Chapter 1: New Kid in Town
Chapter Text
Monoma watched the clock tick down, every second bringing the beginning of class sooner.
As the rest of his classmates talked to each other, he glanced over to now empty seat near the front of the class behind Kendo. Over the break they had been given to rest after receiving their provisional licenses, Mr. Kan had informed them that Shoda would be participating in an exchange program, and that they would be meeting his replacement today. It had annoyed Monoma to no end. Shoda had bundles of talent and potential. Not to mention the fact that the whole class was fond of him. He was unofficially dubbed the “conscience” of class 1-B due to his exceedingly kind and honest nature, especially towards that band of idiots in Class 1-A. Monoma was furious that one of them couldn’t have been sent away on exchange. Once again a member of Class 1-B was expendable, not as important as all those clowns. Even after two of the class’s top students had been caught fighting after dark a few days ago. Monoma smirked, making a mental note to remind them of that at the soonest opportunity.
Just then, the door to the class slid open. The class immediately went silent as their teacher Mr. Kan walked in. He walked to the front of the class, and after pausing for a brief moment, cleared his throat and began to speak. “Good morning Class. Now as you have all been told, Shoda is taking part in a foreign exchange program for the remainder of this semester. So without further ado, please welcome your new classmate.” Seemingly on cue, the door to the class slid open, accompanied by a small shockwave. The air blew everyone’s hair back just a bit, pushing some papers and pencils off of some of the desks. Everyone instantly turned their heads to see who would be joining them. As they watched, a boy strode in, each one of his steps seemingly accompanied by a small shockwave of air as well, causing his shirt and pants to ripple. He was a bit shorter than Monoma, with raven black hair neatly brushed back so he resembled a Yakuza boss. He had a smirk to match. He was clad in the UA uniform, along with a bright red watch and matching sneakers. Seeing those shoes, Manama was reminded of the green-haired member of Class 1-A, Izuku Midoriya. The thought both repulsed, and also intrigued him. If he was as powerful as Midoriya… His thoughts were promptly interrupted by their teacher, who cleared his throat and began to speak.
“This is Shinzō Kakuhan. He is the student we got in exchange for Shoda from Ketsubutsu academy. His quirk is called Kinetic. I’ll spare you the details for now, as you will all surely become better acquainted with your new classmate very soon. Like you, Shinzō has his provisional license. He actually received it at the same time you all did, although he did not appear to interact with any of the students from U.A at the exam. Now I know that U.A and Ketsubutsu have a bit of a rivalry, but I expect you all to be courteous to your new classmate. Is that understood?” After a resounding “Yes Sir!” from the class, Mr. Kan nodded and motioned towards the new student to take his seat. As he walked towards the seat with a smile on his face, Monoma noticed his eyes darting around the room, looking at the rest of the class. Even though he had a dumb look on his face, the focus in his eyes gave Monoma a sense that he was sizing them up. How dare he look at them like that. If anything, they should be giving him that look. His classmates however seemed to either not notice or just not care, because many of them seemed to be smiling at him. As he got to Shoda’s seat, he locked eyes with Monoma. In that moment, time froze. Everything else disappeared, leaving only the two of them. No words were exchanged, but none needed to be. As he turned his back and sat down, Monoma had made his decision. Regardless of what their teacher had said, this boy was an outsider in his eyes. He would have to earn his place here. And Monoma was going to do everything in his power to make sure he didn’t.
Chapter 2: Inter-class confrontation
Summary:
Sparks fly in the cafeteria, both literally and figuratively as Kakuhan meets the hot-headed blonde of Class 1-A...
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Monoma wasn’t mad at his classmates. Just disappointed.
He had expected them to be less welcoming of Shoda’s replacement. At the very least he thought it would take longer than half a day to win them over. But here he was, grumbling to himself as he swallowed another bite of filet mignon, watching his classmates talking and laughing with their new classmate. It was infuriating to see how quickly everyone had seemingly moved on. As he watched, Kakuhan took a casual sip of something red from his glass as he threw a quick glance at Setsuna who was sitting beside him laughing hysterically. Pony also seemed to be enjoying herself, as evident by her occasionally slipping into her native english. Surprisingly, Kakuhan wasn’t even fazed, as it turned out he was fluent in the language. Monoma sighed exasperatedly. Already his plans were falling apart to prove that his new classmate didn’t belong here. He had hoped that Kakuhan was weak academically, but as it turns out, he was intelligent. At least on paper. He could only hope that he would be able to change his classmates’ minds in the coming days. Maybe Shoda could be brought back early if the class showed a strong disapproval of Kakuhan.
Monoma went to dig his fork into another piece of steak, only to hear the fork clank against the plate. Looking down he was disappointed to see he had finished his lunch absentmindedly. Curse Kakuhan for making him unable to enjoy his meal. Feeling full but unsatisfied, Monoma looked around the cafeteria and locked eyes on the band of idiots from Class 1-A. As he stood up he could feel a maniacal grin spread across his face. He walked across the cafeteria, holding his empty tray. He’s used this move plenty of times. Pretending to take his tray back to Lunch Rush, and taking a detour to ‘bump’ into someone else. As he walked he eyed the two-toned hair of Todoroki. Perfect, he thought. Todoroki was docile enough to take Monoma’s instigations without any response, and knocking off a recommended student was always fun. As he got closer to his target’s back, Monoma pulled his elbow back, preparing to ‘bump’ it into Todoroki’s shoulder. Unfortunately, his elbow bumped into someone as he pulled it back, leading to a sound of dishes clattering to the floor behind him. Monoma wheeled around to be met with the screaming banshee of Class 1-A, Katsuki Bakugou. Face-to-face with his glare, Monoma did his absolute best to refrain from cowering in fear, just as he did every other time he antagonized the hot-headed blonde.
“Hey, watch where you’re going you damn extra!” Monoma scoffed, his pride overtaking his desire for self-preservation.
“What do you expect? With the size of your ego it would be impossible for me not to bump into you.”
The only reason Monoma was sweating was due to the heat generated by the blonde’s explosions. It was definitely not because he feared for his life at that moment. And he definitely didn't for a split second wonder whether he had crossed the line. As he saw the feral blonde raise his hands he thanked his lucky stars that the teachers would bail him out. He was almost looking forward to Mr King’s lecture to ‘think before you speak.’ But that’s not what happened this time. As a fiery fist began to hurdle at his face, a shockwave of air so strong it pushed Monoma forward.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you to keep your hands to yourself, loud mouth?” A voice beside Monoma spoke coldly. As he turned, he was shocked to see Kakuhan standing next to him, air still faintly swirling around him. Monoma found himself at a loss for words. No one other than him was brave enough to stand toe-to-toe to Bakugou without flinching, let alone antagonize him. And yet here was Kakuhan doing just that. The blonde turned his attention away from Monoma and focused it on his new classmate.
“Who the hell are you?” Bakugou sneered.
“Shinzō Kakuhan, newest member of Class 1-B.”
“Fantastic. Another extra in my way.” Kakuhan took a step towards Bakugou, so now they were almost literally toe to toe, and spread his arms out.
“Damn right I’m in your way. Because I’m ahead of you. So get a good look at this face, because after today, all you’re going to be seeing is my ass.”
Monoma was stunned, which was an incredible feat to achieve. Bakugou himself looked stunned for a moment, before donning a look of pure rage. Like a bull seeing red.
“I’m gonna grind you into dust, loser! I’ll kill you right now!”
Immediately, another shockwave of air burst forth, this time from Kakuhan’s feet, who looked pretty angry himself.
“I’d like to see you try you angry Pomeranian! You’re all bark and no bite!”
Without another word, Bakugou flung a fiery fist right towards Kakuhan’s face who flung an open palm forward as well. However before they could collide, the explosions around Bakugou’s hand immediately dissipated. Before anyone could see anything, Mr. Aizawa and Mr. King had appeared and began restraining the students.
“Vlad, please tell your new student to watch his temper. It’s his first day and he’s already instigating conflicts.” Mr. Aizawa said in his dry, steely voice. Vlad began to speak but was promptly cut off by Kakuhan.
“Me?!? He’s the one who was talking down to my classmate! If anything, you should be telling blondie over there to muzzle it!” Aizawa was staring daggers at Kakuhan, hair floating straight up, eyes blazing red. Even Monoma knew better than to breathe too loudly around Mr. Aizawa when he was like that. And yet, even with his quirk presumably erased, Kakuhan didn’t even flinch at Aizawa’s glare, which made even Bakugou silent, even though he was still shooting a glare towards Kakuhan.
“Even so Kakuhan, Aizawa is right. You just got here. You’re going to need to rein in your temper. Even if you’re aggravated.” Mr. King said as diplomatically as possible before turning to Aizawa.
“Maybe it’s best for the time being that we delay the joint training session.” Aizawa finally stopped glaring at Kakuhan to nod at Mr. King, before directing back to the rest of class 1-A who had been watching with jaws dropped. Mr. King also led Kakuhan and Monoma back to the rest of Class B, who were also stunned by what they had seen. As they walked back, Mr. King spoke to Monoma.
“Monoma, how many times do I have to tell you to not antagonize Bakugou? You should know by now that it’s not a good idea. Your actions already get yourself in enough trouble as it is, and now they’re getting your new classmate in trouble as well.”
That last part stung for Monoma. He was used to his teacher lecturing him to keep his mouth shut by now. But blaming him for the new kid’s hot head annoyed him to no end. I didn’t tell him to step in and be a hero, Monoma thought to himself. However, before he could say anything, he was cut off.
“It’s not his fault sir,” Kakuhan said without hesitation, “I made my decision on my own. And I’d do it again. We’re only Class B in name. I have no doubt that we could beat them any day. I don’t like being looked down on, and I don’t like seeing that happen to my friends either.”
Friends?!?
Mr. King out his hand on Kakuhan’s shoulder. “I understand young man. Even so, you need to be able to control your anger. If this happens again, there will be consequences. Understood?”
“I wouldn’t have even done anything if that blonde guy hadn't tried to pick a fight!” Kakuhan retorted.
“Understood?” Mr. King repeated. Kakuhan sighed.
