Chapter 24: "Care to repeat what the hell you just said?"
Aizawa gave the class an explanation of the Sports Festival, an event Izuku was all too familiar with. He practically watched them religiously when they happened each year. All eight classes from a single year will compete against one another in a series of three events that would test their skills, be it mentally, physically, or in terms of their Quirks. The first two events also changed every year, so no one could predict what they'd be getting into until it was time to start, though Izuku noticed some patterns over the years.
The first event was always meant to trim the herd, cutting out about seventy five percent of the students, isolating the best before ditching the rest.
The second event, nine times out of ten, would then be a chance for the remaining students to show off their ability to work together, while also having more time for the spotlight to shine on them as individuals without having to compete against a hundred and fifty nine other students for attention.
The final round would then usually be a tournament featuring direct fights amongst the students, though the exact bracket types would change through the years, sometimes its four rounds of basic one on ones, sometimes it would be tag team fights, sometimes they got really eccentric with it and would have nothing but three way fights or an all out brawl amongst the students all at once.
Sometimes it managed to be all of the above. Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of that Sports Festival.
The poor audience got a really good view of the last year's Second Year winner's junk as a byproduct of his Quirk, him, his mom, and Yagi-Sensei included. The poor man had agreed to stop by and watch the festival with Izuku and his mother, with them having been about a month into his training at the time. He had both learned the wonders of Inko Midoriya's cooking and then proceeded to nearly choke to death on that cooking when they were all hit by the "Willy Jumpscare" as it came to be known in the future.
Izuku shook his head, he was getting distracted. The point of the festival was so that the students, mainly the Hero Course, could show off their talents to agencies looking to recruit for Internships and potentially as future sidekicks. With these events only happening once each year, students were only going to get three opportunities to show their mettle to the Heroes who'd come before them before they graduated, so Izuku knew he was going to have to make the most of this opportunity.
He couldn't help but smile as he looked amongst his friends, even after what everyone went through just a few days ago they all seemed as eager for this as he was.
Class 1A bid Ishiyama-Sensei farewell as he departed the classroom, marking an end to today's Modern Literature Lesson. Everyone was taking advantage of the grace period they were given before Fourth Period and Lunch to talk amongst themselves.
"I'm so freakin' pumped up!" Declared Kirishma, the broad grin on his face putting his sharp teeth on display for the whole class, "This is gonna be manly as hell!"
"No kidding," Said Satou as Koda nodded along next to him, "If we can show what we're made of, we'll definitely be scouted by the Pros."
"Indeed, and should the right Hero take us under their wing, we can soar to even greater heights." Commented Tokoyami sagely.
"Bird puns? Really Fumi?" Asked Dark Shadow, manifesting and resting her head on Tokoyami's shoulder. "I thought you were better than this…"Tokoyami's response was to quietly grab his other half by the metaphorical throat and shove her back into his body, before continuing on like nothing happened.
"Everyone's so excited." Commented Izuku as he watched his classmates talk amongst themselves.
"What, like you aren't?" Asked Sero jokingly, ignoring Iida's demands for him to stop disrespecting their upperclassmen by defiling that desk with his posterior.
Realizing that his words were falling on deaf ears, Iida sighed while adjusting his glasses. "Well, Sero's words do hold true." He admitted. "This is our chance to add our names to the ranks of Heroes, who wouldn't be excited!?"
"Got a real funny way of showin' it, dude." Replied Sero drily. Izuku could see his point, the way Iida was tensed up in anticipation made it seem like he needed to go to the bathroom more than anything else.
"Deku, Iida, Sero…" Said Ochako quietly, making the three boys turn and look at their Zero Gravity Classmate in confusion. "Let's do our best at the Sports Festival, ok guys?!"
"Uh… are you feeling alright Ochako…?" Asked Izuku nervously. The girl had a really… intense expression on her face, like some cross between excitement and a readiness to commit murder.
"Midori's got a point, Uraraka," Said Ashido, sharing in his concern, "your face isn't looking very… well, Uraraka, y'know?"
"Maybe it's just that time of mon-" Whatever (unnecessary) comment Mineta was going to offer got cut very short thanks to a slap to the face, courtesy of Tsu's tongue, accompanied by Yaoyorozu giving him the stink eye.
"You hear that everyone!" Declared Ochako, turning to the rest of the class, pumping her fist into the air, "I'm gonna crush this festival!"
"Whoo!" Those amongst their class who were slightly more… adjusted to her more aggressive side were able to match her enthusiasm.
"Heck yeah." Said Izuku with a chuckle, managing to regain his composure and pump his fist into the air alongside Iida. He was happy to see her so excited, he could vaguely remember how upset she'd sounded during the brief time they were together during the U.S.J. Incident.
He'd had to explain to her and even roll up his uniform sleeves to prove to her that he was, in fact, fully healed up. Recovery Girl's Quirk really was a boon to the faculty, though he did make the choice to withhold the fact that it took two applications of the nurse's Quirk to fully heal all his injuries, given how many he had received across his entire body thanks to the Nomu, as well as the backlash of his Quirk. No need to stress her out over incidents that were in the past now after all.
Though he was certainly curious about something now, why was she so hyped for the Sports Festival?
"Hold on, you're seriously saying that you wanted to become a Hero for the money?" Asked Sero as their little group walked to the cafeteria.
Izuku had acted on the impulse to ask why Ochako had been so excited, and that sort of lead down a rabbit hole to her explaining to them why she wanted to be a Hero in the first place.
The "them" in question being Izuku and Sero, plus Iida as well, as they had been the closest and overheard Izuku ask Ochako that question. She'd agreed on the stipulation that they do it after putting a little distance between them and the rest of the class on their way to the cafeteria.
"Yeah… not the most heroic motives, huh?" Admitted Ochako, looking away in embarrassment.
"Hey, I'm not gonna mock you, I'd be throwing stones in a glass house if I did." Said Sero, raising his hands in surrender. "I don't exactly have a great goal or ambition myself the way the Prez or the Sect does, I just wanna be a Hero 'cause Heroes are cool."
"Besides," Said Iida, chopping his hands for emphasis, "there's absolutely nothing wrong with seeking a job that will lead to a level of monetary compensation that'll allow you to live a comfortable lifestyle."
"Well, it's more than just that…" Explained Ochako as she scratched the back of her neck. "Y'see, the construction company my family runs is poorer than poor, we just don't get enough business these days. Haven't in a while if I'm gonna be honest." She then nervously looked at the boys, "Try to… keep that to yourselves ok? I don't wanna be pitied by the others after all."
Given that Yaoyorozu and Iida were two of their classmates, Izuku couldn't exactly fault Ochako for her self consciousness. "Still, I bet a Quirk like yours could do wonders for their work if you got the right licensing." He said thoughtfully.
"Exactly!" Exclaimed Ochako. "But Dad didn't want that, he and mom care way more about me making my own dreams come true first." She took a deep breath in before sighing as she let it out, then she fixed the boys with a serious gaze, "That's why I'm gonna do both, I'll become an amazing Hero that'll make enough money to let my parents live comfortable lives, and allow me to take them on that vacation to Hawaii I promised them."
