'One for All... 100%!'
For Izuku, this would be the first time he would be using 100% layered all over his body for a longer duration. Sure he had used 100% a few times, but they had been mainly for one attack only. He had too much tunnel vision while using 100%, and couldn't efficiently use his movement technique as he would either trip over his feet or overshoot. But right now, he didn't need that. All he knew was that he needed power to defeat Nomu.
With a roar, Izuku pushed Nomu's hammer strike away before using all his strength to smash a kick right into the Nomu's groin.
"Oooh, that's dirty, something a hero shouldn't be doing," taunted Shigaraki, though his legs were crossed at the sight of that.
To the surprise of them all, the Nomu groaned in pain despite its shock absorption quirk and stumbled backward. Despite being genetically experimented on and quirks shoved into it, the fact was that absorbing damage from its crotch was still something relatively painful, especially since a full powered kick from Izuku would have ruptured anyone's balls. Still, the Nomu's super regeneration already repaired whatever damage was done and growled at Izuku in anger.
"FUCKING MOVE DEKU!" shouted Katsuki as he got up, shoving Izuku to the side before pointing his other gauntlet at Nomu, pulling the trigger.
Another large explosion fired off of Katsuki's gauntlet, hurtling the Nomu back quite a bit. The Nomu screeched in pain as his regeneration kicked in once more.
"Why the helll won't this mother fucker die!?" roared Katsuki as explosions danced off his palms once more. He was about to charge forward when Izuku quickly grabbed him by the shoulders, stopping him.
"We need to plan this out," urged Izuku, "That … thing not only tanked both of your grenade shots from your bracers but also broke out of Todoroki's ice and my punches. I can tank back, but if one of you guys get hit, you're dead. Even Kirishima couldn't tank through it."
"I can handle this," scowled Katsuki, though not charging forward, "Plus, we don't have a choice, do we?"
"That thing was created to beat All Might," supplied Shoto as he froze Eijirou's arm to reduce swelling and numb the pain, "It means we can't just charge in without a plan. We should focus on delaying it until the Pro heroes come. According to them, one of ours managed to escape to U.A. The more time we buy, the better the chance of survival for everyone. Once All Might is here, he'll destroy that monster easily."
'But sensei has gotten weaker,' gulped Izuku in his mind, 'I have no doubt that he'll defeat him, but at what cost? And the monster tanked my kick at 100%! We have to take this down now, or at least weaken him enough.'
Izuku's mind began to race through different plans, trying to think of something. His memory flashed back to the movements of the Nomu, how strong he was, how durable he was, how fast he was, and how the only time it didn't do anything was when Izuku tossed him up into the air.
Air
Izuku suddenly formed a plan that would be able to give them as much time as possible and possibly defeating the Nomu.
"Bakugo, Todoroki, I have a plan. I need you two to send the Nomu up into the air. Once that's done, I can make stay in the air for a while, buying as much time needed. However, with both of us occupied, you'll have to be careful of the two other villains. The one with hands seems to be able to disintegrate anything he touches, though he may need to prolong contact or something else. You already know the other one."
The two others nodded... well Shoto nodded. Bakugo just growled but didn't move.
"Hey, hey, hey, you think you're in a safe zone to talk?" mocked Shigaraki as he bent his knees, "You damn mini-bosses are annoying me, taking up my time and energy. If this was a speed run, you'd be the place where gamers would rage on."
Seconds later, Nomu came charging forward once more towards the three boys.
"I'll tank. You two find the opportunity," ordered Izuku.
Before they could argue, Izuku bent his knees and ankle and dashed forward, his right arm raised up. The Nomu also raised his right arm, and as the two got nearer to each other, both fists clashed against each other. The resulting impact created a shock wave that blew everyone near the epicenter away from them.
"Oy, oy, did you already forget?" taunted Shigaraki as he gracefully back flipped in the air to land on his feet, "He has shock absorption. Meaning all those punches won't mean anything!"
"It's not nullification like mine," grinned Izuku as he raised his fists once more, "Meaning while I have no limit taking the blows, this one does!"
Shigaraki narrowed his eyes as Nomu raised his fist up. Both villain and hero's fist clashed against each other, gradually getting faster until their hands were a blur.
'North Carolina Smash!' shouted Izuku in his mind as he focused entirely on offense. He had no choice but to hope that his rubber body could keep nullifying all the blows that the Nomu was raining on him while he did the same.
The winds generated from the clash made it so none of them could even get close to them. Suddenly, Izuku felt pain searing through his arms.
'Shit, my body, specifically my arms, can't handle One for All at 100%? I thought my nullification of blunt blows would've been able to deal with it,' thought Izuku, 'Then again, I've never used 100% continuously like this!'
Izuku felt himself being pushed back little by little, Nomu's flurry of punches starting to outstrip his flurry of punches.
"Hahaha, watch out hero, you're starting to slow down," scorned Shigaraki, "If you lose, then you and all your friends will die."
Hearing that pushed Izuku even harder, matching back to Nomu's speed.
'Keep calm,' thought Izuku as a punch landed on his face, 'There's going to be an opportunity soon. Somewhere in this flow, will be the keypoint.'
Then he saw it. A right punch coming for his face once more. With no time, Izuku ducked under it, quickly wrapping his hands around the arm. Then, with a twist of his body, he began to use the arm as leverage to toss Nomu up into the air. As he did so, he screamed the first words that popped in his mind when calling for Katsuki. A name he had not used in a long time.
"Kacchan!"
Katsuki immediately knew what Izuku wanted him to do as soon as he heard his old name, already launching himself up into the air as Izuku was still in motion of throwing Nomu. Instinctively calculating the trajectory of Izuku's throw, Katsuki was already under the Nomu as he reached his peak height from Izuku's throw. Katsuki thrust both of his hands right at the Nomu's chest.
"DDDDIIIIIEEEE!" screamed Katsuki as he let off his biggest and strongest blast from his hands. The Nomu was launched upwards into the air even more, directly under the middle of the dome roof.
