Hiryu Rin
"TEAM SANJI INOCHI AND ITSUKA KENDO HAVE DEFEATED ALL MIGHT! THAT IS RIGHT, EVERYONE! THEY BESTED ALL MIGHT IN COMBAT!"
"Ah?" Kodai mumbles, turning to the speakers attached to the ceiling. "They...did it…"
"Seems like it," I reply, nodding my head a little. I knew that they had a chance of defeating All Might. Wasn't too surprising hearing that announcement though. The only reason the average man would be shocked is because of All Might's status as the world's greatest Hero. However, it doesn't mean he's perfect. For one, his technique is incredibly flawed and predictable. He relies on obvious punches with the might of a nuclear warhead and the speed of the fastest military jet—might doesn't make right. Inochi—and most likely Kendo too—have been practicing "hearing a move", which is a skill where they don't need eyesight to detect their opponent's movement—also known as "prediction". But to actually reach and master that state would take a long time, something that Adoptive Muscle Memory won't be effective in. I assume that Inochi and Kendo only need to catch a single glimpse of All Might to properly react, which is pretty impressive in itself.
Since All Might's technique is mediocre at best—sorry, you're still an amazing Hero—the two of them can fight back. After all, they are trained by Master Kendo who is considered to be a master in all forms of martial arts—an exaggerated feat, but not completely false. Both of his disciples have a style that pulls from many others, like how a hundred rivers flow into the ocean. Besides weaponry, Inochi is mainly relying on fast strikes alongside the art of countering. Kendo on the other hand, is more centered on powerful punches and grappling, often being the one who strikes first. Both are exceptional fighters who have the body and mind to beat All Might—with some luck of course. With prediction in hand, Inochi can evade All Might's attacks and harass the hell out of him, but he wouldn't be able to do much damage. However, Kendo can with her Big Fists. Inochi is pushing his endurance while Kendo is testing her strength. With their teamwork, the odds of them passing their Final Exam through defeating All Might is higher than one might expect.
After all, they have a lot of spirit. To climb up a mountain filled with unforgiving terrain, the man with an indomitable spirit could sprint to its peak.
But there's another problem: us. Kodai and I are trying our best to fight Thirteen in U.S.J., who's using her Black Hole to suck up any projectiles we shoot at her. Her Quirk breaks down even light, so if it could decay that, then mere bolts and scales aren't going to do anything to her. We've been fighting a ranged battle for over half of our exam and we aren't getting anywhere. Blindly throwing things at a wall and hoping they stick won't cut it for our Exam. Besides, Heroes aren't supposed to do that. We are expected to come up with a strategy within a moment's notice and improvise if needed. We will rarely get a chance to do trial and error, because our first error can and will lead to our deaths.
When I look at Kodai, she isn't physically...fit? Uhm, she isn't physically strong , that's the right word for her. Her frame is slim, and you could see her curves from how tight her crimson and white costume clings to her body. Especially with, uh, with the parts that Awase and Tsuburaba would like. Frankly, every time I glance over at her, they're bigger than I expect… I—
"Hmm?"
"Gah!" I turn away with heat bursting in my cheeks—liquid fire almost. "Sorry Kodai… Didn't mean to stare at you so long. I was wondering how we could defeat Thirteen and pass our Exam. We could try and fight her in close-combat, but you're physically weak."
"Wah?" She definitely sounds offended!
"Sorry, forgive me! I didn't mean to word it like that!" I exclaim in whispers, peeking my head out of the concrete barrier we're hiding behind. Thirteen was patrolling the area near the Escape Gate, but now she's staring at the intercoms. She must be thinking about All Might's fight with Kendo and Inochi. Okay, she's distracted for a little while. I sit back down shaking my head. "Sorry Kodai, you're not that great in close-ranged combat. That's what I wanted to say. It's the reason why we were paired together. Our teachers noticed our skill in ranged combat, which can be easily countered by Thirteen. She's our direct and ultimate counter. Sure, we were able to enhance our attacks like when you enlarged the size of my Scales, but even Thirteen was able to break that apart. Our attacks aren't enough to overwhelm her, so we have to resort to fighting her with our fists."
"Ah," Kodai replies. She glances at her arms before pointing to herself, nodding her head.. I think she's agreeing with me about the "physically weak" part. As much as I don't like saying it—because it's a bit rude—Kodai won't be much of a help. But fortunately, Thirteen is wearing a big suit, so it'll be hard for her to fight. Even then, her Quirk draws the most concern from me.
Really, it has to be me who has to fight Thirteen alone. Of course, it has to be. Well, I won't let Kodai down. "Don't worry, I'll make sure we pass. Give me the handcuffs." Without a word, she takes out the handcuffs and gives them to me. Okay, now I'll be able to cuff Thirteen when I gain the advantage.
"Rin," she says—it's a miracle that she's able to remember my name, "I'll distract her." I smile. I don't get to hear Kodai talking much, so it's a treasure whenever she says anything that isn't hums.
"Right." I lower my head in thanks, putting my hands together briefly. "Defeat will not be an option."
Crouching, still being hidden by the barrier, I use it to sneak around, remaining hidden from Thirteen's sight. She's no longer distracted by the announcement; instead, she's looking around for us. I follow the barrier making careful, near-silent footsteps. There's a gap in cover between me and the planter ahead. Thirteen is looking away, so I quickly dash behind the planter with her none-the-wiser. She doesn't even sense my fast movements. Along the planter, I get into position where I'm on Thirteen's right, remaining hidden from her line of sight. I look back where Kodai's at, barely able to see her hat sticking out.
Alright, Kodai will provide a distraction while I move in. Judging from eyesight alone, I'm about ten meters away from Thirteen. I can reach her within a second or two—maybe under a second if I put power in my legs.
I need to utilize my training. I derived the powerful, short-ranged attacks from bajiquan; also making use of aggressive speed from bao quan. Only God knows how much I hone my spiritual self. Because, my body is a well that contains the water of infinite power—infinite life force. With Scales, my Quirk, my life force becomes the manifestation of darkened jade scales like a dragon.
No matter what, I need to keep training my physical and spiritual self. Without one, I cannot have the other. My Quirk isn't like my brothers, or my father's, or my grandfather's, or my ancestors dating all the way back to the Origin of Quirks. I do not have the ability to channel my energy into powerful attacks—the true symbol of mastering oneself and practically nature. At birth, I wasn't lucky enough to be born with Astral unlike my eight brothers, or be bestowed a name. For now, I am just Dragon Shroud—or Long Weizi.
Pop!
There's Kodai. She's emerging from her cover. The steel on her hat glistens in the light, making it easy for Thirteen to snap her attention towards Kodai. "Kodai, why did you reveal yourself like that?" Thirteen criticizes her, opening her left index finger to reveal her Black Hole. She didn't even ask about my whereabouts!
Kodai, in response, takes out five screws and throws them at Thirteen with all of her strength. She presses her fingertips together; in an instant, her screws multiply in size with the same velocity as before, flying towards Thirteen.
"Not so fast, missy!" Thirteen exclaims and activates her Quirk, turning the first gigantic screw in front of her into nothing but mere particles. Her attention is completely on Kodai! Okay, this is my chance!
I leap over the planter and roll over onto my feet, charging at Thirteen. She turns her head just slightly and sticks out her right hand, opening her index finger. I stop. Black Hole doesn't activate, but it's acting as a firearm—I'm held at gunpoint about four meters away. Thirteen disintegrates the five screws that Kodai threw at her with ease, completely countering her attack. After the screws are gone, Thirteen turns off Black Hole and gestures Kodai to come closer, holding her at gunpoint as well.
"Sorry you two. Like Snipe, I'm faster at the draw," Thirteen says, still holding me hostage with her Quirk. If/when she activates Black Hole, I'll be immediately sucked in and be broken down into mere atoms. At that point, I would be dead. However, that isn't the purpose of this fight. We aren't fighting to kill one another, but rather for incapacitation. Thirteen doesn't have the heart to kill her own students. But still, how would we win?
Kodai steps out from cover, slowly shambling over where she's about twelve or thirteen meters away from Thirteen. She has her hands together with a very unimpressed look on her face. Even when in danger, she doesn't react strongly about it. I'm not sure whether to feel insulted or unsurprised. "Mmm."
Thirteen tilts her head. "Sweetie, we went over this. I simply cannot translate Yui Speak unlike your friends!"
Kodai nods. "Mmm!" For a brief moment, she glances at me. Ah, so that's what she's doing… Thirteen has her focus on Kodai and her eccentric hums. She isn't focused on me whatsoever. Heh, this Exam is supposed to be a serious test, but no one can anticipate Kodai being Kodai! Maybe she does have the power to bend the world to her feet!
"...Mmm?" Thirteen replies, trying her best to talk in Yui Speak. However, her guard is down!
DASH!
"Huh?!"
I dash forward, reaching Thirteen within less than a second. She doesn't have time to activate Black Hole! I exclaim, "The battle is decided, Thirteen!"
With my left hand, I open my hand and palm Thirteen's wrist upwards towards the ceiling making her Quirk a non-issue. I spin one-hundred-eighty degrees clockwise and use my left hip to knock her off-balanced. She stumbles with her footing, being unable to correct herself. I can only imagine how hard it will be when wearing that large suit! That's truly her disadvantage!
I fold my left arm faster than the eye can see, almost like my arm is being snapped inwards. Thirteen isn't making an effort to counter! She knows she lost!
BAM!
I crash my elbow into her right hip, contorting her body due to my strike. She yelps in pain even through the layers of her costume. Before she moves too far away, I stomp on her right foot, smashing through her large yellow boot. From the impact of the stomp, she's forced to lean forward. There, I spin around and turn my right hand into a half-claw, launching it directly upwards. It contacts the gray rim of her helmet with enough force that—?!
POP!
Damn, I hit her so hard that her helmet popped off! Her head is snapped back, her body stumbling back, essentially everything is going back for her. She falls onto the ground groaning in pain. Before I do anything else, I fall down with her and handcuff Thirteen's right arm, finishing the Exam. "There! Forgive me, Thirteen, but you lost!"
And she…
She isn't wearing her helmet anymore. She's...a lot prettier than I had expected. Her hair's the same color as Kodai's, but longer and more vibrant—no offense to Kodai. Thirteen has the look of a graceful woman with gentle, soft features that compliment her fair skin. There is a beauty mark too just below her left eye. Thirteen, in today's world, is more on the plainer side, but she is beautiful in every sense of the word.
"...Rin, you're staring."
"Gah!" I stand up, bowing. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to stare! I, uh, I've never seen you without your helmet, Thirteen… You're, uh, not what I expected..."
Thirteen gets to her feet with her helmet tucked under one arm. She pouts. "And is that supposed to mean something, young man?"
"Ah!" My body stiffens like a board, as if I ate metal logs for breakfast. "N-No, I didn't mean to insult you! You're a very beautiful woman, Thirteen!" Eh? Did I say that right in front of her?! Damnit, why do I keep doing these things?!
Thirteen smiles, her cheeks growing a faint blush. "Uh huh." She looks happy, but why does her tone still sound so hostile?
Kodai joins standing beside me. She says, "You're very beautiful." Then she...smiles at me? Why is she smiling? It's certain that she's trying to communicate a message through looks alone, but I can't tell what exactly she's trying to say! There's a teasing glint in her eyes, but also smugness…
"You're sweet, Kodai." Then, Thirteen lets out an audible sigh, turning to me specifically. "You two did a good job. You realized that you exhausted your options in a long-ranged fight, so you switched to hand-to-hand combat. I'm impressed that you intentionally made that choice. With Class 1-A, Aoyama and Uraraka faced the same decision but unintentionally came up with the same answer through sheer luck. A moment too late and they would've been defeated."
Kodai hums. "Mhm." I'm pretty sure she said, Thank you .
"My pleasure!" Thirteen exclaims with a glistening smile. Ah, Kodai definitely thanked her. Our teacher looks at me in particular, forming a slight frown across her peach-colored lips. "Though, I have a few questions for you, Rin. Just minor criticisms of course."
I nod. "And I have a few answers, Thirteen." They'll definitely pertain to my fighting style. Thirteen must've noticed how I fight. With only my half-claw uppercut, it's easy to determine that I adopt Chinese martial arts into my technique. But that isn't what Thirteen will ask about. She'll ask about why I didn't immediately engage in close combat instead of uselessly firing my Scales into her Quirk.
"To start, you seem reluctant to fight in close quarters. In almost every training exercise I see, you're mainly using your Quirk to fight from afar. But from what you just did earlier, you seem incredibly skilled in martial arts with barely any hesitation. Can I ask why?" Thirteen says, asking exactly what I thought she would.
"That's...a long story," I admit, glancing at Kodai who's idly listening to our conversation. "To shorten it, I want to focus on training my Quirk and not my physical body. Where my body is at now, I'm content for the most part. However, my Quirk is pretty weak compared to someone like Shiozaki's."
Thirteen nods, accepting my answer. "I see. Anyway, let's head back to campus. We're not that far from the school anyway. Most of your classmates should be there. And don't tell them what my helmet was knocked off." She turns around and puts her helmet back on. Frankly, I thought she would say more than just "I see", but I shouldn't worry about this.
We start to head out of U.S.J. through the Escape Gate, which takes us to a back exit where we don't have to climb the stairs to the main entrance. Kodai, she's… Uhm, she's looking ahead with a very blank expression. I can't tell if she's feeling any semblance of emotion right now, but that's usual. Out of everything in the world, I can't figure out the mystery of Yui Kodai. She must feel happy that we passed at least.
I should—
"Rin," Kodai calls in a soft mutter, "thanks."
I smile and nod. "My pleasure."
Kodai returns a smile. Heh, once again, I'm reminded why she's a popular girl. She has an ordinary beauty like Thirteen. The average man wouldn't be able to pick her out of a crowd, but up close, she's a woman to admire. Though, I can't imagine myself having anything to do with romance. Everyone thinks that I'm a calm-headed man, I don't know why! When it comes to women, my mouth talks on its own! I say the wrong things every time! At least Thirteen and Kodai like me, because if I mess up with a complete stranger, then I'll never live that embarrassment down.
At least… At least I'm free to find someone I love, whether that'll happen in high school or as a Pro Hero. Dad didn't get that chance because his wife, my mother, was picked for him by Grandpa. It was an arranged marriage—a Quirk Marriage to be exact. My mother's Quirk is Energy Production, a Mutation-type that allows the process of cellular respiration to perform more effectively, thus producing a larger amount of ATP, a substance that allows the body to perform its daily needs. That isn't the only function though. Normally, one's body would produce enough AP to allow their Quirk to function correctly without fail, but only just enough—hence AP Levels. Usually, those with powerful Quirks have high amounts of AP flowing throughout them. Yet there is a counter to that line of logic: Not everyone with a high AP Level has a powerful Quirk. An example is Mom. Energy Production itself does not require a large amount of AP to function, but the processes to produce AP, much like cellular respiration, is constantly producing AP even though Energy only needs a small amount. Because this happens, Energy Production has an abundance of ATP and AP.
With Astral, a Quirk that requires high amounts of AP, Mom was the perfect choice. Energy is perfectly compatible with Astral, mutating Astral's genetic sequence flawlessly for the user's benefit. As a result, anyone with Astral has access to a bigger pool of energy than previous generations, allowing them to fight harder and longer. Their AP Levels are the highest they've ever been too once they fully trained with their Quirk. Grandpa, his AP Level at his prime was 11,000AP; Dad was 12,500AP; but Lian? He hasn't reached his prime yet, but his AP Potential is 17,500AP. That's massive. I don't know All Might's AP Level at his prime, yet I'm sure that Lian rivals him.
Me though? When I got my AP Level measured a while back, I was sitting at 463AP. It's low; afterwards however, I talked to Recovery Girl personally to find out my AP Potential. She said that I was the second highest in the class with 7,750AP—and with Inochi being at 12,500AP. Recovery Girl said that I have a "decent" chance of being in the Top Ten with that number. It's crazy though, seeing the gap between Inochi and I.
I don't know much about his family, but I know mine. In China, heroism works differently than here. The Top Ten in China are ruled by rivaling families with the Fei-Longs—my family—being one of the strongest. We constantly compete to be No.1 because whoever is there, they represent the entire family. We fight not only for pride and fame, but also for the government. As No.1, we would "have power that is indescribable". That was what Grandpa said to me. I assume he misses that power after he lost his role as the No.1 Pro Hero in China. He never told me why, but Lian did—after convincing Grandpa of course. It was because of a mission in Busan, South Korea. That was all Grandpa said. Though, around the same timeframe, the Busan Bombing took place. I don't think I can call that a "coincidence".
