Chapter 51 – Preparation for Provisional Licenses
Heights Alliance dorm was both lively and slow in the mornings, depending on the student in question. The interesting contrast between the 'morning people' and the 'not morning people' gave the dorms a funny air the first morning of Class 1-A all living together.
"Can someone pass me the milk?" Sero asked with his shoulders slumped and his head drooping.
"Here, bro!" Kirishima passed the milk to his buddy with a bright smile.
Kyoka yawned, hiding it behind her hand. "How can you guys have so much energy in the morning?" She looked at her friends that were wide awake already.
"Starting the day properly is imperative to academic success, Jiro!" Iida declared with his back ramrod straight even while sitting at one of the large tables in the dining area.
"Miso soup is ready!" Sato called out to everyone.
Bakugo had a more…abrasive…way of announcing his own contribution to breakfast. "Rice is done, line up properly! Eat your dashimaki too! I didn't cook them to be wasted!"
Everyone lined up, some slower than others, but the fact that more than a few of their classmates could cook was nice. A warm breakfast was certainly going to help those that were slow starters in the morning.
"It's still weird to think that Bakugo can cook well." Ochako said while putting rice into her bowl and placing some dashimaki on her plate.
"Right?" Camie giggled as she took the rice spoon from Ochako to get her own.
Chikuchi had a pot of tea for each table of students as she walked from the kitchen area to the tables. "Green tea for whoever wants it." She set the teapots down gently.
"Any coffee, mademoiselle? I could use some caffeine." Aoyama requested with his typical sparkles appearing around him, even though he was visibly still not fully awake.
"Right here!" Hagakure brought a single coffee carafe over to the table; her bright and bubbly personality was a little toned down this early in the morning but she was brightening up already after a small cup of coffee.
"Merci!" Aoyama thanked Toru as he poured himself a cup and added milk, sugar, and cream with practiced ease.
Dark Shadow emerged from Tokoyami and went across the table to pick up the coffee carafe after Aoyama was done with it. "Takin' this!" The intelligent Quirk said as it brought the coffee over to Tokoyami.
"Thank you, Dark Shadow." Tokoyami was not a morning person, it turned out. He sluggishly poured himself some coffee and only added a bit of sugar into it before starting to sip the hot beverage.
Izuku ate while surrounded by his girlfriends, a happy smile on his face. "Great dashimaki, Bakugo." He complimented his former friend as he enjoyed the rolled omelets.
Bakugo opened his mouth but stopped suddenly. After a second, his reply was surprisingly cordial. "You're welcome." He focused on his own food while most of Class 1-A looked at him like they'd never seen him before.
"Bakugo being polite… That seems weird. Kero." Tsuyu mentioned as she looked between the explosive blonde and Izuku.
"Right?" Camie said with a grin.
Momo had a small smile on her lips as she looked at Izuku. "It's much better than when he was insulting you."
Ochako agreed with a nod. "Maybe he's actually trying to be better." She sipped her miso soup and hummed happily.
"Maybe." Izuku said as he looked at Bakugo's back. Things had been tense between them for so long and Izuku honestly didn't like that. However, it seemed like Bakugo might've finally broken out of the shell of constant praise and superiority that had been built up around him since they were toddlers.
"Thank you for the meal." Shoji said as he placed his hands together.
"You're done, already?!" Kaminari stared at the empty dishes on Shoji's tray in surprise.
Shoji nodded to Kaminari. "It was good and I like eating my food when it's hot."
"Me too." Koda said just loud enough to be heard at a 'normal' volume. The quiet animal speaker had been slowly, but surely, opening up to his classmates and learning to speak up. His test with Kyoka especially had been a major drive for him to break out of his own shell.
"Both of you?" Sero looked at the tray in Koda's hands, every dish empty of food just like Shoji's.
After breakfast, all of Class 1-A had placed their dishes and trays into the large dishwasher in the kitchen and let the machine handle the cleanup. The students headed for their rooms to get into their uniforms for the day with various degrees of readiness. The only exception being Iida, who'd been wearing his uniform the entire time.
