Hunter Amongst Villains Draft - UA Exam Experiment Part 2 - The Angel that Found his Wings.

Well, here you go. I have gathered energy and motivation to work on my latest chapter. I was busy working on my original story as well, The Eidolon of Fantasy. I made a lot of drafts for some of the scenes, but none of them are coherent enough for me to post the prototypes. I will post some of my work here once I get enough scenes fleshed out.

Also, as for this scene, you will be surprised for what Ghin got. I am basing this on the Awakening mechanic of Garou's, only this time it works on someone from a Quirk-Based world, different results because of that. Lemme know what you think. There will be emotion and conflict for my OC for good reason. I did plan a good story for my OC here. I did not make him just because I find Midoriya incompatible with Garou.

Across the arena, Garou continued his killing spree. Which was figurative, not literal. Though he would destroy many of the contestants here, burying them in craters of stone, tossing them into buildings without regard for their bodily safety, or for the fun of it, smack them so high that they flew to the spectators’ seat. The look on Ms. Joke’s face when a student crashed next to her was priceless.

“... Is he always so violent?”

Ms. Joke grimaced at seeing the sheer level of violence on display. She guessed that the Hero Hunter would be brutal, but she never imagined this much.

“Don't know. But he enjoys beating up others it seems,” Aizawa shrugged.

Ms. Joke watched silently as Garou remained at the center of a whirlwind of violence and brutality. There was no way that any of the examinees could possibly stand up to Garou. None of them even managed to put up a fight.

“How does it feel to have your class passed by him?” Aizawa asked to break the silence as he watched Garou slamming one particular student to the ground by the leg like he was abusing a sandbag.

“... Relieved. Did he do that to your class too?”

Whilst she was happy that he class had managed to show their own spirit, the heroine was still concerned for the other students. 

“No, he sent his disciple to wreck their bodies and spirits. It is almost as if he wanted to spit on U.A.’s skills in raising the next generation with the boy. It took all of my class to even stand up to him… which is unbelievably stupid,” Aizawa replied, half-complaining.

Another examinee was sent flying, crashing besides Aizawa this time as the student groaned from brutal pain. 

“Is he going to let anyone pass at all? He barely passed anyone.”

Ms. Joke watched with a mix of shock and curiosity. She’d never actually seen the Hero Hunter in action. At least, not in person.

“He has high standards. Too high in my opinion…” Aizawa grimaced as he looked at the student next to him with a hint of worry.

“... How high?”

She now glanced over at Aizawa, her interest now piqued. Whilst her class had passed, she didn’t actually know much about Garou’s own standards or expectations.

“He hates Quirks, so anyone that can be strong without it is one example,” Aizawa grimly answered.

“How have you managed to deal with him for this long?”

The more she heard, the more she couldn’t quite believe that the silver-haired man that had accompanied Aizawa was the Hero Hunter. He seemed far too polite.

“I only dealt with him for less than a month, but I learned some… things to prevent him from going over the line.” Aizawa hinted.

Ms. Joke’s morbid curiosity was once again piqued by her fellow Hero’s words. Raising one eyebrow, she turned to Eraserhead.

“What kind of things? What could you possibly use?”

“If I told you, he will destroy me. I am still trying to work that part out before I can divulge his secrets.” Aizawa does not want to end up as the examinee Garou sent flying next to him.

“Is there anyway you could tell me? It seems pretty important.”

Her mind raced as she attempted to think of what could possibly used against Garou. She really couldn’t think of anything.

“Garou is watching us.” Aizawa pointed at the arena.

Ms. Joke followed Aizawa’s finger, her eyes landing on the distant form of Garou. He was holding one examinee by the scruff of his jacket, but his head was turned directly at the two Heroes. Ms. Joke could almost feel a shiver pass through her. Placing one hand over her mouth, she leaned over to Aizawa.

“Can he hear us from all the way down there?”

“He seemed he did. He looks angrier than ever.” Aizawa said as he leaned back, instinctively wanting to get away from the World-Ending Demon.

“Why? You didn’t even say anything.”

Ms. Joke kept her voice low, whispering over at her fellow Hero.

“It is because you asked.” Aizawa pointed out.

“I was just interested.... He’s not going to come up here… is he?”

She did want Garou to at least stay down in the arena in that form. It wasn’t exactly something she wanted to experience at close range.

“No, he won't. Until you cross a line at least.” 

Garou tossed his latest victim at Ms. Joke, his ‘ammunition’ crashing just above her. The examinee groaned in pain in the aftermath. 

“He’s aiming at me!”

Ms. Joke ducked her head down, just in case he threw another examinee over at her.

“Told you.” Aizawa allowed himself a grin upon seeing her in this state.

“... So that I don’t cross it, what exactly is this ‘line’?”

Slowly raising her head, Ms. Joke cast her eyes between both Garou and Aizawa.

“Don't make him angry in any shape of form,” Aizawa stated.

“That’s not helpful. What makes him angry?”

The heroine pursed her lips in response. She didn’t even know what could actually anger Garou, other than talking about him.

“Asking about things that keeps him in check. Or just challenging him without knowing his full might in general.” 

“Alright. So just don’t talk about him at all then?”

She couldn’t help making a little snarky joke. 

“Eh, close but yes,” Aizawa chuckled. Ms. Joke widened her eyes upon hearing him laugh.

“Ah! I got you to laugh!”

She pointed one finger over at Aizawa, her eyes wide and a smile on her face. She’d never managed it.

“Ack?! No, um…” Aizawa realized that he screwed up. 

“Ahahaha! I finally got you!”

Leaning over, she clapped one hand onto Aizawa’s shoulder with quite some enthusiasm. She seemed to have forgotten their prior discussion topic, despite how important it was. All the while the screams of the children filled all the corners of the stadium.

“[The test is now over. For those who did not pass, I sincerely apologize for your loss, but you must leave the premises immediately.]” The tired voice of Mena announced. 

However, in the aftermath of the exam… it was another scene of hell brought to life by wicked hands. Beaten bodies of would-be heroes littered across the field of the stadium, some in the spectators’ seat, some stuck in buildings, even a few were stuck in the ceiling as well. Despite that, each and every single one of them were alive, but broken.

