Angel: Izuka's winter costume debut! And it should hopefully feel familiar to someone who gave me design suggestions for it. As for guys interested in Izuka, Shoto's not really interested in her like that, so he would not even count. Shindo asked her out, but that was to distract Bakugo. And, well, besides Amajiki, there's been a few guys that have been just gushing over her as a joke like Denki or Minoru. That Fujimi guy also likes her even though we never see him after the one episode. Other than them, there was that guy who asked her out after the band performance. But they're not meant to be serious love rivals, Amajiki is probably the only one who takes his feelings for Izuka seriously. Doesn't make it any easier on Bakugo!
Will Izuka see the vestiges? Uhhh, yes and no. There is that one scene I don't wanna spoil when Blackwhip rages out in episode 10 or 11 I think, so just wait for that scene. It's complicated is all I can sum up right now. Some episodes in season 5 do explain it more than I can summarize. The relative theory though, not true.
Will Katsuki have doubts about being the right guy for Izuka? There's actually a specific episode that addresses this, so you're on the right track, MissLiss! But that episode isn't for a while, the only hint is that it's in season 6. To Tigertrain5, I don't know if this is asking me to name a favorite ship out of that list, or it's just for the sake of it. If it is the first thing, that's a hard decision for me (especially since some of these ships comes from a franchise that I don't associate myself writing-wise with anymore).
The moon was shining as a wave washed over Izuku. He opened his eyes to find himself in a void. His whole body was covered in green matter, aside from his face. He looked to the side as several people in a line were nearby. The first one in that line was Nana Shimura, Toshinori's mentor and the one who had One for All before him.
A bright light shined as he looked up to see a body shape forming above the group, but he couldn't make out who it was.
The other people in the line stared up ahead...and he realized why they looked familiar. They were the vestiges of One for All, the same people he visioned at the Sports Festival during his match with Hitoshi Shinso.
All of them stared up ahead at something in the distance. The bright light floated around in front of Izuku. He looked up ahead to see two people facing each other, having the same substance he did around their bodies. But it was more red and black, but he couldn't recognize who they were at all...at least, at first. "Dear, foolish little brother. Why do you resist me?"
The voice belonged to someone Izuku thought he'd never see in his dreams... 'That voice! I'll never forget it! All for One!'
The light near him spun around frantically and he held out his hand to try and calm it down.
Suddenly, a bunch of green matter engulfed everyone and then turned into a town. All for One was walking away while surrounded by the red matter. "I will give you everything you want if you agree to join me. You have my word. Choice to those without power." The red matter belonged to so many people who were dedicated to All for One... "Mercy to those who have sinned."
Everything changed again to a dark room with the first wielder inside. Someone stepped inside, its shadow looming from the front door.
"You've stopped eating again," All for One pointed out as he walked in. "You're disintegrating into nothing."
The first wielder coughed into his mouth as he was starting to get sick. "Brother...I refuse to become the man you want me to be."
Izuku stared up ahead wide-eyed, unable to do or say anything. The light seemed to be panicking or being frantic by the way it was zipping around behind him. Izuku reached out his right hand to pat it on the head to calm the entity down.
The first wielder grunted as All for One grabbed his face. "Reality doesn't follow stock plots," He stated while taking energy away from his own brother. "I believe it's time you finally bend to my cause. I'll rewrite your story as well. Because you are dear to me, brother."
The light snuggled in closer to Izuku like a scared child and he held it close, narrowing his eyes. He could understand that this was terrifying to watch...
"Let me go!" The first wielder demanded as he didn't want this at all.
"I've found a meta power for you. Even your pathetic body can utilize it," All for One gave his little brother a small smirk. "You will join me."
"PLEASE, BROTHER!" The first wielder shouted at the top of his lungs. Izuku tried to reach out his hand while the light zipped over. The closer it got, the more it brightened up, causing Izuku to squeeze his eyes shut from how it was like the sun being in his eyes.
"...You're the 9th wielder, right? And she's the hope?" The first wielder spoke up. The boy looked up with a small gasp, though the light was completely gone now. "Sorry," He approached Izuku as the past had ended from the dream. "I wanted to show you more, but you're barely using 20 percent of the power yet. And she hasn't learned of her acquired role yet. Be careful."
Izuku reached out to him, wanting to help him or warn him of his brother and what he would do...but he still couldn't say a word.
"We're long past the singularity point," The first wielder reached out his hand. Izuku grunted as he willed himself to do the same. The man's reflection was in Izuku's eyes as they were about to grab each other's hands... "Don't be afraid. You are not alone."
The window then cracked in Izuku's room before it broke. At the same time, a shooting star shot out of Izuku's hand as she sat up, panting. The shooting star hit the window and then exploded once it was outside. Izuku was panting as well, looking at his glowing hand. Both of them had so many questions on their mind...
'What the...hell was that?' Izuka ran a shaking hand through her hair, her eyes still wide while trying to catch her breath. This was due to the fact that...she had the same dream as Izuku just now, because she was that light that was with him the whole time during the whole event.
'What did he mean by hope...?'
A loud knock was heard on her door, alarming her. She got up and walked over, opening it to see a panting Katsuki. "What the hell happened?" He demanded as he stormed inside, to her bewilderment. The boy saw the broken window, seeing the explosion she caused. He then turned around to Izuka, who rubbed the back of her neck silently.
Izuku was panting as he ran on the trail near the school. The dream he had was still fresh in his mind.
After that dream...I couldn't go back to sleep.
And I had a very concerned Katsuki that insisted on staying with me the rest of the night.
Yuga peeked into Izuku's room, as he was next door and he heard the crash. "Midoriya. What was that sound? Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, nothing to see here!" Izuku called out, though Yuga could briefly see the broken window and some of the knocked over objects. He didn't want to freak anyone out over what just happened. "Everything is, uh, fine! I promise!"
