"Pencils down, everybody. The last person in each row, collect the answer sheets and bring them here," ordered Shota as the bell rang to signal the end of the written exam portion.
"Thank you Yao-momo!" exclaimed Mina, full of excitement, "Thank to you, Midoriya, Kendo, and surprisingly Bakugo, I feel confident!"
"I didn't leave anything blank, at least," grinned Denki, "Still got my back wingman."
"We should celebrate!" cheered Mina.
"Not yet, we still have the practical portion," warned Izuku.
"If it's against robots, then we all got this in the bag," pouted Denki, "Plus, from what I've heard, they haven't changed it before."
"It would still be wise for us to use this time to mentally and physically prepare ourselves for the practical," advised Momo.
"Hai...," pouted Mina, "But we're so celebrating after this!"
"Fair enough," nodded Momo.
They all went home, doing only a light workout and stretching to prepare their body for what was to come. The day of the practical exam arrive, sooner than some thought would. Soon, all the students from both 1-A and 1-B were gathered at the Practical Exam Area-Central Plaza, all wearing their hero uniforms.
"So, how'd you think you do?" asked Itsuka as she stretched her legs.
"Pretty well, you?" asked Izuku as he also stretched, "Wonder why we're all here, though. Are we doing the practical together?"
"Could be," hummed Itsuka.
The other students were also holding some small talk when they saw most the Pro Heroes of the U.A. staff appear before them.
"Now, we will begin the practical exam," declared Shota.
"Keep in mind that it is possible to fail this exam," warned Vlad.
"If you want to go to training camp and keep your seat, then don't make any stupid mistakes," finished Shota.
"There are a lot of teachers...," noted Kyoko.
"I expect that you all have gathered information about this test ahead of time and have some idea of what you'll be doing," hypothesized Shota.
"We're fighting robot warriors like at the entrance exam, right?" sang Denki in excitement.
"Fireworks! Curry! Test of Courage!" cheered Mina, getting ahead of herself.
"YEA!" agreed Manga, using his quirk to create happy sound effects words.
"Don't forget bonfires!" added Setsuna.
"Too bad!" said a voice that originated inside Shota's capture cloth that was currently wrapped around his neck. A second later, Nezu popped out, "For various reasons, the exam will be different starting this time!"
Denki and Mina froze while Manga had the words pop up above him that said 'Wa Waa Wa Waaaaa.', similar to the trumpet fail sound effect.
Nezu went on to explain how they wanted to focus on person-to-person combat, and so, therefore, would be forming teams of two against one teacher with a little handicap. The conditions for winning were either defeat the teacher, handcuff them, or escape through the gate. In addition, the pairs had already been formed, thus not allowing the students to try to choose their own pairs.
"There will be some students from 1-A teaming up with 1-B," notified Nezu, "This hasn't been done either, but we as a staff decided to do so since we plan to get most of the exam done. Also, a few more heroes have decided to help us, and some even requested to do it. Some of which are already waiting at the exam area."
From behind the students stood Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, and a few more heroes.
"Well then, I hope you'll all enjoy and pass this," grinned Nezu with a wicked laugh.
As the pairs were announced, Izuku found himself with Neito, much to his disgust.
"Well, well, well, looks like the best of 1-A is paired with little old me," said Neito with a swaggering voice as he swaggered to Izuku, "Good luck and try not to hold me back."
"Let's just get this over with," sighed Izuku as he walked forward towards the bus that would take them to their area with Shota.
While a good half went on buses to their location, the other half was shepherded to another location to relax and rest up, though they weren't allowed to watch their classmates take the exam. Izuku looked around to see Ochako had been paired up with Itsuka. Momo and Tsuyu were grouped up in the latter group. Giving a quick thumbs up to Ochako and Itsuka, who replied with the same, Izuku soon found himself at an urban area with Nieto and Shota. On the way there, he received a text from All Might and Nezu. Quickly reading through the message, his eyes blinked in surprise at the content of it. It was a request from both of them that just for this exam not to use One for All. Izuku pondered about the request for a bit before deciding to accept it. Surely there was a good reason why, and it would allow him to focus more on his technique instead of brute-forcing it.
Shota lazily gave a quick explanation of the test parameters and the conditions of winning as well as revealing what the handicap was.
"That looks like something I can use for training," pondered Izuku out loud when he saw the ultra compressor weights, wondering if he could get some.
"As long as you don't overdo it," yawned Shota, "Feel free to ask Hatsume for some. The other teachers and I will be strapping weights equal to half our body weight."
"Isn't that a rather big handicap?" asked Izuku with curiosity.
Shota ignored them before directing them to the starting point, which was the center of the area.
"Team Midoriya and Monoma, practical exam. Ready, go!"
Hearing the announcement, the two of them ran towards the exit.
"Hey, aren't you going to let me borrow your quirk?" asked Nieto, annoying Izuku instantly.
"When we get closer to the gate. You have a time limit with your quirk, so if you borrow it now, we're just wasting precious minutes," replied Izuku.
"Fair enough," hummed Nieto, frowning inside.
Truthfully, he wanted to sabotage Izuku. Not enough to make him fail, or worse, drag himself down, but enough to make it so he looked better than Izuku. He saw the looks Itsuka gave Izuku, as well as Ochako, Momo, and Tsuyu. He could tell something was up between all of them. And if Izuku was playing with their feelings like a pimp... well Nieto had no qualms letting Izuku fail.
"I think we're close enough," noted Nieto, having memorized certain buildings to let him know how close they were to the exit.
Izuku stopped, looking all around him, including above him, before nodding in agreement.
A bit away, Shota hid behind a chimney with a small grin. So many people failed to realize that when searching for someone to simply look up as part of the search. He couldn't count how many criminals he ambushed because they wouldn't look up. He had been standing on some utility poles, ready to silently ambush them when he saw Izuku starting to look up. Not taking the chance, Shota quickly jumped towards some buildings away from Izuku's sights. He mentally deducted points on Neito for not doing the same thing.
It didn't matter if Neito copied Izuku's quirk, anyways. He could just erase it with a glance. Also another deduction on Neito on being so reliant on copying quirks. He would have to bring that up with Vlad.
Izuku held out his hand, urging Neito to do whatever he needed to do quickly.
It was here that things rapidly fell apart.
As soon as Neito grabbed Izuku's hand, he felt something completely off. Usually, when he copied quirks, he felt a rush of energy. This had been true for any quirk he copied. The only quirks he couldn't really copy were accumulation type quirks, but even then, he still felt that surge of energy.
