Chapter 14

Though he had trained hard leading up to his enrollment in UA, Shoji had never fought a serious battle where neither he nor his opponent held their punches. Actual combat was more intense and significantly more painful than he expected...

Ignoring his body's protests, Shoji slowly pushed himself to a kneeling position, his obsidian black eyes fixating on the nearby Izuku as he asserted, "You're strong..." through the veil of his balaclava-like facemask.

Shaking his head, Izuku cracked a smile as he said, "Not as strong as you. This outcome is the result of a difference in experience and conviction. If you truly wished to hurt me, those powerful arms of yours could probably make me into a meatball. That's one of the burdens of being a Hero. We're obligated to hold back, even when our enemies intend to kill us."

Rising to his full height, Izuku dusted himself off as he added, "Not that I disagree with this way of doing things. Heroes exist to inspire and protect, not pass judgment. Now, get to your feet and come at me. So long as you limit yourself to punching and kicking, I should be able to endure your full strength."

Blinking in surprise, Shoji asked, "Are you sure? I don't mean to brag, but I can bench press 2000kgs if I use all of my arms. If I seriously injured one of my classmates, I don't think I would be able to become a Hero..."

Instead of responding to Shoji's words, Izuku peeled off his chainmail-like shirt and tossed it to the side, revealing a lean yet incredibly well-defined physique that earned him a bit of fanfare among the spectators. That was one of the reasons he removed his shirt, but the main reason was to show off the effects of his [Bronze Skin].

With Shoji staring at him in confusion, Izuku slapped the center of his chest with all his strength. Doing so produced an exceptionally loud sound, but it also caused the entire front of his body to turn a luminous shade of bronze.

"Did you see that?" asked Izuku. "I may not be as durable as Kirishima-kun, but I can disperse forces across my body. Unless you're hiding a gun or a knife somewhere, you won't be able to break my defenses easily."

Though he was more than a little confused, Shoji only hesitated for a brief period before getting into a boxing stance and saying, "Let's do this..." in a resolute tone.

In response to Shoji's words, Izuku launched himself at the much taller boy, executing a flying leg kick. Strength and Agility were complimentary attributes, so the power of his kicks was much stronger than his punches. His maximum speed may not increase as his Strength rises, but he could leap greater distances and kick off the ground to accelerate much faster.

Caught off guard by Izuku's 'surprise' attack, Shoji barely had time to cross his arms before the former's heel impacted his guard with the force of a cannon. He managed to stay upright, but his feet scraped against the ground as he was pushed back nearly three meters, impacting a wall.

Not giving Shoji any time to recover, Izuku attacked, this time executing a simple side kick, but much faster than any ordinary Karateka. The wall behind Shoji was the exterior wall of the building, so Izuku was planning to kick him out and take the fight to the street. That way, they would both be able to move freely.

Interrupting Izuku's plan, Shoji used his tentacles as a spring to abruptly repel himself from the wall. At the same time, he tried to grab Izuku's leg with his left hand while punching outward with his right.

Not expecting Shoji to lurch forward without any forecasting movements, Izuku barely managed to twist his head and torso to evade the former's punch. This consequently allowed Shoji to grab onto his leg, but that was something Izuku had anticipated the moment he launched his attack. The moment Shoji's arm wrapped around his foreleg like a vice, Izuku tucked his body inward, coiling himself like a spring before straightening out with explosive force.

As powerful as he was, Shoji's speed and reaction time were lacking. He was also severely lacking in experience, so the tensions in his body had relaxed, albeit only for a moment, when he caught Izuku's leg. As a result, his mind failed to comprehend what had transpired when Izuku suddenly 'exploded,' sending his body smashing through the concrete wall behind him.

Fortunately, though Shoji would have been fine either way, he was only on the second floor when Izuku kicked him outside. He also managed to flip himself over at the last moment, saving himself an intimate introduction to the asphalt.

Following close behind, Izuku leaped from the second floor, executing a flawless three-point Hero landing as he fell to ground level. This caused a sharp pain to spread through his knee, but it faded almost instantly due to his Digitalized body and the diffusion effect of [Bronze Skin].

Rising to his feet, Izuku took a moment to dust himself off, asking, "Can you keep going?" in an intentionally casual tone. He was supposed to be playing the part of a Villain right now, so he decided to play it up a bit for the viewers.

Catching Izuku a little off guard, Shoji responded by hurtling chunks of destroyed building at him. They weren't particularly fast, and Izuku was more than capable of withstanding the forces they contained, but having head-sized pieces of concrete fly at his face was fairly unnerving, forcing him to raise his guard.

Taking advantage of the momentary gap in Izuku's preparedness, Shoji charged forward as his feet could carry him. Then, as if borrowing a page from the former, he tackled Izuku through the building, crashing through several walls before eventually tripping over.

Feeling himself falling backward, Izuku gripped Shoji's body, tucked his legs, and rolled with the fall. He was currently blind due to some concrete dust getting in his eyes, but he still managed to execute a flawless tomoe nage, one of the traditional throws of Judo. The result was that Shoji was sent flying through the air, allowing Izuku the opportunity to bound to his feet and create some distance between them.

While trying to clear his vision, Izuku adopted a wry smile and remarked, "That was one hell of a tackle, Shoji-kun..."

