Chapter 12: The Time Is Now
"Slow down, Denki! The way you're eating, you'd think your burger's gonna walk off your plate at any moment!"
Fourteen-year-old Denki Kaminari snickers at his mom, his mouth filled with way too much burger meat. "Sorry, mom." He takes his time chewing while his mom watches from her side of the dining table with an amused smile.
After savoring all the juices he could, he finally swallows. "I can't help it, gotta enjoy my cheat meals while I can! My UA training is taking everything else away from me!" Denki can't keep the whine out of his voice.
His mom chuckles. "I get that, sweetie. Just don't push yourself too far, okay?"
Denki takes a second to take a drink of his soda before replying. "I knoooooow, but I've got to get my quirk under at least a little control before the entrance exams! It's not like there's any side effects if I push too far anyway…"
The doorbell rings. "Still, a mother can't help but worry." The black-haired woman responds pointedly while standing up. "Don't make yourself sick." And with that wise advice, she's gone, answering the door for whoever.
The teenager takes another purposeful too big bite of his burger, sticking his tongue out at the door his mom just walked through, only to promptly begin to choke, making him have to take several long sips of his drink to get everything down.
Once he's done gasping for air, Denki continues to eat, at a much slower pace this time, while scrolling his phone for news. Rumor was that All Might was caught up in some villain attack two weeks ago but it was getting covered up hard.
There was footage, apparently from some shitty security camera high up on one of the buildings, but whenever someone uploaded it, the video was almost immediately taken down.
Denki finishes his first burger and starts to work on a second. Deleted. Not available. Deleted. 404. Video can't be found. Deleted. Dammit, what was so special about this one? Can't a guy just watch All Might kick some butt and enjoy his day?
After finishing his second burger is when he realizes his mom hadn't come back from answering the door. "Mom?" He calls out.
There's a rustling in the living room before the door opens and his mom bursts through, looking disheveled. "Oh, um, Denki. There's…well you see…"
He lowers his phone, walking around the table. "Mom? What's the matter?"
She's looking everywhere that isn't him, chewing on her lip. Finally, mom sighs in defeat. "I don't…I don't really know how to tell you this…but your father is home."
Denki's phone clatters onto the ground. "W-what?" That's when he registers the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the living room. The door to the kitchen opens and-
"Wake up!"
Denki shoots up, sitting up in bed, breathing heavily from the rude awakening. His mom, standing above him, shakes her head in fond exasperation. "Do you plan on having me wake you up every morning for the rest of your life?"
He can't help but breathe out a laugh. "That depends, will it always come with your delicious breakfast?"
She scowls at him but he knows she doesn't mean it. "That's beside the point. Now get up."
She turns to leave but stops when Denki calls out to her in almost a whisper. "Is…is he…"
Her expression softens. "That dream again?" He nods. "Yes, honey. He's still here. Eating breakfast at the table."
Denki relaxes. There's always this part of him that's afraid when he has that dream that that's all it was, a dream. And his dad had never really…but nope! It was real! Giving his mom a small smile, he says, "thanks."
She smiles back. "Anytime. Now, hurry up! You know how your father is, the food will be gone before you know it."
He can't help but smile more. It's such a small thing. Actually knowing something like that about your dad. It might not seem like much but after going your entire life knowing almost nothing, it's more than enough, and that didn't include all the other things he knew! Denki throws the blankets off of him.
With one last grunt of exertion, Izuku slams the box of trash he's carrying down on the ground. He tries for a triumphant yell but it turns more into a groan of defeat as the half-Asgardian lets himself slide back first into the sand.
Strength was pretty low on the list of the priorities for his training. Magic, manipulation, combat/weapons, showmanship, academics, biology (had to know where best to stab people), etc. and then strength. And boy did it show with how winded he got after moving all this trash around.
It's days like these he wishes he got his dad's enhanced strength and speed. Apparently, they think he got his enhanced perception? That's cool, he guesses.
But he was getting better! As evidenced by him finishing early today! And like more often than not, he was alone. But that had its advantages.
Jumping straight back onto his feet, Izuku holds his hand out to conjure the weapon he wants to practice with. His dad had given it to him years ago but he had to swear to be super careful with it and keep it in his pocket dimension at all times. And only use it as a last, very last resort. He still doesn't totally understand why but dad usually knows best.
There's a green glow around his hand and the weapon appears. His scepter.
It was smaller than his dad's, sized for Izuku to use comfortably. It had a golden grip handle that went all the way up the weapon, with two platinum blades at the end. An elongated blade on top with a shortened one below it, and between them, the glowing red power source.
He didn't know what it was about it, but just holding the scepter made him feel safe. It resonates power and warmth that spreads through his body, and while he carries it, he feels like he can do anything.
Taking up a stance, Izuku jabs the weapon before pivoting and bringing it down behind him. He does this for a few minutes, practicing different techniques, but making sure to add some flair here and there, like a few behind-the-back twirls.
Feeling the power in the scepter, Izuku stops and thrusts forward with a yell, firing a red energy blast at a pile of trash and destroying a chunk of it. He laughs, that feeling of being able to do anything overwhelming him, he fires off more blasts, destroying more garbage effortlessly.
Is this why dad was so happy all the time? He twirls the scepter a few more times before firing off another blast, the power within feeling like it was beginning to seep into his bones. Is this what it felt like to be a god?
He fired off more blasts, laughing hysterically as he did so, even adding flips and firing off more energy while in the air. The scepter was no longer a weapon to him, it was like an extension of his body.
Wanting more, Izuku places both hands on the scepter and slams it onto the ground. Red explodes from it, the blast eviscerating anything near him.
He lifts the scepter to eye level. Why didn't he use this more again? Think of all the people he could save? The villains he could capture? He could remake the world the way he wanted it to be! With it, he could bring peace, freedom, justice, and security to all! Finally, he'd be a hero that could take away all their worries!
"Izuku!"
He grumbles under his breath, what now? His vision is a bit hazy but he sees…himself standing in front of him? How in the-oh right, clones.
"What do you want, Two?"
He had never seen his clone look so desperate. "For you to snap out of it!"
He laughs. The greenette can't help it, everything just seems so great right now. "Out of what? I'm fine."
"No! Izuku!" To his surprise, Two grabs him roughly and pulls him forward, slapping the scepter out of his hand. "This isn't you!" He shoves a piece of a mirror up to his face and Izuku screams at his blood-red eyes…
"Ah!" Izuku falls out of bed, dragging his covers with him. His hair is damp from sweat. Pressing his head to the cool hardwood floor, he pants, trying to calm down his beating heart. He's ok. He's fine.
"If that were true, you wouldn't be on the floor." The glare he sends to Two who is kneeling beside him has no heat behind it, but it makes Izuku feel better all the same. Three stands by the door watching them.
"That dream again, huh?" Two asks, but they both know he knows. Just like they both know it's not a dream. But a memory. One that he couldn't erase no matter how hard he tried to enchant himself.
He had been twelve then, just fooling around. But after…but after what happened, he had learned his lesson and hadn't touched the scepter since. Now it just stayed in his pocket dimension, and would probably collect dust if it was possible.
He didn't know what happened. Still doesn't. His dad was usually pretty open with him but with his scepter, he got virtually nothing.
All he basically knew was that he had one, and dad had his own. He wouldn't tell him anything else, always just saying, 'I'll tell you when you're older.' If he wasn't so scared of the scepter, he might try to stab his dad with it.
And finally, the last thing he couldn't figure out was how Two was able to touch him? It was so surreal how his clone could physically grab him. It hadn't happened again since, and that wasn't from lack of trying.
But their lack of success led him to the only conclusion it could, it was because of the scepter, but he was not willing to test it.
Well, none of that matters anyway. It was going to stay tucked away until his dad finally told him how to use it exactly. Once his breathing could be controlled, Izuku sits up.
"You back with us? Because I can only keep Five from taking your place for so long," Two jokes, helping Izuku's mood. "I mean, if you want, you can stay here, and I'll go to school in your place!"
"I can think of thirty-seven reasons off the top of my head why that wouldn't work," Izuku deadpans back.
"No no, it'll be great!" Two exclaims, holding his hands out. "I can socialize, and meet all your friends! Especially Uraraka. I'd love to meet the girl you've been having such…interesting thoughts about lately."