“Yes sir.”
Vlad King nodded. “Good. Now both of you, go. Lunch is about to end. You have Basic Hero Training next period. Don’t be late.”
Kakuhan nodded and promptly raced over to the rest of the class. Monoma was about to follow after him, before exchanging a look with his homeroom teacher, who raised an eyebrow. Monoma shrugged, before walking towards his classmates as well.
Notes:
Monoma: there is a hole in my heart that can only be filled by being a lil' shit to Class 1-A
Also I love how this whole community has unofficially nicknamed Bakugou "the angry Pomeranian"
Note 1: Even though there will be interactions between Class A and B, this is still the Class B show
Note 2: I'm working on formatting my work so it resembles the style that's used by other fics: more spaced out, less blocky. Overall I hope it's easier and more enjoyable to read. If anyone can leave a comment on how to do that I would greatly appreciate it :-)
Chapter Text
Unlike many of the students he shared a school with, Monoma generally enjoyed all his classes. That being said, one thing was for certain: Hero Basic Training was the one class that every student in 1-B looked forward to. As they walked into Gym Gamma, Monoma couldn’t help but crack a smirk. Before the licensing exam, each member of his class had been successful in creating an ultimate move. Even greater was that after the results of the Provisional Licensing Exam were announced and none of his class had failed, unlike the class of idiots, their teacher had went on to tell them that based on their performance he was willing to say that Class 1-B had actually pulled ahead of 1-A. But their teacher had warned them not to get complacent, and to keep working hard to maintain the lead they had. Which is why today they were going to be working on their ultimate moves again.
As the class waited for their teacher to arrive with the other staff, Monoma looked around at his classmates, all decked out in their hero costumes. Kamakiri and Awase were talking to each other loudly with the use of some very colourful language, while Komori and Kodai were quietly looking over their gear, and the rest of class falling somewhere in between those two extremes.
As they waited, Juzo came up to Monoma. Despite the unsettling appearance his teeth gave off, Monoma found the recommended student to be one of his favourite classmates, not least because of his intelligence. Monoma always enjoyed their conversations.
“Wonder what Vlad is going to have us do today,” Juzo said. “We already mastered our ultimate moves before the licensing exam. What could we be doing with them now?”
Monama shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Just then Mr. King arrived in the gym, along with Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Recovery Girl, and All-Might.
“Class B, Line up!” Mr. King boomed. Without another word, the entire class lined up in the middle of the gym. Mr. King stood in front of them, arms crossed behind his back like a drill sergeant, alongside the other teachers.
“First off, I would like to formally congratulate all of you on passing the provisional licensing exam. It is rare for first years to even attempt the exam which meant you were all at a distinct disadvantage competing with upperclassmen with considerably more experience. Not only that, it is exceedingly rare for an entire class to pass the exam. As such each of you should be proud. As of now you are all officially Semi-pro heroes.”
“Class 1-B represent!” Tetsutetsu hollered, earning a small outbreak of cheers from the class. Even Mr. King cracked a smirk, before regaining his stoic expression again, causing the class to promptly silence itself.
“However, don’t think you will be allowed to slack off now. If anything you will be pushed even harder. Each of you have immense talent, but remember this: hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard. Which is why today you will all be resuming work on your ultimate moves. Specifically, testing them in real life scenarios, starting with combat.” With that, Vlad King motioned to Ectoplasm and Cementoss, who promptly began setting the stage. Ectoplasm exhaled, creating dozens of copies, while Cementoss placed his hands on the ground and began to alter the terrain In the centre of the room, a large column of concrete grew upwards, making a sort of mountain with a flat surface on top along with multiple platforms interspersed around it. Stages for combat, Monoma assumed. Meanwhile, Mr. King and All Might walked over to the side of the gym and pulled out notebooks and pens as Mr. King began to speak again.
“Your ultimate move is supposed to be your ‘Ace in the Hole,’ the move that is nigh unbeatable. But no move is without flaws. Which is what we will judging how you react if your ultimate move fails. One at a time, each of you will begin by using your ultimate move on one of Ectoplasm’s clones. After that you are free to use any method you wish to disable as many of or all of the ten clones as possible before being subdued or surrendering. Understood?”
After the whole class gave Mr. King a nod of approval, Mr. King called the first name.
“Seat number one! Awase!”
Immediately, the spiky haired member of the class stepped forward, rubbing his palms together with a devilish grin on his face. Standing about four metres away from the first Extoplasm clone, back against the concrete mountain grinning as widely as the original.
“Whenever you’re ready Awase.” Mr. King said. Awase then pulled a metal log out one of his pockets.
“Let’s get this shit started!” He screamed with glee as he took off running towards the clone. As he got within arms reach of the target, Awase ducked right and stretched out the hand holding the metal log towards the clone’s abdomen. However, just as he was about to make contact, the clone pivoted on its right leg, turning the left side of its body away from Awase, sending the boy charging past like a bull that had been duped by a master matador. As Awase ran past he quickly stopped and turned as the clone brought down a leg towards his head. Awase blocked the kick with one of the metal logs, before swiftly binding it to the clone’s leg before kicking the other leg out from under it. Just as he finished welding the log attached to the clone’s leg to the ground, another clone swooped down on him, landing a stiff kick to Awase’s back, causing the boy to crumple to the ground. Just he rolled over onto his back, the boy found himself surrounded by three clones.
“You are subdued,” one clone announced, “please return to your class.”
Awase got to his feet, gingerly rubbing his back as he walked back to the lineup.
“Damn, that shit hurt Ectoplasm-Sensei,” Awase mumbled.
“Pain is reality. Villains will not show any restraint in real life. It’s best to experience that as soon as possible.” Ectoplasm explained. Awase nodded, grunting as he rejoined his class, still rubbing his back.
“Each of you will get notes on your performances from us at the end of the day. I expect each of you to look over them and bring them to homeroom tomorrow with your own notes on how to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Understood?”
“Yes, King-Sensei!” The class yelled. Mr. King nodded.
“Good. Kaibara, you’re up next!”
Monoma’s next few classmates performed as expected: Kaibara was excellent offensively but he struggled when the clones began to swarm, forcing him to use his quirk more, and therefore burning himself out. Kamakiri was also strong on the offensive side but his impatience and aggressiveness made it easy for him to be surrounded and subdued. Kuroiro on the other hand was good at evading the clones, but he was lacking the offensive capabilities necessary to subdue the clones, though he did last the longest. Next up was Kendo, who was able to knock out the most clones thus far at five, just one more than Kamakiri and two more than Kaibara, and she managed to keep the clones at bay for a time before eventually being cornered and subdued. Kodai arguably did the best out of Monoma’s classmates. Using her quirk she was able to shrink many of the clones down to the size of ants, as well as enlarging several nuts and bolts from her pouch as she threw them towards the clones. However, the use of her quirk made her sluggish, leaving her unable to accurately defend herself when one of the three remaining clones flanked her and knocked her to the ground. Komori started off strong but her nerves appeared to get the better of her, as she was only able to subdue one of the clones before being subdued herself. Monoma guessed her obscured vision due to her hairstyle also played a factor. Shiozaki surprisingly managed to subdue 9 of the clones at the start, but using so much energy at the beginning made it hard to defend herself against the one clone remaining while also keeping the other nine wrapped up in her vines. Eventually a well placed kick to her leg broke her concentration, and as she fell to the ground the other clones got free of the vines and surrounded her.
One by one each of the members of Class 1-B stepped up and gave their all. Shishida was able to incapacitate 8 clones with his beastly close-combat, while Pony managed four. Tsubaraba trapped 4 in a cube of air before realizing the clones could climb out but using Ectoplasm’s powerful leg prosthetics to jump off the solid walls. Tetsutetsu knocked out five clones before falling to a combined effort by all the clones who surrounded and pummelled him until his steely skin faded away. Tokage managed to match the score of 9 set by Shiozaki before being stopped. Fukidashi got to 7, matched by Juzo. Bondo glued 8 in place before going down, and though he did not match the high score he was the least beat up of all his classmates. Monoma managed 7 himself. Even though he didn’t get all ten like he thought he would, he was satisfied that the new addition to his costume was working well. A few days ago he had put in a request to Mr. Powerloader to make an assortment of cufflinks for him, each one containing a strand of hair from a few of his classmates, all taken with consent and after they had plucked it themselves. So far he had samples from Tetsutetsu and Kamakiri. He had gotten the idea from a conversation with Juzo, who had suggested that since Monoma’s quirk required him to touch a person to copy their quirk, the effect should still work if he had something that had their DNA in it, and hair should be easy enough. Sure enough, Juzo’s hypothesis had been proven correct. Now Monoma wasn’t as much of a sitting duck in combat.
After Monoma had finished, Yanagi and Rin went, with the latter subduing 5 clones and the latter incapacitating 6. Which left only one name for Mr. King to call.
“Kakuhan, you’re up last!” the teacher announced.
The entire class instantly went silent, all turning to watch the new kid step forward. Monoma himself took extra interest in this. He couldn’t wait to see this new guy fail. Maybe if he screwed up badly enough the teachers would reconsider and bring Shoda back early.
As Shoda’s subpar replacement walked forward, Monoma got his first look at his costume. From the waist up was jet black armour covering the arms and the torso all the way up to the neck. From the waist down the costume composed of what looked like a goldenrod coloured utility belt and joggers with an urban camouflage design. The cuffed bottoms fed right into a pair of goldenrod sneakers devoid of any laces or tongue, with white soles. Much too loud and tacky for Monoma’s refined taste. Then again he had half a brain. The legs were also each fitted with black metal knee pads, for some reason. The arms seemed to be made of a similar material to the torso, as they gleamed under the lights of the gym. From the hands up a pattern of glowing gold lines ran up the arms and converging on a single point on the left pectoral where a drawing of a realistic heart sat, also glowing the same colour. All in all, overly flashy and with many questionable design choices. It suited this guy perfectly.
“Be careful out there Kakuhan! Wouldn’t want you falling on your face on the first day.” Monoma called out, earning him a few confused looks from some of his classmates. He didn’t care. If this guy couldn't handle a little pressure then he didn’t deserve to be here. Monoma already knew that. Now it was just a matter of time until everyone else realized it too.
