- UA - Gym Gamma -
10:55 AM
Once everyone was in their gym uniforms, they headed out to the large gym on campus. The kids were all muttering amongst themselves, wondering what their lesson will be about, but mostly on what the Big Three's quirks are.
"Man, facing our upperclassmen will be different," Hanta said to Kirishima.
"Yeah. I got to say though, that Mirio guy looked pretty jacked. I wonder what his quirk is? Could it be strength-related or something manly like that?" Kirishima asked everyone.
"Well, I'll tell ya one thing, I don't know what that Hado gal's quirk is, but she's smoking hot!" Mineta said with a dopey, lecherous smile. He nudged Kaminari, "Am I right?"
"Uh...yeah, I guess she's attractive," Kaminari said uneasily. He turned to Jirou, who stood next to him, and asked, "But what do you think their quirks could be, Jirou?"
"Oh, uh, I...don't really know," Jirou shrugged, "Their quirks might have something to do with their personalities, I guess? Like, Nejire has a bubbly personality so maybe she has a bubble quirk? I don't know, I'm not analytical like Green over there."
"Heh, but I bet you figured out just by looking at me that my quirk would be something electric type, right?" Kaminari teased.
Jirou smirked, "Yeah, something like that. That, or maybe your quirk is just being a goofball."
"Hey! Nyeh!" Kaminari stuck his tongue out a bit, but couldn't help but laugh, while Jirou snickered as well.
The three boys, Hanta, Kirishima, and Mineta all just looked at the two...clearly floored.
"..." Hanta whispered to Kirishima, "Man, Kaminari is smooth."
"Yeah," Kirishima nodded, "The guy has good taste in girls, too."
Mineta, meanwhile…was dumbstruck.
What the...What the hell is happening here?
While that occurred, Tsuyu, Mina, Iida, and Ochako all stood there waiting for the lesson to start.
"Man, who would've thought those two hunks were part of the Big Three? I wonder who we'll face?" Mina asked Tsuyu.
"I don't know, but I'm kind of nervous. I feel like I have to go all out against our upperclassmen to prove that I got what it takes or something," Tsuyu commented.
"I just hope I can do well," Iida mumbled, mostly to himself, "I feel like I didn't do my best when I was at the Yaoyorozu Estate, even when Midoriya, Todoroki, and I actually won the...um, the you-know-what incident."
"Oh! Actually, that reminds me, Iida," Ochako piped up, "When will you, Deku, and Todoroki talk about...well, what really happened in the Stain fight?"
"Oh, uh...maybe during lunch?" Iida answered.
Ochako nodded, "Okay! And..." her face turned into a determined expression as she put a hand on his arm, startling him. "Don't worry, Iida. We're here for a reason, so we have to learn this kind of stuff at UA. Besides, those villains we fought seemed pretty experienced, so really, don't beat yourself up over what happened, alright?"
Iida looked at Uraraka and couldn't help but feel...nervous. He appreciated her words of comfort, nevertheless, managing to stutter, "Uh, y-yes! Thank you...U-Uraraka!"
Oh my goodness...sh-she's touching my arm! Wha-What could this mean!? I mean, what do I take from all this!? D-Does she really like me? I-I'm not experienced with this kind of interaction! What would my brother do? Or my dad, or...my mom? I DON'T KNOW! This is completely out of my knowledge! WHAT DO I DO!?
"Um, Iida? Are you feeling okay? Your face looks all red," Uraraka asked him in concern.
"I'm just nervous!" Iida blurted out, causing Ochako to step back from his outburst in surprise.
"U-Uhhh..." Ochako blinked, "W-...Well, don't worry, Iida. I'm sure we'll do good throughout our whole school year to become great heroes!"
"...R-Right!" Iida nodded frantically.
Ochako just looked at him oddly, but smiled and offered him an awkward nod. She then stood there as she waited for their lesson to begin.
Meanwhile, Iida was thinking one thing.
...Oh no...I...I think I might have a crush on Uraraka...
As for Mina and Tsuyu, who looked on at Iida's and Uraraka's interaction, they both looked on intrigued.
...Well, this got interesting. Mina thought mischievously.
...That was weird. Does Iida like Ochako now or something? Tsuyu thought in mild confusion.
A few feet away from them, Midoriya was feeling a little anxious himself.
Man, I wonder what we're gonna do? I wonder what their quirks are? I just hope I don't make a fool out of myself.
"Hey, Midoriya?" said the voice of Todoroki.
Izuku turned to his left to see that Shouto and Momo had walked up to him. Shouto was the only one without his gym uniform as he was in an arm cast, so they had no choice but to rule him out of the lesson, as much as Todoroki wanted to be involved in it.
"Are you okay?" Todoroki asked his friend.
"Oh, yeah, I-I was just..." Midoriya took a breath and sighed, "I'm just a little nervous is all. I don't know what we're gonna do and how well we're all gonna perform."
"Hmm..." Yaoyorozu lowered her gaze to the ground as she hummed in agreement, "It would seem pretty daunting. Especially with what we went through." she looked up at Midoriya once more, "But just know that we're here to learn. We must not let what happened to us yesterday weigh us down."
"Yeah...I know," Midoirya nodded, "It's just..." he looked around his surroundings and went to them, talking in a quiet tone, "These guys who work for Joker had some pretty strong quirks. Sure, they were basic, but they seem to use them really effectively in battle and while they were sneaking into your home, Yaoyorozu. However, on top of using their quirks, they used weapons like guns as well, even though most villains use quirks nowadays."
Yaoyorozu blinked while Todoroki looked down at the ground with a thoughtful frown.
