The walk home from the train station felt longer than usual.
Izuku's body ached from the battle—a good ache, the kind that meant he'd pushed himself. His mind, though, was still replaying the fight. Bakugo's face at the end. Confused. Lost. Doubting.
I finally faced him directly. Really faced him. And he didn't know what to do when I didn't run.
His phone buzzed.
Inko: THE CATS ARE ACTING STRANGE. FLEX KEEPS DOING TRICKS. BASTET LINED THEM ALL UP. I'M SCARED AND IMPRESSED.
Izuku: It's fine, Mom. New skill. Works on cats apparently.
Inko: NEW SKILL?! WHAT KIND OF SKILL MAKES CATS ORGANIZED?!
Izuku: ...taming.
Inko: TAMING?! LIKE ANIMALS?!
Izuku: I think so.
Inko: THE CATS ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS! OCHACO IS ALREADY SITTING ON YOUR PILLOW LIKE SHE OWNS IT!
Izuku smiled despite himself. Ochaco the cat. Named after Uraraka because of her "round cheeks and bright energy." His mom's words, not his.
He arrived home to find Flex doing backflips on command. Bastet had the other cats lined up in neat rows. Third sat on the highest shelf, judging everyone. Ochaco the cat was indeed on his pillow, looking particularly pleased with herself.
"The skill works on cats too," Izuku muttered. "Of course it does."
"They've been like this all day!" Inko appeared in the doorway, equal parts amazed and concerned. "It's amazing! Ochaco organized the others!"
Izuku watched the cats. "Great. Now the cats are a small army. And Ochaco is their general."
The next morning, Izuku arrived at UA with his mind still half on cats and half on Bakugo. The classroom was already buzzing—louder than usual, more chaotic.
Students were actually talking to each other. Mingling. Introducing themselves.
Kirishima spotted him first. "Dude! Midoriya, right? I'm Kirishima Eijiro! That fight yesterday was MANLY! The way you moved—so cool!"
Izuku blinked at the sudden enthusiasm. "Thanks. You did great too. Your hardening is really solid."
Kirishima's grin widened. "MANLY COMPLIMENT! I like this guy!"
Kaminari popped over from his desk. "I'm Kaminari Denki! Your quirk is awesome! Is it like... super speed? Flexibility? Both?"
"Kind of a mix," Izuku admitted. "Still figuring it out myself."
"Relatable!" Kaminari laughed. "I'm still figuring out how not to fry myself!"
Sero waved from nearby. "Sero Hanta. Your tape-less swinging was impressive. I use tape and you still out-maneuvered me."
"Your tape has way more range," Izuku said. "I was just improvising."
Jiro glanced over from her seat, earphone jacks dangling. "Jiro Kyoka. You're quieter than I expected. After all that noise yesterday."
"Talking takes energy," Izuku said. "I conserve it."
She smirked. "Fair."
Ashido bounced over, pink skin bright under the fluorescent lights. "I'm Ashido Mina! Call me Mina! You were so cool fighting Bakugo! He's scary but you just—poof—dodged everything!"
"He's strong," Izuku said. "Just had to keep moving."
"Well, you're officially my favorite person to watch fight now!"
One by one, they came. Tokoyami nodded from his corner, Dark Shadow peeking out. Shoji loomed nearby but nodded politely, his multiple arms folded. Ojiro waved from his desk. Koda peeked from behind a plant, gave a tiny wave. Aoyama sparkled. Hagakure's uniform floated nearby, her voice coming from nowhere. Sato smiled.
Then Tsuyu appeared beside him. "Asui Tsuyu. Call me Tsuyu. Kero. You were impressive."
"Thanks, Tsuyu."
She tilted her head. "You remembered my name. Good. Some people forget."
Uraraka slid into the seat next to him. "Making friends already?"
"Trying to," Izuku said. "There's a lot of us."
"Twenty, I think?" She looked around. "We should learn everyone's names fast."
