Hello my friends! Again we meet for another chapter of Legion. Before I go into the reviews.
IMPORTANT NEWS! After a recent message sent to me by a reviewer, I want to ask for your guy's creativity to join mine. Have an idea? An omake? Or anything of the like? Please send it to me and I'll post it along with any omakes I have.
I'd love to see what y'all have.
Also, yes, I have received some reviews about possibly making a future female clone. I admit, I have been inspired by your reviews and may bring something in the future. It will take a while.
Now onto the reviews.
Resurrection99: Thank you!
Professor Donger: I agree, so I'll see when I can officially introduce Delta squad.
Ben Turner1: Thank you for reviewing! And yes, unfortunately, they're children so they don't realize how things really work.
Jowen: Hopefully, it's better explained in this chapter.
Wolves567: I hope that you like this continuation.
FFWhale: Oh no, he won't. He'll definitely push on.
Timokahlenberg: Vehicles will take a bit longer, but I do have plan to introduce them. I never considered Mei and the droids but you did give me another idea as to how to introduce them.
And yes, that is how it starts, you write down one thing and suddenly you're spiraling down the rabbit hole. It's why they're called plot bunnies, if you have any ideas, write them out and I'll include them as omakes.
No, not that big, maybe just maybe, a fighter, but no hyperdrive.
You have inspired a few ideas for I-Island however, hmm…again, thank you.
AnimeFan13579: You've certainly inspired a couple ideas, thank you!
Middernact: "Do we take prisoners?"
"I don't."
On that note, now he has a lot more impact. But don't worry, I don't plan on killing clones soon.
Dylan-A-Friend: Thank you for the review and for your patience!
SPeCTeR-II7: I'll see if I can put in a female clone in the future, not sure about how to exactly incorporate pure beskar due to its capabilities.
Annonmymous: Neither do I, and I have plans for their future, but in the beginning, they were also among the crowd that challenged 1-A and Monoma's superiority complex might as well have lit a bonfire.
Starlight in the Night: First off, I love your pen name, second, thank you! I want to show an Izuku who's become more serious because of his circumstances, I hope I keep doing justice to this.
UnlawfulGentleman: Again, I absolutely love your reviews man, they also bring me a smile. This one made me chuckle. "Social skills? Is it edible?"
Yeah, I felt like canon kinda undersells what the effects of living through an attack like that would have on somebody's psyche. Especially now since they're all (mostly secondhand) witnesses to the thousands of clones that died. Some even had villains die in front of them.
Oh yeah, Angry Izuku is Scary.
I honestly didn't expect the relationship to go towards a Quigon and Obi-wan thing, it just seemed to fit.
A lot of the clones are gonna have a deeper meaning to their names this time around.
99, I do have a plan as to how to introduce him. It will be emotional to say the least.
It's not that he's force sensitive, but well, a lot of things are simply reactions. You have given me some ideas for a few omakes and yes, Todoroki will get a whoopin for sure.
Thank you so much for your review!
Oldwinterfang: Here's some more! Thank you for your review!
Blaze1999: Lucky indeed. Again with the female clones thing, I have plans. Valkyries…hmm, might serve as an omake.
Jansesu: Thank you!
Weevertho: Thank you so much, hope you enjoy the ride!
Kilo8: Good to see you again, and yes, I have Grammarly.
MORE NEWS- I'm almost done with A-school, after which I'll be on easy for a bit for my graduation so I'll have more time for this!
Also, I would recommend having Youtube on standby on Samuel Kim's Dha Werda Verda X Vode An, it helped inspire a certain scene you'll see today. You'll know when to play it.
Omakes will be set after the chapter.
Now, onto the story!
LEGION: RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
"Great leaders inspire greatness in others."
"An obstacle course." Izuku murmured as he cracked his bones.
"All 11 classes will participate in this race, the course will be the outer circumference of the stadium, about 4 kilometers!" Midnight then licked her lips. "And remember, this school is all about freedom, as long as you stay in the course, it doesn't matter what you do!"
Izuku looked at Tenya and Ochako, who were right next to him, and were talking about something in whispers, he then glanced at his other friends that were nearby.
'Anything, huh?'
Izuku grinned.
"Now everybody, take your places please!"
The group soon found themselves near the back of the crowd although they had been worried by the positioning until Izuku explained why.
"You know, that was a really good speech you did, Izuku," Ochako complimented as she got ready.
"Yes, truly inspiring my friend!"
"Hey guys, ready to rock this?" Kyoka asked as she walked near them.
"Oui, mon ami!" Yuga appeared to seem better, the sparkle returning to his eyes.
"Uh, do you mind if we join you all?" The group turned and saw Momo, and Ashido.
The group was surprised but nodded.
"Great! What's the plan Class Prez!"
"Well, the first thing we have to look out for is the entrance, we've got about, what? 11 classes, 20 students per class…"
"220 students, minimum. The general studies and business courses are larger than the hero and support courses." Momo helpfully supplied, the rest of the group blanched.
"Then we've got about 300 students right here, and one narrow hallway."
"That's gonna get clogged faster than Yuga's toi-"
"Mon ami! Pourquoi!" Yuga interrupted Kyoka with an indignant cry, the latter starting to chuckle, they had also grown a bit closer after their ordeal at the USJ, and she had snapped him out of his funk during the funeral.
'If you want to be better, then get better! Jango sacrificed himself for all of us, don't let it be in vain. If you're worried about not being up to snuff, that's why you have friends you french noodle!'
Yuga had already spoken with the support course, and had actually managed to get some armor pieces from one of the clones. At first he was hesitant, because some of the armor was…scavenged and he did not wish to be disrespectful. But the clone who gave it to him merely shook his head.
"Our armor is merely an extension of our willingness to protect, many brothers died, yes. But at least through you, they can live on in battle through their armor. You'll have to get a chest piece from Izuku though."
He wanted to surprise Fordo.
"So, how do we get past this?"
"Well, the obvious way is to go above everybody. But considering that we're seven people." Izuku started to mutter for a brief ten seconds, a habit that was unfortunately coming back.
He then gave an odd sort of grimace.
"Well, I have an idea, but it's going to be a bit weird," He then turned to Yaoyorozu and grinned.
"The fact that you're here though Yaoyorozu, makes things a lot easier."
"That was a dirty trick, sir," Cody said as he leaned back from the microphone as Midnight started her explanation.
"I choose to consider it as a learning experience, Commander," Nezu said with a chuckle, Mic joined him while Aizawa gave a brief snort, all too used to Nezu's little 'learning experiences'.
They all stared as the light began counting down.
3, 2, 1.
"START!"
The crowd of students rushed forward and Mic eagerly started the commentary.
"OKAY, HERE'S THE PLAY BY PLAY!" He then turned towards Aizawa, "Are you ready to do the commentary, cripple?"
"Shut the hell up, you're the one who forced me to come, and don't call me that, we're on live tv."
"And what about you, Commander Cody?"
"Please, for now, just Cody, and sure."
Principal Nezu had already left with some clones, heading over to the third year stage.
"Well then you two! Let's get started! So what should we pay attention to in the early stages?"
Aizawa narrowed his eyes.
