Chapter 13: Volume 6, pt 2 A Hard Day's Work
Day 2 of the Internships
Itsuka threw her mask onto the bed, disguised.
"Useless, the whole day!" she scowled, unable to stand the thought of becoming such a shallow and daft Heroine as Uwabami, "A whole day wasted on a stupid commercial?! We don't even fit her brand, so why were we in it?! And you!"
She rounded on Jiro, who blinked at her, surprised and a little alarmed looking.
"You smiled way too well for that! Are you enjoying this? We're supposed- we're supposed to be f***ing Heroes, not actresses!"
Her throat choked her up on the last sentence, emotion pouring through her. Itsuka sat down on the bed, jamming the heels of her palms into her eyes, trying to prevent tears. She didn't know what was going on, and if the last two days were any indication: she'd wasted her internship. How would she be able to look her classmates in the eye, knowing she was the one holding them back?
A hand touched her shoulder, flinching back slightly as it made contact before resting a little more confidently there. Itsuka glanced up at Jiro, wondering at the girl. She was frowning at the ground, as if weighing her words.
"Kendo… I hate these stupid popularity stunts," she admitted, her jacks falling limp, "I'm not this pretty girl she seems to think I am. I'm too much of a rock girl to be pretty like you, and I'm not down for this fake smile stuff."
She clenched her other fist and held it up in solidarity, grinning at Itsuka with a bit of fire in her eyes.
"But I'm gonna use that," she promised, "I'm gonna learn how to put on this show for people, so when I kick some villain to the curb: they'll cheer me on as Earphone Jack, not just "that punk Hero.""
Loosening her fist and letting go of Itsuka, Jiro offered her hand.
"Wanna head down to the gym and train with me? Work off some steam? And tomorrow: make the most of this internship?"
Shaking her head, Itsuka accepted her hand and got back to her feet.
"Your confidence certainly improved," she admitted, grabbing her mask and resecuring it, "But I'm only saying yes because I need to hit something right now. Don't blame me if I deck your whole body with my opening punch."
"You'll have to hit me first."
"Oh, you're done for now!" Itsuka challenged back, feeling a little better, "Unlike you, I don't panic when a pretty girl shows some skin. I just have to open with a kick, and you'll be toast."
Jiro had an odd expression, half defiant and half embarrassed, but maybe a little miffed as well.
"Well, maybe I've been training to overcome that? Besides, it's-"
"Not just the girls?" Itsuka finished for her, smirking, "Yeah, I figured the only other tomboy in the Hero course was probably cool too."
Now Jiro was frowning at her in disappointment. Maybe she'd guessed wrong? Nah, there was no way. Jiro put off more Bi energy than she did. Itsuka probably just went too far.
"You're not wrong, but that wasn't what I was gonna say," she said, folding her arms and leading her out the door, "I was gonna say you're not my type. I'm not really a "muscles" girl; more into what's above the waist and between the shoulders, ya know?"
It was such a completely unexpected thing to say, Itsuka stumbled over absolutely nothing, nearly falling onto and down the stairs, when a hand caught her wrist. She was pulled back to her feet, blinking at Jiro whose face was on fire, almost literally. Wherever that had come from, her sudden burst of confidence and suaveness had expended itself with that one comment.
For a moment, Itsuka wondered why Jiro had dared to attempt the comment when snark could have been just as effective. Then she glanced to the stairs, and back to Jiro. Had she… could she have used the comment on purpose, to see if she'd trip?
"You said you've been training… is that what you and Uwabami have been doing when you two get your private sessions? While I've been learning about dealing with fans and how to make a quick buck on the side, you've been what, learning to pick up babes?" she asked, a bit hurt she was being left out.
Jiro's posture shifted just slightly, changing from embarrassed and worried to downright timid and ashamed. She tapped her jacks together, held between her fingers as she stared down at the floor, eyes full of what looked remarkably like shame.
The sight shocked Itsuka. She'd been mostly teasing, but it seemed like her comments had hit Jiro hard.
"Hey, I didn't mean to-"
"Actually, it's not entirely wrong."
Itsuka stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt and possibly make things worse.
"See… she said she wanted me to come here because she saw me panic against Yaomomo during our fight. She wanted to train me to be able to resist things like that. But she also said that if I watched how she did things for the camera… well, I guess her acting could be pretty useful if you know how to use it. So I just, kinda… started watching how she did it."
Jiro chuckled a little, brushing her hair back a little, despite it being just the same either way.
"The teleprompt guy… I saw him zone out like four times, all because she winked at the camera. So I figured… maybe I could pick up something real while we watched her goof around with the media."
It was such a… reasonable idea, Itsuka was stunned she hadn't even considered it. She'd been treating Uwabami like the airhead she was, but… Jiro had been looking for ways to get better, even when it wasn't something she really wanted to learn. She'd just… gritted her teeth and made the best of it.
Holding out her hand, elbow down and thumb towards herself, Itsuka waited for Jiro to take it. The rocking Hero student blinked at her for a moment before accepting the grip.
"Jiro, you're pretty cool. I might not be your type, but you're pretty firmly mine."
The rapid blush across Jiro's face told Itsuka she wasn't too far behind, at least.
"I'll make you a deal, kay?" she continued, giving her palm a tight squeeze, "You help me see these… magic moves Uwabami's pulling, and after the day we'll spar together so you can practice fighting with flirty opponents."
Managing a grin, Jiro nodded.
"You got it, Kendo."
"Alright!"
Letting go, she clapped Jiro on the back and jogged down the stairs.
"Come on, you can try out that viper thing she was showing us earlier, and I can use my abs to ruin your concentration!"
Shoto sighed, punching the criminal in the face and stepping past them without a second glance. One of the sidekicks they'd brought along ran up to cuff the mugger, while Endeavor watched with his usual glower. Maybe he'd been wrong to pick this internship after all?
"You only used your fire to keep him away," Endeavor scolded, "You could have knocked him out with a heat-flash, without even burning his clothes, if you'd practiced more."
He turned away and began to walk down the road again.
"In the next battle, you must not make physical contact with the enemy. I wish to see how you deal with an enemy at range, or who possesses a durability advantage your punch won't be able to overcome."
At least he isn't forbidding me to use my Ice, Shoto thought, recalling earlier days where the training had limited his use of ice to just his own body.
Glancing at his left hand, Shoto considered what had actually learned so far. They'd just come straight here with a vague dictate on catching the Hero Killer, and then Endeavor had made him fight every villain or simple criminal who they came across. His sidekicks were starting to seem a little bored, and a few even seemed worried, even with his father's handwave of the legality.
He'd become… marginally more comfortable using fire, though he really couldn't attribute that to Endeavor. After going to visit his mother, even after all this time… he felt like he was slowly reclaiming some part of himself. Not yet healing, and probably never fixing, but… the pieces were back in the same place. He could start fuzing the edges together, and hopefully, one day, he'd be whole in some way.
