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comicgeekscomicgeek · 4 years ago

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Their Hero Academia – Chapter 78: Conversations and Revelations

Presenting the next installment of my on-going, nextgen, MHA fic! Earlier chapters can be found here

Katsumi was absolutely not tired. And she was definitely not worn out and exhausted from pushing her body and her Quirk all day. She was definitely not spent from using her explosive Quirk on bigger and bigger objects, infusing the liquid she generated into greater and greater objects. And she really wasn’t already sick of Windbag and his high and mighty friends from his fancy-pants Hero school. She absolutely wasn’t going to end up beating the shit out of the muscle girl by the end of things.

Which, for some reason, Izzy had tried to warn her off of doing. Izzy was typically very direct and this had been no exception. She’d been extremely explicit that Katsumi stood a very good chance of getting her ass beat if she tried to fight her. Of course, Izzy had couched it in slightly politer terms, worrying that she might get hurt and emphasizing the damage to her pride if she lost. Izzy, of course, had expressed every confidence in her abilities, but still didn’t want her to get hurt.

Even with Izzy’s direction suggestion that she not fight the Shiketsu girl, there was something more going on there. Katsumi didn’t like that, not at all. And Izzy hadn’t been more forthcoming beyond that.

It wasn’t damn frustrating, not at all.

As if she’d ever lose a fight. Not counting her hard-fought loss against Izzy during the Sports Festival. Which wasn’t going to happen the next time. The bigger they were, the harder they were going to fall.

At least her old man seemed happy. Dad was always happy when he was yelling at people, and he’d gotten to do a lot of that today. Apparently, he’d even lit into Toshi for being predictable and unimaginative with his Quirk. Good. It was about time someone tried pounding some sense into his green-haired head. The guy was a damn good fighter when he put his mind to it, but there was considerable distance in how he fought with his Quirk and without it.

“Okay people,” she heard Katsuma—Bioshock, she had think of him and Mahoro by their Hero names when they were in teacher mode—call out. “You’ve all had a long day and tomorrow’s going to be even longer. You’ll be rising at 0500 and we’re going to be spending the whole day putting you through your paces.”

“And we aren’t going to listen to any whining about you being tired!” Mahoro—Vanish Veil—added. “So if you’re sluggish, it’ll be your own damn fault!”

Bioshock sighed. “Thank you for that,” he said.

“You’re welcome.”

“But she is right! You’ve got twenty minutes before lights out. Make the most of them, then get a good night’s rest! Sleep is vital to a growing body!”

“Stop talking like a health class video! Why are you such a dork?!”

Katsumi just shook her head, getting up to head to the barracks. A voice from behind stopped her.

“Pardon me, but you and I have unfinished business.”

***

She’d been expecting, maybe even anticipating, a confrontation with Tatsuma, the overgrown Shiketsu girl. So Katsumi hadn’t strictly been paying attention to who the voice had belonged to. When she spun to face her attacker, her punch went high. A good blow to the face or throat would disable most people very quickly.

In fact, if she hadn't been so sure Tatsuma was going to be the one picking a fight, she'd have registered that the voice came from about a foot lower. As things were, her blow sailed right over Monoma’s head. She’d given him a little credit though. He only barely flinched.

A smug grin spread across his lips. “Quite the hair trigger you’ve got there, Kirishima-Bakugo,” he said. He eyed the extended arm as if to say, “Really?” She let it fall to her side, then crossed her arms.

“You want something, Monoma?” she asked. Of all the things she needed today, he was way down on the list. He’d mostly been leaving her alone lately, but his audible smugness was more than making up for it. “I’ve probably got enough time to deliver an ass-kicking if that’s what you’re looking for.”

He chuckled at that, gesturing dramatically. "Oh I'll happily offer you the chance to try," he commented with a smirk, "but I don't think this is the time. I do want to make time for your gauntlet throwing, though, at some point in the near future.”

“Delayed ass-kicking, got it,” she said. She cracked her knuckles noisily in a show of intimidation. This time, to his credit, he didn’t flinch.

He frowned, eyes narrowing as his shoulders relaxed. “Look… May I speak plainly?”

She narrowed her own eyes, setting her mouth in a hard line. “Get on with it.”

“I was… very broken, after the Sports Festival,” he told her. There was an earnestness in his eyes that surprised her. A raw level of emotion she hadn’t expected of him. “I wanted to succeed so badly, to show you that I was worthy and to show the world that my class was worthy. But I screwed it all up. I focused too much on showboating and spectacle. Midoriya and the rest of your class… you had it figured out.”

He looked down. “I gave as good an accounting of myself as could be expected against Kocho. It was simply a bad match-up for my skillset. And I am glad to see the Hero course recognized her abilities.”

Monoma pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes flickering downward and flashing a shade of displeasure before he continued. “And then there was my failed confession. I’m not sorry I did that—don’thitme—and I think you may have said some things I needed to hear, although your delivery may need some work. And then, during my Internship with your father and Uncle Tetsutetsu… I froze up when the Nomu attacked. My Quirk isn't something I can turn off, and... Everything I was seeing of the creature was just so profoundly wrong that I couldn't take it. I shut down. I had to be carried away by Shoji, like a child.”

Okay, that one she hadn’t heard about. Papa definitely hadn’t mentioned it. Of course, gossip about anyone like that wouldn’t have been manly, so it was not a surprise.

“And from there, I just fell apart,” Monoma said. He wasn’t looking at her now. Instead, he was looking into the distance. “I can admit that now. I was certain I had a weak, worthless Quirk and that I had no place in the Hero course.”

“Now wait just a damn minute,” she snapped, pointing aggressively at him. “You’re a bastard, but your fancy pants flippy Quirk is still useful. No reason you couldn’t kick a moderate amount of ass.”

Dammit, she was not feeling sorry for the Copycat Bastard. But she remembered her own Internship, how useless she’d felt watching that man die right in front of her, while her Quirk, even her muscles, couldn’t do anything… Aunt Ochaco and Izzy had talked her back from that edge. She didn’t think about it too often. Hadn’t had the nightmares in a while.

“I’ve come around to that line of thinking,” Monoma said. “But I appreciate the vote of confidence. Especially from you. But I was ready to quit after the Final Exam. Just long enough not to leave my class in the lurch. But Midoriya said some things about success and helping each other that stuck with me. And we passed.”

He stopped, actually smiling and looking more than a little proud. She’d give him some credit. If 1-B’s exam had been anywhere near as challenging as theirs—and Kana assured her it was—then he deserved a little pride.

“And then for reasons I’m still not entirely sure I understand, I ended up speaking with Kaminari and she got me looking at my Quirk in a bit of a different way. Trying to string my moves together better, weaving a whole song out of them, rather than single shots to be fired and discarded. So I stayed.”

“Is that why you’ve been making goo-goo eyes at her?”

He sputtered, turning red and avoiding her gaze. “I thought we were being more discreet than that.”

“Oh, please. Your dramatic ass wouldn’t know discreet if it bit it,” she told him. She tapped her wrist, as though checking a watch, giving him a glare. He got the hint.

“Regardless of mine and Kaminari’s situation,” he said, quickly, as though eager to move away from discussing it, “I want you to know I still want to prove myself against you. Not for any romantic pursuits anymore or even in some attempt to prove I’m better than you.”

Monoma shook his head. “I want to prove I’m your equal. That I deserve my place here. You’re one of the fiercest, most skilled fighters in our school. We’ve had an adversarial relationship since we were big enough for you to put me in a headlock. You’re the mark I need to challenge myself against.”

Okay. She definitely hadn’t been expecting that. But for all she could erupt at a moment’s notice, Katsumi could occasionally control her expressions enough not to show surprise. She knew she was tough and talented, but hearing him admit it, not in some kind of lovey-dovey star-eyed sort of way, but in actual respect, with none of his usual barbs, well, to say it was a surprise was putting it mildly.

“So, what do you actually want?” she demanded. “Get to the point already.”

Monoma looked her straight in the eye, a steely determination there she hadn’t seen before. “When the camp is over, when we’re back at school, I want to fight a match against you. A true test against one another. Bring whatever support items you like, and, as the challenged, the right to choose time and place is yours. I'll make the arrangements with our respective homeroom teachers that it will be a sanctioned training exercise. May the better person win."

It was a more respectful challenge than she would have expected out of him, all things considered. It looked like Monoma had found his spine after all. And besides, she could go for bouncing him around the ring like a basketball for a few rounds. “You know what, Monoma?” she said. “You’re on.”

***

Akaya had the distinct impression that she was being watched. Not maliciously, she didn’t think. She certainly didn’t feel like she was threatened, but she was also fairly certain that someone was paying more attention to her than usual. Over in one corner of the room, she could see Kaminari, Mika, and Anime whispering together in a fashion that seemed almost conspiratorial.

Her opinion of the matter did not improve when she saw Ojiro go over and join the group. But even with counting several of the girls among that group as dear friends, she certain, somehow, that they were discussing her. She wasn’t completely unused to being talked about behind her back, the girl with the strange religion and stone-skin, but she would not have expected it of her friends.

“They’re talking about you.”

Akaya looked over to her left, where Chiasa Kamakiri, her vaguely mantis-like friend from 1-B, was standing by her bunk. Chiasa held up a hand, showing that she was missing two joints from her smallest finger on her left hand. Her Quirk allowed her to split apart her body segments and transform them into tiny duplicates of herself that shared a hive mind. Very useful for espionage.

Chiasa’s face split into a grin. “Do you want to know what they’re saying?” she asked, playfully.

“I do not traffic in gossip,” Akaya said simply, though she was also feeling a little hurt. Why were her friends talking about her? She didn’t think they had any ill intent, but…

Chiasa continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “They’re trying to set you up with Aoyama!” She giggled with delight, clapping her hands.

Ah, of course. Their usual romantic pursuits. She wasn’t surprised, especially now that Ojiro was involved. The invisible girl was nothing if not committed to the idea of “shipping” people she knew. It had only become worse since she and Anime had become friends. Still, she hadn’t thought that Mika particularly liked Aoyama, so why was she…

Wait.

Akaya mentally replayed that sentence again.

“What?”

Chiasa nodded rapidly. “Mineta is leading the pack. Sounds like it might be her idea. They haven’t noticed my mini-me’s yet.”

She was clearly missing something here. Akaya frowned in confusion. “I must have heard you wrong.”

“Nope,” Chiasa said. “They’re gonna set you and Aoyama up. They don’t have a plan yet. Fukidashi and Ojiro are fighting over which tropes to use. Mineta’s encouraging all of it. Kaminari is telling them they’re all insane.”

None of this made any sense. Aoyama had certainly never displayed any kind of interest in her. Oh, of course, he did seem far more civil with her than almost any of their other classmates. And he never had any cross words for her like he did for almost anyone else. So what if he always made an effort to speak to her? What difference did it make that he always seemed to respect her opinion, even if he didn’t listen to anyone else? And, of course, he had reacted more violently than everyone else when he’d found out she’d been the target of Quirk discrimination…

But certainly none of that meant he was interested in her! Not when he was traditionally good looking, prettier than even some of the other girls, and could have easily had his pick of anyone, if he’d just let his guard down around them the way he often did around her…

“Akaya?” Chiasa asked, mouthparts clicking together. “You okay? You kind of zoned out on me while I was talking.”

She managed a nod. “I’m all right,” she said. “Just taken by surprise.” She looked over to a corner of the room that had been partitioned off with a curtain. Petal Princess had told her that they’d set it up so that she could have a private place to pray, if she so desired, being unsure if she was comfortable praying in front of others. Akaya appreciated the consideration. “Though I do need to say my prayers before I turn in.”

It would give her a moment to think, at the very least.

***

As Akaya entered the small, privacy curtained space, she realized that it was already occupied. It was one of the Shiketsu girls, the one whom she had overhead a few times speaking to Tatsuma in a foriegn language that she couldn’t properly identify.

“Oh,” she said, “my apologies. I didn’t realize anyone else was here.” Though it varied from individual to individual, the average person in Japan was not especially religious or deeply spiritual. And the number of people who were any variety of Christian was smaller still.

The girl though, seemed as surprised to see Akaya as Akaya was to see her.

"It is no trouble," the girl assured her, her Japanese flawless. "I was finishing up anyway." As she stood up, a necklace with a familiar cross could be seen hanging around the girl's neck.

Well, that was indeed surprising. She had heard there had been some additional friction between some of the Shiketsu students and her classmates and the others. Perhaps she could help ease that by finding some common ground with one of them?

“Please forgive my forwardness,” Akaya said. “But you are Christian? I rarely encounter anyone who shares a faith with me.”

That seemed to surprise the girl for a moment, before she looked at her necklace as if remembering it was there.

"My parents are practicing Presbyterians," she answered, somewhat shyly. "I would not go so far as to say I am, but there is much about Christianity I admire. It's comforting to know there's an all-powerful being that actually gives a damn about you out there."

“My mother’s family is Catholic,” Akaya explained, “as am I.” Her father and little brother, Rikido, were not, but it had never been an issue in their family. Both she and her brother had been allowed to explore faith options and choose for themselves.

“It is reassuring. It is often a troubling world. Having somewhere to turn to often helps me to ground myself.” She offered the other girl a small smile. “I am Akaya Koda.”

The other girl seemed to think a bit, as if wondering if she should say anything. Her face softened as she appeared to make a decision. "My name is Seung Park. It is...nice to meet you." She tensed a bit after saying her name.

The same sounded Korean to Akaya’s ears, though she couldn’t say for certain. Though Park was not Japanese, that much was apparent. She knew that foreigners didn’t always have easy lives in Japan, but given how flawless her Japanese was, Park had to be at least second generation. Which did come with its own issues, of course…

“It is nice to meet you as well,” she said. “How are you finding the camp so far?”

"So far I do not see what can be done here that we can't do elsewhere," Park admitted with a stern frown. "I can only assume the teachers are likely going to make us do something to pit us against each other for some ‘clever’ reason. Why else would Shiketsu be invited, given the asinine rivalries that are encouraged."

“Not an impossibility,” Akaya agreed. Park, it seemed, was not afraid to be a bit bold in her declarations. Would that she had such confidence. “But I have been told that the Rookies are among some of the best trainers in the country, so I trust in our teachers’ judgements. Perhaps they simply mean to push us all. A little bit of rivalry can be healthy… though there are those among my fellow students who take it to an extreme.”

Shiro, for example, had already declared that the rivalry between Class 1-A and 1-B was in a temporary state of truce, until they had proven U.A. to be better than Shiketsu. She wasn’t certain if that was a sign of maturity on his part or not, but at least he was trying to channel his energies in semi-positive directions.

"I have considerably more faith in Our Lord than I do in "Hero instructors.’" Park stopped, took a deep breath, said something in Korean, and then let it out. "I apologize. I am not as good a Christian as I would like to be."

There was a sore point there, Akaya was certain. For a Hero student, Park did not seem to have much faith in Heroes themselves. Or at least, not the ones running the camp, she wasn’t sure. That seemed to be a bit of a paradox, but she did not wish to deny the truth of whatever experiences Park had lived.

She shook her head and held up her hands in an apologetic gesture. “No apologies necessary. Even if I don’t agree, I won’t deny you your feelings.”

Park looked surprised at Akaya's response. Clearly, she was not used to people giving her point of view any kind of credence. "I appreciate that." Her eyes seemed to be looking elsewhere, as if she were looking at a place completely different from where they were. She shook her head, actually forming a small smile. "I do not wish to hold up your talk with God. I hope you don't aggravate him as much as I likely do.”

Akaya offered the girl another smile as she left, before kneeling down to begin her own prayers. She would need much of His grace and guidance to get through this camp.

***

Takiyo tapped a few keys on the control panel built into his sleeping pod, causing the hatch to open with a slight hiss. Inside, it looked comfortably padded and had a control panel built into the other side of the hatch as well, so that he could open it when needed. It would be one hundred percent light proof. It was good of the Rookies to provide it, though he would have expected nothing less. U.A. had been very good at meeting his unique needs to far.

His cursed, cursed needs. His damn Quirk that caused him to absorb light constantly, necessitating that he discharge it in regular intervals, that he keep himself covered to minimize absorption, that his dorm room and his room at home be equipped with blackout curtains and more. It required him to be aware of his state of being every second he was awake.

His damn Quirk that had caused him too…

No.

His Quirk that he was going to use to be a Hero. To make up for… what had been done. No matter the costs to him. It was suited for it, where unleashing dazzling light, pushing back the darkness, or projecting devastating lasers. He would make it a Hero’s Quirk.

He had actually exhausted his light-stores under the Rookies’ training today, focusing on both his output and control. It was rare situation. Usually, he had to purposefully discharge it by the end of the day, just for the sake of discharging it. He had started to absorb more light immediately afterwards, but for the moment, he was just barely glowing, a faint sparkle outlining his skin.

“Ahem.” A voice shook him from his introspection and he looked up to see Monoma standing next to the sleeping pod.

He’d barely spoken two words to Monoma that he could recall, in his entire time at U.A. The other boy was vain, arrogant, obsessed with his looks, and not especially self-aware. He was, somehow, friends with Koda, which confused Takiyo greatly. Mineta, he could understand, but he thought Koda was better than that.

“Yes?” Takiyo asked.

“<Can we speak French?>” Monoma asked. Takiyo had been vaguely aware that the Monoma family had some French ancestry, much like his papa also did. He himself was only culturally French to some extent, but the language came easily enough. Monoma cast a significant glance over in the direction of Sero, Sato, and Tsuchikawa.

“Oui,” he replied. The secrecy was puzzling, he had to admit. What could be so important that Monoma did not want anyone overhearing?

Monoma nodded. “<Let’s be clear,>” he said, pointing. “<I don’t like you and you don’t like me. That’s fine. But no one deserves what’s headed your way.”>

Takiyo raised an eyebrow at that. “<Pardon?>” he asked. A threat to his person? Was that insufferable Tsuchikawa planning something? But why would Monoma warn him about that?

“<Mika, Yoarashi, and Fukidashi are planning to set you and Akaya up. Kaminari knows about it to. I don’t think she can stop it.>”

They were going to… what?

Monoma went on. “<Mika claims that it’s obvious you two are very sweet on each other, but that neither one of you would be willing to make the first move. I don’t know if that’s true, but with Mika and Fukidashi teaming up, it’s bound to be a ‘zany scheme.’>”

Koda… who was always kind to him, even when he let his anger and irritation get the better of him. And who forced him to be civil and interact with others, even when he wasn’t doing a particularly good job of it. Koda, who was a sweet, kind girl, who did not deserve the cruelties she had recently endured and seemed to still carry with her.

“<So as someone who has been pulled into many of Mika’s well-meaning, but disastrous schemes, I felt you deserved a warning,>” Monoma added. But his expression turned hard as steel. “<But rest assured, should you still chose to pursue a relationship with Akaya… You will treat her properly, or I will break every bone in your body.>”

With that, Monoma turned on his heels to walk to his own bunk, leaving Takiyo standing there, still trying to process what had been said.

“Hey! Aoyama!” He turned and saw Sero giving him a wave. “Didja loose the blond pretty boy contest or something? Looked pretty serious there!”

Takiyo’s lip pulled back in a snarl. “SHUT UP!”

***

While the barracks for the kids had been relatively Spartan, the facilities in the main compound of the Rookies’ complex were surprisingly nicely appointed. Most of them had gone to bed already. Lady Luminous and Bezoar were in charge of waking the kids up for the next morning’s training session, but they’d all have to be up fairly early. It was late, eleven p.m., long past when Katsuki usually went to bed. At least he’d been able to slip away earlier and call Eijiro and Tai. It’d been a long time since he hadn’t at least called to say goodnight to his son. He wasn’t going to allow himself to miss it for a ‘good’ reason. Because he if he missed it for a ‘good’ reason, then it was a short trip to missing it for a bad reason.

And he was never going to be that kind of parent. His parents had never been truly neglectful—though it had taken a lot of therapy to overcome and course correct his sometimes-toxic relationship with his mother and his enabling father—but they had often been gone. He’d been left in the care of babysitters or ‘Auntie’ Inko as a child more often than he cared to remember, including one particularly disastrous time when he’d been ten and left in the care of his then-teenage shitty cousin Yu, and later to his own devices, when they’d been gone on some photo shoot or modeling expo.

Katsuki had been in a lot of fights over his life. But his toughest fight was the one he fought every day to be a better parent than his own had been. Thank whatever gods existed for Eijro. It was easier to be the better person when you had someone who believed in you that much.

The damned hobo had already gone to bed, but Katsuma, Mahoro, a Rookie he didn’t recognize, and Fujii were still up in floor’s kitchen. And damn did it make him feel old to see people he’d known when they were children as fully-fledged adults and Heroes in their own right. They’d both done good, he admitted, with Katsuma working with Deku for a time and Mahoro training with Camie and even working as one of his Sidekicks for a time. And sure, he hasn’t that much older than either of them. He had less than ten on Katsuma and only five on Mahoro…

But even with their own experiences with that bastard, Nine, he’d had a lot more years of hard living than them. It added up. He certainly felt older than his forty-one years. Now, more than ever.

“So,” he said as he entered the kitchen, “one of you want to tell me why we’ve got Shiketsu students here? Was the Hobo right? Are they dropping their problem kids on us?”

The Rookie he didn’t recognize spoke up. He was a dark-skinned man with his hair in tight cornrows and seemed a bit younger than the rest. He had a red and yellow uniform, with a key-shaped insignia on his chest. “They’re a little rough around the edges, but they don’t seem like problems to me.”

“You haven’t been doing this as long as the rest of us, Takagi,” Katsuma told him. “And you haven’t seen the complete files.”

Mahoro let out a laugh. “You say problem children like your kid isn’t one, Katsuki.”

Katsuki shot her a glare. Katsumi… He was proud of his daughter, loved her more than almost anything in the entire world. She’d gotten some of the best of him. But she’d also gotten some of his worst too. Her anger, her reluctance to properly grapple with her feelings or complex emotions. She might have finally resolved her long-standing hang-ups around Izumi, and she definitely had a better relationship with Toshi than he’d had with Deku, but he still saw some of his school-age self in her. “You take that back, brat.” But he also wasn’t going to let anyone else point it out.

“You going to make me?” She gave him a glare of her own, as though challenging him.

“How have you not matured any in twenty-five years?” he shot back.

“Should… should we be stopping this?” Fujii asked, looking vaguely panicked. The rubber-bodied Hero looked over at Katsuma as though to say ‘please, stop this.’

Katsuma pinched the bridge of his nose. “Mahoro, please stop antagonizing Katsuki. If you two wreck the kitchen, it’ll take forever to get it repaired. And Hiyori will pitch a fit if she can’t have her waffles.”

He pushed back from the table and stood up. “I already had conversations with All Might and Aizawa about this, but you’re not far off, Katsuki. It’s not a random delegation of students. We were asked to take them on specifically.”

Katsuki just rolled his eyes. “Of fucking course.”

“Hey,” Katsuma said. “No need for that kind of language!”

“Yeah, you better listen to him, dammit,” Mahoro said. “We’ve got a swear jar and everything.”

Katsuki wanted to yell, to pop off a few explosions that would rattle Katsuma into realizing what a mistake he’d made in not telling him this immediately. But instead, he sucked in a breath and shook his head, grinding his teeth. He didn’t like being blindsided like this, but anger wouldn’t do him any good. Keeping track of the thirty-three U.A. students was enough of a challenge, even if he hadn’t known some of them since they were in diapers. (He’d changed so many diapers. His shitty-haired husband had a bad habit of offering to babysit for their friends without consulting him first.) He didn’t need any surprises, especially not in his first few days on the job.

What could be so bad that Shiketsu was dumping their kids on U.A.? Sure, the dragon kid was angry, but he’d been worse. And that didn’t explain the rest, especially Windbag’s kid.

“Tell me everything.”

***

Katsuki took a seat at the table, as did Fujii, and Katsuma sat back down. Takagi remained standing, leaning against the kitchen counter. He crossed his arms and set his face in a scowl. To their credit, neither Katsuma nor Mahoro flinched. Mahoro even copied his gesture and expression, the scowl looking only slightly silly on her face. Takagi, though, definitely flinched at the scowl and impending sense of doom both he and Mahoro were giving off.

Good. It was good to see that even hobbled as he was, he could still be intimidating. Still, he felt a little bad. The guy probably didn’t deserve it.

“Okay,” Katsuma said, “so where do you want to start?”

“Tatsuma,” Katsuki said. “I can already tell she’s walking around with a hell of a chip on her shoulder. What’s up?”

“Chie Tatsuma,” Katsuma went on, “daughter of the Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu. Her Quirk allows her to transform into a humanoid dragon form. Class Representative, winner of their first year Sports Festival. Scary strong Quirk. I’ve looked at her file and her scores in the Shiketsu entrance exam were off the charts. They had to recalibrate their threshold because she scored so many points everyone else in her testing area was below the cutoff.”

“Kind of reminds me of you, Blasty,” Mahoro said, jabbing him in the side with her elbow. Katsuki had to admit, she wasn’t wrong. Not that he’d let her have the satisfaction of knowing that.

“Okay,” Katsuki said. “She’s powerful, she’s arrogant. I can work with that. What else?”

Katsuma frowned. “She’s also got a small but building disciplinary record. She’s extremely dissatisfied with the Hero Rankings and the whole ranking system in general. Of which she tends to me very vocal about. Not a lot of respect for most of the top ranked Heroes.”

Fujii tapped a finger against his chin. “Didn’t Ryukyu drop in the rankings really quickly? I remember when I was a kid, just after All Might retired, that she dropped a spot…”

That was putting it mildly. Once a young and rising star, Ryukyu had never been the same after the incident with the Shie Hassaikai. Round Face had said it was like she’d suffered a crisis of faith, lost a step somewhere. She’d slipped pretty steadily, year after year, ranking after ranking. And so people had stopped believing in her. You hear that kind of bullshit enough, you internalize it, and it just feeds a vicious cycle.

“And, of course, she’s got the kids of a shit ton of high ranked Heroes with her here,” Katsuki growled. “Wonderful. Let me guess… wants to make a name for herself and redeem her mom, but hates the system that’d make that happen?”

“Got it,” Katsuma said. “Think maybe you can help direct her anger some?”

“I’m the Number Four Hero,” Katsuki snapped. At least until the next Billboard Chart ranking. Not something he was looking forward to. It was only a “leave of absence.” Best Jeanist had been the same ranking as he was when he’d suffered a nearly career ending injury too. That had turned out all right for his old mentor, but he wondered if he’d be able to say the same. He was going to file that under things he wasn’t going to think about. “She won’t listen to me.”

“Aizawa said he’d talk to her,” Mahoro said. “Underground Heroes don’t get ranked at all. Maybe he’ll get through. And besides, he managed to focus you.”

Katsuki let her have that one.

“Let’s see,” Katsuma went on. “I assume you’re familiar with Shinji Yoarashi?”

“You really want to ask stupid questions?” he shot back. “I’ve known Windbag’s kid for ages. I’m guessing his being here has something to do with his unauthorized rescue mission back during the Nomu mess?”

The kid had likely saved Katsumi’s life, Round Face’s too, with that stunt. Even if it’d been technically illegal and on extremely dubious grounds, Katsuki couldn’t blame him too much for that. Sure, he was as annoying and loud as his dad, but his heart had been in the right place. Sometimes, intent mattered more than the rules.

“Pretty much,” Katsuma said with a nod. “His teachers want us to focus in on following the rules and proper procedures.”

“Does that include knowing when to break them?”

“No,” Katsuma said.

“Yes,” Mahoro said at the same time. The two exchanged glances.

“Got it,” Katsuki said.

“Good,” Fujii added. “…Explain it to me?”

Katsuki did not dignify that with a response.

“Okay,” he said, “what about Tsuchikawa?” He still couldn’t believe Pixie-Bob had a kid. Apparently, she adopted him after stopping his villainous parent. Word around the rumor mill, or wherever Pikachu got his nonsense from, was that she was still just as promiscuous and flirtatious as ever, having made the complete transformation into a full on cougar. She was supposed to have a daughter too, he recalled, though the father wasn’t known.

He shuddered at the memory of the woman at Class 3-A’s graduation, sitting front row, giving him, Deku, IcyHot, and Glasses looks he never wanted to see again.

“Ego and lack of teamwork skills mostly,” Mahoro told him. She gave him a pointed look. “Definitely your department.”

“Ooooh, she’s got you pegged,” Fujii said. The rubber-bodied man grinned for a second, before wilting under Katsuki’s glare.

“How has Aizawa not killed you yet, you glorified gacha prize?” His former teacher didn’t suffer fools gladly and neither did Katsuki. And yes, while he was relatively young, Fujii did have an impressive career as a Pro-Hero behind him already. Never more than a “friendly neighborhood Hero”, he was nevertheless liked by many and had saved a lot of lives. And very popular with children to boot. Tai had an action figure of him that actually bounced.

He was just damned annoying.

“I’m pretty much indestructible!”

Katsuki growled. “You want to put that to the test?”

“…No.”

“What about Park?” he asked, rather than get drawn into anything else with his fellow teacher. “Korean, right?” Something tugged at his memory and he frowned as he tried to place it.

“Another one with a lot of anger,” Katsuma admitted. “And even more distrust for Heroes than Tatsuma. Tatsuma, at least, only disagrees with the ranking of Heroes and the spectator sport part of that. Park isn’t entirely convinced in the Hero system at all. Impressive Quirk though… uses bioenergy to enhance her physical attributes. Short bursts of power or speed. She’ll make a good Hero if she can get past her issues.”

He looked a little defeated by the prospect of it. Katsuki remembered what he’d been like on Nobu Island, a lot like Deku had been at the same age. So full of love for Heroes and faith that they could solve everything. He’d even admit he’d been like that at one time, before he’d been kidnapped and forced to reckon with his own limitations. Before he’d seen so much of the seedier side of the world, and the problems that punching something or unleashing an explosion in its face couldn’t solve.

“Any idea what caused it?” Fujii asked. “Everybody likes Heroes. It’s kind of Japan’s thing.”

“The Ignition Incident,” Katsuki said, as the memory floated itself up into his mind. Up until Endeavor’s public confession, it had been the biggest scandal in Hero history.

“The what now?” Fujii asked. His rubberized features twisted up in confusion. “I don’t remember any Ignition Incident.”

“Then you either weren’t paying attention or had a crappy Hero History teacher,” Katsuki growled. What the hell were they teaching in schools these days? That American idiot, Skyline, taught Hero History at U.A. He’d maybe he’d have to sit in on a few classes to make sure they were getting it right.

“Wait,” Takagi said. His eyes went wide. “I know about that one. Shit.”

“Anybody going to clue me in here?” Fujii asked, looking furtively from face to face. “I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So this was about twenty years ago,” Katsuma explained. “Ignition was Suguru Dian, a U.A. grad from the class behind Deku and his friends, with a powerful flame Quirk that basically let him set anything on fire. He went from Sidekick to full on Pro in almost no time at all. People called him the second coming of Endeavor.”

Katsuki remembered the guy, having worked with him a few times, both professionally and when they’d been students and the then Class 2-A had done joint training with the new 1-A. Arrogant as all get out, but with the talent to back it up. Of course, Aizawa and Deku had ended up having to pry him and Katsuki apart…

“So Ignition is half-Chinese and a rising star,” Mahoro said, taking over from her brother. “And being a rising star like that, the HPSC, in its infinite wisdom, thinks it’s got an “in” to help better police some of the Chinatown communities, especially with the Rising Sons Triad starting to fill the void the Shie Hassaikai left behind. Unfortunately, he’s got daddy issues, on account of his Chinese dad abusing him and his mom. Which boils over into some pretty self-hating racist stuff too.”

“Okay,” Fujii said. “I’m getting some ideas here, but Park’s Korean, not Chinese.”

“We’re getting to it,” Katsuma said. “So Ignition is made a part of an anti-Triad taskforce, and ends up investigating a Triad owned restaurant. The community there is already pretty involved in self-policing, so there’s a lot of resistance, insults, pretty much all his buttons getting pushed. But something inside him snaps, total breakdown. He thinks he’s taking down Triad agents, and instead he’s fighting innocent civilians with an extremely dangerous Quirk.”

“People died, man,” Takagi said. “Dozens more injured, massive property damage, the works. Public relations nightmare and international scandal. Global news for months.”

“There was a big show trial,” Katsuma added. “Ignition was stripped of his license. As far as I know, he’s still locked away somewhere. The HPSC made a big show of providing additional sensitivity training for Heroes, better psych screening, community outreach, all the kinds of things that would reassure the public.”

Katsuki remembered it all well. He’d only been solo a year or two at that point, not long after a stint sidekicking under Beast Jeanist. His late mentor had been appalled by what had happened. He’d been disgusted too. Especially by the way the HPSC reacted.

“It was all smoke,” he snarled. “They didn’t prohibit it, but they did stop specifically assigned Heroes to “ethnic” neighborhoods. And sure, plenty of Heroes still went in and did their damn jobs. But it broke a lot of trust. They left a lot of people to fend for themselves, instead of cleaning up their own act.”

Even Deku had wanted to do more, but he’d been too new still, too hamstrung by the rules and regulations. He’d done more than any of them though. Deku was one of the few Heroes pretty much beloved across all communities in Japan.

“Things got better, eventually,” Katsuma said. “Political winds shifted, Commission members turned over, policies got reversed, and we started working with people better. But there’s still a lot of people out there who remember or who felt the effects of being abandoned. The general consensus in a lot of those communities is still not to trust Heroes or have any faith in us being able to get the job done.”

“Well… shit,” Fujii said. “How did I not know about this?”

“Because you’re an idiot?” Katsuki suggested, but his heart wasn’t in the barb. The man seemed genuinely shocked by the news and even a bit sobered by it.

“That’s really only about half of it,” Katsuma said. “She was born here, but her parents were immigrants, seeking to escape the anti-Mutant Humanist groups in Korea. Of course…”

Right, Katsuki thought. That was a whole mess of politics and cultural issues he didn’t even feel remotely qualified to untangle. But the government tended to lump all members of an ethnic group together, in this case not sparing much distinction between new immigrants and culturally assimilated Zainicihi Koreans. With crime and politics and all that… it didn’t leave a lot of faith in the supposed chosen protectors. And when you’d seen the government turn on you once…

“So we’ve got to undo generational trauma,” he groaned. “Great. They came here, expecting the same protection from heroes Japanese citizens get, and instead they arrive into a hornet's nest due to uncaring bureaucrats desperately trying to save face while not rocking the boat.”

He let out a frustrated noise. What about the last one? Shida? The spider-girl. What’s her damage?”

“Oh, her,” Mahoro laughed. “She just wanted to be with her friends, apparently. And no one told her why the others were being sent.”

That was… that was… pretty par for the course for absurdity, where things in his life were concerned. Katsuki let out a laugh, long and loud.

“Make it stop!” Fujii wailed. “He’s scaring me!”

#my hero academia #their hero academia #fan fiction #fan fic #my writing #katsumi kirishima-bakugo #akaya koda #takiyo aoyama #katsuki bakugo #shiro monoma #mahoro shimano #katsuma shimano

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

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Their Hero Academia - Chapter 50: Things Go Beyond

Presenting a special, extra-length 50th chapter, raw and unedited, of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

Koharu could still not believe the direction her life had taken. She’d gone into the Sports Festival with the hope that she could impress the teachers enough to make it into the Hero Course for the second year. She never would have expected to have gotten Third Place. And she definitely never would have expected that, as a General Education student, even one who made Third Place, or that she’d be Interning with Deku, and also with the Voice, Hitoshi Shinso, golden boy of the General Education department.

Now, the Internship was nearly over. She’d learned a lot from everyone, including from her future comrades in the Hero Course, Isamu Haimawari and Toshinori Midoriya. The former was working with Deku as well, but like her, he had no Hero legacy of her own. It made her feel a little less alone in all this. Midoriya, on the other hand, was Deku’s son, and working with Lemillion, who, along with Glamour and Deku’s main Sidekick, the Shield, had also been participating in their mentorships. With so much attention being paid to them, she couldn’t help but feel a little unworthy of it all.

It just meant she’d have to work that much harder to prove herself.

She stepped out of the locker room after having changed into another gym uniform (Checking on her costume was the first step when she got back to UA.), when she heard a voice calling her name. Deku and Lemillion were supposed to be going on patrol together today and taking the three of them with them. Sure, since she wasn’t in the Hero Course yet, she hadn’t been allowed to do any fighting, but the off-patrol training regime had more than made up for it.

“Ah, Kocho! There you are!”

She looked up to see Lemillion coming her way. “Oh, Mister Togata, sir,” she said. “I’m not late, am I?”

He shook his head. “Oh, no, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. And you don’t have to call me Mister Togata. Lemillion’s fine. Or even Mirio if you want. I’m easy.”

“Oh, okay, sure. What’s up?”

“Well, you see, I’ve got a son about your age, David, he’s in the Support Course. He’d probably kill me if he knew I was talking about this, but, well, he had a break-up with his last girlfriend, and…”

Okay, she definitely wasn’t expecting that. Koharu quickly held up both hands. “Sorry, Mister Togata. Lesbian.” Not that she’d been doing much thinking in that regard. All her focus had been on the Sports Festival. And now it was all on getting herself up to Hero Course standard.

He didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, okay! You’re probably a little young for my daughter, though. And I’m pretty sure she’s already sweet on someone, even if she won’t tell me…”

What was happening? Pro-Heroes had seemed so… distant before, even the ones who seemed personable on camera. Who knew they were as human and strange as everyone else?

***

This was officially the best week of Isamu’s life, and that was counting the fact that he’d won the Sports Festival the previous week. Working with the Number One Hero—Deku!—had been a dream he’d never have thought possible. He’d trained harder than he ever had before and more than a few small children had actually recognized him while they were on patrol. Sure, he’d been overshadowed by Deku in that regard, but who wouldn’t have been?

He’d even gotten to take down an actual Villain. Nothing fancy, just some guy with a Grasshopper Quirk turned purse snatcher, but Deku’d actually let him do the takedown. He’d been able to anticipate where the guy was going to jump, use his own Quirk to repel himself into the air, then come down and knock him right off his feet.

Maybe it wasn’t taking down the League of Villains or anything, but it was pretty good all the same.

Their patrol must have been quite the sight to the people down below. Lemillion parkour-ing from rooftop to rooftop, Midoriya doing his gravity-jumps to do the same thing, Deku actually flying, Kocho flying along with her wings, and him, doing his Slide and Glide, occasionally adding an extra-burst to launch himself to the next roof. But as Deku said, the public visibility was good. Made people feel safe, watched out for, and let the Villains know they were out there.

Deku landed on the edge of the next rooftop and waited for the rest of them to join him, before breaking into a grin. Isamu had seen him interviewed countless times and knew he smiled easily, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. It was entirely genuine, no pretention about it. He’d seen the man gush easily, about his friends, about his family (especially about his son), even about the progress he and Kocho were making.

But he’d also seen him turn serious in a heartbeat. Earlier in the week, when a Villain with a strength-enhancing Quirk had appeared, trying to knock down a tower, Deku had given him a chance to surrender, not wanting to fight if he didn’t have to. When the Villain had retaliated, Deku had been absolutely swift in his response, first binding him with black coils of energy, then using a single Detroit Smash to knock him out. The man had been threatening innocent people. Isamu understood the need for swift action there.

And just as immediately, Deku had returned to grinning, assuring everyone that everything was okay. And to everyone watching, it was.

That was the kind of Hero that Isamu wanted to be.

“Okay,” Deku said, “we’re here. I took patrol to this part of the city for a very important reason.” Whatever it was, he seemed excited. Practically vibrating, even. Isamu didn’t have a lot of personal experience to form a baseline of Deku’s behavior, but this typically seemed to accompany talking about another Hero or a Quirk.

“Wait,” Midoriya said. He rubbed his chin with his hand. “It’s Saturday, right? So that means…”

Kocho looked at him, with a confused expression. Isamu shook his head, because he had no idea what was going on either.

“That’s right!” Deku said. He gave his white cape a dramatic flick and pointed to the street below. A storefront with a multicolored awning was down below, part of a fairly expansive building. “It’s the grand opening of Herotopia Ice Cream! One hundred and fifty Pro Hero themed ice cream treats!”

Lemillion let out a laugh at that. “Oh, man, I can’t believe I forgot! I bet I’m delicious!”

***

It was, fortunately, early in the morning, so most people weren’t out for ice cream yet. In fact, it made them the first customers of the day. Despite the owner’s protests, Dad had insisted on paying, and then they’d all occupied a back booth. Toshi, like Dad, had gotten Dekulicious ice cream, which was a swirl of green, red, black, and white. He wasn’t entirely sure what each of those flavors was supposed to be, but it all combined to be pretty good.

Uncle Mirio had gotten his own flavor, Lemonillion. “Not a huge lemon fan,” he admitted, “but their hearts are in the right place. And I like the pun!”

“If they want to start marketing this for more retail spots, I am definitely talking my dad into stocking it,” Haimawari said. He’d gotten a cone of Red Cherry Riot.

“Definitely amazing,” Kocho said, between sips of her Pinky Acid Shake. Toshi’d been a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to find anything on the menu, but he should have known Dad wouldn’t have brought them there if that was the case. “Appreciate it, Mister Midoriya.”

Dad just grinned at that. “I keep telling you, you don’t have to call me that.”

Kocho shrugged. “Sorry. Can’t really turn off the politeness. Mom would track me down and smack me.”

Haimawari laughed at that. “My mom’s the same way. Of course, I think she just likes smacking things. Does that to Dad often enough. Kind of like Ojiro actually.”

“She did try to do that to Sero back at the festival,” Kocho agreed. “Is that normal?”

“Aaah, yeah, kinda,” Toshi admitted. “As far back as I can remember, anyway.”

Ojiro did have a tendency to strike out when she felt frustrated, usually at Sero or Sato, but she’d never done them any serious harm. She was just an expressive person. Which, Toshi supposed, was a thing you had to do when you were invisible.

“So,” Dad asked Kocho, “did they give you any idea which of the Hero Courses they’re going to put you in?”

The moth-girl shook her head, a movement exaggerated by her antennae. “No clue,” she said. “And I’m technically not in yet. Still have to finish this semester, pass my exam. And I still don’t know what other criteria they’re using to determine if I get in.”

She extended her proboscis and slurped up some of her shake before speaking again. “Though I’m guessing you or Mister Shinso or both are giving them some kind of report card beyond whatever usual Intern evaluations get done.”

That got a laugh out of Uncle Mirio. “Oh, she’s smart.”

Dad laughed too. “Pretty standard Intern review form, actually” he said. “Though Nezu and Aizawa did ask more in-depth feedback than usual.”

Wait… if Mister Aizawa was asking for feedback. “Dad?” Toshi asked.

Dad’s eyes went wide. “I talked about Aizawa, didn’t I?” He started shaking in his seat. “Oh no, oh no, oh no, he’s gonna kill me!”

“See?” Haimawari said. “See? This is why I know he’s scary! Even Deku’s afraid of him!”

Toshi did have to admit that their teacher could be scary and was super serious even at the best of times, but he was also an incredible teacher who clearly cared a lot for them. Dad, Mom, all his parents’ friends spoke highly and kindly of him. Toshi even had plenty of childhood memories of him, when Grandpa Might would bring him to UA with him.

On the other hand, there was good news to be had! “Looks like you’re going to be classmates with us then!” he said. “That’s awesome!”

Haimawari nodded his agreement. “You were really great in the Sports Festival,” he said. “Plus, you know, be nice to have somebody else around who isn’t part of the shared memory.”

She gave him a curious look. “Shared memory?”

“Except for Haimawari,” Toshi explained, “all of the rest of us grew up knowing each other.” Some better than others, based upon various friendship clusters between the adults, but there weren’t any strangers between them. Well, no stranger than Mineta anyway. “Still can’t believe they put all of us in the same class.”

All the Class A kids in one class, the Class B kids in another, and all kids who weren’t either in Class C. Weird when he thought about it. Toshi wondered for a moment just who had planned that out.

“Not my idea,” Dad said. “But it worked out well. Look at all the teamwork you guys pulled off!”

“So,” Kocho said, “that’s the two of you, and I already met Sero, Ojiro, and Sato back at the Festival, and Mineta, from the Festival is in your class?”

Haimawari gulped. Mineta did seem to like unnerving him. She seemed to have slacked off some since she’d met Izumi’s friend Shinji though. “Yeah.”

“Hooo-boy.”

“She’s really… not… that… bad…” Toshi said. They weren’t close, but the Minetas were still family friends. “She’s an acquired taste,” he tried.

“But I think you’ll fit in great,” Haimawari added. “And I’m not just saying that because it means I’m not the new guy anymore.”

“We were all the new guy at one point or another,” Dad said. “You guys all have the advantage, growing up together. My class had never met before. It’s going to make you even better Heroes than we ever were.”

“Maybe,” Haimawari said. “But our first year couldn’t possibly be as exciting as yours…”

***

He should never have said that, Isamu would later reflect. Because it had almost immediately gotten worse.

They’d left the ice cream shop when they heard it. A low whistle, growing steadily louder, like something falling from the sky. People stopped where they were, looking up and for the source of the sound.

“What is that?” Lemillion asked, shielding his eyes against the sun, looking up.

Deku pointed to something, a huge black spot that was growing steadily bigger. “Something’s falling…” he said. He squinted, trying to determine what it was. “Can’t make it out. But I’m betting it’s going to make a hell of a crater if it hits.”

“Step back, everyone,” Deku said. He took a couple steps back, then ran forward, tensed his legs, then launched into the sky. The force of the acceleration made Isamu’s hair flutter and made Lemillion’s cape snap back.

They watched for a moment as Deku rose to meet whatever it was. As he closed in on it though, the thing lashed out! Isamu let out a gasp as he watched Deku fall from the sky. Next to him, he heard Kocho scream and Toshi let out an anguished cry. He was pretty sure he screamed too, but he was too stunned by what he’d seen. What could possibly have been powerful enough to do that…?

He could only watch, helplessly, as Deku fell, hitting the ground hard enough to make the same kind of crater he’d worried about. He bounced twice, then pulled himself to a sitting position, holding his head. “Haven’t been hit that hard since…” he muttered.

“Dad!” Midoriya cried out, at his father’s side in an instant.

Deku looked up, seeing that whatever had hit him, it was still coming. “Toshi… get behind me.”

And finally, whatever it was hit the ground like a missile. The impact cracked the pavement, sending up a cloud of dust. When it cleared…

The creature was massive, much bigger than Deku or Lemillion, maybe even larger than All Might in his prime. It had dead, pale grey skin, bulging muscles, a face twisted into some kind of beak. Worst of all, its brain was exposed, the top of its head completely gone.

It let out a feral roar, like some kind of ancient dinosaur.

Deku flung Midoriya towards them, then was on the creature in an instant, flinging himself into the air. From his hands, black tendrils of power entangled the creature, lifting it into the air, slamming it into the ground again and again. Each time it hit the ground, the creature would let out another roar. But it wasn’t a roar of pain. The creature didn’t even look like it was feeling the blows. It was rage, pure, violent rage.

Lemillion had placed himself between Isamu and Kocho and the creature and he caught Midoriya easily, putting him behind him as well. “C’mon, Deku, you’ve got this…” he whispered, fists clenched tight.

“What… what is that thing?” Kocho asked. Isamu detected some fear in her voice, but he didn’t judge her for it. It was all he could do to keep himself from shaking. The creature was unreal, monstrous, a mockery of a man. Something about it just seemed profoundly… unnatural.

“I.. I don’t know,” he replied.

“It’s a Nomu…” Midoriya breathed. “I’ve only seen pictures… there aren’t supposed to be any more of them…”

The creature—the Nomu—broke free of Deku’s tendrils, lashing out. Deku dropped down and it struck out, hitting him with a blow which connected with a resounding crack. The force even knocked him back, gouging the street beneath his iron soles. He used the space, bringing up one arm. “DELWARE… AIRFORCE… SMASH!”

A mighty blast of concentrated air pressure struck the Nomu, smashing it into a nearby car. Considering how much their Hero Courses and Deku himself had talked about minimizing property damage, it must have truly been serious. But Isamu winced all the same. Insurance coverage for Hero battles was good, but could still take months to process.

It didn’t seem to matter. The Nomu sprung up again in an instant, roaring again. It leapt, covering the distance between itself and Deku like it was nothing and struck him again. He was more ready for the blow this time, dodging it, but it grabbed his white cape and threw him to the ground, hard.

“Dad!” Midoriya screamed again. He took a step back and Isamu could see the look of concentration flicker over his face as he manipulated his gravity. He was getting ready to jump.

The second he did, Lemillion grabbed him. “Toshi, no!”

“But Dad…!”

“He doesn’t want you getting hurt! You can’t fight that monster! I’ve got this!”

Lemillion rushed forward, cape trailing behind him. “Hey! Ugly!”

That got its attention and it struck out at him, the Nomu’s blow passing harmlessly through his torso. Lemillion struck back, hitting it with a haymaker that would have dropped almost anyone.

The Nomu didn’t even flinch. Lemillion’s hand made a sickening crunch.

Lemillion winced, biting his lip to keep from screaming, taking a step back and cradling his hand. But he had the monster’s attention now. It roared and slashed at him, but fortunately, he could still activate his Quirk.

Again and again it struck, but Lemillion kept its attention. Time enough for Deku to recover. He hit it from behind, knocking it through Lemillion, crashing into the street.

A burst of speed brought Deku to it again, as the Nomu recovered. It threw a punch, but he caught it, emerald and crimson lightning crackling over his skin. His face set and grim, Deku twisted the thing’s wrist, shattering it. Even then, it didn’t seem to feel the pain.

Isamu had seen plenty of news footage and pictures of Deku in action. He always, always smiled. There were, occasionally, brief flashes of grim determination, or even serious focus, when he was fighting a really serious Villain. But there was none of that here. He was more serious than Isamu had ever seen. There was only sheer focus on ending the threat in front of him.

What was this thing?

Deku drew back his other fist. “DETROIT…. SMASH!” With his free hand, he hit the Nomu with such force that its head spun around nearly one hundred eighty degrees, making the most sickening sound as it did so. Like a marionette with its strings cut, it fell to the ground.

“Holy shit,” Isamu said.

“Language,” Lemillion said, quick enough that it sounded like a reflex.

“Sorry,” he said, just as reflexively.

A moment of tension broke. Deku looked around, spotting the few civilians that had sheltered in place while he fought. Slowly, and with great effort, a smile did return to his face. “It’s all right, everyone!” he said. “I’ve taken care of the threat! You’re safe now! Because I am here!”

Yeah, okay, Isamu was man enough to admit his little fanboy heart soared at hearing that.

