Chapter Fifty-Four
"Um, you asked me to come by?" Ochaco asked, poking her head in the Design Studio.
Mei looked up from the power armor she was working on. Apparently there needed to be certain standardized safeties that were required to be put in place in all such devices not specifically designed for Heteromorphs, and those suits of power armor that were for non-standard physiologies needed even more safeties to make sure that only the people they were designed for could use them. Given this suit was partially powered and controlled by Mina's Quirk, we hadn't bothered, as, from our preliminary tests, it was intuitive enough that her own in-built mental limiters would be enough, but the Support Commission, a sub-division of the Hero Public Safety Commission, had disagreed. Regardless, the Inventrix shot me a questioning look, assuming, correctly, that I was behind this.
"Yeah, thanks for dropping in," I greeted with a smile, waving her in, Izuku and Asui following the anti-gravity girl. "Mei and I have been working on something that we think you could use." I'd asked the girl in front of me to drop by early this morning over lunch yesterday, and she'd agreed before I'd even explained what for.
The pink haired girl perked up beside me. "Ooohhh! Testing!" she cooed. "Good idea, Partner! Come on, guinea pig, I wanna see our Baby fly!" She popped up out of the guts of Mina's Power Armor, which started to fall over, and I quickly caught, re-sealing it as the Inventrix grabbed the box with the Personal Ionic Thruster System, or PITS, getting a nod from her as I did so. She might seem scatterbrained, but she really wasn't, only hyperfocused, and trusted me to catch the stuff she dropped so she could do even more.
With the bundle in one hand, she grabbed Uraraka's arm with the other, to grab and haul her out the door, and I caught how the brunette's stance automatically shifted to root herself, before she let herself be dragged along, stumbling a little as she did so.
Both Asui and Midoriya froze as their friend was carried away, and I grabbed the cameras, jogging between them and calling, "Come on, we need to catch up." With a touch of OfA I sped up, switching to loping strides to take better advantage of the increased strength, turning the corner to see Mei carrying the other girl, who'd rendered herself weightless, halfway down the stairs and yelling, "Proving Ground Three, Mei!"
"Got it!" my partner called up at me, going two steps at a time, not breaking stride.
"How is she so fast?" Midoriya, crackling slightly, asked from right next to me, having moved far faster.
"I don't know, practice?" I shrugged, leaping over the edge of the stairs and using a lightning limb as an ersatz grappling hook to help me swing around and land at the bottom. Technically we weren't supposed to be using our Quirks unsupervised, but with almost an hour before class started, the halls were fairly empty, and no one really cared.
Asui followed me, using her tongue, while Midoriya just jumped down the stairs at speed, and we caught up to Mei halfway to the warehouse-looking building that I'd reserved, slowing down to a super-powered jog as Ochaco, wide eyed and thoroughly confused, looked to me for help. Interestingly, she didn't seem nauseous in the slightest, though it'd only been a single minute, but that suggested good things for the usability of our Support Gear.
The anti-gravity girl pressed her thumb to the tips of the other fingers of her free hand and dropped to the ground, Mei letting her go in order to open the door, Uraraka taking a swift step back as Mei went to drag her inside. I put a hand on the pink-haired girl's shoulder and directed her inwards, handing her the cameras instead, which she took off to go set up without missing a beat.
"Right," I said, walking backwards into the proving grounds and extending my arm to flick on the power. As the lights fully came on, it revealed a space which was covered in columns, ramps, floating rings that started to rise up into the air, and more. "So, Uraraka, you've got a pretty good Striker power, but that also means you have the same weakness that most Strikers do, that being mobility," I started to explain.
"Striker?" Midoriya asked, and I realized I'd defaulted to a different universe's power classification. This world only split things up to Emitter, Transformation, and Mutant. The lack of such identifiers made it harder to identify attack vectors, which, in a way, might have been on purpose by the HPSC, to protect their heroes. Then again, it might've been because the limits of what powers could do here weren't as starkly defined as Shards were. "Oh," the boy realized, "because she has to touch things to activate her Quirk!"
I nodded to him, "Exactly. Since she needs to physically touch things, she has to get to them first. However, your Quirk works on yourself, which has opened up some possibilities. Honestly, it was the sexy astronaut thing you've got going on with your costume that gave me the idea."
"S-Sexy!?" the girl in question, who had been following along, repeated, blushing.
I lifted an eyebrow. "Yes? Midoriya, back me up. She looks like an astronaut, but cute, in her hero costume, right? I'm not the only one that sees it?"
Put on the spot, the boy blushed as well, looking down as he tried to respond, "I mean, the space themes are pretty obvious, and look really good on her, not that she wouldn't look good in something else, but the differing color help sets her apart from someone like Thirteen, and her tighter costume would help with mobility in three dimensions, not that I was staring, I was just appreciating the design, and it's really more about how you use your Quirk than your costume, though a good costume can muttermuttermuttermutter."
At which point the girl in question, hiding her face in her hands, accidentally activated her power and started to float away. I lassoed her leg with a lightning limb and pulled her back down to earth. "Asui?"
The frog girl considered her friend, putting an oversized finger to her cheek. "I see it," she declared with a shrug.
"Uraraka," I said, snapping my fingers, getting her attention as she very clearly didn't look at Izuku, who was just as clearly not looking at her. "With your power, you can use it on yourself and jump, obviously, but once you've left the ground, the only way you can move is to drop back to the ground, and that seems... ill advised, given how easy it is to predict parabolic arcs when you aren't moving at a hundred miles per hour like Midoriya. Er, um, a hundred sixty kilometers per hour," I corrected at their blank looks, Japan using the metric system, though familiar enough with Imperial to use foot measurements without issue.
"So, you've invented a grappling system, like how astronauts tether to things?" Midoriya questioned, and I froze.
I turned to my partner, who was letting me do the pitch, as she told me I 'was better at dealing with hero-types' than she was. "We need to do some testing to determine the targeting of her Quirk. You have flex wire?" I checked, and the look I got from Mei showed me that my partner doubted my sanity, if I had to ask such a thing. "Good." I turned back to the others, who were looking at me, confused. "No, but good idea, and I'll need to look into some things. No, we've found a way to make her fly. Mei, you want to explain how?"
The inventrix sprung forward, grinning, glad to show her baby off, even if the other three didn't understand half of what she said. They got enough, though, and Uraraka donned the harness which fit over her shirt, skirt, tights, and shoes. The foot-thrusters weren't on over her heels, as making the thrusters hardy enough to survive a kick was difficult, but instead were a paired assembly that would go around her ankles instead, lifted high enough on her legs to not be damaged by a heel-strike.
Power Loader had gotten us the schematics of her original costume, while encouraging us to 'spruce up' my classmate's original ideas, as the design company that'd made them had focused on style over function. This was actually purposeful on UA's part, as it was easier to add functionality to an iconic design then to add style to a utilitarian one. Furthermore, it helped the students come into their own, getting exactly what they asked for, and learning to seek improvements themselves, while still in a safe space (ignoring things like the USJ incident), which would be a lesson they carried forward.
Uraraka's leg armor was actually more like a space-age sabaton/greave combo, where the top of her feet and legs was covered with a solid, inflexible piece of material and her soft-topped, armored sole boots went under, allowing her to move easily, but, if you dropped a truck on her foot, she'd be just fine. However, to help her move, while they looked large, they were incredibly light, using hypertech materials to make a secure shell. It was that fact, and their hollowness, that meant they had a good amount of space for upgrades.
"Now, we've made it so that it only turns on when you negate its gravity, and you'll need to tense the muscles in your hands, feet, or back to activate them," I explained. "We're working on different control methods to make it easier to use. No, not that one," I added, as Mei opened her mouth.
"What one?" Asui asked, as we watched Ochaco use her power on herself, and then immediately sent herself spinning as she activated the thruster on one hand, reflexively turning on the others and flailing, which just made things worse.
"Throw yourself out like a starfish!" I ordered, the girl doing so, starting to slow her spinning as she drifted five feet off the ground. "Neural tap," I told the frog-girl beside me. "It'd make it thought-controlled but require cybernetics, and not only are the laws on that really strict, it's generally a bad idea. Probably why the laws are really strict."
