Izuku held his backpack over his head as the rain fell harder.
If it starts raining any harder, I'm turning into Ripjaws. He complained to himself.
"You're late." Aizawa noted with a raised eyebrow.
"I know," Izuku blushed. "I'm sorry, it's the rain."
"Whatever." Aizawa waved him off and bowed respectfully to the lady at the hospital reception desk. "Izuku Midoriya and Shota Aizawa here to see Neito Monoma."
"You're late." The receptionist clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"It's the rain." Aizawa deadpanned.
"Whatever." The receptionist rolled her eyes. "Room 7-B."
Aizawa and Izuku both bowed before making their way to the elevator.
"Nervous?" Aizawa asked, not looking up.
"A little." Izuku admitted. "I did kind of land him in a coma for over three months…"
"True." Aizawa allowed as the elevator doors swung open. "I wouldn't be surprised if he hates you now."
"Gee, thanks." Izuku deadpanned. "Really, you should be known as the Bedside Manner Hero, Aizawa-Sensei."
Aizawa merely rolled his eyes and held the door open for Izuku.
"Midoriya?" Monoma said, surprised. "I didn't expect you would come to see me."
"Why wouldn't I?" Izuku asked, surprised.
"Well, I was rather horrible with you." Monoma said sheepishly.
"Oh… uh… I thought that's just your personality." Izuku admitted, rubbing his neck awkwardly.
"Fair enough." Monoma smiled.
They talked for a little while, with Monoma asking lots of questions while Izuku answered as best he could.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're okay." Izuku sighed. "I was really worried."
"No hard feelings." Monoma shrugged.
Izuku looked at him for a moment, his stomach twisting a little. Something didn't seem right.
"Midriya, we'll be late. You can come by again after school." Aizawa spoke from outside the room.
"Oh! Right!" He turned to Monoma, watching the boy tilt his head slightly. "See you after school then?"
"Don't bother." Monoma smiled, his eyes widening slightly. "I've already been discharged."
"Oh!" Izuku said, surprised. "See you at school then?"
He waved as he left the room, the same feeling of unease plaguing him.
"See you around, Izuku…" Himiko Toga giggled from behind Neito Monoma's face.
"Is it Bakugou's hair?" Tokoyami wondered, startling Izuku from his thoughts. The bird-headed boy had a hand under his beak, clearly pondering some deep thought.
"What?" Izuku bent down, picking his pen up from the classroom floor. "Sorry… I… My mind was elsewhere."
"I noticed." Tokoyami deadpanned, not taking his eyes off Bakugou, who was talking to Kirishima and Kaminari. "I was wondering if you too had noticed that Bakugou's hair seems more… tame…"
"What?" Izuku snapped his head up to look at Bakugou. Izuku watched Bakugou sling an arm around a blushing Kirishima's shoulders, laughing at some inane comment his friends made. He squinted, putting a hand to his own chin. "It does look a little… flatter."
"Midoriya." Shoto nodded, taking a seat near his friend's table.
"Todoroki! Good to see you." Izuku grinned at his friend. "Kinda weird to suddenly not share a room anymore, huh?"
"I guess." Shoto nodded. "Though I do not miss the snoring."
"Hey!" Izuku blushed. "I don't snore… I think…"
"I wasn't talking about you…" Shoto glanced down at the Omnitrix, lazily pulsing on Izuku's wrist."
Brought out of his stupor, Izuku noticed Yaoyorozu, Ashido and Jirou looking at him and talking in hushed voices.
"-if you want to talk about who really changed," Jirou whispered. "Talk about those two."
"Is there a problem, Yaoyorozu?" Shoto asked evenly, not raising his voice.
"Not at all." The girl blushed slightly. "We are just discussing your… change in demeanour following the… Hosu Incident."
"Oh?" Shoto raised an elegant eyebrow. "And what conclusions have you drawn?"
"We're just happy you made it out alive." Jirou said, making eye contact with Izuku before quickly looking away again.
