Melissa Shield, the foremost expert on Izuku's powers and radiation, had been transported to U.A. something she normally would have taken pleasure in, but could only feel deep-seated anxiety as she watched one of her best friends float in a chamber looking gaunt, with dull scales, and highly burned skin. "C'mon Izuku, you can beat this," she whispered amongst the silently whirring equipment, resting her hand against the container the young King rested in.
Meanwhile, Mina, 1-A's other titan, raged in a boron room. Orange light blasted from her antenna as she desperately tried to defeat an opponent only she could see. Her stingers erupted from her arms, with which she performed a dance of violence and death, her voice rising to a scream as she vented, her antenna glowing in her rage. A cry left her lips as she unleashed a blast stronger than anything she'd previously done and chipped her antenna. The pain beat out the rage and Mina fell to her knees sobbing.
Momo, who had been Izuku's friend for 4 years, let out a frustrated sigh. She was pouring through her Yaoyorictionary in an attempt to find a weapon that would have let her defeat the Nomu before Izuku was forced to go thermal-nuclear. Stubbornly, she whipped the tears that formed in her eyes away, she would not cry till she'd made herself better.
Tsuyu, never the most emotional of girls, merely sat in her room. Holding Eri and Satsuki as they sobbed, another nightmare having woken them up, not at all helped the image of their protector in a tube bobbing around lifelessly. The deep bags under her eyes told any who looked at her, just how little sleep she'd gotten. And most of it wasn't from comforting the distraught girls.
Setsuna, the least affected of the girls, cursed for the hundredth time that hour. People often forget her gifted strategic mind in the face of her personality, and yet, despite this gift, she's been unable to produce a strategy that would have won the day and saved Izuku. And like her fellow recommended student, she cried quiet tears as this fact sunk in.
Others were similarly affected, such as their teacher Aizawa, who trained himself to the point of exhaustion and only stopped when Midnight put him to sleep. All Might, Toshinori Yagi, turned his fury towards One For All, the embers within him growing to a small fire. A flame that grew bigger with the shame he felt at having been absent for the incident.
Power Loader, the tech head of U.A. had been in a sleep-deprived frenzy; designing and redesigning the security and communication systems, helped by his greatest student Mei, who'd taken it hard that despite her cutting edge tech, paired with the best of the Shield Tech, had not been enough to tile the balance.
The rest of 1-A were shaken, Tenya especially, one of their numbers had been forced to use a potentially lethal ability to save them, and Tenya had not been there to help him. Yet, despite this upset, 1-A found their steel. Slowly, painstakingly, slowly, they began to rise, to overcome the trial they'd been forced to endure. And as they did, something, someone, else began to stir.
The world whispered to him. Praising him for his defense of his betrothed and territory. It also warned him of something coming, something dangerous. And Izuku's eyes opened, glowing with power as he took in this warning and vowed to be ready.
Naturally, the first thing Izuku did when he was fully conscious was; break the glass tube. He flared his thermal power for a moment and flash dried himself, then grabbed the trousers and shirt of his uniform and stalked away. The King had awoken, and he was very hungry and very, very grouchy. And in that somewhat volatile combination, he wasn't as mindful of his actions as he perhaps should have been. After all, leaving a trail of glass and suspiciously red liquid from a tube conjures certain images to mind.
Alarms blared, student and staff alive scoured the considerably vast campus of the university, a veritable stampede of peoples of all shapes and sizes. Running around much like a chicken with its head lobed off. And yet, it was the little ones who found him first. And it was them who summoned the others, who came to gawk at him.
"What?" he grunted at the people who'd entered the cafeteria, check bulging with the food he'd stuffed into his mouth, "I burned through some of my muscle and all of my fat reserves, I'm freaking starving" this was punctuated by the swift chewing and swallowing of the almost comical bulge in his cheek. And it was underlined by the absolute feast that surrounded him, and the tower of plates and bowls neatly stacked behind him.
While some of the students and staff left after confirming that he was fine, some stayed, entranced by both his speed yet surprising delicacy of his feasting. And everyone was a little shocked by the literal earth-shaking belch that rocked the room. " ow, bed," Izuku grunted, lifting Eri and Satsuki with his arms, and Tsuyu, Momo & Melissa with his tail. Mina silently followed behind him, agreeing with the idea.
"Young Midoriya, wait-"
"Let them be, Mr. Yagi," Nedzu said, at the look he got, he happily elaborated "Right now, he needs proper rest, not floating around liquid boron to bleed his energy off while he's in a healing coma, but actual bed rest. So, leave him be. Besides, I don't think he's quite aware of what he's done. So, that will be something to look forward to." a few people chuckled, Nedzu along with them before resuming his explanation.
