Chapter 5: Rage You Damn Nerd
We had survived our first day at U.A., and it was just a taste of what was to come. The next day, the true classes began. In the morning, we had the standard boring classes, like English with Mr. Yamado or math with Ectoplasm. For lunch, we could buy cheap, delicious food made by yet another pro hero. I sat with Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari. Bakugo also came to sit near us, but he wasn't very chatty.
After lunch was the moment that everyone was most excited for: Hero Basic Training. We sat in our seats, waiting for our first hero course. The excitement in the air was palpable, and those around me discussed the possibilities of today's lesson. A flash came from the door, causing everyone to go silent.
"I am here," a familiar voice from the hall said. "Coming through the door like a hero!"
All Might was standing on his tiptoes in the doorway. His cape was flapping despite the lack of wind. He wore a red costume with white lines and circles—his 'silver age' costume. I could hear excited whispers from around the room. I looked at Izuku as All Might trotted into the room. He was smiling from ear to ear, and his eyes followed All Might's every move.
"Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High! Think of it as 'Heroing 101'. Here you will learn the basics of being a pro and what fighting in the name of good means! Let's get into it!" All Might pulled a card out and held it up for the class to see. There was a single-word written: Battle. "Today's lesson will pull no punches!"
"Fight training!" Bakugo smiled at this. Of course, he was excited about getting to fight. I looked over at Izuku again and saw the worry in his eyes.
"But one of the keys to being a hero is…" He pointed to the far wall, and sections of it started to move. Several shelves appeared with the briefcases labeled 1-21. "Looking good! These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started."
"Costumes!" The class exclaimed.
"Get yourselves suited up, and then meet me at Training Ground Beta." All Might said. He started to walk out of the room to go and wait for us at the training ground.
"Yes, sir! " the class said in unison. We all hurried to the briefcase with our class number on it. I grabbed number 2 off the shelf and returned to my desk. I reached into the side pocket of my backpack and grabbed my lighter. I looked at the fire design and the words 'Stay Safe' on it. It was a gift from my mother after we had made it into U.A.
Several Weeks Earlier
"Izuku, we need to go to city hall today to get the uniform subsidy paperwork," I said. I reviewed the checklist that U.A. had sent with items that needed to be completed before school started.
"I know. I also need to get a quirk registry form…" Izuku paused. I looked over at him and saw some panic on his face. "But I'm already registered as quirkless. What should I do."
I don't think he was talking to me, but I wanted to help calm his nerves. "Why don't you call All Might?" I suggested. Izuku smiled and nodded his head. I sat down on the couch while he dialed the number. I put my ear next to the phone to hear the conversation. All Might answered after the second ring. Izuku explained the situation to him, and I could hear All Might laughing.
"Your quirk registration form? Ah, you can update that, no problem." All Might stated.
"For real! It's that easy?!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Most kids are diagnosed and registered all at once during elementary school. But now and then, you might have someone who says, 'I thought my quirk just shot water out of my body, but now I know it actually works off moisture from the surrounding air.' So, they allow for one or two updates. Significant alterations aren't accepted, but you'll probably be okay since you're starting with nothing." All Might explained. I felt Izuku relax at these words. "Look just…"
I heard the door lock turning, and Izuku pulled the phone from his ear and quickly hung up. He looked at his phone in a panic. He had just hung up on All Might.
"Hi, I'm home!" Mom said, coming through the door.
"Heya, Mom!" Izuku and I said at the same time.
"Oh good! You're both here!" She pulled out a teal jumpsuit with white stripes down the side. " Congratulations! I'm so proud you got into UA!"
"Is that a costume?" I exclaimed, looking at the teal jumpsuit.
"I guess I might have jumped the gun a little bit." She came to sit between Izuku and me. We moved over to make room for her. "I brought you food earlier, but you'd dozed off, and I maybe happened to peek at your notebook."
"Seriously?" Izuku said, but Mom didn't stop and continued, tears forming in her eyes.
"Honestly, I've been feeling terrible lately about something I said to you. Izuku, you might have thought I gave up on you a while back. And Natsuki, you may have felt I didn't want you to use your quirk just because your brother didn't have one. But look at both of you! You persevered and kept chasing your dream like a champion. I'm sorry. And I promise I'll support you with everything I've got from now on!" By the end, Mom and Izuku were crying on the couch. Once Izuku had regained some composure, he stood up with the costume and held it before himself.
"Natsuki, I didn't know what you would like as a costume, and honestly, I think it would be safer to come from professionals, but I did get you something as well." She reached into her bag again and pulled out a small rectangular box. She handed it to me, and I opened it. Inside was a gold-plated lighter with images of a fire and the words 'Stay Safe' etched in the plating. "I know that I haven't always been thrilled with your quirk, and it scares me that you will hurt yourself with it, but you should learn how to use it from the best teachers."
