Chapter 20: This is how a real hero (reaches for tomorrow)(opens their eye)
The provisional license exam is here! How will Nathan deal with a limited number of uses to his quirk during this high stakes situation? Will his sheer experience be enough to push him forward by merit alone? 1-A takes the next step towards their journey to be heroes now!
I know it says I updated like 4 months ago last but it feels like I updated like an entire year ago. I'm so sorry it's taking so long! Med school is kinda rough and this arc is not one of my favorites so writing it just turned into a slog for me. I hope it came out ok even if I'm not the happiest with it! Please enjoy!
Nathan stared out the window blankly. They were on their way to the site of the provisional license exam but…
Even after talking about it with Midoriya. Even after trying his best to get Sut Typhon to understand in his dreams.
It still would not stop overloading his quirk every time he used it in anything resembling a combat scenario.
"What a pain…" He said quietly under his breath.
"Even with the problems you're having right now…" Koda said quietly from his place next to Nathan.
He turned to look at him.
It was the first time he'd actually spoken to Nathan rather than signing.
He knew Koda could talk of course, his quirk required it, but he was growing more and more confident speaking aloud near his peers.
"I know you'll pull through," Koda finished with a confident smile, "You're too dependable, you always reach out to help even when it's inconvenient! So. Whatever's bothering you. I'm here to help!"
Nathan just stared at him for a few moments before nodding.
Koda had come so far already and he'd barely noticed.
He desperately wanted to refute his words with that fact alone.
But.
Being everywhere at once, managing the heroic spirits in order to keep them in top shape for the next obstacle. That was not his job anymore.
"Thanks Koda-kun. You're right. It'll be just fine."
He had 10-15 uses of his quirk until the plugs in his suit needed to be replaced.
He found it darkly humorous that this was the same limitation Midoriya had faced back in the sports festival.
And Midoriya had made it to the final 16 in that competition hadn't he?
They arrived shortly there after. It was a truly massive arena, bigger than the one the sports festival had taken place in.
"Ugh. Actually being here is making me nervous…" Jirou muttered to herself.
"Mh. At least this won't be televised." Nathan said absentmindedly.
"Yeah, but still this decides way more of our future than the sports festival did!"
Nathan simply chuckled.
They were still being light hearted despite being so nervous.
Aizawa took to the head of the group and began giving a small pep talk.
Nathan glanced around to his fellow classmates.
They were an equal mix of excited and terrified.
Another good sign.
That was the best mix when facing a new challenge in his experience.
"Show them your best." Aizawa said, finishing his speech.
The class erupted cheering themselves on and beginning the UA cheer together with Kirishima leading the charge.
Nathan was about to join them when he spotted someone creeping up behind them.
He couldn't tell if they were a threat or not so he decided to simply observe.
Only for the random stranger to join in as they shouted together.
"PLUS ULTRA!"
A few of them noticed the late addition, turning to observe the well built student.
"It's bad manners to intrude on another school's huddle Isana." Another student in the same uniform as the interloper said with mild irritation.
"Ah! You're right!"
With energy not dissimilar to some of the more wild Servants, Isana apologized so hard he smashed his head into the ground.
For some reason Mori appeared in the back of Nathan's mind as he let out a small chuckle.
"It's fine. It's not like we're enemies here." Nathan said amicably.
The others identified their uniforms.
Shinketsu High.
They were the other hero school Sherlock had mentioned all those months ago.
Nathan considered briefly that if he hadn't met Midoriya there was a 50/50 chance he could have ended up there.
How different would his life have been if he hadn't wound up at UA which seemed to be the center of a vortex of trouble.
"I just always wanted to say it, you know! Plus Ultra! I love UA High!" Isana said excitedly, continuing on and on.
As he bantered excitedly Aizawa cut in, informing them that he was a recommendation with extremely high marks at UA but pulled out of the process at the last second for an unknown reason.
Isana let a meaningful glance land on Nathan as he and his group began walking away.
Nathan watched as his eyes went between himself and Todoroki.
He wondered briefly what that was all about but then he remembered that they'd been in the finals at the sports festival.
It was probably something along the lines of assessing UA's top combatants or something.
Nathan thought idly on how much had changed since the sports festival.
If the other schools were sizing UA up on that snapshot they'd seen months ago…
The information disparity could certainly work out in their favor.
Another teacher approached the group, someone who had worked with Aizawa before it seemed.
She proposed to him on the spot which caught the rest of the class off guard.
She was quickly identified as the hero known as Ms. Joke, representing Ketsubutsu Academy. Calling over her students once she was done prodding Aizawa about the prospect of marrying her.
One of the students, named Shindo apparently, began introducing himself to the entire class, shaking their hand and stating his admiration for their resolve to be heroes after everything they'd already been through.
And then he got to Bakugo.
"You were one of the two at the heart of the Kamino mess weren't you? You must have the strongest will of them all!"
Bakugo cut him off. He was having none of it.
So Shindo's eyes fell on Nathan.
"And you're the other one right? You two really are amazing huh?"
Nathan just smiled at him.
Something about that smile forced Shindo to lock his expression so he wouldn't falter in front of his competition.
He was sizing them up after all, it wouldn't do to have his confidence waver now.
But.
"We were fortunate enough to be saved, but I don't think you'll find any weaknesses in the fact that we were caught up in that mess."
Shindo flinched at that response. He took the time to look at Nathan again.
There were scars on his neck. He was missing an eye. And his right arm and left leg were covered in scales.
This was the apex of UA's first years. The winner of the sports festival.
He was shorter than he'd thought he'd be.
But after their brief interaction he knew.
Everything about Nathan Relnor was a threat.
"Hey hey! Relnor! Todoroki! I was wondering if I could get your autographs!"
Another girl approached him as Shindo backed off.
Todoroki gave a small nod and signed the outstretched notebook before handing the pen to Nathan.
"Wow! Your handwriting is really messy!" She said as he signed his name.
"Yeah sorry! I'm not left handed!"
"Eh- then why?"
