Chapter 28: Gym Time – Part VISummary:
Quirk Analysis of:
Tsuyu Asui - [Frog]
Mashiraro Ojiro - [Tail]
Togaru Kamakiri - [Razor Sharp]
Setsuna Tokage - [Lizard Tail Splitter]
Yosetsu Awase - [Weld]
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"MIDORIYA!"
The shout echoed in the entrance of Heights Alliance, the word being spoken with so much force one could have heard it from all the way up to the last floor.
"Kamakiri, keep it down!" He heard Kendo shout from behind him, followed by the steps of his classmates.
But Togaru was a man on a mission, so he turned his focus onto the first people in range: the masked giant and the bird-headed emo, both now staring at him from a couch in the lounge.
- Octopus and the Ugly Duckling. They should know. -
"Where is he?" he asked, his question more of a command.
The two didn't answer verbally, clearly taken aback by his sudden bursting into the dorm, but their eyes had moved to the left for just a moment, giving him all the information he needed.
Turning without wasting a second and ignoring Kendo, Shoda, and the others who were getting inside, Togaru strode towards the study room, slamming the door open and catching everybody's attention.
The greenette was sitting with some of class 1-A, the students concentrated on their math books. Midoriya's eyes rose from the problems he'd been helping Dopey Battery with.
Despite the surprise on most of the teens' faces, and the start of a scolding coming from the tall guy with glasses, Midoriya didn't appear bothered by his entrance in the least.
"Hi Kamakiri, can I help you?"
His tone was so openly approachable that Togaru needed a moment to find his focus again.
"You," he started, stepping over to the table while keeping their gazes locked. "What the hell have you done with those guys?! What the fuck did you teach them?!"
"Language!" Bluenette Four Eyes shouted, making the noise increase and Punk Shorty cover her ears in annoyance.
"Kamakiri!" Kendo finally caught up, stomping to his side and giving a sigh to the greenette. "Sorry Midoriya, he just rushed over."
"No worries," Midoriya circled the table, walking right into Togaru's face. "I assume you got your ass kicked?"
Kendo tried to mediate. "I wouldn't say-"
"Mm," Kodai interjected, deadpan.
"Big time," Shoda translated with a little smile.
"Yui!" the redhead spoke through her teeth.
Togaru decided to ignore the girls' bickering, stepping forward and keeping his eyes squared on the shorter, but more dangerous, teen.
"Yeah," he growled.
He hated admitting it, but he had already been beaten twice by people helped by this guy. He hadn't known it back then, but Koda's way of using ants during the tournament was his idea. Today he'd gotten blasted by Kendo, Kodai, and Kaibara. And he'd seen what Shiozaki, Shoda and Shishida had done on their other unassuming classmates. It had been a massacre.
"I got fucking demolished, you happy? I want in whatever it is you're doing."
Four Eyes repeated his warning about bad words, but hell if he cared.
Midoriya kept a calm expression. "You only had to ask. I said you're welcome to, didn't I? But we shouldn't be doing any extra training until internships are over."
"We shouldn't?" The blonde douche collapsed on his math book.
"Why not?" the girl with pink cheeks asked for him.
"Filling your head with new strategies you'd have to think about and work on could deter you from learning as much as you could from Pros. You can't focus on too much stuff at the same time if you want to get good results," Midoriya explained, seemingly steeled in his reasoning. "And I'll still be here when we come back, so it's not like we're in a rush."
Togaru clicked his tongue. It didn't sound too farfetched, but he wasn't going home empty-handed.
"Really? You aren't just saying that cause you got no idea on how to deal with us?" he teased, hoping to stir up some of the boy's pride.
He got his wish.
Midoriya looked at him for a couple of seconds, then sighed. "If you really want to go Plus Ultra, at your own risk... I may be able to get some free time on Saturday."
"Yes!" Dopey Battery and Melty Pink cheered. They seemed even happier than he was.
"But," Midoriya interjected, "only if you've already finished every single piece of homework we'll get from here until the end of the week."
Togaru frowned, and a couple more disgruntled expression could be seen between those that had hoped for the extra session.
Midoriya rubbed the back of his head, starting to explain. "Look, we both know the teachers are trying to drown us in homework before next week comes around, and we have no choice but to deal with it now. I want to help you, but anything I do shouldn't get in the way of our studies. Especially yours," he concluded, making Dopey Battery and Melty Pink look down on their books, one groaning, one pouting.
"It's a sensible solution," Four Eyes nodded, joined by Frog, Ponytail, and Rocky.
"I want in!" Setsuna yelled from the door. "Reiko, help me with Cementoss's stuff!"
"I'll have to work hard too," the guy with the tail mumbled.
"I'd take the deal if I were you, Kamakiri," Kendo offered, clearly seeing a way out of the situation.
It was all well and good, but Togaru wasn't going to go through two more trainings with Vlad King without a secret to not get his ass kicked. Kendo's fist had got him in the gut without warning, Kodai had trashed him with some extra-large trashcans, and Kaibara's after-victory smug look had made him want to really cut him.
He'd go insane at this rate.
"Need time to think? Got nothing now?" he tried to prick at his ego one last time.
Midoriya sighed again, locking eyes with him with a thoughtful expression. "If I give you something, will you then wait with everybody else?"
"Sure," he accepted, smirking under his steely mandibles, "just make it good. No useless crap."
The teen nodded, sizing him up and down.
"Alright, I'll give you something cool. Stretch your arm. Create a small scalpel. Loosen your muscles." Togaru complied, despite the weirdly specific request, a smooth metallic blade coming out of his forearm.
He saw Midoriya frown slightly, pointing behind him. "What's that?"
