Hiroshi, Fuka, and Setsuna stood on the train as it moved to the station near UA, feeling all the eyes on them. Or more specifically, Hiroshi and his Hero Hand.
"Guess that everyone's still trying to process the news from the press conference last night, huh?" Hiroshi muttered, glancing left to right every so often.
"I mean, you and Hero did just drop a bunch of bombs there, so you're bound to get weird stares from everyone," Setsuna said, shrugging. "Not everyday that you're told that not only do aliens exist, but that there are a bunch of other Earths as well."
"At the very least we haven't been bothered by more press yet," Fuka replied. "All that preemptive planning with all those lawyers really helped out, huh? And those security cams definitely deterred people from trying to get in."
"Yea. Hopefully the way to school will stay pretty quiet too, though I doubt it," Hiroshi said, when a hand poked his shoulder.
"So you are the kid with that alien," a salaryman said, looking at the Hero Hand and then at Hiroshi. "I gotta say, you're really something else!"
"Yea!" a girl with a different school uniform added, starstruck. "You saying that you two are going to be the first alien and Quirkless hero in the world is just so- so crazy! Just, wow!"
"You gotta sign something for me!" a slightly hefty man said, as he dug around for something in his bag.
"Sure, I've been practicing," Hiroshi said, as the man handed him a notebook and pen. "Been practicing a lot, actually."
"Alright, Miss Thirteen, you're free to go. You've made quite the recovery within two days," the nurse said, as Thirteen finished putting on her backup hero costume. Thankfully Midnight and the others had brought it to her from her hero agency, and took her damaged one to get repaired. It just didn't feel right to not wear it. Laying down on her back was still gonna be a challenge, though. "Oh, before you go, there's one more thing that I need to give you."
"Hm? What is it?" Thirteen asked, as the nurse pulled out a piece of cardboard from her clipboard.
"Some boy came in right before we closed the hospital last night. Said he needed to give you this autograph. I'd have thrown it since it seemed like a prank, but the head nurse told me not to. Something about how I should've watched the news earlier instead of streaming my favorite drama. Like I'd watch the news over that..."
The nurse handed Thirteen the cardboard and walked off. She held the thin autograph in her hands. The first was neatly written, while the other one was written by someone as if they're still learning how to write in kanji.
"Get better soon, Thirteen! -From your favorite alien host, Hiroshi Furinji"
"Your efforts to protect the students is an inspiration, even to me -From Hero, Ultraman Hero!"
"Geez, those two really know how to brighten a gal's day, huh?" Thirteen said, chuckling as she carefully stored the autograph into her pocket.
"Man, that took a while," Hiroshi said, as he and his friends walked from the train station. "Thank goodness everyone was understanding about how I needed to get to school, that could've been messy."
"Not even a month into the year, and already one of our classmates is a super celebrity," Kyoka said, smirking at the blue-haired teen. She pointed to a large group of reporters in front of the gate. "Looks like the paparazzi's already waiting for you."
"Oh boy, I'm sure Mr. Aizawa's would've love to see this," Hiroshi mumbled, shaking his head as the news spotted him.
"IT'S HIM, THE ULTRAMAN KID!" one of them shouted, as they rushed towards him, shoving all of his friends away. "Can you give us more info about what it's like to be a host to an alien!?"
"Are you really prepared to defend this Earth with your Ultramen like how the other Earths are!?"
"Do you think that since aliens exist, that Quirks are the result of alien experimentations!?"
"With the fact that you and Ultraman Hero revealed the existence of aliens, do you think that more will appear, be it friendly or not!?"
"Aren't you worried about the government taking you in and experimenting on you!?"
"Are your fellow UA classmates happy about the special treatment you're getting due to being Ultraman Hero's host!?"
"Whoa whoa whoa! Give me some room! I need to get to school!" Hiroshi said to the swarm, pointing to the front gate. "I know you all have questions, but I really do need an education like everyone else here!"
They didn't let up however, having him completely surrounded.
"Hiroshi!" Setsuna cried, plucking her head off to see her friend in the center of the crowd. "Do you need me to help!?"
"No need."
She and the others turned around to face Principal Nezu, who had walked to the front. "I've already called the police you see!"
Within minutes, the police arrived and escorted the press away, though some struggled to get free so they could get more answers from Hiroshi.
"Thanks Principal Nezu," Hiroshi said, taking a deep breath. "Sorry about that."
