Chapter 17

On the walk from the station to Bakugo's place, I spoke with Ashido and Kaminari. That was until we spotted a familiar green hair ahead of us. I watched as he used his skateboard to grind the back of a bench. As he flipped midair, it was impressive to see him make the landing. I wonder how long it took to learn how to do that.

As we near Midoriya, he looked up in our direction. Ashido waved, and we all watched as the green-haired boy's face turned red as he held his board. When we reached him, I couldn't help but hold back my excitement. "That was so manly, Midoriya. When did you learn to skate like that?"

Midoriya looked away from us as he put a hand behind his head. "Just something I picked up during fourth grade. I would get bored when I'm alone." He then dropped his board and stepped on it with his left foot. "What brings you guys to this neighborhood?"

This time Ashido spoke up. "We're heading over to Bakugo's place."

Midoriya smiled as he pointed behind him. "Well, it's about 2 more blocks down that way. You then have to make a left." He looked back at us. "Once you start seeing some tall bushes against a lovely brick wall, you'll be there. It's hard to miss."

Before any of us could speak, Midoriya rode off on his skateboard. We just stared for a moment as we watched him grind on the sidewalk. When we finally started walking again, we followed Midoriya's direction. And what we came across we just couldn't believe. "Bakugo house is huge!" Me and Kaminari nodded in agreement.

As we walked over to the door, I couldn't help but be impressed by the landscape of the yard. Especially the small flower garden that lined just under the windows. And before any of us could ring the doorbell, Bakugo answered the door. "What took you extras so long?"

While Bakugo walked us to the basement, I couldn't stop staring at the photos that hung on the walls. Some were of what I can assume of Bakugo and his parents. But there were some frames that had certificates of honors and all types of rewards. The one I couldn't get over was the photo of a blonde little girl with a large pink dress being given a crown. "Do you have a sister, Bakugo?"

"Not really. My old hag made me enter a few beauty pageants growing up." We all started to laugh but quickly stopped when we heard Bakugo growl. "You tell anyone, and I'll kill all of you."

When we reached the gym, I couldn't help but stare at the wall of trophies. "Damn, man. Are all those yours?"

"Some of them. Some are my old hags. The rest is my old man's." Bakugo then turned to us and pointed. "Don't dare break anything. I don't want to deal with the hag."

…

After the old hag yelled my ear off, I finally was able to go to my room. Why was it my fault for not being able to defeat all the villains? She just kept talking about how I should have been able to do more. But what more could I do? Isn't the fact I beat some villains not enough for her? Even dad sided with mom on this. And when I tried to argue back, I was in the wrong.

I looked over at my All Might doll and took a deep breath. My parents just don't know what they're talking about. They weren't there. But they sure like pushing every last one of my nerves. If I'm not the absolute best, nothing else I did was enough. Then thoughts went back to the fact I had my hero suit with me.

While I bathed, I wondered if I should ask my parents for help. Since they both are in the fashion industry, maybe they could give me pointers. Then again, that would be pointless. Knowing them, they would be more focused on how my costume looked and not how it functions.

As I entered my room, instead of getting dressed, I walked over to my bed and sat at the edge. On one hand, I could try to talk to my parents about what I should do next. But on the other hand, they won't understand. They'll just tell me how I'm the supposed hero and should know what I'm doing. Or they would go about how everything I doing was wrong.

Grabbing my All Might doll, I let my thoughts wander to a third possibility. What would Deku think? I hate when I have moments like this. I shouldn't be thinking of that damn nerd. But it couldn't be helped. He's the only one who gets me. So, I looked back at the suitcase and couldn't help but smile. With that, I got dressed and went down for dinner.

That night I read the notes about my suit. There were a few things I had to look up, but I think I had a basic understanding. Especially when it came down to the material. So, they used a thin type of fabric for the plum part of my gloves. I wonder what's so special about that fabric. Based on the notes, it was made of a type of wool that coated flexible steel threads. And it was woven into a very large mesh pattern. That could explain why my hands quickly heated up without a heater. The rest of the glove was plain wool fabric.

