Almost a month passed, and here is Chapter 15!
With the school day at an end and all of the students having already gone to their homes, each was immensely impacted by the day's events, what they signified, and the kind of experience they brought. For example, in the house of Izuku Midoriya, his very emotional and concerned mother had quite a dramatic outburst when she learned of what had happened at U.A. and shed some initial tears of shock; after learning that her son was basically uninjured, she got over it and decided to make his favorite meal to celebrate the fact that her son hadn't died during the incident.
Sitting in his room, the green-haired fanboy was doing as a fanboy did and watching All Might's big video for the thousandth time. That confidence, strength, and ability to save so many lives were all aspects of All Might that made him such a fantastic hero. Unfortunately, he and the rest of the class were so far away from being that kind of hero. During the attack, all the students couldn't do anything to help Aizawa or Thirteen. Everyone except...
"Kageyama was the only one of us who did anything impactful. He had the power to take care of the Nomu and took charge of the situation. And he was the one who gave All Might the power he needed."
The young teenager picked up a dumbbell and started doing bicep curls with his functioning hand while he continued to think about the significance of the U.S.J. incident. "To gain the power to truly oppose evil, I have to make One For All my own, master every aspect of it, because All Might chose me. I'll make him proud and become strong enough to fight villains as he and Kageyama do."
Midoriya was driven out of his thoughts by her mother knocking on his door. "Izuku, your dinner's getting cold," she said, opening the door and peaking her head through it.
"I'll be there in a sec, mom."
"Remember, your muscles need fuel!" As the affectionate mother gazed at her pure-hearted son, her heart was relieved to see Izuku continuing to work hard, persevering through the hard times and unexpected occurrences. As long as her son was smiling, she could smile too.
The U.S.J. attack was on every news station and channel, all talking about the very bold and dangerous attack these villains orchestrated. In the media, newscasters and radio hosts were commending the students' bravery, displaying images of the students after the attack. Another general discussion on the media's minds was that these students even had to fight in the first place, and how U.A. High could have allowed something like this to occur on such secure grounds.
Sitting in their desks, some basking in the glory and attention they were receiving, Class 1-A was ready to go about with their regular day.
"Man, you saw all the news stations talking about us?" gloated Kaminari, "It's like we've become celebrities or something."
"I know, right?" Kirishima agreed.
Sitting beside the two friends, Jirou dismissed their boasts with a wave of her hands. "Come on, you guys, you need to get over yourselves. All the media cares about is that villains attacked the hero course.
"Who knows what would've happened if the teachers hadn't shown up," said Sero.
The frog-like teenager put her finger to her chin and glanced at the bowl-haired esper while leaning on her chair. "Oh, I don't think it would've been so bad."
Sitting at the front of the class with his arms crossed and his head slightly turned toward Mob, Bakugo quietly eyed the psychic, impatiently tapping his finger. Something big happened to him yesterday...
Now that the police had arrived Class 1-A had all gathered outside of the U.S.J. They were watching as dozens upon dozens of villains were shackled, chained together by their hands and feet while they were all directed towards ten large squad buses that would take them to jail. Most of the classmates were talking about how scary the attack had been, what kind of villains they had to fight and even complimenting some of their classmates for how well they held their own against their enemies. However, many of the classmates were concerned about the health of the teachers who'd been so severely hurt, with Mineta and Tsu expressing worry over Aizawa's condition. While Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Ashido were worrying over Thirteen. The detective on the scene, Naomasa Tsukauchi, and the man who happened to be friends with All Might assured the students that the teachers were perfectly fine.
Tokoyami was most concerned with the one he'd fought against during this whole incident, wondering why he wasn't with the class. He'd left his classmate to lend a hand to Aizawa and felt partial responsibility for anything that could've happened to him. "Where's Kageyama? Did he get injured?"
"Yes, he received a minor injury on his foot. One of your other classmates, Midoriya, also had some light injuries. But none of you should worry about them. Recovery Girl's taking care of both students, so they should be good as new by the end of the day. We should get all of you to your class."
The detective spoke with a few other police officers, leaving the students to talk amongst themselves. Most of the conversations currently taking place were about how Kageyama could've been injured at all. Some of the loner students, like Bakugou and Todoroki, had distanced themselves from the others by a few feet, with the explosive student tuning his ears to the conversations about Kageyama.
"Was Kageyama actually hurt by those villains?" said Ojiro, "I mean, sure, they had strength in numbers, but Kageyama should've been able to take care of them without a problem."
"And that's exactly what he and I did." Tokoyami set some facts straight about their confrontation with the first batch of villains they came across. "Once we took care of them, Kageyama went off to help Mr. Aizawa."
"Kageyama freaking whooped ass!" Mineta, who was also hearing this conversation, decided to join in and note how incredible the esper had performed, with Tsu walking beside him. "Once he came on the scene, he kicked that big bird guy to the curb. Isn't that right, Tsu?"
"Yea, Kageyama didn't pull any punches..." The frog-like girl put her finger to her chin, remembering the esper's ferocity and sudden determination. "Mineta, you saw what happened to Kageyama's eyes, and how they turned red."
"His eyes turned red?" Upon hearing this revelation, the blonde-haired teenager walked in to join the conversation officially, his eyes opened with shock and curiosity, and the white and red-haired student decided to walk a few steps closer without fully entering the conversation. So it happened again? The bowl-haired nerd had undergone the same kind of change during their confrontation after his battle with Midoriya?
