Kalego walked into the chatty room, glaring at everyone. "Silence." The students froze, the usual 'silence' had more venom than usual. He still was ticked off about what happened. Bastard parents telling him how to teach his students! They even had the gall to get mad at him for Soi's actions? Weren't they trying to get him to disappear? Yet he ended up in the most demented class yet!
"Kalego-sensei, we still need to practice." Izuku muttered. "We, we haven't seen Purson around all day. Is he running late or something?"
"Soi Purson … is no longer a student of Babyls." The eyes of the students stared in horror. "He withdrew himself and left the school grounds after receiving a call from his father."
"He, he got a call from …" Izuku just looked in horror, down at his own hands. "He said … family values but …" He kept in his old world. "Parent's can't unroll their students, right?"
"They can't, it's up to the students. Purson still unenrolled himself." It didn't matter the reason WHY, it was just the rules were written in a very specific way.
"But...did he say anything at least?" Shax asked
"He said...It will be fine."
"Bullshit, we put in all that effort and he just ditches us!" Andros yelled at the sky. "The absolute jerk!"
"Last I checked, it's easier now that he's out, isn't it?" Kalego spoke.
"It's the principal of the matter at this point!" Asmodeus shouted. "We trained together, practiced together, talked, ate, we...did none of that mean anything!?"
"Statue Purson is a jerk!" Valac shouted. "Let's go to his house and beat up his family!"
"Guys, stop it! Saying stuff like this is why he was so weary of us to begin with." Izuku injected the little rationality he had in him into the conversation.
"I mean beating up his family seems like a pretty good option in all honesty." Everyone stared at Sabnock. "Right, shutting up now."
"There's nothing we can do, he's gone back home and we have no clue where he lives." The boy sighed and sat down.
"He hasn't gone back home. This was the other news I came to inform you about. I won't be able to supervise the rest of your training because I'm working the missing Purson case."
"What...he ran away?" Caim asked with a surprising amount of concern for a male student.
"All we know is that the family called saying he has not returned home." Jokes on that fucking asshole, let him try and find the son he raised with his info network. He'd laugh at his misery like he did with these morons...and Izuku and Soi...when did he separate them from that definition?
"Alright people, we'll have to do a sweep." Andros said. "I know it will be hard, but if we corner off half of the netherworld, we might have a shot at finding him by tomorrow."
"I'll send out every bird I can find! No trace on this planet will go untouched!"
"I'll get Eistring to make something smart and fancy! We'll track him down even if we have to drag him back, tied up and gagged!"
"I'll calculate the odds of him still being around the area!"
… They never learned a thing about looking before they leaped, have they? "Or he might be someplace familiar, right under your noses." They stopped and slowly glanced at an empty seat.
"Purson's still at Bablys, isn't he?" Izuku realized. "He wants to stay at school, he still wants to perform with us!"
"It's an ongoing investigation, I can't say anything about it." Kalego shrugged, making his way to the door. "Just make sure to be ready." They only had a week left to prepare. Now wasn't the time to idle. Now was the time for them….to go beyond...gah, he's spent way too much time with Aizawa.
"We'll be ready!" Izuku shouted at the air. "We'll be waiting for you!" Inko would be happy to see her son so determined. Kalego...Kalego was satisfied seeing him not make a mess of things like usual.
Gaako watched as the students played their instruments. "You work fast, state of the art and look like they were gotten out of a store."
"I did my best." Eiko answered with a wave of a hand. "Oh, this is so nerve racking! Izuku's stuck working with Kalego and I've been trying to get the lyrics down perfectly. It's like the Harvest Festival all over again."
"I'm still surprised I'm lineless." Orobas spoke. "I get I'm being put in the 'hero' role, but you're not using the strongest voice in the entire classroom."
"I'm sorry, but that's sort of the point." Eiko explained. "He's the hero, he's the one that'll save the day, but he's voiceless. He's the one no one expects to do anything. He jumps center stage, but he has no support. He has the will, but not the strength. He'll reach out his hand to you, but no one will give him one when he's down."
She looked at the costume in question. Despite this being all about Midoriya, they weren't THAT obvious. The suit was mainly white and blue with horns at the top and a metal smile. However it was … red. It wasn't from any original design, there were multiple suits they were going to swap out using transformation magic at a fast rate. The suit would get progressively worn down and rugged, covering itself with mud and blood, and the smile would lose itself more and more.
