Chapter 11: This Is Getting Out of Hand Part 2
Katsuki flexes his hand again, yeah, these gloves were good. He wouldn't expect anything less from UA. Here he was, the future number one hero being taught at the best hero school by the current number one hero. This shit was like destiny or something. It's almost perfect.
Almost.
There was just one wrinkle in his origin story. One, green-haired, annoying, stupidly persistent wrinkle. One that he finally had the chance to straighten out.
How Deku got in, he'll never know. But maybe that's why they got to battle so early? It let the strong send the weak home crying so only those who actually deserved to be here got to stay.
Yeah, there was no other explanation. It'd be what Deku deserves after that shit he pulled last year. Just disappearing like that after he said…what he said and not even bothering to tell him where he went?!
Who the fuck did he think he was?
Well, he's gonna let that nerd know exactly who he was today. A side character. No. Not even. He's one of those background characters that doesn't even move or blink.
Today was going to be a good day, he gets to finally end Deku's dream of ever thinking he could stand in the same ring as him! And as a bonus, he'll show the other extras who's top dog and impress All Might at the same time. That's right, he can fucking multitask.
"Oh man, I'm so pumped!"
Oh, right. He had to carry this extra to the win with him. Whatever. Might as well get used to it since he'll be doing the same thing when he goes pro.
What was Shitty-Hair's name again? Eh, fuck it. That'll be his name.
"So," Shitty-Hair starts while smiling way too brightly. "You got a game plan?"
Katsuki takes one look at the building's blueprints All Might gave him before throwing them away. "Yeah. I'm gonna go in, kick Deku's ass, and win."
"That's what I'm talking about!" His red-haired teammate says, hardening his arm and pumping it at the same time. "A full frontal assault, that's the manliest way to fight!"
"Whatever." Katsuki jabs his finger into the other boy's chest. "Just stay outta my way. Do what you want but no matter what, Deku. Is. Mine."
"No prob! You and Midoriya got some rivalry thing going, right?" Shitty-Hair punches his shoulder. Why did he let him do that? "I respect that. Gotta prove you're the best."
"I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO PROVE! I'M ALREADY THE BEST!"
"That's the spirit!"
God, his enthusiasm is exhausting. But not the worse thing in the world, so he'll let it slide…for now.
Their comms crackle to life. "Alright Heroes and Villains! Ready or not, we're about to begin!"
Fucking finally. 'I hope you had fun while you were here, Deku. 'Cuz this is the closest you'll ever come to being a hero.'
Deku is a pebble. He should be lucky Katsuki decided to grace him with his boot.
"5!"
He was the best, born to be a hero! Deku could never measure up to him!
"4!"
"Are you alright? Can you stand? It would've been bad if you hit your head."
"3!"
No! He was the hero goddammit!
"2!"
"You know, there is a way you could be a hero."
"1!"
Right?
"Go!"
Toshinori watches the cameras carefully with the rest of class 1A in the monitoring room. Young Bakugo and Kirishima charge into the building while Young Midoriya and Uraraka move furniture and supplies into the bomb room.
"Pay close attention, students. Take note of what your classmates are doing, figure out why, and then see how you can improve." That book is working like a charm.
"It would appear the hero team plans to fight head-on," Shoji comments.
"Wait, what's going on with Midoriya?" Ashido asks, pointing at the screen. Indeed, she was right. While the boy continued to help move things, his body was beginning to blur.
"What's he-"
Kaminari is interrupted when, in a flash of green light, a second Midoriya appears in the monitoring room with them, eliciting a few screams from some students and looks of confusion from others.
"Hi, there!" The new Midoriya greets, waving excitedly at everyone.
Toshinori joins those with confused looks. He knew the boy couldn't teleport, granted he didn't know much about how young Midoriya's quirk worked. But one look at the screen showed Midoriya, the real one, was still hard at work helping Uraraka.
"Young Midoriya, you sent a clone to the monitor room?" He knew the boy could make copies of himself at least. His perplexity to use them to scare unsuspecting victims was well known to those who knew him.
The verdant wags his finger at his teacher. "Not exactly. This is an astral projection. Unlike my clones, it lets me perceive the world around me. Now then…"
Gran Torino had taught him many lessons through their years together. If he was being honest, he thinks learning to take a punch was the biggest one. But another one was you could never be too old to learn something new.
And that lesson was never more apparent to him, than when young Midoriya proceeded to spin on his heel, cup his chin with his hand, and start studying the cameras.
Oh.
Oh.
This was what Aizawa had meant…
"Midoriya!" If he wasn't still trying to get over the fact that his student had a copy of himself that could study the monitors, All Might would have been impressed by Iida's reaction. "You cannot use the cameras to aid you! It's against the rules!"
"Is it, Iida?" Midoriya counters, not taking his eyes off the screens. "All Might told us we could use whatever resources our powers let us have, as long as it didn't cause excessive damage. He never said the cameras were off-limits. Oh! There they are!"
"It shouldn't have to be said!" Iida tries, his arm chopping at an incredible rate. "It is implied!"
Midoriya turns his head back to give his classmate a smug smile. Was it always this chilly in this room? "Are you gonna let 'implied' rules stop you from saving people?" Iida's mouth hangs open and Midoriya faces the screen again, raising his arms while each of his fingertips glows a dark green.
"Besides! I'm not just using these to find them!"
The tablet Toshinori had sitting on the podium next to him dings.
Rattator: Aizawa requests a meeting with you as soon as your class ends :)
Well, it would seem the world will have to learn how to function without the Symbol of Peace a lot sooner than he had suspected.
Katsuki and Shitty-Hair ran down the hall, sparing glances into each room as they barrel past. His teammate was probably looking for the bomb, but he wanted Deku, who was probably shitting himself in one of the rooms
"I can save you some time guys, I'm right here."
The explosion user whips his head around to see Deku waving at them down the hall. When the fuck did he get there? Whatever, doesn't matter.
"Hey, Midoriya!" Shitty-Hair waves back like a dumbass. "Man I'd love to fight you but Bakugo kinda called dibs so…"
"DIE!"
Tearing himself across the hall in moments, the blonde boy swings his right arm and creates an explosion right in Deku's smirking face. The idiot didn't even try to dodge.
"He's like a dog chasing a car, isn't he?"
"Hey! What the-" Katsuki turns to see the still smirking nerd standing next to Shitty-Hair who had jumped back in surprise. He recovers quickly though, throwing a hardened jab at the greenette's face, who dodged easily.
"What did I say, Shitty-Hair?!" Katsuki uses his explosions to launch himself at Deku again, only for him to disappear right before he could make him pay.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," The redhead says while Katsuki skids to a stop next to him. Deku reappears in front of them again. "Welp, I'll go find Uraraka and the bomb! Good luck on your rivalry, hope you win!"
"Of course, I'll win!"
Shitty-Hair flashes him a grin, showcasing his sharp teeth. "I love your confidence bro!"
"Stop being so fucking positive!"
His partner laughs and runs back and around the corner, letting him focus everything on Deku. "Nowhere to run now you sh-"
"Well, I guess it's just you and me now," Deku shrugs, interrupting him. "You gonna stand there all day, or do you wanna waste some more time by attacking me?"
Fuck. Him.
With a yell that was more animalistic than human, Katsuki launches himself at Deku again and again. Over and over. Each time just barely missing. And the whole time, the nerd just keeps laughing and running from him, fueling his rage more.
"I always knew you were full of shit!" Katsuki yells, his sweat being pretty much liquidized rage at this point. "You talked such a big game about fighting me in middle school, but now-"
"Kacchan, I'm over here!" Deku interrupts him again. Standing at the end of the hall. Why does he keep doing that?! It's like he can't fucking hear him! "Wow, what happened to beating all the villains?"
He can't run forever. Even Deku's weird fucking quirk, like all others, is physical. He's gonna reach his limit, and because he's nowhere near his own level, it'll be way before he does. And he'll be there when it happens.
