Chapter Nineteen
Calibration
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Yagi Toshinori did not vanish into nothingness. Together with Midoriya Inko, he dematerialized, an altogether strange experience. At first, he feared that they were fragmenting apart, but that was not the case. As they dissipated from one plane of existence they coalesced into the next. The world around them was as he remembered it, though everything seemed hazy and granular, as though he could pick apart the individual particles that made up everything. Objects seemed to overlap and bleed into each other. Buildings did not stand on their foundations so much as rest lazily on them, their ephemeral edges softly swaying on the spiritual winds that blew in from the coast.
Inko had a small preview of this existential facet thanks to the sorcery she endured earlier, but to Toshinori everything about this was a complete surprise. Regardless, he masked his own shock. To outward appearances, he casually took in the alien surroundings while maintaining a comforting grip onto Inko's hand with his own.
"Steady yourself, All Might." came a startlingly familiar voice from behind him. He turned to see Sondok. She was frayed at the edges, especially around her face. It looked as though she was being assembled atom by atom in slow motion. The parts of her that were assembling themselves seemed translucent rather than missing. Muscle and bone were visible, yet her skin seemed intact. Sondok was both whole and incomplete.
"I see you are recovering from your injuries just fine." was the only greeting Toshinori offered her. He instinctively tightened his grip onto Inko's hand as though he could protect her from this monster.
"A shame that you humans lack our regenerative abilities, or I could say the same for you. I suppose there are some with healing Quirks, but you do not fall into those ranks, do you?" as she moved toward them, he could see that her crown and weapons were back in her possession.
Mahbagodeth floated towards the building perimeter. Glowing crimson symbols floated around him as he worked some new sorcery into existence. Whatever was occupying him left both Inko and Toshinori to Sondok's attendant amusement.
"What happens now?" Inko asked.
Sondok bowed her head respectfully to the mother of the Shining Prince. Toshinori swallowed bile at the transparent gesture. "Regent, it is an honor to meet you. I am Sondok, Warden Soul of Ligier, the Green Sun. To answer you: Calibration has just begun. The time of Ligier approaches."
"Calibration?" Toshinori asked, worried about what this could mean.
Sondok gestured outward to the pale emerald aurora that illuminated the entire sky. From their current vantage, the ephemeral flames seemed especially intense, far more than they had been when they were solid. "If you gaze out this way, you can almost make out Ligier. He is the brightest star in this direction."
Inko gazed mutely, but Toshinori could not contain his morbid fascination. "Is that the star system you come from? Your homeworld?"
Sondok laughed. It was not a mirthful sound to either of her human listeners. "Our world is not anything like what you are imagining. You are picturing a sphere hurtling around a stunted sun. No. Malfeas, the Eternal City, is much grander than that. It rests on the bounty of Cecelyne, the Endless Desert. Simultaneously, it is a layered series of rings, interlocking districts that encircle Ligier, separated only by the great crossing of Kimbery… but you will see it in all of its beauty soon enough."
Inko looked worried as Toshinori pressed for more information. "We will see it? You don't mean just Midoriya Inko and her son do you… how many of use are you taking to your world?"
Sondok smiled as though she was giving someone fantastic news like she was happy for them. "The Primordials are drawing your world closer to Malfeas. When the Prince emerges from his five days of dreaming, the first stage of that process will be complete. Then Ligier won't be visible just to the initiated but all the naked eyes of every person in your world, so you may all appreciate his beauty."
Inko finally spoke up. "Closer to Malfeas? Drawing us closer? What does all this mean?"
Sondok pondered how best to relay this information, and then settled on the correct words to use. The wait was agonizing for Toshinori. Inko seemed without hope as she waited patiently for Sondok's words.
The demon spoke to them as though delivering a sermon of salvation or rallying troops before a skirmish. "By the time the Prince emerges, the journey from Malfeas to your world will always be five days across Cecelyne's expanse. No more. No less. Every year after, the Prince will conduct a ritual that will allow Calibration to resume. Each time, your world will be drawn a full day closer. At the conclusion of the final ritual, your world will become one of many that have been drawn into Malfeas itself. Rejoice. You will be inhabitants of Malfeas, and your world will be building material for the Eternal City."
Inko was shocked into abject silence as the true horror of what they heard overwhelmed her. Toshinori moved from holding her hand to steadying her with a grip on her shoulder. Despite this appearance of strength, a corner of his heart gave in to true despair. Inhabitants. In other words, they would be slaves. Building material. Their entire planet would be stripped of natural beauty and resources. Toshinori doubted that even a single species would be spared from extinction during Earth's dismantling.
Whatever it was their other captor was working on, he had finished. He spoke out a series of harsh-sounding words to Sondok, who bit back a reply of her own. Toshinori watched with undisguised curiosity as the two argued among themselves. The topic was unknowable to him, but apparently, they were disagreeing on how to divide their efforts. If that was the case, then their mission could not be as simple as protecting the Chrysalis and escorting Young Midoriya back to their homeworld. What other objectives were they going after while they were here, and what would it mean if humanity could frustrate those efforts?
Whatever the topic was, their increased volume inspired Miss Midoriya to lean in towards Toshinori for protection. Even in his weakened state he instinctively held onto her as though to shield her from these monsters with his remaining good arm. The fact remained that something was frustrating the enemy. Sondok rudely gestured over to where Toshinori was holding onto Miss Midoriya. The monstrous woman was clearly displeased about something her comrade had said, and that something involved the two of them.
Were they arguing over what to do with their captives?
The two eventually came to a tense accord with one another before Sondok turned to face Toshinori again. The masked monster that had captured them both summoned up something akin to a brass palanquin held aloft by a team of gigantic wasps. Both Inko and Toshinori recoiled at the thought of being confined in such a vehicle but were relieved when it was the Mahbagodeth that entered the thing before the craft moved due south towards the coast. What was there that the enemy would care about?
