Boku no Hero Academia: Izuku's Pet Noumu
Disclaimer: This is a mature-rated fanfiction story of Boku no Hero Academia that I am writing for both fluffy and erotic fun. Needless to say, this story is AU, the characters may seem OOC to some and there will be smutty lemons. Also, I own nothing of the series other than the fanfiction stories that I make.
Chapter 22: I-Island (Part 3)
Like the rest of the people who were outside the central tower at the time of the attack on I-Island, Katsuki was unaware that villains had actually taken over the tower. In fact, he slept early that night as he wanted to wake up early on the following day to prove to everyone that he was the best. However, to his surprise, he did not meet any of the extras from U.A. High School for the entire day in spite of the fact that they had arrived much earlier than him.
When the news of the attack was finally revealed later that evening, along with the revelation that Izuku and his companions had basically saved the day and even saved the the young girls who had been turned into noumus, Katsuki was shocked beyond belief. Not surprisingly, he wanted answers and called Tenya, the class representative, immediately.
Shortly after Katsuki dialled the number, Tenya answered his call, "Ah, Bakugou, is something the matter?"
"HOW THE FUCK DID YOU EXTRAS GET INVOLVED IN A FIGHT WITH VILLAINS YESTERDAY!?!" yelled Katsuki.
--Meanwhile, with Tenya and the others…--
Tenya could still still hear a ringing sound in his ear as he calmed down from the shockingly loud yell before he explained about the attack to Katsuki. While Tenya was explaining the situation, Izuku said a silent prayer to his friend who was dealing with Katsuki over the phone before turning his attention back to the three young noumu-girls who had been healed and were literally crying from eating their very first proper meal in memory. Based on what he had found out about young noumu-girls from their fragmented memories, as well as Houka's assistance in getting information about them, they were essentially non-existent as far as official records went. As such, there was no way for anyone to find out about the girls' families, assuming that they were not already forsaken to begin with, or even find out their original names before they were turned into noumus.
As Izuku did not want to continue referring to the three noumu-girls by their code-names, which were given by the League of Villains, he decided to give them some proper names. Not surprisingly, his friends were more than happy to offer ideas and the group actually tried to set up a list of names to vote for the young noumu-girls before the girls insisted voicelessly that they wanted Izuku to be the one to name them. As such, with a bit of assistance from his friends, Izuku named the three girls Kumoko (for the girl with pale chitinous skin), Ouka (for the girl with red hair and blue eyes) and Aoi (for the girl with silver-blue scales and hair) respectively. He was quite glad that the girls, who were unfortunately mute, liked their new names.
After the girls had settled down and finished their meals, they timidly clung onto Izuku for comfort. Izuku smiled kindly as he gently petted Aoi and Kumoko while Wankuro transformed into her wolf form so that Eri and Ouka could hug her and nuzzle into her soft fluffy fur. While the three young noumu-girls were getting comforted, Izuku made a mental note to use [Spirit Link] to help Eri and the other noumu-girls as soon as he was able to.
Mina, Setsuna, Tooru and even Tuareninya made sure to take several hidden pictures of Izuku, Wankuro and Eri comforting the young noumu-girls.
Well aware of the fact that the young noumu-girls would need time to recover even after having their bodies and minds healed by Izuku, everyone was willing to give them the time and space they needed to get adjusted to their new situation. In fact, they volunteered to help Izuku by getting food, toys, books, futon mattresses with pillows and even a television set so that he, Wankuro, Eri and the young noumu-girls would not get bored, hungry or uncomfortable. Rikidou, as well as Sebas and the Pleiades Combat Maids, was more than happy to help prepare home-cooked food and cookies for everyone while Inko, Ochako, Tsuyu, Himiko, Ningyou and Nyujou volunteered to stay behind to help Izuku and Wankuro watch over Eri, Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi.
Understandably, Izuku was grateful as he gladly accepted their offers for help.
--Later that night…--
Katsuki was gritting his teeth in barely-restrained fury when he returned to the hotel which he was staying in. It was already bad enough that Izuku had dared to upstage him yet again but the fact that he, along with everyone else who had helped him to stop the villains at the central tower that night, would most likely much public renown fouled his mood even further. There was also the fact that Katsuki could not even beat Shouto's high score in taking down robots in the arena.
Neither the news nor Tenya's detailed recount of the villains' attack the previous night satisfied Katsuki. What the ash-blond boy really wanted was answers from Izuku himself followed by beating him up for daring to act like he was the better of the two. However, as much as Katsuki hated to admit it, there was no denying that Izuku and the other extras had accomplished a significant victory over the villains who wanted to steal classified research materials from the central tower.
In theory, Katsuki could have visited the hospital where at least some of his schoolmates and teachers were most likely to be located. However, he did not even consider going to the hospital as he realised that there was simply no way for him to even get close to Izuku, who was currently taking care of the three young noumu-girls, without making himself look bad as a result. Considering that Katsuki was already on thin ice, he knew better than to risk losing control of himself and "aggressively antagonise" Izuku inside a hospital of all places.
Katsuki deduced that the reason why he was still unable to fine anyone else from U.A. High School was because most of them chose to help the three new noumu-girls. It was an admittedly accurate deduction as most of Izuku's schoolmates, as well as Melissa and her friends, had indeed decided to help the girls by getting them what they needed and then spend time with them. In fact, many of them volunteered to stay in the hospital as an impromptu form of a sleepover.
As for the teachers from U.A. High School, Shouta (a.k.a. Eraser Head), Higari (a.k.a. Power Loader) and Sekijirou (a.k.a. Vlad King) volunteered to keep watch over the children so that the other pro-heroes could return back to their regular duties or rest while Toshinori (a.k.a. All Might) spent the rest of the night with David to discuss about the new noumu-girls with Nedzu. Momo's parents and servants, whom Katsuki had yet to meet, were busy as well as both Satoru and Coco wanted to discuss with the other sponsors about the Quirk Amplification Device and possible upgrades for I-Island's security.
