Sunday afternoon at the First Year Dorms
"You are in SO MUCH TROUBLE!" Mizuchi said, holding Ryunosuke in a headlock while everyone in the room watched on. Hiroshi and the others who were there decided that it would be a smart to take him to the dorms in the case that Kenji and the other two were searching for him to beat him up. "I told you those guys were nothing but punks!"
"I-I know! I'm sorry!" Ryunosuke said, struggling hard not to accidentally use Water Breath. "I-I've been a big idiot about everything!"
"You're lucky that the UA hero kids were there to help you out!" Mizuchi added, as Hiroshi and the others gave her a polite wave. "I can't thank you guys enough for helping my brother out!"
"It was... nothing," Hiroshi said, giving a small smile. "I'm just glad that the injuries aren't anything serious and that Recovery Girl managed to heal most of it before we got here."
"Yea... I'm sorry for everything that's happened for so long," Ryunosuke said, smiling sadly. "I... I know that it'll take me a lot of work to get your forgiveness, and that you still might not to ever see me again, but-"
"It's alright. I know you are," Hiroshi said. "You're... right about the amount of work, but I think we can at least send a message to each other now and then."
"Yea! And hey, we're sorry, too. We might've been just kindergarteners, but we should've tried helping you from falling into the wrong crowd," Setsuna said, detaching her hand and ruffling Ryunosuke's hair.
"Hey! Stop that!" Ryunosuke laughed.
"I missed doing that," Setsuna said, smiling a bit. Principal Nezu came inside, putting his cellphone away to address the people there.
"I've contacted Seto High's principal and the parking garage's owner about what happened. We'll be getting security footage to confirm the story, as well as take appropriate actions. Though I will say that Mr. Watatsu's injuries do make this much more likely," he explained.
"Am... am I in trouble?" Ryunosuke asked.
"If you are being truthful about using your Quirk in self defense, then whatever punishment you could get will be rather light in comparison," Principal Nezu said. "Do note that your principal has assured me that he'll make sure that this will not affect your future prospects, Mr. Watatsu."
"I see..." Ryunosuke said. "Thank you all again for your help."
The group went to the front and waved off Ryunosuke and Mizuchi as they gave one last polite bow goodbye and left for the train station.
"You know, I'm really glad that Watatsu's getting on the right track now," Fuka said. "Now why didn't you guys tell me that you used to be friends with him?"
"I mean, by the time you got to meet him, he wasn't our friend anymore, and he was friends with Kenji and the others longer," Setsuna said, shrugging. "So it wasn't that important to us anymore."
"Are you guys worried about Takagi and their friends going after him?" Ochako asked, looking at them.
"Honestly, with the fact that the principal at Seto's actually doing something about it, I'm sure that they won't be a problem for Watatsu before he transfers to Ketsubutsu," Hiroshi said, his hands behind his head. "If anything, they'll probably gonna finally get the punishment they deserve."
Monday morning, at the large classroom...
"I wonder why they told us to gather here instead of at our classrooms," Kinoko said, nervously. They had gotten the message to meet up at the large classroom first, though Rigel was missing, as Midnight had volunteered to help him buy some Earth clothes to fit in more and to get used to how this Earth's society operated.
"Maybe they're finally kicking one of us out," Minoru said, chewing at his thumbnail. "We've got 44 students, they might want to trim the number down!"
"Sounds like you three are on the chopping block then," Kyoka said, eyeing him, Denki, and Kosei.
"Hey, I'll let you know that I'm like, 11th in our class!" Kosei defended himself. "We're not doing bad, right guys?"
Denki and Minoru looked away from him. "Seriously?"
"Mineta's 14th and Denki's dead last," Kyoka stated
"Don't say it!" Denki said, flinching at her words.
"Let's not get too hasty on the idea," Hiroshi said.
"Yea, it's probably something about finals," Setsuna added.
Soon the doors slid open and Aizawa and Vlad King walked in.
"Alright, so, as you all know, finals is coming around the corner. Meaning that your summer vacation is coming soon as well," Aizawa stated. "However, because you're all in UA, spending a month relaxing and doing nothing is out of the question."
"Wait, so we're not getting a summer vacation?" Denki said, shocked.
"No. You'd be going to a training summer camp in the woods-" Vlad King started to say, as a majority of the room cheered and shouted.
"Campfires!" Kinoko shouted, a big grin on her face.
"Stories that reflect the horrors of our worlds," Reiko said softly.
"Fireworks!" Yosetsu shouted.
"The bathhouses!" Minoru screamed.
"Outdoor cooking!" Fuka said, excited as well.
"Swimming!" Setsuna yelled, with a wide grin as Hiroshi shook his head and chuckled. "Gotta show off that bikini bod!"
"Truth or dares!" Mina said, mischievously.
"THE BATHHOUSES!" Minoru screamed again.
"- but not this year, due to several factors," Aizawa said, disappointing the room in one fell swoop. "For one, the point of having a training summer camp is to gather you all so we can make sure that you all are progressing, which is moot thanks to the switch to a boarding school system. Second, with the fact that Virus and his kin have the ability to travel in a shadow world and their ability to communicate with people's shadows to find out their secrets, the school will run the risk of them and the Unearthly League finding out where the summer camp is, opening us to a potential attack. And third, UA's campus is the safest place to do this now, thanks to all of the anti-alien measures and protocols that are being put into place."
"But that's boring! It'll just be like school!" Mina whined, slumping back against her chair.
"AND THE BATHHOUSES!" Minoru shouted in dismay.
"This is why for two weeks we will be spending time at special training site that's on UA property, but away from the main campus," Vlad King said. "Principal Nezu asked a Hero Agency to assist with your training, and they're setting up the buildings and facilities needed with Cementoss and a construction company, as well as connecting it to the security system on the main campus. The setup will be similar to what we were planning for your summer camp to begin with. The other two weeks will be spent in Gym Gamma."
"So that's what dad was talking about when he said he got another big contract..." Ochako said to herself.
"Are the 2nd and 3rd year students doing the same thing?" Sen asked.
