MHA: Bat to the Future: The Other Midoriya

Chapter 145: How to Deal With Press 101



Meme In The Chapter

LET'S GOOOO! TOP 10 AGAIN! 

Show me some love!

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The rest of the interview was the usual scripted garbage… questions about our goals, our training, what it meant to be a hero, blah, blah, blah. Nothing that hadn't been asked a hundred times before. The final edit made it even worse. Somehow, they took our perfectly fine answers and cut them together like we had the verbal skills of a toddler on sedatives.

They edited out every moment the reporter fumbled, stuttered, or lost track of what she was saying and instead made it seem like we were the ones struggling. I barely spoke during half of it, but the way they cut it, it looked like I had forgotten how words worked. The part where I called her a bitch? Yeah, that got edited into some cutesy "grumpy kid being sassy to his mom" moment.

Bastards.

By the time the broadcast ended, half the class was groaning at how bad it was.

"You have got to be kidding me," Kaminari said, staring at his phone. "I didn't even stutter once, but they made it look like I forgot my own name."

Jiro tossed her phone onto the couch. "They made me look like I was trying to pass out from nerves instead of just answering questions."

"They cut half my explanation," Yaoyorozu muttered, scrolling through the video with narrowed eyes. "I spent minutes breaking down our strategy, and they turned it into a three-second clip where I look unsure of myself."

Mina crossed her arms. "Oh, please, at least they let you speak. My part was edited to make me look like I was just giggling the whole time."

"They really did us dirty," Sero said, shaking his head.

Toru tapped her phone. "Well, I think they kept my part accurate! I was invisible either way, so they couldn't mess it up."

Kaminari slumped against the couch. "This is why I hate media. It is all fake."

I exhaled. "Welcome to the industry, dumbass."

Before anyone could complain more, the door swung open.

Midnight strolled in like she was the Queen of Dorm 1-A. "Alright, kids, let's talk about how bad that was."

Mt. Lady followed behind her, sunglasses on, coffee in hand. "I have seen some disasters, but that was impressively bad."

Kaminari groaned. "It wasn't that bad."

Mt. Lady lowered her sunglasses. "You looked like you forgot how to talk."

"Because they edited it weird!"

Midnight clapped her hands once. "Doesn't matter. You are all future pros. If you can't handle the media, they will eat you alive."

Mineta twitched in the corner, shaking like a chihuahua in a snowstorm. His eyes darted toward Mt. Lady. The guy had done his first internship with her, thinking he would be surrounded by ahem quality assets. Instead, she used him as a personal errand boy. Cleaning duty, grocery runs, carrying bags…the works. All except laundry! The trauma was real.

She glanced at him and smirked. "Still mad about the internship, Grape Boy?"

Mineta whimpered. "I had dreams..."

"Should've read the fine print." She turned back to the class. "Alright, dumbasses. We are doing interview training. You are all trash at this, and we are fixing it."

Bakugo scoffed. "Like hell I need this."

Midnight sighed dramatically. "And yet, every time you open your mouth, PR teams have heart attacks."

Mt. Lady pointed at the TV. "They edited you out completely. That is how bad you are."

"GOOD."

She waved him off. "You? Lost cause. I am focusing on the ones who can be saved."

Yaoyorozu cleared her throat. "Is this really necessary? The interview was fine."

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "Fine? You sounded like a GPS voice reading a legal disclaimer."

Yaoyorozu bristled. "I was being professional."

Mt. Lady shrugged. "Yeah, and professional doesn't mean stiff. You sounded like you were about to file someone's taxes, not lead a team."

Sero grinned. "Yeah, Momo, loosen up. Throw in some pizzazz."

Yaoyorozu's eye twitched. "I will not be adding pizzazz."

Midnight rolled her eyes. "Look, we are teaching you to handle media and not sound like idiots. Some of you are better at this than others." She shot a look at me. "And some of you should probably have a leash at all times."

I snorted. "That is not my kink, no thanks."

Kaminari choked on his own spit. Mina wheezed.

Mt. Lady snorted. "Yeah, you are getting extra lessons."

Midnight turned to the class. "Let's start simple. Interview basics. Who can tell me the three golden rules?"

Silence.

Jiro muttered, "Don't say something that will get you arrested?"

Midnight clicked her tongue. "Close, but no. Three golden rules. One… control the narrative. The reporter asks the questions, but you guide the story."

Mt. Lady pointed. "Two… keep your energy right. If you sound like you don't care, neither will the audience."

Midnight nodded. "And three… never let them catch you off-guard." She smirked. "A moment of hesitation? They'll twist it into anything."

I smirked. "Wrong."

They all looked at me, waiting.

I leaned forward, tapping the table. "The only golden rule in interviews? They have the power to edit."

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Enlighten us."

I pulled out my phone, recording as I turned to Mt. Lady. "Ms. Mountain, do you like doing hero work?"

She sat up straighter, puffing her chest. "Of course."

I nodded. "Do you think you do a good job?"

She gave a confident smile. "I do."

I barely gave her a second before asking my last question. "Would you let me lie down on those giant knockers?"

She froze. The room went dead silent. Then she turned to me with murder in her eyes. "The fuck you just said?"

I waved a hand. "Doesn't matter." Three taps on my phone, quick edits, then I flipped the screen around for everyone to see. The video played…

"Would you let me lie down on those giant knockers?"

Mt. Lady puffed her chest. "I do. Of course."

