It's that time of week again!
A new chapter! Woo-hoooooo!
For once, I don't have anything to say up here! Weird, isn't it?
Ah, excuse me, I'm lying. I do have something to say.
On... With... The show!
What now?
That question had been weighing Izuku down for days now and he still had no way to answer it.
Aizawa's speech was… compelling, to say the least. He'd done a lot of thinking about what the man said, what he'd urged Izuku to do… but life wasn't that easy.
It was too late for him. The application window had passed. Applying to another school was no longer possible for the same reason, and he couldn't just take a gap year before even entering high school. As a minor, he was legally required to be engaged with an education until he graduated from secondary school.
If only Eraserhead had found him sooner, given this advice when it could have helped him… but life is full of 'what if's and 'if only's. Dwelling on them didn't improve his situation in the slightest and only served to aggravate him further. The alternative of course, was to consider the future…
And that just brought him back to the question: What now?
Even if he was completely committed to pursuing it, which he definitely wasn't anymore, being a hero was no longer on the table. That left his current trajectory, being a Supporter. It was the only option, the logical option…
But Aizawa's words kept coming back to him.
'People like you need to be needed…' he'd said.
Being a Supporter was an important job. He would be needed in that line of work. From the heroes he worked with directly to the people his creations assisted in saving, he would undoubtedly be necessary…
So why did it feel so wrong?!
Sighing, he pushed away the schematic he'd been doodling upon while he thought. It was the rough plan for a device to assist with Uraraka's nausea. He'd need to see if it was possible via a discussion with Hinata, but the accessory would theoretically press Uraraka's tenketsu, the ones involved in her Quirk's usage, and mitigate the energy flow somehow. It may end up being more useful as a training tool, an inhibitor that would activate if she pushed too far... Izuku wasn't quite sure yet, but it wasn't an important project right now anyway.
The thing that was more important wasn't really a project per se, but certainly something he wanted to test before relying on it.
Izuku had managed to get Uraraka's contact information after he got out of the hospital and gotten the name of the store—Fuku's apparently—that the brunette had recommended. While they were talking, she'd even suggested they meet up at some point to hang out. In her mind, they were already friends because of what they'd experienced.
Izuku didn't disagree, and was rather ecstatic to actually have a friend, but…
It was a struggle to decide if her suggestion qualified as a date or not. He wasn't exactly experienced in this sort of thing, and now he was stressing over the very idea of interacting with Uraraka at some indistinct point in the future. Was it as simple as face value? Was it a date? Something in-between? Was he overthinking this?
Probably… There's no way a girl like her would be interested, anyway.
To return to the point, however, Izuku had something he wanted to test.
He'd gotten some undergarments from the clothing store, ones meant to resize to suit a person with an inconsistent shape. A simple pair of briefs was all he could find in the underwear section that he was willing to wear. The options for... up top... were far too embarrassing, with a skintight bodysuit reminiscent of latex being the least of them…
The frills… Why were there so many frills?!
As a compromise—he still needed something—Izuku had purchased a simple t-shirt made of the same material. It would, unfortunately, still be skin tight because of how it functioned, but it was enough to satisfy his mother, so he dealt with it.
Izuku grabbed both pieces of clothing from the bag they'd been sitting in for a few hours, stripping quickly, and slipped them on before redressing in his usual clothes. They were remarkably comfortable, made of a uniquely soft fabric that clung to him like a second skin while somehow also not being too tight. The fabric was something he'd need to investigate. It was interesting on its own merits, for one, and also something he could experiment with for costuming work if he could get his hands on it.
Once dressed properly, he pushed the button on the watch that sprung up its face.
Now, who should I go with?
Scrolling through the options, he saw Ryoko's symbol—the three gemstones, Rias' symbol—a pentagram within a circle, and Hinata's—a pupil-less eye.
...Probably Rias. If they can stretch to fit her, then it'll fit the others.
Izuku turned the dial further, meaning to get back to Rias' symbol, but paused. There was a new symbol… an orb wrapped in an upside down 'U' shape.
"Another one?" he muttered.
The watch was… inconsistent, he'd noticed. The few times he'd used it so far, he'd found that sometimes it would display all the spirit's symbols—that he knew of anyway—and sometimes only one or two. The girls themselves seemed to have no idea why that was, and it only added to his frustrations with trying to understand the absurd piece of technology.
Might as well try it. Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be a guy this time!
He lifted his hand to press down on the button, but paused briefly.
...Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not that lucky.
With a flash of green and a familiar burst of tingling, Izuku knew the change had occurred.
The most immediately obvious thing was the pink bangs that smothered his vision. The hair was lengthier than Ryoko's even, with jagged points strewn throughout it's flowing strands.
Using a hand to pull it back, Izuku took stock of his newest appearance.
For the second time, he was shorter than before, though it was a bit less than when he was sharing Hinata's look. Unfortunately, as he'd predicted, it seemed that Izuku would not be catching a break from exaggerated femininity with this appearance, since—
'If you don't stop staring at my chest I will find a way out of this watch and castrate you with a chipped tanto,' a husky voice threatened. It sounded just on the right side of being mannish in its depth, but managed to maintain a feminine tone to it.
"Hah...?" Izuku drawled in reflexive disbelief. Her new voice was similar to the threatening one in her head, though notably a bit lighter. Probably a mix of her being a bit younger than whoever she was bonded to right now and the woman also choosing to speak in a deeper pitch.
More worryingly was the fact that Izuku had automatically responded to the threat like a delinquent. Izuku was almost certain that she had never used the phrase 'hah...?' in her life. It just… felt rude. At least in the tone she'd used it with, anyway.
'Tch. Just because I don't mince words doesn't mean I'm a punk, boya,' the woman disagreed, sounding insulted by the comparison.
Izuku scratched the back of her head sheepishly, drawing her attention to just how much hair there was. Twisting around, she managed to get a glimpse of the curtain of hair behind her. The pink mass fell all the way to the floor, brushing against the carpet at her feet.
"How the hell do you manage all of this?" Izuku asked.
