Their Hero Academia – Chapter 18: Chihiro Kaminari Makes a Spark at the USJ
"Holy cow, would you look at the size of this place!" Chihiro Kaminari said, as the students of Class 1-A and their Heroics teachers, All Might, exited the bus. The great dome of the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ, sprawled out before them, reaching towards the sky. "I heard Mom and Dad talk about it, but seeing it in person…"
The building was also a major power draw. She could feel the electricity flowing through the building in her Extension Cords even from here; they were already pointing greedily towards it of their own accord. She settled them down with an act of will, letting them dangle over her shoulders. No need to tell anyone how intoxicating she found all that power. She stuck her hands in the pockets of her costume's yellow jacket.
"It's even better inside," Toshi Midoriya said. "I've seen it when Uncle Kota got Mom to teach a few lessons and she brought me along."
Of course he had. Midoriya was the son of the Number One Hero, the son of the most well regarded Rescue Hero in all of Japan, and the grandson of the former Number One Hero. Even in a class of almost entirely second or third or more generation Heroes, Midoriya had advantages and connections far beyond anyone else. Not that she was jealous (and she had more than enough of her own ins to people in the music industry), but still, he definitely had a leg up.
"Inside, Young Heroes!" All might said, ushering them towards the doors. "We have a great deal to do today and little time to waste!"
"This is so cool!" Shota Shinso called out, throwing both hands up in the air in excitement. "I was so excited I could barely sleep! I can't believe we're gonna get taught by Water Spout! He's one of the best Rescue Heroes around!"
"Careful, Shota," Izumi Todoroki told him. "You don't want to exhaust yourself before you've even set foot inside."
"Awww, but I'm just so excited!"
"Nothing to get excited about, Loud Kid," Katsumi Kirishima-Bakugo said. "Just rescue training. Not like we're going to get attacked by an army of Villains or something."
At that, Todoroki started to chuckle, one which spread through the others, even Chihiro herself. It was definitely something that had been on her mind. Twenty-five years ago, on their first visit to the USJ, the then-Class 1-A had been attacked by the League of Villains. Several of them had nearly been killed and All Might had been pushed beyond his limits fighting a monstrous Nomu. It had been the start of their parents' class getting caught up in extreme and dangerous events, something that hadn't really let up until they'd graduated. It was something serious, to be sure, but it had also been the true start of their heroic journeys.
Only Isamu Haimawari wasn't laughing. "Is… is that a thing that happens?" he asked.
"It only happened once," Midoriya said. "And all the Villains who were involved with that are either dead or in prison. It'll be fine. Probably."
Haimawari turned a pale color that suggested he really didn't like the sound of that "probably" and pulled up the bandanna of his costume to hide his face
"As long as it's not a water rescue," Mika said. "I can't swim."
Chihiro looked over at her best friend. "You can't?" she asked. "How come I never knew this?"
Mika gave her a look. "Really? You've never noticed I never go past the shallow end of the pool or the beach?"
Chihiro thought back for a moment, thinking of the times the two of them had gone to either place, sometimes camped out in a semi-hidden location with a couple pairs of binoculars. "…No?" she tried, realizing that she really hadn't ever noticed.
"…I can't swim, Chihiro. Horns and hooves make me too heavy to float."
"Oh," Chihiro said. It made sense. "I thought it was just because you were more interested in ogling."
"I'm not going to dignify that with a response."
Inside, they were greeted by Water Spout and Doc Clock, Kota and Eri Izumi. The former wore a uniform with an elaborate silver helmet that incorporated a snorkel and a black bodysuit with white gloves and shoulder pads, and a green chest piece like a life vest. The latter wore a purple and black leotard with a clock insignia. Both, curiously, had red boots, that reminded her of Deku's.
"Welcome," Water Spout said, spreading his arms in an expansive gesture, "to the USJ! Most of you should know me, but for those who don't, I am Kota Izumi, the Hydro Hero: Water Spout and this is my wife, Doctor Eri Izumi, the Emergency Rescue Hero: Doc Clock. I'm the Rescue Instructor of U.A. and she's U.A.'s chief doctor."
Takuma Sero raised a hand, and waited until Water Spout called on him. "Mom wanted me to tell you she says "hi,' and hasn't forgotten you," he said.
For some reason, this caused Water Spout to look very embarrassed and flush red behind the clear face shield of his helmet. "Ahem… moving on. The Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ, was the brain child of the Space Hero, Thirteen. They knew that the Heroes of tomorrow and today would need a place to train and practice their rescue skills. Despite what makes the news, Pro-Heroes are much more likely to participate in rescue work than engaging villains. Fires, earthquakes, typhoons, all of these require a rescue response, not being something you can simply punch. Unless you're Deku, of course."