"I'm just basically saying that...well, Joker's henchmen are really competent. Unlike the USJ incident, when the Villains that were there weren't a particularly major threat, these guys...were smart. Not only that, but they had the element of surprise and used it well," Midoriya explained, "Which makes me think their leader, Joker, is highly intelligent if he planned that whole home raid into Yaoyorozu's mansion. They were concise and everything was choreographed in just the right way for them to incapacitate us. They were basically following orders, following the directions that were told to them by Joker."
"...Yeah," Todoroki agreed. Looking up at Midoriya, he commented, "I guess what you're saying is that while they can be taken down by someone who's known for sheer firepower, like my dad, they used their mind and intellect before they attacked to strategize how to take down not only us but also other potential threats like pro heroes as well."
"...Yeah," Midoriya lowered his head as he frowned deeply, "...Sometimes it's not the power that takes down the opponent...it can also be the mind. A good tactical thinker can set even the most complicated plans into motion successfully."
Yaoyorozu stood in silence as she thought.
Midoriya continued, "Also, generally, quirks are what most people rely on in terms of use on a battlefield. These villains may have quirks, but they also used guns...meaning they're not afraid of resorting to more mundane weapons at their disposal. Either they're saving their quirks for the bigger fish, or...they just prefer to have an arsenal that way. And if some villains are packed with firearms and weapons, then they can be even more dangerous..."
"...Do you think..." Yaoyorozu looked at Midoriya with a serious expression, "Do you think the Joker is as equally as dangerous as his henchmen?" she asked him.
"..." Midoriya thought back to that wicked, disgusting smile from when Joker had him pinned down with his gun. "...I don't know… but he has motivation… and whether he inspired those villains or not, he seemed to have motivated them all.. .and…" he looked up at Yaoyorozu with an equally serious expression, "I wouldn't say that that is his quirk, but whatever his motivation is… that's what drives him and his crew."
Yaoyorozu and Todoroki could only stand there to absorb that information.
Unbeknownst to them, a certain dirty blond was standing with his back towards them, carefully listening to their conversation...
After a few moments of contemplation, Todoroki finally added, "You know, I also noticed something else about some of the Joker's crew."
Midoriya and Yaoyorozu turned their attention to him in curiosity.
"Huh? What did you notice?" Midoriya asked Todoroki.
"...They had slight accents… not like any accents from different regions of Japan, they just sounded like completely foreign accents," Todoroki explained.
Both Midoriya and Yaoyorozu's eyes widened at that.
"Foreign accents?" Yaoyorozu repeated quizzically. She thought about it for a second, "...Huh. Actually, some of them did sound like they had certain inflections in their sentences. It was like Japanese wasn't their first language."
Before they could talk more about it, Aizawa called out to his students.
"Alright. Quiet down," Aizawa told them all, "For anyone not participating due to severe injuries, take your seat from here."
Todoroki sighed, "Well, I'll take my leave. Good luck out there," he said to them, going over to the sidelines to sit this one out.
Aizawa continued, "Now, your upperclassmen will run the lesson from here on out. They know what to do, so listen to them well and treat them with respect," he turned his head to Togata, "Alright, they're all yours."
Togata nodded to him with a happy smile, "Thanks, Aizawa-sensei!" he turned to Class 1-A, "Okay! So, from what Aizawa-sensei told me, we're going to be doing something a little different. Seeing as none of you have gotten your provisional licenses yet, we're going to try and spar with you the quirkless way."
"HUH!?" all of Class 1-A exclaimed in shock.
"Wait, we're not using our quirks for this lesson?" Midoriya asked Mirio in surprise.
"Whoa, dude. That's hardcore," Kaminari muttered in astonishment.
"Yeah...kind of manly, actually," Kirishima muttered as well, but soon a big smile spread across his face, "This could be kind of cool!"
"Wow. Talk about the next level, ribbit, " Tsuyu muttered to herself.
"Uh yeah, that sounds kind of...I mean, I'm not much of a fighter, but-" Ochako said but was soon interrupted by none other than-
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BULLSHIT!?" Bakugou hollered at the Big Three.
Mirio, Tamaki, and Neijire all turned their surprised gazes at the blond pomeranian.
Aizawa internally groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Um...rude?" Nejire mumbled with a frown as she puffed her face.
"Um...what's the problem there, Bakugou?" Togata said with a slight smile.
"Problem!? We're here to use our quirks at our very best! Why the fuck do we not need to use them now!?" Bakugou growled, "I ain't gonna be some weakling that won't be able to fight back!"
"Hey, don't be discriminating against the quirkless, dude," Jirou said with a glare, "What, you scared that you might lose without using your temper tantrum blowout?"
"HEY! SHUT UP, EARJACK!" Bakugou seethed.
"Hey, lay off, will ya?" Kaminari said to the explosive blonde.
Before Bakugou could retort back, Aizawa cuts in, "Bakugou, if you would just listen for a good minute."
Bakugou looked at his teacher with a scowl, not really aiming it at him, but just feeling vindictive.
"Look, sometimes you can't use your quirk in certain situations. The reason why we got out of that incident at USJ is partly because we were at places where we had at least some advantage over them. Now, think about what would happen if your quirk would've been used in a flammable place like a forest? Or worse, someplace that has flammable explosives such as gasoline, like a gas station? Or even the water, as another example? In the wrong situation, you could potentially be taken down by a child playing with a hose."
The blonde's eyes went completely wide for a moment as he processed what his teacher was telling him. His gaze lowered to the ground as he begrudgingly listened, no comeback coming out of his mouth as his scowl deepened.
"Besides, I was going to teach you all of this myself at one point, but things have changed, so I'm letting Togata, Hado, and Amakiji do the job for me. Before they do, I will also add, that we will not say anything discriminatory about those with either weak quirks or no quirks at all. Just remember, it's not about the quirk. It's about how you use it."
