Chapter 9 is out! Now all of you readers anxiously waiting for the next chapter to see how Shigeo did on the ball throw will get to see the tests go down with a bang! Enjoy!
Surrounded by this rainbow aura, the ball shot through the air like a speeding bullet, appearing only as a rainbow-colored blur in the sky. The power of the throw created visible air vibrations and a very light sonic boom.
"Everyone here needs to know the maximum output of their power." As the ball fell, barely visible in the sky, the homeroom teacher turned back to the class and showed them the distance of Shigeo's throw. All of the students gasped: Shigeo's throw sent the ball 947.1 meters.
"947 meters?" said a student with golden hair.
"Whoa! I wanna go next!" added the girl with pink skin.
"Kageyama..." Izuku's mouth was gaping open. What incredible power! He got that far from a single throw? His psychic energy could amplify his throwing distance that much? It looked like there were still plenty of things he didn't know about Shigeo's psychic powers.
Bakugo scowled, feeling a growing sense of fury bubbling up inside of him. His power was freaking incredible! That shy attitude and nerdy look hid an amazingly strong power that no one would've guessed he had. But just what exactly was his power? Was it some sort of high-functioning support quirk that boosted physical strength? He had to find out more, get a better idea of what kind of quirk Shigeo possessed.
While all of the students expressed their amazement and excitement at the exercises that laid ahead, the esper remained frozen in place. His neutral expression had changed to a slightly surprised demeanor. He looked at his empty hand, for he felt something rather peculiar with that throw just now. He wasn't sure how to explain it, but it felt that his throw was much stronger than it should've been with the amount of psychic energy he used. He hadn't really put that much effort into the throw, but even with the psychic energy he used in-tandem with his throw, it felt as though the force was multiplied by several times.
"Why is that?" Shigeo muttered under his breath, unsure how to explain this sudden boost of power. After a few seconds of pondering the explanation for this, he remembered something from more than ten months ago, back when Claw had first started attacking and he'd been knocked unconscious. When he'd woken up, he was greeted by the Body Improvement Club and a really powerful esper with huge muscles ready to attack them. After Shigeo defeated the esper, Dimple explained to him how he had to possess Goda, the captain of the Body Improvement Club, in order to overpower their opponent beforehand. Shigeo had to admit, he was rather shocked to imagine that Dimple had managed to best that esper: his energy was way higher than most espers he'd encountered, and that was after he had apparently been weakened. Furthermore, Dimple wasn't anywhere close to possessing that level of energy. So how did Dimple manage to defeat that esper? At the time, that was the least of his concerns in the face of the terrorist organization threatening the city, but now the question was racking his mind.
The answer hit him like a freight train: it was the muscles. Psychic powers amplified a person's physical traits to extremely high levels by channeling the energy through their bodies, so-much-so that even Shigeo, a complete weakling, was able to break through stone and other sturdy structures with ease. But with that psychic power sending energy through a body that's already been trained and honed, with muscles like iron, the extra boost the psychic energy gave would be several times greater. It was enough that even a somewhat weak spirit like Dimple had enough energy to give Goda the power he needed to best the esper.
With Shigeo, now that he'd built up his muscles after months and months of back-breaking workouts, his psychic energy intensified his physical strength worlds beyond what he ever imagined, so-much-so that even with a fraction of his psychic power, the energy was still enough to give his muscles a huge boost. The esper never imagined that the work he put into improving his body would actually translate into improvement with his psychic powers. It was... an unintentional bonus.
"Who would have thought," the esper murmured.
"Today, all of you are going to participate in eight physical tests to properly measure your potential. But let me warn you all: whoever comes in last will be expelled from U.A. High."
A jolt of electricity surged through the crowd, eliciting terrified gasps from every student in the class. But the person hit hardest of all by this test was Izuku Midoriya. The verdant-irised fanboy was at the largest disadvantage: he still didn't have a good grip on his quirk. A single use was still enough to break his body, and there were eight different tests. Trembling with fear, Izuku held his hand and gazed at it while he continued to identify the tremendous challenge he was facing now.
"Don't be so surprised. This is still my class," The teacher held the front of his hair up, properly revealing his devilish grin and mocking eyes. "And if any of you have a problem with that," Shota directed his gaze at Shigeo, a move which made Shigeo buck his hips, "Then just take off that uniform and head for the exit."
Despite his intimidating aura and his status as their homeroom teacher, the students still felt this was a morally reprehensible decision for the first day of school.
One of the students, Uraraka, made her frustration known to the teacher. "You can't do this! We've been working really hard to get here, and it's only our first day! Expelling one of us on the first day just isn't fair!"
"Oh, you think that natural disasters are?" Uraraka was put into silence. "You think that natural disasters are just going to wait until you're ready? They're going to decrease in intensity to match your level of capability? And what about villains with dangerous and unpredictable quirks? Are they just going to stop wreaking havoc or hold back on you just because you can't handle their level? This world is filled with unfair events that threaten the public. As a hero, it'll be your responsibility to combat that unfairness. That means you'll have to constantly push yourself, find ways to improve your powers and make sure you stay ahead of the villains. These three years, U.A. High's gonna hammer you with these hardships, and it'll be up to you to overcome these challenges. That means going beyond, plus ultra style!" The teacher extended his finger and motioned the students towards him. "Now show me that you belong at this school."
Although these words were harsh, they were filled with necessary truths. Undoubtedly, threats would arise that needed powerful heroes with advanced experience and formidable quirks. Even Shigeo could find some sense of reason with this teacher's sharp tongue, and while he still found Aizawa's suggestion of expulsion to be heinous, he still seemed to be knowledgeable about what it took to be a hero.
Similarly, Tenya Iida was not pleased with the hazing method his teacher was employing, but knew that this was U.A. High, and for such a prestigious institution, he needed to live up to their standards.
"Now enough talking. It's another time-waster. Let the games begin. First test: 50-meter dash." The teacher touched his tablet device and scrolled through the list of students in his class. "Tsuyu Asui, Tenya Iida, you're up first."
Tenya Iida and another girl with long green hair which was oddly tied down to the bottom of her back in the form of a bowtie walked to the starting lines of the run. On the end of the track, there was an automated camera with a speaker that served as the referee for the races. While the rest of the students huddled to see them run, Shigeo walked up to his friend Izuku's side and whispered in his ear, "Are you going to be able to handle this?"
Knowing the truth about One for All and the limited ability Izuku had of wielding it, he grew very concerned for his friend's status as a student at U.A. High. Izuku met his friend's eyes, trying his best to put up a confident face, but Shigeo could easily see the fear churning in his eyes. Mob couldn't let his friend fail like this, which was why he offered his easy solution to this problem.
