Chapter 27: Practical Isn't always Easy
Review Replies
Midoriya D. Izuku: Bet you were cracking up writing that last part, huh?
ThermalsniperN7: … Maybe…
Dragon Emperor0: Can neither confirm nor deny that.
football78: ahh so the person who resurrected Ochako has been revealed
ThermalsniperN7: I can tell you're binge reading. Yeah, it's someone doomed to die.
Dragon Emperor0: Think Melascula.
football78: Seriously this is bull shit Izuku lost to todoroki. Bullshit cop out
ThermalsniperN7: What, did you actually expect him to win every single time?
Dragon Emperor0: Fatigue is one of the major drawbacks of using Snatch's more powerful abilities. Add that to izuku over using OFA and he was basically asking for that to happen. Dude, it's not a cop out, it's the most logical thing to happen.
Techgabe: Sate Sate SaTe!
ThermalsniperN7: … What?
Dragon Emperor0: Ah, so you watch SDS in subs. That's Well well well in Japanese, Meliodas' catchphrase.
Techgabe: Ochako will be Izuku's "Elaine". Won't she?
ThermalsniperN7: Yep.
Dragon Emperor0: It's an IzuOcha story based on Ban. She kinda HAS to be the Elaine character for this to work.
Techgabe: Izuku's gonna sacrifice his immortality to bring back Ochako, isn't he? I REALLY hope he doesn't have to sacrifice it.
ThermalsniperN7: You'll just have to keep reading.
Dragon Emperor0: But even then, it would be out of character for Izuku to want to keep his immortality if he can use it to save Ochako. So that really isn't possible without it being a cop out.
Techgabe: The OP part about him having OFA, WHILE being nigh-immortal is that OFA will be able to grow within him for FAR longer than ANY of the other holders. Eventually 10% or even 1% of his power in the future could be equal or stronger than 100% at the beginning of the story.
ThermalsniperN7: That's basically it. Izuku will have to keep it in check since it's unclear just how strong it's gotten.
Dragon Emperor0: The whole 100% breaking apart several mountains with Muscular was really just a low ball 100%. He was still getting used to and recovering from his day in purgatory and wasn't at his best—like with All Might in his weakened state vs in his prime. So, imagine if he was fully rested, how much damage he could do then, especially with a sacred treasure in hand.
SPeCTeR-ll7: Hey great story! I had a question regarding one for all. Will Izuku be getting the past user's quirks like in canon or is it just the stockpiled strength?
ThermalsniperN7: We haven't really thought about it.
Dragon Emperor0: But I think it would be best to follow Arkham's Razor and assume he will just for simplicity's sake—the question is just when he'll be unlocking them in comparison to canon.
-Heights Alliance UA Dorm-
Izuku yawned as he woke up the next morning after the Dorm Room contest the previous night, and soon took notice of the fact that: 1. Ochako was on top of him—completely naked. And 2. He was still inside said brunette.
This was pretty much every dude's favorite way to wake up in the morning.
'Well, at least we got our frustrations out of our systems…' He mused before he shook her awake, getting her to slowly wake up.
"Huh…?" The girl groaned as she slowly woke up, and soon realized the situation she was in. "Ah!" She gasped, shooting up as her eyes went wide—now fully awake. "What? Why am I in your room… and why am I naked?" She questioned, looking at herself.
Apparently, the Fox Sin had managed to pound her so hard that she blacked out and now couldn't recall what happened.
"We had make-up sex last night after what happened in Kamino Ward." The green haired ex-immortal replied. "And from the looks of it I may have screwed your brains out a little." He chuckled as he sat up and held her close.
"O-Oh…" The gravity girl uttered, a bigger blush than her permanent one forming on her cheeks. "Well… I do kinda feel better now…." She admitted.
"Good." The Sin of Greed sighed as he kissed her, his tongue easily sliding into her mouth while his hands either held her waist or massaged her hair.
Ochako moaned in bliss as she was dominated by her boyfriend, letting herself relish in the moment. After a moment, they separated for air.
"We should probably get ready." He told her.
"Right." The gravity girl nodded as they (reluctantly) separated from each other.
(Later)
Izuku yawned as he made his way to the bathroom so he could brush his teeth with the rest of the guys.
However, as he started doing this, he noticed something… off about two of his friends, namely Kaminari and Kirishima.