Sondok took a moment to compose her anger away before turning to face the two humans. "My associate has matters he must attend to. Now, regent mother, I invite you to join me as I journey towards Prince Izuku. All Might. You will come. For you, this is not a request."
"Yes please!" Inko blurted out her answer. "All I want is to be near my son!"
Toshinori caught a strange look pass through Sondok's red starlit eyes. Was that pity? Remorse? A pit formed in his intestines wondering what these monsters had in store for Miss Midoriya. "I'd insist on coming with you even if you didn't want me to, Lady Sondok."
Sondok extended her hands out to each of them. Without being told they both understood that they needed to take hold of her and clasp their hands to hers. They followed her steps as she walked ever so carefully forward. The building they were on warped and bent in time with her footfall, merging to the next and then that one in turn blended with yet another structure. Once they had completed a full step together, both Inko and Toshinori marveled that they had traveled at least seven city blocks. Behind them, the buildings all snapped back completely into place as though nothing was ever amiss.
It only took seven more steps, each as strange as the one before it, each warping and twisting the world around them, before they came to rest on the asphalt of a suburban street well outside of the city. Not far from them sat the hound of Sondok, the strange wolf that Toshinori had seen emerge from the back of her head. Behind him stood the object of his vigil, the Chrysalis that they had all been fighting over. It lit up the entire street with harsh emerald radiance, drowning out the pale green light of the sky above.
The journey was a jarring experience and proved too much for Toshinori's constitution, and the emaciated man bent over to vomit blood onto the streetscape. Inko moved to comfort or aid him but he held his palm up to keep her at bay. Recovering, he stood straight and wiped the blood from his lips. "Let's go check on your son, Miss Midoriya." Meekly the woman nodded and turned with him towards their goal.
Sondok ignored this entire exchange. Instead, she strode forward towards the emerald light of the Chrysalis, pausing only long enough to pat the smoke-formed canine on the head and scratch behind his ear. The creature held completely still despite the acknowledgment it was receiving.
As the three of them moved past the hound and through the corona-barrier, their eyes adjusted to the light within. A young brunette woman in a torn blood-soaked maid outfit sat on the ground near the Chrysalis. On her lap rested the holographic outline of a young man. Neither Inko nor Toshinori recognized either of the two.
Inko moved as if in a trance towards the gigantic shell, ignoring the additional actors that shared a stage with it. Her son was inside, and this was the closest she had been to him since he had vanished on his quest to… to end his life. Even if this barrier stood between them, she just wanted to be closer to her son.
For his part, Toshinori could not help but stare at the ephemeral young man on the ground. He seemed so oddly familiar. He didn't know of a hero that could project himself this way… or perhaps the ability was to turn himself into a projection? He didn't quite understand the Quirk he was looking at…
The young woman said something sharp to the man in her arms, something neither of them could make out. There was a muffling effect between physical and ephemeral layers of reality, it seemed.
The young man reached up to brush his fingers against the cheek of his companion. Toshinori could see the concern in his eyes… eyes that burned with green fire, a fire that caused him to wonder…
"You're right. There is no backup plan… I just want you to be safe… I'm… I'm afraid." the youth said. The voice was deep and rich, but something about it sparked a sense of familiarity.
The woman adjusted her grip on him before asking "What are you afraid of Izuku? After everything I've seen you do, you don't strike me as being afraid of anything."
Alarmed, Inko rushed to their side, kneeling next to the two of them. Panic overcame her as she tried to take in the young man's features… she took in his hair, his eyes, and his smile…
"Izuku…" Inko whispered, unable to comprehend just how much he had changed. "I don't understand…"
"I'm afraid of who Izuku will become… I'm afraid that I'm the last part of him that's still Izuku… if that happens, we're all doomed." the young man said out loud, his gaze never leaving his companion's face.
The young woman took ahold of his hand and placed it against her own cheek. "I believe in you, Izuku. You need to believe in yourself too, ok?"
Toshinori watched from a meter away while Inko knelt next to her son. Tears streamed down Inko's face as she reached tentatively forward. Izuku, or rather this taller and altered version of him, had one free hand dangling just beyond her reach. "Izuku… can you hear me?" Inko asked, almost begging. Her tears multiplied, drowning the smile on her lips as her fingers somehow interlocked with those of her son.
Young Midoriya's eyes moved, searching. Could he feel her there? Could he see them?
"What is happening to him? What is happening to my son?" Inko lamented, briefly sparing a glance to Sondok before refocusing her gaze onto Izuku's wandering eyes, hoping to make eye contact, to make some form of connection with him.
"Izuku? Are you all right?" the young woman asked.
"Sorry… I just… felt something there. Please, try to get a little bit of rest while we wait, ok?" he said, much to Inko's lament. She was touching him and yet he couldn't see her… but he felt her. That meant something. She reassured herself with that knowledge as she gripped onto his hand.
"The Prince has created an extension-construct of himself in order to transport the Chrysalis. From an earlier report, we know that he intends to take the Chrysalis to the peak of Mt. Takao. The broken chain… the crystals coating it… it's apparent that the Unquestionable have decided to test the Prince's loyalty." Sondok dryly commented.
"What happens if young Midoriya fails their test… if his motivations are still too human for their liking?" Toshinori couldn't help but ask.
The monstrous woman locked her red eyes onto Toshinori's, answering him without hesitation. "Then they will kill him. The construct here would die instantly, and the Chrysalis would disintegrate. The three are inextricably linked."
Inko went stiff at the thought. Her mind could not process past the danger that her son currently faced. Toshinori, though, pressed on. "What happens to your mission and to Calibration if that happens?"