"That's right, Aizawa-sensei!" Togata nodded to him with a smile, ignoring the speechless Bakugou. He turned back to the Class 1-A students, "And while quirks can be extremely useful, we need to know that we are still human. And humanity once didn't have quirks, so they relied on other means of fighting, like martial arts and boxing, as well as sword and knife fighting! They even had to resort to guns in some countries!"
Midoriya winced at the mention of 'guns' since he had one shoved in his mouth by...him.
Almost sensing this reaction, Yaoyorozu glanced at Midoriya and looked at him with worry.
"But as of now, we'll focus on relying on our own human strength!" Togata announced, "We'll also teach you guys self-defense whenever you're in close quarters with a villain as well!"
"Huh. This could be really interesting," Hanta said.
"Wow! This could be great, especially with my quirk!" Hagakure said in excitement.
"Hm. Not using one's quirk and relying on just your natural strength and fighting abilities alone could be instrumental and useful when something dire happens to a hero's quirk," Tokoyami said with a nod.
"I do need some lessons on self-defense, ribbit," Tsuyu said also with a nod, "It is part of being a hero."
...I hope I get to spar with that Hado girl. Mineta thought with a dopey, lecherous smile.
"Hmm...this could be a good way of being prepared whenever...well, whenever someone tries to sneak up on either one of us again," Yaoyorozu said as she contemplated the idea, "I did learn a little bit of self-defense, but I haven't been doing my lessons back at the mansion..." she blushed a bit in embarrassment, "I've been basically focusing on reading up on certain molecular structures for my quirk..." she sighed, "I feel foolish for neglecting that."
"Hey, Yaoyorozu," Midoriya said to her, in which she turned her head over to him. Midoriya had a serious look on his face as he stares at the Yaoyorozu heiress, "I mean it. Don't beat yourself up over what happened. What they did was despicable enough. We were just kids studying. They were the ones that had the gall to barge in and do what they did."
Yaoyorozu gazed at Midoriya for a second, until she smiled sadly and nodded, saying, "Right...thank you, Midoriya," she then looked forward, "I must not let what happened to me ever get in between me and my goal of being a hero."
Midoriya smiled as well and nodded, "That's good to hear," he looked forward as well, "Either way, this could be really helpful for all of us."
Togata smiled brightly, "Alrighty! Let's jump right to it! Now, you're going to divide up into groups. Each student we're fighting will have five minutes to give it their all. If they give up or are incapacitated before five minutes have run down, then they'll have to sit it out at the bleachers and we go to the next student! If anyone lasts for full five minutes, then they will proceed to choose one of their classmates to spar with to show out their fighting abilities!"
In Midoriya's mind, there was only one thing that came across it when hearing that last sentence.
Shit! He slightly cringed. Well...I can only hope Bakugou isn't too interested in sparring with me...although I don't think 'sparring' would be the right term for him...
Meanwhile with Bakugou...
...Hmph. We choose which classmate to fight, huh? Bakugou glanced at a nervous-looking Midoriya. ...Maybe this won't be a bust after all.
"Does that all sound good?" Togata asked everyone in Class 1-A.
"Yessir!" they all said.
"Awesome!" he said with a grin. He turned to Hado and Amakiji, "That sounds good too, right guys?"
"Oh yeah! Sounds good to me!" Hado nodded with a big grin on her face.
Amakiji nodded also, "Yeah, it's cool."
Togata turned back to the students, "Okay then! Since one of your classmates is out of commission, all nineteen of you will be divided into two groups of six, and one group of seven. Now with that said, choose who you guys are gonna spar with! If the line is full, pick someone else!"
The kids all divided each other as the three groups went to their respective upperclassmen.
Midoriya decided to go with Togata since he liked how cheerful he was. Of course, he would think this guy is strong, and his physique looked it, but he just liked how he radiated an endless feeling of cheer and happiness.
Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Iida, Asui, and Ashido were lined up in front of Midoriya while being in front of Togata. Kaminari, Jirou, Bakugou, Kirishima, Koda, Shoji, and Hagakure are in line for Amakiji, while Tokoyami, Sato, Hanta, Ojiro, Aoyama, and Mineta all were in front of Hado.
"Alright! Let's begin!" Togata declared to them.
As soon as he said that, Togata directed his gaze at Midoriya who was coming up to him. The older teen began by saying, "Okay then! Give me your best punch without using your quirk!"
Midoriya blinked and glanced at his hand, "Uh...okay," forming it into a fist, he raised it and thrust it at Togata's chest.
However, Togata blocked it by grabbing Izuku's fist!
"Wow! Okay, so I felt that! That's a pretty good punch! Now, what do you think happens after this?" Togata asks him.
Blinking at the question, Midoriya asked, "Oh. Uh...you try to strike me with a right hook?"
Togata grinned, "Okay then! But keep in mind, your enemy doesn't talk during a fight. I'm just giving you time to think about what you should do next."
"Oh...uh-"
"Think fast!" Togata exclaimed as he used a right hook.
Whether he was actually going to hit him, Midoriya doesn't know, but he blocked it with his left arm and then crouched to swipe kick at Togata's legs. Doing so, he swept the older teen right under his feet, which let him let go of his challenger's fist. However, Togata rolled over to the side and shot a kick at Midoriya, which he blocked with his right arm.
Togata twisted around and stood back up, getting into a fighting stance.
"Alright! You're doing pretty well so far!" Togata complimented him with a smile.
Midoriya stood up and got into a battle stance as well, his battle instincts now attuned. "U-Uh, thanks!"