Yuga then pointed down at him in disapproval. "Mon dieu, why such a ruckus? Perhaps you haven't had enough cheese."
Izuku bowed his head apologetically. "That's probably it...Sorry for waking you up!" He then flinched and looked down at his hand as it was back to normal.
Even though it was a dream...I remember it vividly.
He was sweating bullets as the dream kept replaying in his head.
The moment our hands touched...it was over.
I still remember everything myself, even if I wasn't physically present for the whole thing. Katsuki was sleeping on the floor just in case something else happened. All she could think about was the dream she had. Thankfully, she didn't have to say much to Katsuki, he just comforted her. She kept staring up ahead at the wall in silence.
In that last instant...I saw the predecessors reaching out to me, with that sentient light there.
I was trying to get closer to stop All for One, like how I did in Kamino...but I couldn't. I don't know why I was with them.
Izuku slowly came to a stop, standing there. He turned back around as the sun was rising in the distance, wondering why he had the dream...but it was clear that it wasn't to be ignored either.
"You both saw the memories of the original?" Toshinori asked the twins in shock during lunch time. Katsuki and Izuka had walked to class together, and she stayed silent about the dream until now. He would've stayed with her, but she told him that she had to do something, which was tell Toshinori and Izuku everything. She figured that they didn't want him knowing just yet.
"I did," Izuku frowned a little, dressed in his school uniform. "It was scary. Mostly because All for One was a part of the dream too." He could remember All for One's appearance so clearly.
"It's still so crazy to me that I even managed to see it this time," Izuka hugged herself, shivering. "Last time, it wasn't as clear..."
"You've seen them, right? When you were younger?" Izuku wondered as they had sandwiches and milk in front of them. "You saw the spirits of those who wielded our Quirk?"
"Yeah..." Toshinori confirmed to the two. "I saw them. I learned from my master—my predecessor, that is—about the existence of vestiges. That's why I even know how the power functions. I witnessed its history."
"The memory stopped after the first wielder was given the Quirk," Izuku frowned a little. "Then he spoke to me. About how I'm only using 20 percent, and how Izuka is the hope. And something he called the singularity. He was looking right at me."
Toshinori flinched in alarm as he looked up.
"His voice was fading away for me when he was saying that. But I don't know what it means or why I had the same dream when I don't have the Quirk still. I'm honestly still trying to wrap my head around it," Izuka glanced at her brother.
"When we first saw them during the Sports Festival..." Izuku looked at his hand. "You said they were like ghosts that didn't have intentions. But I think they wanted something from us."
"If that's true, then it must be why I was able to see them this time, and why I was able to be there as a different form," Izuka tapped her foot in thought.
Toshinori rubbed his chin, processing what they just told them. He spoke with the first wielder. And she was able to see them clearly...yet she was only able to interact with her brother and not the first wielder himself. He then looked back up. "I didn't experience it like either of you did. And you know everything my master told me. Based on what I know, this phenomenon has only happened to you two."
They both looked at him wide-eyed.
"Nah, what you saw wasn't a dream," Nana informed as she jumped up into the sky. "It was the vestiges," She gave a small smile as she and All Might were patrolling together. He had just told her what he dreamed about.
"But Master, what does that mean?" He wondered in confusion as he still didn't understand. "Do you know?"
"One for All has had many users," She answered while they were both in the air, their capes flowing behind them. "And now they're stored within it. They each had their own goals in life. Heroes that they wanted to become." She landed on a roof and then jumped again. "Feelings are what fuel power, Toshinori. That's just the way the world works," She gave a big grin while flying. He then landed as he watched her. "The emotions of those who cultivated One for All are woven into the ability itself." She landed once again, the sun's rays in the distance. "At least, what's what I think."
"Sounds like something out of the occult," He remarked as he looked up at her.
"More like hopeful thinking." Toshinori looked up while she turned back with a smile. "If the battle for justice leads to my death...maybe we'll meet each other again inside of One for All. Like I said, hopeful."
"All Might," Izuku called out to him as he was still thinking. That was the only conversation he had with Nana Shimura about the whole thing... "You still with us?"
"Hello?" Izuka waved a hand to get his attention, leaning in curiously. Toshinori then spit out blood and Izuka screeched as she flew backwards, landing on the floor. Izuku yelped at their mentor and then looked down at his sister.
"Are you okay?!" He shouted down at the girl, helping her up.
"I'm fine..." She rubbed the side of her head as she sat back down.
"Sorry about that," Toshinori coughed to recollect himself.
"You got it all over..." Izuka frowned a little at her slightly bloody uniform, trying to scrub it off. She turned away so that it wasn't distracting.
"So, you accidentally powered up, she attacked all of a sudden, and that woke you both up. Were either of you hurt?" Toshinori wondered to the twins.
"No, we're good," Izuku told the man, to his relief. "Kacchan managed to calm Izuka down and he-" Izuka flinched as she blushed, her hair standing on end. She then stomped Izuku's foot a little and he winced in pain, holding his foot. "Ah, never mind!" He was shaking to try and soothe the pain while she grunted in a bit of annoyance.
"I'm happy to hear that," Toshinori stared at Izuka a bit curiously for her reaction but decided to drop it. "I do have a theory on why Mido's been seeing them. I'm highly sure that because of your strong bond that she's been able to at least sense them."
"Really?" Izuku blinked curiously as Izuka turned back to look at him, intrigued.
"The first instance at the Sports Festival, she couldn't see them clearly. All she had to go on was her support for you, which the predecessors picked up on. But back then, neither of you had any real control of your abilities that you had then. So for Mido, she was able to see them, but it was too much and it overwhelmed her. That's why I believe that she fainted," Toshinori explained to them, to their shock as they kept listening. "But now with this dream, she's able to become an entity within them, but only long enough to see what her mind thought was important. Perhaps her role is similar to mine, that she can be there through an almost complete spirit. Maybe as time goes on, it'll keep advancing to the point where she's the same as you inside the memories."
