Hey. It's been a while. Was taking a break, especially since I was churning out chapters for my other stories a little too fast. Kind of burned myself out. Oh well. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Or don't, then I get criticism. Onwards!

"Now that's a sight you don't see everyday."

"What, someone breaking their limbs?"

"Someone that keeps doing it because it's allowed."

"You've said this before, we both know how this argument will end."

"Doesn't mean I have to like his methods."

"Neither do I, but the kid's abilities just patch him up and the Principal is fine with it."

"I'm worried. A lifetime of doing that to himself ahead of him, even with what he's been through...it makes me feel like he would be better off quirkless."

"You really don't have the entire story, do you? Do a little more reading. You'd be surprised what he did without one. They say quirks are an extension of yourself..."

"So what does that say about him?"

Leaving the boy on the floor that still resembled a ball, Uraraka Ochako returned to change out of her gym clothes, mood improved considerably, yet with more questions that she started off with. Stepping into the room and closing the door behind her, she was immediately cornered by two others, a pink-skinned, horned individual and some floating clothes.

"So... you pounced on that guy pretty quickly. Not that I'm judging you, but you must really like him to move that fast." The grin on her classmate's face, coupled with the smug air radiating off the other was not helping.

She fought down a blush despite herself and started waving around her hands frantically, only stopping when the black-haired, well-endowed member of her new class made a disapproving noise.

"While I am not one to meddle in the love affairs of others, I would still like to advise you as your classmate that you should rethink your choices."

Her hands, previously active, stilled and an uncomfortable feeling crawled up her spine. She fought the frown that she could feel forming(it wasn't good to insult others, even if they were being...difficult). Not noticing the lack of a response, Yaoyorozu Momo continued speaking, oblivious to the fact that the two who had started the issue had begun to edge away from their pink-cheeked (original)target.

"Firstly, he should not even be here. Yuuei Academy is reserved for the best of each generation, a regenerative quirk like his would prove useless in actual combat. After all, he would render himself useless every time he attacked and his teammates would be forced to defend him. Secondly, his attitude is unbecoming of a student of UA, even more so than that Bakugou individual. Pretending to be the best will only get you killed and turn you into a liability. Thirdly..."

"Shut up."

"Excuse me?"

"Shut up or I'll make you shut up."

"I am trying to help you here. As you already know-"

A growl, similar to what had been Shi's defining sound in the Entrance Exam slipped from her mouth, catching her classmates off guard as she stepped forward to slap Yaoyorozu, not all too gently. The force, combined with the lack of gravity caused the black-haired girl to spin in the air before being stopped by the same hand that had sent her there. Any protests forming, by anyone in that room, died when the feral look on Uraraka's face was turned on them.

"That liability , as you called him, saved my life . My legs were crushed by the zero pointer. My quirk had been used to the point of exhaustion. My future was that of a disabled woman, unable to help anyone, especially her parents. If he's such a liability, where were the people like you, the people so much better than him when I was dying? Where were the people like you when he jumped head first into danger for a complete stranger, one that had insulted him, not on purpose, to save their life? I wouldn't be here without Shi Ikari, so you ought to watch your fucking mouth when spouting garbage in front of me. You think you're so much better than him? Go and fight him then. Maybe you'll see how useless his regeneration is in combat you hypocrite. After all, if you're so good, why is he the one with the TOP score on the entrance exam?"

Tapping her fingers, she watched without an inch of remorse when Yaoyorozu hit the ground with a thump, though a twinge of guilt did make itself known when she saw the fear on her classmates faces(and the frightened air of the invisible one). As Yaoyorozu scrambled to her feet, about to open her mouth for another sharp retort that would most likely end in a brawl, a blade erupted from the wall dividing the changing room of their male counterparts from the room they were in, close enough to Yaoyorozu's hair to shear off a few locks of it.

As sudden, startled screams(muffled by the wall) reached their ears, Jirou Kyouka plugged one of her ear jacks into the wall, having already overheard perverse nonsense coming from their male counterparts. The other plugged itself into her phone and the room's occupants listened to the conversations(read: screaming) coming from the next room.

"Why are you here? You've already changed up!"

"Heard someone talking shit about me. Also, cause of perverts like you."

