Chapter 8: What I Can Do for Now
A scoreboard of the exam is shown in the dark observation room.
"Hey, Tetsutetsu's up there!" Kirishima pointed out.
"Tokoyami, you're up there, too." Asui turned to him.
"So is Kendo." Yaoyorozu added.
"I can't believe he got 1st place with no rescue points. The faux villains acquire their targets and draw them near." someone explained watching Bakugo beating up many robots. Watching Midoriya take down the giant robot, the person adding, "In contrast, there's the 7th place student with zero villain points. There have been other examinees who took on the large villain in the past."
"That just proves you two are different in every way." Kaminari observed.
"What's that supposed to mean, Dunce Face?" Bakugo shouted.
"It means you and Midoriya think differently. You both had zero points in a different category." Todoroki explained.
"Just shut up Half n' Half! Or I'll kill you!"
"-a young child whose quirk just manifested." someone questioned. A man wearing all black with a gray scarf on watched from the back of the room.
Opening plays.
"It's Aizawa Sensei!" Ashido exclaimed.
"Since Midoriya narrated about high school beginning, you think we shall see the rest of our class this episode?!" Aoyama wondered.
"I hope so!" Hagakure agreed.
"Seeing how class doesn't start until April and it is still February there, maybe…?" Yaoyorozu somewhat answered.
"Yao-momo, it skipped a whole week." Jiro reminded her.
"That is true." Yaoyorozu realized.
All Might stood on the now clean beach in his true form, watching the waves.
"The night after I opened my acceptance letter, that person contacted me." Midoriya narrated while he ran to the beach.
All Might turned around to see Midoriya stop running.
"All Might!" Midoriya cried out, making All Might spit out blood.
"Who's that?" All Might exclaimed.
"All Might?"
Two people somewhere in the distance heard Midoriya's cry.
"No way! Where?"
"You were not good at this." Sero shook his head.
"How'd you manage to keep it from us all this time?" Ashido cried.
"I honestly don't know." Midoriya confessed.
"-had the wrong person!" Midoriya yelled out, the person disappointed.
All Might and Midoriya sighed when they convinced the people they were wrong. All Might held out his hand for a high five for Midoriya
"Congrats on getting accepted." All Might smiled.
"Th-Thank you very much!" Midoriya replied, returning it.
"Just so you know, I didn't tell the school about my connection to you. You're the type that would think that's cheating, right? I wasn't one of the judges." All Might explained.
"Th-Thank you for your concern! But I was surprised to find out that you were a teacher at U.A. So that's why you came here, huh?" Midoriya bowed, gushing.
"Stop that!" All Might exclaimed. When Midoriya stopped, All Might explained, "I couldn't tell anyone before the school announced it. I just happened to be offered a job from U.A. when I was searching for a successor."
"So, one of us could have been your successor, too?" Kirishima realized.
"Yes, but mostly, one of the third years, preferably, Young Togata." All Might sighed.
"Midoriya got lucky meeting you." Tokoyami confirmed.
'He was originally planning on choosing one of the students. One of the students gifted with an amazing quirk.' Midoriya thought, staring down at his hands. Out loud, he told All Might, "One for All broke my body when I used it.
"That can't be helped. It's like if you asked a person who suddenly grew a tail to do a trick." All Might noted.
A few glanced in Ojiro's direction.
"What?" Ojiro asked, making them glance back at the TV again.
Midoriya agreed, asking, "Did you know this would happen?"
"Well, there wasn't any time. But it turned out all right. It turned out 'all might'!' All Might answered.
"A+ dad joke All Might!" Kaminari laughed.
"Guess that confirms my theory." Todoroki whispered.
"What theory?" Midoriya questioned.
"That All Might's your father." Todoroki answered.
"What?! No he's-He just-I mean-" Midoriya stuttered.
"Just watch…" Jiro begged.
-you'll be able to adjust to what your body can handle." All Might explained, picking up two cans on the beach.
"Control?!" Midoriya exclaimed.
An imagery of a broken glass, All Might's advice of, "The more you train a vessel, the more you'll be able to move the power freely."
An imagery of larger, stronger glass before All Might crushed the two cans, using the muscle from his muscle form.
"Like this." All Might finished, Midoriya staring at him before nodding.
"Wait, is that All Might?!"
"No way! When did he get here?!"
"Let's go, Young Midoriya!" All Might called as he started running.
"You and All Might weren't very good at that." Asui smiled.
"That's my bad." All Might chuckled.
'-but in the future, it'll be exposed to wind and rain and grow even bigger. And then, I will slowly become weak and disappear, and I will finish my job.' All Might thought to himself about his quirk for Midoriya, glancing back at him as they ran.
"Wait, you'll disappear?" Bakugo shouted.
"Not from existence, no, just my ability to be a hero." All Might comforted.
"Like you are now." Sero said, a little sad note to it.
Title screen 'Episode 5: What I Can Do for Now'
"Izuku, do you have your tissue?" Midoriya's mother asked him, his new U.A. uniform on as he got ready for school.
"Yeah." Midoriya replied at the front door.
"And your handkerchief? What about your handkerchief? Your hanky?" his mother questioned him again.
"I have it! I'm going to be late. I have to hurry." Midoriya grabbed his bag, opening the door slightly.
"Izuku!" his mother called.
"What is it?" Midoriya turned to see his mother staring at the ground with tears in her eyes before she looked up at him, smiling wholesomely.
"You're really cool."
Midoriya gaped at his mother's words.
"That was the beginning of my high school career." Midoriya narrated.
"I'm off!" Midoriya smiled.
"The acceptance rate for U.A. High's hero course is less than one in 300 every year. Other than the 4 people admitted through recommendations, 36 are admitted through the regular exam. Those 36 are split into only two classes, with 18 in each." Midoriya narrated while Midoriya ran to U.A., looking for his classroom.
"Oh, do you think this is when we'll finally see everyone else!" Ashido bounced.
"Hopefully." Kaminari agreed.
"There it is! The door's huge! Is it for accessibility…? The elite chosen from the huge number at the exam." Midoriya muttered to himself, standing outside the door to the classroom labeled 'Class 1-A'. Two bubble thoughts appear from Midoriya's mind; Bakugo and the glasses student before he shakes them from his mind, hoping, 'I hope I'm not in the same class as the scary peopl-'
Midoriya began to open the door to the classroom before an outburst.
"Don't put your feet on the desk!" the glasses student ordered.
"Huh?" Bakugo grinned in his seat.
"You do not have the best of luck, do you, Midoriya?" Tokoyami glanced at him.
"Iida, I'm sorry I thought about you like that!" Midoriya bowed.
"I understand, Midoriya." Iida replied.
"Why'd you imagine me with fangs, Deku?" Bakugo glared at Midoriya, who sat back in his seat.
"-junior high did you go to, you side character?" Bakugo remarked at the glasses student.
'The top two?' Midoriya winced.
The glasses student paused before explaining, "I attended Somei Private Academy. My name is Tenya Iida."
"Somei? So you're a damn elite, huh? Looks like I'll have fun crushing you." Bakugo teased Iida.
"'Crushing'? That's cruel. Do you truely aim to be a hero?" Iida gaped.
"Tch!" Bakugo spat before glancing at the door, noticing Midoriya, Iida's eyes following.
"You're…" Iida began as the eyes of the class followed theirs.
Midoriya paused the screen as everyone gushed about themselves.
"Yes! I finally get to see me!" Ashido freaked out.
"Man, I look so good!" Kirishima said.
"I don't remember looking this dazzling on the first day." Aoyama winked.
"You can't even see my face!" Sero complained.
'Can we keep watching…' Jiro and Ojiro thought.
"What about me?!" Mineta complained.
Midoriya freaked out as the attention was on him.
"Oh, um…" Midoriya sweated.
"Good morning! I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is-" Iida started walking up to Midoriya.
"I know!" Midoriya cut him off, making Iida stop. Going on a kinder tone, Midoriya introduced, "I'm Midoriya. Nice to meet you, Iida."
"Midoriya, you realized there was something more to that practical exam, didn't you? I had no idea. I misjudged you! I hate to admit it, but you are better than me." Iida gritted his teeth.
"Sorry. I actually didn't realize anything." Midoriya admitted.
"Oh, that curly hair! You're the plain-looking one!" Uraraka exclaimed behind him.
Midoriya turned around and jumped when he saw her, panicking, 'The nice person! She looks good in a uniform…'
"You passed, just like Present Mic said! Of course you did! Your punch was amazing!" Uraraka complimented him, imitating his punch.
"Aw! How did I not notice this on the first day?" Ashido beamed.
"They are so cute together." Hagakure gushed.
"UH! It's-I-We-" Midoriya stuttered while Uraraka smiled.
