The Magical Idiot of UA High

by Ai Phantom

Meet Kosuke Gushiken. An idiot who just enters the ultimate hero school of Japan, UA High. But Ko doesn't have a quirk; in fact, he has magic. No one knows that but his best friend, Shinso. In secret, Kosuke is competing with other magical participants in becoming the next Sorcerer Supreme. However, he might be a bit distracted by a beautiful raven known as Tokoyami.

3. Magia Showdown

Chapter 3: Magia Showdown; Arcadia VS Showdown

It has been a week of regular classes for the students of Class 1-A until today. All Might is teaching Hero Studies. What better to learn about heroism than the Number One Hero himself! Under his tutelage, everyone put on their custom-made costumes created by the Support Course due by the student's request and led to one of the training cities UA has. Fumikage was expecting a morning text from Gushiken since he likes to express his yammering through texts more than appearances. Perhaps it's the other way around. This very morning was different though. No usual "Mornin' beautiful" message. He thought he might oversleep or maybe Gushiken forgot to charge his phone. Nevertheless, the goth avian would see his friend at the cafeteria… sadly, he wasn't there; not even Shinso and those were tied to the hip. Fumikage remembered how lonely he felt. He shook it off and went to his class and ignores some familiar faces while leaving a quick "good morning" to Gushiken hoping a reply will come later.

During class, each student was randomly put in a team of two; ten teams, heroes versus villains. The villains' objective is to protect the bomb whereas the hero's duty is to secure the bomb all before time runs out.

Each of Fumikage's classmates didn't hold back like during the quirk test. Izuku Midoriya was the only student who had to go to the infirmary due to overuse on his quirk against Katsuki Bakago. It was the end of Hero Studies where everyone was hyped and adrenaline they went through. Bakugo was unusually quiet for a loud character and quirk to boot. All Might left with a quick good-bye and dashed off with a stream of smoke behind him. Everyone leaves soon after to go to the changing rooms; positive energy radiates around them, all but one.

Fumikage lingers behind; his ruby irises studying the blue sky. Maybe it's leftover excitement or perhaps it's a little paranoia seeping into his nerves, yet he feels something is going to happen. The avian teenager shakes his head. He's probably overthinking it. He walks to the exit with his class already. Suddenly, Fumikage spots a comet zooming through the sky.

Strange.

Comets are rarely seen through daylight. Could it be a bomb? If it is, he should contact someone. The teachers maybe? They're heroes. Mr. Aizawa? All Might? Yes, All Might is a better choice. There's just one slight problem. His legs won't move. The bird-headed boy keeps looking at the directions it went. Without turning back, Fumikage runs toward the fallen object.

'Where are you going?' Dark Shadow's question echoes in his mind.

'I need to investigate the strange object', Fumikage answers.

'Why?' he wishes he has a feint idea other than his curiosity; and since Dark Shadow is a part of him, his quirk is as curious as he is. 'The smarter move would be to call a hero.' Yes, it would be smart. What is he thinking? He shouldn't investigate. It's his first day of being a hero-in-training and he is running towards danger. Fumikage's pace becomes slow as he hears an explosion nearby. The object made its collision course.

Fumikage turns a corner but retreats for cover. The object crashes into a building on the lower level. It wasn't a bomb – which is a relief – because it didn't release an explosion. A pile of rubble is stacked over the mysterious object. The avian-headed teenager stares at the rubble, contemplating whether to inspect the damage. He takes one step from his hiding spot. He spots a ginormous dragon (DRAGON?!) flies overhead and lands a few feet away from the fallen object. A purple witch hat with a gray buckle lays discarded a few feet away from the object.

A figure jumps off the dragon's back. They were dressed in black; a black hood covers their head and a face mask covering his lower face; a gray tunic overlapping their black, long-sleeved shirt; simple black pants; the one aspect that stands out if the blazing blue eyes though his hood.

"Hopefully you'll stay down like the mangey mutt you are", the black clad male speaks to the rubble. The rubble shakes. One of the pieces move. An arm pops up. Then, a man with dirty blond hair clad in lavender garment pushes through. His outfit is cover in dirt and bits of broken glass, yet he steps out of it with ease. He is dressed in a lavender long tailor coat with a gray dress shirt underneath, his tie peeking out of his collar, gray silk pants, and lavender knee-high boots. Fumikage sees his dark blue eyes peeking through his purple and gray domino face mask.

