Kisumo's Bizarre Academia; Chapter 1: Sharpening Soul
Early Life
In a small hospital in the Shizuoka estate, a young child was born into the world of pro-heroes…and subsequently almost died. The doctors were baffled and the newly minted parents beside themselves with worry. It was as though this baby's very own mind and soul was struggling to adjust as doctors measured high brain activity leading to persistent and acute migraines.
However, within the day the child's suffering had subsided and he was held for observation for a week, his name is now Kisumo Tozoku and this is his story.
Reborn into the world of a popular manga from his time and Earth, My Hero Academia, Kisumi spent the early portions of his life adjusting to a Quirk-filled world. The biggest immediate learning curve was the language unfortunately. Having been educated in English, Kanji and Japanese proved taxing to him as did a rather peculiar hurdle even early than that, for this child had been…blessed with an unexpected boon upon entering this brave new world.
Sitting in his bedroom in his family's apartment in Musutafu, Japan, the child, not child Kisumi was greeted by the visage of a purple, mannequin like toddler with swirling marks up and down its body and blood encrusted gems where its eyes ought to have been. Initially scared and mewling for help, Kisumi quickly realized his parents couldn't see the intruder but it seemed to be gauging the baby with a calculating poker face only enhanced by its lack of certifiable facial features.
'Wait, I know this thing, this is…'
Jutting out a pudgy index finger, Kisumi declared "baba!" (keep in mind he was eleven months old) which translates to "Enigma, the stand from JoJo's Bizarre Adventures, Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable. If it isn't immediately obvious, this 'Kisumi' was extremely fond of manga and anime in his prior life which must have somehow played a role in this phantasmagorical experience.
The idea one's preferences of reading materials played into their reincarnation was simply preposterous. He'd gone into anaphylactic shock which meant he got to be reborn as a stand user?! Preposterous. Some sort of invisible schemer was behind this if any of this was real. And if that is to be accepted as the case, one might speculate he'd stack the deck with other stand users to help keep things interesting or in motion.
Whatever effect he seeks to have in this world, introducing an invasive factor like Stands could mess with the whole equilibrium of this world. What if one couldn't overcome their stand through willpower alone? What if one did but was so beside themself with joy upon discovery they decided to become a hero/villain? What would be the narrative fallout? What deviations in story might unfold?
Baby Kisumi closed his eyelids thoughtfully to still himself, admittedly fairly challenging as his instincts mostly revolved around sleeping for about 15 hours (he checked the clock in their house) and eating. Worse still is the side effect of having inherited Stands from fictional characters have on the minds of their users.
A stand being a physical manifestation of a person's 'life energy' and therefore generated by the original owner's own sense of self led Kisumi to realise how they were also shaped by their experience, as were their users.
Therefore, although on the face of it, having Enigma grants many useful abilities insofar as the powers it possesses could be utilised to protect its host, the entity still harbours a personality shaped by Terunosuke Miyamoto, a very observant and obsessive individual.
Kisumo could feel it weighing in on his decision making, ever so slightly like a pin prick at the back of his mind but undeniably present. He found himself lingering on individuals confused or nervous when out for strolls with his mother, Kura Tozoku, a hetermorphic quirk user and green tea enthusiast who spent her every hour not working on journal articles concerning the state of Quirk society beside herself that her baby rarely smiled unless prompted.
She probably feared Kisumo wouldn't make friends, the fact he was apparently quirkless despite two quirk user parents, one of which being a fox headed heteromorph already aroused nasty rumours at dinner parties whenever she and his father, Masao Tozoku, left the room at any given time.
Thankfully, though Enigma was an especially weak stand power wise (an E rank in destructive power, which pretty much sucks) it was still extremely useful in tripping those loudmouths over whenever the fools walked around their home.
Initially Kura feared her baby didn't understand they were related but upon uttering her name as his first word, such fears were quickly put to rest.
Mastering Enigma proved a hurdle in itself during Kisumi's early years, directing it required a strong will which he was forced to muster by building his confidence and assertiveness. It caused his other elementary school classmates to take stock of his determination and perseverance, especially two noteworthy students.
"Wow Tozoku-chan, your picture looks really pretty, you're so good at drawing" said Izuku Midoriya, the protagonist of the story which was about to unfold. Kisumi realised early on he'd likely encounter Midoriya once he learned where exactly he was living.
It also made him consider what Kisumi Tozoku's old life might have been, quirks are said to be fairly common in this world and quirkless folk a minority, had the prior Tozoku been born with a quirk. His mother has fox-based abilities and his father can manipulate smoke (which tends to come in handy whenever he tries to cook and given his job as a fireman) so it seemed likely he'd develop one of if not an amalgamation of both their powers.
"Thank you Midoriya, I do my best" Kisumi responded, avoiding any overly familiar honorifics which made Midoriya suddenly seem to retreat into himself. "I wish I could be as talented as you, we're both quirkless and yet I feel I can't do anything…."
"Everyone is different Midoriya, you have your own talents, now if you'll excuse me" Kisumi said before standing from their admittedly small table and walking off, all the while avoiding eye-contact with the glaring porcupine in the corner and his cronies, though it had little effect.
"Hey quirkless!" screamed Bakugou Katsuki as Kisumo made his way down the hallway, all the while unperturbed. Compared to the strain of Stand training, childish jeers did little to the young world traveller…though they were still annoying.
Clearly irked, a young Bakugou Katsuki rushed forward hand outstretched only to smack his head against the invisible frame of Enigma who Kisumo had positioned directly behind himself right after Bakugou called. Though an extremely slow stand (rank E), Enigma had high stamina (rank A) and could be used to great effect if precisely positioned. Not only that but once commanded properly, it was receptive to orders and spatial mobility. It wouldn't be winning any marathons, but it was a stalwart companion for the young Stand user.
As Bakugou fell back on his tiny frame in surprise, he quickly collected himself and did his best impression of a menacing snarl toward Kisumo who merely continued walking away to take in the scenery of the yard. It was spring and the cherry blossoms were in full effect but Kisumi' mind was too addled by the current situation to take in the scenic tranquility.
'What is my role here? I have been on the lookout for other Stand users who might encroach on Bakugou or Midoriya yet none appear! Could it be the others are simply too geographically distant to make any moves as of yet.
Assuming all of us were born at or around the same time they too face the same impairments as me, namely bedtimes and no money. Soon we'll graduate and be attending middle school, namely Aldera Junior High where Bakugou's ego will become even more unbridled than it is currently, and his quirk will grow in strength. Despite my stand's capabilities, it is doubtful I could face someone with such raw destructive power directly…what to do?
Upon realising his inadequacies and shortcomings at the ripe-old age of six, Kisumo made his first real request of his parents in this lifetime, to allow him to enrol in a karate class. More specifically a Shidokan Karate class, a style of martial arts developed in Ito city within the Shizuoka prefecture and prolific in Musutafu.
Kura, predictably, was overjoyed her son was developing interests in hobbies and liked the idea that he'd be able to defend himself however his father, Masao, made it clear that if they were to allow this, Kisumo must promise not to use such skills to bully the weak.
Upon agreeing to this stipulation, Masao drove Kisumo to a local dojo where his new sensei, master Hassha, a passionate if albeit strict instructor began teaching him the basics.
Shidokan Karate training encompassed full contact karate, Muay Thai and grappling-based martial arts which Kisumo became slowly aware of as he got older and moved on from the childrens' classes to beginner, from beginner to intermediate and so-on.
By the age of fourteen, Kisumo was a skilled practioner of Shidokan though yet inexperienced in real combat. His mentor recommended if his interests really lied in heroics to develop the techniques suited to his fighting style as unlike in matches, Heroics work allowed for the use of quirks.
Kisumi saw first-hand how these kinds of stipulations alienated those born with quirks that physically trans-morphed them i.e., Heteromorphs.
Learning to integrate his Stand's ability to transport objects into paper was tricky enough though realising he himself could simply enter and leave paper at will as Miyamoto had in order to get the drop on his opponents was a welcome development.
Kisumo had maintained the rouse he possessed no special powers to maintain his advantage over quirk users and simply avoided Bakugou and Midoriya at every opportunity. An admittedly difficult task given fate seemed to be willing them together…or whatever strange force was being introducing Stands to an already tumultuous and backward society.
This world's obsession with heroes and quirk manipulation had stymied their progress, it was the twenty second century though it might not look it given how the calamity of quirks entering the world had led to infighting and civil unrest for so long.
Vigilantism, super villains and segregation of Heteromorphs from other quirk users had all contributed to a world beset with problems and eager for distractions to said underlying problems.
Nevertheless, Kisumo bided his time, taking up photography as a secondary hobby so as to hide his true goal, to capture the terrified faces of others.
Kisumo knew Enigma was a Stand predicated on its esoteric ability to seal people and objects into paper, but there was a conditional caveat as always with stands, Kisumo had to uncover the habits his target displays when afraid, their 'tells' as it were.
Kisumo tested this condition, realizing early on he had to be 100% certain of a tell, making those less expressive individuals such as his father filing his income tax, bad targets for study.
He could easily trap small animals whom this caveat didn't apply to such as cats or even dogs in paper so long as he folded it over thereafter. He tested this only a few times and determined that the animals are suspended in a state of stasis, having once trapped a mouse he found for a week without food or water only for it to be released, perfectly unharmed…before his mother proceeded to smack it with a shoe in surprise.
Before long Bakugou's and Midoriya's 'tells' became apparent having observed them for years, though naturally Midoriya, as the more naïve and picked-on, was an easier read.
