Chapter 10: Evil Encounters
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Reborn! _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Making my way to class, I ponder where exactly things started to change. One day the only thing that i'm worried about is whether or not someone will be foolish enough to challenge Decimo to the position of 'Number One Mafia Boss', and now here I am. At a school for Heroes, carrying a box of rings i'm going to give to a bunch of people I barely know, with a meeting with a relative stranger to discuss building deadly weapons, the likes of which would be top-secret for me last time I was this age.
Additionally, I didn't make many friends in my last world, mostly due to the fact that my personality put off the few people I knew who weren't in the mafia, and those I knew in the mafia were either business contacts, hitmen constantly on the move, or too busy for friendship. Yet here I am, with four people - working on five - who i'd trust with my life.
How things have changed.
As I enter the classroom, precisely five minutes before homeroom starts, Momo, Ochako, and Tenya on my heels, I can't help but internally chuckle at how this would look if we were all in tuxedos. We'd look like we were mafiosos. And since I am one, the thought brings me both mirth and a sense of mourning. I do miss my old world. Don't mistake my acceptance for resignation. If at all possible, I hope to find a way back to my old world, but seeing as my only options are 'wait for the technology to be invented by someone far smarter than me' or 'find a reality bridge creating Quirk' I think it's safe to say it'll be a long time before I go home, if I ever do.
Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt though. I miss my old home. It may have been hectic, with the various Guardians and friends of Decimo constantly causing havoc every day, but it was my home. I'll never forget that.
With a start, I realise that I just basically auto-piloted my way to class while being reminiscent. It won't do to get lost in thought too frequently. That's how people get killed.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I make my way to the front of class. I set the briefcase on the front desk/podium thing, and lift up the clip-board. Let's see, there's Sparkles, Mina, Froggy, Tenya, Ochako, Tails, Pikachu, Red, Rocky The Mute, Baker, Tentacles, Ears, Elbows, Birdy, Katy Perry, it takes a second to double-check but Tooru is also here, Katsuki, the Purple Menace, and Momo. Looks like everything's in order. Good thing I don't actually read off attendance out-loud. Some of them might take offense to the nick-names I use in my head for them. Coughing lightly to grab their attention, I decide to start today off strong.
"Alright, looks like everyone is here. Good, good. Now, you all know the standard procedure by now, so i'm not gonna bore you with repeating it just so that I can hear myself talk." With that, I get a small sigh of relief from about half the class, who at this point have started to get into their assigned seat, to prepare for today.
"Now, this might be a bit odd to most of you, but i decided, with some advice from my friends, that our class should have some sort of cool little gimmick. You know how some classes have fancy cups or posters denoting what class they were in back when they went to school?" Seeing a general consensus of confused agreement, I plough on ahead.
"Well, I decided to go ahead and make our class these. Feel free to take one if you want. If not, i'm not gonna force you, but know that i'll hold onto it for you if you ever change your mind."
With that, I turn around the briefcase and open it so the insides face the class, fully displaying the rings inside.
I actually decided to base the class rings off of the Varia rings. The original ones that is. If I ever make copies of the newer ones, those will go to people I want to act like how the Varia acts in regards to the Vongola: Separate from the whole group, but still a crucial part. In short, if i ever have need of a covert, less than legal team of 'enforcers' shall we say, those are the people I'll make versions of the new Varia Rings for.
In essence, the rings are mostly black tinted metal, with silver edges and a silver loop on either side of the main portion. The center piece of the ring is shaped like a heater shield. Across the shields is a silver engraving reading VARIA, on a backdrop of black.
The material used for these is similar to the stuff i used for the makeshift Vongola rings i've made, but without the Flame-conductive gems. That fact means that although these will still channel Dying Will Flames, they're more along the lines of an E-Ranked ring. Meaning unless they know about Dying Will Flames, they won't be able to light any using these without extenuating emotional circumstances, such as a life-or-death situation.
The only reason I made the rings out of Flame conductive materials at all is simple. In the event that someone actually lights a Dying Will Flame using these, they'll be given a slight edge against whatever sort of circumstance that they're in, enhancing their chances to survive. Additionally, any who unlock their Flames will undoubtedly connect the odd energy coming from the ring to me, and come asking questions. Questions I will be more than glad to answer, given they accept certain conditions.
Conditions such as: You aren't allowed to tell anyone about this who doesn't already know about Dying Will Flames.
Worst-case scenario, none of them unlock their Flames, and they never learn that the rings are more than just rings. Best-case, I end up swelling the ranks of Flame Active people I can call on. Kinda like Varia or CEDEF.