"This thing can't really hold a pen well enough to write. I've gotten into a lot of trouble during testing for taking too long honestly!" He demonstrated how ill suited his right hand was by switching the pen to it and attempting to write.
He couldn't even hold the pen properly, making more of a scribble than anything.
"Hey! It's almost time for the intro! Get changed into your hero costumes!" Aizawa called out, prompting the class to move into the main building.
"I guess we really have been in the middle of a lot of things haven't we?" Yaoyorozu asked as she walked alongside Nathan.
"Feels like. Though that's to be expected with how widely televised the sports festival is. Thankfully that was so long ago they've probably got the wrong idea of where we're standing by now," He said offhandedly.
"Oh? You think this is some kind of competition then?"
"Given how many people just sized us up it's likely. Information is the most powerful thing to have on a battlefield and we're at a huge disadvantage already, so try to focus on everything you've learned since the sports festival to catch them off guard. Play to what they know and flip the tables when they're sure of their victory."
Yaoyorozu just gave him an odd look.
Was that why it was such a struggle to get anything out of him? If he viewed information as a weapon that could be used against him then it was no wonder she felt like she still didn't actually know him very well.
"Relnor-san-"
"I know. I'm sorry. It's been difficult for me. But-" He took the time to turn and face her, presenting a blinding smile, "If you need anything just ask. I know you risked a lot to save me and Bakugo so… Any help you need, any questions you have, I'll do my best."
"Thank you." She said, attempting to return his energy before they were forced to part ways to change.
Here he was again.
In a locker room with a bunch of other people.
But.
"Woah dude! What's up with your side?" Kirishima asked, pointing at his right.
"Hm? Oh. It's damage I got back at my time at Chaldea. It won't heal normally anymore so it's just like that all the time now," Nathan said with an awkward chuckle.
Yes.
During his battle with ORT…
It barely nicked his side, not even enough to even break the skin.
But he'd started to crystallize all the same. That was how dangerous that creature truly was. It was only due to the brevity of their contact that he hadn't been killed. A wound that would never properly heal. It somehow didn't restrict his movement but it was unsightly to say the least.
"And your shoulder too? Did Chaldea just put you in a blender or something!?"
"Hahaha! It's not like I got all of this damage at once."
Shoji let out a soft chuckle before lowering his mask.
He smiled at Nathan.
"Thanks…"
He had scars covering the lower half of his face. It almost looked like someone had lashed his mouth shut before ripping the bindings out.
Nathan took a moment and nodded to Shoji.
"We've both had it rough huh?" He said softly as he began getting dressed properly.
"So it seems. I hide them because… Well. Given the type of Quirk I have… People might get the wrong idea about me."
"Mh. I think I've had it a little bit easier then. I just don't want to have to explain myself."
"Hah! This isn't a competition you know. We both have our reasons, but we carry our scars well all the same, right?"
"Yeah. We'll have to compare notes sometime. I'd like to hear it. The story behind that scar covered smile."
Shoji just nodded at that as they finished changing.
He was… Pleasantly surprised.
Nathan didn't question the context nor did he extend any pity. He simply accepted Shoji from the moment he first saw him and nothing new changed that it seemed.
He hoped he could give the same feeling to Nathan.
"I am amazed though. I kind of thought you were a ghost or something for a little bit since you seemed to disappear every time we had to change uniform."
"My bad… I thought… I guess I thought people wouldn't react this well…" He said softly.
"I get the feeling. Now. Let's clean up out there."
"Right!"
There were a lot more examinees than he'd thought there'd be.
It made sense given the size of the arena they'd be in but still, seeing the actual number in person was something else.
The proctor, who looked like he was only a few steps away from the kind of sleep that usually only comes from getting killed, began going over the nature of the exam.
It was to be a massive free for all between the thousand plus applicants, of which only one hundred would pass. They would each be given three targets to affix to themselves and six balls with which to strike another's target. If all three of their targets were hit they were eliminated. The only way to pass would be to eliminate two other examinees.
Nathan frowned as he stuck each target on his chest in a compact triangular formation.
"Not gonna spread them out?" Sero asked.
"No. I want anyone who wishes to score a point to have to be facing me directly. Plus I'm not exactly good at spotting things coming from my right after all."
Nathan activated his suit, causing his helmet to snap together over his head.
He didn't really need to tell Sero that his helmet compensated for the lack of his right eye by giving him detailed information of everything he could see. The Hud was useful especially if he'd need to be throwing something to win.
Before Sero could speak again the building they were in unfolded, revealing them to already be in the center of the large arena with a wide variety of areas to scatter off to.
Nathan thought about what he should do. Staying together as a group was probably the best option since there were at least a couple of schools after them.
Wait.
A couple?
Nathan glanced around, his helmet displaying that hardly anyone had begun spreading out terribly far.
Bakugo and Todoroki ran off, but that made sense given how massively destructive their quirks were.
Kaminari and Kirishima trailed after Bakugo which also made sense since they were good friends.
The countdown began as Nathan hovered near Midoriya.
"I might split off too, I'd do better just blasting an entire area and stealing a few kills that way," Nathan said.
Midoriya looked at him before nodding. That was a good call but Nathan could also be an extremely powerful equalizer should things go south.
But.
This was a test of their individual merits as a hero. Working together here was sound but not necessary.
"What do you think?" Midoriya asked him.
"We're about to get jumped."
"Wh-"
The countdown hit zero.
Tons of the applicants that had been running around chaotically all turned towards UA in unison.
Attacks rained down on them, but they were already moving to intercept.
An audible crash sounded as everyone began smashing the incoming attacks aside.
Nathan bit his lip.
He could attack and stun but he did not have defensive capabilities beyond a mystic code installed in his arm that gave him a small buckler type defensive spell. Defense was not something he needed in his travels with Chaldea as any hit he took could potentially be lethal given how much more powerful his opponents were than him.
He specialized in offense and agility and here that was failing him.
His helmet was actively tracking every single ball thrown at them so he could dodge and call out anything at a moment's notice.
So he spotted when a small group of students began working together.
Standard throws would never get through their defenses so they had to get creative.