"Is everyone ready?" Izuku, as Class Representative, asked his friends and classmates with a smile.
"Yeah!" The call was a mix of loud exclamations and normal replies, based on the student in question.
"Class 1-A's first day as live-in students begins with homeroom as usual." Momo said with a bright smile, her excitement making others smile at their Vice-Rep.
-Class 1-A ~ Homeroom-
The door slid open and Aizawa walked in. "Take your seats." Looking into the class every student was sitting at their desk quietly. "Better." He said, approving of the improved behavior of his class. Walking to the podium, Aizawa began to speak. "As I mentioned yesterday, our goal for now is to get you all your Provisional Hero Licenses."
"Yes!" The entire class confirmed.
"Hero Licenses are inextricably tied to saving lives, so one must be properly qualified for such a heavy responsibility. Naturally, the test is incredibly difficult. As a reminder, even U.A. only sees about a fifty percent success rate for first time test takers." Aizawa said, reminding his class of the challenge ahead of them. "That's why, starting today, each of you needs to come up with at least two…"
The door slammed open suddenly.
"Super Moves!" Midnight declared, strutting into the classroom, followed by Ectoplasm and Cementoss.
"This is kinda like a school thing, but totally Hero-like at the same time!" Sero, Kirishima, and Kaminari exclaimed loudly as they stood up from their seats in excitement.
Mina and Toru were standing up from their seats a second later. "Super Moves!"
"Super Moves are your finishers." Ectoplasm said before the class could get too wound up. "They are your most unique techniques."
Cementoss raised his right hand up and held up his index finger as he continued. "Internalize these moves. Make them your own until they become unparalleled. Combat is all about finding and making use of your own particular strengths."
"Your moves symbolize who you are!" Midnight declared with one hand trailing along her cheek while she gave the class a flirty wink. "Nowadays, Pro Heroes without Super Moves are a dying breed!"
"Let's move forward with a more detailed explanation and a practical demonstration." Aizawa took over the class again. "Change into your costumes and meet us at Gym Gamma."
-Gym Gamma-
All of Class 1-A, now in their costumes, looked around the massive, empty interior of Gym Gamma. It didn't appear to be anything special…not for the Super Move training they were supposedly about to start. Just reinforced steel and concrete walls with large windows and a concrete floor with a few large square areas marked by painted white lines.
"Gym Gamma… Also known as the Training Kitchen Lab." Cementoss introduced the students to the facility. "TKL for short."
'That's…not very cool.' About half of the class thought simultaneously of the name.
Cementoss kneeled down at the edge of one of the painted square outlines and placed his hands on the concrete floor. "This facility was my idea. Here I cook up the perfect terrain and objects to fit each student's needs." The floor in front of Cementoss rose up into an intricate spire made of dozens of perfectly square pillars all joined together. "Hence, 'Kitchen'."
"I see…" Kaminari still didn't look very enthusiastic about the name.
Iida's hand shot into their air. "May I please ask a question?" When he was given a nod from Aizawa, Iida spoke rapidly and his voice rose noticeably. "Why must we create Super Moves in order to obtain our Provisional Licenses? Please explain the intention behind such a requirement!"
"All in good time." Aizawa had a flat expression at Iida's usual academic eagerness. "Calm down." Iida stopped leaning forward in anticipation of an answer. Aizawa directed his attention to the entire class as he began to speak. "Heroes deal with accidents, catastrophes, and disasters both natural and manmade. It's our job to save people from just about any situation imaginable. In the licensing test, your ability to adapt in those situations will be observed, naturally. Intelligence gathering. Decision making. Mobility. Combat Prowess. Communication skills. Charisma. Leadership abilities. The test contents vary every year, but these key capabilities are always factored in."
Midnight continued the explanation. "Among those criteria you can be sure that combat prowess will be heavily prioritized for potential Heroes. The ability to protect people from Villains is a requirement in this profession, after all. Be prepared, and you've got nothing to fear! The moves that you're creating here could have a big impact on whether you pass or not."
"If you can keep a cool head and act with decisive, stable moves… Then that means you have a high level of combat prowess." Cementoss smiled at Class 1-A to ease their nerves a bit.