The paper itself could also be a size it would seem, ranging from a small notepad to a ruled A4 copy book and upon unfolding seemed to adjust and stretch unnaturally to release larger objects including a park bench he'd 'acquiesced' for experimentation before returning.
Soon it became clear the beginning of the manga was fast approaching and Kisumo Tozoku would need to play his role. He'd decided he would enroll at U.A. to ensure anyone hoping to disrupt the story would take note of and approach him first as a fellow stand user, thus drawing attention away from the true stars of the show, Deku and Bakugou.
Kisumo did not come to this decision out of altruism perse but instead from a clear resolve to protect Kuro and Masao, who loved and supported him up until this point from the damage such individuals could inflict should they make an enemy of the protagonists who would be embroiled in a fierce battle for the fate of Japan.
He had to ensure they were safe from the fallout of a prolonged fight against those sorts of villains.
Entrance Exam Arc
Attending U.A. High as a general studies student had seemed advantageous on the face of it but ultimately, Kisumo decided against it.
Although it would regrettably garner more attention, the young Stand User quickly realised any other Stand Users who managed to enter hero courses at either U.A. or other pro-hero schools may be privy to shared activities where they could potentially harm Midoriya.
If a stand user with power over the mind compelled Midoriya to give away One For All, the repercussions of such as short-sighted grab for power and status may spell doom for Japan!
On an especially animated morning, Kisumo sat in class and was greeted by a familiar if off putting sight as their teacher threw a set of future career forms into the air upon assuming all of the students wanted to be heroes.
The classroom exploded with jubilant energy, albeit for three students, one haughtily leaning back on his chair, another nervously half-raising his right hand in response to the cheers and a third casually against the walled back right seat of the classroom, considering how it was his classmate with the power to extend his eyeballs out of his sockets hoped to become a hero.
Students began spraying fire, stone and levitating objects to demonstrate their excitement at the prospect of becoming pro-heroes to which the teacher was forced to hem in such outward displays of enthusiasm
"Yes, you all have wonderful quirks. But you all know its against the rules to use them at school" chastised our homeroom teacher to which Katsuki Bakugou, ever the overbearing naysayer, bellowed out in response "Sensei! Don't lump me in with these losers! As if I had anything like their crappy quirks" which was followed by a shouting match between Bakugou and the insulted classmates until their teacher cut through the tension by calling out to Tozoku and Midoriya.
"You two are also going for U.A., right Tozoku and Midoriya?" enquired the homeroom teacher, leading to a long pause before all the students present burst out in a fit of laughter at the absurdity of the two quirk less wretches aiming to attend the top hero school.
Kisumo, as ever his nature, merely glanced around the room placidly counting the number of classmates he already had the 'tells' for while positioned in an outlandish pose, writing against one knee with his foot propped against the desk and his arm resting against it which made his noncommittal attitude of shrugging seem less genuine and Midoriya scrambled for a response while Bakugou unleashed his quirk against an innocent table, launching into a tirade about Midoriya's quirk less status, wholly disregarding Kisumo, ascribing his quietness for a weakness of will and dejection at such mockery by his peers.
Kisumo continued scribbling as the few classmates mocking him directly grew bored and turned their attention on the weaker target as per bully mentality.
Kisumo had no intention of intervening, whether Midoriya knew it or not, his story was only beginning and Bakugou had grown bored of physically bullying Tozoku due to a few unexplained crap-falls and trip-ups subtly nudging him toward easier prey.
One or two times Midoriya misinterpreted the situation, ever the hero, and attempted to intervene. Luckily Bakugou ended up wholly turning his attention to his rival and away from the weird photography kid.
Juxtaposed to Midoriya's cute green wavy hair, Kisumi possessed reddish brown hair similar to his mother's coat of fur and red eyes with a pecan brown skin tone like his father.
For a fourteen-year-old, he'd toned up considerably over the last eight years of training. It boggled the mind Midoriya himself hadn't considered training his body up until being prompted by All Might although that was likely a symptom of his lacking self confidence and eagerness not to stand out.
Tozoku' parents said little of the fact he'd decided to apply to U.A. despite the fact he was quirkless. His mother, ever the optimist, believed he was attempting to act as champion of the quirkless while his father sat him down in his room that evening to explain that even if he should fail, Kisumi should try to take as much away from the experience as he could and that no matter what they both believed in him.
Perhaps it was for the fact that Kisumo, utilising his unnatural powers and past life experience, had apparently succeeded at everything else he'd set his mind too. He was a gifted Shidokan practitioner, a talented photographer and a good student.
The months leading up to the exam, Kisumo Tozoku focused on his usual routine, school, cataloguing 'tells' whether through photography and nasty tricks or in his notebook as well as training at the dojo.
Utilising Enigma, Kisumo had rarely been caught out by bullies and avoided antagonizing Bakugou given his main character status and only ever once utilised his stand's power to trap humans in paper before immediately releasing and gaslighting the young classmate with rocky limbs. He already knew he would be forced to smuggle paper into the exam in some from although before all that he needed to make an announcement.
One evening he sat his parents down and revealed the truth.
"Mother, father I have an announcement" Kisumi began.
"Oh my word, what is it Keesy, do you feel sick? Are you dating somebody? Have you decided to go to a different school…" Kuro began jabbering out the potential reasons for this sudden announcement while Masao simply sat there with his signature stone faced look of stoicism.
"Whatever you have to say we'll listen" he simply stated. His forward assertiveness and steady nature were traits Kisumo had grown to greatly admire.
Producing a paper napkin from his pocket he proceeded to summon his stand to transport an ordinary glass of water his mother had set down on the living space coffee table into the fabric of the napkin, folding it over to complete the transfer.
The two stared on in bewilderment with his mother's surprise quickly turning to burgeoning joy as she asked "was that…"
"Yes, it seems I have a quirk"
Screaming out to the heavens, Kuro ran towards her son, lifting him up above her head and squeezing him tight. "Oh honey im so happy for you, you're a shoe-in for U.A., this is amazing, right hunny…" Kuro stopped looking to her husband's vacant expression.
"How long?" he asked pointedly to which Kuro took the message, setting their son down to answer his father.
"A couple of weeks" he lied "I wanted to know what this was before I…" Kisumo didn't get the chance to finish when he was enveloped in his father's embrace as tears began to streak down his cheeks.
"Ma…sao?" Kuro asked with concern.
"I'm sorry, I…I'm just so glad you have a shot at U.A., all your life you've always given everything your best effort and succeeded, I knew you could succeed at anything. You inspired me with your tenacity my son and I guess I…I didn't want you to miss your chance to inspire the world. I didn't want this to be your first failure" Masao finished before releasing his son and placing a hand on his shoulder reassuringly only to see tears beginning to run down Kisumi's face.
"I swe…I promise I will become a hero!" said Kisumo with a look of earnestness seldom seen upon their son's face.
The two were shocked, in all these long years their son hadn't even cried as a baby and yet in this moment, touched by his father's strength of character, Kisumo's walls seemed to begin to fall ever so slightly for the first time ever, and something else deep within him felt as though it had snapped or been inexorably altered, and a voice spoke.
ATTENTION, HOST PSYCHE ALTERED BY OUTSIDE STIMULU, RECONFIGURATION REQUIRED, STAND DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL RANKING RAISED FROM C – B.
The remaining months went by like a flash as Kisumo pushed himself even, considering new applications for his Stand and the implications of that foreboding disembodied voice's words. If he were to assume that he was this 'host', then raising his development potential must mean his Stand could yet improve, perhaps even grow stronger if under the right conditions. He began commanding his stand to train alongside him, given its stamina it performed well but the mental and physical strain of sparring practice along with maintaining a Stand caused him to collapse more than once.
Ultimately the day of reckoning arrived and Kisumo saw no further change to his stats. Understandable considering the short window of time if still disappointing. Arriving at U.A. felt more auspicious and nerve-wracking then Kisumo had expected, perhaps it was the culmination of months of physical and mental taxation finally being put to the test, or perhaps he truly had been changed by his experience, even if only a little.
Kisumo Tozoku ensured he spent some downtime to help curb anxiety photographing. He'd found the hobby helped him to disassociate from the world around him and find reprieve beyond researching 'tells'. It had led him to take stock of the smaller details in life, like the cherry blossom tree outside his bedroom window or how their next-door neighbour with the porcupine quirk, Mr. Gushiken always ate the same cereal every morning, Plus Ultra Cereal sponsored by Japan's No. 1 despite his gruff demeanour. Perceiving events and anticipating them gave him some small measure of comfort, like he had control over what would unfold in his sphere of influence. Since deciding to become a pro-hero, that feeling had become harder and harder to grasp.
Finally, the day arrived after ten months of gruelling physical labour to prepare for U.A. The entrance exam would be fine if it proceeded as in canon but would Tozoku feared was what came after, sparring and training with his power. Suffice it to say, he was far in a ways one of the most situationally useful candidates U.A. would have. True with enough paper he could carry any number of useful items but people were a different story and in a fight noticing people would be key. He had an idea for a Hero Tool to help ease that burden but that was still down the pipeline as of yet unless he managed to succeed.
