"Attack!" - Regular Speech

'It isn't working!' - Thoughts

{My Noble Master} – Sword Spirit Communication

"Bankai!" - Spiritual Technique Usage

Beta'd by BigCC

Chapter 7: Sparring and Shikai

The Next Day

Classroom, U.A. Swordmaster Academy

'So normal!'

That was the unspoken opinion shared by the near-entirety of the Swordmaster Course as they went through their first real day of classes. Math, English, Classical Japanese…it was all so very normal that it was hard to believe they were in a Swordmaster Academy.

Yes, all of their instructors were Swordmasters; Yamada Hizashi (call-sign: President Mic) taught English, Ectoplasm taught Mathematics, and Kurose Anan (call-sign: Thirteen) taught Classical Japanese. The only real difference between the Swordmaster Course and a regular high school was their morning Kenjutsu Practice (which occurred an hour before the 'actual' classes began); which had seen them all swinging weighted training swords a set number of times under Aizawa's critical gaze.

One class that all of them were looking forward to on some level was Sparring Practice; which would be taking place after lunch. Izuku, while as excited as most of his peers, still had some level of…trepidation about the upcoming class. Ever since he'd awakened his Spirit Sword, he had only ever sparred against Yagi-sensei, not counting his match during the practical exams of course, and the elder Swordmaster had reflexes that were completely beyond human. In all their spars, Izuku had never come close to landing a single hit of any sort against him; Yagi had even gone so far as to have a phone conversation with someone mid-spar once and Izuku had still been utterly unable to touch the older man.

Yeah, his mentor could be a bit of a bastard when it came to training.

He was also still having trouble adjusting to actually being pretty popular with his classmates. His success in figuring out Aizawa-sensei's little ruse yesterday had earned him an excited hug from the ever-energetic Mina and a profuse amount of thanks from Kaminari. The rest of the Swordmaster Course hadn't been quite as…enthusiastic in their thanks, but most had still thanked him or at least congratulated him on figuring it out. The only exceptions had been Shōto Todoroki, who had been utterly indifferent, Monoma Neito (the guy that Aizawa-sensei had called out for trying to ferment a rivalry between the classes or something) who'd just glowered at him from the side muttering about him 'stealing the spotlight', and Bakugō, who had merely scowled at him as he stomped off.

The last hadn't been much of a surprise, really.

The previous night, the ones who knew how to cook (aside from Bakugō) had all worked together to whip up a little feast to celebrate the official start of their time at U.A.. It had been quite the interesting little celebration, to say the least.

Izuku had spent the majority of it chatting among Itsuka, Ochako, Ashido, and Momo, with Tsunotori quickly gravitating toward Momo due to her being the most skilled in the English language, though she was pleasantly surprised to find that Izuku wasn't particularly bad at English (comparable to Tsunotori's skill in Japanese really) and the two had actually helped each other improve with their respective languages over the evening.

As a whole, the start of his 'high school experience' was actually going pretty great…aside from, once again, being put in the same class as Bakugō; but that was a burden that Izuku had long gotten used to dealing with. It had happened every year since kindergarten, so he'd had literal years to get used to it.

'I just hope that the way Aizawa-sensei was glancing between me and Bakugō yesterday doesn't mean what I think it does.' the green-haired boy thought tiredly as he finished writing the answer to the question into his workbook, having used a bit of his lunch break to get an early start on his homework. He'd had teachers like Aizawa-sensei before, the ones that preferred to see people in action before making any judgements on them. The ones that liked to use a sink or swim philosophy rather than trying to build people up carefully from the ground up.

The Kendo Instructor back at Aldera had been much the same. He'd constantly paired him and Katsuki together in sparring practice in the hopes that they'd 'work out their difference physically.' Whether the man was actually trying to help or not, all that had resulted in was Izuku being on the receiving ends of near-constant beatings from a malevolently gleeful Bakugō wielding a shinai.

Even wearing their kendo armour, those had never been a pleasant experience.

And now Aizawa-sensei was giving off a vibe far too similar to that man's for his comfort. He was hoping that that wasn't the case but…if it was, then he'd have to have words with Yagi-sensei. Izuku was done being used as a punching bag to make Bakugō Katsuki look good or further his education.

Later

First Year Sparring Hall

"As a reminder, all of you are explicitly forbidden from using Shikai during these matches." Aizawa stated coldly. "I know your dorm supervisors have already gone over this, but be ready to hear this quite a few more times: Shikai are strictly forbidden from use outside of literal emergency situations, or while you are under specified, tightly monitored guidance from your Swordmaster instructors. Shikai are immensely dangerous and most can easily be lethal with even a slight accident; until we are completely certain of your control, you will not be permitted to use them against another human being for both your safety and theirs."

Sekijirō let out a resigned sigh before taking over from his fellow instructor. "Today were are going to pair you for one-on-one spars so we can get a good look at your current level of skill. Just like during the entrance exams, a Spiritual Formation will be active to prevent any serious injuries, and you will all pick up an armband from that table over there that will prevent you from doing any lasting harm to each other."