"What the hell does that mean? We were about to get a good look at those sweet-"

"That's exactly why I stopped you."

"Come on, don't be a downer man! No one will find out!"

"Judging from the fact that there's a sword protruding from the wall, and the likelihood that it has it or almost hit one of them, I'd say the girls already know of what you're trying to do."

"What do you mean 'has or almost hit'? Don't tell me...you were aiming for them?"

"I did say that I heard someone talking shit about me. Now don't peek through that hole or your head will be on the next weapon I throw through the wall."

"Fine, fine. Jeez, what a spoilsport."

Uraraka exchanged looks with the abruptly pale individual she had been about to hit for a second time as the blade disintegrated, leaving a neat crack in the wall.

"Still think that he's a liability? Suit yourself."

"I'm home!" Uraraka called out softly as she unlocked the door to the apartment she had rented, not expecting a reply. Still, it got lonely, especially at night. She missed her parents. Taking off her shoes, the young heroine froze when the sounds of movement broke her musing. Being as quiet as possible, she picked up the nearest weapon(why was there a cane lying against the wall of her house?) and used her quirk, swinging her new club to get used to well, zero gravity. Approaching the sounds, she raised the cane, ready to bring it down on the unknown person in her house. Making her way through the living room, she noticed the light spilling out from her(albeit tiny) kitchen and the smells wafting out from it. Stomach rumbling softly, she absentmindedly wondered when was the last time she had a proper meal.

Upon seeing the humming silhouette in her kitchen, she stepped forward and swung as hard as possible in the general direction of the shadow. The cane, no longer under the restrictions of gravity, whistled through the air to collide with the open palm of the person she was aiming for. Attempting to wrench it out of their hands, she tugged at the cane before stopping when the only other occupant coughed lightly. She looked up into the amused face of one Shi Ikari, no longer dressed in the UA uniform(plain shirt, long pants and for some reason, a frilly apron.) and currently holding the cane she had attacked him with. Flipping it, he slotted the object into a loop on his jeans, drawing her eyes to the holsters still located on his body. Shock was forgotten and replaced with outrage(tinged with a hint of resignation.)

"What are you doing in my house?"

"Nothing? No 'you lunatic' or other phrases like that?"

"I was trying to be rational but if you insist-"

"I'm going to stop you right there. I let myself in. You looked like you needed some decent food."

"And what's that supposed to mean? How'd you even get in?"

"Okay, I could hear your stomach throughout the whole day, so it was simple logic to conclude that you needed sustenance. As for how I got in, I picked the lock."

"Really?"

"No, your window was open. I closed it when I came in."

"Good to know..." she made a mental note to lock her windows whenever she went out. She was lucky(?) this time that it was only a relatively insane, but harmless teenager, rather than a serial killer looking for his next victim.

"Now could you please get out?" her hand inched towards her phone, discreetly punching in numbers before hovering her finger over the call button. His smile dimmed, twitching downwards before returning to its usual intensity as he removed the odd apron(where did he get it from?).

"Sure. Just let me finish up and I'll be on my way." Turning off the stove, he reached to grasp the simmering pot, nonchalant even as the skin on his palms grew red and he fluttered around, keeping it in his left hand while the right, now marred with angry scars that faded before her eyes. Setting the table and finally releasing his remaining hand(which was in a worse condition, yet regressed to its original state after a few seconds) and flexed them. Turning to her, he bowed, smile unchanged.

"For what it's worth, thanks for standing up for me. People don't usually do that."

"You saved my life. Whoever thinks that you can't do anything clearly hasn't seen you fight."

"Fight...here's a piece of advice, since you're pretty much the first reasonable person I've met ever since stepping through the gates of UA. When I really go all out, it'll be plenty obvious. What you called fighting? That was barely a warmup. I don't mess around with giant weapons when I fight. What I do isn't pretty."

"You make it sound like you've killed people."

His smile turned bitter and his hands clenched and unclenched. Raising a quivering hand, he looked down.

"Trust me on this one. This hand has done more than you'll ever have to do as a hero. Because heroes save people."