Togaru turned. Falling for the oldest trick in the book like a fucking moron.
He immediately felt the movement, the sensation of something being ripped away from his arm making him jump in place and retract the limb at lightning speed.
"Motherfucker!" he yelled, bringing the now knife-less arm closer to his chest. It didn't look like anything bad had happened to it, but the sensation had been so foreign that it had scared him.
He raised his eyes, seeing how Midoriya was holding the blade between his fingers.
"What the hell?!" Two voices came from not too far, Awase and Tokage getting to his side in a second.
"Since when can you do that?" T-Rex-Girl asked, pointing between him and the blade.
"I can't!" he shouted. "I couldn't!"
"You had never tried," Midoriya shrugged, sizing up the knife with loose interest. "Looks good enough for an operating theater even."
"Why did you do that?!" He shouted, gathering that more people had also entered the room after witnessing the exchange.
Midoriya paid the complaining bunch little mind, keeping his eyes on Togaru's. "Did it hurt?"
"Hell no! Felt like a pinch!" he found himself responding, surprisingly.
"Then why are you holding your arm as if it was a bullet wound?"
He quickly let go, ever so grateful that he was taller than most and could hide his shame easily.
"To answer your question," Midoriya continued, unperturbed by his glare. "First, because I thought that you could take it, since you haven't given me the impression of being a crybaby. Second, I had good reasons to believe your Quirk wouldn't hurt you. Third, because you clearly didn't know you could do this, since I haven't seen you give weapons around during the Sports Festival, even when you could have. And, last but not least, because I needed something to test your Quirk with."
Fucking river of words.
"Dammit Greeny," he cursed, his mouth finding a nickname before his brain had. "How the hell did you know that?"
The greenette shook his head. "You're gonna have to wait a bit to find out."
"I- You-" he muttered, then deflated as he gathered that he'd given his word. "Dammit, if you don't have anything better on Saturday, I'll fucking cut you apart."
"Duly noted," Midoriya smirked, still looking at him in a way that made him sure he'd welcome a challenge. "Now, care to do something more productive with this hellish week of homework we've been flooded with? We're trying to get Ectoplasm's stuff out of the way first."
"We could use a study session," Kendo agreed, opening the way for the rest of Class 1-B.
"Oh, right," Midoriya looked at him, Tokage, and Tail Guy with a glint in his eye. "If you're serious about wanting my help this week, I'll need a few samples to analyze."
Togaru was getting increasingly more certain that Midoriya was the weirdest guy he'd ever known.
The next day, if his classmates found his deep eyebags strange, they didn't comment on it. Not that he would admit that he'd stayed up for hours filling his room with a bunch of swords, knives, hatchets and random blades.
"Uh, I pictured there would be more of us."
Izuku smirked a bit as he shook his head at Setsuna's comment. With only three people from each class, they were officially the smallest training group he'd gathered in this turn.
Tsu shrugged. "Kaminari and Ashido couldn't keep their focus yesterday night, so they've yet to finish, ribbit."
"Others just wanted to split their work more evenly," Mashirao sighed, being tired from pushing himself the night before.
"I'm more surprised about Ida and Yaoyorozu's absence," Yosetsu, said, looking around.
"They would have joined us, but they're helping out some of the less academically inclined," Izuku chuckled. "Having everything finished by today was a bit of a challenge for some," he explained, "while others are just trying to get some rest. Aizawa pushed us hard yesterday, and we expect the Pros to do the same. It's crazier that you managed to come, didn't you train hard with Vlad King yesterday?"
"We did," Togaru grumbled, rotating his shoulders to release some tension. "But I ain't stepping down, Greeny."
The additional defeat against Shishida's new form had only made him more impatient to get a taste of Greene's cheat codes.
"Happy to see you so eager," he smirked, knowing that Togaru liked a good challenge. He was more the type to fight fire with fire, even with words, and backing down wouldn't earn him his respect.
Izuku opened his backpack, taking out some labeled folders. "So, I've got the results of your mutation tests. Recovery Girl helped speed the process up, so you should thank her next time you see her. I hope it wasn't too bothersome to get your blood drawn and do those scans."
"Nah, Grannie's awesome, it didn't even hurt," Setsuna shrugged with a grin.
The others turned towards her. "The old lady is your grandma?" Yosetsu asked.
"Uh, that explains the regenerative properties of Lizard Tail Splitter," Izuku mused, feigning surprise, "and the looks she gave me when I asked for these."
"Grandma's sister actually. I got my recommendation from her, since I'm the first one who's trying to be a Hero after her. That side of the family's got healing Quirks," the girl clarified, looking smug.
"Wanna explain why you needed all those samples?" Togaru pointed towards the papers with a nod.
"Sure," Izuku nodded, distributing the folders. "You see, I hate how superficial most Quirk assessments are. Quirks get labeled as one thing or another after a glance and a couple of tests done at age four, but only a few doctors really take the time to analyze everything in depth. But it gets worse for people with clear mutations. I seriously doubt that Tsu and Ojiro got much more than a few looks before being catalogued, because of course [Frog] and [Tail] can only be so simple, right? Well, think again."
As he pointed to his classmates, the two started reading the analysis. Tsu didn't look particularly perturbed, just staring at the page, but Mashirao begun opening his mouth in astonishment. He decided to question the girl first to give some more time to the other classmate.
"You okay there, Tsu?"
"I am just wondering about whet these mean, ribbit," she confessed, staring at the page.
"Well, I wanted some more insight on your Quirk, since [Frog] is a bit too generic for my tastes," he started to explain his reasons for proposing she joined the analysis. "Most Heteromorphic types are either really hard to trace to a single creature, like in Shoji's case, or incredibly precise, like in Gang Orca's or Shishido's cases."