After that, it became Sero's turn to be bashful. "Well dang Uraraka, after something as moving as that, now I feel like the lame one." He said with a weak chuckle.
"Don't be like that Sero." Argued Izuku. "Like you said, you don't need some great goal or ambition. If you simply want to become a Hero because you admire them, then there's nothing wrong with that."
Sero looked over at Izuku, seemingly surprised before a grin broke out on his face. "Geez Midoriya, you practice saying lines like that in the mirror every morning or do they just come to ya naturally?" He asked, hands on his hips as he looked down at Izuku in amusement.
"Bravo!" Exclaimed Iida, making all three of them jump a little in surprise as he began clapping his hands. "All three of you are inspirational individuals! Truly, we must all do our best together to become the greatest Heroes we could possibly be!"
Ochako and Sero exchanged a look before laughing and then joining in the clapping themselves. Izuku watched them all have fun amongst themselves, seeing his friends talk about their dream to be Heroes and the meaning behind those dreams, he couldn't help but smile.
"Tape kid has a point, you're a real cheesy one."
"I still think it's sweet! And besides, having natural charisma like this is an absolute trademark of a great Hero!"
"Using All Might as an example I take it?"
"I mean, he's been the Number One this long for a reason, right?"
Izuku swore he could feel Eighth's bashfulness at the sound of his predecessor's praise.
"Young Midoriyaaa IS HERE!" The sudden appearance of All Might from around the corner in the hallway then brought the moment to an end as all four students practically leapt into the air in surprise. "Oh, Iida, Uraraka, Sero, you're all here as well, wonderful!"
"A-All Might?" Asked Ochako in surprise, "Can we help you with something sir?"
"Hm… well it's more specifically something that Young Midoriya can help me with…" Replied All Might as he suddenly pulled out something that he was holding behind his back. "Would you… care to eat lunch with me?"
Izuku watched Ochako out of the corner of his eye slap a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter while saying something that he could barely understand. He was fairly certain he heard the word, "cute" though.
"Could the man try to NOT show favoritism to one of his students? He's just begging for someone to get the wrong idea…"
As much as Izuku loathes to admit it, Third certainly had a point. He was about to politely turn the offer down when he felt a smack on his back. "Dang Midoriya, look at you go!" Said Sero with a grin. "Must've been so badass during the U.S.J. that All Might himself wants to eat with ya, well don't hold out on our account, might as well make the most of it dude!"
"Crass as Sero's words are, he is correct." Said Iida. Izuku looked over to see him smiling while Ochako was giving a thumbs up. "By all means, go spend lunch with him today, the world will not end simply because you chose to not join us today, I'm sure the others will understand as well."
"If… if you guys are sure." Said Izuku nervously before turning to see All Might giving him an expectant grin. "I'd love to join you today, sir."
All Might let out a loud laugh at that. "Wonderful! Let's be off then my boy!"
Izuku waved goodbye to his friends before jogging off after All Might. His friends meanwhile continued towards the cafeteria while talking amongst themselves.
"Fifty minutes?" Asked Izuku.
Yagi-Sensei nodded his head. "Yeah, I can feel my time limit drop a couple more seconds with each passing day." Said the deflated Symbol of Peace solemnly. "Of course if it was to protect you and the other students, or anyone else for that matter, I'd gladly burn away every remaining second of my time limit, so don't apologize, understood?"
Izuku flinched a little at that, was he really so predictable?
"Yes, you are." Said Kacchan drily. When Izuku turned to look at him in shock, he sighed before saying, "No, you didn't say that aloud, you're just so damn obvious I could tell what you were thinking." Izuku sighed as he hung his head in defeat, Kacchan read him like he was one of his notebooks! "Now then, why are we here?"
"Ahem, right," Yagi-Sensei coughed into his fist, thankful to Kacchan for redirecting them back to the main point. "Well, I did invite you both to eat with me, both to help update you on the status of my time limit, since you're both in the know, as well as once again offer my gratitude for your efforts during the U.S.J. Incident." To emphasize his thanks, Yagi-Senzei bowed to the two students.
Their responses were for Kacchan to scoff and Izuku to smile at him.
"Ah please," Said Kacchan, "as long as there are villains, I'll be there to kick their asses and blow them to hell."
"Come on Sensei," Izuku at the same time, "as long as there are people in danger, I'll be there to save them."
Yagi-Sensei looked at the two boys, unable to help but chuckle. "Goodness, you boys really are two of a kind, aren't you?" In response, the pair tilted their heads in confusion in perfect sync.
"That aside, boys, as I'm sure you've been informed by Aizawa already, the Sports Festival's coming up." Said Yagi-Sensei before turning to focus his attention on Izuku. "Young Midoriya, as the current wielder of One for All, it's up to you to surpass me. This Festival is one that all of Japan will be watching. Take this opportunity to make a declaration to Japan, to tell them, that 'You are here!'"
"'That I am here,' huh?" Said Izuku thoughtfully. "It's true, this Festival is a big opportunity to make a name for myself in the work dog Heroes, performing well as a first year could be a key factor in my future career."
"You'd better not be thinking that this'll be a walk in the park for you, Deku." Said Kacchan as he elbowed Izuku in the side.
Izuku returned in kind. "With you there, not a chance." He retorted. The boys continued their back and forth for a bit.
"Well, I'm sure you boys will make an explosive debut to the world of Heroes together." Said Yagi-Sensei, "Never forget that drive you both possess to reach the top and I'm sure you'll both accomplish great things."
The boys put a pause on their back and forth to both look at Yagi-Sensei. They exchanged a brief glance before giving him their full attention. "Yes sir." They said while nodding their heads.
"Are you ready to go, Midoriya?" Asked Yaoyorozu as she stood next to his desk.
"Almost, let me just finish putting these away." Said Izuku as he finished sliding the last few of his belongings into his backpack before hoisting it onto his back.
This was something that they were supposed to have done last week, Aizawa explaining to them that they were to go meet the President and Vice President of 1B, the other Hero Class. It was a formality of sorts, having the representatives meet to work things out and avoid future hostilities between their classes.
"Uh… guys? You might wanna come see this…"
Unfortunately for them, that task was going to be difficult to perform, given that the entrance to the hallway was presently being blocked off by a wall of bodies.
More accurately, the first year student body. They were crowding around the entrance to their class, staring at them and murmuring amongst themselves. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" Demanded Mineta. "You can't keep us prisoner in here!"
"They're here to scope out the competition, duh." Said Kacchan as he stepped forward. He then glared at them before shouting, "Piss off, ya damn extras!"
"Bakugou!" Exclaimed Iida, chopping his hands with a scandalized expression, "Don't refer to your fellow students as 'Extras!'"
From the crowd, someone let out an exhausted, yet amused scoff. "Damn, you're a modest one." The owner of the voice came forth, his taller frame and mess of purple hair letting him just barely stand out in the crowd. "I wonder if all the hero course students are like this? Gotta say, it's kinda disillusioning if this is what you guys have got to offer."