Shigeo once again leaned up to his friend's ear and softly murmured, "Izuku, if you want, I can transfer my energy to you." The fanboy let out a light gasp. He'd heard about his ability to absorb and transfer energy, but he never thought about the implications or in what ways Shigeo could use this ability. Shigeo continued, "It won't last long, but it'll give you an added boost in strength and let you perform better on the tests."
"Shigeo..." This sounded too good to be true. If he couldn't handle One for All at the moment, then this psychic energy boost could give him the edge he needed to make sure he didn't get last place. And yet...
Even though it was a perfect opportunity, it seemed too dishonest. It would give him an unfair advantage, which basically equated to cheating, and that wasn't who he was. Izuku had spent all this time training, honing his body to become a hero, doing it the right way. And if it really did help him not get in last place, he'd be spending the rest of his time at U.A. High feeling guilty for possibly putting the person who would get last place in that spot.
This was why the green-haired politely smiled at his friend and softly shook his head. "No thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I'm gonna do this with my own power."
"Are you su-"
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Bakugo noticed Shigeo whispering in Deku's ear and didn't like it at all. What the hell could they be talking about, and more importantly, if Shigeo was as powerful as he was showing himself to be, then why the fuck would he be talking to a loser like Deku? Upon being confronted like this, both Shigeo and Izuku gave similar reactions of shyness and uncomfortableness.
"Nothing important," said Shigeo, "Just talking about how the other applicants just did." In reality, they'd only gotten a glimpse of their performances.
Tenya Iida got a very impressive 3.04 seconds: his quirk, Engine, gave him engines on his lower calves that boosted his speed to extraordinary levels. The other girl, Tsuyu Asui, got 5.58 seconds; her quirk was called Frog, which gave her all of the natural abilities a frog had, such as a long, whip-like tongue, an enhanced leap, and many other nifty features.
"Ochaco Uraraka, Mashirao Ojiro, you two are next!" Uraraka and Ojiro, a tall boy with short, blond hair and a very long tail with a bushy yellow tip, walked up to the starting lines. "I'll lighten up my shoes to slightly decrease my weight. And my clothes too." She touched her right shoulder-blade and her shoes, emitting a light pink aura from her hands. The machine made a starting gun noise, and the two contestants went off. Sprinting with everything she had, her quirk sadly did not give her much of an advantage when it came to speed. Meanwhile, Ojiro managed to use his tail to jump forward, giving him a time of 5.49 seconds, while Uraraka only got 7.15 seconds. Nevertheless, the young girl seemed pleased with the results while she brought her fingers together to end the effects of her quirk. "Better than last year, at least."
Next on the roster was the flamboyant blonde teenager with cerulean blue eyes, whose name was Yuga Aoyama, and the girl who had a pink skin complexion, Mina Ashido. The pink-colored girl took a running position, but Aoyama, his confident smirk still plastered on his face, decided not to take a normal sprint position, instead turning his back to the track. "Valiant effort, mes amis, but I'm afraid you're not showing enough panache!"
"Runners, on your mark!" The referee fired the starting pistol, and Aoyama jumped up into the air. Taking a rather innovative approach with his quirk, the teenager fired his sparkling energy beam in the opposite direction, propelling him toward the finish line. At first, Aoyama appeared as though he would zip through with no problem and get a very impressive time. But only after a single second, his laser beam began to peter out, until it completely vanished, making Aoyama fall in an unimpressive and slightly sad fashion. Meanwhile, Mina was skating on the track, thanks to her quirk: Acid. With this ability, Mina was able to create the corrosive liquid from any part of her body, and right now, she was forming acid under her feet to increase her speed and decrease the the force of friction from running.
Mina smiled with glee as she passed the finish line.
"4.71 seconds!"
Meanwhile, Aoyama forced himself back up and fired another short burst of energy to close the last little distance that remained.
"5.51 seconds!"
Despite his jumpsuit being covered in dirt and grime, the extravagant teenager turned to look at his classmates and confidently explained, "You see, firing my beam for more than a second hurt my tummy."
All of the students frowned, annoyed by this student's shiny, boastful disposition.
"What a tool," thought all of the students.
Observing all of the tests, Aizawa took note on how each of the students were handling the sprint. By testing the upper limits of their strength, it became easier for Aizawa to assess their room for growth, what they could and could not do, and how much room they had to grow.
The next students called up to run were Midoriya and Bakugo. When their names were called, Izuku gulped and felt his palms grow sweaty. Likewise, Shigeo felt a great deal of concern for his friend, knowing the severe limitations of his power. The fanboy gave Shigeo a shaky and fear-ridden smile and prepared to take his place on the track.
Right beside him, Bakugo was stern and focused, ready to complete the challenge before him. The blonde-haired teenager was still confident in his abilities: he'd been honing his quirk for a very long time, determining the applications with which it could be used and in what ways it would be best usable.
The mechanical referee fired the starting pistol, and the racers were off. As soon as he got to a running start, Bakugo wickedly smiled and crossed his arms to ready his quirk.
"Burst Speed!"
Bakugo thrust his hands behind him and unleashed multiple blasts. The recoil effect from the explosions propelled him forward at an even greater speed. Appearing almost like a fiery comet, the explosive teenager passed the finish line, and relished the time as it was announced. "4.13 seconds!"
Once he finished the sprint, his face morphed into a more neutral expression, and he looked at both of his smoking hands. "My quirk's got more uses than anyone else's at this school," thought Bakugo, his arrogance shining as brightly as ever.
Regrettably for Midoriya, the physical training he'd undergone didn't really aid him enough to stand out in such a test, causing him to finish the run after 7.02 seconds. Once he finished his sprint, the student quickly caught his breath and arched his back forward from exhaustion. His childhood friend gazed at the pathetic classmate before him and scorned Deku for his quirkless and weak nature.
Midoriya's mind was continuing to panic. Almost of the odds were against him in this scenario. With seven tests remaining, it gave the rest of the students the chance to use the quirks and get amazing scores. Meanwhile, Izuku could only his quirk for one of the tests before breaking down. So what was left for Izuku to do?
"You can harness One for All." After getting a safe distance from the citizens and ensuring there was no one else around, the group of three were now standing on the sidewalk while All Might attempted to give his advice for using One for All. When lecturing his protege about the process and implications of using such a powerful quirk, one would imagine that All Might would give a thoughtful, advanced description of the sensations brought about when using One for All.
