I do not own My Hero Academia or any of its characters.
Back to School
Lee sighed, stretching before getting up and heading down to the boys bath, quickly showering and getting dressed in his exosuit, boots, and school uniform before brushing his teeth and beginning to make breakfast for everyone. As others began to filter into the rooms, he quickly served them, everyone's mood brightening as he handed them food, even Bakugo, though his expression remained annoyed as always. After a bit, Mina bounced into the room and over to him, giving Lee a good morning kiss before accepting her tray of food.
"Good morning to you too," Lee smirked, shaking his head and gathering food onto another tray for whoever was next.
Next up was Toru, who also greeted him with a kiss. He smiled as she pulled away. Her hair was braided over her left shoulder today.
"Your hair looks great this morning," Lee smiled, Toru all but glowing happily.
"Thank you!" she smiled, kissing him again before accepting her food.
Lee caught Mineta glaring at him just as Momo and Kyoka both walked into the room. Lee held out their trays and both thanked him, accepting the food and walking away, talking about something, though Lee didn't try to figure out what, since he wasn't a part of the conversation. he turned back tot he food, doing a mental checklist. He was the last one, so he finished off the food that was cooking and set it out before getting himself some and walking over to where Mina and Toru had saved him a seat.
"Your food's as amazing as always, Lee!" Mina smiled.
"Thanks," Lee smiled back, beginning to eat. "There's seconds if anyone's still hungry after."
A few people got seconds, including Lee, and after they were done, Lee began to clean the dishes, glancing at the clock.
"I feel bad," Mina said. "You cooked, and now you're also doing the dishes."
That's true," Lee said. "But I don't mind. Part of growing up taking care of yourself is that you learn to not mind doing chores."
Mina hummed, then kissed him on the cheek, stepping up beside him and beginning to dry them for him. After a moment, a few of the others joined in, and Lee smiled appreciatively.
"I've been meaning to ask," Midoriya said. "I know why most of the class wants to be a hero. What about you, Lee? What's your dream?"
Lee stilled for a moment, staring at the plate in his hands before continuing to scrub. "I guess...I don't really have a dream. Or, at least, not one that's possible."
"What do you mean?" Midoriya asked.
Lee sighed heavily. "My dream is for the world to see my hero for as amazing a hero as I see her."
Mina, Momo, and Toru all froze, all instantly knowing who he meant. Midoriya did not.
"Why's that impossible?" Midoriya asked. "Are they retired?"
"No," Lee said. "My hero isn't a pro hero. My hero is my sister. She saved my life when I was four and she was seven. Even when the doctors, my father, and everyone else were just going to give up on me, she taught a friend of ours to use his Quirk to create a near-weightless metal spine that would replace the one I'd ruined. A metal that doesn't heat up with friction, and is damn-near impossible to damage. As a seven-year-old. Then she taught my friend to use his Quirk to make me my exoskeletons, boots, neural implant, and eventually my exosuit, all so that I can use my Quirk without dying, and all while basically raising me on her own after my father was killed. She saw that my mother hating me for taking her legs was hurting me emotionally and mentally, so my sister had her sent to a facility that could take care of her for us. My sister tested out of schooling, including college, as a child in order to be able to have more time to raise me. But she wanted to be a hero. She knew if she could make it as a pro, she'd have enough money to support me. She applied to U.A., and they rejected her on the grounds that she was too young. So did all the other hero schools. Once she was old enough, she applied again. Again they all rejected her, this time on the grounds that she had already tested out of school. She proved that she was legally allowed to go there since she was still the right age, and they agreed to let her in, but only as Support Course. They refused to accept her as a hero. I don't know why, and I never asked. She applied over and over for Hero course. She could have aced the Entrance Exam, probably even the practical exam, but they rejected her as a Hero Course applicant every time until she was too old. So, I found my dream. I'd become a pro hero and make her my sidekick. I'd get her all the lessons and licenses she'd need, and then she could go pro on her own. Then the entire world could see her for the hero she was to me. But...now that she's gone...I don't really have a dream anymore. I'm still going to be a pro. She would still want me to keep going, but I don't have a real dream anymore."
"So...that's why you're so adamant about not being a sidekick first," Momo said. "You felt like you didn't have time. You wanted to help her become a pro hero as soon as possible."
