Chapter 17: Powwow
- 1-A CLASSROOM, THURSDAY -
Aizawa stood at his desk at the front of the room. In front of him sat his reviews over his class' Heroics Training with All Might. He had to give it to the No. 1 Hero, he did not expect his class to go over as well as it did. The Pro Hero even handled his thoughts and reviews of each student's performance well enough. Aizawa thought that maybe he was too lenient, but All Might still exceeded his initial expectations. Now he was thinking about the students sitting at their desks waiting for him to start their lesson.
Would a few of them suffer a few injuries? That's normal for untrained college students. So to see that some only had a few bumps and bruises made his job easier, as well as Recovery Girl's.
To have each exercise be handled in a somewhat, professional manner? His class surprised him there. While he had his own notes and critiques to go through for each of them, at least they took things seriously enough.
He took a sip of his coffee, savoring the hot roast as it hit his taste buds. The class continued to watch as he took his time. He was dragging this out as long as he could, to try and see who might break or give him a reaction. His eyes caught Ashido visibly shaking in anticipation.
The pink girl obviously was either nervous or excited to see if she passed whatever lofty exceptions she thought he had for them. He sighed internally. As much as he wanted a quiet day, he still had to get paid.
And he had to do his job for that.
"First, let me say that you all did a decent job yesterday under All Might's instructions. And no one had any severe injuries, so that means the old bat was happy as well." He saw almost every one of them sit up straighter as they listened to him, some more pleased than others. His Problem Children still understood that the other shoe had yet to drop.
And drop it did.
"Don't let that go to your heads. I said you did decent. Decent is not even good, it certainly isn't great, and it damn well isn't what I expect later on this year." And at that, they deflated. Aizawa continued to watch them as their moods shifted again, their dour expressions changing to more focused ones as they listened. That brought a small smile to his face.
They were learning.
"Second, while there were mistakes that everyone made, these can easily be worked on. Better we handle that now than later. You all are still students after all." The Underground Hero gave them a nod of acknowledgment. Even with those small words, it did bring the mood back up a bit. He continued, "I have reviewed the footage of each match and added my notes, along with All Might's, to your files. If I have you marked down for further review, that means I want us to talk one-on-one later after class to address problems I think you may have."
He shifted through the files, handing a stack to the person at the front of each row for them to take theirs and pass back the others. Once everyone had their files, he opened the one left on his desk that had the more immediate notes he wanted to talk about for each of them. "That being said, we will briefly go through each of your reviews as I address your performances."
The class nodded in understanding. "Good. Now, Problem Child." Aizawa, and the rest of the class, all turned to look at Izuku, who hung his head down and sighed heavily. There was a pregnant pause in the air as Aizawa just stared at the verdette before asking one question, "Really?"
That did him in. Izuku groaned as his head planted itself onto his desk. He could hear several of his classmates finding amusement in the moment. Shoka couldn't help herself either, as he heard her chuckle briefly. He gave her a mock pout, which she returned with a shrug before leaning across the aisle to rub his head, an action that caused him to melt as soon as she did so.
And when Momo joined in, giving him a sweet smile, he felt like he was on Cloud 9.
The moment was cut short when Aizawa spoke up again, calling on the class' attention, "So, what do you think my issue is with what you did?"
"That I took an unnecessary risk, sensei," Izuku replied.
The answer placated the tired Hero, who moved on to his next target. "Sakurane, while not being deterred by the opposing team shifting the environment, and even thinking outside the box to focus on the objective, you dropped the ball during your exercise. Keep your head in the game and don't let your emotions get the better of you like that. Understood?"
"Yes, Aizawa-sensei." Shoka answered. She lowered her head as yesterday began to play back in her mind. She was proud she held her own against Todoroki, but she was more angry about why it happened. There was that dismissiveness in his cold tone that irked her, causing her to zero in on him and lash out.
It felt like all the time and effort she put into getting to this point, to finally make her own path, could just be that easily ignored. And she knew she would have to work on her mindset to prevent that from happening again.
"Kaminari," Aizawa called out to the next person. The laid-back blonde sat up straighter, nervousness apparent on his face as he listened to Aizawa. "Don't let your guard down like that. You knew beforehand that one of your opponents could take control away from you and you still fell into his trap. That, and your control needs work. If you need to set up a time for Quirk Counseling, be sure to do so. It's on you to be better than you are."
The Electrification Quirk user sagged into his chair. "Got it, sensei."
Before Aizawa could address the next student on his list, he saw Izuku raise his hand up. He gave the verdette a quick nod, letting him know that he could speak. "Aizawa-sensei, how quickly could we apply for a slot in a training room?"
"There can be one set up for tomorrow. We won't be holding the joint Heroics exercise this week since both you and 1-B need more training. Why do you ask?" Aizawa asked.
"Well, there are still some things for me to test with my Quirk, so I figured I could give everyone an open invitation to join me," Izuku stated. He noticed that most of the class was focused on him as he spoke, setting off some of his nerves, "I-if they would like to, that is. I know I said I like to study Quirks and that lets me see things others may not have, but if I can help anyone out with their Quirk, then I would be more than happy to."
Nobody seemed to jump at the offer or were just hesitant to do so. Shinso's voice cut through the silence as he spoke up for his friend, "I would recommend taking him up on it. One of the first things he and I did as friends was to think up ways to use my Quirk. Came up with some stuff I never even thought of."
Shinso's simple recommendation seemed to get the ball rolling. Kaminari's mood brightened as he looked at Izuku. "If you think you can help me out, I won't say no to that. Thanks, Midoriya!"
Aizawa watched as several more of his students took up the offer. As they did so, he took his tablet and began to set up their time slot to hold their Quirk session at Gym Gamma. He also shot Cementoss a quick email letting him know ahead of time. It was his area after all.
The tired Hero took another sip of his coffee as things settled down enough for him to get things back on track. "Alright." He called out. "Midoriya, after classes tomorrow you will have Gym Gamma ready for your group. You'll be under Cementoss' supervision so don't give him any trouble." Izuku gave him an understanding nod. "Good. Now, Kirishima. Why did you leave your post during the 4v4?"