Deku waves and rounds the corner. "Don't stop, Kacchan! You got so close last time!"
Finally, something he was more than happy to oblige with. Katsuki lunges around the corner, an explosion already ready to go, and a feral smile on his face because this time. This time it was gonna work. He could just feel it.
Time seems to slow down as Katsuki finally rounds the corner, thrusting his hand and explosion forward. His face falls at what he sees. It's Shitty-Hair, already in the process of throwing a punch. In between them, two Deku's watch them eagerly. It was a trap.
That was his last thought before a hardened fist impacts his chest, hard. At the same time, his explosion hits Shitty-Hair's face, who by the looks of it, hadn't been expecting him either and didn't have time to harden that part of his body.
There's a resounding boom as both boys are sent tumbling back by each other's attack. Katsuki rolls on the ground for a second before getting his bearings and landing back on his feet, clutching his chest. Damn, that hurt.
The two shitty nerds give each other high-fives. "I can't believe that worked!"
"I know right?!"
To put it simply, Izuku was having the time of his life. He twists his hands again, willing his decoys to dodge out of the way of the two boy's counterattacks.
He found a slight hiccup when he realized he couldn't hear what the boys were saying so he couldn't have his clones talk to them properly, but given Kaminari's hysterical laughter and Iida flying through a UA manual he apparently kept on him, even when in costume, it was worth it.
"You…you…made them!…attack each other oh my god!" Kaminari is able to wheeze out in between laughs.
"Assuming what Midoriya is doing right now is allowed, then it's possible he could keep them occupied the entire match," Yaoyorozu says while narrowing her eyes at the screen.
"Seems a bit underhanded to me…" Tail boy says concerned. "But if no one gets hurt and the villains are stopped then…"
"Technically I'm the villain right now!" Midoriya yells with a smile that doesn't seem to make him feel better. Huh, weird. "But I'm not gonna do this the whole match. If I did, then Uraraka wouldn't get to do anything! But we're about done anyway so time to lead them to the bomb room!"
"Isn't the point to keep them away from the bomb?" Asui, as he has learned, asks while placing a finger on her chin.
"This is getting out of hand," Shoji vocalizes through a separate mouth.
Sero shakes his head, trying to contain his own laughter. "Are you kidding? If Midoriya wants to make every class like this then I'm in"
Kaminari's blue eyes light up with excitement. "You got something else planned, don't you?!"
The blonde's laughter was contagious, causing Izuku to laugh along. Nearby, All Might curses his 'Teaching for Dummies' book for not telling him what to do in this situation.
"I know," Izuku laughs. He loves playing the villain so much. "I know the point is to keep them away from the bomb." The Prince of Mischief smirks. "But where's the fun in that?"
The door to the bomb room is blown off its hinges and Kacchan bursts through, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a rabid dog from the growling and the way his head whips around the room. The red eyes zone in on their target.
Izuku can barely hold his laugh. He had known Kacchan his whole life and as such, had more analysis on him than anyone. For example, when it came to Izuku, he had tunnel vision. Kacchan is smart, more than most give him credit for, but when it comes to the shitty Deku, all of that goes out the window and he becomes…exploitable.
The room, his partner, the furniture they have everywhere, or the three bombs sitting against the back wall don't matter. It's just him.
"You couldn't hide forever, Deku! Now die!" Kacchan blasts over, right arm ready to finally hit his target, only for 'Izuku' to grab the arm mid-swing. And that's when Kacchan realizes his mistake. He can tell by his widening eyes.
'Izuku' touches Kacchan with all five fingers and they all glow pink. One of the first things he's analyzed, Kacchan always leads with his right arm, and he has no problem sharing that info.
The illusion flickers and Izuku fades, revealing Uraraka, grinning triumphantly. "Expecting someone else?" Kacchan can't respond before Uraraka heaves him over her shoulder and into the wall.
"What the f-" Kacchan isn't able to finish his curse before a couch collides with his face. Fun fact, Uraraka's quirk doesn't take away mass. She found out today.
"DEKU!" Kacchan roars from halfway up the wall, his nose bleeding. "There you go again, running from the fight!"
Izuku, who had turned into Uraraka to help fool Kacchan, shrugs. "Well if you didn't make it so easy to fool you…" Izuku says sweetly in Uraraka's voice.
"What uh, what's going on here?" Both Urarakas turn to see Kirishima panting at the door. "That explosion must've been worse than I thought…I'm seeing double!"
The original Uraraka laughs, releasing her quirk on an unsuspecting Kacchan who fell to the floor with the gracefulness of a rock. "No, you're ok! I'm the original and she's a copy." The gravity girl lowers herself into a fighting stance. "Let's do this, Deku!"
Izuku shifts back into himself. "Ready!"
Uraraka runs at Kirishima who lowers himself and charges as well. "Just so you know, it wouldn't be manly of me to go easy on you!"
His teammate's response is to remove the gravity of two desks and smash them on either side of Kirishima, who hardens just in time. The red-haired boy shakes himself off. "Oh, this is gonna be awesome!"
Izuku could watch these two fight all day but…
"Deku."
He's got his own.
Izuku spins as Kacchan wipes his face and lets a few explosions go off in his hands. "You actually gonna fight me this time, or was all that shit-talking you did in middle school fake?" Kacchan's voice is oddly calm but laced with venom.
"I meant what I said, Kacchan." He matches the other boy's calm voice. "You'll get your fight. Did you mean everything you said in middle school?"
He…wasn't sure what he was expecting when he said that. But hearing about things said in middle school brought up feelings in him that he hoped were long buried and the retort just came out. To confuse him even more, was the small flinch he got in response.
Kacchan shakes his head. "Whatever. I want a real fight this time, Deku! And none of your stupid tricks or little knives, come at me!"
Izuku conjures two throwing knives in his hand. "Aww, but I like my knives. I mean, what can I say, Kacchan? I just can't seem to miss."
He whisks the knives at the other boy, only for them to be easily blown out of the way. "Guess there's a first time for everything, Deku."
He grins. "Made you look."
Kacchan can't do anything but scream when the real Izuku appears behind him, stabbing him through his right shoulder with his dagger. Barely resisting the urge to twist his weapon, Izuku roughly pulls the blade out of his opponent's shoulder and pushes the boy back.
"I promised myself I'd stab you after what you said to me," Izuku says with a lot more confidence than he feels, hiding his shaking hand behind his back.
His once friend places his left hand on his shoulder, wincing before taking it away and looking at the blood. Izuku braces himself for the yelling and screaming and probable threats that were to come, but none ever did.
Instead, his bully just inspects the wound. "You avoided the arteries," Kacchan says in an almost matter-of-fact kind of way but Izuku has known him long enough he can still hear the questioning tone.
"I said I wanted to stab you, not make you bleed out." Izuku crosses his arms but immediately unfolds them. He's not really sure what to do with them right now. "There were at least a dozen places I could've stabbed you that would've ended this but…" he conjures his second dagger. "I promised you a fight. And I keep my promises."
Kacchan's eyes move from him to his shoulder several times before finally settling back on him. "That's it…" Kacchan says it so quietly, Izuku's unsure if he was meant to hear it. "Fine. You want a fight!" He lowers himself, palms pointed behind him. "I'll give you a fucking fight!"
Izuku does his best impression of what he thinks a feral grin would be, lowering himself and flipping his daggers around to his preferred reverse grip hold.
For a second, nothing. Then Kacchan explodes toward him, faster than Izuku has ever seen him move. In a blink of an eye, Kacchan's left palm is in his face, ready to ignite. But Izuku has trained with someone a lot faster.
He rolls under the boy, throwing a knife at his airborne opponent when he sits up, but Kacchan uses an explosion to reorient himself, spinning in midair, kicking the knife as he does so.
Izuku has no time to get excited about the move because Kacchan is on him again. The magic-user dives back, avoiding another explosion aimed at his face. Now, upside down, Izuku places his hands on the ground to balance himself before bending his legs and kicking Kacchan in the chest with both of his feet.
