Midori the Queen
Chapter 25: Tomura & Team Might
"Well now don't they make a lovely picture." Touya complimented as he watches Izumi drawing with Eri and Kota. They sat around a table in varying positions, Izumi in proper kneeling stance calmly sketching in her notepad, Kota with his legs criss crossed and face irritable as he meticulously created little figures, and Eri timidly peeking up from her paper to admire Izumi before going back to her paper.
"What do you want?" Chisaki grunted watching as well but with an irritated expression. Izumi had been doing her job of making Eri comfortable but was giving the child more free reign than he found necessary. She'd insisted on putting Eri in proper clothes like skirts and dresses. She insisted that at least once a day Eri be allowed to play outside with Kota in the yard. She insisted that the girl be tucked in at night and read stories, and even had the gall to force him to read to her. Both parties had felt awkward.
"Just making a delivery." He handed Chisaki a manilla envelope. "Ace sent me the latest transaction of goods. The money has been put into the account Karma verified and I made sure to put together the data for your records."
"Well done, Karma was right about your usefulness." He opened the file and peeked at the contents. He'd never seem so many fucking zeroes. His mood instantly improved.
"I'd hate to ruin the mood, but I feel like I should warn you." He spoke again eyeing Izumi as she laughed at Kota's blush from her praising his artwork. "Shigaraki has discovered that Karma's been under your care. Ace has been tasked with narrowing down the field of where you could be hiding her."
"That so?" Chisaki slapped the manilla envelope against his palm. "We'll have to do something about that."
Eri glanced up from the game to look at Chisaki. Her bottom lip trembled from the wicked gleam in his eyes and her head immediately lowered. She thought of their conversation yesterday, after Kota and Izumi went to bed.
"Do you enjoy spending time with Karma and Kota, Eri? If you want to keep having fun, and keep them alive, you're not gonna give me anymore trouble. You'll do as I say, behave when we extract the samples, and not tell anyone about the project. Is that understood?"
All the people who had been put in charge of her before had either been killed or replaced in some way. Izumi was different from them all; genuinely kind and sweet, and enjoyed being around her. She had to protect her and behave. She wouldn't tell them what this man was doing to her. She would bear with the pain… because it was worth the reward. It was worth having this time with Izumi and Kota, it was worth finally getting the chance to feel a bit free despite the fact it would only last for a little while.
...and who knows maybe that man would change. He read to her the other night, had even tucked her in. Maybe Izumi could help her by just being with them.
"What are you drawing there Eri?" Izumi asked curiously. Eri timidly lifted the paper up. The painstaken depictions of her, and Izumi. The two of them hand in hand, a house in the background, and several other stick figures that were indecipherable.
"It's my wish…" she admitted and held the drawing out to her. "I wish that you, and me, and Kota, and everyone else here can become a family."
Izumi's heart melted at that and she eyed the picture cuddling Eri close to her.
"We will be, Eri. Very soon."
"Are you sure?" She cuddled in gripping Izumi's shirt. "I can't help but feel… like you're going to go away."
Izumi's eyes went cool and she stroked Eri's hair. She looked to Kota who returned the serious stare with one of his own. It only took that look for Izumi to realize that Kota had been thinking the same thing. Was she that unreliable?
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here. I made a promise to Kai, I'm going to marry him and help him lead the yakuza, and take care of you." She lay her head atop of hers. "Nothing will tear us apart." Her eyes shifted to the doorway, where Touya and Chisaki seemed to be in deep conversation. When Touya looked in her direction and then quickly avoided her direct gaze her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Nothing."
~U.A campus~
Due to the incident at the camp and Kamino, it was decided that all the students of U.A would be administered into the dorm program. Once moved in, the first years underwent intensive training to build up their skills and work on signature moves as well as adapt their hero costumes. This feat helped them all pass their proficiency license exam, and allowed them each a chance to undergo internships come second term.
Todoroki and Bakugo had a close shave, both of them narrowly avoiding failure. If it hadn't been for incident in Kamino neither of them would have gained the knowledge they needed to pass the final round of testing.
Todoroki got to see first hand how heroes cooperated and negotiated when he assisted in helping Tsukauchi and the police section off the area during All Might's fight. It gave him the humility to let the student known as Inasa take centerstage against the mock Villains while he played support.
