Chapter 30: Kurogiri, Training, Stats, Updates, Analysis, AFO
Sunday…
Shouta has been waiting for months to be called on to help with Oboro's Kurogiri's case, but apparently the man has to consent to Erasure being used on him before they'll do that and only now has the required therapy worked to undo the brainwashing enough that the man is willing to consent.
He follows the warden to an interview room and waits impatiently for Kurogiri to be brought in.
The man is in quirk suppressing handcuffs when they bring him in. Still, it doesn't repress the purple cloudiness that obscures his face or the yellow glow of his eyes.
"Eraserhead." He acknowledges.
"You consent to me using my quirk on you?" He asks in reply.
"Yes. I must admit, I am curious."
Nodding, he takes a breath and then activates his quirk.
The cloudy purple and glowing yellow slashes for eyes fade away, revealing Oboro's face underneath. He looks like he's struggling.
"Shouta. I'm still under here. I just can't get out yet. Thanks for trying this. It means a lot." Oboro says in a strained tone.
"Of course." Shouta replies gruffly. Even if Oboro wasn't important to him, he'd still do this. "I'm not giving up on you."
"Thanks, Shouta. I-" Then he sneezes and a few seconds later, Shouta has to blink.
"My, that was an interesting experience. You are quite loyal, Eraserhead. And I am rather startled to find my therapist is correct about this personality being a created one." Kurogiri says, tugging at his prison uniform as if straightening a suit. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"Thanks, I guess." Shouta says dully. "Glad I could help."
He gets up and leaves the room, leaving Kurogiri to his own thoughts. Outside, he slumps against the gray wall and covers his face with his hands, weakly covering the fact that tears are burning his dry eyes. Shouta doesn't regret coming. No, not at all. But he regrets knowing for sure that Oboro is still suffering and has been for over a decade. And there's nothing he can do to help, other than wait.
Damn it all.
~
Monday…
Shouta stares at his Problem Child and sighs. "Well, you almost have a grasp on how to use Float and Black Whip, and Fa Jin sounds like it's less likely to break you, so we'll try training Super Strength today. Try calling it up but not using it."
Midoriya does and Shouta's eyes narrow on him. And now he has a green crackling student. Hopefully that 'lightning' is just cosmetic. One lightning bug is enough.
"Okay, stop. You said you spread it out because of Find-san's hint. How are you spreading it out?"
"Um. Like a sprayer instead of a hose?"
He raises an eyebrow. "Interesting. So you're not reinforcing your bones and tissues with it?"
"I-" Midoriya stops and promptly facepalms so hard that Shouta winces in sympathy. Well, winces on the inside at least. He's got a reputation to maintain. "Why didn't I think of that? Obviously that's what All Might does or he'd be having bone fractures and worse if he punched at full strength. Couldn't he just have said that instead of talking about an egg in a microwave?"
Shouta chuckles. "What kind of metaphor is an egg in a microwave?"
Midoriya groans. "It's better than the 'Just clench your butt cheeks and yell Smash!" advice, at least. I think."
"He seriously…? That idiot. Try again. Just calling it up." Shouta kind of wants to facepalm too.
"Okay, sensei." Midoriya's face screws up in concentration.
"Hm." The bright green jags of light slowly fade into a more dispersed, barely there haze of pale green. "What percentage are you at?"
"Um. 5? Maybe 6?" Midoriya guesses.
"Keeping everything reinforced, slowly turn it up to ten, if you can." He suggests.
The haze slowly brightens in tiny increments. Huh. Yeah, his kid is going to glow like he's radioactive if he gets close to 100%.
"Got it, sensei." Midoriya's voice is very slightly strained.
"Good. Hold onto that and punch the dummy." He points at the nearest training dummy.
Midoriya walks over and punches it right out of the floor.
He gives a low whistle, rather impressed. "How's your arm and hand?"
"Um." Problem Child shakes his arm a little to test it out. "Good! I don't think I fractured anything this time!"
Thank kami for small mercies! "That's good. Now let it go and do it over again."
"Shouldn't I fix the dummy first?" Problem Child asks tentatively.
"This gym is built to have its dummies destroyed. One of the staff will fix the ones you break later." He explains.
"Oh, okay. Thanks, sensei."
Shouta reminds himself not to roll his eyes at the unnecessary thanks. It's only logical for UA to have quirk training equipment and it's certainly not Shouta who cleans up the messes. They do have other staff than the teachers. Still, people get a little funny if he 'makes light' of their politeness.
~
Tuesday…
Quests accomplished.
Quest rewards.
Nedzu, learn Go moves quest:
+223 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Aizawa, 3 pages Compare and contrast three hero laws of Sapporo and Mustafu quest:
+365 Exp.
+2 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Yamada, learn ten new words in English quest:
+198 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 StP
Cementoss, chapter and quiz quest:
+348 Exp.
+1 INT
+1 WIS
+1 StP
Midnight:
None. Review period.
Aizawa, run 40 laps with weights quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 STR
+1 DEX
+1 StP
All Might, juggle 3 items while wearing weights quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 STR
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Aizawa, run 30 laps with heavier weights quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 STR
+1 DEX
+1 StP
All Might, juggle 3 items while wearing weights quest:
+132 Exp.
+1 STR
+1 DEX
+1 StP
Aizawa, run 30 laps with weights quest:
+112 Exp.
+1 STR
+1 DEX
+1 StP
-----
+1734 Exp.
+5 INT
+3 WIS
+5 STR
+5 DEX
+9 StP
Izuku Midoriya
Level 12
Exp. 12074/25000
STR: 57
VIT: 185
DEX: 87
INT: 137
WIS: 155
HP: 1110/1110
MP: ∞/∞
STA: 242/242
StP: 0
"Oh, my. That's quite a bit less experience, isn't it?" Nedzu comments.
"Yeah, but I don't see anything it affects besides my level, which doesn't really affect anything." Izuku points out.
"That's true." Nedzu agrees.
Unlimited Displays unlocks at level 25.
"Oh." Izuku thinks about that. "It's not really a big deal, though?"
Just saying.
He nods. "Good to know, at least." Then he looks back at Nedzu. "Hey, Nedzu sensei? I had something I wanted to ask. What do you think of a UA hero teachers set? Including you."
"Hm. I think that sounds delightful! I'll put it to the teachers and see what they think." Nedzu replies. "I assume that Yaoyorozu has contracts drawn up already?"
"Yes, she does. Oh, cool. Thank you, Nedzu sensei." Izuku says.
"But of course! Now, I have a couple Go moves to teach you." Nedzu tells him.
Izuku nods again. "Did I tell you that I forgot to tell my mom about the extraplanar stuff? She found out this weekend and the first thing she did was claim a room of her own. Then she said she was going to draw up a communal laundry instructions chart. And after that, she got Find-san to add clocks to all the rooms."
"No, you did not. I must say, she seems to have taken it well." Nedzu remarks.
"Yeah. She even got dishes and cutlery out of storage for me." Izuku shudders in memory. "The closets are so packed. It took forever to find them."
"That sounds quite generous of her." Nedzu says.
"Well, yeah. So now I have flower patterned sets of four of everything, but none of the sets match. There's even sets that the makers are American, so I'm pretty sure dad bought them all for her even though she still uses her wedding set. Well, not everything, I guess. The kitchen knives are all random knives. She taught me how to sharpen knives and how to straighten their edges if they get nicked." Izuku says in exasperation.
"Did she do anything else?"
"Well, she got Find-san to set a permanent door in our living room wall. It's actually flush with the floor instead of raised like the temporary ones." He explains. "I think she was talking about buying me a microwave and teakettle, too. I just kind of gave up and went to study at that point, because she said she had it all handled."
Nedzu laughs. "I'm sure she did. Tea?"
"Yes, please."
~
Wednesday…
NovellOfficial – Okay, I've seen a LOT of complaining today about not being one of the people whose order was filled. They were filled in the order they were taken. First come, first serve, folks. It's a pretty simple concept. Please at least stop with the nasty comments. Creati doesn't deserve them. We're doing the best we can. We realize it isn't up to par as of yet, but we're getting there.
CreatiEnterprises – Novell doesn't deserve the nasty comments either. He has nothing to do with the orders being filled. And yes, they are being filled on a first come, first serve basis to avoid favoritism.NovellOfficial – @AquaNerd, @PhotonSpell, @CorvidFalling. Yes, we are going to have a second run of both Class A and Class B sets. BUT that will be two and a half weeks out. Please be patient.
