Chapter 18: Minos' Defeat

"Alright hellions, settle down," Shouta huffed, walking into the classroom. "Whilst in the arena, many of you made very poor decisions which will reflect on your grades. First battle, who was the MVP?"

Izuku laid his head down on the desk as the vestiges snickered. Several hands around the room shot up and Aizawa chose Tokoyami to speak.

"Midoriya was the clear MVP," Tokoyami stated, making Izuku's head shoot up. "He came up with the strategy, analyzed the other team, and even participated in the battle."

"Are there any counters?" Shouta asked. Again, several hands shot up. "If you're going to say anything against Midoriya for the mistake the Commission made, then you're getting detention."

All the hands shot back down immediately and Izuku rolled his eyes as he laid his head back down. He'd slept horribly last night and now sounded like a perfect time to catch up.

"Midoriya," Shouta called. Guess he wasn't catching up on sleep after all. "Want to explain the reasoning for your strategies in the battle?"

"Consider this the death of Deku," Izuku said, not raising his head. Kacchan and Shinsou snickered at his response.

Shouta sighed. "We can change your name later. Explain."

Izuku groaned as he sat up, noticing that some of the students were watching him in curiosity, some sending him glares, and all of his teammates had been sending him proud looks. "You colored the flags red and green, so I assumed it was an implied villain versus hero exercise and that we were the villains. I used this exercise to prove that I could be a villain, and if I was, then I wouldn't stoop to such levels as infiltrating a school and pretending to be a student given that I clearly could have taken on each of the students myself."

"Why didn't you?" Momo asked, tilting her head. "You fought Asui and Uraraka easily on your own, but I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we were surprised that you left them for Shouto and Katsuki to capture."

Izuku shrugged. "Two reasons. The main reason is that I wanted my friends to be able to show their own power and skills in the exercise. The second reason is that I didn't need to."

"What do you mean you didn't need to?" Uraraka cried out. "All you did was play with us then threw us away!"

Izuku rolled his eyes at her. "I had already proved to you that I could beat you easily, Uraraka. There was no need for me to continue to show off, so I let Kacchan and Sho capture you."

"Sounds like you just wanted the others to do the leg work while you jumped around and played with your quirks," Aoyama muttered.

Izuku sent a glare at the boy, hatred seeping through as he thought back to what had been revealed during the exercise. "Big talk from someone who sat in the base cowering in fear."

"Out him!" Banjo cried.

Aoyama was stuttering, but now the vestiges had risen up in arms and he could barely hear anything from his surroundings. "I know, I should out the traitor," Izuku muttered.

"Midoriya?" Shouta called out, as Kacchan grabbed his arm.

Izuku blinked and looked at Kacchan first, who had surprise and anger etched over his whole face, and then at Shouta, who was just barely able to contain his worry as he texted someone discreetly under his own desk.

"Sorry, the vestiges," Izuku said, waving his hand around his head.

"Midoriya, who's the traitor?" Shouta asked.

"Fuck," Izuku said, looking back at Kacchan. "Did I say that out loud?"

Kacchan huffed a laugh and squeezed Izuku's arm gently. "Yeah, nerd. Now tell us who it is."

Izuku sighed, looking at Shouta who nodded, before looking up to the camera in the room and glad to see that it was recording. "Aoyama Yuuga."

Glitter flew across the room. "That is a lie!"

Izuku raised his eyebrows. "You literally admitted to it. Well, you practically did. Hitoshi's quirk kinda cut it off, which was a little frustrating."

"Sorry?" Hitoshi said. "You told me to Brainwash him, though."

"I don't blame you!" Izuku said, turning to Hitoshi and waving his arms around. "It was just an observation. We talked about about what we had heard and came to the conclusion that the only possible response he was about to say was some form of 'infiltrate.'"

"How does that make him the traitor?" Hagakure asked.

Izuku looked around the classroom, having forgotten where he was for a moment. Shouta had wrapped his capture weapon around Aoyama, who was now laying on the floor in front of the door, crying, and the rest of the class, besides his close friends, were staring at him in a mixture of confusion, anger, and shock.

Hitoshi sighed. "Before I brainwashed the asshole, he was talking about how 'it' was supposed to be easy and 'it' wasn't supposed to be like this," he said, using air quotes. "So, when I asked what was supposed to be easy, as Izuku explained, he responded by starting to say something about infiltration. Though, all he really got out before my quirk took hold was 'infilt-.'"

"Couldn't he have-"

Uraraka's counter was cut off as the door slammed open and Naomasa came in with Nedzu on his shoulder, Hizashi and Nemuri standing behind him. All four of them barely contained the rage in their eyes as they scanned the classroom and kept their eyes on Aoyama who was now whimpering.

"Aoyama Yuuga," Naomasa said, vitriol dripping from his voice. "Are you the UA traitor that has been working for All for One?"

"Yes!" Aoyama screeched. "I am! Don't hurt me please."

"True," Naomasa hissed, reaching for his quirk-canceling cuffs.

"Take him away, detective," Nedzu snapped, hopping over to Yamada's shoulder.

"Wh- but- how?" Uraraka cried out.

"Will you believe I wasn't the traitor now?" Izuku asked lazily, resting his chin on his hand as he watched the scene play out.