The sour, disgruntled expression that crossed Bakugō Katsuki's face, combined with the one on Midoriya's face that mixed relief and mounting wariness, was already setting off several alarm bells for Aizawa. The image that Aizawa had been getting of the two boys former relationship since he first read their files and viewed their interactions during the Orientation Ceremony, which had already been fairly grim, was starting to get even darker.

A part of him briefly considered defaulting to the 'Plan B' that Sekijirō had forcibly included into their lesson plan for today, but Aizawa quickly and ruthlessly quashed the urge. Being a Swordmaster was a path filled with hardships, if something like an overly aggressive classmate was going to dissuade you, you shouldn't be walking the path in the first place.

As for Bakugō, this was an issue that was going to need immediate and likely extensive work in order to correct, but in order to do that he needed clear and obvious evidence of wrongdoing rather than gut feelings and a few glares and harsh words. He'd already looked into the blonde teen's record and it was clean…far too clean as a matter of fact. Every single student in the Swordmaster Course had at least a single incident of losing control of their powers at one time or another, save for Midoriya, which was understandable since he'd had his for less than a year and had the benefit of advanced and rigorous one-on-one training to compensate for his late start. A boy as obviously aggressive as Bakugō should at least have a few incidents on his earlier records, particularly shortly after his own awakening when it was expected for him not to have complete control of his Reiryoku, but there was nothing.

It stank of deliberate doctoring or sanitization to Aizawa's instincts. Like someone had gone through and thoroughly wiped his records clean.

"Hagakure, Tsunotori, you're up first." he ordered gruffly once all of the students had their armbands on and the Spiritual Formations were activated. Aside from Bakugō and Midoriya's match, these would all be randomized matches, though he wouldn't put it past Nezu to have stuck his twitchy nose into it to try and keep things 'interesting.'

"Aw man…" Tōru grumbled as she drew her Spirit Sword, a tantō with a white tsukamaki, while the tsuba looked to be made of glass with engraved circles on it. "Pony-chan has a katana! I've never won against someone with a longer blade!"

The blond American tilted her head to the side in a perplexed way. Why had someone with such a clear issue with the language barrier had applied to U.A. instead of studying in the US? Aizawa shook his head as he regarded her Spirit Sword. It was a beautiful example of a katana, with a red tsukamaki and tsuba decorated with what looked like the imprint of a hoof of some kind.

"That is something that we will need to work on in your training going forward." stated Aizawa pointedly. "For now, you still have to spar."

Despite her protests, the match was actually not a bad one. Hagakure proved to particularly light on her feet and had good reflexes, but she needed to hone her precision and build up her strength to compensate for her blade's shorter length. Tsunotori on the other hand was very technically skilled but needed to loosen up and try not to simply replicate her practice kata so exactly. He called the spar after five minutes with no clear winner before calling the next pair forward.

"Shinsō, Tsuburaba, you're on the floor."

"…great." Shinsō sighed out as he stepped forward and drew his Spirit Sword, a wakizashi with a plain grey tsukamaki and a rounded metal tsuba decorated by four…eyes? The kid honestly looked almost as dead on his feet as Aizawa usually did, something that had prompted Hizashi and Nemuri to start making jokes about Aizawa's love life.

Ugh, why did he ever bother with friends, again?

Tsuburaba just grinned confidently as he walked out onto the mat, drawing his own Spirit Sword in the process. His was a standard katana with a pale blue tsukamaki and a plain metal square tsuba.

This match ended far more quickly. The moment the match started, Shinsō had rushed forward and attacked with a speed and economy of movement that was honestly impressive. It certainly caught Tsuburaba off guard, the boy had clearly not expected his opponent to take such aggressive actions considering his normal demeanour. It was even worse since Shinsō was using the exact same strategy that Hagakure had used in the last match.

The shorter the blade, the closer you have to be to your opponent to use it with optimum efficiency. Inversely, the longer the blade, the more distance that you needed to fight at your best. Getting inside of a katana's striking range was one of the best ways for someone using a shorter blade to overcome their reach disadvantage. It was a common sense for anyone who routinely wielded a shorter blade, but for most who used regular katana would never think about it unless they were fighting an opponent far larger than themselves or they ended up facing someone with a longer blade like a nodachi.

It looks like he was going to need a few lessons on basic combat pragmatism for some of these kids. Not surprising, he'd had to do that every year since he started teaching, but still disappointing.

"Yaoyorozu, Kaibara; you're up." he called after Shinsō successfully managed to disarm Tsuburaba.

"Hai, sensei." Yaoyorozu agreed primly, drawing her Spirit Sword and striding onto the mat. Her tsukamaki was an interesting mix of intertwined red and black, while the tsuba was decorated with an engraving of a tree of some kind in flower. A cherry blossom tree, perhaps? No, the flowers were the wrong shape…

"Man." Kaibara grumbled under his breath as he drew his wakizashi Spirit Sword. Like Yaoyorozu's own blade, it was a dual-coloured tsukamaki, although that it was a bit harder to notice this from a distance since the colours involved were white and cream. The tsuba was circular and seemed to have elaborate swirling lines engraved into it. "This bites."