"We've got some coming in hot at 40 degrees! Jiro!"
They had hardened and then flung the balls through the ground and he could see them tunneling towards him.
"On it! Heartbeat Distortion!" Jiro used her quirk to resonate the ground causing a wave of destruction to spread out from her.
But it wasn't enough. The thrower must have a quirk that increased his accuracy because the attack continued uninterrupted.
"Shit-"
"Acid veil!"
The three balls melted as they pelted the newly supplied wall of acid.
"Thanks Mina!"
"Don't thank me yet! Help us get out of this mess!"
"Roger!" Nathan called out. He started processing the wide variety of visual data he was being supplied pointing out targets that were reeling from having just attacked. Trying to scope out people who had exhausted their attacking options in the frenzy and marking them for later.
It truly was wild. He hadn't had to direct a force this big against an attacking army like this in quite some time so he felt like his skills were a little rusty.
"I'm taking out the right!"
If he could stun a huge number of them and move his class into that weak point everyone else would have to attack over each other in order to continue to focus on UA.
They would get through this with zero casualties. Countless scenarios played through his mind as he reached out with his right arm and unleashed a massive arc of electricity.
One of the plugs on his suit let out an odd thump as it was expended, but that one attack had been more than worth it.
"Everyone in! Take what kills you can get!" He called out.
"Oh no! You're not going anywhere!"
Shindo took center stage, both of his hands on the ground.
He attacked before 1-A could capitalize on the opening Nathan created.
The ground split asunder, rocks jutting up and the floor falling away beneath them.
Using the chaos to split them up was an extremely strong play, as a unit 1-A could defend against anything, but as individuals they had their weaknesses.
Nathan latched onto one of the nearby support structures and magnetically flung himself into the air in order to get a better view of the battlefield.
Everyone had been knocked away from each other in the chaos and his tracking system was being pushed to its limits trying to manage people he could not keep tabs on via a summoning contract.
Nathan decided to land before people got the bright idea of shooting him out of the air about one second too late.
A stream of water slammed into his left side, soaking his left leg.
Swears of every language he knew filled his helmet as he deactivated his waterlogged limb and immediately pulled himself to the ground, rolling into cover.
This was bad. This was a worst case scenario. As it was he was a sitting duck unless he relied entirely on magnetic movement, which he got the feeling could be tracked fairly easily.
He was immediately set upon by at least a dozen other combatants.
"What a pain in the ass."
A plug in his suit was expended as a massive burst of electricity flowed from his back, arcing out and striking everyone that dared get near him.
He felt a few balls strike against his back as he hunched over but they must have just been an initial volley.
He heard the characteristic thump of several stunned enemies hitting the ground.
All of the immediate attackers had been taken care of but he'd clearly drawn some attention.
And he couldn't move to capitalize on any of his downed opponents.
"Relnor-san!? Was that you!?" Rikodo Sato called out as he approached his downed classmate.
"Watch your back!" Nathan cried out, firing another arc of electricity out past him, striking a few examinees vying for Sato's back. A sharp hiss escaped him another plug was spent.
"Thanks!" He shouted as he made it to Nathan's side.
"No time, let's start taking these guys out and qualify already. Can you carry me?"
"Huh?"
Nathan gestured to his limp deactivated left leg.
"Geez they got you good huh?"
"Just drag me to some targets, I'll keep everything off your back!"
"You got it Relnor-san!" Sato said, easily picking Nathan up as he loosed another wide ranged attack on all of the new interlopers.
"Ghrn-"
He was using his quirk too much, he was already nearly half way through his reserves.
Sato set him down next to one of the people he'd stunned allowing him to secure an elimination, Sato doing the same on another nearby student.
"Alright one more- Relnor-san!"
Nathan saw the distortion in the sunlight coming through something behind him just in time to magnetically push himself forward.
A huge splash of water sounded, having only barely missed him.
Very unfortunately it washed the crumpled forms of the other students away from them.
"So you are afraid of water eh? I guess that makes sense for someone with a powerful electricity quirk."
A student with three large orbs of water floating around him smiled as he fired another at the duo, Sato scooping Nathan up and running as Nathan took aim at their opponent.
A distinct beep from Nathan's helmet caused him to redirect his focus, latching onto something behind Sato in an effort to slam on the brakes.
It was only barely enough for them to avoid a stone pillar shooting out of the ground that would have probably catapulted both of them helplessly into the air.
"Run so they're both in the same direction! I need to make good use of the shots I've got left!"
"You have limited shots!?" Sato called out as he began running and dodging attacks like wild.
"Sorry! I know it's a pain! But-"
"Dark Shadow!"
"Oh thank the gods."
Tokoyami swooped in from seemingly nowhere, deflecting several shots from the opposing students and taking point next to Sato.
"What's the plan Relnor-san?"
"Sato and I have an elimination each. You see any large group of students fighting?"
Tokoyami gestured his head to their right, where a massive brawl was going down.
"Any of us in there?"
"Not that I saw."
"Good. Sato, Toss me in there and I'll give em a good jolt then we can qualify and get the hell out of this mess."
"T-Toss you?"
"Like a flash bang yes! I'm not dealing with being soaked for the next round!"
Sato didn't really like the idea of Nathan being a weapon he tossed into a crowd but…
He grabbed Nathan around the waist and tossed him bodily at the enormous bawl.
The moment Nathan got into range he let out an explosive burst of electricity, managing to down 20 or so combatants in one attack.
Unfortunately Nathan was down a leg so his landing was less than graceful but thankfully it was broken by one of the applicants he'd just taken down.
"Thanks. And sorry about this."
Nathan took one of the balls from his belt and eliminated his second student, securing his spot.
Sato and Tokoyami were right behind him.
"Nice work team," Nathan said with a smile as Sato helped him up once again.
"Says the guy who did most of the lifting. Still. That quirk of yours is always something else," Tokoyami said with a chuckle.
"When you've had as much practice with it as I have it's really not that big a deal even if I only have so many charges left."
He'd used his quirk offensively five times. He was somewhere between a third to half depleted at this point.
