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All Might beckoned Luke and Todoroki down and gave them an earful for not even trying to act like they were thinking of an Ultimate Move.
Bakugo, watching this from a concrete hilltop of his own, frowned.
He had always disliked Birdshit's attitude, especially the way he tried to act cool. However, recently, even Half-Half had been catching Birdshit's infection, acting in the same manner.
So what if they were barred from attending the Provisional Hero License Exam?
So what if they had already come up with something like Ultimate Moves during the Training Camp itself?
Did they really think that there was no one better than them in the class anymore?!
"Tch!" Bakugo tsked in disgust.
It wasn't like he needed to come up with an Ultimate Move, either, right?
If it truly came to having an Ultimate Move, then his Singularity Howitzer Impact alone would be enough to destroy everyone here.
It was another matter entirely that he couldn't use that move so openly in public.
Anyway, wasn't he still working hard over the last two weeks to come up with another Ultimate Move?
In fact, he had already created one, adding one more trump card to his arsenal.
As if putting his thoughts to the test, Bakugo aimed his palm toward a massive boulder in front of him, making a tiny nozzle against his open palm with his other hand.
Then, with his open palm, Bakugo fired a concentrated explosion.
The gloves of his costume were created specifically to handle extreme temperatures and impacts. So, the entire explosion transferred from his curled hand, becoming a jet of fire as it left from the other end… almost like a laser beam.
It was so fast and so powerful, in fact, that the moment it hit the boulder, it went straight through it, like butter.
Bakugo grinned.
It wasn't as powerful as Singularity Howitzer Impact, but, in close combat, it could be a game-changer.
Bakugo had named it Armor Piercing Shot, AP Shot for short.
However, the wide grin on his face slowly faded as a CRACK resounded in his ears.
The boulder through which he had fired AP Shot suddenly gained many spider web-like cracks.
Then, a massive piece of the huge boulder broke off and fell… going straight for All Might's head.
The cracking of the boulder had been loud enough to catch everyone's attention.
So, the moment they saw what was going to happen next, their hearts skipped a beat. Bakugo's concrete hill wasn't too tall anyway. Even if many saw the boulder falling, none of them were nearly fast enough to prevent it from crashing onto All Might's head.
If All Might still had his Quirk, then it would have been fine.
However, it was a known fact now that he had retired because Dr. Blessed had done something to his Quirk.
If the boulder struck All Might's head, then…
Just as it seemed they all were going to witness another disaster, a crackling sound rang in their ears. A cyan blur traced a beautiful arc across the entire training facility, appearing right next to the boulder before gaining a definite form, revealing… Midoriya.
However, something felt different.
Instead of punching the boulder, Midoriya stretched out his leg and kicked, exploding the entire boulder into a mass of pebbles and dust.
Silence.
Midoriya landed back on the floor and skidded before coming to a rest.
"That…" All Might said, grinning ear to ear, "… was something, young Midoriya."
Deku grinned. "I got the idea of Full Cowling from Gran Torino and Kacchan," he said, instantly making Bakugo's eyebrows twitch atop the hill. "So, quick, small movement, with precise maneuvering. I call this Full Cowling: Shoot Style!"
All Might gave Midoriya a thumbs-up. "Impressive," he said. "And here I was thinking that you would be trying too hard to copy me all this time. I guess I was getting worried for nothing."
Midoriya chuckled wryly. "Well, I was kinda getting hopeless in the beginning," he admitted. "The doctor clearly told me that I can't afford to injure my arms anymore. I couldn't think of any Ultimate Move for a week. So, I decided to work on my Hero Costume first."
All Might's and the others' eyes landed on Midoriya's costume.
"Now that you mentioned it," All Might said, holding his chin, "… I can see some changes."
"The arm braces are much more solid than before," Midoriya said, before showing the underneath of his boots. "Coupled with iron soles, it really lets me put my new fighting style to good use. Hatsume did an awesome job on the costume. I call it Costume Gamma."
All Might nodded, humming in agreement. "Again. How did you think of it?"
"As I said," Midoriya blurted excitedly, "I went for costume improvement first. But there, Hatsume said something that made me think of this Shoot Style. She said, 'If your hands don't work, then just use your legs.' I know it's simple, but… it just clicked."
"Haha!" All Might laughed boisterously. "Inspirations… you can always find them at the strangest places…"
As even more students began joining Midoriya and All Might, Bakugo turned around and climbed down the hill, too.
But he wasn't going to join the copycat nerd and All Might.
The moment Midoriya had said those words, about using legs when hands didn't work, something had clicked in Bakugo's head.
Something strange.
Something he had been trying to work around for weeks.
Now, Bakugo's eyes carried a rare glint, as if his eyes were burning, his lips twitching into a wide grin now and then.
After a few minutes, he stood in front of the Development Studio.
Bakugo pushed the gates open and shouted, "Oi! Who's this Hatsume?!"
Boom!
An explosion blasted Bakugo out of the room, black smoke filling his lungs.
Something heavy must have fallen on his face because he struggled to even breathe, lying flat on his back.
Slowly, the smoke cleared, revealing what it was.
Bakugo… stared at the round jeans, his eyes widening in shock, a furious blush replacing his angry complexion.
Mei Hatsume looked at Bakugo over her shoulder, whose face was pressed against her butt.
"V#$#$#$" Bakugo blubbered something before throwing the girl off his face and coughing heavily.
"… Wassup?!" Hatsume said, looking at him curiously. "You also need my babies?!"
"Babies?! Wha… No. Never mind. I don't care." Bakugo stared right into the girl's eyes. "I… need you to add something to my Hero Costume."
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