MHA: Bat to the Future: The Other Midoriya

Daily Meme

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Yaoyorozu turned red so fast I thought she might combust. Her mouth opened, then snapped shut, like her brain was buffering a response that wasn't just straight-up screaming.

Jiro nearly dropped her drink. Kaminari slammed a hand over his mouth, shaking violently. Mina looked like she had ascended to a new level of existence.

Toru gasped dramatically, clutching at Yaoyorozu's arm. "MOMO. He is straight-up saying it!"

Yaoyorozu sputtered, voice rising an octave. "That is NOT-YOU-THAT IS SO INAPPROPRIATE!"

I shrugged. "Not my fault you walked into that one."

She pointed at me like she was ready to call down divine judgment. "I-You-You are…"

"Enough." Midnight finally stepped in, sighing. "We are not turning this into a romcom. Continue! The other Midoriya. Come up here."

Izuku, who had been doing an excellent impression of a ghost this whole time, stiffened like he had been hit with a taser. His eyes darted around, looking for an escape. "The other?"

Mt. Lady smirked. "Yeah, you. Come on, Deku."

He swallowed, standing up like a man walking to his execution. As he took the seat, his knee bounced slightly, and his hands gripped the chair. Midnight leaned forward, chin resting on her hand. "Alright, Deku, let's see if you can survive the media. First question… What made you want to be a hero?"

Izuku exhaled sharply, obviously trying to steady himself. "I- I've always admired heroes. Since I was a kid, I wanted to help people the way All Might did. Seeing him save lives, smiling no matter what… it made me believe anyone could be a hero, no matter the odds."

Mt. Lady nodded. "Solid answer. But a little too polished. Say it again, but less like you are reading off a script."

Izuku blinked. "Oh, um…"

Midnight waved a hand. "Just talk like you would in a normal conversation."

Izuku hesitated, then tried again. "I guess… I always thought heroes were amazing. Not just the strength, but how they made people feel safe. All Might made me believe in that. I wanted to do the same."

Kaminari whispered, "There we go, now he sounds human."

Mt. Lady nodded. "Better. Now, next… what is your biggest weakness as a hero?"

Izuku's grip on his knee tightened. "I… overthink things. A lot."

Jiro scoffed. "Understatement."

Mina grinned. "Dude analyzes a coffee order like it is a battlefield strategy."

Izuku sighed. "I know, I know. But I do! Sometimes I get caught up in trying to plan everything perfectly, and I forget to trust myself in the moment."

Midnight tapped her chin. "Okay, that is self-awareness. Good. But in an interview, you need to phrase it in a way that doesn't sound like you are doubting yourself."

Mt. Lady pointed at him. "Say it again, but flip it."

Izuku frowned, thinking. "I- uh, I always try to be thorough. I want to make sure I am considering all options, so I don't make reckless mistakes."

Mt. Lady nodded. "There you go. See? You are still saying the same thing, but it sounds confident instead of insecure."

Izuku blinked like he had just discovered fire. "Oh."

Midnight smirked. "That is the game, kid."

Toru leaned over to Mina. "Why do I feel like he is taking mental notes?"

Mina snickered. "Because he probably is."

Midnight cracked her knuckles. "Alright, next question. If you could tell the world one thing, what would it be?"

Izuku straightened slightly. "I… I would say that heroes aren't perfect. We try our best, but we make mistakes. What matters is learning from them and never giving up."

Midnight nodded. "Not bad. A little cliche, but genuine."

Sero yawned. "Honestly, this is kinda tame. We need someone who will really make an impression."

Mina grinned. "Yeah, where is someone who will stir shit up?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Bakugo.

He scowled immediately. "The fuck are you all looking at me for?"

Midnight smirked. "Your turn."

Bakugo crossed his arms, glaring at her. "Not happening."

Mt. Lady shrugged. "We could just let people assume you don't know how to talk in public."

He clicked his tongue. "Tch. Fine."

He stalked up to the chair, dropping into it like it had personally offended him. Midnight steepled her fingers. "Alright, Bakugo. Why do you want to be a hero?"

"To be the fucking best."

The room collectively sighed.

Midnight rolled her eyes. "Okay, but can you say that in a way that doesn't make you sound like a battle junkie?"

Bakugo leaned forward. "What is wrong with wanting to be the best? If I am the best, then nobody else can beat me. That means more villains get put down, fewer people get hurt."

Mt. Lady raised an eyebrow. "That is… actually not bad."

Midnight smirked. "See? You don't have to sound like a delinquent all the time."

Bakugo scoffed. "Whatever."

Mina leaned on the table, chin in her hands. "Oooh, next question. If you had to work with any hero, who would it be?"

Bakugo didn't even hesitate. "Nobody. I don't need backup."

Jiro sighed. "God, you are so predictable."

Midnight shook her head. "Nope. Bad answer. Try again."

Bakugo scowled. "Why?"

"Because people don't like lone wolves in a team-based profession."

Bakugo gritted his teeth. "Fine. Best Jeanist."

Silence.

Kaminari blinked. "Wait, for real?"

Sero smirked. "Damn, you actually respect the guy?"

