Invictus
"Ah! Izuku, do you have your tissues?" Inko asked. It was April, and the first day of the high school at U.A. Izuku was all fired up, and ready to start. His mother, being her usual worrying self, was in the middle of rattling off a list of things she thought he might need.
"Yeah," Izuku replied, as he tied his shoe laces.
"And your handkerchief? What about your hanky?"
"I have it!" Izuku smiled, though somewhat exasperatedly. "I'm going to be late. I have to hurry, or I'll miss the train."
"Ah, Izuku!"
"What is it?!"
Inko looked away with a fond smile before saying, "You look really cool. I just wanted to tell you that."
Izuku couldn't help the blush that appeared on his face. He returned the smile before replying, "I'm off!"
And with that, Izuku ran off towards the train station after exchanging a quick hello with Tastumaki, who was returning from a night patrol. Given how he lived in the same prefecture as U.A High, it was only two stops on the train to get there. It was fortunate that he managed to catch the earlier train, otherwise it would have been cutting it close. As such, he managed to reach the school, and mingle with the other students as they all entered the school.
"I wonder if Uraraka-san is here yet?" he mused, watching various second and third year students chatting with their friends and classmates.
As he continued to walk up the path, while deep in thought, he didn't realise that he was walking the same path as another student who nose deep in a textbook. Predictably, they both collided.
"Ooof!"
Izuku fell to the floor with a grunt. Students around him gave a mixture of amused and bored looks as Izuku blinked his eyes to regain his bearings. Izuku looked towards the person he bumped into, and saw that it was a girl with a spiked ponytail. She too was on the floor, rubbing her forehead. Around her were several books on the floor. He jumped back to his feet and began waving his arms in panic.
"A-Ah! I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention! Let me help you up, and pick the books up!" he rambled on, as the girl blinked in confusion, before shaking her head.
"Its fine. I didn't see you coming either," the girl assured, with a conciliatory smile.
Izuku blushed, before extending a hand to help the girl up.
"U-Um...I-I'm Midoriya Izuku, Class 1-A," he introduced, as the pair knelt down to gather up the books.
"Oh! Where are my manners! I'm Yaoyorozu Momo," the girl replied. "Also of Class 1-A. Nice to meet you!"
They both then stood up, Izuku still holding a few of the books that he gathered.
'I can't believe I'm talking to a pretty girl!' Izuku inwardly screamed. Out loud, he said, "It's n-nice to meet you as well."
"Well then...Shall we head to our homeroom?" Yaoyorozu suggested. She made to take her books from him, but Izuku insisted on carrying them as an apology. Which earned him rather pretty smile.
They then entered the school, idly chatting to each other. Izuku learned that Yaoyorozu was actually one of the four recommended students for the Hero Studies course, and therefore sat a different exam. It wasn't all that different to the exam he sat, but the difficulty setting was much harder. The standards for those with recommendations was higher, Izuku supposed.
Eventually, they made it to the designated classroom for 1-A. Much to his confusion, the door was about three times as tall as he was. Glancing to the side, Izuku found that Yaoyorozu was just as bemused, but she opened the door nevertheless.
Meanwhile, Izuku was in the midst of panicking, as it occurred to him that he might be sharing another class with Katsuki, and possibly the bespectacled boy from the exam. He had hoped he would share a class with Uraraka, but it remained to be seen if that was the case.
"Don't put your feet on the desk!"
'Damn it, why do I tempt fate,' Izuku lamented. The first words he heard upon the door fully opening were from the glasses-wearing student.
"Huh?"
'And Kacchan is also here. Hurray..." Izuku mock-cheered.
"Don't you think that's rude to the seniors and the people who made the desk!"
"Nope! What middle school did you go to, side character?" Katsuki demanded.
"Kacchan..." Izuku mumbled.
"Do you know that boy?" Yaoyorozu asked, having heard him.
"Y-yeah," he replied. "I've known him since kindergarten."
Yaoyorozu looked at the Katsuki, who was still arguing with the other teen.
"You have my sincerest condolences," she deadpanned.
Izuku grinned, but then flinched when he found himself facing the bespectacled teen.
"Good morning! I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is Iida Tenya," the teen introduced himself to the pair.
"I'm Midoriya. Nice to meet you, Iida-kun," Izuku replied. Despite his misgivings about the teen, Izuku was taught to be polite.
"And I am Yaoyorozu Momo, it is a pleasure to meet you," Yaoyorozu added. She then turned towards Izuku. "It would seem my seat is at the back. We can converse more later, if you wish?"