Todoroki stood outside the teachers' office. Classes seemed to pass him by as he focused more on the review notes than anything else. But there was one thing that demanded his attention.
Aizawa had marked him down for a one-on-one review.
The bicolor-haired young man thought back on yesterday and his fight with Sakurane. He would be lying if he said the young woman didn't surprise him during their match. She, like most of his coursemates, didn't garner his attention. After all he had been through growing up, he would honestly say that most, if not everyone in his year couldn't hold a candle to him.
Until he saw Midoriya's performance during the Quirk Assessment Test at the start of their semester. And that interest grew as he watched him during the 4v4. The verdette proved he might be the challenge he was looking for. The benchmark to show that he could prove his father wrong.
Then Sakurane literally shattered his initial expectations like she did with his ice.
It made him rethink some things. And while she may have gone up from his initial assessment, she was still behind Midoriya. Even Bakugo was higher on that list.
"Come in, Todoroki." Aizawa's voice broke the bicolor-haired young man out of his thoughts. Todoroki opened the door to the room and saw Aizawa seated at his desk, a large thermos of coffee sitting at the corner of it.
Even Todoroki knew it must be bad to drink that much caffeine if his older brother's words during his residency were anything to go by.
He crossed the room and took a seat across from Aizawa. He waited for his instructor to finish looking over whatever paperwork he was working on, taking brief glances around the room to pass the time. As time ticked away, Aizawa finally spoke to the Hero student.
"Todoroki, let's cut through the bullshit. Why are you wasting my time, your coursemates' time, and most importantly, your time?" Aizawa asked with a narrow gaze. Todoroki only returned the Underground Hero's stare with a questioning one of his own.
"What do you mean sir?" The cold young man asked.
"Your Quirk, Todoroki. Why are you limiting yourself?" Aizawa further elaborated.
Todoroki's eyes began to narrow, matching the expression of the man across from him. Aizawa could see a slight twitch in his left eye as if his burn was beginning to irritate him.
"I will not use that man's Quirk." Todoroki coldly stated.
Aizawa let the answer linger, taking a moment to really think about Todoroki's response. He let out a huff, annoyed at the young man's behavior, but more irritated at the implications. Endeavor tended to keep his personal life very separate from his Hero life. Not even reporters were able to get much, lest they had to deal with his lawyers.
Lawyers from the HPSC.
This would muddy things and make it harder for Aizawa to get to the heart of the matter regarding his student. Still, he had to set boundaries and let the younger Todoroki know where he stood. It would be up to the bicolor-haired student to change, he just had to be willing to.
"Listen Todoroki. Right now you are about to be on the chopping block. If you don't shape up and get over whatever issues you have, you will be dropped from the course and put into General Studies until Nezu and I think you are worth the effort." Aizawa explained. He saw anger flash in Todoroki's eyes for just a second before the young man schooled his features. "One of the reasons I'm not doing that now is because I see the skill and potential you have. I would rather not waste that. For the first time since I started teaching here, I finally have a class that isn't a full waste of my time. A class willing to put in the work and effort for a career in Heroics. And I would hate to lose just one student from that mix."
"The second reason is that I don't want to deal with the insufferable headache of your father burning down everything in his path when he comes to bitch and moan about why you aren't in the Hero Course." The tire Hero rubbed his temples as he thought about that possibility. He didn't want to deal with Endeavor. He would rather spend a full day with All Might. He looked back at the younger Todoroki. "So, here is what is going to happen. You will have mandatory sessions with Hound Dog every Friday in the evening to work out your issues. If he doesn't see improvement, you will be dropped. You have until after the Sports Festival. This is now on you, Todoroki. You're dismissed." Aizawa said as he returned to his paperwork.
Todoroki sat there for a moment, taking in everything his instructor said. Aizawa paid him no mind, more concerned about getting his paperwork done before he went out on a short patrol. Todoroki finally took his leave, exiting the room without a second thought. He missed the slightly concerned look Aizawa shot him as he left.
"What the hell did you do, Endeavor?" He asked himself.
Outside the room, Todoroki stood on the opposite side of the door, unmoving. The entire conversation continued to run through the young man's mind on repeat. Each time, his frustration grew and grew. The cold and disinterested facade he maintained slipped as the seconds passed by. He barely noticed the flames emitting from his body. He snapped back to reality, quickly choking the growing flames and releasing a steady flow of cold air around his body to counter the heat.
'I will not use his fire.' Todoroki began his mantra. He walked through the empty halls of U.A., taking his time so he could calm himself down. All the while, he repeated his mantra.
"I will not use that bastard's fire."
- GYM GAMMA, FRIDAY AFTERNOON -
"Midoriya said he was already here, right?" Kaminari openly asked the group around him as they all made their way to Gym Gamma for Izuku's 'Quirk Brainstorming' session he had set up. Kaminari was with several of his coursemates from 1-A. They were all wearing their gym uniforms at Izuku's request.
"Yeah, him, Shoka, and Yaomomo should be finishing up whatever they needed to do," Kyoka replied. Kyoka had opted to join, mostly to hang out with her friends and maybe get some ideas to work with.
"This is gonna be so much fun! I can't wait to see what our two brainiacs come up with!" Mina cheered, pumping her fists into the air. Mina and Toru tagged along, not wanting to be left out. Toru had a sliver of hope that maybe they could learn something about her Quirk and Mina more so to support her invisible friend.
Ochaco followed behind them, a wide smile on her face. She was ecstatic when Izuku offered to help anyone who wanted it. There were several things about her Quirk she needed help with. She didn't want to get left behind the others. "I wonder how it'll go though? Oh! Maybe they can help us with some cool new moves!"
Kirishima practically cheered and hyped up the group as they neared the building. "I'll be happy with whatever they come up with. My Quirk isn't the flashiest but I trust Midibro can figure something out. It was super manly that he offered to help us!"
"I would have to agree, Kirishima," Iida said, raising a hand as he addressed the group. "It is commendable that Midoriya would be generous enough to help us. And not to mention Yaoyorozu doing the same as well. Between the two of them, I have no doubt we all can learn something we may have overlooked with our Quirks."
