Buying My Way Through the Multiverse

As soon as Gray woke up and made breakfast, he checked on his gold. Seeing that he had 599,399 gold available, he opened the upgrades tab and bought the next two multipliers in succession.

[New Upgrades]

(155300 Gold) +0.05x ✔

(420000 Gold) +0.05x ✔

[New Hourly Rate]

82,387 (48,463) Gold/Hour

Gold: 24,099

The next few hours passed fast, until about noon when he received a phone call. Picking up the phone, and All Might’s booming voice came from the other end.

”Morning, Gray-shonen!” he said, his tone bursting with its usual energetic volume. ”I’m about to go give my first class and wondered if you wanted to join, since you’ll be doing the same thing pretty much!”

Gray smiled. ”Sure. I’ll be there soon.”

As he hung up the phone, Eri was already standing by the door, ready to leave with him.

Walking over to the classroom, he heard everyone in Class 1-A buzzing with excitement. Apparently, All Might had already shown up dramatically and told them the full plan for today’s lesson, handing everyone custom gear cases containing their own designed costumes.

Seeing Gray standing at the door, All Might offered a nod and guided him toward Ground Beta to get set up. Arriving at the training grounds, Gray saw that the massive space looked exactly like a real, completely abandoned city.

’This school goes to the limit for these things...’ he remarked to himself, taking in the scale of the concrete buildings and intersections.

Finally, after about 5 minutes, everyone from Class 1-A started arriving at the simulated cityscape in their hero costumes. Some of them were dressed in pretty much just tight spandex and looked like they didn’t belong, while some others opted for functional, heavily customized armor sets that were actually suited for their specific Quirks.

Some students were surprised to see Gray standing next to All Might. But once they remembered the details they had heard from Aizawa earlier, they knew Gray was there to give them more specialized training than what UA could offer. Some of them nodded respectfully. Gray simply waved back at them casually.

Eri looked super excited at seeing all the heroes suited up in their vibrant gear. She grabbed Gray’s pants, her small fingers tugging at the fabric. Gray looked down and knelt next to her, keeping his posture relaxed. ”What’s wrong?” he asked her softly.

Hesitant, she finally found the courage to ask, ”Can I also dress up?” She pointed her tiny finger towards the colorful students on the pavement.

Seeing how she was acting, Gray laughed heartily. ”Of course you can!” He thought for a brief moment, a smile on his face. ”Any specific costume you want?”

Eri’s eyes sparkled with pure joy as she announced she wanted to look just like Gray. Gray simply told her to stand perfectly still as he raised his hand. He used his clothes beam skill to make a perfect miniature replica of his own Xeno Goku outfit, complete with the dark red vest and sash. Of course, he made sure her clothes weren’t weighted so she could move around comfortably.

Eri, seeing herself in her brand-new outfit, exclaimed, ”Ohhhh!” She kept looking down, giggling and turning around in circles to admire her miniature warrior gear.

Bakugo, seeing that scene, looked furious. ”Tch,” he said as he spat to the side. ”So stupid,” he murmured to himself, but it was still loud enough for some of the surrounding students to hear him. Gray heard him as well.

”Got anything to say, 4th place?” Gray asked, his tone dripping with casual mockery.

Bakugo was about to open his mouth to snap back, but he abruptly decided to keep quiet once he remembered who was standing in front of him. If the literal Symbol of Peace, All Might, was getting effortlessly played with and swatted around by this guy, Bakugo knew he didn’t want to try anything stupid.

Seeing that Bakugo stayed quiet, Gray’s smile went right back onto his face. ”Thought so,” he said, turning his gaze away as he kept watching Eri finally start acting like a normal, happy girl her age.

Finally, after a few more minutes, All Might stepped forward and started speaking, his voice booming across Ground Beta. ”We will be doing Battle Trials!” Once the students calmed themselves down from the excitement, he continued, ”We will split the class into groups of two, and they will battle inside this simulated city. One team will act as the heroes, while the other team will be the villains!”

