Chapter 16: steven beats the shit out of someone

Yagi sighed as Steven finally finished the (abridged) version of his Life Story™. Steven could tell that Yagi still had questions (especially given the wildly confused and mildly concerned expression that had made its way onto his face), but before he had the chance to ask any (and before Steven could ask Yagi any of his own questions) the main door to the 1-A dorms was opened by none other than one Bakugou Katsuki (who sneered, slightly, when they made eye contact), and was quickly followed up by Todoroki Shouto. Steven visibly brightened when the latter left the building, and his smile was returned—if a bit awkwardly.

"Ah, Bakugou and Todoroki!" Yagi quickly slipped on a blinding smile and stood to face the newcomers, to the slight annoyance of Steven, but there wasn't much of a point in making it known—he'd get to ask his questions, sooner or later.

Although at the moment, it seemed like he wouldn't get a chance until later. Yagi was already looking expectantly at Steven, beckoning him forward. "Let's get going, Young Steven! We wouldn't want you to be late to your provisional license training!"

On further inspection, neither did he. "Right!" Grabbing the older man's outstretched hand, he pulled himself up to stand next to him. He didn't really process it at first, but it dawned on him just how skeletally tall Yagi was. And there was no way he could be that skinny and tall, right? There was no way he wasn't severally underweight, and—

Nope. Questions later! Steven thought to himself, finally managing to put those thoughts out of his mind, allowing himself to instead wonder about what exactly "provisional license training" would entail, and he couldn't deny that he was incredibly curious.

Aizawa's promise to get him "up to speed" was fulfilled—alongside the unspoken promise that it'd be as grueling as possible. While technically, yes, his actual time with Aizawa didn't go any longer than the typical school day the rest of the students experienced, what was abnormal compared to them was just how long he spent studying outside of those hours.

Really, he was lucky to have time to eat and sleep.

(He hoped that this wouldn't set a precedent for how the rest of his time in this world would look like. Maybe Aizawa was more of a sadist than Steven gave him credit for.)

Well, that wasn't entirely fair. Aizawa wasn't completely cruel. All of the work he was assigned (well, most of it, at any rate) was, in fact, assigned for a good reason! And honestly, he did learn a lot.

He learned so much.

He had no choice, really. Aizawa was the strictest teacher he'd ever had (especially compared to the Crystal Gems—even Pearl went easy on him). There was hardly ever any time for breaks, and the total half an hour of break time he got over the past three days (not including lunches) was spent studying anyway for fear of falling behind.

Oh stars, he was becoming Connie.

(Wait, was that even a bad thing?

He thought about how her cramming habits had affected her mental health negatively and decided yes.)

Anyway—what was he thinking about earlier? Oh right, how much he'd learned.

He learned. So. Much. If somebody wanted to know the best place to strike someone to quickly immobilize them while avoiding serious injury?

Easy.

Ever wanted to identify the most important supports that may be holding up a nearly collapsed building and how to safely remove rubble that may be blocking access to endangered civilians?

He was your guy.

Did you, perhaps, want to know about the history behind what was colloquially known as "Hero Law" and how for each hero there are, on average, anywhere between six and fifteen support staff?

Well, now you do!

And, like—that wasn't even a fraction of all the facts and pieces of knowledge and random tidbits of trivia that just kept bouncing around in his head. He so desperately wanted to get rid of most of them but noooo, he needed to know these things because he needed this damned license for one reason or another.

Thankfully, Aizawa hadn't seen the need to work on his more physically oriented skills. Aizawa had said that he was "mostly fine at fighting," it was just controlling his powers that he needed to work on—stuff like keeping himself from accidentally going overboard. And the thing was, he was pretty good at that as long as he was able to keep a clear head!

So, yeah, he felt prepared.

Vaguely.

Despite all the work he'd done with Aizawa in order to get himself up to speed, he still knew very little about what he was going to be doing today. He knew there was some sort of training session—that's what Bakugou and Todoroki were here for, and he was going to be joining them for at least part of that. But Aizawa had been frustratingly vague on what he would be doing afterwards—all he said was, "There'll be more for you after they're done," with that creepy grin of his.

He'd also learned that he hated that creepy grin.

Steven watched as Yagi tried to engage Bakugou, but only managed to receive curt one-word answers and grunts. Todoroki walked up next to him and joined him in observing the other two.

"Are you getting your license as well?"

"Apparently," he responded. "I didn't understand all of what Nedzu said, but the gist of it is that it gives me some extra legal protections? Especially if I use my powers in public, stuff like that."