The blonde tumbles back but recovers quickly. "You'll have to do better than that!" He tears at Izuku in another explosion but instead of dodging this time, the green-haired boy moves forward.
Kacchan isn't ready for the unexpected move and can't dodge Izuku's knee to his stomach. "How's that?!"
The explosion user wheezes but smirks. "Got you." Izuku realizes too late that Kacchan's left hand is on his back and the explosion sends him flying. His costume's protection works but it still hurts.
Izuku flips in the air and lands on his feet, standing back up, daggers raised. Kacchan was busy staring at his hand before looking back at him. "Holy shit that was actually you."
"I told you I'd give you a straight up fight." Izuku raises the daggers a bit higher. "But you should know I'm just waiting for Uraraka to tell me she's done, then I'll end this."
The red-eyed boy sneers. "So what?! You're saying you're going easy on me?!"
Izuku may be enjoying this a bit too much, but it's something he needs to hear. "Yeah, I am." Kacchan reels at the easy admission. "My grandfather always told me that I should never look for a fight, but always be prepared for one. But I think this time, I'll let myself look because Kacchan, I want to be the one to finally show you you're not the best!"
"You'll never be better than me, Deku!" Kacchan launches again, only for his explosion-infused fist to go through a decoy. Without a second thought, he whirls behind himself letting off a huge explosion. Kacchan sees Izuku fly out of the smoke, burns littering his body, hitting the wall hard and crumbling onto the ground.
"You really thought I'd fall for the same thing twice?" Kacchan leers, raising his palm.
Izuku barely gets his head up, chuckling. "Actually yes…it's just not the trick you were expecting."
The real Izuku turns visible, grabbing the blonde's wrist while the injured Izuku fades. Kacchan tries to yank his hand back but before he can, Izuku gashes his palm with a deep cut from his dagger.
"Fucking fuck!" Kacchan screams, backing up, cradling his injured left hand.
"Try making explosions now." He tries his best, he really does, but he can't keep the taunting tone out of his voice. He is his father's son after all.
"I still got my right hand you fuck! And that's more than I need!" Kacchan lets more explosions off in his uninjured hand to prove his point.
"Sorry, Kacchan. But it's not. Uraraka! We're ending this!" Izuku turns to his winded partner who's still facing down an equally tired Kirishima.
"Right, Deku!" She charges Kirishima and at first, the redhead is more than happy to meet her. That is, until Izuku waves his hand and Kirishima is facing down ten Urarakas charging him.
"W-wait! Which one do I dodge?!" He backs up and tries valiantly to dodge through the number of clones but it's too much and the real Uraraka touches him with all five of her fingers, floating him.
"Aw crap." Kirishima slouches in the air, not able to do anything and both Uraraka and Izuku turn to face down the injured Kacchan, who bends over and laughs.
"You think you've won?!" He screeches, lifting his left arm and putting a finger through the pin on his gauntlet. "Did you forget about these, you idiot?! I've built up enough sweat to blow you sky high, Deku!"
"You know I can dodge it, Kacchan! There's no point!" Izuku yells, knowing full well what was about to happen.
"Yeah, I know I couldn't hit you, nerd. But can you say the same about her?" Dread fills Izuku as the gauntlet moves, now pointing at Uraraka. "Since you're such a better hero than me, then save her!"
"Young Bakugo! Wait-"
"Take this!" Kacchan pulls the pin and squeezes the trigger. The blonde sees Izuku dive in front of Uraraka as they are both engulfed by a blast that rocks the entire building, blowing a huge hole in the opposite wall. "THAT'S RIGHT! I WIN SHITTY DEKU!"
"Piece of advice, Kacchan." The explosion user looks like he's swallowed a lemon when Izuku reappears in front of him, holding a weightless couch. "Be more aware. Even though I couldn't turn Uraraka invisible, I knew you'd be so focused on me, you'd still never see her coming."
Kacchan gasps as Uraraka grabs his arm, making him weightless. Izuku smiles genuinely. "Batter up!" He swings the couch into the angry boy who flies into the nearest wall, creating cracks in it. Uraraka releases her quirk and Kacchan lands on the ground in an unceremonious heap.
Izuku walks up and wraps the other boy's wrists with the capture tape. "I win, Kacchan."
The Pomeranian lifts his head up defiantly and glares. "You…you used help…it doesn't…doesn't fucking count…"
"And it doesn't matter anyway because we're about to win!"
Uraraka and Izuku see Kirishima barreling toward the three bombs, his feet back on the ground since Uraraka had released her quirk. "It's gotta be the middle one!" Kirishima jumps, hands outstretched to secure his team's victory.
Thankfully, he was able to harden himself in time after going through the bomb and hitting the ground.
"And that's time in the round! Villain team, WINS!"
Izuku and Uraraka cheer, the former going stiff and red when the latter hugs him. Uraraka, after realizing what she's done, jumps back red as well. Huh, she must've exhausted herself more than he realized. "G-good job, Deku."
Izuku's need to make sure others feel good about themselves temporarily takes over any other embarrassing feelings he may be having. "S-same to you. You were right, w-we make a good team."
She giggles, still a little red. "Those banks don't stand a chance, huh?"
Izuku chuckles along, calming down a bit. "First the banks, then the world?"
She raises an eyebrow. "I think you're letting your win as a villain get to you."
He gives her a half-smile. "I didn't hear a no?"
She smiles back. "I guess you didn't."
The two smile at each for another second before whatever was happening is interrupted by Kirishima running over. "That was great, guys! You kicked our butts through and through! But I gotta ask, which bomb is the real one?"
"About that…" Izuku twists his hand and all three bombs disapear. "None of them were!"
"WHAT?!" Kacchan is back on his feet, somehow, limping toward them. "The fuck do you mean, none of them were real?!"
Izuku shrugs, unable to keep the smug smile off his face. "The real bomb was invisible and upstairs the whole time. It was never here."
Kirishima points to him and back at where the fake bombs were a couple of times. "So-so-so wait! I thought you just made copies of the bomb!"
"Nope!" Izuku makes sure to look Kacchan in the eye. "The best way to trick someone, is to make them think they solved the trick."
"Wow! I couldn't tell at all!" Kirishima exclaims. "How good are your illusions?"
"So good I can be talking to you and you'd never notice when I switched to a decoy," Izuku says, enjoying Kirishima's confused face. Two more decoys appear around them.
"But now…"
"Which of us…"
"Is real!"
The three laugh while Kirishima stares intently trying to figure out this new puzzle before a new voice cuts in. "None of you are."
The three Izukus gape at Uraraka, whose head is tilted in thought. "It's just like the bomb, isn't it? You're making him think you copied yourself?"
The real Izuku emerges next to her, dispelling his three clones. How? His mind is racing. Besides his dad, no one had ever guessed one of his tricks before? What happened?!
Was it because he did the same thing? He's done that before and no one noticed? What was different this time? How had he messed up? Ok, relax. Everything's alright, you're still in control.
"Everything alright, Deku?"
You know what? It's probably okay. He's sure this happened to dad when he was younger too. He can ask him about it the next time he sees him. He's alright. He's safe.
"I'm fine." Izuku gives her an easy smile. "C'mon, let's get back!"
Back in the monitor room, Izuku, Uraraka, and Kirishima stood in front of their classmates. Kacchan had been taken by bots to Recovery Girl's office.
"To start things off…" All Might begins slowly. "I want to say you all performed adequately. That being said…young Midoriya…"
"Yes, All Might? The very best hero instructor I've ever had?" Izuku asks sweetly, putting on his best innocent smile.
"Wait, the best?"
"Sir!" Yaoyorozu, no. "I feel the need to inform you that you are also our only hero course instructor so far!" His dad always told him that if he ever wanted someone's life destroyed, all he'd have to do is ask him. Something he never considered…until now.
"Ah, yes." All Might clears his throat. "Thank you. As for you young Midoriya, we will be having a discussion later on about what rules you are allowed to break."
