"Well, well, well…" being studied so intensely, Izuku thought to himself, was a rather unpleasant experience. As the girl Léa introduced as Imogen began circling him like a hawk, it felt no different to being under a surgeon's knife. Every aspect of himself, dissected and put on display for all to see – hardly the most welcoming of sensations. Perhaps Léa's prior comments were more serious than Izuku expected. "Scrawnier than a stick, tired as all hell, eyes that scream you have no clue what you're doing here… Nice to see you're just like the rest of us. Miss Takao called you Izuku, right? Welcome to the funhouse."

"Pleasure to be here, I think." Was all Izuku could muster as a reply, only to pause the moment it left his mouth. "I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting you all to speak Japanese. With names like yours, I'd expect you to be speaking French like everyone else."

"Funny that, isn't it?" Tristan was the one to speak up, leaning against the wall with a smirk plastered upon his face. "Because to tell you the truth, I haven't uttered a single word of Japanese before in my life. Or French, actually. Comes with being an Englishman, you know?"

"E-excuse me?" at Izuku's question, a sheepish Léa was forced to step up, hand reaching behind her into a seemingly non-existent pocket to pull out what could only be described as a fossil of sorts. Met with that, it was natural for Izuku to be lost for words.

"Yeah, probably should've mentioned that," Léa muttered. "See, this little beauty's called Prends-le dessus. Let's people transfer knowledge and abilities to someone else. Seeing how I was plucking the three of you from around the globe, I thought it might be helpful if you could talk with one another. Makes life a little easier."

"Wait, you can just… do that?"

Goodstriker? That was understandable, to an extent. The same with the VS Changer and the VS Vehicles. After all, Izuku was no technical whiz, for sure. It wasn't outside the realms of possibility that someplace like I-Island or similar could have the know-how to make something of that calibre. A fossil with the ability to transfer abilities, though? Now that was just trying to pull his leg.

"Huh, just like Imogen," Tristan added, a pout upon Imogen's face as her elbow smacked into his stomach. "Hey, that ain't a bad thing! Only reason I wasn't the same is that I came into this expecting some freaky stuff. Miss Takao here didn't exactly try to hide it – at least until we actually got here."

"I told you the same thing I told everyone else. Stuff like this will probably be a lot easier to handle now that we got the full squad sorted." Came Léa's retort, a weary scoff escaping her. "That, and I really don't want to be dealing with three separate mental breakdowns. I don't get paid enough to deal with that sort of thing."

"And there it is. Always talking about how hard this is going to be on us, but never mentioning what it is. You'd think after all the physical training, you'd at least give us a hint." The bitterness in Tristan's remark made no effort to hide and, in her defence, Léa acknowledged it full well from the guilt that dripped from her face.

"No need to be too harsh on her. After all, she was just putting things off because she hadn't gathered all three of us." Imogen's smile may have been bright, but the pressure behind it threatened to make the policewoman crack. Were it not for the fact that there was a good reason behind it, Izuku could almost believe they had it out for Léa. To know they would be his teammates… Izuku wasn't sure what to make of them. "Now that we're all here though, you will spill, right?"

"What can I say? A promise is a promise." Léa sighed with a shrug, throwing her briefcase onto a nearby table and ignoring the yelp of pain that came from within. "Shouldn't we give Izuku a chance to settle in first though? The kid and I arrived, like, fifteen minutes ago. Give him time to get used to French soil."

"No. No need to worry about me." Maybe that wasn't the right answer, but it was an answer Izuku was willing to stand by regardless of the pain that came across Léa's form. "I thought it was strange that you were leaving out something in your explanations, but it looks like you've been keeping it from these guys for even longer. I get that you don't want to overwhelm us, but this is their – our – chance to finally learn. I don't want to delay that."

"…Should've seen that coming." Muttered Léa, punctuated by a sharp bark of laughter. "Honestly, you're too good for what you've been through, you know that Izuku? Problem is, this isn't something I can just go into lightly. I'd like to say the delay was entirely to make sure you guys can properly prepare yourselves to receive the news, but I'll be honest with you lot: it's also there so I can try to find the words. I appreciate the sentiment Izuku, you two, but I really can't do it right this moment. You've trusted me for this long; won't you trust me for just a little bit longer? Just until Izuku is properly settled in."

Not really. At least, not going by the eyes of Tristan and Imogen. Why would they? If they had waited all this time for Izuku's arrival, only to be told that a further delay was needed, a little vexation was hardly unexpected. Hell, Izuku was a little concerned, and he was the last one to join. He could only imagine what the other two were going for, especially considering they gave nothing more than a few noncommittal noises in response.