As a whole, the class is split into two parties: the ones who love the rings, such as Mina, Toru, Froggy, Sparkles, and Pikachu. The others don't particularly care, but they don't refuse the rings either. This group is people like birdman, Tentacles, and Ears.
The only person who doesn't end up with a ring is half-n-half. He just kinda looks at the rings, calls it stupid, and continues waiting for class to start. That's alright. I wasn't expecting him to take one.
Of course, my favorite part of passing them out is when it comes time to give one to the Pervert. See, unlike the others, who i'm okay with giving the potential to unlock their Flames, Purple can go fuck himself. So, when it comes to his turn, I give him a very specific ring. It looks just like all the others, but it's actually just made of normal metal, meaning the only way for him to unlock his Dying Will Flames would be for someone else to teach him how. And seeing as how the only people who would know how to do that are me and my friends, that lowers his chances quite a bit.
Is that manipulative? Yes. Probably morally bankrupt? Also yes. But do I give a fuck? Not a single one.
Anyways, as I pass them out, a couple students comment on them, with their comments ranging from slight intrigue to being impressed.
"I didn't know you made jewelry, Midoriya." Froggy says with her usual monotone voice and blank face.
"Yeah, these look pretty neat, Midoriya! You made these all by yourself?" Pikachu, probably not meaning to question my abilities, but doing so all the same.
"Yeah. I've had a lot of spare time over the years, so I've picked up a few random hobbies."
"Hmm, wearing a ring might not be the most manly thing, but you put your heart and soul into these, which makes it manly. Alright! I'll wear it!" Red, calm down. It's not like this is some intense adventure you're embarking on. It's just a ring.
"Hmm. I am impressed by the craftsmanship, MIdoriya-san, but I must ask, what exactly does 'varia' mean?" Ah, there's birdy, asking the logical question.
"Ah, it's Italian for 'vary' or 'varied'. I figured it works as a sort of slogan for our class, since there are a lot of different personalities and Quirks amongst us."
"I was not aware you knew Italian."
"As I said, i've picked up a lot of hobbies over the years. Learning different languages happen to be one."
The hum of excitement continues on for the next three-ish minutes, dying off when Aizawa opens the door. Dude's got them trained well. Casually walking to the front of class, he takes a quick look at the roster, confirming that it was filled out, before looking back to us.
He says some basic stuff about what the class can ask me and Momo to do, before leaving the rest of homeroom to us.
Of course, I eventually get a question when someone notices that me, Momo, and Ochako have different rings than the rest of the class, though thankfully Tenya and his no-nonsense attitude helps out by taking over the conversation and explaining our conversation yesterday to the rest of the class.
Everyone except Hot-n-Cold eventually settle into wearing the rings, many students putting them on different fingers, and some even using a few chains I prepared beforehand to turn them into necklaces. Of course, wearing them as such decreases their capabilities a bit, but it's not like I can demand everyone wear them on their hands without explaining that or coming off crazy, so i let it slide. They'll still work, just at a lower efficiency compared to their already pretty shit abilities when you compare them to the actual Vongola and Varia rings.
The class thankfully accepts Tenya's story, and the first half of the day passes without incident, classes remaining mostly on schedule. Lunch was nice. I had a good cacciatore, paired with a nice cup of macchiato. Ahh, a nice taste of familiar things. Today's looking to be a pretty good one.
I actually invited Ibara and her class rep, Orange, to sit over at my usual table today. Well, more like I wanted to get the others used to Ibara being around, and Orange just happened to be hanging around at the time. I didn't want to be rude, so I addressed the invite to the both of them. To err on the side of social caution, I actually went through the effort to dig through my memory to look for Oranges actual name.
Kendo Itsuka, if I recall correctly, which I usually do. Helpful side-effect of Lightning Flames: they really help with memory. Something about memories being electrical signals and the Flames amplifying them or some-such. Most of Irie and Spanner's explanation went right over my head.
For some reason, when I invited them over, Ochako and Momo had a temporarily put out expression for all of half a second before it disappeared. Note to self, I really need to get around to figuring out what the hell has been going on with them. They've been acting really odd lately, and it's only gotten worse.
When lunch finishes, we all head back to our respective class. When we arrive, we're followed not five minutes later b Aizawa, who walks into class with his usual zombie-like energy, shuffling over to the front of class using the bare minimum effort. He takes a quick second to roam his eyes over the class before focusing.
"You're all here and seated. Good. Now, i've an announcement to make." That catches everyone's attention. So far we've only had two morning announcements: the physical assessment in the first class, and yesterday with the whole class rep thing. What'll it be today? Hero stuff, or normal school stuff? And how come I didn't hear anything about this? Heedless of the thoughts from the class, Aizawa keeps speaking after a brief pause to make sure everyone's paying attention.
