Shattered Fate

by CaedesPlerique

A world so focused on heroes has lost its way. As the beginning steps of the critical events to the future of their world start to occur, they get some unexpected help. Can these new arrivals save their world from themselves? (MHA/Spider-man/Naruto/Ranma)

12. Chapter 12 - First Day of Training

Chapter 12 - First Day of Training

Katsuki brooded as he leaned against the school's outside wall, watching as students passed by on their way to whatever. He was not usually the brooding type, preferring action and dealing with problems directly. But he wasn't stupid, far from it. He was, academically, one of the best students in their class, even this early into their term. He was also perceptive enough to know that with things as they currently stood, he had little chance of beating the Pigtailed Bastard or Forehead.

He considered both of their training groups. He might be able to learn some things from either of them, but he couldn't stomach being under either of them. He knew they were strong, and yesterday's attack proved it beyond a doubt.

Pigtail had an overwhelming amount of strength and speed over him, but there was also the skill they had displayed. He saw enough details to the Bastard's movements that they knew how to fight, and they were damn good at it. He had learned she had beaten the one called Nomu in a few seconds once she had decided to end the fight. If it was just their strength and speed, Katsuki might have been able to compensate for it and win. But it wasn't going to be that easy.

Forehead was more complicated. Katsuki had turned back to his class after finishing off another group of villains, only to see the portal open behind All Might. Moving as fast as she had, he had barely caught Sakura's motions and the ruthlessness in how she did it. He saw her throw that dagger through the portal, the explosion, and then Sakura's disappearance. He could put enough of it together to know she was dangerous.

And he had just claimed he would beat them. He said that he would take first place at the Sports Festival. He had challenged them, it had been heard, and it had been thrown back at him. Now, he was on the spot to actually perform. To do that, he needed to get stronger.

He considered just training alone, but he knew that wouldn't be enough. He mulled over what they were offering, chances to get stronger physically and with their Quirks. While those would be useful, there was little chance he would gain enough in either area to beat them. Especially since they would know more about him and his Quirk if he did that, making winning even harder. The only thing to offset that would be getting a better understanding of them in return, but he knew more would be needed.

He entertained checking with someone at the school, but he knew they would just point him to one of their training groups and tell him to suck it up. So, the number of options he had left came down to one. While it wouldn't have been one he would consider normally, he was in an unusual predicament. So he waited.

Katuski was starting to get worried that he wouldn't show up, whether he left through some other route or had even joined one of the training groups. But after twenty minutes, his target finally walked through the gates.

"Parker."

Peter paused as he walked out of the school gates when his name was called, glancing to the side to see Katsuki leaning against the wall. He was a little confused about why he was waiting outside for him like this. For a moment, Peter thought it was a return to his younger years as a nerd who dealt with bullies, but he quickly dismissed it.

"What's up, Bakugo?"

Katsuki pushed himself off the wall, stepping closer to the foreign boy as he tried to figure out how best to phrase his question. A part of him revolted about what he was doing, but he quickly shut those thoughts down as he barreled through. "What are you doing to prepare for the Sports Festival?"

"Nothing, really," Peter said as he shrugged his shoulders.

That confused Katsuki for a moment, but then he remembered that Peter had only shown an idle curiosity about the Sports Festival before returning to his notebook or leaving the classroom. He hadn't thought of it much since he had been distracted by challenging Pigtail. While Peter not being heavily invested in participating in the festival meant fewer challenges, it also made his current predicament harder without going into territory he wanted to avoid. However, there may be ways to move him toward it.

"Why not?"

"I guess I am a little interested. I couldn't play sports when I was younger, and a part of me wishes I had. But what I am working on is too important," Peter replied.

"Too important?" Katsuki asked, though it was missing his typically abrasive mannerisms and tone. "You do remember the part of Pro-Heroes watching, right? Scouting talent?"

"Yeah," Peter said, shrugging his shoulders, still looking disinterested. "That doesn't really matter to me."

Katsuki was a bit lost at that. It went counter to his thought process towards becoming the Number One Pro-Hero. Peter had come to U.A., The premier Hero School in the country and one of the best in the world. He was clearly looking to be a hero, so why would he not seek the best heroes' internships and the public's attention on him?

"Why the hell would that not matter? You want to be a Pro-Hero, don't you?" Katsuki asked, some of his fire returning to his voice.

"While getting the attention of some Pro-Heroes for the workplace training and the eventual internships, as well as getting public awareness, aren't necessarily bad, they won't help me the way I want." Seeing his answer didn't resolve Katsuki's question, he continued. "I don't intend to operate like a normal Pro-Hero, so I won't be running a normal agency like most heroes do, and I don't care about getting the public's attention from the Sports Festival."

Now, Katsuki was truly lost. Peter was talking nonsense! Everyone ran an agency! "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I've got a company. Well, my guardian is currently in charge of it, but with his help and the help of his daughter, we started a company. It deals with cutting-edge technology. Much of it can be used as support items for heroes, but most will have applications in numerous fields of daily use. So, I will be self-funded and won't require government pay, at least not directly for day-to-day income. I plan to be more of an independent agency, more flexible on what we can do and where we can go. I've already watched and learned how to do that from… others, so I'm not worried about it."

Seeing the light going off in Katsuki's eye, Peter was glad he didn't have to explain that further. He was also starting to understand what Katsuki might be after. Having grown up in a city with so many people like him, he figured he'd throw him the bone he needed.

"As for popular opinion, I would rather it be my actions out there," Peter said, waving his hand towards the city, "than from how well I do in the Festival."

Katsuki opened his mouth to reply but found he couldn't. His brain tried and failed to process what he was hearing. After several slow blinks, he closed his mouth and thought about Peter's words.

Katsuki almost reflexively said that it was stupid. It wasn't the right way to do it or how everyone else did it. Peter's attitude was so surprising that it threw him for a loop because he wasn't following the pre-defined path to becoming a Pro-Hero. He didn't care if it wasn't normal. He would prove how good of a hero he was, not by the path of most people, but by how he wanted to do it. It was a sentiment he could agree with.

"Anyways, if you want, you can follow me to my place," Peter offered the blonde boy. "I've actually been curious how your Quirk works and the chemical composition of your sweat. I've got some scanning equipment we can use on it."

Katsuki looked at Peter, his offer falling more in line with what he sought than expected. Peter didn't look like it, but Katsuki realized the game was up. But the offer left plenty of wiggle room on how to explain it. Peter was willing to help without calling it that. He grinned in anticipation.

"Lead the way."

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

Ranma stepped out of the locker rooms and made his way to the center of the gym. He noted that he was the first to arrive and decided to set up some things. Grabbing some fall mats, he created several large sections for his students. Finished, he went for the central mat and opted for a slow kata as he meditated and waited. The softness of the mat wasn't his favorite, and for a fleeting moment, he thought of his pops complaining about 'softness.' Then he snorted, dismissing the figment, and got back to work.

He didn't have to wait very long as others started appearing. Kendo and Ojiro from Class B were some of the first to arrive. They both had proper dogis and knelt in seiza on mats as they waited. Izuku, Ochako, Toru, and Mezo joined them while wearing their gym uniforms. They tried to copy the two more experienced students, but Izuku and the girls found it rather uncomfortable and began to fidget. He could feel confusion from Kendo and Ojiro, but they didn't say anything. After a few minutes, Eijiro entered, wearing his gym uniform and trying to join them by sitting in seiza.

Ranma completed his kata before turning to his new students. He smiled as he made his way in front of them.

"Thanks for coming," Ranma said as he stood before them straight and relaxed. "I'll walk you through a kata, and then we'll spar. First with and then without Quirks. Today, we mostly want to become familiar with each other and learn what my school of martial arts has to offer."

Ranma then folded his arms behind his back as he turned to the two from Class B, knowing they had something eating them up, even if their faces and body language hid it well. "So, what's up, you two? I know somethings bugging you."

"Umm… who are you?" Mashirao asked, scratching his cheek with an index finger, slightly embarrassed.

"I'm Saotome Ranma. The girl you met the other day is my Quirk," Ranma replied, smirking at their befuddlement. Quirks being everywhere really made explaining his curse a lot simpler. He got fewer funny looks, even if it wasn't accurate. Unfortunately, it wasn't a perfect explanation.

"So, is your Quirk some sort of illusion?" Mashisrao asked before touching his chin as he thought of it. "Is this your illusion? Or was it the girl? Where's your real body?"

"Oh! Do you change into a guy?" Itsuka suggested while tilting her head. "That must be so awkward…"

"No, it's not an illusion and both are my real body," Ranma said in exasperation. "And no, my Quirk turns me into a girl when splashed with cold water. That's it!"

Both of them took a few seconds to absorb his answer before nodding their heads and smiling. Ranma sighed in relief as another example of why he didn't mind calling his curse a Quirk presented itself.

Relaxing his body again, he turned to look at the rest of them. "Let me start by explaining what the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu is since it is very different from most of the Martial Arts you might know."

"Indiscriminate Grappling?" Eijiro questioned softly but was ignored.

"The Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu was taught to me by my father and taught to him by his master. It is hundreds of years old and is one of the strongest and deadliest schools of Martial Arts the world has ever seen." Ranma was glad to see none of them were questioning him on that. They had all seen enough of what he could do that they didn't automatically dismiss it.

"One of the reasons is that the School is not based on a limited moveset but on principles of combat and training. We watch, observe, learn, adapt, and overcome anything we encounter. Anything useful is adopted and taught. But even pointless and useless moves can have their place, so nothing is forgotten."

"The Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu holds that no Martial Arts has 'ownership' of techniques or styles, so we are free to use whatever we find. Within reason," Ranma added. "It is all a matter of finding what works for your situation and adapting to that."

Ranma sighed as he saw a couple of hands go up, interrupting his speech. Then again, he wasn't too partial towards speeches. "Yes, Izuku?"

"Umm, Ranma-san, what do you mean by 'within reason?'"