"No need to apologize! After all, this has been completely expected by us all!" he said cheerfully. "We'll just have to be extra vigilant to make sure that UA stays in tiptop shape now!"
"Right," Hiroshi said, as he and the others walked into the courtyard.
"I had sincerely hoped that the press would've learned their lesson already, but it seems that hope was misplaced!" Tenya said, chopping the air with his left hand while adjusting his glasses with his right.
"It's the news, they're always hungry for a story," Setsuna said, shrugging. They looked around, noticing many, many more stares at Hiroshi than last time.
"I guess everyone's watched the press conference by now," Hiroshi stated. "Hopefully it was enough to explain-"
"YOU!"
"Of course."
Hiroshi turned around, having grown used to this routine. Daichi, Kosuke, and Kirika approached him angrily, with Kosuke grabbing him by the collar once again. "Aren't you guys tired of this every time you're upset?"
"Do you really think that just because you have an alien inside you that you deserve this special treatment!?" Kosuke demanded, teeth bared.
"Hey, now you believe that I have an alien, that's progress," Hiroshi chuckled, though he moved to grab Kosuke's wrist and pulled his hand away from his collar. "But seriously, you three really need to learn that this isn't acceptable behavior. Especially in front of the principal."
"You think- What?"
The three looked down, and noticed Principal Nezu, who gave them a polite smile and wave. "Good morning, Mr. Ishimoto, Mr. Inugami, and Miss Tahenkei! I see you three are up and at it!"
"P-P-Principal Nezu!" Daichi said, his voice becoming much softer than his rock skin. "G-good morning, sir!"
"M-mornin' Principal Nezu!" Kosuke said, his teeth bared in a very strained smile as he patted the dust off of Hiroshi's uniform.
"How are you today, sir?" Kirika said, giving him a pointed polygonal smile. "Your fur looks especially white today!"
"Very well, if I do say so myself! And thank you for noticing the brightness of my fur, I'm using a new shampoo!" he said. "It seems that you've three watched the press conference last night, that's good! So you perfectly understand that while Mr. Furinji here has gotten into the Hero Course through unconventional means, that we intend on treating him like any other hero-in-training regardless! Likewise, he has promised to work hard to prove that he belongs here!"
As the principal laughed, the three General Studies students looked at each other, and wisely walked away.
"Thanks for that, Principal Nezu," Hiroshi said, giving him a polite nod.
"It's quite alright, Mr. Furinji! Now get to class, I'm sure you all will have some exciting news to hear when you're there!" he answered, walking off.
"Huh, I wonder what he means by that," Ochako said, watching the principal disappear into the school.
"Hey, Furinji! Nice press conference last night!" Denki said, finger-gunning Hiroshi as he and the 1A friends walked into the classroom. "Really ballsy of you to just straight out tell people everything like that."
"Aren't you worried about how people will react now knowing that aliens exist?" Tsuyu asked, sticking her tongue out in thought.
"Better that people understand that aliens exist and to be prepared for them," Hiroshi said, shrugging. "Not to mention how on some other Earths, aliens are known to exist anyway."
Hiroshi looked at Minoru, who's face was crinkled into a massive scowl that threatened to become bigger than his entire face as he scrolled through his smartphone. "Dude, what's wrong with your face?"
"THIS!" he screamed, showing everyone what he was looking at. It was an entire Facebook group dedicated to Hiroshi and Hero. From what Hiroshi could see, there was a number of female members. "You've already got fangirl groups on all sorts of social media! And fans from completely different countries!"
"Really?" Hiroshi laughed. "I've barely debuted, and already I'm getting fan groups. Neat."
"We've certainly made quite the impression, haven't we?"
"It's not fair! You're not even a fully licensed hero yet!" Minoru insisted, getting tongue-slapped by Tsuyu.
"Don't worry too much, I'm still gonna work hard to prove I'm hero material," he replied. "Can't just coast on this, you know."
Katsuki scoffed, narrowing his eyes at Hiroshi. The Quirkless bastard was getting more and more annoying every single day. As much as he wanted to beat Deku, he knew that he and his alien were a bigger threat to his goal to being the Number One Hero. He just needed a chance to show him where his place is in all of UA; outside in the streets.
"So do you think we'll be getting a substitute for Mr. Aizawa?" Ochako asked, propping her head on her hands and her elbows on her desk.