Sadly, this was not the case. "You've gotta feel it!" Toshinori shouted, causing comical sweat beads to fall down both Shigeo and Izuku's faces.
The fanboy grunted with mild frustration, but making sure to remain respectful, exclaimed, "Could you be a little more specific, All Might?"
Obliging Izuku's request, All Might expanded upon his explanation, punching the air to reflect the rush using One for All was like. "So you've gotten a taste of firing your quirk at all-cylinders. The huge rush of energy flowing through your body, giving you unbridled power and enflamed passion."
Shigeo could relate to All Might's description: whenever he felt himself explode from the rush of emotions before him, he felt a large surge of energy. How large the surge was and what he felt during the power-up varied on his emotional state, but there was nevertheless a significant change of emotion that occurred.
When trying to give a proper explanation to illustrate the sensation he felt when using his power, Izuku was having trouble coming up with the right description. "Like a bbzzzt? Or whoosh? Maybe kapow? Oh, I got it! Like an egg about to explode in a microwave!"
The symbol of peace began to vomit blood, puzzled by the decision for such an odd way of describing One for All. "Pretty boring metaphor, if you ask me, but if it does the trick for you, then fine.
"If you're gonna use that metaphor, then try to lower the voltage, increase the cooking time, whatever it is. Just constantly visualize it and focus on keeping that egg from exploding. You have three weeks until U.A. starts its first semester, so for the next few weeks, work on keeping that concentration. The more you work at it, the faster you'll learn. Controlling it isn't gonna be easy, and like I said, it'll take time. But mastery's gonna come, don't doubt that. You just gotta keep putting in the effort."
Izuku's eyebrows furrowed with resolve, and against the fear and panic of failure, the fanboy was still going to find a way to pass this test and stay at this school.
Watching from afar, the expressionless teacher took note of Izuku's relatively unimpressive running speed. Aizawa saw how this teenager did on the practical exam, barely scrapping by with hero points and not getting a single villain point. Despite his bravery, the teacher was not impressed with Izuku's resolve or even his power. No, he was confident Izuku Midoriya would be the one to fail.
"Midoriya..." The bowl-haired esper looked on with despondency. He wished his friend had accepted the offer of loaning him psychic energy. Now he was up against the rest of these students without a weapon in his arsenal.
"Shigeo Kageyama, Rikido Sato! On the running line!" Mob heard his name and quietly got himself ready at the starting line. Beside him was Rikido, a very tall, buff teenager with spiky brown hair. Upon looking at him, Shigeo immediately thought of the Body Improvement Club and all of the well-built members. Looks like this guy had built himself up pretty well. Then, the esper was taken by surprise when Rikido took a small vial of what seemed to be sugar and poured a small amount of it into his mouth. Upon ingesting it, all of his muscles began to slightly increase in size. "Does that mean... he can make himself stronger by eating sugar?" Shigeo thought, once again surprised by the unique variety of quirks there were.
"On your mark!" Mob's body was surrounded by a light blue aura, and both runners took their starting positions. The pistol fired in the air, and the teenagers bolted. For the esper, his leg power caused a very light boom and soft gust of wind, a testament to his unbelievable strength.
All of the students, even Aizawa, were baffled by the bowl-haired teenager as he effortlessly ran the fifty meters. The students had no way of knowing that this was still but a fraction of his full power, even less than he'd used before, in fact.
"0.02 seconds!" Passing the finish line with a lifeless look in his eyes, the esper quickly powered down, once again surprised at how much faster a small portion of his power gave him. With this increase, he'd have to be even more careful about holding back.
"My god, man!" From the crowd of students, a student with spiky red hair spoke up. "That was freaking insane!"
Shigeo was about to give a reply, but he was interrupted by the looming figure of Bakugo, gazing into his eyes with even more frustration and anger than before. When the hot-headed student spoke, his voice was quiet and hushed, hiding his churning rage. "How the hell did you pull that off? What kind of quirk do you have?"
"Oh..." Some of the other students, including Izuku, opened their ears with more burgeoning curiosity, "My quirk basically revolves around psychic energy. I can channel it through my body to increase my power, which is what I did for the last two tests."
The other students let out awed gasps, marveling at what this teenager could do. Bakugo, on the other hand, clenched his fist and deepened the frown on his face. "Don't get cocky. There're still six more tests for me to outmatch you, bowl-cut. So watch yourself."
The blonde-haired teenager turned around and huffed with defiance, leaving the esper alone and rather confused by Bakugo's last words. Shigeo wasn't trying to prove himself better than Bakugo or anyone else. He was just doing what the teacher told him to do, that's all.
Aizawa did a quick analysis based on Shigeo's performance in the entrance exam and the tests he just conducted. His quirk gave him standard telekinetic abilities, but it seemed that he expanded his range of usage of his powers. He must've trained a great deal in order to be able to utilize his psychic power throughout his entire body. Even for someone with such high standards as Aizawa, the teacher was impressed by what he saw. He'd have to see how he fared in the rest of the tests, but from what he'd seen thus far, he had unbelievable potential.
As the day went on, the students continued with the rest of their tests. After the 50 meter run, the next tests were grip strength, standard long jump, and repeated side-steps. Each of the students utilized their quirks to excel in their own ways, just as Izuku had predicted, giving them the chance to shine. Even so, all of them still couldn't hold a candle to Shigeo with just a fraction of his psychic power. As the tests went on, Bakugo's fury grew and grew: Shigeo's quirk gave him strength and speed he'd never seen before. It didn't make sense!
Shigeo noticed the powers of each of the students, and some tended to impress him more than others. One of the most interesting quirks he'd seen thus far was the girl with onyx eyes he'd noticed before. For the tests, she somehow created items that matched what she needed. For instance, when it was her turn to run the 50 meter dash, she created a very long poll that shot her forward at a very high speed. He didn't really understand it how it worked at all, but it was still pretty nifty to see a cute girl like that be able to create objects like that.
After the first four tests, the students returned to the ball throw test. Standing up next for the test was Uraraka, who was actually confident for this test, for her quirk gave the teenager a large advantage. The students waited in anticipation to see what she would do for the ball throw. With the ball in her hand, she craned her arm back, and when she swung it forward, the ball emitted a light purple aura and began to float into the air. Many of the students were unable to understand exactly what she'd just done.
The teacher showed the final result to the students, and they all couldn't believe it: she'd gotten infinity!
"Infinity?"
The other students openly expressed their shock. "How's that even possible," the golden-haired teenager said.
Even Shigeo was not expecting Uraraka to show off such a quirk. It looked as though she was able to make things float just by touching them, and what's more, those objects didn't seem to have a limit on how long they could be suspended in the air. Another unexpected power.
