Okay, let's get into this.
Izuku Midoriya & Katsuki Bakugou vs All Might:
I know, I know. Just hear me out, okay?
I was absolutely going to change this matchup (@nutzgunray-lvt had brought up Momo and Izuku vs Midnight and I really loved that idea). But I did say before that some of Aizawa's worst tendencies would still be around. He thinks Izuku and Bakugou's relationship is because of both of them not being able to cooperate. This is the opportunity to teach him a well-deserved lesson.
So, I would say most things go the same. Bakugou is being a bitch uncooperative and making things harder. But once Bakugou punches him, Izuku starts to contemplate a lot.
Logically, he knows that while All Might is focused on Bakugou, he could escape. Bakugou wouldn't let All Might ignore him and he could use the cover of the smoke from the debris and Bakugou's gauntlets.
But it feels so... unheroic. He isn't supposed to run and leave his teammate behind. A true hero would stand and fight, even while facing certain death. He's not sure he could abandon his ally, it feels cowardly. Especially because Bakugou could be seriously hurt as All Might wasn't going easy on them.
Part of him argues that Bakugou wouldn't care if he was the one being beat to a pulp.
Ironically, it's Yaoyorozu who comes to mind. Izuku knows the two of them are very different, but he really does admire her rationality and planning. She would make the argument that coming back with reinforcements isn't leaving a teammate behind, it's presenting an opportunity to save them.
Izuku doesn't think he would actually be able to do this in a real situation. He wants to save people, he wants to make people smile. Has he ever made Bakugou smile?
But this isn't a real situation, is it? Maybe just this once, he didn't have to intervene.
Izuku turns around and runs for the exit, successfully escaping while Bakugou is fighting All Might alone like an idiot.
He tries to ignore the guilt he feels at what he's done and wonders if All Might is disappointed in him.
Momo Yaoyorozu & Shoto Todoroki vs Eraserhead
Honestly, as far as this fight goes, it's one of my favorites of this arc. I feel like the characterization for both of them is pretty good. They both play off one another really well.
However, the way I've had it set up, Yaoyorozu had been learning to think on her feet. So, obviously, I have to continue with that.
Unintentionally, Todoroki tries to brush Yaoyorozu aside because he thinks he can handle it without causing her harm. He admires her intelligence and proficiency with her quirk, but thinks that he could probably mange to apprehend Aizawa on his own.
Yaoyorozu vehemently protests. She acknowledges that she has hesitated before, but that this was different than the Sports Festival. She knows that she can do better if he gives her the chance.
Todoroki is taken back by this and doesn't notice Aizawa suspended from the rafters. But Yaoyorozu does out of the corner of her eye. She moves him out of the way and creates a pipe that Aizawa's capture scarf wraps around.
She can't hesitate here, she needs to act quickly. She releases the pipe and the force drives it towards Aizawa. He dodges it easily, but he was momentarily distracted which gave Yaoyorozu and Todoroki time to hide and regroup.
Once they're out of his sight, Todoroki apologizes. He tells her that he wasn't trying to make her feel inadequate, he just wasn't used to relying on others. He tells her that he thinks that she's very capable and has a high opinion of her, which was why he voted for her for class representative. He tells her he'd ready to listen to whatever plan she has.
Yaoyorozu is genuinely touched and accepts his apology. She admits that she understands how it's hard to connect and work with others and has trouble with coming off as unfriendly and unapproachable and tends to overthink too much. She actually talks about Izuku and Uraraka and how she's somewhat jealous of them because they're able to act without thinking.
So the two of them make a plan.
Yaoyorozu "ambushes" Aizawa with a smoke bomb. This doesn't work because his goggles allow him to see heat signatures (my own addition, I feel like it makes sense). She attacks him with a staff she made. She knows that she's outclassed, but manages to defend against his blows. She isn't thinking, she's fighting on instinct and she's actually managing to hold her own.
But Aizawa is more skilled and experienced. He knocks her down and captures her with his scarf. But suddenly he can't move. He looks down and sees that his feet are frozen to the ground. He turns around to attempt to find Todoroki and negate his quirk when a handcuff is clasped around his wrist.