The older teen nodded, smile still in place, "Now, let's keep going!" He then reared his left arm back and was about to punch him, when Midoriya blocked it with his right arm and delivered a punch with his other arm, which Togata blocked as well.
This kept going on for the course of five minutes, which during that time, Bakugou watched as he observed how Midoriya fought.
...Tch. Deku is just trying to get in a punch while blocking that upperclassman's punches. The same would go for the smiley-face guy...when did Deku even learn to fight like that? He never once try to defend himself whenever I wailed on him...
Bakugou's eyes narrowed at the sparring match that Midoriya and Togata are having.
...What were Deku, Ponytail, and IcyHot even talking about back there? Something about this Joker guy and his henchmen...they said something about these villains using guns and shit...pre-Quirk Era stuff...Deku also made it sound like he was...quirkless...
...Directing his attention to the ground, Bakugou frowned, thinking about that possibility.
...Feh! Nah. Even though I don't think anything fucking highly out of Deku, the nerd wouldn't be that much of a wuss. He has his so-called fucking strong quirk, so why didn't he use it? In fact, why didn't anyone use their quirks? And if he can fight like that, then why didn't he just use those fighting skills against these villains and this Joker? ...Tch, I mean, hell, why didn't he use those same shitty skills against me back in the day? Was that a fucking lie too?
Soon, five minutes were up, and Midoriya was exhausted from this non-stop self-defense course as he plopped down on his rear with a huff.
Togata didn't look like he even broke a sweat. He smiled at the green-haired boy, "Hey, not bad there! Midoriya, is it?"
"Huff...u-uh, yeah?" Midoriya nodded as he took a deep breath.
"Well, I'll tell ya what, Midoriya, if you keep that up, then you got what it takes to be a good fighter and a hero! Just think how to apply it with your quirk the next time!" informed Togata.
"Apply…with my quirk, huh?" Midoriya pondered that for a second, until he said, "Um, but really, all I did was just block your punches!"
"Hey, doesn't matter! You're pretty resilient either way! You came up with all sorts of different ways to land a strike on me! You've got what it takes! You're on your way to becoming a great hero!" Togata grinned with a thumbs up at Midoriya.
"Oh, uh...thanks," Midoriya said with a smile and a thumbs up as well.
Meanwhile, Bakugou stared at the scene and just sneered at their interaction.
"Tch!" Bakugou just waited for his turn. "...Stupid Deku..." he mumbled.
As soon as Midoriya got up and went over to another to wait for the next step, he glanced at Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, the former giving him a congratulated smile and nod, while the latter shouted out "Yeah! Way to go, Deku!"
Even Iida was giving him a thumbs up in return, while Asui smiled back at him with a nod, and Ashido grinned and gave him a thumbs up as well.
"Thanks, guys," Midoriya said a little bashfully, rubbing the back of his head.
"Alright then! Next up in line!" Togata announced them forward.
Yaoyorozu came up to him and got into a fighting stance.
"Okay then, do you want me to start, or should you start first?" Togata asked the heiress.
Blinking at that suggestion, Yaoyorozu said, "Oh, um, well...maybe you should start first?"
Nodding at that, Togata smiled, "Okay! Well, in that case, just try to keep up, alright?"
"Uh, sure-ack!" Yaoyorozu dodged right-handed punch from Togata.
He then delivered a right side-kick, which Yaoyorozu blocked it quickly with her left arm, pushing it back with it, as she delivered a punch on his face.
"Oof!" Togata grunted.
Yaoyorozu's eyes widened in surprise at what she done. "Oh my goodness! I-I'm sorry, I was-"
"Haha! Nice one, Yaoyorozu!" congratulated Togata as he kept his smile while rubbing his cheek, "Keep that up! You'll be a fighter in no time!"
"Oh," Yaoyorozu blinked, "Uh...o-okay, I'll-"
"Think fast!"
"Ah!"
As they fought, dodged, and blocked each of their attacks, meanwhile, on the sidelines, Midoriya was watching the sparring match with Togata and Yaoyorozu, studying their techniques as he mentally cheered the young woman on. It's been over two minutes, and it looks like Yaoyorozu was catching up with Togata's moves and techniques and doing good with landing some punches on him.
Wow, Yaoyorozu is doing great so far! She's really going all out to keep up with Togata-senpai! I mean, I was just blocking all throughout that time, which I didn't even know we were supposed to actually strike anyone. Man...Yaoyorozu is really going the distance here...I don't blame her, after what that...that Joker did to her and her home, she's more determined than ever to fight back. Still...I don't want her to be in any despair and think she's not worthy of being a hero. She's absolutely amazing, and what she has now, as well as her quirk, would really benefit to her in her career of being a Pro Hero-
"Um, Midoriya?" said a low teenage voice, "You're mumbling."
"Huh!?" Midoriya turned to his right to see Tokoyami, a surprise look on his face.
"Yeah, man, we can hear you over here," the voice of Kaminari said to Midoriya's left.
"Wha-huh!?" Midoriya turned his attention to Kaminari. "Uhh..."
Kaminari smirked as he cocked an eyebrow up at the bushy green-haired boy, "Dude, you like Yaoyorozu, don't you?"
"WHA-HUH!?" Midoriya exclaimed in shock, his face showing all kinds of bafflement.
"Hm?" Tokoyami glanced at Yaoyorozu, then at Midoriya, and then at Yaoyorozu, and then back at Midoriya, "...Yeah, I can see it."
"W-WHA!?" Midoriya exclaimed once more as he turned his attention back to Tokoyami.
"Well, I mean, to be perfectly honest, Midoriya, you and Yaoyorozu have gotten a little more acquainted with each other recently," Kaminari told him.