"Bakugo, your turn." The fiery teenager smirked: now he could have a proper chance to defeat Shigeo. When it came to strength, his quirk was extremely advantageous for him. He was confident it would be enough to put the bowl-haired nerd in his place. Bakugo walked to the throwing area and took his own throwing stance. Unlike Shigeo, though, his method had many more stepsThe teenager clasped the ball with both of his hands, raised the ball over his head, and with a rage-induced scream, Bakugo threw the ball with all of his power. Using his explosion quirk to increase the range several levels, a large fiery smoke surrounded the student. Like Shigeo's throw, the ball flew at incredible speeds, enveloped by the fiery flames of his explosion and creating several small air currents as well.
"Yes!" Bakugo grinned with wicked pride, watching his ball go soaring into the air and falling far off into the distance. As soon as he saw the ball drop to the ground, he looked at his teacher with ravenous anticipation. "Come on, what's my distance."
Mr. Aizawa showed Bakugo and the rest of the class his score: 705.2 meters. Some of the students were still impressed by the power of the throw, knowing that it was still amazing despite it being less than Shigeo's throw. But as expected from Bakugo, the blonde-haired teenager screamed in unyielding rage.
"DAMN IT!"
"That's enough!" The teacher's tired eyes became hardened and hostile. "You're wasting time with your temper tantrum. Now stand back with the rest of the class!"
Still seething with rage, the young student was forced to relent and marched back to the rest of the class, although everyone in his vicinity took about two steps away from Bakugo. Shigeo took note of Bakugo's unyielding indignation. The esper was finally starting to get a better picture of what Bakugo was really like, and for him, it was rather easy to identify because he'd seen someone just like him: Teruki Hanazawa.
His enemy-turned-friend was once equally self-righteous, believing himself to be the best due to his psychic powers. Bakugo was just like this: he seemed to be dead-set on proving himself better than all of the other students because of his belief that his powers made him superior to everyone else. When the possibility of him not being the best was presented, Bakugo tapped into his unbelievable rage, just like Hanazawa had done during their first battle.
After Bakugo finished blowing off his high-pressure steam, Mr. Aizawa moved onto the next student. "Midoriya, you're up."
The fanboy felt his body run cold. It was his turn. As he'd seen from all the other tests, everyone else had already gotten at least amazingly good score, and Shigeo excelled in every test so far. All the tests that remained after this were the long-distance run, seated toe-touches, and sit ups. None of those tests could give him the opportunity to use One for All needed to boost his score. That meant this was the only chance he had to keep himself from kicking the bucket.
Shigeo was feeling a great deal of distress. His palms were oozing with seat, his eyes alarmed and panicked, and his lips pursed into a tight frown. Things still weren't looking good for his friend. He needed to find a way to dig himself out of this hole he was in, and fast. Likewise, the other spectating students, Iida and Uraraka, looked on with growing concern.
"If Midoriya doesn't shape up quickly, it'll me him who gets expelled," remarked Tenya.
Bakugo, who was standing right beside him, felt the veins on his neck pulse, feeling that Tenya had to state the obvious. "What, you just figured that out? Of course he's the one going home! He's a quirkless nobody!"
Tenya stammered for a moment, confused by Bakugo's statement. "What do you mean? He has a quirk! I've seen it in-person during the entrance exam!"
Bakugo took this in with equal confusion. What was Iida talking about? His whole life, he'd known that Midoriya was born quirkless, so what kind of power could've gotten into this school?
As he observed Midoriya take his stance, the messy-haired teacher recalled the teenager's bold move when he destroyed the obstacle during the practical exam. While the other teachers had cheered his heroism and the judges were impressed by Izuku's bravery, Aizawa was not so eager to applaud his actions. Immediately after destroying the machine, his body was broken, leaving defenseless and nearly getting himself killed from the height of his fall. If it wasn't for Uraraka's intervention, he would've likely been even more damaged or tried to use his only remaining limb to cushion his blow. At that point, he'd be unable to do anything. In a battle, it'd be over for him. So now, it seemed likely that Midoriya would try to follow that same path, breaking his bones to boost his score. Aizawa would have to wait for a moment to confirm, and if he was correct, then it'd be his time to act.
As the formerly quirkless teenager stood in the circle, holding the ball in his hand and staring off into the distance, memories of everything that had led him here flooded him. Earlier today, when his mother expressed true pride in her son, for everything he'd done to make it to this point. In the very beginning, when All Might finally told him the words he'd been waiting so long to hear. Just before going to the practical exams, when he and Shigeo promised each other the next time they saw one another, it would be as U.A. students.
The young teenager closed his eyes and stammered. They'd all put their faith in him, helped him through the struggles he'd faced to follow his dream, and he absolutely could not let them down! The green-eyed teenager pulled his arm back, focusing the power of One for All into his arm to give him and causing it to glow with bright red energy. Upon seeing this, Shigeo's eyes lit up, understanding that his friend was channeling his quirk into his arm. He watched in eager anticipation as Izuku unleashed his strength and proved to everyone here what he could do.
"I won't disappoint you all!"
What he didn't realize was that one person was already disappointed: Aizawa. Seeing the teenager's reckless actions, the teacher's eyes glowed bright red, activating his quirk. As soon as this happened, all of the power in Midoriya's arm vanished: the ball barely flew into the sky, and with a light thud, landed at a pathetically close distance. "46 meters!"
Midoriya's entire body froze, his arm and leg remaining suspended in the air. Similarly, Shigeo's mouth gaped open slightly with shock. What happened? The ball should've gone soaring!
Midoriya gazed at his hand with disbelief. "I don't understand: I was positive I was using my power just now."
"I erased your quirk."
The green-haired hero shifted his body and gasped. His teacher's long scarf had begun to uncoil, floating around Aizawa's body. His long hair was standing up, and the dull, lifeless eyes were now a deep shade of red. All of the students were confounded by their teacher's claim. What did he mean when he said he "erased" Midoriya's quirk? Shigeo, in particular, didn't understand. Even if he could somehow "erase" Midoriya's quirk, what would compel him to do that? Izuku was just about to show the power of One for All!
Aizawa answered Shigeo's question with a detached iciness in his voice. "The judges in this exam weren't rational when they gave you that score. Someone like you should never have been allowed into this school in the first place."
Shigeo's muscles went rigid, and his posture stiffened. What did Aizawa just say? How could he say that? He'd worked with all of his heart to get to this school with a determination he'd never seen in anyone before. That alone made him worthy of enrolling in this school.
