Sento Kiryu: Last time on "Building Up A Hero!", Sawa revealed to us the connection between Namba Industries and Faust!
Izuku Midoriya: I can't believe that one of the biggest tech and hero support companies is really financing something like Faust!
Pony Tsunotori: Mr. Namba seemed like such a friendly grandpa, too!
Itsuka Kendo: He definitely used that image to hide his true intentions and purposes to his advantage.
Setsuna Tokage: On the better side of things, all of us teens in Team Build got accepted into UA! So that's one step closer to being official heroes!
Ryuga Banjo: And I got us the Pandora Panels and Fullbottles back!
SK: It was a team effort, Banjo!
RB: Oh, so when you do something important, it's you who did it, but when I do something, it's a team effort, huh!?
Misora Isurugi: But that aide Nariaki Utsumi was used as a fall guy for Night Rogue so that the real one could avoid suspicion.
Eijiro Kirishima: Not like it mattered, considering that Meta Bolt went and said that he was in charge now.
All Might: There have been many ups and downs, but we're grabbing more and more victories! Soon enough, Faust won't stand a chance and will pay for their crimes!
SK: That they will! So what will everyone's first days at UA be like!? Tune into this chapter of "Building Up A Hero!" to find out!
After the Press Conference
Gentoku grumbled and growled as he walked into his office. That damn Meta Bolt ruined everything! Should've known that him using the Spanner Fullbottle would've meant more than just-
"Hey, Acting Prime Minister Himuro," Meta Bolt said, casually sitting in one of the chairs in the office. Gentoku's eyes widened before narrowing and he marched on over, grabbing Meta Bolt by the collar.
"What the hell were you thinking!? The point of that was to make it seem like Faust was defeated so we can return to working in secret! Not for you to stage a coup!" Gentoku said, trying to keep his voice low so that no one would be attracted by the sound.
"Easy there. I didn't stage any coups," Meta Bolt laughed, as he pulled Gentoku's hand off. "I just happen to see my dear ally Night Rogue get shot down, and decided that I need to take the reins of Faust since our leader was gone now. Is that so wrong?"
"It is when that was the point!"
"Well, just think of this as a special vacation for you," Meta Bolt shrugged. "You get to spend more time as the acting Prime Minister, while Stalk and I get to run Faust for you without you needing to look over everyone's shoulders! A win-win, if I do say so myself."
"How is this a win-win!?" Gentoku growled. "I-"
"Won't be going in and out of the office suspiciously," Meta Bolt pointed out, as he poked Gentoku on the shoulder. "Do you really think that as the acting Prime Minister, that you'd be allowed to just come and go whenever you feel like it? They're going to notice that you're skipping out on your duties that dear daddy gave you, and wonder what's going on. You might've gotten away with it as the head chairman of the Institute and as his assistant, but I doubt that it'll be easy for you now."
Gentoku gritted his teeth before stroking his beard to calm himself down. As damned as Meta Bolt is, he had a point about having less freedom to move around as Night Rogue now that he was the acting Prime Minister. There was no way no one would notice his absences.
"... Fine, you might be on to something about that," he grumbled. "So will you hand me my Transteam Gun?"
"Hm... not yet," Meta Bolt replied. Gentoku's eye twitched. "Hey, don't give me that look. The underlings are gonna be all suspicious about why I don't your Transteam Gun anymore. So I'll hold onto it for now and say that I'm going to be looking for a suitable 'replacement' until you're all done with your little job here, alright?"
"... Alright, fine," Gentoku said, forcing himself to calm down once again by stroking his beard.
"Attaboy," Meta Bolt said, patting Gentoku on the shoulder. "See you on the flipside."
Spring, The Midoriya Apartment
"Are you sure you have everything? Textbooks, notebooks, pens, pencils, lunch money-" Izuku's mom fretted, as Izuku slung his backpack over his shoulders.
"I-It's alright, mom! I do," Izuku said, tying his shoelaces tight. Unbeknownst to her, he had his Beetle Fullbottle in his pocket. He had to beg Sento, All Might, and Principal Nezu to let him have it at least, in case of an emergency. While they gave in to his pleas, they made it clear that he couldn't bring his Build Driver or the Battler Beetle with him, since that would be much harder to hide. Not to mention that his phone had that special app that would allow the Battler Beetle to fly to him wherever he was, taking his Build Driver along in the first place.
His mother sighed as she looked at him up and down. She sighed, and said, "Izuku honey... you look so cool."
Izuku stared at her for a bit, before giving her a giant grin. "Thanks mom! I'm off."
At UA
"There you are!" Mina said, waving to Izuku as she, Eijiro, Pony, Itsuka, Setsuna, and Ochako waited for him at the front gate. "Can you believe it!? We're really here!"
"I know, this is gonna be great!" Eijiro said, flexing his arms. He poked at his newly styled spiky hair, which was dyed red. "Even got my hair in that style from a while ago in red now. New school, new start!"
"Do you think we'll have homeroom together? That'll be great!" Pony said, bouncing up and down.
"Hopefully. But since there're three Hero Classes, I bet that we'll be divided among them all," Itsuka said, shrugging as they walked to the giant board to see their homeroom assignments. "Let's see... I'm in 1B."
"1A," Izuku said, spotting his name.
"Same," Mina said.
"Me too," Eijiro followed.
"That makes me the fourth one, then," Ochako said.
"1B..." Pony said, somewhat disappointed that she wasn't going to be in the same class as most of her friends.
"Hey, don't be so blue!" Setsuna said, nudging Pony with her elbow. "I got 1B, too, so we're pretty much split down the middle!"
"And we can make a lot of new friends, too," Itsuka assured her. "Now let's go to class and meet them all, alright?"
"Yea!" Mina said, as the group headed off to their classrooms. The two groups faced the doors to their respective classes, and took deep breaths.
"So. This is it," Eijiro said. "Wonder what our classmates will be like."
"Well, hopefully none of us get Bakugo as a classmate," Mina said. "Or that glasses guy."
Ochako opened the door, and to their mutual displeasure, saw Katsuki seating at a desk, his feet propped up onto his desk. The glasses guy was standing next to him, scolding him.
"How dare you disrespect UA property like this!" he said, as Katsuki sneered at him. "Take your feet off your desk this instance!"
"Oh yea? Make me!" Katsuki said, challenging the glasses guy. "Where'd a guy like you come from to shout orders like that to people you don't know?"
"I-I suppose it is rude of me not to have introduced myself!" the glasses guy said, adjusting them. "My name is Tenya Iida. I'm from Somei Private Academy."
"Somei, huh? Makes sense for a guy with a stick up his ass like you! Can't wait to blow you outta here like the extra you are!"
"What!? T-That is inappropriate behavior for a prospective hero student! It's borderline villainous!"
"Of course we'd get those two," Mina said, sighing a bit.
"So that's your childhood friend?" Ochako asked, leaning towards Izuku a bit. "Seems a bit more... aggressive than how you described."
"Actually this is him on a good day," Izuku said. He scanned the room to see the rest of his classmates, and saw a familiar face.
"Oh, hello Midoriya," Mezo said, getting up to talk to them when he noticed Izuku coming in with the others. "I suspected that you'd be put into 1A."
"So that's that Midoriya guy?" Denki Kaminari, a blond teen with a black lightning bolt-like mark in his hair said, looking at the green haired teen. Everyone in the room turned to stare at him, making him stiffen from stage fright, especially when he noticed Katsuki's extremely pissed-off expression. "He's... smaller than I'd expect for someone who placed first on the practical."
"Izuku Midoriya..." Tenya said, as he marched on over to the group of friends. Mina and Eijiro glared at him for a second as he got closer. "I'm Tenya Iida from Somei-"
"Y-Yea, we heard you say that earlier," Izuku said, unsure of why the bespectacled teen walked towards him.
"My deepest apologies for doubting you at the entrance exams!" Tenya said, giving him and his friends a polite apologetic bow. "You truly are hero material! To perceive the true test of moral strength to save others, whereas I and many others had not! Will you ever forgive my incorrect judgement?"
"Should we tell him that we didn't know?" Eijiro whispered, as the other three shrugged.
"T-Thanks?" Izuku said. "N-no need to apologize, really. I'd rather we be friends, after all!"
As they began to chat, Katsuki continued to glare at him, remembering back to when they got the news.
"It's incredible that two students from our little old middle school got into UA!" their homeroom teacher said, congratulating the two boys. Katsuki's fists tightened, his gaze shifted away. "Especially you, Midoriya! You got us off guard with that miracle! Whatever those kidnappers did to you turned out great for you in the end, huh?"
"Y-Yea, g-great," Izuku said, shifting his left foot around a bit in embarrassment. After they finished talking with their homeroom teacher, Katsuki pulled Izuku by his collar to the side of their school and slammed him against the wall.
"Alright, you cheat! What the hell did you do to get Number 1 on the Practical!?" Katsuki said, grinding his teeth so hard that the pressure threatened to chip his molars. "I can buy that those shitty kidnappers gave you some sort of physical boost, but for you to be that good in just months!? Bullshit! I was supposed to be the first and only one from this dinky ass middle school to be in UA! And you ruined that for me! I told to go somewhere else, Deku!"