Mei pouted, "But the functionality-"
"Doesn't outweigh the risk," I cut her off, the argument quickly becoming an old one. "She gets a feedback loop, or some kind of anti-tech attack, while wearing this, she'll drop and maybe get some muscle cramps as the system fries. A neural tap would fry parts of her brain."
The frog girl blinked her huge eyes. "That'd be bad."
"Yes," I stressed as Ochaco slowed to a stop, the thrusters having small stabilizers built in. Not enough to interfere with the flight, but enough to, when used constantly like they were now, reduced the internal vectors to allow a more predictable flight path and less delta-v requirements for corrections. They could be disabled, and, when she was good enough with the PITS, we'd probably let her, to pull the more ridiculous things that might be possible with the rig. For now, though, the stabilizers were training wheels that the girl, even as used to zero-gravity conditions as she was, desperately needed.
As the girl started to accelerate, only to panic and accelerate more, I called, "Turn and burn, Ochaco! And use your hand and feet thrusters if you need to turn!" She listened, pointing her hands down, rising, before shifting them forward and down, holding them away from herself, which allowed her to twist on her center of gravity, still being pushed forward, then up, until she was pointed so she was flying backwards and tensed, opening up the back-mounted, really shoulder and waist mounted, ionic thrusters to full, and slowing herself down.
She stopped, accelerating back towards the ground, and tried to shut off the thrusters, but kept tensing and opening them back up. In response, she pushed her feet and hands in front of her, like she was trying to touch her toes, and opened them up, the four sets of thrusters negating her forward thrust from the back-mounted engines, and she slowly worked her way to the ground, releasing her Quirk to land on padded surface, hyperventilating.
Midoriya was beside her in an instant, making sure she was okay, and she clamped onto him like she was drowning, as Mei checked the cameras while Asui and I approached the couple. "That was amazing," the green haired boy praised, grinning, which helped settle the girl's nerves. "When you get that working, you'll be just like Air Jet, only able to do a lot more! And the way you moved, I'm not sure I could do that!"
"R-really?" the girl asked a little shakily.
"Really!" Izuku smiled with honest appreciation. "I'd be flying around, hitting everything, but you took to it really well!"
I let them have their moment, faces inches away from each other, before I finally cleared my throat and they seemed to recognized how close they were, both pulling away a bit, but only Ochaco letting go. "Alright, so, glad to see it works," I said. "Let's talk tweaks. Were the sensors too sensitive, not sensitive enough, or is it just a matter of getting used to them?"
We hashed out the details, tuning the back-mounted jets to take more input to turn on, splitting the muscle-reading sensors linkage to let her turn on the left or right set individually, allowing her a degree of Y-rotation that'd take a bit more to get used to, but she found, ironically, easier to control.
I checked the clock, and we'd been at it for over half an hour, our testing time starting to run out. "Alright, let's do some basic testing with the grappling hook idea. Mei, the wire?"
She tossed me the spool, and I unraveled a length, my partner tossing me the cutter before I could even ask. It was the work of movements to function a crude lasso, and I direct Uraraka over to a wall studded with padded posts sticking out of it, to simulate climbing in such a way that, if you messed up, you wouldn't hit every branch on the way down hard enough to hurt.
"Okay, we're gonna try this two different ways. Part one, use this to grab one of the posts, null yourself, and pull up. Mei, can you turn off the thrusters so they don't get in the way?" My partner shot me a thumbs up, tapping away at her tablet, and the lights on the harness went out. "Okay, go for it."
It took the girl a few tries, and she finally commented, after hitting not the post she was aiming for, but the one next to it, "I don't know how you do this, Tsu!"
"Practice," the other girl replied, deadpan.
Ochaco nulled herself, then yanked, able to move herself up, though the angle was odd. She adapted, though, pulling in the loose length of wire around herself to ride the now-taught cord in an arc, tugging it again to change her vector to get closer. She did bounce off the padded wall, but got to the post successfully, calling down. "Um, now what?"
"Izuku, go up and retrieve her," I ordered, the boy nodding and taking off in a burst of green sparks, carrying the girl back down in his arms, the girl just a little reluctant to get back on her feet. "Okay, test two. Null yourself first, then try and lasso."
She did, and the problems became immediately apparent. First of all, lacking the effects of gravity, her throws were radically different, and the second was that Newton's Third Law decided to rear its head, making the girl in question spin in the opposite direction of her own throw.
"Midoriya, stabilize her," I ordered, "she can figure out how to deal with it later."
He did, and soon enough she got her lasso around a peg, repeating her previous performance, if with a bit more skill. "Alright, still doable. Retrieve her, please," I requested, Deku taking off, as I turned to Mei. "Got some ideas?"
"Do I!" she grinned. "Lasso's are so last millennia, but a Van Der Waals tag could make a beautiful Baby!"
I blinked, "Wait, how?"
Hatsume grinned, "Oh, let's go back to the lab! I'm gonna blow your mind, partner!"
I took a step in that direction, but paused. "Damnit, we'll have to do it tomorrow, we've got, like, five minutes left. Before we go, Asui, Midoriya, you guys have anything you want? Or any weaknesses we can cover for you?"
Izuku looked down. "Um, if you could make me some reinforced boots, that'd be nice," he muttered, and I had to resist rolling my eyes, as of course he'd want the same thing as Canon. Then again, he had the same power, so the same needs would be present.
Turning to Asui, she dithered for a second, looking to Midoriya who nodded. "I get sleepy when I get cold, ribbit," she admitted.
"Integrated heater?" I asked Mei, "Kinetic recharged battery?"
The girl considered it, before waving a hand my way. "Too easy. You do it," she told me.
Froppy frowned at the dismissal, but I quickly explained, "She means it'd take me an hour to build, tops. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't build it into your costume already."
"That simple?" the large-eyed girl asked, disbelievingly. I nodded, and she sighed. "I didn't want to put my weakness on record, ribbit."
I snorted. "You're a cold-blooded heteromorph. If they could, that's the first thing any Villain would try as soon as they see you. Better to close up your weaknesses than hope that no one figures them out. I'll see if I can have it done before Friday."
"Um, there's something else I'd like to try," Midoriya said, getting our attention. He walked over to the lasso Ochaco was holding, and requested, "Can you try to use your Quirk on me, through the rope?"
That's not how her Quirk works, I wanted to say, but stopped, as, well, I didn't know that. If her Quirk required her to touch things, that shouldn't work, as while she was touching the wire, she wasn't touching what the wire touched. However, the girl concentrated, and, with the muted pink glow of her Quirk activating, Midoriya started to lift into the air.
"Well, that changes things," I muttered, eyes wide, looking over to Mei, who sidled up to me.
"Can, can you skip class? Pleeaase? For Me?" my partner begged.
For a moment, I was tempted, but I couldn't exactly call in sick, and Aizawa would just drag me to class anyways. "I'm not doing anything after school," I gave, having been pretty firm on only showing up early before, but if Ochaco could use her Quirk through secondary mediums, that opened up a lot of possibilities. Mei squeed, hugging me, and I turned to look to Uraraka. "Come early Wednesday, and we'll have some prototypes for you to test. This, this is huge. And Midoriya," I added, nodding to the boy. "Thanks, I never would've thought of that without you."
"I, it was nothing," the boy sputtered.
"Thank you!" Ochaco added, giving the boy a hug, before they both blushed and she quickly let go.
Before we could say anything more, the warning bell rang, and we all froze. "Deku, grab Asui and Uraraka, and get them back, I'll take Mei and meet you there," I ordered, Aizawa very particular about people being late. He nodded and quickly picked up both girls before, sparking, he blasted out the door while I rushed over to grab one camera, Mei already picking up the others, the girl quickly jumping on my back.
"High-ho Sparky, away!" my partner called, out, and I had to laugh as I sent a limb to turn off the lights and rushed off to the Design Studio on legs of lightning. While unusual, this had been fun, and I was looking forward to seeing what else we could create!
