The next day at UA went about as normal as any other school day, the original curriculum for schools like English and Math meets in the morning. Then at around noon, they broke for lunch, which was held in the main cafeteria and was headed by Lunch Rush, one of the most popular food-based heroes.
Needless to say, it was honestly pretty typical if the kids were being honest. If only a bit crowded in the mornings.
It wasn't until the afternoon that things really got interesting. This was when hero classes took place, and it was taught by…
"I AM HERE!" A loud, boisterous voice boomed as the classroom door slid open. "COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
Needless to say, the entire class, even the members of Fairy Tail, were excited to see none other than All-Might make his appearance in their classroom, even decked out in his Silver Age costume.
"No freaking way!" Natsu shouted as he practically stood up from his seat.
"It's All-Might!" Lisanna said with a smile on her face.
"I can't believe it! All-Might's really a teacher here!" Denki added.
"This year is gonna be totally awesome!" Eijirou said as he pumped his fists into the air.
"…Yeah, 'normal' people don't announce when they…." lucy started with a deadpan
"HUSH UP, LUCY!" Izuku snapped, startling many of the other students."I HAVE WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS MOMENT AND YOU WILL NOT RUIN IT!"
"….Izu-ni is All Might's #1 fan." Wendy said with a smile.
" And the best kind of fan. Not the creepy stalker type." Levy was quick to add.
"…His room says otherwise." Gray smirked.
If Izuku heard all that? He was too engrossed in meeting his idol to give a darn.
"Alright, everyone! Thanks for the warm greetings and welcome to hero basic training! Think of it as Heroing 101. Here's where you'll learn the basics of being a pro. And what it means to fight in the name of good!"The man started."Let's get into it! Today's lesson will pull no punches!"
He then pulled out a card with 'BATTLE' in big bold letters. Needless to say, the likes of Katsuki, Gajeel, and Laxus got excited.
"FIGHT TRAINING!"
"Before we get started, one of the keys to being a hero is… LOOKING GOOD!" All-Might said as he pointed to the wall and it moved forward, revealing that it was compartments that had numbers on it from one to thirty. "These were designed for you based on your Quirk registration forums and the requests you made before school started."
"Alright! Let's do this thing!" Gray grinned, standing up only to realize he had taken off his blazer. "Wait...SHIT!"
FAIRY
After everyone got dressed in their costumes, they all headed towards the training area where All-Might was waiting for them, allowing him to see what they looked like.
"They say clothes make the pros ladies and gentlemen, and behold you are the proof!"He began."From now on you are all now: heroes in training!"
Izuku definitely stood out the most. He wore a green cloak with white-bordered clouds printed on it, a black bodysuit underneath, his signature red boots, and a ring on his left hand with the kanji for 'Green' engraved on it.
"You're rocking it, Izuku!" Natsu praised, wearing a mostly black with an orange left-sleeved jacket with the bottom going all the way to the bottom of his white pants with his trademark dragon scale-like scarf and sandals.
"Now that you're ready, it's time for us to begin,"All-Might told everyone.
"Sir! These are the fake cities from our entrance Exams." Tenya spoke up with his hand raised. "Does that mean we'll be doing Urban Battles again?"
"Not quite, I'm moving you two steps ahead. Today's lesson will take place indoors." The Symbol of Peace replied. "Most of the battles you hear about on TV take place outside. The truly intelligent villains skulk in the shadows, behind the scenes. Home invasions, backroom dealings, and more. We will be simulating one such occasion."
"Isn't this a little advanced?" Tsuyu asked as she put her finger on her cheek in confusion and concern.
"The best training is what you get on the battlefield. But remember you can't just punch a robot this time, you're dealing with actual people now." All-Might said as Momo soon raised her hand.
"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?" She asked as she wasn't the only one to ask a question.
"How much can we hurt the other team?" Katsuki asked viciously.
"Are weapons allowed? The school never did say." Gajeel chimed in.