That's besides the point. After Grandpa retired, Dad took his place as Xuanwu. Constantly, he was and still is shifting between spots five through three. Despite how much he worked towards No.1, he knew that it would be impossible in his lifetime. That's why he settled for the future. After he married Mom, he had Lian, who would turn out to be the strongest child. But he didn't know that then, so he decided to have more children—four boys and two girls. One of those boys is me.
(For some reason though, only men were able to be born with Astral, not women. Lian told me that he thinks sex is one of the key factors of determining whether or not you will be born with Astral.)
Anyway, it's obvious that I wasn't born with Astral. Out of the five boys, I was the only one who was born with Scales—a Quirk completely unrelated to Astral and Energy Production. Immediately, there was a chasm between my father and I. He never paid much attention to me, rather focusing on training with Lian, Song, and He.
Immediately, Lian stood out from the rest. He was a prodigy. He had a greater control of Astral at age five, the same amount of control that Dad had when he was sixteen. When he was ten, he mastered all kinds of Chinese martial arts. Sixteen, he was powerful enough to be in the lower Top Ten. Now, he's twenty-four capable of defeating Endeavor if he wanted to. With just his own body, being boosted by Quirk Passivity, he could defeat all of Class 1-B without using his Quirk. Anyway, he already has his license to be a Pro Hero, but he won't work until Dad retires. There, he'll be known as "Shangdi".
I'm not...completely jealous of Lian. I made my peace with my Quirk a long time ago. There's no reason to cry about being born in a lower position, because I can simply work to rise the ranks. That's why Lian took notice of me. Every time I decide to train by myself, I do it in the courtyard with an orchard. I always see Lian there, laying under a peach tree eating the ripest peach it has. It went on for a little while until he began to teach me himself.
Because of Lian, I trained my body and honed my skills until I became satisfied. But he never trained me with Scales, because he didn't know how to. I can't blame him because Astral and Scales is like comparing a whale to a shrimp. Yet despite the clear chasm of power between us, he still trained me. With his guidance, I can confidently say that I'm an expert in hand-to-hand fighting. In this school, everyone would consider me as a master, all thanks to him.
And he's the reason why I want to be a Hero for the most part. I want to be as strong as him, which will be an impossible feat, but I'll still try. He is the best man I know, so I need to honor him. In fact, he's the one who sent me to Japan and to U.A. High School. He knew that Dad wouldn't care about me seeking training elsewhere, so he made the decision for him and shipped me on a plane.
Heh, Japan is so different from China. The atmosphere is a bit lighter, and everyone admires Heroes more at home. When I first came here, I had never seen so many people wearing merchandise and constantly cheering Heroes on. There were a few like that in China, but not this much. The government in China has much more of an influence in heroism on a day-to-day basis, but in Japan, heroism is a constant topic that is universally accepted to be more important than the Japanese government. Personally, I wouldn't be able to choose which culture I like better, frankly. Both places are amazing, but in Japan, I'm...included, if that word makes sense. I have those who genuinely care about me, even when some of their antics can get a little much. And of course, there's the star of 1-B…
Sanji Inochi, the Baihu ("White Tiger") of 1-B—that's what Lian calls him anyway. (I talk to Lian about a lot over the phone.)
When I look at him and then Lian, they're similar; though, Inochi isn't as lazy as Lian. They're upbeat men in general though, not letting the world catch them when their spirits are low. Simply put, they exude an energetic energy every time they walk in the room, emitting an atmosphere that says, "I want everyone to live their best lives."
Though, Inochi is a darker man than he seems. He has such a light spirit, but I think… I think if I try to tap at his heart, it would sound hollow. There's something awfully peculiar about Inochi—that doesn't revolve around his Quirk. For instance, he rarely gets angry, but when he does, we all can feel it. I felt it twice, both times being caused by Suzuki—once at the Sports Festival and once during The Six Wanderers. This point might sound useless, since demons flee whenever a good man is angry. I might be imagining things, but there's something more to his anger than what meets the eye.
I didn't want to see it. It's why I punched him when he was about to assault Suzuki again. I did it for his own well-being. Inochi is one of the role models in 1-B and to every Quirkless in Japan. As much as he abhors fame, he has to stay in that spotlight. And I hope that he's able to handle it.
Because when I think about everything now, Inochi's Quirk makes a little more sense. Adoptive Muscle Memory as it stands is a good Quirk on its own—I wouldn't be surprised if someone has this Quirk. Yet it's not his actual Quirk, but a passive effect…
An inherited effect, like Astral and Energy Production. Whenever you would describe Energy Production, one would think, "Oh, that's your Quirk right?" You correct them, saying that Energy Production is simply a passive effect of the true Quirk, which is Astral.
Astral "absorbed" Energy Production into its own DNA without any major alterations to Astral itself. Quirks do not do that. Whenever Quirks "combine", they usually become a new Quirk altogether. Yet Astral as a whole remained the same. What if Inochi's Quirk is the same way? His Quirk "absorbed" Adoptive Muscle Memory from one of his parents.
It might be far-fetched, but the AP Levels don't lie. With Inochi sitting at 12,500AP and Lian at 17,500AP, and with these passive effects, one can say that there's a pattern with these two Quirks. Or maybe I'm wrong. I'm not a metaologist by any means—I'm only a high school student. Connecting the dots and making comparisons are how I came up with this theory.
If I'm wrong, I'm wrong; if I'm right, I'm right. My life won't be affected by this—maybe. I have no idea what the future will bring.
Anyway, we're at campus. I see almost everyone gathering around a panel of TV screens, watching the final two matches—Tokage and Tsubaraba's, and Monoma's. But I hear them gossiping about Inochi's and Kendo's match, so they must not be here yet. Kodai and I approach everyone while Thirteen reconvenes with the other teachers.
Kuroiro is the first one to see us. He smirks and lowers his head as if he's about to declare himself as the dark overlord of the darkest darkness. I don't mind that he's a dramatic man. Ironically enough, I think he's one of the more normal ones in 1-B. "My dear friends, I see that you come bearing smiles and not frowns. I take it that your fight with Thirteen was a triumphant one?"
Kodai nods. "Mhm."
I nod too. "That's right."
"Amazing, I expected nothing less from the shadow controller of the world," Kuroiro comments, crossing his arms. "And you as well, Rin."
...Okay. "I frankly don't know how to respond to that comment, so I'll just say that I'm happy you passed too, Kuroiro. Unless you really know how to hide your defeat well."
Kuroiro leans his head back and laughs, clearly in a good mood. "Heh, worry not, my dear friend! Yanagi and I defeated Ectoplasm with our two minds alone. I, the great schemer and swindler, have conquered my villain, and I shall conquer Fate itself!"
"Good luck," Kodai says before she starts walking away.
I ask, "Where are you going?"
"Tired," she replies… I don't think "Tired" is a place, but I could be wrong. Now, it's just Kuroiro and I. Never mind, Awase is approaching us.
Awase wraps his arms over my shoulder and Kuroiro's, bringing us close. "What's up guys? Looks like we'll be going to summer camp! I heard some top-class Heroes will be there to train us! Can't freaking wait!"
"Hopefully it doesn't exhaust us to the bone," I voice my concerns, pulling Awase's arm off of my shoulder. "I swear, if I hear the words 'Intense Physical Training', my soul will leave my body and turn me a husk of my former self."
"Dude, I feel that…" Awase puts a hand over his heart shutting his eyes for a second. "But for me, those words are 'Pop Quiz'."
Kuroiro lets out a defeated sigh, nodding in agreement. "Indeed, but what truly kills my soul is the words 'We should be friends'." He ducks underneath Awase's arm and closes his eyes dramatically, acting like his soul is trembling in pain.
Awase clutches his chest; he feels the exact same pain that Kuroiro is feeling. "No, what would kill a man is 'I already have a boyfriend'. Looks like we're both lovesick men sailing on the high seas, Kuroiro. We'll be bachelors until the day we die. What about you, Rin? Think you'll find love?"
"It's about the same odds as you two. But at least you have someone you like, Awase. Even if you fell for her thighs first and not her character," I answer, smirking.
He puts his hand out and shakes his head. "No no no, I'm not like that! Shojo's one of the most, most cutest girls in the world. You think so, Kuroiro?"
"No comment."
"Haha! But yeah, that is a fact, alright? Not an opinion or some crap like that, a fact! With her auburn hair tied up in a ponytail…" Awase starts to swoon…
"Awase..." I say, but it's too late. He's swooning.
He continues, "She acts all high and mighty, but she's just a really shy girl underneath…"
"..."
Oh God. He's behind Awase. Kuroiro whispers, "Uhm, fiend…"
"Awase!" I loudly whisper trying to get his attention, but he isn't listening!
"Whenever she geeks out, I wanna listen to her. There's nothing better than a passionate girl who doesn't care about what anyone says!" Damnit, Awase! Don't you see that you are about to be murdered right now?!
Kuroiro snaps his fingers in front of his face, but not even that works! Awase's eyes are closed shut!
Awase opens his eyes and lays his hands over his cheeks, completely oblivious to the situation! "Oh of course, her body… She might have small breasts sure, they won't turn me away. I will literally kill everyone and myself for those legs, damnit!"
Kuroiro shouts, "For the love of gods, hit the breaks, Awase!"
"Huh…?" he snaps out of his swooning, glancing at Kuroiro and I. "Why are you guys shouting so much—?" Awase looks behind him, "—Ahaha..."
"What's up?" Manga waves, standing right behind Awase. Awase shrieks very manly and jumps up a few meters in the air; afterwards, he runs behind me and uses me as a human shield with Manga totally unamused. "Hey Rin."
"Hey Manga, how's your Exam?" I casually ask.
"I passed, became deaf, life is good. So good that this guy keeps perving on my twin sister, the very reason why I wanted to be a Hero," he replies, turning to Awase who's cowering behind me. I understand why Kamakiri calls him "Headband". His headband is cutting off the blood flow to his brain. He's losing brain cells every second.
Awase whispers in my ear, "Hey dude, help me out here would ya? I'm gonna get my ass handed to me all the way to next week!"
I turn my head towards him. "Honestly, this sounds like a you problem." There's a look of betrayal on Awase's face. It's unmistakable. It's the same face one would make when your dog chooses to munch on a bone rather than play with you—basically Shojo and Kagesuke. Awase looks at Kuroiro next, who denies him any help.
Admitting that he is doomed, Awase steps in front of me and bows. "How long is my headstart?" he asks.
"Ten seconds," Manga answers.
Awase runs away.
Ten seconds passes.
Manga walks after him. "Thank goodness that Inochi isn't here, because he'll stop me." And that's the last thing Manga says before he attempts to assassinate Awase.
Kuroiro and I watch him calmly walk towards Awase. Our headband-wearing friend is currently cowering behind a tree thinking that it's good enough to protect him. He must've forgot that Manga's Quirk is powerful enough to destroy an entire street. Kuroiro inquires, "We ought to tell a teacher, should we not?"
"We should, but Awase had it coming. I'm surprised that it didn't happen earlier." I sigh, taking off my visor. I'm sweating too much for my own good. "Anyway Kuroiro, I—"
"Kuroiro!" From a distance, Komori yells at us, specifically my friend here. Kuroiro seizes up and stands at attention, immediately diverting all of his focus to her. "C'mere! I wanna talk to you 'bout something real quick!"
Heh, Awase isn't the only one who has a crush. I nudge his shoulder, and that gesture is enough for Kuroiro to jog over to Komori. Alright, I'm alone. I'm alone…
"Looks like you found your family, Lin. Y'know that old Christian saying? Uhm, 'blood is thicker than water'? Heard that was wrong. It was…"
"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." That's the phrase, alright. We, to the last, are outsiders one way or another. Yet, that's the exact reason we form bonds tougher than any metal—it is unbreakable like the strongest steel. I'm sure Shiozaki would love what Lian used that phrase, even though he's Chinese.
Well, what to do now? Everyone is waiting for the star duo to come back from their test. Maybe—
"Rin!" Thirteen grabs my attention, running up with my phone in her left hand. She places it in my hand. "Your brother's calling."
Yup, it's Lian's name. "Thank you, Thirteen. Have a nice day."
"You too!" She runs back wherever she comes from.
I shouldn't keep Lian waiting. I tap the green icon. "Hey Lian."
"Long Weizi!"
Setsuna Tokage
We have 12 minutes and 15 seconds left. That's what my internal clock tells me. As much as I love Principal Nezu, he's a pain in the ass. He is one of my direct counters because—I hate to admit it—he is smarter than me. His Quirk, High Specs, enhances intelligence far beyond the average human's, rivaling natural geniuses. Really, the only thing that could rival his intelligence are prodigies who take physics classes in universities while being ten years old! They are the only ones who have the possibility to outsmart and even trick Nezu.
For the last eighteen minutes, Tsuburaba and I have been getting our stupid butts handed to us. From the get-go, I was able to detect that Nezu is operating a large yellow crane about one hundred meters to the east of the center of Ground Gamma. However, to actually reach his position is another story. Of course, with my perfect Quirk, I easily flew towards Nezu's position and tried to take him down, but the slimy bastard had flamethrowers built into his crime that acted as barriers. He didn't activate the flamethrowers himself, so they're only activated whenever something, or someone, unwanted goes into the proximity of the crane. Either way, I won't be able to disable Nezu and pass the Exam via incapacitation. Yeah, Lizard Tail Splitter is practically near-invincible with my small, fast-moving parts. However, attacks with a large area of effect—or attacks with superhuman precision—can easily disable and render me an exhausted mess.
Of course, seeing that taking out Nezu was a bad idea, the Escape Gate were our only option. That idea got ruined. From his crane, Nezu swung around a wrecking ball that destroyed one standing structure, than another, than another, then yeah… As a result from the cascade of destruction, the escape routes to the Escape Gate became blocked one by one. Some of the factories even exploded too! From the nature of our Final Exam, I'm pretty sure our teachers have to give us a winning chance because it'll be plain rude if they make the fight impossible to win from the beginning—only jackasses do that. There has to be one path open somewhere. The Escape Gate is located at the southern end of Ground Gamma; naturally, Nezu's wrecking ball forced us north, the exact opposite of where we want to go. At this point, we have to cross 75% of Ground Gamma to reach the Escape Gate if we go straight ahead. There's no telling how many detours we have to take because of Nezu. Though, I could always fly above the structures and escape. That will result in leaving Tsuburaba behind and he'll get his ass crushed by the wrecking ball. It's a terrible idea. There's no doubt that Nezu will fail me for abandoning my partner despite me fulfilling one of the winning conditions.
Maybe that's why we were paired up. Nezu, as said before, is my direct counter to my usually-supreme smarts, and Tsuburaba is my partner because he limits my ability to just fly outta here. Nezu removed the obvious ways that I could win, forcing me to think up new ways that could let us achieve that sweet gold medal. On Tsuburaba's end, Nezu probably wants him to get an experience of what it's like to plan an attack knowing what your opponent will do even if they themselves have no freaking clue! I, being the genius I am, could totally come up with a plan to hightail it outta here or even get past Nezu's defenses somehow, but Nezu is not giving me time to think. Really right now, I'm lucky because I have time to think about everything. Nezu isn't tearing everything down around us, so we're perfectly safe for a little bit.
"Tokage," Tsuburaba gets my attention, doing some stretches out of boredom, "you came up with a plan yet? I kinda gave that responsibility to you since I'm not...exactly a smart guy."
"What's new?" I coyly reply with a quite cute smirk, if I say so myself. "I mean, for your last essay in Heroism Foundations, you went on a tangent about Korean Heroes being 'too beautiful for this scummy world'. I'm not sure if you were being spiteful or jealous. Maybe both honestly…"
"In my defense, practically half of South Korea's Heroes are supermodels. Have you seen the No.6 Hero, uhm, what is it, uh… Ah right! Starfield? She is one of the prettiest Idol Heroes there! She was even taught by Bam, whoever she is! I shouldn't mention the freaking guys there too. Sheesh, talking about pretty boys..." he says, probably jealous. He's living in a cave when it comes to anything that doesn't involve Japanese Heroes. To say "whoever she is" when referring to Bam is a little bit insulting, considering Bam dedicated her entire life to improve heroism in South Korea after the Busan Bombing. I personally have a conspiracy theory that it was a joint-international mission considering that there's eyewitness accounts of a Sengoku-period samurai wearing a white and gold haori. Kinda out of place considering that Japanese-inspired Heroes in Korea is a little… How do I say this…? It's like confusing France for Britain. The news stations at the time caught some glimpses of other foreign Heroes too.
I sigh, shrugging and looking up at the intricate maze of cold, hard pipelines. "You're jealous of Sanji, aren't you? Wait, what was his real name again? Jun-seo? I wouldn't be surprised if he has a secret identity."
