"I'm going to win of course. I suggest you all do your best to prove that you deserve to be in the Hero Course. See you tomorrow."
Plenty of times Izuku felt stupid, but never before now did he feel absolutely and completely moronic to the point of frustration.
"I need you to tell the world, 'I am here!'"
All Might had entrusted such a goal to him with such clear confidence. Confidence that Izuku felt undeserving of. But from his perspective, who could blame him? The very role he's meant to fulfill, the attitude that All Might is asking from him is being emulated by none other than Weiss Schnee.
Personally, Izuku has nothing against her. Of course, the cold glares and dismissals stung a bit but it's not anything he hasn't dealt with before. Contrary to what most people would say, Izuku is NOT that fragile. He doesn't know why she seems to hate him, but at the time it wasn't drama he wanted to deal with. So like with Kacchan, he kept his distance. Stayed close to Iida and Uraraka who actually seemed to want to be his friends. But even from afar, Izuku's eyes still worked.
It wasn't him that left a decent enough impression that the class would make him a representative, it was Schnee.
It wasn't him that was bold enough to stick up for their class in the face of the entire school, it was Schnee.
It wasn't him who was fighting side by side with All Might against those villains,it was Schnee.
Again, he carries no resentment towards Schnee for her own accomplishments; he would never be that petty. But still, looking at her, he feels a stinging sense of disappointment within himself. He's been taking things too easy, moving too slow, letting others fill the shoes that were given to him by the 'Symbol of Peace' himself.
He has to change things. He has to follow through on All Might's request no matter what, even if it means going through Schnee herself.
But Izuku has to be realistic; he stands no chance against her in a fair fight as he is now. His control over One For All is still garbage and he doesn't have enough time to suddenly go from barely scraping by to surpassing her level. But he's still been paying attention. Her control is excellent, the elemental versatility rivaling even Pro's, only falling short in comparison to the likes of maybe Snatch or Endeavor. And her speed, as much as he means no offense to Iida or Kacchan, but she's easily the fastest in their entire class.
But he doesn't have to win, just announce himself to the world. His Deleware Smash should have enough force to keep her away for as long as he has fingers. He also hasn't forgotten not breaking his arm against that giant brain monster when he tried to save Asui. If he can find a way to replicate that and apply that concept to his legs, maybe he can stay in the game long enough to not get embarrassed in front of the entire nation.
He has a goal now with multiple steps: Make an impact in the festival, even if he doesn't win; improve his control over All Might's Quirk, he can't stay stagnant; and reach Weiss' level and prove to everyone that he's worth something. Those steps are how he can say"'I am here!'"to the entire world.
But still, even if they're going to eventually go against each other, he hopes that those flashes of grief he catches will eventually go away. He hopes he'll be able to help one day even if she hates him, maybe not today or tomorrow, but sooner is better than later.
"I'm going to win of course. I suggest you all do your best to prove that you deserve to be in the Hero Course. See you tomorrow."
That goddamn bitch keeps getting on his nerves. Her above-average music be damned, she doesn't get the right to say what he planned on saying first and have the gall to turn her fucking nose up at him like he isn't worth a damn!
It makes him angry, not quite as angry as Deku being in this school meant for the best makes him, but it's still pretty close.
But Katsuki's learned his lesson. Contrary to what others would stupidly assume, he's not a blind moron who can't grow past his mistakes. He won't let this bitch or anyone else play him like Deku did. He's a fighter and he's been training his ass off to prove it, so he'll do what he's been doing and hold onto that anger that's been growing with every comeback she spits out. He'll keep holding onto it until they can meet in the ring, and he'll live up to his Quirk's namesake andEXPLODE!No point in wasting breath and anger on unnecessary arguments. Unlike the rest of these extras, she has a spine and spirit to match. If she wasn't so fucking stuck-up he'd actually respect that. But no, an argument with her wouldn't just stay an argument, Quirks would get used and those damn simps would take her side and there goes his future.
Unlike what people would say about him, Katsuki can wait. Especially if what comes after will be worth it, and that's wiping that smug look off Ice Bitch's face.
