Red Hero and Beetle's Cowling are quickly shaping up to be my most popular fics. They even got added to a Community called My All Time Favorite. I'm pretty happy with that. I have plans for this and their brother fic which will be posted eventually.
Last time, Melissa and Izuku made their suit. But when they tried to attach a suitable power source to said suit, they found themselves dealing with a suit that is essentially Izuku's Quirk via the beetle they thought was a battery. How will this suit change the hero industry? And this chapter has me utilizing a skill I developed as a writer. Explanations for science stuff that I pull out of my butt.
By the way, I would just like to say to the guy who wondered why Jaime Reyes instead of Ted Kord, Jaime was the Blue Beetle I was introduced to first in the form of Teen Titans vs Justice League, and Jaime is more varied in arsenal, which is why I chose the Blue Beetle. Speaking of which, I decided to change a couple of things in this world and its characters. You'll have to wait for the new entry of Three Heroes to find out though, so stay tuned.
Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia. My Hero Academia is owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Shueisha.
"Izuuuukuuuuu!" Inko wailed as she squeezed her son. Izuku wheezed as he tapped her shoulder multiple times. The beetle on his back was shifting around for some reason.
"Inko, queen, you're killing our son." Hisashi said as he tapped Inko as well. Inko gasped and released Izuku, who gasped and gave his dad a thumbs up.
"Thanks dad."
"No problem Baby Dragon. I've been at the receiving end of your mother's hug before as well." Hisashi said as he gave Inko a kiss.
"Oh Izuku, I'm so happy for you! You can become a pro!" Inko said as she hugged Izuku again, thankfully not crushing him this time. "Oh, we need to celebrate."
"Mr Shield is going to take us to Chicago for the new buffet place that opened up."
"The Taco Yummy?"
"Yeah, that place! Though it's weird, they don't only have tacos, it's a buffet." Izuku scratched his head.
"Chicago is known for its pizza. Shall we see once again why that is so?" Hisashi said as he slipped off to his room.
"Oh, I just adore the pizza from Chicago." Inko said as she went to change as well. Izuku hurried into his own room, slipping on a form-fitting T-shirt that said 'T-shirt' and a pair of black jeans. The beetle was easy to hide. He just needed to slip a jacket over it.
"Okay, I'm ready!" Izuku said as he walked out. "I'll be outside!"
"Okay sweetie!" Inko called back. Izuku quickly put on his shoes and walked out. His house was a nice and simple two-floored house. He liked living in Pennsylvania.
"Hey Izuku!" one of the neighbors called out to him.
"Hey Scott!" Izuku waved back.
"Going out?"
"Yep."
"To where?"
"Chicago."
"Nice. Bring back some pizza for me."
"No promises."
His parents came out and the three got into a car. A couple minutes later found the family at an airport. Melissa and one of her butlers were waiting for them at a private jet. Melissa waved excitedly, something that Izuku did back. The five people got in, and the plane instantly took off.
"So, Izukun, did anything happen while you and your dad picked your mom up?" Melissa asked eagerly.
"Nope. Sorry Melissa." Izuku shook his head.
"Well, how about we do some tests in dad's lab in Chicago? We see what the suit can give you in hero work." Melissa suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea. But after food." Izuku said.
"Hah! Yeah, you're probably starving. You gotta feed two people after all." Melissa laughed.
"And Izuku already eats for two people." Hisashi laughed.
"Says the man who eats for four." Inko teased.
"Well you eat for six." Melissa said. The plane fell silent.
"Melissa, you can't just say that to a lady like my mom."
"Sorry."
"Apology accepted."
-Line Break-
Well, it turned out that Izuku could now eat for ten people. Well, more like, thirty people. The buffet almost kicked them out when they saw how much he was eating, but refrained when they saw he was eating with David Shield. Izuku stuffed himself full of pizza, chicken, hamburgers, fries, steak, and soda, before he decided he was done. With dinner. Then he had ice cream, Jello, brownies, and pineapple. And one more pie of pizza for the sake of it. Melissa lost her appetite after she watched Izuku stuff the first pie in his mouth.
