After Mom and I met with Nezu-sensei, we went home and Mom texted someone. We started getting dinner ready. Mom started slicing the cabbage. I took the dough she had made last night out of the fridge and began to roll it out. Right about the time we were ready to start cooking, the doorbell rang. Mom inclined her head from me to the door, since I was more free than her. I walked over, glanced at the monitor, and let them in.

"Hello, sensei," I greeted them, "Hello Eri."

"Good evening, Midoriya-kun," Recovery Girl said.

"Hello, o...onii-chan," Eri stuttered, as if needing to remind herself that I said she could still call me 'big brother'.

"If you both want to wash up," Mom called out, "the first okonomiyaki is almost ready."


After we divvied up the second okonomiyaki, we started.

"Eri, we wanted to talk to you," Mom told her. The girl set down her fork, and looked straight Mom.

"First," I took up, "We want to say again, that we are not angry with you. You are not in trouble."

"We were a bit upset," Mom added, "and very worried. We understand why you left. We know Chisaki scared you. And that you were trying to protect us."

"And part of it was our fault," I told her, "We didn't tell you that he kidnapped Mom, because we didn't want you to worry."

"He did take you?" Eri looked at Mom, "Since you were here when we got back, I thought he lied."

"No, his men did kidnap me," Mom admitted, "For about two hours. And I only stayed to try to get information. Then Izuku rescued me. I was never really in danger, though it was a bit scary."

Eri looked at me in amazement.

"And if we had told you that, he wouldn't have been able to trick you," I explained, "So for that we are sorry."

"That said," Recovery Girl told her, "If you do something like this again, you will be in trouble and you will be punished."

Eri looked fearful.

"Not like that," Mom said firmly, "Just a grounding or other loss of privileges. Maybe extra chores. And you'll have to earn back our trust."

Eri calmed, but only a little. And she nodded.

"Good," Mom also nodded, "Now that is out of the way, let's get to the main reason we want to talk to you."

"Actually, there is one more thing, before we move on," Recovery Girl interrupted. We all looked at her in surprise.

"While you may not be in trouble for running away," Shuzenji-sensei said, "Principal Nezu would like to have a talk with you. To learn how you did it. After the attack three weeks ago, he is looking to improve security. Until now, UA has been more focused on keeping unwanted visitors out. We now realize it is just as important to keep people who are already inside from sneaking around."

"Okay," Eri agreed, though I was sure she was not looking forward to that conversation.


When Nezu-sensei did talk to Eri (with me there as both support and translator from genius to Japanese) I was surprised to learn just what a budding escape artist my new sister was. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been. She had escaped from Overhaul. Sure, he had probably underestimated her. But he also was trying to keep her trapped. She also slipped out of UA, though like Recovery Girl said, the school back them was more about keeping criminals and press out, than keeping student in.

She had been living with the yakuza for the last twenty months. Nearly two of the most formative years of her life, being watched over by whatever criminals Overhaul could get to watch her. They had taught her about picking pockets, picking locks, spotting guards and cameras, hiding and sneaking around, and even a bit of code breaking. Thankfully, they hadn't taught her the more violent aspects of crime. Maybe it was because they still had a hint of conscience. More likely they were worried she might turn those skills on them. Which she had, with the stealth skills.

Eri was a diligent girl, and hadn't had much else to do in her cell. So she practiced those skills. I had Analyzed her, and her level was sufficiently lower than mine that I could see her skills. She had 'Sleight of Hand', 'Stealth', and 'Observation (Lookout)' skills, all with levels in their 30s. If The Gamer had assigned us character classes, she definitely would have been a Rogue back then.

I was also surprised that I didn't have the 'Observation' skill. Only for the manual/Gaia to inform me that Analyze took priority and Observation was folded into it. Which in turn was why occasionally Analyze would improve even if I hadn't been Gamer scanning things. Just looking around and listening also improved it, though not by as much.


"If that's all?" Mom narrowed her eyes at Recovery Girl. UA's nurse nodded.

"So, then, the second thing we wanted to talk to you about Eri..." Mom started, but the trailed off, looking for words, "Well, to backtrack a bit, I talked to Izuku last night. And we had been discussing it on and off since Monday. And we would like you to join our family."

"Join your family?" Eri parroted, confused.

"Live with us," I said, "Not just calling me onii-chan, but being my actual little sister. Mom's niece. Staying with us until you are an adult, and even then still getting together for holidays and birthdays. All of it."

I may have been a bit too enthusiastic, because Eri looked a bit worried. But also thoughtful.

"You don't have to answer now," Recovery Girl said,her voice more gentle than for our previous topic, "You can take a few days to think about it."

"And you can change your mind," Mom said, "If you say yes, but decide in a month that you don't like my cooking and can't stand Izuku's mumbling, you can leave."

"Mom," I protested, "I'm not that bad. Anymore."

"You may think that, Izuku honey," she said playfully.

Was she teasing me, to make Eri relax? Or was I still talking a lot and had stopped noticing I was doing it?

"Both," Mom said, and I blinked. Had I said that out loud?

No-one answered or seemed to notice that last question. Instead Mom returned to Eri, "The point is, Eri-chan, it is your choice. We want you to find a place where you feel safe and comfortable and cared for. Izuku and I would like that to be here, with us. But if it isn't, we will help you find that place."

The girl nodded again, tearing up a little. She glanced at Shuzenji-sensei, who smiled and said, "Go on, it's okay dear."

"I... I want to live with you," Eri said softly, "To stay with Onii-chan."

"That is good," Mom said. Her and my eyes leaked a bit, too.

"In that case," Mom continued, "I will take the day off tomorrow. Majima-sensei will transfer your room from Shuzenji-sensei's place down to here. And we can talk about some things. Like basic rules. And what you like to eat. Oh, and you should know we will be staying here the next few months, but at the end of summer, the three of us will be moving to a new place."

Eri bobbed her head again, her normal, serious expression back.

"Also, for the immediate future," Mom wasn't done, "I will be working from home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so I can be here with you. But on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you will still be with Shuzenji-sensei. Though that may need to change, depending on her workload."

"On that note, I need to bring up my other topic," Recover Girl was back to stern and fixed a firm eye on Eri.

"What's that?" I asked, trying to take some of the heat.

"School," the doctor Heroine said, "You, young lady, should be in school."

Eri frowned. She was thinking and she was worried.

"Now I know why you haven't been," Recovery Girl admitted, "And it's not your fault. And I also expect you are not ready for school, on multiple levels. But we will be arranging for tutors, on those Tuesdays and Thursdays. At least to start, potential more often if needed. And next year in April, you will need to go to school like other children your age."

"No-one is going to force you," Mom stepped in as good cop. Unlike Eri and I, she seemed to have expected this. I wondered if the two of them, and possibly Principal Nezu, had discussed this before hand. And decided Recovery Girl would be the bad guy, so Eri was not starting off with Mom on a sour note.

"We will work towards it," Mom told Eri, "Make it a goal. But if you aren't ready, we won't make you go. We will evaluate how you are doing, and adjust the plan. Does that sound good?"

"Yes," Eri answered quietly.

"We will work on finding tutors you are comfortable with," Recovery Girl said, "Actually, I was thinking of Mizuno-san from first year. Except she can't, with her own studies. I will have to check on some of our more balanced and personable alumni who are in college."

"There is one last thing I wanted to talk with you about, Eri," now it was fully my turn, and I was a bit nervous. Worried about her reaction.

"You see, in the week after next," I stumbled over the words a bit, "I have to go on an internship for school."

"Oh," she said softly.

"And I have to decide which internship I will take by tomorrow. The thing is, I have a couple of choices. And my first choice will require me to stay there for the week. But I do have another option, that would let me stay here. A couple actually. And maybe one of those might be better for me, it's hard to tell... I know things have been rough for you, and that being here is new. So if you want me to stay here, I will take one... of them..."

I trailed off at the end, not sure what to say. I wanted to let her answer honestly, to not pressure her one way or the other.

"Wata*... Eri wants onii-chan to stay," the girl answered, "But Eri knows the onii-chan has to do school stuff, so he can become a Hero and save lots of people like he saved Eri. So Eri will be okay if he goes away for a week."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," Eri confirmed, as steady as she could.

"Okay," I reached across the table and took her hand.


'So what is going to happen how?' Ochako asked, after I finished explaining to the guild that Eri would be living with us and I had her permission to take a further out internship.

'I will take the internship in Ome,' I said, 'Since it is more than an hour out by train, I'll have to stay on site. It still is somewhat close if there is an emergency. I plan to call her and Mom every night. And I don't want to ignore Eri's effort.'

'In Ome?' Cassandra parroted, 'The Torino Agency?'

'You know it?' I asked in surprise.

'I didn't before,' Cassandra said, 'But I received an offer from them. And when I did some research, it seems that agency shut down nine and a half years ago. Conveniently, right after my father and I spent a month in Japan. And now I have an offer from them.'

'You think your father might have run into Gran Torino,' All Might mused.

'It wouldn't surprise me,' Cassandra said, 'Either way, I am curious to find out why this Hero came out of retirement to make an offer to me. And it seems to Izuku, too.'

'All Might said Torino-san sent out three offers,' I told her, 'But wouldn't tell me who. I guess this means we will be interning together.'

'I suppose it does,' she agreed, 'That is a bit comforting.'

The conversation stalled, and then Ochako spoke again.

'Sorry,' she said, 'if I wasn't clear. But I was actually asking what is going to happen with Overhaul. Izuku's plan to trap him worked, but what is next?'

'I tested that I could remove him,' I said flatly, 'if needed. Then I handed him over to the proper authorities, namely All Might-sensei and Nezu-sensei. They didn't ask me to remove him.'

'You don't sound upset about that,' Momo said cautiously.

'Honestly, I'm not,' I admitted, 'I only know the tip of the iceberg of what he did it Eri. And that is enough that I would not have felt bad if I had been forced to kill him. Beyond that, he kidnapped Mom and told her he was going to do something to her, after using her as a hostage. I don't want to think about what that 'something' might be. He also had two chances to stop chasing Eri and run, and as much as said he would never do that. And that's on top of what sounds like countless other crimes including murder and selling drugs. With his powers, the only other ways I can think of that might hold him are amputating his hands, having a telekinetic hold him up and his arms and fingers at full extension so he can't touch anything, or have Aizawa-sensei stare at him. The last two aren't exactly sustainable. And I can't be really sure any of them would work.'