Sondok contemplated for only a moment. "To restore my honor, I would remain with my soldiers and wait for another Prince to arrive with their legions so that the ritual of conquest may begin anew."
Honor. It was the first time Toshinori had heard her use that word. Although it sounded horrifyingly strange, it confirmed a lot about what he suspected earlier. This woman was a soldier deep down in her soul. She also confirmed one thing for him, that they wanted to conquer this world whether they obtained young Midoriya's obedience or not.
Yagi Toshinori couldn't hold his own tongue in check. "Honor. It seems contradictory to choose a young man and then turn him against his own people. Wouldn't it have been more honorable to declare war and then conquer us outright, without all of this… infiltration and subversion?"
Hot fiery rage consumed Sondok's proud features. "You dare…" she strode purposely toward him, grabbing the chain that linked his arm to his neck. "You, 'All Might', are an insufferable, infuriating little man. Your pride blinds you to your proper place. First, you insulted me while I guarded the Prince's Chrysalis, accusing me of cowardice! You implied that I feared one of the Exalted Princes and held back out of some paltry sense of human self-preservation, mocking me even as I held back against an opponent as unworthy as you! I can endure such insults and have done so from far more significant men than you!"
Just as Toshinori was about to choke out a response she threw him down onto the hard asphalt. He landed roughly, unable to cushion his fall with his maimed arm. "Now though… now you dare to question the methods of my superiors! The Unquestionable are called by that title for a reason! You have no right to call on them for answers, to argue against their infallible willpower! Ligier chose Prince Izuku to bear forth the banner of Malfeas, and that is what is going to happen! The how and the why are not for you to ponder and prod with your tiny mind or your insipid words!"
In a flash of movement, Sondok knelt over him, her iron teeth bared as she breathed malice against his face. He was caught, staring into her red star-filled eyes like a helpless pedestrian against an oncoming truck. "From this moment on you will hold your tongue. I may be under orders to let you and as many of your fellow 'heroes' live as possible, but that will not stop me from burning your mouth into ashes and wearing your teeth as a necklace. One more word and your face will be forfeit."
As hard as he tried, Toshinori could not hide the fear that he felt. His eyes felt cold air as they widened in shock at her word and actions. Helplessly chained and broken, he could not resist her. If Sondok wanted him dead, then Toshinori would die. If she wanted to maim him, then he would have to endure it. His own impotence against her felt like a lead weight in his chest.
"Please," Inko begged, weeping. She reached out with one hand in a placating gesture towards Sondok even as her other hand remained in contact with her son. "Please no more. You've done enough to us. Please just… let me have my time here with my son in peace."
"As the mother regent requests," Sondok said somberly. With a threatening glance back to Toshinori, Sondok solicited a nod of understanding from him. With that accomplished, the soldier from another world stood and moved away from her captives, preferring to stand vigil without looking directly at them. Her pupil-less eyes probably had them keenly spotted in her peripheral vision, though.
Panting, Toshinori finally realized that he had held his own breath. His one lung complained angrily at him, grasping for air that he had thoughtlessly denied it. Miss Midoriya quietly wept as she held onto her son's hand. Toshinori remained on the ground near her, fearing what it would mean if he crawled to her. Would it be for her comfort, or for his own?
Gritting his teeth, the professional hero knew that pitying himself was useless. No. It was better to think over the new information he had just learned. In quiet aftermath of Sondok's outburst, he had nothing but time to mull over everything that had happened since he had first laid eyes on her. He fought hard to keep his face neutral as the gravity of Sondok's mistake struck him. In her emotional outburst, she had confirmed that she was under orders to keep him alive.
Toshinori started to understand that to Sondok, his life was more than just a pawn for securing a truce. No, her orders to spare him probably were much older than the negotiated ceasefire.
Recovering from her assault helped disguise the gasp of realization as it struck him. "You are the one called All Might, correct?" were the first words Sondok had spoken to him. She knew him by appearance and by name. At the time that didn't seem so unusual given his fame as the number one hero, but now it all seemed so oddly out of place.
These creatures had shown no interest in humanity except as pests or resources. Singling out young Midoriya and his mother made sense to him, given their mission to alter him for their purpose. Why then would they know him? Why would All Might be singled out or worthy of their notice?
Sondok had called his Quirk a sad exigence. Could she have been hiding something within that insult? It seemed likely. Could these invaders have more interest in One for All than they were willing to admit? Could that be the one reason he was left alive? Why though? His Quirk clearly was no match for their combat potential. If not for everyone else's help, or Ingenium's sacrifice, Sondok could have easily killed him earlier.
The puzzle pieces were falling into place within Toshinori's mind. He was maneuvered into surrendering himself into their custody, and Midoriya Inko was used to accomplish that goal. Murdering other heroes was just a means to that end. There was no need for them to even engage in combat if the heroes had no means to pry open young Midoriya's Chrysalis. The elaborate nature of the scheme made no sense to him until now. He had something that they wanted… and that something was One for All…
A dark pit of resolute determination formed in his gut. Even if it was the end of One for All's lineage, even if it meant the Quirk would be snuffed out, Toshinori could not let them use him to obtain it. He couldn't let himself enter any more deals with them, no matter how dire things became. Now that he knew what kind of scheming monsters they were, he hoped no one else would be so foolish as that.
Toshinori looked on to the sad sight of Midoriya Inko holding her son's hand as the unknown young brunette held him in place. The holographic young man met his gaze steadily. Could he see and hear them? Had he ignored his own mother just to covertly overhear Sondok? How much of this had he figured out? How much had he heard of Sondok's rant? Toshinori felt terrible for young Midoriya. Surely, he had figured out by now that to these monsters, humans were just interchangeable parts. There was nothing that the younger man could offer them that would match up to the power they were injecting into him… they feigned indifference about the world and lauded how special their Chosen champion was as a distraction. They wanted him, yes, but as a steppingstone to a goal outside of him.