"Isn't [Frog] just as good?" Yosetsu asked, missing the point.
"No," he shook his head, "because 'frog' isn't a species. It's a term to refer to any member of an incredibly vast group of tailless amphibians that compose the order Anura. Let's do a comparison." He raised one hand. "[Orcinus] is a mutation that gives Gang Orca properties of a specific animal: the orca, or killer whale, the Orcinus orca species." He moved the other hand with a much wider gesture. "The order Anura has eight-thousand species in it, and every single one of them can be called 'frog.' Literally ninety percent of the known amphibians. So, it's not quite the same."
"Yeah, some Quirks are just named for simplicity, especially for species that aren't mammals," Setsuna added, knowing a thing or two on the topic.
"Yes, they are. Names just aren't precise, since someone with the Quirk [Ant] could have the characteristics of only one out of twenty-two thousand species. Which brings us to looking for more," he agreed, then pointed at the paper in his classmate's hands. "At first, I thought you could have been a Japanese tree frog, or Hyla japonica. They're usually of green color and are pretty common here, so it could have been likely, but I quickly discarded that possibility."
"Why, ribbit?"
"They're very cold resistant," Izuku sighed, receiving an understanding yet disappointed hum from Tsu.
"So, what's Froggie's deal? You found something specific?" Kamakiri asked flat out, trying to speed up the conversation.
"Yes and no." Izuku smirked. "Tsu doesn't have any direct connection to any known species or families of frogs. No Hyla japonica, Hyla cinerea, Pipa pipa, or Rana temporaria. No Dendrobatidae, Centrolenidae, Hylidae, Ranidae, or whatever. Nothing at all!"
"Wait, so she's the other kind of unrelated heteromorph?" Setsuna questioned, interested.
"Nope! She's clearly related to frogs, that's indisputable. She's just a step beyond most similar Quirks," he smiled widely, showing eyes filled with excitement. He loved the primitive vastness inherent in Tsuyu's Quirk. "Tsu's not connected to a species or a family. She has the entire Order Anura at her disposal."
A couple of jaws fell open. Literally, in Setsuna's case. She had a penchant for theatrics. Even Tsu's eyes widened enough for the surprise to be visible.
Yosetsu whistled, "All eight thousand frogs? Man, that's a lot."
He spread his arms. "Yes! All of them!"
"How does it change things?" Tsu asked, going right to the heart of the matter.
"Right now? Not much. It's still the same Quirk it's always been, which you're using incredibly well." She was. Tsu had always been good at knowing herself and her own limits. But there was always a next step. "For the future though? Imagine every property of any known frog at your disposal. Maybe now you're stuck on frogs that suffer the cold, but as I've said there are some which are highly resistant to it and don't go into torpor, as there are some which thrive in the heat. Your mucus may only be irritant now, but there are species capable of producing hallucinogens, convulsants, nerve poisons and vasoconstrictors! There are hundreds of colors used for camouflage! Some frogs can only jump, climb, or swim, but some are burrowers, runners, or even gliders! There is enough to fill volumes, all for you!"
Tsu broke her usual stoic expression to giggle at his unstoppable excited mumbling, making him turn to an embarrassed smile and rub the back of his head.
"So, yeah, it's really cool. Maybe you'll have to train a lot, but the possibilities seem endless," he offered.
She could become one of the most versatile Heroes on the globe, and he'd make sure of it.
"I'll keep following your instruction then," Tsu said with a smile.
He pointed to the folder again. "I ended up doing a bit of research on the topic, so you'll find a lot of ideas in those pages. Maybe just try to avoid anything related to the hairy frog for a while."
"Ugh, she'd better," Kamakiri commented, knowing the reason behind the animal's second and third names: horror frog and Wolverine frog. Yosetsu looked at him for an explanation, and the disgusted face he made some seconds later was priceless.
The girl hummed, seemingly pleased with the new facets of her mutation. "I'll be sure to be careful, ribbit. But should I update my file in the registry?" she wondered aloud.
Izuku chuckled at her bluntness. "I don't think that will be necessary, Tsu. Keeping a few secrets on your Quirk can only help."
She gave him a mostly unreadable look before nodding.
Oh, she was angry at that comment about secrets... He still owed her an explanation, technically. He'd remedy later.
Mashirao had sped through the first page during the exchange, his questions piling up.
"I have animal mutations?" the blonde spoke to no one in particular, disbelief evident in his tone.
"Well, why else would you have a tail?" Awase asked, not getting how that could be strange.
Setsuna shook her head. "Don't you know? Humans used to have tails, we just lost them in evolution. The coccyx is what remains of that."
"Yep, it's a vestigial bone, because we have no more use for it. But that's not the case for Ojiro here," Izuku smiled, closing in, pointing to some data and translating the scientific names into common ones. "Your body shows signs of mammalian mutations, specifically those of species with a prehensile tail: New World monkeys, Tree porcupines, rats, and possums. Most of it is inconspicuous enough, apart from your tail, so it's never been caught."
"... And what does that mean for me?" Mashirao asked, confused.
"It means that we have some new things to try," he smiled, showing a bit of remorse. "Mutations are a bit harder to find 'extra' parts in, as they're so engrained in the user's life that any change may seem too radical to be possible. But that won't stop me from trying, if you want me to."
The blonde clicked his tongue, then looked at him and nodded. "I'd be an idiot not to take a chance like this after doing this much," he said, raising the folder. "The others are leaving me in the dust, so I'll try whatever, Midoriya."
