Chapter 18
While she may have been a hero for only a year, Takeyama Yu had seen a lot of strange shit, to say nothing of the sad, strange years she'd spent going to high school in Hokkaido that she'd never get back. She'd seen villains of all shapes and would never be able to look at a cow the same way again, but even with all that, what she saw before her now was quite possibly one of the strangest and most disturbing things she'd ever seen.
It was even worse than her three-o-clock.
"Eri-chan, are you okay?" she asked, looking at the miserable-looking little girl with a gaze of pure sympathy.
"I'm fine" the miserable looking girl said.
"Are... Are you sure?" she asked, flinching somewhat as the girl forced another spoon full of the unspeakable sludge she was consuming down her gullet with a pained grimace.
"I need to feed my quirk." Eri stated blandly as she took another agonizing bite.
Yu took a deep breath as she looked at Eri and what was around her. On one side, there were several two liter bottles of vegetable oil. On the other, a number of two kilo bags of raw cane sugar. And in front of her, a bowl that contained some unholy combination of the two.
Feeding your quirk was one thing, but this kid was killing herself. Even if most of it went into her quirk, this couldn't be healthy. Clearly, an intervention was in order.
"I understand that," she said, as she sat at the bench seat across from here, "But don't you think this is a bit... much?"
"It is," the girl admitted, "But I tried eating normally. Then I tried ice cream and even fried butter but it still wasn't enough... I just can't down enough calories fast enough to power up my quirk. I can't digest it fast enough..."
She looked down at the bowl. "So I'm seeing if just eating raw fats and refined carbohydrates will do it... because if this can't, nothing can."
Yu smiled gently and placed a hand on the small, horned girl's shoulder. "Look, I know going to UA is important to you but you're not going to save anyone by forcing yourself to eat... this... Abomination... Keep this up and you'll kill yourself."
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I'm not going to kill myself eating this," she whispered. "I might wish I was dead but... I'm not going to make a show of this. I'm powering my quirk just-just this one time and then..."
She twirled her spoon and took another pained bite. "I'd rather kill myself than eat this shit again."
Yu blinked. Wow. Eri was, at least from what she'd seen of her, a pretty quiet girl. That sort of language was stronger than she'd have expected.
Eri tiredly put down her spoon for a moment and looked up at Yu with old eyes. Until now, Yu had accepted that the girl was older than she looked but had never seen it in her. While Quirks were strange like that, it wouldn't have been hard to just think the young lady as a shy but terribly mature young girl. Now however, she had no doubts. The look in the girls eyes reminded her of her grandfather who'd fought in the Destro Insurrection.
The thousand meter stare of someone who'd seen far too much and had lost more than a little bit of themselves in the process.
It was enough to make her sick. Enough to make her want to find the fucker who'd done this to her and hit him with that dump truck like the girl had suggested.
"So what are you up to?" the woman trapped in the child's body asked her.
"Lunch?" Yu replied as she sat down across from the girl, putting her bento on the table.
She felt a little guilty at the idea of eating... food while Eri ate... that.
"No, I mean what's going on?" she replied, causing Yu to frown slightly with annoyance. Not at Eri, mind you, but at the circumstances that lead her to be here and, to be completely frank, her life as a whole up to this point. "When you walked in you looked like you just stepped in something."
Yu grimaced. Did she have to put it that way?
"It's nothing," she said with a sigh, as she sat down. Last thing she wanted to do was bitch about how tough her life was to a girl who'd spent most of her life being tortured by some sick-fuck villain in a lab. Made her burdens seem downright petty and trite.
"It's something to you," Eri half whispered, looking up to her with kind, but tired eyes.
Yu couldn't help but smile. That's why she found herself liking this kid. She felt fortunate that she'd been asked to guard her. This tiny girl had been through an unspeakable hell and was burdened with a quirk that, gone wrong, was downright nightmarish. However, instead of raging against the world for making her suffer, this brave girl seemed to have chosen to protect others so they'd never suffer as she had.
That was the kind of thing she admired. UA would be lucky to have her and to hell with whoever said otherwise.
"You really want to hear?" She asked.
Eri nodded.
"Well, my life sucks," She admitted, "I know it's not much compared to yours, but from where I'm standing it kinda blows."
"We all have our own problems," Eri replied, "Just because mine are different doesn't mean yours don't matter."
Yu couldn't help but beam at her. Eri was a smart kid, and a real sweetheart. Then she sighed and her shoulder slumped. "My manager arranged a three-o-clock social appearance for me. I'm not looking forward to it."
Eri blinked. "What's wrong with that?"
"Because it's a fetish group," she lamented, "They pay me 5,000 yen a pop to step on them..."
The spoon slowly fell from Eri's grasp as both her jaw and her eyes went wide with shock. "Wha...what."
Not even a question. Just a statement. What.
She knew how the girl felt. It was the way she felt the first time her manager arranged it. It was the way she felt every time one of those twisted little pervers paid money for her to step on them. Every time they asked her to grind her feet in...
It made her feel like she was prostituting herself.
Yu shuddered in complete disgust. "It's just about the only thing that is actually making my agency real money. Every time I actually fight a villain..." she sighed and facepalmed, "Every time... I'm good at getting the bad guy but..." she looked up at the girl with mild desperation in her eyes, "Every damned time I end up deeper in the red no matter how hard I try."
"What's wrong?" Eri asked, reaching over the table to place one of her tiny hands on Yu's, causing her to smile reflexively. Sweet kid.
"It's my quirk," she lamented, "I can't control how big I get. I only come in two sizes. Normal and giant. And when I'm big everything else is just so small. It's hard to move, everything is fragile, and no matter how hard I try I just keep breaking things..."
"What do you really want?" Eri asked her, "If you are having so much trouble, why are you doing this?"
Her eyes narrowed. She'd heard this train of logic before. "Are you saying I should stop?"
"N-no!" Eri replied, "It's just... why become a hero if it is so hard for you? Why are you a hero?"
"To show that people with bothersome quirks can amount to something!" She took a deep breath, more a gasp, as she resisted the urge to cry as her emotions got the better of her. "I want to become a famous hero to give people like us hope!"