Present Day
I smiled at the memory and put the lighter in my pocket. Who knew if I would need to use it or not? I picked up my briefcase and hurried to the locker room at the training ground to change. When I finally arrived, most other girls were almost finished getting ready and showing off their costumes. I opened my briefcase and looked at my hero costume for the first time. Izuku had some input on the design. He could usually come up with more remarkable ideas than me.
I held it up and looked at it. There were some changes from the original design, but it mostly matched what I had in mind. The original design was a jumpsuit, much like Izuku's, that was navy blue with fire incorporated throughout. While Izuku had been a massive fan of All Might, I had another hero that I admired as well, Endeavor. Yes, he was gruff and mean-looking, but he could use his fire without fear. That is what I wanted. To be able to control fire without the fear of hurting myself.
The costume consisted of several different pieces: a top, pants, belt, utility pouches, gloves, and boots. The top was short-sleeved and stopped halfway down my abdomen. Around the shoulders and neck was a fire-like substance that seemed to move around. The primary color was dark navy blue. The pants were nothing special; they were just navy blue. I quickly slid both of these on. The remaining accessories were all made with the same fire material as the shoulders.
The belt consisted of two circles. The bigger of the two had several yellow pouches attached to them, and the smaller circle had one pouch. I stepped into the smaller circle and pulled it up my leg, ensuring the pouch sat outside my thigh. I fastened the belt at the top of the pants and placed my lighter in the frontmost pouch. I grabbed the boots that appeared to be entirely made of fire. I sat down and pulled them on before standing back up. They came up over my knees and rested on my mid-thigh. I grabbed the gloves and wiggled my hands into them. They were fingerless, and the fire material made it look like my hand was coated in fire.
I straightened out my costume and walked over to the mirrors where other girls were fixing their hair and messing with their costumes. I brushed my hair back and quickly braided it, tucking the end of the braid under.
"Do you think that anyone will notice my hair?" A familiar voice said from behind me. I turned, expecting to see a floating costume, but I was more surprised when I saw only a pair of gloves and shoes. Was Hagakure's costume just that?
"I don't think anyone will notice," I responded. She giggled and gave me a thumbs-up. With all of our costumes and accessories on, we headed out the door. The rest of our class was in the hallway, looking at each other's costumes. Hagakure ran over to a girl with pink skin and giant black eyes. I looked around for Izuku but didn't see him. I saw someone in full armor and another with what looked like tape dispensers on their helmet and shoulders. I would bet that this was Sero. I started to make my way through the crowd toward him.
"Looking good, tape man." I joked. The helmet's visor popped up, revealing Sero underneath. He smiled at the compliment.
"You don't think it's to one the nose?" He joked. I laughed at his comment.
"Wait, that wasn't the point?" I replied sarcastically.
"All joking aside, you look amazing, Nat! It's almost like you're engulfed in flames, " Sero complimented.
"Thank you, Sero!" I replied. Something shiny caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I looked over to see what it was. Kirishima was exiting the boy's locker room with Bakugo. Kirishima wore dark pants with red fabric wrapped around his waist like a sweater. A belt with a red 'R' circled his waist. A black headpiece covered his chin and nose. Two red gears were around either of his shoulders to complete the look.
Bakugo's costume was much more intimidating. He wore black pants and his typical boots, but silver knee pads covered both knees. He wore a belt similar to mine, but it had smaller sections that encircled both legs and was green. His top was a black tank top with a red 'X.' A black mask covered his eyes, and orange and black 'explosions' came out from behind his head. The scariest part of his costume was two gauntlets in the shape of grenades on his arms.
Kirishima noticed me and waved. He started to walk in my direction, and Bakugo begrudgingly followed. As they neared, I saw Bakugo's red eyes glaring, warning me not to say a thing. This, however, did not stop me.
"Looking good, boys!" I said with a low whistle. Kirishima laughed while Bakugo's eyes narrowed. I just shrugged my shoulders.
"Thank you," Kirishima said. "It's a nod to my all-time favorite hero, Crimson Riot! Your costume is great! Did you design it yourself?"
"With a little help," I replied. Izuku had designed a good portion of my costume. He was always better at that than me. We had taken inspiration from Endevours costume when we were designing. I was just impressed that they had made the flames look so real.
"I'm not getting any younger out here!" The looming voice of All Might came from outside. Everyone looked toward the entrance, and we made our way out onto the training ground. As we stepped out into the light, I could see All Might with his ever-present smile. Behind him were two pedestals; one had a white box with the word 'Hero.' The other was black, and villains had replaced the word hero.
"They say that clothes make the pros, you ladies and gentlemen; behold, you are the proof." All Might said as we made our way to where he was standing. "Take this to heart. From now on you are all heroes in training! This is getting me all revved up. You look so cool! Now, shall we all get started, you buncha newbies?"