On February 26th, the young Kisumo Tozoku took a forty-minute subway ride which beckoned him to the doors of U.A. High, the #1 ranked high school for heroics and is considered as the top Hero Academy in Japan. Sadly arriving at a similar time due to living close by meant he had to endure Bakugou's side eye and cocky demeanour. Unlike Deku who had the Sludge Villain incident to fall back on, Bakugou still held Tozoku in contempt, viewing him as an 'extra' unworthy of acknowledgement yet conversely, someone who should know how pathetic they are. It was an awkward ride to U.A. but neither of them had said a word until they reached the front gate and were privy to the signature murmuring of a certain young broccoli headed hero in the works.
"Fuck off, Deku! Don't stand in my way or do you wanna fucking die?" Bakugou rattled off indignantly as he walked past him towards the front building of the campus.
"KACCHAN! Hey theeere! G-Good morning and and and let's both do our…" Midoriya began, likely anticipating a snide remark or attack but none came, Bakugou walked past him without a second glance.
Noticing Tozoku's staring, Midoriya paused awkwardly for a moment. The two had never much interacted as Tozoku would purposefully keep tabs on him from a distance in an effort to be aware of canon but not tamper with his development.
The thought had occurred to him to push the young MC toward honing his skills earlier in hand to hand combat and strength training but ultimately Tozoku instead prioritised his own development which coincidentally dissuaded bullies at his middle school from bothering him more than once given they'd end up beaten and bloodied if they chose to attack him.
Given most thought him as quirkless, Tozoku was outshined by Midoriya's sheepish demeanour (complete with the hair) which served as bully bait and masked his presence in the classroom so that he could focus on his hobbies.
Suddenly Midoriya realising where he was turned on his heel after breaking eye contact and headed off towards the exam hall, almost tripping in a hilarious, head-first fashion.
'Those two are gonna be a laugh riot till we all graduate huh' thought Tozoku. He'd never had much interest in befriending the two given their overbearing personalities and obsessions in heroics in his younger years.
He was too focused on improving himself to master his Stand: Enigma and couldn't be caught up in schoolyard antics.
As the arrived in the auditorium and found their seats the booming bombastic voice of Present Mic gave the opening address explaining the four standard enemy types of robots, A-D and the ten minutes allotted to destroying them in the replica city scape.
Specifying the details, Tozoku made a point of noting the fact any and all items within this fully realised replica city were allowed to be utilised in facing the robots.
'So in an office building persay, one could take that then, need to be quick and find one immediately. Luckily few others would likely mine for resources given their quirks probably don't require them' Tozoku thought with a pensive look.
As the arrived at the testing grounds, Tozoku took a moment to admire the scale of the replica, even beyond the gate with the rooftops sporting fully realised (at least on first glance) furnished rooms and indoor spaces, causing him to question just how much time and finances had been poured into U.A.
From across the crowd of students preparing to take the test, he didn't notice any of class 1A from the manga in his designated area. As in the manga, students from the same school districts were sorted randomly into one of the starting zones, A through G.
He realised attending U.A. likely meant one of them wouldn't make the cut but sadly, that's how their society was geared towards running. The talented achieve at the expense of those less talented, at least in hero society.
Tozoku had worn a basic red t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms to stand out as well as his normal white runners.
As he positioned himself near the main gate, he looked up to listen out for the impromptu commencement of the exam.
"AAAnd Start! What's the matt…." before Present Mic could finish uttering his explanation of the lack of notice, Tozoku made a beeline toward the slowly opening gate passing through just ahead of the confused rake of fellow peers in his wake.
They were all of alternating sizes and shapes and many could likely outpace him but he knew that U.A. would not be so formal as to give fair warning which bought him a few seconds to analyse the area outside based on rooftops to judge where he'd get his supplies. Running for a grey rectangular building close to the entrance he entered through as other students were bolting past and unleashing their quirks, Tozoku got to work.
"ENIGMA, SMASH THE GLASS!" shouted Tozoku as he found commentating his actions tended to help with directing his Stand. True Enigma as a stand lacked physical destructive power but its durability was through the roof meaning as Tozoku ran toward the front window of the building, hid purple Stand came forth from his body, gathering him in its protective frame as they smashed and fell through. Quickly getting his bearings, Tozoku ran to a nearby desk and rifled through its drawers to find sheets of A4.
'That'll do' Tozoku thought as he ran back out to a battlefield in chaos. Lasers were firing, speedsters were smashing equally nimble four legged 3 bots and Tozoku was forced to centre himself. He hadn't even been gone 30 seconds and already the battle had devolved into chaos.
Launching himself towards a nearby robot which some young student was in the cusp of battle with he summoned his Stand again.
"Enigma, SEAL!" he shouted as they reached within a close range of about 2 metres and his stand acted to engage the NO. 3 robot, grabbing it at first and causing it to fly through the air toward the sheet of paper Tozoku had at the ready.
At first he was terrified but the robot seemed to shrink as it approached until it seemed to slam into the front half of the page like some strange splash of ink as Tozoku quickly closed and, fearful at first, tore it in half.
It took a moment as the robot began to erupt from the page out in front of Tozoku, smashing into humongous shards and fragments of metal. Some other U.A. applicants merely stared on, confounded but Tozoku quickly sprinted toward the next nearest robot and repeated the process. Some other candidates got wise to the fact his power was proximity based and gave him a wide berth, aiming for other robots to smash.
Aiming for 3 pointer robots allowed him to quickly rack up kills in a matter of the first five minutes but as that well began to dry up, Tozoku resorted to any one or two pointers he could find quickly trying to keep track of how many robots he'd smashed, suddenly feeling that same pressure his peers were under.
'3, 9, 15, dammit I'm too slow!'
Tozoku had never struggled this much before. Whenever he applied himself, whether at academia, Shidokan or photography he just kept at it, studied all he could and performed constant repetition…but now he was in a do or die situation and he felt the creeping voice of his inner self burgeoning forth.
You can't do it, you'll fail, your power is meant for a villain, for an assassin.
'SHUT UP1' he screamed internally as he kept on directing Enigma toward nearby robots.
He was so engaged in capturing and subsequently destroying every robot he could, he almost missed the massive gimmick robot appear out of nowhere across the exam centre.
'Midoriya. Meaning I'm low on time and don't know my count. Ok…ok focus on what you can control destroy the remaining bots around you and rack what points you can' Tozoku thought, internally cursing his foolishness and somewhat hoping a Stand User didn't choose now to attack Midoriya or the main cast.
As a huge explosion went off in the distance from him as Deku's first SMASH attack caused a number of the other applicants to gaze off dumbfounded with their gaping jaws clearly unconcerned with capitalising on the distraction, Tozoku continued with his strategy up until he heard the phrase he'd been dreading.
"THE TEST IS OVER?!" called Present Mic to signal the end of the exercise, as Tozoku bent over, perspiring in beads of sweat and growled in indignation.
'I should've done better! I could've capitalised more on my abilities. I should've tried smuggling paper in. No I couldn't gotten an automatic fail for contraband if the cameras caught footage of that' thought Tozoku panicking internally at his own personal view of his performance that day.
The next week seemed to drag on forever as he occupied himself with pushing Enigma's speed by having it run laps with him in order to see if they could get faster.
'Even if I failed, I'll just attend a normal high school and go for a provisional licence once I get older. I can't let this deter me, my goal remains the same' resolved Tozoku as he finished up his jogging route only to be met with an envelope on the dining room table when he returned home.
Retiring to his bedroom, he was greeted by a device within the enclosed envelope which projected an image against the far wall of his room behind his bed as he held it sideways listening to the commentary. Unlike Midoriya, Tozoku was greeted by the face of a generic looking AI which began to rattle off information concerning the written test and practical test scores. He had managed to pass the written portion of the exam and achieved a total of 50 villain points and 15 rescue points. He had achieved a passing grade thanks to his Stand
'Rescue? Did I inadvertently save someone by sealing up robots otherwise focused on stronger opponents? Would that constitute a rescue in the eyes of the Grading Commission? Seems kind of shallow if unintentional but any port in cruel storms I guess' thought Tozoku as he slowly began to breathe out and allow this victory to sink in. He had done it, the wait was over, but the battle was only just beginning for his Hero Academia.
Quirk Apprehension Arc
Awaiting the acceptance letter from U.A. turned out to be more mentally taxing than Kisumo had expected. He knew he'd done exceptionally well in managing to destroy so many robots in such a short space of time but the niggling fear still permeated his mind that he might be found out. Perhaps he was too good? Could the U.A. pro-heroes suspect his quirk is unorthodox and if so, would they mistakenly connect him to AFO.
Kisumo Tozoku shook the idea from his head viciously, lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
He'd never given much thought to the contents of his bedroom but as Kisumo tried to escape his fears concerning U.A. he began to notice how streamlined and sparse his living space really was.
He kept his desk neatly organised with his Sony A9 Mark II, a cutting edge Sony sports camera by his own time's standards but in this era he'd found the antique in a thrift store with all its assembled parts.
He'd initially neglected getting it for himself given his own phone was far more subtle and manoeuvrable for catching people unawares and recording their 'tells', only for his mother to pick up on him lingering on it and surprising him months later with it as a birthday present.
Other items included his weight sets in the far corner which he used in tandem with sparring to maintain his fitness. Kisumo had realised years ago that he would always be on the backfoot in fights with his utility stand and therefore needed to fight smarter and harder to achieve victory.
Although if he wanted to succeed at U.A., he'd mostly be relying on his esoteric stand ability, Enigma, which meant using paper to trap enemies. The size of the paper or exterior object didn't seem to matter but with such powerful opponents being aware of his surroundings would be critical to overcoming these hurdles.
