Chapter 8
A week after the entrance exams, Ixuku is sitting around his dining room table with Inko and Pony, each with their own meal. Izuku was eating salmon with orange-ginger sauce, mango and avocado salsa served with wild rice. Pony is eating beef coated with tomato and pepper sauce paired with jacket potatoes and a small side of white turnip salad. Inko is eating a mix of the two meals, having helped the two prepare the food in her kitchen.
Izuku watches Pony from across the table as he absently eats. The sound of the doorbell breaks their comfortable silence. Inko gets up quickly, waving off her son when he rises to follow.
Inko opens the door with a small smile on her face. The mailman smiles back at her, holding out a pristine white letter with a bright red seal. Inko gasps as she gently takes the envelope from him gently, staring down at it in awe. The man smiles as he nods down at the letter.
"You should get that inside."
Inko nods quickly, slipping back into the apartment. She thanks the man quickly before closing the door, nearly tripping over the mat by the door as she runs back to the table.
"Izuku! Your letter came!"
The two kids look up as she crashes into the kitchen, falling to her knees in front of her son. Grins break out across the faces of the other two as Izuku takes the letter from his mother carefully. Pony's phone buzzes in her pocket as she slides it out, quickly reading over the message from her mom telling her that her letter had arrived as well. She types out a quick reply saying she'd be back soon before slipping it away and looking back at Izuku, who's still staring down at the pristine seal.
"What are you waiting for?"
She asks,
"Open it already!"
Izuku nods, ripping open the letter and severing the seal. A small metal disk falls out and onto the floor with a clatter. The device starts to vibrate and Izuku picks it up, throwing it onto the table just as a hologram of a tired-looking man appears above it.
"I'm tired of this so I'm just going to get straight to the point. You, Midoriya Izuku, scored ninety percent on the written test and a total of one-hundred-forty points in the practical."
A leader board appears next to him, showing Izuku in first and Pony in second, with a total of eighty-two points. Ten more than Bakugou, who's in third place, behind both of them.
"Which, of course, means you broke the previous high score set by All Might of one hundred points. Great job."
Inko beams up at him, tears gathering in her eyes.
"You'll be in class 1-A. Welcome to your hero academia."
The man then reaches down, zipping up a yellow sleeping bag as he slurps from what looks like a juice pouch. The recording finally cuts just as the man is falling to the floor.
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Bakugou stands above the metal disk UA had sent to him, fists clenched at his sides. How could the two losers have scored above him? The fucking Deku had even broken All Might's high score for fucks sake!
His jaw clenches and his teeth grind together. He'd make them pay for making him look weak.
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Inko hugs Izuku tightly, tears streaming down her face as she congratulates him. Pony joins in the hug for a minute before pulling away and heading for the front door. She exchanges the slippers she had been wearing for her shoes and waves as the two Midoriyas separate,
"I have to get home to open my letter with my parents. I'll see you on move-in day!"
She calls to Izuku. The boy smiles as he makes his way over, pecking her on the cheek before pushing her out the door.
"You'd better hurry."
Pony nods, smiling as she runs down the steps to the street.
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Pony stares at her hologram in surprise. All Might was standing in front of her, proudly proclaiming both her hold on second place and the fact that she was in 1-B. Her parents hug her tightly, chattering away about how proud of her they are. She leans into their embrace, a happy smile on her face, though she can't help but wonder why her and Izuku's holograms had been recorded by different people.
Izuku stands in front of the class 1-A dorm building, a stack of several large boxes clutched in his arms. The box on the bottom of the stack is clearly different from the others, with thick leather lining the outside with metal bolts holding it together at the seams. The box contains some of his workout equipment and he huffs as he lugs the stack up the stairs and through the front doors.
He's happy to find that he's the first to arrive at the building, meaning he's free to use the elevator in order to transport all of his boxes up to his room on the second floor. It wouldn't have been difficult to use the stairs, but the elevator allowed him to take more boxes at once since it didn't leave unless it was called. Though he was sure to be careful of the weight limit.
It takes him a while to get everything unpacked and sorted away but, once he's done, he stands in the doorway to proudly survey his work. He doesn't really want to meet his classmates yet, nor does he want to get in the way of others moving in, so he decides to take a walk around the grounds to familiarize himself. Which, hopefully, would have the added benefit of preventing him from getting lost in the future.
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Izuku returns to the dorms a few hours later to find Pony waiting outside. She smiles when she sees him and jogs over, wrapping him up in a hug. Izuku chuckles, hugging her back before starting up the stairs.
"How was moving in?"
He asks,
"It was fine."
She replies,
"Mom managed to take the day off to help me, there were a few more boxes than I thought, though."
Izuku huffs,
"You have too many sneakers."
She huffs,
"And you have too much hero merchandise, but you don't hear me complaining about it."
Izuku merely rolls his eyes as he pushes open the door to the dorms. A few of his new classmates are gathered in the common room. Six girls are seated on the couches talking to each other, but they look up when Izuku enters. One of them, a girl with pink skin, blushes deeply when he enters, causing her skin to become a darker pink than it was before.
Pony slides out from behind Izuku, pecking him on the cheek as she stares down the other girls. Izuku huffs, kissing her back, as she takes out her phone and starts swiping through pictures of injured girls.
"You have to stop doing that."
He says, pushing the door closed behind them. Pony rolls her eyes,
"The last time I didn't some bitch tried to kiss you without permission. I'm not risking that happening again. Plus, mom said it was okay."
Izuku hums, leading Pony further into the room,
"Sorry,"
He apologizes to the girls gathered around the coffee table since they still look a little freaked out.
"We've had a few bad experiences with people not taking a hint in the past."
The girls nod, a few apologizing in return. The group quickly delves into small talk, mainly about what they were most looking forward to at UA. Because of this, none of them notice when Bakugou starts coming down the stairs until it's too late. He's already at the bottom and storming up to them when he pops a few explosions in his palms, alerting them to him. Izuku and Pony both sigh before looking over. Bakugou is clearly gearing up to punch one of them, so Pony rolls up her sleeves, gently pushing Izuku aside.
"Who wants to see a magic trick?"
She asks, just as Bakugou lets lose a punch. She grabs his hand, redirecting his momentum downward. She spins so she's behind him and pushes down on his head. He slams into the coffee table, causing it to break in half as he crumples to the ground, unconscious. A few of the girls gasp in surprise but none of them move to help the boy. Izuku throws one arm over Pony's shoulders, pulling her into his side.
"I hope you don't get in trouble for that. The school year hasn't even started yet."
Pony hums, leaning into him.
"I can argue it was self-defence. He swung first, after all."
A girl with a brown bob, who Izuku recognizes from the entrance exams, nods,
"Yeah, we'll back you up."
Pony smiles,
"Thanks."
Izuku takes a deep breath as he pushes open the door to the 1-A classroom. He was forty minutes early, so it was empty. He had gotten himself ready and left well before everyone else in order to avoid Bakugou. Pony had been a little upset about the fact that he had gotten up so soon, but she had been adamant about walking to the school building with him on their first day, so she was currently sitting in the 1-B classroom.
He takes a moment to study the seating chart on the chalkboard and finds his seat with ease, though he doesn't bother taking out his phone or putting on headphones. Bakugou was supposed to be sitting in front of him and he wanted to be prepared for when the boy arrived.
