The episode started right where the last one left off. The students were desperately looking through the list, hoping to find their own name. Midoriya and Mineta were both looking at the same part of the list, since their names were so close together. Midoriya found his own name, and was overwhelmed. He thought 'I did it, All Might!'
"You most certainly did, my boy! Congratulations!" Yagi grinned and ruffled his successors hair. "You made an excellent showing in the first portion. And while your start to the second was a bit rough, your ability to learn quickly and adapt allowed you to bounce back."
"Th-Thank you All Might!" Izuku stuttered, turning red in response to the praise. It only got worse when his friends and some of his classmates also congratulated him.
Mineta cried out that his name was there too. One by one, the other 1A students each found their own names.
"Hey congrats man!" Kaminari gave Mineta a playful nudge, which made Mineta smile brightly.
Similar congratulations were doled out as more and more people were shown finding their own names, accompanied by noises of relief or excitement.
Aizawa had to tuck his head into his scarf to hide his smile as he saw his students passing.
Kirishima excitedly exclaimed that he found his name, but then he noticed that Bakugo's name wasn't up there. Bakugo had also noticed this, and was majorly pissed about it. Inasa noticed that his name wasn't up there either, and he bowed his head in shame. Todoroki also saw that his name wasn't there.
The excited chattering quickly died down when it was revealed that one of their classmates hadn't passed. It was followed by a collective wince when it was revealed that two of them hadn't passed.
"Dang, I wasn't expecting that." Mineta said. "Well, I mean, I kinda expected Todoroki after that last part, but I wouldn't have expected either of them at the start, you know?"
While some people murmured in agreement, Todoroki bowed his head. He wasn't overly worried about the physical safety of his other self. He was strong, and even if he technically broke the law by defending himself, he would likely be let off easy due to who his father was. Of course, that brought up the problem of who his father was. How would his father react to this news? Would he be too busy to notice, or would he be furious and train him into the ground? That anxiety compounded his own personal shame. He'd been trained for nearly as long as he'd had his quirk, and yet he was one of the only ones to fail this exam.
"Are you okay, Todoroki?" Momo asked, worry written clearly across her face.
Todoroki shrugged. "It's not unexpected after what happened."
"That's not what I asked."
"I am...not pleased with this outcome, and I don't look forward to seeing the repercussions of it. But that is ultimately not me, and I now know not to do this in the future. So I will be fine."
"Are things going to be okay with your dad?" Izuku asked. That actually made Todoroki hunch in on himself.
"I don't know. It may depend on how and when he hears the news."
Izuku nodded slowly, then looked down at the towel in Todoroki's hands. "Maybe you should hold onto that for a while then."
Todoroki followed his gaze, then nodded himself. Since he'd gotten older and more skilled it had become rarer for Endeavor to train him to the degree that actually hurt him. Still, it couldn't hurt to hold onto it.
Izuku took a breath and looked over at Kacchan. The blonde was sitting more rigidly than Izuku had ever seen him; Izuku could almost hear his jaw creaking from how tightly he seemed to be clenching it. He quickly looked away, knowing that any attention from himself was likely to set Kacchan off.
Kirishima and a couple others were trying to console Bakugo, but their words didn't get past the roaring sound that now filled Bakugo's ears. He failed the exam. The first important thing he'd been asked to do since the Kamino incident, and he'd failed it. Why? Because some 'civilians' couldn't handle a raised voice? Because extras were dumb enough to need a hero to tell them to leave a disaster area?
'Because you are not good enough. You never were, and now everybody knows it.' that wretched part his brain hissed.
Inasa marched over to Todoroki. After a long, tense moment of staring each other down, Inasa bowed so hard his head smashed into the ground. Again.
People jumped at Inasa's sudden movement, made all the more surprising by how tense things had been just a moment before.
"Yeesh, this guy has got to take it down a few notches. He's gonna give himself brain damage if he keeps doing that, and I'd be the one to know!" Kaminari joked, earning him a few laughs.
Inasa apologized, saying it was his own narrow-mindedness that caused Todoroki to fail the test. Todoroki thought for a moment about the burden his father put on him, then told Inasa not to worry about it. He'd started the whole issue after all, and he'd also learned something from the confrontation.
"That is a good way to look at things, young Todoroki. You are handling this news quite well." Yagi said. Aizawa nodded in agreement, still glad that he didn't need to give another lecture.
Todoroki nodded. "Thank you, sir."
If Bakugo grit his teeth any harder he was going to break a tooth.
Ashido and Sero were shocked that their top scoring students failed. Kaminari teased that Bakugo needed to learn to improve his language, then immediately freaked out when Bakugo turned his glowing glare on him. Bakugo said "shut up, I'll kill you!"