"Good!" he rejoiced, putting on a mile-wide grin and talking as he paced around. "Okay, I'll be honest, before seeing those results, I didn't think there was a lot I could do. Your Quirk is extremely straightforward, which is very good for a martial artist like yourself, but not so much for an analyst like me," he chuckled. "But now there are a few things I've got to check. Let's start with basic movements, I want to see your tail's limits."
The day's supervisor was Cementoss, who had kindly agreed to help adapt Gym Gamma to their needs. Making poles, obstacles, walls and structures for them was a matter of a second.
Fifteen minutes later, after he had asked Mashirao to complete a good number of complex acrobatics and athletic feats, Izuku called for him to stop, going back to showing his analysis.
"Good job! So, I noticed that your tail is fully prehensile, not only partially, which means that it's closer to in function to a monkey of the Atelidae family. You should be able to fully support your entire body weight by only using your tail, leaving your arms and legs free for other activities. Say, your style doesn't focus as much on kicks as it does on your hands, does it?"
Mashirao hummed affirmatively. "Yes, I need my feet to be a stable point in most of my forms, so that I can concentrate my weight on my hits."
"And that's why you attack with your tail," Izuku gravelly added. "The idea isn't bad, but you should be looking into both options. The way you're fighting now you're mainly attacking with three limbs, when you could easily stay upright with your tail and attack with four. Also, changing your approach mid-fight could surprise your opponents, and that's always a plus. I will send you a couple of videos for research on the subject."
As Mashirao nodded, the greenette kept going with his other observations.
"Moving on, your tail also shows properties seen in rats. It's hairless and thin skinned, but highly vascularized, so it's incredibly good at thermoregulation."
"Man, thermoregulation, I'm jealous," Setsuna tsked.
"I hear you," Tsu concurred with a hum.
Izuku chuckled as he moved on. "You would probably be alright at high temperatures, even though you won't reach Todoroki's level. We could try and see if the burning area of the U.S.J. hinders you at all next time we go there. Next, you also get a rat's tail's proprioception, and it seems to be also capable of a degloving response, though that's not as good."
"Proprioception?" the martial artist asked.
"The sense of self-movement, force, and body position. You may have called it 'sixth sense,' since many do. The high degree of muscularization and subsequent innervation make for an excellent tool. Training your perception, focusing only on what your fifth limb feels, should help you get a better sense of what's around you at all times. A bit like having eyes in the back of your head."
"I see, that's good to hear," Mashirao grinned, thinking of the tactical advantages. "And what about that... response?"
"'Degloving response.' It's a strange thing some species, even humans, do in response to acute pain: they sever the blood supply to damaged tissue and detach it. It helps escaping predators, but it's also very risky, since the underlying skin is exposed to the environment and bacteria," he grimaced a bit.
"So I could technically let go of a piece of my tail?" he asked, a bit weirded out by the concept.
"Eh, and I thought Tokage was the lizard here," Togaru snickered, getting an elbow in the side as a response.
"I don't think it's a conscious choice, but perhaps it could also be trained. Thought it would be very painful, and you would need to be careful about infections. On the other hand, shedding something could come in handy for escaping grabs or the like, I guess."
"A bit too graphic," Yosetsu commented, sticking his tongue out with a bit of a nauseated expression, "but I get that we shouldn't just discard something cos it's disgusting."
"It could be worse, ribbit. I think you should go for it."
"I think I will. Pain is temporary," Mashirao breathed out, coming to a conclusion. "Anything else of note?"
Izuku browsed the papers. "Mm, there's the small percentage of porcupine mutation that's not evident, but I don't know what that might entail."
- Or, I can't say it without proof, - he mentally frowned.
"Maybe your tail is hiding quills under that hair, or maybe it's nothing. I wouldn't start anything without a more in-depth analysis though, so it can wait."
Mashirao nodded and bowed lightly, grateful. "I think that's enough for me, I've got a lot to think about already. Thank you."
"You're welcome!" Izuku smiled widely before turning the other way as Togaru called him again with a loud "What about us?".
"Oh, your case is very interesting. Even if your Quirks are labeled as Transformation types, it's easy to see that you've got partial mutations."
Togaru huffed. "Tell me something I don't know, Greeny."
- If that's how you want to play it, sure, - he mentally smirked.
"Your blades aren't made of metal, but from a material produced by a supplementary organ derived from your mutations."
A few second of silence fell between them before the taller teen dared to speak.
"What?"
Izuku grinned, taking the small blade he'd taken from Togaru's arm the other day out of his bag. "I had this analyzed in the Support lab. They said it would take some time for an in-depth study, but they're 100% sure of one thing: it's not metal."
The other greenette frowned. "Even though it looks exactly like an alloy? I can cut steel pipes with these, just so you know."
"I know, I asked Shoda and Kendo. Still, it's not metal."
"What is it then?" Togaru, losing his patience, asked.
"Silk," he said, raising a hand to stop incoming questions. "Don't shout, I can explain, and I have a couple of questions I need to ask for confirmation."
He leisurely took out a new file, showing a few lines of chemical analysis. "The blade, as I said, isn't made out of metal. Its basic composition is similar to spider silk, specifically the major-ampullate, or dragline, kind that's used for a web's rims and lifeline, which is as strong as steel, but tougher. From there things get interesting," he pointed at a number of lines showing different components. "The structure of alpha keratin proteins is further enhanced by calcium, specifically hydroxyapatite and its derivates, like the one commonly known as 'bone mineral'. There are some more pieces I won't bore you with, just know that the end result puts Kevlar to shame."
"Uh," Togaru showed a satisfied grin, "but I already knew that my blades were great."