'You aren't wrong,' Momo sighed mentally, 'It just bothers me. We are supposed to be the good guys, but he is being held without due process.'

'Actually,' All Might interjected, 'Chisaki Kai's trial will begin on Saturday. Nezu has a backup to Izuku's Dungeon in mind, but before we can enact it, the US government insisted there be some form of official trial. So the Japanese courts have invoked the Napier Doctrine to try Chisaki.'

'Ah,' Ami, Momo, and I exclaimed our understanding.

'What's that?' Tsu asked for the others.

'Usually you would learn about that in your second year,' All Might said, 'Though even most Pro Heroes don't remember it. Would one of you like to explain?'

'The Napier Doctrine is a policy set forth by the UN about a half a century ago,' Momo responded, 'It supports member nations trying criminals in absentia, if their Quirk makes it too dangerous to try them in person.'

'The Doctrine also specifies,' Ami added, 'That every effort must be made to ensure the trial is fair and just.'

Even though we were spread out across the ward, I could almost feel them all turn to look at me.

'The Napier Doctrine was suggested by the US,' I remembered, 'It is named for Jack Napier, the Villain better known as the Joker. His Quirk was called 'Laughing Mad'. Anyone who saw the Joker or even heard his voice, would become violently and criminally psychopathic. They would kill, riot, and steal, all while laughing uproariously. It even worked over digital mediums. It is still illegal around the world to own any recordings of the Joker, outside of very restricted research. The effect lasted for thirteen hours, after which the victims returned mostly to normal. That said, some were driven insane by what they had done, while many killed themselves in regret.'

'The US tried multiple ways to allow the Joker to participate in his own trials,' All Might picked up for me, 'With no success. You can look them up, if you really want to know, I'd rather not remember them. Eventually, the state of New Jersey passed a law that would be the basis for the Napier Doctrine. With his example passed around the political table, many countries began to consider similar laws. The UN stepped in to try to make sure that justice was not too badly compromised.'

He paused, then added, 'A Napier Doctrine trial in Japan has two failsafes. First, the trial must be approved by the Supreme Court. Second if the criminal does not have their own defense lawyers, the public defender's office must supply at least two lawyers, at least one of a senior level. And these lawyers are incentivized with bonus pay and bonus time off, if they win the case. It is not a perfect system, but given some of the Quirks out there, there isn't always a better choice.'

'So this Joker is in prison?' Kyouka sounded nervous. I suppose the idea that hearing a voice would drive her to kill was especially worrisome with her Quirk.

'No,' I said, 'Napier was never tried under the system named for him. He forced the Rhode Island 7 to kill him while the law was being passed.'

'Forced them to kill him?' Ochako sounded upset.

'He tied thirteen bombs, spread across North America, to a pacemaker he implanted in his own chest,' I remembered the pained words in Berri's book, 'The only way to stop the bombs was to stop his heart. But he had safeguards against things like trying to freeze him, the pacemaker had to be able to send out a signal when his heart stopped, otherwise the bombs would still go off... He had a lot of safeguards. Napier wanted to be sure the only way to save millions was for the Heroes to kill him. He thought it would be a great joke, bringing them down to his level. Until then, the RI7 had never killed any Villain. Joker was hoping to force Batman or Superman to do it. But Hawkgirl did, instead. She said that she already had a reputation as the most aggressive and violent member of the RI7, so it would have the least blowback on the team. Or the few other Pro Heroes out there at that point, since this was after the US deemed the experiment a success and started training and licensing other Heroes.'

'I think we've delved enough into that,' Mom said firmly. Then she prompted, 'Where is everyone else interning?'


Friday morning we had normal classes, but the afternoon was our last day of internship research. Most of class 1-A had already made their choices. With one exception.

Momo had told us last night, that her first choice had effectively fallen through. Both she and Kendo-san were considering the Uwabami, the Snake Hero. She was number twenty seven in the rankings, and generally only asked two or three students a year to intern with her. This year it was Momo, Kendo-san, and Hikari. Though I heard through the grapevine that Hikari hadn't even considered it, looking instead for a Hero with similar powers to her Photon Halo.

Momo began to second guess her choice Tuesday, after meeting with a second year who had interned with Uwabami. That girl had been carefully, studiously neutral in her description of the Hero and the internship. Very nonspecific. And to Momo and Kendo-san, more than a little suspicious.

Yesterday, they had learned the reason. They had met with a third year, who was trusting them on the recommendation of Nejire-senpai. It seemed that during the senior's internship, they had only gone on patrol once. They had done some physical training, but nothing strenuous or combat related. Instead most of the time was spent on a modelling job. Three days of makeup, outfits, and photos.

So Momo and Kendo-san were going through their packets again, checking again on their backup choices.

And since Momo had told of this last night, all the Knights were helping her. The eight of us were huddled in the library. Nine, I guess, since Kendo-san was also here, and we were lending her our help, too.

"So we have the Wild Wild Pussycats and Mirko are two strong options on the physical side," Ami added them to one pile, "Though the Pussycats did not extend an offer to Momo."

"Hey, what's going on?" Ashido-san poked her head into the library and looked at us, "I thought you had all picked your internships?"

"My choice was dashed at the end of the day yesterday," Momo said, "Mine and Kendo-san's both. So everyone is helping us."

"Why didn't you say something?" the pink girl sounded annoyed, "I would have helped. Probably the others, too."

"We didn't want to put anyone else out," Kendo-san told her, "You did your research, so this is your time."

"What about them?" Ashido pointed directly at me. Kendo looked at us. Then at Momo.

"We heard Momo muttering to herself, and offered to help," Kyoka said.

"Well, wait there," Ashido insisted, "I'll go get the rest of the class."

She darted out. And Kendo-san laughed wryly.

"I think that's the difference in our classes," the orangette said, "I can only think of one or two of them who would have bothered to check if they walked by and saw this. And while they would have helped, they wouldn't have gone to get others. I wouldn't have expected most of them to help, if they did hear about this."

"To be fair," Ochako said, "I can think of two members of our class that I would only give even odds of coming back with Mina-chan."

"I had a thought," I said, "For you Momo, sorry Kendo-san."

"That's fine," the 1-B leader smiled in understanding.

"What's that, Izuku?" Tsu asked, before we could go off on a tangent.

"You rejected all the support company offers," I sifted through that pile, "But maybe you should consider it."

The others all looked thoughtful.

"But I'm in the Hero course," Momo objected.

"Heroes aren't just one thing," I said, "And with your Quirk, you might be able to learn a lot from a support company. Especially if..."

I found the file I had seen earlier.

"This company employs a retired Hero, Cyclotron," I handed her the file, "His Quirk lets him produce liquid chemicals from his palms. That might sound like Ashido's Quirk, which is why her popping in reminded me. But like you, he has to know about the chemicals he is making. So he might be able to give you tips."

"That's not a bad idea," Maijima-sensei said. We all turned to see that he had entered the library at some point.

"You aren't making items to last as a rule, Yaoyorozu-san," Power Loader continued, "So learning about tolerances, where you can cut corners and where you need to stick to the blueprints, that could help you make equipment faster and with less materials in an emergency. And I know Cyclotron, he might be able to help you with some mnemonics."

"Thank you, Izuku, and sensei," Momo bowed her head, "I will consider that."

"And the reason I stopped," he continued, "Is that I wanted to let Midoriya-kun know that the room transfer is done. Midoriya-san and Eri-chan were talking about her room when I left."

"Thanks, sensei," I told him.

Momo looked through the folder I had given her. And Kendo-san picked up Mirko's offer again.


"Okay, some of you pushed it," Aizawa-sensei sounded slightly more annoyed than usual, "But it seems I have all of your internship choices. Good. Next week we'll talk about travel plans and lodgings. And also be holding special classes to make sure you don't embarrass yourselves or UA too much. So, you can go for today, but don't forget that you have regular Saturday classes tomorrow. And Midnight has something special for you."

That seemed to worry most of us, though some of my male classmates seemed more happy to be having a class with Kayama-sensei.

Everyone began to file out. Tsu and Cassandra looked at me, and I nodded slightly. After just a minute, seventeen of them had left, leaving only three of us.

"You texted me... I guess, us," Mo-chan finally got out of her seat and walked over to mine. The seemingly empty uniform of Hagakure-chan joined us.

'Clear,' Tsu reported, she and Cassandra standing watch in the hall to be sure we wouldn't be overheard.

"Yes," I nodded, "And I'm guessing you know why, Mo-chan."

"Yeah," she chuckled nervously, rubbing her hands together, "I was pretty blatant at Momo's party."

"Hmm?" Hagakure-chan sounded confused, "What about Momo's party?"

"I have been running a special study group," I told them both. Mo-chan had said she wanted in, but it wasn't clear how much she knew, "There is a limit to how many people can join, and how we train is a secret. I wanted to invite you Hagakure-san, but I wasn't sure if you would let it slip by accident. So the rest of the group wanted to get to know you better, and give you a test."

"And by rest of the group he means the other girls in 1-A," Mo-chan offered, "Except you, me, and I think not Ashido-chan, either."

I inclined my head at her, then continued, "And Mo-chan has figured some of it and asked to join. I had two slots left, and after everything that has happened, and with the internships coming up, I thought it was time to make the offer."

"So you wanted to invite me?" Hagakure mused. Then she said sadly, "But why? I'm no great shakes for grades. And everyone you have is stronger than me."

"That's why," I said, "If I'm honest, the main reason I want to train with you is because your power makes me nervous. Your allies don't know where you are, so could easily hit you by accident. Your costume is no costume. You don't even have a few layers of bullet resistant silk like Tsu or Ochako. And while you can take out most normal people thanks to the training you've put in, you might have trouble with a veteran Villain. So I was hoping training with us would help make you stronger."

"Also, I have some ideas about your Quirk, and was hoping we might be able to help you control it. And my Mom, who is part of the group, has an idea about how to make a costume that would turn invisible for you."