"Shoto," Endeavor interrupted his thoughts, "I heard from Fuyumi that you're visiting Re- your mother…"
Shoto glanced back up at his father, giving him a blank stare. It was odd. He hadn't been able to look at his father with a blank look before now. Always there had been a certain level of hatred or at least annoyance in his eyes when he gazed upon Endeavor. Now though… he was just another person. He'd probably never be able to look at him as a parent, and there would be days where he wanted to hire someone to remove Endeavor from the Hero world, but for now… for now what he needed was getting done.
"As a Pro Hero, you must be clear and precise with every action, and every act of communication," Endeavor lectured, "Your blank stare and confused look are signs of weakness, and I won't stand for them. You must have a confident aura and expression at all times, and answer questions without confusion!"
"Sure."
Growling, Endeavor turned away.
"Your classmate, Midoriya… he pushed you to your limits. You faced him with the intensity required to be a Pro. But since then you've only been working at a fraction of your potential. What's so special about him that you're able to give a match with Midoriya your all, but working alongside true Pros. is not?"
He considered what to say. Did he even have an answer?
"Midoriya asked me what I wanted…" he settled on, "And in the end… I could only answer him with the most simple answer. In that moment, I remembered something about who I was… Something I'm not anymore, or maybe I'm not ready to be yet. Until I can answer him fully… I don't think I'll be able to get back to where I was for that brief moment."
Endeavor remained silent, not looking back at him, but not telling him off either. They remained still for a bit, before he sighed and began to walk again.
"Your power has regressed," he said, his tone one of disappointment.
Shoto didn't know how to feel about that.
"But," Endeavor continued, a definite note of pride in his voice now, though hidden in formality, "Emotionally, you've begun to mature."
He turned back, smiling with his usual mask-grin, tinted with the tiniest aspect of affection.
"Most early Pros. go into the field without truly understanding what they're doing, or why they're doing what they do. That weak conviction usually ends with them being taken down or quitting. The sidekick program was invented to help bridge that gap, to give new Heroes the experience and time to gather their wits and either fail or rise to the ranks of actual Pros.," he explained, gesturing around to the two adults standing behind Shoto, "Your path must be steeper than that of an ordinary Hero. You cannot become caught in a sidekick relationship for longer than absolutely necessary, so it's good you're already bridging the gap between youth and strength."
Endeavor sighed and turned away to return to his patrol.
"But the breach is still vast. You must not slow in your ascent. If visiting your mother will help you become stronger, then I won't disrupt it. Just know that you can't let yourself become so wrapped up in healing your spirit that you neglect your strength."
Shoto shook his head. His old man had a one-track mind alright. Couldn't even praise him without countermanding it at every turn. Maybe he'd find that Hero Killer and watch as the two beat one another into paste. He probably had enough control for popcorn making at this point…
"Faster now!"
"Yes, sir!" Momo called, jumping off the edge of the building.
She couldn't reach the next in the row on her own power, but she didn't fear falling. Her calves glowed with the pink light of creation, and she produced the items she'd been working on with Air Jet since first arriving.
A pair of expendable rockets to each ankle, primed to hold fast until expended, then detach. The quadruple burst from around her feet caught her, launching her up and onto the safety of the next rooftop. It was still difficult to balance on the thrust, but she'd begun to do so without as much overthinking, only a day in.
Swinging her metal staff like a sword, she slammed the weapon into Air Jet's helmet, using the last bit of power from her booster before it dropped off to help get under his blasters. He retreated just in time, his jetpack helping him to keep up and avoid getting brained.
She didn't relent, shifting her grip to a better middle stance so she could block as well as strike. Air Jet was better at long range, but he was still able to keep up with her meager skill in CQC. But defeat wasn't the intent of their little sparring match.
The uneven and unpredictable terrain, the continual push against someone who wouldn't give her ground or time to overthink, in short: two things that would normally direct her focus, now forced to be things she took in stride. Air Jet had pointed it out as soon as she'd walked in, and she whole-heartedly agreed. She'd been too timid during her fights, and imitated Midoriya of all people in overthinking instead of acting decisively.
Air Jet had actually taken the week off for the internship, so he could focus on training her however he wanted. He suggested they'd go on patrol toward the end of the week, after he was sure she'd be able to handle the unexpected shifts such events would bring, rather than go first and then work on her skills after. The more they fought, the more she realized just how much she had to avoid stressing the details.
She'd landed hard on the ground over a dozen times, and more than once been shot in the gut so hard she'd smashed into the nearest wall and had to be pulled back out. But she was improving.
The simplest weapons and concepts were her allies, able to be used in multiple ways, and forcing her to be creative on instinct rather than by choice. But despite his dictates to fight with an empty head right now, she couldn't shut down her thoughts so easily. She'd started laying traps, planning detailed counters and plans for the battle as a whole, while her body kept pace with the little things. Of course, they were failing more often than not, and Air Jet scolded her by fighting even harder the next round, but it had felt so good to see him mentally stall after one of her cannons managed to blast him from behind, to his utter amazement, that she'd continued to try things despite the danger.
"You're thinking again!" he shouted, dodging under her guard and preparing to get her face with an air shot.
A steel bar shot from Momo's chest, firing straight down into his arm and knocking his blaster aside. The item detached from her body and fell to the ground almost immediately, but it served its purpose. He'd missed, and she had a moment to shift their distance to something more comfortable. It was a waste of material, but she'd rather be a bit hungry and tired than bruised from another face shot. She'd already endured four that day. Jiro might not even recognize her anymore when she got back!
"I can't overthink my fights," she shouted back, managing to bash his leg a bit before he punched and she had to block, "But I'm more than a brawler!"
He stopped attacking. She paused, but kept her guard up.
"Creati," he said, his voice full of emotion, "How would you like to go on patrol today?"
It took a moment for her to register what he was saying.
"B-but I-"
"I told you the end of the week because I wanted you to think about what you needed to learn that would make me hesitate," Air Jet explained, retracting his blasters so he could ease off his helmet, "And you got it early!"
"But… I was overthinking in battle, right?" she verified, a little confused now.
"You were," he confirmed, sitting down on a ledge and setting his helmet aside, "but that wasn't what was holding you back. You saw yourself as a support Hero, right? Someone to provide gear for others, and maybe get in a few scuffles?"
Momo nodded, trying to see how that wasn't who she was destined to become.
"If I might be so bold, you'd be wasted in such a role."
She gasped, stunned at his words.
"You're clever, Creati," he continued, smiling a little at her reaction, "You come up with excellent creations, true, but you also conceive of good traps, plans, and counters. Your problem wasn't that you were overthinking, it was that you were misdirecting your attention. The one-v-one fights, where you have little time to plan, those fights you have to be able to act and think at once. To create items at the same time you avoid or block hits. You need to be able to control the battlefield while your opponent thinks they've tied you down."
