(One For All, Full Cowling 10%!) Applying the power throughout my body, I land in a crouch on the hard earth. Blackwhips shoot out from my fingers and catch most of my classmates. Those with the ability to mobilize in this kind of fall saved themselves. (Crossing this forest is no big deal. I could do it in a jiffy if I wanted to.) Squinting my eyes, I look at the vague silhouettes surrounding the trees, mindless beasts made to challenge us.
"Don't try to show off, Deku!" Descending with his explosions, Bakugo shouted at me, waiting for a reaction from me to satisfy his own insecurities.
"I wasn't, Bakugo. I was just acting like what we're supposed to be. Heroes." He clicks his tongue, annoyed at my response, opting to ignore me and analyze the surroundings.
"I need a bathroom!" Running desperately, Mineta moves towards the trees, only to be intercepted by one of the nearby beasts. "AHHHH!" The whole group is surprised by what the dwarf saw, but it's Iida who reacts and kicks it, destroying the beast and taking on the role of leader.
"Listen up! We must work together, Class-A! And show that we can overcome this first challenge imposed by our teachers!" The class shouts in agreement. Even I join in. It was a short but good speech.
We form something close to a circle, waiting for a formation to move properly with our Quirks. Even Bakugo gets closer; he knows the forest is too big for his own stamina.
"Alright, we must form groups based on Offense, Defense, Attack, and Reconnaissance!" It's Yaoyorozu who speaks up, acting as the team's strategist. That chat she had with Shoto in the practical exam was really useful for her. "There are twenty of us in total, so there will be four groups of five! The group that will go ahead will be for reconnaissance!"
"Who will make up that group?" Tokoyami questioned, his arms crossed and waiting for orders.
"The first group will be formed by Jiro, Koda, Mezo, Hagakure, and Aoyama!" The words came in an instant. There were no complaints from any of the mentioned.
(It's a good formation, although Aoyama would be useful in offense or attack... there aren't many Quirks oriented towards reconnaissance, now that I notice.) In my mind, I made a quick comparison between our class and Class B. It wasn't hard to discover that we have abilities mostly destined for direct combat. (Even so, we're still more practical than the rest. I guess that's what happens when you have to team up with your own classmates to survive against hordes of villains.)
"The group that will follow will be the attack group! Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki, Kirishima, and Sato will be that lineup!" Without missing a beat, the orders continued to be given, although this time there were discrepancies.
"Work with Deku?! I'd rather die!" Bakugo's complaints briefly halted our strategist's actions, causing her to start doubting.
(If she doubts, we're left without plans.) I don't usually get bothered by the complaints of others, but if they affect a group in general, then things change.
I approached Bakugo and put a hand on his shoulder, leaning in to whisper in his ear.
"Rather die? In the same way you recommended I jump off a top floor to get a Quirk a year ago?" His face lost all its color. Of all the things he expected to hear from me, that wasn't one of them. "Shut your mouth, follow the orders, and I won't create a file on you with the UA principal." I patted his shoulder, forcing a friendly smile on my face to keep up appearances with the rest. I could see how Shoto encouraged Momo to continue, giving her encouragement and allowing her to proceed with her strategies. (Well done, Shoto. Being friends was a good option... although I hope he lets me be his best man at his wedding.)
"What's next, President?" Iida asked, followed by several curious gazes from those who didn't have a fixed group.
"Alright! The next group will be the Offense! It will be composed of Iida, Hanta, Kaminari, Mashirao, and Tokoyami!" The mentioned ones nodded. Even in that, they seemed coordinated. "The rest of us will act as defense! Use the Pentagon formation and move out!"
(A Pentagon formation, very clever of her; five sides, five people with complementary abilities, and a proper guide in case of problems. Now the difference between our class and Vlad King's makes more sense.) The reconnaissance group was the first to mobilize, taking special care when passing through narrow areas. (They have all the theory, but in the real world, they are rookies who rely on textbooks. Those unwritten but fundamental rules are perfectly represented at this moment, the way they have put aside their differences for a common good... It's a marvel.) We were the next group to position ourselves and move. I got to be at the "point" of the Pentagon, giving me a panoramic view of my classmates.
At this rate, no major effort will be needed from anyone. We'll even arrive in record time.
I expected to have to use a higher percentage of One For All and clear the entire path for the rest, but in the end, it won't be necessary.
We are a team, one with its pros and cons, with some notable differences and contradictions (namely Bakugo), but we still work in sync.
Did Nick Fury feel this when the Avengers stopped the Chitauri invasion? A general pride shared by all.
