Internships begin! Himiko has a frank conversation about her father with the hero she's interning with. Ochako is about to get a crash course. Katsuki is frustrated. Shoto has emotions. Momo learns things about herself. Izuku learns things about himself. There is awkwardness. And Nine finally finds out who the hell Izuku is and how he knows him.
"You're leaving?" Eri asked, her arms clutched around the plush bunny that Himiko had given her a few days ago.
"Only for a week sweetie, and we'll be right back! And you'll have Miss Midnight here to keep you company while we're gone!" Izuku tried to reassure her. Internally, he was fighting his urge to bow down before her and beg forgiveness, because the expression on her face tore at his heart.
"It's so we can learn to be even better heroes, to help other little girls just like you!" Himiko said with a smile.
Eri looked down for a moment, her grip tightening on the bunny in her arms. "...you promise you'll come back?"
"I promise, Eri. We promise," Izuku said, gesturing around him, not only to his brother and partners, but to the entire class who were scattered about the common room. A murmur of agreements came from them all, the entire class having fallen in love with the unicorn child. "Can you be a brave girl and wait for us to come back? We're gonna come back better than ever!"
Eri looked up, giving a small smile at Izuku. "Yeah! I'll be brave!"
Izuku reached out and ruffled her hair, the white-haired girl pouting cutely as he did it. "That's my girl," he said without thinking. Ignoring the sudden giggles around him and his own flushing cheeks, he stood up and looked at Midnight, the heroine smirking at him and looking like she was barely holding in her own commentary. Izuku did not notice how hard Toru, Mina, and Momo were all having to try to not say anything at how parental he was acting.
Izuku cleared his throat, holding out a notebook to the teacher. "Okay, so, I have some notes on her likes and dislikes. Pay careful attention to pages three through eighteen, there's a series of graphs starting on page 27 that you're going to want to review. And-"
"Here!" Himiko practically threw a bag at Midnight, the heroine's quick reflexes catching the bag with a startled blink. "That's the next six volumes of the anime we were watching, just in case Eri needs something to occupy her, and-"
"Don't forget she likes to change up which plush she sleeps with, so be sure you have them all at hand. She has a system, so you can't disrupt it. Also, make sure she gets to bed by nine, if she goes any later she'll be cranky in the morning," Ochako added.
"Cut her damned apples into rabbit shapes. That's her favorite. You can do cats or dogs if she's feeling daring, but rabbits are the best option," Katsuki said, his arms crossed over his chest. "And make sure she doesn't eat too much for dessert, she needs her vegetables even if she complains. She doesn't like plain white rice, so make sure it's served with something else if you're gonna serve it, and-"
"Kids, kids, I got it," Midnight interrupted, seeing the four of them about to continue for what felt like perpetuity. She sent a sideways glance at Aizawa, the other teacher just shrugging as the class continued not giggling loudly behind the chaos quartet.
"Okay, well, if you're sure," Izuku said, worry seeping into his tone. "Oh and don't forget-"
"Midoriya…it's a week. She'll be fine, the rest of the teachers will be here," Aizawa interrupted the greenette before he went on another tangent.
"R-right, right, of course," Izuku took a deep breath, dropping to his knees once more and offering his arms out for a hug. Eri leapt into them, squeezing him tightly around his midsection.
"I'm gonna miss you," Eri said quietly.
"Me too, but I'll be sure to call you every time I get the chance, okay?" Izuku said softly. Eri nodded into his shoulder as she let him go, repeating the hug with Himiko and Ochako. Katsuki was more cautious as always, but he still gave her a tight, one-armed squeeze.
"Well, if we're done here…we have some trains to catch," Aizawa said, leaning over to give Eri a small pat on her head as well, the girl clutching her bunny in one hand, the other one now being held by Midnight. As one the class began to follow behind Aizawa out of the station they'd gathered in for final goodbyes, Midnight taking Eri to the car that Present Mic and Hound Dog were both in (none of the teachers willing to take any risks with Eri's safety, they had sent all three of them just in case).
Izuku turned to his gathered classmates, Momo coming to stand next to him. "Well, here we go. This is our best chance to learn how it really is to be heroes, so I can't wait to see what we've all learned when we get back. Everyone be safe, and I expect to hear all about how much you learned when we all get back!" He smiled at them all, the cheer and pride practically radiating off him.
"I love it when he gets all representative-ey," Himiko muttered to her girlfriend, Ochako muffling a giggle behind her hand. Himiko quickly gave Ochako a side-hug, knowing she had one of the longest trips. She kissed her girlfriend on the cheek, watching as Izuku approached to do the same.
The class quickly gave their goodbyes to each other, Katsuki offering a fist bump to his brother as the two split off. In small groups, they all hit off to different trains, save Himiko, being left last with Aizawa. As the last train pulled from the station, the ever-tired hero sighed and gestured with one hand. "Alright Himiko, let's get started."
Himiko fell into lockstep next to Aizawa, finally mustering up the courage to ask the question she'd been holding in since he'd sent her the offer. "Sensei…why me?"
"You want to go into underground heroics, don't you?" came his reply.
"Yeah, but I know you're not the only underground hero, and you don't normally take on internships with the whole teaching thing. Izuku couldn't recall you ever doing any since you became a teacher."
Aizawa was silent for a moment as the two continued to walk, before speaking up. "It's not logical to lie to you so I won't. The underground scene is more vicious and painful than the limelight. What your classmates will experience will be much different from what you will. It can break a person. I won't let that happen. I know who your father is, and I don't wish to see you go down the same path he did. I'm going to teach you how to deal with the pressures of being an underground hero, so that you don't make the same mistakes."
Himiko shuffled nervously, looking down at the ground with scrunched shoulders, but Aizawa was not done talking. "That said, I also believe you have excellent potential. I think you could end up being one of the best underground heroes we have. Not just because of your Quirk, but you have the right mentality. I saw how you fought. You fight to win, to put your opponent down with the minimum effort. You're sly, sneaky, and silent. You've got the instincts down pat. Now, we're going to hone them."
"...okay," she said in reply, still thinking over what he said. She was scared to ask, but she had to know. "...what do you think? Of um…my father?"