"But, when I said I wasn't just a brawler, I meant in terms of fighting style," she admitted, embarrassed, "I think you may have told me this too soon."
"It wasn't your words which made me feel ready to take you into battle," he confided, his voice conspiratory now, despite them being alone, "It was your move with the staff just before. Logically, the use of your lipids to make a one-use attack like that would be unthinkable. But you did it anyway, and got in a hit without damage where otherwise I might have taken you out. Someone who sweats the little stuff would have lost. You won, and I could see by your face you were thinking about something the whole time. So, how could you have pulled it off?"
"You said it yourself," Momo whispered, looking down at her hands, "It was unthinkable. I recognized the threat and acted to evade or counter it, but all else was just my body moving on its own."
"Precisely. And once I knew you had the potential to be that kind of person, the person who acts in the moment and thinks for what's yet to come, I knew you wouldn't learn any more up here with me. So it's time for you to start learning down there: in the streets, where the villains and civilians will learn to respect your name."
Replacing his helmet, Air Jet tapped the side and activated his comm.
"This is Air Jet. I'm back online. Start the clock at Noon, so we have a few minutes to clean up. Creati and I are hitting the downtown. Send someone over to help watch our backs. We're going hunting for trouble tonight."
Shinji clicked his stopwatch, listening to the pair beside him try to catch their breath.
"Seventeen seconds below par. Not bad, Vine."
She managed a small thumbs up, before her hand went back to her thighs to hold her up as she gasped for air.
It was just past midnight, and he'd had them running speed drills across the city since starting. His sidekicks had quickly found that Shiozaki was not slowpoke when it came to grappling and throwing herself through the buildings and variable terrain. After their relays the night before, he'd decided to make it more fair by letting them all race at once. Whichever of his sidekicks got back first would be declared "par" time, with Vine being the only one who could score better. She'd been holding a slim advantage, but as the night dragged on: she was losing ground.
"Now, enough racing for tonight," Shinji decided, putting away the stopwatch, "It's time we do some sparring. Vine, you have some serious firepower, but I was watching the recording yesterday while you slept, and I noticed something odd in your fight with Jiro."
She glanced up at him, a bit of terror in her eyes.
"You attacked in three ways during that fight," he continued, holding up his fingers, "One was your usual style. Calm, focused, precise. Very controlled. The second was the closest thing to a blood rage I've ever seen outside of a Quirk. You were wild, rushed her with a speed and ferocity that shocked us all. Looked like you were going to kill her for a moment. Then you went to your third. Your effort died, and you just gave up, but still tossed her out at just the right speed so she'd hit outside safely. Still thinking, but no longer interested in winning."
Vine nodded, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"Tonight, we're going to train up that rage of yours," Shinji declared, wondering why she seemed to shrink at the idea, "We'll turn you into a real warrior."
"I- I will do my best, Woods-sensei," she managed, her voice holding a genuine fear and trepidation he hadn't heard before, even when he'd told her to spar with the others during one of their races.
"I'll go find her some villains!" one of his sidekicks volunteered, having recovered somewhat from the race.
"No," Shinji cut them off, "Technically I could give Vine permission to use her Quirk in self-defense, but I'm not going to place her in danger like that on her first Internship. No. We're going to be meeting up with another Hero. Someone who she can fight all out against and not worry about hurting."
The concept seemed to make Vine perk up. He had to reassure her now, before she started panicking and damaging her own training.
"Vine, stay here a moment. Everyone else: head to the training fields."
"Sir!" they saluted, departing in their various ways.
Vine seemed to be worried she'd done something wrong, holding her hands behind her waist with far too much tension. He sighed and leaned against a nearby handrail.
"Shiozaki," he sighed, folding his arms and watching her, "You're afraid of yourself, aren't you?"
She didn't answer, her shoulders slumping a little more and her eyes focused firmly on the ground.
"It's good that you respect your power is a dangerous ability, both weapon and tool," Shinji assured her, holding out his hand and producing a few tendrils of wood, "But you can't let that mentality hold you back in a fight. Against a villain who's willing to fight to the bitter end, you have to be just as willing to apply every advantage and strength you can draw upon. When you were injured during the sports festival, you had a moment where you struck without restraint, and overwhelmed an opponent with a technically superior attack pattern."
His arbor extensions gripped the edge of a building, deliberately slow to show off his actions to Shiozaki. Shinji lifted himself off the ground, holding his feet just shy of the sidewalk.
"If you fight someone prepared to kill, you have to be ready to do the same. Shiozaki, I know you wish not to take the lives of anyone, and I applaud this in you, but you have to be ready to choose between the lives of those around you and those of villains who wish to take them. I called Mt. Lady, since she can become too large for you to hurt easily. When you fight her, I want you to give into your rage and tryto kill her. I promise I will stop you from going too far."
Shiozaki swallowed, shock all over her face.
"But- I-"
"This violence is a part of you. You have to learn to control it, or your fear will let it control you. When you fight Takeyama, it will be a safe environment. No one will judge you for how you act, so long as you don't hold back. All of us will be able to restrain you if something goes wrong, which might be part of your training. You need to own who you are, every part, or else someone else will find a way to control them for you."
Shiozaki seemed to curl in on herself, a mixture of fear and a touch of anger bubbling up in her expression. Shinji had wanted to be certain before trying this, and had already been subtly probing how she reacted to certain stimuli. His sidekicks had been instructed to try various distractions during their races, from jibes, to unwarranted praise, and even a few scuffles intent to irritate or cause pinpricks of pain that wouldn't last.
Insults made her a bit pouty, while ones she believed made her sad and sometimes downright depressed. Compliments she hadn't earned in her own eyes made her push herself to be worthy of them, but usually only served a short-term change. But when she was hurt, even with little things like a scrape or simply deprived of food or rest, her temper shortened to a tight fuse and she took challenges or perceived slights more seriously than most villains Shinji had fought. True, her patience and self-control at those times to hide and suppress the flaws were admirable, but he could see through to them.
Naturally, he'd taken her up on her offer of a sleep-deprivation training course. Keeping her awake since she'd suggested it, and quietly forgetting to let her eat dinner before the night's races. He saw the signs in her, the careful clenching of hands, the avoiding looking at anyone too long, and deliberate silences when someone spoke about her. She was being pushed, and now he just needed a catalyst for her to break free, and some way to make sure she didn't put out her own fire.
"I will… do my very best, Woods-sensei."
There was restrained disgust in her voice. She didn't want to do this, but she would because he asked her to. She probably understood the reasoning, but he could tell she also didn't agree with it. If she'd asked him not to make her fight, or stood her ground, he would have been able to at least know she had the ability to tap her strength without giving into it, and rendered the request moot. As it was, she'd failed that particular test, and now he really did have to make her go all in against Yu…
"I expect nothing less. Come on, we don't want Grape Juice getting anxious and doing something… unsavory, while they wait for us."
Izuku smashed into the wall again, groaning and reactivating his full body power up as he tried to recover.