"Alright, probably deserve that." Was all Léa could sigh out, shaking her head before a weak smile took place. The curse of a leader, Izuku supposed. Situations where acting with confidence and without regret regardless of the thoughts of your subordinates simply couldn't be avoided at times. If the other two weren't willing to afford Léa some sort of sympathy, then at least Izuku could. After what she had done, that was the minimum she deserved. "Now come on, you two can help get Izuku settled into the dormitories while I brace myself for the main event. I swear, as soon as you're done there, I'll be ready. Alright?"

"Well, if the alternative is just sitting around waiting for nothing, then I don't see a reason not to." Tristan eventually answered, no doubt making a show of rolling his shoulders as he stood. Like he needed to make things any more clear. Despite the placid pretence he had plastered across his face, Tristan's mannerisms spoke volumes. "Besides, we aren't going to treat you badly just because you're number three. As long as you're stuck with us, you're pretty much family."

Having an arm around his shoulder was a foreign sensation to Izuku. Not out of unfamiliarity – too many cheap attempts at intimidation for that to be the case – but simply because of how relaxed the gesture was. Compared to the near strangleholds he had experienced at the hands of his classmates, there was almost an overt aura of reassurance that, frankly, Izuku was amazed Tristan could conjure given his current irritation.

"He's right. If we're gonna go through training hell, might as well do it together. Welcome to the team, Izuku!" Imogen was quick to add, leaning forward with a grin. What a lovely gesture it would've been, had she been as good an actor as Tristan. As it was though, the uncomfortable nerves abound within her made it hard to respond with anything other than concern. Was this sort of conflict more common than Izuku expected? This was going to be… fun if that was the case. "Come on, I'll lead the way. Things can get a little confusing down here if you don't familiarise yourself with the route."

"R-right. Thanks a lot, you two."

One last effort was spared to glimpse back towards Léa, but the only sight which met Izuku's eyes was a rueful expression. Needless to say, far from what he had expected when he first arrived.

On the bright side of things, their travels made for the perfect excuse to have an impromptu tour, Izuku left baffled by the various rooms and structures they passed to reach their destination. The fact that they were underground already meant that being able to travel for so long was impressive. Some of the facilities Izuku came across while doing so though, they took the cake.

Hell, half of them didn't even make sense. Not when shoved underground. Sure, a cafeteria was understandable - even if you're underground, people need to eat. A library was understandable – seeing how hush-hush the whole operation was, separate information storage was to be expected. A vault was understandable – Léa's eclectic collection needed to be stored somewhere and an underground vault is stereotypical. The swimming pool, however, was decidedly not. Neither was the farm filled with plants Izuku was pretty sure didn't even grow naturally. Izuku was pretty sure the church room shouldn't really be there too.

Izuku didn't hesitate to state as much out loud. Despite that, when the answer came in the form of two exasperated shaking heads, he was forced to swallow those concerns. Having them sit uneasily in his stomach, a stomach already unsettled by his impromptu roller coaster of an elevator ride mind you, a certain aura of dread settled over Izuku as they continued on their way.

"You think we haven't tried asking how she got this stuff authorised, let alone built?" Tristan commented, pivoting upon his foot until he was stepping backwards with practised ease. "All we know is that we have everything down here so we technically don't have to step up into the main building for a long time. You haven't even seen the last of it. Shove everything down here aboveground and you'd think the boss lady's trying to build a city or something."

"Hey, let's be fair here." Imogen couldn't stop herself from speaking. "She did tell us that everything here was brought with her own money. I guess the superiors don't care as long as it's out of their way and from someone else's pocket."

"That makes sense… kind of?" once more, Izuku found his mind running ragged to try and acclimatise itself to the insanity of his surroundings. While he was far from the slowest brain that his class had to offer, the sheer mental gymnastics required to comprehend his current situation was more of a toll than Izuku was willing to admit. "But, I mean, this is meant to be a government institution, right? I thought the whole point was that it was meant to be impartial and stuff. Not exactly the sort of place that would let a member make so many… intense alterations, you know?"

"Don't worry about it. We're only spitballing anyway. No need to hurt yourself trying to figure stuff out." A wince escaped Izuku at the jab from Imogen, however teasing it was. Given the long-term nature of Léa's plans for him, a good first impression had felt like a near necessity. To know now that his tumultuous thought processes might have tainted that did little to ease his nerves. "For all we know, she may just really be that important to them. At least, that's what it looks like whenever we've gotten a glimpse of Miss Léa chatting with her superiors. There are arguments, sure, but they always cave eventually, no matter how crazy her plan. That's got to mean something."

"Probably given some of the things you'll see she has up her sleeves. If it were just the guns she has with her, then maybe they wouldn't care all that much. With those weird objects? I don't blame the higher-ups for wanting to keep them on their side." Such an ominous statement was naturally worthy of rebuttal, yet the creak of a well-worn door would give no opportunity for Izuku to provide it. "Let's save that kind of talk for later though. For now, Izuku, welcome to your new home. A little cosy, but that's hardly a bad thing."

