05:00 AM,
Training Camp Day 2
The drowsy group of Class 1-A students, wearing their UA training uniforms, gathered in front of Erasure Head and Lemillion.
Last night, after dinner, they had gone straight to sleep.
Now, every inch of their bodies throbbed, as if someone had tied knots of pain all over them.
And, even as many of them yawned, seeing the look on Erasure Head's face made them instantly realize that today was going to be no different.
"The Training Camp has a clear goal," Aizawa began. "To make you all ready for the Provisional Hero License next semester. And not for once think that other Hero-course offering Schools aren't carrying out such activities, either. Villain activities are on the rise, and the current Hero mass is getting shorter… The World needs more Heroes. The best Schools have to offer. Being just good enough will not work. You need to be a cut above the rest if you want even a hint of selection's chances. So, once again, make this count."
Erasure Head himself carried dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept nearly enough last night.
However, the content of his little speech worked better than any cup of coffee could ever have, smothering drowsiness off the students' faces.
Nodding to himself, Erasure Head looked at Bakugo.
"You all must remember your first test, I hope," the teacher said, holding a ball which he threw toward Bakugo. "Let's see how strong you have become in one year at UA…"
Bakugo caught the ball with a frown.
"Try throwing it just like you had a year ago," Erasure Head said. "Your previous record was 705.3 meters, right?"
"No, that was Deku's score!" Nyx cawed loudly, pouncing on the mistake like a hawk. "Bakugo's was wayyyyy less…"
"Oi! Birdshit!" Bakugo fumed, smoke rising from his palms. "You have a death wish?! I was only 0.1 meters behind that nerd…"
"Aha!" Nyx snapped her feathers. "So, you do admit defeat… loser…"
"I am gonna…" Bakugo ground his teeth.
"Enough," Erasure Head said. "Go on, Bakugo. Try your best."
Shaking from head to toe, Bakugo walked past the Pros and took a stance. Before throwing the ball, though, he lifted it high and looked over his shoulder.
"This is your head…" he said, staring at Nyx.
Then, taking a deep breath and focusing on the feeling he had experienced while fighting Shigaraki with his evolved Quirk, Bakugo threw the ball with all his might. "GO TO HELL!!!"
Boooooooooooooooooooom!
A dust storm riled up at the campsite, gusts of wind slapping across all faces.
The ball traced an arc, leaving behind a trail of smoke, and disappeared far into the forest.
"Whoa…" Mirio gasped, standing on his toes. "You really are not suited to forest terrain… No wonder…"
Bakugo smirked.
That smirk died as soon as it had appeared, though.
Erasure Head lifted the distance-measuring device and showed it to the students.
— 750.5 meters!
Bakugo's eyes went blank.
It wasn't just him, as Midoriya, Kirishima, Todoroki, and even Luke's eyes had stirred.
Many of them had expected Bakugo to cross over 900–1000 meters of distance this time. It was especially so for Luke, who knew that Bakugo's Quirk had evolved because of Singularity.
"Some would call an increment of around 50 meters an improvement," Erasure Head said, staring at the dumbfounded students. "Those people will never be Heroes. After being one year at UA, you all have improved… but only in technicalities. You are now more experienced, have stamina, and spirit to last against all odds. As you can see, your Quirks themselves haven't improved that much."
"Yeah," Lemillion nodded. "The only way to grow Quirks is to work on them. Over and over… Over and over… Over and over…"
As Mirio kept chanting the three words, students' faces paled.
Erasure Head grinned. "Over and over… until you feel like dying…"
…
"The GPS signal vanished?" All For One asked.
Dr. Kyudai nodded. "I traced it to a range of mountains," he explained, showing the map. "Then, it just stopped transferring any data."
"Perhaps…" All For One guessed. "It broke?"
Dr. Kyudai shook his head. "Unlikely, Master," he said. "It was small enough to keep it safe. Also, the training is supposed to begin from today…"
A smile surfaced on All For One's face. "You think our little rat is being naughty?"
"… Something's definitely up, Master," Dr. Kyudai said. "It's possible that a Pro got his hands on it accidentally."
"Oh?!" All For One was finding it amusing by the second. "Any chance a Pro can trace it back to us?"
Dr. Kyudai shook his head, sweat drenching his back. "No… No, Master," he answered. Well, not unless that Pro was also a world-class hacker.
The possibility of the latter happening was so minuscule that Dr. Kyudai left it unsaid, gulping.
All For One held back a laugh. "Alright, Dr. Ujiko," he said. "If you say so… Now, show it to me."
Wiping the sweat off his bald head, Dr. Kyudai took out a device.
From all angles, it looked like the Quirk Amplification Device Dabi had stolen from the Tower, bringing it here.
Ever since then, Dr. Kyudai had been unraveling its mysteries, hoping to eradicate its shortcomings.
This device… wasn't a fruit of that research, though.
"It will work the same as the Quirk Amplification Device, Master," Dr. Kyudai warned. "But… once someone put it on… there will be nothing left to save of that person."
All For One took the toy out of the doctor's hand and marveled at it.
"Well…" the Villain remarked humorously, "… good thing we have just the kind of cannon fodder suited to this device, no?"
For the first time, Dr. Kyudai smiled, taking pride in his creation.
"Call Tomura," All For One threw the device back to the doctor. "Tell him to gather all the… Claws. And tell him…
"… these are my gifts to sharpen those claws even further. Haha..."
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