Weeks passed, and more work was done. Finals closed in on us, and with that, the pressure to succeed ramped up. Momo, of course, hosted another study session for her fellow students, and the two of us tag teamed to help the others understand the topics they were struggling with. The same group as last time was there, along with Sero, the tape guy; and Sato, who I still had a hard time not calling Diabeetus in my head. This time, I was in my element, conveying concepts and clearing up confusion, while Momo taught classical Japanese, and Midoriya, with some prodding, started to help everyone else with our branding and PR class, Modern Hero Art History.
Soon enough, the exams were upon us, and they were grueling, more akin to my college finals than anything I remembered from high-school, but I was more than prepared for them, as was Mina. Talking about the test afterwards, she wasn't exactly acing them, but her incorrect answers were few and with a modicum of distance between them.
On the last day, a Thursday, the class collectively slumped in relief when the last test, English, wrapped up. As a native speaker it wasn't that hard for me, but, unfortunately, I'd learned it as a native speaker so, while I knew when something was wrong, explaining why was a bit more difficult. And, yes, I had my freaking degree in the subject, but in America that meant I got a degree in English literature more than the actual language itself.
"I feel like my brains are running out of my ears," Mina complained as we walked out of class, stretching. I stretched as well, the two of us moving in near unison, though, whether it be Body Talent or my copied regeneration, I didn't have the strain in my back nor the ache in my hand that I expected from having spent several hours near-constantly writing.
"I think I did fairly well," Momo murmured to herself. "Denki, question number seventy-four, about pluperfect constructions?"
"It was ~I had done it last Tuesday, but I couldn't find you.~ Did you say ~I have done it last Tuesday~?" I checked, only remembering the question number as I had to remember what the heck the pluperfect form even was, and she shook her head with a sigh of relief. "You guys want to hang out?"
My lover considered that, before shaking her head. "Let's do that tomorrow, Sparky. I just wanna sleep. Are ya sure it isn't robots? Because it'd be way easier if it's robots."
"Tell ya what, if it's robots, dinner's on me," I smiled over towards Momo, "Though not at some of the places you're used to. I don't think my wallet could take that."
The girl's eyes widened in horror, "I would never! To abuse your generosity like that would be... Oh, that's a joke, isn't it?" she questioned, seeing our smiles. "My apologies."
"Don't worry about it, YaoMomo!" Mina grinned, but her expression fell. "But are you sure it's gonna be fighting our teachers?" she asked me.
I shrugged. "It just makes sense. That or other Pros. Think about it, with how we've grown, we could probably take a small army of robots. Each. Hell, I passed the entrance exam by taking out close to thirty of the damn things, and one of the big ones, and I've only gotten better. You'd melt right through them, Mina, and Momo, as long as they gave you even thirty seconds of breathing room, you'd likely blow them all to kingdom come."
"Very good, Volt-aire! But please, do not tell the others!" a voice came from my elbow, and I froze, looking down to see the principal, a cup of tea in his paws.
"You mean, Denki's correct?" Momo asked, shocked, glancing my way, "Not that there's anything surprising about that."
The chimera nodded, "He is indeed. Normal years it would be robots, but your class's extraordinary potential requires extraordinary challenges."
"But, fighting the teachers?" Yaoyorozu questioned. "No disrespect, principal Nezu, but how can we be expected to defeat such experienced and skilled opponents?"
"Oh ho ho, that wouldn't be a fair fight, would it. Why don't you tell them the rest, Mr. Kaminari?" the principal requested, and I winced.
As both girls turned to look at me, I explained, "They'll be weighed down. It won't be that much of an impediment for ranged heroes like Snipe, Present Mic, or Thirteen, but Mei and I developed some variable training weights that should help a good deal. I suspected it'd be something like this before, but that kind of confirmed it. And we made ten pairs of them. Which means we're either fighting them one at a time, or we're doing so in pairs. Except for one." I locked eyes with Nezu. "Am I the one that's fighting alone?"
"You are not," the nonhuman administrator informed me, and I nodded, thankful for that. "Do you think you'd succeed if you were?"
"No. Well, except for Midnight," I told him. My Defense would negate it, and it was better to plant the seeds of my immunity from something I'd experienced, then for it to come out of nowhere.
The humanoid mammal took a sip of his tea. "Truly? I would have expected, with your performance against Nomu, and your performance at the Sports Festival, not to mention your training under Hawks, you would more highly value your abilities."
I shook my head. "It's not that, and I'd still fight, but I have to assume our teachers have all been Pros for a reason. Midnight's just a bad matchup, but, while I'm hardened against toxins, I'm still susceptible to sudden lead poisoning."
"I trust Snipe to avoid critical organs," Nezu commented with a smile, but considered me closely. "Aizawa passed along your insight with Mr. Ida. Do you have any others?"
I hesitated, and, despite myself, glanced to Mina, who nodded minutely. Momo missed it, but the chimera obviously did not, though he didn't say any more. "It's, it's the summer camp. I like the idea, but after the USJ, and with them hitting Hosu, it seems... foolish. Sir."
"It is," Nezu nodded. "But precautions have been taken, and a few more may be in order. If we let the mere presence of Villains control our actions, they have already won. Take it from me, living in fear is no life at all. Trust me, Mr. Kaminari. I will do all I can to make sure you are safe."
Which wasn't you will be safe, but it was as much as I was going to get. I sighed, nodding, "Thank you, Sir."
"Just doing my job," the mammal smiled. "Now I believe I have taken up enough of your time, and I believe you have a train to catch. Including you, Mr. Kaminari. You seem tired, and we wouldn't want an accident to occur."
I blinked. He knows I skate the rails, I realized. Which... yes, of course he does. I nodded, "Will do, sir."
The principal tottered off, and the three of us started to walk for the exit. "See, they're taking care of it, Sparky," Mina teased slightly, smiling, but with a worry that hadn't been there before.
"Um, yeah, that... that helps," I admitted, looking to the other two, and noticing they were both a bit tenser than they were before. "What's wrong? They're handling it."
Both girls shared a look. "Your worries seemed... excessive," Momo admitted. "No offense meant, but it was rather endearing, how much you care. Now..."
"Now maybe you were right," Mina said, picking up for the other girl. "And that, that's kinda freaky."
I considered that. "Yeah, but, consider where we were at the beginning of the year, and where we are now. We're strong enough we can handle ourselves, or at least get away, and we're only getting better."
My girlfriend considered that, nodding. "Yeah, we have gotten kinda Gucci, haven't we Momo?"
"I... I don't know what that means," the other girl admitted, "But we have made tremendous progress, haven't we?"
"We have," I declared, and a comfortable silence fell between us, Momo peeling off to be driven home in her limo, Mina and I riding together until we had to change trains.
"Seeya tomorrow, Sparky," Mina said, playfully grabbing my tie and pulling me down into a kiss, before prancing onto her train, waving to me as it pulled away.
I smiled, relaxing as I took my own train home, walking the streets normally. I headed inside my house and called, "I'm home, Mom!"
"Denki, one of your teachers is here!" she called back, and my peaceful mindset shattered, worry setting in. Are they going to reprimand me for telling my friends about the practical? "He says it's nothing bad!"
I relaxed a little, taking my shoes off, frowning as I noticed there wasn't an extra pair by the door. What could it be about?
I turned the corner and froze, spotting the man in formal clothing, a metal collar around his neck, his head and hands a dark purple mist with glowing yellow eyes.
"Hello, Mr. Kaminari," Kurogiri, teleporter for the League of Villains, greeted me genially. "I'd like to have a few words with you about an educational opportunity."
Chapter Fifty-Five
I was confronted with a Villain in my own home, and I had no idea what to do. Attack? Run? My mother was right there, looking at me in concern. Priority one, protect her, I thought, shifting to a martial mindset. "Oh, um, sure. Let's head to my room," I directed, trying not to sound more off-balance than I would if a teacher suddenly showed up. Kurogiri nodded and stood, thanking my mother for the tea she'd made, and followed me upstairs.
I didn't like turning my back on him, but doing so let me break an iron coin off my necklace, hiding it in my hand, and getting ready. I opened the door to my room, showed him in, and closed it behind myself. "You have ten seconds to tell me what you want before I kill you, and if you try to gate me and it'll be the last thing you do," I informed him coldly, bringing OfA up, and mentally preparing a railgun electrical formation.
"I did not lie. My employer is indeed offering an educational opportunity," the Villain stated, seemingly unconcerned.