Walking out, he unslung the cane from his waist and tapped it against the ground a few times, closing the door behind him. Pausing for a moment, she opened the door again, to see no one on the singular corridor leading to her apartment. Forcing down the ominous feeling in her chest, Uraraka continued with the rest of her daily chores and duties before sitting down to carefully taste the meal prepared for her. After discerning that there was no oddities, she dug in, running through the image of Shi in her head again, wondering why she was so unsettled.

It would be later that night, as she woke up in a cold sweat, did she find the answer she was seeking. As Shi Ikari had left, she managed to catch a short glimpse of the back of his now uncovered arms.

Like the rest of his body(that she had seen), his arms were traced with scars, faint and almost unseen. But there were some that were very, very obvious. Two crosses drawn into flesh, encircling his wrists and etched down the appendages.

Those were suicide wounds.

Needless to say, sleep was absent for the rest of the night.

Yagi Toshinori didn't know what to do with Shi Ikari. It also looked like all of the people who had also encountered him thought along the same lines. Bloodlust in spades, but restricted by the weapons he carried. The ability to reconstruct his body, but only under duress and his own efforts. Arrogant and sarcastic, but wore a mask that only dropped when certain subjects were discussed. He was a textbook example of a mentally unstable, psychotic individual. Except, every time he got tested, he had managed to get out with a perfect evaluation, seemingly normal and a "pleasant conversant" to all individuals in charge of evaluating his mental state. To wear a mask, then discard it and pick it back up as fast as he did required practice, practice that a teenager shouldn't have.

Investigation into his home life had shown equally disconcerting results. His parents were as pleasant as their son(always the joker, always smiling and happy) but when discussions reached their child, the facades they maintained would start crumbling and within ten minutes, conversations would be terminated. Shi Ikari was never seen in the same room as his Father and Mother willingly, confirmed by the bugs they had ended up planting in their house. He preferred to stay holed up in his room, alternating between reading and sleeping, occasionally using a laptop. Any attempts at tracking the things he did on said laptop failed.

It took three days with the bugs present for the police to conclude that he lived in an abusive household.

It took another two days for them to re-evaluate the situation. Rather than harassing him, except in rare cases where their tempers proved too much, the duo seemed to tip-toe around their child. Conclusion: There was something about Shi Ikari that they feared. This confused the people monitoring the house. Why would a pair of normal individuals fear their own flesh and blood?

The answer was to be found, after a significant amount of digging into broken website links and classified information, or rather, hacked information. In the end, it was a little too obvious, a little too normal for the horror that the information they had found really was.

Quirks developed normally, some later than others. 20% of the population never developed one, and for the first ten years of his life, Shi Ikari belonged to this category. A late bloomer, his quirk only showed up after he walked into an alleyway in the middle of a gang fight. He walked out without a single scratch, a bloodstained child with an unflinching smile. Or that's what most people thought. Unbreakable. A name as vague as it could possibly be, considering the versatile nature of the quirk the gun-toting teenager possessed. It had been active his whole life, yet because of its nature, it went undetected. Due to that, the boy had faced discrimination that showed how cruel children could be. The fact that he healed from every scrape and scratch just meant that he could be hurt more. No one questioned his ability to get back up. After all, punching bags were meant to last. No matter what, the boy remained a pacifist, never fighting back. Just...smiling. Almost mockingly so.

And when he was twelve...he would attract the attention of the hero society in Japan and lead to his past eventually being uncovered.

His actions reached the media, receiving coverage even in countries on the other side of the world. Normally, he would have been arrested, detained till a suitable age and then executed. The problem with that course of action was the uproar on social media when his case was released to the public. A case of bullying, heavy physical and verbal bullying going undetected by one of the more prestigious schools in Japan? The questions flying around then led to people conducting their own research and what was discovered was anything but pretty.

His case had exposed the discrimination ignored by the school government. More digging led to clips, short videos with little to no views of the discrimination being carried out by students and teachers alike. And when the school tried to cover everything up, Shi was expelled. It was possibly the second worst move they could have pulled, the first already having been carried out.