King also seemed unusual with his wings and all, but that was less it being weird and more him not being used to it.
The other two on the other hand, were wearing two shirts that obviously did not belong to either of them.
"Uh, Kaminari, Kirishima? Why are you two wearing Jiro and Mina's shirts?" He asked with a blink.
This caused the two groggy teens to stop brushing their teeth and look down, noticing that they had on a Deep Dope and Pink T-Shirt respectively.
"I thought this shirt felt a little small when I put it on." Kaminari noted, rinsing his mouth out.
"Whoops… Guess I wasn't looking when I took this…" The redhead chuckled awkwardly as he rinsed his mouth out.
"... Both of you smashed Jiro and Mina respectively, didn't you?" The Fox Sin asked after a beat passed.
"… Kinda/Maybe?" The two boys nodded nervously.
"Don't be nervous about it. I smashed Ochako last night." Izuku admitted casually.
"Yeah, we heard." Katsuki nodded.
"Dude, how can you be so casual about that?!" The electric blonde questioned.
"Because after the first time, having sex with your significant other becomes easier to do and more natural to talk about." The Sin of Greed replied, right as Taida grabbed him from behind in a headlock.
"I'm gonna wring your neck!" He shouted… Right before Izuku got free.
"No you're not." The Sin of Greed deadpanned. "Now back to you two." He continued, rinsing his mouth out and facing his two friends. "How'd this end up happening?" He asked.
"Well…" Kirishima began. "It was after we overheard you and Uraraka. Mina wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep well with that on her mind. So she stayed in my room." He explained. "And then we started talking to take our minds off things and as we talked, we started realizing that Hero life felt like military life, so we started thinking we needed to make our moments count. One thing led to another… And you can see the aftermath." He continued.
"Me and Jiro were basically in a similar boat, except I ended up getting embarrassed halfway through when Jiro said she knew about my crush on her, so we were pretty awkward for a couple minutes." Kaminari nodded.
"Talk about it, and you two should smooth things out." The viridian haired teen told him, getting a nod in return.
"That's what we ended up doing. She asked me when I developed my crush on her, I told her it was during the sports festival or shortly after, she told me she started liking me during the training camp, and then it went from there." The boy shrugged.
"Okay, sounds like you two are stable so far." Izuku nodded before looking at Kirishima. "What about you and Mina?" He asked.
"Turns out Mina actually started liking me around the same time. We knew each other from middle school but never really hung out until we entered UA. Seems things just snowballed from there." He shrugged.
"Oh, okay." The Purgatory survivor shrugged.
"I hope the three of you don't have any plans on letting your relationships interfere with your training." Iida stated, always the one to bring everyone back down to earth.
"Iida, when has that ever happened with any of us?" Izuku countered as everyone finished getting prepared for class.
(Elsewhere)
"Hey, Mina, Jiro, Ochako." Toru said as she and the girls got ready for class as well, some putting on makeup. "Why do you have the guys' shirts?" The invisible girl asked.
That made the three girls in question freeze and look down, seeing that they did indeed have the shirts of their respective boyfriends in place of their own.
"Me and Izuku… Um, we spent last night together." Ochako said awkwardly.
"Oh don't go sugarcoating it, Ochako, you two were totally banging." Mina countered. "Jiro heard Midoriya cause you to blackout." She added, hands on her hips.
That made the brunette blush beet red.
"Okay, who the hell is the real pervert here?! Me or you lot?!" She demanded.
"I was just trying to make sure you guys didn't hurt yourselves! It's not like I wanted to hear what I heard!" Jiro defended.
"Well… Not like we weren't in any similar situations ourselves." Mina coughed.
"Wait, you guys actually had sex with those two?" Toru questioned, causing both Momo and Tsu to blush lightly and Jiro to go tomato red.
"D-Do you have to be s-so blunt about it?!" The punk girl stuttered.
"… What'd they do to you?" Ochako asked, being curious about how Kirishima and Kaminari used their quirks under the sheets, in case it gave her or Izuku ideas.
"... Kirishima used his quirk to make the force of his movement stronger, and himself harder. It was like getting rammed by an actual jackhammer." Mina admitted after a moment, her face turning a shade of light purple.
"… Internal Electroshock therapy." Jiro muttered.
Ochako said nothing to these, but did admit there were some ideas found in Mina's info.