Very few people had actually passed. Even with Ketsubutsu, Shiketsu and UA’s Class 1-A, barely one hundred students actually passed. Those who hadn’t laid on the ground, bloody and beaten, but alive. 

Aizawa sighed, rather relieved that his class had passed without severe injuries. And luckily their encounter with Garou had been mercifully brief. 

“I cannot really believe that Garou simply let us pass.”

Yaoyorozu glanced across her classmates, all seated in the waiting room along with the other students that passed.

“That was waaaay too scary…” Inasa commented upon seeing the number of broken bodies being transported away into the medbay. The sheer brutality of Garou was a sight to behold.

“... I am not sure what those in charge were thinking, letting the Hero Hunter fight students.”

Even thinking about those cold, dark pits where eyes should be sent a shudder through Seiji’s spine. The moment that he had entered the arena, none of them had a chance.

“He even brought Ghin along! I’m surprised he let any of us go.”

Mina shuddered at the memory of 1-A’s battle against the young apprentice. She wasn’t sure if she would have preferred to fight Garou or Ghin. At least Garou would knock you out quickly.

The atmosphere in the room was one of shocked disbelief. It was still sinking in for many. Of course, 1-A managed to get over it first, having prior experience with the silver-haired menace. But they were of course still surprised to even see him here. 

Meanwhile…

“Hah, that was refreshing.” 

In the bleachers, the menace himself sat next to Aizawa, looking like he had been to a spa, one fueled by the sufferings of his victims.

Aizawa, on the other hand, was trying to resist more sighing. He shook his head at the Hero Hunter. One of his hands rose and began to massage the bridge of his nose.

“... I don’t know what to say. Did any of the examinees even put up a challenge for you?”

“What do you think? There is a point in my questions. I don't just slay off everyone I deem unworthy.” Garou sounded as if he was offended.

“That’s not far off though.”

The Hero tried to hide his near-constant exasperation. Dealing with Garou was certainly bad for anyone’s health. It was just too stressful.

“Would you rather I sent your class flying to the sun? I can do it if I put my mind to it.” Garou threatened.

“Wow. You are pretty intense!”

Ms. Joke sat on the other side of Aizawa, leaning forward to get a look at the Hero Hunter. She couldn’t resist laughing a little, despite how obviously intimidating this man was.

“... Who would that help?”

Eraserhead disregarded his fellow Hero’s statement, massaging his temples. He did feel relieved that his class had managed to pass, given they had actually encountered the silver-haired demon.

“My amusement.” Garou answered.

“Did you have to throw those students at me?”

Ms. Joke broke the momentary silence, pointing to the spot where the examinee had been thrown to.

“Should I throw more?” 

“... They aren’t rocks you know.”

Shaking his head once again, Aizawa didn’t even know what to say to him. He could already feel his stress rising.

“They could be future Heroes. And you’re throwing them around like snowballs.”

“They are snowballs.”

“So was that boy related to you?”

Trying to keep the conversation going in a more ‘casual’ direction, Ms. Joke turned her attention to the silver-haired boy that had accompanied Garou.

“No. I took him in as a disciple by chance. He turned out great.”

Looking at Garou’s features, the two Heroes could almost see a hint of pride on his face. 

“... Are you planning any more torment for these examinees?”

Eraserhead flicked his eyes over to the devastated, nearly-ruined arena, and then back to Garou. Surely he wasn’t finished with just this. He always had some more sinister motive.

“Truthfully, no. I never planned to do more than this. I am not that evil.” Garou looked offended by the question.

“Hmmmm….”

Aizawa did not sound very convinced by Garou’s offence. 

“What?” Garou asked, confused by his suspicious stare.

“I don’t believe you.”

The Hero abruptly concluded. He doubted that Garou would come all this way just to end it so soon. It seemed too unbelievable for him.

“What? It's true. The second test is a rescue simulation. I don't want to risk the health of civilians there.” Garou defended himself.

“..... then what about Ghin?”

The Pro Hero noticed Garou’s lack of mentioning the young apprentice. Cocking one eyebrow, he stared at the Hero Hunter.

“Oh… him. Well, he wants to continue taking part.” Garou replied.

“I knew it. And you said you didn’t want to risk the health of civilians?”

Sighing heavily, Aizawa seemed to sink into his chair slightly. He could only guess where Ghin would appear in the second part of the exam, but he had a good idea.

“What? He said he will mind the civies. Except the students. Though I did give him orders to test one of your students.” Garou admitted with a sly grin.

“Is there a specific student?”

“The grape boy. He is on my kill list.” Garou’s face then turned serious.

Aizawa tried to not show his resignation. Ghin would be merciless and he wasn’t sure if Mineta could even manage to prove himself. Although he did have some hope in his young student, as small as it was.

“Who else is on your ‘kill list’?”

Ms. Joke piped into the conversation, morbidly curious about this list of his. She guessed that All Might had been on it.  

“The explosive boy. But he does not have time to test them both, so he will have to take Grape Boy for now.” 

“... Will Ghin let him defend himself? I know that your apprentice can be a little more… aggressive than you.”

If Mineta wasn’t allowed to speak for himself, then he had practically no chance. In fact, in a one on one ‘test’, the only way to actually pass when facing either of the silver-haired duo is to use words and ideals, without any falsehood within them.

“He will give him a chance. I'm watching after all.” Garou reassured.

“... You know the second part of the exam will be harder? You knocked out more than half of all of the participants.”

Aizawa could already see how much faster the second part of the exam will be.

“Don't worry about it. Even if grape boy fails, he might have a chance to redeem himself. I looked at the suits’ files.” Garou gave Aizawa a thumbs up.

“Well, you’re doing a good job of instilling fear into the next generation.”

Neither of the Pro Heroes thought that was really much of a positive though. They wouldn’t be surprised if Garou-specific phobias began arising in a few years.

“Great heroes must rise above their fear to take on the evils of man and nature. If they cannot surpass their fear, than they are not worthy as heroes.” Garou dismissed.

“But when you are their fear, that’s a little harder.”

He was already the boogeyman in the eyes of the public. And he was even more intimidating to Heroes, but they swallowed their fear. They had to deal with him almost every day after all.

