The next day when I walked into class I went straight to Aizawa. He looked up from his papers and gave me a bored stare.
"Can I help you?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could get your autograph?" I dug my notebook out of my bag. "I was also wondering if you could teach me how to use your capture weapon?"
Aizawa looked at the notebook in my hand. "No,"
"What?" I blinked, tail tucking between my legs. "But sir—"
"Until I can see potential in you, I won't give you private lessons." Aizawa turned back to his papers.
"Of course." I started to put my notebook away.
"But…" Aizawa held his hand out. "I will sign your notebook."
"Thank you!" I handed the notebook to him.
He flipped through until he found a blank page. "You have a lot of notes."
"Well, this notebook is all about you. I've been studying you since I first saw you. I've been trying to figure out your capture weapon since then too." I looked away, ears back in a sheepish manner.
He handed the notebook back. "Like I said until I see potential I won't be giving private lessons."
"Yes sir, I understand." I took the notebook back and bowed. I walked over to my desk.
"What was that all about?" Katsuki asked.
"He signed my notebook." I grinned.
"And?"
"Well I asked him about lessons but he said he needed to see potential first."
Katsuki grunted. "Makes sense."
The bell rang and we all sat down, ready for our second day at UA.
Before I knew it, it was time for Hero Basic Training. We were all waiting in the classroom waiting for our teacher.
"I am here…" All Might appeared in the doorway. "Coming through the door like a hero!"
Everyone started talking at once.
"Welcome to the most important class at UA High. Think of it as Heroing 101. Here you will learn the basics of being a pro and what it means to fight in the name of good. Let's get into it. Today's lesson will pull no punches!" All Might pulled out a card that said battle.
"Fight training," Katsuki said.
"Real combat?" Izuku sounded scared.
"But one of the keys of being a hero is…looking good!" All Might pointed to the wall, which started moving. "These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the request you sent in before school started."
I cheered. Our costumes.
"Get yourselves suited up and meet me at training ground beta."
"Yes, sir!" We all said.
We all grabbed our costumes and headed to the locker rooms. My hero costume was similar to my normal day to day outfit. Halter crop top, jean shorts, fishnet gloves, ribbons around my feet and calves. But I also included a mask, ribbons along my entire arm, ribbons across my stomach, and a long ribbon tied in my hair. After we all got our costumes on we headed to the training ground. I looked around at everyone's costumes. They all looked amazing! I walked over to Katsuki. He looked good in his black and orange costume. We had designed our costumes together but his looked so much better in real life.
"You look good." I touched the grenades on his arm. "Think these will work?"
"They better," Katsuki growled, he looked me up and down. "You don't look terrible yourself."
"Thanks, Katsu," I smiled.
We walked out into the light of the training ground.
"They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen. And behold you are the proof." All Might stood in front of us. "Take this to heart, from now on you are all…heroes in training! Now shall we get started, you bunch of newbies?"
Izuku came running up, I grinned when I saw his outfit. It was so cute. He had little bunny ears and a mask that resembled All Might's smile.
"Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training."
"Sir," Iida raised his hand. "This is the fake city from our entrance exam, does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?"
"Not quite." All Might held up two fingers. "I'm going to move you two steps ahead. Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors. Think about it, backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight 2 on 2 indoor battles."
"Isn't this a little advanced?" Tsu asked.
"The best training is what you get on the battlefield." All Might declared. "But remember you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people now."
I nudged Katsuki. "So no killing anyone."
"Shut up," he hissed.
"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"How much can we hurt the other team?" Katsuki questioned.
"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?" Uraraka fidgeted.
"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?" Iida raised his hand again.
"Can we choose our teammates?" I spoke up.
"I wasn't finished talking." All Might muttered. "Listen up, the situation is this, the villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans."
"So like any hero movie." I murmured.
"To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes." All Might pulled out a box. "Time's limited and we'll choose teams by drawing lots."
"Isn't there a better way?" Iida jumped in.
