Chapter 6
Golden-yellow eyes snapped open. He jumped out of bed in an equally sudden motion, grabbing at his right shoulder just below the collarbone. He stared at his shaking arm with heavy breathing, a bead of sweat trickling down his dark complexion. Finally, the man closed his eyes and took a calm, steady breath to gather himself after a moment.
The night's peace was broken by bloodcurdling screams as the flames licked all in their path, devouring everything slowly but surely. The scene in front of him was a good representation of Hell as one could get.
It was all in his head. He wasn't there any longer.
His dark skin, now stained with blood to match the scars on his body, complemented the sea of bodies and blood he was passing. He didn't care about them; all that mattered was what he carried. Now, all that was audible were his screams.
Don't linger over it. All of that is the past. Buried, where it belongs.
With his attention focused on that, he willed all these intrusive memories to the furthest recess of his mind and secured them with seven locks. Silence prevailed as the internal turbulence subsided, and his breathing returned to normal. It was like a cemetery, void of sound or life, but that was how he preferred things compared to the previous state.
His tranquilly was shattered when a sharp pain surfaced. The man looked at his still-twitching arm with eyes that gleamed in the dimly lit room. The veins that ran down his arm appeared to be on the verge of bursting through the skin, like a swarm of extraterrestrial parasites looking to escape. Along with the veins, a depressed scar extended from his wrist all the way up to his shoulder and ended like a web.
The pain became more intense as though it were responding to the man's gaze. His skin felt like it was melting into his bones as a result of the searing feeling. The scar began to glow crimson as the man reeled in agony, acting like a window into his body, showing the racing blood and the pulsing muscles and veins.
At the startlingly familiar illumination of the scar, the sight that was holding him captive and the sight of his point of no return, he sharply inhaled. He had vowed never to hear the muffled sounds of chains rattling against one another, yet they kept playing in his thoughts.
After staring intently for longer than he wished, he clenched his fists and concentrated on the trembling. It took a moment before the appendages slowly regained their stability, settling back into their relaxed state. The crimson glow that shined in the room gradually faded until the regular skin colour returned.
He grasped a necklace that was fashioned into a little cross with a raindrop at the bottom as he reached up to his neck. He clutched it to his chest, trying to relax as much as he could as a wave of serenity flowed over him. He was caressed by a lullaby long ago as the sharp sensation gradually subsided.
"Forgive me..." He murmured while squeezing the jewel even harder.
He gave himself more leeway to revel in the coo before glancing at the clock beside his bed. It stated 2:31 in bold digits. He couldn't help but moan a little as he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anytime soon. He slowly turned his head to his left, anticipating the slight hints of beautiful black hair resting next to him. Instead, however, he saw that there was nothing there.
"Oh, right. She did say that she would spend the next few nights at her place." The man muttered lamentably. His loving girlfriend, for the past 10 months, has spent so much time here that he had almost forgotten that she had her own place, near her agency. Yet, despite that, she often seemed to enjoy coming here more than going to her home. It wasn't as if his girlfriend's building was smaller than his; it was quite the opposite. Her apartment was almost twice the size and had a beautiful view of the city below it. Guess it was one of the many perks of being the famous 18+ hero, Midnight.
The man groaned, getting on his feet and stretching backwards, feeling a few cracks as he did. Finally, once he was sure he wouldn't fall, he went to his small but well-stocked wardrobe and wore casual attire.
The only source of light aside from the numbers on the clock was the lamp beside the bed. His room's window revealed that there was absolutely no outside light coming in. He knew it was still very early. Not many people would be awake, but after what had transpired, he didn't care. He knew rest would not come to him, might as well do something productive instead of sitting idly in his bed, kicking underneath his blanket.
As he opened the door, something caught his eye. It was a small light that emanated a few doors from him. It was faint, something that many would miss, but the man's perception and experience allowed him the ability to notice such things. And as he did, the man felt a vein pulse again, this time in his forehead, and he instantly knew the reason.
"E! Are you seriously playing games again this late at night?!"
A small groan was heard, followed by a soft, low voice.
"Aw, man..."
Eli observed the group of reporters as he peered out of the classroom where Class 1-A resides. He was fortunate enough to avoid contact with the media by getting to school much earlier than usual. After Adrian found him awake playing Monster Hunt, the older African scolded him for staying up all night playing games. Eli quickly corrected his guardian, stating he had technically not stayed up. But instead just happened to wake up at 2am and decided to play games instead of going back to sleep. Therefore, Adrian had no reason to be mad at him.
Unfortunately, despite his sound argument, Adrian rudely dismissed it and confiscated his games and consoles, including the newer and small handheld devices, making Eli go without them. Instead, Adrian forced Eli to go to the store after realising that both of them were awake and that it made no sense for them to stay home. Adrian then pushed him towards U.A more than an hour before classes began. Eli grudgingly conceded that it was a good idea because he didn't think he could handle the media adequately at that hour of the morning, or any hour for that matter. But now, what was he supposed to do without his console to keep occupied?
"Stupid adults, always thinking they know everything," Eli grumbled as he laid his head deep into his arms, making it seem as if he was asleep. His eyes watched the masses outside as they continued their escapade of finding more information about All Might. Seriously, what was so great about the guy? They all acted as if he was the second coming of Christ. After all, what was his Quirk again? Super-strength? Mega-Strength? Eli arched his spine in hazy realisation as he furrowed his brows. Now that he thought about it, was All Might's Quirk ever mentioned? Like, even in on television or on the internet?
The young African's eyes expanded as he clung to that idea. When they arrived in Japan, he and Adrian started researching Japan's Heroes and Japanese culture. This was done to see if there were any threats they had to watch out for. One of those being the so-called Symbol of Peace. But what was All Might's Quirk? There it is—the Symbol of Peace. So commonplace. Why would anyone doubt him when he is so convincing? What makes him unique? What is the scope of his power? Eli could only perceive a Strength-enhancement Quirk, one of the most ubiquitous types in the world, but was All Might's Quirk specifically identified?
Eli shook his head against his arms. 'No, no. It doesn't matter.' He summarised feeling a headache just thinking about it. 'It's best you just mind your own business, E.', He told himself, closing his eyes once again. He lacked the time and motivation to waste hours thinking about some ridiculous Pro-Hero's secret or whatever it was supposed to be.
His classmates entered the room one at a time, making brief greetings as they did so. Eli, however, just ignored them as he stared out the windows watching the school's gates autonomously close, separating the students from the media. It made him think of the defences he's seen on castles in video games, except weaker, less secure, and brutally civilian. Eli could already come up with several ways to take it down.
It wasn't long before Aizawa made his appearance, silencing the talkative chatter.
"Well done on the battle training yesterday," Aizawa spoke as he stood up from his desk in front of the students. "However, there were still areas where you all need to improve."
A particular student with pale blond hair caught Aizawa's eye. "Bakugo, you're talented, so don't act like a kid."
One more look, this time at a student with green hair. "… And Midoriya, you settled it by breaking your arm again…? You can't keep saying that you can't help it because you can't control your Quirk."
Although Eli, who was seated directly behind Midoriya, couldn't see his expression, he imagined the nervous kid must have felt frustrated. "Repeating myself is not something I enjoy doing. You can do a lot as long as you address the control issue. Midoriya, feel a sense of urgency."
"Yes, sir!"
"Kirishima," The red-haired boy stiffened at being called out. "Not every villain is going to play fair and follow your morals and rules. Learn from this experience."
