Chapter 8

August 9, 2163

1320 Hours

"Are all of you ready?" Hitoshi asked cautiously.

"Absolutely," Izuku reassured him.

"Without a doubt!" Mei responded in a chipper tune.

"A hundred percent!" Will said confidently.

Hitoshi simply nodded at them before starting. He closed his eyes, trying to block out as much of the outside world as he could in order to concentrate.

Don't force it. Ease into it. Merge with it, like a flowing river.

He breathed in deep, held it, then released it. He did this three more times until he felt something stirring within his consciousness. In an instant, three pairs of eyes went blank and the trio stood ramrod straight. Hitoshi let out a gasp of pain. It felt like someone was trying to smash his brain in with a sledgehammer. He stood tall in defiance, dedicated to persevere through the agony. Finally, the feeling of horrendous torture settled down to a dull throbbing sensation. It wasn't long until even that ceased completely.

All in all, the whole ordeal lasted less than ten seconds. Their instructor, Ambrose-sensei, was by Hitoshi's side ready to catch him should he pass out again. It'd only happened once before, but it never hurt to be cautious.

"How're you feeling, candidate?" He asked. Despite the curt demeanor he tried to maintain around them, his compassionate side still shined through sometimes.

"G-good. Good, sir," Hitoshi groaned. It was true, though. In fact, he felt that it was an understatement. Satisfaction surged through his very being as he realized that he'd succeeded.

His Quirk, "Brainwashing", allowed him the ability to control the minds of others. Though there were still a couple of limitations. He could only give those under his influence basic orders, nothing too complex. Sufficient damage - a hard punch or a rock thrown at their head - to the person would break the link between them. And he had to establish each link individually. That meant going around and talking to each one in order to establish a connection before moving to the next.

Except that last part wasn't the case anymore. It hasn't been for about a month now. The Quirk development training for those that had them was intense. But they yielded results. Already, Hitoshi was able to control up to a dozen people, and he could link with two of them at a time with only minor discomfort.

He decided to test his mental hold over his friends, see if it was any weaker in comparison to when he normally did it.

"Turn around."

They complied instantly. All three simultaneously did an about face and waited for their next order.

"Do twenty jumping jacks."

No hesitation. So far so good.

Hitoshi looked at Ambrose-sensei and nodded. The instructor walked up next to Izuku and placed a hand on his shoulder. He lightly shook the candidate, trying to snap him out of his control.

Hitoshi checked on his link and found it to still be strong. A testament to all the training he'd done with his Quirk so far. "Still good."

Ambrose-sensei then grabbed both shoulders and shook him about more violently. Hitoshi checked again.

"Still good."

The instructor nodded. He stepped back and brought his fist back. His punch impacted Izuku square in the chest. Hitoshi knew it wasn't even close to being his strongest, but still winced as Izuku flew into the air. He could feel the link was severed before he hit the padded floor. He went ahead and cut the connection with the other two, then helped Izuku off the mat.

"So, it worked? You got all three of us?" Izuku asked.

Hitoshi couldn't help but smile. Good ol' Izuku. There was no, 'ah! That punch hurt!' or, 'wow. Was that really necessary?' that came from him. Always so focused on the mission.

"Yeah, it worked flawlessly," Hitoshi confirmed.

"The link appeared as stable as any ordinary one," Ambrose-sensei chimed in. "But we're gonna have to keep practicing for a while. Those headaches look killer."

Will and Mei were quick to join the other two.

"Still feels like someone stuck a blender in your head, huh?" Mei asked.

"Kind of," Hitoshi confirmed. "It's definitely a lot less than it was the first few times. Like he said, I just need more practice."

Will clapped him on the back and gave him one of his patented toothy smiles. "You're doing great, man. We believe in you."

Mei and Izuku flashed their own smiles towards Hitoshi in agreement. He simply nodded his head in return. After all this time, it still felt a little weird for him to have the faith of such close friends. Weird, but good.

Ambrose-sensei called over to them, still looking at the datapad in his hand. "Seems like your session's gonna be cut a little early today. Fireteam Valiant's looking for a few more teams to test their Quirks on."

"Alright team, let's get moving," Izuku ordered. As he spoke, he brought a fist up to eye level, with his index finger pointed towards the sky. Then he spun it in a circle twice.

Form up.

They'd started using hand signals for a while now; all the teams did. They didn't come from the same place, though. Some had been adopted by observing their instructors - Mendez-sensei in particular. Others had been incorporated due to a few candidates knowing sign language like Solomon and Jai. And then there was a growing amount that had been made up right on the spot.