Todoroki hummed in response. "That sounds about right. I imagine that no one would believe you if you said your powers weren't a quirk." He blushed in realization. "Present company included."

Steven laughed at the teen's growing embarrassment. "Hey, I already said it's fine! It was understandable, especially given what you all have been through. I don't blame you, Todoroki."

He remained silent for a few moments more, before: "Shouto."

"Hm?"

Todoroki coughed into his fist, his blush only intensifying. "I, uh—I've been thinking, and… I would like it if you called me Shouto. All my closest friends do."

Steven grinned. "Alright, Shouto."

Toshinori eased himself into the bleachers overlooking the training area. Todoroki and Bakugou are already neck-deep into the lesson, which checks out. Those two were some of the most motivated students in UA's hero course, and he wouldn't have expected anything less from them.

Steven, on the other hand, still remained an enigma to him. Contrary to what some of his coworkers thought, Toshinori wasn't an idiot, and his lack of formal teaching experience didn't mean he was completely lost. His Master's in Social Work—obtained just after graduating from UA—spoke otherwise as to his qualifications.

Regardless, despite his decades of experience in accurately reading civilians, villains, and fellow heroes, he still had very little idea what Steven was all about. The story was certainly outlandish—if both Nedzu and Aizawa hadn't vouched for him, then Yagi doubted he'd ever have believed it.

But then again, in a world of quirks, were intelligent rocks from outer space really that much of a stretch?

Well, there was one thing he knew for sure, and that was that Steven was certainly no villain. He would have to apologize to his protégé at some point for unnecessarily raising his suspicions, but after having a conversation and spending the ride to the training facility together, it was obvious that the boy didn't have a single villainous bone in his body.

That being said, Steven still remained an unknown. It may very well be that his intentions were pure (and he was inclined to think so), but he decided that he would rather wait it out for a bit longer, in order to truly ascertain the young man's motivations.

Who knew—perhaps he would prove himself as much a hero as his students.

Toshinori stiffened, as in his periphery he noticed someone moving towards him. There was no reason for anyone to be up in the bleachers with him—any heroes and HSPC employees involved would already be on the main floor, and he knew for a fact that Enji wouldn't be appearing until the end of the session.

So, who—

"Good morning, Yagi-san," greeted the HSPC agent, a close-lipped and formal smile plastered on her face. Toshinori allowed himself to relax infinitesimally, at least outwardly. On the inside, he forced himself to be on alert. The HSPC approaching him directly meant that they wanted something from him. Since he wasn't a hero anymore, that meant there was only one thing they could get from him: information.

As All Might, he'd always been careful to avoid questions on the HSPC and made an effort to project a neutral opinion towards them. If he ever publicly disagreed with them on an issue, it was always in-character—like his arguments for the more humane treatment of prisoners in Tartarus. Unfortunately, the HSPC had managed to paint him as too good and forgiving, so he didn't manage to get anything accomplished by taking that position anyway.

Privately, however, he was not a fan of the power and influence the HSPC held over heroes in Japan, nor did he approve of the methods they used to obtain that power. Sometimes, they were downright villainous in their operations, and remained grateful with every passing day that they knew nothing of One for All—the last thing he wanted was for Midoriya to become a target of not just the League of Villains, but the HSPC as well.

"Good morning." He checked for a name tag, but found nothing of the sort.

"As you know, we are fast-tracking the creation of… Steven Universe's license."

Straight to business then.

The agent continued, oblivious to his suspicion. "Nedzu-san has been providing most of the information that we require to facilitate this sort of exception to protocol. However, given Universe's rather unusual circumstances, we hope that you can understand the need for additional information."

Of course, it's all about him. And while Toshinori still may not have known his true intentions, he knew that Steven was trustworthy and, most importantly, good. If Nedzu, Aizawa, and Kayama could vouch for him, then he would do his best to help him.

"Of course, ma'am." Toshinori smiled, but it was nothing like the kind and comforting smiles he gave as All Might. "I would be happy to provide any information necessary to the registration of this young man's license."

The agent wouldn't know what hit her.

Steven followed the man—who'd introduced himself as Meru—through the door leading away from the area where Todoroki and Bakugou were training alongside several other hero students.

"Your whole situation is very strange," Meru was saying. "Given the lack of information regarding your past and reports from Nedzu-san about your quirk's strength, it was decided that your application would be fast-tracked, to be printed as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir," he replied. The principal had briefed him the day before, on the importance of doing whatever he could to ensure he'd receive this license.