"Oh whoa, that actually makes sense," Izuku rubbed his chin after hearing him out.
"Maybe that's what the first wielder meant by hope...that I'm in a different role than them because of Izuku?" She tilted her head in confusion. "Did your master mention Galaxy to you at all?"
"Sadly, no," He shook his head as he couldn't remember her bringing it up. "Maybe a past wielder had the knowledge. I wish I had more answers, but right now, the only thing I can say is that I don't know much more on what happened to either of you last night," Toshinori looked a little worried now that she was getting involved indirectly. "And what about this singularity?"
"There's a rumor about something like that. The Quirk singularity doomsday theory or whatever?" Izuku pointed out as it had been going around for a little while. "Quirks mix and evolve as they're passed down through generations. Kids end up a combination of their parents. The theory goes that this will lead to stronger, more complex powers someday. Extraordinary abilities that nobody will be able to control. Which...makes some sense." They would know, because Shoto was a possible result of the theory himself.
"I remember that creepy guy from Shiketsu I fought during the provisional licensing exam brought it up," Izuka murmured as he had said something similar when he visited her provisional license class. "Although to be honest, I was too angry with him to really pay attention..."
"It's still unclear if you were the cause of this event or if something external was at play. Do you two remember anything else?" Toshinori questioned his students. "The smallest detail could be helpful."
"Uh, let me think...there were two figures I couldn't make out besides Izuka. Oh, and you were kind of a glow-y blur. Maybe it's cause you're still relatively new? And alive? You think that's how it works? If so, it does explain why Izuka's body wasn't formed like mine was..." Izuku frowned deeply in thought; it was all still so confusing, and they didn't have much to go on. And for Izuka, they were just speculating at this point...
"I couldn't tell who they were either," Izuka shook her head slowly. "Not even the first time helped much in that regard either..."
"Sorry, kid. But your guess is as good as mine in this. What's important is that you remember One for All is your ally. It might as well be Mido's too. We'll keep investigating this together."
"Mhm," Izuka nodded a little, rubbing the back of her neck. "Although, Katsuki's gonna keep asking questions if we don't clue him in on this soon..."
"Right. We'll sit him down at one point to clue him in on everything. I'm sure he's very worried about you," Toshinori agreed with the girl.
"Right," Izuku nodded sharply at him while his sister blushed in embarrassment from how Katsuki was concerned about her well-being. "So we just do our best. Oh! One more thing," Izuku's eyes shined a little. "It's about your old master."
"You know, she reminds me of my predecessor," Toshinori stated while looking towards the Midoriya apartment, alarming the both of them.
"She does? Wait, how so?" Izuku asked him curiously. Izuka clamped her mouth shut, since she knew of Nana from All for One.
Toshinori pointed to the side of his head. "It's the hairstyle."
"O-Oh, sure," Izuku rubbed the back of his head, earning a giggle from Izuka.
Izuku gave a big smile. "She was so beautiful!" He gushed at his mentor.
"I know!" Toshinori agreed, Izuka staring at the two in bewilderment.
"Okay?" She smiled a bit awkwardly from their gushing.
"It's so great that Izuka has the same hairstyle as her!" Izuku grinned, hugging his sister's arm.
"Little brother...ugh," She groaned in a bit of embarrassment.
"You've got practical training this afternoon," Toshinori reminded the duo. "Better go or you'll both be late."
"Good call!"
"If I'm late, I'll just worry people again..." Izuka chuckled anxiously; several people came to mind immediately if she didn't show like a certain blond hothead...
"I'll be watching today too," Toshinori revealed as Mr. Aizawa opened up the door. He looked down the hall as the man was escorting the two students. "It sounds like a riot."
"In a good way, or...?" Izuku chuckled up at him.
"Of course," Mr. Aizawa remarked, getting their attention. "You three. You look like you're thick as thieves, per usual."
"Oh, Aizawa!" Toshinori started to panic, as this could come across as giving the twins special treatment. "It's nothing! No special treatment or funny business."
"It's not like I caught you doing something inappropriate," Mr. Aizawa gave them a blank look at him freaking out over simply seeing him talk to the students. "Calm down."
Toshinori looked thoroughly disappointed at the assumptions as it made him sound like a creep... "You didn't have to put it that way..."
Doesn't Mr. Aizawa know at this point All Might wouldn't do something like that...? Izuka gave a sheepish expression.
Suddenly, a familiar face showed up behind Mr. Aizawa: Hitoshi Shinso. "Hey! Shinso!" Izuku smiled upon seeing him, waving. "Were you hanging out with Mr. Aizawa? I hope you're learning a lot from him!"
"Nice to see you again, Shinso-San," Izuka greeted with a small smile and wave. "You must be getting much stronger with him, huh?"
"Oh, I am," He rubbed the back of his neck upon seeing the twins again. He hadn't interacted with them in particular ever since the Sports Festival. So seeing them outside of that was a bit weird since he declared war on the entire class. Plus, he did see Katsuki punch Neito, so he had to be careful around the girl... That guy was an ass back then, but I know better.
Mr. Aizawa gave his two students a death glare. He didn't want them prying about him and Hitoshi's mentor-student relationship, because he knew that they'd ask a lot of questions. "Midoriya and Mido, you two should start warming up. It's going to be a busy day."
"Yes, sir!" Both of them yelped from his scary look.
Class 1-A was back at Field Gamma again for this particular lesson. "I can't believe we're already back at it!" Toru giggled in excitement, shuffling around. "Aren't you excited?"