"Tomorrow's going to fucking suck," though Katsuki who sourly recalled that a public speech would be held to honour Izuku and his companions.
--The following day…--
"It is with great honour and pleasure that I present to you all the students of U.A. High School, the maids of the Yaoyorozu family and the people of I-Island responsible for not only defeating the villains who held this entire island hostage for the purpose of stealing dangerous classified research but also for saving the noumu-girls who were unwilling living weapons created by the League of Villains," said Yaoyorozu Satoru who was happy to give a public speech on behalf of the various investors and even pro-heroes who were in the reception hall on the night of the attack.
Izuku, along with his schoolmates from U.A. High School, Melissa and her friends, blushed as the crowd cheered. Standing behind the group were his teachers, Eri, Inko, the rest of Momo's family and servants and even the three young noumu-girls who had been deemed to be safe after a few tests including scans for any possible influences from external quirks.
"Now, without further ado, I would like one of the young heroes to step forward and say a word or two to everyone who has gathered here," said Satoru.
Less than five seconds later, Izuku blinked as he realised that everyone was looking at him expectantly. Panicking, he pointed at himself and asked, "W-wait, you all want me to speak?"
Satoru smiled amusedly and said, "Considering that it was you who inspired everyone in your group to take action that night, I think it's only fair that you speak on their behalf."
Izuku blushed as he wondered what he should say. Just as he was about to decline the offer, he felt a strong yet gentle hand onto his shoulder. Surprised, he turned around and saw Toshinori, who was in his hero form, smiling encouragingly at him while saying, "Calm down Midoriya-shounen, just speak the truth of what you think about that night." Everyone else who were with Izuku in the central tower that night also smiled encouragingly at him. Their genuine encouragement calmed Izuku down and helped him to steel his resolve.
Nodding at everyone, Izuku then turned to face the expectant crowd and stepped forward to speak to them. Taking a deep breath to calm himself Izuku then said, "Before I say anything else, I would like to first make it very clear that while I might have inspired everyone to act together to save everyone that night, I most certainly did not save the day on my own. Indeed, I wouldn't have even gotten past the shutters or the robots, let alone the noumu-girls who were forced to fight against their will at the time, without their help."
Izuku paused so that the audience could take in his words before he continued to speak, "In fact, stopping the villains, freeing everyone who were being held hostage and saving the noumu-girls would have been impossible without the direct, as well as indirect, help of the people of I-Island." He then took out the Full Gauntlet from his pocket and put it onto his right wrist before activating it. As he presented the activated Full Gauntlet to the audience, he explained, "When I fought against the hacked security robots, noumu-girls and villains, I was able to use my quirk at a greater level of power than usual without hurting myself thanks to the Full Gauntlet, an invention made by a quirkless inventor who still wanted to help people by giving pro-heroes the support they needed to be at their best and beyond, Melissa Shield." While the crowd was murmuring about what Izuku had stated, the boy lowered his right hand and continued to speak, "As for restarting the security system of I-Island, it was Leeron Littner, one of the two inhabitants of I-Island who volunteered to put his own life in danger to help us in our endeavour, that did it and essentially saved the day. The other inhabitant who volunteered to help us, Inumuta Houka, was instrumental in saving the three young noumu-girls by hacking the activation switch to turn off their implants which were literally torturing them to death." Izuku smiled as he spoke with growing conviction and passion, "I therefore wish for everyone to realise that when I say, 'I am here!', it does not necessarily have to mean that I am here standing alone against the evils of the world. It can also mean that I am here and I am not alone!" As Izuku concluded his speech, he thrust his right arm into the air to once again show the Full Gauntlet in its activated glory and yelled, "Plus Ultra!"
Moved by Izuku's inspiring speech, basically everyone yelled in return, "PLUS ULTRA!!!"
Katsuki, who had listened to Izuku's speech along with the rest of the audience, gritted his teeth while glaring at him with hateful eyes.
--Shortly after the speech…--
Izuku was blushing as he followed everyone to a place which Toshinori, David and Satoru had prepared the previous day to reward everyone who had played a role in stopping Wolfram and his minions that night. Amused by Izuku's bashful state, Ochako smiled and said, "You did great back there, Deku-kun!"
Wankuro nodded and said, "Awesome speech!" Eri, Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi nodded in unison to express their agreement with Wankuro.
"Don't forget manly too!" said Eijirou while Tetsutetsu grinned at Izuku and gave him a thumbs up.
Sebas smiled and said, "A truly marvellous speech worthy of praise."
"It was indeed a most dazzling speech," agreed Yuuga.
"One that moves all but the most evil of hearts," said Fumikage.
"A speech that can reach even the deepest of shadows," added Shihai.
"Not that we can't come up with a speech that is just as good," argued Neito who was pouting at the fact that even he found Izuku's speech inspiring. Itsuka shook her head while sighing at Neito's attitude.
Izuku's blush deepened as he shyly mumbled, "I just said what felt right."
"Which makes it all the more meaningful and profound," said Satoru who was fairly familiar with making public speeches.
Toshinori nodded and said, "Anyone can learn how to say the 'correct words', Midoriya-shounen, but to say those words and truly mean it is a rare gift even among top-ranking pro-heroes."
"That said, being an inspiring figure also means that you will inevitably in the spotlight no matter where you go," said Shouta who the bitterly added, "Never mind the damn vultures who will do everything they can to bring you down regardless of who you really are and the good that you do."