Shoto immediately fired several ice pillars to smash the Nomu even higher.
"Hmph, as if that would be enough," scoffed Shigaraki, but Izuku wasn't done yet as he dashed forward, catching Katsuki before quickly tossing him to Shoto. Katsuki yelped in pain as both of his hands were shaking in pain.
Izuku positioned himself before suddenly inhaled as much air as he could, enlarging himself like a balloon. Then he started to twist his body round and round, going for 8 rotations. After quickly positioning himself, he blew out all the air he had gathered inside him, hurling himself into the air while spinning. As he finished blowing out all the air from his body, he was spinning and flying towards the Nomu.
"Kurogiri, stoop him," demanded Shigaraki.
Kurogiri nodded and allowed his mist to fluctuate around his body. A portal was forming in front of Izuku, where Kurogiri intended to intercept him. Another portal was being made outside USJ, where Izuku would be transported to. If he timed this right, he could cut the portal right as Izuku's top half entered and cut the boy in half, though he doubts it would be possible as Izuku was going too fast for his portal to close on him.
Just as Izuku had no way of stopping, as he was almost entering the black portal from the mist villain...
"KA PEW!"
"KA PEW!"
Two giant words were sent flying at Kurogiri and Shigaraki, who dodged out of the way. Suddenly, from the other side, two steel nets were launched, capturing the two villains. Unfortunately for Kurogiri, he lost concentration of his portal, allowing Izuku to pass right through.
"Don't forget about us," grinned Monoma, giving Manga a hi-five.
"We're here to help!" said Itsuka, bringing along everybody else with her.
"Tch, the mobs just keep coming," growled Shigaraki as he grabbed the net, disintegrating it and freeing himself and Kurogiri.
As Izuku got closer and closer to Nomu, he focused One for All once more, ignoring the throbbing pain in his arms.
As soon as he was 5 meters away from the Nomu, Izuku was already winding back his fist once more.
"Patricia... STORM SMASH!"
A volley of fists, each one with 100% of One for All behind each punch, slammed into Nomu. The Nomu was helpless in the air as Izuku continued to send a volley of punches, his arms extending so the Nomu couldn't even punch back at Izuku. Slowly but surely, both of them were ascending towards the roof of USJ.
"Go, Deku!" cheered Ochako.
"Beat his ass!" shouted Tetsutetsu.
As Izuku's fellow students cheered for him, Itsuka felt something wet hit her face. Her hand quickly went to touch it to see what had just hit her. Her face paled when she saw that it was blood. She quickly looked back up, focusing solely on Izuku's arms, and swore she saw streaks of red.
"Momo, can you focus on Izuku's arms?" asked Itsuka with a shaky tone.
Momo turned to her just to see another drop of blood hit Itsuka's face once more. She immediately paled and turned towards Izuku, already creating binoculars to focus on Izuku's arms. She gasped as she saw streams of blood starting to flow down Izuku's arms, and yet he was still punching. It wouldn't be long before the other students would notice it too.
Izuku, however, didn't care. He felt his arms screaming in pain at him, he felt the blood gushing out of his arms and hands, but it didn't matter. If he gave up now, Nomu and the other villains would try to kill others, and perhaps succeed. Whatever the chance, it wasn't something he wasn't going to allow as long as he could do something. All that mattered was one thing now.
DEFEATING HIS OPPONENT UNTIL THEY WERE NO LONGER A THREAT TO HIS FRIENDS AND OTHER INNOCENT PEOPLE!
Izuku's barrage of fists seemed to increase in speed and power as Nomu's back finally hit the ceiling of the USJ dome.
"It won't be long until he runs out of steam," giggled Shigaraki as he looked up, noticing blood raining from the skies, "Sooner or later, he'll have to fall."
"Err, Shigaraki, I hate to ruin your fun, but we're surrounded," pointed out Kurogiri.
"Ahhh, ruin my fun," pouted Shigaraki, "Then let's-"
Suddenly, they all heard something creaking loudly. As they all looked up once more, they saw the Nomu's body was being drilled into the ceiling, cracks forming all around the ceiling surrounding the body.
"No... impossible!" shouted Shigaraki.
Itsuka, who's eyes never left Izuku, along with Momo, both shouted his name from the bottom of their hearts.
"IZUKU!"
"I won't let you hurt anyone anymore!" shouted Izuku as he suddenly spun and stretched out his leg, kicking the Nomu for his final blow. The attack not only broke through the ceiling but sent Nomu flying into the sky, disappearing in a twinkle.
"He did it," whispered Setsuna from the stairs, "He did it!"
"Alright, Midoriya!" cheered Hanta, as did the others.
"Kurogiri, we need to kill him now!" ordered Shigaraki, "All Might is a threat, but one that's weakening. This kid is a threat that'll become an even bigger one! He's using hacks!"
"Roger!" acknowledged Kurogiri, quickly warping both of them up into the air. The students were too late to react and had no idea where they went until...
"Up there!" shouted Tooru.
Kurogiri and Shigaraki had warped right next to Izuku, with Shigaraki intending to kill Izuku with his quirk.
"Momo!" shouted Itsuka in worry. Both girls had already noticed that Izuku hadn't moved at all after his last attack, letting gravity take hold of him.
"Already on it!" said Momo, quickly making a cannonball for Itsuka to throw.
Itsuka had enlarged her hands already, quickly aiming and throwing it right at Shigaraki. Even if it missed, the trajectory would hit Izuku, and though it pained her to throw something at him, it would at least carry him away to safety.
Sadly, Kurogiri had predicted something like this would happen and created a black mist that surrounded the two of them. The cannonball went into the portal and out the another, landing it into the landslide zone.
"Game Over," declared Shigaraki as his fingers were just millimeters away from grabbing Izuku's neck.
Suddenly, a rush of wind passed right through them, with Izuku disappearing from their view.
"Everything is fine now! Why? Because I AM HERE!"
All Might had arrived, saw Izuku launch the Nomu into the sky, and noticed Izuku wasn't doing anything to stop his fall. He quickly jumped off and caught Izuku right before Shigaraki could do anything. Before that, he handled all the villains in between U.A. and USJ, helping Jurota and the others before continuing to USJ. That had taken him ten seconds tops.