For a moment the world around her began to shrink before her head slammed into the ceiling with a crash. She then crashed into the ground with a yelp as her body deflated violently.
Oh shit... Not again!
Shamefaced and nursing a sore top and bottom, she looked at Eri. She was relieved to see that the girl had narrowly missed being covered in that foul mixture of oil and sugar. Kid was quick!
"Uh... sorry?" she whimpered, feeling like she'd just shrunk down to doll size.
"It's okay," Eri replied as she hugged the emotionally distraught hero. "I get it. Nobody got hurt so it's okay."
A sad smile bloomed on Yu's face. And this was another reason why she loved this kid. She understood. With a quirk like hers how could she not?
"Pain in the ass quirk sisters, that's us," she said with a weak laugh as she reciprocated the hug.
Eri smiled back at her before pulling away, her face turning pensive for a moment before she looked up, staring Yu right in the eyes.
"So, your trouble is that you have problems with environmental awareness and your control is weak?"
Yu sighed. Not what she wanted to hear but it was brutally true and brutally accurate. "In my defense, I normally have better control than..."
She grimaced as she pointed at the head shaped crater in the ceiling.
"That," she said weakly, "And I only really break stuff when I fight..." she paused, "Most of the time?"
Though as hard as it made her life, at least she still had a quirk. Unlike that kid All Might was training, for example. She couldn't imagine having to grow up effectively Quirkless. Poor kid. And she never thought she'd say this, but poor All Might for having to grow up like that as well. It must have been terrible.
"Still, I don't get it," Eri muttered, "They should have trained that out of you in hero school."
She scoffed. As if. "To get training from a hero school, you have to go to one. Finding any school that would take me? With my quirk? Easier said than done. Most schools didn't want anything to do with a student with such a 'troublesome and destructive quirk'. Only one that would take me only did so because they were more interested in taking advantage of it than actually teaching me how to control it."
Eri blinked. "What kind of school was that?"
"Agricultural high school in Hokkaido," Yu shuddered. If she ever saw another cow again... she didn't know what she would do.
"Seriously?" Eri asked leaning forward, "I'd have thought you were a shoe-in for UA with a quirk like yours."
Yu couldn't help but laugh. It was self-depreciative as at least to her, UA was connected to one of the most humiliating moments in her life. "You'd think, and to their credit, they actually let me take the exam. But the most prestigious hero school in Japan? All Might's Alma Mater?"
She scoffed as she looked at the kid. As if she'd be permitted to actually have a nice thing.
Why the hell was she opening up like this anyways?
Oh yeah. Because the girl had freely shared the story of her own years of horrifying and nightmarish mutilation at the hands of a psychopathic mad scientist. Compared to that, her own lifetime of shame and humiliation weren't really worth much, were they?
She sighed, you know what? Here was someone who could actually understand her troubles. Someone she could finally talk to and not feel like she was being pandered to or appeased... Troublesome quirk sisters.
"I did, but I got nervous in the exam. After I didn't make it into UA, I was basically sunk. No one else would even accept my applications. Turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy."
Eri blinked. "You lost control in the middle of the exam?"
"In the middle of the written," Yu said, her cheeks burning with shame. "And I was wearing my school uniform, not my extra-stretchy gym clothes..."
That moment, sitting in the middle of UA's auditorium, dressed only in her shame was probably one of the most traumatizing moments of her life. For years she'd felt like that had been the moment her dreams died... but somehow she'd managed to get her license regardless, defying all the odds though hard work, sacrifice, and dogged determination. But still, somedays she found herself wondering if she'd be struggling like this she was if she'd managed to keep cool just that once...
Eris eyes went wide. "Your clothes don't..."
"Nope," was Yu's response. If they did she wouldn't live in constant fear of random costume malfunctions.
"But at least, as bad as it was, no one was hurt. Right?" the girl asked in a weak tone.
"Not seriously," Yu muttered, weakly. At least nothing Recovery Girl couldn't fix. "It was all my worst fears at once. I knew I failed then and there, and I was so afraid that I had killed someone. It took hours for me to calm down enough for me to shrink back down..."
Eri paused for a moment and looked up to the taller woman. "You should talk to All Might. He might be able to help you."
Yu flushed slightly, remembering her last encounter with the number one hero. She'd been too overawed to think about it at the time, but she couldn't help but recall her first meeting with the man. From afar he always looked like he was this towering figure. Powerful, hammy, and as lame as he was inspiring. Like some... towering, over the top muscle-dad you could always count on to be there when you needed him with a wide smile and a lame pun, no matter what. But up close, he looked so young, and handsome, and was so... so... good and kind... and...
"I wouldn't want to be a bother," she said as her cheeks flushed even more.
"I don't think he'd be bothered," Eri replied, a thoughtful look on her face.
Yu had to admit, the girl was probably right. After all, there was nothing unreasonable about an aspiring young hero asking her senpai for some advice. If there was one man who exemplified what it meant to be a hero, it was All Might. If there was anyone who could help her, it was him.
If there was anyone who would help her, it was him.
Alright.
She was going to ask the pillar how to become a proper mountain... rather than some half-assed hill.
Iida Tenka was a serious and dedicated man. Heroism was in his blood. That was a fact. His father had been a soldier before he'd become a hero. Before there even were heroes. Driven by his Engine, he'd fought in the upheavals and quirk wars, even testing his mettle against the forces of Destro himself before finally settling down and taking up the pursuit of heroism.
The man had always told him that he'd fought to forge a future where his children could grow in peace, and then how he had dedicated himself to preserving that peace. A duty that Tenka himself had proudly taken up. A peace that now Tenka's own children were standing ready to defend.
He'd taken the proud foundation his father had built and expanded it into one of the largest and most adaptable agencies in all of Japan. With the help of their sidekicks, there was nothing they couldn't accomplish, and it was an honor to help those very same proud aspirants rise up as proper heroes.
Sometimes that meant being harsh. Sometimes it meant being kind. But it always meant being fair, because the cornerstone of every relationship between teacher and student was precious trust.
