Overseeing a Strange World
Chapter 15
Now we'll get more into the set up for the Sports Festival and how Izuku will be handling that compared to his classmates. Plus some background on the villain, the world of magic I made for my comics, and peeking in a bit on a new pairing. So to speak. On with the show.
(No POV)
The Monday after the USJ attack, Adam and the rest of the teachers were still cleaning up and investigating the domed practice ground to understand what all happened. "I can't track how Morda turned my spell around on us. And even if I could, she's long gone. And once again, I have no way to track her." Adam says while rubbing his face in frustration.
"She probably already knew we were here, but the fact we've allied with heroes is going to make her act more cautiously. She's probably on another continent." Tomoe explained while stretching her back a bit.
All Might nodded and said, "do you think the League of Villains have any more of her spells or artifacts?" Tomoe shook her head and noted that it wouldn't do them too much good. "Without an actual mage to empower the spells or runes or whatever, they can't do much. I noticed it with that Nomu creature."
Aizawa was again bashing his head into the wall at the madness that had become normal for him and everyone else at UA. Midnight and Mic have a chuckle at his expense before remembering they all had classes to take care of. "Though we might mix the students together so you could tell us more about….. well a lot of things."
"I agree with Present Mic. You might fill in the students on who it is we are dealing with. Especially your own." Nezu said with a firm look towards Adam and Tomoe. The two Overseers sigh before agreeing. "Hijo de puta. Well, I guess we were going to have to do this sooner or later. I just would have preferred later when Izuku and the rest had more training."
For said students, they were all talking about the crazy fights they all got into. "But man! Riku bro you are a badass! You sure you can't hang out more?" Kirishima said while thinking back on how he fought the largest yokai that they were up against. Momo complimented Izuku on the way he reformatted the spells the Jorgumo used against her.
"Quite the clever way to do a turn your opponent's strength against them Midoriya. I wonder if you could do the same against us with our quirks?" she said before contemplating the matter aloud. Bakugo scoffed before reminding the girl that he did it to him. "During the battle trials. Riku there used that talisman thing to absorb my explosion and sent it back at me."
Izuku and Riku preened a bit at all the praise and respect that was being sent their way. Chika meanwhile was trying to be comforted by some of the others who had learned her story. "Hey. She can't hurt you anymore. Tomoe-san made sure of that right? And we'll be right with you if she tries to go after you and Midoriya." Sato says before offering her some sweet inari sushi.
The red-haired fox looks up at Sato and gingerly accepts the treat. Her cheeks puffing slightly in happiness as she snacked on the treat. The moment and talks were broken up by Aizawa arriving and calling them all to attention.
He sighed before saying, "you all did well considering the crazy situation we were all thrown into thanks to the League of Villains and that Morda woman and her yokai allies. But you have a new challenge coming your way. The UA Sports Festival."
Upon that being mentioned all of the teens cheered explosively. Even Izuku was excited to have his chance to show off what he could do with his skills and magic. 'Oh wait. They don't allow outside tool use… but maybe I could find some other way to circumvent the rule. Maybe.'
"Midoriya!" Izuku was shaken out of his mental ramblings by Aizawa shouting at him and giving the boy a minor glare. The young mage clears his throat before asking what it was that Aizawa had been saying. "I'm guessing you already knew this, but most support gear use is not approved. So you can't use your talismans. And I'm honestly not sure about your familiars either. Nezu is still debating the matter."
Izuku nodded and noted that it was what he was thinking about before Aizawa called out to him. The underground hero nodded and respected that Izuku was considering how to compensate. "In the meantime, we'll be helping all of you improve over the next few weeks in your skills." Aizawa explained before telling all of the students to meet at one of the auditoriums after lunch.
While most of the students were excited at the prospect of getting to show off their quirks, there was a different distracting concern at their door. That being all the students from the general and other courses.
"Guess it was bound to happen. Everyone is wanting to check out the students that survived a villain attack. And worse right Izuku?" Bakugo said while packing up his gear. It surprised Izuku to hear Bakugo calling him by his actual name still, but he moved past it and agreed with the explosive teen.
Riku and Chika took to hiding at this time while a few general course students were asking them questions about what happened during the USJ attack. But they were asked to move as the hero course students had a new lecture to go to. "Hey! Don't think you'll be standing at the top forever. The Sports Festival is a chance for all of us to show what we couldn't in the Entrance Exam."
An indigo haired boy with bags under his eyes said this before introducing himself as Shinso Hitoshi. And claiming he would make a big splash with the festival this year. "I wouldn't be so sure on that. There are stranger things than you would understand." Izuku says with a smirk at the teen.
