Angel: Man, people are gunning for Bakugo, huh? I'm not pretending that he's going to not get a talk from Izuka, but it's something we gotta put a pin on. Let's not forget that these two have a lot of stuff they have to work out that it takes time for them to get over lol Not like Fujimi had a chance anyway of getting her attention.
I'm not unaware of Bakugo's behavior and actions, but Izuka herself hasn't grown to the point where she talks him down. Wait till the penultimate episode at best…
Which is getting uploaded tomorrow because I've finished editing season 3, babbbbbby~! So I'm gonna upload more on weekends now! And yes, I saw the new episode last week but they need to bring back the one character soon or I will be disappointed. I know it's gonna happen but still. As for other guys showing interest in Izuka, I think I've answered this before…? But I will say that yes, it's going to happen again. I just can't say who or when.
A man smiled as he was being recorded for a TV show. "Welcome back to our live show. For our next topic—is it really necessary for heroes to dress sexily? Let's ask our very special studio guests what they think." Mt. Lady was the first as she waved a hand. "She's the rookie hero who debuted just this year. It's Mt. Lady!" Midnight was the second, striking a pose. "And she's a pro who's currently teaching at UA High School; the incomparable Midnight!" Most of the male crew were blushing while the females were admiring the fact that they had female heroes in the studio. "Thank you so much for joining us! Please have a seat. Let's start with you, Midnight. When you first debuted, your revealing outfit caused quite a stir."
Her debut hero outfight was much more...skinner, shorter, and her breasts would've been on display if not for the suspenders in front of them. "In fact, it eventually led to the Regulations for Exposed Skin in Costumes bill being taken before the legislature. You're a hero whose sexiness changed the very laws of the country."
"Her costume's still pretty racy~" Mt. Lady commented before Midnight could even answer.
"Now I rely on ultra-thin fabrics," She lifted up the sleeve a little. "Because of the nature of some people's Quirks, clothing can restrict their abilities. Sexiness isn't just an aesthetic, it's sometimes needed so we can do our jobs well. Besides, what's more attractive than a hero who can get the job done quickly?"
"I think you just like the attention," Mt. Lady sneered a little.
"What's with you, Lady?!" Midnight turned to her in anger, some of the crew feeling a little awkward. "Are you trying to start a fight?"
"Of course not! I look up to you!" Mt. Lady immediately denied the accusation. "I think you're amazing!" She then glanced away innocently. "For someone of your age."
Midnight then stood up with a snarl. "You can act like the blushing ingenue all you want, but you're not that young yourself, you know!"
"All I'm saying is if the older pros try too hard, then the rest of us have to go even further!" Mt. Lady argued back to her.
"You little-!"
A certain classmate from Class 1-A was shaking as he watched this interview. Midnight and Mt. Lady then started physically fighting.
"Hey, watch your hands!"
"Watch yourself! That almost hurt!"
Minoru was in bliss to see two of his favorite female heroes having a cat fight. He even had figurines of them above his computer.
"You're ripping my suit!"
He then cried out tears of joy as his entire face was red. "AH! Thank you!"
The bell rang at UA High as classes were ending. "Alright, that's it for class today," Mr. Aizawa told the 21 students. "There's only one week left before your final exams begin," He straightened his papers before looking up at them. "I'm sure you're all studying constantly, right? Mido," He glared right at her and she flinched, her hair shaking a little. "Don't forget to keep training. The written exam is only one element. There's also the practical portion to worry about," He walked towards the door. "Good luck," He then closed the door and Izuka let out a sigh of relief. Katsuki glanced at her in boredom, a hand on his cheek.
"I've barely even taken notes this semester!" Both Mina and Denki exclaimed. The former was more chill than the latter as he was freaking out. And the fact that they were both the lowest scoring students in midterms was not helping. Mina was 20th and Denki was 21st.
Mina laughed as Denki held his head. "And with the Sports Festival and internship, I didn't have time to read the textbook."
"It's true that we haven't had very much free time lately," Fumikage admitted a bit nervously; he didn't do terrible, but he was at the close to the bottom at 15th.
"We'd barely learned anything when we took our midterms so they didn't seem all that hard," Rikido stated to Koji, who nodded in agreement. Rikido was 13th while Koji was 12th. "But I'm kinda worried about these. We've been through a lot, and they probably won't pull any punches when it comes to testing us."
Minoru looked smug as he leaned against his desk. "As someone ranked in the top ten, I'm not that concerned," He bragged as he was 10th.
"What?!" Both Mina and Denki exclaimed in disbelief. "You were tenth in the midterms?!"
"Aw man, and here I thought you were one of us!" Mina accused him while Denki looked embarrassed for himself.
"Don't you know weirdo little creeps like you are only likable if they're kind of stupid?! Who's going to love you now?!"
"Everyone," Minoru didn't seem too fazed by their comments. "Trust me. Mido, I have some suggestions for your hero costume," He gave her a paper and she gave him a skeptical look. And she had placed 5th in the midterms, right behind her brother. "I'm just saying, since you are an artist, you should be changing your outfits all the time!"
"Whoa, really?" Denki asked in interest as he looked over, Izuka holding up her hands in protest.
"Well, one, yes, and two, who told you that?" She gave a defensive look to Minoru, who looked away with an innocent whistle. He may or may not have eavesdropped on one of her conversations with Ochaco. She then looked at the paper and saw that it was basically Midnight's, just with a sexy skirt and stockings. The girl dropped the paper and then slid it back to Minoru. "This doesn't get my approval..."
Minoru then sagged his shoulders, looking away in disappointment.
"You're dead..." Katsuki snarled angrily while shaking a fist, glancing back at Minoru. The poor boy let out a scream of fear looking at him. Izuku gave a nervous expression, waving his hands.
"Let's not hurt anyone, okay, Kacchan?"
"SHUT UP, DAMN NERD!" Katsuki screamed and he recoiled back in his seat. The green-haired boy then turned to his two classmates.
"Ashido, Kaminari! We've still got time to study!" He encouraged the duo, pumping a fist. He had placed 4th, so he wasn't bad at all with his own grades. "That way, we'll all get to go to the training camp together. Right?"