"Midoriya-san!" He barked out as the green haired youth stood at attention.
The boy wasn't much to look at. A mop of green hair atop of slightly effeminate but otherwise average features. A young man yet to hit the stride of his growth spurt but at the same time very well conditioned. He'd been watching the boy since he'd arrived, doubly so since he discovered he was All Might's apprentice. A fact he wouldn't have doubted, even if the Symbol of Peace hadn't confirmed it himself. He could see the Number One in the way the young man moved.
"Yes sir!" the boy replied, clearly and with his head forward. Tenka smiled. The young man was serious. Good...
"Oh, lay off the kid," his wife said with a roll of her eyes, causing him to frown.
He respected Hanabi as was his duty to honor his wife, but she seemed to delight in interrupting him at times like this. He knew she meant no true offense by it, but the woman seemed to be mildly allergic to seriousness.
He frowned as he glanced over to her, something which made her smirk ever so slightly. Ugh! Troublesome female!
"Midoriya-san," he repeated, "This course is a villain attack simulation course. Your performance will be graded on three metrics. First, how quickly you complete the course. Second, how effectively you disable the substitute villains. Finally, and most importantly, there will be dummy-civilians present: How well you protect and preserve their lives and well being."
The young man slowly nodded. "Alright. Three axis. Speed. How quickly and effectively I take down the villains. And how well I defend the civilians."
He nodded. "Correct."
The young man looked pensive for a moment. "May I ask three questions, please?"
Tenka smiled at the boy. Quite the polite young man that his son had stumbled across. It was a shame that All Might had discovered him first. Then again, he begrudged that to no one. Potential must be nurtured.
"Ask as many as you feel is necessary, young man."
Midoriya nodded. "First, how much force am I permitted to use against the villains? Second, how much care do I need to give the civilians after the initial rescue? And finally, what's the acceptable degree of collateral damage?"
Tenka couldn't help but grin, and glancing at the faces of his wife and eldest he clearly saw that they too were sporting smiles. Very good questions. All of which most boys his age wouldn't think to ask. As to be expected of the Number One's protege!
"Assume this is a 'Condition Red' attack."
His wife went a little wide-eyed, while his elder son stepped forward, "Um, dad..."
He held up a hand to silence his boy. In this context 'Condition Red' meant all of the Villain systems on the course would be active. Normally they were mixed up to provide a different challenge every time. You couldn't fully expect when you'd be next attacked. But this time, he intended to throw everything at the boy and see how well he handled himself.
"A Condition Red is a mass villain attack where 'all necessary force' is authorized. That means do as you feel you must without hesitation. This also answers your collateral damage question: In a Condition Red, all property damage is considered secondary to preserving the lives of the civilians and ending the attack. In that order. As for the civilians, assume that police, EMS, and sidekicks are following in your wake. Your duty here is to be the tip of the spear and your role as a first responder is immediate intervention. As long as the civilians are evacuated from immediate danger and the villains are at least temporarily subdued, you have done your proper due diligence."
He then offered the boy a commlink. "Also, assume you have full command and control support. If you need more information, ask. Remember, Midoriya-san. For the purposes of this simulation you are operating as a member of Team Idaten. We pride ourselves on our support assets. Use them."
Dutifully, the young man placed on the ear bud and nodded, his eyes hardened and became serious. For a moment, he almost reminded Tenka of a veteran. This boy was well prepared.
"I understand," Midoriya replied.
"Get ready," his wife said with a smile, "You'll know when to start moving."
The young man blinked. "How so?"
Her smile grew ever so slightly, causing the boy to look a bit nervous. "You'll know."
It was then that Tenka retreated to the control room with his family, only to have Tensei immediately round on him. "Dad, are you sure this is a good idea?"
He paused and looked to his son. "Am I sure what is a good idea?"
Tensei frowned and looked down at their simulation course. "He's just a kid. He's not even in UA yet."
Tenya frowned as well. "I can't help but agree, father. You've never let me run the course on Condition Red."
Iida Tenka closed his eyes for a moment and took a light breath then opened them to look at his children. "And if his master was anyone else, and his quirk was any less powerful, I would agree with you both completely."
"Your father is right," his wife said, sparing him a glance before looking at their children. From the look in her eyes, he knew that she was not entirely convinced herself. However, she tended to trust his judgement in such things and thus was willing to back his decision. "He's All Might's student with a quirk to match."
Tenka nodded. "This is a trial by fire. It's easier to lower the difficulty then ramp it up mid simulation. The purpose of these simulations is to push a hero to the very edge of their breaking point... and hold them there."
"Don't run!" Mirko laughed as she bound towards the fleeing villain, "You'll only die tired!"
This guy, Mirko had decided, was a royal pain in her ass. For all her bluster, she was really worried about being able to take this one down. While her own quirk gave her, in effect, all the powers of a super powered rabbit, including a bounding speed that allowed her to outrun most sports cars, she had her limits. This guy, on the other hand, was a dedicated speedster. In a closed in area she was able to keep up by leveraging her superior agility, but once they reached an area where he could open up, she'd be left eating dust.
"Get away from me, you fluffy-butt psycho!" the speedster exclaimed from under the traffic cone he was wearing as a helmet.
Mirko flushed slightly and gritted her teeth. FLUFFY-BUTT?! What sort of weaksauce insult was that? All the slams in the world and he decided to make fun of her tail? It almost sounded more like a kind of mocking cutesy nickname you'd get from a boyfriend who wanted to tease you than an actual insult. She didn't even know how to feel about it!
On one hand, it was pretty weak. On the other, he'd at least been trying to mock or insult her. So she decided to default to her, well, default and kick the shit out of him... this time for the high crime of ruining a perfectly good pet name forever! Her butt may be fluffy, but when she was done his would be in ruins. Because she was going to sodomize his... with her foot!
Oh, and for trying to rob a bank. Because robbing banks was bad and people who disagreed were the ideal targets for her pent up aggression.
"How about you turn around and fight me like a man!" she growled as she struggled to keep up.