"This part right now."
As predicted earlier, the tunnel became utterly clogged with students, the situation becoming even worse as Todoroki took advantage of the opportunity and froze the exit, leaving a good amount of students frozen to the ground.
Not all of them though.
Multiple members of both hero courses leaped over the ice and continued forward, each one declaring their intent of not being stopped.
"You declared war on the wrong person, you half-and-half bastard!" Bakugo yelled as he blasted forward with his explosions.
"AND TODOROKI TAKES THE LEAD WITH BAKUGO CLOSE BEHIND!"
From behind however, a great spark of light flashed and then a streak of green and blue as something absolutely rocketed past the competition.
"WHAT'S THIS?! A NEW LEADER, NO! A NEW GROUP OF LEADERS!"
Soaring through the air was Izuku with a special harness that connected to Kyoka, Yuga, Ochako, Yaoyorozu, Ashido, and Tenya. The latter being directly on Izuku's back. Earlier, Ochako had erased all except her and Izuku's gravity. Carrying everybody on his back he leaped to gain the height necessary and then Tenya put his engines on full blast, the group shredding through the tunnel in less than 5 seconds and easily putting their group ahead.
"AN ODD DISPLAY, IN THIS FREE FOR ALL, WE NOW HAVE STUDENTS WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME! ERASER! CODY! WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS!"
"It makes sense, especially for this group. They all fought together in one way or another at the USJ, and if I had to hazard a guess, this was all Midoriya's idea."
"Well, vod's always been one for crazy ideas, even if it doesn't seem like it. No surprise that he inspired the others though!"
"YOU HEARD IT FOLKS, MIDORIYA'S CAUSING WAVES ALREADY! LEADING OTHERS TO VICTORY! BUT CAN THEY KEEP IT AS THEY APPROACH THE NEXT CHALLENGE!?"
The group stopped and dismounted, all of them agreed that regardless of their potential to merely blitz through the event, they also wanted to prove themselves.
And what better way than through…
"IT'S THE WALL!"
Wall was an understatement, the blasted thing was a monolith. At least a hundred meters high with different balconies, grips and more than likely multiple traps.
"Look, I know that you all want to do this under your own power and all, but at least let me give you a boost. Ochako?"
She shook her head, looking a bit queasy.
"Sorry, won't be able to use my quirk for a bit."
"That's fine."
He let One For All charge up and gave them all boosts, launching them high enough so that they could get a decent lead before going himself.
"Race you to the top?"
"Oh, you're on Izuku!"
"A friendly competition, I agree!"
"DEEEEEEKUUUUUUU!" They all heard from below and saw Bakugo and Todoroki finally reach the Wall, Bakugo started to use his explosions to climb up but was forced to use them sparingly to not dehydrate. Todoroki tried to create an ice pillar and simply shoot himself upward but as luck would have it, a kid from the Gen Ed course, who had a salt quirk and a big vendetta against the hero course simply blasted the pillar.
Said student also was the one who freed a lot of people from the beginning of the course.
But that was enough of them.
As it was, Todoroki was now forced to use his ice sparingly as well, and use the various grips and balconies to make his way to the top.
"AND JIROU KYOKA TAKES THE LEAD, WITH THE REST OF MIDORIYA'S LITTLE GROUP CLOSE BEHIND AND JUST BEHIND THEM, BAKUGO AND TODOROKI BRUTALLY FIGHT FOR THE NEXT TOP SPOTS!"
Kyoka was actually surprised, she didn't expect to make it this far, but well, she was the lightest and when Izuku tossed her up she did gain a good deal of height.
Out of nowhere however, the section of the wall she was gripping went flat and she immediately started sliding. With a gasp and a scream she started to fall before a strong arm grabbed her, slightly yanking her arm.
"Ow!"
"Sorry!"
"No worries, Tenya. Thanks for saving me."
"YOU ALL BETTER WATCH OUT, CAUSE THIS WALL IS FULL OF SURPRISES! DON'T WORRY THOUGH, YOU WON'T DIE! NICE SHOW OF SPORTSMANSHIP THOUGH!"
With a swing, Tenya helped Kyoka get back into pace, although she had lost her lead, now it was Ashido up top with her superior athleticism, flipping and jumping across balconies like a gymnast.
She then lost some of her lead as she was forced to swing down a couple feet to avoid a series of traps.
Punching gloves, amazingly enough.
"This is just getting weird now."
Yaoyorozu, who had now taken the lead, then noticed something about the wall.
"Guys, the traps get more concentrated the higher up you go!"
"Do you recognize any patterns?"
She started to scan around but unfortunately, it seemed to be entirely at random, and since no one had reached the upper levels, none of the traps had activated yet.
"Not yet!"
"Keep trying, we'll make it as we go!"
Below them, the students continued to rise and fall as they scaled the wall. Dozens of traps springing along the way.
Kaminari had nearly fallen into a pool of water that had jutted out beneath him.
Tsuyu nearly had her tongue trapped as she used it to increase her distance. Her natural abilities helped her immensely during this challenge and she had easily caught up to the group, further infuriating Bakugo and Todoroki.
Said heroes-in-training were also having their troubles with traps, Todoroki being exposed to various slippery surfaces and even the occasional flame thrower.
Bakugo became intimately acquainted with punching gloves.
A couple of other students were suddenly swept away by a water slide that appeared beneath their feet.
And one unfortunate soul found the spring trap.
"AIIEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Fortunately, students discovered that there were in fact secret entrances, with stairs that went either up or down.
Some spots had their own traps however, so it was a gamble as another student discovered.
Somewhere else
In a secluded room, cut off to the announcements and cameras of the Sports Festival, some of the clones were managing the controls to the obstacles.
To keep things fair and just, they only had screens that had the students represented as dots on the obstacles, and it was to their discretion when and where to activate the traps.
"Wish we knew who exactly we were targeting…wouldn't want to accidentally hit Izuku."
"Eh, it's fine. Besides this is about fairness, vod wouldn't want us to give him special treatment. I mean, you saw his speech right?" Said clone was about to repeat it again, but was cut off by another.
"Everybody saw his speech, Echo."
"Stop calling me that, I-"
"Stop repeating everything."
"Guys, quit it please."
"Sorry, Fives." They both replied.
"Hey, I just heard from some of the others, 782 just got a name!"
"Oh really? What is it?"
"Hevy, without the A."
"Oh, that's cool."
The clones continued to press buttons and flip switches, having a dark amusement as they saw dots rise and fall.
"Really wish we knew who we were hitting."
"Same." Fives said as he pushed a button.
Back to the Event
Mineta sobbed feebly, as for the 3rd time, a punching bag trap hit his groin.
"Why…?"
For the next few seconds, he would lay there limply against the wall, catching his breath.
Back to the clones
"Either way, it's kind of exciting. I honestly really just want to activate all the traps at once and see what happens."
"Probably would knock everybody down and set the festival back."
"Yeah…Oh well, I guess I'll just have to leave it to my imagination."
Outside of the arena, various pro heroes were patrolling as well, going through the stands and the like. Mt. Lady, Death Arms, and Kamui Woods in particular had been walking together, the first eating some food that she had shamelessly used her sex appeal to get for free.