“Personally, I am starting to enjoy their reactions to my presence. Fun seeing the defenders of justice scared at first sight of me. Fun to tease.” Garou admitted with a growing grin.

Ms. Joke had a look of understanding as she turned to Aizawa, one finger pointed over at Garou. Her tone was one of realization.

“So he’s like Midnight, isn't he?”

“He's probably worse,” Aizawa replied.

“I will throw you two to the sun for comparing me to that pedophile.” Garou warned.

Both Heroes remained silent, but Ms. Joke attempted to not laugh at Garou’s sudden change in attitude. 

“So are you up here to torment us instead of some student?”

Aizawa glanced over at Garou, still a little anxious that he may actually be thrown to the sun. He didn’t know when it came to him.

“No, I am here to spectate their torment will happen soon,” Garou denied.

“So I’m going to guess… Is Ghin going to be coming in with the ‘villains’?”

Aizawa could only really think of that one point where the young boy could come into play. 

“Oh yeah. He wanted to play the villain for once. He begged me to let him, so I coerced the Whale Man to let him in his little gang,” Garou chuckled.

“Oh! He does laugh!”

Ms. Joke pointed over at the chuckled Garou with a mix of surprise and amusement.

“Hm? Of course I can laugh. You will laugh too once he introduces himself.” 

Garou said as explosions started to blow the buildings to smithereens, creating a ruined landscape in place of a pristine land. Buildings reduced to rubble and the land ruined even further after Garou’s ‘redecoration’ of the geography.

It wasn’t long before the explosions had settled down, leaving the arena in a extremely ruined state. It did look like an actual disaster, fallen buildings and all. Then the members of the HUC entered the scene, spraying fake blood all over their bodies for verisimilitude.

After a little longer and the dust had finally settled, Ms. Joke, Aizawa and Garou could all see the remaining examinees stepping into view. Of course, there were far fewer students there than when the exam started. Garou had seen to that.

“How do you think they’ll do?”

Ms. Joke leaned over, asking both Garou and Aizawa. She was hopeful for her own class. They had managed to survive an encounter with the Hero Hunter after all.

“Crying and begging for their mothers.” Garou grinned.

“... With Ghin out there, there’s no telling how they could do. I do know that my class won’t be going easily.”

1-A had the advantage that they were the only school to have faced the silver-haired apprentice. They had an advantage, even if it was only marginal.

“Well, let's hope that they can face an army of villains fighting alongside my apprentice.” Garou smirked as he watched, waiting for the villains to make their entrance.

Shortly after the second half of the exam had begun, the students were all rushing around, attempting to assist the mock civilians. There was a tinge of fear in the air, a holdover from their collective experiences with the Hero Hunter. And it showed in the examinee’s movements.

However, there were those who were expecting something else. Most of 1-A, along with Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu all knew that Garou wouldn’t really let them off that easily. Not with a second half of the exam to go through.

So when a huge hole was blown in a nearby wall out of nowhere, they were the only ones not surprised. 

“Tremble in fear! For I am here!” Announcing his entrance with a villainous version of All Might’s catchphrase, a young boy in a black villain outfit, holding what seemed to be a modified rifle, one with a wide barrel, over his head, shouting with innocent glee, while an army of mock villains followed behind him with Gang Orca being the second.

Any expression dropped off of 1-A’s collective faces. Inasa stared at the boy, his teeth clenched. There was no mistaking that voice or that sadistically cheery attitude.

“Oh man. We’re gonna fail.”

Sero seemed to wilt slightly at the familiar sight of Ghin. His mood seemed to infect a few others, who all stared with varying levels of despair at the silver-haired boy. And it hadn’t even been that long since they’d all fought him.

“Come on guys. We’ve already faced him once!”

Izuku attempted to encourage his classmates, clenching both fists in determination. 

“Yeah, but dude. Unlike last time, he has a freaking army. An army!” Sero exasperated the last word for effect.

“Minions! Onwards!” Ghin shouted as he pointed his fingers at the heroes with a cheerful smile.

The veritable army of mock villains, headed by both Ghin and Gang Orca was quite the threatening sight. 

“Bring me Grape Boy! Sensei wants his head!” Ghin ordered again with a smile, pointing at Mineta.

“Eh? Is he… talking about you?”

Mina turned to the obviously frightened form of Mineta, tilting her head to one side. Why was Garou after Mineta of all people?

“G-guys, please don’t let him get me…”

Mineta, wielding a string of his purple balls, shuddered at the sight of the villains stepping fully out of the gaping hole, lead by Ghin and Gang Orca.

“...you do realize that you are playing as the minion, right?” Gang Orca reminded, though he can't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

“My sensei is also Garou, so instant Hierarchy!” Ghin countered.

There was no arguing with that. The Hero didn’t exactly want to provoke the wrath of Garou. Nor did anyone else for that matter.

“I need that boy for a test! After that, I will go back to breaking the souls of heroes with my hands!” Ghin ordered with dreadful jubilance.

Whilst a few of the other students all continued their rescuing of the mock civilians, 1-A had closed around Mineta, forming a sort of defence against Ghin. Each of them prepared their own respective Quirks, focusing them solely on the silver-haired youth.

The other students and the other schools were unsure of what exactly to do. Ketsubutsu had half a mind to leave UA to fight the boy and rescue more of the civilians, but they knew that once they fell, they’d be next. 

It had appeared that the examinees had almost entirely disregarded Gang Orca and the army of mock villains in favour of focusing on Ghin. He was the far bigger threat after all. Inasa kept his eyes firmly on the boy, attempting to think of a way to deal with him. He’d survived a building falling on him, so there wasn’t really much they could do.

“Why are you after Mineta?”

Standing at the head of the grouped up 1-A students, Izuku locked eyes with Ghin. They felt as if he could attack them at literally any moment.

Approaching the UA students with his fellow mock villains at his beck and call, Ghin had UA surrounded and their escape cut off.

“He is on Aniki’s kill list. He has failed his expectations,” Ghin smiled. Everyone cocked an eyebrow at Ghin’s statement.

“H-how?”

