Minoru and his quirk trained hard together, testing their bond with each other. Minoru was not disappointed. Smoker didn't make this difficult at all, both he and Minoru together showed just how compatible they were with each other. Smoker really helped Minoru in areas he was seriously lacking, thus increasing his prowest in a fight.

"Phew, nice Smoker. Thanks. This was a good session." Minoru smiled at his smoke arm.

Smoker merely shook up and down as to comply with him.

"Heh. However as good as this was...this was just us training alone. I actually want to test our combined might against someone." Minoru never really thought he'd find himself actually seeking a fight.

Guess this whole thing really has stirred some changes in him or maybe this new power gave him new found confidence. Either way. He wanted to push a bit further.

Suddenly Minoru heard the doors to the training area open and he quickly turned to see his class enter along with Aizawa. Minoru kinda cursed under his teeth by not paying attention to the time.

The others quickly laid eyes on him as well as Aizawa. His teacher then made his way to him not looking amused.

"Mineta, what are you doing here?" Aizawa asked with a sharp tone.

"I just...wanted to hone this new power. Also look!" Minoru showed off his smoke arm.

Aizawa looked surprised.

"I think I got the hang of this quirk now. It can act as my replacement arm instead of a prosthetic..." Minoru proposed.

"Sigh, Mineta. I get your not a fan of the idea but we don't know the full limitations of your new quirk and I really wouldn't rely on it so heavily this early on." Aizawa tried to reason with the boy.

"Aizawa please! This is much better! It can become whatever I need or want, It can stretch and so so many other things some dumb metal arm can't! Not only that, a prosthetic will only hinder me. My sticky balls will stick to it if I try grabbing one with it and pretty much render that hand useless. This arm can do it with no issue. Please Aizawa..." Minoru pleaded with his teacher.

As much as Aizawa wanted to argue back, Minoru did have good points. He grumbled to himself and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine, but if your quirk becomes unreliable, we'll have the prosthetic ready and you WILL wear it." Aizawa gave a stern look to the boy.

"Yes sir. Thanks!" Minoru bowed.

"From what I can see your new quirk is coming along quite nicely." Momo spoke out to Minoru.

"Yeah man! You're climbing up!" Kaminari smiled.

Bakuguo finally had heard enough and shouted. "WHO THE FUCK CARES?! NEW QUIRK OR NOT HE'S STILL A PUSSY MIDGET!" He roared.

Minoru did something very unexpected. "Ya know for someone who doesn't care, you sure care enough to make a scene about it." Minoru said with a snarky tone.

"You got something to say piss stain?!" Bakuguo yelled.

"Actually yes and that is, why don't you go be quiet for a change? Or at the very least speak at normal volume. Seriously dude your voice could rattle every house and building within a 10 mile radius." Minoru placed his hand on his hip.

Everyone was once again stunned by Minoru's new behavior. He actually had the balls to talk down to Bakuguo without even looking remotely scared.

"Better watch what you say next dick weed...you're already 1 foot in the grave." Bakuguo scowled.

"I don't doubt I've had a hand in digging my own grave Bakuguo and my death will come one day. However, it won't be today or any time soon and more importantly..." Minoru walked closer and looked up, staring Bakuguo dead in the eyes.

"It sure as Hell won't come by you." Minoru eyes were void of any hesitation.

A silent tension built in the air at Minoru's last line. Even Aizawa was somewhat phased by it.

Bakuguo's glare became a burning death glare. He HATED it when someone challenged him, especially others weaker than him. So the fact this cry baby midget was standing just inches from him talking down on him with a straight face enraged him.

"I can read that look in your eyes and I accept." Minoru spoke to Bakuguo.

"Accept what midget?" Bakuguo spat.

"You wanna fight and put me in my place right? Call my bluff? See just how buch bite than bark I am? I know I'm right. So let's go." Minoru took a few steps back.

"Mineta?! You're challenging Bakuguo?!" Ochako exclaimed with concern.

"Mineta, no." Aizawa glared.

"Please Aizawa. This will really show where my training needs to go from here. I need a real field test. Please approve this fight. If it gets too heated you can end it right there and then. This isn't to prove a point or settle a score. This is to test my new abilities and limitations." Minoru looked to his teacher with an honest look.

Aizawa closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Very well Mineta. But I will end this if it gets out of hand and afterwards you are to head back to the dorms and rest." Aizawa said to Minoru.

"Thanks, teach. Really." Minoru smiled.

"Tch, whatever. I needed a good warm up before I started training." Bakuguo took a stance.

"Ooooh shit it's going down!~" Kaminari had a grin ear to ear.

"Denki...he is your friend right? Aren't you worried about him? I mean this is Bakuguo here..." Jirou looked to Denki with confusion.

"Well of course I am but....I believe he can win. Why? Cause friends believe in each other and I believe in him." Denki smiled.