"Wa-Wait a minute!" Midoirya's face turned panicky as he raised his hands in front of him and shook his head to signify that it was all false. "I-I-I don't-" he glanced at Yaoyorozu and Togata, to see if they were hearing their conversation. Upon seeing that they are still sparring, he glanced back at Kaminari with a frown and a whisper, "I don't know what you're talking about!"
Kaminari chuckled, "Uh, alright then, sure, whatever you say, buddy. I may not be the smartest bulb in the class, but even I can see when a girl likes a guy after they save someone from a psychotic jerk who was gonna...well, you know..." he rubbed the back of his head.
"...Wait, what?" Midoriya blinked.
"Huh? Well...you know, you were there," Kaminari looked confused, "When that bastard was gonna...you know, carve her face with a-"
"Wha-oh, no, no, I, uh, I, um...I-I know that, I was...actually trying to let you repeat what you said about...about Yaoyorozu maybe, um...liking me?"
"You mean you haven't noticed?" Tokoyami raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?" Now Midoriya turned his head to Tokoyami.
"Whoa, really, Midoriya?" Kaminari snickered, "Up until we were all at that study group at her home, you guys haven't been really communicating that much while at UA. And after..." he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "...um, the incident, she's been stuck to you like glue ever since."
"That's one way to put it. I mean, I don't know for certain, but I have noticed that she's trying to get closer to you as of now. Whether it's out of respect or admiration, she seems to be very grateful for what you've done for her. I wouldn't be surprised if she might even like you like that," Tokoyami explained.
"...Uh..." Midoriya uttered, eyes wide as he thought about that possibility.
Shrugging, Kaminari also said, "Yeah. I mean, if I was a girl, and some guy did that for me, then I would totally want to get to know that person. She's been on ya for a good while."
"...Wh-wait...n-no, that's...no...no, that can't...I mean...no...no, I...I mean, she couldn't...no, that's really...no...n-no...I...no..." Midoriya faltered there.
"..." Kaminari raised an eyebrow at his classmate.
"..." Tokoyami just stared at the busy green-haired boy.
"...Well, wh-what about you and Jirou, Kaminari? You guys have been, uh...pretty close lately," Midoriya asked, wanting to let this awkward moment go away and let the focus be off of him.
"Huh?" Kaminari turned his attention to Jirou, who was sparring with Amakiji, "Uh...w-well..."
He stared at her for a moment...staring at her...observing her every kick, punch, dodge, and block...
...It gave him butterflies in his stomach...
...Kaminari smiled warmly at the purple-haired ear-jack girl.
"...Yeah. We have...I just like her, you know? She's...She's really cool...and she's so...pretty..." Kaminari said with a blush as he smiled in a dopey way.
Midoriya and Tokoyami blinked at Kaminari's confession.
"..." Midoriya just stood there, absolutely not staring at Yaoyorozu...no...not one bit. He was not thinking about how majestically beautiful she looked or how marvelous her fighting form was. Or even thinking about how awesome her quirk is, or how sweet and kind she is, how darling and cute she gets when she's embarrassed, how she's so intellectual and brilliant, how she's a fierce fighter when she needs to be...
And he was definitely not staring closely at her chest while she fou-
...Ooooooh noooo...
"...You okay, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked him.
"...I...oh my gosh, I...maybe I...I..." Midoriya said with eyes widening in realization.
Tokoyami raised an eyebrow, "You what?"
"...I think I might actually like Yaoyorozu..." Midoriya quietly said.
...Tokoyami then looked forward on at the sparring matches that were happening. "...Hm..."
...Perhaps Mina is onto something here... Tokoyami thought.
However...something was watching the kids as they sparred, high up in the air.
11:35 AM
All of the other students went through with their turns. Students like Shoji, Sato, and Ojiro barely had to change their fighting styles, while others struggled like Yaoyorozu, Ochako, Iida, Jirou, Kirishima, Sero, Asui, Ashido, and Koda, but they managed to get through just fine. Others just struggled and barely got through, like Hagakure and Aoyama.
Mineta, however...did the unwise thing and tried to grope Hado...which resulted in a mighty big punch to his head, with his face crashing harshly into the ground...
He was forcibly sat down on the bleachers where Todoroki was.
The only ones in that situation anyone felt sorry for were Hado and Todoroki.
The best fighter of the class was Bakugou, of course, which Amakiji had to give to him, no matter how rude he was.
Now that they all had their turns, it was time for the next part of the lesson.
"Okay!" called out Togata, "Now it's time to pick your sparring partner!"
The students, minus Mineta and Todoroki, were all picking sparring partners, with some of the students choosing partners that they think they could handle, while some students went with obvious choices.
"Hey, Jirou! Want to spar?" Kaminari came up to her.
"Huh? Wha-with you?" Jirou asked with blinking eyes.
"Well, yeah...I mean, is...is that okay?" Kaminari shrugged sheepishly.
"Oh, uh...I-I mean, s-sure! Um, wh-whatever floats your boat, 'nari!" Jirou stuttered with a shaky smile.
Meanwhile, Uraraka saw Midoriya and wanted to try to spar with him. She was about to approach him, when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She blinked and turned around to see...
"Uh, hEy-" Iida cleared his throat, "Excuse me! Hey, uh, Uraraka! Would you, uh...would you like to spar?"
"O-Oh...uh, w-well, I..." Uraraka looked behind her and saw that Midoriya already had a sparring partner...and that partner made her face pale.
Iida looked at the direction where Uraraka was looking at, and he soon frowned. "Oh...hm...that is a bit of a problem."
"Um..." she turned her head around back at Iida with a small smile, "O-Okay! Sure! That would be, uh, great!"