Izuku, while trembling, looked at Katsuki head on. "I know... I know that it's unbelievable. It still feels like a dream to me... but things are different, Kacchan! I'm different! I can't tell you what I've been going through these past few months, but in that time, I got stronger! Stronger than you think!"
He grabbed Katsuki's wrist and began to pull it off of his uniform's collar. Katsuki was caught off guard by how strong Izuku's grip was now. "There are people who believe that I can be a hero! I earned my place at UA, and I'm going to become the best hero there!"
"That punk stood up to me! Just what happened to him!? This shit's fishy..." Katsuki thought, as Izuku and the others talked happily.
"So you ready for the opening ceremony?" Ochako asked her friends. "I can't wait to meet our new teachers-"
"If you're going to waste time talking, then you're in the wrong place."
Everyone froze at the voice, and Ochako turned to see a man in an orange sleeping bag on the ground. He pulled out a sports jelly drink pouch out, and sucked it all out in one go. "This is the Hero Course, time is precious."
The students stared as the man stood up and pulled himself out of the sleeping bag, revealing himself to be a tall, slender man with long black hair and stubble. He was wearing all black clothes, with a strange bandage-like scarf around his neck and goggles over them. "Eight seconds to quiet down. Not a good start."
"Just who is this guy!?" was the most common thought in everyone's head at the moment.
"I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Pleased to meet you. Now get dressed in your gym uniforms," the man said bluntly. "Meet me out at the PE Grounds as soon as you all are finished."
As soon as he appeared, their homeroom teacher walked out of the room, disappearing down the hallway.
"... Huh?"
"So this is 1B, huh?" Setsuna said, looking at all of her new classmates. "We've got a lot of colorful characters here, huh?"
"Yea, it's gonna be- Yui!" Itsuka said, spotting a familiar face. A girl with a black bobcut and a very neutral expression turned and saw her.
"Mm!" she mumbled, giving Itsuka a polite wave.
"A friend of yours?" Setsuna asked.
"Yep! We went to the same middle school together! Her name's Yui Kodai," Itsuka said, walking to her and giving her a hug. "She's not much of a talker, if you can't tell."
"Mm," Yui said, giving a polite shrug.
"Setsuna Tokage," Setsuna said, sticking her hand out to shake.
"Pony Tsunotori!" Pony said, smiling. "I'm... still learning Japanese, but I'm getting better every day!"
"Oh? Looks like 1B has gotten one of the best of our schools!"
"Wait, is that-" Itsuka said, looking around and spotting a blond boy with blue eyes. "Oh wow, Monoma too?"
"Indeed!" the blond boy said, giving the class a boy. "With us three in this class, we're sure to become a class destined for greatness."
"Wow, loud and proud, that's fun," Setsuna laughed. "So you guys ready for orientation-"
"Alright, quiet down!" a tall muscular man with bottom canines that stuck out like an ogre's said. He was dressed in red spandex with white gauntlets, boots, and belt, with a yellow visor over his eyes. The class immediately paid attention. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Vlad King. Now that that's out of the way, get dressed into your gym uniforms and meet me out at the PE Grounds."
"Huh?" the class collectively said, as their homeroom teacher left as fast as he arrived.
At the PE Grounds
"What's going on?" Ochako asked, as everyone walked onto the PE Grounds. "What about orientation? Or the entrance ceremony?"
"Here at UA, the teachers for the Hero Course have more freedom to decide what they want to do than other hero schools," Aizawa said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Entrance ceremonies are nothing more than frivolities that waste time."
"I couldn't agree anymore, Aizawa."
Aizawa sighed, as the class turned around and saw another class of students being led by a tall muscular man in red spandex to the field. "About time you joined us, Vlad King."
"Of course! You think I'd let you get a head start on testing your kids?" Vlad King said, crossing his arms. "Goldminer and Class 1C should be joining us soon."
"Hey guys!" Pony said, waving to her friends in 1A. "Wow, I can't believe we're having big classes together already!"
"Yea, it's weird..." Eijiro said. "Just what's going on?"
"A Quirk Apprehension Test," Aizawa stated. "Softball throwing. Standing long jump. 50 meter dash. Endurance running. Grip strength. Side to side jumping. Upper body training. Seated toe touch. The standard 'no Quirks allowed' type of physical testing. The Department of Education insists on adhering to an outdated system like that for the sake of 'fairness'. It's irrational."
"Indeed," another teacher said, arriving with the last Hero Course class. He was dressed in gold spandex with gold armor, with the only other color being the black of his visor. "Physical testing like that doesn't encourage many students to pursue heroism. Which is why we need to see how you kids do when using your Quirks."
"Midoriya," Aizawa said, catching Izuku's attention. "How far was your hardest pitch in middle school?"
"Th-thirty meters," Izuku answered.
"So that's Midoriya, huh?" Yosetsu Awase, a Class 1B student with spiky hair and headband said, crossing his arms.
"He's not really what I expected at all..." Fuuko Izumo, a female 1C student wearing a red beanie said, watching him walk to the pitching circle.
"I like him! People like that always pull surprises!" Inasa Yoarashi, another 1C student with a shaved head, laughed.
"Alright, Izuku, you got this," he thought to himself, getting ready to pitch. As always, he let One for All flow through his body evenly, green electricity sparking around him. Katsuki stared at him, shocked by the static being emitted from Izuku's body. With a deep breath, Izuku swung his arm forward and yelled "SMAAAAAAAAAASH!"
The ball soared through the air, disappearing from sight. Aizawa had his phone pulled out, using it to measure the distance that it had gone. The ball had gone over 400 meters in distance. Katsuki stood there, completely paralyzed from shock and anger at what he just witnessed.
"Whoa! That kid just sent that ball flying!" Gumi Marukawa, a 1C girl with slightly pink skin and hair (not unlike Mina's) said, stretching her neck to see the ball turn into a speck.
"It's like what Yoarashi said, you can't tell a book by its cover!" Taiju Oki, a boy with spikey black hair, said, laughing like Inasa. "That Midoriya's cool!"
"DEEEEEEEEEEEKU!" Katsuki screamed, startling the others around him. He charged towards Izuku, who panicked at the furious boy and flinched out of instinct. His friends got ready to stop the teen. "HOW THE HELL DID A QUIRKLESS BASTARD LIKE YOU GET THAT STRONG!?"
Aizawa's hair stood up on its ends and his eyes glowed red, and he slung his scarf at Katsuki, binding him from going further.
"That's enough!" he said, as Katsuki tried to fire off his Quirk, but to his surprise, a weakass Explosion only sparked out from his hand.
"What the hell is this!? Why's my Quirk so weak now!?"
"I 'erased' it," Aizawa stated, though he seemed a little surprised. Izuku took a good look at Aizawa, and realized who he was.
"You're Eraserhead! You're an underground hero who's Quirk lets him nullify others!"
"That's right. And if you all don't mind, don't go assaulting each other," Aizawa stated, releasing Katsuki from his scarf. "You might be Hero Course students, but fighting amongst each other is not allowed. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir..." Katsuki grumbled, stomping back to the back of the crowd. Aizawa grumbled as his fellow teachers looked at him.
"What's wrong, Eraserhead?" Goldminer asked, looking at him. "That's the first time I've seen your Quirk not work completely on someone."
"Must've been something that gas did to him," Aizawa said, putting some eyedrops into his eyes. "I've been hearing from some victims that their physiology was slightly altered after being exposed to whatever experiments those Faust villains did."
"So we have to worry about Quirk mutations?" Vlad King muttered.
"Probably. Just something to keep an eye on," Aizawa replied.
"Geez, what a temper," Kyoka Jiro, a 1A girl with long earphone jack-like earlobes, muttered, crossing her arms.
"I guess that's why that Bakugo guy got second place entirely based on the villain points," Denki said, shrugging.
"So we get to let loose and use our Quirks?" Kosei Tsururaba, a 1B student with strange elliptical eyes said, trying to elevate the tense atmosphere.
"Yea, this is gonna be great!" Asuka Takizawa, a 1C student with long pink hair added, cracking her knuckles.
"UA's gonna be awesome!" Hanta Sero, a 1A boy with tape dispenser-like elbows, said.
"... 'Great', huh? 'Awesome', is it?" Aizawa grumbled. "You think heroism is all fun and games? You're all going to be here for three years, and that mindset is irrational. Well, how 'great' do you think it'll be if I tell you all that the student that ends in last place across the board will be expelled?"
"What!?" the collective Hero Course class yelled, shocked at the proclamation.
"... Is what I would say, but thanks to outside interference, I'm no longer allowed to do so," Aizawa muttered.
"Wait, what do you mean by that!?" Setsuna asked, bewildered.
"It means that thanks to me and my connections, you all won't get needlessly expelled without sufficient reasoning."
The Hero Course students turned around, and saw Acting Prime Minister Gentoku Himuro walking towards them. The Team Build teens stiffened slightly at the sight of the Faust leader's true identity, though he paid no mind to them.
"Why's the Acting Prime Minister here?" Toru Hagakure, an invisible girl in 1A, wondered aloud.
"My father made it a point to come and congratulate the First Years of the UA Hero Course for getting in. And since he's currently recovering in the hospital, the duty fell onto me to fulfill," Gentoku said, looking at the crop of students. He turned to Aizawa, and smiled.