While these thoughts were on Shigeo's mind, Izuku was still trying to process how his teacher was able to cancel One for All. "Hold on, you mean you-" His eyes bulged, and he let out a small yelp when he noticed something hung around the teacher's neck. It was a pair of goggles. "Those goggles. I know you. You're Eraserhead, the hero who can look at people and nullify their quirks."
The other students crowded together, mumbling amongst themselves and trying to see if any of them had ever heard of this hero. Shigeo, however, didn't take his eyes off of Izuku or Aizawa, remaining within earshot of both of them. Moreover, all of the students and were completely unaware that the Symbol of Peace was peeking his head around the corner and observing the scene play out with a tightening chest. Earlier in the morning, he'd taken the initiative to learn more about the school and who his two pupils would have as homeroom teachers. He grimaced when he discovered that Aizawa would be their teacher. For Shigeo, this wouldn't be such a problem, but Midoriya, on the other hand, would be singled out from the start. It pained him to see his assumptions were correct.
The Erasure hero's narrowed red eyes looked down at the inexperienced teenager before him. "You're not ready to enroll here. You haven't learned how to control your power yet. Just now, you were planning to break your arm, leaving yourself incapacitated and expecting someone else to come in and save you."
Izuku tried to defend himself to his teacher. "No, that's not what I intended to-" The scarf moved, wrapping itself around Izuku's body and dragging him toward Aizawa until they were only a few inches apart. Shigeo's pulse quickened, although he remained silent and allowed the teacher to continue speaking.
"No matter what your intentions are or what you hoped to accomplish, in a real fight, you'd be nothing more than a liability, another problem for the other heroes to deal with. Your reckless, headstrong attitude is just the same as another overzealous hero, a man who saved more than a thousand people singlehandedly and became a living legend.
"Yet even with such a fiery determination, you won't be able to save anyone if you break down after a single punch. Sorry to say, but with your power and lack of control, there isn't a chance you can become a hero."
Izuku's lips were pressed tightly, his green eyes quickly losing their bright passion. Likewise, the other students felt pity stirring in their hearts. Shigeo's pulse had dropped, and the esper didn't have the same look of frustration in his eyes as before. Even if he was blunt with his words, Mob couldn't say that Aizawa was wrong. In every fight he'd been in, he always needed to stay strong, keep himself powered up and on-guard to make sure he wasn't hurt or anyone else around him wasn't hurt. If he'd broken down from the start, then who knows what could've happened with all of those fights. He needed to remain strong throughout the fight to protect others, and from what he could see, Izuku simply couldn't do that. Even so, it still didn't feel right for his friend to be forced out just when he started developing as a hero. So what was left for Izuku to do? The esper didn't know.
Aizawa unwinded the scarf around Izuku, wrapping it around his body once again and stopping his erasure. Once he released Izuku, the teenager broke eye contact with his teacher and bent his neck forward.
"I've returned your impractical quirk. Now take your final throw and get it over with."
The green-eyed fanboy, his face bearing a stony expression and his eyes remaining glued to the ground, picked up the ball and pondered his options. Similarly, Aizawa was deducing that Izuku would either use his quirk and forfeit the tests like an imbecile or admit his inadequacy and settle for last place. Either way, it didn't matter what option he picked: he still didn't belong at this school.
Izuku was at a crossroads: he lacked proper control over his power, but at the same time, what kind of person would he be if he just threw in the towel now, after ten months of working to the brink of death. So then, was the only option really letting the egg explode in the microwave? Even now, it seemed like that was the only option he had left to stay at U.A.
The fanboy tightened his fists and furrowed his brow. Izuku had to try something, no matter what consequences it might bring! His muscles tightened in preparation, and the student flung his arm back to prepare for his swing. As he was readying himself to let the ball fly, his teacher's words came to mind. Like Shigeo, Izuku understood that Mr. Aizawa was absolutely right. If he couldn't control One for All, if he left it up to other heroes to rescue him, then there was absolutely no way he could become a hero. That meant he had to work ten times harder than everyone else here in order to succeed in his dream. Even if there were still so many lessons for him to learn, those lessons didn't matter: all that mattered in that moment was what he COULD do. And what the verdant-eyed teenager could do was prevent his arm from being completely mangled. All he needed to do was focus, keep the egg from exploding.
From the sidelines, All Might and Shigeo felt their skin prickle in anticipation and uneasiness. Was Izuku really going to go through with this? Was he going to break his arm?
No. The teenager concentrated his power into a single part of his body, something that he could stand to lose without being completely broken: his finger. The tip of his index finger began to glow bright red, giving him the power he needed to get at least some boost. Yes, this would be enough!
"SMASH!" With his burning soul tempered by his cool focus, the teenager screamed and let the ball loose from his fingers. Upon releasing the ball, the same sonic booms and wind pressure created during Shigeo's fist throw formed, leaving all of the spectating individuals with dazed looks. The teenagers watched the ball soar through the air, although Shigeo's first instinct was to see how badly Izuku was damaged. He took note of the red swelling on his friend's right index finger. It looked broken, alright, but it was only isolated to a single finger. Did that mean... Izuku was able to focus One for All into only his finger?
The ball fell far off into the horizon, and the teacher read the distance on his device: 705.3 meters. The hero instinctively formed a small smile, although his attention was brought back onto Midoriya.
"Mr. Aizawa."
The passionate teenager's eyes sparkled with his typical drive, although he was biting his lip, feeling the pain of his broken finger shooting up inside of him, though not nearly as painful as when he first used One for All. Izuku clenched his right hand, and with his trembling smile, proudly proclaimed, "I'm still standing, Mr. Aizawa."
Aizawa's once-lifeless eyes were now widened with excitement, his lips curving up into a wide smile. It looks like he'd misjudged Midoriya, what he could do with his power, how much he could adapt. "This kid..."
From behind the wall, the symbol of peace beamed with pride. "I was worried about you at first, Midoriya, but you did an outstanding job. Understanding you had to use One for All but not so much that it would destroy your body, you shot the power through your finger, minimizing injury while maximizing strength. So impressive, Midoriya!"
The other students expressed their amazement. "Over 700 meters?" the gold-haired student exclaimed.
"Yea, that's the way," Uraraka shouted, raising her hands into the air and beaming with joy.
Tenya was also impressed with his strength, but observed Midoriya's injury. "His finger seems to be broken, just like in the practical exam. I can't get a very good understanding of his quirk."
"That throw wasn't very pretty either," remarked Aoyama, not showing any visible shock.