"Forbidden techniques is one example," Ranma said. He wasn't surprised by their hands being raised once more. "Forbidden techniques can include techniques that are too dangerous to use, whether to the user or to others. Some forbidden techniques can be taught but are only to be used in extreme situations, while others are outright banned."

Izuku and the others lowered their hands.

"The next reason is that the training is harsh," Ranma said, emphasizing that last word. Ranma had seen how squeamish most became when they learned just how harsh he was referring to. "We push you to the limits, millimeters away from your breaking point, and hold you there for as long as possible."

Ochako and Toru seemed the most nervous about his words, with Izuku just a little behind. Then again, they actually had an idea of the training he was talking about.

"But that harsh training is not without its rewards," Ranma said, "I am not just talking about physical and mental strength or techniques, but gaining access to Ki."

The only one who looked confused was Eijiro, while Mashirao and Itsuka looked surprised. He smirked since he had a suspicion they had heard of it. "Ki is something everyone has, to greater and lesser extents. It fills our world, so even things that are not alive have trace amounts of it. Living things generate it and, like a muscle, it can be improved and strengthened."

"But it is not easy to strengthen, making it slower and harder to improve than any other muscle. Pushing yourself physically and mentally is one of the easiest methods of strengthening it enough to reach the next point: finding and touching it." Ranma paused, watching as he had everyone's attention.

"Once you can detect your own Ki, controlling it is the next and most important step. Once that happens, I can teach you techniques to improve it far faster than before, but the training will also escalate. However, your grasp of Ki control will allow you to more easily meet that challenge, as Ki will improve everything you can do."

"The last reason is that the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu also teaches you to be ready at any time for any situation. You may be attacked walking down the street, sitting in class, eating dinner, taking a bath, or sleeping. My Art teaches you to be prepared for any situation you may find yourself in and against any opponent. Like yesterday's attack," Ranma said as he smiled, seeing the grimacing and understanding looks he was getting.

"Our training will happen in this gym, but it will branch out to other places and times. Times you will not expect. And I have the approval of the Principal to do it," Ranma said with one of his terrifying grins. The way his eyes seemed to light up in glee, like a sadist being given free reign over the lives of others.

He let that rest for a moment, seeing their worried looks, before relaxing his face again. "Since you will need to be used to training anywhere and anytime, you must rotate what kind of clothes you wear to training."

"In meetings like this, you will be expected to wear your gym uniforms," Ranma said as he looked at his classmates before turning to the two from 1-B. "You may also wear dogis, as they are the traditional uniform of Martial Arts. You will also be expected to wear your school uniforms, costumes, or any normal clothes you like. I don't want you wearing the same type of clothes more than two or three days in a row, so you will need to regularly rotate what you wear."

Ranma grinned as his 'speech' ended. "Any questions?"

Ranma saw everyone's hands raised, so Ranma settled on the boy with red hair. Pointing at Eijiro, Ranma prompted him to ask his question.

"What the hell is Ki?"

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

Sakura waited on the gym mat as the last few stragglers trickled in. She was pleased to see the numbers that had gathered. Tenya and Mina, who she was closest to in her class, were good to see. While they weren't as close, Momo, Denki, and Kyoka were also becoming her friends. Fumikage and Tsuyu, she didn't know very well, but she was happy they joined her.

Everyone wore their gym uniforms and stood around after Tsuyu and Fumikage joined them on the mat. "Was there anyone else in the locker room, Fumikage?"

"No," he said as he finished walking up to them.

"Alright," Sakura said, smiling at her classmates.

"First off, thank you for joining me. As I said before, we'll focus on three types of training. First off, basic combat training. This ensures everyone has some grounding in how to attack, defend, and maneuver in a fight, as well as tactics and strategy. Based on our Battle Training and what I saw from yesterday's attack, most of you can perform decently in this. But ensuring the basics are drilled and constantly worked on is still good."

Her classmates nodded along, so Sakura continued. "The two areas we will focus on beyond that include improving your Quirks and a heavy focus on teamwork. Based on what I have learned of the Sports Festival events, teamwork is critical to advancing to the final event."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Denki asked as he failed to make sense of what she was saying. "Isn't the whole point of the Festival for each of us to show off what we can do since we're competing against each other?"

"No," Momo answered. "Every year, they have one event focused on cooperative challenges. Previous events have included three-legged races or tug-of-war."

The others nodded in agreement.

"The second event is always a group-oriented one, making it obvious that teamwork is necessary," Sakura said. "But it isn't the only one."

"What? What are you talking about?" Mina asked. She was one of many confused by her statement.

"The first event has been viewed as an individual event since teamwork is not required to pass. We will compete with all of the classes for our year in a general competition that leads to a limited number of contestants passing and moving on to the next event. While I haven't had enough time to view any of these events yet, I did get a copy of the rules. No rule prevents you from working together," Sakura said as she formed a smirk.

"While it is not against the rules to work together, it is still not a team-oriented event," Momo said. "I fail to see–"

"Oh! Oh! The Exam! The Practical Exam!" Mina suddenly cried out as she got excited and pointed at Sakura, smiling as she understood what her friend was talking about. "Just like in the Practical Exam, there are no rules against working together!"

"Exactly, Mina," Sakura said as she smiled.

"Why is that important?" Kyoka asked, trying to understand what direction this was taking.

"Teamwork is not banned during the Practical Exam," Tenya said as he adjusted his glasses. "Two or more people could work together to support others to increase the effectiveness of the contestants, increasing the number of points they could acquire."

"While that is true, that would potentially cause one or more contestants to be unable to acquire points unless all contestants have a means of attacking. It is detrimental to them and can leave those supported with a false sense of accomplishment since they could only pass with the additional support," Momo said.

"Incorrect," Tenya said as he fully turned to address Momo. "Combat points were not the only means to acquire points during the exam. There were also rescue points as a hidden metric the staff used to grade us."

Momo blinked, not having heard that particular part of the regular Practical Exam since she had been nominated by recommendation. Momo was about to point out some flaws with his evaluation, but Sakura beat her to it.

"Tenya is correct that Rescue Points were a hidden metric, but it doesn't matter whether there was one. It also wouldn't matter if everyone on the team passed," Sakura said. Her words quickly got them to snap their attention to her.

"When you are fighting for your life, the lives of your friends, and the lives of the people you've sworn to protect, all that matters is that you achieve your goal." Sakura's gaze was steady as she stared at them. Most of them needed guidance on what she was talking about.

"You'll understand once you pass my training," Sakura said before they could voice an opinion. "We'll move on from that for now since I still need to finish explaining before we start."

Sakura waited for them to nod as they relaxed and let her continue. "The teamwork training I have planned will be practical and taught on the fly, but we'll spend time improving your teamwork before and after the training. To work on your Quirks, I will work with most of you individually to learn how to shape them."

"Shape?" Denki asked.

Sakura turned to him. "The terminology is one that I use for my own Quirk, but I have found it helps with others. Shaping is getting your Quirk to respond and do what you want. To cause it to bend and change as you guide it."

Denki had a look of intense contemplation. For all of three seconds. "Huh?"

Sakura smiled at the blonde boy, who was clearly thrown off by her explanation. He wasn't the only one, but he seemed the most affected. "What do you think my Quirk is?"

"I have observed you display exceptional strength, speed, and reaction time, as well as an ability to adhere to surfaces, heal injuries, become almost invisible, and possibly teleportation," Momo said, reviewing her abilities.

"She also made me think I heard her footsteps along with yours, Yaoyorozu," Kyoka added helpfully.

"Yeah, Sakura is super strong!" Mina said, catching some of the others' gazes and returning them with a happy grin. Mina paused as she tried to rack her brain to remember what Sakura had explained when they first met. "You said something about it being an… energy? Right?"

"Correct," Sakura replied, giving her a nod for that. "My Quirk is called 'Chakra,' and it does not automatically allow me to do the things I can do with it. To get the desired effects I want, I have to shape my Chakra in certain ways that result in different effects. I technically 'mold' my Chakra to create different effects based on what I did with it. Think of it like clay, where I can produce different shapes of objects to perform different tasks."

"How does that work as a Quirk?" Fumikage asked. "That does not sound like most Quirks."

"Most of you already know this, but I grew up in an isolated place in the world. It was a place where we were taught and trained to be ninjas," Sakura said for Fumikage and Tsuyu's benefit. "I am not fully aware of the history of it, but generations ago, people developed Chakra as a Quirk, which spread throughout our village, as well as a few other small villages. Because most of us had nearly identical Quirks, with occasional changes and mutations, we developed our Quirks to high degrees."

"I still find it fascinating to have a place in the world that is that isolated," Momo said, having previously overheard the story. "But if the Quirk spread to everyone, it might develop in odd ways as multiple generations share genes between them."

"Either way," Sakura added, deciding to try to move the discussion away from that topic. "We found we could mold our Chakra to create new effects. As children, we were taught how to use hand-signs to imprint in us the different ways to mold it."

They watched as Sakura's hands moved through various symbols, and some of them realized the significance rather quickly, though it was Mina who spoke up.

"You did that yesterday!" Mina yelled excitedly, pointing a finger at Sakura as she realized what had happened.

"Yes," Sakura smiled again as she finished molding her Chakra and held the technique she planned to show. "Due to how I have to control my energy, I know how to move and shape the energy inside of me to do what I want. This makes me an expert in controlling many different effects. Like this one."

Her classmates, save Tenya, backed up in surprise as there was a puff of smoke around Sakura, only to notice there were now three Sakuras standing there.

"Gah!"

"What the hell?"

"Ribbit."

"That's so cool!"

"How?"

All three Sakuras smiled, performing the exact same motions, though only one voice was heard. "This is a clone technique and one of the earliest and easiest techniques we learn. I created two illusions that do not actually affect the world. Go ahead and touch them."

Mina reached out a hand and tapped one of them on the shoulder, only for her hand to sink in and do nothing. She then began moving it through the chest and everything, not disrupting it. Denki did the same thing from his side, waving a hand through it and not doing anything. He was grinning at it until he realized who he was doing it to. He blushed and removed his arm from the construct, hoping no one else realized it either.

