"Look at you. You're moping. We're crossing the ocean at speeds greater than a Shinkansen, on technology that makes I-Island jealous, and you're moping." Léa remarked, downcast eyes turning up as she jumped into the seat opposite Izuku. Oh, how he envied the endless vigour abound within her. Ever since the journey had begun, Léa had been practically dancing between the carriages on all kinds of errands. Compared to that, it was only natural that Izuku's silence came across as a concern. "Was it the bento? They were kind of a last-minute choice. Would've gone western usually, but I heard having them on trains was a thing in Japan. Give you one last slice of home, you know?"

"No, no, it was great!" Divine, actually. While he was no gourmet, Izuku liked to believe he was pretty experienced when it came to Ekiben, a remnant of the time spent with his father. After all, with so many train rides across the country to keep up his work, there had been plenty of opportunities for the two to bond over one before he left the country. Consequently, Izuku felt secure in stating that Léa's bento was perhaps one of the greatest he had experienced. Maybe the best if his mother wasn't in the next carriage over. "Everything's just… a little overwhelming right now."

"Fair enough. Probably should've given you a warning beforehand." Léa easily admitted.

What else was she to do? No matter how zany the quirks people demonstrated became, watching a pair of trains no greater than a toy become giant was still a sight beyond imagination. To know that they also functioned as a gun and a transformation item? It was a miracle that Izuku was taking it as calmly as he was. A more inquisitive mind would've imploded trying to make sense of the whole situation.

"Still, I'd get used to it. You'll be getting real intimate with this sort of thing in my unit. Might as well get the shock out of your system now." Continued Léa, facing the expanses flashing by outside the window with a smile. "All goes well, you'll be working with it for the rest of your active career."

"The rest of my career…" Truthfully, the concept had yet to settle in Izuku's mind. With all his efforts funnelled into getting into a decent hero academy, little thought had been put into what futures outside the field would look like. Sure, he had the local patrols to draw on, but something told him that they'd provide woefully little preparation for what he'd experience under Léa's care. "Right, right, of course."

"Hey, look at it this way. You already have more experience with VS Vehicles than your teammates." Met with such a flippant response, a pout formed on Léa's face as she poked Izuku's cheek. A childish act to be sure, but Izuku was caught too off-guard to particularly comment on it. "Won't be much of an advantage, but you'll get to laugh at their surprise."

"Teammates?"

"Course. What, did you think you were going at it alone?" the question was punctuated by a chuckle, but that didn't last long when Léa's eyes met Izuku. Catching his rather futile attempt to squash the guilt in his gaze, any amusement Léa felt melted away in a breath. "It's a dangerous world out there Izuku. Always good to have someone on your back. Criminals don't play nice, after all."

"Never thought otherwise! R-really." Izuku was quick to assuage, though the narrowed glare that Léa gave him spoke of how effective that was. "I mean, I saw the police patrols throughout Musutafu. Kind of hard not to when you're watching the pro heroes do their thing. Besides…"

"Remember how defenceless you are." Katsuki's words came as a snarled whisper, yet they might as well have been blades to Izuku's ears. "Remember how useless you would've been if we were villains. Anyone you were trying to save would be dead. You would be dead. A weakling like you won't even cut it in the police force, so quit while you're ahead. Let's go."

"What a freaking joke! You think running will change anything? Anything, Deku?"

"…I know my weakness full well. If I can't put faith in my own abilities, there's no way I'd expect anyone else to." A self-deprecating smile made its way onto Izuku's face, a stark contrast to the frown firmly planted upon Léa's.

"Smart thinking." Was Léa's reply, punctuated by an offhand wave. "Well, a little faith in yourself wouldn't hurt, but the idea's there. Too much confidence's a recipe for disaster. Anything else you wanna say?"

"Excuse me?"

Instead of an answer, a sharp whistle followed Izuku's question, the shock nearly forcing the boy out of his seat. Faced with such a reaction, Léa could only show a sheepish grin. Even so, it went barely noticed by Izuku, his attention far too preoccupied with the trolley that came rolling into their carriage. After all, when a perfectly normal cart somehow had the ability to move on its own, it was only natural for others to marvel. So focused on trying to decipher how such a feat was possible, Izuku almost missed Léa dropping one of the cups it brought onto the table before him.

"Sorry 'bout that. Too used to doing that, kinda forgot that other people won't expect it. Then again, I don't really have other people on the X-trains most of the time." Léa said, holding up her cup before taking a deep draw from the cloudy solution within. "Citron Presse. Drink as much as you like. Hopefully, once you get some down you, you'll feel a little more willing to talk."

"I didn't realise I had more to say..." was the dry reply that passed Izuku's lips, his hand lying hesitant on the offered cup. Nothing about it seemed particularly offensive, but Izuku's mother always did prefer traditional flavours. Beyond the occasional burger or whatnot, his experience with the greater gourmet world was limited.