Kaibara attempted to pull off the same strategy that Hagakure and Shinsō had used to good effect in the previous matches, but Yaoyorozu had obviously received some very thorough training and refused to let her opponent get into her reach. The match ended when Kaibara attempted a lunge to try and push through Yaoyorozu's guard only to be disarmed and have her blade levelled at his throat.

"Asui, Kodai; you two are up." Aizawa droned out as he made a few notes to have Kaibara do some extra drills with a weighted sword. The boy needed to increase his speed and strengthen his grip.

Asui merely nodded as she stepped onto the mat and drew her wakizashi, which had a dark green tsukamaki, with a lilypad-shaped tsuba decorated with leaping frog patterns. Her face was blank as usual.

"Hm." Kodai let out a quiet hum as she drew her Spirit Sword. It was a standard katana, with a dual-coloured tsukamaki, sand yellow and black, with a seemingly plain, circular tsuba, but Aizawa could make out small lines engraved on it. She was also fairly blank-faced.

The fight that followed was far more strategic and cautious than the previous matches. To most of the observing student it had likely been a fairly boring fight, but Aizawa made quick note that both girls were clearly the types that fought with their heads rather than raw musculature, which was pleasantly surprising. Tactical thinkers were fairly rare at their age, so he'd have to encourage that way of thinking, though he'd also need to ensure they didn't ignore their physical training as well.

The Guild may not need any more power idiots like Yagi, but all the brains in the world wouldn't save you if you didn't have the muscle to put your plans into action.

"Todoroki, Mashirao, you two are next." Aizawa directed once the match timed out at five minutes.

"Sir." Todoroki nodded absently as he drew his Spirit Sword, a nodachi, and advanced to the mat. His sword had a dual-coloured tsukamaki, ice-blue and white. The tsuba was hexagonal, with images of snowflakes and ice crystal on it. Needless to say, despite being the same type of sword as his father's, its aesthetics couldn't be more different.

"This might be a bit tricky…" Mashirao muttered as he drew his own blade. It was a standard katana with a white and black tsukamaki, while the tsuba was a plain diamond shape.

The match that followed was actually surprisingly even; Todoroki rigidly held to a defensive stance for the majority of the match while blocking and deflecting all of Mashirao's attacks. The boy was obviously holding himself back from even attempting to take an offensive action. If that proved to be a pattern in the future, then Aizawa would have to take actions to find out the cause and deal with it. For now, he at least had a baseline to work with.

"Kirishima, Yōsetsu, you're up."

"Manly!" the redhead declared as he drew his blade. His Spirit Sword was a kodachi, with a deep crimson tsukamaki that was the same shade as his hair, while the tsuba was a plain steel square.

"I'm really not good with these hot-headed types…" Yōsetsu grumbled unhappily as he moved to draw his own sword. For the first time, they had a pair with the same type of sword, as Yōsetsu's Spirit Sword was also a kodachi. It had a steel-blue and grey tsukamaki, with a plain, circular steel tsuba.

Kodachi were midway between a wakizashi and a katana in length and were known by the nickname of the 'shield-sword' as they made excellent weapons to use defensively. Kodachi were likely the weapons that the ninjatō, a sword that people thought of as being a ninja sword, was based on. They were also very difficult to use effectively, so most people used them as a last resort. In this case, however…

Kirishima attacked, a grin on his face that plainly unsettled Yōsetsu, which was something to work on. Not being able to handle facing down a particular personality type could end up being an issue in the field. The match ended rather quickly after that, with Kirishima knocking his opponent's sword out of his hand.

"Satō, Yanagi, you're next."

"Gotcha." Satō nodded as he stepped forward and drew his sword. His Spirit Sword was a standard katana, with a plain brown tsukamaki and a square tsuba with an ox-head engraved on it. He positively towered over his opponent.

"Lo and behold, my opponent rises before me, like a mighty tower." Yanagi intoned mellowly as she drew her Spirit Sword. It was a wakizashi, with a purple and cream tsukamaki, and a plain, rectangular tsuba.

This match was another quick one, but for very different reasons. Despite having a clear advantage in size, reach, and power, Satō was quickly given the runaround by his far faster and more sure-footed opponent before being disarmed when he overextended himself. Looks like someone was going to need a lot of speed and flexibility drills in the future.

"Midoriya, Bakugō, you two are on deck." Aizawa called and damn him if the look of accusation that Midoriya sent him wasn't sharp. It soon melted away into an expression of fatalistic acceptance as he strode forward to the mat and drew his Spirit Sword. It was a standard katana, with an emerald green and cream tsukamaki, with a hexagonal tsuba, designed with a lattice instead of it being solid, with little batons half an inch long lying haphazardly atop it.

Bakugō just broke into a vicious grin that spoke of sadistic satisfaction as he strutted toward the mat, unlimbering his own Spirit Sword as he came. His Spirit Sword was a nodachi, with a burnt-orange and crimson red tsukamaki, as well as a round tsuba decorated with…fire? Explosions? One of the two.

