Apocryphe Prelude

by Azuromesser96

A fusion fic of RWBY and MHA with other crossover characters. Essentially a Ultimate/Elseworlds type universe. Warning : English is not my first language, so there is probably a couple of grammar and writing errors in the first few chapters that escaped me. [Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee] [Yang Xiao Long/Blake Belladona] [Izuku Midoriya/Ochaco Uraraka].

6. Chapter 6 : First Battle

Chapter 6: First Battle

UA High School

Izuku cocked a punch, which Mashirao swept away with his forearm. Izuku threw a low kick, which Mashirao blocked with his knee. Izuku chained four punches, which Mashirao blocked or deflected, then the green-haired boy raised his leg high to strike at the head. But Mashirao broke his movement by punching him straight in the face, before harassing the boy with punches.

Izuku tried to protect himself, but Mashirao's fists slipped through his guard, and the blond grabbed his t-shirt's collar. He swept Izuku's legs, making him fall down, and cocked one last punch, which he stopped right in front of the green haired boy's face.

They looked at each other for a moment, then Mashirao gave his hand to Izuku to help him get up.

· "You're really strong, Ojiro" Izuku said once he stood up.

· "Well, I have more experience, that's normal" the blond tranquilly said.

· "In any case, thank you for training with me".

· "You're welcome, it's interesting for me too. You're progressing pretty quickly, you know".

Izuku blinked, surprised. Although he trained outside of Tatsuya's classes, for him these sessions only served to catch up.

· "Are you serious?" he asked in an uncertain tone.

· "Yes. You really didn't do any combat sports before arriving here?".

· "No, none. But now I realize I should have. To think that I always wanted to be a hero but that I never thought about training like this to get there...".

· "Well, you don't have to blame yourself. There are quite a few dojos or gyms run by frauds who pose as former pro heroes or military personnel and who scam the families of children who want to become heroes. And there are places that provide good training, but for an excessive price. Without knowing where to go, you would have been scammed. Kendo and I, we have experience because our families run dojos".

Izuku remained thoughtful for a few seconds.

· "Oh. It reassures me a little, then. Thanks for the explanation, Ojiro" he finally replied.

· "Think nothing it. Honestly, I'm sure we can trust UA's training in that regard. After all, it's the best school in the country".

· "Yeah, you're probably right" Izuku said.

· "Ojiro! Are you done with Kintaro?" suddenly called out a loud voice from Izuku's left.

They turned and saw Inasa walking towards them with obvious determination, a big smile on his face.

· "Do you still have some gas left for sparring?".

· "Of course" Mashirao said with a small smile.

· "Then come on!" Inasa shouted, raising his fists.

Ojiro put himself in a fighting stance, and Izuku took a few steps back without taking his eyes off the two boys, who had already started fighting. Inasa had his size and strength going for him, but Mashirao managed to compensate with his technique and precision.

· "Hey, Midoriya!" said the now recognizable voice of Eijiro behind him.

· "Hey, Kirishima" Izuku replied, turning around.

· "Do you feel like doing another fight?".

· "Yes" Izuku assured with a nod.

They took stances and exchanged a few blows, but before one of them could take the advantage, Tatsuya announced the end of the class, much to Eijiro's disappointment.

"Next time, it will be a real match!" he told Izuku with a determined look on his face, before they joined the others to do their stretching.

Once they finished the exercises, the students quietly left the gymnasium. As they headed towards their dorms, Izuku glanced briefly at his classmates. After more than three weeks of daily practice, most of them had become accustomed to Tatsuya's training. Their performances were improving, and even Mineta and Nagisa seemed to struggle less than at the beginning.

Quickly, the students had realized that they would never have been able to keep up the pace without this "Aura" Tatsuya had told them about. Otherwise, they would have ended up hurting themselves during the long hours of running, strength training and sparring. Even Ojiro and Itsuka, who were seen as the two best fighters since their match on the first day, had told the others that they did not train that hard in their respective dojos.

But Tatsuya still hadn't told them more about the Aura itself, nor what awaited them at the end of this first month of training, so theories were rife in the class. Some imagined a mystical ceremony where Tatsuya would "awaken" their Auras. Others, exercises where they would be put in life or death situations to force them to use it.

Izuku hadn't dared to question All Might about it, not wanting to use his relationship with the pro hero to get ahead of his comrades. They would figure it all out together.

….

A few days later

For the last day of April, 1-A was plunged into an unusual silence for the class which included Inasa, Eijiro and Katsuki. The air seemed heavier, the students tense. Everyone was eager to know what was going to happen. Finally, someone entered the class, and the students, who were expecting Midnight or Goronda, were surprised to see All Might, in his hero costume, appear in front of them.

· "I'm here!", he announced in his powerful, deep voice, "to take you to your new test! Follow me!".

Without giving the students time to ask him any questions, he left the classroom, causing the confused students to quickly follow him. After fifteen minutes of brisk walking, they arrived at a large rectangular building.