Several people sighed or face palmed when he said the exact sort of thing that got him to fail the test.
"H-hey! Maybe that wasn't the right time to joke, but I'm not wrong!" Kaminari protested in a high voice.
"No, you aren't." Bakugo ground out, much to the surprise of everyone around him.
Mineta, suddenly sounding philosophical, said that their high amount of skill made it so they had to fight against their own egos. He gleefully declared that the hierarchy was collapsing, before Iida cut him off by grabbing his face and carrying him away.
"Hey!" Mineta protested, rubbing his cheeks.
"It is unprofessional and rude to rub a failure in a classmate's face, and as class president it is my job to help maintain peace among my peers." Iida stated. He hadn't been pleased with Kaminari's joke either, but couldn't deny that the boy had a point about Bakugo's language.
Momo and Midoriya worriedly watched Todoroki. Before anything else could happen, Mera announced that a breakdown of their scores would be passed out. People started looking over their scores and Mera explained again how the demerit system was used. The cut off point was 50 points. Ojiro complained that he barely passed at 61, while Sero excitedly said he got 84. Jirou was shocked that Momo got 94 points.
Jirou chuckled. "Not sure why I'm so surprised, you're pretty awesome, so that seems pretty fitting."
Momo beamed at the praise, and started to blush a little when others started to praise and compliment her on the score as well.
"Seriously dude? That's awesome!" Kaminari said to Sero.
Sero himself was a little shocked, but that didn't stop him from grinning ear to ear.
"Aw, come on Ojiro, give yourself a little more credit than that! You got a whole eleven points over the cut off. Considering all the competition and everything, that's still pretty good!" Hagakure encouraged.
Ojiro smiled. "Thanks. I guess I gotta keep things in perspective right? What matters is that I passed, I can work and get better to make up for the lower score."
Iida and Midoriya talked, sharing their point values and what got them deductions. Iida pumped his arm through air and said he was glad they told them what needed improvement. Midoriya wondered why people who had gotten below fifty points were allowed to stay until the end instead of being removed like they would have been in the first part.
"As I mentioned to Sero previously, I believe it is to further show us what needs improvement!" Iida said, now pumping his arm like he'd done so on screen. "They show us our demerits so, despite passing, we will know what needs improvement. They set the cut off at 50 and allowed those who went below it to stay and continue so that those participants would get a better idea of just how much they need to improve to be considered passable."
"Oh, yeah, I get that now, and it makes sense. I guess I hadn't taken into consideration how the second half was all about cooperation while the first half focused on competition. Someone who wasn't taken out in the first half could stick around and sabotage others, like Seiji decided to do, but doing that doesn't make much sense for a rescue scenario."
Mera announced that those who had passed would now be able to act in emergency situations with the same authority as a pro hero. However, he also reminded them that meant they now carried more responsibility toward society. He reminded them that All Might could no longer act as a deterrent for villains, so they would have to respond to that and eventually become the center of society instead. He referred to them as fledglings, and urged them to be even more diligent from here on out.
Yagi grimaced slightly as this was brought up once again. He really needed to get together with Nedzu and the others and try to plan things out so that his retirement could be done in a more gradual and controlled way in the future. Some chaos was guaranteed no matter how smooth the transition, but he could at least try to make things easier on the civilians and these up and coming pros.
The students, meanwhile, took the reminder to heart, and promised themselves to do everything they could to keep each other safe and to save the civilian population from too much hardship.
Then Mera addressed those that hadn't passed. He said that they didn't have time to feel dejected, because they would have a chance as well. After attending a three month long special course, and passing a different test, they too could earn their provisional licenses.
Bakugo began to relax for the first time since he'd gotten the news that his future self had failed. He didn't relax much, but he did relax a little. It sucked, but at least he still had some chance to prove he could do better.
Todoroki relaxed more, but was somehow subtler about it. His old man still wouldn't be happy, but he cared more about the chance to make up for his earlier foolishness.
They did this first test to weed people out, but they'd like to get those who hadn't passed up to par soon if they could. That's why they let people stay until the end. Once their flaws had been addressed, they had the promise to become even better than those who had already passed. They could also just wait for next year again, but the reactions of Inasa and Bakugo made it clear that they wouldn't wait that long.
"It would seem that my thoughts earlier were mostly correct. I'm sure those that did not pass will make great use of their broken down scores to prepare for the make up exam." Iida said.
Midoriya told Todoroki that was great news. Mineta tried to talk about the hierarchy more, but Iida stopped him again. Iida said that they'd be waiting, and Todoroki said he'd catch up soon.