I scoffed, "After I blew off his fucking hand? I very much doubt Shigaraki wants to help me."
"My previous charge is not the one making this offer," Kurogiri stated mildly. "It is my true employer that is extending this rare opportunity."
"The fan of Dumas' works?" I questioned, careful, ready to lash out the second I saw a hint of dark mist forming a portal. Kurogiri merely looked at me, glowing eyes squinting in confusion. "Alexander Dumas, the guy who wrote the Three Musketeers? You know, whose catchphrase was All for One, and One for All?"
That got a reaction from the Villain. "So you are aware. Then we may dispense with obfuscations. Yes, my master sees great potential in you, Denki Kaminari. Potential that would be wasted were you to merely be a hero, as your forebears were. If the previous holders were unable to defeat him, even All Might failing in his task, do you truly think you could?"
... what.
"My dad's an electrician, as was my grandfather, and my mother's family works in healthcare," I replied, confused, though with a glimmer of understanding. "My aunt's a Hero, but I don't think she ever went after All-for-One, since she's, you know, still alive."
Kurogiri gave me a flat look, or as much as he could with just a pair of glowing yellow eyes in a bank of purple fog. "Do not think us fools, young man. Your Quirk has rapidly grown in power, and you have exhibited sudden bursts of inexplicable physical strength. This is a pattern my master knows well."
I'm sorry Deku, I thought, throwing the kid under the bus as I argued, "What about Midoriya? The other kid that fought that Nomu with me? He's way stronger, and said he just got his Quirk one day. I mean, late awakenings happen, but at fifteen? Come on!"
"You know the method by which the power is passed on," Kurogiri remarked, and I winced, realizing that, if I'd only heard of AfO, I shouldn't know the inner mechanics of OfA's power. Shit, I'm panicking, I realized, as he continued, "Though your sacrificing of your classmate suggests you may have more in common with my coworkers than you think."
"So, what, does he want me to do an internship?" I questioned incredulously. "Spend a week, like I did with Hawks, learning how to be a criminal mastermind like he is?"
The Villain nodded. "I am glad you understand. Are you available next week?"
"I was joking!" I shot back disbelievingly.
"My master is a man with many friends. Several of which are in the Hero community," the gate-maker revealed. "We would not ask you to throw away all of the hard work you have done, getting into UA as you have. We only offer additional... opportunities."
"And if I say no?" I demanded. "What happens to my family then?"
The Villain was silent, which was a message unto itself, before he finally said, "Nothing."
Then why did you pause? I wanted to ask, but held my tongue. My instinctual response was to tell him to fuck off. That if AfO wanted me to listen to him, he shouldn't've tried to kill me and my entire fucking class. But I could already see the excuse. 'That wasn't AfO, that was Shigaraki,' he'd claim, and the fact that AfO wasn't going after me for blowing off his protégé's hand was evidence of his displeasure with the handsy asshole. But, getting too deep into my own head, with my suppositions, was something that Mina had noted I had a tendency to do, so I asked, "Like nothing happened at the USJ?"
Kurogiri shifted uncomfortably. "I advised against that action, but at the time Shagaraki held my master's favor. That is no longer the case," he stated, confirming what I suspected.
"And the attack on Hosu?" I pressed, as it was a giant hole in the 'but it wasn't us' argument. "What was the point of that?"
"Information gathering," the Villain replied simply. "You will note that there were no fatalities. With the resources the League possesses, that was not an accident."
I stared at the mist-man. "Wait, really?" I replied, incredulous. He nodded. I still wanted to tell him to stuff it, but I also knew that outright spurning dangerous people was not something done lightly. Thankfully, he'd given me an out. "I'll... I'll have to check that."
Kurogiri nodded. "Of course. Thank you for your consideration." He reached inside a pocket, and I tensed, but he only pulled off a business card, placing it on my desk. "We will be in touch," he promised, a swirling portal of dark purple mist slowly spreading behind him, but only there. The Villain turned and walked out, disappearing into the gate, which evaporated behind him.
I waited several moments, before slowly dropping OfA, letting out a long, low, "Fuuuuuuuuck."
What the fuck did I do with this? I wondered. Turn him down? Take him up on his offer? Take him up on his offer while really working to take him down? I... I didn't know what to do. I glanced at the card. I knew at least four different ways to slip a listening device in something that size, and, while incredibly powerful, one didn't rule the entire underworld through the strength of one's Quirk alone.
Walking out of the room, I headed downstairs and towards the front door, needing some air, Mom asking, "Oh, did your teacher already leave?"
I hesitated. Should I tell her? I wanted to, but I wondered how much of that was me, and how much of that was Denki's memories. He would tell her in an instant, but, while I had his memories, I wasn't him. But, from those memories, I knew what would happen if I did. She'd tell dad, and he'd tell someone else, or she'd tell someone else, and it would all spiral out of control.
Kurogiri had said that nothing would happen to them if I'd turned him down, but All-for-One had remained secret for a reason, and I very much doubted he'd like me threatening that. Kurogiri's image hadn't even been spread, nor had Shigaraki's, despite UA having footage of both of their faces, so, for whatever reason, that was being kept secret as well. Was it something the government was doing for their own reasons, or was it something that one of AfO's 'friends' in government doing for him?
At the very least, I knew UA wasn't compromised. If it had been, Shigaraki wouldn't have needed to break in to grab the class schedules so he could set up the USJ attack.
But I couldn't tell my parents.
"He's got a Warp Quirk," I told her, not actually lying. "He's already left."
She smiled, "Oh. And the thing he was talking about?"
"You know the summer camp in the last week of our vacation?" I questioned, and she nodded. "Something like that," I informed her, which wasn't technically a lie either, though I had to look away as I did so.
"And you're thinking of saying no?" she asked, and I glanced back at her. "Denki, I'm your mother. I can tell when something's worrying you. My little Den-den's been growing up lately, being all responsible, but that hasn't changed."
Shit, I thought, trying to come up a way to explain it without explaining it. "This wouldn't be a thing, like the summer camp, that everyone can do. It'd be just me."
"And you're worried what your friends will think?" she asked, and, I mean, yes, so I nodded. "Just tell them now, before you make your decision. If they're really your friends, I'm sure they'll understand."
I blinked, was it really that easy? I laughed, doubling back to hug the woman, "I'll do just that. Thanks."
"You're welcome," she replied, hugging me back tightly. "Now go call Mina."
"I will," I promised, "Be back later."
Walking out the door, I waited until I was several blocks away, and away from, hopefully, any surveillance, before dialing my girlfriend's number.
"Hey Sparky, what's up?" she said as she picked up the call.
"Don't freak out," I started, before realizing that was the worst thing to say, but kept going, "And I'm safe, but you know the mist Villain from the USJ attack? He came to my house."
"What?" Mina gasped. "Are you okay? Wait, you said you were. Duh, Mina! What'd he want?"
I looked around, but no one was watching me. "I've been invited to a Supervillain summer camp, apparently. By his boss. Not the disintegration guy, but the guy in charge of him."
"And you're thinking of going," my lover added to my statement. "Oh Sparky no. That's a terrible idea!"
"I haven't said yes," I replied, a little petulantly. "But, I mean, if I could gather intel-"
"Sparky, I love you, but you totes aren't a spy," she informed me kindly. "You couldn't even lie to me, when you probably should've. The first time you see someone innocent hurt in front of you, you'll try to save them. And I love you for it."
Hesitating, I finally stated, "I mean, I might be able to do nothing," but even I could hear the lack of conviction in my words. "Okay, fine, but... what should I do? Call them up and tell them 'Thanks for the offer, but I'm good'?"
"Oh, yeah. They'd probably get kinda salty. And are, um, Villains," she replied, just as stumped as I was. "Maybe call Mr. Aizawa?" she proposed, unsure, and I hesitated. "No, really, call him," she insisted, gaining confidence. "You didn't do anything wrong, and handling stuff like this is, like, his job."
"Okay, I will," I agreed, still off balance. I'd gotten so used to following canon that I hadn't seen this coming at all. I guess it was better to find this out now, then in the middle of a fight. So, small favors.
Mina could probably hear that in my voice, as she asked, "Sparky, are you sure you're okay?"
