Salazar Residence: Morning…
Rex awoke and went about getting ready to face the day. "Yesterday had its rough points, but I finally found people who have not once mentioned I'd be better off in the Support Course. Despite how hard it seems to be to keep your place in Mr. Aizawa's class, I will manage it."
UA: Class 1-A
The remaining 19 students of 1-A managed to arrive before the bell rang with everyone, save Bakugo and Shoto, glancing at where Toru had sat yesterday. That empty seat was a stark reminder of the events that transpired.
Their attention was soon drawn to the door as Aizawa entered followed by a girl who was around their age and wearing the school uniform. She was of medium height with a slim build, had orange hair in a high ponytail, and teal eyes.
"I trust all of you have thought over what happened to Toru Hagakure?" Aizawa questioned, and while no one answered him, he could see they understood. "Good, then I can inform you that she was only expelled from my class, no UA."
"What!?" Most of the class asked.
"Sir, I'm afraid I cannot see the logic in what you have done." Iida declared.
"To put it simply, I see far too many confuse being self-sacrificial with suicidal, so I decided to give a clear example." Aizawa informed. "I'll admit, had she impressed me more, I'd have waved that lesson, but her scores didn't stack up to those I received form the rest."
"So, what did happen to Toru?" Ochaco asked. "You said she wasn't expelled from UA, so where is she now?"
"She's in Class 1-B while I looked over their own Quirk Assessment to see which student should take her place in Class 1-A." Aizawa nodded to the girl. "She's who I picked based on their results. Go ahead and introduce yourself."
"Uh, yes sir." The girl nodded. "My name is Itsuka Kendo, and I didn't expect to be shifting classes on my second day. Though, given our teacher seems to have high standards, I'll take it as a compliment."
"She seems fairly nice." Hanta commented.
"Plus, it's not like we should blame her for what happened to Toru." Tsu added.
"Yeah, especially since she's not expelled from the academy." Ochaco added relieved.
"Alright, that's enough." Aizawa stated before looking at Itsuka. "Take your seat."
School Day…
With Aizawa officially completing his first lesson, the rest of the day, between then and what everyone knew was coming, was mundane. English, taught by Present Mic, only really seemed to interest Yaoyorozu and Iida fully while Rex knew he could pay a glancing attention.
Everyone else was just plain bored. At their first lunch of the year, Rex sat with Denki and Mina. This made for a better lunch experience than at his prior school. They then had Modern Literature with Cementoss.
That class was a little more engaging, but because of what was coming after, most had a hard time paying attention to what he taught. Many were just anticipating the arrival of the number one hero and were thinking about what basic training could entail.
Class 1-A, Afternoon…
The whole class were in their homeroom waiting for the next class. Without warning, the door was thrown open to admit a towering, muscular figure that radiated power and confidence. All Might had arrived.
"I… Am… Here!" The number 1 boomed as he strutted into the room, dressed in a caped outfit. "Coming through the door like a hero!"
Exclamations of adulation and excitement swept through the class.
"I can't believe it's really All Might!" Kaminari grinned.
"This year's gonna be totally awesome!" Kirishima agreed.
"Is that his silver age costume?" Asui inquired.
"I'm getting goosebumps." Ojiro laughed. "It's so retro!"
Given his parents knew All Might, Rex had interacted with him before. Whether it was then or now, he could plainly see how the man's mere presence could diffuse situations. The young Salazar knew he'd have to aspire to the same if he wanted any hope of surpassing him one day.
All Might reached the podium. "Welcome to the most important class at UA! Think of it as Heroing 101!" He swept his gaze across the room. "Here, you will learn the basics of what it takes to be a Hero, and what it means to fight in the name of good!" He adopted a stance that allowed him to flex his physique. "Let's get to it! Today's lessons will pull no punches!"
With that, he whirled around and held up a flashcard that had one word in big red letters: 'Battle!'
Bakugo immediately got excited. "Fight training!"
"Actual combat?" Midoriya gulped.
Continuing as though no one had said a word, All Might boomed, "But, one of the keys to being a hero is…looking good!"
He swept his right arm around to point at the wall opposite to where the door was. As he did, hidden panels slid out to reveal twenty briefcases.
"These were designed by the support team based on your Quirk Registrations, and the designs you sent in before school started!" Everyone cheered. "Get yourselves suited up and meet me at Training Ground Beta!"
"Yes sir!" The class responded.