"Ready to lose, Deku?" he sneered as he assumed the jōdan-no-kamae, the most aggressive of the five basic kendo stances.

"Not really. How about you, Dandelion Head?" Midoriya replied airily, though his eyes were narrowed and his face determined. This all came as a surprise, Midoriya's own file had painted the boy as being particularly…placid, unwilling or unable to take any form of aggressive action against someone like Bakugō, and yet here he was talking smack.

As several of the watching students loudly snickered at the jab, a vein began to pulse on Bakugō's forehead and his crimson eyes glowed faintly. "I'm going to make you regret that, Deku." he growled out.

"I honestly regret waking up this morning since I'm going to have to deal with you, my day can't get any worse than that." the verdette replied blandly as he assumed the gedan-no-kamae.

"Aizawa, I told you this was a bad idea." Sekijirō whispered sharply to him, eyes still locked on the two teens. "There's definitely something more than a middle school rivalry going on here. These two might actually try and kill each other."

"Then it's better we get it out in the open here and now, where we can keep them from doing any real harm to each other, than waiting and having it blow up somewhere else." Aizawa answered quietly before he spoke aloud. "Start!"

With a snarl, Bakugō charged forward towards his target, blade rising high before going down in a powerful vertical slash toward the green-haired boy. Midoriya replied with a perfect overhand parry before twisting his sword to the side to knock the larger sword aside and then lashing out with a quick stab as a riposte.

The blonde-haired boy responded instantly, taking a quick step back to dodge before trying to maximize his reach and bring his blade around to bear on his opponent again. Midoriya, however, was smart enough to not let his opponent reopen the distance and kept close to his foe.

"Back the fuck off, shitty Deku!" Katsuki snarled out as he next strike was deflected.

"What kind of idiot would change a strategy that's working?" the verdette retorted simply.

"Worthless, useless, fucking turd!" the blonde howled abuse as he hopped backward and brought his nodachi around in a wide slice aimed at the waist, only for Midoriya to once again block it perfectly.

'Interesting, Midoriya seems to know exactly the kind of attack that Bakugō is going to use before his opponent even starts to swing. His level of competence and skill are also surprising for someone with less than a year of formal training.' Aizawa thought with a begrudging amount of respect. 'Bakugō on the other hand definitely isn't used to having someone actually fight back with him on an even footing. His form is generally good, but it's sloppy and unpolished in places. He definitely has power and speed, but he lacks control and is too aggressive. His defence is also lacking. There's talent there, no doubt about that, and his overall skill level is good, but he's got all the hallmarks of a prodigy that's been on the top for too long and has gotten complacent. Another 'king of the hill', that's just great. Why do I have a feeling that breaking this one's ego down to a manageable level is going to be a pain?'

Sadly, youngsters like Bakugō were all too common in the Swordmaster world. Those kids that were gifted with natural talents or strength to the point that they had no rivals in their little slices of the world. The ones that came to believe unquestionably that they were special or different or just plain better than anyone else in the world; when in the truth they were just a few steps ahead. Dozens of those kind of kids applied to U.A. every year and ended up failing, overcome by those who had worked to hone their abilities and gained strength beyond what those 'talented' few could achieve on their own. Sometimes one like Bakugō proved to be good enough to get in, and then it became the faculty's responsibility to introduce them to the truth of the world.

The world was a very big place, and no matter how much talent you were born with, there was always someone better out there.

Bakugō, meanwhile was fighting as hard as he could, but this little bastard of a DEKU wasn't going down! What the fuck was going on?!

"You still don't get it, do you!?" Deku shouted as he smacked away Katsuki's sword aside yet again. "How many times did that idiot teacher at Aldera force us to spar and 'work out our difference' without doing anything to limit your Reiryoku so we could fight on an even ground!? How many times was I forced to do nothing but try and keep up my guard as you pummelled me, Bakugō!? Nearly every fucking day for over two goddamned years! There isn't a single one of your attack patterns that I haven't seen, felt and memorized! And this time, we both have Reiryoku to make us stronger and faster, so we're finally on an even keel! That's why I'm going to WIN!"

'This fucking shit! He's fucking MOCKING ME!' Katsuki roared out in his own mind. How dare that worthless weakling act like his Reiryoku was the only reason he won. In all of his life, no one had ever insulted him like this, no one had dared to call him out like this. This worthless little pebble dared think he could stand in the way of Bakugō Katsuki's rise? Hell The Fuck NO!

With a murderous roar echoing out of his lips, Katsuki surged forward, throwing away any trace of formal discipline and training in exchange for a berserker's strength, speed, and ferocity.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!

"The hell?" Itsuka frowned as Bakugō suddenly roared like some feral animal and charged her new friend with utter murder glowing in his eyes. "What is wrong with that guy!?"

"Blonde boy is not nice. He very, very angry at Midoriya." Pony frowned in confusion. "Why? Midoriya seem really nice."