The small group made their way into the gym, passing through the threshold, and saw Izuku with Shoka and Momo, already in their gym uniforms as they finished setting up several dummies and targets. Near them, the Pro Hero Cementoss was setting up several pillars and walls with his Quirk, the cement shifting and reforming at his command. As the doors closed, Izuku turned and saw the group, giving them a bright smile that caused several of them to wince as if the sun was shining upon them.
"Hey everyone! Glad you could make it." Izuku greeted the group. Shoka and Momo turned around as they heard him, giving their own greetings in turn.
"Sup."
"Hello."
The group joined up with the trio as Cementoss continued to work. Kyoka looked around, noticing that someone was missing. "Yo, where's Shinso? I thought he'd be here for this." The punkette voiced her confusion.
"Shinso had something come up before we left. It was pretty important to him and I wasn't going to force him to ignore it." Izuku explained.
Kyoka accepted the situation and gave the verdette an understanding nod. She made her way over to Shoka and Momo and made small talk with the two ravenettes while Izuku went over to his bag that sat against the wall and took out several notebooks.
As he made his way over, Iida noticed the notebooks. "Midoriya, what are those notebooks?"
Izuku gave the bluenette a fond smile as he explained, "These are my 'Quirk Analysis' notebooks. I told you I was a Quirk nerd." Izuku gave a hearty chuckle before his expression changed, taking on a more conflicted one as he reflected on his past. "Growing up, I had no control over my Quirk. I didn't make any headway on it until several years ago. And even then, it wasn't until a year after that was I able to actually use my Quirk. So growing up, I looked at every Quirk around me, trying to see if maybe I could find something that could help me with mine. Soon that just turned into a hobby, studying and breaking down Quirks no matter what they were."
"And when I figured out what the trigger for my Quirk was, it started to also provide me ideas and references to give my Quirk more abilities to work with," Izuku explained, his expression returning to a more upbeat one as he did so. "So, I would like to think I might be able to help out with pretty much anything. But we only have so much time in our slot and I don't want to keep Cementoss-sensei here any longer than he needs to be."
"I appreciate the gesture, Midoriya," Cementoss said as he finished setting up the gym. "Do not feel rushed though. You all came here to improve yourselves. It is my job to ensure you all excel. A few minutes past your slot won't be an issue. No one else signed up for one so you all are fine should it happen." The cement man made his way off to the side, made himself a chair, and sat down to read a book to pass the time.
"Right then, let's get started," Izuku said as he turned to address the group. "If it's alright with everyone, we'll start with Kaminari since I offered to help him first." He saw the others give him an affirmative nod, letting him know he could go ahead with the plan. "So, what is it you want to improve on?" He asked the blonde.
Kaminari rubbed the back of his head as he thought about that. Control was his biggest issue. That and it short-circuited him if he just let his Quirk loose. He decided to bite the bullet and have that be his focus. "Well, my control kinda sucks. I can control the amount of electricity I let out, but it kinda goes wild no matter what."
The blonde watched as Izuku took in every word and began to sort through his notebooks. Izuku let out a cry of success as he seemed to find what he was looking through. The verdette flipped the notebook around to show Kaminari its contents. On it was an old-school Hero who had an Electric Quirk similar to Kaminari's.
"If control is the issue, that's what we'll work with. The problem with electricity is that it's energy. Wild energy. But it's energy that can be directed." Izuku explained. The verdette brought a hand to his chin as he began to run through his thoughts as they crossed his mind. "Hey, Momo?" He turned to ask the brainy ravenette. "Could you make a pair of gloves? Ones that have metal nubs along the upper knuckles?"
"It sounds simple enough," Momo replied. She lifted her gym jacket as her Quirk began to work. Emerging from the light emanating on her stomach was a pair of black gloves that had a series of metal nubs above the fingers. She handed the gloves to Izuku and spoke up, "You are using the metal to be the endpoint so Kaminari's electricity gets directed to them, yes?"
"Got it in one," Izuku said, giving his brainy girlfriend a smile. He waved a hand at Kaminari, getting the blonde to follow him to one of the dummies the verdette had set up earlier. "Kaminari, these dummies have sensors in them to scan and determine the damage done to them from a person's Quirk. I want to test two things. First, try to focus your electricity into your hands as best as you can and hit the dummy." Izuku grabbed the tablet from the dummy and stepped back, urging the others to do so as well. Once everyone was at a safe distance, he called out to Kaminari. "Alright, test one is underway. Kaminari, throw a punch!"
The blonde nodded and focused on the dummy in front of him. He narrowed his eyes as he felt his electricity move throughout his body. He tried his best to conduct it to his hands, but it proved difficult as he moved on its own accord. He didn't waste any more time, trying his best as he threw a punch, striking the test dummy.
Izuku scanned the tablet and saw the damage being recorded. The whole dummy showed shock damage done to it, enough to knock out an adult easily. He looked up and saw Kaminari have a faraway look in his eyes before he shook it off and returned to normal. The verdette grew worried about his coursemate and voiced his concern, "Kaminari? Something wrong?"
The blonde let out a heavy sigh, letting his head drop and placing his hands on his hips. "Yeah. Just... dealing with what normally happens." Kaminari explained. "When I say I short-circuit, my brain gets all fuzzy, and, well, I get super dumb for a while. The same happens if I take in too much electricity."
"I see," Izuku responded. He pulled out a different notebook and began to make notes on it. He finished quickly, made his way over to the blonde, and handed him the gloves. "Alright Kaminari, now try the same thing with the gloves on."
Kaminari took the pair of gloves and slipped them on. He waited for Izuku to move back to the others and waited for the signal.
"Alright, test two. Gloves are on. Kaminari, on your go!" Izuku called out.
Kaminari took in a breath and began to generate electricity once more. As he focused on channeling it to his hands, he found most of the electricity was being conducted to them without issue. The blonde couldn't hold back his smile before focusing on the dummy. He threw another punch but this time he didn't feel as "dumb" as he would have been.
Izuku went over the readings he received from the dummy. Unlike the last time, the damage was more concentrated in the area Kaminari hit. Izuku made note of the differences in the notebook he pulled out and waved Kaminari back over to the group.
"Well Kaminari, how are you feeling?" Izuku asked.
"Better. Still have some fuzziness but it's definitely not as bad as last time." Kaminari replied.
