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[73] You Can't Be Me
🕑 Added 2025-08-05 19:42:59 +0000 UTC(Kata POV – Field Gamma)
"Well done, everyone!" All Might’s booming voice echoes across the training field as we file out of Field Gamma, most with bruises and minor injuries, but no one's seriously hurt.
He plants his feet with a thud and throws both arms into a heroic flex. “Although Mr. Okada came out on top, each of you demonstrated the fruits of your training! You planned, you coordinated, and you executed a strategy that—while ultimately unsuccessful—would have overwhelmed most villains.”
There’s a short pause as he strikes another exaggerated pose, golden hair catching the light.
“For that... be proud!”
A cheer breaks out. Classmates slap hands and trade congratulations, even among the ones who got knocked out early. Despite the loss, morale is high. Victory or not, they fought as a team.
“Now, onto the breakdown.” Midnight cuts in smoothly, tapping a remote as a large monitor flickers to life beside her, and footage from the exercise begins to play.
“We’ll go over each of your performances. Strengths, weaknesses, and areas to improve.” She says, her tone becoming more formal and professional, with just a hint of her usual sultriness.
I stand calmly as the first clip begins to play.
Toru’s attempt is up first, the screen showing her rushing towards Midnight in infrared light, before getting trapped in cement by me.
“Hagakure.” Midnight begins. “Even if you’re invisible, it’s dangerous to rush the hostage directly. Villains may have ways to detect you beyond sight, such as heat, sound, and even quirks similar to sonar. Consider more discreet approaches next time.”
Toru sighs sheepishly, bowing her head. “Yes, Midnight…”
The screen shifts again, this time showing Mina melting a support pillar, causing part of the building to collapse towards me.
“Ashido.” Midnight says with a slight tilt of her head. “While using acid to create chaos and cover is clever, collapsing structures so close to the hostage is reckless.”
The next shot is a time-lapse of me using my quirk to catch all the debris, and send them towards our classmates.
“Property damage aside, you could've endangered the hostage or your allies. And as seen here, it can even aid your enemies. Let’s be more tactical with our destruction, alright?” She winks at Mina.
Mina’s smile fades, her shoulders drooping. “Got it… I'll be more careful next time.”
“Excellent.” Midnight replies, snapping her fingers as the feed jumps again.
The critique continues.
Midoriya. He's fast, perceptive, and powerful… but too hesitant, as he seems scared to go on the offensive, accomplishing very little.
Bakugo. Also quick, flexible, and having great battle sense and power… but lacking in restraint. Charging in with brute force works… until it doesn’t.
Midoriya clenches his fists as his clip replays, clearly frustrated with himself. Bakugo grits his teeth and turns away from the screen with a growl.
I listen in silence. The feedback is insightful but not overly specific. Less about how they could've won the fight against me, and more about each person's underlying tendencies, habits, and thought processes.
It's actually useful advice they can apply in any situation, against any villain.
'That or it'd have been much harder to give strategies against me.' I muse, until the screen flickers again—this time showing me.
"Okada." Midnight's voice is sharper now, carrying a serious edge that wasn't there before.
"Your performance was… extraordinary." She says thoughtfully. “But let’s be clear—you’re too confident. It borders on arrogance.”
I don’t respond. She's not done yet, and it's easy to see how she reached that conclusion.
"I won't say much about the fact that you were holding back…" Her eyes scan the rest of the class. "Since it gave your classmates more room to grow. But in a real battle? Letting your opponent show their moves for the sake of reading them… would be a dangerous habit."
A few heads turn toward me. Izuku's fists clench tight, while Bakugo scoffs under his breath as I sense his glare burning into my side.
'They’re so competitive… don't they get tired?'
Midnight clicks to the next clip, which was when I teleported away to knock out Momo.
Her tone becomes almost scolding. “Leaving the hostage, me, unattended was extremely short-sighted. You didn't even fight back until the end.” She complains under her breath, but I catch it and sigh.
“Yes, you set up a barrier.” She continues, crossing her arms. “But what if someone had managed to slip through? What if the barrier had failed? Or someone had a quirk that bypassed it entirely?”
Technically, I had four other measures in place, just in case, but she's right.
'In a real scenario, there are villains with teleportation quirks who might’ve succeeded. I need to develop ways to restrict movement across space, and maybe even prepare countermeasures for time manipulation if that's ever possible.'
Of course, those contingencies are mainly for Eri and Himiko… maybe Momo and Mina too.
'Although… using any of that here would've been serious overkill.'
Still, I nod respectfully to Midnight. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
She seems satisfied with that, though several of my classmates look visibly crestfallen at the idea of me taking things even more seriously if they'd need to fight me again.
'Midnight better hope she’s not my opponent during the final exams.'
