A whole week had passed since the double date between Team Miraculous and Team Dekuravity. Seeing that leaving in the middle of the week would not be fair to their temporary classmates, Marinette and Adrien opted instead to leave during the weekend. This gave them enough time to formally enjoy the week of hero academics, in-home cooking provided by some of Class 2-A, and even gave them a chance to meet some of Class B and Eri.
Eri...well, she and Marinette clicked almost instantly.
With it almost being a whole year since she was rescued by the heroes, Eri was still a little nervous being around new people, but the aura that Marinette gave off drew her in. Being a part-time babysitter back home gave her that feeling, and adopting Alya's mystical 'adventures' as a unicorn definitely helped her out. There were a few days where Marinette didn't show up to class without the little one in her arms or on her back.
With Mr. Aizawa nearby just in case.
One day, during lunch, they all sat together and the Miraculous duo got the chance to enjoy Lunch Rush's food. Opting to try Deku's favorite pork cutlet bowl, Marinette found a new comfort food as soon as she took a bite.
Sitting between her and Adrien was Eri as she played with some chicken and mashed potatoes. A shiny apple sat next to her tray, begging to be eaten. Tikki and Plagg were sitting on their chosen's heads with their favorite foods. "So...you guys rode an alligator dragon?" Eri wondered.
Adrien chuckled. "The rock and roll villain that controlled people with his guitar didn't stay with you?"
Sero, sitting across from him laughed. "Dude, Danny Phantom did it first," he said.
"True, but ours had an alligator dragon. Ember didn't."
"Dude, she flew on her guitar and had flaming hair," the tape hero said.
"W-Who's Ember? Is she a bad guy?"
"She's bad, but she's so damn cool!" Sero exclaimed.
Jiro slammed her cup down. "No swearing around Eri!" She jammed Sero with her earphone jack, shocking him.
Adrien's eyes were wide. "That looks like it hurts," he said.
Kaminari walked by Adrien with his food in hand. "Oh it does. Trust me," he said.
"Wait, isn't your Quirk Electrification? Shouldn't you be immune to it?" Marinette wondered, holding her hand over her mouth.
Kaminari chuckled. "Jiro is a whole different level," he said.
"That's right Jammin-Yay!" She declared.
"Ya know, maybe I won't let you charge your phone later. Just so you know," he said as he walked away, sporting a small smile as he sat down.
Marinette, watching the whole interaction, chuckled. "Yeah, I'm getting nothing from those two," she said sarcastically.
"Really, because I'm getting a whole lot of s-"
A bonk on the head with a cafeteria tray shut him up. As Adrien rubbed his head, Marinette turned to Eri. "So...I love your little horn," she said.
Eri's hand went to the horn. It had grown again but it wasn't too big so it wasn't hurting her. "T-Thank you. I heard the teachers say my Quirk is in here," she said.
"Oh?"
Eri nodded. "They say I can we-we, uh...we-"
"'Rewind'," Midoriya said as he reached over to place a hand on her head and smiled.
Eri smiled back. "Re-Rewind."
Midoriya nodded and tussled her hair. "I can Wewind people. It feels weird," Eri said.
Marinette cracked a smile. "That's pretty cool Eri. Can it work like healing?" She asked Midoriya.
Midoriya nodded. "Just like Abigail, really. Though I wonder if that counts as healing."
"It does," a female voice said behind him.
Midoriya turned to see Abigail Winters standing behind him with a tray in her hands. "Abigail..."
She meekly waved at the heroes at the table. "H-Hey everyone. L-Look, I uh...I want to apologize for the trouble I caused," she said.
Bakugo, sitting a few seats away, glared at her. "Apologies aren't gonna cut it Robo-Brat!"
Abigail's jaw dropped. "R-Robo-Brat? Seriously?!"
Bakugo stood up. "Yeah, that's right Bi-" He turned to see Eri sitting there, staring at him. "-Uh...er..."
Marinette stood up. "I think you're done now Bakugo. Chill out or something," she said.
"I can help with that," Todoroki said as he lifted his right hand.