"Yes, Aizawa-sensei!"
The teacher, not having any more words of feedback for the students, decided to move on to the current, more pressing issue.
"The first task of today will determine your future,". The class tightened up in their chairs and wondered what kind of assignment would necessitate such stern remarks from the unkempt teacher. This statement had a lot of gravitas. Was it a second quirk test? Would they have to be concerned about being kicked out once more?
"Each of you will have to choose a class representative." The fact that this would not impact their ability to continue as students caused a collective sigh of relief from the kids. But for many students, the option to serve as class representative was a golden one, and they leapt at the chance.
"Yo, pick me! I'll be the class rep!"
"I'm up for the task!"
"Count me in too!"
"Someone with style would be best suited for the job!"
Eli merely sat there, not truly knowing what was going on. In fact, too many people were crying out for Eli to accurately declare what was happening.
"Let me do it! ME!"
Even Bakugo started yelling out in favour of getting selected. Now Eli truly began to sense that he was missing something crucial in this situation. Wasn't the class representative role about collecting everyone's assignments, getting everyone to stand and greet the teacher, and generally organising the class for events? At least, that was what he assumed it to be, based on what the class rep had to do in his middle school. That just felt like even more work outside of regular work. Who the Hell would want that? Geez, U.A students were seriously next level.
"Silence, please!" the commanding voice of Iida reverberated through the room, instantly quelling the commotion. The boy with the glasses inhaled deeply and then continued. "This task is laden with responsibility, where you must pull your own weight and everyone else's! Just because you'd like to do it doesn't mean you're qualified to do it! It is a holy office that requires the trust of those around you! The only true leader will emerge from a democratic choice reflecting the will of the people… which is why this must be settled by a vote!"
Iida's shaking arm was amusingly lifted throughout his entire statement, demonstrating that he shared their enthusiasm for the title. Unfortunately, his overt attempt to get his classmates to vote for him caused several of them to roll their eyes. Nevertheless, they all agreed to follow his example and cast votes. After a short period, everyone puts down the names of the candidates they support.
Eli decided very quickly that he sure as hell wasn't going to put his own name down. Why the hell would he? So he can be forced to do more work? No, thank you. Instead, he took a moment to think about who to write down, and one name appeared in his mind. He shot a quick glance behind him, where his black ponytailed classmate sat, who was seen calmly, but confidently writing her own name down for the position.
Yayorozu was probably the only person Eli could think of to write down for the class rep. Not only was she intelligent and oozed confidence, but she also seemed very reliable and appeared to have a natural air of leadership, as demonstrated in the Battle class. Therefore, he was not surprised that the girl who sat behind him tied for first place in the end. But what he was surprised by, was that the person she tied with was the nervous wreck Midoriya.
Eli, honestly, has no idea why the snivelling, muscle-brained bundle of anxiety seemed to be considered the best fit for the leadership role. Of course, he had nothing against the guy, but why him? Why give the kid the position of class representative when the green-haired boy couldn't even care for himself properly?
Eli only sighed and resolved to spend the remainder of the class ignoring all that had happened by putting his head in his arms and going to sleep. He didn't really care about this class rep stuff, so he didn't bother putting more thought into the issue as the class celebrated the new class representatives.
"We have another order for A Red Chocolate Sponge and a Glass Cake!"
"Got it!"
"The Tealights are done and ready to go!"
"Great! Thank you!"
Various calls, shouts and responses surrounded the air as the sounds of kitchen wear mixed into the constant noise.
"Hojo! How much longer till the Sparrows are done?!" Then, again, a voice called out, this one holding the sway of authority compared to the others.
"We got 6 minutes!" A tall, muscular man with shadowed eyes and a clean-shaven head replied.
"Alright, you handle them. I'll take care of the Glass Cake and the Strudel. Setsuno, can you do the Red Sponge?"
"On it, Boss!" The employee responded, quickly going to the fridge and getting the needed ingredients. Then, another employee popped up, this time from over the counter, looking into the kitchen.
"Boss, is the black coffee for table six ready yet?" Fuyumi, the only daughter of the mighty Endeavour, called out.
"Grog, how are we looking?"
The hunchbacked mutant with a red streak painted across his face grunted heavily like a bear snorting for food. "Grog done!" He held the small plate on top of his hand, with the teacup resting on it. It looked somewhat comical as his large rocky hand dwarfed the cup significantly. He tried to gently and elegantly make his way to the counter, where Fuyumi smiled politely at him.
"Thanks, Grog!" She acknowledged with gratitude as she took it from him and went to deliver the hot beverage.
"Grog good at making Coffee!" The large male stated with pride.
"Yeah, that's only when you don't drop it," Setsuno remarked, striding back into the kitchen with the necessary ingredients to get started with the recipe.
Setsuno was a tall, lanky young guy with light, almond-shaped eyes that were surrounded by noticeable dark circles. His chin-length golden-blond hair was styled in a left-parting condition that concealed his right eye. In addition, he had narrow, upward-pointing eyebrows and a large mouth with exceptionally straight teeth; these features, along with his noticeably wide eyes, gave him a perpetually insane appearance. This was one reason he chose to stay in the kitchen instead of serving.
"What! Grog, don't drop!" The slumped rock man challenged, his deep gravelly voice taking an offended tone. "Rogg drops. Not Grog!"
"No, I don't!" The second of the rocky-skinned twins responded, though his voice was fainter, given it came from deeper in the shop, where the storage was located.
This time Hojo chimed in as he began to take out over a dozen cupcakes from the oven. "I'm pretty sure Rogg has only dropped 3 plates," He moved over to the kitchen bench next to his employer. He began to place each cupcake onto small plates in a presentable manner. Taking delicate care to make sure the meal looked terrific and appetising. The man in his younger years would never have thought he would be doing something like this since he never really had a sweet tooth. But for reasons unknown to him, here he was. "You, on the other hand, have lost us up to 12 different cups."
The large male with rocky skin growled. "No, Hojo wrong. Plates worth more than cups!"
"Not when you drop double the amount of cups," Setsuno quickly mentioned as he used an electric mixer to beat a mixture of eggs and sugar in a large bowl. "And didn't you lose up one like just an hour ago?"
The rocky exterior man with a red streak across his face stayed silent for a moment.
"...No."
"I'm pretty sure you did-"
"No! That wasn't me..." Grog defended himself brazen-faced as he ignored everyone's reasonings.
As the employees of Charity's Delight began to jeer the troll-like man's stubbornness, their boss was silently preparing another batch of orders that had been requested. His golden eyes were focused purely on the giant flat cake dough on the bench in front of him and the kitchen knife in his hand. The man almost seemed dull to everything around him, including his employees' conversations. The knife sliced its way through the dough, creating a finger-sized squared shape. The African's hands wielded the blade with the ease and experience of a professional chef. While most people wouldn't think twice about this particular procedure, that was common in a place such as a kitchen. Many would stop, however, in curiosity and wonder at the four barely visible yellowish glows that shone off the kitchen knife. A better way to describe them would be that they held the appearance of glints off an object. However, these were continuous and hovered a few inches from the blade in each direction, functioning like holograms or afterimages.
