Chapter 5: A Snake' Eyes are the Enviest Ones
Bakugo slowly got up as the paralysis wore off, Izuku slowly turning back to normal. He then checked his shoulder and saw the mark on it.
"Deku… What the hell did you do?" He growled as the boy walked over to him, looking at the Mark.
"Apophis… What is that thing?" Izuku asked his snake partner. The ancient snake looked at the Mark briefly before hissing out a curse.
"You accidentally used the wrong venom and gave him a Curse Mark. Nasty stuff." He replied.
"Curse Mark? What does that do?" He asked.
"It'll give him immense power in exchange for feeding off of his anger. Used to be they would feed on chakra and eventually lead to death. But due to thousands of years being like this, my Curse Marks only succeed in making an already headstrong and willful person even more so and use that will to give them powers beyond their existing abilities." The snake explained.
"Okay, that should work out fine." Izuku nodded.
"What should work out fine?" Bakugo snapped, rubbing his shoulder.
"What I accidentally gave you is a Curse Mark." The snake boy replied, startling the Pomeranian. He'd read about what they were and how they worked, so he was understandably worried.
"You just signed my death warrant?!" He yelped. Izuku just chuckled a bit, confusing him.
"No, actually. The one you have is different. It'll make you even more headstrong and willful than you already are." He replied, calming the boy's nerves. "It'll feed on your anger."
"Okay, that I can work with." He shrugged before frowning slightly. "How'd you even learn how to give me this, anyway?" He asked.
"Ha ha! Funny story actually…" The boy laughed nervously. "I actually thought I was pumping you full of knockout venom… oops." He added, sticking his tongue out nervously. Bakugo facepalmed at that.
"You fucking nerd…" He muttered under his breath.
(Later)
Everyone gathered around in the observation room to review the battle that had just occurred. "Now, who here has a guess as to what both teams did right or wrong in this training exercise today?" All Might asked his students.
"I can explain, sir." Momo spoke up. The man nodded at her, prompting her to explain. "Midoriya exercised a good level of cunning, even trying to match Bakugo in force, but he was also reckless when he injected that anger inducing venom into his opponent." She began.
"Actually, it was supposed to be a knockout venom. I hadn't intended for the outcome that occurred." Izuku interjected.
"Ah, okay." Momo nodded.
"Brain fart." Kaminari whispered, causing everyone to chuckle before Momo continued.
"Additionally as you stated before, Bakugo's all out assault was a bad move. It could have been disastrous." She stated before looking at Uraraka. "Similarly, Uraraka let her guard down mid battle. If things had gone differently she most likely would have been captured. Not smart."
'I'll be sure to remember that.' The gravity girl thought. All Might seemed to be surprised by the girl's keen eye.
'This girl has a good eye on her!' He thought as the class continued on as normal.
The next match was Shoji and Todoroki against Ojiro and Hagakure. This match was rather one sided since the dual toned boy had his partner leave the building so he could freeze the building solid and trap their opponents where they stood.
"What. The. Hell?!" Bakugo gasped as he saw what just happened.
"This is so one sided!" Erin added.
"So cold!" Izuku shivered from the cold.
"Not a big fan of cold temperatures?" Ochako asked as she tried to keep herself warm.
"I'm part snake, and cold blooded, so no." He replied, still shivering. Shoto then used his left side to cause a heat wave that completely thawed the building out within seconds.
Bakugo meanwhile seemed to be in pure shock as he saw just what his classmates were capable of as the matches continued. And as his pride was continuously wounded, the Curse Mark pulsed like embers of a fire. Feeding on his anxiety and envy.
(Later)
After school was over, Bakugo left despite everyone trying to stop him. Izuku, meanwhile, ran after his friend. Recognizing what he was going through.
"Kacchan, wait!" He called as he caught up to him. The Pomeranian slowly looked over his shoulder at him with a sharp glare.
"What?" He growled.
"There are… several things you need to know." The snake teen began. "I know you deserve answers. But what I have to say is very sensitive." He continued.
"And just how fucking gullible do you think I am? What, did you come to rub it in?" The explosive boy scoffed.
"No no! That's not it at all!" The snake boy said defensively. "It's… how do I say this?" He groaned, scratching his head. "Apophis, can you please show yourself?" He asked the reptile.
"If this backfires, don't blame me." The snake remarked. Bakugo was about to ask who Izuku was talking to when Apophis made himself visible. Bakugo narrowed his eyes at him before recognition flashed in his mind, causing his eyes to go wide.
"Impossible…!" He breathed as he looked at the very real Shiro Orochi. "Y-you were serious?!" He stammered.
"Yeah. Believe me, I was the same way." Izuku told him. "Do you believe me now?" He asked.
"It's kind of hard not to believe you with the thing staring me in the face." Bakugo said.
"Good. Can I trust you to keep this a secret? We both know what villains might do if this got out." The student of Apophis asked, getting a nod in return.
"Oh yeah. I'm definitely staying tight lipped on this one for sure." Bakugo nodded, knowing how serious this was.
"Phew." The boy sighed in relief. Meanwhile up at the school the girls were watching the two talk and soon took notice of Bakugo's change in demeanor.
"But don't think this changes anything, Deku." The boy stated. "I'm not going to let you beat me. No way in hell." He stated as he turned around and began walking away.
Izuku let out another sigh of relief, half expecting a punch to the face. "That was intense." He said to himself.
(The next day)
The next day in class after everyone was able to avoid being swarmed by press outside wanting to interview All Might, Aizawa addressed the class with something really important.
"It's time to do the one thing that's going to decide the fate of your time here." He started, causing everyone to tense.
'Is it another quirk assessment test?' They thought in worry.
"You'll all be choosing a class representative." The underground hero finished.