"Good to hear that. But it seems that just limits the drawback, and not taking it away entirely." Izuku thought about the problem, trying to come up with an answer when Ochaco spoke up.
"What if Kaminari had something that absorbed the extra electricity, or maybe something to cut it off?" Everyone turned to look at the auburnette, who blushed even more at the sudden attention. She began to poke her index fingers together as she elaborated, "M-my parents run a construction company. They sometimes had to work with electricians to figure out the wiring for the buildings they were working on. Ya know, to make sure an outlet doesn't blow up in someone's face when they plug in their phone."
"A breaker comes to my mind," Momo added, understanding what Ochaco meant. "And if we are talking about absorbing electricity, then something that could maybe ground your head to help prevent your brain from taking the excess would be preferable." She turned to address the bubbly auburnette, "Wonderful thinking, Ochaco."
Ochaco smiled and rubbed the back of her head at the praise. Izuku began to write in the notebook again, which caught Kaminari's attention. "Hey, Midoriya. What are you writing down?" The blonde asked. He looked over the verdette's shoulder and saw a well-made headshot of himself on the page along with several notes that filled out the rest of it. "Dude, are these just about me?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I made notes on everyone here for this session. At least more expanded notes. I wanted to make sure I gave everyone my all today. I'm going to make copies for everyone to keep for themselves to go over later." Izuku explained.
"You got one for each of us, Midori?" Mina asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Izuku nodded and flipped through a few pages to the section he made for Mina. The pink girl's eyes sparkled as she saw the headshot, obviously happy with her 2-dimensional rendition. He went back to Kaminari's page, moving it closer to the blonde so that he could read the notes Izuku made.
"With Ochaco and Momo's idea for something to prevent your electricity from shorting you out, we have something to share with the support department. They should be able to come up with a piece of equipment for you that could work." Izuku said as he went through the newer points on the page. Kaminari followed along, not really saying anything as he was more focused on what Izuku was talking about.
"You should also consider an upgraded version of these gloves," Momo suggested. "I made them for simplicity's sake and they will revert to biomaterial by the time we are finished here."
"The things you make don't stick around?" Kyoka asked in confusion. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kaminari look down at the gloves over his hand with a worried expression as he finally understood what Momo meant.
Momo shook her head in response. "They can but it requires more focus and more of my reserves to make it happen. I try to ensure that anything I make is more for an instance and not longevity." The ravenette heiress brought a hand to her cheek, blushing as she shared a moment of her past, "When I was younger, I used to believe that I could cause issues with the economy. When I told my parents my concern, my father reminded me that I should be more worried about letting Villains use my tools against me."
The group couldn't help but find Momo's past concerns adorable, her embarrassed expression adding to the image. Izuku did his best to refocus, trying his hardest to not focus on the busty young woman. "Momo has another good point. A well-made pair of gloves that helps with your conductivity would be beneficial. We can make our way to the Support Department when Monday comes around and see if they can maybe make you a pair before our next Heroics lesson."
"Awesome! I appreciate the help, you two!" Kaminari cheered. His celebration was short-lived as he tried to figure out what to do next. Coming up short, he looked back at Izuku, "What should I do now?"
"For now, control exercises," Izuku stated. "I would keep working with the dummy and trying to control the flow of your electricity, as well as your power output. Try to keep things as low as possible and work your way up."
"Got it!" The blonde replied. He quickly jogged back over to the dummy he was working with and began to practice his control based on Izuku's input.
"Hey, Greenie. Hand me the tablet. I'll keep an eye on him and help him out if he needs it." Kyoka made her way over to the verdette holding her hand out.
"You sure?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, we can get to my turn later. It's cool." Kyoka replied, taking the tablet into her hand. She went over and joined Kaminari, doing her best to keep track of his progress.
Izuku returned his attention to the rest of the group. "So, who would like to go next?"
Mina was bouncing in place, ready for her turn when she looked at Toru out of the corner of her eye. She could see the invisible girl debating with herself on asking for her chance to get help. Mina shot a look at Ochaco, Kirishima, and Iida, all three understanding her intentions, and gave her a nod. Mina gave them a smile in return and put her hands on Toru's shoulder. "Well, I know Toru was excited to see what the think tank could come up with for her."
"W-wait, Mina!" Toru tried in vain to protest. The invisible girl found herself standing in front of Izuku, Shoka, and Momo, who all gave her a sympathetic look and waited for her to take the first step. Toru brought her arms up and built up her courage. "Well. I don't know what can be done with my Quirk. It's pretty straightforward." She said dejectedly.
She waited for any response, worried as she watched Izuku and Momo studying her for a moment. The sudden tension was broken when Momo spoke up. "Toru, when you first learned about your Quirk, you were told it was invisibility and nothing else?"
"Um, yeah. The doctor I went to was pretty sure about it." Toru replied. The others could note some confusion in her response and turned back to Momo to see what her point was.
Momo began to create something in the palm of her hand. A pen-shaped object emerged and she quickly grasped it, moving closer to the invisible girl. She gently took Toru's arm into her free hand and addressed the young woman. "May I?"
Toru nodded, unsure where this was going. She turned her head as she heard Izuku speak up at Momo's hypothesis, "Right! The doctor might have misunderstood what was really happening. You think she might be refracting light, right Momo?"
"Indeed, Izuku. Invisibility tends to be a catch-all term. If Toru was invisible, then she wouldn't be able to actually see anything as her eyes need to take in light to function properly. So, we simply just need to test out my theory." Momo clicked the pen on, revealing it to be a laser pointer. The onyx-eyed ravenette tilted the pointer down and onto Toru's arm. The red beam shot through and bent slightly before shooting out the other side at another angle.
"Your body seems to act like a prism. It's able to bend and refract light through it. Reflecting light back could even be possible as well based on the type of light." Momo explained to her coursemate, her excitement becoming more and more apparent.
Toru watched in fascination as she watched the laser's light bend with her body. She was broken out of her wonderment when Izuku brought up another experiment. "Hey, Toru. See if you can control the light's bend. If your body acts like a prism, you could control how the light interacts with you."