"Don't you dare touch me you half-and-half punk!"
Todoroki smiled and returned his attention to his soba. "I miss being called a 'half and half bastard'" he jokingly said.
"I'LL END YOU!"
Some of the students laughed. "Anyway, I'm sorry for attacking you all. I let my emotions get in the way of rational thinking and I ended up hurting people. Before all of this, I honestly thought that Quirks were just nature's way of oppressing normal people," she said.
Marinette said nothing as Abigail set her tray down and bowed to them. "I hope you will forgive me, even though I don't deserve it," she said.
Midoriya glanced to Uraraka for a moment. They locked glances and she nodded after a few seconds. He stood up and returned the bow. "I know what's it's like to be on the other side of Quirk domination. Your anger was completely justified," he said.
Bakugo turned to look at the young inheritor. Uraraka's smile grew wide while the rest of his class all wore confused looks. Abigail looked up to him and smiled. "T-Thank you."
Midoriya sat back down after another moment. "Where have you been anyways?" Marinette asked. "The teachers weren't helpful."
"I was with Recovery Girl. Turns out, my Quirk is a dual-part power," she said. "See, I'm in a constant state of regeneration. It explains why I haven't been sick at all in my life. Not even airsickness hit me when my dad and I came here."
"Interesting..." Midoriya mumbled.
"And the other part is too. Recovery Girl gave it a name for me to experiment with, calling it Transfusion. Basically, I can give someone my regeneration while I take their pain. I need to have some kind of physical contact and activate it though, so no accidentally activating it," she explained.
"Sounds painful," Jiro commented.
Abigail touched the top of her head. "It does. I first used it on Midoriya, thinking I can just heal it. But no, I took his injury while giving him regeneration to heal it. My own regeneration closed the wound shortly after."
"So if someone gets shot and you use your Quirk, it'll be like you got shot?" Kaminari wondered.
Abigail nodded. "Though, lethal injuries may not work as well. My regeneration would have to work faster than I am taking the injury, but for now..."
Suddenly, an idea formed for Midoriya. "W-Wait a minute!"
Everyone turned to him. "When we fought Overhaul, Eri was rewinding me faster than I could break my own body," he said.
"Gross," Kaminari muttered.
"May-I gotta go!" He grabbed his plate, now empty, and dashed out of the cafeteria, leaving the rest of 2-A behind.
"You want to WHAT?" All Might declared.
Midoriya turned to the door. "It's perfect, I think so. Eri's Quirk training improved so much and Abigail is getting the hang of her power, I think."
The retired hero sighed. "Look, even if she can do the job, what makes you think Eri will try? Try not to forget that she is a little girl with the ability to speak her own mind! Young Midoriya, I thought I taught you better than this!"
"You did, All Might. But she cares about Mirio like a big brother. I'm thinking that she still feels somewhat responsible for what happened to his Quirk. If she and Abigail can restore his Quirk, then they both benefit. Mirio gets his Quirk back and Eri gets her hero back. Plus, she's been training to get his Quirk back anyway," Midoriya argued.
All Might sighed. "All Might, think about it. It might be dangerous if she goes in to rewind Mirio in case she panics. Rewinding Abigail as she's transferring his injury to her will keep her from losing her Quirk in the process," he finished.
All Might tapped the pencil he had on the table. "Principal Nezu, what do you think?"
The cuddly principal sat next to All Might in his own chair. "Honestly, he has a point. The reason we have Eri training her Quirk is exactly for this reason. She feels like she owes it to Togata to get his Quirk back. I feel like WE owe it to him too. Plus, it would be an excellent way for them both to train. Abigail's first big assignment and Eri's final trial in breaking from Overhaul's shadow," he said.
All Might nodded. "While Eri is physically safe from Chisaki and has learned to live without fear, Togata's condition remains the final trial. Overcoming this will not only offer her closure, but start a new path for her in life. It'll give her a chance to grow as a person freed from these shackles," Nezu concluded.
"You're right. Just like telling you to stop mimicking me in terms of combat allowed you to expand your horizons. Your Black Whip training is coming along beautifully and if I'm hearing right, you're testing the waters with Float, right?"
