Chapter 8: Don't judge, but understand us.
One Month Ago…
"Good afternoon viewers. I'm your host, Jitsu Fuhai , here with special guest Makato Supīkā of the 51 Alien Restoration Insistence Agency." The TV hostess, a woman with pointed ears and an excessive level of studio makeup, began.
"Glad to be here, ma'am." The man nodded. He had blue skin, short red hair, and green eyes, wearing a professionally pressed suit.
"So, tell us exactly what your group's mission is." Fuhai asked, a smirk quickly forming on her face. "Also, maybe you can tell us why you call yourselves 51 ARIA instead of AREA 51?"
"That was an issue with copyrights…" he muttered through gritted teeth, before clearing his throat and speaking up. "Well, put quite simply, my group believes that the existence of extraterrestrial life has been covered up. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but when you look at the evidence, it's surprisingly solid. Take for example Thor, a founding member of the Avengers. Nowadays, people think he's just an early sign of Quirks emerging in humanity, except that his powers don't match early Quirk users! High strength, endurance, flight, manipulation over the weather and electricity, a hammer unlike anything else? What about his enemy Loki? Control over illusions, shapeshifting, mind manipulation, conjuration, a noted immunity to ice? In modern times, not impossible, but back then? These people could not be human!"
"Except that not long afterwards, Quirks started showing up en masse, and similar abilities have been achieved either by genetic alteration, the M-Gene, or technology." Fuhai countered, fighting to wipe the smirk off her face.
"Look, you can check this all out for yourself! Plenty of families have irregular DNA that, even with Quirks thrown in, prove that at least 19% of Earth's population has SOME alien DNA, especially in the United States! I myself have Centaurian ancestry!" Supīkā explained, doing his best to be heard over the snickers and laughter of the audience.
"Wouldn't that mean you should have the bottom half of a horse?" Fuhai teased, to laughter from the audience.
"No, I'm not a centaur!" the man exclaimed, growing increasingly frustrated at the woman's disbelief and the audience' laughter.
In the Midoriya household, Tsuburaya's drone observed the TV as it finalized a deal with Nezu the latter had propositioned shortly after their meeting. Midoriya was tuning out the television, instead staring at his notebook filled with details of his private tech in frustration, and Mei was trying to help him with the same problem.
"It never ceases to amaze me regarding what time will do to the truth." Tsuburaya commented from his drone, watching the man be metaphorically torn apart by the hostess and the audience.
"Wait, so aliens were real?" Mei asked, looking up from her notes.
"Oh yes. Thor, Loki, Asgardians, the Chitauri, Symbiotes, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Skrulls, the Kree, Direwraiths, ROM the Space Knight…" Tsuburaya listed off. "All were real and were from space."
"But… why don't people believe in them anymore??" Mei asked. "There must have been some kind of government record!"
"Quirks emerged soon afterwards, and any alien incidents were thought to have been done by people taking advantage of their new powers, or faked by people like Mysterio." Tsuburaya explained, turning away from the man on TV storming offstage in anger. "Doesn't help that almost every official record of alien contact had been lost during the Quirk Emergence… probably destroyed by the Skrulls during their last infiltration around that time. Also, most aliens tend to reside in America, due to the efforts of Carol Danvers making that country the most alien friendly, though you won't find any aliens confessing to their real nature, not unless they want to be mocked like that poor man."
"But… but what about footage?! Pictures! Eyewitness accounts?!" Mei asked in frustration. "SPACESHIPS HOVERING IN THE SKY?!"
"9/11 conspiracies, Holocaust deniers, Fake News, Andrew Wakefield believers, and Flat Earthers." Tsuburaya responded, anger clear in his digitized voice. " Any modern sightings get dismissed as people with Quirks or photoshop. Same thing happens with magic, the new Ghost Rider, and any witnessed demons, from what I hear."
"HELL EXISTS?!" Mei shouted, throwing up her arms. "So those rumors about that Al Simmons guy-"
"Guys, please, can we focus??" Midoriya interrupted.
"Right, sorry…" Mei apologized, though not without muttering "just getting my view on reality shattered here."
"I know, it's crazy, but we need to solve this problem." Midoriya muttered.
"What're you talking about, 'Dorya??" Mei asked. "You have a solution! Just use a robot!"
"Mei, I can't just carry around an entire robot modeled solely to act like me." Midoriya reminded her. "I need to be able to move fast and set up my plans quickly, but I can't do that if I have to lug around a huge LMD!" he turned back to his notes, looking over the blueprints of his drones. "Maybe I could- urgh, no! Holograms are immaterial and not capable of handling objects! I could use something similar to Mysterio's kaiju robot, have four orbs suspended in a hologram to act like limbs- oh, but if a villain uses an extra sense or even just grabs my arm, the farce would be exposed! ARGH!" he slammed his head on his notebook in frustration.
"Izuku?"
Midoriya looked up at his mom watching him from the doorway. In her arms she carried a gray bag. "Hey mom… sorry, I'm just... having trouble with my costume."
Inko bit her lip, but came over to the couch, sitting beside her son. "Listen… I… know you're feeling frustrated… but I want you to know, I do believe in you…" he hands shook as she spoke to her son, tears in her eyes. "I haven't always been supportive.. I know that… and I made you scared for the wrong reasons… but I promise you, I WILL support your efforts from now on!"
*sniffle*
Izuku's eyes were already watering, and he hugged his mom. She held him back. No words were exchanged. There didn't need to be.
Pulling apart, Inko gave Midoriya the bag. "I, uh… actually worked on something. A few months ago, I saw one of your suit designs in that notebook and I finished creating it…" she looked at the sketch of Mysterio's costume, bubblehead and cape circled. "But I guess this wouldn't work with your current plans."
Midoriya looked in the bag. Inside was a dark green jumpsuit with a simple gray pattern, neatly folded up. It was made with love, but like his mother said, it wouldn't work for his current Mysterio suit. Unfolding it, Midoriya thought it looked like it would hug his frame tightly, leaving no room for anything save for some light padding. Definitely no electronics.
'Mom worked really hard on this, but it wouldn't last long in a real fight…'
Midoriya's eyes widened, and he leaped up in joy, reached down to his mother, and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much, mom!"
Inko looked at her son in shock. "What for??"
Midoriya looked up, a huge smile on his face. "I figured it out! I'll need to make some adjustments, but I know how to get more prep time!"
The Present...
The most shocking thing about the hero school was, put simply, how normal so much of it was. There were English classes taught by Present Mic, Art History was by Midnight, Mathematics by Ectoplasm, and Literature by Cementoss.
Save for the fact that their teachers were pro heroes, any one of these lessons wouldn't be out of place in a normal highschool. The only two exceptions were Hero Ethics, taught by Professor Baymaxima, and the class everyone was excited for, Foundational Heroics.
"Who do you think is going to be teaching us?" Kirishima asked Bakugo.
"Who cares as long as they're a pro?" he dismissed.
"Wait a sec… didn't All Might say he was a teacher starting this year?" Sero asked. Before anyone else could consider this point, the door was thrown open.
"I AM HERE…! COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" All Might shouted.
"No way!"
"Whoa, he really is teaching!"
"I haven't seen that costume before…"
"That's his Silver Age costume, kero."
"Welcome, students, to Foundational Heroics! Think of it as Heroing 101!" All Might greeted the students warmly. "Today we're going to move you ahead a bit!" reaching into his belt, All Might pulled out a card reading Battle Trials.