“Call it in,” Deku said. “I’m pretty sure it’s not getting back up, but we need a containment crew here, immediately. And we need to get your hand looked at.” He looked over at Isamu, Kocho, and Midoriya. “Sorry, kids, but I think we’re going to be working full time on this. Internship’s over.”

“We understand, Dad,” Midoriya said. He sounded more worried than Isamu had ever heard him. He was usually one of the most confident, encouraging people Isamu knew. If he was worried…

“Please tell me that kind of thing doesn’t happen all the time,” Kocho said. There was fear on her face. No surprise. She was even less used to this kind of thing than he was. And he was scared out of his mind.

“Deku,” Lemillion began. He was cradling his broken hand against his body, holding his Hero-phone in the other. “It’s not just here. Reports of attacks coming in all over the city. There’s more of them.”

Deku stopped smiling. “It’s an attack.”

***

It was an awful, foul, unnatural thing, the Nomu. Dead grey skin, its beak, its exposed brain… It made Izumi sick just to look at it. Afraid too. She had heard the stories, how one had been resistant to her father’s freezing power, how another had nearly killed her grandfather. To think that someone once human had been perverted into such an abomination…

“Just as ugly as I remember,” Uncle Denki—No, Chargebolt now—said. He lifted his right arm, readying his Sharpshooting gear. Electricity crackled around him, making his hair stand up.

Beside him, Grape Juice’s face was set in grim determination, two of his balls already in his hands. “Just so you know,” he said, “if we don’t survive this… it’s been nice knowing you, buddy.”

The Nomu let out a roar of challenge, looking them over with its cold, almost lifeless eyes.

“Hey, relax,” Chargebolt said. “We’ll be back with the wives before you know it.”

He looked back over at Izumi. “Izumi… lock us in. And keep it up. This thing can’t get through. We keep it focused on us and it can’t harm any people.”

“And don’t drop it until we tell you to,” Grape Juice added. “No matter what you hear.”

“But…” She couldn’t just leave them to that thing’s mercies. She knew about Nomu, knew that some of them had given even some of the strongest Heroes some of the most difficult fights of their careers. She loved her Uncle Denki dearly, but neither he nor his partner were what she would have called formidable.

“Do it!” Chargebolt shouted, racing forward, Grape Juice at his side. Grape Juice threw several of his balls, but the Nomu dodged. Right into the path of Uncle Denki’s first electrical blast. It staggered under the blast, but kept coming.

Izumi let out a gasp, but brought up both hands, drawing in as much heat as her body could handle. She formed thick walls of ice, as thick and tall as she could make them, until nothing would be able to pass through this side of the street without smashing its way through. The bands on her regulator harness were already glowing an angry orange from the effort and she could feel the heat rolling inside her.

But she could hold it for the moment. She might need to shore up the ice wall. And when the time came to do her part, she would not be found wanting.

Her ice was too thick to see through, but she could hear the crackle of electricity being discharged, the roar of the Nomu, and the rubbery sound of Grape Juice’s balls.

She wasn’t sure what was more terrifying, the sounds of combat, or what it would mean when it stopped.

***

“How soon until we’re at Tokyo?” Froppy asked. Her normally neutral expression given over to worry. Her voice quavered in a way that Akaya had never heard her speak before.

Rockhopper, manning the helm, gave her a grim look. “Still nearly an hour out, ma’am.”

Akaya frowned. They’d been out in open waters, when the call had come in. An All Heroes Alert for Tokyo had gone out, meaning anyone able to make it to the location should. Tokyo was besieged by creatures though to be extinct, abominations against the natural world called Nomus.

The Oki Mariner was far out, but they would try.

Her parents were based out of Endar, on the southern side of Japan. She didn’t know if they’d be heading there or not. But many of her friends on their Internships and their parents were in the greater Tokyo area.

She prayed that they’d be safe.

***

“Foul beast,” Tsukuyomi said, cloak billowing around him, “I shall not allow you to harm anyone else!”

It was a good thing he sounded so confident, because Takuma was scared out of his mind. Mom and Dad didn’t talk much about the Nomus they’d faced as students, besieged at random intervals by the League of Villains, but what little they’d said had been enough. Mom had talked about having nightmares for weeks after the USJ and Dad had talked about how he’d been left questioning how worthwhile his Quirk was when there were monsters like that out there.

At the time, Takuma hadn’t understood it. They were some of the most awesome heroes he knew (well, next to Deku, and Lemiliion and Red Riot and…). What could they ever have been afraid of?

And now he knew.

He hung back, watching from a roof while Tsukuyomi and Shadow-Dancer contended with the creature on the street below. Tsukuyomi had told him he was not to engage under any circumstances. Not even to rain Acid Tape from above. If any civilians wandered into the field of combat, he was to retrieve them, but that was it.

“I can’t hold it much longer!” Shadow-Dancer yelled. She’d possessed a shadowed section of the street, wrapping it around the Nomu. It struggled mightily, thrashing about as though it felt no pain, no matter how rush road rash it committed to its dead grey skin.

“Then let us end this,” Tsukuyomi declared. “Dark Shadow… Show no mercy!”

Dark Shadow leapt from the Hero and towards the creature, larger and more menacing than Takuma had ever recalled seeing it. It was early in the morning still, but the sun was starting to shine. It could only be Tsukuyomi’s fierce directive giving it such power.

Swarming darkness, its “skin” constantly in motion, its eyes yellow comets in its head, deadly claws flashing… Dark Shadow is more aptly named than he ever realized. If Tokoyami’s Frog-Shadow ever becomes half as formidable, she’ll easily be one of the most powerful Heroes in Japan.

The Nomu never stood a chance. Takuma found he couldn’t watch. He flinched and looked away. Judging by the wet sound he head, he didn’t want to look. Even that made him want to throw up.

He’d left his phone back at the Agency and for once, he didn’t feel its absence.

***

Time and time again, Tensei swooped down and grabbed someone off the street, jetting back to the safe zone as quickly as he could. “Safe zone” was only an approximation, only far enough to keep them out of the rampaging Nomu’s range as other Heroes battled with it.

“Keep it up, Jet-Blue,” Veloci-Queen told him, slowing down only long enough to get her own rescue back on his feet.

He slipped the straw inside his helmet in his mouth, taking a long drink from his apple juice reserves. An indicator told him he still had plenty of left for the work ahead. Good. He had the feeling he’d need every ounce to fuel his Quirk.

In the distance, he could still see Tailman and Tentacole, two other local Heroes, grappling with the Nomu. Tetacole had the monster in a wrestling hold, while Tailman slammed his tail into it, time and time again.

It did not fall and instead let out a mighty roar, breaking free from Tentacole’s grip.

Tensei took a breath and took off again. This was a high traffic, populated area and there were still so many people trapped in their cars.

Time to fly.

***

At U.A., the mood was grim. Water Spout and Doctor Izumi were not having a good conversation.

“You can’t possibly be thinking of going out there, Eri!” Water Spout shouted, pointing.

Doctor Izumi ignored her husband, continuing to throw items into her medical bag with rapid fire speed. “People are hurt out there, Kota. I’m going to Musutafu General. If I can help even just one person…”

Water Spout frowned. “There’s nightmares out there. Don’t you remember what Deku said about those things?”

She continued packing. “Of course, I do. And I remember what Dad said too. They’re not invincible. And right now, we’ve got damn near every Hero in the country converging on Tokyo.”

Finally, she turned to look at him. “And in case you’ve forgotten, I can take care of myself.” She punctuated this by clipping a large sheathed knife to her belt. “And besides, there’s no indication they’ve made it anywhere near the school yet.”

Nevertheless, the rest of the teaching staff was staying at U.A., to protect the students in case anything should happen.

“I can go with her,” Kimiko said.

Both of them looked at her like they’d forgotten she was in the room. They probably had. Doctor Izumi had started packing as soon as the Hero Alert had gone out and Water Spout had shown up not long after.

“Maybe I can’t fight,” she added, “but I can make sure Doctor Izumi can get away from anything out there.”

“…do you know what Aizawa would do to me if I let one of his students go out into danger like that?” Water Spout asked. Aizawa was his father-in-law, but he seemed deeply terrified of the prospect.

Doctor Izumi frowned, but nodded. “I’ll take the heat with Dad if it comes up. I’m going, Kota. The only difference is whether or not I go with extra stealth or not.”

Water Spout frowned too, but he stepped close to her, put one arm around her middle, and another on her face. He pulled her close and they kissed. “Stay safe out there.”

“And you stay safe here,” she said. “And if Dad asks if you’ve seen me, tell him you haven’t.”

She looked over at Kimiko. “Let’s go, Ojiro.”

***

The Nomu had Kestrel in its grasp, one wing in each hand. Many of her feathers were embedded in its skin, but it neither bled, nor showed any signs of pain. It had been faster than it had looked, its powerful long arms giving it greater reach than she could avoid. And now it was pulling.

Feathers fell from Kestrel’s wings and floated up into the air, stabbing ineffectually at the Nomu. Under such pain and stress, her control over her feathers had to be reduced. She could bring neither the speed nor force needed to wound it.

And if something was not done soon, it would separate her wings from her body.

Sora had been told to keep back. There was the implicit order in there that she was not to engage in combat with the Nomu. However, as mother always said, the line between implicit and explicit was where permission lived, so long as you knew how to look for it!

While her right gauntlet contained a capture cable, sometimes, more aggressive measures were needed. Her left gauntlet contained a small harpoon launcher, for entangling flying objects or for when more penetrative power was needed.

It was this she sighted on and fired. The harpoon and its cable raced across the sky and hit the Nomu right in its eye.

If it felt any pain from it, it did not show it. But its grip on Kestrel slackened as it looked up. Then, it let Kestrel drop completely and grabbed the cable with one of its dead grey hands. And it yanked.

Unprepared for such force, Sora’s jetpack was overwhelmed by its strength and she was snapped downward.

The tug stopped and the Nomu jerked, two of Kestrel’s feathers stabbing up from its jawline up through its brain. She smacked it with what remained of her right wing and knocked it back, getting weakly to her feet.

“C’mon, kid,” she said, wings flapping weekly to get herself airborne. “We gotta… gotta move…”

Her own stability restored, Sora fired her Jackpack harder, swooping down to grab Kestrel. The Nomu, seemingly oblivious to the injuries it had obtained, swung wildly at them.

“I am afraid we do not possess significant enough strength to stop it,” Sora said.

Kestrel tried to wiggle free from her grip. “Somebody’s gotta…”

***

“Red Riot… UNBREAKABLE!”

“Real Steel… INDESTRUTICBLE!”

Daisuke watched as the dead grey Nomu hammered away ineffectually at Red Riot and Real Steel, its blows not even pushing them back. The power of its blows against their super-hardened bodies made deafening noises, but did little else. But at least it was distracted for the moment fighting them. When it had dropped from the sky, it had taken them all by surprise.

Both bastions of manliness had instantly thrown themselves into the fray, but even their great strength was doing little to slow it down. Red Riot had managed to score several sharp gashes along it with his sharp edges, but if it noticed, it didn’t care.

“We need to get back to the Agency,” he told Shiro Monoma. “Mobilize any of the sidekicks, get the word out.” Red Riot and Real Steel were collectively the Number Ten Hero, some of the strongest in the field. If all they could do was hold it in place… And even that wouldn’t last long. As tough as they were, he knew neither could hold their maximum defense for that long.

But Monoma had gone white as a ghost, rooted in place.

Daisuke nudged him. “Hey. We need to move. I’ll carry you if I have to, but it’s not safe here.” Some of his classmates would have been raring to fight. Kirishima-Bakugo and Midoriya for certain. But Daisuke knew when the time to fight was and when the time to run was. They were students and that was a monster.

“I…” Monoma began. He was just staring at the Nomu. “It’s… it’s…”

Given the way in which Monoma’s Quirk let him perceive others to mimic their skills, who knew what exactly he was seeing looking at that beast? He supposed he couldn’t blame him for being frozen. Even with his own great strength, Daisuke found it absolutely terrifying.

Daisuke sighed and heaved the smaller boy onto his shoulders, using his Extendo-Arms to weave his way through the street.

“I couldn’t beat it…” Monoma continued, seemingly oblivious to anything else. “Not even if I had a million skills…”

“Run now,” Daisuke said, “existential crisis later.”

***

Kenta was certain he was going to die. When they’d responded to the report of a Villain attack, none of them of them had expected the monster that had been waiting. A Nomu. The thing that his dad, his Uncle Hanta, all of Dad’s class talked about in hushed and fearful tones.

Suneater and Nejire-chan had been on it in an instant, the former entangling it with tentacles while Nejire-chan blasted away at it with her Wave Motion shockwaves. They were the Heroes, rushing in. And he was hiding behind a mailbox, shaking, with a stupid, useless Quick that wouldn’t do anyone any good against that.

He was going to die. And Dad would be left all alone. And that thought hurt far more than the thought of dying. When Mom had died, Dad had built his life around him. It was only with Kenta starting U.A. and some encouraging words from his friends that Dad was starting to live his life again. And then he’d done this to him by going and getting himself killed.

“Tamaki!” Nejire-chan screamed,

There was a wet, meaty sound of fist hitting flesh. And then another. The mailbox Kenta was hiding behind shuddered as something impacted into it with a metallic clang. The Nomu roared, a terrifying, triumphant sound.

Kenta gathered his courage and dared to peek around the edge of the mailbox. Nejire-chan was slumped over on the ground, bleeding from a nasty head wound. A short distance away, Suneater was laid out as well.

A shadow fell over them and he realized it was the Nomu.

It let loose a low growl, raised its hands. It hadn’t seen him… but it was going to kill Nejire-chan!

If he leaned over, he might be able to get at its ankle. And do… what… exactly?

Could he? He couldn’t.

He had to. He had to do something.

Kenta stretched himself out, opened his mouth and took a big bite out of the thing’s ankle, teeth tearing through skin and bone and muscle like they weren’t even there. He spit out the chunk of meat, as it toppled backwards and pulled Nejire-chan towards him. She was surprisingly light and he got her over his shoulder as he got to his feet.

He could still feel chunks of Nomu between his teeth. He really wanted to throw up, but he kept going. And why did it kind of taste like metal in his mouth?

Kenta looked over his shoulder. Even without ankle to support it, the Nomu was struggling to get back up, as though it didn’t feel its wound at all.

***

“Just a few more moments, please…” Aunt Momo said quietly, her voice weak from the strain and sweat dripping down her face. The front of her costume was unzipped, as she concentrated on the machine she was creating. It was one of the biggest things Chihiro had ever seen her create.

And fighting the Nomu was Aunt Pony, two of her missile-like horns stabbing it again and again, while she rode on another two. She darted this way and that, sometimes too close for comfort, trying to keep its attention.

And Chihiro’s job was to watch Aunt Momo’s back. Neither had wanted her there, but she’s insisted on offering some kind of protection. She couldn’t just leave her unprotected like that, she just couldn’t.

“There…” Aunt Momo gasped, falling to her knees. “It’s done.”

Her head snapped up. “Now, Rodeo! Do it now!”

Aunt Pony shouted something in English. Chihiro didn’t understand enough of the language to pick up everything, but caught something about “fish” and “barrel.” She jumped off her horns and directed all four of them at the Nomu at maximum speed. They pierced its legs from above, pinning it to the street.

“I’m sorry,” Aunt Momo said to her. “Shouldn’t… have to… ask this… of you…”

Chihiro shook her head. “Gotta do what we gotta do. It’s why we’re Heroes, right?”

She plugged her Cords into the device Aunt Momo had made and gave it all the electricity she could generate in one massive blast.

At maximum charge, the rail gun fired, its projectile tearing through the Nomu like it wasn’t even there. Its top half slid the ground with a schlip sound, while its legs collapsed.

The top half started dragging itself forward.

They were in a bad wheeeeeeeyyyy….

***

Takiyo had been on patrol with Cellophane when the creature had struck, dropped out of the sky like a living missile. He would later deny the high pitched scream that he had made.

Cellophane’s visor dropped into place. “Radiance. I need you to run. Get back to the Agency. Hero Alert’s already going off, so more help will be on the way. But you’ve got to run.”

He launched a strip of tape while the creature vented its rage on a parked car. He was going to try and get above it, Takiyo realized. Didn’t he know how little his Quirk would work on a monster that size?

“And…,” Cellophane said, “and tell my wife and kids I love them. Please.”

He was… he was going to fight it anyway? When there were certainly other Heroes on the way? When his Quirk would do little more than slow it down for a moment? With a wife and a large brood of children at home, and two more children on the way?

Perhaps, Takiyo reflected, he had underestimated Cellophane.

Perhaps he had misunderstood just what being a Hero meant.

Could he do any less?

He let out a scream and unleashed all his light in a powerful, blinding bolt at the Nomu. Blinded, it let out a mighty road, thrashing ineffectually.

“Told you to run!” Cellophane said, launching himself into the air. “But thanks, kid!”

Takiyo ran.

***

Team Idaten was on the move. With the speed Quirks possessed by many members and the fleet of vehicles for the rest, getting from Hosu to Tokyo was easy. What wasn’t easy was finding out the city had become a warzone.

What wasn’t easy was discovering that the threat was Nomus. Ingenium dispatched Sidekicks quickly, sending them to various sections of the city, to rescue whoever they could and aid the Pros in whatever way they could, before changing in to engage one himself.

Which left Mika and Flash-Step on rescue duty for any civilians trapped in the way of its rampage. Flash-Step was zipping from place to place, picking up people and moving them out of the way. Mika was slower than that, but was carrying a little blue-skinned girl in her arms.

“I lost my mommy when everybody started screaming and running!” the little girl wailed.

Mika was not particularly good with children. She wasn’t even particularly good at being reassuring in general, unless it was Shiro, and that was because he was easy. She was very convincing, especially when it came to getting Chihiro to back her up, but that wasn’t quite the same skillset. She stroked the girl’s hair as she ran. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’m sure we’ll find her. Everybody’s running this way. She’s probably really worried about you.”

The words felt like sludge in her throat. How could she make a promise like that? All Might and many of their teachers and parents talked about how a Hero’s first job was to make people feel safe, to make them feel like everything was going to be okay. But how could she do that when she didn’t know? What if it turned out her words were a lie?

“Yu!” Mika looked to see a blue-skinned woman, arms outstretched, standing not far away with other worried civilians. “Oh, thank goodness…”

“Mommy!” the little girl cried out, squirming in her arms. Mika handed her over to her mother.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you,” the woman said.

“Of, of course,” Mika said, suddenly flustered. “Just… just doing my job.”

She spared a look back to where Ingenium was still fighting the Nomu. He was faster than it was, but his blows weren’t doing much to stop it. One moment, he was a little too slow and it connected, knocking him down. It let out a roar and raised its arm to smash him and Mika felt her heart seize up. No Sidekicks in sight, no nothing…

A bolt of blue energy struck the Nomu in the face, temporarily distracting it. She saw a gangly man standing in the doorway of a convenience store, a hoodie pulled up over his head and a bandanna wrapped around his face.

Not a Hero then… but what the heck? And where had she seen blasts like that before?

But it bought Ingenium the moment he needed, and he was back to hammering the Nomu with powerful kicks.

Mika had seen the Hero Alert and all the locations where Heroes were fighting these monstrosities. She hoped her friends were safe. She hoped Shiro was safe.

She hoped her parents were safe.

Right now, she’d swear off girls and boys forever if it meant everyone she cared about made it home.

***

Mei was as transfixed as everyone else in the workshop, stuck staring dumbly at the television.

“My babies…”

***

Asuka paced furiously, watching the televisions. Mob-Goblin had grounded her after Frog-Shadow had been nearly destroyed, focusing on her training within the Agency and not allowing her to patrol or venture out. It made sense, of course. Part of her had been badly hurt and needed time to recover. But when the Hero Alert had gone out, she’d been left alone with the Agency staff.

Left alone to watch the televisions. Reports were coming in from all over the city and news drones were relaying pictures of Heroes engaged in combat with the Nomu. She kept changing channels, watching. One showed her father, using Dark Shadow to tear the Nomu to pieces… only for each of those pieces to keep moving on its own.

No sign of her mother… she must have been too far away to respond promptly. But she was probably on her way. Maybe it would all be over by then…

“Heroes the Voice and Glamour, along with Deku’s Sidekick the Shield engaging near Lukas Park…”

Asuka watched the screen as Glamour called upon an illusion of Deku, letting the Nomu unleash its rage harmlessly on it, while the Voice sought to restrain it with his capture weapon. The Shield slipped in, faintly glowing with power as he hammered blow after blow on the creature, each with a clap like thunder.

Frog-Shadow appeared and perched on her shoulder. “They’re… they’re gonna win, right?”

Asuka reached up and took her hand. “We can only hope so.”

Other channels showed some of her friends out there with the Heroes, some helping with evacuations of civilians, others simply clearing out with the rest. And she was here, just watching.

Asuka knew most of the others thought of her as “Team Mom”, because she was straightforward, level-headed, and responsible, always keeping them on track and on task. Then what she was feeling right now must be a mother’s fears.

***

“Aizawa, get out of the way!” Rikido shouted, drawing himself up to his full, imposing height.

Aizawa shook his head. “You heard Nezu. All staff is to stay on campus in case those things reach the school. We’re protecting the students.”

“Dammit,” he growled, jabbing a finger into Aizawa’s chest. “My son is out there!”

His former teacher didn’t even flinch. “And my daughter is going out there to help. Which she can do, because she has a Medical Hero license. If you go out there, in your state, you’re just going to cause more trouble.

“So sit down. Or I’ll make you.”

***

“Mom, turn off the TV.”

Mina gave her second eldest, Haruto, a look, as he didn’t give her the chance, and turned the TV off for her. “Turn that back on!”

He shook his head. “Nope. I’m worried about Dad and Takuma too. But you don’t get to give yourself a heart attack or something that could hurt the babies.”

Her hand instinctively went to her stomach, trying to quiet the unease that she felt. Haruto had already had banished her third child, Yamato, from the room, taking Ren and Moji with him.

“Dammit…”

***

“Hey! You wanna fight somebody, fight me!” Katsumi roared. The Nomu had already taken out Aunt Ochaco, clipped her hard when she’d gone in to try and get her hands on it to use her Quirk. She was unconscious, but breathing. So Katsumi was going to hit the ugly fucker with everything she had.

She brought up her gauntlets, firing disks imbued with her explosive power as fast as they would load. Explosions dotted along the surface of the Nomu’s skin, ripping open gashes, burning away flesh, and all together doing absolutely nothing to slow it down.

Had this been the way Papa had felt, fighting Strongarm? Staring down a foe stronger than you, one who could rip you apart? But doing it to buy someone else a little time? Was this Womanly?

It was three meters away. Then two. Then one. She kept firing, keeping its attention on her. But she had to move. She couldn’t just stand here. Keep it distracted and… and…

Why weren’t her legs moving?!

Katsumi braced herself and closed her eyes.

There was a sudden, sharp blast of wind and something scooped her up into the air. She opened her eyes and found… Shinji?!

“What the hell are you doing here, you overgrown vacuum cleaner?”

The large boy looked surprisingly sheepish at the accusation. “I, ah, may have, ah, flown away from school as fast as I could when we heard about the attacks. I was, ah, worried about you, and Izzy, and Shota, and Mika…”

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Katsumi slapped her face with the palm of her hand. “Only you. Put me down! We gotta fight that thing!”

Her irritation was replaced by terror that made her feel like someone had injected ice water into her veins. She hadn’t even thought about Izzy being out there somewhere… with Nomu everywhere. And she was with Uncle Pikachu and the Grape, who couldn’t possibly protect her against…

No. No. No. She had to banish that thought. If she got herself killed because she was distracted…

Shinji put her down on top of a roof. “I think there’s better people than us for that.”

Below, the Nomu was looking for new targets. Fortunately, it seemed to have found one. More Heroes had arrived on the scene now, that Phantom of the fucking Opera wannabe Laughing Man and Nejire Togata, who’d wailed on their class at the USJ.

Katsumi hadn’t liked getting beat to hell like that, but maybe they could unleash some of that hell on the Nomu.

She realized she was still breathing hard, her heart thudding in her chest. “Then let’s get Uravity out of the way.”

“Might as well risk my life some more,” Shinji said. “Dad’s going to kill me already anyway.”

This was still technically a Rescue Internship right? Maybe she could do some rescuing.

As soon as her hands stopped shaking.

***

"Vanish Veil, do you copy? Reports are in from all over the city. Heroes are already engaged but we need to get the word out further."

"I heard them myself already! I know what I'm doing." Mahoro huffed as she gave her hair a toss and looked out on the city. Might Tower was one of the highest points available, and a good map covered any blind spots. She checked the coordinates again. One, two, three... sixteen. It was a terrifying thought, but it was happening. She activated her quirk, several arrows blinking into view around her, before flying off in different directions, rapidly enlarging as they went. Within a minute, each of the Nomus' last reported locations were highlighted with beacons nearly half a mile high, with a red flashing demonic face topping each one. It would be almost impossible for any Hero to miss.

"Veil... are you sure you won't consider those art lessons?"

"Shut up! Don't distract me!" She focused on maintaining each of the illusions, while still listening for any location updates.

***

"Why! Won't! You! Stay! DOWN?!" Ravenous directed his Binging Balls to make another pass through the monster. Each time they left a neat hole, but the monster just ignored the damage being done to it. The beast was fast as well and had resisted Tamashiro's best efforts to focus his shots on a single point. As it charged him, finally moving in a straight line, he had three of his balls converge to slice off one of its feet, sending it momentarily off-balance. "RUSH, NOW!"

"ON IT!" Daichi Monoma, the hero known as Boost Rush, fired one of the protrusions on his arm at full intensity, sending him at high velocity to catch the Nomu mid-stumble. "Escape Velocity!" Before the creature had its feet on the ground again, he activated his other arm's rocket booster, delivering a punch that rotated his body and could have moved a car. It didn't inflict any visible damage to the creature, but it was propelled upwards several feet.

"Thanks!" Ravenous flashed a jagged grin as he directed all six of his Binging Balls at the monster's head before it had any leverage again.

***

"Keep it pinned down, Sandblast! Bioshock needs more time to get me ready." Bezoar had embedded himself on a rooftop as a gunner's nest. "I knew I should have taken more iron supplements this morning..."

"You're not the boss of me!" Sandblast sent another wave of Assault Dust at the Nomu, stripping a layer of flesh from it.

"Metabolism is at maximum, fire when ready!" Katsuma had completed maximizing the cell activation of Bezoar's quirk.

"GET CLEAR!" A pulse of light burst forth from Bezoar's jaws as they spread wide, and a roar of displaced air accompanied a high-speed hyper-dense projectile closing in on the Nomu.

***

"This way people, keep moving! Stay inside the tunnel and don't touch the sides!" Petal Princess had created a semi-circular passageway with her quirk, composed of the flowers created by her. Anything trying to press through would sustain significant damage. "Lady, behind you!"

"Rear Guard!" Lady Luminous, without turning around, unleashed her Queen Beam. A projection of light the width of her entire face shot forward one foot, before making two sharp turns, upwards and backwards, to catch the Nomu pursuing her and the fleeing civilians in the face. "Thanks!"

As soon as Lady Luminous had passed the point of the tunnel entrance, Petal Princess thrust both her palms towards the Nomu. "Perfumed Hurricane!" The tunnel dissipated as the flowers flattened, turning razor sharp and converging on the monster.

***

Shota screamed. The Nomu was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen, like a scary, monster corpse bird zombie thing. He and Ground Zero had been on patrol, when it had taken them by surprise, dropped out of the sky like some kind of bomb. It had smashed right through a car like it wasn’t even there and

Ground Zero had proven why he was the Number Four and instantly jumped into action. First, he’d grabbed Shota and thrown him out of the way, shouting “Stay down, kid!” He’d landed hard on his butt on the sidewalk. The patented Ground Zero Rescue Toss!

“DIE!” Ground Zero yelled, charging forward and blasting the Nomu in the face with both hands. It staggered backwards, blinded by the heat and light, but swung wildly, trying to tag him. He ducked under the blow and blasted it again, unleashing a powerful charge against its chest.

He pressed his attack, blasting it against and again. “Dammit! Why won’t you fall down!”

Ground Zero launched himself up and over the Nomu, slamming his hands against the sides of its head as he went. He unleashed more explosions and landed behind it, hammering another blow across its back. It roared and its skin was covered in burns, but nothing he could do was making it fall.

The Nomu spun to face him, its huge arms swinging wildly. A blow connected, sending him flying. Ground Zero crashed into a street light and slid down to the ground. The Nomu let out another roar started towards him.

It was going to kill Ground Zero! He… he couldn’t just…

And so Shota screamed again. He put everything he could into it, a high pitched scream that turned into pure destructive force. The blast struck the Nomu in the back, blasting a hole right through it. Shoto could see right through it and out the other side. He must have even blasted away part of its spine! The rest of its body seemed enough to support it, but he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Even if it was a monster, he’d never, ever used his Quirk on something alive like that…

At least, his attack got the Nomu’s attention. It turned to look at him, charred and burnt flesh barely hanging off its singed face. One eye was charged and burnt, the other grey and moving rapidly. It stopped when it saw him. Letting out a roar, it charged.

He couldn’t even scream. He couldn’t move. He was absolutely certain he was going to die. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get his legs to move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t do anything. Getting to be a Hero, it was his dream. Before now, it had almost seemed like all fun and games (And way too much studying. At least he didn’t have to worry about exams now.) and now it was just a nightmare.

I’m sorry, Mom! I’m sorry, Dad!

“Hey! Ugly!” a voice—Ground Zero, he was okay!—cried out. “Leave the kid alone!” Powerful explosions blasted the Nomu and then Ground Zero was above it, flying over its head. As he came down, the Nomu reached out… and grabbed his leg!

The Nomu let out another roar and grabbed Ground Zero around the middle with its other hand. He struggled against its grip, blasting it with explosions, but they did nothing to slow it down. And then…

It pulled.

From below the knee, Ground Zero’s leg… just… came… off…

He let out a scream. Not one of the ones he made before he smashed the bad guy… not even one of the ones he made when he was yelling at someone. But one that seemed to contain all the pain in the world.

The Nomu let him slip from its grasp. And Shota screamed one final time.

The waves of sound hit the Nomu and then it simply... wasn’t. The sound waves disintegrated it completely, like it was never even there.

Shota coughed, his throat raw. He hadn’t done that particular trick in a while and it took a lot of out of him. He felt sick. He’d done that. Done that to something that had once been human…

Ground Zero!

Shota rushed to his side. Blood was pouring from his leg and he looked pale. He had to remember his first aid training. He had to! Ground Zero had gotten hurt trying to protect him! It was already bad enough. If he died, he didn’t know what he’d do! They’d spent so much time on first aid, why couldn’t he remember it?!

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, “I’m sorry…” He’d done it, he’d gotten one of the greatest Heroes of all time killed. He was going to have to drop out, everyone was going to hate him, Uncle Shota was going to be so disappointed in him…

“’s… okay, kid…” Ground Zero said, weakly. “’s… okay…”

***

The Nomu, somehow, even with its head completely facing the other direction, got back on its feet. Its balance was off and it roared and swung wildly, but it was as though it wasn’t even aware of how badly it had been injured. It wasn’t healing, like some of the Nomu that Izuku and other Heroes had fought years ago, it was simply as though something was keeping it moving despite its injuries.

The sudden revival took Izuku by surprise and it landed a blow that knocked him back. Having knocked him out of the way, it started towards Mirio, Toshi, and his Interns. Toshi was already trying to put himself in front of everyone else, while Kocho was taking to the air and Haimawari was moving into a position to slide out, all of them getting ready to protect the injured Mirio.

Against such a monster, they’d have no chance. He didn’t even have time to think, his body just moved on his own, channeling over seventy-five percent of the power of One for All. Like a bolt of green lightning, he instantly crossed the distance between himself and the Nomu and hit it with everything he had. No named Smash, just a straight up punch.

Its head went flying from its body, smashing into the nearby building and embedding itself there. Finally, the body fell to its knees and did not rise. It took a moment for the enormity of what he had done to sink in. True, the Nomu were not people, not anymore. They’d proven long ago that there was no going back for them.

It was not the first time Izuku had been forced to take a life. What few times he had still haunted him sometimes, in long dark nights. But this monster had been threatening his son, threatening a friend he loved like a brother, threatening the students he had been charged with the welfare of.

He would do it again if he had to.

“Are those… wires?” Izuku saw Mirio, with his unbroken hand, prod the head. He was right. Wires were dangling from its neck, still twitching and sparking occasionally.

“It’s a robot?” Toshi asked.

“Is it supposed to be?” Haimawari asked. “I’ve only ever read about these things, but I didn’t think they were robots…”

“They’re not,” Izuku said, firmly. Someone was playing games with them. Probably the same people who’d been behind the truck theft a while back…

“Dad, look!” Toshi was pointing upward, where numerous arrows were now illuminated in the air.

“Remind me to thank Maharo the next time I see her,” Izuku said. “Toshi, I’m counting on you to get Haimawari and Koharu back to Might Tower. Mirio, can you stay here with the, ah, body?”

Mirio nodded. “Yeah.”

His Hero Phone crackled to life.

“Unable to get eyes on Chargebolt and Grape Juice…

“Ingenium engaging Nomu…

“Kestrel wounded…

“Shoto, arriving to assist Cellophane…

“Voice, Glamour, and Shield engaging…

“Nejire-Chan and Suneater down!

“Uravity down…!

“Ground Zero… critically injured! Repeat Ground Zero, critically injured!

FLASH!

“FULL COWL! ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!”

The fires of One for All flared within Izuku, turning him into a beacon in the street. He flew into the air so fast he left sizzling after-images behind him.

***

The sounds of battle behind Izumi’s ice wall hadn’t stopped, though she’d heard both Uncle Denki and Mister Minoru scream several times. She’d even had to reinforce her ice wall twice over.

From above, there came a great crackling sound and a ball of lighting dropped from the sky. There was a great explosion and the lighting took off again, just as quickly as it had gone.

“Uh, Izumi?” came Uncle Denki’s voice. “You can let us out now.”

***

Dragging its leg behind it, the Nomu was still shambling after Kenta and Nejire-Chan. He’d gotten some distance, but it was still following. It just… wouldn’t… stop.

A green streak of lighting fell out of the sky and engulfed the Nomu, then took off again immediately, too bright for his eyes to see what had happened. When he could see again, the Nomu was on the ground, its head torn off of its body.

“What… what just happened?”

***

Tamaki Togata, alias the Shield, had been Deku’s sidekick for several years now, ever since graduating from U.A. He’d done so proudly, even if it meant occasionally having his dad embarrass him at work.

He had never as afraid as he was right now. Dodging out of the way of the Nomu’s fists, his body started to glow brighter.

“What the…?” he gasped. “Deku?”

From above, a crackling electric streak dropped down, slammed into the Nomu, and was gone again. His own glow faded as it did so.

“…He’s pissed.”

***

The Laughing Man, with his solid air shields and other tricks, and Nejire Togata’s density control were keeping the Nomu contained, but weren’t doing much damage to it. Katsumi scooped Aunt Ochaco into her arms and turned to Shinji.

“Can you really carry both of us?” There was none of the usual anger in her voice found when she spoke to him. Just desperate pleading. Even with a good relationship with good relationship she had with Shizuka, Aunt Ochaco had always been the true mother figure in her life.

She couldn’t just lose her, not like this.

“Of course…” Shinji trailed off, deflating like his strings had been cut. “Yes. I can. I promise.”

A streak of green torn out of the sky and torn the Nomu’s head off. The glow faded for a moment, turning the glow into Uncle Deku! He looked around, almost panic stricken, until he laid eyes on Katsumi.

“Go!” she yelled at him. “She’s okay! We’ve got this!”

He hesitated for only a second, and then was gone again, glowing like a comet.

***

Shota had peeled off his costume’s tunic and wrapped it around what was left of Ground Zero’s leg, holding it as tightly as he could. He couldn’t even call for help, he just had to keep applying pressure. He wasn’t even sure where the rest of his leg had ended up. If they could find it, they could reattach it, right? But it such an uneven tear…

What was he going to do? Ground Zero just moaned and was growing paler by the second.

“Izzat… you… Loud… Kid…?”

He… he couldn’t die… he couldn’t… it was all his fault…

A massive thunderclap and a sizzle in the air made him look up, and a bright green streak landed, cracking the pavement. The glow faded only slight, and it was Uncle Deku! Steam poured off his body from the force of the acceleration as he looked around.

“Where’s the…” he started, but his eyes snapped to Shota and Ground Zero. “Kacchan…”

Shota looked up, pleadingly. More tears fell down his already tear and snot-stained face. “Uncle Deku! You’ve gotta save him!”

“Hang on tight.” Uncle Deku unclipped his cape and used it to scoop them both up. “And take a breath. This is gonna be fast.”

***

Years from now, they would talk about how Deku had singlehandedly stopped the Nomus that morning. How he had sped from battle to battle like a comet, smashing his way through each and every one of them in seconds, saving the lives of countless civilians, his fellow Heroes, and numerous students out on their Internships.

But as Izuku burst through the doors of the hospital, all he could think about was how he had been too late to save his friend…

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

Text

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 55: Friends Helping Friends

Presenting the next chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Due to scheduling things, this is being simultaneously posted here and AO3!

This chapter and earlier ones can be found here

“So who should we do for our project?”

Kenta looked up from his math textbook and the notes spread out on his desk. He, Takuma, and Kimiko were all studying in his room. It was the least cluttered and busy of their three rooms, without Kimiko’s plushies and martial arts equipment or the eye-searing and garish decorations that filled Takuma’s. Other than Shoji’s, it was probably the most boring room in the dormitory. At least he had stuff in his, mostly a few posters and some family photos. Pretty basic, but it was his.

“I asked what we should do for our project,” Takuma said. He was sitting on the floor, a book on his lap and a notepad next to him.

“What project?” Kenta asked.

“Our Hero History project?” Takuma prompted. “From Skyline’s class today? A presentation on a Pro Hero who made a significant contribution to society, either through good actions or bad behavior?”

“Oh, right,” he replied. “That.”

His pink-skinned friend held his gaze for a minute. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

Kenta let out a sigh. “Yeah, sorry, nothing.”

Kimiko, sitting on his bed, gave him a look. He couldn’t see her eyes or expression, of course, but he could practically feel the concern radiating off her. There was a slight denting on the collar of her shirt, which told him she was tilting her head. One sleeve came up. Was she maybe pointing? “You okay, Kenta?” she asked. “You’ve been kind of spacey ever since you got back last night.”

He frowned. “You guys have your sessions with Hound Dog yet?”

“During English today,” Kimiko said. She tensed. “You did notice I was gone, didn’t you?”

Kenta swallowed hard. “I didn’t. Sorry, Kimmie.” He felt bad about that. Kimiko tried so hard to make sure she was noticed, and he hadn’t even realized she was gone. Sure, he’d kind of been sleepwalking through the day, but he didn’t feel like that was any kind of excuse.

“Kenta!” she yelled, arms flailing, “how could you just miss me like that! I oughta….”

She trailed off. Kenta guessed he must have looked distressed enough to prevent a full on rant and swat. There was some small blessing in that. Kimiko wasn’t that tall, but she was fit and packed a lot of power behind her smacks. He was surprised Takuma didn’t have brain damage from all the times she’d gone upside his head.

Though she never did seem to smack him as hard she did him.

She arms dropped to her lap. “It was fine. I really didn’t see much of anything. Just one of those things when me and Doctor Izumi got closer to the hospital. I made us invisible and Mister Aoyama zapped the hell out of it. Thing sure was ugly though. But I got cleared right away.”

“Me too,” Takuma said. “During Science. Tsukuyomi did pretty much all the lifting and just tore the one we were fighting apart. Scary, kinda gross. But I wasn’t in any danger.”

Keta wondered if wasn’t noticing how his voice was shaking with that. But his best friend’s lighter nature returned almost immediately. “Please tell me you noticed,” Takuma continued. “Because I sit right next to you.”

Kenta squirmed uncomfortably.

“Bro.” Takuma gave him an incredulous look.

“Seriously, Kenta, what’s going on?” Kimiko asked. “This isn’t like you. You’re usually the one keeping us focused.”

Well, how was he supposed to answer that? That he’d used his Quirk on what he’d thought had been a living thing? That he couldn’t get the taste of its freakish (false?) flesh out of his mouth? That he’d been scared he was going to die? That if he had a better or more impressive Quirk, he wouldn’t have nearly died?

How about the fact that he’d been planning on asking Kimiko out before everything turned to shit? He’d gone from riding a victory high after helping to beat that gunk villain to being scared out of his mind just days later.

Suneater and Nejire-Chan said he’d saved their lives.

So why didn’t he feel like a Hero?

“It’s nothing,” he said, trying to change the subject. “So, you said we’ve got a report?”

Unfortunately, his attempts at diversion did not work and just got both of them staring at him intently. “”It’s not nothing,” Takuma said, crossing his arms. The frown looked badly out of place on his pink face. “You’ve been out of it all day.”

Kenta looked away. “I really don’t…”

“Bro,” Takuma said again. “I’m your best friend.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Kimmie, but it’s true. You’re a real close second, though. But Kenta, we’re your friends. We’ve been through some shit together. That time we tried to hide a kitten in your room. The cookie fiasco. Mrs. Tendo’s math class.”

Left unspoken was the death of his mother, but Kenta knew it was there all the same. Takuma, Kimiko, Akaya, they’d all been there, as much as five year olds could, when his mom had been killed. And the friendships there had stayed ever since.

“Talk to us,” Takuma said, softly.

Kimiko moved over to his side of the room. “Aw, Kenta,” she began. Some inner warning system told him to flinch, which was wise, because the next thing he knew, she was hitting him, smacking him across the arms and shoulders with her hands. “If you don’t tell us what’s wrong, I’m going to beat the stuffing out of you! We’re your friends! If there’s something wrong with you, we wanna know about it! Why don’t you talk to us?!”

“Kimmie! You’re gonna leave bruises!” Takuma grabbed her arm before she could hit him again, and pulled her slightly away.

Kenta rubbed his arm where she’d been smacking him. “No, she’s right. You’re… both right. I shouldn’t…”

He looked down. The floor was more comfortable than having to look two of the people who mattered most to him in the eyes. “I nearly died, guys.” He heard gasps from both of them. Kimiko didn’t even protest that she was “not a guy.”

Kenta sucked in a breath. “That Nomu knocked out Suneater and then Nejire-Chan. She hit her head. I was pretty sure she was dead, until I saw her breathing. But it kept coming. I thought for sure it was going to kill her, then me. Or some combination of that. So I… I took a bite out of it.”

He shook his head. “I was pretty sure it was alive. Or as alive as something like that could be. Not a robot. But I still did it. Because I thought it was the only way to get out of there alive. And then I tried to hightail it out of there with Nejire-Chan. But it kept following us, even with half its calve missing. If Deku hadn’t shown up… she’d be dead, I’d be dead, and then it probably would have gone back and finished off Suneater.”

He was aware, suddenly, that he was sobbing. Kenta held his head in his hands. “We’d all be dead and Dad… Dad’d be all alone… Maybe if I was stronger or had a better Quirk or…”

Arms wrapped around him, Takuma’s wiry ones and Kimiko’s fit ones. A group hug. “Oh, Kenta,” Kimiko said. “We had no idea.”

“Dude,” Takuma added, “you can’t just keep this stuff to yourself. We’re your friends. We’re the ones you’re supposed to tell this stuff to.

“And besides,” he went on, causing Kenta to look up, “do you know how much time we’ve invested in your social media presence? All of that’d be wasted if you got killed.” He had on his “good idea grin,” the one he always did when he was trying to convince someone to go along with his ideas and trying to push the charm. It rarely ever worked.

This time, though, Kenta found himself laughing. Slowly at first, but then faster, louder, until he was laughing as hard as he’d been sobbing, and the tears of pain he’d cried turned to tears of joy. When Kimiko and Takuma released him, he wiped his eyes. “Oh, man,” he said, feeling lighter for the first time since Saturday morning, “I needed that. Thanks, both of you.”

“Anytime, Bro,” Takuma said.

“What’re friends for?” Kimiko asked. “But if you ever pull anything like that again…” She raised an arm, menacingly.

“’Make Kimiko go whacko, you get the smacko,’” Kenta repeated from memory.

“Damn right you will,” she said firmly.

“The three of us,” Takuma said, “we’re together to the end. No matter what.”

He could still hear the Nomu’s roar. Still smell its fetid breath. Still taste its putrid flesh in his mouth. Still feel the fear threatening to drive his heart from his chest.

But now, it all felt just a little more distant. And maybe, just maybe, he was a little more determined to tell Kimiko how he felt. After nearly dying, there were way worse things than maybe being a little embarrassed.

Worst she’d probably do was smack him.

***

“Thanks, both of you, for coming,” Kana Tetsutetsu said, walking up the stairs to the fourth floor of the Class 1-B dormitory. She let out a weary sigh. “I’ve tried talking to him, but he practically hid from everyone at lunch and he holed up in his room immediately after class.”

“Anything for ‘Ro,” Mika said. “He’s been ignoring me too, for what it’s worth. I was about to send him some steamy pics when you called. See if that worked.”

She had a really great bikini for it too. Combined with her rocking bod, it was guaranteed to get some kind of response out of anyone female-attracted. She should still probably send some of those to Shinji. He was on a social media lockdown as part of his punishment for flying to the rescue across Japan (And how romantic was that?), but texts should still count…

“Maybe you should try sending Haimawari some, Kana,” she said. “Guys like those things. Keeps the fire in the relationship.”

“We’ve texted and watched some movies together,” Kana said, sounding annoyed. “He’s a nice guy—and he is cute—but we’re definitely not at that stage yet. And Mika…”

“Yes?”

“Stop hitting on him or I’ll break your legs.”

Mika like out a frightened eep. “Yes, ma’am,” she said.

“Should you not tell your Homeroom Teacher?” Akaya asked, trying to drag the subject back to the actual reason they were there. It wasn’t Mika’s fault so many things lead to sexual or relationshipal thoughts! “The welfare of students is his job. Or perhaps your mother? She is a close family friend.”

Kana shook her head, setting her orange-red ponytail swaying. “Getting Fujii-sensei or Mom involved is just asking for trouble. Plus it might end up on the record, even with Mom. The line between family friend and teacher gets a little weird. Plus Mom’d tell his parents and Shiro already feels like he’s here hanging on by a thread. Who knows what would happen if he thought it was getting worse.”

Mika was definitely glad her mom wasn’t a UA teacher. She needed freedom to pursue her various interests, like boys. And girls. And other individuals to which she was attracted. Having that much scrutiny around all the time during your teenage years couldn’t be good for you.

“Understandable,” Akaya said. “But if Shiro is so deeply troubled, I would prefer he get the help he needs, regardless of what it may mean for his career. Still… perhaps we can convince him to seek the help himself.”

“Thanks,” Kana said, opening the stairwell door. “Fukidashi says he’s “undergoing character development,” but that’s pretty par for the course for her nonsense.” Even Mika would admit that Anime sometimes didn’t make a lot of sense.

“Think it has something to do with his Internship?” Mika asked.

Shiro had interned with Red Riot. Considering Shiro was hung up on Kirishima-Bakugo, that had to have been awkward. Wasn’t he supposed to have done some kind of dramatic confession before they started those? If it had gone well, he’d probably have bragged about it to everyone who would listen, so she could only assume she’d turned him down, but still…

“I asked Shoji what happened,” Akaya said. “But he said it was not his place to discuss it.”

“Of course he did,” Mike said, rolling her eyes. “He makes minding his own business a Sports Festival level event.” Understandable, but not helpful in this particular situation.

Two of the four doors were open, one on either side nearest the stairwell. In one of them, a very attractive guy who looked like a humanoid bat was strumming on what looked like a heavily modified guitar with his long fingers. His fur was white, save for a mane of wild blond hair. She could just imagine him folding his wing-arms around her and…

A tug on her arm brought her back to reality. “Help friends now, carnal pursuits later,” Akaya cautioned her.

“I’ll introduce you to Koumori later, if this pans out, okay?” Kana said, giving her the same look other people did when they were fighting the urge to roll their eyes.

If he was interested in music though, maybe she could pass up a hot guy this one time, introduce him to Chihio? Her best friend was nearly flat as a board, so she needed a different hook to get a guy… Chi did have good legs and a great ass (She noticed these things, even if she’d never hit on her best friend), so throw in a mutual interest…

From the doorway of the other open room, a large young man—He had to be nearly three meters tall!—poked his head out. “Everything okay, Tetsutetsu?” he asked.

“I don’t know yet, Fukui,” Kana told him. “Have you seen Shiro today? Outside of class, I mean.”

The big guy shook his head. “I think I saw him go down and get some food, but that’s it. He was doing that sneaky ninja creep thing he does.”

Kana just sighed and pinched her nose again. “Of course, he did. Thank you, Fukui.”

“Yes, thank you,” Akaya added. She gave him a little wave. “Hello, Fukui.”

The big guy smiled and returned the wave. “Hi, Koda. Still planning on joining us in the garden this weekend?”

“If time and weather permit.”

Mika looked between the two. She knew they were friends, but were they friends or “friends”? None of her usual radar was going off, so probably just the former. And also not relevant to the task at hand! If she didn’t get any action on this trip, nobody did!

***

Shiro’s room was at the end of the hall, on the left. Kana knocked on it. “Shiro! Open up!”

Silence greeted her. She knocked again. “Shiro, this is me as your friend, not as your classmate or Class Rep. Open up. Please.”

A muffled sound came from within. It sounded a bit like “Go away.”

Kana threw her hands up in the air. “Argh. He’s power sulking, I just know it. He was doing this before the Internships too.”

Yeah, that definitely suggested whatever had happened with Kirishima-Bakugo hadn’t gone well. Poor Shiro. There was a sweet guy under all that ego. He’d definitely treated her like a princess when they’d been dating.

Kana turned to Akaya. “Okay, your turn. We’ll try reasonableness.”

“Shiro,” Akaya said, with that soft voice of hers, like wind through reeds, “Shiro, please. We are worried about you. Whatever happened, allow us to share your burdens.”

This too, was met by silence.

Akaya placed a hand on the door. “Shiro. Please. I am asking you not to hide from us.”

Silence again greeted them, until the soft sound of footsteps on carpet followed. The door opened slightly and Mika peered around Akaya’s bulk to a get a look at him. She would be the first to admit that she was frequently surprised, whether it was by unexpected hotness or Kirishia-Bakugo showing up out of nowhere to yell at her. But what she saw with Shiro took her breath away.

He looked like he hadn’t slept in a couple of days, with deep, dark bags hanging under his eyes. He was slouching. He hadn’t changed out of his uniform, other than to shuck the jacket, so it was it was wrinkled. He’d allowed his hair to become unkempt.

That was when she realized just how serious this was.