"-you know about that?" Uraraka asked Midoriya when he thanked her for going to Present Mic about the points.
"Oh, uh, that's because…" Midoriya started while Bakugo glared at them.
"I can't believe we have 2 students from out school matriculating into U.A.! Especially you, Midoriya! It's a miracle!" a teacher told Bakugo and Midoriya as they stood in his office. Midoriya looked down at the compliment while Bakugo scuffed at him.
Midoriya got pushed against a wall, Bakugo grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.
"What dirty tricks did you use to get in, huh?! 'The first student from his school to go to U.A.'. My future plan has be torn to pieces. I told you to go somewhere else!" Bakugo yelled at Midoriya while shaking him before Midoriya grabbed Bakugo's hand, surprising him.
"Kacchan. Someone told me… 'You can become a hero'. That it was because of my own effort… Th-That's why…" Midoriya looked Bakugo in the eyes as he declared, "I'm going…!"
"Good job for standing up for yourself Deku!" Uraraka punched his arm softly while the class rooted for him.
Midoriya smiled while Bakugo stared at the TV.
'Something's definitely up.' Bakugo narrowed his eyes, looking away from the three.
"I wonder if today's just the entrance ceremony and orientation? I wonder what our teacher's like? Aren't you nervous?" Uraraka bounced.
'S-So close!' Midoriya hit his blushing face with his arms.
"Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends."
Midoriya gasped as he saw someone in a sleeping bag laying on the ground behind Uraraka. She turned around, and jumped when she saw him.
"This is the hero course." the man sighed, unzipping the sleeping bag to drink a juice pouch.
'S-Something's here?!' Iida, Uraraka and Midoriya gaped.
"I still can't believe to this day that Aizawa Sensei is our homeroom teacher, and this is the first impression I got from him." Midoriya admitted.
"You still could've been put into Class 1-B, Midoriya." Aizawa responded.
"Noooooo!" Uraraka whispered.
'A teacher? Which means, that person's a pro hero, too? But I've never seen a hero who looked that worn out before.' Midroiya thought while the man got out of his sleeping bag.
The teacher turned to his class, announcing unenthusiastically, "I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Nice to meet you."
'Homeroom teacher?!' Midoriya gasped.
"Now everyone's been on screen!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"But all you see of Yao-momo is her hair." Jiro pointed out.
"I'm sure it will show me again soon, Jiro." Yaoyorozu assured.
"-but put this on and go out onto the field." Aizawa instructed them, pulling out a gym outfit; all blue except for the letters 'U' and 'A' in white, red lines on the upper arms.
All Might; in his true form, in the teachers' lounge, looking over a notebook of the teachers.
'The U.A. system does not follow the beaten path. Depending on the homeroom teacher, even the first day can be…' All Might thought to himself.
"A quirk assessment test?!" the class exclaimed as they got to the field, Aizawa telling them they'd be doing one.
What about the entrance ceremony? The orientation?" Uraraka asked.
"If you're going to be a hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events." Aizawa replied while his class gasped. When they were quiet, Aizawa explained, "U.A.'s selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are. That's also how the teachers run their class. You kids have been doing these since junior high school, too, right?"
Aizawa held up his phone, continuing.
"Physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your quirks. The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their quirks. It's not rational. Well, the Ministry of Education is procrastinating."
Turning to Bakugo, Aizawa asked, "Bakugo, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right? In junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?"
The class looked at him as he answered, "67 meters."
"Then, try doing it with your quirk." Aizawa instructed.
Bakugo stood on a circle drawn out in the field.
"You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle." Aizawa told him.
"Then, well…" Bakugo stretched his arms, smirking, 'I'll add a blast to the pitch.'
He threw the ball with his explosion quirk as hard as he could, yelling, "Die…!"
'Die?' Midoriya questioned.
"Midoriya, were you really that surprised when he said 'die'?" Sero chuckled.
The ball fell to the ground while Aizawa turned to the class again, saying, "That is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero."
He showed the class Bakugo's score on his phone, reading 705.2 meters.
"705 meters? Seriously?" a blond with a black streak in his hair exclaimed.
"What's this? It looks fun!" a girl with pink hair and skin beamed.
"We can use our quirks as much as we want! As expected from the hero course!" a guy with black hair noted.
"My first line!" Kaminari, Ashido and Sero exclaimed at the same time.
"'It looks fun,' huh? You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?" Aizawa questioned. The class got quiet while Aizawa stated, "All right. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion."
"Huh?!"
"I still wonder why you all didn't think he was lying." Yaoyorozu questioned.
"Well, Aizawa Sensei is known for expelling students on their first day." Kaminari replied.
"And when I found out I was last, I thought I was done for." Midoriya added.
'It wasn't an entire lie…' Aizawa looked from Yaoyorozu to Midoriya.
'Punished with expulsion?! Oh no. This is bad. In all eight tests?' Midoriya held his hand, panicking, 'I can only use One for All at either a 100 or zero percent. I can't control it yet…'
"We're free to do what we want about the circumstances of our students." Aizawa reminded them, grinning, "Welcome to U.A.'s hero course!"
'A huge test on the first day of school? What am I going to do?!' Midoriya gulped.
Uraraka stepped up, exclaiming, "Last place will be expelled? But it's the first day of school! No, even if it wasn't the first day of school, this is too unfair!"
"Aww, Uraraka looking out for Midoriya." Ashido uwued.
"We didn't know that Midoriya would be last." Iida pointed out.
"-covered with unfairness. Heroes are the ones who reverse those situations. If you wanted to go talk with your friends at Mickey D's after school, too bad. For the next three years, U.A. will do all it can to give you one hardship after another. Go beyond. Plus Ultra. Overcome it with all you've got." Aizawa explained, the class realizing while Iida took out a water bottle.
'This is too serious to be hazing.' he thought, 'However, this is the best of the best. There is no choice but to do it.' Iida declared.
Bakugo rolled his arm. 'This isn't all I've got.'
"All right, demonstration's over. The real thing starts now." Aizawa finished.
'Test 1: 50-meter dash'
Iida and a green-haired girl race each other.
'For 50 meters, I can only go up to 3rd gear…' Iida told himself as he finished.
'Tenya Iida. Quirk: Engine'
"Is that Mic Sensei's voice explaining Iida's quirk…?" Ojiro questioned.
"It is!" Ashido exclaimed.
"Why is he explaining…?" Yaoyorozu wondered.
'Tsuyu Asui: 5.58 seconds'
"Ribbit." the green-haired girl named Asui croaked.
"They introduced you, Tsu!" Uraraka beamed at her.
"Ribbit!" Asui smiled.
'Ochaco Uraraka. Quirk: Zero Gravity'
Uraraka and a guy with a tail raced next.
As she crossed the finish line, Uraraka smiled at her time while she put her fingers together, noting, 'Oh, but that's faster than I was in junior high!'
The blond from Midoriya's group in the entrance exam and the pink-skinned girl raced.
"Everyone, you're not being creative enough. I'll show you what it's like…" the blond presumed as he shot a laser out from his belt, finishing, "...to be allowed to use you quirk!"
'Yuga Aoyama. Quirk: Naval Laser'
"I saw they got a nice shot." Aoyama flipped his hair.
"If I shoot for more than a second, I get a stomachache." Aoyama explained to four students behind him.
'What the heck?' the students questioned.
"I should've brought my notebook down here." Midoriya whispered to himself.
"Why didn't they explain my quirk?!" Ashido complained.
"You'll get your turn eventually." Aoyama patted her back replied.
'-clear what you can and can't do.' Aizawa thought, watching the five before looking at the race line, Midoriya and Bakugo racing next, noting, 'That will connect to the creativity needed for you to survive.'
"Explosive speed!" Bakugo yelled, exploding towards the finish line.
'Katsuki Bakugo. Quirk: Explosion'
Bakugo looked in Midoriya's direction after they finished the race. 'Deku is…'
'There are 7 more tests. I'm sure everyone will use their quirks to produce some extraordinary result.' Midoriya thought.
"Deku, do you think you'd get a better score if you tried the tests again?" Uraraka asked him.
"Yeah, I'd definitely get a better score." Midoriya replied.
"This is why I should've known about his situation." Aizawa glared in All Might's direction.
"I said I was sorry!" All Might exclaimed.
"That doesn't change the past." Aizawa sighed.
'-have the image in my head, when I have to actually use it…' Midoriya thought about control.
At the beach, months before school, All Might and Midoriya successfully fled the citizens and were getting back to their quirk.
"The trick to controlling it is…" All Might advised as he shouted, "...feeling!"
"Wow, that's All Might for you!" Midoriya gushed.
"You've already pulled out the 100%." All Might reminded Midoriya.