He sighed. "I worked with him twice before. He's…a very imposing man. Very strict in his beliefs. I can't deny his combat skills or his ability to do investigative work. Honestly, he could have been an excellent hero if he hadn't given up on it. That said, his methods are wrong, Himiko. Death's happen, when heroes and villains clash. Sometimes it's an accident, even on the villains' part. Most villains don't want to kill either, you know. Sometimes it's on purpose. But we are not the executioners of society. We are not judge nor jury. We're just here to bring them in to face justice."
"...you didn't answer my question though."
"I can't say I have much of an opinion beyond that, Himiko. Vigilantes aren't uncommon, and I've worked with them and against them many times. All of that said…" Aizawa turned to Himiko, placing one hand on her shoulder and making sure she looked up to meet his eyes. "You are not your father. Don't let what you've learned change who you choose to be. And if you are worried about whether it's wrong to still love him, don't be. He's your father. From everything I've heard, that is one thing he's done in his life I can't judge him for."
Himiko wiped at her eyes, sniffling slightly and internally cursing at herself for getting so emotional with her homeroom teacher. "O-okay. Okay! Then…then let's do this! I'm ready to learn, Sensei!"
Aizawa's lips quirked just a tiny bit, the faintest trace of a smile crossing his face for a second before vanishing. "Good. Let's get started."
Ochako stared blankly at the dilapidated office building before her. It…looked like it was condemned. She double checked her phone, and the GPS was insistent this was the right spot. But why the hell would the number five hero live here?!
"Are you gonna stand there all day or come in?" a gruff, feminine voice broke Ochako out of her staring. To her right, at an open door, stood Miruko, the rabbit heroine wearing a baggy t-shirt and leggings, looking as if she had just gotten out of bed. The look was further matched by the jaw-cracking yawn she gave as she stretched, her ears twitching.
"...you live here?" Ochako asked, her voice cracking in disbelief.
"You judging my living situation, kit?" the heroine replied with an arched eyebrow.
"N-no, of course no-" Ochako began, eyes wide as she began to backpedal from her statement.
"Stop that, don't back down when speaking your mind. Nah, I don't live here. It's temporary. Buildings scheduled for demolition in a month, city lemme have it so we can wreck shit without worrying about problems. Come in, it's safe enough." Without waiting for Ochako to respond, she turned around and went back inside. Ochako squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and followed along.
The inside of the building was no better than the outside…peeling paint, cracked walls, a slightly musty scent. The heroine led Ochako back, passed a half dozen offices, to a small room with a pair of cots set up in it, and a mini-fridge sitting on the floor. She bent down and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water. She turned to Ochako. "Want one?" she held it up, shaking it slightly.
"Um, no thanks, not right now," Ochako muttered, holding onto the strap of her bag.
Miruko shrugged, opening her bottle and drinking deeply from it. "Make yourself at home. We'll get started in a bit once I wake up. Late night, had to go bust up a trafficking ring. Fucking dumbasses thought they could stop me with some guy with a sound quirk. Pfft. I know my weaknesses, I was prepared."
"How do you prepare for that? Isn't your hearing super sensitive?" Ochako asked, curious. She was a little more relaxed, seeing the heroine being a normal person before her kind of made the slight fangirling she had been doing since she'd been picked fall off a little.
"It is. So I built up a resistance. Only way to deal with sensitivity. You got any problems like that?"
Ochako nodded. "My uh…stomach gets really nauseous if I overuse my Quirk…and I guess I can um…make my brain bleed? I accidently damaged it, only a little! During the USJ thing…"
Miruko blinked at her. "Brain damage?"
"It's superficial! They said it won't cause me issues, I just…have to not do it again," she muttered, looking away.
"How the hell did you do that?"
"Um…the Nomu, it…I thought it killed Izuku. And I wanted to stop it. So I…um…you saw the Sports Festival, right?" At Miruko's nod, Ochako continued. "So like, I can change how gravity affects things, right? I can decrease it, or make it kinda…move sideways? It's force projection, Izuku said. But uh…I can increase it too, that's how I made my punches and kicks harder. Well…I increased it on Nomu. A lot. It woulda killed any normal person, I wasn't really thinking. I just wanted it to stop hurting them."
"Damn. That's pretty badass, but not great if it hurts you. The whole trick with your punches and kicks, that doesn't hurt?"
Ochako shrugged. "My stomach gets queasy and I still hurt my limbs when I do it, but I can deal."
"That's what I wanted to hear. Wanna know why I picked you?" Miruko asked, flopping back onto the cot she must have been using.
"I, I was kind of curious why, yes. You don't ever take on interns."
"Cause I don't see what I wanna see. Not till the festival. You and the green kid are together, right?"
Ochako sputtered, her cheeks blazing at how nonchalantly the rabbit heroine said that. "Um, I, um…"
Miruko waved one hand dismissively. "Not saying you threw the match or whatever. I know you didn't. But I can read lips, you know. Easy enough to see the two of you flirting. Nah, that's part of why I picked you. You didn't want a win handed to you, you told the person you're into you wanted to kick his ass and wanted him to kick yours. You wanted the fight. The challenge. The fucking adrenaline rush, I could see it in your eyes. Your fight with that blonde bomb boy was like that too. Vicious, brutal, no-holds barred. You got the fucking instinct, kit, and I intend on making sure you lean into that."
"...you're gonna teach me to fight like you?" Ochako asked, eyes wide.
"No, I'm gonna teach you to fight like you. My techniques won't work for you. You're not more sturdy than a normal person like me. But you can do shit I can't. I'm gonna teach you to harness that fight in you that I saw. To reach deep down and take that drive to win, that rage I could see under the surface, and direct it at the right fucking targets. So you best be prepared, Uravity, cause I am going to kick the shit out of you every single day until you can kick back." Miruko tossed the drained water bottle away, landing in a small pile Ochako noticed in the back.
She cracked her knuckles, grinning widely with a manic gleam in her eyes. "Put on your costume, kit…let's get started."
'I made a fucking mistake,' Katsuki thought to himself, one eye twitching as he sat in the chair, his hands clenched on the armrest as he felt the damned brush going through his hair once more. Since he'd gotten there, he had expected to get started on some ass-kicking, but this damned jean wearing bastard had forced him to change clothes and now was trying to tame his hair, something his mother had failed to do since he was born! He growled under his breath, but not quietly enough for Best Jeanist.