Izuku's, on the other hand, burned him. It burned him so badly that when Neito jerked his hands back, he saw his hands were red. Luckily, there were no real burns, just a slight patch of red skin that couldn't really be called first-degree burns.
"What the hell is wrong with your quirk!?" shouted Neito, "Who... what are you?"
Izuku blinked in surprise, looking at Neito's red hand. He hadn't expected that to happen either. Then again, he was the only one in this world to have a 'devil' residing inside him, having eaten a Devil Fruit. Perhaps the devil inside him didn't like what Neito tried to do and punished him for it.
"Sorry, but I didn't know that would happen," apologized Izuku, truly sorry about it. He had been ready to apologize some more when his ears picked up something. It sounded like roof tiles being shifted. Realizing that they may have been spotted, Izuku tried to jump backward, trying not to stay as a stationary target.
Unfortunately for him, Neito wasn't done with him. Neito grabbed Izuku's arm, not activating his quirk, preventing him from jumping away.
"You're going to explain what the hell that was about!" demanded Neito his mindset still in a rather panicky mode.
This gave Shota the chance to wrap his capture tape around Izuku, jerking him upwards over some power lines he had let his capture tape go over. Izuku was soon left hanging in the air with his arms tied up to his side.
Shota turned to deal with Neito only to see that he had already fled as soon as Izuku had been caught, causing Shota frowned at this behavior. He had seen Izuku moving, and if it hadn't been for Neito grabbing Izuku, then he wouldn't have been able to capture him so easily. Yet instead of trying to help or take responsibility for it, Neito had fled instead. Most likely running towards the exit without Izuku.
"I may have a problem child, but at least he's not one to get another into trouble and just run away," muttered Shota as he tied the capture tape to a pole while scattering caltrops all around Izuku.
Izuku, on the other hand, was angry. Not only had he been caught, but the reason for it was because Neito stalled him. As Shota pulled him up, he could already see Neito already running away. He saw Neito turn his head back, giving him a smirk and salute before turning the corner.
Neito was running towards the gate as fast as possible, with no regrets on his mind. This worked out perfectly for him. If the teachers asked, he would just say he judged the situation to be impossible to save and chose the 'correct' path. He did slightly regret that he had panicked there, but that was that.
"Now then, what to do with you?" hummed Shota as he threw more caltrops at the surrounding buildings, preventing Izuku from trying to grab them.
'What can I do!? I don't want to fail!?' gritted Izuku as he tried to think of a way out, looking at Shota. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him. He had never tried using his 'quirk' when Shota used his at the general vicinity. Izuku's quirk wasn't exactly a normal quirk, considering the rubber part came from a devil fruit while One For All was a quirk passed down to him. He remembered the past predecessors of One For All combining it with the devil fruit. If Neito couldn't copy his quirk... then maybe Shota couldn't erase it.
Shota raised his eyebrow as Izuku managed to raise his leg up.
'What is he planning?' thought Shota as he activated his quirk, his hair rising up in tandem with it, 'Is he desperate? Or did he forget I can erase quirks.'
Shota's thoughts came to a grinding halt when Izuku's leg stretched as he kicked his foot towards Shota. Shota quickly dove out of the way as the kick crashed into the wall where he had just been standing. Shota stared at Izuku in shock and confusion as Izuku was able to still stretch his other leg out, stretching it out while spinning in the air. The momentum and force behind it picked up the caltrops, sending them flying off the ground. Then, with both legs, he stamped the ground, pushing him upwards into the electric lines.
'Is he crazy? That's dangerous, even in a practice stage, those power lines still have electricity in them that could shock a person... except he's made of rubber! He's immune to the shock,' gaped Shota as Izuku broke through the power lines, ignoring the sparks of electricity hitting his skin.
Izuku landed safely on the ground, looking up at Shota as he managed to pull the capture tape off him as it wasn't tightly wound around him anymore.
"The hell?" uttered Shota as he readied himself once more, "Even if your quirk is a mutation type, you shouldn't have been able to stretch under my quirk. How did you do that?"
"Trade secret," Izuku automatically replied, "Guess there's only one thing for me to do now."
Shota immediately jumped back, expecting Izuku to attack him. What he didn't expect was for Izuku to turn and run away.
"Shit," cursed Shota as he quickly hopped up onto the power lines, running on top of it towards the exit.
He easily found Izuku and immediately tried to capture him once more, only to find the target ever so elusive, taking turning angles that should've been impossible while bouncing off walls and poles.
The chase only took thirty seconds though when a buzzer rang.
"Team Midoriya and Monoma pass"
Izuku and Shota froze for a second before looking at each other.
"Follow me, I'll announce your grade when we get back," muttered Shota.
Izuku glumly nodded as he followed Shota, his head and arms down by his side. As the duo approached the exit, they were met with a smug Neito.
"Yo, good distraction partner," mocked Neito, "You really did something useful."
"Get on the bus," ordered Shota, "You'll get your grade later."
Minutes later, they arrived back at the Central Plaza. It was there that Shota guided the two into a room and told them to wait.
Monoma began to taunt Izuku once more, only for Izuku to completely ignore him. He couldn't help but feel the impact when Monoma once more pointed out that it was most likely that he himself would pass while Izuku failed because 'he' did all the hard work.
It was then that Vlad, Shota, Nezu, and All Might walked into the room with a serious-looking face.
"Usually we tell the students whether or not they passed the practical and the written exam the next day. However, Neito Monoma, explain to me right now why I shouldn't expel you for your conduct on the exam," stated Shota with a rather serious look.
Neito stiffened up, his face pale at that statement.
"Whoa, whoa, isn't that harsh?" asked Vlad, "You told me something went off on the exam, but why are you threatening to expel my student?"
"Clearly you've coddled your students," spat out Shota, "Monoma here sabotaged my student, leaving him as bait before running off to the exit by himself without a look back."
Vlad coughed, looking at Monoma before back at Shota, "Surely you're exaggerating. I can't imagine Monoma doing something like that. He's always about unity in my class."
"Specifically your class," pointed out Shota, "He's always at odds with mine. But in this case, I saw it with my own eyes and I have video proof."
Shota pulled up a clip where Izuku had been jumping back to dodge, only to be pulled down by Neito. The rest was rather self-explanatory, with Shota stopping the clip after Izuku was yanked upwards.
"Monoma...," whispered Vlad, unable to comprehend what Neito had done.
"It wasn't my fault!" panicked Neito, "I was confused why I couldn't copy his quirk. His skin burned me when I tried to, see? I just wanted to know, I never meant to intentionally sabotage him."