"Do we have to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?" Ochako asked as she was a little shaken from yesterday.
"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?" Tenya asked.
"Isn't this cape très chic?" Yuuga asked as he held his cape which was irrelevant.
All the rapid questions made All Might cringe a bit. Fortunately, someone came to his defense.
CLANG!
Everyone turned to see a giant hammer being dropped on the floor; a hammer that belonged to a certain, now very annoyed, redhead.
"If you will all be quiet?" Erza glared. "I believe All Might would explain everything."
Everyone gulped and stood at attention. Erza then cleared her throat and intensified her glare.
"Sorry All Might-sensei!" The students all said together.
"That's better." Erza smiled, returning her hammer to her inventory.
"My, Erza!" Mirajane cooed. "How strict."
The redhead smiled.
"Well, my version at least is short and to the point, Mira."
"Fair." Mira smiled with a shrug.
Izuku and the other Fairy Tail students let out sighs of relief.
'Thank goodness it WASN'T Mira…!'
They all STILL had nightmares of what she'd done the last time she played peacemaker…..!
"Thank you, Miss Scarlet." All Might smiled before clearing his throat and opening his booklet, revealing that it was a script. "Listen up! The situation is this: Villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try and foil their plans. To do that, the good guys must either catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys will succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes."
"Sounds like a classic action movie set-up to me," Lucy noted.
"Time's limited, so we'll choose teams by drawing lots."
"Isn't there a better way?" Levy asked.
"Think about it, Levy." Izuku countered. "Pros often have to work with heroes from other agencies on the spot."
"So this is likely a training method based on that." Erza nodded.
"Huh, ya know, when you put it like that, it makes a lot more sense." Ochako nodded, showing she caught on quickly.
"Precisely!" All-Might exclaimed, pointing at them. "It's actually a common sight in the field, so simulating it will help ease you into it and make you more adaptable." He added. "Without further ado, let's draw!"
The teams were then selected soon after:
Team A: Izuku and Ochako
Team B: Shouji and Shoto
Team C: Minoru and Momo
Team D: Katsuki and Tenya
Team E: Mina and Yuuga
Team F: Rikidou and Kouji
Team G: Denki and Kyouka
Team H: Fumikage and Tsuyu
Team I: Oujiro and Tooru
Team J: Sero and Eijirou
Team K: Natsu and Lucy
Team L: Gajeel and Levy
Team M: Laxus and Mirajane
Team N: Juvia and Gray
Team O: Erza and Wendy
Team P: Lisanna and Elfman
"Now, I declare that the first to fight will be… These guys!" All-Might exclaimed, holding up two orbs that said Izuku and Ochako would fight Tenya and Katsuki, much to the Rinnegan user's exasperation.
"Of course…" Izuku groaned as he facepalmed.
"Why couldn't I have been on Izuku's team..."Erza thought to herself."Well, at least Wendy is good company."
Still, the redhead needed to be sure and gently took Ochako to the side before the match began.
"Uraraka, I need to talk with you about this exercise."
"What about?" The Gravity controlling girl asked, concern clear in her voice.
"Listen. I want you to watch over Izuku for me. I don't trust that Bakugo character. Just please make sure nothing happens to him."
"Come on, he has all those cool powers on him. I'm sure he's got this in the bag!" Ochako reassured.
Erza sighed. "Still, just keep an eye on him if you can."
Hearing the concern in Erza's voice, Ochacko smiled warmly and gave a thumbs up.
"You can count on me!"
Erza's worries ceased as she smiled back and went to join the others.
"Bad guys, you can go on in and get set up. In five minutes, the good guys will be let loose and the battle will start." All-Might said as the teams nodded.
"Yes sir." Izuku, Ochako, and Tenya said while Katsuki kept quiet.
"Young Iida, Young Bakugo. The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. Think from the perspective of an evildoer."
"Got it," Iida said as Bakugo remained quiet.
"If things go too far, I'll step in."
"Understood."