He watches as everyone slowly trickles in, smiling and greeting each of them. He already knew all of their names thanks to the fact that Iida had insisted they all gather in the common room to introduce themselves the night before. The room slowly becomes loud with conversation as the seats fill.
Izuku lets out a breath of relief when Bakugou merely glares at him when he enters and settles at his desk. Izuku does his best to ignore Iida as he lectures the blonde about putting his feet up on his desk, which means that he's staring at the door when it slides open silently. He blinks at the man in the bright yellow sleeping bag on the floor outside the room. They make eye contact and Izuku merely follows the man with his eyes as he rises, unzipping the sleeping bag and pulling a juice pouch out of his pocket. His loud slurping finally alerts the rest of the class to his presence.
"I'm Aizawa Shouta, your homeroom teacher."
He announces, rolling up the sleeping bag and tucking it under his arm. He doesn't bother closing the door as he stalks into the classroom, stopping behind the podium.
"We'll be starting with a quirk apprehension test out on the field. Grab one of these gym uniforms and meet me outside in ten minutes."
As the man turns around Izuku stands, heading toward the podium. No one moves until he's nearly out the door, uniform clutched tightly in his fist.
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Izuku is the first out on the field and, therefore, the first to face Aizawa's scrutiny. He does his best not to acknowledge the other man beyond smiling in greeting. He watches as the rest of his class gathers in the field, though they move painfully slow. They're well past the ten minutes of allotted time when everyone is finally accounted for.
"That took you all longer than ten minutes. In the future I expect you to move faster. Such slow response times will not be tolerated on the field. Now then, as I said before you'll be participating in a quirk apprehension test. We'll be using the same tests as a usual fitness exam, except this time you'll be allowed to use your quirks."
"This is going to be so fun!"
Ashido exclaims. Izuku mentally facepalms. Aizawa shifts his attention to her, glaring.
"Fun? You think heroics is fun? Just for that, whoever places last today will be expelled. Still think this is going to be fun?"
Ashido looks rightfully scolded and Aizawa turns his attention back to Izuku.
"Midoriya, since you placed first in the entrance exams you'll be demonstrating today."
He throws Izuku a tennis ball, which he catches easily, and gestures to a circle painted on the nearby grass.
"You can do whatever you want so long as you stay inside the circle."
Izuku nods, taking up a spot in the middle of the outline before reeling back his arm and throwing the ball. A few scales appear out of his skin, glittering down his arm. After a minute, a tiny robotic voice sounds from Aizawa's phone.
"1.76 kilometres."
It says. A few of his classmates gasp. Aizawa looks like he's about to dismiss him before he squints and scowls.
"You're not giving this your all."
Izuku tilts his head slightly,
"Sorry?"
Aizawa stalks forward, grabbing hold of the weight attached to his arm.
"You're wearing your weights. You are purposefully hindering yourself. Take them off and actually put effort into this."
"I wear them all the time, sir."
Aizawa scowls,
"That doesn't matter. Did you not hear me when I called them a hindrance? Remove them or be expelled."
Izuku nods and Aizawa backs off. Izuku hangs his arms over the edge of the circle and undoes the clasps keeping the weights attached to his arms. They fall to the ground with an audible thump, leaving cracks in the ground around the small crater they created. For good measure, he takes off the weights around his ankles, too. He puts them in the crater with the ones from his arms before situating himself back in the circle. He stretches his arms a bit before looking over at Aizawa, who tosses him a new ball.
With a new, determined look on his face, Izuku once again reels his arm back. Scales once again sprinkle themselves across the back of his hand and his arm as he throws the ball with all his might, taking a step forward to add more momentum to the throw. The pause between the throw and the sound of the robotic voice's announcement is longer this time. When it finally goes off, Kaminari whistles.
"Fifteen kilometres."
Aizawa nods and Izuku steps out of the circle, rejoining the class. Aizawa calls the next person into the circle just as the hairs on the back of Izuku's neck stand on end. He looks over to see a thin, gaunt man watching their class from around the corner. Izuku tilts his head, indicating that he had seen the man. Startled, he ducks out of sight. Izuku watches the corner for a moment before turning his attention back to Uraraka, who had just stepped up into the circle.
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Izuku lowers himself into a runner's stance behind the line for the fifty-meter dash. He was paired against Iida, who nodded at him before settling into place beside him. Green scales spatter across Izuku's legs just as Aizawa calls for them to start. A moment later, the robotic voice is announcing Izuku's score of a single second. Iida is right behind him, with a score of 3.4 seconds.
During the grip strength test, Izuku shatters the device near immediately. He presents the broken contraption to Aizawa sheepishly. The man sighs, simply logging an "Infinity" as his score.
For the standing long jump, Izuku lands just in front of the wall of the school building. Bakugou glares at him when he looks back at the class, but Izuku ignores him.
For the repeated side steps Izuku moves so fast that only after images of him are visible. When he finally stops, Aizawa merely looks at him, exasperated, as he manually scores another infinity.
He practically folds in half for the seated toe touch.
He once again places first in the distance run as well as the push-ups, both of which earned him two more infinite scores.
When it comes time for the class to gather in front of the hologram to see their scores no one is surprised to see Izuku's name at the top. Bakugou, however, jumps forward, explosions crackling in his palms as he attempts to attack Izuku. The boy steps back, preparing to dodge when Aizawa's scarf wraps around Bakugou's midsection.
"No one will be expelled today."
Aizawa announces, seemingly ignoring the blonde still bound in his capture weapon. Izuku is about to join the rest of the class in heading back to the changerooms when Aizawa calls for him to stay back. He lets Bakugou go, instructing him to follow the rest of the class. The man waits for the other boy to get out of earshot before turning to face Izuku.
"The principal would like to see you in his office. Your mother has already been called."
Izuku's eyebrows bunch together,
"May I ask what for?"
"Your quirk ."
The man replies though he accentuates the work quirk in such a way that causes Izuku to stop. He barely registers his teacher turning away from him as he stares off into the distance, mind whirling. They know. They aren't supposed to know, the dragon is supposed to be kept a secret from everyone except those closest to him. He had had to fight the dragon every step it took him just to tell his mother, let alone Pony and Mei.
He takes a deep breath to steady himself before finally making the trek back to the changing rooms. There isn't anyone left by the time he gets there and he changes quickly, in and out in about two minutes. He makes sure his pace is fast as he makes his way through the halls.
When he reaches the large wooden double doors to the principal's office his expression is steeled and he has made sure to expunge all signs of unease from his body language. As he raises his fist to knock the doors swing open to reveal Nedzu sitting behind his desk, paws neatly folded on top of the wood. He gestures to one of the chairs in front of his desk and Izuku steps forward, taking the chair closest to the door. Nedzu hands him a cup of tea, though where it came from Izuku doesn't know. Not wanting to be rude, the boy takes a sip. They drink in silence until Inko arrives. She takes a few minutes, and by the time she gets there, Izuku is on his second cup.
"Sorry, I'm late."