"Yes!" Tenya raised a hand, having placed 2nd. "As class rep, I have high hopes that we'll make UA proud."
Shoto had placed 6th behind Izuka. "It's pretty hard to fail if you just pay attention in class, isn't it?"
Denki turned around, clutching his heart as he felt very intimidated by several of the smartest students in the class compared to him. "Why you gotta cut me down like that...?"
Izuka stepped up to him with a small smile, patting his back. "I'm sure you'll pull through if you just study really hard. Maybe even have someone to help you at your weaker subjects," She shrugged a little, Katsuki glancing at the two with a glare. He really hoped she wasn't suggesting it be her, because it would make his blood boil.
Momo looked proud of herself as she had placed 1st in the midterms. "Hey, don't worry about it, you two. I can catch you up to speed on the important topics if you want, just like Mido is saying."
"You're the best, Yao-momo!" Mina and Denki cheered happily at her, and then she looked disappointed with herself.
"I'm afraid I won't be any help when it comes to the practical, though..." Shoto and Izuka stared at her, the latter frowning.
This must be because of how she did in the Sports Festival...poor Yaoyorozu-Chan, she was one of the recommended students for UA, so of course she's already a great person. Just like with Ida-San, I need to do more than offer to talk to her...but I don't know if I alone would be the one to help her see that.
Kyoka then walked over to them, having placed 8th. "I've been studying, but...could you help me out too? I'm having some trouble understanding quadratic functions," She gestured to her notebook.
Momo looked up in surprise. "Really?"
"Tutor me, please!" Hanta begged the girl, clasping his hands. "Classical Japanese is killing me!" And because he placed 18th, it seemed to be his absolute downfall.
"Is there room for one more?" Mashirao walked over sheepishly, as he was 9th. "I'm afraid I'm falling behind a little."
"Pretty please!" The three begged and she opened her mouth in shock. She then gasped happily that they wanted her help, looking much happier than before. Izuka blinked and then gave a small smile at her.
"This is wonderful!" She then stood up, pumping her fists. "Yes, let's do it!"
"Alright!" The three cheered in unison.
"Okay, then," She looked up joyfully. "We can hold a study session at my residence over the weekend."
"Seriously?!" Mina rushed over to her. "I can't wait to see your fancy digs!"
"Oh!" Momo gushed as she thought of something. "I must call Mother and have her prepare the great hall for us to set up; it'll be the perfect spot!"
Denki and Kyoka were baffled to say the least. Great hall?
She then looked at them in excitement. "What kind of tea does everyone like? I'll have her make sure we're stocked!"
That's overkill Both Hanta and Mashirao stared at her with wide eyes.
"In my family, we always drink Harrods or Wedgewood, so if you have any other preference, let me know!" She then turned around with a bright smile. "When we're finished, you'll all be model students!" The five were just frozen staring at her. "I'll make it my personal duty to push you forward!"
The five just looked up ahead with bright smiles for her, though they were a bit overwhelmed. Is she humble bragging? Or does she not even realize what she's saying?
She's so excited and bouncy that I don't even care.
"About that tea—I'm not so sure about the hairy one," Denki commented as nice as possible.
"No, it's from Harrods!" She corrected and Izuka walked over to them.
"Maybe ease it into a bit more slowly," She patted Momo gently on the shoulder. "This is their first study session with them, after all. And you really wanna help them, right?"
"Oh! Right, I'll dial it back a bit," Momo clasped her hands happily.
Eijiro then turned to Katsuki as he didn't do so well either at 16th. "Sounds like I should be studying with her."
Katsuki looked pissed at this, though. "You think I don't know enough?!" He snarled back as he placed 3rd, over Izuku. "Maybe I should beat the lessons into your skull!"
"I'm counting on it," Eijiro chuckled a little, not fazed at all.
"Hah," Yuga didn't seem too concerned as Mezo walked over, and the taller boy was 11th. "Everyone's panicking right now...but it won't do them any good to cram this late in the game." Although he wasn't one to talk because he was 19th.
"Shouldn't you be more concerned?" One of Mezo's limbs spoke up. "You didn't do very well in the midterms."
Yuga then turned around in defense. "Are you talking about moi?! I did just fine, thank you," He stated, although he was sadly in denial.
"Hey Mido, would you like to study with us?" Momo turned to her happily.
The girl blinked and then gave a nervous laugh. "Um...I'm sorry, but...I was actually thinking of going to the park to train since I've caught up with my studying," She pressed her forefingers together nervously and a bit embarrassed. "I always get good grades because of my brother helping me anyway, so...I wanted to get stronger for the practical."
"Oh! I understand," Momo smiled a little. "Take all the time you want for the practical. But we can always have another study day together."
"That sounds nice, Yaoyorozu-Chan!" She hummed happily and Katsuki stared at her from his spot, wondering just what she meant by getting stronger...
Why am I even debating this? It's not like she'll improve that faster.
Then it was lunch time as they continued to talk about the tests. "I'm kinda scared about the practical," Izuku confessed, his food in front of him. "I have no idea what it's gonna be." He and Tenya were giving praise for their meals.
"Hard to believe they'd give us anything too crazy," Tenya commented as Shoto was eating next to him. He was sitting across from Izuka, who was between Tsuyu and Ochaco.
"The written exam questions will all be stuff from class, so..." Izuku picked up his bowl, taking a bite of his lunch. "I should at least be able to do those."
Ochaco looked a bit nervous since she placed 14th, so she wasn't too high in her grades... "Do you really think it's going to be that simple?" She asked since the written tests were probably going to be just as hard.
"It's driving me nuts. I just wanna know what they'll have us doing."
Toru placed 17th while Tsuyu was 7th. "It's a comprehensive test of everything we learned this year," The invisible girl started to explain while Ochaco slurped her bowl. Izuka took a bite out of her meat. Eating at the cafeteria was relatively starting to be more comfortable since she was surrounded by her friends. Although she still had trouble interacting inside of it.
"Yup, and that's about all we could get Mr. Aizawa to tell us," Tsuyu spoke up while eating some bread.
"Okay, so then it'll cover combat training and rescue training," Ochaco looked up in thought. "Oh, and basic training."