"It was kinda scary," added Mineta, "Never knew Kageyama could get so serious."
"What's even more surprising is that it seemed to give him a boost in strength. Before his eyes changed, his barriers couldn't hold up against the black thing's punches, but once he got angry, his barriers couldn't be broken."
"So his anger made him stronger?" said Bakugo.
"I'm pretty sure," Tsu replied.
Many students were startled by this fact, finding it hard to believe that the shy, soft-spoken, and humble student they'd come to know these past few days could possess such a ruthless, angry side. The explosive teenager was taking it the worst of them all: so Kageyama was being quite literal when he said he was fueled by rage. Although he wasn't exactly sure how it worked, it seemed there were certain times when the psychic's anger burst out, triggering a significant change in personality and power. Who knew how much more powerful he was in that state: it got him thinking about some of the other tremors he'd initially felt during his fight with the low-level thugs. Could Kageyama have caused some of those tremors? Bakugo's skin shuddered just thinking about it. So much power in the hands of such a shy, weak-willed nerd...
Watching the bowl-haired esper sitting in his seats with his dull, lifeless eyes only made him want to work even harder, push himself to the very limit to be able to beat him one day.
"Kageyama, you totally had everything covered!" said Mineta.
The esper wasn't particularly proud of what he did during the U.S.J. incident and tried to deflect the attention away from his performance. "I mean, I held it off, but All Might's the one who took the Nomu down."
"No kidding, did you see how badass All Might was," said Sato, energetically punching the air as he remembered the tremors he felt during All Might's battle, "His punches brought us all to our feet!"
Tokoyami crossed his arms together and closed his eyes. "A truly miraculous force, yes."
On the clock, the minute hand struck the 24 marker, and Iida came rushing in from the side to fulfill his duty as class rep. "Everyone, class is about to begin, so please take your seats!"
The blue-haired teenager addressed the entire class, only to realize that not a single person was out of their chair except him.
"Uh, we're all in our seats."
"That's right; you're the only one not sitting."
The class representative slowly walked to his seat with his shoulders hunched and his body shaking with frustration. "Dang it!"
"Eh, don't worry about it," said Uraraka.
"Morning, class." The entire class heard the voice of their homeroom teacher and looked at the door, only to find Mr. Aizawa with both of his arms wrapped with medical tape and a sling around the two appendages. The students were shocked at the extent of his injuries and how he even had the strength to teach a class.
"Man, what a pro," said Kirishima.
"Mr. Aizawa..." The powerful esper bit his lip, the guilt rising inside him as he watched his teacher shuffle to the front of the class. Even though his injuries would be healed, he still felt this could have been avoided if he'd gotten there quicker.
"I'm pleased to see you're ok, Mr. Aizawa!" shouted Iida.
"My well-being is irrelevant. No, the thing that's most relevant now is that your fight hasn't finished."
Upon hearing this, a wave of dread washed through several students. When they heard those words, the first thing that came to mind was that there was some big threat coming again, and their teacher was going to warn them of how dangerous it would be.
"Our fight?"
"Don't tell me..."
"More bad guys?"
"The U.A. Sports Festival is about to start."
The first student to react was Kirishima, who wiggled in his chair excitedly and let out a big "YES!". The rest of the class, however, were shocked and slightly angered that their teacher had said something so dramatic, so ominous, for something like a sports festival.
"How could you scare us like that?"
Kirishima continued to talk gleefully in his seat. "Hell yea! We're gonna kick some serious ass!" Sitting next to him, his friend Kaminari slapped his cheek to silence him, not as enthusiastic about this revelation and feeling like some things didn't seem right here.
"Are you sure holding the sports festival's a good idea after the villain attack?" asked Jirou.
"They could attack the students since we'll all be in one place," added Ojiro, his brows furrowed with concern.
"The U.A. Administration has considered that and ultimately decided that holding the festival will show that the situation's been handled and the school's safer than ever. Security's been beefed up significantly compared to past years, and this is a significant event for all students at U.A. High. It can't be canceled because of a few villains."
Some students, specifically Mineta and Kageyama, did not adhere to their teachers or the school's reasoning and found holding a festival at this time a very bad idea.
"Are you sure about that?" said Kageyama, "I mean, it's just a sports festival."
The green-haired fanboy's eyebrows perked up. "Kageyama, don't you know how important this festival is?"
"The sports festival is one of the most watched events worldwide. Before quirks came into existence, people would flock to the Olympics and watch as athletes competed, but this event quickly decreased in scale and viewership once people developed quirks. So now, the most anticipated and watched competition is the U.A. Sports Festival."
"That's correct." Sitting in the back of the class, Yaoyorozu clenched her fist in determination. "And all the hero agencies and top heroes will be watching. It's where you'll be scouted."
Kageyama listened in silence while the other students clamored amongst themselves about the purpose of the Sports Festival. He'd never heard about this event and was given several facts he needed to be aware of. So this was the opportunity for students to shine and pave a better future for themselves.
"Being able to intern at a famous hero agency will definitely earn you points," continued Aizawa, "And that's why this festival matters. If you want to go pro one day, this event will open a path for you. One chance a year, three chances in a lifetime, no aspiring hero can afford to miss this festival, which means you can't slack off on your training."
