"This is ridiculous," Aizawa murmured. "Really, I'm fine." He lied in a hospital bed, serval IV tubes hooked up to him along with a heart monitor.
His surgeon, currently wearing a lab coat over his scrubs, voiced his opinion. "I disagree. It is a small miracle you, Thirteen, and Kakyoin survived, and you took the worst of it."
"That comes with being a Hero, Doctor..." He trailed off, not actually knowing the medical man's name.
"Zeppeli," he finished.
The revelation caught Aizawa off guard. "Wait, Zeppeli?"
"Yes. You teach my firstborn. But that doesn't matter right now." He held up a small glass container, within in which was what looked like white shrapnel. "This is a piece of your skull. I pulled it out of your parietal lobe. I'm aware of Recovery Girl's Quirk, but the overall damage you sustained requires observation. We need to be sure you don't develop an infection or aneurysm, and to be positive all your bones are properly set."
He would have listed off more potential ailments, but one of his fellow doctors walked into the doorway. "Gregorio. Another drunk wrapped his car around a lamppost."
Zeppeli nodded and followed him out, leaving Aizawa alone. But not for long.
Walking into the room came a man with long blonde hair dressed in white. "So. You survived. So far, it's about half and half between all your counterparts."
Aizawa looked at his visitor with a blank look. He knew who the man was, most did. But it was downright impossible for him to be there. The Erasure Hero could only think of one logical conclusion. "I'm hallucinating, aren't I?"
"Not at all," the man answered. "I know what you're thinking. It's a long story. One that might be easier to explain after you answer me one question. Does the Stand called Made In Heaven exist in this reality?"
XXXXXXXXX
The morning went on without further incident or surprise. Diego watched in silence as his peers are made declarations of ambition for the Sports Festival. He felt no need to join in. His superiority was innate and required no volume to be noticed. However, after several declarations, one subdued statement caught his ears.
"Let's do it. Let's blow them all away."
Diego glanced over to see Uraraka wearing a look of fierce determination. He found this sudden change in her disposition to be massively odd, even surreal.
Her face darkened and she struck a pose, thrusting a fist into the air. "I'm gonna go for it!" She almost shouted. "I'm gonna give it my all!"
The majority of her peers, blown away by her actions, could not help but raise their own tightly curled fingers as well. The only ones to not follow suit were Johnny and Diego, the former just regarding her with his usually veneer, and the latter refusing to follow suit.
With lunchtime arriving, Diego led his future lackey down the hallway, only for Iida and Uraraka to follow them. Their constant presence was slightly irritating to DIO's natural grandson. They made his growing control over Izuku slow down, or even erode.
"Uraraka," Midoriya started. "I never thought to ask. Why do you want to be a Hero?"
The question seemed to get right under her. She hesitated to answer for a long moment, rubbing the back of her head. Finally, she sucked in a breath. "I'll be honest. It's for the money."
All three looked at her.
Uraraka continued. "See, my parents own a construction company, but times are really tough for them right now. There's just no work out there."
Interesting... Diego thought, seeing an opportunity.
Midoriya too was deep in thought, the difference being he voiced his. "With a Quirk like yours, they would be able to sell all their heavy equipment. You could make things really efficient for the jobs."
"That's exactly what I told my dad!" She took in a deep breath and looked the trio with an expression of utter honesty. "I'm going to become a Hero, no matter what, and earn the money to give my parents the easy life they deserve."
An easy life... Diego silently mused. He could relate to that ambition, and he could exploit it.
"Young Midoriya!" Those two words made the four of them jump in surprise. All Might, having rounded a corner, was holding a small wrapped box. "Care to eat lunch with me?"
"Uh, sure!" He was not certain what was going on, but it must have been serious.
Watching the two walk off, Diego suppressed a snarl as he, Iida, and Uraraka continued on to the line for their own meals, taking a spot right behind Siri, who gave them a courteous wave. He really does have it in with All Might. Fine. It'll come in handy once he is completely under my heel.
"What do you think that was about?" Ochako wondered aloud.
Diego shrugged, not caring much, if at all.
Iida offered his thoughts on the brief yet strange encounter. "Perhaps it's his way of thanking him. I heard Midoriya tried to lend a helping hand with Nomu."
And judging by the broken legs, I find it safe to surmise he failed in a spectacular fashion. Diego smirked.
Ochako smiled. "Yeah, that's probably it. And like Asui said, he and All Might's Quirks have a lot in common too."
Not too far in front of them in the line, Todoroki looked over his shoulder.
Diego's smirk vanished. He thought back to how the frog girl had pointed out that detail. Then, his memories showed him the conversation he had overheard. Got this power from somebody else... could it be...?
"Hey, wasn't Valentine right in front of us?" Ochako asked.
