"Skrrt! Skrrt!"

An explosion.

"Hell yeah," Abel extended the vowels on the last word. "I win again."

Austin set down his controller. Another day of failing at video games.

"Hey, Alaskan Dragon," Abel spun himself around on his butt and raised his eyebrows at Drake seated at the coffee table with a chess board. "You haven't played yet, have you?"

Drake moved a pawn on his side of the board. "That's okay."

"But you gotta play at some point," Abel said. "You know, some countries don't have video games. They don't even have electricity. But you wanna play the exact same game everyone else plays around the world? And by yourself?"

"I do better against myself," Drake said.

Abel adjusted the headphones around his neck and rose up to his feet. He stumbled from his legs falling asleep, but grit his teeth through the pain and crossed the room to the table of the small lobby area. "Don't you think playing chess all day is a little harmful to your health. You're a dragon, right? Aren't you supposed to be guarding some castle or something?"

"Are there castles in California?" Austin asked from his spot.

"Depends were you live," Abel said. "In San Francisco, a castle is basically an apartment that's bigger than a toilet."

Abel stepped out of the lobby and slid down the railing of the foyer. Falling down the stairs, he made it to the ground floor and exited towards the atrium. In the main hall, students bumbled and pranced about like flopping fish through a large pond. Some older year students were chattering together in a corner by the vending machine.

By the reception desk, Steve Buscemi appeared to be arguing with a staff member.

"I know I don't have a visitor's pass," He said. "But I work here!"

Abel came over and draped an arm around Steve, to which he fidgeted in the grasp.

"He's with me," Abel said towards the receptionist. With a flourish of his body, he whipped around with Steve like an exciting tango and sauntered towards the main entrance.

"Steve, bud," Abel croaked in his ear. "It's been a bit, hasn't it?"

"Look, Abel," Steve whispered in a frantic manner. "I didn't mean to ignore you at Comic-Con, but that autograph line was a mile long."

"What about that mansion party I snuck into," Abel said as they stopped in front of a painting of All Might on the wall. "You called security on me."

"That was a year ago! You were fifteen!" Steve said.

"Like anything R-rated happens at your mansion anyway," Abel looked up at the painting. It was an oil canvas with the incredible hero lifting a lime green Beetle over a fire and an injured civilian. "But I'm willing to let dust in the wind go, and I was already filled in on our situation. Moxie a told me everything."

"Okay, but it stops with you," Steve jabbed a finger at Abel's nose. "No one else can know."

"That's what I like about you, Steve," Abel said. "Humble enough to accept help. And I'd like to help."

"In what way?" Steve asked.

Abel narrowed his forest green eyes. "I overheard Bakugo and Deku talking in the teacher's lounge. Something about some object with magical power? Unlimited power? Was wondering what you know about that."

"They couldn't have been talking about Moxie's crystal," Steve said. "They don't even know about that."

Abel let go of Steve and nodded. "Oh! Why not?"

"It's my inter-dimensional experiment," Steve clutched the lapel of his three piece suit. "The school funds it, but it's mine."

Abel pulled out a handy dandy notebook and flipped through the pages. Pulling out a thin golf pencil from his jeans pocket, he scribbled some notes down. "So, this object is different then the crystal with the British guy. Something only Deku and Bakugo know about."

"I guess so," Steve said.

"Then," Abel closed his notebook and tucked the pencil on his ear. "What secrets do our teachers have? Would you know anything?"

"I can't tell you that," Steve said. "They have their own business."

"So there is something," Abel cheered. "An object of some kind that has unlimited power!"

"Listen, kid," Steve squeaked at Abel. He grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to his face. "I'm fine with you knowing about Moxie, but there's things about Deku that can't be explained. And if they were, you wouldn't believe it. So, you need to mind your own business and keep a low profile. If anyone else finds out about Moxie, the whole experiment is gone!"

"And if someone finds out about Deku's secret?" Abel taunted.

"Wait," Steve blinked and let go of Abel. "Who said anything about Deku's secret?"