A voice from behind me caught my attention. "Ah! Hey, Deku!"
I turned to look and saw Ochaco and Izuku. I couldn't see Izuku's face through his mask, but I could tell he was blushing. "Uraraka!"
"Love your costume! Not too flashy, ya know!" She suddenly became very uncomfortable and placed her hand behind her head. " I should've been more specific about what I wanted. This bodysuit is skintight. Not really my style."
I looked at her costume. It was, in fact, fairly tight. The colors were pink and black. Her wrists were covered with bubble-like gauntlets, and a puffy belt encircled her waist. Her boots were also pink and puffy, stopping around her mid-thighs.
"I love this school," A voice beside me said. I looked toward where the voice had come from but saw nothing. I looked down and saw the creep with the purple balls looking around at all the girls. I reached my hand out and smacked him on the back of his head. He looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. I just shrugged and returned to looking at All Might.
"Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training!" All Might said excitedly.
"Sir," Iida's voice said from where the student in armor was. Even though I still thought he was too uptight, I must admit that his costume was cool. "This is the fake city from the entrance exam. Does that mean that we'll be conducting urban battles again?"
"Not quite. I'm going to move you two steps ahead," All Might said, holding up two fingers. "Most villain fights you see on the news occur outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors."
All Might paused to cough into his hand. He did have a point. Most higher-tier villains consciously tried not to get caught doing something illegal. The easiest place for them to be noticed would be in an outdoor space. Most of the villain fights that happened on the street were low-time thugs.
"Think about it: backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows," All Might said, putting his hands on his hips and striking a hero pose. "For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two-on-two indoor battles. Since this group has an odd number, one team will have three."
"So, no basic training?" The girl with green hair and a long tongue said.
"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 explained. He was immediately met by a cacophony of voices.
"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?"
"How much can we hurt the other team?"
"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?"
"Will you split us up based on chance or comparative skill?"
"Isn't this cape très chic?" I looked over toward the navel laser kid. He was twirling around with his cape. I stifled my giggles at how absurd he looked.
"I wasn't finished talking!" All Might growled. He pulled a book out of his pocket. It looked incredibly small in his massive hands. "Listen up! The situation is this. The villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys must catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes."
All Might grabbed a third box off the ground. "Times limited, and we'll choose teams by drawing lots!"
"Isn't there a better way?" Iida said, raising his hand.
"Think about it!" I said, "Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot."
"Of course, that's probably why we're seeing that here." Izuku finished my thought. Bakugo rolled his eyes and made an annoyed sound.
"Yes, I see. Life is a random series of events," Iida said. He bowed his head towards All Might. "Excuse my rudeness."
"No sweat. Let's draw!" All Might turned around and threw his fist in the air before facing us again. He walked up to the line of students, allowing each one to reach their hand into the box and withdraw a lettered ball. I watched as others around me started to pair up with each other. Finally, All Might had reached me. I put my hand into the box and grasped a ball. I pulled it out and looked at the red letter 'I' written on it. I looked around and saw that the boy with the tail was holding the other 'I' ball. I started to head toward him before noticing a pair of floating gloves and boots near him.
"I guess we are the trio," I said, showing them the letter on my ball.
"Yay! We finally get to work together!" Hagakure said, her gloves jumping up and down.
"Hello," the boy with the tail said. "I'm Mashirao Ojiro."
"Hi, I'm Natsuki Midorya, but just call me Nat." He nodded his head in understanding. Before we could discuss a strategy, All Might started talking.
"Moving on! I declare the first teams will be…" All Might said, reaching into the two boxes that said hero and villain. He pulled out two balls, one with the letter 'A' and the other with 'D.' "These guys! Team A will be the heroes. Team D will be the villains. Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch."
"Yes, sir!" Our class said in unison. We started to make our way to the monitoring room. I looked around to see who would be going first. Izuku was standing next to Ochaco. Neither was moving, but Izuku looked to be deep in thought. I guessed that he and Ochaco were a team and that they would be going first. I looked around again to see who he would be fighting against. Everyone else seemed to be moving. Then, I noticed two other figures not moving: Iida and Bakugo.
I stopped dead in my tracks at the realization. Ojiro looked back at me but didn't say anything. I turned and walked back to where All Might stood. "Let me switch with Izuku!"
All Might looked down at me with his damn ever-present smile. "Young Natsuki, why do you need to trade?"
"You don't know this, but Bakugo will kill him. Let me join his team if I can't trade with Izuku!" I pleaded.
"Natsuki," All Might said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I think that young Midorya will do just fine against young Bakugo. Why don't you return to your team and help devise a strategy."