"I feel the need to clarify I didn't break any of the rules you set, sir." Izuku is trying to keep a straight face but Kaminari's laughter is not helping.
"We will continue this later, but for now. We move on with class! Now, who do we believe was the MVP of the round?"
"It was Uraraka, Sensei," Yaoyorozu states with the utmost certainty. "Bakugo never even attempted to work with his partner or come up with a plan. Kirishima didn't offer any ideas of his own. And I can see why Midoriya would be in the running for most of you. His plan with the cameras and the bomb was well executed, and he had control of his fight with Bakugo at all times, however, he never took the exercise seriously. There were several points he could've ended the match prematurely but did not because it was not 'fun.' Uraraka meanwhile, offered several ideas to her team that were used, was instrumental in taking down their opponents, and never wavered from the purpose of the exercise. That is why she is the MVP."
The class stares at the heiress, dumbfounded. Even Izuku, who had a great deal of experience in long-winded explanations, was caught off guard.
Seemingly unaware of the confoundment she brought upon her classmates, Yaoyorozu continued, "I am, nevertheless, a bit confused about one thing. Midoriya, how exactly does your quirk work? I have several theories but none of them seem to offer a complete explanation."
"I am curious as well, Monsieur Midoriya," Aoyama adds. "It's almost as if, to say, you have multiple quirks." No one notices All Might flinch.
Seeing an opportunity to regain control of the situation, Izuku let his mischievous persona shine through. "Sure, I'll tell you!" He took a step forward and began to explain. "Well to start off, it's pretty much like two quirks in one." He sees Todoroki, because he'd obviously remember the name of the number two hero, in the back of the room actually move.
"It's illusion-projection and duplication-casting. Illusion-projection involves depicting a detailed image from outside oneself, which is perceptible in the external world, whereas duplication-casting entails recreating an exact facsimile of one's own body in its present circumstance, which acts as a true holographic mirror of its molecular structure. Understand?" Izuku explains way too quickly on purpose.
To his annoyance, Yaoyorozu nods. "That makes sense. Thank you for simplifying it, Midoriya." She will be the first to face his ire.
"You guys understood that?!" Kaminari whines.
Todoroki tilts his head toward him. "Made perfect sense to me."
"Who cares about all that?!" Two floating gloves, Hagakure, he remembers, interjects. "What I wanna know is, you can turn invisible?!"
Being complimented was the sure fire way to knock Izuku back because he can't help but scratch his cheek, a little embarrassed. "Um, well, yeah…"
"So you can choose to turn it on or off? That's so unfair!" The invisible girl complains.
Darn his need to make sure others don't feel bad about themselves. "W-well yes technically but it takes a lot to do so I can't do it very long! Plus there's always a small green light when I do it so it's not the best for stealth like you and your ability to refract light has so many possibilities-"
"My what?" Izuku's rambling is stopped by the girl's confused tone.
Izuku returns her confusion. "Your ability to refract light? You should be able to, right? If you couldn't then you wouldn't be able to see, light would just pass through you leaving you blind. But since you can see, it means you're blocking the light from passing through your eyes."
Hagakure backs up, her gloves touching what he presumes is her head. "Oh my god…how did I not…" did he say something wrong?
The pink girl who was skating on some sort of liquid yesterday, materializes in front of him. "Oooh, ooh! Ms next! I can make acid, tell me something I don't know about my quirk now!"
'What is it with the girls in this school getting so close?' "I-uh-well, you make acid?" She nods eagerly. "Can you control the solubility?"
"Yes! And the viscosity! I knew that already! Try again!" Izuku doesn't think he's ever met anyone in his life this enthusiastic. Well, except his Uncle Wade but he was excited about different things.
"W-well I n-noticed during the apprehension tests your acid didn't hurt you so you're immune to it?" Izuku asks hesitantly.
The pink girl's smile has not lowered in the slightest. "To an extent! If I produce too much it starts to hurt."
It's amazing what going into full quirk analysis mode does for a stutter. "I noticed you had no problems skating on it, so have you ever tried increasing the viscosity to the point where you could wear your acid like a protective suit? It could be both offensive and defensive! Any attacks against you would be melted and you'll be at a serious advantage if you have to fight hand to hand or just get close to someone!"
Her smile disappears and she stares at him in awe. At least he hopes that's what it is. "Oh. My. God!" She somehow gets closer. "I'm coming to you for all my quirk questions from now on! You can call me Mina!"
Analyzing a stranger's quirk, child's play. Responding to someone being so nice? He'd rather just find a hole to hide in.
Uraraka moves between them, lightly pushing the girl back. "Ok, Deku helped you with your quirk, you can move back now!" 'Is she upset? Why?'
Mina's yellow eyes look between them before she gets an 'oh' face. "My bad! You don't have to worry about me, Uraraka!"
"No, it's not like that!"
Dangit, just when he thought he was getting this social interaction thing down, he doesn't know what's happening again.
The rest of the battle trials went on mostly without any problems. The only hiccup was Yaoyorozu confirming they could use the monitor room if their quirks allowed and since he let Izuku do it, All Might had no choice but to concede, but with the caveat, they'd be a lot more specific about what they could do in the future, which calmed down Iida at least.
For the record, Yaoyorozu ended up making a drone with a camera and flying it to the monitor room to watch the cameras, he begrudgingly admitted it was awesome.
After All Might had dismissed them for the day, Izuku finds himself at his desk packing up for the day with Iida and Uraraka chatting idly next to him when a new voice surprises them.
"H-hey." Oh, it's the blue-haired boy, scratching his neck nervously and not looking at them directly. "So…you guys are going to the station right?" Izuku nods. "I was just wondering if I could join your party" he hurriedly glances at Uraraka and Iida. "I mean, your group…on the way there."
Iida and Uraraka's smiles make the answer clear. "Okay!" Izuku answers. "You can join our party, but we raid after school and usually during lunch if that's cool?"
The boy smiles in relief, just like he did earlier. The message was clear. Izuku finishes putting his supplies away. "Sorry but I'm really bad with names, what was yours again?"
"Tenko," the now-named boy answers. "Tenko Shimura."
Iida steps forward and holds out his hand. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Shimura! I am-"
"Tenko."
Like engines can, Iida stalls. "I'm sorry?"
Tenko scratches his neck more. "Tenko. Just please call me Tenko, if that's alright."
The smile returns to Iida's face. "If that is what you wish, Tenko. I am Tenya Iida." The two shake hands and Izuku realizes he's wearing artist's gloves on both of his hands! Calm down, Izuku. Give him at least a day before potentially scaring him away with your questions.
After getting properly introduced to everyone, Uraraka asks, "so Tenko, what do you like to do?"
He laughs a bit warily. "Do you guys like video games?"
"Did someone say video games?!" Even though Izuku knows he's coming, he still lets Kaminari wrap an arm around his shoulder. "Well hello like minded-people! Now, who said something about video games?" He grins eagerly at all of them.
Tenko raises his hand sheepishly. "Me. Was just asking if anyone else here liked them."
Kaminari jumps up and down, jostling Izuku in the process, raising his hand. "Me! I do! Pick me!"
Izuku can't help but laugh at the boy's energy. He raises his hand too. "Yeah, I like them too."
Uraraka slamming her hands on the desk brought the three boys' attention to her, who was boring into all of them with fire in her eyes. "I would destroy any of you in any fighting game! Just name it."
Her glare left no room for argument and they all backed down before they could even think of a response.
Iida cleans his glasses on his shirt. "While we really should be focusing on our studies and hero work, I will say that my brother was not a stranger to having me join him in a racing game."
Izuku laughs. "Yeah, Ingenium liking racing games make sense." He chokes before covering his mouth. "Oh my god Iida, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"Not a problem, Midoriya." Iida lifts his hand up to stop him and puts his glasses back on with the other. "I didn't want to advertise my relationship and receive special treatment but it was bound to come out eventually." Posing with his fists on his hips Iida declares, "yes! It is true, my older brother is the hero, Ingenium!"