"You don't think this is necessary, do you?" the hero asked calmly.
Well, since he asked…"No I fucking don't," Katsuki shot back. "I know you're all about image and shit, but I got my own image I'm gonna project! I'm gonna be so fucking strong no villain's ever gonna dare step a foot outta line, that's how everyone will know it's safe to around me! I don't gotta be a pretty boy like you and your lackeys!"
"Don't disrespect my sidekicks, Dynamite. I'm well aware of your goals, and proclivities. You have strength. You have willpower. You have tied those two together and made it into a strong thread you follow. But I ask you…your goal is to surpass All Might, yes?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"You're aware that Endeavor solves more cases and puts away more villains than All Might does, yes?"
"Everyone knows that, what's your fucking point?"
"Then why isn't he number one?" Jeanist asked, as if discussing the weather.
Katsuki paused, eyes narrowing as he tried to glare up at the hero, but the older man's grip on his shoulder kept him from moving. "Don't play games, I know why, it's cause his personality is dog shit. I know I'm not a nice fucking guy but I'm not him either! Don't compare me to that ass!"
Jeanist arched an eyebrow. "Isn't one of your classmates his son? Should you be badmouthing him so much?"
"Pfft. IcyHot would agree with me," Katsuki muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. The class as a whole had avoided saying anything to Shoto, or asking Izuku, but after they'd all heard what Kyoka had picked up during their fight in the sports festival, it had clicked for pretty much all of them why Shoto was the way he was. And his comments about not seeing his older brother had cinched it in Katsuki's mind. But he knew better than to say anything about it, for now. That said, he'd silently already decided if he ever saw Endeavor, he'd make sure that fucker didn't get near the other boy again if he could help it.
"Would he now?" Jeanist said quietly, contemplatively.
"Ugh, are we done yet?" Katsuki said, trying to change the subject before the annoyingly perceptive hero asked anything further. He only realized he'd slipped up when Jeanist had asked, and now he was worried the other hero would look deeper into something he wasn't sure Shoto wanted looked at yet. He needed to change the subject quickly.
"Almost. Allow me to return to my prior point, and I do apologize for comparing you to Endeavor. What I'm getting at is, while you may think strength will be enough, that's not all civilians need to see. They need to see strength and power, yes, but they need something else. Hawks is cheerful and affable. Endeavor is strong and confident. I am poised and helpful. And All Might lives up to his name, but with a smile. I could continue on throughout all the top ten, but I am sure you see my point. We each project an image. You speak of projecting one, but it sounds like even you aren't sure what image you actually want to project beyond strength. Even Endeavor has many small factors he puts into his image to cultivate it appropriately. Every thread is woven together into each of these heroes' methods and images."
Jeanist stepped back, Katsuki's hair tamed…for all of two seconds before it poofed back into its spiky natural form, causing the older hero to sigh. "Why I chose you is to teach you how to project the image you need to reassure the populace. It is not enough to be strong. It is not enough to be fierce. You need more, else you will fall apart at the seams. That more is what people like Endeavor and Miruko, who also rely on strong images, project. We will work together to find the image you want to truly show, the side of you that you will bring to hero work. Along with precision. Your Quirk is dangerous and imprecise. You have a firm grasp on it that I saw during the festival, but it is still one we can work on. Now that you know why you are here, will you continue to complain about my methods, or can we get to work?"
"...yeah, alright. But just leave my damned hair alone!"
Jeanist smiled slightly beneath the high collar of his costume. "Alright. Let's begin."
Tenya, Shoto, and Tokoyami had all traveled together, since their internships were all taking place at Thirteen's hero agency. As they stepped up to the silver building made up of concentric circles stacked upon each other, they saw the blonde hero Hawks standing by the door with a wide grin.
"Hey kids! Sorry to be the only one greeting you, Ten and Toya both had to finish up a bit of paperwork from our last outing. Figured I'd give you guys the tour, then we'll all split off and get you settled in. Trip go okay?"
"It was satisfactory. Will we be staying here, sir?" Tenya asked, looking around as they entered the spacious foyer before them.
"Yeah. Me and Toya share an apartment so it'd be a bit crowded to add two more, plus I doubt you wanna see us being all domestic. Tenko's apartment is a disaster of gaming consoles and pizza boxes, so not much better. We'll be sticking it out here, we all have small dorms we get for when we are too tired to head home or are in an all-hands situation. Oh, and none of that sir stuff. Hawks on duty, Keigo off duty."
"Hawks, may I ask why you requested me?" Tokoyami interjected, still confused by the selection.
Keigo grinned widely. "Cause, birds gotta learn to leave the nest and fly someday, and you're gonna learn to fly!"
"But…my Quirk doesn't let me fly?"
"We'll see about that!"
"Keigo, stop tormenting the noobs," Tenko drawled, stepping out of an elevator behind the gathered students. Toya followed behind, his steps stuttering as he noticed Shoto standing there, looking at him.
"You came," Toya said quietly, a nervous smile on his face.
"Yes. I wanted to," Shoto replied.
"That's…that's good. Okay. Let's uh…"
Tenko sighed. "Let's get them settled in their bunks, then we'll disband and go do our own thing. Glad you took me up on my offer, Ida."
"Izuku was quite effusive in his praise of you and your skills as a pro. I believe I can learn much from you!" Tenya replied with a chop of his hand.
"He did, huh? Well, alright. Let's get this quest started."
As expected, once the group had all found their own bunks and set their gear down, Keigo immediately dragged Tokoyami off for training, as he called it. Tenko pulled Tenya along, telling him he wanted to talk over his abilities first before beginning their internship, leaving Toya and Shoto alone.
Toya let out a deep breath. "Okay. Um…well. Uh…Mom's place isn't far. Yumi and Nats are both there, waiting. Are you…are you sure you're up for this?"
Shoto stared at his older brother for a moment. He bit his lip, the only sign of nerves, as he nodded silently. Toya nodded back, the brothers leaving the room and heading downstairs in silence. As they left the building, Toya turned left and began walking, Shoto carefully keeping pace.
"So…um…do…what uh, can you do with your fire? I…I should figure it out if I'm gonna help you with it."
"Not much. The first time I have used it in years was during the Festival. Since then I have not touched it, I was afraid I would harm someone. I believed it best to wait until I could speak to you."