“Holy crap,” Mika said, softly.

“I’m fine, Akaya,” he said, not looking her in the eyes. “Just tired.”

“Kana was worried about you,” Akaya said. “And I see now that she was right to be so. You are very much not yourself.”

“I’ll be fine,” Shiro insisted. It looked very much like he’d been crying. And like he hadn’t even been doing his skin care regime! “If you’ll excuse me, Akaya, it’s nice of you to check on me. But I’m in the middle of something.”

Mika could just see into Shiro’s room. The vaguely French décor, the expansive hair care set up, it looked just like the last time she had been in his room (It had been entirely platonic, despite how she kept dropping things and had to keep bending over to pick them up.), except for the suitcases on the floor. It was entirely possible, given his depressive state, that he had never unpacked. It would have been unlike his usual collected self, but possible under current circumstances. Except for the fact that most of his dresser drawers appeared to be open. And empty.

“What,” she said, “the actual fuck?!”

She quickly became aware that she must have been rather loud, because Akaya, Kana, and Shiro were all staring at her. Even the other boys on the floor had come out of their rooms to see. Fortunately for her, she didn’t care.

She pushed past Akaya and shoved Shiro into his room, roughly. “I’ve got this.”

The door slammed shut behind her.

***

Mika gave Shiro another shove further into the room, and then one more, to knock him onto the bed. She pointed at him and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Trembling with rage, she forced herself to be able to speak.

“What. The Hell. Is wrong with you?” she demanded, going back to pointing. “Are you giving up? Quitting? Since when the hell do you do that?!”

She realized he was staring at her, eyes wide, a frighten expression on his face, shaking like a leaf. “Hey, no, no,” Mika said quickly, joining him on the bed. She put her arms around him. Under most circumstances, she’d have pulled his head to her bosom, but it didn’t seem like it would work here. “I’m not mad. Okay, yes, I am mad at you. Because you got me all worried. But why are you leaving?”

“Because I don’t belong here.”

“The hell you don’t.”

Shiro gestured to his desk, where some of his things were still out. A deck of playing cards, a set of lock picks, even a twirling baton. A small pair of hand weights sat on the floor, and DVDs of Heroes in action in hand-lettered cases occupied a significant section of the bookshelf.

“Did you know there’s a running bet among some of the other courses as to whether or not I even have a Quick? Do you know how hard I have to work, just to keep up with people with real powers? Just because I can move like Eraserhead or copy Gunhead’s moves doesn’t mean I’ve got any of their strength unless I work at it. All the time. So I’ve worked for years to be able to keep up.”

He closed his eyes. “And when I was out in the field… when that monster attacked… my Quirk and body betrayed me. It might have been a robot, but cloaked in dead skin, all I could see was how profoundly wrong it was. Not like Ojiro or Fukidashi, they’re just blind spots. But just pure, unadulterated, unnaturalness. And I knew, in that moment, no matter what I did… there was nothing I could have done that would have even slowed it down for a moment.”

His eyes snapped open, tears trailing down his cheeks. “I froze! Shoji had to carry me out of there, like a child! I could have run, I could have done anything, but instead, I was exactly what they always used to say I was… a useless kid with a useless, fake Quirk, deluding himself about being a Hero!”

Mika blinked slowly, processing everything Shiro had just unloaded on her. She knew he had plenty of crisises of confidence. She remembered comforting him after he’d lost at the Sports Festival. She remembered the many times where he’d wondered if he was good enough.

But she had never seen him as broken as he was right now. Self-doubt was one thing, he had wanted to be talked out of those bouts. She wasn’t sure he did right now.

“So I might as well pack my things. Maybe they can give my spot to a Gen Ed kid like Kocho. Somebody who’ll do something with it. It’s not too late to take up a career as a street performer.”

Mika frowned. Kana would have had some words of encouragement. Akaya would have had something deep and thoughtful to add to the conversation. Even Kirishima-Bakugo would have known what to say here, though her answer probably would have been “Suck up and get over it.” Unfortunately, Mika was none of those people, so she was going to have to improvise.

“Okay,” she said, “first, I’m going to need the names of whoever’s organizing these bets. Because I need to adjust the hoof to ass ratio around here something fierce.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “That’s your takeaway from this?”

“Look, I don’t have a lot of tools here, Shiro. So ass kicking on your behalf seems like a good start.”

“You’re impossible, you know that?” he said. “But even if you beat them all up, it doesn’t change anything.”

She gave him a small poke in the chest with her finger. “Listen to me, Shiro. You’re going to stay here, and you’re going to be a big damn Hero. And do you know why?”

He gave a little laugh. “Because you’ll adjust my ass to hoof ratio?”

“No,” she said. “Well, yes, if this moping thing keeps up. But that’s not why. It’s because you’re a spiteful little bastard who never let anybody tell him what he can and can’t do. And if you think you can’t cut it… then do it to spite yourself.”

This got another laugh, one that was quickly replaced by a frown. “You realize that made no sense? And it still doesn’t change anything.”

“Got you to forget your problems for a minute, didn’t I?” Mika asked. “You change your mind yet?”

“No.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

Shiro shook his head. “As… refreshing as this chat’s been, I’m still the guy who froze up when he should have acted.”

She was rapidly running out of ideas here. “How’s your class going to get by without you?”

“Kana is the Representative. She’ll do a fine job, even without me. She might not have quite the same competitive spirit I do, but she’s got enough of one to ensure they won’t fall behind.”

“The term’s not over and you won’t be able to transfer anywhere, even to a non-Hero school, without a complete transcript.”

He opened and closed his mouth. “…Dammit.”

“Stay at least that long?” she asked. “Please?”

“For the sake of my academics, yes.”

“Great! That gives me a few weeks to work with!”

He just shook his head. “You’re really not giving up on me, are you?”

“Of course not,” she told him, leaning over to give him a little peck on the cheek.

She really didn’t know how to solve this. This was every problem Shiro had had turned up to eleven. Being rejected on top of having his perceived weaknesses brought to the forefront… There really wasn’t a good way to get past that. At least, not that she could see right now. Maybe Akaya or Kana or Anime could think of something.

But she could be there. And she’d bought herself a little time.

***

“Hey, ah, can we come in?”

The voice at the door snapped Katsumi’s attention out of her math homework. Or rather, her attempts at her homework. She wasn’t exactly having an easy time focusing on the numbers and formulae. The more she tried to concentrate, the more it all ran away from her and sent her spiraling down dark paths.

At least Izzy and Toshi were giving her space. They’d both assured her they were here for her if she needed them, but knew to let her process it all in her own way. Though Izzy was extremely insistent that she unburden herself somehow, to someone. Still unable to say no to Izzy, she’d said she would. Which meant she’d have to deal with this sooner or later. Because while she was many things, she wasn’t a liar.

“Kirishima-Bakugo?” a second voice, this one male, joined the first. “You going to give us an answer?”

“Katsumi.”

That last one definitely got her attention. She turned and saw Sero and Kaminari standing in her doorway. She gave them a glare and both squawked. Sero actually took an awkward step backwards, losing his balance and falling on his ass. Kaminari let out an equally terrified squeak, her Extension Cords standing upright and sending off sparks. “Kaminari, we definitely aren’t close enough to be to be using my first name,”

“We used to be,” Kaminari said as she helped Sero back to his feet.

“Yeah,” Sero said. “Bakusquad Generation Two! What happened to that?”

Her glare must be getting weak. They were still there and still talking. “Because you two got dumb as fuck.”

They weren’t wrong. They’d been friends, once, when they were children and when they were pre-teens. But then Sero got obsessed with internet fame and Kaminari had started listening to Mineta more and more, where Katsumi remained one hundred percent focused on her goal of being a Hero. So they’d drifted apart. Kaminari, she saw more often still, since she was also friends with Izzy, but it was never quite the same.

They weren’t friends, but they were still… Something. She wasn’t sure what the word was. Classmates, at least. Family friends, sure. And she’d put them ahead of Horse-Girl or the Glowstick on the list of people she tolerated, so there was that.

“Right,” Sero said, unfazed by her barb. “And you got terrifying beyond all reason. You know, the usual.”

“So can we come in or not?” Kaminari asked.

“Is there any answer I can give that would make you go away?”

They exchanged a look. “Nope,” Sero said.

“Nope,” Kaminari added.

“Nope!” both said at once.

“No,” Katsumi said, because some things had to be tried, no matter how futile they were. She wasn’t surprised when they ignored her and came in anyway.

“Dig the posters,” Kaminari said, looking at the posters for the heavy metal bands on her walls. “Scream Girls? Great sound. You’ve got good taste.”

“I’ve heard about them,” Sero said. “Loud, angry-sounding lesbians in leather costumes. I can total see why you dig them, Kirishima-Bakugo.”

Katsumi gave him a look that would peel paint. He panicked appropriately, flailing his hands in an apologetic gesture. “N..not that there’s anything wrong with that! Kind of loud for me, though. I gotta go with the Nyan-Band myself. Their stuff’s catchy!”

This time, both Katsumi and Kaminari gave him a look. “You’re an idiot,” Kaminari said.

“Dumbass,” Katsumi said.

There was a brief pause as Katsumi exchanged a look with Kaminari. It said “in this moment, I respect that you are not Sero.”

“So seriously, what are you two doing here?” she demanded. “Other than lowering the average IQ in the room?”

“Look, it’s like you said, we’re not really friends anymore,” Sero said. “Not close, anyway. But all our families are still friends. We were worried about you and your dad.”

“Yeah,” Kaminari said. She frowned, which Katsumi admitted looked out of place on her features. She was a dumbass, but Kaminari was usually cheerful. “Um, I just… remember when Dad was hurt. Back in the day. And how messed up it all was even back then. So now…”

Back when Papa had been hurt. And Uncle Tetsutetsu had been hurt. And Sato had lost his mother. Lots of people had been hurt on that one. Kaminari’s dad had been stabbed. A lot. When they hadn’t been sure if they were going to lose Papa…

At least in the here and now, they had a guarantee that Dad was going to be all right. Him living wasn’t a question. But how well he’d take to, well, pretty much anything, was still up in the air. She’d talked to both her parents today. Lots of physical therapy for Dad, so he could at least be fitted for a normal prosthetic eventually, even if he couldn’t use his Quirk with it. Papa was also trying to get him to talk to a real therapist… it wasn’t going well.

Of course, she wasn’t exactly looking forward to her own sessions with Hound Dog either. Because she was pretty sure she wasn’t getting away with just one. The school therapist probably had a thing about people suppressing their uncomfortable emotions and channeling them for violence. Some stupid rule about not using “unhealthy coping mechanisms.”

“He’s… he’s healing,” Katsumi said, hoping they didn’t notice the hesitancy in her voice. The last thing she needed was for either of them to stop being afraid of her. “Still a way’s away from being discharged though.”

“Eeesh,” Sero said. “Rough. Mom said Dad’s going home tomorrow. Gotta take it easy for a while though.”

“Dad went home to day,” Kaminari said. “He actually got off pretty easy.”

Katsumi clenched a fist and gritted her teeth. She wasn’t going to snap at them. She wasn’t going to yell. She wasn’t going to protest the unfairness of it all. It was all part of the risks of being a Hero. But damn, she wanted to.

“Still,” Sero said, “good to hear about your dad. When we heard what had happened to him…”

“Got pretty scared,” Kaminari said. “Somebody like him can get hurt like that… Somebody we know and who took care of us as kids…”

Yeah. A big name Hero like Dad getting hurt, that was shocking. Brought them down to normal suddenly, deleted the myth of invincibility. But she’d learned that lesson early.

Didn’t make it hurt any less right now. Or make her worry go away.

“So…,” Kaminari went on, as an awkwardness hung in the air. She gestured vaguely with her Cords, hands stuffed into the pockets of her pants. “We just wanted to say we’re here if you need us.”

“Just wanna talk, or whatever,” Sero said. He held up a finger. “Or even if you just want to yell at us. That always seems to make you happy.”

A free pass at that? A grin slowly spread over Katsumi’s face. “I just might have to take you up on that,” she said. “…But not when you’re expecting it.”

“So what you’re saying is we’ve got a free shot at annoying you now?” Sero asked. “Because I could totally film that. Simmering kettle, I’ll call it…”

Katsumi just rolled her eyes. “Under no circumstances.”

“Yeah, okay,” Kaminari said, tugging on Sero’s arm to get him moving toward the door. “Let’s get out of here before you get us both killed. But we meant it, Kirishima-Bakugo. You need us, talk to us.”

Maybe she would. Maybe she would.

#my hero academia #their hero academia #fan fiction #fan fic #my writing #kenta sato #kimiko ojiro #takuma sero #katsumi kirishima-bakugo #chihiro kaminari #mika (tha)#shiro monoma #kana tetsutetsu #akaya koda

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 4 years ago

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Their Hero Academia – Chapter 60: Final Exam Part 2: Multiple Choice

Presenting the next chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

All chapters can be found here

Shota took in a deep breath and let out a scream, high-pitched and powerful. The sonic waves passed through the buildings ahead of them and then bounced back, giving him a detailed outline of everything and everyone those waves had touched. It was like seeing a picture in his head, online mostly just in sharp blue outlines. Normally, he couldn’t get this good of a picture. Solid objects slowed down the soundwaves and bounced them back. But with so many of the buildings having shattered windows or other hole in them, he could get a much better picture of what was going on.

“I count four people in the buildings,” he said, pointing. “Two there, one there, one there. Plus three people outside it and at least four more people up past that building, but it gets fuzzy after that.”

“Good job, Shinso,” Sora Iida told him. In her red and silver armor, combined with her height, she stood out distinctly in the morning sun. “I can scout ahead and take the far point, while you three work on the closer rescues.”

“Who put you in charge?” Aoyama asked. He was lit up like a small sun himself; with his arms and face exposed, his glow made him hard to even look at directly.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Iida asked. It wasn’t a challenge, the way Kirishima-Bakugo might have asked it, but genuine interest. Of course, given Iida’s scientific leanings, she would be interested in the best outcome.

“…Non,” he admitted. His shoulders slumped and he gave his cape a flick. “Let us do your plan then.”

“We must also be vigilant against the presence of Villains, Aoyama,” Koda said, cautiously. She usually was the one to rein Aoyama in when he was getting an attitude or pouting. “Iida is the fastest of us. If anyone should be scouting ahead, it is her.”

Aoyama crossed his arms, but grumbled his assent. Shota knew he liked to show off and be the center of attention, but now really wasn’t the time for it. Not with all of them passing or failing depending on it. Shota was already worried enough that he was going to drag everyone down… He’d kept it together during training since he came back to school, but this was a lot more intense.

“You are correct as always, Mademoiselle Koda,” Aoyama conceded.

The matter settled, Iida said, “Remember, we are to check in with Tos—Gravi-Might and the others in ten minutes, unless they contact us first.” With the roar of her Jetpack, the wings of her costume snapped up and she took off, quickly speeding into the distance.

Shota, Koda, and Aoyama snapped into action as well. None of them possessed Quirks which granted much speed, but they were all still in good enough shape for a quick jog. On the road ahead of them, a pair of cars had crashed into each other. One had been abandoned, but the other was crushed where a downed electrical pole had landed on it. It showed no obvious signs of still being active, but…

“Hang on, sir!” Shota called out to the robot behind the wheel of the car. “We’re going to get you out!”

From the robot, there was no response. Unconscious, then? That meant they really needed to move.

Fortunately, Koda was one step ahead of him. From the seed pouch on her belt, she produced a handful of seeds and tossed them near the car. Once in the ground, she applied her Quirk and they immediately started to grow, becoming vines that wrapped their way around the pole, covering each stray wire, and slowly lifting it off the car.

“My hastily grown friends do conduct a little electricity,” she said, “but not enough to do them significant harm. And far less harm than that would do to us.”

Aoyama stepped in next. With the car partially smashed, there was no way they were just opening the door to get the robot out. From the mirrored wristband on his right arm, he released a small portion of his stored light, going for a concentrated blue-white laser beam that cut through the car like a hot knife going through butter, leaving an orange-hot line behind it. When he had gone completely around the edge of the door, he took a quick step back as it fell.

“Watch the edges!” Shota said. “They’re going to be hot!”

Aoyama shot him a dirty look. “I know that!” he snapped. But the look on Aoyama’s face said he didn’t. With care, though, he extracted the robot. “Do not worry,” he told it. “We shall get you somewhere safe.”

Getting it a safe distance away was enough for the robot to tell them they had completed its rescue. The other rescues went just as quickly. Shota was even able to use his Quirk to blast away some rubble, letting Koda and Aoyama finish up the rescue. It felt good. Even if they were robots, using his Quirk to find people, to help them, not to cause harm, was a welcome change. Still, some small part of him still flinched at unleashing the more destructive aspects of his Quirk, even for rescue work. He could still see the Nomu simply disintegrating under his power. Even if it had turned out not to be alive, he hadn’t know that at the time…

With a road of jet engines, Iida returned, landing near them. “I was able to rescue two, but I will need additional support for the others,” she said. “But first… Loud Kid, another sonar sweep, if you would, in case the parameters have changed?”

Shota nodded. But just before he could let out another sonar pulse, a loud crack sounded, echoing off the buildings. Something struck Aoyama in the head and he went down!

***

Isamu skidded to a stop, braking hard with a bit of reverse-thrust. The section of Omega City his group had headed to was a wreck, looking like a tornado had hit it. Robot civilians were running from a Villain, a muscular man with bird-like feet that ended in sharp talons, hair that turned into feathers and spread along his back, and massive wings. He wore tattered jeans and very little beyond that, with tattoos covering the space on his back between his wings. When he flapped his wings, he unleashed massive gusts of wind, blowing over everything in his path. The tornado theory was looking pretty solid.

The Villain hadn’t noticed them yet, content in his rampage, with his back to them. His shock momentarily halted, Isamu stood up. Already, he could feel his heart thudding in his chest. Even if this was some Pro-Hero helping out U.A. or one of the other year teachers or something, this felt like a Villain attack. Whoever they were, they were doing a damn good job getting into their role.

Of course, if he was a Hero, Isamu felt like he should have recognized him. But there weren’t a lot of Pro-Heroes with wings (Hawks and Kestrel immediately came to mind, but this definitely wasn’t either of them) and this guy didn’t seem to match up to any of them. Maybe from another country? He wasn’t so good with those.

“That’s right!” the winged man shouted. “Run! Run!” He flicked his wings forward again, sharply. The wave of air was more compressed this time, slicing through everything in its path. The change in air pressure was intense. Even as far away as they were, even from behind him, Isamu could fell it. This guy’s Quirk might make him even stronger than Gale Force…

“…I’m open to suggestions here,” Sero said. “I mean, I could probably shoot some Tape at him, but those wings look pretty strong. I’d have to take him completely by surprise and I’m just not fast enough to wrap him up before he notices.”

“Yeah, this why I’m going into Rescue Heroics,” Ojiro added. “I guess I could go invisible and kick him in the balls…”

“X-Ray,” Isamu said, and he had to force himself to say Sero’s Hero name, “Stick ‘Em Up… Rescue the civilians. Amaterasu and I will get his attention and hold him off.”

Behind the clear face plate of his costume, Sero gave him an astonished look, then performed an exaggerated salute. “It’s been nice knowing you, man. You ready, Kimmie?”

Ojiro nodded, a gesture only visible because of the visor she wore with her eye-searingly bright costume. Sero wrapped an arm around her and in the blink of an eye, they both became invisible, shielded from view by the power of her Quirk. Isamu heard the “thwip!” sounds of Sero firing off a strand of his Acid Tape and he knew they were on the move.

Tokoyami’s expression was more unreadable, but Isamu had known her long enough now to read some of the more subtle movements of her feathers and her eyes. She was uneasy, but ready to fight.

Training had mostly pitted them against robots or, occasionally, each other. And yes, they’d been allowed to engage some very minor level criminals and Villains during their Internships. But this was something different entirely. Who even was this guy?

“Ready?” he asked her.

“Ready,” she said.

“Could be bad,” he said. “Guy seems pretty powerful.”

“So are we,” she said. “Have confidence, Haimawari.”

She had a point. “I’ll go low. You go high.”

There was a small nod between them, and Isamu launched himself forward, employing his Quirk as soon as he hit the ground. “Hey!” he shouted, pouring on the speed and trying to get the guy’s attention. “How about picking on someone your own size, you big blowhard!”

That got the guy’s attention. He turned quickly and Isamu could now see that he had harsh, yellow eyes like a bird as well. “Well, well,” the guy said, a trace of a Chinese accent in his voice, “if it isn’t the brave little Heroes!” His wings flared out and Isamu felt a massive gust of wind push against him. He poured on the thrust, fighting against it, more grateful than ever for the goggles and bandanna protecting his eyes, mouth, and nose. There was plenty of dust and debris in the air that could have been really nasty otherwise.

Fortunately, he was just the distraction. With the bad guy focusing on him, he didn’t see Tokoyami’s Frog-Shadow snaking around from above. But suddenly, Frog-Shadow swerved from her path, flying erratically through the air, until she smashed into the ground, leaving a small crater from the impact. Isamu too, suddenly saw the world spinning around him, making it impossible to tell where the street was. He swerved, hard, and saw a wall coming up right in front of him…!

***

Midoriya had one of the strongest Quirks in the class, up there with Izumi, Shinso, and Tokoyami, and he’d bounced off the Villain like a ragdoll! He was getting back up, but it would take him a minute. That impact looked like it was going to hurt tomorrow.

The metal man grinned in a way that vaguely reminded Chihiro of Kirishima-Bakugo, the same kind of “this is gonna be a fight and I’m gonna enjoy it” sort of smile she got before she punched someone. It was made all the worse by the truly massive underbite the guy had. His bottom jaw was huge, like the scoop bucket on a steam shovel. Where the hell had U.A. found this creepazoid? It was part of the exam, right? It hadn’t been crashed by some real Villain, had it? No, if that was the case, Aizawa and the other teachers would be intervening already…

“You going try and fight me like the green kid there?” the metal man asked. Despite looking like a thug, he didn’t sound stupid or uneducated. The voice was deep, rumbling, and confident like a champion fighter. “Nothing wrong with running. I’ve fought plenty of Heroes before and come out on top. I don’t like fighting girls, but if I have to…. Well, I’m not leaving without the doc.”

“Girls”? Mika repeated. She stamped a hoof on the ground and pointed an indignant finger. “The nerve of this guy! We’re Heroes in training! And he’s trying to softball us? I demand the right to be fought just like a guy!”

Anybody else, Chihiro would have thought they were babbling. But among Mika’s many skills was provocation. It had worked well for her during the Sports Festival and judging by the guy’s expression, it was working now.

“I mean, really,” Mika went on, “what rock did they find you under? Haven’t you heard of women’s liberation? Have you even talked to a woman in the last twenty years..?”

The metal man let out a roar and charged, smashing his metal fists down. Mika dodged out of the way and his fists hit the ground. Or rather, they hit what was on the ground: Mika’s sticky balls, the trap she’d seeded earlier.

He tried to pull his fists back but was unsuccessful, the sticky balls adhering quite well to his fists and the ground. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized he was trapped.

“Shock-Jock!” Izumi called out. “Now!”

Which was when Chihiro and Izumi let him have it. Her Cords slinked down and plugging into her bracers and she brought her hands up, sending out dual blasts of electricity. Bless Aunt Momo and Mrs. Hatsume, they did their job well, specialized circuits in the bracers and gloves directed the electricity in a straight line. Izumi, meanwhile, released some of the heat she had stored up from building the ice walls, projecting yellow-orange blasts of flame at the guy.

Her electric attack hit first, setting the guy twitching and screaming, before Izumi’s flames washed over him, turning some of his metal body white hot. Chihiro actually felt kind of bad. This was still just the exam, right? She had to take it serious, but she didn’t want to give the guy permanent nerve damage or anything.

Izumi ceased her fire attack and held up a hand. Chihiro caught the signal and let up on her electric one. The guy stood there, groaning, his metal skin making a slight pinging sound as it cooled.

“That hurt,” he snarled. “But this is going to hurt more!” With a massive grunt, he freed his arms, not by removing Mika’s balls from them, but instead simply being strong enough to tear the sections of ground they were attached to up with them.

“…That’s new,” Mika said, quietly.

Fortunately, by this time, Midoriya had recovered. “GRAVITY...BOOSTER!” He shot forward like a rocket, then hit the guy with an uppercut that made her ears ring. The metal guy was in motion this time, not braced like before and went flying high into the air from the force of the blow, disappearing from sight.

Still, Chihiro couldn’t help but stare, wide eyed. “You sure All Might is only your step-grandpa?” she asked.

He didn’t bother answering her question. “See if you can get any of the other teams on the comms. Mine got smashed when I hit the wall.”

***

Kenta had been exploring the inside of the building with Tensei Iida, looking for people to rescue, when something had taken them by surprise. Or rather, someone: a massive, muscular woman who looked like she could snap you in half just by staring at you hard enough, the kind that Mineta would say could crush your head between her thighs. And for just a moment, Kenta had frozen, the memory of the Nomu rearing up over him playing on a continuous loop in his head.

Iida had saved him, rushing in with his Jetpack to shove him out of the way. The woman had hit Iida instead and seemingly forgot about Kenta. He hoped Iida was okay. It would be really bad if he had to tell Takuma he’d gotten his boyfriend killed or put in traction.

Great. He was making jokes at a time like this. Takuma really was rubbing off on him.

He forced himself to get moving, heading back out the way he had come in. Outside, he could see all three of his classmates (Iida was upright, that was good!, even if he was sporting a nasty dent on his armor!) fighting with the woman. Her costume left a lot to be desired, being only stylized biker gear, with heavy spikes on the shoulders of her jacket.

Kirishima-Bakugo fired off a round of disks from her gauntlets, peppering the ground with a series of small explosions that kept the woman off balance, while Iida flew around behind her and snagged her with a capture-line from his gauntlet. After they’d taken her off balance and restrained her, Shoji moved in, swinging all three of his right-side arms.

Great. He was definitely going to fail the exam and make everyone else fail. Because he’d frozen up like a damn coward. Maybe one bad moment wouldn’t be enough. But he needed to make himself useful somehow…

Shoji’s blows connected, but they didn’t rock the woman back even an inch. Thought the bottom half of his face was covered, Kenta could see Shoji’s eyes widen in surprise. The woman just laughed.

“No bad, kid,” she said. “That was a nice gift. Let me return the favor!”

She flexed her arms and snapped Iida’s capture line like it was made of string, then hit the six-armed boy with a blow that sent him flying.

“Finally!” Kirishima-Bakugo shouted, throwing her head back and laughing. “A challenge!”

She charged, lashing out at the woman with a series of close-range blows. Every time a blow connected, she fired off an explosion. Some kind of contact transfer from her gloves, if he remembered right. It was hard to keep up with everyone’s costume and Support Gear updates. Maybe he needed to invest in something if he wanted to keep up.

The woman may have been sent off balance by the explosions fired at her feet, but this time, they didn’t seem to do anything. They didn’t even singe her skin.

Kirishima-Bakugo took a step back, fists still at the ready, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “What the hell, lady? What’re you made out of?!”

“Can’t stop everything by hitting it, girl,” the woman sneered. She swung her fist in a wide arc, but Kirishima-Bakugo was lighter on her feet, dodging out of the way. Iida swooped in, striking out at high speed. The blow clipped the woman’s chin, knocking her back for a moment and spinning her head around, before she struck out, faster than anyone that big should be able to move, swatting Iida from the sky.

What the hell was he supposed to do against that?

Wait…

She’d gone from being thrown off balance by Kirishima-Bakugo’s explosions to being unaffected. She’d shrugged off blows from Shoji but gotten her head spun around by Iida. Even with Iida putting his speed behind it, Shoji had a lot more power to his punches. What if she had to know a blow was coming to block it?

Hang on guys, he silently pleaded. He had an idea… he just needed her to stay in one place long enough.

He’d say this for all three of them, they kept taking her hits, but they kept getting back up again. And the huge woman gave as good as she got. She’d called Shoji’s blow a “gift” too…

But there, a telephone pole, right across the street…

As he ran towards the telephone pole, Kenta did a little math in his head, grateful for the fact that unlike Takuma and Kimmie, he actually paid attention in class. There was lots of math involved in baking and he was good enough at helping his dad to do some calculations on the fly. If she didn’t move too much, it would be just about right.

CHOMP! Kenta’s jaw muscles were strong and he could open his mouth wider than a normal person could. Combined with the fact that his teeth were incredibly tough, he could bite through anything very quickly. He bit, chewed, and swallowed as fast as he could, feeling like some kind of beaver as he worked his way through the wood. He kept his eye on the fight and the woman was still in just about the right position. In seconds, the telephone pole started to pitch forward. “TIMBER!” he shouted, giving it a strong push to finish the job.

He saw Shoji backpedal out of the way and Iida grab Kirishima-Bakugo (who protested that she wanted to stay and fight), and the woman try ineffectually to hit them as they fled.

THUMP!

The telephone pole came down on her hard, driving her into the ground. She’d started to turn, but hadn’t had time to fully do… whatever it was she did. For the moment, she was trapped.

“Sato!” Kirishima-Bakugo shouted. She looked mad. Probably about him “stealing” her victory. “How the hell did you do that?” When she couldn’t was left unsaid.

He ran across the street to join the others. “I think… I think she can absorb whatever force you throw at her. But she has to know it’s coming. I just got lucky.”

Kirishima-Bakugo scowled. “Yeah, okay. …Not bad, Lips.”

“As soon as I get out of here,” the woman yelled, “you’re dead! You hear me! You’re all dead!” Already, she was struggling and working her way out.

“We’ll see who’s deader, ya witch!” Kirishima-Bakugo shouted back. “I’m gonna explode you so hard your grandkids will have burn marks!” She brought up a gauntlet, ready to fire it.

“Ah,” Shoji began. He put a hand on her gauntlet.

“What?” she demanded.

“Perhaps we should continue our rescue work while she’s trapped?”

“I agree,” Iida added. “She is quite capable of neutralizing our attacks and is more than ready to anticipate them. We should rescue who we can, retreat, and fight another time.”

Kenta raised a hand slightly.

“You’re gonna agree with them, aren’t you?” Kirishima-Bakugo demanded. Her teeth were gritted in anger, her body language tense. She was not exactly the type of person who ran from a fight.

He gulped, then nodded. “Maybe we can get somebody like Kaminari or Todoroki or even Takuma or Minet to fight her. Somebody more zappy or who can restrain her.”

“AAAAARRRRGH!” Kirishima-Bakugo let out a scream of frustration. “Dammit, you’re right. Fuck!”

She gestured off in the opposite direction they’d come. “Iida, get eyes in the air, get on the comms and get somebody we can use. The rest of you, move!”

***

“Aoayama!” Koda cried out. The glowing boy went down, smacking his head on the ground, before any of them could react. But they had little time to panic. More shots followed the fist, one several impacting into the ground, others ricocheting off the building behind them. One even stuck Iida, making a clang where it hit her armor.

In response, Shinso screamed. But it was not a scream of panic, instead, he directed the soundwaves outward until they formed a protective, shimmering dome around three of them. Akaya said a small prayer that their classmate was all right. It may have only been an exam, but students had been greatly injured in training and exams before.

“Is he…?” she began, softly, bending down to examine Aoyama.

Around them, shots bounced off of the force field dome Shinso was screaming into existence. They came quickly and from multiple directions. Was there more than one person shooting at them? Guns were a rarity in Japan to begin with, even more so among Villains and Heroes, unless that gun augmented or worked with an existing Quirk, such as their teacher Hawkeye and her Super-Accuracy.

“Breathing,” Akaya continued, after taking his pulse. A nasty bruise was forming along the side of his head, one she could see even through his glow.

“Then we must move,” Iida said. “As soon as we can. I will distract them, while you three get to cover.”

The urgency was apparent. Shinso’s shield was already weakening. He could not sustain the scream for much longer. He held up a shaky thumbs up to say he agreed.

Akaya scooped up Aoyama. He was a fit boy, but slender and not as muscular as Midoriya or Haimawari, let alone Shoji, and while hers was not a strength Quirk, her size and rocky countenance did make her stronger than many. Despite his glow, his skin was not hot, but soft against her rocky one.

“Go!” Iida shouted. “Now!”

Shinso stopped screaming and the dome dropped instantly. He took off and Akaya followed close behind, while Iida rocketed into the air. Shots rained down around them, one narrowly missing her.

Slinging Aoyama over her shoulder instead and apologizing for the rough treatment, Akaya reached into her seed pouch with her now free hand and dropped seeds behind them, using her Quirk to make them grow rapidly. Trees sprung up like lightning behind her, offering temporary shielding from the gunfire.

She kept her eyes on the road ahead, but she could hear the sounds of gunfire still, hear it bounce off of Iida’s armor.

“I cannot see them!” Iida’s voice rang in her ears from their communicator headset. “Shinso, can you pinpoint them?”

Looking around, Akaya and Shinso came to a stop, sheltering behind a car. Shinso looked around, cautiously, then let out one of his sonar screams, casting it in various directions. When he stopped, he made a confused face. “I keep getting something, but it disappears as soon as I make contact. I guess it could be a teleporter, but those kinds of Quirks are, like, super rare! I mean, other than that kid who won the obstacle course, and we probably wouldn’t be fighting him…”

For a moment, the gunfire went quiet. Worryingly quiet. On her shoulder, Aoyama started to stir. Unconscious, the arrogant boy looked much smaller and vulnerable than usual, as though he puffed himself up like a hissing cat when awake.

She wondered sometimes why she tried so hard to be a friend to him. He was a walking tribute to the sins of pride and envy, and just as often prone to wrath. But there was something behind his eyes, a sadness that touched her deeply. There was a pain he carried with him he did not share, but which fueled his vices and she wished she could ease.

Aoyama groaned. “I… claim this land… for France!” he exclaimed, one arm shooting straight up into the air. “Ugh… what hit me?”

“Some kind of projectile,” Akaya told him, helping him get on his feet. “Iida attempted to draw their fire while we escaped.”

Aoyama frowned. She should tell his pride was hurt. “Merci,” he said, simply.

Around them, the world had gone deathly silent, save for a lingering echo of Shinso’s screams. Akaya quickly wished that she had chosen a different word to describe it than that. But it was apt. The strike had come out of nowhere and wasn’t even from a Quirk. They knew less than nothing about who was attacking them.

Iida’s voice again filled their comms. “The shooting seems to have stopped,” she said. “Like it or not, we must continue our mission. I will try to apprise the others of the situation and then join you.”

“She wants us to go on with some maniac with a gun out there?” Aoyama hissed. “Is she crazy?”

“We’ve… we’ve got to rescue people,” Shinso insisted. “Even if it’s dangerous. We’re Heroes. We can’t let everybody down.

It made sense, however dangerous it was. Real Heroes couldn’t just huddle and hide until the danger passed. They had to move on. As they got up to go, something made Akaya stop. There was the slightest of sounds, like a window shade being drawn back. Behind them, rising up from the shadow of a building like a swimmer appearing out of the water was a woman, her features plain and ordinary, especially for this day and age. She wore a black catsuit and carried a dangerous looking rifle.

“Then prepare to disappoint everyo—“ the woman began.

“Hey!” Shinso called out, suddenly sounding excited for some reason. “I know you!”

#my hero academia #their hero academia #fan fic #fan fiction #my writing #shota shinso #chihiro kaminari #kenta sato #akaya koda #isamu haimawari

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

Text

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 57: Overdue Conversations

Presenting the next chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

This is actually the edited version, but won’t go up on AO3 and FF.net until tomorrow, so tumblr gets it early!

Earlier ones can be found here

***

“Still can’t believe you were right there on the front lines, Haimawari! It’s like you’re one of the main characters or something!”

Isamu gave Anime Fukidashi a curious look. Kana Tetstutetsu, had invited him over to her dorm to study and then to hang out. The studying had gone pretty well (Their classes were on pretty much the same schedule, thankfully.), but then her floormates had invited themselves in and what should have been a nice, semi-private moment (It wasn’t like they were going to make out or anything! He wasn’t even sure when the right time to talk about that kind of thing was!) turned into hanging out with them.

Still, he was grateful for the time spent with her. They hadn’t had a lot of it, but they had clicked and clicked well. She was attractive, certainly, with her orange-red hair and her muscular physique. But she was also kind, friendly, and looked out for her classmates the same way Midoriya looked out for 1-A.

Of course, Mineta had pointed out—frequently—that she was basically the less violent version of Kirishima-Bakugo, but he was trying very hard not to think about that or what it said about him.

“You keep talking like our lives are some kind of TV show,” he said instead. He’d been cautioned that she was a little strange, and looking like some kind of living piece of animation only added to that. But all kinds of people looked a little different these days. He himself had pink stripes in his hair at this temples. No, what made her strange was the fact that she talked like life was some kind of, well, anime. “And even if it was, I’m definitely not main character material.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself,” Fukidashi said. “Let’s just say I’ve got a feeling about you. I even heard You Say Run during the Sports Festival when you won!”

Tetsutetsu waved a hand dismissively. “Ignore her when she gets like that. We all do.”

“The way I hear,” Rika Bondo, a girl made of blue-green slime, said, “your class was there at most of the big fighting.” She was semi-translucent and her clothes actually seemed to be made of some kind of rubberized material. She’d brought popcorn to share, though she had her own bowl of it. She extended her fingers, picking up a piece and tossing it into her mouth. The pieces seemed to just dissolve in her mouth when she ate them. It was weird, but he was trying not to judge.

For a moment, Isamu’s mind snapped back to watching the Nomu fight Deku. He’d been certain, even if just for a minute, that he was going to witness the death of the Number One Hero. Fortunately, that had turned out not to be the case. He closed his eyes for a second and let out a breath.

Tetsutetsu put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay? You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Some people should know better.” She punctuated this with a glare in Fukidashi and Bondo’s direction.

He waved it off. “I’m fine,” he said. “Getting past it. Scary, but part of the job, you know? Not all going to be fun and games.”

“Pretty sure Tetsutetsu and Monoma were the only ones from our class who saw any action,” Kitiara Kaniyashiki said. She was a redhead, with her hair in two vaguely claw-shaped pigtails. She apparently had some kind of scissor Quirk, though he hadn’t seen her use it. “I was on the whole other side of the country. Aunt Monika says the police had a hell of a time cleaning up after it was all over. Lots of small league Villains trying to take advantage of the chaos and the big name Heroes being hurt or busy.”

“Don’t remind me,” Tetsutetsu said. “Uncle Neito got pretty banged up by one of those things. But Dad made it out without a scratch, at least.”

“How’s our Monoma doing, by the way?” Kaniyashiki asked. “I mean, not that I don’t appreciate the quiet—that guy’s like a little screaming gremlin—but it’s too quiet, you know?”

“Like somebody turned off the background music!” Fukidashi piped in.

“At least he’s talking again,” Bondo said. “He wasn’t even doing that a few days ago.”

“Blame Mika for that one,” Tetsutetsu said. “She gave him a little kick in the pants.”

Isamu hadn’t had much to do with Shiro Monoma, other than having witnessed him attempt to taunt some of his classmates from time to time. But he knew he was friends with Koda and Mineta, and had a particularly antagonistic relationship with Kirishima-Bakugo. Granted, Kirishima-Bakugo seemed to have an antagonistic relationship with everyone except for Midoirya and Izumi, but there seemed to be a greater degree of bad blood there.

Still, he supposed he couldn’t blame the guy for being shaken. Some of his classmates still weren’t really talking about what went down and Shinso had been gone all week before finally coming back. The place really hadn’t been the same without the little guy, so Isamu was glad to see him again.

Isamu himself had mostly made peace with what he’d seen and was trying to stay focused on the good that had happened during his Internship. And not the horror. And definitely not the creeping worry about what it meant that someone had the resources to drop that many monsters on the city.

“Girls,” Tetsutetsu said, pinching the bridge of her nose, “can we talk about something that’s not depressing? Like I was doing with my boyfriend before you all barged in?”

“I like the sound of thaaaaaa…” Isamu started to say, but then his mind seized up. They’d hung out a bunch and gotten food and watched movies together and texted and talked on the phone a lot, but that didn’t make them…! They hadn’t talked about…!

Before he could shift his brain back into gear, Fukidashi seized on the moment. She leaned forward in her chair, her eyes briefly replaced by cartoon hearts. “Ooooh! He didn’t know! Is this like He Doesn’t Know He’s My Boyfriend (But I’m Trying to Tell Him?)”

“Why did you say the parenthesis?” Kaniyashiki asked.

“Don’t let Monoma hear you say that he’s your boyfriend,” Bondo said, “he’ll flip his lip about 1-A again…”

“Out!” Tetsutetsu shouted, pointing to the door. “All of you!”

Isamu started to get up, but she put a hand against his chest. “Not you!”

When the other girls had filed out, he broke the silence. “So… I’m your boyfriend?”

Tetsutetsu pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sorry, Haimawari, that really just slipped out. I shouldn’t have… We haven’t talked… I’m really not usually that impulsive; I swear Mika is rubbing off on me… And please don’t tell her I said that, because she’ll take it the wrong way and the right way and be even more insufferable.”

She looked up. “But I do really like you. So maybe it’s too quick, but…”

Isamu smiled. “I really like you too,” he said. “A lot. We click. So… why not? Call me your boyfriend. And Isamu too.”

***

Akaya frowned as she looked up from her book. She and several others had started an impromptu study session in the Common Room. Though the final exams had not yet been announced—they were expecting that on Tuesday—many of them sensed that they needed to start preparing early. She was not especially worried; her grades put her towards the tail end of the upper third of the class, but she knew well that overconfidence often led to failure. And so studying was absolutely a requirement. English was a particularly tricky subject. She could read the language well enough, from studying one of the copies of the Bible her mother had in the language, but the rules to it were far less easy to grasp.

By coincidence, everyone at the table had a somewhat unusual appearance: Mika, Kaminari, Shoji, and Aoyama. It drew Akaya back to the events of her Internship. While she had been away from the action and violence that hung over most of her classmates, her own experiences still weighed upon her mind. Hound Dog had sympathized when she’d spoken to him about it and had shared experiences of his own. He had suggested that she might find some commonality in it with her classmates and friends. Unsure of how to broach the subject, the winding down of the study session gave her the moment she required.

“Ugh,” Mika said, sticking out her tongue. “I have to go get new shoes tomorrow after the funeral. That’s gonna take most of the rest of the day.”

Monday would be the funeral for the late Principal Nezu, who had died a week ago. They were being given the day off to attend and reflect. Akaya could not claim to have known him at all, other than seeing him speak occasionally, but the loss was always a tragedy. She trusted in God’s plan, but sometimes, it was difficult to see.

“Going to the mall?” Kaminari asked. “Can I come? I could go for some new boots too.”

Mika raised an eyebrow. “To the farrier, Chi.”

“Huh?”

Mika swung around in her chair, bringing her legs out from under the table. “Hooves, Chi.”

“Oh. Right. I knew that.”

Akaya opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again. No, she needed to do this. She closed her eyes for just a moment, said a silent prayer for courage.

“Friends,” she began, cautiously, “may I ask you a question?”

“What’s up, Akaya?” Mika asked. “Is this the birds and bees talk? Because while I’m qualified to give it…”

Kaminari swatted Mika upside the head with one her Cords, shooting their mutual friend an annoyed look. “Stop that. This is serious.”

“Crude as ever,” Aoyama muttered.

“Dealing with you later,” Mika told Aoyama. But she had the momentary sense to look apologetic. “Sorry, Akaya, what’s up?”

Akaya hesitated for a moment, but pressed on. These were her friends and classmates. She could tell them anything. “Have any of you ever experienced any harsh words or actions because of your appearance?”

There was a long moment of silence.

“Akaya,” Shoji said slowly, concern marring his handsome features, “did something happen?”

“Whose ass do I need to kick?” Mika asked. She jumped up out of her chair, brought her fists up, and started punching the air. “Just point me in the right direction! I’m not afraid to fight dirty!”

Kaminari swatted her again. “Rein it in there, cowgirl,” she said. She reached up and touched her left Extension Cord. “I can’t say that I have,” she said, actually answering Akaya’s question. “But my Quirk’s not really all that noticeable. Most people don’t even pay much attention to them.”

She sounded sympathetic and concerned, but, Akaya reflected, Kaminari’s Quirk was hardly noticeable at all. She didn’t have the kinds of experiences necessary to really process this. While there was no longer a definition of “normal,” there was certainly still a baseline that the majority of people fit into. And she was well within its bounds in a way Akaya was not.

“Sorry,” Mika said. “Um, I mean, I’m pretty sure somebody’s called me a horse or a cow or something like that over the years, but that’s really it. People have said some shit about my body, but not usually about the horns or the hooves.”

Of course. Akaya bore her friend no malice, but Mika was very conventionally attractive. Something she was well aware of and used to her advantage. She might carry her own burdens, but she could not truly understand.

“There was the time in middle school somebody put a bale of hay on my desk… or the pail full of milk… Boy, was Shiro pissed…”

Or perhaps she had thought too soon.

“Not me, so much, but Dad,” Shoji said. It was true, Shoji was… distractingly attractive, Akaya would admit, with handsome features, silver hair, and a powerful build. Even Akaya would confess to wishing to be cradled in those strong six arms of his. “He usually makes the list for Top Ten Heroes Who Look Like Villains. Tries not to let it get to him, but sometimes… Yeah, you can tell. And some people still scream when they see him. It’s why he used to wear the mask. But he decided he didn’t want to hide anymore.”

Shoji was not particularly talkative. That might have been the most words Akaya had heard him string together at once. He must have felt very strongly about it.

“Koda,” Aoyama said, “please, tell us your troubles. We are your friends.” Though his appearance was typically baseline, the fact that most of the time, he was glowing, gave him his own bit of strangeness.

Akaya frowned. But she had come this far. She might as well go a few steps farther. “During my Internship, some of the people we rescued were,” she hesitated for a moment, “very prejudiced against those with Mutant-type Quirks or Mutant characteristics. They said some very unkind things towards myself and the ship’s crew. The ones our age made rather… ugly and suggestive comments about me.”

Her cheeks flushed and she hung her head. But it was out there. She needed to tell someone, anyone. At least she had her friends here.

The silence that followed was even more palpable. But much shorter lasting.

“Qui étaient-ils? Donnez-moi des noms! Je les tuerai! Je vais les faire souffrir!” Aoyama exploded into rapid-fire, angry French, his glow pulsating with his words. Akaya didn’t understand any of it, but she certainly understood the emotion behind it.

“I don’t speak your crazy moon language, Frenchie,” Mika said, “but I know what it sounds like when someone’s winding up to deliver an ass kicking! Count me in!”

“Both of you, no,” Kaminari said, facepalming at their outbursts. “You can’t just go beat someone up like that.” Sparks danced on the ends of her Cords. “No matter how much you’d like to.”

Even Shoji’s implacable calm was being broken by this. Akaya could see the slight twitch of the muscles in his jaw as he ground his teeth. All six of his fists were tightly clenched, making veins bulge in his muscular arms. “Koda,” he said, as he approached her, “you know people like that are rare, right? And idiots, too?”

She nodded. “My crewmates and Aunt Tsu said as much. I had thought myself over it, but…”

“It sticks with you,” he said. And she nodded in response. “Can I give you a hug?”

Akaya jerked slightly in surprise. “I… yes,” she said. “I’d like that.”

Shoji wrapped his arms around her. The only one of their class bigger than her, his arms fit around her large frame easily. His muscles were ever so firm. She wrapped her own arms around him and returned the hug. And then let out a breath, releasing some of her stress. “Thank you, Shoji.” She looked at the others when the hug broke. “And thank all of you, for your support.”

Aoayam nodded. “I am serious about the offer of violence. To defend your honor, I would even fight beside Mineta.”

Mika ignored the barb for once. “If you can’t kick ass for your friends, who can you kick ass for?”

“You okay for now?” Shoji asked, somber and serious.

She nodded. “I am. I cannot guarantee the mood will not overtake me again, but…”

“We’ll be here when it does,” Mika confirmed.

When the group actually did break up, Mika held back with Akaya. “That’s not everything, is it though?”

Akaya gave her a curious look. “You’re being unusually perceptive today.”

“I have my moments. Now, what’s up?”

Akaya sighed. “The vileness of it all bothers me, of course, but it did also stir up old feelings. While I know that people like me do often find love, as my own family shows… It brought up old fears that no one would find me attractive.”

Mika got a strange look upon her face, something Akaya could not quite identify. “Leave everything to me.” And with that, she took off like a shot, hooves makings a steady clip-clop sound.

“Mka!” Akaya shouted after her. “Explain yourself!”

***

Later that day, Daisuke held open the door to the dorm and let Emiko inside. The Common Room wasn’t currently occupied. Good. It wasn’t as though as was trying to hide his relationship; he and Emiko both simply preferred their privacy. Of course, if they really wanted their privacy, they could have just gone to the library or somewhere else. Though if they had, he’d still have had to check that Ojiro wasn’t followed them. So this definitely wasn’t hiding. It just wasn’t going out of their way to make a thing of it. Few of her own classmates knew either. It definitely wasn’t hiding it, even though they’d met during the first week of school, had been dating since the second, and hadn’t really told anyone. But it had been her idea to study at his dorm, so he was not inclined to object.

Emiko looked around. “So this is how the Hero Course lives?” she asked. With the dark glasses she wore, it was hard to tell where exactly she was looking. A side effect of her Quirk—Perfect Night Vision—was that she required eye protection against brighter lights.

“It’s not that much different than yours,” he replied.

She gave him an affectionate jab in the side with her elbow. “I’m teasing you, Hero.”

“Yes, well…”

Daisuke stopped. He could hear faint sounds in the distance. “Someone’s coming down the stairs.”

For a second, his heart thundered in his chest. He was so used to everyone not knowing, so used to keeping the details of his life private. He’d enjoyed it, in a way. No invasive questions, no attempts at judgement.

She touched his arm. “It was bound to happen,” she said. “Let it.”

Of course, it was the worst possible combination of his classmates: Sato, Sero, and Ojiro.

“Where are we going again?” Sero asked.

“To see the kid!” Ojiro bubbled. The sleeves of her t-shirt waved through the air in excitement, as she bounced from foot to foot.

“What kid?” Sero asked.

“Doctor Izumi’s kid!”

“Was she expecting?” Sero asked. “I mean, I know you’re not supposed to ask if a lady’s pregnant, but she didn’t look…”

“Dude,” Sato said, giving the pink-skinned boy a look. “Kimmie told us. Doctor Izumi and Water Spout adopted, remember?”

“See, Kenta remembers!” Ojiro said. And then, as was common, she started hitting Sero, pummeling him with both fists. “WHY DON’T YOU REMEMBER WHEN I TELL YOU THINGS?!”