"We should, he and Vlad King were pretty banged up, right?" Eijiro replied. "There's no way those two will be coming in-"
"Get to your seats," Aizawa said, sliding the door open with his foot. His head was wrapped in bandages, leaving only spaces for his eyes to look through, and both of his arms were in slings and casts.
"Mr. Aizawa!?"
"Are you alright, sir?" Tsuyu asked, looking at her mummified teacher with concern.
"I'm perfectly fine," he answered, walking to the front desk. "It'll take more than a villain attack to keep me and Vlad King away from teaching."
"Wait, Mr. Vlad King's back too?" Hiroshi said, raising an eyebrow.
"Man, Furinji, your brother's really taking off in the news," Hiryu said, scrolling through articles on his smartphone. "Even my family in China's been talking and asking me about him."
"Indeed, Miss Furinji, he has become quite the sensation around the world," Jurota added, pushing his glasses up.
"The presence and existence of beings from not just beyond the moon and stars, but from other realms as well, certainly had created ripples in our own small world," Reiko said, as she glanced up towards the ceiling.
"We're just lucky we've managed to keep our privacy for the most part," Fuka said, shrugging. "All that work our parents did with lawyers, police, and government really helped out."
"Besides talking about Furinji and her showboat of a brother-" Neito said, earning a glare from Fuka and Setsuna, "- we need to plan a new strategy to show those 1A students that 1B is truly the superior class! The USJ Incident might've derailed our plans, but we shall have another chance soon, I can sense it!"
"Not this again," Fuka muttered, pinching her forehead. "Whatever, I'll ignore that for now. I hope Mr. Vlad King and Mr. Aizawa are recovering well, since I doubt we'll be seeing them here soon-"
"Alright, TAKE YOUR SEATS!" Vlad King said, sliding the door opened, surprising all of Class 1B. While he looked relatively fine, they could see from his hero costume's neck opening that his torso was covered in bandages.
"Why are you back so soon, Mr. Vlad King!?" Setsuna said, eyes wide.
"Yea, you should be resting still, you look really banged up," Itsuka said, her right hand over her mouth.
"I'll be damned if Eraserhead can manage to get back to teaching covered in bandages and casts, and I don't," he mumbled, walking to the front desk.
"Mr. Aizawa's back too?" Fuka said, remembering how horribly injured he was compared to Vlad King.
"I guess this is a sort of rivalry thing," Setsuna muttered.
"First thing on the list, is to talk about one of the biggest fights of your lives!" Vlad King said, to everyone's worries.
"Oh no, what is it!?" Kosei said, biting his nails.
"The UA Sports Festival is fast approaching you all," Aizawa said, with grave seriousness.
"Oh thank god something that shouldn't be life-threatening!" Denki yelled, as the class cheered.
"Sports Festival?" Hero asked.
"It's a series of competitive events where all classes get to play and show off," Hiroshi explained as the class chatted about. "All schools have them. But UA's are on a completely different level. All the students are allowed to use their Quirks in these events, even the students outside of the Hero Course."
"Should we really be having that though!?" Minoru asked, his teeth clattering. "We just had a villain attack!"
"Mineta, are you kidding? The UA Sports Festival is way too big to cancel!" Izuku said, aghast at the idea that UA could ever cancel the Sports Festival. "Everyone in Japan will be watching!"
"Maybe the whole world this time, since Hero's here!" Toru said, pointing at Hiroshi.
"Because of the giant alien attacks and the USJ Incident, the police and on-duty hero presence will be ten times bigger than previous years," Aizawa explained. "It's to show that UA is confident in not only the upgrades to the security system, but that a direct attack from villains isn't enough to frighten us."
"Every pro hero in Japan will be watching," Denki said, leaning back a bit. "They'll be scouting us as sidekicks when we graduate!"
"Gotta be careful, Kaminari, some people never stop being sidekicks," Kyoka smirked, pointing at the lightning fringe teen with her earlobes. "And with how you are, you'll probably be one of them."
"Ow! That hurts, Jiro!" Denki said, taken aback by the jab.
"You will certainly get experience and popularity if a big-name hero scouts you, but time is limited," Aizawa said, narrowing his eyes. "The UA Sports Festival happens once a year, meaning three chances. Show the world what you can do, if you want to prove that you can be a hero."
"I'm super pumped!" Eijiro said, as the bell rang for lunch. "If we do our best, pros for sure are gonna want to recruit us!"