XxXxXxXxX
"So, tell me about this place," Siri politely told her counterpart.
Siri II shrugged as she helped herself to her meal. "I would surmise it is a lot like your own. Passione Academy is incredibly selective with who manages to enroll and whatnot."
"Then they are similar. Is the staff made up of those with Quirks as well?"
"No. The teachers are predominantly Stand Users."
"I see." The main Siri found this interesting to say the least. She looked over and saw that reality's Diego talking intimately with a pink haired girl. "Who is that next to Brando? She isn't around in my dimension."
"Her? That's Trish. She's the only one around here Diego doesn't establish dominance over or declare disgust towards. Except maybe Midoriya."
Siri took note that Brando and Izuku were friends here as well. Was that a constant in the multiverse, or just a coincidence between the two realities she had set foot in that day? She decided to focus on other matters. "So Brando's Scary Monsters is a force to be reckoned with here?"
"Scary Monsters," Siri II repeated. "That's a far more interesting name than the one he chose for his Stand."
"What does he call it?"
"The World."
"Huh. Seems a little egotistical. But this is Brando, after all. What can it do?"
"Stop time." Her casual tone would have people thinking she was discussing the fair weather outside.
XxXxXxXxX
"Interesting batch this year." Ringo looked at the two dozen Heroes-to-be, all dressed in their custom outfits. Iida, in his armor, was flailing his arms about, attempting to get his peers in a straight line. "Time will tell if they're up to snuff." He cleared his throat and addressed 1-A. "One of the constants of this path you all have chosen is chaos. Things will get wild out there, against disasters and Villains, as I'm positive you all are entirely aware." He paused for a moment, allowing them to murmur and remember the incident at the USJ. "And I must say, I am impressed. You've all taken your first steps into the True Man's World. A world without doubt, to put it simply."
Iida raised his hand. "You mentioned a battle royale this morning, Roadagain-sensei."
Ringo nodded. "That I did. There is a very high probability that all of you, at one point or another, will again fight seemingly impossible odds. You all fought together in that madness. Here, consider it preparation for the Sports Festival by turning on each other."
Those words threw most of them for a loop. Most of them.
Ringo continued. "By now, you all surely know how the others' Quirks and Stands function. Use that knowledge to your personal, individual advantage." He gestured to the faux city block behind him. "So let's all see who's still standing when this is over. In five minutes, we'll start the exercise. Forty minutes later, it'll end. Between those times, almost anything goes. Play it solo, or make a small gang. Just don't outright kill each other."
Midoriya closed his fingers into a fist. This is sort of like All Might's first lesson. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm still not sure how I didn't break my arm after throwing that punch at Nomu!
Next to him, Gyro grinned slyly. "So the game of rats begins." Those around him instantly noticed something was amiss with his right eye. It rolled back into his head, and when his pupil and iris reappeared, the color was drastically different. The word 'TURBO' could he read on it if they looked close enough. His ocular organ was not the only thing with a visible change. His cheek gained a large mark. It was as if somebody had tattooed an iron cross on his face just below the eyelid.
"What's going on with your face?!" Uraraka desperately asked with blatant concern.
"Oh, just a family heirloom," Gyro responded nonchalantly.
"That is a rather oversimplified explanation," Yaoyorozu said.
Momo had wanted to meet her boyfriend's family, but she wished the circumstances were different. She recalled Gyro mentioning he had a mother and four little brothers, but only his father was present, sitting across from them in an easy chair.
"So, you nearly died via an ambush from Villains." Gregorio had such an even tone in his voice, Yaoyorozu wondered if he felt any emotion at all.
Gyro, for once, was not grinning or saying a constant stream of puns and nonsequitors. He was sitting up straight next to her. "To be fair, it wasn't a normal thing to happen."
Gregorio looked at his oldest son with an unreadable face. Yaoyorozu could not tell if he was judging him or silently commending him. After a moment that felt like an eternity, he stood up. "The ball has hit the net for you, Gyro. Perhaps it is best to be prepared no matter where it lands for you."
"Yes, father," Gyro said quickly before Gregorio walked out of the room.
"Hit the net?" Yaoyorozu repeated with confusion.
"It's an old saying we Zeppelis use. Sort of like... things are really rolling, I guess would be a good way to compare it."
She gave a nod as Gregorio rejoined them, holding a small wooden box which he passed to Gyro.
"This belonged to your ancestor, Mario Zeppeli."
Gyro, now wearing a look of awe, opened the box... and his amazement gave way to confusion. "A glass eye?" Momo leaned over and saw that was indeed the only contents. She expected Gyro to facetiously point out that he still had both eyes, and they functioned just fine. But he did not. "What am I supposed to do with it, father?"
"Look at it closely," Gregorio responded.