(Later)
"Alright everyone, listen up. This summer you will be training for your provincial license exam." Aizawa told them. "But specifically, you'll be trying to develop your own Ultimate moves." He added as the class door opened.
"And we'll be helping you out!" Midnight grinned.
"When we say ultimate, we mean a move that uses your quirk to its maximum to turn the tide of a battle in one move." Ectoplasm explained.
"It also has to be something so unique to you that no one else can copy it." Cementoss continued.
"A lot of pro heroes these days don't have Ultimate Moves. They're fools." Midnight picked up. "So, over the next ten days, we'll be helping you develop and perfect your own!" She continued.
"There might be an issue with that on my end…" Izuku muttered to himself.
(Later)
"This is where you'll be doing your training. It's called the Training Dining Land or TDL for short." Cementoss explained as they entered what looked like a gym of some sort.
"Really? First USJ, and now this?" Izuku deadpanned.
"This place allows me to create various different designed training courses, hence the name." The hero explained as the ground started morphing into a canyon while Ectoplasm sent out several clones.
"Sir, may I ask how this will help us develop our ultimate moves?" Iida inquired.
"Some of you actually have a head start on your Ultimate Moves." Cementoss explained.
"For example: You, Iida, your Recipro Burst is one such example. Midoriya's Zero Sign is another." The clone hero continued.
"Wait, seriously?" The speedster gasped in surprise.
"To think we were unknowingly using Ultimate Moves for so long." Izuku chuckled. "But it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think that we have other moves that could be turned into ultimates." He continued. "Actually, I can think of a few." He nodded.
"Additionally, if you think changing your costumes will help, then the Support Course is open to you." Aizawa noted. "Speaking of which…" He said as he looked at Izuku. "Midoriya, a new transfer third year to the support course says she needs to see you." He added.
"I'll head there now." The Sin of Greed nodded before taking his leave, having a good idea of who it might be.
(Later)
"Hey Deku!" Melissa smiled as she met the boy outside the Support Course workshop.
"Hey, Melissa." The viridian haired boy nodded back with his own smile. "How's settling in at UA been treating you? Not too rough, I hope?" He asked.
"It's been interesting." The blonde nodded. "Anyway, I have your support item ready." She told him.
"Alright, let's see it." The boy beckoned before the two headed into the shop.
The blonde opened up a case on her work desk, causing steam to release from the pressure sealed object, revealing the weapon that was inside it.
It was a bronze colored four sectioned chain staff, and it looked like the parts meant to be held were made of wood—or at least metal made to look like wood.
"Say hello to the Sacred Treasure: Holy Staff Courechouse." Melissa smiled. "This uses the same technology as the Full Gauntlet but amped up to a more suitable level for a weapon—giving it a special ability called Super Saturation, which will allow you to draw upon 100% of your stolen and stockpiled power and use it to its fullest potential." She added.
"This'll work perfectly." The Fox Sin nodded. "… Would you be able to do the same for a new Full Gauntlet… or a "Full Armor"?" He asked.
"Maybe, but I'd need more durable material." The girl nodded.
"I think I may know a good place to get some of that." Izuku hummed, already thinking of heading back to Purgatory for a mining trip.
After getting a time dilation watch, since his immortality was gone now, of course.
"I'll probably also get Hatsume's help as well." Melissa nodded.
"Someone say my name?!" The salmon haired inventor interjected, appearing out of nowhere.
"Well, I'm outta here." Izuku nodded as he walked away as quickly as possible.
(Later)
Izuku swung his new staff with the same skill he had with his previous staffs, and he started forming an almost atomic Electron shell-like sphere around himself, refusing Ectoplasm the ability to hit him.
"Fox Den: Perfected - Omnidirectional Defense!" He yelled.
It was practically impenetrable. No matter what angle Ectoplasm's clones came from, they were wasted on contact with the sphere.
"Well done." The clone hero nodded.
"Sacred Treasure: Release." The Fox Sin intoned before he started swinging his staff again. "Fox Hunt: Perfected - Nine Tails Lashing!" He yelled as dozens of energy lashes destroyed the clones near him as he kept swinging.
Then he accidentally started destroying the clones helping the rest of his classmates, which startled them a good bit.
"Whoa!" Kirishima yelped.
"What the–?!" Momo gasped.
"What in the world?!" Jiro shouted.
After a moment, Izuku stopped and realized what he did.