Neito stuck out his hand, showing his burns on his hand when he tried to copy Izuku's quirk.
"Perhaps not intentional, but accidental? You seemed quite content with that when you ran," replied Shota with his eyes narrowed.
"It seems to me that we will discuss this further," interrupted Nezu, "Midoriya, your grade will be put on hold for now until further discussion. Monoma... I'm quite disappointed in you, as is your homeroom teacher."
Neito looked up to see the disappointment on both their faces and looked back down, not wanting to see those faces any further.
"I cannot, in good conscience, expel you. After all, you are still heroes in training, and the fact that a quirk has burned you like this must have been a first. I've read and analyzed your quirk. You're able to copy any type, even mutations, growing such limbs for a few minutes. To have such a panicked reaction is understandable. Your actions after, however, are not. Not only did you not even attempt to save your teammate, but you left with a smirk, and from what Aizawa has told me, continued to taunt and mock him afterward. Your grade will be up to both homeroom teachers to decide whether you pass or fail. Vlad, if you can take him back for now," said Nezu.
Vlad nodded and gently pushed Neito out of the room, closing the door as they left.
"Now I believe you had something else to add?" asked Nezu, turning to Shota.
"Yes," nodded Shota before hitting play again, "As you can see... I cannot erase Midoriya's quirk. Which leads me to the next question. Just what is his quirk? Is it even natural, or was it something artificially grafted into him and made to look like a quirk."
Nezu and All Might glanced at each other, debating whether to tell Shota the truth about Izuku's quirk. That it was 'artificial' as it had come from a devil fruit. Speaking of which, Nezu had tried to find more of these fruits during his free time, or to see if there was someone who had extraordinary quirks but was unable to swim. So far, there have been no results.
"Before anything else, Midoriya, can you try using your quirk again under Aizawa's quirk, this time use all of it," instructed Nezu.
Izuku blinked in confusion before realizing Nezu wanted to see if he could still use One For All in conjunction with his rubber body. He quickly spread One For All all over his body, allowing arcs of lightning to cover him a little before stretching his fingers out, all under Shota's gaze with his quirk activated. Much to his surprise, not even One For All had been erased despite Shota trying to erase something.
"I thought so," mused Nezu, "I was curious if Midoriya's quirk could be erased or copied. Clearly neither works. As for how... that's private information that only a select few can know. All Might and Recovery Girl are aware of the full story behind Midoriya's quirk. As for young Midoriya himself... how would you judge his grade?"
"As his homeroom teacher, I should be on a need to know basis!" demanded Shota.
"And I am aware that you are able to keep your mouth shut, but this secret must be kept within a small circle. If Midoriya is willing to explain it to you, then it is his choice as it is his secret. I, as principal of U.A., will not divulge a student's secret unless given express permission," replied Nezu.
Shota glared at Nezu, then at All Might, then at Izuku, before sighing, "Fine. As for his grade... I would've graded as passable. Despite being caught, he was able to escape my trap, if only because of his surprise quirk factor. He maintained a moving unpredictable target, never allowing me to get a good shot to capture him again. I would've thought he would try to fight me one on one, seeing as I was handicapped as he also has a strength factor. I assume that one of you two told him not to use it for this test?"
Nezu and All Might whistled innocently to the side at this accusation, causing Shota to sigh even more, "Do whatever you want. Personally, I'd have him retake it with another partner, preferably the one that I chose for him. You pushed for this team just to see if my quirk and Monoma's quirk would work, didn't you?"
"I stated my reasons in our meeting, and everyone seemed to agree," deflected Nezu.
Shota glared at Nezu before leaving the room. All Might let out a huge sigh of relief as he popped out of his muscular form, back to Toshinori Yagi.
"So what happens now?" asked Izuku in confusion.
"Personally, I would advise you to take the exam again," chimed in Nezu, "But it's up to you."
"This is your choice," murmured Toshinori gently, "Nobody would hold it against you."
"I... I want to prove myself," said Izuku firmly, "The reason why I chose not to fight Eraserhead was because I wanted to make sure Monoma was alright and he had the cuffs with him. But I barely did anything. Who will I be going against, and who will be on my team?"
"Luckily there is one person that requested to be your 'opponent' for the test," said Nezu, "As for your teammate... I will tell you after everybody else has finished. Most likely we will choose someone who failed but was very close to passing. So for now, just go and get some rest. And not a word to anyone for now."
Izuku nodded and left, leaving Toshinori and Nezu alone.
"I'm guessing everything is going as you planned?" asked Toshinori.
"Oh indeed," cackled Nezu, "The probability that Midoriya's quirk couldn't be erased or copied was quite high, the chance being 90%. The results of the other fights have already finished, and again, are within my calculations. As it stands, the final results will play out just as planned."
"You are terrifying when you're bored," stated Toshinori with a deadpan look.
Izuku sat down on a couch, waiting for a retake on the practical exam. Who would he be teamed up with? Who was he fighting? Could he still pass and go to the training camp with everyone? He was sure that Itsuka and the others would definitely pass, but what if he got another situation similar to just before? Surely the teachers wouldn't allow such a thing to pass.
"Son of a mother fucking asshole!" cursed Katsuki as he suddenly plopped down next to Izuku.
"Bakugo?" questioned Izuku in surprise.
"The hell are you doing here Deku!?" cursed Katsuki.
"I was sitting here first when you suddenly sat down next to me. Did something happen to your exam?" asked Izuku.
"Nothing happened!" barked Katsuki, "I was heading towards the exam area when I was suddenly told to head back here! Fucking mantis head was sneering at me when I came back. We were going to fight Best Jeanist! One of the top-ranking heroes, dammit! I was going to show them what I can fucking do!"
"Then why'd you... oh please tell me they're joking," groaned Izuku, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Who's joking? And what happened to your exam?" asked Katsuki.
"Monoma unintentionally sabotaged me by forcing me to get caught and ran away with a smirk," sighed Izuku, "I managed to break out, but I didn't get to do much before he made it to the exit."
"Monoma... isn't that the copy shithead that you destroyed back at the Sports Festival on the first round? Did you get partnered with him? Wait did you fail?" asked Katsuki curiously.
"Technically no. Because of how it went, they're going to have me retake the test," explained Izuku, "Apparently there's another pro hero that wants to test me out. I'm going to taking it with another person."
"Well shit, who's the... oh god fucking dammit, am I supposed to be on your team? Is that why they pulled me out!" shouted Katsuki.