It was genius. A bit depressing when you break it down, but the symbolism was great. "I..see. Midoriya's been through a lot in his life, hasn't he?" Orobas knew from the start what Eiko was going for.
"And you're going to be filling those heavy shoes … you up for it?" Eiko asked him. "The weight of everyone's lives going onto you until your very bones shatter from the force holding the world up alone?"
"Geez, don't put any pressure on him or anything." Gaako had to roll her eyes.
"Isn't that the point though?" Eiko asked with a head tilt … well yes but there were limits.
"It's fine. I've made plenty of my own assumptions about Midoriya before we met. I suppose the least I can do is try to understand him." Orobas nodded with a small smile. "What are the odds of TWO students at Babylys getting assumed for being a part of a cult?"
"You do realize if you go through with this you may be inducted into the Calamity Cult?" Eiko had to ask.
"Hey, I just got out of the Cult of the numeral two and they're trying to make me a Cult of three, I'll take your insanity over that mess."
"I feel like that's the general response for anyone that meets Izuku in person." Gaako laughed. She missed that maniac, and Azz. When this was over she was dragging him somewhere and making up for leaving her alone in the cold winter.
"Hey, I can't help but ask, how did the song come to you?" Orobas asked. "It feels like you've been working on it for a while."
"... Ironically your trauma made me realize it." Eiko spoke, surprising them both. "I always had the words but they were never at the surface … if he'll never notice anything … At the very least he'll learn that people are going to help him."
"That's the second time someone's thanked me for my bloodline's effects." Orobas had to shake himself out of his stupor. "Maybe I should be a therapist when I graduate."
"Someone needs to be one." Gaako muttered. "With all the issues we deal with on the daily it'll be VERY lucrative money wise too." They'd probably be a millionaire.
Levi sat with the other two lords, piles of papers stacked around them. They never really had this much, but right now it was the most important discussion they ever had. "Alright, so let's agree that, to get the Crows to agree, they can get candidates too. Otherwise they'll call us out as just Nepotism and spoiling our grandbabies."
"Agreed." Sullivan, the sensible one, spoke out. "We also need either an age or rank limit, thinking the former."
"Right, can't be too limiting now. They also need a particular list of accomplishments to qualify as well. We can't just let some high ranking no-name enter the conversation." Levi reminded them.
"Well the very fact that they caught a crow's eye is good enough." Belial spoke out. "Remember, these guys may be disastrous, but even they realize that the potential they're picking out needs to match, so the accomplishment is to get enough accomplishments to get noticed by them." That was so stupid it looped around to being inteligenct.
"Well, if that's the case, my precious Izuku-kun is already the top candidate of the bunch, just like his grandfather!" Sullivan bragged. "Honor Student. Danger Junkie. Calamity Cultist. Deku. One For All. Young King. Love Bunny! How many titles do your grandchildren have?"
"... Three." Levi growled. "Which is all he needs to kick your grandson's ass, as he's a higher rank." She smirked, after the final rank up event he would be a mighty Vav(6). At most this Midoriya could get a He(5) if noticed.
"Whatever! My grandson rules the school, and that was all on his first day! He'll wipe the floor with whatever achievements your grandchildren have." Belial crossed his arms.
"We're getting off track." Sullivan spoke out. "We need to focus on the grandchildren." Of course, for the grandchildren. "Now then, should we get Ex-crows involved? I managed to get Amduscias recently."
"Oh, you contacted Derkila's personal musician?" Levi raised a brow. That didn't sound like such a smart idea. "You know how possessive they are of the Demon King's legacy. Won't they get real pissed off at Royal One being opened again, or at the fact your grandson is in said classroom trying to be the next demon king?"
"No he's … I mean … What about …" Sullivan stopped talking, just staring at the wall. "I have made an error!" The man proceeded to fly out of the room.
The two lords sat in silence. "... So should the trials be held at the tower itself, a progression system of tests?"
"The tower does seem like a good idea, but I'm not sure how much space we'll need. We are inviting them to the next banquet, right?"
"Right, best to let the crows greet our lovely grandchildren in person, make a good impression." Belial grinned.
Kerori watched as the classroom slowly dissolved into panic. "It's tomorrow! What if we're not ready? We're going to die!" That was the screaming of Lied as he was huddled up in a ball. "Scheider! Your book is upside down! How are you reading!?