"What, no comments about your nerves?" Clearly not, if the confusion displayed on Izuku meant anything. Such was why Léa gave a slight shrug before emptying the rest of her drink down her throat. "No point hiding it, even from yourself. The moment I bring up teammates, your face practically screams disbelief and guilt. Now, I can understand the disbelief – never told you about them - but guilt? That shouldn't be there. Shame, maybe, but not guilt. After all, shame comes from being indecorous with yourself. Guilt comes from being indecorous to others."

Admittedly, Léa couldn't help but feel a little bad at the way Izuku tried to school his features once more. It wasn't as if the kid was particularly unskilled, after all. Pluck a random person off the street and they'd probably fall for it. Years of training, however, were more than enough to render that natural talent invalid. Even so, Lea didn't hesitate to continue speaking, regardless of the emotion in Izuku's expression. To do so would be an injustice, however painful the alternative may seem, and she was in the wrong profession to be carrying out injustices.

"…Still no clue? Let me take a swing, then. 'Cause I'm guessing you didn't have any faith in the idea of teammates, even if you haven't met them yet." She said, gradually reduced to a whisper as she leant closer and closer. It would've been uncomfortable, were Izuku not so enraptured by her words. "See, people like you? People who've spent all their lives being talked down to? They're not exactly quick to trust others. As soon as you hear teammates, you don't think of people who are meant to support you. You think of people who are going to see you're quirkless and give up. People you can fail, or who will automatically fail you – and it burns because you know you don't have the right to judge complete strangers, from an entirely different culture and met under entirely different circumstances. Am I on the right track?"

Probably. Did Izuku have the guts to admit as much though? Not quite yet. Thus, his answer came in the form of him grabbing his cup and finally partaking of the Citron Presse, the entire thing going down until not a single drop remained. While it may not have been the alcohol Izuku had first been expecting at Léa's remark, placebo was a powerful thing.

"…Let's go with yes." He eventually managed to utter, a weak arm wiping away the leftovers from his lips. "It just… it's one thing to have Katsuki and the others have no faith in me, but the teachers as well? The parents? They can't all be wrong. You don't even have to think hard about it; the moment I no longer have the gun, I'm defenceless. Others would at least have something to back others up with, but I'm done for. Is it rude? Yeah, absolutely. Is it unreasonable? Doesn't feel like it."

"But that's the thing. Izuku, at one point we thought the entire universe revolved around our planet. It's not about what the majority think, or what you assume. It's about what the evidence presents. You need to think like a policeman." Léa urged, moving their cups back to the cart. "And that's why it's okay to be hesitant about strangers becoming your teammates, that's not what I have issues with. It's the fact you've let the crowd convince you when you have the chance to verify the truth right at your fingertips. Followed their logic without question when you know they've been biased against you from the very start. Look, I'm not going to tell you how to feel when you meet the others – that's not my job. What I can do is tell you this: view the evidence first, then come to a decision. Think like a policeman."

"Like a policeman…"

There was a logic to it that Izuku couldn't ignore. After all, Katsuki and everyone else had said it would be impossible for him to save someone, yet he had gone and saved the entire school. Certainly, he may have had some help from some heavy machinery, but it was still operated by his hand. He had proven their assumptions wrong, so who was he to say that he couldn't do the same to his own?

"Alright, does that mean it's time to make my big debut?" an energetic voice cried out, seemingly from thin air. From the shape of Léa's mouth, the answer was an emphatic no, but that didn't stop an orange missile from shooting out from beneath the table with vicious glee. "Finally! I was wondering when all the sappy stuff was going to be over!"

"What the-? For goodness – Goodie, didn't we have a plan for this?"

"Yeah! You would whistle and I would introduce myself over drinks. Not my fault you ended up screwing with the timing!" was the boisterous reply, what could only be described as a cross between a jet, a crocodile, and a truck bopping itself against Léa's shoulder.

How it had the dexterity to avoid the resulting annoyed swat, Izuku couldn't quite tell. The machine's construction – what with the engines all being focused on the rear end – shouldn't have allowed for stationary flight at all, let alone such nuanced manoeuvres. As Izuku was slowly realising though, that confusion was far from an uncommon sensation. Much of what Léa had at hand made little sense. That Izuku settled for an awkward scratching of his chin was already a sign of his growing acceptance.

"Damn it… Izuku, meet Goodstriker – Goodie. I was hoping to introduce you once you've met everyone else – give you a little more context behind him – but it looks like the cat's out of the bag." Léa sighed, throwing her head into her hands. Her displeasure, however, clearly did not affect the machine, Goodstriker flying about with all the exuberance of a sugar overdose. "He'll be… well, it's kind of complicated. Maybe it's best if you think of him as one of your new teammates as well."

"Oh. I see." Izuku really didn't, but given how sentient Goodstriker appeared to be, admitting as such was far from what his confidence would allow. That was fine though – he'd just have to treat Goodstriker like a person with a high-grade mutant quirk. At least it was somewhat easier to stomach than the idea of some hyper-intelligent AI breaking the laws of physics. "Pleasure to meet you, I guess?"