And there it was again. She was being oddly crude, for no real reason.
Uh, seriously, what's up with this?
'Hell if I know. Probably something off about that watch of yours,' the woman answered. 'As for my hair, it works because I keep it in a ponytail and I know how to walk properly. You're definitely gonna have some issues with your clumsy bumbling.'
"Tch. I am not clumsy!" Izuku denied, shaking her head in annoyance and taking a defiant step forward to prove the woman wrong.
Of course, by shaking her head, she'd unknowingly placed it in just the right place for her to step on it, tripping her and sending her tumbling to the ground.
"Son of a bitch," Izuku mumbled from her place on the floor.
Sitting upright, she winced and rubbed her forehead in irritation. Then, after a moment, she had a realization.
"Oh shit. I'm talkin' like Bakugo…" she grimaced. "Ugh…!"
This sucks…
'Life's a bitch. Man up.'
"I can't really do that right now, can I? Ya don't gotta be a cunt—" Izuku began.
Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what exactly had just slipped out of her mouth.
Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—
'You're way too much of a wimp to actually mean that, so I'll let it slide… This time. Next time, you get the tanto...' the woman interrupted darkly. 'As for my name? It's Baiken.'
"G-got it…" Izuku mumbled with her hands over her mouth. She kept the statement short to avoid being inadvertently rude.
So…
'What?' Baiken demanded.
How exactly do I put my hair up? I kind of want to be able to move around normally when I'm like this.
'Are you seriously that incompetant?'
...Um, kinda…?
'For the love of—Ugh… Fine. Don't expect me to show you a second time.' Baiken stated. 'You got a bathroom, or somewhere with a mirror?'
Izuku nodded and stood up warily. Draping the ridiculous amount of pink over one arm, she navigated to the other room. Thankfully, she didn't run into her mother. That would have complicated things greatly…
The woman had been treating Izuku like she was made of glass, lately; checking on her at all hours of the day and night while nervously asking if the—usually—green-haired boy was alright. Inko had been terrified for Izuku's sake after the recent incident, and was determined to keep an eye on her child whenever she could. For her own peace of mind, if nothing else.
Once in the bathroom, Izuku got her first proper look at her newest form.
The person staring back at her in the mirror was beautiful, a theme that she was starting to associate with the various girls in the watch. Specifically, though, this particular look seemed to have an air of natural superiority. Despite being only slightly tall for a Japanese woman, the pink-haired girl in the reflection had the naturally imposing presence of someone with a giant quirk of some kind.
Her face was sharp and aggressive, almost reminiscent of Bakugo's mother—from what Izuku remembered of the few times she had met the woman—and seemed naturally inclined towards scowling. Imprinted upon her brow was a light pink, asymmetrical, inverted 'U' shape—with the right side cutting down across the eye and onto her freckled cheeks. Centered on her forehead was a circle, resting just above the curve of the upside-down 'U.'
Lastly, the girl's figure was… well, Izuku had already opened that can of worms and been promptly threatened for it, so it wasn't worth touching upon now. More importantly, however…
"I look like an anime character…" Izuku declared before she could stop herself. "I bet you got beat up in school a lot—"
Not again! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—
'You ever hear that saying, boya? "Silence is golden…"' Baiken interjected in a growl.
...Got it. Sorry!
'Do you ever stop apologizing?'
Um… I guess not… Sorry—Ah! I did it again!
'You've got issues, boya,' the woman commented.
Without warning, wisps of energy began to leak from the watch marking on Izuku's left forearm, forming rapidly into an older version of the girl Izuku saw in the mirror. The way she was dressed seemed like someone had distilled down the romanticized idea of a ronin, dashed in a bit of sex appeal, and tossed a slight amount of teenage edginess on top of it.
A patterned red, black, and white kimono garbed her, with a skull-imprinted gakuran hanging from her shoulders. A wide obi with thick red ropes wrapped around the ensemble, with a conspicuously loose area at her left hip that seemed meant to have a blade hanging from it.
The most noteworthy aspects of her appearance, however… were the goggle-like eyepatch covering her left eye and the way her tattered right sleeve hung empty.*
Izuku could feel phantom pains just from the sight: a distinct pinching sensation wrapping around the middle of her right upper arm along with a sharp prickly feeling in her left eye. For a moment, she could even hear people screaming, cries of terror and the sounds of death overwhelming her as the flames encroached, her pained gaze staring up at a horrible man in a flowing white—
'You done gawking, boya?' Baiken asked, shattering the image and bringing Izuku back to the present.
I-I… I didn't mean—
'Don't worry about it.'
Izuku paused for a moment, nervousness leaking onto her face. It looked almost unnatural on the younger version of Baiken's features, but that wasn't really important right now.
'...Just ask already. Get it out of your system,' Baiken ordered.
Her translucent form floated over to the countertop, sitting with her back to the mirror and her right leg resting vertically. A traditional looking pipe appeared in her hand, which she idly twirled with dextrous fingers.
H-how did you…? Why do I still have…
'My home was attacked by Gears when I was a kid. Parents bit it while getting me out, but I didn't get away completely intact… I still haven't gotten the bastard responsible, either,' she stated, her tone slipping into a snarl briefly when mentioning the target of her wrath.
Baiken took a breath of her pipe, leaning her head back and releasing the illusory smoke into the air. The tension faded from her form after a moment, so she continued.
'As for you? No clue why you've got all your bits still. If I had to guess, it's because of the way this bond changes you, but I have no idea how that works… Just.. Count your blessings that you're whole, boya.'
Izuku gulped shakily, nodding a moment later.
'Bah!' the woman suddenly exclaimed, slipping her pipe into the folds of her clothes, 'Enough of that depressing shit. We're here so you can learn… Hair care… Ugh, nevermind. Being depressing's preferable to this.'
Wait, no! I can't walk around with all of this in the way!
...
In the end, Izuku managed to convince Baiken to teach her the deep and mysterious art of wrapping a thin cord around her hair…
...It was very underwhelming.
