Disclaimer: I don't own mha
Warning: Rated M for Mature themes
Dont really have anything to say right now so enjoy this next chapter I guess.
Midoriya stood before the next obstacle on his path to becoming a hero with a look of frustration upon his face.
"You have three minutes. I will take no offensive measures during this time and you are free to attack me however you'd like. Do not concern yourself with what happens to the room... Just come and get it."
Sir Nighteye appeared to be quite determined as he looked down on the hero, intent on showing him what a failure he was.
And just like that the time started as Midoriya activated his power with a look of resolve in his eyes.
'One For All Full Cowling!'
The boy charged forth reaching out to take the stamp he so desperately needed to pass.
"An approach from the front, but it's merely a faint and failed grab. And then another jump attack to no avail, I can see everything."
Midoriya landed sliding his foot on the ground to gain his momentum back and pushed forward yet again.
'I knew it. Still maybe if I just keep trying moves.'
Far too unwilling to give up the boy lunged at Nighteye yet again trying over and over to grab the stamp only for the pro to continue effortlessly evading each hit.
After failing he threw his bag at the man trying to distract him and lunged forth yet again.
"Is that all you got?"
The boy looked to the left where he saw Nighteye standing with an unimpressed look as he adjusted his glasses.
"I thought you were attempting to show me your usefulness. This is a complete waste of time."
As time passed Midoriya did the only thing he could and continued to grasp and lunge at Nighteye's hand trying to obtain his stamp.
"One minute passes. He backs up briefly. And appears nervous. Finally understanding that he can't overcome my foresight."
Midoriya stood before the hero with a look of frustration as he scratched his head trying to think of a solution.
'It doesn't matter how many moves I try. Hes one step ahead. There's gotta be a way to slip past his quirk.'
"I had high expectations of you until now."
The green haired boy gasped as he heard this and looked at the man seemingly rather stunned.
"You have the power to become a symbol, but your mediocre. Meanwhile villains everywhere are getting restless and gloom is creeping closer. A pity, All Might chose wrong after all. Mirio should have inherited the power.
Midoriya looked rather shocked and offended as he heard the comment and couldn't stop looking at the hero in bewilderment.
"What do you mean chose wrong afterall?"
Nighteye adjusted his glasses while lowering his guard in the face of his opponent.
"Don't get me wrong I do love and respect All Might, but I don't understand why he chose you." The man said briefly explaining his perspective to the young hero.
The boy shook his head in annoyance as he he recalled the other day looking up at the the former sidekick with a fist clenched in anger.
"I already told you why I'm here! What does that to do with anything!" The boy yelled out charging at Nighteye full speed.
He dashed towards his arm yet again only for the man to effortlessly dodge just as he had been causing him to land behind him.
Midoriya caught himself using his hand and spun his body aiming his leg to try and sweep Nighteye.
Everything was foreseen however as Nighteye jumped over the sweep attack and put some distance between them.
He turned his gaze to the side only to see Midoriya already closed the distance and jumped off the wall lunging at the hero.
"You want to see what I can bring to the table as All Mights successor?! Then I'll show you when I save Eri!"
Nighteye remained unimpressed but even with his foresight he was forced to move faster as the boys newfound energy and determination to succeed offered a slight spike in difficulty as far as evasion went.
While dodging the boys endless barrage of grabs the man couldn't help but find himself a bit surprised by the look in Midoriya's eyes.
Having forced Nighteye into a corner at last the green haired boy charged forth with all his power, speed, and determination.
"I have faced many challenges since I inherited this power, you won't break my spiri-"
As he was shouting the boy was interrupted by himself faceplanting into the wall after Nighteye gracefully spun to the side with the same look of disinterest he held from the moment he layed eyes on the successor of his former master.
"Times up, You failed. How can you ever hope to succeed when your already tired out after a simple little test?" The man asked, his tone laced with dissapointment and resentment for the weakness of the current state of One For All.
Midoriya shakily rose to his knee from the ground looking down in shame and annoyance at his less than preferable results in this little performance he'd been challenged to.
"I didn't botch this test because I was tired... I had to adjust for my landing to avoid hitting the tenth anniversary poster of All Might."
Nighteye gasped in surprise as he looked up at the poster. Sure enough not a single mark from the boys feet had landed on it.
He turned his head to the left and to the right surveying the condition of the room only to be surprised once again by every bit of his All Might merchandise remaining untainted by the battle.
'Seriously? All while contending with my provocations and keeping constant motion throughout the test he managed to avoid stepping on any of the All Might merchandise.'
Suddenly the door burst open where Mirio, Nejire, and Bubble girl posed dramatically with needless enthusiasm.
