Izuku and Quinn stood across from each other in the yard behind the Valence house. Their respective Quirks were active, Izuku's bathing him in a fiery green aura while lilac electricity danced across Quinn's body. It took Quinn a few days to fully recover from her little stunt at the Entrance Exam, but now she was back in sparring shape and Izuku wanted to take advantage. He'd done some experimenting with his Quirk over the last few days but without a partner to spar with, he could only guess at the Quirk's non-healing properties. His strikes felt stronger, but that could have just been placebo from having a Quirk in general. One thing that was indisputable, though, was the fact that his stamina wouldn't drain anywhere near as fast as it used to. Back during the early days of All Might's training, he could barely keep up with Quinn while running 3k. By the end of their beach training, he was reliably keeping pace during their regular 5k jogs. Under the influence of Flame Eater- the name he'd given his Quirk- he felt he could easily add another 5 or 7 kilometers to his daily routine.
"You ready, Izuku? I'm not going easy on you!" Quinn challenged. She was wearing a lilac tank top and black shorts with her arms wrapped up to the elbows and legs done up to the knees.
"I wouldn't want you to!" Izuku answered, punching his left palm with his right fist. His outfit mirrored Quinn, save for his forest green t-shirt. They squared off, taking their respective stances, before Nikki rang a small bell to signal them to start.
Quinn was the faster of the teens and managed to close the distance between her and Izuku in a streak of lilac, with a dust cloud trailing behind her. She lowered her stance and swung a fist for Izuku's ribs. Fortunately, the boy was able to backstep. He still took a glancing blow to the gut but the dull ache it gave him far outweighed a broken rib. He tried for a kick to the head that Quinn dodged, swearing beneath his breath as he backed away from his friend. Quinn wasn't going to give him space to think, however, as she pressed the advantage. She flicked out a left jab followed by a right straight and a left hook. Izuku easily batted away the first punch but the straight was delivered too quickly. The blow caught him square in the chest, winding him just in time for Quinn's left hook to send him spinning to the dirt. Nikki rang the bell once more and the teens let go of their Quirks. Well, Izuku did. Quinn merely set the output of One for All to 1%, leaving a slight glow to her eyes while dismissing the lilac electricity.
"You're definitely faster and stronger." Quinn said, offering Izuku a hand. He took it and grunted as he was pulled to his feet.
"Doesn't feel like it." Izuku grumbled, ignoring Quinn's snickering as he dusted himself off. Behind them, the door to the kitchen slid open and the sound of little feet running across the wooden porch filled the air. They turned to see Eri dressed identically to Izuku. "Hey, Eri!"
"Well, what does it feel like?" Quinn asked with a wry smile. Izuku took a second to consider the question as he activated his Quirk once again. Immediately, he felt a shift in his body temperature. He was running hotter now, maybe by a few degrees, but it wasn't uncomfortable and the pain in his cheek where Quinn had hit him faded. There was still the feeling that told him he was stronger and faster than before. Quinn sat cross-legged on the ground and motioned for Izuku to join her. "Try meditating. It helped me a lot, so maybe it'll help you too!"
Izuku nodded and moved to mirror his friend. Beside him, Eri sat with them. The 2 kids closed their eyes as Quinn tried to focus on Izuku's aura. Eri wasn't sure what she should be doing, so she just copied Izuku while Nikki fought down giggles at the cuteness of the scene. Through the darkness behind his eyelids, Izuku could feel the aura generated from his Quirk flare as he focused in on it. It gave him an acute awareness of his body that he'd never experienced before. His inner fire was being slowly expended in order to strengthen and heal his body. He could feel cells regenerate, lactic acid buildup from working out being burnt away, and more oxygen suffusing his blood than should've been possible. As his focus on his Quirk became sharper, the darkness filling his eyes began to be set aflame with green tendrils of firelight. Izuku turned his senses towards the fiery aura surrounding him and was surprised to find it relatively cool.