"Think about it, pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot. So maybe that's the reason we're seeing that here." Izuku chimed in.
"Yes, I see. Like a random series of events. Excuse my rudeness." Iida bowed.
"No sweat! Let's draw!"
The lots were drawn and I was with Yaoyorozu. I made my way to her.
"So we're a team."
"Yes, I'm happy to work with you." She smiled.
"Same here." I smiled back.
"I declared that the first teams to fight will be…" All Might pulled out two balls. "These guys!"
Teams A and D. Izuku and Uraraka and Katsuki and Iida.
"Team A will be the heroes, Team D will be the villains. Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch."
"Yes, sir." We called.
"Good luck Katsu," I kissed his cheek and left.
"Hey!" Katsuki called after me.
I smirked and ran over to Yaoyorozu. We made our way to the monitoring room.
"So who do you think we'll be up against?" I asked Yaoyorozu.
"I'm not sure, it could be anyone." Yaoyorozu looked around.
"Okay, I guess this is a better question. What quirk should I use?" I glanced around, tail flicking side to side. "I'm really good with Katsuki's and Kirishima's. I've never really used anyone else's before."
"Katsuki?" She looked confused. "Oh, Bakugou. His quirk would be good for up-close fighting."
"So is Kirishima's." I agreed. "Maybe I get a long-ranged attack. Like… Kaminari! Or maybe Todoroki."
"Those might be good, but do you know how to use them?" She asked.
"Well, no…but I could learn!" I grinned. "That's what we're here for! To learn new things and strengthen our powers!"
"I like your enthusiasm." She smiled back.
"Alright, let's begin indoor combat training. Team A and Team D your time starts now!" All Might called into the microphone. "Pay attention kids, think about what you would do."
We watched as Izuku and Uraraka made their way into the building through the window. They carefully made their way around the building, watching for anyone. I kept my eye on Katsuki who was on patrol. I watched helplessly as Katsuki aimed an explosion at Izuku's head, destroying half of his mask.
"Sneak attack Bakugou? What kind of man pulls cheap crap like that?" Kirishima exclaimed.
"It's a viable strategy, he's playing the part, acting like a true villain would." All Might said.
I glanced around. No one knew Katsuki well enough. He wasn't playing the part. He really did want to hurt Izuku.
"It didn't work, Midoriya dodged it." Mina pointed out.
"Look there he goes," Kaminari said.
Katsuki ran to Izuku but Izuku grabbed Katsuki's right arm and threw Katsuki down. I winced, that hurt I knew it. Katsuki got back up and faced Izuku. Izuku was shaking as Katsuki let off a few explosions. Katsuki suddenly put two fingers up to his ear and said something.
"Hey, who's Bakugou talking to?" Kirishima asked. "I'm not hearing anything, can we get any sound with this video?"
"He's got a radio in his ear so he can talk to his partner." All Might pointed to the device in his own ear. "I gave it to him before the match started. Along with a map of the building. Also this," he held a white roll of tape. "A roll of capture tape. Wrapping this around your opponent means you've apprehended them and they're out for the rest of the game."
"So there's a fifteen-minute time limit and the good guys have no idea what floor the nuclear bomb hidden is on, right?" Mina asked.
"Correct," All Might nodded.
"Then the heroes are clearly at a disadvantage here, a big one." Mina pointed out.
"Real pros have to outwit villains on a daily basis." All Might replied. "That's life. Even when the odds aren't in our favor, we fight. All together…"
"Let's hear a Plus Ultra!" Everyone yelled.
"Monsieur, he's on the move." The French boy said.
We all turned back to the screen. Katsuki launched himself at Izuku, landing a kick. Uraraka ran in the opposite direction. Izuku tried to wrap something around Katsuki's leg. Katsuki swung again and missed Izuku.
"The little guy's really good."
"He's holding his own and he hasn't even used his quirk yet."
Katsuki readied himself for another attack. Izuku ran off. Katsuki followed him but lost him after a few turns.
