After lunch had ended, the four of them walked back to class together. Peter politely listened to the stories they had to share about growing up with their powers. He found them delightful overall, minus the more depressing ones from Midoriya. At least he got a better understanding of his relationship with Bakugo, who has apparently known him since their childhood. Peter however chose to stay quiet about the things he's faced since gaining his abilities, having rather to listen to his friends talk instead.
Entering the classroom, Peter took his seat next to Momo again, who had her legs crossed in her seat. She pushed her hair aside and looked at him, smiling, "You ready for this class?"
"Yes?" He questioned, "Why are you asking? I get Heroics Class focuses a lot on actual heroics but … there's something I don't know isn't there?"
Just as his spider-sense went off, the door of the classroom bursts open, smacking against the wall. A figure slides in quickly and stands at the podium.
"I am here! To teach!"
The man before them was tall and extremely buff. His costume was a classic clash of red, white, blue and yellow with a long cape to match. His hair had two massive clumps that stuck straight up on his forehead. He smiled wide, as if it never came to an end. The entire vibe he gave off was positive, maybe even hopeful. The entrance of his supposed hero surprised Peter, even with his powers giving him a warning. In seeing the man enter, Midoriya's as well as everyone else's face lit up with excitement.
"Greetings everyone!" he said, his voice sounding loud and proud, "I heard there was a new student joining us today! You may call me All Might, the number one Pro Hero! Please rise from your seat and greet yourself to the class! Do not be shy, come on up here!"
Everyone immediately turned their attention to Peter, minus Bakugo who remained unfazed. His usual experience with being in the front of the class was either verbal abuse or paper balls being thrown at him. However, he didn't feel that way with this class. In fact, the looks they gave him were smiles of curiosity. There was still a lot they didn't know about Peter, and they craved the information. Standing from his seat, he made his way to the front of the class and stood in front of the podium. It was here that he got a better look at the teacher, All Might. He was a human tower, built strong and steady. Even if Peter threw his strongest punch, it likely wouldn't even faze this man. His entire atmosphere screamed 'superhero'. The classic look, vibe and voice told him everything he needed to know. At least he seemed friendly enough, unlike the homeroom teacher Aizawa.
"Hey, guys," Peter said, having met at least a few prior to this, "For those who don't already know, my name is Peter Benjamin Parker. I'm studying abroad here from America."
"Excellent!" All Might shouted, "We look forward to assessing your heroic experience! Before we head out for todays class, why don't you all raise your hands and ask young Parker whatever your heart desires!"
A few people raised their hands, some choosing to remain quiet for the time being. Peter scanned the room, picking out the familiar faces and pointing to Mina.
"What was your school in America like?" Mina asked as she lowered her hand, "It must have been good if you were able to transfer to U.A's hero program for the semester."
This was a difficult question to answer, considering the school likely didn't exist. This meant he would have to make the details up to get by, or just say he doesn't want to talk about it, "Well, MCU is …a bit different in how it teaches. For starters, you don't need a license to do hero work, persay. All you need is the publics approval usually. I do my own thing around the city, but sometimes I train under other heroes when we team up."
"So, wait!" Mina said excitedly, "You've taken down baddies before?!"
Even All Might looked curious now, though he could only tell by a shift in his eyebrows since he was still smiling.
"Yeah," Peter continued, "The Rhino guy is someone I've fought before. What he's doing in Japan, I don't know. But I've had my fair share of tussles in the past."
Suddenly, more people began to raise their hands. He must have sparked their interest with this new information.
He pointed to a boy with two colors in his hair, one white and one red.
The boy lowered his hand and spoke, "My name is Shoto Todoroki. I was wondering how the grading system works there. It sounds like it's highly experience based."
"It …is," He hesitated, "They believe that experience is the best teacher so we're out in the field a lot. My mentor is a popular superhero called Iron Man. He teaches me a lot about being a hero and is a good figure in my life."
Midoriya's hand shoots up, "What can Iron Man do?"
Peter almost laughed, "Iron Man has …uh …super intelligence. What he lacks in flashy powers he makes up for with technology centuries ahead of our time. Nano-tech, holograms, the works. He's one of the smartest people in the world."
In his excitement, Midoriya started taking notes.
While he wrote, Peter picked on another student. It was Momo, who sat in the very back, "Yes Momo?"
"I was curious about something," She began, "What's your reasoning for being a hero? Everyone has their purpose or drive, I was just curious as to what yours was?"
Peter went dead silent.
