Hello crazy, beautiful world! It's Sunday and that means it's update time! Almost didn't get it out in time to be honest, I got a second job recently so I've been busier. But I will endeavour to keep to my schedule.
Also, we shot right past 25K words after the last chapter, is this what traction is like?
Reviews: PariahPrime, I'm happy to know you liked Earl's inclusion, although now I'm a little annoyed that he stole the show. F***ing Earl, lol!
Engineer4Ever, as I've stated, Krieg and Gaige will have their moments! It's going to be a while, but look forward to their appearance, it will make all the sense in the world! I'm just as excited for their inclusion as you are!
Borderlands is owned by Gearbox and 2KGames and My Hero Academia is owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Funimation. Please support the official release.
Please rate and review!
"This means someone is talking."
'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'
This means it's a flashback.
*This means it's a sound effect!*
{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}
Angel in a Gilded Cage
"W-What? Sister?" Angel stuttered in surprise. Her hand shifted away and the connection or whatever she had experienced was severed and the glow from her and Maya's arms dimmed.
As if realizing what she said, Maya grimaced bashfully, flicking one of her strands of hair aside. "Sorry about that. Got a little carried away. I just needed to make sure that you were the real deal."
"Real deal?" Angel questioned.
"I'll explain later." Maya promised. "For now, we should probably get back to work. Right fellas?" She raised an amused brow to her teammates.
Axton and Salvador were frozen in identical looks of awe and befuddlement, eyes wide and jaws dropped. Even Zer0 had an open mouth emoticon on his "face".
"Guys!" Maya snapped, clapping her hands. "Now!"
"Yes Ma'am!"
"I'm going!"
"Bye!"
They shook off their amazement and ran off in different directions, Axton scrambling to get some fresh clothes on, Salvador jumping onto a footstool to start washing dishes and Zer0 disappeared in a brief shimmer of light.
Maya let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head before turning back to Angel.
"Well, looks like it's just you and me kiddo." She said, giving her another excited smile.
"I-I guess?" Angel answered weakly, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events and the newly discovered mysteries that had thrown themselves in her face.
"Don't worry." Maya consoled her, placing a hand on her shoulder, her eyes naturally gravitating to the markings on her arm. "I know it's a lot to take in, but trust me, I'll explain everything in time. But for now, it's time to see what you can do."
Angel blinked, tearing her gaze away to meet the older woman's eyes. "W-What?"
"Go to the bathroom, first door on the right." Maya gestured down the hall. "Get your costume on. We're gonna do a little training!"
That last word made Angel stiffen in both shock and a hint of elation. Training?! She had met another person with powers like hers (a possibility she never would have imagined) and they were going to train?! The last time she had worked on her quirk was with Lilith, half a year ago!
"Y-Yes ma'am!" She bowed gratefully, grabbed her costume case from the table and ran down the hallway, giddiness in her step as a ghost of a smile grew upon her face.
Finding the (thankfully clean)bathroom, she closed the door behind her and started changing.
'I can't believe it! Someone else with a quirk like mine! I mean, Lilith made it sound like there was more than the two of us, but I never thought I'd meet another!' She thought to herself as she threw off her school jacket and started unbuttoning her dress shirt. 'I wonder how everyone else's internships are going?'
"Is this really the home of All-Might's mentor?" Izuku asked aloud, taking in the dilapidated exterior of the location of his supposed internship, the entire building looking like it was condemned for demolition.
'Well, it matches the address.' He admitted, making his way up the crumbling steps. Despite the dreary prospect of what his internship experience was shaping up to be, he couldn't help the awe bubbling to the surface. He was requested by the pro hero Gran Torino, who was once All-Might's homeroom teacher and one of his few confidants of the truth behind One for All! Surely, appearances were deceiving?
"Hello?" He called out, knocking on the door. When no one answered, he gingerly reached for the knob and eased it open.
"Hello? I'm Midoriya Izuku. I'm from Yūei for my internshiiiiiAAAAAH!" His voice cracked and peaked! Lying in the middle of a puddle of red sludge and what appeared to be intestines was a small man draped in a yellow cape!