The streets were getting straighter and already the man was beginning to put distance between them. At this rate she'd lose him in the crowd. And the idea of losing someone who's entire costume was dressing like a damned roadworker, yeah, that would be embarrassing.
Seriously, what kind of half-assed costume was a traffic cone and a high visibility vest? LOSING to such a lame villain... Because if they get away, it's a loss. Period.
"How about you get..."
Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a wince-inducing impact.
"I AM HERE, WITH A PEACE OFFERING!"
She grinned like a madwoman as she saw the villain go flying ass-over-kettle, having run right into the out-stretched arm of the Number One hero. When and how All Might had gotten in front of the guy, she really wasn't sure. One moment, a clear stretch of road. Next moment, surprise clothesline.
Still, she did have to grin at the damned artistry in front of her as the man did three turns in the air before slamming the bastard into the ground with a crash.
"Thanks number one," she said as she slammed into the ground next to All Might, "This asshole almost got away..."
All Might smiled and stepped to the side. "Of course. It was my pleasure to help..."
She grinned like a mad woman, walking forward she cracked her knuckles... only to come to a slow stop as she saw the man was already a mess, lying limply on his back with an arm-shaped crater in the mask.
"Ugh," the near-insensate villain burbled unintelligently, "Boogie baggga-goooo..."
She sighed. "Well, I guess it's your collar then," she grumbled.
As much as she appreciated seeing this dumbass get what was coming to him, it still was annoying. She needed to up her capture rate to raise her quota. She didn't have much in the way of celebrity endorsement contracts and the idea of prostituting herself with public appearances made her want to break out in hives.
Thus she had to do the impossible and live off her pay. It was enough to support her agency, IE: The two lawyers in Hiroshima she kept on retainer and one manic-depressive secretary who did most of her paperwork and drove her used Winnebago, but not much else.
She really needed to up her game if she was going to afford that new dress she saw...
"Second time this week," she sighed.
"No, no..." All Might said, raising one hand defensively, as the other seemed to be holding a small furoshiki wrapped box. "Don't worry about that. I'm perfectly happy to file as a supporting hero in both situations. After all, without you to keep them on the ropes I might not have been able to take them down so quickly!"
She blinked and looked up at him... and up. And up. Even with her ears she was shorter than him. "Don't," she growled.
She knew he was being so full of shit on this one that it smelled like a farm. He could have effortlessly taken down both of them without even noticing. She was convinced the Symbol of Peace's quirk's proper name was Bullshit. Why? Because his powers were complete and utter bullshit. She hadn't even seen him move.
He frowned slightly. "Are you sure?"
"Look," She said with a frown, "I know you're trying to give me credit, and I appreciate it, but I've got my pride."
All Might sighed, looking awful downtrodden for someone whom she'd just surrendered a paycheck to. "So what's this one's name...?"
"Road Villain: OSHA-man," she replied, nudging him with her foot, causing him to groan. "I have no idea what that even means, but it just sounds stupid."
The All Might looked down at the man and shook his head. "I'm disappointed. He's not even wearing steel-toed shoes."
Mirko blinked and gave the large man a completely dumbfounded look. Was the name supposed to be a reference to something? It felt like it was a reference to something.
"Anyways," she cleared her throat after a moment and looked back up to the man, "What was that about a peace offering?"
His smile, somehow, managed to grow even wider as he held the package.
She paused for a moment, seeing several cellphone cameras in the crowd, and then grunted. She was already being invited onto a number of tabloid shows to 'discuss' her 'budding relationship' with All Might.
The last thing she needed was something that would give those vultures more to feast on.
"Let's get out of here," she grumbled, bounding onto a nearby rooftop.
All Might followed and the two slipped out of sight.
"So what's this about?" she asked.
All Might smiled and glanced down. "Trying to escape the media?"
She grunted and nodded.
"One moment then," All Might said as he picked up a pebble off of the roof and flicked it with a thunderclap.
There was a small explosion in mid-air and a set of rotors and plastic fragments went flying from the apparent point of impact.
"There was a drone following us?" She asked with a blink. She hadn't noticed it beyond a slight buzzing she'd assumed was anything but a stealth drone.
"There is always a drone," he replied with a sigh.
She frowned. "It was invisible."
"They have a tendency to be that, yes," All Might shrugged, the box perfectly stable on his hand.
Great. Now she was going to have to worry about invisible paparazzi ninja drones...
"Well, at least it explains how they got those nudes." she muttered bitterly. What has the world come to when a woman couldn't even sun herself naked on her own roof in the middle of nowhere without some asshole sending an invisible robot to find out if the carpet matched the drapes.
If she ever found out who the hell did that she'd break their knees.
"So what do you have for me?"
He smiled and held out the package to her which she happily snatched from his hands. She already guessed it was a Carrot Cake, after all, he'd offered her one but... well... If there was one thing she never could resist it was a present.
She had a weakness for wrapped boxes with unknown contents.
Opening the sheet of cloth she found herself looking down at a full-sized carrot cake. One from a clearly fancy bakery if the box was any indication.
Opening it, her eyes went wide.
"Are those real candied carrots?"
"I believe so," was his response.
She narrowed her eyes and tilted the box slightly as the leaves on the carrots glittered at her in the sunlight.
"Wait a second... is that edible gold leaf?"
All Might shrugged. "Probably."
She would not squeal like a tweenage girl.
She would not squeal like a tweenage girl.
She squealed like a tweenage girl.
"Damn it," Kizuki Chitose cursed as the screen of one of her many stealth camera drones went black. He might be a puppet for the establishment, but she had to admit All Might's gift for dealing with the media was top notch. Annoying, but respectable none-the-less.
What she did not appreciate was how he was warning the Rabbit Hero about her drones, and with that woman's sense of hearing the invisibility systems probably wouldn't be nearly as effective anymore. A shame too, because the last several bits of... news... she'd gotten off the woman had made her company mint.
She sighed. "Damn it all. Maybe I'll just run a hit piece instead. What you get for turning down an invitation to Chitose's Curiosity Hour..."
She muttered to herself as she began to type something up, before squirming slightly in her seat.
Strange.
Why were her legs aching all of a sudden?
