Chapter 6 - The Calvary Arrives

The days passed, and it was now only a few days till the internships were to start. Today was the day that the Quirkless Squadron's demonstration was to take place, so hero class was cut short, much to the confusion of Class 1-A. They were not informed of the demonstration, as it was meant to be a surprise, and even Matthew, who heard about it, was told not to tell. So, with hero class now cut short, the students of Class 1-A were gathered, and waiting for something to happen.

They were training in Ground Beta, an area that was meant to simulate a standard urban setting, with streets and buildings. All of Class 1-A were wearing their hero costumes, including the American students:

Joshua's hero costume consisted of brown goggles with gold lenses, a brown jacket with a tan full collar and tan fur lining, a black shirt with no sleeves, black pants with gold designs on the sides, black fingerless gloves with gold knuckles, and black boots with gold designs on them. He also had something looked like a shock collar around his right arm.

Murdock Jenkins' hero costume consisted of a brown cowboy hat, a black eye mask, a dark blue dress shirt, a brown dress vest with a silver sheriff's star on it, brown fingerless gloves, dark blue jeans, and brown cowboy boots.

Annabelle Walters' hero costume was a futuristic looking headset, a light blue hospital scrub shirt, black bands around her arms, light blue hospital scrub pants, and black running shoes.

Sunshine's hero costume was a black headband, a kabuki mask with black and white patterns painted on it, a black shirt with no sleeves, black coverings on her elbows, black fingerless gloves, a brown bandolier with flash grenades attached to it, black tights with white designs on the sides, and white knee-high boots.

Milo's hero costume was a shaped, black-tinted visor, an orange camouflage jacket with a high collar, a black muscle shirt, black fingerless gloves, baggy cargo pants that had the same orange camouflage pattern, and black boots with silver buckles. He also had small, silver gauntlets around his wrists - they allowed him to store up slime for future purposes, and they also had different firing modes, such as shotgun, rapid fire, stream, funnel, and grenade. His costume design originally belonged to Matthew, but Matthew gave it over to him, as he was going back to his original costume design, and he felt that it fit Milo's style and personality more. At first, Milo was against it, but after Matthew convinced him and gave him his blessing, Milo was fine with wearing the new costume.

Matthew's hero costume consisted of a desert camouflage complete tactical helmet with a tinted blue visor and a black face guard, a dark tan short sleeved shirt, a desert camouflage combat vest with desert camouflage armor on his shoulders, black elbow pads, black tactical fingerless gloves, light tan cargo pants with desert camouflage kneepads, desert camouflage canvas leggings, and light brown tactical boots. His gear made him look like a US soldier, and it gave him full protection when facing off against dangerous villains. Attached to the back of his vest were a pair of Manriki-Gusari, also known as Kusari-Fundo - chain weapons that were weighted on both ends, and were colored black.

As Class 1-A was talking amongst themselves, wondering why hero class was cut short, Aizawa stood before the group and cleared his throat. This got the attention of the students, and they all turned to face him. Aizawa was also being followed by Mr. Candelaria, who stood beside him as he spoke.

"I understand that you are all wondering why hero class has been cut short," said Aizawa, addressing the situation in his usual, bored tone. "That is because we have a special demonstration, concerning a rather unusual group of heroes, one of which Mr. Noble will be joining up with for his internships. This is Mr. Candelaria, the spokesman for the U.Q.A.A, and he will inform you of what is to take place."

Aizawa then stepped back, while Mr. Candelaria came forward and said, "Thank you, Eraser Head. My name is Eustace Candelaria, and as your teacher has stated, I am the spokesperson for the U.Q.A.A, also known as the United Quirkless of America Association - We help individuals without a quirk achieve goals that are difficult for them, and we promote the belief that you don't need a quirk to be a hero."

Hearing this, Bakugo let out a loud scoff of contempt, which caused everyone to look at him, expecting him to go off on a tangent against those without a quirk. However, he didn't say anything, so he was holding his speech… for now.

"Thanks to Matthew's victory in the World Sports Festival, the world has seen that you don't need a quirk to be a hero, and many exceptional young people without quirks have joined up with hero schools, not just in America, but around the world," Mr. Candelaria continued. "Aside from that, a special project that we in the U.Q.A.A have been working on, has finally been given the green light. We call them the 'Quirkless Squadron' - six young, quirkless heroes who are eager to prove themselves. They are highly skilled in a number of different skills, and they want to be superheroes someday."

Bakugo let out another loud scoff of contempt, and this time, Mr. Candelaria picked up on it, which led him to ask, "Something wrong, young man?"

"Of course there's something wrong," Bakugo snarled out. "What kind of lame joke is this?! Apart from Matthew, who actually has some form of guts, quirkless individuals can't be heroes - they're helpless without a powerful quirk like mine! It's best they just stay on the sidelines, and let real people like us do the job for them!"

"Bakugo, that's enough," said Aizawa, his tone somewhat angered, before turning to Mr. Candelaria and saying, "I apologize for my student's reckless declaration."