"There's nothing that says your Super Moves have to be an attack." Ectoplasm said as he saw some of the concerned looks on a few of the student's faces. "For example, take Iida's 'Reciproburst'." Iida perked up visibly, even beneath his armor-like costume. "That sort of extreme speed boost on its own is intimidating enough to be called a Super Move."
Iida started to tremble just slightly, placing his hand over his chest while looking up towards the ceiling. "Is it… Is it really suitable to be a Super Move?"
Sato gave Iida an odd look for how pleased his classmate looked at the praise for his unintentional Super Move. "So the point is to come up with moves that'll give us a big advantage in combat."
Midnight smiled and pointed at Sato. "Yes! I'm sure you all know about the rising star, Kamui Woods. His 'Lacquered Chain Prison' is an example of a cookie cutter Super Move. It's simple and easy to understand. Instead of a powerful attack that puts down an enemy with force, it binds enemies before they can do anything."
"Your summer training camp was cut short, but the training we started there was the beginning point for creating Super Moves." The concrete floor rapidly rose up under Cementoss's power, making plateaus, canyons, platforms, and walls throughout the entire training space. "In other words, until the second semester starts, you'll be using the remaining time…" Ectoplasm exhaled a plethora of clones that quickly took up positions all throughout the newly created training field. "…to enhance your Quirks and put together your Super Moves…" All of the students stared at the imposing training field and the clones of Ectoplasm looking down at them now. "…through some extra-intense training!"
Several of the students looked a bit nervous, while others gave challenging looks to the upcoming training they were going to be put through.
"As your Quirks grow and you start to formulate your Super Moves, think about whether you need to alter your costumes." Aizawa stared all of them down. "Use that Plus Ultra mentality to go beyond your limits. Ready?"
"THIS IS GONNA BE GOOD!" Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero, and Bakugo yelled back, ready to take on the challenge.
As the students each went to one of the clones of Ectoplasm for direct instruction, some already had ideas for what they wanted for their Super Moves. Others didn't have any concrete ideas, and it showed to the experienced eyes of Ectoplasm.
"Super Move!" Mina yelled out as she threw her hands forward. "Acid blasts from my hands in a big shot!" A large splash of acid flew through the air and then splashed on the ground a couple of meters away. "How's that?"
Ectoplasm looked at the lack of distance. "Your move lacks range, but you have worked on projectile attacks before."
Mina nodded and formed a 'nozzle' with her clapped hands and shot a compressed stream of acid several meters easily. "I figured this out with some help from Midoriya. But it's not very 'Super Move'…is it?"
"That depends on how you use it." Ectoplasm said as he thought about Mina's Quirk. "Have you tried manipulating your acid's viscosity?"
"A bit, it's a little more difficult than shooting out my acid like I normally do." Mina answered as she cupped her hand and produced a puddle of acid, she then closed her hand and opened it, showing that she'd molded it into a ball. "The more acid I produce, the harder it is to change the viscosity."
Ectoplasm nodded after a moment to think. "Try to change the viscosity as you produce it and work your way up from small amounts to larger amounts."
Across the training area, explosions, flames, spires of ice, lines of tape, and crashes of cement being destroyed rang out. All of the students were working hard as they tried to bring to life the ideas they've had in mind for their Super Moves. In one area though, there was quiet…despite who was training there.
"Focusing your Quirk and understanding the materials around you is where you need to improve." Ectoplasm said as he instructed Kyoka with her Super Move idea.
Kyoka took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Yes, sir." She plugged her earphone jacks into the detachable speakers on her gloves. She punched her fists forward and channeled the amplified sound through her jacks and into the support gear. "Heartbeat Distortion!" A massive cone of sound visibly distorted the air before slamming into the side of the concrete wall directly in front of her.
BOOM
The concrete exploded outwards like a bomb had gone off, sending dust and small chunks of cement in all directions. The entire structure vibrated minutely for a second as the residual soundwaves dispersed through the material.
Kyoka smiled at the improvement from her last attempt. "Nice!"
