Chapter 5

The next morning, as the warm golden light streamed through the window and shone on my face, the alarm went off. Annoyed, I used my magnetic energy to turn it off. Slowly, I got up and headed to the bathroom to complete my morning rituals. Afterward, I walked out, headed to the kitchen, and had my breakfast. Once dressed and ready, I grabbed my bag and headed out, wondering what the day held.

As I walked towards the bus stop, two figures caught my eye. Smiling, I approached them from behind and said, "Hey Ashido-san, Toru-chan. Good morning." 

They both turned around, surprised. Seeing me, they smiled and greeted, "Good morning to you too, Leo. I didn't know you lived near us."

"I didn't either," I responded, "I was quite surprised when I saw you both."

Ashido nodded, "Yeah, I wonder why we never met earlier."

Toru grabbed my hand and said, "Leo, thank you again. After shopping with the girls, I went home and showed my mom that I can finally control my invisibility. You don't know how happy she was. She asked me to bring you home one day so she can properly thank you."

Teasing her, I said, "Hey, Toru, aren't we moving a bit fast? We're already meeting your parents?"

Toru blushed, "What are you saying? That's not what I meant."

Laughing, I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Relax, I'm just teasing you."

Toru pouted, "You bully. I'm ignoring you."

Unable to resist, I kissed her lips. The kiss was so sudden that Toru didn't react for a moment, her brain going blank. After I pulled away, I looked at her and said, "I couldn't help it. You looked too cute."

Blushing even more, Toru hid her face in my chest and turned invisible. If I couldn't feel her in my arms, I would have thought she ran away in shyness.

Ashido blushed slightly and exclaimed, "You... Did you forget there was another person here?"

Laughing, I looked at Toru and said, "Toru-chan, can I see you? You're invisible again."

Slowly, Toru reappeared. Just then, the bus arrived, and we got on. Toru continued to ignore me. Apologetically, I said, "Okay, I'm sorry about that. And since I took your first kiss, I'll take responsibility. How? Are you happy now?"

Toru looked at me and said softly, "No, you don't have to apologize. I'm happy that you took responsibility." Then she grabbed my hand, and we sat quietly together.

Ashido was quite annoyed by the quietness. She decided to break the silence and asked, "Say, Leo, I wanted to ask you something."

I looked at her and smiled, "Okay, shoot. What do you want to ask?"

Toru perked up, wondering what her friend wanted to ask. Then Mina asked, "I heard many people talking about your fight with the sludge villain, about how a teenager contained a villain the heroes couldn't. I wanted to know how you felt when you fought. You know, in the entire current batch of U.A., you are the only one who actually fought against a real villain."

I was a bit confused, "So you want to know how I felt?" She nodded. Then I said, "Well, mostly worried since he had Bakugo as a hostage. But seeing that the heroes couldn't do anything, I just couldn't stand and watch him suffer. So, I took a step forward. And after I faced his attack, I realized he was too weak. Then I started fighting with confidence and maybe a little excitement at finally getting a chance to fight against a villain."

Ashido was puzzled, "So, you were not scared? Not even a little?"

I shook my head, "Hmm, no, I wasn't scared at all. It was more excitement than fear."

Ashido seemed down and replied, "Oh."

Seeing her downcast, I said, "Hey, Ashido-san, you know, from my perspective, being scared is not bad at all. I can say that every hero has a moment when they are scared. It's just part of the job. But being a hero means fighting against that fear so that others won't have to suffer the fear you are scared of. So, cheer up, and bring back that cheerful Ashido-san I know."

Ashido's eyes lit up a bit at my words. She smiled and nodded, "Thanks, Leo. You're right. I'll remember that."

Then we started chatting about other things. Suddenly, we heard a familiar voice. "Yo, Leo. Fancy seeing you here." We looked up and saw Kirishima. 

"Hey, Kirishima. I'm surprised too," I responded.

Kirishima sat down near us and said, "Yeah, I didn't expect you guys on this bus."

After talking with him, we realized that all four of us usually took this bus to U.A. We continued chatting about random topics until we arrived at school. After getting off at the stop, we walked towards class together. 

Entering class, I greeted, "Morning, everyone," and everyone greeted back. The four of us then sat in our seats, continuing our conversations until the teacher arrived. 

The morning classes today were boring, especially English taught by Present Mic. The entire class was bored out of their minds, except for Midoriya and Yaoyorozu. Everyone else just daydreamed. I was bored too, so I chatted and joked around with Toru and Yaoyorozu. Even though Yaoyorozu was paying attention in class, she still responded to me. 