"Aw quiet, Tokage! Someone needs to beat him in the most handsome men of U.A.!" he exclaims being absolutely delusional. The only other person I imagine beating Sanji would be Todoroki. As far as I know, he's the one other guy who has a fanclub.
"Uh huh. You're more delusional than Kuroiro." Right, we need to actually start talking about our Exam. "Anyway shut up, we gotta talk about our game plan. As it stands, our best option is finding a route to the Escape Gate and getting the heck outta here."
"Good!" exclaims Tsuburaba pumping his fist in the air, "you can just fly up and have a bird's eye view of everything!"
I raise a finger. "But Nezu will see me. Look Airhead—"
"Lizard Head," he retorts.
"Thank you, now lemme finish! Look—" I form a fist and punch my other palm, "—Nezu has us against the ropes. He's controlling our movements from the very beginning; in fact, I'm pretty sure he knows our exact location. Once I expose myself, he will react and try his dang best to crush us with debris. You get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah. We'd be doing what he expects and fall right into his trap. That rat-dog-mice-thing has been playing 4D Chess from the get-go. Ground Gamma's his freaking chessboard and he's wrecking it!" he catches on, taking a second to look around at our environment. There's pipelines that attach to factories that probably produce nothing. This entire battleground is a labyrinth of industry. I'm pretty sure people who support Karl Marx would vomit at the sight. Tsuburaba smirks and says, "Lemme be honest with you, Tokage. I don't think we can escape without getting trapped by a rogue pipe or something. You said it yourself, right? Nezu knows exactly what we're at and knows what our options are, which is just losing, more losing, and even more losing! Instead of running away like a pansy, we oughta fight back! Give him a taste of Plus Ultra!"
...That actually makes sense. If we do decide to escape, Nezu gave us options where each one will inevitably lead us to defeat. Instead of going down the roads that are already paved, we pave our own road. But with that said, how exactly can we do it? Defeating Nezu himself would be incredibly easy if it wasn't for the fact that he's a small mastermind with a thousand gadgets at his disposal. His crane acts as a shield already, but his flamethrowers are a constant threat to my… everything. We need to find a way to disable his defenses while simultaneously keeping us alive and well. Maybe…
Wait.
"Tsuburaba!" I snap my fingers. "I think I got it! When we were running away from Nezu—"
"Which time?" he asks.
I facepalm. "All the time. Anyway shut up! The Queen of 1-B is having a eureka moment! When we were running away from Nezu, he tore down some buildings, right?"
"Right…"
"They collapsed obviously, but some of them exploded . That doesn't happen unless the buildings themselves contained something volatile enough to conduct an explosive reaction. And what's your Quirk again?"
"Solid Air. I can solidify air through my breath. Are you tryna say something?"
"Of course, Airhead! How about we do a little Quirk experimenting today? You're about to find out what else your Quirk can do! I understand that might be a little hard given the current situation—"
"Ah, difficulty can go to hell! If you think it's possible, then it's possible! Look Tokage, I'm about to put the 'Ultra' into 'Plus Ultra' dammit! I'm in this school for a reason, and that's to win!" he declares with the might of just himself! Would you look at that? I can be a good and powerful leader!
I take a closer look at the pipelines, but wait, there's a factory in the distance! It's going away from Nezu! It has a peculiar red symbol that's often used to label explosives. Oh, I wonder what does it contain? I chuckle, batting my hair like a true genius. "I see our destination, Tsuburaba!" I point at our factory in question. "Just like a video game!"
"Hell yeah! Let's head there—!"
RING!
"I'm all done with my smoke break! Now it's time to obliterate!" Principal Nezu yells over the intercoms. "You two have exactly ten minutes left! Make it count!"
Shit, okay! If we both head towards the factory, then Nezu will destroy and we have to find another! We need to split up! I whisper to Tsuburaba, "Head towards the factory! I'll draw Nezu's attention so he doesn't target you or the factory!"
"Got it! I'll run first!" He starts running towards the factory. Good, he doesn't question my orders! Okay, I think I know where Nezu wants us to go! I'll just follow that route!
I split up into my many pieces and turn left, going over and under the elaborate pipes of Ground Gamma. Nezu taunts, "Splitting up I see? Well I'll just take care of the fast one first! Sorry, Lizardry!"
I hear the distant sounds of metal creaking and moaning, before the whirl of something heavy.
SMASH!
That's the wrecking ball alright! Like before, it'll begin a cascade of falling structures in an attempt to both crush and bury me. But at least he isn't paying attention to Tsuburaba! I follow the obvious path, turning three times before there's a straight, clear path that goes on for fifty meters before a fork splits it into two. I fly forward, but the cascade already reaches me. The walls of my newfound home are threatening to turn me into a Setsuna sandwich, and I particularly don't like being eaten this way. Lemme give you the recipe first, even though I don't like this kind of sandwich.
You see, the main ingredients involve a Setsuna Tokage in the middle of what I like to call a "warzone". Around this "warzone" is a good dash of steel pipes falling down around her in all directions. Accompanying those pipes are sprinkles of concrete peppering Setsuna Tokage and making her taste quite bitter. The bread are the outside walls of the two buildings beside her, about to topple over and crush the adorable Setsuna into tomato paste. But of course, she manages to weave through the toxic ingredients by going over, under, around, and taking very unorthodox routes to the end of the road. Surprise surprise, she's alive and well! She didn't turn into a Setsuna sandwich and instead emerged as a living woman capable of taking down the sun itself! Bow down to the Queen of 1-B!
Anyway, after that's over with, I should take the right path since I'll be heading in Tsuburaba's direction. I don't think it matters here since Nezu will probably lead me into a dead end anyhow. This is just the illusion of choice. "Ahaha! Are you reading down the right path, Tokage?" Nezu exclaims from above. Yeah, now I'm pretty sure that this will lead to a dead end. Oh well.
"Pretty sure!" I reply, hopefully loud enough that a camera or a speaker picks up on my voice. "Sorry Principal Nezu, you've been playing 4D Chess, but I'm playing 5D! I wouldn't underestimate 1-B's prodigy!"
"You're a prodigy for being kinda stupid!" Ouch. I felt that right in my heart. Who knew U.A.'s panda-rat could be so freaking cruel?
SMASH!
Ah, he's wrecking with his wrecking ball, deciding that the wreckage I have isn't enough wreckage so he's adding some wreckage with my wreckage so I can wreckage while I wreckage—outstanding. At least I'm not completely surrounded by thick solid walls. To my right, I see Tsuburaba trying to climb up to the factory in short glimpses. Great, he's doing it. He isn't the smartest guy, but he's dependable. There aren't any undependable guys in 1-B—gals too. Everyone is useful in their own way, even Monoma!
CRASH!
FALL!
Ah, it's just more dodging and weaving. Nothing too exciting, I did this just earlier! Can't Nezu change up the way he can attack? Or is it just relying on the cascading effect and running down the clock his best option? He should know that he should've used Faux Villains to fight us instead, maybe even control Charon to try and take us down? Nah, Charon is too big for that. The regular ol' zero-pointer should do, but I know how to turn that thing off. This confirms that my lovely principal is a silly goose.
"Where you're flying towards is a dead end, Lizardy! Make sure to not become dead yourself! It'll be a shame if this story would have a bad ending!" gloats Nezu and his infinite wisdom of Nezu-ism. Too bad I'm not flying towards a dead end because—
—Tsuburaba gives me a thumbs-up, standing on top of the factory and going inside. Time to make my gracious exit. I exclaim, "Au revoir, mon ami!" Then I fly above the skyline and pipes, immediately soaring towards the factory.
"Oh? That's unexpected," I hear Nezu say before I duck inside the entrance, quickly reforming myself. Good, I think Nezu has to think a little to figure out where to hit in order to destroy the factory. We're lucky that his previous two cascades didn't destroy this factory, my goodness. Tsuburaba stands in front of a large tank that is labeled "PROPANE". Heh, we can certainly use that!
I reform myself—mostly really. My left eye is lagging behind a little. Tsuburaba glances at me while he's trying to turn the valve to let the propane out. With his manly muscles, he opens it and I quickly smell the fresh gas of propane. "Glad to see you're taking initiative, Airhead!"
"Yeah yeah! By the way, we're basically creating grenades to throw at Nezu right? I never actually tried moving the constructs I made with Solid Air before…" he informs me with a little uncertainty in his voice.
I catch my left eye and put it back in my face. "Like I said, Quirk experimentation. Better now than never, I say! Now c'mon, find a way to utilize propane with Solid Air!"
"What are you two doing in there? Scheming something big, aren't we?" Nezu calls out to us. I can sense the crane moving. We're running out of time.
Tsuburaba sweats and exhales a line of Solid Air, but he swipes it away; I think that attempt failed. "C'mon Kosei c'mon Kosei! You got a cute girl counting on you! Don't mess it up!"
"Cute and smart," I add on.
"Yeah yeah! Lemme focus, dammit!" he swears before trying again, and failing. I look behind me and see the wrecking ball swinging around like a pendulum, beginning its charge. That's really not good! What is Tsuburaba doing? Maybe… Maybe I think he's trying to store the propane gas within a construct of Solid Air! That requires a fine degree of Quirk control, and I don't think he's at that level yet!
"Tsuburaba, instead of trying to store the propane in a ball of Solid Air, how about you breathe in the propane and turn that into a construct itself?" I suggest, and Tsuburaba's head perks up.
"Ah, that makes sense! Thanks Tokage, you're a genius!"
"I know." Tsuburaba has the ability to solidify air through his breath. The thing about air though, most people would immediately think air is equal to oxygen. Thus, Tsuburaba can only solidify oxygen , but air is not wholly made up of oxygen. Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, and plenty of other stuff makes up the air we breathe in. So what if there's a little propane added to it? Tsuburaba would be able to solidify it nonetheless. Sure it would taste terrible and wouldn't be totally great for your body, but medicine has gotten quite advanced in the last few years.
BLOW!
And in front of me, Tsuburaba successfully blows up a sphere the size of his hand, taking hold of it. He pumps his fist up. "We got it! Turns out we can carry this thing around! "Tokage, take this! I— Fuck, the wrecking ball's coming!"
"Get out of here! I'll do the rest!" Tsuburaba tosses the sphere into my hands, and—!
SMASH!
CASCADE!
BOOM!
"Oh how pitiful! I do hope you two are okay! If not, then this would be a lot of paperwork to do! Not to mention that I would probably go to Tartarus for the rest of my life!"
SOAR!
"Sorry Principal Nezu, you're not getting rid of me that easily! Killing me with an explosion is a pretty stupid idea since I can just fly the heck out!" I barely escaped in time. As soon as I grabbed the sphere, I split myself into fifty pieces and flew out of the factory, making sure that the sphere wouldn't be harmed. The cascade happened almost immediately though, sending a trial of destruction towards us. A few of my pieces did get caught in the explosion, which definitely stung. For Tsuburaba, I barely saw him jumping out of an exit with the skin on his back before the explosion happened. I'm sure he's fine though.
"How troublesome…" Nezu is helpless to stop me. I'm above the buildings, out of the range of his cascades. Quickly, I'm approaching his position, reaching him within ten seconds. Nezu still sits in his yellow crane with a smile on his face, staring directly at me. He even waves! "Greetings Tokage! I see you got something in your hand! Care to explain what it is?"
"You're about to find out!" I don't think I'll be able to throw this. Usually Tsuburaba's constructs would float in mid-air, so I think I have to literally suicide bomb Nezu. I'm not going to kill myself obviously , but sacrifice one of my hands to defeat him. It shouldn't be a problem since I can regrow my limbs anyway.
This will hurt though. My left hand is the one holding the sphere. I rush that part of myself towards Nezu's crane, and inevitably, his flamethrowers will activate. Nezu just watches me with a gleeful smile, tilting his head curiously as if he's accepting this fate. Then…
FLAME!
The flamethrowers activate and I dive my left hand right in. The sphere practically breaks apart, and—
— BOOM!
The crane explodes. A sharp pain flares throughout my nerves, but that's fine. Nothing to write home about. I hear Nezu yelping before a soft thud a few seconds after. He's probably on ground level due to the explosion. I fly towards the source of the noise and hey, I'm right once again! Nezu is sitting on his butt with his suit colored smoky and sooty. I land five meters ahead of him with my two feet landing first. I walk towards him while my body reforms. With my waist appearing, I take out my handcuffs with my right hand—the only hand that I have for the moment, heh. "Can you give me your wrists, sir?" I ask.
Obediently, Nezu lends his wrists at the same time my body becomes whole.
Click-click!
And with that, I just passed my Final Exam.
Nezu goofily hops up to his feet and exclaims, "Congratulations Tokage! You made fine use of Tsuburaba's Quirk and used my own equipment against me! You completely fulfilled my expectations! You and your partner! Now where is he?"
"Right...here…" Tsuburaba appears covered in more smoke than an actual fire. He shambles over like a zombie before falling flat on his face. "Ow…"
"You barely escaped, huh?" I ask.
"Yeah… That sucked… If we have to do that ever again, I'd rather just die."
"I'll be the one to put a bullet in your brain then."
"That's dark!" Nezu offhandedly comments, marching up and standing on top of Tsuburaba's dead body. "Nonetheless, I have officially murdered one of my students! Hip hip hurray! Let's ring the church bells!"
Tsuburaba, the dead man, wails, "I'm not dead! Get off of me, Principal Nezu! We already beat you, so step off! Literally!"
"I don't think so! I enjoy being somewhat tall for once! There's a reason why I hide in Eraserhead's scarf all the time!"
"That's his Capture Weapon! Now get off of me, dammit!"
"Don't use that language around adults, young man!"
"Frankly, I'm more scared of using language around Shiozaki than around you, sir!"
"That's fair! She can be a really scary woman!"
But also a goddess.
Jeez, U.A. can be a hot mess sometimes.
Neito Monoma
I wonder… Hypothetically, when you fall to the ground, did you ever really crash, or even make a sound? When you touch someone's hand but your hand phases through, were you ever really there, or even worthy of being seen? When you stand in front of the sun, would someone really notice you, or would they only be blinded by the glare? When you stand in a crowd with faces all around, who are the faceless: those who you see? Or were you the faceless all along?
Would you ever crash and make an impact?
Would you ever fall and attract everyone around?
Would you ever bleed and stain their clothes red?
Would I ever make a difference?
Would I ever be in history?
Would I ever have the light?
Would I ever be a Hero like those who came before me?
"You can never be a Hero like All Might!" said the feisty child who had an Extendable Spine. He rose to be the same height of a middle school student. He rose over a small blonde-haired boy whose spirit was stronger than his physical body. The feisty child practically roared like a lion and said, "You can't even use your Quirk! How could you be a Hero?!"
"I could be a Hero!" cried the blonde-haired boy, who slammed his hand against his heart as if he was declaring to a crowd of know-nots who had no faith in the boy that he would be remembered in history. "Just you wait! I'mma be a Hero! A great one! Just you wait!"
Another smug boy with 360 Degree Rotation appeared from behind the blonde, smirking—obviously since he was the smug boy. "It's impossible for someone like you to be a Hero! You're basically Quirkless!"
"Be quiet!" the blonde said, promising to the two boys and the others watching them from afar. "And I'm not Quirkless! I got one jointy-thing in my pinky toe! That proves I have a Quirk! I just gotta… I just gotta figure out how to use it!"
"Nuh uh!" the smug boy replied, waving his finger at the other boy. "I know a term for people like you! You're legally Quirkless! I dunno what 'legally' means, but you're that alright! You're legally Quirkless!"
A girl strutted up to the three boys wearing her pride close to her chest. She had the ability to Draw Air, and with her Quirk, she dragged her finger along the near-frictionless space and wrote: "Stupid Quirkless!" She stuck her tongue out at the blonde-haired boy, who didn't take kindly to her rude message.
"I'm not a stupid Quirkless! Who cares if I'm legally Quirkless or something like that?! I'll be a Hero no matter what! Watch, my Quirk's gonna blow everyone away!" promised the boy, who was legally Quirkless. Yes, he had a Quirk, but he was unable to use it. The doctors said that he most definitely had a Quirk, yet they had no idea how he could activate it. It was a complete mystery, an enigma within a riddle. Of course, word spread throughout his elementary school class, where each one awakened to their Quirk—their future.