Hearing Izuku's words, Shoji, who was currently half-embedded in a wall, groaned, "Speak for yourself..." before asking, "Was that Judo...?" after a brief silence.

Nodding his head, Izuku was about to answer when the sound of a bull horn interrupted them, followed by All Might exclaiming, "And that's the end of Round 3!!!" over the building's intercom. Fortunately, just as Izuku was panicking internally, All Might added, "The Villain Team managed to hold out until time expired, so they're the victors!"

Hearing the relieving news, Izuku exhaled a loud and exhausted sigh. He had gotten so caught up in the moment that he completely lost track of time. Fortunately, as he would later learn, Ashido has no issues dealing with Mineta. Her acid was able to counteract the properties of Mineta's Grape Shot, so it was nearly as one-sided as the fight between Ojiro and Koda.

Now that their battle was over, Izuku made his way over to Shoji, pulling him from the wall and helping him stand as the two made their way out of the building. It was a little awkward due to Shoji being bulkier and a full 20cm taller than him, but the act of sportsmanship earned him a round of applause and several approving remarks once they reunited with the rest of the Class...

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While Class 1-A was in the middle of their Battle Training, two people were observing the exercise with very different expressions. The first, Principal Nezu, had an approving smile on his mouse-like face, while the second, Katsuki Bakugo, wore a grim, almost pouty expression.

As if he didn't notice Bakugo's displeasure, Nezu asked, "So, what do you think, Bakugo-kun? Do you still believe Midoriya-kun is undeserving of his position in Class 1-A?"

Instead of answering Nezu's question, Bakugo hung his head, no longer able to look at the monitor they had been using to observe Izuku's and Shoji's brawl. He already knew Izuku was qualified after witnessing his performance and seeing the results of the Quirk Evaluation Test. What he couldn't understand was how Izuku had gone from a loser that couldn't even meet a girl's gaze to someone who exuded confidence as if it were his default state of mind. It was almost like he was a completely different person...

Seeing through Bakugo's thoughts, Nezu's voice was utterly calm and relaxed as he said, "It is becoming increasingly well-documented that a person's Quirk can have a drastic effect on their mentality. As someone who grew up alongside Midoriya-kun, he must seem completely different from the boy you once knew. However, that isn't what it's important right now. The real question is, are you 'serious' about becoming a Hero, or was it simply an excuse to show off?"

Furrowing his brows, Bakugo flared up, exclaiming, "What kind of question is that!? Of course, I want to be a Hero! And not just any Hero! I'm going to be the greatest Hero of all time! Even greater than All Might...!"

Instead of panicking or trying to refute Bakugo's words, Nezu gave a slight nod, waiting for the former to settle down before asking, "Then let me ask you this, Katsuki Bakugo-kun. What does being a 'Hero' mean to you?"

Without missing a beat, Bakugo thumped his chest and replied, "It means being the strongest! Strong enough to save anyone and fierce enough to deter any wannabe villain from showing their ugly mug in public...!"

Seeing a strange emotion in Bakugo's chest, Nezu revealed an expression he had rarely witnessed when interacting with adults, disappointment. It was even worse when the latter shook his head and said, "While strength is important, especially when it comes to protecting people, it isn't power that deters Villains and compels people to admire Heroes. If that were all that was necessary, the JSDF and the police force would do a better job at keeping the peace than a handful of Heroes..."

Meeting Bakugo's gaze, Nezu's expression and tone were severe as he explained, "The reason Heroes are so integral to our modern society is because they inspire others, especially the younger generations of Quirk users, to be good...to be 'better.' If the only thing you know how to inspire is fear, it doesn't matter how many people you save. You will never be the number one Hero..."

"..."

As virtually everyone had lauded his power and reinforced the notion he could be an exceptional Hero, Bakugo found himself at a loss for words in response to Nezu's declaration. If it were some random person, he would have scoffed and told them to fuck off. However, the 'man' in front of him was the Principal of the most prestigious Hero Academy, not just in Japan but the entire world. He wasn't some 'loser' that had no idea what he was saying...

Reinforcing Bakugo's silence, Nezu went on to say, "If Midoriya-kun had elected to press charges against you for yesterday's incident, your path to becoming a Hero would have been severed right then and there. Even if you regretted your conduct and worked tirelessly to prove you had been reformed, you would never be entrusted with a Professional Hero License. If you still aspired to become a Hero, your only option would have been to become a Vigilante. However, as your Quirk is exceptionally rare and very easy to identify, you would quickly be apprehended and incarcerated for illegal Quirk usage..."

Looking away from Bakugo, Nezu used a remote to rewind to the scene of Class 1-A clapping as Izuku arrived, supporting his former 'enemy' on his shoulder. When Bakugo eventually looked up, staring at the image on the screen, he regained his smile and said, "You truly do have the potential to be a great Hero, Bakugo-kun. Don't just take my word for it. These are the words of Midoriya-kun as well. Despite everything you've done, that child doesn't hate you. Instead, he actively tries to convince others you're not a bad person. He also believes that it's only a matter of time before you rejoin the Department of Heroes, so allow me to ask one more time...are you 'serious' about becoming a Hero?"

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(A/N: Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen...!)