"Indeed, though they'll be going to different sites instead," Aizawa said. "There is something else you need to know. Anyone who fails their finals, be it the written or practical-"
"- will find themselves in summer school hell," Vlad King finished.
"W-What does that mean?" Mashirao said.
"Well, my usual rational deception won't work now, seeing as you'd all still be here," Aizawa grumbled. "But it just means that anyone who fails to pass will be put through extra lessons and training while their classmates rest and enjoy themselves. To compensate, we'll make the failing students work EVEN HARDER than what we planned."
"EVERYONE LET'S WORK HARD TO PASS!" Eijiro shouted, as the class cheered and shouted in agreement.
In the mountainous forest...
Illne, Disze, Ceteria, and Maladi stared at the three writhing teens with the Despair Cores on their chests, purple cracks and veins reaching all over their bodies. Illne nudged Kenji to get a better look at his face, and he screamed even more, clawing at the ground as his eyes continued to change from brown to red to purple.
"So. The first people to get the combined powers of Belial and our own are... children," Illne said, disappointed. "... I should kill them right now-"
"Don't bother, dear Illne," Ceteria said, stopping her fellow alien from doing anything rash. "Remember, dear Virus was the one who made these Despair Cores, and he's the one that chose them. We should accept his decisions, no matter how odd they may seem to us."
"Where is Virus, anyways?" Maladi said. "Kurogiri just came here and dropped these three off."
"He's probably going to search for other candidates or has some other plan in mind," Disze said, taking a deep breath before punching another tree down. He picked it up, however, and 'replanted' it, though it was snapped off its roots after remembering Virus's advice to not punch too many trees.
"All we have to do is trust our dear Virus to come through," Ceteria stated, as the teens began to cycle through screaming fits of rage, fits of mad laughter, and back to screaming fits of pain.
"He better come back soon," Illne grumbled, holding her hands over her 'ears'. "These three are getting on my nerves..."
In the shadow world...
Virus walked over to a group of shadows, who all seemed to be reading something in their hands. As expected from a bookstore. He approached one that had a distinct name tag, though he couldn't see what it said. Definitely one of the downsides; the ability to read anything was hampered, unless it was something like a sign with raised text.
"Can you tell me what could help me learn more about Quirks?" Virus asked, looking at the shadow. He figured that he should learn a little bit more about the powers of the humans of this Earth, and that
"Quirkology: A Comprehensive Guide on Quirk History, Studies, and Theories."
"Alright, a good start. And what would be a good book to read about Oji Harima in particular?"
"'Villainy: An Encyclopedia of Japan's Greatest Criminals.'"
"I see... What other villains can I expect in this book?"
"Destro, the leader of the Meta Liberation Army."
"Meta Liberation Army? What's that about?"
"A group that espouses Quirk supremacy and freedom. Read Destro's manifesto, 'Meta Liberation War'."
"Interesting..." Virus held his chin in thought as he paced about. "That's something to think about... Now, how to get those books..."
"I could get them in the dead of night, when no one's around, using my shadow powers to sneak in... Or I can release some giant aliens to distract everyone, use my shadow powers to get in, and take those books..." Virus said, laughing. "I think I'll go with the latter. That seems more fun. Now to spend some time thinking on what I want to release... Maybe two, since I'm sure that Alien Hunter's still around here."
Later, at the parking garage's mall..
"Thank you for your help," Principal Nezu said, as the head of security led him and Seto High's principal to the surveillance room.
"It's not trouble at all, sir," he said, unlocking the door. "In fact, I think it's really important that you see this."
The head of security typed and clicked on the computer's keyboard and mouse, pulling up footage of Ryunosuke getting assaulted by Kenji before using his Water Breath Quirk to push them away to escape.
"Seems like a cut-and-dry case here... those three are going to be expelled for sure," Seto High's principal sighed, shaking his head.
"Yea, but that's not where this ends..." the head of security said. He fast forwarded the footage to show Kenji and the two others throwing a tantrum by beating on the wall, when a strange shadow formed on the wall before the footage blacked out for about 4 minutes before returning. The three boys had disappeared from the footage. "And that's from one camera. The others are the same story."
"Where did my soon-to-be former students go?" Seto High's principal muttered.
"I don't know. Here's the footage of that kid running away from them again." He pulled up the footage again from a few different cameras. They watched as the runtime of the footage lasted for roughly 13 minutes before Ryunosuke was out of the parking garage. "They would've needed a super speed Quirk to get out of there that fast."
"This is... troubling indeed," Principal Nezu said. From what Hiroshi, All Might, and the others have told him, that strange shadow must've been Virus using his particular teleportation ability. He must've also used his shadow powers to black out all of the cameras from recording, though for what he didn't know.
Just what would Virus want with three teens?
At the First Year Dorms
"So your press conference will be in the evening tomorrow?" Hiroshi asked Rigel, as the SiDE Team and most of their classmates studied in the common room.
"That's correct," Rigel answered, as he scrolled through the smartphone that the school helped him get, trying to get accustomed to it. Ardiana was 'sitting' next to him while her projector orb floated around them. "We'll be busy preparing for it and the like..."
"Does this mean that Saiphza's got to come with you?" Setsuna said, looking up from petting the robot dinosaur. "Aw, and I was going to make him a bed!"
"I can make him one if you-" Momo said.
"No! It has to be from me!" Setsuna insisted.
"It is alright," Ardiana said, looking at Setsuna. "Rigel and I can send a signal to Saiphza if we need him for any reason to come. He can stay here and relax for now."
"Yes," Setsuna whispered to herself. "I'm gonna be pampering you so much, buddy."
"I wonder if this will make UA the prime location for aliens to apply to, since we have three now," Mina said.
"I'm sure that other hero schools will be aiming to get their own alien students if more come," Hiroshi laughed. "Can't hog all the aliens after all."
Just then, someone knocked on the dorm's door. Izuku got up, and opened it, revealing Principal Nezu.
"Good afternoon, students!" he said, walking in. "I see that you're all studying hard for your finals! Seems like Mr. Eraserhead and Mr. Vlad King told you all about our summer training!"