In response to Monoma’s encouraging words, the new guy turned around mid-stride, a cocky grin on his face.
“Please… I live for this.” And with that, he pulled the material around his neck up toward his face. Surprisingly, the metallic looking neck covering stretched upwards, as the guy covered his mouth and the tip of his nose with the covering and reached the starting point.
As he faced the Ectoplasm clone, he crouched forward, one leg behind the other as he balanced on the balls of his feet with arms spread out.
“Whenever you’re ready, Kakuhan.”
Without hesitation, Kakuhan threw his hands forward and yelled “Power Surge!” Instantly, a streak of lightning flew out of his hands with a whistle. Just as it struck the clone, an ear-shattering BOOM reverberated through the gym. The impact created a gust that pushed some of Monoma’s classmates off balance. As the smoke cleared, all that remained was a puff of smoke dissipating into the air. Immediately, three clones charged at Kakuhan, who was still standing there, steam curling off his hands. As the clones surrounded the boy with incredible speed, Monoma scoffed. Clearly Shoda’s poor excuse for a replacement had burned himself out. And for what? To show off, and to beat the one clone that was standing still. Pathetic.
Just before the clones made contact, Kakuhan leapt straight into the air, almost touching the ceiling with his feet as he flipped in mid air. As he began to fall he punched the air, sending a concentrated gust towards the clones, buffeting them and momentarily stopping them in place under the pressure. As soon as he landed, Kakuhan threw a thrust kick towards one of the clones from about a metre away, sending another gust of wind out which flung the clone towards the wall its creator was standing by with he other teachers, who were all watching intently. As he closed the distance towards the other two, Kakuhan ducked a pair of kicks and nailed one of them with an uppercut, sending it flying up and hitting the ceiling before bursting into a puff of smoke. Not wasting any time after the uppercut, Kakuhan whipped around and nailed another with an elbow that sent out another shockwave as the clone’s body bounced off the floor before dissipating as well. By Monoma’s count, Kakuhan had now beaten four Ectoplasms. Still nothing to be shocked over, so he didn’t know why Tetsutetsu was shaking his fists excitedly. Even if he did appreciate brazen close-combat.
Having beaten four of ten clones, Kakuhan turned, not a scratch on him. He wasn’t even breathing that hard, which was strange. Stranger still, he seemed to be smiling. However it promptly disappeared when he saw five more clones charging from all sides. Surely this would be the end. Kakuhan, unfazed, began leaping from spot to spot on the balls of his feet. Each time he leapt, another shockwave followed in his wake. With all the motion some of his classmates had lost his balance. Monoma himself was losing his footing as well. The clones found a way around this issue, as they leapt into the air onto the higher platforms before a pair leapt down towards Kakuhan. In response, Kakuhan launched off one foot to intercept them in midair. A foolish idea, Monoma thought. Not only was he outnumbered, now the fool was severely limiting his mobility until he landed. Imagine Monoma’s dismay as he watched Kakuhan crash his knee straight into the chin of one clone, before flipping up and behind the second, grabbing the shoulders of the second and launching off it towards the top of the concrete mountain. As the pair of clones turned to dust, a cheer went up from the class.
“Nice moves Kakuhan!” Tetsutetsu cheered. Monoma looked at his classmate with disappointment, but Tetsutetsu didn’t seem to notice. Monoma turned his attention back to the concrete mountain where Kakuhan was now doing battle with the four remaining clones who had surrounded him and were wearing him down. Kakuhan was fighting like an animal, punching and kicking wildly in every direction while trying to dodge and block attacks at the same time . However the clones were too much, and sure enough kicks kept landing, bringing the new guy to a knee, but still fighting. He was still firing gusts of pressurized air, not letting up even a bit despite the overwhelming assault. Just as he raised an arm to throw another strike, a kick from one of the clones caught him right in the face. Even from this distance, some of the class winced at the impact, knowing just much it hurt to be hit by one of Ectoplasm’s prosthetic legs. As Kakuhan fell on his back Monoma assumed it was over. He had beaten about 6 clones. Not bad, but nothing special. Definitely not worthy of being here…
As soon as his back hit the concrete surface, Kakuhan slammed his palms into the surface. To Monoma’s surprise he launched himself straight into the air, spinning and throwing a butterfly kick in the air, blowing two of the clones right off the surface, before landing and launching a barrage of punches, elbows, knees, and kicks at the two remaining in front of him. As he pushed them to the edge of the platform about 10 metres above them, the clones began pushing back, maneuvering in such a way that put Kakuhan on the edge. As they continued to pummel Kakuhan, Monoma was sure that he would be finished. Up above, Kakuhan was absorbing more and more blows, his attacks becoming few and far in between, his movement becoming sluggish. With one last huge punch, he sent the ninth clone flying back into the gym wall, before taking another kick to the ribs from the last clone. He was struggling to stand back up but the last Ectoplasm clone was relentless.
“Yield! You cannot win!” The clone boomed as it brought down an overhead kick aiming straight for the top of Kakuhan’s head.
“Wanna bet?!” Kakuhan yelled back as he grabbed the leg. Unlucky for him the strike had enough force to shake his balance enough to send him falling back off the edge. As he fell into the open air, the clone tried to pull back it’s leg, but Kakuhan kept an iron grip on the prosthetic, pulling it off the edge with him.
All the teachers sans All-Might rushed forward to catch the student.
“Don’t worry Kakuhan, we’ve got you!” Mr. King yelled.
“Get out of the damn way! You’re in the splash zone!” Kakuhan roared back as he flipped the clone over in midair so he was on top of the clone as they fell before letting go of the leg. Cementoss immediately willed a wedge of concrete up towards the student, as a sort of makeshift slide. Monoma thought the boy would be smart enough to just slide down the concrete ramp to solid ground. He was wrong.
“It’s over!” Kakuhan yelled” As he thrust his left hand behind him, a column of air erupting from it sending him flying right fist-first into the clone with a blow that sent both of them crashing into the wedge of cement and disappearing into in a cloud of smoke.
Notes:
-Originally I wanted to include more detailed descriptions of how each member of Class 1-B but as i was editing I realized it was already over 3000 words as it was. Maybe in the future I'll post a full play-by-play of each student's performance, because I love all of em so much and they all deserve to shine.
-Even though Kakuhan was the only one to beat all ten clones I wanted to make sure he didn't appear overpowered or unstoppable, rather that he has the same reckless drive and self-sacrificing nature as some other U.A students we know...but these kinds of victories will come at a price.
-Note on Kakuhan's quirk: it's called Kinetic because he can build up and expel kinetic charge. Like moving or running around. He doesn't have multiple quirks, but he's found multiple ways to use his power, like with pressurized air blasts through punches, or in the case of his ultimate move, unleashing built up kinetic energy in a shot of electricity. However the more energy he expends the more tiring and draining it is.
-As you saw in this chapter there is mild swearing. Class 1-A has Bakugou, but 1-B also has some pottymouths lmao
-Finally, we've all seen Dadzawa, well get ready for Dad King! Grizzly bear on the outside, but teddy bear on the inside. He loves his students, but pushes them relentlessly like a tough-lough kind of father. He's not as icy as Aizawa though. That's a high bar to meet...Plus I wanted to make sure the classes had different make-ups and personalities even among teachers. It will factor in later on, but no spoilers yet ;-)
Chapter 4: Tension in Heights Alliance
Summary:
Tetsutetsu and Kamakiri almost set the dorm on fire making dinner, and things get a little tense between Monoma and Kakuhan
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
While the whole class rushed forward, along with the teachers to check on the moron, Monoma was holding back the urge to rub his hands together or thrust them upward to praise the Lord. Of course he didn’t want anyone to be seriously hurt but Recovery Girl had a perfect track record when it came to healing foolhardy students. Besides, no idiot does something like slam a clone through concrete from 10 metres up during a class training session without having done it before. Even so, Monoma did speed up as they all walked forward to check on the fool. It definitely wasn’t because a small part of him was worried the moron would be injured. He would be definitely be fine.
Just as Monoma predicted, as the students got close to the pile of rubble, Kakuhan slowly got to his feet, costume covered in dust but intact. As he looked around Monoma noticed the faded cuts on his forehead, neck, and by the corner of his mouth. Despite this he was grinning like a madman. After bowing to Recovery Girl in thanks he turned to the other teachers.
“Sorry if I worried any of you. I’ve been training for a while but I still misjudge just how much energy I expel in the heat of everything.”
He then turned to face specifically Ectoplasm and Mr. King. “Also sorry about yelling and not listening to you two. I’m a bit of a hothead. But I’m sure you both already know that.” He said as he rubbed his neck with a cheeky grin.
“You call that an excuse? Please! Face it: you let your own pride and ego blind you. Is that how a hero acts?” Monoma questioned.
Kakuhan smile immediately died as he dropped his hand from his neck to hang downward, along with his head.
“Monoma is right. Recklessness and a hot temper are a terrible mix. I would strongly recommend you correct those flaws immediately.” Mr. King said firmly as he looked at the student with his arms folded.
Ectoplasm nodded in agreement. “It is important for heroes to be unwavering, but only a fool stands firm solely to satisfy themselves.”
As his robotic voice reverberated in the gym, Kakuhan’s shoulders seemed to slump even further. Monoma pinched himself as hard as he could because he could have sworn he was dreaming. He would have bet his life on the teachers congratulating Kakuhan for his ‘courage’ or ‘unwavering conviction’ or some other malarkey. At the every least he expected them to take it easier on him, especially since it was his first day. He had never been so ecstatic to be wrong.
All-Might then cleared his throat. “I think that is enough for today. Maybe we should give the students their reports and send them to the dorms. I’m sure Kakuhan has quite a bit of unpacking to do.”
King thought for a moment, before nodding. “Alright Class B! Go change out of your hero costumes and then collect your reports. I expect each of you to look them over and learn from today. Build on your strengths and correct your weaknesses. Dismissed!”