She apologizes, settling into the seat beside Izuku. Nedzu smiles reassuringly,
"It's fine, Mrs.Midoriya. Now then,"
He reaches beneath his desk and pulls out a file with Izuku's name printed neatly on the front. He flips it open to the page about Izuku's quirk.
"I've asked you both here because I have some, ah, concerns. You see, Midoriya's teacher is Eraserhead, an underground hero with a quirk that allows him to temporarily erase the quirks of others. He used it on your son during the test, once out of curiosity and a second time to test his theory, and we found that both times it didn't have any effect. Of course, it wouldn't have erased any mutations caused by the quirk, but it should have at least limited the boy's strength and speed."
Nedzu pauses for a moment to allow them to digest the information before continuing.
"Mrs.Midoriya, were you aware that your son's powers were not, in fact, a quirk? If so, do you know why he has such abilities? Did you have anything to do with him attaining these powers? Perhaps wanting to protect your son from the discrimination quirkless people face?"
He asks, turning his head so he could make eye contact with the woman. Inko stumbles over her words, overwhelmed by the questions. Nedzu turns to Izuku once it becomes clear Inko will be unable to answer. Izuku sighs, leaning forward in his chair.
"When I was six, I was being beaten up by a few of my classmates near the forest in the park. One of them kicked me in the head and, suddenly, I was in a lavish forest with a massive tree in the middle. Each of the branches held a different fruit, though none of them looked anything like the fruits sold in grocery stores. One of the fruits falls from the tree and into my hands as I get closer. I remember it looking like it was covered in blue scales with yellow leaves and two purple stems sprouting from the top. I was still inspecting it when a small azure dragon appeared beside it and told me to take a bite. It said that doing so would give me a quirk. The fruit tasted disgusting, but I swallowed it anyway. I fell asleep at the base of the tree and woke up in my bed, sparse scales scattered across my left arm."
Nedzu had been nodding along as he spoke, waiting until Izuku was done so as not to interrupt.
"Do you have any notes on the powers this dragon has granted you?"
Izuku nods, unzipping his backpack and reaching into a secret pocket he had sewn in himself. He brings out the notebook he kept on his powers and hands it across the desk to the rodent. He nods, thanking Izuku, and dismisses him and Inko. The two Midoriyas bow shallowly before leaving.
Chapter 9
A couple of days later, Izuku is leaning back in his chair while his classmates chatter on around him, guessing at both who their new heroics teacher is going to be and what they'll be doing for their first lesson. Suddenly, Izuku sits upright, head tilted slightly toward the door. He can hear booming footsteps coming from down the hall. A few of his classmates notice his change in demeanour and follow his eye line to the door. After a few moments, the door is thrown open, revealing All Might on the other side.
Izuku looks behind the man at the three girls standing behind him. A girl with bright orange hair, one with short white hair, and Pony all stand a few feet away from the door. The first two both have cases clasped tightly in their hands. Pony waves to him and he waves back before tuning back into All Might's speech.
" While your training is important your costumes are just as, if not more so! Your costume will represent some essence of what you are to the public and they can catch the eye of people who need you in the midst of battle! As such, I am a firm believer that the costume makes the hero so- "
He cuts himself off by producing a remote from his pocket and aiming it at the wall, pressing one of the buttons with a flourish. Smoke starts to emit from the wall as it slides out of place, revealing a large shelf lined with cases like the ones two of the girls are carrying.
" Grab the case with your number printed on the front and meet us outside! "
All Might calls, waving for the three girls to follow him as he runs out of the classroom. Immediately, the rest of his class rushes for the cases, climbing over each other to get to theirs. Izuku ignores them, simply following All Might and the three girls down the hall. His costume was still in development and wouldn't be finished for at least a few more days. He had his gym uniform in his bag, so it would have to do for now.
Izuku is one of the first on the bus and he claims the seat next to Pony. The two talk as the bus quickly fills with the rest of class 1-A, each with their costume case gripped tightly in their fists. Izuku and Pony quickly fall onto the topic of what Izuku thinks his costume is going to look like. Izuku lets out a breath,
"Well, based on what Mei said…"
Mei sits in front of one of her many desks, Izuku beside her as they look over a few different sets of blueprints. All of them cover different pieces of tech he wants as part of his hero costume. There are a few notes attached to each, going over colour schemes, stitch patterns, fabrics, and all the other little details. Izuku had recently received an email stating that the materials listed went above the budget the school set for each individual costume. The school had agreed to give them the max they could, though, so the two were trying to figure out which materials they could get on their own and which they would get the school to pay for.
Mei, who was looking over their total list of materials, huffs and stands, heading over to one of her computers. She clicks a few buttons and, as Izuku is coming up to stand beside her, she pulls up one of the slightly more experimental weapons they had come up with for his costume. She looks over the list of materials beside the blueprint before looking up at Izuku.
"I'll have to make this one myself, but if I can work on it at UA then it should be done much faster. Though that also means we'll have to exclude it from your costume for now."
Izuku nods as he peers over her shoulder,
"That's fine. It means we'll have more of UA's money to spend."
Mei nods, and, with an excited glint in her eyes, pulls open one of the drawers on the desk. She reaches inside and pulls out a lump of metal. It has a few scratches, welding marks, and discoloured areas scattered across it.
"I made this myself! It's still in development but I think I'm going to call it metalpartite. I took a really strong metal that isn't produced by the cast majority of companies and mixed it with a few of the ones that are."
Izuku nods,
"That's what you brought me along to get, right?"
Mei nods,
Mei clicks a few buttons on the laptop she had recently managed to scrounge up. It had been filled with mundane data, nothing interesting, so she was factory resetting it so she could use it for much more interesting things. She swivels in her chair as she waits for the process to finish. When the loading screen finally fades away Mei pulls herself back to the desk, USB drive clutched in hand.
She goes through the set-up process for the laptop, using a few of her throwaway emails and taking the random username it assigns her. Once she's finally done setting it up she plugs the USB into the side of the laptop.
A small red demon armed with a pitchfork appears in the corner of her screen. It flies into the center, getting bigger as it gets closer until it takes up most of the screen. When it reaches the center a maniacal laugh grates from the speakers. The demon disappears in a burst of flames. A small dot appears at the bottom of her screen in the taskbar. It blends in to the point that, despite knowing that it's there, she can still barely see it. She waits a moment before grabbing a second USB from her pocket and replacing the one currently plugged in.
A loading icon appears on her screen and she leans in as she waits for it to load. A flash of white and a website home page pops to life. The website seems relatively innocent at first, merely a mediocre website for a roofing company, but Mei knows better. She clicks the log-in button in the corner and types in a familiar username and password. When she presses 'enter' a question appears on her screen,
"What is the name of our roofing company?"
The name on the heading of the website was "Willing Roofing" but Mei types in "Services And Deals" instead. Another loading icon, and then a brand new page. This one boasts a few of the more popular ads and dealings, like a particularly popular hitman and a drug dealer known for his good prices. She ignores these ads, though her attention lingers on one for a military-grade weapon she hadn't gotten to poke around with yet. She shakes her head, clicking on a new tab.
She had gotten ahold of the USB drives when she joined her mother on a trip across the world. It had taken a lot of bribing and favours for the right people. The server the USBs gave her access to was one of thousands, all connected to one massive server like an intricate spider's web.