Iida marched over, his hand chopping the air. "MIDORIYA! Excellent social initiative! Learning classmates' names is essential for team cohesion!"
"Thanks, Iida." Izuku smiled. "You've been busy?"
"I HAVE PREPARED A CLASS DIRECTORY! WITH PHOTOS! AND NOTES! AND—"
"Of course you have," Uraraka said, laughing.
Yaoyorozu approached calmly, her posture perfect, her expression thoughtful. "Midoriya. Good morning. I reviewed our match footage last night. Your movement patterns are fascinating."
"You recorded it?" Izuku asked.
"For analysis. I hope that's acceptable."
"Uh, sure. Let me know what you find."
She nodded. "I will. We should discuss it sometime."
In the back, Bakugo sat silent. Staring at nothing. Not looking at anyone.
Kirishima lowered his voice. "Is he okay?"
Kaminari leaned in. "He's been like that all morning."
Izuku watched him. He's thinking. That's good. But is he okay? Kacchan's never been quiet like this.
The bell rang. Aizawa emerged from his sleeping bag in the corner—no one had noticed when he arrived.
He stood at the podium, looking as exhausted as ever. "Before we start, we need class representatives."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"Hero courses require organization. Representatives handle communications, scheduling, and liaising with staff. Elections are today."
He pulled out a stack of blank paper from somewhere in his capture weapon. "Write one name. Majority wins."
Chaos erupted.
Iida shot to his feet. "I NOMINATE MYSELF! I HAVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS, THE DEDICATION, AND THE VISION TO LEAD THIS CLASS TO GREATNESS!"
Kirishima whistled. "Dude's really passionate about this."
Yaoyorozu raised her hand calmly. "I would also be willing to serve if the class prefers."
Uraraka's hand shot up. "I nominate Midoriya! He's really strategic and calm under pressure!"
Izuku's head snapped toward her. "What? No. Absolutely not. I'm not leadership material."
Kirishima pumped his fist. "I second that! Midoriya's manly AND smart!"
Tsuyu added, her voice even, "Kero. I agree. He pays attention to everyone."
"That's just... observing," Izuku protested. "That's different."
Mina grinned. "No take-backs! You're nominated!"
Sero leaned back in his chair. "This is happening. Accept it."
From the back, Bakugo muttered, "Tch."
Everyone looked at him. He said nothing else.
The class wrote names and passed papers forward. Aizawa counted with the enthusiasm of someone who hadn't slept in decades.
"Results."
He held up the paper.
Midoriya Izuku: 10 votes
Yaoyorozu Momo: 6 votes
Iida Tenya: 3 votes
Kirishima Eijiro: 1 vote (himself)
Mineta Minoru: 1 vote (himself)
Bakugo Katsuki: 0 votes
Aizawa's voice was flat. "Midoriya is class rep. Yaoyorozu is vice rep. Done."
Izuku stared. "Wait—I didn't—how did I—"
Uraraka beamed. "You won! Congrats!"
Kirishima's voice boomed. "MANLY VICTORY!"
Iida stood frozen. Processing. Then he marched over and grabbed Izuku's hand with both of his.
"MIDORIYA! I CONGRATULATE YOU! YOU EARNED THIS FAIRLY! I WILL SUPPORT YOU IN ANY WAY NECESSARY!"
Izuku blinked at the intensity. "I... thank you? I still don't understand—"
Yaoyorozu stepped up beside him. "I'll support as vice rep. We make a good team."
We do, Izuku thought, but still—
Bakugo stood. His face was red. His palms crackled.
"HOW DID I GET ZERO VOTES?!"
Everyone turned.
"I'M THE STRONGEST HERE!" His voice echoed off the walls. "I SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST ONE VOTE! WHO DIDN'T VOTE FOR ME?! ACTUALLY—WHO VOTED FOR DEKU?!"
Kirishima scratched his head. "Uh... most of us?"
