Chapter 16: Trending, Eri and Tea
"Midoriya." Kacchan sounds intensely aggravated, well, more intensely than normal, which is still pretty intense. "Why the fuck are you trending?" He demands.
"Trending?" He asks in confusion.
A phone is shoved in his face, open to a Chatter page with the hashtags #Don'tNeedNoDamnedQuirk, #HeroicHeartsTopVillainousQuirks and #ItsNotYourQuirkItsYou. Novell breaks the standard quo. Does this give you the warm fuzzies too? The responding chats continue off the bottom of the screen, with mostly positive comments and exclamations about his interview with Present Mic.
"Oh." He'd expected a little internet commentary, Present Mic is too popular for that not to happen, but this seems a lot more enthusiastic than he'd expected. Also, the post is dated yesterday, so…he's really trending?
"What do you mean, fucking 'Oh'? Why the fuck were you on Present Mic's show? Weren't you with that Nighteye fuck for your internship? And why does Aizawa's new kid treat you like her brother?"
"Ah." He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. "About that. 'Nighteye fuck' is surprisingly accurate. And I found Eri on my way back. So Yamada sensei offered me an internship instead."
Kacchan stares at him, then yanks his phone back. "You realize that doesn't fucking explain anything, right?"
Izuku sighs, because he's not totally wrong. "I think Eri's situation is classified? And Nighteye hates me, Find-san objected and Yamada sensei was the replacement internship that UA offered."
"Who doesn't hate you?" Kacchan scoffs, but looks appeased.
A blue pane pops up in front of Kacchan.
Listen, you rabid yip yap. Watch your mouth or else.
"Or else what? Gonna complain about me to the teachers?" Kacchan scoffs again.
Do you really want your electronic records to reflect your actions over the years? Izuku has a really good memory concerning those things.
"Like you can. Even if you could hack those, it won't matter, because the paper records will say differently."
Bet?
Izuku slaps a hand over his face. "Find-san, no."
"No, no. Let it do whatever it thinks it can." Kacchan contradicts him. "I want to see how miserably it fails."
"Kacchan, don't antagonize him. Please."
"Don't tell me what to do!" Kacchan snarls and stomps off.
He groans. "Find-san, please don't go overboard."
No promises.
Great. The only person he knows to be as stubborn as Kacchan is himself and Find-san is basically a fearless version of him (he thinks). This is just what he doesn't need: the two most stubborn beings he knows going toe to toe. He should probably warn Nedzu.
~
Nedzu's door opens as he knocks.
"Midoriya-kun, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"
Izuku steps inside, biting his lip as the door closes behind him. "Um. I just want to warn you that Bakugou and Find-san got in an argument and Find-san has probably hacked all his electronic records and possibly left black marks all over them."
"Indeed? And does he deserve them?"
Wha-? "Uh." He sits, unable to come up with an honest answer to that.
I didn't leave black marks, although he doesdeserve them. I did, however, leave the remarks the teachers would have left if they weren't blatantly trying to butter him up and get him into a top hero school. Attached is the remaining video evidence.
Oh kami. This is almost worse than if it had left black marks!
"I see! How interesting!" Nedzu turns to his computer and types rapidly, before stopping and barking a laugh. "Unfortunately, I will have to ask you to return his grades to normal."
Not until he apologizes.
"Hm. I suppose there's no harm in that. It will be amusing to see his expression when he is informed of the changes and your condition."
Izuku groans. "Nedzu, no! Kacchan will be a great hero!"
Nedzu chatters a laugh. "No need to worry, Midoriya-kun. This won't hinder his career, but his behavior has truly earned him an ego check. An apology will not hurt him."
He resists the urge to bang his head on Nedzu's desk in frustration.
~
An hour later, Kacchan storms up to him, looking fit to murder. "I don't fucking hate you, okay? Now make your fucking quirk fix that shit."
Your grades have been restored.
Steam seems to rise from Kacchan's ears, even as his face relaxes minutely. "You fucking little- I apologized! Fix the rest of it."
No. And get therapy for your egomania and imposter's syndrome or I'll send a copy of it to your parents.
Kacchan goes dead pale. "Fucking fine! I'll make an appointment with that stupid dog. Happy?"
Delirious.
"You'd better be!"
"Sorry, Kacchan. I-"
"Don't fucking apologize for something I know you don't have the guts to do in the first place!" Kacchan screams at him and stomps off to fling himself into his desk chair.
"Uh."
A green pane (meaning only he can see it) pops up and starts playing a video of Kacchan flopping carelessly in the chair in front of Nedzu's desk and demanding, "So, what did you call me for?"
Nedzu grins predatorily and Kacchan straightens in his chair in reaction. "Well, you see, Aldera sent me an updated version of your school record." Nedzu turns the monitor towards Kacchan. "As you can see, I have some concerns."