"That aside, it is always best to let a traumatized Titan lie, be it by themselves or with their "Mates" as it helps calm them. And the last thing we want right now is a Titan on the rampage, especially him." Nedzu finished, underlining his point by featuring towards Izuku and then to the charts in his hand. As it sank in, the remaining people shrugged and left, finding other things to do or places to be.
Nedzu, however, remained. His shrewd eyes, narrowed in focus, calculations almost visibly within them. "He's gotten rusty. Too rusty. This will need to be rectified." he said, before bringing his phone out and dialing a number. "Hello? Ah, yes please, tell him Nedzu called. About one of his old students. Why the King of course! Thank you, young man, and a good day to you too… Ah yes, Bikou, I'm calling in that favor. Yes. Why? He's gotten rusty and something tells me that he can't afford to be that in the near future. Thank you, Old Friend."
Izuku lay, the center, or more accurately, the bed of a giant cuddle pile. Clutched to his chest were Eri and Satsuki, both of whom had death grips on his shirt, afraid of losing him in the night. Over his left pectoral lay Mina, who had claimed it to be absolutely certain that his heart still beats in his chest. Tsuyu, cuddling both girls, used his right shoulder as a pillow, using his arm to keep herself there. Melissa, drained from the relief of his awakening, did the same with his left arm.
Momo, the only one still awake, sat upon his tail. Or rather, sat on a chair nearby, with his tail coiled around her, dorsal spines angled away, allowing Momo her own heater for her research. Yes, more than one of their classmates had run from the room with the manic determination in her eyes as she researched the designs and materials of the Global Defence Force, a defunct organization that had specialized in taking down Quirked people when they first emerged.
Were it not for the scene behind her, she might have cackled, certainly, her visage almost seemed cast in shadows and fear. " ever again" she all but purred as her eyes slid over materials that could damage and impair Quirk Factor. "Oh yes, next time, I shall be ready for whatever monster the world wants to throw at me" her voice was filled with a manic energy that boded very poorly for most.
For hours, this continued, only disturbed when Momo's caffeine boost began to fade and she too joined the cuddle pile. Her manic energy fading into a desperate need for Izuku's presence, and much like the others, clung to him in such a tight manner, she feared he might up and vanish once she'd fallen asleep. And so, she found herself wrapped in his tail, hugging his stomach like a lifeline.
Silence rained in the room, till the door was opened, quietly. Nedzu, the ever daring principal of U.A. boldly entered the room and snapped a few pictures, despite the ominous glare of Mina and the threats of violence it promised if the pile was disturbed. Once he'd collected his fill, he left and promptly shot off various messages to various families.
Task done, he also made sure to post some of the images to the 1-A message board, an impish smile on his vaguely face. "He's already withered this once, why not a second time?" Nedzu mused aloud before his senses detected some students and he, just to mess with them, allowed a deep, almost sinister chuckle to escape his lips. A chuckle that turned to gales of laughter when they tried to run without running. "Humans truly are too easy" he chuckled as he made his way to his office.
Mothra oh Mothra
If we were to call for help
Over time, over sea, like a wave
You'd come
Our guardian angel
Mothra oh Mothra
Mina felt something resonate in her heart as the lyrics came. The sensation built with each repetition.
Mothra oh Mothra
Of forgotten kindness and ruined spirits
We pray for the people's spirit as we sing
This song of love
She was in the sky, flying fast. Faster than she'd ever gone before, blazing a trail of light in her wake. Power, that's what she felt. Power, the likes of which she's only ever seen one person command. The song increased in volume and she felt something pleasantly cool slide over her skin.
Over the ocean she caught a flash of her reflection; her height and figure remained the same, what differed was the gleaming rose-colored armor that now coated her. Her stingers were out and seemed even longer, her head was covered by a helm that resembled a moth's face, complete with mandibles and compound eyes. Across her torso was a thick carapace-like metal that gave off a low light.
Mina gave a cry of exhilaration and poured on the speed, leaving an echoing sonic boom behind her. To the outside, she was an arrow of rose light, shooting towards a destination unknown. To Mina, she was riding a high she'd never felt and never wanted to end.
Mothra oh Mothra
If we were to call for help
Over time, over sea, like a wave
You'd come
Our guardian angel
There was a Darkness coming. Mina could see it. A malevolent force of hunger and despoilation, one that wanted to turn her beautiful blue home into a kingdom of dust and blood. A flash of sickly lightning, a roll of vile thunder, and a call of "BIDIBIDIBIDIBIDI!" echoed before Mina's eyes snapped open.