("Typically, the Commission would never allow this," Nedzu commented, carefully sipping on his tea. "I was forced to call in several rather valuable favors in order to get you your license so quickly.

"So please," his emotionless gaze met Steven's. "Do not make yourself an enemy of the HSPC. They are one of the most powerful and corrupt organizations in Japan, and it would be a rather senseless waste of resources if they took insult to something you said—not to mention the target you'd be placing on yourself.

"Do not insult them.")

Steven had taken the warning to heart, and so he did his best to be impeccably polite when he spoke to Meru.

"However, we will not just give anyone a license. There is information you are expected to know, fighting prowess you are expected to demonstrate, strategies and tactics you should have memorized. If you wish to receive a license, then you are required to pass a series of tests."

He stopped, opening a door to their left and waved him in. "Please, be seated. You are about to begin your written test."

Steven took in the stack of papers placed on the desk. Yeah, it was a lot, but surely it couldn't be that much worse than Aizawa's assignments, right?

He was wrong.

It was so much worse.

Meru had taken a seat in a chair that looked far more comfortable than the one Steven was given, and told him that he had two hours to get through the entire exam, which encompassed a brief history of heroics in Japan, how hero agencies operated and what was required of them, alongside dozens of questions regarding the best courses of action in any given situation.

He wasn't sure how he was expected to get through everything in the time allotted. In fact, had Meru not warned him about quirk usage being forbidden during the exam, he probably would have tapped into some of his powers—not much, just enough to have his super-speed kick in.

That probably would have been useful. In the end, he ended up not finishing the test on time, leaving a few of the longer written questions alone because he knew that he wouldn't be able to answer those on time.

When the clock hit the two hour mark and Meru told him to put down his pencil, he slumped over in defeat.

If I'm lucky, I'll get the bare minimum amount of points.

"Leave your papers on the desk," Meru said, after a drawn-out yawn. "Someone will be around to collect them shortly. I'll be taking you back to the main floor—when the other trainees are finished, you'll be taking their place in order to begin the practical portion of the exam."

"Got it."

Steven followed the man out the door and back down the hall from where they'd come. He had to step to the side at one point, as he was nearly bowled over by a particularly frustrated-looking woman in a dark suit. Normally, he would have asked if she was okay, but just as he was about to say something she turned and glared at him with such intensity that the malice radiating from her was nearly tangible.

Getting the hint, he stayed silent and followed Meru up a flight of stairs that led to the bleachers surrounding the training area, which contained about a dozen students battling each other, supervised by what looked like a humanoid orca. As the two of them walked through the bleachers, the orca-person loudly called out commands every twenty seconds or so, which the students then responded to in their spars.

"That's Gang Orca," Meru said, noticing the way he was observing the goings-on down below. "He's a top ten pro hero, and he'll be proctoring the next part of your exam."

Before he could respond, Meru continued. "You can wait with Yagi-san up here while they finish up." He gestured to the seats a few rows below and Steven saw Yagi sitting there, reclining in a seat with his hands behind his head.

He made his way down the steps, leaving the other man behind. Yagi turned to him when he walked up, and Steven could see some traces of satisfaction in his demeanor.

"Ah, Steven!" He beamed at him, the smile slightly sharper than before. "I take it you've finished your exams?"

Steven shook his head. "Just the written one. I'm supposed to take the practical exam with Gang Orca, once they're done."

"I see."

A period of awkward silence followed, neither of them sure what to say next. After a moment, they both attempted to speak simultaneously.

"I—"

"I—"

"No, you go first."

"No, it's alright," Yagi shook his head, letting out a small chuckle. "I can tell you've had something on your mind since this morning."

"Yeah, I have," Steven said quietly. "I've just—I've noticed that you're really skeletal, even considering your age and height. And you coughed up blood when we first met? I guess the answer should be obvious, but… are you okay?"

Yagi laughed, in a booming voice that belied his frailty. "No, Young Steven," he said as his laughter faded away. "My body is not what it used to be—I suppose it comes with a multiple-decade long career as the number one hero. However, you don't need to worry about me. My health is generally stable."

"See, well," Steven fidgeted with the edge of his shirt. "I don't know what Nedzu-san or Shuuzenji-san have told you about my powers, but I can heal you."

He shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, young man, but I'm afraid I am too far gone for any healing quirk."

"But that's the thing, Yagi-san," Steven insisted. "My healing—it isn't just a normal healing quirk. If it can heal Iida's brother, I'm sure it can help you too."