"And cue our well timed return."
"That loud bang sounded pretty final."
The decision was an obvious one. He knew full well what he wanted to do from the start, everything in between was just to sate his curiosity after all. And so Nighteye turned to Mirio with a look of clarity.
"I'll take the boy Mirio."
Midoriya raised his head in surprise and confusion as he looked up at the hero.
"Really? But I didn't do any of the things you asked of me."
Nighteye turned his head back towards the boys direction with the same cold and scrutinizing gaze he was so used to by now.
"I said to take the stamp and sign it yourself. I never said you wouldn't be contracted if you had failed to do so. I had always planned on taking you in for a work study."
Even as he said the one thing that Midoriya wanted to hear, his tone was cold and offered no sympathy or motivation.
"While you work here you'll come to see Mirio is a far worthier canidate for One for All then you will ever be."
Once again the boy lowered his head in frustration in that moment he felt sickened. He couldn't even look the cold hearted bastard in the eye.
'Although he accepted me as a work study student he hasn't accepted me as a successor to All Might. He's taking me on so he can make me give up and honestly this makes for an unsettling dynamic.'
Midoriya rose to his feet reflecting on the disturbing aspect of his newfound partnership but shaking his head to find his resolve.
'You can't make everyone accept you though. I joined for a reason and that is not to prove a point to Nighteye.'
As Nighteye returned to his desk the boy followed close standing on the other side while he watched the cynical ex sidekick stamp the document with a cruel frown across his face.
He'd done it. Now he can help ensure that Eri will be saved and in spite of this new found but shaky and possibly even toxic relationship he had formed Midoriya couldn't help but feel a tinge of satisfaction knowing now he'll be able to do more in the service of humanity.
After what could technically be considered a successful completion of his task Mirio had insisted on taking Midoriya and Nejire out to eat in celebration of getting a work study.
The three sat outside on the padio of a well known and much loved burger joint that was almost always busy at all hours of the day but this only matched the general vibe of their surroundings as the aforementioned burger joint was right in the middle of the busiest section of town.
"I seriously can't believe you actually talked him into it. Things really weren't looking good for a moment, but you absolutely nailed it in the end." Mirio happily and proudly cheered aloud as he chowed down on his meal.
Midoriya sheepishly chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. He looked closer and tilted his head in bewilderment.
'He has an appetite on par with Pony's... what's up with me having lunch with a bunch of gluttonous blondes anyways?'
The boy looked down at his own food and immediately felt a sense of embarrassment wash over him as his stomach growled.
'Guess with all the excitement, stress, and drama lately I haven't really had a good meal in a couple days.'
Without any further thought the young hero grabbed his beef and veggie burger and took a bite out of it which was tastier than he expected and afterwards he proceeded to take a few more bites blissfully savoring the taste yet becoming increasingly more addicted the more he ate it.
"By the way Izuku, I have some exciting news to tell you."
Midoriya was caught off guard by the statement and nearly choked on the food he was eating but soon put his half eaten burger down and turned towards Nejire with a curious look on his face.
"A few of your cute little first year friends wanted to sign up with the agency I'm contracted at. The Ryuku agency. Isn't that exciting? I'm actually taking them to see her later today."
The boys eyes widened in surprise and excitement as he quickly stood from the table giving the older girl his full attention.
"Really?! That's wonderful! Who is it? How will you utilize their quirks? Oh just have to know."
Nejire couldn't help but giggle at the boys curiosity but offered him a teasing smirk as she wagged her finger at him.
"Na ah ah ah. Not going to ruin the surprise, you'll just have to see for yourself when the time comes... but I can indeed promise you that it'll be worth the wait."
Midoriya couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment but more so than that he remained excited by the mystery.
Looking at the boys burning curiosity and hopeful eyes Mirio and Nejire chuckled as they looked at each other and exchanged a playful fist bump.
'Thats so much better. I couldn't stand to see him so down in the dumps, poor kid must really be beating himself up over what happened.' Mirio thought to himself while looking at the younger student with a sad yet sympathetic smile.
The sun eventually set and thus another busy day had concluded. Midoriya had long since returned to his dorm and was laying on his bed with a conflicted and heavily burdened look on his face.
'Pony hads't asked me to help with her studies tonight... I'm ashamed to admit that I am kinda glad really. I don't have the energy for it right now... but had she asked... I simply wouldn't have had the heart to say no either.'
His injuries had basically healed at this point but his troubles hardly ended with the encounter with Rappa and as much as he hated it.
