[2-year time skip.]
(*POV: Jack)
After the huge revelations about my quirk, Mei and I managed to come up with some great ideas. After completing our first project together—my special compound bow and its easily replicable version—we shifted direction, focusing on specialized gear and equipment. This was mainly because I managed to create new specialized units that could seriously benefit from it.
First of all, I made the Combat Scout Unit, which specializes in long-range scouting, sharpshooting, and minor espionage. After a lot of trial and error, I managed to make them. They are generally weaker and not as durable as their base form, the Combat Engineer, but they make up for it by being more agile and fast. Due to their smaller stature and lighter body weight, they are harder to detect. I also managed to change the base under-armor color to black so we don't have to make new ones for everyone. I mean, the yellow is cool and eye-catching, making them the focus of attention, so I kept it on the base units, but Mei still thinks it's weird and ugly.
Currently, she's working on a high-resolution binocular similar to her eye's ability, and a powderless gun with rubber-padded iron projectiles for the Scouts so they won't have to rely on those old bow designs. The downside to these new guns is that they are really slow and super loud because of the current design choice of using electromagnetic propulsion. But hey, it's still a prototype. However, I do plan to keep the bows for now as a template for the Scouts.
Then there's the Combat Infiltrator Unit. I modified the Scouts by removing their long-range capabilities and based them on a frame that is significantly younger, around 14 years old. As a result, they are smaller and weaker than their counterparts, but they are super quiet, and the fastest and most agile of any of my units. We tried making an active camouflage suit for them, but it didn't work out due to a lack of funds and a suitable base model, so it's shelved for now.
The most important unit I created, however, was the Elite version of the Combat Engineer: the Combat Heavy Unit. They are stronger, more durable, and overall better in everything combat-related than their predecessor. However, I had to sacrifice a lot of their speed, and more importantly, their usefulness outside of battle. They are literally incapable of doing anything other than the most basic tasks. They have the mental capacity of a 2-3-year-old, only capable of following orders and fighting enemies. We're working on better heavy armor for them since they're likely to be the heavy hitters, the ones who suppress enemies with superior firepower. We developed a special machine-gun-like weapon for them using a modified high-powered baseball feeder and a special nozzle to fire rubber bullets at extreme speeds. The only problem is that it's super inaccurate. We also made heavy armor for them, but it's currently too expensive and too heavy to be practical. Even though the big guys can carry it, their already low speed is reduced even further.
One of the most important units was the Utility Commander Unit, which I specifically made to help me command other units. Even though I could do it myself, I don't like the thought of sending fully human-like puppets to their deaths, so this was the compromise. These units are extremely intelligent in military tactics and logistics, but they are literally the weakest overall unit because everything went into their minds and thinking capabilities. I left only the bare minimum of physical abilities, so they at least won't be left behind by the units they control. Their gear is the simplest: a yellow armband, old captain hats from the military souvenir shop, and long-range radios.
On another note, I've noticed that ever since I first used Eye of the Universe and my eyes changed again, I've been growing exponentially better at using my quirk. Back then, I could maybe make 3 normal units a day; now, I can make about 8 special units a day or around 17 normal ones. That's not all—my control over my Vault has also improved. I can now take in larger objects, about the size of a truck without its container. I also discovered that I can change the landscape inside my Vault without any problems. I can even mine the ground if I want to get new materials, but it's super tedious and not really worth the time or effort because the ground is too hard to mine with pickaxes and other common tools.
My friendship with Mei has grown stronger over the years because we saw each other nearly every day to work toward our dream. She even began teaching me about engineering, and I've learned a lot, but I'm still nowhere near Mei's level. However, I've surpassed her in biology, mostly because she doesn't care much about it, but that's beside the point.
The only sad thing that happened was that I fully separated from Izuku. I wanted to be closer to Mei for our plans, so I switched schools and went to hers. She was super excited when I told her. The other upside was that I wouldn't have to put up with Bakugo ever again. (Surely, with his attitude and personality, UA wouldn't let him in.)
When I said goodbye to my first real friend for the foreseeable future, I gave him the same advice one last time: "Look, I've said this a million times by now, but I'll say it again for the last time. Don't let other people walk all over you—stand up for yourself!" He just weakly nodded without conviction, and from his reaction, I knew he wouldn't do it. But I had to try, at least this last time. I just shook my head in disappointment and said my farewells for now.
[1-year time skip]
Me and Mei discovered something groundbreaking again about my quirk. While we were in Mei's workshop, she accidentally cut herself with her new self-defense baton's spike. When I wanted to treat her hand and she didn't let me, I used my quirk to take the weapon away, but I accidentally got some of her blood as well. When I felt something strange in the Vault, I went to check it out.
To my shock, something lit up in the mostly dormant central console. Besides the "Data Bank," a new icon appeared called "Quirk Bank." When I checked it out, I saw something truly surprising. There was a new message in the system logs:
Quirk Bank available samples:
-Hatsume Mei: Zoom (Weakened)
-Input new quirk sample?
I tried to create a new template with it, so I went back into the menu and to the Data Bank:
Data Bank available templates:
-General Combat Engineer Unit: GCEU
-General Utility Engineer Unit: GUEU
-Specialized Combat Scout Unit: SCSU
-Specialized Combat Infiltrator Unit: SCIU
-Specialized Combat Heavy Unit: SCHU
-Specialized Utility Commander Unit: SUCU
-Create new template?
I quickly selected a new template, using the Scout units as a base. I created the Elite Combat Scout Unit (ECSU), which, though more stamina-consuming to create, can use a weaker version of Mei's quirk, Zoom. They can naturally zoom in up to 1 km just with their eyes.
When I exited the Vault, I surprised Mei with my discovery by creating the new Elite Scout unit and showing off its capabilities. I felt that, at most, I could only make about 3 a day without straining myself. Mei was super happy and even wanted to cut off one of her fingers to see if more of her blood would change the process. I managed to talk her out of it.
In honor of this discovery and Mei herself, I made the default under-armor of the Elite Scouts black with pink highlights to match her hair color. She immediately started blushing and throwing insults at me, saying it was a stupid choice and looked weird on them. But I saw her smiling ear to ear, so I guess she appreciated it quite a bit.
After this revelation, we became serious again because this discovery meant I needed to step up my personal training. I had finished my martial arts training a year ago and started kendo afterward. I also made more progress with the bow and other long-range weapons that Mei designed for me.
I plan to focus most of my time on my studies, with an emphasis on military strategies to become a better leader for my units in the future. Mei also needs to concentrate more on her own studies if she wants to make significant improvements. We now have only 7 years until UA, so we've decided to focus solely on minor projects in the workshop for the next 3 years while preparing ourselves for high school. During those four years, we need to complete everything we've planned before UA, so we'll be ready for the challenging entrance exam when we turn 18 and begin our lives in the world of heroics.