Hesitating a moment, Tozoku extended his fist up in front of his face toward his shadowy ceiling and with an uncommon jolt of mirth he shouted "PLUS ULTRA!"
Immediately his father ran in with a baseball bat, unused to sudden bursts of excitement from his son.
"What happened?! BURGLARS?!"
"It's fine, father, I'm just excited for my first day at U.A. I'm going to do my best"
"Oh…see that you do" said Masao while stopping to adjust his glasses and quietly close the door.
Tozoku knew with eighteen students to a class, someone from canon was getting booted which led him to speculate who it might be. Were it the U.A. traitor, that may have unexpected boons and problems arising from it but Tozoku dismissed this as unlikely given their quirk.
He'd flirted with the idea of exposing the traitor but ultimately decided against given they were basically just a victim being threatened by AFO and a means for Deku to better empathise with those suffering under the yolk of his oppression. Arriving at the classroom early, Tozoku found a seat in the middle back row, allowing him to observe those who entered.
Tozoku always liked an excuse to people-watch, something he chalked up to the previous Stand's user's life energy and psyche affecting him over time. It was part of the reason he began photographing people as well.
As the different students chatted, a blonde spiky haired eyesore appeared beside him. "So, you really did get in, eh Creepy?" baited Bakugou to which Tozoku was impassive.
'He'll simmer down after his pride is shattered, just avoid him for now'
"HEY! QUIT IGNORING ME YOU DAMN EXTRA!" shouted Bakugou causing others to take stock of the situation, Kirishima even cocked an eyebrow wondering why his future best friend-to-be was so irritated by with this fellow redhead.
"Now see here you two, this is hardly the time or place for a skirmish wouldn't you agree! You are both students of U.A., you represent this school when you wear those uniforms" interjected an exhaust legged tall teenager with glasses who Tozoku discerned as Tenya Iida, one of Midoriya's friends. Bakugou, unkempt with his tie hanging low, paralleled Tozoku who'd removed the waist jacket and rolled his white shirt sleeves up for a more business casual look.
'He isn't wrong, this is the leading Heroics academy in the country, people will be keeping a close eye on us first years and especially, yes, our quirks' thought Tozoku as he looked on disinterested toward Iida while Bakugou was practically foaming at the mouth like an unhinged hound.
"Mind your own damn business! I was talking to Creepy"
"Creepy?" asked Asui, the frog heteromorph from across the classroom, quirking her head to the side in confusion.
"Do you two happen to know each other?" Iida Tenya asked, perhaps suspecting some missed context of familiarity between the two.
"Not well, no, he's just annoyed I go into the Heroics Department" Tozoku responded cutting off Bakugou who bore a look of surprise at this level of boldness from the usually reserved individual.
Bakugou's glare met Tozoku empty gaze which led him to break away first, grunting in disgust. "Damn Extra!"
'His issue with me isn't the same problem he has with Midoriya. On some level, he knows Midoriya will fight for what he believes despite his presumed weakness at being quirkless. I lack that close familiarity which makes Bakugou unable to gauge me. I kept him at a distance by design to avoid influencing him. I passed off as quirk less before registering at U.A. for the same reason but now…now I'll need to make a statement to show I have a desire to compete, this will be a challenge'.
After a while, the broccoli headed hero Midoriya arrived at the classroom to find Bakugou and Iida bickering before getting roped into a conversation with Uraraka until…
"If you're gonna be hunting for buddies do it elsewhere" Aizawa stated from his sleeping bag as he slid into view through the doorway.
After an awkward introduction, Class 1A's homeroom teacher explained the test he had arranged for their introductory day of study, they would compete in physical fitness tests which would determine their rank in the class.
As Tozoku and the others got ready for the training course ahead of them, he began to take note of the more expressive members of their class, namely Kaminari (facial twitch), Mineta (wide eye clenched jaw) and Mina (twisted expression). He pulled out his notepad and jotted down shorthand of each 'tell' reserve for later.
He would often revise these tells to become better acquainted with them so he and his Stand Enigma could recall them at a moment's notice when a critical moment might require trapping them in paper. Pocketing the tiny notepad, he noticed someone saddling up next to him as Class 1A made their approach toward the training yard.
"What are you doing" asked the black-haired girl with wide round eyes and extended, frog like limbs looking toward the red-brown haired youth. "Just memos, I like to keep track of certain things around me because I have a bad memory"
"Wow, that's weird"
"You're very direct"
"Yeah, I always say what I think, no matter what"
"I suppose that's refreshing in its own way, Asui right?
"You can call me Tsuyu"
"Kisumi, nice to meet you"
"As you can tell, my quirk is based around frog-like abilities, what about you?"
"I do things with paper" Tozoku responded as he spotted Midoriya a few steps ahead pause a moment at catching that little tidbit.
'Sorry for the spoiler, broccoli'
"Oh, so that's also why you have the notepad?"
"Exactly, I got a special admission given I'm pretty much useless without paper on hand"
"Man, that sounds troublesome"
"You'd be surprised, you can find paper almost anywhere. Tissues, napkins, office supplies"
'That's right, almost three hundred years since the advent of the internet and paper is still a common enough writing material. Kinda weird when you think about it though Midoriya did say societal advancement was stymied by the Quirk phenomenon'.
"That's cool then, what kinda stuff can you do"
Reaching into his pocket he reproduced the notepad, tore a single page and utilising Enigma who took hold of him, entered into the page which proceeded to drop and then slowly twitching began to hover and follow along beside Tsuyu AKA Froppy.
"Wow, so you can fly?"
Extending his head from the page, Tozoku explained, causing many of his classmates to look confused, Bakugou and Midoriya chief among them as this human sized head seemed to extend out of a small notepad page.
"Yeah, although its more like hovering" Tozoku explained before re-entering the page and twirling down the hall like he was caught in a breeze only with clear direction and purpose before landing again and pulling himself from the page with the help of Enigma (unbeknownst to the others) which made it seem something unnatural being dragged out of thin air.
As they arrived at the training grounds, Aizawa went on to explain the upcoming event.
"A quirk apprehension test!? What about the ceremony!? And the guidance counsellor meeting!?" asked Uraraka, clearly starstruck by the unorthodox teaching style of U.A., despite being privy to the Entrance Exam.
'She'll need to catch up quick' thought Tozoku.
"And you think natural disasters are, or villain attacks, the world is full of unfairness and as heroes you're always on the backfoot!" Aizawa explained as Tozoku scanned his classmates, eager for the chance to observe their tells in a nerve-racking situation, Uraraka seemed to purse her lips and clench her fists when agitated, likely an involuntary response due to the nature of her quirk while Iida readjusted his glasses and seemed to tense his forehead when agitated.
Unbeknownst to them all, knowing how they behave under pressure may allow Tozoku to one day save them if given the chance.
"Hey, pay attention Tozoku"
Tozoku merely turned his attention back and looked on with a half-glazed stare which seemed to make Aizawa even more irritated.
'Unsurprising, he thinks I'm underestimating the dangers inherent to Heroics'
"If you're not serious about becoming a hero, you can go home" said Aizawa in what was quickly becoming clear was his normal, clipped tone.
"I understand, please continue" Tozoku responded, seemingly unperturbed.
Aizawa looked on for a minute at the red brown-haired boy before turning his attention back to the class, thinking back to the Grading Commission's review of him.
"What a unique quirk, hardly geared for combat"
"But invaluable for rescue and debris removal! He seems to be able to destroy any item he seals in paper though it is not without its dangers, do you see how he elects to release some robots so that they collide with others, mitigating the danger of getting caught in the explosion or rubble from bisecting the pages?"
"I wonder if it works against organics too?"
"He seems a very dedicated applicant anyway though he'll be hard-pressed against more mobility based and raw firepower-based quirks. He is essentially just a normal fifteen-year-old".
Back in front of Class 1A, Aizawa appraised his class and was ultimately compelled to pass Tozoku.
The tests themselves included the 50-meter dash which Tozoku did relatively well at as well as his perfect Standing long jump score soaring across in a paper prison without touching the ground.
Tozoku ranked 18th in class thanks to his ability which Aizawa noted he looked somewhat embittered over.
'I don't know what I was expecting, I'm quirkless and my stand isn't combat focused…even still I am not going to quit!'
Aizawa clocked this look of indignant pride and self determination in his studrent' eyes and found it uncomfortably familiar to him.
Battle Trial Arc
Deep in the recesses of the Kamino Ward within Yokohama City, a certain bespectacled stranger arrived at a small bar to voice a proposal.
"You wanna join us?!" responded the already taxed and impatient Tomura Shigaraki.
Extending out his hands in a placating matter, the stranger smiled "why not, after all we all have so much in common, besides my subordinates are already on track to stirring up a little trouble in the Hero community". He was a short young man with thick rimmed glasses and a bowl haircut sporting a fairly plain and forgettable suit & tie attire.
"And what would you hope to gain from such an alliance?" enquired the shadowy visage of Kurogiri.
"Allies, possibly some who desire greater power but more than anything the chance to see your work in action".
"And what can you do exactly?! Sorry but we don't need some pencil neck in a suit waving around empty bluffs"
"COMPLETELY understandable, a demonstration is in order I must say. My 'friend' will accompany you on your next mission and help with recon. How's that sound?"
"It could prove useful to have more manpower for our next operation?" proposed Kurogiri quietly as an agitated Tomura scratched his skin incessantly.
"FINE, WE'LL SEE what this 'friend' of yours, is capable of" responded Tomura.