I watched as he turned and returned to the two teams to provide instructions about the upcoming training. I turned and followed the rest of my class to the monitoring room. As I walked, I couldn't help but worry. Izuku didn't have control over his quirk, and Bakugo would not miss the opportunity to hurt him. As I entered the monitoring room, everyone seemed to be talking with their partners and working out a plan. I walked over to Ojiro and saw the boots beside him but noticed he was holding Hagakure's white gloves. I gave him a questioning look as I neared him.
"Reconnaissance," he informed me. Of course, she was playing to her strengths and gathering intel even before our match. "Maybe we should discuss our quirks in the meantime. Mine is not hard to figure out as it is this tail. I can use it to attack or defend against attacks. I've also studied martial arts, so I'm good at hand-to-hand combat. What about you?"
"Well," I started, pulling my lighter from its pouch. "It's easier if I show you, but essentially I control fire." I ignited the lighter, pulled the small flame over to my finger, and let it sit on top. I then pinched my fingers to extinguish the flame.
"It's too bad that Bakugo is already going. I bet you could have dominated against him with that quirk. Ojiro stated. I couldn't help but smile.
"You have no idea. Stealing his explosion has become somewhat of a hobby," I laughed. Ojiro looked at me with a puzzled look. "We grew up in the same neighborhood. He liked to pick on my brother because he didn't get his quirk until much later than everyone else. So when I got my quirk, I would use it to help keep Izuku safe."
"So, with all of our quirks, I think that Hagakure and I should focus on close combat, and you should focus on distance attacks with fire." I nodded in agreement at Ojiro's plan. I noticed that Hagakure's gloves started to move off Ojiro's arm. He looked down at the gloves and followed them to where she stood. "Did you find anything out?"
"Not really," she responded. "Most have discussed fighting styles, but most are waiting to see who their opponent is before making a concrete plan."
"Makes sense," Ojiro commented. " There is no point in planning until you know your opponent."
We were interrupted from planning what little strategy we could when the door opened, and All Might walked in. "Gather round students! The villains only got five minutes to plan their strategy and hide the weapon. That time is just about up." He flipped a switch on the console in front of him, and several screens showing the inside of the building came on. All Might picked up a microphone and brought it to his lips. "All right, let the indoor combat training begin! Team A and Team D, your time starts now!"
He set the microphone down on the console and turned to face us. "Pay attention, kids! Think about what you would do!"
We looked up at the screens and watched as the training began. We could hear no sound, but I could see Iida and Bakugo talking. Talking may not be the best word; they appeared to be arguing. On another screen, Izuku and Ochaco opened a window and crawled through. We watched as they carefully made their way through the twisting hallways. As I observed Izuku trying to scope out the warehouse, I didn't notice Iida yelling and Bakugo's absence until it was too late.
There was a sudden commotion as Izuku and Ochaco neared the next split in the path. Bakugo jumped from around the corner, sending an explosion right at the heroes. I gasped suddenly, bringing my hands to my face. Smoke occluded the camera, leaving everyone in the monitoring room in suspense. I saw Izuku on the ground while covering Ochaco as the smoke cleared. He managed to dodge! I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Izuku's mask was halfway gone, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed. Bakugo stood over them, his hand embedded in the wall beside him.
"He almost got the jump on them!" Mineta commentated.
"What kind of man pulls cheap crap like that! Kirishima added. I could have hugged him, but I couldn't bring my body to move.
"It's a viable strategy," All Might said, causing us all to turn and look at him. "He's playing the part, acting like a true villain would."
All Might may have a point, but I still couldn't believe he would side with Bakugo. He had given Izuku his power for crying out loud! Wouldn't doing surprise attacks go against what they were trying to teach us?
"It didn't work! That Midori sure can dodge!" I couldn't help but smile as the pink girl mispronounced our name. This joy was quickly erased as the movement started on the screen. Bakugo had moved to face Izuku. His right hand was thrown behind him, and a demonic smile was on his face. As if in slow motion, he took his right arm and threw a punch at Izuku. I gasped, my hands returning to my face. Izuku, however, did not look scared or nervous. He looked determined. I watched as he shifted his hips while Bakugo's hand came closer. Then Izuku did something I didn't expect. He grabbed Bakugo's right arm while shifting his hips to turn his back to Bakugo. He lifted Bakugo off the ground with all his might and threw him over his shoulder. Bakugo landed on his back in front of Izuku. I could see the air forcefully pushed out of his lungs as he slammed on the ground.
I stood staring at the screen, too stunned to move or speak. I had never seen Izuku fight with anyone, let alone Bakugo. Izuku stood over Bakugo, panting heavily. Bakugo quickly got to his feet, turning to face Izuku. I could see Izuku yelling at Bakugo with a determined look on his face. Bakugo bent his knees, looking like he was getting into a fighting stance. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Iida pacing the floor with his hand where his ear would be. After several seconds of waiting, he threw his hands up in what appeared to be frustration.
"Hey, who is Bakugo talking to? I'm not hearing anything. Can we get any sound with this video?" Kirishima asked.