Izuku nodded, and handed over the books he was carrying. The class was still half-empty, but Izuku caught sight of Katsuki's glare, so instead returned to face Iida.
"Midoriya-kun, you realised that there was more to the practical exam than was said, didn't you?" the officious sounding teen enquired.
"Eh?"
"I had no idea...I misjudged you! I hate to admit it, but you are better than me!" Iida went on, waving his arms in a chopping manner.
'I have no idea what he's talking about,' Izuku admitted to himself, as more or more students continued to enter the classroom.
"Oh, it's Midoriya-kun!" the voice of Uraraka interjected from behind.
"Oh!" Izuku said, turning around, "Uraraka-san!"
"You passed, just like Present Mic said!" she exclaimed. "Of course you did! Your punch was amazing!"
"Ah...well...Y'know..." Izuku was getting incredibly flustered, still not used to earning praise from anyone other than his mother.
"I wonder if today's just the opening ceremony and orientation?" Uraraka went on. "I wonder what our teacher will be like? Aren't you nervous?"
"Um...I..."
"Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends," a bored voice that Izuku was familiar with droned from behind Uraraka.
Izuku looked over the brunette girl's shoulder to see Eraserhead wrapped up in a yellow sleeping bag. Seeing the boys' expression, Uraraka turned around and let out a soft yelp in shock.
"This is the hero course," the man, who Izuku supposed was to be his homeroom teacher, continued, before unzipping the sleeping bag to sip on a juice carton. He then unzipped the sleeping bag fully and stepped out. "Okay, it took you eight seconds before you were quiet. Time is limited. Be more rational."
As the hero entered the room, the trio quickly found their seats. Izuku had to internally sigh. Of all the teachers at U.A, Eraserhead was probably the his least favourite. Not that he didn't like the hero, but it was all relative.
"I'm you're homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota," the lightly bearded teacher introduced. "Nice to meet you."
The entire classroom let out a quiet gasp of surprise. The hadn't expected such a disinterested person as their homeroom teacher.
"It's sudden, but all of you put this on, and get out onto the field," Aizawa told them, pulling out U.A's gym uniform.
A short while later, and Class 1-A were all stood at the track field.
"A Quirk Apprehension Test?" the students exclaimed in unison.
Izuku stood between Yaoyorozu and Iida, as he looked at the homeroom teacher in confusion.
"What about the opening ceremony? The orientation?" Uraraka asked, starting to sound a little distressed.
"If you're looking to become a hero, you don't have time for such leisurely activities," Aizawa retorted, causing the students to be taken aback. "U.A's selling point is how unrestricted it's traditions are. That's also how the teachers run their classes."
Izuku gulped, his nerves getting the better of him.
"You've all been doing this since middle school, correct?" Aizawa asked, before holding up a device. "Physical tests where you weren't allowed to use your Quirks."
Izuku nodded, it was hammered into him, quite literally, that he was forbidden to use One For All frivolously. He rubbed his head upon feeling the phantom pain from when Gran Torino whacked him over the head with his walking stick, repeatedly.
"The country still uses averages taking from the results from students not using their Quirks. It's not rational," the homeroom teacher continued. "Well, the Japanese Ministry of Education is procrastinating.
"Midoriya, you finished top of the practical exam, no?" Aizawa then asked, causing all the students to look at him in awe, except for Katsuki who had the most furious of glares. "In middle school, what was your best result for the softball throw?"
"Oh...U-uh...59 metres," Izuku replied. While his body was a lot stronger than it was at the beginning of middle school, he still came second-place when compared to how physically capable Katsuki was.
"Then...Try using your Quirk this time," Aizawa requested.
'This is a terrible idea,' Izuku lamented, but stepped up to the circle, nonetheless.
"You can do whatever you want, so long as you stay within the circle," Aizawa then said. "Hurry up. Give it all you got."
Izuku swallowed, before taking position. Sparks of green electricity flashed across his body as his Quirk surged through him.
"Kagutsuchi Smash!" Izuku yelled, throwing the ball far as he could. While it was only five percent, as per usual, it was enough to generate a small burst of air that surprised the other students.
"Know your own limits first," Aizawa stated, as the device measured the distance of the ball. He then turned around as the device signalled that the ball had landed. "That is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero."
The homeroom teacher then showed the students the screen. The distance it showed was 702.6 metres. Izuku looked a little surprised by the result, himself. He didn't think that a mere five percent would make the ball travel that far. Then again, he had seen how much power All Might could generate, and it far outstripped his own.
