Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. – William Shakespeare
I didn't realize it at the time, but I had a lot of Overhaul in me. It made sense. I was a sponge of a personality, and he technically raised me for three years. The early stages of a child's life are foundational, and my first memories of anyone tough was Overhaul. I concluded he must be tough when he shattered my right arm like a firework.
I had an emotionless mask I used a lot. It kept my powers under control, and it made me seem tougher. That emotionless disposition paralleled my memories of that demon. He tried to be calm, logical. I don't feel bad about it since it actually helped me during that time of my life. Still, that was the Overhaul in me.
There was another thing I absorbed from that bastard. He acted ruthless. When necessary, I could be ruthless too. It's just that I had a more positive direction for that ruthlessness, even if it did scare Uraraka.
BREAK LOGIC
Aizawa really, really wanted to stand. Today was Friday. He had to wear casts and remain bound in a wheelchair until Sunday. He desired to do something that held not the slimmest bit of logic unless he took one matter into consideration. He had a daughter. That daughter was about to walk onto U.A. Sports Festival.
Shota Aizawa really, really wanted to give a standing ovation to his little girl.
Alas, Hizashi roped him into being an announcer for some insane reason, and his injuries kept him sitting. Therefore, he did the next best thing. He announced his little girl's entrance, even if it was veiled within her class.
"First, comes class 1-A. They fought villains and won. I don't think All Might or I would be alive without them. That is all." He also never claimed to be a good or even mediocre commentator. "Present Mic, you can do the rest." Showing such blatant favoritism could also be explained by him being their homeroom teacher.
Hizashi announced the other classes with screaming and energy only found at the bottom of a gallon of coffee. None of the other classes looked too pleased with 1-A's infamy, especially 1-B. He talked to their homeroom teacher, Ken, enough to know resentment wasn't an uncommon sight. Maybe he could trade Mineta for Kendo. Ken wouldn't stop raving about her, a weirdly effective mix between Iida, Kirishima, and Ojiro's personalities and abilities.
Eri never complained, but he could tell she disliked the shortest student in 1-A. Aizawa decided that he'll wait until the boy did something worth expelling him from the entirety of U.A. Either that, or the boy would realize the potential he had. The man hoped for the former. That perverted gave lecherous gazes at his daughter, so fuck that little shit.
The students stood in rows. He saw the fear and anxiety on their faces. Most students named this event as their first nerve-wracking moment of their hero career. 1-A looked calm by comparison, and why wouldn't they? How scary was nationally televising yourself? It was just the most watched First-Year Sports Festival ever.
Then, Nemuri walked onto the stage centered in the stadium. She displayed her normal demeanor and proved why this event never received a maturity rating. Then, she called Bakugo to give a sportsman's pledge that no one would've listened to and the boy had no intention of making anyway. Nonetheless, he finished first in the entrance exams, and the tired man wanted to see if his daughter had any influence on the boy. He felt mildly curious.
Bakugo took the mic and spoke, "I'm gonna win."
Nope, nothing changed at all. 1-A gave a collective sigh as every other class screamed their frustrations at the blonde's frank statement.
But then, the explosive student broke whatever logic dictated the world in that moment by screaming, "And you extras better have that exact same attitude! This is U.A.! Plus Ultra!" Class 1-A looked stunned, more than they were during his introductory logical ruse. Bakugo just encouraged everyone to do their best without cursing.
Hizashi elbowed him in the side and whispered, "My niece is amazing."
Aizawa grunted. "My daughter will give me a headache."
BREAK LOGIC
Eri watched as Miss Nemuri spun a wheel. The audience and the other students believed the end point dictated their first event. That believe was false. Principal Nezu would not waste resources like that. He elected to give the illusion of random variability but preserved financial stability.
It meant all of 1-A knew what that wheel will land on.
When everyone arrived, she asked Koda to scout the fields with his birds w. He reported his birds noticed just one grouping of obstacles large enough to support the entirety of the first years. In order to generate good will with her peers, she told them all (besides Mineta, but the purple hobgoblin didn't count).
The wheel stopped spinning on the obstacle course. Eri already had Uraraka in one hand and used the other hand to push through the support students. She found the familiar mess of pink hair marching towards them.
Eri felt the rumbling before she heard the explosions. On previous years, explosions happened few and far between. To be precise, approximately two occurred per Support Course Workshop every semester. According to Power Loader's recent grumblings, one specific workshop had twelve explosions… this week. In general, the workshops held ten students each. Eri opened the door and saw the sole occupant. Said occupant also had a cot set up in the back corner of the room and produced more gear in her short time at U.A. than most support students would in a lifetime.