The group had been surprised by the appearance of the boy that had interfered in an incident a year ago.
"Sheesh, kid really cares about his clones, huh?" Mt. Lady said as she nibbled on her food.
Death Arms and Kamui Woods were staring at her in slight disbelief.
"Didn't you read the brief packet?"
"Nope."
"What?!"
"What? It was boring, I already have to deal with a lot of paperwork due to insurance payouts, I can skip a simple brief about guard duty. Even if we have to deal with a bunch of clones."
A pair of said clones stared at her from behind, slightly shocked, looked at each other and shook their heads before moving on.
Death Arms facepalmed and Kamui merely shook his head in exasperation.
Fortunately, having known her for the past year, they knew that her comments were from ignorance rather than maliciousness.
Still wouldn't help with their reputation.
Nezu had explicitly ordered all the heroes to not antagonize the clones, and had even provided security footage to those in the top 50 that were attending the festival.
Kamui still shuddered, horrified at the carnage that he had seen. He had relayed to Death Arms what they had done, what they had sacrificed.
What they had suffered.
Kamui understood that Midoriya Izuku's clones were of one of the rare true-sentient types.
Most 'sentient' quirks were merely extensions of the holder.
A few were expressive, and could have different personalities but still tied their wielder.
But rare were the ones that were capable of independent thought, why, Kamui couldn't even remember the last recorded case.
As far as he cared however, these clones, the Vod'e…they were certainly worthy of being heroes.
'And one can't forget that speech.' Kamui idly mused. To so boldly declare to be the Symbol of Peace's successor. It would certainly shake quite a few trees.
Moving away from his teammates, Kamui continued to do a solo patrol, waving at various civilians who had stepped outside the arena for a quick snack.
Spotting a hint of white, he found a couple of clones talking with each other, or at least he assumed so, the sound was muffled, although the brief did mention radio capabilities in their helmets.
"Excuse me."
"Kamui Woods? What can we do for you, sir?"
"I just wanted to apologize for my teammate, she's ignorant, not malicious."
"Oh, well, thank you," The clone was obviously surprised, not expecting it at all. "But it's fine, she's not the only one that's making comments like that."
"It is still an injustice, and unbecoming of a Pro Hero."
"Unfortunately sir, when you all wear the same face, people don't really see you as different."
"But you're more than just part of a quirk, correct?"
"Yeah, we are."
"The brief that we heroes were given was sparse on that, but I did see the video of you all defending the USJ."
At that the clones both shuddered and went still, and Kamui felt like an idiot for even mentioning that. If he was in their place, he wouldn't want constant reminders of something that traumatizing, even if he was a Pro.
"My apologies, I did not wish to bring up any harsh memories."
"It-it's fine, we're making our way through it."
"I'd like to know more about you all, if you're willing, that is."
"Sure, it'd certainly be nice to have something to do on this patrol."
"Do you have names? I saw in the brief that some do, and some don't."
"Well, actually-"
And so Kamui got to know the clones and new friendships were made.
As the students continued to make their way up the Wall their families were watching excitedly, the Kyouka's in particular were extremely proud of their little girl for taking the lead, as short as it was.
"You know, they've really become such fast friends."
"Well, according to Momo, they all became closer after the events of the USJ."
Once they heard those words, all the parents in the stands became quiet, the roar of the crowd seeming to fade to the background.
It was odd how so few words could have such an impact.
At the moment, the excitement was less active since the students were all stuck on the wall in one way or another, and the parents had a chance to honestly talk to each other about what their children went through since not all of them went to the funeral.
"You know, I never got to thank your son, he left so quickly at the funeral. I admit, I don't really understand what makes his clones so different, but without them our little Ochako wouldn't be here today," Mr. Uraraka said as he looked at the screen portraying the group in the lead. The cameras had quickly focused on the group, they were becoming a crowd favorite.
He noticed how Midoriya along with the Yaoyorozu girl were cheering on their friends and even helping each other out. How Ochako started to feel a little sick from using her quirk and one of them, the Iida boy if he wasn't mistaken, even stayed by her side to help her.
"I'd like to understand though."
"I think that he would appreciate that," Inko said as Toshinori nodded, both of them giving sad smiles to the group.
"I saw the memorial, up front…only one clone was named, Jango, right?"
"Yes, Jango. He was my second son. Although he only appeared about 6 years a little troublemaker, but always there for Izuku."
"If you don't mind me asking, how come the others didn't have names?"
Inko merely sighed before turning her eyes back to the screens.
"Because they never got the chance to."
That just about killed the atmosphere and the rest of the families looked back at the screens.
"Look, they made it to the top of the wall!"
And it was true, Momo had managed to avoid the worst traps and as such had reached the top before anybody else, although the rest were not far behind.
"AND YAOYOROZU TAKES FIRST IN A STUNNING DISPLAY OF INGENUITY! NOW SHE FACES THE SECOND OBSTACLE!"
Yaoyorozu went a bit green from the height they were at, but was feeling confident as she had discovered the reference that the wall actually was.
Earlier
"Guys, I think I got it now! It's like that old game, Snakes and Ladders!"
"This is the weirdest version of Snakes and Ladders that I've ever-" Izuku grunted as he dodged a flaming arrow, the edges of his hair burnt slightly. "-played. I mean seriously? Flaming arrows? This has Nezu written all over it."
Said chimera was laughing gleefully as he watched the chaos unfold from his tablet while in the Third Year Arena box.
Momo quickly analyzed the Wall, and started noticing the pattern but also wanted to confirm something.
"Midoriya!"
"Yeah?"
"You and Jango knew Nezu the best, if he made a pattern or a trap, what would he do?"
"If he had unlimited freedom? He'd make sure to close all exits, but since this is a competition, he'd leave at least one way free! It'd be stupid tricky to find though. I can't remember how many times Jango used to complain about it when we played his little games."
The memory brought a bitter smile to Izuku's face that was quickly knocked off by a punching bag. He almost lost his grip but managed to hold on tight.
"Ow."
"Thank you!" Momo then started to look at the balconies that people were on below here and started to notice a trend.
"Midoriya, would he ever do something really complicated, then simple just to mess with you?"
"All the damn time! It's what makes him unpredictable!"
"Then I think I got it!"
She jumped to the nearest balconies and started to calculate in her mind.
'The wall is about 7 balconies wide and 25 tall. Grips and protrusions don't count, they're too random. But while a majority of the balconies have traps that activate, some never do.'
She smiled.
"1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21. Trap. Okay, so not completely, otherwise it'd be too far, you'd have to swing around everywhere. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and trap. But it still confirms it, Fibonacci!"
Momo grinned.
But that still begged the question. How to get from 3 to 5?
"The traps are either timed, or under a remote control with a delayed reaction." She then noticed a group of people going over the same trap. Using each other as cannon fodder. One activated the trap, and another passed by. The trap reset and the third managed to pass safely, but the fourth wasn't so lucky.
"A delay between resets."
She then made her way to the next '3' and used Creation to make a pole with a weight.
"Now to test my theory."
Setting the weight on the balcony, she watched as '4' suddenly became a slide, she barely managed to hold the weight in the air until it reset. Putting the weight back on, she watched as five seconds passed by and the trap activated again!