Yaoyorozu managed to free herself by cutting through his scarf with a dagger and cuffed him when he was focused on finding Todoroki.
(Yaoyorozu leans balance between planning and taking action while Todoroki learns how to rely on others and seem them as equals. Yay character development)
Ochako Uraraka & Yuga Aoyama vs Thirteen:
I'm keeping this mostly the same, but without Aoyama's teasing. But instead of Uraraka being embarrassed and letting go, she asks Aoyama to use his laser to momentarily blind Thirteen the minute she lets go. He does so, and Uraraka allows herself to be sucked in and propelled at Thirteen, where she takes them (referring to Thirteen neutrally because her gender hasn't been revealed at this point) down and cuffs them while they can't see.
I think I'll be keeping every other match the same. EXCEPT for Mineta and Sero versus Midnight, Sero doesn't take the fall for Mineta and Mineta falls victim to his own weakness. It's Sero who saves him and carries him to the exit.
(I changed this because I'm going to give Mineta a little bit of growth and reflection. Having him lose here means that his perversion isn't only gross, it's hindering his work as a hero and he needs to do better)
After the exam, Aizawa commends Izuku (in private) for thinking logically for once, but questions why he would leave his teammate behind because it seems unlike him. Izuku confesses that he tried to plan and work with Bakugou, but he simply wasn't listening. He figured he could save both their grades if he successfully escaped.
He feels guilty even as he says this. How can he call himself a hero if he left his teammate to suffer at the hands of a villain?
Aizawa thinks about what he's being told for a long time. He knows that Bakugou has been violent with Izuku. He had assumed that they were rivals who couldn't get along, which was why he had paired them together. He had noticed that All Might looked like he wanted to protest this arrangement, but hadn't.
All this time, he had thought Izuku was part of the problem. But there was a bruise on the kid's cheek even though he hadn't sustained any injuries from All Might. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.
And suddenly he feels guilty for not nipping this in the bud sooner.
Aizawa tells Izuku not to worry about it and that he had done the right thing. Then, he goes to confront All Might. He asks All Might what the real nature of Izuku and Bakugou's relationship is. All Might doesn't want to tell Aizawa for three reasons: a) it was Izuku's business not his, b) he didn't want Aizawa to accuse him of favoritism again and give Izuku and even harder time, and c) he didn't have the full truth himself, just speculation.
(I initially wrote this to be an argument, but I feel like All Might probably wouldn't argue with Aizawa. Plus, he feels guilty about not addressing this sooner)
Aizawa feels like an asshole (he is), but decides that he's going to try to do better by Izuku and all of his students.
Bakugou is pissed when the results are announced. He rages, demanding to know why worthless Deku passed and he didn't. Izuku is also shocked (and guilty, because he had assumed escaping would secure both their grades. He wouldn't have done it if he had known Kacchan would fail too!). But Aizawa silences Bakugou with a nasty glare.
He reprimands Bakugou, telling him he had warned him about acting irresponsibly. Not only had he refused to cooperate and put himself in unnecessary danger, but he had assaulted his teammate. Aizawa bluntly tells him that a strong quirk isn't everything and that he can't act however he wants and still get his way in life. Reality would force him to face more severe consequences unless he gets his act together.
(Despite this, Izuku still feels like he should have failed too. He had abandoned his teammate, wasn't that the opposite of being heroic?)
Aizawa announces that everyone will be going to the training camps (there was no logical ruse because that shit is dumb and canon Aizawa doesn't know any other ways to teach).
While gathering allies to form the League of Villains, Tomura is introduced to two candidates: Himiko Toga and someone who introduces himself as Dabi. They both sought the League out because of Stain.
(Also, I just confirmed that Dabi did not have a notable record prior to joining the LOV. Keep that in mind)
This pisses Tomura off. He hates Stain for turning him down and doesn't understand his ideals. Society was wrong and heroes were two-faced liars who perpetuated it. Why not wipe out everything? Why not destroy it all? He expresses this to the new candidates.