"Shit, no fair!" whined Shigaraki.
"Shigaraki, I believe it's time for us to escape," said Kurogiri nervously.
Shigaraki could only whine about the loss but nodded as Kurogiri warped them away to safety.
"We may have failed this time, but next time, we will definitely kill you, All Might!" swore Shigaraki as they disappeared.
"Hmph, so they decided to flee," said All Might with a frown before looking down at his successor in his hands.
"Hehe, you came," said Izuku weakly with a small smile.
All Might's heart almost cracked as soon as he assessed the damages all over Izuku. Major injuries were on his arms and fists, though his whole body's muscles seemed to be twitching from overwork.
'It seems young Midoriya cannot handle the strain of One for All at 100% for a continuous amount of time. Perhaps it is because he has been focused on stockpiling that the limit is much higher now,' thought All Might as he gently laid him on the ground.
"Holy shit!" cussed Tetsutetsu as he and the others ran to All Might just to see the damages all over Izuku.
"Language," scolded Ibara, though her eyes were focused on all the injuries.
Momo, Itsuka, and Ochako were immediately all over Izuku. Itsuka pulled out several healing salves she kept inside her utility belt while Ochako gently held his arms up for her to rub the ointment. Momo snapped open her chest window a bit wider so as to produce copious amounts of bandages for Izuku.
It was then they heard groaning noises, snapping their attention towards it. The villains that had been knocked out from Eraser Head and Vlad were waking back up again. The students readied themselves for another fight, only for All Might to stand up.
"I'll handle this here zygotes," said All Might as he stepped forward, "You students have done enough."
The villains looked at All Might before stepping back in fear. For on his face was no longer a smile that he usually wore, but a look of rage. His juniors had been injured, the children most likely scared, and his successor had pushed himself through his limits, injuring himself as he did so.
The villains gulped simultaneously, and a few tried to run. Sadly for them, All Might was not playing around.
There were no survivors... metaphorically speaking of course.
"Shit, shit, shit shit!" cursed Shigaraki as he walked out off the portal made from Kurogiri, back in their hideout at a bar, "We were completely defeated. The underlings instantly routed. Our trump card, Nomu, didn't even get to fight All Might, thanks to some stupid brat who used hacks! The other kids were all strong enough to handle the others. Not to mention, there were 20 more students and another pro hero on the scene! To top it all off, when All Might came, he didn't even seem winded! The Symbol of Peace hasn't weakened at all! You were wrong sensei!"
"No, I wasn't," replied a voice from a television set with sound only. The voice itself sounded like it was someone from over 100 years old, and yet still kicking, "Just simply overly optimistic. A simple setback."
"Indeed, we did underestimate them," voiced another voice, "Well, it's a good thing we used a throwaway name for the 'League of Villains'. By the way, what happened to our joint project, Nomu?"
"He was... blown away," admitted Kurogiri, "He was sent flying up into the skies. Despite knowing that I needed to look vertically, I could not find him, as I did not have the time to. I would need more precise coordinates. Not to mention that the angle of Nomu falling down is not certain to be straight back down."
"And after all, we did to match All Might in power!" groaned the second voice.
"Now hold on," said the first voice, "From what my pupil said, All Might did not fight him. Instead, you said a child fought him? And defeated Nomu? Did the child have some sort of quirk to disable Nomu? Something that pushed the Nomu away? To trick him?"
"He fought the Nomu face to face!" complained Shigaraki, "Not only that, he matched him strength to strength somehow. And as if that wasn't enough, he could extend his limbs and nullify Nomu's strength! After that, the straw hat bastard threw Nomu into the air, where another brat with explosives for a quirk blasted Nomu up into the air! He forced Nomu to fully regenerate his body twice! After that, the straw hat brat just kept punching Nomu into the ceiling before kicking him to who knows where! It's so not fair!"
"Hmmm, you said with brute force?"
"Hmph. Can't believe such a thing could happen."
"As if that wasn't enough, I almost got a critical hit on him that would have killed him if All Might hadn't intervened!"
"Well, all is not lost," mused the voice, "This wasn't a futile exercise. It's time to gather the elite force. Take all the time you need to pick for the most efficient team. Remember, we cannot move freely, so that's why a symbol like you is necessary. Shigaraki Tomura, next time, show the world why you are to be feared!"
The remaining villains were easily rounded up as the teachers arrived to help out. The police later came and collected all the villains while taking statements from the students. Thirteen, Vlad, Eraser Head, Katsuki, Eijirou, and Izuku had quickly been sent the infirmary, where Recovery Girl and other doctors were waiting. All Might had accompanied them to make sure they wouldn't be ambushed on the way back. One funny point was during the questioning when one police who had a cat head as a quirk perked his ears.
"Hey do you hear something?" asked the policeman to his coworker, Naomasa Tsukaichi.
Naomasa turned his ear towards the direction that the policeman directed, and slowly, everyone could hear a whistling noise. Seconds later, an object crashed right into the center of USJ. All the Pro heroes on the scene, along with the police, quickly readied for action, fearing another attack. However, as the dust cleared out from the crater, it was clear that nothing was coming out. One policeman and hero bravely strode forward to check it out just to see the Nomu, laying flat on the ground, not even moving. Taking advantage of this, they quickly locked up the Nomu and took him away, though he or it was strangely cooperative, not even reacting to anything.
Back at U.A., Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya uncomfortably shared a room together, both with bandages on their hands and arms. Katsuki had an additional splint on both arms, as chaining so many strong explosions had fractured his bones and torn muscles in his forearms, as well as a few first degree burns on his hands.
For Izuku, both of his arms were in arm casts covering his hands all the way to his shoulders, making it impossible to bend his elbows. Bandage wraps were all over his body to cover the minor injuries.