This time allowing the weight to swing so that she could bring it back up to her balcony. She grinned as she finally got the pattern.
"A simple pattern, but not one that many students would recognize!"
"Guys, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5! Five seconds!" She yelled as with gusto she made her way through the traps and balconies. Soon enough finding herself at the top!
"I did it!"
Staring at the next obstacle in front of her however, made her feel slightly worried.
"AND COMING UP NEXT, IF SOMETHING COMES UP, IT MUST COME DOWN! IT'S THE SLIDE!"
Again, an understatement, the slide was more like a tunnel, twisting and turning constantly as it headed towards the ground, and it seemed to have its own traps and pitfalls along the way, the surface was extremely lubricated, making it easy for one to lose control.
"Oh my goodness."
Still, taking advantage of the moment, she created a board and some protective gear, and started her way.
"AND YAOYOROZU TAKES THE LEAD, BUT WHAT'S THIS? HER LITTLE GROUP ISN'T FAR BEHIND!"
Izuku and Tenya ended up being the next to make it over the Wall, the two were grinning wildly at each other and were fired up at their own little race.
"I see we have made it, my friend! But I'm afraid that I can't let myself lose in a race! I'm built for it!
"Oh yeah, Tenya! And what are you gonna do about it?" Izuku asked as he charged One For All.
"I have to thank you, Izuku! Thanks to your bacta fixing up my engines! I can now do this for much longer!" At that, Izuku heard a whine become a roar as Tenya's pipes turned red before he jumped on the slide and started to, well, slide down it.
"Recipro…BURST!"
TWOOOM!
Izuku gawked as he saw his friend absolutely blitz down the slide, soon overtaking Momo.
"AND IN A SHOCKING DISPLAY OF SPEED! IIDA TAKES FIRST THIS TIME!"
"Oh no you don't, Tenya!" Izuku yelled as he slid down as well, making small jumps to gain distance and height as well as fall down instead of slide.
"AND MIDORIYA RUNS CLOSE BEHIND!"
"Oh come on, guys!" Yaoyorozu's competitive spirit seemed to have been ignited as well as with a grin she created a harness with a cone on her back and was suddenly sent flying by the force of a jet engine.
"DID SHE JUST MAKE A JET ENGINE OUT OF HER BACK! ERASER! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TEACHING YOUR CLASS!"
"Leave me out of this, I don't even know anymore."
Cody merely laughed uproariously.
While it wasn't really a jet engine, it was certainly very fast, and unfortunately, hard to control.
"I didn't think this through!" She yelled as she passed Midoriya and Tenya with a shriek as she suddenly found herself floating over a black pit that would certainly make her fail.
She gasped as she felt two hands grab her arms and give her the momentum to go forward, Izuku and Tenya helping her get across to the other side as the three landed and continued to slide down.
"W-why?"
"You know, I think that it's nice that the Sports Festival is a way to show off and all, but I think people forget how we're also here to be heroes!" Izuku began.
"And how could we call ourselves heroes, if we ignored a friend in danger?" Tenya finished.
"We all made a promise to meet each other at the end! Can't let you fall back on that, can we Yaoyorozu?"'
Momo smiled brightly and nodded.
"Call me Momo!"
"Izuku!"
"Tenya!"
"WHAT AMAZING SPORTSMANSHIP! NOW IIDA, MIDORIYA, AND YAOYOROZU ARE SHARING FIRST PLACE, HOW LONG WILL THIS TEAMWORK LAST?"
"That was sweet guys, but I hope you haven't forgotten about us!"
"BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE REST OF CLASS A IS CLOSE BEHIND! WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS ERASER!? CODY!?"
The trio looked behind them and saw several of their friends catching up in their own ways, while they were still far, they were slowly but surely making their way forward. The tunnel had various pillars, dips, falls, and pits and more that students were already overcoming.
"All of my class fought during the USJ, they know what danger lies in hesitating."
Just behind them, Izuku could see the flashes of explosions and stretches of ice.
"They've all got that experience, Present Mic. They all know what it means to be on the brink, and come back from that."
Izuku merely grinned as he saw his friends close behind. Ashido was using her acid to increase her velocity, Ochako was using her quirk sparingly to make jumps and gain distance, Yuga doing the same with his lasers. Behind them, the other members of class A and even members of Class B were close behind along with a scattering of other students.
"You guys can go on ahead! I know how much you want to race each other!" Momo yelled out as she held on tightly as they started to dodge obstacles.
Both of them gave a wary look at her.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'll meet you at the end. I also kinda want to slow down a bit cause you're both making my stomach roll."
"Oh, sorry."
"My apologies, Momo!"
"Hey Tenya!"
"Yes?"
"Let's continue our race then?"
"Of course!"
"Momo, count us off!"
Momo grinned as they started to loosen their grip on their arms.
"3, 2, 1, GO!"
Simultaneously letting go, the two rocketed forward with their quirks down the rest of the slide, their natural speed giving them an enormous advantage compared to the rest of the competition.
Izuku was pushing his body to its limits and felt absolutely alive, One For All flooding through every vein and muscle. The wild green lightning that was becoming a trademark to it lashing out wildly.
Tenya felt exhilarated, while normally he wouldn't be so blase with his quirk, this was one of the only times that he really could cut loose, and he hadn't really had a chance to race anybody, his brother far too busy, and to be honest, far too skilled, to provide any sort of excitement.
'How uncouth! It's exciting!'
The two jumped over pits, dodged pillars and even used each other as anchors for even more stunts.
As they reached the end of the tunnel the barest hint of light peeking through, they both jumped and let their momentum carry them to the bottom where a pool calmly awaited them.
SPLASH!
Quickly swimming back up they both laughed with each other before making their way to the edge.
"That was the most fun I've ever had, thank you Izuku! I haven't had somebody that I could really push myself against in a race!"
"You kidding me, that was awesome!"
The two then looked back and saw that their classmates and year group were barely halfway through. Both took notice of the giant slide of ice that was actually crushing through pillars and the explosions that decimated anything in their way.
"Looks like we'll have company soon enough."
"Indeed."
"Let's move on up! We'll have a final race near the end, sounds good?"
"Right!" Tenya nodded as they headed out the tunnel.
"AND IN A STUNNING DISPLAY OF STUNTS AND DAREDEVIL ATTITUDES, MIDORIYA AND IIDA TAKE A JOINT FIRST PLACE IN THE SECOND PART OF THE RACE! THEY'RE NOW THE FIRST ONES TO MAKE IT TO THE FINAL OBSTACLE."
They both stopped as they stared at the large coliseum-like area in front of them, the last kilometer-worth obstacle was covered in odd hexagons, the area was wide as well, and both were suddenly very wary.
"IT'S THE ARENA!"
Izuku and Tenya stared warily at each other, before making their way across the arena, so far no traps had been activated which left them even more wary.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
"DEEEEKUUUUUUUUU!"
The two quickly turned to see Bakugo racing towards them with his explosions, a sudden chill reached them as a path of ice was then carving its way towards them, Todoroki at its helm. Behind them, the various students were making their way out of the tunnel.