The following day, Izuku set off for school—the second semester had finally begun—taking his usual route and avoiding the latest villain incident on the way. It was becoming more common nowadays, like Aizawa had mentioned. No one really had any idea why, but crime was happening at a rate unseen for a few decades.
Of course, life went on, heightened crime rates or not.
What was far more relevant was the odd sounds Izuku heard as he approached his school. Battle cries and explosions filled the air, followed by what sounded like heavy objects hitting the floor.
What's Bakugo doing now?!
Izuku rushed to cover the remaining distance, turning a corner and coming within visual distance of Taku Junior High School. He could see the bursts of light from here, now, and they were obnoxiously loud. As Izuku neared the gates, he realized what exactly was happening.
Bakugo was beating up almost half the students at once.
Well, to be more accurate, he was taking them down one by one as they tried to mob him, but… still.
What is going on…?!
"Hey, you're that 'Deku' guy, right?" someone asked from his side.
Izuku turned to face the person.
Two people met his gaze. The first was a serious looking girl with dark hair, styled into pig-tails with two arching bangs over her forehead. The second was a tall boy, with a long, almost cylindrical, chin and a pompadour haircut.
"Err… My name's Midoriya Izuku," Izuku corrected softly.
"Gotcha," the girl nodded. "I'm Togeike Chikuchi and he's…"
"Agoyamato Tsutsutaka," the boy finished. "Nice to meet you."
That name's kind of… on the nose…**
"You as well," Izuku said with a polite bow. "Um… I'm sorry if this is rude, but… do you go to school here? I don't recognize you."
The two both nodded.
"We have for a while now, actually," Togeike stated. "Though we're in a different class. Probably why you don't recognize us… We've heard of you though."
Agoyamato nodded firmly in agreement.
"Oh… Uh, good things I hope?" Izuku asked nervously.
"Not really," Togeike denied. "Word is that you're Bakugo's quirkless errand boy."
"No." Izuku denied firmly, a bit of genuine anger leaking into his words. "I have nothing to do with him."
"Easy there. You might stub a toe with all that rage," Togeike cut in sarcastically.
Izuku turned away, staring at the dwindling battlefield that the school courtyard had become and his temper already cooling as he watched the chaos.
"So, do you guys know what's going on over there?" Izuku asked.
"From what I heard, Bakugo found some kind of hero to mentor him. Whoever they are, they got him a license for using his quirk in public to practice," Togeike explained. "Of course, because he's a knucklehead, he sent out a message to all the other knuckleheads and wannabes in the school and put a bounty on his own head. If they can beat him, Bakugo will ask his mentor to teach them too."
A mentor, huh…?
"Lucky him..." Izuku muttered wistfully.
A moment passed in silence.
"Well, thanks for the explanation," Izuku stated, clearly not fully focused on what he was saying, "but I should probably get to class."
"Wait, before that," Togeike interjected. "The reason I spoke up in the first place is that I wanted to check if you're the new guy at the costuming club. I saw your application."
Izuku blinked, shaking away his focus on Bakugo and giving his full attention to Togeike.
"Uh, yeah, I am. Are you a member?" he asked.
The girl nodded. "Tsutsutaka runs it. If I'm honest, I'm not much of a participant. I just tag along so his club meets the minimum member requirement. I'm not really into costuming."
"Oh…" Izuku trailed off, nodding in understanding.
"Why do you wish to join?" Agoyamato asked.
"I'm trying to apply for U.A.'s Support Course," Izuku explained.
The girl whistled.
"That's ambitious!" she exclaimed. "I'm applying for their Business Course, along with Tsutsutaka. It's funny, excluding Bakugo, you're the only other person I'm aware of that's applying to U.A. from here."
"Really?" Izuku asked.
"Well, they're the best of the best. It's a pricey endeavor on top of being super hard to get in. Most people can't afford it, but if you impress them while applying for one of their fancy courses they give you a scholarship," Togeike stated. "Thing is, most people can't even manage to pass the Hero or Support practicals, so impressing the teachers is… uncommon."
"Oh, wow. I didn't realize," Izuku mumbled.
How is mom paying for it…?
"Anyway, we'll see you around, right?" Togeike asked.
"Uh, yeah. See you later," Izuku replied.
From there, the trio went their separate ways; slipping through the gate and past the massive brawl occupying the courtyard. The other two ended up in a different building, with Izuku barely getting into his without a flying body crashing into him. Bakugo was really going at it today. The few brawls Izuku had witnessed before had nothing on this one...
As Izuku walked the familiar halls of Taku, something felt… off.
People were looking at him oddly, whispering in hushed tones to each other whenever he passed. It was unbearable for the overly self-conscious boy. What had he done to get all this attention?
Oh god, what if they found out my 'quirk?'
By the time he'd reached his classroom, he was understandably tense, nervously glancing at everyone he passed and searching for any evidence of what was causing this. Things only worsened when he entered the classroom.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, everyone went silent. All conversation ground to a halt as everyone turned to stare at him.
What's going on?!
The whispering started once he sat down. Izuku buried his head in his arms, nose to his desk so that he wouldn't have to see everyone looking at him like this. Now that he was closer, he could actually make out some words…
"Is he…?"
"My uncle said…"
"Beat a villain…!"
"I heard that…"
Oh no… How did they find out about that?! It was only a few days ago! School just started!
Things only worsened when he heard the stomping approaching.
When Bakugo entered the room, his eyes were blazing. Instantly, he zeroed in on Izuku and began to approach. He looked like a wild animal, almost, with his fisted hands tensing his arms into weapons and the audible growl echoing from his throat. The boy was only a few steps away when—
BRRIIIIIIINNNNGGG!
The bell rang.
The boy snarled once, and then turned around, sitting in his assigned seat… the one right next to Izuku. The glare he sent at the green-haired boy promised pain, regardless of how it would be delayed. There would be no avoiding this confrontation…
"Hey, Bakugo, you done yet?!" someone called.