"Gah!" Izuku's blanket of death would not release him. "I'm getting up!"
Where were the heroes? Why weren't they saving him? In front of him, he just sees people. Normal people, going about their day, pretending not to notice him. One old lady actually did stop, but once she saw the blood on his hands, she was gone.
But she had said the heroes would come, so where were they? He makes his way into an alley and sits up against a wall. On TV, the heroes always came. They rescued those in need, so why not him? He needed saving, why wasn't anyone helping?!
He looks at his bloody hands again. Was it because of what he did? Were the heroes avoiding him too and he just hadn't noticed? Maybe…maybe he wasn't worth saving? He closes his eyes, but the memories return with no mercy, so he forces them open again.
That was it, wasn't it? Some people just can't be saved, shouldn't be saved, and he was one of them. No one was going to-
A rush of air catches his attention before he sees someone slam down from seemingly nowhere on top of a dumpster near him. He's an old man, tiny, with a yellow and white suit complete with a cape and domino mask. Was…was that a…
"Toshinori," the old man says gruffly into his ear. "Your informant was right, he's here."
He has no time to think before someone crash lands in front of him. This man needed no introduction with how many times he had been on tv.
All Might places a surprisingly gentle hand on his shoulder for a man his size. When had he started trembling? His signature smile is gone, replaced by a worried frown. "I am so sorry young man, no one should have to go through what you did."
The hero takes a shuddering breath. "But it's ok now, why?" He can't stop his tears. Did he really deserve this? "Because we are here."
It's the Mario theme song that wakes Tenko Shimura. He groans, rubbing the crust out of his eyes. He could've sworn he set the Halo theme last night for his alarm, Ah whatever. It works.
He gets up, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and immediately sits at his desk, turning on his desktop computer. While he waits for various games to load, the coffee machine that shares his desk beeps, thank god for setting timers.
Setting a cup of the freshly brewed drink next to him, Tenko sets up his auto farming on a few of his games like he normally does before reaching beside his chair and pulling out an energy drink from a mini-fridge and pouring it into his coffee.
He takes a drink and sighs, feeling his body reinvigorate itself. There was no better way to live. Feeling satisfied that everything was running smoothly, he began to pack his bag with everything he'd need for school.
Laptop, mouse, extra chargers, portable WiFi hotspot, Nintendo Switch, headphones, external hard drive, oh, and a notebook for class. All the essentials.
The picture frame on his nightstand catches his attention, even though he was trying his best not to look at it. Suddenly, his dream comes rushing back and he clutches his head. The memory is still as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.
His rescue. He shakes his head at the bitter tone and finishes packing his bag. He knows there's a part of him that even after all these years and therapy, that still thinks he should be rotting in jail.
And the picture doesn't help, why he keeps that damn collectible he doesn't know, but there it was. His old family. His grandparents, the useless NPC's that let his father get away with whatever he wanted. No, stop Tenko. Don't think of them like that.
Ignoring his dad completely, he allows himself a small smile for his mother before finally looking down at the two kids in the photo. He, and the girl next to him with pigtails and blue-green shirt.
His sister…
The computer beeps, letting him know that all his farming is done for now, so he logs into his other games to collect his log-in rewards.
Flashes of the memory fly through his head once again. It was only later he found out his grandmother, the hero, was the person who trained All Might. How the number one hero could stand the sight of him after what he did he'll never know.
He takes another sip of his energy coffee. It sucked that after all these years of avoiding him, UA was forcing them together. He didn't need a reminder of his K/D ratio staring him in the face in almost every heroics class. Seriously, can someone tell him what RNG let this happen?
"Tenko! Where are you?! This breakfast isn't gonna make itself!" Gran Torino calls from downstairs.
"Make it yourself, you old geezer!" Tenko half shouts, half growls back.
"I would, but I'm just so old! I could whither away at any moment!"
Tenko can't stop a huff of laughter. "The bruise on my back from our last spar disagrees!"
There's the sound of chairs screeching. "Maybe if you'd get off your phone every once and a while…"
The blue-haired boy picks up his stuff and his uniform to go finish getting ready in the bathroom but before he does, Tenko yanks his door open and yells, "say that to my face! Oh wait, you can't! You're not even a meter tall!"
"I'm 1.2 meters tall you shit! And another thing!…"
The first thing that hits their senses is the smell of sterile lab equipment, like a hospital. But the bounds on their arms and legs tell them, that's probably not where they are.
Opening their eyes, they almost close them immediately. All they see is a bright orange light. But slowly, their eyes adjust and the orange glow begins to die down.
And from it, they see a figure standing over them. The gleam emanates from something they're holding. They can't make out much else in the dark room, only piercing green eyes that seem to be almost looking into their soul…
Shigaraki's eyes snap open, gone is the mystery man from their memories. Now, they're back in their dusty, damp room above a bar. Not the best living accommodations, but better than where they grew up.
Their blood boils at the thought of their family. The things their father was allowed to get away with. A mother who didn't try enough. And…
Their brother…
The Demon Lord's protégé runs a hand angrily through their black hair, trying to calm down. Lashing out now wouldn't do any good, they had to wait. But it wouldn't be long now.
"Shigaraki." Kurogiri stands at the door, letting some light into the room. "If you wish for your plans to proceed, the time is now."
'You're gonna see whose side I'm on now, brother.'
"All Might is not here today. Now go away and stop harassing my students," Shota tells the flock of stupid vulture birds in front of him while he stands in front of UA.
"Give us All Might!" One of them squawks, holding up a microphone in his direction while the jackal behind it points its camera at him.
"Are you even a hero?" Another dares to chirp at him. His hold tightens on his sleeping bag.
"You're so scruffy! Don't you care about your appearance?" A third clucks out.
"If we don't get rid of them soon…" Hizashi whispers to him while snickering. "They're gonna leave shit all over the street."
How did the man always know what to say to calm him down? "Yeah but if we give them any crumbs, they'll keep coming back," Shota whispers back.
Before he can figure out how to bribe the rat to activate the turrets that he won't confirm exists, All Might himself lands harshly on the street before the reporters, wearing his hero costume and giving his usual nauseating laugh.
Shota finds this peculiar as he just left the man back at the teacher's lounge.
"HELLO!" All Might booms. "IF YOU WOULD LIKE A STATEMENT, I WILL BE AT THE ENDEAVOR AGENCY TODAY! COME ON BY AND STICK AROUND OUTSIDE, WE WILL HOLD A CONFERENCE SOON! AND REMEMBER, DO NOT LET THEM KICK YOU OUT, NO MATTER WHAT!"
And with whatever that was, All Might jumps away, the pack of hyenas scurrying after him, leaving the remaining students to scramble into the safety of the grounds and inside until finally, there was only one left, walking up the steps. Midoriya.
The erasure hero stands in his way. "That was pretty lucky, All Might appearing from nowhere and saving you all. You know anything about that?"
The kid gives him an innocent head tilt. "What could I know about that, sensei?"
Midoriya's eyes should be brown with how full of shit he is. "I'm not sure, would you like to hear what I know?" Shota asks.
The teen's innocent smile gains a sharp edge. "Of course! Tell me what you think you know, sensei!
Shota matches his smile. "I know that All Might landed pretty rough on that street and when he does, the pavement breaks." Midoriya's smile drops. "Tell me, how does the street look?"
Green eyes take a quick glance out to the road. "It looks…normal…"
This is waking him up better than any coffee. "You're good, Problem Child, but you're not perfect." Midoriya slumps. "But considering the only ones to see it were some animals, I think I can let it slide…this time…"
His student lights up. "I knew you appreciated my work!"
Midoriya runs up the stairs and Hizashi elbows him, giving him a look. Shota narrows his eyes at him, trying to convey that no, he does not have a soft spot for that fluffy-haired gremlin.
"And don't make me regret it!" Shota calls to him before he can get fully inside the school.
"Oh, I probably will!" Midoriya snarks back before disappearing inside.
Hizashi let's out a full-blown laugh, slapping his knee. Traitor. "At least he's honest!"
Tenya Iida sits up straight at his desk. His supplies sit immaculately placed on his desk. All but one of class 1A have already arrived, and the day was looking up if he says so himself.