Across from her friend, Quinn studied the aura that the boy's Quirk gave him. At first, it just seemed to be a light coating of green fire- it wasn't even all that hot- but the way it was changing made it clear the meditation was working. With every breath Izuku took, the flame would engorge and shrink as if it were every bit as alive as its wielder. Quinn supposed that Quirks could be considered alive. As she considered the notion, she felt One For All stir inside her- as if affirming her conjecture. She closed her eyes and focused on her own power, figuring she should take her own advice. Lilac lightning began to dance across Quinn's body, despite the fact she hadn't altered the output One For All was set to. If she had to attribute a feeling to the coursing electricity, she'd probably say it was akin to being lightly tickled. As for the rest of the Quirk? It was a strange mix of being noticeably hot and cold, in tandem. Like she was holding onto a frigid metal coil with one hand and a warm coil with the other. She could feel the strain that processing this dichotomy put on her brain.
'Maybe I'm feeling One For All and Patient Zero, both?' Quinn questioned herself. Her brow furrowed as she tightened her focus on each sensation. She felt along their edges, looking for some crack or fault that could tell her what she wanted to know. After a moment of scrutiny, she found it. The division was small- and seemed to be shrinking even as she 'observed' it- but it confirmed her suspicions. The electricity and warmth belonged solely to her inheritance while the calming cold was the power she'd been born with. Strangely, the electricity emanating from her grew more wild as she separated the 2 Quirks. A feeling of unease washed through Quinn and she let the divide between both Quirks close once more. Immediately, her electricity faded back to its normal current. 'Maybe they're fusing or something?' Quinn remembered something Yagi had once told her; that One For All adapted to each new wielder. Maybe this was just how the power was adapting to her? Still, she wouldn't let herself be deterred from her exploration. She set aside any errant thoughts and focused on the amount of power she was outputting. It was sitting at a stable 1%. With a deep breath, Quinn let the output raise to 2%. There was a noticeable change in the sturdiness of Quinn's muscles. 3% was next, an amount of power that had let her hold her own in the Entrance Exams. It was swiftly followed by an increase to 4%. At this point, Quinn could feel a slight tremor in her muscles that told her she was reaching her limit. Admittedly, the amount of power she could wield felt miniscule in comparison to the weather-changing strength of All Might. Her mentor had always made sure she was aware that she'd reach his level eventually but it was still somewhat disheartening to have such a long road ahead. Quinn reset her output to its smallest percentage and opened her eyes to see Izuku still deep in meditation across from her. As she studied the white-haired teen, she couldn't help but wonder if he would have been a better choice of successor. 'I bet Izuku would progress much faster than I can seem to…'
"Ui…?" The soft voice of Eri broke Quinn free of her thoughts. She turned to the girl who looked so much like her friend, despite the horn and crimson eyes.
"Sup, Cotton Ball?"
"Uhm…" Eri shuffled where she sat, playing with her fingers nervously as she glanced back and forth between Quinn and Izuku. She probably didn't want to disturb his meditation even if she wasn't entirely sure about what he was doing. "You looked sad…"
Quinn blinked in surprise at the little girl. Maybe she'd given her too little credit but, in Quinn's defense, she didn't know many 6 year olds who were so observant. Then again, the majority of 6 year olds hadn't been held captive and experimented on by yakuza their entire lives. Quinn cleared her throat, looking away with a slight blush as Izuku's aura faded and the boy looked across at her. "I-it's nothing, Eri. Promise."
"Hey, Eri, let's get you some fresh apple slices!" Nikki said as she stepped up beside the girl. She bent down and picked her up, taking her back inside. The girl immediately forgot about the observation she'd made about Quinn in favor of her favorite treat. Izuku continued to watch his friend, searching for the right words as silence settled over them. Finally, he sighed and decided to just go for it.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing…" Quinn answered, still refusing to meet Izuku's eyes. The corner of his mouth drew back in concern as he brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head.
"You're thinking about it again?" Izuku thought he knew the answer- Quinn wasn't exactly the best at hiding the stares she gave his new hair- but he waited for her silent nod of confirmation before continuing. "It's not your fault, y'know."