The oldest of the Lokadis seemed to disregard the glows as if he couldn't correctly see it. He wasn't the only one, as the other store members also turned a blind eye to the weird visual phenomenon around his knife. This was a regular sight in the kitchen, as they had slowly become used to the visual spectacle after seeing it numerous times. The employees knew it had something to do with their boss' Quirk, as the sight had been seen occurring since the beginning of their time here. And whenever anyone had asked about it, Adrian would only give a slight smirk and a cheeky wink. Eventually, everyone decided to no longer inquire about it, deeming it something the African wasn't ready to share. Plus, why would they question such a helpful tool?
Using quirks outside of hero work was more frowned upon than illegal. The rules regarding quirk use were vague in what areas one could use it in. For instance, it is considered unlawful to use your Quirk in public. However, companies and cooperations in several industries were known to hire individuals with specific abilities, like electrical quirks or even creation quirks. Some countries like America, England and Australia required people who were going to be using their Quirks in a company to get a registered license from a government office. If they didn't, the individual and the company would attain a hefty fine and sometimes go to prison. However, other regions, like Canada, Sweden, and Russia, only required those with dangerous quirks to get a license before they could start working. It was hard to determine which method was best as each place differed. In Japan, though, most people merely turn a blind eye to it unless the quirk usage is considered unsafe.
The visual phenomenon occurring from the blade wasn't the prime reason the employees at Charity's Delight thought it was helpful. Instead, as Adrian sliced out more squares from the cake dough, the faint yellow holograms around the blade did the same. Each glint pierced into the mixture and cut out squares of their own with the exact same precision, timing and movement as Adrian had. It was almost like they were acting as mirrors, perfectly copying whatever action he was doing with the blade. This allowed the older Lokadi to quickly carve out multiple squared slices that were identical in shape and size and were readily presented for the next step. It was beneficial and allowed the whole process to be done in half the time.
Despite this, Adrian seemed to be thinking about something else as he sighed hard.
'Damn it, I can't shake this feeling.' He inwardly groaned as he felt the familiar inkling that something was off. And it didn't have anything to do with the food. It always happened whenever he was ordered to go on an assignment to a nearby village in the homeland, and he didn't enjoy that feeling. It usually came when he was put into a situation where he didn't feel it was morally right or when he was moments away from being attacked. Either way, he didn't like it.
Of course, Adrian made sure such unsettling memories had no impact on his demeanour. While he wasn't as adept at concealing his own emotions as Eli was, he made a concerted effort to ensure that no cracks were visible. He kept a gentle grin for the customers who would glance his way and catch a glimpse of him over the counter behind where the checkout and the sweets were, making sure to act as if nothing was amiss.
"Is something wrong, Boss?"
…However, it seemed he was accompanied by a strangely observant employee, so maintaining his typical façade would be useless.
Adrian glanced at the employee nearest him, who was stationed at the same kitchen table, being only a fair bit away from him. Adrian let out a sigh. "Don't worry, Setsuno, I'm fine."
Setsuno Toya was a man Adrian found, picked up off the street, and felt compelled to bring to work for him. Before he had found him, the man was contemplating various ways of self-murder. One push would have been enough to put him over the edge.
Fortunately, Adrian pulled rather than pushed.
Setsuno's lover had apparently betrayed him, leaving him with a sizable debt. But, unfortunately, with his hopeless job at a convenience store, he had no possible way to pay it off. Fortunately for him, though, Adrian was compelled to hire him due to his bleeding heart. The young man was given a second chance at life. Paying off his debt would only require a few more months of working extra hours. Although Adrian will admit that he paid him a little bit more than usual to cut down on that time, as the owner, he was free to pay his staff more than they were worth.
Elijah joked that the older Lokadi had gotten soft since coming to this country, as he seemed to have gotten into the habit of picking up strays. Although despite what the boy said, Eli didn't seem against the idea, merely rolling his eyes and poking fun.
But the young man was pitiful for more reasons than only his heavy debt.
Adrian's eyes narrowed as he continued crafting the Strudel. This was in response to some of the customers' apprehensive looks sent towards Setsuno's direction. He could also be seen over the counter next to the African.
In the neighbourhood, the young man was widely known for having a particular quirk that had gained infamy in the area. It was called "Larceny."
As its name suggests, it enabled Setsuno to take possession of anyone's belongings that were in his line of sight. Although it has a size restriction on what it can take, it works excellent for stealing valuables and cash. It undoubtedly had been bothering him his whole life—misunderstandings on top of accusations—and it wasn't difficult to see why. Even in Africa, if the word had gotten out of the young man's Quirk, he would instantly get targeted, whether for a quirk marriage or merely being used as a fall guy. However, none of it mattered anymore. Setsuno had been housed by Adrian, so that was final.
"Boss, the Sparrows are done. Do you want me to take over the Glass cake?" Hojo asked him, having placed four sets of three cupcakes onto different plates.
"Nice work, and yes. I'm almost done with the Strudel."
Hojo nodded and stepped to the other side of his employer, taking the cake's ingredients and beginning to mix them into another batter.
He was another employee who had come early in the store's existence, arriving before Setsuno but later than Fuyumi. Adrian was also aware that Hojo's situation was just as convoluted as Setsuno's, and he expected Fuyumi's as well.
Adrian turned on his heel and placed the numerous square-cut pieces in the oven with a timer set for 10 minutes. He was confident that everything would be fully cooked in that time because they had a high-quality oven fitted. Hopefully they could order anoth-
-Ssmmaasshh.
Slowly, the man with a dark complexion turned his head towards Grog, who was gazing at the scattered remains of a teacup at his feet. The rock-skinned man appeared bashful as he grasped a splintered portion of the teacup's handle.
"...Sorry."
...Adrian truly loathed the feeling that something was off.
Eli was feeling quite hungry by the time lunch rolled around. Although Adrian made sure that he ate breakfast, it was much earlier than usual, so by the time it was midday, he was feeling rather hungry. In addition, four straight classes with no breaks in between were agonising on the stomach. At first, he planned to eat his usual prepared lunch box, which often had plenty of goodies stashed inside. However, he seemed to have forgotten it on the way to U.A in the morning, leaving it on the counter at the store.
The teenager with the black sclera reprimanded himself for the error as he exited the homeroom and made his way to the lunch hall. However, since he didn't have anything, he was forced to walk into the cafeteria and get some lunch just because he had forgotten his food.
In truth, He wasn't really a fan of modern cafeteria food. His middle school, before U.A, had meals that were, at best, average and tasteless. Although it wasn't the worst food he had ever tasted, he quickly became tired of it and opted to start cooking for himself. So, naturally, he hoped that U.A would provide a better cuisine.
The cafeteria didn't disappoint when he went in for the first time. There were enough rows and lines of neatly set chairs to accommodate a few hundred kids. The staff was cooking the meals under a Pro-hero named Lunch Rush's direction in the open kitchen, which was visible to the students. There were a few additional seats above the kitchen. Additionally, each area of the kitchen had labels that specified the kinds of food it was selling.
That's right, selling. Given the school's enrolment, it was a good and straightforward way to generate a sizeable profit. Moreover, the range of foods, which included salmon, curry, katsudon, and shockingly about everything else you could find in a local Izakaya, was a great luxury available at U.A.
Eli knew that several colleges around the world hosted cafes and other small restaurants, so he wouldn't be shocked to find that U.A. did the same. U.A would receive a portion of the revenue generated by all the various courses that came down to eat. Eli briefly wondered whether Adrian should have opened Charity's Delight instead of where it was currently located.