"Yeah, fight training!" Kirishima cheered, while Bakugo's face broke into an eager grin.
"All Might-sensei, isn't this kind of activity advanced for our first lesson?" Iida asked, his arm raised.
"Not at all! I believe that the best teacher is experience! But before you go, you won't be complete without…!" All Might gestured flamboyantly, aiming a small remote and clicking the button. From the wall emerged 20 metal cases, each one numbered and labeled by the student. "YOUR COSTUMES! Each one created in accordance with your Quirk Registry, Equipment Request Forms, and personal design requests!"
The entire class stood up, eagerly going to their cases and removing them from the wall. Midoriya took his, an unusually bulky piece. He, like the other students, was excited. The culmination of years of blood, sweat, tears, and hallucinogenic gasses laid within this case. Redesigned, built, and scrapped by himself, Tsuburaya, and Mei more times than he could count before he got to his Alpha suit. Within his backpack he had brought a few last minute items for his suit, including the most distinctive piece, one that, despite the silliness of how it looked, he would wear with pride.
But despite all that, he had a fear… a fear that had persisted when he saw Maro be shunned for that rumor. A fear that appeared in his nightmares as his peers leering at his costume, rocks and trash thrown at him, people writing him off as a villain who faked being a hero.
"Deku?"
Midoriya looked at Ochako, who was staring at him in concern. "What's wrong?"
"....I'm just… worried I'll look ridiculous." Midoriya partially admitted.
"Well, I bet you'll look awesome!" she said with a smile that immediately brightened up Midoriya's mood.
'So cute- NO! BAD!'
At Ground Beta, standing before one of the mock cities used in the Entrance Exam, All Might calmly waited for the students to arrive. He wasn't surprised they were taking a bit of time to emerge. He remembered being in a similar position, his Superman inspired outfit having felt ridiculous when he first put it on. It had taken Gran Torino threatening to "train" his classmates personally for another twenty minutes to get them to come out. Needless to say, it worked. Drawn out of his past by the students arriving, All Might gave them an encouraging smile and a thumbs up.
"They say the clothes make the pros! And looking at you all, students, I must say you are the proof!"
The costumes before them were as varied as the Avengers. Some were simplistic, like Mashirao Ojiro's karate gi, or surprisingly detailed, like Bakugo's military styled outfit with grenade-shaped gauntlets. Some ideas were original, while others took inspiration from heroes of the past. But all had been designed by the students themselves, and made by one of several contracted Support Companies. Though some ideas were not as good as others.
"Ha! The fuck's that supposed to be?? A diaper??" Bakugo laughed at Mineta, who turned to the taller teen angrily.
"It's a bowl! I'm supposed to be a bowl of grapes!" he explained indignantly. Which didn't change Bakugo's attitude at all.
"Sure, and my gauntlets are just pineapples!" Bakugo snarked back, to Mineta's growing frustration.
"Yeah, I have to agree with Bakugo-san." Kirishima said, adjusting a gear-like shoulder pad he was wearing. "You do look like you're wearing a diaper."
Mineta growled in anger, crossing his arms.
"Wow Momo! You look great!" Mina complimented her classmate. Yaoyoroza was wearing what looked like a lightly armored red bodysuit with knee-high red & white boots attached via small straps, a yellow belt secured around her waist, and matching red gloves, with a small touchscreen computer built into the left one.
"Thank you… I was originally going with a design that had more exposed skin and a bookshelf on my lower back." Yaoyoroza admitted. "But the new support company UA signed up with, Wondrous Might & Heroism, told me how dangerous having a heavy book on a rigid shelf would be if I landed on it wrong, and suggested a wrist computer instead. They also recommended DNA-integrated fabric to let me create objects without having to expose too much of myself. I wasn't even aware of such technology!"
(Mineta silently cursed whoever owned that company for doing such a thing.)
"You too??" Jiro asked, adjusting her glove. The suit was inspired by a punk rocker, but sewn into the lining of the jacket was a quilt-like pattern that, according to the company, was meant to protect her from impacts of all kinds, including bullets and other shockwaves. On her arms were narrow gauntlets with ports to plug her earjacks into, along with dials to adjust how focused the shockwaves became. Similar devices adorned her boots, along with a small box of earplugs. "They gave me these gauntlets that they claim can make my quirk's output shatter concrete. I think they're overkill, but if I need to fight someone with an invulnerability quirk, then I guess they'd be useful to have."
"Oh yeah, my costume was made by those guys too!" Ochako ran over. Her hero costume consisted of a black, full-body suit with a pale pink design down the middle of her torso, topped with two black semi-spheres on her chest, pink stripes at her midsection, a deep pink choker, and two-toned pink sleeves. On her arms were matching gauntlets with handles, large knee-high boots with small air jets on the back heel, and a two-piece belt with a round buckle around her midsection with pouches containing medicine and rescue supplies. Under her arm was some headgear with a tinted visor. Tinted pink, naturally. "They got rid of the heels in my original design and suggested miniature air thrusters to help me move while weightless and internal gyros to help me stay upright!… though I wish I was more specific.... it's so tight…!"
"Oh, cool!" Toru spoke up. She was wearing a dark blue unitard with red shoulder-pads and a silver belt with a dial built into it. "That studio also suggested some changes… after telling me that my original idea for my costume was… ''just wrong.''"
"Why? What was your original idea, kero?" Asui asked.
"Shoes and gloves." she said simply.
Everyone, even All Might turned to stare at her.
"....your costume was just shoes and gloves?!" Jiro yelped in shock, her earjacks shaking like tiny arms in frustration.
"Well, I can't afford DNA-integrated fabrics or unstable molecules!" Toru protested in embarrassment, arms crossed.
"Then what did you go with?" Jiro asked.
"This!" She said proudly, twisting the belt's buckle like a dial. Immediately her outfit vanished, leaving her completely invisible.
"Whoa! You've got an invisibility belt???" Mina asked excitedly.
"No, it's something called "Chameleon Cloth." Toru explained. "It's a fabric that can change its shape and color to anything that was preset into the belt, including invisible fabrics. It's also got a few disguises loaded in, but it's limited by the amount of fabric onhand, and I'm not sure how useful the disguises will be, what with my invisibility and all."
"Hey, are your support items and costumes from Wondrous Might & Heroism too?" Kaminari asked. His costume was a black jacket with white lightning bolts over a white shirt, pants matching the jacket, and a headset with a mounted scope that he currently wasn't using. Built into the jacket was a harness covered in metal and wires, with a small breaker-box like device attached to the belt, which attached to his boots. "They gave me some suggestions for improving my costume after I mentioned a few problems with my Quirk!"
"Yeah! They asked really concise questions about my Quirk, like how it worked and any limitations it might have had." Ashido mentioned, the last of the students, Todoroki, emerging from the tunnel.
"Ah, but none of your costumes are as magnifique as mon bespoke outfit!" Aoyami proclaimed, showing off his knight-inspired armor, which sparkled in the light. "Try not to be blinded by my dazzling!"
"You all look amazing! And now that you are… all…" All Might stopped, looking around. "Hold it, where is young Midoriya?"
.:I am here, invisible to you all!:. Midoriya's voice came out, crackling through an unseen speaker.
"Whoa, we've got another invisible student??" Kirishima asked, looking around in confusion while Hagakure grumbled about him "stealing her spotlight."