"No need to apologize, Mr. Aizawa," Mr. Candelaria replied. "His words are small potatoes, compared to the kind of crap that my quirkless recruits have had to put with. I would tell him to have a little faith, but looks like seeing is believing with him, so we'll just have to move on with demonstration."

Mr. Candelaria then said aloud to the students of Class 1-A, "If you all believe what he believes, that quirkless should just stay on the sidelines and do nothing, prepare to have your opinions changed!" He then pulled a black walkie-talkie from his belt, and said into it with a commanding tone, "Okay fellas, it's a go - come on in!"

A few seconds after Mr. Candelaria said that into the walkie-talkie, a black humvee truck came driving through Ground Beta! The way it was driving was wild and unpredictable, and as it barreled towards where they were all standing and watching, it suddenly hit the brakes and swerved to the side!

It then drifted along the road for a couple of seconds, before coming to a complete stop, only a five feet away from Mr. Candelaria, who didn't even flinch! The truck doors then popped open, and out stepped all six members of the Quirkless Squadron!

They all wore the same kind of futuristic armor, helmets, and rucksacks, which made them look like ODSTs from the Halo video-game, and they also came in a variety of shapes and sizes.

The first member, who looked to be the leader, was of a normal height and build, and all of his armor was completely black, including the detail and the visor of his helmet.

The second member was short and scrappy, and while his armor was black, the detail of his armor was yellow, and his helmet visor was a silver color, as was the other four members after him.

The third was tall and wiry, and the detail of his armor was blue.

The fourth was towering and muscular, and the detail of his armor was red.

The fifth was also of normal height and build, similar to the leader, and his armor detail was dark green.

Finally, the sixth member, who was a female, had a normal, feminine height and build, while her armor detail was purple.

Seeing the group walk towards Candelaria and Aizawa, Murdock, who standing with Todoroki and Yaoyaorozu, asked quietly, "These guys are heroes? They look more like futuristic soldiers to me."

"Maybe their armor is like Matthew's," Yaoyaorozu replied, her tone thoughtful. "Full protection, since they're quirkless."

"That was also a reckless entrance," Todoroki added, his tone equally thoughtful. "I get the feeling they did that to try to intimidate us."

As Class 1-A was talking amongst themselves about their entrance, the quirkless squadron then stopped in front of Candelaria and Aizawa, standing at attention like soldiers, who were waiting to be given orders.

"The calvary has arrived, sir!" said the second member, his accent showing that he was from New Zealand, and his tone wild and excited, as he was doing an over-exaggerated stance and salute, which made Aizawa look at him in confusion.

"Okay, which one of you was driving?" Candelaria asked, his tone displeased.

"That would be Quartzite, sir," replied the leader, his tone smug sounding, as he pointed to the second member, who was called Quartzite. "I thought it would be good to show these quirkies that we aren't messing around here. Speaking of which, with all due respect sir, what do I have to do get out of this chicken-crap outfit?"

Candelaria let out an exasperated sigh and said in a displeased tone, "Granite, don't start pulling this quirk-hate crap - U.A's being gracious by allowing us a demonstration, and in front of those with quirks, no less. So please, try not to get us kicked out on our first meeting with them."

The leader, Granite, let out an annoyed growl and said in a cynical tone, "Fine, I won't do anything… yet."

"Very good," said Candelaria, before turning back to Class 1-A and saying, "Class 1-A, this is the Quirkless Squadron. Squadron, remove your helmets, introduce yourselves, and tell your specialties to the students."

Candelaria and Aizawa, who still had the confused look on his face, moved out of the way, while Granite held out his arm, as a gesture towards the female member to start the proceedings.

"Ladies first." said Granite, his tone sarcastic yet comical.

The female member stepped forward and took off her helmet, revealing her face - she was 15 years old, of South Asian descent, with dark brown hair that was short and curly, light brown skin, and light blue eyes.

"Andesite - Intelligence, and the only female in the Quirkless Squadron," The female member, Andesite, said informally, before adding in a proud tone, "Which also means I have more guts that this lot combined!"

The male members let out hoots and hollers of approval, while Granite let out a humored chuckle. Andesite then stepped back, while the fifth member, with the dark green armor detail, stepped forward. He then took of his helmet, revealing his face - he was 16 years old, of Israeli descent, with short black hair that was cut into a faux-hawk haircut, darkened skin, and dark green eyes.

"Taconite - Marksman Specialist," said the fifth member, his tone calm and calculating, as he looked at Bakugo. "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."

"Who you calling ignorant, you quirkless loser?!" Bakugo roared, as Kirishima and Kaminari held him back, and kept him from attacking.

"Calm yourself down, Bakugo, and or I'll do it." Aizawa replied, in his usual bored voice.

Taconite stepped back, and the fourth member, the towering and muscular one with red armor details, stepped forward. He then took his helmet, revealing his face - he was 18 years old, making him the oldest member of the squadron, of African descent, with dark skin, short black hair, and golden-brown eyes.

"Rhyolite - Heavy Weapons Specialist," said the fourth member, his accent African, and his tone gruff and intimidating.