Tsuyu, Kyoka, Ochaco, Mezo, and Minoru all stared at her. "Don't you get cold like that, Hagakure?" Kyoka gave an amused smile.
"Ha ha, yeah, I'm freezing!" She revealed to her classmate.
"But ya got guts," Kyoka complimented the invisible girl, as she would never be acting like that.
"Clock my winter outfit!" Mina grinned while striking a pose. Her vest was now a jacket as it had sleeves. "Isn't it, like, super cute?"
"It's lovely!" Momo complimented her, wearing a cape over her outfit.
"I didn't realize that the temperature had dropped so much," Mashirao smiled a little. He had a long black sleeved shirt under his gi, fur with both sides to surround his collar, and black gloves.
"Everyone's costumes have changed since we started school, haven't they?" Tenya smiled a little, though his costume had went unchanged for winter, along with most of Class 1-A's. "They've adapted just as we have!"
"You're a champ," Rikido grinned while adjusting his collar. "I'm surprised you lasted through the summer in all that gear."
Izuku heard footsteps, turning to the side as Katsuki had a winter hero costume too. Denki and Eijiro surrounded him, but their costumes weren't changed. "Kacchan's is different too!"
"Huh? If you've got something to say, then say it to my face, nerd!" He retorted back to Izuku. "While I'm blasting yours!"
"How does it work?" Izuku smiled eagerly at Katsuki, as he wanted to know all the details of it. "Do the gauntlets come equipped with a heat generator? Since your sweat glands are used as weapons, it's a really smart modification to combat the cold, I'm impressed!"
"Stop praising my suit!" Katsuki yelled towards him in annoyance.
"Oh, he's just being my brother," Izuka spoke up as she stepped up from behind. Izuku gasped happily upon seeing her because she also had a winter outfit. Izuka's hair was tied up into a big right-side ponytail, with a scrunchie that had a star clip in it. There were white strings poking out of it to make it look like a shooting star. She had a cuffed periwinkle parka that covered her body down to her stomach, with coat tails hanging from her skirt. Her sleeves were also much longer, stopping at her wrists. The skirt was longer as well, stopping a few feet above her boots. White trim was over her wrists and boots to keep them warm. The design was still overall the same. The colors where the gradient was were different because of the extra fabric.
"Yours looks so pretty!" Izuku ran up to his sister, examining her. "How does yours work?" He took her hand to examine her gloves. "Did you ask Hatsume for some winter gear? Do the clothes burn up or are they still through the gloves? Since you use your body for your Quirk, I'm sure you have precautions for your fire moves and the sleeves must be made out of the same material as the gloves, just painted over!"
She rolled her eyes to the back of her head in amusement. "Although he still needs to learn the simple action of personal space!" Izuka remarked as she placed her hands on her hips and he blushed in embarrassment, backing away.
"Sorry!"
"Yours may have changed the most out of everyone's, Midoriya and Mido," Mashirao pointed out with a small smile. "How much new stuff do you have on?"
"I had to upgrade because I learned some new moves," Izuku smiled towards him, as did Izuka. "The gloves are definitely gonna come in handy. Actually, these are the 2.0 versions." Ochaco looked on towards the twins with a smile of her own, impressed with how much they had improved ever since the first semester. "Hatsume made adjustments to the original design that made them even stronger!"
"She's incredibly talented!" Mashirao pointed out, remembering that she made the weights for the teachers during the practical.
And then Ochaco remembered the last time she saw Mei, her breasts had landed on Izuku's body...her face turned red and she punched at her helmet a little. "Bad thoughts!"
"What are you doing?!" Mashirao screeched since he didn't know the context.
"I'm sure she's fine," Izuka chuckled awkwardly while walking up to her best friend. "Ochaco, calm down, I was there aside from one time and nothing happened..."
Ochaco took a deep breath to soothe herself, though she was internally grateful Izuka was helping her. She snapped out of it to look at the girl's winter costume. "I love the adjustments you made to your costume! Definitely suits the cold!"
"Aw, thanks!" She smiled up at Ochaco, doing a small twirl. "Momo helped out with the design, it feels so snug."
"It looks adorable!" Momo smiled happily as she walked over. "I'm so happy you like it! And your hair looks great as well."
"My idea," Ochaco grinned while holding up a hand.
As Izuka was talking to her best friends, Katsuki stared from his spot...and then he was pissed as Denki and Minoru were both drooling at how Izuka looked. He walked up to the two from behind.
"So cute..." Denki murmured happily towards her.
"Yeah...I wonder if she'll let us keep that once winter is-"
The two boys yelped as Katsuki hit them both hard in the head with his fists, causing them both to fall down. Izuka looked over her shoulder at the boys, looking just a little suspicious at Katsuki, who huffed in annoyance.
"What the hell are you looking at?" He grunted a bit, the three girls sweating awkwardly.
"Why would he do that...?" Momo murmured knowingly of what just happened.
"For old times sake, I guess...?" Izuka laughed anxiously at the deja vu feeling, since it had been a while that Katsuki did something like that just because it was her...
"Look who we have here," A familiar voice spoke up, getting their attention as they looked up. "Relaxed and full of yourselves, as always. Obviously, you underestimate us." They kept looking ahead as dust was rolling in, as well as a tumble weed.
"There you are!" Eijiro grinned, punching his fists together. "We've been lookin' forward to this!"
"Ha!" A whole crowd was walking towards the class in the distance. "Is that so? I'm not sure why. There's no way you stand a chance against us in this exercise," Neito was grinning while surrounded by his own class, all of them in their hero costumes. "Come on, Class A! Let's see who's best once and for all!"