"Yes, sir!" The classmates were motivated and invigorated by their teacher's speech. They were being reminded what this could do for their future careers, and the significance of this festival. No way were they going to let this chance pass them by!
"Class is dismissed." Having gotten the main message to the students and with no other vital lessons or lectures to give, the homeroom teacher walked out of the classroom, letting the rest of the students talk amongst themselves.
As expected, Kirishima was the first to get out of his seat and again voice his excitement. "Sure, the villain attack was a bummer, but I'm pumped for these games!"
"We put on a good show, and we're basically on our way to being pro heroes!" Sero said.
"This is a very rare chance, so I must ensure I don't waste it," Yaoyorozu added
Kageyama continued to watch while each of the classmates formed into small groups to talk about their excitement for the U.A. Sports Festival. For the esper, while he understood how big this festival was, didn't really feel excited or pumped in any way for his chance to shine and was taken aback by the energy level of all the other students.
"Wow, everyone's really excited about this."
"Well, of course we are!" Iida, still sitting in his seat, got up and flexed his arms. "We've all enrolled at this school to become heroes, so it's only natural that we're getting fired up." The blue-haired teenager began to perform a very awkward dance move, slightly swinging his waist while he moved his hands in the opposite direction.
"Pretty interesting dance moves, Iida," remarked Tsu.
"Surely you must be excited about this sports festival, no?" Iida motioned his hands to the esper, expecting him to have at least some sort of fire or excitement in his eyes, but was sorely mistaken when he saw the same dull, lifeless brown eyes staring back at him.
"Not really, no." The spectacled teenager began rapidly blinking, finding it hard to believe that anyone with such a powerful quirk enrolled at this school could be so apathetic towards a big event like this. Standing beside the two, Midoriya saw how his psychic friend took no genuine interest in this event and internally sighed. This was the side of him he was greatly shocked by but had come to accept as time passed. The teenager with no great passion, no excitement for basically anything, who went through the motions. His friendliness and humility were truly remarkable, but such lack of emotion and desire was equally noteworthy.
Before Iida could question his friend's mentality toward the sports festival, his attention was brought to his bob-haired friend, Uraraka, who was surrounded by a pink, fiery aura.
"Deku, Iida, Kageyama, let's all do our best in the sports festival!"
12%
The three teenagers drew themselves back, put off by their friend's sudden burst of passion and determination. From behind the three of them, Ashido also noted this and made her curiosity known.
"What's up? You're like the most laid-back girl ever."
Uraraka widened her stance, pumped her first in the air, and with all her heart and soul, shouted, "Everyone, I'm gonna do my best!"
The reactions from the four teenagers were varied: Ashido replicated her friend's excitement and jumped in the air while pumping her fist. The other three raised their fists with a much slower speed, and their eyebrows furrowed, confused, and nominally concerned with their friend's behavior. Then, she turned to the other students, Sero, Sato, Kirishima, and Tokoyami, and yet again shouted, "I said I'm gonna do my best."
Like the first three, these four were put off by her burst of passion, reluctantly raising their hands and feeling sweat beads forming on their faces.
"You all good, Uraraka? No offense, but it kinda looks like you're losing it."
Watching her invigorated with passion with a smile on his face, Midoriya couldn't help but admire her determination, feeling that it reflected his passion and desire to become a hero like All Might. But, now that he thought about it, he had no idea what drove her to enroll at U.A., what made her pursue the path of a hero. He had to ask her!
Shortly after, the students crowded out of the room to get their lunch. Walking as a group of four were Uraraka, Kageyama, Midoriya, and Iida, and the green-haired teenager decided to use this moment as the chance to ask her friend the most prevalent question in his mind at the moment.
"Uraraka?"
"What's up?"
"What made you come to U.A.? What made you want to be a pro hero?" The female student's mouth fell open, and she took a second to respond.
"Me? Well..." Uraraka rubbed the back of her head and brought her eyes to the ground, not feeling too comfortable with what she was about to say. "The truth is, I'm doing it for the money."
All three male students widened their eyes at this surprising response.
"For the money?" Midoriya exclaimed.
Uraraka frantically began rubbing the back of her head while her eyes continued staring at the ground. "If we're cutting to the chase, then yea." The female student immediately covered her face in shame, understanding how vain her words sounded now that she spoke them out loud. "I'm sorry if that seems selfish and greedy, you guys. On the other hand, you've all got such noble motivations, so I hope you don't think less of me."
"Of course, we don't!" Iida quickly defended his classmate's motivations. "Your goal is to support your well-being, which is a perfectly admirable ambition!"
"I don't think it's that bad to want to make some money," added Kageyama.
"It's just kinda surprising."
The teenage girl kept her eyes closed for a moment, feeling that she'd have to come forward with what could've been the cause for such a seemingly selfish goal for being a hero. "The thing is, my family, owns a construction company, but recently, we haven't gotten any work, so we're flat broke." Uraraka rubbed her hands through her hair in an awkward fashion. "I don't usually tell people this, but..."
"Construction, eh?" Iida and Midoriya both nestled their fingers between their chins, trying to figure out what way Uraraka could benefit the company, while Kageyama stood there and waited for Uraraka to continue talking.