If only for just a moment, Peter was happy to answer the questions and open up about some parts of his secret life. But when she spoke, his words were stolen from him. He tried to get something out, but he just couldn't. Instead, he looked down at the podium he was standing at as his fingers shook. Thoughts raced through his head faster than he could process, and his breathing silently increased. It was clear to her now that something about the question was bothering him, haunting his very being to the core. His words, his confidence, all of it gone with a single sentence.
All Might put a hand on his shoulder, gripping it firmly but not tightly. As Peter snapped out of his funk, he quickly turned to All Might, staring at him in surprise.
"Everyone's drive is different," He spoke, a smile remaining but with a more serious tone, "We can't always talk about what pushes us to use our extraordinary gifts. But rather than speak, we can show what it does to us," he turned to the rest of the class, "Today, we'll be going to Gym Gamma for a very special obstacle course. So, grab your costumes and head to the Gamma Gym!"
Out of the wall, compartments began to open. Inside them were briefcases with numbers on them going from 1-21. The students began to get up and grab their specified cases and leave the classroom to get dressed.
As everyone started moving, All Might leaned on Peters shoulder, "It's alright," He said, "We all have a part of our past we wish to hide from the world. But one key element of being a hero is not to let it control our every move. I understand whatever happened was painful, but you mustn't let yourself freeze up. You must be able to keep striving and fighting for what's right. If I can teach you anything in your time here, I hope it can at least be that."
Even though the words partially sounded like scolding, there was a sense of comfort in them.
The Gym was massive in size, almost seeming like it was bigger inside than it was outside. From the beginning to the end of the room were unique obstacles lined up for them. It wasn't traditional, however. Many of them looked more like traps ready to trick or pounce on the students. It was likely that he was trying to test their mobility in dangerous situations, recreating the havoc environment of a street battle. The students all walked in, each wearing their own unique costume that matched their powers and personality. Some were simple, like Mina who wore green and purple tights with a fur collar, and a mask over her eyes. Others were more complex like Tenya, who was wearing all white armor with openings for the engines in his calf's. Midoriyas costume however was different, it didn't look as flashy as the others. It was blue with white lines, looking more like an exorcise suit.
"Man …" Said Midoriya, "They still haven't repaired my costume yet …"
"Boo hoo, go cry in a corner!" Yelled Bakugo, swinging the grenade-like weapons around his arms. His suit was basic black with a red X on his chest. The more defining features were the grenade gauntlets on his arms, which likely served whatever powers he had, "It's not my fault your costume was so damn fragile!"
Momo came in next, her costume being a bit more casual. She wore a skin-tight torso suit, with an opening in the middle that somewhat showed off her cleavage and belly button. Around her waist were yellow straps that covered what her shorts normally would. The torso was sleeveless, and the only other thing she wore was a strap over her chest and red boots going up halfway to her knees. A higher portion of her skin was shown compared to others, but this likely had to do with her powers. Each suit worn by the students aided their abilities in some way.
Momo held her arms close, almost seeming sad as she entered. No one really noticed since they were too focused on the obstacle course. Her eyes were darted to the floor as something was weighing on her mind.
"Momo, you ok?"
She turned around and was greeted by red and blue colors. Spider-Man stood in front of her, wearing the nano-suit he debuted in earlier that day, "Peter? Is that you?"
Just in hearing his name, many of the students looked over in awe, "Wow!" Shouted Denki, "You look awesome, man! I love the colors! Very bright and friendly."
"Thanks!" Spider-Man said, smiling under the mask, "Kind of what I'm going for. I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
Midorya approached him, poking at his arm, "What are those fibers, I've never felt anything like it before. Its flexible, yet strong."
As people talked with Peter, Momo simply backed away from the group. She didn't want to disturb him anymore than she may have already. However, it didn't take the arachnid long to notice the change in her attitude.
Gently pushing his classmates to the side, he made his way over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Momo, are you ok?"
She turned to him in slight surprise and forced a smile, "Yes, of course."
Even though she couldn't see his eyes, she could tell he was staring him down.
"Well…I just want to apologize for earlier," She said sadly, "I didn't mean to bring something up with my question. I could tell you were very upset once I had asked, and I didn't want to push you any further with my presence."
"Momo, it's ok," he reassured, the white of his lenses shrinking and expanding, "You didn't know, so there is no reason to dwell, alrighty?"
She smiled, releasing her arms and letting them drop, "Alright."