"Splendid, I promise you won't be disappointed Mr. Shigaraki. Now then I'll just be on my way" he said motioning for the door.
"Wait, how should we get in contact with you, and what's your name?"
"Me? Oh don't worry I'll be along and as for my name, call me W".
Back at U.A., Class 1A had their own developments.
"It's ME! Coming through the door like a normal person!" All Might declared, entering the 1A classroom in his retro caped costume.
The class grew excited at the reveal that this hero study class would entail a Trial of Battle and they would get their opportunity to try out their battle gear.
When designing his Hero Costume, Tozoku was inspired by the errant impulses of his stand, whenever he came up with a hero to look to for inspiration, his stand always seemed to appear of its own volition, making alterations when he wasn't looking to whatever he sketched or described in his notes. Eventually he decided to compromise with him, choosing to incorporate the JOJO-esque outlandish style into his hero fashion.
Taking inspiration from Terunosuke Miyamoto, he designed a coat which closed at the end of his chest as a button over while letting the lower half part stylishly. The word Enigma was stitched into the bottom edge in bold letters on the inside of the coat along its semi-circumference. He went with a specified traditional Japanese Washi paper colour and texture for the jacket {which fit the criteria of his Stand as a modified paper substitute utilising inlayed textiles}, subtly irregular to the touch but pleasant and requiring specific cleaning and maintenance. He also specified dark, fitted pants to provide a casual contrast to the jacket but the most important and detailed fixture of the costume, the belt.
Tozoku Kisumo had decided early enough after deciding to become a hero he'd need somewhere to store his Paper Prisons for villains and key materials. Tozoku decided a utility belt made the most practical sense as opposed to relying on pockets of his jacket which might be torn or lost. Again, Enigma reared its strange head with specifications that the belt be clockwork gold, clearly thinking of Miyamoto's chains once again. Tozoku relented with the condition his other specifications be met in terms of the number of pouches and specific requirements in terms of insulating the materials within from adverse environments in a pressurised, clean space.
All in all, his hero costume was certain eye catching, so much so one of his classmates felt the need to speak up as they prepared for Hero combat training.
"MAGNIFIQUE!" exposited Aoyama with exaggerated pointing and posturing as he saw the full ensemble with Tozoku indifferent to his praise as he began asking more and more questions about how he'd come to the notion for the design, believing him a kindred, dazzling spirit.
'Genuine curiosity or chomping at the bit to gather intel for his master like a good little Fido?' wondered Tozoku as he went on to give impassionate, dull answers to his questions.
"Yeah, Tozoku's always been super stylish, even when we were kids he always seemed to dress and pose in trendy ways" said Midoriya earnestly.
'Chalk that up to a Stand not so subtly influencing me to behave more JOJO like. Man, I bet everybody is gonna think I'm super eccentric now' worried Tozoku as he tried to play off his embarrassment as genuine indifference whilst crossing his legs with his arm arched back in a not so casual 'cool guy' head tilt with his elbow resting on one knee (DAMMIT!).
As the students of 1A finished getting their costumes on, they made their way outside to meet their teacher …
All Might ended up divvying up the teams much as in the original with Kisumo this time paired with Ojiro in place of Hagakure.
"Let's do our best" Ojiro stated with an outstretched hand which Kisumo received, smiling.
"I'm looking forward to this, your ability will come in extremely handy in this fight"
Their opponents would be Todoroki and Shoji for which Kisumo had devised a method delaying their immediate defeat at the very least explaining his plan as they prepared within the prepared compound to play the role of Villains.
As a surge of ice encased the innards of the compound, young Ojiro stared on in horrified anticipation for Kisumo's big move only for his teeth to begin chattering in a half frown grimace as he often did when faced with overwhelming adversity.
"There it is!" shouted Kisumo spawning Enigma from his body and immediately having him trap the already ice restrained Ojiro in a paper prison which he then pulled into his own spinning paper. Todoroki appeared more annoyed than outright worried as he began to shoot off another wave of frost only for the paper to spin above his head and out of the entryway to the building which was now totally enclosed in ice.
From a nearby alleyway, Kisumo planned his counterattack, with half Shoji's face obscured, guessing his 'tell' would prove difficult and Todoroki was unlikely to look anxious by the threat of an enemy he'd already forced to retreat.
He could rely on sensitive information he was privy to about Todoroki's past but that firstly would be overwhelmingly cruel and unwarranted and also once he played that card, he'd make a permanent enemy of Todoroki, have no explanation for his seemingly convenient knowledge of his personal circumstances and never be able to use that method to reveal his 'tell' again in case he ever needs to quickly trap Todoroki to get him out of harm's way.
With a power like Enigma, scare tactics and information are key but people rarely fall for the same trick twice.
The best strategy therefore in Kisumo's mind would be to employ hit and run tactics targeting Shoto up close while relying on Ojiro to fight Shoji. Releasing him from the prison, Kisumo took a moment to appraise Ojiro's mental state. He knew from past experiences those he trapped in what he referred to as paper prisons could be left emotionally spent after the ordeal but Ojiro, after a few seconds of surprise at having arrived at an entirely separate location looked to his comrade with a determined stare. "What's the plan!"
As Shoto casually made his way towards the bomb, unbeknownst to him a small sheet of paper folded multiple times to a minute size flew by his feet while Ojiro came up from behind targeting Shoji first who blocked his leading kick with his tremendous strength and attempted to move aside so Todoroki could use his powers but Ojiro had wrapped his tail around the arm as soon as he interjected it to block the strike.
As Shoto turned to take stock of the situation, Kisumo erupted from the paper from behind causing Shoto to quickly try to turn on his heel only to be pulled to the ground from behind by the practiced finesse of a trained martial artist employing a tried and true technique, the Hadaka Jime. A strangle. From behind your opponent, put your right inner forearm across the front of your opponent's neck, palm down, and clasp your hands above his left shoulder, then strangle him by applying pressure across the front of his throat using the combined action of both arms without gripping his judogi in any way.
This too being an incorporated judo technique in Shidokan Karate, Kisumo had spent years perfecting methods of constraining movements in his opponents to deal with projection-based quirk users such as Shoto. As panic set in in Shoto while his larynx and trachea began to feel the intense pressure of the hold. Struggle as he might he knew his best way to break free was emitting cold or heat but he knew if he lost control at this range he could very likely kill Kisumo Tozoku. Kisumo was relying on that innate goodness in Shoto and the fact they were currently in a training exercise at school, not real combat.
After a few seconds of struggling, Shoto ultimately resolved and slipped into unconsciousness, Shoji finally spotting this lost his concentration on Ojiro who managed to land a debilitating kick to the back of the head, causing him to slump to the ground like a sandbag.
The combat training exercise came to a close and Tozoku was filled with a heartening swell of pride on his walk home. He'd put in earbuds and began listening to Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory album. He recalled how strange his parents had found his taste of music, choosing bands to listen to from over a century ago. As he drummed his fingers against his side as he walked off of the campus of U.A., he was suddenly met with an unmistakable alien and unpleasant sensation predated by a single piercing sound. Looking down to his arm he saw where he'd grazed by something on his upper forearm and watched in horror as the skin around the wound began to contort and twist, bubbling like plastic in great heat, melting away at the seams until sinew and bone were visible.
"AHHHH!" screamed Tozoku as he collapsed to the ground, cradling his arm. He was close to passing out from the pain before a dreaded thought shot through his mind.
'I know this power'.
Jumping for cover by a nearby wall, Tozoku summoned Enigma to try and scope out the trajectory of the shot. Enigma's range allowed to move unmolested and given its incredible defence it was less susceptible to the threat of the Stand in play. In the immediate area of the front gates lay a cop of trees lining either side of the pathway up to the U.A. campus, no one seemed to be positioned on the grounds, leading Tozoku to peek around his half cover, looking toward the roofs of the school building only for a familiar voice to be heard within range. He turned to where one of his classmates had emerged from the school building, seemingly only now leaving the campus himself, Koda Koji seemed unawares of the current danger, leading Tozoku's heart to begin pounding a mile a minute.
'What do I do? I can't leave him like that but will the Stand User kill him if he learns something is amiss? How do I signal to him something is wrong fast enough before the Stand User chooses to fire on him. I only barely survived due to poor aim, if this enemy gets a clear shot Koda will definitely die!' thought Tozoku mulling over his options before a thought.
As Koda made his way further down towards the front gates of U.A. he heard the familiar voice of his classmate seemingly out of nowhere.
"Koda, its Tozoku, I'm throwing my voice to talk to you, don't be alarmed" lied Tozoku as his stand whispered these words into his ear. Thankfully his C ranked range allowed Enigma to approach Koda's person.
"Wha…? Tozoku what's going on, I'm confused…"
"Listen to me Koda, you are in danger go back inside right now and remain there. Please believe me I'm pinned behind the right hand wall of the front gate, if I move the sniper will fire on me, you need to move now…" Tozoku continued when suddenly another piercing noise whistled past, this time Enigma's person barely missing its person.
'That clinches it, this is a stand user. More specifically I know the stand they possess which is, THE STAND RATT FROM JOJO'S PART 4: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE!' thought Tozoku dramatically to know one in particular.
Koda suddenly took on the body language of a frightened animal, looking panicked around him to see where the noise had originated.
"What the heck was…? I didn't even see the shot, whose doing this?!" he asked with puppy dog eyes which betrayed his monstrous visage.
"Koda, go inside, the shooter will kill you!" answered Tozoku with a commanding tone which seemed to hold the young student's attention
Taking full stock of the situation, Koda nodded but paused as he turned on his heel "but what about you?"