"Woah!"
"I knew you were a rich kid!"
"You'd be really good for ganking."
"Anyone else here have any famous siblings?" Izuku half-jokes because he really wants to know.
"Sorry! I'm an only child," Uraraka says.
Kaminari taps his chin. "I think my dad said I have a cousin around my age? Not sure, What about you, man?" He asks Tenko.
The red-eyed boy seems to stare in the distance, his mind somewhere else for a few seconds before swallowing.
"No."
Kurogiri stares down at the newspaper reading the front-page story. Interesting. He opens the door from the back room and enters the main bar area. Shigaraki lays on the couch, watching tv.
"It would seem, All Might has found himself employment at UA," the portal user says, holding the paper so that it can be seen.
Shigaraki looks up.
Chapter 12: The Time Is Now
"Slow down, Denki! The way you're eating, you'd think your burger's gonna walk off your plate at any moment!"
Fourteen-year-old Denki Kaminari snickers at his mom, his mouth filled with way too much burger meat. "Sorry, mom." He takes his time chewing while his mom watches from her side of the dining table with an amused smile.
After savoring all the juices he could, he finally swallows. "I can't help it, gotta enjoy my cheat meals while I can! My UA training is taking everything else away from me!" Denki can't keep the whine out of his voice.
His mom chuckles. "I get that, sweetie. Just don't push yourself too far, okay?"
Denki takes a second to take a drink of his soda before replying. "I knoooooow, but I've got to get my quirk under at least a little control before the entrance exams! It's not like there's any side effects if I push too far anyway…"
The doorbell rings. "Still, a mother can't help but worry." The black-haired woman responds pointedly while standing up. "Don't make yourself sick." And with that wise advice, she's gone, answering the door for whoever.
The teenager takes another purposeful too big bite of his burger, sticking his tongue out at the door his mom just walked through, only to promptly begin to choke, making him have to take several long sips of his drink to get everything down.
Once he's done gasping for air, Denki continues to eat, at a much slower pace this time, while scrolling his phone for news. Rumor was that All Might was caught up in some villain attack two weeks ago but it was getting covered up hard.
There was footage, apparently from some shitty security camera high up on one of the buildings, but whenever someone uploaded it, the video was almost immediately taken down.
Denki finishes his first burger and starts to work on a second. Deleted. Not available. Deleted. 404. Video can't be found. Deleted. Dammit, what was so special about this one? Can't a guy just watch All Might kick some butt and enjoy his day?
After finishing his second burger is when he realizes his mom hadn't come back from answering the door. "Mom?" He calls out.
There's a rustling in the living room before the door opens and his mom bursts through, looking disheveled. "Oh, um, Denki. There's…well you see…"
He lowers his phone, walking around the table. "Mom? What's the matter?"
She's looking everywhere that isn't him, chewing on her lip. Finally, mom sighs in defeat. "I don't…I don't really know how to tell you this…but your father is home."
Denki's phone clatters onto the ground. "W-what?" That's when he registers the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the living room. The door to the kitchen opens and-
"Wake up!"
Denki shoots up, sitting up in bed, breathing heavily from the rude awakening. His mom, standing above him, shakes her head in fond exasperation. "Do you plan on having me wake you up every morning for the rest of your life?"
He can't help but breathe out a laugh. "That depends, will it always come with your delicious breakfast?"
She scowls at him but he knows she doesn't mean it. "That's beside the point. Now get up."
She turns to leave but stops when Denki calls out to her in almost a whisper. "Is…is he…"
Her expression softens. "That dream again?" He nods. "Yes, honey. He's still here. Eating breakfast at the table."
Denki relaxes. There's always this part of him that's afraid when he has that dream that that's all it was, a dream. And his dad had never really…but nope! It was real! Giving his mom a small smile, he says, "thanks."
She smiles back. "Anytime. Now, hurry up! You know how your father is, the food will be gone before you know it."
He can't help but smile more. It's such a small thing. Actually knowing something like that about your dad. It might not seem like much but after going your entire life knowing almost nothing, it's more than enough, and that didn't include all the other things he knew! Denki throws the blankets off of him.
With one last grunt of exertion, Izuku slams the box of trash he's carrying down on the ground. He tries for a triumphant yell but it turns more into a groan of defeat as the half-Asgardian lets himself slide back first into the sand.
Strength was pretty low on the list of the priorities for his training. Magic, manipulation, combat/weapons, showmanship, academics, biology (had to know where best to stab people), etc. and then strength. And boy did it show with how winded he got after moving all this trash around.
It's days like these he wishes he got his dad's enhanced strength and speed. Apparently, they think he got his enhanced perception? That's cool, he guesses.
But he was getting better! As evidenced by him finishing early today! And like more often than not, he was alone. But that had its advantages.
Jumping straight back onto his feet, Izuku holds his hand out to conjure the weapon he wants to practice with. His dad had given it to him years ago but he had to swear to be super careful with it and keep it in his pocket dimension at all times. And only use it as a last, very last resort. He still doesn't totally understand why but dad usually knows best.
There's a green glow around his hand and the weapon appears. His scepter.
It was smaller than his dad's, sized for Izuku to use comfortably. It had a golden grip handle that went all the way up the weapon, with two platinum blades at the end. An elongated blade on top with a shortened one below it, and between them, the glowing red power source.
He didn't know what it was about it, but just holding the scepter made him feel safe. It resonates power and warmth that spreads through his body, and while he carries it, he feels like he can do anything.
Taking up a stance, Izuku jabs the weapon before pivoting and bringing it down behind him. He does this for a few minutes, practicing different techniques, but making sure to add some flair here and there, like a few behind-the-back twirls.
Feeling the power in the scepter, Izuku stops and thrusts forward with a yell, firing a red energy blast at a pile of trash and destroying a chunk of it. He laughs, that feeling of being able to do anything overwhelming him, he fires off more blasts, destroying more garbage effortlessly.
Is this why dad was so happy all the time? He twirls the scepter a few more times before firing off another blast, the power within feeling like it was beginning to seep into his bones. Is this what it felt like to be a god?
He fired off more blasts, laughing hysterically as he did so, even adding flips and firing off more energy while in the air. The scepter was no longer a weapon to him, it was like an extension of his body.
Wanting more, Izuku places both hands on the scepter and slams it onto the ground. Red explodes from it, the blast eviscerating anything near him.
He lifts the scepter to eye level. Why didn't he use this more again? Think of all the people he could save? The villains he could capture? He could remake the world the way he wanted it to be! With it, he could bring peace, freedom, justice, and security to all! Finally, he'd be a hero that could take away all their worries!
"Izuku!"
He grumbles under his breath, what now? His vision is a bit hazy but he sees…himself standing in front of him? How in the-oh right, clones.
"What do you want, Two?"
He had never seen his clone look so desperate. "For you to snap out of it!"
He laughs. The greenette can't help it, everything just seems so great right now. "Out of what? I'm fine."
"No! Izuku!" To his surprise, Two grabs him roughly and pulls him forward, slapping the scepter out of his hand. "This isn't you!" He shoves a piece of a mirror up to his face and Izuku screams at his blood-red eyes…
"Ah!" Izuku falls out of bed, dragging his covers with him. His hair is damp from sweat. Pressing his head to the cool hardwood floor, he pants, trying to calm down his beating heart. He's ok. He's fine.
"If that were true, you wouldn't be on the floor." The glare he sends to Two who is kneeling beside him has no heat behind it, but it makes Izuku feel better all the same. Three stands by the door watching them.
"That dream again, huh?" Two asks, but they both know he knows. Just like they both know it's not a dream. But a memory. One that he couldn't erase no matter how hard he tried to enchant himself.
He had been twelve then, just fooling around. But after…but after what happened, he had learned his lesson and hadn't touched the scepter since. Now it just stayed in his pocket dimension, and would probably collect dust if it was possible.
He didn't know what happened. Still doesn't. His dad was usually pretty open with him but with his scepter, he got virtually nothing.