Mineta could barely even say this one word, feeling an acute sensation of fear. He felt as if he was paralysed.

“You cried and wailed when we fought. It was pathetic. You disappoint me the most. I had no counter to your Quirk, but you abandoned your friends and ran away. Like a coward.” Ghin’s smile disappeared as he shouted.

“Ready your weapons!” He ordered the villains with a more serious, mature tone.

As the mock villains readied themselves, so did 1-A. Each and every one of their Quirks were prepared for the inevitable battle. Izuku cast a glance over to Mineta. Perhaps if the silver-haired duo were overly cautious around Mineta, they could use that as an advantage.

Mineta’s mouth gaped at the admission that Ghin was cautious of him, wary of him the most. 

“I have never felt so disappointed and cheated in my life. I cannot believe that they allow people like you into UA. You are an embarrassment. A failure. You should resign as a hero.” Ghin continued verbally hammering Mineta’s spirit.

The verbal assault seemed to push him into the ground. He looked around nervously at his classmates and friends, all standing around him, giving him silent words of encouragement. However, Mineta still seemed to be struggling against Ghin’s words. The silver-haired apprentice seemed to have a supernatural ability with words.

“People like you. I absolutely despise them the most. Why are you here when you’re trembling and hiding behind your friends? You’re no hero,” Ghin snarled.

Each word struck the purple student like a punch. He was unable to actually rouse any words to say in his own defence. Truthfully, he had failed during their first fight with the boy. His head hung low, unable to meet any of the encouraging gazes of his classmates.

But, refusing to accept Mineta’s fall, a friend reached out to help pull him out of the abyss.

“Mineta!”

A voice broke the purple boy out of his despair as he turned towards the source of the voice. Kaminari stood there, fire in his eyes.

“Don’t sell yourself short! You made it into U.A because of your efforts, not pure dumb luck! Just like all of us!”

The surprisingly uplifting words of Kaminari began to break through the wall of hopelessness that Ghin had constructed. Each word, desperately trying to reach the other side. 

“Don’t waste your words on him. He does not deserve it.” Ghin’s cruel words threatened to drag him back into the dark.

“Whatever test your school came up with is pitiful to allow someone like him in. In fact, I wonder how he did get in… UA must really be declining.” Ghin started muttering even more painful words, the weight of his words pulling Mineta back into the abyss.

Ghin’s harsh criticism had lit a fire in the hearts of the students of 1-A. Hearing their classmate being verbally beaten, after they all knew how hard each and every one of them had worked, only made 1-A more determined and frustrated.

“Mineta. I know it might frustrate you that you didn’t help in our ‘test’, but we all need you now. 1-A needs to stand together against this opponent.”

Yaoyorozu turned to glance at Mineta, still wielding her large cannon. It was true. If they were even the slightest bit uncoordinated and disorganized, they would stand no chance against Ghin.

“Shut up,” Ghin glared at Yaoyorozu.

“Stop defending him. He needs to learn his place.” Ghin was dead set in making Mineta suffer.

“We are not moving. We will not simply throw him to you.”

Tokoyami stood beside his classmates, Dark Shadow floating beside him.

“Then he won't learn. What's the point if he cannot stand up against me? Against a villain? He will become a failure, a disappointment in the end. There is no hope for a would-be hero that only knows how to hide.” 

“Whoa.” The other mock villains and the students never heard such verbal lashing from a kid his age before. The mock villains were slightly concerned with the boy’s mentality while the other examinees were intimidated by this new reveal of character.

“Not every Hero must be fearless.”

Yaoyorozu aimed her Quirk-created cannon over at Ghin, prepared to fire at the slightest movement.

“A hero must learn to stand up against fear in order to defeat all the world’s dangers! You're just making selfish excuses to defend your friend because you don't want to see him suffer! Do you know how detrimental that is if you can't even defend him properly? Huh?! That is not justice! That is pure stupidity!” Ghin roared at Yaoyorozu for her answer.

The furious change in Ghin’s attitude shocked even 1-A. He seemed to be extremely riled up. A tense atmosphere settled in over them as they faced down the boy. Still, they did not move.

“Heroes don’t work alone. They don’t need to do everything by themselves.”

Even Uraraka readied her stance for combat, tensed and bunched up. 

“Heroes can't stand with others forever. You’re proving to be just as disappointing, girl. The worst thing a hero can be is a burden. That is what Grape Boy is. A burden that doesn’t deserve the protection he has now.”

Even the examinees carrying the civilians stopped to head the boy’s speech. The HUCs abandoned their professional duty to listen with shock to hear such verbal lashing in the exam. Not even Gang Orca could interfere and remind Ghin that they were in the middle of an exam at the moment. It was too serious for him to end.

“He’s our friend. We aren’t going to just throw him away when there’s a problem.”

Kaminari cast his eyes over at Mineta, trying his hardest to bring his friend out of the shadow of Ghin’s words. 

“Then why is he using you as shields?! He should do whatever it takes to protect his friends, not let them shoulder HIS problems!!! Friends don’t hold each other back!! Or USE them to move forward!!! And look at him! How is he your friend?! How is he not using you all instead?! What makes you think he won’t hold you back like before?!!!” Ghin roared, pointing at the small purple boy. His response taking them by storm.

“He isn’t letting us do anything. This is our choice.”

Iida stood beside Izuku, sharing a glance with the green-haired classmate. 

“Then you’re failing him. Look at him. Look at the state he is now.” Ghin pointed at Mineta.

Mineta looked as if he was about to fall to his knees. His eyes were wide and tears brimmed the corner of his eyes. His hands clasped both sides of his head, staring down at his feet.

“Even he agrees with me. His pain is proof enough. Why bother if you can't even save him from himself?” Ghin asked, spearing their weakness in their inability to even recognize their friend’s suffering.

The class all remained silent, their gazes torn between the threatening form of Ghin before them, and their despondent, nearly-defeated friend. There was no movement from them. 

“W-why? Why are you all defending me? From him?”

Mineta finally spoke up, breaking the tense silence. His voice was unsure and shaky, a sign of his conflicted emotions. He still didn’t raise his head the entire time.

“We’re a class. We need to all stand together. And to learn together. How could we be called a class if we can't respond to a friend in need?”