Kaminari shrugged. "You're not really... leadership material?"
Bakugo's eye twitched. "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"
Jiro didn't look up from her desk. "It means you're scary and you yell a lot."
Bakugo opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
Nothing came out.
He sat down heavily. His explosions died. His face cycled through confusion, anger, and something that looked almost like hurt.
Izuku watched him. He's really bothered by this. Not just the votes—the idea that people don't see him as a leader. That's new for him.
As the class settled, a blue screen flickered in Izuku's vision.
[ FEAT ACHIEVED: ELECTED AS CLASS REPRESENTATIVE OF U.A. CLASS 1-A ]
[ +1 BRONZE GACHA TICKET ]
[ ROLLING... ]
[ SCENIC WIND ]
[ TRASH TRAIT ]
The scenic wind favors you, making your clothes and hair flutter majestically, even in impossible weather conditions and indoors whenever it is opportune.
Izuku stared at the screen.
Trash trait?
He looked at his hair. It wasn't moving. No wind.
Then Aizawa opened a window slightly. A breeze drifted in.
Izuku's hair fluttered dramatically. His clothes billowed. He looked like he was in a music video.
Kirishima's jaw dropped. "Whoa. That's cool."
Kaminari leaned forward. "How is the wind doing that? It's barely moving."
This is my life now, Izuku thought.
After class, Izuku and Yaoyorozu found a moment to talk in the hallway.
"Midoriya." Yaoyorozu folded her hands in front of her. "Congratulations again. I'm looking forward to working with you."
"Honestly, I still don't know why they voted for me." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "You got six votes—that's more than Iida."
"You underestimate yourself." Her voice was matter-of-fact. "During the battle trial, you assessed the situation instantly and adapted. That's leadership."
"That's just... thinking fast."
"Thinking fast under pressure is exactly what a leader needs." She met his eyes. "I can handle logistics, scheduling, and coordination. But in the moment, when things go wrong, the class needs someone who stays calm. That's you."
Izuku considered this. She's not wrong.
"Shall we discuss how we'll divide responsibilities?" she asked.
They spent the next few minutes planning. Yaoyorozu would handle scheduling and academic coordination. Izuku would handle class morale and crisis situations.
"We should bring in Iida," Izuku said. "He's organized and he got three votes—people respect that."
Yaoyorozu nodded. "Agreed."
They approached Iida together. He was sitting at his desk, staring at a notebook, looking slightly dejected but trying to hide it.
"Iida." Izuku stood in front of him. "We need your help."
Iida perked up immediately. "ANYTHING FOR THE CLASS!"
Yaoyorozu stepped forward. "You received three votes, which shows the class respects your organizational skills. We'd like you to serve as our Logistics Advisor."
Iida's eyes went wide. "YOU WANT MY ASSISTANCE?! IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY?!"
"Yeah." Izuku smiled. "You know the systems better than anyone."
Iida shot to his feet. "AN EXCELLENT DIVISION OF LABOR! I ACCEPT WITH HONOR! I WILL CREATE SPREADSHEETS! TIMELINES! EFFICIENCY REPORTS!"
Yaoyorozu's lips twitched. "That's... exactly what we need."
Iida marched off, already muttering about color-coded systems.
Izuku watched him go. "He's happy."
Yaoyorozu allowed a small smile. "He's very happy."
Throughout the morning, Izuku kept glancing at Bakugo.
No outbursts. No glares. No explosions. Just silence.
At lunch, Bakugo sat alone as usual, but he wasn't eating. Just staring at his tray.
Kirishima leaned in at the lunch table. "Bakugo's been weird all day."
Kaminari nodded. "Weirder than usual."
"Should someone talk to him?" Kirishima asked.
"Would YOU talk to him right now?" Kaminari shot back.
Kirishima paused. "...no."
Izuku watched from across the cafeteria. Zero votes. That has to sting. I hope he's okay.
