The sound of distant rumbling didn't waver his gaze onto the screen in front of him. He impatiently tapped his claw like fingers in a rhythmic pattern on his chair. The sound of workers running around him and maintaining computers and the ships many systems. Another explosion rocked the transport ship, but this one was closer than the others. He glanced over to his side, waiting for a report.
"The shield projectors power decreased by 20%, but are still functional." A robotic voice called out. He returned to the screen, where a green and teal ship was heavily smoking from damage. It brought a sense of euphoria to him, becoming so close to the small ship's demise.
"Prepare the main canon. The Omnitrix is close to finally being in my grasp. No one will hinder my conquest! Prepare to fire now!" He ordered with his raspy voice. The workers around him buzzed around, carrying out his new order. He brought his hand up to scratch his green skin under his tendrils that adorned his face.
Vilgax was his name. A former banished criminal that turned into a galactic warlord. He brought himself from nothing into one of the most feared names in the galaxy. He had his eyes sent on a new prize, a rumored weapon beyond anything ever created before.
The Omnitrix, a weapon that would turn Vilgax and his armies into an unstoppable juggernaut. Living gods if you think about it. He didn't know what it's exact capabilities were, he just knew it's power could grant abilities beyond any life form in the universe.
He needed it, he desired it. And nothing was going to cut between him and that weapon.
"The main canon is ready to fire. On standby." A worker told him. Vilgax grinned, something that wasn't normal for him to do.
He leaned forward, ready to give the order when he realized the ship in front of him seemed to be charging their own canon. It didn't take him long for him to realize this would be stronger than the blasts they fired prior. The condition of the shields quickly came to his mind, and they would be weaker if they were devoting more power towards the cannon.
"WAIT, REROUTE POWER TO THE SHIELDS NOW-" He barked, before the world seemed to go in slow motion. The ship fired a green laser towards their bridge, and they fired back. He watched as both of their ships imploded, the blast from their own cannon ripping the ship in half and the other's ship laser had ripped into their bridge, exploding many control panels and causing shrapnel to rip into himself.
Now, he had survived many attacks. He fought in many battles. But the resulting shrapnel and explosion had ripped into him like a frail tree. The blast sent him into shock, causing the world to fade out for him. If he managed to stay conscious for a few seconds more, he would have seen on the now partially destroyed screen a small drone shot out of the destroyed vessel.
…
"You did surprisingly well tonight! You think you want to go grab a bite after school?"
"Well, I uh… Oh, Midoryia! You're better!" The girl ran off, leaving the boy by himself with a deflated spirit.
Well, maybe one day he'll get a date.
Kaminari watched as people were flocking to the flustered green haired teen. He sighed with a smile over the small group that was talking to him. He didn't expect such a large sense of union among his new class. But they managed to all somehow gravitate towards each other.
He thought a few of the students were interesting. There were the top tiers, like Bakugo and Todoroki even if they didn't have shining personalities. There were a few cute girls too. That was a plus. There also seemed to be genuine nice guys, like that Kirishima guy.
"Interesting crowd, eh?" Kaminari looked next to him and saw the guy with weird teeth and smile. If he remembered, he was the one with the tape quirk.
"Uh, Sero right?" He guessed. He didn't manage to pick up on everyone's name yet, but he did manage to remember a few quirks and loosely associate names to them.
"Yeah! You're Kaminari, right?" Sero asked, where he nodded. He held his hand for a handshake, and Kaminari had to adjust his books around to accept it. They shook before returning to the struggling kid, who Kaminari believed was named Midoriya if he remembered that's what their teacher Aizawa said.
"He seems to be fitting in well." Sero joked. Kaminari smirked.
"Well with how mister sparky was treating him, it makes sense. Although he has an uber powerful quirk, that nervousness is weird." He commented.
"Said uber powerful quirk comes with a uber powerful recoil." Sero whispered while he pointed at the boy's cast. Kaminari thought about when Aizawa called him luggage, with his quirk being a one time use. He didn't understand exactly, thinking it was a drawback like his stupid state, but after seeing that massive punch that managed to almost make the building collapse and his mutilated purple arm, he quickly got the point.
If anything, he was the textbook definition of a glass cannon.