NovellOfficial – @everyone. I forgot to mention. The new sets will include the teachers of the respective classes.AquaNerd – Yes! That's so awesome!NovellOfficial – @everyone. Also, I can't spoil it just yet, but we're working on something else you may like. Cross your fingers, we'll need the luck.PhotonSpell – Oooh, the mystery! Aaaah, I want to knowwww!CreatiEnterprises – We should know for sure by Friday if we can get it or it falls through. We have high hopes for it.NovellOfficial – @everyone. One last thing. Next week is exam week, so we won't be answering comments until exams are over.CorvidFalling – Completely understandable. Best of luck to you.DarkSorcerer2 – May the demons be with you and not against you.PhotonSpell – Good luck! Good luck!AquaNerd – Ugh, I have exams too. I'm gonna expire on the spot. Good luck to you and your class, though.Izuku laughs at DarkSorcerer2's comment and closes out the app. There are some real characters on Hero Official.
Kacchan turns around and glares at him. "Oi, Midoriya. Shut up! I'm trying to study here."
Well, homeroom is a study period today. He should be working on his own studies. For the sake of peace, though, he says, "Sorry, Kacchan."
Red eyes narrow on him suspiciously, but apparently Kacchan deems studying more important than yelling at him, so he just turns back around after a moment.
~
Wednesday…
Name: Aki Furutani
Hero Name: The reach hero: Bendy
City: Sapporo
Affiliation: Sparkle Agency
Quirk: Extendable arms. The user is able to extend her arms an extra eight feet at will. Her arms have above ordinary strength when at rest and normal strength when extended.
Record: 127 minor crimes resolved. 3 serious incidents with villains resolved. Overall, an excellent record for a relatively new sidekick.
Fighting style: Fairly straightforward. Relies heavily on blocks and redirection of momentum, as well as grappling offensively.
Weaknesses: Not suited for large scale battles or against high powered emitter quirks. It would be fairly easy for a villain to find a way around her quirk. Should be careful not to let villains use her kindness against her.
Recommendation: Should look into underground work and learn some more offensive moves. Possibly should carry a taser for difficult foes.
Personality: Kind and friendly. Also a little goofy. Very dedicated.
Comments: Does not stand out despite being a good hero. This would serve her well in underground work. Unfortunately, it is not good for climbing the ranking charts.
See sketch for costume details.
(Other hero analysis here.)
Name: Mui Inoue
Quirk: Sea green hair. This quirk lends the user rippling sea colors and slight movement even in absence of a breeze. The movement seems to be kinetic in nature rather than a prehensile trait.
Level 8
STR 15
VIT 15
DEX 18
INT 23
WIS 34
HP: 45/90
MP: 0/0 Locked.
STA: 12/30
Currently injured.
Name: Daido Makino
Quirk: Fleshy spikes. Small soft and flexible pink spikes protrude down length of spine and fronts of arms and legs. Cosmetic mutation only.
Level 5
STR 14
VIT 8
DEX 10
INT 12
WIS 9
HP: 48/48
MP: 0/0 Locked.
STA: 22/22
Lazy.
(Other people analysis here.)
Skills:
Reading: Level 80
Writing: Level 70
Studying | Retaining Knowledge: Level 62
Analysis: Level 65
*People Analysis: Level 2
*Food Stat Boost Analysis: MAX
*Food Nutrition Analysis: Locked until Analysis 75.
*Non-food Item Value Analysis: Locked until Analysis 75.
*Non-human Species Evaluation Analysis: Locked until Analysis 75. Added.
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 4
Ghostly Communication: Level 7
Playing Chess: Level 7
Playing Go: Level 3
Tai Chi: Level 0
Karate: Level 0
Judo: Level 0
Muay Thai: Level 0
Kickboxing: Level 0
Boxing: Level 0
Blunt weaponry (?): Level 4
"Oh! It went up!" Izuku says in mild surprise. Maybe leveling up his analysis to 75 wouldn't be that hard after all.
~
Wednesday…
AFO reflects on the UA students idly. "Hm. Kiriko, what do you think of the first years' performance in the UA sports festival?"
"Um?" She shakes her head. "Sorry, I've never had any reason to watch it, so I don't know how any of them did. The only one I've heard anything is that Novell kid, who says even quirkless can become heroes. A well-meaning boy, if terribly naïve."
He tsks. "Very well. I'll send copies of the events to your computer."
"Okay, but what's your opinion on them?"
"Well, that's a good question." He approves. "Class B didn't really amount to much despite their efforts. That may change in later years, but for now, they're of no interest. The one that really caught my interest was Bakugou from 1A, the second place winner. He threw a hissy fit big enough that the umpire knocked him out to make him calm down. With an attitude like that, I think he'd make an excellent villain. Would probably jump at the chance to use that powerful quirk of his without restraint. Most likely he's fed up with society's restrictions on quirk usage."
Kiriko nods in understanding.
"The third one that caught my attention-"
She blinks in confusion. "The third? What about the second?"
He gives her a dark look for interrupting. Although it's really hard to convey without half his face, so it's more like a pause that doesn't make her even twitch. "I'll get to the second one in a bit. As I was saying, the third one who caught my attention is one of the third place winners, the boy with the shadow quirk. Quirks like that often face a lot of discrimination and are viewed as evil. Society itself has prepped the boy to be willing to listen to a better offer from a generous villain, don't you think?"
"I see. That does make sense." She agrees after a moment.
"The second one who caught my 'eye' so to speak," AFO continues, "Was the winner himself. A promising student with a powerful quirk, wrongfully excluded from the hero's course simply because of the discrimination inherent in UA's entrance exam. He must be bitter. Not only that, but his quirk is also a classic example of a villain's quirk and he has surely experienced discrimination that has stewed his bitterness to something darker. Now, UA is not completely foolish. They have transferred him to the hero course after he won the event. But bitterness undoubtedly lingers that he was forced to win against those with more training and flashier quirks in order to even have a chance. Our spy in 1A says he has a dark and gloomy attitude, so he's obviously letting his feelings fester. That will win him to our side with little effort on our part."
"Huh. So, we have a spy and you want me to recruit these kids?" Kiriko asks.
"Ah." AFO pretends chagrin. "Did I not tell you that? And yes, that would be ideal. I'm sure you can find an opportunity to attempt it in the near future. Do not be too discouraged if one of them refuses, however. Hero students are unpredictable sometimes. Too naïve, you understand?"
"Yeah, I got it. Am I going to have access to this spy's information, boss, or do I need to find a source myself?" She asks with a bit of an edge to her tone.
He chuckles at her borderline sass. At least she respects him enough to obey his wishes. Though he really needs to get on the doctor about recreating his method of copying quirks. That cyber-attack set his plan back more than he'd like to admit. "No need for that. Of course you'll have access to the information. You're my heiress, after all."
Chapter 31: Iida, Update, Teachers, Float, Blackwhip
Thursday…
Iida is not quiet on a good day. Today he seems distressed. "She asked me to consider her and then asked if I wanted to study together. But she's a second year in Gen Ed and we don't have any classes in common. When I pointed that out, she just winked at me. I don't know what that means! And what does she want me to consider her for?"
Mineta gives a strangled moan. "Man, you're so lucky!"
Sero gives a little laugh.
Sato pats Iida on the back.
"She meant she wants to date you." Shouji explains calmly.
"Date me? But why? I've never even seen her before!" Iida protests.
"That only matters if you don't like her." Ojiro tells him.
"But I don't know her! I don't know if I like her or not!" Iida says plaintively.
"Well, there's one way to find out. Spend some time with her. If you don't get along, you can always go your separate ways." Sero points out.
"Yeah. A date or two won't hurt anything! I'll give you tips to get the girl!" Mineta offers eagerly.
"You have a point, Sero. Thank you. Mineta, I don't know if I want to go on dates or 'get the girl'. First we need to spend some time together to see if we want to even be friends." Iida scolds.
Mineta ignores the tone. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't put your best side forward. She already likes the way you look. You should capitalize on that!"
Hitoshi huffs in amusement at Iida and his group and tunes out the rest of the conversation. It's not really any of his business that Iida's already attracting fangirls and it's not really surprising that he is, given how built he is. Not that he's Hitoshi's type at all, he prefers them to be shorter than he is, not taller. He does feel a bit of sympathy for Iida, though. If some random girl approached him like that, he'd be suspicious as hell that it was some kind of prank.
Oh, well. At least Iida doesn't have a 'villain's quirk' to encourage that kind of dishonesty.
~
Friday…
NovellOfficial – So, to get back to you on the exciting thing we mentioned the other day. It went through!