And as soon as that thought crosses my mind, her eyes narrow playfully as our gazes meet. A faint smirk plays at her lips like she heard me loud and clear… and I choose to pretend I didn't notice.
“Alright then, that’s everyone!” Midnight says cheerily, clapping her hands together. “Those of you with injuries, head over to Recovery Girl to get patched up.”
With that, she turns on her heel and struts off, her usual flirtatious energy hidden beneath a professional tone.
The class begins to disperse, a few students limping or nursing bruises. Kirishima’s arm is slung over Bakugo’s shoulder as they head for the nurse’s office, and Bakugo scowling, but not shaking him off.
“Oh, Okada!” I turn to the familiar booming voice. All Might gives me a huge grin and a theatrical wink. “You and Midoriya are needed in the principal’s office after this.”
I nod, already knowing what it's about.
(Izuku POV – U.A. Hallway)
I walk in silence beside Kata, my nerves buzzing under my skin. The soles of our shoes echo against the empty hallway, and with every step, I feel more awkward.
'Okay, okay, okay, just talk to him. Just say something. Anything. You’re walking next to Kata. This is fine. Totally fine. Breathe.'
I sneak another glance at him. He walks with calm, effortless motions, his gaze forward, and hands in his pockets. Meanwhile, I can’t even figure out how to hold my arms.
'Do I ask about his Quirk? That’s too direct. His training? What if he thinks I just want to copy him? I also want to thank him for saving us in Hosu. Maybe I should start with a compliment… no wait, that’s weird, what if he—'
“You’ve been glancing at me this entire time.” Kata says flatly.
I jump slightly. “Wh-what?”
He sighs, still walking, not even bothering to look at me. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
I flinch again, then cough awkwardly to try and hide my embarrassment. I straighten my back like that’ll make me seem more confident and manage a nervous smile.
“Uh… Okada—”
“Just call me Kata.” He interrupts, exhaling again. “It’s fine when the teachers use my surname, but we're classmates… it just sounds weird.”
I blink in surprise.
'Wait… is he just annoyed, or…?' I think in confusion. 'Did I offend him somehow? Or is he being friendly? Should I feel honored he's letting me call him by name? And… are we friends, if so?' My brain can’t decide.
“Ah—then you can call me Izuku! Or, uh, Deku! Whichever you prefer.” I add quickly, scratching the back of my neck and laughing weakly.
Kata doesn’t respond right away. He just keeps walking forward like nothing happened.
Right as I begin to think he either didn't hear me, or is ignoring me…
“…Izuku, then.” He says at last. “So? What did you want to say?”
I stare at him, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. His tone is so calm, so neutral, I can't tell if he's brushing me off or actually open to talking.
'Is he tolerating me? Or is this just… how he talks to people?'
Compared to others, he's much more expressive… but I haven't had much discussion with him.
I suddenly feel the weight of every word I want to say. About how much stronger he’s gotten. About how far ahead he is. About how everything he does seems calculated and effortless, while I’m still overthinking how to even take my first steps.
But all that comes out is:
“I just… think you're amazing.”
The moment I say it, I want to melt into the floor.
Kata pauses for a moment, then turns his head slightly, just enough to glance at me from the corner of his eye. His blood red eyes make my heart thump, as I worry over whether I've offended him.
“…Thanks.” He says quietly.
It’s a simple statement… but it doesn’t feel dismissive. 'If anything, I think he’s… maybe even a little caught off guard?'
I blink, then nod quickly, trying not to make it more awkward. “I—I mean, I’ve been wondering how you train, or how you—how you plan during battle. Your instincts are so sharp, and the way you use your Quirk is just—uh, sorry, I’m rambling again.”
“Yeah.” He nods once. “Try to keep it to one statement at a time.”
I flush, but for some reason… I think he's not actually bothered by my questions.
‘Or am I just misunderstanding him?’
I hesitate for a full minute, walking in silence next to Kata. I glance at him from the corner of my eye, chewing over what I want to ask, before finally forcing myself to speak.
“U-um, I guess I just wanted to… thank you for saving us in Hosu.” I start, and watch his reaction.
His expression doesn’t change as he quietly listens. More importantly, he doesn’t stop me, so I keep going.
“You took out all those Nomu… beat Stain… and saved Ida while I couldn't even move.” My voice tightens, and my fists clench at my sides. “I—I remember just lying there… useless. Watching Ida bleed out while Todoroki tried desperately to save him…”
The image is burned into my mind as it still weighs on me, even now.
“I want to be a hero like that, too. Someone who can act. Someone strong enough to save everyone… especially my friends.” I look up at him, meeting his eyes directly. “How can I be strong like you?”
Kata stops walking.
He turns to fully face me. His expression is as indifferent as always, and I brace myself.
"You can't." He says bluntly.
Just two words, and my heart drops.
