Hello again, everyone. Well, now the time has officially come for our favorite Heroes to finally start developing their special moves, and I just gotta tell you, I had a lot of fun coming up with what I could for Nikolay's, and how he can combine or develop those based on the moves of his classmates.
And not just that, but we now also finally have the League of Villains making their first move since the battle between All Might and All For One. I can already tell you all I've been having a blast putting this particular subplot together and having things all coalesce into one for the sake of some of my future plans with this story. I can only hope that the payoff will ultimately be considered worthwhile by you all.
Once more, if you like what you read here today, please be so kind as to leave an honest review, and if you'd like to see what artwork has been made for this story thus far, be sure to check out my profile 'ubasnaga'. If you'd also like to make any fanart revolving around my OC's or your favorite original moments in this particular story thus far, don't hesitate to PM me. I'd love to see if anything about my story inspired anyone out there.
I'd like to give another grateful shout-out to my two beta readers, Mizu and Jonny. You two only prove to be more and more awesome with each passing week's worth of advice and assistance you provide, no matter how big or small.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, the original events surrounding them, and the alterations of established events that occur as a direct result of their existence in this universe.
A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.
Chapter 54
Upgrade
(Обновлять)
Undisclosed Location, August 15th
Stepping through the black void of this bizarre misty portal felt like it erased all sense of physical space and time, like Vukodlak was drifting through a nonexistent void between plains of reality. In actuality, he and the rest of the Villains that had helped him to escape Tartarus had only been inside the black mist for barely a handful of seconds, but that loss of temporal awareness could make even that insignificant amount of time feel so much longer.
Almost as quickly as they had all stepped in, did they ultimately re-emerge, with Vukodlak wasting no time taking in what little he could of their new surroundings once the black mist dissipated. He could feel cold, damp concrete against his foot, and detect a particular musty scent in the air, almost like long-collected dust with a touch of rust. There was no insulation to speak of, clearly, as it was particularly cold inside.
Much of this new interior was particularly dark, save for one light situated to shine directly on top of the newly arrived Russian Villain, while his momentary compatriots quickly made space from him, nearly forming a half circle behind him.
Vukodlak could soon hear the sound of several other footsteps starting to approach him from the front, before he could finally make out four distinct shapes stepping into the rim of the light: a lanky figure in a suit, cape and top hat that had them resembling more of a magician than anything else, with a bizarre white mask over a black head stocking, with what looked like a spiral pattern drawn on it; a shorter reptilian-looking character dressed in what looked like some kind of red urban ninja getup with a head of tall purple hair; a towering muscular figure that looked like an even cross between a man and a woman with sunglasses, long red hair and a massive wrapped up beam-shaped bludgeon resting on their shoulder; and finally, a shorter man in either black or dark blue (it was hard to tell in this kind of light) with semi-long messy white hair, and an assortment of disembodied hands clutching onto the lengths of his arms up to his shoulders, and one clasping onto his face.
However, even despite the fact he couldn't make out this last new arrival's face, Vukodlak could unmistakably feel the sensation of his eyes looking straight into his own, looking him over in foreboding silence.
"A resounding success, I see. I was just beginning to contemplate us checking to make sure you all hadn't decided to simply turn tail and go your own separate ways. After all, considering our decision to remain separated outside of conducting this particular mission, it would have given you all ample opportunity to do so," the magician Villain stated with definite relief, looking their one-legged new arrival with nary a hint of visible expression, only for Twice to once more start getting indignantly in his face at the drop of a hat.
"As if, Compress! You think laying low alone, and then spending two days hiding out in the middle of nowhere after losing our hideout's gonna be enough to send me scurrying? No way! I'd run for less!" While the magician and the consistently inconsistent bodysuit-wearer carried their insignificant tête-à-tête with each other, Vukodlak was slowly but steadily looking over every one of his supposed new allies, while they were all continuing to do the same.
"So this is the one who calls himself 'Vukodlak,' huh? Not nearly as impressive in the flesh as the pictures online made him look. After all that message board chatter, I wonder just how in line this one's philosophy is with Stain's. That's all I need to know if he wants my vote," the reptilian Villain stated bluntly once he'd finished looking Vukodlak over from head to toe before ultimately crossing his arms in indifference.
Vukodlak himself had no intention of prostrating himself to anyone to try and get in their good graces, but he had at least become passively familiar with exactly who this Stain character was in his time imprisoned. From what he'd managed to glean, they seemed to have similar enough worldviews where it counted, even if fundamentally speaking, he couldn't help but consider the aptly named 'Hero Killer' to be a touch too naïve for his own good.
"Well, whether he meets your fanboy-level standards or not, Spinner, this guy's way super tough, I just saw it myself! Dabi, Kurogiri and Twice, too! It's so exciting; I can't wait to see what else he can do!" Himiko was once again bouncing and squealing excitedly at the thought, as though she hadn't just nearly seen two of her allies get bled out before her eyes barely a minute ago.
"Oh please, Himiko-chan, you've been fangirling over this guy ever since his mug got put up all over the news, so of course you'd be vouching for him right out the gate; God only knows why. He looks old enough to be your old man. Besides, this guy looks so much smaller and haggard than I'd hoped, not to mention hobbled." The red-haired Villain with the massive bludgeon spoke with a clearly condescending and ill-humored tone, as though they found their own insults to be far more amusing than they really were; the sign of one with a skewed ego of themselves, undoubtedly. That's all Vukodlak could think, listening to them.
"Actually, Toga does have something of a point, Magne. Twice and I decided to give this guy a little test run to see if he could at least hold his own if things got rough. He's definitely a lot faster and agile than he looks." The stitch-faced young man, Dabi, sounded about as apathetic and cold as Vukodlak had already become accustomed to in the very short time they'd already known each other, but he could also see through his body language, that nearly having his carotid slit in less than a minute's time had left a visible impression. This young Villain wasn't simply talking him up to inflate the Russian Villain's ego. He had been genuinely impressed.
"Assuming Toga-san seems to have such thorough regard for our new partner, I'm guessing he was really only holding his own against you and Twice, Dabi-san? I suppose that's still worth some merit, considering the respective speeds of your Quirks." The magician-looking Villain he now knew to be the one called 'Compress' commented, still managing to sound so casual and unmoved, while the bodysuit-clad Villain Vukodlak had by now associated to be the one called Twice retorted aggressively: "You're damn right! He got us both before either of us could get enough of a bead on him to actually take him down! Not impressive at all!"
By this point, Vukodlak had finally decided to mentally phase out the rest of the chatter going on around him before finally locking eyes with the one remaining Villain among this retinue whose name he didn't know, and who had yet to say anything. This time, he could make out a single bloodshot red eye peering at him through one of the gaps between the fingers of the hand on his face. Vukodlak could instantly feel a physical breeze emanating from this last man; a wave of pure intensity that none of these other Villains had managed to make him feel yet. That sheer display of atmospheric power and overwhelming presence brought the beginnings of a grin to Vukodlak's face.
"All For One had told me I would be meeting all of my new allies today; one of whom apparently being his personal disciple to whom I'll be lending my aid. Considering the presence he could radiate without my even being in the same room as him, and the fact nobody else here but you can radiate anything remotely the same… I think that narrows it down quite a bit as to just who exactly you are in this ragtag group of yours."
The fact that Vukodlak had suddenly decided to speak, and with not an ounce of intimidation to be heard, rendered all the other surrounding Villains silent, while Tomura never took his one exposed eye from the man before him. Taking the resultant silence as an invitation to keep speaking, Vukodlak took a further look at his surroundings, now able to better make out the finer details thanks to his regained and naturally enhanced eyesight.
"Even with your numbers being this small, I seriously doubt a musty old warehouse like this is really your main base of operations. Still, that's smart, not taking me directly to where you really formulate your plans and pool your resources."
Even though he didn't say so at first, with each passing second of listening to this nonchalant foreigner before him, Tomura was liking him less and less at an exponential rate. The moment their eyes met once again, the white-haired leader of the League of Villains finally spoke up: "We don't need this one. Not for the work we're planning to do. I don't care what any of you or Sensei say otherwise; having a cripple like this would only hinder us."
Vukodlak could once more feel that physical chilling wave wash over him at the sound of coldhearted apathy in Tomura's voice. Before he could answer, the Villain of black mist he had now come to identify as Kurogiri suddenly began to approach Tomura with haste. "Shigaraki Tomura-san, I implore you to please reconsider. I can personally vouch for our new arrival: Vukodlak-san here is an individual we would do well to give the benefit of the doubt. His fighting skills, even for as briefly as I saw them, are impressive for one in a condition like his. And let's not forget he apparently held his own against a good number of Yuuei students without his eyesight. With our resources at hand, he could prove to be a very valuable asset to us."
Tomura didn't look to be paying Kurogiri any mind, as he was already beginning to turn his back on Vukodlak, before the Russian Villain took that moment to speak up: "Your Sensei reached out to me, and even told you all he would do so, because he fully believed I would be able to help you fortify yourselves against the so-called Heroes you're trying to destroy. I gave him my word I would help you whichever way was best, and I intend to follow through on that, regardless whether you think it's necessary or not, Shigaraki-san."
At this, Tomura came to a complete stop, just barely turning his head in Vukodlak's direction. "You all say he's so strong? You say that he fought you to a standstill? There's no such thing when you already know there's a time limit racing against you. We won't have that issue here. Let's see just how strong you really are, then."
Vukodlak could already feel the room beginning to grow exceptionally tense; all eyes honing in on him with every word Tomura spoke. The man wasn't wrong, though. Now that they didn't have to worry about a fight drawing the attention of prison guards, they could take their sweet time here. With the cracking of his knuckles and the joints in his neck, Vukodlak had only the slightest smile on his grizzled face.
In the blink of an eye, Tomura suddenly kicked himself right across the room from the ground, flying straight for Vukodlak with his hand reaching for his face. Just as quickly did Vukodlak kick himself to the side, spinning upright as Tomura just barely flew past him. The moment he passed him by, Vukodlak sprung up from the ground once again, swinging his clawed foot right for the back of Tomura's head; the hand-faced man just halfway to turning around to face him again.
The slightest fluctuation of something flying through the air reached Vukodlak's ears, and he quickly threw his body weight downward mid-kick, sending him flat to the ground just in time to avoid a knife flying straight through the air were his midsection had previously been, planting itself in a leaning plank of wood against the opposite wall.
The moment he was flat on the floor, the Russian noticed a sweeping wave of blue fire start spreading across the ground from Dabi right toward him, sending Vukodlak hurriedly rolling back away from it until he could get back on his foot, grabbing a nearby metal pipe from the floor on his way.
Tomura was already advancing on him in a frenzied rush, but Vukodlak's reaction time was nothing to squint at, either; as he quickly lunged the pipe forward, intending to drive it into the white-haired man's windpipe to take him out of the fight.
Just before impact could be made, though, Tomura clasped both his hands onto the pipe, and before Vukodlak's widening eyes, the pipe immediately began to spread with rust before ultimately disintegrating into dust within his grasp. 'Oh-ho! A decaying Quirk! Very impressive!'
In that one moment of distraction on both their parts, Vukodlak suddenly caught a glimpse of green and red darting down from the ceiling above before landing right at his side. Out the corner of his eye, Vukodlak caught sight of the one called Spinner squatting at his side, before suddenly swinging his legs up in a high kick right into Vukodlak's side, putting in enough force to send the Villain off his feet.
The moment he was in the air, Spinner quickly launched himself up right into him, grabbing Vukodlak by the throat before planting both his feet and one free hand on the face of a nearby wall. His very next intended action was to throw Vukodlak across the warehouse towards Dabi and Mr. Compress.
However, the moment he began to swing his arm forward to send the man flying, he realized there was much more resistance than he expected… far too much, in fact.
As Spinner looked back, his eyes grew wide to see not only the confident smile on Vukodlak's face, but also the fact that he had, in just those few seconds, dug the claws of his one foot into the concrete of the wall, effectively anchoring himself. Before Spinner could react, Vukodlak drove his left hand into the wall as well, securing his place, and at the same time looped his right arm around the reptilian Villain's, and bent his arm in around Spinner's neck, effectively trapping him in an exceptionally strong chokehold.
Putting all of his strength into pushing himself out from the wall, Vukodlak launched himself across the air with Spinner in tow, ready to drive him headfirst into the unforgiving concrete below. However, the sound of something prying itself free from wood and swinging through the air caught his attention.
Looking down, he was surprised to find the briefest glint of light against steel, before being met with the sight of a knife attached to a rope swinging upwards in a pendulum-like arc right for him. Releasing his hold on Spinner and causing the reptile Villain to collapse to the ground, Vukodlak spun himself around to meet the knife with his previous momentum, reaching up to clasp the blade between both his palms, stopping it dead in its tracks.
"You're tough and fast, but not enough for me, Mr. Cool!" Himiko declared with that same bubbly cheer, just as she leaped up into the air behind Vukodlak, with another knife and a tube-fed syringe in both her hands, both ready to be driven straight into his back.
Vukodlak was admittedly impressed at this little girl's agility and speed, and thus knew he only had one last ditch move available to avoid getting stabbed. Planting his one foot against the rope connecting the knife to Himiko, and thus serving as a means of leverage, Vukodlak turned his body to face the grinning blonde girl, and at the same time yanked forward and downward with the knife, pulling the rope along enough to pull her off her course, and ultimately send her swinging up over his shoulder and down to the ground like one giant lasso, only for her to avoid getting concussed or worse by Twice catching her.
Letting go of the knife, Vukodlak was finally starting to descend back to the ground, but before impact could be made, he saw another of the black portals from Kurogiri swiftly open up and swallow him whole. Before he could understand where he was being sent, he just as quickly found himself getting spat back out up into the air, right in front of an already fiery and prepared Dabi and Mr. Compress.
Just as he could see Dabi was about to swing his wrist to send his fire right into the Russian Villain's face, Vukodlak swiftly jabbed his right arm for the younger Villain's throat, grabbing on tight, but Dabi didn't hesitate still to let loose.
Just a fraction of a second too late to avoid his leg getting quite singed, Vukodlak used his grip on the grounded Dabi to spring himself up and meet the nearby shelf with his foot, only to just as quickly kick himself off of that, sending himself flipping right back to the ground, still keeping his grip on Dabi, but now ending up behind him, and just as quickly pulling him along as he threw his body weight backwards, sending Dabi flying into a near perfect suplex.
However, Dabi was still far from out of the fight, as he rolled back onto his knees and immediately let loose another huge plume of blue fire, only for Vukodlak to launch himself up and backwards, planting his foot into Mr. Compress's face, using the magician-like Villain as a stepping stone to put more distance between himself and the fire. The moment Mr. Compress realized the fire was still coming for him, he quickly reached forward and snapped both his fingers, encapsulating the entirety of the blue inferno into two marbles he quickly caught out of midair, only to just as quickly throw them right back at the recently landed Vukodlak.
After having seen what Mr. Compress had done to the fire before throwing the marbles at him, it didn't take much for Vukodlak to realize not only what this one's Quirk was, but also what he was about to do, and for once he didn't have a fancy counter or means of evasion on standby.
Hence, his only option was to launch himself to the side, toppling the shelf from earlier over, just at the same moment Mr. Compress snapped his fingers, and the marbles both erupted into those same blue fireballs, scorching the spot Vukodlak had just stood at.
Before Vukodlak could regain his bearings and get into position, he suddenly felt his body become completely weightless, but this wasn't the same as when it had happened to him while fighting those damned kids back in Erubi City. No, this time, it felt like his body was being reeled along by an invisible line, while the red-haired Villain from earlier, the one called Magne, was chuckling in amusement to themselves. "You've put on an impressive acrobatics display, old man, but I'm done letting you waste all our time."
Before Vukodlak knew it, he found himself once again about to get pounced on by the still-active Himiko; this time with her rope knife and syringe at the ready, no means for him to wrangle her around this time. And for the oddest, reason, her body was glowing pink, while he only just now realized his own was glowing blue.
With no other means to react, Vukodlak took advantage of his current weightless state by springing himself up from the ground with his one foot, meeting Himiko head-on. However, this time she was ready for him, as she didn't even hesitate to plunge her weapons down, with Vukodlak catching her syringe-wielding hand by the wrist, and grabbing her other wrist with his other hand.
However, he found this didn't stop her approach. In fact, it felt as though their bodies were being forcibly pulled towards one another by this same invisible force, as Himiko's giggling smiling face was still getting closer centimeter by centimeter, before he could start to feel the tip of her knife pushing into his right bicep.
"Won't you at least let me make a tiny little cut and suck a little out? I can only imagine what the blood of a real cool older friend must be like," she taunted as she could see the pain start to register in his eyes.
As their feet finally met the ground again, while still being stuck to each other, Vukodlak could suddenly hear the sound of far more footsteps meeting the ground and charging for his back en masse than he knew there were.
That's when the memory of seeing a copy of himself in the middle of his escape came back; and considering what he had seen from Kurogiri, Dabi and Himiko so far, it suddenly occurred to him just what Twice's Quirk had to be, and just what he was attempting to do right now.
And that's what he knew needed to be done, as when he chanced the briefest glance over his shoulder, he could see Twice was indeed in the process of creating a handful of clones of Vukodlak himself, with all of them aiming to rush the original from behind while he was stuck to Himiko.
'If that one is protective enough of this girl to actually catch her from freefalling… then I can use that.' As Vukodlak thought this, he could already see the clones were starting to advance, with Twice himself rushing along with them into the fray. At the same time, looking forward again, he could also see Magne standing just a little over six feet off to the sideline, clearly convinced that their Quirk had officially immobilized their shared opponent.
Without a hint of warning, knowing he had precious little time to act otherwise, Vukodlak suddenly swung his head back, and then brought it hammering forward into Himiko's face, hard. He swore he could hear the ringing in her own ears as his head-butt resonated through her skull, sending her into a state of complete unconsciousness. With the multitude of footsteps rapidly approaching from behind, and the resultant grunts beginning to sound that indicated the start of an attack, Vukodlak quickly spun himself around to face Twice and his army, with the unconscious Himiko still stuck to his front to serve as his involuntary human shield.
The instant he saw their young female ally in the line of fire, Twice came to a dead stop, and with his mind in a complete frenzy, every one of his clones simultaneously disintegrated into black ooze at his mental command. His own panic was the one thing that kept him from seeing the satisfied grin on Vukodlak's face at such a reaction. He'd danced to the Russian Villain's tune like a puppet.
Before Magne could think to react to this sudden turn of the tide, Vukodlak suddenly proceeded to throw Himiko's body at them, and while Magne's instinctive first reaction was to catch the girl in mid-air; too late did they realize just how effectively Vukodlak had used their own Quirk to his advantage.
By throwing Himiko toward them, Vukodlak's body immediately flew right after her like a round from a slingshot. The moment he and Magne made eye contact, he quickly threw his balled right fist forward with that added momentum, driving a devastating punch straight past the wrapped bludgeon Magne had started to lift up to block, and directly into their face with a satisfyingly loud impact.
As Magne went crashing against the stone pillar behind them, Vukodlak could feel the weight return to his body, finally allowing him back on the ground and able to move his body at his own complete free will. Clearly Magne's Quirk was one that worked so long as they were conscious.
"YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU DO SOMETHING THAT DEVIOUS AND CLEVER?!" Twice roared, as Vukodlak could already once again see him conjuring multiple clones and sending them to rush him. Unfortunately, Vukodlak's fighting skills had nothing to do with his Quirk, and if this one's cloning Quirk worked like he assumed it did, then these clones wouldn't be able to match up to him now that he had no handicap.
As such, he proceeded to start swinging, diving, flipping, kicking and clawing his way through every one of the clones Twice kept sending his way; the bodysuit-clad Villain slowly growing wide-eyed with shock the more he saw how Vukodlak was improvising and switching up his fighting style with every wave that was sent at him on the fly, and proceeding ever closer toward him every step of the way. "No fair!"
With the destruction of the last two clones between himself and Twice, Vukodlak sprung forward, ready to drive his foot straight into this most troublesome Villain's masked face. However, as he looked Twice in the eye, he suddenly caught glimpse of something surprising within the shadows coming from behind Twice himself.
Before his eyes, Twice's body suddenly shrank and compressed into a tiny black marble, and standing just behind him with his cape expanded and ready to fly, was Mr. Compress.
Vukodlak quickly threw his body weight down so he could plant his foot firm to the ground, just as Mr. Compress was in the middle of leaping up to fly out of harm's way. However, a swift swipe of the claws of Vukodlak's right hand managed to tear through Mr. Compress's cape, sending him crash-landing and rolling back to the ground.
However, this momentary distraction proved enough for Spinner and Dabi to both come charging in tandem to take Vukodlak down, with the reptilian Villain pulling out two katanas from his back, while Dabi was reeling both his hands back to douse Vukodlak with a dual stream of fire.