"You just did," Abel said. "You said there were things about Deku that weren't explainable."

"Oh," Steve said. "You weren't supposed to know that."

"I think it's time I did a bit more research on my homeroom teacher," Abel said. "Enjoy your experiment, Steve. I hope you have the time of your life!"

Abel skipped away towards the exit. However, before he made it through, he stopped.

"By the way," Abel turned back at Steve. "Do you know the way to the library?"

James was not a man that got embarrassed quite often.

In fact, he was quite comfortable in his own skin as his deep v-line plunging ebony tee shirt and skinny black jeans showcased. His legs swung over the edge of the cot that he sat, his sharp fingernails etching into the thin paper every doctor's office had. The room itself had a sickly rose aroma to it; a powerful air freshener hummed in the outlet underneath the examination room window.

Bits of dust floated through the golden rainbow that was the setting sunbeams in the late afternoon. A copper tint illuminated the cramped office and reflected off the intravenous fluid pole that sat beside the cot. A long, plastic tube dug into the wrist of James's skin, and a viscous silver liquid pumped into him. A frigid wave pressed through his blood vessels by his arm and warmed into a light buzz that prickled at his shoulder.

Right now, he was embarrassed.

Moxie munched on a hot dog just outside of the hospital cafeteria. She stared out the window towards the sun-drenched courtyard that glowed with hovering yellow jackets over the buds of dandelions and sunflowers. The gentle wind blowed over the plants, a few pedals detaching and floating into the air.

Her foot tapping on the tile floor, she swallowed the steaming pork and leaned back on the wall. A few nurses flooded into the room nearly bumping into a custodian ushering a cleaning cart. The scent of wood cleaner and bleach invaded the area as the man strode past. The murmur from the patrons in the cafeteria buzzed over the beeping of heart monitors and jangling crash carts with squeaking wheels.

She had just left Lloyd's hospital room. After arriving to the hospital, the nurse's checked up on his body and determined there was no real damage to him. They promised to keep him for just a few ours, to which Lloyd pleaded with Moxie to leave him and continue on with her day. However, Moxie decided waiting for Lloyd was worth the time, and so she ate her hot dog with the patience of a saint.

Thinking back on the week, Moxie felt relieved that nothing completely terrible had happened to her. The shooting in the gas station was shuffled under the rug from what she was told by Principal Tommy. Her classes were going fast, but she imagined she could catch up. Placing a thumb on the crystal around her neck, she thought back to meeting Steve Buscemi and Alistair. She had been fortunate that neither were bothering her that much. Steve kept working as a lunch lady, occasionally giving her an extra strip of bacon at lunch. With Alistair, he had basically just left and came as he pleased only saying that he liked to walk around and explore the city. Whatever he was truly up to, she imagined it would reveal itself later.

Licking her lips of the pieces of relish, Moxie brushed her hands off and headed for the sliding mirror doors to the courtyard. Going through the exit, the burning air slapped her face. Moxie stepped further into the courtyard, her eyes attempting to adjust to the change in light. She was temporarily blinded, and she pulled her arm up to shade her arm.

"Watch it!"

Moxie, only seeing the body in the corner of her eye, bumped right into another figure. With a light huff, Moxie stepped back from the unshakable person who she simply bounced off of like a ball of yarn on a wall.

"Sorry, Mister." Moxie said. She pulled down her arm and gazed at the person.

"James?" She asked.

"Wha-." James said. Looking over the voluptuous girl, his surprise wore down into a dark sneer. "What are you doing here?"

Moxie pulled on the fringe of her red dress. "It's been crazier than a gator with rabies today. Been running around town for th-."

Before she could finish, James pushed right past her and marched towards the water fountain at the center of the courtyard.

"Wait," Moxie turned and left the hot dog to rot on the floor. "Hold up, James."

Over his shoulder, James grunted out in annoyance. "I don't care why you're here. Leave me alone."

"Why are you wearing a sweatshirt?" Moxie followed James. "I'm sweating like a pig."

"Why are you so nosy?" James shot back at Moxie. "Leave me alone."

