Everyone in Class 1-A and 1-B pushed themselves to the limits of their quirk. Whether through maximum output, or endurance. Sasuke himself worked on how sharp and heavy he could make his weapon constructs. He picked up one of his shuriken and touched the tip; his hand receded and he saw that a bit of blood dripped from it. 'This should be good.'
All the adults watched the students practice, and Aizawa himself stared at Sasuke. 'Despite what I said earlier. Sasuke would be the exception. His development has been a lot more physical than most. And due to the nature of his quirk, he probably would have gotten twice as far with the ball throw. I'm sure that he's upgraded his big avatar form already, but why hasn't he shown it yet?'
Sasuke manifested his Susanoo up to the muscular form and brought the hands together. He looked around and narrowed his eyes, 'I think I wanna keep my new form a secret until I gotta show it. In the meantime though, could I make a ranged attack with my big avatar form?'
He closed his eyes as the hands of the Susanoo were clasped together. He tried to imagine a suitable weapon and slowly separated the hands as purple energy formed. The weapons he imagined were within his own eyes. The weapons took the form of three tomoe spinning around each other. Sasuke gazed at them for a minute, 'They look like the tomoe in my eyes... Is that what I should call them?'
The beads spun around in the Susanoo's hands at an increasingly fast pace until he shot them at a nearby tree and completely eviscerated it, making a decent-sized crater. The crater drew the eyes of everyone nearby. Most looked on in awe, although Bakugo just glared and worked even harder.
Sasuke smiled and caught his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a kid with a red hat looking with glittery eyes at the attack he did. He made eye contact with him but he quickly disappeared behind the trees, 'Was that Kota? Anyway, that took a lot out of me, but it's still a great attack. I should be able to adjust its size and amount.'
Some hours later, the Pussy-cats set out a bunch of food and ingredients and told everyone to make the food on their own. Iida shouted to the class, "Everyone! Let's make the world's best curry!"
Everyone gathered around and heated pots as the smell filled everyone's nostrils. "Todoroki! We need some fire over here!"
Sero asked, "Hey Bakugo, can't you make flames with your explosions?"
"Of course, I can, you shit."
Momo made a lighter and stated, "Everyone, if you keep relying on others you won't learn anything about making your own!"
Todoroki crouched and set his hand aflame, "Nah, it's cool."
Uraraka and Mina jumped up and down, "Yipee!"
Everyone got their own plates of the tasty curry soon enough and chowed down on it all.
While Sasuke made his plate, he looked around. He saw Mina having fun talking to the other girls. He smiled and looked around more and saw Midoriya by himself against a tree. He decided to make a second plate and strolled over to Midoriya. "Hey, Midoriya."
He turned his head to see Sasuke, "Hey Sasuke. Wow, you're eating a lot."
Sasuke outstretched his arm, "It's for you. You should be eating."
Midoriya smiled and accepted the plate, "Really? Thanks, Sasuke."
"Yeah yeah yeah. Have you gotten any higher at the level of OFA you can use?"
"Yeah. I tried to go to 8% today. All of my bones are pretty sore, but it's bearable. What about your quirk?" Midoriya's eyes glowed and he pulled his notebook out of thin air. While Sasuke tried to figure out where it came from, Midoriya asked, "Those Yasaka Magatama beads you made earlier were awesome! Did you just make those?"
"Yasaka Magatama Beads? The tomoe things from earlier? Yeah, I just made those." Sasuke ate more of his curry, 'That's a much better name than what I came up with.'
Iida approached the duo and waved, "Sasuke, Midoriya. Greetings. The curry is amazing."
Midoriya smiled and they both took some bites, "It really is great! Especially after the grueling training."
Sasuke asked, "Hey, Iida. You're the fastest in the class, aren't you?"
Iida adjusted his glasses, "I don't brag, but yes. I got first place when we all raced back then."
Sasuke finished his plate and faced him with a confident smirk, "Wanna race?"