"What about you? You seemed to almost hit your limit too." He jabbed. Kaminari thought about his own match, where if it wasn't for Jirou blasting the door down with her quirk and taking the villain duo by surprise, he would have hit his voltage limit trying to push electricity through the door. His cheeks felt warm and he ruffled his hair.
"Well, kinda. I almost pushed out too much electricity. When that happens, I just become an obstacle." He explained, not wanting to go into the detail of him becoming a blubbering idiot.
"I see, you can't use your quirk until you recharge?" Sero asked. He shrugged.
"You could say that." He was right, but it just was missing the fact he would be even more stupid for a hour afterwards.
"Anyway, it's getting late. Where are you going?" Sero asked.
"Well, I plan to go home for the night. That's all." He placed his books down as he unzipped his bag to shove the books into it in an unorganized mess. He had a slight issue zipping it backup because a binder had got caught in a zipper, but he managed to just rip it out and just cause slight damage to the binder itself.
"Man, you're a mess. Where do you go?" Sero commented. Kaminari looked over his shoulder to look at him.
"Uh, I go downtown to the eastern train station. Why?" He stood back up and slugged the bag around his shoulder, choosing to take the emphasis on only using one strap.
"Well, I'm also going there! Wanna walk together?" Sero asked.
"Sure. Doesn't sound that bad." He shrugged. The two of them walked past the few students still in the class, and walked down the hallway with the sun setting over the forests that surround the school grounds of UA and it's many facilities.
"Man, today was chaotic. Who would have guessed we would have had such a strict teacher?" Sero leaned in and asked. Kaminari thought for a second.
"Well, he is terrifying, but I think he means well. After all, it was just a fluke for us to perform better, right?" He reasoned. Sero went into thought, but shrugged.
"He just feels a little off, that's all. Felt like it was a quick change of heart." He reasoned. Kaminari shrugged at that. He didn't manage to piece much of their teacher besides he seemed to be always tired, had a really cool quirk and that he seemed hard but kind.
"Speaking of teachers, how was it with All Might? That was so cool!" Kaminari exclaimed with vigor. Sero nodded.
"It certainly was an experience. He does seem a little more awkward than I thought he would be though." He chuckled. The surprise that the number one pro was actually a teacher here, and not just that but their heroics teacher, it was a surprise and joy all together. Although, it did make Kaminari feel a little self-conscious if he was being honest. It was like standing next to a massive oak, tall and strong from years of hardship and weather.
Made him feel small, like a sapling that was just planted.
The sound of sneakers running against the floor stopped the pair, with them turning around to see a member of their class running towards them, stopping before them just short of a little breath.
"Oh, you're Kirishima right? The guy with the hardening quirk right?" Kaminari asked. The boy nodded before standing up to them. He flashed a toothy grin, and Kaminari realized his teeth were like a shark's, jagged and looked like they could tear through anything. Seemed fitting for a quirk that made the body sharper.
"I.. I overheard you guys were going to walk to the east train station. I live over there too. I was wondering if I could join you, ya know?" He asked. The two looked at each other before they smiled.
"Sure. Kirishima right?" Kaminari aske him. He nodded with a more serious grin.
"Well, welcome aboard! May this be the start of an amazing friendship." Sero held out his hand for a shake and Kirishma chuckled.
"Dude, that's super cheesy." Kirishma commented. Sero gave his own hearty chuckle.
"I know." He said.
"Well, let's get going. Who knows, maybe we'll see something interesting on the way there." Kaminari replied. The other two nodded and the trio walked forward. After a short time, their steps became synchronized as they chatted, laughed and joked.
...
He felt the bubbles push against his skin, or what remains of it. He felt the pricking of drones as they crawled along his body and shot goo into his muscles and pulled them to repair the fibers. The respirator, helping his damaged lungs, felt heavy and awkward. He slowly opened his eyes and observed outside of the tank he was in. Outside, workers were managing control panels and dials in the ship's second bridge, which was smaller and deeper into the haul of the ship.
"What.. What happened.." He ordered, with his raspy voice feeling hoarse.
"The transport ship's ion cannon put the ship's systems into critical condition, along with you. It'll be an estimated 3 weeks before we can travel again and 2 months for your own condition to be restored." There was a moment of silence as Vilgax processed the report.
