7

Chapter 7: U.S.J. Drama – Part INotes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

He breathed in and out, trying to let go of some tension.

- As always, All Might is just impossible to rein in... Dammit Toshi, be grateful I can't call Gran just yet. -

Izuku mentally sighed as a certain fact proved itself to be a constant in every damn timeline.

It didn't matter how much he asked, advised or even begged. The Number One Hero just couldn't keep himself from taking care of every last problem in his path, from small-time villains to cats in trees. The fact that many local heroes could deal with those same problems didn't even slow him down.

And that would have been fine, since it was essentially a Hero's job to do good whenever possible.

If he didn't have only three hours of All Might time each day, and if he didn't have to teach lessons that required that time.

But since those two ifs always collided when Class 1-A had to visit the U.S.J., Izuku couldn't help but feel a bit bullshitted by fate. Stuff etched in stone was so irritating.

Meanwhile, looking at the bright side of things, he had managed to keep most of his costume intact, so he felt undoubtedly more comfortable than he was in his gym clothes or in his uniform. The weight of his soles, the pads and the mouth guard were like pieces of himself. He almost felt naked without them.

Taking a look at his classmates' attire as he approached the bus, he felt relieved that everyone had chosen to wear their costumes, even if Aizawa had given them a choice of whether or not to do so.

"Thank you for doing the headcount, Ida," he showed his appreciation with a friendly nod.

Taking note of his friend's "Of course!" he took a seat near the midsection of the vehicle to be in earshot of any conversations, as some were bound to happen.

As expected, Tsu was the first one to speak to him with her usual "I always say what I think" introduction.

"Your Quirk reminds me a bit of All Might's."

"Does it now?" he smirked, doing a much better job of not betraying anything than he'd done the first time around.

"She's not wrong!" Kirishima interjected. "Ya know, they both look like simple enhancement-type Quirks! Strong and flashy!"

"But All Might doesn't have green lightning, does he?" Sato pointed out, arms crossed.

Mina jumped at the chance to question him. "Yeah, what is that about anyway? Is it like Kaminari's Quirk?"

"Nah, I can't feel a voltage jump coming from him," Denki shot down the idea.

"The green light is stunning! It comes close to my laser," Aoyama proclaimed theatrically.

"Is it, perhaps, a sort of byproduct?" Tenya proposed, interested.

Izuku shrugged. "I wouldn't know myself; it just happens when I use Full Cowl."

"That's your Quirk name? I don't get it, why would it be a cowl?" Denki looked confused.

"Oh no, my Quirk's name is [Superpower], as generic as that may be. Full Cowl is just how I named the stance." He uncrossed his arms, explaining. "I can't fully use my Quirk, only a small percentage. If I overdid it by putting all my energy in a single limb, it would just break my bones and rip my muscles."

Uraraka's hand touched as she made the connection. "Oh! So that's what you did in the entrance test!"

"That would explain the broken limbs, yes. I had thought it strange when you limped towards Recovery Girl," Ida added.

"Pas vraiment, the destruction of the giant robot was a sight to behold," Yuga commented.

"You took down a zero-pointer?! Man, that's both incredible and terrifying!" Eijiro said with a smile that ignored the second adjective.

"Yeah, so I've got to hold it in and balance the power over my whole body. My mental image is usually that of an egg in a microwave: keep it spinning, heat it gradually and don't let it explode."

"That's quite the metaphor," Momo interjected with a nod, "and it explains your talk with Aizawa during the Quirk apprehension test."

He smiled in agreement, taking a look at the "sleeping" teacher.

Tsuyu kept her eyes fixed on him. "So, how much are you holding back right now, ribbit?"

Ah, the age-old question: "How much stronger can you become and do we even have a chance of keeping up with you?"

Of course, the second part wasn't really there just now, but they would all come to think about it at some point. And it would lead to a similar kind of problem to the one created by the Symbol of Peace: too much weight placed on the shoulders of a single individual.

Not that he minded. Izuku was made to be—no, had made himself into—the perfect sacrifice for the good of others.

But that didn't mean he wanted the members of his family to rest on their laurels and risk getting killed later. He was crazy, but he knew how to simplify part of his hellish task. Crazy doesn't imply dumb.

"I'm using around 12% of what I can. I may push it a bit more, but then it starts hurting really bad."

A chorus of surprised "ohs" distracted him briefly from the fact that he had just lied to their faces.

He hadn't used anything above 7% around them, apart from a brief burst to evade Bakugo's grand explosion and move Shoto out of the way. But that would surely change today. The U.S.J. attack was incredibly adept at stressing him out.