"Yes!" Tenya said, as he swung his arm up and down robotically. "We have to make sure that as few of us end up having to get that summer school hell, as well as keep our minds sharpened!"
"Speak for yourself, my brain's getting hammered by this..." Denki bemoaned, slamming his head onto the table.
"Very good!" Principal Nezu laughed, before suddenly becoming very serious. "Mr. Hiroshi, Miss Fuka, Miss Tokage, I need a word with you three. It's about your... former classmates."
"Oh, uh, it's alright if you need to tell us here with everyone," Hiroshi said, shrugging. "Not too many rooms around here that would be private to talk to, and outside, well..."
"I see... Well, I suppose you would eventually tell your classmates," Principal Nezu sighed. "Mr. Takagi, Mr. Kaminoke, and Mr. Ussuri have disappeared."
"That's it?" Hiroshi said, raising an eyebrow. "I guess they're smart enough to know that they're pretty much screwed if they go back to Seto-"
"No, it isn't as simple as that," Principal Nezu said, shaking his head. "Seto High's principal and I checked the footage from the security cameras, and while they were still in the parking garage, a strange shadow formed on the wall before the feed was cut for four minutes. And within those four minutes, they had disappeared."
"A strange shadow-!?" Hiroshi muttered. "You think Virus-"
"Indeed. The appearance of the shadow matched how you all have described the type of teleportation that Virus and his kin use," Principal Nezu said. "As for why he's taken them, we have no answers yet. So I was hoping that you three would be able to tell us something about them that would catch Virus's interest."
"I'm sorry, but I... really don't know," Hiroshi said, as Fuka and Setsuna nodded in agreement.
"Yea, those three were some of the most mediocre students around," Setsuna added. "Their grades were always among the lowest in our class, and their Quirks were never too impressive for how much they boasted about them. Well, maybe Kin'Ichi's was."
"... I suppose for now we'll keep the nature of this potential kidnapping under wraps," Principal Nezu said thoughtfully. "It might cause some undue concern that aliens are potentially kidnapping people now. I'm sorry to have interrupted your studying with this rather grim news."
"No, it's alright, it's good to know that this happened," Hiroshi said, giving Principal Nezu a polite bow.
"This is something that needs a lot of angles to be examined," Hero said, gravely. "Virus has shown interest in people before, but I don't think he's ever shown enough to want to kidnap anyone..."
"Mm-hm. Well, now that you know, I suppose I should go and meet up with your teachers! Oh, and Mr. Algeva and Miss Ardiana, remember to be prepared for the press conference tomorrow!"
"Of course, sir," Rigel replied, as Principal Nezu walked out of the dorm, but not before overhearing some more of their conversation while the door was closing.
"So what do you think the practical will be like?" Fuka asked the others.
"My friend in the 2nd year class said that it'll be like the entrance exam," Itsuka answered. Neito was about to voice his disbelief at her disclosing this information before she chopped his neck. "We'll be facing off against a bunch of robots."
"Really!? That's gonna be a breeze!" Denki sighed, a breath of relief.
"Hm? A breeze will it?" Principal Nezu thought to himself. "I suppose we'll need to change that, amongst other factors..."
The Next Day
"Alright everyone, see you later," Rigel said, waving goodbye to the studying teens as he and Ardiana left the dorms to join Principal Nezu to go to the press conference. The others waved goodbye, and returned to studying and doing their mock tests that Vlad King kindly provided (Aizawa did no such thing).
Denki stood up and yelled in frustration. "Gaaaaaaah my brain's getting fried!"
"I knooooow!" Mina whined, slumping over her mock test in despair.
"You want me to check over your answers real quick?" Hiroshi said, grabbing the answer key and looking over their mock tests. "... Yeeeea, you're gonna need to cram in some more, you only got like, a fourth of these right-"
"Don't say it!" Denki said, turning his face away from Hiroshi. "I don't need Mr. Number 2 of 1A to rub it in!"
"We still have a few weeks, so we'll have enough time to fill up your brains," Fuka said, poking Denki in the forehead.
"Can we take a break or something? I need to let my brain rest," Kinoko said, her face down in her book.
"We've only studied for two days now," Yui pointed out.
"And my brain is also becoming mush," Kinoko answered.
"We can take a break around when Rigel's and Ardiana's press conference start!" Setsuna said, as she was sewing up a bed for Saiphza, who seemed to be excited to see it being made.
"Yea, it'd be good to support the two," Hiroshi said, looking at the clock. "So let's cram as much as we can into our heads before 6."
6:00, The Press Conference
"Well, this is going to be a new experience," Rigel said, taking a deep breath. "Never thought I'd have to be at a press conference and all."
"I think you will do excellently, Rigel," Ardiana said, as they waited for their cue from Principal Nezu. Much like with Hiroshi's and Hero's press conference, Principal Nezu was there with the chief of police and the prime minister. "After all, you've never lost your nerves fighting some of the most dangerous wanted criminals in the multiverse."
"Fighting and talking aren't the same thing, Ardiana," Rigel laughed. "But then again, everything on this particular Earth's been a new experience."
"- And concerning the alien that appeared a while ago in the city-" Principal Nezu said, catching their attention.
"Ready?"
"Of course."
"So are we looking at another situation like Hiroshi Furinji and Hero becoming UA students!?"
"Will this alien be given the same sort of special provisions as them!?"
"Is this alien related to the giant robot dinosaur that was seen!?"
"Settle down, settle down," Principal Nezu said, calming the crowd down. "Indeed, all of those things are true. UA will host more aliens as first year students, though they are going to be officially starting in the next semester. They will be granted the same special provisions to operate as heroes in the case of alien criminals and villains, and the alien is related to the giant robot dinosaur. I think it's best if we let him and his friend explain more about themselves, however."
The news watched with anticipation as a boy with medium-length silvery white hair that turned blue at the tips, black fang-like markings on his face, and unearthly purple eyes walked onto the stages. They were going to question his alien heritage as he looked as human as they come when a strange orb followed him, before projecting a image of a white-haired girl with a bobcut, ashy white skin, and yellow eyes. Both of them were dressed in UA uniforms, while the boy had a strange large belt buckle on his waist.
