Chapter IUA, the finest Hero high school in japan – or at least one of the most prestigious. It sure produced most of the top ranking heroes, including the Number One Hero himself. Thus, if anyone wanted to make it to the top, he or she would have to make it past the institution's difficult and harsh Hero Course. UA had the best facilities, top-rate support department, training grounds and equipment. That and its fame alone could guarantee a good headstart in the competitive Pro-Hero business.
Thus, it was not surprising how hard it was to actually attend U.A. Just getting a seat in the Hero course alone was nigh impossible, and even then it was well known that not even then you might hold it. It was estimated that by the final year in UA, nearly half of the Hero students had left the course, either from expulsion or by personal choice. Then again, it depended on the class. Sometimes every single student made it through the three years of school, other times less than three.
To think Izuku Midoriya of all people was headed there, ready to begin his career as a hero.
A bit too early in the subway station, people sent him various looks. Truth to be told, he knew it was due to his current uniform. For all they knew, they might be seeing the next Top Hero… oh, who was he kidding? They all saw the same thing: a plain looking dark-green haired boy at the brink of tears staring at the screens. He had nothing that made him stand out: no tails, no horns, no bright hair – maybe the freckles but that was all.
Of course, first day and I'll be late, he mentally bemoaned. Where was the train I had to take?
His green eyes searched the surroundings, heart beating in his heart. His sweaty hands clenched his yellow bag tighter. What if he was at the wrong station? Yes, there was only one in Mustafu but still… or what if there was no train and he had to take the bus or something? What if-?
His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted something amidst the moving crowd: UA uniform. A short young woman lazily sauntered a dozen feet from Midoriya, lost in whatever she was listening with those big headphones. A small pink schoolbag loosely hanged from a shoulder. Tentatively, Midoriya followed her. She had to be a senior, and most likely knew how to get to the school.
As he followed the fellow UA student, Midoriya studied the pair of elongated furry white ears. It matched its long silky white hair in stark contrast with her tanned skin. He discovered that she also had elongated feet. Within seconds, Midoriya knew what her quirk was: Rabbit. It was only then that a name popped into his head.
From the confines of Midoriya's head, he could picture the exact notebook and page: Future Analysis for the Future, Nº12, page 29. Quirk: Rabbit. She had been third the previous year in the Sports Festival, one of the most watched events of all Japan and even the world. Of course, he recalled many more details about the rabbit girl than that, except her name.
Thankfully, he didn't have to stalk her for long as they made it to a platform and waited there. He decided not to stray from his only guide to UA but definitely kept a distance. The last thing was to be accused of being a creep. Then again, this was the platform for the train he had been searching all along so he thought he could manage. Happy he had made it, his curious green eyes wandered around.
It was amazing just how many different quirks there were. For example, there were a pair of men in suits ten feet away. On plain sight they appeared normal. However, Izuku noticed that one had trails of smoke – almost too faint to notice – coming off his hands. The other one appeared to have square metallic hands hidden in his pockets. Pathetic quirks for most, fascinating to Izuku.
I would gladly trade quirks with any of them, Izuku mentally grumbled.
The train came and Izuku managed to find a seat, at least until the next station where he offered it to an elderly woman. On the second station he lost sight of the rabbit girl as more people poured in. At last, he reached his destination and happily walked out.
Seeing UA at the distance, Izuku felt confident he would make it in time. Atop a hill and with massive square towers, UA's grounds were hard to miss. Before he knew it he had made it across the massive open steel gates and onto a long wide path between tall trees. To his surprise, he spotted the rabbit girl ahead.
It was once he had entered the institution that Izuku discovered he had a problem: he didn't know where his classroom was. He looked around and searched, but no matter what doorway he crossed, all corridors led back to the start! It came to a point he started panicking again. He was about to make the umpteenth turn to his right when he collided with something – or rather, someone.
Izuku fell on his butt. The other person stood there, glaring down at him with annoyance.
"Oy, watch where you are walking" the rabbit girl growled.
"S-sorry!" Midoriya mumbled, bowing repeatedly to her. "I am just- just lost!"
Izuku noticed her eyes were a bright scarlet. Did that mean her quirk was Albino Rabbit? Or just Rabbit? In any case, a white eyebrow rose high on her tanned forehead. Midoriya did not like those judging eyes as they scrutinized him from heads to toe. She wasn't taller than him and yet Midoriya felt intimidated.
"What's your classroom?" She gruffly asked.
"1-1A" stammered Midoriya.
The other white eyebrow shot up and her eyes widened. A smile stretched on her face, almost taunting.
"Hold on, you're in the Hero Course?" She mused.
"Y-yeah, I know I don't look the part, do I?" Midoriya mumbled in defeat, looking down.
"Sorry, but I don't see making it far here, especially not in 1-A" she chuckled. "What's your quirk?"
If I tell her she is going to laugh in my face, isn't she? He morosely thought, only for her first words to sink it. Midoriya looked at her, worried.
"W-wait, is 1-A more intensive?"
"You kidding?" She scoffed, only to add with surprise "right, you don't know. You've got Aizawa as teacher, or Pro-Hero Eraserhead as homeroom teacher. If you don't live up to his expectations or show no potential, he'll expel you".
"He can do that?!" Midoriya asked.
He had heard rumours, but he had always thought they were meant to lower the number of prospective examinees for each Entrance Exam.
"He kind of expelled everyone in my class last year, except me of course. Had to be transferred to 1-B" the way she proclaimed such a horrible thing with a grin and a chest swelled with pride horrified Midoriya. "So you better impress him, or this might be your last day here" she laughed. "Your class is over there, by the way".
She pointed behind him. Perplexed, Midoriya turned around and, truth to be told, not far from where he stood, he spotted a hanging plaque with "1-A" inscribed in. He stared at it, dumbfounded. Had it been hanging there all along?
"Huh" was all he could say. "Ehm… th-thank you".
"Whatever" the rabbit girl shrugged, walking past Izuku. "Oy, good luck with Aizawa. You are going to need it" she lazily added.
Midoriya grimaced as he walked outside the massive classroom door. He stared at it, heart pounding.
Impress my homeroom teacher or I'll be expelled? He thought. I am so done for… especially with my quirk…
Mustering his courage, he opened the door… and was sorely tempted to leave already. He cringed as he saw none other than Katsuki Bakugo. To make matters worse, he was with a very familiar tall dark-blue haired bespectacled boy. Why? Why did Midoriya have to share the same class as those two?
"Put your feet off the table! Your behaviour is truly unbefitting of such prestigious institution!" The tall boy yelled, mechanically karate-chopping the air with vehemence.
Midoriya felt his mind recalling one of his notebooks again. During the Entrance Exam he had seen the blue-haired boy use his quirk and it reminded him of someone else. Well, there was the quirk and the boy's appearance. He looked a lot like Tensei Iida, otherwise known as Ingenium, whose information was in notebook Hero Analysis for the Future Nº10, pages 70 to 73. This particular teenager, differently from Ingenium, had engine exhausted on his legs.
"Sod off, Four Eyes!" Katsuki, in all of his explosive rage, yelled back, red eyes boring into Ingenium's lookalike. "Stop annoying me or I'll kill you!"
"K-kill me?!" Spluttered an indignant Iida doppelganger. "What manner of attitude is that?! Do you really want to be a hero?"
Midoriya stood there, watching. Maybe being expelled wasn't that bad. Sadly, he didn't go unnoticed. Bakugo glared at blue-haired eye, only for his spiky-haired head turned towards the doorframe. Midoriya winced at the scathing look he was given by the raging blond.
"Ah, Fox-Boy!"
Midoriya blinked ahead as he suddenly found himself staring into someone's chest. He looked up, before wincing again. It was Ingenium's lost clone. Was he going to give Midoriya a lecture? Because he sure had done so a couple of times during the Entrance Exam.
"I wanted to apologize for my aberrant behaviour during the exam!"
Midoriya blinked again but this time he was astounded. Someone was apologizing… to him? Not only that, but this boy was actually bowing. That was new – and weird. Definitely weird.
"Th-there is n-no need!" Midoriya stammered.
"On the contrary! It was hypocritical of me" the bespectacled boy insisted, his hands robotically karate-chopping the air. "I am Iida Tenya, at your service!"
"M-Midoriya Izuku" Midoriya replied, looking down at the offer hand. Tentatively, he took it. He regretted it immediately as his hand was squeezed and almost torn apart by Iida's more than enthusiastic shaking.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance! I hope we both achieve our honourable goal and become valiant heroes!" Iida obliviously yelled, shaking Midoriya's arm like some kind of possessed android.
Thankfully, Iida released his hold from the green-haired boy. Midoriya caressed his now throbbing hand, before something clicked in his head.
"W-wait, Iida? Does that mean-?" Midoriya asked in awe. Of course, nothing good could last forever.