After piling his tray full of fried rice, fried chicken and a slice of chocolate cake, he made his way through the cafeteria to find a free seat. His azure blue eyes scanned the crowd, where he saw many students from different classes and years, all seated together, gossiping about whatever teenagers talk about. Finally, he saw a free seat not far from where he was and was about to make his way over, but Eli quickly stopped when he saw who was sitting at the table.
Seated in a reasonably big group were Kirishima, Sero, the purple-skinned girl Ashido, Kaminari, and, surprisingly, Bakugo, who was seen angrily munching his food. Eli didn't know how his classmates convinced the loud blonde to join them at the table, as they didn't seem all that close. But he decided not to question it and continued searching for another seat. Of course, the African had nothing against any of them in that group. Still, he felt it wouldn't be appropriate to join them as it seemed he had already gotten off to a bad start with Kirishima and Sero. And honestly, he also didn't want to deal with Bakugo's screeching.
It took quite a bit more searching before he found a seat near the back of the cafeteria, placed in a corner. There didn't appear to be anyone at the table with 6 chairs, so Eli quickly moved toward it. He slid into the closest seat, placed his meal on the table and began eating.
Personally, Eli would have chosen to eat away from the cafeteria. There were way too many people for his likening, and he hated being in or around crowds. It just felt too claustrophobic, being near so many people surrounding him on all sides. He shivered; it was just too much for some like him. Adrian had told the boy that he needed to level up his social abilities (he technically didn't use those exact words); otherwise, he would struggle later in life. Eli, though, somewhat dismissed it. He was rarely put in situations where he was stuck in the middle of a rabble of people, and he wasn't planning on being in one anytime soon. So why bother.
As the African teenager munched on his food, he failed to notice a fellow student walk up to him.
"Excuse me, can I join your table?"
Eli froze at the sudden question. He slowly turned his head to see that although he might not have been able to distinguish the voice, he did discern the face. Standing before him was the tall, muscular multi-armed boy wearing a blue mask covering his nose and mouth. If Eli had to guess, the teenager was slightly taller than him, maybe by a centimetre or two, give or take. Eli only recognised him from Aizawa's test, where the guy scored the highest in the strength section. What was his name again? Shoto, Shojo, Shoji?
Eli stopped his thoughts when he realised he was just awkwardly staring at his fellow student and hadn't responded to the question. The black-sclera teenager glanced around to see if there were any free spots but noticed that most were taken. The only accessible seats were with tables stationed with people from different classes and years.
Seeing that he couldn't really turn away the guy, Eli just shrugged.
"Ah...Sure,"
The multi-armed boy nodded in thanks and sat at the table in the chair opposite the African. He gave a quick and silent prayer for the food and began to eat. A quietness surrounded the table as the two students continued their meal. Eli awkwardly sat in his seat, shooting a few glances at his fellow classmate, wondering if he should say something. He wasn't sure what the proper procedure was for starting a conversation. Was he meant to ask how the guy's day was? Ask what he was eating for lunch? Or maybe he is meant to try telling a joke? Eli had no idea.
'I really wish I had a higher level in this stat.' The dark-skinned teenager sighed, taking a bite of his chicken.
"Nice work yesterday," A voice said, cutting Eli's inner musing. The boy, at first, thought that it had come from his head, but as he looked up, he realised that it had, in fact, come from his multi-armed classmate. "In the battle trails yesterday, nice work."
"Uh...Thanks. You too," Eli cringed internally. He honestly couldn't remember the dude's match or what he did. Naturally, Eli stopped paying attention as soon as his battle finished.
His classmate shook his head. "No, I did nothing in my match. Todoroki practically did everything by himself."
Oh, he was with Fuyumi's brother. Yea, that match ended real quick.
"All I did was point out where our opponents were. I didn't get to do much." The masked boy commented, somewhat sadly, as his tone shifted slightly sombre.
Eli didn't know what to say to lift up his classmate's spirits. In truth, the match that the multi-armed teenager participated in was very one-sided, and not because of him. Fuyumi's little brother displayed a lot of power and control when using his Quirk. Perfectly rendering the Tail Boy and the Invisible girl useless without too much trouble. Even if the larger multi-handed student was not participating and it was someone else in his position, the end result wouldn't change.
Eli tried to think of something to say to encourage his classmate but was interrupted when the multi-armed boy turned to him.
"You, on the other hand, were able to come up with a plan and support Sato whilst fighting Kirishima and Sero. That's pretty impressive." He complimented, to which Eli lowered his head.
The African teenager was never good at taking compliments. In fact, he always found it easier to take criticisms instead, as he had gotten used to such things growing up. Another factor was that Eli felt he didn't deserve such praise, especially when he wasn't passionate about the battle trial, which he initially planned to lose.
"Sato did most of the work. I just played support," Eli responded, deflecting the praise onto his partner for the trail.
"Well, despite that, your team did very well. You acted as villains would in that situation, and that is how we should learn to be better heroes." The multi-armed boy stated, creating a mouth with his hand and taking a bite of his chicken. Eli discreetly watched the newly created arm-mouth that his classmate had conjured, raising an eyebrow at why he didn't just use the mouth under his mask. But the African wisely decided to stay quiet as the large teenager turned his head back to him. "By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Shoji."
Ah, Shoji. Got it in three.
Eli responded quicker this time, choosing to nod at the teen. "Lokadi," He answered.
"Yeah, I know. Nice to meet you," The newly identified Shoji nodded back in greeting. "So, how are you enjoying U.A?" He asked, not needing to take an extra second to swallow his meal as he merely used the mouth in his hand to eat and spoke through his mask.
Eli shrugged, "Eh, not bad. I'm getting through it. What about you?"
"Well, I didn't think U.A would focus so much on the basic subjects like Mathematics and English," Shoji admitted, using his other arm to scratch his cheek. "Like everyone else, I thought we'd be doing more hero-related activities." His free arm stretched out and began to split into another pair of hands, barely shrinking in size. "My Quirk doesn't really help me in combat. Instead, it specialises in search and rescue."
Mutant, short-range support character
Eli intently looked at the arm, his pitch-black sclera studying the appendage. "How many limbs can you make?"
"Currently, I can create 10 different limbs on each arm," Shoji answered, demonstrating this by letting the arms split even further and making more hands.
"...Wow," Eli muttered in slight amazement, though most would think he didn't mean it from his tone. "Not a lot of quirks can conjure that many. The majority can do two at most. Impressive." He complimented honestly. While quirks that gave extra limbs or other bodily features were pervasive worldwide, those that allowed the user to create additional body parts to this extent were pretty rare.
The multi-armed boy seemed to appreciate the comment, shown by the mouth on his hand, turning into a genuine smile. He was about to say something further before a loud whisper grabbed the 1-A classmates' attention.
"How freaky is that?"
"Gross. If I were him, I would never show off that Quirk in public."
The two boys turned their heads to see a pair of U.A students sitting at a table not far from where they were. Unfortunately, the students didn't seem to be from 1-A, as neither Eli nor Shoji recognised who they were. One boy and one girl. Moreover, they didn't look to be from a hero course, despite looking to be from their year. They also seemed to have the appearance of ordinary-looking people, with no extra features, no multi-coloured body parts, or anything else that could set them apart from the crowd.
The two teenagers, not from 1-A, appeared to have just finished their lunchtime meals and were now merely gossiping before they seemingly changed their topic, particularly towards Shoji's demonstration of his Quirk. The two students looked at the Quirk with disgust from the corners of their eyes.