"Better." Ectoplasm nodded to Kyoka. "You've both changed the frequency to better match the resonant frequency of concrete and focused the effect onto a smaller area."
"I don't have to press my speakers against the ground or the wall anymore." Kyoka said with some pride that she had improved this much already. "But that's a lot of damage…" She considered the large destroyed area of the concrete wall.
Ectoplasm agreed with a short nod. "It's good that you're already considering the outcomes and effects of your Quirk. Next, try to focus the soundwaves into a smaller area and see how that affects your target."
Kyoka smiled at her teacher. "Yes sir!"
In a canyon of concrete within Gym Gamma, Tsuyu sat atop a spire of the same material with her eyes closed. She focused on her body, more specifically her skin. Izuku had once told her, shortly after they'd met, that her Quirk still had plenty of room to develop and now Tsuyu was sure that she'd figured out a new application that she'd never known about before.
"I see where you're going with this, Asui." Ectoplasm said as he looked at the change that had come over his student's skin. It was now similar to the color of the concrete surrounding them. "However, I believe you'll need some redesign of your costume to compliment this new ability."
Tsuyu opened her eyes slowly and looked at her green costume. "Kero. You're right, sir." She could feel that her skin had changed in coloration…but her costume remained unchanged, therefore rendering her camouflage ability moot.
Ectoplasm was always happy to instruct students that were open to learning and outside ideas and criticism. "That move that you used against me during your exams is a perfectly good Super Move as well."
"Frantic Frog Hopping?" Tsuyu tilted her head slightly before she smiled. "Thank you, sir." She'd worked out that Super Move with Izuku and her friends just in time for the exams. "If I can combine these two moves, I think I can be even more effective."
"A stealth capability for a Hero can be invaluable." Ectoplasm said with a thoughtful tone. "As a Rescue Hero though, a Super Move designed for rescue operations will be important for your future as well."
Tsuyu considered that, placing her index finger against her chin. "Hmm, will there be a rescue portion of the Provisional License Exam? A water area would be vastly different from a land-based terrain, so I would need multiple Super Moves depending on where I'm using them. Kero."
Ectoplasm knew that Tsuyu was a model Hero Course student, but the more he saw of her in Heroics Classes, the more he was certain that she had not only the Quirk, but the mindset and the intelligence to go far in the Pro Hero world. "You're planning ahead, that's good. However, let's focus on your current Super Move idea."
"Yes, sir." Tsuyu steadied her breathing and closed her eyes again, feeling the change of her skin as she worked to blend in with the concrete all around her.
On one of the plateaus within Gym Gamma, Izuku stood across from one of Ectoplasm's clones as he considered how to put together a new Super Move. He had plenty of options, given all of his many Quirks, but many of the combinations that he'd already made were not things he'd often be able to use in the field every day. The massive bomb-like combination that he'd used against All Might would kill most people. The only reason he'd used it against All Might was because he knew his idol could handle it and the desperation of the situation had necessitated using all of the power that he could.
"Not sure what to do?" Ectoplasm asked, lightly swinging one of his prosthetic legs at Izuku to break him out of his musings.
"I've made plenty of different combinations in the past, sir." Izuku said as he took a half-step back to dodge the kick. "But all of them aren't things that I can use against most people…for obvious reasons."
Ectoplasm couldn't help but agree, having seen Izuku's immense power on multiple occasions. "Overwhelming power can be its own problem when it comes to being a Pro Hero. Instead of attacks, perhaps focusing on things like restraint or defense are paths to pursue in creating a Super Move."
Izuku took up a thinking pose as he considered all of his many Quirks. 'Maybe I could use a combination that focuses on capturing a target? Multiple targets? Let's see… Six Arms, Earth Flow, Amplification, and Spin? That should capture most opponents on the ground, but could be detrimental depending on the situation…' More ideas began to swirl around in Izuku's mind. "Perhaps Soothing Voice, Amplifier, Force Projection, and Compress? I could potentially capture two Villains at a distance… Maybe I could add Six Arms to create more points for Compress to be used with?"