Izuku's heart was beating like a drum in his chest as his heart raced at a mile a minute. Slowly he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at the course before him. When Virtium had first said that he wanted to take him down to the Idaten's practice course, he didn't think he meant a large faux cityscape located just outside of Tokyo.
At first, he'd been nervous. Then, after the hero said All Might liked the idea, he'd become frantic.
Honestly, he almost had a nervous breakdown there and then. But then Nitra had stepped in and made it clear that this wasn't a test. He wasn 't being judged on his performance here. That made jt so much easier to..
It was just a chance for him to stretch his legs and for the first time really just see what he could do. To test himselfand learn his own limits. To establish a baseline of his talent and abilities thus far, so that he and his mentor could use it to form a foundation for Izuku's improvement as a hero.
All he needed to do was give it his all.
Now that the anxiety had faded, he was looking forward to filling entire volumes with his reviews of his own ability! He wasn't nervous, he was excited! This was his first step to really proving himself! The first step towards learning his true capabilities! The first real step down the path to become the Symbol of Hope that the world needed. The hero that people could always turn to for help, even in their darkest hours. He just needed to focus and...
His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill scream.
And his body moved on its own.
Chapter 19
Tensei had to give Tenya's new friend credit for one thing. The second he heard the scream, he was in motion. No pause, no double take, no hesitation. He went from stationary to a glowing green blur of movement. For a moment he was left wondering how he'd been able to react so swiftly.
His little brother had said that it had taken Midoriya a couple moments to activate his quirk during the exam. But then he thought about it for a moment and couldn't help but smile. Tenya had said that he had trouble - until a robot had almost managed to creep up on him and then Midoriya exploded into action.
Hesitation cost lives, and it seems that when this young man saw others in danger his first instinct was to render aid. A fine quality for a hero prospect, but one that would need to be tempered with education and experience in order to last in the industry.
The young man sped down the course like a green streak of light, moving at speeds that even he would find respectable. He could see how this boy was able to give his little brother such a good impression.
The second the young man reached the first turn, he encountered the first band of simulated villains and with them, the first hostages. While lacking the same technology and budget as UA, Team Idaten made up for it with creativity. Their hostage dummies were designed to register injury at the same tolerances as the human body while their villains were well armed if not terribly mobile.
This set of challenges was designed to represent a hero relieving a group of civilians under fire.
"Assume those villains are armed with firearms and grenade launchers!" his father barked into the comms. "If they tag you, you are injured."
The villains were well entrenched and in most cases it was assumed, and for good reason, that no sane hero would risk charging headlong into that amount of casual firepower. Instead this was intended to be a test of a hero's wits. How to extract the civilians safely while fending off enemy fire.
"Right!" Izuku exclaimed as he charged forward, with a maddened smile on his face, clearly missing the memo. "It's all right everyone, I AM HERE!"
He sighed. Kid was emulating All Might maybe a bit too hard. Tenya prepared himself to see the boy tagged during his first encounter only to see the young man twist in mid air, slipping between a volley of paintballs with a sort of frantic grace.
"DETROIT SMASH!"
Welp. If there was any lingering doubt anywhere in his mind that Midoriya Izuku was All Might's personal student, it just vanished as a high pressure wave washed across the front of the building. He could see the false facade shake in places as the painted wood cracked and splintered against the short range hurricane force winds generated by the boy.
Tensei was a fan of All Might's and had followed his career closely since childhood. Thusly, he felt at least somewhat qualified to compare the relative power of student and teacher. Izuku's technique was nowhere near as powerful as All Might's own Detroit Smash. However, it still did the job of sending the villains flying into disarray quite nicely as they were registered as disabled and all sorts of simulated munitions were returned to sender by the high pressure wave.
"Am I clear?" as he surveyed the devastation he'd just caused. It was certainly impressive, that was for sure, but perhaps a bit too indiscriminate. If you weren't careful with that sort of power you could injure the very people you're trying to save.
"You're clear," his mother replied, "The villains are in disarray, your sidekicks can clean up what's left, and EMS is enroute to tend to any wounded."
"Right!"
Alright. That was a point to him. Unlike stationary gun turrets, actual living villains can stand back up and recover from such an attack. If he'd just rushed on, they probably would have had to dock him points. His mom especially was harsh with stuff like that.
"He's mindful," his father observed, "That's a good quality and is hard to train."
"His speed and precision are outstanding," Tenya said with a smile, "His abilities are even more refined than what I saw during the exam!"
He blurred and charged towards the next smulated course. This time it was a series of villains who were using unoccupied vehicles as cover, standing on a roadway between the hero and a car full of civilians in imminent danger of being caught in a fire.
Again, he went right down the middle, ducking behind cover, dodging around weapons fire, and never halting.
Tensei noticed his brother wince as he closed in with the first simulated villain, leaping high and crashing to earth with a heel kick that literally drove the overglorified turret into the concrete. The next three were no less brutal. One had its head kicked off, the next saw him kicking it off its mountings and out of the boundaries of the course, while the fourth...
This time Tensei himself winced. Apparently the boy decided he didn't have the time to spare to rip it apart with his bare hands as he'd done the others and instead simply stomped a convenient manhole cover into the air before catching and throwing it like a impromptu weapon then proceeded to cut right through the villain and most of the unoccupied car behind it.
"Father?" his little brother asked, with some tension in his breath, "Isn't this a bit excessive?"
His father glanced down to Tenya. "It is Condition Red." He said in as if that explained everything.
Normally this was where you were supposed to evacuate the trapped civilians from the car but again, he missed the message. He just evacuated the entire car instead. At no point did he stop moving as he simply dead lifted the car up into the air and physically carried it out of the danger zone. He just evacuated the car instead.
"I AM HERE! Don't worry, I've got you!"
Effective, he had to admit. Expedient as well. Kudos for style, but perhaps a little too expedient. He should have at least checked in on the occupants but it was excusable. With the prospect of sidekicks and EMS in his rear, he seemed to be focusing on powering his way through. An understandable course of action, though not the one Tensei would have chosen or suggested.
"Kid needs his own catchphrase," his mother observed.