"Is it really that bad?" asked Hitoshi who was admittedly still concerned about what the public would view him as once he became a pro-hero.
"That depends on a number of factors," said Sekijirou who then added, "Generally speaking, the more famous you are the higher the chances of being targeted by people who simply wish to ruin others better than themselves."
"Thankfully, their words tend to lose relevance to the greater public once proven false or inconsequential," said Higari.
"Even so, such people will always have their supporters and backers, including people from both 'high places' and 'low places'," said Shouta who then added, "Which is why having strong morals and proper convictions is such an important part of being a real pro-hero."
"For now though, let's enjoy a well-earned day of rest, good food and fun before we return to Japan!" said Toshinori as he presented an open area with barbecue stands, coolers filled with ice-chilled drinks, long tables, folding chairs and, of course, lots of food ready to be barbecued.
David smiled and said, "Don't worry about having enough food and drinks, everyone. The sponsors of I-Island are more than happy enough to make this barbecue an all-you-can-eat buffet to repay you all for your heroism."
"All right!" yelled Minoru, Denki, Hanta, Kousei, Eijirou, Tetsutetsu, Mina, Tooru, Setsuna, Wankuro and Nyujou.
Before long, Shouto helped to start the barbecue fires while the Pleiades Combat Maids helped to barbecue the skewered food. Sebas personally attended to Satoru, Coco and Momo who were happily spending time together as a family while Izuku, Ochako, Tsuyu, Himiko and Wankuro made sure that Eri, Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi were comfortable and happy.
Once the barbecued food was ready, everyone started to feast. The first ones to receive the skewered food were Eri, Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi whose eyes practically sparkled in delight as they ate their food. Soon, Izuku and his schoolmates, along with Melissa and her friends, ate their own barbecued food while the adults were the last to have their share of the meal.
Both Momo and Coco, who had large appetites due to their quirks, were eating enough food to feed people trice their sizes. While they ate, Coco noticed Kyouka's manner of dress and had to ask, "Are you related to Jirou Mika by any chance?"
Surprised, Kyouka asked, "Wait, you know my mom?"
Delighted by the response, Coco smiled and said, "Of course I do! We used to be classmates back in high school."
"Seriously!?" asked Kyouka who could not believe Coco's claims. Granted, Kyouka knew that Mika had attended a prestigious school that offered excellent music lessons before marrying Kyoutoku but the revelation was still shocking to her. Momo was similarly surprised by the revelation. Coco giggled happily before she explained how she met Mika and became close friends with her in spite of their clashing tastes in fashion and music.
Himiko, who was still drawn to red things, made sure to get a red bottle of soda after enjoying her barbecued meal. Although the soda tasted nothing like blood, and was certainly not as gratifying to consume, Himiko was content to enjoy her drink while spending time with people who did not judge her for having a literal thirst for blood. Besides, the hospital staff was kind enough to give her a blood bag for her to consume the day before.
Wankuro transformed into her wolf form after having her fill so that Eri, Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi could snuggle into her fur after Izuku, Tsuyu and Ochako had wiped their mouths clean. After the four children had eaten and settled down, the three of them finished their own meals at a comfortable pace. The children quickly fell asleep as they napped while lying against Wankuro's soft and warm fur like sleepy puppies. Wankuro, who was lying on soft grass with the four girls, did not mind being used as a living pillow as she allowed herself to drift off into dreamland.
Needless to say, many people took the opportunity to take pictures of the four napping children and Wankuro.
Rikidou volunteered to take over the cooking after having his fill so that the maids would be able to enjoy the food as well. The maids were happy to accept his generous offer as they knew that he was a skilled cook as well. Entoma's barbecued food was notably "rare" compared to the rest, just the way she liked it.
Nearly no one noticed that Katsuki was not present for the barbecue in spite of the fact that he had been informed about it by Tenya out of basic courtesy. Those few who noticed included the adults, Tenya, Izuku and Eijirou.
After enjoying a good barbecue lunch, Izuku decided to give the three young noumu-girls a short tour around I-Island. Eri, Ochako, Tsuyu, Wankuro, Himiko and Melissa were more than happy to go with him. Mei was eager to spend time with Melissa's three friends while the rest of Izuku's schoolmates decided to go their separate ways to enjoy themselves on I-Island. David, Satoru and Coco were needed to oversee the repairs and upgrades for the central tower while Shouta wanted to find Katsuki who had obviously refused to spend time with his own schoolmates. Higari and Sekijirou decided to take the opportunity to relax on the island while Inko opted to return to the hotel to rest and Toshinori volunteered to escort her to her hotel room.
--A short while later…--
Katsuki, who had refused to attend the barbecue, sulked as he waited for his order of extra-spicy spaghetti at a cafe. Logically speaking, he knew that he could not have done anything as he was not invited into the reception party that night and thus did not know anything about the villains taking over the tower. Moreover, it was Katsuki himself who had rejected the offer to attend the pre-opening of the I-Expo, and the reception party by extension, with his schoolmates and teachers because he did not want to receive any "pity-gifts" from anyone after nearly failing the practical portion of his end-term exams.
Even so, Katsuki still felt angry as he felt cheated of his chance to prove that he was the best and be acknowledged for it. The fact that Izuku had received praise for getting everyone to act together only made Katsuki more frustrated. The ash-blond boy could not even claim that Izuku was undeserving of the praise because the latter had made it clear that he would not have been able to save the day without everyone else's help. At best, making such a claim would make Katsuki appear like an idiotic "Master of The Obvious".
Noticing that his order had arrived, as well as completely ignoring the intimidated waitress, Katsuki ate his spaghetti with the hope that the spicy flavour would make him forget about his anger and frustration. As he ate the spaghetti in sulky silence, he failed to notice Shouta approaching him until the man spoke, "I see that you're not planning to do anything together with the others today, Bakugou."