All Might continued explaining the exercise layout. He detailed the interior blueprints of the concrete buildings, explaining that deep inside the designated hideout, there would be a dummy nuclear bomb that the heroes needed to locate and physically touch. The heroes would win the match if they touched the bomb or captured the villains by defeating them or securing them tightly in a special capture tape he handed out to every student. The villains would win by guarding the payload and letting the 10-minute timer run out without the heroes touching the bomb, or by defeating the heroes outright.

All Might let the computer automate the teams.

TEAM A was Ochaco Uraraka and Izuku Midoriya.

TEAM B was Mezo Shoji and Shoto Todoroki.

TEAM C was Minoru Mineta and Momo Yaoyorozu.

TEAM D was Iida Tenya and Katsuki Bakugo.

TEAM E was Mina Ashido and Yuga Aoyama.

TEAM F was Rikido Sato and Koji Koda.

TEAM G was Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro.

TEAM H was Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui.

TEAM I was Mashirao Ojiro and Toru Hagakure.

And finally, TEAM J was Eijiro Kirishima and Hanta Sero.

Gray, seeing the teams on the digital monitor, thought to himself, ’Same teams as in canon...’

All Might pulled out two boxes, one marked as Villains and the other as Heroes. Pulling out two balls from the heroes’ box, he drew Team A. From the villains’ box, he pulled Team D.

Seeing that, Gray scoffed out loud. ”Ironic. The guy acting like a villain actually gets to be one.”

”What was that!?” Bakugo yelled from the back of the crowd, his palms aggressively sparking.

”Easy there, short fuse. Don’t go blowing a blood vessel,” Gray smirked, completely unbothered.

Bakugo, hearing how he was being teased, was about to explode with rage. Fortunately, a few students like Kirishima quickly grabbed his arms and shoulders, telling him to cool down before he actually got beat up.

All Might finally told the remaining students, except for the two teams he had just called out, to leave the area and head to the main monitor room. Moving out with the crowd, Gray slipped away from the pack and walked closer to Izuku. ”Yo, Izuku!”

Izuku, hearing the familiar voice, turned around instantly. ”Ah, Gray-san! Did something happen?” he asked, adjusting his green hood.

”No, nothing like that. I just wanted to speak with you about something real quick.” Gray leaned closer to Izuku and whispered in his ear. ”If you lose to that guy, I will double or triple your next training session.” Gray’s smile widened even more.

Izuku, the moment he heard the terrifying threat, started cold sweating down his neck. He looked up at Gray with a look of pure dread. ”Gray-san... that’s a joke, right?” His legs actually started shaking beneath his red boots. ”I’m already tired all the time from the current weights. If you up my training, I might actually die!”

Gray stood up straight, his face unyielding. ”Don’t lose then.” As he started walking away toward the exit, he paused and turned his head around. ”Also, if you use more than 10% of your power, the exact same thing will happen. Good luck!”

Izuku stood frozen on the concrete, looking as if someone had just told him his favorite puppy had died.

Uraraka cautiously walked over to his side, looking at his pale face with deep concern. ”What was that about? You know him?”

”Ah, Uraraka-san,” Izuku smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. ”Yes, actually, I’ve already been training with Gray-san for two weeks now.”

”Really!?” Uraraka exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization. ”Is that why you’re so strong?”

”Yeah, he taught me how to control my power better and get better at using it without destroying my body,” Izuku said. His mind flashed back to the grueling gravity drills and the brutal obstacle courses inside the pocket dimension. He remembered his muscles transforming little by little, adjusting to the raw burden of One For All.

”Oh! No wonder I didn’t see you get injured like at the entrance test!” Uraraka clapped her hands together, a bright smile on her face. ”Good for you, Deku-kun!” She cheerfully slapped him on the back.

”Ah, yeah... thanks,” Izuku stammered, his face instantly turning red. He looked down, completely flustered since he had never really interacted with a girl before.