.:Actually I'm cloaked, not invisible. I just thought that I should warn you all that my choice of hero costume is… unorthodox, to say the least.:. Midoriya explained.
"I'm sure whatever you had made would be just fine, deku!" Ochako said cheerfully. Midoriya was really glad he was invisible, because her outfit left very little to the imagination.
'Not that he was complaining- NO! Bad brain! Bad!'
.:Okay… just… please don't freak out or anything.:. Midoriya fell silent, then, a plume of green smoke rose from the ground, clearing away to reveal to his classmates Midoriya's hero costume.
Midoriya's armor didn't deviate all that much from the original Mysterio outfit, aside from being made with his body type in mind. It was a full body suit, covered in green scales. Secured to Midoriya's front was a pair of clasps, each designed to resemble an upside down Eye of Providence to hold his purple cape in place. Upon his arms were a pair of golden gauntlets, with red trims upon them. Similar trim was upon his golden boots, which rose up to his knees, with crescent moons upon them, the points facing up like a smile. A similar, smile-like moon was adorning a gold belt Midoriya had around his waist. Lastly, Midoriya's helmet was, like the original Mysterio, an opaque silvery blue bubble helmet, secured to his suit by a neck brace-like collar with a smile-esque design upon the front.
The biggest physical difference was the mystic-themed armor plating upon his chest, shoulders, and knees, acting as an extra layer of defense, and the cape's high collar that rose behind the helmet in a V shape to mimic All Might's infamous haircut.
The first reaction that was heard, thankfully, was not fear.
Though Bakugo laughing so hard one would think he encountered the hero Ms. Joke wasn't much better.
"The fuck're you supposed to be?? A gachapan!?" he snorted, holding his gut in laughter.
"Ha! And you guys were giving me crap over my costume!" Mineta snorted.
"Why the bubble helmet?" was all Kaminari asked. Before responding, the helmet turned clear, showing Midoriya's face.
.:It's difficult to render a believable face in holographic form, but spheres are much easier.:. He explained, his voice crackling out of the speaker hidden in his collar. Before anyone else could comment, however, an indignant voice cut through.
"How dare you!"
Everyone turned to the boy in full armor, Iida, judging by the leg engines. "You dare to wear the visage of a villain in this institute for heroes?!"
"Wait, a villain??" Mineta asked in shock, backing away from the now fearful Midoriya.
"Yes! That's the outfit first worn by Quentin Beck, the American villain Mysterio!" Iida proclaimed, his glare at his green haired classmate not relenting. "You should remove that costume at once and apologize for disgracing your alumni!" And with that, Midoriya's worst fear started, accusations and fear pouring out like a flood from his classmates.
"Is he actually a villain?!"
"What were you thinking?!"
"Are you crazy?!
"What's wrong with you?!"
"How could you even think of such a thi-"
"That's enough!"
All the student protests were silenced by the giant of a man looking at them in disapproval.
"Young Midoriya's outfit was previously evaluated by our teachers and approved. If he chooses to use that identity, and accept the stigma that comes with it, then he will." All Might stated, a tone of disappointment leaking out from his words, which made the other students back down in shame. Well, most of them.
"We're here to be heroes, and he's disgracing the heroes who came before us by wearing the suit of a villain!" Iida protested.
"Plenty of Pre-Quirk heroes were criminals or vigilantes before the laws were passed, like the Scarlet Witch, the X-Men, or even Mysterio's archenemy Spider-Man." All Might calmly countered.
"But… Mysterio was a villain all his life!" Iida continued.
"Oh please! Like the gachapan has the balls to try and be a villain!"
Everyone turned to Bakugo, shocked at how he was, in his own way, defending Deku. "That nerd's wanted nothing but to be a hero all his life, so I really doubt he'd change his mind and become a fucking villain!"
.:And I want to redeem the name.:. Midoriya spoke up, drawing everyone's attention back to him. .:I'm well aware of how people could see me… but I want to show everyone that anyone can be a hero, no matter where they come from. Even if it comes from someone originally a villain… or Quirkless.:.
"So manly..." Kirishima muttered, admiration in his eyes.
"…a beacon of light, born from darkness." Fumikage Tokoyami, a boy with a raven's head, spoke up. "Looking to bring hope despite an having an origin rooted in evil."
"It means he likes it!" his sentient Quirk, Dark Shadow, spoke up.
"And you're all forgetting something!"
Everyone turned to Ochako, including Midoriya.
"Midoriya's highest score wasn't in Villain Points, but Rescue Points! He even broke his arm and legs to save me! So I think we should give him a chance to prove that he's here to be a hero!" Ochako continued.
'....Ochako-chan…' Midoriya thought, his heart making a leap.
"Well I for one am willing to trust Mysteriya!" Mina piped up, everyone staring at her.
.:...Mysteriya?:. Midoriya asked after a moment of confusion.
"Yeah. Midoriya plus Mysterio!" she explained with a smile. Midoriya fell silent, shocked that he had no less than three different classmates who supported him. And Bakugo.
"Now that that's all settled, listen up you zygotes!" All Might shouted. "Where do the worst crimes take place??"
"Outside, right??" Kaminari asked.
"Sorry, but that's wrong! Those are just the ones that make the news!" All Might explained. "No! The truly evil and devious do their crimes indoors! Arms deals! Illegal gambling! Smuggling! The truly devious do their horrible deeds out of public view, which is exactly what we'll be doing today!"
All Might paused for a moment, pulling out some cards labeled Battle Trial.
'Wait, is that a script?!' the class collectively thought.
"The scenario is this: 'Villains have holed up inside of a building with a nuclear weapon! The Hero team's objective is to go inside and either take down the villains or grab ahold of the weapon within the time limit! The villain team wins by either capturing the opposing team or keeping the heroes away from the bomb for fifteen minutes!'" All Might read off.
"Sensei, how will matchups be determined?" Iida asked.
"Are we going to be expelled if we fail??" Ochako spoke up.
"Are there any other conditions we need to be concerned about?" Momo asked.
"How much can we hurt the other team?" Bakugo asked, to everyone's worry.
"Do I not look magnifique?" Aoyama preened.
"I wasn't done talking yet!" All Might interrupted, before taking out a few boxes with holes in the top. "The matchups will be determined by lottery! You'll be split up into teams of two, with half as villains, the other as heroes."
"Sir, is that really the best way to create our teams??" Iida asked, his hand raised.
.:No, it makes sense. Many heroes have to team up on the spot, and they can't pick who they're working with. This is probably meant to simulate that.:. Midoriya helpfully explained. Iida looked at him quietly, but didn't respond.
"Young Midoriya is correct!" All Might confirmed. "Oftentimes, a Pro Hero would be lucky to get even one person as backup!"
"I see. I apologize for the interruption, sensei." Midoriya slumped at how cold Iida had become towards him.
"As for any other conditions: try to keep collateral damage to a minimum, and remember that this is a training exercise: if I feel that any of you are going too far, I will end the match there and both teams lose. In addition, UA has a 2 strikes rule. Any attack that could have severely injured or potentially killed a student is a strike. Do it again, and you're expelled from the Hero Course."
Everyone turned to Bakugo at that, who just scoffed and turned away. "I know my limits."
"That being said, you should treat this as a real battle. We have the best healer in the country on standby, so don't be too afraid to inflict injuries. Also try to embody the ideals of the team you're on, which means that the villains should try to embody villainy! And no, you won't be expelled if you fail, though each match-up will be recorded and sent to your homeroom teacher for evaluation, so no slackin' off!"