They held their future. Those with boring Quirks? Heh, the world cared not for them. They would blend in with the majority of the people with equally bland Quirks. Their individualism must lie within their own personality and intelligence, and even then, those were rare. How about those with a Mutation-type? Those that were aesthetically-pleasing were accepted by most. With Mutations that came straight out of a horror movie? Then that was an issue altogether. As humans, we are conditioned to look towards the shiny gem—the jewel of jewels that twinkled the brightest akin to the North Star. When we were mere children, incapable of imagining that we wielded the swords that would cut away towards our futures, we still understood that those with the greatest gems would be the next stars that Japan would rely on.
I, Neito Monoma, thought I could be one of these stars. The doctors confirmed that I had a Quirk; I wasn't able to activate it for weeks. My loving parents took me to various doctors and they could not solve my future. Thus, they pinned me with a label that would determine my future to be shamed and shunned: legally Quirkless. I was legally Quirkless for a few weeks, yet it would determine my identity.
I believed that being legally Quirkless would mean that my Quirk would be the best thing that ever was! That made sense, right? It made sense that my awakening was purposely delayed to wow my classmates! God made me this way and He crafted me so particularly that I would be one of the greatest Heroes of all time! This delay proved that my future would be a shining diamond in the rough!
Yet God gave some people the ability to shine from the moment of their awakening. There, walking towards me and the crowd was the star student of my class. I forgot his name, but I knew his Quirk. He had the power of Force Amplification. Much like Shoda's Twin Impact, he could punch something and amplify the force of the impact. However, the amplification could multiply the amount of force much more than what Twin Impact could achieve. An adult would be injured if this child punched them and used his Quirk—that was how powerful his Force Amplification was.
Basically, as elementary schoolers go, he was the king of the school. To little Neito Monoma, the king said to me, "Neito, you're so dumb! Everyone knows a Quirkless can't be a Hero, 'cuz they're not strong 'nuff to be one! You're weak and stupid! You gotta learn that!"
"Yeah!" cheered the feisty boy who pumped his fist in the air. "You're so weak and dumb! What he said! What he said!"
"I'm not weak or dumb! That's a bag of lies!" I exclaimed but to no avail. "I don't care what you guys think! I don't! I really don't!"
"Stupid Quirkless thinks he's so big!" snapped the prideful girl who approached me with leaping steps.
"Yeah! Stupid stupid Quirkless!" the smug boy joined, stepping with the prideful girl and then with the feisty boy. In tandem, they surrounded me on three sides with the last boy, the one who held Force Amplification, beginning to seal my final opening to escape. Yet I refused to escape, being the prideful Quirkless I was.
Simply, I stood.
"You'll be a no-good awful Hero!"
"Yeah yeah! No-good stinkin' Hero!"
"I dunno why you can think you can ever be a Hero!"
"You're useless!"
"Shut up!" I screamed, taking no more of the constant insults and jeers. But the boy in front of me stepped forward, and now we were face-to-face.
He said, "Make me, Quirkless! Make me!" The boy shoved me and activated his Quirk. From the force of his push, I was sent back into the feisty boy behind me, who was able to act as a hard wall. My head crashed against his chest though, and being a fragile child, it hurt. The feisty boy pushed me back onto my feet, making me face the Force Amplification boy once again. He poked my head over and over, edging me on closer to the cliff.
I wouldn't expect too much from me. I was only five at the time. I never got a chance to learn restraint or have a saintly level of patience. The bully kept pushing me closer to the edge of the cliff, but he wasn't the one who sent me off. I jumped off the cliff out of my own accord.
PUSH!
I put both hands on the boy's chest and pushed him back. For a brief second, I felt a switch appearing in my head. Without hesitation, I flicked the switch and—
SOAR!
The velocity of the boy increased tenfold. A small shockwave emerged from the action attracting the autumn leaves around us. The boy flew back as a vortex of leaves followed, gaining a large amount of momentum. However, all that momentum snapped to zero instantly. He collided into a great, large tree, hitting the bark with his face-first before the rest of his body followed suit. Blood spewed from his nose and his right arm was broken—there was no telling what else was broken too.
The bullies around me screamed in horror of what I've done. Somehow, it took their screaming to attract our teachers who came running out as soon as the screaming started. They saw the boy I just injured and yelled at us what happened. I was voiceless; I couldn't comprehend what just happened. Today, it was obvious what I did, but then? As a clueless child? What could I say that would explain what occurs right in front of me? But my friends had an ample explanation.
"Neito did it! Neito pushed him!"
"We were only playing around, but he got angry at us!"
"Yeah yeah! We did nothing wrong! Neito's acting like a stinkin' Villain!"
One of the teachers grabbed me by the shoulders and shouted into my face, "What did you do, Neito?!"
We heard the boy crying. He cried so much that he would run out of tears within a few minutes. Still, I couldn't say anything. It was as if my voice was stolen from me by some phantom thief who wanted to play a cruel trick on me.
So the teacher yelled again, "Why did you hurt him?! He did nothing wrong to you! Were you so angry from being Quirkless that you had to hurt him?!" He shook me. "Answer me!"
I said nothing. I watched as two other teachers ran over to the injured boy. One of them even called the ambulance from how severe his injuries were.
The one who was yelling at me, he turned to his aide—she was a kind teacher who respected every child regardless of Quirks—and said, "See? Quirkless are nothing but troublemakers. Though, I don't think we can call this brat 'Quirkless' anymore. Call his parents. They need to know about this."
She phoned my parents while I could do nothing but think. It was like I took that boy's Quirk and used it against himself. It was like I stole his Quirk and used his very treasure to harm him. I used his future to hurt him. Everything he currently valued as a child, his Quirk, I took it for my own.
From that moment on, I was labeled as a "Villain" with a "villainous Quirk". Everyone shunned me in school. My parents tried their best to help me, but they would have never, in their entire lives, think that something like this would happen. Because of the incident with that boy who I forgot the name of, my school recommended that I would attend Quirk Therapy. It's a program similar to those who had special needs but for Quirks. Those who were in Quirk Therapy were practically deemed the lowest of the low, because their Quirks were considered "problematic". If a child, an innocent-looking child, suddenly manifested a Quirk that appeared to be disgusting, they would be sent to Quirk Therapy. Disgusting, villainous, overwhelming, or anything of that nature was placed here. Of course, meeting with our counselor was a personal one-on-one meeting, but everyone knew what types of folk would end up in the golden room where it happened.
No one else was in the room where it happened! Nobody, not even a jealous politician, would want to be in this room! What happened really? It was lectures and lessons and stories and anecdotes, everything else in-between too. Of course, I got the worst of it because I hurt one of my dear classmates. He, and the rest of my bullies, was absolved of punishment. There were many things I remember from my many sessions.
"Does it feel good, Neito? That you hurt someone for being Quirkless? And now you aren't. How does it feel?"
"Y'know, you should be glad that you're taking Quirk Therapy with us. Usually, kids like you would turn out to be delinquents—or worse, Villains."
"I'm here to teach you how to live with a villainous Quirk for the rest of your life. You can't be a villainous person anymore, Neito."
"Neito, I only want to help you," she said—my counselor in eighth grade. She was an attractive woman with long brown hair. To display a sympathetic aura, she sat in her cushioned chair with one leg over the other and her hands on her lap. Overall, she was the best counselor I had. She asked me, "How can I help you?"
It was time to think about my high school future. Like many others, I wanted to go to the famed U.A. High School—the same school that All Might and Endeavor went to. I sat in front of my counselor, exhaling. "Do you think I am a Villain?"
"Of course not. What happened when you were five was nothing more than an accident blown out of proportions," she told me.
I replied, "Because of that accident, I've been stuck in these sessions for nearly all of my life as a student—all because I wanted to be a Pro Hero."
"And you still want to be a Hero, right? I know the Entrance Exam is coming up within a few months. It's the only thing anyone talks about nowadays."
"Mhm. Even with my Quirk, I still want to be a Hero. My previous counselors, they immediately believed I would become a criminal and a Villain for just sitting in this chair. I refuse that fate."
"You want to be a Hero to spite them?"
"Maybe. Already, many people believe that I will be a horrible, no-good, absolutely rotten Villain, but so what? They also say that I cannot be a Hero because I need others in order for my Quirk to function properly! By saying all of this, I might as well be doing it out of spite, but I'm not a spiteful man."
"That's obvious. There's no doubt that you're a good person, Neito. But why exactly do you want to be a Hero? Every Hero has a reason, whether it be money, fame, honor, whatever! A lot of people become Heroes to follow All Might's footsteps even."
"Indeed. As for me, I think I want to devote myself to a noble cause—like heroism. However, I don't think I can be noble myself."
"How so?"
"My Quirk. What people say about it is true. I need others by my side with ripe Quirks to pick and choose from, like a kid in a candy store. Even then, I still persist. I don't think it's possible to be an honorable Hero like All Might, so I have to be a Hero who uses unheroic tactics. It's the only way."
"So you're becoming the Villain that everyone thinks you are? Really? That's...surprising."
"Heh, I guess it is… But I started to ignore those who add nothing to the conversation but insults. Really, the image everyone sees me as is the image I'm willing to adopt—the dastardly thief who steals their treasured gems. I know who I am, and I know who I am not."
"I'm happy that you said that. If I can ask, where did you get this confidence from?"
"...Well, maybe… Hmm, that's a good question actually… Aha! Plays! I always enjoyed plays and theater when I was little, and I still do now. Though, my favorite characters aren't the protagonists. Rather, I adore the background characters—they are the ones who push the protagonist to glory or ruin. They deserve credit just as much as the hero of the story, yet they go unsung."
"Really? I can't say I'm surprised, but I can't imagine plays giving you that much confidence, Neito. Are you sure that's the truth?"
"Of course."
"Heh, I trust you. Anyway, can I ask something?"
"Gladly."
"Do you think you're the hero of your own story?"
"Of my own story? Well of course! It'll be strange if I wasn't. But if I look at Japan… I'm not the hero of Japan's story. Once I enroll in U.A., I won't be the hero of U.A.'s story either. Heck, knowing my luck, I'll be pushed into Class 1-B; even then, I won't be the hero of that story. Yet I'll still be a Hero in my own right."
"I see." Finally, she wrote something down in her clipboard. With a sigh, she said, "I'll do you a favor, Neito. When we meet with your parents in a few weeks, I'll recommend that we put an end to your Quirk Therapy sessions in order for you to focus on the Entrance Exam."
A wave of shock went through my body. "Really? We'll stop these sessions altogether?"
She nodded. "Of course. You accepted who you are. Your previous counselors couldn't see that, but I did. You don't need these sessions anymore. You understand what your Quirk is, what you need to do, and how the world sees you. You solved these three problems and embraced those answers as your identity."
"So I see…"
"Yup yup! Besides, I think those at U.A. will view your application highly if they see that I deem these sessions as a success. If they saw that you were still taking these sessions, then they would doubt that you have the ability to be a Hero."
"Ah, thank you. It seems my future is coming up faster than we can think."
"It always is. Imagine being my age. Time goes so much faster. Anyway, let's talk some more since this session doesn't end for another fifteen or so minutes."
"Of course."
"TEAM SANJI INOCHI AND ITSUKA KENDO HAVE DEFEATED ALL MIGHT! THAT IS RIGHT, EVERYONE! THEY BESTED ALL MIGHT IN COMBAT!"
Ah…
That's right! I have an Exam to pass!
"They really did it?!" Kaibara exclaims looking up at the nearest speaker, absolutely amazed at what he's hearing.
"I thought it was impossible…" my other partner, Shishida, adds on to Kaibara's disbelief, pushing his goggles up.
I exclaim, "Do you two have no faith in the stars of 1-B? Of course they could beat All Might in combat! I bet that Bakugo and Midoriya couldn't even do that! I bet that they ran away from All Might like a couple of no-good cowards! I—"
Kaibara raises his hand, about to enact supreme punishment upon my neck. "Shut up, Monoma. I'll Kendo you." Ah, Kendo is a verb now? How fitting.
Slowly, in an attempt to show no harm, I lift up my hands and open my palms. "As you can see, I am virtually harmless. Though, seeing you in that state, I have a feeling that you would bruise my angelic body."
"Angelic?" Shishida comments curiously.
Kaibara frowns. "I wouldn't describe your body 'angelic', Monoma." He lowers his hand and I narrowly avoid certain death! How amazing! Though, we have pressing issues to deal with. We are fighting in a mock city… Well, more like a mock suburban neighborhood. It's a cute little place, perfect to raise a family in and maybe a dog too! Though sadly, Shishida and Kaibara are my family and our grumpy neighbor, Vlad King, is trying to restrain us with his own blood. Since the teams were announced, I knew why I was paired with these two. Shishida and Kaibara are quite ineffective against Vlad King since he is superior in close combat and especially in restraining techniques. I was paired with them because I was the odd one out.
I bat my hair and look ahead to the street plagued with nothingness. "Jokes aside, we cannot allow ourselves to be shocked by All Might's match. We must focus on our own Exam, either passing through the Escape Gate or defeating our very beloved teacher in combat! We already have an advantage with numbers, so—!"
"But numbers don't mean everything, Monoma!"
Mister Kan! He's leaping at us from above! I always knew he was a strong man, but this proves it! To jump from the rooftop of a house without any of us hearing or sensing him? That requires a fine control over one's body! Yet he made a mistake from the moment he uttered his first word! You don't announce that you're doing a surprise attack!
"Shishida!" I call him! Mister Kan decided to charge at me first for some reason, but he didn't charge at the most powerful one here: Gevaudan!
ROAR!
Shishida transforms into his Beast self, immediately lurching forward while I jump back. Mister Kan brings his large fists down upon Shishida, but the beast catches his fists with his own. Our teacher may be a strong man, but he isn't as strong as Shishida in his transformed state! That is why—!
THROW!
He's able to throw Mister Kan through a wall and even through an entire house! Kaibara runs besides me and activates Gyrate, turning his two arms into drills that could pummel anyone to a fine mist. I tell him, "Remember to keep your distance, Kaibara. But if you do attack Mister Kan, aim for his tubes. Cut them and you'll reduce how well he can use Blood Control."
"Yup, I know," he responds as we watch these two. Shishida charges into the hole he made and promptly engages in combat with Mister Kan. He knows to keep a fair amount of distance away from him, so that's why he's constantly throwing him around like a ragdoll—or trying too at least.
CRASH!
TOSS!
BAM!
I can't even see them. They went through so many houses that I only see the smoke they produce from their brawl. Oh well, we shouldn't let our friend fight for his life by himself! What kind of teammates would we be if we abandon him now?
I gesture to Kaibara and he nods. We run on the road of destruction these two men made, going through five utterly obliterated houses before we find them standing out on another open street. The scene unfolds as this: Shishida, the Beast, stands before the Hero who can control blood. The Beast is on all fours ready to pounce on his prey while the Hero watches him carefully with analytical eyes, ready to make use of any openings he can find. However, neither of them have noticed the presence of two newcomers ready to aid the Beast!
However, much to my disappointment, Shishida notices us first. For a brief second, his guard is let down. In that second, Mister Kan makes use of it by dashing with his right fist back. There is something arrogant about that action though—!
BLOCK!
"You didn't fully assess this situation, my dear teacher," I say holding his right fist with my left hand. I can feel his overwhelming strength battling my weak, poor arm. However, I copied Shishida's Quirk.
ENLARGE!
My body enlarges to almost twice its size from before, stretching my costume to its limits almost tearing it whole! Adrenaline drips into my nerves and sets my body into overdrive, increasing my strength, durability, speed, and senses. Mister Kan watches as I use Beast to transform myself into my true form! I don't grow hair like Shishida does, but my eyes become that of an apex predator ready to embark on a great hunt.
And our prey is right in front of us!
My hairs stand on the back of my neck, my nostrils flare, my pupils dilate, all of these are signs of a successful transformation! With my right hand, I grip onto Mister Kan's arm and lift him towards the air before slamming him down behind me!
SLAM!
Unfortunately for him, Shishida is behind me! He raises his bulging arms above Mister Kan, but Mister Kan uses his left foot to kick him away a few meters, hopping up to his feet. "You kids!" he shouts, turning to face me, "I'll try—!"
"—You'll what?!"
DRILLING LANCE!
Kaibara makes his entrance before Mister Kan could attack me. He thrusts his right arm forward into Mister Kan's chest—!
GRAB!
—And our teacher grabs his gyrating arm, specifically his wrist. Kaibara yelps in pain because Mister Kan's grip strength is so strong that he forces Kaibara's arm to stop gyrating altogether. Damnit, Mister Kan is that strong?! Of course he would be able to stop Kaibara from using his Quirk like that!
"Kaibara!" I shout, dashing at the two. A brief flash of worry runs through Kaibara's eyes before he is tossed away like a plastic bag in the wind, right into the destroyed house we came out of. I pull my right fist back and punch—!
BAM!
BAM!