The sounds are muffled but indicate a video or audio file being played.
Kacchan slowly pales as he watches.
The clip cuts off there, but Izuku is sure it only got worse from there. He is also sure, however, that Find-san is smug enough about this to ignore any protests from him and that Nedzu, also, is unlikely to entertain his concerns. Izuku whines and puts his head down on his desk to wallow in irritation and anxiety. Why is his quirk like this?
~
"Midoriya." Aizawa sensei calls as he's hurrying down the hall.
Oh no. What now?
Obediently, he approaches his teacher. Who apparently reads his expression like an open book.
"Relax, Problem Child. You're not in trouble. Eri just wants to know if you're able to visit this weekend, since you didn't have time last week."
"Oh. Oh, sure! Is Saturday afternoon okay?"
"Yes, that's fine. Just text me before you show up at the gate, so I can meet you. Nedzu might attempt to steal you if you walk alone."
His eyes widen. Nope. Nope, he's avoiding Nedzu sensei for a few days. As long as possible, really.Tuesday is soon enough. "Okay, I'll text when my train arrives."
"Sounds good." Aizawa sensei says and waves him off.
~
When they arrive at Aizawa sensei's apartment, Izuku is surprised to find Momo and another first year student with their heads together. Eri excitedly describing something, the other girl nodding, looking things up on a tablet and then reading off dimensions and molycules to Momo, who then concentrates and produces small…items that she hands to Eri, who grabs them one at a time and puts them on a…doll? Oh, they're doll clothes. Does that mean the other girl is a support student? A closer look reveals that the doll is the dark haired one from the store on their shopping trip and it's dressed remarkably like Aizawa sensei. Even the shoulder length hair has been taken out of its tight bun and hangs almost naturally. All it's missing is the stubble and the capture scarf. Oh. And there's the capture scarf.
Momo hands the miniature scarf to Eri, who then wraps it around the doll's throat with an enthusiasm that makes Aizawa sensei visibly wince. Izuku wonders idly how many times he strangled himself with his own scarf before figuring out how to use it properly. Probably a lot, given his reaction.
Then Eri looks up and squeals, dropping the doll with a clunk and flinging herself at him. "Novell! You came!"
"I did! How are you, Eri?" He asks, cuddling her close.
"Good! Momo and Maina are making clothes for 'Zawa-san and Uncle Mic and Auntie Nem and you! See?" She wiggles down and picks up the Aizawa doll again to show him.
"Wow, that's really cool! It looks just like Aizawa sensei, doesn't it?"
"Yeah! And here's you!" She scoops up another doll and holds it out for inspection.
He manages not to wince as he realizes that they apparently got her anatomically correct dolls and his is stark naked. Izuku experiences the distinct urge to cover mini-him up. Someone has taken scissors to the hair and drawn diamond shaped freckles on its cheeks, so now it resembles him more than the low ranked hero it was originally intended as. "I…see that. Are you going to put clothes on him too?"
"Uh huh!" She turns to Momo and Maina while pointing imperiously at him. "I want Novell to have clothes like this and like the other ones he wears!"
Well, that's embarrassing. He's wearing red shorts and a white shirt that proclaims DUCK in black bold print.
"Doable." Maina says, ducking her head and going back to looking things up.
"We've already done 'Auntie Nem' and 'Uncle Mic'." Momo informs him.
"Oh, do you want to show me, Eri?"
"Yeah!" She shoves the two dolls at him and runs over to grab two more off the sofa.
Izuku casually hands the naked doll to Momo, avoiding her eyes as he does so although she looks more amused than offended.
"See? This is Uncle Mic!" Yep, that looks like Yamada sensei alright. Although he's in an aloha shirt and neon green shorts and his glasses are crooked. The hair is like his hero persona, though.
"Wow. That looks like he's off work."
"Uh huh!" Eri nods eagerly and holds up the other doll. "And this is Auntie Nem!" It's like someone switched Kayama sensei out for a child safe doppelganger. The doll has on a comfy sweater and slacks and creepy looking bunny slippers with googly eyes.
"Is she off work, too?"
"Yeah! Auntie Nem is really nice! She shows me how to brush my hair so it doesn't get tangles after a bath. And she fixed your hair so it looks right. And Blue likes her and sits on her lap. He barely does that for 'Zawa-san!"
It's mildly interesting to note that she doesn't include the ruffly clothes Midnight sensei bought her in that list. "That sounds pretty special! Did she do your braid for you?"
She shakes her head. "Auntie Nem says they're too hard for her. 'Zawa-san did it. I like it, cuz it keeps the hair out of my eyes."