Bakugo, however, was an entirely different story. The air was completely knocked out of his lungs, and his mouth was opened wide enough to fit a baseball inside. What he just saw was in complete defiance of everything he'd come to understand about Deku. The first and most important fact about Deku was that he was quirkless. It was basically how he'd come to define this nerd. So then how in fucking god did he get a quirk?
"If he actually had a quirk, he would've gotten it when we were kids!" thought Bakugo, "This can't be right! This has gotta be some kind of trick he's pulling on me! I'M GONNA GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS!" The hot-headed student tensed his fingers, creating miniature explosions in his hands.
The teenager's rage fueled his movement and caused him to lash out like a dog being let off his leash. "DEKU, YOU BASTARD!" The esper was too focused on Izuku to notice Bakugo's bubbling rage, and wasn't ready for the teenager to bolt. But when Shigeo saw the teenager rush towards his friend, he was about to stop him with his telekinesis. However, having seen how furious Bakugo was before and the small signs of anger he'd shown towards Izuku, Aizawa was somewhat prepared for another outburst and could react before the esper. "TELL ME HO-"
Before Bakugo could move a few feet from his spot, Aizawa activated his Erasure quirk and his scarf capture weapon to restrain the violent student. Bakugo desperately tried to break free of the bondages, but the grip on him was too strong.
"What the hell... is this strength? It's just a scarf, but I can barely move."
"This is no ordinary scarf: it was designed by me as a capture weapon. Woven together with carbon fiber and a special metal alloy, breaking free of this is not an easy task. Now stand down. With a second outburst like that, you're walking on thin ice, Bakugo."
Like the many instances earlier today, the furious teenager had no choice but to concede to his teacher's demand. Aizawa returned the scarf to his side and stopped his quirk.
Seeing Bakugo had given up, the teacher waved his hand in dismissal. "Alright, whoever's up next, go on ahead."
Izuku still eyed Bakugo with caution, noting his clenched fists and eyes staring at the ground. Not taking his eyes off of him, he side-stepped around his childhood friend, and after a few more seconds of uneasy stares, he ran to the side of his students. Shigeo was the first to come to his side. "Your finger," remarked Mob, frowning at the sight of the broken appendage, "You broke it. How bad does it hurt?"
Izuku tried to ease his friend's concerns. "It's really not that bad. I can tough it out." Shigeo's frown nominally lessened, although he still felt great discomfort in seeing his friend hurt like this.
Uraraka walked up to Izuku with her eyebrows drawn together, gazing at the teenager's broken finger with equal worry as Shigeo. "Wow, you really did a number on your finger there..."
Upon seeing Uraraka and her worried stare, the fanboy felt a flush that crept across his cheeks. "Don't worry about it!"
While the friends of the young fanboy were concerning themselves over his health, the rambunctious young teenager was still seething about this new revelation and the power Deku had gained. None of this made any sense: before the exam, he was nothing. Simply a little bug that could be squashed with ease. But now, now... A roiling heat began to grow in his belly, his teeth bared with frightening vice. How was this possible?
Bakugo's hate-filled eyes were focused on Deku and the students surrounding him. However, he was caught off-guard when he saw Shigeo glance at him with hardened eyes. Izuku noticed his friend's aggravated stare and felt a small bead of sweat forming on his face. "Kageyama, just let it go."
"Don't look at me like that, bowl-cut!"
47%
The powerful psychic tore his eyes away from Bakugo. He didn't want to start anything big or force the teacher to intervene again. But he couldn't just leave things as they were now. Bakugo had nearly attacked Izuku and could've seriously harmed him. The esper couldn't let this simply be ignored. It was unacceptable! Mob needed to set some things straight with Bakugo, before things got any worse.
Once the remaining students finished with their throws, they went on with the three remaining tests, and as expected, Shigeo continued to excel in all of the tests, and Izuku continued to fail. The esper had continued to insist he give his friend energy, the Izuku remained firm in resolve to continue of his own power.
With all of the tests completed, the group of students were all crowded around their teacher, waiting to see how they'd done in their tests. Shigeo stood right beside Izuku, both of their muscles twitching in fear and edgy anticipation for what place young Midoriya had gotten. Seeing the looks of nervousness in all of their eyes, Aizawa decided to get straight to the point.
"Time to give you your results. I've ranked you all from best to worst, but you should all already have a general idea of where you stand. Talking to all of you individually to show you your score it a waste of time, so I'll just pull up the whole list."
The fanboy clenched his fist and tightly shut his eyes. He only managed to do well on the ball throw challenge: every other test, he couldn't use One for All and ended up failing while everyone else succeeded. Could he really scrape by with only a single good score?
"Here it is." The verdant-eyed teenager barely had the strength to open his eyes, and when he did, his heart sank to the ground. Likewise, the young esper was left breathless when he read through the list: he had placed in first, which was, as one who knew Shigeo would imagine, trivial to the psychic. But then came the last place ranking he'd been dreading to see: Izuku Midoriya, 20th.
"Last place..." The fanboy dropped his head down, keeping his eyes closed and clenching his fist in frustration. This was it: he was going to be expelled from U.A. High.
"Actually, I lied, nobody's going home." Shigeo and Izuku felt their hearts stop, their eyes rapidly blinking in disbelief at what they'd just heard. The teacher's mouth curved into a devious smile.
"That was just a rational deception to make sure nobody held back during the tests."
Several of the students drew sharp gasps of disbelief, feeling like they'd just been played as fools. Here they'd been stressing themselves over the possibility of being expelled from this school, and it turned out it was all just a goof? The girl with onyx eyes and a spiked ponytail, however, was practically unfazed by this revelation, having seen through their teacher's bluff long before.
"Were you guys really not able to figure that out yourselves? I guess I should've told you guys before."
Upon hearing this girl's statement, some of other students narrowed their eyes. "Yea, you should have."
While the other students expressed their shock and frustration at this revelation, what was more concerning and irritating for Katsuki Bakugo were two things: one, the fact that Shigeo had gotten first place, beating him in every test they'd taken. Two, that Deku wasn't heading home like he should have. That would've been a major load taken off of the hot-headed teenager. But no, it looked like Deku was going to keep on being a major pain in his ass.
"And with that, you're all done for the day. Go pick up the syllabuses from the classroom and read them over before heading home."
Upon having the initial shock factor mitigated, the next feelings that filled both Izuku and Shigeo were utter relief: they both took sighs of relief, releasing the stress that had been built up.
"Midoriya." The teacher walked up to the green-haired teenager and took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
"Take this paper and go have the old lady fix you up. Keep in mind that the real training starts tomorrow, so be prepared." The teacher's statement reminded Midoriya of the weight of his inferiority and the large obstacles that still remained in his path.