After what felt like an eternity, the morning classes were finally over, and it was lunchtime. I walked out with Toru and Yaoyorozu towards the cafeteria. The U.A cafeteria offers top-notch food at dirt cheap prices, all cooked by the Chef Hero: Lunch Rush. 

As I was eating with Yaoyorozu and Toru, soon the other girls arrived and sat at our table. The girls usually eat together, and it was quite enjoyable to have lunch with them. I also enjoyed the envious looks from every other boy in the cafeteria.

Soon, the girls started talking about "their stuff." I couldn't help but ask, "Umm, girls, aren't you all a little too open? You know I'm not a girl, and it's your private things."

Hearing this, they all looked at each other and then back at me with a tactical understanding. "We don't mind. But if you feel uncomfortable, we can avoid talking about those topics," one of them said.

I was stunned. If they didn't mind, why should I care? I just shrugged in response. Seeing my reaction, the girls continued their talks, occasionally asking me for opinions on certain non-personal things.

(A/N: Yep, I went overboard. But whatever.)

And soon, the weird but enjoyable lunch break came to an end. After a few more boring periods, today's most anticipated class finally arrived. 

"I have... come through the door like a normal person!" All Might's booming voice echoed through the room. Everyone looked at the door excitedly.

I couldn't help but comment, "A normal person does not shout like that," which made Yaoyorozu and Toru chuckle lightly. 

Kirishima exclaimed, "It's All Might! It's incredible. He's really gonna teach us!" 

Sero added, "Woah, that's his Silver Age costume. It looks so different in person."

Standing at the podium, All Might announced, "Look alive, everyone! It's Hero Basic Training!" With his signature grin, he continued, "The class that will put you through all sorts of special training to mold you into heroes. No time to dally. Today's activity is this." He revealed a card with "Battle" written in large characters. 

"Battle Training!!" All Might declared, and everyone erupted in excitement.

Pointing to a wall, All Might said, "And for that, you need these. In accordance with the Quirk Registry and the special request forms submitted before being admitted: your own hero costumes." 

The class cheered, "Yeaaaaaah!!!"

All Might concluded, "After you change, come to Ground Beta in your ranking order. Looking good is very important for heroes."

After changing into our hero costumes, we all grouped up in Ground Beta. All Might smiled proudly, "Look alive now! Because from today on... you all are heroes." We stood together, feeling a sense of unity and excitement. 

"Shall we begin, my students?" All Might asked, his voice filled with enthusiasm and encouragement.

Following everyone, I was the last to join, and as I appeared, everyone just stared at me, even All Might was stunned. Then he finally laughed and said, "HaHaHa!!! Now that's what handsome means."

I was wearing a sleek black suit with silver reflective linings and red glowing lines. The most eye-catching part was the red emblem on the chest, resembling a phoenix. The suit had full sleeves with silver armor on the elbows, extending into all-black gloves with matching red circuitry. A utility belt adorned with small pockets, also bearing the phoenix emblem, was wrapped around my waist. Connected to it was a black cape with silver edges and the same red lines. Moving down, sleek black pants with red lines and silver armor knee pads completed the ensemble. The pants also featured small pockets and were paired with all-black boots with silver edge lining and red circuitry. My handsome face and sharp eyes screamed trustworthiness, with a clear warning for villains to beware. 

After All Might's shout, everyone finally reacted. "Damn, that's a cool suit," someone exclaimed. Seeing everyone's reaction brought a smile to my face, and soon I was surrounded by everyone. Kirishima placed his hands on my shoulders and said, "Dude, you gotta teach me how to design a suit like that. It's the manliest hero suit in existence." Even the girls were impressed. They couldn't resist touching different parts of the suit, like they had discovered a new toy. 

Noticing their excitement, I cleared my throat. "Ahem! Girls, you are in class," I reminded them. Instantly, they backed away, pretending to be innocent, but their red faces gave away their excitement.

After everyone's comments, All Might instructed, "Okay, everyone, line up in order." Then, looking at the ground, Ida asked, "Sensei, this looks like the same ground we had our entrance exam on. Are we doing cityscape maneuvers again?" All Might laughed and replied, "No, we're moving on to step two: indoor anti-personnel battle training!" He explained, "You've seen that villain battles commonly occur outdoors, but statistically speaking, most heinous villain battles happen indoors. Now, you'll be split into villains and heroes and face off in two-v-two indoor battles."