The man recovering dusts off the soot and calmly picks up his hat; he inspects it with calculating eyes before placing it on his head. "You're lucky my hat didn't suffer any serious damage, Obsidian, otherwise you'll be buying me a new one", he mocks the black-wearing man known as Obsidian. "If I didn't know any better, I have to say you were trying to kill me."

"Arcadia… why won't DIE ALREADY?!" Obsidian yells as he lifts his right hand; a violet beam shoots out. His opponent calmly stands his ground and responds with a light green barrier surrounding him. The man in black's fists tightens.

"Let's face it, you can't defeat me because well… put simply I'm better than you." Arcadia (the masked violet man) taps his foot. The rubble floats: broken glass and concrete fuse together creating multiple of swords. "And even if you do kill me, you'll miss our wonderful playdates", Arcadia adds with a challenging smirk.

Obsidian's body quakes in anger. "What will bring me joy is wiping your existence off the face of Gaia!" his dragon roars in agreement. After that, it spews out flames. An enormous white owl swoops into the line of fire using its wings to blow out the fire. It flies in front of the overgrown reptile and uses its talons to swipe the dragon's snout. The dragon releases a painful cry; it tries to grab onto the daring avian, but the owl flies off to the sky; the dragon follows.

Using the sudden clash as a distraction, Arcadia thrusts his metropolitan-made swords at Obsidian who in turn summons an inferno blast. The swords melt. Obsidian quickly summons a spear and parries and surviving blades while Arcadia summons glass hilts and uses those to climb up the building before the flames touch his clothes. The violet-wearing man grabs a long hilt and pulls it revealing a two-handed glass broad sword. He twists his body in the air and thrusts his form to his awaiting opponent who's ready for the upcoming attack. They make impact. It surprises Fumikage of how strong the glass weapon withstands the spear's strikes. The two weapons clashes, yet they don't disperse.

'This is sheer madness!' Fumikage tells himself, disbelieving and bewilderment shows in his stare. Their quirks are unbelievable! He never or met anyone with multiple quirks.

'Fumi, look out!' Dark Shadow's cries tear him out of his thoughts. Fumikage looks behind him to face a fiery stream heading his way. The young hero-in-training leaves his hiding spot, dodging the near burning experience. He stares at the pathway he was hiding in flames. He exhales a heavy breath. The raven looks back to the fighting duelists to meet two stares lay upon the newcomer. He notices Aracadia's eyes widening in surprise.

Obsidian forces his weapon forward and slices his adversary's cheek. His hand glows which a fireball blasts onto Arcadia. The force pushes the dazed man into a nearby lamppost. The avian-headed teenager gasps; he needs to stop this, he's a hero for crying out loud! Before he can act, the mysterious black-cladded man appears in his personal space. Out of instinct, Dark Shadow pops out, blocking his attack. Obsidian remains still. He quickly runs to his quirk his hand luminating a bright rainbow hue. Dark Shadow raises his talon and strikes. Obsidian dodges and backhands his quirk. The slap injuries him and the poor quirk retreats inside his host. Fumikage couldn't believe it. How does a stranger know his weakness? Is it obvious? Suddenly, a shadow loom over the shocked teenager. He looks up to stare into the blazing blue eyes of Obsidian. Fumikage's eyes widen as a painful blow hits his stomach. His vision blurs; darkness creeping around his line of sight. He succumbs to the black void of consciousness.

~MHA~

Arcadia groans. First, he slammed into a tree with a strong bark. Then, he crashed into a building; hopefully, he landed in the UA testing area because he cannot deal with media TODAY! Now, a lamppost. Thank goodness he is blessed with a strong spinal cord otherwise he would be in a hospital faster than saying it. Some morning. He didn't have his over sugared coffee yet. What's with him and crashing into things. Give him a distraction and he's distracted. Speaking of distractions, he could've sworn he saw Toko, but there's no way his beloved would be here. His mind must be punishing him for not texting his beautiful soon-to-be hubby. The masked teenager shakes the vertigo. As his vision clears, Arcadia feels his blood turns to ice. To his utmost horror, Obsidian carries an unconscious Toko over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Why is Obsidian kidnapping his friend? Does he intend to make Toko his husband by force? To Hell with that! No way in Earth, Heaven, or Hell is he going to let it happen or his name isn't Phillipe Corkindale Mathrews!

And it's not.

It bothers him to think Obsidian to do something against the rules. "Candidates are not to involve civilians, whether be hero or villain" or something along those lines. He knows Obsidian; he follows the rules like a Bible to his soul. Why? No matter. Toko needs rescuing and contemplating the whys isn't going to save him. Arcadia stumbles: he bites his tongue of the upcoming pain growing in his backside. He sees Obsidian leaping onto his dragon; his pet flies off.