With both of them coming at him from the same direction, Vukodlak knew they'd given themselves an unknown advantage, as he now couldn't intercept one in a two-pronged attack formation and thus catch the other by surprise. He knew he needed to find a way to evade their approaching attacks quickly. However, as he looked about for some means of evasion, he suddenly caught the light sound of Tomura's footsteps, as he was currently rushing Vukodlak from behind while he was in this vulnerable state, doubtless having instructed Spinner and Dabi to distract him.
However, by taking on this, admittedly, clever ploy, Tomura had effectively given Vukodlak back his advantage, as the moment he could hear the fluctuation in the air that told him the white-haired Villain was lunging for the back of his head, the Russian proceeded to let his legs go slack, dropping down to his knee, and thus causing Tomura's reaching hand to grab nothing but air above his head.
The moment he could hear Tomura's momentum stop and his feet come to a screeching halt, Vukodlak proceeded to roll himself back, hooking his leg around one of Tomura's, and forcing the Villain to fall to his back. The fact that Spinner and Dabi only momentarily came to a stop was all the proof Vukodlak needed that their actions were to have served as a distraction.
After having seen what Tomura's hands could clearly do, Vukodlak knew he needed to be careful in how he approached a fight with this one. However, Tomura was just as quick on the draw; not allowing Vukodlak the chance to get his bearings or formulate a strategy, before he was likewise rolling back onto his feet and charging Vukodlak with several carefully aimed and timed swipes of his grabbing hands, forcing Vukodlak to stay on the move backwards in order to avoid getting grabbed.
As he didn't dare take his eyes off of Tomura for a second, Vukodlak was likewise trying to see what he could spot through his peripherals that could gain him an advantage. At first there was nothing, and he knew this warehouse wasn't nearly as big as it seemed. Soon he would have his back up against the wall, and then he would be in a really bad way.
Soon enough, though, his eye caught sight of what looked like a bag of cement mix sitting against a nearby pillar. It would ultimately have to do for this situation.
However, just before he could proceed to duck and roll under another of Tomura's swipes, the hand-faced Villain proceeded to cut this fight short by lunging forward, springing himself up from the ground, and bringing both his hands closing in on Vukodlak from both sides in a one-man pincer maneuver. It was only through sheer muscle reflex that Vukodlak managed to lean himself back enough to reach and grab both of Tomura's wrists, using his momentum to pull his arms their respective directions and flip Tomura over, sending him spinning in mid-air before landing on his hands and knees on the ground, while Vukodlak practically launched himself over his prone form for the cement bag.
Tomura was instantly on the chase, but with a final desperate dive, Vukodlak managed to grab the rim of the cement bag and fling it right back in Tomura's direction, using his free hand to slice through the canvas along the way, causing a huge cloud of cement mix to explode out, cutting off both Villains' lines of sight.
Tomura was proving exceptionally smart by holding his breath so any coughing wouldn't reveal his location. However, with the help of his ultra-strengthened hearing, Vukodlak could make out Tomura's racing heartbeat, and once he was in the right position, he proceeded to lunge through, his attacking claws ready to strike as he jabbed for him.
"Another move and you're nothing but ashes!" Dabi's fierce voice suddenly announced, and as the cement mix finally started to clear, Vukodlak could see the stitch-faced young man standing with a blue flaming hand at the ready to burn him to a crisp.
"He won't be able to make another move, Dabi. I've already got him where I need him." Tomura stated with chilling calm in his voice. Indeed, Vukodlak could feel, after their split second scuffle within the fog once he'd made his move; that Tomura had managed to get four of his five fingers on each hand grasped around Vukodlak's left arm and upon his right side. Only his thumbs were still hovering mere millimeters from his body.
"I suppose that makes two of us then, Shigaraki Tomura-san." The fact Vukodlak said this with just as much confidence had Tomura only barely visibly flinch with surprise, before the physical sensation of something prodding at his neck had finally registered in his brain after a momentary delay. It felt like something that was just barely tugging away underneath the skin.
"Yes, I can tell you feel it; that tugging sensation within the side of your neck. That's one of my claws, just poised right against your carotid artery. It's such a little thing, but so vital to the human body. From where I'm at, all it would take is the slightest little application of pressure as I take my claw out, and that little vein will be severed so easily."
Even as he could feel the Russian Villain's claw just at the very surface of his artery, Tomura didn't lose an ounce of the intensity in his body language, nor did he loosen any of his dual grips on him. "All I need to do is plant my thumbs onto you to complete my grip, and your whole body will be dust within seconds."
"I don't doubt that at all. But it doesn't matter how fast your Quirk is; one involuntary flinch in reaction on my part is all it'll take to make you bleed to death right here in front of your comrades. We all know once a carotid is severed, it's all over. Do you really want to take that chance… or have I convinced you now?"
Vukodlak, despite the confidence in his words, never had a trace of superiority on his face as he looked Tomura in the eye with these words leaving his lips. For him, this wasn't some ridiculous case of someone trying to prove their alpha male status. This, for him, was simply his playing by their rules in order to prove his worth; nothing more, nothing less, and especially nothing new for him.
The fact that he still was sounding so calm and genuine in the midst of all this, forced Tomura to concede his point. Both their lives were pretty much hanging by a thread, and the way things now stood, there was no way either one of them could walk out of here alive if they carried on this fight. "Everyone stand down. He's proven himself."
With that, and only the faintest of smiles, Vukodlak calmly withdrew the tip of his claw from the tiny incision he'd made in Tomura's neck, while the white-haired Villain begrudgingly removed his four fingers from both parts of the Russian Villain's body.
At the same time, having finally since regained consciousness alongside Magne after taking that vicious head-butt to her face, while still being in time to see the climax of this fight; Himiko was once again smiling bright from ear to ear, even despite the extensive bruise on her forehead. "HA! Do you guys believe it now?! Even outnumbered and ganged up on like that, Vukodlak still held his own, even with one foot! I knew it; I just knew there was a reason I thought you were so cool, even when just hearing about you through the news!"
Not wasting a beat, Kurogiri was already coming in with a first-aid kit in hand to attend to the puncture wounds on Tomura's neck and Vukodlak's shoulder respectively, as well as the few extensive burns on his leg, while the two men continued staring each other down. Nonetheless, despite their mutual close call with certain death, Vukodlak was already forming the beginning of a slight smirk. "You're far from anything to scoff at either, Shigaraki-san. I've been hunting and fighting people with Quirks in groups for over twenty years, and not one of them has ever managed to actually get me in a stalemate before, especially no one as young as you. Tunguska's little boy and his friends had to pretty much lay down an incessant group beatdown in order to even slow me down. I can see why All For One spoke so promisingly of you."
As he said this, however, he couldn't ignore the sense of curiosity scratching at the back of his mind. Tomura's Quirk gave him a natural edge when it came to strength, but from what he'd seen so far, his Quirk was still fairly limited in its applications. So then why would someone who seemed to have a vast array of individual Quirks like All For One pick this young man to be his disciple, and what would that even look like for Tomura himself? He'd even used the word 'inheritor' to describe him a couple times up until now, so did that mean All For One somehow had the ability to actually give the very same Quirks he could apparently take as well? These were definitely questions Vukodlak knew he was going to one day want the answers to.
But, until then, things around here seemed to be calming down, and thus he sat himself up straight, exuding a welcoming demeanor while still looking Tomura in the eye. "Well, I'm glad to hear I seem to have passed your test, all the same. So, whatever it is that you want or need my assistance with, all you need do is say so."
"And that is exactly what he will ultimately do, Vukodlak-san." The sudden intrusion of All For One's voice inside Vukodlak's head, this time, caused the Russian Villain to jump with surprise, while Tomura visibly flinched, clearly having been contacted when not expecting it as well. In fact, it looked as though all the Villains in here were reacting the same way. For once, All For One was addressing the entire League of Villains as a whole.
"Sensei… you're still here…" Tomura muttered in both surprise and a deep sense of relief at the sound of All For One's voice.
"Not for much longer, Shigaraki Tomura. I've exerted myself considerably in order to help secure Vukodlak-san's escape. I don't have much energy left today, but I wanted to leave you with these parting words so that you and all your followers may understand how things are going to work from now on.
"Through my being imprisoned here, you shall finally learn to truly assert your independence and obtain your own growth of power by your own initiative and planning. Of course, no great leader is truly great without the proper manpower to help see their vision through, and that is essentially why I went to the trouble of bringing Vukodlak into your fold. He will be a very experienced and vital asset for the execution of our goals, just like all of your soldiers as they currently stand. However, it's up to you and you alone to decide what you need from those around you, and how you will ultimately utilize them in your grand plan, Tomura."
With every word, Tomura's posture straightened more and more, his fists clenching in determination and growing confidence and focus. Just from listening to the way All For One was speaking to Tomura right now, Vukodlak found himself quick to understand just what this all ultimately was: a trial by fire for Tomura to prove not only his capabilities as an independent leader, but also to prove just exactly how much he'd truly grown as All For One's apparent student for who-knew how long.
At the same time, Tomura could feel the weight of his sensei's words sinking into the pit of his chest with each passing second. As much as he hated the idea of leaving the man imprisoned for any amount of time, he knew there was an undeniable truth to his teacher and savior's words as well. All For One had said so many times that everything he had done had been for Tomura's benefit, for the sake of helping make him stronger so that he could be able to finally stand on his own… and now was the moment of truth for him to stand on his own two feet and prove, not only to his sensei, but to himself, that he was well and truly ready; ready and truly strong enough to stand as the beacon of defiance against Heroes and their oppressive and cruel society. And he had all the allies he would need right now in this very same room with him.
'I won't disappoint you, Sensei… and I won't disappoint myself, either. You want me to stand tall as the Villain who will destroy All Might and this whole goddamned Hero society? Then I'll do it to a degree no one could have ever imagined, not even you. I'll make us both proud, I swear it.'
With this newfound resolve burning furiously in his chest, Tomura finally proceeded to really meet Vukodlak's gaze. "Kurogiri, warp everyone back to where you originally picked them up, and take our new arrival over to the doctor. He can have him fitted with a much better prosthetic leg. He's going to need it."
Vukodlak didn't even try to hide the anticipatory smile on his face as his eyes fell to the stump of his leg. If they could somehow make him something even better than the prosthetic leg he'd had before; preferably one that could resist being melted like that one, then this was going to be the beginning of a beautiful partnership. "So, if you're to ultimately be calling the shots for all of us here, and considering it was my potential assistance to you that drove All For One to orchestrate my escape in the first place, what exactly is it that you want me to do for you, Shigaraki-san?"
As Kurogiri quickly closed the gates he had just opened for the others upon the sudden interruption, Tomura began instinctively pacing; a noted eagerness in his body language. "Sensei told me exactly what he intended for you to do for us. He wants you to go out there and find all the information you can on that Tunguska bastard. Anything we can learn about him, we can subsequently learn about that brat of his, since in Sensei's eyes, they fall within our top three biggest threats coming out of Yuuei, after All Might's personal student, Midoriya Izuku, and before the boy we failed to convert, Bakugo. Sensei believes that, since Tunguska can exude even a fraction of the same kind of spirit as All Might once could, that his influence in helping all the other Hero students in that school develop could be a huge obstacle to us if left unchecked. The more you can help us learn about him, the better prepared we can be to finally kill them both, and inevitably, all of them."
It honestly sounded, to Vukodlak at least, like Tomura was simply regurgitating whatever it was that All For One had told them both before, hence why he actually went on to clear his throat in order to take control of the room. "Your sensei pretty much told me the exact same thing in the beginning. If you really wanted to learn about who Tunguska is, you could send any expat spy nosy and thorough enough over to Russia to dig through the government's dirty laundry and find what you're looking for."
Tomura came to a complete stop, once again staring at Vukodlak through the hand on his face, before slowly pointing a definite finger at him. "But you already know that's not what either of us wants you for. Sensei pulled the strings to lure you all the way to Japan to find and kill Tunguska, precisely because he somehow knew about your experience in hunting Heroes, and of your personal history with the man. You know Tunguska better than anyone in this room, probably better than anyone else in this country. If there's some kind of information on him that nobody in the public or outside a very deep secret circle could possibly know, you surely must know a way to get to it so we can know exactly what kind of Hero we're dealing with, and therefore, how to eliminate him, and remove one of the bigger thorns in our side. Sensei feels there's some kind of greater reason why All Might sought him out, instead of anyone else, and his instincts on such suspicions haven't proven false yet."
Now Tomura was sounding more like he was speaking for himself, which brought a pleased smile to Vukodlak's face. "Now I think we're starting to get closer to the real point here. Very well; we can just have this doctor of yours build me a new and improved leg. Once that's taken care of, I can just give your friend over there, Kurogiri-san, some coordinates to send me to, and I can take care of it from there. I've been feeling a touch homesick anyway, so just tell me you've got the means for me to stay in contact with you for whatever I may find."
"Your willingness is good to hear, but that's not the first thing you're going to be doing for us." Tomura suddenly declared, piquing Vukodlak's curiosity, as well as the confusion of the rest of his fellow Villains.
"Wait, what? The whole point of us going through all that trouble to break him out was so he could go dig up dirt on that glowing asshole from before! Why are you suddenly changing your mind?" Twice instantly exclaimed impatiently, while Kurogiri slowly approached their leader, only for Tomura to lift his head to indicate he was looking all his compatriots in the eye.
"He and I may have fought each other to a stalemate, and he may have managed to keep the lot of you that could stay conscious on your toes, but that's still not the same as winning. He's proven his strength, but I want to see for myself how capable Vukodlak here really is in fighting against Heroes." Vukodlak already had an eyebrow lifted with intrigue, while Dabi simply looked between the two men with that same cold, apathetic glare.
"Sounds like a completely pointless effort, though. He already fought against a handful of those Yuuei brats and lost." The moment the stitch-faced young Villain uttered the last syllable, he caught sight of Vukodlak flicking his wrist from behind his back, sending a tiny projectile flying right for his face. A quick snap of Dabi's fingers produced a brief blue flame that reduced what he now saw to be a carpenter's nail that had been flying for his eye, to ashes.
The moment that brief little cheap shot was dealt with, however, Dabi looked and felt a sudden momentary chill when he saw one of Vukodlak's eyes staring right at him. "You're not wrong about that, Dabi-san, but that doesn't say anything for my skills as a whole. I only lost because I didn't know exactly what kind of Heroes I was up against then. Now I do, and now I have time, my sight, and soon both my legs to play with. If you want me to hunt those brats down and kill them, just give me the means to track them down and it'll be done. They won't be able to escape me. Although, going out and about in public may be a touch more difficult this time, since the public now knows my face thanks to the news."
While Himiko was once again giggling ecstatically to herself ("He sounds so cool talking all big and confident like that!"), Tomura was beginning to form only the slightest of an upturned corner of his mouth. "That's the kind of attitude I'm sure Sensei was hoping you'd have right from the start. We've got a plan of our own slowly coming together you could prove very helpful in; and don't worry about your chances of being recognized. We have our resources in the underground to accommodate that. We'll take care of that first before we put the plan into action. If I understand from Sensei how you said your Quirk works in terms of hunting your targets…"
Without warning, Tomura suddenly turned his attention to Himiko across the room, causing the still-grinning psychotic schoolgirl to flinch in realization. "Toga, lend him some of the blood you managed to get from some of those Hero brats."
Himiko didn't waste a moment before practically skipping across the warehouse floor to Vukodlak's side, hurriedly grabbing her syringe before disconnecting the tube, only for the large Russian Villain to hold an opposing open hand to her face. "Not much. A drop of each is all I need. Trust me."
Following his words, Himiko proceeded to let the two lines of collected blood she still had in the tanks on her back come out, only allowing a single drop of each to land on his waiting hand. The moment he felt the thick red liquids hit his palm, he immediately proceeded to lick both clean from his hand. All fell silent as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, almost resembling a state of euphoria. "Two distinctly unique tastes and scents… following both won't be a problem. Who did this blood belong to?"
Himiko practically lit up the moment she realized he was directly asking her. "Ooh, I got these from two special friends in Yuuei: Uraraka Ochako and Ashido Mina. I could've gotten a third, but I wasn't able to draw enough."
She was all but certain that was as much as she was going to be able to do for their newest member, but Vukodlak looked unconvinced. "I swore I could smell a couple other distinct scents, coming from your knives specifically."
Himiko's yellow eyes widened with delighted surprise as she quickly drew her rope knife, looking over the glistening blade with that twisted fanged smile. "Well, I was able to cut a couple other students during the camp attack and the fight a month ago. Asui Tsuyu and Kolya-kun, specifically. But I had to wash those away to keep the blade from rusting, so I don't think you can get anything from this."
Himiko was in almost too much of a dreamlike state of her own to be aware of her surroundings, but she definitely noticed how the mentioning of the cute Russian boy's name caused Vukodlak to flinch from head to toe with anticipation. Without hesitation, he once more held out his hand, motioning for her to give him the knife. "Washing blood away doesn't matter. It's one of those special liquids you can never truly get rid of down to the minutest trace. I can work with the residue."
The confidence with which he said this had Himiko practically bouncing excitedly as she handed her rope knife to him, and watched with anticipation as he very slowly rang his tongue along the blade, looking almost as though he were savoring it. Once again, his body trembled with that euphoric sensation before handing back her knife; leaving Himiko looking like she was about to start squealing.
"So… four targets specifically locked into my head… and I can only assume you have many, many more in mind." Vukodlak stated as he returned his attention to the unsettlingly patient and quiet Tomura.
"More than you realize right now, and countless more after that. But before we can truly begin anything together, I want you to understand something without question." With his voice dropping to yet another frigid level, he began to slowly approach Tunguska; his hands instinctively clenching into fists, opening, and back again.
"The ultimate goal of the League of Villains isn't just to eliminate Tunguska, his kid, Midoriya Izuku and the Heroes of Yuuei. Heroes all across the nation have twisted society into this shitty charade where those who dare to question the rules and stand up as individuals are branded as undesirables and criminals to be shunned and punished. Hell, you've seen this yourself even in your own country. It's not an issue relegated strictly to Japan or Russia, but the world over. People won't be able to be truly free until all Heroes have ultimately been wiped out, and I think deep down inside, you realize this just as much as we do.
"With that being said, Sensei has told me everything he's learned from you over the time you've spoken to each other, especially about this supposed philosophy of yours, about the difference between fake Heroes and so-called true Heroes, and how you supposedly want to see if such a thing as the latter can truly exist. I'll have you know right now, I don't give a shit about this ridiculous ideology of yours. Point in fact; I despise people with self-righteous worldviews like you and the Hero Killer. If you're going to give me any real reason to think you're going to be playing merciful with even one of these kids that are our current sworn enemies, all for the sake of this 'true Hero' crap, then I'll kill you before you can even get a chance to touch me, and that's a promise. Understand?"
Vukodlak, at first, gave no visible sign of reaction, simply letting all of Tomura's intended emotions expressed through his words truly sink in. Then, before the eyes of every one of the other, frankly, shocked Villains, he actually began to just barely chuckle. "You and your sensei; you both keep expressing virtually the same viewpoints of simply tearing down this Hero society to its foundations and beyond in order to make a better world. Were we several centuries in the past back home, you'd both fit right in with the likes of Nechayev, Bakunin and the rest of the old greats of Russian nihilism."
It was no surprise that his little reference flew well above and beyond everyone else's heads, and the air around Tomura was only growing that much more intense. In fact, Vukodlak could already espy from his peripheral vision, that by stepping in closer while making his statement, Tomura already had an open hand just waiting to drive right into Vukodlak's side. He'd put himself in a position where he'd actually have the space and speed advantage over the Russian Villain this time. Now, he was simply gauging to see just what Vukodlak's real response would be.
"But in all seriousness, though, I do understand exactly where you're coming from, Shigaraki-san. Society as a whole has been twisted and corrupted beyond any hope of real repair, and it's the individuals who only want to live free that suffer for it. Hell, it's been that way long before Quirks came into the picture; they simply made the power imbalance between the poor and the powerful that much worse. Our goals both align in that we simply want to get rid of the tools the powerful use to continuously oppress people like us, and those tools just so happen to be the Heroes these people are brainwashed into loving all over the world. People won't ever truly be free until the powerful and the Heroes that protect them are erased, that's all there really is to it.
"When I say I want to see if Kolya or any of his little friends can become true Heroes, it's not because I want to be merciful and risk either of our goals falling through by giving them another chance. I've seen the kinds of glorified thugs that the public have called Heroes all throughout my life. As far as I'm concerned, there's never been a single true Hero who does what they do simply because it's the right thing to do, with no expectation of even the slightest hint of personal gain; and with all the experience I've had, it would take a lot to convince me there ever possibly could be.
"I simply want to see if Kolya and these youngsters he has so much trust in really have the spirit to become anything close to true Heroes, and I will be the sole judge of that. If it seems they can't; then it doesn't matter who it is, I'll kill them and any other Hero that gets in my way just as fast as you claim you could kill me right now, Shigaraki-san; and that, too, is a promise."
At first, Tomura gave no visible sign of reaction to anything Vukodlak said. None of his compatriots could decide if he was really considering the undeniable conviction expressed in Vukodlak's tone, or if he was simply not attacking right now, just to lure the man into a false sense of security.