With the help of Kirishima, he was able to remove Bakugo's feet from his desk, and through a fair amount of coaxing, he was finally able to stop Tenko from playing his mobile gaming device. Now, almost everyone sat in their seats and was ready to begin! And with five minutes to spare he might add.
Still, not everything was in order. Tenya's eyes travel toward the only empty desk in the room, behind Bakugo.
To say he had never met someone like Midoriya, would be accurate. The boy would be selflessly saving a future classmate in the entrance exams one minute, and making a mockery of the rules the next!
Things had been so simple before. Go to UA, follow the rules and do everything he was told, become a hero, and continue his family legacy. It was straightforward and easy to follow. But then Midoriya comes along and he has already thrown not just a wrench, but an entire toolbox into his plans!
In just two days times, his classmate had broken several rules and in his unfiltered opinion, made UA out to be a joke. Tenya knows he should want Midoriya to face some sort of punishment for his actions.
But this is where that toolbox comes in. Another part of him disagrees. Because even with the other boy's rule-breaking, in that time, he had shown him his heroic spirit. Whether it was saving Uraraka, helping those who would accept during the apprehension test, or even the battle trials!
Midoriya admitted to their group on the walk home yesterday one of the reasons he refused to end his match prematurely was so the others could have a starting point to improve upon and use to become better heroes.
And Tenya just doesn't know what to do with that?! Heroes are supposed to follow the rules and yet, how is one of the more heroic people he has ever met so comfortable with breaking any rule he can and hiding behind loopholes?!
"Are you gonna let 'implied' rules stop you from saving people?"
What Midoriya said to him yesterday had not left his mind. And, not knowing how to proceed, he did what he always did. He asked his brother for advice, explaining to him everything Midoriya had done.
And…after waiting several long minutes for Tensei to stop laughing, he told him that he'd help him…after swearing he would bring Midoriya over to meet him one day soon. He's not sure if he should be worried or not.
But that was when Tensei told him that the world isn't simple. It's not, follow the rules and you're good, and don't follow them you're bad. His brother proved this by admitting he had no problem with working with some vigilantes on cases.
This is a challenging concept for him to grasp, he won't lie. It would probably be best to directly confront Midoriya and hear his opinions on the matter.
The door to the classroom opens and, as if summoned by Tenya's thoughts, Midoriya walks in, and gives both him and Uraraka a very animated wave. Uraraka waves back with the same amount of enthusiasm. Tenya gives him a friendly nod and a reminder to get to his seat before class begins.
Which he does, but not before Kaminari whines about not getting waved at so Midoriya placates him with an, from what he could tell, awkward fist bump. After saying something to Tenko, Midoriya finally finds his seat seconds before Aizawa enters the room with the bell.
"Good. You're all improving." Tenya brightens at his teacher's compliment. "Due to several factors, we'll have to wait until next week to go over your battle trials so for now, we will complete a task that will decide your futures."
Tenya braces himself, UA has already proven ready and willing to throw anything at him, he has to be ready.
"You all need to pick a class representative."
He deflated just a little at their new assignment. At least it's not another test. Tenya can't help but agree with the few students who shouted how normal it was, but it was still important nonetheless.
"I don't care how you do it," their teacher says, already slipping into his sleeping bag. "Just get it done." And with a slump onto the ground, he was done.
"Pick me or die!"
"No way, I got this!"
"Me!"
The class has erupted into chaos with everyone throwing their candidacy into the ring. While expected, what surprises him most is who wasn't. Midoriya hadn't moved, he just stared at his desk absent-mindedly.
And even Kaminari wasn't trying. He looked as if he was at first, but stopped himself. Strange.
When it became clear they weren't getting anywhere, Tenya's suggestion of a vote was accepted, despite Asui's hesitance given how long they've known each other. So they would vote for who they thought could serve the class best.
Everyone wrote their votes on scrap paper and passed them up to be counted. Tenya was torn. While he very much wished to be the class representative, given the mixed state he was in over the actions and words of both his brother and Midoriya, he decided against voting for himself.
And in a surprising move that even he couldn't believe, he voted for Midoriya. Yes, his actions were confusing but he had proven to be both heroic, and have his classmate's best interest at heart. Plus, it was possible that if he received the role, he might straighten up his act a bit.
After the voting was complete, Tenya volunteers to tally the votes and write them on the board. The results were both surprising and not.
Izuku Midoriya: 10
Momo Yaoyorozu: 5
Katsuki Bakugo: 2
Mashirao Ojiro: 1
Rikido Sato: 1
Tenya Iida: 1
Bakugo's yelling about who voted for Midoriya was drowned out as Tenya stares at the board. Someone had voted for him? One of his peers really thought he had what it took to lead…it turned out Bakugo's shouting was a great distraction for him to discreetly wipe a tear.
"Alright, fess up, extras! Who the fuck voted for Deku?!" He yells while pointing an accusatory finger at the green-haired boy, who looked like he was about to succumb to cardiac arrest.
"I did!" The seemingly fearless Ashido yelled. "He helped me figure out new stuff about my quirk in like, a minute! Imagine what he can do in a year!"
"Oh! Oh!" Hagakure raises her hand too, though Tenya can only see her sleeve. "That's why I voted for him too!" She and Ashido do an air high five from across the room.
"Yeah!"
"Anyone who acknowledges Dark Shadow as a separate being to me is fit to lead in my eyes," Tokoyami says from his seat.
"Is that what Dark Shadow prefers?" Asui asks.
Tokoyami's quirk burst out of him, answering before he could. "YES! Please! You know, growing up, none of Fumi's friends would even let me have my own character when we played Dungeons &-"
The quirk is pushed back down by Tokoyami. "Enough!" He turns back to Asui. "What she meant was, yes, we would appreciate that. Thank you."
"Ribbit."
"Monsieur Midoriya's ability to speak my native tongue won my vote easily. Il est merveilleux!" Aoyama adds as well. Tenya's attempt to lecture him on the cheese he's eating falls on deaf ears.
Koda raises his hand shyly in the back of the room but lowers it quickly and says nothing.
"Y-you guys seriously think I'd make a good class rep?" Midoriya's confusion bewilders Tenya. How did the boy seem to have all the confidence in the world one second, only for it to evaporate the next? With his charisma, surely this isn't the first time this has happened? Something for him to ponder.
"Enough." Aizawa at some point had shed his sleeping bag and was standing, sucking on a juice pouch. "Clearly they do Midoriya or they wouldn't have voted for you. Now all of you stop wasting time. Midoriya and Yaoyorozu are your class rep and vice-rep. Get up here."
As the two newly elected officials stand, Uraraka calls out, "sensei is right, Deku! You got this!"
Tenya is relieved to see the boy relax greatly and moves to go back to his seat but a yellow flash catches his eye and he turns back around. "M-Midoriya!"
He had used his quirk to change out of his uniform into an unbuttoned dark suit with a white dress shirt covered by a green vest with a dark green tie and gold tie clip. He also wore a button that said, 'Izuku for Representative.'
"C'mon," Midoriya, who now stands next to Yaoyorozu in front of the class, says while pulling down on his jacket and straightening it. "What did you expect?"
"I expect you to take your position seriously!" Tenya hand chops at him.
"I am!" Midoriya replies. "Look at me, I literally don't think I could dress more for the job if I tried!"
Sero chuckles behind them. "Actually, stuff like this is exactly why I voted for Midoriya in the first place."
Kaminari nods sagely. "Same, bro. Same."
"Well, either way," Yaoyorozu slowly begins. "I look forward to working with you Midoriya," she says to the shorter boy. "But be aware I will be holding you to a high standard."
"High standard?" Midoriya questions, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Yaoyorozu responds without missing a beat. "While representing all of us, I expect you to tone down your antics."
Tenya can't quite place the smile Midoriya has on his face. "And…what if I don't? Are you gonna stop them?"
She nods. "I will do what I must."
Midoriya giggles as he raises a closed fist that's glowing green. "You will try."
He opens his fist and in a flash of green, the classroom becomes a dark swamp, each desk and chair submerged a few centimeters in murky water. Before Tenya can wrap his head around what he's seeing, Bakugo's yell takes his attention.