· "You will find your hero costumes inside" All Might said. "Put them on, then meet me there" he continued, pointing to a decrepit and abandoned building not far away.

Still without giving the students a chance to question him, All Might rushed to the building, where he found Tatsuya waiting, looking sullen.

· "Do you plan to sulk all day long?" he asked the panda.

He only scowled even more.

· "And you still got your supply of Emperor's Smile at home, right?".

· "You better bet!" Tatsuya exclaimed. "Nezu is not going to control what I do at home on top of that!".

· "What I mean….."

· "It's okay, I am messing with you. I understand l what you mean. I will drink two jars this evening in front of the videos to compensate".

All Might rolled his eyes. He knew from the other teachers that Principal Nezu had been forbidding Tatsuya from drinking on school grounds for several years now. The panda had accepted it a long time ago. He just pretended to be angry about it for fun, and liked to try to shock the new teachers by telling them the amount of alcohol he could consume in a single day.

Which had indeed shocked All Might, even if he hadn't shown it.

Fortunately for the pro hero, the students of 1-A appeared, dressed for the first time in their hero costumes. Some were simple : Kyouka and Denki had black jackets and pants, Nagisa a military camouflage outfit. Others were impressive : Iida had full knight armor. Or even colorful : Ochaco had a form fitting pink and black costume, Izuku, a full green costume.

But, seeing all of them like this, All Might felt nostalgic of his own beginnings and very proud. They were the new generation of heroes. And he was going to train them.

"Alright!" the pro hero said. "Here is what today's exercise will be." He pointed to a cardboard box to his right. "You will draw numbers, which will divide you into teams of two. After that, a team of villains and a team of heroes will be designated". He pointed to the top floor of the building behind him. "There is a bomb on the top floor. The heroes win if they manage to touch it before the end of the time. The villains win if they manage to protect it or neutralize the heroes. The villains will enter five minutes before the heroes. The matches will be filmed, and each round will be analyzed by everyone. Professor Yamaguchi. The panda gave a quick wave, is there to give his own opinion. Any questions?".

· "Why are we doing this exercise?" Momo asked, raising her hand. "Aren't we continuing Aura training?".

· " It is a way to train your Aura" Tatsuya replied. "As I told you, you already use Aura unconsciously, and it strengthens with training. In other words, even if you don't feel it, you are already stronger than when you arrived here".

He paused.

· "Show us" he said. "Show us what you can do. What you think you can do".

The students looked at him, then they started to smile one after the other, except for Mineta and Nagisa.

· "Any other questions?" All Might asked.

No one said anything.

· "Then we can begin" the pro hero announced.

The students picked up their numbers, and to his great joy, Izuku found himself partnering with Ochaco.

· "Let's do our best, okay?" the girl told him with a smile as the pairs formed.

Izuku started to blush. He could only nod vigorously to indicate his approval. Ochaco was already very cute in her costume, if she started to smile on top of that, it would become dangerous for his nerves!

· "Teams C and J get ready" All Might announced. "Team C will be the villains, Team J the heroes".

Izuku and Ochaco stepped forward, alongside Inasa and Eijiro. When they saw that they were going to face Izuku, the two boys flashed predatory smiles. The opportunity they were waiting for to fight the young boy.

I guess I wasn't going to avoid it Izuku thought. He clenched his fist. He could do it. He would show them what he had learned throughout this month.

· "Team C, go!" All Might said.

Izuku and Ochaco rushed towards the building. Ochaco offered to take them to the top floor with her Quirk to save time, but Izuku was against it, explaining that she needed to keep her energy for the fight itself. Instead, when they arrived at the ground floor of the building, Izuku took the girl in his arms, activated his Full Cowl, and jumped from floor to floor, bouncing off the walls, until they reached the top floor.

Apart from the landing, the stairs leading up to it and a single door, there were no walls or corridors there, just large concrete pillars and the fake bomb, so large that it almost touched the ceiling.

· "That was impressive, Deku!" Ochaco exclaimed as they approached the bomb.

· "Thanks…" Izuku stopped short.

He blinked, and suddenly realized that he was still holding the girl in his arms. He gently placed her back on the ground and turned around quickly, ashamed and red as a beet. He therefore did not see that Ochaco was blushing just as intensely, to the great relief of the young girl. Her heart was beating like a drum and she tried not to think about how much she appreciated Izuku holding her.

· "Okay, how do we do it?" Ochaco asked to break the awkward silence that had settled.

· "Well…. I might have an idea, but first I need to know two things: How long can you maintain your control in total, and how many times can you use your Quirk in a row? ".

· "I think I can maintain my control for about 5-6 minutes and use my Quirk ten times in a row before I feel any side effects".

· "All right. Here is what I thought about…" Izuku said.

Five minutes later, Inasa and Kirishima ran towards the building. Once inside, they looked at the stairs for a short moment, then Inasa created a large tornado that caused them to rise into the air. After arriving at the landing of the top floor in a flash, they opened the door with a simultaneous kick, went inside, stood back to back, and scanned the floor. But, to their great surprise, they found no one.