Bakugo in the meantime had gained patience from assisting the medical teams. He helped to pull out the wounded from rubble, learned first hand how to handle various types of injuries and gained a little bedside manner. He still lost points for his demeanor, but he worked well with others and thoroughly thought through each obstacle he faced.
Aizawa had to admit that all of them performed better than he'd expected. He thought that the camp, Kamino, and All Might's speech would have dragged all the students into a pit of despair...but it had the opposite effect. Thanks in no small part to Bakugo and Todoroki who raised morale through example.
Now, with brand-spanking new licenses under their belt, Class 1A was ready for the next stage of internships. He brought in the Big Three of UA: Mirio Togata, Nejire Hado, and Tamaki Amajiki to talk about their experiences and share their knowledge of how this step could impact careers. What it ended up being was a lesson in humility.
"Strong… so strong…" Tokoyami held his stomach from being bowled over by the imposing Mirio Togata.
"He's a student, but he's the one closest to becoming the #1 hero…" Todoroki whispered in awe as he, Bakugo, and a few others were the only ones left in the fight.
"Who cares, I'm still gonna wipe that smug smile off his face." Bakugo whipped around when Mirio appeared behind him and he let out a blast from his palm.
"Owowow...woo that's smarts. You've got some nice reflexes there Bakugo." Mirio complimented. "However…" He vanished again this time coming up right into Bakugo's space. Even as Bakugo reacted Mirio snagged his right arm and landed a blow right to the stomach. "Your actions are too predictable."
Bakugo coughed, losing his breath and collapsing at Mirio's feet. Todoroki took no time to launch a counter attack, sending flames out to make Mirio back away. Using his ice he created a barrier around his remaining comrades.
"Everyone back to back! It'll limit his attack radius and give us a clearer shot!"
"Right!" Iida, Ochaco, and the other close combat users all huddled back to back, their eyes scanning around.
"Shoto Todoroki, you got second in the sports festival and I can clearly see why. You've been well trained and it showed when you managed to dodge my initial attack on the long distance fighters." Mirio acknowledged and fell through the floor. Everyone tensed up when he stopped talking. He appeared again, leaping up right in front of Iida who lost his speed momentum by the sudden appearance.
Mirio caught him fast, whipping his fist to catch him in the ribs. Her worked his way around the group knocking them all out one by one, using speed and surprise attacks. When he got to Todoroki he leapt up to avoid his ice attack, and phased through the follow up fire blast. The intensive training had helped him regulate temperature at lightning quick speeds, but even the split second delay between attacks gave Mirio his opening. He came in close landing the final blow and posing with absolute pride and dominance.
"POWER!"
After giving them a brief rest period Mirio put his uniform back to rights and stood front and center in front of the dejected class.
"So did that demonstration give you guys an idea of what work studies is like?"
"The hell are you talking about?" Bakugo complained still nursing his stomach. "All you did was land gut punches and knocked us all out. What the hell did any of that have to do with work studies?"
"Well what do you guys think? Is it because my quirk is strong?" Mirio questioned and got a riot of answers.
"YES!" The bulk of the group yelled in annoyance, but one of them disagreed.
"No." Bakugo spoke up, with irritation of his own but for different reasons.
"Hmm?" Mirio looked to the two boys. "What makes you say that?"
"It's obvious you're strong, but it's not because of your quirk." Bakugo grunted. He recalled his own training, how long it had taken him to work out the finer points of his quirk to really make it useful instead of just flashy and intimidating. "Quirks are useful if they're trained properly, but even a powerful quirk like mine and Todoroki wouldn't be any good if we solely relied on them. You have to train your body as well as your quirks in order to use them to their maximum capabilities."
"Very good, Bakugo. You really are a lot smarter than you look."
"What the hell does that mean?! Don't you dare look down on me you third class punk, I'm not taking that loss lying down! I want a rematch!"
"Settle down, Bakugo, and listen up." Aizawa scolded.
"Everyone in Class A is so strong." Hado spoke up cheerfully. "Hey wasn't that one girl in your class too? What was her name again, Togata? The one that became a villain." Hado asked while patting Mirio's back.
"Izumi Midoriya," Mirio's smile faltered only for a moment and his eyes took on a saddened look. Tension rose up amongst all the students at the mention of their former classmate. Bakugo and Todoroki in general narrowed their eyes on the spacey girl.
"Such intense glares…" Tamaki shrunk and turned his back to the group whimpering from the tension. "You just had to bring that up, Hado-san."