"You're still stiff! Even more stiff than yesterday! Did you lose even more muscle while you slept?!" Gran Torino criticized, deflecting around and kicking him in the legs to drop Izuku to his knees.
I don't understand it! Izuku thought frantically, I trained all night, and it was the exact same! The power worked, and I got used to 5% by the end, but I kept slowing with each consecutive move. I just can't activate it, regulate and distribute the power, and then act quickly enough!
"I don't know…" he admitted, sagging and clenching his fist in anger, "I just- keep stalling whenever I try to act. It's not like Float, where it feels natural to shift the output. It's almost like it's fighting me to stay at 30 or 100."
"You're getting in your own head again," Gran Torino chidded, bopping his hair with his cane, "We need to get you thinking about something else until you can focus on tactics."
The elderly Pro tapped his chin in contemplation. Izuku worried about what awful concepts he could be considering, when the door buzzed. The two of them whirled to look at it, before a voice came through.
"Delivery from Amazon!"
"Oh! I'll get it," Izuku offered, jogging over and opening up for the delivery guy.
He accepted the large package, walking it inside while Gran Torino signed.
"A new microwave?!"
"Somehow mine got broken yesterday, so I ordered this with next-day delivery!" the elderly man agreed, sounding right out of a television ad.
Izuku stared at his mentor, wondering if he was being messed with again.
"Okay boy, I've decided on your next task!" Gran Torino decided, pointing to the empty spot on the counter, "Make us some Taiyaki!"
"Wh- Taiyaki? For Breakfast?!"
"I just like sweet things, is all!" he insisted, setting his cane aside and inhaling.
Izuku felt his blood run cold. He couldn't put the thing in, get the Taiyaki out, arrange it, turn on the microwave, and then defend it all at once! He'd have to use Float, or find some way to keep the man at a distance, but he didn't have any ranged attacks! Maybe the dark power from Tokoyami, but he didn't know what it was or how to call upon it. All it did was marginally hold his bones together, and even that seemed like a patch-job with what was available.
Gran Torino had got bored of his muttering storm, and kicked him in the head.
"Training begins now!" he shouted, going back to full speed.
I have to attack faster! To regulate my power that quickly…
Izuku tried to get his arms up into guard positions, wincing as the still-healing muscles strained a little.
I can see him move when I charge up my body, and that lets me react to his first attack, which means my brain is enhanced slightly by the activation, he considered, trying to avoid using his one move while he kept his eyes on his opponent, If I could regulate my power with the enhanced speed, I'd be able to keep up, but that would require having it active while activating it, which doesn't make sense. Gah, if only this felt as natural as-
Another blow to the stomach sent Izuku into the wall, and he clenched his fist in frustration. At that moment, he didn't care about Gran Torino's stupid rule about not Floating. Float was his Quirk! It was part of him, and he couldn't just turn it off and pretend it didn't-
"...It can't be that simple," he groaned, before receiving another bash into the floor.
"Simple or not, you're getting a beating today, you neophyte!"
Why have I been letting the power go!? he mentally scolded himself, Each move- I've been letting the energy flow back out of me. Even though I've been evening out the power to my whole body, I've still been treating it like a special move or a last resort! When I finally figured out Float, I didn't keep turning it off and on, I just moved! This power has to be the same!
Running from the wall, Izuku dived towards the nearest object he could find; namely the table. It had a lot of room for Gran Torino to get in under as well, but it might buy him a few heartbeats to get his power back together.
"Using cover to reactivate your power won't solve your stiffness problem!" he lectured, rocketing at him with his fists extended, "And now you're out of room to maneuver!"
Izuku kicked his legs up, knocking the table onto its side and blocking Gran Torino. It wouldn't do much, as he could easily deflect to the ceiling and hit him in the back now, but it bought Izuku the time he needed. The 5% flowed into him, and rather than releasing the energy once it was equal throughout, he held onto it, like he did when he wanted to Float. The green lightning returned, and after a few moments, became more stable, illuminating his skin rather than simply sparking along it.
"Maybe, but I'm never out of options!" he challenged back, pushing the table away and into the wall with enough speed it shattered against the brick.
But the table was never his intended target. Float had taught him subconsciously about equal and opposite reactions, and without firm traction or grip on the tile, he was able to slide back a bit and avoid the impact of Torino's feet. He pushed off the ground and felt himself soar towards the wall.
"You can't dodge forever! Sooner or later, you'll have to strike back!"
Curling his legs, Izuku pushed off the wall. He'd seen Gran Torino's style enough in the last day to have a rough feel for his fighting style, and had been able to at least marginally imitate it with Float yesterday. Now he had to see if he could match him this way.
His first target was getting in a hit. Once he could gauge how Gran Torino dodged or recoiled from an attack, then he could start planning out his task.
Izuku managed to deflect off the floor and the wall correctly, and twisted around to prepare his feet, still in his normal red boots. He kicked out, managing to graze Gran Torino's arm as the man spun away, a look of surprise in his eyes. Izuku fought to keep the power inside him, not letting it out like he had before, and felt the energy settle more comfortably in his limbs.
"One for All… Full Cowl!" he roared, prepared to get in his first success that morning.
His pride evaporated immediately as his extended legs hit the wall and stopped him dead, giving him no momentum to crouch and deflect again. Instead, he fell to the floor. Izuku didn't hit it, his instinctive activation of Float preventing him from a hard landing, but the moment he broke Gran Torino's rule, he knew he was done for.
"No Floating!"
And with that, he was smashed into the tile hard enough to crack it, at which point his concentration broke. The energy stayed for only a moment after he groaned in pain, before leaking out and leaving him back to normal. Luckily, no secondary attack came.
"You were more flexible that time," came the voice of All Might's former teacher, "Your table gambit… what made you try it?"
"I realized yesterday that One-for-All kind of works like water. If All Might is a glass, then I'm kind of like a saucer or shallow bowl. I had to let the power fill me all the way up, or it would slosh around and end up being a problem. And just now I realized, each time I moved I was tossing the water out and refilling it, when I could have just kept the water in the whole time."
"...your visualization's a wet plate? You sure you're okay with that?"
Izuku flinched and felt his expression turn downcast.
"I-is it not very good? I can try and change it, if it doesn't work!" he back-pedalled, sputtering as he tried to come up with a better one, "I- I suppose you could think of it like, ah… Oh! Like Chess! Senchan and I trained out Quirks by playing chess on the ceiling, and I told her she kept focusing too much on one piece, instead of the whole board. No, but that doesn't make sense for the constant activation… Um, maybe like gloves and clothes? I called it Full Cowl because it kind of felt like I was wearing the energy? Like, if each attack before was sliding on a glove or shoe and then kicking it off, this time was like putting on a full outfit. A-and instead of putting it on and then taking it back off, like I was doing, I'm just staying in the-"
"Bah! It's fine, if it works for you," Gran Torino cut him off, an odd expression on his face, "Just don't expect to win any awards for eloquence. Lots of people have odd ways of thinking of their powers. For instance, I like to think of mine like a showerhead."