Everyone gulped at the idea of Aizawa evaluating their performance and criticizing them.
"Everyone, step up and pull out a ball. Whatever letter you get determines your teammate." And once they were picked out, All Might displayed the results on a screen.
HEROES:
Team A: Ochako Uraraka & Izuku Midoriya
Team H: Toru Hagakure & Minrou Mineta
Team F: Denki Kaminari & Kyoka Jiro
Team G: Fumikage Tokoyami & Hanta Sero
Team J: Tsuyu Asui & Shoto Todoroki
VILLAINS:
Team E: Katsuki Bakugo & Mina Ashido
Team I: Rikido Sato & Tenya Iida
Team B: Koji Koda & Momo Yaoyorozu
Team D: Mashirao Ojiro & Mezo Shoji
Team C: Yuga Aoyama & Ejiro Kirishima
With that done, All Might pulled out two different boxes, shook them up, and dug inside.
"And the first matchup is…" With a flourish, All Might pulled out the balls, raising them high for everyone to see. "Team A as the heroes vs Team E as the villains!" All Might proclaimed before realizing what exactly that meant, and judging by the eager grin on Bakugo's face, he knew it too. 'Oh crap… I'm so sorry, young Midoriya.' Hiding his nervousness, All Might continued. "The villains will get ten minutes to make a plan of defense, while the heroes have five to study the building and come up with a plan of attack. After that, you have fifteen minutes before the bomb goes off. Good luck!"
'You'll need it, young Midoriya.'
The inside of the suit was amazing, if Midoriya did say so himself. The suit was designed to fit over his clothes quickly and easily. All over his suit were smoke dispensers, hidden within the armor. The gauntlets contained hidden stores of his holocubes that would drop one into his palm with a specific hand twitch, while on the back were panels that would open up to his computer gloves, giving him realtime information on his suit and drones.
And the helmet. While it looked to be simple glass, it was actually an incredibly strong polycarbonate-based material with circuitry built within it that allowed Midoriya to not only see the status of his suit and drones, but locate other people via sonar and heat signatures, or get a direct video feed from his drones. There was a program that allowed him to see where each drone was placed in an area, so he could direct them and the illusion as he saw fit. The helmet gave him readings of everything his drones could detect, from chemical storage levels to items of interest.
In addition, the whole suit was airtight so that he wouldn't be affected by his own gasses, and best of all, there was a built-in temperature control so that Midoriya would be comfortable within it no matter what the weather was or how long he was inside.
It was a suit that would have impressed both Tony Stark and Quentin Beck.
…and yet all that was on Midoriya's mind was 'Bakugo is going to kill me.'
"You gave suggestions for our costumes, didn't you?" Ochako spoke up as they studied the building's blueprints, waiting for the timer to go off to signal the Heroes Entrance.
Ochako's observation broke Midoriya out of his thoughts. .:Wha-what?!:.
"The way my costume supplier's email was written reminded me of your muttering." she explained. "And I remember you mentioned you knew the person running Wondrous Might & Heroism."
.:I'm... sorry?:. he said, unsure if she was upset or not.
"Don't be! I'm glad you helped our friends out!" she explained. "I'm just surprised that you didn't bring it up with the others when we were talking."
.:I can't:. he explained. .:I signed an NDA, so I can't say much more than "I intern for this company's CEO.":. Seeing as he owned the company, he could technically say what he wanted, but he wasn't going to admit that just yet.
"Oh...." she said, nodding in understanding, before she spoke up again. "So… I really need to ask. Why did you pick Mysterio?"
.:Well, it was either this or Loki, and there was no way I'd be caught dead wearing his horns.:. Midoriya joked. 'Wait, since when do I make jokes?!' Even more amazingly, Ochako laughed! 'She's so cute when she- NO! FOCUS!'
"I guess we should talk about our strategy…" Ochako muttered. "You know that my Quirk is removing gravity. I can lift up to three tons, but I get sick if I use it on myself. I know you have super strength and illusions… I think Ashido has acid… and Bakugo has his explosions… what do you think?"
.:Bakugo will come after me.:. Midoriya stated simply. .:No offense, but he won't consider you a threat.:.
"Hmmph!" Ochako crossed her arms, annoyed, before a question came to her. "How do you know him so well?" An excited smile quickly formed on her face. "Ooooh… is this one of those ''fated rivalry'' things??"
.:Something like that, yes.:. The illusion tech user said. .:I know how to keep him occupied, so I can get him off your back while you deal with Mina… her acid may be an issue, since it'd be perfect for traps, but I can have my drones carry you over any puddles and trails.:.
"What, you don't have any flight tech in that costume?" Ochako asked cheekily.
.:I do have the tech in my drones, but not in my suit. There was room for it, but not for a dedicated power source.:. Midoriya grumbled. .:The most I could do was an electromagnetic crash cushion.:.
"Oh. Sorry to hear that." Ochako sympathized. "But what about Bakugo? What if he catches you or takes you out of the fight?"
.:He won't.:. Midoriya stated simply.
"Why not?" Ochako asked. Before answering, Midoriya popped his helmet off, revealing his nervous, but smirking face.
"I have a trick planned."
.:HERO TEAM, YOU ARE FREE TO ENTER!:.
Midoriya cleared his throat. "Code phrase: Genre Shift."
Chapter 9: I control the truth! Mysterio IS the Truth!
Noting the paper mache bomb in the center of the room, Mina tried to strike up a conversation with the Bomberanian. "So… my quirk lets me create acid of different intensities from my body, from super strong to almost non corrosive. I can spray it from almost anywhere, and-"
"Do you think Deku has a Quirk?" Bakugo interrupted, giving no indication he had even heard the girl. "Or was it an illusion?"
Mina blinked. All Might said that this was the time to be working on the strategy, not gossiping!
"Well, yeah! You saw the ball throw! I don't think his drones were strong enough to launch it that far, so it can't have been an illusion." Mina said. "Why's it matter? He got into the hero course, so he's worthy of being here either way, right?"
Bakugo didn't say anything, he just clenched his fist tighter.
'What an edgelord.' Mina quietly thought, before deciding to try and get him back on track. "So… you got a plan, cause strategy isn't really my best-"
"Here's the plan, Raccoon Eyes: You stay here and guard the bomb. I'll go down and take out that gashapon-faced deku!" Bakugo stormed towards the stairs, ignoring his partner's protests.
"Bakugo, wait, what about his partn-"
Bakugo was gone before she had finished talking. While Mina had been expecting their partner to be abrasive, she didn't expect him to just ignore the partnership altogether! Sighing, Mina looked around the cluttered room. She might as well try to do SOMETHING to prepare.
"So who do you think is going to win?" Kaminari asked Jiro. Realizing the electric boy was talking to him, Jiro sighed resignedly.
"....I think Bakugo holds a clear advantage, but Mina's acid is good for setting traps and being used offensively." Jiro said after a moment of thought. "That being said, illusionists can be tricky to deal with, so assuming he's smart about it, Midoriya could get to the right spot and use his quirk to take out Bakugo."
"I don't think Midoriya will have as big of an advantage as you think."
Everyone turned towards the Yaoyorozu heiress.
"Why do you think that, kero?" Asui asked, tilting her head at the girl.