Hitoshi noticed that none of them questioned Izuku's order. They simply accepted the command and tightened their grouping to make it more orderly. There was a small, immature part of him that asked, what gives him the right to boss me around?

Hitoshi took that thought out back and shot it dead. There was no room for such thinking. They weren't just kids anymore, as terrible as that was. They were candidates. Future Spartans. To become the best heroes the world would ever see, they'd need to have unshakable faith in one another.

After all they'd been through, and with all they were going to go through? Hitoshi knew from the bottom of his heart that he trusted his teammates with his life.

December 10, 2163

1002 Hours

This was just about everything Mei could've asked for. It wasn't perfect, as there were still quite a few things missing. But damn was it close.

"As you might have noticed, the MA5K doesn't come with the same built in electronics suite that the MA5B has. There's still an ammunition counter located in the back of the carrying handle, but all of the other housekeeping functions have been removed. This means no compass, no HUD interface, and no smartlink scope."

Mei looked back down at the weapon resting on the table in front of her: the MA5K Carbine. A gas operated, magazine fed, cut down version of the classic MA5B Rifle the United States Marine Corps used. Chambered in 7.62x51mm Full Metal Jacket and with a firing rate of 900 rounds per minute, there was no body armor in the world that could withstand more than a few hits from it. The carbine variant wasn't too popular outside of special forces, but the reduced size and weight made it much easier for the candidates to handle. Hence, why the Commission likely purchased them in bulk.

They'd been learning about firearms and other such weapons for a few weeks now. Mendez-sensei first introduced the topic during one of their heroics classes, much to the confusion of many of her friends. They'd all gotten it in their heads that heroes were supposed to use their Quirks and fists to fight the villains. Guns were generally associated with… well, the villains. Mendez-sensei was quick to correct that line of thinking.

He explained how many heroes around the world actually used guns or some other form of weapon for their fighting style. The Pro Hero Snipe and their own Lady Nagant were perfect examples. But he'd made it clear that they wouldn't be the only ones using them.

"Villains will use everything they can to fight you, not just their quirks. Guns, knives, bombs, and anything else you can think of is on the table. With big companies like Detnerat and Feel Good Incorporated, you can count on their soldiers being well equipped."

Anyone else would've been terrified at the thought of a thug wielding a machine gun in one hand and shooting lightning bolts out of their fingertips in the other. But the Spartans? This was just an excuse to use bigger and better babies. Babies with high calibers and higher rates of fire. With optional non-lethal ammunition, of course.

Truth be told, Mei wasn't bothered by the thought of using a gun. Instead, it was like a breath of fresh air. Working on machines and equipment was her calling, and it had been her plan for the future as she wanted to become a support hero. But that was a long time ago. Now, she had a duty to her comrades and the people. It didn't really bother her that much, though. Sure, she was kidnapped from her family and forced into a life of the most brutal form of community service, but she understood the necessity behind it. Besides, she'd discovered the greatest friends anyone could ask for and was given access to the most advanced gear that money could buy!

Ah, but she'd gotten sidetracked again.

"Functionally, the MA5K isn't different from the MA5B, so everything you've learned will still apply. That being said, you will follow along with me. First, you'll need to remove this pin here…"

They spent the next hour stripping their weapons down, becoming familiar with each and every part. For Mei, it was total bliss simply being able to take something apart and put it back together again. It was like she was back in her old workshop. Sort of. She didn't have the same autonomy that came with her old lab, nor was she alone. Though, that last part didn't affect her.

"So does anyone know when we're actually gonna use these things?" Will whispered. His foot tapped incessantly against the ground, but she could tell that it wasn't fear or anxiety that plagued him. Mei had a good read of everyone in her team, and a few others too. Her quirk, Zoom, gave her the ability to magnify her vision and see with crystal clarity from incredible distances. Her personal best so far was three kilometers. But up close, it allowed her to capture even the smallest twitches of the face. Micro-expressions, the instructors had told her. Nothing escaped her impressive eyesight; not a glint of the eyes, nor a curve of the lip or a raise of the eyebrow.

Though, it helped that Will could put some actors to shame with just how expressive he could be. The wrinkles at the edge of his eyelids and the way the corners of his lips drew up made it clear that he was excited at the thought of something new.

"Easy there, Will," Izuku chided. "We'll get to that soon enough, but right now this is more important."