Midoriya nodded. "We will talk it over some more with the teachers. However, you must discuss this with Eri. I don't want us throwing her into a situation without her knowing," Principal Nezu said.
"You got it sir. Thank you," Midoriya said as he bowed to them before leaving.
Once the door closed, All Might sighed. "You know, I was half expecting him to suggest you should get the treatment," Principal Nezu admitted.
"Me too, and I'm glad he didn't," he said as his hand hovered over his injury. "As much as I want to be returned to normal, this is a part of me now. I am who I am today because of this."
Principal Nezu sighed. "Our obstacles define us, Toshinori. Our scars tell our story," he said.
All Might nodded.
A few days had passed since Midoriya mentioned his plan to the teachers. He talked about his idea to Eri while Uraraka and the others who were apart of the raid were there. Nejire and Amajiki were also informed and gave their two cents to the plan.
Ultimately, it was Eri's decision. She held a shiny red apple in her hand and stared at it. "Lemillion saved me, and he lost his Quirk. I want to give it back to him," she said.
And so, with her consent, the plan was put in motion. Mirio was still in the area and living with his parents when he got the call from U.A. Elated to hear that Eri was well enough in her Quirk training to give it a try, he made his way to the 2-A dorms where they were all in attendance.
In the third floor room where Snipe was, Mirio sat on the bed and facing the young heroes he had fought with during the Overhaul fight along with Marinette and Adrien. Eri was with him on the bed, showing him some drawings and some toys she had. As Mirio interacted with her, Mr. Aizawa, Snipe, Recovery Girl, and Abigail all entered the room.
Mirio looked up to see Abigail. "Oh hello! You must be Abigail Winters!" He said as he stood up, causing Eri to fall over onto the cushions. "Sorry Eri!"
"Mff MoMay," she said into the cushion before she picked herself back up.
Mirio chuckled. "I'm Mirio Togata. It's nice to meet you!" He said as he bowed.
Abigail was taken back. "Y-You don't know what I did?"
"Oh I know, but you're picking yourself back up, right? Being a good guy...or gal, right? Turning over a new leaf?"
"Y-Yes...?"
"Then you're alright with me!"
Abigail smiled. "Alright you two, that's enough," Mr. Aizawa said. "Togata, you ready?"
"I'm ready, Freddie!"
"I'm not Freedie," Aizawa said.
"I am," Snipe said.
Kirishima and the other students laughed as Abigail rounded the bed. "Alright Eri, just like before. Focus on keeping the water pressure just right. Keep the valve at the level you're comfortable with," Mr. Aizawa said.
Marinette leaned over to where Midoriya was. "What's he talking about?"
Midoriya leaned to her. "Before, Eri didn't know how to activate her Quirk. She used to activate it on a whim so it took some time. We found a trigger and gave her a better way of thinking about it. She thinks about standing at a dam and she's discharging some excess water. She has control of the valve that releases the water, so she uses that to funnel her energy," he explained.
Marinette looked back at Eri. "She must have a powerful Quirk..." she wondered.
"She does. She could revert a person back to nothing if she isn't careful, but that's why Mr. Aizawa is here. It's just in case she panics," he said.
Marinette nodded as Abigail breathed in. Recovery Girl rested a hand on her back. "You got this sweetie. Remember to keep your breathing cycle calm," she said.
"I will," Abigail said.
"I'll be right here Eri just in case, alright? You got this," Mr. Aizawa said.
Mirio tussled her hair. "Ready kiddo?"
Eri nodded, flashing a strong smile. She moved to the side and waited for Abigail to get on the bed. "Ready," she said.
"Let's rock and roll!" Mirio declared.
Abigail channeled her energy into her hands, watching them glow gold and emitting the same mist as before. Eri scooted behind her and had her hands hover over her back. The former villain pressed her hands onto his back at the same time Eri pressed her hands on her.
The golden mist from Abigail's Quirk enveloped Mirio. The former villain winced as she felt a sharp pain in her lower back. "O-Oh damn that hurts!"