"The original Mysterio did pull off some amazing illusions, I'll give him that. But that took weeks, sometimes months of preparation work." Momo explained. "In addition, illusionists are usually defensive, non confrontational by virtue of how their powers, or technology in this case, are immaterial by nature. Their powers make them best suited for ambushes, setting traps, and hiding things which, if Midoriya was playing a villain, would be an advantage. But in this scenario, with Midoriya and Uraraka having to search for the bomb, Midoriya will be at a disadvantage since he didn't appear to bring any robots or drones with him. Plus, Bakugo is likely to just ignore whatever illusions Midoriya can create and head straight for him. You all saw how he was during the Quirk Apprehension test, so I doubt he'd let something immaterial get in his way."
The class nodded, following along with her reasoning.
"Also, and this is just from what I know of her, Ochako doesn't seem to carry any weapons or other offensive items onhand." Momo admitted. "And since her quirk requires touch while Bakugo and Ashido's quirks have range, she wouldn't have much of an advantage, even if she negated their gravity, since they could still hit her from a distance."
"Now, now, do not underestimate your classmates, Yaoyorozu-san!" All Might spoke up. "Just because a quirk or support item doesn't seem useful to you doesn't mean there isn't a way for someone to use it to their advantage!"
"Of course, All Might-sensei!" Momo bowed her head in forgiveness, though All Might waved her off.
"Teams, your prep time is up! Let the match begin!" All Might cried into the mic. 'And best of luck, young Midoriya. You may be my successor, but for this test I must remain impartial. Show them why you can redeem the legacy you've chosen to adopt, and how you'll be an amazing hero!'
Bakugo ran down the halls, bearing a grin akin to a starving dog smelling a juicy steak. At long last, he was going to do it! He was going to find that shitty deku, plow through his useless illusions, and kick his ass so hard that he would have no choice but to leave! Yeah he may have had some kind of super strength quirk, but he knew it was fake or some kind of mutation! Most likely it was just another illusion he made! And if it wasn't, he'd beat the truth out of him! But no matter what, he'd win!
'Hell yeah!' his younger self cheered, before quickly falling silent.
He turned the corner, and there he was! That gashapon headed deku with that rosy cheeked girl! He wasn't concerned with her. He was certain that even that Invisible Girl could handle her.
"DEKU!" Bakugo leaped at the suit, grabbing hold of it by the chain joining the eye clasps. "Ha! You didn't even make a stupid illusion!!"
.:Oh, the illusions are just starting, Kachaan.:. Bakugo was startled. Not because Deku's voice came out of the suit through some kind of hidden speaker, that much he expected. It was because the boy's voice no longer sounded scared or shy, but instead focused and confident. Before Bakugo could reply, a thick, vaguely familiar green fog started pouring from the suit, and the environment around him started to morph. The smoke seemed to reform the walls, the floor, the roof, that rosy cheeked girl, even the light itself! It took only a few seconds, but it looked as though everything around Bakugo had been altered. Instead of the plain, empty hallways of the test building he was in some kind of ancient stone temple. All around him primitive torches ignited from above, the sun shone through a distant hole in the roof, and the air became thick with humidity and an ancient, moist smell.
Crap, he could actually SMELL the temple?! What the actual shit?!
Bakugo was so shocked that he dropped Deku, who hit the ground and shattered into a swarm of green-furred, purple-winged bats that flew up at his rival. Bakugo instinctively threw up his arms, ready to blast the sky-rats away should they try to bite him! But he felt nothing. No pain, no fuzzy fur, not even their bodies when they flew into him.
Of course. Holograms. They were fake. Just like the temple around him. Angry he fell for something he knew had been coming, Bakugo turned around and shouted to the air.
"I know this isn't real, deku!" Bakugo shouted out. "Stop hiding like a coward and face me!"
*click!*
A quiet click drew his attention to the stone tiles on the floor, and with a groan a massive boulder on a rope swung down from the ceiling towards Bakugo, who upon noticing it just scoffed. "Another illusion?! I want you to actually hit-"
Bakugo couldn't finish his sentence because the moment the boulder made an impact, SOMETHING large, too large to be Midoriya's fists, impacted him and sent him flying into the wall.
Bakugo hit the ground, rolling for a bit before standing. It wasn't a boulder, he knew that from the lack of surface texture, but something had hit him! "Im… impossible!!"
.:Nothing is impossible at the hands of MYSTERIO!:. Deku called out, everywhere yet nowhere at once. As he spoke, music started playing, Master of Puppets by that ancient American band, if Bakugo remembered right. An ugly scowl broke out on his face at the implication.
'Was that weak ass gashapan seriously calling him his puppet?!'
.:I don't need to fake everything. With my skills and support gear, I can make the material unreal, and the dream a reality! But which is which? Unless you have a spider-sense, I very much doubt you'll figure it out.:. That voice, lined with a snarl, drew Bakugo's attention to a jaguar, green with purple markings and eyes the same silvery blue as that stupid dome. It ran towards Bakugo on all fours, but the boy stood his ground.
"That's obviously another fake! There's no way you'd attack me with an actual-" The rest of Bakugo's words died out when the jaguar morphed into Midoriya, dressed as an Aztec warrior in the jaguar's skin. Bakugo's shock was replaced with fury and he immediately lunged forward, but the warrior grabbed his right arm and flipped him onto the ground! By the time Bakugo recovered, the fake? Midoriya had vanished into the green smoke that seemed to appear from nowhere.
.:You don't know anything about me anymore, Kacchan, but I know everything about you, because I've spent years studying you!:. His voice called out from the ground beside Bakugo. A green and purple viper with Midoriya's eyes lunged at Bakugo, but he rolled away and scrambled to his feet as the viper spoke, Midorya's words on the reptile's tongue. .:I cataloged it all in that notebook you destroyed, because in spite of everything you've done, I've always thought you were amazing! But now I can stand alongside you, and I CAN beat you!:.
With a snarl, Bakugo smashed the talking viper with his boot, the snake, of course, exploding into green smoke that dissipated. There was a crunching sound this time, but it did little to cool Bakugo's rage. Turning away, Bakugo ran down the hallway, leaping over a pit with his explosions, choosing not to gamble on if it was real or not, all the while trying to find where that cowardly fake villain went! Because NO ONE humiliated the future number one hero, especially not a shitty, gashapon-faced little DEKU!
And would that FUCKING SONG JUST STOP ALREADY?!
The control room was stunned. Midoriya, with barely any time to prepare, that they could see, made an entire jungle temple appear indoors, complete with traps, animals, and costumes?!
"I… I thought you said he wasn't able to do this!" Mineta yelped. "That he needed prep time or something!"
For her part, Momo looked just as confused. "I… I thought he couldn't! The time needed to set up something that complex was far too long!! So how-"
"Holograms."
Everyone turned to the speaker in surprise. After all, this was the first time Shoto Todoroki had spoken up since school began. With everyone's attention on him, Todoroki continued to explain. "Midoriya must have brought some hidden drones with him, probably with preinstalled programs, and released them to create that illusion. Mysterio was well known for more than just special effects. He created incredibly realistic holograms that have been said to fool even those with enhanced senses such as the Wolverine or original Daredevil."
Everyone stared at the boy in surprise at his knowledge of an American villain from the past, before turning back to the screen when Kirishima asked "Hey, what's going on with Ashido?"
Mina was finished. She looked around the room tiredly, but proudly. Even though she had been unable to move some of the boxes and furniture out, she was positive that coating the stuff in acid would be enough of a deterrent to keep anyone from approaching the bomb, which had a thick layer of acid to protect it.