"Ah… Shishida…" Shishida did the same thing as I did. We both tried to punch Mister Kan at the same time but we failed to cause any real damage. Because our dear teacher is much stronger than he lets on, more than I originally thought. He caught both of our punches as if we are mere children toying with a brick wall.
"This was a good try, you two. But please try harder than that!" Mister Kan with a simple movement grips our fists tightly before slamming his arms downwards into the concrete, forcibly dragging our bodies with them.
SLAM!
Our fists collide with the pavement first, enough to crack the concrete whole and reveal the dirt underneath. The impact sends pain towards my way, letting me know that this does in fact hurts. We don't have time to counterattack before Mister Kan, with one hand, throws me away like what he did with Kaibara. I get sent back into the destroyed house and I manage to catch a small glimpse of Kaibara standing up before—!
CRASH!
...I crash right into him. We roll on the ground tumbling over the splinters of wood and shards of glass, tearing holes into my costume and skin. Threads and blood leak out of my body with many bruises surely coming after the fight. I transform out of Beast, shrinking myself back into my normal size with Kaibara sitting against a wall groaning in pain.
Damnit! I try to stand up but I only fall back on one knee! Kaibara doesn't look like he can stand up immediately too! Through the gap of the house, I see Mister Kan standing tall with a broken house behind him. He must've thrown Shishida into that house! I—!
ROARING RAGE!
From the wreckage, Shishida leaps out and takes a massive swipe at Mister Kan, its range large enough to take out an entire group of Villains! However, Mister Kan steps forward and parries the attack by bashing his left arm into the middle of Shishida's right forearm, stopping his claw! With his other hand, Mister Kan grabs Shishida by the neck and slams him back down on the concrete.
CRASH!
Again, the impact was so strong that the road shattered into pieces. Still holding onto Shishida's neck, Mister Kan raises his other hand. He's about to use his Quirk! "Sorry Gevaudan, you might be stronger but you need to work on your technique!"
"I'm sorry too!" Shishida roars before he swipes at Mister Kan's face. His claws cut into his cheeks, forcing Mister Kan to jump back before he could restrain him! Shishida stands back up right as when our teacher charges in once again. He punches our Beast in the stomach, but he doesn't recoil in pain or from the impact—that is his durability working for him. In response, Shishida claws at Mister Kan's chest, tearing his costume but not his skin like what Kaibara did earlier.
Mister Kan doesn't step away from Shishida unfortunately, still determined to beat our friend. He stomps on his right foot, really stomping on it. From my position, I'm able to hear bones cracking! He's trying to break his foot, isn't he?!
Damnit! I recovered enough! I stand up even if pain is telling me to stop! Kaibara manages to stand with me, using Gyrate on his left arm—he must not be able to use Gyrate on his right. Either that arm is injured enough that Gyrate isn't able to be used, or Kaibara isn't risking further injury by gyrating an already fractured arm. For me, I can't clench my right fist. My fingers are broken and cut open. But like Kaibara, I activate Gyrate on my left arm. It spins and spins more revolutions I can count. It truly is like a drill. Maybe we can turn this into a fantasy story and have our arms be the drills that pierce the heavens? Heh, that would be a good Super Move!
"C'mon Monoma!" Kaibara beckons, not wasting any more precious time! He runs towards the two men with me following just behind him. Mister Kan hears us and turns his head, grimacing that we're still fighting.
"You two!" he exclaims after stepping off Shishida's foot, turning around to face us and turning his back on Shishida. Fatal mistake. Even though he crushed Shishida's foot, it doesn't mean he crushed his spirit. Just as he pulls his right fist back, Shishida wraps his arms around Mister Kan's waist, trapping him in his grasp. "What the—?!"
"Now!" Shishida cries! "Attack him! Crush him!"
"Don't hafta tell me twice!" Kaibara yells, eyeing Mister Kan's gloves. He's on his left while I'm on his right. Just from eyes alone, we know our targets. By destroying his gloves, it'll become more difficult for him to restrain us with his blood!
Kaibara and I approach him, and we strike—!
DOUBLE DRILLING LANCE!
We spear our lance-like arms forward—I'm attacking his right, he's attacking his left—and we run our arms through his metallic gloves, shattering them whole. We didn't shatter the metal weights luckily, so all we did was hinder him further! The tube attached to his left glove detaches completely with drops of blood dripping out. We make Mister Kan wince in pain, because by destroying his gloves, it's like ripping someone's IV out when they are in the hospital—multiple IVs even.
Yet Mister Kan counters once again! He leans back and leverages himself off the ground slightly, tucking in his legs. Before we could react, he kicks us away and forces Shishida to step back—inevitably, he stumbles because of his broken foot. Shishida roars and somehow regains his balance, lifting Mister Kan over his head and performing a classic wrestling move: a German suplex.
CRASH!
Shishida suplexes Mister Kan into a stone wall. Immediately, he gets on his knees and grabs onto Mister Kan once again. "Sorry 'bout this, Mister Kan!" Shishida says before throwing Mister Kan with more strength than before, most likely using every ounce of strength he has left. He throws our teacher over the suburban houses about five or six streets away. Then we hear a loud crash .
Kaibara helps me up, staring at Shishida who's supporting himself by leaning on a wall. He transforms out of Beast, turning back into the man we know and cherish. "Haah… Sorry everyone, I'm in a poor condition to fight. Mister Kan broke my right foot."
Kaibara runs up to Shishida and pulls one of his arms over his shoulder, helping him walk. "I got you, big guy. Monoma, you can walk right?"
I nod. "Mhm, I think he fractured my right hand, but that's the extent of my injuries. Come, we need to find the Escape Gate before Mister Kan catches up!" I run ahead of the two. Jogging, I run into another open street, and wouldn't you know? I find the Escape Gate immediately! What luck! It's on the end of the street about a hundred or so meters away. "Over here!" I say to them.
Kaibara and Shishida walk into the open street with me, both of them sharing a sigh of relief once they see our path to victory. However, it took them five seconds to regroup with me walking . It's impossible for them to run one hundred meters without Shishida breaking more bones. They are forced to walk the distance, which in that time, Mister Kan will surely find us. What if I support Shishida along with Kaibara? We would reduce the time spent, but even then, it's not fast enough. How about I use Beast and carry—or at least support—them to the Escape Gate? Even then, it's still one hundred meters; however, this is the best choice for all three of us to pass.
Kaibara says, "Monoma—"
I interrupt him, "We're going through the Escape Gate! I'll transform into Beast to aid you two, because God knows that Mister Kan will reach us before we reach the gate!"
Shishida agrees. "Very well! I—?! Monoma—!"
Behind me!
SLAM!
Barely, I jumped back before Mister Kan made his grand entrance. He didn't announce his presence unlike last time, which means he's serious. This is unfortunate though! I didn't expect him to find us so quickly! And to recover in such a short amount of time too! He really is one of the strongest Heroes in Japan! There's no wonder why Nezu wanted him to teach here! This changes my plan though! It's impossible for me to help my two friends with Mister Kan here! I need to fight him myself while they flee! "What's with that look, Monoma?" my dear teacher asks.
"What look?" I answer in the form of a question. Damnit though, worry must be plaguing my handsome face. "I'm calm as calm can be, Mister Kan!"
I glance behind me towards my friends. Get away now. I'll fight Mister Kan by myself.
Kaibara shakes his head. Don't be a dumbass, Monoma. I —
I wasn't asking you, Kaibara. I'm tellingyou: Run. If someone has to fail, then it'll be myself. My resolve is clear.
Shishida lowers his head in guilt and shame. I'm sorry, Monoma. This is the only way, is it not? I nod. Kaibara hesitates for a brief second before looking away, doing his best to carry Shishida to the Escape Gate while I face Mister Kan by myself. Ah, thank goodness they actually did it, especially Kaibara. There was a part of me that doubted that they wouldn't obey me, but they did.
Good… Good… Seems like I'm selfish as ever.
Mister Kan sees my two partners making their way out of the battlefield. He sighs, knowing that if he wants to apprehend them, he has to apprehend me first. Of course, with that realization, he knows that I'm resigning myself to fail the Final Exam. He looks down at his broken gauntlets seeing the pieces of steel digging into his hands. I'm not sure if there's blood on his knuckles or the red is apart of his costume. Taking a deep breath, he finally says, "You're really doing this, Monoma? I wanted everyone to pass their Exam, especially you."
"Even with those feelings, you won't hold back, right?" I inquire, ready to activate Beast within an instant. "You are a Hero first, then a teacher. Knowing what lies in the real world, you mustn't hold yourself back. You told us that before our Exam started: that you will show us how a Pro Hero fights. And now, I'm demonstrating another aspect of heroism.
"'Nothing is nobler than self-sacrifice,' that's what All Might said. It seems that I'm putting his lip service into reality." I look down at my right fist. It's bruised purple and blue, yet I clench my hand tightly, never letting go what I hold inside.
It's cruel, isn't it?
Mister Kan shakes his head, disagreeing with me. "What are you trying to prove, Monoma? What are you trying to accomplish?"
"Nothing. I don't need to prove myself to you, Mister Kan. I don't need to prove myself to anyone at the moment! I know who I am, and that is the selfish thief of 1-B! I am the rascal that everyone adores and loathes! I already know my role in this story, and I ought to see it through! If 1-A was here, then I'd prove that my class is mountains ahead of them no matter the cost, but the only audience here is you and I! This fight is nothing but for my own satisfaction that my friends will pass your Exam! I'm simply fighting for my own gratification as a Hero-in-Training! Such an unheroic trait, is it not?!"
"Do you remember your own words, Monoma?" Mister Kan asks. "Remember the Sports Festival? Or the conversations you have with others?"
"Ah…"
"Remember, you are the stars of your own light, your own story. No one, other than you can follow it. Simply, we're your side characters. Bakugo, Todoroki, Midoriya, they're yourside characters, don't forget that! They don't rule your story! They merely influence it! So, let them influence you to victory! You are truly your own! So, let's show that to them! To 1-A!"
"Sanji Inochi, the selfless man who fights to ensure the public's safety while Neito Monoma struggles tooth and nail to shine in the limelight. Inochi, I see in your eyes that you fought against discrimination. So have I. Countless times, many have told me that I can't become a Hero without the help of others. I can't go out onto the streets of Musutafu and defeat a Villain like how All Might does it. It's impossible, but my hopes never faltered. I never resented what I've been given. So, in order to be the Hero I wished to be, it was necessary to resort to unseemly tactics."
"I am the most selfish man in 1-B. Every action I perform on this stage is each an attempt to swing the sun's spotlight to envelop me in its warmth. I steal Quirks from the people I swore to be my comrades. Pride, vanity, all sins are resting in my body. I'll be reincarnated when my time comes."
I nod.
"Son," Mister Kan says, "you think that you're a Villain so you act like one. Yet, you're one of the most heroic students I ever had the pleasure to teach. So why are you constantly comparing yourself to Inochi?"
"He's…"
"Yet, we're very much the same kind of person, aren't we? Without you or the others, I'm effectively Quirkless."
"...perfect," I answer. "Mister Kan, he's the shining image of a Pro Hero! The definition of an underdog! If 1-B was a novel, he would be the protagonist! He is a foster child with an unknown power which was proven to be greater than all of us combined! He is exactly a heroic protagonist, far from the tragic heroes that the Greeks spoke about!"
I put my hand over my heart, shutting my eyes.
Oh Sanji Inochi, why was I made to be your foil? Why does my character reflect yours so much? We were both legally Quirkless once, and even then, I can be considered legally Quirkless when I'm alone! We were both criticized and ridiculed for what we are on the surface, never criticized for our own two hearts!
I knew that I couldn't be a heroic Hero, so I settled to be an unheroic Hero! My Quirk refused to be heroic as I stole Quirks from others! I could use them easily given I watch them long enough! And for you, you use everyone's techniques and make that into your own improvised style! However, you are the one with a supreme power that's hidden within your landscape of your mind! Your AP Level exceeds far beyond the average person, basically guaranteeing that you will be remembered in history! Whenever you fall, everyone is there to pick you up!
Why? You are a great person! You try your best to stop Kendo from assaulting me for my own health and to prevent Kendo from possibly getting reprimanded! You constantly help your friends whenever they need it, like when you taught Awase bojutsu! Or when you helped me with my interest in Kaibara! Whenever you walk in the room, you immediately attract eyes from your sparkling smile that a Hero wears as if to assure the public that they're A-OK! You preach that a Pro Hero needs to be selfless and to drop all selfish things to the side! You don't care about fame or fortune, only the lives of others and never caring about yourself! You devote yourself to heroism by training every night until the muscles in your body becomes sore and worn, which is the exact reason why you are superior to most in hand-to-hand combat! Why you were able to fight most of 1-D! Why you and Kendo were able to beat All Might in combat!
What about Catharsis? You sought to defeat Catharsis like a true Hero along with your friends! Afterwards, you helped Shojo become comfortable in the real world! Because of you and everyone else, we have another member of the family! I, in the eyes of U.A., am simply the black sheep!
I cannot ignore the similarities between us; the differences between us are astounding. I constantly trick and belittle others, especially 1-A, in order to gain the upper hand! Class 1-A is arrogant and prideful! Everyone there is gifted! Everyone there is focused on themselves! At the Sports Festival, they fought against each other while we, 1-B, pushed one another to victory! However, we weren't as powerful as the stars of 1-A!
Izuku Midoriya! He must be associated with All Might in some way! You know it as well! Through the looking glass, we both know he'll become something great!
Shoto Todoroki! He's the son of Endeavor! His story will be something to remember, being the successor to the second strongest Hero in Japan!
Katsuki Bakugo! He's the loud-mouthed king of 1-A! His attitude is tolerated by his class! He is allowed to be arrogant and smug! He focuses on nothing but himself! His classmates are second-class citizens to him! How could a selfish man like him ever get into U.A.?!
From the beginning, we were all fated to be who we're meant to be! Fate decided that from the moment we were born!
Sanji Inochi! Why did Fate deliver you right at U.A.'s doorstep?!
Sanji Inochi! Why does Fate seal away your power and promise greatness?!
Sanji Inochi! Why are you the shining example of heroism?!
Sanji Inochi! Why are you meant to be remembered in history?!
Sanji Inochi! Why do I admire you to the point I resent you?!
I don't have a good reason for resenting you! I adore you, I really do! But each time I look at you, I see what I am not!
We have the granddaughter of Master Kendo, grandson of Qinglong, son of Executioner Wasp, heiress of Tokage Industries, and you are the son of I-don't-know-who! What son am I?
My mother is a small actor while my father's a genius! None of whom Japan will remember their names!
There's a reason why I look down upon 1-A! From the very moment I stepped in my classroom, my second home, I knew that I want you and everyone else to be something great! I just knew that we were made up of outsiders, and because of that, we deserve something greater than our awful treatment we endured! Yet Class 1-A isn't made up of that! They are made up of those who fit naturally into the world and they are praised for it! They have the gleaming jewels; they have the brightest fireworks; they have the light that shines brighter than us!
Of course, Fate did this! I have no true control of our legacy! I can't control who prospers and who becomes condemned! We are whisked away along the threads of time, and we can only hope that we don't fall through the gaps!
And yet I have faith that you will not reach a bad end, Sanji Inochi! To the earth, to the sky, to the moon, you will reach your promised future!
You have already completed impossible tasks that Hercules himself would respect. It's only a matter of time before you become the man we know you are. I respect, I admire, I adore you. Even though you are what I am not, you are a great man.
I truly am your foil.
"..." Mister Kan stands in front of me with a faint look of disappointment on his face. I'll bear the guilt that comes with it, because my friends are approaching the Escape Gate by the second. I must hold Mister Kan back, just enough time so they can escape!
No matter the cost!
I reactivate Beast. The Quirk enhances myself to the point where I can fight Mister Kan on an equal field. I may not be as strong as Shishida, but I need to be strong enough where I do not get knocked unconscious with a single punch. I glare towards my opponent, who realizes that the show must go on. "Prepare yourself, Mister Kan! I for one will not be holding back!"
"Alright, Monoma." He doesn't let me have the first move and acts immediately. Mister Kan throws a wide right hook where I step closer to his body. With my left arm, I tuck his right underneath my armpit, forcing his fist to miss me. I hold his right arm in a way that goes stiff, and quickly, I put my left leg in-between his legs and flip him over to the ground! This is one of the takedowns that Kendo uses to put someone in submission!
I climb on top of Mister Kan and—!
SPEW!