"Seven hundred metres?" one of the students muttered, in slight disbelief.
"What's this? It's sound fun!" a girl with pink hair and skin, and horns exclaimed, clapping her hands.
"We can use our Quirks as much as we want!" a boy with rounded elbows added. "As expected of the hero course!"
"'It looks like 'fun' huh?" Aiwawa mumbled, which Izuku heard. "You have three years to become a hero. Will you have that attitude the whole time?
"Well...Alright then. This is what we shall do," he continued, smirking somewhat sadistically. "Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and therefore be expelled from the Hero Studies course."
"What?" the students all cried out in unison. All except for Izuku. He had heard rumours of Aizawa's strictness when it came to who were being taught the Hero Studies course. The green-eyed teen frowned as the other students started to panic.
'This is going to be tricky,' Izuku realised.
"We're free to do whatever we want about the circumstances of our students," Aizawa explained, cutting through the noise of distress from the students. "Welcome to U.A's Hero Studies course!"
Izuku simply clenched his hand into a fist. He wasn't about to give up now, not after coming this far.
"Last place will be expelled?" Uraraka demanded, the first to do. "But this is the first day of school! No, even if it wasn't the first day, it's still unfair!"
"Natural disasters, big accidents, and selfish villains," Aizawa listed, much to the confusion of the students. "Calamities whose time or place cannot be predicted. Japan is full of unfairness. Heroes are the ones who fight the unfairness. If you want to go talk to your friends at a burger joint after school, too bad.
"For the next three years, U.A will throw hardship after hardship at you, all in the name of forging you into the best hero you can be," he continued, still maintaining a droning tone. "Go beyond. Plus Ultra. Overcome every adversity that stands in your way."
And just like that, whatever nerves that threated to destabilise the students had vanished away. A resolve had settled deep with them all, judging by the looks Izuku saw on their faces. It had taken root within him, too.
"Okay, demonstration is over," Aizawa declared. "The real thing begins now."
The next hour or so had Izuku put through all kinds of tests. The fifty metre dash saw Izuku smash his previous record and manage it in 3.84 seconds. It was second in the group, which wasn't all that bad. Although, he could have done with out the furious snarl from Katsuki, who had gotten 4.16 seconds. The remaining tests required a bit more creativity. Aizawa had allowed to use their Quirks in whatever manner they needed to pass each test. For the second test, Izuku didn't quite as well, unlike others with physical Quirks Izuku only managed to record 107 kilograms. While he could maintain One For All: Full Cowl, prolonged use exhausted him rather quickly, which was why he had to pace himself.
As so it continued in a similar vein, from the standing long-jump, to repeated side steps, Izuku managed to keep up with the rest of th students. When it came to the ball throw, for the rest of the students, the first bizarre result came. Uraraka had used her Quirk on the ball, which then flew straight in to the air, and didn't stop.
"Infinity!?" several of the students spluttered, upon seeing the result.
However, it was Katsuki's result that Izuku was expecting the most. The explosive blond took position, and threw. Just as he released, he let loose an explosion that propelled the ball.
"705.2 metres," Aizawa read off.
Katsuki huffed in pride. He then turned to Izuku had smirked victoriously, to which Izuku had to stomp down the urge to role his eyes. That would not have gone down well with Katsuki.
Eventually, the tests were done, which caused the tension amongst the students to heighten. They each glanced at each other nervously, waiting for the results. After their teacher was done tallying up the scores, he turned on a holographic display that showed a table. Said table had ordered each student according to their performance. Scrolling down, Izuku found that he had come ninth, which he found perfectly respectable. He continued to look at the results and found who had to misfortune to come last.
"Mineta...Minoru?" Izuku read off. The sound of a whimper from the side caught his attention. He turned to the source to find a ridiculously short boy with strange round protrusions coming from his head. "Poor guy..."
"Congratulations to those of you who will remain in 1-A," Aizawa droned. "Get changed and return to homeroom. Mineta come with me."
As he led the now blubbering teen away, the rest of the students slowly headed towards the changing rooms, whispering amongst themselves.
"I didn't think he'd actually do it."
"Man...Is it horrible that I don't feel sorry for him?"
"Are you kidding, he was a massive pervert! I won't miss him!"
Yaoyorozu, who was walking beside Izuku, rubbed her chin in thought. "I genuinely thought it was a bluff," she said.