It takes her a long while of searching to finally find the material she's looking for. The listing is for a much smaller quantity than she'd like since the metal is so difficult to make and is often used as decoration. She places the order anyway. She only wanted it so she could study it and figure out how to make her own, hopefully in a simpler way. The metal was indestructible and if she figured out how to make it or combine it with other materials then it would give her a massive boost when she became a professional support engineer.
After a few minutes her inbox pings with a notification. She clicks on it and reads over the date given to her of when the metal would be ready for pickup. She reads it over a few times to make sure she has it committed to memory before she pulls out her phone.
Dragon Fuck
Meet me at the lab next Saturday :You
Dragon Fuck: Did you place another order? What was it for this time?
Metal :You
Dragon Fuck: I'll be there.
Mei nods to herself as she slips her phone away. She wanted Izuku there this time, since the last time she went alone they tried to kill her and take her money. Izuku was intimidating to most adults, even if he was still her age, so maybe things would go better this time.
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Mei walks alongside Izuku in the cover of night. She's armed but he isn't. Both are dressed in black with their faces covered to better blend in with the shadows. When they reach the alley Mei had been told to meet the people in they're already there, waiting in the corner. There are three of them and one of them has a case clutched to their chest. When the one in front notices the two teens he sneers,
"What are you kids doing here? Scram!"
Mei steps forward,
"I'm the one who placed the order for the metal. I have your money here."
She holds up a duffel bag she had slung over her shoulder. The one holding the case scoffs,
"You really expect us to believe that you bought this? Yeah, right. Don't try to be a hero."
Mei's eyes narrow,
"I'm not lying. You can count the cash if you want."
The one standing beside the one with the case snarls as he steps forward,
"This is your last chance to leave. I think you'll find that we're not to be messed with."
Mei drops the bag, kicking it toward the men.
"I'm serious."
"And so were we."
The one at the front steps forward. An axe materializes in his grip and he runs forward, weapon raised. Izuku steps forward, protecting Mei. The axe slams into his neck and shatters into a thousand little shards. The man stares at the pieces, dumbstruck. Izuku uses the opportunity to punch the man square in the jaw, sending him stumbling to the ground. The one without the case scowls and jumps into action, gesturing for the one with the case to stay out of it.
He tries to punch Izuku in the face but scales materialize on his cheek at the last second, hidden beneath his mask. A cacophony of cracks sound and the man screams, clutching his shattered hand to his chest. Tears stream down his face as he steps backward, staring at Izuku in horror. The last man sets down his case, a furious expression on his face. His arm becomes a katana as he runs forward. Izuku catches the sword in his fist. He makes eye contact with the man, eyes cold, and shatters the weapon in his hand.
The shards scatter, joining the gleaming pieces of the axe. The man screams and staggers back, joining his friend against the wall. Izuku bends down and picks up the discarded duffel bag. Izuku holds it out to the first man, who is starting to rise and is clearly confused by the others' screaming.
"We'd like what we came for, please."
Izuku says. Urged by the panicked nodding of his peers. The man takes the bag. He unzips it and inspects some of the bills before finally nodding. He grabs the case from where it had been placed by a dumpster and hands it to Mei, who had stepped out from behind Izuku.
"Sorry for the misunderstanding."
The man says, glancing worriedly between his friends and Izuku. Mei nods, taking the case.
"It's fine. C'mon."
She waves for Izuku to follow her and the two leave the alley, Mei with the metal clutched to her chest and Izuku making note of all the cameras lining the streets so he can help Mei avoid them.
Izuku stands amid the crowd of his class. They're all dressed in their hero costumes and their attention is solely on All Might, who stands in front of them with his signature smile plastered on his face.
" Today's lesson will be battle trials! You'll be randomly assigned a teammate and a role, either villain or hero. Heroes are tasked with either capturing both villains or commandeering the bomb within the twenty-minute time limit. Villains are tasked with protecting the bomb and defending themselves for the twenty minutes. There will be a five-minute preparation period before each round for the villains to move the bomb and for the heroes to look over the building blueprints and come up with a plan. Any questions before we start? "
Pony raises her hand,
"How does the randomization work?"
All Might produces two boxes from behind his back, though none of them can tell where exactly they came from. One is labelled "Teams" and the other "Hero or Villain". Both are clearly handmade.
" You will pick a letter from the team box. Whoever receives the same letter will be your teammate and one of you will pick a ball from the other box labelled either hero or villain. "
While All Might is focused on Pony Bakugou grabs Izuku's attention, making a throat-slitting gesture before turning away. Izuku huffs and brings his attention back to All Might.
" Now, everyone come up and pick a letter! "
They all form a line in front of the box. They slowly pair up as people are assigned their letters. Izuku ends up paired with Uraraka, who grabs a "villain" ball when she goes up to get their role. They're paired up against Bakugou and Iida since they're assigned the hero role.
Izuku leads Uraraka into the building, throwing out a few strategy ideas as they enter the building. Bakugou and Iida follow a few feet behind them, silent. Bakugou glares at Izuku's back and ignores all of Iida's attempts to plan. The two heroes lean on the outside of the building. Iida has the blueprints they were given clutched in his hand.
Bakugou grumbles throughout the five-minute prep time. Iida had pretty much given up trying to work with the other boy, instead trying to figure out a plan on his own.
When the buzzer finally sounds Bakugou storms the first floor. Bakugou stomps down one-half of the floor. Iida goes down the other half, keeping an eye out for the villain team. Bakugou only spends a few minutes searching before he's storming back to the staircase. Iida is close behind him as he climbs to the second floor.
The cycle repeats on the second floor. The two boys split up, each heading down a different hall, and they meet back up at the staircase after a few minutes. Bakugou becomes more agitated at not finding any sign of the other team. Iida becomes frustrated, too, as he's convinced that the reason they haven't encountered the villain team is Bakugou's constant noise.
On the third floor, Bakugou finally spots Izuku sitting on one of the high windowsills. Bakugou scowls, explosions popping in his hands. Izuku waves down at him, a smile on his face. He then jumps, scales covering his body as he bursts through the ceiling and up onto another windowsill. Baukugou coughs and waves away the dust. Izuku peers down at him through the hole and Bakugou growls as he starts running up the stairs. Iida yelps and runs after him, metal armour clanking on the stairs. His costume slows him down and, when he reaches the fourth floor, all he finds is a pool of yellow paint by the landing.
Trailing off from the pool are boot prints, small splatters of paint scattered where whoever left them stepped down too harshly. Iida looks around him as he eases around the paint and follows the prints down the hall. He rounds a corner and, at the end of the passage, spots the door the prints lead to, another pool of paint sitting in front of it. As Iida walks to the door he feels something beneath his boot but, before he can check to see what it is, a can of paint falls on his head.
The paint covers his visor and he raises a hand to wipe it off but only succeeds in covering his hand in yellow paint, too. Sighing, he pulls off his helmet, trying his best not to get any paint in his hair. He curses the fact that he hadn't seen the trap as he once again starts creeping down the hall. The sound of wet paint squelches under his feet and his prints join the ones he was following.