The name Hatsume Mei started to ripple through U.A. like the Big Three. It became more than apparent that U.A. happened to have a potential All Might, but this one built technology instead of punching villains. From the files she read, Mei had the innate ability to find and use countless different technologies in new ways. She didn't invent a hovering, flying… foot thingy, but she compiled two centuries worth of knowledge and added her modifications.
Eri tilted her head when she saw the inventor. She recalled any information she knew about geniuses or mechanics; however, none of it explained what she saw. She cleared her throat. "Mechanic Mei." Smoke dissipated from some cylindrical contraption the girl had been working on. "Why are you not wearing shoes?"
"I forgot?"
"Oh." Eri nodded. "Thank you for clarifying."
The pinkette's eyes gained a maniacal tint. "You here for my Babies?!"
"No, I'm here for an alliance."
Her eyes deflated. Mei lost all interest in the conversation. "Go away. I need to build more Babies and show 'em off for the Sports Festival."
Eri didn't waver. In fact, the girl's words strengthened her resolve. "In return for allying yourself to me during the Sports Festival, I will tell you an in-depth analysis for every Quirk in 1-A and generalizations for class 1-B."
"Oh, okay."
And that was the start of a most peculiar friendship between the insane inventor and the distorted hero.
"Weird girl!" Mei waived her arms over her head. "You want my Babies?!"
Uraraka didn't know what was happening, but she decided to go with the flow. Eri had some concocted plan for the Sports Festival, and the brunette held some part in it. Plus, she helped Deku, though her friend didn't say what. That in and of itself proved more than enough to owe her a favor.
Eri nodded at the support student. "Mechanic Mei and fellow classmate Uraraka, would either of you be interested in a guaranteed top three?"
BREAK LOGIC
In Greek mythology, the goddess Artemis released the monstrous Calydonian Boar upon the countryside out of petty anger. It ravaged people and crops alike, a blight to the world. People needed heroes, so heroes gathered. Together, the men would slay the beast.
They could not even draw blood. The beast was too fierce, too swift. Then, the most improbable occurred by the one hunter whose help they tried to refuse. Atalanta let her arrow fly and pierced the beast, and it bled.
As a babe, she was discarded by her father for not being a son and survived in the wilderness by suckling from a she-bear. Hunters later found and raised her. She took the title of hero for herself not through bloodlines or blessings. No, Atalanta persevered through the fire of tribulation and emerged brilliant.
When she fired her arrow and drew first blood, the hero announced to the world "Don't underestimate me" not with her words but by deeds.
When Eri launched herself and her allies across the obstacle course, the hero announced to the world "Don't underestimate me" not with her words but by winning.
None of the students even noticed the trio when they flew overhead. Made weightless by Uraraka, sustained by Eri and propelled by Mei's Hover Soles, they soared through the heavens like Atalanta's arrow. Mei laughed like a madwoman. Uraraka shrieked in fright. Eri maintained her concentration. She reverted Uraraka every second to ensure the girl's nausea didn't arise from using her Quirk on herself.
Eri estimated their speed and release time. "Uraraka, now."
"Release!" the girl squeaked.
With a well-timed shove from Mei's Hover Soles, the mechanic halted their crashing descent. Eri sat a few meters past the finish line and observed her classmates in the far distance. None of them knew their battles were for fourth place. She commented, "That was an effective twelve seconds."
Mei didn't hear her since she busied herself with dancing. Never before had a support student qualified past the first round, and the score board showed she broke that record.
1st Place: Hatsume Mei
She only used one of her Babies. She had dozens more to show.
Uraraka just sat besides Eri in a daze. Her mind wanted to comprehend what occurred, but reality seemed too akin to a fantasy. "Did we win?"
"Yes."
A glimmer of white dazzled in the distance. Todoroki must've used his Quirk. "Was that what you were planning?"
"In part." Eri's face contorted from a passive nonchalance to a cracked smirk. "But I premeditated much more than this."
Uraraka shivered at Aizawa's spawn. The terrifying realization hit her like All Might's mightiest greatest smash. Her mouth opened and closed for a minute, trying to formulate sound from her convoluted thoughts. "Y… You… You're relishing in this."
She couldn't say she knew Eri like Mina, Bakugo, or even Yaoyorozu; however, she considered her a friend. Eri had likes and dislikes. She hated Mineta like all the females and enjoyed fighting. The girl went out of her way to help others, even if those methods bordered on crazy. Not once did Eri give this specific look.