“Ow! Ow! Kimmie! Stop! I’m sorry!”

It was, honestly, the perfect distraction and Daisuke made a motion for Emiko to follow him around the feuding trio. But Sato proved to be far more observant. “Oh, hey, Shoji,” he said. “Who’s your friend?”

The smacking immediately stopped. And though he could not see her face, Daisuke was immediately aware that Ojiro was staring at him and Emiko. And then she started vibrating, emitting a very high pitched “squee.”

“Is… is she okay?” Emiko asked, pulling a strand of blue-hair back behind her ear.

“Oh, no…” he said, feeling that sinking feeling come on.

“Shoji!” Ojiro shouted, arms waving frantically. “Why didn’t you tell us you had a girlfriend?! I can’t believe you were trying to hide her! She’s so cute! What is wrong with you?! Don’t you like us?! Why don’t you want to share?!”

And, of course, then the smacking began, her tiny fists thudding against his arm. Why did he think he was going to get away with this?

“Kimmie, maybe give the guy a chance to talk?” Sero said. He flinched. “Please don’t hit me.”

The hitting stopped, fortunately. Ojiro crossed her arms. “You better have a damn good explanation, Shoji!”

Daisuke looked over at Emiko, who gave him a small nod. At least she hadn’t bolted at the nonsense. “This is Emiko Shiryoku. My girlfriend. Emiko, this is Sato, Sero, and Ojiro.”

She gave them a small smile. “Nice to meet you. You’re the ones with the webshows, right?”

Sero positively beamed. “You’ve seen us?”

Emiko shook her head. “I can’t actually watch electronic screens. Too bright. But people do talk, and I still enjoy listening to Gossip Corner.”

And there went that high pitched squee-ing again.

“Do you guys have any sponsors yet? Or are you making any money from ads?” Emiko asked. “If not, I can suggest a few ways to bump yourself up in the algorithms and goose your ratings a little, maybe get a little cash for bigger videos… You could probably even get a sponsor for combining unboxing videos with Sato’s show…”

Sero’s jaw dropped. “Okay, I’m gay, so I never thought I’d say this to a girl, but where have you been all my life?” Next to him and out of his line of sight, Sato facepalmed.

“The Business Course,” Emiko told him.

Ojiro finally stopped squeezing though and put her hands on her hips, huffing indignantly. “I can’t believe you’ve been keeping her from us, Shoji! And all the times I talked you up as eligible on the show!”

“I didn’t ask you to that,” he reminded her.

“It’s a free service!”

“Yes, well,” Emiko said, “now that you do know, I would prefer you don’t announce it to the world. Daisuke and I really don’t want a lot of attention. I’m still trying to make a name for myself and I don’t want it to be just because I’m dating a future Hero.”

“The world has a right to know!” Ojiro said, stomping her foot. “This is premium content! The number one voted on the hottest guys in the Hero Course, off the market!”

Daisuke let out a groan. That damned list again. He’d been dreading it coming up ever since Monoma had mentioned it. He was hoping to talk to Emiko about it, but…

“…The what?” Emiko said, shooting him a look. Even being unable to see her eyes, he knew he was in for an earful.

“Didn’t you say something about a kid?” Daisuke tried, at least hoping to get some kind of privacy and really hoping to avoid a lengthy conversation with the would-be internet stars.

“Omigosh!” Ojiro said. “Right! C’mon, boys!” Sero followed after her, but Sato stayed behind for a moment.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “Kimmie gets a little crazy sometimes, but she means well. …Mostly well.” He turned to follow them. “Nice meeting you!”

Daisuke was still being glared at. “I swear, Emiko, I only just found out about the list last week…”

“Last week?” she challenged.

Maybe there was a shovel in the supply closet. It would be faster at this point. “I…”

She took his hand. “Guess this means I hooked a real winner then.”

He just shook his head. “You planned this, didn’t you? You wanted us to get caught.”

Emiko smiled. “I may have already known about the list. And the way she talked about you on her show. I thought if I got ‘caught’, I might have a chance to get some of that to stop.”

Daisuke felt a smile tug on his lips. “Yeah, you’re going to be rich someday with a mind like that.”

“I’ll need a boy toy when that happens, you know…”

“Emiko…!”

***

“So, ah, hey, Kimiko,” Kenta said, standing in her doorway. Takuma had gone ahead and gone back to his room already. He had to admit, Kimmie had been right. Water Spout and Doc Clock’s adopted kid had been adorable. Definitely still settling in, but she’d looked happy.

“What’s up, Kenta?” she asked, powering up her computer. Probably getting ready to scour the internet for the latest gossip.

Of course, she was currently sitting on the biggest piece of gossip of the year (Her words, not his.), which she had vocally complained about most of the walk over and back It had covered topics from the unfairness of it all, to how dare they keep her from sharing it, to laments that one of the hottest guys in school was officially off the market. While both he and Takuma had had the good sense to just let her rant and stay out of swatting range, Takuma had agreed with the last part and had to be reminded that he already had a boyfriend.

“Still feeling down about Shoji?” he asked.

Kimiko threw her hands up in the air. “You have no idea. How can I call myself the Gossip Queen of U.A. if I not only missed out on the best gossip of all time, but I can’t share it with anyone?! Not to mention, it’s freaking Shoji! And he’s out of the running!”

Kenta winced at that. He was in good shape, he knew, but he was no Shoji. Still, he took the lack of protest to his presence as an invitation and walked inside. “Well, what if I gave you some gossip to make up for it?”

That got her attention. She practically spun around in her desk chair to look at him. “I’m going to need details and I’m going to need them fast.” She looked at her computer. Waving a fist threateningly at it. “Boot up faster! How can I take notes if you don’t boot up!?”

She turned back to him again. “Okay, how did you get gossip and who’s it about? Oooh? Is it Todoroki? Please tell me it’s Todoroki! She’d be, like, the gossip motherlode! She’s not on anybody’s radar! Secret boyfriend? Secret girlfriend? Tell me!”

“It’s not about Todoroki,” Kenta said. Now or never, he supposed. “It’s about me.”

That got a jolt of surprise from her. “About you? And you’re coming to me first? Getting ahead of the gossip train is very smart, Kenta!” She leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and supporting her head in her hands (Or at least that’s what it looked like.). “Any girl’d be lucky to have you! Who’s the lucky lady? Is it Kocho? Or somebody more surprising? What are you keeping from me, Kenta?!”

“Well, I, ah, don’t actually think she knows I like her yet. So maybe this is pre-gossip?” His heart was starting to pound in his chest. He could do this. He could do this. He’d been planning on doing this before the Nomu thing.

Kenta had had some productive sessions with Hound Dog and gotten his head back on a little straighter, especially with support from his friends. If he backed out now, if he was afraid to talk to a girl who’d been one of his best friends for nearly all his life, how big a coward was he?

Kimiko sat up and crossed her arms. “Still gossip,” she said, though she sounded disappointed. “But it’s not nearly Shoji level gossip. And you still haven’t told me who!”

Kenta gulped. “It’s, ah, it’s you, Kimmie.”

There was a long, way too long, silent moment. Kenta could usually read Kimiko like a book, in spite of her invisibility. And right now, there was a growing moment, like the calm before the storm. A very primeval part of his brain was screaming at him that he needed to run and run fast. Finally, Kimiko exploded out of her chair, fists flying. He quickly got his hands up to protect his face.

“THAT’S SO MEAN, KENTA! WHY WOULD YOU JOKE AROUND LIKE THAT?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE NICE ONE! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!”

He was probably going to have bruises after this. Kimiko’s pummelings were always unfocused, but she could put a lot of power behind them. “Kimmie,” he said, dodging blows, “Kimmie, stop! Stop! Kimmie! It’s the truth!”

The pummeling suddenly stopped.

“You… you like me like me?” Kimiko asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “You’re one of my best friends. And the prettiest girl I know too.”

Kimiko let out another high pitched squee. Being at ground zero, Kenta had to cover his ears for a second. “Does this mean you like me too?” he asked.

“OF COURSE I LIKE YOU, YOU BIG GOOF!” she shouted, arms flailing again. “Wait a minute… DID YOU THINK I WOULDN’T? DON’T YOU KNOW ME WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW IF I LIKE YOU? DID YOU THINK I WOULDN’T? WHY DON’T YOU HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSLEF?!”

He was going to take that as a yes.

Fortunately, this time at least, she wasn’t hitting him, just flailing. “You know me, Kimmie,” he said. “Always gotta second guess myself."

“Well that stops right now,” Kimiko said. “No guy I’m dating is going to be a sad sack! You’re going to have confidence, do you hear me?”

“Ah…yes,” he said.

“Good!” Kimmie bubbled, clapping her hands. She threw her arms around him. “We’ve got to tell Takuma, though. Otherwise he’s just going to third wheel himself onto our dates and we’ll never have a moment’s peace. Because he is not going to get the hint.”

“Do we tell him before or after everyone else?”

“A personal gossip announcement? Do I dare?” Kimiko asked, breaking away. It wasn’t what he meant, but there was no stopping her when she was on a roll. “Is that even gossip or just oversharing? Who cares, I’m telling everybody anyway! Here comes a very special episode!”

***

Sora became aware of shaky hands on her shoulders, forcing her towards wakefulness. She head snapped up. “It’s so simple!” she shouted. Surely, if she was just able to put that breakthrough she had been dreaming of into practice, why then she could… could…

She sagged in defeat. Whatever it was that had been going through her unconscious mind, it was gone now. But she was so certain she had been so close to solving it! It was fundamentally unfair that she had to be woken up in the middle of her greatest discovery! Who had…?

“What’s so simple?” Sora realized that her waker had been her boyfriend, Toshi. She had been slumped over on her small workbench in her dorm room, blueprints and a half-completed device spread out in front of her.

She shook her head. “I do not recall, possibly the solution to this,” Sora said, indicating the device in a half-assembled state. It was supposed to be a small spy drone that could relay information back to her costume’s helmet, but she was having difficulties getting it to fly without exploding.

“Oh,” Toshi said, then smiled. He looked so cute when he did, the pink patches on his cheeks standing out among his freckles. “Can I help?”

Sora shook her head. “I do not think so. As loathe as I am to admit it, the solution is at a loss for now. Also, I am at a loss as to why you are in my room?”

Toshi’s face when bright red at that. “I…! The door was open, we were going to get together with some of the others to watch a movie and you weren’t there and so I just…”

That made her frown. “Oh, no! Toshi, I am sorry! I became too engrossed in my work and forgot we had plans!” Her arms chopped rapidly through the air. I have failed in my girlfriend duties!”

He waved his hands quickly at that. “No, no! It’s okay! I know you get busy! You get so focused on everything! It happens!”

“You are sure?” she asked, uncertainly. She was still very new to this, and she wanted very much to get it right.

“I’m sure,” Toshi said. “Besides, you’re awake now. Asuka and Shota said they’d wait.”

That was a relief! Sora jumped up from her chair and wrapped her arms around Toshi, pulling him close. As she was a good fifteen centimeters taller than he was, this did make for a slightly awkward embrace. And this, predictably, led to Toshi shaking and being very uncertain where his hands should go.

It was, truthfully, very curious behavior. He very rarely initiated physical contact and was often anxious when she did so herself. She let him go. “Toshi,” she said, very seriously, “do you not like it when I touch you?”

Toshi winced at that. “No,” he said, “it’s not that. But I was, ah, hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

She crossed her arms. “Toshi, I am an engineer. Observation is a vital skill.”

He smiled sheepishly at that. “Right. Of course. And I like that! Good skill for a Hero too…” Toshi trailed off. “Sorry, I don’t really ramble like that too much, unless I’m nervous…”

“Toshi,” Sora repeated, softly. She tried to formulate a hypothesis for his behavior, and the only common factor she could find was herself. “Do I make you nervous?”

“Sorta?” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “I mean, it’s not exactly like I’m scared of girls. I grew up around Katsumi after all. I mean, I am scared of her, but that’s for entirely different reasons. Or Mineta, but she’s her own kind of scary. But I talk to Asuka just fine or Izumi, or you, before we started dating…”

He trailed off again, but Sora just let him gather his thoughts. Sometimes, it took a little bit of rambling to get ideas out. She understood this well.

“Look,” he said, “I know we’re young and all, but I didn’t exactly date much… or at all before this. Outside of all of you, I had a lot of trouble with not knowing if people really wanted to be my friend for real or because of who Dad is. So I really don’t know what’s right or, well, anything about how this kind of thing works. I really don’t know what I’m comfortable with or what I should go along with or what’s too much and… And you’re so amazing and beautiful and…”

He thought she was beautiful? Sora was used to be being thought of as many different things, but that was not one of them. She was well enough aware that her breast size made her an object of lust for some. But beautiful? Fairy tale princesses were not usually the kind to wear a mechanic’s overalls or have a face covered with grease.

“Then I must apologize,” she said. “I did not think to consider your boundaries. I have been told I may be a bit demonstrative…”

Toshi smiled. “It’s okay. And, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before. I thought I could maybe just get used to it but…”

Sora started to reach out, then stopped. “May I?” she asked. When Toshi nodded, she took his hand. “I like you, Toshi. Very much. But I am very aware I do not quite think like other people do. But you are very good at keeping me focused on what is in front of me. I like that. And I would very much still like to be your girlfriend. But I am told a good relationship requires clear communication. Can we both do that?”

He nodded and gave her hand a squeeze, moving a little closer to her. “Yeah. I can… I can do that.”

There was a closeness in the air and Toshi came in a little bit closer, nervous and shaking, and Sora felt her own heart flutter in her chest, well above the average number of beats per minute. “Toshi, I wish to…”

“Me too,” Toshi said, and he leaned in even closer, bringing his lips to meet hers. They were warm and soft and everything she knew about biology was completely disregarded for the moment.

“Oi! Toshi!” A sharp voice broke the moment before it got any further. “…What the fuck?!”

“Katsumi!” Toshi shrieked, and indeed, it was Kirishima-Bakugo standing in her doorway.

“Bird Girl and Loud Kid were getting worried about you so they asked me to check up on you two lovebirds. But now I’m getting out of here before I see something I can’t unsee.”

And Toshi started shaking again. “Katsumi! It’s not what it looks like!”

“It is not?” Sora asked. “Was I doing it wrong?”

“Nope, nope, nope,” Kirishima-Bakugo said, backing out the door very quickly. “I don’t wanna know!”

#my hero academia #their hero academia #fan fic #fan fiction #my writing #toshi midoriya #sora iida #daisuke shoji #kimiko ojiro #kenta sato #akaya koda #mika (tha)#takiyo aoyama #chihiro kaminari #isamu haimawari

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

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Their Hero Academia Character Capsules

As requested by @uninvited-eon: See here for the fic these people are all from. Toshi Midoriya: The gravity-wielding son of the Number One Hero, looking to help all his friends be their very best.

Katsumi Kirishima-Bakugo: Explosive-tempered gladiator with a soft spot for a certain elemental princess and a fierce protective streak

Izumi Todoroki: Formerly ill-girl looking to prove she’s just as good as any of her friends. Isamu Haimawari: Anxious son of former Vigilantes, feeling outclassed by all the second-generation Heroes Takuma Sero: Fame-seeking, web-content generating smart alec.

Kenta Sato: Matter-muncher trying to prove he isn’t a one trick pony Kimiko Ojiro: Invisible gossip girl learning there’s more than one way to stand out and more than one way to be a Hero.

Takiyo Aoyama: Vainglorious light-bringer hiding deep regrets

Asuka Tokoyami: Even keeled and ever pressed upon Team Mom with the world’s most embarrassing imaginary friend.

Daisuke Shoji: Good looking, reliable strongman trying to mind his own business.

Shota Shinso: Class 1-A mascot in the form of a motormouthed Hero fanboy

Sora Iida: Manic genius with a physically demonstrative side Tensei Iida: Straight-laced genius willing to bend the rules if he can find a logical loophole Chihiro Kaminari: Electric musician with questionable taste in best friends out to overcome her limitations Mika Mineta: Sex-crazed best friend you’ll ever have

Akaya Koda: Stone-faced, soft spoken, and ever patient

Koharu Kocho: Moth-winged new girl determined not to waste her second chance

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

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Their Hero Academia – Chapter 47: Faith and Lust

Presenting the next raw and unedited chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

Akaya Koda in Tears From a Stone

Akaya tossed a handful of seeds into the water and called out to them with her Quirk, causing the water plants to grow larger and more rapidly than they ever would if they had been left to their own devices. The water lilies large and strong, forming the perfect series of rafts between the sinking yacht and the Oki Mariner. Other members of the Oki Mariner crew, most of whom had aquatic Quirks, worked to help safely transport the yacht goers across.

Aunt Tsu—Froppy, when she was working, of course—directed the action like a consummate professional. “Don’t worry,” she said. “You’re in safe hands with my girls.” As always, her expression never seemed to change, unless you were familiar with her.

There’d been six people on the yacht, three adults, a young boy, and a pair of teenagers about her own age, a boy and a girl. The two parents were highly inebriated, the other adult, a butler, slightly shaken. The inebriation probably explained the fact that the yacht had dashed itself on rocks. The younger boy’s eyes were wide, quite taken with all the Heroes.

The teenagers, on the other hand, seemed more annoyed than anything else. No, annoyed and… disgusted? The looks they were giving her and the other crew members like Octo-Pod, Tera-Spin, and even Aunt Tsu, she hadn’t encountered such cold looks in some time. But they were frighteningly familiar all the same.

“Can’t believe we got rescued by the aquarium patrol,” the teenage boy said to his sister, sneering.

“Were all the other Heroes busy?” the girl asked, her haughty tone of voice carrying easily. “I don’t remember ordering sushi.”

“Or a rock garden,” the boy added. “Think she’s hard everywhere?”

“Don’t be gross,” the girl shot back. “Nobody ought to be thinking anything about any of these freaks.”

Akaya felt her face flush as she looked away. Meanwhile, Asuka Sakamata, the daughter of Gang Orca, and third year student at U.A., hauled her massive black and white bulk up onto the deck. She was Froppy’s Work Study student and the largest woman Akaya had ever seen, easily dwarfing her and even larger than Grandmother Koda. Despite her fierce appearance, Akaya had already come to know her bark was far worse than her bite.

Still, it did not take strong powers of observation to see the hurt in her eyes. She’d heard it too. Hurt that Akaya was certain was mirrored in her own eyes. Her own Quirk was, technically, an Emitter type. But she carried with her inherited mutations from an ancestor on her father’s side that had possessed the Quirk “Rock Skin” that had been passed along her bloodline in the form of changed appearances even as other Quirks had combined and mutated. It gave her her great size and perhaps some small measure of greater strength and resilience with it, coarsening her skin even still. Her moss like hair came from her mother’s side of the family, where plant-like Quirks and appearances were common.

She was well aware that she appeared to be something of a walking mountain range. Or perhaps a troll, as some of her middle school classmates had called her. She’d thought she’d buried such hurt long ago. But she was only fooling herself.

“Buncha ingrates,” Sakamata said, crossing her arms. “Shoulda just let them drown.”

“They are young and foolish,” Akaya said. “Perhaps they may yet learn in time.”

They watched as the parents avoided the touch of Cephalo-Squad and Rockhopper, the mother in particular shrinking away from Cephalo-Squad’s tentacles.

Sakamata grunted. “Looks like it ain’t just them. Bastards. Maybe we should just throw them overboard.”

Akaya only wished it were that easy.

***

Space aboard the Oki Mariner was at a premium, even with the improvements to the ship Aunt Tsu had been able to make to it during her rise to being one of the Top Ten Heroes. But Akaya was able to steal a few minutes in the cabin she shared with Rockhopper and Tera-Spin. She was grateful for the all-female crew, at least. But she appreciated the all-too-brief moment of privacy even more.

She got down on her knees, feeling the slight rocking of the ship beneath her, and folded her hands. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head. “Lord, grant me the strength to endure their slings and arrows,” she prayed. “I try not to listen to their words, but the hatred in their hearts does me great pain. I do not mean to question your plan, Lord…”

She opened her eyes and, as a tear fell down her face, found herself staring at her hands, with their wide palms, and thick, coarse fingers. Akaya folded them again and closed her eyes. “And I am not unhappy with who I am. I know this is but another challenge I must overcome… But I do know if I have that strength.”

Life, she knew, came in many different forms since the advent of Quirks. The nature of attraction itself had changed. But there were still many who perceived those with inherited mutations or Mutant-Type Quirks as less than human. And even within those who were open-minded and accepting, deviations from the norm were often scrutinized. Even before her… developments, she knew her dear friend Mika’s appearance had elicited far less shock and discomfort than Akaya’s own. Sero, Tokoyami, Shoji, even Ojiro, many of Class 1-A had unusual appearances. But even with his extra-arms, Shoji was considered quite handsome, and Sero cultivated his look in such a way that few people called him on it. Those with animal characteristics, like much of the crew here and Tokoyami, had their own problems to bear, but it was more varied. Her own younger brother Rikido appeared basically human, with only green hair to show for his differences, and thankfully did not endure what she had to.

She still remembered one of her first crushes, three years ago, a hasty and mumbled confession when she’s skewed up all her courage to ask him out. He’d been a friend. He’d said “I’m sorry, Koda, but I just don’t find you attractive.” Somehow, that had hurt far worse than anything else could have.

Her friends at U.A., both those she had grown up with and those she had made since starting at the school, at least, had no problems with her appearance. And many of them, Mika, Kana, Shiro, and even Aoyama, would be ready to “throw hands” in Shiro’s words, with anyone who had spoken to her as the people they rescued had. None of which made it hurt any less.

She was but as God had made her. Why did so many see that as wrong?

***

“Fuck ‘em all,” Sakamata said, as she and Akaya were on deck-swabbing duty. The events of the rescue still weighed heavily on Akaya’s mind, even though most of the other crew appeared to have moved on from it. For now, the Oki Mariner was docked in the harbor, much of the crew ashore getting dinner, with only a skeleton crew left behind. It still left them plenty to do.

Aunt Tsu had tried to be reassuring, but she could not understand, not really. For all that Frog was a Mutant type Quirk, Aunt Tsu’s deviations from baseline were fairly minor. She was a beloved Hero and a favorite of children, seen by many as cute. She could not understand.

Akaya regarded Sakamata for a moment. “That hardly seems the Christian thing to do,” she said.

The orca-woman pointed a finger at Akaya. “You gotta be you. Don’t apologize for it. Don’t let them tell you what you’re worth. You think I gave a shit what meatheads and dumbasses thought when I started transitioning? You think I give a shit what some bigot thinks of how I look?”

Sakamata was the daughter of a former Top Ten Hero and a rising star at U.A. One of the Big Three of her year, alongside Nejire Togata, and a Speed-Quirk user named Hayai Sokudo. Akaya had already seen how she threw herself into every task before her, the way in which she walked unapologetically through life. And yet, Akaya had already seen that she could be kind as well. She was not soft-spoken, but could be soft when it came to children or animals like dolphins and whales.

Truthfully, she reminded Akaya of Kirishima-Bakugo.

But there was something behind those red eyes of hers, the same pain Akaya had seen there earlier. “I think,” she said, “you care more than you let on. Or more than you would like to, at least.”

“…Yeah, okay,” Sakamata growled. “What can I say? People suck.”

“More people are good than not,” Akaya replied. “At least, so I chose to believe.”

“And when they’re not?”

“Then my faith sustains me. Or so I try. I pray for the strength to endure and I pray for their enlightenment.”

Sakamata snorted. “No offense, but what sounds like a lot of wishing.”

Akaya was used to such reactions when she spoke of her faith. Christianity was not common in Japan and not well understood. “None taken. But my faith sustains me when I feel like breaking.”

Sakamata gave her a skeptical look, but then shrugged. “Whatever works,” she said. “I’ve probably punched a few more people than I oughta have. Tossed a couple of ‘em around. Might be a reason for all the black marks on my record.

“But if you want me to, I can punch the next guy who says somethin’. Lots of bigots in this town.”

Akaya nodded as they resumed their work. “It is appreciated, but I will decline.”

There would always be those who were cruel and thoughtless, who judged others for matters beyond their control. But at least she had found someone else who knew how she felt. She remembered her mother’s words, that prayers were not always answered in the way you would think.

Sakamata lived her truth, unapologetically, with strength and courage. Akaya, truthfully, struggled at times with her appearance, especially when so many of her friends and classmates were so much more traditionally attractive. That she was from a long line of people who looked like her suggested it wasn’t impossible that someone would find her pretty, but some days, that seemed like a very far off possibility.

But perhaps she could find something worth following in Sakamata’s example. She just had to have faith.

***

Mika Mineta in A Lustful Morning

Mika had never been awake at 0500 hours before. She was pretty sure she hadn’t even been aware 0500 was an actual, for real, not made-up time before now. But Ingenium insisted upon an “early patrol” every Wednesday, in order to “remind people from all walks of life and occupations that Heroes will be there for them, every hour, of every day.” This explanation had been punctuated by significant hand waving.

How someone could be as attractive as he was—a little over two meters of pure, rock-solid beefcake—and be that big of a stick in the mud, she had no idea.

She’d only been here since Monday and she’d already worked harder than she ever had before, even in her Hero classes at U.A. Intense physical training, readiness drills, and so many manuals to read and procedures to memorize. Not to mention having been forced to make her bed in the Sidekick’s berth multiple times until she’d gotten it right. And there was the criticism of her costume, as “overly sexual” and “not fitting for a woman of your young age.” Just because Ingenium’s daughter ran around in full armor…

Ingenium ran a tight ship. Which was not to say everyone under him did. His brother, Tensei Iida (not to be confused with the Tensei Iida who was in her class), who lent his expertise as mission control, was a much more easy going individual. And several of the Sidekicks were more relaxed as well, though a few did try to model themselves after their leader.

Speaking of, she knew Team Iidaten had a lot of Sidekicks working for it, but seeing it in the flesh was quite another. Many of them had mobility-related Quirks, though not all of them.

“Ugh,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I’ve already been up thirty minutes. Why can’t I have coffee?”

Ingenium was standing before her and the four other Sidekicks selected for morning patrol. “Coffee is an addictive stimulant!” he said, waving his arms through the air in what seemed like random, but carefully controlled motions. “A Hero must always be prepared to function at their best, regardless of circumstances, and without artificial aides! While some coffee is acceptable in moderation, relying upon it as a jumpstart is unacceptable!”

“Okay, okay,” Mika said, rolling her eyes. Guy definitely didn’t do anything by half measures.

“And stand up straight!” Ingenium continued. He was wearing the helmet, but she could tell he was scrutinizing her all the same. And not in the way she liked to be scrutinized. Objectifying her was one thing, but actually judging her and trying to correct her faults? What was the world coming to?

There was a sudden rush and a red and gold blur suddenly arrived, seemingly out of nowhere, next to Ingenium. It resolved itself into a woman with long blonde hair, wearing tall red boots with yellow trim, a red and gold leotard, and long red gloves, likewise with yellow trim. Red trimmed goggles with yellow lenses completed the outfit. On her chest—yeah, she was looking—was a yellow lightning bolt symbol. “SorryI’mlate,” she said, tossing off a small salute to Tenya. “Hadtostopapursesnatcheronmywayhere. Don’tworry, I’llgetallthepaperwork filedbeforetheday’sover!”

Okay, Mika was reasonably certain those were words. But they’d come out way too fast for her to follow. And probably for Ingenium too, as his expression passed through irritation, confusion, and then acceptance.

“Flash-Step,” Ingenium said, cheerfully, “glad you could join us for this early patrol. And do not worry, your duty to the citizens of this city outweigh your duty to be on time. Just please remember to slow down before you file the paperwork.”

“Ofcourse,Boss,” Flash-Step said.

“Sorry,” she said, finally slowing down. “Was still going pretty fast there. Back to normal now.”

She shook her head, sending her hair cascading in a halo around her. Mika took a moment to take in everything, from her well-toned legs to her chest to an ass that looked like you could bounce small change off of to what looked like a six-pack under her leotard.

“Mineta,” Ingenium said, “please meet Hayai Sokudo, my Work Study participant, from U.A. She will be responsible for supervising you during this morning’s patrol.”

Maybe 0500 wasn’t so bad after all.

***

Mika’s hooves made a soft clip-clop on the pavement as she and Flash-Step walked through the streets of Hosu City. It had been pretty boring. According to Ingenium, crime never slept. Right at that moment, though, it felt like crime was sleeping in. Of course, she’d managed to nearly walk into three street signs, two mailboxes, and one phone booth (Why was there still a phone booth in this day and age?). So there was that.

She couldn’t help it. The view was incredibly distracting. Of course, Mika found most people distractingly attractive. But Flash-Step was really distractingly attractive. Like, on the level of Shinji distractingly attractive.

Speaking of her boyfriend, she surreptitiously took a picture of the Work Study student with her phone while she was speaking with a civilian, then sent it to Shinji.

Babe, look who I’m working with.

Sorry, right, it’s stupid early.

Hope I didn’t wake you up.

But, she is, like, super-hot.

Should I hit on her? Y/N?

Hot Boyfriend: Holy hurricanes!

Hot Boyfriend: She is nearly as spectacular as you!

Hot Boyfriend: I INSIST that you hit on her! To waste this opportunity would be criminal!

Babe, you are –the best-

Wait, crap. What if she’s straight?

Hot Boyfriend: You won’t know until you try!

Hot Boyfriend: But if she is straight, could you try and talk me up?

What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t?

Try and talk my boyfriend up to the hot girl that we’re both trying to hit on?

Of course I will!

An open relationship with a super-hunk worked out really well.

***

Flash-Step, as it turned out, possessed a Quirk called “High Gear.” It let her shift into super-speed for five minutes, but then required another five minutes to cool down afterwards. It also took the full five minutes to come out of it, as evidenced by the fact that she remained accelerated and fast talking if she finished whatever high speed task she’d set herself before that time was up.

“Saw you at the Sports Festival,” Flash-Step said, as they walked the streets. “They had Third years helping with security, but I caught your first match on my break. When the Boss said you were coming, I watched the rest.” She paused stuck a piece of gum in her mouth. “Don’t tell the Boss. Not supposed to have this, but I gotta get my oral fix.”

She blew a bubble with perfect lips and such breath control that it made Mika’s heart and other parts flutter. It popped, noisily, and she sucked the pieces back in.

“Oh yeah?” Mika asked. The pop had snapped her back to her senses, letting her formulate an actual response, instead of stuttering like a moron. “What’d you think?”

The older girl considered, chewing her gum. “Boss says you’re undisciplined and a trouble-maker.” Mika’s heart sank for a moment. Of course, that was what pretty much everyone thought about her, so she was used to that. Hell, most of the time, she encouraged it. Flash-Step shrugged. “Now, me, I think…”

“You take that back, you bastard!” the voice cut through the air and cut off any possible answer from Flash-Step. Mika followed the source of it, finding what looked like a bunch of high school boys, two groups of them judging by their uniforms, six in total, getting ready to rumble. Probably a good old fashioned school rivalry.

It was entirely too early for this kind of dumbassitude.

“You gonna make me?” one of the boys in the other uniform taunted. He’d activated his Quirk, idly tossing a fireball from one hand to the other. Next to him, most of the others were calling up their Quirks as well.

“I’ll beat it out of you if I have to!” the one who’d called out originally snarled. He raised a palm and a spikey ball of inky blackness appeared, floating around him like a miniature sun. Around him, his own schoolmates were activating their Quirks.

“We going to clobber them?” Mika asked.

“Not if we can help it,” Flash-Step said. “If this turns into a fight, we’ll have to call the police. It’ll go on their records, they might get charged with petty Villainy.” She frowned. “But we need to do something before they get tired of posturing.”

“So what you’re saying is we need to diffuse the situation without violence?”

“Yeah. Guess we could try talking to them…”

A grin spread across Mika’s face. Her time had come. “Let me handle this.”

“I shouldn’t…”

But Mika was already in motion.

“Heeeeey boys,” she called out, putting a little bit of extra swing into her hips as she approached. She bent forward entirely more than was necessary, giving them an excellent view of her cleavage. “Think you could break up your fight and spare a minute for little old me?” She gave them her best “airheaded beauty” look, the kind with pouty lips and half-lidded eyes.

This got all eyes on her. Good. That meant they were all straight, or at least bisexual. Being pan herself, she tried not to make too many snap judgements about other’s sexualities, even if her radar for that was very good. At least two of them were openly undressing her with their eyes.

She put a hand on her cheek. “I think I’m lost, any chance you could help me?”

“Sure,” the one who’d made the spikey black ball early said. “But what’s in it for me?” He was leering. Maybe in a slightly icky way.

“Dude,” one of the other ones said. “She’s a U.A. student! See the costume? Didn’t you watch the Sports Festival?”

“I did,” the fireball user said. “She’s the one who kept talking like a slut.”

Mika pushed down the urge to growl. She owned her own sexuality. To reduce it like that…! But she was playing distraction here. “Oh, tee-hee,” she said, forcing herself to giggle. “What do I know about anything like that?”

“You little boys down?” Flash-Step said, having gotten behind them while they’d been distracted by Mika.

“What?” “Huh” “Who’s..?” Various exclamations of surprise rang out from the six as they realized they were surrounded.

“Get to school, all of you!” Flash-Step shouted. “I’ve got all your faces recorded on my goggles! If you don’t get moving in five seconds or if I hear about you trying to fight like this again, I’m sending it to the cops and every Hero in the city!”

With a grumble, the boys dispersed. There were a few half-hearted “this isn’t overs” but the fight had clearly gone out of them.

“Bye-bye, boys,” Mika said, waving and blowing them a little kiss.

“Good job,” Flash-Step told her, after the boys had left. “Definitely not a strategy I’d have thought of.”

Mika grinned. “No? You could have pulled it off, real easy.”

“Maybe,” Flash-Step replied. If she’d picked up on the subtext Mika was radiating, she didn’t show it. “Still, nice distraction and non-violent escalation. Pretty sure the Boss wouldn’t approve, but he can be kind of a stick in the mud.”

“The stickiest,” she agreed.

They continued walking after that. “Anyway,” Flash-Step continued, “Nejire and I were talking about the Spots Festival. She was rooting for Midoriya, of course, but I was rooting for you. You’ve got guts, kid.”

Mika turned so Flash-Step wouldn’t see her frown. Kid? From somebody only three years older?

Ah, well. Win some, lose some.

#their hero academia #my hero academia #fan fic #fan fiction #my writing #tsuyu asui #tenya iida #akaya koda #mika (tha)

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

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Their Hero Academia – Chapter 24: Akaya Koda and Class 1-B

The latest raw and unedited chapter of my ongoing, next gen, My Hero Academia fan fic. You get to see it here first, before it goes up on AO3 and FF.net!

Chapters 0-23, plus the first interlude, can be found here

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 24: Akaya Koda and Class 1-B

Akaya Koda strolled across the U.A. campus, enjoying the mid-April sunshine. She wore a yellow sundress and a wide-brimmed hat, along with a pair of sandals. After an exhausting week, she was glad for the weekend. Rescue training at the USJ had been intense, even without the faux Villain attack on Thursday.

At the same time though, it had been fulfilling work, and work that her Quirk was well suited too. With her power to rapidly grow and control plant life (She disliked the term “controlled,” though. She preferred to believe she was seeking their aid), she could shore up other structures, form ropes from vines, and even rapidly grow food when necessary. She disliked violence, always preferring to restrain rather than injure, something else her Quirk excelled at. Perhaps that was the best path for her to take. It would take long and careful thought and prayer before she could come to any truly satisfactory conclusion.

Her destination today, though, was the community garden. It had been established a few years ago at U.A. and was primarily tended to by students with an interesting in growing things, though some teachers would assign work there as detention duty. It wasn’t especially large, but it did provide a measure of additional fresh fruits and vegetables to the dorms so that less had to be spent on groceries. Akaya enjoyed it immensely.

As she approached the garden, she saw that several of her friends were already there. Kentaro Fukui of Class 1-B gave her a friendly smile and wave. At nearly three meters tall and more than a meter wide, his Quirk, Large, made him a formidable sight. But his features overall were not monstrous, with short cropped dark hair and cool grey eyes, he was simply… Large. It wasn’t often that Akaya met someone who was bigger than she was, other than her own father, along with Shoji and his father. She gave him a friend wave in return.

“Good morning, Fukui,” she said. “I trust you’re well?”

He nodded. “Very well, thanks,” he said. For his size, his voice was surprisingly high pitched.

“Did you enjoy the USJ?” she asked.

“Eh…” Fukui rubbed the back of his head with an oversized hand. “I’m not really cut out for Rescue work. I’m okay at heavy lifting, but I’m more likely to bring something down.”

Akaya nodded. “We all have our callings we are meant to attend. I am certain you will find yours.”

“Akaya!” a buzzing voice called out. Chiasa Kamakiri of Class 1B looked much like her father, Togaru Kamakiri, with a head something like a praying mantis and yellowgreen skin. Her dark green hair, though, came from her mother, Setsuna Tokage. Her Quirk, Swarm, allowed her to split into a swarm of smaller versions of herself linked by a hive mind and reform. “You‘re late!” She wagged a finger teasingly.

Akaya gave her a chagrinned smile. “My apologies, Chiasa. I am afraid I had to help defuse a situation in the dorm this morning before I could leave.”

“What happened?”

“Kenta, Ojiro, and Sero upset Aoyama,” she explained. “They were filming something—I am truthfully not certain of the details—and it ended with Aoyama setting his shirt on fire. He was understandably quite upset and became rather threatening towards them. Fortunately, Tokoyami and I were able to calm them all down… but it was likely it would have escalated into violence. We found the three of them trying to avoid him by hanging from the ceiling by Sero’s tape.”

Chiasa laughed at that, clicking her mandibles together rapidly. “Your morning sounds more exciting than ours. Though I think Monoma’s up to something. He was watching Kana, Midoriya, and Kirishima-Bakugo through binoculars when they returned from their morning run.”

Akaya frowned at that. Shiro Monoma did tend to let the supposed “rivalry” between the classes get the better of him. She counted Shiro as a friend, but there were times where he could cause trouble for everyone. And he did seem to have a particular itch for getting Kirishima-Bakugo riled up. “I shall let them know.”

It was better to be forewarned and forearmed. Especially since it would likely prevent Kirishima-Bakugo from trying to kill him.

“I don’t know what his problem is,” Fukui said. “But I do know Tetsutetsu hitting him all the time like that can’t be good for him.”

“He deserves it,” Chiasa said. “He just wants to stir things up for no reason.”

Akaya was much less certain of the “no reason” part than Chiasa was, and even less so of the “deserves it” part. Granted, she did not live with him as she did, but she also considered herself to be closer to him than most. They had gone to the same middle school and junior high. Shiro simply wished to succeed, something that was an uphill battle with his Quirk. His Quirk to imitate the actions of others—she knew he had poured over countless hours of videotape of Heroes like Eraserhead and Gunhead—was formidable under the right circumstances, but she also knew most wrote it off as inconsequential compared to flashier Quirks. Some of their old classmates certainly had.

History repeating itself. Shiro had often mentioned his father had suffered similarly. None of which was hers to reveal.

“We must all make our own way in the world,” she said instead. “Some of our paths are simply stormier and more turbulent than others. He shows great loyalty to your class and wants you all to succeed.”

That got another laugh from Chiasa. “Dunno how you stay so calm all the time, Akaya,” she said. “Especially with the crazies you live with. Especially Mineta.”

“It… can be trying,” Akaya admitted. Her classmates and friends were good people. But they each carried their own baggage and their own eccentricities. “Faith helps.”

“What’s a Mineta?” Fukui asked, looking a bit befuddled.

“Someone you’ll meet soon enough, I’m sure,” Chiasa said. “When you do, you’ll know.”

***

The gardening was simple, but not easy work. There were plants to water, plant food to spread, weeds to pull, insects and other pests to send on their way, and even a certain amount of harvest to reap. The three of them had been joined by Shikha Mizuno, from Class 1-C, a doe-eyed young woman with pointed ears and large antlers growing out from her head. Her Quirk, Antlers, let her grow hers rapidly in varying lengths and shapes, even using them like a second set of limbs.

“It’s hard to believe so many of the Hero students this year are second gen or more,” Mizuno was saying, as she worked on weeding from around the vegetables. “Nobody in my class is. Kind of makes us all feel a little inadequate. You guys all must have a big leg up.”

Akaya nodded. “To some extent. Our parents had much advice and training to offer us, but at the end of the day, there is only so much they could offer compared to this school. You will make up whatever gulf there is in time.” It was true, however, that nearly all of the students in Class 1-A were the children of the infamous Class 1-A, and many of the students in Class 1-B were likely the children of their contemporaries. Class 1-C, by contrast, had no second generation of greater Hero students to it.

“Besides,” Fukui added, “not all of us in 1-B are second gen either. And 1-A’s got one, right, Koda?”

She nodded again. “Haimawari. He is quite skilled, though.” And would be more so if he could shed the nervousness that dominated most of his actions. “But I expect you too, will have your chance to shine, Mizuno. Good things come to those who wait.”

Mizuno frowned. “I guess,” she said. “Wish I had your certainty.”

“Get outta here, you!” a tiny voice rang out. Akaya looked down to see a dozen tiny Chiasa’s (somehow all wearing tiny versions of her clothes, she couldn’t begin to understand how that worked), chasing a slug from the garden. They corned the creature and lifted, running until they had carried it outside the garden’s boundary. Satisfied, they returned to Chiasa, where they vanished and reformed into the fingers of her left hand.

Chiasa gave her fingers an experimental wiggle, then made a disgusted face. “Ugh, slime. Anybody got a towel?”

Fukui passed her own and received a nod of thanks. “That the last of it?” he asked.

“Enough before lunch, at least,” Akaya said. “I think we’ve a bit more to do before we’re done.”

“Be easier if you just made everything grow, though,” Fukui added.

She shook her head. “I try to only use my Quirk when necessary. I may stray at times, but this garden is meant to be enjoyed by everyone and I would not deprive them of that, nor alter the flow of nature on so large a scale.”

Chiasa laughed at that. “I think you just like hard work,” she said.

Akaya simply gave her a smile. “I do at that.”

***

They decided to go to the Class 1-B dorm for lunch, since Chiasa had mentioned they had a lot of leftovers from the previous night. Their Common Room followed much the same layout as Class 1-A’s, albeit flipped so that everything was on the opposite side. Told to help themselves to whatever was in the fridge, Akaya had fixed herself a small salad and sat down with the others to eat. They’d also been joined by more of her Class 1-B friends, the shadow-skinned Chizue Kuroiro, dark daughter of Shihai Kuroiro and Reiko Yanagi, whose Quirk “Life” let her bring any drawing to life and thus always carried Tarot Cards; and Hekima Kodai, a quiet young man with pale blue hair, who was the son of Yui Kodai and her husband, who had taken her last name, who had an expanded version of his mother’s Quirk and could both shrink and grow organic and inorganic objects, and Kana Tetsutetsu.

She also spotted Shiro Monoma walking across the Common Room to the stairs. He seemed to be muttering to himself. “Yes, that should do it. The perfect time, the perfect place, she’ll never know it was me…”

“Join us, Shiro?” she offered. His words concerned her. Perhaps she could intervene and prevent unnecessary hardship. She was not quite as good as, say, Asuka Tokoyami or Izumi Todoroki (though Todoroki’s skills only really seemed to apply to Kirishima-Bakugo) at defusing conflicts, but Shiro was an old friend and would usually listen to her.

He stopped and shook his head. “I am afraid I have too much to do today, Akaya,” he said.

“Surely you have time for a brief respite?” she asked, firmly, but not harshly.

He seemed to weigh his options, sighed, and grabbed himself food from the fridge before sitting down with the rest of them. She waited for him to have a few bites before she spoke again. “Chiasa tells me you were spying on my classmates,” she said. “Not heroic behavior at all. I would know why.”

Akaya was not, by nature, a confrontational person. But neither would she see trouble come after her classmates and friends, especially from someone she also considered a friend.

“What?” Kana spat, more annoyed and exasperated than surprised. “Do I have to go upside your head again, Shiro?”

“You raise an ill omen over us all,” Chizue said, while Hekima just shook his head.

Shiro shot Chiasa a betrayed look, but she was having none of it. “You were spying on them, Monoma,” she said. “You had binoculars and everything.”

Shiro turned a shade of pale. “It’s… you see… I don’t have to explain myself to any of you!”

Fukui fixed his gaze upon Shiro. “You’re not being a perv, are you, Monoma?”

“What? No!”

“Then what?” Akaya prompted.

Shiro looked away, guiltily. “I would really rather not discuss this.”

“Should I… should I go?” Mizuno asked. Her antlers were drooping slightly and the Class 1-C girl looked distinctly uncomfortable at all discussion going back and forth.

“I do not believe that will be necessary,” Akaya said. “Shiro, do I have your promise this is not some scheme to make Midoriya or Kirishima-Bakugo look bad or otherwise try to prove your class’s superiority by undermining mine?”

In spite of everyone’s eyes being on him, Shiro managed to look her in the eye. “I promise you it is nothing negative,” he said. “In this particular instance, anyway. What some of your classmates do to embarrass your class is not under my control.”

That was, Akaya was forced to admit, probably as good an answer as she was going to get. “I will hold you to that,” she said. “And I will be very cross if you break that promise.”

“Ooooh,” Chiasa teased, “don’t make Akaya cross, Monoma! She might say things like “darn” and “shoot” and “fiddlesticks!’”

That got a laugh from everyone except for Mizuno and Fukui. Kana’s was a pleasant sound, a full on laugh that had her holding her stomach. Chiasa’s was a clacking, buzzing, sound, while Chizue’s was more of a reserved chuckle hidden behind her hand. Hekima was giggling and even Monoma was trying not to laugh at failing. Akaya accepted it good naturedly. She was not an angry person and rarely raised her voice, so she did not begrudge the joke at her expense. No harm was meant, after all.

“I might even venture so far as a “dang,’” she added, which only got a further laugh, especially from Chiasa, who nearly doubled over with laughter.

Kana finally recovered from her laughing. “Don’t worry,” she said. “If he doesn’t behave himself, you can count on me to give him a good smack.”

Shiro looked offended by that. “You’ve really got to stop doing that!”

She fired back. “When you stop doing creepy or annoying stuff, I will!”

Akaya held up her hands. “Please, no fighting while we are eating.”

Both muttered their apologies, and Kana switched lines of thought. “Speaking of your class, Akaya,” she said, “you know the new kid in your class?”

“Haimawari?”

Kana nodded. “Yeah, him. Midoriya’s mentioned him a few times, though Katsumi usually rolls her eyes. I saw him during the entrance exam and he was really impressive!”

“What about him?” Akaya asked.

Kana looked away, being surprisingly shy for a moment before she looked back. “Is he seeing anyone?”

Well, that was certainly not the question she was expecting. And judging from some of the reactions from the others, neither was anyone else.

“OooOoh,” Chiasa teased. “Kana’s got a cruuush.”

“I wouldn’t have picked you for the crushing type,” Chizue said. “Not that kind of crushing, anyway.” Next to her, Fukui made a kissy-face.

Hekima blinked slowly. “I have no idea who that is.”

Monoma just shook his head. “He’s not exactly a heroic dynasty, Kana. You could do better.”

Mizuno perked up, antlers waving rapidly in the air. “Oh! I know him! My family shops at his family’s convenience store! We went to school together before U.A.! He’s kind of a dork, but he’s a really nice guy!”

That tracked with Akaya’s assessment of Haimawari as well. More importantly, neither Todoroki not Midoriya would be friends with someone who was unpleasant or dishonorable, so that further honed her assessment of him.

“As far as I know,” Akaya replied, “he does not. But I cannot claim to have spoken to him for any great length of time, so my knowledge is incomplete. Midoriya, Tokoyami, or Todoroki would be better people to ask.” Shota Shinso, of course, also spent time with them, but he was not especially observant about anything that did not involve Heroes.

Kana put her head on the tabletop. “If I ask Midoriya, Katsumi’s going to find out and she’ll never let me here the end of it.”

“You don’t think she’ll find out anyway?” Shiro asked. “From what I understand of Class 1-A, the second anything vaguely romantic happens, it makes an appearance in the Ojiro girl’s gossip show.”

Mizuno clapped her hands together. “Oh, I love that show! And the other one she’s in sometimes, with the guy who eats stuff!”

Fukui grinned. “Ooooh, I love that one too! The pink guy is super cute! I can’t believe he already has a boyfriend!”

Akaya was not without passions of her own and had harbored many a childhood crush over the years, but the hurriedness of some of her friends and classmates to leap into relationships still often surprised her. Some of them more than others, of course. Mika Mineta let her passions rule her to the point of overriding her reason. On the other hand, she also tried very hard not to judge the actions of others. She had not walked in their shoes nor lived their lives. So she would not dissuade Kana from her path, nor any of the others.

“Iida and Sero seem very happy together so far,” she told Fukui. “But how long this may last, would not begin to speculate.”

“So you’re saying I might have a chance?”

“It is not my place to say.”

The large young man just shook his head. “You guys have known her longer. Is she always this cryptic?”

“I wouldn’t say cryptic,” Chiasa said. “Chizue’s cryptic. Akaya just doesn’t like to make snap judgements.”

“What about you, Akaya?” Chiasa asked, mischief in her eyes. “You crushing on anyone?”

“None at present,” she said, then held up a hand to forestall any follow-up questions that she knew were coming. “My last major crush was when I was thirteen, on Tensei Iida. I can see now such would have been folly anyway, so there is no harm in not having acted upon it.”

“Ooof,” Chiasa said. “Too bad.”

Akaya gave a little shrug. Some things were simply not meant to be. They were in charge of their own destinies, but in some cases, there were simply paths they were not meant to follow.

Kana resumed pounding her head on the table. “What am I gonna do?”

“If you like him,” Akaya said, “then may I suggest boldness? It seems to have worked well for Sora Iida in beginning a relationship with Midoriya.”

“Maybe,” Kana said.

“As much as it pains me to suggest anything that might benefit someone in Class 1-A,” Shiro said, “Akaya’s right. You’re too bold and tough not to just step up to the plate.”

Kana nodded, seemingly satisfied with that. “All right then. I’ll give it a shot.”

***

Later, Akaya returned to the 1-A dorm, satisfied in a long day of hard work. They’d gotten a lot accomplished in the Community Garden and she was able to bring back a basket full of fresh vegetables with her. They’d be able to make good use of these over the next few days.

She wondered how much she should tell her classmates. Part of her wanted to warn Midoriya and Kirishima-Bakugo that Shiro was watching them, but she also had his promise that he meant no harm. She could, at least, respect Kana’s privacy to approach Haimawari on her own terms, but the other bothered her. She did not like keeping secrets. Shiro had not asked her to keep it a secret, but to draw Kirishima-Bakugo’s attention to him was absolutely to put him at risk. Kirishima-Bakugo’s explosive temper was legendary enough as it was without adding more fuel to the fire.

