Chapter 4: Isn't this (Normal?) (Inevitable?)
Happy Holidays everyone! I come bringing a new chapter! A little shorter than usual I know but the following scene ended up being quite long so...
Anyway! Student council elections and creeping close to the edge of something sinister! I hope you all enjoy!
As usual italicized dialogue is a language that isn't Japanese
"Hm. That's a whole lot of mess…" Nathan said peering over the edge of the Mesektet.
"They merely scramble around for scraps. What do you wish to do Master? Shall I scare them away before we land?"
Nathan gave the man a look.
The Great Pharaoh Ozymandias simply looked back at him.
A crowd of reporters was swarming UA's gate, questioning anyone that approached them. Nathan wasn't entirely sure what it was about but he was fairly sure firing a destructive beam of light near them would not help matters at all.
"No. We'll just touch down out of line of sight and I can walk the rest of the way."
"What!? But what of your procession!? How are they to know your greatness if you do not descend from the heavens atop my great Mesektet!?"
"I do not want a procession Ozzy. I just want to get to class."
Ozymandias let out a loud whining noise, folding his arms and looking away.
"I'll bump you back up to the top of the line next week and if there are less reporters swarming the place we can do the thing then, is that ok?"
"Oh!? So I'll get two deliveries to the one Gilgamesh has? Interesting. The Sun accepts this deal. Now then, where exactly did you want to land?"
Nathan had no idea exactly when giving him a ride to school had become so valuable that even the golden kings were entranced but he was glad he had something to offer them. As long as it kept them somewhat under control Nathan wasn't going to question it too hard.
They touched down with little fanfare a bit away from UA's campus.
"Alright I'll see you later Ozzy!" Nathan said as he dismounted the boat of the sun.
"MAY GREATNESS FOLLOW IN YOUR WAKE!" Ozymandias shouted before taking off.
"You always have the most interesting rides…"
Nathan turned to see Ashido Mina staring at him.
"Ah. Well that is how it is sometimes," Nathan said with a chuckle.
"What language even was that?"
"Egytian."
"Second question, where are you finding all of these people!?"
"They work where I live,"
"That's vague and unhelpful."
"Sorry," He said as they made their way towards UA's gate, "I live at a hero organization and they've all grown rather attached to me. It's become a competition of who can give the best ride to school now and I can't decide if I should stop it before it spirals out of control or take advantage of it."
"Oh… That's a tough call! I guess keep it up while the getting is good?"
"If it didn't involve a lot of arguing in the morning this whole thing would be hilarious but I fear for my future..."
"EXCUSE ME YOU KIDS! WHAT KIND OF LESSONS DOES ALL MIGHT TEACH!?"
They approached the swarm and it acknowledged their presence by descending upon them.
Nathan saw no need to bother with them. He pushed his way forward. They were an imposing crowd but it was very likely that none of them were willing to actively impede him from going to class for fear of repercussions.
"Please! Anything you could tell us would be appreciated!"
Don't say a word. If they couldn't get anything out of him they would leave him alone. He didn't care if this damaged his image later he just wanted to get to class.
He crossed the threshold of UA with Mina on his heels.
"Woah! That's crazy! I guess it makes sense! But still!"
She was looking back at the mass of reporters that had moved on to harassing Aizawa causing her to miss the fact that Nathan had stopped dead in his tracks.
She ran into his back but it might as well have been a solid wall.
"Ah sorry! Er-"
He was frozen solid, locked onto something at the gate.
"Relnor-san? Y-you ok buddy?"
Once the gate slammed shut behind Aizawa Nathan relaxed slightly.
"Is there something wrong Relnor?" Aizawa asked as he approached them.
"No. I just thought I saw something…"
It had been distant but it was unmistakable.
He'd been exposed to it far too often for him to miss it's presence even if it was mixed in with such a large crowd.
Murderous intent.
He shook his head. UA clearly had defensive structures in place so it would probably be fine.
He hoped at least.
"Hope you're rested from the battle trial. I went over your marks last night. Bakugo, stop acting like a seven year old, you're wasting your talent."