"What the shit!" An alligator had emerged from the water and was snapping its jaws at him, causing the teen to stand on his desk. "You think I'm scared of you, you overgrown purse!"
"Bakugo, wait!" To Tenya's immense surprise, the explosive teen stops his upcoming attack at Yaoyorozu's command, albeit barely and with a glare, but she was busy narrowing her dark eyes at Midoriya. "This is cute, but as you have said multiple times, these are merely illusions. As good as it looks, the only thing real, is you." She promptly ignores the snake hissing at her from the podium she stands by.
Midoriya's smile becomes dominating. "True. But one small problem…" Tenya's eyes widen as the Midoriya they are speaking to flickers, like static on an old tv. "Where am I?"
The snake jumps at Yaoyorozu and in a green light, Midoriya reappears. "Boo!" The black-haired girl screams and jumps back while Midoriya doubles over laughing.
Aizawa, who has had his head in his hands for who knows how long, interjects. "Alright Problem Child, you made your point, now end it."
Midoriya waves him off but still snaps his fingers and everything's gone in an instant, he's even back in his uniform to Tenya's relief.
Aizawa looks up. "You think you can handle this?" He asks Yaoyorozu.
She looks down at Midoriya who is smirking confidently at her before returning her gaze to sensei. "Well, I will admit, these were not things I had expected to deal with while attending this school. But this is UA so…" she returns Midoriya's smirk right back at him. "Plus Ultra." The creation user walks back to her desk with her head held high.
"This year is gonna be AWESOME!" Ashido cries before nearly bum rushing into Midoriya. "Can you make our classroom look like anything?! Like, say, the inside of the ship from the movie Alien?! Oh my god, can you transform into a Xenomorph?!"
"Sit down Ashido, you're giving me a headache." Aizawa drones. But while the girl pouts back at her desk, he sends a wicked smile to Midoriya. "Looks like you couldn't scare that one," he says in a low voice, eyeing Yaoyorozu.
"Oh please." Midoriya sounds insulted. "You know that was really tame by my standards, I can do so much worse. Heck, if it was my dad pranking her, he would've stabbed her after scaring her."
"He would've what?"
Tenya is the last in the classroom after everyone heads to lunch. He just likes to make sure there is absolutely nothing else his teacher needs done before he goes.
The rest of the period was mostly uneventful. That was, until his classmates started to ask Midoriya to transform the room into different settings. A dojo for Ojiro, a bakery for Sato. He even made it appear as if they were underwater for Asui, who insists they all call her Tsu.
The air around them shimmered as if water, coral around the desks moved in simulated currents, and even illusions of fish swam by their heads. He fears for their education if this keeps up.
Tenya is taken out of his thoughts on the way to the lunchroom by Aoyama standing in front of the door to the teacher's lounge, all by himself.
"Is everything alright, Aoyama?"
The French boy seems startled for a moment before regaining his flamboyant composure. "Ah, Monsieur Iida! I thank you for your concern but I am simply waiting for one of our teachers to ask a few questions."
"A wonderful use of your time," Tenya compliments. "But it may be for not. I believe all our teachers have lunch duty or class at this time." Tenya takes another step closer. "Perhaps you'd like to join me down to the lunchroom?"
Aoyama moves closer to the door. "Merci my friend, but I am more than happy to wai-" there's a chime from his pocket and he pulls out an older generation smartphone and looks at it. "Vous savez quoi, I think I will join you to the lunchroom. You will allow me to dine on my cheese, oui?"
Following his walk with Aoyama, the two separate at the lunchroom, allowing Tenya to grab his lunch and sit with Midorya, Uraraka, Kaminari, and Tenko. "Apologies for being a little tardier than I'd usually be, what did I miss?"
Kaminari laughs and points his thumb at Midoriya, who is staring at his Katsudon as if it has given him a particularly hard math problem to solve. "Nah, you're good man. Midoriya here is still a bit freaked out about so many people voting for him. Which I don't get! Hey, Tenko, you voted for him too, right? Why?"
Tenko, who has one hand feeding himself and another on a laptop, doesn't look up. "Because he's clearly smurfing but if I can get some free XP and loot from my clan leader then I will." He continues after a few moments of silence. "Also because he's the only one who can understand me…"
"…alright, well what about you Uraraka?" Kaminari recovers.
"W-well…" it's like she's trying to hide behind her food. How odd. "It's just really inspiring how, no matter what, y-you do everything you can to help everyone." She is positively red and scratching the back of her head as she says it, looking at none of them. Is she embarrassed? Her assessment was correct.
"T-thank you." Midoriya is eventually able to stutter out. He is doing a fantastic job at matching Uraraka's shade of red. "B-but like you said, I can't do everything by myself, and I want to try, um, you know, getting help? And Yaoyorozu seems like she's dead set on stopping my pranks so…wanna help me with that?"
Uraraka looks up, a smile growing on her face. "She won't know what hit her."
"Aw, you dog!" Kaminari grins. "I didn't think I had much of a chance but now I know I got no hope. Not with the amount of game you've got!"
Tenko looks up for a moment, but it's the wrong type of game.
"W-w-wait, what?!"
"Kaminari!" Tenya lectures. "Midoriya is not currently a dog, he is a human and you will refer to him as such! And Uraraka! We are not meant to practice our quirks until heroics class! Come back down this instant!" He commands the girl currently floating to the ceiling.
"So, everything is set for the USJ tomorrow?" Shota asks his boss. Both he and All Might were having a short meeting with Nezu in his office to finalize any details before the field trip.
"Yes!" He answers happily. "Thirteen is set to accompany the both of you and all the zones have been reset and are ready for use!"
"Good. So long as somebody," He glares at All Might who whimpers and looks away. Good. "Remembers what I told them about keeping control of his class, we shouldn't have any problems."
"You claim to have control over your class Aizawa," Nezu says, his ever-present smile still visible. "And by class, we know you mean Midoriya. You claim to have control of him but he was able to get away with quite a lot this morning alone, was he not?"
Aizawa meets the principal head-on. Probably a poor choice but that's just his life. "I know the kid well enough to know he won't take things too far. If not, I can shut down anything he makes in an instant. And letting Yaoyorozu see firsthand what he can do will help prepare her to deal with him when I am not there."
"Always the one to have multiple reasons for everything he does, aren't you?" Nezu chuckles, taking a sip of tea.
"It's only logical," Aizawa retorts as he stands. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a trip to the USJ I have to prepare to sleep through."
Chapter 13: Did You Want to Surrender Now Or?
UA Teacher Chat
Eraserpillar: Alright, I got all the heathens changing into their hero costumes now. We should be on our way to the USJ soon. Everything ready to go, Thirteen?
Apollo: Yes! All of the attractions have been reset and are ready for use. I am waiting here now for you all.
Eraserpillar: Good to hear, and All Might, you're there too, right?
All Shite:
Eraserpillar: All Might?
All Shite: Well…you see…
Rattator: In a foolish move, All Might, with no regard for his students, used up all of his time this morning performing tasks that could have been easily accomplished by other heroes. He will join your class toward the end of the lesson.
All Shite: I…I'm not sure I would word it exactly like that but yes, that's what happened…also can I change my name now…
Eraserpillar: No
Rattator: That's quite alright, you may explain to me how you would 'word it' over some tea when we have a discussion about this later.
All Shite: Actually sir, after classes, I had several errands and other things to do today
Rattator: That won't be a problem, rest assured Yagi, I can find you no matter where you go :)
Rattator: Now then, switching bases for a moment. Aizawa, I have finished coding the encryptions and your students are free to download the chat app as soon as this afternoon.
Eraserpillar: Slight problem. I have observed one of my students, Uraraka, has a flip phone. She wouldn't be able to download the app.
Rattator: Not a problem, I'm sure there's room in the budget for a phone
Eraserpillar: She doesn't seem like the type to take a handout
Rattator:
Rattator: You humans will never cease to amaze me. Refusing help for pride? It makes no sense to me.