Both of them realized why the traps hadn't activated till then.
"DON'T THINK THAT YOU'LL BEAT MEEEEE!"
"Wait, don't!"
The entire arena suddenly rumbled as the hexagons surged and waved beneath their feet. As if an earthquake was taking place right then and there, pillars started to shoot into the sky, one impacting Bakugo directly and sending him into the air, another breaking apart Todoroki's ice and and a third hitting Izuku and Tenya and sending them flying away from each other.
Soon enough, entire waves of pillars were shooting into the sky, sending students flying all over the place.
"BE CAREFUL THOUGH, THINGS ARE MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!"
"Now he tells us!"
As the students did their best to make their way across the arena, the crowd actually started to laugh at the admittedly hilarious sight.
That pissed off quite a few of them actually.
One in particular was especially so.
If Bakugo's mood could be described in one word right now. It would be apoplectic, and even then it would be an understatement.
Not only had half-and-half completely ignored him for Deku, but Deku's words still struck him from earlier.
Him? Be the new Number One? That was a direct challenge if he ever saw it, and there wasn't any way that he would let Deku nor any of his extra friends or any of those damn clones get in his way.
Then there was the fact that before he could fully conquer the Wall, it had suddenly opened, because enough people had made it through.
In other words, a handicap.
Then there was the complete horse crap that Deku and Glasses were doing with Ponytail, along with the rest of his extra friends.
This was a competition, why in the world would they work together? What was the point?
Bakugo didn't deign to think about it more as he made his way over the pillars, even unleashing explosions large enough to break them.
He would win. He was Bakugo Katsuki. He was going to be the next Number One Hero, no fancy speeches, no teamwork, no Deku would stand in his way.
Because that's what heroes do.
Win.
And that was all that mattered.
Elsewhere, Izuku and Tenya noticed that Bakugo was flying overhead, dodging as best he could and destroying where he couldn't.
"Damn it. I need to reach him. I need to win."
"Izuku, may I ask why this is so important to you, is this still about your personal history with Bakugo?"
"Hell no, I don't give a damn what he thinks about me, but I made a promise to two people, Tenya. That I'd win and show the world that I Am Here," Izuku said as they ran for a small clear stretch, quickly dodging a pillar that jumped out, Tenya continued the conversation.
"Jango and All Might."
Izuku stumbled slightly before gulping and nodding. Tenya was a bit awed by what seemed to be a growing personal relationship between the Symbol of Peace and who might potentially be his successor.
"Yeah. For them, for all the Vod'e who lost their lives. For my mom, for all the people that are gonna need saving. I want to give them hope that no matter what happens, the torch will still be carried."
Tenya briefly hopped to the side and he absentmindedly noticed a sudden drop in temperature as Todoroki then decided to make an arch of ice to make his way over as well.
"And there goes Todoroki. Crap."
"Do you really believe that All Might will retire soon?"
"All Might's been at this for at least thirty years, Tenya. It will come in our generation."
At that Tenya's mind blanked, as he realized that it was true. All Might really had been a hero for three decades. The majority of heroes usually lasted for around a decade at most. Powerful heroes like the Top 100 hundred usually hit two because of experience and admittedly luck. Avoiding crippling injuries, and staying on top of finances having a hand, among other factors.
Very few managed to make Pro Heroism an actual career. Some notable exceptions being Endeavor, Yoroi Musha, and of course, All Might.
And once he did retire?
Crime would rise almost immediately, people would be stricken with fear. Whoever took the Number One spot, would have to shoulder that burden.
"The burden of Number One is a great one, Izuku," Tenya muttered as they made their way forward.
"It's not number one I'm after, Tenya. I don't care about the rankings. What I want is to be that Symbol for the people. To be the one that they can depend on. I want villains to know me, and fear to ever dare come out of the shadows."
'Ah, Shigaraki.' Tenya mused to himself about how the villains that had attacked them were reacting to Izuku's speech. Probably not very well he took it.
"But more importantly, I want the people to see me and my brothers, and be filled with peace and hope. That no matter what happens. We will protect them."
Tenya smiled softly.
"Well then, I guess it's good that I'm friends with you, Izuku. I want to be a part of the beginning for the new Symbol of Hope," Tenya said as he grasped Izuku's arm.
"Wait, what? WHOA!"
Tenya pushed himself to the limit as he grabbed Izuku and dragged him over to Ochako.
"Ochako, now!"
"Right! Head to Momo after!" She yelled as she activated her quirk on Izuku who now found himself weightless.
"What's happeniiiinnnnngggg!?" Izuku yelled as he was dragged around the arena again, Ochako clinging on to Tenya.
"Ochako and I spoke with each other earlier after hearing your speech. We both want to do our best in this festival, but as much as it pains us to admit it, the chances of either of us winning is slim to none."
"That's so not true!"
"Appreciated, but it is true. Which is why we decided, when the time is right, we'd help you along the way!" Tenya said as he found Momo, who had seen him coming and had been preparing something special.
"That's right, Izuku! You've got a lot ahead of ya!"
"You've done so much for us as Class President, risking your life, losing your brothers, I want to pay some of that back, and if I can help kickstart your journey to become a Symbol of Hope for the people, then I want to!"
"Guys, this isn't-" Izuku tried to interrupt before Tenya grabbed his face as Momo strapped something to him.
"You don't understand, we believe in you, Izuku! Me, Ochako, Yuga, Kyoka, and now Momo! Who I'm guessing was told the plan by Ochako?" He trailed off while looking at her.
Momo nodded as she made some final preps.
"Ochako found the others a while ago, relayed them the plan. They should all know the signal."
"Signal? What in the world did you all plan?" Izuku asked as he floated in the air with his arms crossed, slightly annoyed but also touched.
"So win this Izuku, not only for those you mentioned before, but for all of us that choose to believe in you now, understand?" Tenya asked with a grin.
Izuku was struck speechless at the intensity of it, but nodded his head.
"I will ner vod, for Jango, the others, my family, and for all of you. I'll win."
"Good, because right now, you're a bit behind, so let us help you!"
Momo then pulled something else out of her body, pointed it to the air, and fired.
A bright green flare shot into the sky, catching the attention of all.
"WHAT'S THIS, YAOYOROZU SHOOTS A FLARE INTO THE SKY? WHAT DOES SHE HAVE UP HER SLEEVE NOW? AND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MIDORIYA'S LITTLE GROUP OF FRIENDS?"
Kyouka had reached the group and planted her jacks into the ground, sending her strongest attack into it, the vibrations rumbled through the pillars still on the ground, damaging machinery and causing them to get stuck in front of them.
Tenya quickly activated his quirk and jumped into the sky, Ochako's quirk allowing him to get some serious air, grabbing Izuku by the back of his uniform, he started to spin with his quirk and slingshot Izuku towards the end of the arena.
"WHAT'S THIS? IIDA THROWS MIDORIYA TOWARDS THE END?"
Pillars started to rise but were quickly cut down by acid and lasers.
"I admit I wasn't really into this plan, I want to win, so you owe me, Prez!" Ashido yelled with a grin as she made her way forward.
"I stand by you, mon ami! But still, you owe me as well!"