A deep grumble escaped the boy.
Something had changed about him from Nathan's perspective.
His tension had dropped significantly, even being reminded of his failings yesterday he was nowhere near as tightly wound as he was before.
A good night's rest might have helped a little, but not this much. Nathan's eye wandered to Midoriya who had just finished receiving his own criticism from Aizawa.
He had rushed after Bakugo yesterday. Had they managed to work something out?
No. Or rather. Only barely.
"I'm sorry to spring this on you so suddenly…" Aizawa started, prompting half the class to pale visibly, "But we need to pick class reps."
The dread that had overtaken the room immediately evaporated into cheers of excitement. Everyone clamored to be picked as class president. He understood it could look good on a resume but…
He had enough on his plate managing Chaldea.
He did not want any more responsibilities than he absolutely needed.
It was Iida who overcame that cacophony of voices. He suggested a vote be held despite the fact that they'd only known each other for a few days.
It made sense to Nathan. There had not been a lot of time for biases to form. If someone got multiple votes it was because they'd reached the hearts of others in only a few days.
Aizawa approved the measure and they quickly got to voting.
Almost everyone voted for themselves.
The board stood at a tie.
Midoriya had three votes.
Yaoyorozu Momo had three votes.
Nathan felt a little bad for Iida, he had no votes at all because his had probably gone to Midoriya.
Maybe he should have voted for him instead of Yaoyorozu.
"So how do we decide who gets president and who gets vice president?" Kirishima asked, looking at the two nominees that now stood at the head of the class.
One was the prim and proper Yaoyorozu Momo.
The other was trembling so much there was a chance he'd register on a seismometer.
"Rock paper scissors?" Nathan blurted out.
It was his usual go to for solving things in Chaldea. That or just arbitrarily picking a side.
"That sounds just as reasonable as everything else," Yaoyorozu said, "Are you ready Midoriya-san?"
"Y-y-yes!"
Yaoyorozu threw scissors.
Midoriya had been physically incapable of unclenching his hand and therefore threw rock.
Nathan just laughed as Midoriya was pronounced Class president. Yaoyorozu looked at her own hands like they'd betrayed her as she stood there.
"It's settled then, Midoriya Izuku is class president and Yaoyorozu Momo is Vice president."
"You don't mind if I sit here do you?" Nathan asked the group of Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, Jiro, and Sero.
"Nah go ahead man," Sero said with a smile. Nathan obliged, taking the spot next to him and across from Yaoyorozu.
"I'm surprised though," She said absentmindedly, "That you didn't get any votes Relnor-san."
"Yeah, I figured you'd at least vote for yourself!" Kaminari added.
"I didn't want the position. It's just not my kind of thing. I'm more of a support role, so if you need anything Yaoyorozu-san, feel free to ask me."
He had been leading Chaldea for the last five years. He did not need more of that.
Not that he imagined being class rep would be terrible, he simply wished to focus on his own matters first.
"Makes sense I guess. Figured you might have secretly wanted it really bad like Iida," Jiro said between bites.
"Was there really anything secret about that?"
"Oh! He can tell jokes!" Kaminari called out with a laugh.
"From time to time I am known to be quite sarcastic."
It was almost 100% Edmond's fault he'd developed his sense of dry wit. The other part was just hanging around the more creative heroic spirits too long.
A boy with blue hair popped into his mind.
Yaoyorozu simply offered him a smile.
"I'm glad to have your support Relnor-san. I will do my best to earn it."
"Haven't you already?"
Nathan's smile struck her straight in the heart. What was it about the emotion that that boy expressed when he smiled. Smothering and overwhelmingly warm.
"You were an excellent partner for yesterday's trial. I really couldn't have asked for better equipment. You also already had a grasp on our opponents making my job even easier. You could have won with anyone on your team, I was just lucky enough to be the guy that got carried."
Sero tilted his head to the side.
"Dude don't sell yourself so short. That takedown was straight out of an action movie! I blinked and missed half of it!"
"It's really nothing. I'm just familiar with that style of fighting and fell back to it. Besides, there's not much people can do when you have a right hand that functions as a taser."