Hero course, Class 1-B: Yosetsu Awase. Sen Kaibara. Togaru Kamakiri. Shihai Kuroiro. Itsuka Kendo. Yui Kodai. Kinoko Komori. Ibara Shiozaki. Jurota Shishida. Nirengeki Shoda. Pony Tsunotori. Kosei Tsuburaba. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. Setsuna Tokage. Manga Fukidashi. Juzo Honenuki. Kojiro Bondo. Neito Monoma. Reiko Yanagi. Hiryu Rin.
Neito had a crazed look while holding a piece of paper. "You might wanna take a closer look at this survey. I took it at the festival and it's enlightening! I asked what was better: Class A's pathetic attempt at being rock stars, or Class B's obviously superior play! Aw, what's this?" The survey showed that Class B won. "We won by two votes? You guys have been hogging the spotlight ever since we started school, but your standing around campus is trash! Just like the Midoriya girl's singing!"
Kyoka, Eijiro, and Hanta surrounded the paper. "What did you say?! I'll kick your ass right now!" Katsuki shouted, only to be held back by the twins. Neito just kept laughing for their 'win'.
"Kacchan, you can't!"
"You might face expulsion if you keep this up," Izuka grunted in a little annoyance. Honestly, she could care less about Neito's comments at this point. Plus, it was just a school festival, not an actual competition.
"Seriously?" Eijiro was a little worried now. "Did we somehow blow it at the festival, you think?"
"Now, finally! It's Class A versus Class B!" Neito announced while still in his crazy tirade. "Our first joint combat training! You're finish-"
Before Itsuka could stop him as she usually did, Mr. Aizawa did it for her by grabbing Neito's neck with his scarf. "That's enough..."
"Strangle hold!" Yosetsu looked at his classmate wide-eyed.
"Thank goodness," Izuka sighed in relief at this.
"Get off me!" Katsuki shouted while wiggling himself out of the hold.
"Today, there will be a special participant," Vlad King approached all of them.
"Please try not to embarrass yourselves if at all possible," Mr. Aizawa warned everyone.
"Who's going to be joining us?" Momo blinked curiously while Katsuki looked battle-hungry.
"I'll murder 'em!" He declared, earning a sigh from Izuka as she pinched her nose.
"Is it a babe?" Denki grinned, hoping to flirt a little.
"We'll do our best, whoever it is!" Tetsutetsu and Eijiro stated in unison while grinning.
"This person is interested in switching to the Hero track," Mr. Aizawa informed as the special guest was arriving. He came to a stop, earning sharp gasps from the twins and Mashirao. It was Hitoshi Shinso, as he was wearing his gym uniform. His hero uniform hadn't been finalized yet, but he was wearing a scarf similar to Mr. Aizawa's, and he also had a device underneath it. However, it was still visible. "From General Studies Class C, Hitoshi Shinso."
"Oh ho-ho!" Both Izuku and Mashirao exclaimed towards him.
"Shinso-San is joining us?" Izuka's eyes widened at the student.
"Uh!" Katsuki flinched as he glanced at her, wondering why she asked. I thought he was an extra I didn't have to worry about...but now she's that surprised to see him? Did something happen with them before class? That bastard better stay away... He gritted his teeth in jealousy.
"Shinso will be joining in on your training," Mr. Aizawa told both classes. "He's hoping to be one of you, so treat him as you would any classmate."
"He mentioned that before the Sports Festival!" Izuku smiled while Mashirao pointed at Hitoshi in disbelief.
"Uhh," Manga got a closer look at Hitoshi's uniform. "Is that one of Mr. Aizawa's capture scarves?"
"The mask looks special too!" Kinoko pointed out his gear.
"Welcome to the fight!" Tetsutetsu shouted eagerly to him.
"You'll be brainwashed if you talk to him, mes amis," Yuga warned his class, since all of them saw what happened to Izuku in the Sports Festival.
"A powerful Quirk..." Mashirao murmured as he remembered being under the brainwashing too during the Cavalry Battle.
"Wait one sec," Minoru interjected, looking up at his classmates. "Midoriya got brainwashed once, but he snapped out of it." He was referring to when Izuku technically did get himself out of it, but that was because of One for All at work...sort of.
"Yeah, that was honestly kind of an accident, though," Izuku admitted to him.
"Let's not get into that," Izuka laughed while rubbing the back of her neck. Katsuki stared at her in silence, wondering if she or Izuku now knew something about that.
Izuku turned away in thought, rubbing his chin. Come to think of it, the first time I saw the vestiges of One for All was when I was under Shinso's control. Same with Izuka, even though she wasn't brainwashed by him. Was the timing coincidental...or was there a reason?
Mr. Aizawa turned to Hitoshi. "Well Shinso, why don't you say a few words?"
"Oh!" One of his middle school classmates gasped a little. "Your Quirk is brainwashing? That's so cool! Imagine all the cool stuff you could do controlling people."
"Yeah, you can do any bad thing you want," Another one implied, steam coming out of his nostrils in excitement.
"And no one would ever know it was you," A female student smiled, looking away. "Just promise you won't make us your slaves, okay?"
"Heh," Hitoshi smiled a little, putting a hand on the back of his neck. "Everyone says that..."
He stayed silently before finally speaking up. "I'm Hitoshi Shinso. I already faced some of you as opponents during the Sports Festival. But we're not friends just because we've fought before," He then looked up at the two classes, seeing all of them as rivals towards getting into the hero course. "I don't subscribe to that sort of sportsmanship. We're still competing to be the best. And I'm already countless steps behind." Izuku's eyes glistened a little, remembering what Hitoshi said during their match...about how Izuku seemed to have it so easy compared to him. "I need to prove myself."
"But someone as blessed as you wouldn't understand that! You're lucky enough to have a heroic Quirk!" Hitoshi screamed at him, now looking a bit angry. "It'll be so easy for you to reach your goal!"