"Sorry that was rude I guess," she laughed it off. "Still before the sports festival she and Mirio fought too. She couldn't land a hit on Togata the first time either."
"What?" Bakugo looked a bit miffed by this. "You and Usagi fought?"
"That's right…" Mirio nodded. "All Might introduced us during your first term, and for a time we were sparring partners."
"Geez, no wonder Midoriya got so strong…." Kirishima rubbed his aching ribs. The mood soured, and the shoulders of Class 1A slumped even more. Togata let out a sigh and stood tall with his chest puffed out.
"Fighting me isn't the reason Izumi got as strong as she did." He waited a beat until their heads lifted up again. He put his hands on his hips, his face unusually serious. "What Izumi has more so than any of you... is experience. She found out early on that relying on a powerful quirk, and overall physical ability isn't enough to make you the best. So she gained experience in places none of us knew about, and turned that experience into power, the same as me."
"She turned her experiences into power?" Kaminari scratched his head. "What do you mean by that?"
"What Bakugo said was right. You need to train your Quirk in order to make it stronger. That's exactly what you guys had been doing during your summer training course. Still there's only so many things your body can learn and adapt to in the confines of a classroom." Mirio held his chest as he recalled his own troubles and struggles to control and strengthen his quirk. "I struggled a lot when it came to managing my quirk. My quirk permeation allows me to go through absolutely anything. Light, air, solid matter... I can't feel anything, see anything, I can't even breathe when I'm in that state. It's actually a pretty scary sensation and made controlling my quirk dificult. Before I knew it, I dropped to dead last, and dropped my pants a lot too."
The explanation of his quirk had the class's full attention Their ears listened to every word, and eyes picked up every nuance in his movements.
"In order to get to the top with this quirk I had to change. I couldn't just hope things would get better. I had to think, I learned how to make combat decisions and picked up a few new tricks. Above all I learned how to predict what would happen next. The only way to do that is through experience, and that's where work studies comes in. Unlikes your internships you're not treated as a guest. You're treated like a sidekick or even an actual pro. This can get pretty scary because pros can get hurt, and sometimes they end up watching people die.." He continued to explain and he tapped his forehead. "But every scary and painful moment you go through is an important experience you can't get inside a classroom. I turned my work study experience into power, and that's how I got to the top spot. The work studies are worth it even if they're scary. Are you with me, first years?"
"As motivational as ever, Senpai." Momo clapped and smiled, Class 1A already gathering together in excitement.
"Alright that's enough, let's get back to class. Say thank you to these guys for taking the time to come and speak with you."
"Thank you very much!"
~Later~
Once class was over for the day everyone gathered in the common room of the dorms to talk about the day's lesson. There were speculations on what Work Place learning would really entail, and excitement bubbled up amongst the group. Still, not everyone was social. Bakugo and Todoroki both retired from the socializing early, and rode the elevator up together.
"Turn experience into power, huh?" Shoto murmured and sighed. "Best Jeanist is still out of commission… so who do you think we should study under?"
"Even if Jean Face was in commission I wouldn't go back to him. Neither of us fit in with his usual band of losers." Bakugo pointed out and lounged back against the wall.
"True enough… I wonder who Togata-senpai works under."
"Sir Nighteye… I overheard All Might talking about his old side kick had taken him under his wing. Tch… he's really popular and it's damn irritating."
"You're just mad because you lost." Shoto said matter of factly.
"Shut it, half and half!" He cracked his fingers tempted to blast his face. "Grr this whole day has been irritating. I'm going to bed!" He jerked his way through the doors as they open and stomped down the hall.
Shoto watched him as the doors clothes and finish going up to the top floor. He exited the elevator, calmly and quietly walked to his room. Once inside he closed the door, pressed his back to it and slumped to the ground.
"What Izumi has more so than any of you... is experience."
"You want to help me? Then stay safe and stay out of my way!"
"The Sports Festival, I-Island, the camp… it's not just Bakugo you've beaten at every turn, but me as well." He sighed heavily. "Just when I thought you'd finally bitten off more than you can chew you escaped." He pulled his legs up and buried his face in his updrawn knees. "Togata-senpai and even All Might have acknowledge your abilities. You're a villain, and yet why do I feel inferior to you?"
"I want you to stop holding back. Own the power you have, and master it. It's your quirk, it's always been yours, so take it, use it, and be the best possible hero you can be."