James approached the base of a circular stone fountain. In the center stood a statue of a Steve Buscemi with his arms crossed peering down on the people. Water shot out of his mouth and streamed down into the shimmering basin below.

Before she could recognize the oddity of the image, Moxie's smile faded into a frown. Digging her footwear into the ground, she stomped on the ground and grabbed James by the shoulder. She pulled back on it and forced James to spin around and face her.

"What are you doing here?" Moxie asked again.

James, a small fuse ignited in his chest, bucked back his shoulders and swatted away Moxie's hand. "Who do you think you are touching me?"

"I just wanted to know why you were here," Moxie said.

"I'm a doctor," James asked. "I do brain surgery on weekends at the hospital. What do you care?"

A faint glow illuminated James's fist. Moxie's gaze flickered between his eyes and the fist.

"Because you're in my class," Moxie said. "Maybe you haven't noticed me yet."

"Maybe you're not worth noticing," James said. The light grew larger around his fists and traced up his forearm. "Now leave me alone."

"Or what?" Moxie asked. "You gonna start a scrap in the hospital?"

"Why not?" James shouted. "Might as well show what I can do!"

Before he could move, Moxie reached out her arm and grabbed onto James's shoulder again. With the speed of a burning lightbulb, Moxie channeled the energy at the end of the fingertips, a burning buzz zapped through her hands. Then, the light on James's arm evaporated into traces of smoke that smoldered down to his hand. With a whoosh, the neon slid away into the ether.

James stared down at his hand. Moxie let go, her own face betraying a surprise. Neither said a word with only the trickling water pouring into the basin filling the sound behind them. A dragonfly lifted off from a rose bush next to Moxie, and the zipping flap of quick wings fluttered past both of them.

"Was that," James asked while touching the sleeve of his sweatshirt. "Your quirk?"

"I'm surprised, too," Moxie crossed her arms. "I can lower on increase the power of people's quirks and other things. But...I've never stopped a quirk completely before. Thought it'd take more energy."

"Because," James blew out a deep sigh and tugged on the sleeve. "I'm not at one hundred percent right now."

"Is that why your here," Moxie asked. "Cause of your quirk?"

James reached out his arm and floated it at Moxie's chest height. Pulling back his sleeve, he gestured towards his light-almond skin. "Grab my arm."

She grabbed it. The smooth skin was almost as warm as the air in the empty courtyard. "It's so hot," Moxie said.

"I'm always hot," James pulled back his arm and recovered it with the sleeve. "My quirk makes me that way, so I expend more energy and sweat more. That causes me to lose electrolytes. So, every week I have to go to the doctor and get a special IV drip that gives me potassium and sodium."

"But that's not something to be embarrassed by," Moxie said.

"Maybe not to you," James said. He sat himself down on the ledge of the fountain in front of Steve Buscemi. "But people suck, and they make fun of anything."

Moxie gazed down at James. The boy had a strange shadow over his eyes, and he gripped the stone base to the point where his knuckles were straining white.

The girl moved towards James and lowered herself on the spot next to him. Small flecks of water bounced up on the surface and misted on her hands as she folded them in her lap. They both sat in silence for a few seconds. James would occasionally flinch at the water that trickled on his skin. The smallest beads of sweat perspired around his brow, to which he would wipe it away with his forearm.

"You're mad at a lot, aren't you?" Moxie asked without looking at James.

"What do you know?" James growled in a low tone.

"I know how bad anger can be," Moxie said. "My momma and daddy split up a few years back. And my daddy, he's always been great to me. But sometimes, he would get drunk and sit out on the back patio with the dog. He'd never do anything to us, but I'd hear him talking on the phone to the lawyers. He'd call momma every word in the book. Every name he could think of. Really mean stuff. With us, he's nothing but great. But...hearing all that from him changes things, don't it? What do you do when someone you really like says something bad, especially about someone else you like?"

James turned his head and stared at Moxie through the bangs of his ebony hair.