· "Come on! No running away! Bring it on, Midoriya!" Eijiro shouted.

A second passed, then Izuku came out from behind a pillar, alone. Eijiro looked at him, but Inasa focused on their surroundings. Then he began to smile, a big, cheerful and wild smile.

· "I see, I see. You are the sacrifice, right? Uraraka ran away with the bomb, right?".

Izuku just looked at his two opponents.

· "Eijiro! I will find Uraraka. You take care of Kintaro!" Inasa shouted.

· "Okay, count me in!" Eijiro replied as his body was covered in protective armor.

Inasa jumped back and fell through the stairs. But, to his surprise, the next moment, Izuku appeared above him.

What the….?

Reflexively, Inasa held out his hand in front of him. A violent gust burst out of it and sent Izuku flying towards the ceiling. Eijiro grabbed the boy by the collar, and threw him across the top floor, while Inasa landed one floor below.

Eijiro and Izuku found themselves facing each other. When he had thrown the young green-haired boy, Eijiro had torn his mask, exposing his head. Eijiro looked at him for a moment, surprised.

· "Midoriya, what was that?" he asked.

Izuku felt a smile blossom on his face.

· "This is the technique that I developed over a whole month !" Izuku declared with a confidence he wouldn't have thought himself capable of. Emerald lightning danced around his body.

· "This is the Full Cowl!".

Izuku's left fist slammed straight into Eijiro's cheek. The red-haired young man took several steps back, stunned.

Outside, the students watched the scene, shocked, while their two teachers remained very calm.

· "This technique….." Itsuka breathed, her eyes fixed.

· "Yes," Mashirao simply confirmed. "It's my technique. The long range punch of traditional karate. Not perfect, but….." When did he train this? he asked himself.

In the building, Izuku was looking at his hand. His glove was torn. His skin, scratched and red with blood.

· "Not even hurt" he assured with a trembling smile, before clenching his fist tightly.

· "What an idiot" Katsuki spat, looking at him. "Hitting an armored guy head-on…" .

Eijiro threw a wide left hook, but Izuku dodged it and countered with a jab, which hit Eijiro in the head. The latter shrugged off the blow and responded, but missed Izuku, who had anticipated the counter. Izuku followed up with a body blow, which stopped short against Eijiro's armor. The red-haired boy tried to grab his opponent, but Izuku dodged again by stepping back and struck Eijiro in the jaw with a violent hook.

The two boys traded blows and parries. Despite Eijiro's best efforts and determination, Izuku remained unreachable, while the green-haired boy's strikes always hit their target.

After several minutes of fighting like this, Izuku dodged Eijiro's hook with a three-meter jump. Traces of blood stained his hands and wrists, and drops of ichor fell from his fists, still tightly clenched, but shredded, scarlet, and trembling. They are too damaged to continue….. he realized.

· "And what are you going to do now, you moron!" Katsuki shouted when he saw the condition of his childhood friend.

Nobody reacted. They were already used to his fits of anger.

· "Hey, is it me, or does Kirishima look tired?" Mineta asked.

All eyes turned to the red-haired boy, who seemed indeed weakened. He was short of breath, shaked slightly, and his guard was awkward and loose.

· "For those who don't understand" All Might said in his loud voice behind them, "young Kirishima's Quirk may give him good protection, but it remains superficial. In other words, a shock violent enough can still affect his internal organs".

· "Like a club against a helmet" Tatsuya said.

· "Do you think Midoriya has figured out this weak point?" Itsuka asked.

· "What makes you think that?" Denki asked.

· "He focused the majority of his punches on Kirishima's head" Mashirao explained. "As if he wanted to affect his brain".

· "Are you telling me he saw his opponent covering himself in armor and the first thing he thought was to hit him?" Mina asked.

· "Did you expect anything else from the guy who attacked a robot the size of a building?" Kyoka pointed out.

· "Oh, right. "It's true that he did that, that idiot" Mina conceded.

Katsuki was the only one not impressed by Izuku's demonstration. He stared at his childhood friend, his pupils narrowed, fuming with rage.

In the building, Eijiro looked at Izuku, trying to recover from his assault. When….when did he become so strong? he thought. Despite his tiredness, a broad smile split his face in two. Very well, come on! I am not done!

He rushed to meet his opponent, fists raised, but at the moment he came into contact with Izuku, he propelled himself to the right in an emerald flash. Eijiro tried to catch him, but he only hit air. Izuku was jumping from pillar to pillar, up and down, left and right, at a speed close to that of Iida at full speed.

I can't follow him Eijiro realized. He raised his arms to tighten his guard, but Izuku jumped into a blind spot, and his foot slammed into Eijiro's temple with a sound like a gunshot. Fragments of Eijiro's armored skin burst, his feet left the ground, and he flew backwards over several yards until he slammed into a pillar, stunned.