The three of them made their way to the waiting room, finding Todoroki and another handful of applicants.
"What happened to you?" He asked Nathan as Sato set him on a nearby chair.
"Got soaked. Someone figured water was my weakness and well, they were right."
"Do you need help drying off?" Todoroki said, producing a small fire.
"Sure. Hopefully it doesn't take too long-"
"I'll get it done in a second!"
That boy from earlier. The one that had strong Servant-like energy butted into the conversation.
He held his hand out and a gust of wind wrapped around Nathan's leg, quickly drying it off like it was nothing.
But operating on such a small scale was a supreme display of skill.
"Ah. Thanks! I think that's about got it!"
"Hahaha! That's a proper apology for messing up your cheer earlier!" He shouted excitedly before shooting Todoroki a glare and walking away.
"... Did you piss him off in the few minutes you were waiting here together?"
"... Apparently I did so long before now…" Todoroki muttered, clearly conflicted about something once again.
"Well. He seems nice enough. You're pretty stubborn at times and if he's anything like I think he is he's the same way. Just try your best alright?"
"Yeah…"
The next students to join them were Yaoyorozu followed by Tsuyu, and Shoji.
"Ah good! You guys made it!" Nathan said with a smile as they rushed over to greet their fellow classmates.
"No surprise you made it in a battle like that," Shoji said with a chuckle.
"Hahaha! It was close! Sato had to save my ass there for a bit!"
"Kero- Really now?"
"Yeah well, you saved me and Tokoyami right back."
"Of course, what are friends for?"
Another large group entered the waiting room, the other half of the class by the looks of it.
"Oh? We all made it?" Iida asked from his place, hoisting Aoyama up.
"Looks like," Nathan smiled as he reactivated his leg, putting some pressure on it just to make sure everything was operating within acceptable parameters. The class gathered together to cheer over the fact that they'd all made it to the second stage.
Their excitement was tempered slightly when an announcement directed them to look at the screen.
The field they'd just taken their test in began to detonate, all of the various structures tumbling down.
The second part of the examination would be a rescue trial with professional rescuees that would be feigning injuries and evaluating their performance as provisional license holders.
Nathan squinted at the screen as elderly people and children began to file into the rubble and take their positions.
"That's a job you can have?"
"I guess so, since the demand for licensed heroes has gone up I suppose the need to have staff to evaluate them has gone up as well," Yaoyorozu muttered.
"That's wild," Kaminari nodded.
Nathan felt a hand on his shoulder.
He looked over and saw Midoriya with his eyes locked on the screen.
"It reminds me of Kamino…" Iida said from behind the both of them.
Ah. Right. Yeah. Huwawa's devastation had been massive, resulting in a number of deaths despite Chaldean assistance.
He'd seen so many ruined cities that Kamino hadn't been the first thing that came to mind but it made sense that his classmates would only have the one scenario to compare it to…
Nathan turned to the two of them and smiled.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that hell for our sake, but don't ever forget that you had no other choice than to stand by and do what you did. You couldn't have done anything better than what you did that day."
Midoriya nodded.
"Hey! I've got a juicy scoop for you guys, R rated stuff!" Sero said, gathering a small group of students around him.
"What's up?" Kaminari asked with mild interest.
"See that Shinketsu girl in the bodysuit? She was hanging out behind the rocks with Midoriya, totally nude!"
Nathan had a split second to dodge out of the way as Kaminari traveled the distance between himself and Midoriya at a frightening rate, screaming at the top of his lungs all the while.
He made a mental note that it would probably be a bad idea to let Sero or Kaminari into Chaldea unsupervised, a lot of the Servants simply refused to dress modestly.
But still. That was kind of surprising from Midoriya of all people. He watched as Kaminari started a small brawl as he barraged MIdoriya with questions, at least until he noticed a few other Shinketsu students approaching Bakugo specifically.
It seemed like he'd gotten off on the wrong foot with one of their peers and they were trying to even things over between schools, which made sense considering they would all be pro heroes working together some day.
Nathan smiled to himself.
Everyone here was reaching towards the same goal and while they were competitors at the moment, the next they could be stalwart allies.
Given that…
Todoroki approached the Shinketsu boy with the wind quirk, Isana he remembered distantly..
"Did I do something to offend you?"
He was met with a sharp stare, Isana's intimidating stature adding to it.
"Oh. You'll have to forgive me but… It's because you're Endeavor's son. I hate all of you. You've changed a lot since then but you still have his eyes…"
With that he was called away by his fellow Shinketsu students, leaving Todoroki to stew in that revelation. It was clearly throwing him in a way Nathan was simply unfamiliar with.
Midoriya approached him but got distracted by the girl in the bodysuit again, prompting Nathan to slide in next to Todoroki himself.
"You ok?"
Todoroki only looked at him before directing his gaze back to his hands, clearly having been snapped out of his train of thought.
He opened his mouth to speak before an alarm tore through the room.
The building unfolded in the next instant with the announcement that the second part of the exam was starting.
"SAVE EVERY LIFE YOU CAN!"
Nathan's gaze grew sharp as his helmet snapped shut around his head.
This was not a combat oriented examination so he shouldn't have any trouble with his quirk.
He magnetically launched himself towards the wreckage of the city area, letting his helmet scan for victims.
He'd been in countless scenarios like this, villages, cities, islands all stacked with corpses of people he couldn't save or worse… Cities that he himself had brought to ruin.
All of those people desperate to be remembered were clawing at his mind as he landed near a middle aged woman trapped under a collapsed wall.
He shook his head before engaging with her.
"Hello there young lady! I'm here to get you out of this little mess! Can you tell me about your injuries while I check your surroundings?" He said evaluating how best to pull the tangled structure apart.
"My son! Please save my son first!"
He glanced down at her and saw her pointing at the building across the street.
"I will! I'll save you both! But I can't rescue him knowing that I purposely decided not to save you while I was right here. Now! Please! How are you stuck?"
She was stunned for a moment before the faintest smile crept across her face, "The wall has me pinned!"