"She'd already waited long enough when I applied to U.A.," Lee said. "But, I have standing promises to keep now, so I still have to become a hero."
He smiled over at Toru and Mina, who both beamed back.
Momo dried the last plate and they all looked at the clock. "Just in time. If we all leave now, we'll make it to school with twenty minutes to spare."
"Does everyone have their costumes?" Iida asked.
Everyone nodded and agreed, leaving the barracks and heading for the school. A half hour later, Aizawa was standing in front of them again.
"I believe I mentioned this already, but your main focus this summer is obtaining Provisional Hero Licenses," Aizawa said.
"Yes sir!" the class said.
"Do not take this lightly," Aizawa said seriously. "A Hero License means that you're responsible for human lives. You can imagine that the exam to receive one is very difficult. Only fifty percent of students pass the requirements for these permits each year."
"It's that hard to get a provisional license?" Mineta asked.
"In order to prepare, today you'll concentrate on creating something new," Aizawa said, just as the door slid open, revealing Cementoss, Ectoplasm, and Midnight. "Two ultimate moves."
"Ultimate moves!?" Denki, Sero, Mina, and Eijiro gasped.
"An exam is a normal school thing!" Mina and Denki cheered.
"But this is total hero work!" Sero and Eijiro cheered.
"When we say ultimate, we mean a move that will ensure you win against your opponent," Ectoplasm said.
"An action so unique to your identity that no other person could hope to copy it," Cementoss said. "Simply put, you must learn to lean into your strengths."
"Your moves represent who you are," Midnight said. "These days, most pro heroes have an ultimate move. Those who don't are fools."
"This may sound abstract, but we'll explain more as the day goes on," Aizawa said. "For now, change into your costumes and meet in Gym Gamma."
About twenty minutes later, they were all in their costumes, Lee being careful to make sure he in fact couldn't see Toru, and were gathered in Gym Gamma, a hangar that wouldn't be out of place at an airport. It was empty, massive, and had black rectangles on the ground in two rows like placement markers for tables.
"Gym Gamma," Aizawa introduced it, as it was the first time they'd been there. "Also known at the academy as the Training Dining Land, or T.D.L."
Lee blinked. Really? That was the best they had?
"This facility was my idea," Cementoss said, raising a small structure made of rectangular cement blocks of various sizes, forming a sort of blocky spike. "We can prepare unique terrains and obstacles for each student here. Here you will learn to serve up justice, hence the name."
"That's pretty cool," Denki said.
"Please allow me a question!" Iida all but shouted, raising his hand. "What is the advantage of having ultimate moves for our provisional exam!? May we know your reasoning!?"
"That's two questions," Aizawa said. "Calm down. The job of a hero is to save people from all sorts of dangers. Crime, natural or manmade disasters. Of course, the licensing exam analyzes how well you're able to deal with such things. It won't just be fighting. Your ability to gather information and make quick decisions will be judged, in addition to how well you communicate, cooperate, and lead others. Every year, a new test is used to evaluate these qualities."
"One thing is especially important," Midnight said. "If you want to be pro heroes, you must be able to prevail in battle. If you're prepared, you won't have to worry, and those of you with an ultimate move will have stronger results. Your circumstances should not dictate the results of your future battles."
That's debatable, Lee thought.
"Learn to be consistent and you will be a great asset on the front line," Cementoss finished.
"Your ultimate move doesn't necessarily have to be an attack," Ectoplasm said. "Take Iida's Recipro Burst for example. This sort of temporary boost in speed is valuable enough that it falls into the category of excellence we're looking for."
Iida began to cry inside his armor, holding a fist to his chest. "You mean I've been doing an ultimate move all along?"
"So it's basically our secret weapon," Sato summarized. "Something that gives us the edge so we win no matter who or what we're facing."
"There's a smart boy," Midnight said, winking. "For example, how Kamui Woods is able to use his Lacquered Chain Prison to capture opponents in an instant. That's exactly what we want to see."
"The training camp was interrupted," Aizawa said. "But the training you went through to develop your Quirks was part of the process to develop these defining abilities. Now that you're caught up, you'll be working hard to develop powerful moves of your own for the next ten days or so."
Cementoss suddenly formed a dozen or so stone spires of varying height, Ectoplasm forming a clone on each.
"This is how you'll spend the remainder of your summer vacation," Aizawa said. "Prepare for intensive training. In addition, you should think about how you can improve your costumes, especially now that you have a better understanding of your Quirks."