Dangling the wimp in his hands off the pile of unconscious bodies he was standing upon, Bakugo proceeded to knee the idiot in the gut and jump off the mound.
"Tch. Yeah. They're all worthless extras. They're only good for practicing against a horde of unskilled mooks," Bakugo replied with no small amount of annoyance.
"Cool…" the boy next to him replied. The teen was one of the few that stuck to his side for most of his time in school. Nothing worth paying attention to, but his loyalty got him some small amount of courtesy.
Tugging his phone from his pocket, Bakugo checked the time.
"Shit. Class is startin' soon," he muttered.
"Oh, did you hear?" the mook asked. "Apparently Midoriya got into some serious shit this summer."
"Who cares?" Bakugo demanded as he shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking to class. "That idiot's not my problem anymore. He learned his lesson."
"Well yeah, but I heard that someone heard that—"
"If you're gonna talk, get to the point," the blonde ordered.
"R-right," the sycophant nodded. "Well, someone's dad works for the police, and apparently Deku got into a fight with a villain."
Bakugo stopped walking abruptly. The idiot behind him didn't notice in time and stumbled straight into the blonde, though it was almost like he'd walked into a wall for all that Bakugo moved.
"What?!" he yelled, whirling around.
"Y-yeah, man!" the other teen confirmed. "He won somehow, too! Even had a pro show up to read him the riot act afterward!"
Bakugo went silent.
His hands slipped out of his pockets and he started walking forward, his footsteps ringing out loudly from the weight he unconsciously put into them. Though he was thinking many things as he approached the classroom, they could all be summarized with one word:
HOW?!
It was impossible.
Deku was quirkless. Everyone knew that, especially the worthless idiot. There was no way he could beat a villain, even the lowest grade of them. There was a reason they were called villains and not criminals. Criminals were just idiots doing illegal things… but villains? Villains were people who'd turned their quirks into deadly weapons and dedicated themselves to some kind of goal that put them at odds with society. More often than not, they weren't as dangerous or at the scale of the kind of thing people would see in comics, but even the weakest of them was far too much for a civilian to handle… A quirkless person stood even less of a chance.
More importantly, Bakugo hadn't stood a chance...
As soon as he entered the classroom, he singled out Midoriya's seat and went straight for the boy. Opening his mouth to demand an explanation—
BRRIIIIIIINNNNGGG!
The bell rang.
"...and so, when you take the root of…"
The first day of school was not going well.
"...add it to the…"
Somehow, someone had gotten ahold of the fact that Izuku had beaten a villain. Nevermind that he almost died, or that he had help… He was a celebrity now, whether he wanted it or not.
Hopefully it'll go away soon…
More important to his short-term health was the fact that Bakugo appeared to have gotten the same news as everyone else… and he was not happy. The blonde looked ready to murder someone!
...And that someone was probably him.
Is he still glaring at me…?
Izuku lifted his head from its position in his arms, glancing briefly at the boy to his side. Of course, the moment he did so, he accidentally made eye contact with the violent teen. Bakugo took that opportunity to glare even more fiercely and gesture at the clock on the wall. It was already one o'clock...
...Crap. I'm going to die once school's over, aren't I?
…
Unfortunately for Izuku, school ended rather quickly. Since it was everyone's first day back, they were let out a bit early. Normally, that would be great, but… Well, it was rather obvious why that was a problem for him currently.
Especially when that problem stood up the moment the bell rang, grabbed Izuku by the collar and dragged him out of the room like a stuffed toy. It was an unusually violent move for the blonde, even by his usual standards. He wasn't strong enough to pull him like this one handed… before at least. He seemed a bit bulkier now that summer had passed.
Was he training over the break?
"Talk." Bakugo ordered, slamming Izuku against the brick wall and releasing him just as quickly.
"W-what are you...?" Izuku coughed, trying to force air back into his lungs after the shock of hitting the cement.
"How the fuck did someone as worthless as you beat a villain?" Bakugo demanded.
What do I say?! I can't tell him about my 'quirk.' He'll either not believe me or demand proof, and… I really don't want to prove it to him.
"I…" Izuku trailed off.
Oh! That's it!
"I had help!" Izuku declared. "A Hero trainee showed up!"
"And by 'showed up' you mean took care of everything while you twiddled your thumbs and watched, I'm sure," Bakugo countered.
"No! I did help!" Izuku denied.
It was admittedly somewhat childish, but there was no way he was going to let the egotistical bully belittle the one moment he'd actually done something to help people! Even if he was lying about the situation's specifics, he nearly died to save Uraraka's parents. For a brief part of his life, he was a hero.
"Pft! Sure!" Bakugo laughed. "What'd you do? Throw rocks?"
"No, I—!" Izuku began, cutting himself off. "I…"
I can't tell him… It's just not worth it.
"Yeah, I thought so," Bakugo nodded.
Izuku's gaze fell to the floor as his hands balled into fists. There was no way to win in this situation. Either he let the boy mock one of the few achievements he was actually proud of… or he revealed something even more embarrassing than his current shame.
Damn it!
"Since you're not doin' anything important," Bakugo began. "Call that friend of yours. I want a fight."
"...What?" Izuku asked, nonplussed.
"You heard me," Bakugo confirmed. "I. Want. A fight. Whoever beat a villain with you dragging 'em down has got to be a good test of my skills."
"No," Izuku denied instantly. "I'm not bothering her just so you can just—"
"Maybe you didn't hear me…" Bakugo interrupted, holding out a hand in front of Izuku.
Sparks lit up the air above his palm, making tiny little cracks of sound as they exploded in tiny bursts of light.
"No—" Izuku began.
"Call them, now!"
The explosions increased in scope a bit, catching Izuku's eye and—
Wait! That's it! I can…
"Fine!" Izuku conceded. "I'll call her!"
Bakugo straightened instantly, the lights above his hand winking out as a hungry grin spread across his face.
Izuku ignored this and fished his phone out of his pocket, turning away from Bakugo as he rapidly pulled up Uraraka's number. The phone rang for a few moments, but the girl picked up quickly.