"If not mine, then whose?! I wasn't strong or fast enough to beat those thugs! Then that guy tried to- to… Even my last attack wasn't enough. Yagi should've given you One For All!" Quinn recoiled and slapped a hand over her mouth as the words left her. She hadn't meant to scream but the words threatened to explode out of her. For the longest time, the teens sat there quiet as tears started to prickle at the edges of Quinn's vision. Izuku was stunned, unsure how to continue but knowing his friend needed help. She was sensitive about the Sludge Villain- they both were- and it was understandable; both teens had nearly lost each other at least twice on that day. He couldn't fault her for that, but it was clear that the villain himself hadn't been the main source of the girl's unease. Izuku slowly eased himself forward, the motion causing Quinn the recoil further and clench her eyes shut, before taking the blonde firmly by the shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug.
"Hey. That's my best friend you're talking about." Izuku said, resting his chin on Quinn's head. Her shoulders were quaking but that didn't matter much right then. "If All Might himself claims you're worthy, then who are we to question that? Besides, our acceptance letters should be here by the end of the week. You have a suit drawn up?"
"You know I'm no good at drawing, Izu…" Quinn answered. Izuku was worried for a moment before she pulled away to reveal a small smile and hands busy wiping away tears.
"Could've fooled me." He said, getting to his feet and heading back indoors with a wry grin. "I've seen those stick figure comics in the margins of your exams."
Quinn rolled her eyes and stood before following Izuku inside. Truth be told, her worries were sated but not cured. She'd be alright for now, but maybe she'd have a talk with Yagi. 'Once the bastard starts answering my calls!' She thought as she pulled out her phone and looked over the 7 calls the Pro Hero had missed the past few days. Sure, the man was busy, but it was rare for him to go this long without keeping in touch and almost unheard of for him to not return her calls. Quinn shrugged and put her phone away. Whatever the man was up to, she knew he'd get back to her eventually.
The next couple days were rather uneventful. Izuku and Quinn continued their workout routines and sparring- occasionally entertaining an excitable Eri- while working on designs for Quinn's costume and various pieces of Support Gear. Ultimately, it was an old pre-Quirk superhero film that stole Quinn's heart. Iron Man had always been a favorite of Izuku's and a certain Russian assassin had caught Quinn's eye. Natasha Rominoff- Black Widow- had always sported a fairly decent design for a silver-screen heroine but her outfit for the live-action movie Infinity War was seared into Quinn's brain. It probably helped that the spy was sporting blonde hair much the same shade as Quinn's own. With that design in mind, Izuku set to helping sketch Quinn's hero suit. They ditched the wedged boots, in favor of reinforced combat boots, and removed the wrist guards completely. A forest green utility belt replaced a relatively mundane belt and the blue accents of the suit were switched out for a dark purple. Quinn also added on a futuristic half-mask that acted as a radio, rebreather, and gas mask.
"I-Izu-zuku! Q-Quinn! Th-th-they're h-here!" The teens were just placing the final touches on the design when Inko slammed open the door to Quinn's bedroom.
"GAH!" They said in tandem, accidentally upsetting the table they were working at and causing their pens and pencils to fly all over the room. Inko was resting on her knees in the doorway. She was shaking so much that Quinn considered the possibility of an earthquake before she noticed the envelopes the woman held out in her hand. Her own parents stepped up behind Izuku's mom with anxiety-riddled expressions, though their amusement at Inko's antics was still apparent. Quinn couldn't help but crack a smile as she and Izuku moved forward to grab their respective letters. She noticed 2 things right away: hers was much more bulky than Izuku's and her friend lacked his normal nervousness.
"You know something." Quinn said, leveling a suspicious stare at Izuku. The white-haired teen cleared his throat and opened his mail with a slight blush.
"I- uh- y-yes… Power Loader basically accepted me the day of our exams…" Izuku cringed as Quinn playfully slapped at the boy's shoulder. "S-sorry!"