"That's soooo cool!" Mina yelled once more, her grin growing so large that her eyes had to squint to see anything.

"My home has developed many variants of this clone technique, ranging from increasing the numbers and flexibility of the clones to being solid enough to hit and take hits or be made out of different materials. Materials like water, earth, or even lightning." Sakura said with a smug look at their local electrical classmate. His dumbfounded look was fun to see.

"Because of how different my Quirk is compared to most, we don't know how much of my Village's techniques will be usable or could be translated, but I will help you to push your Quirks in new directions and how to control your energy," Sakura said as she released the clones as they puffed out of existence.

Seeing their agreement, Sakura decided to wrap up the discussion. "So let's start with some basic sparring and some drills. Finally, we'll have everyone get to know each other better by asking and answering some questions and a show-and-tell regarding your Quirks."

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

Toshinori sighed, adjusting his necktie to loosen it up and hanging his outer coat on his arm as he walked through the school. The meeting had been brief, especially since there hadn't been much to add that they hadn't already known about. Much of that was thanks to how competently his students had handled themselves, both in capturing so many Villains, including their leaders, as well as the data collection Parker had done.

Once more, he reminded himself that he would need to talk to David about Parker. He was an amazing young man, reminding him of David in many ways.

Toshinori exited the main building and walked towards the gym that the new club had been allowed to use. He wanted to see more of what Ranma could do and his martial arts. From what little was shared with him so far, he hoped the other students could get positive results from the training. He entered through the outer doors, passed the locker rooms, and finally entered the gym.

He found his charges doing some form of slow dance, trying to sync with each other as Ranma walked between them, giving instructions to the students as they continued. Toshinori decided not to interrupt, opting to wait at the gym's entrance as he observed them.

Toshinori was confused about its purpose. He had expected to see punching or kicking, both from his own experience and from the few examples of Martial Arts training he had seen in the past. The slow dance dealt with a lot of circular movements of both the hands and the legs, moving slowly from one point to another. The stances were wide, making some of them stumble for a few moments as they caught their balance. He saw a few fall down but quickly picked themselves up and continued to follow along with the others.

Toshinori stood there watching as they continued, but he soon discovered they were repeating the same slow motions. After realizing that, he concentrated more on the actual dance and noticed that it was stressing their ability to move smoothly and accurately. It required excellent balance and footwork to perform correctly, but he also saw their legs and other parts of their bodies become stressed as they performed it.

Watching as Ranma walked amongst them, performing corrections, he began to understand the purpose of the dance. He blinked in surprise, as he was not used to seeing it, but he did have experience with the concept.

When you could use as much power as he could, a simple hug could crush someone, injuring or killing them with ease. He had to move carefully to avoid harming others, even when he wasn't using his maximum power. Most of his students here did not have the same issues with strength, but gaining that control was invaluable. And it could be applied to other aspects of their lives as well!

Toshinori grinned as he watched them continue until it seemed that Ranma had called a halt. His students bent over or fell down as exhaustion took them. Ranma said something to them, causing them to start stretching before leaving them to it.

Toshinori gave a happy grin as Ranma approached. "Hello," Toshinori said, "I–"

"Hey, All Might," Ranma cheerfully interjected.

"Erk!" Toshinori exclaimed, his voice and body jerking in shock. "Wha–"

"I thought you said we should expect someone named Yagi?" Ranma asked, running over the sputtering Hero. "Is he on his way? I don't feel anyone else heading this way…"

Toshinori was sweating, his eyes darting around as he tried to figure out what to do. "Errr, I think you have me confused with someone else. I am Yagi Toshinori."

"Huh? What are you talking about, All Mi–"

Toshinori halted the boy as his hands moved as fast as his frail body would allow, covering his mouth as he looked around in a panic. Seeing a few students looking his way, but they would be too far to overhear their conversation. Toshinori sighed in partial relief before spurting a bit of blood down his chin.

Toshinori lowered his hands as Ranma was giving him a raised eyebrow. He lowered his voice as much as he could, hoping Ranma would catch on. "Yes, I am All Might, Young Saotome, but only call me Yagi Toshinori in this form. Please."

Ranma blinked at that before he hit a palm with a closed hammerfist as realization struck him. Luckily, his voice also lowered significantly before speaking. "Oh! Gotcha. So, is this your alternate form or something?"

"Errr… yes, it is," Toshinori said, taken aback by how casually Ranma was responding. "I can only hold the other form for so long these days."

Ranma nodded along as he smiled, "Okay. Makes sense. I take it you want me to introduce you as Yagi-sensei since it is supposed to be a secret?"

"Yes, please," Toshinori said, sweating at how much of his life Ranma had figured out in just one day.

Ranma then winced. "Though, you might want to talk to Mezo as well. He's probably overheard us," Ranma said before tilting his head as he thought about it more. "Wouldn't surprise me how many secrets he's probably overheard over the years. He's usually calm and quiet, so I don't think you'll need to worry about him. Anyways, let's introduce you to the class, and we can talk later if you want."

Toshinori sweated at that. Another student, likely overhearing his secret, was not making this a good day for him. He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his chin as he followed Ranma. The students were finishing their stretches as they neared when Ranma caused more trouble for his blood pressure.

"Mezo?"

Toshinori's shoulders slumped in defeat as he saw the mutant boy give a thumbs-up.

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

"What the hell?" Katsuki shouted, "This is where you live?"

Peter was entering his code into the gate's keypad to allow them entrance. He led them onto the property, past the three-meter-tall concrete and steel fence. The concrete portion was around two and a half meters, with another half meter of steel spikes at the top, so climbing over it wouldn't be so simple.

After Peter talked about owning a company, Katsuki had expected a well-off apartment or a small home, but this was far larger than he had expected. The house was nearly three stories tall, with what looked like an attached warehouse occupying one portion of the property. The entire thing was the size of a small apartment complex. The front yard and driveway alone were twenty-five meters before it reached the house, far more space allocated to it than most Japanese homes would allow!

"Yeah, it does seem a little overdone," Peter said as he walked up the steps to his home. "But we had good reasons for it."

Peter pressed his palm on another pad and entered another keycode. The door's bolts began unlocking, causing Katsuki's eyebrow to rise as he heard how many were used.

"Good reason?" Katsuki asked before remembering what he had said earlier. About running a corporation that was dealing with cutting-edge technology, as well as saying he was working on something too important compared toa global stage.

"Yeah, we're just taking some extra precautions," Peter said casually enough.

Katsuki looked at the back of Peter's head after following him inside. He had a suspicion that Peter was, even now, significantly underselling the significance of that claim. If they were being this cautious, it meant they were dealing with something serious. With the tech he had already seen Peter employ, his advanced knowledge of physics, and other little things, all of it was warning him that it was real. What it was, he didn't know.

As they entered the home, Katsuki noticed that the genkan was set up like most Japanese homes, with cubbies for shoes and indoor substitutes available for guests.

"I thought Americans didn't change their shoes indoors," Katsuki said as he eyed the available selection.

Peter shrugged as he took his shoes off. "I've been cultivating the habit. Part of the cultural experience."

After changing, Peter walked deeper into the home. "It's over here."

Peter led him to two connected rooms. The first, smaller room, was bigger than most family apartments. It was filled almost wall-to-wall with heavy equipment, storage crates, and multiple tables. He had seen enough pictures of development studios that it would fit right in, looking incredibly well organized.

There were a few racks for tools, small bins of screws, bolts, or other items, all of them for any shape and size. On another wall, there were secured containers, lockers, and refrigerators. The refrigerators were probably used to store different chemicals that required lower temperatures. There were table saws, welding torches, volt meters, soldering irons, and benches for assembling items. Another section of the room had some elaborate chemistry equipment and several microscopes.

Finally, there was one item he couldn't correctly identify. In pride of place were mechanical arms or other odd 'limbs' connected to some sort of table. It looked more like someone just tried to attach as many different types of robotic limbs to something as a personal challenge, with no real purpose to it. But he wasn't foolish enough to think it had no purpose; he just couldn't think of what just yet.

The room past that was at least twice as large as the previous room, the entire thing being nearly the size of his own house! And it was almost entirely empty! There were a few computer desks and chairs and several stools on rollers, one of which was sitting in the middle of the room. The walls had a few banks of computers, the enormous server kind, some sitting in front of the heavily tinted windows.

"All of this is… yours?" Katsuki asked.

"Yeah," Peter said as he walked up to one of the storage shelves for chemistry supplies, opened it, and pulled out a few vials and a marker. "Anyways, let's start with getting some samples of your sweat for chemical analysis."

Peter then turned and gave Katsuki a look. "It is your sweat you use to cause the explosions, right? And it can remain inert after it leaves your body for a time?"

Katsuki blinked, turning towards the genius. "Yeah."

"Is it just from the palms? Or does sweat from other parts of your body work?"

"Just my palms," Katsuki said. Usually, he would be annoyed with such questions, but Peter treated it like a respectable doctor.

Peter put the vials on a stand, and a total of ten of them were appropriately marked.

"Hmmm, we should probably take some samples from other spots as well, just so we are sure what we are working with," Peter said as he finished setting the vials up and then set them in front of Katsuki. "Here, fill the left ones with sweat from your palms to the marker points I made. I'm getting a small heat lamp to get some sweat from your other areas."

Katsuki did just that, filling the vials to the designated points with what sweat he could quickly produce from his palms, ensuring he wasn't setting them off. It was only a few grams each, allowing him to finish the third vial when Peter returned. When Peter finished setting up the small lamp, his fourth vial was set back down, with all the caps put on top of them as well.

Turning it on, he ramped up the temperature until he could feel the heat would be more than sufficient. "Okay, we'll get the back of your hand, arm, torso, head, and legs."