"He's... he's an alien?" one of the reporters asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yea, and that girl's probably just using a hologram projector..." another said.
"Oh, I guess I should show them," the boy said, moving his hand to his belt buckle. Principal Nezu nodded, and he pressed on it. A bright light flashed before them, and when the light died down, standing in front of them was the alien that approached those three teens recently. The press lost it when they saw it. "My name is Rigel Algeva, from the Planet Mintaka. My race is known as Alien Hunters."
"And I am Ardiana, from the Planet XM," the holographic girl said. "While it might appear like I'm using a hologram, I am a sapient being made entirely of electromagnetic waves known as an EM Being."
"We'll be taking any questions you have now, since I'm sure that many of you have a lot," Rigel said, as he pulled a chair out for Ardiana to 'sit' on, while pulling the chair next to her out for himself. He began to point at different reporters who raised their hands.
"So what aliens do you hunt?" one reporter asked.
"Criminals that are wanted on multiple planets throughout the multiverse," Rigel explained. "We operate similarly to that of heroes on this Earth. On Planet Mintaka, those who chose to be professional 'hunters' go to schools similar to that of hero schools here."
"So your race is Alien Hunter? Does it have any other name?" another asked.
"Well, I suppose one name would be 'Mintakan' like how Earth has 'Earthlings'. But we are known as Alien Hunters as many of our ancestors became bounty hunters once we attained our technology."
"You said that there are schools to be a professional 'hunter' on your planet, right? Is there any different between that and hero schools here?"
"Not by much. Becoming a professional hunter starts much earlier than here, however, and we graduate at our planet's equivalent of Earth's 16. I'm currently 17, but I'm willing to go through school again if it means I can operate here legally."
"And what about you, Miss Ardiana?"
"I am Rigel's partner and assistant. It was agreed that as such, that I should be allowed to attend UA as well," Ardiana replied. "While I have very little combat ability on my own, I am quite confident in my ability to assist others, as well as provide a distraction due to my incorporeal nature."
"So what about the ship?"
"The ship is called Saiphza-"
On a rooftop in downtown Mustafu...
"Now, then..." Virus said, looking around at the city, remote in hand. He tapped its tip against his chin in thought. He had seen the big screen showing a press conference that the Alien Hunter and his EM Being assistant were holding, so he was right about them still being around. "What would be good giant aliens to use... I know, let's start with-"
Virus scrolled through his remote as pictures of giant aliens and robots appeared through on the screen. It landed on a bug-like alien, with yellow glowing gem-like spots on its body and scythe-like hands. He pressed the button, and a dark blue portal appeared over the forest outside of Mustafu, and it landed onto the ground with a thud. "Hyper Zetton! And next-"
He scrolled again, this time landing on a bipedal alien that resembled an oyster to a degree, with barnacle-like skin and a single glowing eye on its head. He pressed the button, and like before, a dark blue portal opened, though this time, the giant alien landed within the city unlike Hyper Zetton. "Ragstone!... Aw, what the hell, let's add a third one! After all, it's been quite some time... Maybe something that's a little more... 'native'."
One last time he scrolled through his remote, and landed on a dinosaur-like creature. It had two large fangs on the side of its snout, but what was most particular was the large horn on the top of its head that curved forward. Once again, he pressed a button and the dark blue portal appeared, and the creature landed close by Virus. Only this one was half the height of the other two. "Gomess! I suppose he's homesick for his original Earth after being stuck with us for so long."
As he listened to the panicked screams, the blaring sirens, screeching cars, and shouting heroes, the red V flashed on his helmet. "Now this is the entertainment I'm here for... Well, off to get myself some reading material!"
At the First Years Dorm...
"And done!" Setsuna said, presenting Saiphza with his new handmade bed. Saiphza roared happily as it stepped onto it and sat down.
"You like it?"
Saiphza nodded, though it turned its attention to the TV, watching Rigel and Ardiana's press conference.
"They've been handling themselves pretty well," Hanta said, as he, Denki, and Mina were glad to get a break from the study session.
"Yea, they-" Hiroshi began to say, when the press conference was interrupted.
"We're interrupting this program to bring crucial news. Three giant aliens have landed around Mustafu. Two are within downtown Mustafu, while a third is just outside of Mustafu city limits. Mt. Lady has started her fight against the smaller of the three. Remain calm, follow the instructions of heroes evacuating the areas, and stay safe-"
"Three giant aliens!?" Minoru said, his eyes bulging out of his head.
"Hiroshi!" Hero said, as Hiroshi ran out of the dorm, with Saiphza following him. The others went outside, and saw Saiphza transforming into its ship mode before flying off and enlarging into its full size in the sky.
"Hold your hand and call out-"
"HEROOOOO!"
At the Press Conference...
"So does UA intend on monopolizing all law-abiding aliens as students when they appear?" a reporter asked.
"While we do hope that more aliens that are willing to follow the law and help as heroes will apply, we do not intend on keeping them all," Principal Nezu stated. "Any alien that wants to go to a hero school is free to go wherever they want. The only reason why we've gotten them is due to how closely we're working with the government to make adjustments to our curriculum and hero law concerning aliens. Now, I think there's time for one more-"
All of a sudden, the ground shook violently, and a loud screech could be heard from inside the building. Rigel and Ardiana looked at each other before rushing out the building, and saw Ragstone stomping around in the distance, destroyed buildings around it. The news followed, only to be startled by the giant one-eyed alien.
"Ardiana-!"
"Right, I have sent the signal to Saiphza. He shall be here within minutes," Ardiana responded. Her projector orb floated towards Principal Nezu. "Principal Nezu, I must ask you to keep an eye on my projector orb. I need to go inside Rigel's suit to help monitor and assist him."