Dabi rolls his eyes and calls Tomura an idiot without a real cause. He doesn't care about what or who gets destroyed, but he admires Stain because he spoke out against false heroes. He claims that false heroes are the real blunder on society and if they can be purged, humanity might get their shit together.
Toga doesn't talk about false heroes, but she does want a world where everyone can be accepted no matter what he quirk is. She wants to be herself and have people to accept and care about her. She felt a kinship with Stain because of the similarities in their quirks and thought that the League would accept her because of this.
Tomura is frustrated because he doesn't understand what the hell these people are talking about. He tries to kill them and they go to defend themselves only for Kurogiri to intervene. He tells Tomura that he needs all the forces he can get and that maybe he should actually listen to what these two have to say.
Grumbling, he goes to the mall to clear his head.
This happens to be when 1A also goes to the mall to prepare for the training camps. Izuku, Iida, Uraraka, Tsu, and Yaoyorozu form a small group as they look for things to buy. Yaoyorozu's made an itinerary and hands everyone a list of basic necessities. The girls break off from the boys, wanting to see if they can find more comfortable clothes to wear.
Iida expresses his gratitude to Izuku, not for saving him, but for showing him what it means to be a hero. Izuku blushes and stutters, telling Iida he really doesn't need to thank him. Especially because he doesn't think he did the right thing during the final exam. He confesses what happened to Iida and that he feels like he betrayed his morals.
But Iida assures him that he didn't do anything wrong. Bakugou was risking both their grades and was never in any actual danger. Izuku says that even so he should have tried harder. Iida's quiet for a moment, then asks Izuku how he feels about Bakugou.
Izuku is confused by the question. He admires Bakugou's strength and dedication. What more is there? Why is Iida asking him this?
But before he can say that, a hooded figure shows up and starts touching Izuku (stranger danger) while expressing how much of a fan he was. He goes on and on about how he was so cool during the Sports Festival and facing Stain (chronic yapper). Both Izuku and Tenya are tense, especially when the stranger reveals that he didn't think they would meet again.
They both realize at the same time that the man is Tomura Shigaraki, the one who led the attack on the USJ.
Iida immediately moves to do... something (attack? Call for help? He doesn't know!) only to watch with horror as Shigaraki's fingers close around Izuku's neck, leaving his middle finger off him.
Shigaraki tells both of them to calm down unless they want Izuku to die. But Izuku assures Iida that it doesn't matter if he dies, he just wants him to stop Shigaraki. If he makes a scene, the heroes will show up. However, Shigaraki tells them that he'll kill everyone he can before the heroes get there if either of them draw any attention. Iida wasn't planning on risking it anyway.
Shigaraki tells them that the Hero Killer is bugging him. Both of them are confused; they assumed that Stain was working with him. Shigaraki tells them that wasn't the case and that he's jealous of all the attention Stain is getting. He doesn't understand the difference between them.
Iida asks what Shigaraki's goal is. He hates Stain, but he knows that Stain had a goal. One that might not have been as baseless as he originally thought. His brother, who he had thought was a virtuous, noble hero had done something wrong. If he was right about Tensei, wasn't it possible that he was right about all of them?
Shigaraki answers that he wants to destroy everything.
Izuku says that's why he isn't getting any attention. He had been thinking a lot about Todoroki and what he had told him about Endeavor. If the #2 hero was that bad, what were other heroes getting away with? How much did society overlook about someone just because they were strong? It's hard for him to admit through his admiration for heroes, but he thinks Stain made some sort of sense. He tells Shigaraki that Stain had a goal and a reason for doing things, while Shigaraki causes destruction for no reason. Izuku doesn't agree with what Stain does, but his ideals make some sort of sense.
Izuku tells Shigaraki that he suspects that Stain wants to fix things about society and that correlates to killing false heroes. He doesn't understand how quite yet, but he assumes him and All Might were spared because they put others first. They were "true heroes," according to Stain.
(He really doesn't feel like a true hero after what happened in the final exam. He feels like a fake)
Shigaraki thinks about his answer. He thinks about what Toga and Dabi said. He knew society was wrong, Sensei had always told him that. But he had always said the answer was destroying it and Tomura had always agreed.