"Mother, he's simply honoring his teacher," Tenya remarked.
"That may be," his father said, "But he's always going to be adjacent to All Might's brand if he keeps this up."
Tensei wasn't one for branding to be honest, but he couldn't help but agree. The young man needed to stand on his own two feet.
"Perhaps, father," Tenya considered, "But surely he could also find one to honor his mentor?"
"He can," Tensei added, "It's covered in second year Heroic Public Speaking."
Meanwhile, Izuku continued to plow through the rest of the villains in his way like the last bunch: with impressive speed and brutal efficiency. Very efficient. Very brutal.
They'd need to talk to him about pulling his punches a bit. While yes, it was a simulation of a Condition Red attack and thus lethal force was acceptable if not ideal, showing up to save people covered in the blood of your enemies wasn't exactly heroic.
Without pausing he began to run to the next obstacle: The Lobby. A simulated bank with a half dozen villains holding as many civilians hostage. You act too slowly or callously, and they execute the hostages.
As the young man approached the lobby, he for the first time, skidded to a halt.
"Um, how many hostages and villains are there?"
"Seven hostages. Between three and five villains," his father replied.
The boy nodded for a moment and began to look more closely, muttering unintelligibly to himself, before leaping in the air and bounding between buildings to land on the roof.
Quietly he walked over to the sky light, smiled when he saw it was open, and after taking a deep breath, jumped down. He landed behind one villain and kicked him into a second while launching off to take a third, before rebounding into the final two.
"It's okay now. Because I AM HERE!" he exclaimed once more, smiling in emulation of his master as he stood proudly over the shattered villains.
Tensei had to admit, it was a fast take down, but not a particularly clean one as the acceleration sensors on the villains once again registered bone shattering levels of force. Still, the civilians were safe. But the boy really did need to learn how to better moderate his striking power.
"I hope he learns to mediate his striking force," Tenya thought aloud, "Such force is unheroic."
"In this situation, I actually don't blame him," their mother replied. "When you have civilians being held hostage like this... you have to do what you feel you have to do."
"He's still a student," their father added, "He just needs to learn to better measure his strength. That's why we have hero schools."
Almost next door was the Burning Building, a six story building with flames gushing out from the first two floors. This was one of the tougher ones because there were no villains. Just civilians and a time limit to get them to safety.
"How many civilians?" he demanded.
"Unknown," was Tensei's response. "Between five and fifteen."
"Great," Izuku muttered over the open line, "Do I need to get them off the building or can I just put them on the roof?"
"Roof isn't stable," he replied, sparing a glance at his parents.
His mother smirked, while Tenya looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
He muttered a bit more before taking a deep breath and bounding off at full speed before bursting through a window. From the cameras inside they were able to see him start a high speed search of every room, moving at a near blur.
He was fast and he was thorough, not simply rushing to crying voices and calling it at that. He made sure to check everywhere... even going so far as to get out the two stuffed cats and the robot goldfish they'd put in there half just to see if someone would spare the effort. Which he did, with a smile on his face and the words I am Here on his tongue.
The final test was at the end of a stretch they called "The Car Chucker". It was only part of the highest rated difficulty and only activated rarely. It was an attack against a powerful "villain". A catapult that threw wrecked cars down an extended straightaway. It was designed to avoid the risk of actually hitting the hero, instead serving as a delay. When you got close it switched to "melee mode", which was basically several sets of sand bag flails subbing in for a powerful melee villain. Enough to hurt like hell but not cause serious injury.
It was slow, armored, and tough. A target that attacked at long and short range, but had a weakness for mid range. A good test of a hero's flexibility and on the go problem solving.
Izuku lept in the air, and he could see his mother suck in a breath as it seemed like the boy's arc and the cars were about to intersect mid air.
Then Midoriya used it as a springboard sending himself flying high into the air over the course and above the villain.
"MANCHESTER SMASH!"
The young man landed a vicious axe kick on the villian that not only effectively vaporized the machine, but put a seven-meter wide and two-meter deep crater into the concrete beneath it.
"What an outstanding performance!" Tenya cried, turning to their parents, "I must attempt to push myself even harder! Father, I ask that I be given permission to try the Condition red course once it is repaired!"
"You will eventually get your chance, Tenya," their father replied, "When you're ready."
"Are we done?"
"We're done, Midoriya-kun," his wife said with a smile.
Izuku smiled and gave a thumbs up to the Camera. "Alright! Coming in!"
With that, the green glow faded from the boys body... and he collapsed into a dead faint.
Without hesitation, all four of them were running for the door at maximum RPM.
Mmmmm, oh god, this is sooooo good," Mirko half-moaned as she stuffed her face.
When Toshinori had gotten her a full sized carrot cake from the barkey downstairs in his tower - the one that all of his employees seemed to fantasize over - he'd imagined that Mirko would have a slice to try and then take it home to enjoy. Instead she seemed to be well on her way to consuming the entire thing-which was a double layer beast that even he saw as being somewhat on the large side- in one sitting.
"Are you sure you're not going to get a stomach ache?" he asked, maybe a little weakly.
"Naw, I'm fine," she asked, pausing in her inhalation just long enough to reply, "This is just so damned good I can't stop. Never had a cake this fancy before. You need to owe me cake more often, number one."
She took one more bite and started to slow down. "No. Nononono. This is too good to eat this fast. I wanna enjoy this." she chuckled, as she took another bite, "You know, I can almost hear my sister howling to me about how I'm ruining my diet and if I'd like to have some nice salad and steamed carrots instead..."
Toshinori couldn't help but flinch at the mere idea of it. "That's not food," he shook his head sadly, "That's what food eats."
She snorted, "I know right? Just because I'm a bunny doesn't mean I have to live off of rabbit food."
He chuckled slightly. "With your lifestyle, I can imagine. Your quirk is purely physical, correct?"
She nodded with her mouth full, swallowing before saying, "Yep. This is all hard earned badass. It gives me superior twitch muscle strength and some serious gains in my lower half, but just means I'm more suited for physical stuff, doesn't mean I didn't have to work my tail off."