"AAAAAAAH! HE'S DEAD!" Izuku screamed!
The man's head shot up to look at him. "I'm alive."
"AAAAAAAH! HE'S ALIVE!
"Full disclosure, I don't like you."
"Heh?" Katsuki quirked a brow. Dressed in his hero costume, he stood before the tall man covered head to toe in denim, the blue fabric reaching past his nose, only his eyes and heavily styled blonde hair was visible. The pro hero, Best Jeanist, stood up from his immaculate desk in the centre of his equally pristine office.
"The only reason you chose my agency was because I'm in the top five heroes in the rankings, no?" The man asked cooly.
"Hold on, you're the one who sent me a request, why the hell wouldn't I take it?!" Katsuki shot back.
"Too true." Jeanist replied, running his finger and thumb along his bangs out of a compulsive desire to keep it orderly, despite it already being so. "I've made it a habit to only recruit those who strive to keep their noses as clean as possible. This is the first time in a while that I picked someone like you. Thankfully, reforming boorish and volatile people is one of my specialties."
Every word out of the pro's mouth made Katsuki grit his teeth more and more.
'The hell does this guy think he is?!'
"I will admit, you do have great talent." Jeanist continued. "You show obvious skill in the use of your very powerful quirk. But the way that you use it and how you carry yourself… deplorable. At a glance, no one would be able to tell you or a villain apart. Thus, I will take it upon myself to sand off you and your partner's edges and make you shine."
Wait a second.
"Partner?" Katsuki echoed in displeasure. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
"Us pros can request for two applications from Yūei. She should be here any time now, I believe you're already acquainted."
Katsuki continued to scowl at him, confused. He had picked another student from Yūei, one of the girls? Who could he have possibly chosen to work with him?
He froze, his eyes widening and his heart stopping as a horrible probability came to mind.
'No.'
"Best Jeanist-sensei!" The door suddenly opened, one of Jeanist's sharply dressed interns with tidied hair stepped in. "The other Yūei intern has just arrived!"
The hero nodded. "Good, send her in."
'No!' Katsuki began to sweat.
"Maaan, the trains here are sick yo! It was like "Neeeerooown!", which I mean, isn't as cool as "chugga chugga choo choo", but you take what you can get, amirite?!" An all too familiar, grating voice rung out, making him turn to the doorway in dismay.
'No! No! No!'
A girl dressed in the Yūei uniform pranced into the room, carrying a pink backpack covered in pins and keychains that jingled with every step.
"Woo! Finally here at denim central! Smells like a warehouse store filled with pocket protect-" Tina Baha gasped and grew a wide smile, hearts in her eyes!
"EEEEE!" She squealed, launching herself like a missile and glomping onto the horrified blonde! Pressing her face to his arm, she giggled ecstatically. "Omigawd, it's you Babe! We're interning together?! It must be fate! The entire week, it's just going to be the two of us on the love train! WOO! WOO!"
Katsuki twitched and boiled in the girl's embrace. His palms sparked and smoked and he threw his head back.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" He screamed to the heavens, startling every bird for miles into flight!
"Language." Jeanist scolded.
"The way that ours and most agencies operate is dependent on the needs of the police departments. When the caseload gets too big or the danger is too great, they get turned over to us, divided by districts."
"Uh huh." Uraraka nodded as she followed the muscular man with a mohawk and metal helmet.
"Depending on the severity of the crime through factors such as number of criminals, level of danger and non-combatants rescued, our payment is determined then accrued." He explained in a surprisingly gentle voice, unexpected of a man named Gun Head.
'Gee, he sounds like a nice and easy going guy.' She noted pleasantly.
"You actually picked a great time to intern at our agency today. Usually Hosu is pretty slow, but things have been getting a bit hectic as of late. Necessitated some additional patrols on our end." The normal hero, Manual admitted while walking along the sidewalk. Iida tailed behind him in full costume, thankful that his helmet hid his focused expression.
"I see. Keeping authorities in view as a means of deterring crime." He postured, making sure to keep the handler from getting suspicious.