"You don't realize that you start muttering your thoughts aloud after a time, do you?" Ectoplasm said as Izuku went through his mumble spree.
"Ah!" Izuku looked up, his face a bit red at being called out. "S-Sorry, Ectoplasm, sir."
Over near the entrance of Gym Gamma, Aizawa looked over the concrete training area that Cementoss had made and continued to repair as needed. Parts of it were scorched black, or frozen, or covered in tape, or shattered, or covered in various weapons and tools. Glancing upwards, he saw Tokoyami and Ochako both floating in the air with their Quirks. A beam of bright energy blasted the top off one of the spires of concrete, revealing where Aoyama was training.
The door opening behind Aizawa got the man's attention before the person even spoke.
"I see everyone's going at it!" All Might said, now in his much smaller form regularly.
"All Might?" Aizawa asked, seeing the former Number One Hero.
All Might transformed into his buff form. "I wasn't called in today, but I had nothing going on, so… I AM HERE!" He gave Aizawa a thumbs up. In a brief cloud of steam he reverted to his normal form.
"Shouldn't you focus on your recovery?" Aizawa asked, knowing that All Might was doing what he could to help his medical situation now that he was retired. "Are you ready for the second semester?"
"My lesson plans are ready." All Might said with a chuckle. "Besides, this is the Super Moves class! Of course this is something I want to see!"
'Is transforming briefly how he's going to greet people now?' Midnight wondered as she briefly looked away from the students training to watch All Might talk to Aizawa. The idea made her giggle under her breath at how many people might freak out at suddenly meeting All Might in-person before he returned to his thin form right in front of them.
"I'm a teacher too, after all." All Might said as he turned his attention to the students that he could see.
BOOOOMMM
A huge explosion blasted apart one of the plateaus further away.
Bakugo had a wild smile on his face at his progress. "Been a long time since I got to let loose like this!" He flexed his hands and then turned to look at Ectoplasm. "Hey! I killed your clone, Ectoplasm-sensei! Give me another one!"
All Might looked at Bakugo while Ectoplasm created another clone for the explosive teen. "He's progressed again. That kid is something else."
"Yeah, and he's only going to get stronger." Aizawa said as he watched Bakugo put his hands together as the clone of Ectoplasm charged at the blonde.
Ochako floated towards the ground, angling her body to best use her air jets to control her flight. "Bakugo's in a good mood."
"Looks like he's got plenty of ideas for Super Moves." Sato said from not too far away.
"He's been naming attacks since school started!" Toru said with a laugh from atop a raised platform a few meters away from where Sato and Ochako were.
"Focus." Three Ectoplasm clones said at the same time as they blitzed the students with attacks.
Toru's costume became as invisible as she was. "Eep!" The kick passed through empty air.
"Whoa!" Sato blocked with his arm, his boosted strength and durability stopping the kick from Ectoplasm cold.
Ochako shot into the air with a burst of air from her air jet boots. "Sensei! That was sneaky!"
"Villains don't care about playing fair, you've all experienced this already." Ectoplasm reminded her as he leapt upwards and exhaled to make a new clone. The first clone leapt off the back of the new clone and reached Ochako's level.
"Ack!" Ochako raised a hasty guard as Ectoplasm kicked her. "Got ya!" She managed to touch the prosthetic leg with her finger pads, stealing the clone's gravity. With it now weightless, she tossed the clone straight into the ceiling where it dispersed like a burst water balloon.
All Might strolled over to Izuku, seeing that the Class Representative was clearly stuck in his planning for a Super Move. "Young Midoriya!"
"Oh! All Might!" Izuku brightened up upon seeing his idol.
"I see you're having trouble coming up with a Super Move." All Might said as he smiled at the multi-Quirked teen. "So many options can make it hard to narrow down your choice, can't it?"
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… I can't really use the combination of Quirks that I used against you in the exams against most people. Ectoplasm-sensei told me that focusing on defense or capture for a Super Move might be a good idea, so now I'm going through various ideas for combinations and trying to find one that I think would work the best."