"Right now I need you out of the way to deal with the shooter, go before he reloads".
Koda, somewhat reluctantly, nodded, sprinting toward the front doors of U.A.
'Good, he'll likely get help but right now I need to stop this stand user before they arrive. Stands are invisible to non stand users so I can't risking getting pros involved who'll just be more hostages for this enemy' thought Tozoku, wondering what his opponent's next move might be. 'Whoever they were had discerned Tozoku's identity and likely disapproved of his enrolment at U.A., the question was why? To maintain canon? To keep me from U.A.? Whoever this is either a stalker or privy to information about Heroics only known to a select few? That said if you know your enemy and know yourself…' thought Tozoku, thinking back to having read The Art of War.
A sheet of folded paper went spiralling toward the tree line when another shot went off, piercing it through the centre.
"Squeak Squeak" said his assailant from a nearby tree branch, satisfied with having finally landed a successful shot when the sly Tozoku Kisumi can running full speed toward the single left hand tree where the stand user was perched.
'A squirrel? The squirrel has a stand? How did it manage to attain a stand? Is it another reincarnate?' Tozoku pondered as best he could as his limp left hand arm was flapping in the wind devoid of solid bone to straighten its fleshy suspension as he ran against the wind.
As Tozoku closed in on the enemy he saw the Stand now…
'There won't be a second shot, I need to kill this squirrel now, its all up to me or else'
"SQUEAKKKKKK!" screeched a familiar voice as Tozoku closed the distance, grabbing hold of the squirrel in his one remaining functional hand. It was smaller than he imagined with a soft coat and bushy tail yet more surprisingly was how still it had become. The squirrel seemed, rather than being calm, to have taken on a statuesque position in his palm though its little heart's thumping was palpable within his hand.
Tozoku looked towards the sound to find Koda who was panting from only a few feet ahead of him. He'd clearly chosen to get involved rather than call for support.
"You're in range of his attack, get awa…"
"What?"
"Get…" Tozoku began before the world fell away around him as he sunk back and collapsed on the ground. His throbbing mangled arm a dim pinch as he slipped into unconsciousness and the sound of gunshot impact.
U.S.J. Arc
7:35am Wednesday - A kidnapper quirk Villain threatens a group of innocent hostages as heroes on the scene, Mount Lady & Kamui Woods attempt to intervene.
"So don't even think of giving chase, 'Heroes!' Cuz if you do, this lovely family gets a nice bone crushing" screeched the muscle bound monstrous villain.
"You're charged with serial larceny and murder, vihara headgear!" shouted Mt. Lady defiantly clutching her injured shoulder.
"He's strong and fast, try anything to keep him close!" Kamui Wood interjects as he's struggling to his feet.
As these two heroes struggle against seemingly interminable strength from this villain, All Might watches, obscured by the inconspicuous visage of his depowered state, ready to leap into action to lend a hand to his fellow heroes despite the grievous toll his powers now take on his body when walking past him, another hero, sighing at the annoyance of having to assist these idiot newbies who'd bitten off more than they can chew.
"Your bark better than your bite, eh Kamui" jokes the older man with a smile cresting his face from beneath his brimmed hat and walked toward the villain and slapped him on the back of the elbow constricting the hostages with all the propelling force of a wet tissue.
The villain turned to regard the older gentleman dressed in outlandish hero get-up.
"Ha, what was that old timer, you trying to play her…" his words were interrupted as he felt a pulsating shock run through his arm causing his arm to drop dead, tingling with a sensation not dissimilar to pins and needles.
All Might watched on in surprise while the hostages began to flee and the stranger subsequently slapped the villain's legs causing him to fall prone flat on his face.
The sheer matter – of – fact nature of the short encounter after such a long heaving battle between good and evil that morning had left everyone at a loss for words as the stranger began walking away down a nearby alley, the throngs of people parting at his approach.
12:50pm – The students of Class 1A are gathered together in their regular homeroom classroom with Mr. Aizawa as he explains today's extracurricular activity. Several of Tozoku's classmates steal glances now and then hoping he won't notice them, he does. Ever since the Enemy Stand User attacked, all eyes have been on him and his family not to mention his injury.
A huge portion of his right arm' skin and tendons had sloughed and melted away because of the Ratt Stand's killer abilities. Thankfully Koda's ability to communicate and influence animals had confused the Squirrel long enough for Snipe to take it out. Apparently, they were keeping it under observation. In all honesty, Kisumo knew he was lucky to be alive, a sentiment shared by Recovery Girl when Koda had managed to get him back to the campus in time.
He was currently undergoing rehab, but the doctor had made it clear he'd never regain full mobility in his right arm due to the fact that the 'quirk' used seemed to fundamentally dismantle whatever organic it came into contact with.
Investigators and reporters had questioned him on the attack and commended his bravery and on the spot thinking including Koji in his scheme to take down the quirk user, even though it was ultimately a squirrel. Thinking back to his encounter with the principal, he considered what U.A. must think of this whole situation.
Principal Nezu seemed especially intrigued having questioned Tozoku personally on how he interpreted the creature's motives and why in particular it targeted him.
He'd invited the young First Year to discuss this in his office the day before. It was somewhat funny to see a rat person attempting to sit in a human sized chair with boxes stacked beneath him to appear at eye level but Tozoku was too aware of how intelligent this individual was to think this was purely done for comedic effect.
Nezu's demeanour and friendliness may indeed be a by-product of his amiable, heroic nature but he had an agenda, that much had been evident from the moment Kisumi walked in .
He offered Tozoku tea, spoke to him in a reassuring tone and even praised his gallant heroics but all the while he sensed the question bubbling under the surface.
"Why you?" asked Principal Nezu, his eyes narrowing his lips firm and no longer at their natural smiling angle.
Tozoku thought carefully on trying to deceive someone clearly leagues ahead of him in terms of intelligence. "He claimed there were…others like us according to Koji, I assume he was being brainwashed by somebody into acting against his better nature"
"Somebody?" Nezu asked pointedly. "Any idea as to who he might be referring or why he likened himself (the squirrel) to you"
Tozoku grinded his teeth. He was caught, how much concerning the existence of Stands should really be hidden? That squirrel could have killed every single person at U.A., maybe it was drawn to him but what if Midoriya found it first? What then? Or Ojiro or any of class 1A?
"His power…"
"Yes?"
"No one else could see when he summoned it, even now after his brainwashing?"
"That is odd, do you think there is a connection"
"My power is similar…people don't see what I see"
"How so?" asked the white rat, tilting his head with curiosity. Principal Nezu seemed to love puzzles and this mystery had been dropped in his lap as it concerned U.A.'s own best and brightest.
Taking a breath, Tozoku summoned his stand at which point he noticed Nezu instantly seize up, the hairs on his arms seemed to bristle like an animal sensing danger.
'So it wasn't just mom, animals can sense Enigma on some level, a change in air pressure? The unconscious mind aware of the presence of an unseen intruder? Whatever it is, some stimulus triggers this response in heteromorphs'.
"My power is present, it takes the form of a humanoid and can interact with the world around it…similar to the Squirrel's turret"
"I see, why hide this facet of your quirk?"
"I was…shy, afraid my classmates in middle school might think me a liar or accuse me of spying" Tozoku lied.
"Have you ever spied on anyone with this quirk"
"NOT AT ALL! I only ever try to use it to help people!" Tozoku cried, mincing fact with fiction.
Nezu smiled warmly. "I understand, thank you Mr. Tozoku you may go now"
Bowing slightly, Tozoku thanked him before exiting. A few minutes passed before Aizawa sauntered into the Principal's office.
"Well?"
"Oh he's hiding something alright. That one has a twisted personality for one so young".
Back in the classroom, classes resumed as normal. Kirishima felt the need to espouse how manly it was Tozoku had braved such a grievous wound and stayed calm in the face of adversity, clearly sincere by how his usual bold, loud personality was somewhat subdued.
"Seriously, I…I know how scary a villain appearing like that can be and well… uh" Kirishima sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck looking for the right words to say. "I…I think you're real manly, jumping into the fray like that!".
Tozoku merely stared at him from his seated position, unsure how to respond to such a genuine compliment. "Thank you, Kirishima" was the best he could manage at the time.
Sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, Kirishima excused himself back to his seat, leaving Tozoku alone with his thoughts.
' I had misgivings about involving Koda but there really was no other way to beat such an awesome Stand on such short notice. I had only expected him to call for back up but he jumped into the fray. I placed a child in danger and now I'm getting praised for it?' Tozoku thought, his legs crossed stylishly as he stroked his chin in consideration with his one remaining arm.
"Stop acting so DAMN COOL!" screamed Bakugou, awakening him from his reflective daze.
"Hmm?" Tozoku asked realising he was sprawled out in his typical exaggerated fashion.
'Dammit'
"Don't 'hmm' me, you aren't that cool you DAMN EXTRA!"
"Sounds like Bakugou's jealous" Kaminari offered only to shrink back upon meeting the angry porcupine's gaze.
"SHUT UP OR I'LL KILL YOU!" Bakugou responded angrily.
"Alright enough" called Aizawa
On the bus ride to USJ, Tozoku found himself seated next to Todoroki and behind Bakugou and Jirou, none of whom seemed especially eager to chat.
He pulled out his notepad and start scribbling ideas for ways to best ascertain 'tells' in one-to-one brawls and ideas for support item goggles to enhance his range of visibility and facial analysis.