I mean...I was gonna go spar with Deku, but...well, I hope he'll be able to fight off-
"Oh, uh, great! I mean-yes! I mean, uh...um, l-let's get ready then!" Iida said with a nod and a blush.
Midoriya, however...his sparring partner was none other than-
"You and me, Deku..." Bakugou said in a low voice with a hand on Midoriya's shoulder from behind him.
...Shit...weeeell...I did pretty much see this coming. Midoriya thought gloomily.
"..." Midoriya sighed, "...Sure..."
Bakugou let go of his rival's shoulder and got into a fighting stance. "Don't you fucking hold back on me, you hear me?"
Midoriya turned around to give him a tired look on his face, "Okay, Kacchan. Whatever you say."
"...Tch!" Bakugou sneered.
Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu looked at the match-up that was Bakugou and Midoriya.
She frowned, glaring at Bakugou.
That's not good. Bakugou will certainly try to rile him up...I wonder what their history is, even?
"Uh-oh," said Ashido with her hands on her hips and with a frown as well. She was matched up with Yaoyorozu, "I hope Midori won't get clobbered again. I mean, this is only just a sparring match, but the poor guy doesn't need more abuse right now...I wonder what Bakugou and Midoriya's relationship even is? Is it like just a rivalry or something else?"
"...I don't know. But I can only hope Midoriya will rise up to this challenge. Bakugou certainly proved that he can fight without his quirk, while Midoriya...well, while he blocked all of Togata-senpai's strikes, he didn't actually throw a punch..." Yaoyorozu looked at the ground with a wince as she remembered Midoriya being pummeled by Joker. "...I just hope he'll be okay."
"..." Ashido looked at Yaoyorozu for a second, until having an impish smile on her face.
Oh, I bet you're hoping he'll be okay, Yaomomo! Hehe!
Once everyone got their sparring partners, Togata then announced, "Okay! Now that you've all paired up, the nine of you groups will have to get some space in the gym! Let's all spread out!"
When they did, four of the groups were in the top area of the gym, while four groups were at the bottom area. The middle group in between the four opposite pairs was none other than Midoriya and Bakugou.
"Alright then! Now, since we can't have Ectoplasm here to watch over you guys because he's teaching his class right now, we, being us, and Aizawa-sensei, will look over four of the pairs over here, and then we will watch over the other four pairs over there, until finally, we will look over the main pair in the center here, all four of us!" Togata explained, "Once again, each pair will duke it out in five minutes! Remember, this isn't a contest, this is just to improve your natural human fighting ability whenever you'll use your quirk with it, as well as using your skills whenever there will be a chance your quirk will not be available! Are we all good on that?"
"Yes, Togata-senpai!" all of Class 1-A spoke out.
"Alrighty! Well, we'll start from the top portion! Remember, this is a sparring match, so don't purposely hurt your classmates! Watch your physical strength when punching or kicking!" Togata said to them all.
Bakugou heard what Togata said, but he glared at Midoriya, and in turn, Midoriya looked at Bakugou a bit nervously.
Yeah, I don't think Bakugou would care too much about that... Midoriya thought hopelessly.
"Begin!" started Togata.
The top row of four pairs, that being Uraraka and Iida, Yaoyorozu and Ashido, Jirou and Kaminari, and Kirishima and Tokoyami, started throwing punches and kicks, all of them doing an impressive job as they kept fighting each other.
With Iida and Uraraka, Iida made sure to not try to harm Uraraka, as he didn't want to hurt his...crush? I mean, heck, he thinks so. Why would Uraraka just be all over him like this?
Yaoyorozu and Ashido basically were also doing pretty good as well, but every once and a while Yaoyorozu would take a glance at Midoriya and Bakugou, to see what they were doing...she wanted to make sure Bakugou wasn't going to do anything too harsh while they 'sparred'.
Jirou and Kaminari, meanwhile, were basically looking like they were dancing at this point...and Kaminari couldn't just help but be entranced by how Jirou moves…and Jirou couldn't help but think Kaminari actually had some good dance moves...oh wait, they're fighting. Right.
Going back to Midoriya and Bakugou, the former glanced at the latter, seeing that...he was still glaring at him.
"...Um..." Midoriya took a breath to sigh, "...Look, Kacchan-"
"Fucking save it when I beat you," Bakugou told him coldly.
Frowning, Midoriya said, "Kacchan, this isn't a contest, this is a lesson."
"And we actually agree on something. This is a lesson. Your lesson on trying to one-up me."
"Kacchan, I'm not doing that-"
"Fucking bullshit. All Might said you're some damn True Hero, when in reality, you ain't nothing. You're just an extra posing as one."
"..." Midoriya then glowered at him, "Well, you know what? Maybe you're right."
Bakugou raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm not particularly a True Hero. I haven't really done anything extraordinary to earn that title...wait..." Midoriya looked down to think... "...Actually...maybe..." he narrowed his eyes in thought, "...Maybe I have earned that title. But not in the way you think."
"...What the hell do you mean?" Bakugou's glare intensifies.
"Everyone has their Heroes, even you, Bakugou...but yesterday, I saved Yaoyorozu from some psychopath that was going to carve her face with a switchblade. That psychopath's name was Joker. He and his thugs essentially ambushed us, easily immobilizing all of us there while we were at the Yaoyorozu Estate. Iida and Todoroki were knocked out after they scuffled with those guys, as well as Kaminari, who was held down by a guy that has a mutant quirk where his whole body is made of rubber. Also, the girls tried to fight as well, but they were outmatched by Joker's henchmen. These guys were smart enough to know what to do and how to do it, because they have this guy, Joker, as their leader."
