(Cover story: All Might interrupts Endeavour's coffee break to tell him about Shouto's growth.
Art by: ohno_ha)
After defeating all of their teachers, class 1-A had successfully passed their final exams, earning themselves a nice holiday.
A day after the exams, they were all sat in class, some banged up and others completely fresh. "You still haven't explained what that 'Gear Four' form was. Spit it out, nerd!" Bakugo demanded, slamming his palm on Midoriya's table.
"I discovered it one day by blowing into my forearm while I had my Haki activated as a way to increase the size of my fist. At first, it didn't look like how it looked the other day, but after a few tries, I was able to control how I looked and created it. My Boundman form." The boy explained, intriguing his classmates who were listening in on their conversation. "I don't have that much control over the form though, that was my second time ever using it to attack anything. That's why I completely fizzled out and couldn't use Haki after using it. It takes up way too much Haki since I have to constantly use it at a high rate so unless I'm using it for a final blow, there's no point in me using it right now." He continued, giving his friend a full debrief of his new technique.
Observing their conversation from afar, Yaoyozoru's imagination began to run wild. Taking note of their friend's sudden silence, Ashido pinched her friend's hand snapping her back into reality. "No weird imaginations." She scolded her friend, gaining a cute pout from her.
"So what about your multiple heads and arms sword brains?" Todoroki added, annoying Katsuki.
"I don't know Zuko, why don't you tell everyone about your little 'Hell's Memories' attack that mixed both your fire and ice magically?" Bakugo fired back, making the two clash heads.
Watching the chaos between the two boys unfold, Aizawa stood next to Izuku's chair, giving his thoughts on the two boys arguing. "You two act like Gorillas." He calmly commented before separating the pair and walking to his desk. "Anyway, hello class, how is everyone."
"Good/Great/CAN SUMMER CAMP COME ALREADY!/Terrible." His students replied, making him smile.
"Good, well as you know, you all passed your exams so no one will be doing summer school. What you will be doing is a five-day training camp while there, but it won't be too hard." Aizawa informed them whilst turning on a projector. "I'm going to hand out a letter that contains everything you're gonna need to know and need while there. Whilst reading it, you can observe your matches against us." Aizawa continued, walking around the room to give the letter to his students.
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Once everyone was done observing the fights, they all looked at each other with a proud look on their faces, truly understanding how powerful they were.
"As you saw, the majority of you won your fights by using Yaoyozoru's plan which she orchestrated on the spot right before the exam began. Her amazing ability to create a plan that involves all of you winning ultimately carried you against us." Aizawa analysed, making Momo blush. "This doesn't diminish from all of your efforts though. Koda being able to overcome his fears, Kirishima learning how to use all forms of hardening more efficiently and Ilda learning how to read future sight are three of the many great feats you guys managed to pull off yesterday." Aizawa smiled. "Anyway, now that you've seen everything and you've had time to read the letter, class is dismissed!" Shota declared, crawling back into his sleeping bag.
Capitalising on the moment, Hagakure ran to the front of the classroom and suggested an idea. "We should go shopping as a class!"
Thinking on the idea for a moment, Izuku and Momo looked at each other and then nodded. "Yeah we should, it'll be a great time for us to spend time with each other." Midoriya agreed, gaining nods from the majority of his classmates.
"Yeah that's cute and all, but I'm not going." Bakugo scoffed, grabbing his bag and walking out of the door.
"I would love to buy all of you wonderful ladies' clothes and equipment, but I'm in the same boat, I have to visit someone today." Todoroki followed, blowing kisses to all the girls in his class.
Taking aback by his sudden show of affection, all of the girls in the class looked at each other in awkward silence. "That was weird..." Jirou commented.
"Yes that was peculiar behaviour from Todoroki, but let's get moving. We only have a few hours until the mall closes so let's go!" Ilda roared, successfully getting his classmates to forget the events that just transpired.
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Intermission: Hephaestus (Draw Sleeves)
(With a laid-back demeanour and strategical mind, Draw is the son of Prince and brother of Firefist, two prolific heroes in America and in the world.
Despite his personality, his quirk makes him act like a completely different person while at its strongest, often forcing him to choose whether he wants to completely overpower his enemy or strategically beat them.
Currently, he's working his hardest to control his rage and use it in short bursts, but to do such a thing takes a lot of mastery over one's emotions.
He also shares a tight bond with Shouto Todoroki and is growing one with his three new friends, Mawata Fuwa, Kodomo Yūsutasu and Hō Mizu.