Bakugo glanced up. Met Izuku's eyes for a second. No anger. Just something tired.
Then he looked away.
Uraraka followed his gaze. "Did he just... not yell?"
Izuku let out a breath. "Progress."
Lunch was chaotic in the best way.
Izuku, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, Tsuyu, and Mina sat together. Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero squeezed in. The table was full, plates and trays crowded together.
Mina threw her arms out. "So the rep and vice rep are at the same table! We're basically the cool table now!"
Tsuyu took a bite of her food. "Kero. We were already the cool table."
Uraraka tilted her head. "We were?"
Tsuyu glanced at Izuku. "We have Midoriya. That makes us cool."
Izuku nearly choked. "What?"
Kirishima grinned. "She's not wrong. You're famous after that Bakugo fight."
The conversation drifted. Someone mentioned cats. Then—
Uraraka turned to Izuku. "Speaking of famous. Your mom's cats. You said she named one after me? What's she up to?"
Izuku groaned.
"She sits on my pillow and judges me."
"That's fair."
Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow. "Your mother named a cat after Uraraka?"
Izuku sighed. "She said it had 'round cheeks and bright energy.'"
Uraraka's face went pink. "She—what—that's—"
Mina slammed the table. "THAT'S ADORABLE!"
Tsuyu blinked slowly. "Kero. That's actually really sweet."
Uraraka buried her face in her hands. "Your mom is too nice. It's not fair."
Kirishima pumped his fist. "MANLY cat naming!"
Izuku decided to just lean into it. "She also named one Flex, one Noodle, one Bastet, and one Third."
Kaminari paused. "...Third?"
"Long story," Izuku said. "He's very judgmental."
The table dissolved into laughter.
The afternoon passed quietly.
Then the next morning, Izuku approached the gates to find chaos.
Reporters. Cameras. Microphones. A wall of bodies and noise.
"There's a student! Is All Might really teaching?!"
"What's it like having the Symbol of Peace as your teacher?!"
"Can you comment on the battle trials?!"
Students pushed through, overwhelmed. Izuku spotted Uraraka trapped by a reporter, her face frozen in panic.
He moved through the crowd, grabbed her arm, pulled her through.
She exhaled hard. "Thanks! They're everywhere!"
"It'll pass." He kept walking, pulling her toward the gates. "Just ignore them."
Lunchtime. The usual table. Conversation light.
Then—
BWWAAAHHH
The alarm blared.
Students froze. Heads swiveled. The cafeteria, moments ago loud and chaotic, went silent.
Then panic rippled through the room.
"What's happening?!"
"Is it a villain attack?!"
"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"
Chairs scraped. Trays clattered. Students surged toward the exits.
Izuku stood.
His Intermediate Leadership kicked in—calm settling over his thoughts, focus sharpening. He scanned the room, assessed the exits, the bottlenecks, the students already starting to push.
"Yaoyorozu." His voice cut through the noise. "I need a megaphone. Now."
She didn't hesitate. Her quirk activated, light flaring from her arm, and seconds later a megaphone was in her hands. She passed it to him.
Izuku climbed onto a table.
"EVERYONE! LISTEN TO ME!"
His voice boomed through the cafeteria. People hesitated. Heads turned.
"The alarm means there's a breach somewhere, but we're safe in here! Move calmly to the exits! Don't push! Help anyone who falls!"
Yaoyorozu was already moving, her voice steady beside him. "Uraraka, Tsuyu—check the side exits! Kirishima, left exit! Sero, right!"
They moved. Kirishima was already pushing toward the left. Sero swung toward the right. Uraraka and Tsuyu disappeared into the crowd.
Iida appeared beside Izuku. "REPRESENTATIVE! WHAT ARE MY ORDERS?!"
"Use your engines to guide people toward the main doors!" Izuku pointed. "Shout directions! Make your voice heard!"
"UNDERSTOOD!"