"I don't know, but the way that Bakugō is behaving is quite disgraceful." Momo stated, eyeing the feral boy uneasily. "A Swordmaster should always be in control of themselves, not…that."

"He's a bully, and bullies always start lashing out when things don't go their way." Mina snorted with more than a bit of disdain. "All of them have oh-so-fragile egos. The second they find the world isn't willing to kiss their ass anymore, they lose their shit and try to take it out on somebody else."

"Why aren't the teachers doin' anything?" Ochako asked, glaring hard at Aizawa, who was stoically watching the 'match.' "Ain't this the kind of thing they're supposed to step in and stop?"

"They're supposed to, yes." Momo agreed, her eyes narrowing at their sensei as well. "Sekijirō-sensei looks distinctively uncomfortable about this…I think Aizawa-sensei must have some kind of plan and has persuaded him to go along with it."

"C'mon, Izuku! Kick his stupid ass!" Itsuka decided to be constructive and cheered her friend on.

"The hell did you say, bitch!?" Katsuki snarled, whipping his head around to glare at her.

Izuku didn't hesitate to take advantage of the momentary distraction. Reversing his grip on his Spirit Sword, he leapt forwards and rammed the butt of his weapon, the tsuka, right into the centre of Bakugō Katsuki's diaphragm, the solar plexus.

"Guh…gah…!" Bakugō hacked and choked as the breath in his lungs was swiftly and forcibly ejected in a single instant. Against his will, his body collapsed onto its knees as the fucking Deku stepped back. One hand hit the ground as he caught himself on the floor, forcing him to kneel in front of that damned, shitty, fucking Deku as he desperately tried to get air back into his lungs.

"Winner, Midoriya." the raggedy, hobo-looking bastard called out blandly.

The fucker took another step back and he didn't even have to look up to know that the worthless little bastard was smiling. Then he heard those stupid bitches that Deku had surrounded himself with started cheering and it was like someone was pouring salt into his every wound. He would not be treated like this! He was Bakugō Katsuki! He was born to be the best and greatest, to become the next number one! He was better than all of these fucking worthless extras and nothings, especially that helpless, worthless nothing of a DEKU and he was going to prove that right here and now!

"Fucking…bastard!" using his sword as to force himself back to his feet, Katsuki glared bloody murder at the bastard who'd dared to force him to kneel. "Deku…!"

"My name is Midoriya Izuku." the green-haired little shit had the audacity to glare back. "Learn it…Kacchan."

The use of that stupid fucking nickname from a time he'd sooner forget was what broke the final thread of self-control he had left. With another roar, a deep orange glow flared across Katsuki's body before the feeling of dense and wild Spiritual Energy suddenly filled the room, making several of the less spiritually powerful students choke. Midoriya's own hair ruffled like it was caught in a non-existent wind as he was suddenly slammed with the full weight of Bakugō Katsuki's powerful, aggressive soul

"Th-this is…" Monoma choked out.

"R-Reiatsu…Spiritual Pressure!" Kendō called out. "Quickly, protect yourselves by using your own as a shield!"

"DEKU!" Katsuki howled in a murderous fury. "YOU…WILL…PAY!"

Snapping his sword up, Bakugō switched it into a reverse grip and ran a finger down the length of the blade. Once he reached the midpoint, he stopped.

"Unare, Bakuga! (Snarl, Explosive Fang!)" he shouted, and swept the finger down the rest of the blade length in one quick motion. Then the blade exploded.

It literally exploded! Tongues of flame and smoke swirled around Bakugō as he tossed the handle up into the air before it detonated as well, completely covering him in smoke and fire for a brief moment before it suddenly swirled and surged back into his waiting hand, reforming into a new weapon. A hilt of plain black metal appeared first, with glowing orange lines pulsing horizontally down its length onto the blade. The blade itself was about twenty-four inches long and blunt-edged with only the tip bearing a razor-sharp point. Where the blade met the handle, a curved hook emerged from one side of the blade, engraved with a pair of glowing orange kanji.

The kanji were '爆発' (Explosion).

As Bakugō grabbed the modified kabutowari out of the air and brandished it menacingly, Ochako voiced what everyone was thinking. "That's his Spirit Sword's Shikai...!?"

"Aizawa, I swear if you don't stop this right the fuck now, I will go straight to Nezu and…!" Sekijirō hissed at his partner.

"Knock yourself out." Aizawa replied blandly, though his eyes were darting between the explosive boy and the stupefied and paralysed face of one Midoriya Izuku. Apparently, Bakugō's actions were far beyond even the worst that the other boy had been expecting.

"I've had more than fucking enough of your damned mockery, you worthless little Deku!" Katsuki snarled as small sparks of orange light hissed and popped across his form and released sword. "It's far past time that I remind you just what you are; nothing but a pebble on my path to greatness!"

That familiar line of insults was enough to break past Midoriya's shock, his expression slowly but surely shifting into one of frustrated anger. "Bakugō…"

"Pebbles don't fucking talk!" Katsuki snarled as he rushed toward Midoriya once more.