"That guy has some real anger issues. It's kinda scary." Kaminari said.
"He's not that bad deep down," I replied.
"And how would you know?" Kaminari looked over at me.
"I've known Katsuki for years now." I shrugged. "Yeah he comes across as mean but he's a softie under all that."
"I don't think he'd like you talking about him like that." Kirishima glanced at me.
I shrugged again and looked back at the screen. "He can deal with me how he wants."
Katsuki ran through room after room. Izuku was hiding around a corner. Uraraka was running through the building trying to find the weapon. When she finally found the weapon for some reason she started laughing and gave her position away. I looked back to the other screen. Izuku had stood up. I saw Katsuki standing at the other end of the hall. I wanted to yell at Izuku and tell him that Katsuki was behind him. Katsuki's gauntlet flashed red. Izuku turned around and faced Katsuki. Katsuki aimed his gauntlet at Izuku.
"He wouldn't!" I gasped, tucking my tail between my legs and flattening my ears.
"What?" Yaoyorozu turned to me. "What is it?"
"We designed those gauntlets together. It stores up his sweat to create a large explosion." I put my hand to my mouth. "I never expected him to use it on a person, even Izuku."
"Young Bakugou, don't do it!" All Might called. "You'll kill him."
But it was too late, Katsuki pulled the pin. The explosion shook the building and the monitoring room.
"Oh wow, this is nuts!" Kirishima yelled.
"Come in, come in Midoriya." All Might called into the mic.
The smoke cleared and I saw Izuku laying on the floor. Katsuki started walking towards him as his other gauntlet flashed. I was so focused on Katsuki and Izuku that I didn't even pay attention to Uraraka and Iida.
"Sir, isn't this getting out of hand?" Kirishima asked. "That Bakugou is acting really crazy. He's gonna kill him."
"Not so." All Might picked the mic back up. "Bakugou, use that stored up power again and I'll stop this fight. Your team will lose. To employ such a strong attack indoors is inviting the destruction of the stronghold you should be protecting. That's a poor strategy, whether you're a hero or a villain. The penalty will be a massive loss of points."
Katsuki looked upset. He screamed then launched himself at Izuku. Izuku braced himself for the attack. It looked like Katsuki was going to attack head-on but at the last moment launched himself up and over, hitting Izuku in the back with an explosion. Everyone gasped.
"What was that move?" Kirishima exclaimed.
"He doesn't come off as a guy with a strategy but he's actually quite intelligent."
Everyone looked over at Todoroki.
"What are you talk about?" Kirishima asked.
"He changed his trajectory while in mid-air, using a blast that doubled as a smokescreen. Very clever."
"An attack like that requires an extreme amount of precision. He had to calculate the physics and demonstrate control over his quirk." Yaoyorozu added.
Kaminari sighed. "Ugh Bakugou is uber-talented, I hate it."
I returned my attention to the screen. Katsuki hit Izuku with a right hook, hitting him right on the elbow, most likely breaking it if not then definitely bruising it. Katsuki grabbed his arm and spun him around, throwing him to the ground. Izuku hit the ground so hard he bounced.
"This is hard to watch, all he has to do is wrap tape around him not kill him!" Mina exclaimed.
"Bakugou's certainly attacking like a villain."
Kaminari sighed. "I thought Midoriya was pretty amazing at the start of the fight. But he's completely outmatched in terms of combat power. Not to mention Bakugou seems like a natural at all this stuff."
Izuku managed to get up and started running away.
"He's running away," Mina said.
"Not very manly but he doesn't have a choice. He's outgunned. Unless he's got some kind of plan, it's possible." Kirishima mused.
Izuku backed himself into a corner. Katsuki started walking towards him. Izuku got upset and started yelling. I put a hand over my mouth as they lunged at each other.
"They're going to kill each other!" Kirishima yelled. "Sir!"
"Both of you stop!" All Might finally yelled.