The acid wouldn't cause any permanent damage, of course. Mina may have been a ditz on occasion, but she was well aware of how dangerous her Quirk could be, so she made sure to study everything she could about chemistry to get her control over the substance to be as perfect as she could.
Also, it sounded like Midoriya was having fun downstairs, if that music blaring was any indication. She didn't recognize it, but it had a nice beat, even if it wasn't something she could dance to. So now that the prep work was done, she felt she too could relax and have a bit of fun. After all, All Might-sensei told them to embody villainy, right?
"Mwahahaha!! Now let's see those nasty little do-gooders try and obtain the bomb now! Once Sparky Sparky Boom Man returns with greenie's head, WE WILL RULE THE WORLD!" she proclaimed in her best evil villain voice.
"Snnrt!"
Mina spun around. That was definitely a snort of laughter, coming from the window! "I know you're there, hero! Show yourself or face the might of… the Alien Queen!"
After a few seconds, Ochako leaped in, weightless, diving straight for the bomb like an action hero! But Mina was closer and swifter. Skating on a trail of acid secreted from her feet, the horned girl snatched up the bomb and took it to the other side of the room. Setting it down, Mina turned to the space girl, smirking triumphantly.
Ochako glared at the pink girl, cheeks puffed out in anger. "Dang it…!" She settled down on the wall, but never took her eyes away from Mina, despite the angle.
"You'll have to try better than that!" Mina taunted, keeping up her villainess act. After all, why does Midoriya get to be the only fake villain here?
Ochako reached for a chair weaponize, but stopped short when she realized what was coating it. "Acid?!"
"That's right! This whole room is covered in painful acid! Your Quirk relies on touch, right? That's why you were putting your hands on your clothes yesterday!" Mina explained proudly. "Face it hero, you're in trouble!"
"Oooh, she's in quite the bind now, isn't she??"All Might asked the class as if he were a wrestling commentator. "How can she secure the bomb if she can't even touch it??"
Before anyone could offer up a suggestion, a cry of pain drew everyone's attention back to the screen where Bakugo was now… fighting a horde of clowns?
This is fucking ridiculous!!
One minute he was dodging poison darts in a hallway, the next he dived out of a jungle-themed funhouse and into some kind of carnival with killer clowns?! With toy laser pistols that actually hurt?! And Deku's face?! And now it was night?! What the actual fuck?!
And that fucking song WAS STILL GOING!
.:Ten minutes left!:. All Might spoke in the earpiece. Bakugo was sorely tempted to smash the earpiece, but knew better and chose to focus his rage on that cheap evasive bastard.
"Be fucking consistent you little-AGH! FUCK!" Bakugo, in his anger, turned to punch a clown, only to impact the wall of the building he was still inside of. He held his aching hand, gritting his teeth. This wasn't working! Deku wasn't coming out, but he was somehow attacking him from within the illusions, but Bakugo couldn't see him, especially with all that fog covering the ground- wait!
That's it!
Bakugo turned to the carnival, and, glancing at his gauntlet's storage levels, smiled viciously, which only widened when he noticed an unseen figure moving through said fog. "You think you can hide from me forever, you damn deku?! Well guess what, you can't! Cause you may know how I fight and how my quirk works, but that's only because I had a limited amount of sweat at any time!"
With a sneer, the explosive teen pulled back on the arm of his grenade gauntlet, a firing pin popping out. The figure moving in the smog stopped. "But what happens if I had a lot of it, huh?? Can your shitty notebooks tell you that?!"
Yes! The figure was frozen in fear. It didn't matter if he could see Deku's stupid face or not, the blast was sure to be large enough to hit him, or at least stun him!
.:Bakugo, stop! If you fire that directly at him you'll kill him!:. All Might commanded. But Bakugo was too focused to care.
"He'll be fine thanks to that costume's armor!" Bakugo snarled, though at the last moment he did tilt his arm away from Deku almost impulsively.
*tink!*
The sound that followed the deceptively silent noise was massive. A huge *BOOM!* like a cannon shot out of the gauntlet, a fiery trail of destruction chasing after it and smashing through everything in its path without mercy. All the fog was pushed out the way, several invisible objects exploded into sparks, and the holograms flickered and fizzled before vanishing, the building now back to normal.
Upstairs, the two girls stumbled as the building shook. Ochako ran ahead to try and grab the bomb, but a handful of acid in her path blocked her in time for Mina to get back in between her and the bomb. Putting her hand to an ear to her ear, as if receiving instructions, Ochako decided now was the time to be aggressive and ran at Mina.
The students in the control room recovered quickly, but they were all shouting. Some in anger over Bakugo's actions, a few defending it, while others focused on his target, currently obscured by the explosion's black smoke.
"Sensei, you've got to stop the fight!" Momo protested. "Midoriya could be severely hurt!"
All Might grunted in agreement and reached for the microphone, but was swiftly interrupted when a voice spoke up.
.:It's okay, All Might! I'm fine! I figured he'd use those gauntlets at some point, so I baited him into wasting his shot... though I admit the blast was larger than I expected.:.
All Might sagged in relief. Midoriya was alright. He didn't even sound hurt, just out of breath.
"I'm glad to hear you're unharmed, Young Midoriya, but I'm still stopping the test. Bakugo could have killed you!" All Might insisted. The other students, hearing Midoriya was alive, relaxed slightly.
.:But he didn't! And villains never hold back, so why should he?? Sensei, please, let me finish this!:. Midoriya protested. .:I NEED to prove to everyone that I can do this, even if I don't use my quirk!:.
All Might bit his lip. Deep down, he knew that as the class' teacher, he needed to call off the test. Bakugo had used a move so dangerous it could have killed someone, and didn't even care that the teacher said no. By all accounts, he should be kicked out, or suspended at the very least.
…but then All Might remembered earlier that day. How so many in the class gave him looks of distrust and suspicion. How some looked incredulous that he would even think of using a powerless villain's identity, that he could use it to be a hero. Midoriya had spent his whole life being underestimated and ridiculed for one reason or another, and even after making it to the high school of his dreams, he still felt like he barely belonged.
He… he needed to win this. His way.
With a deep sigh, knowing Aizawa, Nezu, Baymaxima, and Recovery Girl were probably going to put him through the wringer for his next words, spoke into the microphone. "Very well, against my better judgment, I'll allow this fight to continue. But if Bakugo uses that move again, I'm suspending the match and both sides will lose! Is that clear?!"
Midoriya gave his confirmation, while Bakugo just grunted in annoyance.
"Good. And you have five minutes remaining!"All Might finished.
"Hey, the smoke's clearing up!" Toru said, pointing to the screen.
Bakugo huffed, smirking. That blast destroyed the stupid carnival illusion, silenced that fucking music, and took out a whole wall! He knew his gauntlets were kick ass, but he didn't realize just how awesome the guys at Wondrous Might & Heroism had made them! He was momentarily worried that Deku couldn't have dodged, but then he saw movement in the explosion's smoke and knew he had survived. The shitty pebble never knew when to lie down and give up.
Bakugo reset the triggering mechanism and walked closer. With the smoke clearing, he saw that he had been half right. Deku was indeed alright, but it looked like he wasn't able to get completely out of the way. Instead he was half buried under some rubble from the wall, his legs and right arm pinned. Annoyingly, that stupid bubble helmet didn't even have a scratch on it, though the green suit had torn open to reveal some kind of rough gray armor underneath the scale-like material.