Lucky for them, that meant that they got to go to the lab early. With some takeout in case Melissa or Izuku got hungry later, the two took off to the lab, where they immediately went about to set up their test.
"Alright. Activate!" Izuku said. The beetle's eyes glowed red and transformed into the suit, covering Izuku in it. Melissa looked at the blue and black suit in awe. Now that it wasn't trying to murder her best friend, she could appreciate just how cool the suit was.
"Okay, first, let's test lifting strength. The initial suit before the beetle was designed to help you lift twenty times your own weight. That equals about 1.6 tons. Try lifting this block. It weighs an even two tons." Melissa said as she pressed a button on a nearby console. A block of metal rose up next to Izuku, shining. Izuku grinned as he rotated his arms and cracked his neck. He grabbed the block and lifted it with ease.
"Wow! I'm barely trying!" Izuku said.
"Hm. I heard that beetles can lift up to 100 times their body weight. Let's try that." Melissa said. She pressed a couple more buttons, and soon a larger block rose from the ground.
"An eight ton block?" Izuku asked.
"Yep." Melissa nodded. Izuku walked up to the block and grabbed it. He heaved as the metal rose, and soon held it over his head. Though his face made it clear that this time, he was trying. He dropped it on the ground, causing a loud boom. Melissa yelped at the sound.
"Izukun! That scared me!"
"Sorry, sorry." Izuku said sheepishly. Melissa sighed before pressing another button.
"I know you really want to test this thing out, so let's skip the speed test. Level One Robots on their way." Melissa said. Several humanoid drones rose up from the ground. Izuku grinned as he turned around and got in a fighting stance. The suit and the drones charged at each other.
'Izukun seems very excited about this. Then again, we have been working on this suit for a while.' Melissa thought as she watched Izuku fight. Oh, the memories.
-Line Break-
"Test one. We're testing the exosuit that will enhance Izukun's natural physical stats."
"Launching in three… two… one…"
CRACK!
"Izukun!"
"MY ARMS!"
-Line Break-
"Test seven. We have mastered the exosuit's production and converted it to nanobots. We will now test the nanobots and it's ability to turn into a simple shirt."
"Launching in three… two… one…"
SQUEEZE!
"Izukun!"
"I… can't… breathe…!"
-Line Break-
'Bad memories.' Melissa decided.
"Hey Melissa!" Izuku said, shaking his hands. Melissa looked up to see Izuku finished with the drones.
"Done already?"
"Yeah. Level Five, please." Izuku requested.
"Five? Already?"
"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit extra excited here." Melissa nodded as she pressed a button. Five new robots rose from the floor and Izuku got into his stance again. These robots are slimmer than version one, but they have dull blades for arms.
"Bring it!" Izuku said. The robots charged forwards and attacked. Izuku quickly blocked the different swings and countered by kicking one back and throwing another. Izuku jumped back to avoid another swing, skidding to a stop.
"Wow! This suit is awesome!" he said as he blocked a sword swing. He and the robot had a quick exchanging of blows before he knocked it away with a punch. Another robot charged up to him and landed a slash on the stomach. Izuku grunted as he was sent stumbling back. He blocked another slash and punched the robot away.
"Okay, I might be getting a bit cocky." he admitted. Another robot slashed him across the back, knocking him down. The beetle screeched on his back, and the pincers shot up and crushed the robot's head.
"Woah. That was cool." Izuku said as he stood up. A robot kicked him in the chest and knocked him down.
"Izukun! Be careful!" Melissa warned. Izuku looked up to see a blade falling down at him. He threw up a hand in reflex to try to catch it. There was a loud bang, and Izuku was slammed against the ground. He looked up in shock. His arm was replaced with a strange machine. It looked like a cannon. He looked up at the robot, which fell over. The entire upper half of its torso was gone.
"Holy, stinkin', super crap." Melissa breathed before shutting off the program and hurrying over. Izuku pointed the cannon away as Melissa examined it.
"I, don't remember programming an energy cannon." Izuku said.
"I don't remember building one." Melissa agreed. They looked at the suit, which they were surprised to see was smaller on him. The energy cannon shifted back into Izuku's regular hand, and the rest of the suit went back to normal.