Bakugo, of course, got to watch the entire interaction from across the street. He stared holes into Izuku’s back, his chest heaving as he watched that asshole walk away after whispering to the nerd. A few angry explosions triggered in his palms, the smell of burnt ozone filling the air.

Iida stepped closer, adjusting his white helmet, and urged Bakugo to move. ”Bakugo-kun, the match will begin shortly! We must head into the building right now so we can start preparing for the assault!”

Bakugo clicked his tongue, turning around with a scowl as he marched inside. The stage was set, and the countdown was about to begin.

Before the countdown ended, Izuku and Uraraka had stood outside the building, explaining to each other how their Quirks worked in detail. Izuku meticulously analyzed the utility of her Zero Gravity.

Meanwhile, deep inside the dark corridors of the villains’ building, Bakugo’s anger kept rising by the minute. The pure humiliation of the previous day’s ranking was a heavy weight in his chest. He leaned against the concrete pillar, his palms sparking dangerously.

”Hey, Four-eyes,” he called out, his voice low and jagged.

”Fo-four-eyes!?” Iida paused, adjusting his heavy white arm guards as he moved his hands rigidly up and down in a swift, chopping motion. ”Listen, Bakugo-kun! I know we are portraying villains for this exercise, but I would highly prefer it if you called me by my proper name, Iida Tenya!”

”Tch, as if I care,” Bakugo spat, stepping away from the wall. ”That damn nerd Deku has a Quirk, right?” he asked, his crimson eyes narrowing.

”You mean Midoriya-kun? Yes, he has one,” Iida replied, turning back to stack the loose crates around the room. ”He single-handedly destroyed the massive Zero Pointer giant during the practical entrance exam. Why do you ask?”

”That fucking nerd!” Bakugo roared, a massive blast erupting from his palm as he turned on his heel and left the room without another word.

”Oi! Wait a moment!” Iida yelled after him, his voice echoing down the stairwell, but it was to no avail. Bakugo was already tearing down the concrete hallway, completely out for blood.

Izuku and Uraraka went into the building, checking room by room. Izuku kept glancing back, half expecting to see an explosion flying his way any time now. The way Gray had taunted Kacchan earlier probably made him restless. As luck would have it, as soon as he turned around towards another corridor, he saw Kacchan’s gauntlet a few inches from his face. His eyes widened as his body instantly activated Full Cowl at 10%; he grabbed Uraraka out of the way in a flash.

BOOM!

The corridor exploded not even a second later, blowing a massive hole through the concrete wall and kicking up a thick layer of smoke.

Izuku was intact, as was Uraraka. ”Thank you, Deku-kun,” Uraraka said, coughing slightly through the dust as she went into a fighting stance.

Izuku, seeing the way Bakugo looked, instantly knew he was out for blood, and his target was no other than himself. Sighing, he quickly told Uraraka the next plan. ”Uraraka-san, hurry up and try to find the bomb. I will keep Kacchan busy.”

”Are you sure, Deku-kun?” Uraraka asked, looking worriedly at the smoking gauntlets down the hall.

Izuku’s eyes never left Bakugo’s. ”Yeah, you can probably slip past him. He will come after me.”

”Okay, I got it!” she said as she waited for an opportunity to slip past Bakugo.

”You will keep me busy?” Bakugo said, a feral grin twisting his face. ”Come on then, show me that Quirk of yours!”

He prepared another big blast, raising his arm to trigger his palm. But before he could even raise his hand, Izuku dashed forward and threw a punch towards Bakugo’s middle section. Bakugo, seeing how fast Izuku moved, quickly threw a few small explosions to get out of the way.

”Yeah,” Izuku said, matching Bakugo’s glare with steady determination. ”I will show it to you,” he said as he went into a fighting stance.

”You fucking nerd!” Bakugo screamed, completely enraged by the counterattack, and lunged into the fight first.