Jiro kept her eyes on Mineta, her gaze acting as silent encouragement to the crushed classmate. And she wasn’t the only one trying to bring their friend up from his despondency.

“...but…” 

“Mineta… I know what it's like to be scared. I really do. I don't blame you for running away from Garou or Ghin. I don't blame you if you decide to run away even now. Even so, we are doing this because we want to. If we can't save a friend in need, how can we be called heroes in the end?” Izuku followed up with a encouraging smile, his words sparking a fire within Mineta’s heart. 

His words seemed to perk Mineta up, causing his head to raise slightly. Slowly, he could feel a strange sensation filling him. Determination, and honesty. He, out of all people, knew his own weaknesses. 

Clenching both of his fists, he straightened himself up. He began to slowly walk directly towards the intimidating form of Garou’s apprentice. Even as he approached he could feel a shiver of fear pass over him, but he attempted to suppress it.

Picking his feet up from his former shuffling walk, Mineta walked past Izuku and shared a brief glance, before coming to a stop now at the head of Class 1-A. Now out in the open, he became acutely aware of how fierce Ghin’s glare really was, as it was focused entirely on him. 

“I’m… I’m not hiding anymore.”

Almost as if to bolster his own determination and confidence, he straightened himself up. He was quite literally out in the open now. 

“You should. No one wants you as a hero. Your friends maybe, but a world? No.” Ghin continued his verbal assault.

Mineta winced with each and every one of Ghin’s words. But with his friends behind him, he didn’t take a step backwards. He steeled himself as he faced his ‘opponent’.

“... My friends are all so much cooler than I am. They don’t freak out in a pinch, like Midoriya. Or they have a great Quirk, like Todoroki.”

The purple-haired student hung his head low a little, actually admitting his own flaws. His classmates merely watched, stunned. Mineta continued, breaking the momentary silence once again.

“That’s why they’re all better Heroes than me. It’s because they’re so cool.”

Raising his head, a light of determination in his eyes, he stared over at Ghin. He felt alone out ahead of his classmates. But this was the way it needed to be.

“But maybe… maybe if I could be cool like them, then I could become a Hero too...”

“...that is one of the dumbest things I heard.” Ghin, however, did not seem moved.

“That's your reason for being a hero? To be cool? A hero should be cool because of his or her ideals, motivation, and actions. If that is just your motivation, I am not pleased. No wonder you cowered in fear the first time.” 

Mineta, however, seemed to have mustered up enough courage to actually stand against the boy, staring at him with defiance in his eyes.

“But you seemed to pass Aniki’s test. The answer to his test is courage. And you've found it, despite being so pathetic.” Ghin added, however.

“... Eh?”

Mineta cocked his head at Ghin, clearly surprised that he passed the test so easily. Even the rest of his class looked on in a mix of shock and surprise.

“Aniki’s tests are a matter of character. I know him very well. If you continued being the pathetic coward, I would've torn you limb from limb out of rage,” Ghin explained. 

Silence quickly fell over the group. None of them knew exactly what to do now. They were however, aware of the mock villains standing beside Ghin somewhat awkwardly. It was like they were waiting for him to finish.

“But I hate you even more after hearing your motivations. Thus, I will do everything to crush your spirits. Minions! Glue him!” Using his glue gun, Ghin immediately fired at Mineta without warning, with the reflexes of a master gunslinger despite the gun being bigger for those his size.

As Mineta watched the projectile fly towards him, he attempted to at least roll to one side to get out of the way. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it in time. And to make it worse, the other mock villains fired at Mineta as well, deluging him in white gunk. It an unfair setup by Ghin as he caught him without giving him a proper chance to defend or retaliate.

“Agh?! No! GHIIIIIIIIINNNN!!!” Mineta cried towards the smiling boy’s name as he drowned in the torrent of pale glue, gurgling in rage.

His classmates would have started laughing, if they weren’t in the middle of an exam facing off against several dozen mock villains and Ghin. 

Out of the corner of their eyes, 1-A could see the other examinees moving in. Whilst there were still examinees moving and assisting the civilians, everyone could tell how much of a threat these mock villains were.

“Fail them all! To the civilians!” Ghin shouted as he ran towards the mock civilians with ridiculous speed for someone his age, holding his gun overhead in a silly manner.

Before he could make it to the civilians and the students helping them, a borderline of ice rose between the civilians and Ghin. There was only one person who could have done that so quickly. Shouto stood there, staring over at Ghin.

“I will not let you fail us so easily.”

“I don't care!” Ghin threw away his gun and carved a concentric hole in the ring with his hands, and kicked the carved concentric slabs out of the wall and entered through his forced entrance to the other side and continued his sprint.

“I will fail you alllll!” Ghin promised with a innocent joy in his tone.

Immediately, the examinees all sprung into action. If they let Ghin anywhere near the civilians, then they’d automatically fail. Not a single person wasn’t moving in to stop the boy from reaching his target.

After the concentric slabs of ice fell, Ghin emerged from the hole he’d carved into the icy wall. However, once he did, he became aware of the screaming of several projectiles, heading directly for him. They seemed to be coming from multiple directions at once, multiple stones stiffened. Their source being two from Ketsubutsu, Shikkui and Itejiro.

However, in response, the boy caught the stones in his hands, the four stones Itejiro threw at him without even batting an eye. Ghin stared at Itejiro with blank eyes, unamused by his attempt to knock him out.

Whilst this was going on, the rest of the examinees were heading for Ghin, or for advantageous positions. With his ice wall now beginning to crumble from Ghin’s hole, Todoroki prepared his left side. 

“And how are we supposed to defend anyone from him?”

Bakugou glared at the hole punched into the wall. His words echoed through many of his fellow examinees. Most of them weren’t even sure they could defend themselves from the boy, let alone unarmed civilians.

After a few more moments, his former wall of ice had now collapsed into a pile on the ground. With the fall of the icy barrier, the other students could now see Ghin, who had been obscured behind the wall. 

“You shall all be failed!” Ghin shouted as he tossed the kneaded stone towards Todoroki behind him without looking, each projectile flying towards him as fast as a bullet.