Izuku stared in surprise, he recognized this guy. They never exchanged names or anything but he was fairly certain they'd crossed paths at the entrance exam, right after One for All had awoken inside him.
"Hey!" A loud voice from the crowd caught the Hero Students' attention, those near the doorway turned to see a muscular guy with silver hair, really large eyelashes, and sharp teeth glaring at them. Or more accurately, at Kacchan. "I'm from 1B next door! I got sent to see what the guys who survived the villain attack had to offer, but all I'm seeing is an arrogant bastard making an ass of himself!"
Izuku sighed and facepalmed. The guy wasn't exactly wrong, Kacchan wasn't the best when it came to first impressions after all, the words, "oh my god, I just called All Might a 'zombie'" still rang in his head loud and clear after all these months.
"Aw piss off Lashes, I ain't here to play nice with a pack of clowns who couldn't make the cut." Snapped Kacchan as he flipped him off. "You wanna say something to me, then say it to my damn face!"
This seemed to kick up the attitudes of the other students, the murmuring amongst them getting louder.
"Damn, this guy's a dick."
"Is all of Class A like that?"
"Honestly, where do they get off, acting like they're hot shit just because they survived against some measly villains?"
"Yeah, big whoop, you get lucky enough to have the chance to bust some heads and suddenly you think you're all kings of the world or something?"
"Man, how self centered can you get?"
"'Measly Villains?'" That last one didn't come from the crowd, but instead it had actually been Izuku who'd spoken up. Everyone, sans Kacchan who simply stepped to the side, turned to see the President of Class 1A storm towards the entrance, now standing between his friends and the other students of their year. "Care to repeat what the hell you just said?" He asked angrily.
"I…" Said one of the students, taken aback, "I was wondering where you guys get off acting like this just because you beat some villains…?"
"'Where do we get off?'" Echoed Izuku, "'WHERE DO WE GET OFF!?' WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET OFF!?" Some of the students flinched back at his shout as he reached out his arms and gripped the doorframe of his classroom's entrance. "What kind of victim blaming bastards are you!? We get attacked and have to fight for our lives against villains and you think we're going to become arrogant over that!? Have you seen what state our teachers are in?! Thirteen was nearly ripped to shreds by her own Quirk and Aizawa-Sensei's entire body is wrapped in bandages!" Izuku's arms tensed as he unconsciously activated his Quirk. The sound of something breaking could be heard, and the students realized that cracks were starting to appear in the wall around the entrance to Class 1A, while smoke was starting to come off of Izuku's body, slowly enveloping and obscuring him from sight, leaving only his eyes that glowed from within visible. "You're supposed to be students training at the greatest Hero school in Japan, if this is the type of mentality you have then you don't belong here! NOW GET OUT OF MY DAMN SIGHT!"
Izuku's intimidation tactic worked, the majority of the students all scattered, not wanting to risk pissing Izuku off even further, even the 1B student left though the expression on his face seemed more guilty than fearful. Soon the only student left was the purple haired guy who'd come to the front of the crowd. Izuku took a deep breath to calm himself, the smoke around him dissipating as he deactivated his Quirk. "Something you'd like to say?" He asked, now feeling more tired than angry.
The other student, seemingly from the General Course if Izuku was remembering the layout of his uniform correctly, gave an amused huff. "Quite the Quirk you've got there, super strength that produces smoke as a byproduct? Really flashy, probably made you popular growing up, and made the entrance exam a total walk in the park." The other students of 1A exchanged glances at that, after all that statement couldn't be further from the truth. "Well, I just came here to give a bit of a friendly heads up, there's quite a few of us in the general course who wanted to make it into the Hero Classes, but we just didn't quite make the cut. This Sports Festival'll be a prime time to show off maybe even get ourselves a chance to be transferred in." His tired eyes met Izuku's, "Of course, the opposite is also true, you rest on your laurels too much and you might find yourselves joining the ranks of us 'Extras.'" Despite the exhaustion evident on his face, he still managed to force out a glare, "Consider this a declaration of war, I'm going to be gunning for a spot in the Hero Course, so you'd better watch yourself or I'm gonna end up knocking you Hero students off the pedestals you're currently sitting upon."
There was a moment of dead silence in the hall and classroom, then the corners of Izuku's mouth quirked upwards. "Well, you're free to try." He said, before standing up straight and extending a hand towards the purple haired student. "Izuku Midoriya, President of Class 1A, I look forward to seeing you at the Sports Festival."
The General Student looked at Izuku's hand, then at Izuku. Rather than taking it for the handshake, he simply shoved his hands in his pockets before turning around and walking away. Izuku let out a disappointed hum and lowered his hand. Just before the purple haired student escaped earshot though, Izuku heard him say, "Hitoshi Shinso." Izuku couldn't help but give a small smile at that.
"Geez kid, that was one heck of a reaction there."
"Yeah, using One for All to intimidate students. How heroic."
"Oh give him a break, after what he and his friends went through, I can't blame him for being upset by a bunch of brats belittling a traumatic experience like that."
"Yeah, well he and his friends are gonna have to get used to 'traumatic experiences' if they want to be 'heroes' so badly. Newsflash, the world isn't all sunshine and super powers like they've been led to believe."
"Did you forget that they're still kids? For god's sake they should at least be allowed to live like kids for a bit longer."
"Oh, yeah, like you're the leading authority when it comes to how to raise kids."
Izuku's eyes widened a little as One for All briefly went dead silent before everything suddenly exploded.
"You son of a fucking bitch! We may be dead but god help me I'm gonna find a way to kill you again!"
"Second!"
"Man, what the hell!?"
"That was a bridge too far, Second."
"Sorry chief, but you're on your own for this one…"
Izuku grabbed the sides of his head, it was becoming so loud that it felt like he was gonna split apart. Thankfully, and perhaps more than a bit ironically, it was being chopped in the back of the head and shouted at that he was able to pull his head out of the argument and focus on something else. Izuku turned to look at the person who'd chopped him.
"Midoriya!" Shouted Iida as he continued shopping his hands at him. "While standing up for your classmates against naysayers is commendable, especially as a Class President, I cannot help but be appalled by you damaging school property, for the second time no less!"
Izuku looked over his shoulder at the large cracks in the walls and flinched a little at the sight of the damage. Hesitantly he looked towards Yaoyorozu for help. The heiress let out a sigh. "In case you forgot, we have a meeting with the representatives of Class 1B to attend." She said, her words resulting in an even larger flinch from Izuku.
Ochako, ever his hero, stepped forward and put a hand on Yaoyorozu's shoulder before jerking her thumb towards herself. "Leave the repair process to me, you just gimme tools real quick and you can be on your way, 'Kay?"
Yaoyorozu sighed and relented, after a couple seconds, she loaded Ochako up with all the materials she'd need to fix the damages. "W-wait, I did this, I should be the one to-"
"To get going already, Deku." Said Ochako as she practically shoulder tackled him out the door. "Leave this to me and go deal with your responsibilities! Don't let him out of your sight Yaomomo!" She practically ordered.