Toshinori nodded, "Ah, then I assume you eat lots of calories then."
She raised an eyebrow at him and then narrowed her eyes, "You callin' me fat, number one?"
Toshinori resisted the urge to automatically backtrack. It was a good instrict around offended women, but he knew well enough that she was trying to get a rise out of him. "No, I don't think you have a single gram of excess bodyfat."
She grinned like a shark, "Damn right I don't. If I had to eat like that, I'd die. Mom and sis complain about their waistlines and eat lettuce," she made a muscle with her left arm.
It was Toshinori's professional opinion that she was on the short list of the most muscular and physically fit women he'd ever seen. Profoundly physically powerful but in a way that in no way isolated her from her femininity. Infact, it somewhat enhanced it when you considered the wonders that her tone did for her rear and thighs. It was a hard line to ride, and he'd seem several woman fall onto the wrong side of that boundary over the years, but Mirko managed it quite well.
"I eat meat."
He laughed. "I can second that. You ever eat at my fast food place?"
"I love the Meat Pile." she replied with a grin, "Protein for days."
"Mn," he remarked, "So you know about the secret menu then?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "At least a little bit. You got any recommendations?"
All Might paused for a moment, "Next time ask for the Symbol of Peace Special."
She paused, "What's that one? Never heard of it."
"It's my personal combo," Toshinori replied, "Takes too long to order it manually so I had them put it into the computer." Sure, it had been almost a decade ago at this point, but it was still in there and just being able to enjoy it again almost brought tears to his eyes.
That said, considering her size, even if she did have an appetite to match her physicality, it might be a bit much. After all, as strong and energetic as she was, Mirko was not a large woman. Discounting her ears, she was just above average height for a Japanese woman. He on the other hand was built like an Austrian Bodybuilder.
He smiled. God. It was just so nice being... whole again.
"Forewarning though, it's a bit heavy."
"I can imagine," she replied, before slowly packing away the remaining half a cake, "So, how's your quirk work there, All Might? You earn those gains honestly, or are you a cheat?"
He paused and raised an eyebrow. What. Did she just... "D-did you just ask me, 'You even lift, bro'?" he managed to stammer out not sure if he should laugh at her audacity or be offended at the mere idea that he didn't gain his muscles through hard work.
She grinned and leaned in. Well, leaned up considering she was about the mass of his left leg, if that, and that even with her ears included still managed to be a head shorter than him.
"You even lift, bro?"
He sucked in a breath. Ooooooh. Oh no. She did not just go there.
"I would have you happen to know that I'm a bodybuilder by training and a powerlifter by inclination," he said with a huff. He was actually almost a little bit offended. There were just some things you didn't ask a guy.
It was like asking a woman her weight.
"Still don't answer my question," she crossed her arms and smirked, "You get that power honestly, or you cheat?"
"Fifty-fifty," Toshinori replied, "I have a stockpile quirk..."
"Fuckin' cheater," she snorted.
"...But, my Quirk requires intense physical fitness to function properly," Toshinori finished blandly, "And the stronger my body, the more powerful I become. It's directly proportional."
"Eh," she nodded, "Alright, so you're not a cheat. That's cool. Nothin' pisses me off more than people who don't have to work for it."
"I don't hold it against people," All Might considered, "After all, you don't choose your quirk. But I will admit, I do take more pleasure than I should in demonstrating my strength to those who think their quirks alone make them better than everyone else."
It was one of the reasons he was a bit cold on the subject of Captain Celebrity. His strength was entirely his quirk. Yes, he was decently swole, but his body was sculpted for appearance, and poorly at that. He was the sort of guy who lifted to maintain a look, not for power, and seemingly had never heard of Leg Day. Maybe he was just being a muscle snob, but the man's past foibles aside, it was one of those things that always just managed to really annoy Toshinori about Christopher Skyline. That and his stupid, arrogant hero name.
Then again, he called himself All Might, so who was he to judge?
"Huh," Mirko looked thoughtful for a moment, "Then I guess you got a really kickass gym setup don't you?"
Toshinori could only smile. Yes. Yes he did. And now that he was back into shape, he needed to start working to stay that way. No more flexing to make up for his declining health. It was time for All Might to do all he could to stay mighty. Terribly put, but it was his head and who was he trying to impress?
"I'd say it's above average," he said with some pride. Most Pros with strength-related Quirks had impressive gyms, but how many could say they had oversized hydraulic presses purely for benching?
He could count on one hand the people who could lift his.
Mirko could only grin. "You know, this is the first time I've ever seen you smug there, number one."
Toshinori could only laugh. "Guilty as charged. I love my gym."
"Would you mind letting a girl borrow your weights?" she asked, hopping to her feet as she began to rewrap the cake box. "I don't really have a fixed agency," she explained, "I do most of my work out of an RV. You know, traveling Japan, looking for asses to kick. Great for mobility, but hard to have any workout gear more elaborate than my yoga mat."
He nodded. She honestly reminded him a little bit of some of the characters that some of the guys played in the tabletop RPGs that Dave hooked him into when they were in school. She was sort of the adventuring type. Or as Dave would say if he was feeling less than generous, an itinerant murder hobo. Minus the murder.
Still, it would be nice to have a proper workout buddy around. If he was working out without drawing on One for All, she'd probably be able to spot for him. He hated drawing on One for All when he felt that his control was slipping. It made it feel like he was cheating. A good lift buddy was outstanding for pushing you past your limits.
"Sure," he said after a moment, "Just call in ahead of time."
He pulled out his phone, and she grinned as they exchanged numbers.
"What, need to clean the place up before a lady comes over?" she asked with a laugh.
"That and I only have one locker room attached to it, so I'd rather not interrupt you in the shower or something."
"Huh. Point," she thought aloud, "That would make shit weird, wouldn't it?"
Izuku groaned as he opened his eyes.
He ached. It was a sensation he was well adapted to, to be honest. After the past year in All Might's care, he'd grown used to having muscle aches in places he didn't know existed. And, while he was used to it, that didn't mean he enjoyed the sensation.