Blood! Even with his destroyed gear, he's still able to spew blood at me! It gets all over my chest, forcing me to retreat a meter or two but the damage is done. His blood hardens and traps my arms inside. With enhanced strength granted by Beast, I break out of Mister Kan's blood and free myself. Unfortunately though, it gives him enough time to stand up and recuperate himself! Ah damnit, our positions switched as well! His back is turned towards Shishida and Kaibara, who only made it about half-way! If Mister Kan is smart, which he is, he won't chase after them because I'll surely catch up!
Mister Kan cracks his neck and fingers, taunting me. "You learned that from Kendo and Inochi, right?"
"I picked up more than a few things from them," I answer.
"Let's see if that's enough!" Mister Kan pulls both arms back and thrusts them forward like a cannon, unleashing a wave of blood towards me!
SPEEEW!
I step forward and shrink, transforming out of Beast! I weave around the sea of crimson red blood and emerge beside Mister Kan, who seems shocked that I manage to dodge his attack! I activate Gyrate on my left arm and uppercut Mister Kan in the chin! His neck snaps up towards the sky, causing him to stumble backwards off-balanced! Quickly, I lower myself and sweep his legs out from under him!
THUD!
Once again, Mister Kan is on the ground! I step forward—?!
I can't move! My feet are trapped! "—Ah!" That clever man! Even though I dodged his initial attack and knocked him on his back, my feet are stepping on his blood! He hardened his blood to prevent me from moving! "Mister Kan—Guh?!"
BAM!
"—Gah!" He punched me in the chest! I underestimated how fast he can truly recover! Because my feet are trapped, I'm forced to stand!
"Sorry Monoma!" Mister Kan apologizes before—?!
GRAB!
"Ghrk—!" He grabbed me by the neck, squeezing the oxygen out of my lungs. I'm pulled out of his blood and raised off of the ground. He's using just one hand to lift me up. Ah… Briefly, I see my friends closing in on certain victory…
Good…
Mister Kan, still disappointed in me, frowns. He pins me against a cold brick wall, placing his other hand on my chest. Ah, he's about to use his Quirk. "You held out pretty well, Monoma… But I don't think it's enough time for them to make it through."
Weakly, I raise my hands, letting him see the gashes along my palms which have blood dripping out. Then, I grip onto the edges of his costume as his hand roughly presses against my chest. With what little strength I have, I show him my dastardly smirk that would induce Kendo to hit me over the head with a book. His grip on my neck loosens, allowing air to flow back into my lungs. "Kuhaha… It's enough time… You put yourself in the worst position, Mister Kan… You see, from the moment I accepted that I would fail, I knew I would have to do this…"
"Do what?" he pries, his eyes going wide. "What the hell are you trying to do?!"
"You are a Hero first, then a teacher… Yet in some cases…" Using my palms, I activate my trump card.
SPEW!
"What the—?!" My body is a fountain, and that fountain spews blood. My own being is drenching Mister Kan all over. The sensation itself is really strange, frankly… It's like warm, thick water is flowing out of your body with the intensity of a strong river. And with each passing second, I grow faint and light-headed. My skin turns paler and paler, soon turning the shade of a phantom or an apparition. My blood hardens and he is trapped with me. "Monoma, what in the world are you doing?!"
"Ensuring...my...victory…" I answer with a smile. "—Ah—"
My body starts to fail… My mind...falters…
I had...something to say, didn't I…?
What was it…? Ah…!
Even though… Even though my teacher is a...Pro Hero… He is still...my teacher…
Seeing me...pull this stunt…? His instincts as a...teacher...will kick in…and he will forget...about Shishida and Kaibara…
I...the Phantom Thief...manipulated my teacher's emotions… I tricked him into…worrying about my...well-being instead of...focusing on destroying me…
This was...the scheme I planned...from the moment he arrived…
I risked my life…
I risked my life...in order for...my friends to pass…
"Monoma…! Open your eyes…!" Ah… Mister Kan's voice… He's...distant…
I had nothing to prove...to you, Mister Kan…
To think… This all started because…
Because…
I wanted to be...the hero of...a story greater than...myself…
My consciousness fades away…
Hayami Kendo
"Huh…?"
"Good morning, Monoma! Actually, can you really call it 'morning' when you're in Hell? You don't really have a sky to look up at."
"Miss Kendo, I don't mean to be rude, but… Why are you claiming I'm in Hell?" Monoma asks me, and frankly, I have no idea. It might be because I'm pissed at Toshi for pushing my kids to near-death and my kids pushing themselves to near-death. Oh, and of course 1-B's class rascal almost killed himself too! But this is normal for U.A.! I'm an alumni after all! However, in my three years here, no one died from the Hero Course Program or have any suicides! I'm perfectly peachy and optimistic about my kids' future as a Pro Hero! Absolutely!
So to Monoma, I sit out of my chair and say, "U.A. is pretty much Hell. Trust me, one of my classmates' Quirks was called 'Demon'. His voice was very demonic, but he was a really nice guy."
The look on Monoma's face is equal parts confused and amused. He's probably thinking, This is Kendo's mother? How in the world does she live with her everyday? Inochi too! She is so eccentric and odd! Anyway, Monoma shakes his head. He asks, "I see… Why are you here? I'm in… Recovery Girl's tent, aren't I?"
I nod. Monoma doesn't look half-bad considering he almost bled himself empty, and that he resigned himself to fail his Final Exam. I thought he would be a lot more depressed; I'm glad I'm wrong. "Auntie Chiyo—Recovery Girl—asked me to watch over you while she handles my two idiots and my bigger idiot: All Might. Your classmates are currently getting lectured-slash-praised by your other teachers, and giving out your overall grade. So far, everyone passed except for…"
"Me. I failed," Monoma finishes my sentence. Yup, he knows already. "Heh, to think I would be the only one in my class who failed my Final Exam. At least I am still allowed in the program. All I need to do is take supplementary classes, which shouldn't be hard. Tiring of course, but not difficult."
I cross my arms and smile. It's one of those "Oh you're horribly wrong" smiles. "Famous last words. U.A. was extreme when I was your age. Kaito, Itsuka's father, was in the Hero Course and he had to fight Faux Villains for his Final. You fought your teachers . I'm sorry Monoma, but your exercises will be a lot harder from here on out." At least Itsuka and Sanji adapted to the change pretty quickly. Uncle Sora told them that they would fight the Faux Villains and he turned out to be wrong. Though, they adapted so much that they almost killed themselves, so can I really call this a success?
"I understand fully!" he beams. He sees an unopened water bottle on the table next to him—Aunt Chiyo put that there for him. Monoma takes it and drinks the entire thing in one sitting. "Refreshing! Anyway, I'm not missing anything from my teachers' lectures, correct?"
I shake my head. "Like I said, they're mostly praising you guys. The other part is probably criticisms on what you could've done better, which you will get a mouthful of soon. Besides from that, that's it. You already know what would happen if you fail, which is extra classes and you will miss summer camp."
Monoma nods, laying back and looking up at the white tarp above him. "So I suppose I'm not going to get lectured, right? Not right now at least."
I laugh. "Nope. You're going to get lectured. It won't be by your teachers, but by me ."
He turns his head to me, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Eh? But—"
"No 'buts'. I was watching your fight with Recovery Girl. I heard every word you said to Vlad King, especially about yourself." I approach Monoma's bed, which he quickly responds by sitting up straight, making sure his IV isn't ripped from his arm. He looks afraid; he should be afraid. I lean forward and grab onto the bed's metal armrest, smirking. "Why are you comparing yourself to Sanji?"
"Uhm—"
"Answer my question."
Monoma immediately puts his hands up, shaking them like he's riding a rollercoaster. "Well you see, funny story—!"
"This isn't a rollercoaster, Monoma! But I do have the remote that can turn your bed into one, so fess up!" I hold up the remote to his hospital bed, making sure he can see it. Monoma gulps and slowly puts his arms down. Good, he's taking time to think. I want him to think. I don't want a half-assed answer.
As much as I love Sanji, he isn't the golden boy of heroism. He's something worse than that, and I have no idea how I could fix it. And Monoma here, he admires Sanji for what he isn't. I suppose Japan shoves heroism down everyone's throats so much that they naturally believe in it.
Anyway, Monoma lifts up his head, signaling that he came to an answer. "I'm sorry for taking so long, Miss Kendo. I was thinking about how to word it. And well, I suppose I'll say this: He's my foil."
"Like tin foil?"
"Wha—? No, not like that!" he exclaims, sounding very offended. "I meant—!"
I laugh again. "I know what you meant, Monoma. I'm just pulling your leg." I lean back, taking a chair and sitting down beside him. "But still, why would Sanji be your foil or whatever? This isn't a story or a novel—at least I hope not."
Monoma sighs. He looks down at his bandaged hands. Did he kill people with those hands? 'Cause he's staring at them like he did. "Well, when I was five or so, I didn't know how to activate my Quirk. My doctors didn't know either, so they pinned me a special label that you're familiar with."
"Legally Quirkless," I immediately say, "you were legally Quirkless for a little while? Well, I can definitely see the resemblance a little better, but still. I'm—"
"I was bullied too. Then I used Copy for the first time and injured one of my bullies. Because of that, I was forced to take Quirk Therapy sessions up until eighth grade," he says. Well, now I begin to see everything a little better. Neito Monoma is a nerd. He hooked himself up on fiction and began to see the world like that too. From the circumstances of Sanji's upbringing, he couldn't help but compare himself to his— that's why he believes he's Sanji's foil. They were both outsiders, yet right now, they are seemingly two different people.
"Monoma—"
"Miss Kendo, for a long time, I wanted to be a Hero because I want to be the protagonist in a story greater than myself. It makes sense that I'm the hero of my own story, through my own eyes, but what about the entire school? The country? The world even? Through counseling and bullying, I've been told over and over that I won't be a real Hero—and they're right. Most of my counselors thought I would end up as a delinquent or worse, while my no-good classmates thought I would be nothing more but the faceless man you see whenever you're roaming the streets.
"I like to think I'm smarter than the average man too. At some point, I began looking deep into myself and asked, 'Can I really be a Hero like All Might?' Immediately, I answered that with a resounding 'No'. I have to rely on others to be strong. I have to be dependent on others, because they are my strength. But I won't always have those who like me. So of course, I have to resort to lowly tricks to steal Quirks from others like a thief I am.
"For years, I accepted that I cannot be someone like All Might! I accepted that I have to be selfish and unheroic! But then, Sanji Inochi came around. He's an anomaly, honestly. He is legally Quirkless but holds a Quirk that is stronger than we can imagine. He is a selfless man who would do anything for his friends and for heroism. We are two similar people, yet we are binaries. He represents the selfless side of heroism while I hide on the other with my selfish self. Do you understand?"
...Man, he talked a lot. Now I know why Itsuka wants to chop him all the time. Monoma has a tendency to run his mouth so much that he could be a politician. But I understood him loud and clear. It's time to run my mouth.
"Yeah, but the world isn't a binary, Monoma. Trust me, I'm a mom. The world isn't black and white like that. Selfish, selfless, you hold heroism in an idealistic frame. In Japan, heroism is a lot more complicated than that. I don't blame you though, because you're only a teenager. So how about I fight you on idealism, eh? And I'll convince you to hold yourself in high esteem too! In fact, I'll do that first."
"What—?"
"Monoma, you're pretty damn close to Sanji. You just do things in a different way."
"I don't follow."
"Of course you don't. You're stuck in the mindset of 'Woe is me, my foil is better than I am! I'm fated to be trash!' Yeah no, that isn't true. Itsuka rambles about you a lot, but I can tell you're a good man, and you are! I only saw you fight once and I know what kind of a man you are. You're selfless just like Sanji."
Monoma says nothing.
"Look, you sacrificed your own Exam in order to have your friends pass. If one person in 1-B had to fail their Final in order for everyone else to pass, Sanji would be the first one to volunteer himself. Not only that, you also put your life at risk for your friends… When you used Vlad King's Quirk, you nearly killed yourself! I can't tell you how many times Vlad King cursed while holding your unconscious body."
"Miss Kendo—"
"I'm not finished! Tell me, Monoma… You scheme and you deceive and you belittle, who did you do it for? Why did you do it? Was it for yourself? Was it to prop up your own ego and ensure that you are the best?"
He shakes his head. "They're for my classmates. They deserve to be praised for their efforts, but the public only bullies them, especially that Bakugo…"
"See? You do so many things for your friends! Remember Sanji's interview with Present Mic on his radio show? Sanji kept saying that there are more deserving people than him. If you were on that show, you would talk about how great your classmates are and how 1-A should jump in a ditch, wouldn't you?"
"Absolutely!" he exclaims with a smile. Ah, no matter how Monoma smiles, it's always smug. "I never realized that, Miss Kendo… I guess I always assumed that I was meant to be his opposite."
"This isn't a story, Monoma. Unless you wanna live in a story, then that's your problem. But still! But still, you should hold yourself high. Instead of stressing about being a foil to my idiot, stress about being a Hero, alright? You're blessed, y'know that? Some people treat their Quirks as if they're some precious jewel. They show it off to make others feel worse about themselves. For you, Monoma, instead of showing off your Quirk, you can show off something better: your friends. They are more precious than they can imagine.
"For you, with Copy, they're your power. You can show the world that you aren't alone. So c'mon Monoma, always cherish your friends, 'cause if ya do, you'll be a happy man."
Monoma stares at me for a few seconds completely amazed. Frankly, I'm amazed too! I didn't know I could say something so wise and mature! I'm finally acting my age for once! Damn that stupid father of mine! I inherited my immaturity from him, but thanks to this conversation, I can brag that I'm actually an adult!
Jeez, Itsuka is the only mature person in the house. I love her, but I'm also very jealous.
"Hah," Monoma dryly laughs, nodding his head. A single tear wells up in his eyes and he wipes it away with his bandaged hand. "I guess you're right, Miss Kendo. You really are a mature adult."
"Thank you." Take that, Dad! "I'm in charge of a house with a senile old man, a tomboy, and the biggest goofball in Japan. With them around, I'm basically normal."
Monoma laughs a very cute laugh. Like Sanji, he's definitely a pretty boy. Though, I'm pretty sure Monoma likes something else that isn't women—Sanji told me that. "You have a nice family. Anyway, you told me that you'll fight my ideals, correct? How so?"
Ah right, I promised him that I would do that. Well, I guess I have to fight him. Here I thought I wouldn't have to fight a minor today—guess I'm wrong. "Yeah, well it's nothing much. I think that Heroes should value their own happiness and well-being before heroism. Of course, you can imagine that this is the mother in me speaking, but I believe it. Heroism is…"
The reason why my husband is gone, and why Mom died.
"Kinda flawed, but you don't see me killing Heroes like Stain, do you?" I ask with a little giggle. Heroism has greater cracks than just mere "flaws". The people I grew up with, they changed because of heroism. Some died because of heroism, and now I see heroism changing how my kids act. I can't be a staunt advocate against heroism or else I'll be shunned by society and be treated like I'm Stain. I can't just take a sledgehammer and tear the foundations down like he tried to do. I have to chip at it piece by piece, and I'll start with Monoma. I won't force him to accept my ideals, but I'll make him aware of them. I want him to think; that's all I want.
Monoma puts a hand on his chin, humming. "I see. Personally, I thought you would say something more outrageous than that. Though, you think it's outrageous, don't you? Is it…" His eyebrows perk up. Oh what is it? Is my face giving him a look? My face is probably giving him a look, isn't it? "It's about Inochi, isn't it?"
Yup, he got me. "Ah, you shot me right in the heart!" Dramatically, I put my hand over my heart, acting like I'm bleeding out. I stop the dramatics and nod. "Yup, exactly. I don't approve of Sanji's actions. I don't approve of his suicidal beliefs."
"Suicidal? I wouldn't take it that far—"
"You almost killed yourself earlier, so you don't get to talk."
"...True."
"Sweetheart, since September, I took that boy in and raised him like he's my own son. I know him better than you do. I'm sure everyone knows about his intense training regime, and everyone approves of it except for me and Itsuka—Dad, Master Kendo, too. Just a little bit anyway. He even charged in to fight a giant robot during that Hero Course Tutoring thing all by himself! That's pretty suicidal to me!"
"You're scared, aren't you?" Monoma asks. "No offense, but I see the fear in your eyes, Miss Kendo. You're afraid of Inochi? Him?"
I sigh, shaking my head. "You make it sound like he'll kill me. I'm not that kind of scared, honey. I'm scared that he'll make himself a martyr for heroism. Sanji is…" I take a deep breath in. "Sanji is different, okay? He's different…"
"I don't follow…"
I put my hands together. I'm pretty sure I can feel tears starting to dam in my eyes. "Something happened to him, and I don't know what. Look, Itsuka loves him—"
Monoma interrupts, "As expected."