She didn't look like she had a lot of blood on her, she was prone so there was a chance something had broken when she'd been knocked down.
The wall she was trapped under had enough metal for him to pull it aside but he'd need someone else to pull her out for him.
He glanced back and happened upon a familiar face.
"Shoji! Lend me a hand!" He called out.
"What can I do to help?"
"I need to brace and pull this wall off of her but I can't do that and pull her out from under it. Also! Be careful! If she was knocked down she might have a concussion or a spinal or hip injury that isn't immediately apparent. Pull her straight out then keep her stable until we can get a stretcher." Nathan said as he crawled into position.
"You got it. I'm gonna extend a couple of hands to you alright Miss!"
The evaluator simply nodded in confirmation as Shoji snaked two of his limbs under the rubble to her. With a sharp crackling noise Nathan pulled on the internals of the wall, barely shifting it but giving Shoji enough room to work with as he slowly rescued her.
Gently letting go of the wall, Nathan returned to Shoji's side as another student he didn't recognize approached with a makeshift stretcher.
"Get her on there but don't take her away yet! We need to get her son out of the other building and send them together."
"Wh- If she's free we should just take her shouldn't we?"
"Morale is just as important if not more so than physical status! If someone's spirit is heavy from worry or regret they won't take to treatment as well." Nathan said as he bounced over to the building the evaluator had pointed to earlier. He saw the boy huddled up in a corner scuffed up but not immediately pinned by anything. "Hey there buddy, your mom sent us to come get you. Would you like to see her?" He asked, extending his left hand to the child.
"Y-you saved her!?"
"We're about to take her to the evacuation area and I'm sure it'd make her feel a lot better if her big strong son was there to keep an eye on her."
The child looked over at Nathan and took his hand and the two of them safely exited the damaged building.
"Miss. Your son is right here. He's gonna help us take care of you isn't he?" Nathan said with a blinding smile.
"Y-yes, thank you!"
Nathan ushered the boy along with his mother as two of the gathered students rushed her over to the safe zone.
"You'll never stop surprising me Relnor-san."
"Hm?" Nathan said as he turned to Shoji.
"I didn't know you were so good with kids. Do you have little siblings?"
"No, I'm the baby of my family I think."
That was an odd way to answer the question but honestly it would have been more alarming to Shoji if he had answered in a straightforward manner.
"Let's get moving. I'm picking up some people in that rubble over there. You with me?"
"Do you even need to ask?"
With a nod the small group proceeded through the area, Nathan identifying survivors by their EM fields in the rubble and helping to manage the small team he'd accidentally conscripted from the other applicants. His experiences with saving people during the singularities and the Lostbelts were helping him keep a level head as the group returned to the evacuation site.
"Do you guys need a hand here or can we go back out?" Nathan asked as he helped set down an old man he'd lent a shoulder.
"No, we should be fine!" One of the other students said with a smile. Nathan glanced back out over the wreckage before something struck him.
The smell hit him first. Burning flesh had such a distinct odor that it was impossible to forget once you'd experienced it for the first time.
He looked up and saw Demeter hovering in the sky above, having flattened an entire section of Olympus.
She was looking for him. All of these people were dying because he was hiding away.
But Demeter was too impossible a challenge to overcome as they were, they had to strike at exactly the right time! They had to wait for her to get into the proper position for their countermeasures to be effective!
The twins assured him that the people would be brought back.
But still!
They were experiencing death because he wasn't strong enough.
"Relnor san?"
He turned to look at Shoji, his breathing haggard.
"Y-yes?"
"Are you ok?"
"I uh- Y-yeah sorry-"
Perhaps the thought that his experiences during his time as Chaldea's Final Master were helping him had occurred a bit too early. For every benefit he gained from his time there it seemed there was an equal and opposite detriment that struck him when he least expected it.
He shook his head to fully rid himself of the image of that ruined city. There were no burning bodies here. Everyone in that rubble was a professional. They would not die because of his carelessness.
Right?
Nathan glanced over and saw Midoriya Izuku returning a lost child and hovering near the far edge of the evacuation zone.
He was about to motion him over when it happened.
The nearby wall of the stadium exploded and villains began to pour in.
This was it.
They'd been compromised again.
He wouldn't be able to fight to the fullest of his abilities but he would make sure absolutely everyone survived.
"Shoji- we need-"
"Gang Orca? They got a pro like that to help here?"
…
Nathan glanced back at the troopers pouring into the stadium.
He sensed none of the malice he'd felt when facing down the League of Villains.
Gang Orca certainly had a powerful presence but he was not shedding killing intent like Shigaraki.
"Shoji!" Nathan shouted, a plan of attack forming in his mind, "Help these guys get out of here, I'll hold the line with the others!"
He could already see a number of students leaping to engage the strike force.
Shindo was the first to leap into action, cracking the ground to slow the crowd, only to be immediately taken out by Gang Orca's ultrasonic attack.
Nathan wasted no time, rushing into battle himself.
He only had so many charges but he'd be sure to use them effectively.
No one was dying on his watch.
Midoriya had moved to begin evacuation, leaving no one other than Nathan to intercept the direct threat.
At least that's what he'd thought.
A massive wall of ice slammed into Gang Orca as Todoroki entered the battle.
This was good. Gang Orca was no doubt a huge threat but with the two of them there was no way he'd be able to get into melee range.
Nathan began building up power in his right arm as he prepared to take out the forces that hadn't been staggered by Todoroki's ice wall.
He was about to shout to his classmate before a massive gust of wind scattered half of the attacking force.
This was bad. It'd be easier to deal with them if they were in one place! He couldn't spare the charges to hunt down individuals and getting surrounded by a dozen opponents was a surefire way to wind up dead.
Isana locked eyes with Todoroki.
The grudge was so thick Nathan could almost see it with his naked eye.
The two of them verbally bounced off of each other before moving to attack again.
"We need to keep them together! Gather up the stragglers and pin them in an ice cage Todoroki! We need to buy the evacuation crew ti-"
Nathan didn't get the chance to finish as they attacked, the high winds and flames knocking each other off course.