"And the Omnitrix? Where is it?" His voice gave ergency, and intimidation.
"During the exchange of our two ships, the Omnitrix was placed into an escape pod and fired onto planet 12-07-05-07-07-14." A different voice said. Vilgax squinted, trying to pair that serial number to a planet. He always hated that form of identification, it was too long and specific for him. He didn't even remember what his planet's serial code was.
"What is the name of the planet?" He questioned. The worker was quiet before replying.
"...earth." He said quietly.
Earth.
EARTH?!
Vilgax felt his blood boil. He wanted to clench his fist and yell out. But he could barely feel his neck or anything downwards. He quickly thought of his plan after that.
"Send a drone to that back water planet now. Focus everything on fixing the ship, cloak it too. And skip repairing my body fully. I want to be out of here in 3 weeks." He ordered.
"But sir! We can't accelerate your healing process! We are using some of the best repair technology in the galaxy, we can't go any faster than this!" A worker told him.
"Then use cybernetics. Put my mind into a drone. I don't care. I want the Omnitrix off that damn planet and to get out of this blasted system by the end of the month." The workers nodded and the sound of clacking resumed with intensity.
'So that's what their plan was. To give the Omnitrix to those blasted human plumbers. I figured old age would have taken their primitive lives, but I guess it's only been 20 years. How long is their lifespan anyway? Either way, I can't allow the Omnitrix to fall into their hands. Maybe I'll get some bounty hunters to get that for me.' He looked up and glared at a screen showing Earth from orbit.
It was an interesting planet for sure. He remembered an era where Earth was regarded as the bottom of the barrel because of its primary species, humans, being weak and possessing no abilities of their own. But then they went through a rapid evolutionary change, and developed those things called quirks, where they could rival even the mightiest aliens in power.
That's why the planet was avoided now, not because of the general disinterest in the human population, but rather their unique genetics. Each human was different, so attack methods and weaknesses were different for each. He hated them. He hated their tenacity. He hated how most had this idea of being a hero. His hatred of them haunted him for the last 20 years, but it did provide a small benefit.
Most of the galaxy thought he had died all those years ago. In this time, he was able to slowly build his resources. It was during this time he caught wind of the Omnitrix, from a slum bar.
He relaxed slightly. This time will be different. He will have that device, even if he has to make the universe his enemy.
…
"Cellophane? Is that even a real word!?" Laughter came from the trio of boys, as they walked down a dark sidewalk, illuminated by streetlights and the crescent moon. Kaminari and Kirishima were laughing at the embarrassed Sero.
"It's a type of packaging. My quirk is tape. I just put two and two together. Then what's your idea for hero names?" Sero retorted. Kaminari thought for a bit, having not thought of this before but Kirishima replied before he could.
"I'm going for Red Riot. I think it's manly enough." Kirishima boasted.
"Would this name be based on Crimson Riot, by any chance?" Sero asked. Kirishima nodded.
"He's my role model. I strive to become as chivalrous and manly as he is. Although, my quirk isn't that flashy to be a good pro." He admitted.
"No way man. Your quirk seems perfect for hero work." Sero reassured him.
"You mean it?" He asked.
Their conversation had started to be lost on Kaminari, as he started to think towards his hero name. He never really gave it a strong thought beforehand. It obviously had to be based on electricity, otherwise it would be weird. Discharge maybe? Surge?
Or maybe he didn't have to come up with an electric based name. Maybe there was something else he could draw on. But nothing came to his mind.
He almost managed to run into Sero as the two turned into the forest they were walking along. He watched as they made their way on a dirt path with confusion.
"Wait, why are we going in here? The station isn't that way." He asked. The two turned to him.
"Oh, it's just a shortcut. The train station is on the other side of this path." Kirishima said. Kaminari tilted his head.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I go here all the time. Come on, it's getting really dark out." He waved his hand toward him and Kaminari fixed his backpack and followed suit. The walk along the path was quiet, as it seemed all conversations between the three of them had stopped. Kaminari felt like there was a pit in his stomach, like at any moment something could jump out.
He held out his hand, and created a few sparks for light. Mainly for comfort more than anything. Sero and Kirishima looked behind them at him but said nothing as they looked forward again.
Kaminari looked at the trees, which appeared to twist and become gnarly as they went forward. They looked like they would begin to reach out and grab him and then drag him to never be seen again.