"He's got a point," Mei chimes in.

Hitoshi grunts in agreement, but he remains speechless at Izuku's side. He appeared to be having the most difficulty in maneuvering through the plethora of tiny parts and complex mechanisms. It didn't matter too much right now, they'd have plenty more opportunities to understand their newest babies.

If they wanted to use their top-of-the-line equipment to the best of it's abilities, then they'd have to know each and every piece of it. Mendez-sensei had told them that ultimately, the greatest weapon they had was themselves, but that their gear would expand their options. As much of an icon as All Might is, his battle with All for One had proven that punching your way through things wasn't always the best plan.

July 23, 2164

0800 Hours

The battle to keep his excitement contained was a savage one; but ultimately, he emerged victorious. Izuku stood ramrod straight, his hands clasped behind his back, eyes set dead ahead, and his face appeared as if it had been carved out of stone. He had to use every trick in the book to achieve this appearance: biting his tongue, digging his nails into his fists, thinking about only the most sobering of memories. But he wasn't the only one. Every last member of the one hundred candidates were perfectly still, successfully culling the urge to bounce up and down on their heels. They were the picture of professionalism.

The instructors around them were expressionless as well, though they were merely trying to subdue their own amusement at the candidate's behavior. They didn't share the same feelings for their guest. It was to be expected. He wasn't under their jurisdiction, and as a result, was allowed to interact with the candidates in however way they saw fit. They all knew why; it was to provide him the experience of interacting with children, an important skill that he'd need to develop for his future career as a fellow hero. However, despite the knowledge that their interactions were intended to be a training opportunity, a connection had been formed between the teen and the candidates. After all, their situations weren't too dissimilar. But this time was different: today they were told that they'd be training together in an hero and villain type exercise.

It was at that moment that Hawks, in all his usual bravado, flew down in front of them.

"Hey, hey, you little rugrats!" He shouted out.

Izuku could actually feel the energy around him skyrocket. Not even the most passive of them could deny that they were practically shaking from the exhilaration.

"Ah, still cosplaying as a bunch of statues I see," he said. He exuded an aura of smug confidence as he made his way between the rows and columns they'd formed. Izuku could see in his peripherals that he'd stopped right in front of Will with a devious smile on his face. His teammate's arms trembled as he tried to reign himself in. "Well, most of you are, at least."

Been nice knowing you, friend.

It was at that moment that Mendez-sensei stepped out in front of them all. Without even looking at Will, he called out, "Unless you're prepared to run till you puke, candidate, I'd advise you to collect yourself."

Will's entire body seized up as if he'd just heard the voice of death itself. Which - considering that this was Mendez-sensei they were talking about - was a justified reaction.

He took a moment to look out over them, before beginning. "Alright, let's get things rolling."

"Each fireteam will be taken to one of five Training Grounds: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, or Echo. Each team will be dropped off at predetermined locations and given a different objective that they must secure and transport outside of their area. Each objective will vary in size, shape, and weight; but I assure you that you will be able to carry them. There is no penalty for working together, nor is there one for working against each other. Now comes the twist."

Hawks took his cue and stepped forward. "Sorry kiddos, but today we're gonna be on opposites of the law. It's my job to stop you from getting your prizes, and to do so I'll have my feathers spread throughout all five areas, listening and waiting for you. I'm supposed to catch and carry you back to the instructors where they'll take you to a different part of the training ground where you'll start all over again."

"For this exercise, you'll all be allowed to use any and all of the skills you've acquired to avoid capture. Everyone will be given enough supplies for a single day, as you'll all have until tonight at 2200 hours to complete this exercise."

Under the mask of professionalism that he'd erected, Izuku's mind was going into overdrive. Despite the camaraderie that they'd developed with Hawks, they'd never determined the full extent of his power. He knew that he could control at least a hundred feathers at a time on account of their Initiation all those years ago. But what was the range with which he could hear through them? Each one could lift up any candidate, but how much further could they go? Could a single feather capture an entire team if given the chance?

There were so many unknowns that Izuku had to force himself to shut down his inner ramblings and focus solely on what was in front of him. Which happened to be his newest role model sassing them one more time.

Hawks gave them his best smile - full of teeth and smug as hell - before gracing them with some words of not encouragement. "I'd say good luck, but I don't think that it'll help you much here."

Hitoshi summarized all of their thoughts into a single perfect mutter. "Well shit."

Author's Note: A look into the Quirk training of the candidates and a teaser for what the next chapter will be about.