"That's amazing, Izu! You could've told me!" Quinn pouted at her friend, crossing her arms petulantly. Izuku chuckled as he brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head.
"I might've forgotten, what with your near-death experience and all."
Quinn blushed at that, having forgotten that specific detail of the day. She wouldn't have done anything different, that day, but it was still something she'd rather stay in the darker recesses of her memory. The robot had been scary enough without the added threat of death for her and Yanagi. Still, she had to admit that she would've forgotten any good news of her own if Izuku had been the one to nearly die… again. Quinn shook her head, gripped both ends of her envelope, and ripped it open. A small metal disc fell onto the table between her and Izuku, along with a folded stack of papers.
"What is…?" Quinn heard her mom wonder aloud as she reached forward and flipped the object over. Where one side had been smooth, this other side seemed to hold an array of speakers and lenses. Before Quinn could continue her examination, the device activated by projecting a free-floating hologram that showed Yagi dressed in a pin-stripe suit that was the ugliest shade of yellow she'd ever had the displeasure of seeing. He was buffed up and stood in front of a couple of monitors with hands resting on his hips. "YAGI?!"
After a few seconds of intense silence, Yagi looked past the camera and finally spoke. "Are we rolling? Yes? Very well!" He turned back to the camera and cracked his neck before taking a deep breath and starting the presentation. "Young Valence! Before we begin, I'd like to apologize to both you and Young Midoriya for not returning your calls! You see, I've been dealing with mountains of paperwork due to a new development! Starting this year, All Might will officially be on-staff at UA!"
"Holy shit…" Izuku said, never taking his eyes away from the hologram. Quinn whipped her head around to stare at Izuku with wide eyes. It was a rare moment when Izuku cussed and, past him, she could see their parents were equally flabbergasted at both Yagi's declaration and Izuku. "All Might's teaching at UA…"
"Hmm?" Once again, Yagi's attention was pulled to somewhere behind the camera. "What's that? Showboating? I need to get a move on? Well, I had a few more things to-... I have HOW MANY more of these things?!" Yagi cleared his throat and used a handkerchief to dab at his sweating forehead. He briefly straightened his tie before looking back at the camera. "Very well then! Young Valence, you scored admirably on the written portion; landing in the 86th percentile! However, a score of 34 doesn't quite make a passing grade."
"I… failed?" Quinn visibly deflated, leaning back onto the dresser behind her and curling up with her knees held close to her chest. She bit her lip as Izuku laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Before Izuku could move to comfort her further, however, Yagi shifted to fully reveal the monitor as it lit up.
"Fortunately, this test doesn't just test one's ability to punch robots like they're cardboard!" The monitor showed a video of Quinn helping a blonde boy that was holding his gut in pain while surrounded by Faux Villains. It displayed her intercepting a Faux Villain that chased after the defenseless Shinso. She saw herself drag Monoma out of the path of falling debris. Now that she was looking from a third-person perspective, it was apparent that the boy had a concussion. Finally, the monitor showed her helping dig Yanagi out from under a hill of rubble before blasting off to annihilate the Zero Pointer with a single mighty punch.
"Not only did you show the qualities of a true hero by helping others, your own actions inspired others to act as well!" The feed on the monitor changed to show Monoma and Yanagi using some sort of telekinetic power to wrap Quinn in gray and purple glows as she was falling towards the pavement. Together, they gently lowered Quinn until she was safely on the ground.
"How could a Hero Academy as esteemed as UA not accept someone as heroic as you?! That's why we have these!" Replacing the video on the monitor was Quinn's name followed by a scorecard. It was divided into 2 sections; the left section was labeled 'Villain Points' and held her score of 34 while the right donned something called 'Rescue Points'. Under the latter section was a score of 37. "'Rescue Points', here, serve to reward those who act heroically regardless of how it could benefit themselves! While destroying the Zero Pointer wasn't strictly necessary in your case, a panel of judges decided to award you with 37 Rescue Points for conduct becoming a hero!"
