in this new universe which was created after part 6. Well he does, in a sense, but he's not Jotaro Kugo. Just a parallel. Like Irene is to Jolyne.
Mugiwara No Luffy: First off, thank you for reading my story as it means so much to me. Secondly I really like your own crossover stories with Jojo! They are very good and I look forward to more of them! XD
Guest # 6: Like I said before, I won't say who will show up later in my story, or when or how for that matter, but reassured I got plans for certain characters from Part 7 to show up.
And that's about it! Thanks for again for reading another chapter of mine and I hope to see you all again in the future! Oh, the next chapter won't be for a while unfortunately. Hopefully somewhere in August, maybe anyway, but we'll see what I can do.
That being said I hope you all have a fantastic day!
Sincerely, Count Chaos.
