CHAPTER 5: RIDERS, BUGSTERS AND VILLAINS, OH MY!
"Kujo? Hojo? Where am I?" asked Midoriya, staring at the strange white room he had ended up in. The middle-aged man started to speak up, saying "I'm afraid we'll have to ask you to leave and not talk about this place-!", before Kujo cut him off. "Whatever, Director, all the patients we've treated for the Bugster Virus here know about it. If they're not gonna spill, neither will Midoriya." "Bugster Virus? Secrets? What is this place?" asked Midoriya in a growing panic. "Kid…welcome to CR."
*Cue My Hero Academia opening 1 – The Day*
"CR?" the green-haired boy asked. "CR, or the Cyber Rescue Center, is where we treat people who are unfortunate enough to have been infected by the Bugster Virus" Hojo continued, much to the Director's chagrin. "Miss Kendo here was one of those unfortunate victims of the virus, having been infected by the Bakusou Bike strain" the rather young-looking nurse said. The orange-haired girl waved cheerfully.
"Wait, wait, wait, I don't get it. Bugsters? Cyber Rescue? What's going on?!" asked Midoriya, suffering from an information overload. "Looks like we have to start from the beginning" Kujo said. "Asuna, if you would?" he said, looking towards the nurse, who stepped forward and began to speak.
"Three years ago as of February, a mysterious virus that seemed to be technological in origin infected a small number of people, only about a dozen, but six of them perished as a result of their infection" the nurse said. "The Bugster Virus works by infecting an individual and manifesting as a character from one of a dozen or so video games produced by Genm Corp, whose servers were the breeding ground for the virus after it mutated to infect humans." By this point, Midoriya's eyes were wide with shock knowing that an incredibly deadly computer virus had somehow mutated to infect humans.
"During this event, known as Zero Day, there was one individual working for CR who became the first doctor to be able to treat the virus: Taiga Hanaya, better known as the pro hero Snipe. He became Kamen Rider Snipe, and successfully treated all but one of the cases we got that day. That one case was what lost him his medical license and made him return full-time to hero work."
"CR was established in a cooperative effort between Genm Corp; Seito General Hospital, which is built above this room; and UA High. Two medical-licensed UA faculty members and two hUA students trained in heroics medicine are employed as Kamen Riders to fight the Bugster Virus now that it has begun to spread again on UA's campus" the nurse finished. "Hojo and Kujo are Kamen Rider Ex-Aid and Kamen Rider Lazer, respectively."
"Kamen…Rider?" Midoriya asked, the name jogging his memory for some reason. "That sounds familiar…" Hojo nodded. "It should. Two of the very earliest heroes in Japan were Takeshi Hongo and Hayato Ichimonji, who were better known as Kamen Riders Ichigo and Nigo, respectively. They combined their Quirks with cybernetic enhancements – some of the earliest support equipment – and defended Japan from one of the earliest villain groups, a coalition of former Nazi German superhuman mutants known as SHOCKER" the other boy informed Midoriya.
"Later on, another Rider emerged and went up against an anti-Quirk conspiracy known as SEELE. His Quirk allowed him to use the power of the sun itself against SEELE's agents of darkness; he was Kotaro Minami, also known as Black RX. The 'Kamen Rider' part of his name was removed by the government to keep any connection between him and the original Riders from coming to light, but Hongo and Ichimonji both acknowledged him as the third Kamen Rider. Apparently they wanted him to call himself V3" Kujo said, chuckling at the last part. The older man subbed in to continue the story.
"Three other Riders, although their names were also disconnected from that label by the government, later appeared to stop a villain calling himself 'Doctor Dracula, the Overlord of Darkness'. He had a powerful vampirism Quirk, which allowed him to control an army of enhanced slaves. He very nearly took over all of Hokkaido, but the heroes Shouichi Tsugami, Wataru Kurenai and Haruto Soma, aliases Agito, Kiva and Wizard, rose up to stop him. They succeeded, and all went international: Kiva to Eastern Europe, Wizard to America and Agito to Australia" the man said. "Wait…wasn't Wizard briefly in the Top 10 in Japan?" Midoriya asked.