"For today's Basic Hero Training, it's turned into a class with three instructors. Me, All Might, and one other person." 'Turned into'? Wonder if it was a last-minute thing, hence the lack of warning on my part. Elbows, it seems, drew the lucky straw of 'first question for the class'.
"Excuse me, sensei! What'll we be doing?" Not a bad question, but i've no doubt that Aizawa was going to get to that. In an odd sense of deja-vu, Aizawa holds up a plastic card with the word 'Rescue' in blue on it, in full caps, just like the Battle card Yagi had in orange a week ago. Gonna go out on a limb and say we're doing rescue practice/training today.
"Disasters, shipwrecks, and everything in between. It's rescue training." Teach, you sound like someone hired a minimum-wage worker to do a commercial for some company. Do you need a cup of coffee? Or a gallon?
"Rescue...looks like it'll be a lot of work this time too." Damn skippy Pikachu. Did you think you could become a Hero with pushups, situps, and lots of juice?
"Idiot, this is the duty of a Hero! My arms are ready to rumble!" I applaud your enthusiasm, Red, but do try and not refer to parts of your body as if they're sentient. It sends the impression that you've a few screws loose, if you catch my drift.
"No one can beat me in water, ribbit." Typical Froggy, short sweet, and to the- wait a goddamn second! Did she just straight up say ribbit? The fuck? Has she been doing that this whole time?
"Hey, i'm not done." Geez, not enough time to even think around here. With just one sentence, the chatter instantly dies down.
"You can decide if you want to wear your costume this time. Because there are probably costumes that limit your abilities, too. We'll be taking a bus to go to the training area. That is all. Be ready and on the bus in half an hour."
Well, let's get this over with. I'm in a good mood, and i've got a few ideas bouncing around my head that I want to write down and run some simulations on. Who knows, they might just come in handy in my talk with Mei in two days.
Getting dressed, i'm pretty happy they spaced out the more intense training sessions like this. My outfit got pretty scuffed up in my fight with Katsuki. Even if neither me or it sustained that much actual damage, it still needed to be patched up. Oh that reminds me, I need to talk with Mei to see if I can incorporate-
"Heyo, Izuku-kun!" Ah, there's Ochako, waiting outside with Momo. Oh well, I can keep thinking on this later.
What followed was a quick, 'Everyone on the bus, no shoving.' and we were on our way. the bus itself was actually kinda neat, with the seats set up as benches facing inward rather than rows of seats like i'm used to seeing.
On the ride, a rather interesting conversation actually sparks up. It all started with Froggy asking a question really similar to the one Pikachu asked me not too long back. Due to the way the bus is set up, she's actually sitting on my left, with Ochako on my right, with Tenya and Momo opposite me. Katsuki's a few seats away, stalwartly glaring out a window.
"Hey, Midoriya." Uhh, shit what's her name again?
"Yeah, Asui-san?"
"Call me Tsu."
"Cool. Can I help ya Tsu?" Thank god i've finally found someone who also doesn't care for fancy-speak.
"You're quirk, it's kinda odd don't you think? It seems like a weird combination of other Quirks." Thankfully, Red actually comes to the rescue.
"Ah, he actually explained this in the dude's changing room after the combat training. Apparently his inner energy stuff that he sues to toughen himself up is changing as he gets stronger. That's why it looks like he's got two or three different Quirks when it's only the one."
"I see. While unusual, it's hardly unheard of for Quirks to change slightly as a person get solder and more used to them. I wish you luck with the changes, Midoriya."
"Just call me Izuku." Both me and her ignoring the odd twitch that Momo and Ochako sem to both have when I say that. Or rather I ignore it, and Frogger here doesn't give any sign that she noticed it. Red, after saying his peace, seems to have taken it as a sign that he can keep up a conversation now. Not that i'm complaining. I was actually starting to get really bored, and was about to start practicing trying to use my Sky 'sight' while keeping my eyes open. It's proven to be quite annoying.
"Man, I envy you though, Midoriya. You've such a powerful and flashy Quirk, you're bound to get noticed by the pros. My Strengthening is pretty strong against others, but it doesn't look like much." He gives a little demonstration, using his Quirk on his arm, making it change to look like it was carved out of rock or something, despite him still being able to bend the joints.
"I wouldn't sell yourself short, R-Kirishima. Sure, it's not very visually intense, but looks ain't all there is to a Quirk. Yours is pretty versatile and tough, so i've no doubt you'll get a lot of work as a pro." He seems oddly resigned when I say this though.