.:You're re-really lu-lucky that di-didn't hurt me!:. Midoriya stuttered out, his suit's radio crackling with static. Good. That meant he was shaken, so he just needed to finish the fight, then he'd finally accept how utterly worthless he was. He tried to dig himself free with his left arm, probably to escape to the nearby stairwell, but Bakugo pinned the limb down with his boot.
"Feh… I knew you wouldn't have died… you're too stubborn." Bakugo leaned down, glaring into his reflection in the stupid fishbowl. "But now you're outta tricks, and I've got another to take down." He raised his gauntlet to the helmet, small explosions crackling from his excitement.
.:Bakugo..! If you fire that large blast again..!:.All Might warned him from the control room, as if he hadn't heard the Number One hero the first time. Bakugo gritted his teeth. Hearing the disapproval in All Might's tone pissed him off, but looking back, he did realize that perhaps firing such a massive attack in a small area had been overkill for the training exercise.
'We could have killed him if we had directly hit him!'the younger voice said, only to shut up again.
"Calm down, teach, I'm not gonna use the Full Tank Blast at this range! I'm not an idiot!" Bakugo… "assured" All Might, for lack of a better word, before turning back to his former friend. "I want you to see us as we should be. Me standing tall, and you shaking beneath my boots!"
.:You're wr-wr-wrong…:. Midoriya stuttered out, still struggling to free the arm pinned by the rubble.
"What'd you say, you damn nerd?!" Bakugo snarled, grabbing the suit by the tacky cape clasps, determined not to let him slip out again no matter what shitty trick he pulled this time. "I'm greater than you! I beat you! Your best magic tricks weren't enough to stop me, and you've got nothing left!"
.:Well... I d-d-d-do have one la-last..:. Midoriya stuttered out coyly, before the suit depressurized, the costume fell limp in Bakugo's grip, and the helmet went clear to show that the suit was empty, and the nerd was gone! But still, Midoriya's voice came from the suit, transmitted over the damaged radio! .:T-t-trick.:.
Bakugo jumped back, but before he could turn around a muffled gunshot was heard, and he was suddenly pinned to the wall! He struggled and his hands popped with explosions, but he was unable to free himself from the… web?!
"What the shit?!" Bakugo shouted, struggling.
"Oh, that's my "Web Net" gun, modeled after the original design Mysterio used when he was starting out."
Bakugo stopped struggling, eyes widening in disbelief as the air shimmered, and Midoriya was revealed. Only he wasn't wearing that gaudy green outfit with the cape! No, what he was wearing was a dark green jumpsuit, tightly hugging his frame, covered in dark gray eyes, a black belt and gun holster secured to his waist with that eye design Mysterio was so fond of adorning the buckle. That same eye was found on Midoriya's new collar, from which a hologram of Bakugo's own face glared at him intently before shutting off to reveal the real Midoriya, wearing a stylized visor, as well as a headset with a microphone, his face matching the hologram's expression. On the back of his wrists, attached to the sleeves, were two touch screens showing the suit's data and camera feeds from his drones, such as the four small ones, shaped like the domed suit's eye clasps, hovering above him.
Midoriya lowered his arm, tightly clenching what resembled a dark green flare gun, with the same Mysterio eyes inlaid on the barrel in red, before replacing it in the holster. "I told you, Bakugo… I'm not trailing behind you any more… Now I'm on equal footing! Now I can beat you!" Midoriya quickly retrieved the original suit and, without another look back, ran upstairs, leaving his classmate stuck to the wall, screaming in rage.
"THIS DOESN'T COUNT YOU DAMN NERD! YOU DIDN'T EVEN USE YOUR WORTHLESS FUCKING POWER!" Bakugo yelled at him, struggling to free himself from the webs pinning him to the wall.
Those words made Deku pause for a moment… but he didn't look back, even when he responded.
"....I know."
With that he left, Bakugo seething in silence.
Reaching up to his headset, Midoriya gave his partner a message, trying his hardest to keep his words level. "Ochako, it's time. End this."
Inside the control room, everyone was going nuts at the reveal.
"He has a second costume?!"
"Mon dieu, how devious!"
"Sensei, is that even allowed?!"
All Might kept his laugh to himself. While he didn't doubt his successor's capabilities, he was worried about how the suit would fare against Bakugo, especially since Midoriya still needed to get a grip on One for All. But it looked as though Midoriya had everything well in hand.
"Why wouldn't it be allowed? Plenty of heroes have secondary costumes for different purposes!" All Might explained. "I myself have a Rescue costume designed by David Shield, from back when I studied abroad in America!"
"That's right! The trend was made popular by Tony Stark, the Pre-quirk hero Iron Man!" Iida proclaimed with a repeated chop punctuating his words.
All Might smirked, then returned to his microphone. "Two minutes, teams!"
Back with Mina and Ochako, the former continued skating around, moving the bomb while dodging Ochako's attacks. She had eventually gotten frustrated enough to grab ahold of one of the larger boxes despite the acid and throw it like a baseball, but Mina swiftly dodged it, sticking her tongue out at the other space-themed girl.
"Might as well give up, hero! You can't reach this bomb in time!" Mina taunted. She hoped Ochako would buy her words, since her palms were starting to burn.
.:One minute remaining!:. All Might warned.
"Heroes never give up!" Ochako put a finger to her earpiece, smirking. "And who said I was trying to catch you?" Ochako asked with a smirk.
Before Mina could express her confusion, Ochako reached over and grabbed one of the larger crates in the room, ignoring the acid despite seeing and hearing it sizzle, and, activating her Quirk to render it weightless, threw it at the other girl. Mina panicked, but she had run herself into the corner so she couldn't dodge! Acting quickly, Mina painfully summoned and threw a handful of acid at the crate, hoping to at least weaken it… but the globs went right through, the crate and the smirking Ochako fading into pixels!
Realizing it was a distraction, Mina tried to find where Ochako was, but it was too late.
.:THE ENEMY WEAPON HAS BEEN CAPTURED! THE HEROES WIN!:. All Might announced over the building loudspeakers.
Mina was understandably confused. "What?! But Ochako is-"
She looked at the bomb behind her… and the now visible Ochako hugging the top of the bomb, hovering in the air, secured by a massive drone secured to her like a jetpack by some metal tentacles with claws. Surrounding her were several smaller drones, no thicker than a few yen coins stacked adopt each other, no wider than the top of a soda can, and all of them adorned with Mysterio's Eye.
"And… release!" Ochako muttered, deactivating the quirk on herself, the drone lowering her to the ground… where she promptly vomited rainbows.
"Oh, lemme help ya!" Mina ran over and held back Ochako's hair, patting her classmate comfortingly. "You were amazing!"
"Never had… to use that quirk so long on myself…!" Ochako whimpered out. Mina patted her back comfortingly.
.:Would young Midoriya please free Bakugo from his net? And will both teams please report to the control room for the post-match analysis?:.
The girls left the room, the drones following them. On the way out they saw Bakugo storm off, covered in something thick, sticky and white resembling dried silly string. Mina would have made a joke about that, but she valued her life, thank you very much.
"You did great, Uraraka!"
The girls glanced up to see Midoriya, his original suit under one arm and his helmet in the other as he came over. Flanking him was a swarm of mini drones, identical to the ones that accompanied Ochako. A couple were carrying broken mini drones and dice-like plastic cubes, gripping them with claw-like legs made of thin metal. Bringing up the rear was a drone that looked identical to the one Ochako had following her.