"I do have a question about your hand Relnor-san. How much motion do you have in it?"
He held it out to Yaoyorozu and clenched it into a fist.
"That's it."
"Wait what?" Jiro said. Her attention had drifted but now it was locked back onto him.
He opened his hand and then closed it again.
"It's like… I had to make some sacrifices to get full range of movement out of my wrist and my elbow. If I'd been forced to make a shoulder too I don't know how well it would have turned out. I guess it can split open for my Railgun and the Arc Cutter too."
It was Kaminari's turn to gawk, "An arc cutter!? Like arc welding?"
"Yeah. I figured out how to structure my scales to extend it out into a blade."
"Dude what the fuck." Sero muttered.
"Advantages and disadvantages." Nathan said with a shrug. "Legs just about as bad, but I've got a lot of options that don't involve running a lot for moving fast. At least I got the ankle most of the range of motion it needs."
Yaoyorozu's mind was reeling.
What could have forced him to rely on such things? The amount of trial and error had to have been staggering. The amount of practice to use those quirk made limbs as fluidly as Nathan could must have been astronomical. The fact that she'd only noticed after working closely with him for the battle trial was a testament to that.
She watched as he reached for his drink only to knock it over. Thankfully it was bottled water so it didn't spill everywhere but… Was he just clumsy?
"What about you Kaminari?" Nathan turned to his electricity brother, completely ignoring his own blunder.
"Huh? Oh! Uh. My quirk just kind of lets me cover my body in electricity? I can discharge it too but it's kind of hard to aim. I definitely don't have the same kind of control as you do but I can absorb other electricity quirks directed at me."
"Really? I can only deflect electricity. Even my own electricity can hurt me if I'm not careful, and naturally I have to be aware of attacks to deflect them so..."
"Oh? I've got that up on ya then!" Kaminari said triumphantly, "But man. I kind of wish I had your level of control. Yours is primarily discharged too right? How the hell are you doing all of that electromagnetic stuff!?"
"It's a lot of practice and angling my scales a specific way internally to produce the results I want."
"Damn. Sounds like I've got my work cut out for me. How long did it take you to learn?"
"A couple of years."
Sero just gawked at Nathan. Where had that boy gotten so much practice? Why had he gotten so much practice in applying his quirk to a fight. Replacing his limbs he could understand. But learning how to fight with those limbs? Why had that been necessary?
"Oh. I've been meaning to ask something for a bit, that glove. You ever take it off?" Jiro asked, gesturing at his left hand.
"I try not to. I've got some fairly horrific scarring on this hand so I keep it covered to keep from getting too many stares," He said approximately truthfully.
It was also there to hide his Command Seals. As the Master of Chaldea he was entrusted with powerful spells capable of giving him absolute command over Heroic spirits. The seals represented the number of those spells he had left at any given time.
Command Seals were not unique to him, anyone with a summoned Heroic Spirit had them. As such they were recognizable if you knew what you were looking at.
Sero finally recovered from being knocked so far off balance. He opened his mouth to ask another question but it was drowned out by a loud siren which sent Nathan bolting up right out of his seat.
"Security Level 3 has been breached. Students please evacuate outside, repeat-"
Silence followed.
But only for a moment.
The entire cafeteria erupted in panic.
"Wh-What the hell's going on?" Sero called out.
"Security level 3 would mean someone is trespassing on school grounds!" Yaoyorozu shouted over the panicked screaming of the other students.
"Well let's get the hell out of here!"
"W-wait where's?"
The four of them turned towards where Nathan had been standing, but the boy was nowhere to be found.
"He's probably on his way out! Let's go!"
Nathan was on his way further into the school.
Whoever held that murderous intent he'd felt this morning had to be the one behind this. He should have said something! Why was he always like this!?
His immediate response to the alarm had allowed him to escape before the other students clogged up the exits in a panic.
Every course of student in UA congregated at the lunchroom so the vast majority of them were not even in the heroics course. That panic was understandable, but he couldn't allow himself to get caught in it.
His eye traveled to the window. The press had broken in but with the gate destroyed like that there was no way someone much more dangerous hadn't slipped in with them.
