Chapter 3: A new daunting threat!
Hello again, I'm out with the third chapter! This one is slightly longer; I decided to squeeze even more effort into this one to really capture the situation at the Battle Center.
Alright, I've got nothing else to say. Enjoy!
Chapter 3:
"Tadaima, Zenko!" Wooden floor planks met Bad's shoes, which were being emptied of their smelly contents.
"Bro Bad, Welcome back!"
Bad plopped down, relieved that Zenko was not fuming about his punctuality.
Relief turned into excitement as he recalled the surprise he had in store for his little sis:
"Zenko!"
"...?"
Zenko turned around, only to be met with a Bad that was in glee and holding her beloved All Might figurine.
*Gasp* "BRO BAD, YOU REMEMBERED!" The little girl leaped up and hugged her brother's chest, sticking to it like a teddy bear.
"Ya really like All Might, don'cha."
"Of course, All Might is the coolest, Onii-sama! He isn't arrogant like other heroes, he's the number one in strength and he always puts others before him!" Zenko said, her mind flashing back to the popular video of All Might taken several years ago during his debut, carrying civilians out of rubble while laughing.
"...Ah, I see..." Bad, who would usually be overjoyed seeing his sister being so happy, was in deep thought. He never truly believed in heroes; although he admired some for their bravery and true selflessness, his image of most Pro Heroes was one of an attention-seeking person. Not to mention, this image was worsened by Bakugou's whole shtick.
Bad realised that initially, the only reason why he wanted to be a hero was to protect and impress his sister; which was a noble purpose to him, but now, he realised that he could do much more. However, Zenko was priority number one-
"...Bro Bad, aren't you gonna eat? You've been in a daze for about a minute now..."
"Ah, of course, Zenko."
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After dinner, Bad took a walk to the local park. During dinner, he decided that his current strength was not enough; though he had been following the workout regimen of a certain bald guy online, doing 100 push-ups, sit-ups, squats and a 10 mile run (not for 3 years, however), he realised the strength he needed would correspond with an even more intense training regiment.
"Aight, I'm here."
Steadying his balance on one hand and two legs, he started his count to 10,000 one-arm pushups.
"Tsk, this isn't hard at all..."
Kicking his feet up, he was now in a handstand with only an arm as his base. Grinning, he thought to himself:
Heh. Much better. Alright; lets add a zero. 100,000 to go!
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*Pant..Pant...*
Bad looked up; he had finished quicker than expected. Looking at the time on the park's clock, he sighed.
"Tsk, one hour only? Well, might as well do some quick sprints..."
Remembering the park's rough diameter due to his countless 10 mile runs, he readied himself at his usual starting line.
"Alright, here we go.
100 mile spr-INT!"
Too eager to start, Bad had barely finished his monologue before firing off.
Bad proceeded to train the whole night; catching only a few hours of sleep at home and much more at school. This would continue for the next nine months; Bad would say goodbye to his sister and head to school, be bored with lessons at school, come home to eat with Zenko, and train with insane exercises or repetitions for nearly the whole night.
Of course, he did not know a certain green haired boy was also doing the same with another Pro Hero, until they accidentally crossed paths; and by "crossed paths", it was more of Bad zipping past Izuku, barely noticing it until he had done it the twentieth time.
During this period, Bad's strength increased substantially; (even though he was already strong before) long hours of strenuous High-Intensity-Interval-Training, physical turmoil and mental training had shaped Bad into an even more lean beast; his body hardened into masterfully sculpted rock.
His reflexes were now crazy quick and his awareness in tip-top shape; to the point that he could follow dust particles in the air.
However, 10 months quickly flew by, and soon, the main event would come. This main event would make his preparations well-worthwhile, as the U.A teachers were planning a new addition to their test.
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"U.A High School Entrance Exam Location."
Bad stepped onto the brick-layered floor that was the entrance to the world's most prestigious school.
Here we are, at last.
Nervous muttering was scattered around the location, as examinees, still huddled in their friend groups, tried to anticipate what would await them. Bad, of course, was not nervous; he had no right to be. Between his promise to Zenko and outright inhumane training, Bad didn't care what would be thrown at him. The only thing of concern was...
"I hope this damn metal bat doesn't break. I mean, it's metal for all I care, but still." He had a special metal bat made for him by a local blacksmith; supposedly made of the strongest possible alloy he could get his hands on. Of course, Bad was not especially wealthy, so he had to take up the most cost-effective material. It was made of a steel-aluminium alloy, supposedly durable, but not indestructible, like he really wanted it to be.
