48"Well, that was quite a disappointing session," Aizawa said with a disappointed glare directed at everyone.
Izuku shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his mind running to the conversation he had before.
"Just from that brief interaction, I can say this with confidence—you guys aren't ready to become heroes, not yet, anyways. You will have another team-exercise tomorrow, but I won't be the instructor there…"
Yes! I can finally show my quirk for real! Izuku thought with a determined look.
He wanted to be a hero, and if he couldn't even show his quirk…. No. He would use it this time, no matter the consequence.
"Really? Who's our teacher?" A frog-looking girl asked from behind him.
Aizawa grimaced. "You'll see."
Izuku glanced at the clock.
8:00 A.M.
"Crap! I need to go!
"Did you pack your lunch?" His mom's voice rang from within the kitchen.
"Yes! Bye!"
Izuku ran out of his house eagerly, his speed boosted by his excitement and the fear of arriving late. The silver cord attached to his chest wiggled relentlessly as the green-haired boy propelled his legs with all of his might.
Left. Right. Straight. Left again.
He was excited because today was the day he could finally use his quirk. Aizawa's words from yesterday had rang in his ears for the entire night. Why would they be afraid of his quirk? Bakugo could literally create explosions similar to stacks of dynamite in a mere second, what did he compare to that?
Besides, it's not like Izuku had to use his quirk. Considering Aizawa said it was a team-based activity, he might be better off notusing it at all. Either way, it wouldn't matter. He came to UA to learn. And how could he learn if he never used his quirk?
That's right. I'm going to use my quirk today no matter what!
That is, if he got to UA first.
"Where am I?" Izuku managed out as he looked around himself.
A random street, but one he recognized. It was a good thing he only took one wrong turn, or else he seriously would've been late to class.
He felt a slight rumbling under his feet. Izuku paused. He looked around himself. It was the usual—people walking, cars driving, and the general hustle of the city. The rumbling only got louder, and louder, and then…
"SWWCHH—"
A paining, ear-splitting noise pierced through his soul. It wasn't like a cat's nails scratching the door, or a rough eraser on paper, no, it was worse. A sword pierced through the road to the side of him. On closer inspection, it wasn't just any sword, it was a katana.
The shock kept Izuku still.
Everyone else swerved their necks to see the spectacle. A katana sticking out in the middle of nowhere? Why? The car in front of the katana continued honking away, its slick, smooth surface reflecting the katana dangerously on its hood. The man got out of his car in annoyance, shutting the door he opened vigorously. Izuku held his breath, and so did the small crowd which gathered around the spectacle.
It seemed innocent at first glance. In a world where a majority have quirks, a simple katana embedded into the ground was harmless enough. Testing his luck, the man placed a hand on the sword. In hindsight, that was clearly not that smart of an idea.
The rest of the earth around the katana gave away.
Fragments of road blasted apart as the katana seemed to elongate—no…it was simply revealing itself to be larger, part of something more. The smoke of dust slowly disappeared, revealing something wicked behind it.
The person was dressed in a dark trench coat, the thick cloth stretching till a bit below his waist. The similarly black hat placed on its head, along with black pants in the mix. Izuku trembled in fear as he felt his feet falter. He needed to run. But something stopped him.
The katana attached to his left hand, and the one piercing through his own head, coupled with the one sword deep inside a man's body, covering the glinting metal with ruby blood, brought him back to the investigation he had yesterday. What were the chances? It was the exact same person Principal Nezu had shown him.
Well, that didn't matter at all, did it?
Izuku wasn't even near a level where he could beat real villains. It was his second day of school! No…he needed to run. For his own survival.
"My suspicions were true…Deku, you need to end this man."
What? Me? Fight? This monstrosity?
The dog living in his chest actually spoke for the first time in a while. Ever since the alleyway incident, it had remained silent. Izuku had tried speaking to it before, but he had no response. For it to speak now…this monster before him had to be something important.
This is a hero's job! I can't do this on my own, I'm technically not allowed to use my quirk here! Izuku thought back violently.