"One day, I will become a proper hero," Hitoshi declared to every single student. "Then I can use my powers to help citizens in need. All of you are hurdles I must overcome." Izuku specifically was in his eyesight as the boy looked up in shock. "I'm not here in search of friends." Izuku gave him a proud smile for being so focused on his goals that he didn't want room for anything else. "Thanks for having me."
Some of them started clapping for his words. "Whoa," Ochaco looked a little impressed. "He's so serious."
"Be on guard," Fumikage warned all of his classmates.
"He's taken intensity lessons from you, Roki," Hanta glanced over to Shoto.
"Wait, you think so?" Shoto stared at him, since he didn't think he was that intense...
"Oh, yeah," Hanta nodded at his classmate.
"He's definitely more intense than you," Izuka patted Shoto on the back to try and comfort him.
"I like this guy," Neito grinned, rubbing his chin.
"Shouldn't we be getting on with this, Vlad?" Mr. Aizawa sounded a little bored while glancing over to his coworker.
"Time for combat training!" Vlad King announced to the two groups. "This will be a battle between Class A and Class B here, in one corner of Field Gamma! You will be grouped in teams of four. Each competing one at a time."
"That sounds like fun," Setsuna smiled towards Kinoko. "Hope it's a good mix."
"Me too!" Kinoko gushed up at her.
"With Shinso, that makes 42 competitors," Jurota pointed out to the teachers. "So won't it be impossible to divide the teams equally?"
"Which is why he'll be participating in two matches," Vlad King held up two fingers. "One time with us, and one time with Class A. And to make things fair, we're also having a student from Class 1-A go through the same process. And that student...is Izuka Midoriya!"
She flinched at her name being called and then sighed heavily, putting a hand over her face. "I always get picked for these kind of things..." She muttered in disbelief. Am I just cursed or what? I feel like a guinea pig She thought as Izuku, Momo, and Ochaco gave her sheepish expressions, as they should've expected this if they were gonna have Hitoshi fight twice.
"So in other words, 4 of the five matches will be five-against-four. Prepare yourselves," Vlad King informed the students.
"That's super unfair for the smaller team!" Toru pointed out to the teacher.
"It's probably more of a disadvantage to have the inexperienced Shinso on your side. The larger teams will have the advantage in numbers, but also a handicap," Vlad King told the invisible girl.
"Yeah, but...wouldn't that give Izuka an advantage over one of our teams for Class B?" Izuku raised a hand curiously, the girl turning to her brother. "Since she knows how our Quirks work to counteract them?"
Neito flinched in realization and then burst into laughter. "That's right! Even though the plot demands it, this means a team from our superior class will crush yours thanks to the knowledge of—"
"Are you done?" Izuka spoke up, annoyed. Neito froze from her blunt tone as she crossed her arms. "I know better than to say anything that would benefit whatever team I'm on. Besides, in that regard, I'm not the only person who knows how the Quirks work in my class because of the Sports Festival. So it's not really much of a benefit when you think about it. Not like I'd get away with it anyway, nor would I consider it just to inflate your ego."
"Correct. In your case, it's just a hypothetical team up like with Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Edgeshot," Mr. Aizawa turned to her. "How well you can communicate with others is something you'll come across as a pro hero. But if she tells anyone or Class B and Shinso asks her about Class A's Quirks in any capacity, that student's current grade for the semester will be brought down. So while she may have her powerful Quirk as an advantage, she won't be able to benefit in terms of strategy for the Class B team."
An entire semester grade is on the line if one of us is stupid enough?! Most of the Class B students thought in unison.
We don't even have to guess the only person who would risk doing that Most of the Class A students glanced towards Neito, who was laughing manically.
"I see. So it's mainly a matter of teamwork with Class B to see how they can cooperate with one of our own!" Tenya then turned to Izuka. "Mido! Do your best, we'll all support you as you—"
"Thank you, Ida, but I think I can handle it," She gave a weary smile. Okay, now I get why they felt the need to do the same method with one of us. But they couldn't have picked out a name from a box or something so that it's not me for a change? I feel like I'm always getting chosen for this kind of stuff.
"Listen closely to the scenario," Vlad King glared at his student, daring him to try risking his grade. "You're all hero agencies trying to capture a villainous organization. You should consider your opponents to be evil criminals! You'll win if you capture four competitors."
"They do say villains are organizing more these days," Kinoko remarked with a small smile.
"Keepin' it nice and simple," Tetsutetsu punched his fists together.
"Aw!" Tenya held his head in dismay. "We're heroes, but we're villains to the opposing team? I've lost this sort of roleplay before!"
"This does go against your nature," Momo rubbed her chin in thought.
Wasn't he the MVP during our first combat class though because of how well he played a villain? Izuka closed her eyes sheepishly.
"In your team's base camp, you'll find an adorably decorated prison," Vlad King explained to the two classes. "Once you put your enemies behind bars, that will count as a capture."
"Who designed that thing?" Denki asked in disbelief, as it was designed in pink, and with Principal Nezu's face over it...
"It would be most efficient to try and disarm our opponents and capture them near their own bases," Jurota murmured in thought. "But I doubt it will be that easy when we get down to it." He knew that this would be the case since his class had heard their rivals at work multiple times.
"So we gotta capture four losers. Is that what you meant when you said disadvantage?" Katsuki narrowed his eyes a little.
"Huh?" Denki blinked in confusion.
"Well...your team might not be used to fighting together, and if four people on one of the five-person teams are captured, that will be considered a loss," Mr. Aizawa answered his student, who was not pleased by the explanation.
"You're making us haul around excess baggage? That's some bullcrap!"
"Hey now, don't be mean about it!" Denki's eyes widened at him. "Plus, Mido's being one of them too."