"What's up?" she asked, her bouncy tone making Izuku imagine the bubbly grin she probably had right now.
"Play along, I'll explain soon," Izuku whispered too quietly for Bakugo to notice.
"So, uh… I know you're probably busy but… Do you mind coming to um…" he said, purposefully at a volume the nearby teen could hear.
Izuku glanced at Bakugo.
"Here. We can fight out front," the blonde declared.
"...Taku Junior High?" Izuku continued. "I've got a friend who wants to…"
He glanced at Bakugo again.
"'Spar,'" the boy replied, his feral grin firmly in place.
"...Spar. I'll text you the actual address."
"...Sure?" Uraraka replied uncertainly.
"Great! Thanks!" Izuku said with a purposefully nervous chuckle. It sounded fake, even to him, but Bakugo was too wrapped up in his own head to notice.
With that, he hung up.
"Well, talk to you never, Deku," Bakugo said, now that he'd gotten what he wanted.
The bonde immediately turned on his heel, walking down toward the front courtyard. Izuku let out a sigh of relief the moment that Bakugo was out of sight.
He'd bought himself some time, and he didn't even need to use the texting excuse he'd set up to explain to his accomplice… well, the girl who was hopefully his accomplice... Actually, he should probably call her now, shouldn't he?
Quickly, the teen ran out of the hall and called Uraraka again.
"Izuku?" she asked calmly. "What's going on?"
"Um, I may have had to pull some quick thinking to distract my old bully," Izuku replied. "Somehow it got out that I helped take out a villain over the summer and… Bakugo found out. I couldn't tell him how I did it, so I got him to believe that a 'hero trainee' was actually responsible. He wants to pick a fight with the 'trainee,' so I called you as a bluff."
"Oh… You do know that's going to blow up in your face, right?" Uraraka queried, unaware of just how accurate her statement was.
"...Not if I give him a 'hero trainee' to fight," Izuku denied.
"Um… I'm not really sure if I can fight someone so soon after… well…" the girl trailed off. "B-but if you really need me to—"
"What?! No! I would never ask you to—!" Izuku stated. "No, I just need you to bring me a change of clothes!"
"Why do you—Oh!" Uraraka exclaimed, having caught on. "But if you can fight him yourself, why bother with all this in the first place?"
"...I really don't want him to find out about my quirk," Izuku answered hesitantly. "I'd much rather fight him in a disguise. My, uh, change, handles most of that… but it'd be kind of suspicious if the person fighting him is dressed in my clothes."
"...This is a terrible idea…" Uraraka stated. "He's definitely going to find out eventually and—"
She paused, taking a deep breath to center herself.
"But I'll help you anyway!" the brunette said with an audible smile. "Friends help out friends in need, right?"
The girl's presumed smile was infectious, and Izuku found himself grinning as well.
"Right!"
…
Thankfully, Izuku had managed to escape the grounds of the school via the back entrance, avoiding Bakugo's attention. It was surprising the blonde hadn't dragged him to the courtyard with him in the first place, but he was probably distracted by the prospect of his fight.
It worked to Izuku's advantage, so he wasn't complaining.
He met Uraraka at a nearby convenience store, having sent her the location while he was sneaking away from Taku. The girl had an oversized backpack with her and was wearing her school's uniform. The simple outfit looked good on her, in Izuku's automatically-formed opinion, but what really drew his attention was the fact that the girl was out of breath and had clearly ran a good part of the way here.
"Woah, are you okay, Uraraka?" he asked.
The girl skidded to a stop, immediately slinging the backpack off her shoulders and dumping it into Izuku's arms. Once that was done, she leaned against the wall of the shop and groaned between heavy breaths.
"Never… Doing… That… Again…" she wheezed. "Just… ran… Whole way… Ugh…"
"You ran the whole way?!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Yep…!" Uraraka gasped, giving a thumbs up even as her head was dipped down.
"I… I don't know what to say… You didn't need to—"
"Helping a friend… is always important...!" the girl said, her breath finally beginning to return.
"R-right…" Izuku stuttered, scratching the back of his head and looking away with a blush.
A moment later, he gestured at the backpack.
"So… these are the clothes I take it?" he asked.
"Uh-huh!" Uraraka confirmed.
"Got it," Izuku nodded. "I'll be right back then."
He stepped into 'Konbini's Convenience Store'*** and swiftly found his way to the bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he dropped the bag on the ground and quickly looked through its contents. Uraraka had brought a startling amount of options, as if she'd just gone and grabbed half of her own clothes and dumped them into the largest bag she could find…
She probably did exactly that, didn't she?
Brushing the thought aside, Izuku made a… depressing connection. He hadn't thought this through… He would not be able to live with himself if he wore her clothes as a guy. It was creepy enough that he'd be doing it while transformed… so he would need to change after the fact.
Izuku wasn't particularly religious, but in the moment he activated the watch's mechanism to display the options, he prayed that Rias wasn't the only option. With the watch's frequent inconsistencies, it was entirely plausible that would happen, and… well… he really did not want to risk dying of blood loss from the girl's commentary. The next couple minutes would be embarrassing enough without that added on top.
I guess mom was right about getting used to this...
Izuku let out a sigh of relief when he saw the list of options. At first, anyway...
The good news was that Rias wasn't accessible. The bad news, however, was that his first choice also wasn't accessible. Hinata was such an agreeable girl that she would undoubtedly understand the situation. Baiken on the other hand?
...Is fighting Bakugo really worth it?
On one hand, if no one showed up to fight the blonde, there would be hell to pay the next time Izuku saw him… but at the same time, Izuku was rather fond of being able to pee without medical equipment.
Seeing the bag on the floor simply reminded Izuku of how far the situation had progressed. Uraraka was involved now, so he couldn't simply back out, could he?
I am so dead…
With that cheery thought, he activated the transformation.
Today was an interesting day for Uraraka.
It had started off rather normally… Breakfast with her parents, cut short by them rushing off to the latest project and her heading to school. She spent her lunch break practicing with her quirk while she ate, and was on her way home from school when things kicked off.