For others, anger makes them sloppy. But for Katsuki, he's figured out how to use that anger properly. It'll make him focused on nothing else but knocking Schnee from her high horse.
But it's not going to be easy. Anyone who thinks beating Schnee will be that or simple should just drop dead in her presence. As loathe as he is to admit it, her skill, control, and speed all surpass him. Her strength is possibly near his level as well if what she did to Shitty Hair with that sword is any indication, along with manhandling that plain-faced tail extra. Eventually, he'll close that gap in those categories and widen them in his favor, but it's not going to be in the festival; not enough time. So he'll play to the strengths he knows he has, and that's puredestruction. She can hit hard with that sword all she wants and maybe she has an ice puppet that can do some decent damage, but she can't outdo what his Quirk does best. He's already been working on a new move that can probably surpass his gauntlets. Something he'll need against her, but maybe upping his regular explosions can be on the table.
Stay in the air, keep her on her toes, score enough hits to keep her dazed long enough, and BAM! He'll blow her ass away into the dirt and show the whole school and the whole world what he came here to do.
Katsuki Bakugo is here at U.A. to be the best. To surpass All Might with his power and shove that accomplishment down everyone's throats! He's not a jester playing second fiddle to some idol, he's a hero in the making ready to go beyond Plus Ultra so hard that no one else's efforts can possibly compare!
But, he swears to god if that bitch can actually fly, he'll set that whole damn stadium on fire!
"I'm going to win of course. I suggest you all do your best to prove that you deserve to be in the Hero Course. See you tomorrow."
Shoto feels impressed. He's always liked her music; it helped him get through some dark times under his father's thumb. In any other circumstance, this would make him want her respect even more. But right now, this is a reminder.
He's gotten too caught up in his appreciation of her talent that he's been half-assing his main reason for being here. To be number one with his mother's power, and prove that old bastard wrong in every regard. Nothing is more important than that, ESPECIALLY not Schnee.
Plus it looks like his desire to be in her good graces is nothing but a pipe dream. He may not be an expert in social skills, but even he can tell Weiss doesn't think too highly of him as he does about her. So what's the point in chasing something he'll probably never get any time soon, especially when it's hindering himself? Sentimentality needs to be put to the side, Weiss Schnee isn't his favorite musician, she's an obstacle and that's how she'll stay from this point onwards.
But, in comparison to everyone else, she's easily an obstacle that for once he feels uncertain about overcoming. Izuku's 'All Might-esque' Quirk was on his radar, but he never had any doubts over who would win in that fight. But Schnee, she's just too superior for him to not acknowledge the fact that defeat is more likely than victory. She's faster than him, more versatile, and her control seems to even surpass his. The only edge he has is in the sheer amount of ice he can make and the speed he can make it.
So he'll double down. If she can knock him out of the ring faster than he can blink, he'll turn the tables so that by the time the festival comes, she'll be in his ice's grasp faster than she can think. Her skating style, he's been taking notes of. He already has the basic concept of using ice to propel him across the ground, but over a smooth surface to glide on swiftly in any direction? Evening the odds will be the very least that it'll offer.
She may be like hail: Unexpected, quick, and hard-hitting. But he is theblizzard: Overwhelming and all-encompassing.
There's no other option but a victory for Shoto at this point. The alternative is to see the smug face of Endeavor sneering down at him, ready to use his defeat as another example of why he needs HIS fire.
That is unacceptable and such a scenario will never be a reality.
Like it or not, defeating Schnee and proving his ice superior is the next step along with earning that gold medal. Maybe then, his stubborn prick of a sperm donor will finally understand that he doesn't rule him. That his fire will never surpass All Might. It'll be his mother's ice that'll carry him to that goal.
And who knows? Maybe after standing on the top and showing his strength and determination, Schnee could possibly respect him in that regard. But if not, then oh well. He still has his own priorities.
With Weiss taking center stage in this story, I wanted to give my best shot at where I personally think the original trio's headspaces are currently at and how Weiss had an influence on that.
Written by Triton0501 on Spacebattles. Known as Calder05 on AO3.
Thank you for the great omake!