When he reaches it, he opens the door slowly. He pokes his head through the small gap as it eases open, looking around for more cans of paint and the two members of the villain team. When the door is finally fully open he finds the bomb sitting surrounded by debris and knickknacks. Iida huffs. There was no way he'd be able to use his quirk in these circumstances, but…
He takes another look around the room, trying to see if he can find any hint of the other team. When he finds none he slowly makes his way into the room, leaving yellow prints all the way. As he tries to find a clear enough path to walk through he doesn't notice the brown-haired girl sneaking up behind him.
Uraraka's steps are near silent as she steps with the help of her quirk. She slowly reaches up with a rope clutched in her hand. She wraps the rope around Iida's neck, pulling it taught. The boy gasps as he claws at his throat. She's careful not to pull tight enough to break skin, running Pony and Izuku's instructions through her head like a mantra as Iida slows. It only takes a few more moments for the boy to stop struggling completely. Uraraka is quick to drop the rope and ease the boy onto the floor. She checks his pulse before sighing in relief and grabbing the capture tape off his belt.
She wraps the tape around his wrists and ankles a few times before attaching the leftover tape to her own belt.
--------
Izuku stands in front of Bakugou on the fifth floor. The blonde is huffing from running up two flights of stairs but Izuku is perfectly fine. A few explosions pop in Bakugou's palm as he bursts forward. He's about to reach Izuku, hand primed to let off an explosion in his face when he's suddenly crouched on the floor. Scorch marks peek out from under his hand where the explosion hit the concrete.
Izuku looks down at him from where he's sitting on his back. Bakugou scowls, radiating bloodlust as he twists out from under the other boy, shedding the sudden weight on his back. He charges again, this time aiming a punch at his chest. Izuku dodges easily, jumping back and forth as Bakugou attacks again and again. He throws a few punches of his own all of which land.
After a few minutes of the back and forth Bakugou stands a few feet away from Izuku once again, huffing as sweat beads on his forehead and the back of his neck. Izuku can see the tips and edges of a few of the bruises forming under the other boy's costume. Bakugou glances down at his gauntlets and a glint appears in his eyes as his sneer becomes a sharp grin.
Bakugou jumps back and Izuku watches curiously, intrigued by what the boy is doing. As Bakugou raises one of his arms and grabs the pin in the gauntlet with the other what's happening finally clicks in Izuku's brain. He's about to dodge, jump out of the way, anything, but his mind blanks. His thoughts become distant and he feels like he's an outsider watching as Bakugou pulls the pin and a burst of flames starts to form.
He snaps back into reality when the blast is about halfway to him. All he has time to do is raise his arms, scales spread across them in defence, before the blast reaches him. He feels the rush of heat swarm him, causing sweat to drip off his face. He can hear the crumbling of the walls as they're blown away. He can't see anything through the blinding light that engulfs everything. He screws his eyes shut to protect them, though it's still bright against his lids.
It takes a few moments for the light to fade enough for him to open his eyes. He opens them slowly to make sure the dust has cleared, too. He blinks in surprise when he realizes that everything looks much farther down than it should be. He has way more muscle than before, and the rags of his uniform cling to his chest. Scales cover the entirety of his body, more tightly packed and shining than they normally are. His nails, which he normally kept relatively short and neat, were long, thick, and curled slightly at the tips, their points shining in the sun coming through the windows. His feet had torn through his shoes and matching claws adorned them, though their tips were much duller. He raises a hand to his face and feels an elongated snout, similar to Pony's, with two long whiskers trailing from either side. A tail drags behind him, coated in the same oval scales as the rest of him.
He catches a glimpse of his eyes in a shard of glass on the ground and they widen in surprise. His sclera and iris had become one, taking on an orangey-red colour that reminded him and flickering flames. They weren't the only different thing, however. His pupils had changed too, taking on a diamond shape that reminded him of a cat's. Horns protrude out of the front of his head. They start straight before curving up sharply. Smoke billows from his nose and his slightly parted mouth reveals rows of deathly sharp teeth.
"Woah…"
His voice is deep and resonant with a slight humming undertone. He twists his hands in front of his face, admiring the sheer muscle spreading from his palms up his arms. A small pop from Bakugou's palm snaps his attention back to the other boy. Suddenly, his pupils dilate into a sharp point. He takes a few steps and he's behind Bakugou, swinging a punch for the boy's head. Bakugou falls to the side and onto the floor. His head bounces when it hits the ground and a small pool of blood forms under his head.
Izuku stomps on the two gauntlets, both still attached to Bakugou's wrists. He's careful not to harm the other boy but he relishes in the shattering cracks that sound from the hunks of metal. Bakugou's sweat spills from the gauntlet that hadn't been set off and Izuku steps over it carefully.
The buzzer sounds from the speakers, startling Izuku and causing him to stumble backward, shaking the building.
" He twenty minutes is up! Villain team wins! "
Izuku huffs and can feel himself shrinking. He blinks and, with a shake of his head, realizes that he's back to his normal size. His uniform is still in tatters and his shoes are absolutely destroyed but, other than that, he's completely fine. He takes a moment to shake himself out before heading to the stairs to the lower level to find Uraraka. He finds her smiling and having a small personal celebration next to Iida, who watches them from the corner.
"Good job."
He congratulates her, smiling. She opens her mouth to say something in return but she snaps it shut when she notices the state of his clothes.
"What happened?"
She asks. Izuku shrugs,
"I unlocked a new part of my quirk when Bakugou tried to fire a grenade-level explosion at me from point blank. I'm fine."
He tacks on the last part when he notices her worried expression get worse. After checking him over with her eyes one last time she nods, stepping toward Iida to untie him. Izuku helps her and the three leave the building, the med-bots already long gone.
When they get back to the observation room Bakugou isn't far behind him. Recovery Girl had made quick work of him and he had insisted on returning to class as soon as she had kissed him.
" You all did very well! Especially you, young Bakugou! Your ability to think on your feet while fighting an adversary such as- "
Bakugou cuts the man off with a glare as he stalks to the far corner of the room. While All Might recovers Pony rushes over, smiling at them both, though she stops at Uraraka first.
"That was great! You executed that perfectly."
Urarka smiles back,
"Thanks! I was running through you and Izuku's instructions the entire time, though."
Pony hits her on the shoulder playfully,
"Good! It'll help you get better at it, make it just a little less likely for you to make a mistake."
Uraraka hums and tries to strike up a conversation with the other girl when Izuku interrupts by clearing his throat,
"No worry or congratulations for your boyfriend? I was nearly killed!"
Pony's expression immediately darkens and she turns to glare at Bakugou, who's still sulking in his corner.
"Sorry, I got distracted. If we weren't training to be heroes I'd-"
Izuku nods, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently pulling her into his side,
"Kill him, I know. Now c'mon, I think the next match is starting soon."
He sends a pointed look at All Might and the man startles before nodding to himself,
" Right! Our next match is between teams G and C! "
Chapter 10
Izuku and Pony walk side-by-side down the path to the school building. They were both dressed in their uniforms, bags slung over their shoulders. As they get closer to the front gates, they pick up the sound of overlapping voices and clicking camera shutters. They glance at each other and pick up the pace. When they reach the gates it's to find a crowd of news reporters flocking together as they hound the few students that had gotten close enough to be pulled in.
"Think we can just wait for them to leave?"