"That makes sense. It's one of the reasons that I keep mine fairly short. The curls just go everywhere." He confides. Unlike Aizawa sensei, he doesn't have a secondary telekinesis quirk to push the hair away from his face, and he's pretty sure Mic uses quirked hair products to manage his, otherwise it'd be a nightmare to get the hairspray and mousse out of his hair every night and to put up again every morning.
Eri screws up her face in thought. "Should I make mine short?"
"Only if you want to. You don't have curls, so keeping it long is easier for you than it would be for me."
"Oh."
Momo clears her throat and offers the now clothed mini-him doll, along with a small pile of miniature UA uniforms and gym clothes.
Eri squeals and shoves the Midnight and Mic dolls into his arms so she can take the Novell doll and the extra doll clothes. She puts the clothes with another stack of extra clothing before turning to him and displaying the mini-him. "See! You look like you!"
"I see that."
"Eri? Did you want other clothes for the Aizawa doll?" Momo asks.
That fast, he loses her attention, but he doesn't begrudge it as he goes over to the sofa and dumps the dolls onto it. Then he sits and spends some time unwrapping the miniature capture scarf and rewrapping it looser so it looks right. Green comes over and sits beside him as he does so.
Something cold nudges his shoulder and he looks up to see Aizawa sensei offering him an open bottle of Ramune. "Drink something, Problem Child. Thank you for coming over."
"Ah! Thank you, sensei!" He says, setting down the doll to take the strawberry soda. "Did you know the dolls are anatomically correct?"
Aizawa sensei looks wry for a moment. "Yes, I found out much the same way you did. Though I suppose it's a fairly harmless way to find out that men and women look different. She doesn't think twice about it at her age. Which at least means nothing of that sort happened to her, for which I am grateful."
It takes him a moment to understand that. Oh. Yeah. That would've been awful. Now it makes more sense that dolls like this exist, even though his mom would've thrown a fit if he'd tried to get one for himself. "Me too."
Eri runs over with a miniature suitcase in her hands and shows it to them. "Look, 'Zawa-san, Novell! Momo made a suitcase for the doll clothes so I have a place to keep them now!"
"That was nice of her. Did you thank her?" Aizawa sensei asks.
She gasps and drops the suitcase on Izuku's lap and runs back to Momo and Maina to thank them loudly.
Izuku oofs, but the case is tiny and really doesn't weigh much. Green shies away then comes back to sniff at the case curiously and lick it. "That's not food, kitty."
Aizawa sensei chuckles. "He's always got to check if something new is edible."
~
Quests accomplished.
Quest rewards.
Nedzu, chess quest:
+231 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Nedzu, taxonomy of rodents quest:
+314 Exp.
+2 INT
+1 StP
Aizawa, three regulations quest:
+452 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 StP
Mic, essay question quest:
+256 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Cementoss, chapter and quiz quest:
+343 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Midnight, chapter and quiz quest:
+367 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, twenty laps quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Ectoplasm, problems quest:
+311 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Midnight, two page summary quest:
+363 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
All Might, juggle three items quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Snipe, pop quiz quest:
+282 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, twenty laps quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
All Might, juggle three items quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Aizawa, twenty laps quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
-------
+3519 Exp.
+7 INT
+7 WIS
+5 DEX
+14 StP
Izuku Midoriya
Level 11
Exp. 4823/24000
STR: 39
VIT: 62
DEX: 23
INT: 71
WIS: 70
HP: 372/372
MP: 0/0 Locked.
STA: 101/101
StP: 0
Skills:
Reading: Level 77
Writing: Level 65
Studying | Retaining Knowledge: Level 57
Analysis: Level 59
Fashion Knowledge: Level 4
Cooking and Baking: Level 14
Collecting: Level 64
Stealth: Level 2
Doing Laundry: Level 1
Cleaning: Level 24
Organizing: Level 33
Magic: Level 0. Locked.
Ghostly Communication: Level 6
Playing Chess: Level 5
Huh. "Show Nedzu stats."
Nedzu reads the displayed stats with a thoughtful expression. "Yes, this is fine. You didn't struggle with keeping up with your work this week since we last met, did you?"
"No. Last week was a bit rough, but this week was fine." He admits. "It didn't give me as many points in intelligence and wisdom, though."
The chimera nods in acknowledgement. "Going a little slower like this is acceptable. My true concern is your mental and physical health as you learn at UA. There's no need to push you into overdoing it just to satisfy my curiosity a bit quicker. I am pleased to see more points went into dexterity, though."
Izuku grins. "The dexterity quests are fun. And some of my classmates are doing them with me, so I don't get stared at for being weird."
"I hear they've approached the teachers for the purpose of asking to do your quests as extra credit."
"Yeah. Snipe sensei, Ectoplasm sensei and Cementoss sensei said 'no', though, because my quests with them are regular school work. And I had to tell Kacchan that Find-san is a gamer quirk, because he was upset that I was the only one getting extra work. He's doing them all, even in Midnight sensei's class after she told him that she wouldn't give him extra credit for it."