They began bickering openly, turning themselves into huge targets.
This reminded Nathan of a few choice servant combinations. He needed them away from each other asap.
"Todoroki! Focus!" Nathan called out as he unleashed a massive burst of electricity, stunning everyone that had been scattered earlier, "We can only fight for so long before we're exhausted!"
"I know I just-"
He was cut off when some kind of binding solution slammed into him, fired by one of the people that had escaped Nathan's range.
"Damnit- Isana! Let's-"
Nathan only barely noticed in time. Their infighting was nearly enough to pull his attention off of Gang Orca himself.
Thankfully his helmet's proximity sensor picked up on the pro hero's movement, allowing Nathan to fully engage him as he approached.
The sonic attack that had taken down Shindo rattled his entire body, it felt like something important was in danger of being ripped apart..
Electricity burst from his leg, spreading out in a wide array, forcing Gang Orca to back off.
Another plug spent, Nathan tried to reassess. He'd tuned out the bickering of his classmate and isana in favor of dealing with the more pressing threat.
"They were right about you, hero. You're too much of a threat to leave standing."
His men were moving to flank him, firing the strange cement mixture at him to force him on the backfoot.
He did not have the charges left to deal with this problem.
A large burst of noise followed in the next moment.
Todoroki and that other boy had attacked at the same time again, resulting in Todoroki's flames being smashed into the ground and knocked aside. They would hit Shindo at this rate.
Thankfully Midoriya Izuku was faster than those flames, scooping up Shindo and leaping out of range in the space of an instant.
The flames rushed past Nathan and Gang Orca, leaving the area bathed in fire.
He turned to look at the pro hero, the light from the fire dancing across his slick skin.
Another sonic attack struck him dead center at range, causing Nathan to stumble back.
This couldn't-
He wouldn't-
His hand split open as he began building up power to fire a Railgun.
"Hoh!? Is that really the course of action a hero should take?" Gang Orca said as he rushed forward, swinging a powerful right hook that Nathan only barely managed to duck under while dodging fire from the other villains.
"I won't allow myself to die here! I haven't done enough! I have to save more!" Nathan roared back.
"D-die?"
It was a small voice.
It had come from one of the grunts to his side.
But that one confused statement pierced through him more effectively than any attack launched his way so far.
This was not a fight to the death.
Everything ground to a halt as he realized what he'd been doing.
His instinct was to treat any encounter as if his life was on the line. Even friendly spars with Servants had a tendency to turn into desperate struggles for survival when they forgot themselves.
When had he forgotten this? The sports festival had been fine, he'd overthought things sure but that hadn't sent him over the edge like this… It must have been…
He heard the sound of bubbles popping just over his left shoulder.
Ever since using the silver key… He'd been with Chaldea near 24/7 for weeks.
He had regressed.
His right hand snapped shut and he unleashed the build up electricity in a large arc catching the goons firing on him. A good number of them were still standing but they were more focused on the possibility of Todoroki and Isana reentering the battlefield.
The plugs on his suit remained still.
"Sorry about that."
"Hm?" Gang Orca said, swept up in the sudden shift in his opponent.
"Midoriya!" Nathan called out.
Gang Orca had been briefed on nearly every student involved in this simulation so he knew that fighting the both of them at once was not something to take lightly, especially not after Nathan just incapacitated a dozen of his men in a single attack.
He slid his foot back and prepared to intercept the speeding boy but found nothing there.
He realized too late that Nathan was forcing his attention elsewhere in order to make him drop his guard.
Electricity slammed into his ceramic gauntlets, giving him a start but otherwise being ineffective.
It might not have done any damage but it was certainly a bright flash of light.
Nathan was gone by the time his focus returned to where the boy had been standing earlier.
Wind scattered more of his men as ice began to flower out across the area.
He needed to focus on knocking out the other two before they could work out their issues.
He fired a blast at range into Isana, knocking him out of the sky and leaving him easy prey for his crew to clean up.
Todoroki fell next, taking out all of Nathan's potential backup.
A massive burst of electricity tore through the attacking force, preventing them from capitalizing on Isana and Todoroki's inability to move.
But what could he do?
His sonic attacks weren't having much of an effect on the boy.
Was his helmet built to resist sound attacks? Why on earth would they have taken that precaution?
Wait.
He'd read that Nathan's signature move was a railgun. Firing a projectile over the speed of sound would naturally create sonic booms. If his helmet was designed to protect him from even that there was little chance his own attacks would be effective. He'd need to change up his strategy.
Nathan Relnor had been fighting conservatively all day but something had clearly changed in their last exchange.
And he wasn't the only one fighting.
Wind began to swirl around him.
He hadn't actually managed to knock Isana unconscious from range.
Fire was picked up by that small tornado encasing him in a swirling vortex.
"Che-"
By now the other students were starting to converge on them. The group tried to deal with Todoroki or Isana to free Gang Orca but their every attempt was intercepted.
It was looking dire for the villains.
Gang Orca doused himself with some water he had on hand before letting out a massive sonic attack, disrupting the tornado and freeing himself.
"Well then! Now what?"
Todoroki had nothing.
But he was by far not the only person on the field.
Midoriya answered him by unleashing a powerful kick, causing the villain to turn his attention to him.
Gang Orca pushed back, flinging the hero to the side before a surge of electricity shot through his body, bringing him to his knees.
"Midoriya! Let's finish this up!"
"Right!"
Just as they were about to leap into action they were stopped by a force even more powerful than Gang Orca.
A loud tone tore through the area followed by an announcement.
The exam was over. All of the civilians had been evacuated.
Nathan Relnor paused for a moment, letting go of the charge he'd built up.
"That was it?"
Gang Orca turned to him.
"Were you expecting more?"
"... I guess not?"
Usually training sessions with Servants had at least four or five things go wrong, so the fact that they'd only had the one snag was unusual to him.
But. Perhaps that was the way things were in the world of the living.
He still had a long way to go until he was fully used to being among normal humans again it seemed.
They were ushered off the field and allowed to change back into their school uniforms.