As Tenya and Katsuki entered the building, the former tried to make conversation.
"Even though this is training, it pains me to be aligned with criminal behavior." He then looked up at the weapon. "So this is the weapon we must protect. Fake, of course."
"Whatever." Katsuki scoffed. "You've seen what Deku can do, right?"
"It's hard not to." The blue-haired teen replied.
"Then this battle won't be easy. But to hell if I'm gonna let that stop me from roasting that damn nerd today." The blonde growled, clenching his fists.
"Why do you seem particularly angry when it comes to Midoriya?" The speedster questioned.
"You could never understand."
DEVIL
Meanwhile, outside the building, Ochako and Izuku were currently trying to work on getting the floor plan memorized. Something that was at least easy for Izuku to do.
"Hey, you seem like you've known Bakugo a long time. Right?" Ochako spoke up.
Izuku sighed. "When we were kids...but we kind of drifted apart after a while."
"Are you worried?" Ochacko asked.
"Not for myself...but for what Kaachan might end up doing. I doubt time has done enough to help curb his temper."
As they went, Izuku kept his ears open. If he knew the explosive pomeranian that is Katsuki well, he'd come after them. He needed to be ready when he heard the telltale noise of explosions closing in on him and his partner.
But the strange thing was, as they continued to make their way around several corners, he didn't hear anything, at all–in fact.
"I'll have to rely on whatever I can do with my Six Paths that won't damage the building, plus Uraraka'sZero Gravity."The boy thought as they continued sneaking up floors.
As he finished up his thoughts, he was able to pick up the telltale explosions of Katsuki heading his and Ochako's way, causing his eyes to widen.
"GET DOWN!" He yelled, grabbing his partner just in time for the red-eyed teen to come from around the corner and blast them.
"Uraraka, are you OK?"
"Yeah, you?" The brunette groaned.
"I'm fine." Izuku said, grateful for his Preta Path; the ability that allowed him to absorb energy.
"What're you waiting for, Deku? Afraid to stand up and fight me?" Katsuki questioned as he came out of the smoke.
"Keep dreaming." The young sage retorted as he activated theAsura Pathand created some sword blades from his arms.
However, when he tried to attack with them, the blonde was quick to blast his arms with explosions that were much stronger than they would be typically, causing the blades to shatter.
"Now you're open." The bomber grinned as he charged forward. "I won't hurt you so bad they'll stop the fight, just close!"
However, Izuku could see Katsuki's attack coming a mile away and mentally sighed.
"Even after all these years, you start with a big right hook, Kaachan."He then held his hand out."ALMIGHTY PUSH!"
Katsuki grunted loudly as the repulsion force of theDeva Pathslammed him into a wall.
"Is this really what you've been building yourself up to, Kaachan?" Izuku asked in disappointment. "How can you expect to beat me if you're so predictable?!"
FAIRY
Meanwhile, up in the observation room, the rest of the class was watching and giving various commentaries as the match unfolded before them.
"What did Midoriya just do? All I saw was him holding his hand out before Bakugo went flying." Denki wondered.
"The Deva Path," Mirajane explained. "It allows Izuku to manipulate gravitational forces."
"Rather simple in practice but you know the old saying; simple is the best," Erza added.
Shoto nodded. "It's quite the devastating power."
"Indeed, and Young Midoriya must be very mindful of how much power he puts into it every time he uses it. A close-quarters environment like that corridor emphasizes that." All-Might nodded.
"It is a way to learn some self-control." Tsuyu noted.
"Wait, so if Midoriya has what I think he has… what else can he do with it?" Eijirou questioned.
"You'll have to wait and see, Young Kirishima."
FAIRY
Meanwhile, back with Izuku and Katsuki, the green-haired teen had told Ochako to book it to the weapon while he dealt with Katsuki. Right now he was blocking a flying kick from Katsuki with his arm, leaving him wide open to the adjacent wall.
"ALMIGHTY PUSH!"