The reasons why Recovery Girl hadn't used her quirk on them was due to the fact that Vlad, Thirteen, and Shota were in more dire situations than them, and she was focusing completely on making sure they would recover. Not to mention that both boys needed to take so time to rest and eat a bit before she used her quirk on them.
Thus, the awkward silence between the two.
"Hey," started Katsuki as he grabbed some grapes to eat, as they didn't require much arm strength to eat, "What was that all about?"
"Hmm?" said Izuku as he raised his head from the plate of specially made gummies from Recovery Girl. He had stretched his neck and put his head down on it to eat.
"All that lightning around you, and on your eyes. Your spiky hair. Was that a second quirk you were fucking hiding?" growled Katsuki, "Were you holding back on me on that spar?"
Izuku shook his head, "I only recently discovered that part of my quirk. However, I don't have it fully under control, as you can tell from my arms." He waved them as if to embellish that fact.
"What type of quirk lets you have a rubber body and massive strength?" questioned Katsuki, narrowing his eyes, "In fact, when did you even get a fucking quirk, Deku? I know for a fact you were quirkless when you were four."
"Well, I was a really late bloomer," lied Izuku, looking away as he did so.
"You're a shitty liar," scoffed Katsuki, "You have no poker face whatsoever. Whatever. It doesn't matter what you do. I'm still going to be number one. Don't let the fact that you managed to send that monster flying get to your head. I would've won without your help, and you needed my help to beat it."
Izuku could only breathe a sigh of relief that Katsuki wasn't pushing for the truth. He went back to trying to eat some gummies once more, having a rather difficult time with just his mouth and tongue when he heard Katsuki bark his name once more. Izuku looked up to see Katsuki holding several grapes, already pulled off from the vine and holding them out in his hand.
"Eat some of this shit. Just stretch your neck over here and I'll pop them into your mouth," grumbled Katsuki.
Thankful for the easier access to food, Izuku obliged.
"This invasion had a purpose," said Toshinori, reverting back to his skinny form once more, inside a room with just Nezu, "It was designed with the plan to kill me. According to the students, the Nomu had shock absorption and super regeneration."
"Indeed," piped in Tsukauchi as he entered the room, "If it hadn't been for you pro heroes, then the damages would have been worse."
Toshinori shook his head, "You're wrong. By the time I arrived, it was already almost over. Thirteen, Vlad, and Eraser Head did most of the work. The students themselves also fought bravely and gave it their all. And lastly, young Midoriya and Bakugo exerted themselves to the point of injuring themselves just to save others. These students experienced battle at such a young age and survived. I doubt any high school freshman has faced such terrors so early on. The villains have done a foolish thing today. Both Class 1A and 1B are strong. All of them will become strong heroes."
Tsukauchi could only close his eyes and nod in agreement before starting his questioning.
"Izuku/Deku!" shouted Ochako, Momo, and Itsuka two days later. U.A. had been closed for a day, and Izuku and Katsuki had been kept overnight before finally being released. For the girls, this was the first time they saw Izuku after the USJ event. Without warning, the trio glomped onto Izuku, who fell back due to the impacts. Katsuki had wisely sidestepped the whole thing and continued walking without a care.
"Are you alright?" asked Itsuka worriedly, quickly pulling Izuku's arm up to examine it.
"I'm fine Itsuka," chuckled Izuku as he gave Ituska a gently rub on her head, "See, no damages."
"What about the scars?" asked Momo as she saw the other arm, "If you want, I can have some scar-repairing cream ordered right away, guaranteed to be effective."
"No, it's alright," sighed Izuku, "They'll fade in time. However, this will just remind me that I still have a long way to go. There are even more dangerous villains out there, and that I can't be content with my current strength. I'll follow the school's creed and go beyond my limits."
"Just be careful," said Ochako softly, "Nobody wants to see you get hurt like that ever again."
Indeed, the sight of Izuku's body during the USJ had frightened the trio. Itsuka ended up clutching her hand-made Izuku doll to keep her company while going to sleep while Ochako and Momo slept in the same bed that night, thankful for each others company so as to chase the nightmares away.
"Come, let us continue walking!" declared Tenya as he walked by, "We mustn't be late to school!"
"I wonder who will be teaching homeroom today," mused Setsuna as she passed by, "Both senseis are still injured."
"Perhaps they died," stated Yui.
"I doubt that would happen under Recovery Girl's watch!" shouted Tenya, chopping his arm in a robotic fashion as usual.
They quickly arrived at their respective classes, Itsuka giving Izuku one last hug before heading into her own classroom.
As the bell rang, the door opened to reveal... Shota, completely bandaged from head to toe, his arms in casts. How he was walking was beyond them all.
"Teacher, are you alright!?" asked Tenya in a loud voice.
"This isn't the time to be worried about me," stated Shota in a muffled voice, "The battle for you all still hasn't ended."
"Battle?" asked Katsuki.
"More villains?" Mineta almost shrieked.
"U.A. Sport's Festival is right around the corner," stated Shota, reminding all the students that this was a school they were at.
"Is it okay to have such an event right after villains attacked?" asked Kyoka in slight worry.
"What if they attack us again during it?" questioned Mashirao.
"By showing that U.A. can proceed with this event without worry, it helps shows that our crisis management system is as solid. Not to mention, security will be strengthened by five fold than compared to last year. But that's nothing you all should be thinking about. What you should be focused on is that this event is a huge opportunity for you all. Back in the pre-quirk era, the Olympics was something that garnered the attention and enthusiasm of everyone. However, with the reduction of scale and population due to the beginning of the quirk era, that's now a thing of the past. Now, in Japan, the U.A. Sports Festival has completely replaced it."
Mineta voiced his fears, but Momo helped explain that this event also served not only as entertainment but scouting purposes. There were a few minor discussions of what path some of them would be taking, but the message was clear. This event was too important to delay or put off, and there would only be three chances total in their years at U.A. It was an event that anyone who wanted to be a hero couldn't overlook.
Lunchtime
Everyone was taking this time to discuss their chances at the Sports Festival.
"Ojiro-kun, I'm getting so nervous now! I need to stand out in the Sports Festival!" declared Tooru.