Toya nodded,at least on familiar territory here. "Alright. Well…I probably don't need to warn you about how much more dangerous fire is than ice, due to collateral damage being much more deadly. And you can avoid the weakness both Endeavor and I suffer since you have Mom's power too. I suppose the best thing we should work on is control and precision. I saw the big blasts you were doing, but there were two big weaknesses I noticed."
"Those are?"
"One, you kept using them from a long distance with no narrowing of scope. The problem is fire expands, unlike ice. Ice just 'grows', for lack of a better term. So by the time your fire reached the end, it had lost a lot of force and heat. It diffuses into the air. When using fire for distance strikes, you either have to go to a high maximum heat to have it keep its power, or force it into a more narrow form."
Shoto nodded. "That does make sense. Izuku seemed to have an easier time with it when it was far away."
Toya nodded distractedly. "There is a reason most fire quirk users prefer to use their fire up close. It allows us to focus its power into a single spot when striking, which also means we can judge it better and thus throttle the use. We don't want to kill someone, after all."
Shoto tilted his head to the side. "Do you believe I should rely on ice for distance and fire for up close, then?"
Toya shook his head. "No, just making an observation. The fact you can use both means what would be best for you is to use both at once. Unfortunately, I won't be a ton of help with that. Not many people would. I can't think of anyone else with elemental quirks that have dual-element that contrasts as well as yours."
"What was the second weakness?"
"Everything you did was big. Big ice, big fire. You were like, living the statement 'go big or go home'. That's not always going to be your best choice. Often, it'll be a bad choice. Most fights happen in cities, and you'll see tons of civilians and buildings that you have to avoid damaging. Big attacks are good in some situations, but it's far more common to need to be more discreet with your power use."
Shoto nodded again. "Is that what we'll work on?"
"Among other things…part of internships is also dealing with the worst part of hero work…paperwork." Toya grinned at Shoto, the first genuine smile with no trace of nerves he had given his younger brother yet.
Shoto's lips quirked slightly, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face at the words Toya had said. Toya's grin grew wider, only to slide off his face as he realized where they were. Stopping in front of a simple, two story house behind a gated concrete wall, he took a deep breath in and reached out, pushing the gate out of the way. The well-oiled metal slid aside without resistance.
"Well…here we are," Toya said calmly, no trace of his own worries in his motions. He knew this was more about Shoto than about him, so he was trying to give off an air of confidence, to hopefully help his brother deal.
Shoto stared at the house before him, his eyes affixed to the dark red-brown door that was only a few meters away. Toya, very slowly, gently, placed his hand on Shoto's back, the split-haired boy looking up at his older brother with wide, almost pleading eyes. Toya nodded, helping to push Shoto along slowly, the younger brother walking as best he could to the door. With another nod, Toya reached out and gently pushed the door open.
The first thing Shoto saw was a woman, slightly shorter than him, with gray-brown eyes watering up with tears. Behind her, a taller, white-haired man, younger than Toya, staring at him as if he didn't believe he was there. Next to him, a white-haired woman with a soft smile and red streaks in her hair, her hands clasped nervously before her.
The silence stretched out for a good half a minute, Shoto just staring with a blank expression on his face at the three before him, Toya not moving, allowing him to process. Right before the silence got too unbearable, Shoto took a single step forward…then another, a third, a fourth, and then he had his arms around his mother, squeezing as if his life depended on it while tears began to silently fall down his face. The siblings all moved forward as one, as Rei's voice cut off in a choked sob as she returned the hug, the door sliding shut behind Toya as they joined in the embrace.
The trip to Sir Nighteye's agency had been surprisingly pleasant for Izuku. Since he and Momo were going together, they had spent most of the time in conversation, mostly about class representative duties and their plans for group projects and study groups. Izuku did have to struggle not to look for signs that Himiko and Ochako said were there, but it was genuinely difficult to tell. Momo was always so nice and cheery and helpful, it wasn't like it was out of character for her to be so nice, was it?
But he set that aside as best he could, wanting to focus on the upcoming internship. He was really excited to see what Nighteye could help him with, with all these new Quirk's he had access to. He'd not really had a chance to talk to the pro since he'd last come to visit Eri, but he knew Toshinori had been keeping him up to date…although right now Izuku was still a bit bothered by the fact he still hadn't spoken to him. Apparently he'd been called off to assist with a disaster in the south, and so Izuku still was not sure what it was the Vestiges and Nezu had not been telling him.
Arriving at the station, the two students disembarked, still chatting when a sudden blonde face popped into their view. "Well hi there! You must be the new interns!" the smiling, blue-eyed, muscular figure said.
"Um…yes?" Momo said, more of a question than a statement.
Izuku narrowed his eyes at the figure, before they went wide with recognition. "Oh! I know you! You're Mirio Togata, third year! You won the Sports Festival this year!"
"That's right! I'm also an intern for Sir Nighteye! He told me you two were coming for this week! I can't wait to see what you can do! I saw you at the festival, you both did great!"
Momo's smile was painted on, her eye twitching slightly. Izuku could feel the sudden shame that filtered into her, but didn't bring attention to it. He'd address it later when he had a moment. This time, he was pretty sure he knew what was wrong, considering Ochako had confided in him her worries about Momo after their match. And with how she reacted to their upperclassman's comment…yeah, he was pretty sure he knew.
"Thank you. I think everyone did their best and honestly, I'm proud of every one of my classmates," Izuku said, a bright smile on his face.
Mirio clapped him on the back, his own brilliant smile shining. "That's the right attitude! Well come on then, let's go meet up with Sir." With that, he led the two other students along, out of the station and down the street. Clearly familiar with the area, he led them unerringly towards Nighteye's agency, a simple, five story building sitting at an intersection. Mirio paused right before the door, turning to wink at the two of them. "Oh and Midoriya should know this already, but for you Yaoyorozu…try to crack a joke or something. Sir loves a good laugh!"
Momo blinked, looking at Izuku who shrugged sheepishly. "I…will keep that in mind?"
Mirio nodded, still grinning, as he opened the doors to the ground floor. It was clean, but spartan, with a spiraling staircase in the center the older student led them up. As they reached the right floor, Mirio pointed towards the door before him with a wide grin. "Well, go on then!"