"DEKU!" Bakugo yelled. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"
Midoriya tried not to squirm under the scathing gaze of Bakugo.
"Will you cease your violent shouting?!" Iida shouted. "And watch your language! It is-"
"Screw you, Four eyes!" Bakugo roared, attention jumping back to Midoriya. "You shouldn't be here, you quirkless little shit!"
"Quirkless?" A baffled Iida wondered, glancing at the two. "I believe you are wrong, ruffian. Midoriya here has-"
"Fox-Boy!"
Midoriya cringed at the name and hoped it never caught on. However, his body stiffened as he recognized that chirpy tone. Sweating, he turned around – only to come face to face with a round-faced brunette. Short and with reddened cheeks, Midoriya found his face heating up under the cute girl's glimmering brown eyes.
"You made it!" She exclaimed, smiling.
Again, Midoriya found the entire experience nice – albeit strange. Being talked to by a cute girl, especially with such uniform, was definitely a welcomed change of pace.
"I was worried you hadn't gotten enough points" she carried on talking, oblivious to Midoriya's rigid embarrassment. "Thank goodness for rescue points, huh? I don't think I would have made it otherwise". She noticed Iida behind Midoriya. "Oh, you made it too, Robot-Boy!"
Midoriya couldn't help it: he snickered. Iida, in turn, huffed and puffed indignant at the name – and started karate-chopping the air whilst giving a long winded lecture about the virtues of respect and the kind to strangers. Thankfully, he was interrupted because he could finish his introductory statements.
"If you are here to make friends, then leave"
All heads turned towards the door. There, not far from Midoriya and company, stood a rather unkempt-haired man. With long black locks, stubble and dark bags under his eyes, Midoriya recognized the man immediately: Hero Analysis for the Future Nº9, page 123-127, Shoto Aizawa, also known as the erasing hero: Eraserhead. The hanging goggles, the knife strapped to a shoulder and that weird steel-coloured scarf were dead giveaways.
Midoriya, and the others, hurried to their seats – or at least the closest seat they could find. The green haired boy was surprised to discover that all seats were accounted for. The expressions on the students faces, Midoriya noticed, ranged from visible confusion to amusement. There were those who looked apprehensive. When had they arrived? Meanwhile, Aizawa calmly walked over to the desk in front and grumpily scowled at the class.
"I am Aizawa Shota, your homeroom teacher… for the time being" he cryptically said. "Technically, I should be taking you to orientation…" Midoriya frowned at that. What did he mean technically? "But since that is a waste of time, we shall skip it. Instead, we will be having a test".
At once, Midoriya heard his classmates mutter in fright. There were a few exceptions, like Iida, who was sharpening his pencil and was prepared to take whatever exam Aizawa had in store for them.
"Yes, a test" Aizawa's lip curled into a cruel and vicious smile. "A test to determine if you have the potential to become Heroes".
Midoriya stared at the teacher with dreading eyes. He wasn't the only one.
Chapter IIAizawa Shota did not consider himself mean or evil. He had to concede, however, that he could be a bit tactless at time. It was one of those things his boss and friends constantly reminded him. As logical as it was to follow their advice, Aizawa found it hard to show sympathy. At the moment, though, he felt anything but sympathy.
These are snot-nosed brats, he mentally sighed as he stared his would-be students. Snot-nosed brats who want fame and glory.
They had gathered at the training fields. The students, in their navy gym uniforms, chatted and joked, acting like average teenagers. Aizawa disapproved of such a thing. One student, however, caught his attention: Izuku Midoriya. Instead of nervous, he looked despondent, standing a few feet from the others.
"Enough" Aizawa hissed. The brats at least knew when to follow orders. "It took you fifteen minutes to make it here. I expect you to change in five minutes or less in the future – if you remain in the Hero Course".
"Wait, you can't expel us! We just started!" A pink-skinned girl cried out in outrage.
"I can and I will" Aizawa stated with a tone of finality. "This isn't any school. This is UA and you are here to be heroes".
"But that isn't fair!" someone said.
"Fair? Life isn't fair. Natural disasters, catastrophes, accidents … life has the nasty habit of throwing all sorts of challenges. The weak shall whine about injustice or unfairness. Heroes accept what can't be changed and overcome the trials of life to assist those unable to. If you think you won't make the cut in my class, then leave".
No one said anything else and Aizawa couldn't help the satisfaction from showing.
"Good. Now…" Aizawa took a deep breath. Every year the same darned thing… he was starting to hate his life. Ah right, he already did. With a sigh, he added. "Let us get this Quirk Apprehension Test over with".
"Quirk… apprehension…?"
"Bakugo, step forward" Aizawa ordered.
The spiky-haired volatile blond did as told. His eyes burned with apprehension but his scowl conveyed his annoyance. Oh Aizawa knew that look. How much did he want to beat Bakugo's sense of self-importance and superiority… but no, he had to play by Principal Nezu's rules.
"How long could you throw a softball in Middle School?" Aizawa asked.
"Seventy metres" scoffed the blond.
"Try it – with your quirk" Aizawa ordered.
He threw a strange ball at Bakugo. The boy caught it, only to stare at it, baffled. The lad probably understood that wasn't a normal ball.
"You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't leave the circle" Aizawa pointed at said painted circle on the floor. "Oh, and one more thing…" Aizawa smirked "…don't hold back".
Bakugo's scowl slowly shifted to a sadistic grin. He glanced at Aizawa, as if he still couldn't believe what he had been asked. In the end, Bakugo turned towards the open field and threw the ball.
"DIE!" BOOM.
Aizawa ignored the massive explosion that shook the field. He focused on the other students. As expected, they all stood back, petrified by the explosion-making teenager. Midoriya, though, and a girl with jacks instead of earlobes – one Kyoka Jiro – winced in pain. Aizawa squinted at Midoriya, suspicious.
Once the shock of what Bakugo had done subsided, Aizawa checked his phone. Students, dumbfounded, waited for him to say something. There was a ping and Aizawa smirked, showing his cell phone.
"702.1 metres" Aizawa said. "Today, we will go through the same exercises you went through in Middle School. This time, you will use your quirks and discover your upper limits".
He saw the face of excitement on everyone's faces. Oh, poor fools…
"That sounds like fun!" The pink-haired student, Mina Ashido, squealed.
"Fun?" Aizawa grunted, glaring at the girl. "You aren't here for fun. You are here to prove you are worthy to stay in the Hero Course". The faces of the students turned pale with dread. "That's right. If you don't give your all today, I will expel you".
"H-he isn't joking…" Midoriya mumbled. All heads turned towards him, while Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "He expelled last year's entire class…" he turned his grimacing face towards their teacher "…didn't you?"
"On the first day" Aizawa grinned, delighted someone already knew what was at stake.
The students were utterly disbelieving, and terrified. Some gulped, others glared at their feet, while a few seemed to grin with confidence. At least they didn't break into murmurs. Maybe there was hope yet.
"Give your all, today, or better yet…" Aizawa smirked at them, daring the brats to surpass his expectations "…go beyond, go Plus Ultra".
Ah, he liked those growing looks of determination. Fearful or apprehensive, yet decisive. It was what set apart the losers from the winners, the civilians from the heroes… the sheep from the wolves. Who knew? Maybe Aizawa would get the chance to teach that year. Ha, as if.
"Alright, trot around the running track as a warm up" Aizawa ordered.
The students were hesitant. Of course, all it took was for the overly robotic Iida to start running for the rest to follow. Bakugo, unwilling to be second, chased after the bespectacled classmate, while the two recommendation students, the rich girl Yaoyorozu Momo and the icy Todoroki Shoto, followed suit. After that, the rest started trotting.
When they finished the warm up, Aizawa gave them a few minutes, mostly to see how they would act. Iida, ever the enthusiastic one by the looks of it, started stretching. Like before, the same three followed suit albeit keeping clear distance from each other. The rest of the class, perhaps recognizing the wisdom of stretching or perhaps out of habit, mirrored the robotic boy. As they did, the teacher noticed groups started to form. Oddly enough, Iida seemed to have drawn people towards him, differently from the others.
First, Uraraka Ochaco and Midoriya Izuku, for one reason or another, gravitated towards Iida. Given how they had been at the same battle centre, Aizawa was not surprised Aoyoma Yuga joined them. Aizawa was surprised to find Shoji Mezo and Fumikage Tokoyami in the mix, stretching with the group. Iida appeared to start giving a lecture about the importance of stretching, but Aizawa could tell that most had intended to approach Midoriya. By the hushed words, they probably wanted to learn about their homeroom teacher.
The first test was the fifty metre run and no one dared speak. There was fear and determination in the air, as the student focused on the task at hand. Next to the running track, students stood with grim firm faces. Aizawa was starting to like this batch… not that he would ever admit it.