"Sweetie, what's going on?" Recovery Girl exclaimed.
"I'm getting some serious pains coming from his lower back. Organ damage, I think, but I don't know..."
"Mirio's Quirk Factor. It must be there," Mr. Aizawa mentioned. "But, with Eri's Quirk you shouldn't feel that."
Abigail shrugged. "I can, but I can still regenera-oh no..."
The golden glow of the mist started to die down, earning sounds of distress from the people in the room. "Abigail, what's wrong?" Uraraka exclaimed.
"I-I can't keep going. M-My Quirk!"
"Eri?"
Eri's eyes were shut as she pressed her hands onto Abigail's back. Her horn was glowing, as it should've, however she wasn't rewinding like she was supposed to. Her eyes were watering with tears as she started to whimper. "I-I can't do it..."
Midoriya saw her start to cry and immediately jumped into action. He slipped to the other side of the bed and placed a hand on Eri's back. Marinette was about to jump in as well, but he saw him slowly rubbing her back and whispering to her.
As he whispered to her, the glow from Eri's horn started to increase in strength. Abigail's glow started to grow stronger as well, leading Marinette to wonder what he was saying to calm her down. She watched him turn his attention to Abigail and Mirio and relax next to the little girl. He then started to hum a little song and tap his leg to the beat.
Uraraka recognized some of what he was humming. It was Jiro's song Hero Too, the song that got Eri to smile for the first time.
As Abigail's Quirk continued to heal Mirio, the young man in question started to strain from the regeneration. "T-This feels so weird..." He muttered.
Abigail nodded. "I'm not feeling the effects anymore. This is working!" She exclaimed.
Midoriya continued to give Eri some attention, alternating between his humming and whispering words of encouragement to her. Mirio continued to physically react to the regeneration. "T-The damage is extensive. It's been too long since it happened, huh? But I think that I almost got I-"
"WHOAAA!"
Marinette couldn't believe her eyes as she saw Mirio sink into the bed and disappear, leaving behind all of his clothes. Abigail plopped down right on the small pile while Midoriya held Eri to keep her from doing the same. Mr. Aizawa used his Quirk on Eri, but he saw that the glowing effect on her horn had stopped once their connection was severed. When she held the young inheritor, she didn't Rewind him.
He smiled. Pretty soon, she would be able to master the basics of her Quirk.
Adrien was staring at the pile of clothes. "I-Is his Quirk the ability to shrink or something?" He wondered.
"His is Permeation. He beat all of our classmates when we first fought against him," Midoriya said. "It was great seeing him in action against the Shie Hassaikai."
A scream erupted from down below, startling everyone in the room. Mr. Aizawa and Snipe both turned to each other and ran out of the room and toward the stairs with everyone else close on their tail. Midoriya had Eri in his arms while not matching everyone else's speed.
When they arrived at the common space where they heard the scream come from, the heroes were startled to see Jiro screaming and clutching her head, keeping her eyes shut. Cereal and milk were all over the counter where she was eating, and a naked Mirio Togata was standing opposite of her and constantly apologizing.
When Midoriya and Eri arrived at the bottom of the stairs, the young inheritor quickly covered her eyes and turned away. "Deku? What's going on?" She wondered.
"You don't want to know..."
"But..."
"I'll go get his pants!" Midoriya called out before he jogged back up the stairs.
Jiro didn't look up at Mirio as he apologized. Instead, she grabbed her bowl and threw it in the sink. Drowning her food in water, she then turned and ran to the stairs. "I'M GLAD YOU HAVE YOUR QUIRK BACK, BUT DAMN YOU!"
"I WASN'T EXPECTING THAT TO HAPPEN! I'M SORRY!"
She waved him off and ran to her room. Mr. Aizawa sighed and face-palmed. "Togata, what happened?"
What he said next caused Marinette and Adrien to die of laughter. "She almost ate my willie as I fell," he said while blushing maddeningly.
I'd say this story is about done. Probably one chapter left. Compared to the last few chapters, this was pretty short but I wanted to write this for a while. Until next time!
-Newage