Izuku, a small half-smile on his face, opened the door widely, his expression fading to a blank one as he saw Sir Nighteye standing before a large machine that was apparently…tickling a blue-skinned woman in a hero costume? Momo looked at Izuku with wide, concerned eyes as the greenette just sighed.
"Sir! I brought the first years!" Mirio said with a grin.
Sir Nighteye turned around, his severe expression unchanging as he casually flipped a switch, releasing the blue-skinned woman from the machine. "Well done Mirio, thank you. Midoriya, you appear well. Yaoyorozu, I am glad to see you accepted my offer. Come along, we have much to do." He spun about, turning about and taking a seat at his desk. At the glances Momo was giving the heroine who was gasping for air, Nighteye merely lifted an eyebrow. "That is my sidekick Bubble Girl. She did not deliver her report in the proper manner."
"He means she didn't make him laugh," Mirio stage whispered to the two students.
"Ah…yes…" Momo said haltingly.
"Sir, please stop confusing my classmate, she's already facing culture shock daily in the dorms as is," Izuku said with a grin. The two of them were comfortable enough with the other to make little friendly jabs that made the other chuckle, and Izuku wanted to try to tone down the confusion Momo was currently feeling.
"Izuku!" Momo gasped, placing her hand over her heart dramatically. "Why I never!" Her overacting as a Victorian era offended noblewoman had Mirio grinning wider as well, but Nighteye merely arched an eyebrow, his hands folded before his face.
"Very well Midoriya, as you say. Let's get you two settled first. I would like to spend some time with Yaoyorozu, to go over her Quirk and what she wishes to get out of this internship before we speak. Mirio, take them to the dorms please."
"Yes sir!" Mirio gave a sloppy salute, ushering the two students off down the hall. "So Sir wasn't expecting both of you as well as me, and uh, we don't have a lot of space here…so are you two okay with sharing one of the rooms? Different beds of course! We can hang a curtain or something if you're worried!"
Internally, Izuku was pretty sure Himiko was laughing somewhere right now. Momo's cheeks had a pink tinge to them, but she replied in a dignified manner. "I am not concerned, Izuku is a gentleman and I am sure we can manage. It's just for sleeping after all."
"Well, if you're sure! Just in here!" he gestured to the door they had arrived at, opening it for the underclassmen. Izuku and Momo stepped inside, seeing a small room with two cots set up against opposing walls, a small table between the two. Mirio waved around at the room. "You two get all settled in, Sir will want to see you shortly! And be sure to get your hero costumes out, if I know Sir he'll want to do some drills soon."
Mirio left, leaving the two to begin unpacking what little they needed to. Which for Izuku was basically just his notebooks, while Momo had apparently brought her own notebooks as well. The two took a moment to look at the equally sized stacks of notebooks, sharing a chuckle at the similarities. After a few minutes, they left the room and headed back to the main office, where they found Sir waiting for them.
"Midoriya, why don't you go get suited up and spar a little with Mirio? I'd like to have him gauge your progress. Yaoyorozu, let's have a seat and go over your Quirk. Midoriya, I'm not even going to ask if you have notes on her Quirk, just hand them over please."
Izuku flushed, pulling a notebook out (while Momo wondered, not for the first time, where the hell that had come from!?) and handing it over sheepishly. "Page 14 through 23, Sir," Izuku murmured.
Nighteye had begun shifting through the notebook, but paused at Izuku's comment. "Nine pages? That's on the higher end for you," he said, the question unasked.
Izuku squirmed slightly. "It's a very versatile Quirk!" he protested. His focus was solely on Nighteye, so he did not see the wide-eyed stare Momo was giving him, having been privy to the knowledge the average classmate of theirs was given four pages at maximum normally. Now she really wanted to know what was in that notebook.
"Yes…and the wielder must also be versatile. Very well. Go spar, Midoriya, Yaoyorozu and I must speak."
Izuku nodded, making his way out of the room, following Mirio. Momo stood there, hands clasped before her in an attempt to still her nerves as Nighteye flicked through Izuku's notebook, his eyes scanning each page. After a few moments of silence, he glanced up at her and gestured to the seat across from his desk. Momo took it without hesitation.
"Miss Yaoyorozu…if Midoriya's notes are correct, then I believe you are utilizing your Quirk incredibly poorly. We must rectify this at once."
Momo gaped at him, but shook her head to try to clear it. "Wha…how? What am I doing wrong?"
"You are an expert with staff fighting, correct?"
"I don't know if I am an expert, but-"
Nighteye held up a hand, interrupting her. "No false modesty. I asked a question, I want an answer."
Momo cleared her throat. "I did focus a lot of my training around it, yes."
"And you are quick to create a staff and utilize it. You make the staff out of titanium?"
"Yes sir."
"Why don't you increase the weight on the end by utilizing a different material? Diamond, for example. You are not limited to supply chain issues, you may utilize any material in your construction."
"But it would shatter upon impact, wouldn't it? Diamond may be hard but it is very brittle," she questioned.
"Yes. And you are not wasting anything by doing so, are you? The shattering could in fact be a helpful quality at the time. It consumes such a small amount of your lipid pool compared to simply creating the staff, it would be of use, would it not? The extra weight would strike harder and if it shatters, well…diamond shards would preclude many villains from continuing the fight."
Momo gulped. That was…more violent than she had expected. Nighteye continued. "Riot shotguns. Simple bean bag rounds would do well. Yes, you would need to get a firearms license, but I am certain someone like Snipe would be able to assist you in that. And yes, there remains a possibility of death, but you can mitigate that by only utilizing it against those with Quirks that make them more resistant. It is also important to remember there is a risk of death with nearly any weapon you could create, after all. You are a walking weapon of mass destruction if you so choose…so it is important to know which one is most effective in which scenario."
Momo…really did not like where this conversation had gone. She was aware that pro heroes had to deal with violence in many ways, and that there was always a risk, but Nighteye made it sound so…cold. Cruel. Dismissive. Her emotions must have been plain on her face as Nighteye looked up at her and sighed.
"Yaoyorozu. I tell you these things so we can learn how to avoid them. By starting from the worst case scenario, we can build you up until you can make the best of every situation. Your versatility is going to be by far your greatest strength, the ability to adapt on the fly to a changing situation. Which means throwing out all preconceived notions of what you should do. No two scenarios will be the same. So you must learn how to adapt instantly, and then follow through."