Izuku yelled something that made All Might stop. I looked over to the other screen. Uraraka grabbed the pillar closest to her. I watched as Izuku changed his attack at the last moment and shot his power upwards. Uraraka used the pillar and the debris to her advantage. She made herself float and landed on the weapon.
"She did it!" Mina grinned.
I returned my focus to Katsuki and Izuku. I gasped. Izuku used his own body to block the blast. One arm was burned and one was broken. Tears filled my eyes as Izuku collapsed to the ground.
"You did it." All Might whispered. "The Hero team wins!"
There was murmuring all around me. I bit my lip, I was happy for Izuku sure but Katsuki wasn't going to take it well.
"What a weird way for this to end. The losers are practically untouched and the winners are both on the ground." Kaminari noted.
All Might went to check the Teams. Izuku was taken to the nurse's office. All Might and the Teams walked into the monitoring room. I stalked up to Katsuki and slapped him across the cheek. Everyone gasped.
"You idiot! You could have killed him!" I wrapped him in a hug. "But I'm sorry you lost, you're just going to get stronger now."
Katsuki shoved me off and walked away. Uraraka, Iida, and Katsuki all stood facing us. I joined the rest of my classmates.
"Well despite the results the MVP of this exercise is young Iida." All Might announced.
Everyone gasped.
"Shouldn't it be one of the heroes instead since they're the winners?" Tsu asked.
"Valid question, why didn't I choose one of those two? Who has a guess?" All Might looked around.
Yaoyorozu raised her hand. "I can tell you why Iida embraced this challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role. I'll explain. Bakugou's judgment was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. As you pointed out earlier, launching a large scale attack indoors was a foolish move. It could have been disastrous. Similarly, Midoriya's plan was also poorly thought out, considering the amount of damage he received. He rendered himself helpless, not smart. As for Uraraka, she let her guard down mid-battle. Her final attack was far too reckless, given the hypothetical stakes. If she treated the fake weapon as though it were real, she never would have used such an imprecise move. Iida was fully prepared for his opponent's arrival. He had a strategy and never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was foiled in the end. Technically the hero team won, yes. But they took advantage that this was training. They didn't respect the spirit of the trial."
I looked over at my partner. I knew she had gotten in on recommendations but man she was smart.
"Yes, well you overlooked a few things. Young Iida could have relaxed a little in the exercise. But otherwise, you nailed it." All Might gave short laugh.
"One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning. That's the only real way to become a top hero." Yaoyorozu smiled.
"Now then, time to blow this joint. Let's move on to the next match. Think about everything we saw and discussed as you tackle this training for yourself." All Might stood in front of the hero and villain boxes.
"Yes, sir!" We called.
Next was Ojiro and Hagakure against Shoji and Todoroki. Todoroki used his quirk to freeze the entire building in one move. I glanced at Katsuki, he didn't look so good. After the review, it was Sero and Kirishima vs Tokoyami and Tsu. Then it was Yaoyorozu and I. We were up against Kaminari and Jirou. I walked over to Kaminari and held out my hand.
"Good luck out there." I smiled.
He shook my hand. "You too."
I quickly copied his quirk. I made my way back to Yaoyorozu.
"I got it," I smirked.
"Good." She nodded.
We made our way into the building and up to the weapon. Yaoyorozu started making metal bars for the door.
"Hey, can you make an electric proof blanket?" I asked suddenly.
"Yes, it might take me a little to make one big enough for the both of us."
"Just make a small one for you." I grinned. "I'm electric proof already."
"Do you have a plan?" She asked.
"Yep," I quickly explained the plan to her.
"Alright, that sounds good." She agreed.
"Team C and Team J, your time starts now!" All Might called.
I looked over at Yaoyorozu, she nodded and I snuck out of the room. Jirou would probably try to listen for us. Kaminari would come after us with his quirk. Sure enough, as soon as I walked around the corner there was Kaminari.
"I hate to do this to you, you're such a cute girl but..." Kaminari stepped closer.