Eventually, however, Tomura slowly withdrew his hand, stood up straight, and all the hostile tension in his body seemed to miraculously vanish. "Kurogiri, open a gate to take us back home. The doctor can build you a new leg, and you can focus on loading up on all the archived information we have on the Yuuei students and their teachers until we officially have everything in place for our next plan. Let's just hope your words are more than just that, Vukodlak."
With not another word needing to be said, Kurogiri hurriedly opened another series of warp gates beneath the feet of every one of the gathered Villains, including Vukodlak, simultaneously sucking them all in and sending them all instantaneously on their way to wherever the others had originally been warped from before; while sending himself, Tomura and Vukodlak back to their true headquarters.
Yuuei Academy, August 16th
"SPECIAL MOVES!" "FINALLY, SOME COOL HERO-LIKE CURRICULUM!" "SPECIAL MOVES! SPECIAL MOVES! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, KOLYA-KUN?! WE FINALLY GET TO MAKE OUR SIGNATURES AS REAL HEROES!" Alongside Mina as she told her Russian best friend this, the entirety of Class 1-A was echoing with this deafening wall of cheer from all the students once it had been revealed just what their next lesson was going to revolve around.
However, even while all of his classmates were shooting out of their seats in cheer, Nikolay, even for his own sense of excitement, couldn't help but feel an overwhelming amount of pressure and anxiety settle upon his shoulders.
"Special! In other words, the techniques that will assure your victory," declared Ectoplasm, effectively silencing the ecstatic-looking students before him and his fellow teachers.
"These techniques must be deeply ingrained in who you are as individual Heroes. Techniques that do not satisfy that requirement will not be allowed. To battle means to leverage one's own unique strengths." Cementoss chimed in, albeit much more straightforward and calm.
Tunguska was even beginning to open his mouth to chime in as well, only for Midnight to quickly jump in with exceptional enthusiasm of her own: "These techniques become symbols of who you are! Nowadays, professional Heroes without their own special moves are like an endangered species!"
Of course, she was thankfully quick to realize she'd once again tread upon the Quirk History teacher's words, only for the larger man to give a good-humored shake of the head and an embarrassed smile: "You pretty much took my exact words out of my mouth, more or less. Either way, students, this is the time for you all to finally step forward and start really carving out your identities as Heroes from now on. Whatever moves you make will not be the kind of thing you can master in only a matter of days. Special moves can take years to truly master and strengthen to their fullest potential. Today is simply a chance for you all to take that first step."
With the chatter between his fellow teachers finished from the sounds of it, Aizawa once again wrapped it up as bluntly as ever: "We'll go into the specifics with you all shortly with live exercises. Go change into your costumes, everyone. We'll meet at the Gamma Gym."
Everyone was practically racing out of the classroom for the changing rooms, but even as Mina and Eijirou were excitedly ushering him along not to lag behind, Nikolay simply couldn't do away with his nervousness, no matter how much he wanted to.
His father was absolutely right; he'd even told Nikolay as much long ago. Special moves were constantly being fine-tuned and polished over years of a Pro Hero's career in order to be as strong as they could be, and that was the way even for those who had their entire lives to become accustomed to their Quirks. Nikolay, no matter how much stronger he had become over the course of the year so far, still had far less practice than every last one of his classmates. How was he supposed to come up with a special move, when everything he did, to him, felt like a special move? And how would he even be able to become accustomed to it in time for these provisional exams Aizawa kept mentioning? His future prospects as a Pro Hero, or even someone capable of field duty as a student, was entirely riding on him being able to pull this off, and that just left his stomach twisting more and more with every step.
Gamma Gym
Once everyone had changed back into their Hero costumes and followed the directions to the spot labeled as the 'Gamma Gym,' they all found themselves staring in awe at one of the biggest indoor gyms they had ever laid eyes on, as well as one of the emptiest, even as Aizawa and the rest of the teachers all stood shoulder-to-shoulder to greet the wide-eyed and eager youngsters. "Welcome to Gamma Gym, boys and girls; otherwise known as 'The Training Dreamland,' or TDL for short, where the real magic of Hero development happens!"
As Midnight's excited welcome echoed up and down the gym, and Nikolay could even hear many of his classmates mutter to themselves in awe at the sheer scope of it all, Cementoss was already proceeding to kneel down and start erecting numerous spires of concrete all across the span of the gym itself, until the interior was more and more resembling a massive mountain range. "This facility is of my own devising. Here, I am able to prepare terrains and training objects personalized for each and every one of you students. Hence, 'dreamland.'"
Even with his presiding nervousness, even Nikolay couldn't deny that the implication of a training regimen specifically designed for his personal development was very exciting. The rest of his classmates were clearly of the same mind, but before any of them could ask any number of questions or even just express their anticipation, Tenya already had his hand straight up: "IF I COULD ASK A QUESTION, SENSEI! WHY ARE SPECIAL MOVES NECESSARY TO OBTAIN A PROVISIONAL LICENSE?! PLEASE ILLUMINATE US WITH THAT CONTEXT!"
For a moment, Nikolay, Hanta and Denki honestly couldn't help but wonder if their class president was genuinely asking because he didn't know, or was simply doing so for the benefit of everyone else. Either way, his over-the-top energy was the same, as evidenced by the amused looks on the other teachers' faces, and the tired and exasperated one on Aizawa's. "I'll explain it to you step-by-step. Just quiet down."
Once more managing to look every one of his students in the eye, he proceeded as straightforward and blunt as ever: "Incidents, accidents, disasters, human calamities; it is the job of a Hero to rescue people from all types of trouble. Naturally, the exam for the license is designed to measure that aptitude."
Following his lead, Ectoplasm proceeded to step forward as well. "Information gathering, judgment, mobility, fighting ability. And in addition, communication ability, charm and leadership. Every year, the exam content changes to test these different aptitudes."
Finally, Midnight took over, this time much more serious in demeanor: "But among them, fighting ability is a heavily weighted consideration for Heroes. They say that being well-prepared means no worries. Having such techniques in your arsenal will greatly affect your chances of success."
As soon as all the elevated peaks and platforms had finished taking shape, Cementoss didn't miss a beat from his peers: "If, instead of being controlled by the situation, you are able to bring stability to it; that is the mark of a Hero's true fighting ability."
After hearing all of this, it was now Nikolay who suddenly had his hand up. "I'm sorry, Sensei. It's just that a lot of this is new to me. I'd always been under the impression, especially after seeing Tunguska-sensei and All Might-sensei in action, that all special moves were primarily for combat purposes. I didn't realize they could apply to other things instead."
Clearly pleased by the students not hesitating to ask questions, Tunguska proceeded to answer with all the professionalism required: "For the most part they are, but as Cementoss-san said, even if your special moves don't directly apply to fighting, if they can provide you an advantage over a situation, it's considered a special move nonetheless. For example, just coming from me personally, my Flash Bang and Sun Disk abilities are primarily used as a means of crowd control if faced against more than one opponent. Another prime example would be malenkii Iida himself and his Recipro Burst."
All eyes immediately shifted in surprise to an equally shaken-looking Tenya, as their smiling Quirk History teacher continued: "The ability to move at blistering speeds not only gives you an inherent advantage in maintaining communication to your teammates in the event you're separated in a battle, but it also gives you an edge in combat, and evacuation of civilians. That is clearly worthy of being called a special move."
Tenya was visibly shaking with emotion at such acknowledgment he hadn't even bothered to consider himself worthy of, while Midnight continued ever onward: "If you all need another example, consider a Pro Hero like Kamui Woods and his Lacquered Chain Prison move. The ability to completely restrain a Villain and take them out of the fight, or perhaps even secure civilians caught in rubble for rescue is also a special move. As long as you all think outside the box with your own Quirks, you could be able to find a special move or two of your own no problem."
With this clarification that it didn't all have to rely solely on combat, Nikolay and his fellow students were beginning to feel even more motivated than before, while Aizawa decided to cut through the chatter and quit prolonging everything. "Before it got so abruptly cut short, one of the objectives of the training camp, besides simply strengthening your Quirks, was to likewise start developing all of your special moves. In other words, between now and when the second semester officially starts, over the remaining ten days we have of summer break, we're all going to strengthen your Quirks and work out your special moves. Consider the next ten days the official wrapping up of your Quirk Training Boot Camp."
With that, Ectoplasm suddenly reeled his head back, and proceeded to nearly regurgitate a number of copies of himself, which all proceeded to rush for all the different peaks and plateaus lining the interior of Gamma Gym. All at once, the weight and expectation of their training settled upon all the students, including Nikolay, and so too did all their determination to work themselves towards finding those two special moves that would not only give them that elusive advantage in battle, but also one day make them all truly stand out from one another as truly great Heroes in the making.
As Nikolay and all his friends and classmates looked upon this mountainous landscape that was going to ultimately make them stronger, with more than a few still feeling that twinge of nervous sweat upon their brows, Aizawa and the rest of the teachers ultimately cleared the way for all of them, while the homeroom teacher gave them each one last parting word of advice: "In addition, with the development of your Quirks and the nature of your abilities in mind, consider the ways in which your costumes can also be improved. The Department of Support's Development Studio on the first floor of the main campus building is open to any one of you looking to perhaps enhance the properties of your costumes. Just like strengthening your Quirks, it can also help tip the scale between victory and defeat that much more in your favor. Let the spirit of Plus Ultra take you all to new heights. Are you all ready?"
"I'M PUMPED!" This was the universal callback Aizawa was met with from all his students as they began to rush for the training grounds; all being watched with approving smiles from all their presiding teachers.
As they ran side-by-side, with Mina having an especially peppy bounce and skip to her step to match her ecstatic smile of excitement, she couldn't help but spy the look of apprehension in Nikolay's eyes behind his goggles, even though his own run showed no lack of eagerness on his part.
"Oh, don't look so nervous, Kolya-kun! We've got ten whole days to come up with special moves! Besides, your Quirk's already gotten so crazy strong, I'll bet you've got tons of ideas bouncing around in that head of yours!" Before Nikolay could express his appreciation for his pink best friend's vote of confidence, he was quickly being nudged in the arm by an equally eager Denki.
"Like he hasn't already shown an example! What about that super strong shout from the house party and fighting that Vukodlak freak? That's prime special move material right there!" The moment he mentioned this, Mina practically lit up even brighter, now nudging Nikolay's other arm herself, smiling as bright as the sun.
"See?! That's perfect! Tunguska-sensei's Flash Bang can do crowd control, and so can your super loud shout! That's already one special move right out the gate! You've totally got this!" However, even though she could see Nikolay was smiling, she still made out that hesitance in his eyes.
"Well, yeah, I had thought about it…in fact, it's the only thing resembling a special move I could think about. I'm also just thinking about what Aizawa-sensei said about improving our costumes. I wouldn't even know where to start with mine." At the mention of this, Mina suddenly began to slow down right alongside him; a surprisingly thoughtful look in her black-gold eyes as well.
"Ooh, yeah, I wouldn't even know where to start with mine, either. I mean, when my Mom and I designed this one together, she made sure I considered only materials I could easily move around in that could withstand my acid. Speed, flexibility and acid are my two biggest advantages, so I'd be stumped at how it could possibly be improved."
However, despite the admittedly adorable thoughtful expression on Mina's face, Nikolay was surprisingly on the ball with his own reply: "Well, don't forget what Melissa-san said all the way back when we first met and told her about our Quirks. Your acid's gotten a lot stronger since then, so maybe you might want to look for different materials that are just as flexible, but still resistant to those even stronger acids you can now make."
Mina looked completely overjoyed that Nikolay's doubtful expression was already vanishing as he was getting more and more into the conversation. "Hey, yeah! But I wouldn't even know what materials those could possibly be. But still, I should get on that. Last thing I need is accidentally melting my costume and giving Kaminari and Mineta a show."
Denki had an incredulous look on his face that practically screamed 'Why am I the bad guy now?!' while Nikolay now had a deeply regretful look in his eyes again. "Aw, c'mon, Kolya-kun, you were looking like you were finally cheering up, what's wrong?"
"Just mentioning Melissa-san again made me realize how long it's been since we last saw her, and how long it's been since I'd even stopped to think about her. You went to so much trouble to make sure we all had her info so we could stay in touch, and yet I haven't done any such thing since we left I-Island."
Upon hearing him admit this, Mina nudged his arm to get his attention again, albeit much more gently this time, with a compassionate smile. "Aw, don't feel bad, Kolya-kun. Everything since then has been happening so fast, plus you're still new at the whole maintaining long-distance friendships thing, so it's only natural you'd slip up at first. Besides, if it makes you feel any better, I've been keeping in touch with Melissa-chan enough for both of us, and she totally understands. She's been super busy, too. Plus, since you're thinking about it now, maybe you can remember to just write her a text tonight. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to hear from any of us any time."
Nikolay's grateful smile for her emotional support had Mina once again skipping with excitement before he once again began muttering in thought: "If only I-Island weren't so strict about keeping its inventions inside its walls, I wonder if she'd be able to help us come up with some ideas to improve our costumes." While his voice was considerably low while saying this, just as many of the other students were already parting ways to take their own spots for training, and Mina and Denki didn't lose a single ounce of their mutual enthusiasm as they reached the edge of the training ground.
"Hey, don't sweat the small stuff, dude! Like Ashido said: costume improvements aside, we've got ten days to get a couple special moves down! It's not the end of the world yet!" "Yeah, I know you can pull this off, Kolya-kun! We all can, just you wait! Good luck out there! We're all pulling for you!"
Denki was already taking off like a shot, and Mina wasn't far behind, heading for her own spot, before Nikolay clenched his fists, putting aside everything else that was currently battling it out in his head so he could at least say: "I'm pulling for all of you, too!"
Spinning upright with another bounce in her step to look back at him, Mina pumped a victorious fist in the air in thanks, and soon was off like a shot, and with a resounding deep breath; fists clenched at his sides, Nikolay finally went into the training grounds himself, increasingly determined to finally find the special moves that would be the ones to call his very own.
Unfortunately, for as promising as Nikolay's training had started off as, with the advancements in his speed and combat reflexes allowing him to destroy the small concrete barricades Cementoss created on the fly with single precise channeled hand and foot bursts; he was quick to run into a dead end when dealing with his own Ectoplasm clone one-on-one. Every single time he felt he had managed to line up a direct shot to knock his opponent off his feet; it was always quick to sink into the ground only to emerge right behind Nikolay and give him a resounding kick to the backside or a smack to the back of the head. This had continued on for what felt like over half an hour, but no matter how frustrated he felt himself become, Nikolay wouldn't let that frustration out through his attacks. He knew focus was the biggest advantage towards using his Quirk the most effectively.
"Your Quirk has certainly increased your reflexes and attacking speed, and they've likewise become focused and strengthened enough to blast through the smaller concrete obstacles between us. How well do you believe you would fare against thicker barricades with your strength being what it is now?" Ectoplasm asked, and as if he were simply waiting for that cue, Cementoss proceeded to create a much thicker concrete target for the panting Nikolay; this time a much thicker solid pillar.
Without a breath wasted, and channeling another full shot of kinetic power into his entire hand, Nikolay quickly slammed his hand against its side in a lightning-quick jab, firing at the moment of impact. However, instead of the exploding blast of concrete shrapnel he'd been expecting, he was instead met with a multitude of cracks spreading from where his hand had met it, and nothing more. Judging by Ectoplasm's lack of a reaction, this was clearly what he'd been expecting.
"It would seem your current power level with your Quirk has two distinct disadvantages to address, Bezpalov. Firstly, the fact that you fire a much wider blast from the entirety of your hand, or even from any of the holes in your hands and feet at a time, ultimately reduces the area of effectiveness your blasts can have. It worked to destroy thinner barricades, even of concrete, but against a much thicker obstacle, the dispersal area is far too unfocused. It would stand to have the same result if you were up against an opponent with an exceptionally thick hide or armor."
As Nikolay listened to the Yuuei mathematics teacher explain this, his gaze fell despondently to his open hands. "A second disadvantage is in the fact that you can only attack from your hands and feet and nothing else. If you're unable to either evolve your fighting style to encompass more than just those means of attack, or if you can't come up with a special move that uses a third means of attacking with your Quirk, word will eventually spread, and your enemies will start to utilize strategies that specifically target your means of attacking. Like so."
Just as Nikolay's mind had instinctively gone back to the subject of his piercing shout, he was just as quickly stirred from it when Ectoplasm's clone had suddenly sunk into another puddle of black ooze on the ground, before just as quickly spreading and encompassing the entire area Nikolay stood upon.
Just as soon as he remembered overhearing Tsuyu and Fumikage describe dealing with an attack like this during their practical exams, the lake of ooze suddenly rose and quickly engulfed Nikolay whole. Before his mind could start to panic at the fact he was completely devoured and unable to breathe, he could soon feel the air against his face entering his lungs again. Upon opening his eyes, he realized he was indeed in the very same position, completely entrapped in the matter of Ectoplasm's now giant body.
"I understand from Aizawa-san that you've been learning how to fire off your Kinetics Quirk from multiple different parts of your body in order to deflect a majority of the power that goes into an attack directed at you. If this is true, surely you must be able to channel that ability in order to fight your way free of my entrapment. Show me the extent of your capabilities, Bezpalov."
Following his teacher's instructions, Nikolay stopped instinctively trying to struggle out with his physical strength alone, and tried to focus all of his collected kinetic energy throughout his body in order to fire it out and disperse Ectoplasm's titular material and free himself. He could even feel it emanating from out his body in continuous pulsating waves, not just from his hands and feet, but from all across his torso and the back of his head as well. He could even feel Ectoplasm's body rippling in reaction to it. All the while keeping in mind the warnings of the doctor all the way back from after the camp attack, Nikolay kept trying to focus on releasing his deflecting bursts from all around his body without pushing the power his body could physically handle beyond its limits.
And yet, after giving this a continuous effort for a good few minutes, Nikolay could feel his body beginning to ache all over from the continuous absorption and release of pure kinetics through all his muscles. Unfortunately, Ectoplasm could tell this too, as the continuous rhythm with which Nikolay kept trying to fire and disperse his material was noticeably slowing down and weakening in power. With no other choice, he opened himself up so Nikolay could land back on the ground before reducing himself back to regular size.
"This refraction ability of yours has potential, Bezpalov. The approach you go for with it does have a solid foundation to work off of, but you need to be able to find a way to better control the external output of it through your body outside your hands and feet, and in situations that don't call for you to have to be the first one attacked. Or try to find a way to better focus the area of effect of your Quirk in order to break your way through thicker obstacles and enemies' defenses; otherwise you'll ultimately find yourself at your opponent's mercy."
Nikolay knew his teacher was absolutely right, he'd known this was a major roadblock in his development for far too long. But he knew the potential consequences of either using his Quirk to too great a level of power, or if he were to try continuously using the one thing he had that resembled a special move, and the consequences of either one were continuously holding him back from really being able to push himself as much as he knew he needed to be pushed. As such, his instinctive reaction was to fire a frustrated hand blast straight into the remains of another nearby concrete target nearby before getting himself into a ready stance again, refusing to give up.
All the while as the students were continuously brute-forcing their way through all their respective training, with some already showing continuous progress more than others, Aizawa, Tunguska and the rest of the teachers were continuing to silently observe their progress from the edge of the training area; none of them wanting to say anything, lest it spark the unspoken worries of many of their peers for those that were visibly struggling.
"You guys are all really into it, huh?" The sound of a sudden and unmistakable voice caused many of the teachers to visibly flinch in surprise, while Tunguska nearly turned his head on a swivel, visibly pleased to see Toshinori Yagi leaning in the doorway; many of his other injuries having long since healed, but his right arm still in a cast and sling. Regardless of that, the gaunt blonde-haired man still had that same assuring smile on his face as he proceeded to join his fellow teachers.
"Can't say we were expecting you to show up so suddenly, All Might." Midnight greeted, just before Toshinori suddenly burst into a plume of steam, emerging as the brightly smiling muscled god-like figure they all primarily knew him for.
"It's true I wasn't invited, but I didn't really have anything to do today, so I HAVE COME!" Of course, the moment his declaration of arrival had really ended, so too did his time in his muscular form, as he was instantly consumed in another cloud of steam, and emerged as the same bony figure he was now relegated to from now on.
"Well, I'm sure the students will all be very happy to see you here giving them your support all the same." Tunguska greeted his friend as he finally made the rest of his way to stand alongside the rest of his fellow teachers, and gazed intently upon all the simultaneous different training regimens going on all across the gym; all the while ignoring Aizawa's blunt declaration that the man should have instead been focusing on his own recovery.
"But of course. Just like the rest of you, as one of the teachers of Class 1-A, I wouldn't miss the chance to see their progress on developing their special moves for anything else. How are our bright-eyed youths doing so far?" The moment Toshinori asked; all the while watching as Izuku down below was one of the only students not currently up to his neck in training; he likewise realized that Tunguska's otherwise unshakeable smile was starting to falter.