Just then, the younger man smiled softly at Toshinori. It felt like the two of them connected, sharing the same conclusion in the dying light of the Chrysalis. The young man knew. Wordlessly, somehow in that single moment, Toshinori not only understood that young Midoriya was figuring out just as much as Toshinori had if not more. Despite his subterfuge, he was taking the time to reassure the older hero. For a flickering moment, he felt a flame ignite inside of him, lit by a spark passed to him by the young man's smile. That flame made him feel like he was still All Might, no matter how much he had let everyone down. More than ever before, Toshinori wished he had chosen his gut instead of his head and made young Midoriya his successor.
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It had been an emotional roller coaster since Deku had taken off like a comet out of the city, carrying Round Face with him. Their makeshift band of heroes and deputies had met up with five other teams. The long hours that had been spent on evacuations and reconnaissance took a harsh and exhausting toll on all of them. Their efforts saved more than seventeen loads of passengers in ambulances and medical helicopters, all of them stuffed beyond recommended capacity with helpless civilians.
This break, however brief it would be, was a nice change of pace. They had finally found Round Face's mom, the one that the shapeshifting oil-blob had imitated earlier. While watching Mr. and Mrs. Round Face embrace, Katsuki wondered where his mom was. Had she gotten out of the city? Did she meet up with his dad? Did that shadow lady in the freaky makeup find her?
Katsuki shook that last thought off. The gesture earned him some strange glances from the two others sitting with him at the kitchen table of the Round Face family apartment. Ginza Girl and Pink Puff both looked as tired as he felt. Officially the three of them were supposed to be resting but none of them felt comfortable borrowing Round Face's room, either together or separately. As tired as they were, it just felt wrong.
The kitchen was cramped and dark. Every light in the apartment was left off to avoid giving away their positions to the outside world. There was no way to know who or what might notice them. The only thing preventing them all from stumbling in the darkness was the constant illumination from the bright green aurora outside. Yeah, that was still freaky. Katsuki tried to not think of the embarrassing string of nonsense-expletives he unleashed when the fucking sky decided to glow like Deku's new hermit crab home.
The walls were absurdly thin. They could hear Mr. and Mrs. Round Face in the next room over, consoling each other about their daughter's bravery and well-being. Mount Lady, the only hero other than All Might that had the decency to pick a name Katsuki could remember, was snoring softly in Round Face's room. If anyone deserved a good nap, it was probably her.
Whale Face, Dry Eye, and S&M were discussing the group's next moves in the living room area. That didn't mean there was any wall separating the teenage deputies from their heroic counterparts. The two groups simply tried to quietly keep things to themselves. This was supposed to be a break, after all.
Even if it was supposed to be for less than an hour, it was needed after all of them had been so high strung for more than thirty hours. Even queuing for the one toilet had been a reminder of how tired everyone was. Exhaustion was one aspect of hero-work no one really talked about, nor was borrowing bathrooms or futons when you were stranded out in the field.
The hero team was keeping tabs on other teams through their communication system, tracking how well the evacuation effort was going. More than two dozen teams were scattered across the city, and hundreds of police and emergency response teams were coordinating with them. Beyond that was the aid brought in by the Defense Force. It was a logistical nightmare, and Katsuki was overwhelmed just trying to think about it all. His ears perked up when he heard All Might be mentioned from across the room. Apparently, his communicator was still transmitting, but the amount of static it was producing made most of the conversation he was in nonsensical. It was also impossible for the Support Corp. to track his location properly.
Pink Puff stretched, causing her top to ride up and expose a tight-toned stomach. Katsuki feigned indifference to the exposed skin, but still looked her way when she spoke up. "If we're going to just sit here and wait, we might as well talk about something." With that, she had both his and Ginza Girl's attention. He assumed the two of them would engage in girl-talk, but Pink Puff focused in on him instead. "Hey." She prompted him.
"What do you want, Pink Puff?" he asked.
Pink Puff had taken to him renaming her in stride, whereas Ginza Girl still bristled every time he even spoke. Even now she was fuming in her seat, glaring across from him for daring to rename Pink Puff. The pink-skinned teen was nonchalant though, "Tell us about Izuku."
"Deku? There's not much to tell, nothing interesting at least. He's a Quirkless wimp and a loser." He said before he could stop himself. It was true though. Deku had at best average grades and a lackluster physical education performance. To top it off there wasn't anything about him that stood out as interesting or worthy of remark in Katsuki's eyes.
Ginza Girl wasn't buying anything Katsuki had to say though. "That 'Quirkless wimp' is getting pumped full of demonic power from an alien world. Some of those demons can beat up heroes as powerful as All Might. Oh, and the demons are trying to invade us. That kind of makes him… you know, Izuku, his actual name… the most interesting person on the planet. So yeah, humor her. Tell us about Midoriya. You can start with where you came up with the name Deku." Every syllable seethed out of her mouth like a dragon breathing fire.
Katsuki looked back and forth between the two of them. Pink Puff was trying to keep things light and happy while Ginza Girl seemed pissed that Katsuki was breathing the same air as her. This conversation was going to be hell, but he didn't see a way to avoid it inside this cramped space. "It was a nickname I gave him when we were kids. It's a way to reinterpret the reading of his name." he kept things simple and factual.
Pink Puff though decided to pull up her finger calligraphy app and placed her phone on the table. "Show us." She requested. He was starting to suspect that despite her jovial attitude that she was enjoying stirring this hornet nest.