"No, he's done it before," Izuku explained, before he could stop himself.
"What do you mean, Midoriya-kun?" Iida enquired, chopping his hands.
"A-Ah...my mentor told me th-that the p-previous year, he e-expelled all t-twenty students because he thought they all had zero potential," Izuku explained, stuttering a bit. He had forgotten that story, what with everything else going on, but today's test had brought the memory to the forefront of his mind.
That caused everyone to go silent. Until they reached their homeroom, no one said a thing. Izuku understood why; it had finally set into their minds just how serious becoming a hero was.
At the end of the day, Izuku walked out of U.A utterly exhausted. It was the first time he had used One For All: Full Cowl for longer than a few minutes at any time. With having to spend so much time conditioning his body, and creating a combat style, Izuku's training in increasing the period of using his Quirk was sorely lacking.
"Ah...I'm so tired," he yawned, before a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned around. "Eh? Iida-kun?"
"Ah, Midoriya-kun, I caught up with you," he said. "Heading to the train station?"
"Yeah, do you want to catch it together?" Izuku asked, tilting his head in confusion.
Iida nodded, and the pair continued silently, until Iida spoke up, "I was really taken by Aizawa-sensei. I hadn't expected him to be so...brutal."
'I thought Iida-kun was scary, but he's just earnest,' Izuku thought, smiling slightly.
"Hey! You two!"
He and Iida then turned around, to see both Uraraka and Yaoyorozu coming up to join them.
"Going to the station?" Uraraka called out. "Wait for us!"
"Yaoyorozu-san?"
"Oh, the infinity girl."
"I'm Uraraka Ochaco," Uraraka introduced herself to Iida, as Yaoyorozu exchanged smiles with Izuku. "Um...Iida Tenya-kun, and Midoriya Deku-kun, right?"
"Deku?!" Izuku spluttered, as Iida and Yaoyorozu frowned.
"Huh? But I overheard Bakugo calling you Deku, during the tests?" the brunette tilted her head in confusion.
"Uh...No, my real name is Izuku..." the teen explained. "But D-Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me..."
"He bullies you?" Yaoyorozu asked, concernedly.
"Oh, is that right? I'm sorry!" Uraraka quickly apologised. "But 'Deku' sounds like 'You can do it!', so I kind of like it!"
"I'M DEKU!" Izuku blurted out, blushing furiously.
Yaoyorozu coughed to disguise her snort of laughter, while Iida interjected with, "Midoriya-kun? You're accepting it too easily! Wasn't that an insult?"
"It's like a Copernican revolution," Izuku mumbled, covering his face with his hands. Yaoyorozu giggled, understanding the reference, but Uraraka simply looked bewildered.
After Izuku recovered, the quartet headed towards the station, as they continued to get to know each other and talk about the class.
The next day started without much fuss. At the beginning of homeroom, Aizawa told them that a new student from General Studies would be joining them later in the afternoon. In the mean time, Izuku sat through various class of a more normal nature. On top of the course-specific classes, 1-A were also taught regular classes, such as mathematics and English. It was rather mundane, if Izuku thought about it.
Eventually, afternoon came, and before Foundational Hero Studies began, the class was introduced to their newest member.
"This is Shinso Hitoshi," Aizawa introduced. "He will be Mineta's replacement for 1-A. Introduce yourselves."
With that, he left, leaving Shinso to introduce himself. Apparently, he had applied for the Hero Studies course, but his Quirk, which was mind control of all things, was insufficient to pass the physical nature of the practical exam. He was a quiet, but polite person, with bags under his eyes that never seemed to abate.
While waiting for the next teacher to turn up, the class decided to get to know Shinso some more. While some preferred to simply watch, others were far more vocal.
"You know, Shinso, your Quirk is pretty amazing," one student with blond hair, with black lightning-shaped stroked, declared, "Ah, I'm Kaminari Denki, nice to meet you."
Shinso blinked in bemusement, as the rest of the class introduced themselves, "That's not the word most would use to describe my Quirk."
"Really? But it's mind control! That's freaking cool..."
Izuku had to wonder what others had said about Shinso's Quirk for him to be this unsure about receiving praise about it. That being said, he could relate somewhat, given his past status as Quirkless.
"I am," the voice of All Might called out from the hallway, much to Izuku's excitement, "coming through the door like a normal person!"
'All Might is pretty eccentric at times,' Izuku sighed. It was rather tiring, if Izuku had anything to say about it.
"It's All Might!" Kaminari whispered.