"He's got a radio in his ear to talk to his partner. He said, motioning to the earpiece in his ear. "I gave it to them before the match started, along with a building map."
"Also, this," All Might held up a thin roll of fabric. "A roll of capture tape! Wrapping this around your opponent means you've apprehended them, and they're out for the rest of the game!"
Knowing that Izuku could capture Bakugo without relying on his quirk to stop him made me feel better. Either way, it wouldn't be easy. I knew that Bakugo wouldn't go down without a fight.
"So, there's a 15-minute time limit, and the good guys have no idea what floor the nuclear weapon is hidden on, right?" The pink girl assessed.
"Correct!" All Might responded.
"Then the heroes are clearly at a disadvantage here. A big one!" She responded.
All Might looked back toward the screen and explained the reasoning behind this: "Real pros have to outwit villains daily. That's life. Even when the odds aren't in our favor, we fight!" Several of my classmates giggled while others gasped. I listened to them but couldn't take my eyes off Izuku. "Let's hear a…"
"Plus Ultra!" All Might and several students shouted, throwing their fists in the air. I could see All Might shoot me a worried glance from the corner of my eye, but Bakugo started to move toward Izuku before he could approach me, drawing my full attention back to the screens.
"Monsieur, he's on the move." A french accent said beside me. All Might turned his head back toward the screens to watch. Bakugo threw his hand hands behind him like earlier, but something was slightly different. Instead of his being on a flat foot, his weight appeared to be more on his toes, as if he was going to jump. As if I read his mind, he lept off the ground using his quirk, but instead of throwing a punch, he kicked his left leg towards Izuku's head. Izuku threw his hand up at the last second, blocking Bakugo's kick.
I held my breath and continued watching. As Bakugo's foot connected with Izuku's forearm, Izuku unraveled the capture tape, wrapping it around Bakugo's leg. He started to pull the tape tight. Years of being around Bakugo had taught me what he would most likely do next. He was running on instinct, and the odds were he was getting impatient and would try another big punch.
I watched as Bakugo suddenly lurched forward, throwing another punch at Izuku. Izuku must have known that Bakugo would do this as he dove to the left, narrowly avoiding the explosion. Izuku had spent most of his time watching and studying heroes as a kid, and that knowledge was finally paying off.
"That little guy is really good!" A kid with a yellow spandex suit said.
"Yeah, he's holding his own and hasn't even used his quirk!" Sero added excitedly. I felt so proud of my brother, but their praise didn't stop my worry. I watched as Izuku spun back around to face Bakugo. A sneer formed on his lips as he turned to glare at Izuku. With one swift motion, he threw his hands behind him again. Izuku did not wait around to see what Bakugo was trying to pull.
It didn't take long for Bakugo to realize this and take off after him. I could see Izuku on one screen and Bakugo on another as they ran through the building. Once Izuku felt he was far enough away from Bakugo, he squatted down, bringing his hand to his face. The face he made was familiar to me. It was the one he made when he was thinking of a plan. On another screen, I could see Bakugo walking through the hallways looking for Izuku. As he neared an intersection, I could see him shouting. He stopped in the middle of an intersection, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration.
I tore my eyes away from Bakugo and Izuku and looked toward Ochaco. She was going up the stairs. She exited the stairwell and moved through the halls as she reached the fifth floor. As she neared the middle of the floor, she stopped and peaked around the corner. I looked at the screen that Iida could be seen on and saw Ochaco peering around the corner. Iid appeared oblivious that she was there. He was pacing back and forth in front of a giant black bomb. Suddenly, he looked right to where Ochaco was. She had her hands under her mask and looked like she was trying not to laugh.
She suddenly stopped and pressed her back against the wall, looking around. She appeared to be talking to someone as well. I turned my attention back to my brother and Bakugo. Izuku was still squatting on the ground but looked up at the ceiling. I could see his mouth moving but could not make out the words he was saying. I switched my view to Bakugo's screen as he came around the corner to stand at the end of the hall Izuku was down.
My heart rate skyrocketed as I watched Bakugo stroll down the hall. At this moment, Izuku stood up, holding the capture tape, and looked around the corner beside him, away from Bakugo. As Bakugo neared, his gauntlet glowed red before returning to its normal color. Izuku whipped his head around to look at him. Bakugo brought his gauntlet up, and I could see his lips moving. I watched them for what felt like an eternity before Bakugo raised his hand to point the gauntlet at Izuku.
It didn't take a genius to figure out Bakugo's plan, but having known him for most of my childhood, I figured those gauntlets were more than a bold fashion statement. The second Bakugo pointed his gauntlet at Izuku, I realized their purpose. Bakugo's quirk worked by igniting the nitroglycerin excreted through his palms. If he could store up the nitroglycerin he could make a bigger explosion. I watched as he clicked the lever on the top of his gauntlet and grabbed ahold of a small pin on the side.