With a raised eyebrow Katsuki was about to make a flippant remark about wasting battery life. A single icy glare across the table from Ginza Girl forced him to reconsider. So he gave them their way and wrote out the kanji for Izuku. He used the same Izu one would use in Izuru and the same character for Ku that was derived from an alternate reading of the name Hisashi. He didn't think too hard about what any of that would mean to Izuku though.
"We know what his name is Bakugou." Ginza Girl spoke out, the words were cold and sharp as she stared him down. "Show us how you would write Deku."
The rich girl did not phrase her desire as a request, but Pink Puff leaned in to say please on her behalf.
"Fine," Katsuki said, knowing what was coming next. Accusations. Name-calling. His mother's voice echoed in his head, asking what kind of hero would tell someone to jump off a building. He wrote out the kanji for Deku. Wooden Doll. Useless Person. It's what he felt his former friend was, the most fitting name for him.
Katsuki expected the first volley to come across the table from Ginza Girl. He was caught off guard by Pink Puff wincing and blurting out, "Damn. How old were you when you stuck this on him? Hell, what did he do to you to deserve a custom-made insult on this scale?"
"What did Deku do to deserve this? What a stupid question. He…" and suddenly Bakugou Katsuki was stumped. He realized that no one would ever understand what kind of a pebble in Katsuki's shoe his former friend was. How could he explain it in a way anyone else would ever accept?
Ginza Girl leaned forward to press her point home to him. "Some of the nicest people I know are Quirkless. My driver. Some of my tutors. With one out of five people being Quirkless you will still find at least some at every family reunion. So I have to ask… why is the way someone was born a valid reason to insult them?"
He folded his hands under his arms and retreated into himself. He didn't want to hear any of this. Regardless of his desire though, the stupid conversation continued without him. "People can be cruel like that," Pink Puff pointed out. "I got made fun of throughout lower and middle school for my skin and horns. Then I developed this figure and suddenly the insults evaporated."
"It's not just the way he was born!" Katsuki blurted the words out with more volume than he meant to. That earned him a glare from Dry Eyes across the room. Lowering his voice back to decent conversational levels, he continued. "He got in my way… over and over again, he was always there, getting in my way…"
"Well, he did say he used to look up to you as a big brother." Pink Puff pointed out.
"What? When did he say that?" Bakugou was dumbfounded. Did Deku say that? How had he missed that? It was true that he was three months older than Deku, but he never recalled anything that would make them feel like siblings…
"It was back when the two of you thumped your chests at each other like a bunch of idiotic men… right before he laid you out on the asphalt." Ginza Girl smiled while she said it, as though relishing the flavor of Katsuki's embarrassment.
He ignored her though, trying to piece together these feelings Deku used to have. The two of them were close as kids before Deku was revealed to be Quirkless. That by itself wouldn't be enough to make their relationship so… familiar. Other than the two of them playing together as small children back when their moms lived in the same apartment complex, he couldn't think of... "Shit." He mused out loud. Had he really beat up on someone who looked up to him that much? As he thought it over, he couldn't get that shadow demon out of his head. She had thanked him for bullying Deku. How fucked up is that?
"I can't imagine how I would feel if I had someone that close to me that made me feel that way. That really sucks. I mean, if my Horn Buddy insulted me that way I'd be devastated." Pink Puff pondered thoughtfully, unaware of just how deeply she was cutting into Bakugou with her naïve musings.
"Horn Buddy?" Ginza Girl asked.
"Oh! My boyfriend! Here, let me show you a pic. He's so fucking hot. All mine though, no touching!" the pink-skinned girl said, passing her phone over.
Ginza Girl had the decency to smile wryly at Pink Puff after looking through not just one but several pictures. "I can see why you want this all to yourself. So, does this fine man meat have a name other than Horn Buddy?"
"Kirishima Eijiro," the horned young woman said proudly. "Today… or... er… yesterday was supposed to be our first date. We've been friends throughout high school. We've decided to try and be more than that."
"What brought on the change, if you don't mind me asking?" The black-haired beauty inquired, shifting to genuinely friendly curiosity now that they had mutually moved on from grilling Bakugou to death.
Mina shrugged. "One day he was stiff and awkward and really wanted to talk to me after school, away from all our friends. He kept avoiding the main topic, going on about how we're both trying to get into the same hero courses for university, about how much he admires me… then I got annoyed with him and asked him to get to the point and he did… he just reached forward and took me in his arms…" She motioned with her hands outstretched as though she could feel his biceps under fingers. "Then he brought his face close to mine and…"
Momo was caught on Mina's bait. "And?"
She smiled mischievously, "And then I kissed him. The look on his face was priceless, and that dumb look got even funnier when I asked him what took him so long. It was only a week ago but… I wish we had started so much longer ago." Her yellow-on-black eyes glistened with a dam-full of unspent tears. "High school is almost over… and now the world might be ending."
Momo reached forward to take Mina's hand in hers. She cast a menacing gaze out the window at the greenlit sky before turning softened eyes back to Mina. "The world isn't going to end. We're not going to let it."
Dropping her phone to the table, Mina joined her free hand onto Momo's, the two women drawing strength from each other. Katsuki, still lost in thought, allowed his eyes to wander over the picture on her screen. "Hey, I've seen that shitty hair before… in the park near ground zero." He blurted out.
Mina was shocked into a frenetic state of near panic. "Wait, when was that? Was he ok?"
"Yeah, he was fine. This was yesterday, late. I think he was deputized under Kamui Woods. There were a few others as well, but even with all the smoke and chaos I could pick out that hair easily." Bakugou confessed, surprising both Momo and Mina with his ability to be that observant.
Mina closed her eyes and breathed out a long sigh of relief. Eijiro was ok. He was with others, heroes. Momo squeezed her hand. Mina asked, "Bakugou, what were Kamui Woods and his team doing? I'd ask the heroes over there but they're kinda busy right now… please don't make me go over there to find out!"