He said nothing more, nothing less, and stepped back. The third member, the tall and wiry one with blue armor details, didn't step forward, or remove his helmet. Instead, he just stood there, and made a motion with his hand, which was interpreted as an introductory wave.

"That would be Basalt," said Candelaria. "He's our Close Quarters Combat Specialist, a 17-year-old from Japan, and he's not usually one for conversation or introductions. Quartzite, you're up - introduce yourself."

The second member, Quartzite, the one with yellow armor detail, stepped forward and removed his helmet. He was 14 years old, making him the youngest member of the squadron, of New Zealander descent, and he had frizzy-looking light blonde hair, fair skin, and brown eyes, which had a crazed, wild look in them.

"Quartzite - Explosives Expert," said Quartzite, his tone as crazed as the grin on his face. "Anything that goes boom'll make me very happy!"

Quartzite then stepped backwards, while the leader, Granite, came forward. He took off his helmet, and revealed his face - he was 16 years old, with dark red, spiky-looking hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. There was a hardness to his gaze, like he had an intense, smoldering hatred towards those with quirks.

"Granite - Squad Leader, skilled in all kinds of abilities," said Granite, his tone polite, yet hardened. "Which one of you is the hero called Fearless?"

"Right here." Matthew replied, stepping forward.

Granite stared Matthew down and looked him over, like he was trying to analyze him. He did it in a way that was intimidating, so it put Matthew on the defensive. It kind of reminded him of his first encounter with Endeavor, and he remembered how that went down. After a couple seconds of Granite analyzing him, he then turned and looked at the rest of Class 1-A with a hardened stare, which put everyone on the defensive.

"Listen up and listen good, Quirkies," said Granite, his tone harsh and tough sounding, as he moved past Matthew to face Class 1-A. "I'm gonna lay this out right now - I hate quirks, and I have no form of love, for those in my age group who have them, hence why I think all of you are 'Quirky-Turkeys' to me! If anybody is more prevalent than the other, it's this squad, 'cause we don't have to rely on quirks to get the job done - we rely on ourselves and on our skills, and on ourselves and our skills alone! You Quirkies are probably wondering how it's possible to get the job done, since we are 'weak' as you think we are. Well, if anybody is weak, it's you people! You spend your whole life honing your quirks, and then if you suddenly lose them, you're about as helpless as a man with no arms in a boxing match! Us, on the other hand, have been honing ourselves into our own power, so that we don't need quirks to do the things you do! This is my declaration of war on you - quirks are out, quirkless are in!"

The other five members of the Quirkless Squadron let out cheers and hollers of approval, while Granite stood there with a smug and prideful smile on his face. Class 1-A looked at each other with worry, while Matthew looked confused. Candelaria looked at Aizawa with an embarrassed and apologetic expression, while Aizawa looked indifferent. Candelaria then cleared his throat uncomfortably, and came over to the quirkless squadron, who had stopped cheering.

"Right, uh, let's get underway with the demonstration mission, squad." said Candelaria, his tone embarrassed, as Aizawa followed him.

"Students, pay attention to these six," Aizawa added. "You may learn something from their tactics."

The Quirkless Squadron put their helmets back on, and they started walking, as they left to prepare for the demonstration mission. They went through the crowd of Class 1-A, shoving and pushing them out of the way with rude force, which earned them some stares and protests. And, if the quirkless squadron didn't have their helmets on, Class 1-A would see that Granite was grinning as they did that. Class 1-A, on the other hand, was going to go into one of the buildings that had monitoring equipment, so that they could watch the demonstration mission.

"I have never met anyone as hateful towards quirks as that Granite person." said Iida, his tone bewildered.

"Yeah, makes you wonder who spat in his cereal." Annabelle added, her tone equally as shocked as his.

"Oui, the gentilhomme has a sour personality." said Aoyama, his tone soft and fancy.

"And Matthew signed up with these guys?!" Sunshine asked, her tone worried. "They're going to poison his mind and make him hate all of us!"

"Come on, I don't think Matthew can be influenced that easily," Joshua replied, before adding in a dismal tone, "But, I have been wrong before."

"I find it strange how hateful Granite is towards people with quirks," said Uraraka, her tone thoughtful. "I wonder why?"

"Maybe he was hurt by someone with a quirk," Midoriya replied. "Or maybe he's just upset that he was born quirkless, and is showing his anger about it."

"Yeah, but show it through something else, like painting, or music, or dancing, or something," Annabelle added. "Not declaring war on Class 1-A all 'cause we have quirks and they don't."

The group continued conversing about the quirkless squadron, while Matthew, who was walking with Milo, Ashido, Tokoyami, and Asui, overheard their conversation. He was trying not to let it show, but Granite's words concerned him, and he was even more concerned about what he was getting himself into. Matthew hoped that, despite Granite's beliefs in people with quirks, he would be able to change his mind, or at least get him to be a little more open and friendly. He was also hoping that he wouldn't adopt the mindset of them, and would keep on treating everyone around him, whether they have quirks or not, with respect.

He would have to be very careful, 'cause if he wasn't, his mind would be poisoned, just like Sunshine said it would.