I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.


Somehow Mineta and Tsuyu survived the misunderstanding with Uraraka, making it to the next day with lighter hearts. The former still didn't know what opportunity would allow him and Midoriya to finally converse… But at least the latter was able to get her feelings across to the five who went to rescue Bakugou. With that, 1A moved onwards to their next goal…

Obtaining their provisional licenses…

Like any license, this would prove 1A had the skill and knowledge necessary to start Hero work. It was going to be difficult; Aizawa even said the success rate was about 50%. But within the last 10 days of summer, their teachers were going to teach them the means to help them succeed. The creation of at least two super moves… And that's the reason why they were standing in UA's Gym Gamma. Or Training and Dining Land, TDL, as Cementoss calls it.

"Alright… As Cementoss readies the field, I'll answer any questions you may have." Aizawa said with a yawn. Iida immediately raised his hand as Mineta came to expect. If you could rely on anyone to ask for exposition, it would be their Class President.

"Could you please explain why making super moves is necessary for us to obtain provisional licenses?"

"To put it simply, it's a demonstration of your best qualities. As you know, Heroes must rescue people from all sorts of peril. And the license exam will be testing the extent of your abilities by throwing you through the grinder. Your insight, agility, judgment, fighting prowess, communication skills, charm, leadership ability… All of this is will be under intense scrutiny." Aizawa began.

"But the thing they'll be biased towards is fighting prowess. And by showing how prepared you are for battle, it'll greatly improve your chances of passing. Think of it like this… If you could resist the sway of a situation and maintain your presence on field, they'll see that you're acting like a real Hero!" Midnight continued, flashing a daring smile to 1A.

"And as a side note… Not all super moves have to be offensive in nature. Iida's recipro burst, for example, could be classified as a super move for its temporary but devastating speed boost." Ectoplasm finished. Iida twitched as he clutched at his chest, shivering as he held his head high.

"Worthy of a super move…? I'm touched that you think so…"

"Oh, I see… It's something to 'give us an edge' and potentially end the fight right then and there. Like Kamui Wood's Lacquer Prison? " Satou asked, hand on his chin.

"Exactly… Now your Quirk Training at the Forest Lodge was supposed to gear you towards this. But with the way things are, we'll just have to pick up the slack over these next 10 days. Additionally, you'll need to come up with costume upgrades that'll best suit your strengthened Quirk and new super moves. It won't be easy… But if you all managed to pull through, I might reward you all with something special." Aizawa answered, his glare stoking the spirits of his students.

But what tripped up several of them was his last statement. Mineta was especially bewildered, knowing his old master wasn't exactly the gift giving type. But who knows? Maybe recent events had given the scraggly cat man a change of heart. It had already affected some of them one way or another…

"Awww, did the love bug get you Aizawa-sensei?" Hagakure cooed.

"No. Now get to work." Aizawa answered flatly, wearing an expression deader than normal. Now there's the teacher they've come to know.

"Okay…" Hagakure murmured as 1A began scattering. They've each chosen a platform to train on as a copy of Ectoplasm met them. And from there, they started working with the clone on developing their super moves or refining their normal ones. It was practically an all-out battlefield with the way everyone was sparring…

Or at least, that's what the rest of 1A was doing. Mineta, on the other hand, was standing around, waiting for his Ectoplasm clone to show up.

"This can't be right… He should've been here from the start. And I doubt Ectoplasm miscounted when he was making his clones… The man's our math teacher for crying out loud!" Mineta thought as he paced around his empty training space. He immediately stopped upon sensing sharp eyes on his back. The shorter boy drew his baton and turned to guard, bracing himself for whatever's next.

Something heavy struck his weapon before kicking off of it, knocking Mineta to the ground. But when he sat up and saw what hit him, the shorter boy wished he stayed down.

"It's been a while since we did this… Don't disappoint me…"

Standing before him was the media shunning, cat loving, bone breaking Erasure Hero… 1A's homeroom teacher and his former master, Aizawa Shouta was here and ready for combat. Mineta slowly got up, mouth agape and eyes practically out of their sockets. Was… Was he going to personally train him? Again!? Why? What prompted this sleep deprived bagworm to do this?