'Okay, just normal school stuff.' They thought… Right before they all erupted into shouts about how they would be best for the job, minus Izuku, the noise irritating Apophis.
"Everyone please calm down!" Iida yelled, getting their attention. "This is an important task. As such we should settle this democratically and free of bias." He told them.
"It's pretty obvious you want to be the rep dude." Kaminari noted.
"We've only known each other for a few days. How do we know who to trust?" Tsu wondered.
"We'll probably just vote for ourselves." Sato added.
"True, but that means whoever has the most votes is qualified to lead us." Iida nodded.
"He wants everyone to vote for him." Apophis remarked quietly, Izuku nodding slightly in agreement. The rest of the class unknowingly shared the sentiment.
"Well then, let's see how this turns out." Kirishima shrugged. A few minutes later, the election ended with a three way tie. With Bakugo, Izuku and Momo getting two votes each.
"... Didn't see that coming." Izuku said with a surprised look.
"Only one vote…!" Iida grunted in depression. "I should have expected this, but I can't argue with the system I chose!" He griped.
"Okay, what exactly do we do about this?" Sato asked in confusion.
"I suggest we do a sudden death." Erin suggested. "We look at the three options and vote for who we want to lead us." She added.
"That sounds good. Let's do it." Mina nodded. A few more minutes passed and the ones who had the most votes now were Momo and Izuku.
'Oh jeez!' The snake boy groaned nervously.
"Okay, who voted for him?!" Bakugo barked while Ochako whistled off to the side innocently.
'Maybe I'll just keep my vote to myself.' She thought.
(Later)
Lunch time rolled around and Izuku was still worried about his winning the election. "I really don't think I'm fit to lead guys. I just don't think I have the temperament for it." He told Ochaco and Iida.
"Why? You seem like the best person for the job." The round faced girl said as she ate her rice.
"Yes. Your quick thinking and analytical mind make you the best candidate for the position." Iida added with a nod.
"That's in combat. And I'm still a wreck there too." The boy stated before looking at Iida. "To be honest you seem like a better fit than me, Iida. Especially since you actually wanted the role."
"Wanting a role and being qualified for it are two different things. My family's agency has taught me that much." The bespectacled boy said, getting their attention focused on him.
"Agency?" Ochaco asked, getting Erin's attention.
"Wait, what does your family do?" Izuku added.
"Oooh! Intrigue!" The pixie girl smiled.
"I didn't say anything to avoid being treated differently." Iida said, feeling their stares on him, causing him to sigh. "Well, I suppose I'll just say it." He muttered. "My family have been pro heroes for generations, it runs in our blood. Have either of you heard of the Turbo Hero: Ingenium?" He then asked.
"I have! He's a super popular pro who had sixty five sidekicks working with him at his Tokyo agency." Izuku nodded before realizing something. "Don't tell me…" he gasped.
"He's my older brother!" The blue haired boy said proudly. That caused Izuku, Ochako and Erin to look amazed.
"Whoa! Celebrity family, cool!" Erin grinned.
"Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the hero code. And as the second eldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him." The turbo boy nodded with a proud smile on his face before alarms suddenly started going off.
"Warning! Level three security breach in progress! Please evacuate in an orderly manner!" An automated voice blared as everyone panicked.
"Level three security breach?" Iida questioned.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Erin added.
"It means someone without a pass got past the barrier, which has never happened in my three years here!" A third year told her before running off.
It was a full on stampede, everyone was bumping into each other like cattle that had been spooked by a gunshot. Some students were even unintentionally trampled by the resulting mob.
"This is crazy!" Izuku exclaimed as he tried to stay standing.
"Who could've gotten onto school grounds?!" Iida questioned before he was slammed against a window. This is where he saw the same reporters from that morning. "It's the press!" He exclaimed.
"What?!" The snake boy called, barely able to hear him over all the shouting.
"Midoriya! Can you use your serpent powers to lift me up to that exit sign?!" The bespectacled boy asked over the mob.
"On it!" Said snake boy called back as he turned one of his arms into a snake to lift himself above the mob before quickly using the other to pick up Iida. "Grab onto my shoulders! I'll get you to the sign!" He told him as he started swinging to the exit with his passenger hanging from his shoulders. As soon as he was there, he put his classmate in position.
"Thank you Midoriya!" He said before grabbing a beam for support. Looking like the exit guy. "EVERYONE PLEASE CALM DOWN! EVERYTHING IS OKAY!" He yelled. The crowd stopped and looked up at him and Izuku, who was hanging from some pipes. "It's just the press that got onto campus! We must remain calm and collected! We're UA students, so we need to act like the best of the best!" He exclaimed. Everyone looked outside and saw that it really was the press before calming down.
'Ugh. I think I got a migraine from this.' Apophis thought from inside Izuku's shirt pocket.
(Later)
After everyone finished lunch, Izuku took a deep breath and then addressed his classmates once back in homeroom. "Guys, I've given it some thought and I think I'm just not the right fit for Class Rep." He explained. "Which is why I think Iida should take my place. After all, he was able to calm us down before." He added. Everyone looked at him in surprise before talking amongst themselves.
"If you're truly willing to allow me to take this responsibility." Iida said as he stood up. "Then I will strive to live up to your expectations." He added.
"You better, four eyes." Bakugo huffed as everyone nodded in agreement. They definitely were on board with having a rep like Iida. Especially after a day like today.
Though that made them wonder… How did those reporters get in anyway?
Dragon Emperor0: And that concludes a chapter that seemed like forever to get around to.
ThermalsniperN7: Well, we have been busy. There are a ton of stories for us to work on.
Dragon Emperor0: I wouldn't say a ton. Like maybe seven tops. But it's definitely hard to juggle at times. Though we do still get the job done.
ThermalsniperN7: That we do. Anyway, see you guys next time.