I turned and ran, pretending to be scared. I turned a corner and pressed my back against the wall, bracing myself for the electricity. I felt it run through my body, it was like touching something hot and cold at the same time. I shuddered, couldn't say I wanted to feel that again. Kaminari stepped around the corner.
"You're not paralyzed." He sounded surprised. "I guess I'll have to try again. Up the volts this time."
The hot-cold feeling came back. I reached out and touched Kaminari, hoping to maybe electrocute him. I closed my eyes, hopefully, Yaoyorozu was still on her blanket. When I opened them again Kaminari had this vacant dumb look on his face.
"Whey," he held two thumbs up.
I couldn't help but laugh. "So that's the drawback of your power. I'll try not to overuse it."
I grabbed my capture tape and tied him up. I touched my radio.
"Alright, I got Kaminari."
"Good, Jirou is here," Yaoyorozu replied.
"I'm on my way." I ran to the room.
Jirou looked surprised to see me. I glanced at Yaoyorozu, she was still on her blanket. I grinned.
"Sorry Jirou," I said and let off some electricity.
I don't know how much I used but my mind suddenly went fuzzy like I couldn't think straight. I vaguely remember something calling my name and something announcing that the villains won. Villains? What villains? My head was full of clouds. I could see where I was but that was it. Someone took my arm and started walking with me. How was I moving? Nothing made sense. I was sat in a room. I could see people surrounding me, saying things. One boy sat next to me. He said something I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear anything or feel anything or smell. I could do nothing but sit. Eventually, my head started to clear, I started to hear things again. I could make out faces and I had names for the faces. Katsuki was sitting next to me.
"You're so dumb, you know that." He said it teasingly.
"What?" I looked over at him. "What do you—"
A sharp pain pierced my temples. I yelped in pain. Several people looked over. Yaoyorozu knelt in front of me.
"Are you alright?"
"My head," I moaned in pain. "It hurts so bad."
"Let's go to the nurse's office." Yaoyorozu helped me up.
"Hey," Katsuki stopped her. "Is she going to be okay?"
"It's probably a drawback of her quirk," Yaoyorozu replied. "Tell All Might where we've gone."
"But—"
I yelped as another stab of pain ran through my head.
"Go, now." Yaoyorozu said sternly.
Katsuki didn't argue, which was strange for him. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but the pain was getting worse. Yaoyorozu led me to the nurse's office where I was told to take some aspirin, drink some water and get some rest.
"Hey Yaoyorozu, did we win?" I asked after taking a sip of water.
"We did." She nodded. "After you electrocuted Jirou, I captured her and All Might announced that we won."
"I'm glad I didn't mess anything up." I looked down.
"Of course not, your plan went perfectly." Yaoyorozu touched my hand.
"Thanks." I smiled.
After about half an hour sitting in the nurse's office, I felt better. The pain was gone and I could think clearly again. Recovery Girl sent me back to class. Hero Basic Training was over and we were back to our normal class. English 1 and then P.E. I missed some of English but I was excused. After all our classes were done everyone started chatting about the training exercise. I pulled out my notebook and started a page on Kaminari. I wrote down how his quirk worked and his disadvantages. I even sketched a picture of his short-circuited side. I wrinkled my nose, thinking about how I had looked like that.
"Is that really what I look like?"
I looked up so fast I ended up hitting them in the face. I rubbed my head and looked up at Kaminari, who was holding his nose.
"Oh shoot, I'm so sorry. You just scared me."
He waved me away. "Nah it's fine. It's not broken."
"Um, what did you need?" I closed my notebook.
"Oh, I just want to ask about your quirk." He rubbed his nose.
"Well, my quirk is copy. I can copy any quirk I want. The strength and time depend on the touch. So like with our handshake I only got about 10 to 15 percent of your power."
"Wow, your power is pretty complex," Kaminari said. "I could never remember any of that."
I laughed. "Even I have a hard time remembering it. And most of it is a guess too."