"Oh? I was under the impression that Kayama wasgiving out extra credit."
"For everyone besides Kacchan and me, she is. Well, if they do the extra work."
"Ah. I see. That makes sense. I suppose then, that Aizawa and Yamada are giving you extra credit as well?"
"Maybe? I'm not sure."
"I'll be sure to ask them, then." Nedzu claps his hands together. "Well then. I have a couple more chess moves for you to learn and figure out how to apply. And would you like some tea?"
Teacher issued quest: Learn two new chess moves and how to apply them.
"Um. Yes?"
Nedzu looks briefly amused, then turns to pour tea for both of them.
Chapter 17: Categories, Conference Room, and a Small Chat
Izuku decides to kidnap Shinso for lunch. He's been avoiding their group since internships for some reason and he looks sad when he looks at them.
Shinso yelps and juggles his tray of food before suffering himself to be dragged away.
"It's about time you joined us again!" Ochako greets him.
Tsu nods. "You've been avoiding us."
"I haven't been avoiding-" He cuts himself off with a sigh and sits down. "I figured you wouldn't want me around now that you've had time to think it through."
"Nonsense." Yaomomo declares. "We enjoy your company. And Izuku has been convinced that he did something wrong and now you hate him."
He squeaks and takes a big bite of katsudon as Hitoshi gives him an eyebrows raised look.
"I don't hate you." Hitoshi relents after a moment. "I've just had people change their minds about being friends before, because of my quirk."
"That's stupid." Ochako says in an annoyed tone. "We wouldn't do that."
Shinso shrugs. "Thanks."
"How did your internship go?" Tsu asks.
"Good, surprisingly. Aizawa sensei found a Twilight hero willing to take me on and I learned a lot. I thought I wanted to be an underground hero, but I think I've changed my mind. As a Twilight hero, kids like me would actually know I exist." Shinso replies easily. "How were yours?"
"Well," Yaomomo answers, "I ended up going to Midnight sensei to ask her help deciding and she made a phone call and Miruko sent me a last minute request, so I ended up going with her. I now know several kicks to use in combat and know that I really need to focus on my hand to hand and splitting my focus between fighting and using my quirk. She also lectured me at length when I mentioned that I'm on a diet, about how many calories a healthy hero needs to consume, particularly with a quirk like mine. It kind of surprised me that she knew so much about it, because I thought she was just a battle junkie."
"Why did you go with her if you thought that?"
"I thought facing someone like her would improve my reaction time with my quirk." Yaomomo admits. "I must admit that it's nice to take a second serving at meals without being plagued by guilt or worrying about not being ladylike."
Shinso makes a face. "Yeah, that would suck. What about you, Tsu?"
"I got to help take down pirates. Other than that, I mostly cleaned the deck, which was boring, kero." Tsu answers plainly.
"Pirates not enough excitement for you?" Shinso teases, waggling his eyebrows.
"They were, kero. But I didn't realize how much of hero work is boring."
"Yeah." He makes a face again. "I was surprised too. I guess I thought it was constant battles or something. What about you, Midoriya? I thought you were interning with Nighteye, and then I heard Yamada sensei introducing you as his intern."
"Didn't I already tell you that?" Izuku asks skeptically. He's pretty sure that they've already had this conversation.
Shinso shrugs. "You did, but I thought maybe you'd elaborate. It's fine if you don't want to, though."
"Oh." He blinks a few times and goes back to eating, because he really doesn't want to talk about it.
A pale blue pane pops up in front of Shinso.
Sir Nighteye is a petty bastard with a god complex. That's all I have to say.
"That bad, eh?" Shinso raises an eyebrow. "Damn. Well, I'm glad Yamada sensei took you on."
"Thanks." Izuku acknowledges.
"Eri really seems to like you. Do you know who donated her to Aizawa sensei?" Shinso changes the subject.
Yaomomo, Tsu and Ochako all look at Izuku.
He flushes. "Um. W-Well, I kind of did? On my way back from Nighteye's place, I ran into her running away from a villain."
"Oh, damn. Is that where she got the scars from?"
Izuku nods hesitantly. "They apparently took a lot of blood and tissue samples. We think it's related to her quirk."
"What is her quirk? I know it's dangerous, but."
"Um. I think that's classified? But get out of range if her horn starts glowing or you could end up not existing anymore."
A low whistle from Shinso. "Well, that's a lot more dangerous than I thought, then. Good to know. A category 6 quirk?"
He shakes his head. "Probably category 3 or 4, because her range is relatively small for how dangerous her quirk is."
Yaomomo remarks, "That might change as she gets older."
"It might." Izuku admits. "But category 6 are quirks that can affect whole cities at once if they're used wrong or go out of control. Even Endeavor's quirk is only a category 5."