"IT'S BETTER THIS WAY! THE CHAOS FUELS ME! I UNDERSTAND HOW THE WORLD WORKS BETTER LIKE THIS!" The once smartest man in class turned raving loon shouted. "BY THE CALAMITY OF FRIENDSHIP...I HAVE….THE POWER!"
"We don't read upside down!" Clara shouted out. "But should we!? Would it help!? How can I give Izuku-kins his present if we lose!?"
"I'm hyperventilating, can't breath, so much public pressure, so many eyes." Izuku spoke, actually hyperventilating.
"Get yourself together!" Asmodeus shouted, slapping the boy repeatedly. "Sorry, this just helps me calm down!"
"You need a therapist!" Jazz shouted at him. "I'll book us all appointments! I'm a good brother like that! I'll take care of you all!"
She looked at Sabro. "Honestly I'm still just disappointed about not being Demon King. Crowds don't really bother me." So it was reduced to the screaming muscle being the sane one.
"I'm going to be a star … I need to seduce everyone … so much pressure." Elizabetta mumbled, leaning on a wall.
"Ancestors, give me strength! Fuel my every step, guide me on thy righteous path!" Goemon prayed to a picture of what looked like him, except with brown fur and a red gi. "May you rest peacefully in the great battlefield of beyond."
"If all I knew it would take to break you was exposure, I would have taken pictures and posted them all over the school." Kalego said with disappointment.
"Alright, it seems I need to bring out a Demdoll technique." She said, making everyone pause. "Everyone, circle Jazz, we're bringing the Praise Raize."
"The what?"
"It's a confidence booster! Everyone! Look to Jazz and say something nice about him, something you truly think about him! Nothing negative, only good vibes here!"
"You're a great good bro!"
"You help us out on money!"
"You're super smart!"
"Your bloodline is great for scavenging and collecting! You're super helpful and dependable with it!"
"You've been a better friend to me long before I was one to you."
"Jazz-hands is a super duper thief! The best one I know!"
The boy blushed with a nervous smile. "Alright people, next up is Goemon. Hit him with all the compliments!"
"You're an amazing samurai!"
"You always have a good heart!"
"You're the most loyal person I know!"
"Your bloodline is the best wind manipulator I've ever seen, it's so functional!"
"Your ability to make friends astounds me."
"I couldn't ask for a better ally to walk to school with everyday."
The white haired puppy was blushing too. Mission accomplished. "Now Sabro!"
"Oh, so muscley! I love climbing the mountain Sabro!"
"Easily a natural born candidate for Demon King!"
"I couldn't have asked for a better Rival! I don't even need to talk about your bloodline! You've mastered it since day one!"
"Someone who can survive Balam is exceptional."
Sabro just soaked it up. Probably didn't need the ego boost, but best to have all their bases covered. "Picero! You're up!"
"So pretty!"
"So dazzing!"
"I wish you'd let me stare at you face to face all day!"
"You're one of the main reasons we survived Walter Park! You're our hero!"
"You're really kind, you let me use the pillow when I get tired and you don't argue when I ramble!"
Picero tried to pretend he was asleep. Aw, shy guy deep down. "Kaumi!"
"Pervert!"
"Lewd bastard!"
"Surprisingly motivated!"
"I would love to hear what animals say, you're so lucky!"
"Your potential husband number seven now."
He only blushed at girl comments, so only Elzabetta. "Alright, Clara, it's your time to shine!"
"You're super fun to hang around with!"
"You make me laugh everyday!"
"You're the first person to be my friend!"
"You're only half as annoying as I say you are!"
"You're so full of energy!"
"You're super powerful too! I'm surprised you're not Dalet(4) with Izuku!"
Clara actually started to get flustered. Who knew the girl had it in her. "Elizabetta, let's go!"
"You're cute!"
"Stunning!"
"I wish I had your boobs Tea Party Lady!"
"You're kind to everyone!"
"Incredible to be around!"
"I'm glad you became my big sister!"
Elizabetta took it all in stride. Good for her. They needed their star to be at full confidence. "Alright, best for last. Izuku, time to take the lead again!"
"Wait last, what about Azz?"
They all turned. "… You're … I mean … decent?" Lied spoke up pathetically.
"I don't … feel the need to … run from you?" Jazz shrugged.
"I...you're the third person I'd consider dating if you were available."