"It used the nanobots!" Melissa realized.
"The beetle changed the suit's programming to do more than transform between a beetle and a suit?" Izuku asked.
"And it uses a bit of its own energy level to provide ammo to the cannon." Melissa said. The suit retracted into the beetle. Izuku pulled it off his back and gave it a rub.
"You're a cool little bug, aren't you?" he said. The beetle shifted in his hand, and Izuku almost swore that it was purring.
"Izukun, what happened to your shirt?" Melissa pointed out. Izuku looked down to see his bare torso.
"Really Khaji Da?" Izuku grumbled at the beetle. The beetle shook, as if it was laughing.
"Khaji Da?" Melissa asked.
"I dunno, the beetle just started calling itself that." Izuku said.
"Weird. Well, anyways, let's take it to the lab and see if we can't upgrade its nanobots count." Melissa said.
"Sounds like a plan!" Izuku said as he scrambled to his feet. The two quickly ran out, heading to the lab. It was a minute later that Hisashi rushed in, looking around, out of breath.
"Well damn, I thought for sure they would've been here. Oh well. I guess Izuku is just gonna have to be surprised." he muttered.
-Line Break-
"Okay, I managed to increase the nanobots count by approximately fifty percent." Melissa said as she put down her tools.
"And I decreased the deployment time by twenty." Izuku said as he cracked his fingers. Melissa tossed him Khaji Da, and the boy attached it to his back. Khaji Da's eyes glowed red, and Izuku stood up.
"Deploy!" In a snap, Khaji Da covered Izuku in his suit. It was slightly bulkier, but it soon slimmed down to its original state.
"Cannon!" Izuku said. His arm shifted into the cannon without the rest of the suit changing as well.
"Izuku!" Melissa said as she grabbed a piece of scrap metal.
"Pull!" Izuku said as he stepped onto and leapt off of a chair. Melissa threw the scrap metal into the air, and Izuku blasted it, creating a small explosion and a loud boom. He slammed into the ground, but was laughing with Melissa.
"Oh man, that was cool! Let's do it again!"
"Pull!" Melissa yelled as she threw another piece of scrap metal. Izuku blasted it with the cannon, cheering as he blew it up.
"Oh man! I can not get over how cool Khaji Da is!" Izuku gushed.
"We just need to figure out a version without needing to enslave a rare beetle and we'll be selling the best support item ever!" Melissa agreed. She and Izuku danced around before Melissa stopped.
"Izuku, what if you can make more than just a cannon?" she gasped.
"Ooh, let's try it!" Izuku said. Khaji Da's eyes glowed red as it growled, surprising Melissa.
"He's agreeing." Izuku assured Melissa.
"How, are you understanding him?" she asked. Izuku blinked.
"I dunno. It just, it's like something is just printing information in my head." he said. The two were still before suddenly springing into motion. Melissa lunged for the computer while Izuku took off the disappointed Khaji Da and went for his own computer after setting him down on a machine.
"So if he's sending information to your head-" Melissa began.
"-then he must be sending out some sort of electric signal based on how the human body operates." Izuku finished.
"The brain sends electricity through the body via ions, and the body responds based on the message the brain sends."
"So Khaji Da scanned my body's electric currents-"
"-and adapted to send similar currents."
"So theoretically, I don't even need to tell him what to do!"
"So long as you're wearing the suit. We don't know if that function is wireless or not."
"If we were to try to achieve something similar-"
"-we'll need a device that can analyze brain waves-"
"-and adapt the suit's electric currents-"
"-in order to use that function!"
"What's more, if we were to connect that device to the suit's motor functions directly-"
"-the suit can respond to thought before movement!"
"But that will be something more fit for people with body enhancing Quirks, as some have reaction times that their body can't keep up with."
"Well my thoughts have currently ceased movement." a new voice said. The two froze. Izuku slowly turned around as Melissa gasped.
"Uncle Might!" she cheered happily as she threw herself into the giant man's arms.
"Oh, Melissa!" All Might (F*cking All Might!) sang as he swung Melissa around.
"I bet I'm a lot heavier now!" Melissa said.