I read the notes of my gantlets and was impressed that the material was not what I thought it was. In fact, it was similar to the mesh of my gloves. The only difference was that it wasn't wool. Instead, my arm warmers were something like polyester. But with a lining of cotton. Is that how it's able to collect my sweat? And when I looked up on the collector, they were made from a lightweight metal. Something about being a magnesium alloy that was coated with a thin layer of titanium.

It was when I tried reading about the tanks is when the hag came into my room. "What the hell are you doing?" Before I could say anything, she stormed over to me and took the notes out of my hands. "Are you seriously trying to mess up someone else hard work? This is something that's beyond what you are capable of. So, just stop it." The hag then went about gathering everything and taking it as she left my room.

I didn't even get a chance to argue back, but it didn't matter. Once I knew she was nowhere close, I shut my door and locked it. I walked over to my desktop and pulled out the flash drive from my pocket. So, glad I spotted it earlier and hid it when I had the chance. With that, I plugged the flash drive into my computer tower. As I looked over the files, I saw it was in more detail than the book had. I took note of how the tanks worked and made sure to leave side notes. Maybe there was a way I could adjust the tanks myself. Especially since there were notes on how I could possibly use my sweat more than grenades.

When we got back to class on Monday, I noticed something was off with Deku. He was looking through his phone. But it was that he didn't acknowledge my presence somehow made me uneasy. In fact, I tried to get his attention, and he completely ignored me. What the fuck?

It wasn't long before the rest of the extras showed up. I shouldn't worry about Deku not saying hi to me this morning. But why did it bug me? And when our Aizawa announced the yearly sports festival, I simply forgot all about Deku. I have just a few weeks to prepare to outshine all these extras. Which gives me the chance to work on new moves and improve on others.

This also presented me with an opportunity to make notes on how I want to deal with my hero suit. The more I improve, the better I know where I can make adjustments. Such as if I need to change out materials. Or how I want to deal with the tanks. Along with fit so I can move around easier.

…

Since we didn't have class on Friday, I decided to head to the school's support company. Thankfully it was near campus. So, I had a decent ride to clear my head from yesterday. Since my memory from yesterday was very foggy. Along with the fact my shoulders and back hurt. Almost like I was crying on top of my injuries.

When I got to the company, I took a deep breath. Before I knocked at the large metal door, I checked my messages again. They had sent a text about wanting to talk to me about my suit. Something along the lines they might not be able to repair everything.

As I looked at my destroyed suit on the work table, the person who was in charge went over his notes. "Based on how this suit was put together, there are elements we can't recreate. Not because it's impossible. But it's mainly due to not following Japan's hero suit code." He then walked around the table and came in front of me. "I already went over the manual that came with your costume, so I won't ask any questions. However, I'm going to need you to fill out a new form. Your suit has to be recreated completely."

I tried to keep from shaking as I spoke. "How was it not up to code?"

"The mask can't be a single piece. As for tops, it needs to be easily removable. A lot of your suit goes against safety violations. In case of emergencies, a hero needs to be able to change in and out of their costume. But yours would take too long to get into."

"What if it was tracksuit-based but kept the same look?" I watched as his left eyebrow rosed as he went to a nearby computer. He turned it on and started typing.

"What else?" I then spent the rest of the day going over what changes I wanted to make. But same time, I kept in mind that I had to stick to codes I had no idea about. Then again, did the twins know about these codes? Maybe not. I should probably ask them what type of hero costume codes are there in America. Since it seems different than Japan.

After what seemed to be forever, I finally was heading home. I was at least happy we agreed that the hood of my new suit would be a type of metal fabric. At that, it would lock up when connected to the mouthguard. And as I walked to the station, I couldn't help but feel like I was being followed. When I looked back, I didn't see anything. It's probably nothing.

While I rode my skateboard from the station, I could hear something behind me. But I kept moving and tried to ignore whatever it was. For all I know, it's all in my head. Yet, I didn't make it to the TV store when something touched my shoulder. I slowly looked back and was shocked it was All Might. "Kid, you sure are fast. I was trying to get your attention. But I guess you didn't hear me." I shook my head.