"I'll take good care of it! Just be sure to get rid of that giant alien before it can cause too much damage!" Principal Nezu said cheerfully as Ardiana's dissipated into Rigel's suit. Soon, Saiphza floated over the building, and a light shone onto Rigel as it pulled him up into it before flying towards Ragstone. Saiphza rammed himself into Ragstone, knocking the giant alien down before transforming into his dinosaur form.
Inside Saiphza's cockpit...
"Ardiana, any people around this area?" Rigel asked, as he looked at the screens around him.
"This portion of Mustafu has been evacuated. I detect no living beings around this area. The closest humans around are heroes who are patrolling and guarding the perimeters of the damaged blocks."
"Alright then, let's keep it that way. Set up the energy barrier!" Rigel said, as he flipped a few switches.
Small, person-sized drones flew out of Saiphza's body, landing around the damaged city blocks. Once they did, energy began to fly out of them, forming a barrier around Saiphza and Ragstone.
Ragstone had gotten up from the ground, and tackled the barrier, only to be sent backwards by it. Saiphza slashed at the giant alien, sparks flying off before swinging its tail into it, making Ragstone stagger back, though it seemed unaffected by the attack. It punched Saiphza, knocking the robotic dinosaur backwards for a bit, though he recovered and fired from one of his missile pods. Ragstone took the missiles, and tackled Saiphza, shoving it against the energy barrier causing it to get shocked.
Outside in Mustafu's forest...
Hyper Zetton slashed at the ground with its scythe-like hands, having been disoriented by its sudden freedom and teleportation. Before it could go anywhere, Hero in his Burst Helios form slammed against the alien with his shoulder, knocking it down onto the ground.
"A Hyper Zetton..." Hero observed, as the giant bug-like alien stood back up. It screeched as it created a dark fireball that it launched towards the Ultra, who created a barrier to block it before rapid firing a barrage of small fire bullets into Hyper Zetton.
"Those are Zettons that got modified by Alien Bats, right?" Hiroshi asked.
"Indeed... this one in particular is a Deathscythe variant, based on its hands," Hero stated. "Be ready to change into Flash Hermes, this type can be very fast thanks to its teleportation..."
On cue, Hyper Zetton disappeared, only to reappear right next to Hero, swinging its scythe-like hands down onto the Ultra who managed to catch them, but was straining keeping them away. He struck the giant bug-like alien in the side with a flaming kick, pushing Hyper Zetton away.
"I think that time is now!" Hiroshi said, light surrounding the giant alien.
Inside Hero's Inner Space
Hiroshi held his arm out as he turned the Hero Hand's dial. "BURST! ORIGINAL! FLASH!"
"Wind faster than a flash of light!" Hiroshi called out, slamming his hand onto the stylized H. He reared his arm back, threw his hand into the air, and yelled, "Fly UP! HEROOOOO!"
"FLASH HERMES!"
The light scattered, revealing Hero's Flash Hermes form, and the second that he changed, he and Hyper Zetton began a high speed fight, taking it to the sky. Hyper Zetton warped from one spot to the next, swinging its scythes at Hero. However, Hero matched it by using Flash Hermes's powerful speed and ability to boost said speed with blasts of air to keep up with it, blocking each attack while throwing out his own. He charged towards it in a tackle, though it warped away from him, only to warp above him and slamming its foot onto his back.
"Damn, this guy's pretty fast," Hero said, as he regained composure. "Hopefully the others are having an easier time dealing with their aliens..."
In downtown Mustafu...
"Canyon CANNON!" Mt. Lady shouted, as she delivered a flying kick to the giant reptilian creature. It fell backwards onto the street, moaning as it got back up and tried running off.
"This is fantastic! Finally, something that's just my size!" she said to herself, grinning as she grabbed its tail and lifted it over her shoulders. Gomess was slammed onto the street again. "I might not be able to destroy you like Hero or that new guy, but I can certainly clobber you like nothing!"
Inside the empty bookstore...
"Oh my, Gomess is really taking a beating from her, isn't he?" Virus said to himself, as he browsed through the bookstore. "Now then... where are those books..."
As the bookstore shook from the fighting, some books flying off the shelves, until Virus finally came across the three books he was looking for.
"There we go!" he said, as he put them into his trench coat. All of a sudden, Gomess fell into the bookstore, having staggered back too much from one of Mt. Lady's attacks. "Oh my."
Virus watched as the debris in front of him fell down, and Mt. Lady looked at the damaged bookstore.
"Oh no! Not again-" she bemoaned, when she noticed Virus's silhouette in the dark. "Wait a minute-"
"Ah, Miss Yu Takeyama! Good evening!" Virus said, as he pretended to tip a hat. "How are you and Mustafu enjoying my giant aliens? Well, excusing this one you're fighting. Took him from a different Earth and all. He's a very manageable size for you, isn't he?"
"What are you doing-"
"Just doing a little book shopping, that's all," Virus chuckled, as he looked at his wrist. "Well, look at the time. I should leave soon. By the way, watch out."
As Virus disappeared into shadow, leaving a confused Mt. Lady behind, Gomess got back up and surprise attacked her by grabbing her ankle with its mouth and flipping her over.
"Ugh, shit!" Mt. Lady cried, as Gomess's fangs cut into her costume and skin. "I better not getting any weird germs from that!"
Saiphza vs. Ragstone
Saiphza roared as it clamped its jaws onto Ragstone's arm. The alien punched Saiphza with its free hand, but the robotic dinosaur successfully broke through Ragstone's tough hide, causing it to screech in pain as it was released from his jaws. Saiphza kicked the injured alien back, forcing it to hit the energy barrier, shocking it again. Before Ragstone could recover, Saiphza slammed its tail against it, pinning it to the energy barrier again.
Saiphza took several steps back, as the tired alien staggered around, holding its wounded arm.
Inside Saiphza's cockpit
Rigel removed the Omnirod from its port, and held it like a gun as he pointed it out.
"OMNIROD! DINO BLAST!"
"Wrecker Rex/Wrecker Rex!" Rigel and Ardiana shouted, as he pulled the trigger.