"Exactly!" The man smiled. "You're a pretty smart cookie, but I guess that's what I should expect from Ingenium's little brother." He laughed, unaware of the frown it set upon Iida's brow as he swept his eyes over the roofs and alleys of the nearby buildings.
'I don't know exactly where you are "Hero Killer", but I know you're in Hosu. I'll be ready for you!'
"Here we are!" Maya declared, pushing the door open at the top of the stairs while carrying a plastic bag in her off hand. Angel panted behind her, dressed in her costume as promised. Catching her breath after climbing every flight in the building, they had finally arrived at their destination, the roof. The apartment complex was the tallest building around, giving her a good view of the rest of the nearby suburbs as well as all of the towering skyscrapers towards the centre of the city. It was about noon, so the sky was clear and blue with only a couple clouds.
The roof itself was rather unexciting. Just a wide open space enclosed by tall chain link fences, some empty bottles and cans rolling around in the wind.
"So…" Angel returned her attention to her new mentor, currently performing some stretches on the far side of the roof. The way she twisted and flexed showed off her graceful physique, lean yet powerful muscles like that of a gymnast.
"Before we get started, tell me how your quirk works, y'know, so I can get an idea of where to start." She requested, her tone betraying how eager she was to learn about Angel's abilities. Not quite like how Midoriya got completely enthralled by quirks and their use, more like an excited kid who finally found someone who shared their interest.
Honestly, she was in the same boat.
"O-Ok, gotcha! The way that it works is that I constantly generate a kind of energy, one that is present in digital technology. I can use my energy to influence it, which allows me to control them. I can also gather it up along my tattoos to expel them from my fingers or grow wings." She explained.
"I see." Maya hummed in rapt attention. "Any downsides?"
"Y-Yeah…" Angel admitted, twiddling her thumbs and glancing off. "If I use too much energy too fast it causes my head to hurt, until I pass out. You, uh, might had seen that in my last fight-"
"-In the festival, right." Maya nodded. "Pretty interesting though. That's almost exactly how my quirk works."
"Really?!"
"Yup." She held out her arm, her markings igniting and swirls of the same cyan energy from earlier coalesced into an orb in her hand. "Where we are different however, is mine allows me to control kinetic energy."
She reached out towards the open door to the stairwell. Immediately, it was bathed in the same light blue glow. With a flick of the wrist, it slammed shut all on it's own!
Angel gaped in wonder. "Wait, kinetic energy?! As in the force of motion?!"
"You catch on quick." Maya chuckled, letting her markings die out. "However, unlike you, if I use it too much I get motion sickness. Used to throw up just from lifting a book."
"Ew." Angel grimaced, getting an awkward laugh from Maya.
"My bad, too much. Not used to this whole teaching thing, I've never had a student of any kind really." She said, shaking her head.
"But enough of that! It's about time that I actually taught you something. This'll be based on your performance during the festival. I'm aiming to fix a really big flaw in your fighting style."
Angel tilted her head. "Flaw? What do you mean?"
"Maybe it's better if I just show you." Maya stated as she shifted, slowly getting into a lowered stance, her legs bent with her arms in front of her. She held her marked palm flat and out with her right palm behind it. "I want you to defend yourself as best you can."
Her eyes widened and she nervously took a step back. "W-Wait, we're going to fight?!" She stammered. Her? Duel a trained pro hero?! She had only ever fought her fellow classmates and the grunts from the USJ invasion! She had never battled someone at a pro level before, like Lilith or Moxxi, what was Maya trying to prove?!
"Don't worry, it's just going to be a little spar." The older woman reassured her in a calming, but firm tone. "I want you to try and hit me. Punches, kicks or blasts, whatever works, but no flying. On the other hand, I won't be using my quirk."
Angel blinked. She was getting a handicap? There was a decent amount of distance between the two of them and all she had to do was hit her once. The odds couldn't be more skewed.
"Um… okay?" She answered cautiously. "Are… are you sure you don't want your quirk?"
"Oh don't worry about me. I can handle myself." Maya gave a small smirk.
The confident glint in her eye made Angel swallow.
"Alright then." She nodded as she called upon her power, her markings coming alive. She moved her hand into a relaxed-ready position, in the shape of a gun near her leg. "On the count of three?"