But fixing it? He doesn't understand the point of that. Tomura had never fixed anything in his life. He had always just destroyed and killed whatever irked him, whatever made him angry. And Sensei had encouraged it. He's a villain and he had never denied that. He doesn't want to fix anything.
He just wants to destroy it.
But Stain's goals seemed to get attention. He could use that to his advantage. Then everyone would have to pay attention to him. He could make Stain's followers his own. Starting with those two fools who followed him so devoutly.
The girls return. Uraraka and Yaoyorozu ask who their friend is, but Tsu instantly realizes who it is. She had been a second away from dying at his hand. She could never forget that face. She freezes, which makes the other two girls realize something is wrong. They demand that Shigaraki let go of Izuku.
Shigaraki chuckles and does as they say. He thanks Izuku and Iida for the help and leaves, warning them not to follow. Izuku asks what All For One is after, to which Shigaraki replies he has no idea. He then tells Izuku to worry about himself because he'll kill him next time they meet.
Once he's gone, Uraraka frantically asks what happened and if they're alright while Yaoyorozu tends to Tsu who's gone pale. Uraraka calls the police while Iida tries to shake Izuku who's unresponsive.
He can't bring himself to respond to his friends. All he can think about is how he was going to stop Shigaraki and All For One before they can hurt more people
Aizawa redemption anyone?? He's going to be a better teacher from here on out. Still an asshole, but his goal is going to be actively working to improve his students. Letting Bakugou's behavior go unchecked to where he felt comfortable attacking his teammate was the wake-up call he needed
I intentionally didn't have All Might talk to Izuku. He's still grappling with his own views about heroics at the moment and he suspects that Bakugou is a bully, so it doesn't occur to him that Izuku might thing he was disappointed in him. They're both really bad communicators
It was a weird choice on Horikoshi's part to make Sero pay for Mineta's shortcomings. He could have used this to address Mineta's actions, instead he more or less rewards it. Feels like something he does a lot with Mineta (he also did it during the JTA), which is part of the reason why he's so hated
I swear Uraraka is so much more enjoyable as a character when you take away her crush on Izuku. Rewriting this damn story is reigniting my love for her
So, Shigaraki. What I'm doing here is trying to a) give him agency and b) have him overcome AFO's manipulations. Shigaraki's hatred of heroes and society comes from AFO taking advantage of what happened that night he killed his family. These aren't Shigaraki's real feelings, he doesn't have enough agency to have real feelings at this point. My changes here were to a) give him a real goal and b) show that he and Izuku are kind of coming to terms with the same thing. That's also why I steered away from him wanting to kill All Might, I want their interaction to be driven away from their mentors. They're kind of coming to the same conclusions, but on opposite spectrums
I kept Iida around because I wanted him to also reflect on Stain and Tensei. Also, he's a good friend
I know it might feel OOC to have Izuku leave Bakugou. I felt weird writing it. But this is supposed to be representative of a few things. Izuku's views are changing and evolving. He's being affected by the people around him, most noticeably Momo who's kind of his opposite here. He knew he wasn't ready to fight All Might and knew it was pointless to get Bakugou to cooperate. He was thinking objectively and allowed himself to do so because it was a school assignment and not real life (he wouldn't be able to do this in a real situation). It also isn't a coincidence that this happened after Bakugou punched him. He's coming to terms with how much Bakugou's treatment has affected him over the years. After all that's happened- his friends' and All Might's concerns- Izuku is beginning to separate himself from Bakugou, even if he hasn't realized it yet. This is actually what Iida was going to suggest was happening before Shigaraki showed up
Dabi is way closer to being morally ambiguous than an outright villain here. I mean, in my opinion, that's how he was originally. Him and Toga are both following Stain's ideals more closely, although Toga doesn't really understand them to the same extent (I noticed that Shigaraki seemed to assume that Toga didn't actually care about Stain's goals despite admiring him but didn't include Dabi in that. It implies that his goals always aligned more closely with what Stain wanted. Horikoshi why did you ruin him)
