The Tick vs... MY HERO ACADEMIA! Issue 43

She really didn't know what to do. What she could do. Mister Chisaki was... he was scary at the best of times and at the worst of times... she'd rather not think about it. It was unusual for Mister Chisaki to take her out like this. It was even more unusual that Mister Rappa was so nervous. A fact that Mister Chisaki was well aware of.

"Nervous, Rappa? That's so unlike you." Her... she didn't want to call him her daddy, because daddies didn't do to her what Mister Chisaki did, but everyone treated him like she was his daughter.

"Just nerves. Apprehension. We don't know anything about who we're meeting. And they asked you to bring Miss Eri, that can't possibly be good." Mister Rappa explained. Eri was nervous, though. She was nervous about what Mister Chisaki was going to do with her. Where they were going.

The manor they were visiting looked ramshackle. Run down. Seen better days. No lights were on, even as the sun started to sink below the horizon. When Mister Chisaki walked up to the door and began to knock... it opened on it's own.

"Hn. Spooky." Was Mister Rappa's reply, as they headed in.

"Welcome!" A haggard voice called from the distance... a squeaking noise filling the air as soon, brought into the light... was whoever Mister Chisaki was supposed up to meet.

It was the oldest man she ever seen before. Lines on his face and wispy hair and the largest, bushiest eyebrows... beyond what she thought possible! She could tell he was wearing his pajamas, the pearl pink garments on his legs could only be pajamas, but he was wearing some kind of jacket made out of velvet.

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm already in my pajamas, Mister Overhaul." The old man replied. The wheel chair was being pushed by a woman, dressed up as a nurse. But not like a real nurse, like a cartoon nurse. And she looked like she walked right out of those dirty magazines Mister Chrono would read when he didn't think anyone was watching.

The chair itself... had a tank for oxygen, the cannuli running to the old, old man's crooked hook of a nose and there was an IV drip leading to his hand. He seemed to notice her, hiding behind Mister Chisaki's legs... she felt like a mouse being gazed upon by an owl. There was a gleam in his eye and she didn't like it.

"Oh... hey there, Little One." He waved at her, leaning as close as he could in his wheelchair, before he looked over to Mister Chisaki. "Well? You going to introduce your friend there, Overhaul?"

There was a brief pause, as she looked over to Mister Chisaki. She could see him gulp, a slight show of fear that she never saw Mister Chisaki show ever before. She looked over to Mister Rappa... and he was trembling. The both of them were focused on the old, old, old man.

... the fact that they were both afraid of him... made her scared. She felt Mister Chisaki's hand on her back, as she flinched at his touch.

"Go on, Eri. Say hello to the... man." She was pushed forward. She had to take a step to keep from falling over and took a second by pure instinct, but still managed to stumble onto her knees. She looked up and she saw the face of that old, old, old, old man...

And it scared her. It scared her more then Mister Chisaki did, when he was angry and when he... hurt her. She was trembling as she watched him reach into a pocket of his strange, velvet jacket.

"Would you like..." And pulled out a lollipop. "A piece of candy, little girl?" Oh! Maybe he just looked scary and he was actually really nice. She nodded and took the lollipop, unwrapping it and popping it in her mouth.

She immediately regretted it.

"What's that? Not a fan of licorice!?" The old, old, old, old, old man was a monster, as he cackled at his own little prank!

Summer Break was right around the corner. They had already sent out permission slips to participate in a summer training camp, a way for the hero course kids to work on where they were weakest, remedial courses for non heroic subjects, and of course, a make up exam for those that failed the finals.

I didn't have to worry about it, personally, having passed all my subjects and managed to pass against the odds in the practical.

My friends... some of them weren't so lucky...

"Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Oh man!" Denki Kaminari was worried, worrying! He was screwed, he was boned! Remedial courses were totally in his future. If his parents let him go to Training Camp anyway! They might just decide to punish him!

"C'mon, Kaminari... what did I tell you when we were studying?" Minoru Mineta was one to talk. Not only did he pass the written portion with flying colors, he managed to pass the practical at a handicap against a real pro hero.

"... you told me that C's get Degrees. But I don't even think I got a C, man!" Denki was freaking out!

"Just calm down, dude! IF you keep freaking out like that, you'll get yoruself worked up, and then when it turns out to be nothing, you'll feel even worse!" Minoru wasn't having a good time trying to calm Denki down, but... he was getting there, as the blonde took a few breaths.

"Alright, alright... I'm good. I'm fine. I can do this." Then it dawned on him. "Wait a second! Mineta! How many hours are left in the school day?" Minoru blinked.

"Less then one. We're on study for the last 45 minutes of the day. It's the last day before summer break, Kaminari. You sure you're feeling alright?" The blonde grabbed Minoru by the shoulders.

"You don't understand, Mineta! We have 45 minutes to gather our evidence and present our case! The Aphid Hunt, man! THE APHID HUNT! It's my own chance! If I'm going to have my summer, we need to unmask APHID!" He could do this! He could succeed! All he had to do was unmask the vigilante that was attending this school! In all honesty, Minoru had forgotten about the Aphid hunt himself. There were... more important things to do. Especially after the incident at the USJ, and lgetting ready for the Sports Festival, and then Field Training... it just slipped his mind.