I wonder if his bonds will ultimately be the thing to unlock his full potential?)
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After an hour of preparation, Class 1-A finally made it to the mall. Unfortunately for the students, they were bombarded with fans. "Oh my God it's Pinky! I'm your biggest fan!" A purple man squealed, showcasing his tattoo of Ashido.
"Yo look it's Kirishima, he looks so cool in person!" A fangirl noted, making Kirishima blush.
Hiding behind his tall friend, Midoriya thinks of a way they can shop in peace. The boy stood there for moments until Jirou tapped him on his shoulder. "Stop overthinking it and just tell them to leave us alone. Fans like this will always be devoted even if you tell them to die." She recommended, startling the boy with her last comment.
"It's a bit rude though, I don't want my fans to think I don't like their support," Izuku responded, earning a sigh from his friend.
"If you don't do something we'll never get to shopping." Kyoka continued, finally pushing Izuku to do something about their current situation.
"Okay, I'll tell them to leave." The boy sighed, walking in front of his classmates. "Can everyone give us some space? We're trying to shop for our school trip, we appreciate the support b-" As he was about to finish the sentence, a random fan ran up to him and gave him a kiss, running off as fast as she could once her mission was complete.
Watching from behind him Jirou laughed, commenting, "His innocent mind wasn't ready for that." She cackled while looking at Midoriya's frozen body. The rest of her classmates joined in on the laughter, which unfroze Midoriya making him mad.
"Hey, it's not funny, only my mum/mom is allowed to kiss me on my cheek." He snapped, making his classmates laugh even more.
"Yes Midoriya we get it, the crowds moved so let's go and get our stuff." Ilda smiled, calming down his friend.
Once all of the laughter settled and everyone picked where they wanted to go first, the only two people left were Uraraka and Midoriya. "Well since we're the last ones left, let's shop together," Izuku suggested, gaining a nod from Ochaco.
After hours of shopping went by, the two realised that their stomachs were empty so they went to go and get some food. "You're the first person to never make fun of my love for nuggets." Midoriya chuckles while shoving four nuggets into his mouth.
"Why would I hate on something I love too?" Uraraka replied, sticking two chips into her mouth. The two would quietly continue to eat until Ochaco got a notification on her phone. "Oh my parents are trying to call me, I'll be back in a minute." She said, standing up from her chair and running off to call her parents.
"Stay safe!" Midoriya shouted, gaining a thumbs up from the girl as she disappeared into the crowd.
Taking another bite of his nugget, Midoriya felt an eerie presence around him, looking around to see if sketchy-looking people were around him. Unfortunately, he wasn't looking in the right direction, as a hand swiftly latched onto his neck freezing the boy.
"Yoooo, long time no see lil bro," Shigaraki smirked, taking a seat next to the boy.
"Why are you here and What do you want?" Izuku snarled, making the man laugh.
"Look at you getting all feisty, I just want to have a chat with you man. Here, take a sip." Shigaraki calmly spoke, handing Midoriya his drink with his other hand.
Taking a sip of his drink, Izuku put it back down and then stared Tomura into his empty eyes. "So what do you want to talk about?" He asked.
"I wanted to check up on you and ask you a question. Like it's crazy how big you've gotten since I had the Nomu crush your weak little body. Or should I say strong now? You were really beating on Stain." He rambled angering the teen.
"Last time I checked, All Might shattered your weak and pathetic body so let's not go there." Izuku fired back, making the man twitch.
"Despite your heroic persona, you still have a nasty tongue, I'm... impressed." Tomura snickered. "Anyway, less about that. What's your opinion on the hero killer because personally, I hate him. I've tried my hardest to stand out and gain society's attention but he's overshadowed it, it's really grinding my gears." He complained.
"I thought he worked for you? Is this a personal thing?" Izuku wondered.
"No, I only said he was a part of the league to boost its reputation. At our meet up things went sideways and we parted on terrible terms. So my question is, why does everyone see and talk about him and not me? Why does he stand out so much?" Shigaraki asked, slightly tightening his grip on Midoriya's neck.
"Well, from what I know, Stain had real reasons for why he acted like that. He thought that society was rotting from all the "fake heroes" around so he set out to delete all the fake ones and leave the real ones. Although I don't agree with his actions, I do see where he's coming from although it's very bad. You on the other hand... you just want to kill All Might like every other small-time villain that wants to become big. What you don't have is a true driving force behind your reasoning, why do you hate All Might so much and want to kill him? Ask yourself that and when you get your answer, that's when you'll truly stand out and become a problem." Izuku answered.