"Understood." Said Yaoyorozu as she abruptly grabbed Izuku's wrist and began dragging him away. Despite his protests, the Class President didn't have it in him to resist and simply let himself be pulled along to the meeting. As they walked away, they could hear the sound of laughter coming from his classroom. Izuku couldn't help but smile a little at the sound, happy he had been able to make them feel a little better, even if it did require him playing the role of the fool for a bit.
After a bit Izuku began walking alongside Yaoyorozu, a determined look in his eye as he already began thinking about what he wanted to say to Class 1B's president.
Chapter 25: "You never fail to surprise me, Midoriya."
"Midoriya, I require your assistance with something… official."
Izuku looked up at Yaoyorozu, surprised to have his Vice President approach him like this. Everyone was heading back to their class after lunch for foundational heroicswhen the heiress decided to pull Izuku to the side. His friends stopped as well to watch the interaction questioningly, but after a few waves from Izuku, they agreed to leave the two to talk.
"I wonder what the Material Girl could want?"
"You and your weird ass references…"
"Hey, you understood the reference, so I'd say that says more about you than it does me."
"Of course I know the references, I've been forced to live with you for more than forty years!"
"'Eesh, testy…"
"Ignoring Baldey and Smokey's bickering-"
"Hey!"
"I am certainly curious about what the girl wants."
"Perhaps we're getting the long awaited confession scene?"
"What do you mean 'long awaited?' They've known each other for a week. Also I though you were shipping the heiress with the electric and sound ones?"
"I'm flexible! I never got to see Toshinori experience a love life because the stubborn boy was practically married to his dream of becoming the symbol of peace, so I'd love to see our Ninth surpass him on that front if nothing else."
"Is this what you all do in your spare time? Gossip about the love lives of this kid and his friends?"
"In case you forgot, jackass, we have nothing BUT spare time now. Though I guess you wouldn't know what the majority of us are up to since you and edgelord number one spend all your time brooding in god knows where."
"Honestly I'm surprised to have you here with us, Third. What made you decide to engage with the rest of us rather than staying with Second?"
At the mention of First's successor, Izuku could practically feel a tension form in his Quirk.
"I… decided to give the Chief some space."
"Translation: that shit he said yesterday was a bridge too far even for you."
"Y'know what, Fifth? You can go-"
Aaand Izuku decided that that was enough of that. While conversations in One for All went way faster than exchanges in the real world, being non corporeal and connected allowing messages to come and go much quicker and far more seamlessly, they still took time and going off the look on Yaoyorozu's face as she waited for him to say something, this was starting to take a little too much time. "What can I help you with, Yaoyorozu?"
"It's Mineta." She said, her answer short and sweet but very telling.
Almost as telling as the look on Izuku's face was. "What happened this time?"
"His behaviour hasn't changed since we started our time here at UA, he still continues to offer… uncomfortable remarks about the bodies of our female classmates." Explained Yaoyorozu folding her arms under her chest as she looked away in discomfort. " Compliments are one thing but he has a tendency to just… push the envelope further than necessary. In fact, it feels as if since the U.S.J he's only become more vocal about his… opinions."
Izuku sighed as he brought a hand up, letting out a groan as he attempted to rub the tiredness from his mind. "Alright then, I frankly wanted to have this conversation with him for a while but I've been continuously shelving it for the sake of other issues that I thought were more important." He admitted, lowering his hand to give his Vice President a tired look. "But if needs must, then I'll talk to him."
"Would you mind me being there for that conversation?" Asked Yaoyorozu. "I'll leave the talking to you if you would like, I just want to see the way you plan on putting the issue to rest."
"That sounds fair." Admitted Izuku. "Let me talk to him after our lesson with All Might, there should be plenty of time after that for me to say what needs to be said."
Yaoyorozu was willing to accept that.
Momo Yaoyorozu did not like Minoru Mineta.
Truly, a controversial opinion to have. Disliking someone who said comments about her and her classmates… or, friends? Were they her friends? She was not used to having those. Kaminari and Jirou seemed nice enough to her, the former even giving her the nickname of "Yaomomo," which had started to gain usage amongst the rest of the class. Nicknames were a sign of friendship right? Perhaps she should reexamine that book she'd bought about how one goes about forging good relations with their peers.
Regardless, that friendship didn't seem to have been enough to earn her enough votes to surpass Midoriya. She was certainly bothered by the fact that she lost, though in all honesty if someone was going to surpass her in that regard, she figured it might as well be Midoriya. Socially awkward he may be due to his… unfortunate upbringing prior to UA, he had a unique way of earning the respect of and imparting wisdom upon those around him, even their teachers and students from other classes were immune to his charisma, if the meeting they'd had with Itsuka Kendo and Nirengeki Shoda was any indication.
Honestly, after her abysmal performance in the battle trial, perhaps she should be counting her blessings that she even made it as far as Vice President of class 1A. Speaking of the battle trial, that… for the lack of a better term, fiasco was part of the reason for her disdain for her vertically challenged classmate. Had he not decided to simply sit on the sidelines while she faced both members of the Hero Team alone
(She was just going to casually ignore the fact that it was her words that had made him come to the conclusion that he should simply sideline himself.)
Honestly, part of her wished for Mineta to simply be expelled. Were it not for the fact that she lacked any physical evidence of his behavior, she would've gone straight to Aizawa-Sensei and asked for him to simply remove Mineta from the Hero Course, if not UA as a whole. But she was simply going to have to instead test the mettle of her Class President and pray that he could put an end to the purple menace of 1A, in order to give the others some peace of mind.
Soon enough, their heroic studies come to an end, and after they change from their Hero uniforms into their regular school clothes, Midoriya and Momo manage to corner Mineta. "Uh hey there Midoriya…" Said Mineta looking at their class president in confusion, before briefly turning his attention to Momo. "Yaoyorozu." He said in a flirtatious tone that made her skin crawl.
Momo elected to say nothing, refusing to give the degenerate the satisfaction, her eyes simply narrowing into a subtle glare.
Midoriya meanwhile, simply sighed and hung his head. "Mineta, we need to talk." He said calmly.
"Er…" Said Mineta, looking around a little awkwardly. "I mean… we're talking right now, aren't we?"
"This is serious." Said Midoriya. "We need to have a serious conversation, class president to classmate."
Mineta made a face at that, clearly not liking the implications. "Do we have to?"
"Unfortunately, this is a conversation that needs to happen." Confirmed Midroiya. "The only real difference is if you'd rather have this conversation with me, or with Aizawa-Sensei."
Mineta gave Midoriya a blank look for a second, his head slowly turning to look at Momo for a moment before refocusing back on Midoriya. "You, please."
"Thank you." Said Midoriya. "Here, let's go somewhere with fewer… prying eyes." When Mineta turned to look at Momo again, who simply continued to give him a flat glare from where she stood, Midoriya quickly elaborated. "Yaoyorozu requested to be present for this, but she promised to keep quiet while we talk."
