Izuku Midoriya walked to the training area. He was in Akatani's hero suit. It was identical to his costume except it was purple and black instead of black and dark grey, and there wasn't a mask. He had the controller for the po-staff in his mouth. He didn't take the staff that was already in the case. Instead, he put the retracted po-staff in a pocket on his belt.
He entered the fake city and walked around. He was in awe of its size and detail, but he kept his feelings hidden. He still had to pass off as Akatani and Izuku didn't know how many times he's been there. He would be practically bouncing off the walls about it at home, though.
He walked around for a few minutes before the window of a nearby building broke and Minoru Mineta flew out of it. Izuku was shocked, witnessing a death he wasn't directly responsible for might be a little traumatizing. Actually, in hindsight, it wouldn't. He watched as the weird short guy fell.
Mineta then started to throw his purple balls at the floor. They formed a small pile and he landed on it. He bounced a few times before landing safely. Izuku was impressed by the display, he couldn't come up with such a clever idea in a crisis like that.
"Young Mineta! That was an impressive move! Why haven't I seen you use it before?" The actual fucking All Might appeared so fast it was like magic. It was the second time he saw him in person but the time at his school wasn't as great as this moment.
Mineta said, "I just thought of it today. I didn't expect the window to break."
"Shatterproof glass isn't in the budget! It saves trillions to use regular glass and melt it into new windows when it breaks! You should have taken that into account, though! I have to deduct some points!"
"Wait a minute," yelled Mineta. "You let me fall! Why weren't you here before?" That also made Izuku think. Then he disregarded it. All Might wouldn't do anything without a good reason. Therefore, there should be a good reason All Might let him fall.
"I believed that you could save yourself! If you couldn't, I was waiting around the corner since the instant you fell out the window! I do like a dramatic entrance!" Izuku knew he had a good reason. He wanted to run up to him and compliment him again and again. He already come up with a hundred when All Might finished talking. "Anyway, the time ran out and you've lost the game! Let's return to the observation room!" Mineta groaned and started walking.
Izuku went to follow him. "Young Akatani, or should I say Yamikumo, you've arrived! I trust you will be ok during the hero exercise?"
"I'll be fine," said Izuku. He didn't ask what the exercise was because they could've discussed it the other day. Akatani isn't the forgetful type so he had to pretend he knew what they were doing. "Please don't tell anyone what happened. I don't want to think about Shinsou right now." That seemed to be what a person in mourning would say. He didn't care in the slightest so it was hard to fake.
"My lips are sealed." All Might gestured for Izuku to follow and he led him to the observation room.
Several screens were showing the halls of a grey building. Tenya Iida, Momo Yaoyorozu, and Mina Ashido were walking through them. Izuku watched them for a while. He wondered why he couldn't hear them speak.
There was a group of hero students as well. He took notice of their costumes. They looked nice and all, but they were overshadowed by Kaachan and All Might. He had a thousand compliments for either.
"You were great out there," said Kirishima, pulling Mineta into a side hug. "You would've won if you didn't almost die." Izuku ignored the rest of the conversation.
"Hey jerk," yelled Kaachan. His costume was so badass that Izuku almost got on his knees and praised him that very second. He was barely able to keep his cool. "Why weren't you here earlier? I wanted to go first!"
This wasn't a good thing. If they had to fight, Izuku was a dead man. It wasn't a horrible way to go, but he hadn't finished all of his work yet. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do anymore, but he knew it wasn't done yet.
"I had to pick something up from Hatsume. She made an upgrade for my support gear," he said. It was nearly impossible to act like Akatani at that moment.
Kaachan grunted and didn't speak further. He walked to the other side of the room.
"Hey, Yamikumo," said Uraraka. She was in a skintight suit with a helmet. She looked vaguely like a spaceman. It was ok, Izuku thought it was a little bland. "Are you ready to go up next? I'm a little nervous about being the villain this time."
Izuku finally knew what they were doing. A heroes vs villains game inside of the building. It was most likely a 2v2, explaining the three people in the camera.
"I'm ready to go," said Izuku.
The previous group returned to the room. Kaachan and Uraraka volunteered to go next.
Izuku stood next to the fake bomb. It was a little big, but heroes aren't explosive experts anyway. It's not like you could disarm a bomb by punching it.
He and Uraraka had hidden the bomb on the top floor. They anticipated a head-on fight with Kaachan, so putting them as far apart as possible would be the easiest way to win. He could waste time walking up the stairs or exert himself flying to the roof.
Izuku said, "I'll fight him. You protect the bomb."
"What about Kirishima," asked Uraraka. It took Izuku a second to remember him.
"Can he fly?" He left before Uraraka replied.
"No," she said in his earpiece.
"Then make it float."
"Ohhh," said Uraraka before cutting off communication.
Izuku was alone for a bit. He came up with a strategy while looking for Kaachan. He would first get his staff out. Then he'll fight Kaachan. Kaachan was the strongest kid in the class, he couldn't find a single way to defeat him other than start and hope for the best.
He went down three flights of stairs before finding him.
"Yamikumo," growled Kaachan as he came around the corner. "I want a rematch!" Izuku assumed it was for the Sports Festival. Izuku knew it was a fluke, Akatani or Izuku stood no chance in any other setting.
Izuku clicked the button with his tongue and the staff shot out of its pouch. He caught it. He tried to come up with a cool line. "This won't be much of a match."
"I couldn't agree more." Kaachan came after him and sent his usual right hook. Izuku went to block it.
An explosion came from Izuku's right. Kaachan had attacked with a left hook. Izuku was caught off guard and he was sent into the wall and onto his back. It hurt a bit, but not as much as his usual times with Kaachan.
Kaachan waited for Izuku to get up. He was such a good sport. Then he kicked him while he was hfaw up. Izuku fell on the floor again.
Izuku understood that he couldn't stand without being pushed again. He had to think differently. He looked around for an advantage.
His staff was at his feet. He dropped it when Kaachan exploded him. He reached towards it.
Kaachan picked up the staff. "Hm, heavier than expected." Then he locked eyes with Izuku, growing a sneer. "Did you think this could hurt me?"
Izuku pushed the button. The staff retracted and the loss of weight balance made Kaachan drop the staff. It was falling vertically.
Izuku pushed the button again, and the staff extended rapidly. It bounced off the floor and hit Kaachan in the hand. He screamed and lurched away in pain.
Izuku got up and took the staff. He said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't plan for that to happen."
"I don't give a shit what you planned! You're fucking dead," Kaachan yelled. Izuku knew he was dead, so he ran as quickly as possible.
He went past the stairs and around the corner. Past a door and left on an intersection. Kaachan wasn't far behind him. Izuku could feel the heat from the explosions he set off.
"Get back here you coward," yelled Kaachan.
This may have looked bad for Akatani. Izuku knew he didn't want to look like a coward. But he was sure he would act similarly in the same situation. He was brave but not stupid.
He kept running, barely paying attention to where he went. This led him straight to a dead end. He got to the wall and couldn't keep going, but not from lack of trying. He wished he could spontaneously get a new quirk to go through walls. But the only way that could happen was if he became a ghost.
Kaachan slammed him into the wall. He was breathing heavily. "Why are you like this," he asked. "You were better at the Sports Festival, during our rematch at Gunhead's agency, and that time at..." he trailed off.
Izuku tried to hide it, but the look of confusion and unfamiliarity went across his face. There was also the fear of making Kaachan angry. Something both of them were familiar with.
Kaachan tapped his earpiece. "You're on your own," he said. Before taking it out and crushing it under his foot. He did the same with Izuku's.
"So, Deku, where's the real Yamikumo?"