Nighteye stood up, his arms clasped behind his back as he began to slowly pace around the room. "I watched your fights at the Festival. You kept hesitating. You kept trying to figure out a long term plan without your short term plan in place. This is a weakness that will be exploited. You must learn to create on instinct while making your long term strategy. You must practice both actions simultaneously. And that is what we will focus on. It's in your hero name, Yaoyorozu…Creati. You must be creative. Now…let's go over your plans in the festival round by round, and address what you did right, and what you did wrong."
"How did your sparring go, Izuku?" Momo asked as she met up with Izuku once more, the greenette looking dazed and bruised.
"I feel like a volleyball," Izuku replied with a groan. He flinched as Mirio dropped a hand onto his shoulder, smiling.
"You did great! Almost hit me twice!"
"Damned phasing Quirk," Izuku muttered.
"It's called Permeation!" Mirio replied, still smiling.
"It's a very complex Quirk. You will want to sit down and discuss it with Mirio later, I am sure, Midoriya. But for now, why don't we sit down and discuss your abilities. Yaoyorozu, you may rest, but we'll be doing some battle training tomorrow as well. For now, I want you to review the notes we took."
Momo nodded, giving Izuku a small smile as she went back to their room to begin studying the notes Nighteye had given her. Mirio tossed a jaunty salute and wandered off, leaving Izuku alone with Nighteye.
Nighteye pushed his glasses up on his nose. "So…Toshinori gave me a heads up…you've unlocked the past users Quirks?"
"Three of them. Float, Danger Sense, and Gear Shift. First two have been pretty easy to get the hang of, but the third is more difficult. And…there's this other thing that doesn't make a lot of sense," Izuku said quietly, looking down.
"What is it?"
"Lately…I can feel other people's emotions? So long as I'm focusing on them, or like, if they matter to me. But the vestiges say it's not connected to any of their powers. Which means it's part of my Quirk, but I can't figure out why! I mean, it's a sense, and my Quirk gives me that Quirk vision sense too, but they have no connection so I can't figure out what's going on!" Izuku practically exploded. Nighteye wasn't as close to him as his friends or Toshinori, but he knew of all the people the pro understood his Quirks better than most and wouldn't mince words.
Nighteye studied Izuku for a moment, before nodding and turning to his computer. "I want to try something. Close your eyes and do not focus on the emotional sense you've been feeling. Focus on nothing, clear your mind like we did when I had you meditate."
Izuku did as instructed, trying to find the spot Nighteye spoke of. When he meditated, he'd always gone into the Vestige realm, but not to the tower. Instead, he'd gone back to where he had first appeared…deep beneath the calm surface of the lake. Now that he knew he could breathe, or rather, didn't need to breathe, he found the sensation incredibly relaxing, just floating amongst the gently moving waters around him, held by the strength of his own Quirk, his life force.
He sat there for a good five minutes before he started to get a bit frustrated. The problem was Nighteye gave him no other instruction, and that was very annoying to deal with. He was here, but now what? Vaguely, he could hear Nighteye clacking away at his keyboard, typing as if he had no cares in the world. What the hell was he typing that mattered so much? Izuku was trying to stay calm but honestly, this was kind of not helping.
And what the hell was he typing to begin with? Was it something about him? Why would he keep that from him then, if it was? Or was it unrelated and he just intended on leaving Izuku alone with his thoughts?
The annoyance was getting to Izuku, and he knew it. Maybe he was a little on edge. The fact he still didn't know what had happened with the Vestiges since Toshinori had not spoken to him. The fact that many of his classmates were not doing great, even if they had gotten a bit better. The fact Mirio had just beaten the crap out of him moments ago, reminding him of how far he had to go in his training. All that was contributing to his slowly worsening mood and…wait, Nighteye said what!?
Izuku's eyes snapped open and he glared at Nighteye. "Don't call me useless!"
Nighteye arched an eyebrow at Izuku. "I said no such thing, Midoriya."
"Yes you did! I heard it!" Izuku shot back.
"I did not. But…" Nighteye spun his monitor around, showing Izuku a text editor open on his screen, filled with the word 'useless' written repeatedly. Izuku blinked at it in confusion, his anger fading into sheer bafflement. Nighteye's placid expression changed, a smile crossing his face as he gazed at the greenette before him. "You see, Midoriya…I said nothing. I felt nothing. And yet, you somehow knew what was on the computer monitor. Why would that be, do you think?"
"I…I don't…what?" Izuku whispered.
Nighteye turned to fully face Izuku, steepling his fingers before his face. "This was an experiment. I believe I know how you can sense others emotions and their Quirk factors. It's simple, Midoriya. You're not sensing either of those things. You are sensing energy itself."
Izuku was stunned silent. His brain started connecting the dots, piecing together what Nighteye was implying. Nighteye continued as he tried to pull the ideas together himself. "The human body relies on a series of biochemical and bioelectrical systems to run all of its functions. Both of these are run through energy, or are in some way a form of energy. Your nervous system for example. As are the neurons in your brain. That is what you have been sensing. You were so focused on what I was doing, you even read the electrical impulses within this computer. The reason you're limited to what you are seeing about them, which particular types of energy, is a combination of factors."
Nighteye gestured vaguely towards Izuku's frozen form. "One, you cannot likely read everything about someone because you simply don't know how to match the electrical signal to a concept. Such as reading thoughts, I doubt you'll be able to do that. However, you can match your own emotional signals to the others others feel, which is how you are deciphering emotions. Same with Quirks, the reason you see the glow is you recognize the energy signature of a Quirk factor, but you have to decipher what it is, which is when the color changes. It is your brain subconsciously connecting something you can understand to the power you have."
"...and I can sense the energy in the computer?" Izuku asked, finally breaking through his own confusion to try and actually participate.
"I suspect you'll be very limited in that, because you won't be able to match your own experience to a computer's electrical signal. I think the only reason you noticed this was you matched what the monitor displayed, not what the actual computer was sending. However, this still could be an excellent boon. And perhaps I am wrong, and we find a way for you to intercept the signals and decipher them."
Nighteye looked up contemplatively. "At my guess, you always could sense energy on some level, but the supercharging of One For All has taken it to an extreme. It is likely how you knew the bolt was coming to push Bakugo out of the way as a child. Since we are in uncharted territory, there is little way to be certain what all you will be able to sense once you master this. We'll simply have to work on it."