"God, could you imagine having a quirk like that?" One asked snidely.
"There's no way I could live with myself looking like a mutant." The other responded with a laugh. Despite them still whispering, it was clear that they knew that their voices were being heard.
Elijah couldn't help but scoff with a roll of his eyes. 'Of course, there's mutant discrimination here.'
The unknown students turned their heads towards Eli, hearing the scoff that he let out. As soon as they saw his pitch-black sclera and azure pupils glowing brightly, they couldn't help but gulp. A sense of fear and uncertainty washed over them as the African's eyes seemed to glare with a mysterious, piercing intensity. Although, despite this, Eli was only looking at them with indifference.
"L-let's get out of here," the girl whispered to the boy, grabbing her tray as she stood up with her friend, who did the same.
"Y-Yeah, they're both freaks. So let's stay away from them." He muttered in response as the two started to hurryingly walk away.
Eli watched as the two students, not from 1-A, scurried off into the halls and disappeared into the crowd. The boy just shook his head in response. There was always going to be discrimination in some shape or form around the world. You just had to look hard enough. He glanced at his classmate, who sat in front of him. The multi-armed didn't seem too fussed about what had happened as he was seen continuing to eat his meal. Though this time, he reduced the number of arms and hands to the singular one for eating.
Eli pondered if he should say something. Maybe ask if his classmate was okay or give a word of encouragement. But he didn't know. However, on the other hand, Shoji didn't seem that affected by being called a freak, likely indicating that he was experienced with such things occurring. And therefore had developed a tougher skin regarding such things.
As Eli thought about what to say to his multi-armed classmate, he was abruptly interrupted by a blaring alarm, followed by a female voice from the PA.
"Attention, all students! There is a Level 3 Security Breach! Please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion!" Most students leapt out of their seats and started running for the door when the announcement was made. On the other hand, the two class 1-A students merely sat where they were.
Shoji looked about at the frightened students and said, almost casually, "Oh, looks like there's an emergency."
"What's a Level 3 Security Breach?" Eli questioned.
"Don't know," Shoji answered as he got to his feet. "But we better head out of here."
Eli didn't move; instead, he nodded past Shoji. "Unless you got a special ability to act like a human battering ram, we're not getting out of here."
When Shoji turned his head to where Eli indicated, he observed a veritable tidal wave of kids trying to storm through the room's exit but failing miserably due to their sheer numbers. "Oh, that's not good," He muttered as he was instantly seized with a feeling of dread.
Some kids were squeezing against the glass, while others were dangerously close to being trampled upon. People would likely be injured if they weren't already because it was pure chaos.
'Geez, it's like an MMO,' Eli cringed in thought, looking at the large crowd.
Shoji couldn't help but watch as he saw the panic continue to surge throughout the fearful students of U.A. He knew he had to do something to calm everyone down; otherwise, more and more people would get hurt. Shoji was about to rush forwards to try to end the chaos. But, before he could move, he saw Iida cartwheeling in the air and landing on the exit sign directly over the door. Shoji and the still-seated Eli gazed at the bespectacled classmate in mild shock, wondering what he was about to do to put an end to this chaos.
"Please, everyone, stop!" Iida yelled, his voice still authoritative despite the quivering in his legs. Thankfully, his intervention was sufficient to halt the rampage, leaving the group of teenagers in awe of him. "It is just the media! There's no need to panic! You're all U.A. students, aren't you? Let's conduct ourselves in a way that is appropriate for the best of the best!" It only took a few moments before all U.A students saw that the bespectacled student was correct, and calmness started to spread throughout the crowd.
Shoji exhaled a sigh of relief and let go of the tension in his body as soon as the commotion subsided. Then, as the students began to disperse, He slowly looked down at Eli, who hardly moved from where he was.
"You were pretty calm at what just happened," The multi-armed boy said as the African teenager took a bite of his slice of chocolate cake.
"Hmm..." Eli shrugged, "I wasn't too worried. After all, we are in the middle of a school filled with heroes. Whether it was Iida, another student, a teacher, or even you… I knew someone was going to step in."
As he sighed, Shoji's shoulders sagged slightly. He smiled gratefully and took a wary look at the rest of his meal. He had lost much of his appetite as a result of that occurrence. "Had Iida not intervened, I would've at least tried to stop the riot myself. But honestly, I don't know what I would have done."
"That just means you're already on the way to being a good proper hero," Eli commented quietly. "Just having the drive to do something is more than enough," His voice went quieter and quieter as he finished the sentence, as he knew how cruel and unforgiving the world could be.
Shoji stayed silent, thinking about those words. He was about to return to his seat when he saw something in the corner of his eye. A student, a few meters away from where he was, was on the ground, holding onto her ankle. It didn't take long to identify that the one on the floor was the same girl from before who had made nasty comments at him regarding his Quirk and appearance. However, she seemed to be alone, as her friend, who used to be with her, was nowhere to be seen. From the slight swelling around it, the student looked to have sprained it, likely from someone stomping on it.
Without hesitance, Shoji started making his way over to her. He took long strides and was next to her within a few steps. He leaned over and raised a hand of support, so he could help her up.
"Do you need any help?" He asked, making sure to keep his voice soft and reassuring.
The girl seemed glad to be finally getting some aid as she let out a breath of happiness, but when she saw that, it was Shoji standing there. She let out a short gasp. "S-St-Stay away!" The student shuffled back. "Stay back!"
Shoji raised an eyebrow but slowly lowered himself to the ground. "I'm just trying to help you."
"I-I don't need your help," She put her arm out in a way that prevented him from getting closer. "I don't need the help of a mutant!" Shoji wanted to try to calm her down, but a boy's voice called out before he could.
"Miwa!" a boy called out, running back to her and getting in between Shoji and the downed girl. It was the same boy from before who had sat with her at the table. "Get back, you freak! I don't know what you were doing with Miwa but back off!" Shoji quickly raised his arms to try to calm the boy down. Unfortunately, the girl's friend seemed close to wanting to attack him, as his hands were clenched in front of him in an amateur-like stance. "Just leave us alone!" The boy screamed, getting a few nearby students to turn their heads and observe the scene.
"Sorry, I was just trying to help," Shoji said softly, which unfortunately seemed to aggravate the boy even further.
"We don't need it!" The boy looked close to swinging at the 1-A student, but the appearance of Eli, who appeared behind and then stood next to Shoji, seemed to unnerve him. "J-J-Just leave us alone." He squawked as he helped his friend to his feet, and the two quickly moved away from the 1-A classmates.
Eli watched as the two students ran away from them, the boy helping his injured friend. It was a scene that felt familiar because it had happened so many times to him that it was almost standard. People hate what they don't understand and hate what's different. He glanced at Shoji, who stood almost equal height to him, and saw that the teenager wore a neutral expression. If it was anyone else, they probably would have thought that the multi-armed boy was fine and wasn't perturbed by the exchange. But Eli could tell from the boy's clenched fists and the slight sagging of the shoulders that Shoji felt a certain way about it. A way that those who were looked at as freaks only knew.
Eli understood he wasn't the best at social interactions, so he always left it to Adrian and Kayama. The older African and the 18+ hero always knew what to say in any situation, being at a higher level than he ever was. It was why they were so proficient at what they do, Kayama as a hero and Adrian as a Candyman. But Adrian wasn't here, and neither was Kayama. So Eli did the only thing that he could do.
Without saying a word, the African merely pat Shoji on the shoulder somewhat consolingly and returned to his seat, continuing his meal.