"Truth be told, Toshinori-san… it's going slower for some than I would have hoped. Not only is it so soon for Kolya to be going into the mentality of making special moves when he's still had so little practice with his Quirk compared to the others; but Ectoplasm-san has been proving quite the challenge for him to evolve his Quirk around as a whole. Without the option of attacking through his hands and feet, and with his whole-body absorption/refraction ability only proving useful for defensive purposes and lacking in potential offensive strength, I don't know how he could expand his all-around fighting capabilities, even with his improved overall strength and speed. I mean, it's not like his entire body is lined with the holes he fires from, so it isn't as easy as that."
Despite the clear-as-day concern of his Russian compatriot, Toshinori's own demeanor didn't dim as he planted an assuring hand on his broad shoulder; quite awkward looking now that he was just that little bit shorter than Tunguska. "Try not to fret this early, Tunguska-san. Bezpalov-shonen has shown incredible progress in just this first semester alone, not to mention with everything that's happened over this summer. He may have hit a roadblock now, but he has the spirit and support of you, his friends and Yuuei as a whole to help him reach another breakthrough when the time is right. They all do. In fact, why don't we go out there and just try sharing our thoughts with some of the other students? That little bit of personal involvement in giving them advice could ignite the spark they need."
Such a simple but undeniably effective idea filled Tunguska's chest with determination as he followed Toshinori's lead already, proceeding into the training grounds. However, since he could see Nikolay was once again trying to fine tune the area of effect for his Quirk against Ectoplasm and Cementoss's concrete barricades, he instead decided to turn his attention to another of the students he'd noticed was having some trouble, Eijirou.
As he made his way to the red-haired young boy, Toshinori had quietly made his way to the visibly troubled-looking Izuku, who kept looking upon his arms with a deeply contemplative shimmer in his eyes.
"Hey." Toshinori's voice shook Izuku out of his reverie, only to look with surprise at the sudden arrival of his mentor, who was still silently looking him in the eye with an unreadable intensity. "I have some advice for you, Midoriya-shonen. You are… still trying to imitate me."
The confusion on Izuku's face at these words was unmistakable, but Toshinori knew that if he were to just go and clarify what those cryptic words of advice really meant, then his disciple would ultimately miss the point and learn nothing. Now that he wasn't able to be the shining Symbol of Peace for him or the rest of these kids anymore, he knew he couldn't afford to take shortcuts with the green-haired boy's training, and thus turned his back on Izuku and continued on his way to give advice to whichever other students needed it before the boy could even think of asking the obvious.
'You'll never learn if I just tell you the answer, Midoriya-shonen. Think! What's important isn't whether you're right or wrong! It's whether you can think and get to an answer yourself! Don't just keep following in my footsteps. Come to your own decision and follow your own path! Only then will you truly be ready to take on the mantle of the new Symbol of Peace!'
At the same time as Toshinori was giving his unorthodox advice to Izuku, Tunguska was silently approaching Eijirou, who was currently in the process of trying to drive his hardened fists into Ectoplasm, but much like during the final exams, Cementoss was simply erecting one wall after another, and forcing him to continuously waste his energy and Quirk-enhanced strength on pounding through them; all the while leaving his opponent unharmed.
*Ahem*
The resonating sound of Tunguska clearing his throat thankfully cued Cementoss to pause Eijirou's training, while the sharp-toothed boy immediately jumped to attention, trying to keep the towering Russian from seeing him visibly sweating from having kept up this non-stop exertion with no results to show for it. "Tunguska-sensei! I-I hope this hasn't been too embarrassing for you to see so far! I feel I'm starting to wear Cementoss-sensei out any moment now!"
"Yes, or he could simply be giving you a repeat lesson from your practical exam. Luckily, that's why I'm here." As Tunguska gave this affirmation to his most admiring student, he was quick to realize Eijirou was currently staring at his seemingly regenerated left arm. "Not quite what you were expecting, was it? Special lenses that reflect whatever surface it's ultimately connected to, hence the rest of my arm. Surely a measure to keep the public's spirits up so they don't think they have someone who's been maimed multiple times by Villains protecting them."
Remembering their talk from the last time he'd seen his Quirk History teacher harmed, Eijirou was at least really trying this time not to get too overly emotional this time, while Tunguska knelt down so they were on the same eye level again. "Now then, what do you think is the biggest issue with your training thus far, malenkii Kirishima?"
Looking back to the multiple rows of concrete rubble he'd left, Eijirou let out a frustrated sigh. "I know my Quirk isn't nearly as flashy as a lot of the others' are. It's only really good for either straight-on offense or pure defense, and I just can't figure out how to combine them in a visually creative way; but I know I'll have to when it comes to a situation where I'm in a fight and need to protect people at the same time. If I focus on pure offense, I leave civilians in danger, but if I focus on pure defense, I ultimately make myself a target for Villains, and it's like everybody says, my Hardening has its endurance limit. I'm at a loss for what I could do, Sensei."
Eijirou looked visibly reluctant to meet his teacher's eyes now that he was at his own dead end, but a contemplative "hmm" from Tunguska perked the boy's head up with curiosity. "That's interesting, because if I recall, you already managed to find a way to combine your offensive and defensive capabilities into one during your final test, malenkii Kirishima. I should know; you actually managed to beat me by doing so. You just need to figure out how to do the same thing without constantly relying on the assistance of others to do so. If you can also get the hang of specifically timing the activation of your Quirk with your actions, whether they be for fighting or defending, you may find your capabilities of finding a special move of your own to not be so distant after all."
To his relief, the widening of Eijirou's eyes made it clear he was already getting the gist of just what the older Russian was suggesting. Indeed, he had immediately recalled the human cannonball move he, Nikolay and Kyouka had implemented back in the final test. Tunguska was definitely not wrong that such a move had all kinds of special move potential, but without the assistance of someone to boost his momentum to that degree, he was still stuck. And the whole note about getting the hang of his timing, he already knew was going to take a lot of just that: time.
When it came to using his Hardening in a fight, he was always so singularly focused on just pounding his way through any object in front of him until it was over. Timing his Quirk with every move required a finesse he frankly wasn't sure he had. Doing so too soon or too late would potentially put him at risk of immobilization when he needed to act, or not hardening himself enough when a hit was coming in. The thought of either outcome was undeniably scary, but if Tunguska had faith that he could pull it off, there was no way in hell that Eijirou Kirishima wasn't going to give it his all.
"Thank you, Tunguska-sensei. I know I might be able to pull something together if I just focus on my timing. You're right." It did Tunguska's heart good to see Eijirou's spirits visibly reinvigorated, and he could even tell from the slight nod from Ectoplasm that his assistance was much appreciated. He was just about to head further in to see if there were any other students in need of his help, before he realized Eijirou was still watching him instead of getting back to his training. "Is there something else on your mind, malenkii Kirishima?"
Eijirou visibly flinched, having clearly not expected Tunguska to call him out on staring, instead of waiting for a later time at least. "I-I'm sorry, Sensei. It's stupid, but I… I just couldn't help but wonder… or maybe just think is the better word. Anyway, I couldn't help but think it's just kind of weird that you're allowed to be here helping us train for our Provisional Licenses, when you still don't even have your Pro License yet."
Eijirou was instinctively preparing himself for either a scolding about focusing on anything besides his training, or a scolding for essentially insulting his teacher's position. However, instead he was answered with the slightest chuckle, before the Russian Hero approached him once more. "Well, between you and me, I've actually already received my written exam for my Pro License this morning. I haven't told Kolya yet, because I didn't want to risk throwing off his focus for training today by worrying about me. However, I know you're the kind of man who can be just as motivated by someone else's efforts to work even harder on your own, hence why I'm telling you."
Eijirou visibly lit up with excitement for his teacher, and the potential possibilities of what could follow if he got his Pro License, but Tunguska was still quick to speak before the redhead could make too much noise for the others. "As it turns out, according to All Might, a Pro Hero License exam is formatted very much like your final exams were. One day is relegated to a written test, and another to a practical one. However, since these exams are assigned to adults with busier schedules and professional lives in the interim, we're mailed our written tests so they can be taken on our free time before being mailed back. Afterwards, those who pass are given a date to report to the government facility that holds the practical tests, and depending how we do there, our scores from both tests are combined to decide if we earn our Pro Hero Licenses or not."
Eijirou couldn't decide if he should have been surprised that the exams that decided the next Pro Heroes were so similar to the ones they'd already experienced here at Yuuei, or if he should have been ecstatic and excited for his most admired teacher. Remembering he needed to keep it down for the sake of his classmates, however, he was at least able to keep quiet as he finally said: "I believe in you, Sensei! You've been a Number One Hero before, you're gonna pass those tests with flying colors, I can just feel it!"
However, even despite the big toothy grin on his face, there was still a notable seriousness in Tunguska's blue eyes as he never broke eye contact with his student. "Be careful with that kind of attitude, malenkii Kirishima. No matter how strong or capable a Hero is, blind confidence can be a detriment the likes of which you wouldn't believe. Take my old example as a testament to that. Don't make the kind of reckless decisions I did based on yours or anyone else's abilities. I'm not going into these tests with the knowledge I was once a Number One Hero back home. This isn't the same as being passed down the mantle simply because my forebears were Number One Heroes as well. This time, I'm going in with no more or less focus and confidence than literally anyone else. Remember that, keep yourself down to Earth and humble, and you can never fail so spectacularly as I once did. Now you need to get back to your training… young man."
Those closing words coming from the Sun of Justice had Eijirou's spirits burning hotter than ever as he immediately did as instructed and got back into his training, all the while remembering not only his advice on how to better utilize his Quirk and his sense of timing, but also remembering from now on not to think himself overly capable over anyone else.
After a whole other hour of continuing and failing to use his Quirk against Ectoplasm in a manner not involving his hands and feet, and with his whole-body refraction ability seemingly failing to grow in external power, Nikolay still found himself completely blocked off from catching up with many of his classmates, as he had seen through glimpses of their own training all around him. By now it was getting to a point where his frustration with his Quirk was beginning to blind him.
As such, he had ultimately decided that his best course of action for now would be to see about any potential upgrades to his costume; all the while silently hoping whoever was there might be able to come up with some ideas for him, since no matter how hard he thought; he was ultimately drawing a blank. Remembering what Aizawa had said about where the Department of Support's Development Studio was within the school building, he'd ultimately asked permission to leave, and was busily making his way over, grateful for the silence of the outdoors, instead of the all-around battlefield of noise that was the inside of the gym.
Perhaps the quiet would be able to help him think more on what else he could possibly do, not only to strengthen his Quirk so he could actually hold his own against Ectoplasm, but also figure out a potential special move for himself.
"KOLYA-KUN!" "Kolya-san!" "Ah, Bezpalov-san!" The simultaneous greetings from Mina, Ochako and Tenya, ranging from casual to through-the-roof with excitement, respectively stirred Nikolay from out of his own head by the time he'd finally stepped back into the school building. Ochako was looking none the worse for wear alongside Mina who had her hands tucked behind her back, but Tenya had some slightly noticeable scuff marks on his face now that he'd removed the helmet of his costume.
"Oh, hey there, you guys. Are you looking to get your costumes looked at, too?" As soon as Nikolay asked, Ochako and Mina were both eagerly nodding while Tenya was far more subtle, still trying to catch his breath from the gamut of his own training.
"As effective as our training has been all-around, it would be foolish to not take heed of Aizawa-sensei's advice and not see to any potential improvements to our costumes. Clearly by your asking, that's the reason you decided to leave training so suddenly." Tenya theorized, to which Nikolay simply kept walking; not even trying to keep from letting out the clearly irritated sigh.
"I've been going at it with Ectoplasm-sensei for nearly two hours now, and I've hit a complete dead end. He's been constantly telling me to find a way to utilize my Quirk through a means other than my hands and feet, but I haven't had any luck with it." At the mention of this, all three of his accompanying friends visibly perked up with surprise.
"Wait, what about that super loud shriek of yours, Kolya-san? That sounds exactly like the kind of thing that would help you against Sensei." As Ochako pointed this out, Mina was already skipping along ahead so she could be walking side-by-side with Nikolay again.
"Yeah, we've both seen you use it twice now, and it's strong as hell, Kolya-kun. Why wouldn't you just use it the moment you know your regular blasts won't cut it?" Nikolay had been dreading finally expressing this lingering fear, but the collective attention of his friends made it impossible not to.
"First, because both times I used that ability, I was in a state of complete emotional overwhelm; and it was like my Quirk just took control of me for those few seconds. Second, in case you all don't remember, both times I've used it, my ears were bleeding afterward. I don't want to both keep myself in a state of complete emotional meltdown in order to use it either as a regular attack or a special move, and especially not if doing so continuously is going to risk my eventually going deaf. The risk just isn't worth it."
Mina and Ochako both looked very concerned as well now that Nikolay had finally expressed one of his longest lasting concerns about the consequences of his own Quirk, while Tenya was still looking to be perusing through his own brain for some kind of solution. "Well, what about your whole-body refraction ability? You've been working so hard on strengthening it for weeks now, Bezpalov-san. I can't imagine it wouldn't prove an effective special move for defense if nothing else."
At this, Nikolay let out another aggravated sigh. "That's what I thought, too. I'd been using that whenever Ectoplasm-sensei trapped me, to the fullest extent of its power I know I can get to so far; but it's just not strong enough. On top of that, he's been instructing me to try to use it for attack purposes, instead of having to constantly put myself in the direct line of danger in order for it to come into effect. But I… I need to be careful about exerting too much power from my Quirk continuously from now on."
Nikolay's mind had simply started to go down its own tangent, hence he didn't realize what he had just admitted until he saw the now extremely concerned looks on all their faces; especially Mina's. "What are you talking about, Kolya-kun? What's going on with your Quirk?"
Nikolay was quick to try and reassure everyone, but their looks of worry proved it wasn't going to be as easy as simply saying nothing was truly wrong. They could all three see the look of mental conflict on their Russian friend's face, before he finally let his shoulders drop in defeat, prepared to finally let them in on his other biggest worry.
"After the doctor had cleared Midoriya-san and I to leave the hospital after the camp attack… he told us both about what could potentially happen to us if we kept over-using our Quirks to the fullest extent of their strength, or even beyond that. I won't say what he said about Midoriya-san, since I figure he would want to tell you that himself when he's ready. But as for me… do you all remember, back during the battle at I-Island, when my whole body went into that insane vibration frequency? How I was pretty much turning anything I hit into dust?"
They all three instantly nodded in remembrance, now able to freshly recall how intense such a sight had looked coming from the normally quiet foreign boy before them. "Well, after that had all stopped, my whole body was in a pain I hadn't felt before… at least, once the adrenaline all ran out. Anyway, the doctor had shown me some of the X-rays after the surgery, and there had been all these different internal scars all over the muscles in my arms, legs; hell, pretty much my entire body because of that vibration frequency I'd hit back then. Apparently, the human body isn't designed to withstand that kind of friction for a prolonged period of time, if any. He ultimately said that if I were to hit that kind of frequency, and it lasted for much longer than the few seconds it had lasted back then… my Quirk was liable to basically tear my entire body apart from the inside out."
Such grim news and such a horrible idea of what could happen to Nikolay had Tenya wide-eyed and Ochako with her hands over her mouth in shock, while Mina looked positively horrified at the thought, and was clearly trying not to start crying as a result.
"Yeah. I've been trying to avoid pushing myself anywhere near that kind of power level since then, but now that I've hit this training roadblock, I don't know what else to do other than see about getting my costume looked at, and hope that might make the difference I need." With that, Nikolay didn't want them to linger and let their new feelings of dread grow, so with a deep breath and a forced smile, he immediately turned back to address his trio of friends. "So, with that all being said, what are you all looking to get changed by coming all the way here?"
Mina, Ochako and Tenya all exchanged silent glances that showed they were all of the same mind: Nikolay was simply trying to divert the conversation from himself, and given how frustrated he already clearly was, they unfortunately would have no choice but to do the same. Fretting over him simply wasn't going to do them any good, no matter how much they all wanted to express their mutual concern; with Mina looking the most like she wanted to cut through the conversational fat and actually address the issue at hand.
Finally, Ochako was the first to work up the will to answer him: "Well, I want to try and improve the mobility of my suit after I start floating. That way I can make way better use of Tunguska-sensei's hand-to-hand combat lessons if I'm ever on my own from the onset."
Ochako deciding to indulge Nikolay's curiosity had, thankfully, proven to be just what was needed in order to draw everyone's worries away from Nikolay alone, as Mina turned to the rosy-cheeked girl in surprise, while still having enough wherewithal to realize what she was doing for all their sake. "Honestly, Urara-chan, I think you've been turning into a real badass when it comes to actually fighting when you float. What could you possibly need to really improve on?"
Ochako had a slightly embarrassed smile at Mina's off-the-cuff form of a compliment, but there was still a real seriousness in her brown eyes as she continued: "Well, all those other times, I had yours and others' help to get my momentum built up in order to really fight, Mina-chan. However, once that momentum runs out, I'm left essentially floating dead in the water. If I can improve the mobility functions for my costume, I can be able to better control my movements even after my momentum is gone."
Mina, Nikolay and Tenya were all of likewise approving mindsets at how much thought Ochako had clearly put into this, while she had already drawn her attention to the bespectacled boy beside her. "What about you, Iida-san? What are you looking at having touched up?"
Now that he had found himself the new subject of the conversation, Tenya instinctively straightened up (more than he naturally did already) as he proceeded to answer: "I'm hoping to mitigate the drawbacks of using my Recipro Burst. I'm hoping that the Support Department can upgrade my radiator so that I can at least cut the cool-down time in half."
At this, Nikolay, Ochako and Mina all looked similarly impressed, with Mina having an especially excited grin on her face at the thought: "Whoa, that'd be so cool, Iida-san! If you could keep using your special move without having to cool down, you could be zipping from one place to the next and no Villain would ever be able to touch you! Heck, I bet you'd be able to knock all their blocks off with those awesome kicks of yours before they even knew you were there!"
It was admittedly relieving to hear Mina coming back to her natural peppy self again, hence why Nikolay finally decided to ask: "What about you, Mina? What made you decide to step away from training with us? You don't look like you've been having much trouble in comparison."
At this, Mina put on a slightly embarrassed smile, even momentarily sticking her tongue out with it in a childish show of embarrassment before finally revealing her hands from behind her back, revealing the beginnings of the same scalding wounds Nikolay had seen from her before.
"Honestly, when I saw you guys all leaving, I decided I could seriously use a break for now. I know they'll be all healed up by tomorrow like usual, but it still hurts when they start to form. Ectoplasm-sensei's really been pushing my time limit for secreting my acid… well, to the limit. I know I'm getting there, since this has been the longest and most consistent I've done it, and the burns have only recently gotten to this point; so hopefully it'll eventually be to where I can just keep shooting acid and not have to worry about this kind of stuff.
"Unfortunately, time is my biggest obstacle right now. I'm already plenty confident in how strong my acid can get so far, plus Ectoplasm-sensei has actually shown me how to shoot it out way farther now. It used to be I could only really throw my acid in handfuls if I really wanted to hit anything, since putting my wrists together to shot out a stream from my palms would only make this really thick flow that wouldn't go very far.
"But even if I've figured out how to shoot my acid in a farther-reaching jet stream now, it still doesn't really feel like a special move, you know? I've been thinking really hard all day about what a special move of mine could be, but I'm having a hard time coming up with one, let alone two. It really sucks, too; I know how good my reflexes can be, and I know I can be really fast if I get enough of a running start, and I know I've been getting better with physically fighting, with or without my break-dancing to help, but when it comes to really flashy and useful moves with my Quirk… I don't know why, but I just keep drawing a blank."
It was clear to everyone that talking about this unexpected tripping up point in her training was having Mina feel especially down. Honestly, it was surprising to hear her admit she was having trouble coming up with a special move of her own. Out of a lot of their class, Mina was one of the ones most naturally adept to her own Quirk. They would've all been forgiven for thinking she had started dreaming up special moves for herself from the very moment she'd decided she wanted to be a Hero. Besides, she was so imaginative and energetic, for her to actually say she couldn't think of anything flashy and useful together just felt downright unnatural.
Hence, when Ochako suddenly spoke up while thinking to herself, she actually sounded incredibly optimistic: "But Mina-chan, you've already found a lot of creative uses for your Quirk! I mean, that healing salve of yours is really useful in a fight! If a Hero team has someone who can tend to their wounds so they can stay in the fight even for a little longer, then that sounds like a huge advantage to me! I mean, yeah, it may not be a special move directly related to fighting, but it's a special move all the same!"
Tenya and Nikolay both likewise lit up with realization once it became clear what Ochako was saying. Immediately following on her heels, Tenya answered with just as much rigid encouragement: "And let's not forget; the non-acidic fluid you threw at me during the Human Cavalry Battle was actually strong enough to completely immobilize my foot, even when considering how strong my legs are! With enough fine-tuning, you could have a special move for immobilizing Villains that could stand equal to a Hero like Kamui Woods!"