Pony whispers. Izuku hums as he pulls out his phone. He glances at the screen before tucking it away and shaking his head,
"We don't have the time. Classes start soon. Plus, they're reporters. Do you really think they'll just leave once everyone's in class?"
Pony huffs in annoyance.
"No."
"Our best bet right now is trying to sneak around them."
Izuku says, looping his arm through Pony's. The girl rolls her eyes but falls into step beside him anyway. As she had suspected they would, the reporters notice them when they're still a few metres away from the gate. Microphones and cameras are shoved in their faces and questions are thrown at them regarding All Might's teaching. Izuku makes eye contact with Iida, who, by the looks of it, had been pulled into the crowd a while ago and had still not escaped.
As they finally reach the gates the reporters spot them, pushing the others they had captured aside in an attempt to reach the two new arrivals. Izuku picks up on a bloodthirsty air among the reporters but waves it off as just the fact that they're trying to swarm both him and Pony.
"How was All Might's first class?"
"Has he given you any advice yet?"
"What was your first lesson?"
The two try to ignore them, but the reporters insist. They finally stop when Pony glares at them, adding to the bloodthirsty air Izuku had felt earlier. Most of them back off, at least, one of them persists, shoving their microphone as far over the property line as they could without the possibility of being labelled a trespasser. Izuku grabs their shoulder, spreading scales down his arm and elongating his nails into claws. The reporter stares into his eyes, which he had made into the eyes of the dragon. The reporter's face pales and he finally backs down.
They finally let Iida go and the boy joins them as they run to class. Pony splits off from them when they reach a turn in the halls. Iida and Izuku reach the classroom a few minutes before the bell rings, giving them enough time to sit at their desks before Aizawa arrives. When the bell finally goes Aizawa slips inside,
"I watched the recordings of your fighting matches from yesterday. First off, Bakugou, you can't cause such destruction in the field. It will end in the unnecessary deaths of civilians. There is no reason to use the kind of violence you did in a situation like that one. The shaking of the building or the fire from your explosions could have easily set off the bomb."
Bakugou glares at Aizawa until the man movies on to the next student. The man gives out mostly criticism to the class, though a few members receive compliments, too.
"Finally, Midoriya, you did well. You managed to cause minimal damage, despite becoming massive inside the building. You should continue training with your new form in order to learn better control, however, as structural damage was still caused."
Izuku nods, memorizing Aizawa's advice.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way it's time for you all to choose a class president."
The man grabs his sleeping bag from under the podium and climbs inside. Immediately, the class bursts into noise as people nominate themselves for president. Izuku winces at the sheer volume. It doesn't last long, though, as a girl with purple hair sitting at the back of the class drowns it out with a loud boom. Everyone's attention turns to her and blush spreads on her cheeks,
"Sorry. You were hurting my ears."
She says. Another girl with a long black ponytail stands.
"We should settle this with a civilized vote."
She says. Her palm starts to glow and slips of paper fall from it. She gathers the slips and starts handing them out to the others.
"Write down the name of whoever you want the president to be and then bring your slip of paper up to the front. We'll tally the votes and whoever has the most will be president."
"Everyone's just going to vote for themselves."
Kaminari points out. The girl nods,
"Yes. And if anyone emerges with even just two votes, then we'll know they were good enough to get just at least one other person to vote for them."
That seems to settle that argument and Kaminari settles back into his seat, carefully guarding his slip of paper with one hand while he writes with the other. The next few minutes are mainly filled with the sounds of scratching pencils and chair legs scraping against the floor as people stand.
Once everyone's votes had been collected the girl counts them out, writing names on the board as they appear and tallying the votes each receives.
In the end, Yaoyorozu is named president and the purple-haired girl, whose name is Jirou, is given the role of vice. The two stand in front of the class beneath the board covered in names and tallies.
"Thank you very much for electing us as your president and vice."
Yaoyorozu says, bowing shallowly. Jirou copies her, a few seconds behind. In an attempt to encourage the other girl, Yaoyorozu nudges her arm. Jirou yelps in surprise, her face becoming beet red. Yaoyorozu whispers a hurried apology and heads back to her seat. Jirou does the same, head down.
--------
Izuku sits at a table with most of the rest of class 1-A in the cafeteria, lunch tray in front of him. There are a few different conversations going on at the same time, though occasionally someone will add their opinion to one they weren't originally a part of. Suddenly, their friendly conversations are interrupted by a blaring alarm. Red lights start flashing around the room as an automated voice rings out,
"Code three, code three…"
The voice repeats the same thing over and over. Once seems to have been enough, however, as everyone else in the cafeteria begins to panic. The panic of those in the older years rubs off on the first years, causing them to panic, too. As students rush to the exits members of class 1-A join them. The exits quickly clog, making it near impossible to leave. The sounds of stomping feet and screaming voices fill the cafeteria, causing Izuku to flinch slightly.
Izuku stands near the edge of the crowd, forcing others to go around him. Yaoyorozu stands on the bench she had previously been sitting on, trying to gain the attention of those around them. Izuku tilts his head slightly to better hear what she's saying over the screams of the other students.
"It's only the press!"
She calls, over and over again. No one is paying attention to her, too caught up in their own terror. Izuku takes one last look around the crowd before deciding that she would need a little help. He attempts to clear his throat but what comes out instead is a deep, resonating roar. It cuts through the noise like butter, echoing off the walls of the cafeteria. Everyone's eyes are on him. His cheeks turn slightly red.
"I think Yaoyorozu is trying to tell you something."
He says, nodding at said girl. Everyone's eyes turn to her. She nods back at Izuku in thanks before she straightens her back and clears her throat, normally this time,
"It's only the press."
She states.
"By looking out the windows, you can see that the intruder alert was just triggered by a crowd of reporters that managed to break through the gate. The procedure for a code three is to organize into our classes and head back to class in an orderly fashion. Please do so."
There's a moment of silence once she's done speaking before people are moving again. Calmly, this time, as class presidents rein in their classes and start heading back to their classrooms. Class 1-A gathers back around their table, Yaoyorozu and Jirou at the head of the line. Yaoyorozu stands on her tiptoes to do a quick headcount before she finally turns around and starts leading them back through the hall. Izuku hangs out at the back of the line, thinking back to the bloodlust he had felt from the crowd of reporters earlier that morning. In hindsight, it was stupid of him to have waved it off so easily. It may have just been the press on the front lawn, but he was sure none of them had quirks that could have broken the UA gate. No one who had a quirk that powerful would go into journalism.
As he thinks, the blaring alarm finally cuts out replaced by,
"The intruder has been dealt with. Please wait in your classrooms for your teacher."
The message only repeats three times before the PA system is finally silent. Izuku nods to himself. The teachers had dealt with whoever had broken the gate, then. He realizes that he had fallen behind the class by a few steps and he picked up his pace to catch up. They slip back inside the classroom, where All Might is already waiting for them at the podium. Izuku settles back down at his desk, tuning out his thoughts in exchange for All Might's explanation of the day's lesson.
The next day, Aizawa is waiting for them to start heroics instead of All Might.
"Today you'll be going to our building specialized in rescue training. Class 1-B will be joining you, as per All Might's request."