(And we've only suffered the U.S.J. attack. How much would a second attack like that have influenced things?) A beast wanted to attack the left flank of the reconnaissance team, but a call from Shoji was enough for Bakugo to blow it up instantly. (This Class-A is stronger, more confident, and more compact. Is it some kind of butterfly effect caused indirectly by me? If so, I'm grateful.) A big smile formed on my face. Seeing my own classmates fight so wonderfully on their own made me feel secure.
Because the future wasn't just in my hands; they also had the right skills to prevail over the rest.
Shigaraki Tomura isn't the only one who has had a change, now I know.
And I'm grateful for it.
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"Do you think they'll make it?" Pixie-Bob questioned a tired Aizawa. "We gave them about three hours, but your students are still very young and inexperienced." If she was being honest, she didn't have much faith in those kids. Maybe in the most outstanding ones from the Sports Festival, but not the rest.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Pixie. Those kids looked very capable," Mandalay contributed on her side. She was trying to sound purely optimistic; she wanted Kota to learn from them and get out of his negative state.
Aizawa, on his part, was exhausted. Being a teacher of inexperienced kids was a headache.
Although the group he got this year was exceeding his expectations by a large margin.
Especially...
(Izuku Midoriya, the problem child.) Thinking about him of all people made him reflect on many things. (He's not a normal kid, and the fact that All Might has a special interest in him doesn't help.) Not just All Might, even the retired hero Gran Torino seemed to know the boy somehow. The question was, how? At what point did they meet? Was it because of the powerful Quirk Midoriya had?
And he still hadn't confronted him about his reckless actions at the U.S.J.
He had been waiting for him to come voluntarily and talk in the first place, a justification, anything.
But he didn't. The boy continued as if his actions were correct, without remorse or fear.
(Who are you, Izuku Midoriya?) He had a gut feeling that he wouldn't get an answer to that question.
"I... can't... believe it..." Pixie-Bob spoke beside him, slowly and with surprise. Her gaze forward made him copy her action.
A purely proud smile spread across his face, accompanied by the inevitable surprise at what he was seeing.
His class, his students, those who have been receiving so many teachings from him and the rest.
They had arrived.
In just two hours and forty-three minutes.
Those kids... were his students, through and through.
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Two hours and forty-something minutes.
That's the time I personally counted as we crossed the forest.
Now, seeing the looks of surprise on the PussyCats and our teacher, I can only reflect pride.
Pride in the actions of my classmates.
(We arrived much earlier than in the canon and without the general exhaustion.) I took a moment to admire the place where we would be staying; a nice inn but nothing out of this world. With what's necessary for a camp and that's it. (Although it's not enough for a villain attack.) One For All reacted again to that thought. It hadn't done that in a while.
"I must say, you've impressed us in general, kitties!" Pixie-Bob exclaimed with excitement.
(Did she call us kitties?) I've never been called that, and I wish that hadn't changed.
"Yes, you've definitely shown an unparalleled ability. Some have stood out more than others, but that doesn't take away from their merit," Mandalay commented, calmer but just as surprised.
"Especially you four!" Pixie-Bob pointed at Bakugo, Iida, Shoto, and of course... me. "I want to see you in three more years!" She quickly approached us, but a catch from my Whips along with Aizawa's bandages stopped her in her tracks.
"I'm sorry, but I don't look for a partner this way." Dating a woman whose group name is "PussyCats"? That's not how I want to live my protagonist life. (Although... once everything is over, who could I try something with? Yaoyorozu is off the table, you can tell she and Shoto might have something, and friends respect each other's potential partners.)
"Something important on your mind, Izuku?" Shoto questioned me, approaching my position and standing beside me.
"No, I was just thinking about your future and how I want to be the best man at your wedding," I joked, putting a hand over his shoulders, hugging him friendly. "I'll be the best man, right? Don't break my heart now, Shoto." One of those rare but funny smiles spread across his face, returning the hug in a somewhat rough but also friendly way.
"If that day really comes, you'll be the best man," he confirmed, to my internal excitement. "But in return, I'll be the best man at your wedding."
Shoto is great, I have no doubts.
"Don't even doubt it, friend, don't even doubt it."
"If you're done with your friendship moment, you could take your bags to your assigned room," Aizawa interrupted, ruining the strengthening of our friendly bonds.
"Sure, master. I'll see you in a bit, Shoto." Not wanting to bother the man capable of completely deactivating One For All, I followed his orders.
Aizawa and Shoto stayed there, one waiting for his student to follow his orders and the other...
"What are you waiting for to unpack too?" The impatience in the hero Eraserhead's tone of voice was easily ignored by Shoto, or his neutral mask was too good.
"Izuku is a good friend..."
"Yes, he is. Now go and..."
"My father never let me have such a loyal friend..."
"Hound Dog is the one who solves therapeutic problems, not me."
"I think I hate him a little more now."
Aizawa was officially at his limit.
So he did what he knew best in those cases.