"Not at all! See?" All Might said as he tossed her up and down a few times before finally stopping. He looked at Izuku, who froze, just now realizing that he was covered in sweat and that his shirt was off.
"Izuku Midoriya! My friend David speaks highly of you. Thank you for being such a good friend to my goddaughter!" All Might said. Izuku stammered for a few minutes before passing out and falling onto the floor. All Might blinked in surprise as Melissa giggled.
-Line Break-
Izuku woke up a couple minutes later and apologized for fainting on All Might, then proceeded to freak out when he realized that All Might had signed his notebook for him. He gave Melissa a quick peck on the cheek after All Might turned away as thanks for asking for him, causing them both to blush and stutter when they realized what happened. Fortunately, they managed to push their blushes down before All Might turned back around, though he did look at them strangely.
"By the way Uncle Might, what brings you to America?" Melissa asked. All Might laughed his signature laugh.
"Why, that fascinating suit and the strange beetles of course! I am here as an escort to Principal Nedzu and several entomologists!" All Might said as the three made their way through the facility. All Might came up to a pair of doors and flung it open. Inside, there was a strange white animal wearing a suit with a scar over its eye, along with other suited men.
"Principal Nedzu!" Izuku and Melissa exclaimed.
"That's right! Am I a bear? A mouse? Or a dog? The answer is, I am the Principal Nedzu!" the chimera said cheerfully.
"Melissa, Izuku. Just in time." David said as he walked over to the two. "These are some of the best entomologists from Japan, and Principal Nedzu here is helping them analyze the bugs. Do you have the suit?"
"Right here." Izuku said as he took the beetle off his back and held it out. One of the scientists reached out, only to recoil as the beetle snarled at him, eyes glowing.
"Woah, calm down there Khaji Da!" Izuku said as he tried to sooth the hostile beetle, eventually causing it to relax, though it still buzzed at the scientists.
"Khaji Da?" David repeated.
"I know, it's weird. It just started calling itself that." Izuku said sheepishly as he handed the slightly hissing beetle to a now nervous looking entomologist.
"It might draw from the Japanese Language, since you and Melissa were on about it connecting to your brain." All Might said. Izuku, Melissa, and David all blinked at once.
"How-?"
"Ah haha! I am All Might! I could easily deduce that you are Japanese! And I heard you talking about it, remember?" All Might reminded them.
"Ah, good. Looks like you can become smarter." David said.
"Inde- Hey wait a minute!"
"Moving on, you said something about your brain?" David asked eagerly. Izuku and Melissa held out their notes, and David snatched them to quickly flip through the pages.
"So the beetle analyzed your brainwaves as well as the electric signals the brain sends to the rest of the body before adapting to the currents and mimicking similar electric signals and channels to allow it to connect to your brain and thus send and receive information to and from your brain. The scientific advancements this can make! Not just in the hero industry, but also for retired people and injured victims. It can be used to make suits that allow people to walk and move around like normal even with missing or unworking body parts. It can also revolutionize studies of the brain. If we can mimic the beetle's analyzing properties, we might be able to find out a way to properly analyze the brain and figure out how it works. This could possibly lead to the creation of artificial brains and brain parts! Izuku! Melissa! This suit is the key to the future!" David exclaimed as he turned around, only to blink as the room's occupants stared at him.
"...Was it a mutter spree?"
"I don't think I ever saw you go on one before." All Might said.
"That's Izukun's fault."
"Hey!"
"You know it's true! He writes all of his mutter sessions down into notebooks for analyzing heroes!" Melissa tattled. Izuku blushed red, but All Might looked at him with curiosity, not judgement.
"Young Izuku. You aspire to be a hero?" All Might asked.
"Y-yes. M-Melissa made this suit to help me." Izuku said.
"Don't give me all the credit Izukun. I made it, but you did all the programming and half of the research." Melissa interrupted.
"Yeah, but you-"
"Enough you two. Honestly, you've been doing this back and forth forever." David interrupted.
"Well, if you're aspiring to be a hero, will you be doing it here in America or in Japan?" All Might questioned. Izuku blinked.