"I am. I'm just, he was in my house, Mina," I stressed. "My mom served him tea. Fighting them at UA was, well, fighting them at UA. And the Internships were in other cities. This is... different."
The girl laughed, but it was from stress, not humor. "I got ya. If someone showed up here, I'd be shook too. I, how's your mom?" she asked.
"Fine. She's fine," I quickly reassured her. "Kurogiri was alone, and his Quirk is a Warp one. Besides, if they want to recruit me, hurting my family would do the exact opposite," I argued. "I mean, you could maybe do a 'do what I want or I'll hurt them more' thing, but that's really short term, and this guy's literally centuries old."
"Oh, yeah. Okay," she sighed, sounding just as shaken as I was. "Call me when you're done with Mr. Aizawa?"
"I will," I promised. "Thanks."
"No prob," she replied, and I could practically hear her smile. "Love you."
"Love you too," I replied, and she hung up, so I dialed our teacher's number, which I saved when I saw it on our syllabus. "Eraserhead?" I asked.
"Who is this?" the man sleepily replied. "And make it quick."
"It's Kaminari. And you know the Villain from the USJ attack? The mist one? He was just at my house, but he left. And I need some advice."
"... Come to UA. Now," he ordered, hanging up.
Pulling my phone back, I looked at it disbelievingly. Putting it away, I leapt up with a touch of OfA, electric legs hooking into the power lines I landed on, turning towards the train station, and speeding off.
I guess I'm going back to school.
Nezu leaned back in his seat, his mind already working to try to examine this new information from every angle. "Well, that's quite the tale."
Having finished a most enlightening explanation, the yellow haired boy scowled. "I'm not making it up. He really showed up at my house! Hell, you can call my mom if you want confirmation. I can go get the business card he left behind, but I thought it was best not to touch it."
"Smart," Mr. Aizawa grunted, ever the cautious one. Then again, given his history, such caution had served him well. "We'll send someone to take it."
"My apologies, Mr. Kaminari," the small principal said, bobbing his head, still considering what he'd heard. "I did not mean to insinuate any untruth, only that you attract the most unlikely of circumstances. Speaking of which, again, thank you for your warning about young Mr. Ida."
The electric teen blinked, looking away. "I, you're welcome. It just made sense," he muttered, and Nezu had to keep his own smile from growing. The boy's actions continued to be incredibly suspect, but his intentions appeared, if not pure, then at least generally positive. In truth, the diminutive administrator had not seen the situation with Ingenium's younger brother spiraling out of control as it had, and neither had Aizawa. It was only once Mr. Kaminari had laid out his arguments that Eraserhead had brought it to him, and he'd realized the danger presented.
Nezu might be a genius, but he possessed no super-speed Quirks, nor any that allowed him to read minds, and as such could only consider the information he had seen. With new information, came new insights, and new understandings. And, as such, the mammal was quick to adapt to his changing understanding of the world.
Just as he understood, that, in some respects, that the boy in front of him was lying.
Oh, he didn't know what the boy was lying about; there was a great deal of difference between detecting a falsehood and understanding the truth, but Nezu understood the tendency to seek refuge in subterfuge when placed in danger.
It was how he'd escaped, after all.
A lesser mammal would be upset that they were being lied to, but Nezu looked past that, to the facts of the situation. Somehow, Mr. Kaminari had known Stain's strategy, but had set things in motion to not only protect his classmates, but put the Hero Killer in a prime position to be caught or killed. The principal was sure that, without that warning, they would have lost another hero student, and this one would not have been to a transfer.
In truth, the chimera had thought the boy to possibly have a source in the League of Villains, as that would explain a great deal. In time, he had plans to try to utilize the boy's connections, when he had become more acclimatized to the idea of being a hero.
However, with this offer, the principal had apparently been wrong.
It was possible the boy was lying outright, he was certainly avoiding saying something, and his recollection of how the Villain had revealed his employers name by pretending to already know it rang particularly hollow. However, from talking with All Might, Nezu knew the boy to be correct in his identification of the self-named 'All-for-One', an almost hilariously hubristic moniker. The reality of the man, however, was nothing to joke about.
"So, should I say yes?" the boy asked into the silence, as the principal put his thoughts in order.
"No, you shouldn't," Mr. Aizawa replied immediately, scowling. "Undercover work is not to be taken lightly, and you aren't ready. Not by a long shot. You'll be caught. And you'll be killed."
Nezu bared his fangs, in what humans called a smile. "I wouldn't go that far, Eraserhead. This is a wonderful opportunity, and should be carefully considered before being squandered." The disheveled man glared his way, and the mammal laughed, "Oh ho ho, how very intimidating. But I believe we should ask an expert, though he is running late, as usual."
As if summoned by his words, the sound of pounding footsteps thundered down the hall, and the door slammed open, as the one who did so shouted, "I am here! At this emergency meeting!"
"We were just talking about you," the chimera smiled, "Tea?"
Toshinori stepped inside, looked around the room, and, seeing it was only the three of them, dropped his enhanced form. "Sure, but what's up, Nezu?"
The principal waited until the Symbol of Peace went to take a sip before blandly commenting, "All-for-One has offered young Kaminari an internship of his own." The ensuing spit-take was very likely more enjoyable than it really should be, but given what he often wanted to do, this was an acceptable substitute.
"He-keh-What?" the man sputtered, flashing into his enhanced form once more, looking to the other blond, who sheepishly nodded. "Please tell me you said no, my boy!"
Kaminari winced. "I said to give me some time to check his claims. And Kurogiri wasn't lying, there were no fatalities in the Hosu incident."
"But not for lack of trying," Nezu noted. "Were it not for Mr. Ida's quick thinking, an employee of Mr. One would have killed a hero personally. He did tear out the man's throat, but a medical Support Item, as well as the toughness from the man's own Quirk, kept him alive long enough to receive healing."
"But he said his master was trying to avoid casualties," the teen argued. "And that if they wanted to kill people, people would've died."
"That's the way All-for-One works," All Might stated, shifting back to his weakened state. "He says things that make you question yourself. Things that seem correct. Things you can check, in the moment, which only seem to make him right. But he's lying, and if you believe him, you will be playing right into his hands. The only time he tells the truth, is when the truth is worse."
Denki blinked, a look of introspection coming across his features, "So, a sophist, but a skilled one. Shit. And it was working. Yeah, Mina's right, I'm not good at this."
"And what else did Ms. Ashido say?" Nezu inquired. The two students were obviously mates, though they had done their best to follow the school's rules, so it was no business of his.
"That I should call Aizawa," he shrugged, nodding towards the man.
The man in question snorted. "Smart girl."
"I must advise you, in the strongest possible terms, do not believe a single thing that man says," All Might insisted. "They seem simple, and straightforward, but doing what he wants will only result in pain and suffering, and not just your own."
"Ah," Nezu remarked. "In that case, the optimal course of action is obvious. You must not accept this man's offer."
"Um, should I call him and say so?" Kaminari asked. "Because that seems like a bad idea."
"Oh, it would be downright suicidal," the chimera agreed genially.
The teen frowned. "But he said I wouldn't be hurt if I said... no, he said my family wouldn't be hurt if I said no."
"Did he say so himself?" Toshinori pressed, and Denki shook his head. "Then that is how he would hide his lie. He'd say it wasn't him, but one of his 'overeager subordinates' that tortured and killed them, possibly leaving them injured enough so that you'd find them right before they died."
Unbidden, the boy began to spark, singeing the chair slightly, eyes wide. "But, I never, holy shit did he do that to you? That wasn't in..."
The skeletal man sighed, shaking his head. "Not to me, but my mentor. While leaving a note at her child's school, to show All-for-One could do the same to the boy, if he wanted. And then that vile excuse for a man had the gall to express 'sorrow for her loss', like it wasn't on his orders, like he hadn't done the same thing countless times before."
From Toshinori's tense body language, fingers bunching up too-large pants, it was quite a traumatic memory he was experiencing, and, while Nezu had never had a family of his own in the biological sense, he could still understand the man's emotions.