The class exploded. Kaminari damn near fell off his seat, choking on his own laughter. Mina collapsed onto Uraraka's shoulder, gasping for air. Even Yaoyorozu covered her mouth, eyes wide with barely contained shock.

Mt. Lady snatched my phone out of my hand. "What the-" She played it again, her own voice repeating the cursed edit. "You little shit…"

Midnight whistled. "Oh, that is good."

Mt. Lady pointed at me. "Delete that. Right fucking now."

I held out my hand. "Give me my phone first."

She narrowed her eyes, gripping it tight. "You really edited that in, like, three seconds?"

Mina was wiping tears. "I need that skill."

Mt. Lady lunged like a kaiju denied caffeine, only for Midnight to block her with one hand and a smirk. "Save it for the PR battle, sweetheart."

I tapped the table again. "And that is why you never trust the media. They can cut, rearrange, and turn you into an idiot without you even realizing it."

Yaoyorozu exhaled, composing herself. "That is… disturbingly effective."

Mt. Lady shoved my phone back at me. "Swear to god, kid, if that gets out…"

"Relax, it is just an example." I pocketed my phone. "But now you see why 'control the narrative' doesn't mean shit if someone else has the final say."

Kaminari leaned back. "Okay, so what? We just never do interviews?"

Midnight waved him off. "No, dumbass. You just make sure they can't twist your words against you."

I stretched, rolling my shoulders, and pointed at the TV where leaked footage of our interview was playing. "Or you do what I do… always have leverage. Now my lawyers are speaking to theirs."

Mt. Lady squinted at the screen. "You have lawyers?"

"Of course," I said. "They work for me full-time. Mostly to keep me out of jail."

Midnight smirked. "Smart."

Kaminari leaned in, staring at the TV. "Wait… when did this get leaked?"

Sero pulled out his phone, scrolling. "A couple of hours ago. Some dude on QuirkNet posted the raw footage, without any tempering."

Mina clapped her hands. "Finally! The real interview."

Yaoyorozu sighed. "It still lacks proper context. They could…"

"Oh, we will be fine, Yaomomo," Jiro muttered, watching the screen. "This version actually makes us sound like normal people."

The clip showed the unedited moment where I called the reporter a bitch. The comments were already a mess.

"Finally, someone calls them out on their bullshit."

"Midoriya is a menace and I respect it."

"Dude just casually dropped an insult and kept it moving. Icon."

"REPORTER WAS BEGGING FOR IT LOL."

I waved a hand at the TV. "See? Public opinion already forgot how bad they made us look."

Mt. Lady sighed. "I hate that you are right."

Mina scrolled through her phone. "Oh, people are making memes."

Kaminari snickered. "Let me guess- 'Ryuu's Lawyer Fund'?"

Sero held up his screen. A picture of me, deadpan, with the caption: "Me in court after calling a reporter a bitch on live TV." Below it, another picture of All Might nodding sagely, labeled: "JUSTICE."

(Check Here)

Mina wheezed. "Oh my god."

Midnight crossed her arms, smirking. "Congrats, Midoriya. You are a cultural phenomenon."

Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Tch. You dumbasses are acting like this is a good thing."

I gestured at the comments. "It is."

Kaminari scrolled further. "Dude, there is fan edits already."

Toru leaned over his shoulder. "Oh! Play one!"

He tapped a video. A dramatic montage played… clips of me roasting people, fighting, and casually insulting the media, all set to some over-the-top soundtrack.

I pointed at the screen. "Now that is how you edit footage."

Sero burst out laughing. "Someone just photoshopped you onto a courtroom sketch labeled 'Ryuu Midoriya v. The System.'"

Kaminari held up his phone. "Tagline says 'Guilty of being based.'"

Mt. Lady was still staring at my phone like it had personally betrayed her entire brand.

"You are evil," Midnight whispered.

I grinned. "Flattering."

"Do not encourage him," Yaoyorozu muttered, covering her face.

Midnight cackled. "Oh, I am not encouraging. I am just impressed."

"I am going to call your mother," Mt. Lady said flatly, pointing at me.

I blinked. "Joke is on you. She blocks unknown numbers."

"You little-"

Kaminari jumped in, waving his phone. "Too late! Memes are evolving. Someone deepfaked Ryuu into a commercial for lawyer insurance."

Mina choked. "WHAT? Send it!"

He hit play. Ryuu's deadpan face, cut into a black-and-white frame: "Did you verbally obliterate a reporter on national TV? You may be entitled to compensation. Better Call Ryuu!"

I raised both hands. "Okay, that one is funny."

Bakugo growled in the corner. "You are all fucking idiots."

"You are just mad no one memes you," Sero said, leaning back.

"They better fucking not!"

"Oh, they will," Toru teased. "Give it time."

Mt. Lady sank into the nearest chair, groaning. "This is why I don't want mentoring. You kids are feral."

Midnight winked. "And we love them for it."

Yaoyorozu pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is absurd."

Midnight tapped her chin. "No, this is marketing. Keep this up, and you won't even need an agency."

I shrugged. "Already don't."

Mt. Lady threw her hands up. "This isn't how things are supposed to work."

--

"I came here to win. To build alliances. To binge-read 142 chapters."

Camera zooms in.

"But when Ryuu asked for Power Stones? I… I said nothing."

Other contestants glare.

Narrator:

"They were voted off the island.

Because they never voted on the island."

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