All he basically knew was that he had one, and dad had his own. He wouldn't tell him anything else, always just saying, 'I'll tell you when you're older.' If he wasn't so scared of the scepter, he might try to stab his dad with it.
And finally, the last thing he couldn't figure out was how Two was able to touch him? It was so surreal how his clone could physically grab him. It hadn't happened again since, and that wasn't from lack of trying.
But their lack of success led him to the only conclusion it could, it was because of the scepter, but he was not willing to test it.
Well, none of that matters anyway. It was going to stay tucked away until his dad finally told him how to use it exactly. Once his breathing could be controlled, Izuku sits up.
"You back with us? Because I can only keep Five from taking your place for so long," Two jokes, helping Izuku's mood. "I mean, if you want, you can stay here, and I'll go to school in your place!"
"I can think of thirty-seven reasons off the top of my head why that wouldn't work," Izuku deadpans back.
"No no, it'll be great!" Two exclaims, holding his hands out. "I can socialize, and meet all your friends! Especially Uraraka. I'd love to meet the girl you've been having such…interesting thoughts about lately."
"Gah!" Izuku's blanket of death would not release him. "I'm getting up!"
Where were the heroes? Why weren't they saving him? In front of him, he just sees people. Normal people, going about their day, pretending not to notice him. One old lady actually did stop, but once she saw the blood on his hands, she was gone.
But she had said the heroes would come, so where were they? He makes his way into an alley and sits up against a wall. On TV, the heroes always came. They rescued those in need, so why not him? He needed saving, why wasn't anyone helping?!
He looks at his bloody hands again. Was it because of what he did? Were the heroes avoiding him too and he just hadn't noticed? Maybe…maybe he wasn't worth saving? He closes his eyes, but the memories return with no mercy, so he forces them open again.
That was it, wasn't it? Some people just can't be saved, shouldn't be saved, and he was one of them. No one was going to-
A rush of air catches his attention before he sees someone slam down from seemingly nowhere on top of a dumpster near him. He's an old man, tiny, with a yellow and white suit complete with a cape and domino mask. Was…was that a…
"Toshinori," the old man says gruffly into his ear. "Your informant was right, he's here."
He has no time to think before someone crash lands in front of him. This man needed no introduction with how many times he had been on tv.
All Might places a surprisingly gentle hand on his shoulder for a man his size. When had he started trembling? His signature smile is gone, replaced by a worried frown. "I am so sorry young man, no one should have to go through what you did."
The hero takes a shuddering breath. "But it's ok now, why?" He can't stop his tears. Did he really deserve this? "Because we are here."
It's the Mario theme song that wakes Tenko Shimura. He groans, rubbing the crust out of his eyes. He could've sworn he set the Halo theme last night for his alarm, Ah whatever. It works.
He gets up, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and immediately sits at his desk, turning on his desktop computer. While he waits for various games to load, the coffee machine that shares his desk beeps, thank god for setting timers.
Setting a cup of the freshly brewed drink next to him, Tenko sets up his auto farming on a few of his games like he normally does before reaching beside his chair and pulling out an energy drink from a mini-fridge and pouring it into his coffee.
He takes a drink and sighs, feeling his body reinvigorate itself. There was no better way to live. Feeling satisfied that everything was running smoothly, he began to pack his bag with everything he'd need for school.
Laptop, mouse, extra chargers, portable WiFi hotspot, Nintendo Switch, headphones, external hard drive, oh, and a notebook for class. All the essentials.
The picture frame on his nightstand catches his attention, even though he was trying his best not to look at it. Suddenly, his dream comes rushing back and he clutches his head. The memory is still as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.
His rescue. He shakes his head at the bitter tone and finishes packing his bag. He knows there's a part of him that even after all these years and therapy, that still thinks he should be rotting in jail.
And the picture doesn't help, why he keeps that damn collectible he doesn't know, but there it was. His old family. His grandparents, the useless NPC's that let his father get away with whatever he wanted. No, stop Tenko. Don't think of them like that.
Ignoring his dad completely, he allows himself a small smile for his mother before finally looking down at the two kids in the photo. He, and the girl next to him with pigtails and blue-green shirt.
His sister…
The computer beeps, letting him know that all his farming is done for now, so he logs into his other games to collect his log-in rewards.
Flashes of the memory fly through his head once again. It was only later he found out his grandmother, the hero, was the person who trained All Might. How the number one hero could stand the sight of him after what he did he'll never know.
He takes another sip of his energy coffee. It sucked that after all these years of avoiding him, UA was forcing them together. He didn't need a reminder of his K/D ratio staring him in the face in almost every heroics class. Seriously, can someone tell him what RNG let this happen?
"Tenko! Where are you?! This breakfast isn't gonna make itself!" Gran Torino calls from downstairs.
"Make it yourself, you old geezer!" Tenko half shouts, half growls back.
"I would, but I'm just so old! I could whither away at any moment!"
Tenko can't stop a huff of laughter. "The bruise on my back from our last spar disagrees!"
There's the sound of chairs screeching. "Maybe if you'd get off your phone every once and a while…"
The blue-haired boy picks up his stuff and his uniform to go finish getting ready in the bathroom but before he does, Tenko yanks his door open and yells, "say that to my face! Oh wait, you can't! You're not even a meter tall!"
"I'm 1.2 meters tall you shit! And another thing!…"
The first thing that hits their senses is the smell of sterile lab equipment, like a hospital. But the bounds on their arms and legs tell them, that's probably not where they are.
Opening their eyes, they almost close them immediately. All they see is a bright orange light. But slowly, their eyes adjust and the orange glow begins to die down.
And from it, they see a figure standing over them. The gleam emanates from something they're holding. They can't make out much else in the dark room, only piercing green eyes that seem to be almost looking into their soul…
Shigaraki's eyes snap open, gone is the mystery man from their memories. Now, they're back in their dusty, damp room above a bar. Not the best living accommodations, but better than where they grew up.
Their blood boils at the thought of their family. The things their father was allowed to get away with. A mother who didn't try enough. And…
Their brother…
The Demon Lord's protégé runs a hand angrily through their black hair, trying to calm down. Lashing out now wouldn't do any good, they had to wait. But it wouldn't be long now.
"Shigaraki." Kurogiri stands at the door, letting some light into the room. "If you wish for your plans to proceed, the time is now."
'You're gonna see whose side I'm on now, brother.'
"All Might is not here today. Now go away and stop harassing my students," Shota tells the flock of stupid vulture birds in front of him while he stands in front of UA.
"Give us All Might!" One of them squawks, holding up a microphone in his direction while the jackal behind it points its camera at him.
"Are you even a hero?" Another dares to chirp at him. His hold tightens on his sleeping bag.
"You're so scruffy! Don't you care about your appearance?" A third clucks out.
"If we don't get rid of them soon…" Hizashi whispers to him while snickering. "They're gonna leave shit all over the street."
How did the man always know what to say to calm him down? "Yeah but if we give them any crumbs, they'll keep coming back," Shota whispers back.
Before he can figure out how to bribe the rat to activate the turrets that he won't confirm exists, All Might himself lands harshly on the street before the reporters, wearing his hero costume and giving his usual nauseating laugh.
Shota finds this peculiar as he just left the man back at the teacher's lounge.
"HELLO!" All Might booms. "IF YOU WOULD LIKE A STATEMENT, I WILL BE AT THE ENDEAVOR AGENCY TODAY! COME ON BY AND STICK AROUND OUTSIDE, WE WILL HOLD A CONFERENCE SOON! AND REMEMBER, DO NOT LET THEM KICK YOU OUT, NO MATTER WHAT!"
And with whatever that was, All Might jumps away, the pack of hyenas scurrying after him, leaving the remaining students to scramble into the safety of the grounds and inside until finally, there was only one left, walking up the steps. Midoriya.
The erasure hero stands in his way. "That was pretty lucky, All Might appearing from nowhere and saving you all. You know anything about that?"