"Yeah, he was the Number Eight Hero just before he went to America. His whole message of 'turning despair into hope' was pretty popular with a lot of people, especially those who were suffering from mental illnesses. The Two-in-One Detective Double, who is a UA alum, is also a Rider, albeit a very regionally limited one. They keep to themselves in Fuuto, over by Sapporo" Kujo said. "That's right! Shotaro Hidari's Quirk, Duo Strength, allowed him to increase the kinetic energy of his attacks, while Phillip Sonozaki's Quirk Gaia One allowed him access to any knowledge he had ever absorbed. Their Quirks combined via some weird tech into a single Quirk, Two-in-One, which allowed them to become Double!" Midoriya remembered.
"The Rider System itself was developed by Genm Corp to fight the Bugster Virus. Like Rider suits and systems of the past, it boosts the power of the user's Quirk to the point where a Rider is physically on par with or above the majority of pro heroes. Emu and Kiriya's Quirks, Mighty Jump and Racing Gear, were ideal for the Ex-Aid and Lazer suits, respectively" the nurse said.
Midoriya finished taking in the information. "So this Bugster Virus…to think that something like that could exist; if word of it got out it would be a bigger mess than when Destro's autobiography was published a decade ago." The greenette turned to look at the three unfamiliar occupants of the room. The orange-haired one decided to introduce herself. "Nice to meet you, Midoriya. I've heard a few things about you over lunch already. I'm Itsuka Kendo of Class 1-B." "N-Nice to meet you, K-K-Kendo-san" Midoriya stuttered. "Oh my god, I'm talking to a girl…AGAIN!"
Kujo walked over to the middle-aged man, who was pouting about their secrets being given away. "This old fart is Seito General Hospital's Director, Haima Kagami" he said, patting the older man on the back. "I-I'm not that old!" the man sputtered. "He's also the dad of another of the CR doctors; you'll meet him later."
Haima Kagami. His Quirk: Mirror Portal! He can make a bridge between any two reflective surfaces, as long as he's at one end and knows the location of the other!
"And this lady here is CR's resident spot of sunshine, Poppy Pipopapo" Kujo continued, pointing at the nurse. "Her mild-mannered alter ego is UA General Studies Class 1-C student Asuna Karino." The girl smiled and waved, before starting to spin in circles. "Costume Chaaaaaange!" And with a bright light, she transformed from a brunette in a nurse's outfit to a pinkette wearing a strange dress of green, yellow, pink and white cloth. "Hiiiiii! Poppy Pipopapo, at your service!"
Midoriya finally broke out of his shock and astonishment at the whole situation. "So, how can I help?" "What?" asked several of the others. The boys stood up as tall as he could and looked at his classmates, the pinkette and the middle-aged director. "The essence of being a hero means meddling in places you shouldn't" he said, before continuing. "One way or another, I will help you fight this threat to the students and teachers of UA High!" Kujo grinned. "Now that's the spirit, Mido! Let's get you home; we'll talk more tomorrow."
With that, the Director activated his Quirk and created a mirror portal to Midoriya's apartment complex. The boy stepped through and was outside his home in a matter of moments. "What an incredible Quirk…and what a bizarre virus" he thought, walking up the stairs towards his apartment. "I wonder what tomorrow will be like…"
Reporters. SO. MANY. REPORTERS.
This was the sight that greeted the students of UA the next morning, as the media crowded the front gate of the school hoping for a juicy scoop from or about the Symbol of Peace. Midoriya managed to escape the crowd without difficulty. Bakugo warned them to "Get the hell away from me", ESPECIALLY after one mentioned the Sludge Villain incident. Iida bored them half to death with a 20-minute long monologue about being a UA student. Finally, Aizawa told the reporters to get lost, and that the Number One Hero wasn't at UA that day.
"I'll get the scoop myself!" one intrepid reporter said, marching up to the gate…when the security measures activated and a massive multi-layered barrier wall sprung up and blocked off any entry into the school. While the reporters lamented how unfruitful their two-day stakeout for a scoop had been, a lanky blue-haired figure stared at the gate…
Class 1-A's homeroom class began with Aizawa offering words of encouragement and criticism to the students in regards to the Battle Trial from the previous day, before his tone shifted. "The next task you have for today will decide your future at UA…you'll need to pick a class president." "That's really normal!" the class thought. "I don't care how you do it, just decide somehow. I'm going to sleep" the disheveled pro said, zipping himself into his sleeping bag and hiding behind his desk.