Shocked by the sudden statement, Katsuki nearly chocked on his spaghetti before he turned around and angrily yelled, "You almost made me fucking choke!"
"Then it's a good thing that knowing the 'Heimlich Manoeuvre' and 'CPR' are basic necessities in heroics training," said Shouta who had a deadpan expression on his face as he took a seat opposite Katsuki.
Well aware that he could not tell his own teacher to "piss off", Katsuki glared at Shouta for a moment before he bitterly growled, "So what if I'm not planning to do anything with anyone today? It's not like those extras don't already have their time taken up by Deku and those noumus."
Shouta raised an eyebrow for a brief moment before his face returned to its neutral expression while he asked Katsuki, "Are you… feeling left out by any chance?"
Angered by the question, which hit closer to home that he wanted to admit, Katsuki stood up and slammed his hands onto the table while he yelled, "Who the fuck is feeling left out by extras who want to waste their time with pointless shit?!" Understandably, many people around Katsuki and Shouta were shocked by the blond boy's sudden angry outburst.
Used to Katsuki's volatile attitude, Shouta was not intimidated by it as he simply replied, "I may not be your counsellor but I am your home room teacher." He then asked, "If you are unhappy being by yourself, why didn't you consider joining the others? You have at least Iida's phone number after all."
Katsuki was silent for a few minutes before he sat down and asked, "What's the point of meeting them if all they care about are Deku and the noumus?"
"So you're basically saying that you're jealous of Midoriya having friends that care for him and the people he cares about," said Shouta.
Although Katsuki was sorely tempted to deny the claim, he knew that doing so would only convince Shouta that he was right. As such, he simply stayed quiet and growled in displeasure.
Shota sighed and said, "Bakugou, I know that we have said this before but you need to understand that being a hero is more than just fighting and defeating villains. It also involves helping people, inspiring them to be better and giving them hope for a better future. You may think that helping those young noumu-girls and giving inspirational speeches are a waste of time but, honestly speaking, they're anything but."
Katsuki clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he recalled not only Izuku's speech earlier that day but also his speech during the sports festival. As Much as Katsuki hated to admit it, Izuku was undeniably good at inspiring people. That was not even counting Izuku's willingness to help others including the noumu-girls, the children whom he had advised and encouraged a few days ago and even a few villains. Even worse, Izuku was clearly no slouch in fighting either due to his quirks which Katsuki suspected must have been given to him somehow.
Unable to hold back his thoughts about Izukus quirks any longer, Katsuki decided to take a risk and said, "Let's go elsewhere to continue."
Having no reason to do otherwise, Shouta followed Katsuki to a more isolated part of the island after making sure that the blond boy had paid for his half-eaten spaghetti. Once Katsuki was sure that they were alone, he asked Shouta, "If I were to tell you that I suspect that something isn't right about Deku, would you believe me?"
"How so?" asked Shouta.
"Like the fact that his quirk somehow keeps on getting new abilities which doesn't make any fucking sense," replied Katsuki who then added, "I've known him for fucking years and I know for a fact that he's supposed to be… quirkless." Katsuki was tempted to call Izuku a "useless nobody without a quirk" but he knew better than to say it out loud.
Shouta hummed thoughtfully and said, "Honestly, you're not the only one who has noticed that oddity." Surprised, Katsuki stared at Shouta as he explained, "I, along with a few other teachers and staff members from U.A. High School, were suspicious about Izuku's ability to somehow float in the air during the sports festival. After all, there is the League of Villains who has been turning girls into noumus. Then, there is the whole healing ability after Midoriya's internship, never mind the recent mind-reading ability which he claimed might be an evolution of his healing ability."
"Then why didn't any of you do jack-shit about it?!" demanded Katsuki.
"We did, more of less," answered Shouta who then added, "Long story short, we told Nedzu about it and he assured us that he and All Might already knew about Midoriya's unusual quirk and that he had no ties with any villains other than the nomu-girls whom he had rescued. Nedzu was even willing to invite a detective with a lie-detecting quirk to help allay our fears and suspicions concerning Midoriya's quirk."
Katsuki's eyes were as wide as saucers as he asked, "Are you telling me that All Might and Nedzu-sensei already know the truth?"
"Essentially, yes," confirmed Shouta who then added, "Say what you will about Midoriya's quirk but the words of not only the headmaster of U.A. High School but also the No.1 pro-hero in all of Japan carry a lot of weight. Also, the school's security measures got a significant upgrade after the villain attack at the USJ, never mind the fact that Midoriya is rarely by himself as you must have noticed by now."
Although Katsuki hated to admit it, he knew that Shouta was correct about Izuku being hardly by himself and that Nedzu and All Might held a lot of sway in U.A. High School. That said, he had to ask, "Did Nedzu-sensei mention anything about Deku's quirk?"
"Other than assuring us that we can trust the 'official statements' for the moment, no," replied Shouta who then added, "Normally, I wouldn't speak of this matter to you, Bakugou. However, considering the fact that you already have similar suspicions about Midoriya's quirk, letting you know it so that you won't do anything foolish later is a rational decision. I will have to let Nedzu know about this conversation although I have a feeling that he has already anticipated this possibility." His eyes narrowed as he added, "I expect you to not go about spreading this information to anyone."
"Understood," said Katsuki whose mind was filled with questions about Izuku's possible ties with Nedzu and, more importantly, All Might.
Shouta knew that Katsuki was in deep though so he was willing to leave him be after asking one last question, "What is it about Midoriya that make you hate him so much, Bakugou?"