Izuku chuckled to himself as he silently thanked them, Momo's contraption then activated, giving him more acceleration and rocketing him towards the tunnel at the end of the arena.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, MIDORIYA'S FRIENDS ARE ACTUALLY HELPING HIM MAKE IT TO FIRST, WHAT KIND OF SHOW IS THIS? ERASER, CODY, YOUR THOUGHTS?"
"No tricks here, Present Mic, just what appears to be pure loyalty and friendship. They can't all win, so might as well help one of them make it."
"Midoriya inspired them with his speech earlier, and as their Class President he's already got a lot of their support. We may see more surprises yet."
As he sped forward, practically flying towards the finish, he spotted Todoroki and Bakugo arguing and fighting as they tried to also make their way to the endzone.
With a grin as he felt his gravity return to him, he charged One For All once more as he started to fall in front of them.
'This is totally going to leave me sore, but I want to win! I have to win! I can't let their actions be in vain!' He thought as he cranked it up to 20% and with a slam he crashed into the edge of the arena right in front of the door and right in front of the two fighters. The ensuing impact caused the machinery to pop out dozens of pillars behind him and absolutely decimate anything near him, including the pillars that led into the tunnel.
As his knees were bent, time seemed to stop for a moment as he angled himself and pushed off, the resulting debris becoming shotgun pellets for the other two contestants that they quickly felt.
Spearing himself forward in the air and through the tunnel he soon landed and ran normally the rest of the way, the bright light at the end of the tunnel getting ever closer.
"AND FOLKS, THE WINNER OF THE OBSTACLE RACE, CLASS A'S ROCKIN' LEADER!"
With a smile he burst through the ribbon, as the crowd roared in approval.
"MIDORIYA IZUKU!"
With tears poking the corners of his eyes, he panted with a sheer grin on his face. As he faced the stands to where his mother and All Might were, the latter met his eyes and nodded.
Izuku proudly stuck his fist into the air, proudly declaring his resolve.
"I am here, Jango," He whispered under the roar of the crowd.
All Might was filled with pride as he held onto a crying Inko, the latter cheering loudly at her baby boy's victory.
'The Sports Festival is usually a competition where they have to aim for the top, even if it means defeating their friends and classmates.' All Might thought as more and more students made their way into the tunnel toward the finish line.
'Modern heroes usually depend a lot on their popularity, so they need to have that desire to stand above others.'
Students were finally breaking free into the main stage, the crowd applauding each new arrival.
'But you, my boy, while having that desire have also instead inspired those around you, albeit unintentionally, and they in turn, have decided to support you.'
As he watched Izuku suddenly be barreled over by his friends and be the unfortunate victim of a dogpile, Toshinori contemplated something that he never would have thought.
'Perhaps with this new generation, it is not a singular pillar that is needed.'
As Izuku gave off the brightest smile that Toshinori had seen in weeks, he smiled softly in approval and anticipation.
'Perhaps…it needs more.'
Bakugo was panting and clutched his arm, his eyes shaking with rage.
"Again, damn it…again!" He wildly stared at Izuku who, now with his friends, raised his fist high once more.
The crowd cheered in approval for him.
It was a mockery.
Todoroki on the other hand merely stared silently at Midoriya, his eyes narrowing in their own frozen anger and discontent.
'Midoriya…'
He clenched his right fist.
'I will prove myself against you.'
Stepping off, he let him celebrate his victory.
Soon enough the tables would turn.
"AS WE PREPARE FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE, PLEASE ENJOY OUR LITTLE INTERLUDE!" Mic screamed as he eagerly anticipated what was coming next.
Turning off the mic, he then turned towards Cody.
"So can you please tell me what's going on? Cause we haven't really done an interlude between the first and second events before, I want to know!" Mic begged as Aizawa rolled his eyes.
Cody merely grinned as he jokingly shook his finger.
"Going to have to wait like the rest of them, Nezu and Aizawa know though."
"WHAT! SHOTA!"
"Shut up, Mic! Why, Cody?" Aizawa groaned.
"By the way Izuku, have you noticed your clones? They're circling around the stadium."
"Uh, what?"
True enough, they were, it was an odd formation, he didn't know why however.
"Wait…are those my parents?" Kyoka asked as she spotted her mother with one of her largest drums. Her father was right next to her along with some of his friends.
"What in the world?"
It started abruptly, and it was powerful. Startling everybody in the stadium as they all looked towards the source of the beat.
TAUNG!
SA!
RANG!
From around him, throughout the stadium, the clones were chanting, slamming their fists on their armor in a rhythmic tempo following Kyouka's mother who surprisingly enough was on the enormous drum.
BROKA
JE-TIII-SE KA-'RTA
A staccato of cracks.
DHA WERDA VERDA A'DEN TRATU
MUSTUFASU KANDOSII ATU!
DUUM MOTIR CA'TRA NAU TRACINYA!
GRA'TUA CUUN HETT SU DRALSHY'A!
Cody gave a loud, stirring battle cry from the announcer's box as the rhythm continued.
(hu, hu!)
(hu, hu!)
KOM (hu, hu!) 'RK! TSAD (hu, hu!) DROTEN! TROCH (hu, hu!) NYN! URES (hu, hu!) ADENN!
DHA WERDA VERDA A'DEN TRATU!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
MUSTUFASU KANDOSII ATU!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
DUUM MOTIR CA'TRA NAU TRACINYA!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
GRA'TUA CUUN HETT SU DRALSHY'A!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
TAUNG!
The drums continued to roar as the clones beat their armor to the tempo, all around them the crowd marveled at the show they were getting.
"When did they…" Izuku's mouth had dropped of sheer incredulity.
One of Kyotaro's friends had even pulled out a wind instrument that accompanied the tune wonderfully and from the background, horns that sounded like the beginnings of war.
DHA WERDA VERDA A'DEN TRATU!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
MUSTUFASU KANDOSII ATU!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
DUUM MOTIR CA'TRA NAU TRACINYA!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
GRA'TUA CUUN HETT SU DRALSHY'A!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
The horns began, chilling everybody to their bones.
TAUNG!
DHA WERDA VERDA A'DEN TRATU!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
MUSTUFASU KANDOSII ATU!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
DUUM MOTIR CA'TRA NAU TRACINYA!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
GRA'TUA CUUN HETT SU DRALSHY'A!
(hu…hu! Hu…hu!)
TAUNG!
…
KOTE!
(hu!)
A series of smaller drums, in constant militaristic tune with a small assortment of strings playing in the background.
KANDOSII SA KA'ROTA, VOD'E AN
Flutes rising in the background.
MUSTUFASU ADEN, MHI VOD'E AN
BAL KOTE!
DARASUUM KOTE
JORSO'RAM, KANDO A TOME
SA KYR'AM NAU TRACYN KAD, VOD'E AN!
(hu, hu)...(hu, hu)...(hu, hu)...(hu, hu)
The war song ended and the crowd started to roar in approval, the intensity firing them up even more.
Many students found themselves suddenly intimidated, Midoriya had managed to place first just through the energy part of his quirk. How much more powerful would he have been had he been allowed to use his clones?