"It destroyed me, though." Midoriya remarked.
"But now that you have, it'll be easy. You should've already grasped the feeling. What was it like?" All Might asked him.
Midoriya tried describing the feeling before deciding, "Like an egg put into a microwave!"
Ashido couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"Really… that's what it felt like…?" Kaminari laughed.
"It was all I could think of!" Midoriya protested.
"-image you have, then lower the wattage, or shorten the cook time. Anything's fine, just focus on the image of the egg not exploding." All Might explained.
'The image…?' Midoriya thought.
"You have three weeks until school starts. Keep focusing on that image. It won't happen overnight, but I'm sure you will be able to do it someday." All Might finished.
'Test 2: Grip strength'
'The image of the egg not exploding…' Midoriya breathed, thinking of the entrance exam, Midoriya squeezed the gripper in his hand. Looking at the kilograms, Midoriya read '56'.
"Wow!" someone exclaimed, getting Midoriya's attention. The gut with black hair stared at a guy with six arms as he gushed, "540 kilograms? What are you, a gorilla? Oh, an octopus?"
"Octopuses are sexy." a small boy with purple hair whispered.
"Yeah, my first line!" Mineta jumped.
The next couple tests go by, and Midoriya starts to feel less and less confident.
"Infinity?!" the class exclaimed during the 5th test; the ball throw. Uraraka had thrown the ball using her quirk, watching it fly into the atmosphere.
"That's amazing! She got 'infinity'!" the blond streaked hair gaped.
'This is bad. It's not something simple that I can do right away. Everyone's leaving at least one amazing result. All that's left is this, the long-distance run, sit-ups, and the seated toe-touch. It's now or never. At this rate, I'll be last.' Midoriya panicked. Standing in the circle, holding the ball while collecting his thoughts.
"It doesn't look good for Midoriya if he continues like this." Iida muttered.
"Huh? Of course not. He's a quirkless small fry, you know." Bakugo spat, getting Uraraka and Iida's attention.
Iida looked taken aback. "Quirkless?! Are you not aware of what he did in the entrance exam?"
"Huh?" Bakugo glared at Midoriya.
"You must have been really confused when you heard Midoriya had a quirk, huh?" Kirishima asked Bakugo.
"Like I care about the nerd…" Bakugo replied.
'It's about time, huh?' Aizawa thought.
'Izuku! You're really cool.'
'You can become a hero.'
'I'll definitely become one!' Midoriya declared, powering his arm with One for All to throw the ball before Aizawa's eyes flashed red. The ball landed on the ground.
"46 meters." a robot said, making Midoriya gap.
"I was definitely trying to use it just now…" Midoriya mumbled.
"I erased your quirk." Aizawa explained as his scarf wrapped around him.
"Aizawa Sensei looks a little scary." Kaminari murmured.
"I can look scarier if you want me to, Kaminari." Aizawa offered.
"No, sir!" Kaminari jumped.
"-like you was accepted." Aizawa scuffed about the entrance exam to Midoriya.
"You erased my quirk?" Midoriya repeated before realizing he was Eraser Head, who can erase others' quirk just by looking at them.
The class whispered to each other about Eraser Head while All Might looked around the corner, watching the class.
'That's right, Young Midoriya. He and I don't get along.' All Might gripped the wall
"From what I can tell, you can't control your quirk, can you? Do you intend to become incapacitated again and have someone save you?" Aizawa demanded Midoriya.
"Th-That's not my intention-" Midoriya began before Aizawa' scarf grasped Midoriya and pulled him closer to Aizawa.
"Whatever your intention, I'm saying that's what those around you will be forced to do. In the past, there was no oppressively passionate hero who saved over thousand people by himself and created a legend. Even if you have the same reckless valor, you'll just be decked and turn into a useless doll after saving one person. Izuku Midoriya. With your power, you can't become a hero." Aizawa lectured Midoriya.
"That's harsh…" Uraraka crossed her arms.
'It was, but at the time, I didn't know about Midoriya's past, if I had, though…' Aizawa agreed, sighing.
The class gasped while Aizawa released Midoriya, his scarf going back around his neck.
"I've returned your quirk. You have two turns for the ball throw. Hurry up and get it over with." Aizawa instructed, walking away from Midoriya.
"It looks like you received some advice." Iida observed.
"Are you worried about him?" Aoyama turned to Uraraka.
"Probably just telling him he's expelled." Bakugo responded.
"You guys didn't hear what he said?" Midoriya asked them.
"No, we had no idea what he told you." Iida confirmed.
"It was scary, though…" Koda shivered.
"What should I do? Which should I choose?" Midoriya mumbled, standing in the circle.
'Will he incorrigibly prepare for an honorable defeat here by using all his strength, or become intimidated and settle into last place? No matter which he chooses, he has no potential.' Aizawa thought, using his eye dropper on his eyes.
"Ouch…" Sato whispered.
'I still can't control my power. Should I let everything I can do hang on this one throw? Even All Might said that it wouldn't happen overnight.' Midoriya wondered before deciding, 'This is no good! If that's my only choice, then I just have to go all out!'
'Zero potential.' Aizawa narrowed his eyes.
Midoriya got ready to throw the ball while thinking to himself, 'It's just as Aizawa Sensei says. At this rate, there's no way I'll become a hero.'
"Hey, hey, is he serious?" All Might whispered as he watched Midoriya.
'I have to work a lot harder than other people! That's why, with all my strength… I'll do what I can right now!' Midoriya vowed, powering One for All in his index finger while he yelled, 'Smash…!'
Midoriya threw the ball, the class watching it all unfold.
'It doesn't hurt as much as before...' Midoriya thought, his index now broken.
'Do you intend to become incapaticated again and have someone save you?'
The ball landed on the ground, Aizawa's phone showing Midoriya's score; 705.3.
"Aizawa Sensei…"
Aizawa looked up from his phone, Midoriya smiling while biting his lip as he clenched his fist.
"I can still move!" Midoriya declared.
"This kid…" Aizawa grinned.
'I came because I was worried, but what the heck, young man?! You still couldn't control your power, but you also couldn't become incapacitated. So, you propelled the ball at the last point of contact by sending the power of One for All to just your fingertip, minimizing the injury while maximizing the power…! What the heck, young man?! You're so cool!' All Might smiled proudly.
Ending plays.
"That was so cool!" Uraraka exclaimed.
"I can't believe you did that, Midoriya!" Iida praised.
"I know we've seen this before, but now knowing the context, that was so manly, Midoirya!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"It's kinda sad that not everyone said a word yet." Jiro sighed.
"Maybe the next one we will say something." Yaoyorozu replied.
Bakugo stared at Midoriya.
'He was just a pebble. A pebble on the side of the road. He was nothing. Nobody. And then… he became something.' Bakugo narrowed his eyes, adding, 'Somebody that got recognized by All Might…'
Chapter 9: Rage, You Damn Nerd
The episode started with a recap from the previous episode. Then the opening.
"You know, I'm done complaining about these recaps and flashbacks." Kaminari decided.
"Glad to see you'll finally shut up." Jiro added.
"Hopefully, I'll get a line!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"He got over 700 meters?!"
"Finally, a hero-like record!" Uraraka cheered.
"His finger's swollen! There was the entrance exam, too. He has a strange quirk…" Iida observed.
"It's not very stylish…" Aoyama shook his head.
'Wh-What's with that power?! Everyone's quirks manifest by the age of 4. This is unthinkable! But in reality…' Bakugo thought.
'S-Someone told me… 'You can become a hero'... That it was because of my effort.'
"What is the meaning of this? Hey! Tell me what's going on, Deku, you bastard!" Bakugo yelled as he ran out to Midoriya until Aizawa's scarf got a hold of Bakugo, who gritted his teeth, "What the-? These cloths are hard…!"
"They're weapons for capture made of carbon fiber woven together with metal wire of a special alloy. Jeez, don't keep making me use my quirk over and over. I have dry eye." Aizawa sighed, his eyes flashing red again.
'It's such a waste, since his quirk is so amazing!' the class realized.
'Shota Aizawa. Quirk: Erasure'
"We're wasting time. Whoever's next, get ready." Aizawa instructed, letting go of Bakugo.
"Damn, it looked like Bakugo was going to kill Midoirya." Sero whispered.
"What would you do if you found out someone just manifested a quirk right before your eyes?" Kaminari asked Sero.
"Not that!" Sero answered.
"This Bakugo we're talking about." Jiro sighed.
"If Aizawa Sensei didn't stop him, what do you think would've happened?" Ashido whispered back.
"I don't want to think about it." Jiro closed her eyes.
'-little while ago, he was just a pebble on the side of the road.' Bakugo thought.
Younger Midoriya and Bakugo walked through the woods together, Bakugo walking ahead of Midoriya.