NovellOfficial – It was mentioned to us that it was possible we could get UA's hero teachers to agree to a set of figurines. Following up on that suggestion, I asked Nedzu about it and he agreed that it could be a good idea.NovellOfficial – Since then, the teachers have had a meeting and agreed to it.CreatiEnterprises – We have yet to get all the contracts signed, HOWEVER we will be doing a first run of 100 sets, because we expect them to be rather popular, given that they're all official heroes already.CreatiEnterprises – Also! The teacher set will include Nedzu. Those of you who are fans of his intelligence based hero work already know how rare it is for him to agree to agree to figurines.DraThatcat – What about the non-hero UA teachers? Are you going to do a set of them too? @CreatiEnterprises, @NovellOfficialCreatiEnterprises – Well. This was not a question we were expecting. I suppose if there is a demand for them, we could approach Nedzu on the matter. @DraThatcatCreatiEnterprises – However, I believe it would require a certain amount of pre-orders to even have a chance of convincing him and them. With the understanding that if that quota is not met, we won't even attempt to secure it. @DraThatcatNovellOfficial – I think it's wonderful that this question is being asked, but I have to admit, I honestly doubt both the popularity of the idea being sufficient to make quota and the civilian teachers' willingness to agree to the set. @DraThatcatNovellOfficial – On another note, just a reminder: Starting tomorrow, we will not be responding to comments until next Friday when finals will be over with.
CreatiEnterprises – Yes. We are sorry to do this, but succeeding in this matter is important to our futures. We will attempt to catch up on replying after the next week is over.PlanktonEyes – 100% understandable.PhotonSpell – Again, Good Luck!RedDyeberRy – Kill those exams!Izuku puts away his phone and yawns. Last night's study party had turned into staying overnight and they'd all stayed up a bit too late. Probably not wise, but they at least have the weekend to recover before exams.
~
Extra
Friday…
UA Business course homeroom teacher to the other non-hero course teachers: So, that pair of hero students that started their own business up?
Another teacher A: The ones from 1A?
Homeroom teacher: Yeah, them. Seems like they've put us in an interesting situation.
Another teacher B: Oh, no. What are they putting UA through this time?
Homeroom teacher: Oh, not UA per se. Actually 'us', the non-hero teachers. So, the thing is that they got the hero teachers to agree to let them put out set figurines of them. AND someone asked if they were going to put out a set of UA's non-hero teachers.
Teacher A: Oh? That's kind of hilarious.
Yet another teacher C: They said 'no', right?
Homeroom teacher: That's the thing. They expressed doubt that we'd agree to that, BUT agreed to ask if they got a certain amount of pre-orders for it.
Teacher C: Holy shit!
Teacher B: They can allow pre-orders without asking us first?
Homeroom teacher: Yeah, as long as they make it clear that the orders might not be fulfilled if there's not enough interest or agreement from us. Which they are.
Teacher A: How likely are they to be able to get their pre-set number of pre-orders?
Homeroom teacher: Not sure on that, but these kids have hit an unexpected niche market, so there's a good chance. At least it's flattering that someone asked, right?
Teacher D: I think we should do it if there's enough interest. What? I mean, how many of us wanted to be heroes at one point and have our face on merchandise? This is a one of a kind opportunity for us to have figurines as civilians.
Homeroom teacher: My thoughts exactly. And we don't have to use their pre-set of pre-orders if they ask us. We can set our own minimum. Say twenty?
Teacher E: Okay, we can see you want to do this, but if we do, what's in it for us? And how many sets would we agree to? Figurines are produced in batches rather than to-order, right?
Homeroom teacher: Correct. Some places do to-order, but those are specialty craftsmen, not what these kids are doing. We could agree on anything from 30 sets to 100. We'll just have to see what they offer us. What's in it for us is a little money and a bit of fame. That's basically it. But what I really want is a chance for some of the business kids to get a chance at handling a real account.
Teacher A: Oh, so that's your motivation. Makes sense, I guess.
Teacher D: I think it's a good idea.
Teacher B: You just want a figurine of yourself.
Teacher D: What's wrong with that? Are you telling me that you don't?
Teacher B: (turns red) No comment.
Teacher E: Could we really make it a requirement to let the business students get involved? Would they agree to that?
Homeroom teacher: That's the thing. Their current business manager only deals with startups. So I think they would agree to it with the understanding that the one that does best for them becomes their permanent business manager.
Teacher A: So it would be of mutual benefit, gotcha. That's a pretty good reason. I'll agree to it if the rest of you will.
Teacher D: Same.
Teacher E: It makes sense. Sure, I'll agree to it.
Teacher F: Me, too.
Teacher G: Ditto.
~
Extra
First time training Float…
"So, uh. I don't actually know why I started floating? Then I noticed and got excited about it and floated higher until I panicked because I didn't know how to get down and I just kept floating higher until Hitoshi rescued me. It was scary." He admits.
Aizawa sensei just stares at him until he shifts his weight uncomfortably. "So it responds to emotions. Do your ghosts have anything useful to say about it?"
"Don't worry, kid. Float responds to emotions, but it's more about control. Same thing happened to me when I got it. Fortunately my dad noticed in time to stop me floating off into the sky. It only took a couple weeks for me to learn mostly how to control it. You should pick it up faster than I did, given you're so much older." Nana says reassuringly.
"You're not going to tell me to clench my butt cheeks and yell 'Smash', are you?" He asks dubiously.
"No." Nana assures him with a rollicking laugh.
"I'm sorry!" Ghost Might says, sounding embarrassed. "In my defense, I took to the quirk instinctively and One for All was a lot weaker when I got it."
"Oh, um. Nana says that I should be able to get the hang of Float pretty easy, since it's about control more than emotions." Izuku explains.
Aizawa sensei sighs and mutters something that sounds like, "That's great." Then he focuses on Izuku. "Alright. Since it's about control, focus on wanting to float."
Izuku does. And promptly does not float at all. Frowning, he tries harder, with the same result. "It's not working, sensei."
"Hm. Try feeling happy. Sometimes quirks only respond to emotion at first. Finicky things." Aizawa sensei says.
He comes up with an image of Eri excitedly telling him stories about what her dolls did and holds it. After a moment, he feels his feet leave the ground. "I did it!"
"Good. Now release it." Aizawa sensei instructs.
Five minutes later, he's stuck on the ceiling and nothing he does makes him float lower.
Aizawa sensei's capture scarf wraps around his leg and starts pulling him down carefully.
When he's about 3ft up, Float suddenly cuts out and he falls the rest of the way, catching himself with a stumble. "Oof!"
"Alright, Problem Child. Try again."
"Ugh." He has a bad feeling about this.
~
Extra
First time training Black Whip…
"…So Banjo says it's because I didn't control my anger well that it went out of control." Izuku finishes explaining.
"Hm." Aizawa sensei ponders. "So protective anger, maybe, rather than normal anger."
"See? He gets it." Banjo says plaintively.
"Banjo says that sounds right." Izuku tells him.
Aizawa sensei nods. "What are the chances that it would also respond to determination? It's a related emotion and a bit less volatile."
"It didn't work that way for me." Banjo says dubiously. "But One for All has strengthened it. So that COULD be the case for you. Maybe."
"He says it's worth a shot." Izuku relays.
"Alright. How about you try that, then, and I'll erase it if needed." Aizawa sensei instructs.
"Okay." Izuku nods and concentrates. After a moment, he has five 2ft tendrils waving aimlessly around him. They don't even hurt!
"That's promising." Aizawa sensei remarks. "Now, as a baseline, try it with anger."
"Protective anger?" He checks.
"Regular anger to start with. I want to see what it can do when it's out of control. That will give me a good measure of its upper capacity." Aizawa sensei explains.
"Uh, okay. You might want to step back a ways." He warns.
Aizawa sensei walks backwards about ten feet.
That should be enough? He decides and focuses again on how Kacchan's bullying made him feel. Pain rips through him as a flurry of black tendrils explode outwards in all directions. This time Find-san doesn't shut it down immediately and it feels like an eternity of torture.
Then it just. Stops.
Panting and whimpering despite the pain being gone, it takes a minute for him to straighten out of his curled over position and look around for Aizawa sensei. He's standing a good 40 feet away, a hand on his chest and a grimace on his face.
"Sorry. I didn't expect it to be that destructive." Aizawa sensei apologizes.
He looks around and notices that there's holes in the floor and the nearest dummies, a good 20ft away are demolished. "Oh. That's a bigger range than I thought."