Her opponent nodded, her twin tails blowing in the wind like curtains. "Three...two...one…"
Angel's hand tensed.
"Go!" Maya shouted, breaking into a sprint right for her!
Instantly, Angel's hand flicked up and two bolts left her fingertips. They shot forward, making a beeline for Maya's approaching form within a second.
Just before impact, she nimbly sidestepped the shots, letting them fly past her without stopping at all!
Angel's eyes widened in shock and she fired three more shots.
She watched in awe as her mentor performed a quick pirouette, dodging the first bolt, then seamlessly dropping to her knees in a skid, sliding along the concrete! She bent her back all the way, the remaining two projectiles just skimming over her face. Once they had passed by, she sprang back up to her feet, gaining more ground by the second.
Angel started anxiously stepping back, her shooting becoming more frantic as she unloaded as many shots as she could! All for naught however, as Maya spun, leapt and glided through the barrage like a ballerina, getting closer and closer!
Angel kept firing, backpedaling more and more until-
*Clank!* "Oof!" Her back hit against the chain link fence with Maya almost a foot away!
She aimed her hand again. Surely, she wouldn't miss now!
Maya's right hand blurred and slapped Angel's away!
*Spadow!* The bolt fizzled against the ground and Maya's left was now at Angel's throat! Her blood pulsed in her ears, eyes to the sky with her mouth agape. It was like a knife was resting against her jugular, one small move and it'd be over!
"You're dead." Maya stated softly, delivering a gentle poke to Angel's throat.
As if she was a puppet whose strings were just cut, Angel lost all sensation in her legs and fell onto her rear. She sat there in astonishment, sucking in one fearful breath after another.
It was over so fast. She couldn't do anything. She had been beaten so soundly, even with a quirk advantage. This was a pro hero.
She blinked when Maya held out a hand. She gingerly took it, respecting it as an object that very well could have ended her life if the owner wished.
"You okay?" Maya asked, to which Angel nodded numbly, getting pulled to her feet.
"Sorry for scaring you like that, but I need you to realize what your weakness is right now. I noticed it, rewatching your fight with Endeavour's kid as well as that three way skirmish at the end of the obstacle race. You have amazing ranged abilities and incredible mobility, but as soon as an opponent manages to close the distance, you're dead in the water."
Maya's words made Angel wince and hang her head. The older woman was right. She had always struggled fighting anyone close up. Todoroki, Bakugo, heck, even the rope villain back at USJ. It was only thanks to Maya that she came to recognize, as she put it, the big flaw in her fighting style. How long would she have gone on, blissfully unaware of such a problem before she got hurt or worse?
"Woah, cheer up kiddo!" Maya patted her on the back. She looked up to see her with an encouraging smile. "Don't get too hung up on it. Now that you know of your problem, I'm going to be teaching you how to fight in close quarters. Show you a couple tricks I know."
It seemed Maya knew exactly what to say to get Angel excited again, the prospect of learning new ways to use her quirk making her quiver.
"O-Okay! Yeah! Let's, uh, let's do this!" She gave a shaky smile.
"That's the spirit!" Maya gave her another pat and led them both to the centre of the roof.
"Now, for the next week I'm giving you a training regimen to follow. It will involve learning various hand to hand techniques, stances and tactics. Do keep in mind that this is meant to be a foundation, not an end all beat all fighting style. In the future, I expect you to continue to improve and evolve on your own, coming up with your own style in the end, do you understand?" She asked, meeting Angel's gaze.
"Yes, that sounds really cool!" She said honestly.
"Heh, it'll be a lot of work, but yeah, it is." Maya snorted before returning to her serene mentor persona. "But we'll get into that later. What I want to get you started on is one of my personal techniques. It's simple, but integral to how I fight."
She took a couple steps away from her attentive pupil and beckoned. "Give me your best punch."
Angel paused in disbelief. "Sorry, I don't think I heard that right. You want me to punch you?!"
"Yup! Right on the chin!" She cheerfully, tapping the side of her jaw.
"B-But I've never thrown one before a-and-!"