"You're so lucky, Kacchan. Your quirk's so cool! I hope I get mine soon, too." Midoriya gushed to Bakugo.
"No matter what quirk you get, you'll never beat me." Bakugo glanced back at Midoriya.
Bakugo glared angrily at Midoriya.
'A pebble...on the side of the road!' Bakugo gritted his teeth.
Title screen 'Episode 7: Rage, You Damn Nerd'
"Looks like Bakugo named this episode." Mineta chuckled to Kaminari.
"After that, I fought against the pain." Midoriya narrated as his class did the 6th test; sit-ups.
"Midoriya, pause, quickly!" Todoroki said quickly.
"What is it, Todoroki?" Yaoyorozu asked when Midoriya paused.
"I keep seeing Aoyama staring straight at the TV, like he can see it." Todoroki explained.
"You saw it, too?" Shoji asked.
"You think I would know something like this? " Aoyama asked dramatically.
"Just, continue then." Todoroki told Midoriya.
"-we finished the rest of the fitness tests." Midoriya narrated as they took the final test; the long-distance run. Midoriya fell onto the ground, out of breath before picking himself up. The class gathered together to see their results from the tests.
"Okay, I'll quickly tell you the results. The total is simply the marks you got from each test. It's a waste of time to explain verbally, so I'll show you the results all at once." Aizawa instructed.
'The person with the lowest score will be expelled. The only result I had that was any good was in the ball throw. For the rest of the tests, I did terribly because of the pain.' Midoriya gritted his teeth, knowing his fate.
A screen popped up from Aizawa's phone with everyone's scores and placement. Midoriya scanned through the list for his name before seeing it in last place. Midoriya stared at his name while clutching his hand.
"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion." Aizawa turned off the screen. The class stared at Aizawa dumbfounded as he smiled, "It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your quirks."
"What?!" Iida, Uraraka and Midoriya screamed.
"Of course that was a lie. It should've been obvious if you just thought it through." a girl with a ponytail told the three.
"You got your first line, Yao-momo!" Ashido smiled at Yaoyorozu.
"Maybe I should've told you guys to give you less stress…" Yaoyorozu winced.
"-a little nerve-wracking, huh?" the black-haired boy turned to a redhead.
"I'll take up the challenge anytime!" the redhead grinned while raising his fist.
"Yes!" Kirishima exclaimed at his first line.
"With that, we're done here. There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom so when you get back, look over them." Aizawa told his students, beginning to walk away. Midoriya let out a big sigh at the thought of not being expelled.
"Midoriya."
Midoirya looked up, seeing Aizawa with a slip with the nurses' office.
"Have the old lady fix you in the nurse's office. Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests. Prepare yourself." Aizawa handed him the slip before walking away again.
Midoriya looked down again. 'I got through this for now, but there was too much that I couldn't do. I'm starting from last place. I have a lot to learn from here on out in order to get closer to what I dream of becoming!'
"Aizawa, you liar!" All Might exclaimed at Aizawa as he was about to walk by.
Aizawa stopped walking. "All Might. So you were watching? Too much time on your hands?"
"'A rational deception' you said? April Fools was last week." All Might told Aizawa.
"Oh yeah, Bakugo's bir-" Kirishima spoke up.
"Shut it, Shitty Hair!" Bakugo shoved Kirishima.
"-last year's first-years with expulsion. You cut those you judge to be without potential without hesitation. For a man like that to take back his words-" All Might explained, pointing at Aizawa, asking, "That must be because you also felt the potential of that kid, right?"
"'Also'?" Aizawa questioned, smiling, "You seem to be supporting him quite a bit."
"I'm surprised you didn't just say his name." Aizawa muttered.
"Like I said, the school doesn't know my connection to Young Midoriya." All Might explained.
Aizawa started walking away from All Might.
"His potential was not zero. That's all it was. I will always cut those without potential. There's nothing crueler than letting a dream end midway." Aizawa narrowed his eyes.
"So you're being kind in your own way, huh, Aizawa? But we don't really get along after all." All Might whispered as he watched him walk away.
"That was a little tense." Sato whispered.
Midoriya lazily walked out of U.A., sighing, "I'm so tired..."
A hand landed on Midoriya's shoulder. Midoriya turned around and seeing Iida, jumped a little.
"Iida!" Midoriya exclaimed.
"Is your finger healed?" Iida asked.
"Yeah, thanks to Recovery Girl." Midoriya replies, showing his finger to Iida.
'Nurse's Office - A few hours ago'
Recovery Girl kissed Midoriya's finger, who freaked out while his finger start to heal.
"Wow, it's healed!" Midoriya stared before feeling drained, uttering, "But I suddenly feel very tired…"
"My quirk can only stimulate a person's healing ability. Healing requires stamina." Recovery Girl explained. Reaching behind her for a Kamui PEZ, Recovery Girl added, "If you keep getting major injuries, you'll use too much stamina and end up dying instead, so be careful."
"I'll end up dying instead?!" Midoriya jumped while Recovery Girl gave him a PEZ.
"You got your energy back quick." Sero teased.
"This is serious, Sero!" Iida exclaimed at him.
'-hurry up and learn to control my power.' Midoriya vowed about not getting help from others.
"I was really taken in by Aizawa Sensei. I even thought, 'This is the best of the best' and such. I didn't think a teacher would encourage us with a lie." Iida told Midoriya.
"Would you rather be in Class 1-B, Iida?" Aizawa asked.
"No, sir!" Iida responded immediately.
"Hey! You two!"
Iida and Midoriya turned around to see Uraraka running after them.
"Going to the station? Wait for me!" Uraraka beamed.
'Uraraka?!' Midoriya thought as she stopped in front of them.
"You're the infinity girl." Iida remarked.
"I'm Ochaco Uraraka." Uraraka introduced herself before questioning, "Um, you're Tenya Iida, and you're Deku Midoriya, right?"
"'Deku'?!" Midoriya exclaimed.
"Huh? But during the fitness test, the boy named Bakugo said-" Uraraka pointed out, an imagery of Bakugo yelling, 'Deku, you bastard!'
"Right?" Uraraka asked.
"Uh…" Midoriya played with his fingers before explaining, "my real name is Izuku, but D-Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me…"
"An insult?" Iida observed.
"Oh, is that right? Sorry!" Uraraka apologized, then she noted, "But 'Deku' sounds like the Japanese word for 'You can do it!' so I kinda like it."
"I'm Deku!" Midoriya turned bright red.
"That's why Uraraka calls you 'Deku' besides Bakugo." Todoroki confirmed.
"You accepted the name fast, Midoriya." Asui leaned past Uraraka to look at him.
"I-I was flustered." Midoriya scratched his cheek.
"Wasn't that an insult?" Iida protested.
"It's like a Copernican Revolution…" Midoriya covered his face.
"'Co-pe'?" Uraraka questioned.
'There are many things I can't do. I have to work hard and do my best. But, All Might, I can at least be happy that I have friends, right?' Midoriya thought to himself as he, Uraraka and Iida walked together to the station.
"Right!" Uraraka agreed, then covered her mouth, realizing she said it out loud. Midoriya smiled at her, making Uraraka relax.
'You don't have time to relax, young man.' All Might thought as he held up his costume i the teachers' office.
"Oh, come on, All Might." Kaminari exclaimed.
"Midoriya just needs a 'me day'." Uraraka joined in.
"Treat yourself." Sato nodded.
Montages of Class 1-A's different classes the next day.
"And then, in the afternoon, we finally have… Hero Basic Training." Midoriya narrated after lunch.
"I am…" All Might announced at the entrance to Class 1-A before bursting through the door, finishing, "...coming through the door like a normal person."
"It's All Might!" the blond with a black streak in his hair stared along with the class.
"Wow, he really is a teacher!" the redhead confirmed.
"That's a costume from the Silver Age, isn't it?" Asui observed.
"Tsu! It's your official first line!" Uraraka pointed out.
"Ribbit." Asui smiled.
Todoroki grabbed the remote beside Midoriya, and paused it.
"Half n' Half, what the hell are you doing?!" Bakugo yelled as he walked to where Todoroki sat.
"Look, at Aoyama." Todoroki pointed at the TV, which showed Ojiro, Ashido and Aoyama; who was staring straight at them.
"So, what about it?!" Bakugo yelled, trying to grab the remote from him.
"Kacchan, be nice. Todoroki just wanted to point out something." Midoriya tried talking to them.
"Both of you, sit." Aizawa ordered, his hand on his scarf. Todoroki handed the remote back to Midoriya. Bakugo stood where he was until Kirishima put a hand on him, and they made their way back to their seats.
"-so different it's giving me goose bumps." a blond boy with a tail commented.