He opened his sleeping bag, got inside, and told the world to fuck off.
He had a class with unique abilities... but problems just as unique or even more so.
(Early retirement sounds too tempting right now.) Just thinking about it made him sleepy. (Why did I agree to be a teacher at UA? It's easier to deal with hopeless drug addicts than bipolar brats.)
Aizawa Shota needed a break.
And Todoroki Shoto didn't know it, but he always needed a friend.
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"Do you need something, Master Tomura?" Kurogiri questioned, somewhat puzzled by the fixed gaze he had on him. "A strong drink for the next successful attack you've planned against UA?"
Shigaraki just remained silent, evaluating the means of transport he had in front of him.
Kurogiri was just that, a means of transport. He never had any other purpose than that.
(My own path... it's easier said than done, but...) One of his characteristic smiles, overshadowed by the hand on his face, formed. (Tearing down society isn't easy either.) With his hand, he pointed to a specific drink.
"Whiskey? Don't you want something stronger?" Kurogiri didn't understand his master's attitude, but he complied with the order and began to serve it in a glass. Although instantly, said glass was deteriorated by Tomura's hand.
"Please, Kurogiri... I want the whole bottle." His lackey fulfilled the request, giving him the whole bottle just for him. "Tell me, where is sensei? I haven't received any call from him since I informed him of this new attack."
Sensei, the man who gave him a path to follow when everything was taken from him.
He owed so much to that man; he would have given his life for him without a thought.
But... facing the disgusting green-haired brat, seeing his abilities, his attitude, his hatred directed purely at him.
His words...
"Why should I answer you? Do you think that by threatening me, I'm going to become your moral compass? Don't forget that I only need one movement of my fingers to kill you."
He was willing to kill him. He wasn't afraid. In fact, it even seemed that he was the one who was going to die, and not said brat.
He wasn't lying when he assured him that he would be a good villain. He could have brought the world to its knees.
And he settled for being a hero...
A shame.
Although, it was that shame who almost beat him to death at the U.S.J.
But there was something that interested him more than anything else, something so common in people's daily lives that it can go unnoticed.
Until it's mentioned explicitly and directed at someone.
"I beat your face in at the U.S.J. because I hate you. I'm threatening you with death because I hate you. Tell me, why should I give you an answer to light your path? Find the answers to your questions on your own damn account like everyone else."
Midoriya is really willing to kill him. The force with which he affirmed those words was incredible.
Terrifying, even.
(He... I owe him a lot. His words and his actions... I couldn't understand things if it weren't for those factors.) The bottle was half empty by this point. The alcohol had lost its magic a long time ago. (I could so easily kill his mother right now.)
But if he did...
"I will kill you in the most grotesque way possible."
He didn't need to corroborate the level of that threat.
"Sensei has been busy, Master Tomura, but don't doubt that he will contact you when necessary," Kurogiri's cordial voice brought him back to reality.
Sensei... that was another thing on his mind. Being more intuitive with things has made him a little more cautious.
Even with the man who saved his life.
"I understand," Shigaraki replied dryly, putting a hood over his head to go out into the streets. (You've given me more questions than answers, Midoriya. That won't end well for you.)
There was something that Shigaraki Tomura had very clear.
And that is...
That the wheels of fate have already begun to turn.
...
Author's Note:
Hey.
What did you think of the chapter?
The truth is that this chapter was supposed to come out two days ago, literally, but there were technical problems in between, and well... here it is.
I decided that Class A would be more united and intelligent because it's one of those small but noticeable changes that can be formed with the interference of a reincarnator with as much influence as the MC is in Izuku's body.
Also, I wanted to give some spotlight to other characters outside of the protagonist's close circle.
Even the MC feels pride and relief to see that he doesn't necessarily have to carry the entire plot on his own, that his classmates are capable of defending themselves without problems. A point that needed to be touched on and resolved.
In this chapter, I have tried to mark a contrast between the "fun" moments, so to speak, that the story can have and the "serious" moments.
Working on dialogues surrounding Shoto and his practically non-existent social level and the free and expressive personality that the protagonist has.
To then move on to other moments where the plot can be worked on a little more, as is the case with Shigaraki and the new direction I'm looking to give him.
In general, I think this is one of the best chapters I've written by far.
I'm not just working on the MC's perspective anymore. His changes now have a greater impact, and that must be shown in the rest of the characters. Shigaraki is just one of several.
The camp is the last arc in which a faithful representation of what was seen in the anime/manga will be seen. After that, we will move on to a stage written purely by me and the changes that I believe the protagonist has unconsciously created.
You've already seen that with Nezu as the first clue.
I must say that the story already has a fixed course and is not just a journey through the arcs already seen in the original work.
I even have an ending in mind, something that until recently I hadn't even considered in my head.
Anyway, take care. See you.