"Yes, but you had no idea as to the 'why,'" Izuku pointed out as he took out a pencil and a notebook. "Tell me, does your family also show insect mutations? Can you tell me their Quirks?"
Togaru raised an eyebrow before nodding. "Yeah. Dad's Quirk is [Ant], coming from grandpa's identical Quirk and grandma's [Cricket]. Ma's got [Seamstress], which sorta combines [Moth] and [Enhanced Memory] from her parents."
Izuku nodded before continuing, trying to move the reasoning along. "[Ant] is a mutation, I'd imagine. What color is the exoskeleton?"
"Uh, it's orange."
"Okay..." he scribbled as he talked. "Your father is strong, but not incredibly so, right? Nothing close to five thousand times his body weight, I guess."
"Nah, that would be crazy," the other snorted. "He's stronger than normal, but not that much."
"Your grandfather was stronger, I'm sure," he mumbled.
"Yeah, but how'd you know that?"
He answered with a noncommittal shrug and another question. "Just guessing. Anything else he can do?"
"Not really- Ah, yeah, dad can spit some acid, though he almost never does, so I was kinda forgetting it," Togaru muttered, somehow resigning to waiting for a real answer.
Izuku hummed. "Does [Cricket] let your grandma jump incredibly high?"
"Nah," Togaru shook his head, "it was almost a vestigial mutation on her legs, little more."
"Right. Did [Moth] let your grandma produce silk?"
"Yeah, but not a lot," Togaru mimicked a fistful of material, "and she could barely keep it from breaking."
"One last question. Can you explain [Seamstress]?"
The teen huffed but complied. "Ma can sew anything she wants to, she just needs a design and supplies. She fast too, like 'a whole quilt in thirty minutes' fast."
"Thanks, I have all the confirmations I needed," Izuku smiled, content with having enough data to explain the reasoning. He turned the notebook to show the chart he'd drawn, pointing at things with the pencil. "Your grandmother's inability to jump high means that she might be a raspy cricket, which produces silk, but can't jump. Your grandfather was an ant, but the species is unimportant since it changed as it passed onto your father, who instead became a weaver ant, which is orange and can spit acid to 'weave' leaves together. Your mother has a way of altering supplies into a finished product, but no way to produce the raw material, since that ability ended up being recessive. Fortunately, that's not the case for you, because you have inherited your father's traits and gained a spinneret, or something akin to a silk-spinning organ."
Togaru frowned, looking at himself as if he didn't know his own body. "How? Shouldn't I feel it if that were the case?"
"Not really," Tokage shrugged, "do you feel your stomach working all the time?"
"The real question should be 'where is it?', ribbit." Tsu said, a finger on her lip.
He smiled and pointed to Togaru's files. "The answer should be on page three. Recovery Girl found out that your appendix doesn't really look like an appendix. The spinneret probably took its place or modified it."
"Damn," the teen commented, skimming the page, "looks legit." He closed the file with a grunt, going back to look at Izuku with intensity. "So, what can I do now that I know how this stuff works?"
"For one, you can leave behind the idea of only making blades, Kamakiri," he replied with a smirk, knowing to have challenged the other's deepest view of his power.
"... What?"
"You can literally weave the silk into any shape you want. It's like Momo's [Creation], even though you're limited to one material only. Why stop at blades when you could make armor, instruments and other stuff? I mean, it's better than Kevlar, and we make bulletproof vests out of that!" Izuku suggested excitedly.
"Fucking- Let me try!" Togaru screamed, turning to Setsuna and Yosetsu as he rolled up his sleeve. "What do I make?!"
"Uh, a spoon?" the boy tried, taken by surprise and being therefore ignored.
"Dude, make a shirt or something, I don't know!" Set rebutted.
Togaru frowned more as something started to appear from his arm. His expression turning first elated, then sour, since the result was a frayed mess that resembled a shirt after a passage in a grinder. He grunted a "Fuck." as he stared at the ruined product.
"You can't win them all," Izuku chuckled, lowering himself to grab the product and examine it. He stretched it, pulling and trying to tear it apart, with no success. "It's still durable and light, and the material seems to be exactly the same as before."
"But it looks like dogshit," Setsuna snickered, receiving a burning glare.
"I'm sure you'll get better at it," Izuku said, comfortingly patting the taller teen's arm. "Though, there's one last thing I'd like to test, since you usually can retract the blades you make. Can you reabsorb this thing too? Just try the same process you're used to," he suggested.
Togaru took the object with spite, and they watched as it disappeared under his skin. "Fuck yes!" he shouted, unaware of the teacher rolling his eyes.
"Uh, that's cool," Yosetsu commented.
"At least he won't have to throw away any failures," Mashirao agreed.
"Yeah," the light-greenette replied, "and I can just make and unmake this all I want now! I felt like I was losing something every time I took one of my blades out since the other day, like a hole in my stomach, but now I can just fill it again whenever I want to! This rocks!"
"You're welcome," Izuku grinned. "As a last thing I'll say that those pincers of yours are probably a product of your Quirk, but I'd wait until you have a good photo to copy from before trying to absorb them."
The others stared at him, Yosetsu being the first one to crack and begin laughing.
"Oh man! Imagine Kamakiri without those!"
Set snickered, shaking her head, while Tsu ribbited at the idea.
Togaru didn't seem fazed by the thought. Instead, he looked deeply interested. The others didn't yet know, but Izuku had just gifted him his favorite result of the Quirk's analysis.