"Yeah skip me, it's okay obviously not going uphill from here." He muttered.
"No, I'm not going to ignore you. Azz, when I met you, you were the second biggest jerk I've ever met. I was terrified of you. I wanted nothing more than to flee from your presence." Wow, not even the friendship master could sugarcoat it. "But I've always admired you, not just for your power, but for your potential to do good in the world! I'm glad I waited around, because I've gotten to see the caring, kind, and most importantly, heroic demon you've grown into. I'm honored to have you as one of my closest friends!"
"Azz-Azz was really mean, but he's fun to play with! He just says mean stuff because he cares!" Clara shouted "You're gonna do great out there being super pretty like the girls say you are!"
Azz actually paused, his eyes...actually watering? "Uh, excuse me, I have something stuck in my eyelids. I...give me a second, it'll take a moment to get it out." Yeah, that wasn't fooling anybody.
"Anyone else we skipped over?" Kerori asked, looking around. "… Oh right, Schneider."
"Super Smarty pants!
"You know us so well!"
"We wouldn't have won if it wasn't for you!"
"You're the best partner in crime I could've asked for!"
"It's hilarious when you curse now!"
"You truly are the king of feats!"
"I wish I had studied as hard as you!"
Scheider also cried, hugging Goeman and Jazz. "Friendship truly is the greatest magic of all!"
"Alright, that's everybody." Izuku announced. "Now we're all…" Everyone was looking at him. "Guys, there's really no need to…"
"You're bad at accepting praise when you deserve so much of it!"
"You help us all with our Bloodlines so much!"
"Do you really think we'd have the Royal One without you? You're amazing! You're our amazing, talented leader!"
"You're a superhero! A legitimate super hero!"
"I'm glad that I get to be your sidekick!"
"Your my fated Rival, One For All! You've pushed me further towards my dreams than I ever could have made on my own."
"I'm glad to have you as my little brother, Izuku! I promise that you'll be loved by someone special!"
"You stopped war going on for millennia undone, truly, a man of great heart!"
"You've shown me so many wonders of this world! I thought there'd be nothing left to understand until you've shown me the power of friendship!"
"I..ugh...you're super cool and confident and your seduction powers were pretty decent! There, I said something nice."
"You're the best friend ever Izuku-kins! My life wouldn't be happy if it wasn't for you!" Clara hugged the boy.
"Izuku…" Azz approached the honor student. "I've...I've never been so happy to be proven so wrong about someone before. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have found any true purpose in this life I live. I...I wouldn't have fallen in love with the greatest girl in the netherworld, and...I would've missed out going on this amazing journey with you. It's truly been my pleasure to be your friend!"
The boy was tearing up … oh no. "Move the suits, move them now!" She shouted.
"Thank you guys, I love you all so much!"
"Seriously guys, water damage!" Kerori felt nice and fuzzy on the inside now, but she needed to save the suits!
Izuku walked up to the roof, opening the door to an empty setting. "The Pixie's been quiet." He spoke out of nowhere. "It's a shame, their music is quite amazing."
"..." The silence continued to exist with nothing to show any sign of existence.
"... Well I know you're here, and as much as I'd rather just sit down and wait for you to talk, the Music Festival is tomorrow. So I present-" Izuku pulled out a paper he's been writing for the last week. "The Soi Purson secrets revealed report."
"...?" Somehow the air took on a curious tone, and Izuku smiled at the feeling. He flipped over the pages and reached a spot.
"This is the thoughts and opinions of every teacher and student that knows about you, anonymously provided of course. For example..Mr. S here has written down that he has childish taste buds despite trying to act more adult. He can't handle the taste or smell of coffee."
"...!?" Now the air was frantic, he was definitely here. Now to get some conversation.
"And Ms M says that she notices him ogling female classmates in the same manner as Lied Shax. Try and get your mind out of the gutters, she says."
"!" There was movement, but it wasn't coming to him yet.
"One from Misfit E says they're terrible at skipping. It's like looking at a three legged puppy hobbling to its food bowl."
"!" Now it is getting closer, there we go.
"One from Misfit K says they have a lazy pinkie finger that makes you lag in their notes."
It was ripped from his grasp, Purson appearing as the boy frantically flipped through. "How could you do that! Why would they even say these things! I know for a fact I don't have a lazy finger, what the hell Kerori. Seriously, how are there so many notes? It's crazy." The boy paused, turning to Midoriya.