"And it's strong enough to throw me a good thirty feet with just a slap." Aizawa sensei adds. "That's good news and bad news. Good that it means that you'll be able to restrain villains with strength quirks. Bad that the force could easily kill. Regular anger is definitely not something you can use this quirk with."
Izuku nods. "I don't want to kill anyone or hurt bystanders."
Aizawa sensei walks maybe ten feet closer. "I'd say your range is about 30ft. Let's try protective anger."
He gulps and thinks for a moment. An image of Aizawa sensei on the floor with the Nomu breaking his arm and Shigaraki looking smug comes to mind. Yeah, that should work. He's wanted so badly to take sensei away to where his wounds could be treated.
"Well. It looks like I mis-estimated your range a bit." Aizawa sensei's voice comes from a lot closer than he expects and he blinks out of memory to find Aizawa sensei wrapped up in a black cocoon of writhing tendrils only a couple feet away. "What were you thinking of?"
Banjo starts cackling in his head. "Good one, kid!"
"Um. The USJ. When the Nomu had you on the floor." He admits, voice a little shaky.
"Ah. So that's why it's not hurting me." He moves his torso around a bit and the tendrils remain the same. "This is weirdly comfortable. Almost as good as my sleeping bag."
Izuku laughs and the whips start fading away.
"Hm. You'll have to work on that. Wouldn't do to let a villain escape prematurely because you got distracted." Aizawa sensei notes. "It's okay, though. We have time to work on your control and a good idea of what you're starting with."
Chapter 32: Preorders, Finals and a Trip to the Mall is Planned
Friday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 37
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 35
~
Friday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 306
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 367
~
Saturday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 549
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 1022
~
Saturday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 698
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 1742
~
Saturday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 977
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 2035
~
Sunday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 1306
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 2841
~
Sunday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 1561
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 3401
~
Sunday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 1986
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 3417
~
Monday…
(Unseen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 2603
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 3500
Warning: Max number of preorders reached. No further preorders can be made until a third or more of the backlog is cleared. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
~
Wednesday…
The written finals make Hitoshi's brain feel like someone with a grudge wrung it out. That said, he thinks he did fairly well.
Still, there's the practical final yet to go and unlike more than half the class, he doesn't believe 1B's assertion that they'll be against robots again. (Thank kami.) None of the dungeon party believe they'll get off that easy (or difficult in Hitoshi's case). Aizawa sensei is more sadistic than that, particularly after being dragged through that dungeon. UA is fairer than that. Maybe 1B is facing robots, but 1A won't.
The problem is that there's too many alternatives. Facing teachers instead sounds like the default alternative, but that seems too simple.
"…we'll be facing robots!" Ashido exclaims happily.
Aizawa sensei doesn't bother hiding his smirk as Nedzu pops out of his scarf.
"Actually, you'll be facing the teachers in pairs and one trio." Nedzu says peppily. Okay, not the worst they'd thought of, but still pretty sadistic. Good to know they were right. "The teachers will be wearing weights that are half their body weight to make this fair to you." Oh, thank kami. Small mercies.
Hitoshi doesn't pay a lot of attention to the pairings, though he does notice that Tsu is against Ectoplasm, Ochako is against 13, Momo and Shouto are against Eraserhead, Izuku is against All Might of all people, and Hitoshi is teamed with Kouda and Jiro against Present Mic.
Okay, he takes it back about mercy. Present Mic is his worst possible matchup. Slumping, he thunks his head onto Izuku's shoulder, since the other boy is standing conveniently in front of him.
Izuku startles. "Hitoshi?"
"This is how I'm going to die. Screamed to death." He groans. His quirk doesn't work if his target isn't close enough to hear him. Even then, he's not sure it works if they hear him and he can't hear them. At best, he's going to come out of this as deaf as a post.
"At least you won't be punched to death?" Izuku offers.
Hitoshi just groans again. Yeah, Izuku's got a raw deal, too. At best, he has magic that does little to nothing against a strong enemy and four quirks he barely has control over, if any. Worst case, he takes himself out trying to do damage to All Might.
~
Wednesday…
(Unseen)
AwesomeLady: Miss Yaoyorozu, contact me after you're finished with tests. We need to talk about why I woke up Saturday morning to a large number of foreign emails demanding an update to the site, so they could preorder a set that you have not mentioned to me.
AwesomeLady: I'm not mad. I'm just concerned that you didn't think to consult with me before agreeing to it.
AwesomeLady: However, I am very impressed with your business sense after checking Novell's latest post thread. Said post thread has apparently been posted on several international media accounts, which explains the emails.
AwesomeLady: You should understand, though, that this is the kind of opportunity you sometimes trip over in business and not something you can rely on.
AwesomeLady: Anyways. Don't stress over it. Talk to you tomorrow.
~
Wednesday…
Hitoshi looks around and regrets being a city boy. "I have no idea where to go. But on the bright side, Present Mic is probably just waiting by the gate instead of waiting to ambush us elsewhere, because he can't count on us not getting lost."
"Um. I can ask the birds to show us where the gate is." Kouda volunteers in a tone barely above a whisper.
"Lead on, Snow White." Jiro says.
Both of them give her confused looks, but she doesn't explain, just looks expectantly at Kouda.
"We're relying on you." Hitoshi says after a long moment of awkward silence.
"Right." Kouda startles and calls to the local birds.
Surprisingly, at least to Hitoshi – who doesn't think birds have enough brains to know what direction they fly in, the birds are excellent guides. It's not that long before they find the gate and Present Mic waiting for them.
The man gives them an Aizawa sensei grin and greets them with a quirk powered scream. Damn, he'd make for a villain Hitoshi would hate to cross.
Kouda barely adjusts his stance in the face of the scream, but Hitoshi finds himself crouched down with hands clamped over his ears and Jiro is curled over, hands glued over her ears.
"How the fuck are you alright, Kouda?" He asks.
"I just have normal hearing. It hurts, but it's not that bad." Kouda says nervously.
"I didn't even think about that." Jiro agrees. "Your quirk is response based, right? So you probably have enhanced hearing."
"Aww, really? Shit sucks." Hitoshi opines. Though that's kind of cool. Not the time to figure it out the hard way, though. "I'm definitely including ear plugs in my costume after this."
"Same." Jiro says fervently.
Kouda nods.
Mic apparently gets tired of waiting for them and screams again.
Jiro whimpers in pain and Hitoshi just barely manages not to join her.
"Fuck! What can we do against him? I can't catch him in my quirk if he can't hear me, so he can talk all he wants as long as I don't get close." Hitoshi says, ears ringing.
"Better do something if you don't want to lose because the time ran out, listeners!" Mic calls.
"Um, I could- Uh. I could try amplifying your voice?" Jiro suggest hesitantly.
"Do it." Hitoshi says quickly. A moment later, her jacks are in place and Hitoshi calls out, "You like stating the obvious, huh?"
"Oooh! Good thought, listener! But that won't work!" Mic replies cheerily. And screams again.
"Shit." Hitoshi curses.
Jiro jerks her jack away from Hitoshi's mouth and attaches it to her second speaker, amplifying her heart beat. Blessedly, it counters Mic's soundwave. But it's only a stop gap measure. They can't advance like this. "Kouda, can you get the birds to attack him?"
"N-No. The sound scared all the animals off." Kouda explains nervously.
"What about bugs?" Jiro persists.
It's Kouda's turn to cringe. "I'm scared of bugs."
Hitoshi heaves a sigh. "Of course you are. Okay, okay. Kouda, why don't you stay here and think of something to distract Present Mic? I'm going to split off and see if I can sneak up on him and catch him in my quirk. Or alternately, with my capture weapon, although I'm not very good with it yet. Jiro, you should split off too. If he can't see you, he can't target you with his screams."
Both of them nod, looking grateful that someone has a plan.
Jiro counteracts another scream and then Hitoshi and Jiro split to opposite sides.
"What's the matter, listener? Have your teammates abandoned you?" Mic calls.
Hitoshi is too busy dodging from bush to bush to remain unseen to look and see Kouda's expression. They did kind of abandon him, but it's for a good cause!
It doesn't take Mic long to figure it out, though. He pivots and lets out screams to the sides as well as straight at Kouda. Which, ouch. Hopefully Jiro is faring better than he is.
Apparently not, because with the next scream, a soundwave meets Mic's scream and Mic grins that Aizawa grin. "Found you, listener! Now, where's the other one? Ohh? Getting brave, listener?"
He squints through leaves and sees that Kouda has moved forward. Not that it does the poor boy any good, as Mic immediately screams at him, stopping him in his tracks. Hitoshi sprints forward while Mic is distracted.