A showtime kick? Tatsuya thought. Where does that come from? And this way of moving. It looked like…..No, impossible. Who would have trained him? The panda turned to All Might to judge his reaction.

The eternal smile of the pro hero had not moved an inch. And his black eyes did not betray the slightest emotion. So why did Tatsuya feel like he was proud as a peacock?

In the building, Izuku fell back to the ground, but he didn't took the time to catch his breath or look at his foot, which had made a nasty noise when it hit Eijiro. Instead, he lunged at his opponent with a kick of his good leg. This is the only chance I have left the young boy thought. But, suddenly, Eijiro seemed to revive, and raised his right arm high above his head to strike.

But, as the two boys were about to collide, a shrill ringtone echoed through the building. In surprise, Izuku and Eijiro suddenly stopped. Then they looked at each other, shocked.

· "End of the time!" All Might announced. "The heroes failed to touch the bomb within the time limit! So it's a victory for team C!".

Izuku blinked several times. His plan had worked. They had succeeded. They had won. He began to smile, both relieved and happy, then turned to Eijiro.

· "In the end, we won't know who is the stronger of the two of us. Till next time, Kirishima" he said.

Eijiro eyed him, looking confused.

· "What are you talking about Midoriya? You're the winner". He was neither angry nor bitter, and spoke as if it was a simple fact. "I didn't manage to hit you once".

· "Kirishima….."

· "But I intend to catch up with you!" the red-haired boy exclaimed with a big smile. "So you better not take it easy till then!".

Izuku was silent for a few moments, then he nodded with a small smile. They heard footsteps from the upstairs landing, then Inasa entered, the fake bomb resting on his shoulder, followed by Ochaco.

· "Muuuuuuahhhhhh" the boy laughed. "So we lost. Well, you were both well prepared".

· "What happened?" Eijiro asked before Izuku could.

Inasa pointed at Ochaco with his thumb. "She moved the bomb all over the building, making me run around. She even went through the windows using the bomb as a support to float".

· "Well done Uraraka!" Izuku exclaimed, his eyes shining. "I knew you could do it".

The young girl began to blush and quickly turned her head away, embarrassed.

· "Tttthhhhh thanks Deku" she stammered. "But it was your plan".

· "But it would have been useless if we hadn't been able to execute it!" Izuku assured. "Besides, it was you who allowed us to win! I just kept Kirishima busy".

· "Take care of me? You completely outclassed me!" Eijiro replied. "I could barely hold on even with my Quirk!".

Inasa turned to Izuku and looked at him, intrigued.

· "What does Kintaro mean?" he asked.

But before Izuku could explain, All Might's voice echoed through the building.

· "Children, please come out! We still need to debrief you and get the others through!".

· "We'll see about that later" Inasa concluded, turning towards the exit.

The four young people walked towards the door, but after only a few steps, Izuku felt a sharp pain in his injured leg and had to stop. He looked at it, and saw that it had turned a very unnatural deep purple color. The pain was even greater than that of his still bloodied fists.

· "Are you okay Deku?" Ochaco asked when she saw him stop.

· "I think I tore my leg muscles" the young boy explained, in a tone far too calm for the severity of his injury. "I might have a little trouble getting down….".

· "A little trouble?" Inasa exclaimed. "You'll never make it with a leg in this state!".

He looked at Ochaco, then began to smile. Izuku felt a shiver run down his spine.

· "You should carry him, Uraraka."

· "What?" Ochaco and Izuku said simultaneously.

· "You should carry him" Inasa repeated, still smiling. "He's your partner after all".

· "No" Izuku said quickly. "I assure you…."

· "No, it's okay" Ochaco said almost as quickly.

Izuku turned to the girl, shocked.

· "He's right, you won't be able to walk like this Deku. I assure you it will be fine". She said, carefully avoiding looking Izuku in the eyes, her face red.

· "If you're sure..." Izuku said in a tone that was not confident at all.

Ochaco therefore carried Izuku on her back, and went down the stairs, following Eijiro and Inasa.

All the way there, Izuku had the feeling that something was wrong with Ochaco. Her step seemed unsteady, her body unusually warm, and he was sure he heard her muttering "strong" or "muscles" or something along that.

When they finally left the building, Izuku insisted on walking on his own, but when Ochaco put him on the ground, his leg buckled under his weight, and Ochaco had to hold him, then serve as support. For some reason Izuku didn't understand, Inasa, Eijiro, Tooru and Mina seemed to find the situation very amusing, while Mineta was gritting his teeth, his face contorted by an intense emotion, which Izuku was unable to recognize.

· "So" All Might said. "Who can tell me which team was the best?".

· "Midoriya and Uraraka's" Momo said immediately. "They made the best use of their Quirks and the situation, and they have been one step ahead throughout the exercise".

· "Indeed, Yaoyorozu. In this exercise, it was team C which dominated."

· "But they had their head start, and Midoriya had his secret technique!" Tooru pointed out.

· "And Uraraka won against Yoarashi by exploiting the rules" Mina added.