A few laughs rippled through the students, though not many.
Water Spout continued. "Even though there are a number of Heroes like myself and Uravity who specialized in rescue work, you may never know when you may be called upon to aid in rescue operations. Which is why you'll be spending the next weeks' worth of Heroics classes here, working in the different environments and getting used to the basics of Rescue Work."
Chihiro frowned at that. Her Quirk was not ideally suited for Rescues. Sure, she could handle any downed powerlines or anything like that, maybe a little arc welding if she had to, but teasing of Mika aside, she didn't do especially well around water herself, and a stray electrical spark from her Cords could just as easily set off a gas line than accomplishing anything positive. Not to mention she could just as easily short out her own brain at the wrong moment, and then there'd be two people to rescue.
No, she hadn't really been looking forward to this at all.
Some of the others were looking uncomfortable as well. Kenta Sato looked particularly worried. She knew his Quirk was weird and entertaining, but maybe he could… eat his way to a rescue? Chihiro wasn't sure. Kimiko Ojiro, well, you couldn't exactly read an invisible girl's face, but the body language of her "floating" costume suggested she was nervous too. Then again, if she could make things invisible, it might be good for finding people buried under stuff.
Most of the others looked excited and eager, especially Midoriya and Shinso. Not surprises there.
"We've made a few improvements to the facility over the years," Water Spout went on. "Thanks to advances in holographic technology and state of the art simulation software developed by Melissa Shield, we can simulate virtually any disaster or situation. We'll primarily be focusing on urban rescues this week, while Doc Clock here will also be providing rudimentary instruction in first aid."
Well… maybe she could just be a defibrillator.
Well, at least it wasn't a water rescue. They'd been split into three groups. All Might had one group of them on the other side of the facility, offering his own brand of urban rescue instruction in a simulated cityscape, while Doc Clock had taken another group, and Water Spout had taken Chihiro, Mika, Sato, Midoriya, and Sora Iida.
"All right," Water Spout said. "The city here's just been hit by an earthquake. Multiple buildings in partial state of collapse, potential aftershocks on the way, small and not so small fighters having started from the damage, and plenty of car crashes and other assorted collateral damage as well. What's your first move?"
Midoriya raised a hand. "If they're already on the scene, connect with local first responders. They'll have a better idea of what's going on that you will and can point you in the right direction."
Water Spout nodded. "Good answer. But what if it's sudden enough that they haven't made it there yet?"
Iida put her hand up, her face hidden by her costume's silver helmet. She was also, Chihiro noticed, standing awfully close to Midoriya, her arm nearly brushing his. While she knew the Twins had some issues with personal space, Midoriya didn't seem bothered by it, like her did when Mika got too flirty. Come to think of it, they'd sat together on the bus too, rather than with her brother or one of Midoriya's usual circle. That was a little weird. Especially since, if there was gossip to be had, Ojiro would have disseminated it for the entire world to know by now.
"Look for signs of structural collapse," Iida said. "If you are observant, there are numerous ways you can determine which building is likely to fall first. Prioritize that for civilian rescue."
"Also useful," Water Spout agreed. "And we can and will be reviewing the basics of structural engineering to give you some grounding in that. What else?"
Okay, think. Chihiro knew she wasn't the best student in the class, but she wasn't stupid. She'd been able to think rings around her dad and talk him into almost anything from a young age. And when it came to Heroics, her parents had already taught her a lot about being aware of how dangerous her Quirk could be, both to herself and others, if she wasn't careful with it.
So… wait. She actually knew the answer to this. Her mom had talked about how her own Quirk wasn't great in combat, but that she was great at Intel gathering for others. Chihiro threw a hand in the air. "Ah… look for where you're needed the most. And where your Quirk can do the most good. Because what I can do might not be what Iida or Midoriya or Todoroki can do. Iida freaking flies and Midoriya can float and Todoroki's practically a one woman fire department. I can't do anything like that."
She pointed, a little more confidence in her voice now that she was finding some footing, even in admitting her own weaknesses. "But I can see downed power lines over those cars. That's where I'd start."
The Rescue Hero snapped his fingers and pointed in her direction. "Another really good answer. Some Quirks are way better suited for rescue work than others. And no shame in that, one way or the other. Still not quite the answer I'm looking for though. Here's a hint… what's the thing Deku's always saying?"
"I AM HERE!" came the response, from all of them. It was something they all knew by heart. Some of them (herself included) had grown up playing at it.
"Right," Water Spout said. "One of the most important things you can do as a Hero is making people feel safe. No matter how bad it gets, you need to put them at as much ease as you can. Gotta rescue hearts and minds as much as you're rescuing their bodies."
