Episode IX: Break in the U.A!
Aizawa glared at Bakugo and Izuku as he and All Might stood behind Nezu's desk, the furry principal seated at his desk as the two students had been called into the Principal's office after the battle trial had been concluded.
"I think you two know why you're here?" Aizawa asked rhetorically, as he glared at them. "We're here because of the battle trial fiascos that you two instigated," he said as he turned his glare to Bakugo.
"Bakugo, you disobeyed your teacher's direct order and continued fighting, despite the fact you had already been 'captured' by Midoriya. Then used a move that was extremely dangerous and reckless, indoors no less, that could've not only gotten Midoriya killed, but Ochako Uraraka and Denki Kaminari killed. On those grounds alone, I should have you suspended from the Hero course, or expelled altogether." Aizawa said as Bakugo merely clicked his tongue and looked away.
"And Midoriya," he said as he looked at the green teen who flinched a little under the man's glare. "You should've let All Might cancel the match the moment he launched his attack against you. Yet you convinced him to continue regardless, I should have you suspended as well…But the Principal believes that would be a waste of potential Heroes…" he said.
"So for the time being, Bakugo, you'll get 3 Weeks detention. Midoriya, 1 Week after school. I want this to be a lesson for both of you. When your instructor tells you something, you listen to him. And Bakugo, this isn't your old Middle School. Things are different here and we do not tolerate students that think they're better than everyone else. Do I make myself clear?" he said as Bakugo breathed through his nostrils heavily and nodded.
"Good, now leave," Aizawa said as they both nodded.
"Just a moment, Young Bakugo," All Might said as he looked at the boy. "I didn't get a chance to say to you that I was disappointed that you didn't obey my orders, and you've more than had an earful from the Teachers already. But you must understand that while pride is an important part of becoming a Hero, there is also humility and discipline that are needed to be a Hero. So learn from this and grow stronger, there is always room to improve.
"Speaking of improving, All Might and I need a chat about student safety," Aizawa said as All Might flinched, and the two boys left.
The boys left the office as they then stood outside awkwardly. Izuku looked to Bakugo and was about to say something when he walked away.
"...Well…that could've gone better, right?" Izuku said to himself as he went and followed him to the locker room.
Later in Detention
After getting changed and headed back to class, the day went on as normal, as normal as once can expect at a Hero Academy. But the entire time Bakugo was strangely silent, almost like the weeks following the Slime Villain incident. No boastful attitude, no snide remarks to anyone just…silence…
Izuku wanted to confront him about it, but he knew he'd probably just make it worse for him. And really what could he say to him?
'Nothing that wouldn't get my head bitten off I suppose…'Izuku thought as he looked over to Bakugo while they sat in detention. 'I know I should've just let All Might end the match, but… I needed to fight him…I needed to face him and show him that he was wrong…' he thought to himself as he shook his head.
'But I think that was mostly arrogance and just wanting to beat Bakugo at something, I've been acting really different ever since I got my Powers. Am I even the same Izuku as I used to be? …No…No, I'm not, things are different now. I'm not the 'Worthless Deku' anymore, I'm the Deku that can do anything. And Kacchan is going to have to accept that one way or another…' he turned to Bakugo just as the bell rang and Aizawa allowed them to leave. Bakugo instantly made his way to the door, as Iuzku followed behind him wanting to catch up.
"Kacchan…hey Kacchan!" he called out as the teen just kept walking. Izuku sped up as he grabbed his arm. "Hey! We need to talk!" He managed to catch him just outside the gate.
"What do you want, Deku?" he asked with no anger in his voice, just a sense of tiredness.
"Look… what happened back at the battle trial… it needs to stop. Whatever this grudge you seem to have with me, it's over. We were friends once and we can still be friends now, but I need to know why you hate me so much?" he asked as Bakugo looked away.
"...It's because you're pathetic…" he said as Izuku raised a brow.
"What?"
"You've always been pathetic, ever since we were kids. You couldn't throw a ball, you couldn't protect others from getting beat up, and you were totally Quirkless. You were nothing compared to me. But then, that day at the creek, when I fell into the river, you actually thought I needed your help?" he turned around and glared. "You just stood over me, acting like I was a weak pathetic loser like you! But I don't need your help, I didn't need some worthless Deku trying to help me! I am better than you!" he yelled as he glared at Deku.
"The creek…but…wait…is that what this has been all about? Because I wanted to help you get out of the river? Are fucking stupid!?" Izuku yelled, surprising Bakugo. "All this time you've been angry at me because you thought I was looking down on you!? News flash, asshole, I was worried about you! You could've cracked your skull open or snapped your fucking neck on a rock! Then what would've happened then, huh!? You'd try to be a Hero with a broken neck! Here comes Bakugo, with the power of a broken neck! Or here comes Dead Man and his amazing powers of being Dead! Are you kidding me!?" he yelled as he felt his heart racing.
"I didn't think you were a pathetic loser! I wasn't standing over you like I was judging you! I was worried that my friend could've gotten hurt! Because face it! Everyone gets hurt, EVEN HEROES! But you are just so ARROGANT that you honestly thought I was looking down at you! Well, Fuck you Kacchan! Sorry I actually gave a crap about your wellbeing, not like anyone else had rushed down to help you!" he yelled as he clenched his fist. "But you just threw away everything because of your own selfish ego! Well, guess what Kacchan! The world doesn't fucking revolve around you!" he yelled as he poked a finger into his chest.
"I meant it when I said that I think you were amazing Kacchan, I even think you could be the best Hero in the world if you didn't act like such an asshole!" he said as he breathed heavily. "... You know what? forget it… you want to be an asshole and try and push everyone around like middle school? fine! But I meant what I said. I'm not the worthless Deku anymore. I'm the Deku that can do anything, and that's to be a Hero. Because I want to be a Hero, not just because it's what I wanted since we were kids, but because it's what I need to do. I have people in my life I need to protect, I have a responsibility to master this power I was given, and I'm not going to waste any more time on you! So either get that stick out of your ass or get out of my way!" he said as he glared right into Bakugo's eyes as the boy stared at him with stunned silence.