Lee glanced down at the all black bodysuit covering his exosuit.
"I expect each of you to go plus ultra," Aizawa said. "Do you have it in you?"
"Yes sir!" the class responded.
"I am so charged up for this!" Denki grinned.
Everyone split up, going with one of the clones to train. Lee walked over to the real Ectoplasm, who turned to him curiously.
"Are you able to make a clone who can take more than one hit without being destroyed, but who's human sized?" Lee asked.
"I am," Ectoplasm nodded.
"Can you?" Lee asked. "I have an idea for a combat-oriented ultimate move I'd like to try."
"Very well," Ectoplasm said, forming a clone in a large open area.
Lee turned to the clone and crouched, sliding his right foot back as both blurred, breaking up the cement and forming foot holds like the wedges runners use on a track to push off of. Then, he exploded forward, jumping to full speed and reaching the clone in an instant. He made sure to pull his punch and slammed his fist into the clone's face,flipping him backward. It got upside down before Lee had stopped himself and taken off again. His fist crashed into its gut next before he skidded to a stop and shot back again, this time jumping and slamming a spinning kick into it, launching it sideways. He once again swung around into its path and met it with another blow, bouncing it around the air for about fifteen seconds before flipping backward and kicking it skyward, then punching the ground with a blurred fist to make himself a jump and streaking up it, flying through the air to the clone, reaching it about a second after having launched it. Then, he pushed off of it with both hands to be able to use his Quirk while spinning to the left. Then, his right fist drilled into its torso, sending it blasting back to the ground before Lee landed beside it and blurred backward, in case the theoretical villain was still able to move.
Aizawa walked over, kneeling down to inspect the clone's injuries before standing. "Not bad, but if you do that to any random villain, you'll be accused of excessive force. You broke his jaw, most of his ribs, both arms, and his back. For serious villains who need to be put down hard, this will do. But for petty thieves and low-level thugs, this is too much."
"Understood," Lee nodded.
"However, this can be one of your ultimate moves," Aizawa said. "It just needs a name."
"Pinball," Lee said.
Aizawa stared at him for a moment before sighing. "That'll work."
He turned and walked away as Ectoplasm released his clone, forming another.
"Well, now that you've blown past all of your classmates and made your fist ultimate move, what would you like to work on for your second?"
"That's the hard part," Lee said. "I want to learn to control my stored up electricity. It's manifested itself three times, once of them during a fight at camp, which allowed me to use it to win the battle. It's also what my Quirk runs off of. However, I don't know how to tap into it willingly, and I need to be able to in order to fully utilize my Quirk. I also have a number of things I want to be able to use it for, but again, I need to know how to control it first, as well as how much I can use, for how long, and whether it regenerates on its own, and how fast."
"You basically want to learn to use an entirely new Quirk," Ectoplasm said. "That's not going to be easy."
"I know," Lee said. "I've got some ideas to try out, but for now, I'm just looking to be able to actually tap into the electricity at will. After that, I can work it out on my own."
Ectoplasm nodded. "We'll probably need Kaminari's help to start. And probably an aiming device on your suit."
"The suit's fine," Lee said. "My boots have to be switched out soon anyway, so any adjustments I need to make I'll do with that. Then for the actual suit, the only thinks I want to do are stream electricity over it like a full-body taser."
"Allowing it to be effective but non-lethal," Ectoplasm said. "Not a bad idea. Alright. Head over to Kaminari, then. He may be able to help you figure out how to generate it."
Lee nodded and headed over to Denki and his clone, explaining to Denki what he needed. Denki began to explain what it felt like for him to use his lightning, and Lee began to practice, failing miserably. Finally, they were released for the day and Lee followed Momo to her room, where she began to work on his new set of boots, using plans Legacy had found for upgrades in Amy's computer. They included a slightly altered system that could be made to extend with his body's growth this time, so Momo wouldn't have to keep remaking them. After about an hour, she was finally finished and passed them to him.
"Thank you," Lee said.
"It's no problem," Momo said. "I'm the only person that can help you, so it's not like I'm going to just tell you to go to Hell. Especially since it's you."