Bad continued walking into the U.A compound to register, when:
"Hah...Hah...Hah..." Laboured breathing behind Bad caught his attention. There stood Izuku Midoriya, clutching his yellow school bag's reigns.
"I made it..."
"Yo, Green-freak. Ya pulled through, eh?"
Midoriya, startled by the voice, shot up like a sprout, before settling down once he recognised its speaker. Bad sighed; all that training and he's still constantly on edge...
"Y-Yeah, it seems m-my training paid off! All- I-I mean, my trainer, s-said that I w-would make it today..."
"Hm, sounds great."
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The two walked further into the compound without much conversation; Izuku in deep thought as he clutched his hand over his mouth, when...
"Outta my way, Deku!"
"K-Kacchan!"
The blonde boy, wearing a frown, slowly walked by the two.
"Don't stand in front of me. I'll kill you."
Midoriya immediately shrunk back in caution, stuttering once again:
"M-Morning! L-Let's both do our best...?!"
To his shock, Bakugou kept his scarf up and continued walking by, ignoring Izuku; which was, of course, well out of character for him.
"Hey, isn't that Bakugou? The one with the sludge villain?"
"Oh, he's the real thing!" Several examinees spotted Bakugou, murmuring and gossiping about him.
Ever since that day, Kacchan didn't do anything to me. Midoriya thought, and sighed in relief. Bad, somehow reading the situation, realised:
"Lately, dude's been pretty docile towards me too." He thought out loud.
"H-huh? O-oh yeah-"
"Tsk, what's his deal? First he acts like a kid, then he finally grew a mind of his own?" Midoriya then realised that Bad had no idea of "the incident".
"W-well, good for us then!" It means he respects us more? Perhaps All Might is right; I am different from before! Continuing his inner monologue, he thought: Remember these past ten months! Take the first step...
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...to being a hero!
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"Oi, what's wrong?"
Bad had reacted quickly to Midoriya tripping on his own feet, ironically right after completing his inner monologue. The green haired boy began his descent towards the ground, still clearly in his delusions when...
"Daijōbu?"
The kindness of the girly voice immediately shocked Izuku's heart, shocking him back to reality, as he realised he was floating midair. With some small help, he was set back into his original position by the girl, who wore a purple coat and pink scarf; her round face complemented by her nice, brown hairstyle.
"It's my Quirk. Sorry for using it without asking first. But it'd be bad luck if you fell, right?" Her cute nature left Izuku frozen in place, eyes widened with his cheeks a rosy red.
"Aren't you nervous?" She sighed, adding as if trying to release her inner stress for the upcoming exam. This sequence of events was too much for Izuku, whose brain began to break down instantaneously.
"Uh...wh-"
"Let's do our best. See ya!" The girl cheerfully added, before taking off.
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Bad could only cringe at this scene, but he remained unsurprised due to Izuku's nature.
I talked to a girl! (Didn't actually talk)
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"...HOOOOOOOOHH!"
"Oi, Algae hair, shut it, ya dimwit!" Bad could only try to make Midoriya, who was now exclaiming at the top of his lungs, quiet down; to no avail, of course.
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Each of the lights in the auditorium turned on with a resounding 'flick', as rock music began blaring from the speakers.
"For All You Examinee Listeners Tuning In, Welcome To My Show Today!
Everybody Say 'Hey'"!
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Silence.
"What A Refined Response..." Present Mic, clearly heartbroken by the response, continued:
"Then, I'll Quickly Present To You The Rundown On The Practical Exam!" He said enthusiastically, still pointing at the examinees.
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"Are You Ready?! YEEEAH!"
…
Silence.
Bad closed his eyes, evidently showing how painful this was. He had heard of the Voice Hero before, but for someone as trying as him, he felt sorry for Mr Mic.
Meanwhile...
"It's the Voice Hero, Present Mic! Sugoi!.." Midoriya beamed, his hands covering his face as a fanboy would when meeting his idol. He continued ranting:"I listen to him every week on the radio; I'm so moved! All the teachers at U.A are pro heroes-"
"Shut up."
For once and only this once, Bad would agree with Bakugou, who was seated next to Midoriya too.
"As It Says In The Application Requirements, You Listeners Will Be Conducting Ten-Minute Mock Urban Battles After This!"
The large auditorium screen changed once again, followed by Mic explaining:
"You Can Bring Whatever You Want With You, And After The Presentation, You'll Head To The Specified Battle Center, Okay?!" He announced whilst still trying to hype out the crowd.
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Silence.
"OKAY?!"
"In other words, they completely randomised the assigned centers, huh?" In a twist of events, Bakugou was the one who asked Bad a question. Bad, taken aback but still maintaining his usual expression, shrugged. Midoriya, being slightly curious, peeked over at Bakugou's card, and saw that they were assigned to the same battle center. So was Bad, he realised, after Bad flashed up his card in response.