"If you have any questions, it's best if we get it out of the way first." Aizawa said as he relaxed his stance.

"Why are you training me instead of Ectoplasm?" Mineta asked. It was only after he finished speaking that the shorter boy remembered how their interactions worked. If he asked stupid questions, Aizawa would most certainly give a stupid answer.

"I'm doing it because I can. Besides, I've got to repay you for that lovely response back at the forest lodge." Aizawa answered as cracked his knuckles.

"Really!? That's just plain petty!" Mineta protested as he readied himself. At this point, there's no escaping from Aizawa's hands-on teaching and Mineta knows this. However, that doesn't mean he isn't going to take this lying down. The Erasure Hero then put his goggles over his eyes, his capture scarf floating at the ready.

"Eh, there are worse reasons to start a fight… But enough talk, have at you." Aizawa replied before leaping forward. Mineta backed off and plucked a hairball from his head. He then tossed it to where his teacher was going to land. But like Stain, Aizawa shifted his footing at the last moment and evaded the sticky object. He then charge forward, closing the distance before Mineta could react.

Aizawa began to throw out punches and kicks that seamlessly flowed from one move to another. But unlike Fenghuang's Flowing Taiji, Mineta could see openings to attack or escape through. However, knowing Aizawa, those openings were probably feints. All he could do was keep his guard up until he found the opportunity. But seeing how the shorter boy was slowly losing ground, it'll only be a matter of time before he's forced off the edge.

"Got to get out of here! Use your training, your surroundings! Think like a rat!" Mineta thought as he parried Aizawa's right straight. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, only to remember that this was a mostly empty platform with a few stray rocks. And even those rocks were currently out of his reach.

Honestly, if it hadn't been for his compact size, Mineta would've been pulped five times over.

Mineta continued to lose ground until Aizawa performed a rather peculiar combo. He threw out a left cross. And when the shorter boy leaned out of the way, the Erasure Hero used the momentum to go into a turning back kick. Mineta didn't know why he would use such risky move. If he dodged in the direction of his back, Mineta could attempt the 'Bakugou cling'.

Alternatively, Mineta could simply run and gain distance before setting down some hairballs to use. If there was one thing Midoriya, Aizawa, and Fenghuang collectively and repeatedly taught him… It was that his 'Pop Off' Quirk's power lies in its quantity and flexible deployment.

"No time to think! Just go!" Mineta thought. He rolled in the direction of Aizawa's back, evading the kick. And once he found himself back on his feet, the shorter boy took the tactical retreat route. He needed the time to spread–!?

Something wrapped itself around Mineta's chest… And before the shorter boy could check what it was, a strong force pulled him back and threw him into the air. He didn't even look to know he was over the edge of the platform. Also, Mineta didn't need to look to realize Aizawa had caught him with his capture scarf. The man must've used the rest of his kick's momentum to pivot towards the fleeing Mineta. And thus, allowing him to easily snag the shorter boy.

"I should've gone for the cling…" Mineta grumbled before a strong force pulled him back. And the moment he looked to see why, his torso met the rather sturdy arm of his former master. Honestly, the pain wasn't too bad since Aizawa 'caught' him… But man was Mineta going to feel that for a good while.

"Alright, I've gotten a feel for your abilities… Though you could now defend yourself, you're still not built for a straight fight." Aizawa commented as he put his student down.

"Yeah, thanks for telling me something I already know… I've got to plan ahead, lure enemies into traps, and snipe them with pitches from out of sight… But I do have things for close quarters. I've got to use quick but sound judgement and reflex to make things more favorable for myself…" Mineta answered as Aizawa un-wrapped him.

"Then why didn't you do that? I presented my back to you and yet you chose to retreat. Had you latched onto me instead, I would've been in real trouble. I mean, even Bakugou and All Might had problems removing you once you got on." Aizawa replied, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. Mineta scratched his head and thought about it. While it worked in two cases, the shorter boy wouldn't count those as a complete success…

For Bakugou, Mineta threatened him with 'losing the race' to force him to comply.