Taking in Midoriya's words, Shigaraki gripped his neck even harder and started laughing. "You know you're the best, you've opened my eyes. Now I can see it clearly," he laughed, thinking back on his conversation with Stain. "They all smile because of him, THATS why I hate him so much. I want everyone to feel what I felt, I want society to feel my suffering, that's why I crave destruction! If I want to see them cry and lose their smile, I have to kill him, All Might is the problem. I must wipe away that smile." He realised, feeling everything come together.
Within the hero's clutches, Midoriya began to squirm. "Can you loosen your grip, it's getting hard to breathe here?" Izuku politely asked, gaining an unsightly glare from the man.
"Stop squirming, my finger could slip kid," Shigaraki told the boy. "Anyway tha-"
"Midoriya, who's he?" Uraraka appeared, surprising both of the boys.
"He's a fan don't worry," Izuku told his friend, trying to keep her calm.
Quickly assessing the scruffy man's face, Uraraka blurted out her thoughts on the man. "He doesn't look too friendly, hey sir can you get your hand off of my friend's neck." She asked politely, making izuku suddenly snap.
"No, it's fine just stay back!" Midoriya shouted, shocking his friend.
"Hey no need to shout Midoriya, I'll leave if your friend wants me to. Thanks for the autograph by the way." Shigaraki smiled, letting go of the boy's neck making him cough. "Just make sure you don't follow me though, I have two very strong friends inside this mall and they wouldn't hesitate to do very bad things." Shigaraki playfully informed him while walking away.
"Midoriya are yo-"
"Wait Uraraka, Shigaraki what's All For One after? I know he's running your operation." Izuku asked, pushing his worried friend out of the way to talk to Shigaraki.
"Get off of my arm before I get him up there to incinerate the store your friends are in." He coldly stated, pointing to the store directly across the mall.
"Wait, did you just say Shigaraki?" Ochaco gasped.
Getting impatient, Midoriya squeezed Shigaraki's arm, "Just answer it." Izuku demanded.
Taking a deep sigh, Shigaraki turned around to answer Izuku. "Well since you were nice to me, I'll give you an answer. I dunno, now fuck off." Shigaraki spat, yanking his arm away from Midoriya. "You should worry more about me, the next time we meet won't be pretty, trust me." Shigaraki laughs before disappearing into the crowd and leaving the mall.
Once outside of the mall, Shigaraki was slapped on his back, making him turn around. "You idiot, why did you squeeze his neck so hard do you want me to kill you or something!" A blonde-haired girl barked.
"Chill Toga, it was probably necessary." A tall dark-haired man smiled.
Realising it was his teammates, Shigaraki turned around and began to walk. Talking to himself while gapping his comrades behind him. "Before I was wrong, conviction was needed, today I found it. Create a world without All Might and forcibly make society lose their smiles and cry." Shigaraki spoke to himself as he entered an alley.
Back inside the building, Uraraka called the police, who locked down the area.
Unexpectedly, All Might appeared, greeting his students and pulling Midoriya away to talk with him in private.
"I'm sorry for taking so long, what happened?" Toshinori asked his student as he returned to his regular state.
Taking a deep breath Izuku informed him of everything that took place, making All Might sigh.
"My hunch was right, All for one already has a successor and it's Shigaraki and by the sounds of it he's building the league to have strong soldiers." He analysed, breaking down everything Izuku told him in his head. "But... why would he give the league over to someone who didn't have conviction until today. He's not the type to hand something over to some who's incomplete." He theorised.
"Maybe that's why Shigaraki visited me today. Maybe All for one wanted Shigaraki to find his purpose by talking to me." Midoriya thought, bringing pieces together in All Might's mind.
"Yes... you're right. He knew you had conviction and would be able to help Shigaraki, that's why he sent him here today." Yagi pieced together, firmly placing his hand on Midoriya's shoulder.
Once their conversation was over, a police offer approached them, smiling at Toshinori before shaking his hand.
"Wait does he-"
"Yes, he does know. Young Midoriya, meet Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi. My long-time friend." Yagi revealed.
"Hello there Midoriya nice to meet you, I've seen and heard a lot about you." The detective bowed, gaining a bow from the teen in return.
"That's an honour, sir." The boy smiled. Once the greetings were over, they began to talk about what Midoriya and Yagi were just discussing, reaching the same conclusion as before.