"Don't look. I'll kill you." Now maintaining his usual tongue, Bakugou resumed threatening Midoriya.
"Heh, now's the chance I get to crush you." Now, his hand was smoking. This was not good. Bad, of course, smirked in response, as Midoriya turned to him for aid.
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"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle center." The screen turned to show said 3 different faux villains, each with an increasing point label on them.
"You Earn Points For Each Of Them Based On Their Level Of Difficulty. Your Goal, Dear Listeners, Is To Use Your Quirks To Earn Points By Immobilizing The Faux Villains!"
"Of Course," Present Mic pointed back at his audience, "Attacking Other Examinees And Any Other Unheroic Actions Are Prohibited!" He quickly formed an 'X' using his arms.
"May I ask a question?" A clear, stern voice followed the Voice Hero's statement.
Tsk, what now? Bad thought.
"Okay!" A spotlight appeared on the questioner in response. He was a tall, well built boy; his glasses and blue hair complementing his stoic and stern nature.
Pointing to the pamphlet U.A had distributed to their examinees, he continued, "On the printout, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then U.A, the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake!"
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I really fucking hate this guy.
"We examinees are here in blah blah blah blah-" Bad had already begun to tune him out, his forehead smoking.
"In addition, you over there with the curly hair—"
"...?"
"You've been muttering his whole time."
I swear to God...
"It's distracting."
The irony-
"If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave imme-"
"OI, SHUT YOUR MOUTH MR. UPRIGHT, YOUR ARROGANT ASS HAS BEEN RUNNING ITSELF THIS WHOLE TIME TOO!" Bad exploded, stunning even the Explosion user.
"...You should watch your language! We are meant to be pristine and upright heroe-"
"YOUR ASS WON'T BE UPRIGHT, AFTER I BASH IT IN!"
"Calm Down, Calm Down, Examinees Number 7111 and 2235! If You'll Stop Interrupting Me, I'll Continue Now!"
Bad and the blue hypocrite seated back down, both still engaged in a fierce staring contest.
"The Fourth Type Of Villain Is Worth Zero Points."
"...?" A question mark went up in the heads of the examinees.
"That guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every battle center—An obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's near impossible to defeat, and there's no reason to defeat it, either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it." Present Mic lowered his usual enthusiastic attitude, with the objective of frightening the examinees a little. This was all part of the plan however, as U.A would try something different this year.
"Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption!" The blue haired tall-boy stood up and bowed in respect.
Thank me for not bashing in your ass, right here, right now!
"Finally, I'll Give You Listeners A Present—Our School Motto!" Mic then proceeded to explain,"The Hero Napoleon Bonaparte Once Said: 'A True Hero Is Someone Who Overcomes Life's Misfortunes. Go Beyond;"
Present Mic bent down, winding his back and crossing his arms, before releasing them:
"PLUS ULTRA!"
Bad looked down at his pamphlet; now clearly informed, he still didn't give a shit.
"Now, everyone, good luck suffering!"
Exiting the shuttle that took them to Battle Center B, Bad, Midoriya and Bakugou stepped onto the concrete floor; one of them feeling extra heavy, the other two slamming their fists to their palms, clearly fired up.
Tsk, finally, it's time to get to it. It's time to give everything I got from busting my ass in the park for the last nine months. Sure hope these faux villains will be fun.
"What is this?"
"It's like a city?"
"They have more than one of these on the school grounds?"
"U.A's amazing!"
The other examinees busied themselves at wowing at the gigantic Battle Center.
Bad caught a glimpse at Midoriya walking into the crowd, his eyes fixed on a certain girl.
Hm? That's the girl that helped him earlier. Ah, I se-
"That girl appears to be trying to focus."
...
"What are you doing here? Are you taking the entrance exam to interfere with everyone else?" A certain blue-haired boy stared down at Midoriya once again.
This bastard...
"Wh-whoaaa?! N-N-No, of course not..."
Midoriya, shoulders dropped, his face filled with dread as he thought: I feel like the others think they lucked out, because I'm here...
Bad, in an outrage, cut in.
"Oi, Glasses! Shut your ass up!"
"...It's you again. I swear, if you keep acting lik-"
"And you, Mossy Hair, get your damn act together, or I'll beat it into you!"
"O-o-oh, okay!"
"Hey, don't ignore me-"
"Reserve your perfect ass to get kicked by the faux villains, Glasses; I ain't got the patience now."
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"...Tsk, so you're those 'All talk' guys, then..."