"Probably," groaned Izuku, "Why they're putting you on my team is anyone's wonder. Probably because we wouldn't work well together."
"Damn right we wouldn't!" shouted Katsuki.
The two sighed as Izuku stretched his arm, grabbing two drinks from a nearby vending machine before pulling back. He offered one to Katsuki, who took it without any comment.
"Any idea who we're going to be fighting?" questioned Katsuki.
"No idea," replied Izuku.
"Tch, better be someone good," muttered Katsuki.
"Any chance we can at least discuss... tactics?" asked Izuku.
Katsuki gave Izuku a deadpan glare at that comment.
"I didn't think so," sighed Izuku, "Then I'll just... ponder my plans and thoughts out loud."
Katsuki scoffed but didn't stop him.
"Where's Izuku?" asked Itsuka as Momo walked into the viewing room to watch other students fight, having finished hers early.
"I thought he was with the first group," blinked Momo.
"I thought so too, but he hasn't shown up at all," replied Itsuka.
"I hope he's okay. Maybe he's at one of the medical rooms," suggested Ochako nervously.
"Kero, wasn't he teamed up with one of your classmates... the one with the copy quirk?" asked Tsuyu.
"Oh Monoma! Speaking of which, where is he? I haven't seen him either," blinked Itsuka, turning to Yui and Setsuna, "Have you guys seen him?"
The two shook their heads in reply before Setsuna winced when she saw what was happening on one of the screens.
"Oooh, Kamikari bad idea," commented Setsuna when Kamikari tried to slice and dice through a series of strings left by Best Jeanist, only to be tangled up when one string tripped him before they all wrapped up around him. Kamikari had been shocked when he couldn't cut the said string, which was actually multiple strings twirled together to trick him into thinking it was only one string. Before he could react, the fibers quickly began to wrap around him. His teammate, Shinso, tried to wrap his capture cloth around Kamikari and pull him back before abandoning that plan to dodge some more fibers.
Slowly but surely, more and more students were either sent to the medical bay to heal up/rest or coming towards the viewing room to watch their fellow classmates.
"Isn't this everyone?" asked Momo as she looked around, noticing most of the screens were blank now.
"Where's Deku? It's not like him to still be missing," nodded Ochako.
"Hey, isn't that him?" asked Pony, pointing to a screen to reveal Izuku and Katsuki walking into an exam site structured like a city.
"He's teamed up with him of all people!?" shrieked Itsuka.
"Where's Monoma? I remember he said he was paired up with Midoriya," commented Tsuburaba.
"Who are they fighting?" hummed Kyoka.
"Who the fuck are we facing!?" cursed Katsuki as they were led to the middle by Nezu before he trotted away, stating that he wasn't the one facing them.
"Don't know, but we should start heading towards the exit," commented Izuku as he began to jog in that direction.
"Fuck you, why the hell should we run? I want to fight and beat our... my opponent!" barked Katsuki, correcting himself.
"Because it's more likely we'll meet him or her at the gate," replied Izuku.
Katsuki was about to reply before falling silent before finally trotting along, muttering "Stupid logic. I would've gotten it too, Deku."
The two of them jogged towards the exit, keeping track of everything around them when they heard a crackle. Immediately the two of them jumped to the sides, dodging a burst of flames that shot between them.
"So, you two at least have quick reflexes," observed Endeavor as he calmly stepped forward, "Now let's see what you two can do."
Izuku gulped as he calmly tried to analyze the situation. Katsuki had a malicious grin at the sight of Endeavor. Trade in number 4 for number 2? Hell yea he would take this!
"What is he doing there!?" shouted Shoto in shock and anger.
"Whoa Todoroki, you're on fire," warned Tenya as wisps of flame came out from Shoto's left hand.
"Why is he here!?" demanded Shoto, looking at Nezu, who had just returned.
"He requested to be the one to test Izuku Midoriya," said Nezu simply, "I saw no reason to deny his request. If it worries you, we have All Might on standby in case Endeavor takes it too far."
'That, and along with a sizable donation that I may have had forced him to give to the school for this request,' added Nezu with a cackle.
Izuku winced as he felt his skin turning red despite dodging Endeavor's attack again and again. He tried to use shock waves against Endeavor, but unlike Monoma when he copied Endeavor's quirk, he merely tanked it or dodged it with barely a hitch before countering with a bigger blast of flames.
Katsuki huffed as his sweat glands were working overtime. His blasts of explosions were being negated by even stronger blasts of fire. The choice was either he cranked up the explosions past the usual limits or hope that Endeavor would run out of steam first. Based on looks, it looked like that latter wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
"You boys are starting to bore me," stated Endeavor as he fired another stream of fire, "Either do something new or I'll end this, whether by force or time."
Izuku quickly glanced at the watch that Momo had made for him, noticing that 20 minutes had already passed. He began to rack his brain, trying to think about what they could possibly do.
"Do not think just because you fought a boy with a copy of my quirk that you can use the same tactics," berated Endeavor as Izuku tried to use Song Smash, only to be disrupted by a beam of fire that cut the ground, causing him to lose balance, "Nor my son."
Endeavor plucked Katsuki in mid-air without so much as a glance, who had tried to attack his face, and slammed him into the ground. The ground cratered under the impact, leaving Katsuki breathless, but he wasn't able to do anything as Endeavor kicked him away, slightly burning him as he did so. It didn't help that Katsuki tried to blast him, only for that to backfire on him as the explosion hit himself instead.
"Pointless. If this is the first and second place of U.A's Sports Festival, then the future looks bleak," rumbled Endeavor.
While he said this, he was slightly impressed at their stamina and their will to continue fighting. Only slightly, though.
'Especially the straw hat boy... I believe his hero name was supposed to be Izuku "D"eku Midoriya, or Deku for short? The fact that he able to move despite Stain paralyzing everyone with his conviction speaks much,' thought Endeavor.
He wouldn't admit it, but after that, he would admit that perhaps he had judged Izuku too quickly and should not have done that interview to air his little grudge. Particularly with All Might. Endeavor could tell that All Might had been giving him the stink eye ever since he stepped foot back in U.A.
"Bakugo, this isn't working and we're running out of time," groaned Izuku as he stood back up.
"If you're thinking of fucking running, go fuck yourself!" barked Katsuki.
"It is technically still winning, but that's not the point," sighed Izuku, "We've been fighting individually, without really working together. We did it before against Stain a bit, we should do so again."
"I'm not following your lead," roared Katsuki.
"I didn't say I was going to lead. I was going to suggest that you lead and I back you up," suggested Izuku, "Long as we can either cuff him or beat him, we still win."