Who knew a simple forest could scare him that much?
After a while of walking, they walked into a large clearing of trees. Likely used by campers who wanted to enjoy the forest and clear sky. Kaminari glanced up and looked at the sky.
He saw a shimmering star, dead center on his vision. It's faint twinkle looked funny to him in a sense, but it did look nice. He didn't remember what star it was.
Wait, he doesn't remember that star. He would definitely remember one that bright.
"Uh guys, do you remember that star?" He pointed up and the three of them stopped. They watched the star as it began to twinkle brighter.
"Is it me or is it starting to get bigger?" Kirishima asked. The size of the star did seem to rapidly increase, from a dot to what looked like a fly. The color shifted from a nice white to a warm orange. The sound of a rumble started to intensify as the air began to feel warmer.
"NOT STAR. METEOR!" Sero turned bolted behind them. Kaminari felt the feeling of something stick to the back of his neck and then pulled him back. He watched the meteor rapidly swell and then strike. A rapid shockwave expanded forward. If it wasn't for Sero's interference, it would be likely that they would have been seriously injured.
The three of them fell onto the ground, dust picking up as they slid. The world fell silent as Kaminari coughed and pushed himself up. He looked back at the crash site. The area was large enough that none of the trees were really disturbed or on fire. He heard the groaning of the other two began to stand up.
"When you said something interesting, nearly becoming a pancake wasn't on my list." Sero grunted. Kirishima nodded as they all looked at the crater.
"So, who is going to look at it?" Kirishima asked. The three looked at each other.
"Well, we just saw a meteor strike. Let's just see what it was before we alert some pros or the cops." Kirishima reasoned. The three looked at each other. The same idea started to form in the heads of the trio.
"Not it!" Sero tapped his nose.
"Not it!" Kirishima poked his own.
"Not- Damn it!" Kaminari messed up tapping his nose, and missing the chance. He looked at them, who looked smug.
"If I die from something, tell my folks I died heroically." He handed him his backpack to Kirishima and walked forward. Smoke wafted through the air, making him gag a bit before pulling up his shirt over his nose. He reached the edge and looked down. He saw what looked to be a small orb in the center, steaming from the impact.
He looked behind him, and the two gave him a thumbs up. He groaned and slowly crept over the edge and slid down the crater. He placed his hand outstretched with a crackle of electricity, but his body had a slight shiver. As he got closer, he could tell the thing wasn't a rock, but rather something that looked like a satellite. He heard a click as the orb began to open, stopping him in his tracks.
He gulped. He has this.
He took another step forward. He kept his hand outstretched, ready for anything to leap out and try to latch onto his face.
And that something did occur.
He watched as a white blob jumped out of the pod and moved towards his outstretched hand. His mind went onto full overdrive as his hand surged with sparks as the white blob wrapped around his hand. His yellow sparks were met with some green ones, before all of them becoming a solid yellow. The color of the white blob darkened till it was almost pitch black and seemed to stop moving.
He flicked his wrist. He brought the blob to his feet to scrap it off. Nothing. The thing wouldn't budge.
"You ok, Kaminari?" Sero yelled.
"Yeah! Just hold on for a second." He replied. He looked at the blob. It looked dead, whatever it was. He watched as he flexed his fingers. At least those are still functional. He looked at it again, and watched it shiver.
'Oh god. What did I do?' He watched as it seemed to vibrate and condense. It grew compact as it looked to take on an appearance like a watch, as a yellow tone appeared and began to mix with the black. He looked amazed at it's new form. It had a yellow outline around the edges of the band itself that dipped into the center for a brief moment. On the side were 3 yellow buttons, 6 in total. Overwise, it was pitch black in color.
Looked amazing for his color scheme, if he was being honest.
"What the…" He began to think this was no longer some sort of alien, as it was some form of tech. He didn't believe blobs became fashionable watches after getting stuck onto the hands of teenagers.
'Wait, if it's a watch then maybe I can remove it now!' He tried to move it off his wrist, but it wouldn't budge. Tried his feet again, pushing harder than he did before.
Then, he heard a chime.