"So Yaoyorozu is the type to enjoy watching two others go at it." Said Mineta as he crossed his arms and nodded his head. "I didn't peg her for the type but in retrospect I think it explains a lot."
That comment actually managed to get a reaction out of Momo, who tilted her head in confusion before looking to Midoriya for clarification.
"Nope. Not touching that one with a ten foot pole." Said Midoriya with a shake of his head. "Now quit stalling and let's go."
"Fine fine, killjoy." Muttered Mineta as the three of them walked off, Momo remaining confused all the while.
"So, what? Gonna threaten me to stop hitting on the girls or you'll have Aizawa expel me?"
Izuku kept his face as calm and neutral as possible at Mineta's question. The three of them had found a vacant classroom to have their conversation in, Izuku and Mineta sitting at opposite sides of a desk and facing each other while Yaoyorozu watched from the sidelines. Almost as soon as they were seated, Mineta decided to take the initiative in this conversation, opening it with all the tact of a sledgehammer.
"Is that what you think I should do?" Asked Izuku, tilting his head slightly.
"I mean, yeah?" Said Mineta, seeming a little surprised by Izuku's response. "Isn't that what this conversation is about? All the girls find me annoying so the rich girl decided to have the class president who's desperate to show off and be an inspiration to everyone to 'play the hero' and get rid of the problem?"
"So you're self aware of the fact that your behavior bothers the others then?"
"Well… sure. I can see the way they look at me, hear the things they say about me. I know I'm just the worthless midget with a joke of a Quirk who wanted to be a Hero regardless. This is what's expected of me, right?"
Izuku nodded his head. "I see… 'expected…'" He said thoughtfully. "So you really do want to be a Hero?"
He could tell that Mineta had no idea where he was going with this, if the expression on Yaoyorozu's face was any indication then neither did she. Hell the vestiges were even lost, choosing to simply stay silent and let Izuku work. "I-I mean, yeah? Who doesn't wanna be a Hero? They're the coolest people, beloved by everyone!" exclaimed Mineta. "I… even someone like me, a baby faced midget with a lame Quirk… if I became a pro Hero, even I would be loved like that…" He said quietly, staring at his desk for a moment before looking back up at Izuku. For a moment, Izuku swore he could see a few of the stages of grief flash across his face, sadness… anger… before eventually settling on a cold, despondent acceptance. "But I guess that's a ridiculous dream, right? After all, you are here, Midoriya. Here to remove the 'problem' of class 1A, get me kicked to the curb so someone else less annoying can take my place. Someone who's actual Hero material."
"I thought you were smart, Mineta." Said Izuku flatly.
"Eh?"
"You're absolutely Hero material." Izuku gave his classmate a weak smile. "Don't you remember? You played a vital role in helping Tsu and I get past those villains in the flood zone, your Quirk was an absolute asset."
Mineta was taken aback by that. "Y-yeah, well you probably would have made things work even if I wasn't there!"
"Maybe." Admitted Izuku with a shrug. "If it was just Tsu and I, she could've wrapped her tongue around my waist and simply carried me to safety with a single leap. I wouldn't have had to break a finger in that scenario to boot."
"S-See! So then-"
Before Mineta could keep going, Izuku cut him off. "But then the villains in the flood zone wouldn't have been captured. It was thanks to your Quirk that they were all incapacitated long enough for the police to easily capture them. Doesn't that mean you technically have all those villain captures to your name? I'm willing to bet only the likes of Todoroki could make a claim like that."
"W-well I guess if you wanna skew the facts like that, you could technically say that…" Replied Mineta, fidgeting a bit in discomfort.
"Mineta." Izuku's voice caused him to freeze in place. "I'm not a trained psychologist, but I think you might have genuine issues that you should talk to Hound Dog about, I've had a session or two with him myself and I can definitely say that it was nice to get some of the things I'd been keeping to myself off my chest and share them with a trained professional and pro Hero who I could trust not to judge me."
"I don't think that's really necessary-" Mineta could keep trying to deflect as many times as he liked, but unfortunately for him, Izuku was far too god damn stubborn to ever quit when it came to helping someone.
"Mineta, you fought alongside us at the U.S.J, you're one of us and you deserve to stay with us." Said Izuku firmly as he reached over and placed his hands on his shorter classmate's shoulders. "Yes you've had more than a handful of hiccups when it came to interacting with our classmates, but we've also only been at this school for just over a week, there's more than enough time to make up for that." When Mineta still didn't meet his gaze, he simply said, "You're my friend, so please let me help you."
There was a moment of silence as Mineta remained silent, simply staring at his desk. Then Izuku could feel his body start to tremble, and a small puddle began to form on the desk as he realized tears were beginning to fall from his face. 'I d…" Said Mineta, his voice sounding hoarse as he tried to speak between his sobs, "I don't… d-deserve a friend… like you…"
"It doesn't matter whether you 'deserve' me or not," Said Izuku with a gentle smile, "Because either way, I am here."
Mineta then stood up and walked around the desk so that he was next to Izuku. He then quietly wrapped his arms around Izuku and buried his face into his chest, continuing to quietly cry. Izuku said nothing, simply reciprocating the hug and letting Mineta let it all out. He of all people knew how nice it could be to just cry until you've got no tears left to carry.
Once Mineta was done, he and Midoriya discussed what they should do going forward. The first step was apologies, the rest of their class had already departed by this point, but at the very least there was one female classmate here that Mineta could start with. He stood before Momo, bowing as deeply as he could be, and apologizing as profusely as he could to her. Momo, despite everything she'd seen, still felt hesitant to accept it. Though she was able to tell that this hesitation likely came from her own biases against her classmate, and that realization made her feel disgusted with herself enough that she was more than willing to accept his apology just to spite herself. She did make sure to have him promise to not repeat these kinds of actions in the future, something Mineta promised that he'd do his best with.
Afterwards, he and Midoriya agreed that they'd approach Hound Dog for counseling as a means to get grasp on Mineta's problems and the best way they could approach coping with them. They were about to set off, but Momo stepped in, requesting a moment to speak with Midoriya alone. After an exchanged glance between the boys, they agree, Midoriya promising that he'd catch up to Mineta once he was done. With a nod, Mineta then set off towards Hound Dog's office.
Once their shorter classmate was out of earshot, Momo took a deep breath before letting out with a sigh. "You never fail to surprise me, Midoriya." She admitted.
"What do you mean?" Asked Midoriya, looking at her in confusion.
"You are a stronger person of character than me." She clarified looking towards where Mineta had walked off towards. "Personally, a part of me was simply praying for what Mineta had been expecting, for you to simply have him removed from UA, because I had simply written him off as nothing but a simple degenerate and refused to attempt to actually understand him. Had I been the class president that's certainly the course of action I would've taken. Though after that conversation I witnessed, I feel as though all that would've done was create a future villain, if not a future suicide case. In that sense it could be said that I would be no better than a villain myself." She then turned back towards him. "In that sense, I am glad that you proved yourself to be better than me. I once again feel humbled by you, and honestly if we were to have a repeat of the elections then I most certainly would have voted for you."