'America? Or Japan?' Normally, Izuku would go with America in a heartbeat. But here's the thing. Izuku's idol was All Might. And All Might's alma mater was UA High, in Japan.
"If it makes it easier to decide, I would like to make further studies of the suit." Nedzu spoke up, drawing Izuku's attention. "And the head of the Support Course can also do studies on the beetle."
"But we can do similar studies here in America." David countered. Izuku looked between them, thinking.
"I'll, I'll think about it." he said.
"The school year at UA doesn't start for another couple of months Mr Midoriya. And the American school system means that most schools will open later than that. You have plenty of time." Nedzu assured him. Izuku nodded and walked out. Khaji Da hissed angrily and jumped out of the frightened scientist's hand, scuttling after Izuku and jumping onto his back, causing him to stumble, but continue walking.
"So the suit can move on its own. Another thing to mark down." David said as he pulled out his notepad and pen. Melissa looked at the door where Izuku had left, frowning slightly.
"Ms Shield." Nedzu spoke up. Melissa started and turned to him. "Your father spoke very highly of you, and I was impressed with the work you've done based on his notes. Should Mr Midoriya choose to come to UA, you are more than welcome to come with him, though you would both need to pass your own respective tests."
Melissa visibly brightened up and nodded with a wide smile. She hurried out the doors, following her childhood friend. David nodded in thanks to Nedzu. All Might scooted over to David.
"So? What's their relationship?"
"Melissa and Izuku are childhood friends. Those two are practically attached at the hip." David said.
"Yes, I know, but, are they, dating?"
"..." David pondered this.
"Well, I'd say they're just friends."
"But did you not say that they often sleep in the same bed?"
"They've been doing it since they were kids, it's nothing surprising or special." David dismissed.
"Even childhood friends don't do that at this age."
"They're not dating."
"I think they are."
"No, they're not."
"Are you sure?"
"You'll get along well with Hisashi."
-Line Break-
Izuku was found staring at Khaji Da as it sat in his lap. He absent-mindedly stroked the beetle's shell, earning some purrs from it. He couldn't help but compare it to a pet. A dog, or a cat. Maybe even a bird-
"Ow!" Izuku hissed as his fingers were shocked. Khaji Da made a series of hisses and spits.
"What?! What did I do?" Izuku grumbled. Flashes of birds from Khaji Da's perspective ran through Izuku's head, making him nod. He forgot that Khaji Da was a regular beetle, and thus prey for birds. Clearly the beetle didn't like being compared to them.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Izuku said as he went back to rubbing the shell of Khaji Da, much to the beetle's satisfaction. More pictures flashed through his head, causing him to move his fingers in different ways that made Khaji Da all the more happier.
"Baby Dragon?" Hisashi poked his head in, catching the attention of his son. Izuku motioned for him to come in. Hisashi and Inko made their way in. Inko sat next to their son as he swung his legs over the side of his bed. Hisashi pulled out Izuku's desk chair and sat down. Strangely enough, his American room was very similar to the one he had in Japan. Which only brought his attention back to his current dilemma.
"Izuku, we heard from David. Have you given it any thought?"
"I thought I had a couple of months."
"Baby Dragon, we know you. Something like this, something that can determine your future, is something that you think about seriously. You want to make a decision as fast as possible."
Izuku was silent, but his silence confirmed what they were saying. Inko shifted around to face Izuku.
"Izuku, you have two choices. An American school or UA. Now, UA has a couple of good things about it. For one thing, it's All Might's alma mater. And it has a variety of different heroes and classes in hero work for you to learn from."
"But it also has a history of extremely dangerous tests and often displaying students on live television in the Sports Fest, negating any form of surprise. A disadvantage in the pro-hero world. And creating new methods, techniques, and strategies to make up for this can become increasingly difficult as time goes on." Hisashi said.
"American schools teach singular aspects of hero work, letting you build up your strengths so that you're more effective in those fields. So you can truly develop your own brand of being a hero."
"But they only have regular teachers, not heroes, and thus focus more on theory while letting students teach themselves practically when doing volunteer work."
This sort of talk went back and forth. Inko listed the positives of going to Japan and staying in America, and Hisashi would list the negatives. Nedzu was apparently kind enough to inform the two of how UA worked for the most part. David had provided loads of information for the numerous American schools he had helped out with.