"But you- and he never- you were-"

"Uraraka, shut the fuck up, kami," Hitoshi huffed. "There's literally nothing to argue about. Naomasa used his quirk to ask the same exact question to both of them, and only one of them was proven to be the traitor."

Izuku ignored the class as several shouts rang out in confusion and betrayal as the true traitor was revealed. Instead, he watched as Aoyama's chest heaved as he sobbed and begged not to be hurt as he was dragged out the door.

"All for One really did a number on the kid," Nana said, wincing.

"I bet that wasn't even his quirk," Banjo huffed.

"He was born quirkless," Yoichi stated.

Several of the vestiges questioned that, but Izuku cut in. "Ever notice the shoes he's wearing? Here in Japan, the only shoe company that makes comfortable quirkless shoes is forced to make them in red, but in France, they have different laws. It's all the same shoe company though. They have a mark on the tongue."

"No offense kid, but why would we be looking at the tongues of your classmates shoes?" Third asked.

"You wouldn't," Izuku said, mentally shrugging. "Not unless you were born quirkless or were presumed to be quirkless."

"Yoichi, you weren't quirkless though," Nana said in a questioning tone.

"No, but my brother assumed I was, and I've done my best to keep an eye out on the quirkless population my whole existence," Yoichi explained. "I was watching one night when Izuku was looking for a new pair of shoes and he explained the markings to me."

"His quirk also isn't compatible with his body just like how One for All was with Izuku," Second said. "It happened a lot when All for One first started forcing quirks on people."

"Midoriya, you with us?" Shouta asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Izuku blinked back into the present and found Kacchan still holding his arm, rubbing circles into his wrist and Shouta kneeling in front of him. He nodded to his teacher and father, not wanting to look up to see the rest of the class' reactions.

"Thank you for finding the traitor, Izuku," Shouta said softly in a tone low enough that only Kacchan and Hitoshi, who sat right behind him, could hear. "You saved Naomasa a lot of trouble, given he was about to start questioning each and every one of the first years today," he added, raising his voice a bit.

"Is that how he got here so quickly?" Hitoshi asked.

"Yes, he was already in Nedzu's office with Mic when I texted them," Shouta answered. "Alright!" Shouta called out to the class as he stood, ruffling Izuku's hair as he returned to the front of the room. "I know that there's been a lot going on, but now we're resuming class." There were several grumbles and complaints, so Shouta activated his quirk. "If you continue to complain like children, I will be giving you a pop quiz."

Everyone quieted down immediately and Izuku smiled as he rested his head back onto his arms, Kacchan turning around to take notes. Izuku could only hope that things would get better now.

Izuku was woken from his impromptu slumber by Kacchan combing his fingers through his hair. He blinked up at his boyfriend as he yawned.

Kacchan smirked down at him and shook his head. "Come on, nerd, it's time for lunch.

"Okay," he said through another yawn, standing up.

"Also, you should've seen everyone's faces when they realized you were sleeping," Hitoshi laughed from behind him.

"Fuck," Izuku sighed. "I'm going to have to apologize to Shouta."

"Given that he told everyone to shut up and leave you alone when they tried waking you," Shouto cut in, "I'm sure he didn't care all that much."

Izuku shook his head. "Still, I just didn't sleep well last night. The rest of my injuries were finally healing and I just felt itchy."

"Sorry, nerd," Kacchan said, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Let's get some food in you, yeah?"

"Yeah," Izuku nodded. "We have to go make sure Mei doesn't blow up the school."

They left the classroom and walked down to the cafeteria. It was just as loud as always, so they quickly got food from Lunch Rush before heading over to the table where they spotted Mei sitting with the Bakusquad, Momo, and Jiro.

As soon as they sat down, an explosion rang out, and Izuku sighed amongst the shouts sounding around him. "Really Mei?" He asked. "We couldn't go one lunch without an explosion?"

Mei was cackling as Denki took back his exploded fidget toy, looking at it in shock and betrayal. "You said you wouldn't turn this one into a bomb!"

"She turns everything into an explosion," Shouto deadpanned. "Why are you still surprised about this?"

"Because there's no electronics in it!" Denki cried.

"Yeah, that doesn't matter with her," Kacchan huffed.

"It was your welcome back explosion Izu!" Mei said, scrambling up to hug him. "You had to come back with a big bang!"

"I think the bang he came back with was revealing the traitor," Momo noted.

"Or controlling Katsuki," Jiro added.

"Or fighting two students without breaking a sweat," Kirishima said, punching his hands together. "That was so manly, bro!"

"Okay, okay," Izuku said, hiding his face in his hands. "I get it!"

"Seriously, dude," Sero said, setting down his chopsticks. "I think you scared the shit out of everyone."

Mei finally let go of Izuku and walked back to her seat, digging into her food.

"I just can't believe how whipped Bakugou is!" Mina cackled.

"Oi!" Kacchan shouted. "The fuck did you just say?"

"You heard me," Mina smirked.

Kacchan stood up, but Izuku placed a hand on his arm and he sat back down with a grumble. "Hush, Kacchan," Izuku whispered, laughing. "I'm sure they're just glad to see you happy."

Kacchan rolled his eyes, but conceded as he dumped hot sauce onto his food and dug in.

Izuku smiled and laughed along with his friends as they chatted throughout the lunch period, and he realized that things might not be so bad after all.