Katsuki slowly grinned as micro explosions danced on his palms, "Think you can follow up with me?"
"I've fought and worked out with you before. I've fought with you against Stain. What makes you think I can't," shot back Izuku with a smirk.
"If you boys are done talking," tsked Endeavor before shooting another blast of fire at them.
The two immediately dodged once again before blitzing towards Endeavor. Izuku quickly took the lead, forcing Endeavor to focus on him first. Izuku easily dodged before making sharp cuts towards his once more.
'This again?' grunted Endeavor as he tried to track Izuku again. This move was certainly annoying as it was very easy to lose track of Izuku because of this bizarre footwork. Endeavor had countered by allowing his flames to expand all around him, covering a 360-degree range as soon as Izuku got close, forcing him to back off.
Endeavor noticed Katsuki rushing towards him, using his blasts to accelerate himself. So instead, Endeavor fired another blast at Katsuki, who forcibly changed directions with another blast, shooting him sideways up in the air. Endeavor predicted this and already calculated where Katsuki would be heading and the time needed to adjust himself to change again. However, Izuku suddenly appeared, grabbing Katsuki while spinning in the air before firing a Katsuki missile right at Endeavor.
Endeavor started to lean back to dodge Katsuki's attack, only for Izuku to utilize that spin and stretch his foot out, crashing into the floor in front of Endeavor. The impact of the kick caused the cement under Endeavor to tilt upwards, forcing Endeavor to block instead of swaying back. Katsuki roared as he fired an explosion right into Endeavor, sending Endeavor skidding back a little.
Endeavor looked up, noticing the foot that Izuku had sunk into the pavement was still there, but quickly retracting Izuku. The retraction sent Izuku flying low towards Endeavor's knees. Endeavor jumped, intending to smash Izuku into the ground with a fire fist, but instead had to dodge a wild kick from Katsuki.
Stun Grenade
Right as Katuski missed his kick, Katsuki raised his hands towards Endeavor's face, temporarily blinding him. Endeavor managed to close his eyes and cover his eyelids with his arms before the flashbang hit his face, and fire flames from his foot to jettison himself away. Quickly flipping onto the ground, Endeavor managed to look up, clearing the bright flashes of light from his vision to see Izuku sending a barrage of fists towards his direction, but not actually hitting him, setting up for Song Smash.
"Foolish!" roared Endeavor as he answered with a lit fist.
Flashfire Fist – Jet Burn
A stream of bright fire shot towards Izuku, melting the pavement as it traveled. It was easy to tell that this attack was much faster and stronger than Monoma's attempt.
However, as Izuku pulled back his arms to launch his attack, Katsuki landed right next to Izuku, pointing his grenadier bracers at Endeavor. Without hesitation, Katsuki pulled the pin right as Izuku launched his attack.
Explosion Smash
The combined attack clashed against Endeavor's attack, creating an explosion upon contact. Endeavor stood his ground, waiting cautiously for any follow-up attacks. As the dust cleared, he saw no signs of either boys anymore.
"They must have fled," concluded Endeavor as he realized that due to the fight, they had switched places. Instead of the exit being behind Endeavor, the boys had managed to maneuver themselves in between the exit and Endeavor, and used the attack as a smokescreen to cover their escape.
"Clever brats," muttered Endeavor as he shot forward.
The reality of it, though, was that the boys were much lighter than Endeavor, who could withstand the explosion and had been sent flying backwards towards the gate.
Izuku quickly took a deep breath, expanding his body into a rubber ball, allowing him to bounce on the concrete floor before deflating and landing back on his feet. Katsuki fire a series of explosions to slow and control his descent onto the floor, still landing a bit harshly though he rolled to help kill the momentum.
"Not what I imagined but this works," coughed Izuku, noticing they were closer to the exit now to the fact they could see it.
"You can fucking go, I'm fighting Endeavor and winning," barked Katsuki as he stomped forward.
"You do remember that running through the exit also counts as winning, right?" asked Izuku, "Not to mention we're running low on time. Endeavor is number two for a reason. I doubt we can beat him with 5 minutes left. Or would you rather risk failing the exam and possibly losing a spot to the reserve student?"
Katsuki froze, his right foot still in midair, before grumbling and turning around.
"Let it be known that it was my choice, and my choice alone," grumbled Katsuki, stomping towards the exit.
Suddenly, Endeavor crashed right in front of them, cutting off their exit. Before the boys could do anything, Endeavor grabbed both of them by their heads, and with a spin, hurled them into building in separate directions, with Katsuki to the right and Izuku to the left. Both boys crashed through the doors they had been thrown into.
A few seconds later, Katsuki came blasting out of the building with a roar and a blast. Endeavor easily parried Katsuki's attacks, wondering why Izuku hadn't come out yet. As Katsuki tried to hit Endeavor's head with a jumping right roundehouse kick, Izuku burst out from the second floor of the building with a three shelf bookshelf on hand, hurling it down at Endeavor. Endeavor had ducked under Katsuki's arc kick while simultaneously firing another blast of fire at the bookshelf, burning it into ashes.
Katsuki's round house kick suddenly stopped in midswing, positioning it right over Endeavor's head while twisting his body so his heel was facing the sky while his metal-tipped combat boot was facing Endeavor.
"Die!" roared Katsuki he changed the direction of his kick, smashing it onto Endeavor's head.
An attack like that would have barely phased Endeavor from Katsuki's quick change of attack, as it should've lacked the power. However, Katsuki had been able to make a small upgrade on his boots. Just like his bracers, his boots could also contain his sweat. At the heel and the tip of his boots were small holes built into the boot itself so it wouldn't stick out. And it was from the heel hole that an explosion came out, accelerating Katsuki's kick downwards so fast that Endeavor hadn't been able to react to it.
Endeavor was temporarily stunned from the attack before managing to shake it off, jumping back to prevent Katsuki from trying to follow up.
By doing so, though, he jumped right into Izuku's stretched out body. Endeavor found his arms, legs, and chest being wrapped around by Izuku's arms and legs.
"Foolish to think this can cont-" started Endeavor as his body began to heat up, only to hear an audible click sound that interrupted his thoughts.
Endeavor looked down to see a large handcuff snapped onto his arms that had come from Izuku. Normally, such a thing wouldn't have even stopped him at all as he could've just melted it, but then the loudspeaker crackled.
"Team Midoriya and Bakugo pass"
Endeavor blinked, thinking what could have caused them to win as Izuku unwrapped his limbs around Endeavor, collapsing on the floor. They didn't pass the gate, they didn't knock him unconscious or disable him, all they had done was... put the cuff on his arm.