Oh, it's on now. No one – I mean NO ONE – kidnaps his future husband and gets away with it! Arcadia weakly takes a running start, never leaving his sight off the fleeting fire-breathing lizard. He forces momenta into his running. "Avu!" he yells. His bird comes to his call. He hops onto his ride's back. "Follow that dragon!" don't lose sight of it!" the gigantic bird caws as it flies after his retreating foe.

Whatever Obsidian has in store for Toko, it won't compare the upcoming beatdown Arcadia has coming up.

~MHA~

'Get up.' He doesn't want to. He's too tired to wake up. The warmth on his body is so comforting. 'You need to wake up.' That voice… it doesn't belong to Dark Shadow… it's too feminine to be his quirk… a mature female, at best… 'Wake up NOW, Fumikage!'

Fumikage's eyes bolt up. He is greeted with a blinding light. He tries to cover his eyes, but his arms won't move. "You're awake", the light dims and he comes face to face with Obsidian. His eyes slightly widen at the closeness of a stranger, but his stare reduces and turns to a sharp glare. "The punch I gave you should've taken an average human a few hours of unconsciousness.", Obsidian speaks with interest, "however, you were able to break through in mere minutes." His kidnapper stands up and looks pass the dragon's nape.

…wait… are they – are THEY riding on the dragon? Fumikage looks over the flapping wings and sees the buildings down below. Dear Fates, he's riding on a dragon… he's RIDING on a DRAGON!

…he's dreaming… it must be it… dragons aren't real… they exist in fantasy novels and movies… he's either in a dream or entranced in a dream-related quirk… The bird hybrid squirms on his seat. He glances down at himself. An energy-like rope encircling his upper body; he struggles, hoping to move an inch of his arms; so far, no such luck.

"I have a couple theories", Fumikage stops his struggles and looks to his captor. "One, you train yourself to withstand my sleep spell." Spell? Did he say spell? "Two, I didn't puncture you to reserve you unconscious." Obsidian turns to his captive with his bright, blue eyes staring into his red irises; the stare is making him uncomfortable. "Three… there's something inside of you… something unnatural…"

"Where are you taking me?" Fumikage finally voices his main concern – or rather one of them. He retracts after seeing Obsidian's eyes glare hardens into a darker shade. If anything, he could've sworn they became blacker than blue.

"Don't worry about it", he sharply replies, turning his attention forward, "be glad you're alive… for now."

That wasn't reassuring. "The pro heroes will stop you", the raven says with pride, "once they realize you taken a hostage, they will chase you with haste."

Obsidian scoffs. "Those 'heroes' you admire are nothing more than power hungry pigs in sheep's clothing. They care about two things: fame and greed. You might as well pray one will rescue you." His view on heroes is bitter hatred and his words spit out like malice. What have heroes ever done for him? Have they hurt him? "Quirks. Heh, what a joke. Not sure why they exist in the first place. We already have racists, sexists, rapists, and many more plaguing Gaia's beautiful body; she cries in pain for centuries. Quirks are disgusting." While he monologues, Fumikage tries his hardest to escape his bindings. Even pleading Dark Shadow to come out since his quirk didn't make an appearance throughout the ordeal.

'Dark Shadow? Why are you not here?' he mentally asks, desperately.

"I can't!" Dark Shadow proclaims, "trust me, Fumi, I'm trying, but something is keeping me from getting out." What? How is possible? He should try harder. It must be a quirk at work.

"Like you are one to talk about power hungry", Fumikage says, unsure where this newfound backtalking is coming from. Nonetheless, he can't show fear to his kidnapper. "you speak as though you are above everyone. All I see is a coward who believes he is a god. The heroes are noble; they will come for me, you will be defeated, and you will be sent to prison. The super officials will throw away the key so you will repent for your crime…" his speech is cut off by a gloved hand clasping onto his neck. Fumikage's head lolls back.

"You should hold that tongue of yours, little bird", he feels his captor's breath against his feathers, "you don't want to lose your singing voice, do you?" the bird hybrid thought his captor was speaking a rhetorical question, until his throat gets tighter by the very hand holding his neck. "I asked you a question, birdie. Do you want to lose your voice?"

Fumikage manages a gurgled retort, "You're a bastard."

Obsidian releases the raven's throat. "Sticks and stones, little bird. Sticks and stones." He ignores the heavy coughing and gasping for air. "Be silent, otherwise, you'll get a heavy dose of Sleepy Aroma that will put a human in a coma."