"My bad, guys! I didn't think the attacks would go that far!" He called out apologetically.
"That's certainly an interesting support item." Aizawa noted as he approached his student. "What made you want to commission it?" He asked.
"This actually dates back to when I went to I-Island. I put in the request to David after everything was over and done with over there." Izuku explained. "The idea was to have something on hand that could draw out my maximum power with no drawbacks." He continued. "I'm also thinking of reworking my costume to do the same, but that'll come later." He added.
"Would you like to go again, Midoriya?" Ectoplasm asked.
"Yeah, set up twenty clones." The boy nodded as the man did so. Taking a deep breath, the Sin of Greed got his weapon ready again. "Crazy Hunt: Perfected - Black Flash!" He yelled as he disappeared in a flash of green and black, using Full Cowl and Snatch to move—taking the clones out in one move.
"Did he just teleport?" All Might asked as he arrived to see what was up.
"Seems so." Aizawa nodded.
"That Purgatory training has really left a mark not found on anyone else but him. He'll be a powerhouse for villains to dread when he graduates." The retired hero remarked.
"Hmmm." The erasure hero nodded.
"That just leaves three more moves to perfect." Izuku sighed as he stretched.
"Those being?" Ectoplasm questioned.
"Zero Sign: Perfected - Conjuror Joke, Physical Hunt: Perfect - Physical Thief, and Hunter Fest: Perfect - Ultimate Instinct." The boy listed.
"You have a lot planned out." Aizawa noted. "How would you describe these moves?" He questioned.
"Conjuror Joke allows me to use my ability to steal a person's perception long enough for me to swap places with an object or person roughly the size of myself." Izuku explained. "Physical Thief basically makes it where the more my opponent attacks me, the stronger I get." He continued.
"And what about this Ultimate Instinct?" The man asked.
"My body will basically move autonomously in a fight, attacking and defending without conscious thought. This will make me considerably more dangerous in a battle." Izuku explained.
"Acting off of pure instinct. That's risky." All Might noted as he approached his protege.
"Yeah, it's better reserved for when I'm in a solo fight against one or more villains." Izuku shrugged. "It's gonna take some time to learn how to identify friends from foe in that state, too." He added.
"That's what training is for." Aizawa told him.
(Timeskip)
Ochako was walking to the support area with Iida, who was also going there to get his costume upgraded.
"So Uraraka, what upgrades are you hoping to make to your outfit?" The speedster asked as the two walked.
"Something to reduce nausea." The girl replied as they arrived at the door. "Oh, Izuku!" She gasped in surprise.
"Oh, hey guys." The ex-immortal nodded at them as they approached. "Here to get some costume upgrades, too?" He asked.
"Yeah, what about you?" His girlfriend asked.
"Yeah, I was just about to head—." The Sin of Greed began.
BOOM!
Right before a massive explosion blew the door off its hinges and blew him backwards.
"Damn it, Hatsume!" Powerloader exclaimed in irritation.
"Sorry about that! Guess I still have some kinks to work out!" The voice of the salmon haired inventor called back, smoke from the blast obscuring her and Izuku.
"Urgh, son of a bitch, that hurt like the dickens…" Izuku groaned as he sat up.
Boing!
And as he did, his face found itself between two soft and jiggly objects.
"Oh, hey the– AH!" Mei started to say before yelping as Ochako took away her gravity and yeeted her back into the work studio where she crashed into a wall.
"Hands off my boyfriend!" She barked, her eyebrow twitching even as she restored the support course girl's gravity.
"… Your boobs are bigger, just saying that right now." The fox sin groaned as he got up, wobbling a bit as he fell into Ochako's arms, his face in her chest. "Softer too…" He muttered.
Ochako blushed at that, feeling a little better about herself.
(Later)
"Yeah, sorry about that big explosion." Hatsume sighed. "Yeah, I forgot all your names already." She amended.
"I'm Tenya Iida, the one you used as an advertisement dummy in the Sports Festival!" The speedster exclaimed indignantly, his right arm chopping.
"And I'm Izuku MIdoriya, the one whose fame you used to get the attention of the support companies." Izuku added flatly.
"Never heard of either of you!" The crosshair eyed girl exclaimed, causing the two boys to faceplant.
"Hey guys!" Melissa called as she came up to the three.
"Hey Melissa!" Ochako smiled as she ran to and hugged the blonde.