They never did find the body of the Villain that had tortured and raped several of his students, the man believing that his connection to the Diet would protect him. Bragged about it even. It was those same governmental connections that had caused the authorities to search so strenuously for him, but, given the number of animals Nezu had fed the various portions of his body to, they never would.
Kaminari got his Quirk under control, and sighed. "Okay, yeah, fuck that guy. Um, should I try and get close to him to kill him?"
The principal decided to nip that thought in the bud. "While I appreciate the initiative, Mr. One is apparently a combatant of the highest caliber, given his continued survival. If, once you graduate, you wish to eliminate this threat, I will, hypothetically, assist you. Of course killing is not the answer, as I am required to state by law. No, your best course of action is to delay as best you can. Do not reach out to him, and, if contacted, press for more time. This man has been around for a while, and should allow you to come to your own conclusions."
"You'd be surprised how impatient he can be," All Might disagreed, though he still backed up the chimera as he added, "but Principal Nezu is right, Young Kaminari. Delay him as long as you can. We'll take care of things."
Rather than be comforted, though the boy was even more on edge. "And the summer camp? I remember the last time we went out for a training exercise."
Aizawa exchanged a glance with the principal, who nodded. "We've contracted several Pros. You won't see them, but they'll be guarding the area," the formerly underground hero stated calmly. "If the League comes, they'll face a much stiffer resistance than they expect."
Denki frowned. "I, I hope that's enough. So, just delay? I can do that. Is there anything else?"
Nezu shook his head. "Nope! Thank you for coming to us with this, Mr. Kaminari. It was the right thing to do! Now go home and rest up. You've got a big day tomorrow!"
"Will do. Thanks," the student replied, with a stressed smile, standing up, nodding to them, and walking away.
Once he was well out of earshot, the chimera clapped his adorable paws together. "Well then, that's certainly something. Thoughts?"
"He's lying," Aizawa immediately stated.
"Eraserhead, how could you say that!?" Toshinori shot back, stopped when Nezu shook his head.
"He most certainly is lying," the principal noted, "but I don't think about anything important. He certainly knows more than he is telling, but, then again, so do we."
All Might frowned, "I'm just concerned over how willing he is to kill."
"You did just describe someone that, in most societies, would have surely committed crimes worthy of death," Nezu noted, never having understood the human reticence to eliminate evil. Ironically, those who had the least problem with killing were often those who were in most need of it. "I will point out his dealing of those involved in the USJ was uniformly nonlethal. With the exception of this 'Nomu', who was seconds away from killing Mr. Aizawa. Not that he succeeded, of course."
"Still," the Symbol of Peace frowned, but didn't say any more.
"What I want to know is, why him?" Eraserhead asked. "Why not Midoriya, or Todoroki, or Bakugo?"
Pressing his paws together, Nezu hmmmm'd. "I have some theories," he admitted. "It might be a combination of factors. His attitude," he said, nodding to Toshinori. "His power, as displayed in his placement in the sports festival, and his lack of formal support. I believe it would be most enjoyable to see Endeavor's reaction if the League approached his child, especially with their actions in Hosu. Tell me, All Might, is Mr. One a fan of interlocking plans?"
The emaciated man snorted, which broke off into sickly coughs. "You could say that," he finally choked out. "We thought we'd understood his plans, only to find out it was a small part of a larger scheme. We'd think we'd found a weakness, but it was always a trap, one way or another. It was only by trying something truly heroic that we caught him off guard. 'So stupid that even I almost didn't expect it', was what he'd said, trying to pretend he was still in control. But he wasn't. I'd thought I'd finally killed him. I should be happy I hadn't taken a life, but, with the people he's surely hurt since then? People I couldn't save? The thought brings me no joy."
"We'll handle him together," the chimera promised, for reasons of his own. Animals could not inherit Quirks naturally, after all. "Now, what I said to Mr. Kaminari applies to us as well. We all have a big day tomorrow, and if I don't get enough sleep, I shed, and no one wants that. I'll see you both tomorrow!"
Aizawa nodded, standing, the principal having used the S word in front of the perpetually tired man, and he swiftly left. Toshinori stood as well, hesitating. "You said you had your theories. Was there anything else?"
"There was," Nezu nodded. "But until I have more evidence, it will remain a theory."
"All right then, keep your secrets," the emaciated man mused, getting a surprised laugh from the mammal of indeterminate origin. "But All-for-One is not to be underestimated," he insisted. The principal nodded in agreement, and All Might left, closing the door behind him.
Left with only his thoughts, the diminutive administrator considered the problem. Things were moving faster than he would have liked, with actors he did not think would involve themselves in his domain doing so. But he would adapt, and plan, and strike when need be, in order to protect his students.
And he was left with his theory, and one with only the barest of bases. While Denki Kaminari's power was ostensibly Electrification, he'd quickly displayed traits of his father's Electrobody Quirk. It could have been a hybrid Quirk, as the boy's father was able generate a charge, though nothing on his son's level.
And then the boy had developed All Might's Quirk.
It was subtle, and easily overlooked, but Midoriya literally glowed when he used One-for-All. At a lesser amount, there was a lesser glow, but it was still distinct. And Kaminari, when he'd discovered the 'strength enhancing' aspect of what he claimed to be Electrobody, had glowed as well. It could be blamed on his electricity but the glow he created when directing that power created harsh shadows on the part not electrified, with a similar phenomenon occurring when he turned used Electrification.
But when the only thing that changed was his strength and toughness?
No shadows.
It was subtle, and someone not of his intellectual ability would overlook it, but the difference was starkly distinctive. And, if Mr. One had noticed it as well, that would very easily explain the offer of employment.
After all, permanent power copiers were rare in the extreme.
Chapter Fifty-Six
"Alright, what's wrong?" Mei demanded.
"What?" I asked, looking up from the soldering I was doing. "I, um, what makes you think something's wrong?"
The pink-haired engineer scowled, hands on her hips. "You're working thirty percent slower, and you're not talking. You always talk!"
From his desk, Power-Loader called, "He has his Combat Final today, Mei, give him a break. I'm surprised he's here at all."
That was an option? "I said I'd meet you here, so I did," I shrugged. "And... Mei, um, do you think you could make something that could be worn normally, but could have some combat capability? I could power it off myself, but it needs to be something I can take with me wherever."
"Armor is allowed, weaponry is not," the Pro warned us, only... that wasn't a no.
The inventrix frowned, tapping a grit covered finger to her chin. "Oh! How about collapsible suit with strength assist!"
"Power armor is considered a weapon," Power-Loader sighed.
"Besides, I have strength kind of covered, but," I hesitated, looking at the teacher. "Would capture foam be a weapon?" He nodded. "Damn. Well, armor's a good place to start." The line between 'armor that has power' and 'power armor' was the second the armor was able to move by means other than the user's body. The hydraulics in the armor we made for Mina were just tipping over the line, as while her acid was a key component, her Quirk was considered the 'control' method, as technically it would work with any fluid, you just couldn't do anything with it. That was also why the harnesses for the Sports Festival had been perfectly fine.
While I had visions of a suit-up sequence like that from Iron Man 2, it would honestly be better to have something more like that watch-glove thing from... Winter Soldier? It was Bucky he was fighting, but I couldn't remember which movie. Regardless, that didn't matter, and I quickly described my idea, as, while I hadn't yet found something that could hurt me while I was made of electricity, I wasn't so arrogant as to believe I was invincible. More than that, it took time, effort, and concentration to maintain, making me choose between attack capability, maneuverability, and range, and I could only pick two.
If at all possible, I'd want to see if we could integrate even a basic electromagnetic array into it, giving me flight capabilities, but the nature and complexity of the design needed so that I could get the required delta-V without enough resistance that it literally melted the metal in my hands, like I had in the Sports Festival, made that unlikely. Thankfully, the safety layer we'd built in for those gauntlets had kept me from getting burned, but if the array was going to be hard to make, somehow making the glove modular, and folding, without being full of holes was effectively impossible.
Thankfully, with something to focus on in the design phase, and with something that felt like an answer to my current issue, the time flew by until the bell rang and Power Loader kicked us out. Mei had her own academic finals, finals she'd turned down any help in studying as she'd emphatically stated that 'we could be spending that time makin' Babies!', and I had to head back to classroom 1-A.