After giving Midoriya the note, Aizawa left the students to themselves and made his way to the teacher's lounge. Waiting behind the wall with his hands placed at his sides, the number one hero scowled at his fellow teacher's actions. "Aizawa, that was a rotten move!"
The long-haired teacher barely acknowledged the hero, replying with a icy tone in his voice. "All Might. What're you doing here? You didn't have any talk shows or interviews planned for today?"
"A rational deception, you said? A cute excuse, but you're not exactly known for being light-hearted. I looked over your profile today: last year, you got rid of an entire class of freshman students. You've never had any problem kicking students out, anyone you think can't cut it at U.A. You WERE planning on sending last place home." The hero pointed his finger at Aizawa. "So what that means is that you see the same potential for growth in Midoriya that I do!"
All Might seemed rather keen about what'd just happened and on Izuku Midoriya. "Why exactly does it matter to you?" The teacher glanced at the fellow hero and slyly smirked. "From what you're saying, it sounds as if you've been watching this entire time." All Might tensed his muscles and recoiled his finger.
"It's only the beginning of the year. I wouldn't recommend having favorites already." The unkempt teacher continued his walk to the teacher's lounge, but before leaving the hero alone, he decided to be honest and give him his two cents on Midoriya. "There isn't zero room for potential in Midoriya, that much I'll admit. If that were true, I would've sent him home without a second thought. It's wrong to let a child chase an unattainable dream."
Despite the underhanded tactics he employed and his strict nature, All Might could see that in his own way, Shota Aizawa was kind. Like him, All Might had understood that Midoriya could not a hero without a quirk when they first met, telling him the unfortunate truth of reality even if it was hard for him to hear it. Chasing a dream that could never be reached would only cause even more pain, a greater sense of disillusionment, and wasted time. Aizawa understood this. Even so...
"You and I are gonna have quite a few problems, Aizawa."
Once the tests were over, the students changed back into their uniforms and went to get their syllabuses. While the rest of the teenagers were expressing their relief and the nervousness about what had happened in the tests, Shigeo had moved past this shock. No, the thing that was most important on the esper's mind was Katsuki Bakugo. That explosive teenager clearly didn't seem to have any problems with using his powers to hurt others, and he had a seething rage for Izuku. Shigeo couldn't let this go on, and now he was going to try and set things straight with Bakugo.
Many of the students were walking out of the school and head back home. One of those students was walking alone on the side of the oustide pavement, staring at the ground with his hands stuffed in his pockets and still churning with rage over the day's events. He didn't matter what it would take: he'd prove himself as the best student and surpass the bowl-haired loser!
"Hey Bakugo." The teenager turned around and saw the esper looking at him with his eyebrows slightly furrowed, clearly irritated about something.
"What do you want, bowl-cut?"
The esper softened his expression, wanting to try and settle this with as little conflict as possible. "I wanted to talk to you, go over what happened today."
"Oh?" The fiery teenager's neck veins throbbed, and he felt his muscles tighten in anger. "You wanna gloat about your first-place spot on the tests today, talk about how you beat me in all of the tests."
"No, I-" The young esper's voice was cut off when the blonde-haired teenager walked up to him and looked down on Mob with his typical hate-filled eyes and angry grimace. "Don't think for one second that what happened here today and at the practical exam makes you better than me. Your powers may have gotten you more points on both tests, but I'm gonna show you that my training and experience with my powers far exceed yours or anyone else's at this school!"
"No." The explosive student frowned when he saw Shigeo shake his head. "Just because I have these powers, that I performed better than you on the test, that doesn't mean make me better than you or anyone else."
And with that, Bakugo was completely taken off guard. His head flinched backward, and his eyebrows squished together. This shock was very similar to how All Might had first reacted when Shigeo had displayed how humble the esper was about his abilities. For Bakugo, however, this statement was too outlandish, too extraordinary to be coming out of someone as strong as Shigeo, so his next reaction was to assume the esper was lying.
"You're mocking me, trying to say this bullshit to just make me feel even crappier about my loss and make yourself look even better, aren't you!"
"Is that what you think?" Mob slowly shook his head. "That's not what I'm trying to do here, and what I'm saying doesn't just apply to me. You think that just because you have a good quirk, that makes you better than others, but you're wrong."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" A direct threat to Bakugo's pride and identity he'd established caused the teenager to get physical and grab the esper by the shirt collar, eliciting a nervous gulp from Shigeo.
The esper continued to make his point. "You think that having a quirk is what defines people, and because your quirk is stronger than others, that means you're better than others as well, but that's not true. There are so many other skills and abilities that people who don't have quirks possess, and you can't realize that. Pretty soon, you'll find someone who's better than you in something important, and when that time comes, your quirk won't be any help."
"WHY YOU!" The explosive teenager curled his hand into a fist, ready to strike the Mob across the face, when he noticed that several of the students had stopped to look at the scene unfold. The rational side of him, even if it was relatively small, knew fighting Shigeo on school property would likely get him into serious trouble, and getting into such trouble on the first day compounded the detrimental effect. Besides, staying at this school to be the best hero was more important to Bakugo than punching this nerd in the face.
Bakugo silently unclenched his fist and let go of his grip on Shigeo. The rage-driven teenager was about to give a nasty remark, but Mob spoke up before Bakugo could open his mouth to speak. "That also reminds me of something else."
Bakugo felt his posture stiffen when he saw the features on Mob's face harden and his eyebrows furrow down.
"Don't use your powers against other people."
Even the intimidating Bakugo couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by the iciness interwoven with malice in his voice. "I saw how you were ready to attack Midoriya with your quirk. Using your power to hurt others, it's wrong."
"Listen up." Bakugo's explosive temper had simmered down to a warm flame, but the teenager's red eyes were still rife with hostility.
"I'm not going to listen to the words of some meek chicken-shit like you. I don't know what kind of stupid philosophy you've got in your head, but someone as soft and idiotic as you is never gonna make it big at this school or as a hero, and I'm not gonna hear another word you have to say. Also, don't act as if you know anything about me or who I am. I'll do whatever I want to become the best student at this school, and not you or anyone else is gonna get in my way." Bakugo lightly shoved Shigeo as his last act of aggression, and then continued his silent walk, his hands shoved into his pockets while tightly clutching the inner fabric.