"Stay back!" Chihiro called out to the others. "We gotta deal with those downed wires first!" Basic instruction covered, they'd been thrown into the deep end of Rescue Work. Water Spout was monitoring, occasionally shouting advice, but he was letting them make their own mistakes.
"Thanks, Kaminari!" Midoriya said, giving her a thumbs up. "You've got this!"
She unleashed her Extension Cords, sending one each towards one of the downed wires covering the cars. Inside, animatronic dummies could be seen thrashing in some kind of approximation of panicked civilians. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "You can do this. Just don't ruin your brain."
Contact! The second her Extension Cords made contact with the power lines, she could feel the electricity coursing through them, electricity that made its way through her body. She could feel the edges of her thoughts growing cloudy already, but pushed past it, discharging small amounts out the tips of her Cords to keep it from overwhelming her. Her Cords themselves were far strong than they looked and with a grunt, she shifted the power lines off the cars. Then, and only then, did she put some of that electricity back. It was enough to overwhelm the lines, shutting them down. So much power there, it seemed like almost a shame to shut it down.
Chihiro let out a breath, retracting her Cords. That had been closer than she'd like to admit. It took a lot too fry her brain, but that threat was always there, always in the back of her mind. "Go!" she shouted to the others. Time for worrying about that later, time for action now.
The others went into action, moving towards some of the trapped vehicles. Sato went to work on one, the door to the car dented and caved in from where another car had crashed into it. His teeth took great bites out of the door, until the driver could be safely removed. Sato assessed that they weren't too hurt to be moved, before handing them off to Iida, who flew them to the triage zone behind them.
Mika and Midoriya worked on the other car, Midoriya adjusting his personal gravity to let him pull the door off its hinges, before giving the passenger to Mika to carry. She might not have been able to fly, but for land speed, no one but Haimawari was faster than she was. Her hooves thundered against the concrete as she ran.
Chihiro wasn't idle either, moving on to the next car and trapped driver. The car's door was locked, so she couldn't just get them out. Midoriya and the others were all busy with other cars, so what could she… She snapped her fingers. With as much force as she could muster she shot her right Cord through the back window of the car, piercing the glass. It was a good thing the skin on her Cords was tougher than the rest of her skin, the prongs hard enough to provide sufficient force. Carefully, she directed her Cord inside, watching it through the driver-side window, until she could get it wrapped around the inside door handle. She gave a little pull, the door came open and she let her Cord retract.
"I need an extract!" she called out, reading the vital signs monitors on the animatronic driver. If this had been a live person, there was no way they could get mobile on their own, and she wasn't certain she had the physical strength to move them herself.
She looked around. Iida and Mika were ferrying their own charges back to Triage, while Midoriya and Sato worked on freeing more drivers. Chihiro was on her own. Okay. So. Use what she had.
Carefully, she put the driver's arm around her should, extending one of her Cords to wrap around their waist to give herself some additional support. She bent her knees and lifted as best she could. The animatronic was heavy, but if she was careful, she could move it. The Triage area seemed impossibly far away.
She put one foot in front of the other, feeling like she would probably be walking forever if she was going to get anywhere. But she could do this. She would do this. Heroes saved people. And she was going to be a Hero.
She saw Mika running back from the Triage Zone, when she skidded to a stop, nearly losing her balance in the process. Chihiro knew her friend wasn't good with sudden stops or changes in terrain, not with her hooves.
"Chihiro!" Mika called out, worry and fear all over her face, one arm extended and her finger pointing up.
Chihiro looked up in time to see another power line coming down. Instinct took over and her Extension Cords shot out, connecting with the power line. The power surged through her like a bolt of white hot heat and she could feel the electricity from her toes to her hair, which started standing on end. It had to be… she knew this… she knew how much electricity felt like what… had to be… a lot. No time to try and discharge it, her body hungrily drank it in.
Definitely a lot of volts.
Like, at least seven.
No! She couldn't… go all… stupid. She had to rescue this… guy? Was the training animatronic a guy? Did he have an animatronic… guy part? …Was it detachable? She felt him fall and realized she should probably have been sadder about that.
Behind the electric crackle in ears, she was vaguely aware of someone screaming and of some kind of alarm going off. Did she oversleep again? Because she was… wasn't she already at school? Did she forget to go to school? No, Dad only bought that one once…
Where was she going? There had to be somewhere she was trying to get. Which way? Which wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy….
She felt the flow of electricity into her body suddenly stop and she sank to her knees. She blinked several times, trying to clear her eyes.
"Chihiro!" she became aware of Mika shouting her name. "Speak to me, Chihiro! How many fingers am I holding up?"