· "Yes. But heroes almost never decide the situations in which they face villains, young Hagakure. It's not uncommon for them to have huge disadvantages" All Might explained. He turned to Mina. "And the rules of the exercise were very clear. That young Uraraka exploited them is not a problem. On the contrary, she knew how to analyze the situation and find the best way to win".

· "It was Deku's idea actually" Ochaco said in a slightly embarrassed tone.

Everyone turned towards them, which only increased their embarrassment.

· "Even better!" All Might assured. "It means that you were able to develop and agree on a strategy despite your lack of time and familiarity with each other's abilities. You make a good duo".

Izuku and Ochaco started to blush even more intensely, and turned their heads to the sides to avoid looking at one another. A few snickers arose among the students, Mina and Tooru smiled in a way that Ochaco wasn't sure she appreciated, while Mineta was downright crying, his face distorted by intense jealousy.

Katsuki glared at Izuku with his hateful eyes. He approached Izuku and Ochaco, ready to scream. But, suddenly, he felt two icy and threatening auras behind him. He stopped abruptly, and, although he would have preferred to die a hundred times rather than admit it, he got frightened.

He slowly turned around, and saw All Might and Tatsuya, who were looking at him calmly, without saying anything. A heavy and worried silence fell over the class. Everyone had felt the auras of the two teachers. And everyone understood who they were intended for.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the students, the auras of the two teachers faded.

"To resume the explanations" Tatsuya said as if nothing had happened, your opponents will not make you a list of their attacks and techniques before a fight. On the contrary, they will deceive you, they will hide what they really can do. You will have to analyze their abilities and find the best counters in the heat of the battle".

Apart from Katsuki, who was trying to recover from his shock, the students began to think about the two teachers' explanations.

· "Don't worry" All Might said after a while. "You will gain experience over time, one fight after another. This is exactly why these exercises are necessary. This fight should serve as a lesson for you to improve yourself, not to scare you".

The students looked at him, and seemed more relaxed.

· "I have one last thing to say" Tatsuya announced, looking at Izuku. "Midoriya, you've been practicing on your own, right?".

· "Yes, sir," Izuku admitted. It would have been stupid to try to lie.

· "It's good that you want to progress, but you have to stop. Training without supervision is the best way to get bad habits".

· "Okay, sir" the young boy said. "Sorry sir," he added reflexively.

· "Come on, go get yourself patched up, you really need it" the panda concluded.

Izuku turned to Ochaco, who was still supporting him, to convince her to let him go to the infirmary alone, since his leg was already hurting less. But a simple look from the young girl made him understand that there was no point in wasting his breath. IIda promised to tell them how the other fights would go, and they set off towards the infirmary.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at their destination. It was a simple building, no different from those they had known in middle school. They entered, and found Recovery Girl putting away boxes of medicine. The look the former heroine gave Izuku made him shiver, and he wondered if he couldn't just wait for his leg to heal on its own.

· "Are you planning to make a habit of coming here, boy?" Recovery Girl asked sternly.

· "No. Madam". Well, I hope not he thought.

· "What happened this time?"

· "I broke my knuckles. And tore my leg" Izuku confessed in a guilty tone.

The heroine sighed. "Come on girl, put him here" she said to Ochaco, pointing to a bed "let me look at it".

Ochaco complied, her face stern. Pro hero as she was, Recovery Girl didn't have to speak to Izuku like that.

The nurse looked first at the young boy's shredded fists, then pulled his torn suit, completely revealing her patient's leg, still purple and swollen.

· "Well, that's lovely!" Recovery Girl exclaimed.

She caressed the muscles, looking focused, and the touch of her cold fingers on his wound made Izuku shiver.

· "I see. Your Aura is already healing you. Impressive. Truly impressive".

· "My Aura?" Izuku repeated.

· "His Aura?" Ochaco asked at the same time.

Recovery Girl looked from one to the other. "Tatsuya didn't tell you anything, did he ?" she asked, in a tone that made clear she already knew the answer. The two students looked at each other, then shrugged their shoulders. The nurse sighed.

· "Aura enhances physical abilities, and that includes healing abilities" she explained.

She glared like a storm cloud at Izuku.

· "But don't let that be an excuse to continue hurting yourself, my boy! Is that understood?" .

· "Yes ma'am!" Izuku exclaimed hurriedly, like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Recovery girl's lips stretched as if they were made of rubber, and rested on Izuku's calf. Green energy surrounded the young boy, and his fists and leg began to heal : the blood on his knuckles disappeared, and the skin healed. His leg deflated and returned to a normal color. The pain gradually left Izuku.

In a few seconds, the young boy was completely healed. Izuku felt relieved, even though heavy fatigue hit him like a truck. The after effect of Recovery Girl's Quirk, which Izuku had already suffered during the entrance exam, after he seriously injured his arm fighting the Zero Pointer.

Except that time it had been worse. Izuku thought. So he had indeed gotten better. At least a little. He started to smile.