"Class!" Shouted All Might, standing at the very end of the obstacle course. Even though he was so far away, he was still incredibly loud, "Glad you could all make it! This obstacle course is specially designed to test your mobility when encountering a dangerous environment! You will face many disaster-based obstacles that you must overcome by any means necessary! There is no time limit, only survival! Your grades will be based on performances, and the tactics you use to overcome the challenges ahead! Everyone understand?"
"Yes, sir!" Everyone shouted in unison.
"Excellent! They get to the starting line!"
The students all approached the yellow line painted on the ground, with the word 'Start' written in Japanese. As Midorya got into position, Bakugo stood next to him sinisterly. His very presence threw Midoriya off, causing him to gulp in fear.
"I'm gonna fry you, Deku!" Bakugo threatened, "Don't think you can beat me this time! I'm gonna win this and send you to the ground!"
"T-technically," Midoriya stuttered, "He didn't say there were winners or losers-"
"What was that, punk?!"
"Nothing!" He turned away, facing forward with sweat on his face. Peter eyed Bakugo with a stern look; he reminded him so much of his high school bully. If there's anything he understands about bullies its that they always have a reason to specifically target someone. What that reason is, maybe he can find out.
"Hey, Bakugo," Peter called out, getting a nasty glare from him.
"What do you want, freak?"
Spider-Man's lenses shrunk, "Don't overstep."
"The hell is that suppose to-"
"BEGIN!"
A shot went into the air, and the students took off like a flurry of bullets. Tenya was the first to take the lead, as power bursts from his engines. He wasn't lying when he said he could boost his momentum, as he was making some incredible distance. Spider-Man first stuck to running, using his strength to leap himself forward and gain some ground. Sliding past him was Mina, as she generated acid from her feet and used it to skate across the ground. She winked at him, waving and moving forward, "Pretty cool huh?" She asked him.
"Very," He smiled, admiring her good sportsmanship.
They were coming up on the first obstacle. It was rather simple, looking like a pile of cars that towered high. Jumping over it wouldn't be much trouble with his agility, but something seemed off about it. As he approached them, his spider-sense suddenly shot off. He didn't know what was about to happen, but he only had a second to respond. Quickly he leapt into the air for safety, just as the ground suddenly shook. A sinkhole appeared just where he leapt, growing more massive with every second.
It was only now he realized something vital; he left his web-shooters with his other suit. Mr. Stark had to have planned for him not having his traditional gear, right? Was it possible the nano-tech could replicate his web shooters, as well as the fluid they used?
His eyes darted to Mina, as she suddenly went spiraling down into the hole. She hadn't seen it prior and screamed as she plummeted. It was pitch black, and she couldn't tell where the end was.
"Please Mr. Stark," He begged to no one, "tell me you thought of everything! Please, please, please!"
Going on a whim, he made his classic finger gesture.
The nanites suddenly pulled themselves together on his wrist, making a small circular object that rested in place. As he pressed on his palm, a web shot out from his wrist and flew downward toward the sink hole. It latched itself onto Minas leg, pulling on her as her fall suddenly ceased.
"Yes! I got you!" He yelled, using his super strength to pull her toward him. As she came closer, he let go of the web and held his hand out to her. She landed in his arms, wrapping herself around him as he shot another web toward the ceiling of the Gym. They descended carefully and swung back to the ground, just over the pile of broken cars.
"Are you ok?" Spider-Man asked, looking over Mina for any injuries. However, she simply jump-hugged him in response, causing him to lose balance and have to swing her around.
"That was awesome! Thanks for the save! You're my hero once again!" She kissed the cheek of his mask, making him blush underneath.
"Quit flirting and get going," Said a voice as it passed by them. It was Todoroki, sliding passed them on ice that formed beneath his feet. It was not too different from how Mina had done it, and she looked angry about that.
"Hey! That's my move!" She yelled, sliding after him on the acid she generated. Shaking his head, Spider-Man began to web-sling after them.
The next course resembled a city street, with several sets of buildings on both sides of the runners. It looked more like a movie set than an actual street, but it wasn't trying to look real anyway. Students approached the scene one by one, now more on guard after the first surprise of the course. The moment his feet stepped into the obstacles perimeter, his spider-sense instantly went off. An explosion triggers to his right, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. His hands stopped most of the fall, and he was able to get up quickly.
"Are you trying to kill us?!" Spider-Man shouted, watching his teacher from afar. All he got in return was a heroic laugh that echoed through the room.