Izuku's call was unexpected, to say the least. More than that, it was confusing until he'd called a second time to explain what was happening. Despite her reservations about the situation, she'd leaped into action to help her friend. Though, despite her justifications, that wasn't why she was so quick to help him.
The boy was something special.
Uraraka wasn't sure she could forget how he'd followed her into the factory, pulling ideas out of a figurative hat one after the other when all she could do was panic about the situation. More than that, he was brave. Scarily so. Uraraka couldn't fathom having the gall to think about leaping headfirst into a room with a raging villain already in it. If it wasn't for Izuku, she was sure she never would have worked up the courage to do so.
Most memorable of all, though, was the fact that he'd fought to protect her and her parents. He'd gotten the villain's attention and then stood up to protect her from Eraserhead when they thought he was backup for the villain without even hesitating.
It was amazing. Inspirational, even.
Being a hero had just been a means to an end for Uraraka, a way to make plenty of money to help her parents out. Now? She was starting to wonder if there was something more to it than that. Was it really just another job?
Uraraka had no idea… but... she had the feeling that she would find out if she stuck around Izuku.
So she helped the boy without hesitation. He'd done it for her already, so it would be terrible of her to not return the favor in something as simple as this. As such, she'd rushed back home and tossed half her wardrobe into the biggest backpack she had and booked it to the location he'd sent her.
It had been a bit awkward explaining that she was going to let a boy borrow her clothes—it's not creepy dad, I swear, it's just—but she'd managed to get the basic idea across with the promise to completely explain the situation once she returned.
She was not looking forward to that conversation.
"Sorry in advance," an unfamiliar voice said from off to the side. "I'm probably gonna accidentally call you a bitch or somethin', knowing my luck…"
Torn from her thoughts, Uraraka turned to stare at the person addressing her.
The girl was a few centimeters taller than her, with obnoxiously long pink hair pulled back into a spiky ponytail. More notable was the fact that she was dressed in a familiar torn grey t-shirt and jeans, with the simple black work boots Uraraka had brought for—
"I-Izuku…?" Uraraka asked, bewildered.
"Yep," the girl nodded.
"You look… different," Uraraka said.
"No shit," Izuku agreed. A moment later, she groaned, clenching her eyes shut in frustration. "Ah, crap, I'm doing it again!"
"You're talking differently, too…?" the brunette wondered.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Can't help it when I'm like this. Just kinda happens," the pink-haired girl stated.
"Oh."
"Real erudite there— Crap! Again! Why can't I just shut up?!" Izuku grumbled, smacking her own forehead in frustration.
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Uraraka said reflexively.
"Thanks," Izuku said. "...Well, I should probably go give the asshole a beat— Damnit!"
And now the day gets weirder…
Come on… You can do this… Just gotta walk into the courtyard…
Izuku wasn't hiding. Definitely not. She also was definitely not procrastinating in the vain hope that today's problem would become future-Izuku's problem…
...The courtyard with Bakugo in it… Yeah, just gotta go in there… and… fight him...
"What the fuck is taking so long?!" Bakugo screamed at the sky, his voice carrying over the barrier surrounding the school grounds.
'Are you gonna get off your ass or what?' Baiken interjected. 'Stop being a bitch and go beat his ass.'
Easy for you to say!
'Of course it is! If it was me, I'd have already given him an ass-whooping he'd be telling his grandkids about!' Baiken declared. 'Then again, with the kinda beatings I tend to give, he wouldn't be havin' kids, much less grandkids...'
"Ooh… Scary…" Izuku drawled sarcastically.
Crap! I didn't mean—
'Feh… Don't lie,' the woman grunted. 'Stop trying to pick a fight with me to avoid your match. I can tell when you're doin' that purposefully.'
...You noticed that…?
'I may not speak eloquently out of choice, but I'm not an idiot,' Baiken countered. 'Now, stop procrastinating!'
Izuku felt her face clenching into a scowl, likely the same type Baiken had most of the time she was 'outside' the watch during their first meeting. Her pink bangs shrouded her eyes, making her look far more intimidating than she could normally.
Crap, crap, crap…! This is gonna suck...
With remarkably sure looking steps masking her inner reluctance, she rounded the corner and stepped into the courtyard.
Bakugo's gaze instantly went to her, his grin widening as he rapidly assessed her. Izuku's borrowed form was, despite its feminine appearance, clearly trained for combat. Subtle lines of muscular definition combined with its instinctual posture presented the image of a well-trained fighter.
A shame, then, that Izuku had no idea what she was doing.
Where the fuck is this bitch? It's been half an hour already!
Bakugo had many talents, something he was well aware of, but… being patient was not one of them. It was part of the reason he'd started his little 'fight club,' actually.
All Might's training was great, yeah, but… Bakugo was starting to stall and he knew it. There was only so much he could learn from clearing out a beach and sparring with someone so far beyond him, One for All or not… even if it stung to admit that.
As such, he'd had the idea to start seeking out opponents that were closer to his skill level. Putting a bounty on his head with the knuckleheads of his school was the obvious way to get the beginnings of variety. Unfortunately, all the idiots he'd found were so worthless that they weren't a challenge. The most he would get out of this was experience fighting a horde of low-threat opponents. A useful skill to be sure, but it was nothing close to what he was searching for.
So when he heard that Deku had beaten a villain… Well, it only made him even more determined to grow. It was just good luck that confronting the scrub about it had led to this. If his luck continued, then maybe whoever showed up would actually be—
Footsteps caught his attention, echoing from the front gate.
Finally!
The girl that stood before him was tall, for a chick, anyway, and her hair was so long that it was practically begging to get caught on something in a fight… but everything else about her cried 'fighter' to his senses. With that in mind, the hair was actually more of a taunt, really.
'I don't need to cut my hair, since I'm so strong that it won't matter,' is what the ponytail said to him. That smug attitude was only compounded further by the scowl on her face.