"We can't just study—we have to stay in great physical shape-" Izuku suddenly got hit in the head from behind thanks to someone's elbow. Izuka gasped and then frowned as it was Neito.
"Oh, sorry. Your head's so big that it's hard to miss," He had healed from Katsuki punching him at this point.
"You're from Class 1-B," Izuku recognized him immediately, frowning. "And the one who upset my sister with those rumors. Um...Monoma, right? That really hurt and you shouldn't have said those things-"
"I heard you and the mouse stumbled across the Hero Killer," Neito glanced over to Izuka, her brother gasping.
"Hey! Knock it off," He narrowed his eyes at the blond.
"Mido's not a mouse!" Ochaco defended while clenching a fist.
Great, Bakugo-San is spreading it now? Izuka gave a blank look.
He ignored her though and kept speaking. "Just like in the Sports Festival, Class 1-A isn't happy unless they're the center of attention." Tenya glanced up in annoyance while Shoto ignored him. "But you do realize you're not in the spotlight because people think you're good heroes, right? It's just that you keep getting into so much trouble." Ochaco looked very annoyed at him.
"Mido's a good hero," Shoto glanced up at the boy, surprising everyone around him.
"Todoroki-San, I appreciate it, but you don't-"
"Of course you'd think that," He then grinned widely. "Here's food for thought. Someday, the rest of us might get caught up in your mess, and then we'll all become unwitting victims as well. Even more so because you have 21 students instead of the required 20. What kind of horrible villains will you bring down upon us? What demon-" Some people looked sheepish as Itsuka smacked his neck, causing him to shut up. He then fell to the ground and she caught his tray.
"That's not funny, Monoma," She scolded with a disapproving frown. "You heard what happened to Ida, and you can't keep bad-mouthing the fact that they have an extra student. Don't forget that one of her classmates punched you in the face last time. Chill out!"
"Kendo," Tenya stated in surprise to see her.
"I apologize for him," She glanced over to the group. "I'm pretty sure there's a hole where his heart should be."
He looked to be unconscious, which frightened Izuku a little. I think he's out!
If he is, then he's very lucky that Bakugo-San didn't get to him first... Izuka gave a sheepish expression.
"Mm," Itsuka placed a hand on her head. "So I was listening...I know you're all worried about what's going to be on the big final practical. I heard it's gonna be combat against robots, like the entrance exam."
They all gasped in surprise. "What? Really? How do you know that?" Izuku asked the girl curiously.
"One of my friends who's a few grades up filled me in," She jerked a thumb to herself. "I know, cheating. But oh well."
"No, I don't think so," Izuku rubbed his chin, starting to mutter again. "I'm sure gathering information ahead of time is also part of the test. I definitely should've found an upperclassman to ask. Darn it, why didn't I think about that before?"
"Heh heh..." Izuka gave a slightly embarrassed expression at him before turning to Itsuka. "T-Thank you, Kendo-Chan. We appreciate it."
"Oh, no problem," She gave the girl a small smile.
"What kind of idiot are you, Kendo?" Neito growled a bit, looking annoyed. "You just gave away our whole strategic advantage! This was our chance to finally pull ahead of that class full of idiots." He then got smacked again.
"They're not the idiots!" She retorted as she dragged him and his lunch away.
She's like their class' big sister, huh? Izuku thought as he and Tenya watched her leave. Izuka hummed in thought as the girl reminded her of Momo in a sense. She then turned to Shoto.
"You didn't have to defend me by saying I'm a good hero, Todoroki-San. Monoma-San is just...very proud of his class," She rubbed the back of her neck and he casually took another bite of his food.
"It was just the truth. He can't keep verbally attacking you just because we have one more student than he wants. It's really immature when you think about it."
Izuku blinked and then smiled, glad that things were on better terms with Shoto after the Sports Festival. Izuka gave a grateful smile at him. "Thank you, Todoroki-San. I appreciate that."
Katsuki stared at their table from a good distance, gritting his teeth. Damn that icy-hot. Damn that extra! He would go after Neito, but he didn't need to get in trouble again. Because then his parents might get involved, and the last thing he wanted was a lecture from anyone right now.
"Alright!" Denki and Mina exclaimed happily after they heard the news.
"This'll be super easy if it's just robots!" Denki almost drooled a bit from how excited he was. This would be possible now to pull off for him with Momo's study session and the easy practical.
"Such awesome news!" Mina cheered next, her hands behind her back.
"Why do you sound so happy?" One of Mezo's limbs couldn't help but ask. "You both have a hard time controlling your Quirks. Technically Mido does too, but she has been improving them with time."
"Yeah!" Denki pumped his fists. "But I can let loose with robots!"
"And melting them'll be a cinch for me!" Mina followed his example.
Hanta grinned while pointing at them. "Now you just need Yaoyorozu to help you study and you'll be all set for finals."
"We'll definitely be able to go to the training camp now!" The two cheered while Izuku had something on his mind.
"As its holder, you may one day have to fight against this great evil yourself."
He then clenched a fist; robots was nothing compared to what he could face in the future. In order to be prepared for that...I have to make everything count from now on.
"It shouldn't matter if it's robots or actual people," Katsuki suddenly spoke up, getting the attention of both twins. "Why are you morons so excited?"
"Hey!" Denki pointed at him in defense as Mina gave a small whine. "Who are you calling a moron?!"
"SHUT UP!" Katsuki screamed at the two, alarming them. "You need to learn how to control your Quirk! You got it?!" He then turned to the twins with his usual angry expression. "Hey, Deku, short stack!"
Izuku let out a gasp as Izuka let out a horrified sound, hugging her sketchbook since...she hadn't been able to stop drawing Katsuki. He eyed her for a second but decided to ignore her reaction. Suddenly everything got really quiet since everyone knew how tense things could get with any of the three. And it was no different here.
"...I don't know what's goin' on with your powers...but I saw the way you're using them now, and I want you to know...it's seriously pissing me off."
Izuka faltered a bit while staring at him. So it's not just either of us...it's the both of us he has a problem with about the whole thing. I shouldn't be surprised, but this is the same Bakugo-San who freaked out over me flying off to Hosu and always walked me home because of...reasons. If that was the case, why wouldn't he just say so?