"Tough, huh? but you have to think about popularity as a Hero too, you know?" An annoying voice pops in from the seat next to Momo.
"My Naval Laser is pro-level in both flashiness and strength." Nobody asked you Sparkles.
"But it's not that great that it gives you a stomach ache." Ha, nice one Mina.
"I'd have to agree with ya there, Kirishima. However, what's cooler than a Hero that never backs down?" I flash him a smile, showing my support. He seems to perk up a bit at that.
"Well, if we're talking both flashy and strong, it's gotta be Todoroki and Bakugou, right?" Who the fuck is Todoroki? Let's see, follow line of sight, there's Katsuki, ears, oh. Right, Half-n-Half's actual name is Todoroki Shouto. forgot that.
"Bakugou's always angry, so it doesn't look like he'll be popular though." Hehe, epic zinger there Froggy. I like you more with every passing second.
"HUH? You wanna fight?!" Looks like Katsuki didn't appreciate that comment as much as I did, unfortunately. Shame, it was hilarious.
"We haven't known each other for long, so it's amazing that everyone knows his personality is crap steeped in sewage." Okay, now that is a bit much, Pikachu. Don't make me turn this bus around. Onto your face.
"What's with that vocabulary, asshole?! Wanna die?!" better diffuse the situation.
"Now now, everybody cool it. Save your energy for the training." Thankfully, Aizawa backs me up on this. Intentionally or not is hard to tell though.
"We're here. Stop messing around." Getting off, I notice that we're in front of the giant domed building I saw back on the first day. So, it's USJ time, huh? Hey, now that I think about it, isn't that also the name of some giant amusement park? Never gone, or really cared so I might be wrong.
Meeting us in front of the building is someone who looks to be wearing a super fluffy space-suit, complete with helmet and pack on his back. Strangely, it cuts off at roughly just below the knees, revealing what appears to be really thin legs covered in tight black pants or something that lead into yellow boots.
This is Space Hero: Thirteen. Quirk: Black Hole. Provides a powerful suction force that disintegrates things once they get close enough. Thirteen is a well known Rescue focused Hero, who uses their Quirk to quickly get rid of obstacles in order to reach people faster, as well as combat disasters as they occur by attacking the disaster itself. Also known for being extremely friendly.
"Hello everyone. I've been waiting for you." Their voice sounds like it's coming from a speaker, which given the helmet it actually might be. Either way, because of this and their clothes, it's impossible to tell if they're as boy or a girl. Professor Oak would be so upset.
"Oh, it's Thirteen! I love them!"
"Oh, I didn't know you liked them, Ochako-chan." Looks like Ochako and Momo are getting along just fine. That's good. I'd hate for whatevers cramping their style to ruin their friendship. With this, Thirteen continues speaking.
"Let's head on in without delay." With that Thirteen waves us into USJ.
The inside looks to be about half a kilometer or so from one side to the other. The front door leads to a huge set of red stairs that leads down to a central plaza with a fountain dead center. From there, there are paths leading to a couple different places. There's two more domes, one red with flames painted on it, the other blue with what looks to be a painting of a storm. There's a pool with a cruiser in the center, and opposite that is what look like a man-made landslide.
"Wow! It looks just like USJ!" Looks like the rest of the class hasn't done as much research as I have, voicing various comments of awe, such as what Red just said.
"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a storm, et cetera. It is a training ground I helped design, made with different kinds of accidents and disasters. It's called the 'Unforeseen Simulation Joint', or USJ for short!" The whole class looks kinda bemused at not only the speech, but also Thirteens dramatic gestures that went along with it, ending up with them on one foot, pointing at the class and leaning forward.
"Thirteen, where's All Might? He was supposed to meet us here." Aizawa acts as if nothing just happened, and walks over to Thirteen, who goes back to standing normally.
"About that, something came up, and he's a bit preoccupied right now. He should be back soon." With that, Thirteen raises three fingers, seemingly in an off peace sign.
Ah, I see. Pulling out my phone, I quickly scroll through the news, seeing what I expected. Looks like Yagi got a bit ahead of himself this morning, solving issues across half of Japan. By 'three', Thirteen means that Yagi used up the three hours with which he can use One For All before needing to rest. I put away my phone, ignoring the questioning looks from Momo and Ochako.
"That's the height of irrationality. Oh well, can't be helped. Let's just get this started." Aizawa sighs in apparent irritation. Do those two not get along? I can see it. Aizawa is no-nonsense and super logical. Yagi is...Yagi.