"What about All Might's quirk, kero?"
"Oh, um. In theory it's a category 6 because he can change the weather with a punch. But it's never been tested? And he's really careful to limit the destruction his quirk does. So nobody's quite sure if he's a category 5 or a category 6. It's registered as a category 5, though." He rambles.
"Really? That's surprising." Yaomomo says. "My own quirk is a category 5."
Everyone gives her impressed looks and Izuku nods. "That makes sense. You could change the flow of a battle in a large area if you made things for allies or cause widespread destruction if you made powerful bombs. Also, your quirk kind of breaks the laws of physics. It's literally single sourced sub-atomic alchemy. That alone would make you a category 4. Ah! That would make Eri a category 4, wouldn't it?"
Ochako laughs at him. "Depends on how much it breaks those laws. My quirk is only a category 3."
"Mine's only a category 1, kero." Tsu offers.
"Mine's a category 2." Shinso admits, then looks at Izuku expectantly.
"Uh, um. I'm not really sure? I think I'm down as a category 2."
Pale blue panes pop up individually in front of his friends.
Registered as a category 2. Currently a category 3. Has the potential to be a category 4 – 6.
"That's… Isn't Find-san just an information quirk?" Yaomomo asks uncertainly.
Privately, Find-san comments,
You should tell them.
He wants to hiss and yell at his quirk, but. "Um. I don't think we should talk about this here. Too many ears."
"Got it." Ochako says immediately and the others nod with a variety of expressions.
Izuku looks at them carefully, but they all seem serious about it and not offended. So maybe he should trust Find-san on this.
~
His friends are slow to gather their things after classes end and Izuku hesitates to leave because he notices. Do they want to do this now? In the classroom?
Momo waits until everyone else except Aizawa sensei is gone to gather up her bag and stand. "I've booked a conference room for us, if you'd like to follow me."
Wait, what? They can do that?
"Lead the way." Shinso says.
Aizawa sensei gives them a curious look, but says nothing.
They follow her like a bunch of lost puppies to a small conference room that it turns out she has the key to. She holds the door while they enter, then locks it behind them.
Once they're seated, Tsu says, "We're in private now, if you want to share, Izuku."
"Uh. Yeah. Um. I- That is- I guess I should start at the beginning." He pauses and takes a deep breath, blowing it out before continuing. "So the first thing you should know is that this is all kind of classified for my and your safety. So, if you don't think you can keep it secret, I'll just leave."
Ochako huffs. "No way. We can keep secrets."
Tsu, Yaomomo and Shinso all nod in agreement.
"Okay, well. Um. The second thing is that my biological father is the villain behind the villains at USJ and he can give and take quirks. Except for All Might's and mine. And I was quirkless up until just a little over a year ago when Find-san finally showed up. I, um, I'll understand if you want to leave now."
Shinso scoffs. "No, no. This is just starting to get interesting."
The others look to be in agreement and nobody moves towards the door.
"We didn't know Find-san was sapient when I registered my quirk, so that's partially why I'm registered as a category 2. The other reason is because my quirk doctor wanted to protect me. Find-san is a gamer quirk, not a limited information and storage quirk."
"Oh, damn." Shinso says in a heartfelt tone.
"Kami's sister died." Ochako swears and then blushes at Yaomomo's confused look. "Sorry. It's what one of the guys that work with my parents says when he's swearing about something unbelievable."
"I can understand your doctor's point of view. You are very lucky." Tsu says bluntly.
"Uh. Uh, yeah, I am. So then, a few months later, I ran into All Might after he saved me from a villain attack and then after a second attack, he offered to give me his quirk."
"Wait, wait, wait! What!?" Ochako stops him.
"Um. So. All Might's quirk is- er, was transferable. It originally belonged to my biological father's brother, so it can't be stolen and can only be passed on by intent plus DNA. And-"
"DNA? Did All Might…?" Tsu interrupts to ask.
"What?" He realizes what she means and goes red, waving his hands in negation. "No, no, no. He gave me a hair to eat. It was gross."
"Oh, good. Continue."
"Okay. Er…"
"You were at 'All Might's quirk can be passed on'." Yaomomo offers helpfully.
"Right. So. After ten months he passed it to me. And then. Um. Find-san ate it. Except for the ghosts of the former users, because those are sapient too. Um. And now it can't be passed on because Find-san can't be stolen or passed on."
"I feel like there's a significant portion of this story that we're missing." Shinso says deadpan.
Izuku squeaks, because, yes, they are. "Uh, um. Er. That is, my biological father and All Might are enemies. All Might didn't know he was still alive until USJ and All Might was really badly injured by him before. But Eri fixed it when her quirk acted up. So he's alright now! Um."
"That's more than mildly concerning. But what I meant was, 'What significance does ten months have?'"