Alone with his thoughts, he couldn't comprehend what and why the bowl-headed loser said what he said. He initially thought that Shigeo was mocking him, but the fierce resolve in his eyes and the unwavering tone of voice was sincere. He meant every word he said. But what the hell did he mean by that? How could someone with such an astoundingly phenomenal quirk, who got more than 100 villain points on the practical exam, say that his quirk didn't make him better than others? Powerful quirks like his were what gave heroes the power they needed to win, what made everyone admire and worship heroes. That should have been an obvious fact engraved in Shigeo's mind. But why wasn't it? And where the hell did he get the gall to call him inferior or regular? His quirk had power and applications unheard of, even for those with quirks. For Shigeo to deny him the glory that came with such a power was an insult to Bakugo. He'd have to show that to him the hard way!
Shigeo looked on at the angry teenager with a bitter smile. As he expected, Bakugo was in extreme denial about his superiority and fiercely denied Mob's words. The esper was glad it didn't end like it had ended with Hanazawa, but it was still obvious Bakugo would need more time, more convincing. It would be a challenge, but Shigeo had to make sure Bakugo didn't hurt Midoriya, ruin his experience at this school because he constantly threatened or hurt him.
Speaking of Midoriya, Shigeo needed to find him and see how he was doing after being sent to the nurse's office. It was such a relief for Shigeo to know that the school nurse had the power to heal injuries as severe as broken bones, so Izuku wouldn't have to worry about being damaged for months on end or possibly getting permanent damage. That's what he'd been told by All Might, although he didn't go into specifics of how it worked. Mob walked back to the entrance of the school, and quickly spotted Midoriya, although the esper was slightly off-put by Shigeo's drooping arms and tired eyes.
Mob had no way of knowing that this was simply a side-effect of Recovery Girl's quirk. When the fanboy entered her office, he was completely startled and actually a little frightened when he saw her lips extend and plant themselves on Izuku's finger. His finger was restored in seconds, but immediately after, a wave of drowsiness hit him. Recovery Girl explained that her quirk stimulated the body's natural healing process, but doing this still took a lot of energy. Furthermore, she told him that too many grievous injuries would require an excessive amount of stamina be expended, which would actually result in his death.
Shigeo was about to greet him, but Iida beat him to the punch: approaching from behind him, the blue-haired teenager grasped his fellow student's shoulder. Izuku turned around and jerked his head back. "Hey Iida, what's up?"
"Is your broken finger fully healed?"
"Yep. Recovery Girl fixed it in no time."
"What a relief." Both teenagers looked up and saw Shigeo walk up with a slow smile creeping up on his face. "Hello there, Iida."
"Ah, Kageyama. I must commend you on your first-place victory for today's tests. I never imagined that your quirk would be so utilitarian."
Shigeo's eyebrow raised up in confusion, which Iida quickly detected. "Utilitarian..."
"It refers to something that can be used in multiple ways."
"Oh, thanks." The bowl-haired esper shifted topics, something he almost always did when it came to compliments about his powers. "Still, Mr. Aizawa was really morbid and serious."
"Indeed. I was put off by his behavior as well, but in the end, I place my trust in the school's judgement." Iida crossed his arms while closing his eyes. "Even so, lying like that is downright immoral. Going to such lengths to trick us is simply cruel."
"HEY, you three!" The jubilant voice of a bobbed-haired girl rang out to the three males. They turned around and saw Uraraka sprinting towards them with a wide smile across her face.
"If you're all going to the station, I'll come with you."
All three of them recognized the girl upon seeing them. "You're the infinity girl, correct?" exclaimed Iida.
"The name's Ochaco Uraraka. And your names..." The young girl rotated her head to face the tall bespectacled teenager. "You're Tenya Iida." Uraraka next looked at Shigeo, who met her eyes with a small smile in response. "Shigeo Kageyama."
"And your name is Deku... Midoriya?" The bowl-haired child's small smile morphed into a frown, while Izuku tensed up in surprise. "Deku?"
"Yea, that's what Bakugo called you during the fitness test."
The fanboy felt mild color stain his cheeks while he tried to explain to his new friend what that was all about. "Actually, my name's really Izuku. Deku is what Kacchan calls me to ridicule me."
Shigeo gripped his wrist. "It's just a rotten move by Bakugo to try and bring Izuku down."
"Oh..." Uraraka reached her hand behind her head and closed her eyes in embarrassment. "I didn't realize that, sorry."
The young girl opened her eyes and decided to tell her opinion on the name. "Actually, I think Deku's a pretty cool name. It sounds like a really great hero name, and it's kinda cute too."
Izuku's heart pumped with emotion, and his face flushed into a deeper red.
"Deku it is, then!"
Shigeo was taken aback for a second by his friend's sudden acceptance of his name, but could clearly piece his friend's flustered reaction of flattery mixed together with the fact that this was one of the first girls he ever talked to.
"Just like that," exclaimed Tenya, "You were just saying a second ago that it was an insult."
Unable to give him a proper response, the young teenager covered his hands over his face and mumbled to himself, and the young girl gave Izuku a puzzled look. Once more, Shigeo could see himself reflected in his friend, his nervousness and easily embarrassed nature, serving to show how much Shigeo had grown. The esper smiled and patted his friend on the back, leading to Izuku removing his hands from his face. When Izuku saw Shigeo smiling at him, the redness in his face began to fade.
"Let's all go on to the station."
"Definitely," replied Uraraka.
"Of course. I must be at the station in 20 minutes, so let's make sure to keep a good pace." The four students began their walk to the station, all of them beaming with delight. For Izuku, he was happy to know that he'd begun to make some new friends at this school, and despite all of the inexperience he still had with One for All, he was getting some progress at least. Similarly, Shigeo was pleased to see that Izuku was making some new friends as well. He understood all-too-well the pain that came with loneliness and a lack of friends, and while Izuku had Shigeo, it was good to see that Izuku was expanding his friend group. On top of that, the esper himself was pleased to know that he'd acquainted himself with his fellow students and begun to create bonds of friendship. With such a tumultuous day, things were looking bright for both teenagers, and hopefully, they'd continue being bright tomorrow.
Boom! As expected, Bakugo was furious at both Izuku and Shigeo, not liking what either of them bring to his life. Also, the reason why I've had Mob take a liking to Momo is precisely BECAUSE she's the popular and pretty girl. It's sort of a parallel to how Shigeo fell for Tsubomi, literally the most popular and most crushed-on girl at his school. And besides, it's still high school: it's only natural to feel attracted to the pretty girl.
But how're things gonna go with all three of them in the same class? Are they gonna get worse? Is Shigeo going to have a larger impact on Bakugo? Is he gonna change him for the better? You'll have to see the answers in the next chapter of 100 Percent Hero!