Everyone immediately offered themselves up, shouting loudly and wildly. "ENOUGH! IT SHOULD BE DECIDED BY A VOTE!" Iida bellowed, shutting everyone up. The other students could immediately tell he really wanted the position. "Won't we just vote for ourselves or the people we already know?" Asui asked. "That only means the one with the most votes has already earned the respect of their peers!" Iida responded.
A few minutes later…
"WAAAUGH! How did I end up as Class Rep?!" Midoriya asked. "OKAY EXTRAS, who voted for the nerd?!" roared Bakugo, clearly livid. Uraraka whistled innocently, while Hojo played video games and Kujo smirked smugly. The results were clear: Midoriya had gotten the most votes (9), followed by Yaoyorozu (6), Bakugo (3), Iida (2) and Mineta (2).
"Congratulations. Your Class Rep is Midoriya and your Vice-Rep is Yaoyorozu. Now get out of here" Aizawa said, as he collapsed behind his desk again.
*cue My Hero Academia OST – Bright and Cheerful*
In the cafeteria, Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka and Yaoyorozu sat at a mostly-empty table, enjoying Lunch Rush's incredible cooking. "Hey Midoriya, mind if we join you?" someone asked from behind them. Turning around to greet the newcomers, Midoriya found himself looking at the big sister of Class 1-B, Itsuka Kendo. Behind her stood a weird-looking boy with no lips, a brown-haired boy and a girl with curly green hair.
The greenette sat down next to Midoriya, much to Uraraka's silent distress. "Heya. The name's Setsuna Tokage. Nice to meet ya!" she said, getting rather…close to the boy, much to Uraraka's silent distress. "Juzo Honenuki, at your service" the lipless boy said, smiling(?) at them. The brown-haired boy grinned and shook Iida's hand. "I'm Ryuga Banjo. Nice to meet you!"
"Man, I'm nervous about this Class Rep thing…I don't think I'm the right pick for the job" Midoriya sighed. "You were made Class Rep too?" asked Kendo. "1-B elected me as their Rep; Jurota Shishida won Vice-Rep." The green-haired boy looked up. "Really? That's awesome, Kendo!" he said.
Iida cleared his throat. "Midoriya, I believe that your quick thinking and courage would make you a great Class Representative, as does your incredible strength. That's why I voted for you" the tall boy said. "You were one of the nine? I wonder who else did?" Midoriya asked, stunned. "Let's see...Iida did, I did, and I can bet Hojo and Kujo did too" Uraraka said. "What about you, Yaomomo? She asked the girl across from her, who smiled softly. "I actually voted for Iida, to be honest. I didn't really expect to win Vice-Rep, but I'll take it" she said.
"Look Mido – can I call you Mido? You'll do fine. I believe in you!" Tokage said, flashing the boy a smile. "I-I guess…" Midoriya muttered, still not confident. "Look man, I'm not very smart, but if your class voted for you, then they must believe in you and your ability to be a good Class Rep, right?" Banjo said. "Maybe you're right" Midoriya said, looking up.
"Wanting a job and being qualified for it are two very different things; I've learned that much at my family's hero agency" Iida said, sipping his orange juice. "Agency?" the rest of the table asked. "*sigh* I was hoping that people wouldn't find out about my family's legacy and treat me differently because of it" the tall boy lamented, as his friends gathered around him.
"The Iida Family have been pro heroes for generations" Iida explained, garnering wowed reactions from the others at the table. "I take it you know of the Turbo Hero, Ingenium?" he asked, immediately getting Midoriya's interest. "Yeah! He's the super-popular pro with 65 sidekicks at his agency in Tokyo! Wait, don't tell me-!"
The tall boy straightened up proudly, pushing his glasses up. "That's right, he's my older brother! He's an unmatched commander who honors the hero code with every ounce of his being! He's always been my biggest inspiration, and I can only hope I carry the family's legacy with the same honor and grace he does!" he exclaimed with great pride. "Wow! That's awesome!" Tokage said, stars in her eyes.
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRINGGGGG!