"Hello, Melissa. It's nice to see that you've settled in." The bespectacled speedster nodded in greeting.
"It was pretty rocky at first, but I got the hang of things." The blonde chuckled. "I'm also glad I spent so much time learning Japanese growing up." She added.
"So, I take it you're all here for upgrades?" Powerloader asked.
"In my case I'm here to check on the progress of my requested gear." Izuku nodded.
"Your gear is coming along nicely, and the Purgatory materials you provided are absolutely magnificent." Powerloader replied. "It'll be a few days before the full thing is ready for you." He added.
"I also did what you requested and made it into a full body version of the Full Gauntlet, it'll wrap around your whole body and contour to it as needed." Melissa continued. "It'll fit either on top of or under your costume, you just need to specify which." She added.
"And I added in a special item, Iron Soles." Mei chimed in whilst working.
"For dishing out enhanced kicks?" Izuku guessed.
"Got it in one! Even if you healed from the damage, I did notice your arms were strained, so I figured a makeup attack method would help you in a pinch." The salmon haired girl explained, whilst working.
"Always wanted to try a kick-based fighting style. Guess this gives me an excuse to do that…" The boy nodded before turning to Iida. "Say, Iida, why don't you do something similar?" He asked.
"You mean adopt a punch based fighting style in case my engines are stalled?" Iida asked before his expression turned thoughtful.
"Or put a radiating booster on your arms so you can move just as fast by using your arms to help you do that." Izuku nodded.
"Which I just so happen to have!" Mei exclaimed, and before Iida knew it, he had two booster gauntlets on his arms… Which blasted him into the ceiling, causing him to panic a bit. "Whoops! Too strong!" She exclaimed, turning the boosters off.
"… Back to the drawing board?" Melissa sweatdropped.
"Yep." The eccentric inventor shrugged, a little too used to this.
(Timeskip)
Izuku sighed as he walked down the hall after getting his new costume from the support department.
The main part of the costume was a Purgatory animal leather jacket that was red in color with brown spots, a pair of khaki leather pants made of a similar material, as well as his usual boots—now outfitted with iron soles—and on his wrists were two Full Gauntlet-like bands.
These would extend into a full body suit of armor like said item that stayed under his clothes, and the jacket also had a pocket for his staff.
All in all, he was decked out and ready to kick ass.
"Let's see if I can put this stuff to the test." He said to himself as he got to TDL.
"Hey, Izuku." Taida called as he walked towards the boy, causing Izuku to turn around and see that he looked… Different.
He looked like he went through a growth spurt and now stood in the five foot range, which had forced him to get bigger versions of his clothes. The most notable thing were the dragonfly-like fairy wings growing out of his back.
"You look different." The Fox Sin noted.
"All the training made me go through a growth spurt and made my wings grow out more." The Grizzly Sin shrugged. "You look like you got some new gear." He noted, seeing Izuku's new look.
"Yep. I call it Costume Gama, my newest addition." He replied.
"Let's hope it keeps up." The Grizzly Sin mused.
"I think it will." The ex-Immortal chuckled lightly as they reached their destination.
(Later)
"Hey, Aizawa." All Might chimed in as he came up to the training area.
"All Might. What's up?" The man questioned.
"Just came to see how the kids are doing." The blonde replied as he looked at the 1-A kids, who were still working on their own Ultimate Moves.
"AP Shot!" Katsuki exclaimed, firing a concentrated blast at a cement wall. "Ha Ha! Finally nailed it!" He exclaimed with a grin.
"Show off!" King called as he worked on his ultimate move.
"Well, it's nice to see Young Bakugo is still doing good." The former No. 1 remarked. "Then again, Purgatory did help boost his performance drastically, so that's not much of a surprise." He added.
However, as he mused to himself, a piece of the wall Katsuki blasted cracked away and started falling toward him.
"All Might, look out!" The bomber yelled in alarm.
In a flash of green and red, Izuku leapt into action, his Full Armor covering his body as he readied himself for an axe kick.
With no effort, he kicked the chunk of cement and reduced it to rubble, landing in a superhero pose (ironically).
"Well, I can safely say that my new costume works wonders." He commented with a smirk.
"Wow…" Ochako gasped, looking at Izuku with a blush on her face.