"We almost lost your first line, Ojiro." Hagakure pointed out, Ojiro nodding in response.
"I teach basic Hero Training. It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero. This is what we'll do today; Combat Training!" All Might explained.
"Combat…" Bakugo whispered excitedly.
"...training." Midoriya finished nervously.
"And to go with that are these!" All Might announced, gesturing to the side of the wall opposite to the door as four slim rows of wall opened up, revealing cases with class numbers on them, All Might continuing, "Constumes made based on your quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started."
"Costumes!" Midoriya whispered.
"After you change, gather in Ground Beta!" All Might instructed.
"Yes, sir!"
All Might waited inside Ground Beta before the class came walking in wearing their costumes.
"They say the clothes make the man, young men and ladies. Be fully aware… From now on… you are heroes! That's great, everyone. You all look cool!" All Might praised them, then exclaimed, "Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?"
Midoriya narrated about how they submitted their costume designs.
'Three weeks ago'
Midoriya looked over some papers in his home for school.
"I need to go to city hall to get my quirk registration for the clothing allowance." Midoriya muttered before gasping, realizing, "But I'm already registered as 'none'... Oh, what should I do…?"
"Quirk registration?" All Might questioned over the phone, telling Midoriya, "Oh, you can update that."
"Really?" Midoriya widened his eyes.
All Might laughed before explaining, "Everyone is examined and registered all at once when they enter elementary school and junior high, right? But there are some cases where people discover their quirks aren't what they thought they were. So you're allowed to update it once or twice. They won't accept outrageous changes, but if you had 'none' before, it's probably fine. And by 'probably', I mean I'm sure-"
"I'm home!" Midoriya's mother announced, accidentally making Midoriya hang up.
"You hung up on All Might?!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"On accident…" Midoriya whispered.
"It's so cool that you have All Might's number!" Mineta shook his fist.
"Welcome back!" Midoriya told his mother as she entered.
"Hey, Izuku-" his mother called, digging in her purse before pulling out a jumpsuit, exclaiming, "Congrats on getting into U.A.! I might've jumped to conclusions, though."
"A jumpsuit?" Midoriya asked.
"It's not as much as it is now, though. When you dozed while studying, I happened to see your notebook." his mother explained.
"What?" Midoriya questioned.
"The terrible thing I said kept bothering me. I gave up back then. But you didn't give up. You kept chasing your dream, didn't you? I'm sorry, Izuku." his mom whispered before smiling, "I'll support you openly with everything I've got from now on!"
"Your mom is so pure!" Ashido cried.
"It was how she felt, I couldn't ignore them." Midoriya expressed.
'-it's not the most convenient or state-of-the-art, it's fine. This is my costume!' Midoriya announced as he ran to join the others' with his hero costume.
"Oh, Deku?" Uraraka exclaimed, adjusting her helmet.
"Uraraka!" Midoriya panicked.
"That looks cool! Really down to earth. I should've written what I wanted. Mine ended up being a skintight bodysuit. It's embarrassing..." Uraraka rubbed the back of her head.
The guy with purple hair stared at her before saying, "The hero course is the best."
"I was wondering where you were facing when you said that…" Sero narrowed his eyes at Mineta.
"I didn't know anything! I swear!" Mineta waved his hands.
All Might observed Midoriya's costume before chuckling, 'So obvious…'
"Now, it's time for combat training!" All Might announced.
"Sir!"
'Oh, that was Iida. He looks cool.' Midoriya thought, glancing at Iida beside him in a armored white suit.
"Thank you, Midoriya!" Iida exclaimed.
"You're welcome Iida." Midoriya smiled.
"-so will we be conducting urban battles again?" Iida asked.
"No, we're going to move ahead two steps!" All Might explained how they'll be fighting each other on teams, heroes vs. villains.
"Without basic training?" Asui questioned.
"This is a real battle to understand those basics! However, the key this time is that there's no robot you can just beat up." All Might exclaimed.
"How will wins and losses be determined?" the ponytail girl asked.
"Can we beat them up anyway?" Bakugo sneered.
"Will the punishment be expulsion like with Aizawa Sensei?" Uraraka worried.
"Isn't this cape just crazy?" Aoyama sparkled.
"I'll answer all your questions!" All Might promised. He explained what the situation would be, and how to win.
'The situation feels very American!' Midoriya noted when All Might finished.
"Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots!" All Might added.
"They're being decided so haphazardly?" Iida questioned.
"Pros often have to create makeshift teams with heroes from other agencies, so maybe that's why?" Midoriya explained to Iida.
"I see. The discernment to look ahead… Please excuse my rudeness!" Iida bowed to All Might.
"It's fine. Let's do this quickly!" All Might announced, drawing the lots for teams.
"Wow, it must be fate! I'm counting on you!" Uraraka jumped at Midoriya; as they'd been chosen as a team.
'Seriously?! I have to speak properly, or else.' Midoriya panicked.
"Oh, Midoriya…" Asui smiled.
"-teams to fight will be these guys!" All Might announced, referring to Team A; Midoriya and Uraraka, and Team D; Bakugo and Iida.
"Team A will be the heroes, and Team D will be the villains. Everyone else, head toward the monitor room." All Might explained
"Yes, sir!"
"Do you think we'll be able to hear what they say?" Shoji asked.
"I hope so." Mineta replied.
Midoriya looked in Bakugo's direction, to find him looking his way, pissed. Midoriya looked away, scared, but decided he wouldn't live in fear anymore. Midoriya looked back at Bakugo, determined while Bakugo looked taken aback; which pissed him off more.
'That looked so manly…!' Kirishima stared in awe.
"Villain team, go in first and set up! In five minutes, the hero team will break in, and the battle will start!" All Might explained to Iida and Bakugo at the building location.
"Yes, sir!" Iida replied while Bakugo glanced at Midoriya.
"Young Iida, Young Bakugo, learn to think from the perspective of the villains. This is pretty close to a real battle. Go all out. Don't be afraid to get hurt." All Might told them.
As Bakugo and Iida made their way through the building, Iida muttered, "Even if this is training, it pains me to become a villain. So our job is to protect this?"
Going inside a room where the weapon was, Iida knocked on the weapon.
"It's papier-mâché." Iida noted.
"Hey!"
Iida looked over, Bakugo's back to him.
"Deku has a quirk, right?" Bakugo spat.
"You saw that extraordinary strength, didn't you? It appears to carry a lot of risk, though…" Iida answered.
While Iida continued, Bakugo just ignored the rest of what he was saying.
'Did he dare trick me?! That damn nerd!' Bakugo grinned.
"I'm not entirely sure I want to see this again…" Yaoyorozu whispered.
"Now, it looks like we'll be able to hear what they're saying too." Jiro added.
"I'm not so sure I want to hear it." Ashido agreed while Koda covered her eyes.
"But All Might is just the same as when he's on TV. Unlike Aizawa Sensei, it looks like there's no punishment, so we can relax-" Uraraka started telling Midoriya until she looked at him, seeing him sweating while she shrieked, And you're not relaxed at all!"
"Well, it's because we're up against Kacchan…" Midoriya started. "And there's Iida too."
"I see. Bakugo's the one who makes fun of you, right?" Uraraka asked, concerned.
Midoriya relaxed himself before he answered.
"He's amazing."
'I'll definitely surpass All Might and become the top hero!'
"He's a piece of work, but his goal, his confidence, his physical strength, and his quirk are way more amazing than mine." Midoriya started explaining to Uraraka.
"Midoriya, you have All Might's quirk! How is that not amazing?!" Mineta shouted at him.
"-right now." Midoriya whispered, putting on his mask while he declared, "I don't want… to lose…"
Uraraka stared at Midoriya before she smiled fondly up at him.
"A fated battle between men, huh?" Uraraka smirked.
"Oh, sorry, this isn't your problem, Uraraka." Midoriya waved his arms.
"It is! We're a team, aren't we? Let's do our best!" Uraraka cheered, making Midoriya smile.
"Now, let's start the indoor person-to-person combat training with Team A and Team D!" All Might announced to the teams. Inside an observing room, All Might told the students, "Okay, everyone, you all should think as well."
'Young Midoriya! Here, you are no more than a single student. I'll grade you strictly without playing favorites.' All Might remarked.
Uraraka and Midoriya entered the building cautiously through a window.
"We've infiltrated successfully!" Uraraka whispered.
"There are a lot of blind spots, so let'sbe careful." Midoriya tol her, starting to walk down a hallway, Uraraka following.
They turned each corner with their guard up and caution.
'I still can't control One for All, so I can't use it against anyone… If I use that on someone, it'll kill them.' Midoriya told himself.
"Tch." Bakugo spat.