Ochaco walked to Mina, Denki, and Mezo in worry. "Uh-oh," She gave a small frown. "He must mean how Deku was flying around like him the other day. And how Mido can fly now."
"Oh yeah, totally. But why's he mad at Mido, what'd she do?" Mina eyed the three quietly.
"Don't you remember? She and Bakugo had the same internship, so he must think that she's getting ahead of him," Denki whispered to the two, and Katsuki either didn't hear it or was too focused on the twins.
"I won't have another half-assed win like the festival," He snarled at the duo, their eyes shaking. "We'll be getting individual scores in the upcoming finals—new rankings," He then pointed at them with a fierce glare. "So we'll all know exactly where we're standing! I'll show you both how much better I am!"
They couldn't say anything about that, knowing now that he was not having it with their new developments...
He then glanced over to Shoto staring up ahead. "And Todoroki? I'll kill you too. In fact, you'll be the first!"
The white/red haired boy didn't say anything, at first. "Is this because I was the one who alerted Mido about her brother in Hosu?"
Some classmates gasped as they glanced between Izuka and the two boys. Katsuki clenched an angry fist, looking more pissed than ever. "Uh-oh, probably not the best move if he was gonna be like this," Denki whispered to Eijiro and Mina. Eijiro glanced between Katsuki and Izuka, knowing that he was very adamant about any boys even near the girl. And since he saw Katsuki save her life multiple times, he knew that deep down, Katsuki felt some inclination that he didn't hate the girl.
"You shut your damn mouth. Just because it was you doesn't mean it had to be."
Izuka looked very confused by that as everyone watched him storm off and slam the door. Eijiro rubbed the back of his head. "It's been a while since I've seen him that worked up." In fact, he seemed to be more worked up over Mido than anything else.
"Think it's impatience?" Fumikage wondered to the others. "Or hatred?"
"Did something happen?" Izuku glanced at his sister, who hid her face into her desk, holding her head as she didn't answer. She let out a frustrated groan; keeping up with Katsuki's emotions both inside and outside of school was getting to be exhausting.
What do I do? Not only is he mad at me, but now he's practically raging war against Todoroki-San, but...why was he so bothered by the fact that Todoroki-San was the one who told me about Izuku in Hosu? Actually...everytime Todoroki-San even comes up, he's never been a fan...
As Katsuki stormed down the hall, Mr. Aizawa was hiding in the corner, having heard everything. Bakugo...you're getting worse than I thought. And I'm kind of surprised that Mido is the driving force of it all. There has to be something else going on there if he was openly mentioning their internship in class...
When it was time to walk home, Katsuki looked down at his phone, reading the simple text that Izuka had sent him not too long after he stormed off.
I'm heading somewhere off campus instead of painting today. And you can walk home without me starting now.
He let out a tch and looked up. He had been here longer than he needed to, reading the text over and over again just to make sure it wasn't a joke. Up until now, neither of them had skipped the walk home together, but now she was ending it herself...and he couldn't let her do that. He didn't know why, he just couldn't because it was a nagging feeling he hated having. Does this have to do with what she said to Ponytail in class? He let out a small growl as he stormed off.
"Annoying short stack..."
The five attending the study group looked up as they were standing in front of Momo's house. "Wow..." Denki murmured as it was a giant gate that led to her home. "I knew her family had cash, but I didn't know she was this rich!"
Kyoka then rung the doorbell from the speaker. "I've been waiting for you, everyone!" Momo spoke up almost immediately. "Please, come in!" The gate then opened as if they were royalty, and once they were in the great hall, they felt super underdressed. They felt like it was a formal dinner instead of an actual study session.
"I could not feel any more out of place right now," Mashirao confessed to Hanta.
"Yeah, me too," He glanced around nervously.
Momo then pushed a tray that had tea cups and a teapot, which all looked really expensive. She even had some cakes ready for them, smiling as she was wearing a long red shirt. "Is something wrong?" She asked while looking pleased.
"No, everything's perfect!" They all said with small smiles.
At home, Izuku was cramming for finals while exercising his hand for the practical. Ochaco was barely staying awake as she studied. Tenya would jog while studying through flash cards. Eijiro probably got the worst of it though, since Katsuki was literally screaming in a cafe. The waitress looked a bit concerned as the blond was hitting Eijiro on the head repeatedly. Momo proved to be a great teacher as they worked hard to understand it.
Meanwhile, Izuka made it to the park with her jogging clothes on and decided to take some laps around the park first. She moved down the path while running as fast as she could. Once she was done with that, she looked around and let out a deep sigh. She let her hands move as she produced her comet punch in her right hand. She looked at it, hoping to try and make it bigger. She pushed herself as much as she could to make it as big as Katsuki's, but she fell to the ground as she was unable to after a half hour.
"Oh no..." She frowned at her wrist, examining it. If I wanna pass the finals, I need to work just as hard as they do.
"Stop."
Izuka flinched, her breath escaping her as she turned around. Katsuki was leaning against a tree while watching her, hands in his pockets. He was wearing a black jogging outfit. "B-Bakugo-San...?" She murmured in confusion at seeing him. "What-what are you doing here?" She turned back to her wrist while standing up. After what happened both in class and the last time they walked together, she figure that they were still at odds with each other.
"I came here so that you don't do something stupid," He remarked and she sunk a little with a whine.
"B-but I'm just training..."
"You need to have rest and food," The blond stood in front of her, arms crossed as he examined her up and down. She darted her eyes away as she felt like he was examining her under a lens or something. Not Minoru level bad, but still a bit weird. "You think I got to where I was without doing those things?"
She gripped at her shirt, sighing and looking away. "It's just...I wanna earn the title of a good hero like I've been seen as. And I can't do that if I don't improve."
He tensed up a bit since he knew that Shoto said that, huffing a little. His eyes lowered a little towards her hands, giving a slight hum. "You can use stuff like stars and from planets, right? You need to go beyond that." She looked up in alarm from his advice with wide eyes, gasping in surprise. "You need to start using factors from the planets to your advantage. Do research on them while also training your body to handle them. Your arms need work too, but it's best to start with your stamina."
Is...is he doing what I think he's doing?