It took them about twenty minutes altogether. The heat wasn't bothering Katsuki much, considering how used he was to his Quirk, but they eventually got enough for his vials. After that finished, he led him into the larger room, setting up some sort of rotating contraption with several arms attached.

"This is a deep-level scanner," Peter said as he finished extending the arms. "It works for both material and biological scans. Along with the chemical analysis we'll do, it should give us a better understanding of how your body and your Quirk works."

It took a few minutes, and the device's lights turned on as Peter worked with it. That had been far faster and less intrusive than he had expected, especially compared to the doctor's visits to examine his Quirk.

"Alright, well, let's go ahead and see what we got," Peter said as he walked towards the center of the room, pushing a spare stool with rollers towards him. "Computer, launch the M.P.S. and load the recent deep scans under Bakugo Katsuki."

Katsuki was surprised as the room suddenly dimmed significantly, and some holographic images of himself appeared near the center of the room. While a hologram was an interesting way to display the information, he didn't think it would be helpful for this purpose.

Peter hummed as he looked at the various displays of information, showing there was also an analysis that had started running. He then manipulated the hologram to zoom in on one of his arms and then his palms, quickly filling in with incredible detail as it got closer and gave a full 3D image. Additional holograms displayed intricate maps of detail of Katsuki's muscles, blood vessels, nerves, bones, hair, and one for his sweat glands. Peter grabbed that hologram and expanded it larger, creating images of the pores and tiny pockets where sweat was generated.

"Well, not too much to glean from it yet. The analysis will take a bit to complete, and my local servers don't have enough available cores to crush it. So this will take an hour or two before we can tell much more," Peter said after looking at everything. He then looked over at Katsuki, who was staring at the holograms. "Something up, Katsuki?"

"What the fuck is this?" Katsuki yelled, still looking between the different holograms. "I've seen plenty of holograms before, but that was old, gimmicky shit! Nothing like this!"

"Huh?" Peter asked, blinking in confusion for a moment before remembering. "Oh, right. Sorry, I sometimes forget everyone hasn't seen it yet. This is called the Manipulative Projection System. It uses manipulative holograms, mostly by motion detectors, and allows for a range of possibilities. I primarily use it for analysis and simulations. This is one of the technologies my company has created and is producing."

"Your company made this?" Katsuki asked, taking his eyes off the holograms to look at Peter.

"Yep! And it is just one of multiple advanced technologies we are developing. We also have a working fabricator, but the power requirement for it and for the M.P.S. is too much at this time, so I could only bring one with me for now."

"You weren't fucking around about the company," Katsuki commented, a bit of awe in his tone, "I almost expected it to just be some specialized support gear, but this is… different."

Peter smirked at that, always happy to impress a friend with what they were trying to do. But he decided to get back on track. "Anyways, since the analysis will take some time, I will try to return to my primary project for now. But if you want to improve your Quirk, learning about the physics of explosives would probably be a step in the right direction for you."

Katsuki nodded at that, as that was one of the goals he had on his list.

Peter then walked to the side and picked up a laptop and a headset before handing them to him. "Here, I'll forward a program that should test your knowledge of physics and explosives. You can grab a couch or a seat in the other room so we don't distract each other. All you'll have to do is open up the laptop, and the camera will unlock it for you. Feel free to listen to some music or something if you want."

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

Aizawa was silent as he made his way towards Sakura's training group. He got his eye dropper out to soothe his red eyes, giving him a little relief from the usual stress he put them under. While he got the more condensed version of the report, what information was conveyed definitely worried him. It was going to cause him another sleepless night, he was sure.

Aizawa entered the gym as he again resolved to follow Nezo's advice. He would learn what he could of them by observing. Opening the inner doors, he saw the students sparring with each other.

He walked towards them, seeing Sakura overseeing things as the students tried to fight each other, awkwardly for some, as they didn't appear to be using any Quirks. He stopped at the edge of the mats as he watched them go at it. Several of them had noticed him between the spars as they kept trading off. Sakura was having everyone rotate through and fight each other at least once.

Their skills varied widely, with Momo and Tenya coming out on top most often, though Tsuyu seemed to also be doing well. He had already seen signs of their previous training, while Tsuyu was physically stronger than most. Denki had it the worst, as his hand-to-hand fighting abilities were the weakest. Soon enough, it was called to a halt.

"Alright, two-minute break," Sakura said. Getting nods from her classmates, she then made her way to him. "Hello, Sensei."

"Hello, Haruno," Aizawa returned, "what have I missed?"

"Not much. I gave them an overview of what we'll be trying to do, and then I had them start sparring against each other with no Quirks. You caught the tail end of that."

Aizawa nodded, glad he hadn't missed too much. "What else is planned for today?"

"We'll start with some basic training to review the fundamentals and get everyone on the same page. After that, we'll do a Q and A. We'll start the real training tomorrow," Sakura said.

Aizawa nodded as he watched her return to help a few of them with their stretches. Soon enough, it was time for the basic training. She walked them through the basics, like how to fall to avoid injuring themselves and how to attack and defend without compromising their balance.

He used that time to observe Sakura in particular. She remained calm, which didn't surprise him after yesterday, but she was strict yet fair in handling them. She worked them as hard as they could take it. Whatever her origins, she knew how to push training without holding hands.

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

Izuku's muscles were whining. That exercise had seemed so easy at first but became so much more challenging than he had expected, mainly because they were moving so slowly. Half the time, they spent on one foot and had to slowly move the other to a new position while keeping their balance as best they could.

The fact that they had to do it several dozen times made it worse. It reminded him of when he had first started training under Toshinori on that beach, stressing muscles he hadn't used before. In fact, the exercise seemed to do that exact thing, stressing muscles he barely recognized. He desperately wanted his notebook as he began to mumble about what muscle groups that exercise might have worked.

"Good initiative, Izuku," Ranma said, "but try to save that for after training. I can tell you specifically what muscle groups they were."

Izuku blushed at that, not realizing he was mumbling again. He turned even redder when the three girls began to giggle.

Ranma waited for them to calm down before speaking to them again. "Next up is sparring. Two rounds without Quirks, followed by two rounds with them."

The class began to spread out as they tried to figure out who they would spar with. Izuku wasn't sure who to pick but was leaning towards one of the boys as he was somewhat nervous aro–

"Halt!" Ranma yelled. Izuku and the others were caught off guard by this command but waited for him to continue.

"You aren't sparring against each other. You're sparring against me," Ranma said, causing everyone's eyes to widen. He grinned at their reactions. "Go ahead and sit at the edge of the mat, and I will call you up one at a time."

They obeyed quickly, eager to rest their aching limbs. Toshinori looked around before he spotted a folding chair by one of the walls. He made his way to pick it up.

"Itsuka."

The girl stood and moved in front of Ranma, giving a quick bow of respect, which Ranma returned before she took up a stance. From what research Izuku had done on Martial Arts, it looked like a Ko Kutsu Daichi if he remembered correctly. Or was it a Fudo Daichi? They were similar, resembling the stance Ranma had taught him at the practical exam months ago, but they were an unarmed version.

Ranma stood in front of her with his arms loosely at his side and no apparent concern. Izuku had a difficult time understanding the purpose of this, as it didn't seem to prepare him for anything.

"Begin," Ranma calmly called out.

Itsuka did not start just yet, waiting to attack or react to Ranma as she began to inch closer, closing the two-meter gap until only a single meter was between them. She then sprung forward, throwing a series of punches at Ranma's torso.

Every attack looked so close to hitting that Izuku was pretty sure they connected, but Ranma didn't react as if she was hitting him and simply backed up, forcing Itsuka to continue her assault. She even tried a spinning leg sweep and another series of punches before she spun around, leaping off the ground to kick at his torso. But Ranma had dropped to the floor, moving under her kick, with his leg sweeping hers when it tried to return to the ground, causing her to gasp as her balance was destroyed and her spin was reversed. She hit the mat on her shoulder.

She glanced back up at Ranma as he stood at a two-meter distance yet again, waiting for her to reach her feet and take another stance. As soon as she was ready and had a chance to breathe, she found herself on the defensive as Ranma moved in. His own series of punches had to be blocked, and she saw no chance of countering them.

Izuku recognized some of the attacks as belonging to Karate, but he would then shift to other styles. A few he recognized from research as being under Kung Fu or that one Thai martial art. It swiftly changed so that they were not any one series but individual attacks. Izuku's eyes widened as he saw the same rotating stance they had been practicing for a half hour, which was used to move around her leg block and trip her again.

Her breathing was labored as she rested on the mat before trying to sit up and look at Ranma. He stood in front of her with an outreached hand and a smile. She smiled in return and accepted the help.

"What the hell was that?" Itsuka asked after standing up and smoothing out her dogi after it had been scrunched up. "I definitely saw Karate in there. I even planned to try a counter, but then you changed what you used."

"Variants of other styles. Near the end, it was closer to the desired goal of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu," Ranma replied.

Itsuka nodded and made her way over to the side of the mat, even as Ranma called the next person. Izuku, like the others, watched as closely as they could as Ranma repeated the spars, once on the defensive and once on the offensive. He wasn't just avoiding attacks but would sometimes block, redirect, or grapple with them. He didn't end the fights instantly but let them try their best to land even a single blow.

When he went on the attack, he appeared to try attacks similar to what was used against him until it quickly branched away. He ended each fight differently than the one before, always using a different move to put him in a winning position. Strikes, kicks, or grapples, whatever would land them on the mat.

Finally, Izuku was called forward to stand before the pigtailed boy. He was nervous; he didn't know how he could do any better than the others. Even after the match started, Izuku was shaking. Ranma waited patiently, his expression blank, before settling on a warm smile. It was the same smile he had when they first met after he had calmed… oh.

Izuku closed his eyes and breathed deeply before he reviewed his objectives. This was training. He was supposed to learn what to do in these situations. It didn't matter if he won or lost; he would put forth his best effort.

Izuku re-opened his eyes to look at Ranma. He noticed his opponent's smile had been replaced with a minor smirk. Ignoring it, he started his attack.