"Got it! Let's see what I can do!" Toru cheered. She focused on where the light hit her skin, unsure how to bend the light, but willing to figure it out. After failed attempts, she noticed that the light began to curve ever so slightly. "I-I did it! I did it!"
Mina glomped onto her friend, the two young women cheering wildly at Toru's minor success.
"Well done, Hagakure." Iida commended the invisible girl.
"Great job, Toru. We now have something more to work with." Izuku added. He shared a look with Momo and the heiress understood his thoughts and handed Toru the laser pointer. "Keep working on controlling the direction of the light as it passes through you. Once you get a better handle on it, we can work on thinking about getting you some equipment that could work for you." The verdette gave Toru a soft, kind look as the next words caused her breathing to hitch, "Then, we can work towards the end goal. You being able to turn your Quirk on and off, on command."
"Y-you... you mean I'll be able to see myself again?" Toru hesitantly asked.
"I would like to think so. Since you are refracting light, it shows it's an autonomic function. Like breathing. And like breathing, it can be controlled." Izuku explained.
Izuku and Momo were brought into a sudden hug as Toru's arms wrapped tightly around the two. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" The thankful girl repeated, her embrace tightening ever so slightly. Izuku and Momo simply returned the hug, a smile on their faces as they were happy for their coursemate.
"No problem, Toru."
"Happy to be of assistance."
Toru finally released the nerdy pair as she calmed down from her earlier jubilee. She made her way back over to Mina, bouncing on her feet as the pink girl joined in her excitement. With another coursemate helped, Izuku turned to the other three. "Alright, any takers?"
Kirishima turned to Ochaco. "You can go up next, Uraraka. I can wait."
"You sure?" The bubbly auburnette asked. Kirishima simply gave her a toothy grin and nodded. She turned to face Iida, wanting to not overlook the bluenette. "What about you Iida?"
"It's fine Uraraka. Thank you for your consideration." Iida said.
Ochaco smiled at the two and looked at Izuku. The verdette brought the notebook back into play and flipped through the pages, finally coming up on her entry.
"Ochaco, could you help me understand some things about your Quirk and costume?" Izuku asked, not looking up from his notes.
"Um, sure. Whatcha got?" Ochaco replied, her head tilting in confusion.
"You manipulate the gravity of anything you touch, right? What is your weight limit before you feel the drawback?" The verdette questioned as he took out a pen to jot down her responses.
"Oh, well, I can lift up to three tons in total. That's my limit for now. I have been tryin' to work on keeping my stomach from turnin' inside out." The young woman brought her hands together, placing them against her stomach to further her point, giving Izuku a weak smile. "It has been kinda slow though."
"Also, It's kinda hard to keep my balance when I use my Quirk on myself. My stomach also starts doing flips a whole lot faster if I use it on myself." She quickly added.
Izuku hummed as he wrote, taking in everything Ochaco said. He flipped to the next page and made a new set of notes. Ochaco saw that this one was specifically for her costume. "Ochaco, was there anything specially made for your Hero costume?"
"Um..." Ochaco brought a finger to her chin as she thought about his question. Her response came quickly, her answer causing the verdette to pause what he was doing, "Nope. I mostly wanted it to be something close to a space theme, but the designers ended up making it a little too tight." The bubbly auburnette said with an embarrassed smile.
Shoka huffed in agreement. "I'll say. That outfit left little to the imagination."
Ochaco began to blush at the slender ravenette's words, mentally agreeing with her assessment. Meanwhile, Izuku was imagining Ochaco's costume and going over its overall design, trying his best to see what could be done to help her out. As some ideas came rushing in, he quickly jotted them down and voiced his thoughts.
"Well, one thing that we should work on is getting your costume to work with your Quirk. I think zero-g being applied to a person causes a major issue in balance and equilibrium. Maybe rework your boots to have stabilizers that can help you reorient yourself, and a HUD in your helmet that keeps track of the horizon?" Ochaco was thankful that Izuku was writing everything down and doing his best to explain things to her. "As for your nausea, maybe add something to your wrists and neck to apply pressure to those areas? I think those pressure points have something to do with nausea, but I would recommend asking Recovery Girl to be sure."
"I can probably help her understand how to balance and reorient herself without those additions, just in case, ya know?" Shoka offered. Her tail aided her greatly in that regard. Her mobility and flexibility wouldn't be the same without it.
"Really Shoka!?" Ochaco asked the slender girl with glee.
"Sure. We can start after Izzy here is done with your consultation." Shoka replied with a smirk.
Ochaco's eyes gleamed as her excitement built up. She returned her focus to Izuku, who chuckled at her demeanor. "Alright. Well, with those out of the way, I have another question. When you manipulate the gravity of an object, if you throw it and release your hold the object still maintains its momentum, right?"
"Yep!"
Izuku made a quick note of her answer. As he scanned the pages of Ochaco's entry, a thought came to his mind. "Ochaco, how do you feel about grapple-shots?"
The gravity girl tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the question. "Whaddya mean?"
"Well, imagine you use your Quirk on a large rock, then you shoot a few grapple hooks into it and spin around. What would happen when you released your Quirk." Izuku explained, making sure his hypothetical question was understood.
The answer came from Iida, who was able to follow along with Izuku's thought process. "The rock would move at high speeds. Much faster than if she simply pushed it."
Izuku nodded, the smile on his face growing wider. "Exactly! Not only can those grapple hooks be used for that, but she could use them for capture. But more importantly, for her mobility when she uses her quirk on herself. Think about how Sero uses his Quirk to get around."
"That would be so cool!" Ochaco stated as her eyes sparkled intensely, her body becoming more and more animated with her imagination running wild. "I can be all WOOSH and FYUUUUM!" The bubbly auburnette gestured wildly with her arms to further emphasize her excitement.
Shoka chuckled as she tried to reign in Ochaco. "Easy there Ochaco. Gotta make sure you can even airwalk before you start zipping around like a comet."
Ochaco stopped in her tracks, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head as she calmed down. "Right. Sorry."
"No big. Come on Gravity Girl, let's get you walkin'." Shoka wrapped an around around Ochaco's shoulder and the two made their way over to the small walls and platforms Cementoss had set up for the Heroics students. As Shoka began to give Ochaco some tips, Izuku and Momo's attention was brought to Kirishima.