"Your Quirk requires a knowledge of space?" He asked her nonchalantly and she nodded.
"Yes, b-but I've never done anything that relates to the planets before. I-I think it works like Yaoyorozu's power that I need to know as much as possible about a planet's characteristics," She pressed her fingers together nervously as she hadn't even tried it before. When she learned her Comet Punch, she had to learn about comets in more depth during her training with Toshinori. So it was only a guess of whether or not her theory was true.
"Can you do anything with black holes or like an eclipse?" He raised a brow at her.
"I could, it's just that it might be too dangerous like Thirteen said once. There's only…so much I could contain with them. And it reminds me too much of that warp Quirk..." She shuddered a bit while clutching her shirt tighter.
"So then why didn't you think of something like that to use on me at the Sports Festival?" Katsuki narrowed his eyes a little.
"I don't want to use them on people. And I'd have to study them..."
He huffed while stepping closer, his body dangerously close to her. She blinked rapidly as she could've moved back. But for some reason, she couldn't. In fact, it was about the same hesitation she had during the Sports Festival. "Listen here. I'm only willing to do this because you honestly keep showing me lost potential, and watching you being fourth in this race is pathetic. In order for people to notice your hard work, you need to push back harder," He turned around so that his back was facing her. "You have to study if you wanna grow your weak Quirk."
She blinked again as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you...are you offering to train me for the practical?" She felt like Izuku would bang on her bedroom door to snap her out of it, and then she'd be dreaming. Not to mention that they still had their issues that had yet to be worked out.
"God damn it, yes! I'm freaking helping you," He rolled his eyes. "Only because I'm tired of seeing this. Once we have a rematch...I still won't hold back," He glanced back at her and she gave a big swallow. If she had already lost, she couldn't imagine what he'd had in store for next time... "I got some things you've gotta do first, though." She looked up again in confusion and he turned around fully. "You need to become more assertive with me. No more of the damn stuttering and hiding. And no more secrets between you and Todoroki," He narrowed his eyes at that last part.
Her hair stood on end from his requests. Her eyes went white as he didn't react and then she calmed down only a little. She had no idea what that had to do with the training...not to mention, it was a big ask! Plus, she couldn't help but wonder why he even cared about that when they weren't on good terms. Maybe because she bailed on him...? "Wh-wha—how are either of those-"
"If you're gonna do this, you need to grow up. If you can't even face a crowd, then you might as well fail the practical," He huffed and her eyes saddened from his harshness. But...he did also have a point unfortunately, as much as she disagreed with it. "And...icy-hot just pisses me off. It's none of your business."
Last time that she mentioned Shoto, it pissed him off, so she wasn't going to attempt asking again, but she did need assistance...even if it was from a very unlikely person. "...Okay...I-I'll do it," She answered quietly and he crossed his arms, looking down at her. He didn't move, he was just staring. And she for the life of her could not understand why. He eyed her again and she felt a bit awkward. She really hoped he wasn't thinking of grueling training sessions or anything like that... "U-Um...so..."
"I'm waiting."
"F-For what?" She blinked while tilting her head.
"Idiot, look at me and speak like a normal damn person!" He snarled down at the girl.
Wait, what?! He meant today? Why?
"I-I think we should just start, this-"
"Looking at your state, you're not doing any more training tonight. You need to rest and eat. Once you're not looking so worn out, then we'll start. Come on, I don't have all damn day!" He glared and she straightened up like a soldier from his tone. She swallowed a lump in her throat, taking a deep breath while staring into his eyes. His eyes were squinted and her hair shook a bit from how intimidating he looked.
"...I'm sorry that I made you mad with Todoroki-San," She finally said in a light breath. "But please don't involve him in whatever drama you have with me anymore."
He recoiled back a bit in alarm that her sentence was to apologize, and he softly exhaled, but she didn't hear it. He continued to look at her before putting his hands in his pockets. Katsuki then turned around while walking away. "About damn time. Come on, I'm taking you home. Eat something and we'll talk details tomorrow."
She stared at him leaving, unable to process what just happened. He was gonna train her...to help with the practical. And he wanted to help her get stronger because he hated seeing it...? She thought maybe it was because it made him mad to watch her slowly improve, even though he could've just stayed angry with her. Hopefully, she could be seen as stronger and he'd stop taking out his anger on her...
"You coming or what?" He called out and she snapped out of it. She grabbed her bag and ran after him.
"While I have you here, I've been wondering…what's up with you and All Might? Does this have to do with what Deku said about his Quirk?"
She flinched while wincing and sighed to herself, her lips already feeling dry. Why does he keep catching me off guard like this especially today? Maybe because I draw him so much lately. "Well…yes and no," She answered awkwardly since he'd know if she tried lying again. But she also had no idea what to say here. "Um, it's complicated!"
"Seriously?" He deadpanned at her and she smiled nervously.
"You shouldn't be asking me about stuff like that. It's uncomfortable," She murmured softly and he turned to her. "And it's not the best impression of your intentions. It's like you're using me for information…"
"Tch…fine. If you don't wanna tell me, then don't. And don't insist on telling me about Deku's Quirk if you two are gonna be damn vague about it!" He huffed while walking ahead of her.
Well, at least he's dropping the subject for good this time…
And so, for the next few days, he trained Izuka not only in the practical, but her slipping grades since math was a weak subject for her. He had her do push-ups, small exercises with her abilities, and then practicing controlling her fire. Before either of them knew it, it was time for finals. It started right at 9, everyone diving right in. Mina and Denki especially looked determined to pass.
Day 3 arrived, and it was the last test for finals. Mr. Aizawa raised his hand once time was up. "All right, put your pencils down. The last person in each row, bring the answer sheets to me. Yaoyorozu, you'll take Mido's as well."
Mina and Denki popped up near Momo. "Thanks so much for all your help!" The girl cheered, alarming Momo, the twins, and Minoru.
"I didn't leave anything blank at least!" The boy grinned with a thumbs up.
Izuku put his arm down with a smile. Just like that, our three days of written exams were over. Now, it was time for the practical.
And thanks to Bakugo-San of all people...I actually felt ready for it.