Rattator: I'm sure if we tell her it's a requirement for the course, she will accept. Majima, if you're not too busy repairing your lab…again…we require a phone
Mei Makes Me Drink: No
Mei Makes Me Drink: Not until you have sat in at least one…
Mei Makes Me Drink: ONE class with Mei Hatsume do you get to make snide remarks about my lab
Rattator: I fail to see the problem. She seems like a very bright young woman
Mei Makes Me Drink: Yeah, she is. As bright as the goddamn explosions she sets off all day! My ears haven't stopped ringing for days!
Kneecaps Beware: If that's true, then WHY have you not come by for a checkup?
Mei Makes Me Drink: Oh, sorry. I was just exaggerating a bit
Kneecaps Beware: I'll see you at 11.
Mei Makes Me Drink: Yes, ma'am. But, back to Hatsume, did you know she found the mines we were planning to use at the festival?
#ChangeAllMightsName: Why was one of your mines just sitting out to be found?…
Mei Makes Me Drink: Not the point, Ishiyama. The point is, she upgraded it! Now, if someone walks by it without setting it off, the damn thing follows them until it explodes!
#ChangeAllMightsName: Oh…
Rattator: That is certainly…unexpected…
Mei Makes Me Drink: Thank you! Do you understand what I'm dealing with now?!
Rattator: I certainly do. How many do you think she could upgrade before the festival?
Eraserpillar: Nezu, no.
DJ Cockacool: Nezu, YEEEEEEEEEEA
Eraserpillar: Shut up. You just want more ridiculousness at the festival to make yourself look better while you announce it.
DJ Cockacool: *Finger guns.*
Mandalorian: Dagnabbit, every time.
Rattator: Your class has a meeting with the support department next Monday Aizawa, this sounds like the perfect opportunity to test our new mines.
Mei Makes Me Drink: Our?!
Eraserpillar: No thanks. You really want me to put the girl who makes heat-seeking land mines next to the green-haired demon who could make them invisible?
Rattator: Aizawa, if that was your attempt to dissuade me then I'm sorry to tell you but it's having quite the opposite effect.
Karaoke Master: If we could continue this topic at a later date, I was hoping to revisit what we spoke about during the entrance exams. I have taken a bit of an interest in Midoriya due to our shared ability to clone ourselves, but I am still confused on how he created those knives during the exam.
Rattator: Well, to begin, Mr. Midoriya's quirk registration is indeed, in very much need of an update.
Karaoke Master: So we don't know?
Rattator: Well, the boy's father has the same quirk registered and I had hoped to speak to him about it but I have found finding him a bit more… difficult than I had anticipated.
All Shite: That's surprising considering how intelligent you are
Rattator: Your attempts to compliment me to lessen the severity of our forthcoming conversation will not work, but it is appreciated.
All Shite: help
Rattator: But yes, all I could find so far on Hisashi Midoriya was his name, quirk registry, and his workplace listed to be a company called the TVA, which I have been unable to verify.
Karaoke Master: Aizawa, you've spent the most time with him, any ideas?
Eraserpillar: Every time I ask the kid about his quirk, he just says it's magic.
Rattator: How interesting…
#ChangeAllMightsName: I'd just like to say, I haven't seen any of what you're referring to with Midoriya, Aizawa. Are you sure you're not exaggerating?
Eraserpillar: This morning, I walked into homeroom to find my class freaking out over Midoriya floating aimlessly in the air
#ChangeAllMightsName: Ok?…
Eraserpillar: Apparently, Uraraka had floated him but was having trouble deactivating her quirk. I witnessed her try several times to no avail
All Shite: Oh my goodness! Is he ok?!
Eraserpillar: He's fine.
All Shite: So you got him down?
Eraserpillar: You know Midoriya can't turn other people invisible, correct? But what he can do is turn their clothes invisible.
Karaoke Master: I just walked past Nezu's office, why is he laughing so much…
All Shite: I fail to see where you're going with this Aizawa…that doesn't sound very useful
Eraserpillar: It would be at concealing weapons but that's beside the point. Just turning someone's regular clothes invisible wouldn't be very useful…on most people
All Shite: ?
Eraserpillar: Hagakure
DJ Cockacool: Oh my god
Eraserpillar: He made her completely invisible and she carried him around the class while he shrieked about dying in space
DJ Cockacool: Bahahahaha
Kneecaps Beware: She carried him?…
Eraserpillar: She's stronger than she looks and he doesn't weigh much
Eraserpillar: So I am told
#ChangeAllMightsName: Nezu just sent me the video…I see…
Rattator: It warms my heart to see students finding such creative ways to use their quirks!
Ochako Uraraka takes a deep breath. It's ok, it's alright. It's not a big deal. They're just gonna be spending the afternoon doing rescue training of all things!
She, along with most of the rest of the class, stands outside by their bus wearing their hero costumes. It was optional but Aizawa told them it was a good idea to see how they would perform in different rescue conditions so they had all opted to wear them.
She can barely keep still, resorting to spinning her helmet in her hands to give her something to do. But can you blame her? This is what she wanted to do! This was her first step to becoming a successful rescue hero and taking care of her parents!
At least she hopes so. Obviously, they all knew UA was gonna be different but she had no way of knowing how different!
One of them was almost expelled on the first day! All Might, the All Might, the only hero who got even close to Thirteen in her mind, was one of their teachers!
And then they had to fight on their second day! Thankfully, she got Deku as a partner and they kicked butt together!
She was pretty nervous at first, Deku was the person who saved her before they even knew each other! Ochako was trying to figure out how she could impress him, but all those fears went away when he started joking about them being villains together.
It turned out the gravity user had nothing to worry about. Deku ended up being pretty easy to talk to after that, especially after she stopped him from being a dummy about wanting to fight alone, they were literally partners, how did that make any sense?
But even with all the curve Mochi balls UA has thrown at her, she can't help but feel proud of how she's done. The brown-haired girl had won her first ever exercise, made a bunch of new friends, and was about to learn what being a rescue hero was all about! Ochako felt like she could take on anything right now!
"Yaoyorozu!" Oh, that was Iida. That just meant Deku was the last person to not come out of the locker rooms yet, which was weird? He didn't need them before?
"Yes, Iida? How can I help you?" Their Vice Representative answers Iida politely who, like her, carries his helmet by his side.
Ochako giggles when Iida begins to chop his hands. "Midoriya is running an errand for a teacher so I believe it is up to you to prepare us for our upcoming trip!" He pauses, looking at his hands unsurely, before switching his chopping hand. "If I may suggest lining us up by class number to get on the bus!"
While Yaoyorozu agreed and began to line the class up, something nags at the back of Ochako's mind. She had never seen Iida switch hands before while chopping his hands?
Now that she thought about it, and the more she stares, the more wrong it looks. Iida usually stood perfectly straight but now his posture was more relaxed. More carefree? Iida always had an air of strictness to him, but now, it's as if he's someone you can laugh with and tell a joke to-
Her eyes widen.
'That's Deku!'
Just as the class finishes lining up, his eyes find hers. She doesn't know what face she's making but she can plainly see a look of shock flash across his face before he schools it. He knows that she knows.
It was almost the same look he made during the battle trials after she guessed his trick then too. Ochako was good at reading people's faces, at least she thinks so. A side effect of her parents always trying to reassure her everything was alright with smiles when she knew it wasn't.
Or from the times she'd look at the crowds around her during villain attacks, she'd see how scared the people were, their worry about what would happen next. That's why it made it so much better when the hero showed up! Watching those faces go from scared to genuinely happy was one of the greatest things she's ever seen.
Especially when she saw it on her parent's faces.
So, why did he look so scared just now?
To hopefully reassure him, and because she hates when he looks like that, Ochako gives him a small smile and makes a motion as if she's zipping her mouth shut.
He stares at her for two more seconds before relaxing and smiling back. No matter what disguise he wears, she can tell who that smile belongs to.
Shaking her head out of whatever weird thought that was, Ochako lines up with the rest of the class to play her part.
"Oh no, the bus is an open concept!" Izuku says with as much fake shock as he can muster to a fuming Yaoyorozu next to him.
After taking the time to line up everyone correctly, she had led them onto the bus, only to discover the bus' layout didn't match the way she had organized everyone. Izuku had used the time to change back into himself in his hero costume.
"I mean, spending all that time," Izuku continues, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Just for it to all go to waste. Might make some people feel pretty foolish."