· "May I know what makes you smile?" Recovery Girl exclaimed sternly, looking at him. "Do you enjoy getting hurt?".

· "No" Izuku exclaimed, embarrassed. "I assure you not!".

Recovery Girl sighed. "If you say so. You two go outside! You mustn't miss all the fights!".

The two students hurriedly left the infirmary, without taking the time to thank the pro heroine. They walked away quickly, without looking at each other.

· "Is she always this rude?" Ochaco asked when she felt they were far enough.

· "Well, it's the third time I've been there in barely a month" Izuku said. "She's not entirely wrong to tell me that it shouldn't be a habit".

He stopped.

· "With the Full Cowl, I was sure that I had finally become a little stronger. But in the end, I was unable to break through Kirishima's defense. I need to improve further".

· "Deku, can I ask you something?" Ochaco asked him after a long pause.

· "What?".

· "Why….why are you so keen to become stronger?".

Izuku didn't answer right away. When he finally did, it was with a very serious, almost somber look.

· "Because…. because I want to become like All Might. A hero who saves everyone with a smile. And for that….. I need to be stronger. Better".

Ochaco looked at the young boy for a long moment, silent.

· "You know…during the entrance exam, I thought you already looked like a hero. So, if it can reassure you….I'm sure you'll be a great hero one day".

Izuku blinked several times, very quickly. His throat dried up, he felt as if his brain had shut down, and he began to blush.

· "Tthh…..thanks, Ochaco" he stammered.

The young girl turned her head away, her face red. They walked the rest of the way like this, silent and unable to look at each other.

When they joined the others, they found the building trapped in a huge iceberg. The two students watched the spectacle, shocked.

· "Ah! Midoriya! Uraraka! Here you are" Iida called as he approached them.

· "Who….who…." Ochaco stammered.

· "Todoroki" Iida simply said. "In a single shot".

· "Scary….." Ochaco said in a weak voice.

Izuku stared at the iceberg that Shouto had created so easily. So this is the power of Endeavor' son? he thought.

….

The day after

· "Okay, let's take a look at this" Midnight announced to the class, flipping through several sheets of paper.

· "Shiota" she called.

Nagisa looked at her, his face somber.

· "Why didn't you use your Quirk?".

The boy didn't answer, and just lowered his head.

· "We'll talk about it later" the professor said. "Don't think you'll get away that easily".

Nagisa withdrew himself even more.

· "Ashido" Midnight called. "You did well against Rikido. You seem to have excellent reflexes, but you'll need to work on your stamina and the way you use your Quirk".

· "Yes, sensei" said the young girl simply.

· "Asui" Midnight continued "I know your opponent was invisible and it was your first real fight, but you weren't able to adapt to her Quirk. As All Might and Yamaguchi have already told you, as heroes, we don't have the freedom to choose our opponents. Next time, try to be more creative".

Tsuyu didn't answer, embarrassed.

· "Iida. You did the best you could, considering your partner didn't use his Quirk. You didn't make a bad fight against Bakugo, but this fight gave you a lesson : brutality can prevail over technique".

· "Yes sensei" Tenya said in his usual strict tone.

· "Uraraka. You managed to keep the advantage over Yoarashi. But it's still a victory by playing with the rules, so you won't always win like that. Don't forget to work on your basic skills".

· "Yes sensei" Ochaco said.

· "Ojiro. Congratulations on pushing Minoru into action. You managed to compensate for your lack of raw power, and win with a good strategy".

· "Thanks, sensei" Mashirao said.

· "Kaminari. You acted too quickly and wasted your only chance to use your Quirk. You need to think more about what you're doing".

· "Yes sensei" said the blond.

· "That being said, if your attack had been successful, you would probably have given Ojiro and Minoru a nasty blow".

Denki started to smile, a little more pleased with himself.

· "Kirishima. You did the best you could, but Midoriya was just too strong for you. That said, you managed to keep him busy. If your partner had been at two against one, things would have been even worse for your team".

· "Thank you, sensei" the red-haired boy said.

· "Yoarashi. Good job for immediately understanding Midoriya's plan. Well played to have immediately figuring out what to do. Even if you didn't manage to catch Uraraka, under the circumstances, you couldn't do better".

· "Thank you, sensei" the tall boy said.

· "Sato. You only focused on Ashido while you were at a disadvantage. You should have found another way to fight her, or avoided the fight to support Asui. Great error of judgment".

· "I blame myself a lot sensei" the boy assured.

· "Sero. Since Bakugo refused to cooperate with you, you didn't know how to act. Even if you managed to beat Nagisa, you need to be quicker in your decision making".

· "Yes, sensei" the boy said.

· "Jiro. You quickly took the lead of the duo, but you still fell into your opponents' trap. Try to be more careful next time".

· "Yes sensei" the young girl said.

· "Hagakure. Good strategy against Asui. You did your part of the fight correctly, using your Quirk intelligently".

· "Thank you sensei" the young girl said.