Chihiro blinked again, trying to focus on the gloved fingers being held in front of her face. "Whey whey whey?"
"Three wheys! Three fingers! She's okay!"
"I don't think that's how it works, Mineta," she heard Midoriya say.
"She absorbed a considerable amount of electricity very quickly," Iida said. "Lacking the time to discharge it, it would have circulated through her entire body."
Chihiro felt gloved hands on her face and her vision cleared enough to find herself looking at Water Spout. She could see her reflection in his faceplate. "Whey?" she asked. Why was everybody so concerned?
"Don't worry," Water Spout said. "Eri's on the way. You don't seem hurt, but I'd like to get you checked out anyway."
"Wheyyyy?" Get who checked out? Why? What had happened? Why were her thoughts so fuzzy?
"Is it always like this?" Sato asked.
"I dunno," Mika said. "She's never gotten a shock that big before."
Seriously, why was everyone so upset? Mika didn't do worried. Why was she doing it now? "Whey… are you all acting like something's wrong? And do any of you remember which wheeey I was going?" The words poured out slow and clumsy, but they took bits of cotton out of her brain with them.
"She's okay!" Mika dropped down next to her, wrapping her arms around her. "Don't scare me like that, Chi! I can't lose my best wingwoman!"
Gently, Water Spout peeled Mika back. "Give her some room, please." He focused his attention on her. "How're you feeling?"
"Whey better," Chihiro said. "Head's whey less foggy… Just… need a minute."
Not exactly her finest hour, was it?
"You know," Doctor Izumi said, shining a light in Chihiro's eyes, "you bounce back much faster than your father. Your overall resistance is lower, but it takes less time for you to bounce back." She was doing a cursory examination of Chihiro in the Triage Zone, just to make sure she was all right.
Chihiro shrugged. It wasn't anything new to her. They'd discovered that when she was fairly young, playing games of who could shock who harder with her dad. After a couple of times of it, her mom had given him such a chewing out over frying her brain and his. Then there had been the times she'd stuck her Cords in an outlet. After that, they'd gone to a Quirk specialist. Because her Quirk was concentrated in her Cords, it took less to fry her brain, but her recovery period was significantly shorter. And it worked both ways for her, since she could absorb electricity as well as discharge it.
"Doesn't make it suck any less. One bad shock and I'm "whey" out there."
Doctor Izumi frowned. "That's a lot more than some people could say. If that had been anyone else out there, I'd be using my Quirk on them, instead of giving you a basic check-up."
Now it was Chihiro's turn to frown. She hadn't thought about that. Being able to live through things had to count for something, right. "I still don't think I'll make a very good Rescue Hero though."
"Not all Heroes do. But it's important to know your limits. My dad taught me how to fight, but I'd still not be your best choice for a frontline fighter. You'd probably give the bad guy a pretty good zap, though."
This did get a small smile out of Chihiro. "Maybe. Just got to watch it."
Doctor Izumi tilted her head slightly, tapping a finger on her chin. "You know, I'm wondering if you couldn't do with a good Support Consultation."
"…huh?" Maybe her brain was too fried still, but the term didn't ring any bells.
"Something new we're trying this year at the school. Basically a three way consultation between you, a representative from the Support Department, and a Quirk Counselor. A way to better match up students with proper support gear in advance. Lots of students end up going to the Support Department later in the year, but if we start now, we can get ahead of any problems."
"Like Dad's disks?" Chihiro asked. "Or Mom's speakers?"
"Something like that," Doctor Izumi said. "In your case… I'm wondering if you wouldn't be better off using your Quirk to power other things. You could have a lot of options that way. Even rescue gear."
Now that was something she hadn't really considered before… A battery instead of a stun gun? Sure, she and Dad could keep a phone charged like nobody's business, but this was different…
"Okay, yeah," Chihiro said. "That sounds… good, actually."
Doctor Izumi smiled. "It's our job as teachers to help you reach your full potential. Shocking, I know. This is just more of that."
"…Did you just make a pun?"
She smiled, mischievously. "Just don't tell Dad. He thinks a sense of humor is a character flaw." She have Chihiro's shoulder a pat. "I think you're good, Kaminari. I don't even have to recommend benching you. I'll work with your parents and the Support Department to get that consultation set up."
"Is she okay?" Mika asked, coming up behind Doctor Izumi. Chihiro gave her friend a thumb's up. "Good! Because I've got terrible news! I think Midoriya and Iida are dating, Chi! She was sitting real close to him when we were taking a break! I'm pretty sure she was gonna kiss him if Water Spout hadn't broken it up! Two more of our classmates are off the menu, and I'm still single! It's the tragedy of the century!"
Chihiro couldn't help but smile. Some things never changed.