"Wow, he really is a teacher," a redheaded boy, who had introduced himself as Kirishima Eijiro, added.
"That's his Silver Age outfit, isn't it?" a green haired girl, Asui Tsuyu, remarked.
"It's style is so different it's giving me the goosebumps," a student with a tail appendage for a Quirk, said.
"I teach Foundational Hero Studies," All Might explained. "It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero. You will take the most units of this subject!"
He then struck a pose, before adding, "Let's get to it! This is what we shall be doing today: combat training!"
"Combat..." Katsuki began, sounding eager.
"Training?" Izuku finished, sinking slightly.
"Now...take your costumes, and meet me at training ground beta," All Might told them, as a pair of side panels on the fair wall opened out. With that said and done, All Might strode out of the classroom, as the students hastened to collect the costumes designed for them.
Soon enough, Class 1-A reached Ground Beta. One by one, the students entered the ground, all of them in their respective suits. The last one to enter was Izuku, who ran out of the tunnel. His costume was mirrored after All Might's Silver Age costume, though it lacked the cape and the colour scheme was different. Where All Might's costume was a mix was red, blue, white, and a dash of gold, Izuku's was more of a dark, forest green. The white accents were replaced with black, and the gold parts were swapped for silver. The ensemble was then finished off with a white domino mask with a black border that covered the entirety of his eyes, and a metal collar-mask that had a diamond shaped mouth-guard.
"Oh! Deku-kun?" Uraraka called out, after putting on her helmet.
"Uraraka-sa-gah!" Izuku, upon seeing how skintight Uraraka's costume was, flinched in shock.
"That looks cool! Really imposing," Uraraka complimented. Izuku had to hold his hands in front of his mouth, lest he say something he didn't want to. As he did so, Uraraka continued, "I should have written what I wanted...Mine ended up like this."
"It would suit your Quirk better, I would think. You would have greater mobility," Yaoyorozu suggested, as she walked over. She wore a red skin-tight outfit that exposed most of her skin, with a light gold belt around the waist. Upon seeing the outfit, Izuku was completely embarrassed, and tried to look anywhere but at the girls.
"Now, it's time for combat training!" All Might called out, bringing a hush amongst the students.
"Sensei!" an armoured student interjected
'Oh, it's Iida-kun. He looks cool...Strikingly familiar. I should know that armour design...'
"This is the same battle centre from the entrance exam, is it not?" Iida asked. "Are we conducting urban battles, again?"
"No, we're moving two steps ahead," All Might answered. "Most of the time, battles take place in the open. However, if you look a the total numbers, the rate of villain appearances is much higher indoors.
"These range from hostage situations, robberies, backroom deals, the list goes on," the hero went on, "As such, heroes must be trained for all kinds of combat scenarios."
'Makes sense,' Izuku thought, thinking back to the circumstances that led to him and All Might meeting. 'Villains nowadays are getting far smarter when it comes to their M.O.'
"For this class, you shall be split into teams of two," All Might explained. "Teams will be then paired against each other in a heroes versus villains format."
"Without basic training?" Asui asked.
"This is a real battle for those who understand the basics!" All Might declared. "However, the key here is that you shall be facing a foe who is just like you. One who can adapt, and you can adapt to."
"How will wins and loses be determined?" Yaoyorozu enquired.
"Can we beat them up anyway?" Katsuki demanded.
"Will there be a punishment if we fail?" Uraraka wondered, nervously.
"How shall we be split up?" Iida queried.
"Isn't this cape fabulous~?" a blond teen who spoke in a horribly fake French accent, Aoyama Yūga if Izuku recalled correctly, asked.
"I shall answer all of your questions!" All Might told them, not even fazed by the number of questions. "Firstly, winning is determined by either the heroes capturing the villains, or the nuclear weapon that the villains are protecting. Secondly, neither hero nor villain is to cause excessive harm to the other. Doing so will result in disqualification. Thirdly, there is no punishment as such if you fail. Though I would hope that you learn from your losses. Fourthly, teams shall be picked from a lottery. And finally, yes I do think your cape is fabulous. Much like my own. AAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
Both Yaoyorozu and Uraraka nodded upon hearing their answer, while Katsuki scoffed in derision. Aoyama was...wiggling for some reason, but Iida wasn't so sure, and asked a follow-up question.
"Such a haphazard method of selection?"
"It makes sense. Pros often have to form on-the-spot teams with heroes from other agencies, when out in th field," Izuku supplied, recalling an incident where two separate hero agencies responded to a situation and managed to work together near-seamlessly.