Before I could take more than a step, I felt a hand on my sleeve, and turned to see Mei staring at me. "Partner, are you in danger?" she asked quietly.
I chuckled, "Mei, I'm a Hero, we're always in danger. It's part of the job." From the look on her face, she didn't find my joke funny. "Not right now," I answered her seriously. "But, I'm worried about later. Not now, but if we could have this ready before we went to I-Island, I'd feel a bit better. And maybe if we could make something for you, though you should be safe."
The pink-haired girl gave me a searching look, before breaking into a wide grin. "Stealth-tech, huh? Haven't tried that before. Don't worry, Partner! We'll be safe, and they'll be sorry!"
There was a nervous energy in the room as I walked in, everyone knowing that today was the last day of finals, and that it would be a combat test. For the most part, I tuned out the chatter, people talking about how they were ready, how they weren't ready, about how they were glad to be fighting instead of thinking. I didn't correct Kirishima on that last one, just shaking my head.
The final bell rang, and a moment later Aizawa leaned in through the doorway, the class going silent in an instant. "Get your costumes," he commanded, lifting a remote and clicking it, the hidden storage in the wall opening to reveal the numbered suitcases, holding our hero outfits. "And meet me in front in ten minutes."
Without another word, he left, and the class waited a few seconds to make sure he was gone before it exploded into noise once more, everyone hurrying to get their case while talking about the test. "Is it robots?" Sero asked. "I heard it was robots."
"It's not robots," Mina replied, several others stopping to look at her.
"Then what is it?" Midoriya asked. "I was pretty sure it wasn't going to be robots, considering how easily we dealt with them, but I wasn't sure what would be a good replacement given our current capabilities and experience; I suppose there could be strong robots, but there's a mental flexibility that's needed to mutter mutter mutter mutter..."
"Shut up, nerd!" Bakugo yelled. "It doesn't matter what it is, I kill the crap out of 'em!" the teen paused. "But how the fuck do you know, Racoon Eyes?"
My girlfriend smiled mischievously, "Girl's gotta have her secrets. Right YaoMomo?"
Yaoyorozu froze, suddenly on the spot, before she gave a little shrug. "You'll all find out soon enough, and knowing won't help enough to matter," she declared.
"Oh come on," Ochaco whined, before hanging her head when Momo shook her head no. "Fine."
We headed to our respective changing rooms, suiting up. My own costume had only shifted a little, integrating my new glove design, another pair of electromagnetic arrays on my feet which I still was getting used to using, as well as making Mjolnir an official part of my kit. In my pockets I had a few capture foam grenades, two small spray-bottles of the dissolving fluid, as well as half a dozen 'electric' grenades. We'd managed to drop the amps enough without sacrificing voltage to make them disabling, without being deadly. Technically we'd done that with the ones I'd brought to the Sports Festival, but it was still dangerously high. Now it was something more akin to the natural use of my Quirk, big and powerful, but only disabling.
Mind you, we still hadn't figured out how I could release the absurd amounts of voltage I could while keeping it as, relatively speaking, harmless as it was, but Mei had put me through a number of tests to try and figure out exactly how I did what I did. Power-Loader had eventually told us that what we were doing was effectively advanced Quirk research, something that government labs had been trying, and failing, to do fully do since Quirks had first arrived. He'd only done so after we'd slammed our head against the wall for several hours' worth of morning meetings, because he didn't want us to give up too early.
And, in a way, he'd been right to do so, as we had made some improvements from studying what I did. It also helped blunt the aggravation when we looked at Ochaco's Quirk and got nowhere. Mei had finally had some kind of breakthrough, muttering something about 'space-time distortions', but her first experiment had created an odd kind of reverse-black-hole. It's lasted for microseconds, only an weird bubble of distortion in the air when we'd reviewed the footage, but in that time it had thrown everything in the lab against the walls, ourselves included, hard, and Power-Loader had summarily banned us from doing anything related to that in the Studio.
Mei hadn't been happy, but when I'd explained that if the lab had been filled with other students, who didn't have someone making sure everything was safe, they could've been hurt when their half-finished devices were suddenly thrown in the face, she'd relented.
"Thanks again for the boots," Midoriya told me, and I focused on what was happening now, realizing I'd been getting lost in my thoughts. He was strapping on the sabaton-greave combo I'd whipped up for him. The inside was padded to hell and back, as Mei and I had called him in to have the boy show us how he overstressed himself when he pushed his power farther than his body could take, something my own built-in power copying limits seemed to be stopping. We couldn't negate the backlash entirely, but the 'pulverize my own bones' issue was caused by the force of his own strikes distributing themselves naturally on whatever limb he used it with, which meant it did so inconsistently.
By using armor, padding it, but putting an interlocking weave of carbon-nanotubules throughout the entire thing, the stress of any strike would be pressed down across his entire foot or leg. We'd warned him that doing so meant that there'd be no intermediate 'fractured but okay' stage, and that enough force would break his bones into a collection of fingernail sized chips, like he had before, but with it he had a much higher threshold before that happened. The points of his body we couldn't do that for, like his heels and the tips of his toes, we'd just armored to fuck and back, making it a solid-enough block that it'd spread out the force enough for the weave to kick in, no pun intended.
"No prob," I answered easily, "They working out for you?"
"Definitely," he smiled, strapping on the second boot, folding up the thinner armor that covered his calf, making the entire thing appear seamless. Mei had more of a steampunk 'black matte metal, riveted in place' idea for the boots, but I'd convinced her to go for something a bit more aerodynamic, and also something without as many thin edges, which super-strength could easily turn deadly. "But, do you think you could do something for my arms?" he asked.
I laughed, "Later, Deku. We've got some projects of our own, but I'll talk to Mei."
"You are responsible for the changes in Midoriya's outfit?" Ida inquired, eyebrows raised. "I had wondered how he had secured them, given that we were not permitted a full redesign until this fall."
The green haired boy nodded, then blinked, looking at me. "Did you do the upgrade I got before the internships?"
I shook my head. "No. I was kind of surprised by it, the design seemed a lot. . . tougher than your first one," I lied, at least about not having expected the costume change. I remembered from the first three seasons of the anime that I'd watched.
"Oh, I just thought, seeing how Mei gets..." he trailed off, glancing my way and paling, "Not that there's anything wrong with her! She just gets excited! And, since they changed it without asking, and since she tends to start making things-"
I had to nod, "No, I can see why you think that. But, no, Mei wouldn't do that, even if I wasn't there. She does tend to throw things out, but if you don't want them, she's not going to make you take it, even if she whines a little. She wants her Ba- her inventions to be used by people that appreciate them." I glanced at his costume. "If you want something more like your original, I can talk to Power Loader and Midnight." Before, I'd liked the new look, but my time at UA had underlined how what the design company had done was not okay. "Costumes are serious business, and-"
"No, it's alright!" Deku said, waving me off. "I, I actually kind of like it. It took a little to get used to, but it looks less like Al-, more like something that's different."
"If you're sure," I replied slowly, going back to lacing up my own armored boots, which had taken some design elements from what we'd done for Deku, but Mei had decorated with a lightning-design, our maker's mark built into the knee-pads, all of it covered with a thin layer of transparent metal to keep it from degrading with use.
I was filling my pockets, when Mineta spoke up from behind me. "Hey, Denki? Could, could I get a redesign too?"
Turning around, I wanted to say no, but the hesitant hope on his face made me ask, "Why?"
The boy waved at his metallic diaper. "This was supposed to be poofy pants."
"... I'll ask Mei," I told him. "And it probably won't be until school starts again, but remember what I said. Hit on her, and you can wait until fall like everyone else." The boy nodded, grinning, and went back to putting on his mask, having to fit it over his ball-hair.
"You fuckin' nerds gonna yap 'bought your shit all day, or we gonna go?" Bakugo demanded, and I just shook my head. While Minetta was changing for the better, Bakugo obviously wasn't.
We still made it with a minute to spare, beating the girls by a few seconds, and the class loaded up on the bus. However, the discussions on costumes hadn't ended. Mina had finally gotten her costume okay'd by the Support Commission, and everyone wanted to know about it. Mei and I had nixed her 'xenomorph, but sexy' idea, which Mina had complained about, until I asked that she run it by Midnight, and then she'd relented.