Jiro must too, because the next soundwave is closer and-
Oh, ow. There goes his eardrums. Why didn't anyone tell him that loud sound messes with balance? The pain and disorientation have him ragdolling on the ground and barely feeling it. He picks himself up as soon as the scream stops, because Mic's so loud that yes, he can hear him even without intact eardrums.
"Oh! You've got a pretty good strategy going on here, listeners! But my quirk does more damage at close range. You sure you can handle it?" Mic taunts. It's a bit like listening to a god who refuses to take them seriously, all while underwater.
That's a very good question. And the answer is 'no'. Hitoshi is going to handle it anyways, because he's not getting a failing grade and he's not going to miss out on summer training camp. Thank you very much.
He throws himself forward and aims the capture scarf at Present Mic.
Who…dodges easily. Damn it.
"Nice try, listener! But I train with Eraser. You know that?" Mic tells him. Of course he does, double damn it; of course he's the perfect counter to Hitoshi's skills.
Hitoshi gets a scream to the face for his pains. But it cuts off as another soundwave rocks Mic from behind.
"Ooh, tag teaming!" Mic praises after regaining his balance. Which cannot be easy with weights that heavy on.
"Why don't you just give up?" Hitoshi asks loudly, though the sound is painfully muffled and echo-y in his ears.
Mic grins creepily again. "Can't do that, listener! Nice try, though!"
His hook fails to catch Mic again. Despite the fact that they heard each other. What the…? Oh. Oh no. Those earphones must double as hearing aids, which work on an electric signal. Mic really is his worst possible nemesis. Determined, though, he throws his scarf at Mic again.
The teacher dodges again, but fortunately staggers as another soundwave hits him at close range, causing him to stumble right into Hitoshi's weapon. Unfortunately, it's a loose catch and won't hold him.
Fortunately, Kouda pounds up right then and socks Mic in the jaw.
Time freezes for a moment and then Mic falls to the ground, unconscious.
"Who's got the cuffs?" Hitoshi asks, his voice echoing painfully in his skull. Idly he notes that Jiro's ears are bleeding too.
Kouda pulls them out of his pocket in answer.
Rolling a grown man over is harder than one would think, particularly with the weights on, but they manage it and let Jiro do the honors of cuffing the teacher, while Hitoshi winds up his capture scarf to its ready position.
"Jiro, Kouda and Shinso have passed their test." A speaker from the other side of the gate announces.
Thank kami. Now he just has to wait and see if the others passed their tests.
~
Wednesday…
Author's note:
You may be expecting the other fights, but there really isn't much to write. They go about the same as canon.
In Izuku's case, Find-san intervenes and threatens Katsuki when he tries to punch Izuku (and Danger sense goes off rather painfully). It is pointed out that this is a teamwork exercise. Katsuki does the canon claim of 'I'd rather lose than work with you'. To which Izuku does the canon response of 'That's not the Kacchan I know. Kacchan wins at everything.' And All Might gets impatient, like canon, and knocks down a couple of streets worth of buildings with one smash. Unlike canon, he doesn't get to hear the argument but he does get double teamed right off the bat by the now cooperating boys. They win faster than canon, and that's really the only differences.
Also, my muse has been very uncooperative on the matter, so I was dreading writing these scenes to the point that I finally gave up on writing a second one. Sorry/not sorry. Well, sorry if you wanted to see more, not sorry that I'm prioritizing my mental health in interests of not stalling the story out. Because I have, in the past, walked away from stories simply because my frustration levels boiled over.
~
Thursday…
"I have an announcement." Aizawa sensei says with his trademark grin. "All of you are going to summer camp, regardless of if you passed or failed. Saying otherwise was a logical ruse to get you to do your best. Obviously those that failed need the training the most and will be going through extra training to make up for it."
"Yes!" Ashido shouts, pumping her fist.
"Awesome. But also, we're going to die." Kaminari says, not sounding any less enthusiastic.
Momo smiles at their antics, secretly very glad that she and Shouto passed their test. The extra training is sure to be downright sadistic, if she knows anything at all about their sensei.
"You can use the rest of class period at your leisure. Just keep the noise down so I can nap." Aizawa sensei finishes.
The class, predictably, does not keep it down.
Momo smiles again and opens a book she's been meaning to read for a while.
~
Thursday...
Izuku opens his Hero Official account and eyes the literal five digits worth of replies and on impulse, checks the order website.
He promptly falls out of his seat in shock, drawing everyone's gazes.
"Is something wrong, Izuku?" Momo asks in concern after a brief moment of hesitation.
"No! It's-! Momo, check the Creati website!" He urges.
She pulls out her phone, as does two thirds of the rest of the class in response. "Oh my. I have some messages. Just a moment."
Izuku vibrates as he waits.
"Oh, these also concern the website. Hm." She tells him.
"Holy shit!" Kaminari shouts.
"I did not see that coming." Hitoshi agrees.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Momo asks after a moment.
"Check the preorders." Izuku says.
A moment later, her mouth drops open in shock. "So that's what she meant!"
"We're going to need contracts. And some luck." He tells her.
She just nods wordlessly.
He can't blame her for that. Something this insane is beyond words. Now they just have to pray that the teachers agree to signing contracts or they're going to have a lot of angry clients.
~
Thursday…
(Seen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 3475
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 3500
Warning: Max number of preorders reached. No further preorders can be made until a third or more of the backlog is cleared. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
~
Thursday…
Since classes are basically the teachers handing out grades and discussing a few things, it's little surprise that the subject comes back around to summer camp after a while. It doesn't take long for Ashido to arrange for them all to go to the mall on Friday to pick up things they need. Except…
"I'm not going with you extras. I already have everything I need." Kacchan snaps.
A thought occurs to Izuku and he slowly grins like a gremlin. "Kacchan." He singsongs. "If you don't go, I'm telling Auntie that you're avoiding your friends."
"Hah!?" Kacchan turns around and glowers at him. "Who said I have friends?"
"Aww, come on, Bakubro. We're your friends. Having friends is manly." Kirishima interjects.
Kacchan looks conflicted, although someone who doesn't know him would think it's straight up irritation instead of only 81% irritation.
"Orrrr, I could tell her that you're refusing to make friends." Izuku suggests, still grinning at him. "Since when are you afraid of making friends, Kacchan?"
"Fuck you. I'm not afraid of anything. I'm the best damned friend there is!" Kacchan says predictably.
"Sure, Kacchan." He says in a fake soothing tone, gremlin grin firmly in place, which only pisses Kacchan off further.
"Oi, Horns! I'm coming to the mall just because I'm being nice." Kacchan huffs.
She grins widely. "That's great, Bakuboom! We're meeting at the front gate at 11:15 and going to the mall together from there."
"You better not be fucking late, then." He replies bossily.
Mission accomplished: Socializing the Kacchan.
Chapter 33: Kiriko, Update, Training, Mall Trip
Thursday…
Kiriko stares at the message they have gotten from their spy in annoyance. Yes, it's a good opportunity, but did it have to be such short notice? "Well, it's short notice, but I think we can manage it."
"Good, good." AFO says in a jovial tone. "I like to see passion for one's work. Do you have a plan?"
"I think so." She replies. "I want to split the League into four groups so that the kids will encounter us even if they split up. I'll discuss it with them further to see if they have anything to add. And can I have a couple Nomus to add to the chaos?"
"Hm." AFO ponders for a moment. "Yes. The doctor has plenty of low end Nomu to spare. Don't worry about leaving them behind when you retreat. They won't be a big loss."
She thinks about that, then grins. "Thanks. That will help a lot."
~
Friday…
(Seen)
CreatiEnterprises.com/preorders
UA hero teachers set:
# of preorders: 3500
Warning: Max number of preorders reached. No further preorders can be made until a third or more of the backlog is cleared. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
UA noncombatant teachers set:
# of preorders: 3500
Warning: Max number of preorders reached. No further preorders can be made until a third or more of the backlog is cleared. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Class 1A set:
# of preorders: 1036
Class 1B set:
# of preorders: 358
Novell figurine:
# of preorders: 2140
Hypnos figurine:
# of preorders: 793
Emperor Explosion figurine:
# of preorders: 197
Shouto figurine:
# of preorders: 164
Tsukuyomi and Dark Shadow figurine:
# of preorders: 139
There's no such thing as villainous…shirt.
# of preorders: 1988
It's not the quirk who becomes…shirt.
# of preorders: 2604
All that matters is how you…shirt.
# of preorders: 3108
What really makes a hero is…shirt.