His objective was to find them and stop them.
But UA's campus was too big.
He rounded a corner and flared the scales on his back, grabbing the metal in the floor and the walls and using it to pull himself to a stop.
"Woah there! You ok?"
He was a tall muscular boy with blond hair.
"Oh oh! You're coming out this way too? I don't recognize you though! What class are you with? What year are you in?"
She was a girl with long blue hair that curled into large spirals.
"He's probably trying to get away from the noise…"
A gloomy boy with black hair muttered as he faced one of the hallway walls.
"Y- Yes I was-" Nathan didn't want to tell them he was running straight for danger so it was time to improvise, "I'm in class 1-A, I've only been here a few days and-"
"Oooh! You were heading to the support department after a quick lunch weren't you!? I used to get lost doing that a lot! And then the alarm threw you off! That's what happened isn't it? Right?"
Or sometimes an excuse was offered to him free of charge.
"Yeah-"
"Well we wouldn't be very good senpais if we didn't help you out! Come on we'll get you going to the emergency meeting locations." The blond said, "I'm Togata Mirio, nice to meet ya!"
"Hado Nejire! Hey what's your name! Hey! Hey! Is that an eyepatch? What's it made out of!? Oh your arm is the same way! What is it?"
The third boy muttered a name almost too quietly for Nathan to hear over Nejire's barrage of questions.
"N-Nathan Relnor, uh- They're both made out of my quirk and-"
"Oh that's a foreign name! But you speak Japanese so well! How'd you learn it? Do you know any other languages?"
Nathan finally managed to switch gears in his head. It was like talking with one of the child heroic spirits. Once he got himself into the proper mindset he began answering her questions just as fast as she could throw them out.
They continued like that as the three led him out of the building. The other two barely got a word in between the barrage of questions and answers firing between Nathan and Nejire. It was certainly a rarity for them to see someone able to match her energy so casually.
"Thanks again! It was nice meeting the three of you!" Nathan called out.
"Likewise! I'll be expecting great things from someone who can keep up with Nejire!" Mirio called out as they parted ways.
As soon as he was sure they were out of earshot he let out a defeated sigh. He hadn't been able to find and stop whoever broke in. But as long as everything turned out ok then he supposed there was no harm done…
Once everything was sorted out 1-A returned to their homeroom.
Midoriya promptly gave away his position as student council president to Iida. Apparently he had managed to quell the panic that Nathan had entirely avoided with his speedy exit.
Either way it didn't matter to Nathan, they were both good candidates for student council president in his eyes, Midoriya just needed more confidence in himself.
"So where'd you run off to?" Sero asked.
"Hm? Oh. I got lost because I ran ahead. I'm used to sirens just meaning run so… Thankfully I ran into some 3-A students that helped me out a lot."
"Man, for as calm as you always seem to be you can make some risky moves sometimes!"
"Nobody's perfect." Nathan said. Being calm under pressure usually allowed him to make even riskier moves because he had the time to properly plan them out.
Goredolf, as well as several of the Chaldean spirits, had always brought up that his being so used to danger and running headlong into it was a negative trait. But if it meant saving others he would always jump at the call.
And so the day came to an end without any further incident
"Murderous intent huh?" Atalanta Alter said from her place across from Nathan.
He was having dinner in the Chaldean cafeteria as per usual.
Outside food had simply lost almost all of its appeal to him after years of having the more mom shaped heroes cook for him.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure it was there but I couldn't see who it was. There were just too many reporters."
"It sounds like a UA problem. You're just a student there. There's no need to go chasing down every half wit villain that tries to shake the hornet's nest full of heroes." To his right sat the Irish hero Cu Chulainn in his Caster form.
"If someone's in danger I should try to help them. That's just what a hero does."
"You're not a pro hero yet. You're a child and it's their job to protect you."
Nathan's gaze found its way to Boudica, sitting on his other side.
"I know it wasn't always like that, but that's the world you've entered now. It's ok to let other people take care of things for you, especially if they're dangerous."