Gyro shrugged and picked it up carefully with his thumb and index finger. Bringing it up to his face, he squinted at it. "Turbo? What does that-" He cut himself off. The eye seemed to move on it's own. It went forward and latch onto his facial skin like a hungry bug."
"This is normal," his father said in what the two UA students thought was an attempt to dissuade fear.
It proved to be less than effective. The eye slid across his cheek, and began forcing itself into the socket.
Pain. Immense pain.
He wanted to scream. So he did. He fell to his knees on the carpeted floor and let out a shriek. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
He couldn't see. He could barely think. But he could feel, and not just the pain. He felt a pair of soft hands grab onto him. Then, he found he could still hear too. Momo desperately and repeatedly asking if he was okay. His father telling him to focus.
"He's your son! Don't you care that he's in pain?!"
"I do. But it will end shortly."
Gregorio's words proved to be true. The torment ended as swiftly as it began. Like a magic trick.
Gyro panted unevenly, staring forward at nothing.
"Well? Can you see?" Gregorio inquired.
Gyro looked to his father, and noticed something. It was as if somebody had shoved a high definition camera in front of his. He could see every hair on his old man's sideburns and goatee. His vision shifted over to Momo, who was still holding him. Every strand of her tied up hair was plain as day to him. He blinked, and with a strange sensation, things began to change. Her skin faded, and was gradually but quickly replaced by bones. It did not take Gyro long to figure out what this eye could do.
"Holy... I can... I really can!"
Back in the present, the eldest Zeppeli son pointed forward. "We are off, JoJo! Let's go!" He ran off towards the fake urban area.
Johnny sighed before following after him. "I hate that nickname."
As the rest of 1-A ran in and made distance between each other, Gyro turned and began running backwards. "Don't take it personally, Yaomomo! We aren't attached at the hip after all, you and me!" His message sent, he turned himself back forward.
Ringo strolled along, keeping a watchful eye out for his temporary students. He assumed that at least one of them would turn their attacks toward him. He did say 'anything goes,' after all.
After the preparation time expired, a cacophonous alarm filled the air for a brief moment, indicating that it was go time.
Valentine quickly spotted Midoriya and voiced her two cents. "Your best bet is to hide."
He looked at her bewildered. "Why? A Hero doesn't do that!"
"Bakugo will take any excuse to turn you into paste. And I'm fairly certain Brando wants comeuppance for what you did to him during that Trial of Combat." He made to speak, but she put a hand on his mouth, making him blush from the physical contact of the opposite sex. "Can you honestly tell me you can take either of them?"
She removed her hand, allowing him to answer. That look only Midoriya could pull off was present. One of righteous determination mixed with an almost unseen layer of fear. "Maybe not. But a Hero always fights for what's good, no matter what!"
Siri cocked an eyebrow at him. "You really should learn the meaning of 'self preservation.' I bid you good luck, Izuku." She grabbed him by the fabric of his collar and pulled, making him collide with her, thus sandwiching her between him and the wall. Sure enough, she was instantly gone.
Elsewhere, Jiro hooked her ear jacks into her boots. "I can hear Brando angrily sniffing."
Yaoyorozu thought quickly, formulating a plan. "He's quick, but he needs to get close." Perhaps a canon would work, albeit one that fired a net or grape shot rather than solid balls.
Jiro listened as closely as she could. "Wait... he's getting further away."
That was a surprise to them both.
"Maybe he found somebody else to hunt," Momo surmised. "He's rather vengeful. And a predator."
Diego inhaled deeply, making his way down an alleyway. "Joestar..." This was an opportunity to beat his inferior into the dirt. And he would certainly capitalize on it. "You're here... somewhere..." His nose took in air again, and a new aroma filled his nostrils. It was definitely a person. And it was right behind him. He glanced down to the ground, rather than behind him, finding it best not to outright reveal he knew he was not alone. His shadow stretched out before him, elongated to the point of being a twisted parody of his stature. But whoever was behind him was not casting their own light-blocker.
The invisible one... he realized. He looked around, pretending to search for prey. "Johnny. Come out and play." He took in a breath, and spun around as he partially transformed himself, making a Glasgow Grin form on his lips and talons sprout on his fingers, which wrapped around what he could only assume was her neck. "I can smell you, witch!" He could hear her choking as he kept his arm outstretched, maintaining a distance between them. Before he could tighten his grip, or slash at her, a small portion of the wall next to him seemingly exploded. As the small rubble fell, he could hear something. A faint buzzing, like a hornet.
"You want me, Dio? Here I am."
The scion of the Brando lineage kept his grip on Hagakure as he looked over his shoulder with a wicked grin. There he was, nails already spinning. "JoJo. I'll teach you the meaning of the word 'unrecoverable.'"