And a few moments later.
Shoji joined him.
After lunch, the students had all made it back to Class 1-A. Eli listened as Midoriya declared that he had decided to relinquish his position as class representative and hand it over to Iida, who happily accepted the job. However, when she returned to her seat, Eli saw Yayorozu's face was a little worn and unhappy.
"Come on, I received three more votes than him," Yaoyorozu whined. "That's so unfair."
Eli couldn't help but smile at her reaction. He felt sorry for her, as it was clear she really wanted the position. But, despite getting equal votes, she lost in rock-paper-scissors to Midoriya, which caused her to become the Vice-representative instead. And then, the top position was handed to Iida. It was easy to see why she wasn't the happiest.
"With that out of the way, we'll discuss the training exercises you'll all be undertaking today," Aizawa spoke as he took a position in front of the podium. "Unlike the previous days, this exercise will be different." The connotations of their teacher's sentence caused the students to cock their heads.
"I, All Might, and another faculty member will supervise the exercise." The presence of the symbol of peace and two other pro-heroes caught the teenagers off guard. Why would they put themselves through such trouble? The explanation that made the most sense was that the school was on high alert following the break-in and wanted to take preventative measures to safeguard the children's safety.
Sero held up a hand and enquired. "Sir! What sort of lesson is this?"
Aizawa took out a card and held it in the air revealing that it was printed with the word "Rescue" in large, light blue letters. "Rescue. You'll have to deal with things like shipwrecks and natural disasters."
A couple of the rowdier youngsters gave their approval, and Kaminari, one of them, turned to face his neighbours and beamed. "I'm wondering about the third person they brought to teach us. Perhaps they got one of the members of the Church of Masks to come in; those guys are pros at saving people,"
Jiro, who sat next to him, scoffed. "Aren't they vigilantes, though? Plus, how do you know they are all guys? They could all be women."
"How do you know they aren't?" Kaminari shot back with a challenge.
"The Church of Masks are badasses, regardless of gender," Kirishima interjected, having overheard the conversation.
Midoriya spoke up hesitantly, "I disagree with the group's choice to remain hidden, but I respect what they're doing."
Sero chimed up with his opinion, "I still think it's just one person with a teleporting quirk. It would explain why they haven't been caught yet."
Yaoyorozu huffed from her chair. "Whether the Church of Masks rescues people or not, they should abide by the law and disclose their faces to the public. You can never be certain of the motivations of those kinds of people," She chastised, giving her peers a disapproving look.
"Yeah, but you have to admit, they are seriously badass!" Kirishima responded again. "Plus, when you're that cool, you can pretty much make your own rules!"
Yaoyoruzu frowned. "That's not what the government thinks."
"Well, maybe the government has to get off their fat asses and catch those pissants!" Bakugo suddenly screamed, which surprised everyone in the class. "Despite being cowardly fucking weaklings, those masked losers have been making fools of those idiots for the past year!"
"Rules exist to be followed!" Iida sharply retorted. "If people with power did whatever they wanted, there would be anarchy! Anarchy, I tell you! ANARCHY!"
While this class-wide argument was taking place, a wide-eyed Lokadi took it all in. Was the Church of Masks really so infamous and controversial? The group typically resided in the Chūgoku region, occasionally venturing into the prefectures of Hyogo, Osaka, and Kyoto. The group had had a few run-ins with the police and a few heroes but had yet to be caught. Perhaps he ought to urge those guys to remain low for a while until the heat had settled a little. However, he did find it amusing how notorious the Church had become.
"Silence!" Class 1-A's teacher bellowed out, instantly quieting the class. It was a major shock because they had never before heard him raise his voice. Although he didn't usually come across that way, the man was more than capable of being terrifying when he wanted to be. "You are at U.A. to study how to be heroes, not vigilantes. If you want to discuss vigilantes, do it outside of school premises. That is not a topic that should be discussed in this classroom."
Then Aizawa let out a sigh and drank from a juice box. "Even though it was barely after noon, You're all going to give me a headache," he complained. "As I was saying before, I was rudely interrupted. It's up to you whether you want to wear your costumes, as some of your hero outfits may not be appropriate for this kind of activity," Right on cue, the class costume cases slid out of the wall. "Start getting ready, then meet me at the front of the school. The training will take place off-campus. Therefore we will be travelling by bus."
With that said, Aizawa left the room, leaving his students in silence. No one moved for a while because many students were still shaken by their teacher's outburst. The first person to get up from his chair was Todoroki, who quickly gathered his costume case before departing the room. The next was Yaoyorozu, whose attractive face was tarnished by an unusually sombre look. Everyone soon got up from their seats as they followed her lead, getting their cases and heading out of the class in silence.
Class 1-A had congregated outside, where a bus was waiting to transport them to their destination, having just finished changing rapidly in the changing room. As the students clamoured with one another, each buzzed with enthusiasm about the fascinating exercises they would be doing. However, the only African in the class, who stood near the back, couldn't help but notice that Yaoyorozu's eyes had a subtle but lingering trace of disappointment in them as she waited for the bus.
A small part of Elit felt as if he should say something and maybe try to ease her disappointment, but he understood that it probably wasn't a brilliant idea. Even though they had already spoken, he could see that his actions during the Battle Trails versus Sero and Kirishima had made her feel a little uneasy about him, given how she hadn't interacted with him since. So, was he justified in trying to console her? Perhaps leaving her to herself was for the best.
Try.
A voice seemed to enter his mind that he was sure didn't belong to him. It only said a single word, and honestly, Eli was confident he could easily dismiss it. But as he was going to, it entered his mind once again.
Try.
You won't level up if you don't try.
Silence once again filled his mind, pretending to leave him to his own thoughts. Though Eli knew that wasn't the case. He bit his lip for a few seconds, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to almost leave a mark. He let out a small groan as he sighed.
'Fine, I'll do it just so you can shut up!'
The boy with a dark complexion shook himself up and mustered the energy to start walking. He could do this! After all, this was just a level 1 encounter, right? He shouldn't be afraid of a simple conversation! This should be so easy that even a noob could do it.
When Yaoyorozu saw her classmate approach him, she smiled shortly to say hello. "Is the afternoon treating you well, Lokadi-san?"
Okay, that was a lie. Maybe this was actually a Boss Fight!
"I'm fine..." replied Eli, grunting slightly to clear his throat. "I, uh... wanted to say, ah, sorry that you didn't get to be the class rep. I could tell you really wanted the position."
Yaoyorozu's eyes widened, temporarily thrown off-guard by Lokadi's sympathy for her loss. She didn't believe anyone would give it much consideration or even be aware of her general dissatisfaction about becoming the vice rep instead of the president. She couldn't help but feel slightly touched that her classmate had actually noticed this. To be completely honest, the African didn't seem to be the type to care about such things as he always had a bored or indifferent expression whenever in class.
The girl's head dipped nominally, her lips pursed tight. "Thank you. I truly thought I could obtain the position since it would have allowed me to prove my worth and guide the class towards a better path."
Eli briefly hummed. "That doesn't mean you still can't accomplish that as vice representative, right?" Lokadi countered. "You might not have the highest leadership role or start with the right Class or Perk Loadout, but you can still make a major difference."
Yaoyorozu's onyx eyes initially hinted at confusion at his words before they started to faintly glimmer with fascination as her head tipped up to view Eli. The black-sclera teenager was a little shocked by the expression of astonishment and light in her eyes.