"What's not to hate about him?" asked Katsuki who then said, "He was an annoying piece of shit who wanted to be a hero in one form or another in spite of not even having a piss-weak quirk. Then, out of fucking nowhere, he gets himself a quirk that makes him strong enough to not only enter the hero-course but also fight actual villains. How about the fact that he's basically gotten everyone eating out of the palm of his hand while making sure that everyone knows that he and I have been fucking enemies for years?"
"In other words, you hate and possibly fear him because the person who was supposed to be utterly inferior to you has become a very real threat to your personal aspirations to be the best as a pro-hero," said Shouta.
Angered by Shouta's accurate deduction, Katsuki growled, "Why the fuck should I be scared of that worthless Deku?!" The blond boy then stomped off without saying another word to be alone. Shouta sighed as he hoped that Katsuki would get over his obvious issues with Izuku.
--Meanwhile, with Izuku…--
Eri, Kumoko, Ouka, Aoi and Wankuro were happily hugging a robot which resembled a chubby snowman with legs. Known as a Baymax robot, it was created in San Francisco and had recently started production as an experimental personal healthcare companion robot. The white robot with an inflatable balloon-like body was gently petting the younger girls who enjoyed its softness. Izuku smiled at the sight and wondered aloud, "Do you think Nedzu-sensei will consider buying at least a few of these robots?"
"It will be pretty nice if that's the case, kero," said Tsuyu who could not help but compare the robot to an inflatable bed with legs and arms.
Melissa giggled and said, "It's certainly a hit with the children." Indeed, the robot was very popular with children who wanted to hug it.
Himiko tilted her head as she could not help but wonder, "Pop if poke?"
"I'm pretty sure that the robot is more durable than a typical balloon," said Ochako who hoped that Himiko was not seriously considering poking a hole into the robot.
"Okay, everyone. It's time to let the other children have their turns!" said Izuku while clapping his hands to get Wankuro, Eri, Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi's attention. He was not prepared for a literal barrage of five pairs of imploring "puppy eyes" as the five girls wanted to continue hugging the robot. Feeling his heart clench and his willpower wavering, Izuku turned his attention towards Tsuyu, Ochako and Melissa for help.
Thankfully, Tsuyu knew what to do and said, "If you let go of the robot, we'll get you five some tasty treats, kero."
Eri's eyes sparkled as she excitedly exclaimed, "Apple pies!"
"Cake!" exclaimed Wankuro who was similarly excited.
Excited for more treats, the five girls obediently let go of the robot and followed Melissa's lead to a cafe which sold delicious cakes, cookies and pastries. Needless to say, Eri, Wankuro and the young noumu-girls loved the sweet treats.
--Elsewhere, with Eijirou…--
Eijirou, along with Tetsutetsu, Mina, Nyujou and Itsuka, were checking out some displays of "next-generation vehicles". Itsuka was especially interested in new motorcycle designs, including the ones based on an old pre-quirk movie called 'Tron'.
Nyujou, who simply wanted to hang out with Eijirou and Mina, noticed something odd and asked, "What's that?"
Looking what Nyujou was pointing at, Eijirou blinked and asked, "Is that… a car with arms and legs instead of wheels?"
Itsuka rubbed her chin as she read the description, "It's apparently a new vehicle design concept which focuses on modular customisation. The standard wheels of the vehicle can be quickly switched for hover pads, robotic limbs and even jet boosters."
Mina raised an eyebrow and asked, "Not that it isn't a cool concept but how exactly does one get access to the parts and get them fixed on?"
"I'm more worried about the fact that you can't use it at all while the parts get switched," said Tetsutetsu.
"Apparently, they're planning to improve on the system so that the customisable parts can switch between at least two modes to address the issue," said Itsuka.
Nyujou frowned and said, "Still looks weird."
"That's something we can all agree on," said Itsuka while Mina, Tetsutetsu and Eijirou nodded in agreement with her.
--Meanwhile, with Minoru and Ningyou…--
Had Minoru never met Ningyou, he would have probably spent his free time on I-Island ogling at every pretty lady whom he saw passing by, especially ladies in skimpy or sexy clothes. However, after meeting Ningou and swearing to be a better hero, he found himself surprisingly content to spend time with the said noumu-girl. He was drinking some water when Ningyou asked, "Do you think this can be considered as a date, Minoru-kun?"
Not expecting such a question, Minoru did a comical spit-take before he stuttered, "A d-d-date?!"
Ningyou tilted her head and said, "Isn't it? We've spending time together alone without the others after all."
Minoru blushed as he realised that Ningyou wasn't necessarily wrong about her assumption. After all, he actually enjoyed her company in spite of the fact that she was a quiet modest girl unlike the ladies whom he used to obsess over such as Nemuri (a.k.a. Midnight) and Yuu (a.k.a. Mount Lady). He scratched his cheek sheepishly and said, "I… didn't even realise that this could be seen as a date."
"Are you… opposed to it?" asked Ningyou who frowned ever so slightly due to feeling worried.
Minoru shook his head and said honestly, "Of course not. You're someone important to me."
Ningyou blushed slightly before she asked, "Do you have anywhere to go to in mind?"
"Well, there are the rides which we haven't tried yet," replied Minoru who then blushed while asking Ningyou, "Do you want to try them out together?"
Ningyou smiled as she nodded and replied, "I'd love to, Minoru-kun."
--Elsewhere, with Shouto and Momo…--
Shouto, who had never cared about romance before attending U.A. High School, blushed as he asked Momo, "So… your parents are not against us being together?"
Momo, who was equally bashful, nodded and replied, "My father was admittedly concerned due to his… less than amicable opinions about your father but he's willing to give you a chance after learning that you're not like that man."
Feeling curious, Shouto asked, "Is there any particular reason why he does not like my father?"