I soon was walking with All Might through the nearby park. "Is something the matter, All Might?" He didn't say anything, and we soon ended up sitting on a bench in front of the fountain. "All Might?"

"How's your arm?"

I looked at my right arm, which was no longer bandaged up. "It's ok. Thank you for asking."

While All Might took a deep breath, I watched as he seemed to look from one side to another. Was he checking to see if people were near us? "Did you tell Bakugo anything?" I quickly shook my head. "Be honest, Young Midoriya. I can't risk people learning about my secret."

Looking at my hands, I did my best not to speak too loud. "I didn't tell anything."

"So, why did you run the other day?"

"I panicked."

"Ok. But why did Bakugo follow you?"

"Because I ran." I then looked at my hero, and I could tell he didn't believe me. "After what you told me after I spoke to Kacchan, I wouldn't mess up a second time. At that, Kacchan would never believe me if I tried to explain it to him." At that, I could feel tears start to run down my face. "He hates me."

After I said that, I don't remember what happened next. All I knew was I was now in my room and staring at the ceiling. At that, it was morning. Thankfully it was Saturday. So, I decided to grab my stuff and head over to the pawn shop. Maybe Uncle would have a few deliveries I could do. Since I was a few yen short of having enough for a new All Might figure that comes out next month.

As I rode down the street, I was surprised to see Ashido, Kaminari, and Kirishima. After telling them how to get to Kacchan's place, I went back to riding. I wonder if Kacchan really did make friends. That thought made me happy and sad. I really hope it's that they were his friends.

Once I got to the pawn shop, I was somewhat surprised to see it was currently closed. I took out my phone and checked the time. Of course, the shop was still closed. After all, it was only 9 a.m. So, I decided to head to the park to pass the time. And when I got there, I was disappointed to see it was crowded. Maybe today just wasn't my day.

As I made my way back to the pawn shop, I wondered what I was going to do about the sports festival. Since I knew it was coming up soon. This time I won't just be watching it but taking part. I still had trouble controlling One for All. In fact, I don't think I ever did get a chance to practice with it. Besides dealing with the training and the USJ, I haven't used it without a reason. And while I sat in front of the shop, I just looked at my hand. How would I even train with OFA?

When Uncle opened the shop, I walked around the shop for a moment. "Sorry, kid. No new All Might mech has come in."

I hung my head in defeat and walked over to the counter. "Do you have any deliveries for me?"

"Unless you're willing to travel to Yaizu?" I quickly nodded. With that, I watched as he went to the back room. When he came back, he had a green travel suitcase. He handed it to me along with a map. I looked at the map and saw there was a path marked by some red lines. "There's a clipboard in the case. After every drop-off, you need to make sure they signed the clipboard." That's when I saw him going behind the counter and grabbing something. It's when he came back with a longboard. I saw it had an All Might print on the underside. I couldn't help but hop from one foot to the other as he came near me. "If you finish before 7, you can keep the board."

"Are you sure, Uncle?"

I watched as he smiled and handed me the longboard. "I wouldn't have grabbed it if I wasn't sure." With that, I took a photo of the map. With the real map in my pocket, I grabbed the All Might board and the suitcase.

Luckily enough, I just had to take the bus for an hour. Once I got off the bus, I started my route. Using the longboard, I cruised my way down the street. It didn't take me long when I got to my first stop. I was confused about why it was a small house. But it didn't matter as long as I did my deliveries. Ringing the bell, I could hear a small dog barking on the other side. Soon an elderly woman came to the door.

Going into the suitcase, I grabbed the clipboard and one of the packets. "Good morning, Auntie. I'm here to deliver this to your household." Auntie smiled as she signed the clipboard and took the packet. I then was off to the next stop. It didn't take long when I came upon the last stop. Which was a shipyard.

With everything done, I went back to the pawn shop. When I got back, I happily saw Uncle sitting behind the counter. I watched as he looked up at me before looking at his phone. "You finished sooner than I thought, kid." He then got up and came over to me. I handed him the clipboard. As he looked it over, he took the suitcase. "Not bad. You even got old man Mr. Tuyo to sign. As promised," Uncle smiled at me as he pointed at the longboard. "It's all yours, kid."