Did she not think of that?
The girl looked close to saying something but was cut short by the loud whistle of her superior, who was already attempting to fulfil his new role as a class rep to the best of his abilities.
"All right, everyone! Get into two single-filed lines based on your student numbers so we can move as effectively as possible!" Iida made a few more whistle blows while slicing his arm down to get the kids into the correct order. Many students formed comedic sweat beads: they should've expected something like this from him. He was the most serious one in the class, after all.
With no cause to object, the students followed his instructions, and in less than 30 seconds, the entire class was on the bus. But as soon as they boarded, Iida's throat tightened since the vehicle arrangement did not match his expectations. He anticipated that it would have ten rows of seats, two people for each seat, and be set up similarly to a typical school bus. However, this one had a more open layout, with eight seats facing toward each other and the rest of the seats facing towards the front of the bus.
Iida bowed in shame as the rest of the class boarded the bus, and the vehicle started heading toward the training arena. "The design of this bus absolutely destroyed my boarding plan."
The students sitting adjacent to him couldn't help but smile at their classmate's overly serious demeanour.
Eli had taken a seat near the back of the bus. He leaned against the glass and couldn't help but sigh in boredom. Unfortunately, since Adrian had confiscated his gaming console, Eli had nothing to use to alleviate it. He turned his head when he felt someone sit next to him, occupying the seat to his side. The dark-skinned teenager saw that it was Todoroki that had chosen to take the seat. The bi-coloured-haired boy didn't say anything as he merely crossed his arms and faced away from him.
Eli only glanced at Fuyumi's sibling before he leaned his head on the window again, closing his eyes. He felt he should say something to the boy, given that it was Charity Delight's manager's brother, but honestly, he just couldn't be bothered. The African had already taken on two boss fights today, talking to Shoji at lunch and Yayorozu not long ago. So it was stupid having another one with the Half-Cold Half-Hot user, especially since he hadn't had a chance to regain any HP.
As the bus set off, Eli overheard a conversation involving Midoriya and a few other students.
"Hey, Midoriya, I always say what I think no matter what's on my mind—" Midoriya shrieks her name. "It's fine. Call me Tsuyu, but anyway, your Quirk reminds me of All Might." Eli's ear perks up.
"Tha—that so—so?! Haha, bu—but mine isn't like," Midoriya started to stutter, his body going numb, and his eyes were all over the place. Then, finally, Eli's eye, closest to the window, opens slightly, almost minusculely in intrigue.
Kirishima jumps into the conversation. "Wait up, Asui! All Might never gets hurt. That's where the likeness ends." He says, disagreeing with the frog girl. "I'm kind'a jealous of that kind of simple enhancer-type Quirk, though! You can do a lot with one, and it's flashy too." He flexes his arms, sending a rush of energy to his Quirk and hardening it in a blink of an eye. "My 'hardening' power isn't bad for punch-ups, but I hate that it's just not flashy."
"Well, I think it's a really cool quirk, and a pro-hero will definitely find an excellent use for it."
Kirishima muses aloud, "Pros, huh? But you know, Heroics has a lot about it that's more of a popularity contest, too, right?"
Aoyama, another blonde student, swiftly answers, "My navel laser is both flashy and strong enough for a Pro," he says, complimenting his own Quirk.
"But it'd be bad if your stomach gets upset." The lone purple-skinned Ashido responded, deflating the blonde's ego.
I hate this conversation.
It appeared that no matter where you went in the world, people always prided themselves solely on their Quirk. Whether it was powerful, cool, efficient, or fit some other form of criteria to make it boast in popularity. People only cared and valued you depending on your Quirk. It was the same everywhere.
Eli spoke quietly enough that no one heard him: "Aren't Pro-Heroes meant to protect people? All they're hooked up with is fame and flashiness," He shuts his eyes once more, this time tightly to stymie his irritation. Seriously, with a motivation that low, how could anyone possibly proudly declare that they aspire to be a "hero"? Did the definition of a hero change outside of Africa?
Also, why couldn't those in law enforcement use their quirks? That was another weird thing that Eli questioned when he arrived here. Aren't Pro-Heroes just cops allowed by the government to use their quirks?
Also, weren't Celebrities and Pro-Heroes practically the same thing? There was All Might with the various brands he collaborates with, ranging from small things like underwear to other areas like technology. Also, for what purpose did Present Mic have a radio show? It wasn't for hero work, that was for sure. While members of the community may have had their own hobbies to make money, Present Mic's popularity as a Pro-Hero is the primary factor in the many viewers he draws in. It was just like a brand.
The African usually wouldn't be bothered by this, but the more he thought about it, the more it made him mysteriously choleric. More and more questions continued to flow into his mind, questioning why certain things were as they were.
Are 'heroes' expected to be famous? Should they be ranked? If so, does it depend on how many lives they've saved? The significance of it? Suppose they are referring to the majority of cases that were successfully resolved. Then shouldn't that other hero, Endeavour, be at the top rather than All Might? He remembered seeing on the web that Endeavour actually solved close to double the number of cases than All Might had. However, the so-called Symbol of Peace was still at the top. Why?
Eli rubbed his head against the window, feeling a headache start to appear. Honestly, he shouldn't really be complaining, as the place he came from was way worse compared to the questionable society that Japan seemed to have. But, on the other hand, maybe it was the transition from a third-world country to a first. Therefore, he sorely had to get used to the things that seemed unimaginable if he was still in his homeland.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long to dismiss his thoughts because a vast concrete and glass dome towered over the surroundings came into view as they approached. When the students got off the bus, a person in a space suit was waiting for them.
Eli intended to reflect on the bizarre circumstance, but instead, he convinced himself that the individual was a real hero. It is plausible to presume this given the various outfits Pro-Heroes enjoy wearing.
"I've been waiting for you all, everyone!" The space suit-clad hero welcomed. "Let's move quickly and begin."
The class followed her into the dome, where they were greeted by the stunning sight of six different natural settings dispersed over a massive area.
The room's right side featured a sizable lake with a ship resting in the centre and a sizable water slide out to the side. Two translucent domes stood just above and below the lake, one picturing a city on fire and the other one being battered by heavy winds and rain. Two other cities were located on the left side of the room; the one at the bottom was in a perilous state of ruin, and the one right above it had been entirely obliterated by a massive landslide. Finally, in the upper left corner of the area, an enormous mountain range with jagged peaks and a dangerous warning to anyone attempting to climb it completed the scene.
'Freaking hell! How much money do these guys have?' Eli exclaimed inwardly, astonished at the fact that the school had been able to construct such a thing. Also, that someone had managed to fit such a spectacle into a single manmade structure. It was a downright extraordinary feat.
"Wow! It looks like Universal Studios Japan!"
"A landslide, a fire, a whirlwind, and so on", Thirteen spoke as she moved to face the assembly with the surrounding scenery in the background.
She extended her arms, "I created it as a practice area with many mishaps and tragedies in mind. So the "Unforeseen Simulation Joint" is what it is named."
'That's just like Universal Studios Japan.'
Eli felt that he was missing a collective thought. However, it felt wrong for him to miss it for some reason, so he thought he should probably question Adrian or Kayama about it later.