Katsuki went flying and crashing through several layers of wall. However, his rage made him quickly spring back up.
"You can't win if you keep spamming that, Deku!" The pomeranian blonde barked as he got back up, but saw that the viridian-haired teen had suddenly vanished. "Oh, now you're running, huh?! I'll fucking find you!"
"You put the dick in predictable, you know that, Kacchan?" A voice questioned from the hall across from him, causing him to turn and see Izuku standing there, hand out. "GET OVER HERE!"
"CRAAAP!" Katsuki yelled as he was pulled toward his rival via Universal Pull, who then transformed his right arm into the Gorilla Arms from Cyberpunk 2077 with the Asura Path, reared it back, and slammed his fist into the red-eyed boy's gut, the force coming dangerously close to making the bomber puke up his last meal.
As the fist was removed, Katsuki collapsed to his knees holding his stomach in pain since it hurt like hell.
"You give up?" The boy questioned as his arm then shifted to reveal a Cyberpunk arm cannon as he held it at the blonde's head.
"Go… fuck… yourself…" Katsuki groaned, his pride refusing to let him surrender as he shakily got back to his feet.
"Wrong answer." Izuku deadpanned before he fired a tranquilizer at the red-eyed teen's neck. However, it unfortunately didn't take immediate effect like he'd hoped.
Taking advantage of his opponent's assuredness of his victory, Katsuki forced his body to not fall and fought through the haze caused by the dart to start wildly attacking Izuku before the boy had the time to react.
"Oof!" Izuku grunted as he received a sloppy haymaker to the face, forcing him to stagger back.
"Nice try, Deku," Katsuki growled as he limply forced himself upright, a grin on his face. "But you should have shot me with something lethal when you had the chance." He continued, slamming his fist into his face, causing an explosion and further weakening the tranq. "Cuz tranqs don't work when you're full of adrenaline!"
"Of course, you'd work around that…" Izuku muttered as he rubbed his face. "And you should know me enough to realize that I don't use lethal force, much less in training exercises."
"Okay, fine, I'll give you that one." The bomber conceded since it sounded like a valid point. "But you aren't beating me that easy!"
With renewed vigor, Katsuki launched himself at Izuku, only to get grabbed by the face, and for blue energy to start coming out of him, courtesy of thePreda Path. Acting quickly, Katsuki performed a backflip kick in Izuku's chin to send him flying, both tumbling down adjacent flights of stairs into different areas.
"Damn… Kacchan is fighting off the tranq I shot at him and he even weakened it. If I can hold out long enough for the adrenaline to wear off, he'll fall asleep and I'll have my opening."Izuku thought, coming up with a plan while hoping he'd have enough time to outlast his rival. "Barring that, I'll have to do something drastic."
"You think you're better than me, don't you?" Katsuki snapped. "You've ALWAYS thought you were better than me! Ever since that day in the park when you were worried about me falling into shitty water!"
Izuku's world went silent. He remembered that day…
"…That's it?" Izuku asked quietly, his anger bubbling over. "THAT is what made you decide to bully me?! Because I helped you up?! BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED FOR MY ONLY FRIEND AT THE TIME?!"
Summoning a bladed tail with Asura Path, Izuku raced forward.
"I didn't your pity!" Katsuki roared as he lepat over Izuku and fired a blast, which Izuku was quick to asborb. "I never needed anyone's pity! Not from you, not from pyro or blondie…AND CERTAINLY NOT ALDERA'S!"
They two grappled and tensed, pushing each other back.
"What pity?!" Izuku snapped. "You know you're good at almost everything…!"
"You think I ain't heard that before?!" Katsuki snapped, even as Izuku tried to fling him again, him pulling Izuku, who used the tail he'd spawned to remain in place. "Every god damned day of my life! All people ever saw was how strong I was! How easy I'd become a Pro! All of them yapping and stroking my ego…When they were NOTHING BUT EXTRAS! NOT EVEN MINOR CHARACTERS! THEY SETTLED FOR BACKGROUND LIFE!"