His spider-sense sounded rapidly, and he immediately jumped from his position. Explosions emerged at every turn, forcing him to jump and leap off the buildings and surfaces he could find. Below him, he saw Todoroki using ice walls to protect himself from the explosions. Most of the other students however found difficulty moving around them, especially Midoriya. He had yet to use his quirk, likely because of the damage it will do to his body. The rookie hero continued to roll and leap small distances to avoid the explosions, spotting a few of the mines in the ground and simply jumping over them. Unlike the others who used their powers to avoid the traps, he had no choice but to think his way through.
One mine caught the heel of Midoriya's foot, triggering an explosion behind him. The force of the blast sent him flying into the air, a scream echoing from his core. Just as he reached the peak of his flight, Spider-Man leapt his way and grabbed ahold of him, planting his feet on the wall of the nearest building. There they stuck, remaining aloft parallel to the ground as Midoriya processed what had happened.
"You ok?" Spider-Man asked
"I don't know if I can do this," Midoriya cried, "Everyone has such cool abilities! But if I use mine, I'll break!"
"Then break!" Spider-Man shouted, earning a look of shock from Midoriya, "Cry, break, fear and hate! Do all of it! Do it all 10 times over! And when you're broken and battered, pick yourself up do it again! And I don't just mean this course! If people gave up every time they got hurt, the human race would be dead right now. You're smart, Midoriya. You can find a way to use your power despite breaking, and still make it to the end."
Midoriya wiped the tears from his eyes, listening to Peters wise words. It was clear that he spoke from experience as there was a pain in his voice. Peter seemed to understand pain and loss and used that to push himself forward. It was a strange thing to be jealous of, and yet he was.
Wiping the last of his tears away, Midoriya gave him a look of determination and nodded. Spider-Man hopped down and placed Midorya on his feet just outside of the obstacle area.
"We don't have long to go, so let's finish this, ok?" Spider-Man asked, earning another nod from his new friend.
Spider-Man and Midoriya ran beside one another, overall keeping parallel to each other's movements. The remaining obstacle area was empty, no traps or sets in sight. It was suspicious right off the bat, and only one person didn't see that.
Bakugo went flying by in the air, small explosions erupting from his hands, "See you later, Deku!" He shouted, not even bothering to look at them.
Peters spider-sense triggered again, and his eyes widened, "Bakugo! Wait!"
"No can do, freak! I'm winning this thing-"
"Above you!"
Bakugo reacted to the shadow that suddenly appeared over his head and looked up. Seemingly out of nowhere, a shower of rocks and boulders came flying down from the ceiling. A massive boulder just barely scratched Bakugo as it reached the ground, causing his momentum to change. Though he tried to recover, he was sent flying into the ground and skid a large distance. Rocks continued to descend toward the students as many panicked and ran.
It was easier to pass for some than it was for others. Tenya was able to use his speed and reach the end before he could be struck, while Mina used her acid to melt any rocks that reach her. Others like Momo somehow got her hands on a shield and held it over her head to avoid damage. Many of the others however were forced to dodge the old fashion way, including Midoriya. While others were focused on the rocks, he had eyes were on Bakugo who was still lying on the ground.
"Kaachan! Get moving!" he shouted.
Bakugo tried to get up, but it seemed leg had been hurt during the fall, "Damn it!" he shouted, though still managed to get up with just a small limp.
A larger shadow caused everyone to look up as it formed. The boulder casting the shadow was the biggest of them all, almost looking more like a meteor. It was dropping at a terrifying yet, causing students to kick it into overdrive.
"No one is gonna be able to outrun that!" Midoriya cried, "Its massive!"
Midoriya's eyes went to Bakugo, who was still trying to limp to the finish line. Each time he tried to push his momentum with a hand explosion, his leg felt the pain of the sudden movement. This caused him to fall repeatedly, not making as much distance as he wanted. It felt as though Midoriya's heart suddenly stopped as everything went quiet. He knew Bakugo wouldn't make it on his own; if he kept going like this, he would be crushed.
"Kaachan…" He said quietly, "Kaachan!"
Something came over young Midoriya, making him cry once again. His legs suddenly glowed under his cloths, as the ground broke under his feet. In an instance, he went flying into the air at blinding speeds, leaving a small trail of green and red energy. Dust from the rocks followed up until he was high into the air, aiming directly for the massive meteor. His right arm charged with the same glow, as his sleeve seemed to rip right off his jacket. Everyone looked up as he went flying faster and faster toward the meteor, winding his arm up for the attack.