Mina looked positively dumbstruck at Ochako and Tenya's sudden outside-the-box thinking of what could have already proven to be two non-combat special moves for her to call her own. And that's when Nikolay finally turned to give his own memory; a look of real wonder in his eyes: "And even if you're still thinking about a special move for fighting, I can't forget what I saw from you back at I-Island! When that Villain leader had me trapped and was about to kill me, you just rushed in out of nowhere with your arms completely coated in sleeves of acid! You were even able to shoot them off your arms and at the guy like projectiles with a single jab from each of your fists. That's a total special move if I've ever seen one!"
Ochako and Tenya were now the ones to look completely surprised, clearly having not been filled in on this sudden special one-time move their pink friend had apparently done. Thankfully, the embarrassed smile on Mina's face proved Nikolay wasn't simply making things up to make her feel better… but then that begged the question of why she looked embarrassed at all when being reminded of what sounded like a really effective close-range special fighting move.
"Yeah, I had actually been thinking about that one more than a few times since then. I've even tried getting my acid to do that, build up in my hands and coat my arms and everything again… but it just doesn't do it anymore, no matter how much I want it to. All I know is that, looking back on that moment, when I saw what that Villain was about to do to you, Kolya-kun, and you couldn't do anything to escape or protect yourself… it was like I just lost all control over myself. I just knew that all I wanted then was to save and protect you no matter what. The moment I felt that in my entire body, it just made my acid go nuts so I could escape and save you."
Nikolay was clearly very moved, and even more clearly at a loss for words, to hear Mina finally admit that little detail behind her potential special move actually coming to fruition. Seeing this, Mina couldn't help but giggle sweetly to herself. "Yeah, I guess we're really like two peas in a pod, aren't we, Kolya-kun? We both have possibly totally awesome special moves that, I guess, can only work when we're in total emotional meltdown mode, huh?"
She was clearly trying to lighten the mood, despite the disappointing truth, but that wasn't about to stop her three friends from continuing to help open her eyes. "But even that aside, Mina-chan; there's all kinds of ways your Quirk already gives you an advantage in a lot of different ways! Your acid could help rescue civilians that are trapped in ways a lot of us would struggle to reach them."
"Precisely; and since civilian rescue is one of the top priorities of any and all Heroes, having an advantage in that field specifically is paramount in importance! Then there's that acid slide of yours to consider as well, not only as an advantage in mobility similar to mine, but it also serves as a means of tripping up and ultimately ensnaring any Villains that would try to pursue or escape you, thus making them easier for you and your partners to apprehend!"
While Tenya was still as rigid and exceptionally loud in his trying to encourage his pink classmate, Nikolay had a simple smile of support so similar to the countless ones Mina had given him before. "Do you see now, Mina? You've already got so many uses for your acid outside of fighting, and you came up with all of them on your own. I mean, just from Iida-san's reminder, who's to say you haven't already found an immobilization special move of your own? Who's to say you couldn't also find another special move or two of your own in non-fighting fields first, and be able to come up with something to help you in fights later on? It's not like Aizawa-sensei said they specifically had to be moves related to fighting, right?"
The emotional smile on Mina's face could have said a thousand words for how grateful she was now feeling for her three friends' mutual encouragement. "Thank you, you guys. That's all so sweet of you to say. You're right; I know I can do this. I just let myself get all turned around in my head sometimes. We've all totally got this! And that means you too, Kolya-kun. Okay, so pushing your Quirk beyond its limit is dangerous, and so is your shout, but you've got tons of potential special moves in you still, I know it! What about that flying shockwave-body slam attack you've done a few times? That would be great for spreading out a bunch of Villains at once, buying yourself some time."
To her relief, now Nikolay was finally smiling in recognition of himself at last, slowly closing a determined fist in remembrance. "You're right, that could be a good option for a special move… but Ectoplasm-sensei's still right that I need to figure out a way to better harness my kinetics through more than just my extremities… or at the very least, figure out a way to better focus the area of effect of my blasts so I can break my way through thicker defenses."
PING!
Before the young Russian could go any further, a light electronic chime broke the air between the four students, causing Mina to flinch in surprise and hurriedly fish through the left pocket of her costume's vest before pulling out her cellphone. As she immediately began perusing through it, Nikolay, Ochako and Tenya immediately spotted that, true to her word back at her birthday, she still had that tiny Cheburashka ornament hanging from the bottom of it, causing Nikolay to have the shakiest smile of fluster on his face.
"Whoa! Check it out, it's another message from Melissa-chan! I hadn't heard from her for the last few days!" Mina announced happily, spurring a flinch of surprise from her three friends before she immediately had her phone nearly in Nikolay's face.
"Wow, you've actually been managing to keep in touch with her, Mina-chan? I wish I was as good at remembering that kind of stuff all the time. Melissa-san was so nice; now I feel bad. I hope she doesn't think we forgot about her." Ochako sounded especially sad and guilty at her own negligence, as did Tenya; before Nikolay gave them both a reassuring, albeit still embarrassed, smile.
"Try not to feel too bad, you guys. I haven't done well with it, either, but the fact we're thinking about it just means we should all take the time tonight to reach out, and it should be way easier from there, right?" While he gave his two friends these encouraging words, Mina didn't even try to hide the knowing smirk on her face, knowing he was essentially taking her words from before. Not like she was about to hold anything like that against him. It was nice to know he was actually listening to her whenever she tried to lift his spirits still.
As she drew her friends' attention back to the message on her phone, Mina was smiling more and more brightly the more she looked and read the message out loud: "Hello, Mina-san. My apologies for having not reached out to you and the rest of our friends and your classmates after hearing what had happened at your training camp. Please give my best wishes to every last one of them. It's such a relief to know you've all managed to recover.
"Apologies further still for having taken so long to answer your latest message. I've recently found time away from school to go over some potential costume upgrade ideas I'd been tinkering around with relating to yours and Kolya-san's costumes specifically. I know we're technically not allowed to share our developments outside of I-Island's walls, but after what you'd all just recently gone through, and with the knowledge of Uncle Might's retirement, I felt you all deserved to at least see the notes and diagrams I've written up in my journals, and see if your school's Support Department can perhaps find a way to work with them. I've sent some rough drafts of further upgrade ideas relating to Ochako-san and Deku-san's costumes as well, though considering their specific Quirks, and the factor of time, these haven't managed to be as finely tuned as the ideas I came up with for yours, unfortunately. It's not blueprints or confirmed development projects in the official sense, so I'm technically not breaking the rules by sharing these with you all. I have faith you'll all be able to make good use of all of these. I hope to hear from you all again soon.
-Melissa Shield"
"Melissa-san…" Ochako muttered with immense gratitude while Mina was already eagerly scrolling through the message and opening up the numerous picture attachments, upon which were diagrams of all four aforementioned costumes, with numerous theoretical displays of either different mechanics to add to them, and a list of what sounded like chemistry ingredients, but were instead labeled as improved and much more resistant materials for remaking Mina's costume. Alongside the plans regarding her costume were even drawings down to the minutest detail of what looked like the same kind of containment capsules they had seen back at the I-Expo; the very same kind Melissa had theorized Mina could be able to hold even her stronger forms of acid in. Melissa had clearly been very busy coming up with the designs, needed materials and mechanics for a lot of these ideas she'd sent to them.
Further down were what looked like diagrams of a kinetic absorption and release harness to be affixed to the insides of Nikolay's boots, almost identical to the ones inside his gloves; as well as what looked like microscopic machinery that could be affixed to the fiber of his costume itself, that looked very similar to the same pads lining the palms and fingertips of his gloves again, like an entire suit's worth of the very same shock absorbers and releasers. Just the thought of this potential godsend for his costume had most of Nikolay's most persistent worries already magically flying away. This could very well have been the answer to his issue regarding his refraction ability. "Damn, and she calls any of these 'not-fine-tuned'?"
"Normally I would say we must respect the rules of maintaining absolute secrecy of any technological developments I-Island creates… but it is just as Shield-san has said, she's not technically breaking the rules by sharing anything official. Perhaps you'd at least be able to share these designs with the Support Department and just maintain secrecy as to where exactly these designs came from." Tenya immediately suggested; much to the surprise of his three piers. However, his enthusiasm was far from lost, as everyone's spirits were simply ignited that much more now that an actual idea for upgrading their costumes had been presented to them at last.
At that moment as they continued walking and rounded the last corner to where they knew the Support Department's Development Studio was located, they were all four caught by surprise at the sight of Izuku standing alone and pensively at a set of large metal double doors, looking as though he were debating whether or not to actually knock and step inside.
"Oh, it's Deku-kun! Are you here to get your costume upgraded, too?" Ochako stated happily, already beginning to run towards the equally surprised freckled boy upon realizing he was no longer alone. All the while, Mina, while equally happy to see yet another friend, had an almost devious smile on her face at the sight of Ochako's eagerness in Izuku's presence.
BKOOOM!
Just as a smile spread across his face at the arrival of four of his friends, a massive explosion suddenly blew right through the double doors like they weren't even there, instantly engulfing Izuku before anyone even knew what hit them. Ochako came to a screeching halt while she, Nikolay, Mina and Tenya couldn't believe what they'd just seen happen, before they all four began to rush over in order to check that Izuku was still in one piece, with Nikolay not even trying to hide his momentary shock as he spoke out: "Holy crap! Are you okay, Midoriya-san?!"
As the smoke billowing out of the Development Studio slowly but surely began to clear, they could all make out the sound of a couple different voices coughing, one of which undoubtedly sounded like Izuku, which was the closest thing they had to a good sign he was still conscious. As they all were about to finally close the distance and check on him, they soon spotted the armored form of Power Loader start emerging from within the Studio, his mouth clearly shaped in a way that could only convey frustration.
"You… just because an idea pops into your head doesn't mean you should just go and build it!" However, despite the clear as day anger in the Support Department teacher's voice, they were soon joined by the sound of a third voice, laughing heartily from within the smoke.
"Failure is the mother of innovation, Power Loader-sensei! It's just like Thomas Edison said: 'just because something didn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.'" As this clearly female voice spoke out, Nikolay, Mina and Ochako all simultaneously perked up with recognition as to just who they were hearing, even though it took the former two just a moment longer to realize who they were hearing.
"Now isn't the time to be spouting that nonsense! Just this once, can't you listen to what I'm saying, Hatsume?!" Power Loader scolded, and as if that were the magic word, the smoke had finally finished clearing, just in time for the four newly arrived students to find the sight of Izuku sprawled on his back, with the now familiar sight of the spongy pink-haired goggles-wearing girl with the yellow crosshair eyes, Mei Hatsume, laying on her stomach right on top of him, the biggest and boldest grin on her face once she saw the freckled boy that had clearly cushioned her fall.
"Oh?! Aren't you from a while ago? Yeah, all of you!" Mei stated in recognition as she quickly looked to find a mutually dumbfounded Ochako, Nikolay, Mina and Tenya looking down upon this unsavory display she was completely ignorant of, primarily since she'd been wearing a loose-fitting black tank top that, from his position, had inadvertently given a deep red-faced Izuku an up-close view of her notable cleavage.
Thankfully, before Izuku could die from a hormone-induced heart attack, Mei practically sprung right back up to her feet, none the wiser as to what she'd nearly put the poor boy through, or the utterly speechless and heavily blushing looks on all the other students' faces, especially Ochako. "Sorry about that explosion! It's been a while, hasn't it?!" As Izuku hurriedly got back to his feet, Mei already had her sharp eyes focused on Nikolay, Mina and Tenya. "You three, I remember from the Cavalry Battle, too! Different team, though, right?! How are things going in the Hero's Course… uh… er… I've forgotten everybody's names!"
Nikolay, Tenya and Mina couldn't help but glance at each other with clearly confused looks. "Does she really not try to differentiate us from each other? We never even spoke to her before. And how can she not even remember the names of her own former teammates?" Nikolay noted the painfully obvious, while Izuku was still struggling to put the sounds together to re-introduce himself, with Ochako unfortunately not doing much better.
However, as awkward as this meeting was already proving to be, that didn't stop Mina from, of course, being the first to extend a friendly and energetic handshake when faced with the prospect of making another friend. "Hi there, I'm Ashido Mina from Class 1-A! Nice to finally meet you for real this time, Mei-chan!"
Fortunately, her natural forwardness finally snapped Nikolay back to reality as he too stepped forward with a courteous bow, while still too nervous to make eye contact with Mei after seeing what she'd just done to Izuku, and what she was wearing to go with it. "Hello. I-I'm Nikolay Bezpalov, also of Class 1-A. I-I hope we can be able to work well together, Hatsume-san."
And finally, Tenya took the willingness of his peers to immediately step forward, with all the overbearing intensity of his to go with it: "Good morning, Hatsume-san! I'm Iida Tenya, chief representative of Class 1-A! It's an honor to make your acquaintance as a student of Yuuei's Support Department! I look forward to seeing what works you can produce from here on!"
Mei gave no actual response at first, and the three of them, even Tenya himself, couldn't help but worry that he had for once actually come on too strong for her comfort. And that was when she just as quickly turned on her heels to nonchalantly make her way back into the Development Studio. "I see! Well, I need to get back to my babies, so…!"
The way she just completely blew all their introductions so bluntly aside, her sudden exit quickly spurred all five of the Hero Course students to hurry after her, with Izuku finally finding the focus to get his original words back together: "Wait, please! Um… it's about getting some costume upgrades, for all of us, I'm sure. I personally wanted to ask Power Loader-sensei some questions, and…"
"COSTUME UPGRADES?! NOW YOU'VE ALL GOT MY ATTENTION!" Mei instantly proclaimed with all the enthusiasm in the world, nearly turning her head on a swivel at the very mention of it, before nearly flying right over to get in all of their faces practically at once (nearly head-butting Nikolay and Mina in the process thanks to her sizable goggles), catching the five students simultaneously by surprise at how much her smile positively glowed.
"Hatsume…" The foreboding voice of Power Loader suddenly growled from within the Development Studio, instantly diffusing all of Mei's boundless energy that honestly could have somehow matched Mina's. With the Support Department's teacher having once again made his presence known, the attending 1-A students quickly gave him their attention, as his eyes burned into Mei's back from within his bulldozer-like helmet. "It's fine if you want to board up with me and hang out at the Studio, but if you keep on making a mess of things in here, I'm going to ban you from here."
This single threat seemed to put the fear of God in Mei, as she quickly took a good step back from the visiting students, while Power Loader's demeanor thankfully seemed to lighten up now that he'd made his point. "Now then… Eraserhead gave me a heads up that any number of you Class A kids would be showing up here. You're all looking for costume changes to accompany your special moves, correct? Come on in."
Nikolay and the others weren't exactly sure just what they were expecting when stepping into the Development Studio for the Department of Support, but it certainly wasn't anything like this. What they had found themselves welcomed into was a surprisingly small, perhaps even quaint, mix between a laboratory and a garage, perhaps even resembling a small-time woodshop classroom, but for mechanics, as the counters were all littered with all kinds of metal parts, wires, and an assortment of tools they wouldn't have been able to begin guessing as to their functions. In the back, through a window, was even a test dummy surrounded by an assortment of deadly weapons, clearly meant for testing the durability of costumes.
Either way, their curiosity turned into all around wonder with every little thing they saw, especially the countless different gadget-looking objects that were just about littered everywhere.
"Oooh, wooow! This place looks sooo cooool! It's like a gadget lab from one of those old spy movies!" Mina noted with childlike excitement as she looked so tempted to touch just about everything she could see, with Ochako actually doing so with some of the tools. Nikolay would've followed suit, but the thought of just how expensive some of this equipment looked thankfully convinced him to stay his hand.
All the while, Power Loader was now standing before a small bank of computer screens, watching his young visitors intently. "Now then, everyone; let me see your costume instructions and any notes you may have as to the upgrades you're looking for. The original instructions came to you in sealed cases when you first got your costumes, yes? Since I have a license, after I take a look at those and your respective notes, I should be able to tinker with what I can for all of you."
Nikolay and his friends quickly dug through their pockets, producing the very same laminated instruction sheets that had come with their costumes from the very beginning to the Support Department teacher. Ochako and Tenya were just as quick to then give their hastily written ideas as well, while Mina chuckled awkwardly while handing over her cellphone with the still opened message on it. "Me and Kolya-kun; a friend of ours from another Support school sent us some design ideas for our costume upgrades. Is that enough, Sensei?"
"Yeah, I wasn't really sure how to describe what I was specifically looking for otherwise."
Without missing a beat, Power Loader pulled out a USB plug on a retractable cord from one of the nearby computers, quickly plugging it into Mina's phone, and within seconds unplugging it and handing it right back. "Yeah, it'll be enough. Don't worry, you two." The teacher was clearly on a roll, as he immediately began looking over the numerous drawn up diagrams on several of the monitors. It wasn't even a minute before he let out a piercing whistle in response. "Whoever this friend of yours is clearly has serious potential as a Support developer, I'll say that much right now. All right, I can definitely work on all of these for you."
"You really think so, Sensei?!" Nikolay asked with surprisingly quick eagerness, having started to convince himself such intricate requirements for his costume would prove too demanding, while Mina, Ochako and Tenya likewise lit up with happiness that they would actually be able to broaden their potential after all.
"Of course I can. The way this typically works is that if it's just smaller improvements and repairs you're looking for, like with Iida-san and Uraraka-san, I just have to let the Design office know 'this is how I changed things;' but for big improvements, like what Bezpalov-san and Ashido-san are looking for, then I have to prepare a formal written application to the design office to request approval. Then, after the newly upgraded costume gets inspected and approval is granted, it goes back to you."
Nikolay was feeling especially emboldened by just how confident Power Loader sounded when explaining all this, but Mina looked considerably uncertain by comparison. "How long would something like that usually take, Sensei? I-I don't mean to rush you or anything, but I'm… well, I'm pretty attached to my costume, and I don't wanna be without it for a real long time. I mean, I pretty much designed it myself, after all."
Power Loader never took his eyes off his computers as he kept looking over all the diagrams for the newly submitted improvement requests, but that didn't stop him from answering the pink young Hero almost instantly: "You don't need to worry about that, Ashido-san. With the original diagrams for the suits themselves, instructions and the improvement notes, your newly upgraded costumes will be sent to you rebuilt from scratch. As for how long it'll take, the Support office that I'm partnered up with is one of the best in the whole country, so it shouldn't take more than three days for all of your upgraded costumes to be finished and put through the process to be sent back to you. In the meantime, with that whole issue no doubt off your minds, it'll be a great chance for all of you to focus instead on molding and harnessing your special moves."
While everyone else looked very satisfied with the news, Power Loader was quick to see that Izuku was the only one with a pensive glimmer in his green eyes. "And what of you, Midoriya-san? You're the only one that hasn't already turned in your request. Do you have any ideas in mind what you're looking for?"
Knowing he was now the center of the teacher's attention, Izuku straightened up, but still couldn't hide the uncertainty on his freckled face. "Umm… I was actually wondering if there was some way to reduce the stress on my arm ligaments. Is something like that possible?"
While Power Loader was already proceeding to answer the curly-haired boy in the positive, a light of realization had similarly sparked in Nikolay's head. From just that one sentence alone, he finally realized why Izuku had looked so troubled and slow to act during training compared to everyone else. Clearly he wasn't the only one who had taken their doctor's words of warning to heart. Considering the same precarious position they both found themselves in thanks to the sheer power of their respective Quirks, they had both gone looking for the same solution to keep from nearly destroying themselves. He honestly couldn't help but just wonder if Izuku had come to the same conclusion just by Nikolay's being here. For now, all Nikolay could hope for Izuku, was the same thing for himself: that going to the Department of Support for help would give them the answers they were looking for.
The moment he finally looked back to Izuku, Nikolay was stricken with surprise (much like the boy himself) at the sight of Mei coming right in and putting herself right up against the poor boy while feeling up and down his costume. The fact she seemed completely oblivious to the mutual looks of disbelief at her forwardness would've been hilarious in any other circumstances.
"Ha-Hatsume-san… w-what are you doing?" Ochako asked, only barely managing to keep a composure resembling calm at the sight of Mei essentially feeling Izuku up, while Mina had to physically restrain Tenya from rushing in and reprimanding her for inappropriate conduct.
"Hohoho, you're built a lot stronger than I thought, Midoriya. I've got just the thing for you." Mei completely ignored Ochako's questioning before just as hurriedly rushing to another part of the lab, pulling the bug-eyed Izuku along listlessly. Within minutes, thankfully by the time he had regained his senses, Izuku now found himself before all his present classmates in a large and bulky robotic suit that encapsulated all but his head; looking very uncomfortable, while Mei was positively glowing.
"What the heck is that?! You turned Midori-kun into RoboCop!" Mina exclaimed in bewilderment at such a heavy and elaborate gear setup, while Mei only looked even prouder of the comparison.