Screams echoed shortly after. The katana-thing continued to remain still, before dropping the man to the floor. Was he dead? Someone seriously needed to inform heroes. Another scream. People exited their cars in panic, running from the monster with urgency. An aura of panic and fear washed over Izuku, dowsing him in the horrible situation. The smell of death, and the premonition of more to come.
"I sense your fear, Deku."
Izuku began walking backwards. He could feel it too.
"Do you want it to go away?"
His walk became a jog. A weird sense of déja vu flooded the teen.
"Pull me."
Izuku stopped jogging.
He was a hero. What kind of hero would let innocents in front of him, knowing he could have changed the result? What kind of hero would run away without second thought? What kind of hero would let emotions like fear trample him without any fight back?
A faker.
The one thing Izuku never wanted to be.
He put a sole finger under his shirt, and with a final, deep breath…
Izuku pulled.
BRUMMMM-BRUMMM-BRUMMMMM-BRRRRR
Chainsaws replaced his once feeble arms, his head was replaced with a chainsaw of its own, but Izuku could still see. He crossed the distance between himself and the Katana-thing with a few steps. The devil moved its head in surprise, unable to react in time. Izuku immediately dug a chainsaw into its body, already seeing an image of him cutting through the waist of the devil in one, quick slice.
But that didn't happen.
His own chainsaw got caught in the crook of two katanas placed expertly to the sides of his weapon, and before Izuku could move his other hand over, he was roughly kicked in the stomach by a black boot. He gasped in pain, a rustic sound coming out of his…mouth? He was knocked back a few meters, but managed to gather his footing.
"The Katana Man has abilities similar to your own. As of now, you have zero chance of winning."
THEN WHY DID YOU MAKE ME FIGHT HIM? Izuku shouted in his mind, panting as the devil rushed forward once more.
Izuku met him in the middle, his spinning chainsaws clashing with the still, serene katanas opposing him. Sparks flew as the fight continued to ravage the streets of Mustafu.
He never was too interested in martial arts, but he seriously wished he had taken the lessons in the local dojo when he had the chance. While his chainsaws were superior to the katanas on his opponent, the man simply was more experienced at fighting. It was becoming painfully clear that he was entirely outclassed. This wasn't a fight, it was suicide.
But Izuku didn't stop. If he needed to beat this devil, he couldn't do it in a straight fight. He needed to find a weakness, if any were even there.
Izuky lunged to the left as a katana cut through the air of where he previously was. But he didn't manage to dodge it fully, for the katana sliced through a piece of his torso, bringing out crimson blood for the world to see. But that didn't matter. He responded similarly, lunging forward with chainsaws of his own.
I've got you! Izuku yelled inwardly.
The Katana Man's footing was off.
The second his chainsaws were about to tear through the man's waist, he bent his entire body backwards. It was so unnatural, so freaky, and so unexpected that Izuku tripped past him entirely. His momentum didn't stop, however, and Izuku rolled and rolled onto the asphalt road, before a…branch stopped him.
"Have no fear citizens! Kamui Woods is here! These villains stand no chance at all!"
Kamui Woods?! Villains?!
Izuku quickly felt branches surrounding his body, enclosing him in a cocoon of wood. The cold wood covered every part of his body except for his head, allowing him to breath. The cold eyes of Kamui under his wooden mask stared at him with detest.
He pointed a finger at Izuku, and spoke with a haughty tone. "Do not try anything, villain! I am here to apprehend you if you do."
Was he trying to speak like All Might? Whatever, it didn't matter.
"I'm not a villain!" Izuku's voice, a creeching mess, somehow managed out.
The hero snorted. "Hmph. As expected from a villain of your caliber. Enough. I will have to deal with your friend first." Kamui raised a hand to his ear behind his mask, an annoyed look coming on his eyes. "Yes, yes. I've got one, Yu. And you? Hmm…I see. Backup? No…I'll finish it off myself."
Kamui left him like so, running towards Katana Man with a bounce in his step.
Izuku shouted loudly, begging to be released, but the hero paid him no attention. He needed to get out of this binding. Fortunately enough, it would appear that his quirk was made for cutting. Literally. He aimed his head downwards, the chainsaw which protruded outwards cleanly cutting through the wood binding his chest. With a strained gasp, he pulled his hands out, cutting through the remaining cocoon with his quirk.