She could learn much from this. About not jumping to conclusions about someone, and that there was sometimes more to a person than the front that they put up. "I just wanted to do my best to help you, both of you." Midoriya admitted. "I suppose… that I just know what it's like to be hated, both by yourself and by others…"
"Of course, I suppose you of all people would be able to understand Mineta." Momo couldn't help but furrow her brows. Aldera Junior High was truly a blight against the world of education, she was thankful that the teachers of UA had seen to its destruction, she could only hope that Midoriya was the last person any of those abominable teachers ever hurt. "Well, I have to thank you Midoriya, for saving not only Mineta, but in a way myself as well." She said, turning to give Midoriya a bow.
Midoriya, ever the humble individual, couldn't help but scratch the back of his neck and give a weak chuckle. "Your words flatter me, Yaoyorozu, even if I think that saying I 'saved you' might be perhaps a bit much."
"Yaomomo."
"Eh?"
"It's a nickname," Elaborated Momo now being the one to feel a little nervous, "Friends… use those, right? Then I would like you to treat me as such."
Midoriya blinked at her in confusion before smiling. "If that's what you want, then sure thing, Yaomomo." He replied.
Momo smiled at him in turn, before looking over his shoulder and past him. "Now then, I'd suggest catching up with Mineta."
Midoriya flinched in realization before quickly turning around. "Ah shoot, right, take care Yaomomo, I'll see you tomorrow!" He shouted as he took off running down the hall.
Momo smiled as she watched him go. 'The Hero who saves everyone? Yes, if there is someone who can become such a thing, then it would definitely be Midoriya…' She thought to herself as she turned and began to leave the school for the day.
After he caught up to Mineta, the two approached Hound Dog in his office. Izuku was quick to explain the situation regarding Mineta's own self doubt and hoped that the school's therapist could help him. When Hound Dog learned that there was a student who was experiencing such emotional turmoil and he'd failed to notice (while also failing to consider that he and Mineta had never even been in the same room as far as Izuku was aware) he immediately leapt at the opportunity to 'rectify his failures as a teacher.' The boys had to admire his dedication to his work. Izuku then bid Mineta farewell, deciding that he should let this session between him and Hound Dog remain one on one before leaving.
Izuku then looked towards the direction of Nedzu's office, and with a determined look on his face, began walking.
He still had one more person he needed to talk to today, and if there was anyone who could make that meeting happen, it was the principal.
Chapter 26: "There's no going back now."
"Midoriya, why am I here?" Asked Aizawa-Sensei, his voice muffled by the bandages that covered his face as he sat across from Izuku in Nedzu's office. The student had to appreciate the man's commitment to his aesthetic, even while in such a physically damaged state, he still wore his usual clothes and capture scarf. Then again perhaps he had simply spent so much time dressed in such a way it was simply what he felt most comfortable in.
"Or perhaps you're just overthinking it."
Izuku sighed, unable to disagree with Sixth's assessment. After all, overthinking was what he did best, such as right now as he was wasting time thinking about Aizawa-Sensei's state of dress rather than focusing on the discussion he'd requested Nedzu call his teacher in for. He took a deep breath, taking a moment to collect his words, before finally speaking, "Sensei, the day we first met, I really didn't like you."
There was silence in the office, broken only by Nedzu's amused snickering.
"Well I'm glad someone finds this funny."
"I thought you would be like every other teacher I'd been forced to deal with growing up. You singled me out, threatened to expel not only me if I failed to pass your little test, but anyone and everyone who chose to associate with me. Then you had the audacity to lie about your intentions, attempting to write it off as a logical ruse, and well we both know how that went."
Izuku paused again, waiting to see if Aizawa-Sensei had anything to say. When he was met with silence from the teacher, he decided to keep going, "Of course you and the rest of the faculty then started to show that perhaps UA would be different, starting with your shutdown of Aldera Junior High and the explanation that prejudice was something you wouldn't tolerate." Izuku let out a thoughtful hum, "And then from there you seemed to have done your best to keep your interactions with me to a minimum, only directly addressing me if and when it was relevant or required, am I wrong about that observation?"
For the first time, Aizawa-Sensei finally spoke. "No, Midoriya, I do believe you're spot on with your observational skills, as usual." He said calmly.
"Well, I'm glad to know that you have strong confidence in my observational skills, and I'm also glad that you've been acting in a way that you were attempting to avoid causing me further distress, like you did last week." Replied Izuku, before slowly taking a moment to observe his teacher, the state of injury he was presently in. It made his stomach churn, knowing how close Aizawa-Sensei had been to death. "Speaking of last week, what happened at the U.S.J. is actually the reason I decided to have this conversation with you, because I made a couple more observations when it came to you back then."
"Do tell." Replied Aizawa-Sensei flatly. Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Nedzu tent his paws as he listened to them, seeming very interested in whatever Izuku had to say.
"Well while it might be illogical to bring this up given how obvious it was, I still feel it bears mentioning." Said Izuku. "The fact that you, an underground Hero that specialized in one on one takedowns, decided to face off against a small army of villains is already a testament in itself as to how seriously you take your duties when it comes to your students, but what happened after that was what was truly special." Izuku brought up a hand and stared at it for a moment. "When Shigaraki made a grab for Tsu and Mineta, I saw what you did, even if it ultimately hadn't been necessary thanks to my own awakening." He fixed his gaze back onto his teacher. "I saw you, even as that Nomu had your broken body pinned to the ground, I saw you use your Quirk in a desperate attempt to protect them. You went further beyond than most would or could to make sure we were safe. And for that, Aizawa-Sensei, you have both my thanks, as well as my apologies for my initial misjudgment of you."
Aizawa-Sensei let out a sigh at that. "Honestly, Midoriya, did you really make a request of the principal and set up this whole meeting to do something as unnecessary as apologize to and thank me for simply doing my job?" He didn't sound angry, more exasperated than anything else. He started to move to sit up from his seat. "Honestly, of all the illogical-"
"Yagi-Sensei and I lied to you about my Quirk." Said Izuku.
Aizawa-Sensei froze in place so sharply at that statement that Izuku actually had to take a moment to glance at the clock on Nedzu's wall to make sure someone hadn't frozen time or something.
"Uh, kid, you're not doing what I think you're doing, right?"
"Izuku, you realize this is quite the secret to reveal, right? There's no going back now."
Izuku could hear chuckling from within One for All.
"Honestly, after everything we've seen I'm amazed you can still question the resolve of our Ninth."
"First's right, and honestly I can't think of a better person to tell."
'You wanted the chance to apologize, right Sixth?' Thought Izuku, a brief smile flashing across his lips, 'Then I'm going to give you that chance.'
"Heh, ever the Hero, aren't you?"
"Explain Midoriya, now." Said Aizawa-Sensei firmly, his eyes practically boring into Izuku.