Mina gasped and surged into a sitting position, eyes sweeping the room for the source of the echoing call only she could hear. A cold sweat came upon her, despite being near the living heater that was Izuku. She felt the need to go and find a drink and was very thankful for Izuku's mini-fridge, powered by excess electrical energy he discharged every now and then.
As she retrieved her drink, her mind returned to her dream and her body tingled. She could still feel echoes of the Power, phantom sensation of the armor she'd worn. And her gaze moved to the only other person she'd seen use that kind of power. "I'm not as powerful as he is, am I?" she whispered, looking at the sleeping king, or what she thought was the sleeping king.
"I think you could be if you wanted to be" his statement was met by a yelp followed by a minor crash, causing a chuckle to leave his lips. "Need a hand moth?" his chuckle grew a bit louder at her angry glower and squeak.
"Hmph! Since you caused this, you can fix it" she growled, only partially playfully. The crash had been her head hitting the ceiling after all. "And what do you mean?"
"About you being on par with me?" At her nod he explained, "I think... that you and I are the only Titans born with radiation levels on par with an adult Titans as even Kong's power was only on par with an average adolescent Titan. I think that both of us have more power we've yet to learn about. And, I know that you're the only other person who can sense what's coming."
Mina's eyes went wide as she paled "you can sense it too?" her voice was full of naked fear. Another full-body shudder rocked her, it was now much harder to dismiss it as a dream.
"Yup, been sensing it since I went Burning," Izuku said, his eyes closing as he went into a trance "Something old and evil. With yellow lightning constantly encasing it," his eyes opened but remained unseeing "something that devours worlds to build an empire of death" his gazed sharpened "Something that's not ready for us. And make no mistake Mina, this is going to be our problem." Mina felt a chill in the air, the kind that had happened just before Izuku went Burning as he called it.
After a long moment of silence "Shit" was all Mina could say. She finished her drink and disposed of her can, so she could quickly reclaim her spot on Izuku. Desperately needing a new topic, her mind raced back to before the USJ, "You owe me that date mister. Tomorrow, we're going on it" she muttered before closing her eyes and focusing on the heartbeats of Eri and Satsuki.
"Don't worry Mina, I've no intention of standing you up. Just need to get back into presentable shape" he murmured before also focusing on the heartbeats of the youngest in the room and allowing himself to drift back into the land of dreams.
Tenya Iida, 1-A's speedster, secretary, and arguably 3rd or 4th strongest member. Normally, he was a friendly, if uptight person. ow, however, he was all but vibrating with frustration and fury. He was not as close to Midori...ya, Midoriya, but the two were still friends and had been for nearly five years now. And he was furious that his friend had been so injured. On his watch.
However, there was also something else bothering him. Fear. Fear of a being who could harm a Titan. What could he and his engine legs do to something like that? Could he even hurt it? Or would his blows be like a bee sting? Or worse; a tickle? These were the questions that persisted, that bothered him in his dreams and his waking moments.
As such these past few days had not been kind to Tenya, dark bags hung under his eyes, his normally tame hair was frazzled and wild, and perhaps most hauntingly, his eyes were bloodshot and slightly feral, the mixture of fear and rage is a potent one, especially in once such as Tenya.
With a growl, his fist, empowered by his engines, slammed into the person-shaped training dummy with tremendous force. The dummy was destroyed violently and Tenya was reminded of the fact that even a blow like that would hardly slow down something that could trade fists with Izuku on equal footing. Another growl burst from his throat. "I… I need more power" he whispered.
"But, how do I get it?" A smile that was too hard to be a good one spread across his face as he realized how; fuel. He would need a new fuel source, one that was stronger than orange juice, or perhaps he'd need a mixture of orange juice and something else. "I need to think on this," he muttered before returning to his dorms, his mind whirling drinks and how they affected his speed and powers.
Thankfully, for his health, he quickly heard of Izuku's recovery and went to see him. Thoughts of acquiring more power temporarily shunted to the back of his mind, leaving only a lingering sense of relief and a deep-seated desire to help his friend.
"MIDORIYA!" came the explosion from the class, no one rushed to hug him but it was a near thing.
"You guys mind repeating just a little louder? I don't think my mom heard you" Izuku grunted, sticking his pinkie finger in his ear and trying to stop the ringing. With the class looking sufficiently apologetic, Izuku removed his finger and cleaned it with a flash of flame. "Still, sorry for worrying you guys," he spoke sincerely, bowing in apology.