"This is what's considered passing!?" questioned Endeavor angrily, "Wh-"
"That's enough Endeavor," voiced All Might, putting his hand on Endeavor's shoulder, "Respect the rules. These boys caught you."
Endeavor glared at All Might for a second before shrugging off the hand, stomping away.
"Good work children," laughed All Might boisterously, "Now then, let's get your injuries treated by Recovery Girl before anything else."
Izuku could only numbly nod before Katsuki barked that if they had some more time, he could have taken Endeavor. He was angry that Izuku had ended the match with a capture, but considering the fact they only had less than a minute on the clock, he didn't focus on that too much.
The students all made it back to their respective classrooms, awaiting the final judgment call. A few of the students were looking down nervously, hoping they didn't fail. They had all managed to either have someone pass through the gate or capture the villain, but some of them had been caught.
The classroom door of 1-A opened, revealing Shota with papers. Everyone immediately sat down in their seats, nervously waiting for the verdict.
"Good, good, you're learning not to waste time," said Shota as he walked up to the front of the class, "As for the results... congratulations, you all passed both the written portion and practical portion of the Final Exams. Not that it mattered since you'd all be heading to the summer training camp anyways."
Most of the class cheered in excitement that they had all passed before pausing for a second at Shota's statement.
"Say what!?" exclaimed Denki.
Shota began to explain the purpose of the exam as well as the logical ruse planted inside the exam to push them harder. Though mentally in his mind, he personally thought that Endeavor hadn't done so, but the boys passed, so no harm done there.
"Though to be honest, Ashido, Kaminari, Kirishima, Aoyama, you four were very close to failing your practical," warned Shota, causing those four to look down in depression, "Fortunately for you four, you still passed. As for the written portion... Aoyama, you need to shape up, otherwise, you might not last."
"Okk...," pouted Aoyama, no longer twinkling for a bit.
"I'll be handing out the lodging guides now. Yaoyorozu and Midoriya, if you could pass these out and go over the general details of this camp while I go take a nap," ordered Shota as he placed the packet down onto his desk. He immediately curled up into his sleeping bag and took a nap at the corner of the room.
The class began discussing about the camp trip before deciding to head to the mall tomorrow to purchase whatever they needed for the trip, considering they had the day off.
"You guys are heading to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall tomorrow?" asked Itsuka as she met up with Izuku, Momo, Ochako, and Tenya on their way home, "I'll see if Yui and the others want to come too. I need to buy some hiking boots from what it sounds like. I'll probably make a list tonight."
"Indeed, it is good to prepare ahead of time!" nodded Tenya.
"Anyone from your class fail?" asked Setsuna, popping her head over literally, "I thought Kamikari and Tetsutetsu were in danger considering they did fall into a trap. Though I guess being able to escape out of it and passing the exam, in the end, helped them out. Only Monoma failed, and Kan-sensei seemed really disappointed at Monoma."
'I guess they didn't show what happened,' thought Izuku, 'A good thing, too. I really didn't want to explain how my powers still work even under Aizawa-sensei's erasing quirk.'
The next day
"And so, here we are! With the most stores in the prefecture, the newest and coolest, most advanced- it's the Kiyashi-Ward Shopping Mall!" exclaimed Mina in excitement as the majority of U.A's hero students stood near a clock tower where they agreed to meet up.
They garnered quite a bit of attention from some fans who still remembered the Sports Festival. Soon, they were all discussing what they needed to purchase before Eijiro suggested that they all just split up to purchase what they needed and meet back up at three at the exact location. Everyone agreed as they quickly scattered.
Momo went with Jiro to purchase carry on bags with Setsuna. Mineta and Kosei were heading towards a hardware store to purchase some small drills for... personal (perverted) reasons. Mina went with Eijiro to check out some camping gears.
Tenya was ready to march towards the clothing store to purchase some new pants when he felt someone tugging on his shirt. Looking back, he noticed Yui right behind him.
"I need to buy some clothes, too. Do you want to come with me?" requested Yui.
"I would be happy to provide assistance! What do you need?" asked Tenya.
"Some shirts that would be durable for the camp lodge," answered Yui as she pulled Tenya with her, "Along with a new swimwear. I want your opinion on that."
"There's no need for such thing at the camp!" exclaimed Tenya, "I don't believe we'll be swimming anytime there!"
"Who said it was for the camp?" said Yui without hesitation nor breaking her stoic face, "Perhaps I just wanted to get someone's opinion or use it for future use. And with my quirk, I can always make swimwear smaller and tighter around my body."
"But... but... I... derrr," malfunctioned Tenya, obediently following Yui now.
Soon enough, the only ones left were Itsuka, Ochako, and Izuku.
"What are you planning to get?" asked Izuku, "I was originally planning to get some wrist weights for training until I managed to put in a request for those ultra compressor weights. At most now I'll probably just shop for some shirts and pants. Maybe some shoes like Kaminari had planned."
"Oh, I need some bug spray," chirped Ochako.
"I should get that too," nodded Itsuka, "Wanna check out the survival kit store over there? I saw an ad saying that they were discounting everything off by 20%."
"Let's go!" exclaimed Ochako, pulling Itsuka with her, "Deku, you want to come too?"
"I'll catch up," smiled Izuku with a wave, "I want to take a look at that store really quick."
"Ok, but hurry up. It's not often we get a chance alone with you with all our school work," pouted Itsuka.
Before they could even leave though, a voice cut through.
"Oh wow, you're all from U.A. High, right? Let me have your autograph!"
A stranger wearing a black hoodie suddenly placed his arm around Ochako before continuing, "You're the one who fought the explosion guy, right? And you two were the one with those cool moves!"
Ochako was about to blush when she noticed Izuku's face suddenly turn pale before turning to anger. Before she could decipher what was wrong or even try to escape, the hand suddenly snaked up to Ochako's neck, putting all but one finger on her throat.
"And you, Izuku Midoriya, ran into the Hero Killer, didn't you? I can't believe I'd see you in a place like this again... almost like fate, or destiny. But from your perspectives, we haven't met since the attack at U.A., huh? Why don't we have some tea?" grinned Shigaraki.
Izuku and Itsuka's fingers twitched, their teeth grinding in anger at their precious friend being held hostage.
"Now, now, just act natural, like I'm an old friend. I'm only here to talk, that's all. Though if any of you try to do something funny, then all five of my fingers will touch this girl's neck. She'll start crumbling from the skin of your throat, and in less than a minute, she'll be turned to dust," threatened Shigaraki.