In the auditorium, Adam and Tomoe were standing at the front of the room. The former was leaning against the wall while looking disgruntled. Tomoe meanwhile was pacing a bit while bouncing some magic back and forth. "Uh…. Garcia-san? Tomoe? Is everything okay?" Izuku asked before taking a seat.
"Not exactly. We lost Morda so now we're worried about what will come later. Because she will try again. And she knows where we are now." Tomoe says with a twitch of her tails. Adam pushes himself forward while sighing and acknowledging they needed to explain a bit more about who the teens had been attacked by.
"The LOV is relatively straightforward. Those are just a bunch of idiots from your world who were looking for their chance to make a splash or become famous. Morda though…. She is a whole different story."
Adam went into a few details about some of the magic crimes she had committed during his time as an Overseer and investigator. From the death of hundreds of people to distill the baseline magic of a number of people to increase her own. To the release of a dragon with the potential power on par with Tiamat. "Meaning it had the rough power equivalent to the Big Bang. And she thought she could control it to get what she wanted. Crazy freaking Magus Blood."
"HEY! Adam do not go there! Talking like that is part of what got us into this place. You calling her that is as bad as some from our world calling you a Sleepwalker or Parasite. And it's part of what pushed her over the edge too." Tomoe said with a very disapproving glare shot his way.
The human grunted a bit before looking away. Izuku and many of the other kids though were curious on what it was the two were talking about. Tomoe facepalmed and asked if they really wanted to know. But the looks on their faces showed that they did.
Adam cleared his throat before creating an image with his magic. "There are two major ways that magic exists or is used by people in our world. The Hereditary Mages and the Awakened Mages." The magic orb Adam created showed the symbols for both sides.
"Neither is really sure of which came first. The Hereditary ones are often related or associated with nobles in one way, shape, or form so they often act like they are above. Morda is part of this given she's from the Aimsworth family of mages."
Tomoe would speak next on how it wasn't entirely inaccurate to call the Hereditary mages stronger in many cases. "They are in quite a few cases like you with your quirks. They are around magic and its influences from young ages and can understand the oldest forms of magic. So I guess you could compare Morda to like say…. Young Bakugo there in how she was treated."
Hearing this makes Katsuki freeze and jerkily turn towards the fox woman. He gulps before saying, "you mean in that she was told she would be the greatest. She would be the next number one and would show everyone how she was the best. Right?"
"Accurate. It's part of where that mix of compliment and insult of Magus Blood comes from. Aside from the fact it's completely false, it's often used to build up certain mage's egos. Or used as a way to say they only got so far because they were born lucky. And often puts stress and strain on trying to live up to that standard. Causing some to snap hard."
Bakugo and Shoto both tightened their hands at that. Thinking about how others had decided almost everything for them in their power and responsibility. Or in the case of Bakugo, he'd let the fact he was born with a powerful quirk by luck and his talented thoughts regarding it make him think he was so far above everyone else that they were all just pebbles to him.
Adam continues the lecture by noting he was an Awakened Mage. "We're…. not exactly common. But we aren't as rare as Hereditary Mages. While there are some major families, they don't have children often and they do have a bad habit of trying to keep their lines strong. Not to the point of inbreeding, but you might get the idea."
He talked about how he met Tomoe and by being close to and empathizing with her had opened his mind and eyes to the world of magic. "That's actually why quite a number of us end up being Overseers. We can be brutal or hard when needed, but we can often empathize with those we are watching over…. Most of the time."
"The bigger difference is that Awakened Mages don't have quite the same amount of power compared to a Hereditary Mage. Since they aren't exposed to it from a young age, they often work with less innate magic. But they have a major advantage over the Hereditary Mages: Awakened Mages can gain Familiars."
Tomoe continues by noting that by being contracted or properly allied with a creature of magical might, an Awakened Mage could shortcut the way to match a Hereditary Mage. But this all often led to disputes and arguments between the two sides of magic. Both on a socio-cultural basis and in terms of what either side of the magical world would do or could be influenced by.
"Morda was told from a young age that she had the potential, power, and wisdom to be the next Magus of our world. It was practically all she was told after she created some of her earliest spells as a child and mastered the secrets of the oldest magics. But she was never meant to become the Magus." Adam noted while showing some of the early images of the woman in question.
Many of them showed that she was a normal teen just like they were for so long. But Momo noticed a pattern of something she had experienced in her private schools. How some of the girls would kiss up to or swarm around her because of her family, appearance, and status. 'All in the hopes of getting something. Guess that was some of what eventually pushed her over the edge.' Momo thought while looking at the Mad Witchlet.