Ranma had opted to block and redirect his strikes. Izuku had a difficult time adapting to it, as it threw his balance and rhythm off. After a dozen attempts, Izuku finally adjusted his attacks, reducing how much he put into each blow. But he wanted to do more, so Izuku launched his plan.

Izuku kept up the attack for another few failed attempts, getting a feel for the timing and positions that Ranma was using. He did his best to hide his plan, throwing a left low punch and pushing himself forward as Ranma moved to block it. Izuku then pulled as much of his left as he could just as Ranma was blocking it and let his right sail onwards; before that, too, was pulled as he instead dived fully into Ranma. His left hand reached up and successfully grasped his arm before nearly colliding with him, his right hand moving to grab the arm he had snagged.

Now that he was so close and had a firm grip with both hands, Izuku tried to repeat the same throw he had used on Katsuki during Battle Training as he twisted his body, driving his shoulder under Ranma's own. He moved as fast as he could and flipped Ranma. He had succeeded!

But as Ranma was sailing over his head, Izuku felt something was off, and the balance felt different. He barely got his eyes to look upwards as he was facing the ground, just in time to see that Ranma had curled his body into a ball, and then his feet shot out to meet his gut with a hefty Umph! He felt his balance utterly destroyed as the attack landed and then felt himself go flying through the air so quickly he was barely able to realize he saw the ceiling before his back smacked into the ground hard, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Somehow, he looked in Ranma's direction in time to find him slightly crouched and looking away. He stood the rest of the way up and turned to him with a grin on his face. But it was his eyes that showed he was barely restraining his laughter.

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

"All right, everyone, gather around and take a seat," Sakura said. Her classmates followed her instructions and soon lounged on the mat, resting their limbs. She gave them a minute to finish catching their breaths, knowing their ability to concentrate on what she said would be necessary. "Each of us will introduce ourselves by answering some questions."

They blinked in confusion, unsure of what she was talking about. Momo raised her hand, and Sakura called on her.

"What do you mean by introduction?" Momo asked. "We are already familiar with each other's names."

Sakura smiled at her and then eyed the rest of them. "While that is true, you do not truly know each other yet. This is intended to bridge that gap." She wandered in front of them from one side to the other. "To resolve this, everyone will get a chance to stand in front, and the others will be given the chance to ask a question."

"There will be two phases of questions," Sakura said as she started pacing in the opposite direction. "The first phase will be personal questions that I hope everyone will answer truthfully. You might be asked about things you like and dislike, hobbies, dreams for your future, or questions about your past and motivations. Questions that let us get a sense of who you are."

"Once everyone has asked a question, the second phase will begin with questions regarding your Quirk. These can be informative for both parties, as you learn how each other's Quirks work and the possibility of gaining insights on your own Quirk."

Tenya then stiffly raised his hand, followed by Sakura nodding at him. "Haruno-san, could you give us an example of what you mean?"

"Excellent idea!" Sakura said as she stopped and turned towards her classmates. She then smiled widely and turned to the other person in the room. "Sensei, would you show them how it's done?"

Aizawa was startled at being asked that before he recovered enough to look into Sakura's eyes. He could see her glee at catching him off-guard, her eyes displaying her mischievousness. He wasn't going to be left out entirely, but it might also work in his own favor.

"Fine, but I will also ask my own questions," Aizawa said as he walked to the front of the group next to Sakura.

"We'll start on that end," Sakura said, pointing towards Tenya, "and work our way to the other. When it reaches the end, we'll do a reverse order. Go ahead, Tenya."

Her friend stiffened as she moved to take her seat past Mina before throwing a single hand up in front of him, even though it was unnecessary. "Why did you deceive us on orientation day that you would expel whoever had the worst score?"

Sakura grinned at Aizawa, her eyes meeting his unamused, sideways glance at her. Tenya's bluntness was a valuable way to throw people off balance and push their boundaries. After holding eye contact for several seconds, she raised an eyebrow. He finally sighed, breaking eye contact with her and looking directly at Tenya.

"I hadn't intended to deceive you…"

Even as several students opened their mouths to interrupt him, Aizawa said, "At first." His students blinked, unsure of what he had meant by that. "I was serious about potentially expelling one or more of you."

Tenya stiffened at that, unsure of how to respond. Sakura figured that if the following questions didn't address it, she would have to talk to her friend about it. He had a severe problem with people not being honest at times, which was something she adored about him, but not all forms of deception were done with malicious intent.

Aizawa turned to the person seated next to him, this time the boy with the head of a bird.

"Your threat of expelling someone, why was it made?" Fumikage asked.

"Because some of you were beginning to treat the course as if it was just fun and games," Aizawa said evenly at the bird-headed boy. Fumikage nodded, accepting his response.

Tsuyu, who was almost always slumped over to some degree with her hands up in front of her, pressed a thick finger to her lips, her head raised a little higher as she thought of her own question. "Would you have, ribbit, would you have really expelled us?"

Aizawa remained silent, and the others waited to see if he would answer. The silence continued for an uncomfortable length, most of them wondering if he would answer the question. "Yes..."

Her classmates sighed at the admission, many expecting the answer, though it wasn't what they had hoped for. They would have to be careful around their sensei if he really was willing to exp–

"And no," Aizawa said as he caught them off guard. They stared at him briefly to elaborate, but he didn't.

"What do you mean by 'Yes and no,' Sensei?" Momo asked. They didn't have to wait for him to answer this time.

"While it would, on paper, have been an expulsion, I would have worked to get the student readmitted to the class," Aizawa answered. The surprised looks of his students were the only salve to him revealing that to them. He then looked at Denki, as it was now his turn to ask.

"Why would you do that?" Denki asked.

Aizawa didn't bother with a smirk or even raise an eyebrow, but he did respond promptly. "For the future, Kaminari, that question was ill-prepared. I could repeat the same answer to Tokoyami's question, wasting your question."

Denki grimaced, realizing he had screwed up. He opened his mouth before halting, turning to his side to look at Kyoka in embarrassment.

Aizawa spoke again, "I will answer what you meant to say by that question." That surprised the boy and his other students. "I do that as a way for students to experience 'death.'"

Sakura smiled as Aizawa's answers had her classmates' complete attention, especially because of how honest he was with them. This would go a long way towards her classmates opening up and trusting each other, which in turn made things easier for the actual training she had in mind.

"Wha–" Kyoka paused on her question, thinking things through a little deeper. "Why would you want us to experience 'death?'"

Aizawa knew why she had changed the nature of her question. "There is a difference between self-sacrifice and recklessness. Many headstrong students have difficulty separating the two concepts. Experiencing a 'little death' can be a way of getting through to those students, to wake them up to reality, and push them to strive even higher."

Sakura noticed that his students understood that this was important to him, something on a deep and personal level, considering how his voice held an edge as he spoke. If Mina's question was any indication, they wanted to verify it.

"Why…" Mina paused, narrowing her eyes as she tried to think of the best way to phrase it. After a few moments, a grimace showed her lack of success, so she asked her question anyway. "Why is this so important to you?"

"Recklessness, not recognizing that an action you take could end your life in an instant; I do not want my students to learn that lesson before it is too late. To learn it in the field, where death can happen at any moment unless you are vigilant against it, it doesn't just end your life; it damages the lives of those around you, your friends and family. If I can save you from making a mistake now rather than later, I will. Even if you hate me for it."

Sakura's smile widened ever further as all eyes turned to her. Sakura had grown rather fond of the man over the last week since she first met him. He reminded her of Kakashi in so many ways. His willingness to put his life on the line for his students, not because of a rule, but because he cared about their lives. But he also dealt with reality, knowing when to let them defend themselves to increase their likelihood of survival. Their attitudes were different, both putting up an air of indifference, one through a friendly masked smile and the other through a glare. She couldn't help but feel that way towards him. She was glad he was their sensei.

She knew exactly what her classmates wanted her to ask. While she may have defanged him by putting him on the spot, it was likely something Aizawa was willing to answer, so she asked her question.

"What…" Sakura paused for dramatic effect, meeting their sensei's eyes and grinning wickedly. "... is your favorite color?"

Sakura laughed internally as her classmates groaned, complained, and booed her while their sensei rolled his eyes.

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

"Breathe in…"

Izuku breathed deeply, trying to focus exclusively on that one action. It was made relatively easy as it felt like one of the only things he could do at this time.

"Breathe out…"

Izuku relaxed as sweat dripped from his chin, his exhausted arms resting on his knees as everyone released their breaths. They were all sitting in a lotus position, with their feet resting against the backs of the other leg, their backs straight, and their eyes closed.

"Breathe in…"

In his research, Izuku learned of meditation but had yet to attempt it. Ranma had yet to say what kind of meditation this was, and Izuku couldn't tell what type they were practicing since all he was having them do was focus on just their breathing. He supposed it was something like focused meditation, but that had been described as focusing on a single sense while ignoring the others.

"Breathe out…"

It helped somewhat when he focused on the actual breathing. His nerves and mind were settling down, not going a hundred kilometers an hour as he tried to think of everything they had worked on today. He was just so used to focusing on anything related to hero work that he wanted to take notes on everyone, including Ranma's evaluations of them.

"Breathe in…"

Ranma had been… harsh. He could see everyone wincing as he reviewed their shortcomings, though some took his criticisms better than others.

"Breathe out…"

Ranma started his evaluation by explaining the things that affected all of them. Their balance was terrible, they were too slow, their defense had far too many holes, and they were too linear in their thinking. He pointed out how their skills and executions were abysmal. He also mentioned how their situational awareness and observation skills were nearly non-existent.

"Breathe in…"

For the individual evaluations, Ranma started with Itsuka and Mashirao. He pointed out that they weren't flexible enough with their martial arts, making them too predictable. Their Quirks were similarly judged. Though Itsuka was the first to receive any praise, he had praised her for holding back on revealing her Quirk until she could land a punch, her enlarged hands having caught him off-guard.