Bakugo tensed slightly, then crossed his arms again. "He is strong. He knows how to control a battlefield. And he doesn't waste time."

Yaoyorozu tilted her head. "That is… actually a very logical answer."

Midnight grinned. "See? That is a good interview answer."

Bakugo scowled but didn't argue.

Mt. Lady leaned forward. "Alright, last question… if you had to say one thing to people watching, what would it be?"

Bakugo cracked his neck. "Stay the fuck out of my way."

Kaminari slammed his head onto the table. "Goddamn it."

Midnight sighed, rubbing her temple. "So close."

Mina waved a hand. "No, no, I got this. Bakugo, try saying the same thing but… less like a death threat."

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Fine. If you are gonna be a hero, don't half-ass it."

Midnight smirked. "Now that works."

Bakugo scoffed and stood up. "This shit is stupid."

Mina wiggled her fingers at him. "Aww, come on, you did great!"

He flipped her off on his way back to his seat.

The rest of the class went through the training, one by one, fumbling their way through answers, learning what not to say, how not to sound like idiots, and how to avoid giving the media a reason to twist their words into whatever bullshit narrative they wanted.

Mina nearly got baited into saying something about her "romantic preferences" before Midnight cut in with a reminder that thirst questions were traps, not compliments. Kaminari had to be told at least three times that "uhhh" wasn't a valid answer to anything. Sero figured out real fast that cracking too many jokes just gave reporters more ammo to make him look like an airhead.

Yaoyorozu was still stiff as hell, but at least by the end, she stopped sounding like she was giving a damn corporate briefing. Jiro mostly kept her answers short, which worked, until she got asked about music and suddenly wouldn't shut up. Iida was… well, Iida. He had all the right words, but Midnight had to point out that nobody actually talked like a walking policy manual.

The hardest part, surprisingly, was teaching some of them when to just shut the hell up. Not every question needed a full explanation. Sometimes a simple yes or no worked. Sometimes dodging the question entirely was better than trying to explain yourself.

Toru figured that out fast. When Midnight asked her, "Who do you think the strongest person in Class 1-A is?" she just went, "Oh, that is classified info. I would tell you, but then I would have to ghost you."

Simple. No answer, no drama, no headlines trying to twist it into some ranking bullshit.

Midnight clapped her hands together when they were finally done. "Alright, not completely hopeless. Some of you might actually survive an interview without tanking your careers."

Mt. Lady stretched, rolling her shoulders. "And some of you should still avoid cameras at all costs."

Bakugo didn't even react to that. Kaminari groaned, flopping back in his chair. "Man, this was exhausting."

Sero grinned. "Bro, you sucked at this."

Mina threw an arm around Kaminari. "Yeah, but at least he sucked in an entertaining way."

Jiro rubbed her temples. "That is not something to be proud of."

I stood up, stretching. "We done?"

Midnight nodded. "Yeah, you are free."

Sure.

We were dismissed, but nobody moved right away.

Some flopped back in their seats like their souls had been wrung out through their nostrils. Others just stared at nothing, mentally calculating how many ways they had embarrassed themselves today.

Bakugo stomped out with all the subtlety of a demolition team, grumbling something about "dumbass PR crap" under his breath.

Kaminari collapsed dramatically onto the couch. "We survived. Barely."

"Speak for yourself," Jiro muttered, flipping through her notes. "I am pretty sure I blacked out during the question about role models."

Mina was still bouncing in place. "I wanna do another round! With spicier questions!"

"No," Yaoyorozu said instantly. "Absolutely not."

Toru leaned over the back of the couch. "I still think Momo's flustered confession was the highlight of today."

Yaoyorozu's eye twitched. "It was not a confession."

"Sure," Sero said, lounging upside-down from an armchair. "And Ryuu is just your favorite because of his sparkling personality."

Tokoyami, from the corner, muttered, "Darkness reveals many truths. Today was Yaoyorozu's."

Shoji grunted. "She is never living this down."

Midnight raised a hand. "I am pretending I didn't hear any of this."

Mt. Lady yawned. "You all did better than expected. But maybe next time, try not to make the interviewer want to throw their mic at your head."

I was already halfway to the stairs, ignoring their bullshit.

I needed a shower. Maybe a nap. Maybe just an hour where no one was either flirting, fighting, or roasting each other into oblivion.

As I dropped onto my bed, phone somewhere under me, the dorm faded into background noise. Just me, my blanket, and the sweet, stupid abyss of internet garbage on TV. Rankings, scandals, another viral video of some hero doing something cursed…

Peace.

My phone buzzed.

Then, it buzzed again. I almost didn't check it. Felt like static under my skin, but I blamed the caffeine.

"Blood Bitch."

I sighed, debating ignoring it. Toga called constantly, always something cute and unhinged. But something felt off. I didn't know why, didn't have a reason, but my thumb moved before I could stop it.

I answered.

Silence.

Then, weak. Too weak. "Ryuu... I love you."

A crackle. A hitch in the signal. Then silence. Just dead air.

The line cut.

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ST. MIDORIYA'S 3PM MASS

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for theirs is the kingdom of bonus chapters.

Cursed are the lurkers,

for they shall wander the rankings,

forever stone-less,

forever forgotten.

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