"A hero will catch you," whimpered Ochako nervously, "Deku will stop you if you do it."
"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure I can get more people before he catches me. All these people in this crowded area... it wouldn't be hard for another twenty to thirty to crumble," grinned Shigaraki, "Make your choice."
Izuku growled before slowly unclenching his fist with Itsuka following his example.
"Fine, but you want to talk to me, right? Let Ochako go, and take me hostage instead," said Izuku.
"Deku, no!" whispered Ochako, feeling the fingers tightening around her throat.
"Hoo, playing the hero, sacrificing his life for the damsel?" asked Shigaraki, "Then stand over here so I can put my fingers on your throat."
Nodding at the order, Izuku walked over, as if greeting a friend while Shigaraki hooked his arm over Izuku, placing four fingers onto his throat. Having a good grip now, he slowly let go of Ochako, pushing her towards Itsuka with four fingers. Itsuka quickly caught Ochako, who was now rubbing her throat.
With his main objective done, Shigaraki guided Izuku towards a bench, maintaining the illusion that it was just two friends talking. Ochako and Itsuka could only sit across from them, in plain view of Shigaraki, unable to do anything lest they risk Izuku's life.
"Anyways, I hate everything. But what pisses me off the most right now is the Hero Killer, Stain," started Shigaraki.
"He's not with you?" questioned Izuku, keeping that information in mind.
"I didn't acknowledge it, but that's how it ended up on the news," grumbled Shigaraki before diving into the topics about his Nomu, and despite how much damage they had done, they were upstaged by Stain. How in the end, everyone was focused on Stain, and not himself. Not to mention Stain was getting more sympathizers than himself. And finally, just what the key difference was between them.
Izuku took a moment to think about it before replying that it was the difference in their methods. Stain took a firm stance on his methods and the reasons why. The fact that the origin of Stain's madness was because of All Might and the current society they lived in. Stain stood firm in his ideals, never being so finicky and abandoning their plan to kill All Might like Shigaraki did back at USJ when they lost Nomu.
It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from Shigaraki's chest, along with a giant light bulb above his head. The hatred of Stain, the fascination on Izuku... it all revolved around All Might.
"Yes, that's right. When all's said and done, that's where I ended up. What was I worrying so much for!? These guys are able to smile so thoughtlessly because All Might is doing it, as if there was nobody he couldn't save! Oh, I'm so glad we could have this talk. It's great. Thanks Midoriya! I don't have to do anything different!" Shigaraki grinned broadly, his dry lips cracking as he did so as he tightened his grip on Izuku.
Itsuka and Ochako froze at the sight of Shigaraki's face, slightly fearful at the insane expression on his face. Izuku was lucky that he was made of rubber as the tightening of Shigaraki's grip didn't hurt him, but it was making it harder for him to breathe. Shigaraki was already planning to take Stain's ideals, his creed, and use it as his personal stepping stones.
"You done with your rant?" wheezed Izuku, trying his best not to provoke Shigaraki.
"Yea, it was an enlightening conversation. So what should I do now? Perhaps I should get rid of a future threat before it can bloom? Maybe kill a few more before escaping?" pondered Shigaraki out loud, contemplating on actually doing it.
"Try it," growled Izuku, his right fingers already curled up for a flick, loaded with One For All, and aimed at Shigaraki's chest.. If Shigaraki placed that last finger down, then Izuku would make sure that Shigaraki wouldn't escape, not with broken ribs and punctured lungs.
Ochako and Itsuka looked ready to tackle Shigaraki in case he actually went through with his threat. Ochako had already subtly removed the gravity on Itsuka, who was already pushing her foot on the ground, ready to spring forward with a huge punch. She wasn't worried about hurting Izuku as he had shown he was immune to blunt damage.
"I was just joking!" grinned Shigaraki as he finally let go, standing up to leave, "Sensei would be displeased that I don't keep to my promises. I'll leave you be with your girlfriends here. Going for a harem ending, aren't you hero? Not very heroic is it? Now then, don't follow me, otherwise, I'll get angry."
Itsuka and Ochako both rushed towards Izuku, worried that Shigaraki might had left some marks, only for Izuku to shake his head, showing he was fine.
"Wait, Shigaraki Tomura!" hissed Izuku, "What is All For One after?"
"Who knows?" shrugged Shigaraki as he continued to walk away, "But more importantly, the next time we meet, I will most likely because I want to kill you."
With that statement, Shigaraki managed to blend into the crowd, forcing the others to lose track of him.
The police were quickly called and a joint effort by the police and active heroes around the area was formed to hunt for Shigaraki, but he was lone gone. The mall itself had been closed early to try to find him or any hints, but sadly there were none. Izuku, Ochako, and Itsuka were brought to the police station for both safety and questioning, where Tsukauchi assure them that they weren't in trouble at all. They were later escorted out where all their parents were waiting, along with Momo and Toshinori. As each child tried to comfort their parents/parent that they were alright, Toshinori was with Inko, looking over Izuku.
As they were all about to make their way to their respective homes, Izuku glanced over to see Ochako going with Momo while Ochako's parents were heading their own way. Her parents had rushed over as soon as they heard what had happened but needed to return to finish up with a major project for the Yaoyorozu family. Momo tried to tell them that her parents wouldn't mind the small delay to watch over family, but Ochako was insistent that she would be fine and that it wasn't worth delaying the project. Not to mention she would have Momo for company, too. The parents finally agreed to head back, but only with the promise that Ochako would call them when she arrived back home and once more in the morning.
"Mom, is it alright if I ask Momo and Ochako if I spend the night with them?" asked Izuku, "I want to make sure Ochako is alright."
Inko frowned, not wanting to let go of Izuku after such a situation, even if it was to comfort a girl.
"Now that I notice, how come you're dressed like this mom? The same with All M... Yagi too. Why are you both dressed up?" asked Izuku after he got a good look now.
Inko was wearing a green sleeved dress low enough to reveal a tint of cleavage while ending at her knees. Toshinori was wearing an unwrinkled dress shirt with an overcoat that actually fitted his current body size.
"Oh...errr," gulped Toshinori nervously, not sure how to break it to Izuku that the two of them were possibly dating now. In fact, they had been on a lunch date before the whole thing broke out.
"It's nothing, I had a lunch meeting with my company and asked Toshi-chan to be my plus one," lied Inko smoothly, "As for your request... I guess it's fine only if you call me after you arrive, once before you go to sleep, and once in the morning. Do you have some extra clothes?"