"...Then what the fuck is his quirk?" Bakugou asked Midoriya with sneer, "And why didn't you do anything to stop this fucker and his shitty crew with your stupid damn quirk you hid for all those years?"
"...First of all, he doesn't have one."
...Bakugou stood there...he blinked for a second. Then his face morphed into a harsher sneer, "That's bullshit. Why the fuck are you not telling me-"
"Kacchan, he has...no...quirk."
"..." Bakugou just glared at him some more, trying to maybe psyche him, make him tear down these shitty lying walls that Deku was telling him...
...But Midoriya stood firm. Just staring at him in a determined fashion...
"..." Bakugou's glare lessened just lightly, but now his expression changed into one that's...confused. "Wait...are you fucking kidding me right now?"
"No. I'm not," Midoriya confirmed, "And before you say anything, I didn't use my quirk on them because they all had guns, which are incredibly dangerous and lethal pre-Quirk Era weapons, and they used them expertly. So combine that with quirks, and it's a deadly combination. If I were to do something at that moment, then one pull of those triggers on those guns would've killed someone. They even killed some of Yaoyorozu's most trusted employees, employees that were like family to her, and stole a good portion of her family's money from what I heard. They did all that, while taking us hostage, basically humiliating us. Now tell me this, Kacchan, what would you do if you were ambushed, your classmates and friends being held hostage while they have guns pointed at their heads? Would you risk using your quirk on one of these guys, but then their boss orders them to kill our classmates before you can do anything anyways? What then, huh? What would you do? Do you keep swinging blindly at them while they kill them all one by one, or do you comply with this villain's orders and try to do nothing so they can live?"
...Bakugou was actually stumped by that. He looked at Midoriya, his glare now softening into more of a look of pure curiosity and confusion.
"Once more, Joker was the brains behind the whole operation. With or without a quirk, which in this case it's the latter, those same henchmen have some kind of sick respect for him. Whether they were bribed or whatever else, they followed a single quirkless man to complete this whole home invasion heist."
Bakugou didn't say anything for a moment.
"And you know what else, Kacchan? While he was going to harm Yaoyorozu, I spoke out for her. And he came to me… mercilessly beating the shit out of me. And I took it...like I took yours," Midoriya said darkly.
...The blonde just now stared at him, a slight scowl on his face.
"And I was staring up at a barrel of a gun before he lodged it into my mouth, about to fire it, about to pull that trigger and..." Midoriya looked down at the floor as he remembered that moment. That moment he thought he was going to die... "...But I guess luck was on our side that day… and they got what they came for… so they left."
They both were silent.
"...You know, I actually shudder to think what would happen if I gave up on my dream of being a hero."
...Bakugou just looked at him.
"...I guess I have you to thank for this," Midoriya looked up at Bakugou with a resolute frown.
Eyes widened just a bit in slight surprise, Bakugou kept staring at him.
"If you haven't pushed me around and told me to give up, if I didn't have the urge to prove you wrong, I wouldn't be who I am today… if I just gave up… like you always told me to do..." Midoriya's eyes looked hollow at that point, "...Then I guess I would've just become like Joker."
Bakugou didn't say anything.
"Either way, I'm not looking for fame or wealth. I just want to be there for people, to be a hero for them… because I don't want to see them in any harm in any way, shape, or form," Midoriya told him, his eyes now looking even more determined, "So I may not be a Pro Hero, not yet...but I guess I may be a True Hero in some way… maybe to All Might, maybe to some of my classmates, and maybe even to Yaoyorozu as well."
A deafening silence.
"...I'm not trying to compete with you on who's better… I'm just being who I am, Kacchan," Midoriya said with resolution.
"…"
Then Togata, Hado, Amakiji, and Aizawa came up to the two boys, with the very former announcing, "Alright! Now, we shall go to the final pair, Bakugou Katsuki, and Midoriya Izuku!"
All the Class 1-A students looked at the two, with some of the kids looking on in question, some with curiosity, and some with anxious dread.
"Okay, you guys ready?" Togata said with his arm and hand raised in a chopping motion.
Both of the boys didn't say anything...
"...Okay! Well in that case-"
"I forfeit."
...All of Class 1-A, the Big Three, and even Aizawa blinked...
...Midoriya blinked as well. "Huh?"
Bakugou...once again said with a scowl, "I said I forfeit."
"...You… do?" Midoriya looked at him a little oddly.
"...Yeah..." Bakugou kept scowling at Midoriya.
Midoriya had no words emerge from his mouth, with nothing but a dumbfounded look on his face.
Uraraka and Iida both blinked in stupefaction at this development. Jirou and Kaminari also blinked and looked at each other, baffled. Ashido and Yaoyorozu both just looked on in shock, the latter rightfully more surprised.
Asui blinked in surprise as well and said, " *ribbit?* Wow...that's shocking."
Todoroki looked on at the scene with a peculiar raised eyebrow.
"...Um… well, this wasn't really supposed to be a competition, so..." Togata then turned his attention to Aizawa, "Er, Aizawa-sensei? Should we heed his wishes?"
"...You know what?" Aizawa said, getting back into his calm and dull exterior, "Since this is an absolute first, we might as well just take this opportunity to go ahead and abide by Bakugou and his… surprising request."
"Oh...uh, okay..." Togata then turned his attention back at the two boys, his gaze on Midoriya, "Well, Midoriya, I… guess you won?"
"But this isn't a competition you said, right?" Hado asked Togata.
"I mean… no? But, uh… well..." Togata faltered there.
"Honestly, I don't know what's happening, but if the Bakugou kid is gonna be humbled about it, then maybe we should just let him have it," Amakiji said.