He brought his arm back, and looked at the device. Two yellow stripes completed the edges of the watch, making a continuous loop around and making an hourglass feature on the face plate. He touched it, realizing it being cool to the touch, something you wouldn't have expected from something that just came out of orbit.
Then something else happened.
A yellow holographic interface popped up, surprising him. The display was a ring with faces along it, each one different. At the top, there was a second small box where a face was sitting in. The wheel began to slowly shift as his finger lingered, so he pulled it away. Instantly the hologram ended, leaving him confused. He looked at the buttons on the side of the watch, and pressed them. Maybe the watch could tell him the current time perhaps.
Instead, the face plate slid off, revealing a second part that popped up. It was a cylinder with the same style hourglass, except it was completely yellow at the center.
"Oh god, did I break this thing? Lemme just..." He mumbled. His other hand moved towards the cylinder, with the intent to push it back in. Just like the face plate, it was surprisingly cool to the touch as well. He began to push it back in, with no force against it. His eyes widened as a feeling crept through his stomach.
"Oh no."
Immediately, the world seemed to slow down as the watch flashed yellow. He closed his eyes, expecting the worse. The flash died down and he cautiously opened his eyes, and then looked at his wrist.
Or well, wrists.
Kaminari began to hyperventilate as he raised four almost translucent tentacles up. He looked down, to see he wasn't wearing his uniform or even his own skin. He looked like he was wearing a multilayered poncho of the same skin as his arms, with his legs now looking similar. He slowly began to reach up to his face and patted around it.
He felt a metal plating, but otherwise nothing else. He touched the top of his head, feeling only a somewhat slimy bald head. He looked over at the pod and tried to stand. It was weird at first. He quickly realized he most likely didn't have any bones, so it felt like he was walking with Silly Putty for legs. Although he managed to find balance, and with that he began walking over to the pod with his arms outstretched, wrapped up the orb and brought it up to his face.
The reflection of a blue skinned, yellow eyed monster looked back at him. He did acknowledge that there seemed to be some lightning bolt decal on his face, under his eyes. Then he noticed the metal plating he felt earlier, which was a disc which held the yellow hourglass he saw on the cylinder.
"What.. What the hell happened to me!?" He yelled, dropping the orb. He looked down at his 4 arms, and flexed them. They seemed to work like hands at least. He grabbed the faceplate, in a desperate attempt to pull it off. The face plate seemed to be melded into whatever you can call his skin at this point, as it tugged at it.
He looked at his body. His now more jellyfish-like body. He wanted to cry. What happened to him? He turned into a freak. That watch turned him into a freak of nature.
Wait, can he still use his quirk?
He outreached his hand, and was about to attempt it when he heard the sound of a slight gasp. He glanced behind him, to see Kirishima and Sero staring at him in disbelief. He looked at his new body for a brief moment before looking at them.
"Look, I think I have an explanation?" He questioned.
"What the hell did you do to Kaminari!?" Sero questioned with his elbow raised. He heard Kirishima sharpen as the two of them seemed primed and ready to spring into action to attack him. He gulped, or at least had a feeling akin to that. Does he even have a throat or saliva now?
"I'm not a enemy! Or a villain!" He pleaded. He waved his tendrils around in his defense and the boys tensed more, looking more prone to pounce.
"Then prove it!" Kirishima yelled. He thought for a second. Maybe if he can prove it was him, then they would understand and back down.
"The two of you are students at UA. Correct?" He asked. The two looked at themselves before looking back at him. Not enough, Kaminari thought.
"Sero, you want your hero name to be Cellophane, because it's a packaging material like your quirk. Kirishima, you wanted to be called Red Riot, because Crimson Riot is your inspiration. You two were on the same team for the battle trials today! Come on, just don't attack me!" He pleaded. The eyes of the two widened as their defenses lowered.
"Kaminari? Is that you?" Kirishima asked.
"Yeah." He replied. The two looked between themselves and then back at Kaminari.
"What happened? Is this a part of your quirk?" Sero asked. Kaminari, if he had the ability to do complex facial expressions, would have most likely looked at them like they were idiots.
"Why yes it is, I wanted to transform into a giant jellyfish. I love that part of my quirk." He sarcastically commented. The two hopped down into the crater and walked until they were closer to Kaminari. He barely managed to be taller than the two of them now. The two looked at his form closer, with Sero poking his faceplate.