· "Bakugo". Midnight sighed. "You rushed in the blind like an idiot and crushed your opponent with raw power. Are you proud of yourself?".

The blond grimaced. He wasn't arrogant enough to say that was the case after being called an idiot.

· "Well, I guess a real defeat is the only way you'll learn your lesson".

She looked the boy straight in the eyes. "Because believe me, you will lose one day, whatever you think".

Katsuki holds her gaze for a long moment. Finally, Midnight turned her head, and Katsuki looked particularly proud of himself.

· "Midoriya. Your new technique has served you well. And your strategy was simple, but effective". She sighed. "But one day you might have to consider winning without getting hurt, little one".

· "Yes sensei" Izuku said.

· "Minoru. You managed to improvise a good strategy given your lack of time. But I hope that your teammates won't always have to hit you to force you to act".

Mineta didn't answer. He focused on looking at Midnight's face and not her body. The teacher began to smile like a cat, before standing in front of the young boy.

· "A problem, Minoru?" she said in a sweet tone.

· "No sensei".

Midnight leaned forward, giving Mineta a perfect view of her cleavage. The boy no longer tried to pretend he wasn't checking her out.

· "Are you sure? Don't you have trouble focusing?".

Mineta remained silent.

· "This is your last warning. I better not catch you checking me out while I'm talking again".

· "Yes sensei" Mineta said weakly, before finally managing to tear his gaze away from Midnight's chest.

The teacher seemed satisfied, got up, and crossed the class.

· "And finally, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Kendo and Tokoyami".

Midnight sighed and looked at Shouto.

· "You didn't care for the subtleties, did you, little guy?".

The young boy with two-tone hair shrugged.

· "It seemed like the simplest solution, sensei."

· "Of course, of course" the pro heroine sighed again. "But all problems can't be solved with raw power. And now, we can neither judge all your abilities, nor those of your partner or your opponents".

· "I understand sensei" the young boy affirmed. "I'll be careful next time."

The professor smiled thinly. "Oh, next time, you'll probably need all your power".

The students looked at her, surprised. Had they already decided on their next fight?.

· "In the meantime, take time to reflect on your fights and what you have learned about yourself".

· "Come on, I've held you back long enough, you can go".

…

· "So you said you thought about something?" All Might, in his skeletal form, asked Izuku.

His protégé nodded to confirm.

· "I need to add protection to my costume. Considering the state I was in after my fight against Kirishima, it's more than necessary".

· "I agree. On the other hand, it would be better for you to go directly to the support division to clearly explain what you need".

· "Okay" Izuku said weakly. "I'm a little ashamed to have to do this. You never needed support equipment".

All Might chuckled. "Actually, I tried at my beginnings. But the weight of the equipment hampered my movements, and I ended up getting rid of it".

Izuku looked at him, stunned. He had never heard of that. How?

· "But that was a long time ago. Nowadays, hero weapons have been greatly improved. Just look at the kind of heat Beacon' students carry".

Izuku nodded. The complex and destructive weapons of America's apprentice heroes had become famous throughout the world. Izuku had always found it ironic that despite this, the two most powerful heroes in the world, All Might and Superman, fought with their bare hands. He looked down at his right hand. With their powers, weapons were useless. One day, I will get there too he thought.

· "Luckily, we talked about this before I placed my order with David".

· "David?" Izuku repeated, blinking. "You mean David Shield, your costume designer?".

· "The only one" All Might replied, not surprised in the least that the boy already knew who he wanted to talk about.

· "As you probably already know, David is also an engineer on I Island. I had the idea of ordering a protective device so that you could use it 100% without any repercussions. But now it's not too useful, Ua's support division can take care of your case".

He stopped for a moment, thoughtful.

· "It's probably for the best, it will limit the risk of him discovering the truth about One for All".

· "He doesn't know?" Izuku said, surprised.

· "No" All Might confirmed. "It's too dangerous. It's….a long story".

He looked at Izuku, and the young boy felt a deep sadness in his large eyes.

· "I will tell you everything, but not today" He concluded.

Izuku remained silent, thoughtful, before nodding again.

…..…..

Izuku walked down the long, wide stairs, which brought him into a huge hallway. After walking for a few more yards, he arrived in front of a large double reinforced door. The entrance to the support division. But before he could wonder how to open it, a deafening explosion resounded from behind the door.

It got torn from its hinges, and Izuku lowered his head, just in time to avoid it hitting him head-on. But, too busy with the door, he did not see a shape crash into him and make him fall.

So he found himself with his back on the ground, confused, half blind, a soft, warm material stuck to his face.

· "Oh! Hello you! You're new here, right? Are you coming to get some equipment made?" a female voice said.

Izuku finally regained his sight, and saw that the form that had fallen on him was a girl. She had pink hair styled in dreadlocks, and yellow eyes with target-shaped pupils.

Wait a minute Izuku thought. If her head is above mine…..

His face was in her, her, her, heeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

· "Are you feeling alright?" the girl asked, seemingly not realizing what was bothering Izuku.