He lifted his head as he remembered those words she spoke. He recalled the serious look in her eyes and the firm tone she had taken.
"The next time we fight I'm going all in." He clenched his hands into fists and looked fiercely ahead. "You better watch out, Karma. I'm not holding back anymore!"
~Shie Hassaikai~
"You wanna tell me what's going on, Touya?" Izumi leaned against the doorjamb watching Touya go through a box that contained a costume, and support items.
"Your future husband," He grunted the title, still displeased with the idea of having to share his lover. "Has decided that he needs my assistance in the field."
"Whatever for?" She stepped in and closed the door so they could have privacy. "You're not much of a fighter without your quirk, and you're better off handling covert missions that don't require costumes or weaponry." She snagged the gun out of his hand.
"I'm going as a tactician, but I'm to look the part." He shrugged the jacket on adjusting the sleeves a little. "I thought you'd be happy that I'm earning his trust."
"You may have earned his, but he hasn't earned ours. What is he making you do?" She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. "Don't keep secrets from me, Touya. If you start lying to me…"
"I'm not gonna lie to you…" he sighed heavily and cupped her face in his hands. "I just don't want you to overreact when I tell you what the plan is."
"Well now you're just making me nervous. He's not making you do anything overtly dangerous is he?" She leaned into his touch.
"Could be… Ace is arranging a meeting... between Overhaul and Shigaraki." He held her firm when her head jerked and her eyes go wild. "Calm down… I knew you'd overreact."
"Why the fuck is he meeting with Tomura?!" She slapped his hands away. Flames danced through the strands of her hair, her temper threatening to rage. "What business could they possibly have with each other?"
"Shigaraki spotted you two together after your little adventure in the shopping district. He knows where you're hiding, Karma, and he's assigned Ace to find you. Overhaul wants to run interference."
"Son of a bitch! I knew I felt someone following me." She paced away biting her thumbnail. "If Tomura thinks he can negotiate with Overhaul to get what he wants, he's going to wind up dead."
Something twinged inside her and she held her chest. Why the fuck did she care? Why should she care what those two did to each other? It was better for her if Overhaul completely eradicated what was left of the league and prevent All for One from getting what he wants.
...but it wasn't All for One who was in danger.
"Damn it…" She grit her teeth and shut her eyes. Despite all that he'd done, and the betrayal of her comrades… she couldn't erase the connection and friendship she'd had with them. In the same way she cared about Kacchan and Todoroki, she cared about Tomura, and Toga, and Twice… hell she cared about everyone in the league. They were once her friends, they were once her family… and it had been All for One who took that from her.
She felt Touya's hands on her shoulders and she leaned back into him and let the hug comfort her twisting heart.
"What do you want to do… Karma?" She heard Dabi in Touya's voice… the villainous tone that assured her that he was in it with her for the long haul, and ready to cause some mischief. Her eyes slowly opened and a smirk spread across her lips.
"It's time to remind everyone who I am." She turned around and kissed Dabi softly on the lips. "Go call Ace, and tell him there's been some changes made to the plan."
~Several days later~
All Might called Bakugo and Todoroki into the Teacher's Lounge. Waiting for them was the Symbol of Peace himself, as well as Mirio who sat back and happily drank tea with him.
"Well look who it is!" Mirio grinned ear to ear. "Hello again, Bakugo-kun, Todoroki-kun."
"Hello Senpai." Todoroki bowed politely.
"The hell are doing here fish eyes?" Bakugo pointed accusingly, irritated just by the sight of him. He still held a major grudge for the defeat.
"I called him here, same as you." All Might told him and motioned for them to sit. Todoroki sat in the middle of the couch, keeping Bakugo a safe distance from Mirio. "The reason being is because I need your assistance on a case."
"You're working on a case?" Mirio questioned. "Aren't you retired now, All Might?"
"As an active hero, yes. However, I'm still acting as a person of interest in an active case as I know the person, and so do the three of you."
"You're talking about Usagi." Bakugo sneered. "Why the hell do you need our help with her?"
"The four of us in this room, arguably knew her best, at least on the hero spectrum. The police and a friend of mine, Gran Torino, are working on locating Shigaraki and the League of Villains in order to gain more information on her villain side. Still without a lead, we're at square one."
He picked up his tea, sipped at it and sighed again.