The teacher called the first pair of runners - Iida and the frog-girl Tsuyu Asui – and the Quirk Apprehension Test began in full swing. Each pair summoned would take their places, run as fast as possible and then hear the resulting time from start to finish by a robotic camera on the finish line. Aizawa studied each pair, analysing the effort put by each student. So far, he had found the overall level of his would-be students… acceptable. They still had room to screw up, though.
The starting panic and fear ebbed away, replaced by some exhilaration. It wasn't everyday they got to use their quirks in mock competition, and an air of levity threatened to overtake the class. Things, of course, couldn't possible run smoothly. Something had to go wrong at some point.
"Midoriya, Bakugo" Aizawa called.
"Do your best Midoriya" Iida promptly said with a nod.
"You can do it!" Uraraka excitedly added.
Midoriya, though, had a face of determination – and fear. Bakugo, on his part, squinted angrily at the green haired boy as they marched to the starting line. They took their positions, leaned forward and- POOF.
Aizawa had been supposed to start the run. He was, however, surprised when Midoriya burst into a faint cloud of white smoke. He knew Midoriya's quirk, having witnessed it first hand during the Entrance Exam… or at least, he had thought he did. After all, Aizawa had no idea Midoriya could do that.
"What the fuck?!" Bakugo shouted. "Since when can you turn into a fox?!"
And a fox he was. A green one at that, and almost as big as a wolf. Aizawa glanced at the students, and noticed that Iida and Uraraka, who probably knew more about Midoriya's quirk than Aizawa, were just as perplexed. Fox Midoriya merely tilted his head and readied himself.
"Ready" Aizawa said. Bakugo hastily forgot about Midoriya and prepared. He did, however, send one final confused glare at the fox next to him. "Set… GO!"
And go they did. Fox-Midoriya sprinted at full speed while Bakugo used his explosions to propel himself at insane speeds. Not surprisingly, Bakugo made it first. However, the fox had been fast – faster than any human could possibly run. Once done, there was another poof and Midoriya was back to his human self.
That was not the form he had taken during the Entrance Exam, Aizawa remembered. In fact, Aizawa hadn't been aware Midoriya could take more than one extra form.
"Oy, Deku, since when do you have a quirk?!" Bakugo roared.
Midoriya timidly turned towards the explosive teen.
"It- it is a recent thing, Kachan, and-" he meekly responded.
"Don't give me that crap!" Bakugo spat, grabbing Midoriya by his uniform. "You are quirkless! You don't just get a quirk!"
Aizawa sighed. He hated drama like that… still, as irritated by Bakugo's attitude, Aizawa felt something awfully wrong. Bakugo didn't know Midoriya's quirk? How? According to what Aizawa had learned, they had gone to the same institutions since kindergarten. Something was amiss here. Of course, first he had to stop the ensuing conflict before it escalated further.
"Were you hiding it from me?!" Bakugo yelled.
"Oy, what's your problem?" Uraraka angrily said, followed by an equally incensed Iida.
"This is absolutely unacceptable" Iida haughtily chided.
"Enough!" Aizawa hissed.
His eyes glowed red and his long hanging locks stood upwards. The class looked at him, amazed (and scared out of their wits), as the teacher concentrated his quirk on Bakugo. Of course, Aizawa knew it would affect Midoriya given the proximity to each other. Thus, the last thing he expected was for Midoriya to go POOF again. Instead of a fox, however, Midoriya had a much more familiar form.
Bakugo's jaw fell, hanging in surprise, at the boy he was holding. Aizawa, quirk activated, masked his surprise. Midoriya, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded. Bakugo's surprise was short-lived.
"What the fuck, Deku?! How-?"
"Don't touch me!" Midoriya growled, baring sharp canine teeth at Bakugo.
Nine long green tails flailed angrily behind the now feral looking boy. Fox ears were flat on his head while his emerald eyes bore into Bakugo's gaze with malice. Aizawa didn't miss the dangerously sharp claws on Midoriya's hand.
"If you don't cease this childhood drama, consider yourselves expelled" Aizawa warned.
Bakugo stepped back, scowling, while Midoriya hissed. Aizawa frowned as he deactivated his quirk (his eyes were starting to get annoyingly dry). Midoriya's personality had somehow done a complete 180º turn. Whereas he had been meek and pathetic, this form seemed ready to bite down on Bakugo's throat.
That's Midoriya's true form, Aizawa realized. His quirk isn't an emitter type. It is primarily an enhancement type with a core mutant quirk. He squinted suspicious at the green haired boy. Why was the quirk file wrong, then?
"Tch… whatever" Bakugo muttered, walking away from the tracks.
Midoriya seemed to calm down after that, although he didn't stop squinting until Bakugo had walked far enough. When he did, he noticed the surprised faces on the other students, and Aizawa saw how guilt, shame and – was it fear? – inundate the fox-boy's face. Midoriya looked away, grimacing, before transforming to his human form.
"Are you alright, Midoriya?" Iida asked, resting a hand on Midoriya's shoulder.
The boy flinched, looking fearfully at the hand, before hesitantly nodding.
"That jerk. Seriously, what's wrong with him?" Uraraka grumbled, glaring at Bakugo.
"Enough of this" groaned Aizawa. "Let's just get this test over with".
And so they did. As they finished each test, Aizawa concentrated back on the individual students. He did find his attention deviating to the onlookers, taking in the class dynamics. After their little scuffle, students were giving Bakugo a wide berth. Bakugo, in turn, looked like he couldn't care less. In fact, it actually looked like Bakugo wasn't done with Midoriya.
Why do I get the impression Bakugo bullied Midoriya for most of the fox boy's life? Aizawa thought. He looked at Midoriya, who albeit regaining the previous meek self, seemed a bit shaken – and ashamed. There was something wrong with the boy, something relating to his quirk… or maybe his self-esteem?
In the end, tests went on without a hitch and Bakugo apparently learned his lesson. Aizawa learned that, yes, Midoriya could turn into either a fox or in his hybrid nine-tailed fox-human form. The former was faster and the latter was stronger. That and those nine tails of his worked as dangerous appendages. While far weaker than Mashirao Ojiro's one tail (seriously, that one tail allowed the kid to almost fly), Aizawa had seen Midoriya destroy robots with them, stretching out three metres at most and harden into piercing drills. They worked as springs to increase his jumps (a move Midoriya copied from Ojiro) or as extra arms to increase his grabbing strength (something he copied from Mezo Shoji's multi-armed quirk).
And yet, Midoriya always reverted to that wimpy human look. Aizawa didn't like to make rushed guesses, but it looked like Midoriya avoided changing forms like the plague. Considering the feral display of the nine-tailed form, Aizawa wondered if perhaps Midoriya wasn't apprehensive of his wilder side. Aizawa wasn't going to prod, though.
The final test came and went, and soon students stood with pale faces and quivering hands, sweat on their faces, awaiting the final verdict. Aizawa took a moment to look at each of them. He wasn't going to deny he enjoyed that look of fear in them.
"Time to decide who'll get expelled" Aizawa declared. There was a chorus of gulps and squeaks. He smirked. "All of you…"
There were looks of horror, looks of anger, looks of dejection… boy, Aizawa sure enjoyed it all.
"…were acceptable".
Silence. Aizawa turned around and started walking away. Twenty pairs of eyes stared at his departing back, dumbfounded.
"See you tomorrow then" Aizawa dismissively added without turning around.
Had they seen his face, they would have noticed the grin of satisfaction on their teacher's face. This was a good batch. Hopefully they wouldn't screw up…
Chapter III
Class 1-A trudged back to the classroom and proceeded to take their seats. A few sat on the tables, other on the chairs, and a few merely knelt over and remained on the floor, still shaken. Even the cold-faced Todoroki seemed eager to remain seated. There was, of course, one exception.
"Oy, stop your whining, you extras! Oy, you Bubble Head, move out of my way!" Bakugo shouted.
"Hey, what's your problem, man?" Mineta Minoru yelled back.
"I said - MOVE IT!" Bakugo roared, explosions bursting out of his palms.
Mineta squeaked and rushed away. Bakugo proceeded to send one last growl at the petite boy before grabbing his bag and leaving.
"Wait, you are already leaving?" Iida asked.
"What do you want me to do, Four eyes? Stay to sing kumbaya?" Bakugo scoffed. He turned to leave, only to pause and turn to Midoriya. "And you, Deku – I am not done with you…" And with that, he set off.
No sooner had he vanished behind the door, the students released a sigh of relief.
"What a piece of work…" Mina Ashido huffed. "What's his problem?" She turned towards Midoriya, who grimaced.
"Yeah! He seems to really hate your guts" Uraraka hummed.
"That's Kachan being Kachan" mused Midoriya with a lopsided smile.
"Hold on, are you friends or something?" Kirishima Ejiro asked, confused. "Because you looked ready to kill him when you were all fox like".