"Hello, Aizawa! It's been a while since we've seen each other! How've you been?" Gentoku said, reaching his hand out for a handshake from the 1A homeroom teacher.
"Tch, hello Himuro," Aizawa sighed, reluctantly shaking his hand. "Still the same as ever. Interfering with things that don't involve you."
"Oh, there's that classic Aizawa charm," Gentoku laughed, shaking his head. "How can you say that about a fellow UA alumni and friend?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm still deeply annoyed about the strings you've pulled to mess with UA's education? And you're stretching the definition of 'friend', I think."
"Don't be such a grump. So what if I convinced the Minister of Education to do a few favors for me? It's not so bad. After all, we're living in turbulent times with the Skywall's presence. We can't afford to let too many prospective heroes to slip through the cracks!"
"It muddles the pool of heroes with people with half-baked dreams," Aizawa growled. "As always, though, I'll settle on the next best thing. Whoever gets last place across the board won't be expelled. Instead, they'll be given three days of remedial classes. And the knowledge that in any other circumstance, you would be expelled."
"So are you going to stick around to watch their Quirk Apprehension Tests, Mr. Himuro?" Goldminer asked. "I personally don't mind it."
"Me neither," Vlad King said. "One more person watching isn't a problem with me."
"Yes, I mind," Aizawa said. "You can go ahead and leave. I'm sure you have some important acting Prime Minister duties back at your office to do."
"No no, I think it's a good time as any to see what these young ones can do," Gentoku said, as he looked amongst the group of students, his gaze onto Izuku and his friends. "Especially you, Mr. Midoriya. First placer on the practical, well done. You're going to go far, I think."
"... Thanks," Izuku said, rubbing his arm nervously. "I appreciate it, Mr. Acting Prime Minister, sir."
"Oh please, just call me Mr. Himuro!" Gentoku said, stroking his beard in thought.
"So are you really a UA alumni, Mr. Himuro?" Kinoko Komori, a 1B girl with mushroom-like brown hair with bangs that covered her eyes, asked.
"Yes I am. I was in General Studies, though. My Quirk's no good for hero work," Gentoku replied. "I've distracted you all long enough, however. You all should get to your Quirk Apprehension Test!"
"Alright you all, we'll be starting with the 50 meter dash first! Two students from each class will be doing this at the same time," Vlad King said, the students muttering and agreeing as two students from each class went to the track. Izuku and the rest of the Team Build teens gathered together, and began to talk.
"I can't believe he's here!" Mina said, shifting her eyes towards Gentoku for a split second. "Why would Principal Nezu and All Might let him come!?"
"We have to remember that he hasn't been actually exposed as Night Rogue yet," Itsuka replied. "So even though Principal Nezu and All Might know about him, they probably couldn't do much about him without it being weird or suspicious."
"This is so frustrating!" Eijiro grumbled, grinding his teeth. "I bet he's here to just scout out more of us to experiment on!"
"We gotta stay calm," Setsuna said, though she too looked uneasy. "We can't do anything here, but he can't, either. Otherwise he's gonna jeopardize his precious position as acting prime minister."
"Yea! Let's just focus on making sure none of us gets stuck with those three days of remedial classes!" Ochako said, as the Team Build teens nodded.
Teacher's Lounge
"This is terrible..." All Might muttered, as he sat on the couch, grinding his teeth. "I can't believe that the Prime Minister's son is taking advantage of his current position to spy on the First Years!"
"I know," Principal Nezu replied, pouring two cups of tea. "But there isn't much we could do to say otherwise. Remember, to the public, Night Rogue has been taken cared of. And if we try to expose him, he could just expose your secret in retaliation."
"Yes... Dammit all, if only we could've taken them down early on!"
"There, there, All Might. What's happened has happened. What we can do right now is support Mr. Kiryu and Team Build in anyway we can," Principal Nezu said, when his smartphone began to ring. "Oh, that must be him. I have to take this."
First Event: 50 Meter Dash
"Ready, start!" the speedometer robot announced, as the first set of teens went. Tenya has sped by everyone in seconds, the Engines in his legs smoking.
"At that distance, I could only reach 3rd Gear..." he muttered to himself, as his fellow classmates reached the finish line.
"That event was just made for you," Tsuyu Asui, a frog-like girl in 1A, complimented.
"Your legs are way too fast!" Seiya Tenma, a stocky 1C boy with messy brown hair, said, exhausted.
"Man, I had a feeling that he was fast when I saw him at our practical," Itsuka said, as the next set of students got ready. "Didn't think that he'd be that fast, though."
"Amateurs!" Katsuki shouted, as he positioned his hands back. "I'll blow you all away!"
"Ready, start!" the robot announced. Katsuki flew at ridiculous speeds, but unfortunately for him, he wasn't the first to cross the finish line.
"Hell yea!" Inasa shouted, as the wind around him died down. "That's what I'm talking about!"
"Wow, that's a great wind Quirk!" Izuku complimented, as he and the rest of the students running crossed the line. Kosei had tripped for whatever reason, allowing Fuuko to overtake him. Katsuki grinded his teeth and silently seethed at his second place.
"Thanks! Not bad yourself!" he said, grinning. For a split second, however, his smile turned into a frown when he saw a boy with red and white hair and a big burn scar over his left eye getting ready for his turn. He shook his head, and went back to his smiling self. "Not bad at all!"
Second Event: Grip Strength
"Wow, you just wrecked your grip testers!" Hanta said, seeing the broken handles in Mezo's hand, and the shattered one in Itsuka's giant hand.
"Well, when your hands can grow as big as mine, these things are pretty easy to break," Itsuka said, shrugging.
"Didn't mean to break this," Mezo said, looking at the handle in his hand. "I've become much stronger than I thought..."
"140 kg! That's way better than before!" Izuku said, grinning at his more-than-tripled grip strength.
Third Event: Long Jump
"Woooo!" Pony yelled, as she flew over the sand pit on her horns, with Setsuna following her, having divided her body into several pieces. Asuka was following them using her Multi-Jump Quirk to keep getting higher before using it to push herself forward quickly. Inasa, much like in the 50 meter dash, had flown over the sand pit. Yuga Aoyama, the flamboyant teen from the same testing center as Izuku and the others, had used his Navel Laser Quirk to send himself flying over the sand pit, though he landed on his butt in the sand. Izuku managed to jump pretty far, though like Yuga, he just fell a bit sort of the other end. "That's the best long jump I've ever done!"
"Same here!" Setsuna grinned, as they landed on the other end.
Fourth Event: Side Jumping
Eijiro watched as Minoru Mineta, a 1A short boy with grape like hair, bounced between two walls of balls. "Wow, you're pretty fast, huh?"
"Yes! No one can beat me at this!" Minoru said, puffing his chest out in pride as he finished.
"Yea, but plenty of other people beat you at everything else so far," Chiaki Chikara, a 1C boy with crystal-like hair, said.
"W-We still have more events to get to!" Minoru said, dreading the idea of getting remedial classes so early on.
Fifth Event: Softball Throwing
"Go go go go go!" Ochako said, as everyone watched the softball she pitched disappear from sight. Aizawa looked at the phone measuring the distance, and showed everyone.
"Infinity!?" almost everyone shouted, looking at the infinity symbol that popped up.
"I didn't know that it could do that," Vlad King said, impressed.
"I guess there's no point to measure something that's lost it's gravity," Goldminer stated. "That's never coming back down."
"Alright, that's all of the events," Aizawa said, as the classes gathered in front of him. They stood there, anxiously waiting for the results to be revealed. He pressed a button, and revealed everyone's placements. Izuku sighed a breath of relief. He wasn't the best or even in the top ten, but he did well enough to be in the top 20.
"Oooooh, sorry there, Mineta," Denki said, as everyone looked at Minoru's dead last place.
"No... no no no no no!" Minoru cried, falling to his knees in defeat.
"Mineta, stay with me at the end of the school day so we can discuss what we'll do for your remedial classes," Aizawa stated, as the other students gave Minoru empty platitudes and apologies for his loss.
At the End of the Day
"Man, that was not at all what I expected to happen today," Eijiro said, as he and the rest of Team Build walked towards the front gate.
"Yea, UA sure is something else, isn't it?" Itsuka said, her hands behind her head.
"I'm glad that our hero classes are going to be taught together!" Pony said. "That's gonna be so exciting!"
"Yep! Only hiccup so far was with Mr. Himuro's appearance," Setsuna said.
"I'm glad that he didn't do anything while he was watching us," Mina sighed, still nervous about his presence.
"We should stay positive!" Ochako said, trying to cheer everyone up. "We made it through the first day!"
"Uraraka's right," Izuku said, his hand on his chin in thought. "Tomorrow is when our real classes start! And All Might should be teaching us in the afternoon!"
The group cheered, when they saw Tenya waiting at the front.
"Iida? What are you doing at the front?" Izuku asked, looking at him.
"I wanted to chat with you! After all, it is common courtesy to learn more about your new friends, is it not?" Tenya said.
"Of course!" Setsuna said, smiling. "I'm Setsuna Tokage! We didn't really talk too much to each other since we're from different classes."