A moment of silence drifted between them as both of them just stared at each other. Balugo seemed to just be lost in his own world, while Izuku was trying his best to stand his ground. The only sound that could be heard between them was the rustling of leaves, as they stood silent.
"...Wow… that was… intense…" Bakugo suddenly said as he looked away. "...I think that's the first time I ever heard you actually swear," he said as Izuku shrugged.
"Yeah…kind of surprising for me too…but like I said, things have changed, Kacchan. I'm not the same Deku I used to be…" he said as Bakugo nodded.
"Yeah, clearly" he breathed through his nostrils and ran a hand through his hair. "Ah fuck…you're right…things are different now. After today…and what that ponytail girl said…fuck! It really sunk in!" he said as the pair of them stood alone in the courtyard.
"Not only that but did you see that Half-and-Half bastard!? He won his match completely unscathed! Damn it! I thought he was nothing before but! But! Shit! Look, you won today, alright! But don't think it'll happen again!" he yelled as Izuku could've sworn he saw tears in his eyes.
"I'm going to be the number 1 Hero! All right!" he yelled as he turned and stomped off.
Izuku stared at his old friend as he didn't know how to take this. On the one hand, he was glad he finally stood up to Bakugo and found out why he hated him for so long. On the other hand, it looked like U.A. had shaken him to his core, and everything he knew had crumbled to the ground. Whether or not this would break him or make him into a better Hero down the line would remain to be seen.
'I guess that's all I can really hope for?' Izuku thought to himself as he watched the boy walk away.
It was at that moment that a kindly old janitor, with greying slicked-back hair, a moustache on his upper lip and a pair of Vintage Cartier Vendome sunglasses with brown gradient lenses, walked up to him while sweeping the leaves.
"That boy sure has some issues, huh?" he said as Izuku nodded.
"Tell me about it," he said as the man hummed to himself.
"You know, if he was a girl, I'm sure he'd be a tsundere?" he said as Izuku snapped his bug eyes to the man as he walked away.
"Huh?" was all Izuku could say as he shook his head. "...U.A…is such a weird place…"
"That's an understatement, Young Midoriya," he turned to see All Might in his shrunken form, as he wore an overly baggy business suit instead of the Hero Costume he wore earlier.
"All Might, you don't look so hot. No pun intended," he said as the Pro-Hero chuckled.
"It's fine, Aizawa and Principal Nezu finished chewing me out about student safety, and now I have to read my teachers manuals and provide a written apology to the Principal, it's almost like I got homework again," he said as Iuku hung his head.
"I'm sorry about that All Might, I should've just listened to you, and had the match cancelled," he apologized as the hero shook his head.
"It's fine Young Midoriya, the battle did get a little hairy and I should've been more firm, but I think it was necessary for both you and Young Bakugo. Speaking of which, I think you should be careful about what you say. I overheard your conversation with him, and I think you nearly spilt the beans about One for All," he said as Izuku paused for a moment as he played back the talk in his head before his eyes widened.
"Oh shoot! I'm sorry All Might! I-I don't know what came over me!" he apologized as the man waved his hand.
"It's fine, it looked like Bakugo was too fixated on the fact you swore to even register it, and his pride had taken a blow so his mind was not fully focused at the moment. But you need to be more careful, the secret of One for All must stay a secret. If word got out about it, there's no telling who would come after you for it. And with Kai Chisaki still searching for your sister, discretion is high," he said as izuku nodded.
"I understand All Might," he said as the man nodded.
"Now…what about that electrical move before, I didn't know you could do that?" he asked as Izuku looked at his hand.
"Me neither…but I guess it's something else I need to figure out, huh?" he asked as the Number One Hero nodded and they both walked away from the school.
But as Bakugo was walking away, something in the back of his brain resonated, slowly and quietly. Something that wouldn't trigger until far down the line. When everything would change. But something Deku had said caught his attention, no matter how small it was.
'What did he mean… 'master this power I was given?'…bah…it's probably nothing.' he thought to himself as he walked home, having to rethink his plan to become the Number 1 hero.
Later - Midoriya Residence
Izuku managed to get home after that ordeal. "I'm home!" he called out as he took off his shoes.
"Izuku? Where have you been, Eri and I were starting to get worried - WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM!?" she yelled as she turned the corner. Eri instantly ran up to her brother, looking worried about him.
"Relax mum, it's nothing serious, things just got a little tense with training today, that's all." he tried to reassure her as he took off his jacket and tie.
"But what happened?" she asked with concern.
"It was…complicated…" he said as she sighed.
"...Bakugo?"
"...Bakugo…" he admitted as she sighed.
"That boy…I just don't understand why he does these things to you. You used to be best friends with him," she asked as Izuku shook his head.
"I don't know if we ever were friends…I think he just tolerated me until he got his Quirk. But then for some reason, he thought I was looking down on him? Me, the 'Quirkless Deku' looking down on him…" he chuckled sadly as he shook his head. "All these years…and I was chasing a guy blinded by his arrogance…" he said as Inko looked worried about her son.
"Izuku…"
"But it's fine now…" he suddenly said as he looked up and smiled. "Because today has made me realize that U.A is nothing like Middle School. Things are different now: I have a Quirk, I have a sister, and I have people I need to protect. And I have friends, one of them is this girl that somehow took a name I hated and completely flipped it upside down. Now for me…Deku is no longer Kacchan's insult… to me, it means 'I can do anything, and that is exactly what I'm going to do…" he said as he smiled softly. He felt a small tug on his sleeve as Eri looked up to him.
"...So…does this mean I can call you…Deku-Nii?" she asked as he felt his heart clench at the adorableness and hugged her.