Bakugo's grin widened as he began slipping into a combat stance, his legs widening out for stability and his arms raised to respond or act, depending on what happened in the next several seconds.
"You better be worth my time," the blonde smugly declared. Slipping into his normal habit, he continued with his tried and true 'make them mad, make them stupid' strategy. "I'd hate for this to be over too quickly."
Making people mad was one of the few things he considered to be an art worth pursuing. Subtlety was not his strong suit, but he actually tried with this. It made it so much more fun to piss off his opponents when he knew he'd truly gotten to them instead of just making them pissy by yelling at them. Slay 'em with words and your fists, right?
The girl's scowl deepend marginally, but she didn't reply.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" he taunted. "Or is your face just stuck that way? I can't imagine it's easy gettin' guys' attention with a glare like that!"
That comment caught him a growl.
Gotcha, pinkie!
Now he just needed to push a little further and…
"Too close to home?" Bakugo laughed. "Well, that's alright. Not like you'll ever get a chance to be a housewife any—"
The girl lunged at him, lashing out with her fist in such a way that would have knocked the wind out of him… if he hadn't side-stepped the blow, anyway. Her attack was terrible, full of wasted energy and slow enough that he didn't even need to use his Explosive-Maneuvering to dodge it despite their proximity. There was none of the skill he'd expected from her bearing.
"Shit at fighting too? Damn! You sure ain't winnin' any—"
Suddenly everything about the girl's movement changed.
From the terrible position her steps had taken her to, she suddenly whirled around faster than Bakugo could blink—her one foot gliding over the ground while she spun on the other and smashed into his ankle. Her momentum continued, pink hair trailing behind her like an airstream as she twisted her torso with the blow to build even more centrifugal force and—
"Gah!" Bakugo gasped, his opponent's fist smashing into the bottom of his jaw and forcing his mouth shut with a painful 'click.'
Dazed and off balance, the blonde stumbled backwards.
It was a trick! Devious bitch!
Holy crap! I just punched Bakugo!
Stepping up to bat against the blonde was probably not Izuku's smartest decision. There was probably some other way she could have defused the situation before Bakugo had even brought up the idea of a duel earlier…
But god was it satisfying to finally hit him after years of torment.
His comments about Izuku's femininity were just icing on the top of the cake that was her motivation. Though the boy had probably meant them as a different kind of verbal jab, it was just disturbing to imagine the kind of situations that Bakugo's words implied—reminding her of just how awkward her 'quirk' truly was.
So, she'd stepped in to attack the blonde. It was why she was here, after all. Of course, Izuku had no idea how to throw a decent punch, and had missed the opening shot. From there, though, borrowed instinct had taken over and led to where she was now—watching Bakugo stagger backwards with a look of utter shock and confusion etched into his features.
Had she mentioned how cathartic it was to hit him? 'Cause it was.
'Guess the kid's got more than just bark,' Baiken commented. 'Well, for your level, anyway…'
What do you—
Bakugo reached up with a hand, wiping away the small dribble of blood from the lip he'd inadvertently bitten. If anything, he seemed happy about it. Well… happy for him, anyway. Does it count as a grin if his eyes had shrunk to pin pricks out of rage?
"That it, bitch?" he laughed. "I know a middle-aged geezer who hits harder than that!"
With those words, the boy charged forward, stomping one foot into the earth as he suddenly dipped down incredibly low, only to invert his momentum and thrust out to the side with a hook directed at Izuku's knee.
Twirling out of the way, Izuku used her head along with Baiken's instincts to direct her movements, spinning around to deliver a crushing elbow at the place the blonde's head would be—
Having missed his hook, Bakugo's momentum had carried him further. Normally, a fighter would have given up on the blow and redirected their force into a strike from their other side, reversing the direction they attacked from and placing his head exactly where Izuku expected it.
Bakugo wasn't most fighters, however.
He let his hook carry him off to the side, stepping into it and delivering his back to his opponent in a move that would normally be suicidal. But, because of Izuku's own circular motion, the boy had the briefest window of opportunity.
"Time to kick this up a notch!" he cackled.
An explosion burst from the hand he'd hidden within his half-circle motion, flinging Izuku backwards and into several tree branches near the courtyard's edge. The wood cracked apart from her inertia, showering her with flakes of the brittle material. A moment later, the girl slid to the ground in a daze.
'Damn! That kid's a prodigy!' Baiken interjected. 'He figured out that you would spin out of the way of his blow and adapted a tactic on the fly! Pretty impressive, for a weakling.'
L-less complimenting Bakugo and more h-helping me not lose… please…?
'Feh. Fine. Grab the sturdiest stick you can from the mess you just made,' Baiken ordered. 'It's no blade, but it'll be more than enough to wipe the floor with a brat who's lived with a silver spoon up his ass, prodigy or not. I ain't giving you any more help than that though, boya.'
What?!
'It's your mess. Man up and fix it yourself.'
"Hah!" Bakugo crowed in the distance. "Guess this was just a waste of time!"
Izuku fumbled around her, searching for a good branch.
"I mean seriously, the second I break out my quirk, you fall apart!" the blonde continued. "You got one lucky hit in and you thought that made you hot shit!"
Izuku had found it. Holding it in her hands, it was perfect… but something was still off.
"What're you gonna do with that stick, huh?" Bakugo taunted, still standing in place as he mocked his opponent.
That's it!
Izuku switched the 'blade' to her left hand, holding the right one in front of her with the index and middle fingers extended upward. She felt almost like a samurai as she crouched there and shut her eyes. Placing her weapon at her left hip with its tip pointed behind her and facing her palm outward so as to maintain her grip on the stick's 'handle,' Izuku pushed her energy throughout her body.
From what the pink-haired girl had experienced so far, every single spirit had some technique or ability that could be used when she channeled the 'energy' that the watch helped her control. Whenever she'd done this in the past, she had tried to manipulate it herself, aiming for a specific result.
That was wrong. She finally realized that now.