"Tenya Iida!"
As the group chatted away as they walked towards the station, Gentoku stood at the main building's entrance, stroking his beard in thought.
"These First Years really do have a lot of potential it seems..." Gentoku said to himself.
"Just why are you still doing here?"
Gentoku turned around and saw All Might in his skinny form standing behind him, glowering.
"All Might, fancy seeing you here," Gentoku said, feigning surprise. "I almost forgot that Principal Nezu offered you to work here as a teacher to explain why you're not working as much anymore."
"Do you think I'm a big enough fool to not realize what you're doing?" All Might seethed, gritting his teeth. "You're spying on the First Years to see what other Smashes you can make!"
"Smashes? Please, I was so sure that Meta Bolt and Blood Stalk told you about our true goal of finding Kamen Rider candidates," Gentoku said, shaking his head. "I truly was just fulfilling my father's duty to meet the UA First Year Hero Course students. Besides, if I wanted to know more about them, I'd simply use my connections to UA to get that information."
"You-!"
"I wasn't lying about protecting this country either, All Might," Gentoku said, his gaze stone cold. "Everything I'm doing, I'm doing because I love Touto and its people. You can't protect us forever, so we have to take whatever measure we can when that day comes."
"Don't you dare pretend that what you're doing is-"
"My my, Mr. Himuro, I see that you and All Might are having a wonderful chat," Principal Nezu said, interrupting All Might. "I trust that you had a good time visiting your alma mater?"
"... I did, thank you, Principal Nezu," Gentoku said, nodding. "It's always wonderful to see how UA and its students and faculty are doing. Give Aizawa, Yamada, and Kayama my regards."
"I will, good luck as acting Prime Minister, and give your father our regards as well," Principal Nezu said, waving the bearded man away.
"... How could a man like him become so vile?" All Might sighed, shaking his head. "He used to be so jovial and kind. Just how did the Skywall Incident change him so drastically?"
"One of but many mysteries surrounding it," Principal Nezu replied. "I'm sure that we'll get to the bottom of it eventually."
"Hey hey hey, Genny!" Present Mic said, looking around as he, Midnight, and Aizawa got to the front. "I heard you were here today, so let's play some catch up-"
"Mr. Himuro already left," Principal Nezu said, cheerfully.
"What!? Aw man, but I wanted to talk to him! He's been so busy for the last ten years!" Present Mic whined.
"Tch, you really want to talk to someone who'd interfere with UA education like he did?" Aizawa mumbled.
"It's not like he's doing it out of maliciousness," Midnight said. "With the Skywall around, I'm sure he's got Touto's best interests in mind."
All Might's eyes shifted to the side, ashamed that he was unable to tell these three about Gentoku's true nature and his involvement with Faust. But that would put Sento and Team Build at risk-
"By the way, we're having a new teacher coming in tomorrow!" Principal Nezu said, smiling. "You'll be meeting him first thing tomorrow morning!"
The Next Day
"Man, this has been a pretty average day so far..." Mina said, as she and her friends ate lunch at the cafeteria. "All the morning classes were just regular ones!"
"It makes sense," Itsuka said, taking a sip of her juice. "It is still a school, after all."
"Yea, but we've through with all the boring stuff today!" Eijiro said, swallowing his food. "Next up are the hero classes! I'm super pumped! All Might's gonna be teaching us!"
"It's gonna be insane!" Pony said, bouncing up and down in her seat. "I can't wait!"
"Tsunotori, we've been training with All Might in secret for weeks," Itsuka chuckled softly, so that no one else would hear.
"Yea, but this will be his official debut," Setsuna added. "So that'll be exciting."
"I'm excited for our costumes!" Ochako said. "Ooooh, I hope they got my design right!"
"Same," Izuku said, as they got up to put their lunch trays away as lunch ended. "My mom gave me my undersuit, so all that the support company needed to make was my boots, gloves, and armor!"
"This is going to be great!" Mina said, barely containing herself
At Class
"Alright, everyone grab your hero costumes," Aizawa said, walking into the room.
"Wait, where's All Might? I thought he was teaching the hero classes!" Hanta said, confused.
"At the beginning of each hero class, you'll all be first meeting at one of the big classrooms with 1B and 1C. All Might will be there, as well as a your new heroics science teacher."
"Science?" Denki said, confused. "What does science have to do with the hero class..."
Eijiro, Mina, Ochako, and Izuku glanced at each other as they grabbed their hero costume containers.
"Do you think-" Mina began to say.
"Nah, can't be!" Eijiro added.
"HAHAHAHA! Welcome, you young sprouts!" All Might said, laughing as the Hero Course students poured into the big classroom. "Take your seats, we'll be starting soon!"
"Whoa, it really is All Might!" Asuka said, blown away by the presence of the Number One Hero.
"This is so crazy! To think that someone like him is actually gonna teach us!" Rikido Sato, a tall muscular 1A student with big lips, said.
"Indeed! But I'm not the only one here! We'll have a quick introduction to your new heroics science teacher!" All Might said.
"Is science really important, though?" Kosei asked. "I mean, we're not going to need to know how to use formulas in a fight, right?"
"On the contrary!" a voice said behind them. Everyone turned around, and saw an unassuming man with short black hair, an oversized stripe shirt, jeans, an oversized trench coat, and mismatched sneakers (one red, one blue) enter the room. "Sorry, I got a little lost... this place is really big."
The Team Build teens struggled to keep their jaws from dropping as they watched Sento come to the front. He grabbed a piece of chalk, and wrote his name on the board.
"I'm your new heroics science teacher, Sento Kiryu, a genius scientist!" he introduced himself, giving them all a slightly smug smile. "I'll be assisting with All Might in teaching your hero classes, and helping you figure out how to use your Quirks to their fullest extent!"
"Still seems weird..." Hanta said.
"Hanta Sero. Quirk is Tape, allowing you to shoot out a sticky tape-like substance from out of your elbows," Sento said, catching the teen off guard. "From what I can surmise, you want to focus on mobility and trapping villains with it, right?"
"H-How did you-"
"Before coming here, I made sure to read all of your files to get an idea of what you all can do," he explained, making everyone sans the Team Build teens uncomfortable. "That way, we can figure out what and how to improve your Quirks. I do have several suggestions for you, Sero, but for now, I'm here to observe you all in action."
"And with that out of the way, let's get to your hero class!" All Might laughed. "Aizawa went and had you all go through that Quirk Apprehension Test to see what you all are capable of, so we're gonna be kicking that up a notch! Let's see how you all can use your Quirks in a combat exercise! Everyone, take your costumes and head to the locker rooms to get ready!"
As the room dispersed, the only ones left behind were the Team Build teens, All Might, and Sento.
"Why didn't you tell us that you were going to be a teacher here now!?" Setsuna said, lightly punching Sento in the arm.
"It's been something Nezu and I had been talking about for a while, especially since I was 'let go' from the Institute," Sento explained. "We figured that with UA's resources, I'd be able to get materials for Rider tech more easily and legally, and to get some decent pay so that the Owner doesn't have to work more jobs. It'll also help with checking in on each other."
"You should've told us!" Mina whined. "Is Mr. Banjo here, too!?"
"Are you kidding? The guy couldn't teach anyone how to get out of a bucket," Sento joked. "He's at the Build Shop like usual with Misora."
"We can talk more about this at a later time, you sprouts," All Might said. "After all, we can't be late to your first hero class!"
"Wow, you all look so COOL!" All Might complimented, as he watched all of the Hero Course students coming to the front of the training grounds.
"Hey, where's Mr. Kiryu?" Asuka asked. Her outfit looked like a sailor uniform, with her midriff exposed, fingerless gloves, a large feather ornament in her hair, fishnet stockings, and knee-high boots. She received her answer soon enough, as Sento came running out after them, out of breath.
He was soon followed by Izuku, who had to book it after admiring the look of his hero costume for a bit too long. The undersuit his mom got for him was a cheap green jumpsuit with white lines, which he was wearing underneath a set of beetle-themed green armor (no doubt inspired by his armor as Battler), with a respirator mask and a pair of goggles with beetle horns on it. His undersuit also had a hood on it that he was wearing, giving him the appearance of a bunny. On his waist was a belt with a few pouches (one holding the Beetle Fullbottle), which he designed to let his Build Driver be worn over it.
"Y-You run way too fast, All Might!" Sento wheezed, his right hand over his chest. "A-Ack! I think I'm having heart palpitations!"
The class laughed at Sento, though Izuku noticed the red glint of the Rabbit Fullbottle in his trench coat pocket. Izuku chuckled a bit before heading over to his friends.
"Wow, looking good, Midoriya!" Setsuna said with a wide grin. Her costume was a blue scaly bodysuit, with black gloves, boots, and belt. On her face was a domino mask that matched her suit.
"Y-Yea, you too!" Izuku said, thankful his mask and googles were hiding his face. Setsuna smirked though, as she motioned to Ochako.
"So what do you think of Uraraka's?" she asked. Ochako rubbed the back of her head, her cheeks a little pinker than normal.
"Yea, it's... a little more snug than I would've liked," Ochako said. Her hero costume was a black jumpsuit with a large pale pink stripe running down the center and pink shoulders, big pale pink boots, belt, and cuffs, and a big visor over her face. "I guess I should've been a little more specific in how I wanted it."