It's clear by Aizawa's tone that he thinks All Might's request is illogical, but that he had to go with it anyway.
"Please change into your hero costumes and meet at the gate."
With that, Aizawa stalks off, the wall extending behind him. Izuku rushes forward with the rest of the class, excited to finally have access to his costume. Mei had complained to him the night before about having to pull an all-nighter to finish the last few details, but he knew she was full of shit. She had pulled several all-nighters before in order to complete her own projects.
He looks down at his costume as he stands in a group with the rest of his class as they wait for 1-B. The shirt is a dark green with white crosses creating a lined pattern. A black kasaya with a diamond pattern made of crossing white lines covers his hips and the left side of his body. A rope woven of gold thread starts at his right shoulder and wraps around his waist under the kasaya. A ring of large black beads sits around his neck. The beads are made of a heavy, durable material that's made to look like wood cured to look black. His pants are loose and black, paired with his black ankle-high socks. The socks have a split at the toe to fit with the zōri on his feet.
1-B finally joins them and Izuku shoots Pony a smile, taking a moment to admire the shining metal bō before the two classes are once again separated, herded onto two different buses to transport them to the rescue training facility.
The bus ride is loud with excited chatter as everyone talks about what they could possibly be doing to start their rescue training. A few of them weren't very excited for training in rescue, but, at they all knew that it was at least important.
When the bus finally pulls up in front of a massive dome Aizawa is the first off the bus. He meets up with Vlad King at the front of the crowd as the two classes converge. Izuku and Pony join up at the back of the crowd, hands brushing together. The two teachers wait until both buses are empty before waving for the two classes to follow them into the building. Vlad stays with them by the doors while Aizawa slips off to talk with Thirteen for a moment. A few of his classmates start talking animatedly about Thirteen being their teacher. Izuku doesn't pay attention to them, however, more focused on the fact that Aizawa is holding up three fingers as he talks to Thirteen. They nod, seemingly having understood what Aizawa meant, and followed the man to the front of the crowd.
Thirteen starts their speech and, at first, Izuku is giving them his full attention. But his attention is quickly pulled away when he feels a shift in the air pressure. He can tell that Pony can sense it, too, as she glances up at him, her ears twitching. He looks past his teachers to the fountain in the plaza. A small purple dot floats beside the fountain, slowly growing. Izuku opens his mouth to say something when Todoroki, who's near the front of the class, beats him to it.
"Sir, is that part of today's lesson?"
Aizawa turns his head to face the portal. Izuku knew it was a portal because it had reached person size and people were starting to pour out. Aizawa's scarf flares and he throws his arms out,
"Stay back! Those are real villains."
Panicked whispers erupt in the class as Aizawa runs down the stairs.
"Thirteen, protect the students! Vlad, you're with me."
The space hero nods as Vlad rushes down the stairs with Aizawa. Izuku watches as the two most concerning villains step out from the portal. A thin man covered in hands stands beside a massive, buff creature with a bird beak and an exposed brain. The panic grows as more and more villains appear. The only students not actively panicking are Izuku, Pony, Bakugou, and Todoroki. The four of them simply survey the area around them as it fills with villains. Thirteen starts trying to herd them out the door but, just as those at the back (now front) of the crowd step forward to open the door a mass of purple mist blocks their path. For a tense moment, Izuku thinks that more villains are going to step out but, instead, a face forms in the mist.
"Apologies for being so informal. We are the League of Villains, and we're here to kill All Might. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"
Izuku shakes his head, stepping forward,
"He's not here."
Kurogiri tsks,
"Unfortunate. Perhaps he'll appear if his students are in danger."
With that, portals appear beneath them, pulling them in.
--------
Pony screams as she falls. She doesn't stop screaming until she lands on harsh, hard rock. She immediately curls in on herself, attempting to protect her head as she rolls down a slope. When she finally comes to a stop she gets up shakily. Luckily, the reinforcement and padding of her costume stopped her from being injured beyond a small scrape on her left cheek.
Pony dusts herself off, looking around her surroundings. She's surrounded by haphazard-looking piles of rock. There are pieces that are sharp and jagged and others that look round from weathering. She's about to start heading downhill when, to the East, she sees a massive flash of light, arching branches of electricity shoot every which way. Pony is infatuated for the few moments the light exists. When it disappears she starts trekking toward it.
As she gets to the top of a particularly tall pile of rocks she spots a small group of three others. She jumps down from the rocks, landing in a crouch before standing and making her way down to the group.
"Hey, are you guys okay?"
She asks. Yaoyorozu and Jirou turn to face her, nodding hesitantly. Kaminari stands between them, a vacant look in his eyes. A thick blanket lies on the ground beside them.
"What happened?"
Pony asks, finally noticing the body of a large man on the ground. Yaoyorozu opens her mouth to answer, but before she can, a villain comes over the hill of the mountain. They have the head of a goat and hooves, expertly jumping down the rockface. Pony reaches behind her, grabbing the bō out of the sheath on her back. She swings at the villain's face as he lands in front of her. The villain stumbles back as she reaches down with her staff, catching the edge of his pants and pulling. The weight of the villain starts pulling her down, too. Jirou reaches forward, catching her shoulder. The villain manages to catch the neck of Jirou's jacket as she enters his reach.
Jirou stumbles forward, tugging Pony with her. Pony stumbles, using her staff to catch herself as Jirou is forced to let her go. The villain slams Jirou's head into his knee, causing her to crumple to the ground. Pony scowls, stepping forward as she punches the villain in the face. He slams into the side of the mountain. The momentum bounces him back and he regains his balance quickly. He kicks out at her, aiming for her legs. Pony simply lets him. As soon as his hoof hits her calf a sickening crack sounds. He screams, falling to the ground by Jirou. Pony taps her staff against her calf, the sound of metal on metal joining the villain's screams.
Pony positions her staff above his head. She plunges one end into his left eye. His screams become shrieks as blood runs down his face. She yanks out her staff and reaches down. She picks him up from the fur at the top of his head, pulling him up so she can look him in his remaining eye.
"What's your leader's plan here?"
She asks, voice cold. The other two girls look at her in horror. The villain opens his mouth to reply but, before he can, another villain pops out of the ground behind Kaminari. He grabs the boy around the waist, pulling him away from the group and hovering a knife in front of his throat.
"Let him go."
The villain says, glaring at Pony. Pony glares back. Her response is to tighten her grip on the goat villain's head, causing him to groan. The villain holding Kaminari narrows his eyes. The two continue to stare each other down, neither moving a muscle. When she spots a spark alight off of Kaminari's brow, she drops the goat villain, her staff dropping with him. The other villain only has time to widen his eyes before she's pouncing on him. She uses one hand to break the arm holding Kaminari, pushing the boy out of the way with her free hand before bringing it up to the man's face. She slams him into the ground. His head breaks open when he hits the ground.
Pony takes a moment to breathe before turning back to the group. She gently takes Kaminari's wrist, leading him back to the other two girls.
"Sorry."
She apologizes, wincing when she sees the horrified looks on their faces. Yaoyorozu nods slowly,
"It's fine. Your efforts may have been…gruesome, but I guess they did the job."
Jirou shrugs, rubbing her head as Yaoyorozu helps her off the ground.
"Maybe you should learn how to tone that down."