· "If you stopped choking him, he would probably feel better, Hatsume" called a male voice from inside the laboratory.

The young girl finally seemed to understand the situation, and stood up suddenly. Izuku could almost feel his brain turning back on, now that her, her…. were no longer stuck to his face and stood up as well, before following Hatsume inside the laboratory.

· "Honestly, you could be more careful Hatsume" said the man who had already called out to her.

Rather small, he was shirtless and his face was hidden by a helmet shaped like an excavator claw, with red hair escaping from it.

It's Power Loader, the Excavator hero! Izuku realized. He was known for helping UA, but the young boy did not know that he had become a full time teacher.

· "Oh come on, metal head" called a cantankerous voice behind Power Loader. "You don't become a real scientist until you have exploded at least four or five inventions".

Power Loader and Izuku turned towards the new interlocutor at the same time, and the young boy's eyes widened. It was a raccoon, who stood on his hind legs and held a metal sphere in his front legs, which he manipulated swiftly.

Power Loader looked at the raccoon before sighing.

· "Game know game, right Rocket?".

· "And you? You spend so much time yelling at everyone that you don't even make stuff anymore".

· "Someone has to stop you from creating bombs every other day".

· "Don't worry. As soon as I finish my ship, I'm getting out of here and you'll never hear from me again".

· "Yeah, yeah, right. And you will meet the little green men with their laser guns".

· "Uuuuuuuuuhhhhh" Izuku awkwardly intervened.

Power Loader and Rocket looked at the young boy.

· "What do you want, kid?" The raccoon asked in an aggressive tone.

· "I need improvements for my costume" said Izuku

· "Hatsume !" Rocket shouted. "Come here, we got an order for you".

The young girl, who was milling around a little further away in a pile of metal objects that reminded Izuku of the trash he had picked up on Dakoba beach, came closer at running speed.

· "What do you need? A new suit? Combat armor? Weapons?" asked the girl.

· "Reinforced gauntlets and boots" Izuku explained. "But I have a little problem".

Rocket growled, looking grumpy.

· "Ah! Of course! They always have "little problems", and then they ask for the moon! Like the girl with pink hair who asked us for boots reinforced with Dust, but not too heavy !".

· "Ignore him, he is often like that" Hatsume said to Izuku. "So what's your little problem? I'm sure I can fix it!".

· "Well my Quirk increases my combat abilities, but especially my agility and my movement. So even if I add protection to my costume, I would not need something too heavy to avoid hindering me".

Rocket and Hatsume looked at him.

· "I see" said Rocket. "At least you thought about it. The number of people incapable of knowing what they want in this school is impressive".

He turned to Hatsume.

· "What do you think, girly?".

· "He needs some Hihi'irokane. Not a lot, but enough to make the alloy both strong and light. And a suit made of unstable molecules underneath".

· "I like the way you think, girly" Rocket said.

He looked at Izuku.

· "Did you bring your costume?".

Izuku took his costume from his backpack.

· "Holy cow!" Rocket exclaimed when he saw the tattered and ragged fabric. "Did an Onikuma used you as a chew toy or something? This thing is good for the trash".

At the raccoon's words, Izuku's face darkened.

· "What, what the matter" Rocket grumbled. "Why are you looking at me like I ate your dog?".

· "It's…it's my mother who made me this costume" said Izuku. "Even if…"

· "Oh cut it out!" Rocket shouted loudly. "Spare us the sob story!".

He turned to Hatsume.

· "Girly!" he shouted, throwing the suit at her. "You do good costume sketches and you stick to the original as much as possible, understand?".

· "Understood" said the young girl, giving a thumbs up.

Izuku looked at the raccoon and a small smile appeared on his face.

· "Thank you Mr. Rocket….."

· "Oh cut it out!" the raccoon shouted again. "No need to praise me. What's your name?".

· "Izuku Midoriya".

· "Your Line number?".

Izuku gave it to him.

· "We'll call you when you're ready. It should take two days at most".

· "All right. Thank you very much Mr. Rocket".

· "Get out of here".

Izuku turned around and left the room. A few minutes later, Rocket and Hatsume started their first drawings.

· "Okay" Rocket said. "All that's left is to put a gun in it…..".

· "No" Power Loader said harshly.

· "Oh come?" Rocket said.

· "Did he ask you to put a gun in his gear?".

· "He doesn't know what he wants! It took him a month before he understood that he had to protect himself".

· "You didn't recognize his name?".

· "Should I have?".

· "Izuku Midoriya is the kid who blew up a Zero Pointer during the entrance test. Do you think he needs a weapon with that kind of strength?".

· "And to kill from a distance?".

· "He's been here for a month! He doesn't need to kill from a distance!".

Rocket was silent for a moment.

· "A Derringer in a toe?" he said. "It's very small, it's not even a real gun" exclaimed the raccoon, for whom a weapon was only effective if the diameter of its barrel exceeded that of its target.

· "That's an assassin's weapon, not a hero's!" Power Loader shouted.