Ultimately… if they asked, she would not lie. But she supposed she did not have to volunteer that information either. It was a lie of omission, but she felt she could live with it.

As she settled back into her dorm room, she felt her phone buzz with a text message.

Carefully, she withdrew her oversized phone, meant to fit easily in the palm of her oversized hand. She unclipped the stylus (most capacitive screens did not work well with her rocky skin) to see who it was. It turned out to be from Shiro.

The text simply said, “See? No harm meant” and was followed by a photo attachment. Curious, she tapped the attachment with her stylus to open it. The attachment opened, revealing a rather intricately crafted origami crane situated in the middle of what appeared to be an origami explosion. She knew Shiro regularly studied various artists and crafters in order to acquire additional skills, but it was impressive work all the same. More so when she recognized what had to be little original flourishes he had added, since his Quirk relied upon imitation.

This, however, just raised further questions. Spying and origami did not typically go together. Just what was Shiro up to? Few explanations presented themselves and the ones that did were too mind boggling to consider for long.

Carefully, she texted back. I am going out on a limb by trusting you. Do not betray that.

Do not worry, Shiro texted. All will be well.

She could only pray that it would be.

Sero and Iida, Miroriya and the other Iida, Kana and Haimawari, and now whatever was going on here… Perhaps it was time she began to consider what she wanted, before it was too late.

#their hero academia #my hero academia #fan fic #fan fiction #my writing #akaya koda

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 3 years ago

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Their Hero Academia - Chapter 85: Summer Days, Drifting Away

Continuing my nextgen MHA fic!

Earlier chapters can be found here or by searching the “their hero academia” tag.

The girl with the tri-colored hair, the one Haimawari had called Dashi, was sneering at her. Confident, prideful, as though Seung were nothing more than dirt under her shoe. So assured of her victory…

“So much for the Shiketsu big shot! Time to go back home!”

***

The blow sent her to the ground. Her father had told her that the Japanese gangs liked to come and harass any of the new Korean arrivals that they could. They tended to linger around the district lines, which of course was where many shops were set up. It wasn’t uncommon for Seung to hear accented Zainichi storekeepers yelling at her or her fellow newer arrivals, or the deferential panic they’d face when the Japanese bikers would impose their will. She was young, stubborn. She wanted a chocolate from the local store. Now she was on the ground, a foot pressed on the side of her head.

“You better show some fucking respect, little chon,” the punk in question demanded. “This is our country. Japanese country. You want to live here then you better show proper deference to your superiors.”

She was always hearing this kind of garbage. Whether it was at school, out in the city, or even here in her own neighborhood.

“I was born here, asshole!” She yelled in defiance. “This is my country, too!”

“Arrogant little bitch. Stand her up,” came the voice of their leader. He had a few spikes centered around his head, but otherwise appeared like a regular human.

She had been picked up and held as the horned gang leader came up to her. A glint of light revealed he had a knife in his hand.

“Hey!” The voice came in angry Korean, a large, white-furred man reminiscent of the old yeti myth came running up. “Get away from my daughter, you bastards!”

The horned punk snarled and before Seung could say anything, she felt a sharp pain in her side, the knife hilt visible to her. She remembered a roar as the giant, furry man tackled her attacker, but soon he was outnumbered by the spike-head’s running buddies.

“Call the police,” the yeti-man yelled at the nearby store, but the shopkeeper just flipped the sign to ``Closed” and backed away.

Her vision had been cloudy, but saw her dad throw his attackers off with a roar of determination, then grabbed one of their bikes and threw it at the gang’s parked bicycles, triggering a series of explosions.

“Damn freaks!” Spike-head cursed as he ordered his people to save their remaining bikes. “You’ll see! Soon you’ll all go back where you fucking came from!” The punks peeled out, but Seung barely registered this.

“Hey! Stay with me, Seung!” Her father’s dialect of Korean was from the mainland. It made her feel safer. She tried to say something. “What? What is it, Seung?”

“Sorry, Daddy. You were right.” Then she fell unconscious.

***

“What the hell’s taking them so long?” Katsumi growled, crossing her arms. She was growing impatient waiting for the relay team made of Haimawari and Park. The relay station was small, little more than a small box that was open on either side, just dividing up sections of the relay course. It wasn’t an unpleasant place, but she was a woman of action. Waiting was never easy for her. Some people might even call her impatient. But only once.

Sharing that space with Shinji was nearly so bad, it was insufferable. Logically, she understood how the Horse Girl could actually like him. They were both loud and excitable and overwhelmed by hormones (Though given no other choice, she would admit that Shinji was attractive. He just ruined it by talking.). She even understood how the always excitable Loud Kid loved the big oaf.

What she didn’t understand was how Izzy put up with him.

Some things, she supposed, were just a mystery.

Shinji frowned, an expression she realized looked incredibly out of place on his face. His eyes narrowed as he peered into the forest. “I don’t know,” he said after a moment. “You don’t think… No! Never! It couldn’t be!”

“Couldn’t be what, you sorry excuse for a cyclone?” Katsumi growled, giving him a glare. “Use your words.”

“Holy hurricanes, Katsumi!” Shini said. “You don’t think Haimawari and Park lost, do you?”

Katsumi gave him another glare, the kind she reserved for especially stupid people. “You really think the guy who won the Sports Festival and the girl who kicked my ass six ways from Sunday got stopped by anybody? Do you have hot air rolling around in that thick skull of yours?”

“Kicked her ass” was putting it mildly. She’d never seen anybody who could fight like Park, not without using a Quirk. Katsumi knew she wasn’t invincible by any length, but she considered herself strong and skilled. It had cost her a lot of pride to admit it, but Park was simply better than she was.

Which was good. Gave her a new target to strive towards. Plus Monoma had been part of the group of “Villains” dropped off for that stage. She’d be damned if he could beat Park when she couldn’t. The thought was unthinkable. If that happened, she’d have to quit school, change her name, and open a boxing gym somewhere. No, wait, Dad and Papa would never allow that.

She’d just die of embarrassment instead.

Shinji gave her a sympathetic smile. Damn windbag was always too good at seeing through her when she was acting tougher than she felt. Maybe she ought to consider being nicer to him.

Nah.

“They’re both very capable,” he agreed. “I’m sure they’re fine…”

Anything else Shinji might have said was cut off by the sound of a scream. A raw, primal scream of rage that sent a chill down Katsumi’s spine. There was a great flash of red light too, an angry color that was far from natural. Instantly, she started running.

“Katsumi!” Shinj shouted, his long legs letting him keep up with her easily. Leave it to Windbag to forget he could fly. “Where are you going?”

“Are you deaf?” she shouted back. “That was Park! Things must have gone to shit!”

Had Monoma finally said something so stupid the other girl had snapped? She didn’t like him much, but if Park could beat the stuffing out of her when stone cold, how much more damage could she do to someone weaker when she was enraged?

***

Park’s scream sent chills down Isamu’s spine and he struggled desperately to move, but he found himself still bound by Dashi’s Quirk. He was helpless to watch as Park seemed consumed by white-hot rage, rage she was trying to vent on the others.

He’d give the three 1-B students credit though, they didn’t panic. At least, not much. He saw Monoma’s stance falter and Dashi take a nervous step back.

“Oh, shit,” Kaniyashiki said quietly.

And then Park moved, a blur almost faster than the eye could follow, leading with her fist. Kaniyashiki was the closest and the unlucky one. She’d actually started to move, but got clipped hard. It was more than enough to send her flying several meters, hitting the ground. She didn’t get up.

Monoma and Dashi had managed to get out of the way of the initial charge. “In the future, Dashi,” Monoma said, “may I suggest you limit your provocation to slightly below this level?”

Dashi’s arm shook as she aimed a red “stop” blast. “Shut up, shut up, shut up! If I sparked this, you’re the one who provided the fuel!”

“I drive to distraction,” Monoma protested, “not derangement! There’s an ocean of difference!”

She fired a beam, hitting Park square on. “There. This’ll put a stop to it!”

Only it didn’t. The red glow washed over Park and seemed to merge with her own aura, but the Shiketsu girl did not stop. It was almost as though the beam had done nothing at all, though Isamu would swear that she had slowed down a small fraction.

“That’s… that’s not possible!” Dashi screamed. There was true fear in her voice, the shock and surprise seemingly rooting her feet to the ground. She fired her “Stop” beam twice more, but Park kept coming. Whatever boost her Quirk gave her, it was strong enough to push past the effect of Dashi’s. Isamu never would have thought it possible. Monoma’s capture cloth shot out and wrapped around one of Dashi’s arms and the girl was yanked out of the way of Park’s charge.

Monoma had gotten behind her and as soon as Dashi was out of the way, his capture cloth shot out and bound Park around her waist, jerking her to a stop. “Dashi!” he cried out. “It’s you she’s after! Run! I’ll hold her off!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Dashi yelled. She ran past Isamu, on his other side, so he couldn’t see her. But he felt a wave of energy wash over his body and the world went green for a moment. Isamu fell to the ground. He let the dummy fall and didn’t bother picking it back up.

“Sorry, guy!” he heard Dashi call out. “Maybe you can talk some sense into her!”

He watched as Dashi fired two more red beams at Park. The cumulative effect finally seemed to be slowing her down… to about her unaugmented levels. Which still left her very strong and very dangerous. Quickly, Park got a grip on Monoma’s capture cloth and began spinning him around like a sling.

Even though he could hear Park muttering something he couldn’t understand (It was probably in Korean), Isamu was pretty sure they were beyond talking.

***

She only briefly questioned why she was now years later in her life, near the end of her junior years of study before it became the reality. If no one else was going to look after her people in their neighborhood, then it was up to the Koreans to look after themselves. Neither the Japanese or the Zainichi could be trusted. From what she had studied, the Japanese heroes were severely limited in their ability to exercise their authority within “ethnic” neighborhoods because of a terrible incident caused by a hero called Ignition, which resulted in multiple deaths in a local Chinatown. They were on their own.

Her father had encouraged her not to, but Seung found herself running with “Public Safety Watches” whose purpose was to prevent harassment and bullying toward the new young Korean community from the Zainichi Koreans who resented their presence, and the Japanese who considered them unwanted tenants. It was a noble experiment, at least back then. They were way out of their depth.

It started when the group she was part of came across Zainichi gangsters harassing a Korean store owner. At the time it had been very satisfying, using her Quirk to beat the snot out of the so-called gangsters, and receiving thanks from the grateful victim. It felt good, real good. Then reality came crashing down.

Her vision seemed to fast forward further. Again she questioned why events changed so suddenly, but the reality of the “moment” once more confined her mind to this moment. She was in a warehouse, two of her friends were lying on the floor, battered and bloody. Seung was strung up by her wrists and ankles by barbed wire. The pain was constant, but she somehow knew that wouldn’t be all.

“Just can’t be seen and not heard, can you?” The man spoke Korean, but in the bastardized dialect favored by the Zainichi Koreans, loaded with Japanese words that just never sounded right to Seung’s ears. The man wore a white, expensive Western style suit. Though what stood out more were the layers of metallic “veins” running across his body, each ending in multiple openings where lengths of barbed wire would slither out like snakes under the man’s control. Seung remembered hearing the words, but had not given them much importance as he continued to monologue. “The Mok-Nakajima-Kai is growing. We’re getting stronger each day while the politicians keep the heroes out. We’ll have proper Yakuza again and kick out those Triad bastards! Even that fat pig in Chinatown will fear the name of Tomohiro Mok. But you-!” He snarls, brings three lashes of barbed wire strikes her back, causing her to scream in pain. “You damn “Motherlanders” just won’t stop causing problems. The Japanese were finally starting to forget we Zainichis were here, until they dropped all of you on us like we’re all the fucking same! Now you’re a project to make them look good for their “generosity.” He spits, then lifts a hand, five lashes of barbed wire rise. “Let me be clear. This neighborhood belongs to the Mok-Nakajima-Kai, and you Mainland shits aren’t going to fuck this up for us! Got it!?

She whispered quietly.

“What?” He stepped closer.

“I said..a third-rate gangster pretending to be a bigshot won’t ever take this neighborhood.” She activated her Quirk, ripping the barbed wire from the wooden pillars, pulling her arms and legs free, though the wire itself still covered her.

“You seriously think you can step to me, girl!? Come on!” He launched a barrage of barbed wire tendrils at her.

“You won’t harm my people ever again, Mok!”

***

“What the hell?” Katsuki snapped. Park had been doing well over the last week. She’d only had to walk away from things a handful of times. Considering how much anger she had simmering under the surface, he considered that to have been a pretty good outcome. But now…

He was watching the relay with Aizawa, Fujii, Boost-Rush, and Katsuma. All of them were struck dumb, staring at the screens. Thanks to the sophisticated monitoring equipment, they were able to see and hear everything. They’d been concerned, of course, but not ready to step in just yet. Training, battle training in particular, could get intense. But there were supposed to be limits. And then things went off the rails. Even Fujii had shut up when Dashi had dropped the insult that had broken the camel’s back, which was an accomplishment in and of itself.

“Dammit,” Boost-Rush said. “They were doing so well too. Against superior power like that, provocation is a fine strategy. Shiro understands that. But Dashi took it too far.”

Fujii couldn’t go pale, due to his black, rubberized skin, but his body language was that of a haunted man. “Dashi, of all the things you could have said,” he started, then shook his head. “She’s always had a problem with arrogance. I knew it was going to get her into trouble, I’ve tried to talk to her about it, but I never expected this!”

“We can assign fault later,” Aizawa said, not completely unkindly. “Your students aren’t blameless here, but there’s plenty of it to go around.”

“Who’s covering that area?” Boost Rush asked.

“Ravenous,” Katsuma told him. “He was bringing Kuroiro in for a quick check up, but he’s on his way back now. Since he can fly on his Bing Bing balls, he should be there soon. Locksmith and Petal Princess are in the next area, and we’ve got everyone from the previous legs. I’m calling them all in.” He was already getting out of his seat. “And I’m going to join them. Monoma and Park are both pushing themselves past their limits.”

Bakugo followed. “Not without me, you’re not. Maybe I can talk her down again.” Pushed to her limits, with a history of feeling like she never belonged anywhere, and doing her best to endure the kind of “foolish competition” she’d protested against, it was little wonder that Park had snapped like that.

She had potential. And she had spirit. And whether or not she believed it, she had a future.

They had to get there and put a stop to things before she crossed a line that couldn’t be taken back.

On his way out, he heard Katsuma speak up again, talking over the radio, "Hey, has anyone seen Sandblast?"

***

Akaya could scarcely believe her own eyes. Shiro’s careful plans had fallen apart in rapid succession, as Park had unleashed power far beyond anything she had demonstrated so far. She hadn’t been able to hear all the words clearly, having been kept in reserve at Shiro’s insistence, but she could tell that something had released a great anger in Park. She knew the other girl was troubled, had called herself “Not as good of a Christian” as she’d have liked to be, but even after witnessing her brutal assault on Kirishima-Bakugo, Akaya never would have expected anything like this.

She’d balked at the idea of hanging back as a last-ditch weapon. “My Quirk may not be as impressive as some, Shiro,” she’d said, “and I may prefer less violent means, but that does not mean I am incapable of fighting.”

Shiro had shaken his head. “It’s not a lack of confidence in your abilities, Akaya. Quite the opposite in fact.” His expression had turned quite serious. “With your ability to control and rapidly grow plants, you are by far the most dangerous person in this forest. Why, I daresay you could bring this entire place down upon their ears if you wanted to.”

She’d doubted she was that powerful. But the vote of confidence did bolster her spirit all the same. An excess of pride may have been sinful, but she’d thought she could allow herself just a little.

Shiro’d gone on, “Which is why I want to keep you for last. If things go badly, if it looks like we’re falling apart, I want you to step in and bring the hammer. If they go more smoothly, then we’ll simply enjoy the benefit of your back-up.”

And so she’d held back. Watching. And now, she wondered if she waited too long. So many of her friends were so quick to act, moving decisively and with great power. Why was that so difficult for her?

She winced as Park slammed Shiro into the ground, forcing him to abandon his capture cloth as he rolled to freedom. He came up in a fighting stance, then faltered. Her heart seized in her chest as his legs collapsed out from under him, sending him to his knees. Some measure of Park must have still been in control, because she allowed him to get back up again. She heard Park shout something that sounded like defiance or a threat. Akaya was far enough away that she couldn’t see his face, but he seemed to be breathing hard. He and Park circled each other, each one waiting for the other to make a move.

Park seemed to be looking around, as though trying to decide if she could catch up with Dashi. Though she took a step forward to pursue, it was Shiro who attacked first. The flying kick he unleashed looked like something Ingenium had once used. Despite lacking the Engines in his legs to truly propel it, Shiro still had a lot of power behind his kick. His blow knocked Park back, but she immediately came out swinging, moving swiftly to get inside his range.

Shiro was just barely managing to stay one step ahead of Park now and he didn’t even always manage that. Both of them were a flurry of blows and dodges, many of Shiro’s moves were unrecognizable to her, and she didn’t know Park’s fighting style at all. But it all looked like they hurt.

Worse, a memory came back unbidden, something Shiro had told her once before. His Quirk allowed him to replicate physical actions he had seen, but that he was still bound by the limits of his own body. His own strength and flexibleness were not always a match for the originators of the actions.

What moves she recognized that she saw him doing now were powerful, but all of them that she recognized came from Heroes who used their Quirks to help facilitate them and protect them from the stress and strain. He was putting his body under considerable stress… maybe even deadly.

Haimawari tried to separate the two, firing a string of energy pulses at the ground between them. He stayed near Kaniyashiki, protecting her unconscious form. But even slowed by Dashi’s Quirk, Park’s agility and skill let her dodge around her bolts, pressing her attack on Shiro. Furious as their blows were and as close as they kept to each other, he had no chance of hitting her without running the risk of hitting Shiro.

The two showed no signs of stopping.

It was up to her.

Akaya reached out and felt the power of the green world around her. It had been a gentle hum in the back of her mind ever since they had arrived at camp, one that sprang into glorious song as her training had pushed her to her limits. And now that same song grew into a thunderous cacophony.

***

Park fought like no one Shiro had ever faced. The assortment of Hero-plus-family gatherings over the years had given him the chance to playfully spar with Uncle Shinso, Ground Zero, Red Riot and Real Steel, and even unarmed specialists like Tailman and Auntie Itsuka.

Then there was Seung Park.

It wasn’t specifically a benefit of his Quirk, but over the years, Shiro had become adept in reading body language. In her fight against Kirishima-Bakugo, she hadn’t been training. She hadn’t even been having a match. She had one method of combat, and it was survival. Now, however, he was looking at something else entirely. He couldn’t deny that he’d been pushing her, that had been the plan after all. Isolate Haimawari from her support, and apply just enough pressure to keep her focused on him. She’d exceeded his expectations in being able to get through the barrier in a single strike, but it was still a variance he could have adapted to, if Dashi hadn’t apparently said the worst possible thing. He didn’t know what Park’s history was, but it didn’t take too much imagination to make an educated guess that she’d faced some nationalistic or racial discrimination.

Whatever was the worst she’d faced, she was in the middle of it all over again. Her Quirk was… wrong. Not in the way the Nomu had been ‘wrong’, but however it was being used right now was doing a number on her. It went beyond the strain and aches his own Quirk had inflicted on him over the years; it was like watching a mammal try to breathe water, and somehow managing it, but for how long?

His current concern for Park’s own health was, however, outweighed considerably by the harm she might do to Dashi or anyone else if she managed to close on them. Slim and slippery, he was probably the only person between either of the U.A. classes that could have evaded her this long, with or without Dashi’s assistance, but the one step he had been staying ahead of her was getting shorter and shorter. The loss of his support items had made him lighter on his feet, but he still couldn’t land a solid strike without likely breaking his own arm. Instead, he’d switched to a counter-based mix of styles. Seung would strike, he would deflect. Power could not be stopped, only redirected. As he used a Tai Chi form to greet her arm and let it continue past him, his eyes met hers. They were moving erratically, and dilated to an unnatural degree. Good lord, this girl was in the middle of a full psychotic break, or at least as close to it as Shiro could guess. He’d heard people talk about ‘being somewhere else and watching it happen’ when recounting traumatic or enraged experiences, but this was beyond that.

Where was this girl right now?

He didn’t have time to psychoanalyze, however. A brutal kick nearly took him out at the shins, and shattered a tree limb. He grabbed the shoulders of her uniform and somersaulted over her before she could raise her guard again. He took one step forward before driving himself forcefully into a crouch. His shoulders screamed protest as they nearly overextended, but he pulled with all the strength he could. Park’s form momentarily blocked the light from above as she sailed over him, before she slammed flat onto the ground. He scrambled away before she could recover her stance again. His chest hurt; he felt like his heart was about to rip free of his ribcage. But he couldn’t stop. The possible outcomes if he let her run rampant were something he couldn’t think about. That was when a terrible idea struck.

He was already in the middle of no good choices available, what was one more?

One Trace after another. Just keep stringing them together without pause. If he kept his body moving, he’d leave Park no openings. Even as he had barely started, he could feel his muscles shrieking in protest. He pushed through it and tried to block out everything other than selecting his next Trace. One perfect copy after another. Keep deflecting. Keep evading. The pain doesn’t help so it doesn’t matter. Faster! Guard! Don’t stop! Can’t stop!

He felt his heart trip on a beat, a split-second before the ground started to rumble.

***

“What do you mean?” The question, almost an accusation, came from someone she thought was a friend, Kwan-su Sook. The large, hairless boy, nearly Gorilla-like in his proportions, looked at her like she had just insulted his mother.

“I said I can’t do this anymore. We’re not making things better. We’re becoming little better than just another gang.” Seung blinked a bit, this..this was not right. This was right before she graduated junior year. “I want to help people, and to do that..I’m going to become a pro Hero.

“Are you out of your damn mind, Park!?” Sook was right in her face. “The Japanese don’t give a damn about us. Their heroes don’t come here, and their police look the other way while we suffer.” He poked her chest with a sausage-sized finger. “Becoming a hero isn’t going to do a fucking thing.”

“Wait, Sook.” The rebuff came from a human-sized figure. Nam-il Yang was a bruised purple color, with pure black eyes and a lipless mouth, exposing hardened, gray teeth. Most disconcerting that apart from his normal sized arms, a pair of much smaller, thinner arms were underneath them. He often kept them locked, almost as if in prayer. “Seung, I was going to wait to mention this, but we’ve had a stroke of good fortune.”

“What is it?” She remembered feeling nervous at Yang’s tone.

“We’ve received word from the mainland. We’re getting official backing.” While he couldn’t smile in a traditional sense, the way his mouth widened indicated the sentiment. “The Beast has endorsed our work.”

Seung’s blood froze. Even here in Japan she knew the name of one of Korea’s most powerful villains. A merchant of death who had grown mighty off the profits of selling pre-unification weapons all across the world to any who would pay.

“That’s right, Park. We got a Demon Lord on our side. The pissant Zainichi Yakuza won’t be a problem anymore. Any Japanese who traipses into our neighborhood will regret it forever. Even The Rising Sons will cave to us,” Kwan announced with pride.

Seung was furious. “Are you serious!? You’re just working with villains now!? And a Demon Lord responsible for so much death and suffering!? We’re supposed to be helping our people! Not bringing more harm to them!”

“Oh grow up, Park,” Yang interjected. “If our time in this country has taught us anything, it’s that the only comfort one has is if you have the power and the will to take it. Our enemies have the upper hand, so we made a decision for our future. You think becoming the token “respectable Korean” is going to make them change their minds about us?” He throws his normal-sized right hand up in disgust. “You wouldn’t even be a Korean anymore, would you. You’d just be a wannabe Zainichi.”

“I don’t know who the hell I am, Yang!” She lit her body up with the light of her Quirk. “But I know I can’t let you do this!”

“The fuck you can’t,” Kwan snarled, bringing a hand to grab her wrist. Seung spun to the side, grabbing the large boy’s wrist and twisting. He snarled with pain, which became louder as drove a vicious kick into his arm pit, causing a cracking sound.

Before she could press the advantage, a large disembodied hand wrapped her in its grip. She struggled as she saw Yang’s small right hand imitating the same gesture as the fist. Before she could reply, Kwan ran up and backhanded her with his good arm. Her vision immediately became blared, and the thought of a possible concussion came to mind.

“Enough, Kwan,” Yang ordered. “I don’t believe harming her further will be necessary. After all, we know where her parents live.”

That cut through the haze. “Leave my parents alone, Yang!” She pushed and pushed, then broke the grip of the giant hand. She ran a few meters before a second hand came down from above, slamming her into the ground.

“That’s right. You say anything about us, they die.” Yang’s left, thin hand was now in motion. Kwan, get the tools.”

The large boy left her sight long enough to come back with a small blade.

“The Beast has a policy that those race traitors who can’t see the wisdom of his vision, have something taken from them. Normally this would be something more significant, but-” As he talked, Kwan took off one of Seung’s shoes. “Out of respect for our shared history, we’ll just take a toe.”

Kwan brought the knife down, and Seung screamed.

***

As Katsumi and Shinji had been scrambling to move through the forest towards the source of the screams and flashes, a wall of dirt --no, dust-- surged up in front of them. Sandblast jumped down from the wave of debris and folded their arms as they stood in front of the two of them. “Oh hell no.”

“Instructor, something’s gone very wrong! Our friends are in need of our assistance, IMMEDIATELY!” Shinji bellowed. Katsumi was already looking for a way around the Pro Hero, who seemed to be tilting their head to one side in annoyance. She could faintly hear a voice yelling at them through an earpiece.

“You’re only half-right, windy-shit. They need help, but that’s not your job. You’re the students here.” Sandblast untucked one hand from their folded arms and another spray of Assault Dust shot out, striking the ground in front of Katsumi as she started to make her move. “Oh, did you think you were being sneaky? I guess that makes you a dumbass shit.”

Katsumi had met Sandblast once or twice before. Most of the Rookies had done stints with her dad’s agency at one point or another. Her personality was… well, it was a very dark mirror sometimes. She just needed an opening. Maybe Windbag would open his mouth. That would do it..

“I’m not letting you little shits through. First - our house, our mess. Second - I've had both your dad’s numbers since I was in elementary school, so I'm more than ready to handle two little shits. Stand. Down.” Sandblast finally dropped the wall, practically daring them, but before anything else could be said, she tilted her head, listening to something new. It was like leaves rustling, but further away, and bigger. “I think your slightly-less-shitty classmate is about to handle it anyway."

Katsumi had no issue punching an adult. Especially one who was as much of a shit-talker as Sandblast. But…

Dammit.

Picking fights during the camp had gotten her absolutely nowhere. Maybe punching wasn’t always the answer.

Or at least in this one, particular, one-off scenario.

***

In spite of what some of her classmates might have believed, Akaya did not actually “talk” to plants, as such. Plants were not aware enough to have a language of their own. But all plant life did share a common connection, a green life, a green frequency that she was attuned to. She could control their movements through it, and cause them to grow faster and larger than they might ever on their own.

Here, in the forest, she could feel every blade of grass, every ancient tree, every plant fighting for its life under the canopy. Now, she too was ready to fight. Akaya tapped deeply into the power of the trees and unleashed her own.

The ground began to shake as Akaya approached the two fighters, giving both Park and Shiro pause. Shiro, sped up once more by Dashi’s Quirk, and Park, enhanced by her own power, both glowed brightly. They separated for a moment, ready to start trading blows once more. Haimawari had gotten Kaniyashiki out of the way by now, and had returned to try and break the two up, to no avail. He looked around and finally stopped her as she approached. He seemed to recognize that she was the source of the rumbling and quickly backed away from the two fighters. He gave her a quick look, making hand motions that seemed to indicate he’d be there to back her up if she needed it.

With a wave of her hand, the ground around the two of them burst forth with roots, coming from every side of the two, spewing dirt into the air as they burst forth. The roots entwined their way around Park and Shiro’s legs and arms, though both pulled and struggled against them.

“Akaya!” Shiro called out, his speech almost too fast to hear properly thanks to Dashi’s boost. “What’re you doing?” He struggled, but his strength was not sufficient enough to break free.

Sped up, his movements were jerky and sharp. His face was flush and his breathing was coming in ragged gasps again. She disliked having to take action against him, but she told herself it was for his own good. She feared the consequences to his body and health if he had pushed himself much further.

“What must be done,” she said. Shiro was a friend, a good one. She prayed that he would forgive her for this.

“Let me go, dammit!” Park roared, struggling against her bonds. She flexed, snapping the roots like so many twigs. She eyed Akaya carefully, as though assessing how big of a threat she was. Her attention quickly returned to Shiro.

Fear gripped Akaya’s heart. Had she just made him more of a target instead? She stepped between Park and Shiro. With a wave of her hand, she summoned more roots, binding Park’s legs once again, but the other girl snapped them easily once more.

“I’m sorry,” Akaya said. She reached out again with her Quirk. The roots that burst forth this time were thicker and stronger. And she did not settle for merely binding Park’s arms and legs. Instead, the roots began to wrap around her entire body, binding her legs together and pinning her arms to her sides. Again and again, Akaya called up more roots, until Park was completely engulfed by them, other than her head, held slightly off the ground. Even then, she was struggling against her bonds.

Akaya instantly felt guilty. There was a pain in Park’s eyes that cut through her rage, a soulful, sorrowful pain that spoke of true, genuine hurt. Not hurt of the body, but of the soul. And the roots were beginning to break.

She was confident she could reinforce the roots if needed. And she had numerous other plants she could use here, both in the seed pouches on her belt, and in the forest itself. She truly did have a considerable arsenal with her. So long as she maintained her focus, she could hold Park until help arrived.

But was that the right option? Or merely the easy, expedient one? Park was a deeply troubled girl, she could tell, but she would not have attacked so ferociously without some form of cause. There had to be more to it than that. Was restraining her only making the situation worse? If her anger was not dealt with, then it was likely she would only continue to vent it, perhaps even trying to assault the Rookies and their teachers. That would not end well for her. It might well spell the end of her career before it had begun.

No.

What Park needed here was compassion, understanding. And that was something she could provide. Perhaps a kind word could do what martial prowess could not.

“Park,” she said, softly, so that only Park would hear her. “You told me at the beginning of this camp that you were not always as good a Christian as you should be. I did not hear everything that was said to you. But I can see your pain, your anger. I do not know what demons you carry, and I will not tell you to ignore it or to let it go. But as one Christian to the other, I am asking you to take this moment to turn the other cheek. Please. I’ve no desire to see either you or Shiro destroy yourselves over this. Or your future.”

She released the roots around Park, letting her go free. It was foolish, perhaps, but there needed to be a show of trust here. There had been too much violence and provocation already. There was a long, too long, tension filled moment. And then Park, with tears in her eyes, fell to her knees.

Akaya turned, releasing Shiro from his own bonds. Dashi’s boost had long since faded, but he looked… unwell. Without her roots to support him, he too fell to the ground, causing Akaya to let out a cry of alarm.

A flurry of activity followed, as the Rookies and Ground Zero arrived upon the scene. Ground Zero knelt next to Park while Bioshock checked on Shiro. She could not hear everything that Ground Zero said, but what she could hear sounded like he was trying to bring the girl back to reality. He spared just a moment to look up at Akaya.

“You did good,” he said.

Had she? Or had she betrayed two friends today?

#my hero academia #their hero academia #shiro monoma #isamu haimawari #akaya koda #fan fiction #fan fic #my writing #katsuki bakugo

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

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Their Hero Academia – Chapter 44: Three Stories

Presenting the next raw and unedited chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

Takiyo Aoyama Starts to Shine

When he had accepted the offer from Cellophane—the Number Fifty-Two Hero—Takiyo Aoyama hadn’t been certain of what to expect. He was not close to most of his classmates, though he was probably closer to Akaya Koda than anyone. And he maintained a—usually—cordial relationship with Kimiko Ojiro, due to a shared love of gossip. He had even started speaking more with Isamu Haimawari, after seeing how hard he was working to prove himself, something he could understand. But he could not claim to be close to Takuma Sero, despite sharing a floor with him in the dorms.

He had certainly spent time around the elder Sero; they’d all been around each other enough for that, but not in years. So he had little basis to form his expectations on, save for the rather copious amounts of interviews and candid moments available on the internet. These revealed only that he was personable, humble, and seemed to be rather behind the times in terms of slang.

That was… tolerable. Being able to cultivate a media presence was essential to being a Hero. Many Heroes never rose very high in the rankings simply because, while they were effective in stopping Villains, they were patently unlikable. There were exceptions, of course, but it was generally a truism.

He had failed to make much of himself at the Sports Festival, but perhaps he could begin to get the exposure he needed now.

Though he was beginning to wonder if exposure was worth… this.

To say Cellophane’s Agency was casual was putting it mildly. All of the staff that worked there were in polos and khakis. And as for Cellophane himself…

“Yeah, I like to keep things casual when I first come in in the morning,” he said, leaning back in his desk chair. His shirt was fashionable enough, well-tailored to accommodate his rather unique arms. But as for the rest of him… Sandals! With socks! Cargo shorts! “Have a little coffee, catch up on e-mails and paperwork, then get set for a little bit of patrolling.” He cracked his knuckles noisily.

The unfashionableness of this place was going to give him hives. How could his papa not have warned him against this?

“You did good, kid,” Cellophane said, “but you’ve really got to learn to unclench. I can see right now you’re about ready to have some kind of attack. Don’t stress yourself so much. Really, you’re reminding me of your dad, back before the whole cheese thing with Izuku. Why, I remember…”

The phone on his desk started ringing and he held up a finger. He picked up the phone, “Hey, hon, what’s up?”

He went slightly flush as he listened to his wife. “Yeah, sure, I can pick that up on my way home. Yeah, that too. And… sure… I can… do that… when I get… Can we talk about this later? When I don’t have a teenager in the room, listening? Yeah, I know we talk about it in front of our kids, but they’re not a good barometer for that…”

Takiyo was rapidly wishing he’d gone anywhere else for this.

***

“Dump me, will she?” the Villain snarled. He was large, larger than even Shoji or Koda, larger than All Might, and seemingly built out of black rocks, blazing red lines showing between the cracks. “I’ll show her! I’ll show that namby-pamby new boyfriend! I’ll show everybody!”

He drew back his hand, like he was able to throw a ball, and when he launched it forward, he threw a hot blob of lava. It struck a car, crashing through it, and melting what it did not smash. People were screaming, people were running everywhere. If the target of his rage was actually in the crowd, Takiyo did not know. Cellophane’s Sidekicks, whom Takiyo had not bothered to learn the names of (One had some kind of lubrication Quirk and the other did something with friction? He really wasn’t paying attention.), were coordinating the evacuation of the area. So far, all the Villain had done was property damage. But the odds were increasing that someone, intentionally or not, would get hurt.

“…Well, he’s big,” Cellophane said. “Maybe I should have left you behind.”

He pulled down the faceplate on his costume. “Actually, think you could come up with a distraction?”

At that, Takiyo smiled and gave his cape a dramatic flourish. “Getting eyes on me? A piece of cake.”

“Good,” Cellophane said, firing off a line of tape and pulling himself with it. “Just give me five minutes!”

Takiyo stepped into the Villain’s field of view. “Bonjour, Monsieur Villian!” he said, letting loose a dazzling, strobing beam of light across his field of vision.

The lava-man’s glowing eyes snapped in his direction, one hand up to shield them from further brilliance. “Some kid?” he growled. “That’s who they sent to stop me? What’re you, twelve?!”

“Non!” he shouted, raising both hands. He focused the stored light within him outward, raising his radiance until it was blinding. “I am the one who is going to stop you!” He flashed again, sending out another pulse of light. “I am the Dazzling Hero: Radiance!” Another flash.

“Argh!” The lava man took a step back, glowing eyes dimming and brightening in what must have been his version of blinking. “Damn kid! You’re like some overgrown glowstick! But I’ll put out your lights!” He brought up both of his hands, gathering more lava there.

Fear gripped Takiyo’s heart. He was going to die. It was as simple as that. Burned to a crisp, denied leaving even a beautiful corpse for the world to mourn over. He’d never be a Hero. He’d never get the chance to make amends for what he’d done…

“STICKY STORM!”

Suddenly, the air was filled with long strands of tape, wrapping around the Villain until he was completely cocooned. The lava he’d been forming fell to the ground it a heap, eating its way through the pavement, but at least it hadn’t come at him. From above, Cellophane dropped down, then popped up the faceplate on his mask. “Good job, kid!” he declared, giving a toothy grin and a thumbs up. “You okay? That looked pretty scary. Didn’t think he’d get that angry like that.”

Takiyo had to wait until his heart started beating again before he could speak. “Fine,” he said, trying to project a confidence he did not feel. “Only scary for a moment. One more blast of light and he would have been taken care of.”

“Sure,” Cellophane said, though Takiyo was certain his lie was not believed. Around them, people were starting to gather. Police, reporters, witnesses. He put one arm around Takiyo and waved to the crowd with the other. “Hero of the Hour, ladies and gentlemen! My Intern!”

***

The picture on the front page of the paper the next day was… strange. There was the wrapped lava Villain on the ground, there was Cellophane. And where he should have been… was a vaguely person shaped bright blob.

Takiyo stared at it, mouth agape.

“Not bad, huh?” Cellophane asked. “Not every day an Intern makes the paper on his first day.

“I did not realize I do not photograph well,” Takiyo said. “I did as a child. My Quirk… it must be getting stronger. Absorbing more light. Even the camera flash.”

This was going to put a serious cramp in his plans for fame.

“Eh, relax,” Cellophane said, slurping his coffee. “You’ll have plenty of photo-ops, I’m sure. And, if you don’t, well, there’s always radio.”

Takiyo’s mouth opened and shut, but no sounds came out. He really didn’t know what to say to that.

***

Daisuke Shoji Did Not Sign Up For This

“You idiots!”

Daisuke carefully set the weights he was lifting (roughly 1080 kilograms with each set of arms) down, before looking towards the doorway of the Real-Riot Agency’s gym. Red Riot, Real Steel, and Shiro Monoma (somehow Red Riot’s intern, the way he was Real Steel’s) all paused in their workout to look as well.

“What,” the small woman said, looking like she was ready to kill the first person who said something stupid, “have I told you about agreeing to things without asking me?”

Red Riot looked a bit sheepish at the accusation. “Kids, meet Shizuka Yamamoto, our Office Manager.”

“And the only reason you two haven’t done a lot more stupid things!” Yamamoto said, putting one hand on her hip and pointing at Red Riot with the other. “Which one of you did this? I need to know who to smack.”

“What’re you talking about?” Real Steel asked, squinting with confusion. “We haven’t agreed to anythi… oh! That!”

“Yes, that!” She reached into her pocket and unfolded a flier. “Red Riot and Real Steel Home Exercise Videos: How to Get Hard!”

“Oh, yeah!’ Red Riot said, flashing a toothy grin. “Isn’t it manly?”

“The video people thought it was a great name!” Real Steel added, giving an oddly similar shark-toothed grin.

Monoma shot Daisuke a glance. “This might get bad real fast,” he said. “If that happens, just run.”

He raised an eyebrow. The blond from 1-B had been unusually sullen since they’d both arrived at the Agency, lacking his usual arrogant sneer he had when dealing with members of Daisuke’s class. Granted, Daisuke had very little to do with him even under the most ideal circumstances, but his limited experience suggested something was off here. Surprising, really, considering he’d made it to the Tournament Round of the Festival, something Daisuke couldn’t say. And yet here they both were, interning with the Heroes who shared the Number Ten spot.

“Yamamoto is incredibly frightening when she’s angry,” Monoma elaborated. “I’ve spent enough time around the Tetsutetsus and Kirishima-Bakugos to know that.”

Yamamoto took a deep breath and Daisuke assumed she was probably counting down from ten. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Do you two idiots remember the charity wrestling match you did? When you went off script? “The power of two hard men?” It’s like you’re trying to make yourself look like idiots! Do you know how much of a credibility problem it causes? Every time?”

“But we are two hard men,” Red Riot said.

“The hardest!” Real Steel added.

Daisuke would later swear he hadn’t seen Yamamoto move, but in the blink of his eye, both Red Riot and Real Steel were on the ground, rubbing their cheeks like they’d been slapped. Yamamoto’s hair was slightly messed up, as though she’d been running the mind. Did she have a speed Quirk?

“Do you know how much work I’m going to have to do to fix this, you idiots?!”

He felt Monoma give his arm a tug. “We should run.”

Daisuke looked at him, then at the growing argument. While a Hero should always be ready to intervene when needed, he also made it a personal goal to stay out of other people’s drama. Considering he lived on a floor with Sero, Sato, and Aoyama, that was frequently a challenge.

“Agreed,” he said.

***

“I know I’m going to regret this,” Daisuke said, as he unwrapped the first of the take-out sandwiches he’d ordered (he needed a lot of calories), “but are you all right?”

Monoma barely looked up from the soup he was (barely) eating, as the two of them sat in the Agency’s breakrooms. “Mhm.”

Earlier, they’d joined Red Riot and Real Steel on a mutual patrol. The patrol itself had been easy enough. No trouble today, but Red Riot and Real Steel had both been experts at navigating rooftops. With his Extendo-Arms, Daisuke could easily keep up. They didn’t have a lot of advice for him yet, but tomorrow promised some combat training, and both certainly had the muscle to help hone his fighting style.

While Monoma had more than been able to keep up with them (an impressive feat, considering his Quirk offered him no enhanced physicality), he had seem distracted and was quite jumpy every time Red Riot spoke to him.

“Look,” Daisuke said, “we’re not friends. But we are in this together. If you’re distracted out there, it doesn’t just put you at risk.”

That, at least, got Monoma to look up. “I’m fine,” he growled. “I’ll get my head back in the game. Don’t worry about it. Just having a bad day.”

That was fair enough, Daisuke supposed. Monoma’s personal problems weren’t any of his business. Maybe that was all there was to it. He didn’t have the context to form a proper opinion.

Monoma returned to eating his soup, head down and avoiding Daisuke’s gaze. “Like you’d understand anyway,” he said, under his breath.

Most people wouldn’t have been able to hear that. It was little more than a whisper and Monoma hadn’t been looking at him when he’d said it. While his Quirk did nothing for his hearing, Daisuke had spent a lot of time with his dad learning how to listen. He did it without thinking now, always listening and paying attention to the sounds others might miss.

“Excuse me?” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Care to repeat that?” Daisuke considered himself pretty even tempered, but to just say something like that right in front of him was not something he could just let go.

Monoma’s head snapped up and he fixed Daisuke with a glare. “…You really don’t know, do you?”

He shook his head. “Know what?”

The blond boy’s eyes widen. “You really don’t know.”

Daisuke stood up. “Stop talking in circles. What don’t I know?”

“That you’ve been voted the hottest guy in 1-A. Hell, you’ve been voted hottest guy in the entire damn first year Hero Course. Pretty much everyone who likes men is into you.” Monoma pushed his chair back from the table and stood. “Are you seriously telling me you didn’t know about this?”

At this, Daisuke had to sit down, grabbing his water bottle with his upper-right Extendo-Arm and bringing it to his lips. He took a long drink before he answered, his other arms slumping. “Really? They’re all objectifying me? Just like that?”

He knew, of course, that Mineta found him attractive. That was hardly a surprise. Her type was “has a pulse.” He was even vaguely aware that Sero sometimes stared at him, though that seemed to have tapered off since he had started dating Iida. And Tokoyami’s familiar Frog-Shadow was always far too happy to see him.

But all of them? He knew he was in good shape, but he hardly thought he was so good looking at to be more highly regarded than any of the other boys in his year.

“At least according to Fukidashi,” Monoma said. “Who’s an ardent follower of Ojiro’s webcast. If anyone would know, it would be the two of them. Ojiro’s actually got quite the well-developed analytic and observational skills… she just chooses poorly how to apply them.”

Daisuke just shook his head, closed his eyes, and let out a frustrated sigh. So he was being objectified. By pretty much everyone. Great. “Nice job pivoting the conversation away from you, by the way,” he said.

Monoma let out a squeak. “Not my intention. I wanted to shut it all down.”

He opened his eyes as a few details finished assembling themselves in his mind. “Would your distraction have anything to do with Kirishima-Bakugo? Is that why you’re so jumpy around Red Riot?”

“I… don’t have to answer that,” Monoma said. His mouth slightly agape in surprise.

Daisuke shrugged, a movement copied by all his arms. “It’s not my business,” he said. “It’s yours. But get your drama figured out.”

When Monoma had left the room, Daisuke pulled out his phone. The lock screen showed himself, two of his three left arms around a girl with bright blue hair and dark glasses, a white cane held loosely in one hand. “Hottest boy in the Hero Course…? Emiko’s going to kill me.”

***

Takuma Sero Gets the Money Shot

“Hey there viewers,” Takuma whispered into his phone. The front facing camera view was a little bad, especially in the low light, but sometimes, sacrifices were made for fame. “I’m out on Internship with Number Twenty-Seven Hero, Tsukuyomi.”

He adjusted the angle of his phone, to capture Tsukuyomi standing on the edge of the rooftop, peering out over the cityscape, his black cape fluttering in the night’s breeze, before returning it to a close-up of his own face.

“And remember, Kimiko Ojiro and Kenta Sato will be uploading their own video diaries of their Internships later! Which you’ll get notifications of if you’re subscribed!”

He gave the camera his best grin. “I gotta say, though, I don’t know about this, viewers. Best offer I got, but he is a broooooder. Not at all a fabulous ray of sunshine like me. But if we’re lucky, you’ll get to see yours truly in action, viewers! Maybe even a little Swing Cam!”

That was his name for when he affixed his phone to his chest, while swinging from spot to spot with his Acid Tape. Like first-person roller coaster footage. Very popular, especially with the adrenaline junkies.

“Oh, and if you’re watching this, Tensei,” he said, giving the camera another grin, a real one, not the stage one he used for his show, “miss you, babe. Hope your Internship’s going good! Air kiss!” He punctuated that with some air kisses.

“Okay,” he went on, “so, tonight…”

Suddenly, something dark snatched his phone right out of his hands! He turned to watch Dark Shadow flowing forth from Tsukuyomi, his phone in its hands. “Hey!” Takuma cried out. “That’s mine!” He’d had just enough time to hit “post” before it had been torn from his fingers.

Tsukuyomi regarded him with a dark gaze, his beak pressed firmly together. “There will be no phone use while on patrol,” he said.

“Yeah!” Dark Shadow added, tossing the phone over the edge of the roof. “No phones!”

Takuma watched it fall, feeling like his heart was falling with it. True, everything on it was automatically backed up to wireless data storage. And true, he’d been meaning to upgrade anyway (the newest model had a really great camera). But it was the principle of the thing!

The bird-headed Hero recalled Dark Shadow back into himself, his gaze never wavering from Takuma. “Undisciplined, easily distracted, showboating. All these and more are descriptions I could bestow upon you.”

“Tell me how you really feel,” Takuma said, rolling his eyes. Automatic reflex, he couldn’t help it. He might be flunking English, but Sarcasm was a language he was much more fluent in.

“Child, there are so many more words I could use. Be thankful I chose to limit myself to those. Your mother may have failed to instill proper discipline in you, but I will more than make up for it this week.”

“What are you talking about?” Takuma demanded, a hand to his chest in indignation. How could he say he was undisciplined? Didn’t he know how much effort it took to put together a regular web program? With three different stars? All while studying boring regular school subjects and learning to be a Hero?

“You and yours are a den of chaos,” Tsukuyomi said. “I shall tame it. And to do so, I have severed your material bonds.”

“But what about my followers?!” Takuma demanded. If he had a week with no new content, he’d lose countless followers! His hit count would be in the toilet! He’d have almost no validation from people he’d never met!

And how was he supposed to talk to his boyfriend? …If he told this story to anyone, he’d probably better put that concern first.

“They will survive without you, I suspect,” Tsukuyomi said. “Whether or not you do is another matter entirely.”

“And Mom says you’re not funny.”

Tsukuyomi tilted his head to one side. “Funny?”

“That was a joke, right? …Tell me that was a joke!”

***

Takuma had officially met his new favorite person. His only regret was that he still hadn’t been able to replace his phone, because this really, really needed to be recorded for posterity. This was literally the greatest blackmail material he’d ever been handed.

“Oh, yes,” the woman said. She’s introduced herself as Yuka, though her Pro-Hero name was Shadow-Dancer. She was one of Tsukuyomi’s Sidekicks, though apparently she was just a few months out from starting her own Agency. Her Quirk let her meld with darkness and then possess and animate inanimate objects in that darkness. She was supposed to have been giving them an update on recent Villain activity in the prefecture. But this was so much better.

“I’ve known Mister Bird since I was a little girl. He actually helped me out when my Quirk first manifested.”

A mischievous grin crossed her face. “I was a little afraid of him at first, but I got over it pretty quick. Of course, he was wearing monkey ears at the time. I think I even developed a little crush on him after that.”

Takuma felt his jaw drop. He pushed it back up with his hand. “Oh. Oh. Oh! Tell me there are pictures of this somewhere.”

She laughed. “Probably in a box in my mom’s house somewhere.”

Tsukuyomi gave her a scowl. “Must you tell this story to everyone you meet? I am trying to instill some sense of discipline in the boy and here you are, filling his head with nonsense.”

Yuka put a hand to her mouth, laughing behind it. “So serious, Mister Bird.”

“And I have asked you to stop calling me that,” Tsukuyomi said. His feathers ruffled in what Takuma knew from watching Tokoyami was a sure sign of embarrassment. “For years now.”

“Sure, Mister Bird.”

“You do know I am your boss? Perhaps you should continue your actual presentation?”

“Oh, if you insist,” she told him. But she gave Takuma a wink. “Don’t worry. I’ve got lots more stories about Mister Bird.”

***

“Hey there, viewers!” he said, adjusting the angle on the camera, “I’m back!” He was glad he’d been able to pick up a new model so quickly. Thank goodness for good insurance plans. Too bad it had taken until the third day of his Internship.

Mom was probably going to tear Tsukuyomi a new one when she found out he destroyed his old phone. Maybe if he was very, very lucky, he could actually get that on video. That would generate a hell of a lot of hits.

It might upset Tokoyami though. Which would be bad. She was pretty much the Mom Friend of the entire class.

Maybe he wouldn’t then.

Still, he did have to be quiet about this. He was supposed to be catching some sleep, bunked down in Tsukuyomi’s Agency. One other Sidekick was “on duty”, sleeping away on the other side of the room, just in case there were any calls. Not that he was getting much sleep to begin with. Tsukuyomi preferred to operate at night, which left him trying to get his sleep during the day.