Bakugou sighed. "Last I saw them they were clearing civilians out of the combat zone."
Mina nodded, taking in that news. That meant that their team would try to stay off the front lines. Now with the truce in effect, they should have more room to breathe and could get out safer.
Their conversation was interrupted. Gang Orca strode in. "Bakugou. I'm heading in for what looks like a combat mission. Everyone else here is going to focus on civilian extraction. I normally would not ask this, but we're in an unusual circumstance. Do you…"
"I'm coming with you." The young blonde stood abruptly.
The whale faced hero folded his arms across his chest. "You don't even want to hear the details?"
"You said combat, right? Then I can be useful. Let's go." The young man said, his stride taking him voluntarily closer to danger. That was still less frightening than the feelings that were stirring inside of himself… no thanks to Pink Puff and Ginza Girl.
"Bakugou. Good luck." Mina called after him. She was sincerely worried about him and his safety, no matter what he may have done in the past. Momo, though appearing concerned, said nothing.
Katsuki smirked at Pink Puff. It was the only reply he offered before leaving the apartment with the largest pro-hero on their team. After he and Orca made it to the stairs, Gang Orca spoke more freely. "We're up against Villains this time, but we don't know if any demons might pop in to make things interesting."
"Villains? In the middle of all this? Do they have a death wish or something?" Katsuki mused out loud.
"We got the call from Kamui Woods. He and his team need backup." Orca spoke, causing Katsuki's insides to lurch.
Pink Puff's boyfriend Shitty Hair was in that group… he had the urge to run back, to shout for more reinforcements. Instead, he asked, "If they called for backup then why is it just the two of us?"
"Because civilian lives are hanging in the balance back here, and other teams are calling for help. Everyone we just left is going to be stretched thin, and we can't let the evacuation lag no matter how much danger there is." Orca explained bluntly. The truth was harsh, but it was better to face it head-on.
"Yes, sir," Katsuki replied, accepting the nature of his orders. Pink Puff would have to wait. He hoped that she wouldn't get any bad news and resolved to save Shitty Hair's ass.
{}
Ochako awoke suddenly, instinctively pulling her head up from where it had gone slack with exhaustion. While shocked that she had fallen asleep while sitting on the asphalt, she was relieved to find that Izuku was still in her arms. Nevertheless, she adjusted her grip on him. Despite her bladder complaining angrily at her, she adamantly refused to let him go.
The anima light from the Chrysalis had faded significantly, as had the radiant heat that enveloped her. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she felt the cold night invade the air around her.
Earlier the Chrysalis had been enveloped in a roaring conflagration of emerald energy. Now it seemed muted. Diminished. It was still a bonfire but had significantly reduced from what it once was. The darkness from beyond was interrupted by a greenlit sky, set ablaze by an aurora that she was only now able to see clearly. It was both beautiful and frightening.
Izuku was similarly reduced. His legs no longer had enough density for the pants or underwear to hold onto him. They had fallen to the ground and passed through him like he was a ghost. His torso was almost completely see-through, and he only had one arm remaining. The other existed as a faint outline like it had been sketched into existence. One side of his face had similarly dissipated, taking an eye with it. It was strange and alarming to look at him, half of him so whole and healthy and the rest of him hazily smudged out of existence. It took a fair amount of willpower not to weep over him.
Ochako bit down on her cheek, fighting back her own emotional chaos. She could be strong for him. "How long was I out?" she asked.
"Maybe five minutes." Izuku smiled up at her.
His answer worried her. If the light died out this much in just five minutes, then it could snuff out completely in just a few more. And with the light out…
"Tell me about yourself." He interrupted her thoughts. She saw what he was doing. Ochako would play along, letting Izuku distract himself from…
Be brave and admit it to yourself, Ochako. He's dying. It's slow, but it's the truth. Ochako consoled herself that she had not left his side for even a moment and that he would not be alone even when the last of his light snuffed out.
She sniffed, battling against mucus loosened by her own dammed up tears. "There's not much to tell about me… I'm not all that interesting."
He smiled up at her, his fangs looking out of place against his gentle expression. "You volunteered to go on a suicide mission at the end of the world. Just before that, you were a waitress. That's a big leap, Ochako. I'd like to know more about the woman that made that leap."
She smiled and nodded, acquiescing to his curiosity. A lone tear left her eye and trailed down her cheek. "I just… after watching what happened to you on the news, to your mom… to everyone… I couldn't just sit back and let the heroes do everything. I had to find some way to help. And then when those brutes attacked the restaurant… oh, that was right after Mount Lady ran past us with the Chrysalis under her arm…"
Izuku listened intently to her, hanging on every word. He didn't interrupt or comment, but she followed his interest by the way his eyes would show amusement or interest in each facet of her story… from the type of restaurant she worked in, to the drive with Momo, Mina, and Midnight, she felt comfortable revealing everything to him and even admitted that she only took the waitress job so she could save up for the tuition at U.A.
"You'll make a great hero." he interrupted her for the first time to say that.
His compliment had her choking back even more tears. "So will you," she said back.
A flash of light interrupted her peripheral vision. Turning her head, she saw the strobing light emerge from the core of the Chrysalis. "Izuku, you…" she couldn't quite process how to tell someone that they were trying to talk to their other-self. She didn't have to. The light rapidly grew in intensity, flooding the area with warm green radiance.
Izuku inhaled deeply, as though breathing light into himself.
The comm system in her ear activated a small camera. It was thanks to this tiny device that Ochako was able to eavesdrop in on Izuku's dialogue with himself.