Class 1-A stood in the practical exam area, in front of the building. Mr. Aizawa was there...along with almost every single teacher from UA. The only one missing was Vlad King. "Now then...let's begin the last test. Remember, it's possible to fail this final. If you wanna go to camp, then don't make any stupid mistakes."
"Uh," Kyoka blinked in confusion. "Why are all the teachers here?"
"I expect many of you have gathered information and believe you have some idea of what you'll be faced with today," Mr. Aizawa continued instead of answering the question.
"We're fighting those big ol' metal robots!" Denki exclaimed confidently, Mina pumping a fist.
"Fireworks! S'mores! Here we come, camp!"
Something shook from Mr. Aizawa's scarf. "Actually, this year's tests..." Principal Nezu himself popped up out of the scarf. "Will be completely different, for various reasons."
"Principal Nezu!" Kyoka, Mashirao, and Hanta exclaimed in unison, most of the students freezing.
"You're changing things?" Momo frowned a little.
So much that even the principal is here... Izuka blinked rapidly; maybe her confidence from earlier was preemptive to say the least...
"The tests now have a new focus," Principal Nezu crawled to the ground using part of the scarf. "There will be hero work, of course. But also teamwork and combat between actual people. So what does that mean for you? You students will be working together in pairs, aside from one, and your opponents will be one of our esteemed UA teachers! Isn't that fabulous?!"
"We're...fighting the teachers?" Ochaco asked in disbelief, Tsuyu, Rikido, and Tenya stiff in shock.
"Additionally, your partners and your opponents have already been chosen. They were determined at my discretion based on various factors, including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships. I was gonna put Mido alone against another teacher since I have 21 students. But I decided to place her in a team. So one pair will turn into a group of three," Mr. Aizawa explained to everyone and she blinked.
"Just like in combat class with Mr. All Might..." She murmured in thought.
"First, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are a team," Mr. Aizawa stated, to their surprise. They seldom interacted, so grades might've been a factor since they were both in the top ten. "Against me," He gave a small grin. "Then we have both Midoriyas and Bakugo." All three gasped sharply while looking at each other wide-eyed. Of course, out of all people... "And their opponent is..." Someone fell down from the sky, landing in front of the shocked trio as they gasped.
"I am here...to fight!" All Might stood up while clenching a fist.
The three flinched in disbelief. "We're up against Mr. All Might/All Might?!" They all exclaimed in unison.
"You're going to have to work together, you three...if you want to win."
Katsuki growled towards the twins, who looked back at him nervously. All Might gave them a small chuckle. Clearly someone has more faith than I do for how this will turn out... Izuka had sweat dripping down her face as she gulped, feeling Katsuki's gaze on her.
A few days ago, before exams started, the teachers were having a meeting at night so that they wouldn't be disturbed. "With the connection between the Hero Killer Stain and the League of Villains, it's possible criminals everywhere will become much bolder."
"It'd be best if we could start preparing for that before it happens," Snipe spoke up from his seat. "As a school, we should be taking every precaution. If fights against villains are gonna continue to intensify in the future, then having the kids train against robots ain't practical. Originally, we used 'em to avoid complaints about people getting injured in the entrance exams, but they're just not challenging enough."
"We can ignore the complaints," Mr. Aizawa dismissed them immediately. "Let people say whatever they want."
"This sounds like it could be problematic," Midnight defended since more complaints could come in, which wasn't helped by the USJ incident.
"I understand why you want to change the exam," Cementoss looked to Principal Nezu. "But having students fight us? Even if they're in teams of two, is that a good idea?"
"Yeah," Thirteen nodded in agreement with him. "I think it's a bit unfair."
"If we win too easily, we won't be able to give them actual grades, yo," Present Mic pointed out next to her.
"Of course, we could take that into consideration and give the students an advantage," Snipe suggested since being pros, they could wipe the floor with students if they wanted to.
"Principal," Mr. Aizawa turned to him. "What are you thinking?"
"I believe I agree," He crossed his arms with a small smile. "We need to change the practical exam to reflect the current times. How do we ensure the students aren't put in life-threatening situations? The answer is simple. We must push them! We make sure that they're as strong as possible."
"That makes sense," Midnight stared at him.
"I agree," Thirteen stated and Mr. Aizawa turned to his papers on his students.
"Right, then let's talk about the teams, and I have to address the obvious. I'm putting Mido alone with a teacher-"
"Hang on, that seems equally unfair to isolate her alone," Thirteen pointed out to him and he glanced up at her. "I only saw her teamwork briefly at the USJ Incident, but she does seem to work better with partners. One day she will have to face obstacles on her own, though I don't think this is one of them."
"Mm...fair point. And she has been steadily improving on getting along with her classmates. Alright then, I'll follow All Might's example and place her in a pair to make a team of three. First, Todoroki. He's doing quite well generally speaking, but relies too much on brute force," His ice attacks at the Sports Festival were proof of that. "And Yaoyorozu is an all-rounder, but lacks the ability to make spur-of-the-moment decisions and apply them." Like during her match with Fumikage. "Therefore, I'll erase their Quirks and take advantage of their weaknesses."
"Sounds good," Everyone agreed with him.
"Next, for Midoriya, Bakugo, and Mido," He looked at all of their paperwork. "I'm leaving them all to you, All Might." He flinched in alarm to hear this. "In this case, I didn't pair the three of them up based on ability or class work. I went with relationships. And if it wasn't for me, then Mido's worst relationship in the class is with Bakugo. Yet for some reason, she seems to understand him more than anyone else if the Sports Festival is anything to go by. Perhaps because of their history, or there's more to it than either of them want to acknowledge." His prime example was when she defended Katsuki in the Sports Festival, though their fight was pretty close too. "I know you've got a soft spot for the Midoriyas, and that you've seen what I'm talking about with Mido and Bakugo. Please ensure that they all learn something."
All Might looked away as Katsuki was sending a death glare to the twins. You're paying close attention, huh, Aizawa? Although...it does seem strange that Young Mido and Young Bakugo seem at odds with each other one day, and then start to tolerate each other the next.
Nezu smiled while raising a hand. "And now, let's announce the teams and the teachers they'll be fighting in order!"