"I see! Such forethought," Iida exclaimed. "My apologies!"
"It's fine!" All Might assured, "Let us make haste!"
A few minutes late, and the teams were decided.
Team A: Uraraka Ochaco and Midoriya Izuku
Team B: Yaoyorozu Momo and Shinso Hitoshi
Team C: Jiro Kyoka and Todoroki Shoto
Team D: Bakugo Katsuki and Kirishima Eijiro
Team E: Ashido Mina and Sero Hanta
Team F: Shoji Mezo and Tokoyami Fumikage
Team G: Koda Koji and Asui Tsuyu
Team H: Kaminari Denki and Aoyama Yūga
Team I: Hagakure Toru and Sato Rikido
Team J: Ojiro Mashirao and Iida Tenya
"And now, we shall determine who shall be the heroes, and who shall be the villains!" All Might declared.
Hero: Team H vs Villain: Team F
Hero: Team E vs Villain Team G
Hero: Team I vs Villain: Team B
Hero: Team J vs Villain: Team D
Hero: Team C vs Villain: Team A
"Everyone else, head towards the observation room," All Might then ordered.
"Yes, sensei!"
While the two team remained, Izuku and the rest followed All Might back to the tunnel from where they entered. Soon enough, the reached the observation room. It was a large space, with one wall completely filled with television screens broadcasting images of Ground Beta from various angles. The students could also here what each team was saying, as the ear piece radios each student had was linked to the system in the observation room. Not that they knew that.
Both teams had a ten minute grace period to make a plan, and it was interesting for Izuku to see how each student worked. After a brief argument over who would lead, Kaminari had managed to get Aoyama to follow his lead. What ensued was exactly as Izuku predicted.
He had theorised that as a shadow-derived Quirk, Tokoyami wouldn't do well against light-based ones. While he wasn't sure if it was because of the extra light weakening Tokoyami's Quirk, or simply that the strange avatar from from shadow had a general weakness to contact with light, Team H had swiftly managed to subdue Tokoyami. However, what did surprise Izuku was that Kaminari appeared to falter before continuing.
"So, that's how it is," he muttered. He hadn't intended for anyone to hear him, but Uraraka heard him.
"Deku-kun?"
"Ah, sorry! I just figured out how Kaminari-kun's Quirk works," Izuku replied.
All Might, having listened in, offered, "Well then, young Midoriya, why not share with your classmates? And then perhaps we can have young Kaminari correct any assumptions."
Izuku blinked a few times, before he blushed at being the centre of everyone's attention. The glare from Katsuki was especially off-putting.
"A-Ah...Well...Kaminari-kun discharges electricity from his body," Izuku explained. "But the source of that electricity is from the impulses his body generates throughout the nervous system. I just noticed that for a brief moment, Kaminari-kun looked out of it. So, maybe his Quirk is limited by the fact that generating too much electricity harms his nervous system?"
"An astute analysis, young Midoriya," All Might complimented. "How would you counter-act this weakness?"
"Ah...Maybe if the Support Division created a suit that had internal transistors and circuit breakers?" the hero in-training suggested. "Transistors would enable him to use less of his Quirk and still maintain a good power output. The circuit breakers could be modified to prevent Kaminari-kun from overloading? I'm not really sure..."
"...Deku-kun, what about my Quirk?" Uraraka asked, somewhat shakily. Izuku wasn't sure why though.
"Eh...Your nausea confuses me, is it because your powers destabilises your personal centre of balance?" Izuku asked, his brow furrowed in thought.
"N-no, it's just from overusing my Quirk. My suit has some countermeasures for that, though," Uraraka replied.
"Then, it's just a question of training to get passed your limits," Izuku decided. "As for tactics, If you had some equipment like flash-bangs, stun grenades, or anything that you could easily throw you would widen your options."
By this point, Team H had managed to subdue Shoji, giving them the win.
"Oi! Midoriya, what about me!" Kirishima yelled, from across the room.
"I haven't really seen your Quirk in actions, Kirishima-kun," Izuku admitted, "But going by what you've said, your best bet would be to either surpass whatever levels of hardening you've managed. Or, if you had some kind of, I dunno...Rocket boots? Something that would enable you to propel yourself would enable you to become a bullet of some kind."
"Woah...that level of thinking...So manly!" Kirishima complimented. "But how are you so good at analysing Quirks?"