"We know you will!" Izuku said cheerfully.
"A positive attitude is important in such matters! I wish you the best of luck on your next exam!" Iida added.
"Yeah, good luck!" Uraraka said.
"You have already learned a lot from this, so I'm sure you'll do well." Momo said.
"Thank you, I appreciate it." Todoroki said.
"Good luck to you too, man." Kaminari said to Bakugo.
"Tch, I don't need luck." Bakugo grumbled on reflex.
"Nah, we know that, but it's the thing to say, you know?"
"You'll get there, and probably be even better once you do, like that Mera guy just said!" Kirishima said brightly.
Bakugo didn't say anything, and looked at the screen with an unreadable expression. He couldn't deny the surge of hope and vindication he'd felt when Mera said that, but with everything that had happened with him recently...
The exam ended, and everyone started to go home as the sun set. Midoriya looked down at his provisional license with tears in his eyes. Uraraka asked if he was okay. Midoriya said that, after getting so much help and causing so much trouble, this felt like tangible proof that they'd matured. It made him so happy! He was gonna show it to All Might right away! Uraraka smiled as Deku got out his phone to do just that.
"He's right! You should all be proud of getting to this point!" Present Mic declared.
"Yes, I agree. You all did an excellent job!" Yagi agreed.
"Even if we didn't pass?" Bakugo challenged.
"Of course! You still learned something about yourselves after all, and that will help you take the next step toward being heroes, just like those who passed now."
Bakugo frowned, but didn't challenge the assertion.
"Awww, are you gonna send All Might a picture of the license? That's so cute, Midoriya!" Ashido said.
Izuku started stammering, then squeaked when Yagi put a hand on his shoulder.
"No need to be so embarrassed, my boy! I'm sure my future self will be thrilled to hear from you so soon!"
Uraraka watched with a warm smile, very similar to the one she had on screen. Ashido was right, Deku was being pretty adorable right now.
Ms Joke approached Aizawa about the possibility of doing a joint exercise with their classes, which Aizawa actually agreed to. Inasa zoomed by, saying he'd see Todoroki at the special exam but that he still didn't like him. The others watched in bewilderment, but Todoroki said he'd make the best of it too.
Some students chattered excitedly about the possibility of doing a joint exercise with Ms Joke's students in the future, and others 'sweatdropped' at the exchange between Inasa and Todoroki.
"I suppose not all darkness can be expelled so easily." Tokoyami said.
"Yeah, not everyone can make friends in the middle of a fight like Midoriya can." Shoji agreed.
Todoroki truly wasn't bothered by it. So long as he and Inasa managed to work together, that was the important thing. They didn't need to like each other for that to happen.
Aoyama mused that Inasa was both strong and sensitive. Midoriya noticed the hairy boy from Shiketsu, and eagerly ran up to him to ask what kind of training they did to 'erase your presence'. The boy said that they didn't do anything like that, which confused Midoriya.
It confused the real life Midoriya too. Camie had said that she had trained for that stealth, but he said they didn't do that at her school? Did that mean it was a personal technique she had developed? If so, that was pretty amazing! Even if her actions during the fight had made him uncomfortable he'd be willing to talk to her again just to hear more about that technique.
Midoriya mentioned that the girl with big lips had talked about the technique. She also said she wanted to talk to him more, so he was wondering where she was.
"You really wanna follow up with her after how weird she made things?" Jirou asked in surprise.
"W-well, we still don't know for sure if she was doing that part on purpose or not. And I really do wanna know about how she made herself so hard to keep track of." Izuku explained.
Uraraka did her best to ignore how weird it made her feel to hear that Deku's go-to description of her was 'big lipped' and said "That makes sense, it would be really useful to know how to do something like that. Especially since your quirk makes you light up and everything."
The boy caught on that he was talking about Camie, and replied that she'd said she was feeling unwell and left early. Midoriya said he felt bad for not finishing their conversation.
Kaminari was about to slyly ask if that's all he wanted to 'finish' with her, but a look from Jirou made him decide against it.
The boy mentioned that Camie had actually been acting weird for a couple days now. As he said this, Camie was shown walking down a dark alley by herself. Grey sludge started to drip off her. She answered a phone call, and the person on the other end asked where she'd been, and called her Toga just as the camera switched to give a full view of her.
If the floor had been any closer then you would have heard the exact moment all of the students' jaws dropped. Aizawa sat bolt upright when the reveal happened, and Nedzu just smiled in self satisfaction.
"I-huh-what?!" Hagakure sputtered incoherently.