“And now with improved picture quality,” he added, “you can see my fabulous pinkness in higher definition than ever before. But sorry, ladies, I just want to remind you I don’t swing that way. And gentlemen… I’m off the market. Still all yours, Tensei!”

He flashed the camera another winning grin. “Seriously though, viewers, this Internship has been intense. Tsukuyomi knows what he’s doing. I mean, he is dedicated. Takes down bad guys hard and fast. And I am learning. Got a couple cool new tricks I can’t wait to show off. Guy really does care about people, behind all the brooding and intensity and brooding intensity and intense brooding”

Not the least of his new tricks was a whole new way to use his Acid Tape. If he flicked his wrist just right, he could actually start wrapping the tape around his arms. And if he changed the acidity vs. stickiness factor… he either had an Acid Punch or a Sticky Punch. Both of which had a lot of usefulness. Not to mention a whole lot of video potential!

The corners of his mouth dipped down. “If I can get him to stop criticizing me, that is. Seriously, dude destroyed my last phone. Who does that? And he accused me of being more concerned with my social media presence than being a Hero! Can you believe that?

Anyway, that’s my update! Don’t forget to hit like and surprise, and leave some encouragement in the comments!”

#my hero academia #their hero academia #fan fiction #fan fic #my writing #takuma sero #hanta sero #takiyo aoyama #yuga aoyama #fumikage tokoyami #daisuke shoji #shiro monoma #eijiro kirishima #tetsutetsu tetsutetsu

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

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Their Hero Academia – Chapter 31: The Sports Festival Part 4: Class 1-A Takes a Lunch

Presenting the next raw and unedited chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

Katsumi had a problem. She should have been happy, having made it to the final round of the Sports Festival. Sure, she hadn’t come in first in either of the previous events, but all she had to do was pound a few heads into the ground and she could take home the gold. Making it this far was ample opportunity to show off all of her (Wo)-Manly skills.

Yes, she should have been happy. But she was anything but. The Tournament’s first round matches were based upon scores and that meant that she’d be fighting Izzy in her first battle. Which she couldn’t do, obviously. The thought of raising a hand to Izzy, let alone using the explosive power of her Quirk, was enough to make her want to throw up. While the others talked and laughed and ate in the mini-cafeteria provided for the competitors, she just sat at one of the tables banging her head on the table. She hadn’t even eaten anything yet.

A soft clatter alerted her to the sound of a tray being set down next to her head. “Go away, Toshi,” she said, without looking up. “Or Kana. I’m just going to sit here until I die. ...And if this is Izzy, then I don’t actually mean it. But I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I can accept mistaking me for Tetsutetsu, but to mistake me for some of your classmates… for shame.”

The nails on a chalkboard voice of Shiro Monoma was enough to make her lift her head up. Bad enough he lived across the street from her at home, bad enough he was at U.A., bad enough he had somehow made it through both rounds of the Festival so far, but now he was talking to her, when all she wanted was to be left alone to have an existential crisis in peace? Bad enough that he had… brought her a tray of food?

“Is there a reason you’re breathing my air, Monoma? You fall off your high horse and get lost?”

Monoma flipped his hair back. “I simply want you at your best when I beat you, Kirishima-Bakugo. It would hardly be sporting to beat you when you were weak with hunger.”

Katsumi narrowed her eyes. “You’ve got to the count of zero to get yourself out of my face, Monoma.”

He placed a hand over his heart, feigning offense. “Here I am doing you a favor and this is how you respond? That temper of yours is hardly becoming of a Hero-in-training.”

She started to get up. She had absolutely no patience for his brand of nonsense and sneering, boastful face today. “Trying to make me angry isn’t going to do you any favors. It might just make me pound your face in more.”

He laughed at that. “I’m glad you’ve got such confidence in my ability to win,” he said. He took a bow. “And I suppose confidence in yourself as well, if you expect to move on. Not… entirely undeserved. I will say… some part of me would relish the opportunity to properly face you in battle and properly show you just whose skills are superior. I might even thank you for letting me prove myself in such a fashion.”

With that, he turned on his heels and walked off, leaving Katsumi alone again.

“What… what just happened?” she asked aloud. She was pretty sure there was some kind of half-hearted compliment buried under all of that bluster. And there was the food thing.

Sitting back down, she let out a puff of breath. The food did smell good and she was hungry. She’d burned a lot of calories using her Quirk so much.

As much as she hated to admit it, he’d had a point. Whatever happened, it did her no good not to be at her best. As her papa noted, self-care was very important. She supposed even a stopped clock like Monoma was right twice a day.

She was happy to let Izzy have her spot. One thing both her parents had taught her was that she didn’t have to prove anything to anyone except for herself. If she could act with a clear conscience, then they’d support her.

But that did mean she wouldn’t have the opportunity to fight Monoma. The blond rat just might make it a few rounds in, if he got lucky. She would have really liked to have smacked him around a bit and not have to worry about getting in trouble for it.

But indulging in her desire to punch him in his stupid face would mean selling out Izzy. Maybe it was arrogant, but she knew she could take her if she wanted to. Izzy was strong as all get out, silk hiding steel. But she didn’t have the kind of fighting instinct.

“I really hope karma’s watching,” she muttered to herself. “Because I should be getting some big points for this.”

***

Mika waited until Shiro was sitting down at a table with Kana and Anime before she approached, plopping down next to him and putting an arm around him. “So, Shiiiiiiro,” she trilled, “didja tell her?”

He gave her an incredulous look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I really wish you’d stop trying push Katsumi’s buttons like that,” Kana said. “One of these days she’s just gonna slug you and I won’t be around to pull your fat out of the fire.”

Anime blinked her too-large eyes. “Do you know something we don’t, Mineta?”

Mika fixed Shiro with a look. “Did you tell Kirishima-Bakugo that you’re in love with her?”

Kana suddenly started choking on her drink, while Anime just started laughing, putting a hand over her mouth while she giggled and looking for all the world like a looped piece of animation. “Mika,” Kana said, “you can’t just make stuff up like that!”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Shiro insisted, speaking quickly and stumbling over his words. “Why, the very idea…!”

Mika just kept giving him a look. Shiro was an incredibly smooth talker, but he couldn’t talk his way around her. She was far too familiar with his particular strategies for misdirection. “Uh-huh.”

He looked down, his shoulders slumping. “When did you find out? I thought I was being so careful! Did Akaya tell you?”

Akaya knew? Now that was interesting, but not exactly surprising. Akaya Koda was remarkably perceptive and hardly one for gossip. “She didn’t tell me,” she assured him. “I think we both know her better than to think she’d go spilling secrets, no matter how many exotic seeds you bribed her with.”

But Shiro just looked so beaten by the news that she knew his little secret that she couldn’t help but feel bad about it, just a little. She gave her former boyfriend an affectionate little squeeze. “I’m pretty sure I knew before you did. I have special senses for all things sexy. And if it makes you feel any better, this was after we broke up. Pretty sure you weren’t two-timing me or anything.”

“Wait, you weren’t joking, Mika?” Kana asked, having finally found her voice again. “This is why you were watching her with the binoculars and sneaking around all the time? Not because of your stupid rivalry that only exists in your head?

“This is getting embarrassing,” Anime said, a large sweat drop appearing next to her strawberry-blonde hair. Mika didn’t even begin to understand how anything about her worked. She moved, faster than Mika’s eyes could follow, shifting to a leaning forward position, elbows on the table, chin in her hands. Her eyes had somehow gotten even larger. “For Monoma! Please continue!”

“Yes, it’s true, all right?!” Shiro snapped, probably louder than he’d meant to. All eyes were on their table for a moment as all other conversation in the cafeteria stopped.

“He’s fine folks!” Mika said, giving everyone a disarming wave. “Kana just threatened to smack him again! He’s admitting he deserves it!”

That got various head shakes and mutters, most of them about “Monoma being Monoma” and “probably deserved it.” Most of the former came from others in 1-B, while the latter from 1-A. Either way, Shiro had enough of a rep that it was easily believable and no one followed it up.

“I was going to tell her,” Shiro said. “After I’d proven myself at the Festival. I know she respects strength and doesn’t think much of mine. Or me in general. So if I did well… then I thought I might stand a chance.”

He frowned. “As it is… I’m likely to be eliminated by my second or third match at best. I might be able to beat Kocho, but my odds of survival go down dramatically after that. Hardly the victory I wanted.”

Kana reached across the table and gave him a gentle knock on top of his head. “You get one non-steel smack for that,” she said. “Because you’re being an idiot, if you think that’s how she thinks. Katsumi recognizes strength, but that’s not all she bases her life on, or even attraction.”

That was definitely true. Mika would hardly call Kirishima-Bakugo a friend, but her own finely tuned Sexiness Senses had been more than capable of picking up on the fact that the explosive girl had only had eyes for Izumi Todoroki for a long time. Of course, Izumi was definitely asexual, but she hadn’t been about to get in anyone’s way with that kind of thing.

“What am I going to do?” Shiro asked.

“Okay,” Mika said. “Time for the expert to weigh in…”

“No, no, no,” Kana said, cutting her off. “As the only one at this table with any sense, let me handle this.”

Mika crossed her arms. “Well, sure, if you want to do things the boring way…”

***

“To the victors!” Takuma held up his water bottle and waited expectantly for his tablemates—Kimiko, Kenta, and Kocho—to raise theirs. Kimiko had insisted that Kocho join them. He and Kenta hadn’t had any objections to that and in any case, arguing with Kimiko was just a good way to get smacked. As it was, Kenta sat to his right, while the girls sat across from them.

Sure, he hadn’t made it to the final round. Neither had Kenta. But he’d gotten to show off some of what he could do during the Obstacle Course. And he thought, even if he’d been eliminated, he’d done a pretty good job at Quirkball, lasting until the final seventeen. His Acid Tape had done a good job of ball and crowd control, keeping a few people stuck and catching a lot of balls right out of the air. He’d just gotten unlucky in the last part of it.

Too bad, really. His Quick was well suited for the Tournament Round, since he could have easily tied someone up or made the ground sticky or slick. Heck, just being able to let loose with a more acidic shot of Tape would have broken through a lot of defenses.

So he hadn’t made it all the way. There was always next year. And none of it was going to stop him from adding “Obstacle Course Champion” to his Viewtube resume.

It beat Dad’s first Sports Festival by a longshot though. One Sero getting flash frozen by a Todoroki was enough for a lifetime!

The others clanked their water bottles against his. “To the victors!”

“Seriously, though,” Takuma said. “Really great job ladies. I’m glad at least one of us made it.”

“Figured it wouldn’t’ be me,” Kenta said. “I didn’t even get to use my Quirk at all during the whole Second Stage. Maybe I ought to just stick with the showbiz thing instead.”

“Hey, that’s loser talk!” Kimiko said, trying to reach across the table to smack him, but Kenta leaned back and out of her reach. The sleeve of her uniform passed harmlessly through the air. “No fair!” she whined, pulling her arm back and crossing both over her chest. Takuma knew his invisible friend good enough to read her body language as petulant. “You need a smack for that!”

“Not that I’m agreeing with the smack part, bro,” Takuma said, in-between bites of food, “but she’s got a point. Your Quirk’s great. Remember rescue training? You’re, like, the literal jaws of life.”

“What is your Quirk, exactly?” Kocho asked. The butterfly—no, moth, she’s explained that—girl was sipping some kind of high nutrient liquid, extending a long proboscis from her mouth to sip it up. She’d told them, somewhat embarrassedly, that she couldn’t eat solid foods, just liquids, due to how her Quirk affected her anatomy. For Takuma, who’d grown up with a best friend who could and had eaten more things that he could even list, it made no difference.

“I can, ah, I can eat anything,” Kenta explained. “My teeth and jaws are super-strong and I can digest pretty much anything.”

Kocho nodded at that. “Sounds useful to me,” she said. “Though I guess not in Quirkball. Did you get anybody out?”

Kenta shook his head. “Managed to tag a few people, but not enough to count.” He did manage a small smile though. “I did get Kirishima-Bakugo once, though. So that’s nice. I mean, she’ll probably kill me later, but I did it.”

“What’s her deal anyway?” Kocho asked. “She’s kind of scary.”

Takuma had to laugh at that. “Calling her “kind of scary” is like calling Deku “kind of heroic.” She’s terrifying.”

“She’s… just intense,” Kenta said. “Really competitive. Focused.”

“She’s no fun,” Kimiko said. “I mean, maybe if she was good for a little gossip or something, but she doesn’t date, doesn’t ogle anybody, nothing worth sharing with anybody! How’m I supposed to work with that?”

“To be fair,” Takuma said, “she hasn’t actually killed anybody. That we know of, anyway. She mostly just yells. A lot. At everybody.”

That wasn’t really as comforting as he’d hoped it was.

“Speaking of gossip,” Kimiko said, “where’s your boyfriend?”

“With his sister,” Takuma explained. “They’re ‘strategizing for the coming conflict ahead.’” He shrugged. “She’s gonna be fighting Midoriya.”

“Ooooh!” Kimiko squealed. “Lovers turned bitter rivals on the field of battle! Will it end in tears? Or perhaps a victory celebration later?”

“Lovers?” Kocho asked.

“You do know the camera’s not running, right?” Kenta asked. “And I’m pretty sure they haven’t even kissed yet.”

Kimiko reached out across the table ineffectively again. “What? You know you’re supposed to be filming when I get dramatic like that! What’s wrong with you!?”

***

“I can’t believe it!” Shota Shinso said. “You guys all made it! That’s so awesome!”

For once, Isamu couldn’t help but share in the purple-haired boy’s enthusiasm. He’d taken a lot of hits during Quirkball, but he’s also managed to survive and was going on to the Tournament Round. Which was something he never expected to happen. He hadn’t managed to make a fool of himself on national television and in front of an audience of hundreds of people.

Shinso didn’t even seem to care that he hadn’t made it. What he wouldn’t have given for that kind of confidence. But his friends probably all had internships waiting for them just on their names alone. He was the one who had to make a mark.

At least his first fight wasn’t against anyone he knew. Some of his others might be, but at least he wasn’t starting out with that. His opponent was going to be Sasuke Kido, who had been on his team during Quirkball. Kido’s Quirk was Force Field, an energy field around his body that he could use defensively or form into solid objects. Compared to Isamu’s speed, it was going to be an odd match up. His best shot lay in the fact that Kido couldn’t do both at once: he could either protect himself or shape his force field into something to attack with. He could work with that. He’d like to keep his ace in the hole for later, if he could, but that was an option if he had to.

“Sorry you didn’t make it,” he told Shinso. “I tried not to aim for people who weren’t in our class, but…”

“All’s fair in love and Quirkball,” Tokoyami said. She’s been extremely impressive during Quirkball, wearing Frog-Shadow around herself like a suit of armor, fighting defensively and only occasionally sending her familiar out to strike. It had worked really well, considering she’d finished with the second highest score in the second round.

“Don’t worry about it,” Shinso agreed. “I still get to watch all of you guys! I’ll be cheering for everybody!”

No surprises there either.

“You doing all right, Izumi” Isamu asked.

He’d seen her medication routine plenty of times now, but it was always just a little shocking to see her take her pills. Some of them were very large and made his own throat close up just looking at them. And she’d worked herself to near exhaustion during both stages of the Festival. It had been a practical bonding moment between himself and Kirishima-Bakugo when they’d both brought Izumi to Doc Clock after the Second Stage. She’d been diagnosed with exhaustion and told to rest up as much as she could before her first fight in the Tournament. With her having done pretty well during Quirkball, it mean her Tournament round was a little late into things. Hopefully that would be enough time.

“As well as can be expected,” she assured him, taking the last of her pills with a swig of water. “But my strength is returning. I am certain, though, my mother and Aunt Mei will wish to look at the workings of my regulator harness after this. It is performing its job quite well, but this is the first time it has been so thoroughly pushed.”

“Makes sense,” he agreed. And she did look a lot better, what color she had had returned to her pale features and she no longer seemed like she was going to pass out. “You nervous about fighting Kirishima-Bakugo?”

Izumi slurped noodles into her mouth before she spoke, seemingly weighing each word heavily in her mind. “I’ve known Katsumi all my life,” she said. “She is exceedingly formidable, even without her Quirk. But I am hardly a novice with mine, even if I am less suited to grappling and “throwing down,” as they say.”

Izumi looked down for a moment, finishing the last of her food. “But that is not what I am worried about.” She pushed back from the table and stood. “If you will excuse me?” she asked. “Asuka, Isamu, good luck to you both.”

She looked like she was heading over to Kirishima-Bakugo’s table.

“Any idea what’s going on there?” Isamu asked Tokoyami. Asking Shota would have been pointless. The little guy was a good friend and enthusiastic, but not exactly quick on the uptake.

Tokoyami navigated a piece of food past her beak, before speaking. “Where those two are concerned… it is very complicated.”

Isamu shrugged. He wasn’t about to get in the middle of that. Izumi may have been his friend, but Kirishima-Bakugo scared the hell out of him. And their momentary truce to get Izumi some post-Quirkball help was likely long expired.

“Anybody see where Midoriya went?” he asked instead. “I figured he’d join us.”

Shinso shook his head. “I saw him getting food, but I didn’t see where he went.”

“I think he was going to talk to Sora,” Tokoyami said. “I saw him going off with her and her brother.”

“Think he’s going to be okay fighting her?” he asked. “She is his girlfriend.”

“Why wouldn’t he be?” Shinso asked. “What difference does that make?”

Tokoyami spared a moment for him. “…We’ll talk later. *chirp* But I suspect they’ll work something out. Toshi is quite sensible.”

“I sure hope so,” Isamu said. “Gonna be a hell of a tournament…”

***

Izumi sat down across from Katsumi, waiting patiently for her friend to acknowledge her. A food tray next to her suggested that Katsumi had, at least, eaten something, which was good. She would be the first to admit that she was not always good with reading people, but, barring having apparently missed the signs of attraction for several years, she was generally pretty good at reading Katsumi. From the moment the Second Stage had ended and the results had been posted, she has seen a difference in Katsumi, something beyond the usual worry she usually expressed over her. Something was very wrong with Katsumi, but she could not tell what.

“Oh,” Katsumi said, once she noticed her. She looked as those her mind was a million kilometers away. “Hey, Izzy. You look better.”

“I am, thank you,” Izumi said. When it became apparent that Katsumi was not going to engage in conversation without further prompting, she realized it was going to be up to her. “Are you going to tell me what is wrong? Or am I going to have to guess?”

Katsumi stared at her for what seemed like too long a moment. “It’s nothing,” she said. “Just got some stuff running through my head.”

“Are you upset because you did not place first in either event?” Izumi asked. “You still managed to advance to the next rounds. And that is where placements are truly decided. You and I have both seem many reversals over the years in the final rounds.”

“Nah, I know that ain’t it. I mean, yeah, I wanted to do better, but I’ll take it.” Katsumi seemed cagey and evasive, as though unwilling to answer completely truthfully.

Katsumi stood, but did not look at Izumi. “Listen, Izz, I…” She trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. Something Izumi never would have expected of her. Katsumi always spoke her mind. This reminded Izumi far too much of when Katsumi had confessed her feelings. But those feelings had been laid bare and they had reconciled in the face of them, determined to move forward. What else could there be?

“I gotta go, Izz,” Katsumi said. “I’ll see you in the arena, okay?”

She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it, then nodded. “All right,” she said. “As you wish, Katsumi.” She could press the matter, certainly. But with so little time before the Tournament, perhaps that was not wise.

She wished she had better answers.

***

“So we are in agreement?” Sora asked. “We both give our best, no hard feelings, and then resume our natural girlfriend and boyfriend state afterwards?”

Toshi had been worried when his girlfriend had pulled him aside, along with her brother. Especially since he wasn’t sure what fighting her would mean for their fledgling relationship. He’d hoped they could put it aside long enough to go against each other and it had turned out that Sora was already thinking the same way he was.

“We are,” he agreed. “Can’t go Plus Ultra if I’m worried about what will happen when I win.”

“If you win,” Sora corrected. “But thank you, Toshi. I have enjoyed your company so far and would very much hate to lose it in the event of my victory.”

And then she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. For just a moment, Toshi was certain that the world had gone electric, lights exploding behind his eyes, and his face set ablaze. He was pretty certain he said something, but his language skills had been left somewhere far behind.

He came back into focus at the sound of Tensei clearing his throat. “As happy as I am to see that you have preemptively settled your differences,” he said, “my sister and I require time to strategize before the Tournament. I am sure you understand.”

“Yeah, I understanding the… thing that I gotta understand…”

He heard Sora giggle. “Good luck, Toshi! May the best woman win!”

#their hero academia #my hero academia #fan fiction #fan fic #my writing #toshi midoriya #katsumi kirishima-bakugo #izumi todoroki #isamu haimawari

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 3 years ago

Text

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 80: Get Up Again

Presenting the next installment of my on-going, nextgen, MHA fic! Earlier chapters can be found here

Katsuki’s fist hit Boost-Rush’s faceplate hard enough to leave cracks. It made a very satisfying crack and drove the younger man backwards. The gloves of his costume had enough shock absorption built into them that it didn’t even hurt his hand all that much. Not that he minded. The pain just helped keep him angry.

He’d had years of therapy. He had always been an angry child and he had grown into an angry adult. “Ground Zero Temper Tantrum” was, unfortunately, an internet meme no matter how much he yelled at his lawyers to get it all taken down; the video from that time he went to Russia on some international cooperation job and punched some political flunky in the face after he’d lobbed a homophobic slur was still in circulation. He was still banned from Russia for that.

Not that he minded either of those last two things.

But he fought very hard to use his anger instead of letting it use him. He directed it. But now, all of that threatened to boil out of like a pressure cooker about to explode.

Of course, he blamed the girl, Park. She’d been the one who’d actually laid into Katsumi like that. And he blamed her teachers at Shiketsu, who seemed to have done nothing to rein in this budding psychopath. Not that his own teachers, he realized, had been much better. How many times had he tried to maim or kill Izuku during the first term, only to be swatted or chastised without any real repercussions? He’d tried to beat an unconscious IcyHot and only gotten chained to a podium for it.

But right now, he couldn’t do anything about Park or her teachers. But Boost-Rush, well, Daichi Monoma was right here…

It had been a damned good thing he hadn’t been there when it had happened. He wasn’t sure what he would have done. There might well have been a crater and one less student. The thought of losing control like that sickened him, even as some small, buried part reveled in it.

He’d been good about this one, though. He’d asked, very politely, and in his absolutely least threatening tone of voice, that Boost-Rush step inside the Rookies’ compound with him for a conversation.

He’d let his fists do the talking. They were very communicative.

“C’mon,” he snarled. “Get the helmet off so I can punch you in the face!”

Boost-Rush released his helmet, letting it drop on the floor. He still wore a shocked expression. “Still solving things with violence. No wonder you needed remedial training.”

Katsuki felt and heard little explosions popping along his hands. He definitely wasn’t keeping his Quirk under tight control. “Oh, you’re one to talk.”

Boost-Rush brought his hands up, putting on that damned sneer that seemed so common in his family. Katsuiki’s lips pulled back in a snarl. “What the hell were you thinking? That little Shiketsu punk damn near crippled my daughter! Did you not get the fucking memo about those brats?”

He let out a low growl, throwing a punch. Boost-Rush was good though, firing the boosters in his arms to dodge out of the way. He didn’t fight back, but repeated the move several times, always just ahead of his punches.

“Bakugo.” Boost-Rush spoke up at last, actually standing still. Katsuki held off on the punches for a moment. He definitely wanted to hear whatever sorry excuse the other man had. Boost-Rush somehow managed to look contrite and smug at the same time. “I’m not going to try and dismiss your pain or anger, not as a teacher nor as a father. And I am extremely regretful for what happened. I read the files, but I didn’t expect things to escalate that quickly or that violently. I assumed I’d be able to step in before things got to that point.”

Katsuki had to hand it to him, he did look genuinely remorseful. But it didn’t change the fact that he’d allowed all of it to happen in the first place.

“I stand by our teaching methods and our training regimen,” Boost-Rush went on. “Sometimes, a violent outlet is needed, to get everything out there before we can start building things back up. And we are dealing with Park.” A smirk started in his eyes and then spread to his lips. “You of all people should know this. I hear you had quite a few… explosions during your own school years.”

White hot rage burned inside him and demanded release. And right now… he was okay with letting it all out. “Oh, that’s it!” Katsuki roared. He threw his hand forward and called up forth his Quirk… only for nothing to happen. Undaunted, he charged forward, only to be slammed to a sudden stop as something coiled around his arms and midsection. Boost-Rush though, had been expecting the explosion and had started to throw himself backward, only to find himself suspended in the air.

“Really, gentlemen?” Katsuki turned and saw Aizawa, now reeling in his Capture Cloth, his hair falling back down, along with Takagi and another Rookie in black, silver, and green. They were androgynous enough, with a mask covering the lower half of their face, that he couldn’t immediately tell their gender.

“What the absolute fuck? Did you both get brain damage?” They tapped two fingers against their forehead for emphasis. “Bad enough we’ve got those sorry excuses for Hero students out there, you have to go and take stupid pills too?” The voice was probably female.

Okay, whoever the other Rookie was—there were so damn many of them, who could keep track?—he did like her attitude. At least, he liked it when it was directed at Boost-Rush.

“How about letting me down, Takagi?” Boost-Rush groaned from where he was floating.

“Depends. You going to be keep fighting Ground Zero?” Tagaki asked, but he still snapped his fingers and released whatever kind of lock mojo he’d put on Boost-Rush. The smug bastard hit the ground with a thud.

“I’m disappointed, Bakugo,” Aizawa said, giving him a level glare.

“You know what this idiot let happen,” Katsuki growled. He started to raise a fist, but stopped when he saw Aizawa’s Capture Cloth twitch.

“We’re dealing with it,” Aizawa said. “We’ll bring them back to working with our students eventually, but it’s a big compound, so we’re temporarily segregating the Shiketsu students.”

“And then we’re letting Hokori take charge of them,” Takagi said. He shuddered visibly.

“I do like the yelling part,” the other Rookie-- Hokori --said. She(?) rubbed her hands together almost gleefully.

Katsuki gave Boost-Rush his best glare and the other man flinched. Good. Sometimes, being scary was all right. “This isn’t over.”

***

Dad met her by the med station. His glare could have burned a hole through steel. He crossed his arms. “First question: Are you okay?”

Katsumi frowned and crossed her own arms. This wasn’t a back down time. “Bioshock fixed me right up. Still a little sore, but what’re you gonna do?” She definitely didn’t feel like she’d gone six rounds with a truck anymore, at least. Physical wounds healed pretty easy.

The shock, the shame, those took longer to fade.

Dad’s glare didn’t lessen. “Good,” he said. His voice softened a few notches. “So Park’s being dealt with. Some of the Rookies are going to take the Shiketsu kids for separate training. I don’t know what they think they’re going to say to her.” His eyes shifted a little, like when he didn’t want to tell Papa something.

He knew something and couldn’t tell her. Of course.

“Bitch tried to cripple me,” Katsumi growled. That was it? A slap on the wrist and some separate training? Her and that giant, acting like they were better than them from the moment they’d gotten off the bus, and nobody was going to fucking do anything about it? “Pretty sure that’s grounds for expulsion.”

She didn’t say that if Park had really wanted to cripple her, she would have. Katsumi had gotten off easy and she knew it, as much as it hurt her pride to admit. Park had wanted to hurt her and humiliate her, but that was the real extent of it. She almost had a feeling like Park had backed off…

She didn’t know if that made it better or worse. Crazy enough to beat the shit out of her, not enough guts to finish the job.

“Not my call to make,” Dad said. He didn’t look happy about it. “Trust me, I’m mad as hell. But we’re not going to pretend you’re blameless in all this either.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Her? Sure, she’d wanted to put one of those Shiketsu snobs in their place, but that was just defending herself, her class, and U.A.’s honor!

“From what Mahoro says, you were trying to pick a fight with Tatsuma.”

“She deserved it! She was looking down on us!”

“Are you out of your damned mind?” Dad snapped. He was getting louder now. “What have I told you about picking fights?!”

“Make sure they deserve it! And she deserved it!” They absolutely had! She didn’t put up with that talk from anyone! And anybody that arrogant absolutely deserved to be taken down a page! Why couldn’t Dad see that?!

Dad’s face got all scrunched up, and he started gesturing wildly. “Insulting you isn’t a reason to punch people! If that was the case, I’d have slugged Copycat Ba—Monoma years ago!”

Was he serious? Did he not remember all the stories about himself in school that he, Papa, and all her “aunts” and “uncles” had told her? Or hell, even the Hag’s stories of raising him?

“You did! You used to beat the crap out of people all the time! You slugged a Russian politician! I’m the one who got her ass beat! Why are you yelling at me?!”

“It’s my job to worry about you! I’m your father!”

“Then stop blaming me for them being idiots!”

“Why are you like this?!”

“I had a pretty good teacher!”

***

“Don’t hit me, you old bat! I’ll send you into the ceiling!”

“”SHADDAP! When you get down to it, you got taken and inconvenienced everybody because you’re so weak!”

***

Dad went through a very fast facial journey, from angry to shocked to depressed to determined in something like under five seconds. He closed his eyes, took in a breath, and seemed to be counting.

“Okay,” he said after a long moment. “I know a lot of those old stories are funny. And hell, some of the people I went berserk on definitely deserved it. But I really hope you realized how much of that I’m not proud of.”

Okay, yeah, he had a point. Dad had always been open about the amount of therapy he’d had and how there was a lot he regretted. But…

She wasn’t sure how to finish that thought.

“And what would your papa say if he’d seen you acting like that?” Dad demanded.

“…Crap.” That was a lot blow. But revenge wasn’t exactly Womanly behavior. And neither was picking a fight just because she could. And sure, she liked putting the fear of her into people. Most of them definitely deserved it when they were acting like idiots.

But to do it just because of a few insults? Because something about them set her teeth on edge?

Maybe she’d been wrong incorrect not right at fault not been thinking clearly. Fighting just to prove her superiority? Because of some perceived slight? Because she wanted to prove her class was better than somebody else?

…She’s been acting like Monoma.

Fuck.

Her stunned expression must have shown on her face, because Dad pulled her into a hug. “C’mhere, Firecracker. You’re a good kid. Smart, loyal, I’m lucky you turned out all right, given your genetic material. But I guess you really do have too much of me in you sometimes. And you’re not the only one at fault here. You’re not blameless, but you’re not the one who took it too far. But maybe don’t pick quite so many battles? You’re making me look bad in front of the hobo.”

That did get a laugh out of her. “It’s weird having you here,” she said when he let her go. And there must have been too much pollen in the air, because her eyes were getting misty. “But good too. Let’s me keep an eye on you.”

He ruffled her hair. “Pretty sure that’s my job, kid.”

She looked down at the ground. She’d admitted this to Izzy. She could admit it to Dad. “She… she hurt me, Dad. I’m good. But she’s damn good. How the hell does someone my age know how to fight like that?”

Like it was actual life or death.

Dad shook his head. “I wish I could tell you. But I’ve got an idea… and I’m going to find out.”

***

The mood in the camp had distinctly changed since the morning, since Park had beaten Kirishima-Bakugo so badly that the other girl could barely stand. When she closed her eyes, Akaya could still see the violence play out, with the cold, unfeeling expression on Park’s face as she vented her rage on Akaya’s classmate. She must have been unable to keep the horror off her face as she watched, for Park had only stopped when she’d locked eyes on her.

“I am not as good a Christian as I should be.” Park had told her that. She hadn’t believed it at the time. People often magnified their own faults or held themselves to too high of a standard. Now, she almost felt as though Park had been right.

She had not seen Park since the girl had walked out of the ring. In fact, she had not seen any of the Shiketsu students since this morning. All of them, including Mika’s boyfriend Shinji, had been rather quickly hurried away by members of the Rookies when the U.A. students had been dispatched to different training assignments. Come to think of it, she had not seen Aizawa-sensei in some time either. If she knew their teacher, then he was likely giving someone or perhaps several someones any earful.

Even now that it had become lunchtime, they still had not seen them. The U.A. students had been put in charge of preparing their own food. Fortunately, Midoriya, Tokoyami, Kana, and Awase had quickly taken charge and organized things so that the process went very smoothly. Though she still spared a thought for the Shikestu students and hoped they were being well fed.

The only small mercy from this morning was that all the chaos had distracted her from her own problems. And for that, she felt tremendously guilty. One of her classmates had been badly injured and she was happy it took her mind off the romantic entanglements she seemed to have found herself in? Though perhaps it had distracted Mika and her gaggle of would-be romancers as well. All the more she should feel guilty for.

“Are you all right, Koda?” Shoji asked, shaking her loose from her moment of introspection. Concern wrinkled his otherwise handsome features.

“I’m all right,” she told him quickly.

He seemed to be weighing her words before he spoke again. She was sure he didn’t believe her. But Shoji was also a private person and respected the privacy of others. “If you say so,” he said finally. “You know I’m here if you need to talk, right?”

“Of course,” she replied. “Thank you.”

The others at their table, the ebon-skinned and serious Chizue Kuroiro and the extra-large Kentaro Fukui, both of them among her Class 1-B friends, were likewise not ones to pry, though Fukui did give her an extra look of concern. For all his tremendous size and build, he was a kind soul, and likely worried about her.

Akaya knew she had worn her distracted state of mind on her sleeve this morning, and that it had not been helped at all by the other events. Though not all had been there to witness it, word had rather quickly spread, the story told multiple times in multiple ways by multiple people, no doubt corrupted down the line like some game of telephone. There was a definite disharmony now, a mood hanging in the air that threatened to boil over if something wasn’t done.

Across the room, she spotted Midoriya, Tokoyami, Awase, and Kana occupying a table, locked in hushed conversation. No doubt the Class Representatives were trying to come up with some plan to keep the peace and prevent future conflict. She’d pray for their success, just as she’d pray for Tatsuma and Park’s hearts to be less hardened.

One particularly crowded table was occupied by Mika, Shiro, Anime, Kaminari, Ojiro, Sero, and Kenta. Mika was talking rapidly, though she couldn’t make out what was being said. Condiments and utensils were being used as props. Kaminari had her head in her hands, while Shiro and Kenta kept trying to interrupt and were getting silenced instead.

This did not bode well.

“Have you seen Aoyama?” she asked Shoji. She scanned the room, but did not immediately see him. But Shoji’s powers of observation were second only to those with actual Quirks that aided their senses.

“Over there,” Shoji said, pointing with the fingers on his top-right Extendo-Arm. She followed the pointing over to the corner of the room, where Aoyama was sitting by himself, occasionally casting furtive glances in the direction of Mika’s table. Had he been forewarned somehow about what was coming? She would not rule out the possibility of Shiro doing that if he knew.

Akaya stood. She was a Hero student, was she not? A Hero did not simply wait for things to happen to them. They took matters into their own hands.

It was time to prove she had the heart of a hero.

***

“And with that,” Mineta said, clapping her hands together, “they’ll fall in love! Or at least lust. Or even mild attraction. At this point, I’m setting the bar pretty low.”

“I love it!” Fukidashi bubbled, joining in the applause. “It’s just like season 5 of Dating in the Dungeon!”

“Eeeee,” Kimiko squealed, clapping her hands together. “I’ve never caused a ship to happen before!”

“Okay, explain this to me again,” Takuma said. “Do we not like Koda now? Is that way we’re setting her up with Aoyama?”

Kimiko, naturally, reached out and smacked him upside the head. “Don’t be so mean, Takuma! Aoyama’s my gossip-buddy! Besides… the two of them are clearly crazy about each other!”

“Okay,” Takuma said, rubbing his head where she’d smacked him. He suddenly perked up, a look spreading across his face that Kenta recognized as his “good idea” expression. It usually meant that whatever he was planning, it would get them in trouble.

Kenta frowned slightly. He could have sworn he saw Mineta and Kaminari look guilty for a second. He couldn’t pursue that line of thinking any further though, because Monoma starting talking. And Monoma was being positively civil, which was definitely new. But apparently he was dating Kaminari now? There was still a shell-shocked look behind his eyes too. He seemed to have taken the outcome of Kirishima-Bakugo’s fight hard.

Kenta felt so, so lost.

“You all do realize that any plan that Mika and Fukidashi agree on is doomed to failure and probably makes negative sense?” Monoma said.

“See, that’s what I said too,” Kaminari added. Her Cords sagged. “But they didn’t listen to me.”

“Ladies… and Takuma, this is a really bad idea,” Kenta agreed. Akaya was a longtime friend of his. Their dads were close. Heck, her little brother was named after his dad. And sure, they didn’t talk as much as they used to, but he still cared about her. She definitely didn’t deserve to be roped into some zany scheme, even if she probably could use some cheering up lately.

“Do you have a better plan, Kenta?” Kimiko asked, turning to look at him. She was wearing a pair of pink bows in her hair today, having cited that “you can’t train if you aren’t cute.”

“No,” he said. “But it’s all about to be a moot point, I think.”

He pointed over to where Akaya had approached Aoyama and joined him at his table.

***

“May I join you, Aoyama?” Akaya asked. He looked up and she would swear that she saw a blush behind the glow that suffused his skin. Was that because of her? No, that couldn’t possibly be it. No matter how he reached out to her or anything else, he couldn’t possibly have feelings for her beyond friendship.

“Of course, Mademoiselle Koda,” he replied. She was a little surprised. Usually, he made his accent thicker to pour on the charm with whomever he was talking to. But she knew that he was Japanese by birth and culturally French. Here, though the words were still French, there was precious little of his usual accent in them.

“Thank you,” she said, before sitting across from him. His lunch was only half-finished, but he’d pushed it away from himself. Akaya frowned. “Are you not hungry?” she asked.

“Too distracted to eat, I suppose,” he said. Distracted? By what?

“It has been quite the time,” she agreed. “This morning was very unpleasant.”

“Mmm.” Aoyama nodded. He waved a hand through the air, striking a brief pose. “Très horrible. So brutal. No sense of style at all.”

In spite of herself, Akaya almost smiled. She managed to successfully hide that behind her hand. Of course, Aoyama would focus on that. Or at the very least, he wanted her to think that was what he was focusing on. She was never entirely sure how much of how he presented himself to others was a performance.

“Horrible,” she agreed, and their conversation fell silent, both of them just sitting their awkwardly. What had happened to the courage she had summoned to walk over here? Was it so quickly banished?

Akaya looked down, staring at her rocky hands. Was she such a fool as to think their might be something more between the two of them? She had not allowed herself to consider it before. Had, in fact, used a very strong amount of denial not to even see it. But when the others had decided to take matters into their own hands, she’d been forced to confront it.

And now she was running from that confrontation.

Some part of her, even knowing others in her family had found love, had always thought that no one would find her attractive. What might be cute on a boy did not translate to the same standard for a girl. She’d accepted it. Tried to make peace with it, then buried the thoughts so deep that she did not have to ever even dwell on them. Until the events of her Internship had brought them back to the surface.

She had tried to push them down again. But this time… she could not. And then to dangle a glimmer of hope in front of her eyes… And now, of all times…

Truly, the Lord worked in mysterious ways.

“Aoyama, I…”

***

Koharu found herself sitting with Haimawari, the Iida twins, and Shinso. The mood was dour, even from the normally excitable Shinso. But by mutual and unspoken agreement, none of them were talking about the events of this morning. No one wanted to dwell on it too much.

Her wings were stiff, aching to spread and fly. With the morning’s training having been focused on fighting without their Quirks, she hadn’t had any chance to fly yet today. Even when she’d been in General Education, she’d found time to take to the air at least once during the school day. All Quirks demanded to be used, but physical mutations like hers seemed especially so.

At least the Rookies had been true to their word about the food. Even if she’d had to make her own smoothies today. But there’d been plenty of fruits and other foods she could blend up, so that was something.

“Soooo,” Haimawari began. He looked as uncomfortable with the silence as she felt. “Shinso, they’re gonna be doing the Official Hero Billboards in a couple months. How do you think that’s going to shake o…. Oh, crap, I shouldn’t have asked that, should I, sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up….”

Shinso gave him a small smile. Most of it reached his eyes. “It’s okay, Haimawari,” the purple-haired boy said. “I’ve been thinking about it too.”

They did a lot of smaller rank adjustments throughout the year, of course, but there were still a couple of “big” times every year that were considered the main event. Ceremonies, interviews, the whole thing. Koharu always enjoyed watching them. Of course, that was before she’d befriended the children of so many highly-ranked Heroes.

“Pretty sure Uncle Deku’s a lock for Number One,” Shinso said. “He’s been having a really good year, and after he saved everybody… while we were… on our Internships…” His voice trailed off for a second and he closed his eyes tightly.

Just as suddenly, he opened his eyes and went on. “Lemillion’s been doing really good too, but he hasn’t had as many high profile cases lately. But he’s still really popular, especially with kids, and that counts for a whole lot!”

“He really is as cheerful as he seems,” Koharu agreed. Though she’d mostly been “interning” with Deku and the Voice, she’d also spent a good amount of time around Lemillion. The man was exceedingly upbeat and more than a little goofy. He’d also tried to set up her up with his son, David, but had instantly demurred when she’d told him she was a lesbian. From what Midoriya had said, that was pretty common. He was apparently a shipper.

Just as well she’d only started crushing on one of her new classmates after that. He’d have probably found a way to pry it out of her and then she’d have never heard the end of it. She was also damn sure it was unrequited and never would be requited. She was such a useless lesbian sometimes!

“He closes a lot of cases too,” Haimawari said. “Not always high profile there, but he’s a good investigator. So he’s got that too.”

“Right, right,” Shinso agreed. “Which is really important. Even if it doesn’t have the whole wow thing.”

“Okay,” Haimawari went on, “so we know the top few don't really move much. I think Shoto even said in an interview once that he didn’t want to get any higher than Three. So what about the Number Five spot on?”

Koharu noticed he was very carefully diverting the discussion away from Ground Zero. That was probably a touchy subject for Shinso, she realized. Though he seemed okay with having him for a teacher, at least.

“Five is Nejire-Chan and Suneater, right?” she asked. Nejire-Chan was a favorite of hers. Of course, Nejire-Chan was very popular among lesbians, she found, even if she herself wasn’t one.

“Right,” both of them said. Shinso’s head bobbed like one of those drinking birds.

“They’re probably gonna drop,” Shinso said. “They didn’t do a whole lot during the big thing, and a lot of people say it’s mostly Nejire-Chan holding them up, since she’s really friendly and has a really cool Quirk. Lots of people don’t really think Suneater’s all that approachable, and they think his Quirk is really weird, even though it’s actually really cool, especially with how he…”

“Toshi would remind you to breathe, if he was here,” Sora Iida interrupted.

Shinso stopped talking for a second to suck in a breath. “Right, but it’s really cool and he can do all kinds of stuff with it! But some people think the stuff like the tentacles are really gross. But Mineta says that that’s why Nejire-Chan is a lucky woman. I don’t know what she means by that though.”

Nope, she definitely wasn’t explaining that.

“Your dad’s probably going to go up,” Shinso said to the twins. “Team Iidaten did really good during everything and he’s always catching all kinds of bad guys! Everybody really likes him!”

“Father has always said that he is happy to serve, regardless of his ranking,” Tensei Iida said.

“However, he does recognize that the rankings do bring him ample opportunity to lead by example, and provide that example for other Heroes,” Sora Iida added. “Though I am starting to wonder if they are worth the emphasis we place on them.”

Shinso frowned. “You mean what Tatsuma said,” he said. “I get why she’s upset…”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Haimawari said. “She got scary.”

Koharu was aware she was missing something, but Tensei seemed to be missing it as well, so she wasn’t entirely alone in that.

“She may not have been entirely wrong,” Haimawari said after a moment. “But I don’t think she was completely right either. Most of you guys, you’re basically Hero royalty, but me and my dad, we always used to watch and look forward to the Billboard Charts. Folks like your parents, getting to see who was watching out for us, that was something special. And watching the rise and fall, well, it made them human too. Seeing them try, it was inspiring. And we felt for the ones who fell. Sure, it’s partly a popularity contest… but it’s a way to connect with them too, on some level.”

“Same, really,” Koharu said, nodding in agreement. “And when people like Froppy made it, it was always a big deal in my house. We all went nuts when Rodeo made it in a few months ago. Mutant-types in the Top Ten isn’t rare rare, people like Gang Orca and Mirko and Hawks hung onto their spots for ages, but it’s still a lot less common. And Hawks and Mirko are still traditionally attractive.” She looked over at the twins. “And, sorry, you dad doesn’t count. He might be a Mutant-Type, but he’s passing and he’s never spoken up that much about it.”

She wasn’t especially bitter about that. But it was still a point worth opening.

Sora raised a hand to protest, one finger pointing in the air, her mouth starting to open. But then she closed her mouth and snapped the hand to her chin, where she appeared to be giving the matter serious thought. “A fair point,” she conceded.

“Indeed,” Tensei agreed, though he didn’t look entirely happy about it. The Twins were Mutant-types too, of course, with their Jetpack Quirks causing pipe-like growths on their backs, but they were also otherwise normal looking (Or close enough. Tensei’s hair was a little weird.) and very rich. They didn’t have the same issues people like her did.

“Rodeo’s probably going to go up,” Shinso added. “She and Aunt Momo did a lot of good work when everything was going on. Aunt Momo might even make it back up into the Top Ten.”

Koharu recalled that Creati had been pushed from the Number Ten spot to Number Eleven with Rodeo had jumped up to Number Seven. Not a big fall, but still a noteworthy one. It was always good to see more women in the Top Ten.

It was also, she admitted, more than a little disconcerting with how casually Shinso referred to A-list Heroes as his extended family. Haimawari didn’t seem bothered by it.

“Gale Force has been doing pretty good lately,” the purple-haired boy went on. “And he mostly operates on the other side of the country. So he’s got good stats over there. Popular too. Everybody likes him. So he’ll probably at least keep his spot, if he doesn’t go up.”

“I don’t know about Aunt Tsu,” Shinso went on. “She’s really popular, especially with kids, but she’s usually doing stuff out at sea that people don’t get to see… But she’s also really big on rescues and other stuff, so even without a lot of Villains, she gets good press…

“And, of course, everybody likes Red Riot and Real Steel! They’re so tough and manly! And really funny too! They’re always saying stuff that makes the late night shows!”

“And how do you know about that?” Sora asked. She gave him something of a stern look. “Toshi says you’ve been going to bed on time. Was he incorrect?”

“…Clips the next day?” Shinso tried weakly.

Somehow, Koharu doubted that.

***

“I would like to speak frankly,” Akaya said, finally. “If you do not mind?”

Aoyama went quiet for a moment and for once, she had difficulty reading him. There seemed to be a lengthy conversation going on behind his eyes, though she could only guess as to the topic. She didn’t dare hope as to what it might be.

“Non,” Aoyama said finally. “Please do. I think, perhaps, it best we speak. Before others speak for us.”

“Mika means well,” Akaya said. He gave her an incredulous look. “Most of the time,” she amended. “Anime and Ojiro may be doing things for their own amusement though.”

“Ojiro is… silly,” Aoyama replied. “But she does believe in l'amour and romance. She takes it quite seriously, in her own way.”

Awkward silence again suffused the table, threatening to choke any chance of conversation like a kudzo vine choked out any other plant. There were so many ways to avoid talking about what was now clearly on both their minds.

She looked around the room and saw that Mika and the others at her table were watching them. A quick glance showed her that Aoyama was aware of it too. It looked a bit like Kenta, Shiro, and Kaminari were trying to control the others, without much success.

“Plainly, then,” she repeated, returning her attention to Aoyama. “You are my friend, Aoyama. I believe that. I value that friendship.”

“And I yours,” he replied. “I know I’m not the easiest person to get along with. I probably think too highly of myself.”

“’Probably,’” Akaya said, casting as much disbelief as she could muster into the one word.

“’Probably,’” he repeated, a bit more firmly. “But thank you. For treating me with kindness and putting up with me. Even when I didn’t deserve it.”

At this, she did let herself smile. “You are welcome,” Akaya said. “And thank you, for being my friend as well. I know you don’t reach out to others often, so I am grateful you chose to reach out to me.”

She drew in a breath and let it out. “You know what they are scheming, correct?”

Aoyama nodded. “Oui. Monoma told me. Or warned me, in his words.”

“Chiasa overheard them and told me,” Akaya added. Technically, Chiasa had been spying on them using her Swarm Quirk, but that was beside the current point.

Uncertainty danced in front of Aoyama’s eyes. “Mineta and Fukidashi, I can understand them coming up with some scheme without regard for the facts. But not Ojiro. She would not support such a plan if she did not think it had a basis in reality.”

This was true. Ojiro was perceptive, if prone to focusing on romantic matters. It was another nail of evidence in the coffin of her feelings for Aoyama. And, she realized, in his feelings for her. There was little use in trying to deny it. Or even in being coy about confirming it. She had told herself she was going to act with the courage of a Hero. And she had told Aoyama they would speak plainly.

She had not truly been doing either of those things.

“She is correct,” she said finally. “I do have feelings for you. I don’t know how deeply they run, but I know that they run beyond just friendship. I’ve been living a lot in my own head lately, Aoayama. Old fears and feelings have risen to the surface, no matter how much I try to push them down. So this is me, being honest. I understand if you think of me only as a friend. If you do not return those feelings. I know… I know I’m not pretty like other girls… or even you, for that matter. So I also understand if you do not find me attract—”

“Koda.” None of his usual flair, no French titles before it. He had spoken as plainly as he possibly could to get her attention. Aoyama reached out and touched her hand with his. Her hands were bigger than his by no small amount. And his skin was soft, much softer than her own. It wasn’t just the difference in texture, he had to moisturize. She felt her stony cheeks reddened at his touch.

“I like you as well, Koda,” he said. Words which sent her heart aflutter. Did she dare to believe her own ears? “Seeing you retreat into yourself because of the words of some very stupid children has been painful. But I did not know the words to make you feel better. Words of comfort do not come easily to me. But you are beautiful. I will fight anyone who says otherwise.”

Unconsciously, she had taken his hand in hers and felt him give her a reassuring squeeze.

“I… thank you,” she said. “Do… do you wish to be more?”

Aoyama looked down. “I am… not always the best person, Koda. And I’ve got more than my own share of baggage. I’m damaged goods. Someone good like you, you deserve better than me.”

She gave him a smile. “I am not so undamaged myself. Perhaps we can be damaged together.”

A smile crossed his glowing features. “Perhaps we can.”