"Having said that, I've broken down my reserves… and requested the help of someone I thought could really ask the right questions and lead to some answers."
"You mean," Mirio smiled as he finally understood what this meant. "You've talked to Sir?"
"I have," All Might nodded. "Sir Nighteye has agreed to play as acting Hero in this investigation and wants all four of us to go to his agency for questioning. In return you two boys," he looked to Bakugo and Todoroki, "shall be accepted as interns for his agency same as Mirio, and will be allowed to help with this case."
"He's offering us an internship with him?" Todoroki questioned.
"Tch…" Bakugo clenched his fists. "I don't like it. It sounds like he's just using us for his own gain."
"That could very well be the case, but I trust Sir Nighteye to do whatever it takes to find Karma. He's always been the resourceful type, and does what he needs to get the job done." His smile faded and the seriousness returned to his tone. "It's imperative we find her, boys."
All three of them tense up as the mood shifted.
"Karma is more than just a potentially dangerous villain… she's a villain who now has polarity. She can sway the opinions of the general public, and can affect both sides of the hero/villain spectrum. What she says carries weight, because the ugliness of her words holds truth, and the world has seen it for themselves thanks to All for One. If we can't sway her opinion back to the positive side of the spectrum, then the world's foundation will crumble."
"I get what you're saying, All Might." Todoroki nodded but clenched his hands together. "However, wasn't it you who created that polarity to begin with?"
"Yes, it was a blunder on my part. I spoke my honest opinion on the matter, because I believed Karma was safely within our custody. Now that she's free, her allegiance is up in the air and up for the taking. Whatever side she chooses will have her followers and loyalists supporting that side. It's imperative we find her, and convince her to trust in heroes again."
"So that's why you called us in…" Bakugo motioned to the three of them. "It's not because we know Usagi better… but because we're the ones she's got the closest connection to."
"Precisely."
"Lame…" Bakugo huffed and stood up. "Whatever you're planning with Usagi, I want no part of it. That damn rabbit has slowed me down for the last time. I've got my own goals to focus on, and it doesn't include chasing her tail!"
"I'm in…" Todoroki said simply and made Bakugo bristle up.
"What the hell, Icy Hot!?"
"You of all people should be joining, Bakugo." He sat up straight and looked Bakugo in the eyes. "We both saw with our own eyes what her mind is like. How far those villains have pushed her mind, how close she came to killing you? If we continue to let the villains have their way, there's no bringing her back. On top of that-" He looked down at his hand and clenched his teeth. "We need the experience in the field. Karma's been out on her own and getting stronger with every battle. I'm not going to waste the opportunity that's being given to me."
All Might nodded in approval and smiled. He looked to Bakugo who clicked his tongue and paced the room a moment to calm himself down. He looked to his own hands, remembered how Izumi had laid there, unconscious and practically dead.
"Even if we are on opposing sides, I can't help but want to protect you too."
"Kuso…" Tears filled his eyes, and his hands lowered to his sides. "Baka Usagi!"
"Prove me wrong… Be my hero again."
"Young Bakugo…" All Might stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not too late. You can get your friend back."
"Teach me well, Senpai."
"All Might is right!" Mirio stood up. "Izumi uses her experiences to guide her further. We need to show her what true heroes are capable of."
"Play the game of life with me."
"We made Izumi a promise, Bakugo. All of us in Class 1A promised we'd try and take her down. It's because she has faith in our abilities and faith in us." Todoroki stepped around and stood toe to toe with Bakugo. "We've been holding back all this time, because we were hoping she'd stop playing the game, but she hasn't. She'll keep on playing until one side loses."
He holds out his hand to Bakugo.
"I don't intend to lose. I'm going to finish this game, and come out on top. Are you with me?"
Bakugo eyed his hand. This guy, had been a thorn in his side since he came to U.A… and yet out of all his classmates, even Kirishima, Todoroki was the one he trusted the most. They'd been through a lot together, grown stronger together… and it was time to put that strength to good use. He clenched Todoroki's hand and squeezed it firmly
"Don't you dare hold me back, Icy Hot." Bakugo challenged with a grin. Todoroki smiled back, and that smile increased as All Might and Mirio set their hands on top of theirs.
"Alright then boys…" All Might bent in close to his young proteges. "Let's go capture us a queen."
~Ask Briry~
Briry: Woot we're close to hitting the final stretch! Are you guys excited? I know I am.
Next Chapter: Stalemate