"It's fine. He makes a fair point," Hitoshi didn't seem to disagree with Katsuki.
"Aw, your understanding just makes us look like a bunch of jerks!" Denki whined towards him. "You don't feel that way, Mido?"
"I'm sure that Shinso-San and I can prove we're not excess baggage to our teams," She shrugged it off, Katsuki staring at her that she didn't take it personally. The old Izuka would've, so he wondered what she would do to prove it this time around...
"Now," Mr. Aizawa held up a lot box that had his classmates' names in there.
"Draw your lots," Vlad King had his own box for his own class.
And so, the first battle would be between Tsuyu, Koji, Denki, and Eijiro vs Ibara, Jurota, Hiryu, and Kosei. The second was Yuga, Momo, Toru, and Fumikage against Kinoko, Itsuka, Shihai, and Manga. The third consisted of Tenya, Mezo, Shoto, and Mashirao to fight against Tetsutetsu, Pony, Juno, and Sen. The fourth match was Katsuki, Kyoka, Hanta, and Rikido up against Togaru, Setsuna, Yosetsu, and Kojiro. And finally, the last match was Izuku, Ochaco, Mina, and Minoru to fight Neito, Yui, Nirengeki, and Reiko.
Mr. Aizawa and Vlad King held out the lot boxes to Izuka and Hitoshi. "Your turn, Shinso and Mido. You'll both join one team from each class," The latter explained to the two students.
"There's only one number per team in each Class box so that you two don't fight on the same team or against each other. We prefer you to be separated from the 4 of the 5-person teams you'll be making up. So if you end up picking the same number, you'll draw again," Mr. Aizawa said, the two students glancing at each other.
"Ha!" Katsuki laughed, to everyone's shock as they turned around to him. Once he realized their looks, he covered his mouth while turning away. "S-Stop looking at me like that!"
The heck was that about...? Izuka thought while blinking at him in bewilderment.
Izuku stared at his childhood friend curiously as well and then looked away sheepishly. Oh, I think I get it. He was just glad that she wouldn't be facing Shinso at all during the matches or on the same team as him. Even though they made it that way...
"Ladies first," Hitoshi gestured to the boxes as he stepped away.
"Gee, thanks..." She sighed heavily and stepped forward. If anything, I don't wanna fight my brother or one of my best friends. She dug her hands in and revealed that for Class A, she was in team four. For Class B, she was on team 2. The girl blinked as she looked up, Momo staring at her in disbelief. That means I'll be fighting against Momo's team first and then with Katsuki's later...
Momo was more of a surprise than Katsuki since that meant she had to fight against one of her best friends…and for real this time compared to the Sports Festival. Ochaco she would've had to fight if the brunette had won against Katsuki, which didn't happen.
"Let's work together, Mido!" Itsuka pumped a fist as she stood in front of them.
"We'll win if we all coordinate," Kinoko smiled a little, nodding in agreement.
"Yeah!" Manga gave her a thumbs up.
"I'll do my best with you guys!" Izuka pumped her fists eagerly.
"Alright!" Rikido grinned after Izuka spoke with them. "It's about time three of us are on a team with you!"
"You better not slow us down!" Katsuki screamed towards the girl.
"He doesn't mean that," Hanta waved a nervous hand.
"Don't worry, I'm used to this happening..." Izuka murmured towards Katsuki, since time and time again, she always got paired up with him for some reason.
Hitoshi dug into the lot boxes next, revealing that he would be both in the first and last matches.
"Let's have some fun out there, man!" Eijiro smiled at Hitoshi. "This is gonna be awesome! Get pumped!"
"Tell us more details about your Quirk," Tsuyu asked their fifth teammate curiously.
"I bet girls kinda dig that smirk," Denki eyed Hitoshi a bit smugly, confusing Eijiro. "You rake 'em in, huh?"
"Let's win," Hitoshi told his Class A team.
"You're a perfect addition!" Neito grinned at having another teammate to defeat Class 1-A. "Let's destroy the always-in-danger Class A and humiliate them!"
Nirengeki turned to Hitoshi nervously; since Itsuka wouldn't be able to keep Neito in check this time around, that meant one of them had to... "Take a lesson from us and tune him out as much as you can..."
"Lookin' forward to it," Hitoshi informed his Class B team.
"YEAH!" Neito shouted while getting into one of his crazy tirades again... "Let's annihilate these egomaniacs!"
"Class B, team five," Ochaco looked up at Izuku. "It'll be you and Shinso's first rematch since the Sports Festival, huh?"
"Mhm," He looked forward to it as he nodded with a small smile. I still have questions about the vestiges of One for All. But right now... He took out his notebook, flipping through the pages. "I can't wait to see how he fights! I wonder what new abilities he learned!"
"Where were you keeping that?" Ochaco couldn't help but wonder.
"He has his ways," Izuka smiled a little in amusement, looking towards Momo. So...it's really happening this time. We fought against each other in the Cavalry Battle, and her team won, but we weren't the frontrunners...
"This is about your match with Yaoyorozu, huh?" Izuku asked her knowingly, earning a heavy sigh.
"I don't even know how I'm gonna handle it, honestly. Momo's a good planner...so strategy is going to go either way with her," She murmured while rubbing her arm a bit nervously. "It hits much more differently now compared to the Sports Festival."
"Because the three of us have grown much closer since then..." Ochaco hummed knowingly and then hooked an arm around Izuka. "But don't worry! We'll all still be friends no matter what, right?"
"Yeah!" Izuku nodded at the girl, earning a smile.
"You're right. Thanks, you two."
Hitoshi then put on his mask, adjusting it. I finally reached it...My starting line.
"Teams will begin at your base camp," Vlad King announced as there was a screen in front of the other teams for them to watch the battles. "You'll have 20 minutes."