"That hurts a bit," Hagakure admitted, "But at the same time, it makes me a bit happy that you are looking out for me. And I'd have to be an idiot to say 'no', right? Even I can see how much better Ami and Kyoka have gotten."

"You wouldn't be an idiot to say no," I told her, "Because that is just what I am going to encourage you two to do now."

"What?" Mo-chan looked confused.

"The way we train is dangerous," I told them, "While no-one has been seriously hurt yet... At least by the training itself... there is every possibility you could be hurt in the process."

"What does that mean?" Hagakure asked quickly, her voice trembling.

"One time Tsu got badly hurt after we finished training for the day," I said, "That was technically before we started this new method, back when it was just her and me running around the forest like enthusiastic idiots."

Seriously, what had we been thinking? All alone out there? And with no real plan?

"Oh?" Mo-chan's eyes narrowed and she smirked.

"The other reason," I brushed past her innuendo, "Is that this has to say secret. Stay secret. Once we tell you, you can't tell anyone else. Or it could be a lot of trouble for everyone. But yes, especially me."

"And just what is it?" Mo-chan pressed, now serious, "Because that almost sounds like a threat."

"It's is nothing bad," I explained, "The best analogy we have is this: if I set up my phone as a wi-fi hotspot for our class, there's nothing wrong with that. It's legal and lots of people do it. But I would have to put a password on it, for multiple reasons. And if I gave you the password, that's still fine. But if you start giving out the password, without my knowledge or permission, then a bunch of extra people could start using it. That would slow things down for everyone, and cost me more money. And if those people shared it, my phone could eventually be used for something illegal."

"That makes sense, I guess," Mo-chan relaxed. But not entirely.

"To put it another way," I added, "If my dad gave me a special training machine he made himself, that's fine. But if too many people know, no-one would get enough time to use it. And if the government or a big corporation found out, they might take it away."

"I get it," the blonde nodded, "So it could be dangerous and we have to keep it a secret. Is that it?"

"Until you agree," I confirmed, "I want the two of you to take the night to consider it. Talk to the others, if you want. They won't tell you what this is, but they can confirm what I've said, and tell you if they would back out, if that was an option."


"What are you going to do?" Toru asked as soon as Izuku left.

"Oh, I'm definitely in," Mordred told her transparent classmate, "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to pick Cassandra's brain about this first."

"Hmmm," Toru considered that.


"Good morning, my lovelies," Midnight purred at us. Shoji-kun blushed over his mask. Kirishima-kun smiled in anticipation. The reset of us returned sensei's greeting with varying degrees of caution.

"There is one more critical thing to do before your internships. One final line on the paperwork that is currently blank..."

We looked around, confused.

"Before we can send them off, we have to know your Hero Names. Codenames. Aliases. Today, you are going to pick them!"

We all erupted in cheers. Except Cassandra and Koda-kun, the latter doing a silent fist pump; Tokoyami-san, who just grinned knowingly; and Todoroki-kun, who didn't react much at all. If anything he looked annoyed.

"So," she started handing out placards, "You each need to come up with a Hero Name. Feel free to get close and bounce ideas off your classmates. And don't forget, I can reject your choice."

"You can?" Iida-san prompted.

"Yup," she grinned at him saucily, "If it is taken, it doesn't fit, or it is just dumb, I'll spank it down and send you back to the drawing bed. Now take five minutes to start."

I pulled out a notebook and started scribbling. It wasn't like this was a new line of thought for me. My whole life I'd been making various plans for when I became a Pro Hero. Except that all of the names I had come up with were like those of a chunni fanboy. 'All Might Junior', 'Mighty Boy', and on and on. I had dozens of them. Although, if I accepted All Might's offer and took One For All...

I pushed that out of my head. Violently scratched out the first four things I had written down. Then less violently struck through the fifth name, 'Game Lad'. It wouldn't make any sense without giving away The Gamer. And it didn't roll off the tongue. Gameboy would have worked better, but I wasn't going to risk crossing Nintendo. That also ruled out two more game related ideas, leading to the eighth thing I had written.

Deku.

Except for the time I told the study group about it, I hadn't heard that nickname since I left Aldera behind. However it was still so close to my mind. It was like an old, stained jacket. It was ugly, it smelled, and I hated it. But it fit comfortably and I was used to it. I started to scratch it out. Then I stopped.

Deku was out of the question. But maybe I could make it into something good. Paint that wooden doll my own colors. Both honor and spite Kacchan at the same time.

'Dekiru'. The word meant 'go for it' and was what Ochako was reminded of when she heard the old nickname. It wasn't bad, but didn't feel right.

"Okay, some of you have stopped writing," Kayama-sensei called out, "Who would like to go first?"

"Moi," Aoyama-san was on his feet before she even finished asking. He twirled up to the podium, and showed off his placard. He had written, in English, 'i can not stop twinkling'. The grammar error aside, I wondered why he had used English. After all, he was part French and liked to randomly use French words. The only thing I could think of what that his sister was in England.

The name didn't seem to be going over well. It was long, a sentence rather than a name. And well, I would have been embarrassed by it. It looked like most of my classmates agreed.

"It could use some work," Midnight-sensei told him, "What if we shorten it to 'Can't Stop Twinkling'?"

She wrote her suggestion on another sheet. And at least she capitalized the words.

"Tre better," he agreed.

I couldn't help myself, I raised my hand.

"Yes Midoriya-kun?" she pointed at me.

"What if we removed the verbs?" I suggested, "Make it something like 'Eternal Twinkling' or 'Forever Twinkling'?"

Midnight nodded, and looked at Aoyama-san, "What do you think?"

"Yes," he said. His marker swished across the back of the placard, and he flipped it around.

(Infinite) Twinkling

Except he had used the actual inifinty symbol that this medium keeps eating.

"Oh, I like it," Midnight-sensei smiled widely and gave him a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Midoriya-kun," he winked at me.

"You're welcome," I said weakly.

Ashido went up next. Her suggestion was also in English, but written in katakana. Midnight shot down her desire to name herself after a villainous movie monster, even while acknowledging the acid connection. Unlike Aoyama, Ashido-chan didn't immediately have a replacement, and returned to her desk to think.

Tsu went next. She had already told me and Mikoto her Hero name, back when we first met the electrokinetic. So it was little surprise when her card read 'Rainy Season Hero: Froppy'. That surprise being that she had written Froppy in romanji, but with hiragana underneath. Her name was approved by Kayama-sensei, and the class seemed relieved that a relatively normal name went unchallenged.

"So, who will be next?" Sensei prompted. After no-one answered for a second, Mo-chan stood up and walked to the front of the class.

"Just call me 'The Three Swords Heroine: Zollo'," her green eyes flashing in pride as she proclaimed it.

"No," Midnight said flatly.

"Why not?" Mo-chan whined a little.

"Just because you used ls instead of rs, doesn't mean I don't recognize it," Midnight said, "And there is no way we are going against Jump Publishing. Try again."

Mo-chan frowned and marched back to her seat.

"Anyone else?" Midnight-sensei asked again, "Or do you need more time?"

"I have an idea," Kirishima-kun stood up cautiously. He walked to the room, and did not show his card immediately.

"I chose this name to honor my favorite Hero," he said, "The man who inspired me, whose image I want to live up to. So I want the be 'Sturdy Hero: Red Riot'."

He had also chosen the English word red, in katakana. And like Crimson Riot, he used the kanji for Riot but pronounced it in English.

"So you are a fan of Crimson Riot," Kayama-sensei confirmed, "Good, I think he will be honored. It's a good name."

Kirishima sat down with a sigh of relief.

Then, in quick succession, Kyoka chose the name 'Earphone Jack', Shoji-kun's suggestion of 'Tenacole' was accepted, Sero-kun went with 'Cellophane' and Ojiro-san called himself 'Tailman'.

Mo-chan stood up again and stalked to the front of the class.

"Okay, my first one wasn't original enough, so instead I will be 'The Red Beater Heroine: Morito'!"

I barely suppressed a groan.

"First, it should be Pendura if you are following the pattern," Midnight sounded as unimpressed as I was, "And second, can you perform a Starburst Stream?"

"Ummm, not really?" Mo-chan was taken aback by the question.

"What about at least a Mother's Rosario?" Midnight added, "The 12 hit version?"

"No."

"Then no," sensei said sharply. Mo-chan slumped and stomped back to her seat.

"Modura-chan, if you're gonna rip something off, think of something a little more obscure," Midnight instructed her.

Ami moved quickly to the the podium, I think hoping to distract from Mo-chan.

"For my Hero name and label," the bluette said nervously, "I want to use 'The 0 Degree Heroine: Mercury'."

For a moment Midnight-sensei did not respond. She looked at Ami thoughtfully.

"Do you have a reason for that?" she finally asked the hydrokinetic.

"Yes," Ami nodded quickly, "Firstly, because the temperature of the water or ice plays into my Quirk, and Fahrenheit-sensei's mercury thermometer is widely regarded as the first practical and accurate thermometer. Or at least the most famous and widely used one. Secondly, given my birth date, my astrological sign is ruled by the planet Mercury. And... third... I was looking it up, and there are a lot of Heroes and Villain with Quirks related to water in some way and.. well... all the good water related names were taken."

Kayama-sensei grinned slightly, "Well, that more thought than some of your classmates have put into their names. Sounds good to me."

"Thank you, sensei," Ami sighed with relief and quickly sat down.

"I got one," Ashido-chan exclaimed and hopped up, "Since my Quirk could be a bit scary, I thought maybe something nice and safe sounding. So what about 'Pinky'?"

This time she had written it in romanji, probably inspired by Tsu and Ami.

"That's much better," Sensei nodded.

Hagakure-chan went next. She turned around a placard reading 'Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl', all English words in katakana. Midnight-sensei started to nod, so I quickly raised my hand.

"Yes, Midoriya-kun?"

"While I'm pretty sure it is out of copyright, I think Marvel which is to say Disney might have an issue with that," I explained, "Both Storm-Richards Susan and her future granddaughter Richards Bennie were called Invisible Girl, though Susan has used Invisible Woman since before Quirks appeared and Bennie is currently non-canon. But some alternate versions of Sue have still used Invisible Girl and..."

I trailed off, realizing I had mumbled again, and everyone was looking at me.