A few of his classmates snicker while Yaoyorozu's frown deepens. "Was this really a productive use of your time?" She asks.
"You're embarrassed so yes," Izuku replies easily with a grin, finally looking up to meet his fellow officer's gaze. "Did you want to surrender now or?…"
Her eyes narrow. "You should know that the element of surprise will only carry you so far. And I have overcome every challenge presented to me."
Izuku tilts his head slightly. "But I bet none of them involved a mischievous scamp like me."
Yaoyorozu actually takes a moment to think. "Indeed." She looks up at the crowd of students getting settled into their seats. "Where is-"
"Apologies for being late!" Iida announces, climbing into the bus. "Midoriya, I had hoped to point out the grammatical error you say you found in the student handbook to the principal but I was unable to locate it. Could you be more specific as to its location?"
Izuku barely contains his laugh. He has to look down and hold his breath to keep it in, and even then it only barely works if his shaking body is any indicator. To his credit, Iida catches on quickly.
"Another prank, Midoriya?!" Iida raises his arms, here we go. "As Class Representative, you have a responsibility to-"
"Finally!" Iida makes a bewildered expression at Izuku's interruption while the green-haired boy raises his own hands to mirror Iida's. "Can you hand chop slower? I just can't seem to get it right."
"W-what?" Iida squeaks.
While chopping his hands in slow motion, Izuku says, "it's a lot harder than it looks. Is there a specific technique for this? What about chop speed? Is it chops per second or chops per minute? Oh! Or do the chops coincide with what you're saying? I guess then, it would be chops per word or chops per syllable? I need to know so I can initiate it when I shapeshift into you."
His bespectacled classmate is only able to latch onto the last part. "Sh-shapeshift into me? As in impersonation?! Midoriya! Identity theft is highly uncouth for a hero!"
Izuku is too busy following Iida's hands with his eyes and trying to copy the movements with his own to see what expression the other boy is making. "I don't stay you, Iida. It's more identity borrowing."
"The terminology is not what is upsetting!"
"Midoriya?"
The called-out boy looks up from his notebook. "Yes, Asui?" The frog girl sits to his left with Iida to his right to 'prevent any more shenanigans.' Kaminari sits on Asui's other side and across from them was Ashido, Uraraka, Hagakure, and Sato.
"Call me Tsu, ribbit." Two people want him to call them by their first names in the first week? Did he jump universes right before school started and not know it? "I always speak what's on my mind."
Well, he was well aware of that. "O-okay?…" oh good. Just the thought of her calling out his social awkwardness again is getting him nervous.
"Your quirk still makes no sense to me." How does he respond to that?! Is she joking? Does she want another explanation? Her face is giving him nothing!
Welp, when in doubt, default to humor. He laughs a little, trying to ignore how it feels like Asui's expressionless stare is boring into his soul. "It's not supposed to. It's magic."
"Uuuuuuugh, not this shit again!" Kacchan yells from his spot in the back of the bus next to Kirishima. "It's easy frog, anything the nerd does to himself is real, anything else isn't."
Huh, maybe Kacchan had been paying closer attention than he thought.
"Wait wait wait," Kaminari interjects, waving his hands in front of him and leaning forward to look at him. "So when you turn into someone, you physically become them?! The animals too?!"
"W-well…" Izuku scratches his head, not making eye contact with anyone. This is why it was easier to never actually explain his powers. The few times he did the response was…
"Yeah, he does!" Kacchan stands up, slamming his hands on the railing in front of him as he does. "And it's fucking freaky is what it is! It's like he's wearing your skin or some shit!"
That about sums it up. A freak. He sinks lower into his seat, hoping it might swallow him whole. Once people find out he actually becomes them, and it's not just an illusion, it's over.
A lesson that took him a bit longer to figure out than it should have. Considering the first time he showed Kacchan on the playground, the boy he thought was his best friend showed his appreciation with no less than a dozen explosions.
Or later when his teacher told him he was banned from using the power in any school sanctioned quirk events. The other kids thought he was taking away what made them special. That one hit hard. It took dad months to convince him to use the power again.
Would anyone notice if he just turned invisible right here? At least then, he might be able-
"It's not freaky!" Uraraka's voice cuts through his head like one of his knives, he almost winces. "It's really useful! And if I remember right, it helped us kick your sorry butt in the battle trial!" She ends her defense by sticking her tongue out.
"You wanna run that by me again, Round Face?" Kacchan snarls, his hands smoking.
"Wooooah man, it's alright." Kirishima comes to the rescue, holding his friend back with a firm hand on the shoulder.
"You gotta show us! Turn into me! Turn into me!" Kaminari is nearly bouncing off his seat in excitement.
Izuku glances around at everyone staring at him, trying to gauge their reactions. He doesn't see any open disgust, besides Kacchan. Well, if they end up hating him, might as well find out now.
In a flash of green light, Izuku is gone, replaced by Kaminari, hero suit and all. "Uh…hi?"
Kaminari leaps up and gets right in his face, touching different parts of it. "You weren't kidding…and you got it all right! It's like we could be brothers or something!" Izuku can't help but laugh. The blonde boy's energy can be infectious sometimes.
Jiro shakes her head from her spot next to Yaoyorozu. "Alright, we get it, it's legit. Can you stop touching yourself in front of all of us now?"
Izuku snorts along with most of the others while Kaminari yelps and blushes, practically throwing himself back into his seat.
Ashido leans forward. "Ok but he's so basic looking-"
"Hurtful!"
"So what about me?" Ashido finishes.
Letting a small smile slip onto his face, in another quick flash of green, Mina Ashido replaces Kaminari.
"So cool!" The real Ashido squeals. She reaches over to touch one of the horns but stops right before, giving the class a deadpan look. "Yes, I'm going to touch myself in front of all of you. You're welcome to watch."
Ashido unashamedly runs her hand over Izuku's horns while some people laugh, some people blush, or some do both.
"You even got the texture right. This is crazy…" Ashido compliments in somewhat awe. "Can you use our quirks too?" She asks after letting go and sitting back.
The new Ashido shakes her head. "No," Izuku says in a perfect recreation of Ashido's voice. "But I can make it look like I am."
Izuku puts her arm forward, yellow lines traveling up the arm until acid drops from the hand, but vanishing when it hits the ground.
Kacchan scoffs. "So still useless, what a surprise."
After turning back into himself, Izuku grins. Kacchan is getting to him, so to humor again! "Oh, it has its uses." He snaps his fingers. Kirishima gasps.
Somehow combining anger and confusion, Kacchan growls out, "what? What the hell is everyone looking at?!"
"Oh Kacchan," Izuku jokes, barely repressing his laugh with everyone else. "You look ravishing."
"The fuck do you-" his voice abruptly cuts off when Kacchan looks down and realizes Izuku turned him into Mt. Lady. "Da hell?!" Kacchan's voice cracking does everyone in, laughter erupting from most of them. Kaminari even falls out of his seat.
"I'm gonna make sure this hurts, Deku!" Kacchan screeches before Kirishima tackles him back to the seat.
"It's just a joke, man! He didn't mean anything!"
"I'm gonna tear his fucking head off!"
After letting out a few breathy croaks, Asui puts a finger to her mouth. "He still sounds like Bakugo? Because that's an illusion, right?"
"Y-yeah." Izuku says between laughs. "It is. I-I can make you look like other people, but not sound like them."
She nods. "Thank you for clearing that up."
Mostly regaining control of himself, Izuku responds, "no problem, Asu-"
"Ribbit."
"U-uh, um, no problem, T-Tsu."
"Ribbit."
"Soooo." Kaminari climbs back onto his seat. "How long can you keep him like that cuz I think he looks better this way."
"You and Deku can share a grave!"
Kirishima tightens his grip. "Hey, if it helps man, I think you looked better before."
"Awwwww!" Ashido and Hagakure cooed together. "Kiri! I had no idea you were such a sweet talker!"
The red-haired boy blushes, his grip loosening momentarily. "W-wha, no no, that um, w-well-" Kirishima's stutter is interrupted by Kacchan breaking free, making the hardening user have to tackle the other boy into the walkway.
Unknown to Izuku during the next round of laughter, Jiro sighs. "Does Bakugo only have two settings? Loud and louder?"