Saiphza fired three blasts of energy from its mouth and cannons, hitting Ragstone pointblank with the beams. It got knocked into the energy barrier once more, and between the barrier and the three beams, screeched as the heat went through its tough hide. Ragstone exploded into fiery dust, as Saiphza roared triumphantly.
Once the explosion died down, the drones disengaged the energy barrier, and flew back into Saiphza's chest. Rigel climbed out of Saiphza's cockpit and stood on top of the robotic dinosaur's head.
"Ardiana, how bad is the damage around here?" Rigel asked, as they and Saiphza scanned the area.
"Several buildings have been badly damaged with only a few truly unrepairable, streets are badly cracked, several vehicles have been crushed or knocked over, but thanks to the speediness of the heroes around here, and that several of these buildings were closed for the evening, no victims," Ardiana answered, appearing right next to Rigel.
"We'll deploy the repair drones to help take care of the immediate damage," Rigel said, as his eyes finally laid onto the nearby chaos between Mt. Lady and Gomess. "Wow, a giant hero. I guess gigantification is something Quirks can do."
"Should we provide assistance?" Ardiana asked.
"No, the buildings around there are more intact, and shrinking down Saiphza to fit would mean using the remote control function, and he's stronger when we're in the cockpit," Rigel said, as the repair drones came out of Saiphza to start working on the damaged buildings and streets.
Hero vs. Hyper Zetton
The two giant aliens were engaged in high speed combat, with Flash Hermes' great speed and wind powers and Hyper Zetton's teleportation making it almost hard to perceive. Hero's Color Timer began to go off, signaling that it was time to finish it off.
"Hermes HAIL!" Hero shouted, as green wind energy formed around his hands. He clapped them together, as it branched off from his hands in wind bullets, striking the giant bug-like alien no matter where it teleported. While it was distracted, Hero's armor began to intake a great amount of air as it glowed.
"Flash MOVEMENT!" Hero cried. Time seemed to slow down for the Ultra, as Hyper Zetton stood still while the wind bullets kept striking it. "Hiroshi-!"
Hiroshi slammed his hand onto the Hero Hand's stylized H, activating the finishing move.
"FLASH! HERMAZING!"
"Let's fly through!" Hiroshi shouted, as the Hero Hand lit up green.
"Thousand WINDS!" Hero began to throw a rapid series of punches and kicks against the still Hyper Zetton, attacking it from all sides as he flew around it. As Flash Movement ended, the flurry of attacks all came onto the bug-like alien at once, making it cry out in pain, unable to stop the assault from all sides.
Before Hyper Zetton could recover, Hero slammed his arms together, pulling them apart as green wind energy formed around and between his arms.
"Herorum GALE CROSS!" Hero shouted, releasing the green wind energy. It pushed Hyper Zetton further into the sky away from Hero, before another beam of energy struck it, making it explode into a cloud of smoke and dust, leaving only a H-shaped mark of light in its place.
"That takes care of one," Hero said, as he flew down towards Mustafu. "I sense that one of the other aliens has been taken cared of, so let's go and handle the third one."
Mt. Lady vs. Gomess
"Why. Won't. You. Go. Down!?" Mt. Lady said, as she kept punching Gomess in the face. The giant reptilian only cried as it shoved Mt. Lady away, trying to figure out how to escape, when it heard something in the sky. It looked up, and saw another giant being flying down towards them, shrinking to better accommodate the street and buildings.
"A Gomess?" Hero said, puzzled. "But those are native to other Earths... how did this one get here? I don't think I sensed any native giant creatures here before now..."
"Maybe it has something to do with Virus! He was in that bookstore when I saw him," Mt. Lady said, pointing to the ruined bookstore. "But that can wait! Now that you're here, you can-"
"Hold on," Hero said, as he looked at Gomess. Gomess had crouched down to the ground, covering its face in fear as it prepared for the inevitable. "Are... are you scared?"
Gomess turned away, not looking at the Ultra, seemingly confirming the Ultra's suspicions. "It's alright... no one's gonna hurt you more-"
"I AM HERE!" All Might said, flying in from the sky and landing on the ground. "Now, let's-"
"Hold on, Mr. All Might," Hero said, looking at the Number One Hero. "From what I've learned, Gomesses can be rather aggressive, but I think this one's just scared and confused. Miss Mt. Lady, has this Gomess really attacked you at all?"
"... Not really," Mt. Lady admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "He's just been trying to run away from me this entire time."
"So he really isn't trying to hurt anyone... I don't suppose there's a place where we can keep him, is there?" Hero asked. "I don't want to spill unnecessary blood, but we can't keep him here..."
"Actually, there might be a place..." All Might said thoughtfully, as he looked at the giant reptilian.
Later that Night...
Gomess walked happily around its sectioned off portion in Ground Omega (its temporary home until Cementoss and others can make a more permanent home for it), finally glad to be somewhere more comfortable after the giants helped relocate it there. It didn't mind the fact that there were walls around it, since it still had quite a lot of space to roam around. Meanwhile at the outpost, Hero/Hiroshi, All Might, and Principal Nezu were finishing a talk with Mt. Lady about Virus. The press conference had been put to a abrupt but sudden end, especially since many of the main questions were answered prior to the alien attacks.
"That is indeed troubling..." Principal Nezu said, while Hero/Hiroshi tapped his foot in thought.
"If he was in a bookstore, he must've been trying to find something with information..." Hero/Hiroshi said.
"But why go through the trouble of summoning giant aliens if that's all he wanted?" Mt. Lady added.
"Knowing him, it was just some form of twisted entertainment..." All Might grumbled. "If he was searching for information, all he needed to do was use his shadow powers when no one was around. And yet-!"
"We can beat him, All Might," Hero/Hiroshi stated, his fingers curled tighted. "I swear it as an Ultra."
"Sorry I'm not much more help here. He did just split after I saw him," Mt. Lady sighed. "The guy's slippery with those powers of his."
"It's alright, Mt. Lady. You provided us some crucial information about Virus and his involvement," Principal Nezu replied, as they got up to lead Mt. Lady to the exit. "Thank you for your time and assistance."