"Kid, I wouldn't be telling you to do it if I couldn't handle it. I appreciate the concern, but I just want you to trust me. Now, hit me!" She called out impatiently.
"W-Well... if you're literally asking for it…"
Angel gathered her courage and raised her fist tentatively. She took a couple steps and threw it right at her mentor's perfect jaw!
*BWOOM!*
"ACK!" She sputtered as there was a brief glimmer of light and her fist bounced off… something! Whatever it was, it spun her away and she struggled not to stumble over.
She looked back at Maya in shock. "What was that?!"
Maya smiled at her amazement. "That, is a little something I like to call Kinetic Reflection."
She held out her arm and along the surface of her skin a faint shimmer of cyan light appeared. "The way it works is that I coat my body with my energy, kind of like a rain suit. Then, when I'm about to take a hit, I expel the power from the oncoming point of impact, the kinetic energy absorbing the blow and redirecting the force back towards the attacker. It has its limits, but it gives me the upper hand in CQC and I think it'd be perfect for you!"
"You really think I could do it too?" Angel asked avidly.
"I know so. In fact, you actually did something pretty similar not to long ago!"
Angel stopped and thought back, racking her brain before it came to her.
"My fight with Todoroki at the festival! That blast that destroyed the ice shell, you're telling me that was the same thing?!" She gasped.
Maya snapped her fingers in approval. "Exactly. In that moment of desperation, you forced your energy from your entire body, not just your arm or back. Unfortunately, it looked like you pushed too hard and hit your limit, but I'm sure in time you'll be able to raise that bar."
Angel was immediately hit with a wave of deja vu, remembering the time Lilith had taught her how to use her energy bolts. If the same logic applied…
"So if your energy makes things bounce off… maybe mine will do something different, you know, because my power doesn't act the same?"
"Hm. Sounds plausible." Maya agreed, intrigued by the theory. "But let's get you to that point, then we can experiment."
"So, uh, how do I do it?"
"I...uh… don't know." The older woman faltered for the first time. "I do remember how to practice it though. Follow my lead and maybe it will come to you that way." She said, moving into a position with her legs planted on either side of her body and hands clasped together against her chest, right under her rib cage.
"Okay!" Angel nodded, rubbing her hands nervously and mirrored Maya's stance.
"First, calm yourself. Take a deep breath through the nose."
Angel breathed in.
"Hold it, then let it out through your mouth."
She breathed out.
"Do it again."
They spent the next several seconds repeating the process. Angel's heart, still rapidly palpitating from the spar earlier, began to slow as her body relaxed.
"Now close your eyes. Continue to breathe as we practiced."
She did so and the world became a dark reddish hue from the sun.
"Now, call upon your power, but not too much. Just enough for it to be running through your body."
She absently nodded and with a subtle command, she felt the telltale buzzing of her power looping through her nerves.
"Good, good. Now here's the tricky part. Imagine yourself as a solitary rock on a mountain, standing tall amidst the clouds."
Her brow furrowed slightly in concentration, picturing the scene in her head despite never experiencing such a thing. The whole thing was pretty tranquil, conscious thought drifting away. Even the buzzing of her phone in her back pocket faded.
"Finally, imagine your energy as the wind, a light breeze washing over your skin. Immerse yourself in this feeling."
And she did. She dreamed of the sensation of the wind's gentle embrace, tickling her skin and teasing her hair. There was just her, the wind and the soothing sound of Maya's guiding voice.
"Do you feel it?"
"I...yes…" She breathed.
"Good. Now, slowly… open your eyes."
Almost reluctantly, her eyelids cracked open and she felt like she was waking from a long, peaceful sleep. She slowly took in Maya before her, a triumphant smile on her face.
It was then she became aware of a low hum. She glanced down and her breath caught in her throat.
Just like in the festival, her body was enveloped in a white, throbbing aura of light. Unlike then, it wasn't flaring about in a wild, uncontrolled manner. Rather, it looked more like her form was outlined by a soft veil, barely less than an inch off her skin.
"Ha! Great job! You got it on the first try! Am I a good teacher or what?" Maya cheered.
