A bit of a slow informational one... but things pick up next time! Enjoy!
"You are an idiot, Touma." Index said simply. "A man wishing to use the Necronomicon to revive the dead, and you don't even ask me about it…"
"I was worried about you attacking me if you found out I was dealing with it…" Touma said, now covered in bite marks. "…And you've only proven that my fear was valid." Index bit him again, causing him to cry out in pain.
'E-excuse me… t-this is all still a large amount to take in... magic spells, reviving the dead… I'm still kind of lost about everything… what exactly is going on?" Ochako spoke up. In a short span of time, Touma explained the situation involving Gregory Augustine, his plan, and Index spoke about the general overview of magic when the question of it invariably appeared.
"Basically, Gregory is collecting souls to revive his long-dead master it seems like. That's the easy version…" Touma replied, rubbing his apparent wounds.
"But I'm still confused about all this… magic stuff…" Ochako replied. Izuku sighed.
"Sorry… I kept it hidden because… well… I wasn't sure if anyone would believe us even if we did say anything specific about it." Izuku rubbed his neck. "…Plus, I was honestly still in doubt about it all myself. It's just one of those things that's hard to believe in being raised these days, you know? Magic and raising the dead are the stuff of fiction."
"You live in a world where practically everyone has super powers, yet magic seems fake to you?" Index spoke condescendingly.
"Don't beat him up about it. You thought the same thing about my right arm." Touma commented. Index puffed up in response, but seemed to let it go.
"…Hypocrisy is unfit for a lady, I suppose…" Index admitted.
"Good, now if we can work on the definition of a lady for you, we can fix the other side of that statement." Touma said. Index seemed to get angry again.
"E-enough fighting, please!" Izuku said. "We're sorry for keeping it a secret… magic, reviving the dead, everything… but we were worried that if more people knew, more people would get involved and get hurt because of it…"
"…Touma does know a lot of people who would jump into fights involving him…" Index admitted.
"Kirishima would jump in for sure… not to mention how everyone reacted to Bakugou being kidnapped…" Ochako added, seemingly accepting the explanation.
"Thanks for understanding…" Izuku said, sighing in relief. "I was worried that you'd be angry with me…"
"I am." Ochako stated simply. "…But you had your reasons. Plus you're safe now."
"For now." Index warned. "The Necronomicon is a powerful grimoire, one that doubles as a magic artifact because of its unique properties. Those fictional stories about a zombie outbreak were inspired by its power; many of those stories include the Necronomicon as a cause for their events for that exact reason."
"So… what exactly are we dealing with?" Izuku asked.
"That's what I'm curious about… Necromancy is complicated magic. Raising an army of the undead would be simple enough with human corpses around, but fully reviving a person would not only take a large amount of mana, but a constant flow of it to deny the grasps of the after-life from taking the soul back. A force would be endlessly trying to pull the revived man's soul back to the grave." Index answered.
"What… if they found a way around that?" Izuku asked. "He keeps talking about a Millennial Phoenix, and compares his master to it quite often, referring to them both as one and the same…"
"Well…" Index started. "…A lot of magic cabals sprung out of ancient Egypt. They all went off into different directions over time, trying to seek answers and develop their beliefs. There was one order that centered on the phoenix, this cabal and its members traveled between Greece and Egypt often, and it is theorized that various allusions to the phoenix in Egypt's ancient constructs there are because of that…"
"So do you think that an entire cabal is involved here…? Gregory has been acting alone, with seemingly hired hands. They act nothing like the guy, at least when it compares to their apparent religion…" Izuku questioned.
"Not likely, at least not in its previous form." Index answered. "Cabals change and shift over time, as is the nature of magic. And the fact of him working alone further points to that; if we had an entire magic cabal bearing down here, he'd have more than enough help to accomplish his goal rather than having to find help. Moreover… I do recall in my studies hearing about a man who was leading a cabal that very well may be a decedent of the one from Egypt."
"Who?" Ochako asked.
"Hugo Japhet. He led the Order of the Millennial Phoenix. Although, no-one has ever recalled a person with such a name prior to his sudden appearance in force, so many believe that the name is fake, and that he chose to call himself such because of the religious significance of Japheth as one of the sons of Noah. He led a secret war to undermine and take control of various magic institutions and followings in an attempt to unite them all under his command, believing that he alone can maintain the peace and purity of the world." Index answered.