Shouto had barely any time to react to the incoming projectiles. He could practically see where each of the stones would strike. If any of them actually hit him, he’d suffer from numerous fractures and broken bones. That’d put him out of the fight for good. However, just before they would have impacted with him, a shape moved into their path.

“Hey Todoroki, you okay man?”

Now standing in front of Shouto was Kirishima, his body obviously Hardened. Instead of hitting Todoroki, the stones now all struck Kirishima’s Hardened body. Despite his Quirk however, he couldn’t help but grunt each time he felt an impact. Not only were the stones pretty tough themselves, but they seemed to be thrown with near-inhuman force.

“Glue them all!” Ghin shouted, pointing at Todoroki and the others. They took their attention from the minions.

The mock villains all turned to the group of students, their ‘guns’ now aimed squarely at them. Multiple streams of glue shot towards the group. Quickly, they all began to move apart to avoid the glue. Luckily, most of, if not all, of the students managed to avoid the streams of glue.

“Don’t think that the boy is the only threat here.”

Another voice came from nearby, drawing everyone’s attention away from Ghin. As they turned to the source, a few of the student’s hearts sunk even further. They’d all forgotten about Gang Orca with him being obviously overshadowed by Garou’s young apprentice.

The group split up during their evasion of the white gunk, now divided and unorganized. Seeing that they were now closer to Ghin, Izuku, Iida and several other students all began to rush over to him, to stop the frisking boy from reaching the civilians and the other examinees still helping them.

With his line of sight clear of anyone, and Gang Orca standing out in the open nearby, Shouto raised his left palm at the ‘villain’. A huge plume of flame emerged and roared towards Gang Orca. However, before it could fully engulf its target, a tremendous gust of wind came from one side.

The wind and flames battled, the fire attempting to use the wind to strengthen itself, whilst the wind tried to blow the fire out. After a few more moments, both forces died down and left Gang Orca standing there, unharmed and untouched. 

“What are you doing? Your flames got in my way!”

Turning to the source of the voice, Todoroki came face to face with another one of the examinees, Inasa. The wind-user merely glared at Shouto.

“Your wind blew my fire out.”

Shouto argued back at Inasa, returning the glare. 

“How disappointing. You Heroes are supposed to work together.”

However, their attention was captured by the voice of their would-be target. Gang Orca began to approach both students, still ‘playing the Villain’.

Glancing over at the son of Endeavour, Inasa couldn’t help but remember his first encounter with the younger Todoroki. How similar his eyes had been. How dismissive his words and tone had been. He seemed like he was just the same as his father.

Shouto looked back over at the clearly angry Inasa. He could recall meeting him. But it was before his ‘change’. Before he made the choice to become a Hero his own way. Even so, Todoroki couldn’t help but feel frustrated that his attack had been interrupted.

Meanwhile…

Seiji Shishikura was commanding his fellow Shiketsu classmates along with other classes to defend the civilians against the rampaging boy.

“Out of my way!” Ghin shouted as he tore apart the mounds of flesh floating towards him regardless of the angles as he continued rushing towards them at profound speeds a ten-year-old should not have. Seiji clicked his tongue. The boy proved too strong for his Quirk to knead him into a meatball.

“I need his limbs neutralized for my Quirk to defeat him.” He informed his allies as the splattered flesh coalesced into giant fingers once again, ready for redeployment. 

As he rushed towards the students, Ghin became aware of several presences all moving into his path. Before he could turn his head to see, he could feel something wrap itself around his leg and try to pull him off balance. In reflex, he swung his legs free and stomped on the thing trying to knock him off balance.

“RIBBIT!” Tsuyu cried as she tried to retract her tongue, but Ghin stomped it in place, grinding against her tongue painfully.

“Don't do that.” Ghin said he turned around to see who was rushing towards him.

Approaching from one side, Izuku along with Kaminari, Uraraka, Tsuyu, Iida and Tokoyami, all ran as fast as their legs could move. Even so, they were still struggling to get in front of the boy.

“Nothing will stop me from my destiny!” Ghin shouted as he freed himself from Tsuyu’s tongue, resuming his sprint towards the civilians.

“Stop him!” Seiji shouted as Ghin leaped over him and the others with unbelievable leg strength, and continued running, bypassing the other heroes trying to intercept his path.

“You two go and catch up to him. We will be close behind.”

Tokoyami cast his eyes between both of the faster members of 1-A, Izuku and Iida. They were the only two who even had a chance of keeping up with Ghin’s absurd running speed.

Seeing that their regular speeds wouldn’t be able to make it in time, both Izuku and Iida accelerated his efforts with Izuku activated Full Cowl, and Iida boosted himself with Recipro. Rushing past Seiji and the others, Seiji shouted.

“UA! Take this!” Seiji shouted as he threw a ball of his own flesh at Izuku. 

Izuku deftly caught the ball, ignoring how revolting it was. 

“Throw it at him! It will neutralize the boy once it hits! I will leave it to you!” Seiji shouted, entrusting the task to the two.

Nodding once in acknowledgement, the two 1-A members continued their rapid approach towards the silver-haired boy. They couldn’t be sure, but it looked like they were actually catching up at some speeds. 

“Annoying!” Passing by the nearest examinee, the boy grabbed him by the scarf of his uniform and dragged him along for the ride.

“Eh-Ack!?” Said examinee was now choked by his own cape, as his body scraped the floor in Ghin’s abduction. The boy’s speed did not slow down in the slightest despite the extra baggage.

Izuku could feel the urge to throw the ball of flesh now, seeing one of Ghin’s arms occupied carrying the examinee. But he resisted the urge. He needed to be sure that it would work.

“I can see my victory!” Ghin shouted smiling at the sight of the heroes transporting the civilians away. 

Before he could prematurely celebrate his victory, however, Ghin then became aware of another presence approaching him. Except this one seemed to be travelling via the air. And judging by the loud explosions steadily growing closer, it was extremely obvious to tell who it was.

“Get the fuck back here! You aren’t failing me!”

Using his explosions to propel himself through the air, Bakugou could now see that he was closing in on Ghin. Not to mention he had a clear line of sight, ignoring the examinee Ghin held in one hand. 