Togaru's mandibles were as 'metallic' as his blades were, which meant that any movement in his sleep might result in collateral damages. A lot of collateral damages. The teen was bound to sleep supine, staying almost immobile not to cut apart his pillow and mattress. But, by retracting those two constant dangers that were stuck on his face, Togaru would actually be able to sleep freely for the first time in his life. Plus, although he wasn't much of a hugs person, he could finally face people without the risk of hurting them inadvertently.
Izuku knew that he'd just made an ally for life.
"I'll... try later," the teen said, nodding to himself and awkwardly smiling at his new favorite analyst. "Thanks, Greeny. I can't wait to try more of this stuff."
"I'll be here to train with you when you do," he grinned back. Togaru was great for perfecting his reflexes down to the millimeter.
"My turn!" Setsuna jumped forward, grinning. "What do you have for little ol' me?"
"Well, I'm sure there isn't a lot you haven't already covered if Recovery Girl is your grandmother," he smiled sheepishly, "but I'll try."
"You've found stuff about my body I never got from any of my doctors or counselors, Greeny," Togaru grumbled, trying to be encouraging in his own peculiar way, "so shut up and trust yourself, for god's sake!"
Yosetsu mumbled something about shutting up when he needed to speak, but was mostly ignored.
"Thanks, Kamakiri. Alright, then let's start by reviewing what we know. [Lizard Tail Splitter] seems to be a combination of different powers that somehow work incredibly well together: body-splitting, self-telekinesis, and regeneration."
"Uh, you're not calling it flight, but self-telekinesis?" Setsuna Quirked an eyebrow.
"If you can't do it while you're in one piece it's not exactly flight, so yes," he responded, moving to a new page of the notebook. "Say, I suppose the regeneration comes from Recovery Girl's side of the family?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "most of us on ma's side have a healing Quirk of some sort, though they're mostly self-regeneration ones. Grannie Chi's the outlier."
"Got it. I can't see any problems with your limbs, so I'd guess that you've always healed fully, is that right?" The answer was obvious to the eye, but asking didn't hurt.
"Uh, yeah? Never had a problem with that. Though I once got too tired after training and my cuts didn't heal until I got to eat," she thought back at the unpleasant inconvenience, shivering a bit.
"Sorry to hear that," he said, understanding the weirdness of it. "So, since you can recreate your limbs perfectly, you seem to possess the epimorphic regeneration typical of salamanders. And, as you said that it stopped when you hadn't eaten, I'd say that it's a caloric conversion regeneration, right?"
"Yes! I can just stuff myself and I'll get better in no time at all!" She grinned fiercely.
"How does that work?" Mashirao asked, being genuinely curious as he'd never seen a similar Quirk at work.
"The Quirk converts the user's calories into healing, but not as most healing Quirks do," he explained. "Instead of accelerating the healing process, it turns calories directly into energy and then into mass to 'fill' any changes from the supposed original blueprint of the body. Anything, from bruises, to deep cuts and even some diseases can just be dealt with passively."
"Never had a sick day since I was five!" The girl proclaimed proudly. "It's also sooo efficient! I've tried the numbers once, and it's crazy how much mass my Quirk can make out of the calories I intake. I'm practically breaking the mass and energy conservation laws by existing!"
"Join the club," he chuckled, "we can have Momo make us t-shirts."
"You too?!" Her smile became wider. "You might be joking, but I'm taking your word for it!"
"What else is there, ribbit?" Tsu interrupted the digression.
"Right," he went back to the notebook. "So, your regeneration can be classified as epimorphic, and caloric conversion. It's efficient and it's practically assured to never fail..."
"Hear that? I'm immortal," Setsuna smirked at Togaru.
"It just means I can use you as a training dummy, Lizzy," he grinned devilishly, showing a hint of a blade between his fingers.
Those two had the weirdest flirts.
"Moving on, did you get the lizard-like mutations from your father's side? Your tests say you've got parts of geckos and salamanders."
"Granda's Quirk is [Leopard Gecko], so that fits, and I think that my uncle is some kind of Salamander, but I can't remember which," she mumbled out, prodding her brain.
"As a leopard gecko, was your grandfather able to leave parts of his body behind? Like, a tail or something?"
"Yeah! He can trigger the autotomy response at will, though sometimes it happens when he's startled. Somehow it happened when I was little, during a family gathering. It was so sudden it made us laugh," she giggled at the memory. "Or, I laughed, most of my cousins ran away screaming. I was only freaked out a little, but his expression was priceless."
Yosetsu tsked, rolling his eyes. "Your sense of humor is crap, Tokage."
"It's not! You just can't understand a good joke! Grandpa kept using it a party trick, so your argument is invalid!"
"It must be reptilian humor, ribbit," Tsu though aloud, Mashirao sighing by her side.
Izuku contained a bit of laughter at their bickering. He couldn't wait for Set to try her "my head fell" trick after a horror movie night. The current record was six fainting and nine runaways, but he was sure they could break it with the right atmosphere.
He cleared his throat to go back to the talk. "Okay, so his autotomy was converted into your ability to split and reassemble at will, which probably means that you have a way to maintain a connection between your brain and the nervous system of your detached parts. It would fit if it was connected to the same impulse that tells your body to heal continuously, as it would ease the strain on your brain and work passively. Your mind is practically a remote control to your body parts, and I bet the signal is only cut after you let go of a part to regrow it directly on you... Say, can you still feel a part that's gone when you're growing its replacement?"
The question seemed to catch her unprepared. "That's a good question... Uh, maybe? Like, I don't usually try and keep my mind on the limbs I lose, since it's pretty weird. But I guess that then the answer would be yes, since I get that weird feeling from them," she frowned as she thought aloud, uncertain.