"Everyone's excited, aren't they?" Hero said, amused by what he was seeing through Hiroshi's eyes.
"It's a chance to show the world and tons of pro heroes what they and their Quirks can do. Pretty understandable that everyone's excited," Hiroshi said.
"Even Miss Uraraka is getting into the spirit."
"Hm?" Hiroshi turned his head slightly to look at Ochako from his peripheral vision, and was surprised by the incredibly tense face she was making.
"Hey, Hiroshi, everyone, let's- Whoa, Uraraka, what's up with your face?" Setsuna said, opening the door to get her friends for lunch, with Fuka and Pony following behind.
"Deku, Hiroshi, everyone, let's do our best!" Ochako said, her eyebrows furrowed in determination.
"A-are you alright, Uraraka?" Izuku asked, sweating at the uncharacteristically hardened girl.
"Maybe she's on her-" Minoru started to say, before being silenced by Tsuyu's tongue slap and Hiroshi's punch to his noggin.
"I'm just so pumped for the Sports Festival!" she yelled. She threw her fist into the air, much like what Hiroshi does when he's turning into Hero. "Everyone! I'm gonna do my best! Say it with me!"
"Uraraka, you're starting to scare me-" Pony said, before Ochako yelled and threw her fist into the air again.
"I SAID 'SAY IT WITH ME'! I'M GONNA DO MY BEST!"
"I-I'm gonna do my best!" everyone said, reluctantly following her lead.
"I'M GONNA DO MY BEST!"
"I wonder what's got Uraraka so pumped," Hiroshi said to Setsuna and Izuku.
"Maybe it's 'cuz she really wants to be noticed by pros," Setsuna replied.
"Actually, now that I think about, she's never told us why she wants to be a hero in the first place..." Izuku pondered, as they kept repeating Ochako's cry of determination.
"You want to be a hero for money!?" everyone but Hiroshi said, surprised by Ochako's answer as they walked down the stairs to the cafeteria.
"At the end, yea... I know, it's super selfish, especially compared to all of the reasons you guys have for wanting to be heroes! I'm just being phony, even if I like heroes, huh?" Ochako said, rubbing the back of her head and blushing out of embarrassment.
"Not really, being a hero is a job after all. Wanting to live comfortably isn't wrong," Hiroshi said, shrugging. "Not everyone needs some sort of deep, personal meaning to be a hero."
"It is exactly what Hiroshi says!" Tenya said, as he flapped his arms up and down. "Wanting to make money is a perfectly reasonable decision to become a hero!"
"I'm just surprised that you of all people had a reason like that," Kyoka said, with Izuku nodding in agreement.
"Please don't tell anyone else, but my parents... they own a construction company, and business hasn't been great for a long time..." Ochako said somberly. "We've been living paycheck to paycheck since I could remember..."
"Construction?" Fuka said, raising an eyebrow. "If you got permission to use your Quirk, you'd probably be able to cut costs on labor."
"I know! That's what I told my dad when I was little... but he told me this," Ochako replied, as she began to remember that day.
"You want to work for our company?" Ochako's dad said, lowering himself to the ground to look at his little girl. "Just a few days ago, you told me how you wanted to be a big and tough hero."
"T-that's right, I changed my mind! I wanna help you and mom, all your employees, everyone!" Ochako said, clutching the bottom hem of her sweater as she teared up. "I-I heard what you and mom said last night, and I think I can help when I'm bigger!"
Her dad smiled, and gave her an assuring pat on the head. "That's sweet of you, Ochako. But I'd be happier if you did something that you wanted instead! You don't need to follow your old man's footsteps. And hey, when you're a big and successful hero, you can take us on a big vacation to Hawaii!"
Ochako sniffled as she heard him say that. Even if he said that, she still needed to help him somehow. She decided that there, that she would become a hero-
"- to give the life my parents deserve," Ochako said, firmly. Everyone was silent for a moment before Tenya broke into applause.
"Bravo! Bravo! Even if your reason's different from all of ours, your determination is just as admirable!" he said, as Hiroshi nodded in agreement.
"Yea Uraraka, don't think too lowly of yourself for that reason! Wanting to give the people you love a better life is absolutely hero material," Setsuna added, giving her a pat on the back.
"I think it's real cool that you want to do something like that," Kyoka said, giving Ochako a grin.
"It's a very practical goal to have!" Izuku added, admiring how far ahead Ochako was thinking for the future.