He wasn't the only one bewildered by the two boys. Midoriya, though, was reluctant to say anything so he merely shrugged.
"Alright everyone! I presume that classes are over. However, there might be perhaps material our teacher forgot to hand over" Iida exclaimed, refreshed by the sense of duty. Todoroki, amidst others, froze halfway through picking their schoolbags to leave.
"I was wondering about that" Yaoyorozu said. "I was under the impression that there was working material to be given at the start of the day, a guide regarding the school's facilities and proper access to them". She turned towards Iida. "Perhaps we should find the teacher's office and inquire further".
"That sounds like a proper course of action. I volunteer to go" Iida proclaimed, enthusiastically raising his two hands.
"I-I'll go with you" Midoriya spluttered. "M-maybe we'll have to bring something back, right?"
"Ah yes, you are correct" Iida nodded. "Then let us depart!"
"You are a bit of a weirdo, aren't you? Ribbit" Tsuyu blunted commented.
Iida chocked, flustered, while the rest of the class chuckled.
"He's just a bit… enthusiastic" Midoriya interceded with a friendly smile. "Can't blame him, can you? We are in UA, after all".
"He has a manly point" Kirishima hummed in agreement.
"What is it with you and manliness?" The massive muscular Rikido Sato inquired.
While Eijiro Kirishima tried to enlighten his fellow classmates regarding the intricacies of manliness, Iida and Midoriya walked out, the former having recovered from the previous embarrassment. Once outside, they faced an important issue: finding the teacher's office. Tentatively, they decided on marching onwards, at least until they came across a student or a teacher to ask.
Unfortunately, it appeared classes were still in full swing and no one was in the corridors. Midoriya didn't mind. He needed to walk to clear his thoughts, even if he was in the company of Iida who… oh dear, Iida was giving a lecture and he hadn't noticed.
"Oy, it's you!"
Midoriya paused and turned around. To his surprise, a very family girl grinned at him, amused.
"So… did you survive Aizawa or what?" The rabbit girl asked.
"Y-yes, we kind of did" Midoriya sheepishly replied. "But he kind of left us to our own devices…"
"Hold on, you weren't expelled?" The rabbit girl gasped, surprised. She gave Midoriya the once over. "Really? You must have somehow impressed him… what did say your quirk was again?"
"Excuse us, fellow student, but we were presently searching for the teacher's lounge" Iida interceded.
The rabbit girl turned towards Iida, and like Midoriya, quickly studied the boy from head to toes.
"Walk down those stairs, take a right turn and you should find it straight ahead" the rabbit girl said. "I guess I should go now… urgh" she groaned, turning around.
"We appreciate your kind guidance, fellow student!" Iida exclaimed, bowing at the departing rabbit girl.
"Whatever" dismissively huffed the girl.
With directions, the two boys made it to the teacher's lounge. The room itself consisted of a series of desks, each belonging to a different teacher and with a computer. One desk in particular had tall stacks of notebooks. At the moment, though, there was no teacher. Instead, they met the Principal.
"Why hello there, young ones!" A chirpy squeaky voice called.
Looking down, Midoriya and Iida saw… something, something in a fine suit and barely reaching Midoriya's waist.
"I know what you are thinking. Is he a rat? Is he a bear? Is he a dog? Yes, he is the Principal!" The white petite rat-bear-dog thing exclaimed with glee. "I am Principal Nezu at your service".
"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir!" Iida bowed at the being. Midoriya hastily followed Iida's example.
"Ah, you must be from class 1-A I presume" Nezu hummed, stroking his chin. "I presume you came in search for the curriculum, schedules and any material you should have been given today?"
"Ehm… y-yes, s-sir" Midoriya stammered.
"I expected as much" Nezu admitted with a smile. "That is what you are looking for. Please, hand it over to your classmates if you can" he pointed at the desk with the piles of notebooks.
Had he been... waiting for them? Midoriya frowned at such a thought. No, it couldn't be. However, he just couldn't understand why the Principal would just be hanging around the teacher's office when they were all in class.
"That's… quite a lot" Iida said, eyeing the piles. "We will require two trips or additional assistance".
"Th-that won't be n-necessary" Midoriya sighed, despondent.
There was a faint poof and a nine-tailed Midoriya replaced the human one. His tails extended over to the desk and, almost like tentacles of the mighty kraken, delicately curled around the notebooks to pick them up. Iida watched, impressed as Midoriya balanced four piles on his tails, before handing one to Iida and taking another one with his claws.
"Quite the versatile quirk" Nezu hummed. Midoriya did not like that knowing glint in those black beady eyes. "Say, Midoriya, if you do require any assistance in achieving your quirk's full potential, you should seek guidance from the teachers…" a smirk stretched on the rat-dog-bear being "…Recovery Girl and Hound Dog can help you, as can Midnight".
To Iida's confusion, Midoriya's face lit up like a dying sun. His ears flattened against his green curls and he gulped. Iida stared at the fox-boy, baffled. Had the Principal offered him such honour he would have been most ecstatic.
"Th-that w-won't be necessary" he spluttered, flustered.
"If you say so…" Nezu said with a bright shimmer in those intelligent beady eyes of his.
"L-let us g-go, Iida" Midoriya mumbled.
Principal Nezu waved at them in what Iida considered a friendly manner. However, Iida couldn't help but notice Midoriya's grimace. He was also a bit surprised by the prior exchange.
Once outside, Iida kept studying Midoriya. The green haired boy seemed different, aside from the obvious. Somehow, the now feral looking version had lost its meekness, carrying himself with renewed strength. He also appeared lost in thought. With a pile of notebooks in their arms and in Midoriya's tails, the pair traversed the corridors of UA.
"Midoriya, may I interrupt your thoughts with an inquiry?" Iida politely said.
"There is no need to be so polite, Iida" Midoriya kindly replied, offering a toothy smile. Iida didn't miss those sharp teeth of his. "But yes, ask away…" he calmly added.
"Why did the Principal offer Professor Midnight's assistance? I do understand the school guidance councillor and, maybe, the school nurse… but why the Modern Hero Art History teacher?"
"Midnight is the what now?" Izuku asked, baffled. "Oh-oh it- it is nothing, really…" he grumbled. "Y-you see I-I developed m-my quirk a b-bit later than most you so- so I s-still need to control…"
Iida raised an eyebrow, both intrigued and concerned.
"May I ask how much later?"
"L-let us s-say I didn't have a quirk throughout Grade School" Midoriya warily chuckled.
Iida stopped walking, unable to believe Midoriya.
"You jest!" Iida gasped. "You developed your quirk late and still made it into U.A.?" When he saw Midoriya's crestfallen expression, Iida knew he had touched a sensitive subject. "I apologize for my rudeness. It simply is… I was under the impression Quirks always developed early during our childhoods at the age of four."
"Not in all cases…" Midoriya morosely said, marching onwards. Iida hurried to catch up. "Sometimes, they have extreme activation conditions. Other times…" Midoriya sighed, ears conveying a deep sorrow and shame "…the user may unconsciously keep his quirk inactive".
Iida knew he had to change the subject. But how? What could he say? He didn't want to be rude or insistent… but he was too damn curious! Just how much later did Midoriya develop his quirk? A couple of years? Did that mean he had initially been diagnosed as quirkless? Iida had a mighty need for questions! Sadly, before he could formulate a question, they had made it back to the classroom.
"Hey guys!" Uraraka called.
Iida and Midoriya placed the notebooks on the teacher's desk. There, they divided thirty eight of them (two each student) between them. All the while, people sent Midoriya curious glances as he handed each pair of notebooks (a schedule and some school rules and a guide to school facilities and more rules).
"Ha, neat. Those tails of yours sure are something" Ojiro said with a sincere smile.
"They aren't as strong yours, though" Midoriya rebutted.
"Just what is the deal with your quirk, man?" Hanta Sero asked, scratching his head. "You can turn into a fox and into a fox boy but your fox-boy form also has super tails and claws?"
"Sounds a bit overpowered to me" Kyoka Jiro said.
"Indeed, mon ami! Our furry friend here is most powerful" Yuga Aoyama said, sparkling as he posed. "He was able to take down a Zero-Pointer by the power of his furriness alone".
"You did what now?!" Minoru Mineta cried out.
"What is a Zero-Pointer?" Momo Yaoyorozu tentatively asked, baffled.
"They are this big ass robots from the Entrance Exam! Like – skyscraper huge!" Toru Hagakure, the invisible girl, exclaimed.
"No way!" Kaminari said, amazed.
"That is so MANLY!" Kirishima added.
"Yeah, he was so cool! I was all like 'oh no, I'm stuck here' and he was all like 'grrr' and then the robot was all 'beep boop' and then he jumped and it was all pew pow KABOOM" Uraraka, with stars sparkling in her eyes, retold. She looked around, blushing by the way everyone stared at her.