Training Ground Beta, Later…
The group of freshmen emerged from the tunnel that led into the faux city, and All Might looked on approvingly. "They say clothes make the pros, and behold, young ladies and gentlemen, you are the proof!"
Their costumes were varied in appearance and functionality with every one speaking volumes about their wearer. Iida wore a suit of polished armor, like Ingenium, while Bakugo wore massive gauntlets shaped like grenades.
Todoroki wore a suit that encased half of his body in what looked like ice, and Yaoyorozu wore an outfit that left very little to the imagination. There were many other costumes that caught Rex's eye while he wore the same attire from the mock battle.
"Take this to heart!" All Might declared as they finished assembling before him. "From now on, you are…Heroes-in-training!" Giving them each a once over, his broad smile grew. "This is getting me revved up! You all look so cool! Now, shall we get started, newbies?"
All Might explained they would be conducting mock indoor battles with ten teams over the course of five rounds. One pair of students would play Heroes while the other would pretend to be Villains guarding a bomb. The Heroes would have no idea which floor the bomb was on while the Villains would be shown to it. In addition, both sides would have five minutes to prepare.
"That's not fair." Mina frowned. "The Heroes are at a total disadvantage!"
"As Mr. Aizawa taught us, it is a Heroes job to combat that unfairness." Iida responded.
"That is correct, young Iida." All Might grinned. "Heroes are usually put in tough spots due to the dastardly things Villains will do to gain an advantage! Taking hostages, setting up explosive devices, or even threatening the population of the city with bioweapons."
"Despite those risk, as Heroes, we must find ways to overcome those odds." Rex declared.
"Right, young Salazar!" All Might boomed. "Now then, we shall choose teams through lots!"
"Isn't there a better way?" Iida asked.
"Just think about it." Midoriya responded. "Heroes from other agencies often team up on the spot, so it is likely this is why we are seeing it here."
"Ah, life is a series of random events." Iida bowed. "Please, excuse my rudeness."
"No sweat." All Might assured. "Now, let's draw!"
Team A: Mashirao Ojiro & Rikido Sato
Team B: Tsuyu Asui & Denki Kaminari
Team C: Izuku Midoriya & Rex Salazar
Team D: Fumikage Tokoyami & Yuga Aoyama
Team E: Mina Ashido & Itsuka Kendo
Team F: Shoto Todoroki & Mezo Shoji
Team G: Katsuki Bakugo & Momo Yaoyorozu
Team H: Kyoka Jiro & Eijiro Kirishima
Team I: Tenya Iida & Ochaco Uraraka
Team J: Koji Koda & Hanta Sero
"It was a longshot, but I was actually hoping for Denki or Mina." Rex shrugged. "Then again, I suppose Midoriya would have been my third choice, all things considered, so not too bad."
"Considering how nice Rex was yesterday, I'm alright with this." Izuku thought.
All Might then pulled out a 'Hero' and 'Villian' box before digging around to select the teams that would go first. "I declare that the first teams to fight will be…" He plucked a couple out. "…these guys!"
Team C(Izuku & Rex) was selected as the Heroes while Team G(Katsuki & Momo) were selected as the Villains. Izuku and Katsuki caught each other's gaze. The former was intimidated by a glare from the latter. Rex noticed this and was about to put a hand on the guy's shoulder.
Before he could, Midoriya found his own resolve leveling a firm glare right back which only seemed to anger Bakugo. Rex noted that despite what happened between them yesterday, the explosive student seemed intent on Izuku.
"Given his volatile nature, it's unlikely Bakugo will play out the exercise correctly." Rex noted.
Given the things at play, coupled with what he observed of the Quirk Assessments yesterday, Rex was already formulating a plan on how their side could play this. All Might soon directed those not selected to a bunker where they'd be watching the matches.
The Hero would join them after personally instructing the two groups at the selected building. "Young Yaoyorozu, young Bakugo." The pair looked at him. "The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. Think from their perspective."
"Understood." Momo responded while Bakugo merely zeroed in on the opposing pair.
"If things go too far, I'll step in." All Might added.
Building: Top Floor
Momo and Katsuki arrived at the room with their faux weapon prompting the former to immediately plan on how to secure it. "Our best bet would be to simply hunker down with the weapon." She looked at Bakugo. "I can create…"
"The green haired kid, Izuku Midoriya." Katsuki wasn't interested in how they could protect the weapon as he moved towards the door without even looking at his partner. "You think he really has a Quirk?"