"A- a showerhead?"
Gran Torino dropped to the floor beside him, offering up his boot and showing him the various holes in it.
"See, the air in my lungs gets ultra-compressed, and then ejected through my feet here," he indicated, pointing, "And when it fires, it's kind of like water out of a showerhead. I actually have variable nozzles in the boots here which shift how many holes are open."
"Oh! Kind of like how a showerhead has that cap that you can turn to get higher pressure!" Izuku agreed, getting into his usual enthusiasm for Quirks and their application, "Do you control it with toe-placement, or does it have another mechanism?
"My whole foot, actually. If it's bent forward, like when I take off, it's at the highest pressure, so I can push off well. Pointed out goes lowest, so I could fly more easily. Of course, I don't use full thrust much anymore," Gran Torino sighed, "The higher pressures are faster than these old bones can handle regularly, and my lungs shrunk with my height which makes flying a pain. Still, it's enough to handle punks in the neighborhood and newbies like you."
Izuku grinned, listening with avid attention as Gran Torino explained. His smile slipped a little as Torino bemoaned his glory days being behind him, but picked up a little as he heard him touch on how he was accounting for his weaknesses and the shift in his actions.
"All Might's kind of changing his style too, these days," Izuku mentioned, thinking aloud but not quite muttering, "He used to be always active, fighting large numbers or high power villains, and dealing with every issue he could in record times. Now though, with his 3 hour time limit, he's been regulated to major fights and teaching time. I wonder how I'll end up changing…"
"If you don't get a handle on your power, you'll end up in the grave," Gran Torino scolded, though with a joking edge, "I also imagine Chiyo has some thoughts on how you'll be dealing with your later years."
"Ch-chiyo?" Izuku asked, confused.
"Ah- Recovery Girl," he clarified.
Izuku nodded, shivering in memory, which made Gran Torino laugh.
"She's a feisty one, alright…" Gran Torino sighed, wistfully, "Now, let's see about that Taiyaki."
"Eh?"
"Alright Ingenium (V)," Tensei said, in a tone that showed he loved the name his younger brother had chosen, "First thing first: rules while you're here."
Tenya stood to the attention of a military officer, his armor making him seem more like a display than a student. Tensei pointed over at her, and Nemuri placed a hand over her heart innocently, offering up a surprised expression.
"Do not, for any reason, run away from her."
The younger Ida blinked in surprise, but remained silent.
"If you have to get somewhere: run past her," Tensei continued, deadly serious, "If you have to get somewhere and she's behind you: turn around and do a U-turn aroundher. Are we clear?"
"Y-yes, sir!"
They remained silent for a moment, before Ida managed to ask the obvious question.
"Why, T- Ingenium, sir?"
Turning to face her, Tensei folded his arms and sighed.
"Ms. Midnight here-"
"Just Midnight!" Nemuri protested, stamping her foot, "I'm not that old yet."
"Midnight," he amended, clearly a little annoyed, "has a bit of an interesting relationship with her brand and persona. She tends to get rather… into her role, as it were. People running away from her, namely young men running away from her, tends to make her become sadistic, among other things. I'd rather you didn't suffer a fiasco of your first patrol being marred by your teacher chasing you up and down the streets of Hosu, screaming about how she's going to beat you until you beg for more."
The poor boy seemed ready to collapse in shock. Such an innocent lamb. She might have to change that, if Tensei didn't step in and help her out a bit.
"I… see. But, Ingenium… we're not in Hosu? I believe Hosu is some seventy kilometers-"
"You're right, I got ahead of myself," Tensei agreed, glancing over to the pair of harnesses which sat in chairs by the wall.
Stepping over to one, he offered it to Tenya.
"See if this can fit over your armor. I tried to get it specialized to avoid making too much drag, but one has to be sure when going as far as we are."
Accepting the gear, Tenya mounted it in moments, sliding the straps up and around his stomach mufflers which Nemuri still hadn't seen do anything. He clipped down various straps, tightening them as best he could before standing proudly back at attention. She was tempted to walk over and help him finish up, but stayed herself. The boy would probably be stalled for the rest of the evening, and they'd already lost enough time as it was.
"Excellent," Tensei praised, coming over to double-check a few straps and clips without offending his little brother's sense of perfectionism, "Now, head outside and hook up to the drone-sled. I'll be out in a minute."
"Yes, sir!" he fairly shouted, sprinting for the door.
The two adults shook their heads at his antics. He'd strain something sooner or later, being so stiff all the time.
"So, you've sent him off to get hitched. I wonder what wonderful things we could get up to while we wait for him to… come back?" Nemuri teased, stepping over and leaning on Tensei's shoulder seductively.
"Go rig the Nightingale for hover towing, you floozy," he said, his tone a carefully controlled neutral.
"You're no fun," she pouted, hanging off his shoulder and swinging her body just a bit to try and get a rise out of him, "What happened to the man rumored to be able to please an entire harem at once?"
"Never heard of him. Then again, I never wasted time listening to gossip like you do. The only rumors I ever heard were of you breaking people's backs and whining about their not having enough spirit."
"You could say they lacked… endurance," she giggled, "Something I don't doubt you still have an… excellent supply of."
For a moment, she thought she got him. He looked down at her, eyes dark with an unreadable expression. Then she felt him shift his arm, and she fell to the ground, her weight not distributed right for that moment.
"Ow! What was that-"
"Shush and get your whip from the van," he sighed, putting on his helmet, "Tenya's probably got your chair ready by now."
"Chair?"
Getting up, she jogged after him, curious in spite of herself and the desire to scold him for not taking her up on her advances. She was very glad she had. Standing outside, hitched up like a horse and buggy was Ingenium (V) and a floating, honest to Kami litter. There were cushions and everything!
"Oh, Tensei…" she managed, placing her hand over her chest in a breathless manner, a bit lost for words, "You got that for little old me?"
"It's purely for training his control, I assure you," Tensei lied.
As he walked over to prep the van for a similar towing method, Nemuri decided to have some fun with the situation. She gathered up a clipboard and a few items for the trip, before snagging her whip and locking up the Nightingale, being sure to have it in Neutral for Tensei to pull along without hurting himself.
Leaping atop the one-man carriage, Midnight snapped her whip over Ingenium (V)'s head.
"Forward!" she commanded, getting a handful of involuntary steps out of him, which made her giggle to herself.
Ingenium proper stepped up, pulling the car behind him like it weighed the same as the self-propelled litter. He pointed to Ingenium (V), catching his attention instantly.
"Until I get rebranded, Tenya, we'll refer to you as Five, that way we'll be able to distinguish ourselves. Midnight will be coming up with alternate names for myself on the way, so hopefully you'll be able to use your full name by the end."