"I, did I really do it?!" Angel looked up from her hands in disbelief.
"Sure did kiddo! You're a natural! Turn it off real quick!"
Angel nodded and commanded her body to stop. As soon as she did, the light blinked out, leaving her a little more tired than before.
"Now that you have your mental image and you've experienced the feeling, try turning it back on!"
Angel nodded and began to concentrate again. She remembered the rock and the wind. It was like using Lilith's pistol metaphor, in a way.
Soon enough, her tattoos shone and she was wreathed in light once more!
"Hell yeah!" Maya fistpumped. "Suck it Brother Sophis, teaching isn't so hard! How're you feeling?"
"Head is starting to ache a bit, but I think I'm fine!" Angel grimaced.
"Great, now can you try to restrict the power so that it's only on your hands? We want to conserve your energy."
Looking down at her hands again, Angel imagined the "breeze" along them. Slowly but surely, the light shimmering on her arms, legs and torso shifted and moved up to her upper limbs, making it look like she was wearing glow in the dark gloves.
"Great! Hang on a second!" Maya ran over to the bag she had brought up earlier where it rested near the door. She rummaged inside and pulled out a small wooden board. Her markings lit up and the plank floated from her hand until it was suspended in front of Angel at eye level.
"Now let's see what you can do! Hit that thing!"
Angel glanced down at her glowing fists and after a moment of hesitation, she pulled back her right and swung.
*BZZT!* There was a small flash and a burning smell! The board flew back a couple feet before it stopped and right in the centre was a black scorch mark!
"W-Wow!" She laughed in surprise. "Did I do that?!"
"Yeah you did!" Maya clapped, then waved her marked hand. The board levitated over and she plucked it out of midair, studying it. "Looks like your version of my reflection is more of a stun gun!"
"I didn't feel a thing!" Angel looked over her hand and found no injury, marvelling at herself and her situation. She had spent only a half hour with Maya on this rooftop and she had already learned how to use her quirk in a way she hadn't thought possible!
'I guess sensei was right afterall.'
"Excellent! Now we can move on to phase two!"
She looked up. "Uh, phase two?"
Then she immediately ducked as a red, glowing projectile shot where her head just was! It smashed behind her with a splat, covering the ground in red goo and pulp. She glanced back at Maya.
'Uh oh.'
Floating around Maya's head like planets orbiting a star was a collection of overripe looking tomatoes. Her teacher looked absolutely thrilled, overexcited even.
A pit of worry opened in Angel's stomach.
"Phase two. You're going to use your new move to repel all of these. Ready?"
"W-Wait, m-maybe we can take a break? Please?!" She panicked, desperately shaking her head and arms!
"Fire!" Maya pointed and she braced herself against the impending onslaught!
"Well that could have gone better." She silently groused, wiping her hair with a now red stained towel. She shook her head, shaking droplets into the bathroom sink and on her fresh set of casual clothes.
It had been an hour since "phase two" and a half hour since Angel and Maya had wrapped up the training session. She had never thought she'd be so happy to hit her limit. After they had finished, Maya assisted her down the stairs back to the basement so she could take a shower to wash off the saucy remains of the fruit barrage. Her body and outfit had been covered in juice, the former dotted with faint bruises and the latter now in the wash.
Angel was tired, sore, her head was throbbing and she smelled like a salad.
And yet… she felt oddly satisfied. Accomplished.
She looked at herself in the mirror and gave herself a soft smile. She was improving herself, getting stronger. Today, she had taken one step closer to becoming the hero she wanted to be. And she had an entire week of this? Despite the stinging pains and the lingering scent that still didn't go away even after three showers, she honestly couldn't wait.
*Bang! Bang!* She turned to the door.
"Hey Angel, we're ordering out, dinner's on Axton! You coming?" Maya called out from the other side.
Then there was her mentor and the rest of Double Tap. She still had some questions that needed answers like what was the other reason that they picked her for an internship? What did it have to do with her quirk? Why did Maya call her "Siren Sister"?
She shrugged to herself. Surely time will tell. She could wait a little longer. It had been a long day.
"Coming!"