"You love your parents, and that's great inspiration!" Pony said, pumping her fist into the air.
"I'll admit, I never really thought much about how my classmates have lived so differently from me," Momo said, biting her lip. "I feel... ashamed to think how easy my childhood has been now."
"Don't be, Yaoyoruzu, just because you were born into wealth doesn't mean you're bad," Fuka said, assuring her.
"Well, I think we've talked enough, we should get to the cafeteria-" Hiroshi said, when someone called out to them from the corner.
"Young Midoriya! Young Hiroshi! There you kids are!" All Might said, peeking around the corner.
"W-what is it, All Might?" Izuku asked, as everyone stared at the gargantuan man.
"... Wanna do lunch with me?" he asked, lifting up a bento box wrapped in a cloth.
"Just like a schoolgirl!" Ochako said, laughing at the sight.
"That's so cute!" Pony added, sparkles in her eyes.
Hiroshi and Izuku glanced at each other, though, feeling like there was a bigger meaning to that.
Unbeknownst to them, Toru was down the hallway, with only her invisible head peeking around a corner to see the scene.
"All Might wanted to eat lunch with Midoriya and Furinji and their friend group?" Hanta said, as Toru recounted what she just saw.
"Yea! Isn't that weird!?" Toru said, waving her arms around. Shoto was in the line for cold soba, overhearing what they're saying.
"Not really. I mean, Furinji's got Hero, maybe All Might wanted to talk to him about something. And Midoriya's a big All Might fan, so he probably included them all so that no one was left out," Eijiro said, as he ate his beef udon.
"Maybe it's about how Hero beat that Nomu guy who was meant to fight All Might," Manga theorized, as he sipped his juice from a straw (no one dared to ask how he was doing that without a visible mouth). "Maybe he's got an interest in making Furinji and Hero his successor!"
"What about what Tsuyu said on the bus?" Mina said, thinking back to the conversation they had before the USJ.
"What did she say?" Itsuka asked.
"Oh right! 1A and 1B took different buses. Well, Tsuyu said she thought that Midoriya's Quirk was a lot like All Might's, since they're both super strong super strength Quirks, you know? Furinji said that it was like comparing Kirishima's and Tetsutetsu's Quirks in that they're similar but not necessarily the same," Toru explained, to the tears of Eijiro and Tetsutetsu at being reminded of their similarities. "Wait, do you think that similarity is why All Might wanted Midoriya to come, too?"
As the group of Hero Course students talked, they didn't notice Shoto overhearing them. He gritted his teeth. It figured that Ultraman Hero and his host would get the Number One Hero's attention, and Izuku was certainly similar to All Might in terms of strength. Those two were going to be tough obstacles if they had All Might backing them up.
"You're down to an hour and 30 now!?" Izuku said, his eyes bulging at what All Might had just told them. They had finished eating at the teacher's lounge thanks to its privacy as All Might told them the news.
"Yes. Every passing day, my time limit in my muscle form is growing shorter and shorter," All Might said, pouring some more tea into his cup. "No doubt due to passing One for All to you."
"I'm sorry-"
"Don't be, I've always had a feeling that when One for All went to my successor that I'd lose my power faster, and I've long since accepted that. I'd rather it be in someone who can use it than it being in an old weakened body like my own," All Might said, stopping his protégé from apologizing to him for nothing. "If anything, I'm lucky I got that much time to use my muscle form thanks to Young Hiroshi and Hero taking on Nomu in my place. I'm certain that fighting him would've decreased it even more."
"It's no problem at all, All Might," Hiroshi answered. "I'm just glad that he and I could fill in for you to protect everyone."
"Well, either way, this isn't the only thing I brought you to talk about," he said, taking a deep breath. "We need to talk about the Sports Festival, Young Midoriya. You still don't have a complete grasp over One for All, which we still need to work on."
"Actually, there was a moment during the USJ Incident where I tried using it on Nomu... I didn't break any bones at all," Izuku said, looking at his right hand.
"Oh yea, that's right! You were completely fine when that happened!" Kyoka said, remembering what she saw when he attempted to stop Tomura from disintegrating Tsuyu.
"Really? Why's that?" All Might asked, as Izuku struggled to think about the reason why that happened.
"I think... it's because that was the first time I attempted to actually use it on a person," he answered, remembering what Thirteen had said.