The entire point was to tap into the abilities and powers of the person whose body she was borrowing. It made no sense to try and use her own skills to do so, not when she had already felt the feeling of relying on their instincts. So that's what she did. She channeled her energy and let it find the natural paths in her body's network; the ones that had been most worn by the original owner's usage.
In other words… She relied entirely on Baiken's instincts, trusting her body's ingrained skills with the result of the battle. Even if the woman wasn't helping, the body Izuku received from her still held the secrets of her abilities.
...Almost…
"The fuck are you—" Bakugo shouted.
Now!
Izuku rushed forward, crossing the distance between herself and the blonde in the blink of an eye and then exceeding it in another—pink energy, shaped like sakura petals, falling in her wake. Somewhere along the way, Izuku felt her body move on its own, striking Bakugo in such a way that—were it an actual blade in her hands—he would be in two pieces now.
At the end of her lightning-fast attack, Izuku landed on one knee. Her synchronization with Baiken's instincts already fading, she stumbled for a moment, but positioned her stick like she was sheathing it one handed.
At the exact moment it would have clicked against its sheath were it an actual sword, Bakugo collapsed on the ground—the echo of a taiko drum beat resounding in the background.
Without conscious thought, she let out a mumbled phrase…
"Garyou Tensei…"
Shakily, Izuku stood up and walked out the gates quietly. She was too focused on stabilizing her breathing to make any kind of comment towards Bakugo as she passed him.
Hah… Hah... I did it…!
Did she just pull somethin' out of a Samurai Drama…? What the hell…?
Bakugo coughed a few times, the massive bruise he could already feel forming across his torso aching from the motion. The strike had not only knocked the air from his lungs, it had also probably broken a rib or two. Breathing too deeply already sucked, so that was practically confirmed at this point. Maybe he got lucky and they were only cracked?
In retrospect, he probably should have been a bit more suspicious of the girl when she crouched under the trees like that, but… he was riding the high of the first interesting fight he'd had with a peer.
He was the main character of this world, and he'd finally found a rival to drive him further, even if she'd gotten lucky this time. Of course, there was one pesky little detail that muddied that description.
Damn, that was hot as hell!
He'd purposefully ignored it out of respect for another fighter, but the girl was attractive… incredibly so. On top of that, she had actual skill to go with it! What more could he ask for in a woman?!
Fuck… I think I'm in love.
*Baiken is from the Guilty Gear fighting game series, and I'm specifically taking the version of her that's used in most of the games (GG Rev 2 being my immediate example), not her original appearance in the first one (back when she was a secret character you had to unlock.)
**Agoyamato's name is actually quite the pun. The kanji used for Ago (顎) means 'chin' or 'jaw,' while the kanji used for Tsutsu (筒) means 'tube' or 'cylinder.' Incidentally, he and Togeike are actually canon characters! They show up in the school festival arc as General Studies students. I've modified them a bit for my purposes, like I did with Gravitational Spring and Tesla, but I'm still managing to avoid any OCs!
***'Konbini' is a pun on my part, as it's the Romaji version of the Japanese word for convenience store, which is more properly written as 「コンビニ。」Fun, right?
The Number One AN:
Similar to the response that followed Hawks' vote of confidence, Izuku still hasn't moved on. Before you clamber outside my metaphorical door, I have a good reason!
People don't get over trauma that fast.
Now, I know I used this excuse before, but really, it's still just as relevant here. Don't worry though, I'm not going to drag on his indecision and internal conflict forever. It will come to an end that makes sense and paves the way for the story to continue. I hope you'll wind up liking it!
Another thing to talk about in this chapter is Bakugo. Haven't seen him for a while, right? What do you think of how I'm portraying him? He's already diverging from his canon persona, with a bit more maturity than he started off with because of his experience with the slime villain and All Might's teachings. Of course, he's still a knuckleheaded asshole with a long way to go if he wants to be a real hero, but that's a worry for future-Bakugo!
As for his interaction with 'Baiken,' I've got quite the entertaining subplot planned here. Though, to be clear, I'm not going back on my statement about relationships in a prior chapter's AN. This is, actually, the 'comedic subplot' I mentioned back then!
The Flame AN (Which means Number Two, in case you didn't know):
Time for a classic topic for this story: Waifus. More specifically, the latest one for me to run past you all!
I've gotten even more suggestions, and I'm quite thankful for them (please keep them coming), but there's one suggestion specifically I want to mention today…
Tifa Lockheart. A classic character from an even more classic game: Final Fantasy VII.
She's got a fantastic design, along with an interesting combat style, but there's one big issue stopping her from being a shoe-in: her personality. While she's certainly entertaining and memorable in the game, as a character she doesn't stand out or have the exaggerated behavior that's present with the rest of my confirmed roster.
Ryoko is bratty, Rias is teasing, Hinata is shy, and Baiken is irritable. Each of these characters is more than just that, but they have an entertaining and unique dynamic with Izuku that results from having personalities that are less of a believable person's behavior and more of the kind of characteristics you see from anime characters. Tifa… doesn't have that. She's a believable character for a well-written game, coming from a universe that is far more grounded and serious than most anime, even if it has many JRPG gags to it.
However! There is an answer… and that answer is FF:VII Machinabridged!
While maintaining a good amount of Tifa's characteristics and the capability for character growth of a well-written character, the abridged version of Tifa does have the kind of exaggerated personality that I seek. I can immediately see an entertaining and compelling dynamic for her and Izuku, while maintaining the other advantages that canon Tifa brings… Unfortunately, there's an issue with this as well.
She's… well… not canon. It's a fan creation. Does that break the premise of this story, or merely bend it? Personally, I'm inclined toward the latter, since I never really stated I would only take from canon, only that it would be from 'other worlds;' even if that was something of an implication. Additionally, it would just be fun to add her at some point, given how I see her interactions with Izuku going.
In the end though, I'm bringing this all up because I want your opinions! What do you think? Does Tifa fit to begin with, before even considering Machinabridged? If so, is abridged breaking the rules, or is it an acceptable bending of them to allow an even more fun story? Is there something I haven't even thought of? Please, share your thoughts!