Meanwhile, the other Hero Course students had been giving the rundown of Virus and his allies to Rigel and Ardiana, as well as wanting to see Gomess being given a new temporary home at UA. Setsuna was especially giddy to see it, since it was the first giant reptilian creature that they've seen that's actually been rather decent.
"So there's a race of aliens like that, is there..." Rigel said, his hand on his chin in thought as he watched the footage of Virus and his allies in Hosu again. "I never encountered or even heard of a race like this."
"Indeed. I have extensively searched through the Hunter Database for all info on aliens that have shadow abilities, and nothing has come up for Virus and his kind," Ardiana replied. "It is one of the most comprehensive ones there is, considering the profession, though there are still quite a number of aliens that we have yet to encounter."
"Damn, and we were really hoping you guys had something for us," Setsuna moaned, as Saiphza sat in her lap, enjoying its new bed.
"I guess it was a bit hopeful to think that you'd know every alien race there is," Fuka said.
"C-Can I look through it sometime!?" Izuku said, looking at Rigel and Ardiana. "I... I enjoy analyzing and recording Quirks, and I've recently extended it to aliens thanks to Hero, and, well, I want to know more so we can be more helpful-"
"Of course, Midoriya," Rigel said, smiling. "We're friends and classmates now, and it'd be rude of me not to try and help out. We'll need to go inside Saiphza sometime to create a translated copy of the Hunter Database, since it's still in our race's native written language."
"So wait, how CAN you talk in Japanese?" Ochako asked, raising an eyebrow. "In fact, how do a lot of aliens learn it in the first place?"
"Sometimes they learn it on their own, sometimes it's telepathy," Rigel explained. He lifted a part of his hair, revealing a small metal chip-like device inserted into the side of his head. "For Alien Hunters we use these mental chips to transfer information from computers and signals and instantly convert it into information our brains can store. Helps a lot with learning languages, vocal and written."
"That would be so useful for me," Pony said to herself, before shaking her head. "Any chance I could get one?"
"I don't have another on me, unfortunately," Rigel replied. "And not gonna lie, the process is painful and you're bound to end up being in a seven day long coma at least while recovering."
Pony grimaced at the thought. "Oof, never mind."
"Hey guys," Hiroshi said, Hero having released his possession on him. "Let's head back to the dorms, I think we're done here."
"I-I don't think there's any need to hurry," Denki said, shifting his eyes around. "After all, we should make sure that Gomez is comfortable, right?"
"Gomess," Ardiana corrected.
"Y-Yea!" Mina added, nodding in agreement. "I mean, what if it needs some food? Or water? Or-"
"Guys you can't avoid studying," Itsuka said, crossing her arms before turning to her 1B classmates who were low-ranking as well. "That includes you guys too."
"I was afraid of that..." Kinoko sighed, as they went outside back to the buses to get back to the dorms. Hiroshi and Rigel lagged behind a bit, so that they could talk to each other.
"So do you think the information Virus was looking for is?" Rigel asked Hiroshi.
"My bet? Something related to our Earth's history," Hiroshi admitted. "I don't think there'd be any technical knowledge he'd need to know, nor would it be anything related to entertainment... Just what precisely he was looking for is the mystery..."
In the mountainous forest...
"Hello everyone! How is everything?" Virus said, appearing in front of his allies. He looked at them, and then at the three screaming teens. "Oh my, they're still at it?"
"Ever since you left them here with us, yes," Illne grumbled. Suddenly, Kenji and the others started to scream in rage, punching at the ground before laughing madly, and then went back to writhing on the ground in pain screaming. "When it's not screaming in pain, it's rage. When it's not rage, it's laughter. Just what's happening to them?"
"Hm... I suppose Belial's powers over darkness and ours are a little more incompatible than I thought," Virus said, turning Kenji over with his foot to look at the Despair Core. "The powers are currently in conflict with one another, struggling to find a middle ground. Meanwhile, I think that their Quirks are also coming into conflict with the powers, and they're putting up a slight resistance to being absorbed into the Despair Core's."
"But why?" Maladi asked. "Quirks are-"
"- are much stronger than we take credit for," Virus stated. "They might be weaker than some aliens and don't affect us as intended, but they're still relatively... intriguing powers. Besides, it's where their Quirks come from that I'm more interested in."
As he said that, he pulled out the Quirkology book he stole.
"So did you send out those three giants to just steal books?" Disze said, crossing his arms. "We looked through our remotes' catalogues and noticed you took out Hyper Zetton, Ragstone, and that standard Gomess."
"Indeed! Livened up some things, didn't I?" Virus replied, as he began to flip through the book. "And before you're wondering, no, I'm not going to do something like that again. It'd be boring if I made something like that routine, wouldn't it?"
"Is that why we rarely use them in the first place?" Illne muttered.
"Exactly! A giant alien attack every week would just make people expect them! What would be a devastating event just becomes a minor inconvenience," Virus said, snapping the book closed. He looked down at the three teens, and started to tap his chin with the book in thought. "Hm... maybe a change of scenery for them will calm them down. Plus, I need some better reading light."
Virus took his pager out, and pressed it. Within minutes, Kurogiri's portal formed, and he poked his head out.
"... I see that they're still screaming since Sunday," Kurogiri wryly noted. "And I suppose you want me to take them to the bar?"
"Indeed! I think since that my friends here are tired of them, I should introduce our new potential recruits to the others!" Virus explained.
"... Fine. Do what you wish," Kurogiri said, as Disze picked the three up and tossed them into the portal. "Are you going to come?"
"Indeed! Illne, do you want to join me?"
"Might as well," she replied. "What of you three?"
"I'm going to sleep," Maladi mumbled, refusing to get out of her shadow hammock.
"I'm growing weary of staying here," Disze answered. "I suppose I'll just... blend in with the humans and explore this Earth."
"I as well," Ceteria added. "I'm tired of simply hiding within the shadows... it's time that we start hiding in plain sight."
"Oh? So I take it that you're going to create human disguises?" Virus chuckled.
"You can do that?" Kurogiri asked.