Tomoe brought up what was one of the final nails that sent her spiraling out of control. "It was when Adam was asked to meet with the Magus. And the master of all magic told him that he was a candidate to be the next successor of the position."
Jaws dropped at that and they all looked to Garcia with near reverence. Even Ibarra was considering it after learning about the links the mages had with Heaven and Hell. The man looked up before admitting he had stayed in the running for a time.
"But I eventually had to pass because a different matter requires my entire focus. The dragon on my back." Adam says with gesture toward said beast. He notes that the Magus did switch during their lifetime and Morda was never considered a candidate at all. "She had been getting more extreme in trying to prove she was the best and when I was made a candidate despite being new to magic… she didn't take it well at all."
The pair continued by noting that all of the crimes that came to light and she committed afterwards. "The dragon was one of the last straws honestly. And most of those who kissed up to her for years turned their backs once she didn't reach her position. Mocking her with the term Magus Blood as much as they had complimented her. So again, not helpful to use that even if you hate her."
Tomoe's words ring true to Adam but he wouldn't dignify the matter outright. Instead, he focused on teaching the kids about some of the ways Morda liked to fight and her preference for using various kinds of minions since she was outed.
"Hopefully we'll have some time before she makes her next move. So instead, we'll be practicing some of how to expect those attacks by sparing with me and Tomoe." Adam said before pulling out his gun belt and directing the students to Gym Gamma.
Izuku though thought about what Adam had said and his own path as an Overseer and mage. 'I'm an awakened one just like he is. That means….. while my tricks work against everyone here, against a real mage like her I could be in real trouble. If the power gap is really that great, I need some way to close it.'
"Hey watch out!" Momo shouts before catching Izuku's arm and pulling him away from the wall he was about to walk into. Though with the unintended effect of pulling him into her cleavage.
Though you wouldn't be able to tell given his face matched the color of her hero costume. The heiress was blushing as well (especially since she could still remember what he felt like while she had some of Mineta's chi) but managed to refocus and ask if Izuku was okay.
"Uh. Sort of. I'm just scared and a bit worried about what could happen later for me. Even if I'm the only mage from our world right now, I'm scared I can't handle any other magic threats. Especially since Morda really does like to use other magic beings for her fights. I barely survived my fight with the Dodomeki and the other yokai because I had my familiars and you all. What if she does something like that Kiang Shi attack and pulls Garcia and Tomoe away just to attack us here?"
Izuku's eyes were darting all around while he was saying this, and Momo could tell just how scared he was of the idea of facing her. Let alone how it could cost all of them their lives if he failed. She bit her lip before hugging him slightly.
While still embarrassing for both of them, it wasn't like before. Instead, Momo was trying to help Izuku calm down by patting his head. "You are right that so far, you're the only mage at UA aside from Garcia-san. But you aren't alone. You have all of us too. Even if we can't really use magic at all, we can help in other ways. Like what you did with my staff or Tetsutetsu's wraps."
Izuku looks up at her with slightly wide watery eyes before resting his head again on her chest. "She's right you know. And you have the two of use as well. We've got your back Izuku." Riku says while materializing and putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder. And Chika hugged him from behind.
The green haired mage sniffles a little before thanking all of them. Momo especially. "Listen. Take these. They aren't much, but they are some good quick use talismans for in a pinch. Maybe you could use them with your quirk to turn the tables if necessary."
"Oh. Uh thanks Midoriya. I'll have to test it out later." Momo says with a smile while accepting the slips of paper that Izuku had extended to her. He wipes his eyes before saying they should catch up with the rest and get to training. But they aren't the only ones training or beginning to train.
At I Island, Melissa had been taken her chance and used the card Morda had given her to bring the woman in. "So, what is it that is beyond my comprehension?" the young inventor asked with a slightly skeptical eye. Morda chuckled slightly before spinning her staff and causing a few strange effects in the room.
From transforming certain items into autonomous beings, making a few chemicals into an actual potion, and restructuring a compound into a metal most would call a myth: orichalcum. "This is but a small sample. Of what magic can do. And I believe you have a bit of potential in it yourself."
Melissa blinked in surprise at all she had seen happen and had to take her glasses on and off to make sure she wasn't going crazy. "You want to teach me magic? But I'm a scientist. I thought I'd be one of the last people you'd want to work with." Melissa said with a confused gaze up at Morda.
"I have learned through many instances that science can at time match the strongest magics. And in turn, the wisdom of science can greatly improve what one can do with magic. So long as it is understood properly. Which I believe you truly specialize in."
Melissa blushed at the praise and the way Morda linked the two disproportionate worlds together. She looked over her awards and other devices before looking to her hands and the woman who had shown her all of this. And started her path with one phrase; "where do we start?"