After hearing All Might's instructions, Asui asked, "So, no basic training?" To which All Might responded, "Practical experience teaches you the basics. The difference here is that you won't be fighting disposable robots." 

Questions poured in from the class. Yaoyorozu asked, "What determines victory?" Bakugo questioned, "Can't I just blast everyone away?" Ida inquired, "How do we proceed to divide into teams?" 

All Might raised his hand to silence the barrage of queries. "One at a time. My quirk isn't super hearing," he said, with a hint of amusement in his voice. 

From seemingly nowhere, All Might produced a small piece of paper. Only a few, including Midoriya and myself, seemed to notice it. "A cheat sheet. Yep, I am 100% sure that he can do anything other than teaching," I thought to myself, shaking my head.

"Listen up!! Here is the deal," All Might instructed. "The villains will be hiding a nuclear bomb in the hideout. The job of heroes is to go in and take care of it. The heroes have a limited amount of time to either capture the villains or secure the bomb. The villains must either capture the heroes or protect the bomb until time runs out. As for your battle partners... It will be decided by drawing lots." 

Ida couldn't help but exclaim, "Is it really the best way?" Midoriya stepped in to explain, "It does make sense. Because pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies during emergencies." 

I added, "And you probably won't know who your teammate is and what their quirk is. It's a good way to practice forming strategies on the spot." Midoriya and Ida nodded in understanding. 

After that, everyone drew lots to determine their partners.

I went first, putting my hand into the lot box and pulling out a name. It was Midoriya. I walked over to him with a grin and said, "Looks like we'll be teammates this game."

Midoriya sighed in visible relief. "That's a relief," he said, and I couldn't help but chuckle at his honesty.

Following that, everyone drew lots. Team A was Midoriya and me, Team B was Todoroki and Shoji, Team C was Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, Team D was Bakugo and Ida, Team E was Mina and Aoyama, Team F was Koda and Sato, Team G was Kaminari and Jiro, Team H was Tokoyami and Asui, Team I was Hagakure and Ojiro, and Team J was Kirishima and Sero.

Once the lots were drawn, All Might announced, "Moving on. First battle will be Team A as heroes and Team D as villains." Midoriya, Bakugo, Ida, and I stepped out of the crowd. All Might continued, "Villain team goes in first. After 5 minutes, the timer will begin, and the heroes will sneak in. The rest of us will watch via CCTV."

He turned to Ida and Bakugo. "Ida, Bakugo, you boys will need to adopt a villain mindset. This is practical experience, so go all out and don't hold back. Though I will stop you if you take things too far."

After wishing each other good luck, everyone split up. Bakugo and Ida headed into the building, while Midoriya and I stayed outside with a paper containing the blueprints of the building.

Studying the blueprint, I said, "Looks like we need to memorize this." When I received no response, I looked over at Midoriya and saw him looking worried. His brows were furrowed, and he was biting his lip. "Hey, you okay? You look worried."

Midoriya sighed and admitted, "Well, I am a little worried. You do know we are up against Ida and Kacchan. So, I have to be on guard."

"Relax," I said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I'm stronger than you think. If I wanted, I could end the battle in seconds. But that won't do you any good. I know you're afraid of Bakugo."

Midoriya quickly responded, "I am not afraid. Although he is a jerk, he is amazing. His goals, his strength, his quirk. He's stronger than me in every way. But that's the main reason why I don't want to lose to him."

I couldn't help but give him a light punch on his arm. He yelped and rubbed the spot, "What was that for?" he complained, eyes wide with surprise.

"That's for acting like an idiot," I explained, my tone firm but kind. "Stop being so unconfident in yourself. Remember, you are no longer the quirkless brat who dreamed of being a hero like All Might. The current you is on a different level from the past you. You have even better goals, better strength, and a quirk that might be the strongest in the world. Change your mentality. You are the successor chosen by All Might, for crying out loud. You're no longer the weak and helpless kid who was bullied by everyone. So quit worrying and start acting like a hero—the hero All Might saw in you. When we go in, look Bakugo in the eye and say, 'I'm tired of being behind you, Kacchan. From now on, I will move ahead. You are just a ghost of my past, and I will not let you haunt me ever again.'"

Midoriya's eyes widened, then softened with determination. He nodded, a newfound resolve in his gaze. "You're right. Thanks, Leo. I needed that."

Hearing this, I said, "Good. Now that's what I wanted to hear."