V nodded, chopping his arms in his usual adorable fashion. He was so youthful… Then again, so was someone else nearby.
"But Ingenium, I am not a road-authorized vehicle! How will I be able to keep pace with you? I cannot in good conscience run over agricultural land! Further, should I not be the one pulling the weight?"
Ingenium held up a finger, and Midnight could hear his smile.
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong! You see, I've already checked out Midnight's new transport for Hero Towing, so you can go wherever you have to. And you'll get your turn with the Nightingale. But for right now: I want to test more than your engine power. I want you to learn to control your pace and body-motion."
"You've trained my sprinting and endurance runs since I was quite young, Ingenium. I assure you, I can make it to Hosu in under four hours!"
"That's the catch," Ingenium interrupted, a touch of Midnight's sadism in his voice now, which drove her wild, "You'll have two hours to make it there, and: you must not give Midnight a bumpy ride. You'll have to keep her litter steady and smooth the entire trip, until we switch off."
V seemed to wilt at the prospect, trying (and failing) not to look back at her. She licked her lips, giving her whip a little tug as she saw his blood run cold. Oh, this would be fun indeed.
"Alrighty then!" Ingenium clapped his hands, all sunshine again, "Let's get back to Hosu!"
"Your dedication was admirable in the Sports Festival," Gang Orca praised, stepping out of the ocean and crossing his arms, "But you lacked true power, which we will be rectifying."
"Kero. Yes, sir," Tsuyu agreed, standing a bit tense as she waited on the sand.
"We will also go through some theoretical combat scenarios," he continued, not reacting to her speech tick at all, "For instance: I noticed when Ojiro and Midoriya grabbed your tongue: you became more prone to panic. With it being your weapon of choice, we have to improve your thinking so when it becomes attacked in turn: you can continue to think clearly and act with clarity."
She nodded in agreement. Tsu recalled how quickly she'd started resorting to basic attacks and more timid moves after her tongue was caught. It wouldn't do to be overcome so quickly, especially in a more real combat scenario.
Gang Orca pointed to the water.
"I've hidden sixteen different tracking dummies in the reef out there. Collect them and meet me two miles up the coast. You have until Lunch Time."
With that, he left.
"You're very straight-forward, sir," she commented, "Aren't you going to assess how I do, kero?"
"I already know you can do this, and quite adeptly," he confirmed, pausing and glancing back, "This is a warm up."
"Oh. Good to know," she nodded, leaping into the water without another word.
As Present Mic famously said: in life there were no countdowns.
Of course, she probably shouldn't have expected them to be simple.
Their first day had lulled her into a sense of contentment. Gang Orca had shown her around his patrol route, introduced her to a few of his team members, and explained the basics of being a Pro Hero. Afterwards, they'd gone back to his aquarium/agency, and she'd been allowed to swim with the sharks among other things. She should have known today would be tougher.
The first issue came in the form of depth charges. Not big ones, and carefully modulated not to kill her, but clearly something to be avoided. After that came the poisonous, venomous, and all otherwise deadly flora and fauna which he'd hidden them in, some of which attempted to keep her away from their new prizes. A bit after that, Gang Orca himself dived in and started bombarding her with sonic waves.
All in all? It was a good warm up.
Crashing into the pavement, Fumikage let a small growl or roar of frustration as his flight failed once more. Tsunotori glided down beside him, balancing on her horns held in either hand and one below each foot.
"You crashed again, huh," she asked in her infernal language.
"I don't-!" Fumikage inhaled deeply, not wanting to blow up at her for his own failings.
"I can't understand English very well, Tsunotori, but… yes, it didn't work," he managed.
"I don't get it!" Dark Shadow grumbled, folding her arms and looking at the ground, "I should be able to make this work! We can hover and wobble just fine, but once we try to move… It's like you're falling off. Which, I know, is ludicrous, because I'm literally wrapped around your waist, under your cape!"
"It's because you're afraid of falling."
The trio whirled, seeing the person they least wanted to be bothering them right now. Hawks, the #3 Hero, and the guy who had called them there for some "inside deets" and nothing else. Fumikage did his best not to release Dark Shadow on the man in the setting sun, letting her growing darkness ravage the city while it taught him to underestimate a child of the dark.
"Of course he's afraid!" Tsunotori came to his defense, "Hitting the ground hurts bad!"
Hawks gave her a baleful look.
"You're pretty slow too. You'd be quicker with all your power in two horns."
Tsunotori balked at him, placing her hands on her hips while her other horns spun around to point at Hawks.
"I need all four to flying stable! I can not just balance two and hope it works!" she protested, her grasp on Japanese fluctuating as her indigence got the best of her.
The #3 Hero was utterly unphased by her, and instead of responding with words: simply slashed the two horns floating before him into pieces so fast, Fumikage had trouble seeing his feather move.
"Hey, I'm just here to help," he said, all easy-going again, "If you don't want my advice, you shouldn'ta come."
He flew away, with Tsunotori fittingly flipping him The Bird as he vanished into the sky, shocking Fumikage. He sometimes forgot what with her innocent demeanor and child-like phrasing: she was a rather extreme individual sometimes. Dark Shadow was even more in awe, with her beak-shaped head hanging lower than usual in what approximated a slack-jawed stare.
"Stupid… bird-brained… I'll show you help…" Tsunotori muttered darkly.
Climbing back up the fire-exit, Fumikage tried to figure out what was going wrong. He was afraid of falling? The concept was laughably obvious. Of course he was! Everyone feared the final embrace of death, and falling from any height inflicted that sensation upon the soul of the plummeting one.
"One more time?" Dark Shadow asked.
"One more, then we'll head back and find dinner," he agreed.
She wrapped around his waist, hiding under his jacket, her wings ensnaring his chest as they rose off the ground. She strained to move upwards with him along for the ride, her strength able to maintain itself as the darkness under his robes and in the growing shadows fed it.
They moved over the gap between buildings, slowly edging towards the next in the row. Beside them, Tsunotori seemed to be taking Hawks' words as a challenge, and was balanced on one horn, wobbling and ready to fall at any moment.
"Afraid to fall…" Fumikage muttered, looking down into the alleyway.
It was easy for Hawks to dismiss the concept. He had two major wings which were born to flight!
Tsunotori let out a tiny scream of fear as she overcorrected and fell from her horn. Fumikage dived after her, Dark Shadow pushing him towards the ground. He couldn't move quickly enough, so he sent her claws to grab the horse-mutant Heroine. They managed to grab her, but before the arms could be brought back around to secure him, Fumikage felt Dark Shadow's familiarity with the air.
He told her to keep her arms extended, however she normally would while acting alone. Her protective instincts fought against him, but Fumikage was insistent. She did as he asked, and for a moment, they stopped falling.
"Thanks, Tokoyami!" Tsunotori managed, slumped against an unburnables bag, "I knew that'd happen if I let him bait me."
"You merely need practice," Fumikage muttered, looking down at himself and his Quirk.