———————————————————————————————————————
As the class walked inside the dorms, Monoma reflected on his report. According to his teachers, Monoma needed to work on his ability to use his new gadgets more seamlessly, as well as his combat ability when he can’t use his quirk. Nothing a little training couldn’t fix. As they walked in, the class was greeted with the smell of citrus fruits. Lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit wafted around the common room. As he breathed in and exhaled, Monoma could feel the tension melting out of his shoulders. His classmates seemed to echo his feelings.
“You were right Pony, scenting the common room with citrus is excellent for relieving tension.” Shishida said. The foreign student beamed.
“We can alternate scents to keep things fresh, no pun intended.” She responded.
“Good, it smells like dish detergent in here,” Tetsutetsu mumbled.
Setsuna elbowed him before patting Pony on the shoulder. “Ignore metal head, it’s great Pony.”
“Alright everybody, dinner is in 2 hours. As usual, the common room will be a group study room until then. Tetsutetsu and Kamakiri, it’s your turn to make dinner.” Kendo said.
Kamakiri and Tetsutetsu pumped their fists. “Steak and Spinach night!” the green-skinned boy yelled.
Monoma rolled his eyes as everyone dispersed, leaving just himself, Kendo and the moron, who turned to face Kendo.
“So uh, where’s my room? And is my stuff already there? Mr. King just told me to leave it here in the common room before coming to class.”
“Your room is on the fourth floor, first room on the left. Your stuff is already there.” The class rep explained. Kakuhan nodded, grin back on his face.
“Cool, thanks a lot Kendo. I’m gonna go unpack. See you all at dinner.”
“If you finish before then, come and hang out. Welcome to Class 1-B.” She said with a smile as well.
As the boy walked towards the stairs and out of sight, Monoma shot Kendo a glare.
“What the hell was that?” He questioned.
“Welcoming our new classmate?”
“He just got here! He’s barely a member of the class at all, and you’re treating him like he’s always been here!’
Kendo raised an eyebrow. “Who spit in your snails?”
Monoma huffed indignantly. “I just don’t think we need to roll out the red carpet for him. Let him figure things out on his own. This isn’t a daycare.”
Kendo just rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible,” she said as she walked off.
If that’s what it takes, then so be it, Monoma thought to himself as he headed towards his room.
———————————————————————————————————————
Dinner was chaos as usual. Granted the final product of steak and spinach salad was pretty tasty, so Monoma supposed it was worth Tetsutetsu and Kamakiri almost burning the entire dorm down. Thankfully Manga was able to douse the fire with a single ‘Splash!’ The peculiar looking hero’s quirk was incredibly versatile.
As they cleared down, Kakuhan offered to help with dishes.
Tetsutetsu shook his hands at first. “It’s alright man, it’s your first day. We’ll work you into the ‘rotation’ starting tomorrow.
“Too late,” Kakuhan said, carrying a stack of plates to the sink. “Besides, now that I’m part of the class I have to pull my weight. I ain’t a freeloader!”
Tetsutetsu laughed and patted him on the back. “Alright! Let’s get these dishes done and then we can play Hero Smash or something.”
“Oh I’d love to man, but I still have some unpacking and homework to do. Analysis usually takes me a while. But thanks a lot!”
He then turned to the rest of the people in the common room. “Hey, if you’re done bring your dishes up!”
Monoma scoffed, leaving his plate and cutlery on the coffee table as he got off the couch.
“It’s only 8pm, Kakuhan.” Tetsutetsu said.
“Yeah, I usually go to bed around 10.”
“You’re telling me homework and unpacking is going to take you two hours?”
“Well I also plan on working out-“
Monoma cursed under his breath and managed to get his hands over his ears just in time.
“WHAT!?!?!?! Yo we should work out together sometime! Me and Kamakiri usually work out together but you’re welcome to tag along!”
Kakuhan beamed. “Let’s do it! We can start tomorrow. But I have to hit the books first.”
Tetsutetsu gave him a thumbs up. “I respect that. Looking forward to seeing you in the gym, Kakuhan! Fair warning: we don’t do things lightly.”
Kakuhan grinned. “Didn’t you see me today? I don’t do things lightly either. I’m looking forward to it too. Maybe I’ll catch you guys before I hit the hay. Can’t wait to see who’s staying on my floor.”
“Sorry man, I’m on floor four.”
Kakuhan hit his knee. “Damn, that would've been fun. So…who else is on floor five?”
Tetsutetsu scratched his head. “Well… no one.”
Kakuhan frowned. “Really? Why not?”
“Dorm rules.” Monoma interrupted. “On every floor except the first there’s four boys dorms and four for girls. Every other boys room is filled. So you’re on the fifth floor.”
“But there’s only seven girls in this class and thirteen boys. There’s plenty of rooms open. Why can’t I just move into one of those?”
“Because that’s against the rules. You expect us to change the rules just for you?”
Kakuhan waved his hands. “No, I was just asking-”
“Good, because if you’re in our class you’re going to go by our rules.” Monoma said before turning around and walking to his room. Just as he took a few steps, something grabbed his arm. As he turned around monomer came face to face with Kakuhan, a soft expression on his face.
“Hey,” Kakuhan said, “did I offend you or something?”
Monoma shook him off and scoffed. “Please, I’m not that thin-skinned. Night, new guy.” he said as he turned back around and resumed walking. As he walked away, he walked past Kendo.
“This is unfair…and you know it.” She whispered just loud enough for him to hear and no one else. It helped that everyone was wrapped up in something else. Even Tetsutetsu had went back to talking to the moron.
Monoma rolled his eyes as he walked past Kendo and to his room. Maybe he’d fall asleep and this would all be a bad dream…
Notes:
-This chapter took longer than i expected. I wanted to make it part fluff/part tense. It suits the plot arc I have planned.
-I've read lots of fics that mention Class 1-A's dorm life, in addition to seeing it in the anime and manga. I wanted Class B to have its own flavour and atmosphere. My logic basically was that Class B is more tightly knit and use space more efficiently than Class A. Hence the reason each floor's rooms are full to capacity, and also why they do things like class dinners, use chore schedules, etc.
-Below is the dorm layout, starting from the second floor to the fifth:
Monoma, Juzo, Kuroiro, Shishida,
Yanagi, Kendo, Shiozaki, Tokage,
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Bondo, Manga, Tsuburaba , Rin
Kodai, Komori, Pony
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Kamakiri, Awase, Kaibara, Tetsutetsu,
———————————————------
Kakuhan
---------------------------------
-Future dorm chapters will be more lighthearted and comedic.
As always I hope you enjoy! :-)
Chapter 5: Day 2
Summary:
Kakuhan is indeed here to stay, much to Monoma's displeasure, and Kakuhan learns about the rivalry between Class 1A and 1B. Albeit not from an unbiased source....
Notes:
-I wanted to drop this chapter much earlier but ya boy got the big sicc and couldn't' write for a while. Dw it wasn't 'Rona.
-I planned out a custom breakfast for each member of Class B with reasonings for why, but after mentioning a few I realized it would kill the pace of the story and just be unnecessary. Maybe in the future I'll drop that stuff in a little section. I love writing those little details but the main plot takes priority.
-I enjoy writing Monoma as an ass/propagandist but that boy be SPITTIN at the end. Trust me, his character will be getting developed into something more dimensional, but it's a slow burn story
-Here's hoping the next chapter doesn't suffer a huge delay. In the future if I ever go a while without posting just know that this story ain't over by a longshot, but sometimes stuff happens.
-Enjoy, and remember to always brush your teeth, wash your hands, and lose many hours of sleep reading (maybe not the last one...)
Chapter Text
Monoma woke up to see the trees surrounding Heights Alliance blowing in the wind. Odd, the weather wasn’t expected to be this windy. But it seemed harmless enough so he didn’t think much of it. As he grabbed his uniform and headed for the bathroom he glanced at his clock. 5:40AM, about 20 minutes before everyone else would have to start getting up for class. Monoma enjoyed waking up early, it gave him some peace and quiet in the morning to get ready for the day ahead. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to get much peace today.
———————————————————————————————————————
After finishing with his morning routine and getting dressed, Monoma made his way into the kitchen to have some breakfast. He still had about five minutes before everyone’s alarms would go off so he could get started on a cup of coffee and an omelette.
As he walked into the common room, he saw someone already in the kitchen dancing while they cooked. The boy was dressed in a maroon t-shirt and black linen pants, with messy black hair that appeared a bit wet. On the table sat a number of plates and cups, most piping hot. As the cook spun around, Monoma realized with distaste that the nightmare from yesterday was not just a dream.
“Good morning, amigo! Sleep alright?” Kakuhan asked.
Disgusting.
“None of your business,” Monoma replied quickly, “what are you doing?”
“What does it look like? Making breakfast. I finished up with my workout, and since I still had time to spare I figured why not do a little cooking before I change into my uniform? Just in case things got messy.”
Just then, Kakuhan took a pan off the oven, and placed its contents onto a plate next to a mug.
“You actually came at the perfect time, I was just finishing your breakfast up. How’s an omelette with coffee sound?”
What the everliving hell???? Can he read minds or something?
Despite having a melt down internally as he tried to make sense of things, Monoma managed to stay composed on the outside.
“Thank you, but I’m not hungry at the moment. Why don’t you sit down and enjoy some breakfast? You must be tired and hungry.”
Kakuhan waved him off. “Don’t worry about it man. I already had my own breakfast. I keep it quick and easy in the mornings. But I appreciate the concern though.”
Monoma wrinkled his nose. Concern? As if…
“Morning, boys!”A girl said from behind them. Monoma turned around to see Tokage standing there, dressed in her uniform but still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Despite seeming drowsy she still wore her trademark smile.
“Good morning to you too. Setsuna, right?” Kakuhan said grinning.
“You catch on quick, new guy.” Tokage remarked. Kakuhan rubbed the back of his neck.
“Not really. I suck at names when I first start getting to know people, so I took some extra time to learn your names. Anyways, I hope you’re hungry, cuz I made you guys breakfast.”
Kakuhan motioned to the table where all the plates and mugs sat. As he looked closer, Monoma noticed that each mug and plate was numbered and placed in pairs.