Lee smiled, kissing her for a moment. However, when he pulled back, she followed, recapturing his lips with a sigh. Lee set his boots on the floor and turned toward her, laying her down gently and pressing close to her as her tongue met his, both sliding against each other's. Momo's right hand tangled into his hair as her left wrapped around him, pulling him closer. Lee felt his breaths rapidly becoming labored, his head growing light and foggy, as though her were drowning in her presence. Finally, and with far more effort than it should have taken, he tore himself away from her, panting as he hovered above her, Momo just as out of breath below him. Her eyes fluttered both, and she stared up at him for a few seconds before gently pressing her hand against his chest. He sat up and moved out of her way, allowing her to sit up as well, sighing.
"Sorry," Lee said, wincing internally as he noticed his voice was a bit more hoarse than it should be.
"It's alright," Momo said, voice also thicker than usual. "You should probably go."
"Right," Lee said, picking up his boots. "Good night."
"Good night," Momo said.
Lee closed her door on his way out and headed to the elevator, leaning in the corner and setting the boots down, resting his face in his hands. This wasn't good. He had almost lost control. He had never had that kind of reaction to her before, even in the multiple times when they spent hours kissing. He hoped whatever had changed would go back soon, but he didn't hold out much hope.
"Hey, there you are," Mina said as Lee was unlocking his door. "New boots?"
"Hm?" Lee asked. "Oh, yeah. Momo just finished making them for me. These once should theoretically be able to grow with my foot, at least according to Amy's notes, so I shouldn't need any new ones for a while."
"That's good," Mina nodded. "Mind if I come in?"
"Not at all," Lee said, setting his boots beside his dresser. "What's up?"
"I wanted to spend some time with you," Mina said, closing the door. "This time without being interrupted."
Lee's thoughts instantly flashed back to what had just happened with Momo. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea right now."
Mina walked over, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Why? Because you're afraid I'll figure out you were just kissing Momo?" She kissed him, Lee kissing her back. "Too late for that. I knew you two were going to do that when you went to her room with her."
Lee sighed, leaning in and capturing Mina's lips with his own, Mina sighing happily and kissing him back, stepping forward to guide him to the bed. He lay down, bringing Mina with him and she smiled, pressing closer to him as their tongues met. However, it was almost instantly like a switch had been flipped. One moment he was fine and in control, and the next he was drowning in her presence, as he had been Momo's. Mina responded to the sudden spike in passion in kind, pressing tighter to him, Lee likewise holding her tighter against him. Mina moaned softly, one hand tangling in his hair as he suddenly became very glad he was still wearing his exosuit. He tried to force himself to pull away, and finally managed to after far longer than with Momo. Mina leaned back a bit, panting and smiling.
"That was...fun," Mina smiled. "What's gotten into you?"
"I don't know," Lee groaned. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Mina smiled. "Like I said, that was fun. I only stopped because I could tell you wanted to."
Lee sighed. "Sorry. I'm just...not sure I'd be able to stop if we continued much longer."
Mina hummed pleasantly, smiling. "You say that like it's a bad thing." She leaned down, kissing him for a few seconds before pulling back again. "This sort of reaction's supposed to be natural, right? So don't worry about it. It just means that you're enjoying yourself."
Lee sighed. "You're too easy going for your own good."
Mina smiled, giving him one last quick peck on the lips. "I'm going to go rest from training. See you in the morning."
"See you," Lee said.
She walked out of the room and Lee groaned, draping an arm over his eyes. He was in trouble. If he kept going like this, he was going to do something he'd regret. And besides that, he couldn't keep acting like he was. He needed to make a decision. He had indulged himself enough. He knew he couldn't decide if he was actively treating all three like he'd chosen them. He needed to pull back. If he couldn't do that, he wouldn't be able to make a decision, and he'd keep being unfair to them.
He sighed, standing and pulling off his exosuit, folding it and setting it on his dresser before pulling on a pair of boxers and a muscle shirt, laying down and pulling the blanket up to his neck. "Legacy, can you do me a favor and try to see if you can figure out how to access my electricity while I'm sleeping. I'd love to wake up able to use it."
"I'll do my best," Legacy said.
"Thank you," Lee sighed. "Also, if you have any advice about the three of them, I'd be happy to hear it."
"I'm sorry," Legacy said. "I'm not very good at judging emotions."
Lee sighed. "I figured. Still, I had to ask. Thanks anyway."
"Good night Lee," Legacy said.
"Good night Legacy," Lee said, then closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
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