More than one hero in the crowd also had similar thoughts, wondering as to the potential of the future hero before them who had so daringly proclaimed his intention to replace All Might.
Some of the older, wiser ones, secretly were thankful that such a force was on the side of good rather than evil.
All Might had a silly grin on his face as he stared at Inko who was breathing heavily, her own angelic voice joining her sons as she sang the war song like the goddess her sons were comparing her to.
Mitsuki was quick to notice and had an impish grin on her face but decided to bide her time until the moment was right.
"That was amazing, oh I definitely have to do something for the Jiro's now."
Elsewhere, Nezu was secretly watching with his tablet and smirking with dark amusement. Quite a number of people had protested Midoriya's very involvement in the Sports Festival after the events of the USJ.
A small number had even demanded his expulsion, afraid of his potential. "Too much," they said. That it was unnecessary for heroes to kill.
Silly humans. So naive, so willing to live behind their ivory towers and pay no heed to the troubles of those below them. So content with their illusion of peace. Unwilling to make the hard decisions.
As much as Nezu admired All Might and considered him a friend, he had to admit that the peace that he established, while good in the short term, had many negative consequences for the long term. People were complacent, heroes, barring a few exceptions, were complacent.
And all of them were blind to the rot that was festering in their society.
Already he'd had to fend off the Commission, they had also seen Midoriya and his clones' potential, but he would die before they turned him into another Hawks. They were unafraid of his potential, rather seeking how to fully exploit it.
However, it is more than likely that Midoriya, with his endless sense of virtue and compassion and love, would fall into darkness and become something far darker than Nagant.
A personal failure of Nezu's. One that he regretted every day.
He refused to repeat his mistakes.
So again, a compromise was made between the multiple parties involved. Midoriya could participate in the festival, but to prevent allegations of cheating, and to further see his potential when given a disadvantage, would not be allowed the use of his clones during the events.
Nothing was said about brotherly support however.
When Nezu had brought it up to Midoriya, he had no doubt that the boy would take the circumstances given to him and succeed and the boy had quickly agreed, promising to meet Nezu's expectations.
But this? Inspiring others to help him win in what was considered the greatest free-for-all in Japan?
This was beyond Nezu's expectations.
And it was exciting.
'Izuku Midoriya, successor of All Might, and if your friends are correct, the future Symbol of Hope.'
He saw Izuku raise his fist once more as the Vod'e finished their song.
'You will certainly bring change to this society. What that change will be however, is yet to be determined.'
"EVERYBODY, A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE KYOKA BAND AND THE VOD'E FOR THEIR WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE, IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE, JUST WAIT TILL OUR NEXT BREAK! NOW ONTO YOU, MIDNIGHT!"
"Alright then kiddies! It's time for our next event! The first 42 to have passed will make it through the next round, but don't worry if you didn't make it, we've got plenty of chances for you to shine!" Midnight said while licking her lips.
"Next comes the real challenge, and all you reporters are in for a treat! So, give it your all!" She yelled while raising her riding crop, the board behind her blurring through options again.
"Now for the next game! I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be?" She teased while meeting Izuku's eyes.
He slightly shuddered, just knowing that it was going to be bad news.
"Here we go! It's-"
The board stopped on a picture of little animated people inside a vehicle.
A very recognizable one.
"TANK WAR!"
"Tank War?" A few gasped, some not even knowing how to play.
"It's simple, this will be a team event, that shouldn't be hard for a few of you already, you'll divide into teams of 3-4. The arena will be separated into vertical stages, the top being a hill. The goal? Knock out the enemy teams and rack up the most points! If you get shot, the team who shot you gets the points. The last four teams with the most points get to move on!" Midnight explained as a series of images on the screen explained the game.
The hill suddenly highlighted.
"This game also has a twist, we decided to mix it with King of the Hill, if you manage to stay at the top without being blasted off for a full minute, your points triple! But if you get knocked off before that minute…" A small animation of a tank falling and their point counter going to zero.
"You lose everything!"
At that the students murmured once more, realizing the serious gambit. Either lose your points, or practically secure your spot into the next round.
"Each team will have points based on their result in the race!"
"Oh, so like the entrance exam, I can get behind that."
"In other words, teams are dependent on their players."
"That's so cool!"
Midnight whipped her crop, slightly annoyed at the constant interruptions.
"Starting from 42nd, we have 5 points, with each place higher gaining 5 more. However, first place gets a special reward."
Izuku immediately felt Nezu's hand in this.
"First place has a point value of 10 million points."
Izuku's heart froze as the weight of the words suddenly fell on him. He could feel the stares of the students on him and the immense pressure of how serious it had suddenly gotten.
For a moment, he was frozen but he was snapped out of his fear as he heard chanting from the clones.
"Vod, vod, vod!"
He smirked.
"Vod'e," He whispered.
He popped his neck and his fingers.
"Well…if it's a challenge you want, then I hope you don't disappoint in turn."
Elsewhere above, All Might nodded in approval, seeing that Izuku's confidence had returned and understanding that Izuku knew the true meaning behind such a ridiculous point value.
'The burden of being number one, of being the Symbol of Peace is a heavy one, my boy. This is but a taste of it.' He thought as he comforted a panicking Inko.
'I can only hope that by the time you take my place, you are ready.'
"And on another note! Here at U.A., we always try to make things Plus Ultra, so for this challenge, you won't pick your teams."
At that, half the students panicked, each worrying about how they were going to handle this.
The other half, however.
'Just like our class, and just like the USJ. Everything is random, we don't get a choice in who we fight with, only in how we finish the fight.' Tenya thought as he sternly nodded his head. The others in his class had similar thoughts as they readied themselves.
"Using a randomizer, here are your teams!"
Team 1: Midoriya, Komori, Shiozaki, Uraraka
Team 2: Bondo, Rin, Tsunotori, Honenuki
Team 3: Todoroki, Shouji, Yanagi, Kouda
Team 4: Asui, Ashido, Sero, Jirou
Team 5: Kuroiro, Tokoyami, Ojiro, Kodai
Team 6: Shinso, Kaibara, Mineta, Tsubaraba
Team 7: Hatsume, Kamakiri, Shishida
Team 8: Sato, Kirishima, Tokage, Hagakure
Team 9: Yaoyorozu, Kendo, Yuga
Team 10: Shoda, Fukidashi, Iida
Team 11: Bakugo, Monoma, Tetsutetsu, Awase
Izuku breathed deeply as they were all dismissed towards their respective spots, meeting Ochako's gaze he smiled.
"Well, at least I still got you."
She smiled brightly and nodded before the two faced their new allies.
"So, Izuku…what's the plan?"
AND THAT'S A WRAP! I know, I know, another cliffhanger. But I felt that this would be a good place to stop. Fortunately, I won't be busy for the next couple of weeks after comp so yeah! Also, yes, I used a randomizer and I still got Bakugo and Monoma on the same team...yeesh.
On that note, thank you all for your support, we've hit over 30k views, 460 favorites, 533 followers and 130 reviews! I'd really like to hit 200 soon, so if you see this story, review! Give me your feedback, write an omake! I'd love to see ideas that y'all have too!
Now that I mention it.
Omake time!