The PA system pinged. "Good afternoon, children! This is Principal Nedzu! Wishing that you all enjoy your summer vacation! Also, we are proud to announce the end of the Aphid Hunt! Thank you for participating! Will Team Midoriya please join me in my office? Thank you!"

Denki Kaminari's face had fallen. Not only had he failed his semester, they had done so bad that they were going to be busted out of the Hero Course. They were going to be joining Tenya in General Studies after Summer Vacation. His parents were going to kick him out and he was going to have to live with Minoru.

With a dejected sigh, he started to head towards the Principal's Office, Minoru following after him. They spotted Izuku right outside.

"H-hey guys." He was looking rather sheepish. Like he knew something that they didn't. Ochako Uraraka was with him, sporting a split lip and a day old shiner and looking proud of herself! They were soon joined by Hitoshi Shinsou and Itsuka Kendo. Mei Hatsume... was as expected, fashionably late. It was time to get this over with.

They entered the principal's office, to find Nedzu pouring tea for all of them, motioning them to sit next and in front of him on the couch and chairs he had set up.

"Now then... where do I start? Well, I suppose congratulations are in order, first." The principal took a sip of his tea, letting that sink in.

"... congratulations? For what!? We didn't do anything!" Denki shouted.

"Oh? Mister Kaminari, do you not remember the details of the Aphid Hunt? What the win conditions were, yes?" Of course he did. They had to unmask Aphid!

But... wait...

"If... if we won, but we never presented... then that means..." It dawned on Denki just what happened! One of the members of their team was the vigilante!

"It means that someone on your team is Aphid, yes." That was the biggest bomb of all and the blonde couldn't deal with it!

"Who...!"

"Midoriya." Ochako stated, nodding.

"Totally Midoriya." Itsuka conferred.

"Yep." Minoru followed up.

... ... ... what?

"What!?" Izuku seemed the most surprised at all! "You all knew!?"

Minoru shrugged. "I knew in the first week."

"It took a month, but it all added up if you knew what you were looking for." Itsuka said.

"Pony said Mei..." Ochako hooked her thumb at the stunned looking pinkette. "was dressed in an Aphid costume. It kinda clicked from there."

"And I found out before the Sports Festival." Hitoshi said, unhelpfully.

It would seem, that the only member of Team Midoriya that didn't know Izuku was Aphid... ... was Denki!

"Well, we'll let that bomb settle, but here it is. Congratulations. As being part of the winning Team, all hero course students pass for the final year. Including Mister Shinso, as he was already promoted from General due to his performance during the Sports Festival and through recommendation from Eraserhead." He turned to Mei. "We'll be having your paperwork sent over, Miss Hatsume." With that, they were allowed to finish their tea and were allowed to leave.

"I... feel betrayed." Denki finally said, after some awkward silence.

"Sorry..." Izuku started, only to be shushed by the blonde.

"Not by you, Midoriya! But by everyone else here! I'm the only one that didn't know who you were, apparently! And none of them told me!" He looked over the rest, so disappointed in his friends.

"... really? You're upset about that?" Minoru said flatly.

"Yes! Because if I had known, I wouldn't have worried so much about passing!" He put an arm around Izuku's shoulder. "Midoriya is an upright guy! I wouldn't have turned him in if the prize also included one hundred million yen!"

Huh. And here I was worried that telling my friends about the truth of who I was... would have backfired completely and utterly. But here they are... standing by me. It... wasn't so bad, actually! I could get used to this!

Brainchild had enjoyed messing with Tomura. It was fun. The guy was too wound up and took things way to seriously. Sure, he could cause things to distingrate with a touch, but it never occured to him to just outright murder him, so Charles decided that he'd keep his button pushing to a minimal. Keep it petty and he'd probably stay alive.

Probably.

But that did nothing about the only other person in the League of Villains even remotely close to his age. Sure, there was Mustard, but he was older and not all that bright, all things considered. But he'd much rather talk with the poison gas guy then... Mosquito Girl there. Who kept looking at him, staring at him.

Never talking, but leering at him.

Until one day, she came up to him and talked to him, while he was fixing up Skippy. She was energetic. She said her name was Toga, but he had no reason to believe anything about her based on the fact that more often then not, he could smell blood on her breath.

"You got a really neat dog. I think that's cute. The way you look after a pet like that." Toga had said to him.

"Uh... thanks? He has a thing for chasing cars that were coming towards him. It didn't work out." He had replied.

"Oh... oh wow. That's... that's so sweet!" She leaned in uncomfortably close, her breath hot and fetid, stinking of blood. "You're my boyfriend now, Charlie. But I just want you to know... I catch you looking at some hussy... I'll cut out your eyes!" She giggled as she pulled back.

"See you later, Charlie!" And she skipped on her way out of the newly renovated HQ for the League of Villains.

The Brainchild... Charles... gave a very involuntary shudder. This was not how his dad explained dating girls would be at all!