"We had a League member with us through that whole test?!" Mineta wailed.
"But, why? What does the League gain from Toga witnessing this test? If it was because of us, then why did she spend so little time with any of us? What could-" Momo's question was cut off by Midoriya's yell.
"I get it! It all makes sense now!"
Momo looked at him in surprise. "What? You know why she was there?"
"Huh? Oh, no, I have no idea what she's there for, I meant her quirk! You remember when she mentioned she was supposed to get three people's blood at the training camp attack?" Izuku's eyes flicked around, trying to address the room as a whole. "This is why! The blood allows her to change her appearance to look like other people. That's why she was able to impersonate Uraraka during the test, because Toga got her blood at the summer training camp. She was supposed to get blood from multiple people so that she could have more options for impersonating people!"
Students gaped or paled as the implications of that sunk in. Tsuyu shivered when she realized how close she came to having blood taken from her, and how that might have been used to hurt her friends.
Uraraka's body grew hot as she realized just how much that attack on Toga had taken away from her, and how much of a threat her classmates were now under. Deku had been able to tell that Toga wasn't really her, but what about others from the class? What if Toga approached one of them, looking like her, and used their trust in her to hurt them? She was suddenly very glad for the dorms being set up. It wouldn't take away every opportunity for Toga to do that, as they'd just seen, but it significantly reduced Toga's opportunities.
"This is concerning on another level as well." Todoroki said. "It was said that Camie was acting strange for multiple days. If Toga has been acting as Camie for days, then what's happened to the real Camie?"
The students and teachers grew even paler when they realized that the real Camie could very well be dead.
The person on the phone, who was revealed to be Mr Compress, told her to be more careful about check ins. Toga boasted that they didn't need to worry because she'd never been caught before.
"I'd be happy to break that streak for you." Bakugo cracked his knuckles.
As vindicated as he felt when this information was revealed, Nedzu also realized it made much more work for himself. He'd have to find some way to protect every student and staff member from having their blood and identity stolen if he wanted to ensure that Toga couldn't get onto campus by impersonating someone. Even if they managed to catch Toga before she became a problem, it would still be a good precaution. Toga was unlikely to be the only person with a quirk that could do something like that, after all. Alas, so much to do and so few hours in the day.
Toga eagerly told him that she had something that would make Shigaraki happy. She held up a vial with a drop of red in it, and declared she'd gotten some of Izuku's blood! Then she got a quirk explanation.
Izuku's stomach turned so violently that, for a moment, he was afraid he was going to throw up. First, because it was now fully dawning on him that all those poses had been absolutely intentional and done to him by Toga of all people. Second, because now she could transform to look like him and that put everyone he knew and loved in danger. Third, because his blood being stolen made for the possibility of One for All somehow being stolen. All Might had always said that he'd need to pass it on willingly, but what if whoever made those Nomus could somehow find a way around that? He reminded himself to breathe slowly and deeply, to keep himself from panicking. When his friends and mentor noticed, they did what they could to comfort him, and that helped bring his rising anxiety down.
'This hasn't happened in real life. I can prevent this from happening, and everyone here can help with that. It will be okay.' Izuku told himself. 'Besides, she only got one drop. Surely all those things couldn't be done with so little material, right?'
Tsuyu felt her own anxiety rise as well. If Toga didn't need much blood for her to transform, then was it possible that she could also transform into Tsuyu? Her tongue had gotten cut during the fight. It didn't look like Toga had managed to catch any of it then, but if even a single drop was enough...
The scene changed to a few hours earlier. Tartarus prison was shown, and it was revealed that All Might had gone there to talk to All for One. The villain tauntingly asked what All Might was doing there. Didn't he say he was going to devote himself to teaching now? What did he want from him?
"Wait, did All Might actually say that where All for One could hear him?" Mic asked. The last battle between AfO and OfA had gotten pretty intense and chaotic, so it was hard to remember what all happened when.
Recovery Girl tapped her cane thoughtfully. "Even if he didn't All for One could just be assuming that something Yagi said, based on what he knows about him and the situation."
Yagi's mouth was set in a grim line. First hearing that Toga had been targeting Young Midoriya specifically for his blood, now getting taunted by this monster...this was not boding well for them.
All Might said he just wanted to make things clear to All for One. AfO went on to complain about how all of the security measures made things so stifling. Even his brain waves were being monitored, so he couldn't even think about activating his quirk. He smiled the whole time he spoke. He brought up how Tartarus was the name for a Greek god, and laughed while saying that even he would have trouble defeating a god. All Might said he couldn't get out. AfO said he'd let them think that.