The main reason Shi Ikari still roamed the streets was that there was not enough evidence to pin it on him. Sure, there was a motive and more than enough ways for him to do what everyone knew he had done, but nothing could hold up in a court of law. To add insult to injury, Shi was the one doing his defence, acting as both the lawyer and defendant in two different voices, much to the anger of the principal attempting to get him locked up and the amusement of the jester himself. In the end, nothing could be successfully pinned on him. However, society, or well, the more informed members of society knew that he was too dangerous to leave unchecked. If he were to succumb to villainy...anyone who had stuck around long enough in the hero/police community knew that he was an individual that was dime a dozen, but with a key difference. Something had changed him. Some suspected that the bullying had shattered his psyche. Others said that it was the day he first killed.

For All Might, he thought that the evil lurking in the boy was running through his veins since birth. The closest person he could associate Shi Ikari with was his deceased nemesis, and later on, the Spectre. If that wasn't terrifying, he didn't know what was.

A few years later, as he silently watched the same child who had possessed several different nicknames(some including Utsuro, Crimson King and Dealer) in lieu of the blood(suspected) on his hands, coupled with his abrupt mood swings, run through a horde of robots designed for the testing of physically helpful quirks(he could hear Eraserhead complaining about it) and absolutely decimate them without showing visible signs of his quirk with weapons of his own making, he made a mental note to place this new event second on his list of "new things that keep me up at night".

No prizes for whoever can guess which event first place belonged to.

Watching the physical evaluation conducted in place of the welcoming assembly they had been meant to attend was...enlightening. To think that the human body could be bent in such ways, used in such ways to increase the abilities of a person was spine-chilling. A simple example would be the endurance test. While Yaoyorozu Momo has created a bicycle and outpaced the other members of her class without breaking a sweat, Shi Ikari kept running and running and running. Even after his remaining competitor had started to sweat and grow exhausted, he pushed forward, a nonchalant expression on his face. After the cyclist had finally collapsed, he stopped running, grabbing a can from his bag of tricks and pouring it over himself. The abrupt eruption of steam shocked his classmates and even drew a raised eyebrow from their teacher. When it cleared, he looked much more refreshed for about three seconds before he spat(more like vomited, in all honesty) into a convenient container he had produced(Toshinori was starting to think his real quirk was something to do with sleight of hand). Grinning with bloodied teeth, he placed the container back into his satchel.

Everything he learned screamed that even in the new world of quirks, Shi Ikari was a biological nightmare. With a quirk that made no sense, the most likely clinically insane teen was something that he would rather see locked up in a cell that would never see the light of day rather than waltzing around and freaking people out. Yet, here he was, teaching the bloodied child how to be better at beating others. Yes. There was no possible way this could go wrong. No way at all.

As the students of 1-A fawned over his presence and new costume(or rather, old one), Shi Ikari's ever present smile vanished, replaced by a thin line. Without waiting for his teacher to finish talking, he walked out of the classroom. An awkward silence permeated the air for a few moments before the students resumed their activities, albeit in a more subdued manner. As Uraraka Ochako darted out of the room as the next student to leave, she called out for the teenager that had left, yelling something about him "having to socialise eventually". All Might watched her go, smile awkwardly frozen in place as he wondered how the duo would get to the training grounds without even knowing where they were supposed to go. Pondering briefly, he decided to leave it to the psychotic teen to guide the one person that didn't seem to be afraid of him to the location of combat training. Directing the remaining students(which wasn't as hard as he thought it would be), the class proceeded to their next lesson.