A loud alarm sounded, jarring everyone in the cafeteria. "WARNING: LEVEL 3 SECURITY BREACH!" an automated voice stated. "PLEASE EVACUATE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!" Iida pulled an upperclassman aside. "Level 3? What does that mean?!" The upperclassman looked at him, panic in his eyes. "It means someone's breached the security system and gotten onto school grounds! This hasn't happened in my entire time here! Let's get outta here!"
The exit of the cafeteria rapidly turned into a stampede, students jostling to escape and evacuate safely. "Dammit, I'm getting squashed!" Banjo yelled. "There's too many of them!" Uraraka exclaimed, sinking into the crowd. Iida was pressed against a window. "Who could have breached UA?" he wondered, before glancing down at the school grounds, eyes widening at what he saw.
"It's just the press? How did they get in here?!" he asked. "Iida! Who is is?" asked Kendo, as she too was squashed against the window. "It's the press! We need to let these students know! But how can we get their attention?" the tall boy responded. "Need a lift?" the orange-haired girl responded, as her right hand began to grow dramatically, lifting Iida over the crowd, before flinging him towards the door.
"ATTENTION STUDENTS! THERE IS NO NEED TO PANIC; IT'S JUST THE MEDIA! PLEASE EVACUATE IN AN ORDERLY MANNER!" he bellowed, standing on a ledge above the door in an awkward position. The students quieted down and the crowd slowly thinned. The police finally arrived to detain the trespassers as lunch hour ended.
"Alright, Midoriya, let's begin" Yaoyorozu said, standing next to the greenette trembling from nervousness. "O-Okay, we need to decide the rest of the class officers…but first, I want to resign as Class Representative and humbly offer this position to Tenya Iida. He showed the judgement and quick thinking needed to calm the students down during the media break-in." The crowd murmured in agreement, as Iida accepted. Yaoyorozu looked somewhat miffed, but came to accept it when she was told that if she had been Class Rep, Bakugo would have been Vice-Rep.
Outside, at the front gate, the school principal, a hero in a bulky space suit, Midnight, Recovery Girl and an orange-haired man in a construction-themed exosuit looked over the remains of the gate. The thick metal barrier had been decayed into ashes by some unknown Quirk. "No member of the media could have had a Quirk like this" the principal said. "This was most definitely the work of a villain, but the question is…is this a message, or a declaration of war?"
"Alright, today's lesson will be a little different, and you'll each be working in teams under your instructors" Aizawa said, before continuing. "All Might was originally scheduled to work alongside myself and the other pro, but due to unforeseen circumstances, instead of All Might, you will receive instruction from three of your upperclassmen as well." He then looked towards the open doorway. "You can come in and introduce yourselves now."
In walked three students. Leading the group was a tall blonde man with bright blue eyes, followed closely by a…really cute blue-haired girl. Bringing up the rear was a vaguely emo teen with pointed ears and black hair. "These are the 'Big Three' of UA, from Class 3-B. They're some of the top hero candidates in the country" Aizawa said.
The blonde grinned a megawatt smile before striking a pose. "Hey guys! Pleased to meet you all! The name's Mirio Togata, and the future is…?" he asked, cupping a hand to his ear. After several seconds of no response whatsoever, he finally gave the answer he wanted. "Grim! The future is grim!" he said, still smiling despite the bad news.
The bluenette looked at the class. "So these are our juniors? They look really promising" she said in an excited voice. "I'm Nejire Hado! Nice to meet you!" The dark haired one muttered something, before turning to the other two. "I…I can't do it. I tried imagining them all as potatoes, but I still can't talk!" Togata smiled, before turning to the class. "Relax, Tamaki. The worrywart here is Tamaki Amajiki. Together, we're the…" And the three struck a pose together, Togata turning to one side and flexing his muscles, Hado clasping her hands behind her, and Tamaki turning to the opposite side and putting his hands in his pockets. "THE BIG THREE!"
"Oh hey, it's Hado" Kujo said, catching the girl's attention. "KUJO! HOJO! Thanks for everything the other night!" she said, earning the two boys the ire of resident class perverts Mineta, Kaminari and Sero. "You bastards! How have you both already gotten with one of our upperclasswomen…" Mineta cried. "That REALLY came out wrong" Amajiki muttered. "Three cheers for double entendres" Hojo deadpanned.