Dark Shadow always moved with her hands outstretched. Either on the attack or just in motion, her claws remained extended before her. He'd never noticed how they twisted and twitched to guide her trajectory. Were they what supported her?
Their grip on the air was still tentative at best, but it was leagues ahead of where they'd been: uncontrollable like a cork in water. Had he just kept her arms extended from the first- but no, he couldn't have. He was afraid of falling.
"...o…lo...Hello?!" Tsunotori's voice came from far away.
Shaking his head, Fumikage blinked up at her.
"Yes? I apologize, I was… lost in thought."
"I asked if you still want me to take you flying tonight?" she asked, a look of relief on her face, "Since you're having a hard time of it."
Clenching his fist, Fumikage glanced at Dark Shadow, letting their thoughts mix a little as they discussed what they might do.
"No… let's try one last leap," he finally settled on, "I think we can manage to keep up a bit this time."
"You two seem rather objectionable to learning through my methods," Best Jeanist said, in his usual, formal, mocking tone, "So, I've decided to let you try to earn my respect."
Katsuki scoffed. He didn't need to earn anything. This so-called #4 Hero was a sham. A farce. He'd have been better served with some Pro who would've had the guts to let him go off the rails on a few villains and really get some experience under his belt.
"Of course, we're more than willing to follow any methods you see fit, Mr. Best Jeanist, sir," Monoma brown-nosed beside him, smirking with a sideways look at Katsuki, "That is… some of us are."
"You…"
"Monoma," Jeanist cut in, his tone as sharp and tight as the strings he commanded, "Don't antagonize Bakugo. You too are a disappointment."
The stunned blink from the suit-wearing student might have made Katsuki grin, but the "too" bothered him.
"Bakugo: you think yourself better than others, and have no understanding of teamwork or public assurance. Your tactical skills are well-developed, and your Quirk is one of the few I have seen which is both greatly powerful and well honed to a natural understanding of its applications and ways to apply it in unconventional ways."
Katsuki sniffed and brushed the tip of his nose with a thumb. He didn't care about praise from a second-rate patroller.
"You claim to be the one who will surpass All Might and become the #1 Hero," Jeanist continued, his tone as serious as always, "But if one looks at your actions rather than your words: it is Endeavor you will truly succeed, and his position of #2 you will be limited to, even assuming you get that far."
Jeanist turned, pointing to Monoma now, who's smile vanished instantly.
"Monoma: you too believe you have a place beyond those around you. While you can work with others, you do so as a dictator or politician level leader. You have an adaptable mind and body, able to copy other Quirks and implement them well. However, you act as though everyone asks for the praise they receive from others, and treat those who have suffered and triumphed with disdain. You do not take initiative, nor do you display your power well for those around you to be inspired by, instead hiding your abilities. Yet your outfit and persona are those of a public entity, not an underground assassin."
"Thank you, I work hard to confuse my enemies," the blonde bastard managed to spin it.
Best Jeanist, utterly nonplussed, continued to glower at them.
"That wasn't a compliment, Monoma."
Sighing, the #4 Hero stepped to his desk and leaned on it, brushing his cursed hair into its already existing shape. The bastard couldn't even be fine with his version of perfection, could he?
"So, you both have the rest of the internship to impress me," he finally said, closing his eyes and holding his forehead as if he already had a headache and regretted his choice.
"Impress… you?"
"Yes, Bakugo," Jeanist confirmed, "I hereby give you two full permission to use your Quirks for maneuverability and saving the lives of others. You do not, however, have permission to use them to fight anyone, nor to intimidate or use for psychological purposes. At the end of the internship, if you've managed to impress me, I will grant you information you may find vital. Any question you have, if it is within my power, I shall answer. Do so before dawn of our sixth and final day, and I will take the time to train you in one area of your choice, in addition to the question."
He waved his hand at them.
"That's it. You're dismissed for the day."
Clenching his fist and grinning, Katsuki turned towards the door. He knew exactly how he was going to impress the guy. He'd take a little stroll around town, and bring in a few villains. He couldn't use his Quirk to fight them? Fine. He'd just bash their heads in with his gauntlets.
"As expected."
Katsuki rounded on Monoma, squeezing his fist to prevent even the temptation of sparking it at him.
"You got something to say, Copycat?!"
"Me? Never," he said, mock innocently, the bastich, "I was just noticing that you're acting exactly how Best Jeanist predicted you would. Thinking with your fists, instead of your head."
"He wants to be impressed, I'm gonna find a way to do it. I don't need his approval or his training, but I'm gonna be the best, and that means I'm gonna use this time instead of wasting it getting my hair done like a pansy!"
"The best way to impress him would be to control your anger for once and actually pay attention to what he's trying to teach you," Monoma pointed out, keeping his voice extra nice just to piss him off.
"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" he scoffed, forcing himself not to storm off, "Well, maybe you need to get off your pampered rear-end and take a risk for once, instead of just jacking around and playing pretend with your pocketwatch."
With that, he headed towards the training room. He needed to get out of these damned pants and into his real gear. And then: he needed to kill something with Monoma's face on it.
"Much better, Shoto! Now, step aside so one of the sidekicks can tie him up."
Sighing, he let his flames flicker out and walked around to Endeavor's side again. Seventeen villains, seventeen captures. This was starting to get repetitive.
"The monotonous, never-ending nature of this job is essential to your training!" Endeavor lectured, noticing his mood, "Now, let's find another three before the sun rises. Four would be preferable, but the pre-dawn hours tend to be quieter than optimal for-"
His rambling was cut off by an explosion which shook the ground. The distant light of a fire was visible over the edge of the buildings. Close, but not enough for a quick response.
"Shoto, get the sidekicks onto the roof, and meet me over there!" Endeavor roared, leaping towards a nearby building and running up it with enough heat to melt into the wall for extra grips.
Without stopping to think, Shoto released a wave of ice below their feet, producing a pillar. However, it wasn't one to lift, but to launch. The others yelled or screamed in terror and alarm as he fired them over the blocks towards the issue, the ice stopping short of the first rooftop and releasing them to midair.
Any Pro worth their name could land from an unexpected toss, so he didn't bother catching any of them. He did take a moment to grin at the furious Endeavor chasing them, but only a moment. After that, he had to start making his landing ramp.
Shoto froze as he slid to the ground, horrified by the villains who had caused the commotion.
"Nomu?!"
"You know these jokers, kid?" one of the Pros already on the scene asked, her fists raised in a defensive posture as she moved to guard him on instinct.
"Creatures like those two attacked the USJ a few weeks back," he informed her, stepping past her arms and readying his ice, "And these don't look as complete as that one did. I'll deal with them for you."
"Get back here!" she shouted, grabbing his shoulder and throwing him behind her, "U.A. or not, you're not licensed for active combat."
"My sponsor-"
"Isn't here! You wanna help out? Get the civilians clear!"