"I guess I just mean it might be safer to pick something else. Like maybe Invisigal?"

"Ooo, I like that," she agreed quickly, writing it as 'InvisaGal' in romanji.

"The 'Stealth Hero: InvisaGal'," Hagakure-chan proclaimed.

"Very good," Midnight ratified it.

Even while I was listening, and occasionally talking, I had been rolling that one idea back and forth in my brain. I liked it. So I guess I would see what Midnight-sensei had to say.

When Hagakure-chan was back at her desk, I walked up to the podium. Without saying a word, I turned around my card.

'Ten Years to a Hero: Decade'. The first part in hiragana and kanji, but the name Decade was also in romanji. Like with Ami, Midnight mulled it over rather than immediately approving or rejecting it.

"Can you explain it to me?" she finally prompted.

"Yes," I said, "Like Ami, I have multiple reasons. The first reason, is that I wanted something that sounds like 'Deku'. It is a nickname an old friend gave me. And I always hated that name. But I also promised I would become a Hero in his stead. That's why I wanted something similar. And also, when I was four, I was told I was Quirkless. And my power didn't show up until I was fourteen. For those ten years, I never stopped wanting to be a Hero, no matter what anyone said. So... yeah, that's it."

"It's a fine name," Kayama-sensei said, a bit more gently than she had with the others.

"Thank you," I told her.

"Great. That puts us into the second half of you," she noted, "Anyone else have an idea?"

Five more went in quick succession with immediate approve from Midnight-sensei. Ochako just called herself 'Uravity' without any extra descriptor. That seemed to get Todoroki-kun's attention for some reason. Tokoyami became 'Jet Black Hero: Tsukuyomi', which was better than most of us were expecting. Mikoto, unsurprisingly, went with simply 'Railgun'. And Momo selected the name 'Everything Hero: Creati'. Then Koda-san showed a card reading 'Petting Hero: Anima' without saying anything. There was a glint in Midnight-sensei's eyes, and she approved it before anyone could object.

"Got it!" Mo-chan charged forward this time, "I will be the 'Crichton Heroine: Dargo'!"

"Is that a reference?" sensei asked. Mo-chan said nothing, but wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Okay, you've got me. I have no idea what that is," Midnight admitted.

"Then..."

"Still no."

Mo-chan sighed harshly, and started back to her desk. As she sat down, I leaned over.

"What about picking or adapting something from mythology?" I suggested, "More than a few Heroes have used those names, and they are old enough not to be copyrighted or trademarked. You were born in Britian, so maybe something from Celtic or Arthurian..."

"No," she said quickly, softly, and sharply. Then she settled and said, "Thanks for the suggestion, but Arthurian legend is out. Maybe Celtic or Greek myths..."

Cassandra walked to the front of the class. She showed us her placard.

'The Blanked Heroine: Spoiler'

This was written all in English. Again, Midnight-sensei did not react. So Cassandra inclined her head to me, with a slightly bitter smile. I nodded back.

\When I was really young, my dad and I stayed in Gotham City for almost a year because he had multiple jobs back to back,/ she signed and I translated, \It was long enough that I wound up making my first real friend. We played hide and seek with her other friends, a few times. But they didn't want to play with me, because they said my Quirk was like a spoiler. She got mad at them. But then she tried to come up with ways it could be a good thing. Like a spoiler that saves you from watching a show that is bad or you wouldn't like. Or spoilers that make cars work better and look cooler. So she called me Spoiler, and I liked that name. She was killed a few years after we left, by a Villain. So I want to use that name, for her./

"Okay, we'll go with that," Midnight agreed. Then she looked pointedly, saying, "What about you two?"

Iida-kun and Todoroki-kun hadn't moved yet. But at her statement, Todoroki-kun stood up. He showed us his name. Literally. He had written Shoto on the card in katakana.

"That's just your given name," Midnight-sensei frowned at him.

"I have recently had a bit of an existential crisis," he said, "I want to be a Hero. But I'm not sure of the exact path that will take. So for now, I will just be Shoto."

"So deep," Kyoka murmured.

"I can appreciate that," Kayama-sensei agreed, "So Shoto it is."

"In that case, I will just be Tenya," Iida-kun said, not standing.

"Any reason?" sensei raised an eyebrow.

"My brother asked me to consider taking the name Ingenium, as he is no longer able," he answered stiffly, "But I feel neither ready nor worthy."

Midnight-sensei didn't say anything. She just recorded his name on her tablet. Then she set it aside and smiled.

"So, that leaves Penryu-chan. So while she comes up with something, we'll go back to normal class."


Before she left Midnight stopped by Mordred's desk.

"It seems to me you are avoiding the obvious name," the R-18 Heroine said, "I know you and your father didn't take your stepdad's surname. But I think he would be proud if you took his Hero name instead. Just something to consider."

Mordred's brow furrowed in thought. Then she called out Clarent, and looked at it. Studied the broadsword.

Then Toru stuck her head back in the classroom, and waved her hand at Mordred. The blonde stored her sword again, and hurried over to her invisible classmate.


I led Mo-chan and Hagakure-chan to Nezu-sensei's office. The swordswoman gave me an odd look.

"Was this some sort of trap?" she asked, "Are we in trouble?"

"I thought the same thing," Kyoka said with a smirk, as she came up behind them, "When they brought me in, it was like an intervention."

"No," I told Mo-chan, "It's just Principal Nezu knows about this, and he agreed to let us use his office. Partly so we have a quiet and secure place. But I think mostly so he can observe."

I had already double checked, and he was currently still in my Party.

"Good afternoon, if only by a few minutes," the dog-bear-mouse greeted us brightly, "Snacks?"

He gestured to a plate of assorted puffed rice treats on the table.

"No, thank you," I told him.

"Sure," Hagakure-chan grabbed a chocolate flavored one.

We started to set down. Mo-chan looked around thoughtfully, then at the door.

"Where is everyone else?" she asked.

"Tsu, Ami, and Ochako are going over to my place to look after Eri," I explained. Then I realized they didn't know who she was, and added, "My little sister."

"I didn't know you had any siblings," Hagakure-chan said sounding confused.

"Yeah," Mo-chan studied me, "In fact I was pretty sure it was the opposite."

"Foster sister," I told them, "As of Thursday."

"There is a story there," the blonde girl told me.

"Maybe. And if so, one for later," Nezu said, before I could respond.

"Right," Kyoka added, looking at the other two girls.

"I talked to Cassandra," Mo-chan said, "Well, texted her. You know. And she was trying very hard not to pressure me. But she really wanted me to join. So I'm in."

"Yes, me too," Hagakure-chan raised her hand, "Not the talking to Cain-chan part. Just that it sounds like a good idea for me. And Kyoka-chan and Uraraka-chan sold me on it. So what's next? Dark magic blood pact? Secret handshake and microchip implantation?"

"Something like the first," Kyoka smirked. Hagakure-chan appeared to flinch. But Mo-chan's eyebrows just narrowed.

"Guild Invite: Hagakure Toru, Penryu Modura," I said.

The screen popped up in front of Hagakure-san. She jumped back in surprise, knocking down her chair. But no notice appeared for Mo-chan. Kyoka looked at me in confusion. And Nezu frowned.

"Has that happened before?" he asked me.

"No," I shook my head, confused.

"Was something supposed to happen?" Mo-chan asked.

"You don't have a weird glowing window in front of you?" Hagakure-chan asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

"No."

"Maybe it's because you don't like the full version of your given name?" I mused, "Maybe I should try again with Mo-chan instead?"

She cringed. Then she looked at me and said, "Mordred Pendragon."

I blinked in surprise. Of course I knew the name. And Nezu-sensei's eyes narrowed.

"What?" Kyoka asked.

"My birth name is Mordred Pendragon," she said softly, "My father changed it for... reasons... when we moved to Japan. And I don't even really like my birth name. But in my heart, it is still my real name. And probably always will be. Unless I decide to change it when and if I get married."

This hadn't been an issue before. But on the other hand, 'Mom', 'Tsu', and everyone else's given names or nicknames, they had all given me permission to call them that. Accepted it. Some maybe 'Mo-chan' would have worked. Or at least it might start working when she was in the guild. But for this moment, I would honor her choice.

That also explained why she didn't want a Hero Name from Arthurian Mythology.

"Guild Invite: Mordred Pendragon."

This time the screen appeared.

"Please hold on a second," Nezu jumped down from his desk chair, and then up on the table, to look at the screen.

[Izuku Midoriya has invited you to join the guild メタ ノ キシダン.
(Accept) (Reject)]

"Simple enough," the principal said, "An interesting side note, though not particularly informative. Please proceed."

Mo-chan didn't hesitate. She hit accept. But Hagakure-chan seemed to be looking at the screen, and her arm hadn't moved. I was tempted to use Clairvoyance to see her expression.

"What is this? A guild? Like a game? What does this mean?" she said anxiously.

"It is okay, Hagakure-chan," Nezu said gently, "It is just Midoriya-kun's power..."

"Just," Kyoka muttered softly yet sarcastically.

"Multiple other people have been exposed to it, for an extended period of time," he continued, "I believe it is safe for you to..."

He was cut off by a knock on the door. Nezu pulled out a small electronic device. He tapped a button and the door to his office opened.

"Come in, Midoriya-san," he said. Mom passed through the door and closed it tightly behind her. She was carrying a large duffel bag and was already in her workout gear.

"This is my mother, Midoriya Inko," I told Mo-chan and Hagakure-chan, "She is also a part of the guild."

"I guess if it is safe for your mom," the transparent girl said weakly. Then the screen vanished.

"Okay," I said, not able to hide a bit of relief, "Next, we'll do Party Invite, Hagakure-chan, Mo-chan, Kyoka, Mom."

This time Mo-chan's alert came up normally.

"It will be easier to explain this with an example," I told them, "So if the two of you would accept the party invite?"

"What's the difference?" Mordred asked.

"Well..."


After almost an hour of explaining, backed up by Mom and Kyoka when I got too nerdy in my phrasings, Mo-chan and Hagakure-chan seemed to have the basics down. I also noted from the Party tab that Mordred was now up to level 15, while Hagakure-chan had reached level 13.