Deku possessed it when nerding about heroes. Bakugo bled it when fighting. Uraraka showed it when helping her parents. Ashido twirled in it while dancing. Kirishima crowed it when doing anything manly… Everyone had it for something. They had passions. Sometimes one. Sometimes many.
She saw Eri's passion, and it fucking terrified her.
"Dominating?" Eri titled her head to the side. "Yes, I relish in this dominance."
Uraraka clutched Eri's arm in desperation. "Let me be on your team!" The second event always had a team aspect.
Her friend nodded, all the while maintaining her reckless glee. "I planned on such."
BREAK LOGIC
Hizashi muted their mics since Nemuri had to transition the remaining forty-two into the next event. Without the prying ears of the world, Eraserhead's oldest friend broke into uncontrollable laughter. He fell out of his chair and clutched his sides. Within moments, the man gasped for breath from the exertion.
"Aizawa, did you see the looks on their faces?! On your face?!" Without waiting for a reply, he burst into laughter again.
The father smiled. Todoroki, Bakugo, and Midoriya fought hard for first place. Bruised, battered and freezing, the boys finished almost at the same time. In the end, Midoriya edged in front of the other two. He celebrated while Bakugo raged and Todoroki kept his ever-impassive demeanor.
Then, Uraraka greeted them in her innocent and cheery way, as if she saw them while walking to school. It took a moment for the males to realize the gravity-defying girl stood ahead of them and with two other students. They didn't battle for first. They battled for fourth.
Midoriya hugged Uraraka out of caring sportsmanship before he became a tomato for touching a girl. Bakugo laughed much like Hizashi. Knowing the boy, he pieced together how the three beat him and how quickly that must've occurred. Todoroki stared at them, but Aizawa hoped it acted as an enlightenment. The son of Endeavor made it clear through his actions he intended to never use his fiery half and expected to be the best regardless. He finished sixth several minutes behind first place, a girl whose Quirk was merely telescopic eyes.
He watched as the rumors spread among the finishers. He traced it by the dumfounded expressions bursting from the students' faces. Three girls crushed everyone else through teamwork. It reminded them of children's cartoons. Love and friendship overcame all trials while unicorns farted out rainbows. Such things were for children and helped their development, but cartoons weren't reality.
His daughter disregarded reality and made a new one.
"I'm proud." Aizawa wasn't a man who prided in his works. Pride felled heroes and villains alike, so he refrained from the feeling. Eri would rather have a realistic, living father than a proud but dead one. Even so, he felt very proud now. It permeated every aspect of his existence to see his daughter stand in silent, terrifying victory.
"Dude!" Hizashi shook his head in astonishment. "I never thought my little listener could've been so cooperative!"
The father shook his head. "She's only just begun."
Aizawa opened his eyes and forgot whatever dream his mind concocted in the same moment. His surroundings differed from the past ten days. He didn't see the stale white of a hospital room. He saw his living room.
He blinked three times. Why did he sleep here of all places? Just from the aching, itchy pain in his legs, he knew he hadn't fully healed. They judged him well-enough to return home. Nothing more, nothing less. Despite his almost inhuman drive in heroics, he wouldn't do something unbeneficial like sleeping on a sofa rather than his bed.
He realized his left side felt warmer than his right. Clearing his drowsiness, he heard soft feminine breathing, and a moist breath tickled his neck. Careful not to disturb her, he turned his neck and saw his daughter. She nested herself into his side. A line of drool traveled from her open mouth to his shirt, creating a wet patch. Her hair frazzled into a tangled mess. Salty streaks painted her cheeks from the night before.
Noticing the rising sun, he opened his mouth to wake her. She should've been up hours ago. Before a single syllable could be uttered, he closed his mouth. They reunited yesterday evening, and his daughter acted robotic for most it, and he waited for her walls to lower. They did without warning, and she sobbed into his shoulder for a very long time. He couldn't do much to comfort her, wheelchair bound and exhausted from Recovery Girl's healing. Evidently, they fell asleep on the couch.
Now, Eri looked happy. Her lips curved upwards into a childlike grin. Gone were those eyes that held years of terror. Banished was her stoic façade. Here, she was nothing but a girl happy to be with her father. Aizawa would stay there for hours to let her keep that feeling peace.