Students glared at the screen as AfO seemed to complain and taunt. Granted, for most villains, such precautions would be extreme; but after everything this man had done and how many quirks he had they weren't about to argue about the high levels of security. However, as the villain went on, those glares turned into looks of uncertainty. Was it possible that AfO really was that powerful? Could he truly be staying in there just by choice? But why would he stay someplace so unpleasant if he could get out at any time?
The teachers frowned or narrowed their eyes as the villain spoke. The smile seemed to mock all of the security measures, like he was saying they'd be ultimately useless if he ever decided he wanted out for real.
Izuku fixated on that smile too. Did it now serve the same purpose as All Might's? Was it being used to fool AfO's fear and make it less noticeable to others? Or was that smile for All Might? To Izuku, it was like the smile was saying 'Even with all this security, you're still afraid of me aren't you?'
AfO asked again why he was there, then asked about Gran Torino and commented on All Might's choice to where his hero outfit. All Might said he had a lot to say. AfO said it had been quite a while since he'd had a decent conversation. All Might ignored this and asked where Shigaraki was. AfO said he didn't know. All Might asked what he planned to do. What did he hope to accomplish by living so long and hurting so many people? AfO said that the answer wouldn't satisfy even if he gave it. There would always be people who just can't understand each other after all.
Aizawa sighed at the run around All Might was being given. "I honestly don't know why you went there. I know he's been brought down, but he doesn't have any reason to tell you anything."
Yagi sighed himself. "I...I probably know that deep down. I guess I just couldn't bare not to try at least." He knew it didn't make much sense, but he hadn't gotten this far by declaring anything a lost cause. Still, AfO had been at this game for so long that it wasn't surprising that he wasn't getting much of anything. He might have better luck trying to out talk Nedzu. He wondered if maybe he just needed to see AfO in Tartarus for himself. To know that it was real this time.
Nedzu listened to the interaction carefully. Even someone as powerful and experienced as AfO was bound to slip up sometimes, he was only human after all. If he did, Nedzu wanted to make sure to catch it. Still, if he were the one in charge of such a dangerous criminal, he'd probably keep them in a medically induced coma. It would be significantly harder for him to try escaping if he wasn't conscious.
AfO said that he and All Might weren't that different. All Might longed to be the hero of Justice, and AfO longed to be 'like an evil devil king'.
"That...really doesn't sound similar at all." Koda refuted, confused by the comparison.
"I guess they both count as 'big dreams' but that's about where the similarities end." Sato agreed.
Ojiro almost wanted to laugh at AfO's admission. "You know, I've heard people say that 'everyone is the hero of their own story', but apparently he always knew he was the villain and was just fine with that."
"Does this mean we can take All for One's 'boogeyman' villain status as a sign that dreams really do come true?" Jirou asked sarcastically.
All Might asked why he needed a successor if he was so happy being the big villain. AfO laughed at him for asking. He said it was because All Might took everything from him. He was only able to live because of his life support system. After All Might appeared, his ideal world was threatened. When a person sees the end is near, its only natural that he passes his work onto someone else.
Yagi scoffed at AfO saying he lost everything. If he maintained enough power and influence to make the Nomus and set up the League then clearly he hadn't lost everything. Though, he supposed this may be the first time in quite a long time that he lost so much to one person. He'd feel proud of that, but now he was afraid that might be the reason that Shigaraki was brought in to be his successor. Yagi frowned as he thought about that part. Sure, ensuring that his work continued despite his death seemed like a reasonable thing to plan for, but since when was AfO ever reasonable? From what he knew about AfO, the man would fight tooth and nail to keep what he deemed as his, be it his life or his empire. He wouldn't go down so quietly, even if he did 'sense the end was near'. But aside from getting one more jab in at All Might, what other reason could he have for taking Shigaraki and raising him to be his successor?
A voice over an intercom warned All Might he only had three minutes left. AfO insisted he wanted to talk more and asked how things were going after All Might's retirement. The intercom reminded that AfO was cut off from news and warned All Might not to say anything careless. When All Might didn't answer AfO, he decided to start speculating instead. He said that the media was likely questioning the unity of hero society after recent events, and that 'those who live in the shadows' would start organizing and trying to change the world themselves. He theorized that Shigaraki's group would stay hidden a while longer so they could target whatever group came out on top. Villain groups would fight each other for dominance. That was the scenario he planned out after all. And if all that did happen, it would all be the fault of All Might's retirement.
"It's not his fault!" Izuku reflexively shouted upon hearing that accusation. He'd been sitting in tense silence before this, unnerved by All for One's tone and attitude, but he couldn't let those words go uncontested.