Momo sighed and replied, "Let's just say that he has his suspicions about what Endeavour has done to his own family and leave it at that."
Shouto, who did not like talking about his painful family history, nodded and said, "Duly noted." Wanting to focus on less upsetting matters, Shouto asked, "Anyway, is there any place you'd like to visit or revisit?"
"Well, I would like to visit the pavilion again," answered Momo who then sheepishly explained, "As much as I enjoyed spending time with everyone, I didn't have a chance to actually learn much about the inventions there."
Shouto smiled as he spoke, "Considering how big our group was, I can understand why." He then offered his hand to her and asked, "Shall we?"
Momo nodded with a smile as she accepted his hand.
As Shouto and Momo left to visit the pavilion while holding hands, a suspicious-looking middle-aged man spoke to someone through his hidden communicator, "Momo-sama and Todoroki-san have left to visit the pavilion."
"Understood, please continue your surveillance, Narberal," replied Satoru who was currently experiencing his "overprotective father state". Although not a particularly extreme case, Satoru still wanted to make sure that Shouto did not do anything that would harm Momo.
Narberal, who had assumed a form that would allow her to follow Momo and Shouto unnoticed, nodded and replied, "Understood, Yaoyorozu-sama. I will let you know if anything happens."
[Spoiler Alert!: Nothing bad happened between Momo and Shouto that day.
--At the central tower…--
David sighed as he saw the still-present damage to the shutters and security robots in the central tower. Although he knew that Samuel had suggested stealing the Quirk Amplification Device, a suggestion which he had ultimately rejected, he had never expected his own assistant to actually attempt stealing it with the help of actual villains.
Noticing David's melancholy, Satoru said, "This isn't your fault, Shield-san. You couldn't have known that Abraham-san would actually go through with the plan to steal the device without your cooperation."
"It doesn't change the fact that I should have noticed something wasn't right about Samuel ever since I rejected his suggestion," argued David.
"Perhaps, but it was his decision to carry on with the plan in spite of your disapproval so you shouldn't blame yourself for what he chose to do," said Satoru.
David chuckled bitterly as he replied, "All Might and Melissa said the exact same thing."
"Then you should listen to them at the very least," said Satoru. After a minute of unspoken silence, Satoru asked, "Are you certain that you want the Quirk Amplification Device dismantled and its data locked away?"
David nodded and said, "The reason why the attack happened in the first place is because of the possibility the device can be used to make a villain even more powerful. At the very least, the majority of the dismantled parts can be used as materials for my current research to create a Quirk Control Device."
Realising that David had made his decision, Satoru said, "Very well. I will respect and support your decision, Shield-san." The two men then returned to overseeing the restoration of the central tower in solemn silence.
--Back to Katsuki…--
Given the recent revelation that Nedzu and All Might were apparently aware of Izuku's quirks, which Katsuki was increasingly certain were all artificially implanted not unlike the excess quirks of the noumus, Katsuki could not help but wonder why they would actually support him. As Katsuki tried to find an answer while lying on his bed in his hotel room, he could not help but recall a certain incident from his time in Aldera Junior High…
--A summary of the past…--
Ever since Izuku stopped admiring and following Kastuki, he would ignore his former childhood friend whenever he was able too. Izuku's attempts to ignore Katsuki angered the blond boy but, when asked why he was angry that Izuku had finally started ignoring him after trying so hard to drive him away, he was unable to think of any real answers. Unable to accept the possibility that even a small part of him wanted Izuku to continue being his friend, Katsuki opted to ignore Izuku as well unless the quirkless boy had angered him.
Considering Katsuki's temper, as well as the fact that he was easily angered by Izuku's determination to somehow be a hero of some sort in spite of being quirkless, increasingly aggressive verbal conflicts were not uncommon between the two former childhood friends.
In primary school, some of the teachers and students were willing to respect Izuku's desire to become someone who could somehow help others in spite of being quirkless as they knew about Wankuro who was arguably Izuku's only real friend. They were therefore willing to intervene to prevent the two boys from physically fighting each other at the very least. As for those who did not care about the "quirkless runt", they did not want to risk another police investigation after the "Wankuro Incident" so they were forced to do the same.
However, the situation was different at Aldera Junior High as the students and even some of the teachers tried to pick on Izuku at first. Despite their attempts, most of them eventually gave up as they realised that Izuku already knew that his chances of becoming a pro-hero was low due to being quirkless but was determined to become someone who would be able to help and even save other people regardless. Some of the people who gave up picking on Izuku were willing to admit that Izuku's determination was deserving of some level of respect regardless of the fact that he was quirkless. Not everyone shared their opinion though as Izuku's determination infuriated and even intimidated some of the bullies to the point that they actually doubled down on their efforts to make him give up trying to be a pro-hero, or a person of any real value for that matter. The attempts to make Izuku give up got so bad that one gang of bullies actually beat him up badly enough that he had to be sent to a hospital for a week at the end of his first year at Aldera Junior High.
Katsuki was not a member of the gang responsible for hurting Izuku which was the main reason why he was not immediately blacklisted from every school with a hero course when the police finally got involved.
As it turned out, Izuku had close ties to a certain detective known as Detective Hajime Kendaichi. A man with brown eyes, thick eyebrows and dark-brown hair tied into a ponytail Kendaichi was a lazy yet intelligent detective with a quirk called [Psychometry] which allowed him to look into visions of the past by touching an object or a person. He was also the detective responsible for investigating Wankuro's disappearance and he liked Izuku enough to launch a full-on police investigation on Aldera Junior High on the day after Izuku was hospitalised after getting beaten up by the gang of bullies. The man left no stone unturned as he used his quirk to acquire every last dirty secret that he could get about the teachers and students.