"All Might," I screamed, "He's going to kill Izuku! Stop this, please!" The tears flew freely down my face. All Might looked at me before picking up the microphone and returning his attention to the screens.
"Young Bakugo!" All Might yelled into the microphone, "Don't do it! You'll kill him!" I watched Bakugo's mouth move as he replied to All Might. His crazed smile widened as he pulled the pin.
A deafening roar drowned out all the other sounds in the room, followed by earthquake-like tremors. As the world shook around me, I felt my knees getting weak. How could he be allowed to use an attack like that? If Izuku wasn't dead, he would be seriously injured. I looked at the screen, but the camera was obstructed by smoke.
"Come in!" All Might shouted into the microphone. "Come in, Midoryia!"
The world seemed far away as thoughts ran through my head. My knees lost the battle to keep me upright, and I fell to the floor. The tears rolled freely down my cheeks, and I didn't even bother to wipe them away. I felt a hand on my back and saw a floating glove resting on my shoulder. I brought my hand to rest on Hagakure's. I looked to my other side and saw Ojiro standing stoically, watching the screens.
I looked down before risking a glance at the screens. I expected to see Izuku's mangled and burned body. As the smoke cleared, the first thing I could see was Bakugo standing in the exact location. I looked over to where Izuku had been standing, only to see that he was no longer there. I scanned the area around where he had been and spotted a teal heap several yards from where he had been. The heap started to move as Izuku sat up. His lips were moving as he spoke with either Ochaco or Bakugo. This seemed to piss Bakugo off, as he suddenly started yelling at Izuku.
"Sir, isn't this getting out of hand? That Bakugo is acting really crazy. I think Nat is right. He's gonna kill him!" Kirishima yelled at All MIght.
"Not so…" All Might replied. I wasn't sure that All Might was watching the same thing I was. It looked like Bakugo had just attempted to blow my brother to kingdom come. I looked over to All Might, whose smile seemed strained as he picked up the microphone. "Bakugo, use that stored-up power again, and I'll stop this fight. Your team will lose."
I looked at the screen and saw Bakugo straighten up with a confused expression. "To employ such a strong attack indoors is inviting the destruction of the stronghold you should be protecting. That's a poor strategy, whether you're a hero or a villain. The penalty would be a massive loss of points."
I could see Izuku talking while All Might explained the reasons for not using large-scale attacks indoors. He kept looking at the ceiling, so I assumed he spoke with Ochaco. As All Might finished, I could see the rage rolling off of Bakugo. He threw his hands up before launching himself forward at Izuku. Izuku had managed to stand up and planted his feet in the ground, ready to counterattack. As Bakugo neared him, he threw a punch at Bakugo. Bakugo, however, anticipated this. He changed his stance mid-jump and sent a small blast in front of Izuku. The force from this blast provided him the momentum to flip over Izuku. He threw his left hand out and shot another blast to move him closer to Izuku before finally striking him in the back with a blast from his right hand. Izuku let out a scream and stumbled forward from the attack.
"What was that move?" Kirishima exclaimed.
"He doesn't come off as a guy with a strategy. But he's quite intelligent." I turned to look at the speaker. It was the kid with the two-tone hair that could control ice. His costume was a simple jumpsuit on the right side, but the left was covered in ice.
"What're you talkin' about?" Kirishima replied.
"He changed his trajectory in midair using a blast that doubled as a smoke screen—very clever." Ice boy answered. He did have a point. No matter how much I disliked Bakugo, I had to admit that he wasn't dumb. He knew how to employ a strategy and beat any opponent, even when upset. This is what scared me the most for Izuku.
"A feint attack like that requires an extreme amount of precision. He had to calculate the physics and demonstrate control over his quirk." A dark-haired girl further explained.
"Ugh, Bakugo is uber talented. I hate it." Kaminari stated.
"Me too!" I agreed. He looked over at me with a half-hearted smile. I pushed myself off of the ground and stood next to my teammates. Ojiro slipped a hand under my arm to provide extra support as we watched the rest of the match. I smiled at him warmly, and he nodded in return.
Bakugo had landed and wasted no time in starting his next attack. Before Izuku regained his footing, Bakugo sent another right hook at him, hitting him in the arm with his gauntlet. As Izuku stumbled forward, Bakugo grabbed his arm with his left hand and sent blasts off with his right, flipping them around in a circle. With little effort, Bakugo heaved Izuku over his shoulder and threw him on the ground with tremendous force. It was the same move that Izuku had made earlier. Izuku bounced off the ground, his breath leaving his lungs forcefully. Bakugo wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He wasn't going to give Izuku an inch of breathing room to form a strategy. I could see the pain in Izuku's features as he fell back to the ground. I tightened my grip on Ojiro's arm. Every fiber of my being wanted to run to Izuku and protect him from this. If I was there, I could fight Bakugo with him and keep him from using his powers on Izuku. From here, I couldn't do anything. I was helpless, forced to watch as he repeatedly attacked my brother.