Iida stared at him while chewing curry. Midoriya's eyes darted between the two. Once he finished he closed his eyes, "Tomorrow when we do more training. You can run alongside me, but now is the time for us to eat! Training has ended!"
Sasuke sighed, "Alright," he thought, 'I think I could beat him. Maybe not with Recipro Burst though.' "Well even though you can't race, I wanna know something else. Do you use any kind of running technique outside of your quirk?"
"Of course I do. You wished to learn them?"
"Yeah, could be helpful. Keep it short though."
Iida put a hand under his chin; after a minute he stated, "If I had to keep it concise. There are six important things to keep in mind: be fluid and not stiff, run on the balls of your foot, lean forward, hit the ground below you and not in front of you, keep your contact with the ground short, and for when you are hitting the ground make sure you're hitting it hard. Almost like you're stomping it."
"... Got it. I'm gonna get more curry."
"Wait, Sasuke! Have you seen Kota lately?"
Sasuke turned back, "That brat? No, why?"
Midoriya played with his hands, "Well... I just thought that... Maybe you could help him?"
Sasuke raised a brow, "Help him? What are you talking about? I'm not good with kids."
Midoriya waved his hands, "I-I'm not saying you are or aren't! But... Well, Mina thought you two were alike."
Sasuke side-eyed Mina getting more food, "Did she now?"
Sasuke strolled over to Mina and ignored and ignored the rest of Midorita's babbling. She noticed him, "Hey Sasuke, what's up? Food's great right?"
"Did you tell Midoriya you think I'm like that kid, Kota?"
She blinked, "Yeah, isn't it obvious? Brooding immature loner that lashes out at any help?"
She snickered while Sasuke glared, "I'm joking I'm joking!... Well, half-joking. You definitely used to be like that, but you're a little different now." 'At least I hope you are.'
"I'm not a brooding immature loner."
She tilted her head, "Seriously? Man, I wish I recorded you back then."
"Whatever," Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and walked off, but Mina pulled him back, "I'm just messing with you, but seriously. If you see him, try to think like you're me or Tenten."
His glare eased and he readjusted his collar, "I could try."
Mina cheesed and patted his shoulder, "Good boy. Well, I gotta get back to the girls now."
Sasuke blushed, "Good boy? I'm older than you, if anything I should be saying good g—"
Sasuke cut himself off and Mina smiled and leaned in with a hand on her ear, "Huh? Didn't get that. You should be saying good what?"
"Nothing!" Sasuke blushed a little harder and trudged away.
Mina giggled and ran off back to the group she was in and Sasuke himself got another plate. He glanced over at her, 'Just back to normal teasing again?'
In Mina's own head, she thought, 'I wish he really did call me that… I can never say that sentence out loud… I hope no one here secretly has a mind-reading quirk.'
Sasuke ate and pondered, 'Hopefully, I won't see Kota again. If I find a nice private place, I could try to get more training in. Could probably use some of those running tips too.' Sasuke made sure no one was looking before hiking into the forest and getting so far he couldn't hear the chatter or see the lights of the flames anymore. Eventually, he walked up a rocky hill and noticed small footprints. 'Footprints? Is someone up here already?' He kept on walking further up the hill until he made eye contact with Kota. 'Is God himself trying to make me talk to this kid?'
Kota shot up, "You! How did you know I was here?!"
Sasuke got closer, "I just came here to find a spot to train. Didn't know anyone else was here. What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be down there eating?"
He glared, "I don't need your concern. What part of 'I'm not fucking around with you scrubs' did you not understand? This is my secret base. You're not welcome here."
A tick mark appeared on Sasuke's forehead. He sat next to Kota, "You're a pretty spiteful brat, you know that?"
Kota gritted his teeth, "Shut the hell up! Get out of here! I don't wanna hear it from an idiot wannabe hero that—"
Sasuke drowned out Kota's voice and thought back to when he argued with Tenten, 'Is this how Mina and Tenten felt?... Maybe there was some truth to what she said.'
He forced a spoonful of curry into Kota's mouth. "Shut up and eat."