All Might nodded as he thought about what Izuku had said and the issue the student was having. "When you want to focus on a single aspect of Hero work, focusing on the singular goal of that work, the best possible outcome that you're aiming for, should help you narrow down what you need to do. If you think about your Super Moves from that perspective, I believe you'll come to an answer that you'll be happy with." He gave Izuku an encouraging smile.
"Hmm, that does make sense." Izuku said as he considered what he'd been doing just a moment ago, trying to account for all possibilities in a single move. 'There's no way that any one move can handle every single situation, crisis, or Villain. I wasn't thinking about real scenarios; I was thinking about every scenario at once.' Looking up at his idol, Izuku smiled brightly. "Thanks, All Might!"
All Might chuckled and waved over his shoulder as he headed towards Kirishima next.
"Young Kirishima! I have a bit of advice for you!" All Might called out with a wave.
"All Might-sensei?" Kirishima looked over at the approaching teacher.
All Might nodded with a grin. "I see what you're doing but with your Quirk, you don't need flashy movements and gimmicks."
"I don't?" Kirishima said, looking a bit confused. "Don't Pro Heroes need to stand out a bit?"
"Being a Hero is about much more than flashiness and popularity, Young Kirishima!" All Might stated with a bright smile. "With your power, instead of going for a gimmick or parlor trick, just focus on smashing through like a bulldozer! Take advantage of your durability over trying to show off!"
Kirishima looked thoughtful before his eyes brightened up. "Thank you, sensei!" He bowed at the waist to All Might for helping to clear up his doubts and concerns.
All Might patted Kirishima on the back before heading for Kyoka next with a wave.
'When did he get better at teaching?' Aizawa wondered as he watched All Might give good advice to one student after another. His sharp eyes caught sight of a small book in All Might's back pocket and he narrowed his eyes to read the title.
'Idiot's Guide to Teaching'
"Hehehe!" Midnight, having seen the small book in All Might's back pocket, stifled her giggles as she moved to help Camie with her Quirk.
-Heights Alliance ~ Evening-
"Hah…" Toru flopped onto the large couch in the common area. "I'm beat!"
Kaminari had his head lying back on the backrest of the couch, his entire body sagging. "Same…" He said with a heavy sigh. "I nearly shorted out even with my Gear."
"We managed to make some progress though." Chikuchi said as she got a drink of cold water for herself.
Mina smiled at Chikuchi a bit as she turned around to look at the newest member of the Hero Course. "You're doing great, Chi-Chan!"
Chikuchi playfully rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Thanks, Mina."
"Ectoplasm-sensei says that my Super Moves are almost perfect, so I'm happy about that." Shoji said as he and Tokoyami played a game of shogi together.
"The same for myself." Tokoyami mentioned as he looked at Shoji's move and considered which of his pieces to move in response. "But working on control is always imperative."
Kirishima was looking for something to watch on the large TV in the common area with Sero, Koda, Aoyama, and Kyoka. "All Might really helped me figure out what I should focus on. I was overthinking how to make my Quirk flashier…but All Might told me to focus on my strengths instead of trying to play into a gimmick."
"Yeah, I was running around in my own head trying to figure out a Super Move that could handle any situation…but All Might made me realize that such a thing was impossible. Now I'm thinking about what kind of Super Moves I can make with specific situations in mind."
Momo hummed as she sat with Izuku's arm around her waist. "I was doing something similar… Thinking too broadly about what I could do with my Quirk. Both Ectoplasm and All Might told me that my versatility is a great thing, but that I should focus on what I want my Super Moves to actually do."
"Kero." Tsuyu ribbited softly as she snuggled into Izuku, enjoying her boyfriend's warmth. "I need to go to the design studio tomorrow to ask about an upgrade for my costume."
"We'll go with you, Tsu!" Ochako said with a smile, snuggling into Izuku's opposite side happily.
Tsuyu smiled happily. "Thank you, Ochako."
"Mmm… That's great, Izukun~" Camie let out a pleased moan as Izuku continued to massage her feet. "Miss Midnight had me using my Quirk on the move almost all day."