As for All Might, the man jumped into a tree with force and crushed Mineta with his back.

There was also the fact that neither of them got stuck, despite the number of hairballs on them.

Then there was Stain, who Mineta didn't even attempt to cling to. So many hairballs littered that alleyway, making the move super ideal… But with how that battle went, the shorter boy knew the Hero Killer wasn't about to put himself in a situation where he showed his back. Plus, once Mineta made the jump, he wouldn't be able to dodge or block any counter-attack.

And against that blade wielding manic, it wouldn't be worth the risk.

"Whatever it is you're thinking, quit it." Aizawa said, dragging Mineta back to the present. The scraggly man then crouched down to Mineta's level, shifting his goggles to ensure proper eye contact.

"You believe that move's nothing more than a gimmick, aren't you?" Aizawa asked.

"Well… Out of all the times I used it, no-one actually got stuck to the balls like I hoped. Bakugou and All Might somehow avoided that fate with either precision or luck. So do you blame me for thinking like that?" Mineta replied with a shrug. Aizawa stared at the shorter boy before pinching the bridge of his nose, giving Mineta a sense of foreboding doom.

And that usually meant an incoming lecture.

"And he doesn't remember what he accomplished... Either it's the self-depreciation talking or All Might hit him harder than we thought." Aizawa grumbled in frustration. He then removed his hand from his face and placed it on Mineta's shoulder. The weight of his experience pouring into the shorter boy…

"How did you use your Quirk during Sports Festival preliminary events?"

"Uhhh… I got past the race by hitching a ride off Bakugou. Then I used my hairballs to attach headbands to Tsuyu." Mineta answered, brow raised at Aizawa's inquiry.

"Let me be more specific… How did you get second place in the race? And how did your team deal with Kendo's team?"

The shorter boy stopped and reflected on those questions. It's been a while since he thought about the Sports Festival, so that could've explained the unsatisfactory answers. But as he recalled what happened, Mineta slowly came to realize what Aizawa was getting at…

For the Obstacle Race, he momentarily hindered Bakugou and Todoroki by gluing them together.

For the Cavalry Battle, he created an opening for Tsuyu to take Kendo's headband.

In all these cases, Mineta had created an advantage by being a massive nuisance. Hindering the enemy by invading or forcing others into their personal space… Prying open an enemy's defenses for allies to attack… If he combined this with his classic 'precise throws to immobilize enemies the moment they move' maneuver, Mineta could cause a lot of chaos.

Like, pest in a crowded room levels of chaos.

"I've got one problem though… Kendo and All Might somehow avoided grabbing them despite having large hands. I had to force Bakugou into Todoroki for them to stick. And Midoriya stopped me before I could cling to him during the tournament. Wouldn't some variant of that happen every time I use it?" Mineta asked, leaving his thoughts.

"Perhaps… But you've got to remember, they're the exception and not the rule. Your average Villain wouldn't have the level of dexterity and awareness the others exhibited. Hell, you could probably trap a top Hero if you knew what you're doing. I mean, All Might was almost stuck to that tree." Aizawa answered before standing up again.

"It's because I was in the way, wasn't I?"

"Correct, but that's not the point we should be focusing on right now. Right now, we need to focus on polishing the moves and mindset that Fenghuang taught you. Because once you perfect this and learn new moves to support it, you'll be the biggest nuisance of your generation." Aizawa said as he pulled his goggles over his eyes again. He then created some distance between them before taking a fighting stance once more.

"Ready Mineta?"

"Embracing the rat within, take two…" Mineta muttered as he took a deep breath. He then readied his baton again, taking the stance that's now second nature to him. The shorter boy furrowed his brows as he stared down Aizawa with a calm determination.

"Ready sir!"


And that has been Chapter 83!

Man, it's been a while since we had some one on one time between Mineta and Aizawa. And of course, our favorite bag worm is going to put the poor boy through some serious shit now that he's more equipped. And the next chapter will be focusing on ways of fighting that Mineta has yet to figure out. But what does Aizawa mean by reward? Stay tuned to find out...

I don't have any other news to tell you, so...

Until Next Time. T1.