"..." Izuku continued to stroke Khaji Da to distract himself, only succeeding mildly. Suddenly, something tickled in his mind, and Izuku's eyes widened as a picture of an old memory popped into view.
"Baby Dragon, you still have a couple of months to-"
"Let's go back to Japan." Izuku said.
"You already decided?" Hisashi said in surprise.
"I know this can sound petty, but I want to go back to Japan and rub the fact that I can probably beat him in his face." Izuku said as he punched his hand. Khaji Da growled audibly. Hisashi's brows rose up slightly.
'Izuku?'
"Oh… kay. We'll make plans to leave soon. And Melissa will be going with us." he said. Izuku's eyes flashed with joy at the idea of his best friend coming along, but also guilt for forgetting about her, even for a second. Cheering up though, Izuku re-equipped Khaji Da and walked out of his room, likely to see Melissa. Hisashi and Inko sat in silence.
"They're dating."
"They are not."
The two parents continued to bicker. Izuku and Melissa showed many teasing signs of the two dating, but they never confirmed it, or showed any concrete signs. When asked, they simply smiled in a way that only teased more. But as the parents debated, Hisashi's mind was on something else. Izuku seemed a bit, too, eager to get back at Katsuki. He didn't say who he was talking about, but Hisashi knew in his gut that it was the case. It wasn't like him.
'Is it the beetle?' Hisashi wondered.
-Line Break-
"Well David, it was a good run!" Hisashi said as he and David shook hands. The family of three, Melissa, All Might, and Nedzu were standing on the runway of the Shield's Chicago mansion, where a private jet was waiting to be boarded. It was rather high, causing the group to speak loudly in order to be heard.
"Indeed it was! You helped out so much! Please take care of my baby girl! I'll be forced to stay here, but I hope Melissa can find a family in you!" David said.
"Of course, she's practically a daughter already!" Inko gushed.
"Platonically!"
"Romantically!"
"They're not dating, Queen!"
"Why don't we ask? Young Midoriya, Melissa, are you two dating?" All Might asked in his booming voice. Izuku and Melissa smiled sweetly, mysteriously, and innocently, tilting their heads in unison.
"I can't get a read on them." All Might admitted.
"I see!" Nedzu said, surprising people.
"So you know what those faces mean? What does it mean?" Inko asked urgently. Nedzu looked at her, then proceeded to do the same exact smile as the two teens.
"Oh come on, you can't just fall silent!" All Might protested as the two kids laughed.
"Alright people, let's get into the jet! It's a ten and a half hour flight from Chicago to Japan!" David said.
"Ten and a half?!" Izuku grumbled.
"That's so long!" Melissa grumbled as well.
"Well, we have no other choice, kids! This is the fastest way we can get there!" Hisashi said. Izuku and Melissa glanced at each other, grinning slightly. Inko looked at them in suspicion.
"What are you two-?!"
"Khaji Da!" Izuku yelled as the two sprinted away, charging towards the edge of the runway. They leapt off, causing David and Inko to scream. Khaji Da expanded, creating the suit. Two robotic wings popped up, as did some jet boosters. Izuku, fully clad in his armor, righted himself and fell with Melissa as he caught her to prevent the full force of their fall to hurt her. They rose back up to the top, grinning at the parents.
"Less than three hours for us! We'll grab some food for you!" Izuku called. The suit adjusted itself, creating a harness and a shield over his head. Melissa was strapped in, and the two took off, eventually creating a sonic boom as they shot away. Inko fainted, David began swearing like the American he was, Hisashi shook his head in amusement after catching his wife, All Might was laughing, while Nedzu was simply smiling.
'This year will be interesting.' he thought.
Boom! Beetle's Cowling Chapter 2! Let me know what you think of it. And the next update to the Three Heroes Series is the final entry of the collection. The changes to the world of the Beetleverse and this third universe will be revealed then. Meanwhile, the Redverse will be drawing a lot from the DC Universe for the enemies and allies. There will be quite the diversity. As per the usual, leave a review! Azure out!