"Is it not?" All Might asked wearily. "Not completely of course, but in part? He is right that those things would happen because my retirement would make others see society as vulnerable."
"Consequences and fault aren't always the same thing. People will choose to respond to your retirement in a variety of ways, but you are not responsible for the decisions of others." Nedzu explained. How much responsibility All Might bore for the current state of hero society in general was an entirely different issue, and it wouldn't be productive to bring it up right now.
AfO continued to talk. All Might wouldn't be able to save people anymore. All he could do now is watch helplessly.
Yagi sighed. "Perhaps you are right, and that is not my responsibility. However, before I could at least address the issue of villains directly. Now this version of me will not be able to do that, and no doubt it will gall." Before he could get too far into those dark thoughts, he smiled and patted young Midoriya's hair. "But, I suppose that is where you come in. It's where all of you come in." He looked around the room. "You students, and my fellow teachers, and all those other heroes out there...someday you will all have to help shoulder a burden that I once carried alone. I can't do anything for this other timeline, but in our own I will do my best to prepare you all for that inevitability."
Nedzu nodded. "Yes, there are a number of things that could be done to make the retirement of the Symbol of Peace smoother and more gradual now that we have been gifted with this information. I'm sure we'll all do our part in making that happen, yes?"
Recovery Girl, Aizawa, and Present Mic all nodded. Some of the students did too, Izuku among them.
Still, couldn't All Might at least tell him how he felt? All Might stood up suddenly, and the intercom told him to keep back. AfO gleefully said that people often get angry when their feelings are guessed correctly. Too bad All Might couldn't punch him now, huh?
Students scowled and glared at the screen, and many of them wished they could reach through the screen and hit AfO themselves. All for One wasn't owed any answers from their teacher! How dare he mock him like this after all the hurt and pain he's caused to so many people over the years! Their conviction to help All Might put this man away for real, directly or indirectly, only grew with AfO's every word.
That determination didn't stop a pensive atmosphere from lingering in the air though. Most of them still remembered how AfO's thoughts seemed to imply that he'd planned for this to happen all along. Was there anything they could really do against a being so old and powerful?
All Might told AfO not to think he knew everything. He knew exactly what AfO had been planning when he took in a member of Nana's family to raise and turn against them, to eventually kill them. All Might remembered talking to Gran Torino about Shigaraki, and declared that he would not let Shigaraki kill him. He would not die! He could not be killed! AfO just kept smiling as he asked if that's what All Might had come here to say. All Might's time was now up, but as he walked out he declared that he would smash AfO's future as many times as it took. AfO was still smiling as All Might left.
Most would deny it, but everyone felt relieved when the scene finally ended and AfO was once again out of sight. Hopefully, with a little time, he'd could go back to being out of mind too. They covered up that relief by eagerly agreeing with All Might, and making promises not to let him or any other villain steal away their futures.
Yagi fought the urge to scowl at the last image of AfO, and gave his signature smile to his students instead. He would not let that man's words get to him. He would not let that man win. He didn't care what Mirai's vision had shown; he would not allow it to come to pass. Not until he'd given young Midoriya every advantage he could pass on, at the very least.
Bakugo's hands had been resting on his knees when this scene started, and his grip on then had gotten tighter and tighter as the scene went on. The thought that his kidnapping, the thing that had gotten All Might to lose the last of his power, hadn't even ended in a victory because the villain had planned to end up in Tartarus, made it feel like the nitroglycerin was in his blood as well as his sweat.
All Might was shown leaving Tartarus in a car. His phone dinged, and he took it out to see the message Midoriya had sent him about getting his provisional license. Despite the conversation he'd just had, All Might smiled at the news.
Izuku felt inordinately pleased by the fact that a text from himself had been able to bring a smile back to All Might's face. No matter what All for One was planning, he couldn't take things like this away from them.
Back at the dorms, the class was hanging out together in the main living area, talking about the test and classes the next day. Midoriya was smiling down at his phone, wondering if All Might got his text. That smile was wiped off his face when Bakugo passed by him and told him to meet him outside later so that they could have a talk about Midoriya's quirk.
The class looked at Izuku and Bakugo with expressions ranging from curiosity and interest to worry and alarm.
The one with the most alarm on his face was Izuku himself. He chanced a look at Bakugo and stuttered "Um, I know I kinda told you already, and that you've, uh, the other you has probably figured a lot out, but the other me still might not be able to tell you, er, him, everything, you know?"
Bakugo sighed. "I get that Deku, but that doesn't mean HE will."
"Ah, in either case, I appreciate you waiting to address young Midoriya about this in a time and place where you are unlikely to be overheard by anyone." Yagi said.