"I guess your subconscious helped controlled your output," Fuka said, sipping her tea. "But I don't think we can totally rely on that. We still need to actually focus on making sure you can do it consciously."
"Indeed. You'll need to be able to control One for All at the Sports Festival," All Might sighed as he looked at them all. "I don't mean to slate you all when I say this, but Midoriya, I need you to be able to tell the world that you are there, that you will be the next Symbol of Peace! My time is nearing an end, and there are villains who won't wait for you to finish growing. I need you to yell out, 'I am here'!"
"Well, if he needs to be the next Symbol of Peace, we'll just need to help him out!" Hiroshi said, patting Izuku on the shoulder. "It may be a competition, but heroes need to be able to cooperate when the time's right. And with the Sports Festival coming up in a few weeks, it's time that we all went into overdrive with training, right?"
He looked to the others in the room, who all gave an affirmative nod. "So let's do this, Midoriya. It's time to kick your Quirk training to the next level!"
As everyone got ready to leave for the day, Ochako opened the door, and was surprised by the crowd of students in front of their and 1B's rooms. "What's going on here!?"
"Why're all these people here!?" Minoru asked, shivering as he stared at the crowd.
"Are you idiots? They want to scope out the competition before the Sports Festival," Katsuki growled, as he went up to the crowd. "Get the fuck out of my way, cannon fodder."
"Don't call our fellow classmates cannon fodder!" Tenya said, horrified at what Katsuki just said.
"Actually I'm here to met with that Ultraman Hero kid," one of the students said, raising their hand.
"Yea, same."
"I just wanna ask him a few things."
"He's basically gonna be dominating the Sports Festival, right? Why should we care about the rest of you guys?"
"... What," Katsuki seethed, having been proven wrong by the crowd.
"Yea, we've pretty much accepted that we can't beat a guy who's literally got an alien in him," a slime-girl said, as others nodded and grumbled in agreement. "I mean, not only does he have all sorts of powers, he can also shrink!"
"Whoa, what?" Hiroshi said, walking up to the crowd. "Don't sell yourself so short like that. Hero and I are going to be giving it our all, sure, but you all should, too. And I do have to use a limiter, too, so it's not like there can't be someone who could outdo me."
"Don't worry, I'm not a quitter like these losers," someone said, pushing his way through to the front. He had messy hair similar to Izuku's, but purple instead, and he had bags underneath his eyes. "I came to see you all for myself, and I gotta say, I'm disappointed if UA decides that someone like him-" the teen narrowed his eyes at Katsuki, "- into the Hero Course. You know, depending on how we do in the Sports Festival, us non-Hero Course students could be moved into it. I bet it's the same in reverse if any of you fail to impress anyone."
"Get. The Fuck. Out of my way," Katsuki seethed, attempting to push his way through when Hiroshi grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Can't you be polite about that?" he said, narrowing his eyes at the explosive teen. "I'm getting sick of your attitude."
"Especially you, you Quirkless bastard! I'm aiming for the top, so why should I care about what some extras think!?" Katsuki retorted, pushing Hiroshi's hand off before he went back to shoving people out of his way. Hiroshi scowled, and pinched his forehead.
"Sorry about that, guys. He's just a giant tool," Hiroshi said, addressing the crowd. "It's like I said, though. I want you all to give it your best. No selling yourselves short 'cuz of me and Hero. If you really want to be noticed and be in the Hero Course, don't give up."
The students murmured amongst themselves, as Hiroshi's classmates gathered behind him, before they dispersed.
"God, I don't know if we have more enemies or more friends now!" Denki said, pulling at his hair. "This is gonna be freaking hard!"
"Hey, you give it your best too, alright?" Hiroshi said, as he walked out to meet up with Setsuna, Fuka, and Pony. "If we're aiming to be heroes, we can't surrender in the face of adversity."
Izuku, Tenya, Ochako, Momo, and Kyoka looked at each other with concern, noticing how Hiroshi's demeanor and what he said about Katsuki's behavior had become frosty and hard. Hopefully it's not a sign of some sort of mutual begrudgement between the two.
After leaving UA, everyone had gathered at All Might's personal gym, doing stretches after changing into their workout clothes. Izuku had gotten a new tracksuit yesterday to replace his old damaged one. This one was a darker green with white trim and a black nonagon on the back.
"Alright, Midoriya, first things first, I think we should take a look at how you use One for All again," Hiroshi said, as everyone looked at him. "Don't actually use it, however."