He rocketed off, engines flaring, his voice cutting through the chaos. "THIS WAY! CALMLY! FOLLOW MY VOICE!"
Yaoyorozu turned to Izuku. "I'll coordinate with other classes!"
"Go. I've got this floor."
She ran.
The crowd was moving now—not pushing, not panicking. Flowing. Izuku stayed on the table, watching, waiting. Every time someone hesitated, he pointed. Every time a bottleneck formed, he shouted directions.
Within minutes, the cafeteria was orderly. Students filed toward the exits in lines. No one was trampled. No one was hurt.
The alarm stopped.
A voice came over the intercom: "INTRUDER CONTAINED. RETURN TO NORMAL ACTIVITIES."
Izuku stepped off the table. His heart was pounding.
Yaoyorozu returned, slightly out of breath. "Other classes are secure. It was the media—they forced a side gate."
Uraraka appeared, face flushed. "That was insane! You two worked like a perfect team!"
Kirishima pumped his fist. "REP AND VICE REP FOR THE WIN!"
Iida marched up, still vibrating with energy. "EXCELLENT COORDINATION! THE CLASS RESPONDED PERFECTLY TO YOUR DIRECTIONS!"
Izuku shook his head. "Everyone helped. I just gave directions."
But inside: That was too close. A real attack would be worse. And it's coming.
After school, Izuku walked with Uraraka toward the train station.
"You've been quiet since the alarm," she said.
"Just thinking about how fast things can go wrong."
She bumped his shoulder with hers. "You were ready today. You and Yaoyorozu. That counts."
He looked at the sky. "Today was practice. The real thing will be harder."
She looked at him curiously. "You talk like you're expecting something bad."
He paused. Couldn't tell her the truth.
"Just being realistic. Hero work isn't all training exercises."
She nodded slowly. "Yeah. I know." Then she smiled. "But we'll face it together, right? All of us?"
Izuku looked at her. At the friends he'd made. At the class that had voted for him.
"Yeah. Together."
His phone buzzed on the train.
Inko: THE CAT COUNCIL HAS EXPANDED. OCHACO IS PRIME MINISTER. FLEX IS DEFENSE MINISTER. BASTET IS INTERIOR MINISTER. THIRD IS CHIEF JUSTICE. NOODLE IS... NOODLE.
Izuku: Mom, they're cats.
Inko: THEY'RE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS NOW. THEY HELD A MEETING. OCHACO GAVE A SPEECH.
Izuku: ...I don't know how to respond.
Inko: YOU DON'T HAVE TO. COME HOME SAFE I LOVE YOU
Izuku: Love you too, Mom.
He smiled. My cats have a government now. Great.
He walked home, thinking about the day. The election. Momo as vice rep. Iida's three votes. Bakugo's zero. The alarm. His friends rallying together.
The USJ is coming. I don't know when, but soon.
I need to be ready. Stronger. Faster. Smarter.
And I need to protect them. All of them.
He opened his front door.
Fifteen cats were arranged in a semicircle, staring at him.
Ochaco the cat meowed—a commanding meow.
Izuku stood in the doorway. "I'm home. What did the council decide?"
The cats seemed satisfied. They dispersed.
He smiled slightly.
My life is weird. But it's my life.
Bring it on.
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Author's Notes:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/RagingBladeSeer
If you're enjoying the series and want to read ahead (or just help keep it going), consider checking it out — every bit of support means a lot. Thanks for sticking around and being part of the journey!
15 CHAPTERS ADVANCE OF STARTING WITH BLACK CLOVER
5 CHAPTERS ADVANCE OF MHA: LIMITED CHAOS GACHA
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NOTE: I WANT DEKU TO PROJECT CHAD ENERGY IDK HOWW GRRR!! anyway we finally get some small chummy time with momo, ...althought it was just a platonic approach BUT IT CAN DEVELOP. how'd you like the chapter? (need money >_<)