"Man, this is so awesome! What do you got for me, Midibro?" Kirishima asked excitedly. Iida stood next to the spiky redhead, curious to see what their two brainy coursemates could come up with to help out.
"That depends on what you want to improve, Kirishima," Izuku stated.
Kirishima's mood changed on the spot with that statement. He looked down at his hands, his fingers curling inward forming fists. He felt his Quirk run through his body, his skin hardening ever so slightly. "I don't really know." The redhead answered in a rare moment of insecurity. "My Quirk is probably the most basic out of our class. I mean, all I can do is harden my skin to be like a rock."
Izuku looked at his coursemate, the verdette understood where the redhead was coming from. An idea popped into his head and Izuku went over to his backpack and began to rummage through it. Momo, Kirishima, and Iida watched on, wondering what he was doing when he rejoined the group with one of his pins in his hand.
"Kirishima, let me say that even the simplest thing can be used for so much more than you think. You are like this pin here." Izuku held out Resolute and handed it to Kirishima. The redhead looked at the pin, taking in every detail of it and finding a connection to the green rabbit with a shield. "You are already the greatest shield we have in our group. But I feel like you are downplaying yourself way too much. You just need to remain resolute in who you are."
"So." Izuku's expression quickly changed to a stern one, his voice carrying a challenging authority in it. "Are you just going to be just a shield? Or are you going to be the strongest shield? The one that's resolute against everything?"
Kirishima looked at the verdette, his mouth agape as the questions ran through his mind. It didn't take long for him to come to an understanding. He knew what he wanted to be. He hardened his arms and slammed his fists together, the sound of scraping rock sounding out at the action. Kirishima matched Izuku's expression with a determined one of his own. He answered with a sharp, toothy smile. "I'm gonna be the best damn shield out there! Nothing will get through me!"
Izuku patted the redhead's shoulder, giving him a smile of his own. "Good answer Kirishima." He took back his pin, clipping it to the hem of his gym jacket, and brought the notebook back out. "Then let's make sure you get there. First off, do you know if your Hardening works with all layers of your skin or just the epidermis?"
"Um... I don't really know." Kirishima was unsure of his answer. He never really thought of it. "Would there be a difference between the two?"
The answer came from Momo. "Possibly. I assume Izuku is wondering if your Hardening is only working on one level of your skin. If that is the case, you could potentially have two more layers of Hardening to unlock." The busty ravenette turned to her green-haired partner. "Right, Izuku?"
"Yep. You can have up to three layers of defense, Kirishima. It would probably take a punch from All Might to hurt you if that is the case." Izuku explained.
Kirishima's excitement grew with that example. "MANLY!"
"I'll make a note that you should check in with Recovery Girl to see if she might be able to tell if your Hardening is working on the epidermis layer. Once we have an answer, we can go from there. But let's work on turning your defense into an attack." Izuku said. "Kirishima, when you harden your body, do you slow down?"
Kirishima winced. "Yeah... I get a bit slower when I use my Quirk."
"And how fast can you harden just a part of your body, say, your hands and forearms?" Izuku asked.
"Faster than hardening my upper body for sure." The redhead's answer was much more certain. He demonstrated the difference from the other three, showing that if he focused on a smaller area, he could harden his skin much faster than a larger area. "Why? What does that help with?"
Izuku gave Kirishima a cheeky smile, "Simple. I'm guessing you always keep your body hardened during a fight. Where that's good for defense, it can mess with your offense. Sometimes it's better to be faster than your opponent than to take an unnecessary hit."
As Kirishima racked his brain trying to understand what Izuku was getting at, Iida chimed in to explain the verdette's point further. "What Midoriya is getting at, is that you harden your punches before the strike, or at least around the middle of your punch. By doing so, you ensure you keep a higher speed, a speed that will greatly increase the impact of your punch when your hardening takes effect."
"Exactly, Iida!" The verdette happily replied.
"Bro... that's so simple!" Kirishima slapped his head, groaning at the realization. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"It's alright, Kirishima. Everyone overlooks the simple things." Momo said, trying to comfort the redhead.
Kirishima's mood recovered quickly, the redhead bouncing on his heels as he felt ready to get some training done. "Alright? What's the plan, Midibro?"
Izuku pointed at one of the other dummies that were set up. "We just need to test out your Hardening speed and to see if it makes a difference. Sound good?"
"Hell yeah! Let's do this!" Kirishima jogged on ahead to the dummy, leaving the other three behind, with Iida barely able to chide his coursemate for his language. As the redhead began to stretch, Izuku turned to address Iida.
"What about you, Iida? Anything you want to brainstorm over?"
The bluenette shook his head. "I am fine, Midoriya. We can get around to me next time. You, Yaoyorozu, and Sakurane already have your hands full. Allow me to at least assist you all with the others."
Izuku and Momo gave him a bright smile at his offer.
"Got it. And thanks, Iida."
"We appreciate your offer and would be glad to have you help us."
The three made their way over to the training dummies. They worked with Kirishima, going over everything they could think of to study his Quirk and how effective he was with it. As the redhead found a steady rhythm, doing his best to get used to quick hardening, Izuku and Momo went to check on Kaminari and Kyoka while Iida continued to help out Kirishima.
"How's it going Kaminari," Izuku asked the blonde.
Kaminari was taking a moment to catch his breath. Izuku and Momo could see that he had been pushing himself and it was starting to take a mental toll on him as he was slow to respond. "I'm... I'm alright. Just need a break."
"Take a break then, don't strain yourself," Izuku replied softly. The verdette used Orbit and pulled at a bottle of water set out to the side and handed it to the blonde, who accepted the water happily. He moved out of the way, leaving Kyoka alone with Izuku and Momo.
Kyoka began to twirl one of her jacks around her finger, looking off to the side. After building up some courage, she questioned Izuku and Momo. "Hey, since you two are here. Mind helping me with my Quirk?"
"Sure, Kyoka."
"Of course, Kyoka."
The punkette stopped twirling her jack and gave the two a nod. "Cool. Talk nerdy to me." She said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Right. Your jacks are metal, right? Or some form of organic metal, as weird or unbelievable as that sounds." Izuku asked.