Izuku nodded, and took a deep breath, readying himself as if he were about to use his Quirk as he braced his arm for the destructive finger flick.
"There, stop," Hiroshi said, as Izuku stood still in the position. "I've noticed that each time, you keep bracing yourself and breathing in deeply whenever you're about to use your Quirk. Like you need to prepare yourself."
"Y-yea, why wouldn't I?"
"It's just that doing that has a delay, you know?" Hiroshi pointed out, crossing his arms. "All Might never had that issue, so I don't see why that would change for you."
"It is quite strange how One for All has manifested so differently in Mr. Midoriya than it has for Mr. All Might," Hero said, as Hiroshi nodded silently in agreement with him. "I wonder if the transference actually has an effect on the Quirk."
"He has a point," Fuka said, running her hand through her hair to think. "For him, it was something that was always on, right?"
"Indeed, I never had to really focus One for All until my injuries. I'd say it was spread all throughout my body," All Might said thoughtfully, as he closed his eyes and stroked his chin. "Even now, when I need to focus my remaining power, I usually make sure it's spread throughout evenly."
"Yea, maybe it's more like that, Midoriya!" Pony said, tapping her foot as she thinks. "Oh! Oh! Maybe you should think of it like, a frozen meal! Like a burrito! Or taiyaki!"
"Huh?" Kyoka rose a confused eyebrow.
"Like, you know how sometimes when you microwave a frozen meal, it's sometimes really cold in one spot but really hot in another? Maybe you need to spread that warmth throughout instead of concentrating it into one spot!"
Setsuna and Kyoka burst out laughing at the image of Izuku being a frozen meal. Tenya and Ochako dropped their jaws, not sure how to process that idea. Momo was confused about the analogy, while Hiroshi and Fuka were more thoughtful about it.
"Actually, that's a pretty good idea, Pony," Hiroshi said, as everyone stopped laughing.
"It is?" Kyoka asked.
"Indeed. Very simple to imagine, but I think it's a good one," Fuka said, nodding.
"Spread One for All through...?" Izuku said, before coming to a conclusion. "That's it! I haven't been letting One for All spread throughout my body!"
"All this time, I've treated it like it was one of those Quirks you can switch on and off like Kirishima's or Tetsutetsu's, or that it was only able to allocated into one part of my body like Kendo's! Treating it like a special power to use in an all or nothing move, when I really should've been letting it spread throughout my body!" he said, as he started to focus. "I need to release as much as I can handle without letting one part be too hot or one part be too cold!"
As he let One for All spread throughout his body, red marks started to appear, before disappearing, green electricity taking their place as it sparked and shone around his body. Everyone looked at him in awe, as All Might changed into his muscle form, truly impressed. "You... you did it, Young Midoriya! You've achieved control over One for All!"
"Way to go, Midoriya!" Pony cheered.
"Superb, Midoriya! Truly superb!" Tenya cried, clapping his hands above his head.
"Woohoo, you did it!" Ochako said, jumping up and down in excitement.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Setsuna said, clenching her right fist as she whooped and cheered. "Curly Greens forever!"
"Hell yea!" Kyoka yelled.
"You've managed to make a complete 180 on your control in just one day, that's incredible!" Fuka said, smiling.
"Congratulations, Midoriya!" Momo said, before following up with a confused "But just what is a frozen meal... aren't most meals served fresh?"
"You're really something else, Midoriya! Way to go!" Hiroshi said, patting Izuku on the back. He did not respond to the back pat. "... Midoriya?"
"Sorry, still trying to figure out if the amount I'm using right now is manageable," he replied, still tensed. "Let's find out."
Izuku took a leap, and instantly crashed into some gym equipment opposite to them.
"Midoriya!" everyone cried, as they rushed to the ruined pile of equipment.
"Are you alright!?" Ochako asked, looking at him.
"Ergh... nothing's broken at least. Except my dignity," he answered, moaning as Hiroshi and Tenya helped him up.
"Guess that's the next phase of training for you," Hiroshi said, chuckling a bit. "But don't worry, we'll be able to whip you into shape just in time for the Sports Festival, trust me!"
A Few Weeks Later...
"What's with all these officers!?" Mt. Lady said, looking around as she, Death Arms, and Kamui Woods were in line to check in for hero patrol at the UA front gate.
"It's 'cuz of that villain attack, probably," Death Arms said, as the police checked and verified the three of them, letting them inside. "What were they called? The Unearthly League or something?"