An awkward silence fell on the classroom then. All the stares, be they curious or accusing, felt a little heavy on Izuku. He looked away awkwardly, especially from the glare being levelled at him by Uraraka.
"I have something to say." Shoto stood from his desk. He looked to Bakugou, who gave a single nod and crossed his arms. "The Hosu Incident was the work of the League of Villains."
"What?!" Kirishima went a little pale.
"The news said it was a villain attack…" Sero insisted while Ashido covered her mouth with her hands in shock.
"It is a lie." Shoto reaffirmed. "I was there, remember? The police insisted that I should not release this information to the public, but I cannot in good conscience keep it from you."
"What makes you think it was the league?" Bakugou growled.
"Because we did not fight villains in Hosu." Shoto narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists. "They were Noumu."
"You mean there's more than one of those things?!" Shoji's eyes widened.
"There are at least three more." Shoto confirmed. "Midoriya and I fought them alongside my father and the pro heroes."
"Deku?" Bakugou narrowed on Izuku. "I know you took notes about that fight. What did the things you fought look like?"
"Uh… well.." Izuku frowned. "One was grey… had eyes on the side of his head… wings… there was a black one covered in scars… the only thing they really had in common was that… well… their brains were exposed."
The class collectively gasped at that statement with Yaoyorozu choking down a sob.
"And their quirks?" Bakugou raised his voice to be heard over the muttering.
"A variety." Izuku counted on his fingers. "Wings… cloning… claws… amplified physique… power absorption and redirection…"
"Damn it!" Bakugou slammed his fist down on the table in front of him.
"Sorry." Izuku paled, turning to Shoto. "I can give a more detailed answer?"
"Don't worry, Midoriya." Shoto laid a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's not that. The Noumu we first encountered in the USJ had a lot of similarities to what you just described."
Izuku looked back at the class, watching Asui comfort a now sobbing Uraraka, as well as what looked like a heated discussion between Kaminari, Sero and Kirishima.
"We saw things that day..." Shoto whispered, looking at Asui and Uraraka. "Things some of us would rather forget."
"I AM HERE!" All Might exclaimed. "HOPE YOU'RE READY TO RETURN TO OUR LESSONS! TODAY IS HERO BASIC TRAINING!"
"He's louder than on the videos." Izuku complained, grimacing at the way the floor rumbled from All Might's voice.
"You get used to it." Tokoyami shrugged resignedly.
"In theory anyway." Kendo said, holding her hands over her ears.
"NOW THEN…" All Might said as close to quietly as he could. "LISTEN CAREFULLY FOR WHAT'S IN STORE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A RACE. TAKE EVERYTHING YOU'VE LEARNED DURING YOUR INTERNSHIPS AND APPLY IT HERE, TO THIS RESCUE TRAINING LESSON."
"Rescue Training…" Izuku wondered. "That sounds interesting."
"Strange that we're not at the USJ for this…" Shoto noted.
"Perhaps it has something to do with this exercise being a race?" Tokoyami ventured.
"PREPARE YOURSELVES TO STEP INTO: FIELD GAMMA!" All Might announced, causing the floor to reverberate. "THE INSIDE IS AN AREA RESEMBLING AN INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, FORMING A COMPLEX, INTERCONNECTED LABYRINTH. GOOD LUCK FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND."
"A race through a maze..." Tokoyami noted. "How interesting…"
Well, there's no real question here. Izuku said, checking to make sure the Omnitrix was working. With his speed and arial capabilities, Stinkfly is the obvious choice. Unless this 'Race' is more than it appears to be.
Kendo raised an enlarged hand above Izuku's shoulder questioningly. Tokoyami considered for a moment, then shook his head.
"YOU'LL COMPETE IN GROUPS OF FIVE," All Might continued obliviously. "AND EACH 'HERO' WILL START AT A DIFFERENT POSITION ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE MODEL CITY, WHEN I AM READY, I'LL SEND A DISTRESS SIGNAL."