He brightens in understanding, truly grateful for the calmness his friends are taking this with. "Oh! That was just to build muscle, so his quirk didn't blow off my arms when I got it! But Find-san locked it up, so it isn't something we had to worry about after all."
"Somehow, I find that to be more concerning than the news that All Might was severely injured until recently, kero." Tsu objects.
"Agreed." Ochako and Shinso say in eerie unison.
"Ignoring that deeply concerning statement for now, what did eating All Might's quirk do to Find-san?" Yaomomo asks.
"Well, um. Apparently I'll eventually get all the quirks of the previous users if I get my stats high enough. And Find-san can make dungeons once my stats get high enough. He lets the teachers give me quests, though, so they're helping with that. Um. I think that's all."
They all stare at him for a moment, before Ochako smacks her face into her hands and mutters, "What is my life?"
"Sorry?" He tries in apology.
"I don't think you should be the one saying 'sorry'. How does your life have more drama than a soap opera?" Shinso says in a dry tone.
Izuku slinks down in his seat, because he doesn't really have any answer to that.
~
"All Might sensei?" Izuku asks tentatively. "Can we talk?"
"Of course, my boy. What's on your mind?"
"Well, um. I told my friends."
"Told them what, exactly?"
"Um. Pretty much everything?" He hurries to reassure him. "They took it really well, though!"
"I see." All Might contemplates the information for a bit, then asks, "Who did you tell?"
"Yaomomo- That is. Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Asui and Shinso."
All Might nods to himself and claps him on the back. "They're good kids. It's good that you have them in your corner. I believe that it is a flaw of mine, that I have always been too untrusting to let people know about One for All. It left me fighting alone against All for One, when I needed backup the most."
"So, you're not mad?"
"At you, my boy? Not at all. One for All is your quirk and your secret now. You get to choose who you trust. Already, even without your friends, you have a wider support network than I ever did. And that's a good thing."
Izuku lets out an explosive sigh of relief.
"Now you'd better hurry or you'll be late to your next class." All Might reminds him.
"Oh. Thank you, sensei!" He says and hurries off to his next class.
Chapter 18: Martial Arts, Trending, Updates
"Yaoyorozu, come hand these out to your classmates." Aizawa sensei says.
"Oh! Me! I can do it!" Ashido puts up her hand enthusiastically.
Aizawa sensei looks back and forth between Ashido and Yaomomo. Yaomomo looks back and forth between Aizawa sensei and Ashido uncertainly.
"I'll ask you next time, Ashido."
"Aww, okay." Ashido subsides, lowering her arm.
After a moment of hesitation, Yaomomo gets up, takes the forms and passes them out to everyone.
The paper reads:
Tai Chi
Karate
Judo
Muay Thai
Kickboxing
Boxing
"You will be getting an introduction to each of these martial arts during PE over the next few weeks, in the order they are listed. There will be specialized instructors coming in to teach you.
"This is to introduce you to the basics of professional fighting, something that is quite important for any hero to know. Starting second semester, you can choose up to two of these to specialize in, as they will be offered as after school elective classes. So pay attention to see which one suits you and your goals as a hero best.
"Rescue heroes often stick to Tai Chi or Judo, for instance. Underground heroes often choose Muay Thai. Heroes whose strength is focused in their arms tend to take up Boxing or Karate. Heroes whose strength focuses on their legs often take up Kickboxing. However, that is just what is commonly done.
"You may take any combination you like. With the caveat that it can only be two at a time. Further fighting styles are offered for second and third years, or you may stick with the one or two you choose as a first year. Either is perfectly fine. Keep these papers until we're done with the martial arts introductions, then circle the one or two you choose and cross out the others before handing them in to me. Make sure you write your name on them.
"Any questions?"
"When will we be starting this?" Kirishima asks.
"Today."
Izuku idly writes his name at the top of the paper.
"How long will we get with each one?" Ashido asks.
"Four class periods. Be prepared to pick things up quickly, so you get a good feel for each one."
"What if we suck at all of them?" Kaminari asks.
"Then learn not to suck. A hero who sucks at fighting is often a dead hero."
Kaminari winces. As do several others.
"What about street fighting and fighting with quirks and weapons?" Shinso asks.
"You're already learning some of that in PE and Heroics. You will continue to do so. If you need extra lessons for your quirks or weapons, come to me or All Might. Those lessons will take one of your fighting elective spots, however, because UA takes into account that you are growing children and have a limit as to what you can safely handle."
"I can handle anything!" Kacchan declares.
Aizawa sensei sighs. "And attitudes like yours is why we limit the number of electives you can take that involve physical exertion. If you overdo it, you'll be getting a lecture from Recovery Girl. We have other electives you can take if you're truly bored with your current course load. These include things like Art, Business Math and Civic Planning."