"...It's a hobby of mine," Izuku explained, after laughing slightly. "Whenever I see a new Quirk in action, I started picking it apart. Limits, pros, cons, that sort of thing. Usually takes me...ten minutes? Fifteen tops."
"Fif-fifteen minutes!" the class exclaimed in unison. Save for Katsuki, who just derisively snorted.
"Holy shit, Midoriya! That's super scary!" Sato exclaimed. "What about my Quirk?"
"Oh, that's easy," Izuku grinned. "You'd just need a blood-sugar level monitor to make sure you keep fuelled. In the heat of battle, it's easy to forget, so something that reminds you would easily prolong the duration of your boost."
"...Amazing..." Sato whispered.
"Hey, who d'you think will win this fight?" Hagakure enquired, with the others looking just as curious.
"Well...Koda-kun's at a major disadvantage without any animals nearby to help him, so it's effectively 2 v 1, unless Koda-kun has some combat skills he's been hiding from us," Izuku theorised, "If he had a dedicated familiar, to use a game analogy, he'd increase his combat ability.
"Asui-san, though, can use her Quirk abilities to try and ambush the heroes," he went on, as Asui did just that. "If she can catch one or both of them off-guard then the villains will win."
"What would you suggest the heroes do?" Yaoyorozu prompted.
"Hm..." Izuku tapped his cheek in thought before answering. "Ashido-san can moderate the corrosiveness of her acids. If she can develop an acid that would not seriously injure, but instead cause enough discomfort that the villains stumble, then Sero-kun can subdue the villains by having his tape be coated in that acid and wrapping it around the target."
As though answering Izuku's prediction, the hero team precisely did as he explained. After spending a few minutes to prepare Sero's tapes, Team E swiftly captured Asui. This left Koda, who immediately surrendered, realising that he was outmatched.
The fights continued, with Teams B and D pulling off easy wins. Yaoyorozu and Shinso had a straightforward victory, thanks to the latter's brainwashing Quirk, while Team D used brute force to take down their opponents.
'Of course Kacchan would overdo it,' Izuku inwardly sighed.
It was then time for Izuku and Uraraka to take their turn. Izuku had to gulp nervously. Judging by Todoroki's costume, the quiet and reserved hero in-training had an ice Quirk. Which caused Izuku to immediately begin picking apart how it worked. He didn't get a chance to properly observe the Quirk, but Izuku theorised by the ease in which the hetero-chromic eyed student could manifest ice, then Todoroko's Quirk was a wide-spectrum cryokinetic power. It didn't leave Izuku with many options.
"Deku-kun?" Uraraka's curious tone snapped Izuku from his thoughts.
"Ah, sorry! I was thinking about how Todoroki-kun's Quirk works," he answered.
"Oh, okay. No, it's fine, I just wanted to know if you have a plan," Uraraka explained, with an eager smile.
Izuku returned the smile with his own, as he began to think once more. His mind wandered to his observation of Todoroki as a person. The teen was aloof at best, and standoffish at worst. Any attempt at engaging him in smalltalk resulted in one-word replies that cut the conversation at its legs. He just seemed uninterested in anything but Hero Studies.
"Wait...That's it!" Izuku grinned, smacking a fist into his palm.
"What's it?" Uraraka asked.
"I have a plan."
There wasn't a lot that angered Todoroki Shoto, his hatred for the sperm donor that was listed as his father on the paperwork notwithstanding. He tended to keep to himself, for the most part. Social interactions that most took for granted were lost on him, so when Jiro tried to engage him in small talk, Shoto was unable to even try. Even making a plan proved to be cumbersome. Once Jiro was done using her Quirk to locate the opposing team, she turned to him.
"Both of them are in the south east corner of the top floor," the girl supplied, "Something's a bit strange about what I can hear, but they're both there."
Shoto decided that brute force would be sufficient. He had seen how his opponents' Quirks worked. They wouldn't prove to be a challenge.
"Go outside," he told Jiro, walking up to a wall, "I can deal with this, easily enough."
Upon reaching the wall, he placed his right palm on top and exhaled.
'How trivial. This is a waste of my time. I could be training my ice Quirk instead of this,' Shoto mused. Ice then began to form around his right hand and foot, 'Still...I've never covered this much ground before. At least I'm getting something out of this farce.'
Ice rapidly spread from the source, and encompassed the entire corridor. Jiro had to run outside to avoid getting frozen, as the ice continued up the outside of the building. Within moments, the entire building was covered in ice. Idly, Shoto heard his teammate gasp in surprise. It was unfair of him to not involve the girl as much as he ought to have done. But this was the most expedient method of victory. He had little time to waste on such frivolities.