Oh, and Mordred had asked me to call her by her 'real' name in private, but asked that I still call her Mo-chan in front of the rest of the class and everyone else.

"Now then, if you two think you are ready, I believe it is time for your second step, Midoriya-kun," Nezu instructed me.

"Second step?" Hagakure-chan parroted.

"I have been taking new Guild members into a Dungeon straight away," I said, "It is our primary training method, and is the best way to get you used to it."

"And I will also be accompanying you," Nezu-sensei explained, "While I am not an official member of the メタ ノ キシダン, I am your ally. And I have my own need to improve my abilities quickly. While I have been into a Dungeon before, that was only for about twenty-three minutes, and it was an already cleared Dungeon, so I did not get to fight or observe any of the more unusual aspects Midoriya-kun described."

"And we have a special dungeon picked out," Mom added. Kyoka looked surprised, we hadn't mentioned anything about that. Aside from our two newcomers, Earphone Jack was still the lowest level of the Guild, at 17. Meanwhile, between the USJ, Sports Fest, and fight with Overhaul, my level 23 was now the same as Mom's. The rest of the Knights were in between us, except of course for All Might. Who was currently on his way to level 87. Principal Nezu's level was 47, which would inflict some penalty on the rest of us. But given this Dungeon's level wouldn't be that high, and there was already a ten level gap between mandatory me and Hagakure-chan, some amount of XP balancing was unavoidable.

"Unless either of you have an objection?" I asked carefully.

"None here," Mordred actually looked eager.

"It is what we joined for, right?" Hagakure-chan said.

"Good," Mom looked at them. Then opened her bag. She threw a package at the top to Kyoka, who smiled as she caught it.

"Thanks, Midoriya-san," she said.

"It's no trouble," Mom waved it off, "It's actually a good field test. Though my manager is curious how I am able to arrange all of this. Now, for you two..."

She dug around for a moment, then handed shrink wrapped bags to Mordred and Hagakure-chan.

"Clothing?" Hagakure prompted.

"Workout gear," Mom told her, "Tracksuits made from the same materials as my company's costumes. So we can test them in live fire conditions. Because some of the other Knights didn't have proper combat training outfits, and UA keeps your uniforms in lock down."

"You know about my uniform, right?" Hagakure-chan protested.

"Yes, and we are working on something better but for now... Why don't the rest of us go change and give Hagakure-san and Izuku a minute to talk."

Kyoka blushed a bit, but also smirked. Mordred looked confused. But all four of them left to go to the locker rooms to change, even Mom who was already changed, and Principal Nezu who could have just made us leave his office. And Mom handed him a package, too, as they left.

"What was that about?" she asked me nervously.

"I need to tell you something," I said, "and to apologize to you."

"What? Why?" she played with the edge of the still wrapped tracksuit.

"I mentioned I have a variety of abilities due to The Gamer," I reminded her, and she nodded.

"Well, one of those abilities is Clairvoyance."

"You know the future?" she sounded amazed but also confused, "Why do you need to apologize? Did you look at my future? Am I supposed to die? Is that why you asked me to train with you, to try to change my fate?"

"No," I said, upset with myself for being amused by the familiar misunderstanding, "Clairvoyance is not seeing the future. That is Precognition. And I don't have that, at least not yet. No, Clairvoyance is seeing things that are happening now, just without being there."

"Like spying on people?"

"I try not to do that," I said, "I haven't done that, yet. Mostly I use it for a bird's eye view. But the thing about that power, is that it's not my eyes seeing light. It's psychic knowledge that my brain interprets as vision."

"So you can see in the dark?"

"Yes," I confirmed, "And I can also see things that don't reflect light."

"Oh... OH."

I bowed as deeply as I could.

"I am very sorry, Hagakure-san!" I said quickly and forcefully, "I didn't know that power would do that at the time. Or what your costume was going to be. If I had known, I wouldn't have done it. And I've tried very hard not to use Clairvoyance around you since then. But yes. I did see you. In your costume. Such as it is. And I am very sorry. I can't apologize enough and want very much to make it up to you."

"You can see me," her voice was full of wonder. Like I had just told her six-year old self I could get her a real unicorn. Then her tone changed and she squeaked in embarrassment, "You saw me. You saw all of me."

"Not everything and not on purpose," I protested slightly, "Like I said, it was a top down view. I was going to see what the members of 1-B were like, when we did Heroes and Villains. And I was so surprised, seeing a naked girl I didn't recognize, I dropped Clairvoyance immediately. Actually, any sudden naked girl would have probably knocked me out of it, even if I did recognize her. But yes. I saw you. Most of you."

"And what did you think?" she asked, timidly.

"What?" I gaped. That was not the reaction I was expecting. I got the impression even Gamer's Mind was scratching it anthropomorphized head in confusion.

"Did I look strange?" she asked more firmly. She seemed worried.

"Am I ugly? Is my skin weird? Or my nipples? Were my fingernails badly cut? My toenails?"

"Hagakure-san," I said gently, "I can honestly say the only thing I noticed that was 'weird' about you is that your hair looks like silver metal. And that barely qualifies. Other than that, you looked normal. But you are, at least in my opinion, very pretty. If you were really worried that you are secretly unattractive, don't be. If anyone says you are ugly, they are lying to insult you, or are crazy."

It wasn't a nice thing to say about her hypothetical detractors. After all, we all had our own tastes. But I was trying to comfort her, since this obviously meant more to Hagakure-chan than she normally let on.

"Really?" she pressed softly.

"Yes. I used my Telepathy to show the other Knights you... from the day we were all at the pool. And they all agree..."

"What?" she said quickly when I trailed off.

"Well, it's not my place to tell you who, because she doesn't spread her sexuality around, but one of the Knights was very attracted to you."

"Oh," she whispered, surprised but also happy. We sat there for a few seconds while she processed that.

"I guess I should be mad at you," she said, "But I'm not some anime stereotype. I believe you when you say it wasn't on purpose. And you haven't been exploiting that power. And it is kind of my fault, the costume companies did suggest a quick remove costume, but I decided to go with, well, nothing."

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Sure. My measurements are..."

"Have you ever had Aizawa-sensei try to shut off your Quirk?" I cut her off, though I was happy she was back to normal.

"Yeah," she admitted, "The first week. It didn't work. He suggested that my Quirk might be a mutation type. Either that, or just that he has to see someone to shut off their Quirk, and he can't see me."

"So your cells may be naturally transparent, instead of you being invisible some other way?" I considered that, "But then it wouldn't make sense that we don't see the food in your stomach. Not that Quirks always make sense. Maybe some sort of enzyme that..."

I cut myself off, "Nevermind. What about Advisory-sensei? Since she can see infrared and ultraviolet and other spectrums above and below visible light, and more precisely within the visible spectrum, maybe she could see you in some way."

"I honestly never thought of that," she admitted. Then she stood up, and started taking off her uniform.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, jerking my head away.

"Changing," she said, "I need to change before the others get back, so they don't have to wait. We can't all swap our outfits like you. Unfortunately."

"But I'm here," I protested.

"And?" she said teasingly, "You can't see anything without your power, right? And if you do use your power, it doesn't matter if your back is turned or if you are even in the room. So while I need to wear something so you can use that power if you need to today, I don't need to worry about the other side."

"Actually, I was hoping to use Clairvoyance for most of the Dungeon," I admitted, still looking away, "I need the practice."

"Well, don't start just yet, Izuku," she teased happily.

"Izuku?"

"Well," she said a bit shyly, "You have seen me naked. And you did tell us to call you that, the first day of the study group. So since no-one else uses an honorific, I thought I wouldn't either. Is that a problem?"

"No. But can I call you Toru, then?"

"Sure."


I took Mom's hand.

"Dungeon Create, Inko Midoriya," I proclaimed.

A moment later, the six of us were somewhere else. Mordred and Toru boggled. And while he was more restrained, Nezu-sensei was also looking around.

There was a thick wall of fog behind us. And in front of us there was a different yet familiar sight. We were on a college campus. Not All Might's alma mater, the buildings and open ares were different. But the style of the layout and the general feel of the area was the same.

"I believe this is Tython Municipal University," the principal said a few moments later, "Though I do not recall this mist."

"That shows up at the edge of dungeons that don't have a natural barrier," I informed them, "like mountains or oceans, or don't take place inside of a building. If you try to walk into the fog, you can get about a half meter in, and then it feels like you are still moving, but you don't."

"Interesting," the rodent/canine/ursine director mused.

"So what do we have?" Mom asked.

I showed them the screen.

[Dungeon Entry - Inko Midoriya
Swarm Mooks: 1998/1998
Mid-boss: 1/1
Bosses: 1/1 (unspawned)]

"That's a lot of enemies," Kyoka said.

"But not a lot of bosses," Mom added.

"Maybe it is Musou type dungeon?" I suggested, "That could be what 'swarm mooks' means. Lots of weak enemies to wear us down."

"We will see," Nezu said, "If the opponents are too dangerous, we may need to attempt Midoriya-san's Dungeon in multiple parts."

"I was hoping, if everyone doesn't mind, to mainly direct traffic," I said, "I need to level up my Telepathy and Clairsentience. So I will use Clairvoyance and Clairaudience to watch, and keep everyone informed what's going on with Telepathy. Though I may use my ranged attacks if I have a good shot."

"How am I going to fight?" Toru asked, "I know some martial arts, but I'm not as good as Izuku or Cain-chan."

I opened my inventory, and took out my backup combat dagger.

"Umm, I only have one," I said, "Do you need a weapon Nezu-sensei?"

"No, I believe I am fine," he said. Then out of the tracksuit Mom had provided him, he produce a high-tech gun. So I handed the knife to Toru. And Mordred summoned the larger two of her three swords.

College students began to stagger out of the buildings. They were pale and washed out like the enemies in my Dungeon. Beyond that, they had vacant looks, and dark circles under their eyes.

"Mid-terms," they groaned defeatedly, "Mid-terms."

They turned and lurched towards us.

"Clairvoyance," I intoned, "Clairaudience."

I sent my eyes up above the throng.

'I estimate there are two hundred,' I told them using Telepathy, 'Based on a quick volumetric evaluation.'