"No worries. I'm sure it's not the most pleasurable experience, so it's fine if you don't know," he tried to sooth her before giving his theory. "I think that the nerves of the parts you left should still be capable of receiving your orders, even after you've already fully regenerated. Surely there will be a high energy cost or a time limit, but you would functionally have more limbs at your disposal... which could also mean that you could fly while staying in one piece."
"Wh- Really?!" She stared, stupefied. "Man, that doesn't sound half bad! Imagine how much I could do with more hands... Or what would happen if I get more than two eyes? God, the possibilities! Lemme-"
She stopped, as turning to the group had also brought him, Tsu and Mashirao into her vision, making her remember that some of them hadn't seen that part of her Quirk in action.
Setsuna didn't like to admit it, but she didn't always have a good relationship with her Quirk while growing up. She loved to talk about it because she didn't have many chances to, but some of its facets weren't so easy to digest. Even now, as a Hero trainee, she treated her Quirk as a tool... because she was scared of it. Regeneration was a weird power when looked at deeply: healing bruises was one thing, but how many pieces can one loose before something doesn't click as it should? And what if those pieces are "big" ones?
The thought experiment of the Ship of Theseus was a great example of the problem: a ship that it's repaired piece by piece, remaining fundamentally the same as the starting blueprint, but made of completely different planks. If the structure is the same, but the wooden planks have all been changed, is it really the same ship you started with?
There is no real answer to the question, as there's no fixed answer to Setsuna's problem. Even if she had partially gotten over that, somehow fortifying her identity enough to bring her mind away from the question, the problems didn't end there.
Setsuna had been treated weirdly because of her Quirk in the past. Losing body parts wasn't a normal occurrence even in a society where almost everybody showed superpowers. Blood and gore were still very high on the list of what people shunned, so the girl was labeled as freak for it. She still feared people's reactions to her regenerative properties because so many only showed repulsion and uneasiness.
Her smiling and joking attitude helped to keep things light, but she needed to be reassured. They were Heroes, and none of them would be isolating her because of her Quirk.
He was in front of her before she could spiral. "Hey, just breathe. We don't have to do it now, if you don't want to," he whispered kindly, his voice as warm as possible. "I'm sure none of us would react badly to it, but it's fine if you want to try it by yourself. There's no need to rush. "
Setsuna looked at him, surprised, before letting out a breath. "... Yeah, I'd feel better trying by myself later. Sorry..."
"No need for that," he smiled, "just tell me if it works, okay? I'd be happy to see the process when you're more comfortable with it."
He knew that she had appreciated his analysis, an ever so rare moment only for her. She could take her time and show him the results later. Her comfort was important too.
"Thanks, I promise," Set nodded, tentatively going back to her grin. She moved a hand on her face to refresh her expression before looking at their remaining classmate. "Awase, I'm getting tired, so move your ass and get here! It's your turn!"
"Finally, you were taking forever!" the loudmouthed teen shouted back, understanding enough of the situation to gloss over the awkward moment. "Alright! Gimme the best you've got, Midoriya!"
"Sure, let me see if I've got it right first," he started, looking at his notes even though he had them committed to memory. "Your Quirk, [Weld], lets you merge things, both organic and inorganic, as long as you're touching both objects. You can also reverse the process with a simple touch. It works on yourself, and, since it's so precise, I suppose it acts on a subatomic level?"
Yosetsu whistled in response, impressed. "Yep, not an error there. Practically my file word for word."
- You don't say... -
"Perfect," he smiled, releasing a breath. "Thankfully your case is a lot simpler than theirs, so I can just give you your pointers without asking for your family's history."
The teen snickered at that, sending a smug glance to his classmates. Setsuna answered by sticking her tongue out.
"I remember that, back in the tournament, you stuck pieces of concrete to Kendo. Do you have something similar on your costume?" he asked.
Yosetsu nodded immediately. "Yeah! I carry a number of steel logs with me, and some shields. The logs are easy to stick to different things to block people, while the shields are just disposable armor."
"Then I'll start with a simple suggestion. I think you should start carrying something else besides those weights. Since you can weld any material, steel might be too heavy for comfort and maximum effect. Kamakiri's silk would be better in the long run, if he'd be so kind as to share."
The called upon greenette snorted. "Sure, but you'd better be ready to pay me back."
"Good. Then, you should ask for some miniature trackers. Sticking one of those to a Villain would make chases much easier and ensure that you never lose a target."
"What if they see it though?" Mashirao asked.
"My Quirk can't be deactivated, and it last for more than a day. They'd have to hurt themselves to rip it off," he grimaced.
Tsu hummed. "It's not pretty, but it's effective, ribbit."
"It is," Izuku agreed. "In either case it's a good path to follow."
He decided to hold back the suggestion about using explosives, both as a weapon and as a deterrent, because it was too early for something that drastic.
"Let's get to the interesting part," he said, taking out two small containers and a stick from his backpack. He threw the stick to Awase and placed the first box in front of him. "I want to test your Quirk's limits, see what you can do with these."
"Hey, there's not much I can't-" Yosetsu cut himself off as Izuku opened the lid, revealing the dry sand inside. The black-haired teen shook his head. "Ah, damn it, I should have been more specific. I can't weld sand."
"Why not?"
"Too small. If I can't get my hand on it, I can't send my damn Quirk to do its job," the teen huffed.
"You sure?" Izuku inquired, directing the conversation. "Because you aren't listed as a five-finger-activation requirement. Those are commonly known to have problems with size, but it shouldn't be the case for you. Tell me, how does it feel when you activate your Quirk? Is there some sort of mental image or jolt of energy you can feel?"