"This is one of my most treasured babies; that's what it is! A powered exoskeleton! It works by sensing the contractions of your muscles, and then moving to support them; a real high-tech baby! This one is just Number 49 for me to show you all!" With that, Mei gave another hearty Santa Claus-esque laugh, again nearly blind and deaf to the soft protestations from Izuku as to the unnecessary over-the-top nature of it all. The only reason Mei eventually noticed was when, in his simply trying to turn to address her, the exoskeleton Izuku was trapped in began to twist more and more at the waist, nearly twisting the poor boy in half with nothing he could do to fight against it.
Once Izuku had finally gotten free; his face the picture of both fear and pain at what had nearly happened to him, Mei suddenly turned to spot Tenya now busily elaborating on his own desired upgrades, before she just as quickly bolted right in, bulldozing herself into the discussion."Iida-san, you say you want to augment the cooling capabilities of your legs? Well, if that's what you want…"
After what he'd seen almost happen to Izuku, now even Tenya couldn't hide the tension of fear on his face, especially when, in nearly a flash, Mei slapped what looked like a pair of bracers with tail pipes on his forearms, much to everyone else's continued bewilderment. "…GIVE THIS BABY A TRY! Super Cooler Electric Boosters designed to limit the generation of heat! This one's Number 36! Isn't it super cute?!"
Once more, her ears were deaf to all but her own voice, as she already activated said boosters the moment Tenya tried to talk her out of it. Like a puppet being pulled on strings, the 1-A president was instantly launched straight up into the air by the boosters on his arms, slamming his head against the steel ceiling with a resounding thunk!
The moment he had silently come back to the ground, and Nikolay and Mina hurriedly removed the boosters from his arms, his whole body was just barely trembling with thinly restrained frustration. "Hatsume-san… you know… my Quirk is channeled through my legs, not my arms, don't you?!"
Ever the unperturbed one, Mei stood as tall and proud as ever with another bellowing laugh. "Of course I know that! But the way I think of it is like this: if you want to cool your legs, all you have to do is just run with your arms!"
Tenya, Ochako and Mina alike looked like the girl was completely speaking in tongues, but none of the three other students noticed how, in the wake of this nonsensical proverb, a light of inspiration had visibly illuminated Izuku's once lost eyes. It was like the elusive piece of a most perplexing puzzle had finally begun to reveal itself.
Once it was clear that Tenya hadn't suffered any potential brain damage despite the heavy landing to his head, his classmates were all the picture of relief… at least until Nikolay suddenly felt one of each of his gloves and boots being forcibly pried off. The ever-enthusiastic and curious Mei again showed no subtlety or self-awareness of not only how inappropriate this looked (especially to an incredibly wide-eyed, rigidly standing and wildly blushing Mina), but also of the fact that, as she was forcing the garments of the Russian boy's costume off to look them over as well as his hand and foot themselves, she had her pronounced chest squishing right up against his trembling arm and leg over and over again; leaving Nikolay's stuttering face the deepest shade of red.
"So, your Quirk makes your hands and feet essentially act like a loudspeaker releasing pure kinetic energy! Very nice! I have just the thing for your hands at the very least, Bezpalov-san! Get a load of this devastating little baby!" By the time Nikolay's blood pressure had finally reduced to a point he didn't feel like he was about to keel over, Nikolay suddenly felt his right hand being forced into a monstrous-looking crossover between what looked like a cyborg gauntlet and what felt like a similar harness for his fingers inside.
However, the moment it was on, unlike his regular gloves, he suddenly felt that harness directly fasten itself to his hand, to a pronouncedly tight degree. His four friends could all clearly see the nervous look on his sweat-beaded face once this happened, but Mei looked like absolutely nothing was wrong… which, considering the last two examples, had them all very nervous.
"This is a kinetic-absorbing and releasing power gauntlet; official title still pending. The mechanics of your old gloves are actually already very similar to this, but this one's set up so that you don't have to have your hand open in order to disperse the energy you collect into it! You could channel that force through even a closed punch if you wanted! This is easily one of my more hard-hitting babies! I'm in the process of making a similar one for the feet, too!"
While Mei was explaining this, Nikolay decided to at least try and give her the benefit of the doubt by moving his hands from inside… only for that harness inside to render his fingers completely immobile with resistance. Despite this, Mei still was as confident as ever: "Don't worry, with enough practice, the harness will adapt to the regular movements of your fingers, and you'll be able to fight with it just as easily as your old ones. As of right now, the chances of the harness mechanics overextending themselves and breaking every bone in your hand with the pressure is only about… 48%."
Mei couldn't even blink fast enough to see how swiftly Nikolay had forced his hand out of this mechanical deathtrap and nearly threw it across the lab, just as the harness inside visibly clamped itself down with fierce-sounding power the moment it landed. Nikolay and all his friends could once again hear all their hearts racing at what a close call he'd just had from nearly destroying his whole hand, with Mina not even taking her eyes off Mei's latest monstrosity as she hurriedly handed Nikolay his glove and boot again.
"Okay, so it still needs a fair degree of fine tuning but my babies all still work, and will continue to do so better and better so long as I'm here. So, if you don't want anything for your hands and feet, then is there anything else you can do with your Quirk that doesn't involve them?" The moment Mei asked this, Nikolay's eyes widened with realization. For as horrifyingly dangerous as her other inventions had so far proven, perhaps she could actually provide something that wouldn't necessarily aid in attacking, but at least make doing so much easier for him.
"Actually, there's been a few times where, if I'm in a powerful enough state of emotional intensity, I'm able to channel my Quirk into an enhanced shout, but each time I've done it, it's left my ears bleeding. If I could at least be able to mitigate that, it would make focusing on using that particular attack a lot easier." As Nikolay explained his conundrum, the smile and spark of inspiration on Mei's face couldn't have been more perfect, as she was already halfway towards rushing for the nearest work station.
"Not a problem! I could have a sound-cancellation device all spruced up for you in the blink of an eye! Let me look over those fancy little notes that friend of yours sent, and it'll all be-!"
BOP!
Before she could even get started, Power Loader had swiftly stepped in and stopped Mei dead in her tracks with a single scolding knock to the back of the head. "Would you stop screwing around already, Hatsume?! Are you seriously trying to get banned? The requests of these students need to be attended to by professionals right now!"
As Mei automatically rushed right back for another workstation, doubtless to get right on to whatever new creation had started to take form in her head, Power Loader turned his attention back to the five shaken Hero Course students. "I apologize for that. Hatsume is abnormally self-centered."
Tenya, Ochako and Nikolay all simultaneously voiced a very grim and shaken utterance of agreement, while Mina was just shuddering. "All I'm looking for is just a version of my costume with stronger acid-resistant material, and yet I feel like she'd still somehow manage to make a death trap out of it."
Despite this, however, Power Loader's demeanor began to soften as he kept looking the five youths over. "It's true that Hatsume's enthusiasm for inventing has a troublesome tendency to make her overlook even the most basic safety protocols for the sake of the Heroes meant to use them… but if you are all aspiring to become Heroes, then it's best that you all invest in your relationship with her. Because once you become Pros, she'll take care of you all."
As he began to usher the five Hero students to follow him to another part of the studio, Nikolay and Mina couldn't help but feel a painful tugging at their hearts. After I-Island, they had both become increasingly enthusiastic about the possibility of Melissa Shield perhaps one day stepping out into the world of Hero Support and making new gear for them. Now that it sounded like they were being forced to choose, it couldn't help but make them both mutually sad. Yet, at the same time, they both knew that appearances were the most deceiving thing of all, and if a Pro Hero and Support expert like Power Loader was still ultimately vouching for Mei, then what right did they have to automatically disregard that? There was still plenty of time to really get to know her between now and their futures as Pros.
At that point, Power Loader suddenly motioned for the students to see a massive pile in the corner of countless different mechanical objects, suit accessories and suits themselves. Had it been anywhere but the Development Studio, one would have instantly assumed it to be a mountain of scrap.
"This mountain of trash here is made up of all the Support items that Hatsume has created since she started here. Even during school holidays she comes in here, even if just to tinker with something. Over the years, I've seen many in the Department of Support come and go, but Hatsume is definitely one of a kind."
"Wow… she's really made all of this in just four months?" Nikolay noted alongside Izuku, while Tenya, Ochako and Mina all looked just as impressed. For as off-the-wall and potentially dangerous as just the few inventions they'd just seen from Mei ultimately were, there was still something about this apparent work ethic of hers that all five of the young Heroes could deeply respect; perhaps even admire in their own ways.
With the sound of tools tightening nuts and bolts, and soldering irons working on circuitry, Nikolay and his friends couldn't help but look back in wonder at seeing Mei busily working in her natural habitat, with Power Loader for once speaking of her with true approval in his tone: "'Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.' Words left behind by Albert Einstein himself. Truly, without fear of failure, she continues to come up with new ideas and attempts to make them real.
"People who create inventions are not bound by conventional thinking." The moment Power Loader made this singular point, he never even realized what a wave of inspiration and enlightenment he had just triggered in all five of the 1-A students present. All at once had Izuku finally realized the truth behind All Might's previous riddle. As far as his own mentality and known wheelhouse as a Hero was concerned, he'd been constricting himself by focusing on what was conventional to himself as a Hero… instead of actually thinking outside of it, and finding a way to make it his own. He was so focused on trying to emulate everything All Might was, he never even stopped to think about doing things his own individual way.
And this same realization was going on within all four of his friends as well, especially in Nikolay and Mina. The pink young girl couldn't help but think back to everything Nikolay, Ochako and Tenya had told her when she'd addressed her difficulties of coming up with her own special moves. She'd been so focused on what she could come up with to fight, when they had been able to give her multiple examples of unconventional special moves she could come up with, and it was solely because they didn't have the burden of having years spent building the skill set she was most comfortable with, and thus the only one she bothered to think within when it came to expanding her capabilities.
This same epiphany was strong in Nikolay's head now, as well. He had been so dead-set and focused on thinking within the box of what he knew for a fact he could do, instead of thinking around it, and finding a way to make it work in a similar way. In the end, they had all unknowingly restrained themselves mentally by thinking conventionally, instead of doing what they'd been recommended from the start: being creative. If there had ever been a time for them to all let their imaginations for their Quirks run wild, this was it, and it took the unexpected example of Mei Hatsume to finally help them realize that.
There may have been a good deal of time they would have to wait before finally seeing their upgraded costumes brought to fruition, but in just that little bit of time, Nikolay, Mina, Ochako, Tenya and Izuku had all been stricken with a simultaneous and universal inspiration and readiness to go headlong back into their training and give themselves a chance to think outside the box at last.
Later that evening…
"So you guys have pretty much hit a dead end in making your special moves, too? I can't lie; I'm not sure if I should feel sorry for you, or if I should be glad I'm not the only one here with that problem." Eijirou's sentiments were loud and clear as he, Nikolay and Mina all sat at the same table in the dining area of the commons floor to the 1-A dorms, currently nourishing their day-long hunger with freshly made oden.
"Yeah, it really sucks! After listening to Power Loader-sensei earlier, I was feeling all fired up and ready to just start going nuts with experimenting with my Quirk. I mean, I've always thought I had an exciting imagination for everything else, why not with coming up with a special move outside my wheelhouse? But, man, Kiri; thinking outside the box and coming up with a move that's both dazzling and useful at the same time… I don't know how the Pros can make it sound so easy."
Case in point, after several more hours of constant training with her acid, despite her early onset scald wounds, Mina's hands once again were completely wrapped in disinfected bandages wherein they had to be set, and thus Nikolay was relegated to having to essentially spoon-feed her from her own portions, while trying to ignore the onset aches and pains up and down the entirety of his arms and legs and across his shoulders and even around his neck, hence why he currently had a number of ice packs (courtesy of Momo) duct taped to his arms and legs.
At this point after his own training, Eijirou was simply too exhausted to even shoot their Russian friend a knowing smirk and wink, watching his current situation with Mina in her state.
All the while, Nikolay was likewise thinking back on the standstill his training still stood in. "You're telling me. At least you two have the excuse of having years to already get used to your Quirks. I'm trying like crazy to follow Ectoplasm-sensei's advice and use that refraction ability offensively, but no matter how hard I try to focus on doing that, it won't work; I still have to be the one to be attacked first before it actually does anything; and until I can actually get either an idea how to block it out from my ears, or some kind of guarantee from the Support Department that they've got something that can keep me from deafening myself, there's no way I'm going to risk using that shout of mine. Besides, both those times I was in a state of complete emotional meltdown in order to actually harness it; I don't want to be in that kind of state every waking moment."
While Nikolay was alternating between taking his own bites with one hand while helping Mina to eat with the other, Eijirou had a refreshingly optimistic look in his eyes while listening to him. "Well, maybe it's not totally hopeless, dude. Remember in the beginning, you thought your Quirk as a whole was controlled entirely by your emotions. Now you can use it through both your hands and feet like it's the most natural thing in the world. If the Support Department comes through, I'll bet you'll find a way to make that shout work only when you want it to in no time."
Of course, even despite his dependable optimism, even Eijirou couldn't keep the smile up for long before his eyes likewise sank and he gave a tired sigh. "Although, it's not exactly like I can talk right now. I've been trying to follow Tunguska-sensei's advice and consider my timing when activating my Quirk in a situation. However, when it comes to making an actual special attack, I'm still not quite getting it right. I can't do that cannonball trick from the final test without someone there to throw me and give me the right momentum; same reason I can't do a big time body-slam or descending strike like you, Sato-san, Ojiro-san or Shouji-san. Trying to jump high enough for it without assistance is hard enough, and that's the main problem, since when I activate my Hardening, I plummet like a rock, so I can't build up the momentum there, either."
Eijirou began absentmindedly picking at his own oden, clearly deep in frustrated thought, while Nikolay and Mina both looked to each regretfully that they couldn't just magically give him ideas. However, that didn't mean they couldn't still try to lift their mutual friend's spirit, since he always tried to do the same for them and everyone else. "Hey, don't get so down in the dumps now, Kiri. It's only the first day of special move training; barely any of us have gotten something going already, remember?"
"Yeah, man. Besides, think about it like this: even for how limited you think your Quirk is, you've still managed to get this far with the rest of us despite that. That tells me you've got a natural sense of how to best utilize it when the situation calls for it. Because we're in a training scenario, and not a life-or-death situation, you're having to rely on your head way more than your gut instinct. The best thing I could suggest is maybe take the night to think about some different scenarios you could try and simulate during training tomorrow, and maybe try drawing up some alternative approaches you could take, and see what comes to mind from each one as you play them out in your head. You're sure to come up with some good special move ideas that way, I'm sure."
As Nikolay explained this, and Eijirou lifted his gaze in honest consideration, Mina's black-gold eyes widened with wondrous realization of just what the Russian boy was saying, and with that came yet another wide and knowing grin on her pink face. "Oh my gosh, did you even realize what you were just suggesting, Kolya-kun? That's the exact same multi-planning thing you were having so much trouble with for so long! Ooh, just listen to you, talking about it like it's suddenly so easy."
Mina couldn't help but start teasingly poking Nikolay in the cheek, since she couldn't exactly pinch him with her hands as they were, as the plucky trio couldn't help but laugh in mutual amusement, and gratitude for their abilities to lift each others' spirits in some way shape or form, no matter what. "Aw, c'mon, don't laugh, I was being serious. Yeah, it was hard to really get my head around, and it's still something I'm working on, but the fact I know it works has really got it ingrained in my head now. You could probably just say this is a sign of how used to it I've gotten, right?"
"Damn right! You've got a good point there, Kolya-san. I'll keep that in mind, see if I can maybe draw up some ideas to go over through the night and see how that pans out. Thanks, you guys. Thanks a ton." Eijirou expressed with a heartfelt smile, similarly spreading the cheer to the faces of his two best friends.
Although when looking upon her bandaged hands; a considerably thoughtful look crossed Mina's eyes. "I know we can all find our own special moves as long as we keep trying… and I really, really appreciate everything you, Urara-chan and Iida-san said about my non-combat special move potential, Kolya-kun, really I do. I still wanna be able to try and put together a move that combines all my real strengths so I can be just as useful in a fight as you guys, though. I want to be able to protect everyone in a way that I know won't run the risk of me going past my time limit. Ectoplasm-sensei helped me figure out how to shoot my acid way farther, after all; there's gotta be tons of special move potential in that."
"Given how your typical fighting moves have been up to this point, what makes you think shooting a farther continuous acid stream isn't a special move in itself, Ashido?" The sudden intrusion of Shoto's voice nearly caused the trio to jump at the arrival of their red-white-haired classmate, currently standing over their table with that same nonchalant look in his eyes, even as he kept eating away at his own serving every now and then. "Apologies, I didn't mean to intrude, but I couldn't help but overhear your three's mutual issues from today."
"Yeah, it's true, but you shouldn't have to saddle yourself by listening to us, Todoroki-san. Chances are you're not having any problems at all by comparison." Nikolay tried to shrug it off; not wanting anyone else to burden themselves by doting on the three.
Without any further ado, Shoto proceeded to likewise seat himself at their table. "You're right, Bezpalov. I've had a number of ideas since the Sports Festival for special moves, and they've been slowly but surely coming to fruition, but that doesn't mean I can't at least still offer a word of advice or two. You all might find you have the key to your desired special moves in you already… or you may not." His total ignorance towards the three's knee-jerk twitch at how open he was of his own progress would have been able to make anyone else laugh.
With another thoughtful and polite bite of oden taken, Shoto quickly turned his attention to a consequently surprised Eijirou. "You, for example, Kirishima, said you're having trouble managing the timing of activating and deactivating your Quirk at a moment's notice. Tell me, do you perhaps ever time how fast you can activate a full-body Hardening, or how long it takes to completely harden any single part of your body completely?"
The fact that Eijirou's eyes widened with clear-as-day realization of his own ignorance unfortunately answered Shoto's question as he took another pensive bite. "Perhaps you should try testing yourself on that in the meantime, see how fast you can completely harden your fist or your foot for starters. Once you've got that figured out, keep it in mind for training tomorrow, and see how effectively you can utilize your own momentum when charging your attack, like throwing an especially heavy punch for example. See if you're able to throw all of your weight into a punch, and only harden your fist once you're already in the middle of that resultant swing. It could perhaps add a considerable extra weight and force to what would otherwise be a normal hit your opponent otherwise wouldn't expect. You could potentially do the same with an aerial attack or anything of the like; and perhaps with enough practice, you could be able to find your own suitable rhythm in a fight. It could be an effective combination of offense, defense and deceit all in one if done right."
Eijirou looked downright stunned at such a simple yet brilliant training idea he hadn't even bothered to consider before, while Nikolay and Mina looked downright admiring of Shoto. "Wow, and you just came up with all that on the spot? You're like a total brainiac, Todoroki-kun!"
"No kidding, it's so simple! I can't believe we didn't even think of that."
Of course, to nobody's surprise, Shoto gave no visible reaction that their praise of his instinctive intelligence even registered, as he simply took another bite and finally turned to address Nikolay and Mina themselves. "As for you both, Bezpalov, Ashido; when it comes to the concept of projecting Quirks through the extremities, we're all three very similar, myself included. In that way, we could be able to utilize our Quirks in similar ways when it comes to developing our special moves. I doubt Aizawa-sensei would reprimand you two for having special attacks that are performed identically, even if they have different effects by definition."
When it became clear that Nikolay and Mina were expecting him to elaborate, Shoto casually brought his hands flat together to serve as example, while he, Nikolay and Eijirou all noticed the spark of familiarity already on Mina's face as she watched him carefully. "Take me for example: today I've come to discover that if I activate both sides of my Quirk at once and bring my hands together with the right amount of momentum, I can create a fast-moving and potentially devastating wall of steam, thereby creating a means to cover my allies and civilians, and a long range form of offense all in one."
The moment Shoto had even suggested that Mina being able to shoot her acid farther was essentially a special move already, she was pretty much aglow with excitement while looking at her own hands. However, now that he had given his latest hypothetical as to potential for further moves, now Nikolay was the one looking especially motivated while looking at his hands. Without missing a beat, the Russian boy hurriedly grabbed the nearest napkin before wrestling a pen from his pocket, already busily scribbling down notes, to the silent relief of his two closest friends, and Shoto's surface-level apathy.
"That whole concept for us makes sense, actually; especially with Mina's Quirk. Since she produces an actual physical element, and a liquid with a natural flow at that, for her to produce an accelerated jet stream by putting her hands together makes perfect sense. And Todoroki-san, since even just swinging one of your arms or putting one foot forward provides enough momentum to send either side of your Quirk forward; for you to be able to produce a mobile steam wall by putting your hands together also makes sense.
"And for me, even though my Quirk only produces what are ultimately just vibrations through the air, it still effects everything in its path like a physical force, so who's to say putting my hands together wouldn't somehow be able to either expand the distance at which my kinetics can travel, as well as the distance at which they're still at maximum power… or perhaps be able to focus the area of effect much better into a narrow line? There's so many possibilities with this one possible action."