"I see... I'll put everything on the record aside from the obvious things. It'll save you from coming down to the precinct with me." Tsukauchi said, allowing Izuku to go home.
"Thanks, sir." The boy bowed, making the man chuckle.
"No worries." He smiled before walking back to the crowd of people.
As All Might was about to join his friend, Midoriya grabbed his arm, halting him in place. "Hey, has there ever been a time when you haven't been able to save someone?" The boy asked, eager to hear his mentor's answer.
"Yeah there were many times, but that's life, that's why I have to continue smiling. If I frowned or looked upset every time I couldn't save someone, the world would be filled with frowns." Toshinori replied.
"I see..." Midoriya thought out loud, taking his teacher's words into consideration.
"Hey kid, what time does your mother get home?" Toshinori asked his student.
"Probably in another three hours, why?" Midoriya responded, looking at All Might's hand.
"Follow me, I'm taking you home," Yagi demanded, grabbing the boy's hand, and dragging him toward his car.
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Once home, All Might waited with Izuku until his mother arrived. Oblivious to the situation, she came home expecting Izuku by himself, but she was surprised to see who was with him.
"W-W-Why is All Might in my living room Izuku?" Inko stammered, dropping her groceries on the floor.
"Oh hello there Mrs Midoriya, nice to meet you." Toshinori smiled, shaking the slender woman's hand.
"H-He-Hello, nice to meet you too." She awkwardly smiled, looking at her son for support. "It's nice to have you in my home and everything, but what are doing here? Don't you have better things to do?" The woman wondered, confusing the man.
"Do you know what transpired earlier today?" Yagi asked the greenette, earning a no from the oblivious woman. "Oh... no wonder."
"Is there something I'm missing? Did Izuku get kicked out of school?" She asked, making Izuku laugh. "Also why does your voice sound a little lighter and muscles seem a little smaller? Is it a TV thing?" She continued.
"No Mrs Midoriya, your son was nearly killed today by a leader of a new infamous group. And my voice and muscles are tied into my quirk being active." Toshinori revealed, shocking the woman.
"Wait hold on when you put it like that, it makes it sound ten times worse," Izuku commented.
"My... baby was nearly killed? Oh Izuku, I'm sorry mommy wasn't there to protect you." Inko cried, latching onto her son to comfort him.
"I don't think I need you to protect me." Izuku bluntly responded, making his mother angry.
"My baby boy will never be too strong for me to protect!" She snapped, completely changing her tone/mood to deliver a powerful punch to the boy's skull.
"Ah... I see why he was so durable when we first met." All Might noted, witnessing the bond between Izuku and his mother. "Anyway, now that you've received the news, I'll be leaving now." Toshinori bowed, trying to leave the Midoriya's household.
"Nope, not happening. You're staying to eat dinner with us." Inko demanded, jumping in front of All Might's way.
"But I have... fine, I'll stay." The number one hero reluctantly agreed, making the Midoriya's celebrate.
For the rest of the night, Toshinori would get to know the Midoriya's even more and understand the root of Izuku's odd behaviour.
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The night had passed and class 1-A were back in their classroom, ready to head into their first lesson. "Hello class, I have an announcement to make," Aizawa stated, appearing from under the podium.
"And that is?"
"Due to the events that took place yesterday, we'll be heading to a new camp. We can not allow any of you to be in danger." He informed them, causing a few of them to snap.
"Wait, you can't just change the location. I told my family about it, they'll get worried if they don't know where I am!" Sero argued.
"Yeah, that's the whole point. If your families know, then the league could know. I'm not saying any of you are in direct contact with them, but it's a risk we're not willing to take." He declared, glaring at Aoyama.
"W-W-Why are you glaring at me?" The bot stammered.
"I thought it would be funny to scare you." Aizawa cackled, annoying his students. "Anyway, get ready for class." The tall long-haired man said while tearing up their original accommodation letters.
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A few weeks passed and the students had finished their end-of-semester ceremony, both first-year hero course students gathered at the front of the school, getting ready to enter their own respective coaches.
"Would you lookie here, if it isn't clas-"
"Shut up!" Kendo growled, punching her friend to calm him down. "Sorry about him." She smiled before dragging him away.
"Alright class, let's get on the bus," Aizawa demanded.
"Who's sitting next to who Izuku?" Kirishima asked.
After giving it a little bit of thought, Izuku shrugged his shoulders. "Sit however you like, I don't care." He replied, walking onto the bus to claim his seat next to Yaoyozoru who entered the bus moments prior.