"... Yea, you'll have to try really hard," replied Mashirao with a small sweatdrop.
Aoyoma was busy bragging how natural he stood out, and that he would garner all the attention.
"Man Shouji, you're so lucky. You'll definitely stand out due to your brawn," sighed Denki, surrounded by Shouji, Kyoka, Momo, Tenya, and Izuku.
"There's no point if I cannot show my usefulness," replied Shoji.
"Kaminari, I don't think you'll have trouble standing out," teased Kyoka as she remembered Denki's derpy face when he short circuits himself.
"Seems like everyone's really into this," smiled Izuku as Denki spouted out random sounds in complaint to Kyoka's teasing, "Then again, I can't say I'm not excited myself!"
"Indeed!" declared Tenya, "We all enrolled here to be heroes, so of course we would be fired up!"
Tenya shook his hands a bit while wiggling his body, showing a rather unique way of getting excited.
"I agree," nodded Momo, "This is our chance to make it big! To prove ourselves what we can do!"
"Iida, Momo, Deku," said a voice from behind all three of them, forcing them to turn around to see a serious face Ochako with pink aura surging all around her body, wearing a bloodthirsty grin "Let's do our best at the Sports Festival!"
They were all surprised at the sudden shift in tone and behavior while Mina piped in about how different Ochako was acting compared to her name. Mineta was about to suggest why when Tsuyu slapped him in the face with her tongue.
"I'm going to do my best!" roared Ochako as she raised her arms.
Still, her attitude was rather infectious, causing Izuku and the others to raise their arms in agreement. They soon made their way to the cafeteria, walking with Itsuka, Yui, and Setsuna. They were soon sharing their reasons why they wanted to be a hero.
It came as a surprise to Yui and Setsuna that Ochako had gone in it for the money but then realized that she wasn't doing it for herself, but rather doing it so her parents could live an easier life. Her parents' construction company wasn't doing so well, and Ochako had wanted to help out due to her quirk being useful for the business. What really struck her was that her parents pushed her to follow her own dreams instead. So she wanted to strive her best to present the easy life her parents deserved.
Izuku and the others were familiar with the story as she had told them about it during the days they hung out before heading to U.A. Momo, however, had a more... a special surprise for Ochako. Her parents were considering expanding one of the institutions, and Momo may have slyly suggested her parents to use the Uraraka construction company, hoping to help her friend.
Suddenly...
"There you are, young Midoriya!"
All Might appeared suddenly from a corner, surprising them all. They were still not used to the fact that the number one hero was actually here teaching.
"Would you care... to eat lunch with me?" asked All Might shyly.
"He's like a maiden," giggled Ochako, with Setsuna laughing with her.
Izuku looked at his classmates before gesturing them to go on ahead without him. Clearly, there was something important that All Might wanted to talk to him about. The two of them departed for the teacher's lounge in a private room, leaving the others to head to the cafeteria.
"Wonder what's going on with Deku?" wondered Ochako in slight worry.
"Perhaps it's about the USJ incident," suggested Tenya, "He did manage to defeat that monster, though sustaining serious injury. Perhaps All Might felt like he needed to give him counseling and advice!"
"Yea, Midoriya packs a serious punch," nodded Setsuna in agreement, "I mean, I know Itsuka's punches can hurt, but I'm not sure if they can compare to his."
"I am curious how that part came to be," pondered Itsuka, "He never showed that back when we were kids."
"Perhaps it was something that came later in life or given to him," said Yui.
"Ha, giving quirks? That's hilarious," laughed Setsuna.
"The incredible amount of power that Izuku can deliver may have interested All Might, and maybe has even taken a liking to him," hypothesized Momo.
"Yea, that could be it!" smiled Ochako, putting her fist into her palm.
What they hadn't noticed was Shoto eavesdropping on their conversation, who looked rather interested in this.
"Here, have some tea," offered Toshinori, deflating back to his normal self, "And this bento box. I still can't really eat solid food too much."
Izuku didn't argue much against it and opened the bento box to see delicious food, barely eaten at all. However, the smell, organization, and taste were very familiar to him. Almost as if he had eaten this before.
"Is this my mom's cooking?" asked Izuku, raising his head to Toshinori.
Toshinori gulped, pulling on his collar as he wondered why it was suddenly so hot in the room before replying, "Yea I went to your mom while in my real form, telling her about the incident at USJ and the reason why you wouldn't be returning home for the night. She was in tears before she insisted I bring you a home cooked meal, which you ate yesterday with young Bakugo. She then made me one, saying that I should eat more. It's delicious, and I'd love to eat more, but my stomach... or rather lack of a stomach, makes that hard to do so."
Izuku looked down once more and noticed that his mom had organized the bento in a rather peculiar manner. He could see a few animal shaped carrots here and there and swore the dried seaweed had been shaped like a heart. He couldn't really tell as it looked like it had been half eaten. Pushing the thoughts away of his mother and his favorite hero possibly being together as his mind wouldn't be able to handle it, Izuku gratefully ate the food with gusto.
"So how long can you sustain your form now?" asked Izuku curiously, slightly worried about his mentor.
"It's already been almost a year since I passed the torch to you," said Toshinori as he leaned back on his chair, sipping on his tea before coughing up blood again, "My time has certainly reduced ever since then. Not to mention I did strain myself during the USJ incident, as I had already used up my limit, to come to your rescue. Now, my time limit is roughly one and a half hours, maybe two if I stretching it."
"One and a half," repeated Izuku in a whisper.
Toshinori stood up and walked to the window, staring out into the distance of the peaceful town, "Quite frankly, I don't have much time left as the Symbol of Peace. And out there, those with built up villainous intent have started to realize that and begun moving."
"Those like All for One?" asked Izuku, his eyes narrowing. Izuku only knew the general details about that villain. It was unavoidable that he would know, considering when the freak accident when he inherited One for All. Toshinori had given him some information about him, as the first predecessor had mentioned All for One.