The thorough investigation and resulting criminal charges were so severe that the school was almost completely shut down due to losing more than a quarter of its staff members, including the principle himself, who either had their teaching licenses revoked or were sent straight to prison with little to no hope for parole. In fact, some of the teachers were actually sympathisers of the Meta Liberation Army, an organised group of villains who believed that everyone should be allowed to use their quirks as they wished which, in their case, included "putting the worthless ones back into their 'rightful' places". The students were not spared either as nearly half of them had their misdeeds recorded into their permanent records and many of them either had to take counselling to have even a chance of applying for the schools that they wanted to enrol into or were outright blacklisted. As for the gang of bullies responsible for hurting Izuku badly enough to be hospitalised, they were sent straight to juvenile prison. Even students with ties to the supporters of Aldera Junior High were unable to avoid punishment. Needless to say, the investigation was a huge scandal which forced the education ministry to take greater actions to stop discrimination towards those who lacked "desirable quirks".
Katsuki thought that Izuku would decide to give up becoming a pro-hero after getting hospitalised for a week. Instead, Izuku's desire to be a pro-hero only grew stronger which made the blond boy even angrier. After the two boys had fought, they both had to be sent for counselling and were put into separate classes for the rest of their junior high school days.
The rest, as they say, was history.
--Back to the present…--
Katsuki's frown deepened as he thought, "There's no way Deku got his quirks from a villain, at least not willingly. Otherwise neither Nedzu-sensei nor All Might would bother to protect him from the other pro-heroes. That leaves the following options: a former member or associate of the League of Villains or a similar group of villains who decided to stop being a villain, an unknown third party that dealt with quirk research not unlike the scientists who held Nedzu-sensei prisoner as a test subject before he became the principal of U.A. High School and, lastly, someone who's affiliated with pro-heroes or the police force." He gritted his teeth as he wondered, "None of which explain why the fuck they would choose a quirkless waste of space like Deku when they could have chosen just about ANYONE else to receive those damned quirks." He pointedly ignored the idea that Izuku might have been chosen for his kind personality and heroic determination as he growled, "I'll get to the bottom of this even if it's the last thing I do!"
--Meanwhile, in a separate hotel…--
Inko sighed as she allowed herself to relax while embraced by Toshinori who was currently in his true form. Although everything had worked out in the end, there was no denying that the past few days had been rather stressful.
Toshinori, who was thankfully able to think of a plausible excuse for spending some time alone with Inko in her hotel room without rousing any suspicions from outsiders, asked, "Are you all right, Inko?"
The woman nodded and said, "Just a little tired, Toshi. The past few days had been a lot more… exhausting than expected."
Amused by the statement, Toshinori chuckled and said, "That's an understatement." He then cheekily asked, "So, should we even try making a conversation about you adopting the three noumu-girls or should we just let ourselves relax for the next twenty minutes without even saying a word?"
"Considering that the discussion was just an excuse to begin with, let's just relax until time is up," said Inko.
"I can agree to that," said Toshinori before allowing himself to drift to sleep with Inko in his arms.
Just because Toshinori and Inko were already lovers did not mean that they could not wait for their chance to do "adult stuff" until later. Besides, Izuku and his fellow schoolmates from the hero course would be attending summer camp before long which would give them plenty of opportunities to get "very intimate".
Less than twenty minutes later, Toshinori resisted the urge to throw his ringing phone to the stratosphere, literally.
--Later that evening…--
Izuku, Ochako, Tsuyu, Melissa, Wankuro, Himiko, Eri, Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi, were making their way back to the hotel which nearly everyone from U.A. High School was staying in. Well aware that Izuku could have to return to Japan eventually, Melissa asked, "Dekiru, can I have a moment with you?"
Seeing no reason do deny Melissa's request, Izuku nodded and replied, "Sure." He then turned his attention towards the other girls and said, "Go ahead without me. I'll catch up."
Although Ochako, Tsuyu and Himiko were suspicious of Melissa's intentions, they knew that she should be given a chance to express her feelings towards Izuku at the very least. As such, they did not object as they took Wankuro, Eri, Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi into the hotel.
After the other girls had left, Melissa beckoned Izuku to follow her to a quieter part of the island. Once there, she shyly asked him, "Dekiru… are you together with anyone at the moment?" In truth, she already suspected that Izuku was together with at least a few girls but she wanted to be certain.
Izuku blushed as he replied, "You can say that." He then asked, "Are you… considering having a relationship with me?"
"I have thought about it but I can't exactly ignore the fact that I'm not allowed to leave I-Island yet," replied Melissa who smiled sadly as she added, "And I can't every well make you stay here either."
As Izuku felt indebted to Melissa, who was also someone he could admire and trust, Izuku scratched the back of his head as he sheepishly suggested,"Well… we can try being 'long-distance friends' first, if you want to of course."
Amused and touched by Izuku's attempt to make her feel better, Melissa smiled at him and said, "I'd love to try that." She then approached him and bent down as she gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek before she turned around to leave.
Stunned by the soft kiss, Izuku stared at Melissa as she grinned at him and said, "See you tomorrow, Dekiru!"
Izuku blushed as he rubbed his cheek and thought about how he had received, as well as given, similar kisses to Ochako, Tsuyu, Himiko, Wankuro and even Rumi. Although they had yet to kiss on the lips, there were plenty of kisses on foreheads, cheeks and noses. His blush deepened as he wondered if Ochako, Tsuyu, Himiko and Wankuro already knew about Melissa's attraction towards him.
--A short while later…--
Izuku returned to the hotel room which he was staying with Inko, Eri and Wankuro. Since Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi wanted to stay with him, they were also staying in the room. Understandably, the room was a bit cramped but the hotel staff were happy to assist by providing extra bedding for the young noumu-girls.