"Yeah, you can call me Deku-Nii…" he said as Inko smiled at her two children.
She was glad to see that U.A was proving more and more beneficial to Izuku than his old school had been. While she was worried about Bakugo continuing his treatment of her son, she was happy to know that he had friends that were actually looking out for him, and even helped him to overcome the trauma of the past. It made her heart feel much lighter than it had been in years.
"...So…this girl that helped you change the name Deku…is she cute?" she suddenly asked as Izuku's eyes nearly popped out his head as he snapped his head to her.
"MUM! WHAT THE HELL!?" he screamed with a huge blush on his face as she had a once in a lifetime grin on her face.
"She sounds like a very nice girl, especially if she's been able to change that horrible nickname around for you. You should invite her over for dinner sometime?" she teased a little as Izuku's invisibility fluctuated from embarrassment.
"M-Mum! It's not like that! Honest!" he tried to reason, but it didn't help when Eri started throwing her hands in the air and yelling.
"Deku-Nii has a girlfriend! Deku-Nii has a girlfriend!" she chanted as Deku buried his hands in his face and blushed madly.
"You know," Inko said, "Most heroes usually have no time for social lives. You should probably make your move as long as you still have the time for that."
'This is so embarrassing!' he thought as Inko smiled and laughed.
"Argh! I'm going to the warehouse!" he yelled as he ran out the door, while the Midoriya household began to fill with laughter and merriment. Something that hadn't happened for a long time, before Izuku received his Quirk from that Spider.
Later - Warehouse
Spider Experiment - "Web Shooter Insulation / Electric Absorption?" - Test 01 - Day 1
The camera flicked on, as it showed Izuku was in the warehouse, as he shot a web cable to the wall, and had a jumper cable in his hand as it was connected to a junction box. He was experimenting to see if he could both insulate his Web-Shooter and recreate the electrical absorption he felt.
He looked between the jumper cable and the web and was considering that maybe this was a bad idea. But that never stopped him before, as he slowly inched the cable closer to the web line and reached for the web with his other hand…
ZAP! BOOM!
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Izuku was thrown across the room as the junction box sparked, exploded and left a slightly twitching Izuku with a large poofy hairstyle. "Okay…that's not it…" he said as he looked at his hand. "And no Electric absorption, great…" he touched his hair that was now all…poofy?
"Hope this isn't permanent? I look like a giant piece of broccoli with this, and I do not want to go around as Broccoli-boy…" he briefly imagined himself in a ridiculously themed broccoli costume as he shivered.
"Okay, what's next?" he asked himself as he went over the different ways he could insulate the Web Shooter.
Fast Forward - Spider Experiment - "Web Shooter Insulation" - Test 02 - Day 1
Izuku had the camera set up near a makeshift workbench in the warehouse, as he both wrote down on his notes about possible ways to insulate the battery from electrical overcharge, while also attaching wires and circuits to his gear. So far he had scavenged together some circuit breakers from the junkyard and was attempting to fit them onto the Web-Shooters.
Izuku held up the large bulky Web-Shooters that had the Circuit Breakers strapped on and wired up to the battery. He shot a web line at the wall, and attached the jumper cables to another junction box, as he strapped himself up with rubber and protective gear and inched slowly to the web line.
"Okay…here it goes…" he said as he attached the jumper cable to the web line and a little power gauge measured the voltage running through the webs. The gauge started building up rapidly, as the circuit breakers started to work…until the voltage got too high and the circuit breakers exploded.
"Whoa!" he yelled and quickly shut off the power and grabbed the fire extinguisher. Dousing the flaming contraption with foam. After making sure the fire was out, he sighed and threw the extinguisher away. "At this point, I might as well invest in the fire extinguisher companies…" he lightly joked as he walked back to the table and looked over the Web-Shooters Mrk 2 as he dubbed them.
"Yeah…back to the drawing board I suppose…" he said as he placed them down and sighed while rubbing a hand through his hair. "Come on, Midoriya, you can figure this out, you built these things, it shouldn't be that hard…"
"Nothing in life comes easy Young Midoriya, you more than anyone knows that," he heard as he turned to see All Might walk in. "Working on the Battery Problem again?" he asked as Izuku nodded.
"Yeah, the batteries keep exploding, and I can't seem to figure it out?" he complained as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Magnetizing them doesn't work as well as you think, and the stuff I do have can't hold up… It kind of reminds me of when I tried One For All for the first time, only I can't regulate a third party's power like I do with my own."
"You know, you can send your web-shooters in as a patent and have a Costuming Company figure it out for you? Heck, the school even gave you a budget for the Costume, why not just go through the proper channels?" All Might suggested as Izuku nodded.
"I could…but…the thing is, I built these things myself. I need to be able to know how they work, what I need to fix them, and how to improve them. Sure it would be easier to just send the patent in, but then they'd probably make them too big or not get the Psi levels right. I need to be in charge of my own Costume, and make it myself…does that make sense?" he asked as All Might nodded.
"I think I understand; you made something yourself and want to see it through all the way. You never take the easy route, huh Midoriya?" he asked as the boy nodded.
"That's not my style," he said as the Pro-Hero chuckled.
"You know, you could get some advice and help from a student in the Support Department," he suggested as Izuku turned to him. "It's not uncommon for the Heroic Department and the Support Department to co-operate on a project together, and it would be wise to have a friend later on down the line in that field," he suggested as Izuku pondered the thought.
"I'll think about it. Thanks, All Might," he said as the man nodded as they both shared this mentor-mentee moment…
Until the Web shooter exploded again and was set on fire.
"AH!" Izuku yelled as he blasted the flames with the fire extinguisher. Leaving nothing but a foam covered bench.
"...Are you sure you don't have some sort of fire Quirk?" All Might joked lightly as Izuku gave him a light glare.
"Ha, ha…" Izuku laughed sarcastically as he shook his head and got to work cleaning up the mess.