The boy had managed to come to terms with the fact that he couldn't quite help Eri just yet. And then there's Nighteye. Sure his feelings towards the boy were demoralizing, but that wasn't really bothering him right now either.
Midoriya turned over on his side with a fearful and uncomfortable expression. A certain someone's face was all he could think about after Mina's perverse teasing of him earlier upon his return home.
'Why is Pony so confusing?!'
The boy clenched his skull with a deep blush across his face while he rolled from side to side on his bed in embarrassed conflict.
The recollection of one of the most vivid nights he'd ever tried to sleep through played through his mind nonstop.
Pony sleeping on top of him without a care in the world while he himself couldn't sleep a wink.
It was all far too vivid in his mind. Her soft and supple skin, her sweet aborable snores that had to be the most wholesome thing ever, the faint scent of her perfume that was just subtle enough to drive him mad, and by far the worst of it all. Her horns occasionally poking him just as he almost willed himself to sleep only to be poked at the worst time and place bringing him back to the land of the living.
"Aauuuugggghhhhh!!!"
Even in that very moment he felt his sanity slipping as the boy shot up from his bed and looked at his wall alight with frustration.
Losing his reason in that one moment the boy violently charged at the wall slamming his head against it so hard he fell back on his ass from the recoil.
There was no blood or injury upon his forehead just pain as he felt dizziness overwhelm hi. and was left seeing stars.
In his pain he could do nothing but lay his head against the ground, while his senses returned so too did his frustrations.
'Ah there you are Midoriya! I've just been dying to know... who is that cute little blonde you've been hanging out with so much lately? Is she... by any chance... your girlfriend?'
Mina's sadistic and teasing grin along with her mischievous tone only served to annoy the boy as she brought forth the memories he thought he had repressed. And now. Thanks to her he couldn't get the horn user off of his mind.
'I don't even know if I can face her. People aren't supposed to act like that... I mean sure it's nice to be loved and valued... but... This... This is just moving to fast for me to take in.'
Letting out a sigh of exhaustion the boy got up off the ground turned towards his door now intent on leaving the room.
'Maybe a nice warm bath will help me relax and put my mind at ease. It certainly can't hurt to try anyways.'
As his eyes fell upon the hallway not a soul was in sight but he could still hear the TV downstairs signifying to the boy where some of the class must've been at the moment.
'Guess its movie night. Not really in the mood though.' He thought as he turned towards the bathroom and grabbed a towel out of the closet along the way.
After entering the bathroom Midoriya turned on the water and plugged the tub before locking the door with a glum and conflicted look on his face.
While he waited for the tub to fill up the boy grabbed the bottle of shampoo and poured some into water to get it nice and soapy.
Steam slowly and gradually filled the room causing the boy to subconsciously let out a sigh of relief as his shoulders slumped back and he started to undress.
After a short wait the tub eventually filled up and with an anxious smile he turned the faucet off and dipped his toe in the water to test whether or not the temperature was bearable.
Deducing that it was Midoriya plunged his foot into the tub and hopped in leaning back against the wall and letting his arms hang along the sides as he soaked in the blissful sensation of finally being able to take things easy for once.
'Ahh... This is heaven.' He thought to himself as he felt the warm soapy water envelope his senses and melt away the stress and fatigue.
The boy opened his eyes and his relaxed smile turned into a dissapointed scowl.
"So why am I still thinking about her?"
As much as he tried to force his mind off the matter at hand even in the tub he couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Pony the night prior.
'Just how does she feel about me... Like truly feel about me. I swear sometimes she seems so self contradictory... She said she doesn't have time for a relationship as she focused solely on becoming a hero... Yet she never fails to make free time to just play around. I just don't understand her at all.'
Midoriya was suddenly roused from his thoughts by his phone as he turned his gaze towards it. The boy quickly stood from the tub and dried his arms off before grabbing it and retreating back into the warm comfortable water before the drastic change in body temperature could become a nuisance.
He looked at his text and raised a brow in curiosity as he saw a text from Ochaco.
'Hey Izuku could you come and meet Tsuyu and me tomorrow after class? We got something to talk to you about'
The boy absentmindedly replied before tossing his phone over by his pile of dirty clothes and leaned back in the tub letting out an exasperated sigh.
'I think I better just take it one step at a time. For now I'll worry about my new agency and then helping Eri and after all that I can worry more about Pony.'
Now finally finding a sense of peace after coming up with a solid plan to deconstruct his troubles Midoriya relaxed as he closed his eyes and rested his head against the rim. His thoughts now less chaotic and overwhelming compared to what they were not too long ago.
And thats the chapter, Hope everyone enjoyed.