Pony nods,
"Right, right. I'm not all that used to fighting people that aren't Izuku."
Jirou shudders, looking down the mountain. The plaza is just visible from where they stand, though their teachers are still obscured from view.
"We should head down."
Pony says, already starting to make her way down the mountain. The others follow tentatively behind her, working their way down the mountain. Kaminari, still short-circuited, leans on Jirou for balance.
When she reaches the bottom of the mountain, Pony freezes. Vlad and Aizawa are both fighting hordes of villains. Neither has a chance to stop as they're confronted with volleys of punches and quirked attacks. They're managing to hold their own until a villain covered in hands mutters something that Pony can't quite make out and a massive villain with a bird beak bursts forward. Pony ducks behind a line of bushes, pulling the others down with her.
The massive villain grabs hold of Aizawa, throwing him into the concrete floor. It cracks beneath the force. Vlad glances over but isn't able to help as, now that Aizawa isn't able to help, he's dealing with more villains than before. Pony watches in horror for a moment before coming to the conclusion that they have little to no chance of offering much help. She waves for the others to follow her as she slowly moves down the line of bushes toward the doors.
As they move slowly behind the bushes, trying to avoid detection by the villains. They hadn't gotten very far, however, before Kaminari trips, yelping in surprise and stumbling. The surrounding villains' heads whip in their direction, also drawing the attention of the villain covered in hands. Pony pushes the others down as she stands, making sure the villains think it was her who made the noise. She doesn't see the villain's mouth move before her line of sight is blocked by the massive monster that had been slamming Aizawa's head into the concrete mere moments before.
She only has time to raise her arms in front of her face. Her hands only have time to form claws instead of fists above her head before the creature's blow is hitting her square in the jaw. Her arms block little of the impact and she's sent flying into the wall of one of the disaster domes. Her teeth clash together. She can feel a few of them break and crack as she crashes into the wall. Blood fills her mouth until all she can taste is copper.
Her arms are twisted at unnatural angles. It hurts to breathe. She tries to get up anyway but her head spins as she raises it. Her vision becomes splotchy and dark. Her head drops as she loses consciousness.
Vlad watches in terror as the monster mangles one of his students. He glances between Aizawa and Pony once, allowing his anger to build before he bursts forward. He tries to encase the villain in a cage of blood, one of his go-to moves. The blood dries over the creature quickly, seemingly binding its arms to its sides. However, the blood cracks near immediately. It shatters into dust as the creature frees its arms and turns its head to look at Vlad. It bursts forward, slamming Vlad into the ground. It crushes a few of his ribs beneath its weight and snaps his arm in its grip. Vlad groans in pain. He lies a few feet away from Aizawa, now just as mangled as the other man.
Jirou and Yaoyorozu, who had been watching in horror, finally continue on to the exit, pulling Kaminari along with them.
Izuku can hear the cracking of bones from where he stands on the boat, hesitant of entering the churning waters below him. He had previously been keeping the villains at bay by blowing bursts of air into the water. One glance at the shore and, more specifically, Pony lying mangled on the ground, changes his mind completely.
Low growls rumble from his throat as he stares down at the water below. The villains were creeping forward now that the constant bursts of air weren't holding them back but he ignores them. He jumps off the boat, his right arm poised at his side to punch. As he reaches the water, scales spread down his arm and his claws extend about halfway. When his fist meets water it bursts up like a geyser around him. Water goes everywhere. It lands in the boat and on the shore. Even splattering against the roof. When the walls of water around him finally clear the large pool is empty bar a few small puddles here and there.
The villains that had previously been swimming through the waves crash into the concrete from where they had been thrown, but Izuku pays them no mind. He storms onto land, jumping out of the pit with ease. When he sees the creature looming above Vlad King he immediately knows that it's the thing that mangled Pony. He'll have to defeat it before he can help her.
He reaches up to his neck, removing the metal necklace. He removes the weights from his wrists and ankles, too, placing them all in a pile beside him. He stretches upward as he mutates into his hybrid form. A deep, guttural roar reverberates from his throat, drawing the attention of the monster and everyone else still conscious. Izuku hears the villain covered in hands command the monster to attack and Izuku crouches into a defensive position, ready to take the first hit.
Izuku lets the creature land the first attack, opening it up for a hit to the opposite arm. It keeps aiming for Izuku's head, but he dodges out of the way each time. Likewise, the monster dodges most of his attacks. Shockwaves roll through the USJ as they land blows and dodge others.
As he watches, Shigaraki becomes more and more agitated. He scratches his neck, the scratching only getting more violent as Izuku continues to land hits and the fight drags on. He mutters angrily to himself, trying to figure out what to do when he spots a small boy with purple balls for hair standing close by. He grins manically to himself as he runs forward, grabbing hold of the boy by the neck. He gasps, looking up at Shigaraki in horror. Shigaraki isn't paying attention to him, though, all of his attention is focused on the Nomu and Izuku.
"Nomu! Stop!"
He calls. The creature immediately grinds to a halt. Izuku glances over at the villain, trying to figure out why he had gotten the creature, which he now knew was called a Nomu, to stop. When he sees Mineta in the villain's clutches he, too, stops fighting.
"Listen carefully."
Shigaraki instructs, a grin still planted firmly on his face.
"Turn back to normal. That form is cheating."
Izuku complies, shrinking back into his regular form. Scales rescind into his skin and his eyes return to normal, their orange colour leaking away. His costume isn't damaged in the least.
"If you use your quirk, or try to fight back in any way while the Nomu attacks you, I'll kill this NPC, got that?"
Izuku nods and Shigaraki's grin becomes impossibly sharp.
"Good. Nomu, attack. But limit your strength. Cheaters deserve to suffer. "
The Nomu's relentless ambush begins again and this time, all Izuku can do is blink. For the first time since he was six, he can feel bruises begin to bloom across his body. He can feel the pain of cracking ribs. The pain causes his eyes to water and tears to stream down his cheeks, but he doesn't even raise an arm to wipe them away.
The onslaught of attacks feels like it'll go on forever. Izuku's legs are about to give out beneath him when, finally, All Might breaks through one of the far walls of the USJ.
"I am here!"
He booms. Shigaraki lets go of Mineta as All Might jumps forward, scooping up Aizawa and Vlad and bringing them to the top of the stairs before going back to the plaza.
"Nomu, stop."
Shigaraki commands, ignoring the sniffling boy at his feet. The Nomu stands still, looking over at its master. Izuku falls to the ground, his breaths short and shallow as he stares up at the glass ceiling above him. All Might appears in front of Izuku, about to scoop up the boy as the Nomu looms above them, listening to Shigaraki's commands, but, before he gets the chance to touch Izuku, he's reaching up and grabbing hold of All Might's shirt collar,
"Save Pony first."
"But-"
Izuku tightens his grip,
"No. Her first, or I rip that smile off your fucking face."
All Might nods and Izuku lets him go. The man runs off to Pony's side, the Nomu a few paces behind him. He manages to drop Pony off near Vlad and Aizawa before leading the Nomu away to an area by the fountain to finally engage it in combat.
The last thing Izuku sees is the first exchange of blows between All Might and the Nomu before his vision goes dark and his consciousness slips away.