"I see…" Izuku leaned back. "So this Hugo Japhet was their leader and died… and Gregory Augustine is trying to bring back their leader?"
"It… must be but…" Index paused for a moment. "…Hugo Japhet has been dead for well over 150 years… there's no way that Gregory Augustine could have known him well enough to follow him with as much admiration as you describe; the order died along with Hugo Japhet when the Roman Catholic Church got involved."
"Well… if they have found a way to revive the dead and bypass the natural laws... Hugo would have been revived after his death later, right?" Ochako commented.
"It's… possible…" Index mused. "If the members had gone underground… it would explain a decreasing rate of membership. If the order were to surface or reveal it was seeking now worshipers, the Roman Catholics would crush them, so they would have to stay hidden."
"If so… it's also possible that Gregory was born into the order. It would explain his endless devotion to a man he has never met." Touma added.
"He must be trying to revitalize his failing organization by reviving its leader. That makes sense, right?" Ochako asked.
"That makes sense… but he takes a lot of risks doing it in Academy City." Index replied. "There must be something else to it… but I feel like we won't be able to find out until we can find Gregory himself."
"This is a giant puzzle…" Izuku said out loud.
"And apparently it's a bad one; your teacher Aizawa is looking into it officially on the behalf of the higher ups of Academy City." Touma replied.
"Really?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah… I guess having a fire-throwing magician doesn't look good during a publicity event. Who knew?" Touma replied.
"Well if Aizawa is looking into the situation, it should be wrapped up soon hopefully!" Ochako said. "He specializes in this kind of thing, right?"
"Yeah. Stealth operations like this are his specialty." Izuku nodded.
"Here's to hoping this doesn't get any worse…" Touma said. "This city has enough problems; the dead coming back to life don't need to add to it."
"…What's wrong with the city?" Izuku asked. "Seems like a technological heaven to me, most of the people seem really happy here."
"It's one of those things… if you get involved in the general politics of what happens around here, you're going to have a bad time." Touma replied. It only made Izuku more curious to think about what Touma meant
"It's bad enough you're stuck in that stupid competition…" Index muttered, referring to Touma.
"I don't want to be in it either… least tomorrow is the last day." Touma said.
"…We should stop focusing on the negative stuff!" Ochako cheerfully stated. "We can talk about something else; I just got a high score in a fighting game in the arcade! And I beat several of the regulars there!"
"That's cool. Aogami drags me out there sometimes when the new games get released." Touma replied. "…Well, for stuff to talk about, could discuss as to why you two suddenly go on a date right after a combat competition."
"W-w-well… that's…!" Ochako trailed off as her face lit up.
"F-funny you should mention that…" Izuku did the same.
"You two weren't dating before, right?" Touma asked. Both shook their heads. "Well, what brought it on?"
"W-well… Shokuhou has been… kind of pulling for me to act on how I felt… so…" Ochako admitted.
"Wait… she got into your head too…?" Izuku asked.
"M-more like… my emotions…" Ochako blushed deeper as she spoke.
"…Mine too, kind of." Izuku replied, rubbing his neck.
"…Well, I don't know who you're talking about, but it seems like she had the best intentions in the end." Touma replied.
"Wait… you don't remember Shokuhou?" Izuku asked.
"No…? Should I?" Touma asked.
"She's Shokuhou Misaki, the Fifth ranked level 5; Deku beat her in the first round?" Ochako asked. Touma shook his head. "…Busty girl with blond hair that looks like she should be a model rather than a middle schooler?"
"Not… ringing any bells…" Touma was appearing confused. "Are… you sure she was there? I'd definitely remember someone like that…" Touma held his head, appearing like he was starting to have a headache.
"Huh… that's weird…" Ochako said, looking confused.
"You'll have to forgive him…" Index spoke him, looking concerned herself. "He's… he's always running off to help people, and he gets hurt a lot. Because of that sometimes… things hit him in the head and mess with his memory a bit." Index spoke carefully.
"That's really bad… you should have that checked out Kamijou." Izuku said.
"Y-yeah… This one is new… you're sure she was there earlier today?" Touma asked. Both Izuku and Ochako nodded. "…Well this is going to make me mad. This issue is new…"
Both Izuku and Ochako looked at each other, appearing confused. Just what could cause Touma to completely forget a person like Misaki completely, despite them being in the same room only a few hours ago?