"I made them up, figured you had a lot on your mind. You express yourself with being the Pixie right? Though since you felt like you couldn't do it anymore, I'd do something a little extreme to get you to talk to me."
"...There was a better way to do this, you know?" Purson threw the list to the side. "You already have the perfect setting, meeting me up here by the rooftop and getting me emotional with nostalgia. Figures that the resident stalker of the class would know where I'd be at this time. Has anyone ever told you that your muttering can sound a little creepy?"
"All the time, but the stalking part is a new one." Midoriya took it in stride, sitting down. "I'm just analytical. I catch on to little hunches and think about every possibility."
"I mean seriously, you're somehow the most persistent yet least annoying Misfit. Valac has so much energy it scares me, and Crocell looks like a predator twenty four seven, Ix wanted to date me as soon as I existed, and those are just the girls in our class ignoring the craze of the Calamity Cult."
"Yeah, it can be a bit much for suddenly being exposed to them." Izuku admitted.
"But I've been having a lot of fun hanging around everyone. It felt nice to just play and train with you, and I felt that my music has genuinely improved. And you all got a disguise that would let me play on stage, even if my Presence Detection activates on instinct. You all are amazingly stupid yet you make it work."
"I'm starting to catch on why people assumed I started a cult worshiping chaos." Izuku chuckled. "We've been talking more since we've practiced with Kalego, but we've yet to have a proper conversation, like actual friends. So I'd like to know more about you."
"Friends is still such a weird term, I've never heard about something like it other than you and it makes me scared. Asmodeus says it's for people who like to cause Chaos but I don't want that. I just want to graduate and get a nice girlfriend and a comfy home so we can cuddle and chat about our days. Preferably one with golden wings, I find them nice."
"See, that's what I mean." Izuku pointed out. "Friends don't have to spread chaos to get along with each other. Two people just need to talk and be comfortable with each other. That's all it takes."
"I can't be comfortable with you though. Because I'm letting everyone down. If I enter the Music Festival my dad will punish me because I'm supposed to uphold the family role as leader. My brother left and hasn't been found because his abilities are so good, that makes me the sole heir. It's a lot of pressure but he's super nice to family, so I'm not angry at him. He's not really mad that I wanted to enter the festival, he's mainly disappointed. I'm trying to stand out when Individuality and Spotlight are supposed to be stamped out. I have to hide my instrument or it would have been confiscated worse than a porn magazine." Purson...Soi probably didn't notice it, but his eyes were beginning to leak.
"Yeah, it's hard to hate parents when they're not genuine assholes. But how can you live with yourself if you never show ambition and desire?" Izuku asked.
"I-I don't know." Soi's voice was shaking. "I, I've never wanted anything. My mother gave me this trumpet as a way to relieve my stress, but..I...I've grown to love it. I love playing it. I loved that I had someone to play along with me. I even kinda liked how Kalego kept pushing us to be better even when it felt like my fingers were about to fall off."
"Mine still do, they've just become numb." Izuku said, waving his crickling hand around. "Really hope that goes away."
"I … I … I keep telling myself things are fine even when they aren't. It hurts but that's how I got through my days, by pushing down what I wanted to do and saying it's fine."
"Trust me, when I say that's the worst way to live." Izuku looked up at the sky. "When I was told I'd never have magic, that I'd never be capable of being a hero, I said it was fine to myself all the time. I wrote notes, wrote down whatever ability I came across and studied every in and out of it and said that was enough. That as long as I could that, as long as I had something, I'd be fine, and it was one of the most miserable experiences I've ever had."
"... I can't say no to my family … they've been there for me since the day I was born." It was hard to tell when Soi started talking less and Izuku started talking more.
"I don't know how to say no either, I still can't say no to my mom other than hiding dangerous things. I would have been pulled out of Babyls if it wasn't for Kalego backing me up, which I still find weird in some way. But if you just shove down every dream you have even if they tell you no, you'll be haunted forever by that. You need to show off your ambition and desires with or without the Misfits, don't let us trying to win slow you down, okay?"
"Are...are you saying that I should be selfish?"
"Aren't you a demon?"
Soi was silent on that. "... Then do you mind if I'm selfish … and ask you to listen?"
"That's what friends are for." Izuku nodded, pulling out a pillow. He was prepared for a long night.