Yagi looked around furtively. "If you insist, then we can try it, but let's wait until we return to UA." He looked pointedly at him. "Some things are best done away from prying eyes—or ears."

Steven's eyes widened in realization. "Ah. Yes, I understand."

The older man winked. "Glad to hear it."

He heard someone walking up to them from behind, and he turned his head to see a tall, heavyset man with a slightly pissed-off expression walking down the steps. Red-hot flames licked off of his face and costume, flickering in a fiery spectacle.

Before he could ask the man's name, Yagi beat him to the punch. "Endeavor, how good to see you!"

Endeavor grumbled. "Can't say the same of you." Steven realized that this man was Shouto's dad—likely the reason he was here, in order to watch his son.

The hero looked over, as if just noticing Steven. "Who's the brat?" He scoffed.

Yagi placed a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Universe here is an American transfer student, here to obtain his license." He smiled, just a bit too wide to be genuine. "Come sit, your son's section is nearly done with their physical training."

"I didn't ask you to invite me," Endeavor nearly growled—taking a seat regardless, but a few spots away from them.

Steven couldn't help but sneak a few glances at the hero. This was the man who had caused Shouto and his family so much pain. The reason Shouto had his scar. The reason his brother was nothing but a pile of ash.

He could feel anger slowly bubble within him, a feeling that was nearly foreign to him, save the few times he encountered someone like this.

For the next few minutes, an awkward silence settled over the group. Steven was preoccupied with calming himself down—Yagi kept trying to engage them, but Steven kept up a guise of being focused on the training down below, while Endeavor ignored the fellow hero, clearly more interested in Shouto's progress than in conversation.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Gang Orca yelled, "Stop!" His voice had to be part of his quirk—there was no way it could be that loud otherwise. The students finished their spars, and even from the bleachers Steven could see the rivers of sweat running down their bodies. As they began to congregate and make their way towards the hallways, Shouto drifted towards the tail end of the group, trying to walk alone. However, a tall boy with close-cropped hair jogged back to him, enthusiastically gesturing as he spoke.

Once all the students were gone, Gang Orca shifted his gaze and looked straight at Steven. "You," his voice reverberated throughout the gym. "Please make your way down here."

He nodded once. For a second, he debated whether he should use the stairs, but ultimately decided it would be more useful to make an impression. Giving no warning, he stood up and proceeded to vault over the railing, slowing his descent near the bottom.

(Back in the bleachers, Toshinori's eyes widened in recognition and shock.

"Nana?" he whispered.

Endeavor just side eyed him.)

Gang Orca watched as Steven approached. "Speed of descent regulation? Interesting," he murmured. Clearing his throat, he said, "Welcome. You may already know me, but I am the tenth ranked pro hero Gang Orca, and I will be administering the practical portion of your exam."

Steven nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you. I'm Steven Universe."

"Then if you're ready, let us begin." Gang Orca's deep voice rumbled. Sharp teeth revealed themselves as he smiled, looking all the more creepy on his inhuman head. "If you want your license, then you will be fighting me."

Suddenly, the extra foot in height the hero had on Steven became far too prevalent. He gulped. "You, sir?"

"That would be correct."

"B-but you're one of the most powerful heroes in the country," he stammered. At least, given his high ranking, Steven assumed he had to be.

Gang Orca didn't really have eyebrows, but the expression he made was reminiscent of him raising one. "And? I don't see how that makes a difference. Heroics isn't easy, kid. If you want your license, then you're going to have to get through me."

"Fine." Steven steeled himself, pink bubbles popping into existence around his fists as he settled into a defensive stance.

The hero scoffed, rolling his head to crack his neck. "Unfortunately, I won't be going easy on you. That means you can't be passive—you certainly won't be able to in situations where civilians are at risk." Immediately after speaking, he opened his mouth wide and let loose a screech instantly broke Steven's focus.

The noise was horrible. Waves of pulsing, incredibly loud squealing—for lack of a better term—nearly paralyzed him, and it took all of his focus to lift a hand to his face and create a bubble to use as a helmet.

The noise instantly became muted, reduced to barely a whisper. As Steven recovered, Gang Orca determined that those attacks wouldn't do any more good, saying something that Steven could no longer hear. Taking his earlier statement to heart, Steven rushed forward and mounted an attack.

He tried to moderate the power he used, keeping it fairly low as a precaution, but Gang Orca batted his blows away with ease, throwing his head back in the unmistakeable motion of a laugh. Frustrated, Steven allowed himself slip just a little.