"That… was quite the odd storytelling" the bird-head boy, Fumikage Tokoyami, remarked.
Midoriya poofed back to his human form, thoroughly embarrassed.
"It- it was-wasn't that im-impressive! Th-the robot w-wasn't th-that big and- and-" Midoriya hurriedly pleaded.
"Geez, learn to take a compliment" chuckled Rikido Sato, with Koji Koda nodding beside him.
The class shared a hearty laugh, sans Todoroki who had slipped away while no one was looking, before they started filing out themselves. It seemed that they had survived their first day in UA and, at the moment, they couldn't care less about whatever problems would follow.
Chapter IV
Midoriya looked down at his notebook, re-reading his latest entry. As the subway stopped and people poured in, Midoriya closed Hero Analysis for the Future Nº15 and gave his seat to the nearest person. He had been thinking of writing more about his classmates, but he wasn't sure if that was prudent. For all he knew, he would need more space to write so maybe he had to wait to see them use their quirks in action… but boy was it hard to contain his quirk analysis.
"Whatcha thinking about?"
"ARGH!" POOF
Every head in the train turned towards the human boy turned fox-boy as said green-haired teenager held his heart. Midoriya found he had been startled by none other than the rabbit girl, who was currently laughing her arse off. Thankfully, people ignored him soon after. He glared murderously at the white-haired girl.
"S-sorry" she snickered, tears of joy rolling down his cheek. "I just – I just didn't expect you to transform or something". She took a soothing breath and regained her calm, laid-back demeanour "so that's your quirk, huh?"
"It's called: none of your business" growled Midoriya. He blinked, surprised, before hastily adding. "S-sorry, I-I didn't mean to sound th-that angry…"
The girl, who remained unfazed, tilted her head in confusion.
"Uh, so you are some kind of emitter type? Or are you a mutant type?" She wondered, interested.
"I rather not talk about it…" Midoriya sighed, ashamed, before puffing back into his human form. "I guess you are a mutant type?"
"Yep. My Quirk is called Rabbit" the girl proudly responded. "Self-explanatory, right? What's the matter with your quirk? If it managed to impress the likes of Aizawa then it got to be something else, right?"
"It is just… well…" Midoriya mumbled. "It is complicated, alright?"
"Oh-ho, now I am more curious" the girl mused. "But to each their own, right?"
The two didn't speak, standing side by side, as the train stopped again and more people poured in. The crowd pushed the two UA students rather close together, making her smirk at him while he blushed and averted his eyes.
"What's the matter, Fox Boy? You don't bite, do you?" She teased.
Midoriya grimaced, earning a guffaw from her. Thankfully, they didn't talk after that. They reached their station and, by some silent agreement, walked side by side towards the school. They didn't exchange a word, though, perhaps comforted by the other's presence but unwilling to engage in any inane talk. They didn't even bid farewells – or spare a glance - once they made it to the school, setting off to their respective classrooms.
Before long, Midoriya discovered that, whilst he was in a Hero school, it was still a high school. After a tense roll call with Aizawa, Class 1-A had English and Math. Even if Pro-Heroes taught it, it was weird. Part of Midoriya wanted to be a fanboy, the other wanted to be a respectful student. In any case, he made it to lunch without embarrassing himself. Lunch time was quite the experience. Even the school's cook was a Pro Hero.
One thing that amazed Midoriya was the stark difference between his Middle School experience in comparison to High School. Somehow, he had landed an almost friendly relationship with various classmates, including Iida, Uraraka and Aoyoma. Mezo Shoji, Koji Koda, Fumikage Tokoyami and Rikido Sato also shared the same table, although they were a distinctively quiet part of the conversation. Meanwhile, Mina Ashido and Eijiro Kirishima were the life of the lunchroom with the others. Todoroki and Bakugo were the sole exceptions, choosing to sit on their own and as far away as possible from everyone.
Then came the evening, and the one class everyone was looking forward to: Heroics. They had all made their guesses regarding that class but it was bound to be different from the almost ordinary classes they had had thus far. Who knew? Maybe they got to wear their own costumes…
"Do you think we'll spar or something?" Uraraka asked from her seat.
"I don't know…" Midoriya wondered, also seated. He looked around. To his surprise, everyone was in waiting for Heroics class to begin. Maybe they all shared the same Aizawa induced trauma. "It is a bit early for anything practical, right? Maybe it will be just theory?"
Iida clearly thought so if the already open folder and pens were anything to go by. Midoriya wasn't so sure. In fact, no one knew what Pro-Hero was teaching their class. There was, however, a very common guess between the classmates.
"I AM COMING THROUGH THE DOOR…"
"No way" the students gasped and turned their heads, shocked.
"…LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" All Might, dressed in his silver age costume, said whilst entering in the most abnormal way possible. Then again, All Might was far from normal.
"Holy crap" someone squealed (and it wasn't Midoriya).
"Greetings, young ones, are you ready for some heroics?" All Might asked with his trademarked smile.
Everyone burst into a thundering "yeah!" Even the likes of Koda and Shoji joined in.
"Then let us waste no time! Today, you shall learn the basics of heroism and that, young ones, is best learnt through practice! So let us go to Ground B" All Might said. "Before any of that, however, you are going to be wearing something special…" he raised a hand, revealing a remote control. He pressed a button and, from a side wall, different boxes – or rather, large suitcases - slid out. They each had a student's name.
"Are those…?" Kaminari asked.
"Why, they are your costumes of course!" All Might laughed.
The class proceeded to lose it right then and there with excitement. The only one who didn't share the enthusiasm, however, was Midoriya. He was more concerned than anything, frowning at the suitcase with his name. Not that anyone noticed given how eager they were to run for their suitcase and follow after All Might.
Twenty minutes later, the entire class was gathered for what All Might had called the Battle Trial. Grounds B, they quickly discovered, was a massive mock city that was perhaps a tad too realistic. Gathered at the entrance to the grounds, they students took a moment to compliment each other's costume.
"Huh, that's not what I expected" Uraraka told Midoriya, eyeing him with a raised eyebrow.
"R-really?" Midoriya awkwardly looked down at himself
His costume was a full-body jumpsuit with a red belt, elbow pads, knee pads and gloves, along with red boots. Hanging from his neck was a simple black breather that was mostly esthetical. Truly, compared to a few, his costume was perhaps too simple. He had wanted to have All Might-like protrusions and a hood, as well as a painted smile on the breather to mimic All Might's, but sadly his mother had put her foot down and prohibited it. Had it been up to her, Midoriya's costume would have look very different.
"I expected something more... eh... foxy?" Uraraka said. "I like it. It is just like- I don't know... like, Iida dressing like a Gundam Wing makes sense. He is half robot already".
Midoriya sweatdropped at that. Didn't Uraraka know Iida's costume was based on his own Hero family costumes?
"Maybe I shouldn't talk. It's n-not like I got w-what I wanted…" she mumbled, blushing, as she struggled with her very tight costume. Midoriya, in turn, tried not to ogle, face heated with embarrassment.
"Quiet down and let us begin, shall we? First, allow me to explain the basics: today, you will be randomly assigned into teams of two. Then, also at random, one team shall act the part of villains whilst another shall be the heroes. The rest, while they wait their turn, shall watch and learn from their peers" All Might started explaining, only to be interrupted by a raised hand. "Yes, Iida?"
"Sir, why can't we choose a companion that best suits us for each team?" Asked (or rather shouted) the overly enthusiastic Iida.
"I think that's the point, Iida" Midoriya replied before he could stop himself. "In real life most heroes don't get to choose who they work with. The best heroes, after all, are those who adapt best to their situation – including teammates". He blinked, before blushing and spluttering incoherently as he realized everyone was staring at him.
"Ehm – yes, excellent answer young Midoriya!" All Might said, clearing his throat. Iida seemed satisfied with the answer as well. "Now, where was I? Right! The challenge! For each battle, villains will protect a mock nuclear bomb and avoid heroes from recovering it. They win if the heroes fail to recover the weapon before the fifteen minute mark or if they capture the heroes. Heroes, in turn, win if they recover the weapon or capture the villains".
Midoriya frowned. Had All Might memorized the entire explanation? It sure sounded like it. Not that he minded. He was the Number One Hero and he was teaching them!
"To recover the weapon heroes only require to touch it. Capture is achieved by tying a target's hands with this tape that shall be provided to each fighter" he waved a small tape-box. "If I declare your capture, then you must step aside and not interfere. Other than that, you might engage in full combat with your adversaries".
Suddenly, most classmates weren't so excited anymore, especially when they noticed a thrilled Bakugo causing small explosions in his palms. Midoriya saw Uraraka gulp at that. She wasn't the only one. Others stared, apprehensive. One thing was using your quirk against robots, another was using it against fellow classmates – or being on the receiving end of someone else's quirk.
"Are you sure that is a good idea, ribbit?" Tsuyu wondered.