"Indeed," nodded Toshinori, clutching his injury where All for One had dealt a devastating blow, "It's very likely that the plan to invade USJ and the Nomu was concocted from him. He has the power to take and give quirks to others, though he mainly took what he deemed useful for himself only. The one called Shigaraki is most likely acting as his envoy or something similar to that. I had hoped he perished from the injuries I gave him, but it seems like he is still alive."
Toshinori turned around, facing back to Izuku once more, his fist clenched, "I gave you this power because you are the most worthy successor for One for All. I want you to succeed me! The sacred torch that has been passed down from one torch bearer to another, each stockpiling its power for the next generation so the bearer can answer the call for help, to protect those in need! You yourself once told me you wanted to become the greatest hero, like me! The U.A. festival is an event that Pro heroes... no, the whole country will be watching closely! That is why I brought you here to talk about!"
Izuku started to get chills as he listened to Toshinori passionately telling him something important. His eyes seemed to radiate with energy and light from One for All.
"As the next fledgling 'Symbol of Peace' of the next generation of heroes, I want you to tell them all a message. Declare to them all that I AM HERE!"
Izuku felt shivers tingle from his cranium all the way to his toes as he heard this. Toshinori had handed him a task so heavy he thought he could barely breathe. And yet, he was excited that his teacher though he could do it.
"I'm assuming you know how the U.A. Sports Festival works?" asked Toshinori.
Izuku nodded, going off on an explanation of how the three grades separated and the classes combined, etc, etc.
"Correct! In other words, now's your chance to present yourself!" declared Toshinori.
"Huh," responded Izuku with shock, causing Toshinori to fall to the ground backward with the couch from that response.
"Sorry, what you're saying is right," apologized Izuku before he started muttering again a bit, "But I'm still trying to have that earlier message sink in. Not to mention you're already teaching me. And what about All for One, would he notice me and realize that you passed your quirk to me and.."
"Geez, nobody is better at speaking nonsense than you!" shouted Toshinori, coughing up blood once more, "I thought you were trying to kick the habit of muttering like that!"
"Ah sorry," apologized Izuku once more.
"Listen Midoriya, don't worry about All for One. I doubt he'll be able to swoop in anytime soon from our last battle. But putting that aside, listen to me well. There is a difference between those who aim for the top and those who don't. It may feel and look small, but those slight differences make the biggest waves in society! I won't force you if you feel uncomfortable, but I ask you that you don't forget how you felt back at the seaside beach," said Toshinori.
Izuku closed his eyes as he remembered what Toshinori had before they started training. All that hard work, the culmination of training that Toshinori had poured into him, along with others like Rekai and Gran Torino.
The light that Toshinori saw emanating from Izuku's eyes told him that he had nothing to worry about.
After school
The students of 1-A had been ready to leave when Ochako opened the door just to see a crowd right outside their door.
"What the heck!?" exclaimed Ochako in surprise.
"They're crowding the exit! What are they here for?" complained Mineta.
"They're scoping out the competition, small fry," sneered Katsuki as he walked towards the crowd, "We're one of two classes that made it out of the villain's attacks, and also the ones who did the most driving off the villains. They're checking us out before the U.A. Sports Day."
While Mineta cried at the abuse, Katsuki glared at the crowd, who seemed to take a step back at this glare.
"It's pointless to do something like that," scoffed Katsuki, "Out of my fucking way, extras."
"Don't call people you don't know extra's right off the bat!" lectured Tenya, his arms chopping the air as he did so.
"Mah, they're all curious," said Shinso as he pushed himself to the front, "There are quite a few students who are in the general course or other courses simply because they didn't make it to the hero course. Though I'm partially in the Hero Course, I'm still just a reserve student and mainly a part of the General Course. This Sports Festival is a big chance for everyone who wants to become a hero to be reviewed and transferred to the Hero Course. Of course, the reverse can also happen. No position is safe here, after all. I might even be cut off if I don't give a good showing. No, quite a few students are probably thinking the same as me. That I'll show them that I have what it takes to be even better heroes than the current students in the Heroics Department. This is a declaration of war, myself included."
Katsuki merely continued his glare before walking through the crowd.
"Oh, Bakugo, you can't leave it like this," said Eijirou, "They're going to hate us!"
"Doesn't matter," shot back Katsuki, "As long as you rise to the time, nothing else matters."
Seeing such simple but powerful words, the other students of 1-A nodded in agreement before walking out. The other students unconsciously stepped back to allow them room to walk out. Izuku turned to notice a similar size group crowding in front of 1-B. His mind turned to the two weeks left before the festival. He knew that they would all be training hard for it, and had already begun focusing on what he could do.
Night time
Rekai was sipping on some tea at her main dojo area, meditating a bit when she heard footsteps climbing the stone stairs to her dojo. Yet she didn't move at all, just continued drinking her tea and waiting for the said person to arrive. Seconds later, the main dojo door slid open to reveal Katsuki Bakugo.
"Well, I must admit this is a surprise," admitted Rekai, "I would have thought Izuku or Itsuka would be the ones coming here."
"Shut up hag," barked Katsuki, "There's only one thing I'm here for. The U.A. Sports Festival is coming soon. I want a rematch against Deku and I'm going to win. But to do that, I need to understand his base movements. So I have a damn favor to ask."
Without hesitation, Katsuki bowed to Rekai, "Show me that fucking footwork Deku does. That Ghost whatever Steps. If I understand how that works, then I have a better chance of winning."
Rekai hummed a bit, thinking about the request while Katsuki stood there, still waiting.
"Fine," snapped Rekai, causing Katsuki to look up in slight disbelief, "This'll help sharpen the boy anyways. Don't want him getting too overconfident."
Rekai stood up, stretching her limbs a bit before turning to Katsuki, "Alright brat, you better be paying attention now. I don't expect you to learn how to use it, and seeing how your primary source of movements is through explosions, I don't see why you would either. But maybe you can still learn something through that thick skull of yours."
Katsuki grinned as he brought out a notepad and pencil. If he was going to win this, he was going to have to pull a Deku and analyze the shit out of this situation. He even brought a sleeping bag that he had recently purchased in case he planned to stay overnight. Coincidentally, he found his homeroom teacher purchasing the same sleeping bag he had now.