"I got it! She could use her quirk to bring costs down a lot if she got her hero license.
"And they could sell their heavy lifting equipment! With your quirk, those machines wouldn't have any purpose if you can float everything!"
"I know, right!" Uraraka was pleased to see those two were on the same wavelength as her. "That's what I've been trying to tell my dad since I was a kid, but..." The teenage girl told her friends how this suggestion went down, how her father had been appreciative of the thought, and how both her parents explained that the best way to make them happy was for Uraraka to follow her own dreams live a happy life.
When she finished her brief story, she clenched her skirt. "I'm gonna become a pro and sign up with a good agency. Once I do that and start making money, I'll be able to let my parents live an easy life!"
The three male students stared in silence as they looked into their friend's eyes and saw nothing but earnest resolve.
His friend's story and determination moved Iida, and he loudly applauded by clapping his hands above his head. "Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!"
Uraraka's cheeks lightly blushed, embarrassed by her friend's splendid display of admiration. While Iida continued to applaud dramatically, the other two teenagers were equally impressed by Uraraka's firm goal in life and her clear understanding of why she was at this school. For Midoriya, her dream was much more grounded, more straightforward than his dramatic hero fantasy. For Kageyama, he was most swayed by how much she cared about her family, and the lengths she was willing to go to ensure they lived an easier life.
"Uraraka, I don't think your dream isn't selfish at all." Finally, the esper decided to speak up and took command of the conversation, causing Iida to stop clapping and for the other three to give them his attention. "You're doing it to help your family, and I don't think there's anything much better than wanting to help your family and the people you care about."
15%
The blush on the girl's cheeks deepened, and her smile widened. Similarly, Iida couldn't help but smile as well at how Kageyama gave his words of support to his friends. It may seem so minimal, so minor to someone, but for the friends that were being complimented, when they saw the tiny sparkle of admiration in Kageyama's eyes, the tone of support in his voice, it meant the world to them.
"You know, while we're on the subject of why we want to be heroes, I can't help but wonder why you're here at U.A.," asked Uraraka.
Like Uraraka, the bowl-haired psychic was unprepared for such an open question. "Why I'm at U.A.?"
"Yes, that's an area of curiosity for me as well." Iida and the rest of the class had come to see that Kageyama wasn't particularly expressive or emotional. Still, after the blue-haired student had seen his indifference to the U.A. Sports Festival, he became perplexed. If he took no interest in these ample opportunities, then what even drove him to come to this school in the first place?
None of the students knew that this question was quite a sensitive subject, but they were quickly made clear of this when the esper sighed and leaned against a railway. "All of you have such clear goals, something that you all strive to achieve, something you put your heart into. It's not the same for me.
"I decided to join U.A. because some people close to me recommended I do it. Like you said, Iida, I should be excited about the sports festival for the opportunities it's bringing, right? " Mob's shoulders hunched, and he leaned his body further against the rail as he slumped. "But I'm not."
Mob put his hand to his heart and tightly squeezed his shirt. "For some reason, I can't find the passion and energy you guys can. I don't feel like being a hero in my heart, even though part of me wants to."
24%
The other three students were too shocked by the esper's words to give a proper response. But, he was being so open and honest with how he was feeling, and those feelings ran so deep inside of him that it couldn't help but touch all of their hearts. This lack of direction, and sense of drive was indeed a problem for Kageyama, and he was letting his classmates know about it.
But before any of them could try and give their support or advice, the number one hero's boisterous laugh emanated through the hallway.
"Young Midoriya and Young Kageyama are here!"
"All Might, what're you doing here?" said Midoriya
The symbol of peace showed a lunch box wrapped in a cloth. "You two wanna eat with me?"
The bob-haired girl comedically spits, finding the hero's demeanor hilarious. "That's adorable!"
"What d'ya say?"
The two teenagers were still deciding to leave their friends behind, but Iida gave them a nod, telling them to spend their lunch with the number one hero.
"Sure thing," said Midoriya, starting a jogging pace with Kageyama jogging right beside them. Both of them were wondering what this whole thing could have been about, whether there was something grave or severe that the hero needed to discuss with them.
With the two friends gone, the other two decided to head on to lunch and fill their bellies with food. But as the two were walking, Uraraka's eyebrows drew together, vividly remembering the features of sadness etched onto Kageyama's face.
"Man, Kageyama seemed bummed out just now."
The mutant-quirked student somberly nodded his head in agreement. "His lack of purpose and drive is a heavy burden for him, which weighs heavy in his soul. Perhaps that's the reason for his expressionless demeanor." Though this was a big problem for the esper, Iida found that with everything U.A. had to offer and the limitless windows of opportunities, Kageyama would eventually come to solve this problem.
"I'm sure that after some time, maybe even after this sports festival, after seeing what he can do, he'll be invigorated with a new sense of purpose when he gets to partake in hero activities and save the lives of others."
"I hope you're right." It pained her to see that her friend was going through this existential crisis, though she was unsure what either she or anyone else could say to help her. As Iida said, it seemed it was up to Kageyama to find his own reason for becoming a hero. Uraraka's body posture perked up. "You'd think someone with a Quirk like that would have the goal of being the number one hero."
The two students entered the lunch room and got themselves in line. While waiting, they decided to shift the conversation to something else.
"I wonder what All Might wanted with Midoriya and Kageyama," said Uraraka.