Aizawa approaches Thirteen for a moment, sharing a few words before Thirteen goes back to talking to the students. "Before starting. Just one thing, or two, or three—or four," she starts. She raises a single finger in the air, summoning a void. The dark-skinned student's curiosity grew when he saw the faint lines of air getting absorbed into the hole. "I'm certain you're all quite aware, but my Quirk is called 'Black Hole'. No matter what material gets sucked into its vortex, I'm afraid it will turn dust."
"You've used that ability to rescue people from all kinds of catastrophes, right?" Midoriya declared. Meanwhile, Eli heard only one thing.
Turn into dust.
"Yes, but it can kill someone easily." Thirteen added, "Some of you also have quirks like that, right?".
The smiles of his class members had vanished completely. Even though he wasn't smiling, to begin with, Eli felt his shadow almost twitch in response to her comments. He wasn't shocked by the teacher's remarks, though.
"Naturally, Quirks are highly regulated in this society of super-humans, and the conditions for their legal usage are upheld. We can tell right away that this is how the world is structured. Having said that, every one of you has a Quirk that could go haywire. To accidentally murder someone, all it takes is one wrong move. You were made aware of the potential of your personal power during Aizawa-san's Apprehension Test. And I believe you learnt a genuine sense of danger from using those Quirks against one another during All Might's Battle Trial. This lesson will be a new beginning! Let's start learning how to use our quirks to protect human life. Your quirks do not, empathically, exist to harm other people!"
The moment those words left the space-clad heroine's lips. Eli felt a surge of guilt hit him tenfold. Memories of almost a past life invaded his mind, crashing into the walls of his brain, demanding to be seen. Protect life? Not take it? That-That's impossible. Not with this power. Not with this Quirk. This Quirk was only meant to cause pain. It was only meant to bring suffering and torment to everyone around him. Not just to his enemies but to innocent lives too, and to forestall their trip to the afterlife. This Quirk was not meant to save them from the harm and evil of this world. It just wasn't possible, no matter how much he desired it so.
Ỹ̴͈͚͠ó̷̝̻́ṵ̷͆̍ ̶͎̹͘A̴̮̋ŕ̶͉̑e̸̟̱̿ ̴̹͌̿Ḿ̵͕̮ÿ̴̡̗͝ ̴̨̓T̴̮̜̆́ö̶͇́ó̴̜͊ͅl̸̘͘
"No!" Eli whispered harshly, slamming his palm against the side of his head in order to silence that voice. Thankfully, he was far enough away that many other students didn't seem to hear or notice what he had said or done. Only Todoroki and a girl with earphone jacks for earlobes turned towards him. The son of the number two hero gave him a blank but questioning look before returning to the front. The girl, however, narrowed her eyes at him in clear suspicion as if she had just caught him stealing in a shop. She stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes taking in every detail before she tucked her hands into her pockets and turned around.
Eli took a few moments to calm down, trying to push those thoughts back into the furthermost reaches of his mind. Then, he made sure to put it entirely under lock and key, using every chain his mind could conjure to bind it securely. Once that was done to the best of his ability, the dark-skinned boy tried to focus back on the words of the U.A teacher. But unfortunately, he could only catch the last bit of Thirteen's speech.
"That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening." In response, the kids applauded to demonstrate their admiration for the hero. Eli softly clapped as well, copying his classmates to act as if he had been paying attention.
"All right, calm down!" The messy teacher didn't want to waste time celebrating for too long. "Now that she's through speaking, we can-"
They were almost wholly in the dark as the lights flashed out around them. Thankfully, the glass continued to provide light, allowing them to see.
A power failure? Now?
Eli had a bad feeling about this.
'Please be nothing,' He prayed.
Though he didn't fully believe it, Eli remained hopeful.
His hope dissipated, however, when he fixed his gaze downward at the plaza area. He observed a primarily broken fountain that intermittently turned on and off.
...and a reality-altering rift that was coloured with darkness.
A portal.
The two professional heroes seemed to notice the same thing and immediately focused on the vortex, which had now erupted into several ghostly tendrils that spread over the room like a scourge from the underworld. The ordinarily stoic Aizawa gasped as a pallid face covered by a severed hand emerged from the darkness.
"Stand together and remain still!" The moment Aizawa yelled, the students were absolutely taken aback. "Thirteen, protect the students!"
The guy with the pale face emerged from the vortex, followed by a horde of other, equally intimidating individuals, just as the homeroom instructor yelled his commands. In addition to terrifying people that belonged in a horror film, there were mutants with malformed limbs and horrifying beings that looked to have been created by Satan himself.
The sight made Lokadi's blood suddenly turn cold, and he clenched his hands so tightly that blood was close to being drawn. His shadow also twitched in response, as if reading his it's owner's reaction. The black-sclera eyed boy had lived in enough places since childhood to fully understand the situation. 'But…why? Why were they here? Were they there for him? Did they know who he was? How? They had been careful to hide their tracks. No one should possibly know that they are here!'
"What's going on? Is this another test like the entrance exam?" a puzzled Kirishima inquired, squinting as he tried to get a better look.
"Stay back!" The class recoiled in response to Aizawa's stringent demands. "Those are villains."
Eli subconsciously clutched onto a ghostly dagger, the same one he had used in the battle trails, that emerged from his shadow as the temperature in the room fell a few degrees. He briefly met the eyes of a massive black behemoth with razor-sharp teeth and an exposed brain. The African immediately understood he had to remain vigilant against this terrifying-looking beast since it radiated a different, more menacing aura than any other villains there. It reminded him of the beasts from his homeland, the same ones that made his instincts scream at him to be wary and the same ones that could cause his shadow to twitch and spasm uncontrollably.
Eli couldn't stop himself from releasing a deep enervated breath.
Damn, God must really hate me today.
A/N: That's the end of chapter 6. I finally got this chapter out. I'll be honest, I actually sitting on this chapter for a bit. I originally planned to just kinda skim through the day and get right into the USJ attack and I was already making a start into the attack. But after a read through, it was not looking good. So that's kinda what this chapter was, basically a cooldown chapter from the last. Sorry this took longer to come out. I don't have a schedule or anything when i write, it's really just when I have time and inspiration, I just write. Hopefully the next chapter won't take too long, but I can't make any promises.
On another note, some of you might have noticed the early hints at the mutant discrimination involving Shoji. No, I did not plan for this chapter to come out the day of Chapter 370 of the manga, which also revolves around Shoji. It was just a luck, that I'll take. My thoughts on the mutant topic as a whole in the manga, is that I think it should of been handled or hinted at earlier. While i did love chapter 370, when taken in context, it felt a little too late, like there should be a bit more hints about the discrimination taking place. It just felt a bit wasted. But other than that I did like the chapter a lot.
Lastly, I got a message asking who Eli replaced in the class. It was Koda, the animal guy. I have nothing against him as a character but a someone had to go. He is still in the story but not in 1-A. Honestly it was a literally coin flip between him and Sato. Although, I will admit that after writing this chapter and hinting at mutant discrimination, maybe I should kept him in 1-A. Plus I think Koda and Eli might be able get along, although that depends on whether Koda would be scared of Eli or not. Maybe down the line I'll have Koda play a part, I don't know, we'll see.
That said, I'd like to once again thank everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed up until now. Many thanks, and wherever you are in the world, hope you have a good morning, afternoon, evening, or good night.
-Gaming Terms-
MMO = A massively multiplayer online game is an online video game with a large numbers of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server.
Perk = bonus ability that a player character can acquire; a permanent power-up.
Loadout = A set of items and abilities chosen by the player before embarking on an in-game mission.