"That is a strange question to pose." Momo responded. "I mean, you saw how well he did in the Quirk Apprehension." She looked at him critically. "Any personal issues you may have shouldn't be on your mind."
"Was he seriously just tricking me all these years?" A feral grin graced his face. "I'm going to roast that damn nerd today." He approached the door. "Do whatever you want to protect the weapon, but the door out stays free."
"Bakugo, I really think it would be preferable if we just…" Momo began.
"Do whatever you want, damn extra!" Bakugo yelled as he looked back at her. "Provided it doesn't hinder me leaving the room when this starts, I don't care!"
"How vulgar." Momo thought.
She felt there was a chance of her victory if they came to blows; however, combat between partners was pointless. It would simply waste time and surely reflect poorly on their scores, more than they were likely already fairing.
"I'll just have to do my best to make up for his lack of cooperation." Momo thought, shifting her attention from the door to the weapon.
Outside
"You're clearly nervous, so tell me what's going on in your head." Rex commented, as his partner was sweating, making Izuku jump slightly. "Depending on what you tell me, I might just have a plan on how we pull this off."
"W-Well, it's just…we're up against Kacchan." Izuku sighed. "Considering Yaoyorozu came in just behind you on our Quick Apprehension, we should be on guard. Who knows what they'll pull."
"Bakugo doesn't seem like much of a team player, so I'm betting they're already forced to work as two separate people rather than a team." Rex thought.
"Honestly, Kacchan is amazing." Izuku continued. "You've seen he can be a real pain; however, his strength, confidence, ambition, and Quirk are all greater than mine." He seemed to find some resolve. "That just means…" He put the mask up. "I must do better. I refuse to lose today."
"I thought as much." Rex grinned. "It's looking more like the plan I got will work, but I got to ask you something first." He drew his partner's attention. "You clearly know Bakugo well, so who will he be gunning for in there?"
"It'll be me, why?" Izuku questioned.
"It means we can now go over what I have in mind…" Rex began.
Salazar filled Izuku in on the plan before the pair went about refining it together.
Bunker
"Alright, let's begin the indoor combat training!" All Might spoke into a speaker which projected his voice over the faux city. "Teams C & G, your time starts now!" He then addressed the students with him. "Pay attention kids. Think about what you would do."
Building: Bottom Floor
By the time they were to enter the building, Izuku and Rex had solidified the plan. They now moved on in through one of the side windows effectively infiltrating the building. The pair then began making their way through the building.
As they rounded corner, Bakugo suddenly came leaping at them from the hallway to their right prompting the pair to scatter. They ended up on opposite sides of the current hallways as Katsuki nailed the wall with one of his explosions.
"Rex, are you okay!?" Izuku yelled concerned.
"Don't worry!" Rex yelled back. "I'm fine!" Bakugo came out of the debris while focusing solely on Izuku which was his cue to slip away. "I'm trusting you on this one Izuku. Make sure if ever loses his current tunnel vision that he couldn't come back."
"What's the matter Deku?" Katsuki asked. "Afraid to fight me?"
"I knew you'd come at me first and figured you'd try to catch me by surprise." Izuku voiced firmly.
Bunker
"A sneak attack Bakugo?" Kirishima punched the palm of his hand. "What kind of a man pulls cheap crap like that?"
"It's a viable strategy." All Might informed. "He's playing the part. Acting like a true Villian would."
"It didn't work." Mina declared happily. "Midoriya and Rex dodged it."
"Then, Salazar ran leaving Deku to face him alone." Ochaco declared in disbelief.
"It's actually a sound strategy." Itsuka had crossed her arms. "You must remember that the objective is to restrain the Villains or lay a hand on the weapon. Given how destructive Bakugo's Quirk is, minimizing risk to the building is crucial."
"Ah, I understand." Tenya nodded. "Even if Bakugo seems particularly focused on Izuku, that could have quickly changed had Salazar decided to intervene. Given Bakugo is rather volatile, the potential damage to the weapon he could cause would be devastating."
"Look, Bakugo's on the move!" Denki exclaimed.
Building: First Floor
"I won't hurt you to the point they stop the fight!" Bakugo exclaimed as he charged Izuku. "Just close!"
He wound back his right arm and threw it forward. Midoriya moved in catching it to the shock of the explosive student. Izuku then turned his whole body into it throwing Bakugo into the ground. He was panting but activated Full Cowling to garner a bit of distance.