I can't help but laugh. "Yeah yeah, finally, am I right? Anyway uhm, Itsuka loves him, and I'm sure he loves her. But he doesn't. He loves her, but also doesn't love her." This guy is even a self-proclaimed Ally of Love! And yet, I don't think he can love.
"That...doesn't make sense," Monoma replies, looking at me like I'm a maniac, which I probably am. "I'm convinced that Inochi has feelings for her, but what you just said is a little bit of a...contradiction."
"It's Sanji, what do you expect?" I joke; well, that's a half-joke! More like a quarter-joke… Actually, I'm not joking. "I dunno, I mean… Uhm, well… I think Sanji has a wall around him. He has a mental wall that doesn't allow him to feel certain emotions. Considering that love might be one, it must be the extremities…"
"Extremities…?" Monoma repeats to himself. I try to say something, but he raises a finger. "Sorry, I'm trying to recall what someone said to me. It relates to Hifumi Osuhashi for sure, but I don't know how…"
Hifumi Osuhashi? Her? What does she have to do with this? Wait, didn't Sanji see her body with… Who was it? Tamaki Amajiki, right? Itsuka told me that a few unfortunate souls needed therapy to help cope with what they saw—
Oh.
"Please don't recall that, Monoma. I don't want you to experience that time again," I tell him with a smile, but I think it's a sad smile. "I know that it's crazy that I'm telling all of this to a guy who's half my age, but I think you can handle this information. You are more than mature enough to handle this."
"Thank you for thinking that highly of me," he replies with a much better smile than I have. "Now, you want to ask something of me, correct?"
Ah, this guy is too smart. "Mhm. Whether or not you believe me—really, just take my words with a grain of salt—watch out for my boy. He really is like a son to me. Whenever the time comes, be by his side and never leave him."
Instantly, he promises, "Of course! I was planning to do that anyway, so really, our schemes happened to align with one another! Inochi will always have a friend in me. After all, he did help me with a matter regarding the heart."
"Oh right, that . Sanji told me a few details regarding this matter of yours, but he didn't spill the entire story," I tell him, smirking. Hehe, I know just enough to get a good idea. With that look on Monoma's face, he seems afraid of me. He's scared of the information I wield. Well well, looks like I have the upper hand! I—!
"Yo." Sen Kaibara, he must be the man.
I stand up and pat Monoma's head like he's a little puppy. He tries to bat my hand away but my mom power is superior to him. "Kaibara, right? I was just talking to your boyfriend over here. Sorry that I kinda took your job to support him."
Kaibara lightly blushes, chuckling to himself. Monoma exclaims, "She's just joking!"
I lay my hand over my heart. "I, Hayami Kendo, don't joke."
"You heard the lady." Kaibara smirks and walks up to him, sitting where I was just at. "Don't be such a closet case, Neito. Do you know how much you tease me?" Oh? First names already? I do remember Kaibara referring to Monoma by his family name during their Exam, but to jump to first names already? How indecent! And teasing too? Well, it reminds me of Kaito a little, heh… Kaibara glances at me and winks, and I wink back.
Monoma shoots me a betrayed look. Why did you do this, Miss Kendo? You're just as cruel as your daughter.
Where do you think she gets it from? I reply with my eyes, making my way out of the tent. "You two lovebirds enjoy each other."
"W-Wait!" Monoma calls out but I wave goodbye. I walk outside the tent and stand right by the entrance. Ahead of me is most of Class 1-B, still talking to their teachers about their Final Exams and what-not. Inside this tent, I can hear Kaibara and Monoma whisper to one another. I'm sure they're making it official.
Ah… Everything is just crazy, isn't it? Romance, fights, it's high school all over again. I hope Kaibara and Monoma will be happy together, especially after Monoma basically sacrificed himself for him and Shishida. And with the fights, holy hell… I watched most of them with Aunt Chiyo… She clicked her tongue throughout them all, but some of the fights were really extreme, even for U.A. standards… Of course, I watched Toshi's fight…
I need to repair those motorcycles and make suitable adjustments, thank goodness Toshi showed me their flaws. But did he need to force my kids to push themselves to the brink of death? Sanji and Itsuka are covered in bandages. They haven't woken up yet. What's even more crazy is that Itsuka awakened a new part of her Quirk too! She inherited Dad's Quirk! During her ten second brawl with Toshi, she was able to store the force of Toshi's punch and return the favor but with more power! Reversal combined with Big Fists results in a very bad combination—for the Villains I mean. My little girl is so strong… Sanji is so strong too… Both of my kids are amazing…
But why do they have to be so dumb?
"Hey hey! Mama Kendo!" It's Setsuna! She's running ahead of the rest of her class, who're quickly making their way over here. I remember when Itsuka absolutely hated her guts. I'm glad they're friends now. "I thought I saw Kaibara enter here earlier? Is he—?"
"Yup. Gimme a sec," I say before knocking on the entrance, which is just two thick white flaps. "Hey you two, people are coming so I suggest wrapping things up!"
Setsuna smirks, whispering, "I can't wait to tease them, especially Monoma! This will be payback for teasing me about my crush!" Boldly and proudly as ever, she runs inside the tent yelling something about "love" and "kissing". I don't think anyone else heard her though. How could they? Because all they would hear is Kaibara yelling at her to "shut the hell up". Monoma's yelling about "privacy".
Yup, this is high school…
"It's Hayami Kendo, the goddess of U.A.! Wanna go on a date with me?"
"Heh, you're cute when you act all angry with me. Tryna hide something?"
"I might be a dumbass, yeah, but you basically claimed me as yourdumbass."
Kaito…
"Mmm?" Ah, it's Yui! My favorite girl! (Not including Itsuka!) The rest of 1-B is standing in front of me. They're listening to the chaos that's unfolding inside the tent. Behind them is their teachers watching us. Aunt Chiyo is in the front shaking her head at me. I can hear her clicking her tongue in disapproval. Vlad King is watching us too with a soft smile on his face—and a few bandages.
"What are those fiends doing?"
"I second that. Are they throwing a surprise party without us?"
"They better shrooming not! I just wanna check up on Monoma since y'know, he failed!"
"A surprise party?! Is there gonna be cake! I want cake!"
"There's no freakin' cake, Horns! Good God…"
"Dangit, now I want some cake…"
"Gonna make yourself a glutton, Headband?"
"Gluttony is a sin."
"I must thank Monoma for sacrificing his own grade to ensure that I pass."
"How honorable, Shishida. I do hope Monoma is well considering he used Mister Kan's Quirk."
"Goodness!" I say, loud enough where everyone can hear me. They immediately stop talking and turn to me. Well look at that, I command respect with a single word! Probably because I'm Itsuka's mother and all, but I'll enjoy this power! "Look, just head inside! I'm sure Monoma would enjoy your company!"
RUSH!
All it took was two sentences and they ran inside. Well, most of them ran inside. Yui and a couple of others just lagged behind. The tent practically explodes with chaos, noise, more chaos, and more more chaos. Well, I think I need to be a responsible adult. I head inside and see everyone crowd around Monoma's bed. He asks about why everyone isn't with my kids, and Kamakiri says that Recovery Girl isn't letting anyone see them—he's right. Komori chimes in, saying that everyone would've visited him anyway.
After that, I can't tell what the current conversation is right now. There's too much going on at once. This is the class my kids have to deal with. They're a bunch of rowdy, noisy, and loud kids. But they're together.
Just like a big little family…
For a brief moment, I catch Monoma's eyes. With my own, I say, Hey there. Feel like a hero yet?
Monoma pauses for a second or two. He nods. Without a doubt.
"Welcome to Hell."
"...Thank you for that, Hayami. I—What the?!"
"Yes?"
"You can't see me like this! I'm—!"
"Calm down, you big oaf." Aunt Chiyo walks up to Toshi and bonks him over the head with that strong hand of hers. Heh, Toshinori Yagi is always such a dork. Though, seeing him in this state, it's kinda depressing. His torso is covered in bandages, and he's still bleeding on the left side of his chest. Not to mention that…that well, he can't maintain his "Muscle Form" like he used to do. What I'm seeing is quite literally a husk of Toshi's Muscle Form. He's basically a skeleton right now!
Toshi winces from Aunt Chiyo's very hard and very painful bonk. He scratches where she hit him and turns to me, carrying a sad smile. "Ah, I had originally imagined to reveal…" He gestures to his...everything basically, "... this to you in a different way. Anyway, enough about me. How are you? How are the young ones?"
Should I lie or tell the truth? I mean, it's Toshi so he should know the truth. He might cry and beg for forgiveness, but he should know the truth. "As for me, I'm kinda pissed. My 'young ones' are still unconscious after fighting Japan's No.1 Hero and pushing their bodies to the point of death. But at least one of them unlocked a new part of their Quirk, so that makes everything a lot better! Right? C'mon, you know I'm right."
"Recovery Girl…" Toshi mutters, turning to Aunt Chiyo who's shaking her head at him. She's giving him the eyes . "Eh?! Don't give me those eyes! Hayami is angry at me!"
Aunt Chiyo shrugs, turning her attention to a monitor with Toshi's vitals. "I'm on her side for this one. You had to administer an exam , not a deathmatch . If Inochi fought for one second longer, his heart would've stopped—and I'm not exaggerating. Of course, Mini-Hayami experienced an awakening where she can use Saki's Quirk as well. Do you know how bad a fight has to get in order to fulfill the conditions of a Quirk Awakening?"
"..." Toshi doesn't reply. He simply sighs and lowers his head, his body language saying he's begging for forgiveness. "I'm sorry, you two… When we decided to alter the Final Exams this year, I personally chose who I desired to test. I chose Young Midoriya and Bakugo, because they had a terrible relationship and I wanted to amend that—"
"And because Midoriya is your protege?" I ask, leaning back in my chair. Toshi nods. Of course… From Aunt Chiyo, Midoriya and Bakugo managed to go through the Escape Gate with a few...difficulties. By "difficulties", they were a really bad team-up. She even let me see clips of their fight, and God , that was rough to watch. Comparing their fight to my kids' is like comparing the sea to the sky.
"Anyhow, I like to think I...improved their relationship a little," he says, but Aunt Chiyo snorts. We turn to her and she bats her hand, signaling that we should ignore her. It's hard when she's laughing. We might as well though. "Laughing aside, I also wanted to test Young Kendo and Inochi. I'm sure you're aware of their desire to be partners after they receive their license, so I wanted to test their partnership. Additionally, I wanted to test their skills, because I severely overpower them."
"And you severely underestimated them," I state as if it's fact, and it is. All Might underestimated two first-year students, and because of that, he lost. "Itsuka has always been a smart girl, and Sanji's just as smart if you look past his goofiness. They have an amazing battle sense and was able to exploit your weaknesses. Frankly, I'm kinda happy that they won. When they wake up, they'll be so happy. They'll be in pain too, but also happy."
Aunt Chiyo pipes up, "Speaking of being happy, Saki won't be. You better be glad that he isn't here to watch your fight, because he would beat your ass for forgetting everything he taught you. Not to mention that you're passing your same fighting style to Midoriya. You should be thankful that Saki is teaching him martial arts, because you clearly can't."
I point to her. "What she said. You've gotten a lot more relaxed, Toshi. You rely too much on your overwhelming strength to the point where your technique became lazy and unrefined . Sanji exploited that and was able to last against you for six minutes. And you gave Itsuka the power she needed to defeat you. And now look at you!"
I gesture to his chest wound. Toshi looks down and sighs, shaking his head. "I see… Young Inochi really targeted my injury. He didn't hesitate to hurt me. I should be proud, but my chest hurts a little too much at the moment!" He dryly laughs, scratching the back of his neck.
Right, I don't think Toshi received that injury during the fight. Is that the reason why he can't hold his Muscle Form like how he used to? Aunt Chiyo let me see Toshi in this state, but she didn't explain why he's in this state. Well, I should ask him. "Hey Toshi, how did you get that injury? Aunt Chiyo didn't explain where you got it."
Immediately, a look of dread washes over his face. He puts a hand over his mouth, wiping away whatever's on it. "Well uhm… It was a Villain. A Villain gave me this injury. Because of him, I can only work as All Might for a few hours. Because of this fight, I believe that time has grown even shorter."
"Because of Sanji?"
"Mhm."
"God… Who was the bastard that did this to you?" When I asked that, Toshi and Chiyo go silent. They look at each other, then look at me. Ah, I know that look; I know those eyes. It's him , isn't it? It's the man who killed Mom and Aunt Nana. Those eyes are unmistakable. They have a sense of fear that only he could produce. For years, Dad always wears those eyes. That's when I knew he was thinking about this man.
Toshi, without asking, holds my hand. "Hayami—"
"You don't have to say his name," I tell him, squeezing his hand. "I know who it is. But is the bastard dead?"
Toshi shakes his head. "I crushed his head, but he still lives. He's currently entrusting his legacy to Tomura Shigaraki, the leader of the League of Villains." Of course… Not only Toshi is going to retire soon, so is his life-long nemesis.
"That jackass…" I mutter under my breath. One of these days, Dad will muster enough courage to tell us just what the hell is going on. Me, Itsuka, and Sanji too. "Toshi, you know that I don't know about the secret war you're fighting. But Dad is planning to tell me soon. Me and my kids. I think you should be there with us, Midoriya too."
He violently nods, exclaiming, "Of course! In fact, Master Kendo asked me to do the same thing when the day comes! Frankly, the three of you deserve to know sooner, but I believe that decision is left to your father's. But… I hope Young Inochi will find some sort of strange kinship with Young Midoriya and I."
I comment, "Because you three are idiots?"
"I—Well, let's go with that," Toshi says, laughing. Yeah, that was a pretty good joke, but I don't understand why he said that. Is there something that connects the three of them together? Besides from y'know, being guys. I'll find out when that day comes. "Anyway uhm, are you still upset, Hayami? I understand if you are."
"I'm peeved, but that's it. You should've seen me earlier, heh…" I let go of Toshi's hand, glancing at Aunt Chiyo for a moment or two. "You also should've seen the damage you did to Yume-no-Kami Ude and Golden Hand. I have to spend all summer repairing them, adjusting them, testing them, destroying them, repairing them again… It's an endless cycle, but it's my job and I love it."
"But you love your family more, don't you?" Toshi asks.
"That shouldn't even be a question! But can you promise something to me, Toshi?" I rest my arms on the cold metal armrest, then laying my chin on top of them.
"Name it."
"Don't be such a horrible teacher."
"...I'm a good teacher."
"Toshi, let's be honest. You're not the best. You can only see things as a Hero. That's great! But acting like a Hero won't solve all of the world's problems. It can't solve everything. The world doesn't revolve around Heroes. So don't answer a non-Hero problem as a Hero, would ya?"
"I will…"
"Good! Now try and be a good teacher, alright? You created Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo, but they aren't the only two you created. You also created Sanji Inochi—I'm not counting Itsuka because Kaito inspired her. God, you're one of the biggest influences in Sanji's life, so please guide him to a future where he can be happy. He's your responsibility as much as he is mine."
Toshi looks at me for a second or two. Then a little longer than that. Finally, he gives me a smile—not an All Might smile, but a Toshinori Yagi smile—and says, "Of course. He's my student. I'll guide him on the path of heroism."
"Thanks…" Those aren't the words I wanted to hear. The words I wanted to hear was: I promise that he'll live a happy life. I don't believe being a Hero equates to being happy. With what I said earlier, I think Sanji has a non-Hero problem, but I don't know how to solve it.
Aunt Chiyo makes a weird sound and stands up. "Oh! Hayami, your kids are waking up. Saw 'em on my nanny-cam. I—"
Oh shit! "Sorry you two! My kids need me!"
SPRINT!
In about ten seconds, I'm at their tent! I rush in—ignoring some of the stupid robots already there—and here they are! They're laying in their own bed placed near each other. Jeez, I think they're wrapped in more bandages than before with Sanji having the worst of it. He looks like a mummy. And wouldn't you know, he's moving. Itsuka moves too, slowly moving her head around.
"Huh…?"
"Ow…"
I walk in the space between their beds. Thank God they're okay… But I have some scolding to do. "G'morning, my lovelies. You two almost killed yourselves. For you Sanji, again ."
"Good morning, Mom…"
"Again?"
Alright, time to be a mom.
Crack!
"Why are you cracking your knuckles, Mom?!"
Sasaki Kendo
"Wow, Iida was the real reason why I passed my Final. I can't believe you two actually beat All Might. I...don't know how I should feel about that," Ojiro says while scratching his cheek. Well, it's a few days after the Final Exams are done and over with. The four numbskulls are talking about how their Finals went. Itsuka and Sanji had to fight Toshi together, so did Midoriya but he was paired with Bakugo. Heh, if Ojiro and Midoriya are so impressed by Itsuka and Sanji, I oughta let 'em know that I personally kicked Toshi's ass a hundred times when he was their age. Mostly because Nana let me kick his ass so he could learn some martial arts.