"I-I think it looks good!" Izuku said. The two blushed even harder, as Mina and Setsuna gave each other sly grins.
Minoru stared at all the girls around him, taking in the sight. His hero costume was a shade of purple that matched his hair, had yellow gloves, boots, and cape, and bowl-shaped pants that unfortunately looked more like a diaper than a bowl.
"The Hero Course is great," he muttered.
"Dude I know, right?" Kosei replied. His costume was a simple black shirt, light blue jacket, khaki pants with kneepads, and brown boots.
"Well, now that we're all here, let's get down to business!" All Might laughed. "This is a little exercise known as Heroes vs. Villains! We'll be putting you into teams of six, two students from each class! Each exercise will have two teams! One will be the hero team, the other the villain team!"
"So what are the requirements for victory?" Momo Yaoyoruzu, a 1A girl with long black hair tied in a large fanning ponytail, asked. She was dressed in a red leotard with an opening reaching from her neck to her navel, a large tan belt around her waist, tan straps around her shoulders and chest, and red boots.
"I can blow everyone away, right?" Katsuki sneered, his gaze squarely on Izuku. His costume was a tight black tank top, black baggy pants, black combat boots, a black mask with an orange outline that looked like an explosion, and two large grenade-shaped gauntlets.
"A-Are we going to get punished with remedial classes like with the Quirk Apprehension Test?" Ochako asked, as Minoru paled at the reminder.
"How will we determine the teams?" Tenya asked. He was dressed in engine-like armor from head to toe.
"Doesn't this cape make me look fabulous?" Yuga asked. He wore pink wing-like shades, knight-like armor with a large belt with a gem-like center, and a fabulous purple cape.
"One at a time, people! My Quirk isn't super hearing!" All Might said, trying to process which questions to ask first. He pulled out a slip of paper from his gauntlet when Sento started to talk.
"The Heroes have to capture a bomb that the Villains have hidden in their hideout. There's a 15 minute time limit. The Villain team gets a 5 minute head start with setting up the bomb before the exercise starts. The Hero team will have a choice between capturing the bomb or apprehending the Villains. The Villain team will have to defend the bomb or capture the heroes. The Hero team wins if they capture all the villains or capture the bomb, while the Villain team wins if they've successfully defended the bomb by the timer's end or if they capture all of the heroes."
"P-Precisely!" All Might said, putting the slip of paper away.
"Sorry, I also made sure to read about the exercise before I got here."
"No, don't be! In fact, that gives me time to answer the other questions! No, you may not blow away all of your classmates! Remember, this is a training exercise, so we need to show some restraint. No, I'm not going to be taking a page out of Aizawa's book here! We'll be determining the teams through lots! There're six boxes, so each class gets two lines each! And indeed, that purple cape is marvelous!"
"Thank you for the answer, All Might sir!" Tenya said, giving All Might a polite bow.
"Alright, with that out of the way, let's get this started!" All Might said, as six robots each set a box down for the students to pick from. Soon, the teams were as followed:
Team A: Izuku Midoriya, Ochako Uraraka, Setsuna Tokage, Pony Tsunotori, Asuka Takizawa, and Seiya Tenma
Team B: Tsuyu Asui, Shoto Todoroki, Nirengeki Shoda, Jurota Shishida, Seiji Hoshimiya, and Inasa Yoarashi
Team C: Kyoka Jiro, Momo Yayoruzu, Itsuka Kendo, Yui Kodai, Mikoto Kobayashi, and Ichiyo Fukusen
Team D: Denki Kaminari, Minoru Mineta, Kosei Tsururaba, Hiryu Rin, Chiaki Chikara, and Taiju Oki
Team E: Tenya Iida, Koji Koda, Juzo Honenuki, Kinoko Komori, Kokoro Shirono, and Tokiteru Tokei
Team F: Mezo Shoji, Yuga Aoyoma, Yosetsu Awase, Kojiro Bondo, Takekage Kuroda, and Niko Henkei
Team G: Mina Ashido, Eijiro Kirishima, Togaru Kamakiri, Reiko Yanagi, Gumi Marukawa, and Fuuko Izumo
Team H: Katsuki Bakugo, Hanta Sero, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Neito Monoma, Taira Kamigami, and Genta Kugutsu
Team I: Toru Hagakure, Mashirao Ojiro, Sen Kaibara, Ibara Shiozaki, Makino Tamayama, and Sun'Ichi Kamio
Team J: Rikido Sato, Fumikage Tokoyami, Shihai Kuroiro, Manga Fukidashi, Akito Daionkyou, and Machiko Toyoda
"HOW!?" Minoru cried, on his knees in tears as he slammed his knuckles onto the ground. "In a course full of babes, how did I get stuck on a team of nothing but dudes!?"
"You think we're happy with this!?" Denki said, also in tears, wiping his face with his jacket sleeve.
"I just wanted at least one girl," Kosei muttered, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "Just one girl..."
"Oh god we're on a team of perverts," Chiaki grumbled, pinching his forehead. His costume was a tight green sleeveless bodysuit with black combat boots, gloves that seemed to have clips on the fingertips, goggles, and shoulder pads that matched his blue crystalline hair.
"Well, three of us will have to make up for that, I suppose," Hiryu said, shrugging. His costume gave him the appearance of a jiangshi, with big yellow gauntlets on his hands.
"Yea, sure seems like it!" Taiju laughed, crossing his arms. His costume was very simple, wearing what looked to be a sleeveless martial arts outfit made out of brown leather, though he wore a long waistcoat that hid his shorts. On his face were paint marks that resembled cracks.
"Looks like it's Team Curly Greens and Friends, Midoriya!" Setsuna said, grinning as she gave her friend a light tap on his shoulder.
"Y-Yea!" Izuku said, thankful that he was on a team with at least one person from Team Build.
"This is gonna be great!" Pony said, jumping up and down. "Team Curly Greens and Friends!"
"Let's do our best!" Ochako said, puffing her cheeks out, ready to do the exercise.
"Well, I'm not really sure if we're all 'friends' yet," Asuka said, chuckling. "But if things all go right, I'm all for being friends."
Katsuki scoffed as he overheard them. Equals. Like any of them were on his level. He was the best. The only problem was Deku. How he got so strong with that weird pseudo-Quirk of his in just a matter of months was unbelievable. Just how did he do it? Whatever. He just needed to pound Deku down and remind him of his place. Hopefully the lots will be in his favor and he'll face off against him.
"Yea! We're on a team, Kirishima!" Mina said, jumping up and down in excitement. She was wearing a turquoise-and-purple bodysuit that stopped just above her bust, a brown cropped vest with white fur trim, boots that had holes along her sole, and a white domino mask.
"We're gonna be the manliest team!" Eijiro said, cracking his knuckles. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of big black poofy pants, red combat boots, two gear-like shoulder pads around his shoulders, and a red waistcoat.
"Tch, noisy," Togaru grumbled, turning his head away from his two noisy teammates. He was a mantis-like boy, whose costume was a loose dark green cloak, green pants, boots, and a dark green mask around his eyes.
Inasa stared at the team-up results, and then at Shoto, the boy with the white and red hair and scar on his face, though it was hidden by his costume's mask. He grinded his teeth for a moment, before shaking his head and went to talk to the rest of his teammates.
"Alright, if that's all settled, let's get to it!" All Might said, plunging his hands into two boxes. "And we'll be starting off our exercise with Team A as the Villains and Team H as the Heroes!"
Izuku's eyes widened as he looked at Katsuki, whose sneer barely hid his excitement at the luck he had gotten. Setsuna noticed this, and raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Tokage?" All Might asked.
"Is it alright if we mulligan, All Might?" she asked, to the surprise of the class. "I mean, no offense, but I noticed that, well, there something not good between Midoriya and Bakugo."
"He did get really mad at Midoriya yesterday during the Quirk Apprehension Test..." Ochako said.
"And he did go after him, too..." Pony said.
"It really does seem like a bad idea for us to face off against his team," Asuka added. "It could get messy, I think."
Katsuki gritted his teeth so hard that he could feel his pristine pearly whites almost fracture from the pressure. How dare they get in the way of his fight with Deku! He'll be sure to blast them as well-
"You four do have good points..." All Might said, thoughtfully. "I'll-"
"N-No! No, it's fine," Izuku said, stopping All Might. He looked to his teammates. "I... I appreciate the concern, but you don't need to worry about me! I know it seems like there's bad blood between... Sure, it might be true, but I... I need to prove myself to him. This is something we need to do."
"You sure, Midoriya?" Setsuna said, hands on her hips. "There's no need to-"
"If things get too dangerous, I'll be the one to call the end," Sento said, looking at them. "Trust me, if anything gets dangerous, I'll put a stop to it."
"Well... alright, if you say so!" she said, nodding. "Scratch what I said, All Might. We'll go through with this match up."