Kacchan huffs and sits back, glaring at his hands. Apparently none of those options are appealing because his creed of being the best doesn't touch on those things.
Too bad that he won't have time to take some of those himself. He looks back at the list.
"What do you think?" He asks the vestiges.
"I took Boxing." Ghost Might offers.
"I took Judo and Boxing." Nana says.
"I knew a bit of Tai Chi." Hikage comments.
"I just grew up brawling, kid." En tells him.
"I had some Muay Thai and brawling." Banjo comments.
"Take Karate. At least it kicks some ass. Unlike all of you." Third states.
"Brother wouldn't even let me take Tai Chi." Yoichi remembers, obviously ignoring Third.
"All of you are idiots. One for All is too powerful for him even at thirty percent. What part of your body is stronger than your arms, Ninth?" Second says huffily.
"Um. My tor- No. That doesn't make sense. Um. My legs?"
"Exactly. Take Kickboxing and one of the others. Not Tai Chi. We already know That Bastard is still alive and will be gunning for you once he finds out that you're Eighth's successor. If Eighth can't take him down first, you need something that will give you the edge to take him down permanently." Second replies.
That sends a shiver down his spine that makes a couple people give him a concerned look. "I don't want to kill him." He admits.
There is suspicious silence for a long moment, then En speaks up. "Look, kid. I get that. No hero wants to kill, and if they do, they shouldn't be heroes. And we know he's your father. But some things have to be done. If he isn't dead, he'll escape eventually and go right back to killing people. He's killed thousands over his lifetime. He isn't redeemable. He isn't sane. Think of it as a mercy killing."
Izuku doesn't say anything back and the vestiges decide to leave it at that. He looks at the list once more and circles Kickboxing and crosses out Tai Chi and Boxing.
If matters were different, he'd want to do Tai Chi. But the vestiges have a point. Even All Might fears All for One. He personally killed all the previous users of OFA besides Hikage and All Might. Even his own brother wasn't safe from him. Being his biological son will buy him no mercy from this villain. And OFA can't be passed on any more. If Izuku dies and AFO escapes, there will be no one in the world able to stop him. Society will fall and thousands if not millions will die in the process and in the aftermath.
You're catastrophizing.
"But am I wrong?"
No.
"So which one do I take?"
I would recommend Muay Thai, because it should be a more flexible style. You need to be unpredictable against strong opponents.
"Thank you."
That decided, he circles Muay Thai and crosses off Judo, but leaves Karate alone because he thinks it's pretty strong too. He needs to be strong.
~
Teacher issued quest: Learn several Tai Chi stances and practice until you can do them correctly every time.
Izuku raises his brows and then walks over to tell Aizawa sensei. "Sensei? When Ito sensei told us what we're doing in class, it gave me a teacher issued quest."
Aizawa sensei looks vaguely surprised. "Well, that's a pleasant happenstance. I'll let Nedzu know."
And that is that, apparently.
~
"Midoriya?"
Izuku pauses in the hall to let Yamada sensei catch up with him, then nearly flinches away as Mic reaches for him. In the end, he's glad he doesn't, because Mic just undoes his mess of a tie and reties it neatly, obviously an absent gesture.
"Got a minute?"
"Sure, sensei." He answers, secure in the knowledge that Mic would look apologetic if it was something bad. He follows the man to an office that is minimalistic other than some cat décor. "Is this your office?"
Yamada sensei laughs a little and sits behind the desk. "No, this is Aizawa's office. He won't mind, I promise. Have a seat. That couch is a dream to cozy down in."
He sits and true to his word, the couch tries to eat him while being incredible comfortable.
"Are you aware that you're still trending, listener?"
"Uh. I mean. Yeah. Kacchan was kinda loud about telling me." He rubs at his neck shyly. "Is that okay?"
"Okay? No, it's fantastic! You made a real impression. That's always a good thing for a new hero or hero student."
Izuku raises his brows. "Always?"
Mic laughs again. "Provided it's not something outrageously taboo, of course. Even then sometimes it works. Like Togata losing his clothes during the sports festival. No one is going to forget that kid. Anyways, what I wanted to talk to you about is setting up a Hero Official account. Normally we do that in third year after everyone has their provisional licenses and has had some training on how to run those accounts to their benefit, but I'm willing to walk you through setting one up and what you should and should not say or post on there. Only if you're willing, of course."
"Why?"
"Why do I think you should set one up? Or why should you be willing?"
"Uh. No. Why do you want to help me? You don't need to go out of your way for me." He clarifies in embarrassment.
"Because I want to. I enjoyed having you as an intern and I think this will be of real benefit to you. I'm not just a teacher for the money or the paperwork, you know?"
Put like that, it does seem like a rather stupid question. "Oh. Um. I guess?"