The bus came to a stop, Aizawa telling the kids to settle down and move.

Izuku mentally groaned, reading himself for the ordeal.

- Do your worst, Tomura. -

It has to be said that Kyoka and Mezo weren't nosy by choice.

The two had sense-enhancing Quirks, so they just happened to listen in to rumors and conversation whether they liked it or not.

But hey, they weren't crazy for thinking that something strange was going on with Midoriya, right?

He hadn't taken two steps out of the bus that he'd already busied himself by whispering stuff left, right, and center.

"Hey, Kaminari, I think Mineta wanted to talk to you."

"Ojiro, could you stay close to Koda? Tokoyami may be scaring him involuntary."

"Hagakure, Ashido was looking for you. Pun not intended."

Kyoka raised her eyebrow at each phrase. By the third, she chose to approach him.

"Midoriya, what are you doing?" she kept her voice low, as Thirteen seemed about to start a little introduction of the place.

The greenette had a poker face like no other. "Huh? I just relayed some info, that's all."

She squinted her eyes at him. "I haven't heard any of that. It's bull and we both know it."

- Unless he's just seen people look at each other and interpreted it with his strange sixth sense, and I'm the crazy one now. -

His eyes didn't show the barest hint of the surprise of someone caught red-handed. He just gave her a look that said "OK, so?"

She sighed, crossing her arms. "Look, I trust you, but cut it out. I think Shoji can also hear everything."

Now he smiled. "Oh yeah, I know. I trust you guys."

"Wha-"

He put a finger over his mouth in the telltale sign of quiet. "Let's listen to Thirteen for now."

She gave him a glare that he reciprocated with an "Anything else?" look.

- Whatever – she mentally huffed, before he added a parting request.

"Just stay close to Yaoyorozu for now."

She spared him a look before she glanced at the heiress, who was just a few steps to her left.

- Eh, you don't have to ask me twice. -

The black mist came, letting the Villains in and changing the vibe from "fun and wholesome rescue training" to "terrifying and deadly fight for our lives."

Pity that he had needed to scrap the "Villains end up in a trap surrounded by every teacher because I know the future" version of the day. Too many variables, and it just made things worse in the end. He could still treasure the memories of the few times that had happened though.

Aizawa gave his orders, immediately jumping into the midst of the action, and Izuku endorsed them, telling the group to stick closer together and back away, behind Thirteen. He silently activated at 3%, the bare minimum needed that also allowed him to hide Full Cowl's flashy side effect.

He ended up being ignored by Kirishima and Bakugo, as the two went attacking as recklessly as always when Kurogiri ended his spiel about extinguishing the Symbol of Peace.

Opening his arms, turning himself into an engulfing void, the Villain made his threat:

"You will be scattered. And tortured. And slain." 

At "scattered" he was jumping forward, swiftly pushing Momo and Kyoka back and out of the way, just by Rikido's side with a soft "Sorry!"

His eyes zipped left and right to confirm that the changes he'd made had taken effect, taking a brief sigh of relief. He could trust them.

Then the mist engulfed him, making him lose his sense of direction for a split second.

He felt the air rushing past his ears and gravity pulling him backwards. Giving himself a twist, he landed with a somersault on rocky terrain. The Mountain Zone.

- Alright, the teams should be fine. Now... -

He patted the dust off his clothes as a bunch of cannon-fodder minions approached, weapons at the ready.

A guy with very long arms seemed delighted to finally have prey on his hands. "Look, guys, they've sent only one!"

A brute in a white tank-top and a poorly made mask growled. "He seems weak too! This will be a cakewalk."

A third ruffian with a boar mask laughed. "Sorry kid! Nothing personal, but I'll be taking your hide!"

Izuku sighed at hearing the same sentences and jokes repeated for the umpteenth time.

He sometimes wondered if anybody had ever tried to open a "get-your-own-catchphrase" online program. Maybe that would sell.

Izuku opened his arms wide, gesturing with both hands. "Yeah, yeah. You small fry better all come at me together, or this won't even be enough as a warm-up."

"You little shit!" A giant of a man charged, trying to crush Izuku's head with a club. A club.

- I mean, I'm all for simple and effective, but come on... -

He stood still as the criminal closed in, moving at the last moment to crush the weapon, the hand holding it and the bones of the Villain's arm. He pushed away the man, who was now screaming in pain.

He put on his mocking sneer. "All at once, please."

As the group took a couple of seconds to exchange glances, put on their war faces and charge, Izuku concentrated on his thoughts.

- You know, taking this chance to train against a mob would do this body some good, don't you think? -

The awaited response came quickly as an indulgent, gruff voice in the back of his head spoke up.