"it's still something I don't know much about," Moxie said. She took her hand and skated it over the cool water leaving ripples to row over the surface. "But I do know thinking about it makes me sad. Though, thinking about home makes me sad, too."

James kept staring.

Moxie retracted her fingers and rubbed the water off on the jagged stone. "I don't know much about you, but I feel there's a lot of poison in there. And there's nothing wrong with asking for help. There's nothing wrong with people liking you or wanting to like you. And we got a whole future ahead. A whole world that might look to us for something one day. I always feel like, no matter where you gone or where you been, if one person misses you when you leave, it was a place worth going. Don't you think?"

James cleared his throat. The words from her had some sort of impact that he did not expect from Moxie. When he overheard her in class, he just thought it was a simple, unimportant background decoration in the class. Of course, a quirk like that was nothing to sneeze at, but what she said made his heart twitch for just a second.

After shifting his sight straight in front of him, He straightened up his back and ran a hand back through his dense hair. "You know, I wished there was someone in our class that didn't talk so much."

"Huh?" Moxie asked.

"Everyone has to have their monologue, don't they," James complained. "Like, geez, can someone just say something without acting like they're in a broadway play?"

"Well," Moxie could not help the chuckle. "If you weren't gonna talk, then I was. By the way, the effects of my quirk usually only last a few minutes on living things, so no fireworks for a bit."

"Whatever. I'm not supposed to be using it anyway after a visit."

Moxie stood up and stretched out her neck. "Now, it's been a long while, and I think Lloyd is ready to leave the hospital soon."

James shot to his feet and balled up his fists again. "What? That Canadian Goose? Why is he here?"

"Oh, right," Moxie whipped around and headed for the hospital entrance. "I ran over someone and got Lloyd knocked out for it."

"What?"

Lloyd felt good as new as he skipped down the hallway in front of Moxie and James. His arms pumping like a hyper wooden soldier, he bounded forward with the excitement of a joyful rabbit. Other than a dark bruise on his forehead, he appeared as fresh as when he was in Mass earlier that day.

"I feel recharged," Lloyd announced to no on in particular as he hopped in front of the other two. The empty hallway stretched what seemed to be the entire length of the hospital.

Behind him, James massaged the temples on his head. One thing Moxie's words could not change was just how aggravating he thought this man was to the world. Moxie could not help but grin at the annoyance on his face. True, Lloyd was an imposing person, but he meant well.

"Can you stop skipping," James said. "You're giving me another headache."

Lloyd landed and turned back at James. "It's Sunday, James! The Lord has risen! I'm healthy. The sun is shining. The post office is closed. What is there to be upset about?"

"You existing is pretty high up there," James shoved his hands into his pockets.

As the three walked past a door, Lloyd hummed to himself. The other two paced behind him, with Moxie right by the large oak door of a doctor's office. They passed it, and Moxie almost slipped away from ear shot of the door until a high-pitched voice echoed from beyond the facade.

"...in fact, terminal as of this current moment."

"I know. That's why I'm here, Doctor Tsuchida!"

Moxie gasped and froze as if the Pro-Hero behind the door had captured her in his ice. That was Mister Todoroki's voice.

"Guys, wait a sec," Moxie whispered in a rushed tone.

She backtracked and motioned for the other two to head back towards her. James and Lloyd exchanged a quick look before deciding this was more interesting than the car ride home.

The three students hunched over in front of the door. Moxie pressed her ear to the cool wood and closed her eyes to concentrate on the words.

"Shoto," The doctor said. "Grade Three Meningioma is a tumor. It's not a virus or bacteria. I can't treat it on my own and I certainly can't take it out. Maybe if the cells hadn't metastasized, but that would have been almost a year ago."

"Then what's the point of seeing you," Shoto said. "I thought you were going to help."

"I am," the higher voice said. "But my quirk doesn't work on things like this. We need to rely on medicine."

"But how would I have not known," Shoto shouted. "I've felt great for the entire past year."

"Have you really?"

"Yes," Shoto yelled. "I've been fine. I've been training with Katsu, and I've been fighting crime. I'm the number one Pro-Hero! Could I be that if I had brain cancer?"