The raven wants to be silent – he really does – but his courage lingers in his throat and as he opens his beak again for more air, he retaliates. "Then let me… correct myself… you… are a sad, pathetic… man I have ever met… with an ego the size… of your pet!"

Obsidian becomes angry by his captive's remark. His right hand engulfs in a dark mist. He turns swiftly. His hand draws closer to Fumikage. Suddenly, a flash of steel comes between them and wedges into the dragon's neck. The impact jerks he dragon which causes it to release a painful roar. The two riders look at the direction the weapons thrown.

Arcadia lands onto the flying reptile. As he stands straight, his blue eyes blazing in wildfire as he glares at the dragon rider. "You have fire seconds to command your overgrown salamander to turn back before I beat you to a pulp", he demands while summoning a sword onto his hand; the lavender masked-wearing vigilante points his weapon to his opponent.

Obsidian returns the glare. "We are done with our brawl, Arcadia. I am the victor. Once I present my report to the Fates, I shall be more powerful than all the candidates combine!"

"I'll let you do as you do, but not with a civilian at your disposal. Now, I don't like repeating myself, turn back, or suffer a beatdown where you won't return alive." Arcadia poises his posture to strike; however, his opponent remains stoic as he ruthlessly yanks the thrown pierce weapon ignoring his dragon's yelp and grabs Fumikage by his cloak.

The dark-clothed man tightly holds onto his prisoner with the dagger inching closer to the bird's neck. Arcadia's eyes light up tightening his grip on his sword. "If you want him, come and take him!" Obsidian challenges. He draws the dagger's tip near Fumikage's choker. "Just a precaution, your next move will be this little bird's demise."

Fumikage helplessly watches at Arcadia lowering his sword. To the trainee's perspective, it seems to be the masked man admits defeat until he thrust his sword into the reptile's back forcing the mount to violently jerk uncontrollably causing Obsidian to lose his grip on Fumikage. The said captee loses his footing and falls off the dragon. He tries to summon his sentient quirk, but Dark Shadow doesn't appear. He panics. His quirk isn't here to help him and is falling quickly. Is this his end? Is anyone going to catch a flightless human? No quirk, no pro hero. Oh God, it REALLY is time! It can't be! He hasn't graduate UA or becoming a pro hero! Why is Fates so cruel? Fumikage wants to yell, call for help. His scream is lodge in his throat. He closes his eyes; he could feel his heart beating faster with adrenaline and gusto of the fall. Before uttering a prayer, Fumikage lands on a soft landing and its moving. He heavily breathes as he steadies his heartbeats while sitting up (while being tied up). He notices he is riding on the giant snow owl which Fumikage believes belongs to Arcadia.

This is getting too much to handle.

~MHA~

After getting Toko away from danger (by doing a reckless move), Arcadia starts another glare down with Obsidian. Not only did he glare back, but his favorite

playmate's eyes also match his anger. "What have… you… DONE?!" he demands, hissing his words like venom.

"I'm certain it's against the rules to involve civilians, especially kidnapping them", Arcadia proclaims, "when the Fates are aware of your actions, they will strip you of your powers and memories."

"The Fates are already aware since I am standing in front of you. I'm not breaking any rules."

The masked spellcaster grits his teeth. "The law states no civilians are to be involved in the Mystique Brawls. THAT counts as rule breaking."

"It does not if I'm following the Ancient Law." Ancient Law? Before Arcadia can ask, Obsidian rushes forward with dagger in hand. Strike after strike. The two magicians aren't willing to let their opponent pierce their flesh. Their blades clash again, they do not part. They glare; mentally throwing their hatred through their eyes.

A giant shadow looms over the two magical fighters, cutting off their stare down. They look up to meet a giant masked-wearing blonde. "Stop right there, villains!" she shouts, which booms like thunder coming during daylight, "or face the wrath of Mt. Lady!" the two fighters couldn't the irritating eyeroll at the goliath woman. In unison, they flash a Light Burst spell which blinds the giant woman. She stumbles away as she tries to recover her eyesight; the people in the metropolis, who watches the ordeal as they saw the dragon, tries to move out of Mt. Lady's way. The fighters relocate onto a tall building; their pets coming to their side.

Avu (his overgrown artic owl) lowers herself close to her master. Arcadia was about to strike until a helicopter fly overhead. Someone jumps off it in a fireball. The very fireball happens to be a muscular man with face and facial hair completely blazing in fire.