The kid gives him an innocent head tilt. "What could I know about that, sensei?"
Midoriya's eyes should be brown with how full of shit he is. "I'm not sure, would you like to hear what I know?" Shota asks.
The teen's innocent smile gains a sharp edge. "Of course! Tell me what you think you know, sensei!
Shota matches his smile. "I know that All Might landed pretty rough on that street and when he does, the pavement breaks." Midoriya's smile drops. "Tell me, how does the street look?"
Green eyes take a quick glance out to the road. "It looks…normal…"
This is waking him up better than any coffee. "You're good, Problem Child, but you're not perfect." Midoriya slumps. "But considering the only ones to see it were some animals, I think I can let it slide…this time…"
His student lights up. "I knew you appreciated my work!"
Midoriya runs up the stairs and Hizashi elbows him, giving him a look. Shota narrows his eyes at him, trying to convey that no, he does not have a soft spot for that fluffy-haired gremlin.
"And don't make me regret it!" Shota calls to him before he can get fully inside the school.
"Oh, I probably will!" Midoriya snarks back before disappearing inside.
Hizashi let's out a full-blown laugh, slapping his knee. Traitor. "At least he's honest!"
Tenya Iida sits up straight at his desk. His supplies sit immaculately placed on his desk. All but one of class 1A have already arrived, and the day was looking up if he says so himself.
With the help of Kirishima, he was able to remove Bakugo's feet from his desk, and through a fair amount of coaxing, he was finally able to stop Tenko from playing his mobile gaming device. Now, almost everyone sat in their seats and was ready to begin! And with five minutes to spare he might add.
Still, not everything was in order. Tenya's eyes travel toward the only empty desk in the room, behind Bakugo.
To say he had never met someone like Midoriya, would be accurate. The boy would be selflessly saving a future classmate in the entrance exams one minute, and making a mockery of the rules the next!
Things had been so simple before. Go to UA, follow the rules and do everything he was told, become a hero, and continue his family legacy. It was straightforward and easy to follow. But then Midoriya comes along and he has already thrown not just a wrench, but an entire toolbox into his plans!
In just two days times, his classmate had broken several rules and in his unfiltered opinion, made UA out to be a joke. Tenya knows he should want Midoriya to face some sort of punishment for his actions.
But this is where that toolbox comes in. Another part of him disagrees. Because even with the other boy's rule-breaking, in that time, he had shown him his heroic spirit. Whether it was saving Uraraka, helping those who would accept during the apprehension test, or even the battle trials!
Midoriya admitted to their group on the walk home yesterday one of the reasons he refused to end his match prematurely was so the others could have a starting point to improve upon and use to become better heroes.
And Tenya just doesn't know what to do with that?! Heroes are supposed to follow the rules and yet, how is one of the more heroic people he has ever met so comfortable with breaking any rule he can and hiding behind loopholes?!
"Are you gonna let 'implied' rules stop you from saving people?"
What Midoriya said to him yesterday had not left his mind. And, not knowing how to proceed, he did what he always did. He asked his brother for advice, explaining to him everything Midoriya had done.
And…after waiting several long minutes for Tensei to stop laughing, he told him that he'd help him…after swearing he would bring Midoriya over to meet him one day soon. He's not sure if he should be worried or not.
But that was when Tensei told him that the world isn't simple. It's not, follow the rules and you're good, and don't follow them you're bad. His brother proved this by admitting he had no problem with working with some vigilantes on cases.
This is a challenging concept for him to grasp, he won't lie. It would probably be best to directly confront Midoriya and hear his opinions on the matter.
The door to the classroom opens and, as if summoned by Tenya's thoughts, Midoriya walks in, and gives both him and Uraraka a very animated wave. Uraraka waves back with the same amount of enthusiasm. Tenya gives him a friendly nod and a reminder to get to his seat before class begins.
Which he does, but not before Kaminari whines about not getting waved at so Midoriya placates him with an, from what he could tell, awkward fist bump. After saying something to Tenko, Midoriya finally finds his seat seconds before Aizawa enters the room with the bell.
"Good. You're all improving." Tenya brightens at his teacher's compliment. "Due to several factors, we'll have to wait until next week to go over your battle trials so for now, we will complete a task that will decide your futures."
Tenya braces himself, UA has already proven ready and willing to throw anything at him, he has to be ready.
"You all need to pick a class representative."
He deflated just a little at their new assignment. At least it's not another test. Tenya can't help but agree with the few students who shouted how normal it was, but it was still important nonetheless.
"I don't care how you do it," their teacher says, already slipping into his sleeping bag. "Just get it done." And with a slump onto the ground, he was done.
"Pick me or die!"
"No way, I got this!"
"Me!"
The class has erupted into chaos with everyone throwing their candidacy into the ring. While expected, what surprises him most is who wasn't. Midoriya hadn't moved, he just stared at his desk absent-mindedly.
And even Kaminari wasn't trying. He looked as if he was at first, but stopped himself. Strange.
When it became clear they weren't getting anywhere, Tenya's suggestion of a vote was accepted, despite Asui's hesitance given how long they've known each other. So they would vote for who they thought could serve the class best.
Everyone wrote their votes on scrap paper and passed them up to be counted. Tenya was torn. While he very much wished to be the class representative, given the mixed state he was in over the actions and words of both his brother and Midoriya, he decided against voting for himself.
And in a surprising move that even he couldn't believe, he voted for Midoriya. Yes, his actions were confusing but he had proven to be both heroic, and have his classmate's best interest at heart. Plus, it was possible that if he received the role, he might straighten up his act a bit.
After the voting was complete, Tenya volunteers to tally the votes and write them on the board. The results were both surprising and not.
Izuku Midoriya: 10
Momo Yaoyorozu: 5
Katsuki Bakugo: 2
Mashirao Ojiro: 1
Rikido Sato: 1
Tenya Iida: 1
Bakugo's yelling about who voted for Midoriya was drowned out as Tenya stares at the board. Someone had voted for him? One of his peers really thought he had what it took to lead…it turned out Bakugo's shouting was a great distraction for him to discreetly wipe a tear.
"Alright, fess up, extras! Who the fuck voted for Deku?!" He yells while pointing an accusatory finger at the green-haired boy, who looked like he was about to succumb to cardiac arrest.
"I did!" The seemingly fearless Ashido yelled. "He helped me figure out new stuff about my quirk in like, a minute! Imagine what he can do in a year!"
"Oh! Oh!" Hagakure raises her hand too, though Tenya can only see her sleeve. "That's why I voted for him too!" She and Ashido do an air high five from across the room.
"Yeah!"
"Anyone who acknowledges Dark Shadow as a separate being to me is fit to lead in my eyes," Tokoyami says from his seat.
"Is that what Dark Shadow prefers?" Asui asks.
Tokoyami's quirk burst out of him, answering before he could. "YES! Please! You know, growing up, none of Fumi's friends would even let me have my own character when we played Dungeons &-"
The quirk is pushed back down by Tokoyami. "Enough!" He turns back to Asui. "What she meant was, yes, we would appreciate that. Thank you."
"Ribbit."
"Monsieur Midoriya's ability to speak my native tongue won my vote easily. Il est merveilleux!" Aoyama adds as well. Tenya's attempt to lecture him on the cheese he's eating falls on deaf ears.
Koda raises his hand shyly in the back of the room but lowers it quickly and says nothing.
"Y-you guys seriously think I'd make a good class rep?" Midoriya's confusion bewilders Tenya. How did the boy seem to have all the confidence in the world one second, only for it to evaporate the next? With his charisma, surely this isn't the first time this has happened? Something for him to ponder.
"Enough." Aizawa at some point had shed his sleeping bag and was standing, sucking on a juice pouch. "Clearly they do Midoriya or they wouldn't have voted for you. Now all of you stop wasting time. Midoriya and Yaoyorozu are your class rep and vice-rep. Get up here."
As the two newly elected officials stand, Uraraka calls out, "sensei is right, Deku! You got this!"