Upon reaching Ground Beta, he was a little surprised(and at the same time, not at all) to see the two missing members of class 1-A already geared up and ready. Uraraka was attempting to pull Shi into a conversation, practically hovering over him as he tried to look everywhere but at her. Taking a quick glance at their hero costumes, Yagi spent several moments analysing the odd clothing Shi Ikari had chosen. A belt with a multitude of pouches encircled his waist, only visible because he had chosen to fold what appeared to be a hooded cloak over one arm, rather than wear it. Unnervingly, his guns were not present. An old fashioned bandolier sported an impressive number of small blades(more blade than hilt, reminded him of stilettos), fingerless gloves which glinted as he tilted his arms and simple combat boots were the only other things that were worthy of noting. Clearing his throat, All Might directed his students to sit down, the first duo to arrive breaking up briefly(it looked suspiciously like Shi was trying to ditch his classmate) before Uraraka caught him and forced him to a seat next to her with a scowl. Shivering slightly at the casual way his student was treating a known(yet unconfirmed) murderer, with a temper only surpassed by that of his master and a clear lack of concern for human life. Nevertheless, he was banking on the fact that Shi Ikari wouldn't pull anything stupid within UA/in striking range of All Might himself(he suppressed the flashbacks of a glowing red eye and a toothy smile). Judging from the constant eye-rolls and subtle twitches, the teenager himself knew to reign in his annoyance. Letting 1-A spend some time appreciating the costumes provided by the support department and making note of which boys were blatantly staring at the girls(and silently saying a prayer of thanks to Aizawa for expelling Mineta), he surreptitiously checked the "Teaching for Dummies" book in his back pocket to figure out how harsh he should be, considering his only references were an old man focused completely on making him puke out his guts and the closest thing he had to a mother. Feeling, rather than seeing Shi's burning stare on the book in his hand made him stow it back into the pocket it came from before pulling out a box.

"Alright young heroes! With your new costumes, at least you'll look the part. Hopefully, the support department has managed to fulfill your requirements and designs. Now, on to the main part of our lesson today. BATTLE TRAINING!"

"You will be fighting your classmates in teams of two, one side posing as heroes while the other as villains. The villains will be protecting a fake bomb and the heroes need to make contact with the bomb to disarm it. Each person gets a roll of capture tape, which when wrapped around a limb of one of the opposing team members, captures and eliminates them. The match only ends when one team is unable to continue, the bomb is disarmed or the time limit runs out. Any questions?"

"How will the teams be decided?"

"To emulate how you may not be able to choose your teammates for battle, we will be drawing lots!"

By some random chance, incredible luck or sheer coincidence, Uraraka had ended up on the same team as resident gunslinger Shi Ikari. Grinning at the disgruntled look on his face, she checked the other members of the class. Most, if not all, had chosen to give the duo a wide berth(which she found convenient), avoiding eye contact and shrinking at the dark aura being emitted by the person she had chosen to annoy. In all honesty, it irked her. Sure, he had started by freaking everyone out with the grotesque positions he had bent his body into and constantly sported weapons(that he had used), but he was actually a total softy. He saved her life and even thanked her for standing up for him. She had also found the fresh groceries in her fridge and careful instructions on how to make the most out of them. Thinking back on the past day, he actually checked all the boxes for a tsundere. Of course, there was still the issue that she hadn't brought up yet.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Thinking about how I'm actually a nice guy. I'm not, I only saved you because you were there, I only cooked a meal because you stood up for me and everything else was because you looked hungry and needed help."

"All the things you've just said literally proves that you're a nice guy."

"..."

"Team A, you will be facing off against Team D. Team A are the heroes and Team D are the villains. You will be given fifteen minutes to prepare. Remember, I want to see your PLUS ULTRA!"

"Yes sensei. Would you like a drink with that sensei?" A round of nervous chuckles accompanied the sardonic reply as Shi Ikari walked through the doorway, followed shortly by his new partner.

"So what's the plan?"

"How badly do you want to win?"

"Not really. This is kind of a learning experience thing?"

"Ok then. We'll use plan C."

"You had a plan A and a plan B?"

"Just follow my lead and no one will get hurt. Much."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I guess you could say that it means…"

Slipping on the cloak he had folded over his arm, Shi Ikari tugged on the hood, then after a moment's hesitation, pulled something from his pocket and fitted it onto the lower portion of his face(the part still exposed). Removing his hands, he revealed a dull silver mask, featureless except for stitches vertically bisecting a straight line. Then, he pulled out a tiny sphere and dropped it onto the floor. He would repeat this every few meters, only stopping when they reached the fake bomb. He hummed an eerie tune, which sent shivers down her spine as he turned to look at her, expression concealed. Handing her a pistol, for a second, his eyes seemed to glow a sickly green.

" Let the games begin."

This is a chapter that's long overdue. I was going to put the battle trial into this chapter as well, but then I realized that it would take even longer to get out. To those that have been waiting, I hope this is up to standards. I don't really know anymore. Anyhow, see ya next time.