"Alright, if that's settled, come here and get your earpieces and capture tape! You can talk to each other through them to communicate when separated, as well as me and Mr. Kiryu! And if you wrap someone with your capture tape, they're out of the exercise! You all are also going to get maps of the building's layout!" All Might said, as he pulled out a box of earpieces while Sento pulled out rolls of capture tape. "Villain team, go inside and decide where to hide your bomb! Hero team, stand outside and wait for us to announce the start of the exercise! The rest of you, follow us to the observation room! We'll be watching the exercises through CCTV!"
As the students followed All Might and Sento to the monitoring room, the rest of Team Build looked back to Izuku and Setsuna before leaving.
"You sure you're good, Midoriya?" Setsuna asked, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"I am," Izuku said, taking a deep breath as he looked at his hand and clutched it. "I'm... I'm not the same person as I was in middle school. I haven't been for months."
"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Asuka said, chuckling a bit.
"It's... a long story to explain. Not enough time to tell it before the exercise, but later," Izuku said, as they headed inside the building. "Come on, let's figure out where we can hide the bomb."
Katsuki watched as the Villain team went inside, his fists and jaw tight in anger.
"So, where'd you think they'll put the bomb?" Hanta said, lifting his visor up. His costume's helmet and shoulder pads resembled tape dispensers, while his sleeves were short to expose his elbows.
"If I were them, I'd keep it away from the windows and somewhere central," Genta said. The boy had blue eyes and short black hair that faded to brown at the tips, though no one could tell from the fact that his costume covered him head to toe in spandex. The right side of his torso, the left side of his head, left thigh, right shin, left foot, right arm, and left hand in black, while the opposite parts were white. On his face was a half-smiling half-frowning theater mask, black on the right and white on the left.
"An astute observation, though I'd wager that they'd expect us to think like that and for us to avoid checking those rooms," Neito said. His hero costume, for whatever reason, was just a suit with some pocket watches on his waist. "Since we have six people, we'll be able to search all over this building with ease!"
"Doesn't matter, all we need to do is plow through each and every room!" Tetsutetsu said, slamming his fists together. He was a gray haired teenager, who was wearing a baggy green bodysuit that stopped just around his midriff, his arms and pecs exposed, with metal bands around his arms that kept it up. His boots were covered in steel, and a steel jaw guard was around his face.
"Locked rooms won't be a problem for me," Taira said, stretching her arms. She was a white shorthaired tall girl with gray eyes, whose costume was a tight bodysuit that showed off her curves, the front of it being white while the back was blue. She wore a white domino mask, and a very thin black belt around her waist.
"So what do you think, Baku-" Hanta began to ask.
"Do you all really think that Deku has a Quirk?" Katsuki asked, not looking at them.
"You mean Midoriya? You saw how he did at the Quirk Apprehension Test yesterday!" Genta said, crossing his arms.
"Yea, I don't know any Quirkless guy who'd launch a ball like that," Taira said, shrugging. "Then again, I don't know any Quirkless people to begin with..."
"Speaking of, we should watch out for him in specific," Neito said, tapping his foot in thought. "No doubt he'll be the one guarding the bomb."
"Maybe one of us should check around the outside to see where they are," Hanta pointed out. "Can one of us fly around-"
Katsuki began to filter out their words. That bastard... Has Deku been lying to him all this time!? Did he really have a Quirk that strong to begin with!?
He's going to pulverize him to a pulp. No holding back.
"Team H! You may now enter the hideout! Secure the warhead or capture the villains!" All Might's voice said over their earpieces. Katsuki snapped to attention, and instantly flew into the building.
"Wait, stop! What about our plan!?" Hanta shouted, as they all went inside to follow him.
"Figures that it'd be the explosive guy to disregard our plans!" Genta said. "Guess we'll just split up!"
"Yea, good luck!" Taira said, as they all went off in separate directions.
"So do you two really think that would work?" Asuka asked, as the robots set the papier-mâché bomb down near a window.
"Yep. There's no rule about it, right?" Izuku said, crossing his arms.
"Exactly," Setsuna replied, smirking while popping her arms by pulling them off her body. "We might as well take advantage of the fact that they didn't say anything about it."
"It's not the funnest idea, but I guess it's the smartest," Seiya sighed. "Let's get to walking around the hallways. Good luck, you three."
Ochako, Pony, and Asuka nodded, and Izuku, Setsuna, and Seiya walked out of the room, prepared to face off against the Hero team.
"Team A! The heroes have entered the building! Protect the warhead or capture the heroes!" Sento's voice said over their earpieces.
"Alright, this is where we go to different ways, right?" Setsuna said, as they reached a branch in the hallway.
"Good luck, you two," Izuku said, as they split up. Izuku wandered around the halls for a bit, One for All flowing at a manageable level, keeping his eyes peeled for Team H. As he scanned the halls, he heard the distinct but identifiable booming of Katsuki's explosions coming in from the right. Sure enough, the explosive teen flew in, and fired off an Explosion at Izuku. He leaped backwards, avoiding most of it, though the heat singed the jumpsuit his mother had given him a bit.
"There you are, you lying, cheating, bastard!" Katsuki said, sparks popping from his palms. "Tell me how the hell you got so strong with that fake Quirk of yours!?"
"It isn't fake! This Quirk of mine's real!" Izuku said, green electricity sparking around his body. "It's a miracle that I got it, but it's a miracle I made sure I worked for!"
"You think I'm gonna buy that bullshit!?" Katsuki said, as he swung his right arm towards Izuku. Izuku managed to grab the explosive teen's arm, and swung him over his shoulder, slamming him onto the ground. "What the hell!?"
"I know you, Kacchan! You always lead with a right hook!" Izuku shouted. "I'm not the Deku you knew months ago! There're people standing behind me! People who believe in me! And I'm not about to let them all down!"
"You-!"
"Impressive move on Midoriya's part," Sento said, as he watched the two begin to trade blows. "Guess the two being... 'childhood friends' really gave him an edge here."
"Indeed, Mr. Kiryu! But that doesn't mean that Young Midoriya will be able to keep this advantage up for long!" All Might stated, as Izuku was forced to roll away from an Explosion.
"Man, look at him go!" Taiju laughed. "He really did deserve that first place of his to keep up with someone like that!"
"From how he's moving, it seems like he's got some more experience fighting than I thought he did," Momo said, her hand on her chin in thought as she watched Izuku land a hard kick against Katsuki's gut. Mina, Eijiro, and Itsuka looked at each other slightly nervously, though no one noticed them.
"What're Takizawa, Uraraka, and Tsunotori doing?" Denki said, pointing to the TV that was recording the room they chose to put the bomb in. Ochako was next to the window, attempting to measure it, while Pony was attempting to measure their bomb. Asuka was at the door, looking at it and them, while her hand was pressed to her ear.
"It seems... like they're trying to take the bomb out of the building," Gumi said, stretching her neck to get a better look from the back of the room. The girl was dressed in an athleticwear-like costume, wearing a black and red sports top that exposed her midriff and shoulders, bike shorts, slip-on shoes, and a black wristband. "Is... is that allowed?"
"Yea, I was actually hoping that they would notice that we didn't say anything against it," Sento answered. "Villains won't always just stand around and wait for the heroes to catch them, they'll try and escape, taking whatever they can with them."
"Indeed! Even if their plan doesn't work out, they'll be given extra credit for coming up with it!" All Might said, ending with a hearty laugh. "But since you all've seen this now, no one else is allowed to attempt to repeat it! After all, we must encourage you all to come up with your own unique plans!"
"How are things looking down there, you guys?" Asuka said over her earpiece, while Ochako and Pony attempted to figure out how to move the bomb outside the window.
"I think that Midoriya and Bakugo encountered each other, judging by the screaming and explosions," Setsuna replied, as Ochako touched the bomb, and it started to float up a bit. "Oh dang, gotta go, your white and black friend's in front of me. And Monoma."
"Wait, Kugutsu's there!? Get outta there, Tokage!" Asuka said. "Dammit! She cut her earpiece off! Tenma, you copy me!?"
"Yea, I hear you! I'm going to- shit, that tape guy and metal guy are in my way, call you later!" Seiya responded, also cutting his earpiece off.
"This is all going south pretty quickly," Asuka said. "At the very least, we've confirmed four of them had encountered the other team. That means the only one left is-"
"Me!"
Asuka looked at the door, and saw Taira's flattened body slipping in from underneath the bottom clank. She snickered as her body regained its depth. "Doors aren't an issue when you can become paper thin like me!"
Taira Kamigami! Quirk, Papergirl! It lets her flatten parts or her whole body! While flat, she can stretch her body like a ribbon or fold her body up like origami! She can't flatten anything with her body, however! And she better beware of strong gusts of air that can blow her away or weights that can keep her down!
"Figures you'd be the one who'd get through," Asuka said, cracking her fists. "But I bet your earpiece didn't come with you."
"What are you talking about-" Taira said, when she felt her ear. "Oh. Right. Can't flatten tech with me... Makes me wish that I had the same sort of Quirk as Sun'Ichi..."
Taira turned towards the door, and unlocked it when Asuka leaped forward, tackling the girl.
"Not gonna let you try and contact your teammates!" she yelled, trying to wrestle the girl who flattened herself to escape Asuka's grasp. Taira felt for her capture tape, only to realize that it too was not on her.