Cold and mechanical, the computerized voice relayed Izuku's words. "I have survived the examination of the Whispering Flame. Stop. I have been changed by the Ebon Dragon. Stop. I no longer know which memories are mine anymore. Stop."
Ochako's heart cried out for him. They changed his memories. She instinctively held tighter onto Izuku as if to protect him from what the demons were doing to him.
Izuku reached out toward the Chrysalis. The look of painful longing on his face almost broke Ochako's heart. "I am so sorry," he said. "I wish I could have endured all of that for you."
The other Izuku did not acknowledge the emotional platitudes from his copy. "Did you steal my memories? Stop. When I activated the Charm that produced you, did you take the memory of how I learned the Charm? Stop."
"I took it, yes, but I did not steal. You asked me to take it with me. You know I can't betray you… I'm part of you. I won't last at all without you. I… I'm a temporary existence, and I know that… you know that too, don't you? When this is all over… you'll absorb me, and get those memories back… you know that right?" the Izuku in her arms desperately pleaded with his source.
Ochako fought back tears upon hearing this. No matter how this would end, this man in her arms would no longer exist… the thought caused her significantly more pain than she would have guessed possible. She had resolved to be here for him until the end, but to learn that even the best-case scenario for him involved his death was just too much for her.
The mechanical voice might as well have bit the words out. "You are telling the truth. Stop. My memories are altered. Stop. I have no choice but to trust what you are saying. Stop. But. Stop."
"But?" Izuku uttered weakly even as she thought the exact same query.
"I want those memories back. Stop. Now. Stop. Reconnect. Stop. The time to rejoin me has come. Stop. Then I will recreate you. Stop." The translated light-flickering was harsh and demanding. None of this felt right to her.
Ochako could feel Izuku tense his muscles weakly. He barely had the strength to grasp the chain that dangled from his own chest. The man in her arms argued pitiably with the other inside the giant shell. "No. I didn't take the memories inside of myself. They're in a safe place. The…"
"The Primordials want you to have those memories while you're within their reach." He suddenly switched to English, which thankfully Ochako knew enough to follow along. She wondered why he would switch languages like this. Was he worried that they were being listened to? Her eyes wandered to the hound sitting out there in the darkness.
She did everything she could to avoid looking at the mass of memory stones that weightlessly bulged inside of her maid-uniform, though Ochako couldn't help but wonder what was stored inside of them. A small part of her marveled that she was trusted with something so personal and so important.
While the man inside the shell contemplated Izuku's words, he continued. "We're wasting time. We must stop Calibration…"
"Calibration? Stop. How? Stop. The Chrysalis? Stop." The light rattled back a confused reply.
"Yes. We must rush things and get you out of there so that we can stop Calibration. Tell me, since our disconnection, how much time has passed?" Izuku practically coughed with the effort this conversation was taking.
"It's been at least four hours since I was last connected to you. Stop." the light strobed in response.
"No. It's been maybe forty minutes at the most. The Primordials are syncing time between the two worlds, pulling the two together." He pleaded from within Ochako's embrace. "We have to break you out of the Chrysalis as fast as possible and keep the two worlds out of sync. Please trust me. Keeping these memories outside of their reach is the only chance we have."
There was a long and uncomfortable pause. Ochako's mind boggled at the thought of what Izuku was fighting against. While the heroes here were contending with the violence across Musutafu, Izuku had to stand against the tide of forces she could barely understand.
"Fine. Stop. Reestablish the connection. Stop." the light relented the argument… or at least pretended to.
Ochako could see the indecision on Izuku's face. She didn't know, just like him, whether the other Izuku in there could be trusted. However, that chain was the one thing that would sustain this Izuku here and provide power to him again. The anima flaring up had extended his life, but he was still as powerless and limp as he was moments ago. She looked down at the chain on the asphalt and was relieved that it no longer was encased in opal-fired crystal. Picking up the length of chain herself, she offered it to Izuku.
Izuku pondered a bit longer before nodding. The two of them locked eyes together, sharing their uncertainty wordlessly. They both knew there was no other choice. Their hands folded over each other's as they brought the chains together. A spark of something more intense and yet less jarring than static jolted Ochako's hand as the chain re-fused together.
The transformation was intense and immediate. Izuku's body flooded with light and life. He was blinding to look at, like a thunderbolt resting in her arms. His face, torso, and limbs were immediately whole and strong. Ochako withdrew her hands and Quirk as he stood on his own power. Seeing him whole so suddenly flooded her with relief. Happy tears fell across her face at the sight.
Ochako chided herself for staring, however, his back muscles and flexing glutes were now right in front of her, and after seeing him restored to full strength she was relieved enough in the moment to admit that those muscles all looked amazing. His legs were thick and powerful, reminding her of how tirelessly he ran through the city with her and the Chrysalis in tow. Thinking about his immunity to fatigue took a strange turn in her mind toward thoughts that she decided were best left for after the world had been saved.
Her stare took on a strange fascination though as new features appeared. Lines of bright azure etched themselves onto his back, forming a massive mandala-tattoo comprised of several thousand small symbols in a language she had never heard of. The radial symmetry of it all was breathtakingly beautiful, even if it did interrupt the skin of his muscular back or his perfectly formed butt. She was tempted to brush his long hair to the side to get a better look at the azure light show on his upper back. The lines wrapped forward over his shoulders before stretching down his arms. As she tried to detect a pattern, she could not tell if it was designed after some winged creature or an opening flower. Perhaps it was both, or maybe it was something far more abstract, a construct made of words and light rather than a physical shape.
Her view of his back and everything that descended from it was interrupted as holographic clothing formed before her eyes, an amalgamation of light and shadow. When he turned towards her, she saw it was a fitted dark green tee-shirt and a set of loose black slacks. The shoes were the only part of the outfit that she thought needed changing. None of these changes meant as much to her as the look of relief on his face. The two of them shared a knowing smile. They had gone through a lot together in such a short amount of time.