He needed to help Kamui Woods. With a frantic look in his eyes, Izuku rushed towards the commotion ahead.
Kamui was surprised at how agile his opponent was. His quirk only seemed to be the transformation itself, so how was he moving so quickly? Whatever, it looked better on camera anyways.
He threw a bundle of branches straight at the man, who leaped upwards onto the attack itself, each second covering several meters at once. Kamui released his assault and retreated a few steps.
If this revolves into close combat, it won't end well for me. I need to keep my range!
And Kamui was sure the villain knew that as well.
Seeing his enemy coming, Kamui yelled his next move.
"Lacquered Chain Prison!"
An assortment of branches erupted from his hands and surrounded the man in a strong binding with lightning speed, covering him from the rest of the world. The villain struggled, but in the end remained still. Kamui let his hands down in exhaustion.
Kamui went to his knees. "Finally…"
SWIP! SWIP!
Katanas sliced through his wood in two quick motions, leaving a gaping hole in his makeshift prison.
Kamui made a mistake. He should have asked for backup. Getting up on his legs, he prepared to fight back against the monster that was slowly walking towards him, katanas menacingly pointing at him.
The sound of turning chainsaws filled his ears.
"Let me help, sir. I'm an UA student, not a villain."
The uniform was indeed UA's, but that wasn't complete confirmation.
Kamui stared into the eyes of the devil itself.
He saw something more than just the chainsaws…
Determination.
He could refuse, but that would mean his own death. Why not take the chance?
"Let's do this then, Chainsaw Kid," Kamui said, putting his hands together.
A scary, metallic grunt responded in confirmation.
Izuku looked at the approaching villain in apprehension, before rushing forwards. Kamui released a torrent of wood at the same time, running parallel to himself. Using the opportunity, Izuku hid behind the branches, before jumping out at the last second.
Katana Man sliced through the incoming barrage of wood, but even he wasn't aware of Izuku's own attack. Izuku brought a chainsaw straight to his head, but only managed to gash his chest. But a hit was a hit, especially when it was delivered by a chainsaw.
Izuku looked at his own hand in awe, with Kamui's help, he could do this!
He dashed towards the devil without any hesitation, finding himself in another lock of weapons.
Katana versus chainsaw.
Kamui Woods didn't let the bout last for long. "Watch out!"
Izuku leaped backwards as Kamui's signature attack flooded the streets from below him, its aim true in nature.
Kamui came beside him. "This guy is tough."
Tell me something I don't know. Izuku grumbled in his head. The cut on his side had somehow healed, but the pain managed to linger.
"Instead of multiple branches, can you make stronger, thicker ones?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, I can, but what's the point if he can chop them apart anyways?"
By the time Kamui finished his question Izuku was already running. Trusting that Kamui would heed his words, he began his own assault.
Sure enough, a thick, meter long plank of wood began moving beside him, both of them sharing the same target. Izuku urges his pace, urging his legs to move faster and push stronger.
As expected, Katana Man did the same move as always, leaping upwards as a means to dodge the tree entirely, and at the same time preparing for Izuku's own move.
But Izuku was ready.
Bending his knees, he jumped onto the mobile branch next to him.
Kamui gasped. "What the—"
Izuku struggled to maintain his balance; having to stay upright on branches that were moving so quickly was more than tough. But somehow he managed, and before long, he had a makeshift surfboard.
The branch soared into the air, bringing a nimble teen along with it.
Izuku roared in excitement. He did it!
But the tough part was yet to come.
3…
2…
1…
NOW!
He vaulted himself into the air with a running start, directly into the Katana Man. Chainsaws facing forwards, he yelled with satisfaction as his saws dug into the unsuspecting villain.
When Katana Man jumped, he had practically trapped himself—there was no way to move while in midair.
A fight broke out while both of them were falling. Katana Man pushed and slashed, but Izuku relented, he needed to get Katana Man to the ground. A few seconds later, both of them fell to the road with a loud thud.