A flare maybe? Izuku frowned. We'll be in a maze so… Perhaps we'll be given compasses? Or will it be a sound we need to follow… There are a lot of variables to consider…
"Not yet, Kendo…" Tokoyami said as Kendo raised an enlarged hand again.
"IT IS YOUR JOB TO DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO RESCUE ME."All Might turned, looking awkwardly at Bakugou."BUT TRY TO KEEP THE PROPERTY DAMAGE TO A MINIMUM, PLEASE?"
"What are you looking at me for?" Bakugou grumbled.
"Who's your pick?" Kirishima asked, grinning. A large screen had been set up to follow the progress of their classmates. "I'm betting on Sero. Fastest way to finish a maze is to go over the lines."
"I got odds on Ojiro." Kaminari smiled, eager for conversation.
"Ashido isn't a bad pick either." Jirou noted.
"I disagree." Izuku stated confidently. "Tokoyami clearly has the best quirk that balances speed and manoeuvrability while allowing for mid-air adjustments."
"Man…" Kirishima mumbled.
"He really is a quirk nerd…" Kaminari agreed.
"The only real Wild Card is Kendo." Mineta grumbled, narrowing his eyes. "We haven't really seen her use her quirk for mobility, but just like Ojiro, I wouldn't count her out."
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Aizawa sighed, not looking sorry in the slightest. He gestured to a boy standing next to him, who wore a scarf identical to Aizawa's. "Some of you will remember Hitoshi Shinsou."
Shinsou nodded to Izuku who smiled and waved back.
"He will be joining your class to…" Aizawa hesitated for a moment. "...study under All Might and myself. We deemed it wise to switch his homeroom to 1-A so I can… keep a closer eye on him."
Shinsou bowed respectfully to the class as a whole while Bakugou walked over.
"I'll let you get acquainted." Aizawa said, turning and walking back to the school. "I have important matters to attend to."
"Great." Bakugou grumbled, folding his arms. "Another fanboy."
"I am here to learn, Bakugou Katsuki." Shinsou bowed respectfully. "I look forward to working under such a competent class representative."
"Hah!" Bakugou bared his teeth. "You think you'll win me over by grovelling? There's only one way to get me to tolerate you, Bag-Eyes."
"Bag-eyes?!" Shinsou exclaimed.
"And that," Bakugou said, getting right in Shinsou's face. The purple haired boy tried his best not to shrink back under Bakugou's glare. "Is to prove yourself."
"I think," Shinsou kept his voice level. "You'll find my power level more than up to your standards."
"You think that's what this is about?" Bakugou grinned. "How strong you are?"
"It's not?" Shinsou raised an eyebrow.
"No. It's not." Bakugou insisted. He looked down at Shinsou, his smile shrinking slightly. "But it's a start."
Izuku walked up to Shinsou, along with Shoto as Bakugou walked off with Kaminari and Jirou.
"Don't mind Kacchan too much." Izuku smiled. "So, you made it to the hero course too? That's great!"
"No thanks to him." Shinsou's features barely shifted, but Izuku knew him well enough to see he was glaring at Todoroki.
"It was a tournament." Shoto kept his face blank. "I would have done you a disservice to do any less than my best."
"Anyway," Izuku laughed nervously, trying to break the tension. "Your scarf looks a lot like the one Aizawa-sensei uses."
"Jealous, Midoriya?" Shinsou smiled thinly.
"You bet." Izuku admitted. "Hey, look, I know we were pretty rough on each other back in general studies, but we don't need to compete anymore. I for one am glad to have you as a classmate again."
"Is he always this painfully kind?" Shinsou tilted his head, looking at Todoroki..
"He has his moments." Shoto admitted. "I have come to admire him for it."
"You'll forgive me, I hope, if I decide to think for myself." Shinsou mused. He walked away, towards the screens that displayed the rescue race. He paused, turning his head for a final statement. "Though, I suppose, it is some comfort to know I have allies in this class."
Izuku smiled lightly and nodded.
Sero won the first race easily, though Tokoyami wasn't far behind him.