By this time Itsuka, Momo, Ochako, Pony, and Mina all looked ready to run forward and try and break up the brewing conflict on their own. However, before they could move, Aizawa activated a hidden Spiritual Formation beneath the border of the mats that formed a wall of Spiritual Energy that kept anyone from interfering.

Izuku managed to block the first slice of his former friend's Shikai with his own sword, only to blink as Bakugō suddenly leapt backwards right after his attack.

"IZUKU! YOUR SWORD!" Itsuka shouted, causing every eye in the room to suddenly turn to Midoriya's Spirit Sword. From the point where Bakugō's Shikai had impacted the blade, extended a Lichtenberg Figure of glowing orange energy spreading outward in every direction. Seconds later, the mass of glowing energy detonated loudly in a surge of heat, force and smoke, causing shouts and screams to echo from the watching students.

Fortunately, the armband had managed to keep the attack from affecting Izuku, but the effort had left it utterly shredded, leaving him defenceless.

"Tch, lucky little bastard." Katsuki clicked his tongue in annoyance. "The next time Bakuga sinks his teeth in you will be the last time."

"I see…so you really are ready to go this far just to keep your precious ego intact, aren't you Bakugō." Izuku offered, his head bowed slightly so his eyes were covered by his curly bangs. "Well then, if you are serious enough to draw your Shikai against me, and no one seems interested in stopping you, then I guess I have no choice but to respond in kind."

Flipping his sword around into a reverse grip, Izuku held it perfectly vertical in front of himself, placing his left hand atop the tsuka. A glowing green aura surrounded him as he mustered up his Reiryoku, some of it automatically shifting into Reiatsu from the sheer amount he was calling forth.

"Stop trying to bluff, DEKU!" Katsuki sneered out, even as his body was assailed by the force of Izuku's own soul being released. "You've had your fucking Spirit Sword for less than a full year now, there is no way in hell you've managed to hear its name already. Stop trying to ape your damn betters and just accept your place already!"

With that demand, the blonde Swordmaster charged forward in a run, Bakuga drawn back and sparking wildly with flickers of orange light.

"IZUKU!" the five concerned girls shouted nearly simultaneously.

"Oshi mawase, Kotsusei! (Push around, Bone Spirit!)" Izuku shouted, stabbing his sword into the ground.

And then the sword's blade erupted in a massive flare of white light, filling the entirety of the room and blinding everyone within. Even Bakugō was forced to break his charge, leaping backwards with a curse on his lips as he was forced to cover his eyes with his free arm. While Bakugō's release had been accompanied with a ferocious and intimidating release of Reiatsu, Midoriya's was far more…serene. Most felt little more than a calm and protective presence hovering over their shoulder. Five girls in particular, felt as if they were being…embraced?…like a comforting and protective set of arms was wrapping around them.

The sensations lasted for only a moment before it and the light faded away, revealing Izuku holding a far different sword in his hand.

The hilt was substantially the same, aside from lacking any form of tsuba. The blade, however…the blade was now that of a single-edged straight sword that, combined with the lack of tsuba, meant it was likely…

"A chokutō." Momo gasped, having had extensive education on all the various types of Japanese martial weapons since she was a little girl.

More than that though, the blade was an off-white colour in its entirety, from the base of the blade near the hilt, to the razor-sharp edge and wickedly tapering tip.

"Is…is that…bone?" Ochako asked dumbly.

"Yep." Honenuki Jūzō offered, eyes locked on the blade with an unreadable expression on his face. "That's bone all right."

His free hand was clutching at the hilt of his own Spirit Sword as it started to rattle within its sheath.

Bakugō Katsuki could only stare in dumbfounded shock at the sight before him. Just eleven months. Not even a full year. That was how long that the stupid little Deku had possessed a Spirit Sword. Less than a year of training and the little bastard had somehow managed to earn enough respect from his Spirit Sword to be able to hear its name. By comparison, Bakugō had had his own Sword for close to three years now, and had only managed to gain his Shikai a mere six months ago.

Shock quickly gave way into a burning rage at this newest insult and humiliation. "DEKU! How dare you mock me like this!" he roared out

"You know it is actually kinda funny that the first time I use my Shikai in combat is against you Kacchan." Izuku offered, his voice icy as a bitter chuckle seemed to slip past his lips. "It's because of you that I am a Battle Awoken after all. My Sword Spirit hated that I refused to see reality when it came to you when we were younger, so he sealed himself away until I was finally ready to set my feet and take a stand. He had hoped that it would be against you, but that Mask Spirit took precedence. Of course, that means that Kotsusei still has quite the grudge against you."

The snarling visage of rage on Bakugō's face seemed to redouble at that. "You little…!"

"But after all of this…I think I understand the truth quite clearly now, Bakugō." Izuku stated, eyes looking up to level a frozen glare at the boy who had once been his brother. "You should pray that my will is still as strong as ever, Bakugō Katsuki, because if I lose control…then Kotsusei will not hesitate to strike you down!"