“Number fourteen, that’s me!” Tokage said. “We don't put anyone on breakfast duty because people like to start their mornings with different things. But it was really nice of you.”
“I see…I was wondering why that was left off the schedule. I’ll keep that in mind from now on. But as far as today goes, I think I’ve made something that each of you would enjoy.” Kakuhan said with a smirk.
“Is that so?” another voice said. As Monoma turned back to the hallway he noticed the rest of class B walking towards him, Tetsutetsu in front. As they all came into view he spoke again.
“So you’re telling me you made individual breakfasts for each of us on your second day here? You already know us that well?” he questioned.
Kakuhan spread his arms. “It may only be my second day, but I’ve always been good with people, and getting information. So yeah, I think I’ve nailed this.”
Shishada then stepped up, the hair-covered student adjusting his glasses. “Well regardless, we appreciate the gesture Kakuhan. You must have been up quite early in order to make 20 different breakfasts.”
“Yeah, but I’ve always been an early riser. So don’t sweat it.”
At that moment, Kakuhan’s silver watch began beeping. As he silenced the alarm, he started walking past the class. “Well my work here is done. I’m going to go get dressed. Dig in, and let me know how I did when I get back. I won’t be gone long.”
With that, Kakuhan weaved through the class and made way for the stairs. As everyone watched, Monoma scoffed. Sure he may have gotten his meal right purely out of dumb luck but there was no way he would be able to know all of his classmates this well in such a short time.
“You heard the man, let’s dig in!” Tetsutetsu said, grabbing a glass filled with some green concoction. A workout smoothie of some kind, Monoma surmised based on Tetsutetsu’s positive reaction. Awase and Kaibara went next after seeing Tetsu’s positive reaction, and grabbed their bowls and mugs. The latter got a hearty “builder’s breakfast” of eggs, toast, fried meat, and orange juice, while the former enjoyed a cup of black tea and a blueberry-cream cheese bagel.
“This shit ain’t bad!” Awase said happily.
“Can you not mention the lavatory when we’re eating?” Kaibara said back mildly annoyed.
As the boys argued, everyone else found their plates and began eating. Monoma chewed his omelette grumpily. To his displeasure, it was delicious, filled with herbs and spices that he would never had combined but worked so well. He still preferred his own recipe more though. As he sipped his coffee he tried to cheer himself up.
So he got lucky with a few of us. Great. But there’s no way he hit every mark…
———————————————————————————————————————————
Monoma was not having a good morning.
It started off bad when he awoke and the first person he saw was the new guy. It got worse when he made breakfast for Monoma and didn’t fail miserably. And then he somehow made a unique breakfast for every person in the class and every single person seemed to enjoy what had been made for them. But it didn’t stop there, because in class Kakuhan wasn’t the moron Monoma had hoped he would be. He was no genius, definitely not on Juzo or Shishida or Monoma’s level, but he was no slouch in any subject save for math and science.
Which brought them to lunch. Monoma shuffled through the line in the cafeteria, walking back to the tables with his tray absentmindedly. As he walked over he caught a glance of Tetsutetsu, Awase, and Kamakiri sitting and laughing with the Kakuhan. Monoma made a point to take a wide berth around their table to take a seat next to Juzo. All throughout the lunch break, Monoma couldn’t stop glancing up at the table across from him where Kakuhan was sitting. The boy annoyed him to no end. The way he was talking and laughing with Monoma’s classmates so easily, as if he had always been in their class. It made Monoma sick.
He felt someone bump his arm.
“You feeling okay?” Juzo asked, looking at him intently.
“Of course,” Monoma responded immediately, earning a head shake from Juzo.
“Come on Monoma, you expect me to believe that? You’ve been watching Kakuhan for the whole lunch. If you’re going to lie, at least be convincing.”
“Deception can only work when your veil is thick enough. One cannot hide in full view of the sun.” Kuroiro waxed dramatically.
“So let’s try this again: you feeling okay?” Juzo repeated.
Monoma sighed. It would be useless to try and lie again. Juzo was much too smart for that. “I don’t like him,” he said flat out, only loud enough for Kuroiro and Juzo to hear.
Juzo raised an eyebrow. “Why? He hasn’t done anything wrong yet. Except get in Bakugou’s face yesterday. I still can’t believe that.”
“Another, either brave or foolhardy enough, has stood face to face with the beast of 1A.”
“Relax Kuroiro,” Juzo said rolling his eyes. Kuroiro simply shrugged and resumed eating his squid ink pasta.
“Look, I wasn’t thrilled to see Shoda go either. But it was his decision. And Kakuhan hasn’t done anything to earn your ire. In fact, him stepping in to back you up against Bakugou is actually the kind of thing to earn your favour, or at the very least your respect.”
Monoma stood up and immediately began carrying his tray away. He couldn’t believe that Juzo of all people, the one person he trusted most in the class would betray him like this. How could he take the new guy’s side. And how could even suggest that Monoma should be in favour of Kakuhan’s actions? Like Monoma needed his help. He could have handled the angry blonde on his own like he always did.
“Hey Monoma you got a second?”
Monoma whipped to the side, almost sending his tray clattering to the floor. As he regained his balance just in time he saw Kakuhan walking beside him, looking at him intently. Monoma gritted his teeth behind his pursed lips.
“A little busy right now.” he managed to squeak out, trying to channel as much frustration as he could into his words. Unsurprisingly, Kakuhan did not seem to get the hint.
“I was just wondering what the fastest way to the Development Studio is from here. I wanted to ask a few questions about my costume if there’s time before class.”
“Not sure, sorry. Best to find out yourself.” Monoma said, lying again. Obviously he knew, but he was in no mood to help the new kid. Besides, why should he? Is he the fool’s designated tour guide? Why can’t he figure things out himself?
Monoma’s thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Kakuhan staring across the cafeteria at Class 1A. He had a pensive look on his face as his electric yellow eyes darted from student to student.
Payback time.
“Something on your mind!” Monoma said abruptly, poking Kakuhan’s neck for good measure. To his displeasure while Kakuhan flinched, he didn’t even break stride.
“What’s up with Class A?” he asked, turning to face Monoma again.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what’s the beef between our classes about?”
Monoma raised an eyebrow. “Beef?”
“Like, what’s the issue between our classes? Why do we sit on opposite sides of the cafeteria? Why do we never talk? What’s the deal?”
Monoma didn’t know what to say. Normally he would love to go on a tirade against the band of idiots in 1A, but he didn’t want to start getting comfortable with this guy. He also didn’t like how he referred to Class 1B as our class. As if he’s always been a part of it. But he couldnt’ help himself.
“What can I say? They’re a band of idiots who think they’re better than us. Even though some of them bombed the provisional licensing exam, break school rules regularly, and are involved in repeated calamities every time we step off school grounds. Still they’re seen as the top class.”
As they put their trays away and walked back, Monoma tried to speed up and leave Kakuhan in the dust, only to see the boy easily keeping pace.
“They think they’re better than us? They don’t seem to be like that.”
Monoma scoffed. “Of course they seem nice. They’re the golden children of this school. They could never do wrong, right? We should be thankful for having the opportunity to clean up all their messes while they hog all the glory.”
That apparently seemed to shut Kakuhan up, because for the rest of the short walk he didn’t say a word. it was only after Monoma walked towards his table with a smug expression on his face that he heard something behind him.
“Is that so…”
Chapter 6: If you don't have heart...
Summary:
Class 1B's hero training is about to be kicked up a notch, or 5....
Notes:
-This chapter was originally meant to continue into the one following this one. But I'm heading out on a family vacation like tomorrow so I didn't have time to edit the whole thing.
-I want to post a chapter a week at least, ideally. I don't want to go too much longer than that between updates, hence this short chapter being dropped.
-Next up is a big one, so hopefully this wets your appetite. I know I don't have to go by a schedule but dammit I wanna be consistent!
With all that said, I hope you enjoy! Catch y'all soon :-)
Chapter Text
There has been a change in class scheduling. Report to the field in your P.E clothes immediately. Signed, Vlad King.
That was the message that had been left for Class B on the door of their classroom. As they made their way outside, sun shining in a clear sky, Monoma noticed Vlad King standing in the centre of the sandy area where they did their quirk apprehension tests. Once again, Cementoss was standing there with their teacher.
“Class B, line up!” Mr King ordered, causing the class to scurry into a line. Once they were all standing at attention, their teacher continued.
“Now, as you all know save for perhaps Kakuhan, there were plans for all of you to participate in hero work studies very soon. Unfortunately due to recent events it has been deemed too high a risk to send out all our first years. That being said, work studies play a vital role in the development of future pro heroes. So as a compromise, a select few of you will be permitted to conduct work studies with pro hero agencies. As for the rest of you, we have arranged for a number of pros to come in and assist in special training on campus. Today is the first of those special classes, and our guest instructor today is…”
“Me!!!!” a strong voice boomed.
In an instant something landed in the centre of the field, blowing sand and wind in all directions. The shockwave sent Monoma tumbling to the ground, alongside all of his class. For a few moments, he was too stunned and disoriented to move. He felt frozen in place, unable to stand up. As the dust cleared, a set of tall white ears stood out immediately. With another shock, Monoma realized who it was.
“You’d all better bring your A-game to this training session. Because if you don’t, you’re gonna get flattened by yours truly! The No.5 hero, Miruko!”
Chapter 7: Special Training Session No. 1: Miruko's Battle Royale!
Summary:
The first of many special training sessions on campus begins! Miruko pits the members of class 1-B against eachother in a battle royale. Who will come out on top, and who will falter?
Notes:
-I LIVEEEEEEEEEEEEE
-After getting back from my family roadtrip about a week ago, I thought about updating you as it has been almost a month since my last chapter update. But instead I elected to just hunker down and work. And finally this chapter is done.
-I'd like to say my posting schedule is gonna be much smoother from now on. But as The Last Airbender taught us, "Life is messy." Plus with Uni starting next week I'm going to be busy as well. But I will keep posting this story as frequently as I can. With that in mind, if you are enjoying this series I encourage you to bookmark it so you can better keep track of when I update. Thank you for all the love so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
Chapter Text
“Get up,” a voice hissed sharply. Monoma looked up to his right. Standing there looking down on him with his hand outstretched was that cursed Kakuhan.