# of preorders: 3429
You don't need a quirk to do that...shirt.
# of preorders: 2357
~
Friday…
NovellOfficial – We're done! We lived! No one got expelled.
NoFishHere – I'm concerned that being expelled was an option. Grats on surviving, though.NovellOfficial – For every student at UA, we bring Plus Ultra to every day and if we stop, yes, there is a definite possibility of expulsion. Because UA is the best of the best for a reason. @NoFishHereNovellOfficial – That's particularly a good thing in the Hero course, because a hero who half asses it is likely to get themselves or, worse, others killed. UA doesn't send out heroes to die or fail at their jobs. They send out heroes who do their jobs with the least possible casualties. @NoFishHereNovellOfficial – On another note, it appears that we vastly underestimated how much demand for the teachers' sets there is. Both of them, but particularly the noncombatant teachers. We expected maybe 15 preorders for that set, not 3500 plus whoever wasn't able to preorder because of the preorder max limit.
CreatiEnterprises – The great news is that we have finally found a figurine company that is more than willing to handle all the orders and it's mostly a matter of setting the machines up to create the figurines and get the employees familiar with which paints to use that is taking time. A shout out to SapporoFigurinesLtd for their cooperation and great quality.NovellOfficial – So, due to Nedzu's kindness in arranging a meeting with the teachers and the teachers' foresight and willingness to meet, we were able to go over contracts and get them signed yesterday.NovellOfficial – So, fortunately, the original contracts with the hero teachers allowed for future runs, so all we had to do was change the projected number of the second run. And wow, you should have seen Aizawa sensei's 'done' face when he learned how many there were going to be.CreatiEnterprises – For the hero teachers, the first run of 100 will be available by next Friday. But the second run will go into production immediately after, so there shouldn't be a huge wait.NovellOfficial – The noncombatant teachers' set will take until the following Wednesday to come out, partly because it's a bigger set, partly because it's a bigger order. The good news is, though, that the first run will be 4000. So all the preorders will be filled pretty quickly.CreatiEnterprises – There's an option for future runs, although the size of those will be determined by the amount of continuing demand.CreatiEnterprises – And on the subject of preorders, we will not be changing the max number on preorders, simply because we are a small company and this helps us not be completely overwhelmed. We apologize for the inconvenience.NovellOfficial – On the subject of the Class 1A and 1B sets, YES, we will be doing a third run for both. 1400 for Class 1A and 500 for Class 1B. This is reflective of the amounts of preorders that have followed the second runs being sold out.
NovellOfficial – On the subject individual figurines, yes, we will be doing third runs, adjusted to reflect the numbers of preorders per figurine.
NovellOfficial – There is a change, though. Per many requests, the Novell figurine starting with the third run will now reflect that Find-san is a sentient quirk by way of a floating text box saying, "What really makes a hero is being willing to save people when others won't."CreatiEnterprises – Though if there are future runs, each run will feature a different saying.CreatiEnterprises – And on the subject of sayings, the shirts have a third run lined up, so those should be out by this coming Wednesday. I must say, we are rather astounded at how fast the second run sold out and preorders lined up.CreatiEnterprises – Due to international interest in having the shirts in different languages, we have now added a language option to the shirt orders. However, those in languages other than Japanese will have to preorder initially, to help us determine run size on each language.CreatiEnterprises – For now, the language options are only going to be offered in black and purple.WunderKind27 – 'Gott ist in seinem Himmel, alles ist in Ordnung mit der Welt.' Ich bin damit einverstanden.*AllieOop – Which languages are you offering it in? @CreatiEnterprisesCreatiEnterprises – To start with: English, German, Russian, Dutch, Sanskrit, Mandarin and Korean. If there is enough demand, we might expand to other languages. @AllieOop~
Extra…
"Sensei, can we train Danger sense for the rest of this session?" Izuku asks a little hysterically after being hauled down from the ceiling for the fifth time.
Aizawa sensei eyes him for a moment, then nods. "Sure. Tell me how it works?"
"It works on any type of danger except emotional and verbal. I used to call it Super Anxiety." Hikage says helpfully. "There was a reason I lived in the woods and it wasn't just to avoid All for One."
Izuku snorts. "Hikage says that he called it 'Super Anxiety' and it works on all forms of physical danger."
"Then let's see if it reacts to training level 'danger'. I'm going to slap you now." Aizawa sensei warns and promptly does so.
Or well. Tries.
Pain flares in Izuku's head and he curls over clutching his head, causing the slap to miss entirely. "Oh, ow."
"That caused actual pain?" Aizawa sensei asks in concern.
"Yeah." Izuku straightens up now that the pain is gone like a phantom in daylight.
"That's not good." Aizawa sensei comments.
"Sorry, Izuku. One for All must've made it stronger. It never actually caused me pain." Hikage sounds upset.
"Yeah, Hikage said it never hurt him. And it's probably stronger now." Izuku relays.
"Perhaps it is a matter of control, then. Obviously, this is doable with normal training, so let's work with that." Aizawa sensei replies. "Your hand to hand is pretty nonexistent at this point, so try dodging my capture scarf and listen to Danger sense rather than trying to tone down the pain."
"Um. Okay?" Izuku is not really sure he understands that, but it's probably a good place to start. He yelps as pain flares again and the capture scarf wraps around him.
"Pay attention, Problem Child. I know you can dodge." Aizawa sensei scolds, flicking the scarf to unwrap it.
"Right." Now he just has to figure out which way to dodge when the pain comes. He's got this.
He has not got this.
Half an hour later, he's lying on the floor with an arm over his eyes to block out the light. His head is sympathy throbbing from all the overblown responses of Danger sense to mild danger.
"You okay, Problem Child?" Aizawa asks.
Isn't he obviously NOT okay? He moves his arm and opens his eyes to glare at his teacher and immediately squinches them closed again with a moan. "Sensei, I've never had a migraine in my life, but now the light hurts and everything has auras."
"Ah." Aizawa sensei's expression immediately changes from mild amusement to rueful understanding. "Yes, that's a migraine. And unfortunately, Recovery Girl probably can't help you beyond giving you pain medicine because this one is mental quirk induced."
Well. That fucking sucks. What? Having a migraine is worth cursing over. "I'll take it." He says pitifully.
"Here."
Izuku risks opening his eyes and sees Aizawa sensei holding out a hand. He grunts and pushes himself to almost sitting so he can lean forward and take the hand up. Immediately his head swims with agony induced nausea and he sways on his feet, closing his eyes again.
A strong arm wraps around him. "You go ahead and keep your eyes closed. I'll guide you and let you know if you need to open them."
"Thank you, sensei." He whimpers. Why is training the vestiges' quirks so hard?
~
Friday…
It's a sixteen minute walk to the mall, but none of the trains run close enough to shorten the trip and the class as a whole refuses Momo's and Shouto's offers to simply pay for taxis. Anyways, it's good exercise and none of them really mind. Though some of them might mind the trip back with the items they'll have to tote after buying.
Once they get there, they decide to split up in groups so everyone can get what they need.
Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, Shouto, Shoji, Kouda and Ochako go off to get sleeping bags.
Katsuki's group with Kirishima, Aoyama, Sero and Ojiro stay near the entrance to check out a couple stores for suitcases.
Momo and Hitoshi go with Jiro, Iida, Mineta, Ashido and Sato to find clothes suitable for training outside of UA.
Izuku ends up going with Kaminari, Hagakure and Tsu to look at bug spray. He doesn't need anything, but it's the smallest group, so he chooses them. Fortunately, there's a hero merch shop next to the one they stop at, so he goes in there instead.
He's been in there maybe 7 minutes when suddenly Danger Sense doubles him over and he starts hearing screams.
Just a moment. Adjusting Danger sense. Adjusting…
Adjusted.
Go ahead.
Shouting and cursing joins the screams, which are getting louder by the moment.
Adjusting Float. Adjusting…
Izuku quits paying attention to Find-san. Danger sense is so useful when it's not giving him migraines. It leads him straight to the source of the screams.
Chapter 34: Mall Incident, pt. 1
Emergency quest: Survive.
Optional quest: Survive without injuries.
Emergency quest: Protect the civilians.
Optional quest: Win without causing property damage.
Notice: The following have been allowed for the duration of event
+100 STR
+100 VIT
+100 DEX
"Not now, Find-san!" Izuku says curtly, not even trying to read the notices.
The villain is one he recognizes from the news a couple years ago. Muscular. Who throws a man like a discus.