"Me having a Quirk that required a certain amount of muscle mass to be usable was technically true," Admitted Izuku with a shrug, "it's just that this power isn't one I was born with." He had to hold back the urge to chuckle as he found himself repeating what Yagi-Sensei had told him almost a year ago. "'This Quirk is special, with one person training the power before eventually passing it down to the someone else that they chose to be their successor. The name of this Quirk… is One for All…'" Izuku stared at his hand for a moment, reminiscing on the day he met All Might, before looking back at Aizawa-Sensei. "Yagi-Sensei was the eighth user, and now I'm the ninth."
"One for All…" Repeated Aizawa-Sensei, doing his best to keep his voice forcibly calm. He took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. "There are a lot of things that I want to say, including my thoughts on All Might passing a Quirk as destructive as his onto a child, but I'll save that for later, for now I want to know why you wanted to share this with me of all people?"
"Like I said," Replied Izuku, "your actions in the U.S.J. were a major contributing factor. In fact it was your actions that played a part in me awakening to something within One for All that I didn't think was possible." Rather than elaborate verbally, Izuku instead decided to simply show Aizawa-Sensei, as well as principal Nedzu, what he meant. He closed his eyes and focused on how Sixth had described the way to activate the Quirk, "think of it like exhaling through your skin." Slowly, the purple haze of Smokescreen began to seep out of his body, obscuring himself from Aizawa-Sensei's view.
The teachers stared at him in shock. "I thought that the smoke I saw coming off you back then had just been a product of brain damage." Admitted Aizawa-Sensei.
"A logical conclusion." Joked Izuku as he deactivated Smokescreen, allowing it to slowly fade away. "This is Smokescreen, it was the Quirk of En Tayutai, also known as the Underground Hero Gaen. He was One for All's Sixth User."
Izuku was fairly certain he could see Aizawa-Sensei's eyes widen underneath all those bandages. "Midoriya, please tell me you're not implying what I think you are."
"I'm afraid I am." Said Izuku, "It's not just All Might's Quirk that I've inherited, the powers of his predecessors have all been passed down through One for All as well."
Aizawa-Sensei remained silent for a moment before allowing his body to lean forward and his head to droop downwards as he let out a long and tired sigh. "So, how many abilities does that mean for you? Seven? Eight?"
"Well I guess that depends on whether you count the passing on and the strength enhancement to be one ability or two." Explained Izuku. "Both of those come from First, and after him are the Quirks of Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh. All Might and I were both born Quirkless, so there's nothing for either of us to contribute to the stockpile beyond simply making what was already there stronger. So in total that would be a total of eight abilities." At the sight of Aizawa's head drooping even further, Izuku quickly added on, "Thankfully I already know what most of my predecessors Quirks are, the only ones I'm in the dark on still are Second and Third's Quirks, since they still won't tell me."
That statement got a reaction out of Aizawa-Sensei, who slowly raised his head to tiredly look Izuku in the eye. "What do you mean, 'they won't tell you?'"
At the sound of Nedzu's amused chuckling, Izuku came to the conclusion that he was going to be here for a while…
It took a lot of explaining to cover the history of One for All and its many oddities, but eventually Shouta Aizawa was fully clued in on everything Izuku presently knew about Midoriya and All Might's Quirk. From the identities of the vestiges inside him, to the details of his extra Quirks, and even the story behind the two brothers, as well as the fact that All Might's thought to be dead nemesis from six years ago was still kicking and was likely the mastermind behind the League of Villains.
Honestly, the concept of a villain who could give and take Quirks and create monsters by mixing multiple Quirks into a single person. It reminded him of that villain that a certain problem child vigilante had fought a few years ago.
Come to think of it, his current problem child reminded him of that trouble maker, he just hoped that this one wouldn't go on to become a vigilante, the thought of that alone gave Shouta a migraine.
Once Midoriya was finished explaining everything, he made his way to depart for the day. Just as he reached the door to Nedzu's office though, he paused and turned to look at Shouta.
"One last thing, Sensei." He said with a smile.
Shouta rolled his eyes. "Out with it, problem child." He replied drily.
"I wasn't the only one who wanted to thank and apologize to you, Sixth shared a similar sentiment to me, both back when we first met and here and now." Explained Midoriya before bowing to the teacher. "He wanted to say, 'from one underground hero to another, thank you for everything you did.'"
Shouta stared at the boy for a moment before simply replying, "Get going already, Midoriya. You have a sports festival to train for."
"Yes sir." Replied the problem child before making his exit.
Shouta sighed and shook his head to the best of his ability. "A fascinating boy, isn't he?" Asked Nedzu.
"No child should have to carry that kind of responsibility on his shoulders, especially not one who's lived the kind of life he has." Replied Shouta curtly.
Nedzu took a sip of tea. "Perhaps, then again it's entirely possible that only someone who's lived the kind of life he has is capable of such a thing."
"Well I'll be damned if he's gonna fight the boogeyman of the villain world before he's ready, if ever."
Nedzu smiled at Shouta, "Then I suppose you'll simply have to go Plus Ultra then, 'Aizawa-Sensei' to make sure that boy is ready."
"I'm a teacher, it's what I do best." Shouta then glared. "Now, would you kindly call up All Might, I want to have a few words with him."
"Do try to make sure he isn't incapable of teaching tomorrow."
"What do you say we meet in the middle and have Recovery Girl on standby for when I'm done with him?"
"I suppose I can live with that."
"Well, I think that went well."
"Yeah, just make sure you learn Toshinori's favorite type of flower soon, that way you can leave some on his grave."
"Oh he'll be fine, with the state Aizawa's in I doubt he could actually be that much of a danger."
"His lower body was mostly healed, and you don't need arms to kick a man's ass."
"'Arms? Who needs arms…"
"'With Legs like these-' God dammit Fifth!"
Izuku shook his head and smiled as he made his way through the halls, pausing as he passed by the hall with Hound Dog's office, seeing Mineta talking to the therapist hero at the entrance. He watched the pair seemingly bid each other farewell, and he could only hope and assume that their first session together went well. He quickly made himself scarce, not wanting to be caught staring as he made his way out of the school and towards home.
He had training to do now.
'One for All…" Izuku thought to himself, 'Full Cowl: Fourteen Percent!' He felt the fire's of One for All ignite within him and spread across his entire body as he sat cross legged on his bed. He grit his teeth as he felt his body practically screaming at him as he pushed his body to take his Quirk at just a percentage above his current threshold. He felt like glass that was about to crack apart and shatter at any moment. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, allowing him to visualize the vestiges in his mind as they gave their advice to him.
"Alright Izuku, One for All's stable within you right now, you just need to continue holding this output."
"You sure this is a good idea?"
"I'm sorry, who's the one who trained with One for All all by himself for twenty two years?"
"Alright alright, fine."
Izuku saw the logic in this training method that Fourth proposed, by continuing to push himself to use One for All like this it should cause his body to slowly adapt to the Quirk and increase his ceiling.
He took another slow and steady breath as he continued to hold the meditative position Fourth proposed he sit in, apparently it would double as a good way to hone his concentration. He wasn't going to argue with the man who spent the larger part of his life training in isolation when it came to physical self improvement, but god would he prefer to be moving around.