"GOOD WORK ALL OF YOU!" All Might thundered. "THANK YOU FOR RESCUING ME! GOOD JOB! NEXT GROUP, ASUI, KAMINARI, KODA, MIDORIYA, TODOROKI! GET READY!"
Okay, Shinsou distracted me from most of the race, but I don't think I saw any specific obstacles that could hinder Stinkfly. He thought, activating the Omnitrix and waiting for All Might's signal. The Omnitrix flashed blue once, startling him. Weird… You're really starting to surprise me, you know. I hope you're not damaged in any way… maybe I should let Mei take a look at you.
All Might chose that moment to send his signal.
Izuku smacked the Omnitrix down, feeling his body shift and change. He leapt off the building's edge and flapped his wings, sending himself hurtling upwards into the air with one flap.
"Big Chill?" He realised, gaining momentum. "Strange. Definitely Stinkfly selected. No matter. Wings bigger, stronger. Not as quick to turn, but faster, perhaps? Experimentation necessary. Time now as good as any."
He dove down towards the ground, testing his turning angles and descent speeds.
"Initial assessment correct." He observed. "Slow to turn, quick in dives and to rise faster. In open air more manoeuvrable? Possible. Uncertain. WALL!"
Lost in his thoughts he failed to notice he was moments away from colliding with the steel wall ahead of him. He opened his massive wings to decrease his speed, but knew instinctively it wouldn't be enough. He covered his face with his insectoid arms, preparing for impact.
After a few seconds of hovering mid air, He opened his eyes, finding himself halfway through the wall.
"Intangibility?" Big Chill cooed, moving his head back through the wall. "Involuntary reflex action perhaps? Possible to control consciously. More practice needed. But first, have a race to finish."
He flew back through the wall, flying upwards into the open air and directly towards All Might. A sound like a fog horn blared through Field Gamma. Big Chill landed next to Shoto, watching as All Might hung the sash over Tsuyu Asui.
"Big Chill?" Shoto noted.
"Indeed." He answered, draping his wings over himself like a cloak. "Involuntary. Transformation mishap. Happens now and again."
"You've mentioned that." Shoto pondered. "Any idea what causes it?"
"A few theories." Big Chill admitted. "Nothing conclusive."
Big chill slapped the dial on his waist and Izuku stumbled from the resulting flash of green light.
"Man, his center of gravity is high up." Izuku complained.
"Come on." Shoto motioned. "We need to get back to the viewing platform. The next group will start soon."
Izuku nodded, following his friend back to the rest of 1-A.
"Midoriya, is that a new form?" Tokoyami asked. "I haven't seen it before."
"Yeah. Izuku smiled. "Big Chill. Flying, temperature resistance and, apparently, intangibility."
"He sounds powerful." Kendo nodded.
"Yeah." Izuku grinned. "I don't know if he has any combat abilities yet, I haven't really had much time to play around with him yet."
He noticed Kendo holding her arm, it was bruised a little at the wrist.
"Hey, are you okay?" Izuku frowned.
"Oh!" Kendo blushed deeply. "Yeah… guess I just don't know my own strength…"
She laughed awkwardly.
All Might excused himself for the last two races, with Cementos taking his place. The last two groups finished their races with Bakugou and Mineta respectively coming in first. Surprisingly, Shinsou had been right on Mineta's heels in their race, being beaten by the short boy with less than three seconds' time between them.
"Man, Shinsou." Kirishima whistled appreciatively. "You've got some moves."
"I can clearly see you've been studying with Eraser Head now." Kaminari nodded.
"I do my best." Shinsou smirked. "It was a good race all round…"
"Whatever." Mineta rolled his eyes.
"Come on, you damn nerds, let's get back to class." Bakugou announced. "Wouldn't do for 1-A to be late. We need to set an example."
"Yes, Class Rep." The class replied, nearly in unison.
"Can't you give me a moment to catch my breath?" Hagakure complained. "Yeesh!"
"Where do you think All Might went?" Izuku pondered. "Come to think of it… he's been skipping a lot of classes lately."