Too bad he forgot all that shit when he became All Might. Right now, he could only punch, punch more, and punch hard. Sure, controlling One For All takes skill, but would it hurt if he changed it up a little? Bah, I dunno… Toshi is an idiot.
Midoriya has his hands together casually smiling like a little fool. "Hey Inochi, I think I should warn you about something… Kacchan knows that you and Kendo kinda beat All Might…"
Sanji tilts his head in confusion. "Who's Kacchan? Is that your dog?"
Itsuka puts her arm on his shoulder. "Sanji, Kacchan is Bakugo, but he might as well be a dog. Though, he can't be as cute as Kagesuke."
"Who's Kagesuke?" Ojiro asks, then he looks up slightly to think. "Ah, don't answer that question. I remember the incident with Koda."
"Y-Yeah…" Midoriya rubs the back of his neck. "Anyway uhm, Kacc—I mean Bakugo isn't too happy with you, Inochi. He already wasn't too happy after your interview with Present Mic, but after hearing that you beat All Might… He thinks you're trying to 'show him up' or something like that…"
"So basically, he wants to kill me," Sanji says, which makes Itsuka roll her eyes in disgust. Midoriya and Ojiro nod.
Itsuka groans, sounding pretty irritated with Midoriya's best friend. "I'm surprised Bakugo hasn't gotten any disciplinary action. I mean, even I got disciplinary action back in our Battle Trials—Ibara too! And Kamakiri."
Sanji frowns. "That's because you tried to punch him, Itsuka. If it wasn't for me, you would've broken his nose."
The two 1-A kids exchange a quick look with one another. Ah, they probably didn't know about the incident that took place during their Battle Trials. Ojiro chimes, "Only a punch? Bakugo threatened to kill Sero, Kaminari, and Midoriya during the Battle Trial. I mean, in his match against Midoriya, he almost killed him."
Sanji's mouth goes wide. "Eh? I mean, I blew up Setsuna myself but I made sure I missed."
"Ah, I remember that…" Midoriya says, swaying his body back and forth. He's one of those kids who can't keep still. "At the time, Bakugo had amazing control over Explosions which was my biggest obstacle, especially since I hadn't developed Full Cowling yet. With what Ojiro's talking about, I barely dodged that explosion."
Itsuka chuckles a little, leaning more against Sanji. "Either way, I'm still kinda surprised that Bakugo gets let off with those kinds of stuff. I guess having a really powerful Quirk has that effect on people."
Sanji clicks his tongue. "Itsuka," he disapprovingly says.
"Aw c'mon, I didn't say anything too mean!" Itsuka defends herself, but the look in her eyes say she concedes. She stops leaning against Sanji to stand alone on her two feet. "Anyway, let's talk about something else."
"Oh, can you tell us how exactly your fight with All Might went?" Midoriya asks. He looks around for something… Ah, must be his notebook. His backpack is right next to me.
"Midoriya boy, you looking for this?" I ask him, taking out one of his notebooks with a pen attached to the metal spine. He nods and runs over, taking the notebook with a soft "Thank you" under his breath. Alright, time to eavesdrop on these kids' conversation some more.
Sanji laughs, scratching the back of his head. "Seeing as you're about to take notes, I oughta be a bit descriptive. So uhm, well… Skipping the first part of the fight since Itsuka and I got pummeled by All Might, we had to fight him on equal grounds—no motorcycles, just our fists. First, Itsuka fought him for...two minutes?"
He looks at Itsuka for help; she nods. "Yup, about two minutes. I wasn't as agile as Sanji, but I managed to dodge most of All Might's attacks since his technique is really easy to predict. All he does is punch. Knowing that, I fought him face-to-face because if I try to fight him from a distance, he could use his wind pressure to immediately end the fight."
Sanji takes over, "Mhm. After Itsuka had her two minutes, I had my six minutes. My endurance was really tested, especially since I was pretty injured when I began to fight him. I basically did the same thing as Itsuka. However, there were a few times where All Might could use his wind pressure, I managed to keep fighting. Really, the battle began to shift once I began to attack the left side of his chest. He has an injury there—"
"How did you know that?!" Midoriya suddenly shouts. Oh boy, right… That's the injury that All For One gave Toshi… The room goes silent as the three of them look at Midoriya, who blushes from embarrassment. "S-Sorry… How did you know he was injured?"
Sanji clears his throat. "Uhm, well… It was more of an accident—Actually, it was completely an accident. I wasn't intentionally aiming for that spot. I happened to come across it and it worked out in my favor."
Itsuka sighs and puts a hand on her hip. "Yeah… Once Sanji nearly killed himself again —"
He interrupts, "You and Hayami are still mad about that, huh?"
"Of course!"
"Itsuka!"
"Sanji! I—Never mind, we're not gonna argue in front of our friends." Sanji pouts and crosses his arms, looking away. In fact, he's looking right at me with eyes that say, What am I going to do with your granddaughter? I shrug. Marry her. Sanji smirks and turns back to his friends. "Okay, so I fought All Might for about ten seconds. The only reason I won was because I awakened to a new aspect of my Quirk which allows me to store the force or energy of an impact and release it within my next attack. With Big Fists, you can imagine how hard I punched All Might."
"You punched him pretty good from what I heard," I say, finally entering the conversation. Everyone smiles when I walk up. At least they can respect their elders. "Itsuka inherited my Quirk along with her father's, so they pretty much combined together. It's great, but it also means she needs to train more. When I first had Reversal, whenever I got hit, I had to release that energy with my next attack, which is where Itsuka is at. Through a lot of near-death experiences, I was at a point where I can constantly store energy from multiple sources and release it whenever I want."
Itsuka hums. She isn't complaining about more training. That's my granddaughter. "Yup! Not only do I have to master my dad's Quirk, but also my grandpa's. When I mastered both, I'll be a damn good Hero. I mean, my regular punches alone have gotten pretty impressive. Sanji, be my dummy for a sec."
Sanji sighs, already wincing from the pain. "Alright…" He separates from the group, standing in the middle of the training mat. Itsuka walks with him standing about five meters away. Ah, she's gonna show everyone the thing . "Hit me good, Itsuka," Sanji says.
"Mhm! Hyah—!"
WHOOSH!
"Woah!"
"Wind pressure?!"
With a single punch—with her normal-sized hands no less—Itsuka produced a small amount of wind pressure that hit Sanji from five meters away, who didn't move an inch. It's not that impressive overall, but it shows everyone Itsuka's potential. Turning to Ojiro and Midoriya, Itsuka explains, "After my fight with All Might, I trained a little bit to see where I was at. Surprisingly enough, I started to create small amounts of wind just like how All Might does—and technically you too, Midoriya. All my hard work is paying off. Though, it's just a small gust. Gotta keep grinding it out, I say!"
"I swear, if everyone awakens to a new part of their Quirk, I'm gonna be so disappointed in myself," Sanji, who is legally Quirkless, says. Poor man… I—
Bzzt bzzt!
That's my phone, and it's Toshi! Better take this call outside. "An idiot is calling me. Better take this outside. Besides, I oughta give you kids some time alone without an old man bugging ya."
"See ya, Grandpa."
"Take care, Master Kendo!"
"Mhm!"
"S-See you!"
I leave the room, answering the phone. "Toshinori Yagi, still alive?"
Toshi clears his throat. I can hear him moving around in a very squeaky rolly chair. What a dork. "Master Kendo! Glad you picked up! Can I take up a few minutes of your time?"
"Of course. Anything for my former student who forgot everything I taught him. Is that why you're calling me instead of visiting me personally? Because you're afraid of me kicking your ass?" I ask him.
A few seconds of silence go by.
"Perhaps. Anyway, that isn't the point! I was wondering if you are going to I-Island for the I-Expo event. I'm personally taking Young Midoriya there myself. And…"
"You're gonna meet David again, right?"
"Yes… I haven't seen my old friend for a long time. You haven't' answered my question though."
"Mhm. Pretty sure Tokage is taking my kids there too, so Hayami and I might as well tag along with them. We haven't worked out the exact details yet, but we're definitely going unless something unexpected happens."
"Hehe, that's good. It seems that something always comes up, doesn't it? No matter what, we can handle whatever is thrown our way. Your young ones especially can."
"Yeah, how does your chest feel?"
"Haha, very funny, Master Kendo. But, may I thank you?"
"For what?"
"Everything that you did for me. You helped me control my power when I was only a teenager. Now, you're training the one who will carry my torch. Not only that, you're also training two very amazing young Heroes who will help bring Japan in a grander light. You are a great man, Master Kendo."
"Jeez Toshi, it's just our kids. I'm not telling them what to do or what they should focus on. They're deciding that all on their own. I'm simply there to ensure that they're doing it right."
"Ha, don't sell yourself so short… Please, keep doing what you're doing. If you need something, anything, don't hesitate to call me."
"Of course. Is that all?"
"Actually, I would like to ramble a bit about David. Would you mind?"
"Go ahead. I'm all ears."
Setsuna Tokage
Two weeks. I-Expo is in two weeks. The big guys of the Meta Liberation Army will be there, especially Rikiya Yotsubashi, also known as Re-Destro. Okichi gave me more information about who else is participating. One of them is Koku Hanabata, the leader of the Hearts and Mind Party. Surprisingly enough, the actual Liberation Party, the party that is based off of the M.L.A., doesn't seem to be associated with them! It's either that or a very good ploy, but they don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Kizuki Chitose, A.K.A. Curious, will be there… Jeez, there'll be so many others at I-Expo.
But Okichi gave me more of a concrete plan. He brought a device—called T.R.I.P. (I don't know what the acronym means)—that plugs into a computer, which will be a laptop in this case, which bypasses the computer's security. There, it copies all of the computer's files. Then T.R.I.P. transfers the files into a flash drive that is connected to it on the other end. I don't wanna know where Okichi brough this thing from, but it's useful alright. I mean, with this, it should be a simple plan, right? All we have to do is catch one of the M.L.A. members with their pants down, get their laptop, plug in T.R.I.P, copy their data, take the flash drive, and get out without them knowing. Considering how chaotic I-Expo can be, especially when they're very important people in the economic world, they wouldn't think twice about this. If we do everything right.
If not, then we will be in a whole world of trouble. We could have a fight, which is never good. Yet the odds of that actually happening are slim. I doubt Re-Destro would fight me in a convention with a lot of witnesses. Though, I cannot rule the possibility out. It's like dying to a landshark when you live in America, specifically in the Midwest. The chances of you dying to one is pretty damn low, but it's not zero .
Let's say that Okichi and I pull off this plan successfully. We can give this information to the Commission and they can handle everything from there. Congrats, we helped the Heroes out! When the second advent comes, they're prepared to fight M.L.A. and any Heroes who happen to work for them.
Dad will obviously hate this decision because he doesn't trust the Commission whatsoever. He only trusts himself… I guess that reflects how he views his other relationships, especially those who are close to him—other than his family of course.
But…
If I tell this crazy proposal to my friends, they will tell me to follow through. Itsuka will say that I'm crazy, but tell me that I should do it anyway, Sanji has full faith that I can handle something like this, Ibara will obviously do anything to fight against evil, Togaru will tell me to "fuck their shit up", Jurota will be polite about it… Basically, they will tell me to take some damn initiative and do it.
I mean… Logically speaking, this is the right choice. I would be helping the Commission fight against villainy, and that's always a plus! I remember Okichi's arguments to convince me to join him, and they make a lot of sense surprisingly!
Ethnically speaking, this is a no-brainer. Legarde said to always take Heroic Action, and this is the definition of Heroic Action. By remaining idle, I will be dooming Japan to a surprise attack! People can and will die!
So…
I think Aristotle would be happy. I appealed to pathos, ethos, and logos—his three appeals. I know Dad will be mad, but I'm doing this!
I'm gonna do this!
I take out my phone, open up "Messages", Okichi's number, and text: "hey". Yup, just one word. He won't—
Beep!
Oh, he replied instantly.
Okichi: "Finally! I didn't have to bug you this time!"
Me: "yeah, i got an answer"
Okichi: "And…?"
Me: "let's do it"
Okichi: "Splendid! How about we talk in person?"
Me: "about the plan?"
Okichi: "No, about the effects of a heroism society on infants"
Okichi: "Of course it's about the plan!"
Me: "alright alright, don't get sassy"
Me: "what did babies do to you?"
Okichi: "No comment"
Heh…
Well shit, I did it.
The final chapter of Final Exams is here! The next chapter will head immediately into the I-Expo Arc where Class 1-B will fight the Meta Liberation Army!
Onward to I-Island!
Post-chapter stuff:
Crunch Time: Let me be honest with you, I rushed through this chapter. I didn't have much time to write so I just sat down and just said, "Fuck it. I need to write." As a result, you get this mess of a chapter. I'm a bit disappointed that I had to cut it close, but the chapter is done and completed! Of course, it had to be the chapter clocking in at 26k words, making it the longest chapter to date. Anyway, I'm sorry if anything seems "rushed" to you, because I definitely rushed to write the entire chapter within a week. I hope you like it though! Because...
Rin: Hiryu Rin, also known as Lin Fei-Long! Rin's scene isn't so much about his fight but it's an introduction to his character arc. As you find out, he is the only son in the current generation of the Fei-Long Family where he isn't born with Astral—a super powerful Quirk! In fact, Lian Fei-Long, the eldest son, has an AP Level of over 17,000AP! For reference, All Might's AP Level is 15,000, which means Lian is *stronger* than All Might on paper. Throughout the story, you'll begin to see more of Rin's family and more of the world as a whole. The Fei-Long is simply one part of the international world of Monoma: Of course, we have the Phantom Thief. Monoma's character arc revolves around his internal struggle to be something great. However, his circumstances say otherwise. He needs to rely on others, and if you want to be great, you *need* to stand alone, but that is impossible for Monoma. He understood this at a young age. With being bullied (because he was legally Quirkless at the age of 5 and having a "villainous" Quirk), he began to accept a persona of himself being an "Anti-Hero" of sorts. Then out comes this bastard named Sanji, who is pretty damn similar to Monoma, but everyone adores him for being the ideal image of a Hero. Thus, Monoma begins to resent Sanji for being everything he could have been: hidden Quirk that is super powerful, selfless, adored by all, et cetera. However, because Monoma accepted that he has to be unheroic, he also accepted that he was a bad person. He called himself "selfish" in a negative connotation and repeatedly insisted on being the "bad guy", especially towards 1-A. Yet, thanks to Hayami, he began to see things in a different light. Monoma was so convinced that he was San
ji's foil that he was, in effect, a bad person, so he wouldn't see that he is more similar to Sanji than he originally thought. He cares a lot about his friends and even endangered his own health by using Blood Control on Mister Kan (thanks DrZenkai for that idea) just to ensure that Kaibara and Shishida would pass! Really, Monoma wants his friends to succeed just like Sanji, but they do it in a different method.
Thanks to Hayami, she points out these details to him! As a result, Monoma gets to see himself in a better light. With 1-B coming in to check up on him, he ultimately feels better about his own self-image and his own ideals. From the beginning, he wanted to be a Hero because he wanted to be the protagonist of a story that's greater than himself. Thanks to this fight, he feels like he's exactly that.
Hayami: Hey, we finally get a POV of her! She provides Monoma a better outlook on himself and that Sanji isn't what he seems. (You'll see this come up again later.) With her talk with All Might, let's say it's some form of foreshadowing and leave it at that. Really, Hayami's POV is important because we get information on Itsuka's father, Kaito, and how she views heroism as a whole. She will be on the other side of the spectrum with her disliking heroism as a whole. She provides a unique perspective which, like a true mother, makes people think.
Final Scenes: Oh God, Itsuka is strong. She has both Reversal and Big Fists in her hands (pun not intended). Not only that, she's so strong that she's able to produce *wind pressure* just like All Might and Deku. She didn't need One For All to power her up! She did that all on her own! Though, her wind pressure is basically a regular gust of wind, but it shows that she can be *a lot* stronger in the future. At some point, you can expect that she'll be so strong that she could rival All Might one way or another. And with Setsuna's scene, it definitely sets up I-Expo one way or another. Really, all I needed to do was have her say "Let's fucking do it" to Okichi and it'll happen. I already revealed the antagonist back in HCT, and her toiling over the decision before Final Exams, so all I needed was an answer.
But of course, this means we can finally do something other than exams! *I* can get to write something other than fight scenes for a little while! Yay! I hope you enjoy this chapter y'all!