"...honestly Sir, this is a bit exhausting," Izuku muttered, slumping in his chair.
"What is?"
"Just…I swear it's something new every few days. Toshinori just had to deal with super strength. I have to keep adding new abilities and powers and things to a pool that just keeps growing. I…I know it's childish to complain, most people would give anything to have this sort of strength, but gods…I am just so tired."
Nighteye stayed silent for a long moment, looking over Izuku. "I don't think it's childish, Midoriya. It is overwhelming. You did choose this, but no one expected how you and One For All would bond. I think it's reasonable to be feeling tired. Does this mean you don't want to work on this new sense?"
"No. No, I want to. I need to. It's…it's been super helpful the past few days. I'm just…complaining," Izuku said with a sigh.
"It is alright. I need to rewrite my plans for your training anyways. Why don't you go relax for a bit, we'll get started tomorrow."
Izuku nodded. "Thank you, Sir. I'll be in a better mood tomorrow, I promise!"
"I'll hold you to that, Midoriya. Now go, I have a lot of reports to go over." Nighteye's dismissal wasn't cruel, the pro hero showing a tiny flash of a smile as he turned away from the greenette. Izuku nodded, getting up and heading off to the room he'd been assigned with Momo. As he walked away, he paused for a moment.
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
Izuku took a deep breath. "Did…did you find anything more on Chisaki?"
"I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation Midoriya, I'm sorry," Nighteye replied, not looking up from his computer.
"R-right. Sorry," Izuku muttered, turning away once more.
"I won't let him find her, Midoriya. You have my word, he will be brought to justice, and she will be free of his shadow."
"...thank you," Izuku whispered, a smile crossing his face as he left the room.
"Oh, hello Izuku," Momo said, looking up from her book as he entered the room. He gave her a tired smile, flopping over onto his cot with a tired groan. Momo arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you alright?"
"Just some news I wasn't expecting. Took the wind out of my sails a bit. And I'm still sore, Mirio is rough," Izuku commented, his voice muffled by the pillow his head was buried in.
"I see," Momo mused. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Izuku smiled into the pillow, able to feel the warm concern washing over him from Momo. "Nah, it's cool. I'll be fine. Just gotta rest up. You're already helping by being worried."
"Worried? I, I'm not worried, I'm-"
"It's cool Momo, I know. I can feel it," Izuku remarked, not thinking about the words he spoke until after.
"...feel it?" she asked, her voice hesitant. Izuku's eyes snapped open, the greenette only now realizing what he had said. He sat up in bed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
"Uh…lately I found out I can…kinda feel what others feel, if they are close to me? Not distance wise, I mean like, someone who matters to me, you know?"
And there it was, the spilling of emotions off of Momo that he could practically taste. Fear, shame, embarrassment, a little bit of happiness in there. He had to address this. Waving his hands to try and calm her down, he smiled nervously. "Don't worry about it, I don't just go around talking about how others feel to others, it's okay!"
"...you know how I feel?" Momo whispered, acting like she hadn't heard what he had just said.
"Um, only like…at the moment? And only if I'm focused on you? So what you're feeling now, yeah, I feel it, but not like, everything you ever felt."
"Oh. Okay," and suddenly her emotions were a mixture of relief, longing, and sadness that made him want to physically react, but he managed to hold his composure. This…this wasn't great. He never realized until now how hard Momo was on herself, how much she kept her emotions under lock and key, because damn these were some of the strongest he'd ever felt and yet she barely flinched.
Izuku worried at his lip for a moment, trying to decide if he should push or not. So he decided to take advantage of his ability, right or wrong though it was, and pushed harder to see if he could tell. And…there. She wanted him to dig, because she wanted to say something but didn't know how and didn't think she'd ever say it…and thanks to Himiko, he had an idea what that something might be.
"Momo…what is it you want to say but are afraid to say?" Izuku asked softly.
She looked up at him with wide eyes. "...you…you can tell?"
"Yes. It's wrong and a violation of privacy and I will beg your forgiveness on hands and knees if you need it later, but for now something is bothering you and I would be a terrible friend if I didn't try to help. So please…don't be afraid. You can tell me anything. It's not like we don't spend a lot of time together after all," he said with a soft smile, trying to encourage her.
"That's the problem," Momo muttered, looking away from him. Izuku blinked at her. His first instinct was hurt, feeling like she wanted him out of her life, but he could feel that was wrong. Ignoring the part of his brain that would always twist things negatively, he tried to continue forward.
"What do you mean?"
Momo seemed to almost shrink, looking down as her hands gripped the edge of her cot. "You're…very smart, Izuku. And kind and considerate and heroic. I…I like talking to you. Whenever we discuss class representative duties and we go over them, it's just…fun, for me. You don't get bored with my interests. And I've never really had friends before this class, my parents…they love me, but they have a very specific idea of what I should be, and they never really asked me what I want to be. I'm lucky they let me come here, and I had to fight for it."
She looked over at the desk, where both his small pile of notebooks were seated next to hers. "You understand me better than most. You…you understand why I'm obsessively organized. I know it bothers some of our classmates, when I just take control and try to make everything fit into a little box, but it's how I process things. But they still like me for me, and not because I'm a Yaoyorozu! And so do you. You treat me like another friend and that means everything to me. I just…I'm jealous, I guess, of how much more time Ochako and Himiko get to have with you."
"Momo…do you have feelings for me?" Izuku asked softly, already knowing the answer but needing her to say it. She flushed, the answer clear from her emotions, but he waited until she nodded shyly at him. He nodded absently.
"Alright. Well, I guess I owe Himiko a lot of kisses now," he muttered, ignoring the sudden flare of confusion from Momo. He let out a rueful chuckle as he ran one hand through his hair. "Okay. Then my next question is, do you have an issue with polyamory?"
"N-no, of course not! I think what you have is lovely, and-"
"Momo, it's okay, I just wanted to be sure," he cut her off gently. "I uh…I guess you didn't hear. But um…we're uh…we're open to seeing if other people work too?"
"What?" Momo whispered, her head snapping up to look at him in a combination of confusion, hope, and fear.