The green haired student soon came to a stop at the hallway he and Rex came from. "Kacchan." The explosive student sat up. "You always use a big, right hook to start a fight. I know because I've watched you for years. I analyzed every amazing Hero, even you.
I wanted to learn everything I could about them. In fact, it was all in the notebook you burned and threw away. You can call me Deku, but I'm not that same, helpless kid anymore. You hear me? I've changed! FROM NOW ON, DEKU IS THE NAME OF A HERO!"
"You're shaking in your boots." Bakugo stood up and faced him as his palms exploaded. "Despite that, you want to fight me anyways. THAT'S WHY I HATE YOU!"
Upon that declaration. Izuku knew he had to get moving. While he was nowhere near as fast as he could be, his Full Cowling:3% still made him faster than normal allowing him to effectively make a mad dash. He was going to head right for the window they used to enter.
"GET BACK HERE, SHITTY NERD!" Bakugo roared before firing off his explosion.
Outside
Izuku knew Bakugo would be on his tail, so he took a flying leap out the still open window while rolling into it. This resulted in him falling quickly to the ground and rolling along it before the explosive student sailed right over him.
Izuku just managed to get to his feet while Bakugo corrected his momentum and launched a powerful kick right at the guy's head. Midoriya managed to get his guard up blocking the kick and only skidding back a few inches.
"Ballsy move." Bakugo declared. "Did you and that tin can really agree only one of you could take…" He was stunned as his opponent wrapped his leg up. "He's using the capture tape!"
Izuku wasted no time in using the tape to throw Bakugo back through the open window. He then stayed in full view of it as he ran right across the street and into an alleyway. Naturally, the explosion user saw this.
"GET BACK HERE DEKU!" Bakugo roared as he blasted out the window right after him.
"I got my part covered, Rex." Izuku spoke through his ear piece while taking a sharp turn. "Bakugo is out of the building, and I'll get him as far away as possible. Now, it's all up to you."
"You've done great, Midoriya." Rex responded from his end. "Don't worry, I got this."
Building: Top Floor
After telling Deku that, he ascended to the top floor and found the room with the bomb. He silently slipped inside, which was easy given Momo was concentrating on placing the last, metal barricade around the base of the weapon.
That was smart since most would at minimum need to be creative to touch it now. Rex felt a little bad for the girl that she'd been paired with Bakugo. Heck, If the guy had simply worked with her, they'd likely have been much harder to beat than this.
Despite feeling bad about it, he couldn't let that stop him. Especially since Midoriya did his part already. Rex stepped on out silently and built his Boogie Pack which naturally made some nose. Momo turned only to see Rex ascend into the air above.
"He can fly to!" Momo thought shocked.
"Sorry evildoer, but this game of ours is over." Rex declared.
He flew at the device while Momo created her most durable shield and took stock of the angle needed to hit his Boogie Pack. That likely would have grounded him if not for one problem. She was simply too slow in creating it to the point Rex laid a hand on the faux weapon.
Outside
Midoriya leapt to the right managing to barely avoid a kick from Bakugo who had launched himself at the green haired student. The blond landed and turned to face him with a firm expression.
His gauntlets glowed red for a second. "I'm all loaded up."
"What does that mean?" Izuku questioned.
"All you've used that fancy Quirk of yours for is to run and deflect." Bakugo broke into a grin. "Don't tell me you're underestimating me, Deku. Get over here and show me what you're really made of."
"Looks like I don't have much of a choice." He tightened his capture tape. "I must face him, right now." Midoriya firmed himself up. "Kacchan, I'm not scared of you anymore."
That enraged Bakugo before a sense of calm overcame him. "Since you're such a stalker, I'm betting you know how my Quirk, Explosion, works." He pointed his gauntlet at him. "I secrete nitroglycerin sweat from my hands and make it blow up.
Imagine if I had a lot of it." He activated the function of his gauntlets. "That's right, these gauntlets aren't just for show." He got into a stance. "They store my sweat inside for one, monster blast."
He moved his hand to the pin just before All Might's voice rang out across the city. "THE HERO TEAM WINS!" Upon hearing that, Bakugo's arms dropped to his sides in utter disbelief. "Your indoor combat training is over. Both teams should report to the bunker."
Bunker
Both teams stood on either side of All Might, facing the rest of the class, as he spoke. "After careful consideration, I have no choice but to award MVP to both members of the Hero Team."
"That makes sense given they came out on top." Tsu stated.
"Oh no, the result of the round did not inform my decision." All Might tapped his ear. "I was able to hear both teams the entire time, and that plan you saw the young Heroes execute was concocted in the preparation stage between the two of them."