Next-Day - U.A. Entrance Gate
A crowd of reporters were gathered outside the U.A. Building as they clambered to get inside the school. The news of All Might being hired on as a teacher had spread across social media like fire. Every reporter and television station was itching to get an exclusive interview with anyone that had seen All Might in the school or worked with him.
Whether it was the teachers or the students.
"Excuse me! You're in the Hero course, right!?" a reporter asked Uraraka as she held a microphone up to the gravity user. "Can you tell us what it's like to have the Number 1 Hero teaching at your school!?" she asked as Ochako hummed.
"Um…he's uh…very muscley?" she said as she posed in a flexing position as if to emphasize her point. Seeing nothing useful, the reporter turned to Iida.
"Can you tell us your thoughts about having the Symbol of Peace as your teacher?" she asked as she instantly regretted it as Iida ranted on.
"It is a true honour to have the Symbol of Peace teaching us! It goes without saying that his pure authority and power are truly awe-inspiring, but so too are his sense of humour and his diligent efforts into training us to become Pro-Heroes! We will be able to learn much from the man that has been the cornerstone of our peaceful society! Furthermore-!"
"Okay that's enough," she said as she turned to Bakugo who was walking past. "Excuse me can you - wait, aren't you that kid that was involved with the Sludge villain?" she asked as Bakugo growled.
"Stop talking," he threatened as he walked faster to the school.
"You! Can you please give us an exclusive interview with the Number 1 Hero!" she asked Aizawa as the man just waved his hand.
"All Might's not here. Go away, you're disturbing my students…" Aizawa said as he tried to usher them away from the campus. 'Seriously, how does All Might deal with these vultures hanging off his cape?' he thought to himself when he saw Midoriya being cut off by the reporters.
'Damn it, these pesky vultures won't just leave us alone.' he thought as he made his way to help his student.
"You young man! What can you tell us about the Number One Hero!?" the reports asked in different variations and tones, as Izuku felt himself backed into a corner.
'Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have stayed up working on my Web shooters, now I'm going to be late because of these guys. But then again, with the Number One Hero teaching at U.A. I can see how this can be a journalistic gold mine,' he thought to himself as he tried to think of a way to escape the hoard of journalists and cameramen. 'I could just turn invisible, but with them crowding me I won't be able to sneak past…unless…' he thought as he came up with a plan.
Aizawa noticed a subtle grin on Izuku's face as he paused for a moment.
"Look, I can't really give you anything more than what you all - OH MY GOD! IS THAT ALL MIGHT OVER THERE!?" Izuku suddenly shouted and pointed behind the crowd. Every head turned to the boy's direction with the intent to see the Symbol of Peace…
Only to find nothing but a bird flying away.
"Huh? All Might's not there, what are you trying to-hey where did he go!?" the female reporter asked as she turned to confront him, only to find that Izuku had disappeared. Izuku then de-cloaked as he crossed the U.A. gates and he waved a little cheekily at the reporters.
"Sorry, my bad, it was just a bird!" he yelled as Aizawa actually cracked a smile at the boy.
'Not bad,' he thought to himself as he turned back to school.
"Hey! You can't just do that to us! We have a right as journalists to get all the information about the Number One Hero's working at U.A.! That's it! If you won't give me the details, I'll just get them myself!" the news reporter said as she was about to step into the school.
Only for an alarm to go off, and a series of metallic plates shot up out of the ground and erected a barrier between her and the school.
"W-W-What the hell!?" she yelled as she fell on her ass.
"I tried to warn you, that's the infamous U.A. Barrier, it's designed to keep anyone that isn't a student, teacher or has a special pass to enter the school ground," one of the reporters told her.
"It nearly took my head off! Damn U.A! Thinking they can keep the public out! We just want one interview!" she yelled as other reporters complained.
While they complained a young man with messy greyish-blue hair of varying lengths stared at the school before him as his wrinkled eyes looked upon the school with a look of indifference, and a small smirk appeared on his cracked lips.
Later in Class 1-A
Aizawa stood before the class as he looked out amongst the entire group. "I took a look at the footage from yesterday and can say I was impressed with all of your progress, with a few minor indiscrimities. Bakugo, we've already had this chat before, but don't act like a crybaby when you lose. Get over yourself and listen to your teacher, or I will expel you, got it?" he asked/demanded of Bakugo who scoffed and looked away.
"Fine…" he muttered as Aizawa sighed.
"And you Midoriya," he said as the green-haired boy looked up. "I understand your situation and was impressed with your skill. But next time, leave the final judgment call to the teachers. Don't make me have to repeat myself about this again," he said as Izuku nodded.
"I promise not to do it again," he said…
But since we all know what Midoriya is like, it was a hard promise to keep.
"Anyway, it's time we focused on an important task…" Aizawa said as the students of 1-A got nervous.
'Is it another Quirk test?' they all thought.
"Today you will elect your class's representative," Aizawa explained with a tired voice.
'Oh phew! It's something normal!' they all thought with relief.
"In order to keep you all in line in and out of my hair, one of you will become class's president and will take full responsibility to make sure you are all following my orders and instructions, while also leading you during out of school social meetings. I would have let you decide on what your election method would be and get back to my nap, but due to yesterday's incident, I have some instructions. Each of you will put the name of whoever you find most suitable to lead the class inside this hat. You only get to vote once, and you can vote for yourself if you deem yourself worthy of this job. Who you choose is up to you, but keep in mind that your choice must be rational. Iida, can I trust you to count the votes fairly?" He looked at Iida and handed him a hat.
"Of course, sir!" Tenya replied, "It will be my honour to serve this cause, regardless of the results."
"Just hurry up, I want to sleep…" he said as he handed the hat to Iida and went into his sleeping bag.
'...So laid back…' they all thought as the hat was passed around and a vote was cast for who would lead the class.