"Breathe out…"

Mezo and Eijiro were told they relied too much on the physical benefits of their Quirks and needed to be faster to adapt to changes. Mezo took his criticisms the best out of all of them, nodding quickly and accepting Ranma's suggestion to focus on not using his Quirk, which Eijiro had a more challenging time accepting.

"Breathe in…"

Ochako and Toru received similar treatment about how they relied too much on what their Quirks did. They would be trained more heavily as if they had no Quirks. They were the least comfortable in fights, which would be quickly resolved, much to their horror.

"Breathe out…"

Izuku hadn't gotten off easy, either. He'd been told he was too easily distracted, and too much time was spent thinking things through, leaving him vulnerable. He needed to get his moves to be able to work on autopilot so that his thinking did not interfere with what his body was doing. But he had also been praised, as he had drastically altered his patterns when he knew something wasn't working.

"Breathe in…"

Even in his exhausted state and performing this meditation, he didn't feel as demoralized as he had after Ranma's assessment. While it didn't feel like it then, he had told everyone the truth, even if it hurt.

"Breathe out… and that's it for now," Ranma said. He smiled as he rose to his feet, though no one else considered joining him as they were still exhausted.

"Alright, here's how we're going to continue the training," Ranma said as he stood relaxed. "We'll meet every day after school finishes, but that won't be the only time that training takes place."

"We will start introducing the extra training more slowly," Ranma said before mumbling something about standards to himself. "You will not always be told what the training is or when it takes place."

They were a bit surprised by that. "Uh, do you mean we'll have to cancel hanging out with friends or family?" Toru asked, her voice being the only sign of her discomfort.

"Huh?" Ranma asked, blinking several times as he tried to figure out her question. "Oh, no. You won't have to cancel anything," Ranma said to their relief before he smiled widely and utterly destroyed their good cheer. "You'll just have to train during!"

Izuku halted again, staring at Ranma as if he had acquired a new Quirk with a second head. "Wha– what do you mean 'during,' Ranma-kun?"

"Training can take place at any time or place," Ranma said, his hands going into his pockets, acting as if he was explaining how the world worked. "When you're walking down the street, eating food, during class, or sleeping."

"What?" Most of his classmates asked at the same time.

"You could be attacked anywhere and at any time. Training helps you adapt to that. I've been attacked walking down the street, during class, having dinner, or even in the middle of the night," Ranma said as he shrugged his shoulders. He didn't seem concerned with the stares of incredulity he was receiving.

"Oh, and to get the most out of training, you must find ways to train at any time. If you're walking down the road, train your balance by jumping onto a nearby fence. Sitting in class, you can work on your senses. While you are eating, you can improve your speed and control."

"How do you improve your speed and control while eating?" Mashirao asked, his face scrunching up as he failed to achieve it.

"There are lots of ways you could train, but when you're by yourself, try to eat as quickly as you can…" Ranma said, grinning as they opened their mouths in disgust at the suggestion, "... but limit how much you pick up at a time. When eating your rice, try to eat the entire bowl as quickly as possible while only picking up a single grain at a time."

Their disgust was quickly replaced with horror at the idea of eating one grain at a time!

"That will take forever!" Ochako cried out.

"Well," Ranma said, dragging out the word as he turned his grin in her direction, "now you have an incentive to get faster, don't you?"

"But– but–" Toru said as she failed to respond appropriately.

Ranma looked around and saw everyone was shocked or skeptical of his suggestion. "Hmmm, well, if you want a proper example of how to do it, we'll go ahead and have lunch together tomorrow. Don't worry about bringing food; plenty will be provided. Just don't be late!"

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

Sakura rose to her feet, exchanging places with Momo, who was picking up the few items she had created before rushing to her previous seat. She didn't outwardly display it, but she was nervous about its possible outcomes. But she was committed to being as truthful as possible with her classmates.

"Alright, Mina, you'll get to start us off?" Sakura said, looking at her fellow pink-haired friend.

Mina sat there, her arms folded and her face scrunched as she tried to think of what to ask. Sakura waited for her to find the right words. After a bit of time, Mina finally asked. "You said you were raised to be a ninja. What was it like?"

"My home, Konohagakure," Sakura said, smiling at the positive reference to her home. "It was beautiful. We had a large forest that surrounded us, making it very peaceful when it was quiet. Its name was rather appropriate, being hidden amongst the leaves." Knowing how the terminology of a village was more beneficial for hiding the actual scale worked in her favor, which made it a nice benefit.

"But it was also dangerous. We were among many groups nearby, making us compete with other villages and their ninjas. We would often be forced to fight each other, resulting in lives lost on either side. We competed against each other for resources, knowledge, abilities, or clients."

Sakura knew that the last word had intrigued them and made them concerned. However, it was the best way to let them know more about her reality while also working with the developed narrative they had created for her.

"Clients?" Denki asked, tilting his head in confusion as he tried to work over the oddity. "Why would you have clients?"

Sakura sighed before answering the question. "Our villages were not the only local residents. Think of our shinobi as local soldiers, but we contracted out to others for various jobs to bring income to our village."

"Mercenaries?" Momo asked though it wasn't her turn.

"Yes," Sakura said, not minding the clarification. She turned to whose turn it was supposed to be.

Fumikage was silent as he sat with his legs crossed, only giving out a low hum as he evaluated Sakura. "Earlier, when you confronted the students outside of our classroom, you said they hadn't worked hard enough, that they didn't have the drive. How you phrased it makes me think you spoke from personal experience. Did you suffer from a lack of drive?"

Sakura smiled softly at him; she was rather glad to have that question asked. "Yes, I did. I grew up and focused my training on two things: my intelligence and my control. I thought that was all I needed, that I could excel in a world of violence with just those two things. Then reality slapped me in the face."

"I didn't train my body well enough. I didn't improve all I could do with my Quirk. I didn't seek out additional training. Instead, I blinded myself. And it almost got me and my teammates killed. They had to save me, several times, from something I should have been able to deal with," Sakura said as the memory made her feel ashamed of her younger self.

"What happened?" Tsuyu asked, a bit of concern in her voice and posture. Sakura smiled to try to reassure her before continuing.

"When I was… ten," Sakura said as she made another adjustment to her age before she was interrupted.

"Ten?" Mina asked though it was clear it was more from surprise than an actual question. Sakura had gotten used to such responses.

"Yes, Mina," Sakura said softly before resuming her tale. "My village allowed me to be a ninja, giving me my hitai-ate, the headband I wear as part of my costume. It essentially acts as a badge, showing my occupation and allegiance. But as a Genin, a new ninja, I was put on a team with two others, Naruto and Sasuke, under a veteran of our village, Kakashi. Both of my teammates had personal tragedies happen to them, making them lose their families at a young age. They knew the harshness of the world, so they trained themselves as hard as

possible."

No one opted to speak, letting Sakura continue uninterrupted. "On a particular mission we had been given, we encountered opposition vastly stronger than had been anticipated. Opposition that almost cost us our lives."

"Our Team Leader, Kakashi-sensei, had been captured by one of our enemies who was nearly as strong as he was. We would have died if it wasn't for Naruto and Sasuke working together to free him."

Sakura could see their outrage and concern for her situation. Responses that she preferred to some of the alternatives.

"On another mission in which Kakashi-sensei couldn't help us, we encountered an extremely dangerous opponent. But instead of killing us quickly, he toyed with us, deciding since Naruto and Sasuke had shown enough will, he became… interested… in our growth, so he left us alive. But neither of them could fight in the shape they were in, and they were both unconscious. It was up to me to protect them. We were found by another team of shinobi, ones ordered to kill us."

Most of them gasped in shock but said nothing. Their wide eyes locked onto hers told her enough.

"I tried to lay traps, to give us an edge while I hid them, to keep them safe. But it didn't work, and the enemy team beat me easily, leaving me to their mercy. They had decided to make me watch, mocking me for being so weak as they moved to kill them. At that moment, I realized how much I had failed them," Sakura said as she looked downwards.

"Ribbit."

"... what the hell?"

"No way!"

Sakura looked back up and smiled at them. "I told you how I thought my intelligence and control were all I needed, but there was one other thing about myself that I took a lot of pride in. My appearance. I had longer hair and wore nice dresses, always presenting myself as a nice girl. And I was hung up by that long hair as I watched them approach them."

"At that point, I snapped. I took out a kunai, a type of throwing knife, while they laughed and mocked me for my attempts at stopping them. But instead of attacking them with it, I cut my hair to free myself," Sakura said. The girls all gasped in shock. "It surprised them and gave me enough of an edge to fight back. I didn't care anymore about anything but saving them. I took painful blows and a few deep lacerations, but I wrestled with them in the mud as I bought them every precious second I could. It almost wasn't enough, but backup finally found us."

Her classmates sighed in relief, glad her story didn't end up in tragedy. At least what they knew of it.

The memory of that moment still hurt her whenever she tried to remember it. She would never allow herself to forget it. It was too important a lesson to let go. Even now, that didn't make the pain any easier to control, as she gave an abridged version of the story.

"What did you do after that?" Kyoka asked as she fiddled with the tips of her long earlobes.

Sakura sighed, taking a deep breath and calming herself. "I couldn't fix my problem immediately; we still had to complete the mission. But soon after, I found a sensei who would teach me. She was our Village's best healer and one of the strongest fighters. After proving myself, she taught me everything she knew and always pushed me to my limits."

"Since then, I've continued to push myself, focusing on learning anything I could medically while ensuring that I could be useful in a fight. I haven't stopped, even after I found myself in Hosu. I'm constantly studying medicine while working to improve my Quirk," Sakura said, much calmer now as she turned to the next person in line to ask a question.

Momo sat there, her eyes focusing on nothing in particular as her hand rubbed her chin in thought. After several seconds, she nodded before gazing at Sakura and asking her question. "Earlier, when we were talking about teamwork for the Practical Exam, you said that it didn't matter whether someone didn't pass so long as the goal was achieved. Is your story what you were talking about?"