"What kind of greeting is that? I'm one of the most powerful pieces of the-!" but whatever boast Goodstriker had in mind was quickly snuffed out by Léa's hand. The very same hand, in fact, which smacked him into the table with no small amount of force, Izuku flinching back from the impact.

"One of the most powerful pieces of the police's armaments, and anything more is strictly confidential until we get the rest of the unit together." Léa hissed, her glare enough to kill a grown man. Izuku could only be thankful that Goodstriker was a machine, though from the way he writhed beneath her grip, it was evident Goodstriker didn't feel so lucky. "The kid's been through a lot, and I'm about to put him and the rest through even more. Probably shouldn't overload his brain before we even get to the GSPO Academy."

"Eh, you're gonna keep him in the dark for so long?" Goodstriker moaned in return, a quick burst from its jets wrenching himself from Léa's grasp. "I'm not feeling that at all… Well, you're the boss. You've at least shown him the VS Changer though, right?"

"Yeah, Miss Takao has." Izuku piped up, slapping the suitcase sat at his side. "Wait, let me guess. You've got a trigger and a dial, and you're about the right size for a VS Vehicle... So, you're also a powerup?"

"Got it in one!" Goodstriker easily interrupted, looping through the air in what must've been some sort of practised routine. "Nice to see you're a smart one, kid! I'm not just any powerup though – my job is to give you a boost that no other VS Vehicle can provide! Look forward to it, as long as Miss Grumpy over here gives me the chance."

"We'll see, we'll see. Try not to get your hopes up though. The roads may be able to accommodate it, but the bigwigs up top aren't going to let it happen casually." Was Léa's reply, giving an absent wave. It paused, however, when a landmass slowly began to appear across the horizon, the policewoman rising with a stretch instead. "Now get that cart back where it came from and prepare for arrival."

"Okay, okay. Since when did I become your servant anyway?" Goodstriker said, though flew down beneath the cart regardless. There was more to be said if the muttering from the machine meant anything, yet its journey to wherever the cart was stored meant that Izuku was thankfully spared from the tirade.

"Sorry about him, Izuku. Goodie's… Goodie's eccentric, but ultimately well-meaning." Léa sighed, seeming as if the weight of the world had been thrown on her shoulders. Faced with that, all Izuku could do was give a sympathetic nod. If he had to deal with that kind of energy on a full-time basis, he'd probably get a bit tired as well. "Plus, he's not lying when he says he's a different kind to your usual VS Vehicle. Goodie will be an important part of your arsenal, so I hope you don't mind the personality that comes along with it."

"No, that's not a problem." Izuku was quick to reassure. "Maybe it's a little more energetic than the others in my class, but nothing I can't handle. I'm more trying to figure out how he works, honestly."

"Word of advice? Don't. For any of this stuff." Léa answered with a scoff. "I've been trained in how to handle these things – how to repair them, how to alter them – and I still barely have a clue how they function. Considering that Goodie's on a whole 'nother level compared to them, you can imagine what a headache trying to understand him would be. Now, how 'bout we get ourselves ready to disembark? Seeing as you've gotten a taste of Goodie, you can probably tell you're gonna have to brace yourself."

Izuku wasn't quite sure why Léa had given him the warning. So long as you ignored all of the French being spoken everywhere, the Global Special police Organisation's Parisian Branch was a relatively mundane building. Ducking between people in business suits, overhearing conversations that were probably never intended for his ears; If you had told Izuku he had entered a standard office, he would have believed you. Perhaps it might've been more believable if there wasn't a very disgruntled Goodstriker locked inside a briefcase for some reason, but he'd believe you nonetheless.

That impression lasted until they reached the elevator.

The first warning sign had been the fact that Inko had not been allowed to enter. Led aside by complimentary coffee and a dismissal of any danger, Izuku had no chance to speak with his mother again before Léa was punching passwords into a panel that definitely wasn't there before. As a result, when the elevator began descending at speeds far more than what regular health and safety board would allow, he had been caught completely unaware.

If there was any positive to be taken from the situation, it was the fact that their speed meant the lurching lasted only a moment. Not that it did much to soothe Izuku's stomach, but he took what he could get. How Léa stepped out completely unaffected was a mystery to the boy, barely able to hold himself together as he followed along after.

"…So, this is meant to be our number three?"

"I don't recall you being any better with the elevator, Tristan."

Drawn out of his by the byplay before him, Izuku finally took the opportunity to look up, meeting both disapproving and curious eyes. With Léa stepping forth with her arms thrown wide, however, Izuku wouldn't be able to get a word in.

"Let's be nice, you two. Don't want to ruin your first impression, right?" the policewoman remarked, the jovial tone doing little to stop the fear that shot through the pair in front of her. "Izuku, meet your new teammates – Imogen and Tristan. Something tells me you'll get along just fine."