Moxie hitched her breath and opened back her eyes. The others exchanged confused glances with her. Lloyd remembered Katsu talking about Shoto, but he wondered if this was the same person that had come to the welcome ceremony. James, meanwhile, put the pieces together much quicker. Katsu's guardian was sick?

"Well, you do have it," the doctor said. "And it's important you understand that. Have you really been feeling fine?"

Silence.

"I mean...yes. I have."

"Your quirk has been hiccuping, Shoto," the man known as Doctor Tsuchida said. "Hiccuping is when your quirk either loses power or stops working altogether for short periods of a time. It happens with illness in the quirk part of your brain, specifically the meninges which are the tissue around the brain and the spinal cord. It's only effected the quirk aspects of your brain, but nothing else. Yet. Not only that, but we all saw how you were defeated by those kids earlier in the week."

"Wait a second," a chair scratched over the hardwood floor inside. "They were students. I was going easy on them!"

"You said you never went easy, Icy-Hot," A gruff voice called out.

James perked up at the voice of Bakugo beating through the wooden door. His teachers were here for Shoto?

"Shut up!"

"Todoroki, please calm down," A shaky voice said. "We're here to support you."

"How?" Shoto shouted. "By telling me there's nothing left to do. By flying me out here to give me false hope? I even told you that on the rooftop that night! Remember the plan? So what was the plan? For me to live out my last days in this hellhole called California?"

"In fact, I will be leading your treatment," Doctor Tsuchida said. "It also helps that Principal Tommy hired me at the school, so I should be able to assist in many ways. We can make you comfortable and healthier."

"But can you cure me?"

Silence. Moxie made eye contact with Lloyd and James again. Lloyd had his hand covering his mouth. James crouched and frowned at the quiet.

"A year. Maybe."

"Doctor Tsuchi-."

"Shut it, Deku," Bakugo shouted. "He needs to hear the truth. No point sugarcoating it."

"A year?"

The hum of the air conditioning vents above.

"Stop lying."

"You think I would lie to you?"

"Yes," another shout. Footsteps clattered around in a circle. "You're conspiring against me! All of you! You two set this up so you can take out your competition for good. So you can go back to Japan and fight for number one without outside competition!"

"You got it, Half-And-Half," Bakugo yelled. "We went through all of this just to psyche you out. You are just so important to us, that we decided we would go through all this effort just to mess with you. Congratulations!"

"I don't need your sarcasm right now," Shoto said. "You know what, enjoy the school year."

"Todoroki, please sit down," Deku pleaded."

"I'm going back to Japan next week," Shoto's voice grew louder towards the door. "I'll just tell Katsu it was an emergency or something."

Thumping steps crescendoes towards the door.

Moxie panicked and rocketed back to her feet. Spinning on her tiptoes, she saw a crash cart on the other side of the hall. Seen by Lloyd and James, she pointed at the cart. The three of them raced for it and hid behind it, just large enough to hide their bodies.

The door swung open and slammed into the wall. The force of it even caused the door to crash back into it's former state, shutting the office away from the rest of the world again. Moxie peeked out and saw Mister Todoroki run out of the room, his multicolored hair bouncing as he charged around the corner.

The three of them just switched glances at each other, trying to take in what they just overheard.

"Mister Todoroni," Moxie whispered to herself. "He has..."

The three students crouched behind the cart soaking in the new revelation.

"Shit," James muttered under his breath. "Do you think that Sponge guy knows yet?"

Moxie ran a finger over the rosary hanging at her chest.

MORE THINGS ARE HAPPENING!

Sorry, I said this would be a two parter, but now it is three. Oh well.

Obviously, some things will carry throughout the next arc of this story. Don't worry, the next chapter will probably be lighter, but as we can see, things are in motion for Abel in a treasure quest and Shoto in another quest of a different kind. Poor Moxie, she just wanted to make Crawfish today.

As always, review! It motivates me to be faster and better, so let me know what worked and what didn't!

Thank you. See you soon!