"Ah, I don't," winced Izuku, "Guess I'd still end up going home."
"Now, now, I can drop off some clothes at the Yaoyorozu estate once I escort your mother home," offered Toshinori, "It wouldn't be too much out of my way back to my own house."
"Sweet! Let me go tell them," smiled Izuku as he quickly jogged over to Ochako and Momo.
The way Ochako's face brightened up made Inko think it had been the right choice. The girl needed support, and what better way than a good friend... and a closer path to getting a girlfriend, a daughter, and somewhere in the future, grandchildren. Inko didn't know that Izuku was dating multiple girls at once right now, but that was something that surprisingly didn't bother her if it happened. Vice versa, Izuku had no idea she was dating Toshinori, though the suspicious glances he gave might have clued him in on something.
"Inko, your face is taking an... interesting look," warned Toshinori, forcing Inko to revert her face back to her normally smiling face.
"Let's get home," suggested Inko, "Though we should stop by somewhere to pick up dinner. I'm kind of hungry for something salty. And while we have someone to drive us, perhaps we can get to know each other a bit more... intimately?"
Toshinori could only pull on his collar, nervously excited about that.
"Here you go Midoriya," said Toshinori as he passed him a suitcase that Inko had packed for Izuku.
"Thanks," thanked Izuku as he took the suitcase, looking back at the manor where Momo, Ochako, Itsuka, and Tsuyu were at. As soon as Itsuka had heard that Izuku was going to sleep over, she instantly convinced her parents to allow her. Tsuyu had done the same thing, which was lucky as they had finished their latest business trip and would be at home a few days to take care of the younger siblings.
"It's not a problem," nodded Toshinori, mentally going back to when he saw Izuku's room. There was so much of his merchandise that he had a feeling it could compete against Nighteye's collection. Once again, he winced at that thought. He had yet to contact his old sidekick, out of guilt, fear, and doubt.
"Did my mom pack my clothes?" asked Izuku as he placed the suitcase down, opening to see his clothes... as well as his All Might onesies.
"Pfft," snickered Toshinori, seeing the sight of that.
"Shut up," muttered Izuku before his mind flashed back at Shigaraki's words, "All Might... were there times when you failed to save someone?"
Toshinori looked back at Izuku before sighing, "Of course. Many times...even now, somewhere in this world, there is someone who is hurt, who needs my help. Yet for all I can do, I'm only human. I can only be at so many places at once. But that is why I stand and laugh. To be a 'Symbol of Justice' that lights the fires in people, heroes, and even villains."
Toshinori gently rubbed Izuku's head, "And it is this symbol that I believe that you can become... perhaps even greater than me. Now go back and get some sleep. You need it."
Izuku nodded as he packed up his suitcase and ran back to the manor.
"You know, I should be freaking out about this, but for some reason, I'm not," chimed Ochako as she laid in bed with Momo and Izuku on both sides of her. Itsuka was behind Izuku while Tsuyu was behind Momo. All of them were currently on Momo's Texas King Size bed, laying there quite comfortably, all wearing pajamas that appropriately covered themselves.
"Well we did go through that," sighed Itsuka, "Wish I could've just punched that guy's face."
"What's happened is done, and that we're all to safe," sighed Izuku, scratching his neck.
It hadn't been comfortable knowing that Shigaraki could kill him with just a twitch of his finger, but it wasn't something he had been willing to let Ochako suffer through. Especially at the end during his rant, his fingers had started to squeeze harder on his throat. If it had been Ochako in his place, he was sure that she would've had bruises on her throat.
"Still, are you alright?" asked Izuku.
"I'm safe, thanks to you," nodded Ochako with a smile, but Izuku could see through that fake smile.
"Are you alright?" asked Izuku once more slowly, tilting Ochako's head to look into his eyes.
Ochako had been about to reply that she was fine once more when she saw the look of concern in Izuku's eyes. That broke the damn gates that Ochako had been holding back as she began to cry, clutching onto Izuku like a lifeline.
"I was so scared!" sobbed Ochako, "I was scared for my life, scared for my parents not being able to give them the life they deserve and scared when you took my place!"
Izuku merely held her head to his chest, letting her cry it all out. Momo placed a tender hand on her shoulder, comforting her as she gently rubbed circles on it.
"I... I... I was so helpless," continued Ochako, "I couldn't do anything, and in the end, you had to risk your life for mine. I... I was so weak... I... I don't think I even deserve to dat-"
"Shh," silenced Izuku, already knowing where Ochako's mind was heading towards, "Don't say that at all. You're not weak. You went toe to toe against Bakugo without hesitation and even made him acknowledge your strength, which is something that's very rare. I know that you're strong and compassionate. Shigaraki caught us all off guard. I blame myself for not catching him in time before he grabbed you."
"I do too," sighed Itsuka
"It wasn't your fault!" whimpered Ochako, "Wasn't any of your faults!"
"Next time, though, I'll show him not to mess with any of us. We'll all show him and his League of Villains that we heroes will bring them to justice," finished Izuku, "So don't blame yourself. Use this to motivate yourself to never find yourself in that position again. I certainly am."
Ochako nodded as she slowly fell asleep, still clutching onto Izuku. The others all fell asleep soon afterward.
Soon, the end of the first term came to a close on April 20th. The training boot camp hadn't been canceled, but rather relocated to a different location that none of the students would know until they actually arrived so as to throw off the villains in case they wanted to try to attack them again. Summer vacation was upon them all, consisting of 40 days of vacation time. However, the Heroics course would be working through the summer vacation, but they were at least allowed seven days off before they would be attending the training camp on the 27h.
Izuku had been walking out of the classroom, having finished up his duties as vice-rep for the class, when he saw Toshinori carrying luggages with him.
"Ah, perfect, just who I wanted to see!" exclaimed Toshinori, "Will you be busy in the next three days?"
"Not that I know of," hummed Izuku, who had planned to use those days to take the girls on individual dates.
"Good! Now then, I'm heading to I-Island for the I-Expo as well as some personal business, and I was hoping you would come with me! I received an invitation, and I can bring a plus one!"
"I-Island... wait you can't mean that I-Expo!?" Izuku nearly shrieked, "The world-class exposition showcasing the research and development at I-Island, where they lead in Quirk development? I'd love to go!"
"Good, I've already informed your mother about the trip, and she said you can go. And... we kind of have to leave immediately if we're going to catch our flight. Don't forget your hero suit, I already have your other clothes with me from your mom," said Toshinori nervously.
"Say what!?"