"What the heck are you wearing, Mysteriya??" Mina asked, enjoying how Ochako was trying not to blush at the form fitting outfit their classmate wore.
"I'll tell you with the rest of the class." Midoriya said, unfolding his original suit and pulling aside the cape to reveal a hidden metal and plastic backpack with charging ports and holders sculpted upon it. "Code phrase: And that's a wrap, people!"
The drones immediately convened on the back of the suit, pouring into their designated spots with robotic efficiency. The only exceptions were the broken drones, which Midoriya deposited into the pack itself along with some broken holocubes. A glance inside let Mina see that it mainly held medical supplies, a diver's tank of oxygen, and chemical containers hooked up to thick plastic tubes that fed into the suit.
"You're ready for anything, huh?" she mused to the boy, who just shrugged.
"Prep work is a vital part of my persona." he said simply. And with that they went to the control room, where the team, or rather Midoriya, was immediately bombarded with questions, mainly about just how he did everything. Seeing All Might gave him permission to explain, likely because he was curious himself, Midoriya cleared his throat.
'Well, Uraraka and I knew that Bakugo was most likely going to come after me, so I had to keep him distracted." Midoriya began. "I had my minidrones spread throughout the building, spreading a few holocubes around to create the environment I needed, which, combined with my suggestibility gas-" ("That Recovery Girl and Baymaxima examined and approved of beforehand." All Might interrupted before anyone could speak up.) "-Made the environment ultra realistic." Midoriya continued. "The minidrones then followed Bakugo around, playing loud music, and releasing the appropriate smells and noises to distract and disorient him. Meanwhile, I sneaked around him, commanding my cloaked combat drone to provide the physical element of the illusions, like the air pulse cannon to simulate the boulder on a rope, or using the mini drones to shoot air that simulated darts. Of course, when Bakugo blasted my suit, I knew it was time to stop messing with him, so I took him out."
In the corner Bakugo, finally clean of any remaining webstrands thanks to Kirishima's help, scowled.
"At the same time, Uraraka used my second, cloaked combat drone to carry her to the top floor so she could sneak in and steal the weapon. But since she got caught, I needed a few minutes to come up with a new plan, so I had her stall until we came up with driving her to a corner." Midoriya finished, before stuttering and proclaiming "O-of course, I'm not saying you were at fault for anything Ochako!! It was an honest mistake that anyone could have made!"
Ochako tilted her head in surprise. It seemed that all the confidence in him had been left behind when the trial ended. Strange.
"But you didn't face him in a real fight at all!" Kirishima complained. "Not a very manly method!"
"If "being manly" means getting a face full of explosions or breaking my limbs to win a class competition, then I'm perfectly happy to disappoint you." Midoriya countered, a slightly angry edge to his words that everyone was taken aback by, Midoriya himself included.
"S.. sorry bro, didn't mean to upset you." Kirishima apologized, clearly feeling guilty over criticizing a teammate's preferred methods and Quirk.
"No, I get it…" Midoriya said, forcing a smile on his face. "I just wanted to win on my terms."
"Wait, you were playing music?" Jiro asked, partially to disspell the tension in the air. "May I ask what?"
"Master of Puppets by Metallica." Midoriya explained, latching onto the subject change. "My… trainer was into retro American, and I needed something that would keep Bakugo angry and focused on me, and it seemed like my best bet to provoke him."
Jiro nodded. "Good pick… we should trade music sometime."
"Count me in!" Kaminari cheered.
Midoriya immediately started stuttering in shock while Ochako felt… annoyed? That's weird, why did she-
"So what exactly do you have on right now, since you did not seem to be wearing it earlier today!" Iida exclaimed, determined to get the conversation back on track.
"A-actually, I WAS wearing this outfit, just underneath my Blockbuster suit." Midoriya quickly explained. Seeing their confused looks, he explained. "My dome-headed suit is called the Blockbuster because it's big, has a noticeable design, and has the majority of my flashier tech in it. It's meant to grab your attention, like a summer blockbuster, and it has internal motors so it can move around on its own."
"But this suit, that I'm wearing right now, is in many ways, my real hero costume." Midoriya continued. "It's called "the Sleeper Hit!" I designed it so that I could give myself some prep time while my Blockbuster suit had everyone's attention, or disguise myself if I had to do some Underground Hero work."
"Wait, how does this suit disguise you? It's still pretty eye-catching." Mina asked. Instead of answering, Midoriya just typed a few commands into his right glove, and in a flash of light another Mina appeared before her, striking a pose with a peace sign.
"Check it out, I can become anyone I want!" "Mina" said in a perfect copy of the original's voice. The other students gaped at the disguise, virtually indistinguishable from the real article, whose eyes were wide in amazement.
"We're like twins!" She reached over to feel her doppelganger's horns, but found her fingers passed through it, a few pixels briefly displaced around where she tried to touch them.
"It's still just an illusion… I can't imitate quirks or extra body parts without some other items that I need to craft beforehand." "Mina" explained as the disguise was shut off. "Also, I have to know how someone looks, acts, and sounds before I can do a proper imitation."
"That's a shame, if you could solve that problem you could totally fulfill any guy's fantas-'' Mineta began before Jiro's earjack jabbed him in the neck. "OW!"
"Finish that sentence and it's your eye next." she calmly threatened.
"Settle down, settle down!" All Might commanded, continuing to speak over the class' groans and complaints. "We need to get to the analysis of the fight! Who can tell me who the MVP of this match was?"
"It was Ashido-chan, All Might Sensei." Momo explained to everyone's surprise.
"What?? But the Heroes won!" Sero protested.
"Indeed they did! And yet Yaoyorozu is correct! Can you explain why?" All Might asked the would-be heroine.
"Well, Bakugo didn't even attempt to make a strategy with his partner, choosing instead to focus on a personal grudge against Midoriya, even using a dangerous move despite your instruction." Momo began. Bakugo said nothing, but instead of glaring or snapping at her, he just looked down in frustration. "Midoriya made a good plan to occupy Bakugo, and proved the versatility of his equipment." Midoriya smiled at this.
"But, as he admitted, he didn't take this seriously, choosing instead to string Bakugo along with weak attacks until he used his gauntlet's hidden triggers. Had this been a real fight, he could have gotten bystanders in danger, or worse yet set off the nuclear device. Also, he refused to use his quirk to take down Bakugo, though I understand that he didn't want to break his arm or fingers again." Momo elaborated, making Izuku's smile fade.
"I… didn't consider that…" Midoriya mumbled in shame. Ochako patted his arm comfortingly, but she definitely did not blush when she felt his muscles. Nope.
"Uraraka came close to being the MVP, since she caught the weapon and didn't let the acid slow her down, but her giggling kept her from sneaking up on Ashido." Momo continued. "Ashido, however, used her quirk to her advantage, rendering the environment hazardous. Had this not been training, she could have made the acid very dangerous. The only criticism I have is that she was also not taking this seriously, though unlike Midoriya, she didn't let this keep her from the objective."
"That is correct!" All Might said. 'Crap, she mentioned nearly everything!' He cleared his throat and turned to address the four students. "You all did well for your first time, but remember that you must be careful when you give it your all to defeat villainy! Even the smallest actions can have large consequences."
"Yes, All Might-sensei!" the four bowed.
"Now, onto the next matchup!"