Glasses proceeded to leave the two, clearly containing his rage.
"I swear to God, I'll physically and literally..."
"P-Physically and literally?" Midoriya looked back.
"Crush that guy."
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"OI!" Bakugou, who was listening in, jumped in: "Pompadour, that's MY god-damned line-"
"OKAY, START!"
The examinees looked up at the nearby tower that shadowed them, barely understanding the loudmouth.
"What's Wrong? There Are No Countdowns In Real Fights! Run, Run! The Die Has Been Cast, You Know!" Present Mic began to swing his arm around and around, simulating his wants for the examinees' legs.
Midoriya looked back at the rather silent group of examinees. Or rather non-existent examinees; they had already taken off!
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Bad, who was currently in the lead of the ground (by a wide margin), followed his instincts and leaped to the top of nearby buildings.
"Ah, three of the bastards over there!"
His sharp eyesight, gained from training in the barely visible night, allowed him to spot several released villains from over two miles away. He then proceeded to leap from his current spot to the villains, covering the distance in literal fractions of seconds, before disintegrating the robots with his mere landing.
"..."
Okay, 5 points. Might have overtrained for this.
This didn't stop him from claiming another 60 points within the first ten seconds.
Other examinees, namely a certain blue-haired boy with glasses, round faced girl in her tracksuit and a blonde nether-demon with smoking hands, were doing well, gaining numerous points too, though not as fast as Bad.
The teachers were in deep discussion back at their control center.
"In this practical exam, the examinees have not been informed of the number villains or their locations." A small mouse said aloud. "They have a limited amount of time in a vast area; and will have to draw the villains out from there."
He switched the screen into spectator mode, displaying several students engaged in battle.
"Information-gathering abilities to understand the situation before anyone else." An examinee with six limbs on his upper body was shown on screen.
"Mobility that can be used in many different circumstances," Glasses was shown speeding across the road.
"Discernment to be able to stay calm in any situation." The blond haired pretty-boy stared back at the camera, evidently trying to show off.
"And pure combat ability." The camera then panned to Bakugou, who was acting like a maniac whilst blowing up several villains with ease.
"Of course, there are some... exceptional cases..."
Bad was sitting atop the roof of a building, having claimed over a hundred points for himself. He sighed and laid back; he had been resting for half the exam already; was this just it?
"What a beast... A hundred points in 45 seconds? He looks like he...he barely even tried..." Cementoss studied the boy closely, clearly impressed and disturbed at the same time.
"Ooh, he's totally my type though." The R-18 hero, Midnight, fancied.
"Whatever it is, it can be agreed that this batch of examinees, especially... that one... is quite spectacular, right?" All Might pridefully said, having high hopes for this year's batch.
"Well, we can't know for sure yet." The Whiskered-Principal of U.A said.
"After all..." He continued: "Their true test is still to come." Pressing a red button that read: '0p Switch', he added, "It's a good thing we decided to make some adjustments to their obstacle, for this year."
Beep-
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The fuck's that?
A large pillar of smoke, proceeded by the loudest explosion Bad had ever heard, announced the arrival of...
"An overwhelming threat. How people act after they've seen this shows their true nature."
The giant robot stood about twice the size of the constructed buildings in the battle center, emerging from the ground and towering over the petrified students, who were already beginning to run, realising they stood no chance. This was slightly larger than their previous zero pointers, however the surprise was what laid inside, not outside.
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Yeah, that's more like it!
Bad exploded to the scene, landing in a spectacular fashion by causing a crater on the concrete road. Sizing up the Villain and gripping his metal bat with all his might, he readied himself for the most enjoyment he would have this day; other than tasting Zenko's cooking.
The other students, under the immense air pressure a single swing from this monster had caused, were too busy crying in fear and tucking their tails in as they ran to notice the black jacket-wearing baseball player in a stance, readying himself up for a jump.
Alright, here we-huh?
Upon closer inspection, the robot was rolling towards the brown-haired round faced girl he had met earlier, who was now trapped under rubble from earlier. Looking back at her was Izuku Midoriya, clearly frozen up as the zero pointer headed towards him.
Damnit, if only I wasn't so careless! Ochako blamed herself. Already tired, she barely had the strength to run; let alone to pull herself out!
Shit...I gotta go now! Bad quickly looked back up, finding an opening to attack, when suddenly...
*BAM!*
With a resounding cry, Algae Hair shot up into the sky.
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The fuck's he doing up there?
Upon closer inspection, Midoriya had finally used his Quirk without hesitation to save Ochako. Its pure power manifested itself by destroying his legs completely, but he didn't care about that now.