Iida tilted his head to the side and pushed his glasses up while trying to think of a good explanation. "From what we heard yesterday about Kageyama, he held off the black creature for a while until All Might arrived on the scene, though that doesn't explain why he'd want Midoriya to go with him too." The spectacled student took a few more seconds to analyze the situation.
"You remember what Tsu said on the bus? How both Midoriya and Kageyama's quirks were similar to All Might? It's possible because of that, All Might's taken a liking to both of them. How lucky they both are." Uraraka nodded her head in agreement. Neither of them knew that a few feet in front of them, Todoroki was eavesdropping on their conversation and picking up that little nugget of information.
"All Might, Shigeo Kageyama, and Izuku Midoriya, huh?" The cold and unfriendly teenager wondered what kind of relationship those three had with one another. He couldn't say for sure.
The three of them were sitting in the teacher's lounge while All Might was brewing some tea.
"So why did you decide to call us in?" said Midoriya.
"I just wanted to have a pleasant conversation between us, go over what happened at the U.S.J. and the upcoming sports festival."
"The U.S.J.?" Kageyama found that to be the most essential part of their conversation and wondered if something was wrong.
"Mm-hmm. After getting your power-up yesterday and seeing just how much longer I could keep my muscle form, it got me thinking of how else that could come in handy."
"What do you mean?" Midoriya questioned.
The number one hero clasped his hands under his chin. "Right now, I'm only able to use my power for about an hour and thirty minutes, and I can only look like All Might for about three, maybe three and a half hours. But if you can lend me a chunk of your energy every day, I might be able to increase that time by about an hour, probably a lot more if I learn how to ration it carefully." All Might gently bit his lip and exhaled while his eyes looked up at Kageyama. "Would that be alright with you, Kageyama?"
"Are you kidding? I'll help you in any way I can."
The hero nodded, his eyes glowing with gratitude. "You don't have to give me all your energy since you've still got your classes to worry about, but I'd like you to give me enough where I can feel a substantial increase in power. Maybe giving it to me at the start of the day will give you enough time to recover your stamina."
Kageyama saw no problems with the hero's suggestion and nodded in agreement. The hero finished brewing the two cups of tea and slid them over to his two students. "Have some tea, both of you."
Shigeo and Izuku graciously took their cups of tea. With this order of business concluded, All Might shifted back to the Sports Festival, not wanting to leave Midoriya out of the conversation. "Now, about the festival. Midoriya, your big problem is that you still can't fully control One For All. Do you have a plan in mind?"
The verdant-eyed fanboy tilted his head to the ground and slumped his body forward. It pained him to say that he'd made slight progress beyond his initial step of limiting his quirk to his fingers to minimize damage. "Right now, my best plan is only to use One For All with my fingers. That way, the damage won't be so bad, and Recovery Girl can heal me in between rounds."
"Is that so?" The number one hero knew young Midoriya was trying, and he understood how hard it was for the teenager to master this quirk. "Well, keep trying and practicing using One For All. Your next big step should be to limit how much power you use. In this festival, you're going to be engaged in close-quarters combat, and using One For All at 100% at such close range would likely be a death sentence. However, you've got a week before the sports festival starts, so that'll give you plenty of time to try and hone your mind, focus it so you'll be able to hold back your power."
"For you, Kageyama..." The number one hero rubbed his jaw while he thought to himself, "You managed to fight Nomu by yourself, and he was one tough customer, which means your physical strength's already close to my current level. That also means you will have the same problem as Midoriya, making sure your power doesn't hurt your opponents during the festival if you engage in close-range combat. Do you have the ability to hold back the power of your punches?"
This was indeed a good point in the esper's mind. He was only recently getting used to the increased physical prowess his extended training had given him, and it had taken him by surprise a few times, the prime instances being during the quirk apprehension test and the battle trial when his punch had destroyed the ice and sent Todoroki flying back several meters. He'd learned how to suppress his psychic powers from a young age, so it probably wouldn't be too much effort to restrain his physical abilities.
"To be honest, there've been a few times recently where I haven't been able to hold my strength back effectively."
"If that's the case, then put your effort this next week into making sure you can restrain yourself."
Midoriya sat in silence, his face a neutral expression. So Kageyama had already become strong enough to match All Might without breaking his body, and now his next step was making sure he could restrain his power while Midoriya was still making baby steps towards handling a fraction of One For All. Funny how things worked out...
"Your tea's getting cold. Drink up." The two students did as their teacher said, blew the cup, and took small sips. The symbol of peace got up from his seat and walked to the window.
"My time as the world's symbol of peace is running out. Kageyama might be able to help a little, sure, but my power will keep dropping, and I can't rely on you to be my battery forever. So the day will come when I'll have to put that title to bed."
Hearing these words come out of All Might's mouth caused both teenagers to furrow their brows and avert their eyes to the ground again. But, on the other hand, Toshinori's brows furrowed in seriousness and determination. "Some villains are starting to notice that, which means someone has to step up to keep the people safe."
The two teenagers sensed the rising seriousness and urgency in the hero's voice, and both rose out of their seats to match the increasing tension in the room. The number one hero turned his body around and fiercely clenched his hand, his green irises burning with intensity. "Midoriya, I gave you my power for one reason and one reason only: because you will be the hero that takes my place! You and Kageyama. Both of you will become beacons of hope for the world!