Their results would be delivered after the safety commission and the rescuees compared notes.
Nathan found himself uneasy.
He'd been driven to desperation at some point and that probably did not reflect too well on him, but at least he'd figured out the core of the problem.
"Hey, are you alright?"
He turned to look and saw Tsuyu staring at him, finger on her chin.
"Ah. Yeah. Sorry. I'm fine now. I finally figured out exactly what was going wrong with my quirk…"
"Kero? You did? In the middle of the exam?"
"Haha! Yeah! My brain works best in high stress situations so I guess I just put two and two together once I had something on the line eh?"
"You know that's not a normal stress response right?"
"Well, you spend as long as I have training to suppress your flight reaction you'll free up some extra processing power in the thick of things I think."
Tsuyu didn't say anything to that, merely tilting her head to the side.
"Why on Earth did you put effort into doing that?"
"I mean… Well. You know. Sometimes things are so bad that you can't get away from them, so it's best to be able to confront them with everything you've got."
Tsuyu shook her head.
She'd only really been in a couple of scenarios where running wasn't an option. Back in USJ and the Summer training camp she'd been confronted with something truly unreasonable and had to work her way through it. But the fact that Nathan actively worked to make himself charge into danger like that? That was insane.
She was about to put those thoughts to words before they were ushered back out onto the field where the results were about to be posted.
They were informed that if their names were on the large board at the center of their gathering area they had passed. So when the board lit up Nathan began looking for his name.
Anxiety shot through him when he didn't see his name. Had he really messed up that badly?
"No shock that you made it," Sero said from next to him.
"What? I-" His words died in his throat when he realized he'd been looking at names starting with the character for Na when he should have been looking for names that started with the character Re, "Ah yeah…"
He would not elaborate when Sero asked him about his own confusion, instead just letting go of the stress that had filled his heart in that brief moment of panic.
That sorted he started looking for the names of his classmates, checking them off one by one until…
He turned back, a one eyed stare falling on Bakugo.
He hadn't really bothered to keep track of things but he was genuinely surprised that that boy hadn't made it through with flying colors.
Sure he was abrasive but…
The officials began handing out individual evaluation sheets, explaining that the point structure was deduction based, so every mistake you made counted heavily and there was no way to recover from a failing grade.
Nathan's score was 81, he'd been swept up and jumped to lethal force without considering other alternatives which lost him a good chunk of points but he received no detriments from his work rescuing the civilians.
It was passing.
He was one step closer to being a hero.
But.
The energy flowing through the rest of his class just wasn't reaching his heart.
They were excited.
They were happy.
He was just ready to go take a nap.
This was a big deal right? Then why…
"Oh wow! You did way better than I did Nathan!" Midoriya piped up from next to him.
"Huh? What did they knock you on?"
"My hesitation at the start it seems like. I should have tried to get some rescue training like you did but I had to focus on training my quirk so much I let other areas slip."
Midoriya had only barely scraped by for some hesitation and Nathan had soared through even though he'd almost shot another living person with a Railgun.
It just didn't sit right with him.
But he smiled regardless.
"You made it all the same right? You'll reach it at this rate, that big dream of yours."
"Yeah I-" Midoriya froze.
That smile Nathan wore. It was always so uniquely his. It was always overflowing with love. But now.
"Are you ok?"
"Hm? I'm better than ok. I figured out what was going wrong with my quirk," Nathan said with a nod.
"Oh! Tell me about it- Ah wait! I need to talk to-"
Midoriya began babbling on bouncing from person to person as they began to make their way out of the arena and back to the buses.
It passed without incident beyond Isana and Todoroki apologizing to each other before maintaining their rivalry. At least now that the air had been cleared somewhat. It was a healthier rivalry than it had been before.
They received their provisional license cards on the way out.
Everyone was treating them like some sort of sacred object but for him…
He wasn't sure what it was. But at least he was better than he was this morning so he still had something to smile about.
After loading onto the bus he settled in next to Koda again and slumped over.
"Are you tired?" Koda asked.
"Yeah, I might take a little nap if you don't mind…"
"Mh! That's fine! I'll wake you up when we get close."
"Thanks Koda-san."
The fatigue of the day took him quickly. For some reason it had been more exhausting than he'd expected. Even the training camp hadn't been quite this bad. Perhaps the weight of having figured out where his quirk was going wrong had been taking a larger toll on him than he'd thought.
Kaminari opened his eyes to a strange sight.
An elaborate temple surrounded him.
There were people scattered all around him, clearly having just overcome a great struggle.
Wait. One of those people was familiar.
"Huh? Relnor? What are you doing here?" Kaminari asked.
"Why?"
It was such a commanding voice Kaminari almost immediately forgot about Nathan and the other people around him.
"Why do you continue this journey? Why do you kill the Lostbelts, and those of us who live in them? Especially now that this planet's humanity and history have all been wiped away as if they never existed?"
The person asking those questions-
No, that was wrong. Kaminari had seen all kinds of crazy quirks and villains wielding them but that was in no way shape or form a person.
His presence was far too vast, far too heavy, it felt like he commanded the air swirling around them.
"It's obvious isn't it?" Nathan spoke. He looked slightly younger than Kaminari remembered him, dressed in an unusual black combat uniform. "To take back our world!"
What were they talking about? Killing? Lostbelts? Taking back the world?
The commanding figure before them began to laugh. It was slow at first before building up into a roiling thunderous laugh.
"Hilarious!"
Unbelievable pressure crushed Kaminari to the ground. Everyone in the room began to struggle as Kaminari was completely brought to his knees.
One of the other people in the room, one with pink hair and a large shield, moved to cover Nathan in an effort to keep the both of them standing.
"If I were my Proper Human History self, Chaldeans, I would surely have made you into constellations. But. I am not. I may be generous, but I am not a god of mercy. I am a god who rules over humanity with mighty thunderbolts. Come to me, my Aletheia."
The room they were in was bathed in a brilliant light as the roof above them opened.
A mechanical voice began detailing some process Kaminari didn't understand.
What kind of dream was this?