"This is hard to watch!" The pink girl exclaimed. "All he has to do is wrap tape around him, not kill him."
"Bakugo's certainly acting like a villain." A boy with a black cape and a bird-shaped head stated.
"I thought Midoriya was pretty amazing at the start of the fight, but he's completely outmatched in terms of combat power," Kaminari said. I looked up at him and slapped the back of his head out of anger. He grimaced and rubbed the back of his head. "Not to mention Bakugo seems like a natural at all this stuff."
"He's running away!" I looked up at the screen at Pinky's words and saw that Izuku was running away on all fours. Maybe he did have a plan?
"Not very manly, but he doesn't have a choice. He's outgunned." Kirishima looked in my direction, and I saw his features soften. "Unless he's got some kinda plan. It's possible."
Izuku ran until he made it to the window on the other side of the room. He turned around to face Bakugo, standing his ground. Bakugo continues to stalk toward him. He appeared to be yelling at Izuku. Izuku put his head down. When he brought it up, I could tell that he had tears in his eyes. What were they saying to each other? What could Bakugo have said that made Izuku tear up like this? His fist clenched as he yelled back at Bakugo. I could feel it in my bones. Izuku had some plan, but I couldn't tell what it was. Bakugo yelled, and the two started to run at each other again. As they closed the distance, they both leaped into the air, quickly closing the distance between the two of them. I could see the lightning starting to form on Izuku's arm and the glow coming off of Bakugo's palm.
"All Might!" I screamed. "They are going to kill each other. I will never forgive you!" All Might was shaking as he tried to decide what he should do. If he wasn't so damned big, I would have grabbed the microphone from him and told them to stop. Luckily, All Might came to his senses before I needed to.
"Both of you, stop - !" He stopped mid-sentence with a confused expression and looked over to the screen that Uraka was on. I followed his glance and saw that he had grabbed a hold of a pillar. As Bakugo and Izuku neared each other, I saw the trajectory of Izuku's punch change. Instead of going toward Bakugo, he shot his fist upward as if making an uppercut motion. Bakugo, however, kept moving toward Izuku, sending a blast right into his face.
The building that we were in started to shake as the force from Izuku's punch blasted the air upward and out of the building. Several of the camera screens went blank as the blast destroyed them. Others showed the extensive damage Izuku's singular punch had caused. The smoke occluded the view once again from where Bakugo and Izuku stood. I looked over and saw that I was still able to see Iida and Uraka. A huge hole had appeared on the ground in front of her as she held on to the pillar. I saw her fingers glow pink before she took the pillar and swung it like a baseball bat, sending the debris from the destroyed floor flying at Iida. As he tried to protect himself from the debris, she lept over the gap and landed on the weapon.
The smoke had started to clear where Izuku was, and I could see the extent of his injuries. This time, he wasn't as lucky. His entire right arm appeared purple and bruised. If I knew anything about his power, my guess is that it was broken. His left arm was covering his face and covered in burns from taking the force of Bakugo's blast. Izuku was still standing. I could see the pain in his eyes, but I could tell he was trying not to let Bakugo see. The timer on the screen finished its countdown as the entire class stood there stunned by what had just happened.
"You did it!" All Might exclaimed quietly. Is this what he was trying to do all along? Allow Izuku the chance to go against Bakugo. I watched as Izuku started to fall to the ground. He was losing the fight to stay conscious. "The hero team wins! Your indoor combat training is over." All Might set the microphone down and quickly left the room to check on the students. Bakguo was still standing over Izuku, shaking. He stared down in disbelief at his hands. Uraka was on all fours and appeared to be trying to keep herself from throwing up. Two robots came and started to load Izuku up on a stretcher as All Might came into the picture.
"What a weird way for this to end. The losers are practically untouched, and the winners are both on the ground." Kaminari said.
"How does the old saying go? They may have lost the battle, but they won the war." The bird kid added.
"This class is intense." The frog girl stated. I stared at the screen as they took Izkuku out of the building on the stretcher and headed in the direction of the main campus. All Might gathered Bakugo, Iida, and Uraka and disappeared off the screens. I could feel myself shaking out of anger. Anger that All Might had let this happen. Anger that Bakugo couldn't see that Izuku had followed him his entire life because he wanted to be like him. I was angry because there was nothing that I had been able to do to protect Izuku.
"Nat, you need to calm down." Hagakure put her hand on my other arm. I clenched my teeth and looked over at her. "Woah, Nat your eyes. They're orange."
Before I could respond, the door opened, and All Might walked in with Bakugo, Uraka, and Iida behind him. I took my hand off Ojiro's arm and stalked over to Bakugo.