"Yeah. Can't pierce concrete if they weren't." The punkette tapped her jacks together, wincing slightly as she continued speaking, "Still hurts a bit when I do that."
Izuku hummed, bringing a hand to his chin. "Well, that's something we can work with. Maybe they are like bones or muscles in a way. They get stronger the more they are strained and recover. As simple as it is, I would work on piercing stronger and more durable objects to build up the strength you have in them."
Kyoka seemed rather bummed at something as simple as that but still appreciated the help she got. "Alright, guess I can do that."
Momo watched the interaction while thinking of an idea of her own. "Kyoka, you plug your jacks into your boots to let your heartbeat be heard, yes?"
"Yeah," Kyoka answered, unsure where this was going.
"I also remember seeing you use your jacks to plug into your phone to listen to your music." Momo then moved on her hunch, lifted the hem of her jacket up, and began to create a small speaker that Kyoka could plug her jacks into. As she held it out, she explained her idea, "If you can plug your jacks into another sound source to listen to something, and also plug them into a speaker to create your own sounds, what if you acted as a medium?"
Kyoka stared at the ravenette, a dumbfounded expression plastered on her face. She robotically pulled out her phone with one hand and took the little speaker Momo made in the other. She then plugged both of her jacks into the two devices. Soon the sounds of a heavy bass filled the gym. As the drums kicked in, and the guitar began to strum, everyone stopped what they were doing as they looked at the punkette.
Kyoka just deadpanned at the realization that she never even tried this.
It hurt her a little on the inside.
"Sonuvabitch..."
All Might sat in Nezu's office, nervous about the upcoming talk he was about to have. He reminded himself that this was a courtesy, that he already made his decision.
But he was still nervous.
On paper, Togata Mirio was well on his way to becoming a great Hero. He had the drive, the skill, and the personality of one. But there was something in between the lines if you knew where to look. And unfortunately, it was plain to see for All Might. Togata was almost a copy of himself.
That was something All Might wanted to be sure to not happen. One For All wasn't Mirai's responsibility. He didn't have the right to make the choice for All Might when it came to finding his successor. While Mirai did an outstanding job bringing out the best in Togata, All Might wanted to make sure Togata at least left this meeting with the reminder that the young man should always be his own Hero.
The Hero he wanted to be.
But All Might wouldn't know without talking to the young man. The No. 1 Hero was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door. The emaciated man quickly buffed up with his Quirk, glad that he didn't push past his time limit, and stood up.
"Excuse me, All Might? It's Togata." The muffled voice outside the door said.
"Ah, young Togata! please, come inside." All Might replied.
All Might watched as an arm phased through the door and jiggled the handle. The door opened up, revealing a tall, muscular blonde. His hair was slicked back into a mullet, with his bangs flipping up as they were swept back. He had the most peculiar eyes as they were only two oval-shaped blue irises. All Might could see the amount of time and effort the young man put into his training, his uniform fitting well over his body, hinting at his large build. He wore a wide, bright smile on his face.
All Might couldn't help but see the similarities between them. He held back those thoughts, reminding himself that he would learn more about Togata as they talked. That would be the measure of the young man we would get, not from Mirai's word or Togata's student file.
"I hope the ghostly arm didn't faze you, All Might!" The younger blonde said jokingly.
All Might gave him a hearty chuckle. Far be it from him to not to enjoy a pun or two. All Might brought his hand out for Togata to shake. "Thank you for meeting with me, young Togata. I know that even though the semester has started, it was rather sudden to ask for such a request."
"Are you kidding sir? It's an honor to meet you!" Togata shook the No. 1 Hero's hand enthusiastically.
As they let go, All Might gestured to the couch across from him. Togata took his seat while All Might did the same. The taller blonde kept running through different ways to start this conversation, deciding to just wing it.
He was used to doing that.
"Now, young Togata, when I first decided to teach here, I knew that I wanted to see the future of Heroes. And as I looked around, I learned about you. All your teachers have spoken highly of you. Not only them, but Sasaki himself sings your praises." All Might leaned in. "And when I look at you, I see a Hero well on his way to being one of the greatest. And I simply wanted the chance to get to know that Hero."
Togata's smile widened even further at All Might's words. "Thank you, All Might. It means a lot to hear that from you."
"Of course, young Togata." All Might leaned back again, getting comfortable, and gestured to the blonde in front of him. "Now please, tell me about yourself."
Togata did so. The two blondes enjoyed each other's company as they conversed. Togata talking about his time at U.A. and the mishaps with his Quirk. How that led to his work studies with Sir Nighteye. The younger blonde was especially happy to hear some of the stories All Might shared about his mentor.
All Might would often throw in his own stories, giving his point of view as Togata listened to him intently. The older blonde Hero gave him a few words of wisdom he thought would be helpful for the future Hero's career, giving him extra bits of advice where he could.
Soon, their conversation came to an end. Both blondes stood up from their seats and shook hands.
"Young Togata, it was a pleasure to get the chance to meet such a fine future Hero. And I can't wait to see you excel." All Might said.
"Thank you, All Might. I know I already said it, but it is an honor getting to talk with you." The younger blonde replied.
Togata turned to leave after shaking the No. 1 Hero's hand once more. As he left the room and the door closed, All Might released his Quirk, his body deflating back to its emaciated form. The blonde Hero sat back down, letting out a huff as he replayed the conversation in his head.
"So, I take it your mind is still made up then?" Nezu's voice piped up, surprising the skeletal blonde. All Might jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of the chimera. He brought a hand to his chest as his heart began to steady.
"Geez, Nezu. Please don't startle me like that." All Might weakly asked his boss.
"Apologies, but this is my office that I let you use for your talk with young Togata. Speaking of..." Nezu responded while doing paperwork.
"Young Togata is a remarkable young man who is well on his way to being a great Hero." All Might said with a bright smile on his face. That smile soon faded as he continued to speak, "But he isn't the one. I see what Mirai has done well with him. But there is an underlying resemblance. And I'm worried that giving Togata One For All will just make him into another me."
"Understandable. When I realized what Nighteye was doing with Togata, I had my doubts. I am glad that you too wish to see the young man come into his own." The white-furred chimera looked up, bringing his paws together. "I would rather Togata become the Hero Lemillion, and not Lemillion the Hero like All Might."