"But hey… you guys took a break from your date because of me, right?" Touma asked.
"W-well… we wanted to make sure everything is ok!" Izuku replied.
"It's fine." Touma replied. "You two should get back at it, no need to hold yourselves up for me, thanks for checking on me though."
"You sure?" Ochako asked.
"Yeah I'm sure; besides!" Touma smirked a little bit. "The first date is supposed to be magical! Guy and a girl into each other mutually, learning each other in and out, maybe a little bit of skinship and kissing if things go well…" Izuku and Ochako got progressively more embarrassed and red as Touma listed off more things.
"W-we get it, thank you!" Ochako stuttered out, blushing red.
"Ah… ok, just remember to keep it PG-13; I know consent laws are kind of sketchy here and Japan, and I also know about the low birth-rate issue, but neither of those require you two to try and repopulate; humanity will do just fine." Touma joked.
"W-we don't need you to tell us that!" Izuku and Ochako both shouted.
-1 hour later-
"The food there was so good… I wish I could have had more." Izuku commented, looking content.
"Kind of hard to be a hero if we have to roll you around, you know!" Ochako replied.
"I know… I guess that everything just seems like this place is really amazing, you know?" Izuku replied. "I have to admit, I'm not fond of the combat part of the competition, but I hear that getting into Academy City is really expensive, and we got to be here basically for free. Maybe change what the contest entails and I'd definitely consider doing this competition thing again just for a chance to come back."
"I wonder if they will do something like this again… it seems to be a really good turn out, so they must have made money on it." Ochako mused.
"And it somewhat seems to be good publicity for the U.A." Izuku mentioned. "They've bene kind of railed because of the League of Villains' actions… so showing that they are putting us on the right path to be heroes should score them some points with the general public."
"Well… except maybe for the matches with Accelerator…" Ochako rubbed the back of her head.
"…Good point, Accelerator really gets into it with trying to be as off-putting as possible…" Izuku admitted. "…I guess he must have his reasons for not wanting people around."
"I bet he's a big softie once you get to know him!" Ochako cheerfully replied.
"Kamijou seems to know him fairly well… though they appear not to get along…"
"True… hrm…" Ochako trailed off.
"It really seems like all the espers are really diverse, now that I think about it." Izuku said. "It's kind of hard to believe that the power development curriculum can give people abilities like this just from their minds. It makes me wonder how things would have been different if I was born here instead."
"I think you'd get a really cool but gentle esper ability! I can imagine you getting something like controlling air pressure, and being able to use it to fly!" Ochako cheerfully said.
"I wonder… could an esper could become a hero?" Izuku thought out-loud. "I don't think I'd want to change anything though. Even after the bad things that have been happening, I don't think I'd change a thing."
"I'm glad… because I don't think I could imagine a life we never met, regardless of what you could have said when I asked you out…" Ochako wrapped her arms around Izuku's own right as they walked, huddling closer. Izuku blushed but didn't reject the closeness. They walked together for a time, simply enjoying each other's company, until a flash of light blinded them both.
"Nya, I got it Aogami!" Tsuchimikado held out his phone as he suddenly peaked around the corner.
"See I told you Tsuchimikado! I found some love birds we know finally owning up to their emotions and letting them explode! I figured this would work out well!" Aogami stuck his head out next.
"I… what…?" Izuku was confused.
"If you two could kiss so we could have additional blackmail on you two, that'd be great, nya!" Tsuchimikado said. It quickly became clear that Tsuchimikado had taken a photo of them. Both Izuku and Ochako turned red as a beet as they put two and two together.
"B-blackmail!?" Ochako stuttered out. "Y-you can't! T-this was just supposed to be a special time for the both of us!"
"Well, that's unfortunate." Aogami said, holding out his own phone. "Because up until recently, I've been live-streaming the whole thing!"
"W-WHAT!?" Both Izuku and Ochako shouted.
"Yeah… not many watchers, but I recognize some IP addresses from the U.A!" Aogami cheerfully said.
"Putting both their names on it really made sure it caught some people attention, nya!" Tsuchimikado said. Both Izuku and Ochako were visibly shaking in a combination of embarrassment and anger.
"Now, the live-stream is one thing… but we can make the picture go away if you can do some special favors for us!" Aogami said.
"Act fast; the wonders of photo-manipulation are grand… who knows what else we could do with it!?" Tsuchimikado added cheerfully. The couple held their heads low; hiding their eyes, as they slowly stopped shaking. They stood like this for a time before one of them finally broke the silence.