With one hand cupped over the palm of his other, Bakugou grinned as he used his newest move.

“AP Shot: Autocannon!” Bakugou shouted as he rapidly fired a series of long range projectiles at Ghin as if he was firing from a machine gun.

“Meat shield: Activate!” Ghin shouted as he pulled his meat shield up to cover his back.

“Eh? Eh!? W-Wait-owowowowowow!” The meat shield cried before he was pelted by Bakugou’s attack, the projectile blasting his costume to shreds.

Both Iida and Izuku grimaced at seeing Bakugou so mercilessly fire on Ghin whilst he was holding a hostage. Despite this, they didn’t stop their rapid approach.

“You can't stop me!” Ghin shouted upon seeing his goal in sight.

Izuku could see that it was now or never. If they waited any more, then Ghin would actually reach the civilians. And they were the closest they could possibly get to the boy. Looking up towards the airborne Bakugou, Izuku shouted up to him.

“Fire in front!”

Izuku didn’t have a lot of time to describe what he had planned. All he could do was point over towards Ghin, trying to show what he meant. And judging by how Bakugou seemed to almost immediately aim his grenade gauntlets in front of Ghin’s path, it seemed he understood.

Bakugou quickly pulled the pin on one of his bracers, unleashing a gigantic explosion towards Ghin, knocking himself back in the process. Just before the explosion struck the ground however, Izuku threw his arm back. Wielding the ball of flesh like a baseball, Izuku’s arm whipped forwards.

The ball of flesh soared at the speed of a bullet, whistling through the air. It sailed right past Ghin and into his path. 

“Hm?” Ghin stopped upon sensing danger.

It was then that the explosion fired off by Bakugou struck the ground. The earth shook and trembled as the explosion let off a huge shockwave. The ball of flesh that flew past Ghin’s shoulder was struck by this shockwave, which sent it flying backwards towards Ghin.

On instinct, Ghin caught the ball of flesh with his free hand without a second thought. 

“What's this?” Ghin looked at the squishy, beige thing, only to be disgusted once he found out it was raw meat.

“Ewwww.” Ghin had no time for this. He had people to fail. He tossed the ball of meat away back at Bakugou, but the moment he tried, it remained stuck on his hand.

“Eh?” Ghin threw it again. And again. And again. After failing to throw it for the umpteenth time, he stopped to look at the annoyingly adhesive flesh thing, seeing it wriggling in his hand, spreading… infecting… trying to consume him… 

“Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.” Ghin had dun goofed.

“Not until I fail them!” Ghin shouted as he threw his hostage at the others and made a run for the civilians with newfound speed. He could feel the ball of flesh affecting his arm up to his elbow, but he refused to let himself fall like this. He refused. He will not lose like this. He did not become this strong just to be defeated by some random Quirk!

Seeing how the ball of flesh didn’t affect Ghin that much, both of the UA students pursuing him attempted to increase their speed, but at this point, Ghin was moving too fast. Seeing the boy now very close, even the examinees helping the mock civilians had to stop and turn to face the oncoming form of Ghin.

“I will not lose!” Ghin shouted as he pounced at the nearest hero carrying a civilian on his back, his fingers curled into claws like a lion’s and his face as fierce as a tiger.

In one last desperate attempt, Izuku empowered his fingers with One For All. With a sudden flick, he launched a torrent of wind at Ghin. He was lucky that Ghin was mid-air, as the blast of wind roared towards the boy.

In response, Ghin turned around to guard with his arms, but his lack of a arm proved difficult as his attack struck him, sending his body flying away. Izuku realized that he sent him over the civilians being transported, cutting their route off as Ghin landed before a hero trying to lead a mock child out.

“I am not done! I will not lose!” Ghin shouted as he glared at the hero and mock civilian.

The examinee was carrying the child on their back, making it almost impossible to actually fight back. Regardless, they tightened their grip on the mock child, widening their stance. Izuku, Iida and Bakugou continued trying to make their way over.

“Just stay down!”

Bakugou roared at Ghin, propelling himself towards the weakened boy. 

“Never!” Ghin roared back. 

The tingling feeling of his back started to rise when he could feel an invisible force rising within, desiring to sprout into the world like a nourished butterfly ready to burst from its chrysalis.

Without hesitation, Ghin dashed towards the mock child. The flesh already moved past his elbow and halfway to reaching his shoulder. Ghin was pouring all of his will and strength to halt the corruption of his flesh, slowing it down with sheer willpower alone, as he reared back his other arm, ready to slash at the hero like a tiger swinging its claws.

Izuku could feel the desperation take hold of him. He’d already tried to stop Ghin with his flick and neither he or Iida were fast enough to catch up.

“Midoriya!”

Izuku was pulled out of his internal panicking by the voice of Iida who was running alongside him. Glancing over at his classmate, he got the impression that he had some kind of idea.

“Grab ahold my leg!”

Immediately catching on with his classmate’s idea, Izuku waited for a moment, before reaching over and grabbed onto Iida’s leg. He braced himself for the inevitable launch, tensing his body as Iida leaped into the air.

“Recipro! Burst!” Maximizing the output of his leg boosters, Iida rotated with so much torque, he can no longer control the speed of his rotation, dragging Izuku along with him. Once he reached maximum centrifugal force, Iida roared as he launched Izuku with every ounce of his strength into that one kick.

“Go, Dekuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!” His thrusters then shut down, now inert until his boosters finally cooled down.

Izuku was launched over towards the form of Ghin, roaring through the air. He could hear the wind whistle by his head, his lips peeling back from the friction, as his target grew closer and closer with each second.

“Nooooooooooo!!” Ghin gritted his teeth as the tingling feeling on his back grew more and more distinct. Faint sparkles could be seen from his back, small lights materializing into existence, born from the very depths of his soul.

Despite seeing this sudden strange happening, Izuku could only clench his fists. The strange lights were definitely something to worry about, but there was nothing he could do about them. He did wonder what they were though.

After a few more moments of soaring towards the silver-haired boy and Izuku was only a few meters away, bearing down on Ghin with considerable speed. Now that he was closer, he could see the strange lights behind Ghin more clearly now. But he put them aside. 