"Yes Denki is correct. I believe in Mineta." Iida spoke with a smile.

"Y-Yeah I do too!" Izuku smiled with his notebook out.

"Do your best Minoru-kun!" Momo shouted.

Minoru looked over to Momo hearing that. Minoru-kun? Using first names now? Whatever he thought. It was time to focus.

Aizawa stepped back to the edge of the training area along with the other students. "Remember this is sparring. If this fight gets out of control it ends." Aizawa reminded them both.

"Yes sir." Minoru nodded, readying himself and Smoker's arm became claw-like.

"It'll be over in 3 seconds." Bakuguo got into position.

"Begin." Aizawa gave them the okay.

"( Smoker I'm counting on you, let's work together. )" Minoru got ready.

Bakuguo aimed his arms back and blasted himself at Minoru like a rocket. Minoru's smoke arm shot forward and reached out to grab Bakuguo, however the blonde boy made a second explosion sending himself up over the smoke hand. Suddenly the smoke arm branched out and sprouted some tendrils that wrapped around Bakuguo's arms and hands to his sides.

"Agh! Tch...not good enough!" Bakuguo twists his wrists and let out two explosions to free himself but as soon as his hands let loose some sparks...the purple smoke glowed and explodes point blank on the blonde.

"AAAGH!" A purple explosion erupted on Bakuguo and he fell to the ground but on his feet. He was scuffed up bad.

"Wow! What the Hell was that?!" Minoru watched as the smoke created from the explosion was sucked in by his smoke arm and it increased in size.

"It can absorb smoke around it and add to itself!" Izuku jotted this down in his book.

"Why did you explode like that?..." His smoke arm recoiled back to him.

"I dont get i-wait....You're not just smoke. You're smoke mixed with gunpowder! Oh man that makes you so much more powerful!" Minoru praised Smoker.

"Gunpowder? My word." Momo was astonded.

"Damn, yo! Go Minoru!" Kaminari cheered.

"It's really unfortunate for Bakuguo. This new quirk seems to be a hard counter to his quirk. The smoke from his explosions will only add to and make Minoru's quirk stronger and explosions made at close range with the smoke will trigger an explosion that will damage him." Shoto spoke.

"Agh....You think that'll be enough to save you huh shortie?!" Bakuguo roared.

"You should worry more about saving yourself." Minoru's smoke arm dug into the ground. Tremors crackled along the ground and smoke tendrils shot out the ground around Bakuguo.

The blonde quickly blasted himself into the air. He blasted himself left, right, up and down as he dodged the tendrils in mid air. As Bakuguo dodged the smoke he felt some sticky balls hit him. He looked over and saw Minoru chucking his sticky balls as he evaded his smoke quirk.

This wasn't good. With each explosion he made to avoid his quirk, the smoke made from them was being absorbed by Minoru's quirk thus making it bigger and stronger. Also if Minoru got any more balls on him, he could run the risk of getting stuck to the ground if he was knocked over.

He decided to end it. NOW. Bakuguo made two explosions to propel himself far backwards and land some distance away from Minoru and his quirk. He placed both hands forward and got ready for two full power explosions.

Minoru's eyes widened knowing what was coming next. Bakuguo then unleashed his two monster blasts at Minoru. Minoru seemed to have been engulfed by the blasts.

"DUUUUDE!" Kaminari cried out.

Aizawa simply watched, seeing exactly what happened at the last second.

Momo covered her mouth in slight horror. "I-Is he okay?..."

When the dust cleared...Minoru was nowhere in sight.

"What?" Bakuguo looked around quickly but then suddenly a massive smoke cloud rose from the ground and formed into a giant smoke hand and grabbed Bakuguo in its grip.

"AGH!" Bakuguo struggled to free himself but it was to no avail as the smoke hand smashed him down onto the ground. "GAAAH!" The blonde wailed crashing into the ground.

The smoke then formed into a sphere and Minoru dropped out of it and landed on his feet.

"THAT, was clever Smoker. Using the channels you made in the ground as an escape method." Minoru praised his quirk yet once again.

Smoker reformed his smoke arm and held it up to Minoru. "Hehe." Minoru high fived him.

Bakuguo growled and struggled as he tried to get off the ground, however Minoru's sticky balls kept him pinned to the ground.

"YOU FUCKING LITTLE SHIT!" Bakuguo roared at Minoru.

"Guess it wasn't my time. Again. Maybe life actually has some plans for me after all." Minoru smirked lightly.

His classmates were blown away. Did MINETA...really just best Bakuguo?

"That's my bro! WOO!" Kaminari ran over to him.

"He really has gotten stronger..." Jirou smiled lightly.

"Yes, he has. It's...almost like he's a different person now." Momo looked to Minoru.

"That fight was amazing! His new quirk is amazing!" Izuku smiled jotting down the climax of the battle.

