Chapter 85: Midoriya's Invention

"Hatsume Mei, what exactly did you two make this time?"

Takeyama Urei asked curiously. The last time she came, she'd seen her and Midoriya busy with something, and to avoid getting roped into doing labor, she and Ochako had quietly slipped away. So she had no idea what Midoriya and Hatsume had been working on.

"Midoriya-chan is right here; you can see for yourself~!"

At Hatsume Mei's words, everyone looked in the direction she pointed. There, a figure in full mechanical armor stood. The person wore a helmet that looked very high-tech, so their face was completely hidden.

"…Midoriya-kun?"

Takeyama Urei called out hesitantly, and the person in the armor took off the helmet—it was Midoriya Izuku himself.

"Wow! It looks just like Iida's hero costume. Do all guys like this kind of gear?"

Ochako exclaimed, while Iida adjusted his glasses in silence. His hero costume was based on his older brother Ingenium's design, which was a suit of western-style knight armor.

"This is a bit unexpected; I thought Midoriya's new invention would be more of a portable gadget."

Todoroki was deep in thought. Recently, he'd come to know more about Midoriya Izuku's fighting style, which usually involved steel cables and various practical tools. This was quite different from what he'd expected.

"Tch! This flashy thing? I could blow it apart with a single explosion!"

Bakugo, though refusing to admit it out loud, was paying close attention to Midoriya's new gear. He'd lost to Midoriya at the sports festival partly because he underestimated the usefulness of Midoriya's gadgets.

"This gear looks really cool, Midoriya-kun~!"

Seeing Midoriya fully equipped, Togata Mirio ran over, hands behind his back, and quietly asked:

"What features does the new gear have? Mind sharing?"

"Actually, it's no big secret, Mirio-senpai, you don't have to be so cautious..."

Although Mirio was curious, he didn't want to pry into the details of Midoriya's new gear. But since it wasn't much of a secret, Midoriya went ahead and explained to everyone:

"The upper body armor is mostly thanks to Hatsume Mei's help. She modified it with a rocket backpack and arm boosters... There's even a jet outlet in the chest that can reverse thrust."

"That's right! The entire upper part of the armor is my work! But from the waist down, Midoriya-chan made all the leg armor on his own!"

"Wow, really?!" 

Uraraka Ochako exclaimed in surprise. She knew Midoriya was skilled with small gadgets but didn't expect him to be capable of making drive-powered equipment.

"Thanks, but it's a little embarrassing…" 

Midoriya scratched his head, feeling a bit shy. He'd never made something like this before, mainly because he didn't have the funds. In the past, he'd scavenged for slightly better parts in electronic junk piles, so it was impossible to support complex projects. 

Now that U.A. High School's support department provided materials, Midoriya was able to work on an idea he'd had for a while. Little by little, he built it after enrolling. Finally, with help from Hatsume Mei and some late nights, he managed to complete it just in time for the "Gear and Gadget Showcase."

"Midoriya, what's the function of the leg armor you made?"

Takeyama Urei immediately asked out of curiosity; she was really interested in Midoriya's own creations.

"The upper body armor, made by Hatsume Mei, is designed for thrust, while my leg armor is focused on offense. I mainly based it on the idea of using the 'Target Dummy No. 0' as an opponent."

As Midoriya explained, Kenranzaki, a third-year support student, stepped in front of him, speaking in an exaggerated tone:

"'Target Dummy No. 0' is one of my masterpieces! Oh ho ho ho!"

"Too bad the principal wouldn't let me design its appearance like 'Kenran No. 1'!"

"What a lackluster failure!"

After hearing Kenranzaki's words, Midoriya thought back to the "Target Dummy No. 0" from the entrance exam. If it had looked like Kenranzaki-senpai… it might have given a lot of applicants heart attacks.

"Thanks, Principal, for stopping Kenranzaki-senpai..."

Midoriya silently gave his thanks, then bowed to Kenranzaki and said:

"Please guide me, Kenran-senpai."

"Oh ho ho ho~~! Witness the dazzling strength of 'Kenran No. 1'!"

Since Midoriya and Kenranzaki were about to have an invention battle, the support department students had already cleared the area, making space for a big showdown. The rare chance for an invention battle got everyone talking.

"Who's that first-year Midoriya kid?"

"Are you serious? He's the champion of the first-year sports festival. He even had the nickname 'Steel Wire Death God' before enrolling. They say he's 'Quirkless,' but he's reached this level purely with gear. He's basically U.A. High School's new star this year. How could you not know this?"

"Sorry… I've been out of the loop, just focused on making bombs…"

The whispers of the third-year support students continued…

"Think Midoriya will use any bombs this time?"

"Probably not… Judging by that mech armor, it doesn't look like he's going to use explosives."

"No way… if things go south, I'll need to make a quick getaway!"

A first-year student from the Support Department still couldn't forget the shock Midoriya had given him during the entrance exam.

In the cleared area, Midoriya Izuku stood in his full mechanical armor, while Kenranzaki's outrageous tank, "Kenran Number One," was also ready. Aizawa Shouta and Power Loader were maintaining order as commentators, allowing the Support Department to test their equipment in the "Gear and Gadgets Showcase Battle."

As for Class A and the rest of the Support Department, they had backed off to watch from a safe distance. Uraraka Ochako turned to ask Takeyama Urei beside her,

"Who do you think will win this time, Midoriya or Kenranzaki?"

"…Not sure. I feel like Midoriya has a good chance, but during the entrance exam, that 'Target Zero' was just one of Senpai's mass-produced creations. We've got a long way to go before we catch up with the third-years."

"You can't say that!"

Hearing the girls' conversation, Togata Mirio chimed in,

"Midoriya is pretty strong too. While Kenranzaki's machines are impressive, they're still just robots. Midoriya has the advantage in reaction and decision-making."

"Mirio's got a point. Kenranzaki might have a knack for inventing, but her combat experience doesn't even compare to first-years."

Hado Nejire added, supporting the reasoning. After all, you can't expect a Support Department student to have more battle experience than someone from the Hero Department; otherwise, the Hero Department wouldn't be necessary.

In other words… Midoriya Izuku, being part of both the Hero and Support Departments, had effective inventions, advanced combat skills compared to most students his age, and was clearly operating on a different level now.

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