"The number 1 hero has things to do beyond school?" Shinsou rolled his eyes as he passed. "Perish the thought."
"Yeah." Kendo grinned reassuringly, hiding her own nervousness. "It's probably nothing…"
Izuku was so caught up in his thoughts that he missed the brief look of dread that crossed Katsuki Bakugou's face.
Soon enough they made their way back to UA proper, ready to continue their classes. Still lost in thought, Izuku nearly collided with a burly, blonde upperclassman.
"Whoop!" Mirio smiled, phasing his massive arm through Izuku's head. "Nearly nicked you there!"
"I'm so sorry!" Izuku blushed fiercely.
"No worries, pal." Mirio winked. "No time to chat though! See you around!"
Izuku watched the blonde boy walk off and, despite not knowing him, imagined he seemed nervous.
Weird. He shrugged, taking his seat in Midnight's class before it hit him. Isn't All Might's office at the end of that hallway? Why would he be going there?
AN
Gee… I wonder why All Might would be spending less time in his buff shape... Hmmm…
Anyway, I teased the next wielder of One-for-All this chapter, and also added three red herrings. Discuss who you think will get it in the reviews. I'd love to see how many of you guess right. :D
Review Review
Elizer3yt
Glad you liked it. A little fanservice doesn't hurt, yk? x3
Zellie2248
People like you make writing worth it. Thank you so much for the kind words. :)
SonicMax
It really sounds to me like you're not enjoying my story much, and all I can really say to that is that I'm sorry. I failed you as a writer.
I haven't read much along the lines of BNHA fics, and the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Mightless, Spider of Peace and One Punch Deku.
If it's any consolation, I'm not just pulling all the character interactions out of the blue. I do have the background for the story worked out pretty intricately and I plan on revealing it slowly as the fic plays out. We're now 4 arcs down of the 17 I've planned, so we're very much in the early days of this story.
Just to be clear: All of your criticisms are valid and logical based on the MHA canon. I'm not taking away from that at all.
Just keep in mind that this story is an AU, if that's okay?
Funny-Little-Cute White Fox
Right now… I'm not set on a paring just yet. Anything could happen. :)
Guest
It was a pretty hard decision to make, and I really appreciate your support. ^^;
XxGargantuaxX
Primus, I sure hope so. I'd prefer having the things I put in the story serve a purpose and drive the story forward and not just have it be a thing for the sake of it, if that makes sense...
VowsUnspoken
If there's one thing I'm guilty of it's too much planning, not enough writing. ^^;
Flumerfelt92
That's a really interesting take. As far as I can think only one hero has interacted with Bakugou at all was All Might, and rereading their interaction I didn't really pick up on any favouritism. And I did my best to write Endeavour as a manipulative narcissist.
Still, I'd appreciate it a bunch if you could elaborate on why my heroes seem like villains? At best I can fix a major problem with my fic, and at worst I can just make their motivations a bit less ambiguous? Looking forward to hearing from you again!
DarkSpeed chapter 15 . Jun 6
Hell Yeah! Another awesome review! :D
Laitou
Uraraka is VERY out of line. Not fair to Izuku at all. People tend to lash out when they're grieving. Yeah, this is kind of the beginning of her Arc for this story. :)
GoliathG
I'm really happy to see you liked it! I tried to balance her canon personality with her personal growth in my AU. Don't know if it went that well. ^^;
Hopefully the Big Chill bit in this chapter satisfied that aspect a little for you.
Izu10K and his relationship to the Omnitrix as well as their 'Unity' is a MAJOR plot point.
D3lph0xL0v3r
I can't really think of any reviewer that seemed more excited to read something I wrote. :D
I'm gonna review all your reviews here if you don't mind. :)
Love all the puns!
Yes, Bakugou has a different recent history in comparison to canon, and I think the things he's been through have affected him deeply.
The whole of 1-A actually have had to deal with some horrible things as a group, and they're pretty close as a result, I feel.
Izu10K is very important. And we'll be seeing a lot of them pretty soon.
And finally, keep up the amazing reviews, mate. ;)