"…Uraraka." He said. Ochako lifted up her head slightly. "Get on my back."
"Ok." She responded quietly. Izuku knelt down to give Ochako better positioning, and then stood up, holding her up by her legs.
"…Nya?" Tsuchimikado and Aogami exchanged glances.
"…Grab ahold of them both, and send them into the air. Don't let them down until they are higher up than the tallest building in the city." Izuku said.
"Understood." Ochako replied. The two then began running towards Tsuchimikado and Aogami; Ochako's hands out-stretched waiting to grab them.
"I think it's time to run!" Aogami shouted.
"I'm inclined to agree, nya!" Tsuchimikado replied. The duo then ran down the street as Izuku and Ochako gave chase.
"It might have been a bad time to give them the initiation into the circle of friends, Tsuchimikado!" Aogami said.
"Non-sense! The timing and the subject was perfect! We just need to out-run them and let them clam down first, nya!" Tsuchimikado shouted back.
"If you say so, but they are gaining on us!"
"Then run faster, nya!" Izuku and Ochako continued to chase them both all over the city.
-Hotel, Several Hours Later-
Their chase unsuccessful, Izuku and Ochako returned to their lodgings when the sun started to set. They expected their fair share of embarrassment from their time together being aired opening on the internet, and while they did receive some, they mostly received praise and encouragement. After some time, everyone decided it was time to rest. There was one more day left in this tournament, after all.
"Man… what a day…" Izuku said to himself as he fell back onto his bed. He began to think back to the events that had transpired today. He couldn't help but think back to the time he had spent with Ochako; he didn't even bother to try and hide that formed on smile on his face as he thought about their time together.
His thoughts shifted, however, to the tournament tomorrow. And his opponent: Accelerator. The single most powerful esper in all of Academy City.
"…I feel like tomorrow is going to be painful…" Izuku said to himself. "Uraraka figured out how to hit him… I'll have to ask her to help me tomorrow…" He continued to speak to no-one specific. "Moreover… I'll have to fight again the same day… I'll be fighting either Misaka or Kamijou…"
Mikoto was the one he was more afraid to face. Her control of her electricity was top of its class and her taking down both Shouto and Momo showed that. Not just electric powers, but her railgun, and her control over iron sand and possible other metals with magnetism, like the soles of his own boots, for example, didn't help much.
Despite his fear however, the person he really didn't want to fight was Touma. He was a person who outright stated he wanted nothing to do with this tournament at all, and is more or less locked into it. Moreover, he was a really kind person who genuinely liked to help people, and would do so unconditionally. Izuku was unsure if he would even be able to raise a hand against him.
He was also unsure if Imagine Breaker could negate his One for All or not. A lot of questions rolled around in his mind.
"…I should try and keep in contact with Kamijou." Izuku suddenly said, sitting up. "Maybe I should ask for his number when I see him tomorrow?" he asked himself, pulling out his phone and flipping through his contacts. Another thought popped into his head as well: Misaki.
"I should also ask Shokuhou about what was wrong with Kamijou… I hope it's not too personal…" He mused out loud like this for a time as he tried to process everything. He finally glanced at the clock and decided it was time for bed himself. He changed clothes and slipped under the covers, falling asleep rather quickly.
Time passed. Clouds moved in the night, revealing the shining jewel that was the moon, which spread its light into the hotel room.
A male suddenly appeared in Izuku's room, silently and quietly. Scythe in hand.
Prometheus turned and grinned at the sleeping hero. Pandora was not far behind, literally phasing though the window as if nothing was there, and doing so just as silently as Prometheus. A flick of her staff and the blinds closed, hiding the moonlight.
Prometheus turned towards Pandora and held up one finger to his lips. Pandora nodded and her staff shined briefly. The walls glowed, and suddenly sounds from the outside were gone.
Under this spell, no sound would escape from this room. Nor would any sound enter. Complete silence and exclusion from the outside world.
The plan was simple. One at a time, silently kill all eight of the heroes while they slept. Then, move onto the boy who could negate Pandora's magic. Starting here felt more personal for some unknown reason; it felt more right to begin here rather than anywhere else.
Prometheus licked his lips as he reeled his scythe blade back, ready to bring it down on the sleeping Izuku.
The fires of chaos would reign this night.