“What did you say to me?” Monoma asked incredulously. Not even looking at him, Kakuhan spoke again.
“Did I stutter? Get. Up. Or do you like being flat on your ass while 1-A stands firmly at the front of the pack?”
Monoma rose to his feet so fast the blood rush momentarily blurred his vision. He had never felt this level of anger towards anything or anyone except that band of idiots.
“Who do you think-” Monoma began before being silenced by a gust of wind. As he turned his attention to where it originated from, he was greeted by the scowl of Miruko, who’s right foot was twitching as dust curled around it.
“Save that energy for the test. Until then, shut it!” she ordered.
Cementoss cleared his throat. “As Miruko was saying, this will be the first of a number of special training classes we have planned for students in the hero course. For those of you who are not selected to participate in hero work studies these classes will be designed to simulate situations you would likely experience in the field, both combat and otherwise.”
“Which brings us to today’s lesson!” Miruko yelled. “One of the things that all you need to know: being a hero is a 24 hour job. Lots of times you’ll be off the clock and a situation will happen. You’re not going to have time to put on your fancy hero costumes. Sometimes all you’ll have is your quirk.”
As she finished, Cementoss used his quirk to form a ring in the sand. It was about 20 metres in diameter, and the cement outline rose about an inch above the sand.
“Here’s the rules,” Miruko began, “each of you will be placed in a random spot in this circle. The goal is to be the last person standing inside the circle. If you touch the floor outside of the circle or are incapacitated at any point, you will be eliminated. Oh, and the circle will shrink over time. So don’t expect to stay away from the fight. Anything goes except for maiming or lethal moves. If anything gets too rough or we think you’re done, we’ll take you out. No arguements. Is that clear?”
“Yes Miruko Sensei!” The entire class yelled, to which the hero smirked.
“Good. Now close your eyes!”
The class seemed a bit confused by this order, but nobody said a word. Monoma closed his eyes. The second his eyes closed, his mind began running. Without his costume Monoma did not have instant access to any quirks, putting him at an immediate disadvantage. If he wanted to even stand a chance, he was going to need to get his hands on a quirk quickly. However, he’s going to need to start off on the defensive because most likely every one of his classmates were going to immediately use their quirks in the early going. There was no real chance he could win this.
All of a sudden, Monoma felt the ground beneath his feet moving and causing him to almost lose his balance. Regaining it as quickly as possible, he felt the motion carry him somewhere before subsiding. This was why they told us to close our eyes, Monoma thought. As he stood there waiting, nerves began to creep in. He could feel his palms getting slightly clammy as his breathing sped up. Monoma hated the unknown. He hated surprises. He hated this feeling of being unprepared.
After another minute of agonizing silence, a voice finally broke the silence.
“All the students have been placed in the ring. I wish you all good luck.” Cementoss said. A snort came from in front of Monoma’s, but he couldn't guess who it was. Regardless he was out of time for any form of thinking as Miruko’s voice rang out.
“BEGIN!”
Monoma’s eyes immediately shot open, only to be temporarily blinded by the sunlight for a few seconds. Instinctively he rolled to the side to avoid any attacks that may be coming his way. Unfortunately, as he stood up he felt something stuck to his foot holding him down. Having fully regained his vision, Monoma looked down and saw a puddle of Bondo’s adhesive. Monoma frantically tried to free himself, fully aware of the sounds of battle raging all around him. Being a sitting duck did not bode well for him at all. Finally after struggling for almost a minute straight, Monoma managed to pull his foot free. But before he could plant his foot back down, an invisible force hit him squarely in the solar plexus, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him flying. Landing hard on his back with a thud only served to force out whatever air was left in his body. As he sputtered and gasped, he felt a pair of lips peck him on his forehead. Instantly his lungs filled with air, and all the pain and panic he had felt just not faded out of existence. As he stood up he looked over and bowed to the short old woman standing next to him.
“Thank you Recovery Girl.” Monoma said respectfully. While he had little love for many of the students at U.A, the staff had always done right by him.
“No trouble at all sonny,” she responded, before pulling a pez dispenser out of her lab coat pocket. “here, have some candy.” she said as she dispensed a few pellets into Monoma’s hand. As he bowed and ate the little fruity pellets, he stretched his arms. He expected this, although he wished he hadn’t been eliminated before getting a chance to use his quirk once.
“Your class is remarkable,” Recovery girl said as she watched the rest of the combat unfold. “that new boy in particular that eliminated you is-”
“What?!?!” Monoma exclaimed, snapping out of his stupor and watching the action. Looking around him he noticed that along with him, Yanagi, Pony, Awase, and Kuroiro were all standing there watching as well.
“How did you all get eliminated?” Monoma asked.
“Bondo,” they all answered in unison. Kuroiro then walked over to stand beside Monoma.
“I’m not surprised though, my quirk works better in the dark. I could use people’s shadows, but the others were moving too much. Didn’t have time to take the fight to my domain.”
“I know the feeling,” Monoma said.
“I can imagine.”
“I got eliminated earlier than you since I surrendered after being ensnared by Bondo’s adhesive. I saw what happened to you. Do not feel too angry, you did your best but Kaku-”
“Dont….speak his name.” Monoma said sharply. Kuroiro stiffened for a few moments before continuing.
“Very well then. ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’ beat you to the punch. Literally and figuratively. And he does not seemed to be finished yet.” Kuroiro said, casting his attention to the battlefield. Following his gaze, Monoma turned his attention to the battle and crushed his hands into fists at the sight. Watching through glaring eyes and gritted teeth, he saw that damned new kid fighting so fluidly and with so much ferocity it was like watching a whirlwind. Monoma immediately began praying he didn’t win.
Chapter 8: The Battle Royale heats up!
Summary:
As participants are eliminated from the battle royale, tensions flare. It's anybody's game at this point! Who will taste victory, and who will be stung by defeat?
Chapter Text
Five down, fourteen to go, Kakuhan thought to himself as he surveyed the scene from above the battlefield.
After eliminating Monoma he had immediately leapt into the air again to avoid being glued to the spot or otherwise hit by any of his classmates. He knew that Bondo guy had an adhesive quirk. It had helped him take down Monoma easily, but the same could happen to him. He thought about taking him out next, but he refrained. After all, Bondo eliminated four of them in one move. As long as Kaku stayed out of the glue, he’d be fine.
As gravity began to pull him back down, Kakuhan noticed that his classmate with the metal quirk was fighting the one with big hands. Metal man seemed pretty immovable, but the girl with big hands seemed to have a shaky stance. Without hesitation, he punched the air, sending a blast of pressurized air towards he feet. Sure enough, the force wobbled her, making her easy pickings for the metal guy, as well as a green-haired classmate with inset mandibles who came over to double team and eventually eliminate the girl. Kakuhan was normally a man of honour, but when it came to combat and life-or-death scenarios, all his kindness melted away.
Kakuhan crashed down into the centre of the combatants, pounding his fist in the earth sending shockwaves out in all directions. He whipped his head up, and upon not seeing any easy pickings tried to jump up to his feet. However he was unable to move. He looked down and noticed that the ground around him had become akin to quicksand around him, holding his fist and knee in place. Without hesitation Kakuhan looked around, hunting for Juzo. When he saw him he pulled back his left arm that was free and threw a shot towards him. Sure enough Juzo dodged it but it threw off his concentration enough to where Kakuhan could wiggle free of the ground. However when he got back up he was immediately beset by Tetsutetsu. He didn’t know what had happened to Kendo but he didn’t have time to wonder as a metal-coated fist flew towards his face. Kakuhan’s vision narrowed as he ducked it, rolling to the right and around Tetsu and throwing a hard punch into his back, aiming right for the spine. Before he could get it off, he found himself ensnared by thick green vines. As he writhed around, the vines hoisted him up into the air holding him firmly in place. Looking down, he noticed Shiozaki standing with her arms out with a pensive look on her face. Also, he wasn’t the only one in the air. Looking around, he saw Komori, Shishida, and Kaibara also trying to break free from the vines’ earthy grasp.
“Please forgive me!” Shiozaki said, moving her hands back and forth. In response, the vines reeled back and then flung each of the students they had ensnared out of the ring. Monoma watched as Komori, Shishida, and Kaibara flailed through the air, eventually landing in a heap. Normally he would look to make sure they were alright but he couldn’t take his eyes away from the sky. He watched with obvious glee as Kakuhan fell towards them. In a few seconds he would be eliminated. Or so he had hoped.
As he fell, Kakuhan turned in midair until he was in a seated position. Mock me for being on my ass, will you? You’re about to literally break yours if you land like that, Monoma thought to himself. The smug smile would be wiped clean from his face as Kakuhan cocked his shoulders back before launching them forwards. Instantly, two bursts of high pressured wind were unleashed, propelling Kakuhan towards the circle at high speed, adjusting in mid-air to a superman position and flying straight towards Shiozaki. However, a few seconds before he made contact Shiozaki turned and saw him, both eyes going wide in alarm as she dodged out of the way, just barely missing the oncoming projectile.
Alright not as clean as I would have hoped but he’ll still be eliminated. And by his own momentum too. Like a stupid, skinny bull.
Once again Monoma’s hopes were dashed as Kakuhan continued rocketing forward towards a mass of what looked like quicksand. It would quickly reveal Juzo who emerged from the sand, who was unaware of the idiot-rocket screaming towards him. Then, before Monoma could even scream out to Juzo, Kakuhan flew right over Juzo’s head, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and his hair, causing him to pitch forward and land on the ground with a stomp. To Juzo’s shock, he was lifted straight out of the ground, lifted upside down, and then flung out of the ring with a thud. Monoma and the rest of the class immediately rushed over to Juzo’s side, making sure he was okay.
“You okay Juzo?” Komori asked full of concern. Before Juzo could answer though, Monoma turned to the ring and the supervising pros, eyes full of malice fixated squarely on that bastard Kakuhan. “Hey, what the hell was that! That was uncalled for! Who the hell do you think you are? Miruko Sensei you can’t allow this!”