"I ain't admitting defeat," Bakugou then says, getting their attention again.
"Huh?" Midoriya uttered as he looked at Bakugou in question.
"I'm just not wasting my time on him. But we will fight for real someday," Bakugou mutters, "...And I want him to be at his best."
"...Uh… thanks, Kacchan?" Midoriya blinked again, feeling a little bit puzzled.
"Feh," Bakugou said as he turned around and began walking away from the others.
"Bakugou, it's not time to go back to class yet," Aizawa droned out to him.
Bakugou paused in his step, "...Damn it."
Midoriya looked on at Bakugou and couldn't help but think of one thing that came across his mind...
Well… this definitely is a start.
...Although, somewhere high in the air, the same eye that was watching them from above saw this interaction with great detail...
"...Hmm… interesting..." muttered Hacker as he controlled the camera flying in the air inside Gym Gamma.
Joker might like this bit of information...
Hacker got his cell phone out and texted his boss.
- Shie Hassakai Base -
11:47 AM
"...That's… amazing..." murmured Overhaul as he looked on at the screen with shocked wide eyes. He had to view it multiple times to really see if it was real.
"Oh my… it certainly is, now, isn't it?" Joker said with a crazed, demented evil grin.
"...I can't believe it… the great All Might, the No. 1 hero himself… is nothing but a skinny, frail, and pathetic-looking man," Overhaul relayed to himself.
"Haha! That's one way of putting it!" Joker said he cackled, "Wowzers! We hit the goldmine on this! I was actually right! All Might is really just all talk! Hahahahahaaaaa!"
"...This changes everything," mutters Overhaul, "If the public learns about this, then it could cause an uproar."
"Oh, I think it will cause more than just an uproar. It would cause full-on chaos," Joker's grin broadened even further. "And I like me some chaos."
"Hold on. This kind of information we need to keep for ourselves. We mustn't tell Irinaka, Kurono, or any other of my men," warned Overhaul.
"Oh? Why's that?" Joker asked him.
"...Because we are going to publicly humiliate him as soon as we have the chance," Overhaul answered.
"Oooh, so you're saying you want to keep it a surprise for everyone? Even from your own men?" Joker smirked, "What? Don't trust them?"
"Believe it or not, I don't. There will always be that one rat that will spill out info, and if other rats hear how All Might isn't what he used to be, then they tell another, and another. Then, the whole plan will be foiled. This needs an impact," Overhaul explained.
"Oh, that I agree! But I have to ask, if you don't trust your own men, then why do you trust little ol' me of all people?" Joker teasingly asked.
"...In certain ways, you have helped us tremendously with our mission. If you were just any other person walking on the street wanting to help the Shie Hassakai, I wouldn't give you a second thought. If you were just a villain trying to make it big and offered your help to us, then I would brush you off. You, on the other hand, are fascinating. You came barging into my complex with a plan in mind, and whatever your backstory could possibly be, it seems you've done this before. You also have impeccable knowledge, and I really do respect a quirkless man such as yourself for doing all of this for our cause. If this was all your way of trying to win me over, then you're blatantly succeeding. With all that said, I shall ask the same question, but will ask it differently, because I am really now more curious than ever..." Overhaul narrowed his eyes in interest, "What is your true goal?"
Joker chuckled, "Well..." he turned his head left and right to see if anyone was in the room. Seeing they were alone, he whispered, "Do you want to keep a secret as well?"
Overhaul just stared at him and nodded. "Go ahead. I will keep it."
"Oooo-hoo-hoo-hooooo!" Joker cackled, "Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay...now..." he cupped a hand at the side of his mouth and whispered again, "Honestly...I just reeeeally love a good show."
"...A good show?" Overhaul raised his brow.
"Of course! It's like a trainwreck! You can't keep your eyes off it! I live for this kind of entertainment! To see these Heroes and all the meaningless shit they do, only for that job to be snuffed by some party pooper like me! Sure, I am a little mad at society, and how society has lost its way, but… as one Hero said it… keep on smiling..." Joker then smiled evilly to emphasize his point.
"Very...intriguing," Overhaul said. "But in all seriousness, you will keep this a secret, will you?"
"Oh, but of course!" Joker cackled, "I want to publicly humiliate All Might more than you could possibly shake a stick at! Haha!"
BLI-BLIP!
"Hm?" Joker checked his phone and read the text.
Hey, Boss. You might want to come over and look over some footage I got with the plain-looking kid you almost ended yesterday. He and this other kid have some sort of history with each other, so much so that the other kid gives him a nickname; Deku.
"...What is it?" Overhaul asked him.
"..." Joker then had a deranged smile as he chuckled, "Hoooo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooooo… I'll be right back. Hacker is going to show me something… quite telling."
"Oh? What is it about?"
"Oh, nothing you should really worry yourself with! It's just some personal stuff that only I find amusing! You know, my hobbies and whatnot. Like someone brutally murdering a puppy or a kitten, you get the gist!" Joker explained with the same smile on his face.
"...Hm. Alright then," Overhaul nodded.
"Hm-hm-heheheheheee!" Joker flashed a devious smile and turned around to walk out of the room he and Overhaul were in.
Joker walked out of the room, making his way to where Hacker was.
Deku, huh? Joker thought as his wicked smile grew even wider as he walked. Weeeell, I just found an even more fitting name for the boy! Haha! I might just call him that whenever I see him again! Haaahahahahaha!"
Okay! End of chapter! Tell me how I did! :)
I hope I also did all the characters right! As of right now, I want to thank N9R for giving me info on certain things about MHA, so thanks so much for that, man! ^_^
Give me a review, a fave, and a follow if you can! :D Until then, keep on rocking everybody! ;)
-TSP