Now normally class representatives would be responsible for a bunch of extra work and it was considered time-consuming back in Middle School. But at U.A, especially in the Heroics Course, it was an opportunity to show that you can lead a team like a real pro. Some have even had the opportunity to be scouted by Hero Agencies thanks to it. So it was no wonder everyone wanted to be Class Rep.
'I might as well cast my vote in, I mean it's not like I'll be elected class rep...' Izuku thought to himself as he wrote his name down.
Five minutes later
Class Representative Election Results:
Izuku Midoriya - 5 Votes
Momo Yaoyorozu - 2 Votes
'...You know…I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut, cause I think the Universe just loves to mess with me,'Izuku thought to himself as he blinked in disbelief at the number of votes he had.
"What!? Who the hell voted for Deku!?" Bakugo yelled with rage, insulted at his only 1 point.
"What? Did you honestly think we'd vote for you?" Sero asked as Bakugo continued to rage, while Ochako whistled nonchalantly.
'Maybe I'll keep my vote to myself,' she thought.
'We invisible users need to stick together! …Plus I'd rather not deal with all the paperwork,' Toru thought to herself as she held a thumbs up to Midoriya…not that he could see it.
'Personally, I believe Midoriya is the better choice than Bakugo, plus I believe a symbiotic relationship with a Spider Quirk user is more preferable than a hostile one…'Tsuyu thought to herself as she looked at the boy. '...Plus he has nice legs…' she thought, with a finger on her chin.
"Darn! I got no votes!" Iida grumbled as he hung his head in shame. "But I can't argue against the system set up by our teachers!" he mumbled to himself, much to the confusion of the class.
'Then why didn't you vote for yourself?' they thought.
Izuku and Momo stood at the front of the class as Izuku looked mildly uncomfortable at being in front of the class. He was better with his self-confidence, but he still hated public speaking. While Momo looked mildly disappointed at the fact she didn't win the election.
"So our class representative will be Midoriya, while Yaoyorozu will be his Deputy," Aizawa said in a bored tone as Izuku looked back at the teacher.
"...Any possibility for a recount?" he joked a little, as the man deadpanned at him.
"No," he said as Izuku sighed and slumped his shoulders.
Later at the Cafeteria
The U.A. Cafeteria was packed with all sorts of students, from the Heroics Department to the General Education Department, to the Support Department, to even the Management Department. All of it is served by the Lunch Hero: Lunch Rush. Not only one may wonder how one hero could serve so many students in such a short period of time, but it would have sucked had some worldwide virus-infected even one of the students.
Normally Izuku would be in his usual nerd mode about being in the same cafeteria as the Hero, but currently, he was going over the fact that he had been elected the Class Representative and working on his left Web-Shooters after Kaminari had fried the battery in it.
"So the Web Formula is conductive with electricity, which makes fighting off Electric-type opponents difficult if they can short circuit the battery. Need to find a way to keep the battery undamaged, maybe insulation? But that could cause a power drop, maybe if I add circuit breakers? But I don't have the parts and it could get too bulky, but the Support Department might be able to help with that. But I would need to talk to Support Department's head to see if they can help with homemade support gear, and now I also need to do my work as class's representative and-"
"...You're sure thinking a lot, huh Deku?" Ochako asked as Izuku was snapped out of his thoughts.
"Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. I've kind of got a lot on my mind, still can't believe I was elected to be class rep." he mused to himself as he adjusted the web shooter with a screwdriver.
"Nonsense, I believe you are the best choice for the position. Your abilities, strategic thinking under pressure and devotion to your classmates are the reasons I voted for you," Iida said as Izuku raised a brow.
"You voted for me? But I kind of figured that someone like you or Yaoyorozu would've been the Class Rep," Izuku argued.
"Me too, you even look the part with the glasses and all," Ochako said absentmindedly as Izuku chuckled a little.
"I think there's more to being a Class Rep than just looking the part. But still, I don't know if I'm cut out for it. I mean I voted for myself, but you and three others voted for me. Doesn't that say something about me?"
"Nonsense, wanting the job and being suited for it are two different things. It's something I learned very early on from my family's agency," Iida said as Izuku raised a brow.
"Agency? Wait a minute…now that I think about it, I know where I've heard that name, the Iida Family Hero Agency! They're one of the oldest Hero Agencies around, with most of them being Heroes for generations! Are you related to the Turbo Hero: Ingenium!?" Izuku said as he switched to Hero Nerd Mode.
"Ah! Shoot, I was hoping to keep that a secret, so that no one would treat me any differently," Iida said before he beamed with pride. "But yes, Ingenium is my older brother! A man I'm proud to call my brother, he is an invaluable leader and a true symbol of what it means to be a Hero! As the Second Eldest Son of the Iida Family, I hope to live up to his example!" he said with a bright smile on his face.
Izuku smiled at this as he felt the same way, being All Might's successor, he too had a lot to live up to.
'You know, I get where he's coming from. I want to live up to All Might's example, just as he wants to live up to his brother. But even then, I still need to be my own hero.' he thought to himself.
"By the way Midoriya, I was curious to ask about the battle trial. During the match, you were struck by Kaiminari's lightning, yet you were not as affected as Uraraka, how is that?" he asked as Ochako nodded.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask that myself. How did you do that, didn't it hurt?" she asked as Izuku furrowed his brow in concentration as he looked at his hand.
"Honestly…I'm not a hundred percent sure about it myself. I remember diving in front of the lightning, hoping to stop it from hitting Uraraka. But for some reason, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Not only that, and this might sound crazy but…I thought I saw the lightning surge into me, does that sound crazy?" he asked as Iida placed a hand on his chin.
"It is odd. Had you had an Electrical Quirk it would make sense, but from what All Might said you have some sort of Spider Quirk that gives you the abilities of a Human Spider. Has nothing like this ever happened in your life?" he asked as Izuku was careful with his next words.