'We just have to do it with the power I have now and Uraraka's Zero Gravity. I've got to use my head… Those notes on indoor battles… battles in tight spaces… Remember!' Midoriya encouraged until Bakugo jumped around a corner and landed an explosion at them. Midoriya jumped out of the range with Uraraka, half his mask clean off.
"Uraraka, are you all right?" Midoriya asked her.
"You must've been really pissed at Midoriya…" Kirishima glanced at Bakugo.
"He always pisses me off…" Bakugo replied, not taking his eyes off the TV.
"It's just a scratch." Midoriya assured Uraraka about his mask.
"Come Deku, don't dodge." Bakugo murmured, moving the smoke from his explosion.
"I figured you'd come for me first." Midoriya narrowed his eyes.
All Might and the students stood in the observation room, watching the fight on screen.
"A surprise attack from the start?"
"Bakugo, that's cheating! A surprise attack isn't manly at all!"
"There it is! Kirishima finally said 'manly'." Kaminari exclaimed.
"-is a strategy, too. They're in the middle of a real battle right now." All Might explained.
"Midori avoided it!"
"There goes Bakugo!"
"I won't do so much damage that this fight gets stopped, but I'm gonna get close!" Bakugo shouted at Midoriya before Midoriya grabbed him, making him blink in surprise. Midoriya threw him to the ground, spit coming from Bakugo.
"Yeah, Deku!" Uraraka jumped out of her seat.
"I never got to see this. But now that I am, I just need to say…" Iida muttered before shouting, "That was indeed amazing, Midoriya!"
"Uh, th-thanks." Midoriya whispered.
Bakugo started began picking himself back up.
"You always start with a big right swing. How much do you think I've been watching you? I wrote an analysis for all the heroes I thought were amazing in my notebook. In the notebook you blew up and threw away." Midoriya explained. Bakugo glanced at Midoriya, who looked him in the eye, declaring, "My 'Deku' isn't always going to mean 'useless'! Kacchan, my 'Deku' means 'You can do it!'"
Uraraka widened her eyes in surprise.
'But 'Deku' sounds like the Japanese word for 'You can do it!' so I kinda like it.'
"Deku…" Bakugo whispered, making sparks in his palm.
'If you keep going, I'll never forgive you!'
"Even though you're scared…" Bakugo started.
Midoriya stood his ground while Bakugo gritted his teeth.
"That's what I hate about you!"
Ending plays.
"OH COME ON?!" the class screeched, waking Aizawa; who'd been sleeping.
"That's how you end the episode?!" Ashido complained.
"It's kind of scary listening to what we couldn't hear before." Sato noted while some of the class glanced in Bakugo's direction.
"Looks like we'll have to watch more!" Kaminari cheered.
"I'm tired. Toshinori , watch over them, but make sure they turn it off at a rational time." Aizawa instructed as he got up to out the chair back.
"Okay." All Might held a thumbs up.
'I'm not so sure I want them to keep watching. Knowing my fight between me and Kacchan, and our exchange of words…' Midoriya thought, biting his lip. Seeing their eager faces, Midoriya noted, 'But, even so…'
Chapter 10: Deku v.s. Kacchan
The episode started with a recap from the last, then the opening.
"This was already intense when we first watched, but it seems as if we will hear their thoughts, along with what was spoken." Tokoyami echoed everyone's thoughts.
"Yes, and if I am being honest, I'm not sure if we should listen." Yaoyorozu agreed.
"Is it because of what you said about Bakugo's grudge?" Jiro asked, Yaoyorozu nodding.
"Because Kacchan and I lived in the same neighborhood, we've known each other since we were little." Midoriya narrated.
Younger Midoriya stood in shock. Bakugo and three other kids stood proudly in front of a gate that was opened, a sign reading 'No Trespassing' on the gate.
"Let's go kill the enemy!" Bakugo announced, pointing to go inside.
"Okay!" the three other kids cheered.
"O-Okay!" Midoriya peeped in.
"Aw! Little Midoriya and Bakugo!" Ashido gushed, Midoriya hiding his face.
"Huh? What about it?!" Bakugo yelled in reply.
"-could do anything he tried his hand at, a rascal who led the group of neighborhood kids." Midoriya narrated.
"What'd you just call me, Deku?!" Bakugo yelled at Midoriya.
"I-I never said that, Kacchan!" Midoriya responded, uncovering his face.
"It's just him narrating, so calm your ass down." Jiro turned around.
"Don't tell me what to do, Ears!" Bakugo exclaimed.
"-and I thought he was so cool. But, after his quirk manifested, it accelerated him down the wrong path." Midoriya narrated.
"What do you mean 'the wrong path'?!" Bakugo glared at Midoriya..
"Like Jiro said, it's just narrating Bakugo!" Uraraka sighed.
"Are you all right, Midoriya?" Iida asked, Todoroki leaning behind him.
"Y-Yeah, it's just, whenever this anime shows something from the past, it normally revolves around me getting bullied or insulted." Midoriya stammered.
"That's what I hate about you the most!" Bakugo yelled at Midoriya.
'All men are not created equal. This was the reality I learned about society at the young age of four.'
Title screen 'Episode 7: Deku vs. Kacchan'
"Shit's gonna go down…" Kaminari whispered.
"Hey, Bakugo! Give me your status! What happened?" Iida ordered through Bakugo's communication device.
"Just shut up and defend. I'm really angry right now!" Bakugo replied.
"I'm not asking about how you feel! Hey!" Iida exclaimed. When a beep sound went off, Iida groaned, "He hung up. Going off on his own like that. What is wrong with him?!"
"What was Bakugo saying? Can't tell with just the cameras in a fixed position and no sound." the redhead said disappointedly.
"He's talking to his partner over a small wireless radio. You can bring that plus the building's floor plan, and this capture tape!" All Might answered.
"The time limit is 15 minutes, and the heroes don't know where the nuclear weapon is located, right?"
"Yes!" All Might confirmed.
"The heroes are clearly at a disadvantage here!"
"Heroes should be able to turn the tables on whatever predicament they're in. Besides, didn't Aizawa tell you, too? You know. Here we go!" All Might exclaimed.
"Plus Ultra!" the class cheered with a fist in the air.
"Yo, Todoroki, you were not enthusiastic, were you?" Sero turned to him.
"I didn't get the hype at first." Todoroki responded.
"Uraraka, go!" Midoriya yelled at her while Bakugo blasted himself toward Midoriya.
"Looking away? You must be full of yourself." Bakugo shouted before he noticed something being warped around his leg, realizing, 'The capture tape?!'
'Hero notebook number 10, page 18!' Midoriya remembered.
"I still can't believe you have those notebooks of yours memorized!" Mineta exclaimed.
"And I still can't believe I don't have my $5, Mineta." Kaminari teased.
"'$5'?" Midoriya asked.
"They had made a bet about your memorization of your notebooks, and Mineta had lost." Tokoyami explained quickly, not taking his eyes off the TV.
'-and swing with his right again! I was right!' Midoriya thought as he moved out of the way from Bakugo's blast.
"That guy's amazing!" someone in a yellow jumpsuit exclaimed.
"He's not even using his quirk fighting against the guy who finished first in the entrance exam!"
"Hey, my first line." Sato whispered quietly to himself.
'-good at reacting quickly in a crisis. He spent years writing his notes and internalizing them. That fanboy knowledge is now paying off as it propels him forward.' All Might thought, remembering that he flipped through Midoriya's notebook when they first met.
Midoriya caught his breath thinking, 'He kicked first this time to keep me from predicting his moves. He's being cautious now.'
Bakugo got ready to charge at Midoriya before he started running away, much to Bakugo's surprise.
"Come back here, Deku!" Bakugo yelled, running after Midoriya.
'I can't get close to him as easily anymore. I need a plan.' Midoriya thought as Bakugo continued looking for him.
"Hey! You tricked me, didn't you?! Was it fun tricking me all this time?" Bakugo gave up chasing as he yelled, "Huh?! You get a flashy quirk there, don't you? Try and get me with it! 'Cause I'm better than you!"
"He seems real angry! I'm scared!" the blond streak haired boy shivered.
"I can now say that he was indeed angry, and that if I was in Midoriya's situation, I'd be scared." Kaminari told himself.
"You just have to keep a level head, Kaminari." Midoriya told him.
'-Young Bakugo thinks well of himself, but this is too much.' All Might noted.
Midoriya sat down against a wall, trying to catch his breath.
'He completely ignored Uraraka and shot at me. I knew it. If they were going to send an advance guard, it would've been better to send Iida, who has more mobility, and I'm sure Kacchan knows that. That probably means he's running wild on his own, and the two of them aren't working together. In the first place, our chances of winning are lowest if we had a head-to-head battle with those two. If Uraraka and I both went to the hideout, that's what would happen, and even if the two of us stayed here to fight Kacchan, we're in danger of running out of time. This is fine. All that's left is for Uraraka to find the weapon and Iida, and then I'll head over for a 2-on-1 fight. That's how we can win.' Midoriya planned.