But then he keeps speaking.
“You’re not me. You’re aiming for something different. I want to be the strongest… nothing less. But you...” He tilts his head slightly. “You want to be a hero who saves people with a smile, like All Might.”
My eyes widen.
‘He remembered that…?’
I blink quickly, swallowing hard, then shout, “Y-Yes!”
"I can't really inspire people, or make them feel safe. So you probably don't want to be like me." He says casually, but I feel like there's more meaning to his words.
“Uh—I mean… yeah.” I scratch the back of my neck, chuckling awkwardly. “But I still want to get stronger, though. So I was hoping maybe... you could give me some advice?”
He watches me fidget for a few seconds, as I try not to squirm under his gaze. Finally, he sighs.
“I can answer some questions.” He says, before turning back and continuing to walk down the hallway, not waiting for me.
My face lights up.
“Really?!” I beam, hurrying to catch up and immediately pulling out my notebook. I flip to the section I’ve prepared, just in case this ever happened.
“Okay! First, how do you train your quirk and your body?”
Kata doesn’t slow down. “I just use my quirk repeatedly, and for physique I use my quirk to apply added weight from all directions”
I blink rapidly. “Wait, like, omnidirectional gravity training? That’s genius!”
My mind is already racing with methods to apply it to myself. 'If I use OFA with weights that are heavy with the quirk active… would that speed up my growth? It'd help me better control my quirk too!'
I furiously jot down everything he says, occasionally asking follow-up questions. He answers them all with brief but precise answers.
We keep walking like that, my head down in my notes, throwing out one carefully prepared question after the next.
I don’t even realize we’re outside the principal’s office until Kata stops.
Reluctantly, I tuck my notebook away, disappointed that I didn’t even get through half of my list.
'I'll definitely get another chance.' I think with determination and excitement.
(Kata POV – Outside Nezu’s Office)
‘Who the hell prepares pages of questions for a conversation that might never happen?’
I glance at Izuku out of the corner of my eye, still watching him fumble to close his notebook with excitement written all over his face.
But I don’t really mind.
‘He’s genuine, tenacious, and honest.’
There’s nothing about him I particularly dislike—aside from some of his more… naive beliefs.
‘But that’s part of what makes him who he is.’
I exhale quietly through my nose. ‘Or maybe I’ve just been infected by the protagonist halo. Is this the infamous “Talk-no-Jutsu?"’
Before I can knock, Nezu’s voice calls out cheerfully from the other side of the door.
“Come in!”
I stare blankly at the door.
'…We haven't even knocked yet.' I sigh.
‘One more troublesome person to deal with.’
*************
A/N: Hello Everyone. How are y'all doing today?
So, for this chapter, honestly quite boring. But Kata's finally spending time with Izuku, yay. Feels like I haven't represented him much so far, but mainly because they had no points of contact. Seperate friend groups, plus, Kata's probably intimidating to Izuku.
So, provisionally, it'll probably be a reluctant mentorship relationship/friendship. Ofcourse, Kata won't go out of his way to help Izuku, but he won't blatantly ignore him, if Izuku approaches (provided it's not done too much).
Then, we all know what's gonna happen next, right? There were some spoilers on discord, since I was asking for advise on something, but I've settled on an answer, and I believe it'll come out well. Ofcourse, all that is subject to change.
And another thing of note, I guess, is Kata and Midnight's talk. It was interesting to me because they don't really have anything to criticize him on, so it was mainly meant to just remind him not to get cocky in real battles, since it could be a habit that forms during training. As for the time stuff, he mainly means it for Eri and so on. Himiko since he's already making her something later, and Momo and Mina... It was written like that to show his evolving feelings for them. They're being added to the people he cares about category, even if he himself isn't certain yet.
What else...? Nah. Think that's it for now.
So, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and have a good night (or day) 😁
![[73] You Can't Be Me](https://img5.patrefans.com/storage/2/cw/om/563145-019e907f-4f33-7923-960d-9b6aeba5aebb.jpg)
Comments
DaoOfAnime
Subjectively better btw cus I hate bnha world in general
DaoOfAnime
Eh honestly haven't read this in a while since ur danmachi one is so much better, but eh I have stacked up chaps nicely now ig
AMV Weakly
Truly a forbidden technique
mhpeli
"is this the infamous 'talk-no-jutsu'?" 💀
AMV Weakly
I'm glad you enjoyed it😁
Legnas
Merci pour le chapitre. J'aime ce chapitre, je l'ai pas trouver ennuyeux .
AMV Weakly
But Kata's already an all in one package🤣
Shadow Master
Thanks for the Chapter! And Kata can be the Muscles, and Izuku can be the Face!
AMV Weakly
Glad you liked it😁
pEmKayS
Thanks for the chapter:)