"What are you doing?" asked Shoto neutrally, the icy hot recommendation student of Class 1A.
"Just jotting down ideas on the fly, ways to increase my quirk's effectiveness" responded Tozoku cradling the notepad with his mutilated left arm, his grip had thankfully not been totally though it now felt similar to perpetual 'pins and needles' whenever he tried to hold something in his left hand.
"You always carry paper on you?" asked Shoto with a genuine tint of curiosity. Usually, people found his insistence to bring notepads around strange, similar to Midoriaya's babbling.
"Yep, helps me remember stuff"
"I see"
'Strange, usually people sitting near me ask about my weird outlandish JOJO sitting style or poses or even why I'm constantly staring at nervous people but Shoto seems so straight forward…its kinda reassuring' thought Tozoku as he stared at his scarred compatriot who was busy admiring the scenery beyond the right hand bus window.
"So…you ever use your quirk for cooking?"
Shoto took a moment to process the question, unsure if he'd heard Tozoku correctly.
"For…cooking?"
"Yeah, would seem handy for quick frying meats or keeping ice cream or frozen goods chilled on a hot day"
"I'm training in heroics, not culinary arts"
"Forget it, just an idea. My quirk tends to help me with grocery shopping and moving stuff, so I thought maybe…never mind" Tozoku finished returning to his notepad.
Shoto looked at him for a second longer after he turned, trying to make sense of something in his mind.
"I'll try it sometime"
"Hmmm, did you say something?"
"Not really"
"WOULD YOU TWO QUIET DOWN! YOU'RE GETTING ON MY NERVES!" shouted Bakugou.
"Bakugou calm down!" insisted Deku from behind them both seated on the right centre side of the bus beside Tsuyu.
"SHUT IT NERD!" Bakugou said before turning back to Tozoku "don't think you're all that, you damn extra!"
"Whatever you say" Tozoku said, having learned long ago to drown out Bakugou's incessant rants and returned to drafting
"Bakugou seems mad at you?" Todoroki stated with more curiosity than concern.
"No, he's like that with everyone" Tozoku assured Todoroki to which Bakugou face turned redder with contempt and he went on to shout more and more, all the while Tozoku steeled himself for the challenge he knew lay in front of them.
Arriving at the USJ, Class 1A were greeted by the Space Hero: Thirteen who began to explain the potential lethality of quirks when right on que, black swirling portals began to form further down in the central plaza of the facility, leading to a phalanx led by a man with a strange set of artificial hands covering his entire body.
While his class was caught momentarily unawares and frightened by the slowly dawning realisation of the danger presented before them, Tozoku watched for those members of the class whose 'tells' he hadn't caught yet to see what he could make note of before they were suddenly warped away by the same quirk exhibited by the mysterious right hand of Tomura Shigaraki, Kurogiri.
Arriving deep in the conflagration zone, fires billowed through faux buildings as Ojiro and Tozoku were up against the wall. The villains seemed to be fire based, long range quirk users for which neither was particularly suited.
'With this heat, escaping or hiding in paper is not an option, DAMMIT why am I here and not in the landslide zone like Invisible Girl was in canon?! Doesn't matter but right now I need to get out of here with Ojiro!' thought Tozoku as he began to gather himself.
"Ojiro! We need to head for the exit. My Quirk is no use here so I think hit and run tactics are called for {not that that isn't something you wouldn't have come up with}. "We move bit by bit towards the main central plaza to regroup with the others ok?
"Right!"
"Hey hey! Don't ignore us you snot nosed brats!" screamed a spiky headed guy with flames coming from his nostrils while a woman next to him with a bandana likened the sentiment "yet you aren't going anywhere".
The two looked between themselves and made a break for it, running full pace past the tall faux building structures toward the zone barrier wall.
"Can you scale that on your own?" asked Ojiro. They didn't know whether the entryway was blocked by villains as of yet.
"No choice, I'll use my quirk if I need to get by that when the time comes" Tozoku responded to which Ojiro nodded affirmatively.
Suddenly as they neared the walled structure encircling the area, a ring of flame appeared around them and from behind a man gauzed in bandages appeared.
"Sorry kids but you're our hostage…who are you?" he asked extending a finger in Tozoku's direction causing Ojiro to pause and Tozoku to freeze on the spot in spite of his surroundings. The source of the flame was standing there before him and it was all to clear to the student of U.A. that they were utterly and completely outmatched by this opponent…Magician's Red!
The Stand stood at a towering height of at least 6,2 and was built like a wall. This mass red muscle was controlling the flames around them dexterously and Tozoku suspected he was steadily increasing the heat exuded in an effort to make them pass out.
'Its over we're dead, there's no way out'
"Kisumi what's going on?"
'I did this, I should've just told the truth, I should've just kept my head down."
"Kisumi, snap out of it!"
'I'm going to die again…I…please god not like this!'
"KISUMI!" Ojiro screamed as Tozoku came face to face with the mass of his tail which gave a brief but impactful slap across his face which brought him out of his daze.
"What…what's going…"
"You need to get it together, this guy is scary I know but we have to work together to get out of this!"
'Together? I'm not alone! Ojiro's quirk is strong, not that strong but good enough to get him some distance. And he doesn't know my Stand or quirk (or lack thereof). He was expecting the canon class 1A, he doesn't know how strong I am. Time to take a page from the Bakugou handbook'.
"Well, it's about time this Extra got what's coming to him!"
"What the fuck did you just call me!"
"You heard me, you have all this power and all you do with it is fight for…what? Money? Revenge against society?"
"I was paid to do a job"
"You could've been a hero idiot!"
"Easy for you to say, main character! Not all of us were born with such favourable circumstances! I grew up choked by this stagnant society, something you wouldn't understand! Why am I explaining this to you…" the bandaged man said as Tozoku tried to warn Ojiro to leap over him to a nearby rooftop with eye movements and subtle head gestures.
Attentive as always, Ojiro leaped off his tail and past the both of us as Tozoku charged this superior opponent.
"STAR PLATINUM…" bluffed Tozoku as sweat beaded down his face from genuine fear and the ever-encroaching heat, his legs were close to buckling and he caught sight of Ojiro's alarm and mustered a resolved nod.
'Ok, he thinks I'm a close ranged opponent, thank god he hasn't encountered this stand! Just time it accordingly'.
"MAGICIAN'S RED!" shouted the bandaged stranger as behind him a tall, somewhat comically muscular red headed bird man appeared behind him. It would be funny for Tozoku if he didn't realise just how lethal the opponent he faced really was.
As both charged at one another he saw from the corner of his eye the stand MR come around to attack him from the side at an alarming pace with a massive fist careening through the air toward him.
'Now or never if I time this wrong, I burn to death'.
Unfolding the paper in his hands he and Enigma instantly entered the page, flew between the bandaged man's legs and past toward the rooftop where Ojiro was waiting as the two made their way toward the wall, now within sight. Tozoku caught a glimpse of the bandaged man's surprise tinted with slowly dawning anger at the realisation he'd been duped as they leapt away. A long-term engagement wasn't tenable so making him think he intended to engage in a brawl
His stand won't get him to us faster, its close range. Nevertheless, I'm probably the worst matchup for this guy. We need somebody like Todoroki to freeze him!'
"Who was that?!" Ojiro asked the floating page beside him as they both went up the side of the wall of the zone and toward the central plaza where the main fight was currently underway"
"No idea, glad we're away from him though!"
'He truly was, the page he was hiding in had almost been singed on their ascent passed his ring of fire, had it caught alight before he escaped…They must have known, either that or they're incredibly fortunate he was trapped there against that kind of opponent'.
As they made a break for the main plaza of the USJ, the bandaged figure produced a self phone from his pocket and dialled a number.
"W, it's Shakunetsu, you have some explaining to do…"
Back in the central plaza, Tozoku breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were better enabled to face the strange stand user they'd encountered with so many quirk users in their corner but was immediately taken aback. The shattered glass and scarred grounds of the USJ were to be expected, as were the Pro Heroes warding off the students eager to see the condition of All Might after having defeated the Nomu but what made his blood freeze in his veins was the state of their mentor, Thirteen. Her suit seemed to have been torn asunder with her arms sporting gnashed wounds as though had ripped chunks of flesh from her. There was a grievous wound on her upper thigh which the heroes on the scene seemed to be trying to staunch. She seemed to be trying to fight through the pain but short spurts of pain escaped her mouth as they applied first aid. Uraraka, Tsuyu as well as several others seemed transfixed on the sight, their minds unable to process what happened.
"Hey what happened to Thirteen Sensei?" asked Ojiro to Sato who only just noticed the two approaches.
"Oh, apparently one of the villains had this psychic quirk that tore chunks out of her suit and managed to get at her body thereafter"
'ANOTHER STAND USER! How many of these bastards are there? How am I supposed to…'.
Bakugou took notice of Tozoku's alarmed staring and just guffawed in disgust at his clear worry and helplessness.
"Staring isn't gonna change anything EXTRA! The heroes don't need your piteous looks!"
"KACCHAN…." began Midoriya but Tozoku merely placed a hand on his shoulder, perhaps the first time he'd been in direct physical contact with the MC in years.
"It's ok Midoriya, he's right. I need to do something productive" Tozoku said, managing a nod and walking off to go check on the others. The mysterious second stand user seemed to have been aiming primarily for Thirteen but had seemingly shaken many other students to their core, far more than in canon.