In response, Miruko looked at the boy with an unfazed expression. “He knocked him out, fair and square. Now shut your yapper.”
Monoma was further angered by being brushed off so nonchalantly. “What the hell? So you’re just going to let-”
“I SAID SHUT IT BLONDY!” Miruko stamped her foot hard, sending a shockwave through the ground that immediately shut Monoma up. Just then a hand reached up and grabbed his arm. Monoma turned and looked down to see it belonged to Juzo who was standing up with a stern look on his face.
“Monoma, you’re embarrassing us. Now help me up.”
Monoma was incredulous. He was embarrassing them?!? He couldn’t believe his ears. He wanted to say so much more, but he was promptly cut off by a pillar of sand erupting in the air, showering the class in granules. Back in the circle, Kendo was pounding her enlarged fists into the ground, sending shockwaves and sand everywhere. While a few classmates lost their footing, one that was still standing was Kodai, who reached into her utility belt and began throwing items at Kendo including rings, dice, and at one point grabbing a handful of sand and throwing it. As the items sailed through the sky, Kodai pressed her fingers together, causing them to grow as large as people. While Kendo did her best to block or avoid the objects, she was left open for an attack from the side from kamikiri. This assault from two fronts would prove to be too much for Kendo, who dodged another enlarged grain of sand only to be hit by a forearm from Kami which sent her flying out of the circle. Drained, Kendo laid on the ground for a moment before getting up with a huff and coming to joint the rest of her classmates. Normally Monoma would check on her, but all he could do was stare at the combatants left. Specifically one that kept seeming to dodge elimination by the skin of his teeth. Who despite all the blows he had taken kept getting up.
That damn new kid.
Chapter 9: The battle rages on!
Summary:
As more and more combatants get eliminated, the battle royale is fast becoming a challenge where one wrong move can spell defeat. As the remaining participants continue to give it their all, it's anyone's game!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The battle raged on below him, but even so, Shinzo couldn’t help but feel at peace. It was unexplainable, but with his quirk active and a goal in front of him, he never felt better.
As he seemingly floated through the air, Shinzo zeroed in on Tsubaraba who was trying to keep kodai at bay using their hardened air shields to block a barrage of incoming attacks. He was barely keeping the various attacks from knocking him out as grains of sand the size of bowling balls. As Kodai continued to attack with a steady salvo, Tsubaraba’s left leg began to buckle. Even though he was still standing, he was obviously at a disadvantage.
And his back was turned.
Almost on command, Shinzo began to plummet down to earth, arms and legs spread out as he fell. Then, just before he touched the ground, Shinzo clenched his fists and his eyes went wide. As soon as his feet touched the sand he let his knees buckle as he rolled forward, standing up straight right behind tsubaraba, his right fist pulled back seemingly ready to be thrown right at tsubaraba’s back.
“Tsubaraba! Behind you!” Monoma yelled out, his voice somehow clearly heard despite all the chaos. Tsubaraba whipped around as he faced Shinzo, but before he could react Shinzo leapt up and over him. At the same time, one of Kudai’s enlarged grains of sand hit Tsubaraba in the back, knocking him of balance and sending him stumbling towards the boundary line. He did seem to get his feet back under him soon enough though. But just when he was about to turn, a shockwave of energy slammed into his legs, taking him off the ground and throwing him forward out of bounds. The landing was not comfortable, and as he got up Tsubaraba was wiping sand off his face and spitting it out too as he walked over towards Monoma’s side with a grumble.
“Thanks a lot,” he mumbled, earning a surprised shock from the blonde haired boy.
“What? You’re mad at me?? I tried to-”
Monoma’s defence was interrupted by another shockwave that sent sand flying as Shinzo landed on the ground in front of Kodai and went on the offensive. While the girl was comfortable enough using her quirk for both offense and defense, she was tired out. And for some reason, Shinzo seemed as fresh as he had been on the start, each attack laced with ferocity and power. In desperateon Kodai tried to throw an extra large grain of sand the size of a yoga ball. But the time it took to make the grain larger, Shinzo lunged towards her like a man possessed. Kodai did manage to throw the enlarged grain of sand but it mattered little as Shinzo hit the dirt as he ran sliding underneath before launching into her with a flying knee that smashed into her gut. Normally a quiet person, Kodai let out a pained scream as she flew back and out of the circle, not getting up nearly as quickly as some of the others.
“Kodai!” Tsubaraba yelled as he and the rest of the people who had been eliminated ran over to her side.
“Are you alright Kodai? Do you need medical attention?” Pony asked curiously, kneeling down to her side with eyes full of concern. Kodai lay there for a few seconds, but eventually she nodded, sitting up weakly with a hand clutching her abdomen. While the majority of them stayed silent, a few spoke up.
“Hey isn’t that a little rough! I know we’re supposed to be going all out, but he could have really hurt Kodai,” Awase said, looking at Miruko who turned back with an angry look on her face.
“And?!?! You don’t think that when you’re in the field, villains aren’t going to try and hurt you!?! This is how it is, kid! You ha
ve to learn to roll with the punches and throw em as hard as you can too! Far as I’m concerned, that kid is doing what all of you should be doing!”
Awase promptly went quiet, looking away from Miruko and back to Kodai as she got back to her feet. Most of the others did the same, save for Monoma whose eyes were locked on Shinzo and staring daggers at him.
Notes:
Literally minutes after I posted that last update I got a burst of inspiration. I swear this chapter didn't exist until now. Funny how life goes.
(Okay if you want the truth, I banged this puppy out and rather than risking forgetting about posting or going into another lull period for months, I figured I'd post it right away. So enjoy! No spoilers for what's coming, but you will be getting some crossovers, and some other interesting sidestories. So keep your eyes peeled!)
Chapter 10: The Final Stretch Begins! Who Will Remain?
Summary:
Miruko Sensei's special training session is drawing to a close. With all the participants reaching the limits of their stamina, who will be able to dig the deepest in order to pull out a victory?
Notes:
Bet you didn't expect this, did you?
Truthfully neither did I. I really thought I was done with this story. Hell I started writing a brand new MHA fic recently....but dammit something about this one kept pulling me back. So much potential. So much story to tell.
So screw it. I'm back. Not gonna make any claims. Not gonna give any concrete release schedules. I'm just gonna write. And if any of you are still here, I hope you enjoy.
We're back.
Chapter Text
It had been a gruelling training session. With every second that passed, all of the students that still remained could feel themselves reaching the bring of their stamina. Quirk usage was becoming less frequent. Add on the fact that the circle continued to shrink added to the pressure. Pretty soon there wasn't going to be enough room for all twelve of the remaining students.
"Come on! Push it! There ain't gonna be any ties in my class. Either one of you wins, or none of ya will!" Miruko barked, her booming voice full of enthusiasm as she watched the students give it everything they had. On the sideline, most of the eliminated participants were watching with baited breath. Some took bets on who would be the last one standing. All the while Monoma simmered angrily at the sight of the new student staying in the fight.
"Damn you....damn you....damn you..." he mumbled under his breath as Kakuhan evaded elimination once again. As the boy went toe-to-toe with Shishada, Monoma would feel a rather large hand press against his right shoulder. He knew the feeling all too well.
"You're going to pop a vein if you keep staring and grimacing like that. Relax," Kendo instructed.
"I'll be fine," the boy replied without a thought.
The sound of knives scraping against metal would shriek through the air, interrupting what would have been a very frustrating conversation between Monoma and Kendo. As they watched, Tetsutetsu would block a barrage of attacks from Kamakiri's blades. If it was anyone else they would have been sliced to ribbons. Though to be fair, Kamakiri's blades were not as razor sharp as they usually were. A simple eye test could surmise that. That didn't make the sound less ungodly though. Meanwhile, Yanagi would find themselves knocked out of the circle thanks to a well timed 'BOOM!' from Manga. Though that victory would be shortlived as they would then end up being eliminated by a wide-arcing arm strike from Bondo.
"Your class is quite remarkable," Cementoss commented, coming over to stand and observe alongside the students who had been eliminated. "Each of you has grown considerably from the beginning of the school year. Even so, there is room for all of you to improve." In response most of the students would reply affirmatively to their teacher. Normally Monoma would have too. But all he could do was watch as Shinzo would eliminate another one of his classmates. His latest victim would be the Komori, the girl with the mushroom hairstyle and quirk. Komori's quirk was ill suited to direct combat. Couple that with her exhaustion and Shinzo would make short work of her, callously tossing her over his hip and out of the circle which by this point was the size of a boxing ring. The thought of boxing momentarily made Monoma's demeanour soften as he recalled his friend Shoda and his love of the sport.
Back inside the ring, Kakuhan was starting to breath more heavily. There would be no time to recover though, as he'd see one of his classmates lunging towards him. He raised his arms in an 'x' shape just in time to catch a spinning fist from Kaibara. The force of the impact send a burst of air out around them. For a moment Shinzo's lead knee buckled, forcing him onto the defensive as Kaibara continued to bear down on him with strikes. Slowly but surely Kakuhan's guard would weaken and falter, eventually getting lowered enough to leave him open for a haymaker that caught him right on the cheek. The shot dazed Kakuhan, momentarily blurring his vision as he was left reeling. Not giving him a chance to recover, Kaibara grabbed Kakuhan by the shirt, preparing to throw the boy out of the ring. As he was lifted to his feet, fiery instinct took over. As he was lifted off his feet, Kakuhan threw a forearm strike that caught Kaibara on the side of the neck. As the boy sputtered and started to drop him, Kakuhan would grab Kaibara's wrists and fall to his back, using their combined momentum to monkey flip them out of the ring.
Around the same time, the standoff between Kamakiri and Tetsutetsu would come to an end as the latter eliminated the former. Trimming the remaining field down to just seven. As the steel quirk user took a second to breath, he locked eyes with the new kid on one knee with electricity occasionally flickering around his body. In that moment, both of them got a sense they were looking into a mirror. Though both were exhausted, the boys would spare a nod of respect for eachother.
