Quirkless Hero

The next day, Midoriya Izuku was busy modifying his mechanical armor. Aizawa-sensei's words had given him a lot of inspiration. With Yaoyorozu able to effortlessly create various materials, his modification plans progressed surprisingly smooth. 

While his classmates endured hellish training, Midoriya had not stopped working on his upgrades. The morning flew by in the blink of an eye. 

In the afternoon, Midoriya stood before a massive boulder. His original mechanical armor had resembled a Western knight. Now, however, it looked bulkier, with many attachments resembling heavy industrial machinery added to the exterior. 

After nearly two days of work, the basic modifications were complete. Midoriya was ready to test the results. Standing firmly on the ground in front of the boulder, he activated the first function. 

"Rooting." 

From the back of Midoriya's legs, new mechanical attachments shot out several sturdy metal stakes, anchoring him into the ground like the roots of a tree. 

Facing the boulder, Midoriya raised his right fist, charging up his strike. The attachments on the armor shifted and powered up as his fist shot forward. 

"Pile Driver!" 

Four small hydraulic pile drivers were attached to the mechanical armor's right arm. As Midoriya Izuku threw a punch, the pile drivers delivered a powerful thrust forward, shattering a large chunk of the rock surface Todoroki had struck earlier. 

Seeing how effective it was, Midoriya muttered to himself: 

"It's still not enough… The mechanical armor's main power source is in the thrusters. The damage it can deal while stationary is too weak." 

"Why don't you try turning the arm into a drill? Your first attack with it looked pretty powerful." 

Watching from the side, Aizawa Shouta offered a suggestion. Midoriya, exasperated, replied: 

"If I used a drill, it'd be fatal with one hit. I designed the pile drivers with combat in mind to avoid that. Besides, turning it into a drill would need *major modifications*." 

Midoriya wasn't building a Gundam out of thin air. Even though Yaoyorozu could create various mechanical materials with ease, making large-scale changes in just two days was impossible. Major modifications required the support of the Development Course's workshop. 

"Inventions and modifications are your area. I can only give suggestions..." 

Aizawa Shouta, slightly awkward, admitted that while his knowledge was broad, he wasn't skilled in everything. He could instantly identify how to use or exploit a Quirk's strengths and weaknesses, but when it came to inventions, Aizawa-sensei couldn't really contribute. 

"By the way, Aizawa-sensei, why didn't All Might or the other teachers come along this time?"

Midoriya thought about how only Aizawa Shouta and Blood King had accompanied them, along with the four members of *Pussy Cat*. 

"After the last attack on UA, we discovered that the League of Villains is targeting All Might. That's why he and the other teachers stayed behind at the school, while you're here secretly undergoing Quirk training." 

"I see." 

With that explanation, Aizawa Shouta left to check on the other students' progress, while Midoriya Izuku continued working on improving the mechanical armor. 

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As dinnertime approached, *Pussy Cat* gathered the students of Classes A and B to make an announcement. 

"Tonight, we'll have a class-versus-class activity!" 

"A class-versus-class activity?" 

The students, still reeling from the hellish start of the training camp, were caught off guard by Pixie-Bob's sudden declaration. 

"After intense training, it's important to have some relaxing activities. This is a training camp, after all," Mandalay explained before announcing to everyone: 

"Tonight's event will be a courage test! Each class will take turns participating." 

"Finally, something with a real training camp vibe!" 

Kaminari Denki and Ashido Mina jumped up excitedly, only to be met with Aizawa Shouta's indifferent voice: 

"Anyone who failed the final exam will join me for remedial lessons tonight." 

"What?! Again?!" 

Kaminari and Ashido cried out in despair. Despite teaming up with Class B during the final exam, they had still lost miserably to their third-year seniors. Whether it was their bad luck or Class B's, it didn't really matter now. 

With Quirk training done for the day, everyone busied themselves preparing dinner. However, Midoriya Izuku seemed distracted. His thoughts wandered back to the events involving Kouta from the night before. 

"Midoriya, what's on your mind?" 

Todoroki Shoto noticed something unusual and asked directly. Midoriya Izuku had almost stuck his hand into the fire while adding wood, prompting Todoroki to remind him.

"Uh…" 

Midoriya quickly pulled his hand back from the fire. After thinking for a moment, he decided to tell Todoroki everything. 

"Here's what happened…" 

"So, his parents were killed by villains because they were heroes…" 

After hearing about Kouta's situation, Todoroki Shoto fell silent for a moment. It was such a cruel thing for a seven-year-old to endure. 

"I think I understand why he hates heroes, but this kind of thing is unavoidable." 

Trying to console Midoriya, Todoroki continued seriously: 

"In this hero society, you know how high the accident rate for pro heroes is, don't you? Not long ago, you and Mirio-senpai defeated the 'Hero Killer.' He was responsible for the deaths of 17 heroes. You must have seen the grief of those heroes' families on the news." 

"Heroes are just humans too. They can't save everyone and often become targets for villains. Our teachers have mentioned this in school." 

"Even so, countless people still aspire to become heroes. That's the meaning of their existence: to protect those in front of them. All Might must have told you something like this." 

"Kouta is still young. Maybe when he grows up, he'll come to understand the greatness of his parents. He might even aspire to be a hero himself." 

After hearing Todoroki's words, Midoriya felt a bit better. Dwelling on it wouldn't help, and no one was more worried about Kouta than his aunt, Mandalay. 

Night quickly fell. Class 1-A and Class 1-B gathered in front of the forest as the PUSSYCATs organized activities for the students. Meanwhile, the unlucky students who had failed their final exams were dragged off for remedial lessons by their strict homeroom teachers. Kaminari and Ashido's tearful cries echoed in the distance, making everyone who saw or heard them feel sympathetic. 

"Now, Class 1-A students will draw lots and form teams of two. Class 1-B students will be responsible for scaring them. I'll place name tags inside the forest..." 

"Teams of two!?" 

Hearing Pixie-Bob's announcement, Ochako and Takeyama Urei froze for a moment. Their eyes were glued to the draw box in her hands. 

"This must be the decision of the *Steins;Gate*!" *x2* 

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