Great, if it isn't Endeavor… Number Two Pro Hero and Arcadia's Number One Obsessed Fanboy (emphasis on obsessed); Arcadia dubs him as a stalker since he always enjoys chasing his ass. "Arcadia!" he yells, "this is the day I will finally arrest you for the crimes you committed!" what crimes? Arcadia didn't do anything! Why is he being accused of crimes when he's trying to do the right thing? Like any hero does a better job with a little chaos.

The hidden blond magician sighs in annoyance while pinching his nose bridge. "Listen… I love your enthusiasm – really, I do, Endeavor… but can we please take a raincheck? I'm in the middle of something of dire importance."

The fiery hero clenched his fists. His fists ignite matching with his overwhelming rage. "Don't patronize me, you cretin!"

"Says the hero with the fanboy obsession."

"I'M NOT OBSESSED!" All it takes is one step and Endeavor is frozen in place. Literally.

Arcadia, Toko, and Avu look to Obsidian whose left hand is encase in a soft blue energy; he casted a simple freezing spell to stop the Number Two Hero. Arcadia doesn't know whether he should be thankful or be insulted because he didn't think of it first. Nonetheless, all this distracting shit is getting beyond annoying. "I would thank you for encasing Captain Firebeard, but I won't forgive you of what you did earlier." He stomps his foot and a dozen concrete swords rise around him. "Let's go back to where we left off." His eyes igniting his fury.

Obsidian sighs. "We should call it a draw."

The young magician blinks at his opponent's withdrawal. "What? You're retreating?"

"A tactical retreat, to be specific."

"Whatever phrase you put it; it goes to same category as running away with you tail between your legs." The swords poise to strike.

"I would rather face you with no witnesses or distraction." The last part is directed to Endeavor whose frozen prison is cracking and his facial hair lighting up. The black hooded spellcaster jumps on his dragon. "The next brawl we clash, I will be victorious, and I shall claim the avian boy."

To respond to the challenge, Arcadia stands tall and commands his swords to throw themselves at the dragon; it dodges with ease. "Over my dead body."

"Hm…" Obsidian replies with a narrowed eye, "Burgundy, disperse." His dragon roars and flaps its enormous wings; the heavy air bursts blow the helicopter away. Arcadia covers his eyes from the debris while Avu uses her wings to cover herself and the rider on top.

As the furious winds cease, Arcadia looks up to see both rider and dragon disappear. Unfortunately, the ice trapping Endeavor breaks. "Wonderful", he groans seeing the Flaming Hero glaring at him.

"No more games, Arcadia! You're coming with me!"

"Sorry, Endeavor", Arcadia rejects as he jumps on top his owl and sits behind Tokoyami., "be we have to reschedule our playdate. Contact my people to discuss an appointment." The owl takes off; however, that doesn't satisfy the pro hero.

"Get back here, you coward!" Endeavor, using his quirk, blasts up to the escapees. As he got closer, Arcadia casts a freezing spell encasing the fiery man in ice from the neck down.

Tokoyami gasps. "What have you done? You killed him!"

"Not exactly", the spellcaster calmly neglects, "he landed feet first. See." He points downward to where a small crater is located next to the building the standoff took place. Loud colorful curses can be heard at the crater. "Let's get you back where you belong", he whispers against his friend's feathers causing the bird-headed boy to jolt. He chuckles at the reaction.

~MHA~

Fumikage is grateful he is alive and rescued; unfortunately, he's skeptical of his savior. The so-called Arcadia is a man with many quirks. Come to think, Obsidian, too, possesses as much power as Arcadia displayed. Those abilities are considered quirks, right? He shakes his head. Of course, they are. What else could they be? The raven slightly glances behind him. His savior towers over his body with his strong arms wrapping his tiny form. Fumikage is still tied with the energy rope. Arcadia saved him, so why is he tied up like a prisoner or a hostage? Does the man think he will lash out to escape his grasp? Possibly, but seeing his actions speaks high definition of his intentions.

His school comes into view beyond the clouds. They land in front of the building. Fumikage feels his body lift until he realizes Arcadia picked him up and jumps off the owl. Those strong arms carry his body like glass. Once on solid ground, the masked vigilante gently stands Fumikage and touches the bindings. One touch and it disintegrates into golden specks floating up like tiny fairies flying above. Fumikage looks up to his savior whose gaze lingers. His azure eyes fill with warmth and compassion. Those eyes remind him of how Nirishima's were when gazing upon his. He could stare into those deep blues all day long…

"That's great and all, but I'm still stuck!" Dark Shadow yells through his mind.