Aizawa's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He'd been so happy to avoid a lecture to Todoroki earlier, but now he was getting the feeling he'd have to give an even worse one to these two soon.
Late at night, when other students were shown to be asleep, Midoriya followed Bakugo down a path on the school grounds.
The sleeping positions of some students made the rest of the class giggle, and Iida blushed at his own undignified state.
Midoriya was getting more anxious now. He'd thought Kacchan had meant to talk just outside the dorms. Where were they going?
Aizawa's suspicions were growing as well.
Midoriya asked Bakugo where they were going, saying it wasn't good for them to wander too far at night. Bakugo didn't respond, and was shown to be thinking about how Deku used to trail after him while praising him as a kid.
Some of the other students were starting to get more nervous now. Bakugo not responding made them remember how the final exam practical these two had done, which definitely left them worse for wear.
Yagi took note of the last line in young Bakugo's memory, the assertion that young Midoriya would never be able to beat him. He'd said before that Bakugo's pride was something else, and with everything they'd seen recently, he got the feeling that his issues about that pride were about to come to a head.
Aizawa agreed that they shouldn't go far from the dorms at night without telling anyone, but decided he'd address that after seeing exactly where this interaction was going.
When they stopped walking, Midoriya realized they were at ground beta. Bakugo said this was where their first battle trial had been, where he'd first lost to Midoriya. He said Midoriya had always made him sick. How could someone quirkless and useless make it into UA?
"Deku was never useless!" Uraraka protested, then blushed a bit when she realized she'd just used the name that had been previously used to tell Midoriya he was useless.
"Yes, I very much agree. He may have lacked a quirk before but he clearly had other talents!" Iida said, which triggered a general murmur of agreement throughout the room.
Izuku ducked his head, but smiled gratefully at their defense.
Bakugo's lips pressed together. He'd have to agree with them now, Deku had never been as useless as he'd always said. Yet he couldn't remember a single time where someone had challenged him when he said that that 'quirkless' and 'useless' were interchangeable. Not until he'd come to UA.
Then he recalled what Midoriya said to him after the battle trial. He didn't understand what Deku was saying at the time, but that didn't stop Deku from climbing higher and higher. He'd been climbing higher ever since the sludge villain incident, ever since All Might came to town. Now Deku had passed where he had failed.
Bakugo let out a sigh. Yeah, it really had started back at the sludge villain incident hadn't it? Deku saying he could be a hero despite not having any power had always pissed him off because it sounded like he was looking down on Bakugo by saying it, like Deku's lack of power was on the same level as the powerful quirk the earned himself so much praise. But it wasn't until the sludge villain incident happened that Deku succeeded, and he failed. Deku had been effective and made a difference in a situation that made himself feel powerless. It was the first time it had crossed his mind that maybe everything he'd thought he'd known had been wrong.
Yagi looked over at Bakugo, and saw the pensive look on his face. It had seemed like the talk he'd had with Bakugo before had helped, and he hoped it would be enough to carry him through this next segment. He'd keep an eye on things, and decide later if Bakugo might benefit from another discussion.
Izuku started to console him, but Bukugo yelled at him to shut up. He said that Deku always pissed him off, but he started to understand things after Kamino happened. He began to understand what Deku had been talking about before. He faced Midoriya and said 'You got it from All Might, didn't you?'
"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" Kaminari called out.
"What's his prize?" Sero asked.
"Either the crushing weight of not being able to tell anyone, or the satisfaction of knowing something no one else does. Depends on how you look at it." Ojiro replied.
Midoriya was clearly nervous but said nothing. Bakugo went on to explain how he'd put it all together: A villain that could take and give quirks, how Deku had changed and All Might lost his power, how the Noumus had multiple quirks, how AfO and All Might clearly knew each other. He tried asking All Might, but didn't get an answer. So he was asking Midoriya now.
"I suppose Bakugo is in a unique position to have just enough clues to figure out some of One for All's secrets. Given how he knew Midoriya before UA, and how Midoriya told him a bit about it, it makes sense that he'd be able to piece this together." Momo noted.
"I don't know. It's so out there that I'm not sure I'd be able to figure it out on my own even if I had known all that." Hagakure admitted.
Midoriya remembered how All Might had told him that Bakugo didn't seem to take Midoriya's words about his quirk seriously after the first training battle. Bakugo said it must be true if Deku wasn't denying it. Midoriya knew that this was his fault for not following All Might's instructions.
"He did consider it nonsense at the time, but things have changed since then, have they not?" Aoyama said.