Nezu fired at the lead most study zombie. A beam of purple energy locked onto its chest. Then a bolt of lightning followed the beam and hit the mook. It went down in a heap, and then disappeared like normal.

"Analyze," I said. And then my field of vision exploded. It was a good thing I was using Clairvoyance, or the brightness might have blinded me. I swept most of the windows aside, and focused on the few I missed.

'Their average level is about sixteen,' I reported psychically, 'Low for most of us, but a little high for Toru and Mordred. But they don't seem to be that strong. I don't see anything like the mid-boss yet.'

"I think I know who the mid-boss might be," Mom said, "And if so, where they are."

Then she swept one of the student's legs, before holding him for Toru to finish.

"Your kung fu is quite good, Midoriya-san," Nezu told her.

"I haven't had much practice in Dungeons," she said, "I usually act more as support. But since I learned the skill from that scroll, I have been including it in my workouts. So if Izuku is going to play support today, I guess I will try to attack."

Then she yanked a clipboard out of one mob's hands with her Quirk, and broke it over the head of another.

"I think she needs a Hero name, too," Kyoka said, still crushing on my mom.


We were standing outside an office. Mom had easily led us directly here, and Ki Detection confirmed that inside was an enemy of boss strength. Clairvoyance plus Analyze gave me the name and that the enemy was level 26.

We had taken out the first two batches of 200 enemies, and Mordred and Toru had each gained one level in the process. It probably would have been more, without principal Nezu. But his combination lightning and laser gun had taken out more than his share of the 400 weak zombies.

"Is everyone ready?" Mom asked, her hand on the door.

'Are you?' I directed the Telepathic message to her alone. She nodded slightly, but her eyes were shadowed.

She opened the door, and we hurried in.

"Ah, Kuza... No, it's Midoriya-san now, isn't it," the mid-boss looked up and addressed Mom.

"Hello, Hakamada-sensei," Mom stepped forward. Except she didn't. Mom was still standing by the door. But a phantom stepped out of her and walked hesitantly forward. The doppelganger was younger and was wearing normal street clothing. Clothing that showed a slight bump on her midriff.

"I came to tell..." the ghost of Mom's younger self continued.

"I know why you are here," the other woman said angrily, "You are abandoning your dreams, throwing your future away. And for what? That arrogant manchild and what he wants?"

"We both want..." young Mom's hand dropped to her belly.

"Bullshit," the professor barked, "Just last year you said you wanted to wait until you had your degree to get married. To make a mark in the industry before you started a family. Instead you..."

"You could have been great," the teacher groaned in dismay, "I haven't had many students with your eye and talent for design. You could have had your own design house. You might have been a legend. But no. You let him do this to you. You ruined your life."

"I didn't ruin my life," college Inko said weakly, "Things changed. We can't all be like..."

She stopped abruptly.

"Like me?" Hakamada-sensei hissed. She narrowed her eyes at Mom. The real Mom looking past the memory.

"Come back in ten years. See if you can still tell me that. For now? GET OUT."

The shadow of Mom blew apart at her words.

"I didn't ruin my life," Mom said, firmly, "You may have been more right about Hisashi than I was. And things may have been tough. But my Izuku was worth it. He is better than we deserved. He's not perfect, but he is a great kid and he tries hard."

She reached over and touched my shoulder.

"And that's just not me, now, saying that," she added, "I believe that the me of three or five or seven years ago would have said the same. But now? I have my son and I am living my dream. It may be a little late but I am making my mark. And I'm dating someone, who, even if we don't stay together, is better for me than Hisashi and will stay my friend after. I am happy, and things are good. And if I hadn't taken the same steps and missteps along the way, I wouldn't have gotten here."

"Good," Hakamada-sensei said, a hint of pride in her voice, "If that is the case, I'm glad to be proven wrong. Of course..."

The fabric swatches on the wall began to vibrate. And I realized why her family name sounded familiar.

"... I still have to kill you now."

[Uzume Hakamada
Head of Fabrics at TMU
Level: 26
Health: 800
Stamina: 800
Psions: 2443
Quick: Fabric
Special Attacks: Quirk (cloth control/fabrikinesis)
Special Defenses: Quirk (cloth control/fabrikinesis), Cut Resistance (low), Energy Resistance (mid)]

Bolts of silk sliced at us like knives, while the cotton panels hovered defensively in front of her. Which prevented me from spending too much pondering that Analyze had reached some sort of new plateau.

"She told me once she's not as strong as her nephew," Mom told us, "But I'm not sure how much that matters here."

Clarent and Mordred's unnamed katana cut through two of the attacking silks, and then another pair. In both cases the smaller part dropped away and the larger section swooped around for another attack.

Nezu-sensei shot at Hakamada-sensei, but a ruffle of white cotton blocked. The fabric caught fire, and was discarded. Instead a skein of reflective material bounced the next laser back, narrowly missing me.

Kyoka's jacks shifted into katana form, and swung at the cloth that attacked her. She wasn't very skilled yet. But the tiny blades also buzzed, so they not only cut the silk, but frayed it and loosened its weave.

"Izuku, are you still using Clairvoyance?" Toru asked.

'Yes,' I told them, 'Mom, on your right. Nezu, the tiger print is trying to flank Mordred.'

"Izuku, drink," Mom ordered. I pulled a sports drink out of inventory, and Mom immediately pulled it to her hand. Then she splashed it over one of the swatches. The weight and liquid and sugar together seemed to take most of the fight out of it. Then she pointed her hand at the wall. Hakamada-sensei's diploma shot off, hitting the mid-boss in the back of her head and taking about ten percent of her health.

"Okay, well," Toru mumbled, "Try not to look too much, okay? Midoriya-san, here."

The invisible teen tossed the dagger so it would land at Mom's feet. Gravity Pull caught it and the hilt slapped into Mom's right hand. Mom cut one of the smaller fragments of silk that tried to ambush her. She wasn't as good as Mordred, but was definitely better than Toru.

Who unzipped her tracksuit jacket. Untied the waistband. And with practiced ease, disrobed.

I tried my best to only see the top of her head, but I was trying to take in the entire battlefield. Speaking of which.

"Gondor Smash," I intercepted a cloth that almost got principal Nezu. Then one did clip Mordred, but I healed her. At that point she decided to stop conserving her psions, and her kukri appeared, too.

Though I was trying not to look at her, I was able to track Toru as she made her unseen way across the room. I fed her silent advice, so she didn't take a hit or otherwise get detected. As Mom, Kyoka, and Mordred whittled down the attacking cloths, Nezu-sensei shot down the defenders, using lightning to melt the reflective ones and lasers to burn the rest. I directed him where not to shoot to avoid Toru, and he managed to land a few hits on Professor Hakamada.

Finally Toru got into position. Behind the midboss and grabbing her chair. It wasn't a plastic office chair, but a heavy, wooden antique.

'Okay,' I said silently, 'Like we planned... Now.'

Mom's Quirk yanked away one of the skeins of cloth. Clarent flew across the room, slashing at the boss's left arm. Nezu-sensei switched both the laser and electric discharge to full, and fired at her belt. Kyoka and I focused on the attack cloth for the moment, keeping the others safe. And while Hakamada-sensei was focusing on the rest of us, Toru clobbered her over the head with the chair.

The blow took off almost forty percent of the boss's remaining HP. And it distracted her.

'Toru, dropped it and dive right,' I ordered mentally as the cloth moved to retaliate. The counter was unsteady, but despite my instructions, Toru got hit. I could see the cut in her side, though to everyone else it looked like a gout of blood from nowhere.

But with Hakamada-sensei's concussion and focus on Toru, that left everyone else open. Flying sword, thrown dagger, electrified laser, and Ki Blast removed the rest of the health in one modest barrage. I wasn't sure what her special defenses accounted for, but it wasn't enough.

[Level Up!
Level: 24
Attribute points: +7
Skill points: +3
Talent points: +1]

I slapped the one point into Luck on autopilot, and noticed everyone except Nezu-sensei gained a level as well.

"That was... less difficult than I was expecting," Nezu-sensei admitted.

"I think the bosses in a person's dungeon are more about personal reflection," I said aloud, "Than they are about combat."

"That makes sense," he agreed.

"Ready to keep going?" Toru said, now dressed again.


[Inko Midoriya Dungeon Progress!
Defeated 200 swarm enemies: +1 Affinity
Defeated 400 swarm enemies: +1 Affinity
Defeated 600 swarm enemies: +1 Affinity
Defeated 800 swarm enemies: +1 Affinity
Defeated 1000 swarm enemies: +1 Affinity
Defeated mid-boss: Attribute Balancing]

I used Ki Healing to patch up Toru, as well as the more minor hits Mordred and Kyoka had taken. We decided to keep going, pushing on for another hour. But after we defeated just over half of the mooks, Mom and Nezu announced it was time to take a break for the day. I was fine with that, my Energy was getting low. And our three lower level party members had each gained another level along the way, making it three for Toru and two each for Mo-chan and Kyoka. Neither Mom or I leveled again, and Nezu hadn't leveled at all. But he had been twice our level to start.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Mom asked when we arrived home. We had picked up all of the Knights not already with Eri along the way.

"We'll watch her closely," I said, "Make sure she is handling things. But the Knights will be coming around regularly, so I want Eri to start to get used to everyone."

All Might was carrying a stack of pizza boxes, and Momo had two bags of Chinese takeout. And Cassandra had gone to a bakery and brought three cookies for each of us. Big cookies. I thought that was enough food, but if not I could send Mikoto out, since she hadn't brought anything.

It was 4:42 when we arrived. Eri was at the table with Ochako and Tsu, while Ami was sitting further away. I glanced at her and the bluette said over Guild chat, 'I'm grounded for being too good.'

'I told you to let her win,' Tsu countered.

'Eri?' Momo asked.

'No, me,' Ochako sounded embarrassed.

Eri turned. She had a look of anticipation, though still did not smile. Then she saw everyone else with Mom and me, and her expression turned timid.

"Hi Eri," I walked over, and held out my arms. She slipped out of the chair, and gave me a hug.

"Hello, onii-chan," she said softly.