"Looks like I gotta become the tape myself!" Taira said, moving and stretching her paper body around Asuka, who jumped into the air before Taira could tighten herself around her. She landed onto the ceiling, and sprung off it, positioning herself for a kick. Taira took a deep breath and blew herself away from the spot, avoiding Asuka's foot as a crater formed from her landing. "Geez, for someone whose Quirk's Multi-Jumping, you sure got some strong legs!"
Asuka Takizawa! Quirk, Multi-Jump! When she's in the air, she can jump multiple times, changing the angle of her jumps based on her foot positioning and body! She's also got some impressive muscles thanks to the amount of power needed for her jumps! But she can't fly, and she can't jump forever without getting tired!
"It's what happens when you have a Quirk like mine!" Asuka said. She turned around and looked at Pony and Ochako, the two of whom had managed to partially wedge out the bomb out of the window. "Hurry up, you two!"
"We're trying!" Ochako whined, as she pushed the bomb's base while Pony was outside, flying on her horns pulling at the bomb's top. Just then, the building shook violently, and the bomb slipped out of the window with ease.
"We did it! It's out!" Pony said triumphantly. "Hahaha, villainy!"
"Really concerned about what that shaking was all about, though..." Asuka said.
"Team H is disqualified for unwarranted destruction and risking the lives of their fellow students! Team A wins by default! Everyone get down here so we can talk!" Sento's voice said over the intercom.
"I... think I know what happened," Ochako said, as they went to the door. "This can't be good..."
"Wait! Where am I supposed to take the bomb!?" Pony said, the bomb still in her hands. "Guys!?"
At the Same Time
"Alright, I'm betting that only the metalhead's good at fist fighting," Seiya said, cracking his knuckles.
"True, but I don't think I'm gonna be a chump and let you thrash me, villain!" Hanta said, shooting tape out of his elbows at Seiya. Seiya leaped backwards and to the side to avoid the tape, only for Tetsutetsu to charge at him.
"You're mine, 1C guy!" Tetsutetsu shouted, throwing his metal fists at Seiya. He blocked his punches and threw a couple of his own, only to hurt his hand on the metal skin.
"Ow! Damn, that's hard!" Seiya said, shaking his hands from his failed attack. "But that's not going to stop me!"
Seiya and Tetsutetsu kept trading punches, though Seiya's didn't always make full contact, sometimes just grazing Tetsutetsu while the metal teen had more luck in landing his punches. Meanwhile Hanta tried to figure out how to capture Seiya with his teammate in the way.
"Dammit, Tetsutetsu! Move out of the way so I can get him!" Hanta shouted.
"Don't talk to me like we're friends!"
"What are you talking about, I'm using your last name!"
"Alright, I think that's enough from me! Time for the next step!" Seiya said, as he reared back before resuming his attack.
"Nice try, but it's gonna take more than-" Tetsutetsu started to say, before noticing that he was being completely overwhelmed by the flurry of punches, going on full defense the first time during their fight. "W-What the hell!? What's going on!?"
"I might've just grazed you with some punches, but with my Followup, I'm unstoppable!" Seiya said, grinning in spite of his bleeding knuckles against Tetsutetsu's steel flesh.
Seiya Tenma! Quirk, Followup! It lets him land a second attack after his first, no questions about it! It doesn't matter if he didn't make full contact, as merely touching others allows him to make a guaranteed second attack! And best of all, they don't have to be consecutive attacks! He can punch and punch before actually using Followup! Downside is that his physical abilities are not boosted by any means, meaning that he's gotta work on his muscles! Not to mention he has to be careful about how he's positioned in comparison to his opponent, since he might break his arm trying to use Followup at the wrong angle!
"Don't worry, I got your back!" Hanta said, aiming his elbows at Seiya, when the building violently shook.
"What the hell was that!?" Seiya said, as they all stopped to steady themselves.
"Team H is disqualified for unwarranted destruction and risking the lives of their fellow students! Team A wins by default! Everyone get down here so we can talk!" Sento's voice said through the intercom.
"What!? No! This fight isn't over-" Tetsutetsu protested, as Hanta and Seiya walked towards the stairs.
"2,100 yen on it being Bakugo's fault?" Hanta said.
"Like it could be anyone else," Seiya said.
At the Same Time
"I'm so sorry, Miss Tokage, but this is the hero team's victory!" Neito said, as he and Genta stood in front of the green-haired girl. Or at least, the right half of her head, having used her Quirk to split apart and scout the floor she was on. The rest of her body was somewhere else, much to their frustration.
"Yea, right! You'll need to try and find the rest of me first!" Setsuna said, as she flew away from them, when she stopped all of a sudden, and saw that her body parts were all coming towards her. "Huh!? What's going-"
"Sorry, but the second you were in front of me, you lost," Genta said, as Setsuna's body reassembled against her will. She looked at his hands, and noticed a string-like substance coming out of them, and attached to her head. "You're tangled up in my Puppet Strings."
Genta Kugutsu! Quirk, Puppet Strings! This Quirk lets him create strings from his fingertips that'll let him turn up to two people into his puppets! Not only do they get a more puppet-y appearance, but he can actually activate their Quirks against their will, though he can only do one person's at a time! Downside is that the stronger the person, the easier it is for them to break free, and his puppet strings are tough, but not unbreakable!
Setsuna took a look at her hands, and saw that she had gotten a slightly woody appearance now. She touched her mouth, and found out that it had turned into that of a marionette's mouth.
"Whoa, this is so-" Setsuna said, before she interrupted herself.
"Weird? Strange? Villainous?" she said, to her surprise. She looked at Genta, who had said it at the same time.
"You have no idea how many times I got that," he sighed, shaking his head. "People like Dictator gave us people controllers all a bad name, and I, for one, will not let him tarnish my chances at being a hero!"
Just then, the building violently shook, catching them all off guard.
"What was that!?" they all shouted, looking at each other.
"I bet it was Bakugo!" Setsuna said, still unable to move on her own.
"You're probably right," Genta replied, shrugging, making Setsuna shrug with him.
"Team H is disqualified for unwarranted destruction and risking the lives of their fellow students! Team A wins by default! Everyone get down here so we can talk!" Sento's voice said through the intercom, confirming their suspicions.
"That delinquent!" Neito said, biting at his nails. "I should've known that a 1A student would've cost us our win! I didn't even get to show everyone my magnificient Quirk!"
"Oh well, that's just how it goes, I guess," Genta sighed, releasing Setsuna from his Puppet Strings. She looked at her hands and touched her face, which had returned to normal. "We probably should've tried to stick closer to him..."
"Hey, about earlier," Setsuna said, walking towards Genta and tapped his shoulder. He turned around to look at her. "I was gonna say your Quirk was 'cool and useful'."
"Wha- really?"
"Yea! I'm not stranger to weird Quirks," Setsuna said, popping her head off. "Besides, you can probably subdue a bunch of criminals that way without hurting them!"
"I... yea. I can only do two at a time right now, so it's no good at big crowds."
"Sounds like that's what you gotta work on! UA's gonna be the best place for that!"
Earlier, with Izuku and Katsuki
Katsuki growled as he propelled himself forward to attack Izuku. Izuku swung his fist but missed as the teen pushed himself over him. Katsuki angled his hand to create another Explosion, but Izuku managed to sprint forward, dodging the blast.
"Dammit hold still!" Katsuki yelled, as Izuku landed against the wall, jumping off it and punching Katsuki in the gut. Katsuki tumbled across the floor, before forcing himself to come to a stop. "You-! YOU-!"
"What's the matter?" Izuku said, as he stood back up. "Like I told you, I'm no longer the Deku you knew! I spent all this time to catch up to you! This is the result of all the work that I went through with the help of others!"
"Shut up! You're nothing! You were nothing before, and you're nothing now!" Katsuki said, grinding his teeth as he thought to himself. "This bastard! How could he gotten so good!? He was just a pebble! A small, insignificant pebble for me to crush!"
He shook his gauntlet, and grinned manically. All that fighting helped out in the end. He sweated enough until it was full. "So you said you worked hard, huh? Well, I bet you didn't think hard, either. You remember my Quirk, right?"
"You sweat nitroglycerine-like sweat that you can explode with your hands..." Izuku recalled, as Katsuki raised his right arm and pulled his gauntlet's lever, making a pin pop out of it. His eyes widened as he looked at Katsuki and then at his arm. "Wait, you-"
"Looks like you get it! I had these bad boys' designed to store up as much sweat as possible for some powerful Explosions while reducing Quirk strain!" Katsuki sneered, his left index finger wrapped around the pin. "Let's see how big it can be!"
"Bakugo, stop! You'll kill him with that blast!" All Might shouted through his earpiece.
"You better not-" Sento shouted as well.
"He'll be fine if it's not a direct hit!" Katsuki screeched, pulling the pin. Izuku jumped to the left as quick as he could, as a giant Explosion came out of Katsuki's gauntlets, blowing up the wall and floor behind him, leaving behind a hole in the crumbling building.
"Hahahaha! These things pack a punch!" he laughed, as the smoke and dust subsided. "It's better than I even imagined, thanks to my suped up Quirk!"
"T-They let you have something like that!?" Izuku said, patting out his slightly burning jumpsuit.