"What?!" Fumikage exclaims.

"Excuse me?" the avian teen look to his savior who tilts his head in confusion. Fumikage becomes flustered.

"Forgive me", he concurs, "but I was implying to my quirk, Dark Shadow. He has yet to appear and has a difficult time doing so which is odd because he never had trouble before whether to make a statement or enjoy pestering me or make himself present and why am I stammering?" Fumikage Tokoyami never stammers in his life! It's probably the adrenaline talking, but everything that occurred had flurriws of emotions swirling in his stomach and DARK SHADOW SHOULD'VE BEEN OUT HERE BY NOW!

Arcadia chuckles. His soft laugh doesn't help his nervousness. "It's fine", he reassures the smaller teen, "you went through a lot today. It's normal for us humans to express such emotions."' He refers to him as humans; no mutant or hybrid… just human. Arcadia stares intensely. The raven's nerves become uneasy. It's no use. He can feel those blue eyes staring him down. The next thing he knew, a shadow covers his form, yet it isn't Dark Shadow. Fumikage looks up again; his breath stops; his eyes widening. His masked rescuer stands in mere inches close in his personal space. If he wanted to, Fumikage could lay his hands onto Arcadia's chest.

Arcadia tilts his head, which the hero-in-training wonders what goes on in the man's head other than hearing his heart beating. Arcadia touches his beak and gently lifts the tip. "Ah", he says. Fumikage releases a soft gasp as he feels fingers on his neck. A tug jerks his attention; he tries to move his head, but Arcadia holds his head in place. The tug doesn't belong to his choker, it's something else. "Please don't move. I'm almost done." Fingers dance their way to the nape. Next, a click comes along. After, Arcadia pulls the unknown trinket.

Fumikage feels it leaving his neck. Strange how he hadn't felt it until it leaves his neck. He stares at the necklace laying on Arcadia's palm. A simple choker: a red opal centerpiece gem with a silk black ribbon and two small garnet gemstones as clasps. Arcadia crushes it with a single clench. As he opens his fist, a small red cloud puffs up with the ribbon disintegrates. "The necklace was a charm created by Obsidian", he explains, "he must have created it as a second precaution in case you decided to rebel." Charm? He speaks as though it isn't a part of a quirk. A quirk suppressant? At least he can summon forth Dark Shadow.

"You're telling me!" ah, if it isn't the wind beneath his wings. His quirk appears more hyperactive than usual. "Thanks to Mystery Man removing that do hickey."

"Your very welcome. Could you spare us a few minutes of privacy?"

"What?! But I just got out!"

"Dark Shadow! Do not start", Fumikage scolds to his sentient quirk.

His quirk pouts. "Fine! By the way, Arcee, arms above the waist. You may be handsome, but we don't know jackshit about you!"

"Dark Shadow!"

Arcadia smiles. "I'll keep it in mind." The sentient shadow simply nods and returns inside Fumikage. "Handsome?" he asks with a coy grin.

"…he speaks of utter nonsense."

"And here I thought he was voicing your thoughts." Fumikage looks away to avoid his gorgeous smile. Dear Fates, his smile is a weapon aimed to pierce through any heart. "Do you have any idea why Obsidian needs you?"

The bird-headed teenager shakes his head. "No, I merely met him moments ago. I thought he wanted me because of my quirk, and yet I feel as though he is after something else… something I obtain."

"How do you know?"

Fumikage stares into Arcadia's blue irises. How does he know? Those words merely left his beak without thinking. "Obsidian theorized there is an anomaly inside of me. Other than my quirk, I do not know what he implied."

Arcadia continues to stare at the smaller male as though what Fumikage said is unintended. It was a good thing the small teenager is wearing a long cloak which hides his body from shoulders to ankles otherwise the masked vigilante would see how he is clutching his chest to stop the overwhelming high velocity of heartbeats pounding against his ribcage.

"HALT!" a booming voice breaks their stare. A force booms down a crashed landing causing the Earth to shake. Debris spreads. Arcadia uses his cape to shield them. "HAVE NO FEAR FOR I AM HERE!" Dear Fates, All Might approach and he's going to arrest Arcadia! Fumikage needs to stop the pro hero.

The masked man lowers his cape. "Must you always make a noisy entrance?" the annoyance is evident in his voice. Judging from the calming nature and no fighting involve, Fumikage theorizes his savior encounters with All Might countlessly time. "And when did you get demoted to a teacher?"