Kaminari shuffled his feet. "Do you want to come—"
"Hey Neko, come on. We're leaving." Katsuki walked up to my desk.
"Oh okay." I started packing my things. "Sorry Kaminari, I've got to go now. I'll see you tomorrow."
I followed Katsuki through the group of people.
"Bakugou, shouldn't you wait to see if Midoriya is okay?" Iida asked.
"Why should I care?" Katsuki scoffed.
"He's your classmate, man." Kirishima cut in.
"So?" Katsuki turned away.
"Just wait a few more minutes." Uraraka pleaded.
"Katsuki, maybe we should wait." I touched Katsuki's shoulder.
He shrugged me off. "I don't care. I'm going home."
I glanced back at the rest of my classmates before following him out the door. We made our way to the front gates in silence.
"Kacchan!"
Katsuki kept walking, I glanced back and saw Izuku.
"Wait up!"
Katsuki stopped and turned around. "What?"
Izuku stopped and looked down. "I have to tell you something. Maybe then you'll understand what's going on. I wasn't hiding my quirk from you. It was given to me by someone else. Recently."
Katsuki grunted.
"Izuku—" I started.
"But I can't tell you who got it from, so don't ask! Sounds crazy, I know. It's like something out of a comic book only it's real. The thing is, I don't really have any control over this power yet. I haven't figured out how to make it my own. But I'm trying. That's why I didn't want to use it against you in the exercise but in the end, it was the only way I had a chance at winning." Izuku explained. "I've still got a lot to learn, I know that. That's why I'm here. You'll see, I'll work until I have full control over this borrowed quirk. And I'll finally beat you with my own power."
"How dumb do you think I am?" Katsuki growled. "Borrowed power? Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. You already made a fool out of me in that damn training exercise. So? Did you come here to rub it in? I lost and to make matters worse it was to you! I came in first in the exam. But that's not enough! When I was watching that ice guy, I realized I couldn't beat him in a head-to-head fight!" He covered his face. "Crap! I even agreed with what that girl said. My attack was so stupid! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" He clenched his fist. "Enjoy that win Deku, you won't get another!"
I stared at Katsuki in shock, he was crying. In all my years of knowing him, I had never seen him cry.
"I'm just getting started! Got that!" Katsuki yelled. "I'm gonna end up the number 1 hero no matter what!" Katsuki turned and started walking away. "You'll never beat me again, you bastard. Don't even try."
I walked over to Katsuki and put an arm around his shoulders. He pushed me away.
"There you are!" All Might appeared. "Baku. Gou. I found you." He grabbed Katsuki's shoulders. "Just so you know, pride is an important attribute to have. But while you certainly have abilities to become a pro hero, there's still plenty you have to learn."
"Let go of me, All Might. Right now." Katsuki glared at him. "Save your speeches. I'll become more famous than you and I'll do it without your help."
"Uh right…" All Might let him go.
I quickly took his place, grabbed Katsuki's arm and not letting go no matter how much he shoved. When we were out of the sight of the school he actually relaxed into my touch. I stroked his arm with my tail. He still wouldn't look at me. I led him to a bench and we sat down.
"Hey Katsu, are you alright?" I asked softly.
"I'm fine! Let me go." He tried to pull away again.
"Katsu, it's okay to be upset." I rubbed his back.
"Damn it, you shouldn't see me this weak." He turned his head away.
"I don't care. Besides you've seen me cry more times than I can count." I smiled. "Katsu, crying doesn't make you weak. It just means you're human."
He wiped his face. "It doesn't matter."
I sighed. "If you say so. Come on let's go home."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bench. I wanted to ask him about his thoughts on Izuku's quirk but that could wait till tomorrow. When the wound wasn't so fresh. Some might say that I shouldn't "baby" Katsuki but I don't care. I will help him get through this in my own way and that includes babying him a little. He has a large ego and I know that. He already got told off today and he's beating himself up. He doesn't need one more person bashing his character. So I won't. I will stay by his side through thick and thin and no one will take me away. Ever.