With several minutes before class began, most students turned to their neighbors and settled into many conversations. Talks of homework and Quirks happened, with everyone carefully avoiding the USJ, unsure of how Izuku would react. Something he picked up on. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine," he grunted, slightly irked by their concern.
"Are… Are you sure, Midoriya?" came the question of one Ochako.
"Yeah, I'm fine. We Titans don't get PTSD," in an instant, any remaining chatter died, "something about our brains being hardwired against shit like that so we can better fight or something. I wasn't really paying attention when the doctor explained it." Izuku said with a shrug.
"Huh, really?" Mina asked, looking unsure.
"Yeah, from what I understood, it's a defense mechanism for us, due to the fact Titans are all made for combat," another shrug, "like I said, I wasn't really paying attention, so there's likely way more to it than that." The class sat in silence for a few moments, processing this new information, before shrugging and resuming their prior conversations.
Soon, it was time for class, "everyone! Morning homeroom is about to start!" came the near robotic voice of Tenya, "Stop talking and take your seats!" he called as he raced to stand behind the Teacher's podium.
"We're already in our seats," Denki said.
Hanta gleefully added, "You're the only one who's not."
Glowering at his classmates, Tenya returned to his seat and grunted, "shoot!" to the general amusement of those around him.
"Don't worry about it." Ochako giggled out
"Tsu who's…" Mina began leaning back on her too much, and was only saved from falling over by the girl she was talking to, "...gonna teach homeroom today?"
"Well, Mr. Aizawa is supposed to be in the hospital recovering from his injuries..." "Ribbit?"
"Mr. Aizawa, you're back too soon!" the class shouted in unison, appalled and worried in equal measure.
"You're too much of a pro!" Denki gasped, looking stricken.
"So you're alright, Mr. Aizawa?" Iida asked, almost robotically.
"Can you really call that "all right"?" Ochako chimed in quietly, as Aizawa limped towards his desk.
"My well-being doesn't matter." he said, his voice muffled by the bandages, "More importantly, the fight is not yet over."
"Fight?" Katsuki asked, with narrowed eyes, a grim look on his face.
"Don't tell me..." came the low growl of Izuku.
"The villains again...?!" Minoru shuddered, mind flashing back to, how much trouble he'd have been in if he were alone.
"The U.A. Sports Festival is drawing near." Aizawa's words rang out, clear as day despite the bandages over his mouth.
"That's a super normal school event!" Everyone shouted in unison, caught halfway between disappointment and relief.
"That's a super normal school event-" Eijiro was cut off before he could build up more hype.
"Wait a minute." Denki interrupted a concerned look on his face.
"Is it okay to have a Sports Festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?" Kyoka asked, echoing Denki's worry.
"What if they mount another assault? Or if they bomb the place?" Hiryu asked
"Apparently, they think of it as U.A. showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock by holding the event. Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years." Aizawa began, the belligerence in his tone belaying something else that none of the students could identify "Above all our Sports Festival is a huge chance." here, everyone felt his gaze lock onto them.
"It's not an event to be canceled because of a few villains." And the class felt something burn inside them. Class-A had been battle-tested and found to be Strong. They'd taken what the Universe had thrown at them and survived. And now, they were ready for their next challenge.
Season 2 Preview:
Almost anyone else would have balked, would have been cowed and scared by the looks of intensity they received. Izuku wasn't most people. "You seem to have forgotten who I am," He began, an almost malicious smile on his face, as he allowed the mask of humanity to fall, hitting everyone with the full force of a Titan's presence. Several gasps were heard, from participant and audience alike, as muscles tensed in fear of the Alpha predator that had been unleashed. "Allow me to remind you." Izuku straightened and leaned back, his chest expanding. With a deep breath, he charged.
The base of his tail lit up, glowing orange as a deep hum began to build. As the light slowly traveled up his tail, the hum grew louder and more intense. His eyes ignited orange, and he roared. "SKRREEOOOOOOOOOOOOONGK"
AN/:
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I've reached a conclusion. I do not like Emerald Crown in its current state. It's a mishmash of ideas that contradict each other. So, I will be rewriting the story in full. A little background; when I started writing this, I'd seen Godzilla 2014, the Zilla Jr animated show & KOTM. That was it. Now, I've seen all of the Godzilla films, from 1954 to present and read all of the comics. Needless to say, my understanding of the character and concept has grown. And so I want to have that reflected in this story.
However, I'm going to ask you guys this; Would you rather I start a new story/series or just overwrite this one? please leave your thoughts in the comments below.