"Nice outfit, Deku! I can see you put those Purgatory leftovers to good use!" Katsuki called with a smirk, seeing the Purgatory demon leather in the Sin of Greed's outfit.
"Yeah! Couldn't let this stuff go to waste, now could I?" The boy called.
"It is rational to make use of such high quality materials." Aizawa nodded.
"I'm still working on my other ultimate moves, so I'm not quite sure if I'm ready just yet." The Sin of Greed admitted.
"Then focus on the ones that are ready for use in the provisional license exam. You can work on the others at a later time." The erasure hero told him. "Trying to complete multiple Ultimate Moves in the timeframe we have is just asking for burnout." He added.
"I'll take that into consideration." Izuku nodded.
Katsuki, meanwhile, was just looking at All Might with a mixture of worry and guilt before he gritted his teeth.
"You watch yourself, All Might!" He barked as he propelled himself away.
Izuku frowned a bit at his words. He could tell something serious was gnawing away at him.
(Timeskip)
"Man! I'm so exhausted!" Mina whined as she fell back on the couch.
"I don't know what you're complaining about." Izuku chuckled, barely looking winded from their training.
"Easy for you to say. You and Bakugo spent a day in Purgatory." Taida huffed.
"A week, numbnuts. Stop downplaying it!" Katsuki barked.
"It's not downplaying! I keep forgetting; fuck off!" The fairy boy snapped back.
"I just want to have a break. Is that too much to ask?" Mina groaned.
"A break, or a rock in the bed?" Izuku questioned with a quirked eyebrow, flipping through tv channels.
"I was wondering the same thing." Ochako smirked, deciding to start a session of teasing Mina.
"Wh-wha–?!" The pink girl yelped with a purple blush. "A-A normal break, you loons!" She snapped.
"Are you sure?" Taida asked with a smirk, deciding to join in the fun.
"Aw come on guys, leave her alone." Jiro groaned.
"You're one to talk, I saw how you were practically mentally undressing Kaminari today!" Izuku heckled.
"Hey!" The punk girl yelped.
"Already thinking about your next round in bed with him, are you?" Ochako teased with the most gremlin-like grin ever.
"Th-Th-Th-This is an injustice! I'm supposed to be the one doing the teasing!" Mina whined comically.
"Ha! This ain't a monopoly!" Katsuki barked at her.
The dismayed whines of Mina and Jiro accompanied by the heckling of Izuku and Ochako continued for some time afterwards.
(Timeskip)
Everyone arrived at the location of the exam, where the HPSC seemed to have set up shop.
"We're gonna have our work cut out for us in this case, aren't we?" Taida asked with a sigh as he floated on his pillow.
"Yes you are." Aizawa replied with a nod. "Other schools will be wanting their license just as much as you, so expect stiff competition." He added.
"Why do I get the feeling that he's not telling us?" Izuku whispered.
"Got me." Katsuki whispered back with a shrug.
"Come on, everyone, let's take it from the top!" Kirishima called.
"I hear ya!" Kaminari grinned.
"PLUS—." The class began before…
"ULTRA!" Someone interjected, causing them to turn and see someone from a different school coming up to them.
The guy was rather tall and had a sailor hat on his head, the hat worn by the rival of UA: Shiketsu.
"Well look at that, our rival school is here." Izuku remarked.
"I heard you guys are from UA! I just wanted to say: It's such an honor to meet you guys!" The guy yelled a little too enthusiastically.
"Oh really?" The Sin of Greed hummed, arms folded.
"The so-called Sin of Greed." Another Shiketsu kid noted. "A degenerate in the company of degenerates. How fitting." He hummed.
"Get some new material." Izuku scoffed dismissively. Seriously, that insult was so generic.
"Shishikura, knock it off. You're not in any position to be judging people who you don't know." A Shiketsu student who was covered in long hair said.
"So you guys are from Shiketsu, huh?" Katsuki asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That's right. So we'll be looking forward to seeing your performance." The teen nodded. "Come on Yoarashi." He said to the taller kid.
"I am so looking forward to all this!" Yoarashi yelled excitedly as he walked off.
"... Was anyone else put off by his enthusiasm?" Kirishima asked with a sweatdrop.
"Eh." Izuku shrugged as someone else approached them.
"Hey, eraser!" A woman called as she walked up to Aizawa.