Izuku somehow manages to catch him, more straight up luck than by design, but not without being knocked down. He rolls out from under the civilian as fast as possible, but it's not fast enough. Muscular is almost on top of him as he manages to get to his feet. He sucker punches Muscular with 10%, but the man just laughs.
"That almost tickles. Is that all you got?" Muscular taunts him.
"No." He answers simply. Every moment he can stall Muscular is a moment civilians have to get clear and his classmates have to come back him up. Behind him, he hears the man he caught running away. Good. He ramps up the percentage of Super strength to 30% and punches Muscular again.
"Ahaha! Now that actually tickles!" Muscular says, barely moving from the blow.
"Remember, you figured out with your teacher the right way to use OFA." Ghost Might says in his head.
"And for fucks sake, remember-" Third begins.
Muscular catches his next punch with infuriating ease and throws him like he weighs nothing.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Tsu and Hagakure ushering scared civilians to safety. Good.Less good is the fact that Kaminari is running towards Muscular. Shit. He crashes backwards through a shop window, splintering glass and drawing screams from those who are hiding in the shop. Displays go down, even as they arrest his momentum.
"Are you okay?" Oh, it's a store clerk hovering over him worriedly, wringing her hands.
He shakes his head to clear it. "I'm fine. Excuse me, I need to get back out there."
"But you're just a kid!" She protests.
"I'm a UA hero student. Don't worry, my classmates and I have got this." He hops back to his feet and dodging fallen items and semi-hysterical citizens, he runs back to the fight.
~
Tsu first hears screams while she's checking a bug spray for compatibility with her tender skin. She exchanges glances with Hagakure and Kaminari, then drops the can she's holding and runs towards the screams, with Kaminari and Hagakure hot on her heels.
She's just in time to see a man snatched out of the air by Izuku and see her friend go down hard. It knocks the breath out of her in sudden fear. A moment later, though, he's getting back up and Tsu stomps down hard on her fear and gestures to Hagakure and Kaminari. "Help me. There's an outside door two shops down."
Some of the civilians just kept running, but some of them have frozen in fear or hesitated once they notice someone is facing down the massive villain.
"That shop?" Kaminari points.
"Yes. Let's get civilians started in getting out through there." Tsu says bluntly.
"Good plan." Hagakure sounds shaky.
"Hey!" Kaminari starts waving his arms above his head to get attention and quickly succeeds. "There's an exit through this shop over here, folks."
Several people start heading into the shop. Hagakure goes over to someone who's frozen, fixated on the rather one sided fight, and gently tugs on their arm. "This way, ma'am."
Tsu follows her example and gets a little kid headed to the shop before a curse from Kaminari has her head jerking around towards the fight. Izuku is flying through the air and Kaminari is dashing to take his place. Oh, that won't end well.
For some reason, the villain lets Kaminari get a free shot to tase him. Unfortunately, all it does is make him jolt. Tsu shoots out her tongue and drags Kaminari back just as the villain strikes, barely getting him out of reach. She spares a moment to wish heartily that they had their hero costumes and she had her new knife or that Momo was nearby, able to make them weapons.
"More little hero wannabes? Bleed for me." The villain says with a sadistic grin.
She has to let go of Kaminari as he dives back in to tase the villain again, but this time he's quick enough to dodge, just barely, on his own when the villain retaliates.
Then Izuku is running out of the ruined shop with shocking speed and intercepts the blow that would've hit Kaminari. It staggers him, but he doesn't fall or go flying. Then he starts floating up and grows shadowy tendrils surrounding him like a writhing dandelion seed head. All interlaced with what looks like green lightning.
~
"As I was saying, remember you have legs, ninth."Third says gruffly as Izuku dodges a civilian.
"Don't forget you have Black Whip." Banjo adds. And right, he does have those.
"If you can't reach his head, go for the crotch."Second recommends.
Absently, he notes that Tsu and Hagakure are with the civilians, probably getting them to safety. Good. 'Prioritize the rescue.' Aizawa sensei's voice echoes in his memory.
"Float should work with you now. You can get up to his level with it, just don't let him hit you again, kid."Nana reminds him.
Or he could do that. But first… He uses both hands to catch the fist aimed to take off Kaminari's head.
Muscular chuckles. "Persistent little fly, aren't you? I'm going to enjoy killing you."
"Worse than you have tried." He pants. The rabbit dungeon was probably worse than one A rank villain, right? He determinedly doesn't think of a mindless black beast that used to be human and blood pooling on concrete as the beast breaks his teacher, of a chapped hand reaching for Tsu's face. Black Whip springs to life around him and he wraps tendrils around Muscular's arm and squeezes until something cracks despite the skeins of muscle wrapping grotesquely down from the joint to cover the existing muscled arm.
The villain makes a sound of pain and flings him away, but this time he doesn't have the same momentum and he does a backflip to land on…oh, thin air. He's using Float, but this time it feels intuitive to use. It must be why his momentum was arrested. Touching down, he runs back towards Muscular and wraps more tendrils around his other limbs, but Muscular smirks and uses the tendrils to haul him in and he has no idea how to combat that and it's only a matter of time until he's held by his shirt for a blow that almost knocks him out.
Black Whip constricts like a boa constrictor until Muscular flings him away again and he reflexively releases Black Whip.
Kaminari darts in to tase Muscular again.
Tsu's tongue whips out from behind them and drags Kaminari back immediately after, saving him from another crushing blow.
And oh, is Muscular using his quirk to act as a brace for his broken arm? He is. Dammit.
Okay, if Black Whip isn't going to work, then he needs to start fighting dirty. He dashes forward and kicks with 50% and…misses. He's too short, isn't he?But on the bright side, Muscular curses as his kneecap cracks audibly. Again, muscle fiber wraps around the injury, which looks very unnatural, since muscles don't normally go over knees. He twists out of reach of Muscular's grasping hand and dashes away.
"You're going to look good covered in blood." Muscular taunts. "Run while you can, because I'm going to catch you.
He spins on one foot. "I'm not running away." Izuku dashes forward. "I'm gaining momentum." This time he uses Float to boost him to the right height at the last second and his foot thuds into Muscular's upper thigh, staggering the man for the first time. Seriously, how is his aim this bad? Aizawa sensei is going to give him remedial lessons at this rate.
Izuku backflips off of Muscular's leg so he lands facing the villain again. He only remembers that Kaminari is fighting with him when he sees his classmate take advantage of the brief opening to grab Muscular's arm.
"Indiscriminate shock!" Kaminari yells. The air goes electric. Visibly.
Muscular seizes.
Izuku drags Kaminari away to safety, not just out of reach, but over to Tsu, who's been keeping one eye on the fight while she helps civilians, so she can keep Kaminari safe in his 'shutdown' mode.
As he does that, Muscular sways, then slowly topples over backwards.
Not trusting that to be enough to keep him down, Izuku goes over to the villain and gives him a 40% kick to the jaw.
Muscular's eyes roll back in his head.
Izuku relaxes a little. Hopefully that will keep him down.
Then he notices more civilians running away from someone. No, something.
~
They haven't even gotten to the store yet when suddenly a flood of screaming civilians almost comes rushing their way. It takes effort to keep from being knocked down or caught up in the crowd and Sato ends up putting Mineta on his shoulder so that he doesn't get trampled. The crowd eddies around them and then passes.
"Fuck."
Hitoshi turns his head to stare at Iida.
"That's a nomu." Momo says, looking pale.
Sato, Jiro and Ashido nod grimly.
"We're going to die." Mineta says.
He looks where they're looking and sees a person? with their brain on the outside, followed by a woman in fushia pink and white, and a man in black with silver stripes down the sides. Villains, he presumes, going by their gleeful expressions. Looking back at the brain individual, he asks, "So that's a nomu?"
"Yeah." Jiro says. "You know what they can do?"
"I've heard the stories. Momo, can you make us weapons? I think we're going to need them." He says.
Momo jolts a little. "Yes. You want a club?"
"That works. Maybe make some speakers for Jiro?" He prompts. Clearly he's the only one ignorant enough to not be basically petrified. "Sato, you got any sugar on you?"
"Unfortunately not." Sato replies, still fixated on the nomu.
"I can't make orange juice as it's too close to living, but I can make sugar." Momo offers, holding up her shirt and pulling out a club that she promptly hands to Hitoshi.
Hitoshi doesn't ogle her. It's tempting, but priorities. Besides, he's better than that.
"Then I will not use Recipro Burst unless there's no other option." Iida says, rather calmly. Hyper-focused, probably.
She hands Sato a handful of sugar packets. "Sorry for the flavor. Foods always come out odd, but it's real sugar."