"I applaud you for saving my student, Arcadia", All Might's voice – though as low his tone is – echoes across the courtyard; not to mention, he ignored Arcadia's earlier insult. "Your entire mannerisms and decorum speak volumes of HEROISM!"

"How many times have I neglect your proposition?"

"6,582 times but who's counting?"

"And I'll continue on afterward: I won't – will I ever – apply to UA to become a hero like you." Wait, what? All Might want Arcadia to be a hero? The raven could see it happen.

"Please reconsider", the Number One Pro Hero begs, "if you are a student or a faculty member in UA, Endeavor won't seek you and arrest you."

The masked rescuer gives the hero a toothy grin. "And where's the fun in that? What if I like the chase? It's better than boring, everyday quirk fill life I'm having." The raven must be delusional because the grin reminds him of Gushiken. Perhaps the idiot blond's absence is what causing his stomach to flutter rapidly. "Besides, shouldn't you be making a dynamic dialogue of my arrest or close to it." Even Arcadia's attitude (as polite as can be) has a distinct Gushiken flare to it; however, there is a huge difference between the two blonds. The major difference is their quirks: Gushiken is basically putting people (rather be his opponent or his next victim) to sleep for a long period of time until he touches them again; Arcadia, on the other hand, has what appears to be a plethora of quirks in his arsenal. His main maneuver relays heavily on his weapon creating quirk. He has a creative way of using his skills against Obsidian. It's no doubt about Arcadia is an experienced fighter.

"I could, but I chose not to." Fumikage has the urge to ask why. "I am the few percentages who see the good in you and such talent shouldn't go to waste." Anyone would feel honored to be getting advice from the Symbol of Peace. Fumikage turns to his savior; he mentally curses his small body structure. Arcadia remains neutral as he intently listens to the pro hero's words. "I see what potential you have; a true making of hero! Otherwise, you wouldn't go all the trouble of rescuing Young Tokoyami."

"Is this the part where I walk away without looking at you", Arcadia quips, "instead of not saying anything, I chose to announce it. Your speech bores me of how repetitive it is."

All Might sighs. "All right, Young Arcadia. Say your farewell before Endeavor comes. If he does, I'll say I was too late to capture your rebellious buttock."

Arcadia chuckles. "I can see why you're well respected."

"Know this though… UA's doors are always open for you. You will be protected under my watch."

"And~ my respect is gone. Take you pity charity and shove it." Arcadia looks deeply into Fumikage's eyes who hasn't said a throughout the entire conversation. The avian teen's voice is remained stuck in his throat as those blue eyes stare into his crimson gaze. "This is where we part ways."

"Why not faint in his arms of the sheer brightness? I'm sure he doesn't mind", Dark Shadow jests through their mental link.

Fumikage shakes his head. "Thank you, Arcadia, for rescuing me, I appreciate what you have done as brash as your attempt were." He notices the masked man's hand hovers between them, he must be indicating a handshake. Arcadia must be a foreigner. Fumikage grasps the awaiting palm, yet he did not anticipate what happens next.

Arcadia, the masked man who gains All Might's good graces and saves the raven's life, kissed his knuckles in a manner of what a gentleman kisses a noble lady's. the bird-headed boy feels his face heating underneath his feathers. He hopes he doesn't get acknowledge the ruffling feathers. Even though his face looks impassive, the goth's eyes are wide at the sudden gesture. Arcadia's lips linger many long seconds. The masked vigilante releases Fumikage's hand. He sees the expression. He warmly smiles. "Until we meet again… my Nevermore." He nods to All Might and goes to his giant bird. The massive gusto burst through the trees and the leaves. It takes flight with its rider in tow.

Fumikage never takes his eyes away from the fleeting duo. He clutches his kissed hand. With the glove on, he can feel the tender gentleness and warmth of those lips.

'You're so smitten.' He agrees with his quirk.

~MHA~

Hitoshi Shinso waits for his best friend at a local bus stop. He wears casual clothing instead of wearing his school uniform to draw away attention. If a police officer or a hero is patroling were to ask him why he isn't in school, he'll tell them he is taking care of his sick grandmother. He wrote a list of items so he could throw them off. It's a good thing he had practice.

Bless your soul, grandma, but Hitoshi needs to use you as an excuse. A giant shadow cascades over him, the purple-haired teen looks at the giant bird flying above the city. A figure jumps off and descends into an alley between two large buildings; next to where Hitoshi patiently stands. Not long after, Kosuke Gushiken, in his civvies, walks out the alleyway with a thoughtful frown on his face. Seeing his best friend's face made him puzzled.

Did Does Arcadia lose?