Inside the CCTV room, All Might looked at everyone and said, "Everyone watch closely and try to learn something." Then All Might announced, "Indoor Anti-Personnel Battle Training... Begin!!!!" His voice echoed through the comms.

I looked at Midoriya and said through the comms, "Comm check! Can you hear me?"

Midoriya understood and tactically responded, "Loud and clear!"

We looked at each other, nodded, and headed inside. "We need to know which floor they are on," I said. Using my quirk, I scanned the entire building, locating the life energy of both Ida and Bakugo. "I found them: third floor, right-most wing. Ida is guarding the bomb, and Bakugo is moving downwards," I informed Midoriya. Then I looked at him and said, "You ready? Here and now, you'll toss your past behind. I'll go after Ida. I'll leave Bakugo to you. I trust you can handle him."

Hearing this, Midoriya nodded with determination. We separated, each taking different paths upwards. On the other side, Midoriya headed upwards and directly encountered Bakugo. Bakugo leaped out from a corner, launching a sneak attack with an explosion. Midoriya aptly dodged it.

In the CCTV room, Ashido exclaimed, "That Midoriya sure can dodge."

Kirishima added, "That's so low, Bakugo. Sneak attacks are unmanly."

All Might advised, "Yet it is a valid strategy. Remember, this is practical experience. Villains will use any dirty means to defeat the hero. And heroes can do it vice-versa too."

Back in the building, as Bakugo attacked, I reached the third floor and found Ida guarding the bomb. I approached him and said, "Hey Ida, looks like your teammate left you."

Ida shook his head. "Bakugo was too impulsive. But I am not going to let you touch the bomb that easily, classmate Leo. Buwahahahaha... *coughs*"

Seeing this, I gave him a thumbs up. "Great job, Ida. You're doing great with the villain monologue." Then I instantly rushed towards Ida and kicked him away. "And that's the reason villains always lose. They just have to do a monologue when they meet a hero."

Ida got up, rubbing his chest. "Leo, that kick was too hard. But it's fine, I lost. But why are you just standing there and not securing the bomb?"

I replied, "I'm just waiting for something. But it's boring. How about we compete? Let's just fight using speed. I'm a little rusty. Let's go all out. As long as you have breath, I can heal you back to full health."

Hearing this, Ida thought for a moment and nodded. Then both of us used our quirks to fight. 

In the CCTV room, one screen showed two figures fighting, but they moved too fast to be seen clearly. Seeing this, Kirishima exclaimed, "Now that's what I call a manly fight, Leo."

On another screen, Bakugo and Midoriya were seen confronting each other. Back in the building, Bakugo looked at Midoriya and said, "Nice dodge, Deku." Then he gave a scary grin and added, "I'll mess you up just enough not to be disqualified," before launching his second round of attacks.

By this time, Midoriya had already activated One For All, and green arcs appeared around him. Bakugo attacked with a right hook. Midoriya predicted it, dodged perfectly, and caught hold of Bakugo. Using that momentum, he shoulder-threw Bakugo onto the floor. The power of the impact shattered the floor with small cracks. Out of breath, Bakugo lay on the ground.

Seeing him on the floor, Midoriya said, "Kacchan, you almost always start the fight with a right hook. You see, I've always analyzed the heroes I think are awesome in that notebook of mine. The one you blew up and chucked out of the window. I won't stay the same as before anymore, Kacchan. I will no longer stay your punching bag. I'm going to move ahead, and you will just stay as a ghost of my past. I am no longer the Deku that is useless. I am the Deku who will always do his best."

Back on the third floor, Ida and I were resting on the floor. Ida was tied up using the capture tape given by All Might. I looked at Ida and said, "That was a fulfilling fight."

Ida nodded. "It's true. I never knew you could use speed for so many things. Thanks for the help."

I just waved it off and said, "No need to say thanks. We are classmates, after all." Then we just looked at each other and laughed it off. I used the comms and asked, "Midoriya, status report."

Through the comms, Midoriya replied, "Yeah, I am almost done here."

In the CCTV room, Kirishima asked, "What are they saying? These cameras don't have sound. And what is that tape around Ida?"

All Might explained, "They are using the comms to communicate. You will get that along with the blueprints and also this small capture tape. If you tie your opponent with this, it will be considered captured."

Back on Midoriya's side, he looked at Bakugo lying on the floor and walked away. Seeing this, Bakugo's rage exploded, and he screamed, "DEKU!!!!! DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME AFTER SAYING ALL THAT CRAP. RAAAAHH!!" Then he rushed at Midoriya, charging a powerful blast of explosion.