Izuku groaned in pain, but didn't let go of the chainsaws. He continued to spin them sharply, not letting a millisecond go to waste.
Tentacles of wood came past him and onto the Katana Man, swallowing him up in a wave of nature. This time, the branches made sure to immobilize both hands of the villain, attaching the katanas to the rough asphalt.
"That wasn't too bad, right?" Kamui questioned from behind him. "Good job, kid. I—"
Izuku let go of his hold, his transformation dying midway out of sheer exhaustion.
The sound of police sirens was the only thing he heard before he passed out.
"Awake?"
Izuku drowsily opened his eyes, not sure of his surroundings. He put some energy into his arms, bringing his upper body up.
"Where am I?" He asked.
"UA High School. Medic Room. It's the least I could do after you helped me, right?"
Izuku blinked.
He fought with Kamui Woods.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I just fought with a hero! Kamui Woods at that! I'm a big fan actually, I've been keeping track of you ever since your first fight with Big Claw a few years ago!" Izuku gushed, eyes comically wide.
Kamui sweatdropped. This is the same person I thought was a villain?
The hero waved his hands. "You're a fanboy then?"
Izuku nodded, confused. "Of course I am."
Kamui Woods sighed. "Why did you get into the fight to begin with?"
Images of the Katana Man entered Izuku's head, reliving the entire experience in a span of two seconds. Further images of the dead body in the man's hands came soon after.
"H-he killed someone. I couldn't just let him…go like that," Izuku responded, head down.
"First of all, that man isn't dead," Kamui informed.
"What?!"
"Well, he should have been, but his quirk was something related to healing, and he managed to survive. But forget that, you used your quirk in public, whether it was for self defense or not. I don't blame you, but someone needs to report this, kid," Kamui said, hands on his mask in a tired manner.
Izuku felt his heart drop. "Am I in trouble?"
"Technically speaking, you are still a minor. This would've been a whole different situation if there was an adult in your place. Plus you kind of saved my life, assuming I couldn't have handled the villain by myself, so I'm willing to let this one slide."
Well, that couldn't have turned out any better.
Izuku smiled, grateful. "What happened to the villain?"
Kamui's eyes hardened. "We managed to detain him. The entire city had a series of attacks at once, which is why the hero force was late to arrive. There seems to be a higher power over these villains, controlling where they attacked. Not good, not good at all. Enough—you're just a student. Don't care too much about this yet. Once you become a pro, I'll welcome you at my agency, if you want. For now, get back to class."
"What if they ask why I'm late?"
"I've got that covered. All the teachers know what happened by now, but just tell the other students you were late, or something."
Izuku swallowed the fear in his throat.
Thank goodness nothing worse happened. If Kamui hadn't come in the middle…
"Thanks a lot sir!" Izuku barked, saluting on the spot.
Kamui made his way out. "Make sure to spread the word! Kamui Woods, future top ten hero!"
Recovery Girl quickly checked him over one last time, before issuing him to leave.
My bag… Izuku realized. He must have left it back at the fight.
"Your bag? Oh, Kamui left it here for you," Recovery Girl said, reading his mind.
Izuku hauled the bag over his shoulder, grateful once again for the hero's thoughtfulness.
He needed to get back to class.
…
"You missed so much, Midoriya-san!" Ochako exclaimed with an exaggerated expression.
Izuku took a step back, surprised. "R-really?"
Ochako continued, full force. "You wouldn't believe who our teacher was!"
Whoever it was had to be quite popular, or else the entire class wouldn't be chattering with that stargazed expression for this long. The hero had to be someone in the top ten. So why not guess for the number one? All Might did send him the message during the entrance examination anyways.
"All Might?
"W-what!? How did you know?" Ochako asked, clearly startled.
"Uh—I just guessed."
"Well, he did teach us! It was, like, so cool! He put us in teams and made us play capture the flag, sorta. Me and Iida actually won! All Might praised me for how I played, cool right?"
Izuku felt the start of a headache slowly take over.
He didn't really have the same enthusiasm as he once did.
"Yo Midoriya-san! Why'd you come late?" Denki Kaminari asked as he entered the classroom.