"No, not really, I've only been able to crawl on walls and turn invisible when my Quirk activated. I tried seeing if I could replicate it again since then…but… It didn't pan out well…" he merely said as he went back to his food while looking shifty-eyed sipping his drink.
The other two shared a glance with each other before they went back to their food. But just as they were getting back to eating, the alarm suddenly went off as everyone looked up at the sound.
"What is that?" Izuku asked with confusion, just as an automated voice spoke out over the intercom.
"Alert! level 3 Security breach! All Students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion!"
"Well, that answers my question…" he then looked around as students began piling up to leave. "But then…why didn't my Spider-Sense go off?" he asked himself before he was harshly shoved into the crowd. "Ow! Dude! Personal space!" he tried to yell out over the crowd.
"Midoriya/Deku!" he could hear Iida and Ochako yell out as they two were swamped by the crowd.
"What is going on!?" Iida yelled as he was slammed into the window. His face smothered against the glass.
"I don't know!?" Ochako yelled as Izuku struggled through the crowd. "Deku!? Is there something bad going on here!? What about your Spidey-Sense!?" she asked as Izuku pushed his way through to her.
"Nothing!? Whatever this is, I don't think it's a real danger!?" he yelled as managed to strap his web shooter on and fired a web line up, "Hold on!" he yelled as he managed to pull both of them above the crowd.
"You okay?" he asked, as she nodded. She held onto Izuku with one arm while holding down her skirt with her other hand. She may have worn tights, but hanging above a crowd of other teenagers was not ideal without a pair of pants.
"I'm okay, wait! What about Iida!?" she asked as they spotted him near the window. "There he is!" she pointed as Izuku nodded and swung over to the window, sticking to the glass surface. He then grabbed Iida's arm and pulled him up
"Iida! You okay!?" he asked as Iida nodded and pointed outside.
"I'm fine, but we need to calm this crowd down. I managed to get a look outside, it's only the news media!" he pointed as Izuku looked over to the entrance gate where the media had somehow managed to get inside. "Question is how did they get past the barrier!?"
"One problem at a time, we need to let everyone know there's nothing to worry about!" Izuku said as he turned to the crowd. "Hey! Listen! There's nothing to worry about! Hey!" he yelled but none of them listened. "Great, even with a Quirk I'm still ignored…" he said as he turned to Iida and Ochako as they hung on to him. "We need to get their attention, any ideas?" he asked as Iida pondered for a moment.
"I have an idea, Uraraka can you make me float?" Iida asked as she nodded and touched him with her Quirk.
"Wait, what are you-" Izuku never got to finish as Iida used his engines and shot over the entire crowd, spinning wildly out of control, as he managed to gain everyone's attention and he slammed into the wall above the exit. "Oooooh! That has to hurt!" he and Ochako grimaced as Iida faced the crowd.
"Everyone! Please remain calm! It's only the media! Please compose yourself and act like U.A students! Show everyone why we are the best of the best!" he yelled as everyone began to calm down.
Izuku himself smiled as he gently got himself and Uraraka down, "That was some quick thinking, huh Deku?" she said as Izuku nodded. But then turned back to the window.
"Stil…how on earth did the News Media get past the Barrier?" he asked himself as he stared at the reporters being escorted off the school grounds by police. The U.A. Barrier was supposed to be impenetrable, so how did a bunch of news reporters get in? Did they use some sort of Quirk, or did they have help on the inside? Whatever it was, he wondered what this meant about his time at U.A...
"...Um…Midoriya, can you help me get down now?" Iida asked as Izuku snapped back to him.
"Oh, shoot! Sorry!" he yelled as he climbed up to help Iida get down.
Later in Class 1A
"Okay, now that everything's been sorted, it's time to begin. If you would class Rep?" Momo asked as Izuku nodded.
"Sure, but before we do anything, I would like to formally hand in my resignation and have Iida Tenya be the new Class Rep," he said as he got a surprised look from Iida and the class. "I know it might seem stupid, and I'm sorry for those that voted for me. But I personally think Iida is the right guy to lead us. He managed to get everyone in the cafeteria to calm down when I couldn't and showed his dedication to keeping order. In my personal opinion, I think Iida should be in charge." he said as he got some approval from the rest of the class.
"Yeah, man! Iida was so cool jumping up to the wall like that! I'd be cool with it!" Kaminari said as Kirishima nodded.
"Yeah dude, it was totally manly! He kind of looked like that emergency exit sign, I got it! 'Emergency Exit Iida!' that fits you man!" he said as everyone nodded.
"Whatever just get on with it, we're not getting any younger here…" Aizawa said from his sleeping bag as everyone jumped back.
'So laid back!' they all thought as Iida stood up and nodded.
"Very well, I will accept this position. But I will only do so if you agree to be part of our Council?" he asked as Izuku nodded.
"I will," he said as he and Iida shared a smile, while everyone else was happy for 'Emergency Exit Iida'...well almost everyone.
"...What about me? I got two more votes than him," Momo complained, not that anyone heard her.
Outside, however, the teachers and the principal were looking upon the destruction of the U.A. Barrier as they had never seen it damaged like this before.
"This was no ordinary malfunction, and there's no way one of the reporters was capable of something like this. This was something else entirely, someone else was behind this and was able to bypass our defences to gain access to our school…" Nezu said as he, Recover, Midnight and Thirteen looked upon the flakes of the U.A. Barrier. "But what was the purpose of this, was it a show of power…or a declaration of war?" he asked both himself and the teachers as they contemplated the meaning of this break-in.
Later - U.A. Support Group Department
After handing the reins of Class Representative to Iida, and being glad he didn't have to deal with all the paperwork that came with it, Izuku decided it was a good time to sort out his gear, as he walked down the hall towards the Support Department. He had with him all his notes about the possible Web Shooter and Costume designs that he had. After his battle with Kaminari and Bakugo, his costume was severely damaged and he needed help to insulate the battery from electrical overcharge.