"Oh, so it's first come first serve..." Mina grinned while looking at her classmates.
Realising what that meant, everyone began to push and shove each other, fighting for their spot on the bus. "MOVE!" The majority of Class 1-A yelled, giving Izuku and Momo a spectacle.
After several minutes of fighting, everyone was on the bus and in seats, they weren't the happiest with.
During the journey toward the camp, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu began to talk about ways they could improve their Haki and quirks. "Mr Aizawa said it's all about the flow so, imagine you're flowing yourself into the object. You've already unlocked the emitting version so you're already halfway there." Yaoyozoru reminded him.
"Yeah, you're right." Midoriya nodded, coating his fist in Haki to destroy the metal plate resting on the window edge.
A few moments of silence went by on the bus and suddenly it stopped, confusing all of the students. "Get off and leave your luggage here, I need to tell you, guys, something." Shota bluntly told them, getting off the coach to wait for his students.
Once everyone was outside, they all sensed three people walking toward them, springing out of the shadows to greet them. "Rock on with these sparkling gazes!"
"Stingingly cute and catlike!"
"WE'RE THE WILD WILD PUSSY-CATS!" Two women announced, shocking a few of the students.
"Oh yeah, they'll be helping us," Aizawa revealed, walking back to the bus.
"Woah they're so cool, even after being around for twelve years they still act so young," Izuku commented, gaining a paw to the face.
"We're eighteen at heart!" Pixie-bob claimed.
Observing the two women, Todoroki sighed, letting out a cold breeze. "What beautiful ladies." He said while locking eyes with the child next to them. "Who's-"
"Anyway, this whole area is our territory and that thing down there is the lodge," Mandalay informed them, making half of the class turn around.
"It seems like we have another hour of travelling." Sero shrugged, walking back to the coach, only to be glared at by Aizawa.
"Nu-uh, you're running there." He smirked, kicking his student back into the crowd of students.
"Remember guys, lunch starts in three hours so make sure to get there before then. If you don't, you'll starve!" The light-blue cat grinned, using her quirk to throw the entire class down the mountain.
As all of the students got up, Mandalay remembered something very important. "I nearly forgot about this, how silly of me. By the way, the forest is called the beast forest, you better be ready to fight a bunch of monsters while running there!" She yelled as a beast appeared, startling the class. "Now that they know, are you sure they'll make it throw the forest, there's A LOT down there?" The red pussy-cat asked Aizawa, turning around to talk to him.
"Oh trust me, they'll make it through there. For relatively new first years, they're starting to match the upperclassmen." He smiled as Pixie-bob watched them confront her beast.
"Koda, talk to it!" Yaoyorozu demanded.
"Okay, stop right there!" The boy commanded, gaining no response from the creature.
"Guys it's not a real animal, look at its arms, it's made out of mud!" Todoroki pointed out, igniting his feet on fire.
"So we gotta blast through it." Bakugo grinned, letting off mini explosions in his hand.
"It seems so, I'll happily bash these creatures," Midoriya added, entering his gear two state.
Watching from above Shota looked down in joy, saying, "Here it comes."
"HAWK RIFLE/BOMB RUSH/JOUE SHOOT/RED STRIKE/REVVING SHOOT!" Izuku, Katsuki, Shouto, Kirishima and Tenya called out, obliterating the beast.
"That was a bit overkill, but needed." Jirou shrugged.
"Alright, who needs their hero gear?" Yaoyozoru asked, gaining a few hands. "Okay, and you Bakugo? Do you want me to create your swords or no?" The girl asked.
"No, I feel like using my hands today." The boy grinned, looking around for any more beasts.
"You see, I told you they weren't your average first years. So can promise you'll make them work extra hard Pixie-bob?" Aizawa wondered.
"Oh trust me I will." She grinned, creating even more beasts.
Looking at the child, Mandalay signalled toward him to come, receiving a sigh. "Ridiculous." The boy scoffed before leaving with his guardian.
At the edge of the forest, Class A was ready for their journey, suited up and ready to fight whatever crossed their paths.
"Alright guys, let's go!" Midoriya shouted, charging toward five huge mud beasts that stood in front of him.
(End of chapter! I don't really have much to say but, did you like that chapter? Also my bad for taking so long on this part. Hopefully, the next one isn't as long.
Anyway, I'm out! Byeee!)
12/08/2023 UK
08/12/2023 US