Tenya is relieved to see the boy relax greatly and moves to go back to his seat but a yellow flash catches his eye and he turns back around. "M-Midoriya!"
He had used his quirk to change out of his uniform into an unbuttoned dark suit with a white dress shirt covered by a green vest with a dark green tie and gold tie clip. He also wore a button that said, 'Izuku for Representative.'
"C'mon," Midoriya, who now stands next to Yaoyorozu in front of the class, says while pulling down on his jacket and straightening it. "What did you expect?"
"I expect you to take your position seriously!" Tenya hand chops at him.
"I am!" Midoriya replies. "Look at me, I literally don't think I could dress more for the job if I tried!"
Sero chuckles behind them. "Actually, stuff like this is exactly why I voted for Midoriya in the first place."
Kaminari nods sagely. "Same, bro. Same."
"Well, either way," Yaoyorozu slowly begins. "I look forward to working with you Midoriya," she says to the shorter boy. "But be aware I will be holding you to a high standard."
"High standard?" Midoriya questions, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Yaoyorozu responds without missing a beat. "While representing all of us, I expect you to tone down your antics."
Tenya can't quite place the smile Midoriya has on his face. "And…what if I don't? Are you gonna stop them?"
She nods. "I will do what I must."
Midoriya giggles as he raises a closed fist that's glowing green. "You will try."
He opens his fist and in a flash of green, the classroom becomes a dark swamp, each desk and chair submerged a few centimeters in murky water. Before Tenya can wrap his head around what he's seeing, Bakugo's yell takes his attention.
"What the shit!" An alligator had emerged from the water and was snapping its jaws at him, causing the teen to stand on his desk. "You think I'm scared of you, you overgrown purse!"
"Bakugo, wait!" To Tenya's immense surprise, the explosive teen stops his upcoming attack at Yaoyorozu's command, albeit barely and with a glare, but she was busy narrowing her dark eyes at Midoriya. "This is cute, but as you have said multiple times, these are merely illusions. As good as it looks, the only thing real, is you." She promptly ignores the snake hissing at her from the podium she stands by.
Midoriya's smile becomes dominating. "True. But one small problem…" Tenya's eyes widen as the Midoriya they are speaking to flickers, like static on an old tv. "Where am I?"
The snake jumps at Yaoyorozu and in a green light, Midoriya reappears. "Boo!" The black-haired girl screams and jumps back while Midoriya doubles over laughing.
Aizawa, who has had his head in his hands for who knows how long, interjects. "Alright Problem Child, you made your point, now end it."
Midoriya waves him off but still snaps his fingers and everything's gone in an instant, he's even back in his uniform to Tenya's relief.
Aizawa looks up. "You think you can handle this?" He asks Yaoyorozu.
She looks down at Midoriya who is smirking confidently at her before returning her gaze to sensei. "Well, I will admit, these were not things I had expected to deal with while attending this school. But this is UA so…" she returns Midoriya's smirk right back at him. "Plus Ultra." The creation user walks back to her desk with her head held high.
"This year is gonna be AWESOME!" Ashido cries before nearly bum rushing into Midoriya. "Can you make our classroom look like anything?! Like, say, the inside of the ship from the movie Alien?! Oh my god, can you transform into a Xenomorph?!"
"Sit down Ashido, you're giving me a headache." Aizawa drones. But while the girl pouts back at her desk, he sends a wicked smile to Midoriya. "Looks like you couldn't scare that one," he says in a low voice, eyeing Yaoyorozu.
"Oh please." Midoriya sounds insulted. "You know that was really tame by my standards, I can do so much worse. Heck, if it was my dad pranking her, he would've stabbed her after scaring her."
"He would've what?"
Tenya is the last in the classroom after everyone heads to lunch. He just likes to make sure there is absolutely nothing else his teacher needs done before he goes.
The rest of the period was mostly uneventful. That was, until his classmates started to ask Midoriya to transform the room into different settings. A dojo for Ojiro, a bakery for Sato. He even made it appear as if they were underwater for Asui, who insists they all call her Tsu.
The air around them shimmered as if water, coral around the desks moved in simulated currents, and even illusions of fish swam by their heads. He fears for their education if this keeps up.
Tenya is taken out of his thoughts on the way to the lunchroom by Aoyama standing in front of the door to the teacher's lounge, all by himself.
"Is everything alright, Aoyama?"
The French boy seems startled for a moment before regaining his flamboyant composure. "Ah, Monsieur Iida! I thank you for your concern but I am simply waiting for one of our teachers to ask a few questions."
"A wonderful use of your time," Tenya compliments. "But it may be for not. I believe all our teachers have lunch duty or class at this time." Tenya takes another step closer. "Perhaps you'd like to join me down to the lunchroom?"
Aoyama moves closer to the door. "Merci my friend, but I am more than happy to wai-" there's a chime from his pocket and he pulls out an older generation smartphone and looks at it. "Vous savez quoi, I think I will join you to the lunchroom. You will allow me to dine on my cheese, oui?"
Following his walk with Aoyama, the two separate at the lunchroom, allowing Tenya to grab his lunch and sit with Midorya, Uraraka, Kaminari, and Tenko. "Apologies for being a little tardier than I'd usually be, what did I miss?"
Kaminari laughs and points his thumb at Midoriya, who is staring at his Katsudon as if it has given him a particularly hard math problem to solve. "Nah, you're good man. Midoriya here is still a bit freaked out about so many people voting for him. Which I don't get! Hey, Tenko, you voted for him too, right? Why?"
Tenko, who has one hand feeding himself and another on a laptop, doesn't look up. "Because he's clearly smurfing but if I can get some free XP and loot from my clan leader then I will." He continues after a few moments of silence. "Also because he's the only one who can understand me…"
"…alright, well what about you Uraraka?" Kaminari recovers.
"W-well…" it's like she's trying to hide behind her food. How odd. "It's just really inspiring how, no matter what, y-you do everything you can to help everyone." She is positively red and scratching the back of her head as she says it, looking at none of them. Is she embarrassed? Her assessment was correct.
"T-thank you." Midoriya is eventually able to stutter out. He is doing a fantastic job at matching Uraraka's shade of red. "B-but like you said, I can't do everything by myself, and I want to try, um, you know, getting help? And Yaoyorozu seems like she's dead set on stopping my pranks so…wanna help me with that?"
Uraraka looks up, a smile growing on her face. "She won't know what hit her."
"Aw, you dog!" Kaminari grins. "I didn't think I had much of a chance but now I know I got no hope. Not with the amount of game you've got!"
Tenko looks up for a moment, but it's the wrong type of game.
"W-w-wait, what?!"
"Kaminari!" Tenya lectures. "Midoriya is not currently a dog, he is a human and you will refer to him as such! And Uraraka! We are not meant to practice our quirks until heroics class! Come back down this instant!" He commands the girl currently floating to the ceiling.
"So, everything is set for the USJ tomorrow?" Shota asks his boss. Both he and All Might were having a short meeting with Nezu in his office to finalize any details before the field trip.
"Yes!" He answers happily. "Thirteen is set to accompany the both of you and all the zones have been reset and are ready for use!"
"Good. So long as somebody," He glares at All Might who whimpers and looks away. Good. "Remembers what I told them about keeping control of his class, we shouldn't have any problems."
"You claim to have control over your class Aizawa," Nezu says, his ever-present smile still visible. "And by class, we know you mean Midoriya. You claim to have control of him but he was able to get away with quite a lot this morning alone, was he not?"
Aizawa meets the principal head-on. Probably a poor choice but that's just his life. "I know the kid well enough to know he won't take things too far. If not, I can shut down anything he makes in an instant. And letting Yaoyorozu see firsthand what he can do will help prepare her to deal with him when I am not there."
"Always the one to have multiple reasons for everything he does, aren't you?" Nezu chuckles, taking a sip of tea.
"It's only logical," Aizawa retorts as he stands. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a trip to the USJ I have to prepare to sleep through."