Sato nods. "Thanks."
"Iida, Sato and Ashido, you're on nomu duty. Mineta, try to get a chance to stick it to the floor. If we can immobilize it, we have a better shot of taking it down. Jiro-" He looks behind them and sees that the hall is still packed with civilians. "Try to get the civilians out of the way and use your speakers if the villains or nomu get too close. I'll try to catch the other two villains in my quirk. Momo, I leave what you do to your judgement." He orders. Sure, they might have good ideas to add, but someone needs to take charge and it's obvious that Ashido and Momo aren't going to and he doesn't trust Iida to plan his way out of a wet paper bag. Sato or Mineta either, come to think of it.
Jiro salutes and accepts two speakers with Velcro straps to fasten around her ankles. She straps them on and turns to the civilians.
Sato tears open a packet of sugar and pours it in his mouth.
Ashido's shoes aren't made for acid skating, so she just follows after Iida and runs at the nomu. They both miss and keep on going until they impact a wall. Ouch. That must be because of one of the villains' quirks.
"Oh, ho ho. Look Locomotion, we've found the little heroes." The woman laughs.
Oh, so it's the man responsible. Locomotion looks grumpy for a split second. "Hero hopefuls, Cupid."
"That's what I said. Oh! Purple boy! We've been looking for you. Join us!" Cupid says cheerfully.
Hitoshi ambles closer. "What would I do that for?"
"Because-" Got her.
Locomotion shakes her shoulder roughly, snapping her out of it. "Idiot. You know we're not supposed to answer him."
"That's what I've got you for. Besides, how will he know what we're offering if I don't answer?" She says shamelessly. "Purple boy, aren't you bitter about how people treat you just because of your quirk? Join us and you'll be able to use your quirk freely, with no one looking down on you for it."
"I'm going to be a hero. Why would I throw that away?" Hitoshi asks rhetorically.
"You're not really-" Got her again.
Unfortunately it lasts about as long as it takes Locomotion to reach over and shake her.
"Well, fine. I tried. Now we'll do it the hard way." Cupid points at him and…Momo, who's come to stand beside him, staff in hand. "Have fun, lover boy."
The sudden surge of love takes him off guard and he can tell by Momo's expression that she feels the same. Their eyes meet for a moment, then of one accord, they turn back to the villains.
Cupid's face does something funny, then she demands, "What the hell? Why didn't that work? You should be all over each other." She points behind them and presumably people react, because she looks back at them with low key fury in her eyes. "What is wrong with you two?"
Momo doesn't react. Hitoshi just shrugs and pretends that nothing is wrong. "Maybe we're just immune? At any rate, I can see we're going to have to get serious now."
"Be careful." Momo murmurs. "He can use our momentum against us."
"I know." He acknowledges.
~
Jiro has a front row view of the chaos. The civilians have kind of eddied to a stop now that they've noticed there's someone standing between them and the villains. Some of the idiots even have their phones out, recording. It only takes a quick question to a clerk in a nearby store to confirm that there is an outside entrance, so she goes back out into the main mall area and starts chivvying people into the store. Some of them protest leaving kids alone to fight, but she hushes them by telling them, "We're hero students."
She keeps half her attention on the fights, even though she misses the first couple minutes by going into the store to ask that question.
Iida and Ashido keep running into walls, but rather than slow down, they're working on work arounds. It would be funny if it wasn't clearly the work of a quirk actively hindering their ability to fight. Ashido throws acid at the nomu every time she runs by. It screeches when she does and swats at her, only missing because her momentum carries her out of reach too quickly. Iida pratfalls several times, trying to figure out how to change directions. Falling does stop the momentum, but it's not very useful.
Sato, on the other hand, just stalks up to the Nomu at a slow walk and punches it hard enough to stagger it. Unfortunately it doesn't do much other than prompt the Nomu to use an ability which is apparently line of sight teleportation of another. Sato is suddenly fifteen feet away, facing the wrong direction. This doesn't notably deter him from turning around and trying again.
Either it only has enough focus to use it on one person, or it can only use it on people basically standing still, because it doesn't use it on Iida or Ashido, despite the many passes they make.
Yaomomo has moved over to stand beside Shinso, which is good, because his quirk may be powerful, but it's still two against one, with the enemy having at least one unknown quirk. So far, they look like they're just talking, but- Oh, she spoke too soon. The female villain points at the two of them, but when they only look briefly at each other before turning back to face the villains, the woman seems to lose her cool and starts pointing her fingers at the crowd behind Jiro.
It's thinning now, but there's still a lot of people, because it's late morning on a prime shopping day. Some of them stop evacuating to make grabby hands at each other or even start kissing. What the fuck? It must be the woman's quirk. And it's inconvenient.
Fortunately, some of the unaffected civilians help her chivvy the new 'couples' into the store, where they're out of the line of fire.
Iida finally gets his act together and wrenches himself into a spin kick mid-run and clocks the Nomu upside the head. It staggers visibly and Iida uses the chance to get out of range.
The Nomu rights itself just in time to meet a blow to the face from Sato, who it teleports away again.
Oh, there goes Yaomomo and Shinso, moving forward cautiously with weapons held ready. She doesn't blame them against that momentum quirk. Even if they're immune to-
And the Nomu has seen Mineta and is chasing him like a cat chasing a mouse. Mineta, who is running right at her and the civilians behind her.
Jiro turns to fully face them and plugs her jacks into the speakers Yaomomo made her at Shinso's suggestion and prays they're good ones. She channels her heartbeat into a blast of sound against them. Not that she expects it to do much to the Nomu. And it doesn't. What it does do, is get Mineta swerve to make a giant circle back to where it had been to begin with.
When he gets near that spot, Mineta does something smart and starts dropping his hairballs behind him. Eventually, the Nomu missteps and gets stuck. It screeches and struggles, but apparently it doesn't have a strength quirk, so it's stuck.
With it pinned in place, Sato, Ashido and Iida go to town on it, literally beating the shit out of it with punches (Sato) and kicks (Iida) and an acid bath (Ashido). It must have some sort of absorption or regeneration quirk though, because it. Will. Not. Go. Down. Whatever, at least it's stuck.
She moves her attention back to Yaomomo and Shinso's fight. They're doing their level best to beat the shit out of the villains, who are dodging easily. Probably because the momentum quirk is interfering with their ability to change trajectory. Jiro's pretty sure the villains are taunting them. And targeting Shinso, for some reason. Right about now, she'd give a lot to be able to abandon the civilians (she can't)and run to help them.
"Hey, kid. You in charge here?" Someone asks.
Jiro turns her head. Oh. It's a hero. Insomnia? Her quirk makes people pass out with the effects of severe sleep deprivation. Who called the heroes?Wait, that's stupid. Probably a lot of people called, first chance they got. "This part. I think Shinso's in charge of the rest of us. He's the purple one."
"Gotcha. Well, it looks like your friends have that monster contained. I'll go put it to sleep if you want to go help Shinso and the girl." Insomnia tells her. "Good job on prioritizing the rescue. Now let's put an end to this."
She nods sharply and runs towards Yaomomo and Shinso. Stupidly. Because she crashes into a wall because she's unable to stop. Mortified, because she knew better, she turns around and plugs her earjacks back into the speakers. "Yaomomo! Shinso!"
They see what she's going to do and cover their ears as best they can with weapons in hand. Unfortunately, the villains see too and cover their ears as well. The villains sway under the close range blast, but keep their feet.
"Oops!" The woman says brightly. "Reinforcements. Time to go."
"We didn't get the purple kid." The man objects.
"And if we stay, we'll be the ones caught. Kiriko will understand." The woman rebuts.
"Fine." The man growls. And then they just. Run off.
"Don't chase them." Shinso says in a weary tone when she goes to do just that. His weapon is lowered.
"Why?" Jiro demands.
"We're not heroes. We don't have licenses. We're going to get in enough trouble for just stopping them from causing more damage. Let the pros do their job." He explains.
Yaomomo nods, her staff in a resting position. "What he said. I want to chase them down too, but that's not our job."
Shinso turns and looks at the Nomu, which is now snoring, still stuck to the floor it's sprawled on. "Well, that's handy."
Then he turns and holds his hand out to Yaomomo, who takes it with a shy blush.
Jiro groans. "She hit you with that quirk too, didn't she? It just didn't work because you both prioritized the battle."
"Got it in one." Shinso says. "I think this will satisfy it, though."
"I'm just glad it's not a sex quirk." Yaomomo adds.
All three of them shiver at the thought. That would have been so much worse. So much.