I couldn't stop smiling as I hugged my new All Might longboard. "Thank you, Uncle." He then went over to the counter and pulled up the money box. I watched as he pulled out a few yen and then walked back to me. When he gave me the yen, I started counting. "Wow! This more than usual, Uncle."

"Today's delivery was important. And since you did better than expected, it's only right I paid you as such." He smiled at me before sending me off. With that, I decided to cruise with my new longboard. It was when I was near the TV store that I saw Ashido, Kaminari, and Kirishima. At that, they seemed beaten up and tired.

I started to make my way over to them, yet I quickly changed my mind. But it was too late when Kirishima saw me. "Hey, Midoriya." With that, I finished to walk over to them.

"Hey, you guys. What happened?" They looked at each other before Ashido looked back at me.

"We were hoping that Bakugo would help us be as amazing as him. But it quickly turned to trying not to get beaten up by him."

I couldn't help but bite the inside of my cheek as I tried not to smile. "Yeah. He kept punching us and saying we have to react faster." The way Kaminari looked sure seemed he was telling the truth.

"Kacchan can be ruthless. But at least he agreed to help you guys." The way all of them looked confused almost had me giggling.

"Kacchan?"

I looked to Kirishima. "That's what I called him since we were kids." After talking a bit more with those three, we finally said goodbye. When I got to the corner before my home, I couldn't help but look towards the direction of Kacchan's house. So, you would help train anyone else but me? What did I do that you hated spending time with me? I felt tears burning down my face. For some reason, my shoulders felt heavier as I just stood there.

Kacchan made new friends not even a week into high school. He got mad at me for making friends, but here he was with his own friends. It almost feels like the start of 4th grade all over again. All I did was try to speak to the new kid, and I was beaten up for it. But when the new kid spoke to Kacchan, nobody did anything. Everyone, from my classmates to the teachers, pushed me away. As the memories played through my head, it was hard to breathe. In fact, my vision blurred as I began to feel dizzy.

When I was able to breathe and see again, I saw that I was somehow standing in front of Kacchan's house. What was I doing here? Shaking my head, I started to run home. How did I end up there? It was pointless. And when I got home, I was grateful mom wasn't there.

Once in my room, I crawled into bed and hugged my pillow. As I cried the whole night, my body screamed in pain. All I could see was the teacher who locked me in the bathroom with those middle schoolers. Oh, how they punched and kicked me. The way I could still taste blood from when one of them punched my stomach. It felt like I was getting my ribs stepped on all over again. It was becoming so hard to breathe as the pain became too unbearable.

When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't tell where I was. I knew I was in my room. Since my room had All Might figures. But why couldn't I feel anything? Everything was just numb. And when I tried to sit up, my head started to pound. Taking in a few deep breaths, I tried to make my way to the kitchen. There I saw that mom was eating. That was until she looked up at me. "Good morning, sweetie." She then began to get up. "I'll get your plate ready."

"That's ok, mom. I'm not hungry."

Mom looked back at me before sitting back down. "Are you sure?" I put on my best smile as I went to the fridge. Once I grabbed a can of orange juice, I started walking out of the kitchen. "Is something wrong, Izuku?"

I looked back at my mom and forced myself to speak. "I'm fine, mom. Just got thirsty." As I braced myself against the wall, I hoped she didn't notice. She didn't need to know that I was in pain and felt weak. Mom worries enough about her job.

When I got back to my room, I placed the unopened can on my desk. If mom wasn't in the kitchen, I wouldn't have grabbed it. With every painful step, I made my way back to my bed. Sitting down, I tried to remember what I did yesterday. After I finished my deliveries, I headed home with my new longboard. But for some reason I can't recall what happened between watching a commercial, about a pair of All Might sneakers, in front of the TV store and when I woke up this morning. At that, it felt like I would throw up when I smelt the food mom was eating.

With everything in me, I tried to keep it together as I got dressed. Maybe if I went for a jog, I would feel ok.