It didn't sit right with him. He had worked so hard to save this world. He had sacrificed so much. If anything brought any danger to it in his sphere he would move to stop it. That's simply how it was now.
"I understand your pain Master. But please. We are merely trying to look out for you now," Atalanta Alter pleaded with him.
"Alright alright. I'll try. I don't make any promises though."
"That's all we're asking Master. And please. Don't hesitate to call us if you're in too deep. We can always just explain it away later."
He nodded as he continued eating his meal.
It wouldn't get that far hopefully. Without encountering another Heroic Spirit he doubted there'd be at threat great enough that he'd need to call Chaldea.
He knew they would drop everything to run to his side, but they deserved to live their lives without having to constantly worry about him.
The next morning breezed by. It was only after lunch that things got interesting.
"For your Fundamentals in Heroics, you'll be supervised by All Might, myself, and another teacher."
"Oh? What are we doing today sensei?" Sero called out.
"Today it's a trial of rescue," He said holding out another flash card with the word rescue on it.
The class rumbled about the supposed difficulty of rescue work. Nathan didn't quite get it. Rescuing people was just something that came naturally to him. He'd rather rescue someone and run away than fight any day.
There were plenty of times where he wished he could have rescued more people…
Regardless, Aizawa offered the option to change into their battle gear, which Nathan took, and then advised the students that they'd be traveling to the site of their lesson by bus.
After changing separately, Nathan caught back up with the rest of the group. Surprisingly Midoriya was the only one that had turned down changing into his battle uniform.
No wait. His costume had been mostly destroyed hadn't it?
Regardless they boarded the bus without hassle. He found himself seated to Midoriya's left near the bus doors.
"Hey Midoriya, I'm the kind of person that always says what's on her mind."
"Uh- Hi! Asui-san!"
"Call me Tsuyu-chan," She interrupted before continuing her initial thought, "Your quirk kind of reminds me of All Might's"
Nathan supposed that was true, it was a kind of super strength.
Midoriya's reaction was something else though.
Was it because he was talking to a girl?
Or was it because she'd hit the nail on the head?
Either way he offered a stammering deflection.
"But All Might never hurts himself with his quirk!" Kirishima piped up, "I am kind of jealous either way. Strength enhancing quirks like that are real flashy. A lot more than my Hardening quirk anyway."
He gave a demonstration as he spoke, hardening his forearms.
"Your flash doesn't come from your quirk. A defensive wall that stands firm and offers hope, that's all the flash you need," Nathan said, smiling his smile.
"Bwah-"
"I think your quirk is really well suited to pro hero work!" Midoriya piped up, piling on the encouragement.
"Oh god there's two of them," Mina said from the other row.
"Anyway… When it comes to pro heroes, there's a lot about it that's more like a popularity contest than anything right?"
"My navel laser is both powerful and flashy." Aoyama said flatly.
"Yeah but it'd be bad if your stomach collapsed!"
Nathan tried really hard not to laugh, but a chuckle escaped him when Aoyama's expression shifted ever so slightly.
"If you really want the combination of power and flash you're lookin at Bakugo, Todoroki, and Relnor!"
"Bakugo's got too much of an attitude to be terribly popular," Tsuyu said simply.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU BITCH? I'LL BE POPULAR AS HELL!"
A soft ribbit escaped Tsuyu as her point was instantly proven.
About a third of the class piled on the Bakugo teasing train causing Midoriya to marvel in amazement.
"Keep it down back there, we're almost at our destination," Aizawa called out.
Sure enough they pulled alongside a large domed building.
They were immediately met by a hero in an astronaut styled outfit.
Midoriya was quick to clarify who it was for everyone in a 100km radius.
Space hero Thirteen led them inside the large structure, revealing a complex that looked more like a theme park than a school. Nathan had a few uncomfortable flashbacks to Onii land and began scanning the area just to make sure there were no demons hiding in the shadows.
"This is a practical training area I created that simulates all kinds of disasters and accidents. It is called Unforeseen Simulation Joint!"
"Man they really were going for a USJ vibe weren't they?" Kirishima called out.