Eijirou and Mina both knew better than to start telling Nikolay how much he was starting to sound like Izuku right now the more he talked to himself. It was far too clear he was officially in the zone as to how to approach his training tomorrow, and they both couldn't have been gladder for it. Finally, slamming his pen down onto the table with a resounding impact, Nikolay's face was virtually illuminated with anticipation. "You may have very well been a real lifesaver tonight, Todoroki-san; for all of us! Thank you!"
As Eijirou and Mina likewise expressed deeply heartfelt thanks, Shoto looked completely unfazed as he stood up from their table. "Don't go assuming my theory is 100% correct; guys. I could very well be wrong. However, if you're all really willing to try even as much as I suggested, then I'm confident you'll all be able to find your best special moves for now. But, still, you're all welcome, I suppose. You should probably consider yourselves lucky Midoriya has been talking incessantly with Iida all day since coming back from the Development Studio; otherwise I would've gone to speak to him instead."
The mention of Izuku and Tenya made Nikolay and his two friends all perk up with realization. As a matter of fact, ever since returning to the Gamma Gym, they realized that the two boys had been talking to each other much more continuously throughout the rest of the day. None of them could even begin to hazard a guess, but their minds were still all abuzz with curiosity just what those two could have been cooking up together.
Of course, no matter what Izuku and Tenya could have been up to, it did nothing to dampen the sensations of anticipation Nikolay, Mina and Eijirou were now feeling; all eager for tomorrow to come so they could finally start putting the theories Shoto had posed them to the test.
The next evening, August 17th
The second day of Class 1-A's special move training had come and gone with little to no real change in progress for many, even despite some having started to gain ideas at the very least from Ectoplasm and the rest of the teachers, and a few others having since gone to the Support Department for costume upgrades themselves. After another long, grueling and physically taxing day, they had all finally returned to their dorm building to wash away the day's worth of sweat, and finally treat themselves to a savory smorgasbord of okonomiyaki, courtesy of Yuuei's official chef, Lunch Rush, going the extra mile to provide for every single student of the school for every major meal without fail or drop in quality.
While many were quick to jump on such savory and filling food after the physical strain they'd once again kept putting on themselves, there was one face that a few were quick to realize hadn't lined up with the rest of the class to get their share in the dining area. And the question of just where that one missing face was; was quickly answered by the almost rhythmic sound of a familiar bass-like rippling in the air, followed by a pronounced thud against the side of the dorm from inside the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard to the 1-A dorm building, Nikolay had long since taken his leave from the Gamma Gym in order to try and practice his first idea for a special move at his own pace, since he'd come to worry that doing so in the hectic atmosphere of the Gamma Gym was wearing on Ectoplasm's patience, with just how much time he had to spend focusing his energy enough.
Having taken examples from both Shoto and Mina since the conversation last night, Nikolay had decided to test his overall theory himself, first at the gym, and then in the dormitory courtyard, and for the last nearly two hours since he had returned, he had repeatedly gone through the motions of putting his hands flat together, like Mina and Shoto said they had, and focusing his energy out through his palms, in the hopes it would release a much finer and focused blast wave; hopefully enough to finally break through thicker obstacles and defenses like Ectoplasm had kept telling him to.
And yet, no matter how many times he tried, no matter what kind of stance he took to lower his center of gravity, and no matter how much energy he likewise tried to channel into his feet in order to try and ground himself to avoid the blowback of firing from his hands, the result was ultimately the same: his balance was knocked completely out from under his feet, his hands would get thrown violently back from each other from the physical force firing from both his hands colliding and subsequently pushing back against him, and more times than he cared to keep count of by this point, he'd sent himself rolling back across the ground, just for his back to become personally acquainted with the dormitory wall.
"Kolya-kun; please, you need to stop this." The ringing in Nikolay's head after his latest crash and burn was suddenly broken by the soft yet clearly concerned sound of Mina's voice. Shaking his head to clear away the dizziness, the young Slavic boy turned to find her and Kyouka both having stepped out to check on him; their faces both displaying their own senses of worry after having watched his latest failed attempt.
"Mina-san's right; you've been going through this for who-knows-how-long, Kolya-san. Can't you at least come inside and get some food in you? At least give yourself a break to think." Kyouka insisted, managing not to sound too harsh while she and Mina approached; with Kyouka helping him back to his feet while Mina was already offering him his own plate.
"I don't need food right now; I know I can get the hang of this if I keep trying. If you and Todoroki-san can do it, then I can, too." Nikolay politely declined Mina's offer of food; leaving both girls to watch in silent worry as he was already beginning to get himself back into position. He was already getting his hands re-situated, before they both suddenly stepped directly into his path, a silent but heavy determination evident in both their eyes.
Before Nikolay could ask either of them to get out of the way to avoid getting hurt, Mina stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder just firm enough to turn him around to where they'd just picked him up from, while Kyouka was pointing specifically at the pronounced human-shaped set of cracks already left in the dormitory façade. "Nobody's saying you can't get the hang of it, Kolya-san, but you need to give yourself a break, try and just think your methods through, before you leave your own personal embankment in the wall. Wasn't doing that to your old basement bad enough?"
Granted, the visual reminder of just how little progress he'd really made was definitely the beginning of a wake-up call, but Nikolay was still resolute in his own determination, despite the concern on their faces. "Alright, so it hasn't been going as smoothly as I was hoping it would, but I've been feeling my impacts get softer with each one for the last half hour; that has to mean I'm starting to do something right."
As he began heading to his spot once more, Mina swiftly grabbed the back of the collar of his costume's turtleneck, stopping Nikolay dead in his tracks. "And what if you aren't? What if you end up getting a part so wrong you end up really hurting yourself again? Kolya-kun, Recovery Girl said she wasn't going to keep treating your worse injuries anymore if you kept being all reckless; you and Midori-kun both, remember? Do you really wanna risk crippling yourself for weeks at a time for this?"
Looking back, Nikolay could tell just how deeply worried both girls clearly were for him, as Mina's golden irises were just starting to shimmer with emotional weight, despite her attempt to sound as stern as she could, while Kyouka couldn't hide a similar investment in his well-being of her own, despite trying to look as stoic as usual.
The fact that both of his friends here were of the same mind for his sake at this moment thankfully kept Nikolay from thinking too deeply into Kyouka's reasons for getting involved, as he finally removed his costume mariner's cap and goggles, peeled off his gloves and finally took the same plate Mina had been offering.
With mutual grins of relief, the two girls ushered Nikolay along so he could finally eat with the rest of the class inside.
As the trio took the first table they could find, Mina was instantaneous with the questions while watching the relief on Nikolay's face at finally getting some food in his stomach. "Okay, Kolya-kun; this is probably the first real dead end I've seen you hit in this part of our training yet. You're usually so much more patient, at least enough that you wouldn't keep torturing yourself like that back there. So what exactly is the problem you keep facing that's making you one with the wall?"
Thankfully, Nikolay didn't even have to think about how to word his answer, as he quickly brought his hands together to emphasize his point to his two listeners: "I've been trying to focus as much of my energy into my hands as I thought was necessary, and since I'm trying to go for a thinner and more focused blast wave, I fire at the same time as I bring my hands together. The problem is that when those two waves meet, they're so strong that they blow my arms away from each other by force, and that screws up my balance on top of my whole blowback issue. Even if I fire from my feet to ground myself, that loss of balance makes that completely pointless."
As Nikolay continued to eat, with his pensive brow visibly furrowed, Kyouka had a similarly thoughtful glimmer in her eye. "Well, considering your shockwaves are pretty much just as much a physical force as, say, Mina-san's acid, do you think maybe it might help if you save your firing for after your hands are already together? And since you're trying to channel the direction they go in, as well as their area of effect, maybe try opening up at your fingertips before firing and see if that helps. I overheard Todoroki-san explaining earlier that that's what he's been doing in order to do that steam wall special move of his."
Following the purple-haired girl's lead, Mina likewise proceeded to demonstrate with her own hands. "That actually makes a lot of sense, Kyouka-chan! The only reason I keep my hands completely flat together to do my jet stream, is because the natural flow of my acid parts my fingers for me, and that's what makes the jet that allows it to go that much farther! Kolya-kun, since yours and Todoroki-kun's Quirks both pretty much revolve around air currents and all that kind of stuff, maybe making that little shape by opening your fingers in order to direct your blasts could be just the little change you need to really get ahead!"
While Nikolay's expression didn't completely lighten (not surprising after having essentially spent an entire day hammering his head against an immovable brick wall of progress), his eyes did look to be taking Kyouka and Mina's words into consideration as they fell to his hands. At the same time as this, Kyouka let out a tired sigh of her own. "Well, while it sounds like you've started to really get the hang of your jet stream by now, Mina-san; it also looks like you and I have been dealing with the same problem on our ends, Kolya-san. I've been trying to get the hang of my sense of timing for the special move I've been trying out."
To emphasize her point, Kyouka grabbed both her earphone jacks and began lightly poking the ends together. "What I've been doing is basically trying to combine my jacks with my martial arts, mainly as a way of distracting my opponent so I can make an opening to either jab one or both into them. However, the special move I've been trying, in case you haven't heard it from where you've been training at in the gym, is hitting the ends of my jacks together in order to make a sonic boom of feedback noise to stun my targets. The move itself works, I've managed to disrupt or destroy a couple of Ectoplasm-sensei's clones with it. The main problem, like I said, is trying to send my pulses down in time for the sound to come out when I hit them together. Half the time so far, I've either been sending them too early or too late in the middle of one of my feinting attacks, and he says that if I do that, and I get the timing wrong, I risk leaving myself open. It's all about rhythm, and that's something I'm more than familiar with, so I'm sure if I just keep putting my nose to the grindstone with it, I'll be able to get my timing for this down without a problem; but when I don't, it's so damn frustrating."
As much as he disliked thinking like this, Nikolay could now at least understand what Eijirou had meant last night, listening to Kyouka explain her own difficulty. There was a strange kind of comfort to take, knowing that he wasn't the only one suffering the same kind of problem, or at least having problems with training at all. In a strange way, listening to this on top of Kyouka and Mina expressing confidence in all their capabilities to finally get their special moves down filled Nikolay with a new sense of confidence and eagerness to actually put their advice to the test. His free hand closed into a determined fist as he finally smiled with hope again, to both girls' mutual relief. "Thank you, Kyouka-san, Mina. I thought I was starting to get past being impatient with my Quirk development… but I guess seeing as many of you as there have been, actually making big leaps in progress while I've pretty much been stuck, has been bringing that old mindset back; but you're both right. With practice and patience, I can make those same leaps forward too, all of us can. It really is funny just what a difference a second opinion makes, huh?"
And so, with mutual laughs of relief, Nikolay, Mina and Kyouka proceeded to continue through the rest of dinner, with the Russian boy's formerly frustrated mind having finally been brought back to something resembling ease; now alight with inspiration of what to try next. However, there was still a sensation of tension prevalent in his head behind his smile that he couldn't shake.
Later that night…
As soon as night had officially fallen, and after he had finally taken the time to shower off his own day's worth of sweat and aches, Nikolay had once again relegated himself to practicing in the dormitory courtyard, trying to work off of Kyouka's suggestion from before and keeping his fingers open.
And in the time between the end of dinner, and when everyone had finally decided it was high time to turn in for the night, the commons floor had once again been subjected to the continuous rhythm of 1-A's sole foreign student driving himself into the wall, albeit this time with considerably less potentially devastating force. Perhaps that was the sole reason the entire class hadn't taken to gathering at the windows to watch their sole foreign classmate's stubborn training in worry.
However, failure was still failure as far as Nikolay was concerned, as every time his Quirk still blew him up and over, this time he didn't even need to wait for his head to stop spinning before getting right back up, into position, and getting his hands in formation to try again. He wasn't even paying attention to the passage of time anymore, nor was he bothering to keep count of how many times he'd blown himself away by this point. He was going to try and get his foot in the door of special move progress if it killed him.
"I guess the fact your impacts don't sound as much like the building getting hit with a wrecking ball should be considered a good sign?" Kyouka's voice suddenly interrupted just as Nikolay had gotten his hands extended in front of him again. Despite her attempt at a joke, however, he couldn't ignore the clearly troubled look in the short-haired girl's onyx eyes as she began to approach again.
"I don't get it; I could've sworn that idea I gave you would've worked from the start. Todoroki-san made it sound so simple. Why is it still blowing you back? Are you still firing from your feet to ground yourself?" Her questions just came one after the other as Kyouka forced Nikolay to stay in his ready position so she could make sure he wasn't leaning himself too much to any one side.
"Of course I am; I've gotten enough of an idea of what postures I should take in order to keep myself grounded. I'm doing exactly what I know works, and I'm doing what you suggested, but I just keep over-extending the power I put into it. I try not to, but it's like my body is so tense all the time, I don't know how to get around it." The frustration in Nikolay's voice was unmistakable, but still decidedly different than the frustration he'd expressed during dinner. This sounded much less like it was directed towards his training itself, and was instead pointed somewhere deeper.
"Don't you do anything like breathing exercises to try and calm yourself down? That used to help me a lot when I first started practicing with my Quirk way back when." Kyouka suggested, and this time she allowed Nikolay out of his firing pose; to which he just gave a weary sigh.
"I've tried, and most of the time it's worked… but to be honest, the tension I feel doesn't have anything to do with training. It's something… something that's been with me way longer." The moment he mentioned this, he could see the deeply-rooted concern flash across Kyouka's eyes.
"Whoa… this, er… is this something to do with you and Tunguska-sensei's whole… well, do I really have to say it?" Thankfully Nikolay was quick on the uptake, and just as quick to shake his head, to her sigh of relief.
"No, this isn't anything to do with everything from years ago… but…it does have something to do with me and Dad. I just… ever since that fight he and All Might had with that… that total monster of a Villain, I just haven't been able to stop this… this shaky feeling deep in my gut. I mean, I'm not stupid, I know that there are really strong Villains out in the world, of course. I just… I never imagined there could be anyone out there that could be that powerful, and the thought of one day standing up against something like that honestly scares the shit out of me!
"I know Dad and All Might were able to beat him in the end, but I can't stop thinking about what happened to Dad before that eventually happened, and when I think about that, I then start worrying about that potentially happening to any one of you here! It's like watching that fight brought all my old fears about my own abilities right back around, and the fact I've been having all this trouble coming up with special moves, while more and more of the class is steadily moving forward without me, has been making it even worse! It's just been making my fear grow along with my impatience, like I keep telling myself I should have multiple special moves figured out by now, even though I know that's not realistic! I once again keep thinking about all these possibilities of me screwing up and getting any one of you, or worse, all of you killed as a result! I know I shouldn't be thinking about stuff like this so soon, but I can't help it!"
Kyouka instantly saw how Nikolay's hands were starting to shake at his sides. She'd heard from Mina before how often he tended to do this back in the beginning, and how it had soon come to a complete stop after he'd returned to Yuuei. So now, if he was being brought back to a state like this, even Kyouka knew his emotional turmoil had to be something serious. "Kolya-san… have you actually shared any of this with anyone else, like Mina-san?"
With his hands still shaking, Nikolay began to shake his head. "I'd told her and Eijirou-san about how scared I was after that fight, but not since this training started… I haven't told either of them how this has been making me feel right now. I don't think I could if I tried. They both worry about me enough as it is, I don't want to burden them with this, especially."
At this, Kyouka suddenly stepped forward and grabbed onto Nikolay's wrist, forcing him to look in her triangular-shaped eyes. "First of all, you've got to stop with this crap about your stress making you a burden on people. If that were really the case, do you think any one of us would go out of our way just to talk to you and be your friends like we have? Nobody here does that out of some kind of obligation; we do it because we all really care, because we're friends. So just put a lid on that from now on and take my word for it, alright?
"Second, you need to remember: that psycho Villain is locked up now, and anybody who could be that freakishly powerful has gotta be some kind of rarity, even in a world full of Quirks like this. Besides, the example from that battle is the whole reason we all moved onto Yuuei's grounds in the first place, precisely because we're all safe here from now on, so try to remember that and don't torture yourself with all this thinking of failing and getting anyone killed, okay?"
As Kyouka began to take the first step to bring Nikolay back inside, he suddenly pulled his hand free from her grip, forcing her to look back in surprise at the emotional look on his face. "You make it sound so easy now, but what about when we eventually have to go back out in the field? Every time we do, trouble always manages to find us! Even if it isn't a Villain as overwhelming as the one we all saw on TV, all it takes is for it to be one just powerful enough to resist even some of our Quirks, and everything could turn into a total disaster before we'd even have a chance to act! That's why I can't stop worrying about these things just like that, no matter how much stronger I seem to get, or how much my fighting ability might expand. We all know how powerful All Might and my Dad and so many of those other Pro Heroes are, and even combined, they could barely manage to keep up a fight with that monster! What's it going to look like for us if we ever have to fight someone like that one day? I want nothing more than to be able to protect all of you, but I don't know what else to do if this training just isn't working for me."
The courtyard became significantly quiet as Nikolay poured his latest stresses out for Kyouka to bear witness to, and the poor purple-haired girl was visibly at a loss of what she could possibly say to alleviate these admittedly very justified fears.
And it was admitting to herself that his fears were legitimate, that made Kyouka realize that now wasn't a situation for Nikolay to be given simple platitudes. This was a time for brutal honesty. As such, she finally took a step forward and lifted Nikolay's hanging head with a finger to his chin, forcing him to look in her serious eyes. "I never said it was easy to not think about stuff like that. Hell, with things being the way they are, it's probably one of the hardest things any of us could do. After all, you're not the only one that's still scared even after all this time since that fight, Kolya-san."
She had to resist the compulsion to let her eyes sink out of shame for showing even this kind of weakness to Nikolay of all people. But her willpower wouldn't allow it, as she steeled herself to let the brunt of her own truth out for him to hear in return. "Ever since then, I've talked a lot with the girls and a lot of the others, and even now, one thing that's been pretty consistent between all of us is that, even if we're dedicated and pushing ourselves like crazy to make our special moves, we're all still just as shaken up from watching that fight as you are… including me. I mean, let's be honest here, no matter what you or anyone else could say; the fact is that my Quirk just isn't as powerful or combat-versatile as a lot of our classes' Quirks are. So believe me, that fear of yours; of not being good enough when it counts… that hits pretty close to home here."
By this point, Kyouka proceeded to sit herself down against the wall, right next to the cracks Nikolay had left in the edifice, thus driving the Russian boy to respectfully sit beside her. Her eyes had gone up to look at the numerous stars up above; only possible since Yuuei was situated a good distance outside the heart of Musutafu, and thus there wouldn't be as much light pollution to block the view.
"You know, when I see just how much stronger a lot of you guys are becoming, including you, Kolya-san, and then see what little progress I seem to make… well, sometimes I find myself wishing I'd just gone for my second career idea instead. You know, just become a musician and just leave it at that." Nikolay didn't dare to interrupt, but he couldn't hide the note of sadness on his face, to think that Kyouka could actually still get that low even now.
However, that's when he looked back and saw that, despite the emotion in her eyes, there was the beginning of a smile on her face as she kept looking up at the vast dark blue sky. "Yet, every time I get to that point, I always end up remembering how much I want to be able to help people in general; how much I want to be there for my friends, kind of like what I'm doing with you right now. Then, like clockwork, I remember how I'm not the only person who's counting on my friends here at Yuuei, but that you're all equally counting on me as well, and counting on each other, too. I know it sounds totally weird and probably doesn't make any sense, but that thought that we're all counting on each other like that is actually kind of comforting in a strange kind of way. It makes me remember that I don't have to slog through these hard parts by myself, or feel like I have to carry that emotional burden all by myself.
"I know it's not really my place to say this, but with all of that being said… you've gotta know that the same goes for you too, right? You're dealing with a lot right now, but you don't have to keep it all to yourself. Hell, you've already made a good first step by opening up to me here, but don't you think the rest of your friends deserve to know what's going on with you to the fullest, too? You're always there to listen to them and help where you think you can, at the very least. Don't they deserve the mutual respect and chance to be able to return even a portion of that favor to you by listening to what's on your mind for your own sake, without you thinking you're wasting their time and energy by doing so? Honestly, I would've thought you'd learned that lesson and engraved it in stone in that head of yours by now after all the times Mina-san, Kirishima-san, Midoriya-san and I have been there for you to vent your problems to, not to mention God-knows-who else in class."
Kyouka had to actually catch her breath after having gone on such a lengthy emotional support tangent. However, even as she did so, she felt awash with relief when she saw the intensity in Nikolay's green eyes start to soften, along with the rest of his body as he let out the softest sigh. "I've really got a bad habit of forgetting this stuff when I think I won't, don't I? For crying out loud, you're absolutely right, Kyouka-san. That whole thing is the entire reason my Dad's been working so much harder this past month towards getting his Pro Hero License in the first place, after all: for the sake of helping carry some of the burden that All Might had been carrying by himself for so long. He understands his responsibility alongside all the other Heroes… so then why is it so hard for me to just take that to heart and keep it there?"