The moment would quickly be replaced by the sound of Shiozaki being eliminated by Shishada, the vine quirk user being unable to contain the continuous direct attacks by the wily beast. On the other end of the circle, Rin would have Tokage seemingly on the ropes, her back to the edge of the circle as she took labored breaths. However as Rin charged in to knock her out, a glint flashed in Tokage's eyes as her body turned into a million little pieces that moved and reformed behind Rin. Before she could react, Tokage would sweep Rin's leg, causing her to lose her balance and fall out of the ring.
"Just five students left!!!" Miruko announced loudly, the pro hero watching with palpable enthusiasm. Cheered on by their classmates, the remaining students would get to their feet, each of them eyeing the others warily. All of them were spent, that much was obvious. But none of them would simply surrender.
Not when they were so close to the finish line.
Chapter 11: Real Steel's Resolve!
Summary:
The final three are left to duke it out, and Tetsutetsu takes centre stage in this one! Enjoy!
Chapter Text
From the moment he first picked up a set of weights, Tetsutetsu found a deep joy in training. When it’s just you against your own limits, being able to push past and set a new best was a feeling like no other.
As he took a moment to catch his breath, Tetsutetsu could feel the ‘runner’s high’ kicking in. As he glanced around he was aware that his hearing was muffled and how he felt like he was floating. Like he was in a dream. At least until he saw Shishada running at him.
As Tetsutetsu and Shishada met each other head on, Shinzou was on the move, dodging again and again as Bondo fired blasts of adhesive at him. While he tried to come up with a way to close the distance, he could feel the dryness in his throat threatening to choke him. The throbbing in his temples made his vision blur every so often, forcing Shinzou to throw shots in the dark essentially and have to pray his predictions were right. Otherwise he’d end up missing his hits, and possibly getting hit himself.
Every time Shinzou thought he saw an opening, Bondo would move out of the way or send another projectile blob of adhesive towards him., forcing Shinzo to stop pursuing and instead dodge out of the way to avoid getting snared.
Meanwhile Tetsutetsu was in the middle of a slugfest with Shishada. The boy with the wild beast quirk bellowed as he engaged the steely combatant in a hand to hand battle. Where Shishada’s style was feral and wild in nature, Tetsutetsu showed a surprising tactical side, as well as clever footwork. He dodged as many hits as he blocked, switching his quirk on and off to stay mobile. A trick he’d learned when on work study with Kirishima. The two were very alike both in quirk and personality, which allowed Tetsu to assess his own strengths and weaknesses more quickly when comparing himself to ‘Red Riot.’ It had taken a while to get used to a more fluid style rather than planting his feet and slugging it out as he had favoured in the past. And now it was paying off. After remaining in the ring for so long, all the remaining participants were nearing the end of their rope. Now flashy quirks and explosive bursts wouldn’t be what determined the victor. Now it was about muscle memory, practice, and who was willing to push themselves further than the rest.
As Shishada threw a haymaker right at Tetsutetsu’s face, the boy would turn his quirk on while he threw a gut punch at the same time. His face would turn silver just before Shishada made contact, the clanging sound of their fist hitting metal echoing through the training ground. Shishada would grunt in pain, a noise which would only grow louder when Tetsu’s punch lodged itself into his stomach. The momentum of the attack, combined with the boy’s quirk packing even more force behind it would send Shishada stumbling back, and though he’d try his best to stay upright and in bounds, he would ultimately fall back first out of the ring.
On the other side of the ring, Shinzou had been backed up to the edge of the circle by Bondo. As he sucked wind while dodging another blast of gel-like adhesive, he’d hear something rustle behind him. Before he knew it, he’d feel himself grabbed and thrown backwards. On instinct he would grab whatever had tossed him as well. In mid-air he would see the smirk of Tokage before she evaporated into a thousand little pieces back towards the ring where her lower half was still running around. With a grit of his teeth Shinzou would straighten out into a Superman pose as a burst of kinetic energy shot out of his shoes, sending him flying towards Bondo who was caught flatfooted from exhaustion. Shinzou’s fist would slam into Bondo’s face, sending them stumbling backwards to try and get away from Shinzou, only to have him end up walking into the now fully formed Tokage who would boot the gentle giant forward. In desperation Bondo would try to move to the side, but he wasn’t fast enough to get away from Shinzou, who would lunge forward, grabbing two fistfuls of the boy’s shirt. In one fluid motion, Shinzou would sweep Bondo’s leg, putting him off balance as he twisted his hips and tossed Bondo over his shoulder, using his quirk to counter the weight of Bondo. With a clang, Bondo would hit the ground, leaving just three in the middle.
“Not bad, Sparky.” Tokage would say to Shinzou. Somehow she still had enough energy to give him a cheeky smile, whereas Shinzou would just nod and give her a thumbs up.
“Getting tired? You could just stop you know,” she chided, looking at him before turning to Tetsutetsu, the three of them standing in a Mexican Standoff. “That goes for you too, metal man.”
Both boys would scoff at the same time. “Not a cha-“ Tetsu would start to say. His response would be cut short when Shinzou launched himself at Tokage, electricity crackling behind him.
Woah! He still has that much energy left?! How am I gonna keep up with either of them?
For a moment Tetsutetsu would be caught staring, eyes wide and mouth agape at the spectacle of the new kid going toe to toe with one of the top students in his class. As Tokage and Shinzou danced around each other trading attacks and counters, the metal quirk user couldn’t help but feel doubt starting to creep in. That Shinzou kid had a quirk and the type of power that wouldn’t look out of place in a top hero. And Tokage was a recommended student that had only been getting better over time.
How could I ever compete with them…
“Hey! What are you doing just standing there Tetsutetsu!?”
Tetsu risked looking away from his opponents to look at Monoma who was staring right at him with an angry expression.
“Don’t tell me that you of all people is giving up! Go on! Fight till the end!”
The tone of the words was sharp, but the intent behind them was clear as polished glass to Tetsutetsu. He would close his mouth, stiffening his upper lip as he nodded to Monoma before turning and charging into the battle. Monoma was right! He was Real Steel, the hero with an iron will! If he was going to lose he was gonna go down swinging!
Chapter 12: The Winner Emerges!
Summary:
After a gruelling battle, the dust settles and one student from 1-B is left standing!
Notes:
After a longggg vacation, having to replace my old laptop, and being unable to post for literal weeks, I am finally back! Sorry for the wait, I cannot guarantee it won't happen again but I hope it won't. Enjoy :)
Chapter Text
Every muscle in Shinzō's body stung. Even moving his shoulder an inch send a burn through his arm. It was like he had just completed the most hellish workout known to man or beast. And yet he wasn't just moving an inch, or slowly. He would have been eliminated if he had.
Three of them remained. Tokage, Tetsutetsu, and Shinzō. The prodigy, the scrappy underdog, and the wildcard. Three participants. But only one of them could win. And Shinzo damn sure wanted it to be him.
To do that though he'd have to find a way to deal with Tokage. He dove to the side just in time as a mound of scales and skin flew past him. He whipped around to look at the grinning head of the girl floating in the air as her body rematerialized.
"Not bad new kid. But you can't hit me and you know it." she chided.
Shinzō gritted his teeth. "Wanna bet?" he challenged before flying at the girl with a superman punch only for her to disintegrate into a million little pieces, her smirk the last thing to vanish before they floated behind him as his punch hit open air.
"You're nearing your limit. You're exhausted. There's no shame in being third. Just stop here and catch your breath," the girl's voice encouraged. And to his body which was in agony, they were very persuasive. In that moment there was nothing Shinzō wanted more than to stop. To rest. To not have to keep an eye on both her and Tetsutetsu. But he refused.
"Just...fight me!" he yelled back hoarsely, his eyes momentarily flickering with electricity as he pounded his fist into the ground, sending out a shockwave across the sand all around him. The particles that made up Tokage were sent flying back. More spread out.
'That'll buy me some time. But it won't last forev-CRAP!'
Shinzō's train of thought was derailed as Tetsu rushed him, a metal fist flying towards his abdomen. Shinzō's legs felt like jelly. So in desperation he raised his arms. Unfortunately that just meant his arms would bear the brunt of the attack.
The fracturing of bone is not a feeling you can mix up with another. The feeling of something under your skin cracking like dropped glass, turning it into a mosaic surrounded by blood hidden from view. He wanted to scream in pain. But he didn’t have the energy to spare for that. So with a stiffened upper lip and clenched jaw, he soldiered on.
He stood his ground and tried to attack back, but he was punching air as Tokage reformed and split apart into a million pieces. Tetsutetsu also wasn’t letting up, forcing him to play defense on two fronts. In desperation he stomped his foot and thrust his arms out to both of his sides, causing a shockwave to push the two away for a second.
As he caught his breathe he noticed Tokage taking longer to reform, the pieces knitting together more slowly. In that moment a lightbulb went off. She had to be straining herself too. And the longer she stayed apart the more exhausted she was.
While the metal boy laid on the ground, Shinzo would rush towards a large clump of Tokage’s body and send out another shockwave, making the parts fly in all directions. As they struggled to knit together he would do it again. And again. And again. Sand flew in all directions as the wind kept Tokage split up, the pieces that made her up wobbling as they struggled to reform. A floating mouth would grit its teeth, proving Shinzo’s theory right.
Not much left. But I’ve got enough!
He waited for Tokage to start to reform, spotting Tetsutetsu getting back to his feet out of the corner of his eye. But he had to stay still. Stay patient. Stay calm in the eye of the storm. Even as Tetsu started running towards him. He kept his focus on Tokage, half of her body knitted back together.
Come on come on! Just a little more, he’d plead, seeing Tetsu picking up steam as he barrelled towards him.
Just as Tokage was about 70 percent knotted together and looking to throw a punch, Shinzo would fire off one more shockwave, sending the majority of her flying towards the small chunk outside of the circle. And like he had hoped, his plan would work, as Tokage flew out of the circle with a yell, collapsing onto the floor as she came together.
He would then turn just in time to see Tetsutetsu, mid-air and flying right at him fists first. He would try to block, but he wouldn’t be able to hold on anymore, the sheer impact sending Shinzo crashing out of the circle in a cloud of sand.
When the dust settled, only one remained as Miruko announced loudly.
“We have a winner! Tetsutetsu!”