That can't be it. Arcadia lost a couple of matches and Kosuke returns with a "pissed-off-leave-me-alone" vibe; so, they went for frozen yogurt. The result: Yoru returned to his cheerful self.

Today Kosuke is thinking and when he thinks, there's no way of getting him out. It's worse than his Fantasyland hallucinations.

"Want to get some fro-yo?" Hitoshi tries to start a conversation while walking to his discourage friend; unfortunately, Kosuke doesn't respond since his face remains his usual frown. Okay, time for another approach. "Hey, Kosuke, did you hear about Obsidian being a total tool?" no response; frown deepens, though. The purple-haired teenager hums; getting close to the core. Apparently, Obsidian did something that made Kosuke angry which is rare because the secret magician is the type to aggravate his opponent; it's his strongest and annoying weapon he masters. Seeing his friend getting angry – let alone aggravated – doesn't feel right to Hitoshi. The said boy is supposed to be moody (Kosuke dubs him as the brooder) and Kosuke is the happy-go-getter idiot who brightens the darkest of days with a goofy smile. "Did you talk to Tokoyami today?" Hitoshi blurts out, "you're pretty infatuated lately." What happened next scared the living shit out of Hitoshi Shinso.

Kosuke Gushiken punched a building. The impact left a small crater where his fist made its mark.

"KOSUKE!" civilians watch the display in confusion and fear. Hitoshi pulls his angered friend by his wrist away from prying eyes. Later, they manage to hide underneath a bridge. Hitoshi gasps heavily. After he composes himself, he looks to his friend who hasn't said a word nor exposes an emotion. "…wanna tell me what happened?"

A silent blond stands his ground. His eyes linger the ground. A fist collides with his cheek. The snap brings him back to reality. "Dude, was that necessary?"

"Welcome back to planet Earth. Destination: Musatafu."

Kosuke blinks. He looks around his surroundings. "How did we get under the bridge?"

"I brought us here after you punched a building."

"I punched a building?" realization slowly reaches his eyes. "Did I destroy it?"

"No, left a tiny crater behind. Do you wanna tell me what gave you the dumb idea to release your anger on an innocent structure?"

The blond sighs. "Yeah, I was angry; no, scratch that. I'm pissed." No shit, Sherlock. "I was against Obsidian again." Okay… we're getting making progress. "Our match ended in a draw." Well… unless there's something Yoru isn't sharing or he isn't viewing the entire picture. "…he kidnapped Toko."

Toko? Who's…?

Hitoshi's eyes widen. "Obsidian kidnapped Tokoyami." Seeing the scowl on his friend's lips as he walks out beneath the bridge. He follows and continues, "why? Aren't the rules say civilians are not to be involved in battles…"

"Whether it is heroes or innocents – even the quirkless – they cannot get involved unless you're a participating magician in the tournament and you cannot let those without magic knowledge of the said tournament", Kosuke's voices in autopilot like an audiobook; he stuffs his clenched fists in his jeans pockets. "And that is what's been bothering me. Obsidian follows the rules to a T. He's the type to remind you if you're breaking the very rules you vow to follow and brags how unprofessional you are." Damn. The baggy-eyed boy never met Obsidian up close (and doesn't plan to, mind you), yet hearing his childhood pal rant about his opponent Hitoshi wonders who Obsidian's true personality (or his identity). "If I hadn't stopped him… who knows what he'd do with Toko", Kosuke's voice is laced with worry.

Hitoshi hates seeing Kosuke depress. The blond always brightens his dark days with laughter and adventure; he gives his solemn friend a light elbow shove. "Hey. You stopped Obsidian and Tokoyami is safe; I call it an accomplishment and what does an accomplishment calls for?"

Kosuke smiles. "Froyo?"

Hitoshi mimics. "Froyo."

The blond wraps his arm around his classmate. "You payin'?"

Hitoshi scoffs. "In your dreams, dumbass."

"Eh, it was worth a shot. Hey, Tosh?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, man."

"Anytime."

Kosuke release him and walks ahead; he stops a few steps later. Hitoshi walks up and stands next to the stupefied teen. Kosuke's eyes widen. Suddenly, his green eyes flash blue; then the sapphire irises blaze their signature inferno. "You got some fucking nerve coming up to me."

Hitoshi follows the fiery glare across the pathway through the quiet neighborhood. Apparently, Kosuke's glare lands upon a smaller preteen male in his middle school uniform. The young man's eyes burning fire through his glasses.

"We need to talk", the junior high student declares.

Chapter 3 Fin