My Hero Academia: Thunder God

As the two locked eyes, Aizawa's mind was already at work.

On the surface, the situation seemed straightforward, he could subdue Bakugo instantly and catch up to Midoriya before he got too far.

But that wasn't the real issue.

Bakugo had finally attempted teamwork with Midoriya. If he failed this exam, would it make him believe that cooperation was useless?

Would it only push him further into his stubbornness? Would it make his relationship with Midoriya even worse?

Aizawa wasn't just some faceless opponent. He wasn't a villain.

He was their teacher. And that meant he had to think beyond just winning.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid."

BOOM!!

A second punch drove into Bakugo's gut, harder than before. His eyes bulged, his body doubling over as he coughed up bile.

"Stay put for a while."

Aizawa pulled back his fist and quickly bound Bakugo with his capture scarf, tightening it as the boy struggled. Then, with a swift motion, he tossed him onto the ground.

"D-Damn it…! Damn it!! MOVE!!"

Bakugo lay on the dirt, face twisted in fury. His mind screamed at his body to react, but the pain kept him frozen.

His Quirk had returned, but the sheer force of Aizawa's punch had temporarily locked him in place.

Quirks weren't separate from the body, they were a part of it. The pain was real. The damage was real. And Aizawa had known exactly how to buy himself time.

Meanwhile, Midoriya was running, his heart pounding, determination etched across his freckled face.

Then, suddenly—

A spark of green lightning flickered around him.

"Eh? My Quirk is back!"

He instinctively slowed, glancing over his shoulder.

"I wonder how Kacchan is doing…"

Despite everything, Midoriya couldn't help but worry.

Even with Bakugo's constant hostility, they had grown up together.

And if nothing else, Midoriya's relentless optimism wouldn't let him just ignore someone he considered a friend.

"No—I should focus on getting to the exit first!"

He clenched his fists. Bakugo fought hard to give me this chance, I won't waste it!

With his Quirk restored, his speed skyrocketed. The finish line was in sight now, growing closer by the second.

"I made it! Almost there!!"

But just as excitement surged through him—

FZZZT.

The green lightning vanished.

His speed dropped instantly.

Momentum carried him forward, sending him tumbling onto the ground.

"Wha—what just happened?"

Midoriya scrambled up, brushing dirt off himself. He already knew the answer before even turning around.

"No way…"

Aizawa stood on the red-tiled roof of a nearby building, watching him with sharp, narrowed eyes.

"You got here faster than I expected," Aizawa mused. "Not bad."

Midoriya's breath hitched. "Sensei… then… what about Kacchan?!"

If Aizawa was here, that meant—

"You'll find out soon enough."

With that, Aizawa dove.

Like a shadow, he dropped from the roof, his capture scarf snapping forward like a striking serpent.

It wrapped around Midoriya's arm before he could react.

Midoriya's thoughts raced, panic rising.

"Without my Quirk, the gap between me and Bakugo is… huge."

Aizawa landed smoothly, tightening the scarf's grip.

He had assumed Midoriya would be harder to catch. But now, looking at the boy's bewildered expression, he realized—the difference was night and day.

"Maybe it's because Bakugo left such a strong impression earlier, but… I wasn't expecting Midoriya to go down so easily."

Meanwhile, Midoriya's mind was working at full speed.

He had to think of something.

But the reality was clear without his Quirk, without any tools, without sheer physical strength…

He had nothing.

For the first time, he truly felt powerless.

All his strategies, all his analysis, all his plans, none of them mattered if he didn't have the power to back them up.

To Aizawa, his resistance was pitiful.

"Strength, technique, reaction time… all of them failed," Aizawa muttered, tightening the scarf around Midoriya's neck.

From the beginning, Midoriya had relied on two things:

1. The power of One For All.

2. His intelligence and analysis.

He had spent so much time researching, so much time planning, learning everything he could about heroes and their abilities.

But he had neglected himself.

Sure, he ran. He used hand grips. He did some training.

But compared to Bakugo, Iida, Kirishima, or Tetsutetsu, who trained relentlessly, every day, it wasn't even close.

Midoriya had subconsciously assumed that the raw power of One For All would be enough.

He had always been more worried about controlling that power, holding back so he didn't accidentally hurt someone.

But he had forgotten something critical.

All Might had told him before:

"Your body is too weak to handle One For All. That's why you need to train first."

That was the entire reason he had cleaned the beach in the first place.

At its core, One For All wasn't just about control. It required a strong foundation, a body capable of handling it.

And Midoriya… had overlooked that fact.

Maybe, in time, he could master One For All purely through skill and intelligence.

But right now?

He wasn't there yet.

Aizawa exhaled slightly.

"With that, I think it's safe to say, Midoriya Izuku, you've failed the exam."

His voice was calm.

Midoriya's breath hitched. His heart sank.

"I… failed?"

Aizawa's tone hadn't been harsh.

But Midoriya, lost in his own thoughts, didn't notice the real emotion in it, because Aizawa wasn't disappointed in him.

He was disappointed in someone else.

"You still haven't arrived yet…"

***

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