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"There is absolutely no merit in taking on that faux villain. But that creates the opportunity...for it to shine brightly...and rise to the surface... the essence of a true hero!"
As Bad looked on in shock and the Number One Hero looked on in pride, Midoriya pulled his fist back, clenching his buttocks and yelling:
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"SSSSSMASH!"
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His fist, now infused with One for All, launched itself at the 0p's head, colliding with it and smashing the robot backwards. The ear-deafening strike shook the air, with the resulting crater of the robot's face suggesting it had been defeated. The robot was knocked back a good distance from Ochaco, and small explosions began covering it.
"That's right. It rises to the surface—" All Might continued. "The most important qualification of a hero...the spirit of self-sacrifice!"
Bad finally felt respect for the mossy-haired boy, who displayed exemplary bravery during that one moment. He recalled his words to Midoriya:
"Listen, I don't' care whether ya powerful or not. Ya got no bravery; no pride; like a damn earthworm squigglin' in fear. Go man up; ya gotta have the attitude and strength to match that obsession on heroes. Got it?!"
Bad chuckled to himself, finding satisfaction that Izuku had come this far.
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Damn, I wanted a shot at it too, though.
He looked on as the green haired boy slowly began to panic. Midoriya had finally felt the effects of One for All on his body; how it had shattered his limbs and made them jelly.
Now realising his predicament, Midoriya strained his head. Shit, I got careless! It's just like All Might said, I was a hastily-trained vessel, there's now way my body can support his power...
Gomennasai, All Might, Mom!
As Midoriya plunged towards the ground, he thought of using a "Detroit Smash" to break his fall, by cancelling it with the attack's air pressure. I'll be completely immobilised, but it's the only way I'll survive...
The desperate boy now once again clutched his buttocks, when suddenly...
*Grab*
A firm grip to his shirt, followed by someone clutching him to their body.
Bad had leaped up at the last second, and brought Midoriya back down to safety.
"Yo, Midoriya-san." He finally called him by his name.
"Ya did good." Bad's smile was rare, and now, it was a present to the person he now respected as a true hero.
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"M-must...G-get o-one point..." Izuku staggered in pain, his legs unable to respond. The boy was in heavy amounts of pain, barely staying conscious.
"...Dude, take a rest now, ya in no shape to fight." Internally, he was shocked Midoriya had not attained a single point, but he refused to discourage his friend further.
"Hah...hah...I-I'm sorry!" Ochaco pulled herself from the rubble, apologising profusely to Midoriya, who could barely sense anything left.
"It was all because of my carelessness..."Her tears were already flowing. "If it wasn't for my stupidity, h-he wouldn't have needed to help..." Ochaco sank to the ground, weighed down by sheer guilt.
Bad sighed. "Don't sweat it, uh...round face." Bad wasn't good at consoling people. He still tried, though:
"Hey, listen, everything's gon' be alright now."
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As the staff in the control center cheered for Midoriya, a teacher commented: "However, let's not cheer yet. After all, we took some extra time to upgrade some...
...features."
The staff then quieted down.
Yes, it was finally time to see how the examinees performed when encountering...
True fear.
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*CLANG*
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*CLANG*
*CLANG*
*CLANG*
The fuck...?
Looking back up at the smoke, Bad was surprised. Metal parts were dropping from the sky, as if...
"...Damn thing just molted its skin!" Bad truly had not expected this; Midoriya's strike was impressive, even by his standards, and yet this metal scrap was still standing?! Looks like I'll get my chance after all!
The robot now revealed the changes U.A teachers had made to their zero pointer this year. A while, glistening under armour, much tougher than its green outer layer, gleamed in the sunlight as the robot stood back up. Now, it announced: "Auto-Combat mode engaged. Powerful examinee found." Bad smirked, not realising that the robot was fixed on Izuku.
Ochaco, however, was enjoying none of it. She could only shrink back in fear, curling herself into a ball against one of the robot's armour parts. She hid her face in fear and guilt, clearly overwhelmed by the sequence of events.
...*sigh*
"Oi, Floaty Girl...Take Midoriya over there to safety." Bad turned back to face the robot. "Ya still got some strength, right?"
"...H-huh?"
"Hurry up and move! Do what Microphone Freak said earlier, and get on outta here."
"O-okay!" Ochaco used her Quirk to make Izuku Weightless, before turning and running.
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"Wait... what about you?!"
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A robot of this size...Not to mention how it survived Midoriya's blow. This layer of armour would have to be much tougher than the previous in order to survive the impact, but coming out without a scratch? Tsk, damn! Thing's gonna be a good fight!
And...
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I'M GETTING PUMPED UP!