Kota blinked before begrudgingly eating the curry. Sasuke asked, "It's good. Anyway, I heard from Mandelei about your parents."
Kota clenched his fist and tried to swat away the spoon, but Sasuke successfully saved the food. "So Mandelei opened her big mouth huh!?"
"Yeah, she did. I don't think you should be blaming heroes though."
Kota turned away, "Screw you... Acting like you understand... All of you have some screws loose... Calling yourselves heroes and villains... Killing each other like idiots. Bragging about your QUIRKS! That's why you end up like that, you fucking idiots."
Sasuke stared at him and thought, 'Being compared to a five-year-old isn't flattering... But I can see it. We're not so different after all.'
Kota continued, "What? Cat got your tongue? That's what I—"
"—My parents were also killed by villains."
Kota's eyes went wide and Sasuke smirked, "What? Cat got your tongue?" He stopped smirking and sighed, "My parents weren't heroes. They were just normal people who happened to be in a bad financial position. A villain took advantage of that and manipulated them for years until finally killing them. Who am I supposed to blame then? Hero society? No, it's the bastard that killed my parents... I can't tell you what it means to be a true hero, you'd have to ask someone like Midoriya about that... But shutting everyone out like what you're doing now is only gonna lead to you dying alone underground with regrets about how much more you could have done."
He maintained strong eye contact and Kota winced. "Trust me, I know. I've been through it already." Sasuke put a finger on his chest, "Don't hate your parents, quirks, or hero society for what happened. The only thing your parents left for you is your quirk, it's a gift. If anything, hate the guy who killed your parents. He would go around killing people whether or not they were heroes. Heroes are... just a natural response to try and protect people like you and me from losing our loved ones."
Sasuke stood up and left behind the plate of curry while Kota remained silent. Sasuke waved, "See ya."
As he left Kota aggressively ate the food, "S-stupid hero... Stupid villains... Stupid blond hair killer... Stupid, stupid!
Far away on an even higher hill, four villains spoke, "It throbs, pulses. Let's hurry up and go!"
One with a gasmask responded, "It's not time yet. Also didn't I tell you we don't have to overdo it?"
Another with a patchy face and black hair said, "Yeah, quit tryna act like the boss. We're only sending up a warning flare this time. These heroes, riddled with holes. Will fall to the earth. All for the sake of a brighter future."
The next day in the afternoon, Aizawa pulled Sero and Kaminari into remedial. As he dragged them away with bandages he looked back at Mina, 'I was expecting her to end up in Remedial with these two, although, since Sasuke's coma, she's really picked it up. Did seeing her friend end up that way scare her into taking things more seriously? Well, whatever. It's a good thing either way.'
Sasuke approached Iida and stretched his legs, "It's time."
"Indeed it is. I won't hold back, Sasuke."
They got in running positions next to each other and some students noticed. Ojiro stopped slapping Kirishima with his tail, "Hey, it looks like Sasuke and Iida are gonna race."
"Seriously?" He turned to confirm for himself.
Ojiro smirked, "Wanna bet?"
Kirishima twitched, "Hell no! As a man, I've learned my lesson about gambling a long time ago."
Mina stopped shooting acid and also turned. Sasuke responded to Iida, "I'd be pissed off if you held back. Now let's go already." Sasuke surrounded himself in his Savitar form.
They set themselves and counted.
"3."
"2."
"1."
"Go!"
They both blasted off to the farthest tree alongside each other. They went too fast for most of the class to notice, and the dust cloud that formed from the starting to the ending point made it clear that the race didn't even last a second.
Iida stood with a shocked expression as Sasuke did a small fist pump, 'I beat him pretty handily, but it's a good thing he didn't use his burst.'
He walked past Iida and patted his shoulder, "Thanks for the running tips."
Iida regained his composure and cleared his throat, "Of course, Sasuke! Thank you for showing me I have to work even harder!"
Kirishima looked over to Bakugo and saw him still training. He sighed in relief, 'Good thing he didn't notice. That could have caused a scene.'