Izuku rubbed the back of his neck again. "Tsuyu asked us out before we left, and we agreed we'd uh, try something when we all got back. Like…a date. Um…maybe…if you want, you could have one too? I'll have to talk to Himi and 'Chako but uh, pretty sure they're expecting it now so-"
"What do you mean, expecting it?"
Izuku flushed. "Himiko is uh…convinced most of the girls in the class have a crush on one of us, if not all of us heh."
"O-oh," Momo replied, dumbfounded…and now reconsidering some of the conversations she'd been having with Kyoka recently. "Um…well…if, if they are okay with it, I…yes? C-can I? We? Us, uh, I mean-"
"I get it," Izuku said. "Yeah, I'll uh, talk to the girls tomorrow. We'll um, see?" Izuku suddenly snorted as a thought crossed his mind, Momo blinking in confusion. Izuku noticed her response and grinned. "Knowing Himiko she'll probably tell me to just make out with you and that'll solve all the problems!"
Momo squeaked, her cheeks blazing as she covered her face and looked away from Izuku. The mental images that flooded into her mind were incredibly embarrassing, and now that she knew he could feel what she felt made it worse.
Izuku chuckled. "Don't be embarrassed. It's um…flattering, you think that way about me. I mean, everyone in class knows how amazing and talented you are, so it's kind of a big ego boost to know you feel that way, you know?"
"I-I'm not amazing or-"
"Nope. Cutting you off right there Momo. You're too hard on yourself. I promise you, everyone in class thinks you're one of the best of us. Not because of your name or your Quirk…but because you care."
Momo smiled softly as she looked down again. "Thank you, Izuku. Um…c-can we keep this between us and Himiko and Ochako though? I don't-"
"Not gonna say a word," Izuku assured her.
Momo paused for a moment, worrying at her lip for a moment before she spoke again. "A-actually…can I tell Kyoka? Um, we talk a lot, and uh, it helps to talk to her…"
Izuku could tell there was something she wasn't saying, but this time he chose not to pursue. She had the right to her own secrets, and this one didn't seem to be upsetting her…if anything, she seemed a little bit happier. He nodded. "Sure, of course."
"Okay. Maybe we should prepare for bed then?" Momo asked.
And then Izuku remembered a slight issue with staying in the same room as Momo. He flushed. "Um…uh…so uh, one thing…err…would you be upset if I slept without my shirt on? I uh, get really hot, you know, higher than normal body temperature and such."
Momo's face turned beet red and she let out a squeak, before averting her gaze. "Um…t-that's fine. I'll just…turn around."
"T-thanks!" Izuku managed to get out. "I'll um…turn around so you can get changed too?"
"R-right!" Momo said, quickly spinning about as Izuku did the same. Both teens apparently forgetting there was a convenient bathroom just down the hall they could have used, but after their earlier conversation, neither was really considering it clearly. After some embarrassing moments where they both awkwardly ignored the shuffling of clothes, the two managed to get into their respective cots without issue.
Momo, in her nightgown, reached up and flicked the lamp off, plunging the room into darkness. She cleared her throat. "Goodnight, Izuku."
"Goodnight, Momo. Sweet dreams!"
"Hey uh, Nine? I know why the kid knows you," Chimera said, staring at his phone in consternation.
"What?" Nine asked, looking up from a laptop he had been working at. Chimera replied by reading aloud from an article he had up on his phone that had been written after the Sports Festival.
"Izuku Midoriya's comments at the UA Sports Festival had many asking what was the young man talking about? Well, after investigating, we here at Shoowaysha Publishing have found the truth! Izuku Midoriya's childhood was marred by an explosive incident which claimed the lives of thirty seven people, as well as wounding two hundred and eleven, due to his Quirk activating and erupting into action. His Quirk, registered as an energy absorbing and releasing one, absorbed an entire bolt of lightning that was thrown at him by a passing villain, one who was previously unidentified. But if we take his words at the Sports Festival to heart, it appears that villain is the same one as the one who leads the League of Villains!"
"Article continues on, but…yeah. Sound familiar?" Chimera asked.
Nine stared at Chimera, his jaw clenched as he remembered that day…the green wave of destruction that erupted all around him, the way he had to flee as fast as he could, how close he came to being killed by it… "That…fucking brat! He should have died!" Nine snarled, slamming his hand onto the counter.
"Well, he didn't. So what do we do now?" Slice asked.
"...I'm tired of sitting here doing nothing. We need to make a statement. He embarrassed us at the festival. We need to make sure people know we are still here. Shigaraki!" Nine called, the television flickering on.
"Yes?"
"Lend me some of the Nomu. We need to make a statement, erode more trust."
"Hmm…that seems like a fair plan, albeit hasty. Very well, you may take three. But none of the ones with Imbuement. I think if you are going to attack, do it in Hosu. The Hero Killer is there…the chaos of both it and the Nomu should be…amusing."
"I thought you told us to avoid the Hero Killer?" Mummy asked.
"Oh, absolutely. Stay away from it at all costs. But if we unleash the Nomu while it's doing its dirty work, it will be chaos. Just be sure to stay far away from the alleys."
"Okay, seriously, what is the damned Hero Killer?" Chimera asked, frustrated. "You told us some vague bullshit but no real information!"
"Well, if you must know…As you are aware if you know history at all, most Quirk's from the Dawn of Quirks were significantly weaker than nowadays. And many of them were hated. There is one that a man practically begged me to take from him, so of course, in my infinite generosity, I did. It has been languishing for many many years since then, unused. I had no real use for it, you see, as it's very…particular. Then we started the Nomu project."
"...so it's a Nomu?" Mummy asked.
"No, as I said, this was the start of the project. This Quirk is…unusual. We intended on mixing it with a few others…Shadow Jaunt, Illusory Mist, Mockingbird, Consuming Touch, Junk Possession. Designing a sort of creature that could attack from any angle, at any time, and destroy its foes with only a few touches. But then we mixed in this Quirk. And well…it appears that the Quirk was, in some fashion, semi-sentient. So it took the mixture of Quirks we had intended for a Nomu and…absconded with them."
"The fuck kinda Quirk just…runs off with a bunch of other Quirks on it's own?!" Chimera asked, shocked.
"Ravenous Nightmare."
That is not all there is to the Hero Killer, but some of you did guess some details about it! As for what its modeled after, well...We'll get into that soon xD