The 1st match would be with Rikido and Eijiro versus Cementoss. Then it would be Ectoplasm versus Tsuyu and Fumikage. After them was Tenya and Mashirao against Power Loader. Mr. Aizawa was fourth against Momo and Shoto. Then it would be Yuga and Ochaco against Thirteen. Mina and Denki were probably the most unfortunate aside from the twins and Katsuki since they had to go up against the Principal...The 7th match was Kyoka and Koji against Present Mic. Toru and Mezo were going up against Snipe. The penultimate match was Midnight against a very pleased Minoru and Hanta. And the final was the twins and Katsuki against All Might.
"To complete the exam, you'll have 30 minutes. In order to win, your objective is to put these handcuffs on your teacher," He held up one as an example. "Or you can win if you one of you manages to escape from the combat stage."
Denki looked away, rubbing his chin. "So we've either got to capture the teacher or run away. It's basically like the combat training."
"Yeah," Mina raised a hand. "But is it really okay to just jet?"
"Yup!" Principal Nezu assured with a thumbs up.
"It's gonna be much different than that combat training you all went through earlier," Present Mic grinned, acting as if he was a DJ already. "After all, you're up against people way better than you!"
"Better? Really?" Kyoka asked him doubtfully, Koji giving her a nervous expression. "Wait, aren't you just the announcer?"
"J-Jiro-Chan, I don't think you should say that right before the exams..." Izuka spoke up a bit awkwardly.
"Hey, watch your mouth, girl—have some respect!" Present Mic yelled in protest.
"This time, your exam will be very similar to a real battle," Thirteen spoke up, gesturing to herself. "As strange as it is, please think of us as villains."
"Assumin' you come across your enemy. If you think you can win against them, then fight," Snipe informed the class. "However..."
"In instances where you're outmatched...it would be smarter to run away and find help," Mr. Aizawa explained for them. "Todoroki, Ida, Midoriya, Mido. I'm sure the four of you understand."
Shoto closed his mouth, knowing exactly what the teacher was referring to. "Idiots! The Hero Killer is only after me and that kid in the white armor! Stop fighting back—just get out of here!"
Tenya looked down at his left hand. "I won't make that mistake again. I will pass this test and prove that I'm a hero!" He then made his hand into a fist.
"So we fight to win..." Izuku narrowed his eyes. "Or run to win."
"And if we fight...we have to give it our all," Izuka glanced towards Katsuki briefly, knowing already what he was planning on doing...
"That's right!" All Might spoke up with a grin. "It's a test of your decision-making skills. But with these rules, you're probably thinking your only real choice is to flee. That's why the support course made these super-clever accessories for us," He then held up some metal-looking bracelets.
"Behold! Ultra-compressed weights!" Present Mic announced and All Might slammed down a foot.
"These babies will add about half our body weight to our physiques. It's not much, but they will eat up our stamina and make it harder for us to move around," He then grunted as his arm fell down from putting on double since...he was the strongest teacher without a doubt. "Oh, shoot. These are heavier than I thought."
"Is that safe?" Izuka asked in a bit of worry looking down at him.
"Not to worry, Young Mido! We'll recover just fine. We had a contest to come up with these designs, and Young Hatsume ended up winning it," He revealed, to the surprise of the twins.
"Wow, good for Hatsume!"
"You think we need a handicap to win against you?" Katsuki spoke up in annoyance. "Well, think again."
All Might just let out a laugh while Izuka placed a hand over her face. "This'll be fun."
"Not the word I'd like to use," Izuka glanced away from him, closing her eyes.
"You just stay out of my way, shorty," Katsuki glared towards the girl, All Might feeling a bit awkward.
"And you stop being a massive jerk, but both of those are apparently unavoidable!" She pointed up at him, starting to get really fed up with his behavior lately. And if anyone was gonna bring out this side of her, it was definitely Katsuki Bakugo. Not to mention it was REALLY getting on her nerves since he helped her train.
"What did you just say to me?!" Katsuki yelled down to her, his hand sparking.
"Enough!" Mr. Aizawa grabbed his arm with a scarf to stop him. He then grabbed Izuka by the waist, both of them unable to move. Izuku gave the two a small groan. Despite the two seeming to get along sometimes, their worst habits just kept getting more and more apparent... "If you two don't stop, I will fail you before you even get to take the exam."
Katsuki growled and Mr. Aizawa let go of him so he could slightly calm down. Izuka huffed and looked away with a pout. He started it...
"Things just seem to keep getting worse for them, huh?" Eijiro murmured to himself, crossing his arms.
"The teams will take the practical exam in the order you were called. We have a stage prepared for you. Sato, Kirishima. You're up."
"Yes, sir!" Both of them answered in unison.
The teachers then started to walk towards the building. "Those waiting their turn to fight can either watch the exams or try to strategize together as a team. It's your choice," Mr. Aizawa informed the class and followed the other teachers. "That's all."
"Ojiro," Tenya turned to Mashirao. "I'd like to discuss how we might be able to coordinate the use of our Quirks."
"Great," He smiled in agreement.
"Tokoyami?" Tsuyu turned to her own teammate. "Let's go come up with a plan."
"Agreed," The two then walked off together.
"We've got to figure out a way to destroy Ms. Midnight's costume!" Minoru cheered while walking off with Hanta.
"You are such a little scumbag..." He sighed in disbelief at this.
In the monitor room, Recovery Girl was there should either the students or teachers end up going too far. "Well. Looks like I have my work cut out for me today," She commented to the twins, and the door was heard opening.
"Oh, Deku, Mido," Ochaco greeted them as they looked over to her. "You're both watching too? Hi."
"Yeah," Izuku gave her a small smile as Izuka waved. "It's not like we get many chances to watch students in combat with teachers, right?" Then he looked away knowingly. "And besides...I don't think Kacchan really wants to talk strategy with either of us." As soon as the teacher had left, Katsuki had walked off without saying a word.
"I can see that," Ochaco said sheepishly, and she could relate. "And, uh, my partner is a little preoccupied with himself..." She gave a sheepish look as Yuga...was currently admiring himself in a mirror.
The two gave awkward expressions. You don't say...
"I don't look forward to our exam..." Izuka gave a tired expression.