"This sports festival will be both of your debuts. It's something that the pros, and the entire country will be watching very closely. Both of you will be fledgling Symbols of Peace! Izuku Midoriya, Shigeo Kageyama, I want both of you to introduce yourselves to the world and say, "I am here!" The number one hero's words were profound, representing his pride and hope in both of them, the kind of beacons they could be for the world, and the kind of strength he thought they could embody.
Despite All Might's passion and faith in the two teenagers, Midoriya felt that this was a task he was not ready to complete. "But All Might, that's your catchphrase! Besides... what can I do?"
"Are both of you aware of how the Sports Festival works?" Unfortunately, Kageyama needed to be more knowledgeable to the structure of this festival, while Midoriya knew every feature of this monumental event.
"Sure I do. Students are separated by class year, and then the support, business, general studies, and hero courses duke out in several preliminary trials. Those that manage to make it through those initial games then make it to the finals."
"Correct! Which means both of you will have plenty of opportunities to sell yourself."
Both teenagers did not emulate the hero's eagerness with what they were presented and gave very dull replies. "I guess."
The symbol of peace comedically flipped his body backward and spewed blood from his mouth, bringing the entire couch he was sitting on along with it. Kageyama and Midoriya quickly tried to put the hero at ease.
"No, no, I get what you're saying, and you're absolutely right, All Might. But to tell you the truth, it's hard to get excited about this festival after everything that's just happened..." The green-eyed fanboy continued to ramble on like he always did while the esper waited patiently for his friend to finish. Like Izuku, he could not display any sort of excitement. However, unlike Midoriya, who was worried he wouldn't be able to shine because of how limited he was with One For All, the esper didn't find any enthusiasm about the festival in general, as he told Iida and Uraraka before.
While listening to this, the hero rolled his eyes. "God, nobody's better at spitting word vomit than you."
"Are you ok, All Might? Here." The esper lifted his hand and used his telekinesis to put the couch and All Might back upright. Toshinori gave the esper a small "thank you" before continuing with what he was about to say.
"Some heroes aim for the top, while others happily settle where they are. The difference between those mindsets impacts how far you go in the real world."
Both teenagers tilted their heads down while digesting All Might's words, causing the hero to tone down his thoughts and actions. For Kageyama in particular, All Might reminded him of how passive and empty he was with his dreams and aspirations. He was still praying for the day he'd reunite with his family, but until that day came, he had he still not found what he was aiming for.
"I can understand how both of you feel, and what I'm saying to you now is more of a reflection of my viewpoints and the mindset that allowed me to reach the top. But never forget those emotions you felt at the beach during our training."
"Those emotions..." The esper arched his back down further, staring down at his hands. "I remember how I felt back then, the passion and determination to improve myself and become physically stronger. But those emotions were tied around my goal of improving myself." Mob's eyes met with Toshinori's, and the hero was dismayed by the look of sadness. For the esper, a part of him felt like this was his fault, that it was his responsibility to use the opportunities given to him through All Might's decision to enroll him at this school. After hearing All Might's words, how he was counting on the esper to become a symbol of peace for this world, it just made Mob feel guilty for not living up to those expectations.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tie those emotions into being a hero."
29%
"Kageyama, you don't have to apologize for that. Look, I see what you're telling me: you felt strong emotions of passion and determination, even if they weren't rooted in a desire to become a hero. That means those feelings exist inside yourself. It might take time, but I'm positive the day will come when you'll find that same passion for becoming a hero."
The esper felt a fluttery feeling in his chest. Whatever it took, the esper would do what he could to make All Might proud, to become the hero he was hoping to be, and find the same passion as All Might did to become that hero.
After their brief but intense conversation, the three chowed down on some gourmet food in the teacher's lounge. Once they'd finished their food, Toshinori decided that a boost of psychic energy would be nice, so the esper gave the hero a significant chunk of his psychic energy per his request. Then, with all of their business out of the way, the two friends returned to their classroom and got through the rest of their classes.
It was 3:20, and the last class had just finished ten minutes ago. Finally, all the students were ready to go home, finish their homework, and start training for the sports festival. But as the students made their way for the door and it slid open, their exit was blocked by a massive thrall of students looking at Class 1-A. The first-year class was quickly shocked and overwhelmed by the number of teenagers all crowded up at the door.
"Why're you all here?"
"Do you have some sort of business with our class?"
"Why're you blocking the doorway? Don't think you can hold us hostage!"
"They're scouting out the competition, morons." The hot-headed teenager casually walked towards the crowd of students, his posture slumped and his behavior apathetic. "Since we're the class that survived the villain attack, they wanna measure us up, see what we're like in person." The students standing at the entrance stepped back, intimidated by Bakugo's fierce aura and sharp tongue.
"At least you all can see what a future pro looks like. Now move it, extras!"
Several of the students of Class 1-A were shocked and appalled by Bakugo's words. Iida dramatically chopped his hand up and down, telling Bakugo how rude it was for him to demean the other students like that simply because they weren't in the hero course; Midoriya and Uraraka trembled with shock and embarrassment while their mouths were gaping open, while Kageyama displayed only mild surprise. The esper prepared to contest Bakugo's claim with his usual calm and patient attitude, but before he could say anything, a voice came from within the mass of students, getting closer as the person speaking moved their way up to the front of the crowd.
