AN: I got many helpful suggestions for who should inherit One for All, but when trying to choose one of them, I just had this idea to shake everything up: Why not make it that All Might is unable to pass down One for All before his death, and the protagonist has to do without it.
(I'm going to probably do this, I know I'm going to have to make major changes to canon, but didn't I do that already?)
Another slight variation on this idea, is that All Might is on the verge of death, and he feels like he has to pass on One for All so it wouldn't be lost, and the closest person is the protagonist. I know I said in a previous author's note that he won't get it (or was it review reply of mine?) but it was meant that he wouldn't be chosen before others, since his personality doesn't really align with Izuku's, who was considered to have all the perfect qualities by All Might.
Chapter 7:
I stayed up all night experimenting with kitten, and I also made a note that my increased stamina doesn't let me go without sleep, "don't forget it or pretend it doesn't exist, becaue without sleep you'll end up grumpier, and you'll have less control of your quirk, and you know what are the consequences of losing control" were the words I wrote in my diary, even though I'll probably ignore them in the future, I at least wanted a semblance of forethought to be visible for future me.
I managed to gather results however, and they were very interesting:
Attempting to make the cat angry caused her skin to start cracking, and her fur to be steeled, looking (and feeling) like sharp jagged rocks. I didn't go further, didn't want an incident so soon.
I also tried to take blood from her, and was surprised when it became apparent that her insides were already replaced with void, much like my own.
She appeared to be very intelligent as well, not sure if this is just her own natural level, or if it was enhanced by void.
I still had a lot of tests to do, like, what if she transformed, or how much food she needed now, and did she need to poop? All important questions that I had to set aside, when I noticed that the time outside went from evening to dawn while I was absorbed in the experiments. I also noticed that I was quite sleepy, but I needed to go to school, which completely ruined my morning mood.
I was never a big enjoyer of coffee, but I always kept a little, just in case something like this happened. Whenever such an event occured, I made something with maximum caffeine, and just downed it in one go, I wasn't drinking it for the taste, but for the benefits.
After getting through all of my morning routine (or in other words eating a banana and making sure I don't look like I just woke up after massacring an entire village) I was on my way to school.
The weather was fine all the same, even though I wasn't able to appreciate it properly. There were also no little kittens needing to be rescued this time, and so I quickly reached the school, where, again, I was the first to arrive like on the day we started.
I swear I just put my head in my arms to shut my eyes for a couple of minutes, but I must have dozed off since I regained consciousness to a couple of "Doppo? Doppo?"s.
"I'm awake now." I said out loud, to show them I wasn't a body dropped there by the villains as some kind of intimidation tactic.
Identifying the source of the voice as Ochaco, I prepared myself for a conversation, instead of using that valuable time as sleeping.
"Did you get enough sleep? You look like you're barely awake." she said, sounding concerned. Honestly, she didn't just "sound" concerned, she was an honest person, and she must have been concerned really, why must you make it like everyone's out to get me, brain? Back to the conversation however, I answered.
"I was working on a new move for probably a little too late into the evening. Nothing to be worried about." I must have looked more like Aizawa than I realized.
When Aizawa came in, he told us about the upcoming sports festival, and when it was questioned if it should still happen so soon after a villain attack, he replied that it was to show to the public that the attack meant nothing to the school. Logical reason, but annoying as well, since I didn't remember anything about the sports festival.
If I was more awake, I would have noticed the couple of looks he sent me, anticipating the conversation that would happen later.
He swiftly left, probably to sleep some more, for which I can't fault him since exhaustion is such a terrible state to be in. I imagine that he must have worked a lot of long nights as a hero, and on top of that he also got to teach at UA.
My classmates got really fired up about the Sport Festival, already making exclamations about how they were going to be the coolest, so they would get a hundred agencies to fight for them.
Unexpectedly, the one who was by far the most excited was Ochaco, showing a yet unknown side of her, one with endless determination. It makes you think what her reason is for being a hero, if she actually takes it this seriously.
We were on our way for lunch, when Aizawa stopped us, and told us that he would like to have a few words with me, about the incident and my "reckless behavior", which was enough of an answer for them and we were left alone.
"Kamiyama, I'll be frank, 6 people died among those that you fought."
I was pretty sure that some of them wouldn't survive it, only 6 dead is a pretty good number in my opinion. Obviously this wasn't the answer Aizawa was looking for, so I put on my best "I'm so shocked I can't even react properly" face, and waited.
- POV change -
Aizawa Shota was a smart person, he had to be in order to be able to work as a hero, even though his quirk didn't offer him any advantages, only being able to even the playing field. He wasn't a front-line fighter, but instead a strategist and undercover agent, and in undercover he learned a lot of important things, one of them being able to spot almost anyone who was lying, but certainly all the students.