"Even now…" Katsuki hissed out, eyes burning malevolently. "Even now you keep looking down on me!"

With another roar, Katsuki launched himself forward once again, Spirit Sword drawn back.

Izuku simply turned Kotsusei in his hand until it was in a reverse-bladed grip before stabbing the tip into the ground. "Kotsujōheki! (Bone Locking Wall!)"

In an instant, a trio of foot thick bone pillars erupted out from the ground directly in front of him and to either side, curving inwards not unlike a massive set of ribs, to form a half-dome shield in front of Izuku.

Katsuki, already committed to his swing, slammed his Bakuga into the dome of bones, dragging the tip across its surface and leaving an ever-widening web of orange lines in its wake. Once he completed his swing, Katsuki quickly lead backwards again, seconds before the entire mass of lines detonated, engulfing the majority of the dome and Izuku in smoke.

"He…Bakugō…it doesn't seem that he has any control over when his Spirit Sword's special ability will activate." Momo pointed out; jet-black eyes narrowed in thought. "Ten…no, five seconds. That's how long it takes for the energy it leaves behind to detonate once the blade of Bakuga is lifted from the surface of whatever it strikes."

"What a dangerous ability!" Ochako gaped.

"Midoriya alright?" Pony asked, having already drawn her own Spirit Sword.

"If he isn't, then those useless teachers are going to have a lot to answer for!" Itsuka's angry voice bit out, her form trembling in mixed fear and rage. Coming from a family of active-duty Swordmasters, she was one of the only people in the room who knew exactly how bad this situation was, and why Aizawa and Sekijirō were in so much shit if they couldn't justify themselves to a formal inquiry.

As the smoke around Izuku's position vanished, jaws dropped. The dome was still standing! More than that, the front that had been the epicentre of the explosion looked like it had only suffered minimal damage; numerous cracks and small chunks missing, but, overall, it still looked as sturdy as ever.

"What the fuck?!" Bakugō gawped in sheer disbelief. His brain freezing as it tried to process how the unbeatable destructive power of his Shikai had been stopped by Deku of all people.

"Shikotsurin: Kotsuchūrō! (Dead Bone Forest: Bone Pillar Prison!)" Izuku snapped out, the tip of his sword still embedded into the ground.

From all around Bakugō more and more bone pillars erupted from the ground around him, ranging from only a few inches in diameter and some nearly as thick as the ones Izuku had used to form his shield. The erupting pillars twisted and wove, interlocking to trap his arms, legs, and torso in a tight, immovable prison. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't even wiggle his arms, which were tightly pinned between nearly a half-dozen interweaving pillars on either side of him. The only clearly visible parts of the blonde teen remaining were his face and his hands.

"As you can see, Bakugō, I have grown far more than a backbone over the past year." Izuku offered amicably as he calmly pulled his Shikai out of the ground, absently holding it to the side as he walked around his half-dome in order to regard Bakugō with an utterly flat look.

"Deku!" the blonde boy growled out, trying vainly to bring his Spirit Sword around and cut, scratch or even tap one of the pillars with Bakuga's edge.

"You really are such a try-hard, aren't you." Izuku stated with a shake of his head. "You haven't changed a bit since we were kids, you still utterly refuse to admit when you're wrong or defeated. You just lower your head and try to keep bulling forward."

Walking forward, the verdette absently flipped his own sword around so that the flat of the blade was swung before absently smacking Bakugō's wrist hard enough that the other boy had to bite back a yelp…and reflexively dropped his weapon.

Bakuga clattered on the ground and instantly reverted itself back into its Sealed Form. Letting out a small breath of relief that, at least, the Sword Spirit of Bakuga, if no other part of Bakugō himself, was willing to admit that Izuku and Kotsusei had won this day, Izuku turned his attention to the two watching teachers.

"Feel free to step in and…you know…actually do your jobs!" he spat out angrily.

Sekijirō-sensei, at least, flinched a bit before glowering at Aizawa, who continued to look utterly unbothered by his student's hostility.

"Stand down Midoriya." the ruffled man replied coolly. "I let this play out to test the both of you. Had either of you been in any real danger of being hurt, I would have released my Shikai."

"Bullshit!" both Izuku and Katsuki snapped out in unison. That was likely the first time they'd agreed on something in years.

"While I'm normally against disrespecting your teachers like that, I have to agree with Young Bakugō and Young Midoriya's sentiments on this one." a familiar voice called from the entrance of the room. Everyone turned to watch with wide eyes as Yagi Toshinori, the Number One Ranked Swordmaster of Japan, strode into the room wearing his full U.A. Guild uniform and a thunderous expression on his face, even as he had one hand resting on his own Spirit Sword's hilt.

"Y-Yagi-sensei!" Izuku gulped.

"Excellent show of control and restraint, Young Midoriya. I can see that your level of skill with the Shikotsurin technique has greatly improved since you discovered it. It is clearly at the level needed to capture a target." the tall man praised his pupil with a proud grin. "I'll have to see about arranging time for our next lesson soon, you've definitely made enough progress to advance to the next step. For the moment, would you be so kind as to release Young Bakugō so I might escort him to the Principal's Office."