Leaving behind Jiro, Shoto then headed towards where he was told the nuke would be. He took slow, precise steps. There was no rush to his assured victory. Eventually, he reached his target, and entered the room. Much to his slight confusion, the nuke was left unattended. Normally, that would raise his suspicions, but Shoto rationalised that his opponents moved in-between Jiro informing him of their location, and the ice spreading across the corridors.
'I must have simply missed them both on the way up,' he thought, as he entered the room and moved straight towards the nuke.
"Now, Uraraka-san!"
'What?!'
"Release!"
Suddenly, Shoto found himself on his back, and the ice covering the left side of his body shattering. Without barely even a moment to think, capture tape was wrapped around his body, signalling his defeat.
'What? But how?' Shoto wondered, utterly bewildered by his defeat, 'This is inconceivable. I should have won. It's my sole purpose, is it not?'
"That was interesting," Izuku remarked. After he and Uraraka had captured Todoroki, it had been as simple as waiting for Jiro to get worried and run into the building so that she would fall into an ambush.
"It was!" Yaoyorozu agreed. "I'm still in shock over how quickly you managed to defeat Todoroki-san. It was incredibly well-planned."
The pair were walking down the path towards the exit. The sun was just on the cusp of setting, which created an orange glow across the surrounding area. A soft spring breeze kept the atmosphere fresh, offering a pleasant smell.
"Ah...Well, I hedged a guess that he had loner characteristics, and thought that he would be easy to ambush that way," Izuku explained. "Once I figured out how his Quirk worked, the plan came pretty easily."
"I still cannot believe it takes you ten to fifteen minutes to come up with a deep analysis of all our Quirks," Yaoyorozu commented, a look of mild disbelief on her face.
"It's just a hobby that eventually developed into a decent extra skill," Izuku admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Though, it's a bit limited in a serious fight. If the person I'm facing is quick enough, they'd overpower me before I can come up with anything to fight them."
"I suppose so," the black-haired girl mumbled. "But you've given me a lot to think about and work on. So, thank you for that!"
Izuku blushed upon seeing the earnest look on Yaoyorozu's face and muttered a quick 'Your welcome'. He was about to say more, but then he caught sight of something that made him stop in his tracks.
"K-K-K-Kacchan!" Izuku stuttered.
The spiky-blond teen was leaning against the gateway to U.A, having clearly been waiting for someone. Evidently this person was Izuku, as Katsuki turned away from staring at nothing to glare at the green-eyed teen.
"Deku..." Katsuki growled.
Izuku braced himself for the impending conflict. Only to be surprised as the blond grunted before turning away. Releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding, Izuku sighed.
"Well...That happened."
Yaoyorozu giggled at the attempt at brevity, before saying, "Would you like to come to the bookstore with me? It should be still open this late."
"Sure!" Izuku cheerfully replied. It wasn't often that he got to spend time with friends from of school. In fact, having friends was still a bit of a novelty to him.
The pair continued towards the train station, blissfully unaware of the danger to come.
Author's Note: So, you're all probably wondering why I'm updating early this week. Well, I'll be busy this weekend. Watching football. Or soccer, to you American readers. Anyway, my team, Liverpool, are playing Real Madrid in the Champion's League final, so I'll be way too wound up to tidy up the chapter for updating. Hence why you get it today. Another thing is that I'll be taking a small hiatus, for my exams. If all goes well, you'll see me on June 23rd. So, finger's crossed. Sorry about that, but RL beckons.
As you can see, I demoted Mineta to extra. And replaced him with Shinso. I know it's overdone, but it's not because I don't like the character. I mean, I don't, but it's more because I can't write perverts. I suck. Really. I can't get the mentality right, and it crosses over when I try to write the likes of Jiraiya, Roshi, or Sanji. So, please don't think I'm bashing Mineta.
You can also see that I mixed things up for the Heroes vs Villains class. Just for something different. Hopefully, people won't want to lynch me, because I had Izuku beat Shoto! I hope that it made sense, though. Izuku simply used his tactical nous to win. In a straight fight (wink wink, nudge nudge) things would have been much closer.
Also, Momo and Izuku are going to become friends. I like exploring different relationships than canon, so I hope you don't mind that I did this.
That's it for me! As always, read, review, follow and favourite! And let me know if you spot any errors!