Instead my girlfriend looked like a steampunk Samus, sans helmet or oversized pauldrons, keeping her purple and green mottled bodysuit, though it was now half-hidden under the armor and tubing needed to make her pseudo-power armor work. Amusingly, the flashes of skintight suit you could see, if anything, made her more sexy, as if you were catching glimpses of something you shouldn't, even though it was just the costume she'd worn before.
Mina had let Mei go a bit nuts, her only request was to 'keep it hot', and a quick explanation on my part had helped my partner understand that the heroine meant attractive, as the inventrix had already started drawing up plans for an ignition system. My girlfriend had been getting used to it, and was at base proficiency already, or I would've asked her to avoid using it for the combat final. She still had a long way to go before utilizing the power armor fully, but, when she could, she'd be an absolute terror on the battlefield.
Amusingly, the one main downside of most power armor, that being speed, wasn't an issue. Not only could Mina skate on her acid just as fast as she had before, but because her armor was effectively thought controlled, as it was her Quirk that moved it, that cut the latency down to practically nothing.
"Oh man, that's so cool!" Kirishima gushed, looking over her armor, as she preened and posed.
Half the guys turned and looked to me, asking without words if I'd made it. "That was 90% Mei, 10% me," I told them. "The more steampunk it is, the more it was her, and the more, um, techno-medieval it looks, the more it was me." I didn't really have a term for it. Science-Fantasy? No, I didn't do a lot with extra decorations, as that kind of ornamentation wasn't really my thing.
Asui glanced down at her costume, then over at Ochaco's, then back at me, raising an eyebrow. Froppy's costume looked exactly as it had been before, the changes so small I'd been able to hide them in her wetsuit, and Ochaco's only visible difference was the back armor, almost like Todoroki's, but colored to match the rest of her gear. "Though if I'm updating something, I'll try and keep the original aesthetic in mind, and reign her in," I added.
"Just because one of your classmates works in Support, doesn't mean you should bother him for everything," Aizawa noted blandly, as he sat in the front, a robot driving. If I hadn't been getting a crash course in future-tech I would've been worried, but the reason that all cars weren't self-driving was legislature, not a failing in the technology, and, as we weren't leaving UA's campus, it wasn't an issue. "Go find a Support course student of your own."
The class collectively turned to me. "C'mon, man. Hook us up!" Kirishima requested.
"Ummm..." I trailed off, thinking of the few other Support students that I'd met. They'd been... kind of unpleasant, really. Not quite telling me to 'stay with my own kind', but there'd been a definite 'what the hell are you doing here' vibe, which had only gotten worse after the Sports Festival, when Mei had been the only one in her discipline who'd passed the first round. Then again, given that almost no one ever showed up early to the Design Studio, and Mei was there every single day, I kind of had my doubts about their effectiveness. "Sorry, I just work with Mei and Power Loader. Maybe ask him?"
"Why not ask her?" Sero questioned.
Mina winced, "That's not gonna work, hun. She's kinda... intense."
"Intense?" Todoroki echoed, in the near-emotionless way he often did.
"She's not a fan of the 'slackers' in her class, and they think her putting in extra hours makes them look bad," I explained. "Not all of them, but, she's abrasive if you're not used to her."
"She's like the Bakugo of Support," Mina shrugged, which, wasn't exactly right, but wasn't exactly wrong either.
The boy in question scowled, half standing in his seat, "What the fuck that's supposed to mean, Horns?"
"She means Mei's driven, and doesn't have a lot of patience for people when she thinks that they're holding her back," I explained.
The explosive teen scowled, considered that, and sat back with a nod.
Collectively, the entire class exchanged glances, all of us having expected another eruption, but... this worked.
Before someone else could talk, Aizawa announced, "We're here," the bus slowing as we reached the same training grounds that our entrance exam had taken place at. We filed out, six other teachers waiting for us, including Power Loader.
I'd talked to him earlier, and the Support Course had their exams this afternoon, the morning being the test they were given off to put any last-minute touches into their project. Singular. When I'd looked at the shelving unit full of things Mei and I had created, the Pro had just nodded and declared, "You're both getting an A."
Aizawa took his place with the other teachers and sighed. "Now then. Let's begin the last test. Remember, it's possible to fail this final. If you want to go to camp, don't make any stupid mistakes."
Jiro blinked, "Wait. Why are the teachers here?" she turned to Momo. "Unless..."
Before Yaoyorozu could respond, Aizawa continued, "I expect many of you have gathered information and believe you have some idea of what you'll be faced with today." He looked directly at me, and I just smiled, shrugging.
"Robots, right?" Sero asked, grinning, but even I could tell he doubted that.
"Actually," Nezu's muffled voice replied, as Aizawa's scarf, which had been unusually poofy, expanded more fully, "this year's tests..." The mammal popped up, one paw in the air while the other braced on Eraserhead's cheek, the man looking so done with today. "Will be completely different, for various reasons."
"Principal Nezu?" a good portion of the class questioned at once.
Our diminutive administrator pulled himself out fully, using Aizawa's scarf to repel down the man's side, the man just standing there, waiting for this to be over. "The tests now have a new focus!" he announced. "There will be Hero work, of course, but also teamwork and combat between actual people."
Deku nodded, "Like I thought."
The chimera flashed a sharp-toothed grin, leaning forward and pointing at us. "What does that mean for you? You student will be working together in pairs, and one trio," he added, a flash of something crossing his non-human features, before he threw his paws up in the air in excitement. "And your opponents will be one of our esteemed UA teachers! Isn't that fabulous!"
The panic was palpable, Ochaco asking, "We're... fighting the teachers?" she looked to Mina, who nodded, and the class realize that the three of us weren't surprised in the slightest.
Aizawa looked around, and noticed that we were the only ones unsurprised, and met my eyes, giving me a slight nod, before continuing, "Additionally, your partners and your opponents have already been chosen. They were determined at my discretion based on various factors including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships. First, Todoroki and Kaminari are a team." The man perked up a little, and threaded his binding cloth through his hands, grinning as he finished, "Against me."
Well, that's certainly different, I thought shooting a look Shoto's way. The thermokinetic just gave me a nod, eyes distant, already thinking of what we could do. Eraserhead's Quirk worked on everything, including OfA, and the man was stronger than should be physically possible for a normal human, some sort of Charles Atlas effect at work here. That meant, with my Quirks suppressed, I'd likely lose a straightforward fight, and while I had a few toys, the man was deadly with that cloth of his, which, knowing my luck, was an insulator.
This was going to suck.
Aizawa continued, "Then we have Midoriya paired with Bakugo." Both boys gasped, looking at each other in shock, but the teacher wasn't done, "And their opponent is..."
From above us, dropping down seemingly out of the sun, came All Might, who announced, "I am here, to fight!"
"We're up against All Might?" both boys questioned disbelievingly.
"You're going to have to work together, boys," the Symbol of Peace announced, "if you want to win."
"And for the rest of the combatants!" Nezu stated, raising a paw, obviously having let Aizawa announce the first two because the man wanted to provoke an, entirely reasonable, reaction from us.
The first match was, surprisingly, exactly as I remembered it, with Sato & Kirishima going up against Cementoss.
The second, however, was different. Asui was still going up against Ectoplasm, but she was doing so with Ochaco, instead of Tokoyami. Actually, thinking about it, I considered, looking around, Thirteen was nowhere in sight. Right, Nezu said there'd be a trio, since we're one student down, I realized, as he continued.
Third was different as well, as while Mina was still going up against Nezu, she was doing so with Tokoyami.
Fourth was another one the way it was supposed to be, with Jiro and Kouda up against Present Mic.
Fifth was the trio, where Ida, Yuga, and Momo all were facing off against Power Loader.
Sixth was another normal one, Sero & Mineta vs Midnight.
Seventh was my fight, which, at least, would give Todoroki and I some time to plan.
Eighth was Toru & Shoji vs. Snipe. Another one I sort of remembered.
And, of course, because he was the protagonist, Midoriya and Bakugo fought All Might last.
Having announced our fate, Nezu turned a wide grin on us all, clasping his paws together.
"Doesn't that sound like fun?"