"Yes well unfortunately you can't exactly go for a jog while using One for All due to those pesky Quirk laws."
"You sound like an anarchist."
"Not my fault that I happened to enjoy the lawlessness of the wilderness, cut off from all those troublesome people. I only returned and spent my final moments in society out of necessity."
"My heart bleeds for you, ya asocial weirdo."
"I think you're distracting Izuku."
First was right, all the talking going on the back of his mind made focusing on the real world very difficult. Though now that Izuku thought about it… 'Please keep talking, the distraction makes this training a lot more bearable.'
"Mmm… I should argue and say something along the lines of, 'no pain no gain,' but I suppose as long as you don't let your Quirk output slip, we can indulge you. The question now is what do we talk about?"
'Can you tell me more about your Quirks?' Asked Izuku hopefully. The echoing sound of laughter from within his Quirk made him flinch a little, making him worried he said something he shouldn't have. Thankfully, Fifth was there to wave his concerns off.
"Aw we're not laughin' at you kid, it's just entertaining seeing how you never seem to get tired of talkin' about Quirks is all. Alrighty then where do we start-?"
Just then, Seventh cut in, shoving her way in front of Fifth with a grin on her face. From the side, he could see Eighth mime a sigh while putting a hand on his face. Izuku found it endearing, like a child being embarrassed by their parent's behavior.
"Kid, let me tell you that you are going to absolutely LOVE Float! If you thought Toshinori looked amazing jumping from prefecture to prefecture, then you're gonna absolutely fall in love with how amazing being able to just float is. It can be carefree and relaxing or it can be a high speed thrill! I can't wait to see how much One for All's buffed the Quirk after being in Toshinori for the last few decades!"
Izuku was surprised, he hadn't expected Seventh to be so eager to talk about her Quirk. Nimbus must've really loved it when she was alive. Fifth then decided to get payback against Seventh by cutting in front of her.
"Hey, don't count Blackwhip out yet! Float's cute and all but you cannot steer that shit at all! Being able to swing from building to building using my Quirk is just as cool and you can actually have control where you go! Not to mention it's a great way to grab at goons who think that they're too far away for you to grab!"
As Fifth and Seventh continued to bicker, Izuku slowly turned his attention to Fourth, who was watching the pair while First and Eighth did their best to mediate. Fourth noticed his gaze, and simply shrugged.
"Danger Sense is certainly a useful ability, though it can be quite the literal headache to deal with. I do not envy what your life will be like once it manifests, especially with how long it's been gestating within One for All."
'Still, an ability that detects danger. Imagine how many people I could save with it!' Argued Izuku.
"Unfortunately, Danger Sense only alerts the user of danger to themself, it's also unable to tell you where it originates, and won't help you protect those around you if something simply targets them instead."
'Maybe,' Conceded Izuku, but before he could let Fourth believe he was simply going to let the matter rest there, he continued, 'but even so, this Quirk has the potential to help me save people. All of your Quirks do, that's why I look forward to the day that I awaken to them, because just like with Smokescreen, I know they'll play a part in helping me save people.' This statement caught the attention of the other vestiges, putting an end to Fifth and Seventh's argument. Izuku mentally smiled at them all. 'Each of you has a wonderful and special Quirk unique to you, and I feel honored to have the chance to take on those powers. I'm sure that together, we can become a great Hero who saves everyone.'
First couldn't help but chuckle at the statement.
"Yes Izuku, I do believe you're right. You truly are a spectacular successor to our Quirks. Don't you agree, everyone?"
The majority of the other vestiges all voice their own opinions and praises towards Izuku. The only ones who failed to partake were the ever absent Second, and Third who found himself unable to meet Izuku's gaze as he talked amongst the others. Then he heard Sixth say something that struck a chord with him.
"Let's do our best to become the best, together."
'"Together…"' He thought to himself, allowing an idea to begin forming in his mind.
"You're slipping, Izuku."
He flinched at Fourth's admonishment, quickly apologizing for the slip up. He listened to the others continue to discuss their powers as he let his idea slowly build up in the back of his mind.
Wednesday started off with Mineta making an announcement to class 1A, with the permission of the class president and vice president.
He bowed towards everyone in the class and apologized. He apologized for his behaviour during the last week, to the girls especially but also for all the times that the things he'd said made everyone else uncomfortable as well. He even went as far as to pass around handwritten notes to each of the girls so that he could further, and more privately, convey his apologies towards them.
The reception was… mixed. Some were willing to immediately let bygones be bygones, while others struggled to believe whether or not Mineta was being genuine. He promised that if there was anyone who would rather avoid him going forward, he'd do his best to accommodate them.
No one was willing to go quite that far though, mainly because they were still classmates and that was bound to make things more difficult going forward.
Once Mineta said his piece, the three standing students returned to their seats. Aizawa had begrudgingly allowed this whole ordeal to occur, if only because it was something that both Izuku and Yaomomo wanted done and he could infer that it was important to them, all three of them. Still, spending more time on this than necessary was illogical and he had a lesson to teach.
"Gotta say kid, you impressed me. I wasn't expecting you to get through to the little degenerate."
Izuku shrugged. 'Well, you made your feelings on him clear, and while I respect your guidance, the guidance of all of you for that matter, I still felt that this was something I had to do.'
"Don't feel like you have to be subservient to our views, Izuku. Yes we may be your predecessors, but each and every one of us had our own way of doing things as a holder of One for All. We're here to guide you, not tell you what to do. Sometimes you simply have to trust your own judgement, even if those around you do not follow the same flow of logic or agree with your choices."
Izuku allowed a small smile to cross his face. 'Thank you, First.' Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Aizawa-Sensei seemed to stare at him for a moment. Izuku allowed their eyes to meet for a moment before the teacher eventually looked away.
"Case in point. Telling your teacher the truth of your Quirk will definitely have an affect on how he interacts with you going forward."
'Perhaps.' Agreed Izuku. 'I still believe it was the right choice. If anyone deserved the truth it was Aizawa-Sensei.' Sixth let out a hum.
"I can't say I disagree."
The classes continued throughout the day, 1A having lessons with Ectoplasm, Kayama, and Ishiyama-Sensei to cover their various common subjects as they began to return to normalcy after the chaos that was the U.S.J. incident exactly one week ago. With it now being the same period of the week as it had been when they were attacked, there was a level of tension that could be felt amongst the students, almost as if they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Just as they were preparing to make their way to the cafeteria, Izuku decided to step forward and speak up, "Everyone, I would like to make a proposal."
He still couldn't help but flinch a little when he felt nineteen pairs of eyes on him, old habits and awful experiences were hard to bury after all.
"You are getting better though."
Izuku could practically feel Eighth's hand on his shoulder as he heard Seventh's words of reassurance. They were able to help squash the feeling of anxiousness swelling in him. He took a deep breath before speaking up his plan. "I want all of us to train for the Sports Festival together." He declared to them.