The following weeks went by in a blur. Tozoku's parents were thankful he'd been spared during this attack but realised early on he needed his own space. He spent hours after class day after day training on his own to improve his mastery of Enigma and basic endurance.
Interviewers tried to question him, but he refused to comment. One persistent female interviewer pressed him for a comment on the Villain attack at the USJ to which he finally snapped trapping her microphone in paper and throwing it in a nearby dust bin.
U.A. Sports Festival Arc
The day of the U.A. Sports Festival was fast approaching.
Ojiro & Tozoku had agreed to train for the event by simulating dodging multiple attackers with Koji's quirk utilizing birds to sweep down in droves and individually to dive bomb the duo.
This allowed all three to utilise their techniques and quirks to the best of their ability with Tozoku mastering his Paper Shift to better understand the speed and range of motion he can utilise while in paper mode.
Given his special allowance for support items given his unique quirk's requirements, he needed to best capitalise on its uses. He still hadn't used his Paper Prison against people so it could work well as a secret weapon if he managed to reach the combat matches stage…not that that was likely.
"Being able to fall back on that form is really useful, it allows for some clever surprise attacks on your part" Ojiro commented as the three took a break in the small grassy park where they'd noted a large enough collection of trees to house the necessary number of animals.
"Honestly its tricky having such an esoteric ability but so long as I'm clever in how I utilise it I tend to get by" Tozoku responded, somewhat bashful for the compliment, even if it was only for his power. "Honestly I even you both"
Ojiro and Koji seemed to be taken aback by that comment, Koji himself spilling the drinks bottle he'd been sipping from upon hearing it. "Us why?"
"Both your powers can be so directly linked to combat so long as one or two conditions are met; I've always felt my ability is much more suited to search and rescue"
"Really, but you put stuff in paper, right? That's useful for like weapons and supplies?"
"Yeah, but it's much more suited for debris given there's no limit on the size so clearing paths is doable over time so long as rubble is within range"
"Huh? That is handy, you're like a one-man search and rescue crew?" Ojiro responded gleefully.
Koji seemed somewhat crestfallen. "My ability isn't that great; I just talk to animals" to which Tozoku did a double take with his usual muted expression. "Excuse me?! Not that great, do you forget that it was you who saved me from that 'villain' attack?"
Koji looked slightly confused a moment before realising the instance he was referring to. "Oh, that was just…luck…besides it was just a squir…"
"A terrifying villain hell bent on destroying me, your quirk saved my life. You're a hero in the works" Tozoku said, his usual cynicism or snark absent and his neutral visage carrying only sincerity across to his classmate.
Koji's face turned red for a moment. "Th…thank you".
"Ani Voice really is a powerful quirk and I wish we could utilise it further…but with the way things are going…". Tozoku looked to his prosthetic right arm, the majority of the sinew and charring was contained beneath a metal cover. Technology in this world really was incredible, especially for heroes. When Recovery Girl failed to undo Ratt, it was quick thinking getting the Support Department involved was a stroke of brilliance. Tozoku had always assumed he would be able to avoid lasting harm for a while yet given they were so early in the series but if the last few months had taught them anything it was that not even those of us born with incredible power could drop our guard. He needed to get stronger…but how?
"Kisumi" asked Koji noticing his thousand-yard stare to which Kisumi gave a faint smile responding, "I'm good, just considering how to up my offensive abilities for the Sports Festival".
"Well thankfully paper falls within your 'need' requirement for the event, kinda like Aoyama's belt for his naval laser. Without them, you guys can't perform to your fullest" reassured Koji.
'So, me and Aoyama are similar in that way huh? Hope that's all there is similar about us' pondered Tozoku thinking of the vapid young classmate's outlandish personality.
"Yeah, I guess you're right" he responded.
As the two weeks flew by, the trio agreed to give their all during the Sports Festival with Tozoku feeling he had a better grasp over his power than ever before. His parents were still nervous since his injury for him to be attending U.A. let alone participating in the Sports Festival but they could see by his consistent training with the others in his class he would not be dissuaded.
Media reporters and cameramen lined the streets outside U.A.'s front gate as fireworks were set off above the campus. Stalls of food and hero merchandise were set up near the gates while security cameras and watchful eyes of the security guards were at an all-time high.
Kisumi Tozoku walked around the stalls after having located the Freshman stage where they'd be gathering and then as time dragged on headed toward the 1-A waiting room where he saw others sitting around to discuss the upcoming events.
Before long he found himself entranced by the reporters recording the events with the latest model visual and sound recording technology.
Video production had seemed to stagnate to some extent since the arrival of Quirks but sound resolution was all the more crisp, probably because being able to drown out explosions and background noise became all the more important as flashier and more substantive quirks began to emerge.
Suddenly he felt a hand resting on his shoulder. "Hey, you're the guy from the heroics department, right? What's up?" spoke a black-haired young man.
Tozoku took stock of the fellow U.A. first year, dark hair, a handsome smile but altogether sneering eyes, whoever this guy was, he seemed arrogant.
"Nothing much man, what's going on with you"
"Nothing major, hey listen, I know this is random but I'd like to talk to you about something if you got a sec…"
'Could it be…'
"Of course, does over there suit?" I said pointing to a sparse cop of trees near the arena main gate. The boy smiled "Sounds perfect".
As we went further away from prying eyes to purposefully sequester me, I chose to ask it. "So what's your stand?"
The lad just smiled wolfishly, "was I that obvious? Maybe I just wanna hear about the acclaimed hero of the school who fended off that dreaded Squirrel"
"He a buddy of yours?"
"Never seen him before in my life, now lemme ask you a question, do you honestly not remember me?"
Tilting my head, I tried to get a better look at the fellow student as his expression soured with each momentary glance at his face, arms etc.
"It really doesn't matter where you look, I've disguised myself, that's part of my ability"
'So why ask?'
"You've overplayed your hand Tozoku Kisumi, from what I've gathered I have a fairly good idea of what your Stand might be while you HAVE NO IDEA…"
"Well it's a disguise stand so lemme guess, its one of the two from Stardust Platinum" and as the words exited my mouth I felt the force before I saw the viscuous yellow mass slam into me and pin me against a tree.
It felt as though sludge was pouring down his oesophagus, his back flaring in pain as his mangled arm impotently fumbles at his belt for a piece of paper he'd kept on his person.
The stranger was laughing at this point with a psychotic fervour ringing out in Kisumo's ears.
"Oh how clever! Did you honestly think you could beat me or did you just want to keep those FAKE people safe! You know this is whole farce can't last right? You have no idea what this world is, do you? You think you're the first Visitor who wanted to play hero? Sadly, those in charge have been at this a lot longer than you and have killed wannabes a lot more dangerous. Only reason you managed to slip by is your power is so underwhelmingly dull".
'Other visitors, longer than us! Does that mean we aren't the first generation of Stand Users here?! How could I not…no no time now, I NEED TO DO THIS RIGHT OR I'M GOING TO DIE!'
Finally snatching the folded paper prison from his pocket, Kisumo felt himself fading from consciousness as he undid the paper fold and clutched his last resort, courtesy of Momo Yaoyorozu and some promises he will now have to break.
With an underhanded toss from his marred hand, a surge of light fills the small area as he did his best to shield his eyes, the overwhelming concussive sound left an awful ringing in his ear, so much so Kisumo almost didn't hear the screaming from his assailant, the yellow sludge disapparted almost instantly as Kisumo fell hard onto the soft grass, pulling his way into a half crawl, his back still seared in pain. After what seemed like a longer amount of time than Kisumo reasoned it could feasibly be, Kisumo managed to somehow rise to his feet in a half crouch as the pain in his back flared whenever he tried to assume proper posture.
The stranger's visage had changed as he lay on the ground in a foetal position, crying and dry heaving as he clutched as his eyes. He know appeared more recognisable with a notable feature with a pronounced jaw, in fact his jaw encompassed the majority of his face complimented with a row of sharpened teeth lining this massive mandible.
'Now I see, he was a classmate of mine back at Aldera Junior High…Benjiro. But why would he…'
With his disguise now fully inert, Kisumo noticed something else that had been hidden from view, a spindly rubber-like growth at the base of his forehead.
'Oh god no!'
A Flesh Bud from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure had been embedded in the Stand User's skull, wiring its way using its tendrils to his brain controlling him. Tozoku stared down at the now blinded and pitiful assailant, a mixture of horror and disbelief at what had just transpired and the ramifications of what he'd unknowingly done.
Authorities quickly came on the scene, taking stock of what they saw and bringing the boys into custody. Kisumo's reputation did him massive favours in persuading the police of his version of events and Benjiro was kept in solitary confinement. That said, it would still be hours before Kisumo was released from custody.
As the Sports Festival ended and all of Japan were left exhilarated having watched such an epic display by their future heroes, a certain hero unbeknownst to all had witnessed an altogether different triumph from a more secluded vantage point, drawn by the same irresistible forces which draw together many Stand Users, be it fate or natural attraction.
"You are the one" said the Neapolitan, low rank aged hero of Tokyo as he adjusted his wide brimmed hat as he got up to make his way out of the stands. His hero costume consisted of a short-sleeved studded black leather coat, leather pants, and cowboy boots with special side holsters. He had a salt and pepper beard laced with pale red scars of younger days which made him look distinguished and even turned a few heads as he made his way out of the stadium.
He withdrew from an obscured spot close by as he heard first responders close in. He would need to send his message to 'encourage' his prospective student to fall under his tutelage, the most loathed Hero in Japan.