The boys crashed to the floor, Izuku deactivating his mechanical enchacments and rushing to his feet.
"And that's when I realized: You were the only one who knew the real me!:" Katsuki snapped. "Sure, you were annoying and meek and shit, but you actually cared about me."
SAGE
From within the viewing room, many were shocked by what they were hearing.
"…Wow. I mean, while it does take a real man to admit his mistakes and all that…this is just sad." Elfman said.
"What do you mean?!" Eijiro asked, offended. "Bakugo is throwing his heart out and…!"
"He bullied Izu-nii." Wendy cut in. "Called him weird and useless."
Yes, the youngest student had NO pity for her cousins; former friend.
"And always picked fights with Lu and Natsu." Levy added. "Just because they DIDN'T lord over everyone else."
"..Is it wrong I kind of feel bad for the guy?" Natsu asked. :I mean yeah. When we were kids he was a jerk, buit…"
"Natsu." Lucy smiled, proud of him but needing to stay firm. "Katsuki may be getting better but he needs to accept he burnt a bridge."
SAGE
"And you left me for Pyro and Blondie!" Katsuki roared.
"They were actual friends to me!" Izuku snapped back, prepping an 'Almighty Push'. "They supported me! Everyone at Fairy Tail did! Kami knows you never cared enough! And they TRIED to befreiend you too! For years! Jude banning you almost killed Lucy was not my fault!"
"NOT?! YOUR?! FAULT?!" Katsuki snapped, spying some debris and throwing them at his opponent, who was soon put on the defensive. "Who kept telling me I was worth it until he left for a rizty school? Whose irritating but honest smile taught me what a bunch of sycophantic morons everyone else around me was?! WHO FILLED MY HEAD WITH DREAMS OF BECOMING THE #1 HERO?!"
Throughout all of this Katsuki had gotten closer and closer to Izuku, who now had to wait before he could use 'Almighty Push again.' Seeing Katsuki;s hands alit with explosions, he switched to Preta Path as he found himself backing into a corner.
"ALL I EVER DID?! I DID TO MAKE YOU PROUD!" The blonde screamed, unleashing explosion after expolsion as he wailed on his former friend, landing punches and kicks whenever he could. "TELL ME HOW PROUD YOU ARE, DEKU! TELL ME!"
Izuku faltered in his defense, allowing Katsuki to throw one large explosion at him.
"TELL ME!"
Izuku went flying, tumbling across the ground before slamming into the wall and falling down, breathing heavily as he struggled to pick himself up as Katsuki began slowly approaching.
"I have always been proud of you." Izuku weakly said as he picked himself up
Hearing that made Katsuki stop in his place, his anger vanishing.
" From the moment we met, I've been...proud of you. And…I know it was wrong to leave you behind without realizing how much you were hurting deep down. How alone you felt despite how much your pride wouldn't let you express it..."
Not on his back, Izuku looked dead into his former friends eyes as he finished:
"I'm sorry, ka-cha….Katsuki."
Hearing those, Katsuki's anger dimmed. Seeing and hearing his childhood friend say those words
'…I really was a dumbass, wasn't I?' The explosive Pomerian mused.
"…I think we both were." Izuku sighed. "But…this IS a fight, so…?"
"…Your best vs. my best?" Katsuki suggested, reaching for the pin on one of his grenade gauntlets.
"Bakugo, that could be….!" All Might started, but he went ignored as Izuku stood up, and bit his thumb and slammed his hand onto the ground.
"SUMMONING JUTSU! KARKADANN!"
A puff of smoke appeared and Izuku's strongest summon, a rhino, appeared behind him, ready to keep the building upright. Katsuki then leapt forward, a maddened grin on his face as he hand lit up with an explosion; after so many years, he would soon know for sure….!
"IZUUUUKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
The green haired sage smiled as he poured everything he had into his signature move.
"PLUS ULTRA: ALMIGHTY PUSH!"