Well, here goes. "I was actually feeling unwell in my stomach, so I visited the doctor this morning. I'm much better now though, so I decided to just come."
Please tell me that was convincing.
Kaminari gave a thumbs-up. "Hehe, no problem. Anyways, you missed an awesome class with All Might!"
Izuku wasn't very interested but wanted to talk anyway. "Yeah I heard, what were the teams?"
"Well, it was me and—"
Another voice interrupted him. "Hey, Deku."
And there he is.
"Kacchan."
Bakugo sneered. "How long are you going to stay here?"
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked, confused.
"You're quirkless. Isn't that why you didn't come today, too scared for everyone to realize you don't have a quirk?"
Oh right. He still thinks I don't have a quirk.
"Deku does have a- " Ochako began, immediately cut off by Izuku himself.
Izuku stepped forward, matching the blond boy in height. "I do have a quirk."
Sparks flew from the blond's hands. "Then show it."
Oh, he was tempted. He was so tempted to pull the trigger and prove the boy in front of him wrong. Prove his friend wrong. That's what he had been trying to do his entire life.
But control mattered more.
The hand sneaking up to his chest dropped.
A smile came over Izuku's face. "I don't want to."
Bakugo snorted. "Hmph. That's what I thought."
"That's not the right manner to speak to friends, Katsuki-san!" Iida droned from the other side of the classroom.
"Shut it, side character!" Bakugo growled.
The spiky blond seemed to have been satisfied with his part, and promptly sat on his chair, legs on top of the desk. Iida, quite predictably, immediately began ranting.
"I thought you and Bakugo were friends," Ochako said.
Izuku grimaced. "It's…complicated."
And that was an understatement.
"Okay…anyways, I'll be going now," Ochako said, waving goodbye.
Most probably to change. Dang it, I couldn't see my hero suit. Izuku realized.
He had requested something with vibrant green, to match his hair, but Izuku was the first to admit that a suit really wasn't required for a quirk like his. Honestly, it would most probably hinder him if anything. Although a heat resistant suit would certainly be useful to have. But considering how his quirk managed to make him regenerate somehow, it didn't seem to matter too much.
The rest of the day went along swiftly with normal classes. After the adrenaline-filled fight with Katana Man, and the teamwork he had done with Kamui Woods himself, everything else just happened to feel boring, or otherwise tedious.
The fight, the split second decisions that chose the difference between life and death, the overwhelming feeling of joy when he managed to hit the villain…it was intoxicating.
Dare he say, addicting.
Izuku went home that day in a good mood.
"How is it like being taught by All Might?" A reporter asked rapidly, urging a mic towards Izuku's face.
Izuku sweatdropped. "I'm in the Support Class, I wouldn't know."
The reporter's face dropped, before her eyes locked onto another student.
"Get out of my way, extras!" Bakugo yelled as he made his way through the gathered crowd.
"It's the kid from the sludge incident!"
Izuku had expected that All Might's presence in a school would certainly attract attention, but he didn't think the reporters would gather at the gates of the school of all places. Regardless, the public would certainly question the decision by their No.1 Hero viciously. Why would such a person waste their time trying to teach some upstart students? Izuku personally had the same question, but didn't dare question it.
He couldn't care less about what All Might wanted to say.
He made his way into class with a sigh, plopping his back next to the chair.
"All right, pick a president."
What.
It was one day after the whole Katana Man gwas finally getting back to the classroom groove. And then this had to happen.
The class erupted into an instantaneous wave of speeches, everyone wanting to be the class president.
"I wanna be class president!"
"Me, me!"
"The position was practically made for me!"
Izuku also felt like the position would be fun. It would certainly be useful in the future, being class president in UA High School of all places was a good addition to his own portfolio. An overall good foundation for someone wanting to make it big in the heroic department.
Even Bakugo seemed pumped.
"Enough!" A brazen voice pierced through everyone with a single word.
Tenya Iida places a hand on his glasses, pushing them up exaggeratingly. "The position of class president isn't a mere joke! It serves as the symbol of a general consensus and trust in one individual. Only someone with the ability and the capability to run the position should have the job! And thus the only solution is to settle this with a vote!"