"We could strategize, but it's two out of three. And we both know Kacchan won't cooperate much with us..."
"No matter how much we try, he's not gonna work with us, Izuku. So let's not even attempt to pretend we even can, okay?" She closed her eyes, crossing her arms.
At least be a little more optimistic... He gave her an awkward look. I guess things haven't really changed much between them, huh? If anything, Kacchan seems to have a bigger grudge against her sometimes more than me lately.
"You two really aren't getting along, huh? Especially after internships..." Ochaco rubbed the back of her neck.
"More like we just barely seem to get on the same wavelength..." Izuka sighed heavily, letting out a breath of air. "But enough about me. Did you come to watch the exams too?"
"Well, I thought I'd try and get inspiration from everyone else's battles," She informed the twins as they watched the screens closely.
"Smart," Izuku agreed, a small frown on his face. I have to pass this test, no matter what it takes.
I need to apply my training so that I can show I have what it takes. Izuka narrowed her eyes a bit. Katsuki did train her, but then again, it was All Might...
A screen appeared to show the arena. "Team Sato and Kirishima. Practical exam. Ready? Go!"
The two ran off down the street. "So what do you think?" The red-haired boy asked his teammate. "We'll definitely get a higher score for capturing instead of running, you agree?"
"Yeah, that'd make sense."
Before either one of them could comment, a large stone structure came up in front of them. The two boys jumped out of the way, Eijiro sliding to a stop and preparing himself. Up ahead was Cementoss, who was touching the ground with his hand.
"Mr. Cementoss can't move around very fast," Eijiro started off as Rikido reached into his belt. He then hardened his arms. "Let's break through from the front and shoot for a high score!"
"Aw, yeah!" Rikido opened his mouth, letting sugar fall into it. His muscles then started to get stronger.
Rikido Sato. His Quirk: Sugar Rush! For every ten grams of sugar, he's five times as strong for three minutes. Rikido clenched his fists and then ran off. However, the more sugar he uses for power, the more his cognitive functions suffer.
Both boys raced forward towards the teacher, who eyed them closely. "So you've decided on a direct frontal assault," His hands glowed green as he sent a bunch of structures towards the boys.
"This is it, Sato!" Eijiro screamed as he jumped forward.
"Let's go!" Rikido screamed as they both punched one structure, only denting it. They both recoiled back their arms and punched again, this time breaking the structure. Rikido let out a yell as he started punching repeatedly, breaking down structures as fast as he could. Eijiro was punching them to bits as they started making their way through the barriers. Cementoss, however, kept creating more of them.
"Not so fast, kids."
"Come on, you guys! You've totally got him!" Ochaco encouraged with a small smile.
"They're not gonna win it like this," Izuku wasn't so optimistic, confusing her. "Their Quirks are amazing, but there's a limit to how long they can use them. They won't last forever. I don't think Mr. Cementoss has that kind of limit, though. The more time that passes by...the more of a disadvantage they're at."
"He's right," Izuka spoke up, gesturing to the screen. "Bakugo-San himself exploited that himself when he fought Kirishima-San at the Sports Festival. And once their limits are up, there's not much either of them can do. The teachers must have planned this out if they're carefully choosing which ones we go up against..."
"That's not good," Ochaco gave both of them a frown.
"It's no coincidence they were matched up, like Izuka said. Mr. Aizawa's pitting students against teachers they'll have a hard time against. To pass, we'll have to recognize our weaknesses...and overcome them."
"Exactly right," Recovery Girl commented, getting their attention. "So before it's time for your own final, you should think carefully about your compatibility with the teacher you're fighting."
The three all looked back to the screen. I knew it...
But how can the three of us even think about beating Mr. All Might when he's the greatest hero of all time...? Izuka bit her lip nervously. And considering the bond he had with the twins, he was gonna be extra hard on them.
Eijiro let out a frustrated yell. "Man, this is never-ending! No matter how many walls we break...he keeps making more of 'em!" He punched them down to bits, both of them not seeming to realize that this was purposeful.
Rikido groaned as he was already reaching his own limit. "I'm tired...so sleepy..."
"Now's not the time!" Eijiro yelled as more walls surrounded Rikido.
"Just a little nap..."
Eijiro kept punching and punching, but his hands turned back to normal. After a punch with his hand unhardened, he let out a painful grunt. He looked at his scraped fingers. "I'm running outta steam..." He then looked up as they were entirely closed in by the walls, both of them screaming as they were overwhelmed by the attack.
"You're both weak when it comes to long-term battles," Cementoss spoke up to the two. "Listen well. When your life is on the line, you need to know exactly how far you can push your powers."
The buzzer went off as Rikido and Eijiro were both unconscious. "Sato and Kirishima have been knocked out. Exam over."
Mina gasped as she and Denki were having some drinks. "Seriously?" Denki looked up in surprise.
"That fast?" Mashirao wondered as he and Tenya were strategizing.
"Kirishima went down?" Tsuyu wondered in alarm, since she knew how hard Eijiro could fight.
"It's only the first match and I'm already needed," Recovery Girl got out of her seat and walked off to tend to the boys.
"No way..." Ochaco covered her mouth in shock. "It was that one-sided?"
"Even when the teachers have on those weights, trying to pass seems impossible..." Izuka gave a worried look towards the two boys.
"Their Quirks were too ineffective against his," Izuku murmured in thought, giving a nervous look. Crap. Looks like this exam is going to be a lot harder that I thought it would be. On top of that...we're up against the number-one hero.
The next exam was in a building. "I see," Fumikage commented as he and Tsuyu were standing in the center. "They're starting us in the middle of the stage."
"In order to escape, we have to pass through the designated gate, right?" Tsuyu was kneeling like a frog, looking up at him. "Which means the teacher's probably waiting there for us." The buzzer then went off, alarming them both.
"Team Asui and Tokoyami. Practical exam. Ready? Go!" A bunch of smoke appeared, turning into clones of Ectoplasm.
"Maybe you didn't understand," He told the two students. "But we teachers are trying to crush you with everything we've got. No holding back." Smoke appeared behind them, the two gasping as more clones appeared. "Steel your nerves and show me your resolve." Both of them stood there, waiting for the first move.