Izuku looked at the newcomer. She had fair skin and looked to be in her twenties with light green hair and eyes. She was wearing an outfit consisting of a gray sleeveless top, a pair of matching shorts, gloves and boots. She was also wearing an orange bandana.
"Is that who I think it is…?" He whispered to himself.
"What're you doing here, Joke?" The Erasure hero questioned.
"Aw come on, eraser! Don't be like that!" The woman sighed.
That's when things clicked for Izuku.
"Oh, now I remember!" He said to himself, snapping his fingers. "The Laughing Hero: Ms. Joke. She loves making villains laugh hard enough to forget who they're fighting, and she knocks their lights out." He mused with a grin. "Oh man, hearing about her fights is the highlight of anyone's bad day." He chuckled.
He knew what he was talking about, since he's watched news reports on Ms. Joke's fights to subconsciously brighten up his darker days.
"I hear that." Taida nodded with a smile.
"So you're bringing your class to the exam too, huh? What're the odds of us running into each other?" Ms. Joke laughed. "Marry me." She added.
"No." Aizawa rebuked instantly.
"BAHAHAHA! I missed your retorts!" She howled.
"GET A ROOM, YOU TWO!" Izuku called with a shit-eating grin, causing Ms. Joke to laugh even harder while a tick mark appeared on Aizawa's head.
"Yeah, I can see those two together." King nodded.
"Same." Mina nodded with a grin.
"You do realize I can give you detention for that, right?" The underground hero questioned, looking at Izuku.
"Not likely, I don't think Principal Nezu would sign off on us getting detention for heckling you." The Fox Sin rebuked.
"... Damn it…" Aizawa groaned in defeat.
It was at this point that two kids who were presumably with Joke came up to class A.
"So you guys are Class 1-A?" A black haired teen who looked oddly like he could pass for Izuku's twin asked.
"Yeah, who's asking?" Izuku nodded as he faced them.
"Yo Shindo. My friends and I are from Ketsubutsu academy." The teen replied.
"Then I hope you realize you aren't gonna have an easy time with us." Izuku told him, a vulpine smirk forming on his face.
"Likewise." Shindo nodded, shaking his hand.
"Oh hey, you're Ochako Uraraka, right?" The blonde next to Shindo asked the brunette.
"Yeah. What of it?" The gravity girl asked in reply with a raised eyebrow.
"I heard about what happened to you and Midoriya. You're a really lucky girl, having a boyfriend that cares about you that much." The girl replied.
"You sound like you speak from experience." Ochako noted.
"Kind of. I have a boyfriend of my own." She nodded, looking back at Shindo and Izuku. "What you guys have is rare. You should cherish it. I know, it's the little things that keep you together through the hardships in life." She added.
"We plan on it." Izuku nodded resolutely.
"Good man." Shindo smiled, hugging his own girlfriend, Nakagame, close.
(Later)
"Was anyone else expecting to see the HPSC here?" King questioned as they all gathered in a room with all the other applicants.
"Not really." Sato admitted, glancing around and seeing the room full of applicants for the exam.
"Urgh… Okay everyone, listen up." A man who looked like he hadn't slept in days said as everyone turned to face him. "I'm from the HPSC, and I'll be hosting the exam today. Please remain quiet so I can explain things… Man, I could really use a coffee." He yawned.
'Somebody get him the world's comfiest mattress…' Izuku thought with a sweatdrop. Seriously, this guy needed a break before he landed in the hospital from stress—or worse, fell victim to karoshi (death by overworking).
"This guy seriously needs a hot meal, a comfy bed and warm blanket, I swear." King noted, yawning. "Seriously, he's making me feel tired." He added.
"Aren't you always tired?" Tsu asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not the point." The boy retorted.
"Alright. So the preliminary exam is quite simple." The man began. "You'll be tasked with hitting people with these balls on targets that will be on a person's body at any given point." He explained. "The first to get two spots passes." He added.
"So it's like the entrance exam." Kirishima noted.
"To be frank, ever since the arrest of the Hero Killer, the place of heroes in our society has been called into question." The man continued. "Whether they should be paid or not. Honestly, what's the matter with heroes asking for a reward for saving lives? It's how the world works." He admitted.
"Unfortunately…" Izuku whispered to himself. He could see how this whole system had allowed some fake heroes to slip in through the cracks, resulting in a quantity over quality setting.
"That said, we should be clear that only the first 100 will be moving on." The man explained.