"Eri, I wanted you to meet two more of my friends, and to spend time with everyone," I told her gently, "You see, all of us are in a study group, so they might come by from time to time. I was hoping you could get to know them, and be comfortable around them. If you don't want to, yet, that's okay too. I know this is a lot of people and things have moved really fast this week. So just let me know what you want, and we will do it. Okay?"

"Okay," she said. Then she looked around. Studied everyone.

"I know most of you," she said, "you helped save Eri and onii-chan."

I cringed inside. I had come to recognize that Eri referred to herself in third person to shield and distance herself from events. So even if she was trying, she was not in a good place emotionally. I may have pushed too hard.

"Hello, Eri," Mo-chan squatted down in front of her, getting down to her eye level, "I'm Penryu Modura. But you can call me Mo-chan. I'm your big brother's classmate."

"Hello, Mo-chan," Eri said.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Mordred asked. Eri nodded, putting on her serious face. Mo-chan leaned forward, and whispered in Eri's ear, loud enough for all of us to hear, "I think your big brother is pretty amazing. He's strong and he's a nice guy."

"Yeah, me too," Eri agreed, loosening up a bit.

"Hi, Eri," Toru followed Mordred's example, except she kneeled instead of squatting, "My name is Hagakure Toru. I'm sorry you can't see me, that's my Quirk and I can't make it stop. And you can call me Toru, if you'd like."

Mikoto, Momo, Kyoka, and Cassandra introduced themselves to Eri-chan again. All Might set down the pizzas on the kitchen counter, and then bent down to say hello to Eri. Nezu offered his paw to Eri.

"Who is hungry?" Mom asked.


Eri soldiered through, and by the end of the night she actually seemed fairly comfortable. It helped that everyone was deliberately sedate. Particularly Mikoto, Kyoka, and All Might were quieter than usual. At eight, I helped Eri with brushing and flossing like normal, then Mom and I tucked her in.

"All right," All Might said, "First an order of old business."

We were meeting, since we couldn't Guild chat with Nezu. There were a couple of things we wanted to talk about.

Everyone turned to look at him, but half of us knew what coming. All Might took a deep breath. And as he let it out, he shrank. Mikoto, Momo, Ochako, and Kyoka's eyes all widened in worry. Mordred's narrowed in suspicion. And Ami studied Yagi-sensei thoughtfully. Toru was unreadable with my powers inactive (except for Ki Detection to make sure Eri didn't get up for a drink or something). And the rest of us already knew.

"My power is partly transformative. However up until five and change years ago, the transformation was fairly minor. Back then, I got into a fight with a certain villain. And while I won, he hurt me badly. I could show you the injury if you like, but the short version is I lost a lung, most of my stomach, part of my ribs, and I was also poisoned. Though I only learned that part after thanks to young Midoriya's Analyze. Since then I have been deteriorating, to the point I can only maintain my muscle form for about seven hours a day. It was only six, but thanks to The Gamer letting me increase my level and my Endurance, I've recovered a bit. I am telling all of you this, because if we go into a Dungeon, and I run out of time and revert to this form, I don't want you to be frightened or worried and get distracted. Also, so you know, I am not very strong in this form, so we may need to retreat."

"What kind of poison?" Momo asked.

"Exotic Matter," Nezu answered, "Midoriya-kun's power detected it, and afterwards Dr Shield and I were able to confirm it. We can't tell exactly what kind of Exotic Matter, but the two of us and Midoriya-kun are working on a means to extract it."

"And no," All Might said, "That does not mean David Shield knows about young Midoriya's The Gamer. He believes we will be using young Midoriya's Tactile Telekinesis."

"Which isn't that far off, since I will be using full TK, instead," I added.

"I was planning to tell the four of you sooner," All Might said to the second group of Knights, "But the chance slipped away, and then I decided to wait until young Midoriya finished recruiting, so I would only have to go over this once."

"And what if his Guild increases in size?" Kyoka prompted pointedly.

"I will decide when that happens," he said, "depending on when that is and how the operation goes, maybe it will no longer be an issue."

"We are planning on performing the procedure the first week of summer break," Nezu said, "so we have a clear, uninterrupted time to work, and to give Izuku time to grow his skills and Shield-san time to perfect an Exotic Matter storage device. Now that you are all aware of this, I would like to ask Yaoyorozu-san and Mizuno-san if they would be willing to assist us."

"What?" both girls and I all said at the same time.

"Yaoyorozu will be able to manufacture tools on the fly, should we find ourselves lacking anything," the dog/mouse/bear explained, "And Mizuno can use distilled water to move tissue and clean tools without a risk of contamination. She also has above average medical knowledge, which will make it easier to direct her."

"You may feel free to refuse, if you are not comfortable," he added.

"I'll need to think about it," Ami said, glancing at me.

"I will as well," Momo confirmed, "More to the point, I have been asked to go to the I-Island the first two weeks of vacation, to set up Yaoyorozu Hero Division's exhibits and then to represent the company at official functions during the Expo. To be honest, I would rather stay and help you with this procedure, but I will need to speak with my parents."

"I understand," Nezu nodded.

"Anything more on this?" All Might asked, "Any other questions?"

We all answered in the negative.

"Any other old business?" he asked, apparently invested in the boardroom bit. Mordred raised her hand.

"I would like to go over this gamer stuff a bit more," she said, "I'm not that familiar with games, especially the RPG type. And I'd like to see if there is anything any of you know, that Midoriya-kun might have forgotten."

"I'm sorry, Mo-chan," I said, remembering she hadn't talked to everyone about her original name yet, "But please, call me Izuku. It's faster, feels more natural for me, and everyone else does. I didn't mean to leave you out earlier, it just sort of slipped my mind."

She looked at me, and smiled. It was a radiant smile, unlike any I had seen on the swordswoman before. It turned her from cute but rough, to truly beautiful.

Tsu pinched me under the table.


We spent about an hour going over the Menu tabs that everyone had access to. Talking about the Talents and Skills, and generally how they worked.

Then we moved on to new business, as All Might put it.

"There is one more thing I wanted to talk to everyone about," I said. Then Kyoka shot her hand out.

"I also think there is something we need to do," she insisted.

"Well, then who would like to go first?" All Might moderated. I shrugged, then waved my hand to her.

"Ladies first."

"Great," she acknowledged, "This shouldn't take long. It's just, we did Hero Names in class today. And most people came up with one."

Mordred blushed.

"And so in the Dungeon I got to thinking, Midoriya-san should have one, too."

"Oh, and what are everyone's names?" Mom asked. All Might also looked interested.

"Creati."

"Railgun."

"Earphone Jack."

"Mercury."

\Spoiler./

"Froppy."

"Decade."

"InvisaGal."

"Uravity."

They glanced at Mordred, who looked away.

"I'm still thinking about it," she said, "Midnight-sensei shot down my ideas. To be fair, they were from old shows I watched with my Aunt Rin."

"So you need one too," Kyoka said to Mom, "It's only fair, and if we ever need to talk about you out loud but in public, it would be good to have something else to call you.

"Well, I'm not a Hero," Mom said, "But I suppose I'm not against the idea, either."

"Alright, but what would you want to be called?" All Might asked.

"I have never really given it any thought," Mom admitted, "Does anyone else have any ideas?"

We all considered it.

"I want to suggest 'Super Wolf Gorilla Bear'," Mordred said lightly, "But I'm not sure who would get the reference and who would appreciate it."

"Well, Inko-baa-san definitely fits the Mama Bear trope," Tsu said.

"You have no idea, Tsu," I told her, "Mom actually fought today, and she's pretty good."

"Better than me," Toru admitted.

"You are young and in training to be a Hero," Mom reassured my transparent classmate, "And now you have Izuku's help. You'll surpass me in no time. And I wouldn't bet on myself again any of the Knights."

"That is very modest of you, Midoriya-san," principal Nezu countered, "But I must say, I am more satisfied than before with my offer to make you Dorm Mother for the first year Hero Courses."

That got everyone else's attention.

"She does take very good care of all of us," I said quickly, not sure if his slipup was intentional or not.

"Yes," Ami agreed, catching on, "Perhaps rather than a Mother Bear, Dorm Mother, or Midoriya Mother, we should say she's our Guild Mother."

\In the last two months she has become the closest thing to a mother I've ever had,/ Cassandra admitted. And then we watched as Mordred and Toru put points into JSL. We had forgotten to mention that in the list of things we had forgotten to mention.

Mom reached over and touched Cassandra's arm kindly.

"What about that?" Tsu prompted, "Guild Mother?"

She said that in Japanese, 同業組合 の 母親 (dougyoukumiai no hahaoya). And in a fairly formal manner.

"It is a bit long," Ochako said.

"And pretty much all of our Hero names are English," Toru said, "Or at least English based."

"Would you be okay with, 'Guild Mom'?" Momo asked thoughtfully, saying it in English, "Or is that too familiar?"

"Honestly, I would be honored," Mom said, a tear in the corner of her eye.

"Okay," Mikoto said, "All in favor... Well, I guess it's Midoriya-san's name, so she gets final say..."

"No," Mom shook her head, "While I like the name, if any of you are not comfortable calling me that, we should find something else."

"Well it does feel a little odd to be calling a woman younger than me 'Mom'," All Might said jokingly, "I'm okay with it."

Ami looked at Mordred. Momo started, and then she also looked at the slender blonde. The swordswoman's face was dark, and she was deeply frowning. Then she realized we were looking at her and the expression she was making.

"Sorry," she chuckled weakly, "I have a... complicated relationship with my mother. And father. I told Yaoyorozu and Mizuno a bit about it. And Cassandra more. I'll loop the rest of you in some time soon... But don't let me stop you. I think the name fits. I'll just... probably still call you Midoriya-san until I feel more comfortable. Okay?"

"That's fine, dear."

"Okay, then," All Might said, "From now on, Midoriya Inko's code name will be 'Guild Mom'."

We all clapped quietly.

"Any other new business?" I asked, falling into the trap.

"Yes," Tsu said quickly, "Since we are all on a first name basis, except All Might-sensei... I think we need to official include Mo-chan and Toru on that. And verse vica, if they don't mind."

"That's fine be me," Kyoka said.

"Well, I already told you all to call me Mo-chan," Mordred said evasively.

"All in favor?" Momo called for a vote. We all raised our hands.

"Great," Tsu said, "Sorry, you can go now, Izuku."