"Anyway, if I could have everyone's attention again, today's exercise is rescue training. We'll be conducting team-based exercises at an off-campus facility and will be taking a bus to get there. If you want to wear your costumes, that's okay, just remember that some might hinder your mobility. See you on the bus" Aizawa said, walking out of the room.
The students had a wide array of reactions to the news of what they'd be doing. Ashido, Sero, Kaminari and others like them cheered at getting to do something that interesting. Bakugo was silent, but inside his mind was running. "All my life, I've been told by Quirk Counselors that my power is only good for destroying, harming or killing others. Today I have the opportunity to prove those idiots wrong and learn how to use my power to save those weaker than me" the boy thought, smirking. "Kacchan's fired up, that's for sure" Midoriya thought, looking at his erstwhile friend.
At the bus stop, the students gathered to go to their rescue training. "Hey Deku! Why are you wearing your PE clothes instead of your costume?" Uraraka asked. "It got torn up pretty badly in yesterday's Battle Trial" the boy said. "Turns out that a homemade costume from your mom usually isn't very durable." The greenette was wearing a UA gym uniform with the thick white gloves, red boots and respirator from his now-trashed hero costume. He also had a green acrylic visor that the support department had made him on short notice. In the background, Bakugo was wearing a costume that was also clearly affected by the pervious day's training. "Damn Bike Boy…thanks to that asshole I'm down a gauntlet!" he grumbled. "I'm not sorry at all!" Kujo snickered in the background.
Their upperclassmen were there too. Togata was wearing a white and blue hero costume with a red cape and yellow acrylic mask, with the number one million written on his chest. Amajiki was wearing a black bodysuit with a white cloak and no shoes. Hado, meanwhile, was dressed in a skintight blue and mint green suit, with turquoise spirals around her wrists, and two points styled into her light blue hair. Iida tried to funnel the students into the bus in a single-file line…only for Yaoyorozu to point out that the bus had an open seating plan, thwarting the poor boy's plans.
As the bus rolled along, the students engaged in conversation. Asui in particular had something to say. "If we're pointing out the obvious, there's something I'd like to say – about you in particular, Midoriya" the frog girl said, turning to the boy on her left. "R-Really?" The green-haired girl squinted at him. "That power of yours…it's really similar to All Might's" she said. "Crap! Is she on to us?" Midoriya panicked internally. "Relax. It's a coincidence from their point of view. Follow the cover story" the voice said. "R-Right!"
The greenette sighed. "It's just a coincidence. My Quirk is strong, but not nearly as strong as All Might's. Not to mention that I had to be fit enough before I could even use it…" he trailed off. Kirishima butted in. "Yeah, All Might doesn't break his bones with every use of his Quirk. But seriously, if you had to become strong enough before your Quirk would activate, when did you get it?" Midoriya scratched his head awkwardly. "…The day of the entrance exam."
The entire bus did a double-take at that. "Wait, seriously? You mean that when you saved Uraraka and blew away the Zero-Pointer, that was the first time you'd ever used your Quirk?" Kujo asked, pulling his Ray-Bans down to the tip of his nose in surprise. "It also means he didn't know he had a Quirk when he applied for the exam. Incredible" Hojo noted.
"Still…it must be really cool having a flashy Emitter-type Quirk" Kirishima said, Hardening his arm. "My Quirk may be really strong, but it's kind of boring" he continued. "No, that's a really cool Quirk. Definitely pro material, even if it's not that flashy" Midoriya said. "Ah! My Navel Laser is the perfect combination of finesse and force" Aoyama said, twinkling slightly. "It's not very useful if you get a stomachache though" Ashido noted, as the blonde's spirits fell.
"If anyone in our class has pro-quality Quirks, it has to be Todoroki and Bakugo though" the spiky redhead said, gesturing at the two students. Bakugo scowled a bit, while Todoroki remained asleep. "Sure…but with Bakugo's 'charming personality', I doubt he'll get far" Kujo joked. "What was that, Bike Boy? I'll kick your ass!" the blonde snapped. "You tried yesterday. Didn't that get you several large bruises and a broken piece of support equipment?" Kujo snarked back. By now, Bakugo was steaming.