"Ah, Midoriya-san! You're awake!" Tenya was suddenly over him, hands on his shoulders as he kept Izuku from sitting up. "Apologies for holding you down, but we would prefer the nurse look you over first!"
"What was that, boy?" Virtium asked him, looming over the bed, a displeased look plastered to his features. "I don't look forward to explaining to the number one hero why his protege passed out at the end of our testing course."
Izuku paused for a moment and thought. He felt like he did after a long hard workout. Like a far less terrible version of how he felt after using One for All to protect Uraraka at the end of the entrance exam...
He bit his lip. "I think I overdid it with my quirk."
"You mean the Quirk that is far too powerful for your body," Nitra stated, "That Quirk."
He would have nodded weakly, but trying to do so only made his head swim. "Yeah..."
"And why did you think pushing your limits was a good idea?" she asked. "You know your Quirk's side-effects can be quite severe, and this was only a training exercise."
"I just got carried away..." he paused, "You said to treat it like it was real. So... I did."
It was a weak excuse and he knew it. He hadn't even realized he was pushing himself until he passed out.
Virtium scowled at that. "I can't fault the boy there, Hanabi. We said take it seriously, so he did..." his eyes narrowed, "However, you made one critical error, young man, one which you should never repeat."
Izuku swallowed reflexively. "And that is?"
"That sort of self-destructive effort has no place among heroes!" He wasn't yelling, wasn't angry, just a stern frustration that leaked into his voice "We wanted to test your limits, yes- but part of being a hero is knowing your limits! What if you passed out near villains, or in a burning building- you endanger yourself, and you endanger the heroes around you who must now rescue you as well. An injured hero is not a hero, they are another victim in need of saving. By pushing yourself beyond your limits you removed a powerful hero from the field and instead gave your team one more life to be responsible for."
"I..." he looked up at them. "I'm sorry. I didn't even realize..."
"I would say that is no excuse," Virtium said, "But you're young, so that is the perfect excuse. You're still learning and you have not yet established your limits. This will give All Might and your educators an important baseline from which to work. Your power is not your problem. Your dedication is not your problem. You showed no fear and no hesitation. Your performance was exemplary until the end. Learn your limits, boy. That is what you should take from this."
"I…" Izuku paused. "I understand. But… I-I don't mean to argue, because you're right, but… every situation is different, and if I have to push myself to that point to save a life, then that's what I have to do."
"No, it's not," he replied, "Because you have to consider other factors. Yes, there may be times where it is the best option. But what good is saving one life if by doing so you allow a dozen others to perish? Is that the action of a hero? What good is saving a life if another must perish trying to save you afterwards? As cold and cruel as it sounds, there is a grim mathematics to any emergency situation. You must consider the realities of triage."
"Are you saying I shouldn't try?"
"What I'm saying," Vitrium's voice lost the hard edge, but was no less severe for it. "Is that sometimes you can't save everyone, no matter how hard you try. The attempt is noble, but senseless sacrifice is not. How many more can you save if you live? How many more can you help if you don't throw your life away? It is cruel, and it is unfair, but life is cruel and unfair. It is the choice we are faced with and you will always remember the faces of the ones you couldn't save. And you'll have to live on... not to spite them, but in their honor. That is the cruelty of heroism."
"And if I feel like I don't have any other choice?"
Nitra spoke this time. "Then you tear out your own heart and you smother them with it if that's what it takes. We all want to save everyone. You have to realize sometimes that's not an option."
Izuku flinched at the imagry of Nitra's _ as he went silent for a moment. He knew they were right, and at some level, he knew that was a reality his future self probably had to face on a daily basis. But he wouldn't abandon someone crying for help in front of him. Not if there was a chance they could be saved.
How could he become the Symbol of Hope if people thought that he might abandon them? How could he become the hero who saves everyone if he didn't always try?
"...I can't." He said finally. "Because if I don't make the attempt, if I don't even try… it tells everyone that I might not try if they need help. And that's not the kind of Hero I want to be."
Virtium opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by a hand on his shoulder. Looking to his wife she simply smiled and looked at Izuku.
"Now I know why All Might has taken him under his wing," she smiled sadly and looked at him, "Izuku-kun..."
"Y-yes?"
"I'm either going to see you on the top of the lists or in an early grave," she frowned, "I don't like funerals. I've been to far too many. Try if you have to, but don't throw your life away."
"I... I think I can do that..."
"I don't think we can talk you two out of your friendship," Nitra started. "So Tenya? Make sure Izuku-kun doesn't get himself killed."
"Of course, mother..."
"And Midoriya-san," Virtium added, "You will not risk my boy's life with any future foolhardiness."
Izuku looked at him. "Of course not."
The door to the infirmary opened and in walked something that filled Izuku with irrational existential dread.
From the neck down, she was a pretty girl in what could only be called a pink, sexy nurse costume with a body that fit it well. From the head up however, she was something entirely different. Her head was a spider. Not just a spiders face, or a spider's head, but a large spider almost the size of her torso, if you included the thorax, with a full set of legs. And perched on her head was a nurses cap.
"This is Cuddlebug. She's Team Idaten's medic. Her quirk allows her to heal those she maintains close physical contact with. She's going to hug you now."
"Oh, aren't you such a cute boy..." The spider-headed woman said, cupping her hands under her chin in a disconcertingly off putting matter. "Come on, let me give you a big healing hug and I'll make all your worries go away!"
She opened her arms and walked towards him, positively glowing with friendly cheer.
And her head was a giant terrifying spider with large, vicious looking fangs.
He knew it was wrong and cruel to judge people based on their quirks and mutations they might have... but her head was a giant, scary spider.
And Izuku couldn't help but remember that time Bakugo put a spider down his shirt when they were in the 3rd grade.
He knew that Bakugo was trying to be nice… probably... He'd said that he watched some movie where a spider bit a guy and he got an awesome spider quirk, so maybe Izuku would be less useless if he got bit by a spider.
He'd never looked at spiders the same way again...
And did he mention her head was a giant spider? Because it was.
A spider that is.
Don't scream. Don't scream. Don't scream.
And it was very much to his credit that he didn't scream as she wrapped her arms around him.