Shoto clenched his fist, not wanting to hold back when he could help end things now.
"Todoroki! Excellent, we require your aid with these buildings!" came a familiar voice.
"Ida?!" he asked, disbelieving.
"That's correct!" Ida shouted, rushing a civilian past him with blinding speed, "It is I: Ingenium (V)! I am the younger brother of a Most Excellent Older Brother, the prior Ingenium, now reborn as: Indelible!"
Dodging around the Pros, Shoto slid on his ice to start extinguishing the fires and evacuating those in the combat zone. It wasn't flashy, but it felt… oddly good after all the fighting. He saw a water-quirked Hero jog over to help, and started focusing on supporting the damaged or incendiary buildings.
"Don't freeze the floors this time!"
"Oj- Tailman?!"
"That's right," came the terrifyingly silky voice of Midnight, right behind him, "It's a regular family gathering Team-Up."
A pair of delicate hands grabbed his arms and pushed him towards the building, and Shoto glanced back, a bit annoyed at being grabbed. Midnight just winked at him and cracked her whip.
"You students are getting a first-hand education tonight. Now get the block clear for us, and make sure the enemies stay in the ring. Once you have that in hand, prepare for a show."
Indelible, his armor newly repainted with a red stripe across the stomach and with the letters on his arm reading IND instead of ING, slid to a halt beside her, readying his fists for combat. Endeavor finally dropped from the other building, smashing his fist into his hand and flaring his fire a bit.
"U.A. Alumni!" Indelible called out, grabbing the attention of most of the Heroes in the area, "Prepare to go Plus Ultra!"
Oh, that Tensei… so youthful, yet so commanding, Nemuri sighed to herself, making a silent promise if they survived the night.
The various Heroes charged, and Midnight was no slouch. She didn't have Indelible's speed, she admitted, but she wasn't limited to her Quirk either. Snapping out her whip and horse-tail, she leapt towards the most fragile of the Nomu she could see.
The white-green one had four eyes, which meant it needed the most attention, but it also seemed to be the fastest and most lithe. Indelible tried to punch the blasted thing, but it was able to catch his fist with ease. She had no doubt it would have crushed his knuckles if not for her whip slashing out and severing a few of the fingers.
"Thanks, Midnight,"
"I'll take forget-me-nots or a night on the town as payment," she teased, snapping her horse-tail whip along the creature's face and leaving a thrash of scars.
It screeched and roared, and suddenly an intense pain thrashed along her torso. It felt almost like her own attack, but spread out into the fingers of the thing instead of her fine weapon heads. It didn't seem ready to stop either. Opening its jaw, an array of tongue-like tendrils extended and began to reach towards her and the other Heroes.
A pair of powerful hands wrapped her up under her thighs and back, and Midnight was carried a ways back. Indelible shot her a wink through his helmet, only visible at ultra-close range, before turning and firing a blue burst of fire from his arms. Instead of saving the others, he leapt into the air and smashed through the tongues splattering them along the Nomu's own face.
"I think that makes us even," he called back, smashing his leg into the thing's knee from behind and dropping it to its hands.
One of the other heroes was carrying a sledgehammer of sorts, and brought it down on the thing's back, crashing it into the concrete with a dull finality. Just to be sure though, Midnight stepped over. She winced with each step, but her reinforced breastplate had held up mostly. Holding her wrist under the thing's nose, she gave her sleeve a little tear and let it sleep quietly for a bit, if only to ensure the abomination wasn't in too much pain.
"Villains like these have to be eliminated quickly!" Endeavor screamed, his flames turning blue and whistling with pressure as he cooked one of the other Nomu's heads, "Before they got running off and making more of a fuss!"
Midnight's eye twitched in annoyance. The loud-mouthed fool probably didn't even realize no one who could hear him cared or needed to be told.
He'd probably monologue in an empty room, if we let him,she thought wryly.
"Where's the winged one?!" Indelible asked, whirling to try and find it.
"I was fighting over by the-"
"Oh Kami…"
The other Pros. glanced over to the pile of limbs which constituted their comrades, most still twitching but a few clearly beyond help. But the Nomu hadn't just flow off either. It stood, curled over them like a mother hen, clearly baiting someone to try and attack when it had body shields to pull out at any time. Worst of all, this had to be the one with the mask, making it likely she couldn't just gas the bastard.
"Rush him, and hope we kill it before too many of our comrades die," Endeavor declared, tossing the body of the black Nomu like it was a sack of burnables.
"No!" Indelible shouted back, holding out his arm, "We can't risk any more of them like that! With all of us here, who knows how many gangs and small-time crooks have come out to try and make it big. We're gonna be at this all night, and we need everyone we can manage!"
Midnight pulled her whip taught, wondering if she could try getting some of her mist out and then remove the mask with her tools. It seemed pretty… well anchored, but if she could open a few holes-
She blinked at the pile of bodies again. There was something… leaking from them. It wasn't blood, precisely, the color far too pale for that. But it wasn't just water. No, it was water! Manual must have been under there, but why was he just letting his power out like that?
Narrowing her eyes, Midnight cursed her poor vision and tried to identify what he could be doing. All he seemed to be doing was making the winged Nomu's feet a little damp.
The water twitched, and the creature reared a little, looking at its legs in surprise, and before any of the Pros could take advantage of it: a trio of figures swooped under the thing.
A white-armored blur slashed through the air, pulling a handful of highly-injured Heroes off the pile and away to the side. Ice formed a sphere of safety around the remainder, which Tailman knocked free of the Nomu's grasp with a quick snap of his namesake.
Indelible didn't waste another moment, racing forward and punching the thing's mask as hard as his Recipro-burst could swing him. Midnight dived in behind him, making sure to slash a wing with her whip before blasting it in the face with her Quirk.
Deciding to pick on Endeavor a little, she decided to explain to the students what was going on, and do it in a clearly mocking way.
"This fool didn't think about who he was fighting," she called, pushing off the brain section and landing in a sensual pose, "Nor about how to manage this encounter. Had he been clever, he would have kept to the air and attacked areas we couldn't catch up to in time, instead of holding his ground. The hostages were an effective way to keep us off, but it meant he had nowhere to maneuver if anything went wrong."
The glower was all she could have hoped for. Then something caught their attention.
"T-tailman…" Manual whispered, crawling out of the igloo Shoto had made for the remaining heroes.
The student was by his side in an instant.
"Yes, sir?" he asked, concern oozing from his expression.
"You weren't… weren't supposed to… fight villains today… might have to revise… the schedule…" he managed.
Ojiro slumped onto the ground, sitting with a stunned expression. The two men looked at one another for a moment, before Manual began to chuckle. After a moment, it spread to his intern, and then to his students. Soon enough, the entire area (barring Endeavor, because he didn't know how most likely) was laughing with them, tears of relief flowing from their eyes as they grasped that they were alive.
They wouldn't have much more time to laugh, soon enough.