Days later
Everyone was going full tilt in their self-training. Izuku had gone back to Dagaboh beach, taking his training there to new heights while remembering his origin. To where everything began for him. He used the home gym set that All Might had bought for them almost every day, to the point that Inko decided to just head to the local gym with Mitsuki to continue her own exercise. Right now, he was focusing on making his muscles more durable than focusing on strength. The time at USJ showed him that despite having a rubber body, Izuku's nullification of blunt damage wasn't enough to use One for All at 100%. He needed to increase its limits so as to be able to wield it without incapacitating himself. He needed to show the world that a new Symbol of Peace would arise and that HE WAS HERE!
However, he didn't know that four girls were having a rather important meeting with him as the main subject.
At the manor of Momo's house, in the Momo's bedroom, four girls sat in a circle on Momo's giant bed. There was Momo herself, Ochako, who was a currently living with her, Itsuka, and a surprise guest Tsuyu.
It had started when Itsuka asked Momo and Ochako to meet up together to discuss a certain subject. The two girls, with their feminine instincts, knew what Itsuka wanted to discuss about, and agreed to meet at Momo's house. What surprised them was Tsuyu suddenly inserting herself into the conversation and asking if she could join them. She also stated that she knew what they were going to discuss and that she felt she should be included.
The others didn't really have any choice to refuse her, so that's why they were all at Momo's house.
"Let's begin this meeting," sighed Momo, causing the other three to snap their attention back to reality, "I think we all know what this is about. About a certain boy in class 1-A with curly green hair. About Izuku Midoriya."
Each of them nodded in agreement with slight trepidation of what was to come.
"It's painfully obvious to each other that we have a crush on the dense but kind boy," continued Momo, "Each one of us fell for him. But he is only one while we are four. He can only choose one of us, ideally."
The others nodded in agreement, though an idea formed inside Tsuyu's head. Something about sharing, but she shelved it for now.
"So why don't we just start off how each one of us fell in love with him?" sighed Momo, "I'll start off. I fell for him because of how kind he is to me. I'm the 'princess' of the Yaoyorozu, rich, and unfortunately, my puberty hit me earlier than others."
The other three girls could only glance down at Momo's body, especially her chest. Out of all of them, she had the biggest bust, surpassing them all by at least two cup sizes.
"Add the fact what my quirk was, I didn't have too many friends. I went to a private school where it was a rather cut throat school. People were using others to push themselves into more prestigious situations. Many tried to befriend me, only interested in what I could make for them, for my body, or for my connection to others through my parents. Those who I could deem as 'acquaintances' at most all pushed away from me when I got the recommendation to U.A."
Momo then curled up into a ball, playing with her toes a little before continuing, "I took the exit exam out of my school early because I didn't want to deal with all the drama. I came here to do some more exploring so I could get used to the area. It was that day that I went to see Dagobah beach that I met trouble, and then Izuku, who helped me out of the situation. He was perhaps the first boy I met who didn't want me for my quirk, body, or money. He saw me as me, getting to know me on a personal basis. It wasn't long after that that I fell for him."
Seeing Momo's confession, Itsuka decided to go next, "Mine's not as romantic as Momo, but I guess it started when we first met each other at Rekai's dojo. He was just a kid like me that had gotten bullied a lot. It riles me up that someone would hurt him just because his quirk didn't show up at four like others."
"Wait, his quirk didn't manifest at four?" asked Momo.
"That's what he and his mom said," nodded Itsuka.
"Kero, it must have been hard," frowned Tsuyu, knowing what it was like to be bullied. Her frog features had made her a prime target of being teased.
"It didn't help that Bakugo, who was his first friend, also turned out to be his first bully," growled Itsuka, her hands enlarging and shrinking as they surged with anger, "The first time I saw him, he was so timid and scared. It seemed like for the longest time, he had nobody but his mother. His father was out of the picture as soon as Izuku was declared quirkless. I don't know what happened to him, but I don't care."
"At first, even I had my doubts that Izuku would be a hero," Itsuka confessed, "But inside that nervous body was a courageous spirit that wouldn't give up. All he needed was someone to help bring it out. And once it came out thanks to Rekai, he faced his problems head on with a smile on his face. I guess that spirit attracted me to him. To face each problem without fear."
"When I moved, I was crushed that I would be leaving my friends, especially Izuku. But Izuku didn't give up, and we managed to talk to each other through our computers, always keeping our bond strong. Izuku always looks out to help others, not caring about his own body, as we saw at USJ. The lack of physical contact just made me miss him more until I realized that I had fallen for him."
"Aww, so it's a childhood romance," gushed Ochako, "That's so sweet!"
"Well we told you ours, what about you two?" asked Momo.
"Ehehe, mine's nowhere as close to yours," blushed Ochako, raising both her hands to her head, combing through her hair, "I met Deku at the entrance exam to U.A. We hit it off pretty well as friends, and went to the same testing site. I thought his name was Deku, which to then I thought it was derived off of Dekiru, meaning you can do it. Despite that embarrassment, Deku let me call him that since he didn't mind the name, and even told me he liked it when I said it. When the test started, Deku pushed me gently to remind me the testing had started."
Ochako took a deep breath before continuing, "I admired how cool he was when he took out those faux villains. Then... I fell for him when he showed his courage, his heroic, self-sacrificing spirit. We were all warned about the 0 pointer and how it would dock 75% of our current points. When it showed up, everyone ran for away, taking care only for themselves. I saw people pushing others to get away. I myself had some rubble that fell onto me and pinned me down. Other examinees just ignored me, in favor of keeping their points or just plain panicking. Izuku, however, saw me and rescued me before the 0 pointer could get me. I wasn't the only one to be helped, but the others that were helped just kept running."