"He's a REAL man now! Ah damn now I wanna spar with em!" Kirishima smirked ear to ear cracking his knuckles.

Kaminari came over and patted his small friend on the back. "Friggin sweet man! You sure showed him! God, you're a real badass now! I knew you could do it!" He smiled.

"Thanks Denki..." Minoru looked away smiling a bit.

"Talk to you later?" Minoru offered.

Denki was happy for his pal to finally want to talk to him. "Sure man. After classes?"

"That works. See ya then..." Minoru smiled faintly at him.

There was the smile Denki hadn't seen in too long.

"Okay Mineta, you've assessed your new abilities. Now dorm. Rest." Aizawa said sternly.

Minoru nodded and walked off. Upon doing so he looked back to his class. Most of them had looks of disbelief, which he liked. It made the victory all the more sweeter. He proved he had caught up to them and that he was no longer a pushover. However when he laid eyes on Momo...she was giving him this very odd smile. It was a very warm soft smile. To be honest normally he'd kill for any girl to look at him this way but in light of his current state of mind. It kinda weirded him out a bit, so he made the eye contact brief and quickly left faster.

"( Hehehe...I actually feel kinda good. Not great but...good and that is good enough for now. )" Minoru chuckled to himself a bit.

Just then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and checked it out. It was a text from Ace.

Ace: "Helloooooo new pal o mine!~"

Minoru smiled and texted back.

Minoru: "Hey Ace. Wassup? Aren't you in class?"

Ace: "Yes, but it's BORING AF. Sooo I'm goofyin around and texting ya."

Minoru chuckled.

Minoru: "You should focus in class Ace."

Ace: "Oh don't worry. I'm mega smart and get good grades without really trying. Top in the class fun fact.~"

Minoru: "Pff, wow. You're incredible."

Ace: "I know, I know. It's a gift."

Minoru: "It sure is."

Ace: "Hehehe, well I got some news for ya good and bad."

Minoru's smile dropped and he groaned.

Minoru: "Just get the bad news out of the way."

Ace: "Ya may have more than just the staff to deal with soon. Cause dude whoever is trying to frame you is once again by that video not very smart but they're committed. I'll give em that. I've been hearin rumors about you from my class. Saying you've done this and that recently but I know for a fact you haven't. So they're more than likely trying to spread rumors about you so that when they try using that video against you, students vouch for it to try and give it more credit."

Minoru gripped his phone very tightly and his blood boiled. What was pissing him off the most was that he didn't even know this person. Whoever this person is he had NOT wronged.

Ace: "Punk. Total punk I tell ya. Seriously I stand it when people do this. They heard about someone who's messed up a lot and take it as an opportunity to be an ass to them and justify it by thinking since the person is seen as a bad person it's okay and they deserve it. Bullshit. It's just an excuse for someone to hurt someone else because it brings them pleasure."

Ace: "I've been there Minoru. You're not alone. I've had some major fuck ups in my life. All of them were my fault due to my immaturity, arrogance and bad habits...and for it I lost a lot if not all the friends I ever came to know and for it. I was labeled much like you and looked down on by others. But...I figured if I owned it, they couldn't get to me."

Minoru smiled faintly.

Minoru: "Thanks for sharing that Ace."

Ace: "No problem bud. Now good news, I may have a starting place to begin to track down this punk. It's for sure someone in my dorm building. So that narrows down the search a bit and I got ways to get info out of people. Just one of my many mad skills.~"

Minoru: "That's good, let me know if I can help. Also what dorm building are you in?"

Ace: "1-C dorm building."

Minoru: "Hmm. Okay thanks for letting me know and thanks for helping me."

Ace: "Hey, we outcast gotta stick together. If people wanna take a shot at us, they better pray they don't miss. Cause they'll be catching trouble from both of us. Trust."

Ace: "Say let's meet up tonight and chat."

Minoru: "You know what? Sure. I'm eager to see you again."

Ace: "Don't fall for me just yet Sweetcheeks.~" ;)

Minoru: "Should be saying that to you Sugartits."

Ace: "Ohohohoho, a wise ass. I dig that. Oop. Gotta go. See ya tonight. 8:20?"

Minoru: "I can do that."

Ace: "Awesome sauce. Later Alligator."

Minoru smiled and put his phone away but then let out a long sigh.

"Why me? Can't I just be left alone? Even when I go quiet, I can't seem to catch a break." Minoru pinched the bridge of his nose and continued walking back to the dorm.

He was gonna take a LONG session on his harmonica when he got back to his room. As much of an annoyance Ace's news was. He was happy she was helping him and that he could see her again. To be honest, he's thought of her a lot since they're first meeting. Maybe there's something special about her or maybe she was the first girl he's ever had a normal conversation with. Either way....

He really enjoyed her company.

To be continued.