The world slowed to a crawl in that one moment. Ghin’s hand already so close to tearing the face of the genuinely scared mock civilian child on the hero’s back while Izuku’s fist was so close to knocking him away. Each determined to defeat the other, refusing to back down no matter what. However, despite Ghin’s superiority in combat, he lacked one thing the others have. A team he could rely on. And his mock villain team was not here now.

With a heavy ‘thud’, Izuku’s fist connected first. The lights behind Ghin seemed to shine in even greater intensity as the boy was sent backwards, his clawed hand was knocked away from his would-be targets.

As Ghin grounded himself with his legs, skidding back from the bleeding force, he glared at Izuku with a ferocious scowl, ready to knock him aside as the lights behind him glew at their zenith. Izuku and the other heroes covered their eyes, taken off guard by the sudden brightness. The boy himself was too engrossed in his determination to even notice the glaring lights behind him.

Those on the spectators seats and the administrators of the exam were shocked by Ghin’s undergoing metamorphosis, including Garou as well as he stopped slouching in his seat, now leaning forward with sudden interest.

“What… is that?”

Aizawa covered his eyes, blinded from even their distance. Ms. Joke did the same, squinting to get a better view.

“No way…” Garou, however, could see it clearly as day. The kid he raised for almost a year was changing. He chalked the phenomenon as a transformation, one like his monster costume during his debut, the sight bringing him to smile with anticipation for his disciple.

Given the chance, Ghin ran towards Izuku with all his might, his right arm ready to claw him limb from limb. However, the flesh consumed up to his shoulders, now reaching for his spine and intercepted his nervous system, cutting off his connection with the rest of his body. The result, Ghin fell mid-attack, dropped to the floor like a puppet with his strings severed.

“Nooooo!” Ghin cried in protest as he flailed, trying to break free from the infectious Quirk, but his efforts only led to him twitching his legs and flailing his only working arm as the lights behind him turned from argent white to light red with desperation and anger.

As Ghin flailed on the ground, Izuku could hear both Bakugou and Iida approach. They’d both finally caught up. But looking over at Ghin, it didn’t look like they would need to do too much more. Strangely, Izuku could even feel a hint of pity and sympathy for the boy in front of him, still refusing to stop.

“... I’m sorry Ghin. But I can’t let you fail us.”

“No! I refuse to go down like this! I absolutely will not LOSE!!” Ghin cried as tears started to fall from his eyes, trickling from his cheeks as he poured in more effort to break himself free. He only managed to slow the process as the infection reached his bottom torso and his neck.

Slowly, Ghin was beginning to look more and more like one of Seiji’s fleshballs. Iida, Bakugou and Izuku watched silently as Ghin fought furiously against the Quirk with seemingly every fiber of his being. 

The lights behind Ghin were a real source of concern however. No one knew what they were, glancing over at them cautiously. 

“Is that another one of Garou’s superhuman techniques?”

Iida asked rhetorically. Of course, none of them actually knew what Garou taught the boy. 

“…no. It looks… more like a Quirk…” Izuku spoke his mind.

“A Quirk? Are you kidding me? He’s ten!”

Bakugou pointed squarely at the struggling boy on the ground, clearly pointing out his age. He seemed to be blatantly disbelieving of that idea.

“You’re not supposed to get Quirks this late! Why now?”

The fact that Ghin appeared to have developed what looked like a Quirk, and at such an age, was truly startling. Bakugou was in obvious denial and disbelief, whilst both Izuku and Iida could only agree with the idea that it was a Quirk.

Ghin, on the other hand, continued his silent sobs as darkness slowly consumed his vision from the corner of his eyes, as he struggled to fight back against the Quirk to the bitter end, until his transformation finally completed. The boy now laid on the floor, defeated and shamed, evident by his new, helpless form forced upon his being.

“…oh my god, that was scary. I thought I was going to die.” The mock child uttered as he wiped a sweat from his brow. 

“…me too.” The hero carrying the child quietly agreed without hesitation.

“... Did we do it?”

The voice of Uraraka shouted out suddenly, surprisingly close. Turning around Izuku, Bakugou and Iida could see the other few UA students making their way over towards them. They’d only just managed to catch up.

Glancing back down at the fleshball and the lights glowing around it, Izuku sent a silent apology out to Ghin. He did actually feel bad for the state that the boy was now in.

“... Yeah. Yeah we did.”

“Wait… what about the other mock villains?”

Iida turned his mind from Garou’s apprentice, now actually remembering that there were other ‘villains’ that were testing them.

Some distance away, and both Inasa and Todoroki were still battling Gang Orca. There was still the lingering hints of tension in the air, but now both students seemed to actually be working together. 

Whilst Izuku and the others were chasing down the dangerous Ghin, both Inasa and Shouto had struggled to actually coordinate their attacks against the ‘villain’. Todoroki’s fire would swallow the wind and Inasa’s said wind also smother the flames.

Looking back at Ghin, the students took in the boy’s current state with a mix of relief and sympathy. Knowing the boy, Izuku imagined an angry Ghin ready to take revenge for such a defeat.

“I am surprised that even worked.”

Tokoyami stood over the ball of flesh that was Ghin, looking down at it. The small ball of flesh seemed to shudder in what looked like anger and frustration. 

“So am I. My Quirk usually doesn’t take that long to take full effect.”

Seiji had made his own way over, looking down at his ‘handiwork’. He suppressed a shiver as he thought about how exactly the Hero Hunter may respond to his only student being reduced to… this. He hoped that he would be as forgiving.

“So what now? Do we just deal with the villains and then escort these ‘civilians’?”

Now that he had seemingly got his revenge against Ghin, Bakugou seemed almost pleased. He pointed one thumb over at the remainder of the mock civilians.

“The exam will cease once all of the victims are escorted to the safe zone. The faster, the better it is for us to save time in the middle of a crisis.” Seiji dutifully informed.

“Well then, we should probably get escorting!”

Kaminari glanced over at the number of ‘civilians’ still needing escorting. Luckily, with Ghin taken care of, the whole job would take far, far less time. Slowly, the students all began to make their way over to assist in the escorting, leaving the flesh ball of Ghin alone and untended.