Nikolay finally got back to his feet and, to Kyouka's barely visible fluster, actually extended a hand to help her to her feet as well, which she quickly took. The smile now on Nikolay's face was soft and heartwarming as he was now the one looking up at the sky. "We're all still in this together, and we all help each other carry our respective weights all around. It's not just me trying to carry the entire class on my shoulders, just like you said. It's not about me protecting the entire class; it's about us all working hard to protect each other and help each other grow in the end."
This remembrance earned Nikolay a good-natured elbow to the arm from a smirking Kyouka before she finally began to turn for the door back inside. "Well, I'm glad you've finally gotten back to your senses in full. This time, try to make a point of hanging onto it for good, okay? Otherwise someone might start feeling the need to charge you for the constant emotional reminders, you know? But hey, maybe at training tomorrow, see if reminding yourself of all this; about you not being the whole, but simply being an equal part of it; see if that can help finally calm those frayed nerves of yours and help your training any, okay?"
Rubbing the exceptionally sore spot on his arm after having gone through so much constant usage of his Quirk all day, Nikolay could thankfully still manage to give Kyouka a semi-embarrassed chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm gonna make a point of it this time. Still, thank you for being here for this, Kyouka-san. I know you didn't have to, but you still made the choice anyway, and I won't forget it."
This time, Kyouka was the one to answer with a lighthearted chuckle, while still keeping her back turned so Nikolay couldn't see the blooming shade of red on her cheeks as a result of his personally thanking her for simply talking to him. "Hey, I'm happy to do it. I wouldn't exactly be much of a friend if I couldn't do at least that much, right?"
Nikolay began to follow after her for the door back inside; no longer able to ignore just how immensely tired he really was. As they both did so, he and Kyouka were simultaneously stricken with that unmistakable sense that they were being watched. Thankfully it didn't take long to figure out, as a momentary glance through the windows of the common area that looked out onto the courtyard, quickly revealed Mina's head of frizzy pink hair watching them from around the corner of the hall leading to the girl's wing of the dorms. Even from this distance, they could both see the biggest excited smile on her face as she watched the two in silence, before just as quickly ducking out of sight once they saw her.
Kyouka could just imagine her pink friend was giggling incessantly to herself the entire way up to her room, and thus rolled her eyes while still trying to hide the remnants of her previous blushing. Nikolay, however, was now finding himself stricken with a whole new emotional upheaval in his chest.
The intrusion of Mina on this bonding moment had swiftly reminded him of exactly what she had told him back in the hospital to try and talk him out of going on their rescue mission… and now that all of his other issues had finally been addressed, it had hit him with the force of a speeding train; the fact that for the first time since learning her deep, dark secret, he and Kyouka were officially alone together.
He could already feel his face heating up, his heart start hammering at his ribs, and his throat go dry. Not only was he unable to stop thinking about the possibilities of what was going through Kyouka's head right now, but also the conversation he and Eijirou had gone through back on their first night in these dorms. Both those major issues butting heads sounded like the worst possible thing for any of them to go through, and he was fresh out of any ideas as to how to approach any of this. Hence the fact that he spoke up to Kyouka just as she began to step back inside, was a result of simple kneejerk reflexes in the wake of an entirely different kind of stress he was now neck-deep in: "Kyouka-san, could you wait for a second, please? There's, uh… there's actually something else I wanted to talk to you about, or actually, ask you about… alone; something really important."
The fact they were officially alone, and Nikolay was now speaking to her with a whole other kind of seriousness to his tone had Kyouka swallowing a nervous lump in her throat of her own, as she hesitantly turned around to face him; all the while hoping with every fiber of her being her face wasn't as red as she felt like it was. Unfortunately for her, it was even worse than that, and Nikolay could see it clearly alongside the fact her hands were trembling just as much as her mouth was, and her eyes were trying like hell to avoid looking into his.
He never would have had the gall to call himself an expert on any of this kind of stuff, but the fact that she now had such a flustered and nervous demeanor about her, simply at the prospect of him wanting to ask her something, ultimately proved the basis for Mina's words before. There was no way he could just say that it was nothing after he'd just said how important this was. There was unfortunately no turning back for either of them now, and he knew he needed to just get to the point; otherwise he'd just start talking in circles and make this that much more awkward for both of them.
"I guess I should just come out and say it. Back when we were all still in the hospital, and after I'd gotten cleared to leave, I wanted to join Eijirou-san and Todoroki-san in trying to save Bakugo, but Mina didn't want me to go after what had almost happened to me. Things between us got really personal, really intense. In the end, even though she told me how much she didn't want to do so… she ultimately told me about how you…"
Kyouka went completely frigid, almost unnaturally stiff now that this discussion had switched to the subject of her. Nikolay had to keep mentally screaming at himself in order to keep going: "… she told me about how you apparently have a big crush on me."
It was insane just how violently Kyouka's whole body jolted now that it had finally come out, with her earphone jacks shooting this way and that in reaction to her gut-instinct panicked reaction. Nikolay was simply fortunate to be standing just far enough away that she didn't end up driving the jacks into his head and hit him with the single most powerful pulse she'd ever sent down from her ears.
The poor girl's face was a mad display between pure anger at Mina for having gone running her mouth to the last person in the world she should have; and soul-crushing humiliation that he now knew what seemed like the truth as far as she was concerned. By the end, Kyouka looked like she was about ready to dive head first into the nearest grave and bury herself in it. "What's even the point in trying to say none of it's true?" She muttered these words in such quiet defeat, it almost more resembled lip synching than actual speaking. However, for Nikolay, it couldn't have been any clearer. Honestly, her own physical reaction had pretty much proven the truth already, they both instinctively knew this.
As soon as her earphone jacks had finally stopped flying around and just hung limply at her sides, Nikolay stepped forward, never taking his eyes off her, even as she had her head bowed down in defeat. "Is it true, though?"
Kyouka began to shake her head while balling her hands back into fists, but when she lifted her head to look Nikolay in the eye, her face was wrought with both confusion and frustration. "I don't even know! I want to say 'no.' I mean, I like talking to you, I like being around you, I really like sharing music with you, that's all pretty basic stuff with friends. At the same time, though, whenever you get up close or get really complimentary to me, I can't stop my face from feeling like it's gonna catch on fire, or like my heart's gonna burst! I don't know what the hell to make out of any of it!"
Kyouka once again nearly gave herself whiplash, she threw her head back down so hard, as though she couldn't bear to have him look her in the eye while she was like this. At the same time, Nikolay looked similarly shocked… shocked, and contemplative. This was a lot to try and take in all at once, but there was no way he could just leave her here in this state and say nothing. "Well… if you had to really think about it, Kyouka-san… w-what exactly would you say it is about me that makes you feel the way you do when I do those things?"
It was a real godsend for Kyouka's sake that Nikolay was fighting tooth and nail to keep his own composure, as it ultimately helped her to try and get a grip back on herself; taking a deep and steadying (albeit still a touch shaky) breath, so she could actually recompose her thoughts and actually give him an honest answer. To her surprise, being forced to think back, the words came with surprising speed and confidence:
"I feel like it could be any number of things, but if I had to start with the basics… well, the truth is that you're basically the first boy to ever really pay me any kind of mind at all, let alone really notice me. I mean, even all the way back in middle school, compared to all the other girls in my classes, I've never really been much to look at. I can't really say it's much different here, either. I mean, I'm not stupid, I know I'm not as pretty and not nearly as… well, filled out as Yaomomo, Mina-san and Tooru-san." As she begrudgingly mentioned this part, her eyes momentarily and instinctively drifted down to her comparatively flat figure; a twinge of irritation briefly flashing across her face, all while she was completely ignorant to the instinctive blush forming on Nikolay's face.
However, once his initial fluster ran its course, Nikolay was thankfully quick to answer: "I'm a bit doubtful about that, though, Kyouka-san. I mean, about my being the first boy to really pay you any mind. I mean, it seemed like you and Kaminari-san actually got along pretty well way back near the beginning; you definitely talked to each other like you were already old friends. Still do, even."
Kyouka let out an irritated groan as she began pacing in circles. "I know, I know! Even I was starting to realize how little sense my own answer made as I was saying it! Dammit, why does this all have to be so confusing?!"
However, as soon as she said this, she just as suddenly came to a stop; a glimmer of realization suddenly reflected in her eyes. "Wait… my mom once told me that one of the signs that a girl likes a boy is when he makes her feel like she has a higher purpose, or something along those lines. I remember, back when we all first visited your house for that disastrous party; when I found out from you that you'd been so sheltered and cut off from so much of the music out in the world, I felt myself become just absolutely taken by this desire; an honest desire, to try and help introduce you to all the same stuff I'd spent my entire life listening to and more, just so I could help broaden your knowledge, enjoyment of things and all that. I felt like that was my way of reaching out and helping you, just like how Mina-san wanting to be your best friend right out the gate was her way of doing the same thing.
"I'm not sure if things inside me just jumped from that moment into… well, whatever the hell this is, since I know, I know I easily could've just let you go on your own path of discovering all the new music out there after I gave you that first MP3 player back before the Sports Festival… but I obviously didn't. I just couldn't shake this desire to keep guiding you by the hand through all the same stuff I listened to. I wanted to keep being a part of that experience for you. I don't even know what it is I feel around you anymore now."
Kyouka's frustrated and humiliated groans were beginning to grow more frequent as she ran her hands up and down her arms, as though she'd been stricken by a deep chill from having to finally say all this out loud. The more Nikolay listened to her, though, the more his own tumultuous mind was starting to actually form a path of questions and answers that he could only hope would be able to help settle her nerves and bring her back to normal. "Well, Kyouka-san, do you ever perhaps talk about music with any of your other friends as extensively as you've done with me over these last few months?"
To this, Kyouka finally managed to stop squirming with her anxiety, and instead gave a slow and resolute shake of her head. "No. To be honest, I never really did back in middle school or elementary school, either. Everybody these days wants to be a Hero more than anything. It was so obvious even back then, I was worried that if I ever talked to anyone about anything other than Heroes, I'd just be wasting my breath… or worse, that all the other kids would think I was weird because I actually wanted to be anything at all besides a Hero.
"With that in mind, when I found out that you'd heard so little music and clearly weren't as enthusiastic to the core about Heroes and that kind of stuff like everyone else, I felt like you were one of the only people in the world besides my parents that I could actually even partially open up to about my love for music at all. Maybe that's what made me start feeling so emotionally attached to you; I felt like in that way, you were kind of my one and only personal confidante. God, just saying it out loud like that must make me sound selfish as hell, doesn't it?"
By now, Kyouka's embarrassed expression had fallen into one of pure shame, now that she was actually looking back on her approach and reasoning for her actions with Nikolay from the outside. Now she really couldn't bear to look him in the eye, in fear that he would be justifiably upset that she'd essentially thought of him as a means of expressing her real passions, instead of as an actual person and friend.
That was why she flinched so hard when Nikolay closed the distance that much more and actually placed a gentle hand on her shoulder; forcing her to once more look him in the eye with surprise. The understanding in his eyes blew all her apprehension away as he thought carefully of what to say. "I don't think that was selfish of you, really. I think everybody wants to be able to have at least that one person they can share their deepest passions with. Wanting to be able to share those experiences with people is great. It's why I personally love simply being able to sit down and watch movies with you and everyone else from class that I can; it's the same thing as your love of music and having wanted to share it with me. In that way, we're a lot more alike than I think either of us thought at first."
To hear him actually say this was almost threatening to bring tears of relief to the purple-haired girl's eyes, before his expression likewise began to sink in contemplation. "However, I think I've finally started to realize that friendships, and as a result, actual stronger relationships than that, have to be about more than just connecting over one common thing, you know? I mean, if you were to be in that kind of relationship with someone, and the only thing you both had in common to talk about was music, then it wouldn't matter just how much music in the world there was. There would inevitably come a day where you'd find yourselves having completely run out of things to talk about, to really connect over… and from there, it would just start to fall apart, and then you and that other person would be left that much sadder as a result, because from there, you'd now have literally nothing left to really connect to each other with."
Indeed, the more she now had to think about this scenario, Kyouka couldn't rightfully deny that the idea of running out of things to bond with another person over sounded exceptionally empty and heartbreakingly sad. She had to swallow the beginnings of an emotional sniffle, before she realized that Nikolay was still wearing that understanding smile of considerable warmth, still looking her in the eye. "But at least think about this: by this point, all the girls; pretty much the entire class now knows how passionate you are about music. Since then, has anybody among them made fun of you or called you weird for it?"
Kyouka Jirou could have smacked herself silly for how hard that truth hit and made her realize just how much she'd been forcefully sheltering herself in her own emotionally isolated bubble, instead of really recognizing the people around her and their words and actions for what they really were.
He was absolutely right! Even if Denki and Yuga might have called her unladylike for her passion for rock music, even then there was no malice intended by it. Everybody seemed to think she was somehow even cooler for it, and she'd just been so withdrawn into herself that she chose not to recognize it. She didn't have that excuse anymore, though, now that the Russian boy before her had forced her to finally see the truth.
Thankfully, Nikolay could see this same change in Kyouka's demeanor himself, as his smile seemed to just light up that much more in response. "You see? You've already got so many more friends you could be able to open up to about music and all sorts of other stuff now, including me. I think you deserve to be able to find out, through that, if you really do feel… well, that way about me after all. Or who knows; you just might end up finding yourself feeling that same way, if not even stronger, towards someone else later on. There's no need to think you're feeling a certain way about someone so fast, I don't think."
Nikolay's own confidence in his words was beginning to waver once it got back to the real elephant in the room between himself and Kyouka; not helped when he saw the pensive look on her face when considering his real words. "Kolya-san… are you saying that you would… just want us to stick to being friends?"
There didn't seem to be an angry edge to her voice, but that didn't mean he was about to just go on thinking everything was fine, hence the nervous edge in his answer: "In truth, yes. I'm sorry, I really don't want to make you sad, Kyouka-san; I promise I don't. I really like being friends with you, too; and I want to keep being friends with you for as long as possible, just like I want to with everyone, and they all want to with you, as well.
"But the thing is that, just like you, I've never experienced having those kinds of feelings for another person before, and I really don't want to risk screwing up a friendship with anyone by jumping for the first person that expresses any interest in me, or visa versa. I know that stuff like loving another person romantically takes a lot of time, and I think that's something we both need to keep in mind going forward, and take that time with all our friends to see what may or may not eventually happen. It's gotta be worth the effort, right?"
Kyouka didn't respond at first. She didn't even have her head lifted to meet his gaze anymore. After a good several seconds, the silence in the wake of his desire for them to simply remain friends was beginning to wear on Nikolay's anxiety. Even if doing so would technically have been the right thing to do, he was very hesitant to speak up and ask her just what she was thinking at that moment.
When Kyouka finally lifted her head slowly after having continuously gone through every detail of what she'd just been told, Nikolay was instinctively bracing himself to get both her earphone jacks blasting straight into his ears. Instead, however, he was met with the sight of her giving him one of the most purely emotional smiles he'd seen on her otherwise stoic face to date.
"You know… for the longest time, on the occasions I ever actually thought about one day having those kind of intense feelings for someone else, I was always deeply afraid of what would happen if they weren't interested. I always worried I'd have completely screwed up an entire friendship, and we wouldn't be able to look at each other or speak to each other ever again… kind of like what you just described. That was honestly one of the reasons I was so afraid to just tell you the truth, Kolya-san.
"And yet, now, after everything you've helped me to understand that I'd been so confused about before, I actually feel… good. I feel pretty damn good, actually. Part of me was just caught up in all this emotional confusion surrounding you for a while; again, because I'd never opened up to someone like I had with you, and Mina-san immediately jumped on that and started suggesting it was a crush. No matter how many times I kept telling her otherwise, she just wouldn't let up with it, and it started getting to a point I was actually starting to believe it, myself. Obviously, that just made it all a lot worse."
With this, she began to close the rest of the distance between herself and Nikolay; that warm smile on her face never faltering. "Hearing you say all this stuff out loud was just the dose of serious perspective I've needed, Kolya-san. Thank you a ton for that… or spasibo, as you always say. I'd really like for us to just stay friends as of right now, too. I mean, who knows? Given enough time… who's to say nothing might come of it, you know?"
With that, Kyouka suddenly closed the rest of the distance and pulled the momentarily stunned Nikolay into a surprisingly strong hug. For once, even being this up close and physical with the young Russian, Kyouka could at last do so without feeling like she was going to burst into flames of embarrassment or collapse of a heart attack. Without all of that clouding her senses; to be able to just partake in a genuine show of gratitude and friendship like this with him felt especially nice.
Her hold on him carried on for an exceptionally long time, with her grip showing no sign of lightening up, before she suddenly let out a bemused chuckle. "Your dynamic with the whole class is really something else, isn't it, Kolya-san? So many of us are always there to help get your emotions back on track… and then without even missing a beat, you manage to come right back around and do the same for us like it's second nature. What do you even call that?"
Nikolay finally found the wherewithal to return Kyouka's hug, while still managing to not hold her nearly as tight as she still was; while he had to really think of how to answer her. "I guess the closest thing that comes to mind is simply calling it what it is: friendship. It's never a one-way street; I know that now after everything we've all gone through so far. Although, if I'm being honest right now, a lot of that stuff I said about serious relationships, I actually got from my Dad when I called him on our first night here. I needed some perspective about the whole thing surrounding… well, us then, like you did tonight."
Kyouka finally released her hold on Nikolay, as she started breaking out into an honest fit of laughter, nearly to the point she was starting to cry from laughing so hard. When she finally managed to catch her breath and clear her eyes, she was relieved to see that her reaction thankfully hadn't made the wrong impression on him. In fact, the smile on his face made it look like he was trying to keep from laughing at how embarrassing the truth was as well.
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that's the case, then. I mean, you just said you've never had those kind of feelings for someone before, and yet you come up with something so smart-sounding that no rookie would have ever come up with on their own." As she was trying to fight off another round of laughs, Nikolay was likewise able to recompose himself.
"Maybe just promise not to tell anyone else I said that, if you tell anyone about this conversation at all, Kyouka-san?" Finally, as Kyouka let the last of her laughs of enjoyment and relief alike run their course, she reached out and took Nikolay's hand in a resolute handshake, accompanied with a courteous bow of promise.
"Don't worry; my lips are sealed as long as yours are. Now come on, it's getting late, and I'd rather have gotten my eight hours in before training tomorrow. Your arms and legs could definitely use the break after how long you've been going at it, too." With that urging, Kyouka and a similarly exhausted Nikolay finally made their way back inside to the common area; the last step before they'd have to part ways for their respective wings.
Thankfully there didn't look to be anyone else around to potentially listen in on them. Kyouka even went the extra measure by jabbing her earphone jacks into the floor to listen for Tooru's heartbeat through the floor, on the off-chance she was actually being the covert little eavesdropper by hanging around in the nude. When it was finally clear that nobody else was around and she withdrew her jacks, Kyouka looked back to Nikolay, giving him a confident smile and a supportive wink. "I hope this all helped you as much as it did me, Kolya-san. Just try to keep what I said in mind for training tomorrow and see if that helps any. Either way, no matter how long it takes, I… I know you'll be able to find the right kind of special moves and get them down no problem. You've already worked your way through a lot of the harder stuff when it comes to Quirk training, there's no reason anymore this should be any different for you… or any of us."
Nikolay just as quickly gave her an assuring wink of his own. "You're right, Kyouka-san. We'll all get this figured out one way or the other. And when second internships eventually come up, who knows? We might just be lucky enough to work together. I'll bet our special moves we come up with could work just as well together. But until then, spitye spokoyno (sleep well)."
Circumstances being what they were, and being as tired as they were, it didn't take long at all for Kyouka to figure what he was saying, as the two friends finally parted ways, ready to just collapse in their respective beds and sleep the whole night away. The entire way, though, they both felt their minds and hearts alike having lightened by an immeasurable degree now that the entirety of the truth had not only come out, but had finally been clarified for both of them.
To know that she and Nikolay were simply going to stay friends as of this moment had Kyouka feeling indescribably better with herself, and she couldn't help but smile at the idea that, if Mina were to keep teasing her from now on about it, Kyouka herself would be downright bulletproof to it.
At the same time, Nikolay likewise felt better, not only because he'd managed to still retain his friendship with Kyouka, and not just because she'd managed to help get his head back on straight in terms of how to approach his training from now on; but also because, since his mind was still continuously going back to everything he and Eijirou had talked about on that first night, he felt so much less weighed down and torn emotionally between so many people. He meant every word he had said to Kyouka down in that courtyard; he didn't want to rush anything with anyone, but until he could likewise figure things out regarding the true extent of his feelings around Mina, he didn't want to dare start letting himself be torn away by the potential affectations of another. They didn't deserve secondary treatment of attention like that, even for an inexperienced young man like himself when it came to possible romance, he knew that much.
However, he couldn't allow himself to dwell on this much further, as he was still trying to keep himself determinedly focused on finally getting that much needed fresh start on his training first thing tomorrow morning.
And there's the new chapter for this week, everyone. Please leave a review letting me know your thoughts. I hope you all liked it.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 12/11!