Unlike Himiko, Nyujou and Ningyou, it was easier for people to accept Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi as innocent victims as they were not only younger but also caused less collateral damage while under the control of villains. That said, Himiko's actions during the villains' takeover of the central tower made it easier for people to realise that she was a victim as well in spite of her past villainous actions.
Izuku smiled as Eri, who had gotten along well with Kumoko, Ouka and Aoi, were sleeping soundly together with peaceful expressions on their faces. Both Inko and Wankuro wore similarly happy expressions and they watched the adorable young girls sleep soundly before going to sleep themselves.
--The following day…--
It was time for everyone from U.A. High School, including a decidedly bitter Katsuki, to return back to Japan so that they would not miss their summer camp. Melissa, Houka, Leeron, Constanze and David saw them off at the airport, promising to invite them to I-Island again. Remembering his offer to be Melissa's friend, Izuku smiled at her and said, "I'll give you a message as soon as I reach back to the dorms."
Melissa smiled in return and replied, "Don't keep me waiting too long, Dekiru." The exchange between the two did not go unnoticed by everyone around them.
Houka smiled as he adjusted his spectacles and said, "Don't forget to send all information about the Full Gauntlet to us. It's still an experimental prototype which will need every bit of information it can get to be improved further." Constanze nodded to affirm Houka's request.
Mei gave Houka and Constanze a thumbs up and said, "Don't you worry, I'll make sure to keep you guys updated in case he forgets!"
"Do be careful about any lady whom you meet on the street, Midoriya-kun," said Leeron who then winked at him and added flirtatiously, "I can still remember the wonderful feeling of being held in your strong yet gentle arms that night and I'm quite certain that even pro-heroines would love to be held in them."
Izuku blushed and felt a chill crawl up his spine at the same time as he knew that Rumi would certainly agree with Leeron's statement. He nodded and said, "I-I'll keep that in mind, Littner-san!"
"My, there's no need to be so formal with me, Midoriya-kun," said Leeron who was clearly enjoying teasing him.
Izuku, along with every nearby boy, retreated away from Leeron in a comically exaggerated manner. Eri, Kumoko, Ouka, Aoi and Wankuro tilted their heads in innocent confusion while David smiled at the group and said, "If any of you need help with your support items or extra assistance for the support courses through online video lessons we'll be more than happy to give you our aid."
Higari grinned as he shook David's hand and said, "I'm sure that my students will be more than happy to learn from you, Shield-san, especially the resident gremlin who's with us right now."
"Of course I'll be happy!" confirmed Mei who did not even bother to pay attention to the fact that she was being compared to a gremlin.
"Keep us updated with the noumu-girls too," said Melissa who then added, "We'll do what we can to help you rehabilitate them."
Shouta nodded and said, "We'll keep you all updated on their progress and the support items that they would need."
Before long, it was time for the students of U.A. High School and their teachers to leave I-Island by aeroplane. Although Ochako, Himiko and Tsuyu wanted to enjoy being with Izuku on the ride back to Japan, they understood his desire to keep an eye on the three young noumu-girls who would be riding in a private jet with him, Toshinori, Wankuro, Eri and Inko. As for Katsuki, he was going to ride on a separate aeroplane due to picking a different flight to I-Island. The blond boy's pride made him angrily reject Eijirou's offer to let him join the same flight as the rest of the students from Class 1A due to feeling bad for leaving him out during everyone's time on I-Island. Although many people felt that Katsuki was being a bitter and jealous jerk, Izuku, Eijirou and the teachers from U.A. High School could tell that Katsuki was actually hurt by the feeling of exclusion from his own peers. However, they also knew that there was little that could be done about Katsuki's situation unless he was willing to accept help from others, a notion which the blond boy was clearly still rejecting.
Eventually, the aeroplanes left I-Island. Melissa felt her heart ache a little as she was sad to see everyone, especially Izuku, leave. David, who was aware of his daughter's clear desire to be Izuku's friend if not more, smiled as he could already see the parallels between her and Izuku with himself and Toshinori. Although the future was still uncertain and filled with terrible possibilities, David help genuine hope for the future as he knew that the future could be entrusted to the next generation of heroes and the people who supported them.
--End Chapter--
Author's Notes:
This chapter concludes the I-Island arc of the story. I will do one more chapter to cover the young noumu-girls' transition to the dorms, plus a few more details, before continuing my writing for 'Izuku's Harem Academia' and 'Izuku's Noumu life'. The next arc of this story will cover both the summer camp and Kamino so look forward to an extra-long series of updates once I continue with this one.
This chapter also reveals a bit more about Izuku's past history with Katsuki. Hopefully, it meshes well with what has been revealed in previous chapters and does not come off as a possible retcon of some sort.
Speaking of revelations of the past:
Detective Hajime Kendaichi - A man with brown eyes, thick eyebrows and dark-brown hair tied into a ponytail. He is a lazy yet intelligent detective with a quirk called [Psychometry] which allows him to look into visions of the past by touching an object or a person. Kindaichi was the detective responsible for investigating Wankuro's disappearance and he liked Izuku enough to launch a full-on police investigation on Aldera Junior High on the day after Izuku was hospitalised after getting beaten up by a gang of bullies. (Originally a slacker, Kindaichi became a detective to honour the passing of his friend, Saki Ryuuta, a quirkless person who was killed after recording a vital piece of evidence in a murder case.) (Currently married to Nanase Miyuki who used to be his best friend.) (Is currently busy investigating the possible return of the Meta Liberation Army.) (Is basically Hajime Kindaichi from 'The Kindaichi Case Files' with the psychometry of Asuma Eiji from 'Psychometer Eiji'.)
Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!