Yaoyorozu hums, creating a pair of noise-canceling headphones and handing it to the other girl. "Perhaps, these will help?"
The punk girl nods in relief. "Thanks, what do I owe ya?"
The creation user shakes her head. "Nothing monetary. But your quirk allows for enhanced hearing, correct?"
"Yeah?"
"It feels…unethical" Yaoyorozu looks down and twists her hands on her legs. "But if you'd be able to, I mean willing! Of course, you'd be able to! But willing to inform me if any future pranks on the class are coming-"
"I'm in."
Yaoyorozu's head whips up in surprise. "Wait, r-really?"
"Yeah." Jiro shrugs nonchalantly. "Midoriya's getting help, only fair you do too. I don't need much of an excuse to help the rep I voted for."
The heiress beams. "Thank you!"
"It's Thirteeeeeeeeeen!"
Truthfully, Izuku wants to be excited about seeing the pro hero Thirteen too, but it's a little hard with the way Uraraka is shaking him.
"Oh my god, I can't believe we are getting taught by the Thirteen! The hero with more rescues than any other! Ohmygoodnessthiscantbe-"
"Hello!" Thirteen waves to the class from where they stand in front of a large domed building. "It's great to know I have fans out there! But maybe we shouldn't shake our fellow heroes in training?"
"Yes! Of course, sorry!" Uraraka actually salutes the space hero. Unfortunately, in her excitement, it seems she forgot to not touch Izuku with all five of her fingers, since he was currently floating up above everyone else.
"Uhh," Izuku intelligently says. "Help? Anyone?…no?…" He pouts. "Guess I'll just die…"
"Don't be dramatic," an indignant Tenko says before firing his grappling hook and securing it on Izuku's foot, and reeling him down.
"S-sorry, Deku! Release."
"You know me." Izuku says to Tenko while working the grapple off his foot. "Put a ton of skill points in performance."
Tenko secures the device back onto his belt. "Should've put them in survival," he jeers.
Izuku chuckles while Thirteen leads them inside.
Inside the USJ the class stands at the top of a huge staircase, below them, is a central plaza that leads to the six different zones. Thirteen begins their lecture and Uraraka vibrates adorably in anticipation next to him.
Wait, no. Just vibrates in anticipation. Where is your brain going, Izuku?
Their speech isn't anything he hasn't heard before. It's mostly about them keeping control of their quirks, or magic in his case, because of how easily they could kill.
He's had very similar conversations with his dad several times but he was always a bit more…encouraging on the killing part. But that's neither here nor there.
"Well, that's all from me!" Thirteen cheers. "Are you ready, Aizawa?"
Their teacher takes a few seconds to answer. "Hm? Oh, yeah." He tears his longing eyes away from the Conflagration Zone. "Okay. Let's start with-"
He's interrupted by the sound of electricity crackling around them before the lights go out, only for them to come back on a second later.
Izuku exhales through his nose. 'What, did UA forget to pay the electric bill or-'
He makes a strangled noise, clutching his head. It hurts. It's his perception! It usually gives him a little tap that someone's coming but right now, it feels like a lot of someones are coming.
His classmates call out to him but he ignores them, instead choosing to wrench his eyes open and find his teacher. "E-Eraser, something's wrong!"
"What's that?"
Izuku doesn't know who asks but it doesn't matter because he sees it. Down at the central plaza, a black mist was spewing people out of it. No, not just people…
'Villains!'
Aizawa yells at them to not move but Izuku can't take his eyes off a giant man who walks through the mist. His skin was like tar, covering his huge muscular body that was littered with scars. An exposed brain sat on top of his head with his beak-like mouth and sharp teeth.
Monster would be a better description.
Izuku loses all the air out of his lungs when another villain walks around to stand next to the monster.
'That's…that's impossible!'
He had only ever seen them in the history books his father and uncle had showed him. Heard of them from their tales of battle. Even grandfather spoke cautiously about them. But that's all they should've been! History!
But he can see it clear as day. The black and gold plated armor. The expressionless mask over its face with two black ominous eye holes. The plasma energy rifle in its hands.
'It's a Dark Elf! H-how is that possible?! They went extinct centuries ago! How is one here?!'
The villains all stand in front of the mist staring up at them. There are too many mutations for Izuku to keep track of. A few part to the side to let one last figure emerge from the shadows. The mist takes the vague shape of a man with yellow eyes behind them.
By the way the other villains let them pass, Izuku assumes this is the leader.
It's a girl. She couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than him. She wears a blue-green textured bodysuit that covers her arms and legs with yellow boots over her feet, and a red belt hangs loosely on her hips.
Black hair went down her back with two shoulder-length strands that frame her face and short bangs that cover part of her forehead and part of the thick black domino mask over her eyes.
And finally, a white cape flaps in the wind behind her.
"All Might's not here," she observes almost casually to the mist man who walks up beside her.
His yellow eyes study them as well. "So it would seem." Their voices carry extremely well. "I apologize, Hirona Shigaraki, but it appears the schedule we obtained was wrong."
The now-named Shigaraki searches through their class before zoning in on something. "I'm sure All Might not being here will somehow be my fault, so let's kill some brats before we go."
There's a light buzzing in the back of Izuku's head. He hears the distant voices of those around him but he can't make out what they're saying. All he knows right now is ten minutes ago, he was laughing with his classmates on the bus and now their lives were in danger.
And he was going to protect them.
"Midoriya!" Eraserhead's shout stops him after only a single step. The man readies his capture weapon and puts his goggles on next to him. "Go with Thirteen and lead the others out of here class rep."
Izuku hesitates. "There are dozens of villains out there! And your style is better for sneak attacks, Eraser! You-"
"Kid." The pro hero says it with a finality Izuku has rarely heard from him. "My job is to protect all of you, no matter what. And besides." Eraser bends his knees. "You of all people show know. You can't be a hero with just one trick." Aizawa leaps down the staircase before Izuku can respond.
Why do you have to be so cool, Eraserhead?
But just because he can't be with him doesn't mean he can't help! With all of his fingertips glowing, Izuku waves both of his hands, and Aizawa is joined by a dozen duplicates of himself before he hits the ground.
"Which one is he?!"
"Where do I shoot?!"
"How is he doing this?!"
"Ahhhhh!"
Satisfied with the screaming and confusion of the villains, Izuku turns back and runs with his classmates back to the doors.
Kurogiri and Shigaraki calmly watch as Eraserhead dismantles grunt after grunt, his clone causing the others to panic and fire their quirks off recklessly, hitting each other most of the time.
"Duplicates," Kurogiri muses. "This could present a problem."
"They won't be for long." Shigaraki holds her hand up, her quirk starting to build up on the inside. "You're ready to move after I hit him?"
"Yes," he answers dutifully.
Shigaraki's gaze hardens on her companion. "And you know who to send down here, right?"
"It will be done."
"Good." And with that, Shigaraki fires off her quirk.
—-
Halfway to the doors, a pained scream stops Izuku in his tracks. "Sensei!" He cries. Aizawa is scrunched up in the air holding a bloody left arm, there are no clones in sight. That's all Izuku can observe before a circle of black mist engulfs him.
"Greetings." Izuku spins around, the black mist man is in front of them all now. "We, the League of Villains, have invited ourselves to this mockery of a school to rid the world of the Symbol of Peace. But alas, he is not here. Was there a change to the schedule?"
Izuku squints. 'I can't tell anything about this man. Thinking about it, those circles of mists have to be portals, that's how he got everyone in here. But nothing about his mist looks physical! There's nowhere to stab! It's just like the sludge villain all over again! Except I can't even go for this guy's eyes! And even if there was somewhere to stab, the villain can easily redirect any of my throwing knives wherever he wants!'
"DIE!" Before he can do anything, Kacchan and Kirishima are leaping at the mist villain.
"Pedestrian," he comments simply before creating a portal in front of the two boys that they fall into.
"No!" Izuku flings six knives at the villain's face, all fake, to distract him for just a second so he could create multiple copies of each of his classmates. If he's planning to portal them all, he's gonna have to find them!
"Astute. But I suppose you are the best of the best for a reason, no?" He seems to grow in size before what looks like pure darkness surrounds them. "But it matters not how many of you there are! Now be scattered and die!"