"Ah, young Midoriya, I can see it is causing your other self stress that young Bakugo managed to figure this much out. It is a rather moot point now, since the whole class knows, but I always did expect you to choose to tell some of your peers about the secret of One for All."
"You did?"
"Of course. I know that Gran Toriono and Recovery Girl fall more into the mentor category, but I have friends who know about my quirk as well. Detective Tsukauchi is one of them of course, but my old sidekick, Sir Nighteye, also knows. I just wanted to make sure you were only telling people you really trusted, and that maybe you'd wait until your own career was a bit more established."
Midoriya asked what he was going to do with the answer. Bakugo said they both wanted to be like All Might, yet All Might had recognized someone like Deku without Bakugo even realizing it.
He challenged Midoriya to a fight right then and there.
Even after the episode ended, the audience continued to stare at the screen for a minute. While a few were immediately hyped at the idea of getting to see Bakugo and Midoriya go at it again, like they did in the first battle trial, others were much more apprehensive.
"Bro, as manly as that challenge is, and as epic as that fight would definitely be now that you guys have both improved, I'm not sure that's a good place for it." Kirishima admitted.
"My thoughts exactly!" Iida's hand chopped through the air. "You are alone and unsupervised! If someone got seriously hurt then you may not be able to get medical treatment in a timely manner! It would be much better to try and spar during one of our class training sessions."
Bakugo huffed. "Pretty sure the other me has got something more intense than sparring in mind. Probably doesn't want a bunch of people watching either." A teacher might try to stop them from going all out, after all.
"Do you think you'll do it?" Uraraka asked.
"I...I'm not really sure." Izuku admitted. He had a feeling he would though. Despite it being a bad idea, and knowing it would likely disappoint his teachers, he'd probably give into Kacchan's demand anyway. Either to try and prove himself, or to try and help Kacchan.
Given the way Aizawa was looking at him, he suspected his teacher knew what his answer would end up being.
All Might looked between young Midoriya and young Bakugo. He had a feeling about what this sudden challenge was about, but would hold his tongue for now. Some things were best worked out just by the people directly involved, at first anyway.
Nedzu called for another break, despite some protests from people who were eager to know what would happen next.
"So, uh, I know we haven't met Toga in real life or anything, and we hopefully never will, but maybe we should think of a code word or something to use with each other?" Mineta suggested. Now that he'd calmed down from the shock of the reveal, he really wanted to think of something to prevent any villains from sneaking in among them.
"Code word?" Sero asked.
"Yeah, like, a secret word we can use to make sure we're talking to the real deal rather than someone impersonating them."
"Oh, you could do a challenge code then!" Present Mic chimed in, happy to have something to contribute. "It's like a call and response. Everyone in the group agrees on a starting word and a response to it and keeps it secret from outsiders. So then if you think someone is acting off you can say the first part and then see whether or not they know to follow it up with the next part."
"That's not a bad idea. It would have to be something unique though, so someone couldn't just guess the response." Sato pointed out.
"We also might want to change it now and then, just to be on the safe side." Shoji said.
"But what if someone forgot? Or didn't hear what the new one was?" Koda asked. He'd hate to be suspected of something just because he missed an update or was distracted when the new code was announced.
"Maybe an announcement could be made at the start of each homeroom? I mean, Aizawa always keeps our attention really well." Mineta suggested.
While the students continued to discuss possibilities for better security, Uraraka and Iida noticed that Midoriya had gained a thoughtful expression shortly after the break started and that it hadn't left him since. Plus, he hadn't even been drawn in to the discussion on how to defend against a shapeshifter! It was very unlike him.
"Something on your mind?" Uraraka asked.
"I was just thinking about what All Might said, about him having friends that knew his secret. And well, maybe it doesn't mean much now, but if all this hadn't happened, and I had to choose people who would know about the real story behind my quirk, then I think I would have chosen the two of you to tell first."
Uraraka's eyes widened. "Really?"
"That is a great honor!" Iida smiled broadly "I'm glad you place such a great amount of trust in us! I will do my best to prove myself worthy of it and not reveal the secrets we see here to anyone once we return to our own time."
Uraraka nodded rapidly "Me too! I won't tell anyone anything when we get back!"
Izuku could only smile at them. "I know, thank you both."
A.N.
I don't know why, but when writing about Bakugo's brain telling him he wasn't good enough near the beginning my mind flashed to that scene in the Lion King where Scar says "Oh Simba, you're in trouble again. Only this time daddy isn't here to save you, and now everyone knows why!"
Also:
All Might: You all did a good job! Even those who have not yet passed!
Bakugo: Sounds fake but okay.