He felt like if he didn't put his all into staying upright he would be crushed flat by this pressure.
"Cronus Crown synchronization complete. Deactivating Aletheia spacial camouflage. Setting spatial expansion to directly above great altar. Deity True Form Designation: Zeus. Designated Spirit Origin: Ancient God/Ruler. Expanding. Expanding. Expanding."
Another earth shattering crash followed as lightning danced in the sky above.
A gigantic mechanical… thing loomed over the open temple.
All Kaminari could do was stare.
What was about to happen?
They seemed to be opposed for some reason, was Nathan really about to fight something so far beyond what words could quantify?
He knew he'd been worn out by the provisional license exam but his brain was really short circuiting to produce all of this.
"Kneel before me."
"Worship me."
"For I am the Almighty Zeus"
An unbelievable shower of lightning rained down around them, somehow striking none of those present.
How they'd all avoided being obliterated at that moment was beyond his understanding.
No.
He understood perfectly well.
That wasn't an attack.
That show of billions upon billions of volts of electricity was just that creature existing.
"I am the heavens. I am thunder. I am the omnipotent god who rules over all from boundless space. I am the one who shall save Earth."
Kaminari genuinely truly believed those words. There was no use denying them.
Zeus. He was really seeing a god. An actual god.
This was not a dream.
"Humans. You need not worry, or resist, or think. All you need be is obedient reeds."
A truly horrific amount of energy lit up the night sky. It was as if Kaminari was looking directly into the sun by merely glancing up. The shower of lightning that followed tore down the walls of the temple around them.
This was not something a human could deal with. Not in the slightest. How was Nathan here? Why was Nathan here?
"Proper Human History. Thinking Reeds. Fools who caress the black light. Those who are to be feared. Sleep."
This time.
This time he was attacking.
The storm of the god who ruled over lightning descended upon them.
And.
Despite that immense pressure.
Nathan stood with that scale arm held high as if he was prepared to receive one of those strikes head on.
Was this what it meant to be a hero? To stand against a catastrophe like this with your head held high?
There was no way.
This was completely disconnected from any kind of threat he could even dream of.
…
"You need to wake up before things get worse."
"What?"
The voice behind him belonged to Nathan but he couldn't move to look at him because of the immense pressure Zeus was pouring out.
"This can get worse?"
"Killing Zeus made things much worse to be perfectly honest. It's a miracle we survived this fight, or any of the following ones."
The sky shifted. Zeus was gone but space itself had split open and something was staring at them from the other side of that tear.
The sky was shut and Nathan stood against a man with long blond hair in an immaculate white outfit.
That man was gone and Nathan stood against a warrior clad in shining golden armor.
Each of those visions lasted a second but they pierced through Kaminari in a way that he could not describe.
"Did this… Happen to you?"
"... You getting off the bus or do we have to throw you off?"
That was not Nathan's voice.
Kaminari's eyes shot open, meeting Bakugo's angry glare.
"Wh- Where's- Huh?"
"Hey, we're back."
He heard Koda's voice drift from near the front of the bus.
"Ah. Thanks. Sorry about that," Nathan said as he got up and stretched.
"..."
Fleeting memories of that temple. Of lightning. Of his face, determined, despite the fact that a god was set against him.
Kaminari had a million questions to ask but… What if he was really just dreaming?
The memories of that dream were already starting to fade but he could never forget the feeling of being crushed to the ground by that presence…
"We will leave you," Bakugo called out, hurrying his friend along.
"Ah right! Sorry!"
Oh well.
It was something to think about once they were done celebrating.
All Might had thought that maybe. Just maybe. He'd be able to get something out of All for One.
Oh how foolish he'd been.
He was near the end of the meeting time and all that had happened was that All for One pissed him off.
He didn't need to meet the guy in person to know that he pissed him off.
"Two minutes left All Might," the warden watching the meeting called out.
All for One was desperate to keep him there but All Might was done rising to his taunts.
"Ah. I do have one interesting piece of intel for you, since you came all this way and gave me such a lovely opportunity for conversation."
All Might paused.
Was this another one of his games? Or was this visit actually going to be worth something?
"I know he's not your successor but that up and coming star student of yours. What was his name… Nathan Relnor."
All Might felt his blood run cold.
What did All for One know about that boy?
"I'm sure you've at least figured out something is wrong, and that he's much more deeply connected to Chaldea than just being some statistical outlier they kept around out of obligation. Surely you can't be so deluded to think that a boy so capable of escaping my clutches is on the level of a mere student."
They'd both been on that battlefield, watching Nathan command Chaldean forces, watching him make his way through the fight and strike decisive blows despite his injuries.
That was not the kind of defense a student could muster, as evident when you compare him to Bakguo who was trapped in the same scenario and only barely managed to defend himself.
"That 'boy' wears his mask better than anyone I've ever seen. I really wish I'd gotten an opportunity to chat with the monster hiding just beneath the skin."
"Don't you dare speak of my students that way-"
"Come now! Even you can't be this dense. You can see it can't you? You can tell just by looking into his eye. That boy is a murderer. He might be putting on a good show of being a hero now but I'm sure when push comes to shove he'll crack. Someone who rose to his position through valor stealing and violence cannot be anything more than a monster at heart."
All Might wanted to throw up right then and there but he was ushered out of the room to the sound of All for One cackling to himself.
What did he know about Nathan?
Valor stealing?
Violence?
Sure. From what he'd heard back on the Shadow Border there had been an attack but-
No. This was All for One.
That man sought no greater pleasure than to sew doubt in others and make them turn against each other.
But there was one thing he couldn't shake.
He'd seen that same glint before.
"That boy is a murderer."
For some reason.
That simple statement would not leave his heart.
And that's that! I hope you enjoyed Nathan's personal struggle. He's been treating every "Fight" as though his life depended on it for a bit now. How many times in the last two chapters has he thought about "If I slip up I'll die" or "take what kills you can get" I wonder. Anyway now that he's sorted that out hopefully Sut Typhon will calm down! See you guys next time! Hopefully it won't be months away but... yeah... I'm so sorry.