"I understand your doubts, young ones, but you must understand this is the life you have chosen. Heroes require the ability to avoid serious harm coming to civilians or the villains. If you however feel the situation is overwhelming, you may surrender or ask for a pause – although I'll be the final judge of that. On the first sign of someone overreaching, I will intervene and stop the exercise. Cause undue harm…" he sent a quick glance towards Bakugo "…and you WILL be expelled".
A long moment of silence ensued.
"Now, time for the draws!" All Might proclaimed.
Midoriya was happy when he was in the same team as Uraraka, although he wondered if he would be able to function properly with the blush on his face. However, his joy vanished as the teams were assigned their roles.
"First Battle: Team A as Heroes versus Team D as villains!" All Might called. "That would be Midoriya and Uraraka against Iida and Bakugo!"
Bakugo sent one last murderous smirk towards a frightened team A before heading to their designated hideout. Midoriya and Uraraka waited outside the tall building they had to venture, all while the rest of the class went to an observation room. They had five minutes to figure a plan…
"Are you alright?" A clearly wary Uraraka shakily asked.
"Y-yes…" Midoriya nodded, before adding "…ok, no, I am not…" he closed his eyes. "It had to be Kachan…"
"Midoriya" Uraraka called. Midoriya opened his eyes, only to jump back at Uraraka's hardcore determined face. "Let us give our all and win this!"
Midoriya stared at her, before nodding with a smile. "Yes…" he looked up at the building "…I want to win".
Somewhere inside, Bakugo probably was waiting eagerly for the match to start.
"We need a plan" he said. Midoriya knelt and placed the schematics of the so-called lair down. Uraraka knelt opposite him, surprised by this determined teammate. "They will put the bomb here". He placed a finger. "Or rather, Iida will probably decide it is the best option".
"How can you know that?"
"I know Kachan. He is driven, powerful and born for combat. However, Kachan is a terrible team-player and likes fighting alone, so I believe he will force Iida to guard the bomb and come to hunt us. Iida, in turn, isn't an idiot. His quirk, Engine, requires space for acceleration, and it is best to have mobility to escape the two of us if we overcome Kachan. So… he'll chose the biggest room in the top floor – where will takes us longest to reach". He stroke his chin, studying Uraraka "he'll also clear everything you can use with your Zero Gravity quirk".
"Wow, I didn't know you were so smart" Uraraka said with a grin.
Midoriya lost all semblance of seriousness, spluttering incoherently as his face reddened.
"Right… I-I have to tell you about my quirk…" Midoriya mumbled. "It- it is called – it is called…" he trailed off, looking down.
"Hey, it is alright! I won't laugh" Uraraka promised. "We are teammates, right? That means we have to trust each other!"
Midoriya took a deep breath.
"You are right" he sighed, regaining his determination. "My quirk is called Nine Tailed Fox. It- it allows me to take different forms, each with a set of strength and weaknesses".
"Ah, you mean your Fox-Boy form and your Fox form, right?" Uraraka guessed.
"Ehm… n-not just those" Midoriya, trembling, said. "I have other forms too. I think I'll unlock nine… so far I've unlocked five".
"Heroes, you may enter!" All Might's voice echoed across the battle ground.
"Let's go" Uraraka said. "We don't have time to waste!"
Midoriya nodded and followed after her. They rushed in and up to the first floor, after which Uraraka stepped back and allowed Midoriya to guide them. Somehow, he was able to memorize the map schematics. After the first floor, they knew they had to be cautious. With a plan whispered between them, they carried on.
They were surprised when they heard no explosions echo across the building. In fact, the silence was far more concerning than anything. Bakugo, much to Midoriya's fears, was probably waiting somewhere. That wasn't like Bakugo, but Midoriya was not about to underestimate him. Tentatively, they marched forward, wasting time by carefully checking the corners and corridors. The two mock heroes had to hurry, or they would lose out of cautiousness.
"There is no other way, then… we have to hurry!" Midoriya muttered.
Uraraka frowned at his teammate, only for Midoriya to transform into his nine-tailed form. His ears perked up, carefully listening. He walked out and beckoned Uraraka to follow him. With that, they broke into a trot. Uraraka wondered why Midoriya hadn't used his quirk before. Unbeknownst to her, she wasn't the only one.
When Bakugo struck, not even Midoriya's keen ears gave them enough of a warning. How could they? One moment they were running past a corridor to their side, the next someone was shouting "DEKU!" It was followed by a fierce explosion. Problem was, by that point, Midoriya had made it past the corridor to their right. Thus, when a raging Bakugo came flying towards them, Uraraka was his sole target.
"DIE!" Bakugo roared, hand coming down on a frightened Uraraka.
BOOM.
Bakugo stared, surprised, as his palm rested on something hard. Was it… hair? He looked where he had landed an explosion, and he stepped back, shocked, to find a massive caccoon of sorts. No, not a cocoon, it was a ball caused by enveloping tails. He jumped back with an explosion, grinning like a maniac, as the tails parted. Bakugo's blood chilled, though, as he saw the glowing slit eyes of a growling Midoriya, standing right behind a shaking Uraraka.
"Uraraka…" Midoriya said as his tails retracting behind him. "Go find the bomb" he stepped in front of Uraraka. "I'll join you shortly…"
Shakily, Uraraka nodded and run away. Bakugo, far from intimidated, felt a thrill. His grin, almost sadistic, couldn't stretch any further.
"It's you and me, Deku!" Bakugo called. "Do you think that now you have some stupid quirk you can do anything? You are pathetic! You can't beat me!"
Midoriya's ears flattened behind him while he lowered his body. He looked more animal than human, ready to pounce. The tails bent around Midoriya, their tips aimed at the explosive boy.
"Come on, you worthless piece of shit!" Bakugo roared, grinning like a maniac.
Midoriya didn't need to be told twice. His tails shot forwards, spearing at Bakugo with deadly intent. The explosive boy, however, would not be undone. With practiced ease, Bakugo dodged the first tail, and slammed the second away from him. He jumped high in the air, boosted by explosions on his palms, as the rest of the tails promised to skew him alive. Bakugo kept that grin of his, noticing how the tails buried in the concrete walls and floor.
So that's how he destroyed the worthless robots during the Entrance Exam, Bakugo mused. Pathetic! Too slow for me!
"DIE!" Bakugo laughed, propelling himself at an open Midoriya.
The green-haired fox boy stared, paralized, as he realized the precarious situation he was in. With his tails retracting, he couldn't move. He just didn't have the battle instincts to act in time.
Bakugo delivered a powerful explosion on Midoriya's stomach, launching him backwards. To Midoriya's credit, he rolled backwards and reared back on his feet, a hand clenching his scorched stomach. His angry snarl wasn't that intimidating now, pain showing on his visage.
"What? You thought that now that you had some stupid-ass quirk you could beat me?!" Bakugo yelled. "I've trained for this! Sweat, Blood and even fucking tears! Years and years to make it here!"
Midoriya bent down and growled at Bakugo. Tails readied for another barrage.
I am not going to run, Midoriya thought as he glared at the explosive teen. I will stand and fight! I am no longer weak, Bakugo, and I'll show you that I too can be like All Might.
"DIE!" Bakugo yelled, exploding forward.
This time, Midoriya was more cautious with his tails. He used four, each easily dodged by someone with the reflexes of Bakugo. However, as he was about to land another hit on Midoriya, the fox boy didn't use his tails. Instead, he swiped his dangerously sharp claws. However, it was a foolish attempt.
Bakugo dodged the attack with ease and slammed his two palms on each side of Midoriya's head, exploding. As expected, the Fox-Boy was left stunned by the attack, head ringing. Utterly defenceless, Bakugo striked again, delivering another explosive slap to Midoriya's gut. The green-haired boy was sent flying backwards.
The explosive teen stepped back, relishing in the moment. Did Midoriya really think he could beat him? Ha, as if. Midoriya, in turn, stumbled to his feet, holding himself on the wall. By then, there was a hole on his jumpsuit and the nasty burn there looked beyond painful.
"You can't beat me, Deku! You can't win! Round Face won't get past Four Eyes and you can't do shit to stop me!" Bakugo boasted.
Midoriya growled once again, tails ready to strike, only for him to pause, and frown at Bakugo. He looked down at his hands, almost as if confused. Bakugo raised an eyebrow, perplexed by this.
Why am I fighting like this? I know Bakugo's moves and I know I'll never manage to outmaneuver him. He was born for battle… his quirk IS for combat… while my quirk and I…Midoriya thought. He needed to fight smart and avoid some stupid fight for the sake of old rivalries.
Why was I so stupid?! I left Uraraka to fight against Iida alone! Midoriya berated himself. Now is not the time to play All Might!
"Maybe you are right…" Midoriya hissed "maybe I can't beat you in combat…" he smirked, making Bakugo's temper rise "…but I can win this".