Indeed, compared to the excess that made up the rest of the GSPO Headquarters' basement, there was something downright rustic about the dormitory that was revealed to Izuku then. that wasn't to say they were completely unrecognisable as police dormitories – there was a certain aesthetic sterility to the living room they entered that couldn't be denied – but a homeliness permeated the place that practically beckoned them in. Perhaps it was the choice of furniture that dotted the place. Whatever Izuku had in mind when he thought of 'police dormitories', it certainly hadn't involved the lush carpet, comforting chairs, and wide array of entertainment present. It was just a shame their current location didn't exactly allow for windows.

"Well? Don't just stand there!" a sharp push to his back had Izuku flailing, only barely managing to catch himself from falling into one of the said chairs so he could turn an accusatory glare to Imogen. Not that it did anything to remove the innocent grin upon her lips. "You'll be sharing a room with Tristan, so he'll be able to carry your stuff there. It's better if you get yourself familiar with the stuff we have on offer here!"

"Not gonna say no, but could you at least give a guy some warning before making him a bellhop next time?"

"Woah… I don't think I've seen some of these DVDs for years!" a sweatdrop formed as Tristan watched Izuku entranced by the pile sitting beneath the TV dominating the wall, eyes alight as he poured between the various titles. Maybe telling Izuku to treat the place like a home wasn't the best of ideas... "Funnyman, Multi-Alien, Bulletgirl – You can't get these kinds of recordings anymore. How did you get your hands on them?"

"Perks of them having worked with my mum while they were still big. She likes to keep a record of the clients she works with, but she was happy to lend them to me for the time being." Imogen explained, no small amount of pride dripping from those words.

"Clients? Then your mum's a manager or something?"

"Try a detective. The famous Claudia Maigret's practically a household name!" Imogen was all too eager to exclaim, only to remember the question that prompted it and deflate. "Well, in France at least. Feel free to choose one while we wait; watched them hundreds of times, but another isn't going to hurt."

"D-don't mind if I do, then!" the war between Izuku's modesty and desire to watch had raged, yet it was clear from the start which was destined to win. Before his head could even register it, he had already been holding the Multi-Alien DVD reverently since Izuku had first reached for it. To deny himself at that point would've been torture. "I never would've thought that Léa would allow you to have this kind of thing, not directly in your dorms. I'd have expected a game room, or considering all of the other stuff that's down here, maybe something a bit more… a bit more."

"Keeps us here – distracted and out of the higher-ups' hair. You know, so they don't have to keep being faced with their lab rats constantly." With such a statement to punctuate his re-entry, Tristan managed to grab the attention he was deprived of earlier with zero effort. Izuku couldn't help but consider it queer, especially considering the amusement Tristan had allowed to seep into his posture when introducing Izuku to the dorm. "They give us what we want, and we don't start complaining about the difference in treatment all the time. They make sure we're well rewarded and we don't start dirtying their ears with more annoying questions. In theory, anyway."

"You make it sound like we're stuck in a cage or something," Izuku said without a second thought. Admittedly, Léa had never hidden the fact that this squad was an experiment of sorts – a personal unit intended to utilise private technology – but from the way Tristan spoke, they might as well have signed away their lives instead of being brought in for training. "Don't you get to leave the building often?"

"Day trips mostly. Occasionally patrols as well, but only as observers." Imogen helpfully pointed out, a grateful nod coming from Izuku.

"Then there you go. It's not as if you're locked up in here like you're diseased." Continued the boy, all too aware of the growing grimace taking over Tristan's face. Even so, there was no reason to back down now. If there was still something to annoy them even when Léa promised to spill the secrets she had so evidently been withholding from them, it was properly prudent for Izuku to be aware of them. "What's with all the distaste towards everyone?"

"Izuku, we're in the GSPO Parisian Branch's headquarters. This isn't the kind of place just any old officer can enter." The explanation came with an exasperated sigh from Tristan as a hand loosely gestured to the world above. "The people up there, they're meant to be the best of the best. Some of the greatest police officers the world has to offer, even with all the heroes running around. Now, consider us. Tell me, what kind of quirk do you have?"

Ah. There was the fated question. It was inevitable, yet that didn't do much to soothe the innate terror that arose in Izuku's stomach. From the knowing glint that entered the other pair's eyes, however, they had already figured out the answer from his reaction – what was Izuku to do but push forward?

"I… I, er… Don't have… one…" the response that his words prompted, however minor they were, would remain engrained in Izuku's mind for years to come.

"Good, because neither do we. We're underdogs, purposefully picked out and shoved into a building with a bunch of apex predators." Tristan said, folding his arms. "Now, what do you think that means for whatever Léa has been holding out on us?"