"Yes and no," Sakura said with a soft smile. "Being willing to put your life on the line can be an important part of teamwork, but it isn't the secret. I have seen members of my Village and friends sacrifice their lives. I have seen some of their sacrifices mean nothing, and others mean everything. It isn't the act that matters."

"I guess our ideas of what it would be like to grow up as a ninja were a little too idealized," Kyoka winced at the memory of her previous enthusiasm. Any desire she might have had before to learn how to be a ninja was dead and buried.

Sakura then turned to Aizawa as his turn had arrived. He was the one she was unsure of what kind of question he would ask.

"Sakura," Aizawa said slowly, keeping his eyes and tone even, "have you had to kill before?"

Sakura willed herself not to look at her classmates as she returned his stare, even though she heard at least one gasp and could still see several tensing up, including Tenya. She also appreciated their sensei's specific wording of his question.

"Yes," Sakura said.

"Oh, crap!" Denki whispered.

"Wha– what?" Mina asked, her eyes going wide as she stared at her friend. She was on the verge of demanding more of an answer when her eyes saw Momo and Fumikage's reactions. Both were nodding as if they had expected that answer. It was the only reason she didn't push any further.

She could tell she wasn't the only one disturbed. Tsuyu, who usually seemed unphased by almost anything, was visibly shaking, though it took Mina a moment to realize it. But she could see that Tsuyu didn't take her answer the hardest.

"Why–why did you kill someone?" Tenya asked tensely, but he refused to look Sakura in the eyes as he instead focused on the mat in front of him. The usually eccentric boy's limbs were shaking.

"Mainly for self-defense," Sakura said, her voice as soft as she could as she addressed her friend, "there were other instances where I did it to protect someone else."

The others shifted in response to her explanation, but she remained focused on Tenya. "I know my answers are just excuses, failures at finding alternative ways to resolve the fighting. For my Village, though, and the enemy shinobi we fought against, there isn't any better. Sparing an enemy's life is seen as a weakness, and any sign of weakness is pounced on by our enemies, leading to more death. Even non-shinobi, bandits and criminals, who preyed on the civilians we protected, would not hesitate to rob, rape, and murder, taking pleasure in their actions."

"Before I arrived in Hosu, some of us were striving for change. We were trying to find an alternative to the bloodshed and making progress, but we weren't there yet."

Sakura could see her words had an effect on Tenya. She waited, seeing if anyone would ask for more clarity or react more negatively, but nothing changed after several minutes of silence.

Eventually, however, Tenya was breathing deeper as his body stopped shaking. He still refused to look at her, but she knew he needed more time to digest her words. She just hoped she wouldn't lose him as a friend permanently.

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

Izuku followed after All Might, as he was asked to join him and Ranma in one of the school's teacher break rooms. Walking to the break room was hard, his body complaining as harshly as it had when he had first started training with All Might on that beach a year ago. He dreaded the next day since Ranma had off-handedly said they had taken it easy.

Once they reached their destination, Toshinori led them to a couch and took an available chair for himself. Izuku took a seat by Ranma, waiting for this little meeting to start and wondering what it was about.

"So you could tell I was All Might, even in this form?" Toshinori asked, driving to the heart of the matter.

Izuku went bug-eyed, the shock drilling right through his exhaustion, before trying to sneak a look at Ranma at his side, who was giving him a slight smirk. Izuku blushed as he realized his attempt to be subtle had failed.

"Yeah, Sensei," Ranma said. "While your Quirk isn't as active, your Ki is still the same."

Toshinori sighed, not looking at either of them for a moment as he thought about the situation. When he did look back, he was straight-faced. "Please be sure to keep that information to yourself, Young Saotome. I would rather not have it become publicly known. Attacks like the one from yesterday would become more frequent if it got out. I also want to avoid causing distress to the public."

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Appearing strong when you are weak and appearing weak when you are strong is a common tactic in Martial Arts. I'm very familiar with it."

Toshinori smiled at that, glad he understood. He was a little curious about the other half of the technique. It wasn't a tactic he used very often, seeing as he was never seen as weak after getting his Quirk from his master. He was used to always putting up a strong front, no matter the situation.

Ranma turned his head to look at Izuku briefly before looking back at Toshinori. "So, does Izuku know why?"

Izuku and Toshinori both looked confused at the question. It took him a moment, but Toshinori finally figured out what Ranma had meant by his question. "Yes, Young Midoriya knows why."

"So he's your heir," Ranma said, "well, it makes sense that you're so debilitated due to that wound in your side. Mind if I see it a little closer? My Ki sense tends to be more accurate the closer I am. Especially if I can work some of my own Ki into the area."

Toshinori thought about it briefly. "Sure."

Ranma got up and kneeled next to the older man's seat as he lifted his shirt, exposing his old wound. Toshinori winced a little when it was touched, still finding the spot rather sore, even after all this time. He then saw Ranma close his eyes as his wound tingled. They remained silent as he let Ranma do whatever it was he was doing. The tingling disappeared after Ranma opened his eyes and removed his hand.

Toshinori and Izuku watched as Ranma knelt there in a thinking pose, not looking at either of them as he stared at something near the ceilings. His head tilted a few times, but he eventually sighed, stood up, and retook his previous seat on the couch.

"Okay, yeah, that was a serious wound you took. That would have taken out most of the people I know," Ranma said as he looked the fabled Pro-Hero in the eyes. "I noticed some serious internal damage. I'm not a doctor, but it looks like it impacted your stomach and lungs, right?"

Toshinori gave a light smile, impressed with the boy's ability to tell. "Yes, my stomach was removed, and it damaged my lungs. As a result, my body has deteriorated over the years since then, reducing the time I can use my Quirk."

"Yeah," Ranma said before wincing. But then he paused, lifting a hand to rub at his chin as he started thinking once more. "Ya know… one other thing I didn't mention earlier today is that Ki can help a body heal."

That grabbed Toshinori and Izuku's attention, surprising them both.

"My own Ki can heal my body far faster and more completely than the body's natural healing process. So, a broken bone would take only a few days or a week instead of months. It's not as fast as I've heard some Quirks can, like Recovery Girls, but it can help repair some body parts that the natural process can't do. I never learned it, but I heard of some legends that someone skilled in healing could grow back missing limbs."

Ranma relaxed his face as he stared at Toshinori. "There are also legends of masters that could heal others, particularly by influxing their Ki into someone else, before guiding the Ki to heal their wounds in minutes."

Toshinori's smile dimmed a little before it returned. He knew the boy was trying to help, but it sounded like that was information he didn't have.

"Still, I might be able to try to look into that, especially since I've worked so heavily on my Ki senses in the last year. I might be able to discover and find ways to improve the healing process. It would take me time and research, watching Recovery Girl or Sakura's Quirks, to piece some of it together from what I know.

Correction, he didn't know now. The Pro-Hero's smile brightened as he looked at the young man. "I am not as concerned for my own health these days, Young Saotome. But it still sounds like a worthy endeavor to make anyways, even if it comes too late for me."

"Luckily, there is something we can do to help you in the meantime," Ranma said, not even acknowledging the man trying to turn down his assistance. "Like I've said before, Ki can strengthen the body. So if you can harness your Ki, you can reinforce your weaker body so that you can halt the deterioration, maybe even reverse some of it."

Toshinori was surprised at the suggestion, but when he considered how to accomplish that, he thought of a roadblock. "My weaker form would not be able to perform the exercises like you are having the others do, and I suspect my Quirk would get in the way."

"True, on both counts," Ranma said, "meditation is still required, and the exercise just makes things easier, allowing your Ki to grow. I can tell you have more Ki than someone as frail as you would normally have. Most likely because you built up more Ki than normal while a hero, but you never grasped it. Using your Quirk has probably also slowed the decline. So it will be a bit harder, but still possible."

Toshinori smiled at that. One of the reasons his ability to use his Quirk was declining was his health, the other being that he had already transferred it to Izuku. But if he could learn how to harness his Ki, like Ranma suggested, it might help him buy more time to ensure Izuku was ready.

"That sounds like a fine plan, Young Saotome. What should I do?"

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

"Alright, we'll meet here again tomorrow after classes have ended," Sakura said. "Tomorrow's training will be harder, but I'll explain what we are doing then. See you tomorrow."

Tenya watched as his… friend left for the locker rooms. He remained there for a minute, being the last of his class left on the mat. Some of them still looked conflicted as they went, much like how he felt as he tried to wrap his head around what they heard.

He hadn't paid as much attention to her answers about her Quirk as he usually would have. His own question had also been far simpler than he had initially intended. But at this point, he didn't really care.

"Iida-san."

Tenya was surprised when he felt a firm hand rest on his shoulders, turning his head to find their sensei looking at him. "Yes, Sensei?"

"Take your time. Don't rush to judgment. Think it through, and don't be afraid to ask questions. My door is open if you want to talk to me about it. But it might be best to ask people you trust who know her just as well or better than you."

Tenya took a moment, no longer looking his sensei in the eyes as he was lost in thought. Eventually, he turned back to the older man. "Thank you, Sensei."

Aizawa nodded before walking off, leaving Tenya alone once again. He stood in the empty gym for several minutes before walking to the locker rooms. Everything took longer than usual, though he wasn't the only one, as Denki and Fumikage were moving slowly as well. He was the last to leave, though.

Stepping out of the gym, he wasn't surprised that it was fully night, with the school street lights having been turned on. He went to the school entrance, not noticing how he was the only student in sight. He didn't head towards the local train station. Even if a train was scheduled to arrive soon it wouldn't have mattered to him as he walked towards home.

Tenya had always idolized heroes since he was young. They stood up for what was right in the world, stopping those who hurt others for selfish reasons. They fit so well with his own sense of justice that it was difficult not to admire them. And with a family of heroes, several generations of heroes even, he grew up with that world around him. He saw firsthand the great things his family had done to keep the world safe.