***

The Rookies compound was huge, easily big enough that the Shiketsu students and U.A. classes wouldn’t have to interact with each other during their training at all. Katsuki was certain it wouldn’t last long. Heroes had to learn to work with each other, regardless of personal feelings and beliefs. Katsuki had certainly worked with some real assholes overs the years, like IcyHot’s deadbeat dad and that Copycat Bastard. Hell, if he could learn to work with Deku, he could work with anyone. At the very least Pro-Heroes rarely publically brawled to demonstrate their grievances with each other. Behind closed doors was another matter, but still…

The Rookie from earlier— Hokori—was still working with the Shiketsu kids, each going through exercises to strengthen their Quirks. He saw Tatsuma and Park shattering increasingly larger boulders, Shinji using his wind Quirk to keep multiple boulders in the air, while Tsuchikawa was focused on agility training and Shida was unleashing the power of her spider-limbs.

“Okay, you little shits, stop what you’re doing and line up!” the Rookie called out. Katsuki remembered now that her Hero name was Sandblast. Another one of those elementary school brats he’d had to babysit back during his ‘remedial training.’ He knew a bunch of them had been part of the initial group of Rookies, but hadn’t bothered to keep track of them all.

Huh. It did give him an idea for a lesson when they got back to U.A. though…

“You’re talented,” Sandblast said as the Shiketsu students lined up. “All of you. Bunch of barely trained, sorry excuses, but you’ve got talent, and you’re good with your Quirks. But that alone isn’t good enough to make you a success or even keep you alive out there.”

Sandblast folded her arms in front of her. If she was aware that Katsuki was behind her, she didn’t show any sign of it. Shinji though, looked worried. Park’s eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second, but she immediately corrected it with a carefully controlled neutral expression.

“Experience will get you far. So will talent and skill with your Quirk.” She snapped her fingers, unleashing a small burst of sand. “And it can be gone just like that. My uncle was the Sand Hero: Snatch. He was a good man. And a damn good Hero. Still in the game at forty-five. Back then, not a lot of Heroes stayed that long in the game. All Might. Endeavor. Yoroi Musha. All old timers and all Top Ten Heroes. He might not have been as highly ranked, but he was absolutely on their level.”

She snapped her fingers again, unleashing another cloud of dust. “And the League of Villains still killed him. Quirks, talent, rank, none of it is a damned guarantee of safety. The wrong Villain, the wrong Quirk, hell, even the damn guy robbing the bank who’s just that scared of being arrested, and you could buy it right then, right there.”

He could hear the scowl without even needing to see her face. “Which means we’re going to do everything we damn well can to make less little shits out of you and give you every opportunity to survive. Still no guarantees. I’m a realist. But if you die, it won’t be because we didn’t train you right.”

“Nice speech,” Katsuki said. And he genuinely meant it. Once, the admission of the possibility of failure, of one bad day like that, it wouldn’t have been something he could even consider. That didn’t happen if you were good enough, strong enough. But now… He banished that thought.

“Mind if I borrow Park for a few?”

***

Paws stopped for a moment, snout sniffing the air furiously.

They were almost there, if the scent they were tracking was any indication.

And wouldn’t the students be surprised to see them!

#my hero academia #their hero academia #katsuki bakugo #akaya koda #takiyo aoyama #shota shinso #koharu kocho #isamu haimawari #katsumi kirishima-bakugo #fan fiction #fan fic #my writing

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

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Their Hero Academia – Chapter 39: Call Me Hero

Presenting the next raw and unedited chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

Back in school after two days off, Isamu Haimawari was still riding a pretty good high. While a part of him still refused to believe that he’d won the Sports Festival, hearing the congratulations of so many people, both those in his neighborhood and people who had just seen him on TV, along with all the discussion and replays being shown on the news, had helped to cement it in his mind. He was going to take pride in what he’d done, while still acknowledging there were several times it could have gone either way. If Midoriya hadn’t come up with the plan for them to cooperate or if some of his matches had been different people or gone just a little differently, he likely wouldn’t have done as well.

Still: he actually felt like a winner.

“Newb.”

He looked up to see Kirishima-Bakugo standing in front of his desk, muscular arms crossed in front of her chest. Her red eyes narrowed as she looked him over, everything about her body language reading as a challenge. But there was something else there too, some subtle sign of acknowledgement that wasn’t there before, as though for the she was seeing him as worthy of her attention for the first time. She did seem to respect strength and skill, after all.

“Yes?” Isamu asked.

She stared him down for a moment longer before speaking. “You did good,” she said. “Seems I underestimated you.”

He definitely wasn’t expecting that, but he quickly found his voice. “Ah, thanks,” he said. “You did good too. Pretty impressive fight against Izumi.”

“Izzy kicked my ass is what she did,” Kirishima-Bakugo replied. She moved to take her seat. “But believe me. I won’t be underestimating you again.”

Well. That wasn’t worrisome at all.

At the desk next to his, Mineta turned so she could talk to Kirishima-Bakugo. “What? No congratulations for me?”

“I still can’t believe you came in second,” Kaminari told her, rolling her eyes.

“What, like it’s hard?” Mineta replied.

At her desk, Kirishima-Bakugo fumed. “I’m acknowledging your victory while refusing to acknowledge you, Horse-Girl.”

Mineta shrugged. “You know what, I’m going to take that as a win here. On top of my actual win. Which I had. And you didn’t.”

Kirishima-Bakugo started rising out of her desk again, rage twisting up her features. “I swear, I will I will blow those damn horns right off your head…”

“Can I get out of the way first?” Kaminari asked, Extension Cords up in the air. “Or maybe just tase you both?

Kirishima-Bakuago growled, but sat back down. A quick glance around showed that Izumi had turned around in the front row and was watching them. Thank goodness for small favors. “You’re still an idiot, Horse-Girl. I’m not gonna underestimate you either. So keep up or get out of the way. And don’t think you can rely on provocation all the time. It won’t save you from me…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Mineta said, rolling her eyes.

“How did Uncle Minoru take how you won?” Kaminari asked.

Mineta shook her head. “He called it ‘great use of psychological tactics’. My innocence is his eyes is safe.”

“Talk about blindspots…”

“On the other hand,” she went on, “he did threaten Shinji when Mom invited him and his dad out to dinner to celebrate my win after the festival…”

Isamu did remember a large teen in a Shiketsu school uniform embracing Mineta after the Festival, twirling her around. He hadn’t gotten his name then, but that must have been Shinji. Who’d have ever thought someone like Mineta would have a friend like that? And apparently as a boyfriend?

He wasn’t sure if he should feel sorry for the guy or not. At the very least, it didn’t look like it was restraining her personality any. She was still Mineta, still hitting on everything that moved (which included him).

Of course, he had his own potential for a girlfriend on the horizon too. He’d spent a decent amount of time over the break texting with Kana Tetsutetsu, even video chatting with her for a little while. She’d turned out to be a pretty fun person to talk to and seemed a lot like a less scary version of Kirishima-Bakugo. Intense and dedicated, but not ready to go off at a moment’s notice. Plus, they’d turned out to both be fans of the cheesy martial arts flicks from the early days of Quirk-based films, which gave them a lot to talk about.

If all went well, they’d try and watch one together before the internships started next week.

The internships. He’d tried hard not to think about that over the two days. As the winner of the Sports Festival, he was likely to get a lot of offers. How would he know who to choose? And there was still the possibility of being overlooked. His win would give him a lot of cache, but considering how many kids of important Heroes were in his class and the others, he wondered if people wouldn’t be more likely to scout them instead, trying to network or curry favor…

Around him, everyone in the classroom was talking about their Sports Festival performance, some happier than others, some lamenting how early they’d been knocked out. The noise was only broken when Aizawa’s sleeping bag clad form suddenly appeared from behind the lectern.

“So. Let’s talk about the Sports Festival. Pretty cute, the way you used teamwork to get past the First Stage. A nice exploitation of a loophole, since it’s not against the rules. And Heroes should be able to work together with anyone.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the classroom. Aizawa as a teacher as perpetually waiting for the other shoe to drop. He didn’t hand out praise easily, so where this was leading, no one seemed to know.

“Which means I’ll just have to make sure All Might and the others ride you harder to make sure your individual skills don’t atrophy.”

There it was. That was the other shoe. Heroics Classes already were pushing them right up to their limits and beyond… how much worse could it get?!

Aizawa continued. “With that being said, we can discuss the Internship offers that have come up.”

He tapped a button on the lectern and the results of the Internship offers appeared on the board. “These numbers are not necessarily reflective of the total number of offers you received. All Might, Midnight, Principal Nezu, and I spent a considerable amount of time reviewing your offers and eliminating any offers that appeared to be made simply to take advantage of who your parents are.”

Toshinori Midoriya: 4007

Isamu Haimawari: 3546

Mika Mineta: 1451

Izumi Torodoki: 400

Kimiko Ojiro: 203

Asuka Tokoyami: 106

Katsumi: Kirishima-Bakugo: 73

Sora Iida: 40

Chihiro Kaminari: 8

Takuma Sero: 7

Tensei Iida: 6

Shota Shinso: 5

Takiyo Aoyama: 4

Daisuke Shoji: 3

Kenta Sato: 2

Akaya Koda: 2

“Hey!” Mineta cried out. “I did better than Midoriya! Why’s he got so many more offers than me?”

“Maybe because Toshi’s not a lunatic nymphomaniac?” Kirishima-Bakugo said. “Who sexually harassed her opponents on live television?”

“…Besides that!”

Isamu was pretty sure his heart had just stopped. How had that many people noticed him, thought he was worthy of their attention? Maybe not as many as Midoriya, but way more than he would have ever expected. He couldn’t help but feel bad for some of the others though, who hadn’t gotten nearly as much attention.

“Alas,” he heard Aoyama say. “My radiance did not draw the attention it deserved.”

“You shall have other chances,” Koda assured him. “And if your internship goes well, it will already open doors to further notice.”

“I suppose so, Mademoiselle Koda, but still…”

“Congratulations, Sister!” Tensei Iida said. “You do the Iida Family line proud by your successes!”

“Do not be so quick to dismiss your own, Little Brother,” Sora Iida replied. “With two of us, the honor is twice as large!”

“Go Kimiko!” Sero said. “I’m totally tagging your videos with “Sports Festival Finalist” now. Our hit count’s gonna be through the roof!”

“Sorry you two didn’t do better,” Ojiro said.

Sato waved it off. “Always next year. And apparently somebody liked what they saw with me…”

“Oh, man, everybody was so awesome,” Shinso squealed. “You all did so great! Toshi was all bouncing around and Izumi was throwing all that ice and Tokoyami did that super-cool armor trick and Haimawari was all ZOOOOOM and…”

“Breathe, Shota,” Tokoyami said.

“Still, an impressive accounting by all of you,” Izumi said.

“Guess stretching by Cords out wasn’t all for nothing,” Kaminari added.

“I suppose it’s an honor just to be noticed, even by three people,” Shoji said. Isamu didn’t know him well, but he didn’t sound particularly depressed by it. Little seemed to faze the six-armed young man.

“Thirty-five hundred people,” Isamu said quietly. “Still don’t believe it.”

“If you’re all done?” Aizawa snapped, impatient working its way into his voice. “I’ll be distributing the requests that go with those numbers shortly. As I expected, there was significant coordination on the part of your parents. Technically, a logical exploitation of a loophole in the rules I issued them against scouting their own children. So not unexpected. However, in the meantime, we need to discuss your Hero names. I’m sure most of you have had these planned for a while, but Midnight would try to murder me if I didn’t indulge her little games.”

“Oh, don’t sound so judgmental about it, Eraser,” Vice-Principal Midnight said, standing in the now open classroom door. “I love listening to what these fresh young minds have come up with…”

***

Koharu struggled to still the shaking of her hand as she pushed open the door to the door to the school’s office. She’d been abruptly summoned from her Homeroom class to come to come to there and her mind raced with possibilities about what it might entail. The two days since the Sports Festival had passed quickly, but with plenty of congratulations from family and friends and even total strangers. Already, the rest of her Class was treating her like the second coming of Shinso.

Inside, one of the school secretaries, a woman pale green skin and blonde hair, looked up. “Can I help you?” she asked.

Koharu gathered her wits. “I’m… I’m Koharu Kocho. I got a message saying they wanted to see me down here?”

The woman nodded and pointed to a door marked with the name “Nezu” on its nameplate. The Principal’s office. “In there,” the secretary said. “They’re expecting you, so no need to knock.”

Taking another breath to steady herself, Koharu crossed the room and opened the door to the Principal’s office. Inside, the strange mouse-bear-dog that was Nezu sat behind a massive mahogany desk, with All Might on one side of his chair and Water Spout on the other, all of them pouring over papers strewn out across the desk and a paused video of some kind of an angled computer monitor.

“Ah, Miss Kocho, welcome!” Nezu said, gesturing towards a chair in front of the desk. “Please, have a seat. May I offer you some tea?”

The hyper-intelligent animal was spritely, despite the small but thick glasses that rested on his nose and the grey around his muzzle. Koharu didn’t know how old he was, but he’d been the principal for well over twenty-five years, even before Heroes like Deku and Ground Zero graced the halls. He had to be well past the life expectancy of… whatever it was he was, exactly.

This wasn’t the first time she’d been in the presence of All Might, of course, having received her medal (and a hug!) from him at the Sports Festival. But here, away from the cameras, he seemed just a little more serious, a little more subdued. Water Spout was a new one, though.

“I, ah, yes, thank you,” she said, as she took a seat.

“Very good,” Nezu said, nodding slightly. “If you wouldn’t mind, Water Spout?”

“Of course, Principal,” the dark-haired Hero said, moving to the corner of the office where Nezu kept a tea service. “It’ll be just a few minutes.”

“I must congratulate you on your win again, Miss Kocho,” Nezu said. “You nearly set a new record for the General Studies department. Of course, there are those who do not count Akamine’s first place victory of a few years ago, since all he did was endure the attacks of others based on his invulnerability.”

Koharu shook her head, slowly, so as not to overly agitate her antennae. “I wouldn’t. He used his Quirk and his head and won fair and square.”

Nezu nodded. “Mmm-hmm, my assessment as well. His path may have lead him elsewhere, but in that moment, it was surely his victory.”

“Young Kocho,” All Might began, his deep voice kind and encouraging, “how would you describe your performance at the Sports Festival?”

Koharu closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a breath. She accepted the tea that Water Spout handed her. “Sugar? Honey? Milk?” he asked.

“Honey, please,” she said, then, when that had been added, extended her proboscis into the tea and took a long sip. It was warm and sweet, perfect to her taste. If any of the three adults seemed disturbed by her drinking method, it didn’t show on their faces. She appreciated that. Wings and antennae were one thing, and while they brought her plenty of attention, they didn’t bring her much bigotry. But when she started to drink, that’s when the looks of disgust usually came out.

The long drink gave her a moment to formulate her answer. “I did alright during the Obstacle Course. Middle of the pack. My Quirk was pretty good at bringing down the drones and I was able to fly around a lot of them. Quirkball… I survived. Barely. My Scales and my String-Shot were good at taking people down so they could be hit, but it was a lot to keep track of. I didn’t always do that good a job, didn’t always realize just how big a target I was.”

All Might and Nezu nodded. “Good,” All Might said. “Please, go on.”

Koharu drank some more of her tea before she continued. She’d come this far. They deserved nothing less than her total honesty. Besides, she was fairly certain this was some kind of test in and of itself. She’d heard rumors about the Principal and all the wheels within wheels he spun.

“I got lucky in the Tournament.,” she said. “My first match was Monoma.” Once I got out of the range of that Binding Cloth of his, there wasn’t much he could do to me. It was just a matter of time before I got him with my String-Shot or my Scales.”

“Nothing wrong with having a Quirk your opponent can’t match,” Water Spout said. “That’s why I get called in to fight fire and flame villains, even though I’m a Rescue Hero. Not much most of them can do against a few dozen gallons of water. But it still takes strategy.”

Not a bad point, now that she thought about it.

“You should know Monoma speaks rather highly of you,” Nezu added. “He’s sent no less than a dozen e-mails to myself, the three Hero Class Homeroom teachers, and several of the other teachers insisting that you be added to the Hero Class.”

He looked down at a printout in his hand. “Ah, yes, and “preferably in Class 1-B.’”

“Against Ojiro, though, she was faster on the move than he was. She got up close instead of trying to go from the distance. Plus, you know, the whole invisibility thing. So I had to use my antennae to find her, but once I did, I could take her out with my String-Shot. I took a lot more of a beating in that one though. Much more of a physical fight. Not totally used to using my wings like that.”

“And you still emerged victorious,” All Might said. “Young Ojiro is an extremely skilled fighter. You did quite well to overcome here.”

“If you would talk about your last fight, Miss Kocho?” Nexu prompted.

“Against Mineta?” she said. “Yeah, okay. I wasn’t prepared for it. Not really. I watched her other fights and she’s pretty hard to get a read on. One minute, she’s fighting or brawling, the next she’s trying to get in somebody’s head. Add in her ability to fire off those balls, she was pretty dangerous. I figured I had the best chance if I got airborne and just took her out with a Sleep Powder or a Paralysis Powder, but she was just all over me, shooting those balls everywhere.”

She looked down at an empty teacup. Nezu, All Might, and Water Spout gave her the moment to gather her thoughts. “They got all over my wings. Pinned them to the ground. Maybe I could have kept fighting. Even if I was pinned, I still had my String-Shot. But I was afraid to tearing my wings. I don’t know… I don’t know if I could heal from that. So I gave up. Not very heroic, really.”

“You understood your limits,” All Might said, gently, coming around the desk. He got down on one knee next to her chair and put a hand on her shoulder. “There is nothing wrong with being afraid. Even the mightiest of us have felt fear. But if you’re to join the Hero Course, you’re going to have to learn to surpass that fear and find new limits.”

“I… what?” Nothing in that last sentence made any sense to her right now.

“We’ve been viewing your Sports Festival footage, as well as your performance during the Entrance Exam,” Nezu said. “We’ve also spoken to your physical education teacher, and several of your other teachers. What happened to you during the Entrance Exam was a rather tragic accident. Based upon your initial performance and your performance during the Sports Festival, I was able to extrapolate a probable score for you if you hadn’t been knocked out.”

Nezu pushed his chair back and hopped down, slowly walking around the desk with the aid of his cane. “You should have passed with flying colors.”

“I… what?” Koharu repeated.

Nezu offered her a hand. “Miss Kocho, if you are willing to put in a, frankly, considerable amount of work to get caught up, we are pleased to offer you a place in the Hero Course for the second semester.”

***

Isamu wasn’t surprised that all of his classmates had names ready to go. And he probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Aizawa had opted to hide himself in his sleeping bag in the corner while Vice Principal Midnight ran the show. He had a habit, from what Isamu had seen, of doing that to avoid anything he didn’t want to be bothered by.

He was, however, definitely surprised by the outright hungry look Vice Principal Midnight was giving much of the class. Wasn’t she in her fifties? And in a committed relationship with Present Mic (the tabloids were always speculating on whether or not they’d get married or if she was cheating on him behind his back)? Of course, given the first time he’d met her, he’d nearly run head first into her cleavage and she’d just laughed it off, he really shouldn’t have been surprised. Currently, she was perched on Aizawa’s desk, her short skirt giving everyone a good view of her legs.

Honestly, half of being in this school was learning not to be surprised by things.

Midoriya had volunteered to go first, which wasn’t surprising. He was pretty much always leading the way or taking charge. “Okay,” he said, “so maybe this is a little simple, but I really wanted to honor Grandpa Might, so I’m going with The Gravity Hero: Gravi-Might!”

“You are such a dork, Toshi,” Kirishima-Bakugo groaned.

“A bit direct,” Midnight said, “but appropriate in your case. I’ll allow it.”

Kirishima-Bakugo took the stage next, wearing one of those grins that usually preceded her punching something. “So, how about Queen Explosion Murder?”

Midnight pinched the bridge of her nose. “…No, kid. Just no.”

The explosive girl laughed at that, a harsh, barking sound. “Aw, don’t be so serious. I’m just yanking your chain. Call me… The Explosion Hero: Bombshell!”

“…I’m going to approve that just so you sit down,” Midnight said. She looked across the room. “Question, Mineta? Or do you want to volunteer?”

“Oh, it’s a question. I just want to know how Kirishima-Bakugo thinks she can be a bombshell with boobs that sma…”

A glare from Kirishina-Bakugo quickly silenced that. Mineta and Kaminari both scooted their desks closer to his when Kirishima-Bakguo took her seat.

Izumi took to the lectern next. “Shoto gave me a bit of help with this, but I rather like it. The Ice and Fire Hero: Thermo-Dynamic!”

“Oh yeah!” Shinso cheered. “You used my idea!”

Midnight let out of a laugh. “Well, at least you picked one,” she said. “But it’s got passion! I love it!”

It was a good name, Isamu had to admit. Maybe a little bolder than he expected of Izumi, but she’d shown herself to be pretty bold at the Sports Festival too.

Tokoyami took to the front of the room next. As she opened her beak to speak, Frog-Shadow appeared.

“The Froggy Hero: Super Frog-Shadow!”

“We are not calling ourselves that!”

“I get a say in this! That’s my vote!”

“You don’t get any say!”

Frog-Shadow crossed her arms, looking like she was pouting. “Fine,” she said. “You’re no fun!” She disappeared back inside Tokoyami with a slight popping sound.

Tokoyami just shook her head, staring at the floor. “I must apologize for her. But I have chosen the name Bright Side Hero: Amaterasu!”

“You just made that up!” Sero said. “No one said we could just make up words!”

The bird-headed girl shook her head. “Perhaps it is presumptuous. Amaterasu is the sun goddess, counterpart to my father’s moon god, Tsukuyomi. But it seemed fitting.”

Frog-Shadow appeared again. “Can I change my vote to that? I like being a goddess!”

“Make it three votes,” Midnight said. “You’ve got confidence, Tokoyami. I love it!”

The Twins went next. “While we are certain Father would one day like for one of us to carry on the Ingenium name,” Sora Iida said, “now is not the time for that!”

“He still has an illustrious career ahead of him,” Tensei Iida added. “So therefore, we have come up with names of our own!”

Sora posed, flexing a bicep. She wasn’t as muscular as Kirishima-Bakugo, but she was certainly in good shape. Midoriya was a lucky guy. Okay, so maybe he shouldn’t be thinking that about a friend’s girlfriend. But he was only human. “Therefore, I shall be The Speedy Flying Hero: Jet-Red!”

“And I,” Tensei said, arms weaving a chopping motion through the air, “am The Flying Speedy Hero: Jet-Blue!”

“Really,” Kirishima-Bakugo groaned again. “Twin-themed names. You’re really doing that?”

“It is a show of familial solidarity!” Sora snapped.

“We are united as siblings in science and in heroism!” Tensei added.

“A bit flat,” Midnight said. She placed a hand to her face, tapping on her cheek with one long finger. “Still… it will do, I suppose.”

Sero sauntered up to the front next. “Just call me The Acid Tape Hero: Stick ‘Em Up!”

Midnight sighed. “Seriously, Sero?”

He gave her a grin. “I focus tested it with all my ViewTube followers. Eighty-five percent positive approval.”

“No changing your mind?”

“Nope.”

She waved a hand in the direction of the desks. “Fiiiine.”

Ojiro was up next. “So, um,” she began, “I’ve been talking with Doc Clock and she’s really suggested I could be a great Medical Hero someday, so… this isn’t the name I thought I’d use, but I came up with it a few weeks back. I’m going to be the Paramedic Hero: X-Ray!”

Sato and Sero let out a cheer. “You got this, Kimiko!”

“You go, girl!”

Huh. Isamu knew Ojiro was a martial artist and a gossip fiend, but this was new. She’d probably be good at it, now that he thought about it.

“How uplifting!” Midnight squealed.

Then Sato’s turn. “Ah… So, I was thinking the Hungry Hero: Chomp!”

“Now that’s a name with bite!” Sero shouted.

“Puns, really, Pinky?” Kirishima-Bakugo groaned. She gave a quick look to the front. “Still… not bad, Lips.”

Midnight seemed to approve as well. “Short, to the point, perfectly encapsulates your Quirk!”

And then Shiso. As usual, he was practically vibrating with excitement. “Before I go, I just wanna say thanks to Kirishima-Bakugo! She’s really the one who came up with this!”

“…I did what now?”

“I’m gonna be… The Octave Hero: Loud Kid!”

“You cannot be serious.”

“Well, you always call me that, and it’s such a good name, so I really hope you don’t mind if I use it…”

“Knock yourself out, Loud Kid.”

At that, Midnight nodded slightly. Even she seemed inclined to tiptoe around Shinso. “What youthful vigor!”

Then it was Aoyama’s turn. “Please, please, silence all conversations and give me your attention.” He posed theatrically, as though whipping around the cape he wore with his Hero costume. “And now, set your eyes on The Dazzling Hero: Radiance!” He let loose a small flash of light at the same time, forcing Isamu to look away, blinking furiously.

“You do bring a certain sparkle to things, Aoyama,” Midnight said. “But next time, lay off the special effects.”

Koda followed him. “My own choices are not quite so spectacular or outlandish as some of yours, but I hope that they will suffice. You may call me the Gardening Hero: Nurture.”

“Well said, young lady,” Midnight added. “Simple… but I think it fits. And if you ever need any help on “nurturing” the boys…”

Isamu could have sworn he was Koda’s rocky face blush slightly. “I am quite all right, Miss Midnight, thank you.”

Then it was Shoji. “Nothing fancy,” he said. “the Well-Armed Hero: Octo-Punch.”

“Not bad at all,” Midnight said. “I wouldn’t have expected anything fancier from you, Shoji.”

“Hey!” Mineta piped up. “You said you were going to go with my idea! The Hentai-Hero: Tentacles!”

Shoji gave her a flat look. “I lied.”

After that, Kaminari took her own turn. “Been thinking about this one for a while, but figured I’d go with something that combines my Quirk, which is electricity with my Cords, with something about me, music. So from now on, I’m going to be the Plug-In Hero: Shock Jock!”

“How electrifying!”

Mineta followed after that. Before she could even speak, Midnight interjected. “Now, I love a good double and triple or more entendre as much as anyway. And I’d love it just as much as you to see some of these boys and girls squeal and squirm. But I must insist that your Hero name be at least somewhat family friendly. The Hero Commission is really cracking down on R-Rated Heroes and Heroines these days.”

Mineta looked somewhat deflated by that, but she pushed on. “Okay, fiiiiine. I used to think you were cool.”

Midnight looked offended by that. “Oh, child, I am still “cool.’”

“Anyway,” Mineta went on, “I’m going to be the Cavalry Hero: Purple Rein!”

“That’s… surprisingly subdued for you,” Midnight said. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Right as Rein,” Mineta said. “Nothing? Anyone? …Well, it’s a lot funnier in English.”

Finally, Isamu went to the front. He tried not to wither under the gaze of his classmates. Midoriya, Tokoyami, Shinso, and Izumi: encouraging. Mineta: Looking like she was sizing him up to eat him. Kirishima-Bakugo: Glaring at him like usual. Midnight: Also sizing him up in a way that was probably really not appropriate for a women in her fifties.

“So…I’ve been thinking about this one a lot,” he said. “And I want something that tells the world who I am. I’ve got a simple Quirk, but I learned a lot about how to use it and make it work for me. So I’m going to be the Three-Point Hero: Slyde!”

“Spoken like a true champion!”

***

So much paperwork to prepare for the transfer. Private lessons after school and during her gym periods, lots of coursework to study, it was all happening so fast, Koharu thought her head was spinning. She’d have to design a costume, get that fitted and made… And if she did well enough preparing, she’d even get to attend the Summer Training Camp. They were still apparently discussing which Heroics Class she’d get into, but it was a real, tangible thing now.

“One more thing for today, Miss Kocho,” Principal Nezu said. “Since I know you’ve had aspirations for the Hero Course for some time… Have you considered a Hero name?”

She nodded at that. She had for a long time, ever since she’d decided she was going to try out for the Hero Course. “I have,” she said. “the Lepidopteran Hero: Yamamai.”

“A, ah, bit on the nose, isn’t it?” Water Spout asked.

She shrugged. “People with animal Quirks like mine get looked down on a lot. And called a lot of names. I’m not hiding from who I am. I’m embracing it.”

“Well said, Young Kocho, well said,” All Might said. “The perfect beginning to your hero academia!”

#my hero academia #their hero academia #my writing #fan fiction #fan fic

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 5 years ago

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Their Hero Academia: Chapter 19

My on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fan-fic! Chapter 19, presented raw and unedited and featuring Shota Shinso! Chapters 0-18 (plus an interlude) can be found here

“Yow! Look out and shout, listeners! This is Present Mic and the time is 0630 on this beautiful Tuesday morning! If you’ve got work today in Hosu City, better give yourself extra time, because there’s a Villain attack downtown that has everything all tied up! Fortunately, new outlets on the scene are reporting that Ingenium and his sidekicks are on the case! We’ll keep you updated when we know more. But for now, here’s the latest hit from Jiro and the Jamming Wheys!”

Shota’s sleepy fingers prodded at his alarm clock until he found the volume button, lowering it to something less likely to jolt him out of bed. He’d stayed up too late (again), reading through the various Hero News sites and watching videos of Heroes in action. He always paid for it the next morning, but he always considered it worth it.

He threw back the covers and put both feet on the floor, blinking his eyes for a few moments as he adjusted to being awake. Pro-Heroes stared back at him from every corner of the room, from the posters along every wall, to the statues and action figures that covered nearly every other available surface. It had been a real challenge deciding what to bring to U.A. with him, but he’d somehow managed. But maybe he’d trade a few things out the first time he went home.

As he set his phone to voice response mode as he started to get dressed. “What’s the current Top Ten Hero Rankings?” he asked it, one of his pre-programmed searches. While the Official Billboard rankings only came out biannually, there were plenty of other Hero-fans and communities out there using similar algorithms to track on a more regular basis.

A hologram popped up of the results:

1) Deku

2) Lemillion

3) Shoto

4) Ground Zero

5) Nejire-chan and Suneater

6) Ingenium

7) Rodeo

8) Gale Force

9) Froppy

10) Red Riot and Real Steel

Most of those weren’t surprising. Deku and Lemillion traded off spots fairly frequently and both had been working overtime in the advent of the Quirk Virus outbreak. Shoto had pretty consistently held the Number Three spot for a number of years, though Ground Zero occasionally rose to the Number Three or Two spot for about a day or two before dropping down. Ingenium had been pretty solidly Number Six for even longer.

Neijire-chan and Suneater both worked at the same agency they’d founded with Lemillion after he’d gotten his Quirk back, and typically worked together still, even when his duties drew him apart from them. Even without him, they’d racked up a number of impressive victories, rescues, and captures to their name. Hero couples usually did. His parents frequently worked together too and had similar results, her Quirk complimenting his quite nicely. Even if they were largely Underground Heroes, operating below most people’s radar.

The only real surprise on the list was Rodeo, Mika Mineta’s mother. After he fixed his tie and slipped on his jacket, Shota opened the article associated with the most recent list for more information. She’d previously been hovering in the low to mid-teens, but it looked like a victory against the Villain group known as the Rustlers, she’d been propelled up several notches. It looked like the Villains had taken a bullet train hostage and she’d pulled off the rescue single handedly.

Unfortunately, there weren’t very many video clips of the rescue, just a couple of hastily taken and shaky cell phone videos. There were more when the train had pulled in the station and she’d walked out with them all tied up, but those weren’t nearly as exciting.

On the other hand, a linked article showed that a newer Pro-Hero, Wreck-It, was rapidly rising in the ranks following his fight with Fullmetal last week, having hit Number Twenty-Seven already. Most people were speculating he’d crack the teens by the end of the year. Looking at the time, Shota saved a video of Wreck-It fighting Cy-Bug for later. If he wanted breakfast, he’d have to go down now.

There was never enough time for the important stuff!

***

Shota came out of his room at the same time that Isamu Haimawari was coming out of his. Tall and skinny, Haimawari had a good six inches or more on him. Shota gave him a wave. “Morning, Haimawari!”

“Oh, morning, Shinso,” he said. “You, ah, you look tired.”

Shota shrugged. “Stayed up too late again watching Hero videos. I’d watch one, and then it just kept suggesting more!”

Haimawari laughed. “You do know that’s just what it does, right? For the clicks and ads?”

“Yeah, well… they shouldn’t have so much cool stuff if they’re gonna do that!”

He laughed again as they headed for the stairs. “If you say so, little dude. Just don’t let Aizawa catch you napping. I don’t think it’s be pretty. He’s really scary.” He held open the door to the stairwell for Shota.

“Oh, I don’t worry too much about that. Uncle Shota’s not nearly as scary as he seems.”

Haimawari missed a step and began skidding down the stairs, only stopping himself by throwing out his hands and using his Quirk to brake himself. He got uneasily back to his feet. “’Uncle Shota’?” he asked, sounding as if he didn’t really believe what he was saying. ��How do you two have the same name?”

It took Shota a minute to remember that Haimawari hadn’t grown up with the rest of them. It had only been a week, but he’d already gotten completely used to having him around. “I’m named after him,” he explained. “He’s my godfather. He was my dad’s mentor, back in the day. Helped get him into the Hero Course and everything.”

Haimawari tilted his head. “That’s a thing?”

“Oh yeah!” Shota said. “Lots of Pro-Heroes started off in the General Education Department but got to transfer to the Heroics Course after they made their mark in the Sports’ Festival! It’s pretty much a U.A. tradition! There’s the Negotiator, and the Safari Samurai, and Iron Blood, and Life Sewer, and…”

“Wow,” Haimawari said. “Too bad more schools don’t do something like that. Dad applied to a Hero school too… but missed the exam. He might have made it up after. Course, if he did that, he probably never would have met Mom, so…” He shrugged. “Guess things work out.”

“Your dad was gonna be a Hero?” he asked. “Awww, man! You said he’s got the same Quirk as you, right? Your Quirk is so cool! I bet he could have made an awesome one!”

That got a smile out of Haimawari as they reached the bottom of the stairs and headed into the Common Room. “Yeah… well, guess it’s up to me then.”

“You’ll do great,” Shota said. “I know it!”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, dude,” Haimawari said.

The Common Room was abuzz with activity, with most either eating breakfast, fixing their breakfast, or otherwise engaged. Shota saw Toshi sitting with Takuma Sero and the Iida Twins on one of the sofas. Sora Iida was sitting very close to Toshi, practically in his lap, while Takuma and Tensei Iida were sitting close, but not as close, though both looked rather relaxed with each other. Everybody had already known about Sero and Tensei Iida, of course, since Kimiko Ojiro had blasted it to the farthest corners of the internet, but Toshi and Sora Iida was new. Good for them, though.

“Haimawari!” Chihiro Kaminari’s voice cut across the room, from where she was sitting with Mika Mineta. “Your mom’s a music reporter, right?”

Haimawari looked over in their direction, maybe looking a little pale from the attention. “Ah, yeah?” he said.

“Then get over here! You’ve got to have the inside scoop on these Double*Pop girls!” Kaminari said.

“Bunch of wannabes,” Haimawari said, looking disgusted for the first time since Shota had known him. “Hang on, let me get a Pop-Tart and I’ll give you the real gossip.”

He gave Shota an apologetic grin. “Sorry, I’ve gotta get in on this. Just… come check on me in about fifteen to make sure they haven’t kidnapped me to have their way with me,”

“Oookay?” Shota said. He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but he’d still check up on him anyway. He’d grab some cereal and then go join Asuka, Izumi, and Kirishima-Bakugo for some quick breakfast before class.

Hopefully the morning wouldn’t drag on too long. He couldn’t wait to get back to the USJ!

***

“Go, Shinso!” Akaya Koda directed, pointing with one massive hand. “My trees have grown strong, but they will not hold back rubble’s collapse for long!”

Back the USJ, they were continuing their Urban Rescue Training. Yesterday, they’d been training with Doc Clock (she wasn’t very high in the Hero Rankings, but Aunt Eri was definitely one of the top Heroes in his book), and today they were working with All Might himself! The former Number One Hero in Japan and the world! The Symbol of Peace! And he was still teaching after all these years! It was the coolest thing in the universe!

He was working with Akaya Koda, Takiyo Aoyama, Takuma Sero, and Izumi Todoroki. The cityscape around them was in ruins, with numerous small fires and many of the buildings in states of significant collapse. They’d already cleared three buildings and were on to a fourth. Koda had used her Quirk to fast grow trees from seeds (decades of growth in seconds!), shaping their growth enough to reinforce a collapsed section of a building. But they wouldn’t hold forever. So they had to know how many people were inside to be rescued.

Shota took a deep breath and concentrated on his Quirk, sending out as high a pitch as he could manage, almost past the range of human hearing. Invisible waves of sound penetrated the building, bouncing all around it, until they bounced back to him, painting a perfect picture in his mind. He could see every nook, cranny, door, pipe, light fixture, and “person” inside.

“Five people inside,” he said. “Two on the ground floor, three on the third.”

He had spent a lot of time with Quirk Specialists and Quirk Counselors over the years. His was a true, rare, once in a family line mutation, completely different from anything anyone else on either side of his family had. They were still figuring out everything he could do. He just knew he could make a lot of things happen with different sounds. And every time he found something new, it meant it was a new way he could help people. But sonar was really useful here. Not that it didn’t have its drawbacks. There was the time he’d used it when Kimiko Ojiro was around…

“I can take Todoroki up,” Sero said, pointing to the third floor. “I can get there, but I can’t get past the fires. You up for that?”

Izumi nodded. She looked a little tired; she’d been making lots of ice to fight the fires, only occasionally and carefully letting out little puffs of her own flames to balance herself out. The silver pieces on her costume were flashing yellow. Shota knew they did something to help regulate her temperatures, but he didn’t know what the flashing meant. He hoped she was okay.

“I can manage,” Izumi said. “Just get me close enough.”

“Guess that leaves us on the ground floor!” Shota said to Aoyama.

Aoyama shrugged, his glow bright and partially obscuring his features. “I suppose they shall be grateful for the rescue,” he said.

“Best hurry,” Koda said. “I shall do what I can to reinforce what I have already grown, but I fear providence shall not be with us for long.”

They moved. With Todoroki on his back, Sero fired a strand of his Acid Tape upward, pulling them towards the third floor. Shota sprinted inside, Aoyama hot on his heels and soon passing him.

He probably could have navigated with his Sonar—though the picture it had given him was fading fast from his mind—but Shota was grateful for Aoyama’s light. With the power out in the ruined building, it cast a soft glow over everything.

“You said there were deux,” Aoyama said. “Where?” He held up a hand and concentrated, focusing his light through the reflective armband he wore as part of his Support gear. The armband focused the light into a powerful spotlight beam, which he traced over the dark corners of the room.

Shota pointed a little to the left of where Aoyama’s spotlight had fallen. “One there… one further in the back.”

The ground began to shake and pieces of rubble fell from the ceiling. Aoyama let out a frightened yelp and jumped to the side as one nearly fell on him. “Then let us get them and get out as soon as possible,” he said.

Swiftly, they checked the first of the animatronics. There was a fallen filing cabinet pinning its legs and the vital signs meters displaying on its chest told a story of a great many injuries. Shota grabbed onto the cabinet and tried to lift it, grunting and straining with all his might, but it was too heavy.

Aoyama let out a sigh. “Allow me to show you how it is done.” He pointed a hand at the filing cabinet and made some adjustment to his arm band. A beam of light as wide as his fist shot out, striking the cabinet and slicing through it, splitting it into the portion that was over the animatronic’s legs and the portion that wasn’t. The beam continued on and went into the wall behind it, leaving a smoking hole and red hot edges on the cabinet.

The lights on the animatronic lit up like a Christmas tree before shutting off completely. Shota reached a hand towards it and pulled it back. The animatronic and the air around it was still hot from Aoyama’s laser beam. No wonder it had… died? Was that the right word for what had happened?

He knew Aoyama was powerful, but he also knew he mostly relied on his Support gear to control his Quirk. Shota’s eyes went wide as he looked at his classmate.

“Non…” Aoyama said. “I did not mean… We… we must have been too late already!” He gave his cape a flick. “Let us see about the other one, Shinso.”

Shota was very sure that they hadn’t been too late and that it had been Aoyama’s fault. But after seeing the horrified look on his French classmate’s face, he wasn’t going to push it. Maybe he’d be a little nicer after that.

As they headed to the back room, the ground shook again and more of the ceiling began to fall. A big piece of the ceiling fell near Aoyama, causing him to shriek and Shota to flinch at the noise of the crash. More started to fall, but when Aoyama tried to move, he couldn’t! His cape had been caught under the rubble that had nearly hit him. And more was falling…

Shota screamed. The air around the rippled with the sonic energy he had unleashed, forming a protective dome around both of them. Several more pieces of rubble fell from the ceiling, but they bounced off the dome. Finally, it stopped and Shota could breathe again, coughing until his throat felt right again. That had been longer than he typically used his Quirk for. He was best in short bursts and could only keep it up as long as he could draw in enough air to make sound.

Aoyama looked at him with wide eyes. “You saved me,” he said, his voice soft and quiet. “Merci.”

“You’d have done the same!” Shota told him, even if part of him wondered if that wasn’t true. “And they wouldn’t let us really get hurt, not during training!”

“Still…” Aoyama frowned and tugged at his cape, until it came away from the rubble with a long riiiiiip. “A pity. My poor cape.”

Shota was going to tell him that he shouldn’t wear it, that very few Heroes wore them these days, exactly because of what had happened. He even remembered reading about an American Support Gear and costume designer who had campaigned very hard for the international Hero community to outlaw capes in their entirety, though she had not been successful in that. Too many people thought they were too iconic to give up. But Shota could quote a lot of statistics on why they were a bad idea…

“Aoyama! Shinso!” Koda’s voice rang out. “The structure is becoming unstable! You need to get out!”

Both turned and ran for the door. Shota hated leaving the exercise incomplete…but it looked like they had no choice.

The second they hit daylight, the building finished collapsing, taking Koda’s trees with it. “Thank you for your sacrifice, my woody friends,” she said quietly. “Rest well knowing the lessons I have learned here will mean it was not in vain.” Her rocky features were tired and a little sad. Shota knew she took it hard whenever her plants were hurt, even in training.

“You two okay?” Sero asked. “You were in there a long time.” Soot covered his costume and he held his helmet in the crook of his arm, scrubbing at the faceplate with a cloth.

“And your cape is torn, Aoyama,” Izumi said. She was letting flames dance over her fingertips, the blinking lights on the silver pieces of her costume fading from yellow to green.

“We just ran into un petit bit of trouble,” Aoyama said, putting on a proud grin. But he only held it for a minute, Shota bet he was remembering that they’d all be reviewing the video later. “But… Shinso was quite good at getting us out of it. Even if we did not complete the rescue.”

“An unfortunate truism of being a Hero,” All Might said, as he left the safe zone he’d been monitoring them from. Shota had seen plenty of videos of him in his prime, but there was something captivating about the man he’d mostly known as Toshi’s grandfather. He’d been a Hero longer than almost anyone; and Shota knew he was lucky to learn whatever he could from him.

“Sometimes,” All Might continued, “you cannot save everyone. Sometimes… you will be pushed to your limits and it will still not be enough. We hold tremendous power and responsibility in our hands. Our profession is an unforgiving one, one which demands perfection of us, when the slightest misstep or wrong choice can cost lives. But if you train your minds, bodies, and Quirks… You can at least ensure those moments are as few and far between as possible.

“I think you all know where you can begin to improve, but that being said… You are all showing great progress! We will discuss the specifics later, but the other groups should be finishing up and Water Spout and Doc Clock will be wanting to continue your first aid lessons. But know that I am very proud of all of you! You are truly showing you know what it means to Go Beyond… Plus Ultra!”

Shota was pretty sure he’d never felt happier. All Might believed in him!

***

“Remember, kids, playing by the rules is super manly! If you see someone cheating, let them know that’s not fair! And that’s what Red Riot Sayz!”

Shota turned down the volume on his computer while the ad between videos loaded. Someone had uploaded a bunch of Public Service Announcements that Red Riot had done more than a decade ago and he just had to watch them all! He wouldn’t be up too late if he did that…

“Shota, go to bed.”

He looked up from his computer to find Asuka, Izumi, Toshi, and Haimiwari in his room. He must have been watching so intently he didn’t even hear them!

“Go to bed,” Asuka repeated.

“Sorry, dude,” Haimiwari said, an apologetic smile on his face. “But you looked really tired this morning. I had to call in the heavy artillery.”

“I’m only gonna watch a couple more,” Shota said. And he was! Probably. Sometimes they were just too tempting!

“Those’ll probably get taken down anyway,” Toshi said. “That’s not an official video channel.”

They might? Then he had to watch them all tonight! He started to turn back towards his computer.

“Maybe not the best thing to say, Toshi, *chirp*” Asuka said.

“…Ooops?”

“Shota,” Izumi said. “It is only Tuesday and you’ve already been tired both mornings this week. This is not healthy for you or your future as a Hero.”

“Dad doesn’t sleep that much,” he tried.

“But you are not your father,” Izumi continued. “And besides… your godfather would tell you to rest whenever you are able. We must insist you go to bed.”

Shota became uncomfortably aware of the four sets of eyes on him. And of the fact that despite her soft voice, there was a firmness to Izumi’s words that meant he wasn’t going to win this argument.

“Okay,” he said, dejectedly, getting out of his chair.

“Turn the computer off,” Asuka said.

“And no using your phone either,” Izumi added.

They’d really thought of everything! He was definitely trapped. Well… one day without too many videos probably wouldn’t kill him.

He’d just have to watch even more tomorrow!

#my hero academia #their hero academia #fan fiction #fan fic #My writing

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 6 years ago

Text

Their Hero Academia, Chapters 5-8

Presented raw and unedited. Edited versions will eventually be added to Ao3, where chapters 0-4 can be found here

Their Hero Academia – Chapter Five: Toshi Midoriya and the First Heroics Class

The next morning found Toshi rising early, as he usually did. It was a habit he’d picked up from his dad years ago. They’d go for a jog or another workout and then make it back home in time for breakfast. He always looked forward to it and intended to keep up his exercise program while he was at U.A. It was good for the mind and the body.

It was nearly seven by the time he returned to the dorms and most of the Class was already assembled in the common room, eating various combinations of breakfasts. They were still in the process of developing a chore wheel for the dorms, which would end up including some light cooking. Sitting at one of the tables with Asuka and Izumi, Shinso gave him a sleepy wave, then beckoned Haimawari over to join them. Good. That meant his efforts yesterday were being rewarded. Not that he’d have expected anything less of his friends.

He returned the wave and headed to the small kitchen, where Takiyo Aoyama was preparing complicated looking omelet with the help of Akaya Koda. He gave both of them a polite nod, while he searched the cupboard for his power bars. “Smells good, guys,” he told them.

“Of course it does,” Aoyama said. “I’m the one making it.”

The blonde boy’s illumination was barely noticeable, but definitely growing as he spent more time in the light of both the lamps and the sunlight filtering in through the windows. Toshi understood that he kept his room totally blacked out while he slept, so that some of the light he absorbed throughout the day could bleed off. By the end of the day, he’d be nearly too dazzling to look at, unless he burned off some of the power.

He also understood that, like his adopted father, Aoyama’s Quirk was not entirely under his control, requiring multiple support items to use the light he absorbed for much more than glowing brightly. Toshi couldn’t imagine what that was like. Sure, he’d accidentally launched himself into the air when he was surprised, but to have that much trouble with a part of yourself…

Koda gave him a gentle nudge. Despite her size (both the tallest and widest in the class), she was possessed of one of the gentlest demeanors of anyone Toshi had ever met. “Arrogance ill becomes anyone, Aoyama,” she told him. Her voice was especially incongruous with her build and size, soft, like the wind whispering through the grass. “Especially after I convinced these peppers to grow, that they might season our meals. Do not dishonor their sacrifice with your pride.”

The large girl had an… interesting perspective on things sometimes. But to each their own.

The point seemed to be made with Aoyama, though, even if he didn’t seem to completely buy the idea of dishonoring the peppers’ sacrifice. “As you say, Mademoiselle Koda,” he said, reluctantly. “I...appreciate your help in these culinary matters.”

Not exactly a thank you, not exactly an admission of fault. Of all the children of Class 1-A, Toshi knew Aoyama the least well. He hated to think badly of anyone, but he couldn’t exactly say he liked what he had seen. Maybe he’d grow out of it? Especially once they all really started working together? Toshi could only hope.

Koda held Aoyama’s gaze for a moment, then decided that was probably the best she was going to get. She helped him begin to plate the omelets. “Would you care for any, Midoriya?” she asked. There was clearly only enough for two, but he appreciated the gesture all the same, especially since Aoyama was making a rather unpleasant face behind her.

He shook his head, already biting off a piece of one of his power bars. “I’m good,” he said. “You two enjoy.”

Toshi walked out of the kitchen, taking in the rest of the room. The Iida twins were absent, probably at spending their pre-class hours in one of the workshops in the Support building. Sero was busy filming Sato with his phone, no doubt streaming his friend’s eating of a cactus for all the internet to see. Ojiro was pointing out something in a magazine to Shoji, who appeared to be doing his best to feign polite interest in whatever celebrity gossip the invisible girl was sharing and to Mineta, who was mostly drooling over the models on the cover. Chihiro absently munched on a breakfast sandwich, lost in whatever music she had streaming through her phone.

That only left Katsumi unaccounted for and she was likely still up in her room, getting in her morning workout. Where Toshi’s leaned more towards running, Katsumi’s involved more weight lifting and punching. Probably nothing to be worried about.

His phone buzzed, letting him know he had a text.

Dad: Hey, champ! Ready for your first real Heroics Class today?

I sure hope so! I can’t imagine what Grandpa Might has planned!

Dad: Just so long as he doesn’t have you fight Katsumi. I don’t need to hear from Bakugo about that!

He wouldn’t really do that, would he?

Dad: Probably not on purpose. But you know Grandpa Might!

Do I ever! He keeps following me around! They had to kick him out of the classroom four times yesterday!

Dad: I’ll talk to him. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll get Grandma.

***

Their table of four looked like it was going to become a permanent table of five. When they’d gone to the cafeteria, he’d made sure Haimawari knew he was welcome to join them. It was good having someone else around who clearly had the same kind of appreciation for Heroes that he and Shota did. Granted, it made more sense for someone like Haimawari to be into them, since he wasn’t from a heroic family. Katsumi had frequently pointed out that being such fanboys when their families were already Heroes didn’t make that much sense. But neither of them cared.

“Anything interesting in Pro Hero news, Shinso?” Izumi asked. Like Toshi, she had seen that their friend was practically vibrating with something to share. Izumi was polite enough to offer him an avenue to let it out.

“Only the coolest!” Shota bubbled. “Red Riot and Real Steel fought Diamondhead!” He pulled out his phone, showing them video of the two Heroes fighting against a Villain who could turn his skin to diamond in a very similar way to how their Quirks worked. As they watched, they saw the two Heroes land a punch against Diamonhead that caused a shockwave big enough to shatter all the nearby glass and knock loose objects over.