"Um, before we begin, let me just say a few things. Everyone, i'm sure you're aware of my Quirk, 'Black Hole'. I can suck up anything and turn it to dust. I've used it over my years as a pro to help save many people. However, it's a dangerous power that can harm people far easier than it can help them if not used correctly. I'm sure some of you also have powers like that. In a superhuman society, Quirks have been certified and stringently regulated, so that doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance. However you must remember that any Heros Quirk, if not properly used, can be just as dangerous as any Villain. With Aizawa's physical fitness test, you learned how powerful you can be with your Quirks. And with All Might's combat training, you learned how your powers can be used against others. This class is a fresh start! You shall learn to use your Quirks to save people. you do not have powers so you might hurt others. I hope you leave here today with the understanding that you have your powers so that you might help others. That is all. thank you for listening."
With that, Thirteen takes a bow, leaving most of the class with contemplative looks. How annoying. I didn't come here to be lectured on the proper use of super-powers. It's a grand thought, but it's too ideological for me. Power is meant to be used how the wielder sees fit. That's not to say I condone senseless violence, though. I also firmly believe that all actions require a reason.
However, what is justice? It's a conversation I had several times with the members of the Vongola in a time so long ago. I always got a different response, too.
'Justice is whatever you think it should be.' - Mukuro
'It's when you follow your gut to the EXTREME.' - Ryohei
'Justice is following the rules you set, and beating down anyone who breaks them.' - Hibari
'Hmm, justice? Haha, never really thought about it. Just do whatever feels right to you, I guess?' - Takeshi
'Hell if I care. The only thing that matters is protecting the people you care about.' - Gokudera
'It means giving your all for something you believe in.' - Chrome
'It's not something you think about. You either know what Justice is, or you don't.' - Lambo
'U-Uhm. I don't know? I just want to help people, so I just try and do that to the best of my abilities. I've always considered that my Justice.' - Decimo
All I could ever gleam from all that was one simple message: You'll know when you figure it out for yourself. Not exactly the most helpful advice. From that though, I did realise something. The only person who can tell me whether or not i'm doing the right thing is myself.
There are too many perspectives, too many people, for there to be one definitive 'right' thing to do, or 'right' path to take. So i'm not gonna worry about it. I'll do whatever the hell I feel like doing, and if anyone has a problem with it, they can either get over themselves, or try and stop me. Of course, the key word there is 'try'.
I have my internal monologue at about the same time as Thirteen has their out-loud monologue. I listen, but I only half pay attention after I realise that they're basically preaching the same stuff that gets shoved down people's throats from the time they awaken their Quirks.
"Alright then, for starters-" before Aizawa could kill the mood and get us focused, something else does it for him. A spark of energy flows across the lights on the roof, dimming them down. The fountain flickers on and off, and in front of it, something appears.
At first it's a small thing, that I can barely see from this distance, but it quickly grows larger. Soon it's large enough that it's about 8 feet tall, and over a dozen feet across, the edges of this black mass a flickering deep purple.
"W-What's that?" Excellent question Red. I've a couple guesses, but none of them are looking good for us. Thankfully, the whole class, and the teachers are on full alert, focusing on the phenomenon.
From this black mass, a hand appears, almost grasping at the mist, pulling it open. Then, they appear. People, dozens of them.
"Is this like the entrance exam, where the test's already started?" No. If this is what I think it is, we're in for quite the treat.
"Nobody move. Those...are Villains." Oh my. Today's been so fun. Is it my birthday already?
Looking down at the appearing Villains, I see someone that I will guarantee you is the boss. Light blue hair, slouched back, and covered in what appears to be severed hands. Next to him is a giant black skinned monster looking dude, with a beak for lips, and it's brain sticking out.
I look at this person, who stopped the forward moving brute next to him with but a single hand-gesture, and paused immedietly after exiting from the dead center of the portal, which shrinks down into a very well dressed man, who's...actually dressed a lot like me, except for the color scheme and the fact he has some sort of metal collar around where a neck is supposed to be, and instead of hands and a face, the only thing that can be seen besides the outfit is black smoke and glowing yellow eyes. In front of these three lies dozens of others. Male, female, tall, short. All sorts of people, each with dangerous Quirks, and a promise of violence building in the air.
But the others don't catch my attention outside of a cursory look. No, what i'm locked on are the eyes of the blue haired man with a hand covering his face. I make eye to eye contact. My electric green, starting to glimmer with excitement, meeting his crimson eyes, filled to the brim with blood-lust and insanity. Oh, this is going to be a blast.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Reborn! _ _ _ _ _ _ _