Mina looked at the acid at her feet, 'Could I go fast like that someday?' Her eyes averted to Todoroki, 'I think at least the way we try to move is similar, but Todoroki is way faster.'
She ran over to Todoroki, "Hey, Todoroki! Can you help me with something?"
He stopped blasting ice and turned in his steaming pot of water. "Yeah?"
"I was wondering, like you know how you go really really fast with your ice sometimes? Like, how do you do that?"
Todoroki looked down in thought before answering, "It's like surfing or skiing with a pressure washer behind you. While sliding on the ice I try to shoot in at a concentrated point to propel myself with more force. Sorry if that doesn't help, I've never described it to anyone before."
She shook her head and gave a thumbs up, "Nope, I think that's perfect! Thanks, Todoroki!"
She ran back over to her spot and got in position, but paused, 'Wait a minute... I can't release my acid like a pressure washer! Agh! The best I can do is put my hands together to make the acid pressurized that way.' She put a hand under her chin, 'Should I put my feet together?' She tried to imagine it and grimaced, 'No, that would look so stupid!... Just gonna have to work on shrinking the area acid comes out of. This is gonna take forever.' Her arms drooped and she sighed.
Later in the day during dinner, everyone had to make meat and potato stew and Sasuke and Bakugo had to cut the carrots; although, Bakugo was noticeably faster. Uraraka stopped while walking by, "Wow Bakugo, I didn't expect you to be so good with knives."
His head jolted at Uraraka, "The hell do you mean you didn't expect it? You thought I'd suck at it?!"
Sasuke accidentally cut his finger, "Alright, maybe someone else would be better for this than me."
Bakugo sneered, "What? Your dumbass can't even cut food?"
A smug expression crossed Sasuke's face as he raised his chin, "I guess not. Maybe if you had a food-cutting quirk you could have beat me at the Sports Festival."
Bakugo stabbed through the table and he looked like steam would come out of him, "You wanna go at it right now asshole?! That won't happen again!"
Mineta stood in front of the girls and had both his arms straight out, "Don't worry ladies! I'll keep you safe so their fight doesn't hurt you!"
Jiro kicked him away, "We can defend ourselves, pervert."
Hagakure added, "And stop trying to feel our legs!"
Aizawa wrapped his bandages around Bakugo and Sasuke, "No fighting unless you wanna join Remedials later."
They both grunted and turned away from each other. Sasuke walked off and Midoriya approached Sasuke, "Hey, did you ever see Kota?"
"Yeah, I came across him up a big hill and talked. I think he'll be fine, he wasn't cursing at me by the time I left at least."
Midoriya smiled, "That's good, thanks, Sasuke."
After dinner, Aizawa announced the Test of Courage, "It's time for the test of courage. Before that though. It pains me to say it, but the Remedial duo is gonna have a review lesson with me, starting right now."
He wrapped his bandages around Sero and Kaminari and dragged them away while they kicked their feet. Sero exclaimed, "No way! Come on please!"
Kaminari cried out, "No I don't want that! Another remedial lesson? I don't wanna do another Remedial for the rest of my life! For 10 years at least!"
Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine, 'Where have I heard that from before?'
The test of courage was laid out. Class 1-B has to scare people and 1-A will send two people out every three minutes. In the middle of the route are cards with every student's name on them that have to be taken back as proof. The winning class would be determined by who can cause the most scares and be the most creative with their quirks.
Every student went out in pairs. The last pair was Uraraka and Asui. The rest of the class hung around and Ojiro asked, "Once it's our turn, who's gonna be doing the terrorizing? I don't think most of our quirks can scare people. Except for Shoji and Tokoyami."
Kirishima said, "Can't Momo make masks and things like that? Also, Sasuke's whole thing is skeletons. That's one of the most famous scary props. We got this!"
"Koda could help too. It scared Present Mic and knocked him out."
While they conversed, a burning smell started to flood the area. "Now it begins. Fall to the Earth. Villain Alliance, first strike team!"