"Just one, alright kid?" 

Izuku grinned, feeling the change in his right hand. - You're the best, Daigoro. But stop calling me kid. -

"Eh, I'll do that when you stop saying that to everyone else." 

- Hey, that's because you're all the best. -

"Just take the compliment, old man. I am," a more feminine voice shushed the other.

The Fifth Holder withdrew with a grunt, leaving the boy alone with his not-so-friendly pack of blood-hungry idiots charging at him.

Izuku stretched his neck, letting the power flow into his body, the energy crackling and turning into green light. Slowly, a black tendril made its way out of one of the small holes over his knuckles.

- Twenty-seven left. Shouldn't take more than two minutes. Conflagration comes next. -

He launched himself into the fray.

All things considered, she'd been lucky to end up in the water. She was quite literally in her element. But she wasn't as happy with her teammates as she could have been.

Tsuyu observed the criminals waiting in the lake as Kaminari tried to talk Mineta out of panicking. They were surrounded, but for god's sake, that wasn't the attitude a Hero-to-be should have!

"Come on man! We've gotta do our part! What kind of hero are you?!" Denki shook the purple-haired boy while gritting his teeth.

"My Quirk can only stick to stuff and make me bounce! I'm not suited for this kind of combat!" the other replied, his face a textbook example of fear.

Tsuyu turned around to stop the two. "Kaminari, Mineta, stop arguing. We have an incredible advantage right now."

The two looked at each other, exchanging confused looks. She counted herself lucky that the two hadn't reacted to her tongue grabbing and throwing them on the boat with sticky balls or a discharge.

- I am surrounded by idiots, ribbit. Where is a Midoriya when you need one? -

"They clearly don't know our Quirks, ribbit. They are well prepared for a water battle, and so am I, but we can do much, much better than that."

Kaminari waited for two seconds before asking, "Which is...?"

She deadpanned. "Kaminari, you can emit electricity. We're surrounded by water, ribbit."

"Oh. Oooooh." His eyes widened at the realization before he turned slightly more serious. "Yeah, sorry, too scared to think clearly. Ok, that's all fine, but I might end up shocking you two! The boat's still on the water ya know?"

Tsuyu turned her head towards the smaller, trembling boy. "Mineta, you said that those things can make you bounce?"

The little grape-headed teen nodded as fast as he could, starting to fill his hands with his Quirk's products.

A bounce-powered high jump, a shocking dip in the pool and twenty-or-so burnt villains later, the trio was on their way to the shore.

The first things he felt were the pouring rain on his skin and the wind that blew incessantly.

Mashirao managed to break his fall by latching to a pole with his tail, sliding to the ground safely.

He looked around, taking in the sights of a barely-illuminated city under a constant heavy rainfall. A sound to his right made him turn abruptly, only to stop when he saw Tokoyami descending from a nearby traffic light. Dark Shadow was holding Koda in their hands, letting him down gently. Was it him, or did the Quirk look bigger than they'd been in the battle trials?

Tokoyami returned his glance. "Ojiro. Do you possess knowledge of the space the foulest displacement demon brought us into?"

As the blonde must have looked confused, Dark Shadow explained. "He's asking if you know where we ended up."

"Ah, it should be the Downpour Zone," he replied, thankful for the clarification.

"Rain, rain, and even more rain. My feathers are getting wet," Tokoyami grumbled.

"Koda, you alright?" Mashirao looked at the bigger teen, receiving a nervous nod in response.

"Well, well, well. Look at what our friends have brought us."

The three turned to see a bunch of enemies slowly approaching. The one in the front, with sharp teeth and long arms, mocked them while showing off a machete.

"What'd you say? Would you make this easy so we can leave this wet dump early?"

The martial artist took the reins of the team, whispering, "Are you fit for combat?"

"I-I can't use b-bugs here. They might drown," Koda muttered, his words almost inaudible because of the rain. "B-But I can fight and run. I can hear s-some mice talking he-here and there."

"I thrive in the darkness," Tokoyami offered, his eyes focused and reading himself for battle.

Ojiro could almost see a grin on the dark Quirk's face. "We're good to go."

He nodded, taking a stance. "There's too many of them. Let's hit and run."

The trio moved to engage, the flock of Villains finding themselves less than ready to face their combined prowess.

Momo recomposed her stance, scolding herself for being underprepared to handle the attack they had just experienced. If it hadn't been for the class rep, she would have been caught in it too.

"Shoji! Kyoka! Can you find any of the others?"

"No, they're too far," the girl gritted her teeth. "Midoriya's gone too."

The giant boy moved his eyes and ears around. "I saw portals in other zones. They may still be within park limits."