"WHAT?!" Bakugō snapped out, eyes wild and disbelieving.

"It has been repeated several times over since you arrived at U.A. High School, Young Bakugō, that releasing your Shikai outside of very specific circumstances is against school rules." Yagi replied coolly, his voice carrying a hint of steel as he stared at the red-eyed child. "The fact that you then used it to attack another student only makes it that much worse. The fact Aizawa-kun deliberately brought about this entire situation about in order to 'test' the two of you might mitigate your circumstances a bit, but you are still in a great deal of trouble."

"Then what about him!? Deku used his fucking Shikai too!" the trapped boy shrieked.

"One of the few situations that allows Shikai use outside of permitted training is when you are attacked by someone who is already wielding their own Shikai outside of specific situations." Izuku stated simply.

"Correct, Young Midoriya. Now Aizawa-kun, if you would be so kind." Yagi turned his attention to the still blank-faced teacher and giving him a cool look. "Please lower the barrier before I am forced to walk through it."

Giving the older Swordmaster a mulish look at the man's 'interference' in his tests, Aizawa nonetheless did as requested, allowing Yagi to stride towards Bakugō.

"Young Midoriya, you may release Young Bakugō as you will." the S-class Swordmaster requested.

Nodding, Izuku stepped around and tapped several of the bone pillars with the tip of Kotsusei, causing them to instantly crumble away into white dust. Though he was sure to stay well outside of the still-enraged boy's reach.

After what Bakugō had just tried, Izuku wasn't sure if even the Number One's presence was enough to stop the volatile teen from trying to strangle him with his bare hands.

With several of the key pillars reduced to dust, Bakugō was quickly able to wiggle his way free of his prison, his arms and legs tingling with pins and needles from where the pillars had been tight enough around him to cut off his circulation. Still he quickly managed to regain himself enough to stumble over and retrieve his weapon before clumsily sheathing it at his side.

"This way, Young Bakugō." Yagi stated firmly, pointing towards the door.

Grumbling and glaring at all and sundry, Bakugō started to make his way towards the door, with Yagi walking just behind him, only to be halted by Izuku's voice.

"Bakugō, I deliberately didn't finish my attack sequence so as to spare Aunt Mitsi and Uncle Masaru any pain." he stated calmly and firmly as he walked towards the rest of the class. He had specifically not resealed his Shikai just yet.

"The fuck are you talking about, Deku?" the blond boy spat.

"Observe." Izuku stated softly as he came to a halt just a few paces away from the rest of the class before he absently tapped the tip of his sword into the ground once more. "Shikotsumyaku! (Dead Bone Pulse!)"

Almost instantly, every single piece of bone that had been created by Kotsusei, from the remaining pillars to the half-dome shield, detonated with a roar and the force of an explosion. Had anyone still been nearby, the fragments of bone, flying through the air like hundreds of sharp, jagged bullets, would have instantly ripped them to shreds.

Aizawa himself was deeply disturbed by this sudden revelation. He had honestly not expected Midoriya to be able to invoke his own Shikai after less than a year as a Swordmaster (he knew Battle Awoken were supposed to adapt and advance quickly but he hadn't expected that) but had relaxed when the only two techniques the boy had shown had been a defensive technique and a capturing technique. Now that assumption had been proven utterly false; every technique that Kotsusei produced was an attack just waiting to be released.

'Fuck, that wasn't a warning or even just a capturing routine, it was an incomplete attack sequence! Midoriya can likely detonate any of his bone creations at will, turning every bone creation into a trap waiting to be sprung. If he detonated his shield while Bakugō was still attacking it, or his prison while he had the kid trapped…' Shōta fought down a shiver that tried to crawl up his spine. 'How does a kid who hasn't had his Spirit Sword for a full year have a technique that deadly?'

As for Bakugō…he was still staring at the lingering smoke where his prison had once stood, his eyes wide and uncomprehending and his skin taking on a colour akin to that of sour milk as his mind filled in the gaps on what would have happened to him if he'd still been trapped when Deku had used that Shikotsumyaku technique.

Dead. He would have been reduced to little more than a shredded chunk of meat and broken bones by taking a detonation like that at point-blank range. No person would have been able to survive that kind of fragmentation explosion when it was occurring right next to your flesh!

"Today was the last time I play nice with you, Kacchan." Izuku stated simply as he whipped Kotsusei through the air, reverting it back to its Sealed Form before sheathing it. "If you ever try and attack me like that again, then you had best hope that you can kill me with your first blow, or I will let Kotsusei do as he wills. And he is far less kind than I am."

Numbly, Bakugō Katsuki allowed himself to get steered out of the room by Yagi, his mind whirling and seized up at the same time by the all-too-close brush he had just experienced with his own mortality, at the hands of the person he had once dismissed as being so far beneath his contempt that he wasn't worth worrying about.

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Next Chapter: Parent/Teacher Meeting

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