"That did seem like the best way to win." Uraraka agreed.
'-beat Kacchan, though. It's fine. As long as I'm careful of his palms, I can do this.' Midoriya noted.
"Where are you?! You damn nerd!" Midoriya heard Bakugo's yell echo.
'And I forgot to tell you, Kacchan-' Midoriya narrowed his eyes.
' No, wait, Kacchan! It's not like I'm trying to compete with you or anything! Believe me!'
Midoriya gripped the tape in his hand. 'I take back everything I said!'
"Yeah, Deku!" Uraraka cheered, shaking Midoriya.
Bakugo continued wandering around through the halls.
'That's why… I'm going!'
'He's just a pebble!' Bakugo gritted his teeth.
"Wow, Kacchan!"
Younger Midoriya watched Bakugo demonstrating a trick to Midoriya.
"This is easy." Bakugo stated while kicking a ball in the air.
"Ow!" Midoriya fell to the ground, rubbing his head.
"Izuku, you really can't do anything, can you?" Bakugo teased.
"That's a first." Jiro commented. Midoriya had his head buried in his arms with his knees bent up.
Bakugo held a bucket up with Midoriya's name on it, stating, "You can read the characters for 'Izuku' as 'Deku', you know.
"Kacchan, you can read?" three kids behind Midoriya stared.
"You can't?" Bakugo smirked. Glancing at Midoriya, Bakugo added, And 'Deku' means someone who can't do anything!"
"So that's how you got your nickname…" Uraraka whispered, sympathetically, Midoriya nodding in response.
A pebble skipped on the river as the three kids stared in awe.
"Kacchan, how many times did it skip?"
"Seven!" Bakugo declared. Looking at Midoriya beside him, Bakugo grinned, "What about you, Deku?"
Midoriya stopped smiling, uttering, "Z-Zero times…"
The three kids laughed.
'Why can't you do it?'
In preschool, Bakugo held out his hands, his quirk sparking.
"Wow!" the kids cheered.
"Wow, that's an amazing quirk!" one of the teachers praised.
"It really is! It's a flashy quirk just right for a hero. Right, Katsuki?"
'Oh, I see! I'm amazing! No one is as amazing as I am!' Bakugo smiled.
"This seems to be why Bakugo is full of himself…" Tokoyami observed.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Bird Brain?!" Bakugo yelled.
"He was always praised as a kid." Todoroki added.
"Are you ignoring me?!" Bakugo yelled louder.
"Deku…?" Uraraka looked at Midoriya, seeing he had his legs covering his face, his hands holding them together.
"Midoriya? Is everything okay?" Asui asked beside Uraraka.
Midoriya lifted his head to glance at the two.
"Y-Yeah, I'm just nervous." he whispered, as he looked at the TV.
'No matter what quirk you get, you'll never beat me.'
Bakugo turned a corner, going up some stairs.
'He's just a pebble.' Bakugo narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, did you hear? Deku doesn't have a quirk."
Midoriya sat on the floor in preschool, kids surrounding him while they whispered.
"What? Really?"
"Yeah, it's called being 'quirkless'."
"That's so lame."
"Too bad for him."
"He's so weird!"
"Don't worry about it, Izuku." a teacher reassured him.
'You're the least amazing, Deku.' Bakugo grinned.
Bakugo walked across a log, chanting while using his quirk. He, Midoriya, and the three kids following. Bakugo slipped and fell off the log, landing in the stream.
"Kacchan!"
"Are you okay?"
"He's fine. Bakugo's really strong."
Bakugo lifted his head from the water.
"I was fine!" Bakugo narrated.
"Hurry up and get back up here!"
"'Kay, no problem!" Bakugo smiled.
"Nothing was wrong!" Bakugo narrated.
Bakugo heard little splashes in the water. Looking over, Bakugo saw Midoriya reaching his hand out to him.
"Are you all right? Can you stand? It would've been bad if you hit your head." Midoriya offered.
"Don't look at me with that face!" Bakugo narrated.
'You looked like you were asking for help…'
'Stop it! I'm… I'm better than him!' Bakugo raged inside his head.
Uraraka grabbed the remote beside Midoriya and hit pause.
"What's wrong…?" Bakugo questioned.
"Hey, uh, why were… Why were you so angry when Midoriya asked if you were okay…?" Kirishima asked Bakugo.
Bakugo turned to Kirishima, about to lash out at him before he saw Kirishima's worried look on his face, not knowing how to reply.
"It seems his anger and the end of their friendship started at that moment." Todoroki rubbed his chin.
"He was never my friend!" Bakugo yelled, making his way to Todoroki.
"Young Bakugo, you should sit down." All Might stood up.
"He was just a pebble! He was nothing! He always was nothing until All Might took pity on him and gave Deku the very thing he could never have!" Bakugo shouted in Todoroki's face.
"Kacchan, please, stop!" Midoriya stood up, trying to separate them.
"Get off me, damn nerd!" Bakugo glared, taking his eyes off of Todoroki.
"Young Midoriya and Young Bakugo, please, sit down!" All Might walked over to where they were until Kirishima went ahead of All Might, grabbing Bakugo.
"What do you want, Shitty hair?!" Bakugo looked back.
"Todoroki didn't mean anything bad. Midoriya was just trying to separate you guys." Kirishima exclaimed, pulling him back to their seats.
Bakugo scuffed before he followed, then whipped his hand away from Kirishima.
"Don't touch me!" Bakugo groaned.
Uraraka peeked behind a wall.
'Found it. Now I just have to tell Deku and hide until he gets here.' Uraraka was about to tell Midoriya until she heard Iida started talking.
"Bakugo is a natural at being bad, but that fits this training perfectly. Then I must also devote myself to being a villain. That's right. This is another trial to turn me into a man who will not bring shame to the Iida family. Be dyed with evil in order to become a hero! I am extremely evil!" Iida laughed maliciously.
Uraraka couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"I didn't think that was very like you, Iida." Sero glanced at Iida.
"I did what I had to do to pass!" Iida explained.
Uraraka stepped out of her hiding spot, Iida hearing her laughter.
"I knew that you would come here alone the instant Bakugo ran off by himself. Your quirk allows you to make the objects you touch float. That is why I put away all the things on this floor before you arrived." Iida exclaimed, showing the clean floor.
"He's starting to act like a villain!" Uraraka whispered to herself while Iida laughed.
Midoriya sat in his hiding spot before he heard Uraraka's voice over the communication device.
"Deku!"
"Uraraka! How's it going?" Midoriya asked her.
"Iida found me. Sorry!" Uraraka apologized while Iida continued laughing in the background.
"Where are you?" Midoriya asked.
"The middle of the fifth floor." Uraraka answered.
"Almost directly above!" Midoriya observed. Looking up, Midoriya noted, 'We probably don't have much time left, either. If we run out of time, our opponents win! I can't lose this fight!'
One of Bakugo's gauntlets lit up. Midoriya turned around to find Bakugo standing at the end of the hall.
"They're loaded." Bakugo warned.
"Kacchan." Midoriya whispered.
"Why won't you use your quirk? Are you saying you can win even if you don't use it? Are you underestimating me, Deku?" Bakugo asked.
"I can't watch." Yaoyorozu hid her face while Jiro offered silent support.
'-choice but to do it. I can do it. I can!' Midoriya thought before declaring to Bakugo, "I'm not scared of you anymore!"
Bakugo gritted his teeth before he started smirking.
"With your stalking, you probably already know, but my quirk, Explosion, lets me secrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from the sweat glands on the palm of my hand and make it
explode." Bakugo pulled back a handle on his grenade, a small pin appearing, adding, "If they made it this the way I asked, then these gauntlets will store the nitroglycerin inside them, and…"
Bakugo put his finger on the pin to pull it out.
'Don't tell me…' All Might thought before exclaiming into the mic, "Young Bakugo, stop! Are you trying to kill him?!"
"If I don't hit him, he won't die!" Bakugo yelled back as he pulled the pin.
A huge explosion shot out of his hand toward Midoriya, who tried blocking the blow, but it was no use. The building shook from the impact, along with the observation room.
"This is supposed to be a class!"
"Young man! Young Midoriya!" All Might called.
"You could've killed him!" Iida and Uraraka turned to Bakugo.
"It didn't kill him, did it?" Bakugo questioned.
"But, you could've." Kirishima agreed with Uraraka and Iida.
"I should've stopped it when I had the chance." All Might whispered.
Midoriya laid on the floor, a big hole in the wall of the building opened up next to him.