Of all people, it was Izuku that interrupted what could have evolved into a tender moment. "Is the Chrysalis in place? Stop."
"No. We're not very far. Find a way to a private location, wherever you can find it in the city… you are in… the Eternal City, correct?" Izuku replied. His voice was strong, with depth and richness to it that Ochako realized she missed earlier.
That richness stood in contract to the mechanical droning that transcribed the words of the other Izuku. "Yes. Stop. I found someone that needs my help. Stop. I'll try to not waste too much time on it. Stop. Alert me when everything is in place. Stop. Then we'll need to share some of those memories. Stop."
"I'm way ahead of you, Izuku. And Izuku… if you need to be a hero… then go be one." He said, encouraging his source to rescue whoever it was in there that needed help. Could they afford to be greedy, to save one person when an entire world needed them? Ochako realized that on some level, this kind of conundrum helped define who Izuku was deep down inside. The two of them need to do this, if for no reason than to claim how they defined themselves.
"Thank you. Stop. You too. Stop." Somehow Ochako knew there were more emotions interlaced in those words than the translator could provide.
Izuku looked over to Ochako before replying to the other Izuku. He did not break eye contact with her. "I'm way ahead of you… no… we're way ahead of you."
Ochako instinctively swallowed her own apprehension and nervousness as two pairs of eyes, each belonging to a different facet of the same man, turned to appraise her. The Izuku that she knew and had grown fond now gazed at her with gratitude, pride, and perhaps something else. The glowing lights within the Chrysalis turned to regard her with a scrutiny that made her significantly less comfortable. She got the impression that the man trapped in there was suspicious of her… no… of everything. What had they done to him in there?
"Izuku, meet Uraraka Ochako." It was strange to be introduced this way, by an extension of himself.
Ochako bowed instinctively. "It's good to meet you. Your… you've already taken such good care of me." She almost yelped. Why was she so nervous?
"I take it you've been helpful. Stop. I'll ask about it later. Stop. Thank you. Stop. I look forward to meeting you face to face. Stop." Though mechanical, the greeting was warm. She smiled, glad that no matter what they had done to him, that the Izuku in there still reminded her of the one out here.
"Izuku. Did you get the keys? The entire plan won't work without those." Izuku implored, his voice tense with apprehension.
Keys? Ochako wonders.
"I have everything that we need and more. Stop. I let them change me. Stop. If I hadn't how else would I have picked their pockets? Stop." Pride emanated from him despite the mechanical transcription of his words. Even Ochako couldn't help but smirk, her curiosity and confusion overridden by being accepted as an accomplice to their heroic conspiracy.
Izuku's fang-filled smile was both feral and dangerous. "Is that the power I'm feeling in my veins? Is it hers?"
"Yes. Stop. And his. Stop." Came the reply. Ochako decided now was not the time to ask who they were speaking about.
"You've got balls, Izuku." said the man standing beside her to his trapped twin.
"You should know. Stop. You have a matching pair. Stop. Now hurry. Stop. There is no time to waste. Stop." Came the retort. Ochako wanted to laugh as the two bantered like brothers.
"Be careful in there. And see you soon." Izuku said in parting.
"Likewise. Stop." and the other signed off.
The flickering halted, but the corona of emerald light remained intact. Ochako saw that the holographic scenery had changed significantly. She was no longer standing on an endless series of diminutive dunes. Now there was an endless series of towers and spires. Alien creatures wandered the streets or flew between the buildings. Tiny bells rang out soundlessly across the cityscape. All of it was lit by a sizable ball of green fire perhaps ten meters above the Chrysalis. She wanted to point out different things of wonder or amusement, but she knew that now was not the time. She knew what had to be done and moved to the Chrysalis to make her contribution to the team.
She barely had a moment from when she made the Chrysalis weightless before she felt his hand on her waist, about to pick her up into his arms. "Wait," she said.
"What?" Izuku's eyes were filled with concern. Her heart fluttered at the tension in his voice.
"I need a pit stop," was all she said.
He nodded in relief, understanding her discreetly, and she was picked up off her feet. Ochako wasn't startled anymore when Izuku picked her up into his arms. It felt safe and right.
"There's a tourist station at the bottom of the mountain. Sound good?" he ran the idea past her. She nodded and held tight to him while placing a protective hand over the weightless stones she was hiding, bracing for a harsh blast of wind for when he picked up speed.
That harsh blast never came, at least not as fitfully as last time. Opening her eyes, Ochako marveled that the air seemed to hit an invisible shield in front of them. She tried to speak up, shouting, but the air around them still made talking very difficult.
"Yes. Stop. I made a windshield out of telekinetic force. Stop." Izuku glowed from within, illuminating his message to her as he continued to run forward. That meant that he knew all along that she had been listening in. The thought caused her cheeks to flare up with heated embarrassment.
Her gaze fell to the Chrysalis trailing behind them and then beyond that to the hound pacing itself in the distance. It couldn't keep up, but it maintained a respectable speed. She smiled and decided that this was now one of her favorite methods of travel.
She wanted to speak up and ask him to take her running like this somewhere once this was all over. Maybe a beach? Would that qualify as a date? Is it too early to ask him something like that? Are we even friends yet? We are on a first-name basis but is that just because of this emergency?
No, she resolved. They would work towards saving the city first… or apparently, the world. Then, once that was over and adrenaline was no longer running through her system… then, and only then, she resolved that she would get to know Midoriya Izuku. Besides, she reasoned, she had earned at least that much.
Cast in emerald light, Mount Takao loomed over them, dominating more and more of the horizon. It had never looked so beautiful to her before.