"What even happened? All we saw was a yellow flash and then you yelled." Kirishima asked.
"Well, you won't believe me. So as I approached the meteor, it turns out it wasn't a rock but a metal pod." He looked behind him a few feet behind him and reached towards the pod.
What he didn't expect was for his arm to stretch out to retrieve it. The three just looked at his arm as it brought the pod forward.
"That's something." Sero said.
"I have stretchy arms? How?" He questioned.
"Maybe your quirk mutated into a Mutant based one!" Kirishima reasoned. He tried to think about how he did that. He thought about it again, and his arms began to lengthen as they spiraled. He mentally chuckled. It was kinda cool.
"Well anyway, so as I got closer to the pod, it opened up and this white blob leapt out at me. I managed to shock it until it turned black when it grasped my arm-" He started.
"Wait, it went after your arm?" Sero asked.
"Yeah. It'll kinda make sense in a bit." Kaminari explained.
"So I fry it so bad that it turns black. I'm thinking this thing is going to kill me, so I try to take it off, only I can't. A little bit later, the blob starts to morph into this really cool watch-" He explained to the two of them, trying to keep it coherent.
"Wait, a watch? What's a watch doing in space?" Kirishima asked.
"I.. I don't know. Maybe the watch is a government experiment on quirk mutations." Kaminari theorized.
'Well, continue." Sero said.
"Ok so, it turns into this super sleek watch. I tried to take it off then, only for it to make a noise and for it to look like it turned on. I touch the plate and this holographic display with faces on it pops up. I let go of it and press the side buttons, expecting a clock. Instead, the face place slides off and a cylinder pops up. I thought I broke it so I pushed it back in and then I became this thing." He finished.
The two looked at him puzzled.
"Is it permanent?" Kirishima asked.
"I don't know.. I don't even know if I still have my quirk." He confessed with a tone of sadness.
"Have you tried to use it?" Kirishima said. Kaminari looked at his hand and focused. He felt that tinge of electricity as his hand began to spark with blue electricity. If he could, he would be grinning ear to ear.
"I guess I can." He pointed his arm out, and discharged the bolt. Normally, he wouldn't have done this with two of his friends so close, but his happiness had clouded his judgement at that moment.
The bolt leapt off his tendril, and traveled forward. The bolt struck a rock that fell out during the crash, and scorched it. The trio looked in awe as Kaminari slowly began to look at his hands.
"I can control my quirk…" He mumbled.
"That's actually cool. You retained your quirk and you uh, look interesting." Kirishima said. Kaminari continued to stare at his sparking hand.
"Kaminari? You ok?" Sero asked, making a motion to try and settle him down with a hand to the shoulder, except Kaminari lacked shoulders now.
"Guys, I can actually control my quirk! I can.. I can fight now!" He explained. The two boys widened before Sero chuckled.
"I guess getting turned into a weird freak of a monster was the solution to that. Why don't we go home now? I rather not get involved with some cops or some government task force. I guess we wouldn't want... Oh god, what'll happen at school? Do you have to change your name or something?" Sero realized. Kaminari thought for a second.
Maybe he could come up with a new hero name. With the mix of him now of being some sort of jellyfish, he could work with something. Stunfisk? Nah, that might get copyright laws against him. Jellyfritz? No.. that seemed a little corny and a little too lazy.
Well he seemed to shoot out electricity still and seemed to breath fine despite looking aquatic, so was he amphibious?
Hmm, amphibious.
"Kaminari? Are you ready?" Sero asked.
"I think I have a hero name now." The duo looked at him.
"Ampfibian." He said.
"Alright. Amphibian, seems nice. Don't see what your point with that name is." Sero thought with amusement.
"No, not Amphibian. Amp - fibian. It's a combination of amplify and amphibian itself." Kaminari explained to them, giving emphasis with his tendrils.
"And you said me going with Cellophane was a weird idea." Sero snarked. Kirishima chuckled and Kaminari sighed.
"Well, at least things couldn't get any worse." He mumbled.
But with any instance of that phrase being muttered, something did in fact happen. A loud beeping and red blinking came from his plate. He looked down as a red flash engulfed everyone's vision. Kaminari looked down.
Down onto his human hands
"Aww… come on!" Kaminari yelled out.