Alas, she woke. "Dad?" Her eyes almost twinkled when they met his. She wrapped her arm around his torso as if he'd slip away. He couldn't blame her. He almost died not two weeks ago. It didn't matter if a person was six or sixty. Loosing a parent terrifies anyone. He knew that by experience.
"I'm here." He almost cringed by sounding like All Might and his catchphrase.
She squinted and looked at the rising sun. "I overslept, didn't I?"
"You did." No use in hiding the truth.
"Ah." She sat straight and regained her bearings. Her face reddened. "I apologize for sleeping on you, drooling on you, and oversleeping."
He shook his head. "You've had it tough too. It's fine."
She stood. "I, ah…" Shaking her head, her disposition changed from natural to her less than pleasing one. "I will make you coffee and breakfast. Considering my error, I will head to classes with you," she intoned.
He let her go and contemplated if he should move himself to that blasted wheelchair yet. Maybe he should wait. Yeah, he'll do that.
The scent of eggs lofted from the kitchen. Despite being more western, they consumed hundreds of scrambled eggs a year due to their quick cook time and high protein. She set a plate and steaming cup of black coffee before him. She went back to the kitchen and fetched the same for herself.
He noticed what was missing. "Eri?" He raised an eyebrow.
Without hesitation, she noted, "You no longer have that mug."
They spoke of his favorite mug. The reason for his preference was the handle. It never heated and gave his fingers enough space to not touch the mug's body. Considering he hadn't used it in days, he knew it would've been clean and Eri would've used it. Nonetheless, she didn't use his favorite cup which meant they no longer had it.
"What happened to my mug?" He had asked Hizashi to watch over his home and Nemuri to watch over his cats and child. He suspected the former might break something, and things could be replaced. Lives could not. It seemed his suspicions came true.
"I used your favorite coffee mug as bribery. It secured an ally." She spoke those words as if they were normal. Aizawa thought about his medications in search of any side effects regarding hallucinations. There weren't.
"Could you explain?"
And so, she did.
And thus, Aizawa grinned.
Eri already displayed unexpected tenacity to win. All other students prepared for the Sports Festival by improving themselves. Run faster. Punch harder. Eri focused on a different angle. She forged allies. Why? She wanted to make a statement to the world and another to a single man, a demon that haunted her for years.
To the world, she wanted to announce her entrance with heroic deeds.
To the demon… He remembered her words from his first morning back.
"I want to let Overhaul know something." She produced a cracked smile. "Come and get me if you can. I'll dominate you."
His little girl wanted to defeat the real monster in her closet.
Author's notes: This chapter was shorter (though released sooner), so I'll counteract that a bit by having with some slightly longer notes. One of these regard the last chapter, but I didn't want to add anything after that last line.
First, why Lacrimosa? The lyrics related to Eri a lot, and the feel of the song seems to capture her character as well. Additionally, after several generations of One for All being passed down in a society that hadn't changed much at all, modern society would be producing the same kinda music as today but different music. By comparison, how much music do you know that's 200 years old? I played it safe and chose music that still is somewhat recognizable after 228 years. I'll assume it still would be mainstream enough for Eri to find it. It's also a good song you should listen to once. Really powerful.
Why such a long tangent? I... just feel like I should justify it. That same logic also applies to Atalanta this chapter and all my Shakespeare. They're things these people could know about hundreds of years later. (Though, Atalanta also has more symbol with regards to Eri, and she's a bit of a double reference to another anime that influenced how I both wrote this world's people and especially Eri...)
This chapter did a lot despite its short length. I showed more about Eri's character. Mei got introduced. (Yay!) Bakugo showed some character development. The race was finished in seconds. The last could be seen as odd, but... Did anyone think Eri couldn't make it? She could've just ran the entire way with minimal use of her power and finish mid-pack at worst. In place of that, Eri gave some teamwork and made Mei VERY happy.
Also, Todoroki acted the same in canon with Midoriya. It's just none of the narrating characters felt too concerned about that.
Aizawa can call Eri his little girl because he's her dad and taller than her (by 3cm/1in).
Lastly, Eri won't breeze through the Sports Festival to victory. From an analytical standpoint, her powers give her huge advantages against some and massive disadvantages against others. She has next to no chance at defeating characters like Todoroki or Tokoyami, long-range fighters who don't use living attacks. (I don't think Eri could use her powers on Dark Shadow? He's a Quirk, and Eri doesn't know how her Quirk can revert Quirks.) I don't want Eri to be a Mary-Sue. If you think so, please tell me.
Thanks for all of your favorites, follows, and reviews! They're awesome!