And the vote happened.
"Zero?!" Iida exclaimed with a shocked expression.
Izuku was similarly shocked. "Two votes?"
Who voted for me? I wasn't even present during the Team Exercise yesterday!
Tenya Iida offered a hand. "Congratulations Midoriya, you have bested me."
"That makes President Yaoyorozu and Vice-President Midoriya!"
Bakugo glared. "Deku? Who the hell voted for him?"
Izuku couldn't blame him.
Twenty minutes later, they found themselves in the cafeteria.
"Vice-President Midoriya, thank you for sitting next to us!" Ochako said, chuckling.
Izuku rolled his eyes, instead eating a rice ball on his plate. "I don't even know how I got the position, to be honest."
"Self awareness is a good quality, Midoriya. It makes sense why you are vice-president, Yaoyorozu, however, I'm not as sure…"
"And why wouldn't you be, Iida?" Yaoyorozu interrupted from behind them.
Speak of the devil.
Iida looked startled for a brief second, before returning to normal. "I haven't talked to you as much, and therefore cannot make an assumption so early. In terms of combat as well, your quirk is quite useful, but I don't know whether or not you are reliable."
"Then couldn't you say the same for Midoriya? He hasn't actually fought with you either. You don't even know his quirk," Yaoyorozu stated in a passive manner.
Why did my name end up being said? Izuku thought, dreading the upcoming conversation.
Iida nodded, accepting the point. "What exactly is your quirk, Midoriya?"
"Uhhh—"
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
"Security Level 3 has been breached. Students, please promptly evacuate," a monotone, robotic voice alerted.
"Someone has infiltrated the school grounds! Everyone run!"
"What?!"
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
"Stop pushing!"
Izuku quickly got onto the cafeteria desks, avoiding the sudden surge of students towards the exits. Ochako and Iida both got swallowed in, but managed to stay relatively near.
A security breach, here? With news of All Might as a teacher? No way that's true…unless…
Izuku's eyes widened.
"President Yaoyorozu! Make a loudspeaker!" Izuku yelled, making sure to be heard in the commotion around them.
"What?"
"Quickly!"
Yaoyorozu struggled to get out of the crowd, but did it anyway. Red and blue particles collided and reacted around her hand to produce the desired object.
Wow, that's cool.
She threw the object into the air, which quickly found its place in Izuku's hands.
"EVERYONE! THERE HAS NOT BEEN A BREACH," Izuku shouted into the loudspeaker, his voice amplified a dozen times.
"What?"
"What does he mean?"
"IT'S JUST THE PRESS! THERE'S NO NEED TO EVACUATE, LOOK OUTSIDE IF YOU WANT!"
And just like that, the entire cafeteria managed to quiet down to a few hushed conversations.
It was amazing how much power a few words could hold.
They went back to their classrooms soon after.
"Good job, Midoriya," Hanta Sero said with a brief round of applause.
"At least we know why he's the Vice President!" Ochako exclaimed.
Izuku looked embarrassed at the praise. "I just did what I was supposed to do."
Classes ended quickly, leaving Izuku thinking about his afternoon.
Ochako tapped his shoulder. "Midoriya!"
"Hmm?" Izuku asked, trying not to blush at the proximity.
"Me and some of the others are going to a café after this, wanna come? It will be, like, so fun!"
"Yes, Midoriya! I find it a good way to increase our knowledge of another for further help in future battles!" Iida stated, glasses shining.
I'll guess all the stacked up pocket money finally found its use. "Yeah, sure!"
AN:
Woah, it's been a long time since I've updated. To tell the truth, I've been stuck writing exams for the last few months. And I've got my GCSEs next month. So anymore updates isn't a certainty—I haven't reached a point where I can safely issue a schedule yet.
This story is definitely a passion project and more of a side hobby than anything, and doesn't take precedence over my studies.
But for now, enjoy the chapter! The long awaited USJ Incident coming next! Trust me, it's gonna be epic.
As always, please follow and review! All reviews accepted.
Cya' next chapter,
PaladinKaladin.