"So this is Class 1-A." Once the person got to the front, Class 1-A got a good look at this new voice. It was a male student with messy, indigo hair that flared out in tufts around his head, whose name was Hitoshi Shinso. His eyes were dark purple with dark bags underneath, the gaze from his eyes cold and judgmental. The class could quickly tell that this person was not a fan of their course. "I came here to see the class after hearing how well you did against the villains who attacked, but you sound like an ass. Is everyone in this class delusional, or just you?"
The hot-headed teenager's veins throbbed while the students behind Bakugo all began to panic, wildly shaking their hands to signal this student to stop what he was doing.
"It's such a disappointment to come here and find a bunch of egomaniacs." Hitoshi began to run the back of his neck. "You know, I applied to be in the hero course, but like many students standing next to me, I didn't make the cut and was forced to pick a different track. Sadly, that's life. However, this sports festival is my second chance. If some students do well in this festival, the teachers can decide to transfer those students to the hero course, meaning they'll have to transfer people out to make room. So while the others came to scout the competition, I came here to let you know that if you don't bring your A-game to this festival, I'll take your spot right from under you. Consider this a declaration of war."
While a few of the students of Class 1-A were frightened by Shinsho's harsh words, another student with long, silvery hair in the back of the crowd yelled out in frustration. "Hey, you! I'm from Class 1-B, the class right next door to you! I heard you fought some villains and came to see if that was true, but you're just a bunch of brats with a superiority complex! You can talk big all you want, but that'll only make it more embarrassing when you're wiped out!"
Bakugo paid no mind to the teenager's words of warning and merely walked through the crowd of people, which only elicited greater fury from the angry student. "Bastard! Don't you ignore me!"
"Yo Bakugo!" Kirishima wanted to avoid the image Bakugo was putting for their class and tried to stop him before he left. "You can't just insult everyone to their faces and walk away like that! Say something!"
The hot-headed teenager turned his eyes toward Bakugo, the red pupils cold and indifferent. "None of these people matter. The only thing that matters is that I beat them."
"Of course, they matter." The esper finally decided to speak up after finding something he could adequately object to, though his tone and eyes were calm and rational as they usually were. "They're people. People with their dreams and aspirations. We shouldn't place any less value in them based on whether or not they're in the hero course."
The other students standing outside the hallway slightly widened their eyes in surprise, and a few began to show appreciation smiles. But, on the other hand, the hot-blooded teenager rolled his eyes and scoffed at the esper's preaching, not wanting to waste any time or energy to rebuke Kageyama's statement, and continued to walk alone, causing the silver-haired teenager to once again yell out at Bakugo.
Shinso eyed the bowl-haired esper for a second, his cold, piercing gaze causing Mob to shift uneasily in his place. "Guess not everyone in this class is a self-centered asshole. Still, don't think my declaration of war doesn't apply to you too, so I wouldn't recommend taking it easy for the tournament."
Shigeo's lips were shut, unsure of how to respond and slightly intimidated by the teenager's cold and dramatic words. Having said everything he wanted, Shinso disappeared into the mass of students.
"Man, Kageyama, you might've saved all of our asses," said Kaminari, observing the softening expressions of the other students.
"Still, Bakugo wasn't entirely wrong," Tokoyami remarked, crossing his arms, "We will need to beat them during the festival."
"Sure, but Bakugo took it way overboard! He might've made all of them our enemies!" the blonde-haired student said.
Mineta wholeheartedly agreed with Kaminari's statement. "All these guys could be gunning for us in the festival now!" While these students bickered amongst themselves and Kageyama remained silent, the green-haired teenager was thinking back to what Bakugo had said to him and Mob two days ago, the prideful tears in his eyes as he declared he would become the number one hero and surpass both him and Kageyama. He still held firmly onto that goal and was determined to ensure that no one else would get in the way of that goal. And the same held for his other friends, Iida and Uraraka, whose hearts were deeply swayed by what they wanted themselves to be and what they planned to do while they were at U.A. High. Midoriya had to remember why he was here as well, the fiery spirit that allowed him to endure the hell he experienced for ten months. He'd be sure to use that vibrant spirit to continue to fuel him, make him work to give himself a name during the sports festival.
Deciding to take some initiative to give Kageyama some guidance with his powers, All Might took the young esper to a very isolated place to control his physical strength. It was in the mountains, several miles outside of town, where plenty of large boulders and other rock formations were used as target practice with no one around to hurt potentially. After all, the power beings like these wielded entered another realm.
"So you're gonna teach me how to control how much power I exert with my punches?"
"Exactly! Like I said, One For All can be a deadly weapon if not properly handled, and your power's similar. With proper control, you should be able to have your body pumping with 100% of your power and punch regular villains with less than 10% of your power. Without it, you'd be blasting the bodies of your opponents and everything around them." The esper felt his palms become sweaty, picturing himself blowing somebody's insides apart with one of his punches.
"So, how did you train yourself to control your strength?"
For a second, the hero stood frozen in place, confusing the esper and making him believe that there was some sort of long explanation about to come. Instead, All Might nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I just sorta, you know, focused my mind on it."
A comedic sweat bead fell down Mob's face. Was All Might being serious?