Hearing the sound, Midoriya dodged and delivered a powerful uppercut to Bakugo. The punch knocked Bakugo out cold, lifting him into the air. A second later, he stopped rising and fell down unconscious. Midoriya tied up Bakugo with the capture tape and said through the comms, "Leo, I am done."

Back on the third floor, I received the message and responded, "Copy that." Then I got up from the ground and touched the bomb.

As I captured the bomb, All Might announced, "The Hero Team... WINNNNNNS!!" I walked down with Ida and met up with Midoriya. Looking at the unconscious Bakugo, I commented, "Looks like you knocked the lights out of your past. But good job, it proves that you are willing to move forward rather than being held back by your past."

All Might came up behind us, putting his hands on our shoulders. "You both performed exceptionally well. Especially you, Midoriya, I can see you are improving greatly. Now let's head back, time for your grading." Then we saw a small robot walking in with a stretcher. They placed the unconscious Bakugo onto the stretcher and carried him to the nurse's office.

In the CCTV room, All Might said, "I'd say in this battle, all three of you did exceptionally well." Following that, the second match was between Team B as heroes and Team I as villains. The hero team had Shoji and Todoroki, while the villains were Ojiro and Hagakure. After entering the building, Shoji used his quirk and converted the tips of his Dupli-Arms into ears, using the enhanced hearing to locate the villain team.

"We've got one on the north side of the fourth floor and another on the same floor. I can't find the actual location. It's possible the invisible one is trying to ambush us," Shoji reported.

In the CCTV room, Bakugo came back from the infirmary since his injuries were not serious. But he was completely down and just stared at the screen. I noticed him but paid no attention, knowing his ego needed to be broken before he could realize he wasn't the strongest.

Back on the ground, after hearing Shoji's info, Todoroki said, "Get outside, it's about to get frosty in here." In an instant, he froze the entire building, stunning everyone. 

"*whistles* I can feel the chill all the way here," I commented.

Kirishima nodded, "Yep, he is on a whole other level."

Bakugo, whose ego was already in shambles, seemed to shatter even further. I saw him gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

Soon, one by one, all the teams competed, and everyone gathered at the exit of Ground Beta. All Might stood in front and said, "Well done everyone, and I am proud to say that there were no serious injuries. Great teamwork, and you all did splendidly considering this was your first training exercise. Now, change out of those costumes and head back to your classrooms."

Then All Might ended the class and ran away as if he were in a hurry. Soon, we all headed into the changing room. While I was changing into my uniform, Kirishima came over and said, "Boy, look at those muscles, and those mermaid lines, sheesh. Seriously, did you truly not work out at all?"

Hearing this, I nodded, "Yeah, it's natural. I really don't know how."

And thus, a flexing battle unfolded in the changing room. Everyone, except for me, Midoriya, and Bakugo, participated. Somehow, I ended up being voted as the judge. How did I end up here? After a while, we all finally changed into our uniforms and headed towards the class, talking and laughing. Midoriya also gained a lot of admirers after that fight and truly integrated into the class.

As we walked into the class, Bakugo headed to his desk, grabbed his bag, and left. Seeing this, Midoriya wanted to go after him, but I held him back and said, "You don't owe him anything. Just let him go. If he's as tough as you said he is, he'll be back to normal by tomorrow."

Midoriya hesitated for a moment, then nodded, a look of determination replacing his concern. "Yeah, you're right," he said.

After that, all of us just talked about random things and today's hero studies, and soon the girls arrived too. The classroom was filled with laughter and praises. Everyone was sharing what they learned and how to perform better. The atmosphere was lively, with students exchanging tips and recounting their experiences from the training exercise. It was a perfect mix of fun and learning, bonding us even more as a class.

And soon it was late in the evening, and seeing the sun giving off its final glow, everyone started leaving one by one in pairs. I packed my bag and walked to the bus stop with Toru, Ashido, and Kirishima. Along the way, Toru complained animatedly about how cold it was when Todoroki froze the building, her arms waving playfully for emphasis. Ashido laughed, her pink cheeks glowing with amusement. Kirishima grinned, his sharp teeth flashing as he chimed in with his own comments and experiences.

With playful banter and laughs, we walked in the light of the setting sun, our shadows stretching out before us. The day's events had brought us closer together, and I felt a deep sense of belonging as we made our way home.