"It came to a point where the damn skinhead was crying for help when Izuku decided to fight. He threw away his points to save an ungrateful person, but he didn't care. H did what he thought was right. To save others from danger, at risk of his own points or body. I tried to stop him, but he was already dashing forward. I never knew just how big Izuku's back seemed, though. It was so comforting, so protective. Right after destroying the one-pointer, he was still worried about everybody else, not caring about his own situation. Just like at USJ. I keep telling myself to forget about it and focus on being a hero so as to be able to give my parents an easy life, but it's not easy. I can't help but feel this way."
"It's like a prince rescuing the damsel in distress," smiled Momo, "That's just as romantic, if not more than ours Ochako."
Then the three looked at the only remaining member who had yet to share her part.
"Kero, it's embarrassing, but I guess it's like Ochako-chan's situation," admitted Tsuyu with a blush, "I first met him a month before the entrance exams. I was taking my siblings to a museum and met him as we were crossing the streets. Then a truck came flying towards us. I was ready to jump out of the way with my siblings and take Izuku with me, but he punched the truck stone cold. I admit, I thought that was hot, and then he helped capture a villain. He complimented me as he noticed I was already ready to take him to safety. It doesn't help he's pretty handsome "
The trio blushed at Tsuyu's bluntness, cooed at the photo Tsuyu showed them of her siblings, but listened with rapt attention as Tsuyu continued, "I wasn't really surprised to see him again at U.A. since I thought he'd be a shoo-in. I admit I was more curious and interested in him as a friend, especially since I saw all three of you with him already. Then I fell for him hard, again back at USJ. The villain with hands all over his body has some form of disintegration quirk that could easily kill someone if he touched them. I don't know how it works, but I do know I almost died three times by the one they called Shigaraki."
Tsuyu shivered at that memory before curling up to a ball and hugging her legs, "The villain had placed his hands on me, but his quirk didn't activate thanks to Aizawa-sensei deactivating it while Kan-sensei forced him away. I tried escaping with Kyoka-chan and the others, but I didn't notice a portal opening in front of me. I was too busy trying to get away when I fell through it and almost got caught again by the Shigaraki. They say when you're about to die, your life flashes in front of your eyes, to which I think it's true. I was thinking about my family, and how my younger brother would have to be the one taking care of the house. Based on that thought, my mind went to Izuku. Then he showed up."
Tsuyu couldn't help but give a small laugh, though her eyes were misty, "Izuku shouted at Shigaraki to get away from me and tried to punch him. I'm not sure what happened, as my eyes were close, but the force of impact blew me away from him. When I opened them, I saw that black monster had blocked Izuku's attack and grabbed him by his wrists, trying to crush it as he did to Aizawa-sensei's arm. I tried to help, but Shigaraki almost got me once more. Then I heard his voice once more."
Tsuyu closed her eyes as a tear dropped out, "He shouted 'I said to take your damn hands off her!'. He then proceeded to kick him right in the face despite being caught. Though I think of it now, being rubber meant he probably didn't get hurt, but I thought that his wrists had been crushed so painfully that he couldn't scream. Izuku, after kicking Shigaraki away, threw the black creature into the landslide zone area. He looked so hot when he did so. Then he went to challenge the creature again, getting a punch to the face. I thought for sure he died, and regret pierced my heart. I was ecstatic to hear his voice right after though."
"I didn't know it before, but I know for sure that it was at that point that I fell for him. Just like Ochako-chan, I fell for his noble self-sacrificing spirit. I don't know if it'll last, but considering Ochako-chan still has the same feelings for more than a few months, I would suppose it would be the same with me."
After that, all four girls fell silent, not knowing what to say. Each one had fallen for Izuku because of who he was. He didn't try to be a playboy or a Casanova, his kindness and spirit won them all over.
"So what should we do then?" asked Ochako.
"For now... nothing," stated Momo, getting a lot of startled and confused looks, "Right now, we should be training for the U.A. Sports Festival. We can't afford to be distracted, nor should we distract Izuku with this. This is one of the most important events in our lives, and we can't let drama get in the way of that."
"That's reasonable," nodded Itsuka, "In that case, should we form a pact to keep silent about this until after the Sports Festival?"
"Kero, I'm fine with that," nodded Tsuyu.
"Then what about... after?" asked Ochako, putting her fingers together shyly.
"After... I guess we'll have to talk about it again," groaned Momo, "Honestly, I did not envision to be having this sort of conversation with friends. I don't know what to do after."
"Seriously," agreed Itsuka.
"Then why don't we all confess after, kero," suggested Tsuyu, causing them all to stare at her, "There's no way we can keep this hidden to ourselves for so long. Not to mention somewhere in the future, somebody might try to take him away."
The other girls tightly gripped their fists when they imagined a faceless girl taking Izuku away from them.
"So we confess after the event, and let Izuku decide who he wants to date. Whomever he doesn't choose, we step back gracefully and be friends. No sabotaging the relationship, no acting on jealous emotions," proposed Tsuyu.
"That sounds... fair," pondered Itsuka, "He might not even choose any of us though."
"I doubt that," argued Momo, "If anything, you may have the biggest advantage over us. But don't think that'll hold over for long."
"Yea, yea!" agreed Ochako.
"Then it's agreed," said Itsuka, putting her hand to the center, "We focus on the Sports Festival, and then confess afterward when it's an appropriate time.
The other three girls nodded and put their hands in the center, sealing the pact.
Everyone kept training hard for the upcoming Sports Festival, each student coming up with their own personal schedule. Thanks to the U.A.'s expansive grounds, they created their own scenarios of what could possibly becoming, as it would be a surprise. Rarely did they train together. After all, despite being friends or classmates, they were all competitors looking for the ultimate goal of winning.
Soon, the big day arrived!
Alright, heading into the sports festival. Now here is my biggest dilemma about this. I've already got planned who's going into the tournament for the third phase, who's fighting who, etc etc. My problem is now the first two games. Do I follow what cannon does for the games, or should I use different games? Surprisingly harder than I thought to try to use different games, especially since the obstacle course allows the easy elimination of 80% of the student population. Might keep that, unless somebody can suggest another game that allows mass elimination. I know a few that use capture the flag style.