Skin tinged slightly pink, he tried for another punch. The hero blocked this one too, but the wind that buffeted from the impact and the way Gang Orca slid back a foot spoke to how much more effective his power-up was.

But not enough.

Finally realizing that his opponent possessed superhuman durability, Steven slightly loosened the tightly held reigns on his power for the second time, and his skin began to—nearly imperceptibly—glow.

This was enough power for his enhanced perception to kick in—only by the slightest bit, but it was just enough that Steven found it easy to duck under Gang Orca's forceful swing, counterattacking with an uppercut that finally sent the the other man flying back.

Confident that he wouldn't be trying the sound attack again, given how useless it was, Steven took a moment while Gang Orca recovered to dissipate his pink helmet. His vision lost its pink tinge, and he relished in the return of his hearing.

He watched Gang Orca push himself up, an approving and contemplative look in his eyes. After a moment spent frozen, he grinned.

"Well, that's more like it."

He shot forward, blindingly fast even with Steven's increased processing speed. This time, instead of a punch, his was tackled and knocked to the ground. He tried to kick the hero off of him, but Gang Orca grabbed his legs, spinning around twice to gain momentum before launching him to the other side of the arena.

Steven impacted the wall hard enough to leave a Steven-shaped crater, dust billowing out from the area. He coughed, extracting himself from the concrete as he did so.

Fine. You want me to fight you?

His smile turned sharp.

Then I'll fight you.

Toshinori observed the bout happening below him with more than a little trepidation.

"They're, uh… really going at it, huh?" he commented to Enji. Right after that statement, Steven threw a shield that nearly decapitated Gang Orca, soaring cleanly through the wall behind him.

For once, Enji actually seemed interested in something besides his son. He too watched intently, and Toshinori could only wonder what was going through his head.

Finally, the Flame Hero spoke.

"He certainly is… powerful." He narrowed his eyes, turning to Toshinori himself. "Where did you find this boy, Yagi?"

"That's…" he struggled for an answer, "not something I'm at liberty to say."

Enji raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What are you hiding?"

Toshinori sighed. "Honestly, Enji, I couldn't tell you all of it myself. Only Nedzu knows all of it, as far as I know, and he's keeping most of it under wraps."

His expression darkened. "I see." He looked back out to the arena, just in time to see Steven block one of Gang Orca's hypersonic blasts with an oversized shield.

"I don't know what you're hiding, Yagi, but you won't be able to hide it for long," Enji cautioned after a moment. "He's too powerful, too versatile." He stood, clearly done with the conversation. "If he's looking to join an agency, you can direct him to me."

Toshinori watched him walk away, marveling at Enji's offer. Endeavor Agency never made offers out of the blue like that. Steven really must have made an impression on him for that to happen.

Well…

He looked back at the slugfest happening below him, where the seventeen-year-old was evenly matched with one of the highest-ranked heroes in Japan.

Maybe the offer wasn't as far out of left field as it seemed at first…

Twenty minutes of grueling sparring later, Gang Orca raised his hand in a signal to stop. The fight now over, Steven calmed himself down, willing his power to die down.

The last time he'd been in a spar like that had been with Jasper herself, except… this time wasn't nearly so destructive.

It was kind of nice.

Although… as he looked around at the half-destroyed arena, he grimaced.

Probably could have been more careful.

Gang Orca walked up, stretching his arms as he did so. "Well met, Universe." He smirked. "Suffice it to say, I'm confident you'll be able to hold your own."

Steven smiled. "Thank you, sir!"

He nodded. "Your license will be delivered to UA within the next few hours. You're free to leave now."

"Thanks!" Steven cheered. He turned around, jumping back up to the bleachers just feet away from Yagi.

"So, how was that?" he asked.

Yagi shook himself out of whatever trance he was in. "It was very impressive, my boy! Come, let's go see what Young Bakugou and Todoroki are up to."

Steven couldn't get the silly grin off of his face even if he wanted to.

End Notes:

YOYOYOYOYO WHAT'S UP GANG

btw the timeline is like sped up by a week so keep in mind certain major events will be occurring soon :)

this was a long one, hopefully it won't take a month for the next chapter but i PROMISE i'll get out a chapter per month minimum

also i started this fic a year ago and WOW i have like... 293 comments, 773 kudos, 200 bookmarks? that's so insane tysm

would y'all be interested in a discord server? idk

love you all :)

feel free to add me on discord: blobert#3284