All Might's advice from yesterday had struck a chord with Izuku, as he realized that despite his best efforts, he would need more professional help with upgrading his gear. He still wanted to retain control over his own suit designs and equipment, but not even he could deny that getting some help every once and a while wasn't so bad.
Maybe his hesitation to get help was influenced by growing without anyone ever willing to help him, but now he had to learn how to depend on others in order to become the best hero he could be. Maybe there was a reason for hero society to remove heroes' responsibility from their support gear.
"Here we are, the Support Department Studio, someone here should be able to give me a hand in insulating my Web-Shooters, maybe even help upgrade my suit…" Izuku said as he reached for the door when suddenly his Spidey-Sense went off.
"Huh? Why is my-"
BOOM!
He never got to finish as the large metal doors exploded and he was thrown back by the blast and he felt something soft slam into him. "Ow…what the hell?" Izuku coughed as he lay on the ground. He heard someone else cough as there was some weight on top of him.
"Ow, ow, ow…Okay…energy levels exceeded expectations on that one, I need to adjust the levels for the next test!" He heard what sounded like a very hyperactive female voice.
"Damn it! I told you not to build that thing! Just because an idea pops into your head, doesn't mean you should go ahead and build it! It's only your third day here! You nearly blew up the Support Studio!" a man yelled as he emerged from the smoke.
The man was wearing what looked like a large yellow helmet in the shape of a rectangular excavator claw, the top piece of which protruded outwards to cover his head and most of his face, and the bottom piece left to act as something of a long jaw-guard. He left himself shirtless and wore a pair of large, fingerless grey gloves with metal guards that extend down his arms, as well as a pair of plain cyan pants.
Izuku recognised him as the Excavation Hero: Power Loader, a hero that was renowned for disaster relief efforts and was the head of the Support Department at the U.A. Academy.
"Ho ho ho ho ho! But failure is only the mother of innovations, Power Loader! Every setback is just another step towards progress!" he heard as the girl again looked, and he noticed her features.
She was a young girl around his age, with quite a mature build. She had shoulder-length salmon pink hair, although it was varying, which styled into thick dreadlocks and side-swept to her right. Her eyes were wide and sloped upwards with some notably long upper eyelashes, the irises of her eyes were green-yellow with a cross in the centre, making them look somewhat like scope lenses. She also wore a plain black tank top with workshop coveralls tied casually around her waist, with the red and gold steampunk style goggles on her head.
"Oh, hey sorry about that, you okay?" she asked with a bright smile, as Izuku was about to answer her…
When he noticed a big pair of breasts pressed against his chest. 'B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-boobs!' his mind started going haywire and his eyes rolled back into his head, trying to avoid looking at her.
Luckily she didn't seem to notice, or care for that matter, as she sat up, still on top of him and smiled, "Hey there, I'm Mei Hatsume, first-year support course! Uh…who the heck are you?" she asked with a bright innocent smile on her face which Izuku tried hard to focus on.
"I-I-I'm I-I-I-I-Izuku M-M-M-M-Midoriya, o-o-o-of c-c-c-class 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-" he tried to say but his brain was still fried.
"Oh, from Class 1-A of the Hero Department! Nice to meet ya. Goodbye!" she greeted then departed as she got off of him and spun on her heel back towards the studio.
"W-whoa! Wait a minute!" Izuku finally snapped out of his shock at her boobs, as he reached out for her. "I want to get some help upgrading my suit and gadgets!" he said as she suddenly stopped and spun around with a bright and curious smile on her face.
"Costume!? Gadgets!? Why didn't you say so!?" she said and zoomed right up into his face. "What do you have in mind!?" she asked with glee and anticipation.
"Hatsume!" Power Loader growled out as she flinched. "I said it was fine for you to use the lab after hours, but only under my supervision, and if you don't follow my instruction I will have you banned from the studio!" he said as Mei had this look of indifference before he turned to Izuku.
"So, you're from the Heroics Department, how can I help you?" he asked as Izuku blinked.
"Oh, uh, I was hoping to get some advice on improving my gadget and suit, if that's okay?" he asked as Power Loader nodded.
"Sure, no problem. Come on in, and let's see what we're working with," he said as all three of them walked in and Izuku marvelled at the large studio with its high tech equipment and state of the art gear.
"Okay, Midoriya, what seems to be the problem?" Hatsume asked as Izuku reached into his bag and pulled out his Web-Shooters and laid them on the table.
"Well, let's start off with my Web Shooter…" he said as Hatsume and Power Loader looked over the device.
"Huh, interesting…" Hatsume said as she picked up the device and fired a web line to the ceiling and gave it a tug, as she marvelled at the device. "A pressurized web shooter, very clever, did you make the formula yourself?" she asked as he nodded in response. Then she expertly ejected the cartridge after looking it over once and turned it over. "Amazing how you were able to get the Psi levels just right, and the formula compacted as much as you did. But it's a bit clunky, there are several pieces that need refining, and it looks like it was made from pieces of trash from the dump. But all in all, not bad, did you make this?" she asked as he nodded again.
"So then what's the problem?" Power Loader asked as Izuku pointed to the battery.
"In my battle trial against another classmate of mine, Denki Kaminari, he managed to short circuit the battery with his Electric Quirk. I've tried everything I can think of to insulate the battery, but nothing works so far," he said as Power Loader hummed.
"Yes, I see, your Web Fluid is conductive with electricity, so it acted like a power cable and allowed the electricity to travel down the web line and into the shooter. Hmm…we would need to build it again from scratch, we have some materials that should make the metals non-conductive and insulate the battery from electrical overcharge," Power Loader rambled off as he got ideas.
"We can also cut down the size and make it more compact, we even have some more practical cartridges that can store more of your Web Fluid than you could before by reforming the structure," Hatsume said as Izuku nodded.