That fact stunned practically everyone.
"I don't think I deserve this." Izuku spoke up. "That plan was Salazar's."
"Nah, I'd say it's fair." Rex leaned on the shorter guy with a grin. "Sure, I came up with it initially, but you added a lot more detail that made it go off smoothly." He winked. "Don't worry, I'm content to share the status with you, amigo."
"Be that as it may, who can tell us why else they share MVP status while I did not give it to our villain team?"
"I believe I understand more of you reasoning sir." Itsuka stated. "Midoriya and Salazar executed their plan to perfection. They removed a volatile element to ensure the weapon would not go off prematurely which would ensure the life of any civilians potentially still in the area.
Bakugo and Yaoyorozu failed to work together. While it seems the former was difficult to work with, in the real world a true Villian paired with someone like that would have better utilized him to their advantage rather than allow him to be a disadvantage.
I'd still give points to Yaoyorozu though for attempting to keep the weapon safe. Of course, while fault does lie with both, I'd put more on Bakugo for being blinded by his personal grudge with Midoriya. It clouded his judgement.
Had the Heroes not removed him from the building, his reckless attacks could have set off the bomb. When your goal is the whole city block, setting it off in this way could see parts of it surviving. He also had no thought of even attempting to work with his partner like she did."
Bakugo didn't fly into a blind rage like he normally would and merely stayed where he was with a shellshocked look plastered on his face.
"That girl has a good eye." All Might attempted to come up with something more he could added. "Yes…well…You missed a couple of things. Young Salazar could have been a bit quicker in getting to the bomb; otherwise, you nailed it!"
The Rest of the Teams
Mashirao and Rikido took up the defensive as the Villains against Eijiro and Itsuka who were the Heroes. Itsuka could match Mashirao in martial arts, and her Quirk, Big Fist, could easily make up for the fact he had a tail. Eijiro's hardened body could defend against Rikido's strength.
In the end, the Hero team also took this round. Next, Koji and Hanta were tasked as the Heroes up against Fumikage and Yuga who were the Villains. With a distinct lack of animals, except bugs who he was too terrified to use, the Hero team were at a disadvantage.
Hanta did manage to ensnare Yuga with his tape before Koji got him in the capture tape, but Fumikage was quick to turn the situation around catching both Heroes in turn. Mezo and Denki were the next Heroes up against the Villains, Tenya and Ochaco.
Tenya not only played a convincing Villian, but he sped on down just as Mezo was beginning to scout the building with his Quirk. Through speed blitzing, he quickly incapacitated Mezo before absconding with him. This put Denki at two to one odds which he couldn't make up for.
The last round saw Tsu and Mina as the Villains against Shoto and Kyoka as the Heroes. All Kyoka had to do was plug in her jacks to inform Shoto of where their opponents were. He then had her move outside before freezing the building. In mere seconds, he claimed the weapon.
Tunnel Out: End of Class…
"That's a wrap!" All the students stood before All Might. "Super work. You really stepped up to the plate, and there were no major injuries to boot. You should be proud as this was an excellent first day of training."
"It's nice to hear some encouraging words after our first day of class." Tsu stated. "Mr. Aizawa was a real buzz kill."
"I'm happy to bring such staggering positivity to my alma matter." He then waved. "That's all, so watch as I show you how real pros exit." He turned. "It's all about looking like you got SOMEWHERE TO BE!"
He sped off down the tunnel to the amazement of the students.
As discussed with the prior chapter, Toru was 'expelled' and moved into Class 1-B, picked from the options available to her, while someone from Class 1-B would be moved into 1-A. I actually rolled a D20 and utilized the Class 1-B seating chart on the My Hero Wiki to determine who I'd pull into Class 1-A. Ultimately, Itsuka Kendo was who the die picked.
Now, onto Hero Basic Training where we see Rex and Izuku taking on Momo and Katsuki. Weather you believe me or not, I utilized the listed results from the Quirk Apprehension test, substituted in Itsuka as number 20, and rolled a D20 to establish every pairing. In the end, due to having Full Cowling 3%, and Rex laying a hand on the weapon, Izuku comes out of this with no damage to his body.
Maximum Rhapsody: Potentially on Noah. If I do, I think the best place would be in the World Heroes Mission movie. As for certain villains you listed here, full on arcs are unlikely, but there are places I could certainly use them. As for Consortium, potentially.