The rabid look on Midoriya died down, that smile fixated on his face. His tails returned to stand behind him, and his ears perked up. Bakugo frowned.
"Come on, then" Midoriya grinned. "Hit me".
Bakugo didn't know what Midoriya's game was. He quickly shook his head and focused. It didn't matter. It was Deku. It wasn't like he would pull some killer move, right?
"Really? That's what you want?" Bakugo laughed. "Then here I go!"
Bakugo exploded forward, ready to destroy Midoriya. The fox boy, to Bakugo's mounting rage, didn't flinch. Instead, his smirk remained in place, defiant. Deku had the gall of smirking… at him?! He was going to kill that worthless piece of shit! He drew his right arm back, ready to deliver a powerful punch. There was no way Deku of all people would manage to dodge it!
And right he was… but Midoriya had no intention of dodging. Just as Bakugo was halfway through and had gained too much momentum to stop, just when one would think it was impossible to react, Midoriya's smirk turned into a grin - and he burst into a cloud of white smoke.
Bakugo landed well past the cloud of smoke and snapped his head behind him. The smoke had cleared, but instead of Midoriya as the fight-worthy fox-boy, there, standing and grinning at him… was a brat, a child replica of Midoriya's Fox-Human form, although with one large fluffy tail.
"Catch me if you can, Baka-go!" Chibi Midoriya squeaked, laughing, before running away.
Bakugo could only say one thing: "what the fuck?"
Unbeknownst to him, above him, a replica of the fox-child was crawling away on the ceiling and straight towards the bomb.
Chapter V
Uraraka slowly entered the large room, only to rush to the nearest concrete pillar. Thankfully, there were many of them to hide behind. Not far, she spotted the paper-mâché nuclear bomb. In front of it, standing guard, was Iida in his robot-knight costume.
"Midoriya, I found the bomb" Uraraka whispered to her ear communicator.
"Yeah, I can see that"
Uraraka nearly screamed at the squeaky voice behind him. Thankfully, she managed to cover her mouth. There, right behind her, was an amused child. No, not a child. Her brown eyes widened as she realized that it was Midoriya. Dressed in a child version of his costume and with one tail, the dark green hair and fur and those freckles screamed Midoriya. Uraraka had one word in her mind at the moment.
Oh – my – GOD he is so cute! Uraraka mentally squealed.
With those oversized fox tears, those whiskers and that fluffy tail the size of his body, he looked like a hugging stuffed doll! However, the injury on his tummy, on an exposed area on what looked like a green onesie gave Uraraka pause.
"Midoriya?" Uraraka tentatively asked.
"Shhh" child-Midoriya said. He peeked out and made sure Iida was still distracted. By the looks of it, the bespectacled teen was communicating – or at least trying to – with Bakugo. "Yep. This is my two-tailed form".
"Two tailed? But… ehm… you have one tail" Uraraka pointed out. Her eyes wandered back to his injury. "Are you alright? That wound looks bad…"
"That's because in this form I split in two, y'know?" Midoriya explained. "My other half is taunting Bakugo away from here and yeah, I'm alright. I can handle a bit of pain, y'know?"
The child gave a bright grin that Uraraka found endearing. Just how did Midoriya turn into such an adorable creature? To Uraraka's embarrassment, she just coulden't resist that smile, even though she knew this little boy was fifteen year old teenager.
"Oh, aren't you the bravest and cutest little fox-boy around here" Uraraka couldn't help it, she had to pet the cute toddler. Midoriya, on his part, seemed annoyed, until the girl's hand reached his ears and scratched there.
"Yes… yes I am" Midoriya purred, his tail wiggling with pleasure. He quickly snapped out of it and grabbed the offending hand. "N-now isn't the-the time for that…" he mumbled, flustered.
"Right! The bomb" Uraraka nodded, slapping her cheek. "What now?"
"Simple" Midoriya grinned. "You distract Iida and I get the bomb!" He gave a thumbs up and Uraraka, fighting the urge to strangle the cute toddler in a hug, replied with a thumb up of her own.
Iida, meanwhile, had given up on trying to communicate with Bakugo. Instead, he was angrily ranting about villainous teammates and the gall of Bakugo to just abandon him… then again, they were supposed to be heinous villains, right?
"Maybe I should embrace my villain side…" Iida hummed. "Right, that's it! I must embrace my inner villainy. Yes! I shall be… the epitome of evil! Bwahahaha!"
"PFFFT"
Iida, blushing with embarrassment underneath his helmet, snapped his head towards the entrance. He had forgotten to keep his attention towards the entrance.
"Who goes there? Reveal yourself!"
Uraraka, fighting her laughter, walked from behind a pillar.
"Stop laughing! I am evil!" Iida insisted.
That seemed to make Uraraka roll down, laughing. Iida felt an eyebrow twitch at that. Maybe he had to do something only a villain would do… but what? Oh, right, it was time for a monologue! He could get some time if he did that, right?
"Ha-ha, laugh to your heart's content, hero, but you won't stop me! For you see, I have prepared myself for this very encounter. I have removed any objects that may have served against me. Moreover, this room was strategically chosen to maximize my movement!" Iida boasted. Thankfully, Uraraka simply stood there, watching.
Iida raised an eyebrow. Why wasn't she running at him? It all looked like... a distraction. Cautiously, he paced around, looking behind the pillars of bare bare grey room.
"Where is Midoriya?" He wondered.
"He is distracting Bakugo" Uraraka innocently replied.
Iida squinted at her. Wait, what was her quirk again? Right, infinity girl… she removed gravity from objects she touched. Wait… no gravity… that could mean that… Iida snapped his head upwards. Thankfully, he didn't see Midoriya floating up there. He was, however, disturbed to find, crawling across the ceiling like a spider, was what looked like a child fox Midoriya.
"Midoriya, is that you?!" Iida exclaimed, shocked.
The child froze and, surprised, looked down. Yep, it was a child fox Midoriya, somehow stuck to the ceiling. Of course it was that. Wait, Uraraka! Iida snapped his head down and saw Uraraka rushing at him at full speed. He looked up and saw Midoriya, jumping straight to the bomb. This merited one response!
"Tactical retreat!" Announced Iida. He grabbed the bomb and accelerated away, leaving Midoriya to land on the floor and Uraraka to stare, dumbfounded, as Iida made it to the other side of the room.
"Are you alright, Midoriya?" Uraraka asked, helping the toddler up. The boy was rubbing his stomach, where Iida saw what could only have been inflicted by Bakugo.
"I-I think I-I scratched myself…" sniffed the child.
"Oh, don't you worry" Uraraka cooed.
"Wait, the bomb!" Midoriya exclaimed. He looked at Iida, who was giving a faraway monologue/lecture. Sadly for Iida, they barely made out what he was talking about.
"What are we going to do? He is too fast!" Uraraka said "and we are running out of time".
Midoriya froze as an idea hit him. "I-I c-can distract him b-but…" his head slowly turned to Uraraka. He looked as pale as a ghost "promise me you won't get mad at me, please". He proceeded to pout. "Who am I kidding? I'll commit Seppuku after this..."
"What exactly do you have in mind?" Uraraka asked, confused.
"J-just… just run to the bomb while I distract Iida" Midoriya mumbled. "Let's go!"
"Wait!" Uraraka beckoned, but the fox toddler didn't listen. He rushed towards Iida.
"Your attempts are in vain, heroes!" Iida laughed.
Just as they neared the bomb, Iida prepared himself for another tactical retreat. He grabbed the bomb. He was about to run away when Midoriya, still a good ten metres away, jumped high in the air.
"Uraraka, run and don't look back!" POOF.
Iida was dutifully watching, ready to speed away, when the white cloud faded and Midoriya revealed a new form. Needless to say, Midoriya had found quite the means to distract the mock villain. In fact, within an instant Iida forgot all about the bomb. Better yet, as Iida stared at the new form, he barely had enough room to think! His eyes were close to jumping out from his sockets. Was this real? Back in the observation room, many pairs of eyes were in similar state.
"Please, don't stare at me like that…" sultrily murmured a soft female voice.
There, standing where the child Midoriya had jumped, was the most attractive woman Iida had ever laid eyes upon. Tall, with an hourglass figure to die for, her long dark-green locks covered half her blushing face. Four tails wiggled behind her rather large butt as an arm tried to keep her rather huge bosom from showing. The worst part? That bosom of hers promised to tear Midoriya's already battered jumpsuit. No, that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was just how much tighter the jumpsuit had gotten with the clearly taller new form leaving almost nothing to the imagination.
Iida had a thousand lectures in his mind: from the indecency of it all to the absolute absurdity of employing such a form against him. And yet, Iida's mouth only released a long string of incoherent splutter.
"Hmmm… don't worry, Iida… I don't bite" she sexily purred, winking and blowing a kiss.