Izuku smiled at Camie. "No problem, Camie." He worked on a particular spot and Camie let out a low moan as she smiled at her boyfriend. "Love you, Izu~"
"Hehehe, so cute~" Toru cooed at the polycule.
"Right?" Mina giggled along with her friend.
Todoroki looked at the four girls and the three Izukus on the long side of the couch. "The multiple Midoriyas take some getting used to."
Three Izukus were indeed on the couch, one holding Ochako and Tsuyu, an arm around each of the girls' waists as they snuggled. The second Izuku was giving Camie the foot massage. The third Izuku was the one sitting with Momo, reading a book with her and his arm around her waist holding her close.
It was a very 'warm and fluffy' scene as Izuku made the BEST use of the Double Quirk.
Iida came into the common area with a short burst of speed (taking Ectoplasm's advice to work on his control and precision of his Quirk) and looked at everyone gathered in the common area. "Everyone! Beef Stew is on the menu for dinner tonight!"
"Sweet!" Kaminari threw his fist into the air.
"Is Bakugo cooking again?" Sero asked, not seeing the explosive blonde around.
"LIKE HELL I'D LET ANY OF YOU SCREW IT UP!" Bakugo yelled from the kitchen.
Izuku blinked at Bakugo making dinner for everyone. "Huh, that's nice of him…despite the yelling."
Chikuchi rolled her eyes as she was watching TV with the others. "He needs to learn to express himself without the screaming."
That got a round of chuckles from everyone (except Iida, Todoroki, Koda, and Tokoyami).
"I HEARD THAT WATER GIRL!" Bakugo shouted at Chikuchi.
"I hope you did!" Chikuchi snapped back, not afraid of Bakugo in the slightest.
Iida began chopping the air. "Is there really a need to yell throughout the common area?"
"You're not helping much there, Iida!" Mina burst into bubbly laughter.
Iida went still and his eyes widened as he realized that he'd raised his voice quite a bit too.
"Man… They're still talking about the Kamino Incident." Kirishima said as the TV played a report about the repair efforts to the damaged area.
"Well yeah, it was a massive fight between Pro Heroes and the leader of the League of Villains." Kyoka said with a shrug. "That's not going to be forgotten any time soon."
Koda pointed to the banner scrolling across the bottom of the screen. "It says there was an incident in a forest involving the police and many Pro Heroes."
"Huh, what do you think that was about?" Sero asked the others.
"There's not much info." Camie said as she looked over at the TV. "If the police were involved, then it's an ongoing case. They won't talk much about it until they have time to finish their investigation." She had firsthand experience thanks to her police officer father and grandfather.
"Do you think it had anything to do with the League of Villains?" Ochako wondered as it was another incident so soon after the defeat of the Villain group.
Izuku shook his head slowly (all three of them). "Not sure. I didn't hear anything about it, but I was only at Kamino to provide transport and make Doubles of Miss Mandalay for communication." Honestly, leaving him out of the loop of anything else that had happened was probably the Pro Heroes way of keeping him safe after being dragged onto the battlefield by All For One.
"You're definitely getting better with your Doubles." Momo complimented Izuku as she enjoyed the closeness with her boyfriend. She smiled and let out a soft coo when the arm around her waist squeezed her gently.
"I can still only make a handful of them at the moment, but I'm working on being able to make more." Izuku said as he thought about his current limit with the new Quirk. "If I had more practice with it, I might've been able to make more copies of the other Pro Heroes and the battle wouldn't have been so harsh."
"None of that, Izukun. Kero." Tsuyu said as she turned Izuku's chin so that he looked her in the eyes. "You did everything you could and helped out the Pro Heroes to the best of your abilities. More even."
"Tsu's right, Izuku." Ochako said as she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Without you, things could've been much worse for everyone."
Izuku couldn't stop the smile on his face (or the faces of his doubles). "You girls are too good to me."
"Lovey-dovey~" Toru and Mina cooed at the polycule, making Ochako and Momo blush cutely while Tsuyu and Camie only smiled at the other girls.
The second evening of Class 1-A living at Heights Alliance was filled with warmth, laughter, and the smell of cooking beef stew from the kitchen.