"… Fuck." Izuku, Katsuki and Taida cursed in unison.
"Th-That's even less than what we were expecting!" Momo gasped.
"Best try your hardest to win. Get ready." The instructor said as the room around them started unfolding.
Around them were various settings from a mountain-like zone to an industrial area. This was going to make things feel more chaotic.
"Well, this is it." Izuku sighed, getting Courechouse ready.
"Yep." Taida groaned as he turned Chastifol into a spear.
"Go!" The man called as a buzzer sounded, causing everyone to split up.
"Everyone, stick together! We'll be harder for them to pick off!" Izuku barked as he got his Sacred Treasure ready.
"Right!" The majority of the class exclaimed with a nod.
"You can, but I'm heading off!" Katsuki barked. "Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido! With me!" He added.
"On it!" The three in question nodded as they went off with him.
"I'm heading off alone. My quirk isn't safe to use around other people." Shoto added his two cents as he walked off.
"Fuck. Well I guess we're going commando, then." Izuku cursed, the rest of the class converging on him.
As they advanced, they soon came face to face with students from Ketsubushi high.
(Elsewhere)
"So eraser, I noticed that you still have a full class. That's so unlike you." Ms. Joke noted.
"This batch has actual potential, three of them more than most." Aizawa shrugged.
"Oh, so these kids wormed their way into your heart, did they?" The woman hummed.
"No." The Erasure hero deadpanned, causing the woman to laugh.
"But seriously, you didn't tell them about how UA is typically immediately crushed in these exams?" Joke asked.
"I doubt anything would have changed if I had. They'd have to deal with this as pros anyway." Aizawa shrugged. "At UA we tend to look further ahead than other schools—so these kids know what they're getting into." He added.
(Elsewhere)
"Ya know, the thing about your Sports Festival is that you basically gave us intel on how you fight!" Shindo exclaimed with a smirk. "That means we know how to beat you!" He yelled as he and the others threw their balls at them.
However…
"Fox Den: Perfected - Omnidirectional Defense!" Izuku yelled as he swung Courechouse around, covering himself and his classmates while sending the balls back to their senders, even managing to hit the targets on some of them.
"What the–?!" The discount Izuku gasped.
"We gave you intel, did we? You know how to beat us, do you?" The Sin of Greed questioned rhetorically with a smirk. "Well, newsflash: We know things you don't!" He exclaimed. "Break 'em down and make 'em sing, everyone!" He yelled at his classmates.
"Gladly!" The others exclaimed in reply with smirks of their own.
"True Spirit Spear Chastiefol Forms 8, 3, 9 and 2: Increase, Guardian, Sunflower and Pollen Garden!" Taida called as his spear went into four forms at once, with his pollen garden spheres surrounding and protecting his class save Izuku.
The exams were on, and Class 1-A had every intent of passing. They had an edge none of the other schools had.
That being Izuku and Katsuki, who had survived a long time in Purgatory.
Good luck topping that.
"Good work, King." Izuku grinned as he readied his weapon, while Guardian—which was now huge, ripped and had six arms—tried to flatten Nakagame and several other students, while Dark Shadow tried to tear her in half—causing her to retract her body into itself.
"You're not the only one who's gotten stronger." Taida nodded as he floated next to the green haired teen.
"Good news for us." The Fox Sin nodded as he readied his weapon. "Bad news for them." He added.
Practical exam? No, this was no Exam.
It was a war zone.
Dragon Emperor0: Hey guys. Well, this is it. We're finally tackling the last portion of Season 3. It won't be long before we start setting things up for Season 4.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah. With how Izuku is here, and mix that with Katsuki, they're about to pull a Sans and give the other schools a bad time.
Dragon Emperor0: And that's not even touching on how Izuku's going to handle Gang Orca in the second half of the exam. I got something for you: The other students are gonna watch Orca get fucking bodied!
ThermalsniperN7: This is what's gonna happen when you toss in a Purgatory trainee into an exam like this. It's like tossing a military soldier into a middle school game session of any kind; shit gets out of hand.
Dragon Emperor0: Or as the Fat Electrician would say: Be default aggressive, go in, fuck shit up, and deprive the enemy of nice things. Aka: The average marine's daily routine.
ThermalsniperN7: Only it's on a Shonen anime scale. That's more than the average marine's routine. Anyway, see you guys next time.