Yosetsu widened his eyes a bit, the frown under his headband being tamed as he thought. "Mm, yeah, I usually feel as if a vibration was moving from my hands into the objects. I can sorta feel them 'blur' around the edges, and that's when I can weld them. And yes, I've welded things using only one finger before."
"Good. Can you weld more than one object at the same time?"
"Obviously," he grunted, "one per finger is my current record."
"There you have it then, there's no reason not to try," Izuku smiled, pointing at the short branch in the other's hand. "Just stick it in the box, touch the sand with your other hand and try to get as much of it as you can on the wood. It may be somehow overwhelming at first, since every grain may count as a different object, so try not to go overboard. Stop whenever you feel uncomfortable."
Yosetsu let out a chuckle before starting to concentrate to comply. His frown was growing deeper as the act didn't seem to bring any results.
"Don't think about welding the sand, or you'll get stuck in your head about it being too small. Think about the blurring part, but concentrate on the stick. You don't need to weld a mass of sand to something else, you're welding a stick to every object surrounding it. Feel the blur from the stick, and weld there."
The trainee remained in position for a few seconds, sweat rolling down his neck, as his Quirk finally took effect. He opened his eyes abruptly, falling on his knee as he let out the breath he had been holding.
"Awase!" "Man!" Setsuna and Togaru cried in unison, stopping from rushing in as the teen raised a hand to stop them.
"I'm fine," he grunted, his tone turning smug, "it fucking worked."
The group looked at the wooden object he held with a stunned expression. The branch itself hadn't changed, but it was coated by many layers of sand. The point, which had been inserted deeper in the box, practically resembled a dirt lollipop.
"Damn, that's new," Togaru grinned.
"Not bad," Izuku smiled proudly, "I expected some layers, but this is impressive."
"Fuck yeah it is," Yosetsu started climbing back up to his full height. "But it's also draining as hell. It's like I welded a thousand things in a few seconds."
"Training should take care of that. You've already raised your limits considerably, going from a maximum of ten to... maybe a thousand? Two? I'd call it a win."
"Yeah!" the guy raised his arms in a victory pose, yelling loudly. He turned to the greenette with renewed vigor despite his state. "Man, what else you got? How do I apply this?"
"Well, this was mainly a test," Izuku explained, going for the second box. "There's much you can do with sand that wouldn't be better with completed objects, although I'm sure we could find good uses for it. In truth, I wanted to see if you could use sand to move on to something else."
Under the second lid there was a somewhat underwhelming content: water.
"Water?" Yosetsu asked, confused. "How the hell would that work?"
"You just thought that you couldn't use anything too small, so I'd keep an open mind if I were you," Izuku chuckled. "Anyway, I don't think your Quirk is limited to solid objects. If you can weld things at a subatomic level, the state of matter shouldn't worry you."
"Ooh, he's right," Setsuna joined in, "protons, neutron and electrons are the same thing in every element and form, they only change in position and number."
"Precisely," he nodded to her. "To answer your next question, you could use liquids as part of your protections and as capture instruments. Your classmate Honenuki should have made it pretty obvious how hard it is to deal with being in a swamp. Now imagine being physically stuck in it, being unable to escape."
"Mineta did have some problems in his fight, ribbit," Tsu offered.
"And it would be much harder for your opponents to use it like Kendo did," Mashirao added, remembering how the girl had knocked out Awase with the same cement that was supposed to weight her down.
"Imagine a weapon with liquid properties," Togaru mumbled with a grin, "I'd be a sick thing to try out."
"Good points. But I saved the best part for last: If you can stick things to liquids, then it means that you can weld fluids, or any substance that flows." Izuku grinned, raising a finger to point at the sky. "And air is a fluid. Gases are fluids. If [Weld] works on a subatomic level, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to weld anything you want to."
"Holy shit," Yosetsu cursed, his mouth hanging open, "you really think that?"
- I know it. -
"Yeah," he reassured, "it may take a lot of practice, but I do. Your Quirk is only limited to what you think its limits are. You've already broken one today, so I'm positive you're gonna do great."
Yosetsu took a few seconds to look at him, finding nothing but absolute trust written on his face. He moved closer, clinging the greenette in a rapid hug. "Thanks, Midoriya. You're a great guy!"
Izuku laughed lightly. "You're welcome, Awase."
The other retracted with a wide smile. "Now, I'd really like to try all of that stuff you've said, but I also feel like my body would kill me if I do."
"Vlad King will do it faster if you can't move tomorrow," Togaru snorted, making the group and Cementoss chuckle.
"I'd also appreciate to rest a bit, ribbit. This week is bound to be a lot," Tsu said, being glad to have participated, but also needy of a meal and a good night of sleep.
"Let's call it a day then," Izuku said, offering to move on with the rest of the training once they were back from the internships. After all, they had only tested the analysis part and nothing of his real training regimen... Well, he could forgive them for being deadly tired, this time.
Of course, the next day some of them would be cursing the stubbornness, but the sacrifice was worth it.
Notes:
I wasn't expecting to write this chapter until after the internships, but then I remembered Kamakiri's words a few chapters ago and it just clicked right.
I had to add a lot to Ojiro's Quirk, since Tail is really too simple... prehensile tails are interesting though.
I owe a lot to FalseSeraph's "Torchbearer" for Kamakiri's and Tokage's parts, his analysis on those two (being very important characters in the fic) was astounding (and much more in depth than mine on the psychological side). Kamakiri's Quirk is cool, while Tokage's is so broken it's ridiculous.
And I just had to add Awase to the list of people who can break physics. It's fun!
Up next, a certain old man with a yellow cape!
I love interacting in the comments, so feel free to leave one and speculate.
Leave a kudo or a comment if you'd like!