“The news report said you could feel the impact for miles away!” Shota added

“Oh, man,” Haimawari said, “that was one hell of a punch!”

“Yeah,” Shota said. “They’re both so manly!”

“Shinso,” Asuka began, “that was a lot of property damage… Maybe we shouldn’t be cheering that.”

“But it looked so awesome!”

Toshi shook his head. “Red Riot and Real Steel are good at what they do. They wouldn’t have done that if they had another choice. Judging by his Quirk, I don’t think anything else would have knocked Diamondhead out.”

“Think Kirishima-Bakugo’s seen it yet?” Shota asked. “Bet she’d love to see her dad in action! He’s all, like, “Pow! Bam! Take that, evil doer, for my manly heart is pure!’”

Toshi had to laugh at that, catching Izumi politely chuckling and even Asuka trying to hide a laugh behind her hand. “Okay, yeah, Uncle Eijiro does kind of talk like that.”

Haimawari frowned for a moment. “Keep forgetting you guys are all pretty much family. I can’t imagine what it must have been like growing up around that many heroes.”

“They’re just people,” he told him. “If you’re only seeing them when they’re being Heroes, you’re not getting the full picture. That’s part of who they are, sure. Some more than others. But that’s not all of who they are either.”

There were all kinds of things the public didn’t get to see. Like the way Dad could cry at the drop of a hat or the way he still geeked out when he talked about working with other Pro Heroes (not that Toshi didn’t join him in the geeking out, mind you) or the way Mom obsessively checked their bank account or had their shopping cart total figured out to the penny before they got to the check out, even though financial insecurity was a thing she’d long put behind her.

“Trust me,” Asuka said, “my father’s “Darkness” speeches don’t work nearly as well when he’s telling you to pick up your room.”

Toshi knew from experience that Asuka’s mother could be far scarier with as single look of disappointment than her father could in full “warrior of the night” mode.

“What do your parents do, Haimawari?” Izumi asked.

Toshi could swear there’s the tiniest moment of hesitation before Haimawari answers, but he has to be imagining it.

“Nothing as cool as yours,” he says. “Dad owns a convenience store in Naruhata. Mom’s a writer for a Pop!-Weekly.”

“The music magazine?” Toshi asked. He’d seen Chihiro reading it from time to time. When Haimawari nodded, he added, “That’s pretty cool!”

That got the skinny boy laughing a little. “Guess it all depends on your perspective. They’re just my parents to me.”

“Seriously though,” Toshi said. “It is pretty cool. You should tell Chihiro. She’d big into music.”

“Sorry,” Haimawari replied, “still learning everybody’s names. Chihiro is…?”

“The blonde girl with the ear-Quirk,” Izumi told him. “Chihiro Kaminari.”

“Mineta’s friend,” Asuka elaborated.

“Ooooh,” Haimawari said. “Her. She’s got, ah, interesting taste in friends.”

“She’s not as bad as Mineta,” Toshi assured him. “Try and talk to her. Couldn’t hurt.”

“Yeah, maybe I will.”

***

For their Heroics Class, Mr. Aizawa and his grandfather had taken them to Training Ground Epsilon. Unlike most of the Training Grounds, which were designed to replicate specific kinds of environments, Epsilon was essentially a long open field, with an observation bunker at one end. It was a warm day, the sun shining, and the sky clear, though their gym uniforms were comfortable enough in it (apparently, the costume department was significantly behind this year). Toshi was a little bit surprised that Mr. Aizawa could stand that much direct sunlight.

“Normally,” Grandpa Might said, “we’d start Heroics off with the Battle Trials, pitting Hero against Villain in a death-defying race for control of a bomb which might very well destroy the entire world!”

He waited a moment for a reaction from the class. When no one other than Shinso (who cheered, of course) responded, he looked a little deflated, but he went on. “Unfortunately, due to a… ah, Quirk misfire with Class 1-B, the Training Grounds for that is currently unavailable and undergoing repairs. So we have prepared an alternative exercise.”

Okay, Toshi was definitely going to have to pay more attention the other Hero Classes. If someone in 1-B had a Quirk powerful enough to do that kind of damage…!

Grandpa Might went on, “We’ll be splitting you into teams of four. Your job will be to defend the Observation Bunker, where the rest of us will be. Your job will be to defend the bunker from waves of robots that will be attacking!”

“However,” Mr. Aizawa said, “if even one robot makes it to the Bunker, then your team loses, no questions asked. Because it means everyone inside is dead.”

Ojiro shot her hand up. “Do we get to pick teams?”

“No.”

“As Heroes,” Grandpa Might explained, “you’ll often find yourself working with other Heroes you’ve never met before. You’ll need to improvise working with a wide variety of Quirks on the fly. This will help with that and help you get acquainted with your classmates’ Quirks!”

“And,” Aizawa added, “I don’t trust any of you to make good decisions about teams. The teams will be as follows. Team One: Midoriya, Aoyama, Sero, and Tensei Iida. Team Two: Kirishima-Bakugo, Shinso, Ojiro, and Mineta. Team Three: Todoroki, Haimawari, Sato, and Sora Iida. And Team Four: Tokoami, Koda, Shoji, and Kaminari.”

Okay, he could work with that… Pretty good Quirk spread on his team. Pretty good spread on all four teams, actually. At least Aizawa and Grandpa Might were giving them a fighting chance.

“The hell? You losers better not make me lose!”

…He honestly hadn’t expected anything else from Katsumi.

***

In general, Toshi thought he was pretty good with his Quirk. He could lower his personal gravity until he could bounce off the walls. And with split second timing, he could increase it until he turned into a cannon ball and then bounce back away. He’d sparred with his dad and trained more than a lot of people his age probably had. Being all second generation heroes, they definitely had some advantages going in, though they hadn’t all worked together much. This would still be a real test.

He slowly adjusted his gravity, bringing himself back down to the ground.

“What did you see, Toshi?” Tensei asked. While he could actually fly rather than float like Toshi, he was more like a rocket, needing to keep moving, which was not always as ideal for observation.

“Three one-pointers and two two-pointers,” he said. “About 50 meters out, coming quick.”

Aoyama was glowing in the afternoon son, difficult to even look at directly. Reflective wristbands likewise glittered in the sun. “Should go out after them? Show them what we’re made of?”

“No,” Toshi said. “Our mission is to protect the Bunker. We need to stay close to it, but not let them get too close. You and Sero need to hang back. You’ve both got long range Quirks.”

“Aye, aye, Captain Midoriya!” Sero said, tossing off a little salute.

“Are you sure you and Iida don’t just want to grab all the glory for yourselves?” Aoyama sneered. “Keeping me on the bench while you get to be the heroes?”

“I don’t like your tone, Aoyama,” Tensei said. “Toshi is no glory hog!”

“And perhaps I don’t like yours!”

Toshi’s bad feelings about Aoyama returned. But now was not the place to get into it. “Uh, maybe we should just…”

“They’re here!” Sero shouted, interrupting any further argument.

And indeed they were, three one-pointers rolling along on their treads, and a pair of floating two-pointers. According to the further explanation Grandpa Might and Mr. Aizawa had provided, the waves would only get stronger. They ten minutes. Either they held the line that long, or one of the ‘bots got through and they lost.

He didn’t want to lose. Especially not with his grandfather watching. He didn’t want it to be this haphazard, he’d wanted some kind of plan. Dad had drilled into him how important having a plan was. Now…

“Let’s get ‘em, guys!”

Toshi concentrated, bringing his gravity to near zero and took a jump, bouncing up like he had springs under his shoes. It carried him up and over and then at the right moment he increased it three fold. He immediately fell like a stone, crashing into one of the one-pointers, smashing in its head. Quickly, he switched back to low gravity again, bouncing off and landing on the sand.

Already, the blood was rushing in his head. He couldn’t do that kind of rapid switching for too long, not without getting a killer headache. Not to mention the effects of all that gravity on him. He was tougher when he amped his gravity up, but it put its strains on him.

Around him, the others were tearing into the rest. Tensei had flown through one of the other one pointers like a battering ram, propelled by his jet engines. “As suspected! They still have not fixed the structural flaw! Quite disappointing, but good for our Team!”

Sero was quickly wrapping up the remaining one-pointer in his Acid Tape, this time making it as acidic as possible. It was a good combination of his parents’ Quirks, really, the ability to create tape like his dad, but with all the different and variable properties of his mom’s acid. “Die, evil robot, die! Hey, with a dry, cool wit like that, I could be an action hero!”

And Aoyama… was staring down both two-pointers. His glow intensified until it was blinding. “Let’s see how these ruffians fair against my Dazzling Beam Blaster!” Both of his arms snapped up and his wrist bands flared, each unleashing a powerful golden beam of light that punched holes right through the two-pointers. His overall glow was diminished after that, still lending him a bit of a sparkle and getting brighter by the moment, but it was clear he had spent a lot of energy.

He gave himself a small clap. “That’s how you do it, boys.”

Okay, so Aoyama was powerful. But that didn’t mean Toshi had to like working with him.

And then, just like that, a buzzer split the air, signaling failure.

“What? How? We got all of them!” Sero said.

“Probably something you lot did,” Aoyama snapped.

“An unseen variable, perhaps?” Tensei mused. “Some x factor I did not anticipate?”

“Uh, guys?” Toshi said, pointing behind them. A one-pointer was already at the bunker, and others were moving in from the sides.

Mr. Aizawa’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Perhaps next time you’ll know to watch for all directions. I expect all the rest of you to have learned something from their failure.”

“DO NOT WORRY, YOUNG GRANDSON! FAILURE IS BUT THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS VICTORY! I MEAN, AH, DO NOT WORRY, YOUNG HEROES! YES, I WAS TALKING TO ALL OF YOU!”

…Maybe he’d be better off just floating away. He could get a job as a parade balloon. Anything sounded better than being here right now.

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 6: Isamu Haimawari and the First Big Mistake

He wasn’t hurting. In fact, he felt like he was past the point of pain. But he could hear people yelling, screaming. Strange, he could swear he smelled something burning…

“Go!” he heard Aizawa yelling. “Get them to Doc Clock!”

And it had been going so well…

***

Well, if the son of the Number One Hero could mess up on their very first real Heroics exercise, maybe Isamu didn’t have to feel so bad about how he was probably going to fail too. All four of the first team had had impressive powers, but they hadn’t been watching their backs. Plus there was the whole thing where they’d been too busy arguing to pay attention to anything. Still, he’d done his best to congratulate Midoriya on at least getting to smash one of them. The green haired boy looked pretty down from his failure. He would be too.

After the first group had returned, the second group had set out. The absolutely terrifying Kirishima-Bakugo took the lead, with the other three following her.

She looked around. “Loud Kid,” she told Shinso, “you’re on lookout. You two, you’re with me. And for fuck’s sake, look around you!”

There wasn’t any arguing this time like there had been with Midoriya’s group. Kirishima-Bakugo was simply too frightening for the rest. Ojiro looked the most like she was going to say something (Maybe. You could only read so much body language on a floating gym uniform), but chose otherwise.

The robots were quickly upon them. Kirishima-Bakugo raced out to meet the first one, letting out a scream of “DIE!” as she did so. When she got close enough, she gave it an open-palmed slap on the two-pointer’s side and seconds later, a massive explosion rocked the robot, destroying it.

“That’s how you do it!” she screamed.

“Whoa!” Isamu yelled. He remembered how she’d made the spoons explode like firecrackers in the cafeteria yesterday, but he hadn’t know she could do anything like that.

“Yeah,” Midoriya agreed. “her Quirk is pretty powerful. She can release this liquid from her hands that does… something to whatever it touches and makes it explode. The more she lets out, the bigger the boom.”

“…Remind me never to make her angry.”

“Trust me, Haimawari, when I say ‘good luck with that.’”

Kirishima-Bakugo had already destroyed another two-pointer, while the rest of her team were making short work of the rest. Ojiro stopped in front of the one of the one-pointers and then simply… disappeared.

“Wait,” Isamu asked. “She can get more invisible?”

“Uh-huh,” Midoriya explained. “What she’s really doing is bending light. Her skin’s always doing it, but she can extend it to anything she’s touching, like her clothes.”

The one-pointer suddenly jerked and bucked, like something was trying to climb it, and then its head suddenly disappeared! It stopped completely, staying still on the sand. With the one-pointer distracted, Mineta gave it a powerful kick with one of her hooves, knocking it down. The robot’s head reappeared as Ojiro returned to view, jumping off of it.

“Oh, that’s good,” Midoriya said. “She made its head invisible so its camera couldn’t detect anything!”

Mineta was doing a decent job of her own as well, even without team work. She lowered her head, aiming her horns at one of the remaining one-pointers. From the tip of teach horn, a stream of purple spheres fired forth, starting the size of a pea, but rapidly growing to the size of a baseball. They stuck wherever they hit the robot, jamming its joints and obscuring its vision until it could neither move nor see, at which point she rammed it, knocking out its control panel.

“Hey!” she called out, “if I do well enough, do I get a kiss?”

“I thought I told you to stop hitting on me, horse-legs!”

“Sheesh! You’ve really got no sense of humor! Besides, maybe I was talking to Ojiro!”

“In your dreams, Mineta!”

The remaining one-pointer was demolished by a shrieking Kirishima-Bakugo, blowing its treads off with a pair of powerful explosions. “More! Bring ‘em on!” she yelled. “Keep fighting, all of you!”

And the second wave was on them. More two-pointers this time, but still a few one-pointers. Like last time, some of these started coming in from the sides.

“From the left!” Shinso called out. As one drew close, he took in a deep breath and then let out a long, low tone. Isamu could see the air between him and the robot ripple and the ripple slammed into the robot, knocking it over as though it had been punched. Shinso kept up the tone until the rippling wave punched a hole in the robot’s chest.

That was… that had definitely been a thing. Isamu remembered how Shinso’d made the ground flow like a wave yesterday.

“What,” he asked, “what exactly is his Quirk?”

“Beats me,” Midoriya said. “They call it Vocal Harmonics. He does a sustained pitch and stuff happens. Different things for different pitches. Nobody’s really figured out any logic behind it. Trust me, they’ve tried.”

The others leapt into action too. Kirishima-Bakugo exploding them, with Mineta and Ojiro slowing them down for her and Shinso.

It was in the fourth wave that things started to go south for them. The one-pointers were gone, two-pointers making up the majority of the wave, along with a single giant three-pointer.

It started when the two-pointer had Ojiro down, one of its massive arms pinning her to the ground. Her clothes flickered in and out of visibility as she tried to squirm away, but to no avail. “Argh! No fair!”

“I’m coming, Ojiro!” Shinso called out. He took in a breath again and started coughing. All the explosions Kirishima-Bakugo had been setting off had stirred up a massive amount of smoke, smoke he sucked into his lungs. Another two-pointer pinned him, face down on the ground.

Kirishima-Bakugo lashed out, heading for the three-pointer, causing explosions along every two-pointer between her and it. Mineta fired off more sticky balls from her horns, but panic was throwing her air off, not to mention that the smoke was also interfering with her ability to aim.

Kirishima-Bakugo reached the three-pointer, sliding under its reach and tapping its arm. But she was also clearly running out of whatever liquid she generated to make things explode, because the explosion she created was clearly much less powerful than she had expected. She stared at her hands like they had betrayed her.

And then the failure buzzer sounded, as the three-pointer had reached the bunker.

“Well, you lasted longer than the first team,” Aizawa said, his voice ringing from the loudspeakers. “We’ll review everything tomorrow. For now, get back to the Bunker. We’ll let the smoke clear out before Team Three goes.”

“Good job, Team!” All Might said. “Though you might want to learn to take it easy, Young Kirishima-Bakugo! There’s a time for going all out and a time for caution!”

The robots released Shinso and Ojiro, the former of whom offered Kirishima-Bakugo a hand up, but she batted it away, getting up on her own and stomping towards the Bunker, her face set in a deep scowl.

Isamu finally remembered to close his jaw. If his team lasted any time at all… it was going to get intense out there. He was pretty sure his Quirk wasn’t going to be any good for smashing robots, but maybe he could be a distraction for some of the others? Or get a couple of the robots to smash each other?

Midoriya gave him an encouraging grin. “Hey, you’re up next! You’re gonna do great, I know it.”

He returned the grin, maybe a little sheepishly. “Maybe. Gotta try, anyway.”

Okay, deep breaths. He could do this.

***

When the smoke had cleared, Team Three was finally able to step outside the Bunker. “So,” Isamu said, “how do we want to do this?”

They’d already seen the first two teams. They definitely wouldn’t devolve into in-fighting like the first group, but hopefully they wouldn’t mess up the battlefield like the second either.

“I’ll guard the rear,” Sato volunteered. “My Quirk’s no good unless they get real close.” Isamu remembered catching sight of him a few times during the Entrance Exam, tearing into a robot with his teeth. It wasn’t something he was going to forget anytime soon.

“Good,” Todoroki said. “Sora, Haimawari, you both have mobility-based Quirks. Do you think you can control the left and right edges?”

“I’ll give it my best,” he assured her. Hopefully that would be enough.

“Just leave the driving to me!” Iida said.

Todoroki nodded. “Then I will do my best to hold the middle. Remember to support each other when you can, and try not to make too much of a mess.” Her lips twitched slightly when she said the last part. A smile, maybe? Isamu didn’t know her well enough to know.

Really, Todoroki was quite the puzzle. There was the strange power she seemed to have over the ginormously scary Kirishima-Bakugo. And Torodoki herself was so reserved, quiet, but firm. It was hard to know what to think of her.

And then the first wave of robots was upon them, the same mix as the other two times. Two two-pointers, three one-pointers. Iida went right, so he dropped to the ground and went left, his Quirk pushing him along like a bullet shot from a gun. Maybe a little too fast, as he was coming up on the one-pointer faster than he expected.

He didn’t have nearly the power to go with his speed to ram his way through it like he’d seen Tensei Iida do in the first round… but maybe he had some skills they didn’t! Instead of trying to dodge, he kept going and when he got close to the one-pointer jumped on the robot and kept going, sliding over it as easily as he had over the ground. The nearest other one-pointer took a swing at him and he added an extra burst of speed, carrying him over the robot’s shoulder and down his back. The second one-pointer’s blow hammered home on the first, smashing a hole in it and bring it down, giving him just enough time to hit the dirt and slide away.

He skidded to a stop. “I… I did it!” He’d managed it a couple times during the Entrance Exam, but he really hadn’t been sure he could do it again.

“Good job, Haimawari!” Todoroki cheered. “But keep alert!’

A two-pointer was nearly upon her, but she pointed a pale hand at it and frost began to appear along its surface, until its skin was frozen solid and it started to crack under its own weight. Todoroki grimaced with the exertion of it, her pale features flushing. She pointed at one of the one-pointers, this time unleashing a blast of flames that quickly took it down. As she stopped the flames, her condition improved.

Weird, actually. Every time he’d seen her make ice, she made fire right after. He didn’t know what that meant.

But he needed his head back in the game. He saw Iida taking down the last one pointer, her jet engines giving her more than enough power to knock its head clean off.

“One more two-pointer,” he said. “Heading towards Sato!” The thick-lipped boy took up a defensive stance, but he wouldn’t last long against that.

Isamu threw himself forward and saw Iida keeping pace with him. “There’s a design flaw,” she told him. “Lots of them, actually. But the leg joints are especially weak. If we both hit it at the same time in a different leg, we should be able to take it down.”

“Got it!” he said, squinting against the dust their speed was kicking up. He was definitely going to need goggles and a mask if he was going to keep doing this kind of thing.

He concentrated, pouring on the speed, kicking himself into a higher gear. Iida kept pace, both of them racing to towards the robot. Sato, to his credit, held his ground, bearing his teeth at the machine. He and Iida reached the robot at the same time, both of them striking a leg joint. The joints buckled and the robot toppled over. Sato pounced on it, opening his jaw wider than Isamu would have thought possible, taking a huge bite out of its head.

“Blegh,” Sato said. “It’s stale!”

Yeah, he wasn’t going to ask any follow up question about that.

And there wasn’t any time. The next wave was already starting.

***

By the fourth wave, they were running out of steam. Iida was down, having run out of fuel from overusing her Jetpack. Sato was curled up on a ball, his belly bloated, moaning.

Todoroki looked dead on her feet, and even Isamu was exhausted. This was the longest and hardest he’d ever pushed his Quirk continuously. At least during the Entrance Exam, he’d had spurts where he could rest, catch his breath for a moment.

“You… okay?” he asked Todoroki, as the next wave came towards them.

“No,” she said. “I do not think I can keep fighting much longer.” A hard, determined look set itself on her face. “But I will go down fighting.”

She brought up both hands and Isamu could feel the temperature dropping. A massive block of ice incased every last robot in the fourth wave, two and three-pointers both.

“Whoa,” he breathed.

Quickly, however, he noticed that Todoroki had gone even paler. Her knees buckled and she began to fall.

He found himself moving before he could even think. Even as he heard someone yelling, telling him no…

Too late, he remembered about the flames. As he caught Todoroki before she could fall, her body erupted in flames and his world turned to pain.

***

He sprung up with a gasp, only to find he was no longer on the battlefield. Instead, he seemed to be in… a hospital bed? He had to be in the medical building. How was that possible? He’d taken a blast of fire that could melt steel to the face. Isamu was pretty sure that he should be dead, or at the very least, severely burned. But his hands were unblemished and as he felt his face, he realized that was too.

“What?”

“You’re awake,” a voice said, as he heard the curtain around the bed part. “Good. You gave us all quite a fright when you were brought in.”

At the foot of the bed, he saw a woman in thirties, wearing a white doctor’s coat over a black and purple costume with a clock insignia on her chest. She had blue-white hair down to her shoulders, but what was most noticeable was the horn growing from her head.

“How…?” he began.

“Are you not dead? Or at least not more severely injured? That would be my doing.”

“I thought I heard someone say something about a… Doc Clock? Is that you?”

The woman smiled. “I never did like that name very much. A friend of mine called me that when I was a student here and it stuck. I am Doctor Eri Izumi.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, Doc. So do you have a healing Quirk or… Because I didn’t think there were any like that that were that strong.”

She shook her head. “Nothing like that. I can rewind living matter back in time. It’s best if I have an idea of exactly how long. But on the plus side, you’re now about twenty minutes younger than you used to be.”

Well, that was a new one.

“Are you feeling up to visitors? A few of your friends are waiting on you.”

He nodded and she turned to a very elderly woman that he now noticed was napping in an electronic wheelchair at a nearby desk. “Recovery Girl!”

The old woman’s eyes snapped open. “Just resting my eyes!”

“Of course you were,” Doctor Izumi assured her. “Do you think you could go get Haimawari’s friends?”

The old woman smiled. “Of course, dearie. Just leave it to me!” She threw the wheelchair into motion, nearly clipping a wall on her way.

Realization hit him. “Todoroki! Is she okay?!”

Doctor Izumi nodded. “She’s fine, just resting like you. It was a brave thing you did. Or as my father called it, “A damn fool heroic stunt.” That’s practically high praise from him. I’ve told him to have you take it easy for a few days though. Rewinding can be stressful on the body.”

Wait. What? She couldn’t have been talking about All Might, so she had to mean…

He was going to file that under things he wasn’t going to think about.

“What do you mean I can’t see Izzy, you shriveled old crone!”

“Who’re you calling shriveled, you whipper-snapper! Why, when I was your age, I knew how to talk to my elders!”

“That was my foot you just ran over, you senile old fool!”

“Young Kirishima-Bakugo…!”

“Katsumi, please…!”

Eventually, the noise died down and Recovery Girl brought Midoriya, Shinso, and Tokoyami, along with All Might. The former Number One Hero, here to see him. His heart was suddenly pounding in his chest.

“Young Haimawari!” All Might beamed. “Quite the display of heroics out there! Though I really would ask that you not do anything like that again! This old heart of mine isn’t as good as it used to be.”

“Oh, really?” Doctor Izumi asked him. “Did I not do a good enough job the first time?”

“What? I, Eri! You see…”

“Relax,” she told him. “I’m just teasing you.”

“Oh, of course…”

Doctor Izumi chuckled and shook her head. “Just a few minutes, now, all of you. Haimawari needs his rest.”

As his new friends gathered around his bed, Isamu thought he might actually be doing all right after all.

Their Hero Academia -- Chapter Seven: Izumi Todoroki and Trying to Make Amends

“Mama! Daddy! Look! Ice! Ice!” She had been so happy the day her Quirk had come in, showing off her power to her parents by making ice cubes.

“Oh, wonderful, darling,” her mother had said.

“That’s good,” her father had said, smiling. He smiled so rarely, always seemed so lost in thought, but he always smiled for her and her mother.

And then she had started feeling warm. Too warm. “Ow! Hot! Hot!” And little flames danced from her hand…

***

Under normal circumstances, Izumu would have been glad to see her parents. But these were hardly normal circumstances. Not when she was lying in a bed in U.A.’s medical building. Not after what had happened on the Training Ground. She had pushed herself too hard and had collapsed during training. That too, would be cause for concern, but not as much as she was facing now. If she’d had more endurance… maybe she wouldn’t have collapsed.

Maybe she wouldn’t have injured Haimawari. Her memory of the event was fuzzy, but she knew she had seen him racing towards her as she had collapsed. He would have been at ground zero when she had ignited.

Mr. Aizawa had been direct, but not unkind, when he had told her what had happened. She had badly injured the young man, burns over most of his body. If it had not been for Doctor Izumi (He was injured by one Izumi, saved by another. The irony was not lost on her), he very likely would have died. And only the doctor’s unique Quirk had saved him from a lifetime of permanent injuries.

He had told her, had not tried to tell her that she should not feel guilty. Instead, he had told her to use that guilt to motivate herself, to make sure it never happened again. She would.

She should never have tried to absorb that much heat at once. Unlike her father, she couldn’t just lower the temperature to make ice. She absorbed the heat into herself. And that had to go somewhere, manifesting as flames. She could hold it in for a little while, but the amount of heat she’d absorbed, coupled with having already reached the limits of her endurance during the training exercise, had overwhelmed her. And when she had passed out, all of it had come racing out at once.

“We’ll just bring you home for a few days,” her mother said, “so you can recuperate properly. You’ll be feeling fine in no time.”

She hadn’t wanted her parents called in at all. Students got hurt all the time during training at U.A. It was to be expected. They had a fine medical staff, even beyond Doctor Izumi. And students pushing themselves too hard were nothing new either.

But it had been a fight to even allow her parents to let her attend. Her mother in particular had been extremely against it, worried over her health. They had settled on a compromise, one suggested by her father. She would be allowed to attend, but they were to be called if anything disastrous went wrong with her health. And pushing herself to exhaustion definitely counted for that.

“I do not wish to return home,” she said, looking to her father for support.

“You collapsed, Izumi,” he said. He looked over to her mother, then back to her. “We need to look out for your health. If you push yourself too hard…”

She could make her already fragile state even worse. “But if I do not push myself,” she said, “I will not improve. The only way to surpass my limitations is to push them.”

“We’re not asking you to drop out,” her mother said. “Just to take a few days off from more intensive training. You can keep up on your regular studies still.”

It sounded perfectly reasonable. But she understood her parents, understood their caution and worry. It would be a very short journey from coming home for a few days to staying longer to not returning to U.A. at all. The arguments would be logical and well-reasoned. And if she was forced to endure them, she could see her resistance wearing down.

Which was why it could not be allowed to happen.

“Doctor Izumi already recommended the same to Mr. Aizawa,” Izumi said firmly. “So I am already excused from active Heroics training for the next week. Here or home changes nothing about it. So I would prefer to stay here.”

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, her father let out a small laugh. “Such a stubborn girl,” he said.

Her parents exchanged a glance and as one, both said to the other, “She gets that from you.” This, in turn, prompted them both to laugh. Her father’s short and sharp, her mother’s longer, fuller.

“My health is always my concern,” Izumi went on. “I am aware I cannot last as long, run as fast, or work as hard as some of the others. But I am where I want to be. I want to be as good a hero as either of you. And I cannot do that if you treat me like a fragile flower.”

Her life had revolved around her health for as long as she could remember. Long doctor visits, the best specialists an absurdly considerable fortune could buy, enough medications to fill a large truck. Constant reminders that she just couldn’t keep up with her friends. And even the bullying that Katsumi had protected her from. But she truly was getting better. Getting stronger. Even months ago, she wouldn’t have been able to absorb that much heat fully rested, let alone exhausted. That had to be proof of something.

She took in a breath. “Please.”

Her mother looked like she was going to disagree, but finally managed a nod. “All right,” she said. “But I want you to have a visit with your regular doctor. Doctor Izumi has my utmost respect, but her primary training is emergency medicine.”

“Probably as good a deal as you’re going to get, Izumi,” her father said.

That was… better than she could have hoped. She unclenched a hand she didn’t realize she’d been clenching.

“I can agree to that,” she said finally. “Thank you.”

“Get back here, you hooligan!”

“Screw you, old woman!”

There was the sound of running in the hallway, until Katsumi appeared where the curtains parted, frantically looking behind her. “Crazy old lady didn’t think I could jump over her, but I showed her. Got halfway down the hall before she could even get turned around!”

She seemed to realize that it wasn’t just Izumi in the room and had the self-awareness to look slightly sheepish.

“Ah, hello, Mr. Todoroki. Mrs. Yaoyorozu.”

Her eyes widened, then narrowed with anger as she drew her own conclusions. She dropped into a fighting stance. “You’re not taking Izzy! You can’t! I’ll… I’ll fight you! You’ll have to go through me first!”

She really didn’t mean to—Katsumi looked so serious—but Izumi actually burst out laughing. Her parents just looked confused, looking back and forth between the two girls.

“Katsumi,” she said. “That was never an option under serious consideration.” Not the whole truth, but it would prevent Katsumi from getting angrier. “And we have reached a further agreement to allow me to stay.

“But thank you for your support.”

“Oh,” Katsumi said, deflating slightly. “Well… good.”

A shriveled hand suddenly gripped Katsumi’s wrist. “Got you!” Recovery Girl said. “And I told you, no more visitors!”

The ancient Hero used her free hand to put her wheelchair into reverse, dragging Katsumi with her.

“Hey! Let go of me, you crone! You can’t do this! I’ve got rights!”

When they were both gone, her parents both looked over to her, incredulous. Izumi just shrugged. “Katsumi is always watching out for me,” she explained.

There was another shared glance between the two of them, the meaning of which she did not fully grasp. In point of fact, her father’s expression was quite confused, while her mother seemed to be trying to communicate something she couldn’t even guess at.

“I see Bakugo and Kirishima’s daughter is the same as ever,” her father said.

“Your… friend is quite devoted,” her mother observed.

“She is,” Izumi agreed. “I am quite lucky.”

***

Once she was back at the dorms, Izumi sought out Asuka Tokoyami. She could have gone to any of her closest circle of friends about this, but what she needed right now was the kind of bluntness only the bird-headed girl could provide. Toshi would try to soften the blow and Shota would inevitably get derailed into telling her how awesome she’d been prior to that fateful moment. So she needed someone who would tell her like it was. She just counted herself fortunate enough to have made her way back without having run into Haimawari. That was another good reason to avoid Toshi or Shota as sources of advice. They shared a floor with Haimawari.

She found Asuka in her room, the door open. Her friend’s room was tastefully decorated, with bright, floral prints on the walls. Asuka was at her desk, where she was typing on a green computer, the monitor of which was shaped like a frog’s head. “Asuka?” she asked. “May I come in? I need to talk to you.”

Her friend stopped typing and looked to the doorway. “Sure,” she said. “Come on in.”

“Thank you,” Izumi said as she stepped inside. Asuka gave a slight nod to the spare chair in the room and she took a seat.

“How’re you feeling?” Asuka asked.

“Well enough,” she replied. “I am on several restrictions as far as Heroics go for a time, and I must see my doctor, but I am being allowed to stay. How is Haimawari?”

“Physically fine. Doc Clock fixed him up. We brought him back as soon as she cleared him to leave. Toshi and Shota got him to bed.”

“And mentally?”

“Harder to say. He was more concerned about how you were. But he did almost die. Who knows how he’ll handle it when he gets time to process it.”

Not exactly what she had wanted to hear, but also exactly why she had come to Asuka in the first place. Bad enough that she had potentially damaged her own career, but if she had waylaid someone else’s as well…

“I would not know how to begin to apologize to him,” Izumi said. “A simple “I’m sorry” does not seem sufficient for setting someone on fire.”

“Probably not,” Asuka agreed. She placed a finger on her face, near her beak. “But you should still try. I’m sure he knows you didn’t mean to do it.”

“Would… would some kind of apology gift be appropriate?” Perhaps that was it? Certainly, money was no object in that regard.

Asuka shook her head. “Definitely not. Don’t make it look like you’re trying to buy his forgiveness.”

There was a brief flash as Frog Shadow appeared, manifesting over Asuka’s shoulder. “But if you’re throwing money around, we could use a new phone.”

“Really?” Asuka asked her familiar.

Frog-Shadow just shrugged. “Your phone’s boring. No games!”

Green-feathers ruffled with irritation. “I can’t take you anywhere.”

“You never go anywhere fun, anyway!”

Izumi got the feeling she was now intruding on something rather personal. “I, ah, I shall leave you to your discussion, Asuka. Thank you for your honesty.”

***

Izumi stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her to give Asuka and Frog Shadow their privacy. She had known the bird-headed girl nearly all her life and considered her one of her closest friends, but she still could not even begin to understand the relationship between the girl and her Quirk. Granted, there was much about most of her classmates and friends she did not understand.

Kaminari was outside her dorm room, sitting on the floor, occasionally looking down at a text book or scribbling something on a piece of paper. She looked up. “Get the advice you’re looking for?” she asked.

Izumi raised an eyebrow at that. “How did you…?”

“I’m not that dumb, Todoroki. I was there and I saw what happened to Haimawari. And you’re probably one of the kindest people any of us knows. So yeah, you’re probably worried about what to do next. And everybody knows Tokoyami won’t sugarcoat anything.”

“I hurt him, Kaminari. I am not sure how you walk back from that.”

Kaminari shrugged, but it wasn’t a dismissive one, as far as Izumi could determine. She brought up both of her Extension Cords, sparks dancing from the tips, then pressed the double-prongs of each together, setting off a spark that set her twitching for a moment, before she pulled them apart.

“You and me, we’re not that different,” Kaminari said. “Your flames got out of hand, I can electrocute somebody or fry my own brain if I’m not paying attention. See, I did that on purpose just now, but it doesn’t take much to set off a spark if I’m not careful. All our Quirks can be dangerous if we’re not careful. Yours, mine, even Shoji’s.”

Her right Cord pointed at Izumi. “The real important thing is learning and not letting it happen again. We all came here knowing it was going to be a rough road and we might get hurt. Just gotta make sure it’s never the same way twice.”

Izumi nodded. “I… Thank you, Kaminari. I shall keep that in mind.”

The sound of hooves cut off any further discussion, as Mineta ran down the hall and into her room. The door reopened for a moment and she stuck her head out. “If anyone asked, I was here all night!” The door closed again.

Yes, she was never going to completely understand all of her classmates. But she especially was never going to understand Mineta.

***

It was not until the next morning that she was able to speak to Haimawari. Though exhausted by the day, she had slept poorly, replaying the events of the previous day over and over in her mind, trying to figure out what she should have done differently and what she could say now.

She let him eat breakfast with Shota and Asuka, eating hers instead with the Iida twins. They were too distracted with sketching something to bring up the events of yesterday. It brought her a little respite, at least.

Finally, though, she had to approach Haimawari and the others. “May I,” she began, finding her voice faltering. He did not flinch from her, but seemed slightly uneasy in her presence. That… that had to be something. Something she could hold onto, build up from. “May I speak to you, Haimawari, privately?”

“Come on, Shota,” Asuka said, rising. “I’ll help you with that homework problem before class.”

“What homework….” Shota began, until comprehension dawned on his face. “Right. Homework. Gotta go. See you in class!”

It left the two of the alone. Everyone else in the Common Room was busy enough. Everyone had seen what had happened. They would likely not be disturbed. Even if Haimawari looked like he would rather be anywhere else. “Ah… sure,” he said. “We can talk.”

She took the seat opposite him and took a deep breath. “I’m told you tried to save me yesterday. Thank you.”

At this, he did smile. “Just doing what heroes do. Felt like I was moving before I could think.”

Izumi nodded. “I’m told many of us have had a moment like that.”

The silence hung before them like an uncomfortable cloud.

“I hurt you,” she said when she could bear the silence no more. “Badly. You could have died because I pushed myself beyond my limits. Because I was not strong enough to control or contain my Quirk.”

He looked down at the table and folded his hands in front of him. “I definitely didn’t think I’d come that close to dying on my second day,” Haimawari said after a moment. “But I’d do it again. Even when I caught on fire, all I could think was “at least I went out doing the right thing.’”

“I am sorry,” Izumi said. “You should never have been put in that position. Never should have had to face that.”

“Isn’t that why we’re all here?” he asked. “Because we can’t help racing into danger? You don’t have to apologize to me, Todoroki.”

“I must,” she said, now looking down herself. She realized she was crying. “If anything more sever had happened… If Doctor Izumi had not been able to… I do not know what I could have done.”

He reached across the table and took her hand. “P—p—please,” he said. “Don’t cry. I said you don’t have to apologize to me, and I meant it. But if it means that much to you, I accept your apology. And I forgive you.”

She looked up. He was smiling and there was not a hint of malice or fear in his eyes. “I was afraid you would hate me,” she said. “Or fear that I might hurt you again.”

“Don’t really have it in me to hate people,” he said. “Got plenty of room for friends, more than I’d like for fear, but no fear for my friends. I’ve got plenty of doubts all on my own. Like what I’ll do when my back’s to the wall.”

“I would guess you’ll probably rush in and try to do the right thing again.”

He laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“So,” she ventured. “We are… all right? Things are “good” between us?” Why did people have to be so complicated?

“We’re good, Todoroki,” he said.

“After everything,” she said, “I must insist that you call me Izumi. It only seems right.”

“Only if you call me Isamu.”

“It is a deal.”

***

“See, Izumi?” her father said. “You just have to make sure you let the fire out. Careful where you put it though.”

“I know, Daddy! I know!”

“Just keep it balanced,” her mother had told her. “And you’ll do just fine.”

“We know you’ll make us proud.”

Their Hero Academia – Chapter Eight: Katsumi Kirishima-Bakugo and the Need To Woman Up

Katsumi’s fists pounded into the heavy bag hanging from her ceiling, letting her vent her anger and frustration. At least, that was the theory. As of right now, it didn’t seem to be doing her much good. The events of the previous day kept playing over in her mind.

It had been one shit show after another. First, her team had fallen in the fourth round. She’d exhausted her reserves and run out of explosive power and the rest of her team had let her down to boot. Some people might have said that lasting four rounds was good. But not her. She was aiming for the finish line.

And then Izzy… She’d always known Izzy was powerful. But she hadn’t realized just how powerful she was. That girl truly was silk hiding steel. Even if she’d pushed herself too far. But Katsumi did the same thing. She could hardly blame Izzy for that. Even if her heart had seized up in her chest when Izzy went down.

In some dumb way, she was grateful to the Newb. If he hadn’t caught Izzy… Dumb Newb had damn near gotten himself killed for it though. Maybe she really could ease up on him. A little. She had a reputation to uphold.

But her thoughts lingered longest on what she’d said in front of Izzy’s parents. She’d threatened to fight two Pro Heroes, one of them the Number Three Hero. She’d threatened to fight them for Izzy, to keep them from taking her away. Who knows what she would have done if that withered old crone hadn’t dragged her off?

Well, Dad probably would have laughed and encouraged her. So that was something. Papa on the other hand…

“You are a mess, girl,” she told herself, pausing to catch her breath. “And you’ve got it bad.”

There was a series of knocks at her door. Three short taps, one hard tap, a pause, then two more hard taps. Go Beyond! Plus…ULTRA!

Katsumi shook her head. “What do you want, Toshi?”

“Can I come in?”

“Before I answer that, do you have Loud Kid with you? Because I cannot deal with him before I’ve had coffee.”

“Shota’s having breakfast with Asuka and Haimawari.”

“Then you can come in.”

Toshi slid the door open awkwardly, as he was carrying a pair of coffees and a pair of those Pro Hero branded power bars he liked so much. “Thought you might like some breakfast,” he said, offering her one of each.

She eyed the coffee mug suspiciously. “What kind of coffee is that?”

“It’s coffee-flavored coffee. Black, no sugar.” Toshi made what she was guessing he thought was an imitation of her scowl. “Like my heart.”

She gave him a blank look. “Was that supposed to be me?”

His eyes went wide. “Ah… that depends on whether or not you liked it?”

Toshi could be annoying sometimes, but he did know how to make her laugh. And whether she liked it or not, he was always looking out for her. For all of them. Even if they didn’t want or need it. She took the coffee mug and gave him an affectionate punch in the arm, nearly causing him to spill his own coffee. “You’re all right, Toshi,” she said. “Thanks.”

She accepted the offered power bar and took a bite out of it. “So what’re you really doing here?”

“Why do you assume I have an ulterior motive?”

“Because you only bring me food and coffee when you wanna talk.”

“Well, you do get kind of hangry…”

She rolled her eyes. “Out with it, Toshi.”

“Just checking up on you,” he said. “After everything that happened yesterday, I was worried about you.”

Her pride flared. Who did he think she was? Some kid who needed a babysitter? She wasn’t somebody who needed looking out for, like Loud Kid. “I’m a big girl,” she said.

“I know that,” he said. “But yesterday… yesterday as rough.”

Sometimes, Toshi had a real talent for understatement.

“I mean, you and me, we know the risks. Our parents are Pro Heroes. We’ve seen them get hurt sometimes. Sometimes badly.”

That was true. Dad got hurt all the time, mostly minor scrapes, cuts, and bruises. But she was still haunted sometimes by a memory from years ago, when Papa had been badly beaten by a Villain named Strongarm. She remembered seeing him broken and bandaged in that hospital bed, she remembered hanging onto Dad. It was one of the only times she could remember seeing him cry…

“You don’t have to remind me,” she said. “I know getting hurt’s a possibility.”

“You know you getting hurt is a possibility.”

She paused, coffee cup halfway to her mouth. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I saw you, when we were watching Izumi’s group…” He trailed off, as she began to glare at him. “I didn’t mean to! But you were getting kind of loud and everything! But, every time Izumi nearly got hit or had to dodge or when she collapsed… I saw your face.”

“Probably the same kind of face you were making,” she snapped. “It’s Izzy. We all care about her.”

“Yeah, we do,” Toshi agreed. “And maybe I’m not a really great judge about this… but maybe you care about her as more than just a friend.”

She had him pressed up against the wall, one hand on his neck, before she knew what she was doing. Both coffee cups had clattered to the floor, spilling their contents on the carpet. “The hell did you just say, Toshi?!”

His eyes were widening as he struggled against her grip. “Can’t… can’t… breathe… Katsumi…”

With a growl, she let him go. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said…”

“Is it that obvious?” she asked. Did the whole freaking school know? How the hell was she supposed to make people quake in fear of her if everyone knew she was soft over somebody? …Did Izzy know?

Toshi shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, I haven’t talked to everybody about it, but Asuka noticed it even earlier than I did. But I don’t think most of them know. Shota definitely doesn’t. And we’re not going to tell him.”

Okay, that all added up. And she could definitely cross Ojiro off the list of people who maybe knew. If the invisible teen knew, the entire school would have known. People in America would have known. Theoretical evil twins from an alternate universe would have known. No gossip was safe from invisible lips.

She jabbed a finger in Toshi’s direction. “You tell no one about this.”

Toshi backed away from her finger, up against the wall. “Is this… is this because you like girls?” he asked. “Because we’re all okay with that. Sero’s gay too, you know…”

“It’s not that, you idiot!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “First off, I like guys and I like girls! And that’s still not the point! It’s… it’s an Izzy thing. I don’t know if she’d feel that way about me. I don’t know what a girl like her would even want with a girl like me.”

Toshi held up his hands. “I don’t know what to tell you, Katsumi. I really don’t. But I think you’re going to have to do something. You can’t just keep circling like that.”

He offered her a smile. “What I do know is you’re a pretty amazing person. And you and Izumi have been friends a long time. That’s not going to change, no matter what else happens. And I’m your friend too.”

“…I really hate it when you make sense.”

The silence hung over the room for a moment. “This isn’t the part where we hug, Toshi. Get outta here.”

He laughed as he exited her room. “Okay, Katsumi. I’m… I’m rooting for you.”

***

When she stepped into the Common Room, Katsumi was a woman on a mission. She was going to find Izzy and she was going to talk to her. An actual talk, with words and everything. The kind of mushy, touch-feely talk Dad derided and tried to substitute grunts for and the kind that Papa was so good at.

Step One: locate Izzy.

Actually, Step One turned about to be: Dodge the Chaos.

“You take that back, Frenchie!” Mineta snapped at Aoyama.

“I just call them like I see them, Chéri.”the blonde snapped back. “You prance around here, trying to seduce everything with a pulse. You know what that makes you.”

“Okay, that’s it!”

“Bring it!”

What happened next… couldn’t exactly be called a fight. Not with both of them just standing at arms’ length, flailing their arms and slapping them hands against each other.

And then some of the others started cheering them on. Sero was recording the whole thing on his phone, Ojiro was cheering on Aoyama, Kaminari was cheering on Mineta, and the Iida Twins were yelling at everyone that fighting would not be tolerated…

Yep, she just sidestepped that whole thing, passing by Koda, who was watching the whole thing rather helplessly.

There. Izzy was at one of the tables… with the Newb.

Great. Just great.

Maybe she could try the whole “being nicer” thing?

Yep. She was going to walk over there and ask to talk to Izzy. She wasn’t even going to threaten the Newb into moving. She was going to put on her friendliest face, go over there, and talk to Izzy.

So why weren’t her legs working?

She was Katsumi Kirishima-Bakugo, the wo-manliest Hero-in-Training in the whole school, daughter of two of manliest and most awesome heroes on the planet. She didn’t back down from anything. Not from a fight, not from a challenge, and definitely not from a girl she’d had a crush on since she was eight.

One foot in front of the other. She could do this.

So why… was the Newb… holding her hand? And grinning like an idiot? And Izzy was smiling too…

She ran.

***

Izzy was back in school finally, having been gone for a long time because she’d been so sick. She’d ended up in the same class as Katsumi.

There’d been three of them. She didn’t remember their names. She just remembered what they’d done.

She’d fallen on the playground, while they were running, playing tag. She wasn’t as fast as anyone else, panting and out of breath.

“Why don’t you just stay down?” one girl had sneered, all three of her eyes cold and cruel.

“Nobody wants to play with a sick kid like you!” another had taunted, her spiked tail swinging behind her.

“Can’t believe somebody like her has Hero parents!” a third had said. “They must be so embarrassed!”

“All of you, shut up! Leave her alone!” She’d picked up a handful of rocks, letting her explosive power seep into them. She wasn’t supposed to use her Quirk while at school or on the playground, but they just made her so mad…! She threw the rocks, where they exploded at the mean girls’ feet, all bang and no flame, but more than enough to scare them off.

“Fine!” the three-eyed girl had snapped. “You want her, you can have her!”

She offered Izzy a hand-up. “It’s okay,” Katsumi had said. “I’m here.

Slowly, Izzy’s sobs stopped. “Thank you,” she’d said. “I didn’t… I didn’t know they’d be so mean.”

“Don’t worry, Izzy,” she’d said. “Anything happens, I’ll exploderize them!”

Izzy had pressed her hands to her face. “I… I wouldn’t want anybody to get hurt…”

“Aaaw, maybe I can just exploderize them a little?”

“Maybe just a little, Katsumi.”

“Don’t worry,” she told Izzy again. “I’ll take care of you.”

And Izzy was hugging her and she had never felt more like a Hero than she had right then.

***

Katsumi hadn’t gotten far, just under one of the trees in the courtyard. She wasn’t going to cry. She was not going to cry. She was Katsumi Kirishima-Bakugo, and she definitely did not just go crying over anything.

She was… she was happy for Izzy. Yes. Izzy absolutely deserved all the happiness in the world. She couldn’t be mad at her for finding happiness…

“ARGH!” She let out a scream, releasing some of the rage she felt burning up inside her. Katsumi was well aware that she had what some might call “anger issues.” And sometimes, yeah, she let it out at the wrong times. Usually when someone pissed her off or did something stupid. But she had rarely been as angry as she was right now. Angry at the unfairness of it all, angry at missed chances, angry at herself for waiting so long.

She needed something to punch, something to explode. But no targets presented themselves. And she was smart enough not to just unleash random property damage. She didn’t need the headache or the detention that would come with that.

Problems she could punch were so much easier to solve.

“Katsumi.”

She looked up and blinked rapidly, because she had to be dreaming. It was Izzy. But why would Izzy be out here?

“Katsumi,” Izzy repeated. “In all the time I have known you, I have never seen you run like that. What’s wrong?”

Words left her mouth before she had the chance to stop them. “You came running after me? You break up with your new boyfriend already?”

Confusion worked its way across Izzy’s face. “My… what?”

She struggled to remember the Newb’s actual name. “Haimawari. I saw the two of you. I’m… I’m happy for you. Much as I hate to admit it… he seems like the Hero-type. And you deserve the best, Izzy.”

“Katsumi,” Izzy said, still looking very confused, “Haimawari is my friend. That is all. I don’t know what would lead you to believe otherwise.”

“I saw the two of you! Smiling, holding hands…”

“Ah.” Izumi nodded. “We were just speaking to each other. I apologized for setting him on fire.”

Only Izzy could have delivered a statement like that.

“He forgave me,” she went on. “I was… grateful for that. I was so ashamed of what I had done to him… I feared he might hate me.”

No one could hate Izzy, that much, Katsumi was certain of.

“So you don’t… like him, like that?” Katsumi prompted. “You’re just friends?’

“Just friends,” Izzy assured her.

Relief washed over Katsumi like a wave, quieting some of the flames of rage within her. Those flames were quickly replaced by icy, cold dread gripping its way around her heart. Izzy might not have been involved with the Newb… but she still seemed blind to how she felt about her.

“I am sorry if I upset you somehow,” Izzy told her. “I know… I am not always good at knowing how other people will react. But I truly do not understand why it would upset you so.”

Katsumi looked away, the words dying in her throat for once, instead of escaping before she could consider them. How could she tell Izzy how she felt? What if she didn’t feel the same way?

“Katsumi. Please. Talk to me.”

It was now or never. Time to Woman Up.

“I’m in love with you, Izzy. Been in love with you for a long time.”

And then the dormitory exploded.

#my hero academia #my hero academia: vigilantes #their hero academia #fan fiction #fan fic #My writing

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