"Indeed! Many aliens have figured out how to create disguises to blend in with humans and other races! How do you think Golkin's gone undetected for so long, in spite of his appearance?" Virus said.
"Fair enough," Kurogiri said. "Just hurry and enter."
"Well, I suppose I shall wish you all good luck on finding the perfect human disguises!" Virus said, waving Disze and Ceteria off as they disappeared into shadows, and he and Illne walked into Kurogiri's portal.
In the seedy bar in a suspicious alleyway...
"What the fuck is wrong with these guys!?" Tomura yelled. Kurogiri's pager for Virus had going off with coordinates of his current location. He created a portal, only for three screaming teens to be thrown into the bar. Everyone covered their ears as the teens kept on yelling in pain. "Why did you bring them here!?"
"Why, they're your new potential allies!" Virus said, as he and Illne walked into the bar. "I figured that since I gave the good Doctor those aliens to try and turn into Nomus, that I'd do a little experimentation myself and turn some humans into aliens!"
"So you can do that!? Fascinating!" the Doctor's voice said through the monitor. "You must send me your findings so I can learn more about them!"
"Is it related to that gem on their chests?" Magne asked, pointing at the Despair Cores on Kenji's, Kin'Ichi's, and Kumataro's chests. "Must say, interesting choice of jewelry."
"Indeed! I call them Despair Cores, and they're the embodiment of my and our allies' powers, as well as that of a special alien!" Virus said. "Unfortunately, this is but the first batch, so it's very experimental. I think their pain's the result of the slight incompatibility of our powers and that alien's."
"And you didn't think of giving me one to make up for the loss of my Quirk!?" Tomura spat out, holding out his hands to remind him and Illne that they were one of the ones who ripped off his fingers.
"Oh, you want to be in pain with them?" Virus said, pointing to the teens.
"... Tch, don't even want your stupid alien powers to begin with," Tomura grumbled, turning around to go to his room. "Don't bother me, I'm going to bed. Anywhere else is better than having to hear them keep yelling."
"And since we don't have our own rooms yet, I guess we're stuck down here listening to them," Mr. Compress said, as Tomura slammed the door close.
"Hm, screams don't bother me," Dabi stated, leaning back against his chair. "They haven't for a long time."
"Good! Plus, their screams makes for the perfect background noise while I do some reading," Virus said, pulling up a chair and propping his feet up on another at a table to begin reading one his stolen books.
"A book?" Golkin asked.
"Books. Plural," Virus stated. "I stole some tonight so I can get some reading done!"
"Is this book theft related to the three giant alien attacks as well?" the Teacher said from the monitor.
"That's correct," Virus replied, as he started to read the opening of the thick Quirkology book. "Once again, thought it had been a while since we've had a giant alien attack, so why not make up for it with three at once? Though I guess one is technically not an alien, since it came from an alternate Earth rather than an alien planet."
"And these books were valuable enough for you to do so?"
"Valuable to me. I simply wanted to learn a little more about the history of Quirks and your world's villains," Virus said casually. "Now hush. I want to learn as much as I can in peace."
The people present turned away from the alien as he buried his nonvisible nose into the book, while the three teens convulsed and slammed their heads and fists against the ground.
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- I'll be honest. I've been completely split on whether or not I should've included the Training Camp Arc as it originally was. But considering all of the changes to UHA has had to MHA canon, I realized that it would make more sense if the context for it and the situation for it was changed heavily to accommodate it. SOME things will be similar, but as a whole, it won't be the same.
- I think this chapter and the next chapter might be pretty weak. Not my best, since this is really just a transition to the 'Training Camp' Arc, and setting up for why it changed. So it's a lot shorter like a lot of the earlier chapters/filler ones (and I have a feeling that the next one will be in the same boat). Also 'cuz there's been a big lack of giant alien attacks. Been wanting to use Ragstone and Hyper Zetton for a while, but debated over using an Earth kaiju until I decided that Gomess would be nice 'cuz he's small. Buuut I feel like I'll stick to making OC ones in the future for a while, since I don't know or feel if I do the canon ones justice, and I feel more comfortable making my own to let Hero and the others to beat up on. Excluding the small ones like Alien Barossa. I like writing for Alien Barossa, and I think we'll get a chapter involving another one soon.
- Speaking of Gomess, I decided to make this one a lot more pleasant than the ones we've seen in canon. Like we know that they CAN be good, since Cosmos used his Full Moon Rect on one in Ultraman Saga.
- A feature I decided that needed to be added to Virus's remote is that there's a screen and a scroll function so he can choose what alien to summon. Just pressing a button became kinda silly to me.
- The reason why they're using the energy barrier now and not during the Sargas fight is 'cuz they were far away enough from any buildings that any of them falling would not be a risk, save for the fact that some of the Hero Course students were out there helping with them (but even then Ardiana was around to make sure that they could avoid them). This is a common feature on Alien Hunter ships, so as to prevent further damage or if they can't afford to let something escape. Their drones can also be used to help repair anything infrastructure that was damaged during the fight, which the Alien Hunters developed so that people can return to their lives more easily.
- Saiphza CAN shrink between his full size and miniature size, but for its full powers, he needs Rigel to be on board, and when he shrinks, Rigel can't enter him. Like things CAN shrink with Saiphza, but it's more difficult with living beings (not including food).
- The reason why I cut away to Hiroshi using the Hero Hand to finish off Hyper Zetton is that amidst all of the chapters, I've only ever shown it once. Each form gets a unique word for when it's a finishing move. Original gets "Herorum" by default, Flash Hermes gets "Hermazing" (Hermes + Amazing), Muscle Hercules gets "Herculean", and Burst Helios gets "Helioric" (Helios + Heroic). Only "Herculean" gets used as the beginning of a finishing move, though. Admittedly, this has always been more or less in the back of my mind, and I never really figured out when to use them, so I figured that here would be a good time as any to do it.
- As for the possibility of making a monster sanctuary like in Ultraman Cosmos, it's a possibility. In fact, I have a few ideas as to how it gets made and the like.