He didn't care that his family wasn't in the top ten on the hero charts, even if it would have been nice for his family to have that recognition of the hard work they put in every day. His family, while well-off, cared deeply for people and did the best they could. His father had taken the initiative to expand their operation, hire more sidekicks, and develop their logistical capabilities. They had achieved more success and were more effective in their area, and they were willing to give many sidekicks chances to earn experience in the field before they created their own agency. Other sidekicks stuck around for longer, some significantly longer than most.

But now, his brother's agency was constantly being praised for their work, both by his brother and his sidekicks. He saw how everyone had straighter backs and smiles on their faces—all because of a girl his own age.

How could he not idolize her? Maybe not as much as his brother or parents, but he saw how she had helped them. He desperately wanted to learn everything he could about her, how she had accomplished what few others could. So he followed her any time she visited. He met her and learned more about her, how she came from an isolated village, how she was a ninja. He had, embarrassingly, been improper a few times while talking to her. While she had been upset, she had taken it in stride and actually helped him. She had quickly cemented herself as an essential person in his life.

And now he learned that she had blood on her hands. He knew, rationally, that it was understandable, considering the environment she had grown up in. But it still did not sit well with him, with his understanding of justice and morality. If he had learned that about her earlier, he might have dismissed everything she did for his family. But he couldn't now.

He had seen how easily people could set aside logic or morals to benefit themselves. But he always felt that it was not something he would ever do. He saw heroes as the profession that upholds both of those traits. He knew some failed and that no one was perfect, but there were some very firm barriers you did not cross. One of them was killing.

After an hour of walking in the dark, his thoughts and feelings going in circles as memories replayed events repeatedly, he finally decided to take his sensei's advice. He stopped walking, pulled out his cell phone, found the number he was looking for, and waited for it to answer. After a couple rings, it did.

"Hey, Little Brother, you caught me at a good time. How's school?"

Tenya paused, trying to find the words he needed to speak.

"Tenya? Are you okay?" Tensei asked.

"I'm… fine," Tenya said. His brother gave him the time he needed. "Brother, I learned something… concerning, about Sakura. About her past. I…"

Tenya heard his brother sigh, causing Tenya to halt. "So, she told you?"

"I… yes. Yes, she did," Tenya answered. One part of himself was relieved that Tensei knew, but the other half was concerned. "She had us all ask questions of each other. Our sensei participated and asked her. She admitted that she had… that she had killed before."

"So your class has started her training? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering what happened yesterday. That's good," Tensei said calmly. "Regarding what she said, you know that she grew up differently than most of us. Her home saw that as common practice; they were expected to do that."

"I know," Tenya responded, a little more firmly than usual. His emotions were getting the better of him. "But that shouldn't matter."

"Except it does," Tensei answered softly. "Little brother, if a person was born to a poor nation, that all they have ever known is everyone stealing from each other to survive, where they are expected to steal… if that person had to steal a few times but wanted a way to survive without stealing, would you look down on them for having stolen before? For survival, if nothing else?"

"I… I don't know," Tenya answered, quickly understanding his brother's point. "But there is a big difference between stealing and killing."

"Normally, I would agree, Little Brother," Tensei said. "But her home was very different from the one we've grown up in. The most important thing to remember isn't what she has done in the past but what she is doing now. Sakura has worked hard to find another way to live, not just for her own sake, but for her home's sake."

"I know," Tenya said softly, knowing his brother was right.

"Sakura has always been a good person, Little Brother, but she was lost and is trying to find a way to reconcile with her past. Don't deride what she is trying to do or her accomplishments," Tensei said.

"I… alright, Brother. I won't."

"And Tenya?"

"Yes?"

"Be there for her," Tensei said. "Anyone who tries to change themselves can have moments where they could backslide. Yesterday's attack threatened that, but she still did the right thing. But it will happen again. Just be there to remind her of her commitments, and make sure you let her know that it is her choice. Can you do that for me, Little Brother?"

Tenya paused, giving himself a few moments to think it over. "I will, Brother. Thank you."

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

As the test ended, Katsuki was impressed—not so much by his own score but by how good the program he had used was. He had expected a standard test that was tailored to a generic range of physics questions. What he got was an incredibly dynamic test. Even though he was disappointed with his score, feeling he should have been higher, he was hungry for more.

The test started with basic knowledge of physics and chemistry and then became more specific regarding explosives. It tested his knowledge of mechanical, chemical, and nuclear types of explosives and how they differentiated from each other. It then dived deeper into chemical explosives, both low-order and high-order. Then, it moved into the family tree of explosives he was more familiar with, nitrates.

Beyond his basic knowledge, like the different names used for the chemical names, it also tested his knowledge of the chemical reactions and math involved. How nitroglycerin was made and what happens to the actual chemistry at colder or hotter temperatures. Some questions were about adding or subtracting different amounts of air molecules, most commonly oxygen, and how that would impact the explosions.

In addition, it also tested his experience in both his practical and intuitive skills with explosives, which was where he did his best on this test. Some questions didn't require any mathematical equations, allowing him to readily describe what would happen.

He went at his own pace, and it wasn't overly complicated. If it started to get too stressful, helpful information would pop up on the test, allowing him to get through the questions more easily.

He didn't know how Peter did it, but it was the easiest and hardest test he had ever taken. He hated how poorly he had done but was in no way discouraged, especially after the test had ended. The program made suggestions and lesson plans he could follow that would help him quickly fill in the gaps in his knowledge in all the necessary fields.

Katsuki put the earbuds down he'd been given and closed the laptop before returning to Peter. When he entered, he found Peter's back to him as he was studying a hologram. There were some charts off to the sides, some framework models of some sort of circular mechanical device, and something flowing in the middle of it that he couldn't figure out. He didn't understand why, but he saw the device begin to glow with a light blue color, becoming far brighter for a few moments before dimming and disappearing.

When it said failure in big, red, English letters, Peter lowered his head for a moment before looking up, swiping his hand with the hologram following to one side, then showing another almost identical hologram. Peter looked at it momentarily, picking and grabbing a few parts of the hologram to expand and inspect before releasing it back to its previous state. "Start ignition on iteration zero-one-two-four-nine."

Katsuki walked towards Peter, trying to understand what he was seeing but failing. While his English was pretty good, most of it looked like technical jargon that was lost on him. "Parker."

Peter didn't even turn around, his eyes glued to his project while he raised his soda can to his lips. "Hey, Bakugo, glad to see you did well on the test."

Katsuki looked at the other boy before piecing it together, thinking it must have updated him regularly on his status or when he had finished. Katsuki was beginning to better understand him, how he reacted, and where his mind tended to drift. Katsuki decided to deal with the previous item first. "Nice test program."

"Thanks. It has a series of software renovations specifically targeting adaptation based on the student. It takes in a range of information, both past information that it has and how you respond on the test, to make evaluations. As the test progresses, it adapts further to hone in on the strengths and weaknesses of the tester and then works to find the most effective means of improving the student's knowledge."

"Another one of your company's technologies?" Katsuki asked before looking back at the hologram, hoping he could make more sense of what he was seeing. The circle of fluid, or whatever it was, began to glow a light blue again.

"Yeah, but we can't release it for a bit because of some controversial aspects of the program," Peter responded, his eyes becoming saddened when he saw the light blue begin to fade away again before another failure message appeared.

"What kind of controversy?" Katsuki asked, his eyebrows raised as he glanced back at Peter, even as he moved on to the next iteration.

"Two major components," Peter said. "First, the program uses facial recognition software familiar with human expressions to gauge your reactions to the questions in real-time. That informed it about things like your emotions and your stress levels. It then adapts to help ensure nothing is overly stressful but not too easy."

Katsuki nodded. That was some seriously good tech if it could do that on the fly, but he understood that many people would not be comfortable with that. As ridiculous as that seemed to him, many would see it as an invasion of their privacy.

"Second, the program works better when it can use your background information, such as your school history, noted personality and behaviors, and more, if available."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at Peter, ignoring his command to the computer to start the next iteration. "You did one on me, didn't you?"

Peter looked back at him calmly. "Yeah."

"Why?" Katsuki asked, folding his arms and turning more fully to Peter.

"Yesterday's attack," Peter responded, not even looking at the stats on the screen as it progressed. Instead, he kept his eyes glued to Katsuki's.

"Why would…" Katsuki paused as he actually thought about it more heavily. He turned back to the hologram as it started to glow blue again. There were also additional parts of the attack that had bugged the hell out of him. His eyes narrowed, not looking at anything specifically as he delved down that line of thought. "You're concerned that there was more to the attack than we know about."

"Partly," Peter said, returning to his test as he sipped his drink again. "Even if the attack had nothing to do with me or my company, I have to be prepared if some interested parties get wind of it. Not to mention the concerns about how the attack happened in the first place and the likelihood of additional attacks, leading to more potential exposure in the future."

"And yet I'm here," Katsuki noted.

"Yeah," Peter replied. "Background checks didn't require much; most of it was publicly available without bypassing official channels to get the information. The psychological analysis gave you a pass as well."

"Though," Peter said as he smirked at Katsuki, "you only passed because of recent developments."

Katsuki glared at the sitting boy. "Fuck you."

"No thanks, you aren't my type," Peter replied. He laughed as Katsuki gave him the middle finger. "Anyways, while you might get a bit of a peek under the hood of what I am working on, there's more to it than this."

Katsuki saw him point towards the current failed test but realized this was going much deeper than he realized. He didn't know what they were working on, but if these were just stepping stones, they must have something incredible. Maybe if he at least understood what he was looking at, it would tell him more. "What is this, anyway?"

"Power."

-o-0-o-O-o-0-o-

Chapter 12 - End

Author's Note: As I said for the previous chapter, I am changing the fandom from MHA/Spider-man to MHA/Ranma. This is not a permanent change, but will just focus on whichever character the arc revolves around the most. This should allow those on from all four fandoms to find the story.

I will not change the base of MHA for fandom, so in the future, if you are trying to find this, search there.