"Okay, then here is what I wanted to talk about," I addressed mainly my classmates, "I don't know if any of you accepted an international internship, so you will be leaving next Saturday..."

They all said no or shook their heads.

"So then next Sunday, in eight days, we leave on our internships. I was thinking that we should try to clear the first level of each of your Dungeons before then. The Affinities will help with your studies, and the Attribute balance and bonus Talent, plus any levels gained, will help with whatever our mentors have planned for us. My idea was..."

[Quest Alert
Ready to Roll
Complete the first level Reflective Dungeon of all メタ ノ キシダン members, excluding Toshinori 'All Might' Yagi but including Inko 'Guild Mom' Midoriya.
Rewards:
Bonus Talent: ? ?
Bonus Talent: ? ?
Gamer Gift Card (25,000,000¥)
Bonus Skill (at level 5) for all Guild Members
Failure Penalties:
None
Time Limit: 6 Days 2 hours 48 minutes
(Accept) (Decline)]

"... that we could try to do two Dungeons each day. A plan The Gamer seems to endorse. My suggestion was to go in order, so Tsu and Cassandra tomorrow. Then Ami and Ochako on Monday, since they asked to join first. Tuesday would be Momo and Mikoto, Wednesday Kyoka and... lets say Toru because I was considering inviting her earlier. And then Mor.. chan on Thursday. And maybe the second half of Mom's first floor on Thursday too, since she is included in the quest. Then we would have Friday to catch up if one or two of the Dungeons took too long, or to rest otherwise. And Saturday we would probably be resting and getting packed and stuff. Does that sound like a good idea to everyone?"

"Even if it didn't," Mikoto snarked, "We be stupid to turn down a chance to improve and get a free skill at the same time. Though based on some of the bonuses you've mentioned in the past, it might not be that useful."

"I'm in," Toru said, "This sounds like fun."

\I agree,/ Cass signed.

"Who will go into the Dungeons?" Momo asked, "Izuku has to. And presumably each of us will go into her own Dungeon. But what about the other four party members? Should we randomize it, to make sure it is fair?"

"I was going to suggest that each of you should pick who you want," I said, "Since the Reflective Dungeons are, well, reflective, and at least a little personal."

"Your bully and your mom's disappointed prof," Mordred noted, recalling what she had just seen and also what we had told her.

"Exactly," I agreed, "I know some of you are better friends than others. So you might feel better having them in your Dungeon. Or maybe the opposite."

"That's nice of you, Izuku," Tsu said, "But I think Momo's idea is better. It is more fair, and makes sure no-one gets left out. Either random, or we go in order."

"No offense, Izuku," Ochaku said, "But I almost wish we could leave you out. There might be things that would be more embarrassing to have a boy see."

"Technically he could," Ami said, "Since we now know that he could take us in there and disband the Party and then leave."

"But then we wouldn't get the Party XP bonus," Mikoto argued.
"What if something goes wrong, we wouldn't be able to get out," Toru said nervously.

"Shh," Nezu reminded them. Toru clapped her hands over her mouth.

\We also don't know if the fast time effect would stop working,/ Cassandra said, \Plus, it seems unfair to exclude him. It is his power./

"And what if some of us wanted to include him and others didn't?" Tsu said.

"And you did get to see his Dungeon, unfiltered," Mikoto reminded the curvier brunette.

"While I understand how you feel, Ochako," Mom said, "For safety's sake, I wouldn't feel comfortable with Izuku leaving any of you in a Dungeon. Maybe after we've tested that a bit with All Might and a very low level Dungeon. But if we are trying to finish this Quest, there won't be a lot of time for that."

"Yeah," Uravity relented, "Just, just promise to close your eyes if we tell you to."

"And no using Clairvoyance without permission, either," Toru added.

"I promise," I said sincerely.

"Okay, then I guess I'm fine with the random plan," she said.

"If all of you are fine with that," Nezu said, "Then I have taken the liberty of preparing lots you can all draw."

We were surprised. I hadn't even seen him move. But glancing over, I noticed Eri's crayons and a pair of scissors now sitting out on the counter.

"And I would suggest that for Guild Mom's Dungeon on Thursday or Friday," he added, "it should be the two Midoriyas, plus the four of you with the lowest individual levels, to help balance things. Does that sound fair?"

The other Knights all agreed.


They went around, taking turns drawing in order. Though we needed to do a few redraws, either due to someone drawing themselves, or Kyoka drawing Mo-chan's slips three times in a row, eventually we had a schedule.

Tsuyu's Dungeon would be run by Cassandra, Kyoka, Ochako, and Toru. Plus, of course, me and Tsu herself.

Cassandra drew Ami, Momo, Mordred, and Ochako.

Ami got Cassandra, Mikoto, Momo, and Tsuyu.

Ochako pulled Ami, Kyoka, Mikoto, and Momo.

Momo's slips had Cassandra, Mikoto, Ochako, and Toru.

Mikoto pulled Ami, Kyoka, Mordred, and Tsuyu.

Kyoka selected Mordred, Ochako, Toru, and Tsuyu.

Toru got Ami, Kyoka, Mordred, and Tsuyu.

Mordred's party would be rounded out by Cassandra, Mikoto, Momo, and Toru.

Nezu-sensei put the results into a spreadsheet and sent it to each of us. He also added the planned day and date of each lady's Dungeon in another pair of columns.

After that, the Knights all helped us finish picking up. Then All Might and I escorted them to the train station. I was looking forward to the proposed dorms, it would make this a lot easier.

Once they had all departed, I returned home and got ready for bed. It was a bit early, but principal Nezu and I were going to do some more surgery practice in the morning. Then I would spend some time with Eri, before we did Tsu and Cassandra's Dungeons. It was a full Sunday, but it would feel good to be productive. And if we finished the two runs quickly enough, I could spend more time with my new little sister.

Finally in bed, I decided to check my status. See how much my skills had improved, since I had the alerts off.

Clairvoyance and Clairaudience had both improved, the audio one by more, given it had started at nothing. And thankfully my Clairvoyance Affinity referred to the Talent rather than the specific skill, so both were bolstered. Clairvoyance was now up to 37, while Clairaudience was at level 16. That put me over the 50 total skill levels mark. In the past I had assumed the Clairvoyance was like TK and Telepathy in that it started with Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Talents, before branching into talents for more specific abilities (Focus Talents being the exception, being unlocked based on the specific skill reaching level 10, 20, or 40 depending on how difficult the skill was). Instead, the second level was Clairsentience, the name for the entire branch. I grabbed the Clairsentience Talent, which gave me access to the Skills Clairfragrence and Psychometry. I left those alone for now.

My Empathy had gone up one point on Thursday, from when we had talked to Eri. I hadn't used it today at all, so it was still at 34. But directing my allies with Telepathy instead of chat had netted me 15 levels in the skill, bringing it to 17 total. That also put me just above the 50 levels mark. I immediately bought Telepathy, Intermediate and then dumped all twenty of my available skill points into Skill Jockey.

'Nezu-sensei?' I thought over Party chat. Currently he and Mom were the only ones still in the Party. Mom still preferred to be in the Party. And this was the only way I could communicate with the principal. Well, other then calling or texting, but why waste electricity when I had free telepathic chat rooms?

'Yes, Midoriya-kun?'

'It worked,' I said, 'using Telepathy today, that is. I just got the next Talent, and Skill Jockey. And put all my Skill points into it.'

'You might have saved some,' he admonished me, 'Though I understand your desire to improve it as quickly as possible. I will have to adjust our training plan for tomorrow morning.'


Status Changes for Midoriya Izuku:
Level: 23 → 24
Health: 865 → 895 (Plus Ultra penalty -28)
Energy: 1535 → 1599

Attributes:
(W)it: 58 → 59
(C)harisma: 44 → 45
(L)uck: 32 → 33

Unused Points:
Attribute: 42 → 48
Skill: 17 (+3) → 0
Talent: 3 (+1) → 2

Skills:
Analyze (W) – Battle Scan: 56 → 60
Dodge (A/Q) LB – Catch: 42 → 44
Telekinesis (I/D): 41 → 42
Physical Resistance (E/D): 76 → 77
Ki Detection (D/I): 43 → 44
Ki Slice (D/W) LB: 22 → 23
Telekinetic Attack (I/A) LB: 30 → 31
JSL (W/A) LB: 16 → 17
Telekinetic Rampart (I/E): 19 → 20
Empathy (C/I): 33 → 34
Clairvoyance (I/W) LB: 35 → 37
Telepathy (I/C) LB: 2 → 17
Sense Hostility (I/C) - Hostile Aura: 41 → 42
High Speed Vision (W/Q) 20 → 22
Clairaudience (I/W): → 16
Combat Leadership (C/W): → 12
Skill Jockey (I/C): → 20

Talents:
Clairsentience
Telepathy, Intermediate


Author's Note: My laptop is acting odd and may be dying. So until I can get it fixed or replaced, updates will be more sporadic. Also, like I said in the other story, I am going to try to alternate chapters between the two for the immediate future.

* Eri starts to say 'watashi' here, one of the Japanese words for 'I', but cuts herself off in the middle. Because you can't do that effectively with a one letter, one syllable word, I went with the literal Japanese instead. Sorry for any confusion.


Omake: Eventually

Mo-chan stood up and walked to the front of the clash.

"Just call me 'The Three Swords Heroine: Zollo'," her green eyes flashing in pride as she proclaimed it.

"No," Midnight said flatly.

"Why not?" Mo-chan whined a little.

"Just because you used ls instead of rs, doesn't mean I don't recognize it," Midnight said, "And so long as Oda-sensei is still publishing almost weekly and somehow has an immortality Quirk, one of these centuries he'll finish. Until then, that IP is off limits."

Then under her breath she muttered, "Though I don't buy his 'just twenty more years' line anymore."


Strapped to his life support chair, the Villain indulged in his guiltiest pleasure. The latest of issue of Shonen Jump. It was his deepest secret, the most hidden part of his past. Becoming the false savior of Japan. Conquering the underworld. Stealing countless Quirks. It was to find the right combination. To extend his favorite author's life. That's right. It was All for One Piece.


Author's Note II: Sorry for the pun (not sorry).