Darth Kyofu: An idea I've had running around for a while, but recently reinspired by UnlawfulGentleman:
The had finally managed it, it had taken over two dozen heroes, including Mirio with One For All, but they had beaten Darth Kyofu, the scourge of Japan for the last decade. Killer of Heroes and Villains alike, including All for One, his former master, and Shigaraki, his former rival.
And Mirio had questions for him.
The armored man stood silently behind the plasma gate to his cell, not a sound coming out of him except for the horrendous mechanized breathing that came out of his respirator.
His black armor, once pristine, reminiscent of a dark samurai, was now tattered and marred, a testament to the brutal battle that had taken place. His helmet's infamous prongs to mock All Might had been torn off, one taller than the other.
But still he remained…calm.
It was odd but, Mirio had other questions in mind.
"Lemillion."
"Kyofu."
"You have questions?"
A moment of silence as Mirio tried to reign in his turbulent emotions, this topic was personal.
"Why?"
"You will have to be more specific."
"Why her? Why Eri, she was once an innocent little girl, and you turned her into that monster."
"My apprentice…was not innocent when I found her."
"Her father's death was an accident!" Mirio snarled as his quirk briefly flared, a hint of pain appearing on his face.
"Calm yourself, Lemillion, it would be wise not to strain yourself. Besides, I reference not that incident, but rather the innocence that was torn from her by Overhaul." Kyofu said as memories returned to his mind. Of the abomination that he'd found.
"Overhaul…I saw what you did to him…to the Shie Hassakai."
"Those monsters deserved no mercy."
"And what about the countless heroes you've killed?"
"Merely obstacles that stubbornly stood in my way."
Mirio snorted before returning back to the topic at hand.
"But why take her? Why create such a monster yourself? She's killed dozens."
Kyofu stood silent for a moment, his masked face turning away from Mirio. He'd always hated it, as it hid his expressions but apparently he needed it to stay alive.
Since he turned away from him however, Mirio liked to think that he was feeling at least a modicum of shame.
"I found a child…like me…abandoned by the world. So I transformed her into strength."
Mirio growled before turning away, his emotions too high to not do something foolish.
"I admire your idealism Togata Mirio, once…I was the same. Out of that respect, I will tell you now. Give up One For All, and let it die."
Mirio snorted again as he turned to face the imprisoned man.
"Oh, and what? Give it to somebody like you? Not a chance."
"You misunderstand, Mirio. I do not desire that curse." Kyofu said as he grasped at his helmet.
"Curse?"
A hiss of air, and a whine as the helmet and mask shifted, becoming looser before Kyofu took the whole thing off.
Mirio gasped in shock as he took in the other man's appearance, he was bald, and horrifically scarred by burns. Some looked like regular burn scars, all over his head, but some were patterned, particularly the X that crossed his face.
Matched with burning, yellow eyes rimmed with crimson. Eyes that were once the brightest shade of emerald.
'All Might's failed successor…'
"I know all too well…what One For All brings to its victims." He rasped.
'Izuku Midoriya.'
Omake by jansesu, slightly modified for grammar, editing, etc.
Izuku relaxed into his seat as he prepared to eat his lunch, only to be interrupted by a voice in his mind.
"Vod, there's something you need to see." He frowned, beginning to focus on his mindscape.
"What is it Cody?"
"There's been a development with our new siblings."
"Our brothers? Is everyone okay?" Izuku began to follow his brother around in his mind, urgency causing them to move quickly.
"Everything seems fine, it's just that…" He trailed off as they entered a room full of tanks, where their new siblings would appear.
Izuku rapidly approached a tank, observing the individual within.
"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong" Izuku froze, his eyes drifting to a tank on the far side of the room.
"What."
His voice was flat as he began to walk. He slowly approached the tank. Inside a clone floated, with features that were near identical barring a few things. Curly green hair framed a heart-shaped face, with a slightly more slender torso. Thankfully, they were clothed. The most important thing however, was the addition of certain shapes on their, no- her chest.
"What! Cody, how is this possible!? You guys are copies of me! I'm a guy." His arms flailed wildly as he gestured to the girl in the tank. Cody shrugged, but unease flickered in his gaze as he looked at his creator.
"We don't get it either, Izuku. They just showed up last night, but they aren't awake yet."
At this point Hevy could no longer resist.
"Maybe you've discovered another part of yourself, Izuku!" He gave a sly smile.
"Perhaps we should go shopping, get some prettier clothes, maybe a nice pink dress?"
"It's not like that, Hevy."
He snapped in annoyance. While he personally sympathized for those who struggled with LGBTQ, but he did not share in their struggle personally. However, he remained bewildered by this turn in events, something which his classmates shared when the clones eventually woke up.
It was a few weeks later when the League of Villains attacked and Izuku was forced to once again summon the clone army. Everything changed when the sisterhood finally entered the scene. Wearing light armour they marched out of the portal, every bit as professional as their brothers.
Jiro was the first to notice, eyes narrowing as she tried to figure out why they seemed so different to the others.
"Are those clones… Female?" Everyone froze at her words. Hero and villain alike stared, before their heads whipped around to stare at Izuku.
"What the hell Deku! I thought they were your copies!" Bakugo shouted, explosions rocketing from his palms as he stared incredulously. Izuku avoided everyone's gaze as the stares continued.
"Special Infantry Unit reporting for duty!" At this call, the battle resumed, with the new addition allowing for the capture of multiple villains. However, even as they were being led away, their gazes followed Izuku and his new recruits. When things calmed down,
Izuku was bombarded with questions, eventually he activated One For All just to escape for a while.
That evening, Cody overheard a discussion between nine certain people.
"Do you think we should tell him that it's probably my fault?" The voice of Nana was somewhat sheepish, as she looked towards the new additions. Another figure gave a deep laugh, leaning backwards slightly.
"Nah, this is too funny to stop. The kid needs some more fun in his life."
Again, thank you for your contribution, I really enjoyed it! If anybody else wants to send me anything, send me it by pm!
In case you want to see the lyrics for Dha werda verda translated, here's the Midoriya version, with some slightly modified lyrics to better fit this iteration. Don't expect me to change the Mando'a version though, I'd just butcher it.
DHA WERDA VERDA
The ash of the Fallen beats strong within the Hero's heart.
We are the rage of The Warriors who Fell.
The first noble sons of Mustufasu.
Let all those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.
Our vengeance burns brighter still.
The gauntlet of Mustufasu strikes without mercy.
We are the rage of The Warriors who Fell,
The first noble sons of Mustufasu.
Let all those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.
Our vengeance burns brighter still.
VODE AN
Glory!
One indomitable heart, Brothers all.
We, the wrath of Mustufasu Brothers all.
And glory, eternal glory,
We shall bear its weight together.
Forged like the saber of One For All, Brothers all.
One indomitable heart, Brothers all.
We, the wrath of Mustufasu, Brothers all.
And...
Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.
Our vengeance burns brighter still.
Every last traitorous soul shall kneel.
Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.
Our vengeance burns brighter still.
Every last traitorous soul shall fall.
Forged like the saber in One For All, Brothers all!
Until next time, ret'urcye mhi (goodbye!)