Izuku covers his eyes with his arm as a wave of blackness crashes over all of them. He can't see a thing! But when he does, his body moves before his brain can catch up.
He lunges forward, pushing Tenko out of the way of the singular portal forming beneath him before the darkness swallows him whole.
Katsuki cracks his knuckles. The dirt beneath his feet shifts with his boots. It hadn't been the best day. Some dumbass villains were attacking them and thinking they had any chance against All Might. And now he's stuck in the Ruins Zone with Shitty Hair and Elbows, both of them standing on either side of him.
And to top it off, he couldn't kick Deku's ass for that shit he pulled on the bus. Ah well.
His grin becomes manic. This group of villains advancing on them would have to do.
Shoto Todoroki is quick to make a slide of ice to ease his descent into the Landslide Zone. After securing his feet onto solid ground, he's hard-pressed to miss the hoard of villains surrounding him.
"Ow!"
He's surprised to see a pair of gloves and boots slide down his slide as well. Hagakure, he believes.
"Todoroki!" She gets up and runs to him before gasping. He can't see her but he assumes she's noticing their predicament. "O-oh my god!"
This was not favorable. What they needed was information. "Apologies but please stay where you are." His right side begins to frost. "I would prefer not to freeze you."
Tenko rolls on the ground. He rolls again. And again. The four-armed villain will not let up!
After landing in the Mountain Zone with Jiro and Yaoyorozu, the three were immediately jumped by some stupid spawn-camping villains. And-
His thoughts are interrupted as the red-eyed boy has to dodge a few more punches. He's starting to get separated from the others, crap.
Waiting for his opponent to punch again, Tenko weaves through and uses his speed to get in front of the villain and place his mechanized glove on the man's chest.
With a shout, he hits him with a concussive blast, sending the man sprawling back and disoriented. Using that to his advantage, Tenko quickly fires his grappling hook onto one of the man's arms.
Well, you only live once.
"Get over here!" is the last thing the villain hears before Tenko hits the retract button and clotheslines him.
Shota pants, his sweaty hands not making it any easier to wrap a piece of his scarf around the gash in his left arm.
He's still not sure what happened. He had blinked for only a moment and in an instant, all of Midoorya's clones were gone and his arm was erupting in pain and before he knew it, he was in the Conflagration Zone.
And the worst part, he wasn't alone anymore.
"Sensei!" Shota finishes tying his makeshift bandage on his wound and looks up to see Ojiro has finished getting Asui on his back. "I got a good grip but she's drying up fast!"
He nods. "Alright, good. Let's-"
"Found you!" Shota spins around into a crouched fighting stance. A group of villains yells in excitement down the street and charges.
All he wanted was a nap.
Tenya's glasses slide off his face when he meets the water of the Flood Zone. Shaking his head and opening his eyes underwater, he barely has any time to take in his surroundings before a dot in the distance begins to make its way toward him at an alarming speed.
Oh, that would be a shark.
His yell is muffled by the water as Tenya frantically begins to kick in the opposite direction, but he knows it's hopeless. So instead, he positions his leg behind him and hopes his quirk can give him some kind of boost of power. It doesn't have the best track record of working well underwater.
The shark, which he realizes is a man with a mutation, will be on him any second, he has to time this right-
The blue-haired boy shouts when, right before the villain can reach him, a dark bird-like creature slams into him, sending the shark spinning. "Hey Iida, need a lift?" Dark Shadow laughs at her own joke before gently picking him up under the armpits and lifting him out of the water.
Tenya gasps when the air hits his lungs, barely noticing as he's lowered onto the deck of a ship before falling to his knees coughing.
"Are you alright?"
He takes a couple of deep breaths before finally looking up at Tokoyami who watches him warily. Dark Shadow must have already retreated back underneath his cloak. "Y-yes. I believe so. Thank you to you both."
"Think nothing of it." The shorter boy helps him stand so he can lean on a railing but both boy's eyes widen at the sight of villains watching them from the water not too far away. "Iida, you wouldn't happen to possess the ability to run on water, would you?"
"I do not."
Tokoyami looks solemnly out towards their waiting enemies. "That is…unfortunate."
Denki puts a grounding hand on Koda's shoulder, and another hand on the building they're leaning against. The wind and rain of the Downpour Zone whips his face and hair without mercy. "It's gonna be alright, man!" He shouts over the storm. "Ain't no way a little water is gonna beat us!"
While hunched over slightly with his eyes closed, Koda's shaking doesn't stop. But he is able to put up a trembling thumbs up.
"Come out little heroes! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Denki's not sure where it's coming from, he can barely see anything in front of him, but they're not alone.
Pfff, some of his classmates would probably make fun of him for stating the obvious. But cut him some slack, he's a little stressed at the moment!
"Don't worry, heroes!" He hears the villain yell over the storm again. "It's only going to hurt a lot!"
Taking a deep breath to try and calm himself, which only works a little, Denki unhooks the silver mace he carries from his side. Tightening his grip on the blunt weapon, he looks at Koda and knows what he has to do.
"Stay behind me!" Ochako, Ashido, Sato, and Shoji group closer together at Thirteen's command.
The teleporter laughs at them, deep and sinister. "I couldn't get all of the golden eggs? Unfortunate, but I am well adept at improvising."
What happened today?! How did it all go from normal, at least UA normal, to this?! They were just supposed to be doing rescue training! And now…
Ochako turns her head slightly to see the worried faces of her classmates. No! She can't worry about that! She came here to save people, not be the one who needs saving!
She hardens her resolve while Thirteen lifts her arm, pointing their uncapped finger at the villain.
This morning, she felt like she could take on anything, and nothing has changed.
With his persistence in learning how to fly, Izuku was used to falling from distances that weren't exactly normal. This plays into his favor when he hits the hard ground in a perfect roll and springs back up, his hood sliding off his head.
Unfortunately, that seemed to be the only thing working for him since he doesn't really count being surrounded by villains as a good thing.
"Kurogiri, you moron!" Shigaraki kicks the ground beneath her in frustration. "How hard is it to get one person where I want them!"
She groans, letting her hands fall to her sides and, looks up at the sky. "I can already see how tonight's gonna go. Another lecture about how Tomura would've done this all better."
She slumps, before sighing and looking back up at him with a bored expression. "Can-can someone just please kill this kid? Can we do something right for a second?"
"He's mine!" A villain wearing a blue sleeveless gi rushes him from the side. He was short with a bald head and eyes spaced outward connected by stalks. His hands were metal with four large claws on each.
'He's rushing me head-on so he's clearly underestimating me. His outfit offers no protection and I can't tell what kind of metal that is but him dragging them close to the floor tells me it's heavy. And heavy means his balance will be off. He's perfect for a little intimidation roll.'
As expected, the villain lifts his claw at the last second and leaps at him. Izuku sidesteps him with ease, grabs his wrist, and twists. The man cries out in pain as an audible crack is heard. He doesn't let him dwell on it though, before shoving the man's claw downwards and making him stab himself in the leg.
Barely any sound can escape the villain's mouth before Izuku sweeps his legs out from under him and stomps his head into the ground, knocking him out cold.
Izuku looks up from his downed opponent. "And I was actually worried about you guys for a second."
Fights are more mental than most people think. Making his enemies doubt themselves even a little can make all the difference, while at the same time making himself seem untouchable. It can make people hesitate, second guess themselves, and be emotional. All things he can capitalize on.
Shigaraki facepalms. "What even is happening right now…" she gestures to him without looking up. "Someone, anyone!"
A couple of the villains look at each other nervously before readying their various weapons and quirks.
What's happening? What's happening is that they're attacking his friends and made the mistake of putting him by himself. No Eri to protect. No Kacchan to teach a lesson too. Just them and him.
And he's going to make them regret the day they messed with a demigod.
A man with a mutation that gave him the head of an elephant lightly laughs. "Very cute, kid. Really." He steps forward.
"So…" The villain scratches his nose. "What exactly are you supposed to be?"
Izuku Midori-no. There's no one watching. No one here to see. He smirks.
"I am Izuku Lokison. Prince of Mischief." He spreads his arms out in front of him, a dagger appearing in each hand with a soft green glow. "And I am burdened with glorious purpose."