"Yea, and if you know what's good, you'll come at me with your strongest-"
"Team H is disqualified for unwarranted destruction and risking the lives of their fellow students! Team A wins by default! Everyone get down here so we can talk!" Sento shouted through the intercom, catching Katsuki's attention.
"What!? Don't you dare stop this fight!" Katsuki screamed, sparks flying off his palms. "I'm not finished yet-"
"Whether or not you're finished doesn't matter!" Sento said, this time speaking to Katsuki through his earpiece. "I'm ending this right now! I said I was going to jump in and stop the exercise if it got too dangerous, and I'm going to hold true to it! Now get down here so we can talk about why you've disqualified yourself and your teammates!"
"Wait, Mr. Kiryu, I'm fine, we can-" Izuku said over his earpiece.
"Whether or not you're fine doesn't excuse what happened, Midoriya," Sento said. "As your teacher, I'm not going to let you all endanger your lives on the first hero exercise of the year."
Izuku sighed as he walked down the stairs to the observation room. Katsuki, for his part, chose to storm down, his eyes practically bulging out of his skull in anger at being cut off like this.
"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" All Might said, as Sento turned his earpiece off.
"No," he replied bluntly.
"We could've let them go on for a little bit-"
"I said that I was going to stop it if it got too dangerous, and I am going to keep it," Sento said, turning towards All Might. "I understand why you'd want to keep it going, but we have to remember: this is an exercise. We can encourage them to give it their all, but we need to draw the line before someone gets seriously hurt. Imagine if it were you who went all in with your Quirk like that. A lot of people would get hurt."
"You... have a point," All Might admitted, knowing that if he went all in like that during an exercise in his early years and with One for All, there would be no one standing. He sighed, as he turned around and resumed smiling when Team A and Team H came in. "So... that was a little intense-"
"A little intense!? I saw the giant hole in the wall when we were coming down!" Taira said.
"I guess it's no wonder why we got disqualified," Genta said, shaking his head.
"How dare you bring us all down with you!" Neito shouted, when from the side, Itsuka karate chopped him on the neck.
"You alright, Midoriya?" Setsuna asked, looking at him and his scorched jumpsuit.
"Y-Yea, no burns or anything," Izuku answered, slightly yanking at the burn holes in his jumpsuit. "Mom's jumpsuit's ruined, though..."
"I'm glad that you're okay," Ochako said. "I don't want to image what it would've been like if you took that blast directly..."
"Hopefully not a pile of Midoriya ashes," Pony mumbled, glaring daggers at Katsuki.
"I'll give you a chance to explain why you decided that something like those gauntlets were an acceptable addition to your arsenal," Sento said, looking at Katsuki, whose gaze was turned away from him and All Might.
"... I had this designed so that I wouldn't suffer from my Quirk's backlash too often," Katsuki mumbled. "If I use my Quirk too much, my arms lock up, and since I depend on sweating to use it, cold weather affects how much sweat I make. And using both of my arms at once disperses the power, making them a lot weaker overall. The gauntlets store up as much sweat as possible so I can unleash big Explosions without worrying about the backlash."
"I see... very smart application, and a good understanding of what your Quirk can do," Sento said, his hand on his chin in thought. "However, did you think about how dangerous it would be to use in an enclosed space such as the building you all were in?"
"Um..." Katsuki muttered, looking away again at the ground.
"You damaged a building that had a bomb in it, Bakugo," Sento said, crossing his arms. "While you're lucky that this was just made of papier-mâché, you KNOWINGLY used a huge Explosion that could've set it off. And you were on the Hero team, given the goal of CAPTURING the bomb or the villains. What if the bomb wasn't on the opposite side of you and Midoriya? You could've potentially injured hundreds of civilians and your fellow heroes if it had gone off. If you were on the Villain team instead and used this, it would still be needlessly reckless because you'd damage your stronghold. Yes, villains can and do destroy them, but that's usually a last resort in an attempt to escape."
"And I must reiterate, this is a training exercise. As heroes-in-training, yes, you need to be able to push yourselves to the limit to save others, but you also need to understand when and where that would be most appropriate. An attack like that is good in more open spaces, but when you use it in an enclosed space, you run the risk of destabilizing a building and creating large enough debris that it could injure people."
"I-I think that's enough for now, Mr. Kiryu!" All Might said, pulling Sento away from criticizing Katsuki any more. "W-Well, besides that, we should name the VIP of this admittedly shorter-than-expected exercise! And I think that belongs to Young Midoriya and Young Tokage for coming up with the plan to take the bomb out of the building!"
"Wait, that's something they could do!?" Hanta said, his jaw dropped.
"Yea, they were doing that when I came across them," Taira said. "I couldn't contact you all 'cuz I dropped my earpiece when I used my Quirk, and they didn't give me time to retrieve it."
"Yea, that's right," Sento said, taking a deep breath. "That was something I was hoping that one of the teams would catch from what we laid out. Villains won't always stick around, and if they had managed to leave a certain radius, they would've won the exercise. They'll still be getting extra credit for coming up with it."
"And remember, everyone, that strategy is now off the table! You all have to come up with your own plans!" All Might said to the rest of the class. "Now, then, let's get to the next teams!"
Katsuki sulked away from the group, and slouched against the wall, staring at his gauntlet. He hated that Kiryu guy was right. In hindsight, it was a stupid idea, using his gauntlets inside a building like that. But he was training to be a hero! Heroes don't hold back! And they don't lose! Especially to someone like Deku. This wasn't a real loss, anyways! It was cut short before he could really show everyone his strength! The next exercise, he's going to dominate-
"Alright, the next Hero Team is Team D! Villain Team is Team F!" All Might announced. "Let's get to it, you sprouts!"
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- I did think about shuffling up the classes, but I decided against that, since I'm going to have them train together for their Hero Classes like in UHA in the first place (which was always planned for here too), making that pointless. Also would make it a lot easier on me to make an entirely new class instead of trying to keep track of who went where in this universe.
- Speaking of which, I always intended on making Class 1C a blend of OCs and characters from other stories. I decided to use SOME of the UHA Isamu 1A students, since they were already made, but decided to introduce some new ones as well. Will they appear in UHA too? Maybe.
- Hiroshi, Fuka, and their family (as well as Furin-Kazan Corporation) will not be appearing in BUAH!. I want to these stories separate, since it'd raise a lot of questions and conflicting plot points. It's unfortunate, since I do like them, but for the sake of not complicating things, this is the way it is.
- Promised you all that the Dr. Stone characters would appear here, too. This time Taiju ACTUALLY made it into the Hero Course. I imagine that in BUAH! he managed to rack up a lot of rescue points alongside some accidental villain points, just high enough to be in the Hero Course. Senku and Yuzuriha are still in the Support Course. He was always supposed to appear here first when I got the idea to introduce the three in UHA early.
- Since the Skywall divided Japan into three, I figured that Shinketsu High would be on the Seito side because of the "Shinketsu in the West, UA in the East" thing. And because travel between the countries is heavily regulated and the like, Inasa is stuck at UA despite hating Shoto at this point. We'll be getting more chances to see their relationship here soon enough.
- I figured that since the canon distance of Izuku's throw was 705.3 was at full power via his fingertip, whereas in BUAH! he's been steadily using One for All more, so I figured that while it won't be as far, it'd still be a good distance.
- I checked the MHA and KR wikis to see Aizawa's and Gentoku's ages (well, Gentoku's actor, assuming that Gentoku shares the same age when KR Build was airing). They're both in their 30s, so I thought it would be fun to make them classmates in the same year.
- To clarify what the favors Gentoku asked of the Minister of Education to do in case it needs to be clear: He is responsible for UA no longer being able to just instantly expel students based on a teacher's personal beliefs (like what Aizawa would do), that UA has to have three Hero Course classes instead of the canon two, and that the actual hero classes be taught together. I personally think it'd be easy for him to convince him to do so thanks to the Skywall being a very pressing matter, and that he wanted more hero classes, but UA talked him down to three.
- I realized that one of the things I hadn't really addressed here is how BUAH! hero society sees heroes killing criminals/villains compares to canon; I think that, as a result of the Skywall causing far more chaos early on and the like, that killing criminals and villains isn't necessarily TABOO, but it's not looked on favorably.
- I decided to go ahead and skip the last 3 events, since in canon they did the same thing. That, and to get to the second half faster.
- Having Sento work at UA as a teacher was something that just made sense to me to do. It was always planned from the beginning that he'd eventually get a job at UA.
- I was excited to show off BUAH! Izuku's costume. If you need a little help, it sorta looks like a slightly more lightly armored version of KR Kabuto, but green, and with his first jumpsuit and respirator mask. Simple changes, but still pretty reflective of what happened in BUAH! canon.
- I will gladly repeat the 'Denki, Minoru, and Kosei get stuck on a team full of dudes' joke as much as possible, because I personally think it's hilarious. I won't be using it all the time, though, so don't worry.
- I know I could've easily just had it be just three to a team, one from each class, but I thought it'd make for a more interesting composition if I had it two from each instead. Also, I think it might take too long to go through that many exercises.
- For the record, I came up with Genta's Quirk days before the newest MHA chapter (which is 318 at this point), so it's entirely a coincidence, but a happy coincidence that I'm glad that I can play off of.