"You're a damn coward, you know that!" I screamed at Bakugo. Before I knew what I was doing, I had clenched my hand into a fist and swung at Bakugo, hitting him square in the jaw. He stumbled backward, and I could hear the class gasp behind me. Bakugo glared up at me. I could see the redness starting to form on his cheek and jaw. However, when his eyes met mine, he stopped, and his features slightly relaxed. Confusion crossed his face before the anger reappeared.
"That's enough!" All Might boomed. "Natsuki Midoryia, I understand that you are upset, but this is no way to behave. Please return to your team. You three, please stand at the front of the class so we can review your work."
I spun around and returned to Ojiro. After punching Bakugo, I felt that the red-hot anger inside of me was starting to die down. He looked at me with concern, and I just shook my head. No one here would understand the hell that Bakugo had put my brother and me through. The years of taunting and bullying. Bakugo had this coming for a long time.
The screen behind All Might changed to show the two teams with the words winner under team A and loser under team D. All Might turned to address the class. "Well, despite the results. The MVP of this exercise is Young Iida."
I snapped my head up. What did he mean by saying Iida was the MVP? Had he not seen what Izuku did? He had singlehandedly won the match for him and Uraka. He took on Bakugo and won? How could he think Iida was the MVP?
"Shouldn't it be one of the heroes instead since they're the winner?" The frog girl asked.
"Mm! Valid question. Why didn't I choose one of those two? Who has a guess?" All Might asked, raising his hand in the air. The girl with the black hair that was tied in a high ponytail raised her hand as well.
"Sir, I can tell you why! Iida embraced this challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role." After a brief pause, she continued. "I'll explain. Bakugo's judgment was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya, Izuku. As you pointed out earlier, launching a large-scale attack indoors was a foolish move. It could have been disastrous. Similarly, Midoriya's plan was also poorly thought out, considering the amount of damage that he received. He rendered himself helpless. Not smart. As for Uraka… She let her guard down mid-battle, and her final attack was far too reckless, given the hypothetical stakes. If she'd treated the fake weapon as though it were real, she never would've risked using such an imprecise move. Iida was fully prepared for his opponent's arrival. He had a strategy and never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was foiled in the end. Technically, the hero team won, yes, but they took advantage of the fact that this was training. They didn't respect the spirit of the trial."
The room was silent, and I could see that All Might was struggling to follow up on what she had just summarized. "Yes… Well, you overlooked a few things. Young Iida could have relaxed a little bit in the exercise, but… otherwise, you nailed it!" All Might shot her a thumbs up.
"One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning. That's the only real way to become a top hero." She finished. All Might seemed to not know what to add to her statements and decided that it was time to move on.
"Now then, time to blow this joint. Let's move on to the next match! Think about everything we saw and discussed as you tackle this training for yourself!" I could feel All Might looking at me as he said this.
"Yes, sir!" I responded with my class. I didn't look back at him. I didn't regret what I had done, but it still stung knowing that All Might was disappointed in me. He reached into the podiums in front of him and pulled a ball out of the hero and villain boxes.
"Match two! Team B will be our heroes." I looked over and saw that it was the ice guy along with the boy who had four arms. I hadn't noticed before, but at the end of each of his arms, he had eyes or ears. "Team I will be the villains."
I looked over at the ice boy as he called our letter out. I guess this would be a battle between fire and ice.
—-
End of Chapter 5
I debated on combining Chapter 6 with Chapter 5, but decided to ultimately split them. This I hope, will allow me to expand on Natsuki's fight with Todaroki more. I want to keep a fine balance between keeping the integrity of the Manga and rewriting parts to add Natsuki. This will be one of the first deviations from the Manga that I will take as the battle is not going to play out as it did in the Manga. There are some changes coming up that I have planned, but again I do not want to take away anyone's character arcs or important moments. Some may just come slightly earlier and others may be later.
I would also like to thank my husband and my friends for help with writing this. There have been many…. MANY talks and ideas that we have painstakingly gone over with them. Hours have been devoted to talking about when I would like certain things to happen and motives of different characters. Allen, Michael, Ryan, Zacc, and Enden thank you all for listening to me go on and on and on about MHA. Also I blame you all for introducing it to me. They are also the ones that had to listen to me ball during this last season. I can't wait to find ways to introduce your characters into this world and how they are going to interact with everything.
The other thing that I had wanted to say is that Ethan was not a one shot character. I do plan to bring him back, but wanted the focus to be more on Natsuki than him. Ethan is a foreign exchange student from America and I think this will play a big part when it comes to the first movie and season 7. The name Ethan means change and adaptation, which I think fits his character quite nicely. It is also the name of my youngest son so he holds a special place in my heart. I think that I will stop rambling for now and get to finishing chapter 6. Until next time… Go beyond PLUS ULTRA!