"Great! So first, you need to use your phone to download the app. You can do it for your laptop later."
"Okay." He says and pulls out his phone to unlock it. And then a notepad so he can write down the account info he'll need to use. "Oh. I already have the app, because I have a fan account. Do I need to delete that account?"
"No, that's permitted. Just go to the Official side and make a new account instead of browsing."
Izuku nods and does so. "'It says Enter Hero License, Provisional License or Sponsor's License Number'."
"Hand me the phone for a moment?"
He hands it over and Mic quickly types something in before passing it back. Now it's asking for his hero name, so he types in Novell. Then a password, which he writes down, and security questions and a list of forum/account preferences and an Alt ID. His address, his school's name and address, sponsor's hero name and homeroom teacher's hero name. It's a lot, but his experience with his Fan account comes in handy, so it's not too much of a hassle. "Okay, I'm done."
Mic checks his own phone, then beams at him. "Perfect! Your account and mine with be connected on the site until you get your provisional license. Now, for your first post-"
Izuku listens intently, determined to get this right.
~
Early Tuesday morning stat update/screens update/info dump.
Quests accomplished.
Quest rewards.
Nedzu, chess quest:
+223 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Nedzu, fairy wren essay quest:
+265 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 StP
Ectoplasm, quiz quest:
+241 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Midnight, artist from 2040s essay quest:
+437 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
All Might, juggle three items quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Snipe, four influences on the katakana writing system essay quest:
+418 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 StP
Aizawa, four essay questions quest:
+234 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Mic, order of adjectives essay quest:
+246 Exp.
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Cementoss, chapter and quiz quest:
+348 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Midnight, gender rights essay quest:
+312 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, 20 laps quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Ito, learn Tai Chi stances quest:
+370 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 DEX
+1 StP
All Might, juggle three items quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Aizawa, 20 laps quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 STR
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Ito, learn Tai Chi stances quest:
+370 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 DEX
+1 StP
All Might, juggle three items quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 DEX
+1 StP
-----
+4084 Exp.
+8 INT
+9 WIS
+1 STR
+7 DEX
+16 StP
Izuku Midoriya
Level 11
Exp. 8907/24000
STR: 40
VIT: 78
DEX: 30
INT: 79
WIS: 79
HP: 468/468
MP: ∞/∞
STA: 118/118
StP: 0
Izuku Midoriya
Quirk: The Player
Stats.
Inventory, limited. You now have twenty inventory slots. Level reward.
Information search.
Skills.
Displays, limited. Locked. You can now show certain displays to other people. You can now show all screens to a number of trusted individuals. Level reward.
Spells. Locked until INT 75. Unlocked.
Dungeons. Locked until INT 100 + WIS 100 +STR 50 + VIT 50 + DEX 50.
Crafting. Locked until Dungeons are unlocked.
Quirks. Locked. Unlocked.
Spell prices:
Spell points are based on player's previous level's Exp.
Level 1 – 5 spell points (sp) ea
Level 2 – 25sp ea
Level 3 – 625sp ea
Level 4 – 390,625sp per one
Level 5 – 244,140,625sp per one
Spell modification, very minor – 390,625sp per ea
Spell modification, secondary, minor – 244,140,625sp per ea
Spells, Level 1: (all must be purchased, learned and mastered before level 2 spell can be learned)
Mastering a spell requires doing it correctly 100x.
Available spell points: 12000
Heat hands
Static hands
Chill hands
Dirty hands
Damp hands
Puff of wind
Lullaby, minor
Change flame color
Repair, simple, minor
Glow palm
Dim glow, minor object
Reflection hands
Odor, minor
Compass point
Illusion, minor
Dark illusion, minor
Skin cleanse hands
Surface cleanse, small area
Surface cleanse, hair
Moisturize
Reveal hidden
Hidden, minor
Whisper
Loud voice, minor
Illusory sound
Quirks.
Super strength. Locked until STR 50.
Other quirks: Locked until INT 75 + WIS 75.Unlocked.
Float
Danger Sense
Black Whip. Locked until DEX 50.
Fa Jin. Locked until DEX 55.
Smoke Screen. Locked until DEX 70.
Gear Shift. Locked until STR 100 + DEX 100
Skills:
Reading: Level 77
Writing: Level 65
Studying | Retaining Knowledge: Level 57
Analysis: Level 59
*People Analysis: Level 0
*Food Stat Boost Analysis: MAX
*Food Nutrition Analysis: Locked until Analysis 75.
Fashion Knowledge: Level 4
Cooking and Baking: Level 14
Collecting: Level 64
Stealth: Level 2
Doing Laundry: Level 1
Cleaning: Level 24
Organizing: Level 33
Magic: Level 0. Locked. Unlocked.
Ghostly Communication: Level 6
Playing Chess: Level 5