- The enemy is almost intangible and has an ability to teleport matter. Kirishima's attack didn't connect, but Bakugo's did. Could that collar be a weak point? -

Momo had barely produced a staff with some extra power on the tip when Thirteen placed herself between the gaseous Villain and her students.

"Vice representative! You all have to get to the door! You must reach the school and inform the teachers of our situation!"

The girl scanned her remaining classmates as fast as she could.

To her left, Kyoka, Sato, Ida, and Uraraka. To her right, Shoji, Sero, Ashido, and Toru.

- Out of all of us Ida is the best suited for the job. Toru wouldn't be as fast, but she wouldn't be caught if someone was waiting outside and she should have that laser pointer in her shoes! -

"Ida! Hagakure! I entrust you two with reaching the school! Run and use the laser pointer as soon as you're out!" She shouted at full voice. "We'll cover you!"

In another world, the bluenette might have taken a second to refuse to abandon his companions, even when asked by a teacher. But this Ida had just received an order from a superior, one he was starting to trust. She was chosen by Midoriya, after all, and they had both shown unrivaled sharp minds and good judgment.

"Yes!" he shouted, making a full turn and moving towards the floating pair of gloves.

"Leave it to us!" the girl added, jumping on the knight's back as he began to sprint, taking off her remaining clothes with her teeth.

The man made of shadows talked quietly and without anger despite the fear his words induced. "I have not given you permission to leave, children."

Thirteen moved to attack, but thankfully there were many eyes competent eyes on the scene.

Kyoka's ear jacks were already reaching the Space Hero's leg when the portal appeared behind her, starting to take apart her puffy white costume. With the hardest tug of her life, she brought the woman away from the impending disaster, interrupting the Hero's scream of pain and Kurogiri's mocking words.

"Ah, astute. But it won't matter." The Villain started to warp in pursuit of the escaping duo.

"Ashido! Veil him!" Momo shouted, hoping the pinkette would get it.

She did. Mina rushed forward, the ground smoothening under her feet. She opened her arms in midair, sending a cover of acid to intercept the enemy.

"Futile- Ugh." Kurogiri grunted, as he'd been incapable of avoiding all of the liquid, sensing it frizzling over his collar. Stunned for a second, he didn't perceive Momo's lance until it was too late, the taser on the tip hitting him before he could let it pass through. The moment of peace was all the group needed to advance and cover the escapees.

The Villain raised an arm, opening a portal to intercept the runner, but Shoji was faster, covering it and letting the two move out of the way.

"I won't allow you to leave!" the shadow said, pushing forward despite the hindrances.

As they all moved, Momo saw a flash of inspiration on Uraraka's face as they passed each other. She looked around and saw their solution.

"Sato! Launch her!" she caught the boy's attention, throwing a handful of sugar cubes towards his face.

The girl removed her own gravity and the heiress watched as the boy's muscles bulked. Placing both hands on the bottom of the brunette's feet, he pushed her with all of his might.

Uraraka shot forward, taking Midoriya's words from theory into practice. She moved just a bit faster than she should have, reaching Kurogiri's metal collar faster than the mist man could evade. She grabbed it with both hands, pushing her Quirk and muscles to the limit, and sent him flying.

"I can still-"

Sero interrupted the Villain's last attempt by catching him with his Quirk, moving the monster in the opposite direction. Finally, Kyoka pushed her sound waves against the flying target, sending it to crash against the U.S.J. entrance sign.

Momo's eyes didn't leave Ida's and Hagakure's backs until they had moved through the door, their silhouettes disappearing behind the door.

Kurogiri sighed in disappointment, swirling on himself and disappearing from sight.

Momo could only hope he wouldn't be able to catch up. All she could do now was take care of Thirteen's injuries and keep her classmates safe. "Hold the position! We've got to wait for help!"

The remaining students formed a circle around the fallen Hero, and Uraraka joined her in her first-aid procedures in a flash. She was fighting to keep away the tears.

She didn't look away from her current duty, but she spoke from her heart. "You did great, Uraraka."

The girl sniffed lightly. "Yaomomo, call me Ochaco."

Her fingers stopped for only a second. She couldn't have received a better thank you.

Notes:

Hey look, this Izuku knows how to lie and circumvent. What a useful skill to have when half of the stuff regarding your life is top-secret.

The attack has started, and it could have gone worse. Especially for the Villains. Those in the Conflagration Zone must be wondering why they aren't getting any action yet.

Up next, Dusty, a problematic experiment, and more problems (but for who?).

Leave a kudo or a comment if you like!

Thank you for reading! 'till next time!