Kaminari looked smug for a few moments, before adding his two cents. "Y'know, we only just met you, and already we know you have the personality of a burnt turd soaked in sewage." "I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET THE DAY YOU APPLIED TO THIS SCHOOL!" Midoriya watched in stunned silence. "Is...is Bakugo being the one picked on for once? Man, UA really is different from Aldera…" the boy thought. "Given what I've read from your memories, Aldera was run by incompetent monkeys, so that's not difficult" the voice noted. "Wait, you read my memories-!" Midoriya began, before Aizawa cut his train of thought off. "We'll be arriving in a few moments. Behave" the pro warned them.
"Hello everyone! So glad you could make it!" the space suit-wearing pro standing outside the building said, waving to them. "Wow! It's the Space Hero, Thirteen! She's saved a ton of people all over the world as a rescue hero!" Midoriya began gushing. "Heck yeah! Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes! She's the one who inspired me to become a hero!" Uraraka fangirled. "Come on in!"
Inside, the students were in awe of the massive facility. "Holy crap, it looks just like Universal Studios Japan!" Sero said. "This is pretty cool, not gonna lie" Kujo grinned. "A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a hurricane, a snowy mountain and a destroyed cityscape. I designed this facility with the goal of being able to prepare students to work with any kind of disaster. I call it…the Unforseen Simulation Joint, AKA the USJ!" Thirteen said. "It really is Universal Studios Japan" the students thought.
"We should probably get started" Aizawa said. "Oh right!" Thirteen responded. "Before we begin I have just one thing I need to say…okay two. Possibly three, four or five." The students had looks of increasing boredom spreading across their faces. "My Quirk, Black Hole, has been used to rescue people all over the world…but it could also easily be used to kill. Lots of Quirks are like that; they can be used to hurt or help, depending on their use. Many of you have Quirks like that too. So today, you'll be learning the rescue applications of your potentially dangerous Quirks, so that you can be a force of good in this world" the pro said. Aizawa looked as unimpressed as ever. "Alright, now that that's out of the way, we should get started" he said…
And then everything went wrong.
*cue Rampaging Evil – My Hero Academia OST*
The lights flickered and went out, and the fountain in the center of the plaza stopped working. A hole in space began to form right there, and suddenly a wall of purple-black mist erupted in the middle of the plaza. Aizawa stiffened as a pale white hand reached through the mist and opened a hole in it, another hand with a bloodshot red eye and a head of blue hair behind it visible in the hole.
"Everyone, get back! Thirteen, Sun Eater; protect the children! Lemillion, Nejire, you're with me!" Aizawa barked. Multiple figures began pouring out of the black mist, stalking past the hand's owner, a lanky young man with blue hair dressed all in black, with multiple severed hands attached to his body. "Hold on, has training already begun?" Kirishima asked. "I said stay back! This is real…those are real villains!" Aizawa said, donning his goggles, as a shiver of fear ran up the students' spines.
As the stream of villains ebbed, the mist rippled again, and an enormous, muscular black figure with an exposed brain and sharp teeth stepped through next to the skinny one. Then a green figure with what appeared to be a dragon skull on its' left shoulder and a massive naginata made of bone on its' back stepped through on the opposite side. But perhaps most surprisingly to Hojo, Kujo and Midoriya, one last figure stepped out of the mist, before the wall thinned out…a black and purple copy of Ex-Aid.
"Time to kill the Symbol of Peace."
NEXT TIME ON GAME START! HERO ACADEMIA:
Invasion! The students of 1-A find themselves in combat against real villains! How will they fare against the true evil of the world? And who is the black Ex-Aid? Stay tuned!
NOTES:
Aaaaaaaaaand it's USJ time! Man, I can already tell that I'm going to enjoy writing this part of the story A LOT. Hope you enjoy the early introduction of the Big Three, and liked the Build reference that I put in as one of 1-B's students!
Also, major shoutout to user D3lph0xLov3r on Fanfiction dot net! I really appreciate your reading and reviewing!
In this overhauling, we have character development for both Bakugo and the voice in Midoriya's head! Also, more Kamen Rider backstory!
See you next time!