A massive explosion shook the building, shaking Ochaco and Ida as they'd fought. Luckily, the rhino prevented a collapse and remained firm as the smoke began tyo clear.
"YOUNG MIDOIRYA! YOUNG BAKUGO!" All Might called out, praying to all the deities he knew they were okay.
"…He's out cold." Izuku managed through his comm-link in a daze, carrying Katsuki on his shoulder
Meanwhile, Ochako had managed to outsmart Tenya and tagged the bomb, winning her and Izuku the match.
"HERO TEAM WINS!"
FAIRY
A post battle discussion then began over who the MVPs of the match were.
"Ochako and Izu-bro, of course!" Elfman declared. "Ochako focused on the mission and secured the weapon while Izu not only kept the stronger villain at bay, but also helped him grow as a man and learn from his mistakes!"
"So freaking manly!" Eijiro and Mina beamed together, along with Natsu.
"I have to disagree." Momo Yayorozu butted in. "Ochako did focus, but also faltered and treated the exercise as a bout of play. Izuku was indeed inspirational, but should've ended the fight sooner than he did, That and there was the also the fact that he let his emotions get the better him,"
Natsu, Lucy and Wendy, remembering Bakugo from when they were younger and knowing how important this fight was for both him and Izuku, held their tongues (per Mira and Lisana's wordless requests) but glared at the rich girl.
Erza on the other hand, had to bite her tongue to keep her from attacking: She saw Momo's points and yes, Izuku could've done better, she'd tell him that herself shortly. But Momo was focused too much on getting the job done; missing the trees in the forest, one could say.
Was Erza being hypocritical because of the special place Izuku had in her heart? Possibly and she recognized this…maybe she should meet with Hound-Dog sensei….
"I'd recommend that Ida be given the MVP focused on the task at hand wholeheartedly. After all; one should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning." Momo said. "that's the only real way to become a top hero."\
"…No, it ain;t." Laxus and Gajeel pointed out before Mira and Levy slapped them. "OW! Dangit Mira/short stack!"
"She has a point!"
"If they want to be a sidekick, sure." Lucy noted.
"…beg pardon?" Momo asked.
"Following and amserting the basics is indeed important." Erza noted. "But to truly encompass Plus Ultra and even save the day, sometimes you have to get rough and emotional"
The redhead smiled at her teacher.
"After all; sensei here is proof enough of that."
"…I…I see." Momo noted.
"Okay, seriously. Are you two related?" Juvia asked.
"FINALLY, SOMEBODY SAID IT!" Jiro and Hagakure shouted
"…They don't smell related." Gajeel, Natsu and Wendy all noted.
"Come on, they gotta be!" Mineta mused. "Shapely curves, poise and proper attitudes, and those fanstaically buxom…"
The air suddenly turned cold as Mineta feel EVERYONE glare at him in a way that said:
'Choose. Your next words. VERY. Carefully.'
He shut up and went into a corner, waiting for his turn.
"Now with that out of the way, let's move on to the next match!" All-Might called as he drew the next two teams.
Momo meanwhile, felt embarrassment and fshame until Lucy gave her a pat on the shoulder.
"Hey, this is a school, remember? No one knows everything off that bat."
"…You raise a fair point." Momo smiled, then turning to the Fairy Tai, gang and bowing. "I apologize for my harsh words against Izuku."
"Well, you did have good points." Gray mused,
"And you got a six pack." Tsuyu noted.
"DANG NABBIT, AGAIN?! Gray asked, reaching for his shirt.
"NO, KEEP IT OFF!" Juvia begged.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
We'll cover everyone else's battle trials in the next chapter. I figured Katsuki would have a breakdown similar to Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda in his fight with Shifu in this continuity.
Mrotrax A/N:
I wager this must be new in MHA; Bakugo both being in the right yet still a jerk in need of humbling.
An unexpected but welcomed development.
Looking forward to the next few matches! Stay safe and warm