Nezu returned to his paperwork, finishing up the last bits that required his attention as he continued to speak, "That being said, you are still set on making Midoriya your successor?"
All Might didn't even hesitate with his answer, "Yes. Without a doubt."
The chimera hummed in response. "Alright then. I do believe you should speak to one other person before talking with Midoriya. I can guarantee that this will help you understand the young man better." Nezu hopped down from his chair and walked over to All Might, climbing up the Hero and perching on his shoulder.
"How does coffee sound?"
- MUSUTAFU, CITY PARK, FRIDAY EVENING -
Shinso sat down on a park bench, watching the citizens of Musutafu enjoying the rest of their evening. The world just seemed to pass him by at the moment. As he was lost in thought, he failed to notice the presence of someone sneaking up on him.
"Hey!"
Shinso barely moved at the sudden voice behind him. He simply turned around slightly to look at the person behind him.
Behind him was a fair-skinned young woman with pale, ash-blonde hair pulled into two messy hair buns, with multiple strands sticking out wildly, her bangs cut into a straight fringe with two chin-length side bangs framing her face. She had inward-tilting, cat-like golden-yellow eyes that gave a sharp and intense look to her. The smile she gave the indigoette was wide, showcasing her long, pointed canines.
She wore a sailor dress, similar to Shoka's, but was a dark navy blue with white trimmings. She had on a pair of black knee-length socks and dark brown loafers. Over her dress was an oversized, beige-colored cardigan that had seen better days, barely hiding her slender and mature figure.
The young woman huffed at the lack of surprise on Shinso's face, her lips forming a pout as she hopped onto the bench, sitting next to the indigoette. "No fair that you can keep a straight face like that, Shinso. I was being super sneaky too."
"I learned from the best, Himiko." Shinso simply stated.
"Riiiiight. Mr. Sleepy Sensei." Himiko had a distant look in her eyes. "So, how is Hero school?"
"It's going alright. Pretty decent first week. Got my ass electrocuted because I didn't pay attention during training." The indigoette briefly recounted his week.
He immediately regretted mentioning that part as he saw Himiko's smile return and grow wide at his words. Shinso noted the playfulness dancing in her eyes as she spoke, "I guess you were quite shocked that it happened?"
Shinso groaned while Himiko laughed at his misfortune. More so that she knew he hated that pun. "Please don't start. Izuku and Shoka already have a list of electric puns they are still going through, I don't want to hear any from you either." The indigoette begged the bun-haired young woman.
Himiko gave him a hum, enjoying the moment. She began to kick her legs back and forth while Shinso leaned forward, putting his hands together as the two sat together in a comfortable silence.
"Hey, Himiko? How are you doing?" Shinso asked.
"I'm fine." Her answer was quick. Shinso noted that despite the cheeriness in her tone, there was a hint of emptiness to go along with it. It just made him worry about her more.
"Really?" The indigoette began to push, trying his best not to put her on edge or make her shut down the conversation.
Himiko stopped kicking her legs as Shinso continued to question her. She turned her head away, not wanting to look at him. "Really, Shinso... I'm fine."
The messy-haired indigoette sighed at her response. 'Guess that's all I'm gonna get out of her for now.' He thought to himself. His eyes darted to the side to look at her. "Just... remember that I'm here if you need to talk."
Himiko only nodded, not finding it in herself to really respond. Another bout of silence filled the air as the two continued to sit on that bench. The bun-haired blonde gave Shinso several glances, each time trying to ask him something but coming up short. That didn't stop Shinso from knowing what she wanted to ask.
"How are your cravings?"
Himiko flinched at the question. "I could really use a drink if you're okay with it."
She watched as the Indigoette stood up and turned to face her. He gave her a rare, soft smile. "You don't have to ask, you know that."
Shinso moved the neckline of his shirt out of the way but stopped as he noticed Himiko take cautionary glances around them, her eyes darting back and forth. He saw there were still several people around them, and he understood his friend's concerns. He waved her to stand up as they made their way to a more secluded area of the park.
Himiko latched onto his arm, wrapping her arms around his. It was a brief stroll, but a relaxing one for the two of them. When they were far enough away, Himiko bit her lips in anticipation. Shinso barely moved his hand out of the way before the bun-haired blonde latched on to his neckline, running her tongue to apply a simple anesthetic and sinking her fangs into the indigoette.
Shinso could hear her purr in contentment as she drank. He simply stood still, letting his friend take her time.
- KAMINO WARD, ABANDONED BAR, FRIDAY NIGHT -
Behind the counter of a run-down bar stood a man made of a dark purple mist, wearing a long-sleeved formal shirt with a tie tied around his neck, a pair of black slacks and brown shoes, a double-breasted gray vest and a metal collar running up his neck and face. His most notable feature was his bright yellow eyes which glowed from the dark mist.
He was currently cleaning several glasses as he listened to the news.
"It is confirmed that the rumors about All Might taking up a job teaching at U.A. University are indeed true. We have yet to hear from the Hero, but new stations everywhere are currently biting at the bits for any word from the No. 1 Hero or the university."
The TV was turned off by a man sitting at the counter as the misty man worked. He was a slim man with pale skin and lips that were chapped. He had shaggy, gray-blue hair that hung over most of his face and down to his shoulders. His red eyes were shadowed by his hair, with a series of wrinkles that were hidden by the clumps.
He was wearing a loose, long-sleeve black v-neck shirt and a pair of light black pants that led to a pair of red shoes on his feet.
The shaggy-haired man set down his glass and spoke up to his misty companion, "So, he really is trying to teach more Heroes, huh?"
"So it seems." The misty man responded.
The red eyes of the seated man narrowed, his frustration evident in his voice. "Great. Just great. That just means we will have more trash Heroes spawning out in the field. Maybe it's time to make a statement, Kurogiri."
The now-named Kurogiri looked at his companion as he fished out his phone from his pocket. He could see the name 'Sensei' on the screen as the shaggy-haired man dialed the contact. As the line connected, a deep, powerful voice was heard through the speaker.
"Ah, Tomura. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"
"Sensei, I wanna plan a raid event..."