"Thirteen, where is All Might? He was supposed to meet us here." Aizawa asked, approaching his fellow teacher.
The space hero replied in a tone that was too hushed for Nathan to pick up. It was fairly odd wasn't it? Perhaps he had other hero work to do.
"It can't be helped, why don't we get started?"
"Of course! Now before we begin I'd like to say one thing… er… Two things. Three things-"
A brief sense of dread passed over the class as Thirteen kept counting but eventually she interrupted herself.
"I'm sure you're all aware of my Quirk, Black Hole, it is my ability to suck up anything and turn it to dust."
Midoriya went off on how excellent a quirk that was for dealing with debris during rescue operations but Nathan's mind went in the opposite direction.
A truly lethal quirk and yet she was a beloved rescue hero.
All of the sudden Nathan was fully invested in this lesson.
"It is however a power that can easily be used to kill people, a trait I'd wager it shares with your quirks." She touched on why society limited quirk use as without proper training it was often easy to accidentally kill another. She followed up by going over the baselines established by their previous lessons. "This lesson is a fresh start. Let us study how to use your quirks to save life! Please always remember, your quirks do not exist to hurt people!"
Nathan felt like an iron rod had been driven through his heart by those words.
How many times had he been forced to do the opposite? He looked at his hands and for the briefest moment he could have sworn they were covered in blood.
He shook his head and refocused on USJ itself as he faintly listened to Thirteen complete her speech.
"Alright first thing's first-" Aizawa began.
The atmosphere shifted suddenly.
"We need to leave!" Nathan called out. In the space of an instant he shot to the front of the class. His helmet slammed shut over his head as he took an aggressive posture.
He must have sensed it earlier due to his natural affinity with electricity.
A current surged through the lights along the edge of the dome.
Something in the air distorted audibly.
Finally Aizawa turned to what Nathan had locked onto.
A black portal opened up and a man covered in hands pulled his way through.
Aizawa responded immediately.
"HUDDLE TOGETHER AND DON'T MOVE!"
Confusion overtook the class as he ordered Thirteen to protect the students.
Unfortunately one of them was already out of place.
"Um. Aizawa-sensei, has the lesson already started?" Kirishima asked.
Nathan almost couldn't believe how his class was responding. The murderous intent from the man covered in hands alone put him on high alert the moment he stepped out of the portal. You couldn't fake that kind of presence.
"Don't move! Relnor get back with the class! Those are Villains!"
The incident yesterday had been a cover to steal information on their location. He should have tried harder to find the intruder. This was his fault for not trying hard enough so he would not allow anyone here to be harmed.
He would surely face discipline for it later but if he could save even one person from injury then it would all be worth it.
Scanning the crowd of villains he found three priority targets. The initial man with hands simply due to his sheer killing intent. A large creature with its brain exposed that seemed beholden to that man. And Finally the source of that black portal itself was a villain.
"N-No way, this is a hero school! Why would they attack here?"
Nathan couldn't read any of their lips but his helmet was enhancing his audio enough that he knew what they were after.
To topple the Symbol of Peace known as All Might.
"What about the proximity sensors?"
"They're down." Nathan said sharply, "They've run a field through the dome. You'll have to physically escape to get word out."
"Excellent work young man, please join the rest of your class. I promise I will keep you safe-"
"Thirteen, get them out of here." Aizawa pulled his goggles over his eyes and loosened his capture weapon.
"Wait! Aizawa-sensei! You're going to fight them alone? But your style is best suited for one on one ambush fights isn't it!?" Midoriya called out.
"You can't be a pro hero if you've only got one trick," Aizawa said before leaping into the fray.
He would be able to hold himself against the crowd, Nathan was sure of that much.
But Midoriya was right. This was not a fight he was suited for. Once one of those priority targets moved things would get dicey.
"Young Man!" Thirteen called out.
But it was already far far too late to restrain that boy.
He leaped off the stairs, faintly registering the distressed calls of his classmates.
But they would be safe.
Next time its time to see how different things will turn out with a crazed Chaldea Master helping Aizawa fight! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Have a Happy New Year everyone!
The Villains march on UA next time!