"If there's no decisive victory within the time limit, then whoever has the most people left will be the winners," Mr. Aizawa informed, and they had said this to the first teams as well before they had to prepare.
"Oh!" Mina smiled as she looked over her shoulder. Toshinori and Midnight were walking up the steps to join them. "All Might and Midnight are here together~! Is it a date?"
"Stop that," Midnight denied it immediately. "Older men aren't my thing. Which class would you put the odds on?"
"I couldn't really say," He remarked, knowing that one class seemed to be doing much better at first glance. "Class A has definitely gotten stronger after overcoming so many different crises. But the thing is...if you look at their grades, Class B has actually improved more than they have. It's probably because they were able to cover the curriculum since they didn't run into outside trouble. They've been getting better at a steady rate."
The only incident they were involved in was at camp, so Class B had more time to study up on their tests, and train since Class A usually got involved with something to cut into their training time. "Class A has turned disasters into strength, while Class B has taken a more traditional approach to their studies. This'll be good," He grinned a little in excitement.
"Fighters, take your marks!" Vlad King held a microphone to his mouth.
"You're really into this," Mr. Aizawa stared at him in a bit of disbelief; it was like he had another Present Mic with him...
"And...start!" The buzzer sounded for the first match to begin.
Tsuyu was camouflaged while crawling onto a wall, scoping for anyone from Class B. "We have a pretty good idea of the other team's different abilities, but let's try to stick close together," She told the other four. "There's safety in numbers, after all."
Hitoshi stepped up, noting her ability that he hadn't seen before. "Asui's Camouflage. If you know where to look, you can still see her," He murmured to himself.
"Heard, but don't you think I could just separate from you guys and let off a million volts or something?" Denki wondered as they were scoping the area.
"Yeah, but what if they knock you out with a sneak attack?" Eijiro pointed out to his friend. "No backup."
"That is true," Denki murmured as he stepped forward, on his guard. "And Shiozaki'll be tough to nab." He remembered his own match with her in the Sports Festival, where he didn't even last a minute thanks to her strong control of her Quirk. "Her Quirk's amazing...she kicked my butt. I'll stick with you," He looked down in a bit of embarrassment. If he did end up going alone, there was no way he'd be able to defeat her...
"I'd like to take out the most troublesome Quirk first," Hitoshi spoke as he looked up.
"My dude, Shinso, you get it," Denki grinned towards the purple-haired boy.
"It's the obvious plan." The blond looked back with a small gasp, a bit unnerved...
"If we're hoping to do something about Ibara first...then they're probably thinking the same thing about Kaminari and his dangerous attacks," Tsuyu stated, causing him to stare at her as he didn't realize their opponents would probably have the same plan... "Also, even though he has less experience, they'll wanna avoid Shinso's Quirk."
"I'm counting on you guys to keep me safe!" Denki exclaimed hopefully, clenching his fists.
"Maybe we can set things up so Kaminari and Shinso get to do their things," Eijiro grinned a little.
Koji looked up as two pigeons flew down to him. He held up his arm for them to land, listening to them coo. "Thank you, friends."
"So..." Eijiro ran up to him in anticipation. "Did they find her?"
"Shiozaki is to our left!" He reported to the rest of his team. "Alone! She's using her vines to feel out her surroundings as she heads this way."
"I hate to go after the girl all alone..." Eijiro felt a little bad to attack her when she had no backup. "But we gotta stop her, right?"
A crash suddenly occurred, all of them gasping as they looked up. Tsuyu looked back just as Jurota grabbed both her and Eijiro. Tsuyu's camouflage disappeared as well. "Meet my Roaring Rage!" He screamed and Eijiro rolled until he crashed into some pipes. Tsuyu was thrown to the side as she crashed as well.
"Ribbit!"
"Both of them!" Denki gritted his teeth a little. "That's not good!"
Jurota looked up with a big grin. "We knew you guys would send Koda to search for us. And we planned accordingly. Also that you would likely be most wary of Shiozaki's Quirk! Using her as a decoy, I crawled through the shadows to find you!" He stepped forward and Denki growled a little while backing away. "If we let your team prepare, then you might have been able to unleash a devastating shock attack, so we opted for a direct approach! I sniffed you out with my acute sense of smell!" He then laughed at their plan working out.
Jurota Shishida. Quirk: Beast. This feral mode drastically increases his strength, hearing, sight, and ability to sniff things out! It also causes him to go a little berserk, though.
Denki glanced back at both Hitoshi and Koji, knowing that their Quirks weren't attack-based, only his was...even if he did so, he would be hurting them in the process.
"You can't use much electricity with your friends around, can you?" Kosei revealed himself, grinning as he was actually on Jurota's back. "You don't wanna shock 'em!" Hitoshi narrowed his eyes at the two. Jurota then bent down his head while Kosei created an air attack. "I've trained my Quirk and got a new move! Air Prison!"
Koji was now trapped in a box made from air. "A solitary cell that won't allow any sound in!" Hitoshi turned the knob from his mask, some parts of it moving.
"Take 'em down, Shishida!" Kosei then gasped sharply as...he wasn't the one who actually said that.
"Consider this our win already!" Jurota bragged while preparing to attack.
"The monster's gonna murder me!" Denki shouted in fear and then...Jurota froze in place. He slowly put down his arms.
"Wait, did you get brainwashed?" Kosei questioned in disbelief towards his nonmoving classmate. "It sounded like...Shinso somehow talked with my voice." He was a little creeped out now, as not even the others noticed it.
Izuku gasped as they could hear and see everything. "Wait, what is that mask?"
"Is that how he did it...?" Izuka whispered curiously, annoying Katsuki a little.
"Vocal Modulator. Persona Cords!" Hitoshi glared as he adjusted his mask...because it allowed him to mimic voices.