"Not a good explanation, right? Truth is, I sorta got the hang of One For All right off the bat. It only took me a month or two to control the percentage I unleashed with my fights. After that, it just flowed for me." The number one hero ran his hand through his hair and heaved a heavy sigh. "I thought that was a good thing at first, but now I see that it's made it harder for me to tutor Midoriya on how to use One For All properly."
Shortly after this lapse of frustration, the hero's smile returned, and he pointed his finger at the esper's face. "This is why the training we're going to do will not only help you control your strength, but it will also give me necessary teaching experience and a better idea of how I should teach Midoriya when he learns to utilize more of One For All without breaking his bones. So it's a win-win for all of us!"
Kageyama liked the hero's line of reasoning and saw that this training would benefit all three of them.
"As I said, I managed to gain exact control over the amount of power I exert. For instance-" The number one hero walked over to a boulder that was only a meter in diameter and punched it. As expected, the boulder broke, though it only broke into less than five pieces. But then, All Might walked to the side of a cliff that towered over the two of them at several dozen meters in height. The hero readied his fingers and with a flick of his middle finger, shattered the entire face of the cliff. Gusts of air formed from the force of the hero's attack, and the ground beneath them quaked while the cliff quickly collapsed into thousands and thousands of pieces. Mob raised his hand and stopped the cascade of rocks, gently laying them down.
"That is the level of control you should strive to achieve with your physical strength. Do that, and you'll not only be sparing classmates from potentially debilitating injuries but keep collateral damage to a minimum. Got it?"
Kageyama could definitely see All Might's point now that he'd demonstrated the practical uses in person. The only times he'd used his fists were against other espers with physical enhancements and pseudo-barriers, so the damage he dealt was less severe, but now he was going to be fighting fellow students. The way he was now, he'd likely destroy a cliff-face like this when attempting to punch an opponent regularly. Now, he rarely used his fists at all, and it was very likely he'd avoid any close combat if possible, but if close combat did occur, the last thing he'd want is to potentially kill his classmates, meaning that this training was vital.
"I'll try it out with this rock over here." There was a huge boulder about ten meters high that the esper set his sights on. His aura burst to life around him, and he clenched his hand into a fist. Right now, he had about 30% of his energy flowing through him, more than enough to shatter this boulder, so in this instance, he intended to only lightly crack the rock without destroying the structure. Mob took a deep breath and concentrated on limiting the flow of psychic power going through his fist, and with a swift strike, rammed his fist into the rock. The psychic's attempt was in vain, and the boulder quickly broke apart.
"Not what I was intending..." muttered Shigeo.
"As long as you continue putting your effort into this training, mastery will eventually come to you." The number one hero was confident that Kageyama would quickly manage this task. While he appeared meek and weak-willed, he was unstoppable when he put his mind to something. He and Midoriya had this quality that helped them through their training, and it would help them during the time before the Sports Festival.
And so the students began their training, focusing their efforts on maximizing the potency and efficiency of their quirks through rigorous exercises, many of them waking up early in the morning and making their way to the school before classes even started to ensure that they get the most out of their training. Some of the students were using the U.S.J. and the woods outside of the arena for training, and at the moment, Bakugo was fiercely destroying the trees with his explosive quirk.
"That's the way!" The hot-headed teenager unleashed a large-scale explosion using both hands, obliterating many trees and causing Bakugo's hair to stand up with excitement. Bakugo was fully committed to this training, ensuring that he increased the potency of his blasts and how he could use his quirk. He needed to do this to overcome Kageyama...
Bakugo's excitement instantly simmered down the moment the bowl cut came into mind. During this sports festival, it would be more than likely that the two would come face-to-face and fight each other once again, and when that time came, he needed to have some strategy in mind. During their last confrontation, the teenager remembered every detail, every sensation he experienced, and the words that stung Bakugo like a hot poker.
"Was that supposed to be an attack? That barely counts as a tickle."
"Since you didn't get the message the last two times, let me make this crystal clear: if you ever hurt Midoriya the way you did today again, I'll make sure you feel the full weight of this unyielding rage."
Katsuki grabbed his hair in clumps while staring at the sky in frustration. He'd never felt so helpless, so utterly overpowered before. Nothing he did could leave a scratch on the esper, and both knew it. He needed, NEEDED, to overcome this obstacle and regain the pride he lost, or else it would haunt him for the rest of his time at U.A.
In a stroke of irony, on the other side of the campus, the dual quirk-wielding teenager, Shoto Todoroki, was punching the air, his resolve also fiery and his thoughts on the bowl-haired esper who had defeated them in their trial battle. This sports festival would be the chance for Todoroki to show what he could do, the skill and power he wielded with his right side. Kageyama might've gotten the edge in their last confrontation, which caught him off-guard with his abilities, but now that he'd seen the esper's capabilities up close, he would be able to fare better in their next confrontation. With his mother's ice power, he would win this festival and prove his superiority over Kageyama and the rest of his class.
"Your time's coming soon, bowl-cut."
My Hero Academia/Mob Psycho 100 Ultra Analysis
- In terms of physical strength, Mob at 100% Rage is stronger than current All Might, though not as strong as prime All Might
And now the sports festival is about to start! We'll get to see how all of the students fare in their battles and what Mob will have in store for Class 1-A and the rest of the world!