Iida wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks with him but he could have sworn a fist sized heart – the shape of those used to depict love in cartoons – flew straight at him. Still, in his shock, it struck him in full force. What exactly had hit him? Iida had no idea. However, it sure had quite the effect on him.
If Iida could barely formulate a word before, now he couldn't even think! His already hot blood grew hotter, promising to boil in his vessels, and his usually respectful eyes gained a mind of their own. To make matters a tad more embarrassing, blood started flowing less to the brain and more to – well – other parts. He had lost complete control of his body. Had he been hit by some kind of zombifying power?
Why can't I move? Why am I drooling? Iida thought, horrified at his body's lack of response. It was like being a spectator in his own body. And boy did he have a front view to that definitely attractive and hot –
No, Tenya, you are better than this! He desperately thought.
He saw woman Fox-Midoriya sigh, looking ashamed and rather flustered. She dropped the sexy pose, visibly thankful she had managed to ensnare Iida with whatever he had been hit by. Midoriya turned to a side, only to jump back, shocked by Uraraka's thunderstruck face.
"Uraraka, you were supposed to rush to the bomb!" The woman said in that annoyingly enthralling voice.
"Oh, right!" Uraraka spluttered, red-faced.
No, I can't lose like this! Iida shouted. Fight it, Tenya! You are no drooling pervert! But it was futile. He could only think of the most indecent things. Come on, Tenya, fight! Your honour is at stake here! Think about what truly matters! Don't lose focus on the most important things of life!
Slowly, a hand rose. Uraraka was five metres away. Iida felt control return to his limb and his mind clearing.
"By the mighty power of the rules, I compel you!" Iida shouted. SLAP.
Uraraka and Midoriya blinked at Iida as he slapped himself. Midoriya suddenly gasped just as Iida fell to a knee, free from her Four-Tails special move. Uraraka, realizing her time was running out, sprinted towards the bomb.
"No so fast, heroes!" Laughed Iida, escaping in the nick of time.
"Damn it, I was so close!" Uraraka said, falling down where the large bomb used to be.
"We are running out of time" Woman Midoriya said. She knelt next to Uraraka, squinting at Iida not far from them.
"You can shoot him that- that… what the heck was that you did to Iida?" Uraraka replied, confused – and a bit miffed.
"I call it my Pheromone Strike, dear" Woman Midoriya purred with a smirk, only to scowl at her own words. "Sorry about that, Uraraka… these stupid forms are a bit out of control…" she giggled, covering her face in the most feminine manner possible.
Uraraka could only stare at the woman kneeling beside her. To think it was supposed to be a young teenager – a male teenager at that. Was Midoriya acting or was this truly a woman personality in there? And what the hell was with the sex appeal?
"Unfortunately, Mr Handsome Robot Boy appears to have broken out of my Pheromone Strike. Not that I am surprised… I rarely play in this form so my powers are still unrefined" Midoriya pouted, lush features twisting in what Uraraka could only call an alluring face. "Damn it!" She hissed, slapping herself. "Did I just call Iida Mr Handsome Robot Boy?!"
"Uraraka, I've got a plan, but we must be quick. Explosive Arse – I mean, Bakugo – must have figured out I am here and we mustn't have much time left" Midoriya whispered.
Iida, in turn, was trying to recuperate from the last attack. His blood was still boiling and heart drummed in his heart. Just what in the world was Midoriya capable of? He had witnessed the green haired boy transform into a fox, into a fox child and now into a very attractive – ehm – a fox woman. Just what else was in Midoriya's repertoire?
Uraraka and Midoriya finished their whispered discussion and, slowly approached Iida. The Engine-User glared at them. He was thankful he still had a helmet, even though it was stifling within it at the moment, because his eyes were shamefully escaping his control to wander off across Midoriya's body.
"Alright, dear, I must use my most dangerous form now" Midoriya hummed in her sensuous voice. "It is nothing personal, you handsome robot boy".
Iida felt a shiver run down his spine as Woman Midoriya winked at him – and to his shame it was not a shiver of fear. The moment was short-lived as Midoriya burst into a faint cloud of smoke. Iida stiffened and prepared for whatever Midoriya would throw at him. Hopefully it wouldn't be another sexy fox woman… not that Iida minded that much. It was as he leaned forward, ready to run, that Iida realized that whatever Midoriya had done to him had ebbed away. He had regained control of his body – and his decency-loving mind!
Laughter echoed across the chamber. Uraraka and Iida stared, bewildered, as the cloud vanished only to reveal none other than a female teenager Midoriya. This one had Three tails behind her and she was, thankfully, the same age as Uraraka and Iida. With a dark-green pixie haircut, this Midoriya carried an almost arrogant grin. More importantly for the still flustered Iida, this form had more of a Kyoka Jiro bodily form than the previous Midnight lookalike.
"You are screwed now, Four eyes!" Sadistically exclaimed Midoriya. "This form… is the hottest one yet!"
As it to make a point, actual fire burst from his hands. Iida stared, gobsmacked, as blue flames travelled across the fox's arms and lit her own tails. To his growing dread, Midoriya just laughed. Suddenly, Iida found himself reminded of Bakugo and, this time, shuddered with fear. Iida found odd, however, the way flames travelled towards Midoriya's stomach and accumulated over his injury. Then again, Iida had more pressing concerns at the moment.
"Careful!" Uraraka dramatically cried out, covering her face and stepping aside as if the flames were too intense.
"YOU HAVE PYROKINESIS NOW?!" Iida shouted at the top of his lungs.
Midoriya just laughed. She waved his left hand and Iida saw a wall of flames rise on his right. Iida's eyes widened. Before he knew it, Midoriya created another one on his left.
"Th-this is getting dangerous. Maybe we should stop" Uraraka pleaded.
"In your dreams, Cute face!" Midoriya exclaimed. Iida missed the wink she gave her teammate. "Charge!"
Iida spluttered, shocked, as the burning fox girl sped towards him. He looked at his sides. He was trapped. Worse, Midoriya was fast approaching with even more fire.
"Uraraka now!" Midoriya yelled, aiming his hands at Iida.
"DEKU!" A familiar angry voice roared.
Even from where he stood Iida could hear All Might's words ordering Midoriya to stand down. But it was too late. Flames flew towards Iida and, to his horror, saw them envelop him in a deadly embrace. There was only one thing he could do to survive: He screamed and started rolling on the ground. That wasn't how he wanted to die! How could Midoriya burn him alive? Was he crazy? Was he…?
Iida stopped rolling and, confused, blinked at the ceiling. He looked at himself. He was burning but at the same time, he felt nothing. In fact, the more he sat there, waiting to feel pain, the more realized that the flames weren't even warm. In an instant, the fire disappeared and a terrible knot form in Iida's gut. Iida gasped and snapped his head towards the bomb.
"The Heroes have recovered the weapon!" All Might announced. "The Hero Team wins!"
There, standing by the bomb, were Uraraka and Midoriya, a hand on the blasted thing. Both of them had wide grins on their faces. No sooner had the announcement been made, Midoriya jumped onto Uraraka and hugged the bubbly girl.
"We won!" The girls cheerfully exclaimed.
Iida, though, was still too shocked by what had happened. The girls broke their embrace, where a particular petite brunette was left blushing, and Midoriya turned to Iida. She walked to him, baring her sharp canines in a toothy grin, hands on her neck.
"Sorry about that, robot boy!" Midoriya said, offering a hand. "I didn't scare you too much with the fire, did I?"
Iida accepted the hand, only to be pulled up in a surprising bout of strength. So girl Midoriya was stronger than she looked like. As he looked down at the girl, Iida also realized this form was also shorter than the non-fox Midoriya. That and the open tattered hole that had exposed a grievous injury on Midoriya's stomach only showed smooth unscarred skin. How had Midoriya healed himself – herself – or was itself? This was going to be confusing for Iida, wasn't it?
"I'll admit… I was concerned about my health for a moment there" Iida confessed. He bowed his head. "I will concede it was a spectacularly clever move on your part".
"You were pretty amazing too, Robot Boy!" The girl said, patting Iida on the back. Sheepishly, she added "sorry about the whole Four-Tails thing…"
"Just… don't do it again" muttered Iida.
"Both teams, come to the observation room!" All Might called.
"Ha, in your face, Bitch!" Midoriya laughed, pointed at the entrance.
There, on his knees, was a shocked Bakugo. The fox girl laughed at him, a bit too viciously. Uraraka and Iida, however, were a bit apprehensive about the explosive teenager. The moment didn't last long as the fox girl suddenly stumbled back, groaning, and grabbing her head. All of a sudden, she didn't look so energetic and, instead, looked ready to collapse.
"Urgh... I'm going to have a migraine with so many transformations..." muttered Female Midoriya. She looked up at the ceiling with a revitalized grin. "I wonder what All Might thought about the fight".