"That's their name, yes," Kamui Woods said, as they walked past the food stalls. "To think though, that aliens exist."
"Not to mention that red giant being a student here-"
"DON'T REMIND ME!" Mt. Lady cried, remembering how both times when those giant aliens attacked, Ultraman Hero was there, stealing her spotlight. "I can't believe that the person upstaging me is just a student!"
"Not such a great feeling when it's happening to you is it?" Kamui Woods mumbled, remembering how she had taken that villain he was handling and taking all the credit for capturing him, when he did all the work. "Honestly, I'd like to see how that kid's like out there... I bet that he's got the whole world watching him now."
Hiroshi stretched his arms and legs to prepare for the Sports Festival. Everyone else was likewise pumping themselves up for what was to come. "You ready, guys?" he asked, looking at his 1A classmates. All the other classes were given different waiting rooms, so Fuka, Setsuna, and Pony weren't there with them.
"Yep!" Ochako said, her intense look back on her face. "I'm PUMPED!"
"To think, that we'll be able to show so many pro heroes what we're capable of!" Tenya muttered, as he drank orange juice to fuel his leg's engines.
"I just wish I got to wear and show off my costume!" Mina lamented.
"Wouldn't be fair to the other kids if we did, so that's understandable," Mashirao replied, shrugging.
"Furinji. Midoriya."
Hiroshi and Izuku looked at Shoto, who approached the two after Hiroshi finished his stretches.
"What's up, Todoroki?" Hiroshi asked.
"... Objectively speaking, I'm stronger than both of you. More capable," he said flatly.
"Whoa, where's that coming from!?" Denki said, his jaw agape. "Furinji's plenty strong-"
"Because of his alien. He said it himself, he's Quirkless. In a competition like this, he's quite possibly the weakest person there is," Shoto pointed out. "And unless you've gotten permission from the teachers, I don't know if his alien will be making an appearance at all."
"Just because I don't have a Quirk, doesn't mean I'm weak-"
"And Midoriya, you barely have control over your Quirk. The times we've seen you use your Quirk, you've broken bones," Shoto added. "I don't think you'd be able to win without injuring yourself at all. But All Might's got his eyes on both of you, so that means that right now, you two are the ones I need to beat."
"Okay, I can deal with you making a jab at me for being Quirkless. I've dealt with worse before," Hiroshi said, scowling as he walked towards Shoto. The two locked eyes with each other, both incredibly hard and cold. "But I won't let you talk to Midoriya like he hasn't been working his ass off to get better."
"Whoa whoa, let's chill out!" Eijiro said, getting between the two of them. "It's pointless to start arguing before-"
"I'm not here to make friends," Shoto said, pushing Eijiro's arm aside. "I'm here to win."
"Well, that makes three of us," Hiroshi said, narrowing his eyes. "Right, Midoriya?"
"... It is true that you're probably a lot better than me in a lot of ways," Izuku admitted, clenching his fist as he looked at the ground, before changing it to meet Shoto's gaze. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to give it my best! I'm going to put all that I can into the Sports Festival, and you'll have to take me down with all that you've got, too!"
Shoto coldly stared at Izuku while Katsuki glared at him as well. Hiroshi, on the other hand, just laughed and patted Izuku on the shoulder. "That's what I like to hear, Midoriya! Let's give it our best, right everyone?"
"Right!" most of 1A said, as they headed out to the field, prepared to show the world who they are.
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- I liked the little scene with Thirteen at the beginning, I thought it was a cute and funny moment.
- Yea so I reused the same sort of joke with Izuku when he's using Full Cowl for the first time. It's a good joke IMO.
- A less relaxing breather chapter than the previous one, huh? Don't worry, we'll be getting some more excitement soon! And it'll have a lot of scenes that I've been waiting to write, too! So look forward to that.
- The press will certainly not stop bothering Hiroshi and Hero, far from it. You think lawyers and police will stop them?
- You bet your ass that Mt. Lady will be constantly commentating about Hiroshi and Hero here.
- If you're worried about Hero not appearing at all since it might seem like overkill, don't. I hadn't shown it onscreen, but he and Hero spent their time before the press conference confirming and testing the Tector Hand to make sure it works, so he'll be appearing. Will they stay transformed the entire time? No, but he'll certainly make some big impressions. Not literally, he's not going to grow gigantic.