"Wait… so I passed…?" Quinn asked dumbly, raising her head to look at the hologram. Suddenly, the monitor behind Yagi zoomed in on the teens that had saved Quinn after her stunt with the Zero Pointer.
"And while we're at it! Yanagi Reiko: 41 Points! Monoma Neito: 45 Points! Now, Young Valence, come! Your Hero Academy awaits!" The hologram faded, leaving Quinn and Izuku in stunned silence. To the side, their parents moved to wrap the 2 teens in a tight hug as cheers rang through the house. Quinn, however, only had one thing on her mind.
'That bastard made me think I failed!' She grit her teeth and silently swore Yagi would rue the day he tried to be a showman.
~ W-o-L ~
Slice hardened her crimson hair into large blades as she and Nine stepped into the dim light of the Gunhead Hero Agency. The night behind them seemed to suck in all light, leaving only an inky black abyss. Nine scanned the room carefully before moving inward. It may have been night, but it would be counterproductive for him to get caught. The simple fact that lights were on at all told the villains that there was at least one sidekick on site. If they were lucky, it'd be their target.
"So, is this the mission that the Boss had for us?" Slice asked in a low tone as she followed Nine deeper inside the building. The main office wasn't too different from any other office building, barring the sliding doors that led to a dojo that Gunhead and his sidekicks would use for martial arts training. The back of the room held a set of spiral stairs that accessed the second floor. It was there, where their true objective lay.
"No, darling. This is merely preparation." Nine answered as he snuck a peek into the dojo. The room was dark and quiet. Good, there'd be no late-night practitioners for them to deal with.
"Then what's our target?" Slice climbed the flight of stairs ahead of Nine, scanning the upper floor for signs of activity before signaling the all-clear. Nine walked up and past her. The floor's lights illuminated the hallway to reveal a desk at the top of the stairs- presumably for a secretary- and 3 doors a bit further down. One was donned with a plaque and a picture of Gunhead, one was unmarked and shut, and the last was wide-open. This last door had a less ornate plaque that read 'Records'. Slice walked up beside Nine and looked towards the open door. "We're here for intel?"
"Not quite." Nine answered as a figure in a fairly nondescript hero suit stepped out into the hall. The man had brown hair, neon green eyes, and fingerless gloves. As luck would have it, the hero turned away from him and Slice without even noticing them. His companion inclined her head towards him in an unspoken question. Nine answered with a nod as he began to step forward. Stealth wasn't his forte but the inept hero didn't notice them until Slice used her hair to restrain and slam him against the wall. However, by then he was already unconscious. He stepped up to the restrained hero and placed his palm on his forehead. As Nine began to concentrate on the man in front of him, his gray eyes began to glow a soft yellow-green. His senses seemed to expand and suddenly he was aware of his and his target's Quirk Factors. Experimentally, he envisioned himself grabbing the Quirk's energy, its essence, and drawing it into himself. The same glow from Nine's eyes began to emanate from his victim before wisps of it floated over and into Nine's body. As more was pulled out, the man's glow started to fade. Within moments, it was gone and Nine could feel a new Quirk inside himself. A cursory scan of the Quirk revealed the name and function: Bullet Laser, an Emitter-type Quirk that allowed the user to fire plasma lasers from their fingertips.
"Nine, what was that?!" Slice asked as she stared between her boss and the hero in wonder. Nine responded by holding up his left hand, fingers pointing at the hero, and firing 5 lasers through the guy's chest. Slice's jaw dropped as she retracted her hair and let the dead hero slump to the floor. "Holy shit… The procedure really worked…"
"Indeed it did." Nine said, letting the ghost of a smile reflect on his face.
~ W-o-L ~
{A/N}
I want to place more of a focus on the villains, their actions, and their stories.
I know it'll take more than just these small sections to achieve that but I've got plans.
As always, any and all criticism/feedback is appreciated!
Thank you all for your readership, I hope you continue to enjoy Weight of Legacy!