"Yeah, I was hoping for something like that. These took me months to build, but they are a bit clunky to deal with, but I don't think I'm smart enough to figure it out" he said as the Power Loader shook his head.
"I'm impressed, either way, kid. Not everyone in the Hero Department can build something like this from scratch, so good work," he praised as Izuku smiled at the compliment. "Now, how about your costume?" Power Loader asked as Izuku rolled out his costume as both Hero Supporters stared at the costume.
"...Did you get in a fight with a stick of dynamite or something?" Hatsume asked as Izuku chuckled a little at that.
"Yeah, something like that," he said as Hatsume and Power Loader looked over the costume.
"Well the upper portion and arm are totally ruined, and the material is clearly not suited for whatever combat you were up against," Power Loader said as he felt the charred material. "Looks like you're going to have to make a whole new costume from scratch," he said as Izuku sighed.
"Yeah I figured as much, Kacchan just can't hold back I guess," he said as Hatsume picked up his mask.
"Hey I couldn't help but notice, are you using Ditko brand focusing lenses?" Hatsume asked as she held up his mask with the angular goggles. "These are a really good brand for those with heightened senses," she said as she inspected the goggles sewn into the mask, as he nodded.
"Yeah, I was hoping to keep those in the next costume and maybe upgrade the mask a little with a bit of Tech, but not too much tech. I don't want the whole thing to be wired with gadgets," he said as Power Loader nodded.
"Sure, we can do that. As for the costume itself, we'd need to reinforce the material, make it more durable but light. I'm assuming you're more acrobatic?" he asked as Izuku nodded.
"Yeah, it's part of my Spider-like Quirk, I can climb walls and jump really high," he said as Hatsume nodded.
"Well we have materials that are easy to move in and breathable, but I'd still recommend some talcum powder in the joints as well as regularly disinfecting the mask. You'd be surprised how often I have gotten Heroes complaining about rashes from skin-tight costumes ever since I got here," Hatsume said as Izuku blinked.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Skin-Tight!? I don't need it to be skin-tight, I just need - Ahh!" he suddenly yelped as Hatsume suddenly started feeling his chest. "W-W-What are you doing!?" he asked as she continued feeling him up.
"I'm just taking measures for your suit. I know how to convert it to numbers by feeling the body!" Hatsume declared as she absentmindedly pressed her breasts against his upper arm and ran her hands down his abs and lower back. "Wow, you are far more muscular than you look! I can't wait to see our baby!"
"Our baa-?!" Izuku's question died in his mouth, as Hatsume's hand passed his abs and started to measure the beginning of his lower half! He tried to think about something else to distract himself from this new and unexpected experience, like Heroes like All Might, but those thoughts lead to Mt. Lady, Midnight, and Mirko posing, Ms Bubbles and Yaoyorozu's overexposing outfits, and the ways Uraraka had hanged on him in the last two days.
How long was Hatsume touching that area?!
"This part should probably stretch more than others, otherwise you will feel uncomfortable in your tight suit, and I can't have one of my customers come here and leave uncomfortable," Hatsume claimed, presumably unaware of the results of her action towards Izuku.
"Hatsume, let him go! You will get us sued!" Power Loader came to the rescue as he managed to get Hatsume to stop.
"Fine, fine, I got all the data I need," she said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Meanwhile, Izuku was hunched over and held himself dramatically.
"...Forgive me future wife, whoever you are…but I can never be a proper groom…" he said with small tears as Power Loader shook his head.
"Sorry for that, kid. I will put your suit on the top of our priority list to make it up for you," Power Loader bowed apologetically and forced Hatsume to do the same, "Is there anything that you want us to add to your suit? Perhaps a darker colour for stealth or something like that?" Still shocked by what Hatsume did to him, Izuku turned invisible.
"Tha-that w-won't be necessary, sir," Damn it! He thought he overcame his old habit of stuttering! But then again, a Hero just bowed to him and he had just experienced the most intense girl's touch he had felt in his entire life, and now that she was bowing, he tried his best not to stare at her cleavage, as it did not seem that she wore a bra.
"I-I'm s-s-still trying to fi-figure out my powers, b-but you should f-find a detailed list of my powers in my quirk application. But at the very least, I want to keep the design relatively simple and follow the same theme as the original," he said as he gestured to his old costume and the designs he had as Power Loader nodded. "Also, I was wondering if I can help make the costume?" he asked as Power Loader raised a brow, at least Izuku assumed he did under the helmet.
"Why? Normally Heroes don't work on their own costumes, that's why they have the Support Department," he said as Izuku nodded.
"I know but…" he ran a hand over his old costume. "This was given to me by my mother, and it means a lot to me. I want to both honour her belief in me and be a part of defining who I am as a Hero, I hope that's okay?" he asked as he could see both Support Heroes smile at him.
"Sure kid, that sounds fine, but only if you can balance it with whatever your teachers assign you with," Power Load said as he started to like this kid, "We have this separation for a reason, you know," he said as Izuku nodded, fully determined to balance his life and become a Pro-Hero.
"Now then…" Hatsume said as she grabbed one of her inventions. "How about I show you some of my babies!?" she said as she held up a large drum-like device. "This is one of my favourite babies! Invention number 87!" she said as Izuku suddenly felt his Spider-Sense go off.
"W-Wait a minute! Hatsume! I think that thing is going to - !"
KABOOM!
All three of them were thrown out of the room, as they just lay there for a moment. "...God Damn it…Hatsume…" Power Loader groaned, while Hatsume merely laughed in triumph. Izuku merely twitched as he wondered if this was a good idea? And so started Izuku's journey into upgrading his costume, both in creating his own Heroic Identity, and forming a partnership that would continue well on into his adult career…
Assuming he manages to survive, the girl known as Mei Hatsume and all her babies. Why would she call them that in front of strangers without giving them context, who knows?