Doppo's mask was quite good, it would have fooled others, but he could see behind it, how he wasn't that concerned over the lost lives of a couple of thugs.
This wasn't a singular case, there were other students before who didn't have inhibitions about killing, and they usually fell into two categories: 1. They just don't care if their opponents die, and 2. They go out of their way to kill them. Doppos appeared to be the first case, and with this he could still be a hero, as long as he worked by the rules as a hero, his personal viewpoints didn't matter.
However, with this realization Aizawa knew he had to change his approach to the situation, and so his next sentence appeared completely different from the one before it.
"Kamiyama, generally, pro heroes aren't allowed to kill, but it's accepted if they do it few times and it has to be justified, the same applying for students. If you really want to be a hero, please don't let yourself fail because of such a thing like this."
"Understood, sensei." was the rigid reply he got, after which Doppo quickly left.
- POV change -
Surprising even myself I managed to remain calm.
"Fine, fine, it was discovered sooner than I would have liked to, but I expected this." was my thought process. I knew I couldn't get through UA without a couple of bodies falling, it wasn't my style to leave villains alive, but I was a littleangry at myself for slipping up this fast, but it happens.
Why is it that we are expected to fight villains, capture them alive, while they are trying to kill us? I couldn't see the logic, capturing an enemy alive unless it was of vital importance wasn't logical, and so I didn't bother with being non-lethal most times, and there were a lot of villains which I thought should just be killed. However, most heroes didn't think this way, and while I wore the UA uniform, or my hero clothes, I was one of them, and so I would honor their rules. While I was a hero.If a villain was really that bad, I would just hunt them down on my own time.
I got really carried away, thinking about hero business and all that. It only took me so long to forget my original purpose, to get a license to be able to use my quirk, nothing more. If I needed to survive the events of a battle shonen to get it, then that's it, but I won't be a hero after that. I should always keep that in mind.
It was with my inner conflict resolved that I went back to the lunch area, greeting Ochaco and Iida with a smile on my face, and telling them the excuse I prepared "He wanted to tell me that I was way too aggressive, I should have been more cautious, and I should never do that again and let the pros handle it.".
Nothing of note happened, right up until the end of the day, when the classroom door was blocked by a swarm of students.
It was then that I remembered, that not only the hero course, but everyone from UA will compete in the sports festival, and I'm sure that some of them see it as their chance to show it that they can be heroes, even though they didn't get into the hero course.
Maybe this is why we have a free spot? That could be an award, the student who got the farthest while not being in the hero course would get transferred, thus motivating people. It made sense like that.
After that train of thought was over though, I still had the problem of people crowding at the door! I swear, I thought only villains don't have basic manners, but it appears (aspiring) heroes don't have either.
I tried to be as polite as possible, when I told them to go to warmer climate:
"Please stop staring at us, we're not part of a museum or anything like that."
It appeared that some of them got offended, and to motivate them a bit I let my skin crack on my arm.
I swear, I wouldn't be able to live without it, people just instinctively increase their distance from me whenever I start cracking, like it's coded into their brains. Maybe this is connected to the fear inducing powers?
I had two weeks until the sports festival, and I intended to use it to the fullest. There were several things I could focus on, the two main ones being a full transformation or the fear inducing powers of the void.
Being reluctant to use such powers in front of a wide audience made me rethink the idea of using that, since terrfiyng thousands wouldn't be a good impression, and decide on the transformation.
- POV change -
It was two weeks until the sports festival, two weeks of being a little less tired each day, since most students didn't think about asking him for advice, both because of his usually lazy demeanor, and his seemingly unapproachable personality.
After yesterdays talk with Doppo, he didn't expect to see him again, yet here he was, walking towards him nervously.
"Sensei? You know, about the full details of my quirk, right?" he started. And Aizawa did know about it, it was specifically marked that Doppo was put in his class so he could easily restrain him in case he lost control.
"I would like to be able to achieve a full-body transformation, but I can't in good conscience train with it alone." it appeared Doppo took his words to heart, and that made him a little happy on the inside, being able to change someone from a dark path so soon.
"So I was thinking, if you could help me with it, I know it's a lot to ask since it's two whole weeks, but it would be really useful, and" before he could continue, he cut in.
"Yes I will." he yawned for added effect, just to show how less sleep he'll be able to get in the following weeks. And he thought he'll have it easy.
AN: This chapter took (what felt like to me, like) a lot of time, since I struggled a lot with the confrontation scene, and I'm still not satisfied with that, so if someone writes a review with a good suggestion for it, expect the chapter to get modified.
Next chapter starts the Sports Festival, and I will probably go back and read some quality Naruto fanfiction to get an idea on how to write fight scenes.