Just as he was about to throw a powerful punch, a stray boulder suddenly struck his right arm, causing him to spin out of control. The glow in his arm completely faded, leaving it completely red and broken. He screamed from the sudden pain, unable to recover as his legs dangled in the air.
They were broken too.
Peter had to think fast, and he looked around at his nearby comrades. His eyes went to Todoroki, who was just about to pass before Spider-Man stopped him, "Todoroki! Can you make me an ice ramp?!"
He stopped his movement and addressed the arachnid hero, "Sure, but what are you-"
"There's no time! Do it!"
Letting out a sigh, Todoroki shifted his foot and released ice from his toes. The ice built and formed into a large ram, with a few yards of runway. Spider-Man placed himself at the beginning of the run way and shot two webs to the ground. He pulled back on them, leaning his body backwards to the ground.
"Hang on, Midoriya!" he shouted as he released his feet and sent himself sliding on the ice. The ramp sent him flying upwards as he released the webs from his hands. Just saving him wasn't going to be enough, he had to do more. Whether he liked it or not, Midoriya still had one more limb to break.
"Midoriya!" he shouted, grabbing the falling hero's attention, "Combo!"
Spider-Man passed Midoriya quickly and shot a web at his chest. As their bodies flew away from each other, the web connecting them stretched thin. Spider-Man swung his arm in a circle and sent his friend swinging back up, trading momentum with each other.
'I have one more chance!' Midoriya thought, charging a glow into his left arm, 'I won't let you down, Peter!'
The sleeve ripped off just like before, his veins glowing red as his skin emitted yellow. He didn't have as much speed as before, but it was just enough.
He winded up his fist and threw it at the incoming meteor, shouting as loud as he could "Smash!"
His fist collided with the meteor with a powerful burst of power. It instantaneously cracked and broke under his knuckles, causing a massive explosion of wind and rock. The power caused a few students to lose balance and cover their faces. The cracks traveled up the massive boulder as it shattered, its pieces scattering in all directions. Midoriya continued moving upward through the newly opened path where the boulder once was. There were no big chunks or massive debris, it was all small rocks and dust. His power had traveled through the density of the entire object, breaking it down completely.
"…Incredible…" Spider-Man muttered, just as his parachute shot from his back and slowed his decent. He didn't realize that Midoriya would be this strong, even though he said his power was super strength. It wasn't even that he stopped the boulder, it was that he was able to break it down into a thousand pieces with just one punch. That kind of strength was something he had rarely seen before, strength that may even rival a hulking hero back home.
Just as Midoriya finally started to fall, Spider-Man shot out another web and attached it to his back. The pull yanked them down slightly, but he was still able to catch Midoriya's fall safely. "Izuku, that was incredible!" He shouted down to him, "Are …are you ok?"
Midoriya gave a slight whimper in response; at least he was still alive.
They descended to the ground, and Midoriya gently touched the surface. Once Spider-Man landed next to him, his parachute retracted into his back.
"Ha! Serves you right, Deku!" Bakugo yelled, crossing the finish line, "I told you I'd leave you on the ground!"
Bakugo's expression suddenly dropped when he saw Spider-Man picked Izuku up. He cradled him in his arms like a child, the lenses of his mask shrunk to their smallest size. Slowly as not to hurt him, Spider-Man carried Izuku the rest of the way, crossing the finish line and walking straight past Bakugo without so much as a glance. The hot head simply watched in disbelief as the arachnid aided his fellow hero to victory. Once he crossed, he walked over to All Might and handed him over, placing him in his arms.
"He'll be alright," All Might stated, "Recovery Girl will be able to patch him up in no time. I thank you for coming to his aid, young Parker."
Spider-Man nodded, looking over to the other students as they crossed the finish line.
"Listen up!" All Might shouted, "You all did exemplary today! Your final grades for today's course will be delivered to you before the end of the day! Make your way to the showers and clean yourselves off! Good job today!"
Many of the students immediately collapsed to the ground, either sitting or lying down from exhaustion. Bakugo despite his limp was standing up and shouting as All Might carried Midoriya away, "Hey! Deku! I didn't need you to save me, you know! Don't think you can show me up like that again!" Midoriya couldn't respond, but that didn't stop him, "Hey! You hear me Deku?! I didn't need you to-"
A web struck his mouth and suddenly silenced him. It stuck like glue no matter how hard he pulled to remove it. Everyone turned to face Spider-Man, who just lowered his hand.
"Don't overstep," he said, then left to follow All Might.