Trying to pick himself up, Midoriya widened his eyes as Bakugo walked closer.
"Is that… even allowed?" Midoriya gaped.
"Wow… The more that's stored in these gauntlets, the stronger the blast." Bakugo explained in awe, the other lighting up, grinning "Come on, use your quirk, Deku… I'll force you to surrender even if you're at full strength."
Words lit up to read 'My Hero Academia'.
"Is it over?" Yaoyorozu uncovered one eye.
"No… It's just starting." Jiro answered darkly.
"Bakugo, answer me! Did you do that? What in the world did you do? Explain yourself!" Iida asked Bakugo through his communication device.
'This is my chance! If we retrieve the weapon, we'll win!' Uraraka thought as she started running for the weapon.
Iida noticed and ran for her, acting, "I won't let you, hero!"
Uraraka touched her fingers together, making her float above Iida.
'We need to touch the weapon itself for it to count as being retrieved.' Uraraka explained to herself.
"Can she make herself float now, too?" Iida gasped.
"Release!" Uraraka yelled, adding "It's a special move that's hard on my body!"
Iida ran to grab the weapon while Uraraka fell to the ground.
"You're quirk is not a threat if you can't touch anything. I'll hold out until time runs out!" Iida declared.
"That was your plan?! Just stand around?! Why didn't you attack!" Bakugo yelled at Iida.
"Well your plan wasn't exactly the brightest either! You were trying to kill Midoriya!" Iida shouted.
"Just like I told All Might, 'It won't kill him if I don't hit him'." Bakugo protested.
"But you were aiming for him!" Jiro joined in.
"Guys, come on, just settle down." Midoriya tried calming them down.
"Just shut up, all of you, and watch the damn thing!" Bakugo yelled. Everyone stopped yelling, but eyes were still on Bakugo, who yelled again, "Watch the stupid damn thing!"
'-shot out. He had his costume made so that his quirk would work even for long distances.' Midoriya thought about Bakugo's hero costume. Midoriya put his hand to his ear, asking, "Uraraka, what's the situation?"
"Deku!" Uraraka exclaimed.
"Ignoring me again? I can't believe him!" Bakugo gritted his teeth.
"Sir, you should stop them! That Bakugo's really crazy! He's gonna kill him!" the redhead exclaimed at All Might.
"No…" All Might argued.
'If I don't hit him, he won't die!'
' I won't do so much damage that this fight gets stopped, but I'm gonna get close!'
'Strangely enough, part of him is still sane. I don't know if it's small-minded or what, but anyway…' All Might held the microphone up, announcing,"Young Bakugo, the next time you use that, I'll stop the fight, and your team will lose."
"Huh?" Bakugo questioned.
"To attack on a large scale inside is inviting the destruction of the stronghold you should be protecting." All Might explained, thinking 'As a teacher, I should stop this. However…'
Bakugo threw his arms up in rage while Midoriya told Uraraka, "Go to the pillars by the windows! Over and out!"
"Fine, then! Let's fight it out with our fists!" Bakugo yelled, making his way to Midoriya.
'It's no good. I can't dodge it! A counterattack. Watch the timing! Now!' Midoriya aimed a punch at Bakugo, who made an explosion before landing a blow on Midoriya's back.
"What was that just now?" the redhead asked.
A white-haired boy with ice covering his left side narrowed his eyes.
"He doesn't look like the type to think, but he's more subtle than I expected." the boy noted.
"What was that about me, Half n' Half?!" Bakugo yelled at Todoroki.
"When I watched the first half of the fight, it looked like you had no plan. And now that I can hear it, you indeed had no plan. So, when you started thinking at this point, it surprised me." Todoroki put it bluntly.
Bakugo gritted his teeth. 'How dare he think of me that way?! I'll show him!'
"Getting in a clean hit while fighting against inertia requires fine lateral adjustments to the power of the explosions." the ponytail girl agreed.
"He's too talented." the blond streaked boy sighed.
Midoriya winced at the pain in his back from the blow.
"Look, here I come! It's your favorite right swing!" Bakugo aimed his right gauntlet at Midoriya. He banged it against him and before Midoriya could react or think, grabbed his arm, and threw him on the ground.
"All Might, why didn't you stop this fight?!" Jiro exclaimed while All Might just squeezed his pant leg.
'-chance to think. I couldn't do it after all. He's too strong. I have no choice but to use it.' Midoriya thought, gritting his teeth.
"This is a lynching! He can capture him for this exercise by just wrapping the tape
around him!"
A boy with a bird head replied, "Those are not the actions of a hero."
"I thought Midoriya was pretty amazing, too, but in terms of combat power, Bakugo is definitely a ball of natural instincts."
"It's okay Midoriya, I still think you're amazing." Kaminari corrected his past self.
Midoriya nodded at Kaminari, thinking, 'I don't really want to watch anymore…'
'I should stop them. But, I don't want to stop them, for his sake!' All Might thought.
Midoriya got onto his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath. Midoriya looked both ways before crawling away.
"He's running away?" the pink-skinned girl remarked.
"That's not something a man should do, but he has no choice." the redhead told her. Thinking about it, the redhead added, "But something's strange… Why…?"
Midoriya crawled until he backed himself against the edge of the wall.
"Why won't you use your quirk? Are you underestimating me?!" Bakugo groaned, getting closer and closer to Midoriya.
"No…" Midoriya muttered, looking down.
"You've been like this ever since we were kids… Have you been underestimating me like that since then, you bastard?!" Bakugo shouted.
"That's not it…" Midoriya gritted his teeth, images of their shared past flashing through his mind. Midoriya looked up at Bakugo, narrowing his eyes, yelling, "You're… You're an amazing person, so that's why I want to beat you! I want to win and surpass you, you idiot!"
"Don't look at me like that! You damn nerd!" Bakugo yelled, running at Midoriya, who ran for him as well.
'These are the finest passionate emotions shown other than 'I want to be a hero'! I'm sure this is necessary for you to arrive at the future you're looking at.' All Might thought as Bakugo and Midoriya leaped at each other.
Midoriya powered One for All, the rest of his sleeve ripping off while Bakugo made sparks, his hand steaming.
'Detroit…'
"I said, this looks bad, sir!" the redhead pleaded while All Might fidgeted with the mic.
"Both of you, sto-" All Might's yelled into the mic.
"Let's go, Uraraka!" Midoriya shouted, making All Might stop.
"Okay!" Uraraka replied, grabbing onto a pillar while Iida questioned it.
'There's still no way I can beat you one-on-one… But- ...Smash!' Midoriya aimed his blow to the ceiling while Bakugo used his quirk on Midoriya, surprising him. It broke the ceiling, the debris flying up. Iida covered his eyes before noticing Uraraka floating.
"What the-!" Iida gaped while Uraraka made the pillar weightless.
"Sorry, Iida! Improvised special move- Comet Home Run!" Uraraka announced. Using the pillar, Uraraka hit the flying debris, making it head for Iida.
"You call that a home run?!" Iida questioned as he covered his eyes again.
Uraraka jumped and floated towards the weapon.
"Release!" Uraraka put her finger together. When she landed, Uraraka hugged the weapon, declaring, "Retrieved!"
"No…! The weapon…! The weapon…! The weapon…!" Iida echoed, Bakugo staring up at the broken ceiling while light filtered in.
"That's what… From the start, you were… You are underestimating me, aren't you?!" Bakugo started shakingly, then glared at Midoriya, who was covered by smoke.
"I wasn't going to use it… Because I can't use it, because my body can't handle the impact…" Midoriya uttered.
The smoke cleared around Midoriya, his arms broken. Bakugo stood in shock, his eyes wide open.
"Aizawa Sensei said so, too. But, this was all, I could think of." Midoriya rested his arm back down to his side.
The timer went off in the observation room, the class staring in shock.
"Hero…" All Might whispered before he yelled out, "Hero team, wins!"
Midoriya fell to the floor at All Might's last words.
Ending plays.
Everyone was quiet. No one made a sound until Midoriya got up from his seat.
"Where… Where are you going, Deku…?" Uraraka asked while her eyes followed Midoriya.
"I-I don't want to watch anymore." Midoriya replied. Turning around to look at them, Midoriya told them, "You can continue, if you want to."
"Aizawa said to turn it off at a reasonable time." All Might explained, looking at his watch before adding, "You have time for one more."
"Should we, though…?" Asui wondered.
"Bakugo…" Kirishima glanced at him.
Bakugo stared at the elevator as Midoriya got in, the doors closing.
'I knew Deku wanted to surpass him… But I didn't know the limits until…' Bakugo thought, continuing to stare at the elevator doors.
"One more…"
Bakugo's attention came back when the class decided they'll watch another episode of the anime.